TOP STORY:
- Comment: Giro ’26 Route
RACE NEWS
- Eschborn-Frankfurt Raises the Bar for 2026
- AlUla Tour Added to ProSeries Calendar
RIDER, TEAM AND CYCLING NEWS
- Girmay Is NSN’s First Big Signing
- Le Court, Girmay Voted African Cyclists of the Year
- Juanpe Lopez Heads to Movistar Team
- Portuguese Cycling Guru Poeira Retires
- Campagnolo Cuts Staff by 40%
Comment: Giro ’26 Route
On Monday PEZ shared the official Giro d’Italia route announcement press release — and soon we’ll post our stage-by-stage analysis. For now, I (eTrashMike) will offer a quick bit of commentary.
In an era when parcours design seems to follow a More! More! MORE! approach — when the answer to the question How can we draw more fans? is consistently More, longer and steeper hills! — Giro ’26’s slight retreat, with a touch less climbing and a single long, flat time trial, is a welcome shift.
You retort: Forty kilometers of solo aero-droning, with commentators struggling to fill airtime, is welcome?? To which we respond: If it makes a Grand Tour more competitive…why yes! (And the time trial starts in Viareggio, home to the best bike hotel in town:)
The route’s most notable feature is indeed that long TT, smack in the middle of the Giro’s three weeks, but there are more tidbits on offer:
- Fodder for the sprinters: Even I don’t watch an entire griddle-planed day like, say, stage 15 — but at a time when sprinters are finding fewer and fewer opportunities, a Maglia Ciclamino competition that evenly pits the puncheurs against the final-meter headbangers sounds appealing.
- Punchy climbs — everyone’s favorite route profile. Frankly we’d like to see more, but this route does offer a few chances to watch something like parity across rider styles.
- Short stages — I did the math for our American readers, and count nine stages shorter than 100 miles (plus the 40K time trial) — including one that’s just 70 miles, but is packed with verticality. Sub-century stages consistently entertain; I hope we see more of these in the Tour as well.
- Intermediate time bonuses — I’m a fan, and I hope they’re back. These mid-stage bonifications — smartly sponsored by Red Bull — liven up stages and keep GC contenders (and their teams) on their game irrespective of whether the final kilometers point upwards.
- Stage 7 to Blockhaus — According to this PEZ Roadside report about the last time the Giro ascended the Blockhaus (named after an ancient fortress at the top), this is one mean climb — and I love the idea of a German-sounding ascent in the middle of Italy.
The 2026 route is far from perfect: Every high-mountain stage ends on a summit, depriving us of the thrill of precipitous final kilometers that pit the best grimpeurs against fast-climbing daredevil descenders.
Speaking of which: it is, of course, the riders — not the route — that make the race. But this is a route that may well draw riders: Remco may take the stage-ten bait; the sprinter corps could include Merlier, Milan, Philipsen — and even Brennan and Pedersen. Jonas has half-committed to toeing the line in Nessebar. Mix in a still-angry Del Toro and maybe other young talent viewing this slightly more accessible course as a Grand Tour stepping stone (Paul Seixas, anyone?), and we could see a star-studded 2026 Giro d’Italia.
Minus Tadej. Alas.
For more PEZ-flavored coverage related to the 2026 Giro, check out the video below, where Richard rides the 19% grades of the Muro di ca’ del Poggio.
RACE NEWS
Eschborn-Frankfurt Raises the Bar for 2026
Germany’s premier one-day race is getting significantly harder. On May 1st, the UCI WorldTour event will cover 210 kilometers with over 3,300 meters of climbing — a route with virtually no opportunity for recovery.
The race introduces three major changes. The iconic Feldberg, tackled twice, now uses the tougher southwestern approach on both ascents. The Mammolshainer Stich, climbed three times, shifts its middle ascent closer to the finale, creating back-to-back steep ramps in the closing kilometers.
Most notably, the new Burgweg climb debuts — a brutal 500-meter ramp averaging 11 percent that leads directly into the demanding Feldberg ascent. This section repeats three times, offering prime spectator opportunities.
“This race has always been tough, but the new route raises the bar,” says Sports Director Fabian Wegmann. “With 150 kilometers of constant climbing in the Taunus and steeper gradients throughout, it’s three and a half hours of pure action. This profile brings May 1 closer to the Ardennes Classics.”
Will a puncheur like Matthews be able to win on the new, harder route?
AlUla Tour Added to ProSeries Calendar
Woohoo! Another race on the calendar! The 6th edition of the AlUla Tour (known as the Saudi Tour from 2020 to 2023) has been added to the 2026 ProSeries calendar; previous editions were held as a 2.1 event.
The AlUla region of Saudi Arabia features millennia-old geological formations, prehistoric sites, and Nabataean rock-carved temples, all listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The region is also known as a sprinting stronghold; past stage winners range from Nacer Bouhanni to Jonathan Milan, as well as Caleb Ewan, Phil Bauhaus, Dylan Groenewegen, and most recently Tim Merlier, who kicked off his impressive 2025 campaign with a double victory last January.
Since 2022, however, puncheurs and climbers have also had the opportunity to shine, with climbing specialists winning the last two editions: Vuelta and Giro champion Simon Yates (2024), followed by Alpe d’Huez stage winner Tom Pidcock (2025).
The 2026 edition marks a new turning point for the AlUla Tour with its upgrade to the ProSeries calendar, directly below the WorldTour level in the UCI stage-race hierarchy. This development is likely to attract an increasingly elite field to Saudi Arabia to launch the cycling season.
2025 Podium
- Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team)
- Fredrick Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility)
- Johannes Kulset (Uno-X Mobility)
RIDER & TEAM NEWS
Girmay Is NSN’s First Big Signing
Eritrean star Biniam Girmay has signed a three-year contract with NSN Cycling Team, becoming the marquee rider for the rebranded squad from 2026 onward. The team, which emerges from the structure formerly known as Israel-Premier Tech, is stepping into a new WorldTour chapter with Girmay as its sprint and Classics leader.
NSN management has framed the move as a cornerstone transfer, highlighting Girmay’s blend of speed, versatility, and humility, and positioning him at the center of an upgraded lead-out train for Grand Tours and one-day races. For Girmay, who previously made history with Gent-Wevelgem and Giro d’Italia stage wins, as well the Green Jersey at the Tour de France, the move represents a fresh environment and a clear mandate: to keep winning big races. Both rider and team view the partnership as a long-term project, aiming at major Classics and continued breakthrough results for African cycling on the world stage.
Girmay, Le Court Voted African Cyclists of the Year
The Africa Cycling Excellence Awards ceremony honoured Africa’s cyclists of the year. Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay and Mauritius’ Kim Le Court were crowned in the Elite category, Burkina Faso’s Paul Daumont in the amateur category, and Eritrea as African Cycling Nation of the Year 2025.
Men’s Elite Category : Biniam Girmay Untouchable
The Eritrean was voted Africa’s best cyclist for the fifth time, following his successes in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024. He is followed on the podium by two other Eritreans: Henok Mulubrhan of the Kazakh team XDS-Astana (winner of a stage of the Tour of Rwanda and 2nd in the final classification) and Natnael Tesfazion, who has established himself as a key member of the Spanish team Movistar.
Women’s Elite Category: Kim Le Court at the Top
Mauritian cycling is in the spotlight thanks to its champion Kim Le Court, who demonstrated her talent this season by winning a stage of the Tour de France and becoming the first African woman to wear the yellow jersey (for four days). She also won the classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the spring, the first time an African rider has won a World Tour event.
She finished ahead of South African Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, who rides for the same Belgian team (AG Insurance-Soudal Team), and the young Ethiopian revelation Tsige Kiros, who trains at the UCI World Cycling Centre.
National Teams Category : Eritrea lives up to its legend
This new category, reserved for performances achieved by riders wearing their national team jerseys, also went to the Eritreans, who won major events such as the Tour of Rwanda with Henok Mulubrhan and Nahom Araya Zeray. It was also the performance of Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, the only African to have finished the World Championships in Kigali, that caught the jury’s attention. Eritrea is ahead of Mauritius thanks to Kim Le Court’s performance at the World Championships (8th) and the victories of Alexandre Mayer at the GP Chantal Biya and Lucie De Marigny-Lagesse at the Windhoek Tour. Rwanda takes 3rd place thanks to their five places in the top 10 of the Tour of Rwanda stages.
Juanpe Lopez Heads to Movistar Team
Movistar Team has announced the signing of Juan Pedro “Juanpe” López (Lebrija, 1997), who will wear the team’s colors until the 2027 season.
López expressed his satisfaction after the deal was confirmed: “It’s an honor to sign for a team that embodies the values of Movistar Team, a home team after my six-year journey abroad. There comes a time when changes can bring something good, and moving to the home team is an ambition multiplied by two.
“Taking this step is a great opportunity for me. I want to bring the experience I have to the team, and I still have a few years left to give 100% and do my very best for the squad. Learning from my teammates, sharing my experience, and above all, trying to perform as best as I can. I believe this is the team that suits me, and I want to enjoy it to the fullest.”
Portuguese Cycling Guru Poeira Retires
After 25 years at the helm of the Portuguese National Cycling Team, José Poeira has announced his retirement at the age of 66. José Poeira was road world champion with Rui Costa in 2013, won the Olympic silver medal in 2004 with Sérgio Paulinho, and won the Under-23 Nations Cup in 2008.
In addition, through his work with the National Team—following riders from the junior ranks all the way to the elite—he was instrumental in discovering and developing many talents, such as João Almeida, António Morgado, and Nelson Oliveira, among others.
“I am very proud of the path I have followed at the Portuguese Cycling Federation. I started as a masseur and became the Elite National Coach, a position I held for 25 years. I had the privilege of accompanying several generations of cyclists, from the youth categories all the way to the professional level. I helped boys become men and men become champions,” says José Poeira in his farewell message.
Rui Costa recalls winning the world title in Florence: “The hug he gave me on the World Championship podium symbolizes everything we achieved together. With Mr. Poeira leading us, we managed to turn limitations into strength, achieving what seemed impossible.”
Costa credits Poeira for his stellar career.
Campagnolo Cuts Staff by 40%
Campagnolo laid off 40% of its workforce after it reported losses of 24 million euros ($27.8 million) over the past three years.
According to sister publication Velo, a Campagnolo statement cited by Italian publication Il Gazzettino outlined the financial troubles that led to the termination of 120 of the component brand’s 300 employees. It said there would otherwise be “dramatic consequences for the company and for the city of Vicenza.”
Campagnolo, like Shimano and others, has faced headwinds since the end of the COVID-related industry boom. Those include new U.S. tariffs on European imports, with Italy saddled with a 15% “reciprocal” tariff in addition to pre-existing duties on bike parts, which are up to 11% depending on the component. The new 15% tariff on EU imports is lower than the tariffs on parts from Taiwan and other Asian manufacturing nations, however.
In June, Cherry Bank, an Italian bank, provided 8.5 million euros in financing for Campagnolo to use in the development and launch of its 13-speed road groups.
Thanks to Bicycle Retailer for this content.
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Back in 2020, Richard rode the absurdly steep Muro di ca’ del Poggio, which will feature in next year’s Giro. Check out his video here!
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