The UAE Emirates XRG behemoth took victories in the UAE Tour with Tadej Pogačar and Pavel Sivakov in the Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol. Jonas Vingegaard won the Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta. We have all the video action, reports, results and what the riders thought, plus the Classic Var.
TOP STORY:
- Bike NYC: Our statement on president Trump’s decision to revoke NYC congestion pricing
Rider news:
- Tadej Pogačar will not ride the 2025 Giro d’Italia
- Fabio Jakobsen finally shows some form
- Spring starts badly for Visma | Lease a Bike and Christophe Laporte
- Eli Iserbyt has successful operation on constricted inguinal artery
- Danny van Poppel gets second yellow card, but no suspension
- Tadej Pogačar explains why the UAE Tour is the perfect preparation for the Classics
- Lachlan Morton’s record breaking 648km, in one day
Team news:
- Lotto Cycling Team celebrates 40 Years of racing history with unique exhibition at KOERS
- SportVibes becomes a shareholder in BEAT Cycling Club
Race news:
- Paris-Nice Announces 2025 Teams
Monday EUROTRASH coffee time.
TOP STORY: Bike NYC: Our Statement on President Trump’s Decision to Revoke NYC Congestion Pricing
Bike New York is deeply disheartened by President Trump’s decision to revoke New York City’s congestion pricing program. This move undermines critical efforts to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and secure essential funding for sustainable transportation, setting back the city’s progress toward a greener, more equitable future.
In its short time since implementation, congestion pricing has proven effective in reducing traffic and improving travel times. By encouraging public transit use and decreasing the number of vehicles on the road, this policy aligns with our mission to create a safer, more accessible, and environmentally friendly city.
Revoking congestion pricing not only jeopardizes the projected $16.5 billion earmarked for mass transit improvements but also represents a major setback in the fight against climate change and the pursuit of transportation equity.
While we remain hopeful that the courts will overturn this decision, Bike New York is unwavering in its commitment to advocating for policies that support cycling as a safe, sustainable, and efficient mode of transportation.
A step back for New York:
UAE Tour 2025
Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) won the Fourth Stage of the UAE Tour. The Italian triumphed in the sprint after a stage where the peloton split several times. Milan beat Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) held the overall lead.
The stage route between Fujairah Qidfa Beach and Umm al Quwain had an uncategorised climb to the intermediate sprint in Masafi in the first 50 kilometres. After that it was a fast and almost flat, wide and straight road to the finish.
There was also the wind to take into consideration. In the last 70 kilometres, the wind was expected to blow and that echelons would form. In the first hours of the race, little happened. Two riders were off the front of the peloton for a long time: Đorđe Đurić of Team Solution Tech-Vini Fantini attacked and was joined by the young Canadian, Michael Leonard of INEOS Grenadiers. The peloton was happy to let them go and the lead increased to 5 minutes.
With more than 120 kilometres to go, the race started. After a bonus sprint, there were a few splits in the peloton. Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar, decided to test his legs and pulled the front group, but a regrouping did not take long. Calm returned to the peloton and it was up to the sprinter’s teams to keep the leaders in sight. There was still the risk of wind and echelons. With about 55 kilometres to go, Alpecin-Deceuninck saw an opportunity to split the race. A first group of about 15 riders managed to get away. Pogačar was at the front and had four teammates with him. Sprinters Philipsen, Milan, Merlier, Phil Bauhaus and Fabio Jakobsen had also survived. It didn’t look good for the other sprinters and GC riders. Dylan Groenewegen, Fernando Gaviria and Arvid de Kleijn had missed the move. Joshua Tarling, Pablo Castrillo, Iván Romeo and Finn Fisher-Black, all top five GC men, were also not there, but the gaps were still quite small.
With 45 kilometres to go, everything came together again. Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè) took advantage of the situation and went solo. Three riders joined him: Đurić (again), Lorenzo Quartucci and Carlos Samudio. What followed was a fascinating and tough battle for the black jersey, the classification of the intermediate sprints. The peloton watched the break fight for the sprint points, and then chased them down. After they had been caught, Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale made another attempt to form an echelon, but the wind wasn’t strong enough. UAE Emirates XRG and Soudal Quick-Step kept the pressure on after a roundabout and the group split once more, now in two parts. This time, most of the GC riders and sprinters were there.
Felix Gall, Iván Romeo, Finn Fisher-Black and Pello Bilbao had missed the move. Romeo tried to cross on his own and almost joined them, but he couldn’t close the last gap and had to drop back to the second group. In the meantime, the first group was still going strong, but the second echelon managed to join again just before the last 3 kilometres. Led by Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, the gap was closed and so after a very nervous day full of echelons, we still had a sprint with a full peloton. The sprint got underway after a rather chaotic run-up. Milan started first and the strong Italian managed to hold off the others once again. Merlier and Philipsen did try, but couldn’t come past.
Stage winner, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “I saw Tim Merlier coming very fast, then I waited for the photo finish and I eventually was told that I won but I didn’t know. In my first years as a pro, I wasn’t so successful because I had to gain experience first, learn how to move. Step by step, I got there. Today’s stage gives me a lot of confidence for Milano-Sanremo considering the level of the sprinters at the UAE Tour but Milano-Sanremo has a different finale. We knew there was a high chance of echelons with the wind there was today, but we were always ready and always in the front group.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “My aim in the echelons was staying safe and not losing time. In the echelons, you have fun if you are in the front group and you don’t if you are behind. It wasn’t our initiative, we followed the moves. I’m always up for action anyway. I enjoyed it today. The team did an amazing job staying in the front when it was important. It was hard but we had some fun. I thought it would be safer to have a sprint in a reduced group. Some people think we have easy stages at the UAE Tour but so far, there has been some action every day. It also makes it a good preparation race for the Classics.”
UAE Tour Stage 4 Result:
1. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek in 4:03:01
2. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
3. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
4. Daniel McLay (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Fernando Gaviria Rendon (Col) Movistar
6. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
7. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned) Jayco AlUla
8. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
9. Steffen De Schuyteneer (Bel) Lotto
10. Gerben Thijssen (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty.
UAE Tour Overall After Stage 4:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 12:23:42
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 0:25
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 4:
Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) won Stage 5 of the UAE Tour. The European champion beat Matteo Malucelli (XDS Astana) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) after a chaotic final sprint. There was also a crash just before the finish.
World champion and UAE Tour overall leader, Tadej Pogačar, must have wanted more training on stage 5, as the Slovenian went on the attack with 148 kilometres to go, together with his UAE Emirates XRG teammate, Domen Novak. Novak took Pogačar in tow on an uphill section early in the stages, not long after the start in the American University of Dubai. The stage was 160 kilometres to Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, and the World champion wanted to make it harder for everyone, including himself.
The two UAE Emirates XRG riders, with an elite group, crossed to a leading group of five. This brought a group of eleven riders to the front, including Lennert Van Eetvelt (Lotto) who is 10th overall. Four riders from Solution Tech-Vini Fantini, with their sprinter Kristian Sbaragli, Kobe Goossens (Intermarché-Wanty), Victor Langelotti (INEOS Grenadiers) and a two from VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè were in the group. The escape quickly gained a lead of more than 2 minutes on a peloton that was not sure what to do. Pogačar also sprinted with Lennert Van Eetvelt for 3 bonus seconds, which the World champion won. He now had 21 virtual seconds over second placed Joshua Tarling overall. The break was not appreciated by the sprinter’s teams of Soudal Quick-Step and Alpecin-Deceuninck. The riders express their displeasure when they saw Pogačar and the group passing on the other side of the road, Novak waving probably didn’t help. Eventually all the sprinter’s teams and several GC rider’s teams joined forces to catch the 11-man escape, 20 kilometres from the finish.
It was a very chaotic finale with several crashes. The first crash was 4 kilometres from the finish, with Pablo Castrillo (Movistar) and Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) being the main victims. On the last bend, just under a kilometre from the finish line, there was another crash. Luka Mezgec (Jayco AlUla) lost his sprinter, Dylan Groenewegen, but hit the last bend at speed. While there were crashes behind him, the Slovenian thought he could surprise the sprinters with a final attack. Mezgec took a gap, but lead-out man Danny van Poppel took on the chase in the hope of piloting his sprinter Sam Welsford to victory. Jonathan Milan was full of confidence and started the sprint first and caught Mezgec. Tim Merlier came alongside and had enough in the last metres to hold off Milan and Matteo Malucelli. The Belgian won by half-bike length.
Stage winner, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): “It’s the third consecutive year that I won a stage at this race and I’m happy we were able to pull it off today. The team did a flawless job today and made sure I was where I needed to be in the final kilometre, where I could choose the right moment to start my sprint. We learned from what happened yesterday and I am delighted that we can celebrate a victory today at this race that I like a lot. There will be one more opportunity for the sprinters on Saturday and we’ll do our best to be again in the mix.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was not the plan to extend my lead through time bonuses today but the move happened in a funny moment just like last year at Volta Catalunya when Domen (Novak) came with me to the front but today, other guys followed as well and it turned out to be a breakaway. We just sort of commit but we tried not to spend too much. It was a good day out, trying to keep the breakaway alive. We finished the stage much faster because of that. In the finale, my team-mates tried to make a bubble around me behind the sprinters’ teams, just to stay safe. For 90% of the peloton, it was a comfortable day on the road.”
Green points jersey and 3rd on the stage, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “It was a difficult finale and [team-mate] Simone [Consonni] crashed, quite far away from the end. But he was feeling good so we tried to move together. It just happens that in the last kilometres sometimes you miss each other, it’s important to learn from a situation like today’s and to keep pushing and looking for other victories. Tomorrow we have another good stage. I’m looking forward to it although I’m starting to feel the heat but I still have good legs. Congratulations to Tim Merlier for his win today. He did a nice sprint.”
UAE Tour Stage 5 Result:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 3:16:55
2. Matteo Malucelli (Ita) XDS Astana
3. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
4. Sam Welsford (Aus) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
5. Oded Kogut (Isr) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Maikel Zijlaard (Ned) Tudor
7. Danny van Poppel (Ned) Red BullBORA-hansgrohe
8. Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Bahrain Victorious
9. Elmar Reinders (Ned) Jayco AlUla
10. Luka Mezgec (Slo) Jayco AlUla.
UAE Tour Overall After Stage 5:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 15:40:34
2. Joshua Tarling (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:21
3. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:27
4. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:28
5. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:36
6. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 37
7. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 0:38
8. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
9. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana at 0:41
10. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL at 0:44.
UAE Tour’25 stage 5:
Tim Merlier won the Sixth Stage of the UAE Tour. The Soudal Quick-Step sprinter was the fastest from the bunch by far. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek) finished second and third. Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XGR) held the leader’s jersey.
Just like on Friday, a mass sprint was expected on stage 6. The 165 kilometre stage was completely flat. All eyes were on Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier, the sprinters in form. Merlier had won at this finish in 2023. Dylan Groenewegen didn’t start due to a concussion he suffered the day before. Fernando Gaviria (Movistar), Paul Seixas (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), Victor Langellotti (INEOS Grenadiers) and Lars Craps (Lotto) were also missing.
The early break consisted of ProTeam Toscana Factory Vini Fantini with Kristian Sbaragli, Djordje Djuric and Carlos Samudio. Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè) completed the group of four. Djuric took a lot of points for the intermediate sprint classification, to consolidate his lead in the black jersey.
In the peloton, the sprinter’s teams kept the escapees within catching distance. Alpecin-Deceuninck was also active in the chase for Jasper Philipsen, who had crashed in the final of the fifth stage. Pogačar and UAE Emirates XRG tried to split things, but failed. The conditions were not suited for echelons. The four escapees managed to stay away for a long time and with 5 kilometres to go, Tarozzi attacked again, only Samudio could follow. On the wide roads of the finish, the attempt was hopeless. With less than 3 kilometres to go, the last two were caught and the peloton got ready for another bunch sprint. With 2 kilometres to go, Fabio Jakobsen was impressively kept at the front, thanks to his teammates. Milan and Philipsen were also in an excellent position. But in the final kilometre, it was mainly the Tudor team who were in control. Arvid de Kleijn was brought to the front perfectly, until Merlier sprinted past at high speed. Philipsen and Milan finished second and third, at a bike length to Merlier.
Stage winner Tim Merlier said (Soudal Quick-Step): “It’s my third success here in Abu Dhabi and it makes me happy. The guys controlled the breakaway and brought me in a great position with two kilometres to go. I was on Bert’s wheel, but we lost each other, and then I was boxed in the whole time. Fortunately, I found a gap at 300 meters to go and I tried to surprise the others. As soon as I had a small advantage, I just kept going and despite it being a long effort, I maintained the speed until the finish. It’s an important win, because every time you get an opportunity and grab it, it counts. As I said before, I like this race a lot and I already look forward to returning here. We have one more stage, but overall, it’s been a good week for us and I’ll leave with a lot of confidence from the Middle East.”
Overall leader, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “In a one-week stage race with an uphill sprint, one time trial, three bunch sprints and two mountain stages, you have to be good every day. We are used to the UAE Tour. I’m also used to Jebel Hafeet. I’ve already won there several times but I also lost once to Adam Yates who is now my team-mate. I hope I can deliver again tomorrow or if it’s not me, maybe Jay Vine can do it. For sure we’ll go for it, either way, and bring some more memories from the UAE. We have two cards to play. Jay is also up there on GC. He’s super strong. Let’s hope for good legs tomorrow. It’s going to be another windy day so we’ll have to stay focused from start to finish.”
UAE Tour Stage 6 Result:
1. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step in 3:44:14
2. Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
4. Max Walscheid (Ger) Jayco AlUla
5. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
6. Dusan Rajovic Solution Tech Vini Fantini
7. Daniel Skerl (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
8. Enrico Zanoncello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè
9. Sam Welsford (Aus) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
10. Steffen De Schuyteneer (Bel) Lotto.
UAE Tour Overall After Stage 6:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 19:24:48
2. Joshua Tarling (GB) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:21
3. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:27
4. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:28
5. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:36
6. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:37
7. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 0:38
8. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
9. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana at 0:41
10. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL at 44.
UAE Tour’25 stage 6:
Tadej Pogačar won Stage 7 and the final overall of the UAE Tour. The World champion soloed to victory on the final climb of Jebel Hafeet. Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious) were second and third on the stage and both moved up to finish in those positions overall.
The traditional final stage of the UAE Tour was on Sunday. The peloton started in Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, to finish on Jebel Hafeet (10.9km at 6.7%) after 176 kilometres. Since 2020, the race has been decided on this climb. Before the climbers could show themselves, there was a flat approach of 165 kilometres.
A large leading group of 11 riders escaped, including Jonathan Milan, who secured the points classification, Alexey Lutsenko, Bruno Armirail, Robbe Ghys, Gerben Kuypers and Ayco Bastiaens. They built a small lead of a few minutes. But after a few kilometres the race exploded. There was a lot of wind in the United Arab Emirates and that led to echelons. The peloton split into pieces, several riders and teams had missed the action. The biggest victim was Lennert Van Eetvelt, who was in 8th place overall. Lotto had to work hard together with Visma | Lease a Bike, who also had no one in the first echelon.
At the front, the first echelon was soon able to join the early escapees. There was now one large leading group of 40 riders. Apart from Van Eetvelt, almost all the GC riders were in the first group. Lotto and Visma | Lease a Bike, and also Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, tried to pull the lead group back, but did not succeed. The first group moved further away and started the finale with a good lead. The work in the first group was done by two Belgians, Florian Vermeersch and Rune Herregodts. The two new UAE Emirates XRG riders were the only teammates of Pogačar in the first echelon. The pace was high and quite a few riders were dropped from the leading group soon after hitting Jebel Hafeet.
Vermeersch moved from the front with 9 kilometres to go, after which it was up to Herregodts. He thinned out the leading group further, until only about 10 riders could follow. Everyone was clearly suffering, and that was the signal for overall leader Pogačar to put in an attack. Pogačar shot away from the leading group and immediately created a gap. Oscar Onley and Giulio Ciccone stayed close for a short while, but soon had to ride at their own pace. The race was over with 7 kilometres to go. Despite a strong headwind, Pogačar gradually increased his lead in the final kilometres, after which he reached the top of Jebel Hafeet with a large lead. The World champion won the final stage of the UAE Tour and consolidated his overall win. Ciccone finished in second place and moved into second place overall. Onley cracked in the final and was caught by a chasing group with Pello Bilbao and Ivan Roméo. Bilbao jumped to Ciccone, but could not beat the Italian in the sprint. Bilbao was third on the stage and the general classification.
Stage and overall winner, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a crosswinds so it was good to make some chaos in the group. For us GC riders we had to be really careful and always be attentive. Somehow it worked, at first I didn’t believe it would be cooperative but it went to the finish, so for me it was a really good day. With Florian and Rune in the front, they kept getting me water and cooling me down. For me, it was ideal. [I attacked with 7.8km to go because] that’s when Rune pulled off his effort. The guys did a great job for me and I decided to try and go solo, I didn’t want to be surprised or counterattacked or anything. Now, I don’t race stage races anymore until Dauphiné, so it’s time to switch the mind to the one-day classics and I will try to enjoy!”
2nd on the stage and overall, Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek): “Second place is not a victory but I’m quite happy with it because it was a crazy stage today. I’m happy to finish second to Pogi but I’m also happy with my condition, also about the team. They did a great job. Making the echelon was the hardest part of the stage for me. Podium on GC is the best way to start a new season. Hopefully it will continue like this.”
3rd on the stage and overall, Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious): “Tadej Pogačar is so used to make the top step of the podium that it’s an incredible feeling for me to stand on his side. It’s been such a hard job all week. Today I was feeling the pressure. I’ve been on the podium in the past but looking at the other contenders this time, the level was so high that I wasn’t sure at all to make it once again. Today I was alone in the breakaway but I still owe a big thank you to my team for having taken care of me all week long. We have used all our experience to make the biggest possible achievement here.”
Green Jersey, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “For us, it was important to bring Giulio Ciccone in the best possible spot at the bottom of Jebel Hafeet and bring my green jersey home. It was pretty close with Tim Merlier and I thought the best way to make was throughout the first intermediate sprint. Then when the chasing group came across, I kept working with my guys for Ciccone. He delivered a beautiful result today. We came here to win as much as possible. With two stages and the Green Jersey, we achieved a lot in this UAE Tour and we also learnt from some mistakes.”
White Jersey, Ivan Romeo (Movistar): “It means everything to me to be the best young rider at the end of the UAE Tour. The team deserved the third but I gave it all. The way we rode this week is incredible. It makes me super happy. We knew Tadej Pogačar was in another category but Pablo Castrillo paced me up the climb along with Pello [Bilbao]. We knew it was better for to keep that pace. Now we’ll try to win the races when Tadej is not there, we have a new generation of Movistar riders with a big ambition.”
Black Jersey, Djordje Djuric (Solution Tech Vini Fantini): “I attacked again from the start today to secure the intermediate sprints jersey. After I finished second in the first sprint, we tried to stay in the breakaway but it was a very hard race and it was very difficult to arrive atop Jebel Hafeet! It’s nice training bloc before the next races but it’s also very nice to take part in the final price giving ceremony with this top riders like Tadej Pogačar.”
8th on the stage, William Junior Lecerf (Soudal Quick-Step): “I’m very happy, because it’s my first time in the top ten at World Tour level! The team did a great job today and it’s also thanks to them that I got this result. It was an incredible stage for us, we were in the right echelon and the guys took good care of me there. The climb was a tough one, but I did my best and it feels incredible to finish eighth here after this big effort – I would go as far as saying it’s my biggest achievement since turning pro.”
UAE Tour Stage 7 Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 3:44:04
2. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:33
3. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 0:35
4. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 0:49
5. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL at 1:16
6. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar at 1:25
7. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 2:05
8. William Junior Lecerf (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:11
9. Patrick Konrad (Aust) Lidl-Trek at 2:33
10. Ramses Debruyne (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 2:51.
UAE Tour Final Overall Result:
1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG in 23:08:42
2. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 1:14
3. Pello Bilbao Lopez de Armentia (Spa) Bahrain Victorious at 1:19
4. Ivan Romeo Abad (Spa) Movistar at 1:26
5. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL at 2:10
6. Finn Fisher-Black (NZ) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 2:43
7. Pablo Castrillo Zapater (Spa) Movistar in 2:59
8. William Junior Lecerf (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 3:49
9. Harold Alfonso Tejada Canacue (Col) XDS Astana at3:52
10. Patrick Konrad (Aust) Lidl-Trek at 4:00.
UAE Tour’25 stage 7:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqZX3aRQl24
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol 2025
The Second Stage of the Ruta del Sol was won by Tom Pidcock (Q36.5). The British was on the attack for a long time on Thursday with Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG), who took the lead from Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): The Belgian was not in the leading group that broke away 45 kilometres from the finish and he eventually lost more than a minute overall.
Stage 2 of the Ruta del Sol on Thursday had three Cat.2 climbs in the first 90 kilometres. The last 40 kilometres of the stage to Torredelcampo were mostly flat.
An early leading group with Florian Dauphin and Ben Turner, but not for long. On the first climb, the Puerto Castillo Locubín (8.2km at 4.9%), there were attacks from Igor Arrieta, Johannes Staune-Mittet, Anders Halland Johannessen and Enric Mas, but they were caught by the peloton. On the next climb it was Damien Howson, Axel Laurence and Arrieta and Staune-Mittet again. The lead group managed to take a good lead over the peloton. On the last climb, the Alto de los Villares, they were 2 minutes ahead of the thinned out peloton. Attacks from the GC riders followed on the last climb of the Alto de los Villares. Pidcock was the first to make a move, after which there were attacks from Clément Berthet, Sivakov and Mas again. Overall leader, Van Gils, was on the verge of cracking towards the end of the climb. At the top, Van Gils was 15 seconds behind Berthet, Sivakov, Mas, Pidcock and Brandon Rivera, who got together in the last 40 kilometres.
Van Gils’ lead was seriously in danger. In a chasing group, the Belgian didn’t get closer to the five leaders. Those five increased their lead to more than 2 minutes, which meant that the Belgian would lose his leader’s jersey to Sivakov. Berthet and Pidcock would also move ahead of the Belgian on the general classification. In the uphill kilometres to the finish in Torredelcampo, the five at the front fought it out for the stage victory. It was Pidcock who sprinted to victory ahead of Rivera and Sivakov, who took the overall lead of the race. Van Gils finished over a minute behind the group and dropped three places on GC.
Stage winner, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team): “I think yesterday I was a bit too ambitious, a bit too active too early, and didn’t really respect the race and the course,” Pidcock reflected. “I paid for it in the final, which was unfortunate, but I learned a good lesson. I also had fun racing, so it wasn’t all bad. Today, I made amends for that—I played it smart, worked the tactics well, and it’s super nice to get the hands up in the air. The team fully committed to me, and it’s nice to be able to repay that.”
Overall leader and 3rd on the stage, Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was super good. Already yesterday I was quite surprised with my legs. I tried to go a bit too far maybe, with 60km to go I was solo for a while and still managed to finish almost with the first guys. Today we did a super good job with the team. At the end, I maybe went a bit early. It was a long last 200m on the flat but I have the leader’s jersey and now I think we have a really good team to try and defend it. We have to be careful, we need to race to the finish on Sunday and not relax beforehand. It is going to be tough but the hardest stages are done. We have to be careful every day. It is a good opportunity for me. We have a really strong team and always, when you have an opportunity like this, it is good to take it. Now it is up to me to finish the job and I will do my best.”
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Stage 2 Result:
1. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in 3:22:04
2. Brandon Rivera (Col) INEOS Grenadiers
3. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Emirates XRG
4. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
5. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar
6. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:10
7. Markus Hoelgaard (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
8. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG
9. Ruben Guerreiro (Por) Movistar
10. Jose Manuel Diaz Gallego (Spa) Burgos Burpellet BH.
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Overall After Stage 2:
1. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Emirates XRG in 7:41:34
2. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:23
3. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0:32
4. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:03
5. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG
6. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:38
7. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 1:42
8. Johannes Staune-Mittet (Nor) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 2:43
9. Markus Hoelgaard (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 2:46
10. Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 3:02.
Andalucia’25 stage 2:
Alexander Kristoff won Stage 3 of the Ruta del Sol. The Uno-X Mobility rider was the best in a sprint from a thinned out peloton in Pozoblanco. Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers) and Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) finished second and third. Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG) was still the leader.
After two tough days in the Ruta del Sol, it was time for a quieter stage on Friday. The race went from Arjona to Pozoblanco, a stage of just over 160 kilometres. There was a little bit of climbing, but a sprint was expected.
A break of three escaped early in the stage. Initially, UAE Emirates XRG for leader Pavel Sivakov took the lead of the peloton, but after a while they gave up. It was the men of Uno-X Mobility who set the pace, as they didn’t want to let the leading group get too far away. The Norwegian team made sure that the three leaders started the last 50 kilometres with only 2 minutes lead. Twenty kilometres to go there was the Golden Kilometre with bonus seconds, that was the signal for many teams to chase. The three escapees were soon caught and the speed was too high for some riders. In the Golden Kilometre, Tom Pidcock and Marc Soler gained a few seconds, but no big move was made.
After that, the thinned out peloton continued to the finish in Pozoblanco. Many of the sprinters were dropped due to the accelerations. The pace also remained high in the final kilometres, so no one could come back from behind. The big favourite was Alexander Kristoff, who still had a lot of teammates. Ben Turner started the sprint first and took a big lead. Kristoff pulled himself to Turner’s rear wheel. The Norwegian still had something left and went past Turner in the last metres. Kristoff took the 97th victory of his career. Turner was a close second, ahead of Maxim Van Gils. Tom Pidcock and Oliver Naesen were fourth and fifth.
Stage winner, Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility): “I need three more wins this season. They did a good job. We didn’t let the escapees get away too far. The final was harder than I thought. It was really difficult. My legs weren’t that fresh anymore. In the final kilometres, something went wrong. My lead-outs made two mistakes, but they’re not used to doing this kind of thing. You could see that, because they went the wrong way of the INEOS Grenadiers guys twice. So I had to come from far away, it could have been easier today. It’s also nice to start the season like this. I really want to get those 100 professional wins. I have 97 now, so three more to go this season.”
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Stage 3 Result:
1. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility in 3:51:32
2. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
3. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
4. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
5. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
6. Cesar Macias Estrada (Mex) Petrolike
7. Florian Dauphin (Fra) TotalEnergies
8. Anders Foldager (Den) Jayco AlUla
9. Jon Barrenetxea Golzarri (Spa) Movistar
10. David Martin Romero (Spa) Burgos Burpellet BH.
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Overall After Stage 3:
1. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Emirates XRG in 11:33:06
2. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0:23
3. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:25
4. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:59
5. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG
6. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG
7. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies
8. Markus Hoelgaard (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Johannes Staune-Mittet (Nor) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
10. Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale.
Andalucia’25 stage 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY8FjNcWZ2s
Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) surprisingly won the penultimate Stage 4 of the Ruta del Sol. He crossed the finish line first in Alhaurín de la Torre, after surprising his fellow escapees with a late attack. Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG) retained his overall lead with one stage to go.
After the difficult sprinter’s stage on day three, the fourth stage of the Ruta del Sol was another tough one. The longest stage of the week had 1,494 metres of climbing. The course was particularly hilly in the first 130 kilometres. The finale was mainly downhill or flat, although the finish line was after a final kilometre of climbing.
Initially, there was a lot of attacking, but the formation of a leading group took a while, but eventually 14 riders got away from the peloton: Callum Scotson, Jorge Arcas, Welay Hagos Berhe, Connor Swift, Emīls Liepiņš, Alan Jousseaume, Zeb Kyffin, Joel Nicolau, Sebastian Berwick, Diego Uriarte, Anders Halland Johannessen, Toon Clynhens, the Dutch Pole Danny van der Tuuk and Mario Aparicio made up the lead group.
UAE Emirates XRG, the team of overall leader Pavel Sivakov, didn’t panic. The best-placed rider in the leading group was Callum Scotson at 13 minutes. The lead then increased to 3 minutes. The peloton didn’t make any moves to catch the escape, but Wagner Bazin WB had no one in the early break and so the Walloon team were trying to bring the race together, although they had lost their fast-man, Davide Persico. There was some help from the Mexican team, Petrolike, but they had left it too late. The gap to the leading group was too big to bridge. After Wagner Bazin WB gave up, the peloton lost a lot of ground. With 15 kilometres to go, the lead was more than 3 minutes: The leaders were going to fight it out in Alhaurín de la Torre. There was a lot of attacks in the last 10 kilometres and the leading group was thus severely decimated and 6 riders managed to break away.
Swift, Scotson, Jousseaume, Berwick, Uriarte and Van der Tuuk were off the front and started the last 5 kilometres with a lead of 15 seconds on the other escapees. After a first attempt by Jousseaume, Uriarte thought his moment had come. The Spaniard accelerated with 2 kilometres to go, his fellow escapees looked at each other for a moment and so the 23-year-old rider had a gap. Scotson and Swift tried to close him down, but the Spaniard had flown. Uriarte stayed out of the clutches of the pursuers in the last, partly uphill final kilometre and took a surprising victory, his first victory as a professional. Jousseaume won the sprint for second place, ahead of Swift. The GC riders crossed the line together, in the peloton. Sivakov held the lead in the GC, ahead of Clément Berthet and Tom Pidcock, with only the final stage to La Línea de la Concepción still to go.
Stage winner, Diego Uriarte Belzunegi (Equipo Kern Pharma): “It was a very special day, a joy for the entire Kern Pharma Team. It was a very fast stage and I knew I had to surprise to avoid the sprint and I played my cards from afar. In the last few metres I saw how they closed the gap on me but I was able to hold on and get my first victory as a professional. Let’s see if we can all continue with this good dynamic.”
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Stage 5 Result:
1. Diego Uriarte Belzunegi (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma in 4:07:21
2. Alan Jousseaume (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:09
3. Connor Swift (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
4. Callum Scotson (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
5. Sebastian Berwick (Aus) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA
6. Danny Van Der Tuuk (Pol) Euskaltel-Euskadi at 0.16
7. Welay Berhe (Eth) Jayco AlUla at 0:21
8. Anders Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Emils Liepins (Lat) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
10. Jorge Arcas Pena (Spa) Movistar at 0:26.
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Final Overall Stage 4:
1. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Emirates XRG in 15:44:59
2. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:23
3. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0:26
4. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:59
5. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:03
6. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:35
7. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 1:42
8. Markus Hoelgaard (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 2:41
9. Johannes Staune-Mittet (Nor) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 2:43
10. Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 3:02.
Andalucia’25 stage 4:
Jon Barrenetxea (Movistar) won the final Stage 5 of the Ruta del Sol on Sunday. The Spaniard was the best of a small break that had escaped from a large group that had been allowed to go by the peloton. He beat the Norwegians Tobias Halland Johannessen (Uno-X Mobility) and Johannes Staune-Mittet (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale). In the peloton, GC leader Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG) held on to take the final overall victory.
The final stage of the 71st Ruta del Sol had a very mountainous start, but an almost flat finish. The first part included the Puerto del Madroño and two uncategorised climbs. The last classified climb was the Puerto del Espino (9.1km at 5.1%). The summit was 70 kilometres from the finish. There was a flat final to La Línea de la Concepcíon, situated next to Gibraltar.
In the first hour of racing there was a lot of attacking. Many riders wanted to be in the break of the day. Eventually, 20 riders got away, including Johannes Staune-Mittet (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), who was the best placed at 2:43 down on overall leader, Pavel Sivakov. Enric Mas, Omar Fraile, Axel Laurance, Pierre Latour, Iván Ramiro Sosa, Giovanni Carboni, Andreas Leknessund, the Johannessen brothers, Milan Lanhove and Floris De Tier were also in the break. The lead never grew larger than 3 minutes due to UAE Emirates XRG. Nothing happened on the Puerto del Espino and the leading group started the last 50 flat kilometres with a lead of 1:30. Because there were no riders who posed a threat to Sivakov and UAE Emirates XRG, the difference fluctuating around that time.
At the front, the final was very nervous, because there were a lot of attacks. There was no control, but no one managed to get away. Decathlon-AG2R, Movistar, INEOS Grenadiers and Uno-X Mobility had more than one rider, so loners had to choose their moment. It became clear in the last 20 kilometres that the escapees were going to fight for the stage win. Six riders jumped away with more than 15 kilometres to go. Staune-Mittet and Tobias Halland Johannessen rode away with Jon Barrenetxea, Thomas Gachignard (TotalEnergies) and Iker Mintegi (Euskaltel-Euskadi). Unibet Tietema Rockets’ rider Carboni jumped across to the group. Behind them there was no chase and the lead increased quickly.
On a slippery bend, Mintegi and Gachignard crashed. Carboni narrowly avoided a crash, but lost contact with Staune-Mittet, Johannessen and Barrenetxea. There was no co-operation, even between the two Norwegians. In the final kilometre, they started to play poker and Staune-Mittet wanted to surprise, but that turned into a lead-out for Barrenetxea, who won convincingly despite complaints from Johannessen. Carboni finished in fourth place. The peloton was under no stress in the final. They set a solid pace, but there was no point racing for the stage win. Pavel Sivakov took the final overall victory for UAE Emirates XRG. He was joined on the final podium by Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) and Clément Berthet (Decathlon-AG2R). Pidcock had passed the Frenchman due to bonuses during the stage.
Final overall winner, Pavel Sivakov (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a great week of racing. The first two opening days were the hardest days and that is where I managed to take the yellow jersey. After that, I had the best team around me and they really covered me perfectly throughout the final three days. They did an amazing job, especially in moments which could have been dangerous. We never had any trouble because the team was amazing and supported me so well. Even today, everybody rode amazingly strong. I was worried that maybe some attacks would fire in the first part of the race, but actually, we were so strong as a group that nobody even tried. I am super super happy to bring this yellow jersey home.”
3rd overall and 10th on the stage, Tom Pidcock (Q36.5): “I think I was too ambitious yesterday, too active and too early. I paid for it at the end, which was unfortunate, but I learned a good lesson. I made up for it today. I played smart, worked well on tactics. The team was fully committed to me, and it’s nice to be able to reciprocate that. I enjoyed the race, with some really hard stages and a difficult race with the team. I finish third in the general classification, so that’s great. We also made some mistakes. On the first day I was too enthusiastic and overconfident, and that cost us the general classification, but we learn every day. My form is good and I’m looking forward to the next race at Omloop Nieuwsblad.”
4th overall and 6th on the stage, Maxim Van Gils (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “I’m happy with the week. After my crash at the Etoile de Bessèges, I had a good week of racing. I think it might even have been possible to do a bit more, but sometimes you just have to accept the situation in a race. Nevertheless, I will take a good feeling into the next few weeks.”
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Stage 5 Result:
1. Jon Barrenetxea Golzarri (Spa) Movistar in 3:55:33
2. Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
3. Johannes Staune-Mittet (Nor) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:02
4. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Unibet Tietema Rockets at 0:12
5. Thomas Gachignard (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:18
6. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:31
7. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
8. Anders Foldager (Den) Jayco AlUla
9. Oliver Naesen (Bel) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
10. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Ciclista Del Sol Final Overall Result:
1. Pavel Sivakov (Fra) UAE Emirates XRG in 19:41:03
2. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:23
3. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0:26
4. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:46
5. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:03
6. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 1:42
7. Marc Soler (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:43
8. Johannes Staune-Mittet (Nor) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 2:14
9. Markus Hoelgaard (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 2:41
10. Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 3:02.
Andalucia’25 stage 5:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG-dXBxGy3I
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta 2025
The Queen stage of the Volta ao Algarve was won by Jan Christen (UAE Emirates XRG) on Thursday. On the climb of the Alto da Foia, the Swiss rider attacked early, and ahead of the favourites. His teammate, Joao Almeida joined him in the final meters, but gave his younger teammate the victory. Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) finished in a chase group.
The Algarve race really got underway on Thursday. Due to most of the peloton going the wrong way in the final kilometre, there was no leader’s jerseys in the peloton on Thursday as the result of the stage had been cancelled after the stage on Wednesday. The second stage in the Algarve was the Queen stage. The sting was in the tail, with first the Alto da Pomba (3.5km at 8.5%), and then the Alto da Fóia (7.4km at 6%). The two-stage climb meant there was a chance of time differences. Before the two climbs started, a small group with André Carvalho, Hugo Nunes, Brent Van Moer, Nicolas Tivani and Tobias Bayer rode off the front for a long time. Van Moer collected the KOM points for the mountain jersey. With Visma | Lease a Bike at the head of the peloton, the break was over before the Alto da Pomba.
On the Alto da Pomba it was Romain Bardet who attacked early, but he quickly rejoined the group of favourites, which had been thinned out to about 25 riders led by Jan Tratnik. Towards the top, the Slovenian handed over to Primoz Roglič, who pushed on for a while but soon stopped. Everything would then came down to the Alto da Foia. In the first kilometres, Remy Rochas, Laurens De Plus, Jan Christen, Ben Tulett, Luca Vergallito and Neilson Powless quickly gained 30 seconds on the group with Vingegaard and Roglič, where everyone was looking at the Dane and the Slovenian. Vingegaard only started to ride with 1.5 kilometres to go, but he was not fit enough to get rid of the others. Almeida did manage to bridge the gap to the riders at the front, Vingegaard finished in 6th place on the wheel of Antonio Morgado, the third rider of UAE in the top-5. Almeida finished with Christen, who took the victory.
Stage winner and overall leader, Jan Christen (UAE Emirates XRG): “I am super happy; it is an amazing stage win. I think all in all, the first part was quite easy and with the final climb it was all in. Now I am a bit speechless, to win such a climbing stage and with such a strong climbing field at the start. I am super thankful for the team, for João and Antonio, who were in the back protecting me. It is amazing to already have a second win of the season. Today is for sure one of my most special victories.”
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Stage 2 Result:
1. Jan Christen (Sui) UAE Emirates XRG in 4:28:44
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:07
4. Romain Bardet (Fra) Team Picnic PostNL at 0:08
5. Tomás António Morgado (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 10
6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Luca Vergallito (Ita) Alpecin-Deceuninck
8. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB) Lidl-Trek at 0:13
9. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
10. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:16.
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Overall After Stage 2:
1. Jan Christen (Sui) UAE Emirates XRG in 4:28:34
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:04
3. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:13
4. Romain Bardet (Fra) Team Picnic PostNL at 0:18
5. Tomás António Morgado (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:20
6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Luca Vergallito (Ita) Alpecin-Deceuninck
8. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB) Lidl-Trek at 0:23
9. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
10. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:26.
Algarve’25 stage 2:
Jordi Meeus took the victory in the Third Stage of the Volta ao Algarve. The Belgian rider beat Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) in a sprint. Wout van Aert was not well positioned and only finished seventh. Jan Christen (UAE Emirates XRG) held the lead on the GC after a quiet day.
The sprinters were very much looking forward to stage three of the Volta ao Algarve, because on day one they could not show their fast legs. Due to the fiasco with the signalman, they could not sprint for the victory. On day two it was a day for the climbers again, so they had to wait until the stage on Friday. That was a tailor-made stage, with a slightly hilly course with a mainly flat finale.
Just because it was going to be a sprint finish, that didn’t stop the early attacks. It was a break that formed. Their lead fluctuated around 3:30 for a long time, but the leading group was not strong enough to hold out against the chasing peloton for long. They were caught very early, with about 50 kilometres to go. Then it was time for the intermediate sprint for bonus seconds. Since the differences on GC are still very small, there was an opportunity for the overall riders.
In the end there was very little enthusiasm for the bonus seconds and it was Mathias Vacek who took the most. The Czech is in 16th place overall, so he moved a little closer to Jan Christen. After the intermediate sprint, the peloton got ready for the sprint in the finish town of Tavira. It took a while before it happened, but in the last 10 kilometres the pace really picked up. Many teams tried to place their fast man and GC rider well. In the last kilometres, Lotto took control. They made sure that their fast man, Arnaud De Lie, was in a great position to tackle the last few hundred metres. However, De Lie let himself be pushed aside, it was then a chaotic sprint. In the end, it was Jordi Meeus who was able to find a gap and sprinted to victory. Behind Meeus, Alberto Dainese shot to second place, but the Italian was declassed in the results after the finish due to the race jury deciding he had made an ‘irregular movement’. Biniam Girmay was the new second, ahead of De Lie and Casper van Uden.
Stage winner, Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “I’m super happy with this win. I was already second in my first race of the year, and I was really focused on the first stage here in Algarve which also didn’t work out as planned. Today was another opportunity, and I felt strong all day. It was a hectic day from start to finish but the team nailed the sprint preparation despite the many corners and roundabouts—a big thanks to my teammates for doing an amazing job.”
Overall leader, Jan Christen (UAE Emirates XRG): “I’m happy and I have two stages left. It’s very special to defend this leader’s jersey. We’ll take it day by day and think about what happens in the last time trial.”
3rd on the stage, Arnaud De Lie (Lotto): “People went all out, the team prepared the sprint well, but maybe I made a mistake. My legs felt a bit better than yesterday. The sprint was launched from very far away, there was some braking and it was difficult for me to get back into position.”
7th on the stage, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I was going up, we caught on well, but in the last corner I lost some positions to be able to hope to win.”
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Stage 3 Result:
1. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 4:18:34
2. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
3. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto
4. Casper van Uden (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
5. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
6. Madis Mihkels (Est) EF Education-EasyPost
7. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Santiago Mesa Pietralunga (Col) Efapel Cycling
9. Samuel Watson (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
10. Johan Jacobs (Sui) Groupama-FDJ.
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Overall After Stage 3:
1. Jan Christen (Sui) UAE Emirates XRG in 8:47:08
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:04
3. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:13
4. Tomás António Morgado (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:20
5. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike
6. Luca Vergallito (Ita) Alpecin-Deceuninck
7. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:23
8. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB) Lidl-Trek
9. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:26
10. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost.
Algarve’25 stage 3:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7loss35G7h8
The penultimate Stage 4 of the Volta ao Algarve was won by Milan Fretin of Cofidis. The Belgian beat some big sprint names such as Arnaud De Lie and Wout van Aert at the finish in Faro. Jan Christen (UAE Emirates XRG) had no problems on the stage and will start the final 20 kilometres time trial as leader on Sunday.
On stage 4 of the Volta ao Algarve, the strong sprinters would have their chance of winning a stage. The 175 kilometre stage from Albufeira to Faro was largely on rolling roads, but also included a number of tough climbs, with a total of 2,000 metres of climbing. In the final there was a third and a fourth category climbs before the last 15 flat kilometres. There was a good chance of a bunch sprint, but it was a hard stage.
Four riders escaped early in the stage. Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step) was joined by Johan Jacobs (Groupama-FDJ), Gorka Sorarrain (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and KOM, Nicolás Tivani (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé). The peloton was not worried by this escape and allowed the lead to increase to over 4 minutes. Vangheluwe, Jacobs, Sorarrain and Tivani worked well together and held on for a long time. At the foot of the penultimate climb to Santa Bárbara, 25 kilometres from the finish, the difference was still 30 seconds. Led by Visma | Lease a Bike, the peloton pulled them back. The Dutch team were chasing for Wout van Aert and wanted to tire out the pure sprinters and drop them. With Tiesj Benoot putting the pressure on, the peloton thinned out considerably on the last climb, also the leaders, who were caught just before the top.
There peloton had been split, but the first group still consisted of about 70 riders, including some fast men. There was not only Van Aert, but also Arnaud De Lie, Biniam Girmay, Casper van Uden and Madis Mihkels. In the slightly uphill final kilometre it was a question of timing and Milan Fretin proved to be a master of that to perfection. The Belgian came from the back with a lot of speed and managed to catch out the big names like Van Aert, De Lie and Girmay and continue his effort all the way to the finish. The fast man from Cofidis, winner of the Clásica de Almería earlier this season, stayed ahead of the Jordi Meeus and Filippo Ganna. After the stage there were complaints about Fretin’s sprint. In his sprint to the front he deviated from his line. Van Aert had to brake, so lost any chance of a top result. The race jury decided not to penalise Fretin for his manoeuvre and so his stage win stood.
Stage winner, Milan Fretin (Cofidis): “It’s amazing, I don’t know what to say honestly. It’s already my second win in a week of racing… It’s a great feeling! In 2024, we had a difficult season with the team, so we made some changes in terms of performance. The training has been a bit more intense, and I think that’s the biggest change this winter. Regarding the sprint, it’s clear that if you feel like you’re in front of another rider, in front of his wheel, you automatically try to find the shortest route. I tried to stay in the middle and sprint hard.”
Overall leader, Jan Christen (UAE Emirates XRG): “It’s an amazing feeling, I really enjoyed it. I felt that I had some respect in the peloton, and it’s really a great experience. I don’t think it stressed me out any more. Now I’m looking ahead to tomorrow. Tomorrow will be shorter, but more intense. I’m going to try to make the most of it. It’s clearly a stage for climbers, a very difficult time trial. I hope I feel good, and if I do, I can do well. I rarely get on my time trial bike. My last real training was at the World championships. So getting back on it tomorrow will be a special feeling. But I think I can do well. Honestly, it will depend on my legs. Joao (Almeida) is in very good shape and is a better time trialist than me. If I have to give the jersey to someone, I hope it will be him.”
2nd on the stage Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “I was a bit badly positioned in the last corner. It was another very fast and hectic finish. Coming from behind, I was able to gain some positions and I closed the gap, but Milan Fretin had a very solid sprint. It wasn’t easy because my lead-out guy Jonas Koch crashed yesterday. So, yes, I was a bit alone in the end and it wasn’t easy.”
7th on the stage, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “There was a lot of gaps and then I had to do a very long sprint. But in the end I wasn’t strong enough at the launch. ‘Hats off’ to Fretin, if he can win in such a finish. At least I’m not among the fastest Belgians anymore. Even though it was tough, it has to be a bit tougher for me, so the other sprinters have to let go. I think (Fretin) went a bit off course. I’ll have to watch the footage again, but at least I noticed that he was getting ahead of me. I think I was in a good position in the last corner, but when my lead-out guy went, he opened up a gap and that was a really long effort for me. So I wasn’t strong enough in the sprint.”
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Stage 4 Result:
1. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis in 4:03:31
2. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
3. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers
4. Arnaud De Lie (Bel) Lotto
5. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
6. Madis Mihkels (Est) EF Education-EasyPost
7. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
8. Nicolo’ Buratti (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
9. Casper van Uden (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
10. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Lidl-Trek.
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Overall After Stage 4:
1. Jan Christen (Sui) UAE Emirates XRG in 12:50:45
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:04
3. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:07
4. Tomás António Morgado (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:14
5. Luca Vergallito (Ita) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:20
6. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike
7. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:23
8. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB) Lidl-Trek
9. Quinten Hermans (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck
10. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:26.
Algarve’25 stage 4:
The Volta ao Algarve 2025 was won by Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike). In the final time trial of almost 20 kilometres, with the finish on the steep Alto do Malhão, the Dane took the stage and the overall victory. It was a one-two for the team, as Wout van Aert was second in the stage result. On the overall, Vingegaard, who took over the lead from Jan Christen (UAE Emirates-XRG), João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG) and Laurens De Plus (INEOS Grenadiers) were second and third.
The finale of the Volta ao Algarve consisted of an individual time trial of 19.6 kilometres from Salir to the Alto do Malhão. Not an easy time trial, with a rolling profile and a final climb (2.1 km at 9.3%), it was a race against the clock for the specialists and the classification men. Jan Christen was the overall leader at the start, with João Almeida and Laurens De Plus within 10 seconds.
Further back in the top 10, Antonio Morgado was 14 seconds behind Christen, Jonas Vingegaard at 20 seconds, Primož Roglič and Tao Geoghegan Hart, both at 23 seconds, all could take the final victory. Wout van Aert, with a bike change at the bottom of the final climb, set the target time of 28:36 minutes at an average speed of 41.1kph. He was 27 seconds ahead of Jakob Söderqvist and beat Filippo Ganna by 40 seconds. Only when the classification riders started did Van Aert have anything to worry about. Antonio Tiberi was the first to come close to his time, but the Italian was 3 seconds to slow. Roglič and Vingegaard were on the route. At the first intermediate point after 8 kilometres, the Dane was already 26 seconds faster than his former teammate. At the second timing point, at the foot of the final climb, the difference between Vingegaard and Roglič was 52 seconds.
Vingegaard rode a strong time trial and had made up time on all his competitors at the first intermediate point, although overall leader, Christen had also made a good start. The Dane stayed on his time trial bike and set the fastest time on the Alto do Malhão. He clocked 28:25 and was 11 seconds faster than Van Aert. Roglič had ridden well on the climb after a moderate run-up, but lost 49 seconds to Vingegaard at the finish line.
Vingegaard had set the top time and had a chance of the final victory. Morgado dropped out of the top of the rankings, but De Plus, Almeida and Christen could still cause an upset, although they would have to make up time on Vingegaard on the final climb, because the Dane had already gained a lead on all his competitors at the last intermediate point. It turned out to be an impossible task for De Plus, who switched to a normal bike, Almeida and Christen. The Portuguese rider lost 31 seconds to Vingegaard at the finish and the Belgian was 36 seconds slower. For Jan Christen it was too much and he lost more than a minute and dropped down the overall rankings. In the final overall, Almeida and De Plus finished in second and third places, behind final winner Jonas Vingegaard. This was the Dane’s first final victory in the Volta ao Algarve.
Stage and final overall winner, Jonas Vingegaard (Visma | Lease a Bike): “This was a very nice time trial, I really enjoyed it” “I always love this. Such a time trial suits me well, but of course it also depends on your legs. It can’t be such a nice time trial if you have bad legs, but I had great legs and I’m glad I was able to finish it like this.”“It was a very good day for me and for the team. I am happy with the final victory and take revenge for that earlier day” “I am super happy and very proud. My daughter said I had to win this morning, so that gave me extra motivation today. I wanted to win for her.”“I feel good. I’m happy to do well here and I’m looking forward to the next part of the season”
2nd overall and 6th on the stage, João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG): “I wanted to win but I think I did a really good time trial and I am happy with how it went today. Today was slightly better than I expected, to be honest. I don’t think I could have done better than this, Jonas (Vingegaard) was just stronger today. It is easy to look back and say I could have done this or that, but in all the moments this week, I felt I did the right thing at the time. It is racing!”
2nd on the stage, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I really look at the climbers, because this time trial is quite tough. The approach to the final climb was also hilly. You couldn’t really pace yourself and ride at a controlled pace. I actually didn’t really feel good anywhere. I suffered and felt uncomfortable, but those are often the best time trials. I’m also happy, because I’m still up against strong men. We did a good transition. After that I quickly went up the climb and that’s why I’m happy. It’s hard to say whether I would have ridden the same on a time trial bike. I could stand better on my road bike, so for me it was the right choice.”
3rd on the stage, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious): “For me this was the first race after the winter. After a period at altitude my sensations were quite good. I suffered a bit in the first climb finish, but already today it was really really better. I feel that I’m growing day by day. I’m quite positive for the Tirreno, but especially for my main objective, that is the Giro d’Italia. Today the legs were really really good, and I’m super happy that I did the last climb almost four seconds quicker than Jonas, so it’s good things I think!”
Points winner, Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “It’s been a good week here at the Algarve. My goal was to win at least one stage. That worked out. We had great teamwork here. And the days served as good preparation for what comes next. I’m happy with how things turned out here.”
8th overall, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “It was tough, but nice, huh. It was a good and hard effort, which is always good so early in the season. I am happy with that. I enjoyed this week, it was nice. And there is more to come, but I enjoyed it. I am definitely where I need to be, for sure. I certainly did not peak to be at my best level here in the Algarve. This is really the start of the season. There is still a lot of work to do, that is true, but we are on the right track.”
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Stage 5 Result:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 28:25
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike at 11
3. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 15
4. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 30
5. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step at 31
6. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG
7. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost at 37
8. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers
9. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:39
10. Jakob Söderqvist (Swe) Lidl-Trek.
Volta ao Algarve em Bicicleta Final Overall Result:
1. Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Visma | Lease a Bike in 13:19:30
2. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:15
3. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:24
4. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:36
5. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:40
6. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:43
7. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:48
8. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:53
9. Tao Geoghegan Hart (GB) Lidl-Trek at 0:54
10. Jan Christen (Sui) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:57.
Algarve’25 stage 4:
Classic Var 2025
Christian Scaroni won the Classic Var on Friday. The Italian of XDS Astana won the French one-day race after a battle with home riders Paul Lapeira and Victor Lafay of Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale. For Scaroni, and XDS Astana, it is the first victory of the 2025 season.
The Classic Var is a young race as this is only the second edition. Lenny Martinez won last year after an exciting battle with Tobias Halland Johannessen and Romain Bardet. Martinez was on the start line again this year, as were Richard Carapaz, Santiago Buitrago, Kévin Vauquelin, Guillaume Martin, Paul Lapeira and the very young Jarno Widar.
On Friday morning the peloton left Le Luc, to complete a route of more than 150 kilometres. The finish was, after a day of climbing, in Fayence. There was an early break of five. They had a lead of 3 minutes on the peloton. The five kept riding hard and with 20 kilometres to go they still had a 1 minute lead. In the peloton, the initiative came from Bahrain Victorious and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. They caught the leaders just before the start of the final climb.
The Mur de Fayence (1.2km at 9.5%), the final climb, was very tough. The climb had several sections with a gradient of 14%. It was important to time it well, because it was certainly possible to get stuck on this climb. In the first few hundred metres, the thinned out peloton stayed together. The first real acceleration came from home rider Quentin Pacher. However, he quickly disappeared. Then it was the French champion Paul Lapeira who put in a move. He dropped quite a few riders, but he couldn’t get rid of Christian Scaroni, Lafay, Vauquelin and Buitrago. The five were going to fight for the victory in the last few hundred metres. It was a long, hard sprint. Scaroni started at the right moment and was the first through the last bends. The Italian, who has already had some good placings this year, didn’t give up and took his first victory of the season. Lapeira was second, Lafay third.
Race winner, Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana): “The finale was quite chaotic, as almost the entire group, about a hundred riders, reached the final kilometres together, so maintaining a good position was crucial. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was ready to give my all on the final climb. My legs felt great, and I had the strength for the final acceleration. Nicola Conci, with whom I’ve raced together before, did an amazing job, bringing me to the perfect position for the finale. He set a fantastic pace, putting us in front at the right moment. I waited for someone to attack first, which happened 500 meters before the finish. Then, I counterattacked just before the last turn to enter it first. I gave 100%, accelerating before the turn and continuing to push immediately after, creating a small gap. I felt everything was going perfectly and that our team’s first victory of the season was within reach. I’m incredibly happy – the team worked flawlessly, and I managed to finish the job with a win. Additionally, this marks our first success on the new X-LAB bikes. It’s an amazing bike, very fast and highly responsive to power accelerations, and our results at the start of the season prove it. A huge thanks to the entire team and our partners for their support.”
Classic Var Result:
1. Christian Scaroni (Ita) XDS Astana in 3:53:32
2. Paul Lapeira (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
3. Victor Lafay (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
4. Kévin Vauquelin (Fra) Arkéa-B&B Hotels
5. Santiago Buitrago Sanchez (Col) Bahrain Victorious
6. Louis Barré (Fra) Intermarché-Wanty at 0:07
7. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious at 0:08
8. Quentin Pacher (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
9. Mathieu Burgaudeau (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:10
10. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Groupama-FDJ.
Classic Var’25:
Tadej Pogačar will Not Ride the 2025 Giro d’Italia
Tadej Pogačar will not win the Giro d’Italia for a second time in a row this year. The Slovenian will not be at the start of the first Grand Tour of the season in May. Mauro Gianetti, the general manager of UAE Emirates XRG, told L’Équipe.
Pogačar said at the end of last year that he plans to ride two Grand Tours in 2025. The Tour de France was already a certainty at the time, but the Slovenian was still in doubt whether he would start the Giro d’Italia or Vuelta a España. It has now become clear that the World champion will pass on the Italian Tour, and will not defend his title. Pogačar had a very good first Giro d’Italia last year. The all-rounder won six stages, dominated almost from start to finish and had a huge lead in the general classification after three weeks. Daniel Felipe Martínez finished second at almost 10 minutes.
Now that a Giro participation has been ruled out, the way seems to be open for a second participation in the Tour of Spain. However: it is far from certain that Pogačar will actually participate in the third and final major tour of the season. It will depend on the course of his further season, recovery after the Tour and preparation for the World Championships in Rwanda, Gianetti adds.
We will have to wait a while for clarity about a Vuelta participation. The rest of his program is already known. The 26-year-old rider has just finished the UAE Tour. The Italian Classics; Strade Bianche and Milan-San Remo come next. Pogačar then rides several Flemish classics and also the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. In the run-up to the Tour de France he race in the Critérium du Dauphiné. In the autumn he will defend his World championship title in Rwanda.
No Giro for Pogačar in 2025:
Fabio Jakobsen Finally Shows Some Form
On Thursday, Fabio Jakobsen finished in sixth place in the fourth stage of the UAE Tour. It was the first time in a long time that the sprinter of Team Picnic-PostNL competed for a top result. “In the end I didn’t really compete for the win, but I believe we can do that in the coming days”, he said in a press release.
Jakobsen had to come from far back in the sprint in Umm Al Qawain, but still managed to catch the rear wheel of European champion Tim Merlier in the final metres. The fact that he was able to do that again strengthens his confidence. “The speed is really there. I also feel good about my form, so on to Friday.”
Team Picnic PostNL had a second goal for this stage: keeping Oscar Onley in the overall rankings. The Briton finished in second place on Wednesday and is now 12th overall. With the echelons on Thursday, it was a difficult day. “But we did that very well as a team,” Jakobsen concluded. “And then I was also well set up for the sprint. We stayed together well today.”
Jakobsen still has it:
Spring Starts Badly for Visma | Lease a Bike and Christophe Laporte
Christophe Laporte will not be racing in the Opening Weekend. The 32-year-old Frenchman of Visma | Lease a Bike will have to miss the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, the Dutch WorldTeam told WielerFlits. Last year, he finished fifth and fourth in those races.
Laporte was ill last month. The French former European champion missed part of the preparation training. The Opening Weekend comes too early for him and he will also not be at the altitude training camp that Visma | Lease a Bike is currently having on Tenerife. His next race is Strade Bianche, but that race will probably also come too early. Depending on how much Laporte can catch up, Visma | Lease a Bike is aiming for Milano-Sanremo.
This is a setback for the Frenchman, who missed a large part of the spring classics last year due to a persistent stomach flu and a saddle area injury. He dropped out during Milan-Sanremo and only rode Paris-Roubaix after that. Due to all the injuries, he then rode the Giro d’Italia, but he had to abandon the race after seven stages, due to a bad crash on the fifth stage.
The Frenchman won the bronze medal in the Olympic road race in Paris, then came fourth in the Renewi Tour, ninth in the European Championships, third in the Betcity Elfstedenrace and ended his season with a win in Paris-Tours. His program this year was focused on the spring Classics. Laporte is also assured of a place in the Tour de France team again, provided he is fit in July. There he hopes to play an important role helping Jonas Vingegaard.
A bad start to the spring for Laporte:
Eli Iserbyt had a Successful Operation on Constricted Inguinal Artery
Eli Iserbyt successfully underwent surgery last Thursday for reduced blood flow in his inguinal artery. The Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines cyclocross rider announced this on Saturday through a message to Eurosport commentator Jeroen Vanbelleghem, during the broadcast of the UAE Tour.
For Eli Iserbyt it was a cross season of peaks and valleys. The Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines rider had been struggling with Piriformis syndrome for a long time, a pinched nerve in his left leg, and was often unable to perform at his best. After a period of doubt, clarity finally came last week: Iserbyt had to go under the knife to remedy his problem.
“A number of cycling tests showed that there is less blood circulation in the left leg”, team doctor Frank De Winter said in a press release. “That reduced blood circulation cannot be explained only by a tense Piriformis muscle.” A more in-depth investigation was therefore carried out. “That study confirmed the reduced blood flow in the inguinal artery”, De Winter outlined. “This turned out to be a clear explanation for the reduced performance, which was completely out of line with Eli’s normal level.”
Now that the operation has been successful, he will have a period of six weeks without training. “It is expected that Eli will be able to return stronger towards the next field testing season. That way he will be able to perform again as we have always been used to him”, Jurgen Mettepenningen, the manager of Pauwels Sauzen-Cibel Clementines, does not worry about the future of his leader.
Successful surgery for Iserbyt:
Danny van Poppel Gets Second Yellow Card, but No Suspension
Danny van Poppel has been given his second yellow card of the season in the UAE Tour. The Red Bull-BORA rider finished eighth in the sprinter’s stage on Saturday, but was penalised for ‘deviating from his line and hindering another rider.’ However, he will not be suspended.
Van Poppel was reprimanded for a manoeuvre in the sprint, which caused Arvid de Kleijn to slow, swerve and almost hit the barrier. The Tudor Pro Cycling rider showed his dissatisfaction with a few hand gestures. Van Poppel, who finished eighth, was declassed to the last place in the first group, 25th place, fined 500 Swiss francs and issued a yellow card.
With two yellow cards, a rider can risk a suspension. This is the case for two yellow cards in a one-day race or in a stage race: a disqualification and a seven-day suspension, starting the day after the last yellow card, follow for the rider in question. In theory, Van Poppel could still face a suspension, but then he would have to make another mistake in the final stage and receive a card. However, that chance seems small, as in the final stage, the riders finish on the climb of Jabel Hafeet and sprinters like Van Poppel will not be taking any part in the battle for victory.
A rider can also be suspended for two weeks if he receives three yellow cards within a period of 30 days. Van Poppel received his first yellow card after the second stage of the Tour Down Under, on Wednesday 22 January. That was 31 days ago, so this no longer applies Van Poppel for the next races.
Two yellow cards for Van Poppel:
Tadej Pogačar Explains why the UAE Tour is the Perfect Preparation for the Classics
Tadej Pogačar survived the echelons in the UAE Tour on Thursday and retained his leading position in the overall without too many problems. Afterwards, the Slovenian said that he had enjoyed himself and that this UAE Tour is turning out to be the perfect preparation for the spring Classics to come.
“My goal today was to be safe in the echelons and not lose any time. Riding echelons is only fun if you are in the first, behind that it is difficult to really enjoy yourself. Fortunately we were able to follow today, so I enjoyed it. I always like it when there is a bit of action in the race anyway”, said the World champion.
The Slovenian thinks that the UAE Tour is a good preparation for the Classics, starting with the Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo. “It was really tough today. People from outside think that the UAE Tour only has easy stages, but so far it has been full throttle racing every day. That means I can prepare myself well for the classics.”
Pogačar having fun in his team’s ‘home race’:
Lachlan Morton’s Record Breaking 648km, In One Day
In 1983 post office worker Brian Fleck set the record for the fastest known time between Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand’s North Island. Over 40 years later, Lachlan Morton, EF Pro Cycling rider and pioneering ultra racer, attempted to surpass Brian’s record.
Giving up everything to train before and after work for a year, the 1983 record was a Herculean effort by a then 43-year-old. Riding a steel bike and relying on time checks from his humble support van, Brian travelled a distance in one day that most pro cyclists would barely clock in a week.
For Lachlan Morton, a professional rider, using equipment that seems light-years ahead of that available to Brian, the focus was on showing Brian’s achievement the universal respect it deserves.
“This wasn’t just chasing a new record; it was chasing a legend. Attempting to bring the past into the present,” he said, “To me these kinds of records are fascinating. A pure test. To see how far and how fast we can go on a bike in one day.”
Lachlan has built a cult-following through his alternative calendar and long-distance feats of endurance, including a recent record circumnavigating Australia by bike.
On the Auckland to Wellington journey earlier this month, Lachlan Morton broke the record riding 648 km in a time of 18 hours and 28 minutes in Rapha’s Pro Team Bib Shorts III.
These next generation bib shorts are the brand’s most comfortable high-performance shorts to date. They are available to purchase from 24 February 2025 at www.rapha.cc or in Rapha Clubhouses worldwide.
Lotto Cycling Team Celebrates 40 Years of Racing History with Unique Exhibition at KOERS
In 2025, the Lotto Cycling Team will celebrate 40 years of the National Lottery in the peloton—a milestone unmatched by any other cycling team in the world. To showcase this rich history, KOERS. Museum of Cycle Racing will host the exhibition ‘Pacesetter of the Race: 40 Years of Lotto in the Peloton’ this spring.
What began in 1985 as a bold move by the National Lottery has grown into a household name in the cycling world—an enduring legacy carried forward by new generations. More than any other team, Lotto has shaped and coloured the sport of cycling. From iconic victories—such as Thomas De Gendt’s polka-dot jersey—to the development of new cycling talents—like Jarno Widar’s pink jersey in the Giro Next Gen—this legacy continues. Visitors will also see the very first team photo from 1985, Jurgen Van den Broeck’s legendary Kamagurka bike, Wim Vansevenant’s red lanterns, and many more Lotto cycling memorabilia. Through 40 lucky numbers and countless historic items, the exhibition takes visitors on a journey through the team’s impressive history.
“This exhibition is a tribute to everyone who has been part of the Lotto Cycling Team over the years,” says Jannie Haek, CEO of the National Lottery. “Not only is Lotto the longest-standing sponsor in professional cycling, but the team also continues to shape the sport and give young talents opportunities. We are thrilled to share our heritage with the public alongside KOERS.”
The exhibition ‘Pacesetter of the Race: 40 Years of Lotto in the Peloton’ was officially opened on Thursday evening. None other than André Greipel, the German sprinting powerhouse with an incredible 95 victories in the Lotto jersey, traveled from Germany to Roeselare for the occasion, becoming one of the first to admire the exhibition and the striking wall featuring all 40 Lotto jerseys.
The exhibition will run throughout the spring at KOERS. Museum of Cycle Racing. More information is available at www.koersmuseum.be.
40 years of the Lotto team:
SportVibes Becomes a Shareholder in BEAT Cycling Club
Sports marketing agency SportVibes has joined BEAT Cycling Club as a shareholder as of January 1, 2025. Over the past few months, SportVibes has worked closely with BEAT’s management to refine its future vision and develop a renewed commercial strategy. With this solid foundation, the professional cycling club is ready for the next step: the ambitious challenge of growing towards the top of professional cycling in the coming years.
The next chapter
“After years of pioneering and building, we are now ready for the next phase as a club: further professionalization on a sporting, organizational, and commercial level. Over the past months, we have already taken major steps in sports performance, from a strategic repositioning to expanding our performance team, upgrading our equipment, and appointing a new sports director,” says Geert Broekhuizen, CEO of BEAT Cycling Club. “The club’s growth goes beyond just sporting ambitions. The next phase also requires strengthening our sports marketing, communication, and commercial activation to further expand BEAT. That’s why we searched for a strategic partner to help us develop our content, add more value to our community, elevate our partnerships, and attract new partners. In SportVibes, we have found a partner who shares our vision and has the expertise to help us take the next steps. SportVibes is a renowned sports marketing agency specializing in sponsorship activation and management, event production, and content and event marketing. It played a key role in bringing Formula 1 back to the Netherlands and was involved in all Grand Tour starts in recent years. This has led to a strategic partnership in which SportVibes joins BEAT as a co-owner and investor. With SportVibes on board, we are making a significant step in the further development of the club.”
New addition to the leadership
As part of this collaboration, Frans Vleggeert, director of SportVibes, will join BEAT Cycling’s daily management team and take co-responsibility for the club’s commercial expansion.
“With each passing day, we become more excited about the BEAT project,” says Frans Vleggeert. “It is a unique initiative in the world of cycling, and we are eager to help build it into an even greater success. With a team of SportVibes specialists in communication, activation, and commerce, we are strengthening BEAT’s capabilities so the club can grow faster and achieve its ambitions.”
In the coming months, the focus will be on further developing the BEAT community and strengthening the network of commercial partners.
New shareholder for BEAT Cycling Club:
Paris-Nice Announces 2025 Teams
Paris-Nice has announced which teams will participate in March. These are the eighteen WorldTeams and four ProTeams, surprisingly one of them one is Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.
For Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, this is the first time they have ridden the Race to the Sun. The Spanish ProTeam started the 2025 season well, their Portuguese sprinter Iúri Leitão won the Trofeo Palma in February. In addition to Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, the French team TotalEnergies, the Swiss team Tudor and the Norwegian Uno-X Mobility have also been invited to participate in Paris-Nice. Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech are automatically entitled to participate, but they decided to decline their invite to Paris-Nice. Last year, the French stage race was won by Matteo Jorgenson. The American won the classification ahead of Remco Evenepoel and Brandon McNulty.
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