As we get our breath back from the last stunning days of the Giro d’Italia, we still have a full EUROTRASH this Thursday to unpack:
TOP STORY:
- UAE Emirates XRG team manager: “We underestimated Simon Yates”
Rider news:
- Jonas Vingegaard: “I enjoy having a rival like Pogačar, hopefully he feels the same”
- Wout van Aert Won the Trofeo Bonacossa at the Giro d’Italia
- Matthew Brennan in Norway: “I will never forget it for the rest of my life”
- Will there be an even better version of Remco Evenepoel in the Tour?
- Will Kaden Groves now be going to the Tour de France?
- Romain Bardet has specific reason to retire
- Shari Bossuyt’s doping suspension is about to expire: “I don’t care what people think”
- Fabio Jakobsen doesn’t rule out riding the Tour de France
- Cian Uijtdebroeks asks Visma | Lease a Bike for more time
- Belgian junior champion, Mathias De Keersmaeker, receives phone call from Remco Evenepoel
- Patrick Lefevere bids farewell to Ludo Dierckxsens
Team news:
- How XDS Astana brought ‘moneyball’ to cycling
- UAE Emirates XGR doesn’t want to send Juan Ayuso to the Vuelta a España
- Eneicat women’s UCI cycling team to move up
- Soudal Quick-Step to the Critérium du Dauphiné
- Next races for Picnic PostNL
- Soudal Quick-Step racing in Belgium again
Race news:
- New route and new experience for 2025 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec Unveils
TOP STORY: UAE Emirates XRG Team Manager: “We Underestimated Simon Yates”
Team manager, Mauro Gianetti, has already acknowledged that the UAE Emirates XRG team made mistakes on stage 20 of the Giro d’Italia. Now his colleague Fabio Baldato is doing the same. The Italian admits that they underestimated Simon Yates and is disappointed that he did not encourage Isaac Del Toro more.
“We definitely underestimated Simon,” Baldato said in an interview with Bicisport. “He was excellent on Saturday. Just look at his climbing times. Behind that, there was a mental and physical battle between Isaac and Richard Carapaz. That is unfortunately how it went. The strongest and smartest won.”
Baldato saw how Carapaz and pink jersey wearer Del Toro battled on the Colle delle Finestre and canceled each other out. “The instructions (for Del Toro) were to follow Carapaz, because we expected him to go all out from the bottom. So Isaac wasn’t surprised at first. He was able to react well. But Simon was smart enough to go himself, to anticipate and to set the other two against each other.”
Yates got further and further away from Carapaz and Del Toro. In the UAE Emirates XRG team car they got a bit worried when the gap grew to 30 seconds, Baldato admits. Especially because Yates had the strong Wout van Aert with him. “Halfway up the climb we encouraged Isaac to also keep Yates under control, but we didn’t do that more than once. Also because he’s the one on the bike, he can feel his own legs. His goal was to reach the top with Carapaz. He chose to save his strength for the end. In the end Isaac made that decision himself.”
Still, Baldato does regret a little that he didn’t encourage the young Mexican to chase Yates more than once. “It hurts Isaac, me and everyone in the team. Maybe I should have said to him again: ‘You have to go now, you have to chase.’ The regret remains, but it’s easy to analyse and judge in hindsight. Isaac knew how much energy he still had. And we have to remember that he’s still very young. Carapaz has already won a Grand Tour, so there was respect and also some fear.”
UAE could have done more:
Jonas Vingegaard: “I Enjoy Having a Rival Like Pogačar, Hopefully He Feels the Same”
Rumour is that Jonas Vingegaard is getting fit in time for the Tour de France, now the Dane has confirmed the news. On Sunday, the Dane hopes to take a new step in his preparation for the Tour de France in the Critérium du Dauphiné.
“I feel like a completely different person than last year”, he said in an interview with Eurosport. “My body is responding very well to all the training I have done. I always like the process of being in the best possible shape at the start of the Tour de France. For me that is the big goal and I enjoy doing the hard work. Everyone is making progress at the moment, so I have to do that too. To win the Tour, I have to be even better than two years ago. I have the feeling that I am improving.”
In the Dauphiné, the Visma | Lease a Bike rider will be up against his biggest rival, Tadej Pogačar, for the first time in almost a year. Vingegaard holds the Slovenian in high regard. “Without Tadej it wouldn’t be the same. I really enjoy having a rival like him. Hopefully he feels the same way.”
Vingegaard looking forward to his next battle with Pogačar:
Wout van Aert Won the Trofeo Bonacossa at the Giro d’Italia
Wout van Aert was a great work-horse for the eventual Giro winner Simon Yates on Saturday and guided Olav Kooij to victory in the final stage on Sunday. But the Visma | Lease a Bike Belgian also won a prize on the final day of the Giro d’Italia. He received the Trofeo Bonacossa on the final podium in Rome, a trophy awarded by a jury of journalists to the rider who delivered ‘the greatest sporting achievement’ in the three-week race.
Van Aert had a difficult start to the Giro d’Italia. Although he finished second behind Mads Pedersen in the opening stage, he was out of the running in the days, which was the result of a viral infection during preparation. At the end of the first full week, the Belgian struck again. In Siena he won the Strade Bianche stage of this Giro, he was also very important in both of Olav Kooij’s stage victories and made a particular impression in the final mountain stage, where he towed Simon Yates in the valley before the final climb, which helped Yates take the pink jersey.
It was enough for the jury to award Van Aert the Trofeo Bonacossa, named after Alberto Bonacossa, former owner of La Gazzetta dello Sport. Van Aert is the second Belgian to receive the prize, Philippe Gilbert was awarded it in 2015.
Van Aert was not the only rider who was on the podium for a ‘lesser’ prize. Lorenzo Fortunato, who won the KOM jersey, was honoured as the most combative rider of the Giro. Dries De Bondt was the winner of the intermediate sprint classification and Manuele Tarozzi was on the podium twice, as he won the Red Bull kilometre competition and was the rider with the most kilometres in the break over the entire Giro.
Van Aert deserved the Trofeo Bonacossa for his work for Simon Yates:
Matthew Brennan in Norway: “I Will Never Forget it For the Rest of my Life”
On Sunday, Matthew Brennan won the final stage of the Tour of Norway and also secured the overall victory in the four-day stage race. It was the first time that the 19-year-old has won a professional stage race.
“This is beautiful,” Brennan, who put the finishing touches on his second stage win of the week in Stavanger, wrote on the Visma | Lease a Bike website. “It was treacherous and super hectic in the final. Thanks to the good work of the team, we were able to sprint again. It was very close, but I had the feeling that I had caught Kristoff at the finish line. Fortunately, that turned out to be true. It was still exciting for a while, but I am happy and relieved that I was able to win today.”
Brennan is very grateful to his team: “Without them, this really wouldn’t have been possible. We rode as a close-knit team in the past few days. I think we showed some really great things. It’s my first win in a general classification as a professional rider. I’ll never forget these victories for the rest of my life.”
Brennan has found the winning secret:
Will there be an Even Better Version of Remco Evenepoel in the Tour?
We don’t have to wait long for the Tour de France. In the run-up to the French Grand Tour, many of the top riders will be starting the Critérium du Dauphiné. Remco Evenepoel will be there, but what can we expect from the Belgian in July? His coach, Koen Pelgrim, think we will see a better version of Remco.
In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, the Dutch trainer is already looking ahead to the coming months of racing. “Remco is definitely better on schedule than he was last year. Then he started the altitude training camp for the Dauphiné with a disadvantage, he was struggling at the beginning of that training camp and he was really not where we hoped he would be. After the accumulation of competitions in the spring, the week of rest really did him good and he was able to start the altitude training camp at a pretty good level. In that respect, he is already a step ahead of last year,” Pelgrim stated. “Last year, Remco improved a lot between the Dauphiné and the Tour. So we will have to see whether Remco is still in a better position at the start of the Tour.”
Due to a training accident in December, Evenepoel had a flawed run-up to his first competitions of 2025. Has he made up the accumulated deficit in the meantime? “All in all, due to his winter break and injuries, he was off the bike for four months. You can’t just make up for something like that. You can return to a good level relatively quickly, but it is those last few percent that are crucial. For that, you have to be able to train consistently over a long period. We hope that Remco can gain those last two or three percent in the coming weeks.”
Evenepoel no longer has to think about losing weight. “He is one and a half kilos lighter than last year around this time. Then he really had to lose weight after the Dauphiné, while this year it has been much more gradual. Last year we had to chase both his competition weight and his form. The fact that he no longer has to do that this year is positive.”
Evenepoel ready for the Tour:
Will Kaden Groves now be going to the Tour de France?
Earlier this year, Kaden Groves was very clear that he would not only ride the Giro d’Italia this year, but also the Tour de France. The French Grand Tour is ‘certainly a possibility’, but Groves is still keeping his options open.
In conversation with Cycling Pro Net, Groves not only talked about his Giro d’Italia, but also looked ahead to the Tour de France. Will the 26-year-old sprinter be in Lille for the start in five weeks time?
“The plan remains the same for now: after the Giro I will have a recovery period and then I will go on an altitude training camp towards the Tour”, the fast man said. “After that, the Tour is certainly a possibility. It will depend on how I come out of the Giro, but first I will enjoy my rest.”
So it is not yet entirely certain whether Groves will make his debut in the Tour de France (5-27 July) this year. In February, he talked about his role within the team. “In the Tour I will of course support Jasper and Mathieu (Philipsen and Van der Poel). Jasper’s track record there is more than fantastic, but I also dream of one day competing for stage wins in the Tour myself. And maybe an opportunity will arise this year.”
Groves to the Tour?
Romain Bardet has Specific Reason to Retire
Romain Bardet’s professional cycling career is almost over. The Frenchman will ride the Critérium du Dauphiné (8-15 June) and then end to his career. But why is Bardet already saying goodbye to the peloton at the age of 34? “I’m not as consistent as I used to be,” he said in an interview with Ciclo21.
Bardet has been racing in the Giro d’Italia in recent weeks, he was looking for a stage victory in La Corsa Rosa, but without success. The experienced Frenchman did come close on stage 17 to Bormio, but Bardet was also confronted with reality. “I had a great Giro with the team (Picnic PostNL), although I personally had hoped for a bit more. I am a bit angry with myself, because I didn’t seize my chance”, Bardet refers to the stage won by Isaac Del Toro, finishing in Bormio.
“The level in the peloton is so high these days that I have to focus on stages. I don’t race with the same regularity anymore. It’s time to stop, because I can’t ride for the general classification anymore. The right moment has come”, Bardet looks forward to the end of his career.
But first Bardet will ride the Critérium du Dauphiné where he has had some success in the past. Ten years ago, he took his first victory in the WorldTour in the Dauphiné, soloing to victory in the mountain stage to Pra-Loup. Bardet also stood on the final podium twice: in 2016 he was second, two years later he finished third in the final overall.
Bardet will hang his race bike up soon:
Shari Bossuyt’s Doping Suspension is About to Expire: “I Don’t Care what People Think”
Shari Bossuyt’s two-year doping suspension is about to end. The 24-year-old rider will be able to race again from the 14th of June and will be with the AG Insurance-Soudal team. “They took something from me, I didn’t want to give up for that,” she said in an interview with Sporza.
Bossuyt tested positive in March 2023 after winning the third stage of the Tour of Normandy. She herself had no idea how the banned substance had entered her body and later the French doping agency would also admit that she had not taken the substance on purpose. Nevertheless, she was suspended for two years. Her suspension expires on 13 June, which means that she will be allowed to race again from 14 June. She has found shelter at AG Insurance-Soudal.
“I still get the shivers when I think about how it all went,” Bossuyt said. “Whatever people dare to think, I don’t care. I know that I have never used doping, and I never will. I have never thought about giving up. They took something from me, something I didn’t do. I don’t want to give up for that.”
Bossuyt couldn’t stay with her old team Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto. That is why she contacted Jolien D’hoore, the AG Insurance-Soudal team manager. “I had known for a while that Jolien was interested in me,” she said. “We clicked from the first conversation.”
Bossuyt will return in a kermis race. Not long after that, the first WorldTour is the Copenhagen Sprint (21st June). The Belgian Championship is also on her programme and then possibly the Tour de France Femmes.
Shari Bossuyt to return to racing:
Fabio Jakobsen Doesn’t Rule Out Riding the Tour de France
Fabio Jakobsen is still recovering from the operation on his narrowed pelvic arteries, but there is still a chance he might start the Tour de France. He said in the podcast Speed On Wheels. The sprinter did admit that it will be ‘very tight’.
“I am regularly asked whether I will go to the Tour,” Jakobsen said. “Then I say that it will be really tight. I can’t say yes or no to that. But the chance that I won’t go is of course greater than that I will go. Other guys who are in top shape and can train hard for weeks also deserve the chance to ride there. You never know, but the proviso I am keeping is a very small one.”
Jakobsen announced on March 31st that he would temporarily stop racing due to the injury. Two days later, he underwent successful surgery for the condition, which is common among cyclists and causes less blood to flow to the leg muscles, which reduces the power output of cyclists. After the surgery, he had to recover for about six weeks. On May 24th, Jakobsen posted a video on Instagram showing him training in Tenerife.
Jakobsen had the tests that led to the surgery carried out in Belgium, the Picnic PostNL rider did this via his old team, Soudal Quick-Step. “I just wanted a neutral, independent view of what could be going on,” Jakobsen explained. “I wanted to rule this out, apart from the current guidance, purely and solely for myself. When the diagnosis came out, I of course informed the team.”
“In the Netherlands, they don’t operate on two veins at the same time very quickly, because that involves a greater risk. There (in Belgium) it was possible. They had experience with it going well. I was also able to get in there within a relatively short time. That just goes to show that you get to know a lot of people during your career. That happened through a doctor who also became a good friend. That goes beyond the team you’re cycling for. You can always have a diagnosis made. I didn’t have it operated on without the team’s knowledge. Of course, that’s always done in consultation.”
Jakobsen to ride the Tour?
Cian Uijtdebroeks asks Visma | Lease a Bike for more time
Cian Uijtdebroeks’ return to racing with Visma | Lease a Bike is taking longer than was first expected. After his abandonment in Tirreno-Adriatico, he tried again in mid-April in a weekend with three French races in a row, but since then the 22-year-old Belgian has not been in action. That will remain the case for a while.
Uijtdebroeks and his Dutch team have agreed to take a few more weeks of rest. “Last year Cian rode well, until he started having back problems,” said Richard Plugge to Het Laatste Nieuws. “This year he also struggled with a physical discomfort and he asked us for a few weeks of rest, to completely reset. I think that’s fine, because in the long term it will pay off.” Uijtdebroeks will not be riding the Tour of Switzerland and not a Grand Tour.
“We have to keep building with him calmly,” said the Visma | Lease a Bike team manager. “One youngster flies from the start, like Matthews Brennan. The other takes longer to get to the right level.” Uijtdebroeks deserves that time, as the 22-year-old Belgian won the Tour de l’Avenir in 2022 and was 6th in the Tour de Romandie, seventh in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Switzerland and eighth in the Vuelta a España.
Uijtdebroeks still not racing:
Belgian Junior Champion Receives Phone Call from Remco Evenepoel
Mathias De Keersmaeker won the Belgian junior men’s championship on Sunday. Afterwards, the 18-year-old rider received a phone call from Remco Evenepoel. The new Belgian junior champion rides for R.EV Brussels Cycling Academy, a team set up by the double Olympic champion.
“Remco is always very closely involved. He always knows the results very quickly,” said De Keersmaeker on RTV after his win. He was the fastest in a bunch sprint. Immediately after the finish, De Keersmaeker received a phone call from the Soudal Quick-Step leader.
Evenepoel was in Spain, but followed the performance of his team closely. “He had even waited especially to go to training so he could call if we would win. Patrick (Patrick Evenepoel, Remco’s father) said that Remco had predicted it. That’s why he had waited. That was cool.”
Patrick Lefevere Bids Farewell to Ludo Dierckxsens
In Patrick Lefevere’s weekly column in Het Nieuwsblad, the Belgian ex-rider and team manager spoke of the recently deceased Ludo Dierckxsens:
“These are the kind of messages that make you feel down for a moment. Ludo Dierickxsens has passed away. Only sixty years old. While he was cycling, something he apparently still did very intensively. It makes you realise once again that death does not look at age or lifestyle.”
“Ludo has written a special story in racing. He only turned pro when he was 29. I think he was a bit scared beforehand: am I good enough? He was a hard worker but not a natural talent. There was also a financial reality: a spray painter at DAF who wins bonuses left and right as an amateur earns more than a ‘small pro’. It was his friend Wilfried Peeters who always encouraged Ludo to try it anyway.”
“Nowadays you still have a lot of ‘late callings’ in the peloton, but the Jay Vines or Jason Osbournes are different stories. They have flown in from other sports. Ludo had the advantage over them that as an ‘amateur’ he was used to riding in a peloton. He did not break three bikes a year.”
“Ludo was never really in the picture with our team. Not for a specific reason, although I don’t think he would have been a good fit for us. He wasn’t someone who cared about the team’s interests, but preferred to race according to his heart’s desire. Not bound by tactics. I remember the 1999 Belgian Championship in Geraardsbergen when he single-handedly imposed our team by attacking early. We were certainly asleep at the time, but you needed a bike like Ludo’s to benefit from that.”
“What I never really understood is that Ludo didn’t have the give and take of racing under his belt. Or didn’t want to have it. In Paris-Roubaix in 2001, the edition that Servais Knaven won, Wilfried Peeters rode alone in front for a long time. I believe that Ludo rode forty kilometres to catch up with his friend and training partner. Johan Museeuw went to him at the time: “Come on Ludo, why are you doing that? Fitte will give you something.” That doesn’t exist anymore, but Roubaix was still the race where you could earn a good penny. Ludo didn’t participate. He rode straight ahead. While you would think that someone from the amateur series would have mastered that. I don’t know the morals in the Kempen (where Ludo was from), but in our West Flanders you often heard the amateurs say: ‘if you can’t win, at least make sure you pass the checkout.’”
“It was the same honesty or naivety that cost Ludo a suspension. He spontaneously said that he had used a product for which he had no certificate. Ludo never tested positive. In the 1999 Tour – the so-called Renouveau – the organisation probably also wanted to make a statement and Ludo was the easy victim. As a seventy-year-old, you always look at the age when you read death notices. It’s extra striking how many young people we lose far too early. In our team, there was a junior who had a heart problem during a race. That happened at the same time that I had my accident and ended up in the clinic. It was embarrassing how much attention my modest problem got, while that boy escaped death because his father was able to resuscitate him. He can now resume his life, which is positive, but the dream of becoming a cyclist is over. It’s a cliché as big as Ludo Dierickxsens’ laugh, but it’s true: health may not be everything, but without health, there is nothing.”
RIP Ludo:
How XDS Astana Brought ‘Moneyball’ to Cycling
Alexandre Vinokourov has explained in an interview with Bistrot Vélo how he led his team, XDS-Astana, to stay in the WorldTour. Vinkourov’s method is strongly reminiscent of ‘moneyball’, a data-driven approach to achieving success on a limited budget by bringing in undervalued players.
“This year we hired a Frenchman who is able to calculate UCI points,” the Kazakh begins. “We did statistics from the past three years and looked at the strength of the starting list in different races. We found out that it is not wise to go to Portugal at the start of the season, because those races there are in a category of their own. So we said: we are not going there, because we can hardly score any points there.”
XDS-Astana chose to race a lot in France in the first months of the season, with successes in the Tour des Alpes-Maritimes and the Classic Var. Vinokourov’s team also won many points in China, Greece, Hungary and Turkey. “We already have forty extra racing days in 2025. Because the more days you race, the more points you can score. If you win a day, that’s already 125 UCI points. I can now say: our – French – programme has worked well this year”, he continued.
“In March, no one was thinking about us and Arkéa said: ‘we don’t pay attention to them.’ But after Paris-Nice they really started to worry. And we don’t relax. We’re going to keep going until the end. I expect a lot from Alberto Bettiol in the second half of the season. I hope we can score a lot more points with him.”
Vinokourov hopes to stay in the WorldTour:
UAE Emirates XGR Doesn’t want to send Juan Ayuso to the Vuelta a España
After Juan Ayuso abandoned the Giro d’Italia, the Vuelta a España looked to be the next main goal for the Spaniard. If it were up to the 22-year-old, he would be at the start of his home race at the end of August. However: Ayuso is not part of the Vuelta plans of his UAE Emirates XRG team, according to the Spanish sports-paper AS.
Ayuso previously told the Spanish paper that he will not be riding in the coming weeks. He has been suffering from a damaged knee since his crash in the gravel stage to Siena. According to AS, there is a real chance that the climber will make his comeback in the Clásica San Sebastián on Saturday 2 August.
The Spaniard would then like to prepare himself for his big goal of the autumn: the World Championships in Rwanda at the end of September. Ayuso would also like to ride the last Grand Tour of the season, but has confirmed to various Spanish media that he is not on the team start-list for the Spanish Grand Tour.
UAE Emirates XRG doesn’t like its riders under 25 to ride two Grand Tours in one season. Team manager Mauro Gianetti said last weekend that second overall in the Giro, Isaac Del Toro, will not contest a second three-week stage race this season.
No Vuelta for Juan Ayuso:
Eneicat Women’s UCI Cycling Team to Move Up
Very good news for Spanish women’s cycling: the Eneicat Women’s team is in negotiations with a major national sponsor who would offer the Leones team the opportunity to advance to the Pro Tour by 2026.
Meetings to finalise the agreement are well advanced, with only a few details remaining to be finalised, which would mark another step in the Spanish team’s growth year after year.
The team’s staff, led by Eneritz Iturriaga and Humberto Gómez, are cautious and prudent, preferring to have everything firmly in place in order to launch the project with the assurance of its consolidation for three more years.
Eneicat to get new sponsor:
Soudal Quick-Step to the Critérium du Dauphiné
Remco Evenepoel headlines our team for one of the most prestigious stage races of the season
04-Jun-2025: For many riders a key pre-Tour de France test, the Critérium du Dauphiné will get underway from Domérat and the first two days should go to the fast men who can overcome the rolling terrain in Montluçon and Issoire. Stage three could be a good opportunity for the breakaway specialists, before the 17.7km individual time trial held in the Ardèche department, which will create the first significant gaps in the general classification.
Mâcon, a city that has featured many times on the route of the Grande Boucle, will give the sprinters one last opportunity to shine, with the climbers set to take center stage on the final three days of the race. Combloux, Valmeinier (16.5km, 6.7%) and Plateau de Mont-Cenis (9.6km, 6.9%) are the three summit finishes – boasting some steep gradients – that are going to be decisive for the overall standings of this 77th edition, with the winner of the yellow jersey set to be crowned next Sunday, after a stage of non-stop action.
Olympic Champion Remco Evenepoel, a stage winner at the previous edition, is set to lead Soudal Quick-Step at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he’ll be backed by a strong cast comprising Pascal Eenkhoorn, Tour of Oman runner-up Valentin Paret-Peintre, Casper Pedersen, Pepijn Reinderink, Itzulia Basque Country stage winner Maximilian Schachmann and Louis Vervaeke.
“I’m happy to be back in action with the team. I had a solid altitude training camp in Sierra Nevada and now I’m ready for the Dauphiné. I can’t say that I’m going there with any specific goals, as the most important thing will be to see how the form is. It goes without saying that I would like to be in the fight for a couple of good results, but the plan is to take it one stage at a time and see where this leads next week”, said Remco.
“The course is very demanding, which isn’t a surprise. The time trial is going to be a nice test, although the differences won’t be big. The last stages will be the hardest of the race and will give us a good idea where we stand at the moment there. We’ll see how Remco is and we hope he can do a good time trial and be there on the climbs, but we aren’t thinking of going for the overall win. He can count on a strong and balanced team, and we’ll give our best to get some nice results”, sports director Tom Steels said.
08.06–15.06 Critérium du Dauphiné (FRA) 2.UWT
Riders:
Pascal Eenkhoorn (NED)
Remco Evenepoel (BEL)
Valentin Paret-Peintre (FRA)
Casper Phillip Pedersen (DEN)
Pepijn Reinderink (NED)
Maximilian Schachmann (GER)
Louis Vervaeke (BEL).
Sports Director: Dries Devenyns (BEL), Klaas Lodewyck (BEL) and Tom Steels (BEL).
Evenepoel to the Dauphiné:
Next Races for Picnic PostNL
Tour of Britain Women – JUNE 05 – JUNE 08
Callum Ferguson – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “We’re going to Tour of Britain with full motivation and a clear dual focus. With sprint opportunities expected along the way, we’ll be all-in for Charlotte as our finisher in the fast finales. At the same time, we’re targeting the general classification for the first time with Mara, who gets the chance to test herself across a full stage race. The route includes a few unpredictable days that could go either way: sprint or GC. Fortunately, we have a versatile squad ready to cover both scenarios and adapt as the race unfolds. It’s an exciting challenge, and we’re ready to make the most of every opportunity across the week.”
Line-up:
Rachele Barbieri (ITA)
Megan Jastrab (USA)
Charlotte Kool (NLD)
Josie Nelson (GBR)
Esmée Peperkamp (NLD)
Mara Roldan (CAN).
Heistse Pijl – JUNE 07
Roy Curvers – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “Heistse Pijl is a traditional Belgian one-day race which normally ends up in a bunch sprint. The spicy ingredient in the parcours though is the climb and descent of the Heistse Berg which takes place in the last two kilometres of the race; which makes the race a battle for the more punchy sprinter types. We bring a strong squad with fast guys like Tobias and Pavel, who both should have the abilities to conquer a final like this.”
Line-up
Tobias Lund Andresen (DNK)
Pavel Bittner (CZE)
Patrick Eddy (AUS)
Sean Flynn (GBR)
Tim Naberman (NLD)
Timo Roosen (NLD)
Mees Vlot (NLD).
Brussels Cycling Classic – JUNE 08
Roy Curvers – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “In the Brussels Cycling Classic we will take on a parcours that has a mix of some well known Flemish Ardennes climbs and the hills of the Brabant region. However, there is a mostly flat run back to Brussels, so it will make the race a fight between the classics type of riders who push on over the climbs and the sprinters looking to get back in. We have both types of riders as part of our selection, so we’re prepared for whatever the race throughs at us and have multiple cards to play towards the finish.”
Line-up:
Tobias Lund Andresen (DNK)
Pavel Bittner (CZE)
Patrick Eddy (AUS)
Nils Eekhoff (NLD)
Sean Flynn (GBR)
Timo Roosen (NLD)
Bram Welten (NLD)
Critérium du Dauphiné – JUNE 08 – JUNE 15
Phil West – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “After a good Giro d’Italia, we’re looking forward to the next stage race on the calendar – the Critérium du Dauphiné. We have three riders coming out of the Giro d’Italia, where the team worked really well together, so we are motivated to continue that in France. Max and Romain both finished that race in a really strong way, so we will support them as our finishers here; where we will target day results and have an eye on the overall GC. A mix of high mountains and some generally difficult and fatiguing stages give us the chance to do something every day, so we’re looking forward to getting stuck in, in what will be a nice and special send-off race for Romain who ends his road career.”
Line-up:
Romain Bardet (FRA)
Romain Combaud (FRA)
Chris Hamilton (AUS)
Bjorn Koerdt (GBR)
Enzo Leijnse (NLD)
Juan Guillermo Martinez (COL)
Max Poole (GBR).
Antwerp Port Epic – JUNE 09
Melvin Rulliere – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “Antwerp Port Epic is all about grit, skill, and teamwork; a race defined by gravel sectors and constant positioning battles. It demands riders who are not only physically strong but also technically sharp and fully committed from start to finish. We have exactly that in our lineup: a group of motivated riders who thrive on this kind of terrain. With the right teamwork and execution, we’re confident we can race aggressively and go for the win.”
Line-up:
Tobias Lund Andresen (DNK)
Patrick Eddy (AUS)
Nils Eekhoff (NLD)
Tim Naberman (NLD)
Timo Roosen (NLD)
Christiaan van Rees (NLD)
Bram Welten (NLD).
Paris – Troyes – JUNE 09
Bennie Lambregts – Team Picnic PostNL coach: “Paris – Troyes is a great addition to the calendar of our Development program. It’s a race that perfectly suits riders who can cope well selective terrain and aggressive racing. The course features rolling hills and long open sections where the wind can play a decisive role, something reflected in the race’s recent editions, which have often ended with small front groups and significant time gaps. We’re lining up with a squad that’s well equipped for this kind of racing, and we’re ready to embrace the challenge and go all-in to make it a memorable race.”
Line-up:
Vincent Bodet (FRA)
Johan Dorussen (NLD)
Ryan Gal (NLD)
Ko Molenaar (NLD)
Xander Scheldeman (BEL)
Angus Stoneham (GBR)
Thom van der Werff (NLD).
Critérium du Dauphiné – Bardet’s last race:
Soudal Quick-Step Racing in Belgium Again
Our squad will be in action at Heistse Pijl and Brussels Cycling Classic
Heistse Pijl, the first competition of a busy weekend, runs its 55th edition Saturday afternoon, and our team – comprising Ayco Bastiaens, Antoine Huby, Paul Magnier, Andrea Raccagni, Martin Svrcek, Bert Van Lerberghe and Jordi Warlop – will hope to be again among the protagonists at the end of the race which traditionally comes down to a bunch sprint.
Scheduled on Sunday, Brussels Cycling Classic will mark Tim Merlier’s return to competition after a well-deserved break that the European Champion took following a successful first part of the season, during which he racked up a total of seven wins. Merlier will be joined on the start line by Gil Gelders, former Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert, Paul Magnier, Pieter Serry, Dries Van Gestel – returning to competition after the crash in Harelbeke that put an end to his spring classics campaign – and Bert Van Lerberghe.
One of the oldest races in the world, Brussels Cycling Classic comes with a demanding parcours featuring a circuit built around the Muur van Geraardsbergen and Bosberg, which the peloton will tackle three times, followed by a less demanding second half of the race, thus giving the sprinters the opportunity to come back in case of being dropped on that succession of climbs.
“We go with a well-balanced team to Heistse Pijl. Paul will be our main card, and he will be backed by a solid group of teammates, all capable of playing their role and even seize the opportunity if presented with it at some point during the race”, explained Soudal Quick-Step sports director Kevin Hulsmans. “For Brussels, we’ll have another strong and versatile squad, with Tim as our sprinter. The course is selective and can suit different types of riders, and for that reason we’ll count also on other guys, who can get involved in the dangerous moves that could form on the hard part of the race.”
07.06 Heistse Pijl (BEL) 1.Pro
Riders:
Ayco Bastiaens (BEL)
Antoine Huby (FRA)
Paul Magnier (FRA)
Andrea Raccagni (ITA)
Martin Svrcek (SVK)
Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL)
Jordi Warlop (BEL).
Sports Director: Kevin Hulsmans (BEL) and Wilfried Peeters (BEL).
Magnier to Heistse Pijl:
New Route and New Experience for 2025 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec Unveils
On this World Bicycle Day, the organisers of the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal (GPCQM) are pleased and proud to unveil the new route for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, a circuit that promises a refreshed experience for riders and fans alike.
The spectacular images of the GPCQM pro cycling races have brought international exposure to Québec City and Montréal since the races were first held in 2010. For the upcoming 14th edition, the Québec City GP will feature a redesigned course that will be greener and slightly shorter, but will see the riders complete two more laps (for a total of 216 km), as well as showcase new facets of the provincial capital city.
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec – September 12, 2025
The start/finish line will be on the Plains of Abraham, an emblematic site steeped in history, at the heart of Québec’s heritage. The Plains form a natural urban amphitheatre that will accommodate more spectators in a friendly atmosphere, with an enriched experience in the time between the riders’ appearances.
In competitive terms, the longer race duration opens the door to more exciting race scenarios and favours a wider range of riders. The suspense will build with each lap, setting up an explosive finale.
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal – September 14, 2025
In Montréal, the Avenue du Parc start/finish site, revamped in 2024, will be back with its many attractions: a more festive Fans’ Village and the electrifying, exclusive Sprint Zone, with room for 350 spectators to feel the adrenaline rush of the final sprint to the line, just metres away from the champions.
The 2025 route remains the same as in previous editions, but come next year, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal site will be alive with the colours of the UCI Road World Championships, which will take place in and around the city just one week later. Note that the GPCQM team is also responsible for organising UCI Road World Championships in Montréal in 2026.
Experience the World of Cycling on a Grand Scale
On September 12 and 14, Québec City and Montréal will thrill to the pulse of the only two UCI WorldTour races in the Americas. These must-see events feature the top 21 cycling teams on the planet: the 18 WorldTeams plus 3 squads from the ProTeam tier. In addition, since the very first edition of the GPCQM, the organisers have always made a point of inviting Canada’s national team, enabling the next generation of local riders to experience this elite-level competition.
More than mere races, the GPCQM transcend sporting competition to become a true people’s festival of athletic effort and excellence. Admission to the events is free and the public is an integral part of the action, feeding the racers’ momentum and energy.
This September, Québec City, Montréal and Planet Cycling come together to celebrate all this!
A Unique Visual Signature for 2025
The design of this year’s official poster for the GPCQM was entrusted to Trevor Yardley-Jones, a Montréal-based illustrator acclaimed for his vibrant style that blends nostalgia with a modern edge. Wielding his digital paintbrush, he has encapsulated the energy of cycling.
Agency: Torrentiel / Illustrator: Trevor Yardley-Jones / Creative director: Audrey Schelling / Art director: Patrick Fleury
“The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec is so much more than a bike race: it’s an international showcase for our city, our savoir-faire and our passion for sport. This new route marvellously highlights our built and natural heritage while delivering a renewed experience for the public. Québec City is proud to host such an important event, which brings us together and raises our profile on the world stage.” — Bruno Marchand, Mayor, Québec City
“The Government of Québec is proud to support the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec et de Montréal, thrilling events provide visitors with an experience like no other. The races are singular parts of Québec’s appeal as a host destination for large-scale sporting events, welcoming cyclists and cycling fans from all over. I tip my hat to the organising committee for staging a high-quality event that showcases the drive and expertise of our entertainment and event industry artisans.” — Caroline Proulx, Minister of Tourism and Minister Responsible for the Lanaudière Region
“This new race route provides an outstanding opportunity for spectators to experience the GP in the heart of the Plains of Abraham. On this unique, historically significant site, sports, nature and culture will come together to create a festive and unforgettable experience for the public.” — Jean Robert, Chair of the Board of Directors, National Battlefields Commission
“We’re very proud to be unveiling a brand new route for the Québec City race. It’s a new postcard for the city as well as a new impetus in competitive terms. Spectators attending the race with family or friends can look forward to an immersive experience rivalling those of the world’s greatest cycling events.” — Joseph Limare, General Manager, GPCQM
Mr. Jean Robert, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Battlefields Commission, Mr. Joseph Limare, Director General of the GPCQM, Mr. Jean-François Gosselin, Member of the Executive Committee and Responsible for Recreation and Sports in Quebec City and Mr. Antoine Duchesne, Former Professional Cyclist and Ambassador of the GPCQM:
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