Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, November 12, 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
Let the rain kiss you. Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops. Let the rain sing you a lullaby. - Langston Hughes
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 2: 1976 - 2018 is available in print, Kindle eBook & Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- 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:
- 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
Here’s the race organizer’s news:
Middelkerke is the new start location for men's Gent-Wevelgem
This morning, Flanders Classics and the municipality of Middelkerke announced a partnership for the coming 10 years. From next year until 2035, Gent-Wevelgem Men Elite will be setting off from the Belgian coast: In Flanders Fields - from Middelkerke to Wevelgem. The women's race, run on the same day, starts and finishes in Wevelgem. The Youth Day, scheduled for May, remains in Ypres.
Earlier today, a symbolic handshake between mayor Jean-Marie Dedecker and CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel sealed a new, ten year partnership between Middelkerke and cycling event organiser Flanders Classics. As from 2026, Middelkerke will host the start of the Men Elite’s cycling classic Gent-Wevelgem.
Mads Pedersen wins the 2025 Gent-Wevelgem.
Mayor Jean-Marie Dedecker: "I am immensely proud that Middelkerke will be hosting the start of Gent-Wevelgem for the coming years. Just look at the history, the phenomenal list of winners and the extraordinary stories that make Gent-Wevelgem so special. For me, Gent-Wevelgem is the poetry of Jacques Brel coupled with the horsepower of our honorary citizen Freddy Maertens and the grit of Briek Schotte. Top sport at its finest if you ask me. Gent-Wevelgem has long been the embodiment of flesh-and-blood heroism, excitement and tragedy.
"It brings back wonderful memories of when we hosted the Belgian Championships here in 2022. With echelons forming almost constantly, we can promise a fierce prelude to the Moeren and the hill zone. Most of all, I am looking forward to joining the people of Middelkerke in offering cycling fans and riders a spectacular start to a true cycling celebration.”
Marc Descheemaecker, Alderman for Sport: "We are particularly grateful to the organisers for allowing us to add our own touch of colour to the start of this great classic. Gent-Wevelgem is the second most important race in Flanders. That really says it all. From a sporting point of view, I expect fireworks because, in recent years, only the very best have managed to win the race. But it is also a race packed with fantastic plot twists and unforgettable characters. Who can forget Paolini's finger, Vandenbroucke's ingenuity, Mattan's cunning. Gent-Wevelgem is cycling history that we all share. That Middelkerke will now be playing a leading role in that is simply fantastic."
Tomas Van Den Spiegel, CEO of Flanders Classics: "We are particularly pleased to announce the start of a long-term partnership here today. Sustainable partnerships are something we are very eager to invest in. The big change, a ten-year contract and a shared commitment have prompted us to give the race a new official name In Flanders Fields - from Middelkerke to Wevelgem. Naturally, Gent-Wevelgem will still be mentioned given its history, but in this way, we further highlight the unique DNA of this race. And so, a new chapter and one we are enthusiastically looking forward to."
Women in Wevelgem, youth in Ypres
As from 2026, the women's race will start and finish in Wevelgem. “The UCI sets maximum race distances for women’s events, and we are bound by those limits”, explains Van Den Spiegel. "That makes a start for the women in Middelkerke impossible. For many years, we have felt at home in Wevelgem and have built a strong, long-standing partnership with the mayor, the local council, and the local services. With the women now starting there, the town’s cycling celebration takes on an extra dimension.”
Since 2024, Flanders Classics has brought together the youth races for U17 (boys and girls), U19 (boys and girls) and U23 (boys) for a special Youth Day in May. "That Youth Day continues to have its home in Ypres", Van Den Spiegel confirmed. "We are particularly grateful for the support we have received from Ypres in the past years and for their ongoing commitment to nurturing the talents of tomorrow. And so, on Sunday, 10 May 2026, we will once again organise 5 youth races in the shadow of the Cloth Hall."
“One thing is certain: the Great War will always remain deeply intertwined with this race. This race is steeped in world history, giving it a truly unmatched identity in the world of cycling. That is something we will keep building on.” - Tomas Van Den Spiegel, CEO Flanders Classics
A route steeped in World War I history
With Middelkerke as the new starting point for the men, the course will be getting a fresh new look. The Moeren, the Kemmelberg and the Plugstreets will, however, retain their familiar place in the race. "Work on how the final course will look is still very much ongoing. One thing is certain: the Great War will always remain deeply intertwined with this race. The aim is also to keep the passage through the centre of Ypres in the final part of the race. This race is steeped in world history, giving it a truly unmatched identity in the world of cycling. That is something we will keep building on", concludes Van Den Spiegel. The women’s route will also change, with both the start and finish in Wevelgem. More details about all the final routes will follow in the run-up to the races.
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s announcement:
New Zealand climber Ella Wyllie has re-signed a new two-year contract with Liv AlUla Jayco and the squad pleased to continue working with the young climbing talent into the future.
After a stellar season in 2024, which saw her claim a national road race title and stage victory at the Vuelta a Andalucia, Wyllie proved her climbing ability. She has played a crucial role in supporting the team’s leaders while also mixing it at the front of the race on the hilliest of days.
Ella Wyllie. Photo: Sprint Cycling
This year, she has continued to show her consistency as a general classification rider, finishing 12th overall at the Tour de France Femmes and notching up top-10 finishes at the Tour de Romandie and the Tour de l’Ardèche.
At just 23 years old, Liv AlUla Jayco’s performance staff still believe there is a lot of potential left inside of the Kiwi climber and the team is excited to have two more seasons to help develop and nurture the young talent.
Ella Wyllie:
“I am really happy to continue riding for Liv AlUla Jayco for another two years. It has been a great environment for me to develop in as a rider and I have made some good progress since joining last year. I am excited to continue my development and step up another level next year.”
Wim Stroetinga – Sporting Manager Liv AlUla Jayco:
“We are delighted to have Ella on board for another two years. She has developed quite a lot since stepping into the WorldTour with Liv AlUla Jayco in 2024, taking her first professional win already last season. This year, she has shown her strength as a general classification rider, particularly in the latter part of the season. Her 12th place finish overall at the Tour de France Femmes, aged just 22, demonstrated her potential at the biggest races of the season. Over the next two seasons, we hope to continue to tap into that and see her flourish.”
Ella Wyllie
Renewal: 2026 & 2027
Nationality: New Zealand
Age: 23
Key Results:
1st Vuelta Andalucia, stage 3 (2024)
1st New Zealand road race championships (2024)
3rd Navarra Women’s Classic (2023)
3rd Vuelta Andalucia, general classification (2024)
7th Tour Down Under, general classification (2024)
8th Tour de Romandie, general classification (2025)
8th Tour de l’Ardèche, general classification (2025)
12th Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, general classification (2025)
Content continues below the ads
Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe sent me this:
Green laser beams cut through the darkness – revealing how air truly flows. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, together with Specialized and LaVision, are taking aero testing to a new level.
It looks like science fiction, but it’s cutting-edge research: In the Catesby Aero Research Facility – a decommissioned railway tunnel in England – Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Specialized, together with measurement specialist LaVision, have conducted a Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) test – a technique previously only known from Formula 1.
Making the air visible. Photo: George Marshall
When air becomes visible
The goal: to make airflow visible and elevate aerodynamics to a new scientific level. For the first time, the air movement around rider and bike was captured in detail, using millions of microscopic helium bubbles illuminated by lasers.
Every motion of the air was recorded. The resulting data serves to truly see how the air is moving around the rider and bike, unearthing new understanding and validating CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) models – virtual simulations of aerodynamic drag.
More than a test – a paradigm shift
The PIV test marks a turning point. Never before in professional cycling has such a precise picture been drawn of how air behaves around a rider. The combination of CFD, wind tunnel, track, and real-world testing creates an integrated system that allows performance and rider positions to be analysed with unprecedented precision, and PIV is the next frontier of giving true confidence and correlation across all of these test domains.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Specialized are working hand in hand to redefine aerodynamic efficiency – from digital design to real-world racing. This fundamental research doesn’t just deliver insights for individual riders; it’s shaping the future of how modern aero development is done by understanding the “why” that underpins changes in aerodynamic performance.
“We want to understand what’s really happening – not just whether something is faster or slower. With this PIV test, we’re finally looking beneath the surface of aerodynamics – making visible what was previously unseen in cycling. We’re bringing Formula 1 technology onto two wheels and creating knowledge that will change the sport,” says Dan Bigham, Head of Engineering at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
He adds: “Riding through a laser beam – that’s not something you do every day. Seeing the airflows around me live for the first time was fascinating. Normally, we only know whether something is faster, but not why. Today we could actually see the why. For me as an engineer, that’s pure magic – a moment that shows what happens when curiosity meets technology.”
Precision in the dark
The test demanded total concentration: over 100 runs at exactly the same speed, position, and line – each time through a green curtain of helium bubbles and laser light. The Catesby Tunnel, with its constant temperature and absence of external influences, provides the perfect environment for this kind of experiment.
“Here, the air is as pure as the data,” says Bigham with a smile. “No wind, no gradient, no randomness – just pure physics.”
The future of speed
What becomes visible in the laser light is much more than a technical experiment – it’s the beginning of a new era in cycling. This is fundamental research that will shape the development processes of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and Specialized for years to come. Because those who understand the air, control the race.
Content continues below the ads
The team sent me this:
Beringen, November 11 , 2025 – BEAT Cycling Club and Ridley are entering into a long-term, three-year partnership. Ridley becomes the official bike partner of BEAT and will provide the club’s pro team with top-tier equipment and expertise in performance and aerodynamics.
From 2026 onwards, BEAT will race on the brand-new Ridley Noah 3.0, coloured in a unique BEAT design. In addition to road bikes, Ridley will also supply time trial, gravel, and beach bikes, ensuring the team is perfectly equipped for every type of race and terrain.
BEAT Cycling Club rider Arjen Livyns in 2018.
Geert Broekhuizen, CEO of BEAT Cycling Club:
“We’re extremely proud of this partnership with Ridley. Not only because we now have access to the fastest bikes on the road, against the clock, on gravel, and even on the beach, but also because we can benefit from the Aero Performance Lab. Belgian Cycling Factory’s state-of-the-art wind tunnel, bike fitting, and performance testing facilities will help us push our limits together.”
The partnership extends beyond the pro team. Through the Ridley bike configurator, BEAT members will also be able to create their own custom BEAT bike, in the same design as the team.
Jochim Aerts, CEO of Ridley:
“BEAT and Ridley share the same vision: combining Belgian and Dutch innovation with a strong community and a passion for performance. We believe in BEAT’s story as the first professional cycling club, and we’re proud to be part of it as a partner.”
With this partnership, BEAT Cycling Club takes another significant step toward its goal of becoming the first cycling club in the world to sustainably grow to the top of professional cycling.
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary