Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday June 6, 2025
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval. - George Santayana
Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Latest completed racing:
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
- May 29 - June 1: Tour of Norway
- May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 18: Rund um Köln
- May 13: Classique Dunkerque
- May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
- May 10: GP du Morbihan
- May 9: Tour du Finistère
- April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
- April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
- May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
Here’s the team’s news:
Matys Grisel (19) will be a professional rider for the Lotto Cycling Team for the next three seasons. Grisel has already been riding with the team’s development squad since last year and is now moving up. “I'm a classics-type rider, and Lotto is a perfect fit for me,” he said.
Matys Grisel
This season, he’s already had a taste of a few professional races- Matys Grisel has lined up at Danilith Nokere Koerse, Tro Bro Léon, and the 4 Jours de Dunkerque- and next year he’ll become a full-fledged pro. Grisel has signed with the Lotto Cycling Team through 2028. The Frenchman finished third at Brussels-Opwijk this season, won the overall classification at the Tour de Namur last year, claimed a stage win at the Tour de Bretagne, and came second in the U23 edition of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2024.
Content continues below the ads
Matys Grisel: “I’m incredibly happy to stay with Lotto for the next three years. After two years with the development team, this opportunity is a real sign of trust in me. A Belgian team, to me, stands for a classics team, and that’s exactly the type of rider I am. So you could say Lotto suits me perfectly. I dream of Paris-Roubaix, I love cobblestones, but my first year as a pro will mainly be about learning a lot in various races. I already can’t wait to start my first full professional season. I’ve already done a few races with the pros, and the atmosphere is really great.”
Stéphane Heulot, CEO of Lotto Cycling Team: “Matys Grisel has already become a key part of our team in just two years. Last season, he showed impressive results, including a win and three podium finishes at the Tour de Namur and a stage win at the Tour de Bretagne. Matys has already proven that he can hold his own in the pro peloton. He recently finished fifth in the second stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque. Of course, he still has a lot to learn and experience to gain, but he’ll definitely get that chance with us.”
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s post:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike has once again made history with a victory in the Giro d’Italia. In the streets of Rome, Simon Yates secured the yellow-and-black team’s eighth overall win ever in a Grand Tour. We look back together with key members Wilco Kelderman and Bart Lemmen on three unforgettable weeks.
Last Sunday, the streets of Rome turned pink in honour of Simon Yates’ overall victory. The Briton’s victory was the result of a collective masterclass. Two indispensable links in Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s successful Giro story were Wilco Kelderman and Bart Lemmen.
For Kelderman, it was his eighteenth Grand Tour in his career, but according to the 34-year-old Dutchman, this victory ranks among the most special. “I’ve experienced a lot in my career, but this Giro was unique. In 2023, I won the Tour de France with Jonas Vingegaard and the Vuelta a España with Sepp Kuss, but I hold this Giro in very high regard. The atmosphere within the team was excellent. Everyone stayed extremely focused for three weeks, and we reaped the rewards of that.”
Wilco Kelderman finishes second in stage eight of the Giro. That's Diego Ulissi next to him. Sirotti photo
For Lemmen, it was also a race full of highlights. The 29-year-old from Utrecht made his WorldTour debut in 2024 and rode only his second Grand Tour. “Four years ago, turning professional still seemed like a distant dream. It’s special now to be able to say I’m part of a team that won a Grand Tour. That it happened in my second professional year feels surreal.”
Content continues below the ads
Besides his indispensable work supporting leader Yates, Lemmen also made his presence felt several times at the front of the race. The fifteenth stage, featuring the climb of Monte Grappa, was a personal highlight for him. “That stage stayed with me. I rode at the front all day, and I felt it was my best race ever. In that stage, I was still able to do useful work in the finale to keep some of Simon’s rivals at a distance. That was thrilling.”
The absolute climax of the Giro came a few days later, on the legendary Colle delle Finestre. On the penultimate day, Yates took control of the Giro after a perfectly executed team tactic. “I will never forget the climb of the Finestre,” says Kelderman. “I was riding near Bart when we heard that Simon had a five-minute lead over his rivals for the overall win. We realised: we are going to win this Giro.”
Simon Yates on the escape in stage 20 that won him the Giro. At this point he has 10 kilometers to go, alone and five and a half minutes ahead of Isaac del Toro and Richard Carapaz. He has a pink jersey waiting for him when he finishes the stage. RCS photo
Lemmen agrees. “It was a special moment. You hear snippets through your earpieces, but in the high mountains, communication with the team car and teammates often drops out. The real info came through the shouting fans along the roadside. ‘Simon has five minutes!’ they yelled. That feeling was unforgettable.”
The final stage in the capital Rome was completely dedicated to celebrating a new Giro victory for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. To celebrate Yates’ win, the riders swapped their traditional yellow-black kit for pink-tinted outfits. As the icing on the cake, Olav Kooij claimed a third stage win for the team. “It’s hard to put into words how it felt to ride through the streets of Rome. Our pink outfits, Simon’s pink bike, the fantastic surroundings... everything was perfect. I look back on our achievement with great pride,” concludes Lemmen.
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary