The best part of the road season started on Sunday with Gent-Wevelgem, next up is Flanders and Roubaix. All the video, results, reports and rider’s thoughts from Belgium, plus the Volta a Catalunya and Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.
TOP STORY:
- Spectator spits at Mathieu van der Poel during E3 Saxo Classic
Rider news:
- Nikias Arndt breaks back in Brugge-De Panne
- Patrick Lefevere Presented with Champagne at the E3 Saxo Classic
- New contract for Olav Kooij?
- ‘Brainless macho bullshit’, Thijs Zonneveld and Johan Bruyneel arguing again
- Eddy Merckx undergoes surgery due to loose prosthesis
Monday EUROTRASH coffee time.
TOP STORY: Spectator Spits at Mathieu van der Poel During E3 Saxo Classic
Video on social media shows a spectator spiting at, or in the direction of, Mathieu van der Poel during the E3 Saxo Classic. TV images shows the man spiting at The race leader as he passed. The incident happened 31 kilometres from the finish, on the Karnemelkbeekstraat. Whether Van der Poel was hit is not clear.
At the time of the spitting incident, Van der Poel was solo at the front of the race. He had already dropped Mads Pedersen and Filippo Ganna on the Oude Kwaremont. From there, Van der Poel rode a tough solo to the finish. Last season there were also several incidents with spectators who misbehaved during big races. In Paris-Roubaix, a woman threw a racing cap at the wheels of Van der Poel, when he was also on his way to victory solo at the time. Then during the 2024 Tour of Flanders, he had beer thrown at him, plus spit and boos. In the 2023 Vestingcross in Hulst, it wasn’t only beer, according to witnesses, urine was also thrown at him.
Mathieu van der Poel spoke about the spitting incident: “Those are people who shouldn’t come and watch the race. I can’t do anything about it. Does it seem to be becoming a recurring thing? Unfortunately, yes…”
Belgian Police Launch Investigation
The police are looking for the man who spat at Mathieu van der Poel on the Karnemelkbeekstraat.
The Ronse police are taking the incident very seriously and are therefore launching an investigation. “We want to send a clear message that we absolutely do not tolerate this kind of act,” the deputy chief of police of Ronse, where the incident took place, told Het Laatste Nieuws. “We call on supporters to show their love for cycling in a respectful and sporting manner during the upcoming races. Cycling is part of our heritage. Everyone who is part of it, whether they are race marshals, police officers, emergency services or the athletes themselves, deserves respect from the spectators. People who can help us identify the man in the picture are always welcome to contact our services.”
Scum:
Gent-Wevelgem 2025
Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) repeated his Gent-Wevelgem win of last year. The Dane started a solo with 56 kilometres to go and held his own against the peloton. European champion, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) sprinted from the chasing group to second place, and Pedersen’s Lidl-Trek teammate, Jonathan Milan, was third.
Gent-Wevelgem started in Ypres again this year. After the start, there was a long, flat loop. This included De Moeren, where the wind always blows. In the final there was several gravel sections and climbs, including the Kemmelberg three times. The last 34 kilometres to the finish in Wevelgem were flat. Last year’s winner, Mads Pedersen was the top favourite, but if it came down to a sprint, then Jasper Philipsen, Olav Kooij, Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier will be the main contenders.
Early in the race, a leading group of nine escaped: Rui Oliveira (UAE Emirates XRG), Max Walker (EF Education-EasyPost), Sam Maisonobe (Cofidis), Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla), Emils Liepins (Q36.5), Marco Haller (Tudor), Victor Vercouillie (Flanders-Baloise), Samuel Leroux and Alexys Brunel (TotalEnergies) and took 4 minutes. The peloton split into several pieces due to the wind on de Moeren. The first group was of just over 30 riders, including Kooij, Milan and Mads Pedersen. Other favorites such as Philipsen and Merlier were in group two and Arnaud De Lie was even further back. Thanks to the work of Alpecin-Deceuninck, the second echelon came back to the first group after about 25 kilometres of chasing. But there was more echelon action to come. With a 110 kilometres to go, Visma | Lease a Bike put the pressure on. Again it split, again Philipsen and Merlier missed the move and again the two fast men had to return. In the peloton it went quiet again. Johan Jacobs and Victor Campenaerts took advantage of this situation and jumped away. There was a crash in the peloton with Matteo Trentin and others, while at the front, Campenaerts dropped his companion Jacobs. The Belgian then closed the gap with the early escapees on his own. The leading group reached Kemmelberg for the first time with a lead of 1:30 at 90 kilometres from the finish. But, after some relative calm, the peloton accelerated.
Mads Pedersen pushed hard and several riders were able to follow, including Jasper Philipsen and Paul Magnier. More riders joined, but the group fell apart due to the high pace. Biniam Girmay, Matteo Jorgenson and Florian Vermeersch were riding hard at the front. Nevertheless, everything came together again in the gravel sections, until Pedersen attacked again. Kooij, Philipsen and Arjen Livyns sat on the wheel of the Dane, but Philipsen punctured and Kooij crashed. It was clear that Kooij’s crash was a bad one. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider remained on the ground holding his collarbone. Pedersen, with Livyns who had joined him, rode towards the leading group. When he got there, Pedersen had to do most of the work on his own, while Alpecin-Deceuninck, Israel-Premier Tech and INEOS Grenadiers were working in the peloton. Philipsen had to change bikes. The leading group was thinned out on the second time up the Monteberg by an acceleration from Brunel. On the second time up Kemmelberg, Campenaerts went all out again. Before the summit, Pedersen started his attack. He rode away on his own, but Haller, Livyns and Campenaerts could keep him in sight, well, for a while. The Lidl-Trek’s strong-man had no intention of waiting and started his long solo of 56 kilometres.
In the peloton, Jorgenson made a move on the Kemmelberg, but he was unable to create a gap. A large group formed and there was still plenty of time to catch Pedersen, but a chase didn’t start immediately, and the other Lidl-Trek riders were blocking. Pedersen was flying. He started the last time up the Kemmelberg with a 2 minute lead. Pedersen was at the top of the Kemmelberg, when the peloton were only just starting the climb. Philipsen gave it a go and only Florian Vermeersch could follow a lot of riders came back. There was now a proper peloton behind. It took a while for the sprinter’s teams to organise a chase, but at about 23 kilometres from the finish the chase really got going. Pedersen still had a lead of more than 1:30. Alpecin-Deceuninck, Soudal Quick-Step and Uno-X Mobility reduced the lead by a few seconds in the next kilometres, but it was not fast enough. Pedersen didn’t ease up and soloed to victory. The peloton came in about 50 seconds later. There was a big sprint for the second and third places and it was Tim Merlier and Jonathan Milan who filled the podium.
Race winner, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “It’s crazy. I never expected to do something like this. But to win here is amazing. I have no idea what I was thinking. I knew a solo attack could pay off. The wind was favourable in the final. It could have gone either way. It could have ended in shit. From previous editions I know that the peloton can come back very quickly in the last five kilometres. Even in the last kilometre I wasn’t sure and I really had to fight against myself. But in the last few hundred metres I could enjoy it and I knew it was done. I was told this morning that I could become co-record holder. But in the end it’s all about winning. Whether it’s first or tenth. We were there today with the whole team. This race is tailor-made for us. This race is also ideal for Johnny (Jonathan Milan). I don’t know (Flanders). It is a different race than today and those other two are still on a different level. You saw it on the Oude Kwaremont with Mathieu van der Poel last Friday, I couldn’t keep up with him. And we know Tadej too, he’s a pretty good cyclist. He can do the same. So of course it gives confidence for Sunday. And we believe we can win, but it’s definitely not going to be easy.”
2nd, Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step): “I’m glad that the team had confidence in me to start today after the crash in De Panne, and I want to thank our sports director Iljo Keisse for putting me on the start list here. The team left everything out there today. It was incredibly tough and fast the entire day, but we never gave up and did our best in these circumstances. In the final kilometer I just did a long sprint, as I knew that I was fast, and I am happy with this result. It was a good day for the team and we can be proud of ourselves.”
3rd, Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek): “Today is definitely a historic day for the team. We started this morning with the goal of having a good race. We knew we had a lot of cards to play, and I’m happy that Mads won. I tried to do my best at the sprint, although I went out a little too early, but overall I’m happy with my third place; it’s still a good result. We had several gaps; the first time I was in the front group, but not the following times. It’s always difficult to compete in these races where there are so many gaps in the group, so many gaps. For me, it was very important to always have the support of my teammates; it was a tough day but overall positive. For Paris-Roubaix, we’ll have a strong team like today again; I can’t wait. Winning it would be my dream; it’s a special race. For one reason or another, I’ve never finished it, but it’s still a special race. I’ll have to be lucky, but it’s one of my favourite races.”
5th, Hugo Hofstetter (Israel-Premier Tech): “I’m very happy. I was under a lot of pressure today because I had the support of the team to get me to the sprint; everyone was really behind me. They did a great job and were all there to help me get to the front. I’m very grateful for that. All I had to do was finish and do my best. I’m very proud of myself and this fifth-place finish. I think it’s my best result in a classic of this kind. Gent-Wevelgem is a great race for me. The race was very tough, too tough! But that’s the kind of race I like, when it’s a constant battle to the finish. It’s what I like and what suits me best when I’m in shape. Mentally, it was very difficult, so I’m very happy to have achieved this top-five finish.”
7th, Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty): “With these weather conditions we knew it would be a long relentless battle and with the team we were read to fight from the start. Our teammates sacrificed themselves to make sure Laurenz and me were well positioned all the time. This enabled us to continuously be present in the first group, in the crosswinds and on the climbs. Unfortunately we lacked manpower to chase Mads Pedersen. I felt better towards the end of the race, so Laurenz offered to do a lead out for me in the sprint. The podium felt within reach, and I’m initially disappointed with seventh place. But this will fuel my hunger. Dwars door Vlaanderen on my birthday and the Tour of Flanders await, and I’m ready.”
10th, Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty): “Biniam Girmay and I had a protected role in this Gent-Wevelgem, and together we were escaped several times with a group of strong riders. Unfortunately, we never succeeded in making the definitive difference. Therefore, we had to maintain constant focus to position ourselves as well as possible, which made it not only physically but also mentally an intense battle. Mads Pedersen managed to bridge the gap to the early breakaway, and because no team immediately took the initiative, I understood from that moment that we were probably fighting for second place. In the approach to the sprint, I gave Biniam Girmay a lead-out, and eventually, I also finished just inside the top ten. Considering the field of participants, we can certainly be satisfied with this. The team’s confidence gives me wings; I want to shine in Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders before my dream race, Paris-Roubaix.”
Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceunick): “On the final climb of the Kemmelberg, I tried to create a small gap. With a small group, it might have been easier to close the gap on Pedersen. Perhaps it was a shame that Soudal didn’t add another rider to the chase because, in the end, they still made a break for Tim Merlier with only three riders. At that point, I had no one left because everyone had emptied out. I preferred to take a risk and win than settle for second place. I would have liked to sprint for the podium, but I was stuck on the left side. Then it wasn’t to be. The win was no longer possible, and that’s what we came here for. It was a very long race, with a lot of headwind, so it’s a crazy performance to do that solo. On the first pass over the Kemmelberg, I felt good: I could keep the pace without going beyond my limit. In the end, I didn’t have my best legs, but I think that was true for everyone. It would have been a battle of attrition anyway, but you never know how the race would have developed. The Kemmelberg took its toll. I would have liked to be with them, and maybe it would have been a completely different race. But it wasn’t to be.”
Gent-Wevelgem Result:
1. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek in 5:30:21
2. Tim Merlier (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:49
3. Jonathan Milan (Ita) Lidl-Trek
4. Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Uno-X Mobility
5. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Davide Ballerini (Ita) XDS Astana
7. Biniam Girmay Hailu (Eri) Intermarché-Wanty
8. Jenno Berckmoes (Bel) Lotto
9. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
10. Laurenz Rex (Bel) Intermarché-Wanty.
Gent-Wevelgem’25
Gent-Wevelgem – Women 2025
Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) won Gent-Wevelgem. In the sprint from a large peloton she was by far the fastest after a long lead-out by Lotte Kopecky. Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek) came second, Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL) third.
The result of the women’s Gent-Wevelgem could come from any corner. In De Moeren, echelons could form, then there was the climbs, including the Kemmelberg twice and then the final, which was flat for the last 34 kilometres, so a bunch sprint was also a possibility. SD Worx-Protime had the favourites. The Dutch team had sprinter Lorena Wiebes, who could take her hundredth professional victory, and World champion Lotte Kopecky.
Long before the first climbs, an early break consisting of seven riders: Franziska Brauße (CERATIZIT), Katia Ragusa (Human Powered Health), Mia Griffin (Roland), Beatrice Caudera (BePink-Imatra-Bongioanni), Cleo Kiekens (DD Group Pro Cycling Team), Britt de Grave (DD Group Pro Cycling Team) and Maaike Boogaard (VolkerWessels). The peloton has learned from the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad mistake, because the escapees were caught before the hills. This high pace in the large group caused a number of crashes. One of the favourites, Elisa Longo Borghini came down and Nienke Veenhoven went off the road. The Dutch rider of Visma | Lease a Bike was taken to hospital and her bike had to be pulled out of a ditch.
The high speed and nervousness in the peloton had everything to do with the wind. After just over 60 kilometres, the echelons started. The peloton split into two, but within a few kilometres there was another regrouping. But the calm never returned, because the climbs broke it up again. Lidl-Trek in particular was very active in the hills. The team of Lucinda Brand and Ellen van Dijk, clearly wanted to make the race hard. At about 45 kilometres from the finish, Brand attacked. She had some strong fellow escapees with her, but the group of favourites didn’t let the six go and came to the front on the Baneberg. On the last passage over the Kemmelberg, it was World champion Kopecky who pushed hard. Only her teammate Wiebes, Longo Borghini and Elise Chabbey (FDJ-SUEZ) were able to hold her wheel. After the descent, Chloé Dygert, Giada Borghesi and Letizia Borghesi also joined them, while Chabbey had dropped back to the chasing peloton.
Lidl-Trek led the chase with Ellen van Dijk for Elisa Balsamo. The fast Charlotte Kool was also still in that first chase group. But with the fast Wiebes at the front, the co-operation was not good. And so the first peloton caught the attackers 27 kilometres from the finish. It looked like there would be a bunch sprint finish. Anneke Dijkstra (VolkerWessels) made an attack and later there was one from Floortje Mackaij (Movistar), but nothing came of them. The control of Lidl-Trek and SD Worx-Protime was too much. Dropped riders also came back, so a large peloton started the finale. In the last few hundred meters Kopecky took the lead, with Wiebes on her wheel. The World champion did an extremely long lead-out. At about 250 meters from the finish line it was Wiebes, who had a strong jump. She immediately took the lead and kept the rest behind her with apparent ease. She took her hundredth professional victory. Elisa Balsamo was able to hold her wheel, but couldn’t come round. The Italian was second, ahead of Charlotte Kool.
Race winner, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “This is a great win that the whole team contributed to. Then you are happy that you can also finish it. On the Kemmelberg, Lotte Kopecky placed her attack as we had planned beforehand. I tried to block, but when I saw several riders jumping, I joined in too. Eventually we ended up with five in front, but there was little cooperation. That was to be expected, but Lotte and I tried to keep up the pace anyway. When two groups came back, we decided to pull my card. Marta Lach, Femke Markus and Elena Cecchini kept the pace in the group very high the last 15 kilometres to prevent possible attacks. With Mischa Bredewold and Lotte Kopecky, we still had two pawns left for the lead-out. I follow Lotte blindly through a peloton. The trust we have in each other is really great. At one kilometre from the finish, Lotte was already coming full into the wind, but she really pulled through for a long time. She did a fantastic job and I’m glad I managed to finish it off. A back-to-back victory like that is always nice. It’s a special week for me with three WorldTour wins in a row. I wasn’t so much about that hundredth win or when it would happen, but after Brugge-De Panne it became a bit more of a thing. I never expected to reach that milestone of a hundred victories so early in my career already, but of course it makes me really proud.”
2nd, Elisa Balsamo (Lidl-Trek): “Lorena was very strong. I tried to do the best sprint I could, but it wasn’t enough. I felt better than I did a few days ago. I always race to win, and a podium in a race as important as this one is still a good result. My team did a good job before the launch; we rode aggressively, but it wasn’t enough, so they tried to put me on Lorena’s wheel, and I followed them. At the end of this week, with Bruges-De Panne and Gent-Wevelgem, I’ve had two podium finishes, so we’ll win again. Paris-Roubaix is a big goal for me. Last year I finished on the podium, so I’m looking forward to that race.”
3rd, Charlotte Kool (Team Picnic PostNL): “I’m pretty satisfied. I think third place was the best I could have hoped for today, and I gave it my all, so that’s it. There was no chance of doing better in this sprint. I think if the starting position had been a little better, if I’d started a little further forward, it would have helped me a little, but that’s part of my racing style. I felt really good on the Kemmelberg and I think I stayed in a good group, which was great. That was what I had in mind: if I stayed, I could get back to the front, and I did. But getting everyone back at the end wasn’t really on my mind this morning. It was a really chaotic race because we obviously had a very large group and everyone was still tired; it’s such a long race. I think I’m already putting in a good performance, but not enough to get on the podium. This is my first podium in a major classic, so it’s positive. And, of course, I haven’t had a perfect winter with two surgeries, so I think the form is coming, and that’s what we need for the rest of the season. The best is yet to come.”
World champion, Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime): “It quickly became clear that Elisa Longo Borghini didn’t want to go full speed, and Chloé Dygert also stayed there for a while. When they don’t work together from the start, you know it’s going to be difficult. I’m confident she (Wiebes) will support me in the Tour of Flanders. There are still many great races to come, and I’m sure there will be times when this will return. I feel better than I did last week in Sanremo. I hope I can continue that trend, and then I think I’ll be ready.”
Gent-Wevelgem – Women Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 4:11:19
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Charlotte Kool (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
4. Marjolein Van ‘t Geloof (Ned) Arkéa-B&B Hotels Women
5. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto
6. Lara Gillespie (Irl) UAE Team ADQ
7. Lily Williams (USA) Human Powered Health
8. Ally Wollaston (NZ) FDJ-SUEZ
9. Gladys Verhulst-Wild (Fra) AG Insurance-Soudal
10. Kaja Rysz (Pol) Roland.
Wevelgem’25
Volta a Catalunya 2025
The Fourth Stage was won by Primoz Roglič. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe rider was the first in a sprint at the top of Montserrat Millenari ahead of Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates XRG), who had narrowly beaten him the day before. Roglič also took the overall lead. Enric Mas (Movistar) was third on the stage and overall.
Thursday’s stage was continuously up and down, but only had two official climbs: the Turó del Puig (5.1km at 5.4%), 60 kilometres from the finish and the final climb on the Montserrat (8.8km at 6.6%).
Many teams sent a man in the early break, so there was a strong leading group of 12 riders, including Frank van den Broek, Geoffrey Bouchard, Koen Bouwman, Lennard Kämna, Johannes Staune-Mittet and Georg Steinhauser. The twelve well together, but in the last two hours of the race, Steinhauser and Staune-Mittet attacked on the Turó del Puig. The two rode away from the pursuers, where Van den Broek held out for a long time.
At the start of the final climb, Steinhauser and Staune-Mittet had a lead of just over 1 minute on the peloton and 30 seconds on a group with Van den Broek, but once the favourites started, all the break riders were caught. Steinhauser held on the longest, he was only caught 3 kilometres from the finish. Adam Yates then launched his leader, Ayuso. With 2.5 kilometres to go, the Spaniard attacked and initially seemed to drop everyone. A few hundred metres later, Roglič joined Ayuso, so we would have a battle for the stage win and the leader’s jersey. Roglič put Ayuso under pressure, but they stayed together. A group with Lennert Van Eetvelt, Enric Mas and Lenny Martinez nearly caught them in the final metres. Just at the moment they connected, Roglič started the sprint and stayed ahead of Ayuso for the stage and the lead.
Stage winner and overall leader, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “It’s always nice to win. For sure it was a hard stage, with a fast tempo right from the start. But luckily I had something left at the end to get to the line first! I was at camp and put in some good training. I’ve been away from my family for quite a few weeks, and came straight to the race, so I’ve had to make sacrifices in that respect. So it’s good that it’s brought some rewards at the race. There’s a hard course ahead still, but for the moment I’m going well and we are in a good position, so let’s take it day by day.”
6th on the stage, Felix Gall (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale): “We had a super strong team performance today, with Geoffrey (Bouchard) and Johannes (Staune-Mittet) in the breakaway. We wanted to be aggressive, and we managed to do it. For me, it was important today to show that the legs are still there and that I was able to follow the leaders. There will be other opportunities, and we can be confident for Saturday.”
Volta a Catalunya Stage 4 Result:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 4:24:08
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 0:03
4. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious
5. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step
6. Felix Gall (Aus) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
7. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
8. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:06
9. Juan Pedro Lopez Perez (Spa) Lidl-Trek at 0:21
10. Giulio Pellizzari (Ita) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:26.
Volta a Catalunya Overall After Stage 4:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 18:54:50
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 0:20
4. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:21
5. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious at 0:27
6. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
7. Matthew Riccitello (USA) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:45
8. Harold Martin Lopez Granizo (Ecu) XDS Astana at 0:55
9. William Junior Lecerf (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:58
10. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers.
Catalunya’25 stage 4::
Matthew Brennan won Stage 5 of the Tour of Catalonia, to add to his stage 1 success. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider sprinted to victory from the first echelon, ahead of Tibor Del Grosso. Overall leader Primoz Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) was in the first group, but Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates XRG) earned a 1 second bonus in an intermediate sprint, so the lead went from the Slovenian back to the Spaniard.
On Friday it was a day for the sprinters and possibly the easiest stage of the race. The only real climb was the Coll de La Font (7.3km at 3.4%), but that was at the beginning of the stage. The sprinter’s teams had plenty of time to set out their lead-out trains.
There was seven escapees: Mountain jersey, Bruno Armirail (Decathlon AG2R), Mikel Bizkarra & Jokin Murguialday (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Michael Leonard (INEOS Grenadiers), Jan Castellon (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Enzo Paleni (Groupama-FDJ) and Mats Wenzel (Equipo Kern Pharma), they built up a lead of 2 minutes, but no more. The peloton was expecting echelons and so the pace lifted and the break lost time. With 65 kilometres to go, most of the break was caught, but Murguialday and Paleni hung on. They stayed together for about 20 kilometres, after which Paleni also left his fellow escapee behind. The Frenchman held on for a while on his own, but with 25 kilometres to go, it was all over. Just before that, he had been the first to come through in an intermediate sprint, where Juan Ayuso was third. The Spaniard gained 1 second and virtually took the overall lead from Primoz Roglič.
The peloton caught Paleni and the race opened up. The peloton split into several groups due to the wind. Ayuso and Roglič were in the first echelon, as were Mikel Landa, Enric Mas and a group of riders from Visma | Lease a Bike, including Simon Yates. But Lennert Van Eetvelt and Juan Pedro López and several other GC riders had missed the move. They wouldn’t be able to rejoin the front group and lost time. The battle for the stage victory was being fought at the front. Visma | Lease a Bike, INEOS Grenadiers and EF Education-EasyPost, who had Matthew Brennan, Axel Laurance and Marijn van den Berg for the sprint, took control in the final kilometres. After Geraint Thomas rode on the front, Laurance started the sprint, but several riders passed him. Among them Matthew Brennan, who sprinted to his second stage victory in Catalunya. Tibor Del Grosso came from far back and took second place. Pavel Bittner was third, Marijn van den Berg fourth. The group with Van Eetvelt was 44 seconds behind the first echelon. The Belgian dropped from 6th to 8th place. Ayuso took the leader’s jersey from Roglič. The difference between the two top favourites was now 1 second.
Stage winner, Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Another beautiful victory, this is truly a team win. The whole squad rode exceptionally well today. We were in a perfect position heading into the final part of the race. It’s incredibly motivating to see the work my teammates are doing all week. That really gives you wings. I’m happy I could reward all that effort with this stage win today. The past days have been tough, but I’m learning so much here. The mountain stages were especially brutal, but I’m gaining experience in positioning and staying up front when it matters. Two stage wins—I wouldn’t have even dared to dream of that”,
Overall leader and 10th on the stage, Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates XRG): “The perfect scenario would have been for Roglič to have been behind but with such a good and strong rider like him, it is always hard. I am happy I was in the front, I arrived safely. I got the bonus second, which is only one second but we don’t know on Sunday if that could be the deciding second to win or lose. I would prefer to have the second than not to have it! In any other race, one second would not be something to lose any energy on, but in this race we have seen many times that it can be decided by small margins. On paper tomorrow is the hardest stage, in my opinion. It has the hardest climb and it is the easiest to lose time or gain time. We will have to play it smartly because everything is super tight, but I have a strong team around me and I hope tomorrow I can still be in the jersey.”
2nd on the stage, Tibor Del Grosso (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “It was blowing hard all day. I had actually hoped that the echelons would arise a little earlier, because it has been very nervous for a long time now. It seemed for a moment that it would not happen again at all, but then it suddenly happened. I was with it, so that was nice. But the sprint was hectic because of the headwinds.”
Volta a Catalunya Stage 5 Result:
1. Matthew Brennan (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike in 3:28:14
2. Tibor Del Grosso (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
3. Pavel Bittner (CZ) Team Picnic PostNL
4. Marijn van den Berg (Ned) EF Education – EasyPost
5. Corbin Strong (Aus) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers
7. Dorian Godon (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
8. Nico Denz (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
9. Antonio Eric Fagundez Lima (Uru) Burgos Burpellet BH
10. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG.
Volta a Catalunya Overall After Stage 5:
1. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG in 22:23:03
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:01
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 0:21
4. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:22
5. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious at 0:28
6. Laurens De Plus (Bel) Ineos Grenadiers at 0:59
7. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers
8. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto at 1:10
9. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:14
10. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:27.
Catalunya’25 stage 5::
Quinn Simmons won the shortened Stage 6 of the Tour of Catalonia. It should have been a mountain stage on Saturday, but in the end the stage was only 25 kilometres, and mainly downhill. Simmons attacked in the final kilometre and held on to the line. Pavel Bittner (Team Picnic PostNL) was second and Anders Foldager (Jayco AlUla), third. There were no changes at the top of the overall, Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates XRG) still leads Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) by 1 second.
The penultimate stage of the Tour of Catalonia should have been spectacular. Overall leader, Juan Ayuso only had a 1 second lead over Primoz Roglič and the mountain stage to Queralt was full of climbing. However, due to strong gusts of wind, all the climbs were removed from the route. Instead, the riders had to cover 146 kilometres on rolling roads. They rode a loop around the starting point Berga twice, where they finished. The road went uphill for the last two kilometres at 5%.
The peloton left just before two o’clock in the afternoon, without double stage winner Matthew Brennan for the short stage. Because the wind was still strong, it was decided to neutralise the start of the stage. At one point, the riders seemed to have had enough of the slow pace. Primoz Roglič, among others, spoke to the organisers car. Eventually, it was decided to start the stage, but to cancel the second circuit. This resulted in a stage of only 25 kilometres. It had been decided that there would be no intermediate sprints and that no bonuses could be earned at the finish. The times for the GC were to be taken 5 kilometres from the finish. When the race finally started, four riders escaped. Frank van den Broek was with Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma) and Rémy Rochas (Groupama-FDJ). When the peloton almost caught them, Verona attacked again. Only Van den Broek could hold him, but the Dutchman didn’t work, as he had his sprinter, Pavel Bittner behind.
When the attack by Verona and Van den Broek were 8 kilometres from the finish, the men of INEOS Grenadiers, including Geraint Thomas, took the control. Several riders tried to get away, causing the peloton to split. A small group separated, including Van den Broek again and Quinn Simmons. The American made a big attack just after the start of the final kilometre, made a gap and looked to be on his way to victory, but in the finishing straight the sprinting peloton closed in. Pavel Bittner was going very fast. Simmons had just enough left and crossed the finish line as the winner. Bittner was second, Corbin Strong came third, although he was later disqualified because he made a dangerous switch in the sprint. Anders Foldager, who was hindered, moved up from fourth to third place. Lennert Van Eetvelt went from fifth to fourth.
Race director, Rubèn Peris: “It was an unpleasant day because we had agreed on one thing, and it wasn’t kept. From the start, some riders didn’t want to start. I have to be grateful that Mas, Verona, and Fraile did want to start. We agreed to do a first reconnaissance lap and then a second during the race, but halfway through the first lap, they said they’d stop until the finish. I think it’s disrespectful to the organisers and the local councils, who make this sustainable. Nothing can be done. If the rider doesn’t want to race, they don’t race. If they don’t want to, you can have everything ready, but they won’t race. I understand and defend the fact that they’re risking their lives, but today wasn’t the time to stop the race.”
Stage winner, Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek): “This must be the strangest day of my career: first we race, then we don’t, then we do two laps, and in the end, we only did 28 km. It’s a bit surprising to be here because, to be honest, I was one of the riders who voted not to start. But in the end it’s a victory in a WorldTour race, my first one. Nobody knew what was going on, and of course, when the race is that short, you know it’s going to be nervous. We didn’t know when the start was coming. I was in the car taking my leg warmers off, so I ended up in the third group on the descent but rode to the front on my own. I thought my race was already over after just 2 km, but yeah, it’s crazy. I wasn’t even supposed to be here. I got the call on Thursday that I was coming. It’s super special, my first WorldTour victory. It also means a lot for my parents watching at home, and my girlfriend and brother, who will be at the finish tomorrow. It’s almost a home race for me, living in Girona.Tomorrow will have the same intensity as today, but just a bit longer. My biggest objective for the week was actually tomorrow, but I got the job done a day early. We’ll try to go for the bonus tomorrow, but the team can go home happy and I go home happy as well.”
Volta a Catalunya Stage 6 Result:
1. Quinn Simmons (USA) Lidl-Trek in 25:04
2. Pavel Bittner (CZ) Team Picnic PostNL
3. Anders Foldager (Den) Jayco AlUla
4. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
5. Ethan Vernon (GB) Israel-Premier Tech
6. Andrea Vendrame (Ita) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
7. Dorian Godon (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
8. Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers
9. Pau Miquel Delgado (Spa) Equipo Kern Pharma
10. Harold Martin Lopez Granizo (Ecu) XDS Astana.
Volta a Catalunya Overall After Stage 6:
1. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG in 22:48:07
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:01
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 0:21
4. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:22
5. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious at 0:28
6. Laurens De Plus (Bel) Ineos Grenadiers at 0:59
7. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers
8. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto at 1:10
9. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:14
10. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:27.
Catalunya’25 stage 6::
Primoz Roglič won the 104th edition of the Tour of Catalonia. The Slovenian dropped all his opponents on the Montjuïc in the Final Stage 7 in Barcelona and then soloed to the stage and final victory. Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates XRG), lost nearly 30 seconds and the leader’s jersey. Enric Mas Nicolau (Movistar) finished third overall.
The traditional final stage in Barcelona was partly changed, the stage was now only 88 kilometres, but the six circuits in Barcelona was the same. The famous Montjuïc (2.5km at 4.8%) had to be climbed each lap.
Considering the very small differences in the general classification, a lot could still happen in this short but powerful final stage. The decision had to be made on the Montjuïc, but before that there were still seconds to be had in the two bonus sprints. Roglič saw this as an excellent opportunity to take over the lead and his Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team ride on the front. The German team managed to keep things together and launch their leader for that all-important bonus sprint. Roglič was able to finish the work and came through first for 3 extra seconds. His teammate Nico Denz was second, ahead of Ayuso in third place. Roglič was now in front of Ayuso in the provisional GC: the difference was now one second in the Slovenian’s favour. The next intermediate sprint with bonus seconds was at the start of the circuit, 47 kilometres from the finish. UAE Emirates XRG set the pace in the peloton for Ayuso. After a fierce battle, the Spaniard got his revenge, while Denz, unintentionally was second ahead of leader Roglič. So it was all back to how the times were at the start.
After the second intermediate sprint, the riders turned onto the circuit in Barcelona and the race could really start. A barrage of attacks followed, but no one managed to build up a significant gap. Tom Donnenwirth rode off the front for a while, but was quickly caught by Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. This turned out to be the signal for an attack by Roglič. The Slovenian didn’t want to wait for the last passage of the Montjuïc, but went 20 kilometres from the finish. With an impressive acceleration he rode Ayuso, and everyone else, off his wheel. Ayuso was in trouble, but didn’t panic and waited for his teammates, hoping to pull Roglič back. Led by the returned Soler, the difference to Roglič remained around 20 seconds. Everything was still possible, but Ayuso didn’t seemed to have the legs. Enric Mas, Axel Laurance, Lennert Van Eetvelt and Mikel Landa tried to jump to the leader on the Montjuïc, Ayuso saw them ride away from him.
The differences were still manageable. The Ayuso group managed to catch up with the four escaped riders on the descent after the Montjuïc and Roglič was certainly not too far ahead. The Slovenian started the last lap of 7.8 kilometres with a lead of 15 seconds. The decision for the stage and final victory had to come on the last passage over the Montjuïc. Laurens De Plus was the first to counter-attack, he was joined by Van Eetvelt, but Ayuso was nowhere to be seen. The battle for the final victory was over, because Roglič could not be caught and soloed to the stage victory and the final overall victory. De Plus and Eetvelt managed to stay out of the clutches of the chasing group and crossed the line in second and third places. Roglič was the big winner, ahead of the Spaniards Ayuso and Mas. Landa and Lenny Martinez completed the top 5. De Plus was 6th and Van Eetvelt 8th.
Final overall and stage winner, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “This Volta was extremely tight and came down to the bonus seconds on the last stage. After the second sprint, I had no choice – if I wanted to win, I had to do something. In the end, I had the legs to finish it off. The team worked brilliantly, we raced well, and we had a great time. I really enjoyed this week.”
2nd overall, Juan Ayuso Pesquera (UAE Emirates XRG): “I didn’t have the best legs but the team helped me from the beginning. It was a big battle all week and Red Bull played a smart race today. Roglič attacked and opened the gap and I couldn’t follow, he was the strongest today so chapeau to him.”
3rd overall, Enric Mas (Movistar): “The overall performance has been very good. The team has been at its best, not its best. They’ve helped me every step of the way. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve felt really good in a Volta a Catalunya, and that’s what motivates me to keep working and arrive in the Basque Country in great shape, which was my first goal of the year. That’s what I wanted: to have a good Volta here and then a super Basque Country finish. I hope we can recover well this week, and whatever comes next will be welcome.”
4th overall, Mikel Landa (Soudal Quick-Step): “It’s been a hard week with some long stages. Today was very explosive, attacks coming left and right, but I did my best and I’m happy with keeping my fourth place on the general classification. I am satisfied with this result and with my form five weeks before the start of the Giro d’Italia. It was a special day also for Pieter Serry. A member of the Wolfpack since 2013, when he made the step up to the World Tour, the 37-year-old Belgian celebrated his 1000th race day, a fantastic achievement that left him speechless as he received a cake in the applause of his Soudal Quick-Step teammates before the start of the stage. I’m really proud of this milestone (1000th race day). When I began riding many years ago, I never believed I would turn pro, so to be here today makes me happy, because I realise how impressive it is. I have so many beautiful memories from all these years, it’s difficult to name just one, but what I can say is that I am proud of this achievement and also of being part of this incredible team.”
5th overall, Lenny Martínez (Bahrain Victorious): “I’m very happy to have achieved our goal of finishing in the top five overall. Today I wasn’t able to make the difference to fight for the podium, but with the great work of the team, we’ve secured a good overall result in a World Tour race, so we can be satisfied.”
Volta a Catalunya Stage 7 Result:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 1:58:27
2. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:14
3. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto
4. Dorian Godon (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale at 0:19
5. Sylvain Moniquet (Bel) Cofidis
6. Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) XDS Astana
7. Corbin Strong (NZ) Israel-Premier Tech
8. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike
9. Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ
10. Axel Laurance (Fra) INEOS Grenadiers.
Volta a Catalunya Final Overall Result:
1. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe in 24:46:21
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:28
3. Enric Mas Nicolau (Spa) Movistar at 0:53
4. Mikel Landa Meana (Spa) Soudal Quick-Step at 0:54
5. Lenny Martinez (Fra) Bahrain Victorious at 1:00
6. Laurens De Plus (Bel) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:20
7. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 1:31
8. Lennert Van Eetvelt (Bel) Lotto at 1:33
9. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:46
10. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 1:59.
Catalunya’25 stage 7::
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali 2025
Jay Vine won Third Stage on Friday. In a difficult stage to Cesena, the UAE Emirates XRG rider soloed ahead of the group of favourites. Paul Double (Jayco AlUla) was in trouble and lost the leader’s jersey to Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers).
The third stage in Coppi e Bartali had a number of tough climbs. The peloton had to cross the Sorrivoli three times (1.4km at 10.6%) and in the final, the Diolaguardia (8.5km at 3.3%). After the top of the Diolaguardia there were 15 kilometres to the finish in Cesena.
Early in the stage there was a break including Eenhoorn, Baudin, Konychev and Camprubi. Eenhoorn was the strongest and went solo with 50 kilometres to go and the more difficult climbs in the final. The Dutchman couldn’t hold out. On the last climb of Sorrivoli it was all over and there was an attack by Jay Vine (UAE Emirates XRG) which was chased down by the peloton.
On the climb to Diolaguardia, Vine did get away with Mauri Vansevenant. The two had a 20 second lead, but lost some time before the top. Just before the summit, Vansevenant was caught, while Vine kept riding. The Australian extended his lead a bit on the descent and had 20 seconds again with 5 kilometres to go. In the final kilometres, Vine had no problems. The Australian took his seventh professional victory, but not the leader’s jersey because he had already lost 6 minutes on Wednesday. Double couldn’t hold the pace in the peloton and was dropped, Magnus Sheffield was the new leader.
Stage winner, Jay Vine (UAE Emirates XRG): “It’s really amazing to get a win on the board. It’s my first win in Italy which is pretty special and the first since my son was born so it’s really motivating having him and my wife cheering at home. The team is on a great wave at the moment and I’m delighted to add to it and get my name on that list of victories, it’s really special.”
2nd on the stage and overall leader, Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers): “We wanted to go for the stage win, the guys rode really well on a really hard, demanding day. It was even colder than we expected but we managed well and it’s nice to be able to take the lead going into the next few days. I’m looking forward to wearing the leader’s jersey tomorrow and hopefully we can defend until the end.”
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Stage 3 Result:
1. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates XRG in 3:40:58
2. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:26
3. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana
4. Alessandro Pinarello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè
5. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Unibet Tietema Rockets
6. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla
7. Mattéo Vercher (Fra) TotalEnergies
8. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike
9. Andrea Raccagni Noviero (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step
10. Mark Donovan (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Overall After Stage 3:
1. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers in 11:47:13
2. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 0:03
3. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 0:04
4. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 0:06
5. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:08
6. Mark Donovan (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
7. Alessandro Covi (Ita) UAE Emirates XRG
8. Alessandro Pinarello (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè at 0:11
9. Mattéo Vercher (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:13
10. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Unibet Tietema Rockets at 0:16.
Coppi e Bartali’25 stage 3:
Stage 4 of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali was won by Ben Tulett of Visma | Lease a Bike. The British rider dropped GC leader Magnus Sheffield, who crashed, in the difficult finale and crossed the finish line solo in Brisighella. Igor Arrieta (UAE Emirates XRG) and Mark Donovan (Q36.5) finished second and third. Tulett also took the leader’s jersey, as he was only 3 seconds behind Sheffield before the stage.
The riders had a difficult stage on the fourth day of the Coppi and Bartali. From Brisighella they first had two long, local circuits including the Monticino (2.6km at 6.1%). The Monticino was also included in the final lap. This circuit, which had to be completed twice, also had the Valicio Rio Chiè (1km at 7.5%). The finish was 5 kilometres after the summit of this last climb, on yet another uphill section.
Paul Double, winner of stage two, but now out of the GC, was the first attacker of the day. His attack was an immediate success. The Jayco AlUla rider created a gap and had 12 riders join him. Among them were Pascal Eenkhoorn (Soudal Quick-Step), Kamiel Eeman (Lotto Development) and Adrien Maire of Unibet Tietema Rockets. Although none of the escapees were close overall, Visma | Lease a Bike gave them a maximum of 2 minutes. At the start of the finale, at the foot of the first Monticino, the difference was less than 1 minute. That allowed Mauri Vansevenant and Alberto Bettiol to jump to the leading group. Eenkhoorn then rode hard for his leader. Visma | Lease a Bike remained in the lead behind. On the penultimate Monticino, the race completely split apart. Just after the last early escapees were caught, Rafal Majka attacked. It was Jarno Widar and Vansevenant who were able to join him. They didn’t pose a threat to the overall classification, Vansevenant was the best placed at 6 minutes.
The thinned out peloton lost more than 20 seconds and started the last time up Valicio Rio Chiè (1km at 7.5%) at that time. The three were caught on the steep climb. It was Ben Tulett who made an all-or-nothing attempt to take Sheffield’s leader’s jersey. At first, the American was able to follow him, but the British rider kept attacking, and Sheffield lost contact. Tulett started the final kilometre solo and crossed the finish line alone. Behind Tulett, only Igor Arrieta and Mark Donovan held off an elite group, with Simone Velasco winning the sprint for fourth place. In the general classification, Tulett now leads Donovan by 18 seconds and Arrieta by 23 seconds.
Stage winner and overall leader, Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It’s a really great feeling to cross the finish line cheering again It’s been a while. I have to thank the team for today. They believed in me and I knew I had to finish it off. It’s great that I can take my first victory here on behalf of Team Visma | Lease a Bike here. It’s nice that my good form of the last few weeks is paying off here. Now we get to enjoy this win for a while, but the focus will soon shift towards the final stage. The Coppi e Bartali is not over yet. It’s going to be a very big day tomorrow.”
2nd on the stage and 4th overall, Igor Arrieta Lizarraga (UAE Emirates XRG): “It’s been quite a nervous race today, mostly because of the rain. The legs felt good and I tried to save a bit until the last climb to make a move. I pushed hard on the last section but Tulett was just too far ahead at that point and stronger. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Break rider, Germán Gómez (Team Polti VisitMalta): “On a demanding course, as always in Coppi e Bartali, we knew it could be a good day for the escapees and I didn’t let the opportunity slip by. In the final part the stronger riders moved because the gaps in the classification were small, so there wasn’t much we could do, but I’m very happy to have felt good legs the whole time and to have raced with such good spirit.”
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Stage 4 Result:
1. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike in 3:41:21
2. Igor Arrieta Lizarraga (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:06
3. Mark Donovan (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0.07
4. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 0:15
5. Emil Herzog (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies
6. Mattéo Vercher (Fra) TotalEnergies
7. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Unibet Tietema Rockets
8. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Israel-Premier Tech
9. Viktor Soenens (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step
10. Thomas Pesenti (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step.
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Overall After Stage 4:
1. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike in 15:28:27
2. Mark Donovan (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0:18
3. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:22
4. Igor Arrieta Lizarraga (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:23
5. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana at 0:26
6. Davide De Pretto (Ita) Jayco AlUla at 0:28
7. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:30
8. Alessandro Covi (Ita) UAE Emirates XRG
9. Mattéo Vercher (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:35
10. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Unibet Tietema Rockets at 0:38.
Coppi e Bartali’25 stage 4:
Ben Tulett is the final overall winner of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider successfully defended his leader’s jersey in the Final Stage 5. Mark Donovan (Q36.5 was second overall at 18 seconds and Igor Arrieta (UAE Emirates XRG) was third at 23 seconds. Jay Vine (UAE Emirates XRG) won the stage. The Australian rode away from the favourites group on the last climb and then soloed to the finish. Davide Donati (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies) and Alexey Lutsenko (Israel-Premier Tech) were second and third on the stage.
The fifth and final stage of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali was not particularly was only 132 kilometres, but still had some climbing. The riders had the Rocca delle Caminate twice (7.7km at 3.9%), then the Pollenta (2.3km at 8.6%) and finally the Rocca delle Caminate again, but from a different side (6.5km at 4.3%). On top of that last climb, it was still 15 kilometres to the finish. Overall leader, Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike), started the day with an 18 second lead over Mark Donovan. Igor Arrieta, Simone Velasco, Davide De Pretto, Alexey Lutsenko and Alessandro Covi were also within 30 seconds.
In the early part of the stage, several riders tried to escape. A group including Pascal Eenkhoorn looked to succeed, but the first time up Rocca delle Caminate, this group of seven was caught. After that, no one else had the chance to really get away. The pace increased under the leadership of several teams, which also thinned out the peloton. A group of around 25 riders were still together for the last time up Rocca delle Caminate.
Just before the group reached the start of the climb, Lorenzo Nespoli (MBH Bank Ballan CSB) jumped away. He quickly gained 30 seconds. Filippo d’Aiuto (Petrolike) counter-attacked and then Jay Vine crossed. The Australian was the first to reach the top and then extend his lead. He soloed to his second stage win of the week. The other attackers were caught by the group of favourites. Jarno Widar, who had attacked in the final, was also unable to stay away, so there was a sprint for second place, in which Davide Donati won ahead of Alexey Lutsenko. This group also included Ben Tulett, who had managed to fend off an attack from Magnus Sheffield (INEOS Grenadiers) on the last climb. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider secured the final overall victory.
Stage winner, Jay Vine (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a pretty hard day but I was glad to be able to get another victory. The crash on stage 2 ruled me out of the GC but I was pleased to make up for it with these two stage wins. Today the plan was to help Covi and Arrieta into the leaders jersey but the race played out in a particular way which saw me go off the front and ended up fighting it out for the stage win. It was also my first win on the new aero bike which was pretty cool. Igor managed to take third in the GC too so all things considered we’re happy with the week.”
Final overall winner, Ben Tulett (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It’s amazing to win this overall classification after five tough race days. We started today with a solid lead in the general classification, so everything was about defending the jersey. We faced strong competition, but we executed our plan very well to bring it home. Jørgen was an incredible teammate today—he really helped me a lot. It’s been a great start to the year. I’m really happy with my form and my performances so far. That gives me a lot of confidence for the rest of the season. I’m learning new things about myself in every race, which is really valuable. I’m looking forward to the upcoming races.”
5th on the stage and 2nd overall, Mark Donovan (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team): “It was a chaotic final because everyone realised it was the last day and it was still quite close in the general classification. I knew the riders I had to keep an eye on and others were watching me. There was a short-lived break and my teammates did a great job bringing it back. In the final hour there were many attacks and the first group became smaller. My job was to follow and take an opportunity when one came along but it was quite hard to ride away. In the end I am happy with second place. I try not to think about the weather too much. I do quite well in the cold and rain and know what works for me and what Q36.5 clothing to chose. I knew that if I was suffering everyone else was too,”
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Stage 5 Result:
1. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates XRG in 3:11:04
2. Davide Donati Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies at 0:33
3. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Israel-Premier Tech
4. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers
5. Mark Donovan (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
6. Mattéo Vercher (Fra) TotalEnergies
7. Emil Herzog (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe Rookies
8. Lorenzo Nespoli (Ita) MBH Bank Ballan CSB
9. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Unibet Tietema Rockets
10. Alessandro Fancellu (Ita) JCL Team Ukyo.
Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Final Overall Result:
1. Ben Tulett (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike in 18:40:04
2. Mark Donovan (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team at 0:18
3. Igor Arrieta Lizarraga (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:23
4. Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz) Israel-Premier Tech at 0:26
5. Simone Velasco (Ita) XDS Astana
6. Mattéo Vercher (Fra) TotalEnergies at 0:35
7. Giovanni Carboni (Ita) Unibet Tietema Rockets at 0:38
8. Emil Herzog (Ger) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 0:42
9. Alessandro Pinarello VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè at 0:45
10. Magnus Sheffield (USA) INEOS Grenadiers at 0:47.
Coppi e Bartali’25 stage 5:
E3 Saxo Bank Classic 2025
Mathieu van der Poel won the E3 Saxo Classic, a repeat of last year. The Alpecin-Deceuninck leader rode Mads Pedersen and Filippo Ganna off his wheel on the Oude Kwarement, after which he soloed almost 40 kilometres to the finish. Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) was second at 1:05 and Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers) was third at 2:04. Wout van Aert was mostly invisible
No Tadej Pogačar, but Mathieu van der Poel was there, as was Wout van Aert, who had just returned from a training camp in Tenerife. There were also Matteo Jorgenson, Mads Pedersen and Filippo Ganna.
The battle broke out early. After the first attacks, there was a big crash. This caused several abandonments, Soudal Quick-Step lost three riders at one go, and also caused a split in the peloton. Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert had to change bikes and were in the second peloton. Alpecin-Deceuninck led the chase, but at first didn’t make an impression. The front group with Matteo Jorgenson, Matej Mohorič, Stefan Küng, Taco van der Hoorn, Florian Vermeersch and Jasper Stuyven, quickly gained 3 minutes. Groupama-FDJ was one of the teams that took the initiative at the front, then later Julien Vermote (Visma | Lease a Bike) joined in. Van Aert had missed out, but co-leader Jorgenson was there. Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R), Julius van den Berg (Picnic PostNL) and Rory Townsend (Q36.5) had escaped from the first group, but were caught again with 137 kilometres to go. The gap to the Van der Poel/Van Aert group had been reduced to 1:20. With the help of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, Alpecin-Deceuninck closed the gap with 112 kilometres to go.
The regrouping came on the Kanarieberg. Louis Vervaeke attacked from the front of the peloton and Jorgenson came through just before the top. The Visma | Lease a Bike rider wanted to take advantage of the fact that Van der Poel and the others were still at the back. The American’s acceleration led to new cracks in the peloton. Van der Poel had already moved forward, but Mohorič, who had previously been on the attack, was dropped. After a few more attacks, peace returned to the peloton. The riders had to catch their breath after the fast start. Aime De Gendt had a different idea. The Cofidis rider attacked on the Knokteberg and was joined by Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step). The two reached the top of the Kortekeer with a lead of almost 1 minute. Nothing happened in the peloton on the climb, but at the top INEOS Grenadiers took over. They pulled the group in a long line towards the Taaienberg. When turning onto the Taaienberg, Alex Kirsch (Lidl-Trek) came to the front. The Luxembourger led the attack for Mads Pedersen. Only one rider could follow: Van der Poel. Ganna had to pass at first, but was able to close the gap at the top. Things didn’t look so good for Visma | Lease a Bike. Both Van Aert and Jorgenson were too far back on the cobbled climb. Jorgenson in the first chasing group, Van Aert even further back, in the large peloton.
At the front, Van der Poel, Pedersen and Ganna joined De Gendt and Pedersen. Their lead over the Jorgenson group, including Joshua Tarling, Matteo Trentin, Jasper Stuyven, Stefan Küng and Tim Wellens, quickly increased to more than a minute. The peloton with Van Aert was now at 2 minutes, despite Tiesj Benoot lifting the pace a few times. The finale now started, with first the Paterberg and then the Oude Kwaremont. On the Paterberg, the leaders stayed together, but on the Oude Kwaremont the group split. This was due to an acceleration by Van der Poel. The Alpecin-Deceuninck rider pushed hard on the cobbles, causing De Gendt, Casper Pedersen and Ganna to let go. Mads Pedersen manage to hold on, until it was too fast for him too. The Dane saw the Dutchman ride away and had already lost time at the top. On the road to the Karnemelkbeekstraat, Pedersen was able to limit the gap to around 15 seconds, while Ganna was now alone at almost 30 seconds. After this climb, Van der Poel further extended his lead, as it started to rain. Van der Poel nearly crashed on a bend, but just saved himself.
The Dutchman rode on and was even spat on by a ‘fan’ at the side of the road, he gained more time on Pedersen, who in turn was getting further away from Ganna. The first two places on the podium were secured well before the finish in Harelbeke. Van der Poel won the Classic for the second year in a row, Pedersen was best of the rest by more than a minute. Ganna had to speed up to finish third. Behind him, a group of six riders had formed: Wellens, Jorgenson, Küng and Stuyven joined (Casper) Pedersen and De Gendt with just under 15 kilometres to go. However, the Italian managed to stay ahead of the six, so he could join Van der Poel and Pedersen on the podium. The sprint for fourth place was won by Casper Pedersen 2:33 after Van der Poel had finished. In the peloton: Mike Teunissen was the fastest and took 10th place. Wout van Aert also finished in this large group, but didn’t compete in the sprint.
Race winner, Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck): “I am very, very happy. It was quite a tough race with the team. In the beginning I was behind a crash and some teams thought it was necessary to take advantage of that. I have to thank all my teammates for the great work they did. I was very motivated and felt a bit obliged to finish it off. I suffered quite a bit. I was quite deep, but I am happy that I can reward my teammates with a victory. In recent years the decision has never really been made on the Taaienberg, because it always came back together. But we immediately had a nice gap, with Ganna and an impressive Pedersen. I immediately knew that we would go far with that group. Afterwards I did have the plan to make a selection on the Oude Kwaremont, so that we would not be left with five riders. But I know from last year how difficult it is. The wind was against us again towards the finish. It was very long, but there is a nice reward at the end. I am very happy that I won. It was so miserable long that last part alone, that was really tough. He (Roodhooft) tried to motivate me a bit and make the time pass a bit faster. It was a fight until the finish. I always try to peak for the Tour of Flanders. Tadej will be riding there. I will definitely need to be in good shape to beat him, but I think I did everything I could to be in the best possible position at the start. Now we have to wait until next week.”
2nd, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “I’m very happy. Today I had good legs, and this is the best result ever for me in this race. And to be beaten by a monster, that’s okay. I think it’s clear. He went on the Kwaremont and rode very hard there, from the foot. There I couldn’t keep his wheel anymore. He’s incredibly good and it was impossible to come back. I had no answer to that anymore.”
3rd, Filippo Ganna (INEOS Grenadiers): “It cost me too much energy. I was hoping to follow those two, because you hope to do everything right in a race like that, but I’m simply too heavy for those climbs with those guys. That’s why I’m very happy with this performance. In the last few kilometres I was deep in the red zone, but I had to keep riding… I don’t know how to describe it. My legs were on fire and at the top I saw that it was still 30 kilometres. F*ck, I thought then, because I still had more than half an hour to go… It was very hard, but I’m happy, because my form is good. I’m not the best rider for those steep hills, but I mixed it up and showed myself.”
4th, Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step): “We started off by losing some guys in the crash, but we tried to remain calm and come back after we got caught in the split. As soon as that happened, I tried to anticipate a bit and went on the attack, which worked out great in the end. When the guys began attacking on the Oude Kwaremont, I just tried to do my own race and not go into the red, because the first three guys were incredibly strong and in a league of their own. I rode my race together with Aimé instead of emptying myself behind the three, found my pace and continued like that even after we got caught. In the sprint, I again tried to do my best and use whatever energy I had left, and I’m now delighted to get what is my best ever result in a cobbled classic.”
9th, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma | Lease a Bike): “My feeling was okay, but I think I just made efforts a bit too early and had to pay it back later. I was in a good situation, but before there were TV footage, I had already invested a lot to get back to the first group. I wasn’t in that crash, but I was behind it. We have to work on that. I had to give too much to get back to the three riders at the front. We ended up in a kind of chasse patate. I used up a lot of energy… Was I the best rider on the team today? I have no idea. I felt good, but it wasn’t a good race.”
15th, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I missed the beat on the Taaienberg, I was a bit too far there. I was just behind the split, around position twenty, so from there it was a race from behind. So yes… I tried to get ahead with the better ones, but it took a long time before we got a separation. On the Oude Kwaremont I rode away with Florian Vermeersch. I was in a pretty good position, but just before Taaienberg every place counts. I wasn’t in a good enough position to be there. I did have a good final, but I had hoped to be in the race. I had hoped to get a result and that didn’t work out.”
E3 Saxo Bank Classic Result:
1. Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck in 4:38:11
2. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek at 1:05
3. Filippo Ganna (Ita) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:04
4. Casper Pedersen (Den) Soudal Quick-Step at 2:33
5. Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Lidl-Trek
6. Stefan Küng (Sui) Groupama-FDJ
7. Aimé Degendt (Bel) Cofidis
8. Tim Wellens (Bel) UAE Emirates XRG at 2:35
9. Matteo Jorgenson (USA) Visma | Lease a Bike at 2:38
10. Mike Teunissen (Ned) XDS Astana at 2:43.
E3 Saxo’25:
Nikias Arndt breaks back in Brugge-De Panne, but is also lucky
Nikias Arndt was perhaps the biggest victim of the heavy crashes in the Classic Brugge-De Panne on Wednesday. The German from Bahrain Victorious suffered an unstable vertebral fracture in the crash and underwent surgery on Thursday.
Arndt will be out for the coming months to work on his recovery. His team hopes that Arndt will be back on the bike within two months. “In the coming days, Nikias will first work on his mobility and his recovery at home,” according to the team. The crash could have been much worse for the German. Bahrain Victorious reports that no neurological symptoms occurred.
Nikias Arndt out for a while:
Patrick Lefevere Presented with Champagne at the E3 Saxo Classic
Patrick Lefevere was put in the spotlight by the race organisers before the start of the E3 Saxo Classic. The retired team manager of Soudal Quick-Step received twelve bottles of champagne from the race. In his years as team manager, Lefevere won the E3 Saxo Classic twelve times. Tom Boonen five times for the Belgian and the last time was Kasper Asgreen in 2021. Each of the twelve bottles that Lefevere was presented with, is engraved with a signature of each of the twelve winners.
The 70-year-old Belgian appreciated the gesture of the organisers and was loudly sung to by the audience at the Forestier stadium.
12 bottles of Champagne for Patrick:
New contract for Olav Kooij?
Olav Kooij’s contract with Vista | Lease a Bike runs out at the end of this season. The 23-year-old top sprinter of Visma | Lease a Bike is currently the team’s top finisher, but the question is whether the team’s ambitions are in line with those of Kooij. Grischa Niermann said before the start of Classic Brugge-De Panne that they are negotiating about that.
In addition to being Head of Racing since the departure of Merijn Zeeman, Niermann has also been responsible for the selection, any transfers and contract extensions. The German does not want to know anything about the sprinter’s departure. “No, because we are still in discussions with him and his managers. That can go both ways. Of course we are negotiating with Olav about a contract extension, but also about his sporting ambitions and possibilities.”
“It is clear that he wants to go to the Tour de France,” Niermann says. “We have to see if that fits in our schedule for the coming years. We’ll talk about that. We’ll see what comes of it.” There is no deadline, the German says when asked. “But at a certain point you have to move on. That also applies to Olav. We still have some time. Officially the deadline is August 1. Let’s wait and see.”
Another possible factor in the decision whether or not to continue with Kooij is the rapid development of Matthew Brennan. The 19-year-old British rider won four times this month. “The best scenario for our team is that you have five or six riders who win ten times a year,” Niermann laughs. “That’s also what we’re going for, what we’re striving for. But you also have to have a balance in your team, a balance in terms of opportunities. We have our own ideas about that and we make decisions based on that. And sometimes you have to accept that riders see it differently.”
Olav Kooij to go or stay?
‘Brainless Macho Bullshit’, Thijs Zonneveld and Johan Bruyneel Arguing Again
Thijs Zonneveld and Johan Bruyneel are once again in disagreement, due to statements made by Bruyneel on the podcast THE MOVE. After the many crashes in the Classic Brugge-De Panne, the former rider and team manager states that cycling is “war” and “not a sport for pussies”. This didn’t go down well with Zonneveld.
Juan Sebastian Molano was the winner of the Classic Brugge-De Panne, but in reality the race was manly about the losers. The finale of the race was marred by several bad crashes, which meant that only twenty riders in the first group were still in the race.
According to some riders and team DS’s, the many crashes could have been avoided, but Bruyneel thinks differently. “For all the people who think they can just decide what should happen, I have a message. Some people say that riders should be disqualified immediately or suspended for two weeks, but I have news for them: this sport is not for pussies.”
“Cycling is war. If you don’t push yourself, you will be pushed. It’s that simple,” Bruyneel thinks. “If you talk to riders who are always part of the hustle and bustle of the last kilometres, they will say: this is part of it. We do it ourselves when the situation demands it. If you brake, it’s over. You don’t let yourself be pushed away, you push back. My ideas are probably a bit old-fashioned. I don’t say wrong, but old-fashioned. Cycling is not for softies, it’s a tough sport.”
Racing according to Bruyneel:
Eddy Merckx Undergoes Surgery Due to Loose Prosthesis
Eddy Merckx underwent more hip surgery last weekend. The 79-year-old Belgian received an artificial hip at the end of last year, after he broke his hip due to a fall from his bike. But the titanium prosthesis turned out not to be properly attached to the bone.
The five-time Tour winner rehabilitated after his surgery in December 2024 in Antwerp with the well-known physiotherapist Thijs Hertsens, who has been working with Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert for years, but felt little improvement in recent months. “I was just doing exercises all the time, but nothing improved,” ‘The Cannibal’ said in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.
“Such beautiful weather outside and I couldn’t even ride on the rollers. That immediately shot into my leg. Even walking was difficult. When I stood up after sitting, my leg always snapped. I really had a lot of pain. I kept saying: something’s wrong, something’s wrong… But you don’t know what feeling is normal and people say ‘yes, you’re turning eighty…’
However, after a new scan it turned out that his titanium prosthesis was loose. “The doctor tells me that it has only happened four times in 10,000 cases,” says Merckx. “Now the prosthesis is apparently cemented. The operation took four hours, but I felt it immediately on Sunday. I stood up and it was different straight away. Unfortunately, I lost four months in my rehabilitation.”
That the most successful cyclist in history will get back on his bike in the future is a given. “I hope you’ll see me back on the bike soon. Cycling is my life and I’ll continue to love doing it. So why should I stop?”, Merckx said at the end of last year.
More surgery for Eddy:
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