Two very exciting races through the ‘Hell of the North’ at the weekend, with two worthy winners. We have all the Paris-Roubaix news with videos, reports, results and what the rider’s thought. Plus we wind-up the Itzulia Basque Country.
TOP STORY:
- INEOS Grenadiers wanted to take over Mathieu van der Poel’s team
Rider news:
- A full bidon thrown at Mathieu van der Poel
- Adrie van der Poel after Paris-Roubaix: “I am more surprised by Mathieu every spring”
- Mathieu van der Poel received a big fine after Paris-Roubaix
- TotalEnergies boss makes a request to Tadej Pogačar
- Tom Boonen: “Pogačar has the potential to have a larger palmarès than Merckx”
- Victor Campenaerts injured in the Basque Country
Team news:
- Abarca Sports strengthens its position with the entry of Quantum Pacific as shareholder
Race news:
- 2025 World Gravel championships are coming to Maastricht, Beek and Beekdaelen
- There will be a very small peloton in the Olympic road race in Los Angeles
Plus:
- Video interview with Soudal Quick-Step’s Luke Lamperti
EUROTRASH cobbles and coffee.
TOP STORY:INEOS Grenadiers Wanted to Take Over Mathieu van der Poel’s Team
Mathieu van der Poel has only raced for one team his whole professional career, run by the brothers Christoph and Philip Roodhooft. That isn’t going to change as he has a long contract, but many teams with a lot more money have tried to take Van der Poel away.
“We have sometimes felt pressure,” Christoph Roodhooft admits in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad. “I can still see INEOS boss Dave Brailsford approaching us on the morning of the Amstel Gold Race, in 2019, a few hours before Mathieu won the Amstel. INEOS Grenadiers was still top in the Grand Tours at that time. But, Brailsford said: ‘In the Classics my team is shit’. Brailsford did that with a lot of respect, but you could clearly sense where he was going: he didn’t just want to take over Mathieu but the whole thing from us”, Roodhooft explained.
Lidl-Trek also tried to take Van der Poel away from Alpecin-Deceuninck two years ago, but the American team also got nowhere. “We came to a good conclusion there too. Again, we talked to Mathieu about it like adults. Did he want to leave? When we felt that wasn’t necessarily the case, we came up with something ourselves.”
Was there ever any fear within the team that the big leader would leave? “We were never afraid, but we were alert”, Philip Roodhooft said. “Just think about it: we never let his contract expire. We always anticipated. If necessary, by letting him sign a million-dollar contract just before the race in our truck.”
Why does Van der Poel still race for the same team after all these years? “That must have something to do with his character,” said Philip to the Flemish newspaper. “You have people who, when they are in a good place, still want to change, just out of curiosity. And you have people who calmly stay where they are. Mathieu is probably one of the latter. But he has not forgotten the difficult moments, I am sure of that.”
Mathieu van der Poel before the 2025 Paris-Roubaix:
Paris-Roubaix 2025
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won Paris-Roubaix for the third year in a row. The Dutchman started a solo with 39 kilometres to go, after his only remaining competitor Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) missed a corner. A fierce battle ensued, in which Van der Poel proved to be the strongest. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) beat Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Florian Vermeersch (UAE Emirates XRG) in the sprint for third place.
# You can see the ‘PEZ 2025 Paris-Roubaix Preview’ HERE. #
After the early attacks, a leading group of 8 was formed. Among them were Abram Stockman (Unibet Tietema Rockets), Jasper De Buyst (Lotto), Oier Lazkano (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Kim Heiduk (INEOS Grenadiers), Rory Townsend (Q36.5), Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Jonas Rutsch (Intermarché-Wanty) and Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X Mobility). Although Visma | Lease a Bike, UAE Emirates XRG, Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek all tried in the opening hour, none of these top teams had a man in the break. So it was up to them to control. Initially, Alpecin-Deceuninck set the pace for Mathieu van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen, later, the other top teams also came to the front. As a result, the lead was never much more than 3 minutes. Coming to the first cobbled section, at 163 kilometres from the finish, the nervousness in the peloton increased. This led to several crashes. Per Strand Hagenes, Matej Mohorič and Wout van Aert crashed with some other riders. For the leader of Visma | Lease a Bike, it seemed not too bad, and with the help of a few teammates he was able to return. But he was still behind for the first section. Just before the turn into Troisvilles à Inchy, there were more crashes.
First Jasper Stuyven and then Jasper Philipsen came down. Both were able to continue, but Stuyven in particular had lost time. Van Aert also had to chase, because the peloton had been split by the crashes. Fortunately for the Belgian, the pace eased after the section. This was also because INEOS Grenadiers slowed the pace as their leader Filippo Ganna had a puncture. Van Aert quickly rejoined, but the group with Ganna, Dylan van Baarle and later Stuyven and Philipsen took longer. Alpecin-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek did not hold back at the front of the peloton. Only later did they start to slow. With 128 kilometres to go, shortly after yet another big crash, this time with Alexander Kristoff and Edward Theuns as the main victims, there was a regrouping. The race went quieter until Wallers, but the race had started earlier. On Haveluy à Wallers, Mads Pedersen accelerated and then Tadej Pogačar took over Now that the World champion was active, Mathieu van der Poel didn’t want to be left out. The leader of Alpecin-Deceuninck came through to the front. As a result, a gap opened up around 20th place. Van Aert was there, as were Philipsen, Stefan Küng, Matthew Brennan and Florian Vermeersch.
Joshua Tarling was also alert, but Ganna missed the move. The Italian had to chase again. Just before Arnberg, the group rejoined, but at the front of the peloton, the other favourites were pushing. First Pogačar took the lead, later Van der Poel pushed past. Pedersen was also there, but Van Aert had to leave a gap. At the end of the section, he was in the third group. His teammate Brennan was in the second group, behind Pedersen, Pogačar and Van der Poel, and others. Van der Poel was the first of the favourites on to the road. Under his leadership, the last early escapees were caught. The Dutchman then attacked once more, but didn’t get away. Van Aert continued to ride behind. On the strip after Wallers, he was able to reconnect in a group with Küng, but here Pedersen accelerated once more. And not long after, Van der Poel made a really big attack. Pogačar had to go all out to catch the Dutchman, but he managed to close the gap. Only a few other riders were able to follow. These were Philipsen, Pedersen and Stefan Bissegger. With 85 kilometres to go, there was a leading group of five with all the favourites, except Van Aert. The leader of Visma | Lease a Bike was able to return to the Brennan group, but this second group quickly lost ground to the favourites. It was clear that the five at the front were going to fight it out. On the Tilloy à Sars-et-Rosières section, with more than 70 kilometres to go, Pogačar attacked. Pedersen passed Bissegger to jump to the World champion, but he punctured. A big disappointment for the Dane and he fell back into the group with Van Aert. Van der Poel was the only one who managed to cross to Pogačar. The two came down the sector together, after which Van der Poel wouldn’t work as he had Philipsen behind.
Because Van der Poel eased off at the front, Philipsen was able to join them. There was now a leading group of three, with two riders from Alpecin-Deceuninck. The group with Pedersen and Van Aert were at more than 1 minute. Pedersen then made several attempts to cross on his own, but failed. The chasing group did thin out to seven riders: Pedersen, Van Aert, Brennan, Bissegger, Florian Vermeersch and early escapees Rutsch and Hoelgaard. At the front, on Mons-en-Pévèle, Pogačar put the Alpecin men under pressure, but Van der Poel didn’t think it was going fast enough. He took over and pushed hard. However, in doing so, he didn’t put Pogačar into trouble, but his teammate Philipsen. Pogačar saw this and took the lead again. Pogačar and Van der Poel rode the section together, after which Van der Poel initially didn’t come through. But after a few minutes on the wheel, he did take the lead and now there was only two. Pogačar wanted to get rid of the faster finisher Van der Poel and accelerated on the Pont-Thibault à Ennevelin section, 39 kilometres from the finish. He went so fast that he missed a right turn. The World champion almost rode into the crowd, fell into the verge and had to put his chain back on. Van der Poel managed to avoid Pogačar and had 20 seconds advantage and started his solo. The duel wasn’t over. Pogačar didn’t give up and got to within 15 seconds, but then Van der Poel started to increase his lead. Then, with 33 kilometres to go, a spectator threw a water bottle in his face, but Van der Poel kept on pushing hard.
The difference was already half a minute when Pogaćar had to change bikes with 21 kilometres to go. The difference grew to three quarters of a minute. But Van der Poel wasn’t slowing down and he then extended his lead to over 1 minute. The Dutchman also had to deal with bad luck on the Carrefour de wp-image-376555. The Alpecin-Deceuninck leader also had to change bikes after a puncture. It was a quick change, after which he was able to continue to build a large lead. The difference remained stable and even increased. Van der Poel arrived at the velodrome with a lead of more than 1 minute and so he could celebrate his victory. It was his third consecutive win in the Hell. Pogačar had a hard time in the final kilometres, but held his own against the pursuers. He came second in his debut Roubaix. Behind the two leading riders, there was a fierce battle between Van Aert, Pedersen and Florian Vermeersch. The UAE rider attacked on the Carrefour de l’Arbre, which forced Van Aert to leave a gap. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider was able to return with the help of Pedersen. The three then stayed together until the outskirts of Roubaix. There, Van Aert tried on a slightly up hill bit of road, but Pedersen reacted and Vermeersch was also able to return. It would be a sprint on the cycling track. Pedersen started the sprint at the front and didn’t relinquish that position. He joined Van der Poel and Pogačar on the podium. Fourth place went to Van Aert, while Vermeersch finished fifth.
# You can see more photos in the full PEZ Paris-Roubaix Race Report HERE. #
Race winner, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “This victory means a lot to me. It has been a very hard race. It has been the Roubaix I’ve suffered the most in my career. I was not expecting to go clear that early. Tadej [Pogačar] misjudged a corner and I was quick enough to save it. That’s part of racing. From then on, I just had to go for it even if it was quite far until the end. I struggled with the headwind on the cobbles, but I gave everything I had all the way to the finish. Tadej is an amazing champion. It was his first time here, but I’m not surprised by his performance because he is just an amazing talent. In the future, when his career is over, we will look back on it as we do with Merckx’s. Had he not made a mistake, we probably would have made it together to the velodrome. This is not a revenge after the Tour of Flanders – I’m just happy to find my good legs again. Winning Paris-Roubaix three times is super special. This is something you don’t expect when you start racing, because this is a race in which legs count as much as luck does. It’s quite exceptional.”
2nd, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG): “I was focused on trying to follow the motorbikes when I crashed. I just didn’t see the corner coming, and couldn’t brake in time to avoid crashing. Shit happens. I believed I could come back, but the gap was all the time around 15”, and my front brake was touching the wheel. That played in my mind, and I sort of cracked a bit. By the time I changed bikes, I had already exploded and was just hoping to reach the finish line as quickly as possible. I may come back to Paris-Roubaix next year. There are still a lot of goals left this season, so I don’t want to start thinking of the next one already. Today’s was a great race for our team, with 2 guys in the final top5. We can come back with a strong team again and be motivated to fight for victory over the next few years. I liked the atmosphere, with an amazing amount of people on the roadside. It was a great day of racing. Mathieu [van der Poel] and Alpecin-Deceuninck were pretty strong throughout the race. Also Lidl-Trek was, and had Mads [Pedersen] not punctured he would have been up there too. Anyway, Mathieu was the strongest in the cobbles and rode incredibly well today. He is a great champion and one of the best riders in the world. To race against him is a big honour and a great motivation. If I was a kid, he would be my idol.”
3rd, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “I was unlucky to puncture in a really bad moment. I was feeling really good, although I definitely didn’t have the feeling I was the strongest. The team did impressive work to keep me out of trouble, positioning me ahead of every sector. Everything went well until that moment. But it is what it is. When the race is gone like it was, you need to get your head ready to fight for something else. We kept fighting even though we were out of contention for the podium at that moment, because anything can happen in this race. In the end, it paid off with a podium spot.”
4th, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Before the first section I was involved in a crash, not serious, but I had to race from the back. I really wasn’t good at that moment. In the forest I didn’t have the legs yet. Matthew Brennan stayed with me for a long time. That was nice to see. After that we tried to work together as well as possible, and it’s a surprise that I could still fight for the podium. But fourth was my place. Same result as last week and the same riders on the podium, right? I have to admit that those three were better. Certainly Pedersen, who dropped out at the front due to bad luck, I can’t argue with that. He was stronger and started early.”
5th, Florian Vermeersch (UAE Emirates XRG): “We will definitely see Pogačar again in Paris-Roubaix. It is a bit of a shame that we lost the race here, especially because of the way in which it happened. First Pogačar fell and then he broke the wheel of his new bike. We came here to win. That didn’t work out. That is why it is disappointing, but on the other hand we should also be happy. We are second and fifth, which is a very good result in a race like this. We have shown that we are also a good team for the classics. But at the moment the disappointment prevails. I don’t know if it will be next year, but we will see him again. With his second place today, he still has a job to do here in the future. I have been riding with great legs the entire classics season. To now achieve a top-five place means a lot to me. I sprinted for the podium. In a race like this, that is something to be proud of.”
6th, Jonas Rutsch (Intermarché-Wanty): “I prepared for this race for a long time. This winter, I watched the latest editions of Paris-Roubaix during my home trainer sessions. It’s always useful because, even if you’ve participated, there are important race movements that you don’t perceive in the peloton. It’s especially thanks to that that I identified an ideal spot to attack, and I took my chance. I tried once, strong riders followed me, and we managed to stay ahead for quite a while. When the favourites caught up with us in Arenberg, I knew this was the moment to go into the red zone. To sum it up, I gave my all for 250 kilometres and was rewarded with a happy ending. Unlike previous editions where I was eliminated each time due to crashes or bad luck. I also used to work for our leaders, but with Intermarché-Wanty, I received the confidence to enjoy a free role. I seized this opportunity to anticipate, and that was the key to this sixth place.”
9th, Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious): “It was Roubaix, it was absolute carnage, mechanicals, crashes, everything. We kept fighting, had numbers before Arenberg. I had a mechanical there and was on the back foot, but I kept believing. The group I was in with Phil still had a shot at the top 10. I made a move towards the end and I’m chuffed. The rest of the team were on it too. Shame about Matej’s crash, but Kamil got him back. We should be proud of how we rode, it was a proper Roubaix, and a decent way to finish the cobbled classics.”
10th, Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty): “Unfortunately, I had my share of bad luck in this edition. I crashed with Jasper Stuyven, and I found myself chasing for a long time in a group with Filippo Ganna. Then I had to change bikes between Haveluy-Wallers, so I started the Trouée d’Arenberg in last position. I did everything to come back, I went all out for the last 100 kilometres. I then broke away with a small group about 30 kilometres from the finish, and finally, it’s a top 10. A bad day ends with a good result. Without all the setbacks, I could probably have aimed for a top 5. That has to become the goal for the future. I felt good physically, but also mentally I’ve never been so strong, I never gave up. Collectively, we once again delivered a magnificent performance and showed that Paris-Roubaix is our race. Biniam Girmay’s fifteenth place for his debut is also magnificent. It’s thanks to the behind-the-scenes work, we did a lot of equipment tests for example. This Paris-Roubaix was a great conclusion to my classics campaign, in the future I hope to learn from my mistakes and become a fixed value in the top 20 of the Flemish classics.”
11th, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It was super nervous towards the first section. I just slid down, I lost my grip. It was a shitty situation. In itself, I still had two teammates with me, but it wasn’t ideal. In the end, I did get back into the race and survived the selection with the two best riders in the race. From there on, it was survival for me. The fall also caused me back pain, especially when I was riding with those two at the front. I started to feel drained, while they were riding with a surplus. Suddenly they started to attack. Then I had to give in. It was a fair race. The strongest are riding at the front. I am happy that I was part of the final, but I was not good enough against two super champions. Winning three years in a row is very special. He is absolutely a phenomenon.”
15th, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “I’m happy with my first participation in Paris-Roubaix. I’m delighted to have been spared from setbacks, and therefore everything went according to plan for me. Unfortunately, my teammates didn’t have that luck in the first half of the race. But we had Jonas Rutsch in the front, who like me avoided problems and valiantly fought with the best. I enjoyed the atmosphere in the sector of Carrefour de l’Arbre sector, but the Trouée d’Arenberg was the most demanding of all. Finishing with four riders in the top 20 is exceptional, we can be satisfied with our Paris-Roubaix.”
Paris-Roubaix Result:
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 5:31:27
2. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:18
3. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek at 2:11
4. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Florian Vermeersch (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG
6. Jonas Rutsch (Ger) Intermarché-Wanty at 3:46
7. Stefan Bissegger (Sui) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
8. Markus Hoelgaard (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
9. Alfred Wright (GB) Bahrain Victorious at 4:35
10. Laurenz Rex (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty at 4:36.
Roubaix’25:
Paris-Roubaix – Femmes avec Zwift 2025
Pauline Ferrand-Prévot won Paris-Roubaix Femmes. The French rider caught the escaped Emma Norsgaard in the finale, then dropped the Dane with just under 20 kilometres to go. She then soloed to victory, her first win for Visma | Lease a Bike. Letizia Borghesi (EF Education-Oatly) was second and Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) was fourth. Fourth and fifth was Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike) and previous Roubaix winner, Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly).
The women’s Paris-Roubaix started in Denain. There was a 148.5 kilometres to the velodrome in Roubaix, over a total of 17 cobbled sections. No Forest of Wallers, but Mons-en-Pévèle and the Carrefour de l’Arbre. Lotte Kopecky was the top favourite, but last year’s winner would have to beat Marianne Vos and her own teammate Lorena Wiebes, and quite a few others.
Many riders wanted to be in the ‘break of the day’, but only two riders who were allowed to get away. Quinty Ton (Liv AlUla Jayco) was joined by Aurela Nerlo (Winspace Orange Seal), who was second in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. They had a lead of almost 3 minutes on the peloton, which was controlled mainly from Human Powered Health. On the first cobble sections it was Lidl-Trek who came to the front. Among the Lidl-Trek riders was Ellen van Dijk. She attacked with just over 70 kilometres to go and took a nice gap. This started the action, because a few minutes later it was all go behind. The peloton split into several groups. The second group returned to the first, but many riders had missed the move. Van Dijk continued to ride ahead of the peloton. She joined the two leaders, and then dropped first Nerlo and then Ton.
The attack forced Visma | Lease a Bike and SD Worx-Protime onto the defensive. But the two Dutch teams kept Van Dijk within range. When turning onto section 12, the four-star Auchy-lez-Orchies à Bersée, the difference was about 15 seconds. At this point there was a crash in the middle of the thinned out peloton. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot was one of the riders who came down. The French rider was able to continue, but it was an unpleasant moment to crash, as Kopecky was pulling at the front. The World champion rode with only her teammate Lorena Wiebes on her wheel to Van Dijk. Marianne Vos managed to blast from the back to the front of the race. Chloé Dygert, Jelena Erić, Romy Kasper and former Roubaix winner Alison Jackson were also able to join. At least for a while. Because they then hit the five-star section of Mons-en-Pévèle. On this section, Van Dijk and Kasper were among those who had to let go, but back on the asphalt Kopecky gave it her all. Now only Vos held her wheel. Dygert made a supreme effort to return. She rejoined, together with Erić, Jackson and Wiebes. It then went quiet, and the group with Ferrand-Prévot threatened to come back. But on the next section Kopecky increased the pace again. Several riders were in trouble, Wiebes in particular. The European champion could only return because the pace dropped again after the section. That also ensured that Ferrand-Prévot could return. There was now a group of 21 riders, with only Kopecky and Wiebes from SD Worx-Protime. A barrage of attacks followed. Kopecky controlled, but she could not react to everything. Emma Norsgaard escaped.
The Dane of Lidl-Trek, who had Elisa Balsamo behind her, quickly gained half a minute. A nice gap, but a counter-attack came from the peloton. On an asphalt section it was Ferrand-Prévot who attacked. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider quickly closed the gap to Norsgaard. Together they started the four-star Camphin-en-Pévèle, 20 kilometres from the finish, where Ferrand-Prévot immediately put her fellow escapee under pressure. The French rider gave it her all, and Norsgaard was dropped. The difference with the other favourites continued to increase. At the start of the Carrefour de l’Arbre, the last really tough section, Ferrand-Prévot already had 45 seconds on the Kopecky group. In that group, Erić initially led the chase, later Kopecky did the work for Wiebes. The World champion, who had Marianne Vos on her wheel, would not be able to close the gap. The difference remained about 1 minute. With that lead, Ferrand-Prévot rode into the velodrome of Roubaix, where she could celebrate. She took her first victory for Visma | Lease a Bike. Behind Ferrand-Prévot there was still a battle for the podium. With less than 4 kilometres to go, Elise Chabbey attacked, after which the exhausted Kopecky let go. Vos responded immediately, after which the group came together again. Just before the velodrome, Letizia Borghesi escaped. The Italian of EF Education-Oatly soloed to second place. Behind her there was a sprint for third place, Wiebes was faster than Vos.
Race winner, Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Visma | Lease a Bike): “When I got back to the front group after my crash, I decided to attack, and I quickly saw that I had a nice gap. Initially, the plan was to ride for Marianne, because I hadn’t been feeling great over the last few days. But once I had the advantage, I gave it everything. For it to turn out this way is just amazing. I don’t quite realise yet how big this victory is, but I’m incredibly happy. My teammates did a fantastic job, and we really raced as a team today. That makes the win even more special and definitely adds some extra shine.”
2nd, Letizia Borghesi (EF Education-Oatly): “This was the big goal for me this winter. I always thought I had the skills to do it. It was hard and I had to chase, but now here at the end, it’s amazing. Finally, I see myself where I thought I could be this year. It is just incredible. The team did an amazing race. I had a flat in the beginning. It was so hard to come back. And then, in the second half, we had Alison. At the end, I still had energy and wanted to attack in the finale and try to take a big podium.”
3rd, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “I have mixed feelings after Paris-Roubaix. In our team there is a winner’s mentality and we always ride to win. Of course, we had come for more. I will sleep a bit worse tonight than after a win. Perhaps in a few days I will look back positively on this podium finish. It was a tough race. Ellen Van Dijk’s attack was really dangerous. We had to catch her back, because you know she can finish such a long solo. Our team had to go full throttle there, so Lotte Kopecky and I were isolated later. When Pauline Ferrand-Prévot went, we had just neutralised some attacks. You can’t react to everything, unfortunately, so we had to gamble. Unfortunately, there was no reaction from the other teams either and Ferrand-Prévot built her lead strongly. When we realised we were fighting for second place? Lotte gave full chase, but at the end of the second last cobbled stretch of the day the gap was still quite big. Then you know it’s going to be difficult. Pauline rode super strong. We did everything we could. When the late attacks came in the final kilometres I got cramps in my legs out of nowhere. That I ended up sprinting to third place? With everything the team did today, I had to and would seize that podium place. I hope to win here one day, but for now I have to settle for third place. But looking back on how the spring has gone so far, I just have to be satisfied.”
4th, Marianne Vos (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Pauline left at a very good time. She couldn’t hold on and kept going. You have to know how to do that too. She wasn’t 100 percent, but crazy things can happen.”
5th, Alison Jackson (EF Education-Oatly): “The whole team is really stoked with Letizia’s second place. It was a really good play from the whole team. In the finale, Letizia and I just had to play the game. I think we really worked together well and communicated well, looking for the opportunity. Leti really wanted it and went for the counter attack at one kilometre to go. I just sat in behind the chase, cheering her on, as she went solo into the velodrome. And then I came into the velodrome with a rear flat, but I still wanted to go for the sprint, because there was still a podium place available. We were really happy with this team performance. It really takes a team and that’s what we showed out there today. Happy days!”
8th, Chloe Dygert (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “I struggled with some stomach issues in the last part of the race like at Flanders. It’s not an excuse, it’s just something we need to work out. Before that, I had a good race and we had numbers in the front group. It was a hard final but it’s a race I’d like to come back and race again.”
10th, Chiara Consonni (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “Paris Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift is a beautiful race. It’s so hard! I’m disappointed to not be there today sprinting for the win. But I can’t wait for another chance.”
12th, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): “I don’t have many thoughts right now. It will come very soon after the finish. We made a bit of a wrong choice in the race. That Emma Norsgaard-Bjerg rode away was okay, but we shouldn’t have given Pauline any space… That’s just the way it is”
15th, Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “My brain has already blocked out what happened in part of the race. Thinking about it now just a few minutes after the finish line is hard. I know the first part was hectic.We had four of us in the initial group of about 35-40 riders and we were in a good position. When we lost Nastya, I just went full focus to do my best to help Chloé and Consonni, and I’m proud of that. We didn’t get the result we came here for today, but I know that our team can achieve the victory in this race one day.”
Break rider, Aurela Nerlo (Winspace Orange Seal): “I was up front. I felt it was the right time to attack. At first nobody followed me, but then I managed to get into the breakaway. We worked well together. I was hoping to ride on the first cobbled sectors at the front. That was perfect. That was the plan.”
Paris-Roubaix – Femmes avec Zwift Result:
1. Pauline Ferrand-Prévot (Fra) Visma | Lease a Bike in 3:40:07
2. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) EF Education-Oatly at 0:58
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 1:01
4. Marianne Vos (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
5. Alison Jackson (Can) EF Education-Oatly
6. Maria Giulia Confalonieri (Ita) Uno-X Mobility
7. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:04
8. Chloe Dygert (USA) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 1:06
9. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 1:21
10. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto.
Roubaix’25:
Itzulia Basque Country 2025
João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG) did a double in the Tour of the Basque Country on Thursday’s Stage 4. The Portuguese rider was by far the strongest on the final climb of the day and then soloed to the stage victory and the overall lead. Isaac Del Toro Romero (UAE Emirates XRG) and Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step) were second and third at 28 seconds.
After the chaotic third stage, the Tour of the Basque Country continued with a stage from Beasain to Markina-Xemein, with a fair amount of climbing, including the 3.6 kilometre climb to Izua with an average of 9.6% and peaks of up to 20%. The race would probably be decided there, because it was the last climb of the day. From the top, there were 10 kilometres to the finish.
In the early part of the stage, Julian Alaphilippe was very active. The two-time World champion was in a group of four that were looking for the victory, but they couldn’t form the early break of the day. On the first climb of the day, the peloton closed the gap to the four. Next a leading group of nine got together. They took a bigger gap than the Alaphilippe group. They were: Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike), Marc Soler (UAE Emirates XRG), Finn Fisher-Black (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Mauro Schmid (Jayco AlUla), Léo Bisiaux (Decathlon AG2r), Ander Okamika (Burgos Burpellet BH), Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Alex Baudin & Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), Quinn Simmons & Andrea Bagioli (Lidl-Trek). Their 2 minute was not enough to stay ahead. Just before the start of the Izua climb, everything came together again.
In the first uphill metres, Lidl-Trek and then Bahrain Victorious took control. Bahrain Victorious, who had already worked hard on the front earlier in the stage, rode for Santiago Buitrago. The Colombian attacked on the first steep sections and took a small gap, but he couldn’t really get away, it was Florian Lipowitz who closed the gap and took over. The German would not force the pace for long. João Almeida soon passed him. The Portuguese rider pushed hard on the front of the group that was falling apart, until he was left on his own. He reached the summit with a lead of more than 30 seconds on the first chasers. Most of the favourites were in this group of eleven riders, including Lipowitz, Ilan Van Wilder, Wilco Kelderman, Clément Champoussin and Alex Aranburu. The overall leader, Schachmann, was a bit further back, but managed to rejoin on the descent. At that point Almeida was already gone. The UAE Emirates XRG leader still had half a minute on the group and held on strongly in the final kilometres. He not only won the stage, but also took the yellow jersey from Schachmann, who, with the help of Van Wilder, tried to limit the damage, but the difference at the finish was 28 seconds. Isaac Del Toro also took some bonuses seconds ahead of Schachmann. The Mexican sprinted to second place, the German was third.
Stage winner and overall leader, João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a good day. I wasn’t feeling great to be honest but I did my race. The team was amazing once again, I think we deserve it. They have been really hard days and we are happy to take the win after two close days. It was good to win again. The plan was to do the best in the last climb and try to go solo. It went perfectly actually so we are happy. We also have the team to control. There are two days to go, they are really hard, so we need to keep the focus and do our best day by day.”
Break rider, Txomin Juaristi (Euskaltel-Euskadi): “I knew it was a good day for the breakaway; it took a lot of effort to get going, and nine riders broke away. At Gontzagarai, when we closed to within 30 seconds, I thought, ‘Now or never,’ it was my chance. Oka (Okamika) came with me; we knew the route; it’s the group’s training area. We went flat out, and at least I got through Marking in the breakaway, although we couldn’t quite make it to the finish. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I think the work was good, and I’m happy. Up until I caught by the peloton, I felt a lot of excitement. I’m grateful for the encouragement from my friends, my family, and the whole town. It definitely gave me extra strength, and it was a day full of emotions.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 4 Result:
1. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG in 3:52:39
2. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:28
3. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step
4. Clément Champoussin (Fra) XDS Astana
5. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis
6. Clément Berthet (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
7. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana
8. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL
9. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
10. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Groupama-FDJ.
Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 4:
1. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG in 12:10:20
2. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:30
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:38
4. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 49
5. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:50
6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:11
7. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis at 1:37
8. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 1:48
9. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 2:15
10. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 2:18.
Itzulia’25 stage 4:
Ben Healy won the fifth Stage 5 of the Tour of the Basque Country on Friday. The Irish EF Education First rider rode a very strong solo break to Gernika-Lumo.
Friday’s stage seemed to offer plenty of opportunities for the escapees. With four third-category climbs and many more uncategorised hills, the stage was just a bit too easy for the GC riders, but also just too hard for the sprinters.
And so we saw a fierce battle for the early breakaway in the opening phase of the race, as we saw on Wednesday. This time, a strong group did break away from the peloton after half an hour of racing. With Pello Bilbao, Julian Alaphilippe, Ben Healy, Bruno Armirail, Warren Barguil and Alex Baudin, there were a number of big names at the front. The leading group got a maximum lead of almost three minutes, which for a long time did not seem enough to stay out of the hands of the peloton in the difficult final, where teams like UAE Emirates XRG seemed to have control.
Until Healy decided to attack with 57 kilometres to go. The Irishman completely surprised his fellow leading group members and had to drag himself for kilometres to really be let go. When the pursuers gave up with 45 kilometres to go, the spring broke and Healy quickly increased to a lead of 2 minutes. The pursuers were then quickly caught by the group of favourites, where we saw a few attacks from Florian Lipowitz, Axel Laurance and Alex Aranburu on the uncategorised climb at 18 kilometres and Maximilian Schachmann briefly got into trouble. However, the group of favourites didn’t get a meter closer to Healy, who still had a lead of 2 minutes on the GC riders at the finish. Laurence later finished just ahead of the peloton in second place.
Stage winner, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost): “I had the legs today. That’s why I was able to finish it off in the end. We were in a very strong early breakaway with two guys from the team (Alex Baudin) so we couldn’t risk anything. I realised I had a tailwind until the finish, so I attacked and managed to hold on until the finish. My form is really good at the moment, although I have to say that I went to the Basque Country with GC ambitions. So there was nothing to worry about. Now that I’ve cooled down, you can see that my form is also good.”
Overall leader, João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a very nervous stage from start to finish. The team managed to control it, and I’m happy. I want to be better this Saturday; I have to give it my all. It’s quite a tricky stage; rain could also play a role, but if I have the legs, I’ll attack because it’s a day more for attacking than defending. If I can win the overall, it will be the most important victory of my career so far.”
2nd on the stage, Axel Laurance (INEOS Grenadiers): “I managed to finish second, which isn’t what I wanted, but I tried until the end. I saw the results coming in, and I felt pretty good throughout the race.”
8th overall, Enric Mas (Movistar): “A super typical stage here. The first few kilometres were like a classic. The team worked really well, and it was another day. The last stage is the toughest and is always chaotic. We’re going to take advantage and hopefully we can get on the final podium.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 5 Result:
1. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost in 3:55:57
2. Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:47
3. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 1:48
4. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis
5. Romain Gregoire (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
6. Maxim Van Gils (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
7. Pau Miquel Delgado (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
8. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies
9. Clément Champoussin (Fra) XDS Astana
10. Guillermo Thomas Silva Coussan (Uru) Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.
Itzulia Basque Country Overall After Stage 5:
1. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG in 16:08:05
2. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:30
3. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:38
4. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 49
5. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 0:50
6. Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:11
7. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis at 1:37
8. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 1:48
9. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 2:14
10. Steff Cras (Bel) TotalEnergies at 2:15.
Itzulia’25 stage 5:
João Almeida won the Tour of the Basque Country overall. The Portuguese rider of UAE Emirates XRG also won the Final Stage 6. In a sprint, he beat second placed overall, Enric Mas (Movistar). Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost) was third on the stage and Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step) was third overall.
The last stage of the Itzulia was another tough one. No mountain top finish, but 3,500 metres of climbing, over seven categorised climbs. The toughest was the extremely steep Izua (4.1km at 9.2%), the penultimate climb of the day. This was followed by the Trabakua (3.3km at 7.1%), with the summit just under 20 kilometres from the finish. On the road to the finish in Eibar, João Almeida had to defend a lead of 30 seconds over his nearest rival Maximilian Schachmann.
A lot of riders tried to escape early in the stage, but for the first climbs of the day, everything was still together. On the Elkorrieta (2.6km at 6.7%) and the Alto de Azurki (5.1km at 7.4%), a large leading group formed in several parts, 22 riders broke away. Among the attackers were Bauke Mollema, Sepp Kuss, Romain Grégoire, Marc Hirschi and Ben Healy, who had won the fifth stage on Friday. Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) was the best overall rider at the front, with a deficit of more than three minutes. The peloton followed at about 2 minutes at the start of the particularly difficult Krabelin (5km at 9.6%). The leading group thinned out to 13 riders with all the top riders.
KOM, Bruno Armirail was also present. He attacked on the descent and went solo. The Frenchman was the first to cross the top of the Trabakua (3.3km at 7.1%), after which he dropped back. The first to catch him was Healy, Jegat and Daniel Felipe Martínez, who had ridden away from the other attackers. But before the Karabieta (6.5km at 6.5%) the others were able to rejoin. Kuss, with some others, had been dropped, there were now 11 riders left at the front. Hirschi slipped on the wet descent of the Karabieta. He dropped back to the other attackers, who were heading to the Izua climb with a 1 minute lead. Before they started this penultimate, steep climb, Healy and Martínez escaped again. On the climb, the Irishman was the strongest. He was the first at the top, while the Colombian had dropped back to the favourites group. The race was now on.
UAE Emirates XRG increased the pace, after which Almeida took over. Only Mas could follow. Behind him, there was a small group with Mattias Skjelmose, Isaac Del Toro and Thibau Nys, they managed to connect. Schachmann was in the third group, Lipowitz in the fourth. The groups with the two Germans came together on the Trabakua, but they wouldn’t catch the Almeida group. This favourites, which now included Jegat, caught Healy. Not much later, Nys had to let go. He had done his work for Skjelmose, who had to finish it off for Lidl-Trek. The Dane survived the climb, but then crashed. The final started with a lead group of Almeida, Mas, Healy and Del Toro, who was in trouble several times, but always came back. Mas pushed through again on a short climb in the final. Both Del Toro and Healy were finally dropped. Mas and Almeida rode to the finish together. Almeida was already certain of the final overall victory. Would he give the stage victory to Mas, who had done a lot of the work in the final? No. The Portuguese rider started the sprint from a long way out, but didn’t give his Spanish companion the chance to get past him. Almeida won the stage and the classification. In the overall classification, Mas moved up to second place, as Schachmann dropped down third. Lipowitz also dropped from third to fourth on the final stage.
Stage and final overall winner, João Almeida (UAE Emirates XRG): “The team did a perfect job today, like every day. We are super strong, we did what we planned to do and then in the end the rain came. It was starting to be a bit dangerous so I never took any risks. I am glad I was in a safe position, and I was ahead, so I am super happy with how it went today. It was all day a really hard pace, a super hard stage. I think it was the stage of the stages here in Itzulia. I think my team deserved another victory and also for myself, so I sprinted for the victory, and I think we deserve it. This means a lot. There are so many sacrifices for me, for my family and for my girlfriend. It is hard to be a professional rider these days with these high levels, so it means a lot. I think it is the biggest victory of my career, and hopefully, it is the first of [many] more.”
2nd on the stage and overall, Enric Mas (Movistar): “I’m happy with my performance, but I would have been happier if I had won the stage. I asked Almeida for the win in the last kilometre, but his team had worked hard and well all day. Sometimes the rider and the team agree, sometimes they don’t. Today they didn’t want it and we have to accept that. I had to work a bit harder, because I was also thinking about the podium, while he (Almeida) had everything under control. But I can only congratulate João. It was definitely not easy to come back. I was disappointed that I lost a lot of time during the opening time trial, but I also knew that the last stage of this race is always decisive. Now I’m going to La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Then the first block of my season will be over. I’m going to rest for a while and then I’ll look ahead to the Tour de France.”
3rd overall, Maximilian Schachmann (Soudal Quick-Step): “We had a great week and did a strong race from the first until the last day. We took a win, some other podiums and even had a couple of stages in the yellow jersey. I am happy I could finish in the top three, it makes me proud, not only on a personal level, but also because it came as a result of some outstanding teamwork. The same teamwork and determination that could be seen today on this complicated stage, and which helped both myself and Ilan defend our positions in the general classification and take home the team standings. It was a well-deserved result for the entire squad after a hard week that will give us a lot of confidence for the next races of this spring.”
3rd on the stage, Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost): “It was a matter of having good legs. It was a quality break, but then I had to try to go solo, which I did. I always try, but sometimes it’s not possible. I came here to win the overall, but I suffered in the heat in the first few days.”
Itzulia Basque Country Stage 6 Result:
1. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG in 3:56:54
2. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar
3. Ben Healy (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost at 0:13
4. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:28
5. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis at 0:58
6. Jordan Jegat (Fra) TotalEnergies
7. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 1:19
8. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL
9. Felix Grossschartner (Aust) UAE Emirates XRG
10. Clément Champoussin (Fra) XDS Astana.
Itzulia Basque Country Final Overall Result:
1. João Almeida (Por) UAE Emirates XRG in 20:04:49
2. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 1:52
3. Maximilian Schachmann (Ger) Soudal Quick-Step at 1:59
4. Florian Lipowitz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 2:07
5. Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek at 2:17
6. Ilan Van Wilder (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:18
7. Alex Aranburu Deba (Spa) Cofidis at 2:45
8. Guillaume Martin (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 3:42
9. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 3:43
10. Oscar Onley (GB) Team Picnic PostNL at 3:50.
Itzulia’25 stage 6:
A Full Bidon Thrown at Mathieu van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel reacted furiously to the bidon that was thrown in his face during Paris-Roubaix. The three-time winner of Paris-Roubaix is demanding a trial against the thrower and hopes that the perpetrator will be identified. “This is attempted manslaughter,” Van der Poel told Sporza.
“We can’t let that pass. It was also a full bidon and I was also in a lot of pain. If that hits my nose, my nose is broken,” the leader of Alpecin-Deceuninck reacted fiercely to the incident. “Hopefully they can identify him. I think there should be a trial because this is attempted manslaughter. It was right in my face.”
If it were up to Van der Poel, the thrower of the bidon would be prosecuted. “With pleasure! If the UCI doesn’t do it, I think we’ll do it with the team,” he said. Van der Poel didn’t just get a bidon thrown at him during the final, but also beer. It didn’t put him off though and he won his third ‘Hell of the North’.
Mathieu not happy:
Adrie van der Poel After Paris-Roubaix: “I am More Surprised by Mathieu Every Spring”
Adrie van der Poel continues to be amazed by his son Mathieu van der Poel, even after his third consecutive victory in Paris-Roubaix. The former cyclist and father, said to WielerFlits after the 2025 edition. “History says that there have only been three riders. Even if you win three times with years in between, that is already unique,” said Van der Poel senior.
Following Octave Lapize (1909, 1910, 1911) and Francesco Moser (1978, 1979, 1980), Mathieu van der Poel is the third rider ever to win Roubaix three times in a row. “These are things that continue to amaze you about what Mathieu does,” said Adrie, who also points out the illness his son has had in recent weeks. “The preparation for Roubaix was already better than last week, but last week in particular you saw the drive to get on the podium. I continue to be amazed at how he manages to be good in that period every year. That is why it is also good that he says that it is over after Roubaix. He can go away and recharge his batteries for the next goals.”
Adrie van der Poel also spoke of the course of the Paris-Roubaix 2025 race: “They bring a lot of spectacle, don’t they? The riders of today,” laughed Adrie van der Poel. “You see that several teams are very strong across the board, so those teams want to sacrifice a number of riders, so that you end up man-to-man in the final. On the one hand, it is sad, but then again it is nice that Mads Pedersen is on the podium. If you are knocked out by a flat tyre, nobody deserves that. The three strongest riders are then also on the podium in the end. Was there luck involved? There are things that you bring upon yourself. Tadej’s steering error for example, although I have to say that I did not see that.” Van der Poel and Tadej Pogačar have been dominant in the cobbled Classics this spring. “This year there are only two teams that have really raced in the big classics, Alpecin-Deceuninck and Tadej’s team. Then it’s also nice that you get your just reward. In races where they weren’t there, you see a different way of racing. I think we always rely on our own strength, even when things don’t go our way sometimes. We don’t blindly focus on other teams.”
Adrie was no slouch:
Mathieu van der Poel Received a Big Fine After Paris-Roubaix
Mathieu van der Poel has been fined 1000 Swiss francs after his victory in Paris-Roubaix. The Dutchman was given a bottle outside the designated zone in the final. Team manager Christoph Roodhooft has to pay the same amount.
It was decided in advance that the riders were not allowed to accept any more food or water bottles in the last 14 kilometres of Paris-Roubaix. Van der Poel, who rode solo from kilometre 39 from the finish, was fed by Christoph Roodhooft after this point. This means that both of them will receive a high fine, but they will gladly pay. Van der Poel won his third Paris-Roubaix, but he must have needed something in the last 14 kilometres.
Big fine for Mathieu:
TotalEnergies Boss Makes a Request of Tadej Pogačar
Tadej Pogačar has been very dominant, especially recently. Jean-René Bernaudeau admires the Slovenian, but the former rider also sees the other side. The team manager of TotalEnergies certainly doesn’t doubt Pogačar, but does call for complete transparency. “It is astonishing to see the difference in level between Pogačar and the other riders. He is so incredibly strong,” says the now 68-year-old Bernaudeau, who was a professional cyclist from 1978 to 1988. He told RMC Sport. “Yet I would like him to go one step further as a top athlete.”
He means complete transparency. “That he gives us guarantees. Like some other riders have done in the past. After all, there is always suspicion. We experienced the Festina affair,” referring to the doping scandal during the 1998 Tour de France surrounding the then Festina team. “Cycling cannot afford a similar scandal again,” the Frenchman continued. Bernaudeau does want to emphasise that he doesn’t doubt Pogačar. “But I would like to ask him to publish his figures, his wattages… everything he does.”
‘I’m clean’:
Tom Boonen: “Pogacar has the Potential to have a Larger Palmarès than Merckx”
In the VRT podcast Wielerclub Wattage on Thursday, host Ruben Van Gucht had a fascinating discussion. He raised the question of whether Tadej Pogačar could ever topple Eddy Merckx from the throne as the best rider of all time? Ex-riders Tom Boonen and Jan Bakelants were convinced.
With his second Tour of Flanders, Pogačar has eight monuments, including three final victories in the Tour de France and a World title and the Slovenian is still only 26. At that age, only Eddy Merckx is close. The Cannibal had ten monuments, two World titles and as many Tour victories in his palmarès when he was 26. By the end of his career, he had 19 monuments, three World titles and eleven Grand Tours.
“Whatever Pogačar does, it’s always right,” said Jan Bakelants. “Pogačar actually wins everywhere. He could make it much easier for himself by only riding races where he would certainly win such as the Tour of Catalonia, the Tour of the Basque Country, Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico. But Pogačar doesn’t think that’s challenging enough. He wants to ride against riders on routes that suit him much less.”
Boonen goes a step further: “Pogačar has the potential to put together a larger roll of honour than Merckx. Of course, those times cannot be compared. For example, it plays an advantage in Pogačar’s that riders are now splitting up, some focusing on classics, others on race races. But Pogačar will race all the races. He can win the Flemish classics and may also win Paris-Roubaix on Sunday. I’ve never seen that before. Although of course I never raced against Eddy Merckx.”
The slightly older analysts in the panel, Dirk De Wolf and Mark Uytterhoeven, did not agree with the statement. “Even though Pogačar has the potential, he will never get Merckx’s honour roll”, says Uytterhoeven.
Can Pogačar pass Merckx?
Victor Campenaerts Injured in the Basque Country
Visma | Lease a Bike rider Victor Campenaerts suffered a fracture to his shoulder when he crashed in the second stage of the Tour of the Basque Country, his team wrote in a press release. The Belgian is out of action for several weeks.
The Belgian hit the deck during the first road race stage on Tuesday, just under 3 kilometres from the finish in Lodosa. His team announced after the stage that Campenaerts “managed to reach the finish line on his own.” However, he turned out to be injured. After a few tests, the damage turns out to be greater than previously feared. As a result, Campenaerts will start the Amstel Gold Race and Liège-Bastoge-Liège.
“Unfortunately, I can’t ride the planned classics on my program,” Campenaerts explained. “The coming weeks will be all about rehabilitation. On the doctor’s advice, I am not allowed to cycle outside, but this is limited to indoor training.”
When Campenaerts will return to competition is not yet clear.
Campenaerts out for a while:
Abarca Sports Strengthens Its Position with the Entry of Quantum Pacific as Shareholder
Eusebio Unzué Officially Announces the Agreement with Quantum Pacific Management Limited for the Acquisition of 43% of Abarca Sports’ Shares
Eastern Pacific Shipping, a Company Affiliated with Quantum, Signs a Sponsorship Agreement with Abarca Sports to Provide Financial and Logistical Support to the Movistar Team
Abarca Sports, management company of the Movistar Team, announces a recent investment in the company by Quantum Pacific Management Ltd. Quantum will become a minority shareholder (holding 43%) of Abarca Sports, alongside founders Eusebio Unzué and Francisco Fernández Maestre. As a result, the Movistar men’s, women’s, gravel, and e-sports teams will be strengthened within the global cycling scene by having an investor of Quantum’s prestige and financial capacity on board.
Quantum’s investment follows the group’s strategy of investing in top-tier sports franchises, which include, among others, football clubs Atlético de Madrid and F.C. Famalicão.
Parallel to Quantum’s entry into Abarca Sports’ shareholding, Eastern Pacific Shipping (“EPS”), a company affiliated with Quantum, has signed a sponsorship agreement with Abarca to provide financial and logistical support to the Movistar Team. Physical well-being, and cycling in particular, has become a key component of EPS’s ‘Life @ Sea’ programs and community-building initiatives. As part of this agreement, the EPS logo will appear on the lower part of the jerseys of the men’s and women’s road cycling teams as well as the gravel team.
Andri Smilas, representing Quantum, commented: “We are delighted to join the current shareholders of Abarca Sports to help realise their ambitions for the Movistar Team. The Movistar Team has one of the longest and most successful histories in world cycling, and we are very excited to be part of their future plans. Supporting the development of such a dynamic sport, from the grassroots to the elite level of professional cycling, in both the men’s and women’s disciplines, aligns with our business, social, and environmental objectives. We look forward to working alongside the many leading players in the industry who are part of this team.”
Cyril Ducau, CEO of EPS, added: “As a global group, sport has become a powerful unifier in our diverse workforce and a vital tool to support both our internal and external communities. By sponsoring the Movistar Team, we are not only deepening our commitment to well-being and performance, but also forging a meaningful connection between the maritime world and elite sports. This partnership will contribute to the growth of the sport and create a platform for sharing best practices, reflecting the shared pursuit of excellence that defines both high-performance sport and maritime business, while strengthening our commitment to the global community.”
Eusebio Unzué, General Manager of Movistar Team: “I am very pleased that such an important international group like Quantum has decided to invest in cycling. Their entry into the capital of Abarca Sports strengthens us as a team and places us in a more solid position to face the future. This partnership will allow Movistar Team to enhance our presence at the highest level of cycling and explore new opportunities to become increasingly relevant to our sponsors and fans.”
Movistar 2025:
World Gravel Championships are Coming to Maastricht, Beek and Beekdaelen
The 2025 World Gravel championships will come to Dutch Limburg this autumn. It was uncertain for a long time which location the World Gravel championships would take place, after Nice in France withdrew. The municipalities of Maastricht, Beek and Beekdaelen have shown their interest.
The World championships will take place in South Limburg on October 11 and 12, thanks to organisers, Golazo. In the municipalities of Maastricht, Beek and Beekdaelen, Mathieu van der Poel and Marianne Vos will defend their World titles. The UCI says it is a ‘perfect mix of challenging terrain and a region with a rich cycling tradition’.
“South Limburg is thus further strengthening its status as a leading cycling region at an international level, while contributing to the development of clay, a discipline that is still quite new and has considerable growth potential.”
Previously, Valkenburg also spoke up on behalf of the province, but they recently stepped out. There were about seven candidates of which Villach in Austria, who hosted the World championships on the road in 1987 won by Stephen Roche, seemed to be an important contender. Kenya had also signed up to organise the World Gravel champs.
2025 World Gravel champs go to the Netherlands:
There Will be a Very Small Peloton in the Olympic Road Race in Los Angeles
During the Olympic road races in Paris, the peloton consisted of only 90 riders for both men and women. This will also be the case in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, this was in the recently published program for the Games.
The limited size of the peloton means that the countries will have relatively small teams. The Netherlands was only allowed to ride with three riders in the men’s race in Paris, so Mathieu van der Poel only had two teammates: Daan Hoole and Dylan van Baarle to try to control the race. Belgium, who won the men’s road race with Remco Evenepoel, could field four riders. After the end of the 2023 season, they were among the top five countries in the UCI Nation Ranking, so they were allowed to send the maximum number of riders.
The fact that the major cycling countries were only allowed to bring a limited number of riders to the Games led to criticism from, among others, Wout Poels, who would not make the Dutch selection. “I think it’s ridiculous what they did with the number of places,” the Dutchman told GCN in December 2023. “I saw that even breakdancing is Olympic these days… I actually had the feeling that cyclists have been focusing more on the Olympic Games in the last ten years. It’s a shame that they are now making rules that mean the peloton consists of only 90 riders. It’s ridiculous, because you won’t get all the best riders at the start. Instead, you have all these countries with no cycling history. They bring riders to the start who can’t even follow for 10 kilometres. It’s a nice Olympic idea, but it doesn’t really work. A peloton of ninety riders takes away some of the shine from the race.”
Remco Evenepoel won the last Olympic road race in Paris:
The Wolfpack Howls: Luke Lamperti
We recorded our latest episode in the lead-up to one of the most exciting days in the whole of cycling, perhaps the one day outside of the Tour de France that transcends not just cycling but also into the wider world of sport.
It’s a day like no other – where the peloton takes on 259 kilometres, which are laden with 30 cobblestone sectors, each with their own myths and legends of races gone by – the day of Paris-Roubaix.
Our guest is no stranger to a cobblestone, having ridden the Junior Paris-Roubaix in 2019, and is fresh from his debut at the Ronde van Vlaanderen last Sunday, the one and only Luke Lamperti!
Luke told us about this difficult start to 2025, as he had to overcome a knee injury, reminisced about his 10th place in the Junior Paris-Roubaix six years ago, when he tackled many of the sectors that he will face this weekend, and shared what would be for him a perfect Roubaix debut.
Luke Lamperti talks:
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The post EUROTRASH Monday: Roubaix Cobbles, Crashes & Victories appeared first on PezCycling News.
