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Thursday, June 12, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered. - George Best
Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
Upcoming racing:
- June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Latest completed racing:
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- 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
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The moment Remco Evenepoel crossed the line Wednesday afternoon at the end of Critérium du Dauphiné stage 4, the entire Wolfpack nation knew history had been written. Less than six months into its 23rd season, Soudal Quick-Step reached an incredible milestone, one that not many teams in the history of this sport we all passionately love have achieved: 1000 victories!
Remco Evenepoel in yellow after his stage four time trial ride. Sirotti photo
When we kicked off this adventure more than twenty years ago, we didn’t even dare to dream about winning some of the biggest races in the world. But that’s what we just did: we quickly found our place in the peloton and started winning, and once we got the ball rolling, we never stopped. We continued racking up victories all over the world and creating indelible memories.
Our road to this staggering number started on 4 February 2003, when Servais Knaven arrived alone at the finish of the Tour of Qatar stage 5 to deliver our squad’s first ever success, thus kicking off this epic journey that over the years has brought so many incredible emotions, unforgettable moments, and landmark wins.
Just a couple of weeks later, Paolo Bettini captured our first Monument, Milano-Sanremo, and from then on, the team began racking up more and more wins in these races, some of the most prestigious in the world. A total of 22 Monuments, including 8 Ronde van Vlaanderen and 6 Paris-Roubaix – seven of which wore the signature of Tom Boonen – followed since, our team being currently the only one in the World Tour to have won cycling’s five major one-day races, and not just once, but multiple times – another truly astounding feat.
Soudal Quick-Step’s success didn’t limit just to the Classics, as our squad wrote some beautiful and memorable pages of history also in the Grand Tours. Victories or distinctive jerseys brought by the likes of Julian Alaphilippe, Mark Cavendish, Philippe Gilbert or Marcel Kittel enhanced our ever-growing palmares and paved the way for one of the most remarkable exploits in the history of The Wolfpack – Remco Evenepoel’s astonishing overall success at the 2022 Vuelta a España, a towering achievement which rewrote cycling’s history books and put the team into a completely different dimension.
But maybe the most important thing is that we always produced raw emotion and transcended sporting results during this journey, because each of these 1000 victories brought by 109 different riders comes with a unique story, something that makes it special for us and for the amazing sponsors and loyal fans whose unwavering support we have felt from our first day of racing.
“I’m happy with this victory, especially as it came after a hard stage! My goal was to go as fast as possible from the start and then keep a steady pace until the finish. I am proud everything went perfect and that I delivered the team’s 1000th victory! This win is for Patrick Lefevere, for everything he has done for this squad and achieved over the past twenty years. It’s an outstanding milestone and the entire Wolfpack nation can be happy and proud of it”, said in Saint-Péray an elated Remco Evenepoel, who also took over the yellow jersey of the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Speaking of the achievement, Soudal Quick-Step CEO Jurgen Foré said: “To reach 23 years and 1000 victories, at the highest level is an achievement that we are hugely proud of. It is a milestone that is only made possible by years of dedication, teamwork, and unlimited passion. Each win tells a story in its own right, but the ethos of the team is that it’s never been about one individual.”
“These 1000 victories combine to make a story about the collective, a team standing for each other in the spirit of The Wolfpack. It is a tribute to every rider, every staff member and all our fans: this achievement belongs to all of you. It is a tribute to all the sponsors and partners supporting the team, and especially our main partners Soudal, Quick-Step and Specialized: your ongoing commitment and vision have been instrumental in making this happen.
"I do need to address two people individually; our team owner, Mr. Zdenek Bakala: without your support it would have been impossible. And of course, to Patrick Lefevere, the founding father of this team. These 1000 victories are a gift from the team to you, to thank you for your life’s work.
"While we will celebrate the past, our eyes remain on the road ahead: with new talent, continued innovation, and the unbreakable unity of The Wolfpack. Today is the first day on the journey towards the 2000 victories milestone. Let’s go!”
None of this would have been possible without the steadfast commitment of our sponsors and partners, who have stood with us through every success and challenge. From the very beginning, Quick-Step has been an integral part of our journey, sharing in every victory and milestone. Their enduring support has helped shape the identity of the team and build a true “house of trust” that continues to thrive to this day. Together with Soudal, Specialized, and the many valued partners who have joined us over the years, they have helped power The Wolfpack to this incredible achievement.
Speaking of the momentous moment, Ruben Desmet, President at Unilin Flooring, said: “We are incredibly proud to have been part of this extraordinary journey from day one. Reaching 1000 victories is a testament to the team’s relentless drive, spirit, and unity — values that resonate deeply with us at Quick-Step. Over more than two decades, we’ve built more than just a sponsorship; we’ve built a partnership based on trust, shared ambition, and a passion for excellence. On behalf of everyone at Unilin, congratulations to the entire Wolfpack — here’s to the next 1000.”
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Here's the Critérium du Dauphiné stage four report from second-place Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson rode a rock-solid time trial in the Critérium du Dauphiné on Wednesday. The riders from Team Visma | Lease a Bike finished second and third behind winner Remco Evenepoel and therefore moved up in the general classification.
“I am satisfied with my time trial today”, Vingegaard immediately says afterwards. Although the leader of the yellow-black formation lost 20 seconds on Evenepoel, he kept the other favorites far behind him and is the new number five in the general classification. “I'm very happy with that.”
Jonas Vingegaard riding to second place. Sirotti photo
Moments before, teammate Jorgenson powered to the fastest time of the day up to that point. The American eventually finished third in the race against the clock over a varied course. A flat and fast start was followed by a steep climb, after which the riders went full speed downhill towards the finish in Saint-Péray.
“The climb in the middle of the time trial was very tough”, Sepp Kuss admits, but he set a creditable time as well. "I have a good feeling about it. This is a good test for our team towards the Tour de France, even though we know we will be faced with a different type of time trial there. Today's outcome is a positive one."
Tomorrow, the riders face a tricky stage before the peloton heads into the mountains over the weekend. "There are some very interesting days coming up. I lost some time on Evenepoel, but I'm happy to have left the other competitors behind me today. Recent years have shown that there is a lot of time to be gained in the mountains. I'm looking forward to that", Vingegaard concludes.
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Here's the Dauphiné report from fourth-place Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
Tadej Pogačar finished in fourth place in the stage 4 individual time trial at the Critérium du Dauphiné. It was a solid performance from the Slovenian, who remains within reach of his rivals in the general classification heading into the second half of the race.
Earlier in the afternoon, Nils Politt and Tim Wellens had the opportunity to show off their German and Belgian national champion skinsuits, respectively. Pavel Sivakov, meanwhile, posted a good ride that saw him in the provisional top 10 for a while.
As the day drew on, however, all eyes were on the big contenders for the overall title, with Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) first off the starting ramp.
The world and Olympic champion in this discipline demonstrated all of his credentials with a blistering ride that delivered him the stage win. A time of 20:50 across the 17.4km-long course was enough to see him earn the day’s honours.
With that display, the Belgian also rides into the yellow leader’s jersey, yielded by Iván Romeo of Movistar.
As for the other big contenders, Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), their times would be separated only by Vingegaard’s teammate, Matteo Jorgenson.
Vingegaard placed second on the day, 21 seconds down on Evenepoel, whilst Jorgenson and Pogačar finished third and fourth, respectively.
At the halfway point of the race, Pogačar now sits eighth overall, just 38 seconds behind the race leader, Evenepoel. With the mountains still to come at this year’s Critérium du Dauphiné, it is very much all still to play for.
Tadej Pogacar riding to fourth place. Sirotti photo
Pogačar: “I didn’t do the perfect TT today.
“I think I probably got the pacing slightly wrong. I started out on the first section a bit too conservative and should have pushed a bit more there.
“But it’s okay – that’s why we are here, to tune-up before the Tour and improve.
“There are still three big stages to come here and I’m looking forward to it. The team is working well and with the rivals we have here, it’s the best place to test ourselves.”
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Here's the race report from Tobias Foss's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Tobias Foss finished in ninth place on the fourth stage of Criterium du Dauphine after briefly being in the time trial hot seat.
Foss clocked 22:00 minutes to go a full minute quicker than Norwegian compatriot Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) and fire into the hot seat. Michael Leonard flew into second soon after, 36 seconds back on Foss.
Speaking from the hot seat, Foss said:
“I think definitely this TT is suited for a time trial bike as long as you can push the power, so for me it was no question, but I have to admit I was really surprised when I saw the wall in front of us.
“I gave it a good crack. I think it was a really good TT from me.”
Remi Cavagna (Groupama-FDJ) was three seconds quicker than Foss to knock him off the top spot, with world champion Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) eventually taking the win.
A mechanical at the start of Magnus Sheffield’s ride saw him slightly hindered, but he still managed to finish in 17th place, with Carlos Rodriguez just behind in 20th, with the same placing for both on the GC.
Magnus Sheffield:
“It was a really hard time trial. The course was quite windy. It wasn’t my best ride - I just focused on putting in my best effort, pushing against the wind, and keeping the speed up as much as possible.
“I have mixed feelings about my performance. We always try to go for the victory, but I wasn’t quite there today. Anyway, we have big goals this summer and this ITT is part of the process to get in there. It’s about keeping our head down and hoping that all these efforts will pay off later on.”
Carlos Rodriguez before the start of stage two. Sirotti photo
Carlos Rodriguez:
“The time trial went relatively well. Everything went down to plan in the first, flat section - I felt alright and could keep a good position on the bike. Then the climb came, and I pushed through it as due. It was after the descent that I had some bad feelings - from then on, it was about surviving all the way to the finish. I suffered quite a bit, although I didn’t plummet and my guess is everyone has felt kind of the same.
“I came into the race from a long training camp in Tenerife, and I am finding my racing legs bit by bit, day by day. There is some room for improvement, but this is what we came here for - to fine-tune some details so we could make it to the Tour in the best possible shape.
“Thursday’s stage is a good chance to try and recover from today’s effort. There are three hard mountain days in the schedule afterwards, and we are hoping to do our best, keep up with the other favourites and take our chances as they come.”
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