Sergio Higuita, who has signed a contract with Bora-Hansgrohe through 2022, was spotted riding a Specialized bike instead of a Cannondale, the wrong sponsor. The team sent him a termination notice (opens in new tab), but after an apology from Higuita (opens in new tab), left him with the team. It was also revealed that the team sent a termination letter to Lawson Craddock, who is under contract with Team Bike Exchange, for riding a Giant bike at the Mellow Johnny's event in Texas. Stay tuned.

The result? The players faced the possibility of losing more than a month's worth of their 2021 salaries before their contracts expire on December 31.

What's the route' The Gran Partenza starts in Budapest, with an uphill finish on May 6 (open in new tab), two stages in Hungary, and then a rest day before moving on to Italy. Sprinters will have seven opportunities (open in new tab), six hilly stages (open in new tab), summit finals at Mount Etna, Brockhaus, Cogne, and Passo Fedaia (open in new tab), and over major mountains including Mortirolo and Passo Pordoi.

The full route, including 'what's left to know' dates for each stage, will be announced on Thursday.

Why it's important' Habibzai is one of the few brave women who have taken up cycling and racing despite the social taboo for women in the region. Even after the trauma of being separated from her family and homeland, she still wants to race bicycles. She is the first Afghan to sign (open in new tab) with the American development team Twenty24.

More on this story: Habibzai tells Cycling News about her harrowing escape to the US (opens in new tab).

Details of "what happened" have not been released, but a promising Eritrean who was racing and training with the UCI's World Cycling Center program was reportedly hit and killed by a driver while training in Asmara (opens in new tab). The UCI, through its social media channels, paid tribute to the "up-and-coming young talent who will be greatly missed."

Cycling News offered its condolences to Kidane's family, friends, and teammates.

Why it matters: Pozzato was not vaccinated and calls on other riders not to make the same mistake (opens in new tab). He was scheduled to be vaccinated but fell ill three days before his appointment. He has been on oxygen in the hospital since November 2.

It is unclear how he developed the disease, but he organized the "Let's Go to Dreamland" series in mid-October and fell ill five days later.

Now, what are his weaknesses? Long-distance high altitude climbing and a team that is arguably weaker than Ineos.

Why is this important? He can "crack pretty fast," Geraint Thomas claimed on his podcast, and Ineos can use their combined strength to beat him.

What is it' Rouleur Live is a four-day gathering in London that showcases cycling technology, delivers live interviews with pro riders, and features appearances from some of the sport's biggest names. What's Important' Rouleur Live's bike show took place in London in front of a real audience of people after months of mandatory masks and pandemic-related cancellations. We've compiled a gallery (opens in new tab) of the innovations and featured items from the show.

'What Happened' Peter Kennaugh talked a great deal about his decision to retire in 2019, along with his struggles on and off the bike, in a film produced by Wahoo called Frontiers. To remind us that riders are not robots, Philippa York said: if you watch Frontiers, you may understand that what Peter Kennaugh did when he said "enough is enough" in 2019 brought strength. For cycling fans, becoming a pro is the ultimate job."

November 11: The Superprestige cyclocross series continues on Thursday with the Jaarmarktcross in Neel. The race will be broadcast on Sporza in Belgium and on Eurosport and GCN+ (open in new tab) in the rest of the world. It is a technical urban course with deep mud and off-camber. Close battles are expected for both men and women, and new European champion Lars van der Haar will show off his jersey. Quinten Hermans and Dennis Betsema lead the series after two rounds.

November 13: The UCI Cyclocross World Cup heads to Tabor for the sixth round of the series, which includes the first rounds for the junior men and women and the U23 men. The races will be broadcast on Sporza, NOS, Eurosport, Telenet Play Sports, and FloBikes in the US.

In the men's elite series, Eli Iserbitt leads his teammate Michal Vanthourenhout by 45 points, while Brand and Betsema are tied on 147 points for the women.

Cycling News will have reports, results, and photos from both events.