All the latest road cycling news from around the world including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia Women, Tour of Austria, Qinghai Lake, amazing Tour statistics and more. It’s EuroTrash time!
TOP STORY: Anonymity At Le Tour
2025 Tour de France news:
• Most Anonymous Team Of Le Tour ?
• Interesting Tour de France Statistics
• GC Gaps At The Tour de France 2025
Race news:
• Home Win At Giro d’Italia Women
• UAE Dominate In Austria
• Astana Continue Their Points Score In China
• Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix Action
Rider news:
• What’s different about Nils Polit?
Top Story: Anonymity At Le Tour
We’re now 9 stages in to the Tour de France and for the moment the big winners are obviously Soudal-Quickstep (3 stages), UAE (2 stages) & Alpecin-Deceuninck (2 stages).
Lidl-Trek (1 stage) are also enjoying their time in France with a stage win and green jersey for Milan & nobody could ever forget EF-EasyPost’s stage victory with the amazing Ben Healy.
But what about the less visible teams at the race. Who are the biggest losers so far ? The teams that will be really starting to feel the pressure from their directors, bosses and fans ?
Who has been anonymous so far at this year’s race?
Although you may think think that some teams (here’s looking at you, Lotto, Bahrain, FDJ…) have been completely anonymous, each of the 23 teams in the race has had at least one top 10 result on a stage so everybody is relatively calm for the moment – but even the smallest of teams didn’t come to France for top 10s !
Sponsors and management want results – and in some cases, points. The likes of Cofidis (1 top 10) are desperate for points whereas big budget super teams like RedBull-Bora (2 top 10s) don’t need the points but will be looking towards their stars to really step up in the coming stages. Can the likes of Lipowitz and Roglic turn their very low-key/slow start to Le Tour around in today’s medium mountain stage? The pairing are currently placed in a very discreet 8th & 9th overall @ 3m02 & 3m06s behind Tadej Pogacar.
Today’s stage. Lots of climbing but never too high in altitude.
GC Favorites Update
Now speaking of current placings let’s have a look at where the pre-race favorites and outsiders are actually sitting in the GC race as we ride into the medium mountains before Tuesday’s first rest day.
Most are still in the race but a long way down (Yates x2, O’Connor) and one is completely out of the race – Joao Almeida (UAE) who withdrew yesterday after succumbing to his injuries from a big crash on Stage 8.
1 Pogačar Tadej UAE Team Emirates – XRG 33:17:22
2 Evenepoel Remco Soudal Quick-Step @ 0:54
3 Vauquelin Kévin Arkéa – B&B Hotels @ 1:11
4 Vingegaard Jonas Team Visma | Lease a Bike @ 1:17
5 Jorgenson Matteo Team Visma | Lease a Bike @1:34
7 Onley Oscar Team Picnic PostNL @2:49
8 Lipowitz Florian Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe @3:02
9 Roglič Primož Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe @3:06
10 Skjelmose Mattias Lidl – Trek @ 3:43
11 Healy Ben EF Education – EasyPost @3:55
12 Johannessen Tobias Halland Uno-X Mobility @4:28
13 Mas Enric Movistar Team @4:35
14 Gall Felix Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team @4:49
15 Rodríguez Carlos INEOS Grenadiers @4:51
18. Martin Guillaume Groupama – FDJ @8:13
25. O’Connor Ben Team Jayco AlUla @15:23
42. Yates Simon Team Visma | Lease a Bike @24:58
45. Buitrago Santiago Bahrain – Victorious @25:28
64. Yates Adam UAE Team Emirates – XRG @34:23
Tour de France Statistics
The Tour de France is a treasure trove of interesting statistics and if you dig a little into the history books you can find some great nuggets. Here’s some interesting Tour stats that I found for you today:
Total jersey count for Pogacar : In our last EuroTrash roundup I talked about Pogacar having all the jerseys (bar the white) at the same time but today let’s have a look at his total yellow jersey count for his career. At the moment his tally is 44 days in yellow and that places him in 6th place on the all time leaders board and quickly closing in on Jaques Anquetil (50). The leader? Eddy Merckx of course on an incredible 96!
Italy Is Back ! : Jonathan Milan ended Italy’s longest-ever Tour victory drought with his win on Stage 8. Italy had not won at Le Tour in 113 stages which was Vincenzo Nibali’s victory in Val Thorens in 2019 (stage 20), 2,177 days ago.
Nibali winning at Le Tour in 2019
113 stages! For a cycling superpower like Italy this was indeed an incredible statistic. Interestingly 113 is the number to call for police assistance in Italy…
Combative Pairing : The Total Energies duo of Mathieu Burgaudeau and Mattéo Vercher thankfully livened up Stage 8 with their combined attack and for it they were awarded the combativity prize… together!
It’s only the 4th time in history that two riders have received the prize. Previous duos: Yves Hezard and Raymond Martin (Super-Besse 1978), Juan Antonio Flecha and Johnny Hoogerland (Saint-Flour 2011) & Julian Alaphilippe and Tony Martin (Bern 2016). It’s the second time it has happened to two riders from the same team after Alaphilippe and Martin who were both riding for Etixx-Quick Step at the time.
Martin & Alaphilippe on their way to the combined combativity prize back in 2016
UAE Dominate In Austria
As predicted after their domination in Stage 1, UAE pummelled the competition in Austria with their yoing gun Isaac Del Toro taking the overall victory and 3 stage victories as well! In fact in this 5 stage race, UAE only missed out on the win in the last stage which was taken by Ineos’ Bob Jungels with a breakaway. This was Jungels’ first win outside of his national championships in more than 3 years!
As for the UAE team, they took 1st, 3rd & 10th on GC and always seemed in control despite some very strong riding from Ireland’s Archie Ryan and American young gun, Andrew August.
Final GC Tour of Austria 2025
1 del Toro Isaac UAE Team Emirates – XRG 17:51:18
2 Ryan Archie EF Education – EasyPost @ 0:29
3 Majka Rafał UAE Team Emirates – XRG @ 0:47
4 Engelhardt Felix Team Jayco AlUla @ 1:20
5 August Andrew INEOS Grenadiers @ 1:47
6 Kämna Lennard Lidl – Trek @ 2:06
7 Hellemose Asbjørn Team Jayco AlUla @ 2:10
8 Chaves Esteban EF Education – EasyPost st
9 Peter Jannis Team Vorarlberg @ 3:12
10 Großschartner Felix UAE Team Emirates – XRG @ 3:18
What’s different about Nils Polit?
Still on all things UAE now with a quick quiz for you. What’s different about Nils Polit – in comparison to his UAE teammates at the Tour de France ?
Yes, he’s taller and yes he’s got a great smiling pain face but he’s missing something in his palmares that each of his teammates in France all have – some of them many times over…
The answer is that Polit is the only UAE rider at the Tour de France that doesn’t have a GC victory at a WorldTour level in his palmares! The likes of Sivakov, Almeida, Wellens, Narvaez, Soler, Yates and of course Pogacar all have World Tour GC titles under their belt but the big German doesn’t.
Astana On Fire In China
UAE might have dominated in Austria but it was XDS-Astana who came out on top in China at the 24th Tour of Qinghai Lake or as it is now known, “The Tour of Magnificent Qinghai”.
The race held at high altitude is ranked 2.Pro, one step up from the 2.1 ranked Tour of Austria meaning that there were significntly more precious UCI points on offer in China than in Austria. Astana with their new Chinese sponsor XDS sent a strong team and they didn’t disappoint taking the overall GC (200 points) with their African champion, Henok Mulubrhan and also 3rd place (125 points) with Harold Martin Lopez. Unless Intermarché-Wanty have some big results in the Tour de France, the new rankings released at the end of July will surely see XDS-Astana overtake the Belgian squad and move ahead to 16th overall and certain relegation saftey.
Henok Mulubrhan – The big point scorer in China for XDS-Astana
Final GC The Tour of Magnificent Qinghai 2025
1 Mulubrhan Henok XDS Astana Team 30:05:13
2 Silva Guillermo Thomas Caja Rural – Seguros RGA @0:02
3 López Harold Martín XDS Astana Team @0:22
4 Callejas Edison Alejandro Petrolike @0:25
5 Agirre Jon Euskaltel – Euskadi @0:27
6 Tolio Alex VF Group – Bardiani CSF – Faizanè @0:28
7 Caicedo Jonathan Klever Petrolike @0:32
8 Alleno Clément Burgos Burpellet BH @0:36
9 Crescioli Ludovico Team Polti VisitMalta @0:39
10 Soto Antonio Jesús Equipo Kern Pharma @0:42
A Home Win In Italy
Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) is the pride of Italy after winning the Giro d’Italia Women yesterday. Longo Borghini made her move for the pink on the penultimate stage where Marlan Reusser was distanced and couldn’t fight back on the last climb of the day to lose her pink jersey to the Italian champion.
Despite losing the race lead it was another strong showing by Reusser and her Movistar team who picked up a trio of stage victories with Reusser (stage 1) & Liane Lippert (stages 6 & 8).
It was also a great race for AG Insurance with their Aussie climber, Sarah Gigante picking up two stage wins, the climber’s jersey and 3rd overall on GC.
Two stages and the climber’s jersey for Gigante
Final General Classification Giro Women’s 2025
01 Longo Borghini Elisa UAE Team ADQ 24:37:03
02 Reusser Marlen Movistar Team + 18
03 Gigante Sarah AG Insurance-Soudal Team + 01:11
04 Rooijakkers Pauliena Fenix-Deceuninck + 02:55
05 Niedermaier Antonia CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto + 03:07
06 van der Breggen Anna Team SD Worx-Protime + 03:32
07 Holmgren Isabella Lidl-Trek + 03:54
08 Malcotti Barbara Human Powered Health + 04:44
09 Zigart Urska AG Insurance-Soudal Team + 04:56
10 Aalerud Katrine Uno-X Mobility + 05:19
11 van Anrooij Shirin Lidl-Trek + 06:47
12 Kastelijn Yara Fenix-Deceuninck + 07:13
13 Muzic Evita FDJ-SUEZ + 08:27
14 Smulders Silke Liv AlUla Jayco + 09:09
15 Casasola Sara Fenix-Deceuninck + 09:25
16 Chladonová Viktória Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 11:03
17 Ludwig Cecilie Uttrup CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto + 12:05
18 Stiasny Petra Roland + 12:48
19 Spratt Amanda Lidl-Trek + 15:11
20 Reijnhout Rosita Team Visma | Lease a Bike + 15:46
BOURGOYNE AND MAJENDIE SPRINT TO GLORY AT THE 2025 GLOBAL RELAY GASTOWN GRAND PRIX
Vancouver, BC – Lucas Bourgoyne is making a habit of winning big races – and on Wednesday night in front of a packed and electric Gastown crowd, he added another major prize to his growing list of victories.
Nicknamed “The Cowboy”, the 24-year-old from Austin, Texas sprinted to the win in the men’s race at the 2025 Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix, beating out Cade Bickmore (Project Echelon Racing) and Luke Lamperti (Team Soudal Quick-Step) in a thrilling final dash after 42 laps and 49 kilometres of racing.
The current U.S. National Criterium Champion, Bourgoyne rode into Vancouver fresh off a dominant showing at last month’s Kwik Trip Tour of America’s Dairyland, where he racked up five podium finishes – including three wins. After Wednesday’s victory, he now has no fewer than a dozen individual criterium wins this year and it was his 22nd top five finish in 35 races.
“It was absolutely incredible – the crowd was amazing,” said Bourgoyne. “We came in third last year and we knew we wanted to come back and win this thing because Canada throws a bike race right.”
The pace was high throughout the 42-lap event, and in true crit fashion, it all came down to positioning and attacks during the closing laps. On the last lap, Bourgoyne found himself behind a few leading riders, but with one last dig, he powered his way past the competition.
“Bickmore went really long, and I thought Lamperti was going to jump him – and he didn’t,” Bourgoyne explained. “So, I had to get to chasing, and I was just praying to God that (Bickmore) didn’t have the step of God.”
With a roaring crowd on Water Street urging him forward, “The Cowboy” unleashed a final burst and surged across the line, threw his arms up, and triumphantly yelled out in victory. The win means a $12,000 prize is coming his way.
Bickmore, who finished fourth here last year, was narrowly edged into second despite a gutsy move on the final lap, while Lamperti – a three-time U.S. Criterium National champion and rising star with World Tour experience – settled for third.
“This is a dream race to win,” Bourgoyne said post-race, soaking in the moment. “It’s the biggest crit in Canada. We got the biggest one in the U.S., now we got the biggest one in Canada… let’s go to Mexico next or something and get that.”
While Bourgoyne gets the headlines on this night, he was quick to credit his Team Cadence Cyclery squad for making it possible.
“Luke Fetzer and Richard Holec… (plus) the guys who aren’t here – Cesar Serna, Gabe Porterfield, Sam Smith, Greg Vanderpool, and so on. This team is absolutely incredible,” he said. “They make my job significantly easier to go out and do what I love to do, which is to hype the crowd up and go win some fricking bike races.”
With another win in the books, Bourgoyne continues to cement himself as one of North America’s premier criterium riders — and a fan favourite wherever he goes. On a night built for legends in Gastown, “The Cowboy” delivered a victory worthy of the wild west.
WOMEN’S RACE
In a thrilling showcase of homegrown talent and teamwork, 27‑year‑old Fiona Majendie (Project Instinct Racing) clinched a thrilling sprint victory in a photo finish in the women’s race at the Global Relay Gastown Grand Prix.
The 30-lap, 45-kilometre contest through Gastown’s iconic cobblestone streets came down to the wire as Majendie edged Ontario riders Vanessa Montrichard (TaG Cycling) from Hamilton, and Collingwood’s Katelyn Walcroft (Independent), who took third.
Majendie, who advanced from grassroots competition to becoming an Olympian in just two years, finished off the night in style and claimed the $12,000 prize purse in the process.
The final lap saw incredible action. “Going in with three laps to go, I was not in a very good position,” recounted Majendie, who is the 2025 BC Provincial Criterium champion. “So, I kind of burned a few matches to get up top five wheels. Then I was just surfing other teams’ lead out trains and hoping for the best. It turned out and we crossed the line first.”
In the final metres, the pack matched Majendie’s pace but couldn’t quite push across the line ahead of her. With Montrichard coming in second, Walcroft also claimed a well-deserved podium spot as an independent rider in such a tactical race.
In the heat of the moment, Majendie misjudged her celebration – but only by a little. “It definitely was (a bit early) – my bad,” she admitted with a chuckle after the race, “But we got (the win)… so we don’t have to feel too bad about that.”
This win proved significant not only personally, but also for Project Instinct Racing, which fielded a unified team effort. “I think this is the first time that my team has really raced it together as kind of a combined team. We went in with a plan and it paid off, so it’s really exciting,” she said. “It’s just an awesome race to win at home and it’s always so awesome to watch. That’s where I started – just watching this race – and now to win it is pretty cool.”
Majendie’s own journey resonates powerfully. She is a former NCAA Division I tennis athlete at the University of San Diego who pivoted to elite cycling and joined Team Canada on the track. She earned a Paris 2024 Olympic selection, and co-founded Project Instinct Racing to champion other female cyclists. Her rapid ascent underscores her commitment to supporting women in the sport.
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