Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, April 4, 2026
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Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2019: A Year of New Faces is available in both Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- April 4: GP Miguel Indurain
- April 4: NXT Classic
Upcoming racing:
- April 5: Ronde van Vlaanderen
- April 6 - 11: Itzulia Basque Country (Tour of the Basque Country)
- April 12: Paris-Roubaix
Latest completed racing:
- April 3: Classic Adélie de Vitré
- April 1: Dwars door Vlaanderen
- March 31: Paris-Camembert
- March 23 - 29: Volta a Catalunya
- March 25 - 29: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
- March 29: Gent-Wevelgem
- March 29: La Roue Tourangelle
- March 28: Classic Loire Atlantique
- March 27: E3 Saxo Classic
- March 25: Ronde Van Brugge - Tour of Bruges
- March 21: Milano-Sanremo
- March 20: Bredene Koksijde Classic
We posted the report from winner Marc Brustenga's Equipo Kern Pharma with the results.
Here's the report from sixth-place Paul Penhoët's Team Groupama-FDJ United:
At the end of a day made difficult by weather conditions, the Classic Velox Adélie de Vitré, the fourth round of the FDJ United Series, concluded this Friday with an uphill sprint. Present in the final despite being hindered in the last few hundred metres, Paul Penhoët secured sixth place at the finish.
The first of four Breton races on the FDJ United Series calendar, the Classic Velox Adélie de Vitré took place this Friday in its “usual” format. As in previous seasons, two circuits had to be covered around the French town: a first 21-kilometer loop ridden five times, followed by a second loop of less than 10 kilometers, completed eight times. Aside from the uphill drag to the line, the finishing circuit —tackled by the peloton after 100 kilometres—included the short climb of La Chenelière, a potential launchpad for attacks.
“The idea was to follow moves and possibly initiate some in the last three laps,” explained Yvon Caër. “Otherwise, we still had the option of playing the Paul card in the sprint. At first, Yann rode for more than 100 kilometres. He discovered this role and met expectations. Then Rémi didn’t have great legs and couldn’t fully express himself. Ewen tried with about 20 kilometres to go, but he was closely marked, and it wasn’t hard enough to create a selection. All the teams also had a sprinter capable of winning, so no one really committed.”
In the final hour of racing, Enzo Paleni also stood out at the front of the peloton. “We absolutely couldn’t afford to be caught off guard, and Enzo did a fantastic job in that respect,” added Yvon. “He was outstanding.” Ultimately, despite the demanding terrain, the peloton was still almost complete at the start of the final lap. “The rain made the race a bit tougher, but it didn’t last all day,” Yvon explained. “There were also only 175 kilometers, which limited the chances of splitting the field. There was never really an opportunity to break the peloton’s uniformity. Moreover, after a favourable crosswind section at the top of the climb, we would face a headwind on the main road back to Vitré, and things would always calm down.”
The finish, Marc Brustenga is awarded first place.
This scenario repeated itself on the last lap, when around twenty riders broke away on the climb of La Chenelière. Ewen Costiou, Enzo Paleni, and Lewis Bower were among them, but everything came back together before the final three kilometres. “The finish in Vitré is always a bit risky, especially on wet roads and with many fresh riders,” Yvon continued.
Coming from behind, Paul Penhoët managed to move up into the top ten positions of the peloton at the flamme rouge, just as they began the crucial descent leading into the city turns and the final uphill stretch to the finish. At the start of the final ramp, the French sprinter was even in fourth position.
“Unfortunately, with 200–250 meters to go, he chose the left side and got boxed in behind a rider who was slowing down,” Yvon commented. “He then lost all his speed. That’s sprinting and its uncertainties, but I think without that slowdown, he could have hoped for a podium.”
At the line, Paul Penhoët ultimately had to settle for sixth place, a few bike lengths behind the winner, Marc Brustenga. “We are obviously frustrated because when we come to these races with Paul, we aim to win,” Yvon concluded. “There’s always something missing for everything to align and put Paul in a position to win. We didn’t come here for sixth place, but the level is now very even, and everyone is fighting—especially when the distance and difficulty aren’t enough to thin out the field.”
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Here's the news from two-time winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
In search of a record-equaling third Ronde van Vlaanderen title, Tadej Pogačar will lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG at this Sunday’s Tour of Flanders. There, the Slovenian will make his third outing of the campaign, having already won Strade Bianche and Milano-Sanremo.
The latter was Pogačar’s fourth different Monument success, taking the world champion up to 11 wins in the Monument Classics across his palmarès. Amongst those 11 are two memorable victories at the Tour of Flanders, in 2023 and 2025, respectively.
Tadej Pogacar wins the 2025 Tour of Flanders. Sirotti photo
Should the Slovenian defend his title on Sunday, he will join an exclusive list of riders to share the record of three victories at De Ronde, with that club currently counting Achiel Buysse, Fiorenzo Magni, Eric Leman, Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen, Fabian Cancellara and Mathieu van der Poel as its members.
Since riding to fourth place on his Ronde debut in 2022, Pogačar has found his winning recipe in the second Monument of the season, making his race-defining attack on the Oude Kwaremont in both 2023 and 2025. From there to the finish in Oudenaarde, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider has ridden solo for 17km and raised his arms aloft in front of the passionate Belgian crowd.
The 27-year-old will hope to do the same this coming weekend, and heads into Sunday full of confidence from winning the legendary Milano-Sanremo.
Pogačar: “I’m very pleased to be going back to Flanders to defend the title. The way the whole team rode in Milano-Sanremo was so impressive, and if we can carry that into the next few weeks, I think we can achieve some great results.
“Flanders is one of the biggest heartlands of cycling and the energy around this race is something special and a pleasure to be a part of. Since my last race, I’ve been training while also keeping an eye on the racing and cheering on the teammates from home, so I’m excited to be getting stuck into the action again.”
As for this Sunday, Pogačar’s teammates will include Nils Politt – a podium finisher at De Ronde in 2024 – and Florian Vermeersch – a podium finisher at both Omloop Nieuwsblad and the E3 Saxo Classic in recent weeks. The trio will be joined by Mikkel Bjerg, Benoît Cosnefroy, António Morgado, and Rui Oliveira, with Sports Directors Fabio Baldato and Marco Marcato bringing their wealth of experience from the team car.
Alongside Pogačar’s victories, the Tour of Flanders has been a race that has brought UAE Team Emirates-XRG much joy in recent times. Politt was a third-place finisher in 2024, with Alexander Kristoff having matched that result in 2019 and 2020.
As one of cycling’s five Monument Classics, this is a race that never fails to reward the best of the best, and this year’s edition should prove no different.
Beginning in Antwerp, the Tour of Flanders is one of the longest races of the season, clocking in at 278.4km in length. Along the way, plenty of gruelling cobbled bergs prove a formidable challenge, with iconic names such as the Taaienberg, the Molenberg and the Oude Kruisberg on the agenda.
The last 20km are where the race is often decided, over the one-two punch of the Oude Kwaremont and the Paterberg. These two climbs have served as a fitting finale to the race for over a decade, after having replaced the Muur van Geraardsbergen and the Bosberg as Flanders’ final act.
The Oude Kwaremont is the first climb of the Tour of Flanders, falling around halfway into the route, and must be tackled twice more by the riders on Sunday afternoon. It was on the penultimate ascent of the Kwaremont that Pogačar first put the squeeze on his opponents in his two winning rides to date.
From the Kwaremont, the riders swing a left towards the Paterberg, with the gnarly cobbled climb serving as the final test before a 13km flat run-in to Oudenaarde. Of course, this last stretch is no red carpet, with much of it exposed to the wind and proving a tough ask for a lone rider.
With that said, the Tour of Flanders is a race where fortune often favours the brave, as shown by the two-time champion, Pogačar. Heading into Sunday, the Slovenian and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates will hope to put on a show once more.
Here's the Tour of Flanders news from Team EF Education-EasyPost:
This Sunday, the Flemish classics will come to a bike-rattling crescendo at the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
Kristen Faulkner, Cédrine Kerbaol, Nina Berton, Alexis Magner, Noemi Rüegg, and Babette van der Wolf will race the Flemish Monument for EF Education-Oatly.
Kasper Asgreen, Mikkel Honoré, Luke Lamperti, Matthias Schwarzbacher, Colby Simmons, Michael Valgren, and Max Walker will take on the cobbles for EF Education-EasyPost.
Every berg on the course is going to be packed with flag-waving fans, as the people of Flanders march out into their fields to watch the peloton hammer up the cobbled tractor tracks that their race made famous. Since 1913, the hills of Flanders have been the arena for one of cycling’s great races. On climbs like the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont, and Paterberg, Flandriens are born.
Kasper Asgreen is one – a racer who does best in the worst conditions, fighting out in the wind and muck to stay in the front echelons on wind-swept concrete roads, before blasting up cobbled climbs. He loves to attack when races get hard. Kasper won De Ronde in 2021. He will captain EF Education-EasyPost in this year’s edition alongside his fellow Dane Michael Valgren, who is going into De Ronde in flying form after his big win at Tirreno-Adriatico earlier this spring.
Kasper Asgreen wins the 2021 Tour of Flanders. Sirotti photo
Kasper and Michael’s teammates, Noemi Rüegg and Kristen Faulkner, will captain EF Education-Oatly in Flanders. Kristen is making her European season debut at De Ronde. The American champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist is coming off a win at the Pan American time trial championships and excited to test herself in one of her favorite races.
Noemi has only gotten stronger since her Tour Down Under victory at the start of 2026. She just finished second at Sanremo Women and has her sights set on the top step of the podium at the second Monument of the year.
Read our captains’ thoughts before the flag drops this Sunday.
Kasper Asgreen:
I had a little bit of illness after Paris-Nice, but the body has been getting better and better since then, so I am really looking forward to Sunday. Racing Flanders is always special. There is a really nice flow to it with all of the climbs and the time between the climbs. It just has a really good rhythm to it. It’s the culmination of several weeks of racing here in Belgium that come to an end with one last big bang.
De Ronde is quite a bit longer than all of the other races. The physical challenge becomes so much bigger with the extra distance after 200 kilometers.
Winning Flanders was huge. It was one of those dream-come-true moments that you don’t get to experience often in a career, so it’s something that I will always cherish. Everywhere I go in Flanders, people will see me and say, “I saw you win Flanders in ‘21.” People really remember it. It is a part of history here in Flanders, so if you are on that list of winners, people don’t forget. I think for us, our best cards are Michael and myself. We need to try to get in a situation where we can get up the road. We’re going to chat about that and see how we can do that best.
Kristen Faulkner:
The plan was for me to come to Europe and start with the Ardennes. I could tell my fitness was really good from my training and my performance at the Pan-Ams. I told our DS Carmen I was coming back to Europe and she said, “If your fitness is good, why don’t we use it? Do you want to come to Flanders?” My first thought was, “Wow, that’s a fast turnaround!” but I think it will be good to get back into road racing before the Ardennes and just get to spend time with the team. I really miss my teammates. And of course I love Flanders. It’s such a fun race. It has a lot of the same course elements every year so there’s a familiarity to it.
We have some really strong classics riders on our team. We saw that Noemi is in really good shape at Sanremo Women but I also think we have strong classics riders that can sneak their way to the front. They might not be on the radar in the same way that Longo Borghini and Vollering and Niewiadoma are, but I think that gives us an opportunity to be there while being a little sneaky about it. If we can play our cards well and be really smart, then we can surprise the field.
Michael Valgren:
I have had a good spring, so I'm pretty confident that I can do a good result. I just have to hope that luck is on my side. I'm nervous. It’s my second Monument this year. I was good in the first one, Sanremo, and hopefully I can continue this trend. The longer the race is, the better for me. A long, hard race is normally my specialty. Hopefully, I'm strong enough to make a difference. There are riders who are stronger than me, but it's a Monument and anything can happen.
It’s a hard race to read. I think that the peloton has finally figured out that if the big guys go early, don’t follow, because then you just go over your limit, but if you create a chase group, you can actually bring them back, because they are human after all. I think that is my chance. I think that I will have to make my move after 200 kilometers. It depends how the race is ridden, but I think I will have to wait a bit. I won’t be afraid to get a bit of wind down my nose. I think I’m strong enough to do that.
Flanders is epic. That day, the whole atmosphere around the race, before the race and after the race is just crazy. You see it building up now. On today’s café ride, people kept saying, “Good luck on Sunday, good luck on Sunday.” Everyone knows that this Sunday is the Holy Grail.
Noemi Rüegg:
It is always exciting to be in Belgium, because the races are really different from the Australian and Italian races we did so far. I am really looking forward to it. We have a really strong team here. I can't wait for the cobbles and all the little climbs. I really like these races. They are so unpredictable. Obviously, you go into the race with a plan as a team, but then it always comes out different on the road. You have to stay very flexible in the race and be very focused in the moment. It’s chaotic and hectic. It’s a nice length and hard enough to make a selection.
You have to embrace it and adapt to every situation. As a team, we go through the ups and downs of the race together.
We’re going to have to be careful with the wind. There will be a strong tailwind in the beginning, so it will be crazy fast. It will be super important to stay together with the team, be in front and be out of trouble.
The Koppenberg will be a crucial point. We have to be there in front. From there on, it's just one thing after the other. We will just have to follow our instincts. Hopefully, it will be a smaller group coming into the finish. In this race, it's never wrong to be up the road, because so much can happen and it’s hard to control. If you can get away in the final 40 kilometers, I think it's always good. You just have to feel it in the moment.
Here's the Tour of Flanders preview from Team Lidl-Trek:
The second Monument of the season takes place on Sunday with Ronde van Vlaanderen. Here’s what to expect from Lidl-Trek
Cold Flandrian wind wafts the smell of beer and frites through thick crowds of people. Cycling fans stand in gutters full of mud and puddles carrying flags, banners and cowbells. They line the sides of jagged cobblestone climbs and, in between their chatter, listen out for the hum of a helicopter overhead. That noise is the first sign that the race is coming. Then, motorbikes whir past throwing up grit and dirt, as shouts and cheers build in a crescendo. The energy from these crowds is so electric it almost warms up the chilly air. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the riders are here. Bikes crashing, gears clicking, chains bouncing – it is chaos as they slip and slide over steep inclines. Manic fans encourage the peloton with whoops and screams, watching cycling myth and legend come to life in front of their eyes. This is sacred Sunday, and we are at De Ronde van Vlaanderen.
Each year, this race is one of the most important in the cycling season. It is the second Monument and arguably the pinnacle of the cobbled Classics. Preparation for the De Ronde begins over the winter, with riders doing recons of the Flanders parcours as much as six months before they will tackle them on race day. Being ready and alert when the climbs come thick and fast is almost as important has having the physical strength to get over them – positioning is paramount to avoid disaster. To get this right, you need experience.
Lidl-Trek’s men’s and women’s teams for the Tour of Flanders this year combine young talent with seasoned Classics riders. On the men’s squad, Belgium-native Edward Theuns starts his thirteenth Tour of Flanders in 2026, and he knows a thing or two about how to finesse the cobbles. As road captain, Theuns plays an essential part in guiding the younger riders on his team up and over the bergs he learned his trade on.
“I’m Flemish so in the Classics I have the knowledge of the roads and parcours, I am one of the guys that has a lot of experience. This makes the difference.” Theuns explains.
In order to provide the best support for leader Mads Pedersen, who finished second in De Ronde last year, Theuns’ helps communicate to his team during the race, ensuring everyone is where they need to be at important moments.
“I am quite good at positioning for the key points. The team gives me confidence to guide them and make choices on when we have to move in the peloton,” Theuns says. “I try to advise my teammates tactically and physically where to go at which moment, especially with this line-up where we have a lot of young riders. This is something that is really important. For me it is natural to ride on Flemish roads but for some guys it isn’t as easy.”
Mads Pedersen finishes second in 2025. Sirotti photo
Theuns himself recalls his first experience of racing Flanders in 2014 and admits that it was a baptism of fire: “I didn’t finish it! I arrived on the bus and I was really completely done. Flanders is a super hard race, maybe for me it was a little bit too hard, but I always tried to be there for the leaders in the team. I started in my first Flanders with Fabian Cancellara so I’ve always had big leaders to work for, like we have with Mads now.”
The women’s team also is a combination of young talent such as Fleur Moors (who finished second In Flanders Fields last weekend) alongside the likes of Lucinda Brand who has almost two decades of experience in the peloton.
“The role of road captain is much wider than just only in the race,” Brand says. “While you have a lot of racing experience and know how to stay calm and have a good overview, it is also about getting to know the signals at the dinner table and sometimes being an extension to the staff. Sometimes you get put in rooms with young riders to teach them and sometimes you go with the leader to give them some calm and trust.”
Like Theuns, Brand also stresses that mindset can be as important as physicality: “For Flanders, the biggest thing I tell young riders is to stay calm. With Fleur, she is so enthusiastic and the biggest thing is not spending energy where you don’t need to. Every push counts at the end of the race. I try to encourage her to think ahead, this is the key. These are quite demanding races in a way because every moment you need to be aware that you can lose your position and you need to fight. You can be dropped but then come back and then it starts all over again. It is about finding a balance between giving information and letting people experience it themselves, because you don’t want to make young riders too afraid or make them overthink things. It’s also good that they go in with no expectations and don’t know how much it hurts!”
Whether a rider is making their debut in De Ronde, or has ridden the bergs and cobbles for decades, each will finish this race with a story to tell. Guided by road captains and led by champions, Lidl-Trek’s men and women teams are hoping for a fairytale ending in Flanders this weekend.
Lidl-Trek’s full line-up for The Tour of Flanders:
Men: Mads Pedersen, Edward Theuns, Max Walscheid, Søren Kragh Andersen, Mathias Norsgaard, Mathias Vacek, Tim Torn Teutenberg
Women: Emma Norsgaard, Lauretta Hanson, Fleur Moors, Shirin van Anrooij, Lucinda Brand, Elisa Balsamo
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And here's the Ronde van Vlaanderen news from Team Bahrain Victorious:
The “Flanders’ Finest” is here. On Sunday, April 5, Bahrain Victorious will line up at the 110th edition of the Tour of Flanders, one of the most prestigious and iconic races in cycling, known locally as “Vlaanderens Mooiste.”
Few races capture the spirit of cycling like this Monument. From the extraordinary passion of the fans to the legendary cobbled climbs of the Flemish hills, the Tour of Flanders is defined by its unique atmosphere and relentless difficulty.
This year’s edition will start in Antwerp, alternating once again with Bruges. From the Grote Markt, where the team presentation takes place, to the start at Ernest Van Dijckkaai, riders will be welcomed by thousands of fans lining the roads, creating an unforgettable atmosphere from the very first kilometres.
The route features 16 climbs, with a minor change replacing Steenbeekdries with Marlboroughstraat, while retaining all the race’s defining features. The opening 100 kilometres wind through the Flemish countryside, with Herzele named as this year’s “Village of the Tour.” The first real challenges begin after around 110 km with the cobbled sectors, followed by the first ascent of the iconic Oude Kwaremont, coming 136 km from the finish.
Tadej Pogacar attacks on the Oude Kwaremont in the 2025 Tour of Flanders. Sirotti photo
From there, the race intensifies with a relentless sequence of climbs and cobbled sections. Legendary hills such as the Paterberg and Koppenberg are expected to play a decisive role, where the favourites will begin to make their moves. As in recent years, the crucial point of the race is likely to be the Oude Kwaremont–Paterberg combination, with the final ascent of the Paterberg cresting just 13 km from the finish in Oudenaarde (after 278km), setting up the decisive run-in.
Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Nikolas Maes previews the race:
“We have a strong squad that performed well in last week’s Classics. We remain realistic: a top ten would already be a solid result for us, especially considering the level at the start, with riders like Remco Evenepoel, Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel.
"It’s not necessarily a complicated race tactically, but it will be extremely hard. I expect a very aggressive race, possibly opened early by strong teams.
"If we can get riders like Alessandro Borgo or Matevž Govekar into a good position or even in front early on, that would be very valuable. Around them, Kamil Gradek, Zak Erzen and Pau Miquel will play key supporting roles.
"Once the race really opens up, we will focus on Alec Segaert and Matej Mohorič. Anticipation has become more difficult in recent years, but if we can place one of them well around the second passage of the Oude Kwaremont, it could be a key moment for us.
"We stay realistic with a top ten as our goal, but in a race like the Tour of Flanders, you never know how things will unfold. Alec and Matej both have the engine to come into their own after 200 kilometres and we hope for the best for the Flanders ‘nicest’ race.”
Matej Mohorič added:
“With all the big favourites at the start, I expect one of the fastest editions of the Tour of Flanders. I’m feeling better with every race, but in these races, good legs alone are not enough, especially against such a strong field.
"I believe that if we keep racing as a team and take our opportunities, everything can come together. We will give our best and aim for a big result.”
Alec Segaert said:
“I’m starting my second Tour of Flanders with a lot of motivation after some good Classics. Matej has also shown he’s ready for the big battles ahead.
"It’s always a special day in Flanders, where this race is almost sacred. Everyone is watching, and the crowds on the climbs are incredible.
"Last year was my first experience, and riding up the Oude Kwaremont through that wall of noise is something I’ll never forget. I hope to fight for a strong result and enjoy this amazing day again.”
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Here's the team's news:
One of the two cycling races mentioned by Ernest Hemingway in his acclaimed novel “The Sun Also Rises”, Itzulia Basque Country holds its 65th edition next week, when a total of 29 classified climbs will dot the route, a relentless up and down one that starts from Bilbao and concludes in Bergara, six days later.
A 13.9km individual time trial on the roads of the region’s largest city is set to establish an initial pecking order, and there is a chance to see some interesting gaps between the favourites, as the parcours features a 2.6km climb right in the beginning and a short but brutal hill, where the road kicks up at 19%, just before the finish line. The next day takes the peloton across a rugged territory, typical for the Basque Country, with 3300 vertical meters and an explosive finish in Mendukilo, followed by a stage to Basauri, where a breakaway could get an opportunity to shine.
The same can be said about the fourth stage, one containing a total of seven classified climbs around Galdakao, a town located in the valley of the Ibaizabal river. The longest and hardest stage of the week will be the one in Eibar; the course, containing no fewer than eight climbs – many of which have double-digit gradients – will ensure a process of attrition and a spectacular GC battle, which should continue in Bergara, where more hills await on the final day.
Runner-up on two occasions, Mikel Landa returns at the start of his home race, hoping to be again in the mix for a good result. He will be joined by Ayco Bastiaens, Steff Cras, British ITT Champion Ethan Hayter, Martin Svrcek, Ilan Van Wilder, and Mauri Vansevenant.
Mikel Landa wins stage two of the 2016 Tour of the Basque Country.
Soudal Quick-Step sports director Kevin Hulsmans previewed our 15th World Tour race of the season: “We’ve selected a strong and well-balanced squad for this event. Being on his home roads will give Mikel Landa, and the entire squad for that matter, an extra layer of motivation.”
“With the opening time trial, riders like Ethan and Ilan have a great opportunity to get a good result and position themselves well in the general classification. As the race progresses into the tougher stages, we believe we have the depth and strength within the team to target both stage victories and a strong overall classification. Our goal is to be competitive throughout the week and make the most of every opportunity.”