Tadej Pogačar is straight back into his winning ways, taking stage 3 and the overall lead in his team’s ‘home’ race, the UAE Tour. We also have the Clásica Jaén, Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol and Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta in an action packed EUROTRASH Thursday with video, rider quotes, reports and results.
TOP STORY:
- Most of the peloton on stage 1 of the Volta ao Algarve finished on the wrong side of the barriers
Rider news:
- Remco Evenepoel increases his training intensity
- Anna van der Breggen full of confidence after successful comeback
- Maxim Van Gils looks to the UCI over the crash in the Eloile de Bessèges
- Celebrating G: Geraint Thomas to retire at the end of the year
Team news:
- Lotto Cycling Team welcomes top sprinter Elia Viviani
- Team Picnic-Post NL Next Races
- Bahrain Victorious Debuts at Classic Var and Tour des Alpes-Maritimes
Race news:
- Milano-Torino: The Oldest Classic Returns to Superga
Thursday coffee time!
TOP STORY: Most of the peloton on stage 1 of the Volta ao Algarve finishes on the wrong side of the barriers
The finish of the first stage of the Volta ao Algarve was total chaos. Most of the peloton took the wrong route in the last kilometre and finished on a road parallel to the finishing straight. The sprinters followed a moto down the deviation road for race vehicles and ended up behind the fans at the finish. Filippo Ganna went the correct way and finished solo.
The incident occurred as the peloton wound up for a sprint finish. At a roundabout, the riders should have gone left to be on the last hundred metres of the finishing straight. The route for the race vehicles went to the right of the roundabout, but the officials had not closed off the diversion. The front part of the peloton went straight ahead and to the right of the roundabout and ended up on a road parallel to the finishing straight. Filippo Ganna was not at the front and took the correct direction, because he saw the signals. The Italian had a gap on a small group and held on to the finish. He celebrated as crossed the finish line solo.
The majority of the peloton were on the parallel road, having their bunch sprint, but the finish line was on the other road. Jordi Meeus was first across the imaginary finish line, but this was meaningless and there was a lot of confusion.
Whether this chaotic situation in the final of the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve will have any consequences is still unclear. There was a lot of uncertainty, because many riders never crossed the finish line. Fifteen minutes after the finish, the organisers issued a result: Ganna was the winner with Romain Grégoire and Jan Christen one second behind him. Half an hour after the finish, the race organisers decided there was no results for the stage or the overall.
Riders climbing over the barriers to cross the finish line
Race Director of the Volta ao Algarve: “Organisers are Always Responsible”
The chaotic last kilometre of the Volta ao Algarve has caused a lot of discussion in the cycling world. Not much happened in the first stage of the Volta ao Algarve, until the last kilometre. A large part of the peloton took the wrong route in the last kilometre and completely missed the finish line. The race organisation commented after the chaos: “but sometimes you don’t have everything under control.”
“I think the television motorcycle was the first to make a mistake,” race director Sergio Sousa told Het Nieuwsblad. “That motorcycle was riding too close to the riders and the riders made the mistake of following the motorcycle. The organisers are always responsible, but sometimes you don’t have everything under control. This is not how we imagined the first stage, but tomorrow is a new day and the race will continue.”
Filippo Ganna took the correct route. The Italian crossed the line solo, but because of what happened the organisers decided to cancel the result: So no stage win or overall lead for Ganna. “This is a decision that we made together with the UCI commissaires, because this was not a fair final,” said Sousa. Where does he think this leaves Ganna? “Of course he regrets that the stage was canceled, but on the other hand he does not want to take the yellow jersey. He is a professional rider and I think that is only fair.”
The peloton on the left, on the ‘wrong’ side of the the finish line – Ganna on the right ‘winning’ or not
UAE Tour 2025
The Opening Stage 1 of the UAE Tour was won by Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek), who also took the first leader jersey. In an uphill sprint, the Italian was the fastest, beating Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck), but due to a sideways move he was declassed. Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) was moved up to second place and Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL) was third.
The UAE Tour started on Monday with a strong field of sprinters: Jasper Philipsen, Tim Merlier, Dylan Groenewegen, Jonathan Milan and Olav Kooij were all looking for wins in this seven-day WorldTour race.
On the flat stage to Liwa Palace, a leading group of three formed: Federico Bagiani & Manuele Tarozzi of VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè and Carlos Samudio of Solution Tech-Vine Fantini. The three had a maximum lead of 4 minutes, but the peloton were never worried. Of the three leaders, Tarozzi was the last to be caught, 11 kilometres from the finish. The peloton then got ready for a sprint. For UAE Emirates XRG, but it was chaotic. Sprinter Juan Sebastián Molano crashed hard while on Tadej Pogačar’s wheel. He did finish, but won’t start on stage 2 due to sprained ankle.
The rest of the sprinters managed to stay up-right to the finish. In the uphill final kilometre, Maikel Zijlaard was the first to attack, but Arvid de Kleijn was not on his wheel. Pogačar started the sprint, 350 metres from the line. The Slovenian had gone too early and was no match for the real sprint finishers. Milan jumped 200 metres out. The Italian also looked to have gone too early, as Philipsen was coming up fast. Milan kept pushing and beat Philipsen, who swerved in the final meters and nearly caused Finn Fisher-Black to crash. He was later declassed by the race jury.
Stage winner and overall leader, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “I’m brutally tired. I think the temperature and this last 700 metres and all the race was really tough. It was a pretty intense day. In the beginning it was a bit quiet, also with the headwind and we went in the circuit and there was some echelons and then everyone came back again. I have to say thank you to my guys because like every race they control, support me and then they lead me out like this so yeah, first a big thanks to them. I’m super happy about it, really tired now.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “Looking at the profile, it was one of those stages that could go either way, so we had to be ready to take advantage of that. Sam was our main goal for today, but I had in the back of my mind that if the finale was 10 seconds or so too long for the sprinters, then I might be able to take my chances and make the jump. In the end, it proved to be a tough finish, and I was right up there, but ahead of the line I had nowhere to go. In terms of the GC, I’m feeling good and that gives me a lot of confidence, so we’ll be looking to make the most out of it this week.”
3rd on the stage and overall, Tobias Lund Andresen (Team Picnic PostNL): “We had a headwind for most of the day, so the race ended up being slower than expected. The final started after the laps and we got organised pretty fast as a team, and we hit our key points all the way to the roundabout. Unfortunately, I got the front too early and I didn’t hear Niklas behind me, so I thought I was alone. In the end I had to drop back too much just before the other guys kicked towards the finish line. I’m happy with my sensations though and to get a podium in the end, and I think the results also show how tough the sprint was today.”
10th, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “We were a bit unlucky with Sebas (Molano) crashing, and it didn’t go as we had planned in the end. But otherwise we had good legs, we tried and it was a nice race. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, it’s going to be the first really long effort of the season. The feeling is good, a lot of work has been done in the winter and I hope it will pay off tomorrow in the time trial.”
Declassed, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It wasn’t a deliberate manoeuvre. You can see it on the images: I look over my right shoulder and then I swerve to the left. I didn’t realise I was doing something wrong. I thought we were two clear. I hadn’t seen Finn Fisher-Black. This isn’t nice, but who am I to decide this? I have to accept this. I was waiting and waiting for my moment. Tadej Pogačar went from very far, Jonathan Milan too. I waited until 100 metres to go, but that was still too far. When I came into the wind, I caught my breath and had to sit down. It was two solid minutes on that climb. I pushed some serious values. I was tired indeed. I have to be even more aware that I have to be even more alert. But in the heat of the battle and when you are completely à bloc, that is not easy. But I will try to get it into my head anyway. There are new rules and I will have to adapt. Again, this is not nice, but I have to be happy that I had a good first day on the bike. My legs were good, but I crashed into someone who is better.”
UAE Tour Stage 1 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 3:31:34
2. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
3. Tobias Lund Andresen (Den) Team Picnic PostNL
4. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
5. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL
6. Aaron Gate (NZ) XDS Astana
7. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana
8. Lionel Taminiaux (Bel) Lotto
9. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
10. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG.
UAE Tour Overall After Stage 1:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 3:31:24
2. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:04
3. Tobias Lund Andresen (Den) Team Picnic PostNL at 0:06
4. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto at 0:10
5. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL
6. Aaron Gate (NZ) XDS Astana
7. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana
8. Lionel Taminiaux (Bel) Lotto
9. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
10. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG.
UAE Tour’25 stage 1:
Joshua Tarling won the Stage 2 time trial in the UAE Tour. The INEOS Grenadiers rider beat Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XGR) by 13 and 18 seconds. Tarling is also the new overall leader. Pogačar was the best GC rider and is looking good for the overall victory.
After Jonathan Milan’s sprint victory on stage one, the riders faced a test against the clock on day two. On Al Hudayriyat Island, the riders had an individual time trial of 12.2 kilometres. The course was pan flat, a time trial for the specialists.
Many of the favourites had an early start. The riders didn’t start the time trial according to their GC position, but due to a special rule in the UCI regulations, the teams were allowed to choose. Most of the top GC riders decided to start their time trial very early, including Tadej Pogačar, who left the start gate at 10:00am. Pogačar was the first to set a real target time. The Slovenian finished in 13:13, at an average speed of more than 55kph. A good time by Pogačar, but not good enough. Stefan Bissegger beat Pogačar’s time. The Swiss rider was 5 seconds faster and took the hot seat.
Joshua Tarling finished a few minutes after Bissegger. The INEOS rider went under 13 minutes and completed the time trial in 12:55. The 21-year-old was 13 seconds better than Bissegger. As all the strong time trialists started early, it was clear that Tarling had the win. No one else managed to come close to Tarling’s time. The young time trialist took his first victory of the season and is the new overall leader.
Stage winner and overall leader, Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers): “I had a bit of a bumpy end of last season, I just needed to regain confidence and it’s exciting to be here for that. It was a mix of bad luck and competing against guys like Remco [Evenepoel] and [Filippo] Ganna. After the Olympics, I was struggling a bit at la Vuelta. I did my first altitude training camp at the Teide to prepare for today’s time trial. I had more chances to beat Tadej (Pogačar) on a flat course like this. I used a 68×11 gear. I’m not going to let the jersey go easy tomorrow. Carlos [Rodriguez] is a better climber than me, and obviously there’s Tadej, but I’ll try to hold on as long as I can. The season looks pretty good this year.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Stefan Bissegger (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale): “My goal was obviously to win the stage, but I struggled a bit in the final. Still, this gives me a lot of confidence because I feel that I can win. Everything is new for me this year: the preparation, the equipment, the sports directors, and in a time trial, every detail counts. A second place in my season opener proves that we are working in the right direction and that automatisms are falling into place. I was up against the best in the world today. I think Joshua Tarling is very strong in these conditions, and seeing that I am close to him gives me confidence for the future. We still have great ambitions this week. I didn’t manage to secure a victory today, but I fully intend to do everything I can to help the team in the coming days.”
3rd on the stage and overall, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a good time trial; a first all-out effort of the year and I am happy with both the speed and the legs. It was always going to be tough to compete against Tarling and Bissegger because they really fly on this kind of parcours. Tomorrow is a very nice stage for me. I have good memories from Jebel Jais and as I always say, it is a day for a sprint between the climbers. There can be surprises, of course, but I am really looking forward to it because it suits me very well.”
UAE Tour Stage 2 Result:
1. Joshua Tarling (GB) INEOS Grenadiers in 12:55
2. Stefan Bissegger (Sui) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:13
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:18
4. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:21
5. Max Walscheid (Ger) Jayco AlUla at 0:24
6. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar at 0:27
7. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:28
8. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 0:39
9. Florian Vermeersch (Bel) Emirates XRG
10. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:40.
UAE Tour Overall After Stage 2:
1. Joshua Tarling (GB) INEOS Grenadiers in 3:44:29
2. Stefan Bissegger (Sui) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:13
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:18
4. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates XRG at 21
5. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar at 27
6. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:28
7. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:34
8. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 0:39
9. Bruno Armirail (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:41
10. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana at 0:42.
UAE Tour’25 stage 2:
Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) won the Third Stage of the UAE Tour on Wednesday. The stage ended in a sprint between the climbers, where Pogačar was clearly the fastest. Oscar Onley (Team Picnic-PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) had to settle for second and third places. Pogačar also took the overall lead from Joshua Tarling.
The peloton rode from Ras al Khaimah to Jebel Jais, a stage of 181 kilometres. The finish was at the summit of Jebel Jais, a long and steady climb. Previous years the stage has finished with a sprint between the climbers.
Before the climbers could do their thing in the UAE Tour, there was a long flat run-up. Five escaped on the flat section, the group consisted of three Italians from VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè: Manuele Tarozzi, Federico Biagini and Lorenzo Conforti and two riders from Solution Tech-Vini Fantini; the Serbian Dorde Duric and the Panamanian Carlos Samudio. The peloton was in no hurry to catch Their lead was never big. The escapees were only interested in the intermediate sprints. This caused the group to attack each other and chase again.
In the end it was the Panamanian Samudio who took the most points. Together with Biagini he held off the peloton for a while, until 18 kilometres from the finish. UAE Emirates XRG took the lead when they hit the Jebel Jais. They immediately started riding at a steady pace for Tadej Pogačar. The work of UAE Emirates XRG was impressive, they made sure that riders were dropped off the back. With 10 kilometres to go, Pogačar still had three teammates: Mikkel Bjerg, Domen Novak and Jay Vine. It was Bjerg who set the pace for a long time. The Dane stepped moved off the front with 7 kilometres to go and then it was time for Novak to do his bit for Pogačar.
Novak rode on the front for 3 kilometres, other teams had to take the initiative. It was Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale who took over as they still had four in the peloton. They were woking for Felix Gall, who made the first attack on Jebel Jais. Vine closed the gap very quickly, after which the Australian continued to ride at the front. This caused Tarling to let go, which meant he would lose his leader’s jersey. With Vine in the lead, the thinned out peloton started the last kilometre. There was still 20 to 30 riders left by this point. It looked like there would be another sprint between the climbers on Jebel Jais. In the sprint no one could beat the World champion Pogačar. He rode everyone off his wheel at the top of the climb. Pogačar won by a few lengths. Oscar Onley was second, Gall third. The Belgian Lennert Van Eetvelt took fourth place. The only 18-year-old Paul Seixas of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale finished in 10th place.
Stage winner and overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “It feels amazing to finally be back racing and to have a victory after two days. We did a perfect job, it was a hard day for the guys to control the race because it was long and we had no help whatsoever until the final climb. We executed it really well and everybody deserves the victory today from our team. Rune (Herregodts) was really good at pulling all day, then Lotto helped us a bit and in the final we just tried to go at our pace. It [feels] really good to win in the rainbow jersey. Everybody watching this race knows that Jebel Jais is windy. It meant the guys pulling were suffering quite a lot but when you’re in the bunch, it’s not like that. Today’s race was no science fiction. I was hoping for Joshua Tarling to stay closer and keep the red jersey so I would have continued racing in the rainbow jersey. At the end I’m happy to lead the race but we also know that Jebel Jais isn’t very suitable for making differences. Every year we hear that this is a sprint of the GC riders. It’s easier to have bigger gaps in steeper climbs, not only for me but in general. It’s great that my parents finally have a chance to come here and watch this race. They’re enjoying it and I also enjoyed to see them on the start line and know that they’d be here at the finish. Today is a confirmation that my winter training has been good. But I already had that feeling yesterday. It’s a motivation booster”.”
2nd overall and white jersey wearer, Joshua Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers): “I’m satisfied with how it went. It was quite a smooth pace the whole way up so I’ve settled into a rhythm until Decathlon-AG2R started to really ramp it so with one and half kilometre to get, I was a bit off the back but I some left to keep the pace uphill. We a nice few safe stages and I’ll head into the last day the same way we did today for me and Carlos (Rodriguez).”
UAE Tour Stage 3 Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 4:36:04
2. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL
3. Felix Gall (Aust) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
4. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
5. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek
6. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
7. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:04
8. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar
9. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Israel-Premier Tech
10. Paul Seixas (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale.
UAE Tour Overall After Stage 3:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 8:20:41
2. Joshua Tarling (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:18
3. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar at 0:23
4. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:24
5. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:26
6. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:33
7. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:34
8. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 0:35
9. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana at 0:38
10. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto.
UAE Tour’25 stage 3:
Clásica Jaén 2025
It took nearly 70 kilometres on the attack for Michal Kwiatwkoski to reach Úbeda well ahead everybody else, yet the occasion was worth his effort as he conquered the fourth edition of the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior to bring home the Golden Olive awarded to every winner of the event sponsored by the Diputación de Jaén. The Polish cyclist triumphed over Isaac del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG), whose late solo effort fell short, and Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Pharma), a survivor from the day’s main breakaway.
89 riders took part in the 4th edition of the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, held over a 169-kilometre course both starting and finishing in the UNESCO World Heritage City of Úbeda, with 10 ‘Caminos de Olivos’ (gravel sectors) in the second half of the race route. The star-studded peloton featured the three teams that have won all 10 latest editions of the Tour de France: Visma | Lease a Bike, with Wout van Aert; UAE Emirates XRG, with Tim Wellens; and INEOS Grenadiers with Egan Bernal, a Yellow Jersey himself.
It took nearly half an hour of racing for a group to finally go up the road, with Clément Alleno (Burgos Burpellet BH), Julen Arriolabengoa (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Yentl Vandevelde (Flanders-Baloise), Edgar Curto, Ricard Fitó (Illes Balears-Arabay), Adrián Benito (Spanish National U23 Team) and Ibon Ruiz (Equipo Kern Pharma). The seven-strong breakaway enjoyed a gap of 5 minutes by kilometre 63, when Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale and Visma took the reins and set a demanding pace in the bunch.
The front group took on the first Camino de Olivos, Vandelvira (km 79,7; 1,2km), with 3:25 on the peloton. Their gap was brought down to 2’00” by the start of Mar de Olivos (km 97; 5,1km), where Arriolabengoa and Ruiz accelerated to form a front duo while the UAE Team Emirates cyclists launched several attacks behind to reduce the peloton down to 25 riders. It was at Úbeda (km 102,4) that Brandon McNulty (UAE Emirates XRG) and Michal Kwiatkowski (Ineos Grenadiers) managed to put some daylight between them and the favourites group, led by Visma. Ruiz and Arriolabengoa hit Juancaballo (km 108,5; 3,7km) with 20” on McNulty and Kwiatkowski and 1:00 on the small chasing peloton, and were joined at the front by their two chasers just as they quit the gravel. There were unsuccessful attacks, left and right, between the favourite’s at Santa Eulalia (km 115,3; 2,5km). Later on, in Guadalupe (km 153,2; 6,2km), Arriolabengoa got dropped from the break as Van Aert took the reins in the chasing group to drive it on cruise mode and frustrate every attacker, reducing the gap down to 30 seconds by Vandelvira (km 131,8; 1,2km).
As Van Aert ceased his pursuit at kilometre 138, with 31 to go, the chasing group entered a chaotic dynamic that didn’t help them reduce the leaders’ advantage in Juancaballo (km 143,2; 3,7km). The gap went up to 50 seconds after Santa Eulalia (km 150; 2,5km). Right at the beginning of Guadalupe (km 153,2; 6,2km), McNulty suffered a flat tyre that put him out of contention, leaving Kwiatkowski and Ruiz alone at the front. The Polish rider powered away solo midway through the gravel sector, with 12 kilometres to go, as Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) hit the afterburners to quit the anarchic chasing group. Del Toro’s effort enabled him to overtake Ruiz in the final Camino de Olivos, Vandelvira (km 166,5; 1,2km), yet it fell short as far as Kwiatkowski was concerned. The 2014 UCI Road World Champion thus managed to land an excellent victory and join Alexey Lutsenko, Tadej Pogačar and Oier Lazkano in the palmarès of the Clásica Jaén Paraíso Interior, and was escorted on the podium by Del Toro and Ruiz. INEOS Grenadiers won the team classification too, yet they also received some bad news as Egan Bernal crashed out of the race and was taken to hospital for closer examination.
Race winner, Michal Kwiatkowski (INEOS Grenadiers): “The pace was super high from the second gravel sector, and I didn’t expect things to get started that early. There was just a small group and we had numbers on it. Everybody on my team was racing perfectly, and we knew we could do it well. I’m proud of how we rode today and I want to dedicate this victory to my family, as we went through a tough couple of months. This victory means a lot for me. Last year I had a lower back injury and I didn’t race for such a long time. I was in pretty good condition already in Australia, but something was always missing to get the victory. I spent the last two weeks training in Mallorca. My family stays at home, so I know how much sacrifices they make for me. It means a lot to me that I’m back on the level of winning races. I think that, had it not been me, some other guy from my team would have deserved to win because we all raced pretty well today.”
2nd, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG): “The team and me were trying to control the race all day with a lot of numbers but in the end we didn’t have the best luck. It was pretty ok that we can manage second place, it’s not what we are here for but it’s still super good. We die trying and I’m happy for the support of the team and the staff, they are always here for us. I cannot do more sometimes. After the descent, we knew McNulty had a flat tyre and we tried to do something to approach the gap. But the difference was quite big. Still, we tried and, but the gap was very big and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.”
3rd, Ibon Ruiz Sedano (Equipo Kern Pharma): “I didn’t know how far my legs would go and I had to fight as much as I could, but Kwiatkowski was going very fast. It was a great day, another step forward with a great result after the good work during the winter and the support of my family. This third place is a good reward for me and for the team.”
4th, Jordan Labrosse (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale): “The race started fast from the second technical sector. I was feeling good and tried to take the breakaway, but didn’t manage to get out of the peloton at the right moment. The team then did a great job to help us stay well-positioned in the most important sectors and animate the race. Even though the result wasn’t what we hoped for, I felt very strong. It’s promising for the upcoming races.”
39th, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I didn’t have the best legs. I didn’t have a great feeling. I didn’t have the best legs and in the final I was quickly on the limit a few times. Unfortunately, as a team we were also chasing the facts too quickly. There should always have been someone with Michal Kwiatkowski. Sepp (Kuss), Ben (Tulett) or me. But I just had a difficult moment. I had the feeling that Ben was our best man, but lacked some confidence. That’s why I encouraged him to save himself for the final and I tried to do something for him. It’s not a bad start, but it was a tough race. That’s why I wasn’t really well positioned. I had to waste some energy to survive the first selection, but with good legs that wouldn’t have been a problem. I’m certainly not bad, but I felt that I wouldn’t win.”
Clásica Jaén Result:
1. Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) INEOS Grenadiers in 4:00:25
2. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG ay 0:31
3. Ibon Ruiz Sedano (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma at 0:46
4. Jordan Labrosse (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 1:53
5. Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers
6. Antonio Eric Fagundez Lima (Uru) Burgos Burpellet BH at 1:57
7. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
8. Carlos Canal Blanco (Spa) Movistar
9. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:59
10. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG at 2:00.
Jaén’25:
Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol
Maxim Van Gils impressively won the tough opening Stage 1 of the Ruta del Sol on Wednesday. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider was out numbered by UAE Emirates XRG in the final, but proved strong enough to deal with Tim Wellens and Pavel Sivakov. Van Gils is also the overall leader.
The first stage was an important day for the GC. The opening stage was 163 kilometres and had quite a few climbs, with the Alto Mirador de la Axarquía (12.4km at 4%), Alto de Zurrón (2.2km at 9.5%), Alto de Periana (6km at 5.3%), Alto de Canillas (6.7km at 7%), the steep climb to Canillas de Albaida (1.2km at 13%) and the Alto de Frigiliana (8.6km at 5%). When crossing the summit of the Alto de Frigiliana, the riders still had 14 kilometres to go to the finish. The first kilometres were downhill, after which the road slowly started to climb towards the finale in Nerja. The last kilometre was steep at an average of around 6%.
Eight riders made up the early break of the day: Guillermo Thomas Silva (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Unai Iribar (Equipo Kern Pharma), Víctor de la Parte (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Ander Okamika (Burgos Burpellet BH), four Spaniards. Belgians Siebe Deweirdt (Team Flanders-Baloise) and Leander Van Hautegem (Wagner Bazin WB), plus the Norwegian Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility) and Frenchman Alan Jousseaume (TotalEnergies). The lead of the eight increased to 5 minutes, but in the run-up to the Alto de Canillas (6.7km at 7%) the difference was reduced. On the climb, the leading group split, Leknessund and Silva were the strongest climbers, while the peloton was also reduced. It was Pavel Sivakov was putting the pressure on in the bunch.
The UAE Emirates XRG Frenchman went after the leaders and quickly crossed to the dropped escapees, but had more difficulty closing the last gap on Leknessund, who had now dropped Silva. The Norwegian was not planning to wait for Sivakov. Leknessund held on exceptionally well for a long time. With 40 kilometres to go, he still had a lead of 30 seconds on Sivakov and Silva. The group of favourites was at 1:30. Tom Pidcock decided to attack just before the start of a long descent towards the last climb of the day, the Alto de Frigiliana.
Pidcock didn’t get away and so he sat back in the peloton 9 kilometre long climb. It wasn’t the British rider who attacked on the steeper sections, but Maxim Van Gils. The Belgian rode away from his big competitors and caught Sivakov. One rider did managed to jump across. Tim Wellens, who won the Ruta del Sol in 2018, made his move on the Alto de Frigiliana. This gave UAE Emirates XRG an advantage, as Sivakov was still at the front of the race, but last year’s winner, rode with Wellens and Sivakov.
The three went past Leknessund and started the descent, although the lead over the first chasing group of Pidcock, Steff Cras, Tobias Halland Johannessen, Clément Berthet and Marc Soler was still quite small, but the five were unable to catch them. With 5 kilometres to go, it was certain that the winner would come from the leading three. Van Gils nearly crashed in the final, but remained upright. For Van Gils it looked unequal. The Belgian had to counter the attacks from Wellens and Sivakov. The two UAE Emirates XRG riders attacked in one after the other, but the strong Van Gils always had an answer. The lone Van Gills still had enough energy in the last few hundred metres to take the sprint. Wellens kept pushing, but was unable to get past. Van Gils took his first victory for his new Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team. The 25-year-old rider will start the difficult second stage to Torredelcampo on Thursday as leader.
Stage winner and overall leader, Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “It was a really tough and hot stage. I think everyone felt it in their legs. No team was able to really control the stage. UAE Emirates XRG is here with several leaders and they also tried to play their cards. So it was important for me to anticipate. I know Tim (Wellens) quite well. I rode in his team (Lotto). I know that I am faster in the sprint and so it is important not to let him ride away. I had to try to keep everything together and then gamble on the sprint. My victory last year had a bit more prestige, because it was a high-level time trial, but this victory is also special. I was incredibly motivated before the start, with last year still in the back of my mind. I am very proud of myself. UAE has a very strong team here. They will try to play that out in the coming days. I am also a bit afraid of that. I hope that my team can handle it all.”
Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Stage 1 Result:
1. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 4:19:23
2. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:07
4. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:30
5. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
6. Andreas Leknessund (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:33
7. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 0:39
8. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
9. Igor Arrieta Lizarraga (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:38
10. Thomas Gachignard (Fra) TotalEnergies at 1:40.
Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Overall After Stage 1:
1. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 4:19:23
2. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:07
4. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:30
5. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
6. Andreas Leknessund (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:33
7. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 0:39
8. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
9. Igor Arrieta Lizarraga (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:38
10. Thomas Gachignard (Fra) TotalEnergies at 1:40.
Andalucia’25 stage 1:
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta 2025
The First Stage of the 2025 Volta ao Algarve was won by Filippo Ganna, but in reality he didn’t. The Italian took advantage of a split in the final rush to the line. A large part of the peloton, with almost all the sprinters, went the wrong way at the deviation for vehicles and motos. Ganna was one of the few riders who was alert and won the ‘sprint’. Half an hour after the finish, the race organisers decided to annul the result for the stage and the overall.
The Volta ao Algarve started on Wednesday with a stage for the fast men. From Portimão it went over 190 kilometres to Lagos. On the route there was the Portela de Nave (2.2km at 5.9%), which was the only real obstacle of the day and was not too hard for the sprinters. The top of this climb was almost 100 kilometres from the finish.
Eight riders made the break of the day: Gonçalo Oliveira, Francisco Morais, Carlos Miguel Salgueiro, Francisco Campos, Noah Campos and Diogo Narciso were the home Portuguese riders. They were joined by the Brazilian Victor Cesar de Paula and the Argentinian German, Nicolás Tivani. This break was not considered dangerous and the lead quickly increased to around 5 minutes. This was also the maximum lead, due to the efforts of the sprinter’s teams, the difference became smaller and smaller. At the foot of the Portela de Nave, the lead was 4 minutes.
The escapees had no illusions about a possible stage win, but the first mountain jersey was there for the taking at the top of the Portela de Nave. Francisco Campos took the points. The Portuguese rider was the first to the top and would be on the podium to collect the KOM jersey. After the mountain sprint, Salgueiro and Morais dropped the others. It wasn’t fast enough for Salgueiro and so he went solo and was first at the intermediate sprint in Vila do Bispo. With 23 kilometres to go, he was caught. In the last 5 kilometres, the pace increased. Lotto for Arnaud De Lie, Tudor with Alberto Dainese and EF Education-EasyPost for Madis Mihkels, the sprint trains started to get organised and a bunch sprint was on the cards.
In the final kilometre a large part of the peloton took the wrong route and completely missed the finishing straight. At a roundabout, the riders should have gone left, but the front of the peloton went right and followed the diversion for the race vehicles and ended up on a road running parallel to the finishing straight. Filippo Ganna went the correct route and took a gap on a small group and held on for the win. The majority of the peloton were on the other side of the road. The organisers decided to cancel the stage and the result.
Stage winner and overall leader (NOT), Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “I don’t really know what happened, I just took the right path and won, I don’t think there’s much more to add. Today was a long, hard and very hot stage, but it’s nice to be back here in the Algarve. I don’t know what to expect from tomorrow’s stage. Two years ago I didn’t get away on the climb so tomorrow we’ll see what happens. Tomorrow there will surely be a steeper climb so I’ll have to understand what I can do but the most important thing is to arrive with a good feeling and then we’ll see.”
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I knew it, to be honest. I came out of that last corner and saw the barriers on the other side. I knew we were going to sprint on that side. So I think someone sent us the wrong way. I thought there might be a chicane somewhere, but 400 meters from the finish I saw a lot of people signalling to take it easy. That’s when I applied the brakes and came in calmly. Amateurish? You could say that. It’s a bit laughable, even, that sprinting pack on the wrong side of the road. There should always be barriers so that there’s no confusion.”
Marco Haller (UAE Emirates XRG): “The detour was not deactivated by the race marshals. So when the riders arrive, they follow the bikes as usual. This is really ridiculous. We go out all day with the aim of starting the sprint in a perfect position. And then it all turns out to be in vain. It’s laughable. This can’t help but have consequences for the officials and the race organisation. You can’t always blame the riders. It’s very frustrating. Although it is always the same ending, we have judges, officials and motorcycles to guide us. This has been very bad.”
Arnaud De Lie (Lotto): “We knew it was to the left. We had reconnoitred the final and we had studied everything well. But suddenly everyone went to the right. Then you have to go to the right with the rest of the peloton, otherwise you might cause others to fall. It is the first rider in the peloton who followed the motorcycle. Everyone knows that the motorcycle does not ride to the finish and that it turns off at a certain point. The organisation cannot do much about this. As riders, we have so many tools these days to reconnoiter the course. Then this should not happen. It is a stupid mistake, but there was no clear signalling. If you watch the replay, you will see that I am already looking around in the middle of the roundabout. There were also no barriers until we were on the straight. It happened so quickly and instinct took over. We had reconnoitred yesterday, but it was very unclear and that costs everyone in the peloton dearly. Suddenly I didn’t see any barriers on either side. It was all very confusing. I think everyone in the peloton will confirm that it was very unclear. Even on the team bus afterwards there was a lot of confusion.”
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Stage 1 (unofficial) Result:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 4:28:30
2. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
3. Jan Christen (Sui) UAE Emirates XRG
4. Yves Lampaert (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
5. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama-FDJ
6. Gal Glivar (Slo) Alpecin-Deceuninck
7. Xandro Meurisse (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
8. Ivo Emanuel Oliveira Alves (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
9. Gil Gelders (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
10. Jan Tratnik (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Overall After Stage 1:
The organisers have not issued a result. Only the KOM jersey was presented to early break rider, Francisco Campos.
Algarve’25 stage 1:
Remco Evenepoel Increases Training Intensity
Remco Evenepoel is on his way back. From his Strava, we can see that the double Olympic champion is making progress in his rehabilitation. Last Monday, Evenepoel had a tough training session. “The first pushes,” he said.
Evenepoel’s rehabilitation is a long one. The Belgian rider collided with a post office van door at the beginning of December, after which he was not allowed to ride his bike. His first ride outside was on February 2, but now things are stepping up. Recently he completed a 100-kilometre ride for the first time and now the intensity of his training has increased. Evenepoel had a training session of 136-kilometres last Monday. The day before, he was more than four hours on the bike for two days and seems to be making progress in his rehabilitation.
A bit more effort from Remco:
Anna van der Breggen Full of Confidence after Successful Comeback
Anna van der Breggen made her comeback last week. The Dutch rider was third in the Tour of Valencia and gained a lot of confidence. Van der Breggen is now taking that confidence with her to the upcoming races. “Who knows what will happen,” Van der Breggen told NOS.
On the first day of the Tour of Valencia, Van der Breggen had to be amongst the action. In a difficult stage, she had a tough duel with Demi Vollering. In the end, Van der Breggen had to let go and finished third, but she accepted that. “I didn’t expect that, but I did hope for it. I noticed at the start of the stage that positioning myself in the peloton already cost me a lot of energy. That’s why I was able to stay with Demi for so long was beyond my expectations.”
“When the first good climbers dropped away, I thought: so it’s going well after all. I would have preferred to stay with Demi until the end, but that didn’t work out. It is a great motivation for now. In terms of climbing, this was of course a snapshot and only a relatively short climb. So it won’t always be like this. But I was close and I know what I have to do to get even better.” Van der Breggen is heading towards the first major events of the season with a good feeling and confidence. She will ride the spring Classics, including the Strade Bianche, the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. “I want to compete at the front there so I can win a race there. I will continue training now and I hope to be in the best possible position there. Who knows what will come of it,” said Van der Breggen.
Van der Breggen confident:
Maxim Van Gils looks to the UCI over the crash in the Eloile de Bessèges
Maxim Van Gils must have wanted a different start to his career with Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. The Belgian was involved in a crash during the Etoile de Bessèges, when a car drove onto the race route. Van Gils was too injured to continue. He now looks back on the incident, two weeks later.
On Thursday 6 February, in the final of the second stage of the Etoile de Bessèges, with 15 kilometres to go, a car drove onto the route. This resulted in a crash, and Maxim Van Gils was forced to abandon the race, his first with his new team. “I still remember very little about it,” he said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “I remember that I had broken my wheel and was just rejoining the peloton. After a gentle bend, they fell in front of me. I had more speed, couldn’t brake properly and went over it. I ended up in the ditch and was in a lot of pain. I feared that I had broken something in my pelvis or lower back,” he continued. “We went to the hospital for X-rays, but in the end it turned out to be just a big bruise. I missed a few days of training and still have some pain in my lower back, but it is getting better and better.”
Van Gils’ crash was the first, but not the last incident and many teams decided, for safety reasons, to leave the race. “Of course I only rode the first stage completely, but there were a few incidents there too,” Van Gils explained. “The organiser is at fault, but so is the UCI. It was a small race where perhaps too many big teams were at the start. Let’s call it an unfortunate incident.” Van Gils now wants to look ahead to the Ruta del Sol. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider won a shortened edition last year and will start the five-day race as . “Now I hope to be able to do the entire race. The Ruta is a beautiful race and I want to feel my legs in competition.”
Maxim Van Gils also blames the UCI:
Celebrating G: Geraint Thomas to Retire at the End of the Year
British Cycling celebrates Geraint ‘G’ Thomas OBE, who has today announced his intention to retire from professional cycling at the end of this year, after what will be his 19th year as a member of the WorldTour and Great Britain Cycling Team.
Performance Director, Stephen Park CBE said: “On behalf of British Cycling, I would like to congratulate Geraint on a stellar career, one that has shown what is possible within such a gruelling and captivating sport for those who have the grit and determination to succeed at the highest level. His 2018 Tour de France win will go down in history as the first time a Welshman has achieved the prestigious and hard-fought accolade. We will all be cheering him on over the coming months as he competes in his final season and look forward to bidding him farewell as he makes Septembers’ Tour of Britain his final race. Representing the Great Britain Cycling Team, we have seen him win rainbow jerseys on the track as a young rider, as well as two Olympic gold medals, and being part of teams who have broken multiple world records. He has also represented his home nation of Wales to the highest level, bringing home four Commonwealth Games medals as a result. What stands out about Geraint as a sportsperson is his passion for the sport and how he holds himself as a fantastic role model to the next generation of pro cyclists. His pride in the jersey and unwavering commitment to being the best version of himself are qualities we want to instil in every member of our team. G has been a key figurehead in every team he’s been a part of over the years and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats. We wish him the very best of luck in his final season in the peloton and in whatever the future holds.”
Thomas was introduced to the sport at the age of 10, becoming part of the legendary Maindy Flyers club in his home city of Cardiff, which also boasts alumni such as Olympians Elinor Barker and Ella Maclean-Howell. Showing potential from the off, Thomas quickly achieved national track success followed by his first world title in the scratch race at the UCI Junior Track World Championships in Los Angeles, USA.
Joining British Cycling’s Olympic Academy in 2005, Thomas’s natural talent developed considerably, taking wins on the road and being awarded the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year Carwyn James Junior Award, before making his Tour de France debut as part of Continental cycling team, Barloworld in 2007.
Thomas’ breakthrough year came in 2008 when he was part of the British quartet including Ed Clancy, Paul Manning and Bradley Wiggins who won the team pursuit gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, breaking the world record twice in the process.
Thomas retained his Olympic team pursuit title at the London 2012 Olympic Games, alongside Steven Burke, Ed Clancy and Peter Kennaugh, setting two more world records. He has since competed in two further Olympic Games for Great Britain.
Alongside two Olympic gold medals, in 20 years representing the Great Britain Cycling Team, Thomas has amassed multiple accolades, including four elite world titles and one European title. He has also been a key part of squads that have supported the delivery of British victories, including supporting teammate Mark Cavendish to his road race world title in 2011.
Ever the pride of Wales, Thomas has competed for Team Wales at three Commonwealth Games, taking bronze in the men’s points race in 2006, and another in the road time-trial in 2022. His most successful Commonwealth Games was Glasgow 2014, where he secured bronze in the road time-trial before winning gold in the road race.
What Thomas has achieved in his road career is nothing short of exceptional, with race wins including Paris-Nice in 2016, Critérium du Dauphiné in 2018, Tour de Romandie in 2021 and an incredibly close second-place finish in the 2023 Giro d’Italia. However, Thomas’ career-defining moment was his impeccable Tour de France win in 2018 which saw him become the third British and only Welsh cyclist to win the Tour de France.
In September 2018, the Wales National Velodrome in Newport was officially renamed the Geraint Thomas National Velodrome before he was named BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year for the second time. His incredible Tour de France win also saw him win the overall BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award and was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2019 News Year Honours for services to cycling.
Geraint Thomas riding his last season:
Lotto Cycling Team Welcomes Top Sprinter Elia Viviani
Elia Viviani (36) is joining Lotto Cycling Team. The Italian sprinter has signed a one-year contract. “I still want to sprint all-out for every victory, but at the same time, I want to pass on my experience to this young team.”
Just before the start of the classic spring season, another rider is joining Lotto Cycling Team’s 25-man roster: Elia Viviani has signed a one-year contract with the team. “I’m very happy to extend my career with Lotto,” the Italian sprinter says enthusiastically. “First and foremost, I want to keep sprinting for victories, but I also want to share my experience with this young team. I’m ready to take on that role- giving my new teammates tips, whether they are sprinters or not, and helping them grow.”
Elia Viviani boasts an impressive list of achievements. He won Olympic gold in the omnium on the track and became a two-time world champion in the elimination race. He claimed five stage wins and the points classification in the Giro d’Italia, three stage victories in the Vuelta and one in the Tour de France. He also became both Italian and European road race champion. “At 36, I’m still highly motivated. I’m still a sprinter. I want to win. After focusing on the Olympics and track cycling last summer, it wasn’t easy to find a team, as I hadn’t been able to prove myself on the road. But then Stéphane (Heulot, ed.) heard about my situation, and suddenly, the puzzle pieces fell into place. My wife, Elena Cecchini, actually preceded me. She raced for Lotto in 2015 and was absolutely thrilled that I would be riding for the Belgian team (laughs).”
Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Cycling Team: “I’ve known Elia Viviani for ten years- our paths have crossed at previous teams. That’s why I’m delighted to announce his arrival and welcome him to our team. Elia brings a wealth of experience that he can share with our young riders, and at the same time, I’m convinced he still has an important role to play in the sprints.”
Viviani to Lotto:
Team Picnic-Post NL Next Races
Tour du Rwanda – FEB 23 – MAR 02
Asbjørn Kragh Andersen – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “We’re excited to kick off our season at Tour du Rwanda with a strong group of riders. In this first race of the season for our Development program, our main focus is, as always, on growth. We’ll take it day by day, making the most of every opportunity to learn and improve. While we have two riders who could perform well in the GC, we’ll see how things unfold throughout the week.”
Line-up:
Jacob Bush (GBR)
Juan Guillermo Martinez (COL)
Oliver Peace (GBR)
Pavel Sumpik (CZE)
Mees Vlot (NLD).
Jacob Bush to Rwanda:
Bahrain Victorious Debuts at Classic Var and Tour des Alpes-Maritimes
With the UAE Tour and Volta ao Algarve already underway this week, Bahrain Victorious are set to make a first appearance at two recently renewed French races: Classic Var (1.1) on Friday, February 21, and the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes (2.1), a two-day race on February 22nd & 23rd. Both events take place in the départment of Var in the South of France.
The Classic Var will kick off in Le Luc – Circuit du Var and conclude after 163 km in Fayence, featuring a revamped course. The first half consists of rolling terrain, while the second half becomes increasingly demanding, culminating in a brutal 1 km uphill finish which averages 11.2%, but has a maximum gradient of 20%.
The one-day race will be especially significant as the line-up includes Lenny Martinez, who claimed victory on Mont Faron in the first edition of the event last year. “I’m really happy to return to this race, this time with Bahrain Victorious. Last year, I won with a different jersey, and therefore now I’m excited to be part of the team’s debut here. Although the parcours has changed—it’s now a 5-minute final climb instead of 20 when I took the victory—but we have a strong squad. Santiago (Buitrago) and I, along with other teammates, have good cards to play. We’ll do our best and aim for a great result.”
Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Roman Kreuziger believes this will be a good challenge for Martinez, and is confident in the potential opportunities for the team: “It’s Lenny’s first race on home soil with his new team, and I know he’s eager to perform well. The final is completely different from last year, and it may actually suit someone like Buitrago better. Fortunately, we have both Lenny and Santiago racing together, which gives us great options. We’re also bringing a young but competitive squad, led on the road by the experienced Jack Haig as captain. Our two rookies, [Roman] Ermakov and (Oli) Stockwell, showed promising form in Provence, while (Edoardo) Zambanini displayed excellent teamwork in Valenciana. [Finlay] Pickering, after his season debut at GP Castellon, is also eager to race. With last year’s winner in our lineup, we know the peloton will keep a close eye on us.”
While Classic Var features a redesigned route, the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes retains a similar parcours to last year. On Stage 1 (Contes – Gourdon, 162.4 km) riders will face a mountain-top finish, with key ascents including Col Saint-Roch, Lucéram, and Col de Châteauneuf – totalling 3.308m of altitude gain.
Stage 2 (Villefranche-sur-Mer – Vence, 131.8 km) is shorter but intense, starting with the Col d’Eze, followed by Col de Châteauneuf. The winner could be decided in a reduced bunch sprint after a late battle on the ascents of la Sine.
Kreuziger sees the race as an important test ahead of key dates to come: “The parcours is tough, especially stage 1 that is particularly demanding. However, it really suits our riders’ characteristics. The second stage, though shorter and with less altitude, remains tricky. We won’t just control the race – we’ll have to be active and shape it to our advantage. This is a crucial step in our season, and we aim to perform at our best.”
Milano-Torino: The Oldest Classic Returns to Superga
Four years after Roglič’s triumph, the riders will face the double ascent to the Basilica. There will be 19 teams at the start including 6 UCI WorldTeams
The 106th edition of Milano-Torino presented by Crédit Agricole was officially unveiled today at the Rho Municipality. The world’s oldest Classic, first held in 1876, will start for the third consecutive year on 19 March from Rho, covering 174 km before finishing at Superga. The final ramps, with their relentless and steep gradients, have created iconic moments in cycling history. From Contador to Roglič, Valverde to Nibali, those who triumph at Superga cement their names among the legends. The list of participating teams has also been revealed.
The Route of OF Milano-Torino by Crédit Agricole
The first half of the route is mostly flat, while the second half is undulating with notable climbs. After departing from Rho, the race crosses the upper Po Valley, passing through Magenta, Novara, and Vercelli before reaching the Po River across perfectly flat roads. A rolling section follows, featuring wide, mostly straight roads leading into the final circuit. After San Mauro Torinese, the race follows the Po River along Corso Casale, climbing towards Superga for the first time (turning 600 meters before the finish). A challenging descent via Rivodora takes riders back to San Mauro, before the final ascent to the finish with gradients exceeding 10%.
Final kilometres
The last 5 km, repeated twice (except for the final 600 meters), begin in Corso Casale, Turin, where the climb towards the Basilica di Superga starts. The average gradient is 9.1%, with a 14% peak mid-climb and long stretches at 10%. At 600 meters to go, a sharp left U-turn leads to an 8.2% ramp, followed by the final bend at 50 meters to the finish line on 7-meter-wide asphalt.
From left Andrea Orlandi, Mayor of Rho, Marco Terzi, from Crédit Agricole, Alessandra Borghetti, Sports Councillor for the Municipality of Rho, and Mauro Vegni
Andrea Orlandi, Mayor of Rho: “We are increasingly proud of this collaboration with RCS Sport, which is yielding other important results as well. Seeing the city dressed in the colours of the Milano-Torino is always exciting, and it will be once again when we lower the flag to start the race. I want to thank all the municipal offices involved in organising this major sporting event, the local organisations, the city’s cycling clubs, and the sponsors, all united in ensuring that everything is set up for a great cycling celebration”.
Mauro Vegni, Head of Cycling at RCS Sport: “For the third year in a row, the world’s oldest Classic will start from Rho, confirming a strong bond appreciated by fans who have crowded the start village in the past two editions. We have also decided to bring the finish back to the summit of Superga, with its spectacular finish line next to the Basilica, always attracting many passionate spectators. Among the key figures to highlight, nearly 200 countries will broadcast the race live, bringing images of the stunning landscapes we will traverse to audiences worldwide”.
The trophy of Milano-Torino presented by Crédit Agricole
The Teams of the 106th Milano-Torino Presented by BY Crédit Agricole:
6 UCI WorldTeams
EF EDUCATION – EASYPOST
INTERMARCHÉ – WANTY
MOVISTAR TEAM
TEAM PICNIC POSTNL
UAE TEAM EMIRATES
XDS ASTANA TEAM
11 UCI ProTeams
EQUIPO KERN PHARMA
ISRAEL – PREMIER TECH
Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM
SOLUTION TECH VINI FANTINI
TEAM POLTI VISITMALTA
TOTALENERGIES
TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM
UNIBET TIETEMA ROCKETS
UNO-X MOBILITY
VF GROUP BARDIANICSF-FAIZANE’
WAGNER BAZIN WB
2 UCI Continental Teams
JCL TEAM UKYO
MBH BANK BALLAN CSB
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