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Monday, March 2, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Shaking hands with the Queen of England was a long way from being forced to sit in the colored section of the bus going into downtown Wilmington, North Carolina. - Althea Gibson
Bill McGann’s book Why Your Bike Is Made in Asia: My career in bicycles as I watched two continents squander an industry is available in print, Kindle eBook & Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- March 3: Le Samyn Classic
- March 4: Trofeo Laigueglia
- March 7: Strade Bianche
- March 8 - March 15: Paris-Nice
- March 9 - 15: Tirreno-Adriatico
Latest completed racing:
- February 25 - March 1: Giro di Sardegna
- March 1: Faun Drome Classic
- March 1: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
- February 28: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- February 28: Faun Ardèche Classic
- February 22: Tour des Alpes Maritimes
- February 16 - 22: UAE Tour
- February 18 - 22: Volta ao Algarve
- February 18 - 22: Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta Ciclista del Sol
- February 21: Classic Var
- February 16: Clásica Jaén
- February 15: Clasica de Almeria
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from GC winner Filippo Zana's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Filippo Zana became the first Italian in 17 years to win the Giro di Sardegna, a success he built by constantly going on the attack and with the support of a strong Soudal Quick-Step team that was at his side in all the key moments that shaped the five-day race.
The 26-year-old from Thiene started his season in Australia, where he finished top ten at both the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Road Race, before returning to Europe for the revived Giro di Sardegna. Here, he enjoyed an excellent week with the Wolfpack, coming close to his maiden victory with the team on the opening day of the race, before taking the queen stage with panache and moving into the leader’s jersey with just one day to go.
Filippo Zana wins Tour of Sardinia stage four. Sirotti photo
That emphatic win put him in the leader’s jersey, which Filippo successfully defended on the final stage of Sardegna with the help of his teammates, sealing the fourth GC victory of his career, after the ones he took in the Sazka Tour, Adriatica Ionica Race and the Tour of Slovenia.
Zana was joined on the final podium by teammate and countryman Gianmarco Garfolofi, who concluded runner-up, which made Soudal Quick-Step the first team in 54 years to have two riders in the Giro di Sardegna top three – a performance which rounded out the squad’s perfect week in Italy.
“I’m happy and proud of what we achieved here. The team worked well the entire week and I’m delighted I could bring the GC home. It feels good to win again after more than two years and I hope to continue on this road together with the squad after what’s been a strong start to the season. At the same time, this is a success that gives me a lot of confidence for Strade Bianche, which will be my next appointment”, said Filippo after what was Soudal Quick-Step’s 81st triumph in a stage race.
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We posted the report from winner Romain Grègoire's Team Groupama-FDJ United with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Matteo Jorgenson's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Matteo Jorgenson finished second at the Faun Drôme Classic. The 26-year-old American shaped the finale by launching an attack with Romain Grégoire, but he was beaten by the Frenchman on the finishline.
The Faun Drôme Classic marked the second race of the weekend in France. The riders faced 185 challenging miles over a hilly course with both the start and finish in Étoile-sur-Rhône.
After the start, a breakaway group of seven riders built a significant lead over the peloton, where the riders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike were consistently well positioned. Once the first climbs of the day had been tackled, attention turned to the demanding finale. After the peloton caught the breakaway, Ben Tulett was among the riders to launch an attack. He was joined by Mattias Skjelmose and Lenny Martinez.
Not much later, the front group expanded to eight riders, including Jorgenson and a strong Davide Piganzoli. With the climbs coming in quick succession, attacks followed one another at a rapid pace. After an attempt by Piganzoli was neutralized, the move by Jorgenson and Grégoire proved decisive. Jorgenson, who had opened his season on Saturday with a fourth-place finish at the Faun-Ardèche Classic, was ultimately beaten by Grégoire in a two-man sprint. In the finale, Tulett was unfortunately involved in a crash.
Romain Grègoire beats Matteo Jorgenson (head down) for the win.
“Second place is obviously not what I came for, but today I was beaten by a better sprinter,” Jorgenson said afterward. “Tactically, we rode a strong race as a team. At one point we had four riders in the lead group in the finale. That numerical advantage allowed me to accelerate at the right moment, but unfortunately I just missed out on the win. I’m happy with my form and the feeling in my first two races of the season. It’s great to be on the podium right away. I’m looking forward to the upcoming Italian races on my schedule.”
Sports director Frans Maassen added: “We wanted to race more aggressively than we did yesterday at the Faun-Ardèche Classic. In the final hour, we aimed to raise the pace with Matteo, Ben, and Davide, and we executed that well. Ben opened things up with a strong acceleration. Shortly afterward, all three of them were in the front group. In the end, Matteo and Grégoire managed to stay clear, but Grégoire was just a bit stronger today. As a team, we rode an excellent race and showed ourselves at our best. We’ll take that with us.”
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Here's the Faun Drôme Classic report from sixth-place Dorian Godon's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Dorian Godon finished sixth at an aggressive edition of the Faun Drome Classic, while the INEOS Grenadiers Racing Academy continued their opening racing weekend in Greece.
An early seven man break kicked off proceedings over the 189km race on rolling terrain. Bob Jungels did a stellar job on the front of the peloton, setting a steady tempo to keep the gap within reach while conserving options for the finale.
As the race approached its decisive phase, the break was gradually reeled back in and the pace intensified. A series of accelerations on the final circuits split the peloton into smaller groups, with Brandon Rivera and Godon positioning themselves well in the reduced front group heading toward the final ascent of Étoile-sur-Rhône.
Dorian Godon winning stage two of the 2025 Tour des Alpes maritimes
Rivera delivered a strong lead-out on the last climb, helping Godon stay in contention as the favourites launched their final moves. However, in a fast and tactical finish, Romain Gregoire (Groupama - FDJ United) proved strongest to take victory, with Godon crossing the line in sixth after a consistent and well-supported team performance.
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We posted the report from winner Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.
Here's the report from Johan Jacobs' Team Groupama-FDJ United:
The second race of the Belgian Opening Weekend did finish in a sprint this Sunday, but the 2026 edition of Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne proved nevertheless quite lively. Johan Jacobs tried to anticipate the big fight by joining the day’s breakaway, but his effort came to an end fifty kilometres from the finish. Axel Huens then took over in a reduced peloton and eventually crossed the line in 22nd place.
Matthew Brennan wins the 2026 Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne.
The day after Omloop Nieuwsblad, the peloton once again tackled several cobbled climbs at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. However, the race’s history suggested a less selective race, more likely to be controlled by the sprinters. Groupama-FDJ United, on the other hand, had no intention of waiting passively for a bunch finish. “After Omloop, the plan was to adopt a much more aggressive strategy, both tactically and technically, especially in terms of positioning,” explained William Green. “The initial goal was to have Axel in the break, because we know he has a good sprint, and the wind direction today suggested that a small group of favorites could bridge across to the breakaway.
In the end, it was Johan who managed to get up the road, and that immediately put us in the race.” After the start in Kortrijk, it took more than thirty minutes of intense fighting before a group of six riders, including the Swiss rider, managed to break clear. “The battle to get into the break was intense, as always at Kuurne,” said Johan. “That’s mainly because the break can go a long way on this course, especially considering the wind direction today.”
At the front, the Groupama-FDJ United rider enjoyed a maximum lead of four minutes around the mid-race, just before the peloton began to raise the tempo on the Bourliquet climb. “The goal was to stay in front until the first climbs,” William said. “We rode well as a team, which was positive, but unfortunately the legs weren’t quite there once the climbs started coming one after another. After the main climbs, Axel was the only rider from the team left in a peloton of around sixty riders, and he had to race very tactically to save as much energy as possible.”
Meanwhile, Johan Jacobs still held about a one-minute advantage at the top of the day’s final climb, the Kluisberg. However, relentless attacks and accelerations in a peloton that had already lost many of the pure sprinters inevitably led to a regrouping. A group of around ten riders first bridged across with 55 kilometres to go, before a larger bunch made contact. “The breakaway could have been a good idea, but the peloton decided otherwise,” said the Swiss rider. “Johan’s presence at the front was positive in any case,” William added. “It’s always important to anticipate, and once he was caught, he positioned Axel perfectly before the key crosswind section.”Then isolated, Axel Huens responded admirably when echelons briefly formed. Despite several attempts to split the race again, the peloton eventually settled down with around thirty kilometres to go, heading toward what looked increasingly like a bunch sprint. “Axel entered the final corner at 800 meters a little too far back,” William noted. “It was the first time he had the opportunity to fight for a result in a Classic. He probably lacked a bit of confidence and may have been slightly too patient, but he’ll learn from this experience for next time.”
The rider from northern France was unable to find an opening in the final straight and had to settle for 22nd place at the finish. “We rode the race we needed to until halfway, then the legs made the difference and partly decided the result,” William concluded. “That’s cycling. We’re disappointed, but more races are coming, and we have to keep moving forward. It was certainly a tough Opening Weekend in Belgium, but the goal is for the riders to take the next step, and by sticking to the same strategy, the results will come.”
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