Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
The way to catch a knuckleball is to wait until it stops rolling and then pick it up. - Bob Uecker
James Witherell's book Bicycle History: A Chronological History of People, Races and Technology is available in both print and Kindle eBook formats. To get your copy just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Upcoming racing:
- August 2: San Sebastian Classic
Latest completed racing:
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
- July 9 - 13: Tour of Austria
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
Here’s the team’s news:
Belgium’s National Day came with great news for the Wolfpack: Yves Lampaert has extended his contract with Soudal Quick-Step until the end of 2027. The man who made every cycling fan emotional in the summer of 2022, when saying in front of the cameras ‘I’m just a farmer’s son’ after his stunning Tour de France prologue victory in Copenhagen, is one of the longest-serving riders on our roster. By signing a new contract, he will now make it 13 consecutive seasons in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey.
Yves Lampaert on his way to winning the first stage of the 2022 Tour de France. Sirotti photo
Lampaert joined the squad in 2015 and has since won a total of 16 races. Apart from his memorable success in Le Tour, other results that stand out are his back-to-back victories in Dwars door Vlaanderen – a race close to his home and his heart – the national titles he conquered on the road and in the time trial, and his stage victory at the 2017 Vuelta a España.
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One of the most experienced riders in the World Tour and a true road captain, Yves is delighted to remain a member of Soudal Quick-Step in the next two seasons: “I’m really happy that I can stay to continue racking up a lot of victories together with the team. I am also keen on sharing my experience with the young riders, just as I got to learn the trade from the more experienced riders when I was their age. I am looking forward to what will be two beautiful years, with lots of fun, great moments and wins.”
“Lampie is one of the pillars of this team, so it goes without saying how happy we are that he’ll continue with us in the next two seasons, not only to get strong results with the team, but also to guide the young riders on our squad. He has a wealth of experience and is the right person to be our road captain as we will stand our ground as one of the top teams in the world”, added Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré.
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Here’s the team’s post:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike remains defiant on the second rest day of the 2025 Tour de France. With six stages to go, all focus is on what lies ahead. The past two weeks have been intense, marked by both highs and setbacks, but the squad’s determination prevails. Jonas Vingegaard is resolute: he won’t surrender the Tour without a fight. Wout van Aert, too, still believes in a stage victory, and in his role as a loyal domestique for the final week.
“We’re certainly not giving the Tour away”, Vingegaard states with grit. The Dane, currently second overall, trails Tadej Pogačar by 4 minutes and 13 seconds. But there’s no sense of resignation. “I can still win the Tour. The gap is big, but I feel stronger every day. A lot can still happen.”
Jonas Vingegaard before the stage of stage 15. Sirotti photo
That belief runs deep within the team. Everyone knows the margin is significant, but the plan to turn the tables is in place. “We’ve had a tough week, including a difficult day for Jonas on Hautacam”, says Head of Racing Grischa Niermann. “We’re not entirely sure what caused that, but we’ve seen him bounce back. When that happens, you know anything is still possible. We certainly haven’t lost hope.”
The final week offers opportunities. With summit finishes at Courchevel (Col de la Loze), La Plagne, and Mont Ventoux, there’s no shortage of mountains before Paris. “You don’t claw back four minutes with one attack on a final climb,” Niermann says pragmatically. “But with courage, timing, and a strong team, it’s not impossible. We’ve been in these scenarios before. We’re not giving up.”
Van Aert, too, is recharged for the closing stages. The Belgian has yet to claim a stage win but senses his form improving. “The puzzle hasn’t come together yet, but I feel good. And as fatigue builds in the peloton, that could play to my advantage,” says Van Aert, who sees three remaining stages where he can contend. The Belgian is still chasing his tenth Tour stage victory.
But his focus extends beyond personal glory. “I also want to play my part for Jonas”, he says. “He’ll need to attack, and as a team, we’ll do everything to make that happen. An all-or-nothing move is on the table. If that means I need to be in the break, I’ll do it. My biggest contribution is giving everything when the team needs it most.”
Since the Grand Départ in Lille, the team has stayed true to its principles: animate the race, take risks, and own the responsibility. Even in complex situations—like last Sunday, when Vingegaard lost time after a crash—the squad continued to pursue multiple goals. “That was my call”, Niermann explains. “We came here with several ambitions, but one main objective. We trust each other and share the same desire: to win.”
Whatever happens over the next six days, Team Visma | Lease a Bike will fight until the end. For yellow, for stage wins, and for pride. “You only win the Tour in Paris”, Vingegaard says. “And we’re not there yet.”
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Villeneuve d'Ascq/Marseille, July 21, 2025 - DECATHLON, CMA CGM and France Cyclisme are pleased to announce their new co-naming partnership for the professional cycling team currently known as DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE. As of January 1, 2026, the cycling team will operate under the name DECATHLON CMA CGM.
Team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale before the start of the 2025 Strade Bianche race. Sirotti photo
A partnership based on shared values
Following the announcement that DECATHLON will acquire the professional cycling team at the end of the 2025 season, an ambitious new chapter begins. The CMA CGM Group, a global player in maritime, land, air and logistics solutions, and media, joins DECATHLON as a title partner for an initial renewable five-year period.
This partnership unites two major French family-run companies with a strong international presence and deep roots in their respective regions: Hauts-de-France for DECATHLON, Provence for CMA CGM. Together, they share a culture of commitment, collective action and the conviction that sport is a force capable of inspiring, uplifting and bringing people together.
For almost 50 years, DECATHLON has been committed to making sport accessible to all, while gradually strengthening its commitment at the highest level of sporting competition. For its part, the CMA CGM Group has for many years supported sport as a lever for action, both locally and worldwide, in all the territories where it is present.
A major partner of Olympique de Marseille, CMA CGM has also supported the Tour cycliste international de Guadeloupe since 2023. In 2024, the Group was also Official Logistics Solutions Partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, illustrating its deep attachment to the values of sport. With cycling, CMA CGM thus confirms its support for a universal, popular and demanding sport, accessible to everyone, everywhere in the world.
Javier López, General Manager, DECATHLON:
"This partnership with CMA CGM embodies our shared human values and our commitment to people. Together, we are determined to take the team to the highest level of cycling, whether to achieve sporting excellence, or to train tomorrow's champions. Guided by the spirit of surpassing ourselves, teamwork and a deep conviction that sport is a driving force, we continue to develop not just a team, but a winning project. A project that reflects our vision of collective progress and makes a significant contribution to the future of cycling. We look forward to writing this new chapter with CMA CGM, with passion, humility and ambition."
Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO, CMA CGM Group:
"I am proud to announce that our Group has become a sponsor of the "DECATHLON - CMA CGM" cycling team. This partnership reflects what we share with DECATHLON: family roots, a long-term vision and values of daring, surpassing oneself and humility. Today, we're joining a great sporting and French story, with the ambition of together taking a top-level team to the top."
Dominique Serieys, General Manager of France Cyclisme:
"CMA CGM's commitment to DECATHLON is a decisive step in our 2030 strategic plan to reach the highest level worldwide.
"DECATHLON and CMA CGM fully embody this ambition. They share a long-term vision, a strong culture of innovation and strong values to help France shine on the international stage. Yesterday, as partners of Paris 2024, this alliance, a legacy of the Games, sends out a strong signal: we are determined to write a historic chapter in French and world sport.
"The investment of our partners, whether financial, technical or human, strengthens our determination and our level of demand to win and thus inspire all CMA CGM employees around the world, in line with what we have been able to create with DECATHLON teammates."
A long-term vision to reach the summit of world cycling
DECATHLON and CMA CGM share the same ambition: to strengthen their commitment to the cycling team and compete with the best UCI World Tour teams, by building a long-term project based on sporting integrity and riders development.
This ambition reflects a collective commitment to building an international project that fosters the emergence of new talent, invests in the generation of tomorrow and continually strengthens itself. The development (12 riders of 7 nationalities) and junior (14 riders of 7 nationalities) teams are at the heart of this strategy. This reflects the team's desire to grow from within, to prepare future champions and to shape the future of cycling with determination and passion.
United by the same vision, DECATHLON and CMA CGM will be thrilled by every race, determined to push back the limits and, together with the cycling team, write the great victories of tomorrow.
About DECATHLON
A global multisport brand for beginners and top athletes alike, DECATHLON designs innovative sports equipment for all levels of practice.
With 101,100 employees and 1,817 stores worldwide, DECATHLON and its teams have been working since 1976 with a constant ambition: to get people moving through the magic of sport, to help them live healthier, happier lives in a sustainable future.
About the CMA CGM Group
The CMA CGM Group is a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, true to its raison d'être: to imagine better solutions to serve a world on the move.
With a presence in 177 countries, CMA CGM employs 160,000 people, including nearly 6,000 in Marseilles, its head office. The world's third largest shipping company, CMA CGM serves more than 420 ports on 5 continents with a fleet of over 650 vessels. In 2024, the Group transported over 23 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit) containers. Its subsidiary CEVA Logistics, one of the world's top 5, operates 1,000 warehouses and handled 15 million shipments in 2024. The Group's air freight division operates a fleet of cargo aircraft under the CMA CGM AIR CARGO and Air Belgium brands. CMA Media, France's third-largest private media group, owns RMC-BFM as well as several national and regional press titles (La Tribune Dimanche, La Tribune, La Provence, Corse Matin, etc.). Committed to the energy transition, the Group is aiming for carbon neutrality by 2050. The CMA CGM Foundation provides humanitarian aid in crisis situations and supports education for all and equal opportunities worldwide. To date, the Foundation has transported 63,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid to 97 countries and supported over 550 educational projects.
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