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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, February 9, 2026

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Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana stage 5 team reports

We posted the report from GC winner Remco Evenepoel's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe with the results.

Here's the report from Team INEOS Grenadiers:

A dramatic finale of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana saw Ben Turner sprint to seventh place on the fifth stage.

An early break on the 95km stage saw AJ August and Kim Heiduk in a select group of 21, tackling the category three Puerto del Oronet.

August continued to show his race winning form, pushing on with six others up the final climb of the stage, the Puerto del Garbi.

It was downhill for the final 42km into Valencia, with Heiduk able to join back on the front group with 36km remaining. The chasing peloton had a gap of 1:40, with Magnus Sheffield keeping Turner out of trouble.

With just 9km to go, August led into a bend and slipped out the corner, while with just 3km to go, Kim Heiduk had the same fate, coming down behind Julien Bernard (Lidl - Trek). Both riders were able to cross the finish line safely.

Raul Garcia wins the stage five sprint.

Heading into the final straight, the peloton were just behind the early break, with Turner launching his sprint in a bid to catch them. Unfortunately, it was just too late with Turner taking the bunch sprint to finish seventh on the stage.

Sheffield, who delivered Turner to the line, finished in the bunch to take sixth on the GC, while Turner’s sprinting antics saw him claim eighth overall.

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Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this final report on the Valencia race:

Viktor Soenens seems to enjoy racing in Spain. A member of our Devo squad, he competed last year in O Gran Camiño together with the World Tour team and took an impressive eighth place and the white jersey. One year from that performance, he returned to a stage race in the Iberian Peninsula and once again put in an impressive display, finishing tenth overall at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana, which had a star-studded field for this 77th edition.

Viktor Soenens in the best young rider's white jersey at the 2025 O Gran Camino.

“I didn’t have any expectations before the start, but this week turned out to be pretty special. The level was really high, some of the best riders in the world were here. My initial thought was to learn and gain experience, but throughout the week I felt strong and each day I felt better and better. On Saturday, it was crazy, but I felt I had the legs and my teammates positioned me for the important climbs. I did what I could and couldn’t believe when I saw I came in the top ten.”

“A big thanks to the team for their support and trust they put in me, it means a lot to see this and to be part of the Wolfpack. I will take this confidence-boost into my next races, where I hope to be there whenever they would need me”, an elated Viktor explained.

On the last day of the week, a rather short one taking the peloton from Betera to Valencia, it was another Devo rider who spent time in the spotlight. Jasper Schoofs, the 19-year-old who won the Klimkoers Herbeumont and the KOM jersey at the Tour Alsace last season, joined the large breakaway that formed moments after the start. The Belgian wasn’t content to just sit there, and traded pulls at the front before counterattacking on the second climb of the stage when the group split, leaving only nine men in the lead.

Once he made it there, Schoofs continued to remain active while the peloton was rapidly making up ground in the closing kilometers, as they entered the streets of Valencia. Just three kilometers from the finish, only 15 seconds separated them, but Jasper took another long pull as the group exited a roundabout and went under the flamme rouge with a gap that still looked promising. Despite the chasers coming at a different pace, the escapees made it, and Jasper remained calm and confident in the finale as he sprinted to third place – a great result to cap off a solid week of our Devo riders in Spain.

“It truly feels like a childhood dream to be on the bus with such great professionals. I am grateful to each and every one of them for sharing their knowledge”, Jasper said. “Today I wanted to give everything one last time. A big breakaway formed, and on the toughest climb of the day I chose my own pace and reached the top with the first riders. From there we rode as fast as possible toward the finish. In the sprint I came up just a little short, but I’m incredibly happy with this result. Racing among the pros already feels like a childhood dream, and now standing on the podium as well feels completely unreal.”


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And here's the Valenciana race report from the NSN Cycling Team:

After success in the season opener in Australia, NSN Cycling Team wrapped up the opening race of the European calendar at Volta Comunitat Valenciana with a string of impressive results including Biniam Girmay’s stage win on day one, a narrow miss on stage 3, three stages spent in the leader’s yellow jersey, and winner of the points classification.

Biniam Girmay wins stage one of the Volta Comunitat Valenciana. Team Polti-VisitMalta photo

On the General Classification front, Riley Sheehan made the most of a free card and climbed to ninth on yesterday’s queen stage which saw the young American move into ninth on GC, which he was able to successfully defend on today’s tough short final stage.

“A lot happened in the last 15 kilometers today,” explained Sheehan. “I started with a flat tire just after the crosswinds section and got a great bike change and Tom came and saved my butt once. And then the crosswinds split the group again and this time, Pau and Lewis saved my butt a second time. We were able to latch back on the front group, which was severely reduced, and managed to cross the line safety. We wanted more, maybe a sprint with Bini at the end, but to hold my position in the top-10 on GC was phenomenal. I didn’t think I would be here today and I’m super happy with this result.”

For Biniam, success in his race debut with NSN wasn’t just about winning with the Eritrean praising his teammates and the way they raced for him across the five stages.

“Overall, I’m super happy with the team effort and how we raced and communicated together, and how we delivered these results. It was the first race for me, first race for Lewis Askey, and it was super nice. I didn’t expect such a nice group atmosphere. The guys are super strong, mentally and physically, so that makes me even happier than my result. I’m really excited for 2026 with NSN Cycling Team.”

Biniam wasn’t the only NSN rider to grace the podium in Valencia, instead joined by Pau Martí who was the best Valencian at the race in what was a fitting way to end his first race with the WorldTeam on home soil.


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Tour of Oman stage two team reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.

Here's the report from Bart Lemmen's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Bart Lemmen finished eighth in the second stage of the Tour of Oman. In a demanding finale, early breakaway rider Partyk Goszczurn, who once again made a strong impression, was caught by the peloton.

The second stage of the Tour of Oman took the peloton toward the Yitti Hills. In the difficult finale, steep climbs followed one another in rapid succession. Right from the start in Al Rustaq, Goszczurny launched an attack. The 19-year-old Polish development rider from Team Visma | Lease a Bike was joined by four companions. Goszczurny had also been part of the early breakaway in yesterday’s opening stage.

Baptiste Veistroffer wins Tour of Oman stage two. Photo: ASO/Oman Cycling Association

The leading group was gradually reduced to three riders. On the rolling roads, Goszczurny, Baptiste Veistroffer, and Tim Marsman held on for a long time. In the finale, Veistroffer made the decisive acceleration. The Frenchman eventually rode solo to the finish line. In the final kilometers, Goszczurny and Marsman were caught by the peloton. Riding for Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Lemmen sprinted to eighth place.

Goszczurny rides for Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development but has been given the opportunity in this Tour of Oman to gain experience at the highest level. The young Pole once again showed his attacking spirit and now leads both the points classification and the combativity classification. “I had another good day,” he said afterward. “I’m happy with how I’ve been feeling this week. When we went away with five riders and later were down to three, I didn’t expect we’d be able to hold on for so long.”

“I’m a little disappointed that I was still caught by the favorites’ group with two kilometers to go,” Goszczurny added. “But I’m very satisfied that I picked up more points for the points classification and that I get to wear the most aggressive rider’s jersey. I’m looking forward to the upcoming stages.”

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