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Wednesday, June 17, 2026

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Current racing:

June 17 - 21: Tour de Suisse
June 17 - 21: Baloise Belgium Tour

Upcoming racing:

June 24 - 28: National Championshps
July 4 - 26: Tour de France
July 7 - 12: Tour of Austria

Latest completed racing:

Team Soudal Quick-Step previews the Tour of Belgium

Here's the team's post:

The big news of this year’s Belgium Tour is that it won’t feature an individual time trial. The stage which has been so many times decisive in recent years is absent at this 95th edition, which gets underway on Wednesday from Scherpenheuvel-Zichem and concludes in Hoeilaart, five days later and after more than 900 kilometers.

Once again, there will be two clear chances for the sprinters, but the general classification should be an affair between the puncheurs and Classics specialists, who’ll battle over this demanding course comprising cobbled sectors and more than 70 ranked climbs, most of which are short but feature steep gradients. On top of that, the race brings back the famous Golden Kilometer, whose bonus seconds could be crucial in the way the general classification will look on Sunday.

Held for the first time in 1908, the year before the Giro d’Italia was created, the Belgium Tour has been won by our team a total of ten times, making Soudal Quick-Step the most successful squad at the event in modern times. The Wolfpack lines up at the start of this edition with the clear aim of adding to its impressive tally of stage victories, with a roster built around Tim Merlier. One of the fastest riders in the peloton, the Belgian will be joined by Ayco Bastiaens, Casper Pedersen, Paris-Roubaix top three finisher Jasper Stuyven, Dylan Van Baarle, Fabio Van den Bossche, and Bert van Lerberghe.

Tim Merlier wins stage five of the 2024 Tour of Belgium.

“There will be a couple of opportunities for the sprinters, and Tim - who has won numerous times here and can rely on a strong lead-out - is keen to show what he is capable of after last Sunday’s disappointment in Copenhagen.”

“They can do something on this parcours, where the Golden Kilometer seconds are sure to play a big role. There will be chances for us, and with this team, we are confident we can do some nice things”, said sports director Niki Terpstra.

Team Picnic-PostNL previews its upcoming races

The team sent me this schedule:

Tour de Suisse
JUNE 17 - JUNE 21

Matt Winston - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
"This year’s Tour de Suisse is shorter with five stages, but it remains a demanding race. We start with three interesting hilly stages, followed by a flat time trial and a decisive final mountain stage, so there are multiple opportunities for us throughout the week. With riders like Bjorn, Mattia and Chris, we have multiple cards to play across the different terrains, and that allows us to race proactively. Across the week, we want to be present in the key moves and not miss opportunities if the race opens up. The focus will be on executing well as a group, to be active throughout the week, race with intent, and take every opportunity to put ourselves in the mix for strong results."

Line-up:
Matt Dinham (AUS)
Bjorn Koerdt (GBR)
Mattia Gaffuri (ITA)
Chris Hamilton (AUS)
Tim Naberman (NLD)
Oliver Peace (GBR)
Casper van Uden (NLD)

Casper van Uden (shown after winning stage 4 of the 2025 Giro d'Italia) will be on the Tour de Suisse start line. Sirotti photo

Tour de Suisse Women
JUNE 17 - JUNE 21

Callum Ferguson - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
"We go into Tour de Suisse with a clear focus on following our plan each day and continuing our development as a group. Across a varied route with flatter stages, mountain top finishes and a time trial, we want to take a balanced approach and execute the right process in every situation. The main goal is to leave Switzerland knowing we have grown as a team and taken another step forward in how we race together."

Line-up:
Megan Arens (NLD)
Ella Heremans (BEL)
Daniela Hezinová (CZE)
Audrey De Keersmaeker (BEL)
Juliana Londoño (COL)
Becky Storrie (GBR)

Baloise Belgium Tour
JUNE 17 - JUNE 21

Pim Ligthart - Team Picnic PostNL coach:
"In the Baloise Belgium Tour, Frits will be our designated finisher, coming into the race in good form after his fourth place in the Brussels Cycling Classic and seventh at the Copenhagen Sprint. He will be well supported by a strong group who can deliver him into the final in the best possible position. It will be an interesting test for us to execute our lead-out and teamwork in a race that should offer multiple sprint opportunities."

Line-up:
Julius van den Berg (NLD)
Frits Biesterbos (NLD)
John Degenkolb (DEU)
Nils Eekhoff (NLD)
Christiaan van Rees (NLD)
Timo Roosen (NLD)
Thom van der Werff (NLD)

Factor deepens commitment to Modern Adventure Pro Cycling team as American team targets Tour de France within five years

Here’s the team’s news:

Factor Bikes has expanded its commitment to Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, to become co-title sponsor of the U.S.-registered team from 2027. Modern Adventure Factor Racing will continue to build toward one of the most ambitious objectives in American cycling: creating an American team capable of racing the Tour de France within five years.

The increased investment marks a new phase in the relationship between Factor and Modern Adventure. What began as a founding technical partnership in the team’s first year of racing will become a deeper commitment to team building, supporting recruitment, rider development, performance infrastructure, and closer collaboration between Factor’s engineers, athletes, and performance staff.

The expanded partnership will also bring Factor Racing, Factor’s in-house UCI Continental development program, under the broader Modern Adventure Factor Racing umbrella. The move creates a clearer stepping stone for young riders and a recognized pathway for emerging US talent to European racing, connecting development racing with the professional team, and giving emerging talent a more structured route through the sport.

For Factor founder Rob Gitelis, the commitment is personal.

Gitelis came into cycling in the United States during the 1980s, at a time when the sport still existed outside the mainstream. Inspired by the Greg LeMond era, he followed the only route available to ambitious American riders of that generation, through the U.S. racing system, then across the Atlantic to France and Spain. It was not a clear pathway: it was a leap.

That experience shapes Factor’s view of Modern Adventure Pro Cycling. The team is not simply another racing program. It represents a chance to help build the structure that young American riders have often lacked: a professional environment with international ambition, domestic roots, and a credible route toward the biggest race in the world.

“I know what it feels like to be a young American rider looking toward Europe and trying to understand how to get there. There was no easy pathway then, and it still isn’t easy now. George and Dustin are trying to build something that gives riders a real structure, a real team, and a real chance. The ambition to reach the Tour de France within five years is bold, but it has to be. Factor wants to be part of that because we believe in the mission, and because we can contribute more than equipment.” - Rob Gitelis, Founder of Factor Bikes and Black Inc.

Factor’s increased role will extend beyond supplying bikes. The partnership will give Modern Adventure Factor Racing closer access to Factor’s experience across WorldTour racing, product development, engineering, manufacturing, and athlete feedback. With former professional riders, engineers, and product specialists inside the company, Factor will work closely with the team’s performance staff and athletes to support both racing outcomes and long-term development.

That level of integration is central to Factor’s approach. Racing has always been more than visibility for the brand. It is where products are tested, refined, and understood under pressure. Modern Adventure Factor Racing will give Factor the opportunity to build a closer feedback loop with athletes and staff, one that can support the team while contributing directly to future product development. The structure of the program allows for a more direct and continuous relationship with riders and performance staff than is often possible in the compressed environment of WorldTour racing.

For George Hincapie, the deeper commitment strengthens the foundation behind the team’s long-term ambition.

"Rob and Factor understand what we are trying to build. This is not just about putting great bikes under our riders, although that matters at this level. It is about surrounding the team with people who understand racing, development, equipment, and the long road it takes to reach the Tour de France. Factor is becoming part of the team in a much deeper way.” - George Hincapie, Founder and Principal of Modern Adventure Pro Cycling.

Both Hincapie and Gitelis came into cycling when the sport occupied a smaller, more isolated place in American culture. Their shared perspective gives the partnership a clear purpose: to help create the kind of American team they would have aspired to ride for at the beginning of their own careers.

The timing reflects a rising tide in American cycling. A new generation of riders is emerging with the ability and ambition to race internationally, and new investment is being made to discover the next American rider capable of winning on cycling’s biggest stage. That is an important first step, but discovery alone does not create a pathway. To reach the Tour de France, riders need infrastructure: professional race programs, performance support, technical knowledge, international experience, and a team capable of carrying that ambition year after year. Modern Adventure Factor Racing is being built for that next step, to give American riders a professional home, a credible route forward, and a team with the ambition to take them to the Tour de France.

Factor’s expanded investment is designed to help build that missing link. Modern Adventure Factor Racing will continue to develop toward its long-term objective of racing at the highest level internationally, with a focus on American talent, global race experience, and the infrastructure required to make the Tour de France ambition credible within five years.

This is not a sponsorship built around a logo on a jersey. It is a long-term investment in a team, a pathway, and a future for American riders with the ambition to reach the sport’s biggest stage.

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

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