Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, January 20, 2026

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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. - Francis of Assisi

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Les Woodland's book Cycling Heroes: The Golden Years is available in the print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under

Upcoming racing:

• January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
• January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
• January 29: Surf Coast Classic
• February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race

Latest completed racing:

• 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

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Women's Tour Down Under stage three team reports

We posted the organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from GC winner Noemi Rüegg's Team EF Education-Oatly:

Noemi Rüegg and her teammates went all in on the final stage of the 2026 Tour Down Under and it paid off: Noemi took the stage win and the general classification title.

At the finish line, Noemi was quick to thank her teammates for their hard work and their unwavering belief in her. “Yes, girls, you are the best. Thank you so, so much for everything! This is only because of you,” she said over the radio.

Noemi Rüegg wins the final stage and the 2026 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo

From the beginning, the squad had big plans to defend Noemi’s 2025 title and to go for at least one stage win.

“We came into the race with the ambition to defend the GC and try and go for a stage win as well,” Noemi said. “I knew I was in great form but I still hesitated a bit, I wasn’t sure how well I would actually do. But the team believed in me so much and we had a plan every day that we committed to and everyone was so committed and trusted in me. Every day we could execute our plan almost to perfection. Today we did it totally to perfection and that’s why we could win this. I’m super stoked and so happy to be part of this team. Honestly, it was the best team work. This was a real team win.”

Coming into today, Noemi was in third place overall, sitting 17 seconds back. With two ascents up the Corkscrew, averaging 7.1% over 3.3 kilometers, the squad knew the day would be a challenge but they were up for it. Henrietta Christie, Alice Towers, Stina Kagevi, and Magdeleine Vallieres looked after the defending champion all day, keeping her stocked with bottles and race food, as well and keeping her in perfect position.

When the race hit the Corkscrew for the second and final time, Noemi kept her cool when she found herself in a move with three riders from UAE Team ADQ. As her rivals launched attack after attack, trying to shake the Swiss rider, Noemi followed each and every one.

“I was a bit worried because I knew how hard it was on the first climb but all of a sudden it went a lot better than the first time and I knew that once I was back in the battle for GC, I could unlock some more power and that’s what happened,” she said.

The foursome turned the final corner and saw the finish line 500 meters ahead. Noemi bided her time, timing her sprint to perfection and winning the stage by several bike lengths.

“Honestly, I didn’t know that I had done it until the finish line,” Noemi said. “I was so focused up this last climb that I was really in my own world, in my own tunnel, and then I just focused on covering all the attacks from UAE. I knew they would race it how they did and I just followed attack after attack. I knew if I went into the last 500 meters with them, nothing could happen any more but I didn’t want to believe it too early.”

Here's the Down Under Tour report from second-place Mavi Garcia's UAE Team ADQ:

Paula Blasi confirms herself as Queen of the Mountains at the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under, while UAE Team ADQ places three riders inside the top 4 of both the third and final stage and the General Classification: 2nd Mavi Garcia, 3rd Paula Blasi and 4th Dominika Włodarczyk, after a day spent at the very front of the race.

The final GC podium, from left: Mavi Garcia (2nd), Noemi Rüegg (1st), & Paula Blasi (3rd). Sirotti photo

The final stage, the most demanding of the event, covered 126.5 kilometres from Norwood to Campbelltown, featuring a tough and selective course. For this reason, UAE Team ADQ adopted a very aggressive race strategy, especially in the closing phases.

After a long two-rider breakaway that was eventually brought back by the peloton, the race entered its decisive moments. The work of Alena Ivanchenko and Erica Magnaldi set the stage for the team leaders to make their move. Paula Blasi, collecting valuable points on the climbs, secured the Queen of the Mountains jersey. Shortly afterwards, Mavi Garcia launched her attack, followed by a strong move from Dominika Włodarczyk, who opened a gap 16 kilometres from the finish.

On the final ascent of Corkscrew Road, the Polish rider was joined at the front by teammates Garcia and Blasi, along with defending race champion Noemi Rüegg (EF Education–Oatly).

UAE Team ADQ tried to make the most of their numerical advantage with repeated attacks, but the Swiss rider responded promptly each time. In the final sprint, as fatigue began to take its toll, Rüegg proved the fastest and claimed both the stage and the overall victory.

Despite this, it was an impressive team performance from UAE Team ADQ, who animated and shaped the race with their three leading riders, finished with three athletes in the top 4 of the first WorldTour race of the season, and also secured the team classification. There is a slight sense of disappointment, but above all the confidence to build on this performance heading into the next important goals of the season.

After the race, Paula Blasi, winner of the Mountains Classification, said: “My personal goal today was to defend the Green Jersey, and I managed to do that. Given how the finale unfolded, I can’t be completely happy, there’s a bit of disappointment, but we know we have a very strong team and what happened today will be an important lesson for the rest of the season.”

Mavi Garcia added: “We tried until the very end, but we have to congratulate Noemi Rüegg, who once again proved to be very strong and managed to repeat last year’s victory.”

Here’s the report from fifth-place Sarah Van Dam’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Sarah Van Dam capped off a strong Tour Down Under with a fifth place in both the final stage and the overall classification. The 24-year-old Canadian rider of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women once again impressed at the front of the race. In a tough finale, Van Dam finished a few seconds behind stage and overall winner Noemi Rüegg.

The final stage of the three-day Australian stage race took the peloton from Norwood to Campbelltown. The decisive moments of the 126-kilometre stage came in the finale, which featured the double ascent of the steep Corkscrew Road. An early breakaway of two riders animated the opening phase of the stage, but the duo was caught by the peloton before the finale began. 

Sarah Van Dam before the start of the first stage. Sirotti photo

On the first of the two ascents of Corkscrew Road, the favourites made their first acceleration. Van Dam reacted alertly to an attack by UAE Team ADQ teammates Mavi Garcia and Paula Blasi. The two teammates put Van Dam under pressure, forcing the Canadian to relinquish her position at the front. Not long afterwards, everything came back together. During the second and final passage of Corkscrew Road, Van Dam was part of the chasing group, a few seconds behind the leading quartet that included Rüegg. After a demanding finale, Van Dam ultimately secured an impressive fifth place in her first WorldTour stage race in the yellow-and-black colours of Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women. 

“I had the legs to win today, so I was a bit disappointed afterwards,” an honest Van Dam said. “I gave everything I had. On top of that, I was supported brilliantly by my teammates. They kept me well positioned at the front and made sure I stayed cool and hydrated on this hot day. I started the first ascent of Corkscrew Road in a good position. After the increase in pace, I was at the front with the UAE Team ADQ duo. They played the team tactics well, which unfortunately meant I had to let them go.” 

“On the final climb I was in the chasing group, but after all the efforts I lacked the power to follow the decisive acceleration,” Van Dam added. “It was the first time I was in a position where I could fight for overall victory. Looking back on the past three days, I can only be proud of how we raced as a team. We learned a lot here and will take this experience into the next races.” 

Sports director Jos van Emden reflected on an educational three days: “It’s only logical that there was some disappointment after the finish,” said Van Emden. “Sarah was in a very promising position for a long time with a view to overall victory. Together with the team, she gave everything and over the past few days has shown that she can compete for the top places at this level. On challenging courses, Sarah is a tough competitor for many rivals, and that’s something she can certainly build on for the future. All in all, we can be satisfied with how we presented ourselves in this race.”

And here's the short final Tour Down Under report from Team Picnic-PostNL:

The final day of racing in Australia saw the peloton take on the queen stage of the race, with the brutally steep Corkscrew ascent that had to be climbed twice. As expected, it was a hard day out as team’s with GC riders looked to put those with a fast finish into difficulty.

Racing up Corkscrew Road. Sirotti photo

Team Picnic PostNL rallied around Josie Nelson, who herself fought valiantly up the two ascents of the climb, ultimately finishing in the second chase group on the day for 14th place, just 27 seconds behind the winner on the day; and taking home 12th place on GC to go alongside the two stage podiums the team secured.

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