Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, December 18, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned. - Herbert Hoover
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- December 23: Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 26: World Cup Gavere
- December 29: Trofee Loenhout-Azencross
- December 30: Superprestige Diegem
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
Latest completed racing:
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 26: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
- October 19: Veneto Classic
- October 19: Japan Cup
- October 19: Chrono des Nations
- October 15: Giro del Veneto
- October 12: Paris-Tours
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The race organizer revealed an 8-stage race of 1,245 kilometers
Here's our 2026 Paris-Nice page.
Map of the 2026 Paris-Nice
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Here’s the team’s news:
The most successful rider of the team in 2025, Christian Scaroni, has extended his contract with XDS Astana Team for two more seasons. With the existing agreement covering 2026, the new contract will run until the end of 2028.
Christian Scaroni (28) enjoyed a bright and memorable season. He claimed 5 victories and 10 podium finishes, collecting a total of 2,399 points in the UCI Individual World Ranking. Among Scaroni’s main achievements are a stage victory at the Giro d’Italia, overall victory at the Tour of the Alpes-Maritimes, third place overall at the Arctic Race of Norway, and fourth place in the road race at the European Championships.
Christian Scaroni wins the 2025 Classic Var. Photo: Sprint Cycling
“Christian became a true leader of the team last season. He started the year strongly and delivered high-level results throughout the entire season. Over the past few years his progress has been steady, and a breakthrough was only a matter of time. This year everything came together – Christian’s maturity and experience aligned with the overall changes within the team, as well as the motivation and ambition of the whole project. That’s why I’m pleased that, despite an existing contract, we have agreed on a new deal”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov.
“This year was unforgettable, and I still can’t fully realize how much progress I made in 2025. The stage win at the Giro d’Italia still feels like a dream, and it means a great thing to me. At the same time, the season was full of other victories and podiums, as well as important results such as fourth place at the European Championships or eighth place at the Clásica San Sebastián. At XDS Astana Team I feel at home – this is my team – and I’m happy that in addition to next year we have extended the contract for two more seasons. There is a lot of work ahead to achieve both the team’s new goals and my personal ones”, – said Christian Scaroni.
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Here’s the news from Gómez’s Team Polti-VisitMalta:
While training on the roads of Santa Rosa de Viterbo, the town where he lives in Colombia, on Friday 5 December, Germán Gómez was involved in a collision with a van. After undergoing surgery for fractures to his left clavicle and the first metacarpal of his left hand, the Team Polti VisitMalta rider was unable to take part in the training camp currently underway. Medical checks scheduled for next week will provide a clearer timeline for his full recovery.
Dario Gomez after his accident.
Saddened by not being able to be with his teammates in Spain, but fully motivated to recover and get back on the bike as soon as conditions allow, Germán wanted to send a message to motorists: “Please pay the utmost attention. You are not the only road users — human lives are riding those two wheels!”
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