Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, March 26, 2026

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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia

 It's kind of fun to do the impossible. - Walt Disney

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David L. Stanley's masterful telling of his bout with skin cancer Melanoma: It Started with a Freckle is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• March 23 - 29: Volta a Catalunya
• March 25 - 29: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali

Upcoming racing:

• March 27: E3 Saxo Classic
• March 28: Classic Loire Atlantique
• March 29: Gent-Wevelgem
• March 29: La Roue Tourangelle
• March 31: Paris-Camembert
• April 1: Dwars door Vlaanderen
• April 3: Classic Adélie de Vitré
• April 4: GP Miguel Indurain

Latest completed racing:

• March 25: Ronde Van Brugge - Tour of Bruges
• March 21: Milano-Sanremo
• March 20: Bredene Koksijde Classic
• March 19: GP de Denain
• March 18: Danilith Nokere Koerse
• March 18: Milano-Torino
• March 8 - March 15: Paris-Nice
• March 9 - 15: Tirreno-Adriatico
• March 7: Strade Bianche
• March 4: Trofeo Laigueglia
• March 3: Le Samyn Classic

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Volta a Catalunya stage three reports

We posted the race organizer's stage one report with the results.

Here's the report from stage winner Dorian Godon's Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Dorian Godon powered to his second stage win at the Volta a Catalunya, and continues to lead on GC.

Godon fired to the sprint after being well delivered to the line by Oscar Onley, adding to his first stage victory.

A last gasp effort from Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - Bora hansgrohe) and Jonas Vingegaard (Team Visma Lease A Bike) looked as if the race had been concluded, but the peloton fought hard to chase back, making the catch in the final kilometre.

Dorian Godon wins Tour of Catalonia stage three.

Speaking after the stage, Godon said:
“I wanted to win today again and spend another day as GC leader. Yesterday evening I was a bit angry to miss the win, so today I wanted to win again. It was not so hard at the beginning, with just six guys riding. We went a bit back and rode just at the end with Victor (Langellotti). Then it was a lot of stress and tension, so we stayed a bit more safe. In the echelon we were in quite a good position, then I saw Remco go full with Vingegaard. All the riders on the team did an amazing job to help catch them. Oscar Onley and Bob (Jungels) did a lead-out for me – it was amazing.”

Here's the Tour of Catalonia report from Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Jonas Vingegaard made a strong impression in the third stage of the Volta a Catalunya. In a finale made particularly difficult by the wind, the Dane reacted alertly to an attack by Remco Evenepoel, who crashed in the final kilometer. Vingegaard waited for the peloton and saw Dorian Godon win the stage. Davide Piganzoli finished eighth.

With two categorised climbs in the first fifty kilometres, the toughest part of the third stage was in the first half. Six riders attacked shortly after the start and built up a maximum lead of three minutes. The peloton kept the breakaway within reach and upped the pace on the third and final climb of the day. 

Jonas Vingegaard earlier this year winning Paris-Nice stage four. ASO photo

It marked the end of the breakaway and the start of a frantic finale, characterised by echelons. Team Visma | Lease a Bike was alert and had six riders in the first group of around fifty riders. Remco Evenepoel then attacked with just over 25 kilometres to go. Vingegaard was alert and was the only one to jump onto his wheel.

The two seemed set to stay ahead of the chasing peloton, had it not been for Evenepoel crashing in the final kilometer. Vingegaard then eased off. "This isn’t the way I want to win a race", he said afterwards. "When I saw Remco crash, I decided to wait for the peloton. Above all, I hope he’s okay and that he can continue the race tomorrow."

Vingegaard hadn’t expected to be in contention for the win. "I thought a large group would go to the finish today. At one point, Remco attacked and I went after him on instinct. He rode very strongly on the flat roads and I was glad I could follow him."

Sports director Jesper Mørkøv saw a strong Vingegaard. "Jonas has shown today that he’s in good form. He also showed a high level of performance in Paris-Nice, so it’s no surprise that he’s in good shape here. A tough day lies ahead tomorrow and we’ll do everything we can to play our cards as well as possible."

And here's the Tour of Catalonia stage three report from fourth-place Toon Aerts' Team Lotto-Intermarché:

Our team delivered another impressive performance today in Stage 3 of Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, highlighted by Toon Aerts’ outstanding fourth-place finish after a demanding day. “I’m really happy to pay off the strong work done by the team with a fourth place”, Aerts says.

The stage once again saw our team take an attacking approach from the start. For the third time in this edition of Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, we had our team represented in the breakaway, with Baptiste Veistroffer and Reuben Thompson driving the move. Their effort set the tone for the day and forced other teams to take responsibility in the chase.

“It’s a true pleasure riding with such a motivated group of riders and it only motivates me more to give it all myself. So I am really happy to pay off the strong work done by the team with a fourth place”, Aerts explains.

Toon Aerts wins the 2018 Koppenberg Cyclocross. Belga photo

With consistent breakaway representation and a top-five result now on the board, the team continues to make its mark at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya. On the schedule for tomorrow, we have 173 kilometers from Mataró to Vallter, setting the stage for another day in the mountains.

Ronde Van Brugge reports

We posted the report from sixth-place Pavel Bittner's Team Picnic-PostNL with the results.

Here's the report from third-place Max Kanter's XDS Astana Team:

As the cobbled classics enter their decisive phase, XDS Astana Team rider Max Kanter claimed third place at the Ronde Van Brugge.

The Belgian race, featuring a new name and a new route this season, covered 202.9 kilometres around Bruges, and delivered a thrilling finale. XDS Astana Team riders were active at the front throughout the day, animating the race, before it all came down to a bunch sprint, where Max Kanter secured third place.

Dylan Groenewegen (striped sleeves) wins in Brugge. Cofidis photo

"It was a really nervous race from start to finish. There were a lot of echelons, but at the same time the group never really split into very small groups, which made it even more stressful. I crashed with around 20 kilometres to go, on a cobbled section. The team did an amazing job, really an amazing job to bring me back to the front and basically saved my result today. Without them, I don’t think I would have been able to come back. In the final, I lost a bit of position, unfortunately, so I tried to follow the right wheels and stay with the strongest riders. In the end, that worked out well, and my sprint was enough for third place. I think it’s a solid start heading into the final part of the classics", — said Max Kanter.

And here's the Ronde Van Brugge report from eighth-place Laurenz Rex's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

There was a lurking danger of echelons long before the start of this year’s Ronde van Brugge, and many knew the crosswinds would offer the opportunity to race aggressively on the exposed roads where the peloton ended up averaging 47.5km/h Wednesday afternoon.

For more than 100 kilometers, a breakaway didn’t materialize despite numerous attempts, as the bunch travelled at some incredible speed, nullifying any potential attempts. Inside the second part of the course, strong crosswinds immediately caused splits and slowly whittled down the peloton. Our team remained attentive throughout and made sure of being in the main group with Laurenz Rex and Bert Van Lerberghe, but after a frantic chase, those behind managed to come back.

The 2026 Ronde Van Brugge gets started. Sirotti photo

Another round of crosswinds ripped through the field, leaving only some 30-odd riders in contention on the last lap of the race. Around 15 kilometers from the finish, former Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert tried to roll the dice, attacking and opening a small gap, but despite his best efforts, the others reacted and kept things together. Further attacks ensued, yielding the same outcome, and the ace was decided in a reduced bunch sprint, where Dylan Groenewegen (Unibet Rose Rockets) took the win.