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Tuesday, July 14, 2026
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Current racing:
- July 4 - 26: Tour de France
Upcoming racing:
- July 26: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
Latest completed racing:
- July 8 - 12: Tour of Austria
- June 24 - 28: National Championshps
- June 17 - 21: Tour de Suisse
- June 17 - 21: Baloise Belgium Tour
- June 7 - 14: Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- June 14: Copenhagen Sprint
- June 14: GP Gippingen/Canton Aargau
- June 10: Circuit Franco-Belge
- June 7: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 1 - 5: Ethias-Tour de Wallone
- May 8 - 31: Giro d'Italia
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The team sent me this announcement:
We’re thrilled to announce that Alex Baudin has signed a long-term contract extension with EF Education-EasyPost.
The rider from Albertville, France, joined the team at the start of 2025 and in the last 18 months we’ve seen Alex build on some promising performances and develop into one of the most exciting riders in the peloton.
His talents were on show on stage 1 of the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes, where he spent 124km in the break before holding off a group of GC contenders to take the biggest win of his young career.
Alex's results in early June came off the back of a solid spring campaign that included top-ten GC finishes at Paris-Nice and Itzulia Basque Country.
Alex has carried that form to the Tour de France. He spent three days in the King of the Mountains jersey and finished fourth on stage 9 after a long day in the break.
Alex Baudin in yellow after stage one of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alps. With him on the stage is Bernard Thevenet.
“I’ve always felt welcome in this team, since the moment I arrived. It took a bit of time to adapt to a new group, but I think that we have something really amazing in this team. My first two years on this team didn’t feel like enough, and I really wanted to stay. For me, this team is unique. It’s the way that we race, the way that we make our tactics, and the group that we have is truly special. We have so much fun all the time at training camps and at races. We can see that, compared to other teams, we have something special in our dynamic. You could notice that on stage 1 of the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes. No other team had the plan to try and get everyone working towards being in the break. That’s why I won, because of the way that we do things at EF Education-EasyPost and I love it,” Alex said.
Alex came to the team as a promising rider with significant potential. Team CEO Jonathan Vaughters has been impressed by Alex, both on and off the bike.
“Alex embodies what EF Pro Cycling is all about. He’s hardworking, resilient, and never afraid to take the race to the peloton. He’s earned this extension through his dedication, his constant progression, and by being the kind of teammate everyone enjoys having around. We believe he’s only scratching the surface of what he’s capable of, and everything we’ve seen suggests he has a very bright future ahead of him,” Jonathan said.
His results this year have demonstrated that he’s now finding his groove and coming into his own within the WorldTour. He believes that much of his development has been down to the independence and opportunities that the sports directors have given him.
“From the very start I felt like this team has given me a lot of freedom, and I think that’s what I’ve needed in order to perform. I have a really good relationship with my coach, and we have open discussions about all aspects of my training. I feel like I can talk to him, and have a really good relationship where we can both talk freely. That’s helped me make a really big step this year,” Alex said.
While Alex appreciates his freedom to grow, he’s also embraced the responsibility that comes with being a leader on the team.
“We don’t have one big leader who takes all the opportunities, and I like that. I think I’ve started to show the team can rely on me to deliver results, and I want to continue on this path with EF Education-EasyPost. I want to perform for myself, but I also like to work for others because what goes around comes around, and we have such an amazing team spirit,” Alex said.
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Here's the team's review:
The first rest day has finally arrived. After nine grueling days of racing, the peloton wrapped up the opening week of the Tour de France on Sunday. Before briefly settling into the Massif Central, Clément Russo capitalized on another bunch sprint on Saturday to claim a solid eighth place, while Clément Braz Afonso and Ewen Costiou put in tremendous efforts on Sunday to make the breakaway, only for their hopes to be cut short by the furious pace on the road to Ussel. Racing will resume on Tuesday with what promises to be another demanding stage to Le Lioran.
Clément Braz Afonso was the King of the Mountains of the Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alps. Here he is after the final stage.
One week after the Grand Départ in Barcelona, the peloton still had two stages to tackle over the weekend before enjoying the rest day. The first, and less demanding one, took the riders to Bergerac on Saturday for Stage 8, which was widely expected to end in a bunch sprint. A lone attacker came close to upsetting the sprinters, but it was ultimately another high-speed showdown that saw Tim Merlier claim his second victory in a row. Clément Russo, meanwhile, enjoyed far better fortune than the previous day, powering to a solid eighth place at the finish. “I’m happy with the way we handled the final,” he said. “The team did a great job for me on the long straight from ten to six kilometres to go. After that there were plenty of corners and roundabouts, and the goal was simply to stay as close to the front as possible. I managed to find my way through, hold the right wheels and entered the finishing straight in fourth position. That was ideal. I lost a little bit of speed after getting boxed in, but I managed to accelerate again. I’m not a pure sprinter, so a top ten was the objective. I’m satisfied with my day.”
“Clément once again showed he has exceptional positioning skills,” praised Yvon Caër. “He doesn’t have the same finishing speed as the pure sprinters, but thanks to his positioning, he can deliver great results. With a bit more luck, a top five was within reach. It’s great to see him seize his opportunity whenever it comes, because he’s a rider who spends the entire year working for others.”
After making a strong start to the weekend, Groupama-FDJ United hoped to finish it on the same note on Sunday during a stage to Ussel that looked made for the breakaway, featuring nearly 3,000 metres of climbing. Following a blistering start, it took almost sixty kilometres before a breakaway finally managed to go clear. Ewen Costiou was part of the first wave, while Clément Braz Afonso bridged across at the last moment to a group of fifteen riders. “It was incredibly intense,” explained Yvon. “Right from the first climb, I could see the peloton was already suffering. Everyone was on the limit on what looked like an insignificant little hill. Even so, we rode a great race until the break finally went. Having two riders in a group of fifteen was a real source of satisfaction, especially considering the quality of the group.”
The two young Frenchmen found themselves alongside Mathieu van der Poel, Tom Pidcock, Quinn Simmons, Alex Baudin, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Tobias Halland Johannessen and Derek Gee, among others. “These aren’t the same breakaways as at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,” Clément smiled. “With Pogačar opening up such huge gaps overall, all the other top riders are looking to go on the attack and chase stage wins. Honestly, when I saw the quality of the group, I thought we were going to make it stick. But they quickly realised that there was no time to waste once we reached the Suc au May.”
After only ten kilometres out front, the breakaway therefore exploded on the day’s main climb, with the peloton still hovering less than a minute behind. “Unfortunately, when the pace went up on the Suc au May, we struggled,” said Yvon. “Perhaps we could have saved a few bullets, because Clément had already followed two earlier moves before the decisive one formed, and then he made another big effort to bridge across. That cost him later on. But both he and Ewen told us they simply didn’t have the legs to follow when Van der Poel and Pidcock attacked.” “They attacked right at the bottom of the climb, and I just couldn’t go with them, I had to ride at my own pace,” Clément confirmed. “We climbed well behind, but they still gained thirty seconds on us. We did everything we could, but we knew it was over. I also didn’t expect UAE to bring the peloton back so quickly behind us. In the end, only the very best managed to get away.” After an unrelenting day of racing from start to finish, only four riders managed to stay clear of the peloton, with Mathieu van der Poel taking the victory. “There are absolutely no regrets,” insisted Yvon. “We were exactly where we needed to be at the key moment, and then we were simply beaten by stronger riders. That’s all there is to it.”
Clément Braz Afonso eventually crossed the line in 23rd place, as Groupama-FDJ United completed the opening week of the Tour with three top-ten finishes. “I think we performed in line with the physical resources we had over these first nine days,” concluded Yvon. “We were a bit off the pace in the mountains, but what I’ll remember is the commitment and the way we approached every stage. Whether it was Clément in the sprints or regarding our main objective on this Tour: making the breakaways. We have to keep building on this momentum. The peloton will inevitably become more fatigued during the second and third weeks, and there will still be opportunities.”
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Here's the team's look back at the first nine stages:
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe completed the first crucial days of the Tour – the team time trial, the Pyrenees, and even a few quieter stages for the sprinters. A look back at the first nine stages.
The “first week” of the 2026 Tour de France, which – with no additional transfer rest day and distant Grand Départs – already accounts for almost half the race, is in the bag. From Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s perspective, it’s a positive one.
On the first days in Spain, on the Col du Tourmalet in the Pyrenees, or most recently in the Massif Central – where the race continues after a day’s break – things certainly didn’t go perfectly. Yet the nine stages so far have not given cause for major dissatisfaction.
Stage 1: Barcelona – Barcelona (TTT)
The 2026 Tour de France begins with a team time trial in Barcelona. Remco Evenepoel clocked the time for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, finishing fifth, 19 seconds behind the opening stage winner Jonas Vingegaard. Florian Lipowitz also finished in the top 10, 35 seconds behind the winner. A good start, but not a perfect one.
Remco Evenepoel finishes stage one. Sirotti photo
Stage 2: Tarragona – Barcelona
Barcelona remains in the focus on Day 2 as well. The final part of the stage features three laps over the city’s local mountain, Montjuïc. On the final climb up to the Olympic Stadium, Remco Evenepoel is not far behind Isaac Del Toro and Tadej Pogacar, finishing third in a close finish. Florian Lipowitz, who is less at home on short, steep climbs, loses just ten seconds and holds on to 8th place in the general classification. Remco Evenepoel climbs to third place.
Stage 3: Granollers – Les Angles
The third stage of the Tour takes the peloton from Spain across the border into France. The heat with up to 40 degrees puts the peloton under immense pressure, with 4,000 metres of climbing and a short mountain finish to tackle. Florian Lipowitz and Remco Evenepoel cross the finish line side by side, four seconds behind winner Pogacar. Without the long-awaited stage victory, the Grand Départ comes to an end for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. Nevertheless, everything is largely going according to plan.
Stage 4: Carcassonne – Foix
A large group dominates stage 4, which looks set from the outset to be won by a breakaway rider. Nico Denz and Jan Tratnik make the breakaway, with Tratnik taking the more aggressive role and attacking from within the group. However, neither is able to challenge for the stage win, as the final climb proves too difficult.
Stage 5: Lannemezan – Pau
The Tour’s first mass sprint awaits in Pau. With no sprinters in the team, the main priority is to get through without crashing and saving as much energy as possible. They succeed.
Stage 6: Pau – Gavarnie-Gèdre
Stage 6 features the Col du Tourmalet, the first major climb of the race. Early on the climb, the pace is so high that even the group of general classification contenders breaks apart. On the descent from the Tourmalet, however, the peloton comes back together again; only Pogacar is out of reach. Vingegaard is just 19 seconds infront of Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, who finish the day in fourth and sixth place. In the general classification, the gap between the two remains at 30 seconds. Remco is 4th, Florian 7th.
Stage 7: Hagetmau – Bordeaux
In the city of the sprinters, stage 7 concludes with the expected result. The route is almost entirely flat; no other mass-start stage in this Tour features fewer metres of elevation gain. With just one rider in the breakaway, the day passes without any notable incidents in the peloton.
Stage 8: Périgueux – Bergerac
The day unfolds much like the previous one: a sprint finish, no mountains. However, the final breakaway is only caught 1,400 metres from the finish, making the final stretch a touch more nerve-wracking than usual. Nevertheless, everyone makes it through without any crashes. Check.
Stage 9: Malemort - Ussel
It is so hot in the Massif Central that stage 9 is shortened by a few kilometres. However, this doesn’t really make it any easier. A large breakaway group dominates the day and ultimately secures victory, finishing just a few seconds ahead of the general classification favourites, Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz. So there are no changes in the GC ahead of the rest day. Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe finish the first week in fourth and seventh place.