Visma | Lease a Bike takes control of Paris-Nice and Philippo Ganna holds the lead in Tirreno-Adriatico – All the videos, results, reports and rider quotes from France and Italy.
TOP STORY:
- Tadej Pogačar’s crash in Strade Bianche, a worry for Milan-Sanremo?
Rider news:
- Ex-World champion, Romans Vainsteins, arrested
- No Cobbled Classics for Michael Valgren
- Patrick Lefevere’s lowest point as a team manager
- Lotto not worried about Elia Viviani’s form
- Alexys Brunel lashes out at David Gaudu: “A terrible guy, I hate him”
- Bright Start to UAE Team Emirates-XRG Career for Youngster Pablo Torres
Team news:
- TotalEnergies to co-sponsor INEOS Grenadiers?
- Team Picnic PostNL to the Trofeo Alfredo Binda
Race news:
- La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es: from Barcelona to Asturias, featuring its hardest stage ever
EUROTRASH coffee time.
TOP STORY: Tadej Pogačar’s Crash in Strade Bianche, A Worry for Milan-San Remo?
Tadej Pogačar won the Strade Bianche on Saturday with a great solo, but the Slovenian had a bad crash earlier in the race. The World champion escaped fairly unscathed, but according to TV pundit, Michel Wuyts, he will definitely suffer the consequences.
“It also has psychological consequences”, the Belgian cycling commentator said in his podcast Wuyts & Vlaeminck of Het Laatste Nieuws. “I’m still a bit worried about the descent of the Poggio”, Wuyts looks ahead to Milano-Sanremo, the race that Pogačar is keen to add to his palmarès after several failed attempts. “You’re not going to tell me that if you’ve taken such a fall, this is completely gone. And that you don’t think twice when tackling similar bends, turning even harder in the Poggio”, Wuyts continued. “I think you win Milan-San Remo more in the descent of the Poggio than in the last 500 meters where there is usually jumping or sprinting. It could jeopardise his chances of winning in San Remo a bit, yes.”
Pogačar’s crash happened 50 kilometres from the finish. He took the lead in a descent, but was too fast into a left bend. He lost control of his rear wheel and then hit the verge and summer-salted into some bushes. He suffered a few scrapes and scratches, but was able to continue after a bike change.
The World champion explained how he crashed: “Well, I was going too fast. I thought it was possible: I know these roads and have cycled on some of them about thirty times, but sometimes you miscalculate yourself. At the beginning I didn’t know if I was okay, because a fall always has a lot of impact. Fortunately I was still good enough.”
Withe Strade Bianche crash affect Pogačar?
Paris-Nice 2025
Tim Merlier also won the Second Stage of Paris-Nice. The Belgian sprinter of Soudal Quick-Step was again the fastest at the finish in Bellegarde on Monday. In his yellow jersey, Merlier beat Emilien Jeannière (TotalEnergies) and Hugo Page (Intermarché-Wanty).
The second stage was always going to be a battle between the fast-finishers. The wind could still cause problems in this region, but otherwise there were few obstacles. After the start in Montesson, there were two third-category climbs, but they were very far from the finish line. The peloton had a flat to slightly undulating roads to the intermediate sprint in Bellegarde, where they passed finish line. After this first passage at the finish, there was a final local circuit of 20 kilometres, on good roads, without too much fuss. A sprint was bound to happen.
Three riders went on the attack: The strong Norwegian, Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility) was joined by KOM, Alexandre Delettre (TotalEnergies) and the Spaniard Samuel Fernandez (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA). The lead of the early escape quickly increased to 3 minutes, but Soudal Quick-Step, for top favourite Tim Merlier, kept the leaders within reach. The attackers had no chance of the stage victory, but Delettre was after KOM points. He was the first to reach the top of the Côte des Mesnuls (1.2km at 5.7%) and Côte de La Villeneuve (1.5km at 5%) and added 6 extra points to his KOM lead.
The sprinter’s teams were keen on a clash between the fast men. The gap to the leading group became smaller and smaller. With 80 kilometres to go, the lead of Delettre, Fernandez and Abrahamsen was only 1 minute. Abrahamsen jumped away to start a brave but hopeless solo. In the run-up to the first passage in Bellegarde, the nervousness in the peloton increased considerably and this led to a crash in the middle of the peloton. Several big names were involved in this crash: yellow jersey wearer Tim Merlier was also held up. Florian Sénéchal remained on the ground and had to abandon with a suspected broken collarbone. Merlier was able to rejoin, but the peloton was still nervous. At the first passage at the finish, the intermediate sprint, the was another crash, with several victims: Australian champion Luke Durbridge, also abandoned with a broken collarbone.
This crash split the peloton into several pieces, but everything came back together. Abrahamsen was still solo and held up surprisingly well. Six kilometres from the finish, the Norwegian still had a lead of 30 seconds. The pace suddenly increased in the final kilometres and this proved disastrous for Abrahamsen. With just over 2 kilometres to go, his break was over and the race could get ready for a bunch sprint. No sprint-train managed to pull the whole lot together, which resulted in a chaotic approach to the sprint. Merlier positioned himself well in the chaos and started at the right moment and again proved to be much too fast for the others. Emilien Jeannière and Hugo Page finished second and third, but they did not come close to Merlier. The Belgian took his second consecutive stage victory and held the overall lead.
Stage winner and overall leader, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): “I will remember that one! I think it’s the first time in my life that I win with the leader’s jersey… At first, we were alone to control the break but then Trek started helping us. The breakaway was playing with us, which was annoying, and in the end Abrahamsen was really strong but our team did a really good job again. We were a bit too far back, then we moved back up with Bert [Van Lerberghe]. I was a bit boxed-in behind Pedersen and then he moved to the left. I went quite early, in the wind, but I got some good power. Tomorrow, we’ll go full gas for Ilan [Van Wilder] and Max [Schachmann] but I think I will lose the jersey.”
KOM, Alexis Delettre (Totalenergies): “Like yesterday, I was supposed to break away and it worked. Since there were three of us, it was hard to hope for anything other than what happened. It was even more complicated with the headwind. I still managed to do what I had to do for the polka-dot jersey. We tried to play with the bunch by slowing down a little at the end, but it didn’t work. So I didn’t push it too much, I thought I should save my energy for the rest of the week. But it’s certainly a pleasure to lead the way in Paris-Nice wearing the polka dot jersey.”
Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X Mobility): “It was my first breakaway of the year and it was quite nice. When the peloton closed in, I went full out anyway but it didn’t work out until the end. All in all, I feel strong and I hope I can try my luck again in one of the next stages.”
Paris-Nice Stage 2 Result:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 4:11:29
2. Emilien Jeannière (Fra) TotalEnergies
3. Hugo Page (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty
4. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek
5. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
6. Timo Kielich (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
7. Axel Zingle (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
9. Matevz Govekar (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
10. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
Paris-Nice Overall After Stage 2:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 7:43:12
2. Arnaud Démare (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:14
3. Emilien Jeannière (Fra) TotalEnergies
4. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Jhonnatan Manuel Narváez (Ecu) UAE Emirates XRG
6. Jonas Abrahamsen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
7. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:16
8. Mick van Dijke (Ned) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
9. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Tudor
10. Magnus Sheffield (USA) Grenadiers at 0:18.
Paris-Nice’25 stage 2:
The Visma | Lease a Bike team was the winner of the team time trial Stage 3 of Paris-Nice. The Dutch team recorded the fastest time in the 28.4-kilometre stage. Matteo Jorgenson and Jonas Vingegaard are now first and second overall.
For the riders with classification ambitions in Paris-Nice, Tuesday was a crucial day. After all, the organisation had planned a time trial. A team time trial of almost thirty kilometres. It is now becoming a tradition: the riders were presented with an atypical team time trial – just like in the past two editions.
This 28.4-kilometre team time trial was ridden under the same regulations as in previous years. The time of the fourth rider doesn’t count, as is usual, but that each rider gets his own time. A leader who still has some energy left can ride away from his teammates and gain time. Tudor was the first to start, but the team of Julian Alaphilippe and Matteo Trentin, didn’t put up a great time. Jayco AlUla set a sharp time at the finish. The Australian team of GC leader Ben O’Connor and fMauro Schmid, Michael Hepburn and Michael Matthews passed the intermediate point after 15:46.
They set a very good final time, but it wasn’t O’Connor, but a Matthews who crossed the finish line first. With a final time of 30:41, as an average of 55.8kph, Matthews and O’Connor were much faster than Tudor. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale was the first team to not beat Jayco AlUla’s time. The French team was 25 seconds down. INEOS Grenadiers suffered the same fate, despite the presence of time trialists, Joshua Tarling, Tobias Foss, Magnus Sheffield and GC contender Thymen Arensman. The British team finished 18 seconds slower than Jayco AlUla.
Movistar were at 34 seconds and Groupama-FDJ at 40 seconds, also didn’t come close to Jayco AlUla’s top time and UAE Emirates XRG at 28 seconds was also unable to compete for the stage win. Lidl-Trek managed to limit the damage, but leader Mattias Skjelmose conceded 15 seconds. It was Visma | Lease a Bike who were the fastest. Leaders Vingegaard and Jorgenson rode together in the last kilometre and recorded the new best time of 30:27. The two leaders of Visma | Lease a Bike beat Jayco AlUla’s time by 14 seconds for the stage victory and the GC lead for Jorgenson. The teams that still had to come in were unable to challenge Visma | Lease a Bike. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Bahrain Victorious and Soudal Quick-Step were all down on Visma | Lease a Bike. Jorgenson and Vingegaard are now 1st and 2nd overall.
Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I’m proud of the boys. I think we did the plan as well as we could and I’m happy with the commitment of every one. I don’t take it for granted to have six riders so strong and committed next to me. We wanted to use our two ‘motorbikes’, Per [Strang Hagenes] and Edo [Affini]. They did their turns before the steep climb and the goal was to have four of us on top. Then it was about navigating the last corners as fast as possible to the finish. I’m excited to actually race with the yellow jersey! I didn’t wear it in race last year, I took it on the last day. I want just to feel what it is to race with the Maillot Jaune. It’s iconic. Now we have to defend and I think we have the team to do it after what we saw today. I feel pretty good and I’m also just happy to be here with Jonas. He’s a super nice guy and I’m confident for the next few days.”
2nd overall, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It was a perfect day for us. To take the win and having such a strong team is just incredible. Everyone was super strong and did a great job, the riders but also all the staff and all the members of the team here. I think the shape is pretty good to be honest. I feel stronger and stronger every day. I’m getting into the rhythm. It was the same in Algarve. We are now 1 and 2 in GC. It would be nice if we could keep it that way for the rest of the week.”
Best young rider, Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “I think we did a really good job. The whole team was super good today and we can be super happy with the result. It’s always special to have a jersey but tomorrow is a climbing stage so we’ll see how that goes and whether we can defend the white jersey. After last year, now I aim for a strong result in Paris-Nice. I would already be super happy with a top 10 but we’ll see how the shape is. So far, I haven’t done a lot of racing so I don’t know where I stand exactly. We’ll see tomorrow, it’s the first GC day.”
Paris-Nice Stage 3 Result:
1. Visma | Lease a Bike in 30:26
2. Jayco AlUla at 0:15
3. Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:25
4. Lidl-Trek at 0:30
5. INEOS Grenadiers at 0:33
6. EF Education-EasyPost at 0:34
7. Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:39
8. UAE Emirates XRG at 0:42
9. Movistar at 0:49
10. Soudal Quick-Step at 0:51.
Paris-Nice Overall After Stage 3:
1. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike in 8:13:52
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:06
3. Michael Matthews (Aus) Jayco AlUla at 0:21
4. Ben O’Connor (Aus) Jayco AlUla
5. Aleksander Vlasov (-) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:31
6. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
7. Mauro Schmid (Sui) Jayco AlUla
8. Ben Zwiehoff (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:34
9. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:36
10. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:38.
Paris-Nice’25 stage 3:
Joao Almeida won the Fourth Stage of Paris-Nice. At the top of La Loge des Gardes, the Portuguese rider was the best after an attack in the last metres. Jonas Vingegaard had attacked earlier on the final climb, but was caught by Almeida just before the line. The Dane is the new overall leader. The stage was stopped for about 20 minutes due to heavy rain and hailstones.
The fourth stage of Paris-Nice would sort out the situation between the GC riders. In the final kilometres, there was the climb to La Loge des Gardes, an almost 7 kilometre Cat. 1 climb, with an average gradient of almost 7%.
The weather was terrible, although it took a while before it was too bad for bike racing. In the Auvergne, all weather conditions came in the final hours of the race: heavy rain, wind, hail. Seven riders made the early break: Ben Swift, Thibault Guernalec, Vincenzo Albanese, Andreas Leknessund, Sylvain Moniquet, Thomas Gachinard and Edward Planckaert. The seven took a lead of a few minutes, which they held for a long time. With 50 kilometres to go, the riders at the front still had 2 minutes lead on the peloton and 1:30 on a group of newly formed chasers with Tobias Foss and Joshua Tarling, when the race was stopped. Due to the hail showers, the road was very slippery and the riders considered it too dangerous to continue. Most riders went back to the team car during the neutralisation to put on extra clothing, in order to continue.
When the race was restarted, the groups were started with the same gaps. The seven leaders started the last 25 kilometres with a lead of 1:30 on Tarling and Foss and 2 minutes on the peloton. In those last 25 kilometres, Tarling and Foss first joined the leaders and then, eventually, the peloton. In the first kilometres of La Loge des Gardes, everything finally came together again. Foss had attacked from the leading group and was riding well on the final climb, but was caught with 2 kilometres to go after an attack by Vingegaard, who had Lenny Martinez on his wheel for a short time. After 500 metres, the Frenchman cracked and Vingegaard went for the victory. In the final meters, Almeida shot after the Dane and caught him 200 metres from the finish line. Vingegaard had nothing left and Almeida sprinted away for the stage win. Vingegaard finished second at 1 second, but took the overall lead.
Stage winner and 5th overall, João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG): “I’m super happy. It was a hard day. A lot happened in this stage, and we had some snow on the course. But we never gave up. I think we deserved it and I’m very happy for it. I was feeling quite good. Of course, to be honest, I’m not the best guy with the cold temperatures. I was suffering with that, but I never gave up. The climb wasn’t steep enough and it was hard to make the group smaller. Jonas attacked and I wasn’t in the best position, but I gave my best and I’m super happy again. Yesterday was not our day. We had some setbacks, but yesterday was yesterday, and today was another opportunity. We needed to take the positives from yesterday, like I was feeling really good and did a really good effort. We lose as a team, and we win as a team, and I think we deserve it today. I think we can win the race, but it’s not just up to me, you know? I think my shape is good and I feel good and I’m ready. For sure, I’ll give my best.”
Overall leader and 2nd on the stage, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I have mixed feelings… Well, actually I’m mainly disappointed. I was in the lead until the last 25 metres, but in the end I was beaten and he deserves his victory. I don’t think we should have raced in these conditions, we were all shivering. But after all, everyone suffered in this weather. I felt pretty good and when I was in front I thought I could win, but unfortunately I was beaten. Still, we still have the first two places overall with Matteo [Jorgenson], which is a good thing.”
2nd overall and 6th on the stage, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Pffff, it was a rollercoaster in my body today. I was hot, then cold and finally even very cold. And then we went again. I couldn’t get my body temperature right anymore. I was breathing so heavily too… On the final climb my legs didn’t work either. I really had a bad feeling. I think we also stopped at the coldest moment in the stage, which is why we are getting even colder. This stage was ultimately a lot for the body to handle. I think that’s good to hear (still 2nd overall). And Jonas kept his head cool. Almeida was apparently the warmest today, so hats off to him. I expect that we will have a bit more control in the coming days.”
4th on the stage and 9th overall, Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Victorious): “It was such a hard day because I was frozen to the bone by the cold. It was really tough to get going again, but it was so great to be right up there on a stage at such a prestigious race, competing with the big names like Jonas. Once I eventually managed to warm myself up, I think this was a good result – obviously one day soon I hope to be crossing the line first on days like these, but I’m definitely content with what we did today.”
Paris-Nice Stage 4 Result:
1. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG in 3:37:06
2. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:01
3. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:02
4. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious
5. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:06
6. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:09
8. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana Team at 0:17
9. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers
10. Clément Champoussin (Fra) XDS Astana at 0:21.
Paris-Nice Overall After Stage 4:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 11:50:59
2. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:05
3. Mattias Skjelmos (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:33
4. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:36
5. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 37
6. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:56
7. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:58
8. Tobias Foss (Nor) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:06
9. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious at 1:09
10. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar at 1:22.
Paris-Nice’25 stage 4:
Tirreno-Adriatico 2025
Filippo Ganna is the first leader of the 60th Tirreno-Adriatico. The Italian of INEOS Grenadiers set the fastest time in the opening Stage 1 time trial of just under 10 kilometres. Ganna beat Juan Ayuso and took revenge for his time trial defeat last year. Ayuso was second, but is the first of the GC men. Johan Price-Pejtersen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was third.
The 2025 Tirreno-Adriatico started on Monday in Lido di Camaiore. This seaside resort is often the setting for an individual or team time trial. This year the riders rode individually against the clock, over a flat 9.9 kilometres. It wasn’t a very exciting course, it went back and forth along the coast, so it was made for power riders.
The first target time was set by Johan Price-Pejtersen, who started early, but managed to achieve a particularly good time at the finish. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was the first rider to go under 13 minutes. With a time of 12:45 he beat the previous fastest time of Elmar Reinders. Time trial specialists, Kévin Vauquelin and Søren Wærenskjold couldn’t get near his time. Jonathan Milan came close, just 3 seconds behind.
Antonio Tiberi, Magnus Cort, Juan Ayuso, Derek Gee, top favourite Filippo Ganna and Mathieu van der Poel still had to start, so the race was far from over. Tiberi set an exceptionally good time. After a particularly fast final kilometre, the Italian finished 1 second short. The next rider to make an attempt was Ayuso. The Spaniard is also the big favourite for the final overall victory. After his surprising time trial victory last year in Lido di Camaiore, he was certainly a rider to be watched today. At the first intermediate point, he was faster than the times of Milan and Price-Pejtersen. Ayuso was 8 seconds faster than Milan after 5 kilometres, while Price-Pejtersen was 9 seconds down on the UAE Emirates XRG leader. Ayuso continued his good start, although he lost some time in the second part of the time trial. He had 9 seconds on Price-Pejtersen at the first intermediate point, but at the finish it was only 5 seconds.
This was enough for Ayuso to take over the lead. With a time of 12:40, he looked good for the stage victory, but Ganna still had to finish his time trial. The two-time World champion conceded 2 seconds to his Spanish opponent at the intermediate point. Nevertheless, Ganna still had a chance of winning the stage, as he knew Ayuso had lost ground in the final kilometres. Ganna was now at full speed after the first intermediate point. With an impressive ride, Ganna pulled out all the stops. At the finish line, he was 23 seconds faster than Ayuso for the stage and overall lead.
stage winner and Maglia Azzurra, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “I’ve done a very nice TT today so I’m really happy. [Sport director] Dario [Cioni] gave me the indications towards the finish line. With the same time as Juan Ayuso at half way, I was super motivated for the second part. I’ve made quite a big gap there. I’ve trained a lot for this TT and everything else that’s coming up. I did much better than one year ago when I lost by one second. I’m also looking forward to performing in the rest of this Tirreno Adriatico”.
2nd, Juan Ayuso Pesquera (UAE Emirates XRG): “I think I managed a good ride, especially with the General Classification in mind. I missed a little bit on the final leg coming back after the turn, I didn’t have quite the sensations I hoped for. The performance Ganna did was amazing so congratulations to him. For the coming days the idea will be to stay up front and try and gain time. We’re probably going to have some rain in the next days so each day will count. Then of course we’ll have some of the big hilly days later in the week which we’ll be fully focused on.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 1 Result:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 12:17
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:23
3. Johan Price-Pejtersen (Den) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:28
4. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 0:29
5. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:31
6. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:34
7. Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:36
8. Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:37
9. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:38
10. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:41.
Tirreno-Adriatico Overall After Stage 1:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 12:17
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:23
3. Johan Price-Pejtersen (Den) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:28
4. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 0:29
5. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:31
6. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:34
7. Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:36
8. Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:37
9. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:38
10. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 0:41.
Tirreno-Adriatico’25 stage 1:
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) was favourite in the first sprint stage of the 2025 Tirreno-Adriatico. The strong Italian had an almost perfect lead-out in the last kilometre and was able to finish the work of his teammates. Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor) was second, Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) finished third on Stage 2.
The first road stage took the race from Camaiore to Follonica. The stage was for the sprinters. Apart from a climb to Canneto, 60 kilometres from the finish, the route was almost flat. The last 25 kilometres of the stage were on a local circuit of 18.1 kilometres in Follonica. There were quite a few bends in the last 5 kilometres, so a good lead-out was necessary. The last bend was 300 metres from the finish. Anyone who was not among the first ten riders, would have no chance.
There was very little enthusiasm for an early break, but one rider was tempted to go on the attack. Manuele Tarozzi was solo for a long time. The rider of VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè built up a maximum lead of 5 minutes. Tarozzi won the intermediate sprint, 80 kilometres from the finish. In the peloton, there was a battle for the remaining sprint points and bonus seconds. Jonathan Milan won the sprint and collected 2 bonus seconds, ahead of Ayuso, who took 1 second for his GC place.
After the intermediate sprint, the peloton eased back, but Team Polti VisitMalta sent Alessandro Tonelli and Davide Bais after Tarozzi before the foot of the only climb of the day to Canneto. On the climb to Canneto (4.6km at 3.3%) Tarozzi proved no match for the superior numbers of Team Polti VisitMalta. He had to watch Bais take the full KOM points to secured the first climbers jersey. The escapees were about to be caught by the peloton, which was led by Lidl-Trek and Visma | Lease a Bike. The peloton rode a lot slower than the slowest planned schedule, a bunch sprint was inevitable. Forty kilometres from the finish, there was a crash in the peloton. David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and Pepijn Reinderink (Soudal Quick-Step) were the main victims. Reinderink was eventually able to continue, Gaudu had to abandon.
The crash of Reinderink and Gaudu was the start of a nervous final, where there was another crash. With 11 kilometres to go, several riders went down again. Michael Valgren and Dylan Groenewegen hit the asphalt at high speed. Groenewegen got back on and the Dutch champion managed to rejoin with the help of his teammates, but he lost his chance for a good sprint. The peloton was now in the last 4 kilometres. After a fierce battle, Soudal Quick-Step pulled the race together, but the Belgian team was outpaced by the men from Lidl-Trek. The American team proved to have the right timing and managed to put their sprinter, Milan in a perfect position. After a perfect lead-out by his teammates, Milan sprinted to his fourth individual victory of the season. Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor) finished second after a strong sprint. Paul Penhoët gave Groupama-FDJ a third place.
Stage winner and 2nd overall, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “Last year was my first time here for the same finish and I didn’t win but we brought the experience of last year to make it better today and we rode perfectly I’d say. The guys guided me and led me out as we planned. It’s been a beautiful day on the bike. We had it under control but only after the finish line I was sure of the victory. I’m super happy and proud of my team-mates. We can enjoy this win before thinking of anything else.”
Maglia Azzurra, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “This was a stage for sprinters and it was important to stay out of trouble in the dangerous moments. I avoided the crashes I heard about on the radio. I’m happy with how it went. Even if it’s harder and longer tomorrow we’ll try to retain the leader’s jersey.”
2nd on the stage and 10th overall, Maikel Zijlaard (Tudor): “If you see how Milan wins here, he is currently unbeatable. So I am very happy. I am also happy with how the team rode today. They really played my card completely. To come second here as a replacement for Arvid de Kleijn is super nice. Of course we miss Arvid. Not only as a rider, but also as a person. We also hope that he will be back in the peloton soon. But in the meantime, everything just continues. It is therefore important to make the best of it and we are doing well on that.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 2 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 4:45:13
2. Maikel Zijlaard (Ned) Tudor
3. Paul Penhoët (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
4. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Simone Consonni (Ita) Lidl-Trek
6. Sam Bennett (Irl) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
7. Jake Stewart (GB) Israel-Premier Tech
8. Tim van Dijke (Ned) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
9. Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis
10. Enrico Zanoncello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.
Tirreno-Adriatico Overall After Stage 2:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 4:57:30
2. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:19
3. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:22
4. Johan Price-Pejtersen (Den) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:28
5. Antonio Tiberi Bahrain Victorious at 29
6. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:34
7. Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:36
8. Søren Wærenskjold (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:37
9. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:38
10. Maikel Zijlaard (Ned) Tudor at 0:40.
Tirreno-Adriatico’25 stage 2:
Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) won Stage 3 of the Tirreno-Adriatico after almost 240 wet kilometres. Vendrame sprinted to victory in Colfiorito after an attacking finale. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) did a lot of work in final kilometres, but was out of the top-10 in the sprint. Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) was second and Romain Gregoire (Groupama-FDJ), third.
Tirreno-Adriatico continued with a stage from Follonica to Colfiorito on Wednesday. The final looked good for Mathieu van der Poel, with the Valico di Colfiorito (18.5km at 3.1%), before a 4 kilometre descent to Colfiorito.
In the Italian rain, Davide Bais and Lorenzo Conforti were off the front for over 100 kilometres, but with the bad weather they gave up 140 kilometres from the finish and dropped back to the peloton. There was an attack from Dries De Bondt and Andrea Pietrobon, with 70 kilometres to go, they gained almost 4 minutes. The peloton started to chase again towards the final climb of the Valico di Colfiorito. Jonathan Milan crashed with 22 kilometres to go and would finish the stage in a bad condition.
The escape of De Bondt and Pietrobon ended with 13 kilometres to go, and then the race proper started. In the last 10 kilometres there was an attack by Richard Carapaz and Romain Grégoire, after which Van der Poel also gave it a go. Towards the top of the climb everything came together again and a group of about 25 riders rode the short descent to the finish in Colfiorito. Filippo Ganna saw his chance in that short descent and attacked. The wearer of the blue jersey managed to create a gap on what was left of the peloton, but was caught back partly due to Van der Poel. In the sprint, Van der Poel was too far back. Vendrame jumped at the right moment and took the stage victory ahead of Tom Pidcock, Grégoire and Rick Pluimers. Ganna successfully defended his overall lead.
Stage winner, Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale): “It’s been a very hard stage because of the weather conditions. It was rainy and cold but I made sure to eat enough. I watched the GC riders, then in the finale I knew I had the good form to make and the win came at the end. I had bookmarked this stage but I wasn’t sure if it was really a good one for me. We also have ambitions with Johannes [Staune-Mittet] for the overall classification in this Tirreno Adriatico.”
Maglia Azzurra and 10th on the stage, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “It’s been a long day in which nobody wanted to give us a hand. The guys have worked in order to make it to the finish the fastest possible, considering the difficult weather conditions. When the race fired up in the finale with Mathieu van der Poel, I’m disappointed that I couldn’t conclude my action. I wanted to win. My bad, maybe I went too early. But the form is good and I wanted to check on that. It was a good test. I’m hoping for some sun in the coming days. We’re also trying to ride GC with Laurens De Plus.”
The Maglia Bianca and 2nd overall, Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates XRG): “I didn’t attack at any moment, I just tried to control the bunch. It was hard. I was alone. It was a lot of responsibilities in front of me. It was my fault because I took it too much. I saw |Jai] Hindley, [Richard] Carapaz, [Tom] Pidcock and [Filippo] Ganna were gaining time on me, so I had to answer all these attacks.”
2nd on the stage, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5): “It was definitely a day to remember with almost seven hours in the rain. Then it becomes a day where it’s a lot about survival. I am really happy that, one, our Q36.5 clothing kept us warm and dry and second, that the guys did a really great job in getting me in the right position for that final climb. It was a bit more of a race up there than I thought. In the sprint I found an opening but I was a little far back. In the end it’s a nice second place and I take some bonus seconds too.”
Andrea Pietrobon (Polti VisitMalta): “After the flying finish, there were still 100 kilometres to go and the sport director asked us to keep an eye out for any movements that might happen. In the end, De Bondt (Decathlon) and I attacked we understood each other looking for the heroic move from far away, but they didn’t leave us enough margin with the level of this race. I tried until the end, but on the last climb the group went very, very fast and they neutralised me. There’s a high level, but I’m happy to have been able to give the team a leading role on a day like today.”
Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3 Result:
1. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale 6:28:25
2. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
3. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
4. Rick Pluimers (Ned) Tudor
5. Roger Adria Oliveras (Spa) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
6. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana Team
7. Filippo Fiorelli (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè
8. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis
9. Samuele Battistella (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost
10. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers.
Tirreno-Adriatico Overall After Stage 3:
1. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers in 11:25:55
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:22
3. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 0:29
4. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:34
5. Mattia Cattaneo (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:36
6. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 41
7. Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Jayco AlUla at 0:44
8. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:45
9. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:48
10. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ.
Tirreno-Adriatico’25 stage 3:
Ex-World Champion, Romans Vainsteins, Arrested
Romans Vainsteins was arrested this week at Orio al Serio airport after arriving from the Latvian capital Riga. The 52-year-old Latvian was the 2000 World road champion in Plouay.
The ex-cyclist has to serve four months in prison for not paying alimony to his family. The Italian newspaper, Corriere, reports that Vainsteins was taken to Bergamo prison by the Lecco police. Vainsteins was a professional cyclist from 1997 to 2004. During that period he also won four stages in Tirreno-Adriatico, a stage in the Giro d’Italia and Paris-Brussels.
Romans Vainsteins in trouble:
No Cobbled Classics for Michael Valgren
Michael Valgren will not be at the start of the spring Classics this year. The 33-year-old rider broke his collarbone in a crash on Tuesday on the second stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, according to his EF Education-EasyPost team.
Valgren crashed about 12 kilometres from the finish in Follonica, together with Dutch champion Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) and Spaniard Xabier Mikel Azparren of Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. Groenewegen and Azparren were able to continue, but Valgren was taken to hospital. EF Education-EasyPost announced via X (Twitter) that Valgren has broken his collarbone. The Dane will not be available for the coming weeks and will probably have to miss his favourite cobbled Classics.
The one-day specialist, winner of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold Race in 2018, may still have time to prepare for the hilly Classics, as there are still five weeks until the Amstel Gold Race, the race he won seven years ago. After that, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Valgren, who had a bad crash in the French stage race La Route d’Occitanie in 2022, after which he had a long recover, showed last weekend that he is still a contender. He was eighth in the Strade Bianche, and looked ready to play a leading role in the spring Classics.
No cobbles for Valgren:
Patrick Lefevere’s Lowest Point as a Team Manager
Patrick Lefevere has spoken about his twenty years as team manager with Soudal Quick-Step in the podcast Speed on Wheels with Niki Terpstra and Rob van Gameren. When Lefevere is asked by Van Gameren about the lowest point in his career, the former team manager was certain: “When Fabio Jakobsen crashed, it was a very difficult period.”
Lefevere didn’t have to think long about Van Gameren’s question. “Fortunately, I’ve never had anyone die, but that crash there, that was very hard. Doctor Yvan Vanmol called me in the evening and even had to cry. A doctor who cries, that doesn’t happen often. He told me: ‘Fabio won’t make it through the morning tomorrow.’ I had a very bad night then. You are then on guard and waiting all the time for that one phone call, but fortunately it didn’t come. I did get continuous news about how bad he was, we weren’t allowed into that clinic because of corona and the Poles there spoke very bad English… That was very difficult.”
Jakobsen would eventually make a full recovery and win several stages in the Vuelta a España and even one in the Tour de France for Lefevere’s team. Lefevere is happy with that. “They did a good job there in the end. When I saw Fabio’s face again for the first time, I thought: they did a very good job.”
Jakobsen came back to winning ways:
Lotto Not Worried about Elia Viviani’s Form
Elia Viviani rode his first races for the Lotto team last weekend. The Italian was not able to make an impact in the GP Claude Criquielion Grand Prix and GP Jean-Pierre Monseré, but the team is not worried yet.
The two Belgian races were Viviani’s first two race days of the season. In both races, the Italian was not able to race in the final, but he only had a contract with Lotto from the 20th February. The former winner of stages in the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia, European title and numerous races at WorldTour level couldn’t find a new team for a long time, after INEOS Grenadiers didn’t offer him a new contract. “Elia had mainly focused on the track in recent years and was therefore unable to prove himself on the road,” sports manager Kurt Van de Wouwer explained to WielerFlits, Viviani’s added value.
There was also the need for the Belgian team to find reinforcements. “We started the season in January with 25 riders, five or six of whom are sidelined due to injury or illness. That really becomes thin. Then you have to see what is still on the market. And Viviani was an opportunity that presented itself at the right time. It is not that we were already working on his transfer in the winter, but we have a very young team this season. That extra experience is definitely a bonus,” said Van de Wouwer.
The fact that Viviani has not yet made an impression in his first races is not a reason for Van de Wouwer to classify the transfer as unsuccessful. “But as far as his role in the team for the rest of the season is concerned, it will really depend on how well he ultimately performs once he has regained his normal level,” added the sports manager. “If he really shows that he still has enough in him to sprint for the prizes himself, then that is not a problem for me. He wants that very much himself and given his past you have to believe in that. But even if that is not the case, we still have other sprinters to whom he can transfer his experience. His experience is a great added value for the young riders.”
Viviani doesn’t yet have a full race program, but will mainly ride flatter Belgian one-day races in the coming weeks, such as the Bredene Koksijde Classic and the Classic Brugge-De Panne.
Viviani starts his season:
Alexys Brunel Lashes Out at David Gaudu: “A Terrible Guy, I Hate Him”
Alexys Brunel took a surprising victory in the GP Jean-Pierre Monseré last Sunday. The 26-year-old Frenchman currently rides for TotalEnergies, but he raced for Groupama-FDJ in the past. He often had to ride on the front of the peloton for David Gaudu, but he did it as part of his team job, not for Gaudu.
“I hate him,” Brunel makes no bones about it in an interview with L’Équipe. “He made fun of me during his stupid live shows. He really is a terrible guy. He thinks he’s a champion, but he’s not. David may have won a few races in his career, but that doesn’t make him great. On the other hand, Thibaut Pinot is an idol. When Thibaut was on my wheel, I gave 1000 percent. Even if I fall to the ground from exhaustion. If you have a problem with me, you should just tell me. If you don’t respect me, I don’t respect you either.”
Gaudu also had a tense relationship with another former teammate. A few screenshots of a group conversation on Discord from 2023 showed that the climber doesn’t think too highly of Arnaud Démare, who now rides for Arkéa-B&B Hotels. In these chat conversations, which were made public, Gaudu lashed out at his former teammate. “The fact that we don’t talk and don’t race together much is an advantage. If he wants, I can say it to his face again. I’m not afraid of him. He knows that I don’t want him in the Tour. I’ve already told him.” Gaudu also made a few disparaging remarks about Démare’s sprint speed.
After these chat conversations were leaked, Gaudu had to apologise on X (Twitter). “Problems that can occur in a team should remain internal. I would like to apologise to the team and Arnaud,” was his first reaction. Later he made a second statement. “I should never have made these statements in public. My apologies to the team and Arnaud.”
Alexys Brunel showing what he can do:
Bright Start to UAE Team Emirates-XRG Career for Youngster Pablo Torres
When I look back at my first WorldTour race with UAE Team Emirates-XRG, I can be pleased with my performances throughout the week and proud to have been part of a winning team at the Santos Tour Down Under.
I have been dreaming of making my UAE Team Emirates-XRG debut for a long time. Ever since I joined the Gen-Z team, I knew this is where I wanted to be. This is a special team, and that was clear from the moment I joined the team in the UAE for our October camp. To see firsthand the hard work all of the riders, trainers, and backroom staff put in on a day-to-day basis showed me why this is the UCI No.1 Team in the world. It was great to meet our fans in the UAE, their passion for cycling is growing every year and their support means the world to us. It made me feel really honoured to wear the UAE Team Emirates-XRG colours, and I couldn’t wait to start.
My debut with the team was made all the more special because I spent almost three weeks rooming with the eventual champion, Jhonatan Narváez. With Jhony, I got to witness first-hand what it takes to be a winner at this level of the sport, and anyone who watched the race will have seen how strong he was day after day. Despite a few setbacks throughout the week, he was always super motivated, and I was so happy for him when I heard he had won on Willunga Hill. Of course, for the rest of us, Willunga Hill was a test to be passed, rather than conquered.
Usually taking between five and ten minutes, the climbs in the Tour Down Under did not always suit me as a lighter rider, but this is why the Tour Down Under was a perfect place to start the season and challenge my capabilities as a young rider. Over the course of the race’s six stages, I quickly came to learn the difference between U23 and WorldTour racing. The teams race as a complete unit, and the level is a lot, lot higher.
Over the winter, I have made a point of trying to improve my short efforts, and this was put to practice in Australia. Before the race, I enjoyed a good week of training on the local hills with Jhony and Jay Vine, in particular, and all the preparation allowed me to enter the race with good legs. I was pleased to stay high in the young rider’s classification throughout the race, and I enjoyed both riding for my teammates and marking attacks off the front of the peloton.
On the stage to Willunga Hill, I found myself in the day’s breakaway after jumping across to a large group that was going up the road. However, it soon became clear that the other guys didn’t want me hanging around, given my position in the general classification. Luckily, Juanpe López decided to attack, and I knew this was a good moment to follow his wheel and work together to extend our advantage.
That moment in the breakaway taught me another lesson, though: to always stay focused in the feed zone. As we began to crest a climb, I saw the opportunity to grab a bidon from our staff, but as we began the downhill, the four other guys from the breakaway passed me and Juanpe with perhaps 30km/h more speed, and it was simply impossible to close the gap. That was the end of my time in the break!
Another day, another lesson learned, I sat up and waited for the peloton to help Jhony and the rest of the guys. His victory on stage 5 did not come by accident but through a smart game plan and impressive preparation. Right from the first day we arrived in Australia, it was obvious that he had trained really well over the winter, and I was delighted to see him retain his national championship title in Ecuador.
Now I am back home, it feels a world away from our time in Australia. The sun is not so hot – which is fine by me – there are no koalas to be seen on my training rides, and our goals have shifted to targets later in the season. But as I get ready to race the Vuelta a Andalucía, I look back with only happy memories of the Tour Down Under.
I am proud of how I was able to manage my first race as a member of UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and I can only smile when thinking back to our celebratory ice cream trip after Jhony’s GC victory. For three weeks, I was able to explore a new country with teammates who have quickly become friends, and I gained lessons that will be crucial as I hope to become comfortable at the top level of the sport.
Pablo Torres in the TDU’25:
TotalEnergies to Co-Sponsor INEOS Grenadiers?
The French ProTeam TotalEnergies might be in big trouble at the end of the year, as the title sponsor is currently looking into the possibility of being a co-sponsor of INEOS Grenadiers from 2026.
According to Escape Collective, TotalEnergies is in talks with the British WorldTeam. If it comes to a deal, the French team of Jean-René Bernaudeau, which has been part of the peloton for more than 25 years, would be left without a major financial backer. Team owner of INEOS Grenadiers, Jim Ratcliffe, has been looking for additional financial backers in recent months, in order to get his team budget over €50 million.
Totalenergie and INEOS?
Team Picnic PostNL to the Trofeo Alfredo Binda – MAR 16
Callum Ferguson – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “Trofeo Alfredo Binda is a prestigious race on the women’s calendar, known for its relentless course featuring punchy climbs and technical descents. It’s a race that can go in different directions—sometimes a reduced bunch sprint, sometimes a selective battle between the strongest climbers. We’re lining up with a strong and versatile team, giving us multiple options deep into the final. With Pfeiffer we have someone who can finish well from a reduced group sprint, but we also have the firepower to make the race harder with our climbers. It’s all about reading the race and playing our cards at the right moment.”
Line-up:
Francesca Barale (ITA)
Marta Cavalli (ITA)
Eleonora Ciabocco (ITA)
Pfeiffer Georgi (GBR)
Becky Storrie (GBR)
Nienke Vinke (NLD).
Pfeiffer Georgi to the Trofeo Alfredo Binda:
La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es: from Barcelona to Asturias, featuring its hardest stage ever
- Barcelona will host the start of La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es on Sunday, May 4th. The event will be run over seven stages, moving from East to West on the Iberian Peninsula.
- After two intense stages in Catalonia, the peloton will face a couple of rolling stages in Aragón before reaching the first major test of the route – the ascent to Lagunas de Neila.
- Asturias will once again hold the great finale of the race. On schedule, the hardest stage ever ridden in La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es – more than 150 kilometres and 2500 meters of elevation gain, finishing atop the demanding Cotobello climb.
The ‘Tinglados’ in Moll de Llevant, recently renovated by the Barcelona Port Authority, hosted on Monday, March 10th the route presentation of La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es. The route includes all the features that have established this stage race as one of the main pillars in the women’s road cycling season.
As part of its campaign to promote bicycles as a key vehicle for both tourism and sustainability, the city of Barcelona bid to host the start of this event next May 4th as it did in La Vuelta 23 and will do in the Tour de France 2026. In all three occasions, with a team time trial showcasing some of its more celebrated monuments to raise the curtain on the action. In this particular case, the race will start just outside Casa Milà, also known as ‘La Pedrera’, an iconic modernist building designed by architect Antoni Gaudí, and its turning point will be placed right in front of the Palacio de Pedralbes gardens. The riders won’t have much time for sightseeing, though, as the 8-kilometre course will demand the best effort from those squads aiming to fight for the overall win or just wear La Roja, the red GC leader jersey, at some point of the week.
The following three stages are predominantly rolling, yet aggressive racing is assured. The second racing day between Molins de Rei and Sant Boi de Llobregat starts with a tough climb, the Alto de la Creu de L’Aragall (Cat 2), ideal to be used as a launchpad for a strong breakaway. As in last year’s fast, hectic journey to Zaragoza on which Kristen Faulkner clocked a 46.754 kph average speed over 142,3 kilometres to claim the victory, the wind will be a factor in stage 3 between Barbastro and Huesca. The region of Aragón will offer yet another show in the next chapter of the event, between Pedrola and Borja, with the climbs to Moncayo (Cat 2) and El Buste (Cat 2) bound to create a selection in the peloton before a fast descent to the finish.
Climbers are set to prevail, though, in the two mountaintop finishes that, separated by a flat stage from Becerril de Campos to Baltanás, will probably decide the outcome of the GC. Most cycling fans are well acquainted with Lagunas de Neila as this climb has been the main fixture of the Vuelta a Burgos for many years already. This year, it will enter the books of La Vuelta Femenina by Carrefour.es by hosting the finish of the 5th stage.
To top this off, the region of Asturias is back on the program of this event after the unforgettable duel between Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering at Lagos de Covadonga two years ago. The exciting finale consists of a 152-kilometre long stage starting from La Robla, in León, that features no less than three climbs on its second half – the Alto de la Colladona (Cat 2), the Alto de la Colladiella (Cat 1) and the gruelling ascent to Cotobello (Cat 1). All these challenges add up to more than 2500 meters of altitude gain, the most ever recorded in a stage of the Spanish Grand Tour.
Stages – La Vuelta Femenina 25 by Carrefour.es:
· Sunday, May 4th, Stage 1 : Barcelona Barcelona (team time trial, 8 km)
· Monday, May 5th, Stage 2 : Molins de Rei Sant Boi de Llobregat (99 km)
· Tuesday, May 6th, Stage 3 : Barbastro Huesca (132 km)
· Wednesday, May 7th, Stage 4 : Pedrola Borja (111 km)
· Thursday, May 8th, Stage 5 : Golmayo Lagunas de Neila (120 km)
· Friday, May 9th, Stage 6 : Becerril de Campos Baltanás (126 km)
· Saturday, May 10th, Stage 7 : La Robla Cotobello. Asturias (152 km)
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