Our cycling news roundup features early commentary on the 2026 Tour de France route, including suggestions from cycling greats past and present (plus PEZ’ eTrash Mike). Elsewhere, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will conquer Mont Ventoux for the first time, updates from Track Worlds — and how PEZ will put your cyclocross input to use.
TOP STORY:
- Early Analysis and Commentary on the 2026 Tour Route
RACE NEWS
- Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to Tackle Mt. Ventoux
- Vuelta ’26 to Open with Monaco TT
RIDER & TEAM NEWS
- Cynisca Launches Pathways Fund to Give Opportunity to Promising Cyclists
- American Dygart Claims Pursuit Bronze at Track Championships
- Cycling Canada Announces National Team Roster for UCI Track World Championships
- EF Education-Aevolo Launches Men’s & Women’s Cyclocross Program
WHAT ELSE IS COOL IN ROAD CYCLING
- Poll Results In: You’d Like to See ‘Cross on PEZ
Early Analysis and Commentary on the 2026 Tour Route
eTrashMike sez: It’s become a truism that any Grand Tour route is ideal for Tadej Pogačar, because he dominates not just in high mountains, but over practically every other terrain type, including punchy climbs and even mixed-surface courses, like cobbles or Strade Bianche-like gravel. Meanwhile, his uber-team protects him on flat stages — and especially wind-blown routes.
But there’s one type of parcours where “Pogi” doesn’t rule: flat, standalone time trials, where Remco Evenepoel usually has his mark. So to those suggest who there’s nothing route designers can do to “Pog-proof” a Tour route: How about a resurrection of the long time trial — 50 km or more? After all, it was just 11 years ago that a time trial ran 54 km. Put it early in the race, make it flat — see if it results in a handicap for Tadej to close over the remaining stages.
Alas — not this year. Here’s some more commentary about the 2026 Tour route:
- Jan Bakelants, retired rider and analyst/journalist: “Twenty-six kilometers for the individual time trial, and it’s hilly? That’s far too short to put any meaningful pressure on the pure climbers. Once again, the organizers have missed a golden opportunity to make the race truly balanced. It’s tailored for one man…The organizers haven’t built a race that gives the underdog a bigger chance.”
- Johan Bruyneel, retired rider and team director: “It’s not a good route for Remco [Evenepoel]… The time trial is only 26 kilometers, and the first 10 of those are uphill. It’s a stage for the GC contenders; time trial specialists are definitely not at an advantage here.”
- Cadel Evans, 2011 Tour de France winner: “You can’t Pog-proof the Tour… Time gaps will be massive for Tadej Pogacar at the 2026 Tour de France.”
- Thierry Gouvenou, ASO Race Designer: “The Pyrenees being positioned so early is a good piece of course design. It will create an exciting hierarchy without necessarily destroying the whole field, allowing for a crescendo of action right up to the final week. That’s good for suspense.”
- Brian Holm, retired Danish rider and directeur sportif: “Alpe d’Huez twice – that’s certainly exciting. But from the back, via the Col de Sarenne – I’ve never liked that road. I don’t know if I’ve developed vertigo in my old age, but when you drive there and look down, it’s wild.”
- Tim Merlier, sprinter: “They want excitement in the Tour, so they’re taking out the boring stages.”
- Grischa Niermann, head of racing at Team Visma | Lease-a-Bike: “The mountains are spread out over the course, but it’s still quite backloaded with a hard last week. It looks like stage 20 will be the big queen stage of the race with multiple long climbs, so hopefully the fight for the yellow jersey will still be on by then…The Tour de France is always a hard a race, and next year will be the same. It could suit Jonas well, but again, we have to look further into the stages.”
- Richard Plugge, Team Manager, Visma | Lease-a-Bike: “The new team time trial format, where the time is taken on the first rider, isn’t a team time trial at all—it’s a glorified lead-out for the GC leader. It eliminates the tactical beauty of a true collective effort.”
- PEZ-Man Chris Selden – First hand account of riding the Col de Sarenne when it was first introduced to le Tour in 2008; “I’ve ridden and raced in more than a dozen countries around the world including against GrandTour winners and classics stars but this seemingly simple recon ride still ranks as one of my hardest ever days on a bike.”
Chris suffering on the Col de Sarenne.
RACE NEWS
Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift to Tackle Mt. Ventoux
Having taken on some of France’s iconic climbs since its launch in 2022, from Alpe d’Huez and the Col de la Madeleine to Super Planche des Belles Filles, in 2026 the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift will ascend the fearsome “Giant of Provence,” Mt. Ventoux.
From August 1 to 9, the women’s peloton will battle over the course of 1,175 kilometers, the longest route in the event’s history. The Grand Départ in Switzerland will set a mountainous tone, though the parcours will features opportunities for sprinters and puncheuses, as well as a time trial finishing in Dijon, all before culminating on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice.
Unlike the men’s Tour in recent years, TDFFAZ has seen a different champion in each of its four editions. This highly varied route is sure to bring out the best of this field, including 2025 champion Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, 2025 winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney, Demi Vollering, and a whole host of young, talented, and ambitious contenders.
Vuelta ’26 to Open with Monaco TT
We know the 2026 Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes routes; now we also know how next year’s Vuelta will start.
Monaco hosted the Gran Salida in 1966, and will again sixty years later, with an individual time trial of nearly 10 kilometers, finishing on Boulevard Albert I — the site of the finish to the annual Monaco Formula 1 Grand Prix.
“Through this sporting event, we have the opportunity to show the world another side of our country, one that is committed to promoting popular sport in its noblest sense. Hosting La Vuelta is much more than a celebration of sport, its athletes and performance in a highly demanding discipline. It is a symbol of openness and influence for our country which, I would remind you, is the World Capital of Sport in 2025,” said H.S.H. Prince Albert II.
‘Monaco is synonymous with sporting excellence and organisational prowess. Some of the world’s most prestigious events take place here, with the Formula 1 Grand Prix as the jewel in the crown. Launching La Vuelta in this setting is both an honour and a guarantee of success for everyone,’ said Javier Guillén, Director General of La Vuelta.
RIDER & TEAM NEWS
Cynisca Launches Pathways Fund to Give Opportunity to Promising Cyclists
After building one of the world’s leading women’s continental cycling programs, Cynisca Cycling is reimagining what it means to support women’s pro-cycling by introducing the Pathways Fund, an initiative that provides select riders with the opportunity to compete at the highest levels.
The Pathways Fund offers current sponsors a means to support women’s cycling in a novel way, while for new partners, it’s a unique opportunity to join a movement of reinvention and resilience. Watch PEZ for full launch details!
Cynisca’s race team has paused its competitive schedule, startig its final race full team, finishing with the 2025 Maryland Cycling Classic (MCC). Just as the MCC itself has successfully returned from hiatus, we’re embracing this moment to innovate, invest, and prepare for what’s next.
Cynisca asked us to pass this along: To our sponsors, supporters, and fans: thank you. Your belief in Cynisca continues to drive everything we do.
American Dygart Claims Pursuit Bronze at Track Championships
Chloe Dygert (Canyon/SRAM Racing) delivered a powerful ride in the 4k Individual Pursuit qualifying round, stopping the clock at 4:26.127. With two riders still to race, including reigning World Champion Anna Morris (GBR), the standings shifted as Morris posted a 4:24.194 to advance to the gold medal final alongside teammate Josie Knight (GBR). Dygert was moved down to third overall putting her in the bronze medal final against Federica Venturelli (ITA).
In the final, Dygert posted impressive splits, ultimately catching her opponent to end the race early and secure the bronze medal.
Cycling Canada Announces National Team Roster for UCI Track World Championships
Cycling Canada has announced its selected to compete at the 2025 Tissot UCI Track World Championships, taking place from October 22-26 in Santiago, Chile.
The 2025 Tissot UCI Track World Championships will be held at Santiago’s Velódromo Parque Peñalolén. National team athletes will compete across sprint and endurance disciplines, with a mix of returning World Championship contenders and rising talent.
The Canadian team heading to Santiago brings a proven record of international success.
“This World Championship in Chile marks the return to the highest level of several of our top athletes following the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. It also represents the beginning of a new cycle, during which the next generation of riders will look to challenge the veterans who have shone over the past few years,” says Franck Durivaux, National Team Coach and Track Sprint Lead.
2025 TISSOT UCI TRACK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS CANADIAN NATIONAL TEAM
Alexandra Volstad (Calgary, AB)
Ariane Bonhomme (Gatineau, QC)
Campbell Parrish (Vancouver, BC)
Chris Ernst (Kitchener, ON)
Dylan Bibic (Missisauga, ON)
Fiona Majendie (Vancouver, BC)
James Hedgcock (Ancaster, ON)
Lauriane Genest (Lévis, QC)
Lily Plante (Sutton, QC)
Mathias Guillemette (Trois-Rivières, QC)
Ngaire Barraclough (Edmonton, AB)
Nick Wammes (London, ON)
Ryan Dodyk (Edmonton, AB)
Sarah Orban (Calgary, AB)
Sean Richardson (Vancouver, BC)
Tyler Rorke (Baden, ON)
EF Education-Aevolo Launches Men’s & Women’s Cyclocross Program
Known for its road squads, EF-Education-Aevolo has announced that it will pilot a modest, three-rider cyclocross program. The new mini-team includes Nina Berton, a former U23 Luxembourg cyclocross champion, as well as Filippo Agostinacchio and his younger brother Mattia Agostinacchio.
Berton is already a member of the EF Education-Oatly women’s road team. Mattia Agostinacchio will join the men’s WorldTour team in 2026, having won the junior cyclocross world championship. His older brother, Filippo, won a stage of the Giro d’Italia Next Gen earlier this year, is a two-time U23 Italian cyclocross champion, and is a cyclocross World Cup veteran.
“This is a fun experiment for us, but one that we want to excel at,” said EF Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters.
“This is a really exciting new team, and I can’t wait to get started,” Mattia said. “It’ll be the first time that I wear the EF Pro Cycling kit and race on their Cannondale bikes. Of course, as a world champion, cyclocross is super important to me, so I want to give it my all.”
“When the team first told me about the idea, it was a bit of a surprise, but it sounds like a really enjoyable team,” Nina said.
WHAT ELSE IS COOL IN ROAD CYCLING
Poll Results In: You’d Like to See ‘Cross on PEZ
Many thanks to those of you who submitted your responses to our question about covering cyclocross. With notable exceptions, you’d like to see cyclocross on PEZ’s pages — or “anything with a drop bar,” as a few of you suggested.
Here’s what a few of you had to say:
- Of course cover ‘cross. Just watch one race and you can see how popular it is.
- Yes! Yes! Many times, yes! It’s the best racing, short and dramatic.
- Cyclocross, yes please; gravel, no thanks.
- I don’t give a rat’s ass about cross, but I’ll always remain a subscriber.
- Love cross, super cool, do it PEZ.
So cyclocross will get us all through the winter (along with the Tour Down Under, and the UAE Tour…). But please note: PEZ will always focus our resources on what’s cool in road cycling; our ‘cross coverage won’t be as in-depth as what we feature in the spring and summer.
For now, we’ll leave you with this photo of Niels Vandeputte at Superprestige Overijse, an Alpecin rider who doesn’t also dominate on the road. (Vandeputte finished fourth, behind an ascendant Michael Vanthourenhout, Pim Ronhaar and Emiel Verstrynge.)
Watch the PEZ YOUTUBE Channel here
Check out The PEZ Interview with Swedish Performance coach Yamina Enedahl – very worth watching…
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