EUROTRASH: Euro Pros in America!

Our cycling news roundup, where we round up the European pros who have made their way to the U.S. in the last month. Plus the cyclocross coverage you asked for — and a Tour de France update from…Japan?

TOP STORY: 

• What’s with all these WorldTour Riders in the U.S.?

RACE NEWS

RIDER & TEAM NEWS

• Premier Tech Steps Down as Co-Title Sponsor
• Bäckstedt Targets ‘Cross Season Start Date after Injury

All photos for this section were taken from riders’ and teams’ social media accounts.

What’s with all these WorldTour Riders in the U.S.?

As we PEZzers followed social media over the last couple weeks (We do it so you don’t have to!), it struck us: The European peloton is in America!

Not the entire peloton, actually; really just a few riders, but these are big names: Remco. Wout. MVDP. Ayuso.

The answer to our question — Why? — of course, is: bike sponsors. Specialized, Cervelo, and Canyon (North America) are all headquartered in the U.S. But there’s more to it than that.

Evenepoel spent hours — a rumored fifteen of them — in the wind tunnel. Capitalize on your strengths seems to be the strategy here.

Van Aert and van der Poel’s visits were more PR-flavored: Both joined local rides; MVDP’s was barely announced, and created a social media uproar.

Both took on other sports: van Aert learned to shoot a basketball from NBA great (and extremely strong and tall amateur cyclist Reggie Miller), while van der Poel golfed with swimming G.O.A.T. Michael Phelps. Both the cyclocross-greats-turned-road-superstars did also visit their respective bike companies’ HQs.

And Ayuso? Honestly we still can’t figure out his trip to Miami. It’s hardly a cycling mecca, and we don’t know of any bike companies located there.

Everyone deserves a vacation, we suppose.

(But not Remco. He evidently won’t let himself take a vacation.)

RACE NEWS

Aerts Pips Nys in a European Cyclocross Barnburner 

Toon Aerts stormed back to the top step of European cyclocross, clinching the men’s elite title in a sensational sand-slinging showdown at Middelkerke’s 2025 European Cyclocross Championships. The Belgian veteran, just shy of a decade since his last continental win, outfoxed a stacked home field and edged past defending champ Thibau Nys (Belgium) in a finale as tight as a properly fitted set of Challenge tubulars.​

The race kicked off at warp speed, with the first taste of the infamous sand coming barely a minute from the gun. Aerts grabbed the holeshot, but Nys slipped a pedal, forced into chase mode while Michael Vanthourenhout controlled the early tempo. It soon became a Belgian-Dutch chess match: Vanthourenhout, Aerts, Nys, and Jordan Wyseure swapped blows in the lead group as Dutch upstart Pim Ronhaar tried valiantly to detonate the local party with repeated attacks.​

That chess match blew apart as Brit Cameron Mason dragged two rivals to the leaders, expanding the front group to seven entering the bell lap. On the last trip across the bumpy beach, Nys surged to the front but Aerts stayed glued to his wheel, choosing the perfect moment to launch the sprint that delivered him a second European crown in 58:40, with Nys and Wyseure rounding out an all-Belgian podium. Ronhaar (NED) and Mason completed the top five.​

On a day bursting with drama, Aerts’ tears at the finish said it all—redemption, emotion, and ultimate mastery of Belgian sand on Europe’s biggest stage: cyclocross, written PEZ-style.​

Van der Heijden Surprises Field at European Women’s Cyclocross Championships

Inge van der Heijden produced a stunning wire-to-wire victory at the women’s elite European Cyclocross Championships in Middelkerke, Belgium, claiming the biggest win of her career on the challenging North Sea coastal course.

The 26-year-old Dutch rider led from the opening lap, attacking the sand sectors and steep transitions while pre-race favorite Lucinda Brand struggled with a sluggish start from the third row. By the end of the first circuit, Van der Heijden already commanded a twenty-second advantage that would never be seriously challenged. The emotional winner burst into tears at the finish line in disbelief, securing an eighth consecutive European title for the Netherlands, who were also represented on the second and third podium steps.

The race unfolded on a distinctive course mixing hard waterline sand with soft, churned sections and dune climbs that tested power running and bike handling skills. Sara Casasola and Blanka Vas briefly held Van der Heijden’s wheel before the relentless Dutch rhythm broke the field apart.

The championship was significantly altered by notable absences: Defending champion Fem van Empel, who won three consecutive European titles from 2022-2024, was sidelined by illness Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado and Annemarie Worst also remained out with long-running injuries; Puck Pieterse and Zoe Bäckstedt were also absent, further, thinning the elite field and opening the door for Van der Heijden’s breakthrough performance.

Vingegaard Solos to Unlikely Saitama Criterium Victory

When the Saitama Super Arena isn’t rocking to pop stars or Olympic crowds, it turns yellow for a day each autumn as the Tour de France J:COM Saitama Criterium rolls into town. After a week of fine weather, race day brought rain—but no one seemed to mind, with fans and riders taking shelter in the cavernous arena before the racing began.

Festivities kicked off with a “Family Ride,” giving local cyclists a chance to share the circuit with the pros. Then came an amateur time trial—complete with paracyclists—before Lidl-Trek’s trio of Jonathan Milan, Hector Alvarez, and Edward Theuns claimed victory in the team event.

Once the pros took to the streets, the pace was full on. Japanese teams led the early attacks, with Valentin Paret-Peintre chasing King of the Mountains points and Dorian Godon flying the flag for a special Team France lineup. Milan showed his muscle in the intermediate sprints, but when the heavy hitters moved, only four could follow: Vingegaard, Roglič, Wellens, and Abrahamsen.

In the end, Jonas Vingegaard proved unstoppable, dropping Roglič on the final lap to solo home for the win. Milan sprinted in for second ahead of Kaden Groves—one last show before the peloton heads into winter and dreams of Barcelona’s 2026 Grand Départ.

TEAM & RIDER NEWS

Premier Tech Steps Down as Co-Title Sponsor

Following mass pro-Palestinian protests at the Vuelta a España, Quebec, Canada-based company Premier Tech has indicated that it will no longer serve as co-title sponsor to UCI team Israel Premier Tech.

A company statement indicated that the decision comes after “multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances.” The team recently signed and re-signed several riders, and has announced a plan to shed “Israel” from its name. Nonetheless, the company called its continued sponsorship “untenable” in light of ongoing tension.

Premier Tech offered gratitude for “four unforgettable seasons, ” stating that it has only ever hoped to support its riders and staff, and to contribute broadly to the sport of cycling.

Bäckstedt Targets ‘Cross Season Start Date after Injury

In a post to her Canyon/SRAM team’s Facebook account, U-23 World Cyclocross Champion Zoe Bäckstedt indicated that her ‘cross season isn’t a lost cause, despite having fractured her wrist and hand in a recent crash.

“I’m feeling okay about the setback,” said Bäckstedt, the daughter of 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Bäckstedt. “Yes of course, it’s a pain that I can’t be racing and I won’t get to start my season when I wanted to. It also puts a slight delay on some of my goals that I had for the season. But setbacks are made to be overcome, and I’m sure I’ll be able to come back stronger from this. Maybe don’t expect so much from me in the first few races, but I think once I find my rhythm again, it’ll be all good.”

Zoe Bäckstedt has also used this event to plead with fellow cyclists to wear helmets, indicating that without hers, she may have suffered a much worse outcome.

Watch the PEZ YOUTUBE Channel here

In honor of Jonas Vingegaard’s win at the Saitama Criterium, we’re bringing back this interview from nine months ago. It seems relevant today, but…prescient?



• Gotta Comment, thought or suggestion?  Drop us a line at Content@PezCyclingNews.com

See PEZ FACEBOOK here

Follow PEZ INSTAGRAM here

The post EUROTRASH: Euro Pros in America! appeared first on PezCycling News.