Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, February 2, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. - Dwight D. Eisenhower
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- February 4 - 8: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 4 - 8: Etoile de Bessèges
- February 6: Muscat Classic
- February 7 - 11: Tour of Oman
Latest completed racing:
- January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
- January 31-February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- February 1: GP Cycliste de Marseille - La Marseilaise
- January 29: Surf Coast Classic Race cancelled
- January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under
- January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
- December 30: Superprestige Diegem
- December 29: Trofee Loenhout-Azencross
- December 26: World Cup Gavere
- December 23: Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 26: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from race winner Tobias Lund Andresen's Team Decathlon CMA CGM:
Over the demanding 114 miles (182,3 km) of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, contested at a sustained pace (42.8 km/h average), our Danish sprinter perfectly managed his effort. Well positioned in a group of around twenty riders, he attacked at the ideal moment and produced a powerful sprint to win with authority.
Tobias Lund Andresen is the winner. Getty photo
The race got off to a fast start with three riders breaking away, before the Visma | Lease a Bike and Jayco teams took control of the peloton. Made nervous by the wind, the race remained tense throughout the day.
On the final laps of the circuit, the breakaway was caught, giving way to new attacks. Several teams tried to make the race tougher on the climb, but without managing to create any real gaps. Despite the sustained pace, the peloton remained grouped together.
For our part, we followed the plan perfectly, with the aim of putting Tobias in the best possible position for a sprint in a small group.
Tobias sprints at just the right moment and unleashes all his power to win with a controlled sprint finish. An authoritative victory, his second of the season and his second on Australian soil!
Tobias Lund Andresen: "Today's race was truly incredible. It's impressive to be able to produce such a result in a one-day race like the Cadel Road Race, after what we did at Tour Under. The team did an excellent job from the start, positioning me well at the foot of the climb. We tried to make the race as easy as possible in order to save as much energy as possible for the final. My teammates stayed with me and got me back into position as quickly as possible. In the final, I gave it my all and tried to get on the best wheel to finish off the team's work in the best possible way."
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Here's the Cadel Evans Race report from second-place Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Matthew Brennan finished second at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. The 20-year-old Brit from Team Visma | Lease a Bike only had to trail Tobias Lund Andresen in the sprint.
The Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race marked the conclusion of the Australian racing block. The riders covered 182 kilometers in and around the port city of Geelong. The finale featured four ascents of the short but steep Challambra Crescent.
In the chase of three breakaway riders, Team Visma | Lease a Bike was alert in the peloton in support of team leader Brennan. The young Brit had already sprinted convincingly to his first victory of the season at the Tour Down Under last week and once again made a strong impression. Well before the finish, the breakaway was caught, after which Team Visma | Lease a Bike kept the pace high in the peloton. Heading into the finale, Anton Schiffer was involved in a crash, but he was able to finish the race.
In the final lap, attacks followed one another in quick succession. On the Challambra Crescent, Brennan responded to the accelerations every time. A compact peloton eventually began the fourth and final ascent. At the five kilometres to go mark, Santiago Buitrago launched an attack. Only a few riders, including Brennan, managed to bridge the gap to the Colombian. A small group then sprinted for the win. Brennan opened his sprint from far out but was overtaken by Andresen in the final meters.
Matthew Brennan winning stage five of the 2026 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
“The team made sure I was in a good position throughout the entire race,” Brennan said afterward. “I was always excellently positioned when entering the Challambra Crescent, which was always a key point on the local circuit. In the finale, I had the legs to respond to the accelerations every time, but unfortunately I launched my sprint about a hundred meters too early. That was a misjudgment.”
Sports director Jesper Mørkøv added: “The guys rode a strong race, exactly as we had planned. They controlled the race with confidence. It was unfortunate that Anton was involved in a crash, because he certainly could have supported Matthew in the finale. As a result, Matthew was somewhat isolated, but he rode an impressive finale. He reacted alertly to the attacks from the competition while also taking the time to conserve energy for the sprint. In the end, he went just a bit too early, allowing a strong Andresen to come past him. Of course we would have liked to win here, but a podium finish in a WorldTour race is a good result."
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Here's the Cadel Evans Road Race report from third-place Brady Gilmore's NSN Cycling Team:
We may be just two weeks into the 2026 season and Brady Gilmore’s neo pro year, but the young Australian has already proved his place in the WorldTour by wrapping up an impressive stint on home soil to sprint to third place at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race today.
Gilmore rounded out the podium behind Tobias Lund Andersen (Decathlon CMA CGM Team) and Matthew Brennan (Team Visma | Lease A Bike), beating 2024 winner Mauro Schmidt to third place in a photo finish, after a 20-rider group went clear over the top of the Challambra climb on the final lap.
“It’s not a win, but a podium in my first one-day WorldTour race, so I can’t complain,” said Gilmore. “It was a really good day. The boys did an amazing job setting us up on the final climb. I got over the top with the front group, but unfortunately Corbin [Strong] had a mechanical problem. After that, I just heard I had to race from the front, and that’s what I did. I put myself in position and did the best I could.”
After sprinting to fourth place on two occasions at the Tour Down Under, Gilmore dug deep and played his card well in the final kilometer to score his first WorldTour podium.
“I surprised myself at the Tour Down Under last week, just missing the podium twice,” added Gilmore. “That gave me confidence today. I knew that if I was at the pointy end, I’d be competitive. But this is the top level. Everyone’s on their game and knows exactly what they’re doing. To win, you really have to get everything right. I felt like I raced smarter today and used what I learned last week. In the end, there were just two guys who could sprint better.”
It was somewhat fitting that Gilmore’s success came on the day his roommate and mentor Simon Clarke celebrated his retirement.
“Clarkey’s taught me most of what I know about bike racing, everything from staying seated out of corners to race craft,” explained Gilmore. “We’ve been teammates for almost two years, and we’ve been roommates full-time since November. I’m always picking his brain. He’s probably the smartest guy in the peloton, so it’s been a privilege to learn from him. I really take it on board and try to apply it in races, and it works.”
The podium, from left: Matthew Brennan (2nd), Tobias Lund Andresen (1st), & Brady Gilmore (3rd).
Sports Director Sam Bewley praised Gilmore’s performance, particularly as he wasn’t the team’s leader going into the finale.
“Brady delivered a great result today, once again showing his ability and talent,” said Bewley. “Our day didn’t go exactly how we planned. Corbin Strong was clearly our leader today and he was having a really good day, so we believed he was capable of a strong result. Unfortunately, a mechanical issue at the bottom of the final climb took him out of contention and meant we couldn’t execute our plan for the last climb and final lap.
“The guys did a great job all day. They were patient and consistently in the right positions to execute our plan, but the mechanical changed everything, so we had to fly by the seat of our pants for the final seven to eight kilometers. Brady really stepped up again. It’s great to see that when he’s given these opportunities, even when they come late in the race, he can deliver and capitalize on them. To take a podium in his first WorldTour one-day race is a big achievement and really exciting for the future. Overall, we can leave the Australian campaign pretty pleased with how it went.”
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And here's the Cadel Evens Road Race report from Team Groupama-FDJ United:
The Groupama-FDJ United cycling team really tried to make the most of its strengths this Sunday at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, the final event of the Australian trip. In a fast and intense final, Tom Donnenwirth and Kevin Geniets first managed to follow the small group that went on to fight for victory. The Luxembourger then sacrificed himself in the closing stages, while his teammate crossed the line in 14th place. A somewhat frustrating result, but an encouraging performance before returning to Europe.
Following the cancellation of the Surf Coast Classic on Thursday due to bushfires, the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race was the only official race of the week for the peloton coming from the Tour Down Under. This Sunday also marked the end of the Australian campaign with the first WorldTour event of the season, held over 183 kilometres around Geelong. The main challenge was the Challambra Crescent climb (1.3 km at 7.8%), tackled four times, with the final ascent coming just ten kilometres from the finish.
“The first hundred kilometres were nervous, even though there were only three riders up the road,” said Jussi Veikkanen. “We went through the famous Surf Coast, there was a lot of wind, and it brought tension in the peloton even if there was no real damage. The break reached the final circuit with a small gap and was caught quickly. The scenario was quite predictable. It was very likely that everything would be decided on the final lap, and that’s exactly what happened, with things exploding on the last climb.”
Jussi Veikkanen in 2014. Sirotti photo
While several riders tried to anticipate the big showdown, it was on the slopes of Challambra Crescent that a first selection was made. The pace was relentless, the peloton stretched out, and at the summit Tom Donnenwirth passed in fifth position alongside the best punchers in the field. “Kevin and Tom were strong, and both made it into the first group of around twenty riders,” Jussi explained. “Behind them, there was another group with Enzo and Guillaume, while Lewis and Rémi were delayed by a crash at the foot of the final climb.”
At the front, the Groupama-FDJ United duo managed to hold on over the final uphill section six kilometres from the line. Then, with 2.5 kilometres to go, Kevin Geniets followed an attack that was quickly neutralised, but continued his effort. “Kevin sacrificed himself because there was a group of around thirty riders behind with some sprinters,” Jussi said. “He made the effort, and he did the right thing. In the sprint, Tom got a bit boxed in and did what he could. We were there for the win, but the result is slightly frustrating.”
At the finish, Tom Donnenwirth placed 14th, with his Luxembourg teammate 21st, as Tobias Lund Andresen claimed victory ahead of Matthew Brennan. “What I’ll take from today is that Tom was right up there on the last two steep climbs,” Jussi concluded. “That will give him confidence. We finished this campaign on a good note, and the whole group has progressed over the week. We’re on the right track and confident for what’s next.”
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