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Saturday, May 3, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes. - John Wooden
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Current racing:
- April 27 - May 4: Tour of Turkey
- April 29 - May 4: Tour de Romandie
Upcoming racing:
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
- May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
Latest completed racing:
- May 1: Rund um den Finanzplaz Eschborn-Frankfurt
- April 27: Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- April 24 - 27: Vuelta Asturias
- April 21 - 25: Tour of the Alps
- April 23: La Flèche Wallonne
- April 20: Amstel Gold Race
- April 20: Tour du Doubs
- April 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
- April 18: De Brabantse Pijl
- April 12-13: Paris-Roubaix
- April 7 - 12: Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco
- April 8 - 11: Region Pays de la Loire Tour
We posted the report from second-place Lenny Martinez's Team Bahrain Victorious with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Jay Vine's UAE Team Emirates:
Jay Vine of UAE Team Emirates-XRG clinched a commanding victory in Stage 3 of the 2025 Tour de Romandie, showcasing his climbing prowess on the 183.1-kilometre loop starting and ending in Cossonay.
The stage featured a challenging route with three Category 3 climbs and a decisive Category 2 ascent over the Col du Mollendruz. Vine capitalised on the mountainous terrain, launching a decisive attack on the final ascent to secure his win.
Jay Vine wins Tour of Romandie stage three. Sirotti photo
This victory marks Vine’s first stage win in the Tour de Romandie and highlights his strong form ahead of the upcoming Queen stage. Stage 4 will take riders from Sion to Thyon 2000, featuring five categorised climbs, including three Category 1 ascents, culminating in a summit finish at 2,090 meters.
Vine: “It’s pretty incredible, it’s been a long road back to recovery from my neck [injury] last year and hopefully I’ll be starting my second Giro in a couple of days’ time. Three wins so far this year and my first World Tour win in a long time, so I’m really happy and I know my son and wife are watching at home. It’s all to play for tomorrow and on the time trial.”
Here's the report from Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Cossonay got to host its first ever Tour de Romandie finish, 17 years after its previous presence in a race, at the Tour du Pays de Vaud. This time, it came at the end of the hilly 183km stage 3, one animated by a strong three-man breakaway who was reeled in with eleven kilometers to go, despite a maximum lead of six minutes at one point.
Soudal Quick-Step was quite prominent at the front of the peloton in the finale, as Pascal Eenkhoorn brought both Remco Evenepoel and Junior Lecerf in a good position at the bottom of the 2.2km climb averaging 5.9%, which everyone knew would be decisive. The two Belgians marked some of the moves and kept their powder dry, coming home together with the rest of the bunch, just two seconds behind stage winner Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), who attacked in the last kilometer of the stage.
The peloton races across Romandie next to fields in bloom. Sirotti photo
Lecerf continues to be second in the general classification, while his countryman is now ninth ahead of the most important day of the week, the hard stage 4 finishing atop the hard Thyon 2000 climb, where significant gaps should open between the contenders.
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Oscar Onley's Team Picnic-PostNL posted this:
Helping to control from the off on stage three at the Tour de Romandie, Team Picnic PostNL eyed up the punchy finish climb where they would go for it with Oscar Onley. Strong riding by the whole team saw a dangerous break kept in check over challenging terrain and things were all together heading onto the last three kilometre kicker.
Onley entered the climb on a good wheel and was following ably on the early slopes but under the flamme rouge the pace slowed and Onley unfortunately slid down the order as others surged from either side. Pushing until the line, he produced a good turn of speed to take ninth on the stage – ahead of tomorrow’s big GC battle.
Team Picnic-PostNL rider Pavel Bittner heads to the start of stage three. Sirotti photo
Onley said: “The guys worked really hard today to pull, and control a strong break. They put me in a perfect position into the final climb, but I slid a bit too far in the final 500 metres and couldn’t make that ground up again unfortunately. It’s a shame not to get a better result after all the work the boys did today.”
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Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Tour of Romandie report:
Matthew Brennan was unable to contest for another top result in stage three of the Tour de Romandie. The young Brit was visible at the front of the peloton all day alongside his teammates but couldn’t stay with the leaders in the final uphill kilometres. Jay Vine proved to be the strongest after a late solo attack.
In the third stage of the Swiss stage race, four riders broke away early and built up a lead of over five minutes. On the final categorised climb, however, the lead of the sole remaining escapee, Stefan Küng, was down to just two minutes as the peloton started the chase.
With the young black-and-yellow squad working hard for Brennan, the gap quickly narrowed, and Küng was caught with eleven kilometres to go. Heading into the final uphill stretch, Brennan was well positioned by his teammates, but the finish proved too demanding for the Brit.
Matthew Brennan winning stage one. Sirotti photo
“The plan today was to go for the sprint", said sports director Maarten Wynants. “As a team we had to work hard all day because a dangerous breakaway opened up a big gap early on. In the end, Matthew still had to move up at the start of the final climb, and he paid for that effort later. But to be honest, it was more hope than expectation—especially when you see the big names that ended up in the top ten.”
Despite the lack of a top result, Wynants is more than satisfied. “If you look at how our young team rode again today, we can only be happy. There’s a world-class field here and they’re showing themselves. This week has been another great step in their development, and you can tell they’re improving step by step through the experience they’re gaining.”
And here's the Tour de Romandie report from Stefan Küng's Team Groupama-FDJ:
He promised it at the start of the Tour de Romandie. Stefan Küng wasn’t on home soil just for the time trials. The Swiss rider also wanted to fight for a stage victory through the breakaways, and he did go all-in this Friday. On the third stage’s hilly course, the Groupama-FDJ cycling team rider first joined a small break, then went away on his own with nearly fifty kilometres to go. Unfortunately, a very organized peloton got the better of him before the final climb in Cossonay, where Rémy Rochas finished among the favorites (12th). Saturday, the riders will tackle the great mountain stage of Thyon 2000.
Before a busy weekend, with a major, summit-finish fight between the favorites and the closing time trial, the third road stage of the Tour de Romandie seemed to be the last opportunity for the attackers this Friday, around Cossonay. An elevation gain of nearly 2,500 metres was on the program over 183 kilometres, and a final two-kilometre climb averaging 6% was supposed to decide the day’s winner. “I thought it was a good opportunity today, on these roads,” explained Stefan Küng. “I know them; they’re quite winding and hilly.”
-Bauke-Mollema(Lidl–Trek)-Huub-Artz(Intermarché–Wanty).jpg)
Stefan Küng (third rider) in the day's break. Sirotti photo
The Swiss rider therefore wasted no time in getting into action, as he went off at kilometre 0 with three riders, before one of them quickly dropped back. He then kept on going together with Huub Artz and Bauke Mollema, while the peloton gave them a five-minute lead in the first part of the race. “I had two good riders with me, but I would have preferred to have more companions at the front, and unfortunately, Artz wasn’t far behind in the overall,” Stefan explained. The trio still managed to maintain a lead of around four minutes after passing through Cossonay for the second time, shortly after the halfway point, before they tackled the long and rolling Col du Mollendruz (15 km at 3.5%) with a three-minute lead over the pack.
Shortly after the first, and also the steepest, slopes, Stefan Küng decided to accelerate. “The guys in the breakaway told me they were at the limit, so I told myself I had to go for it,” he explained. “When the turns are no longer equally shared, you’re better on your own, and that’s why I attacked. I also thought that if I dropped Artz, some teams might stop chasing for the general classification.” This didn’t happen, but the former double European time trial champion still managed to reach the summit, forty kilometres from the finish, with a solid two-minute lead.
“I believed in it, because you never know how the teams will manage behind, but I also knew it was going to be tough,” Stefan added. On the descent to Cossonay, several teams eventually joined forces in pursuit, in a peloton of about eighty units. “It would have been better for me if it was a flat sprint at the end, because not many teams would have pulled,” Stefan added. “Today, many guys believed in victory, and when I asked Philippe [Mauduit] who was chasing, he listed four or five teams. In these cases, it definitely becomes difficult, but you can’t control that.”
Despite a continuous commitment, Stefan Küng couldn’t match the bunch in the final part of the race and the Swiss rider was ultimately caught just before the final ten kilometers. “On the slight, descending portions, it was almost impossible alone against the whole peloton,” he said. “Unfortunately, I also started to get cramps and I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted, but when you’re in front, you can’t back down and you give it your all until the end. I wanted to give it a go. I wasn’t just there to put on a show; I really believed in it at certain moments. And then, if you don’t take risks, you never know.” “We had to try today,” confirmed Stéphane Goubert. “We also hoped that the sprinters’ teams would be more tired and get less help, but as Stefan said, on these courses, everyone thinks they can win, and so a lot of teams chase. Stefan had already won here, it would have been a nice symbol, but that’s how it is…”
It all came down to the final climb in Cossonay, where Jay Vine rode away solo at the flamme rouge. In a small peloton of about twenty riders, two seconds later, Rémy Rochas took twelfth place. The Savoyard remains eleventh overall before the summit finish in Thyon 2000 on Saturday. “It’s a big mountain stage,” concluded Stéphane. “We won’t draw any conclusions, but it will be a good opportunity for David to see where he stands. It will also be a big challenge for Rémy. He has to continue to follow the best as he has done so far, ride freely, and go for the best possible result. It will also be a nice rehearsal for the riders heading to the Giro, and both Stefan and Rémi will have to manage their day with the time trial in mind.”
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Here's the team's update:
INEOS Grenadiers have selected a dynamic and versatile eight-man squad for the 2025 Giro d’Italia, led by former winner Egan Bernal and Dutch climber Thymen Arensman, who has twice finished sixth overall.
Joining them on the start line are Brandon Rivera, Lucas Hamilton, Josh Tarling, Jonathan Castroviejo, Ben Turner, and Kim Heiduk - a blend of climbing strength, time trial talent, and seasoned leadership.
The demanding parcours is packed with high-altitude challenges, summit finishes and two individual time trials, so the Grenadiers have built a team designed to be competitive across all terrains over the three weeks.
The race kicks off on Friday 9 May, with the opening three stages in Albania, before crossing into Italy.
Egan Bernal in Milan after winning the 2021 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
Egan Bernal, the 2021 Giro d’Italia winner:
“The Giro holds a special place in my heart. It’s where I reached one of my greatest milestones in my career in 2021 and I’m both motivated and grateful to be back and leading the team again alongside Thymen.
“This season hasn't been the most straightforward given my broken collarbone after the crash in Clásica Jaén in February. But we had a good rehab plan and I was able to get back on the bike quickly afterwards. I’ve had a solid block of training, and I feel strong heading to the Giro.
“We’ve got a really balanced squad for this year’s edition, with guys who can support in the mountains and others who can look for opportunities for stage wins. The team is hungry and we are going to be coming out fighting every day.”
Thymen Arensman, who delivered a strong performance in the Giro last year and finished sixth overall, is aiming to take another step forward this year:
“The Giro has been a big goal for me since the winter. I have some great memories from this race and always really love racing in Italy. The route is challenging but exciting, with a good mix of terrains and some interesting time trials, so I’m really happy to be going back and to be racing alongside Egan and such a strong group of riders.
“My 2025 season has been quite good so far. I feel stronger and more consistent in races, and I’ve had some nice results which I am proud of, including my first win with the team. That result came in a really special way and has given me a good boost coming ahead of the Giro. I am now focused and looking forward to getting racing.”
The team brings together a strategic balance of youth, experience and different strengths. Josh Tarling is set to make his Giro d’Italia debut, while seasoned campaigners like Jonathan Castroviejo will provide invaluable support in the mountains and against the clock.
Performance Director, Dr. Scott Drawer:
“This Giro team is a strong blend of experience and emerging talent. We’re here to race smart, race hard, and to try to put ourselves in contention for the Maglia Rosa.
“Egan and Thymen give us real depth and leadership in the GC battle. Egan’s journey back to top form has been nothing short of incredible, and his experience at a race like the Giro is invaluable for the rest of the team. Thymen’s progression this season has been great to see and we believe he’s ready to take another step forward at this race.
“Alongside them, we’ve selected a group that’s not only capable of supporting a GC challenge but also dynamic enough to take opportunities across a really demanding and unpredictable route. Josh will be targeting strong performances in the time trials, Castro will be invaluable in the high mountains and riders like Kim, Lucas, Brandon and Ben Turner will be crucial in the key transitional stages.
“We’ve been racing this season with a bit more freedom, creativity and adaptability and this Giro squad and the staff supporting them will be carrying that momentum into the race.”
INEOS Grenadiers Giro d’Italia 2025:
Egan Bernal (Colombia)
Thymen Arensman (Netherlands)
Jonathan Castroviejo (Spain)
Lucas Hamilton (Australia)
Kim Heiduk (Germany)
Brandon Rivera (Colombia)
Josh Tarling (Great Britain)
Ben Turner (Great Britain)
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