Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, October 3, 2026
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Current racing:
- Sept 27 - Oct 4: Le Tour de Langkawi
- Oct 3: Giro dell'Emilia
- Oct 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
- Oct 3 - 7: Elite European Road Championships
Upcoming racing:
- Oct 4: Coppa Agostoni
- Oct 5: Coppa Bernocchi
- Oct 6: Tre Valli Varesine
- Oct 6: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- Oct 8: Gran Piemonte
- Oct 10: Il Lombardia
- Oct 11: Paris-Tours
- Oct 18: Chrono des Nations
Latest completed racing:
- September 20 - 27: World Road Championships
- September 16 - 20: Tour de Luxembourg
- September 19: Flandrian 0.0 Classic
- September 18: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
- September 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
- September 16: GP de Wallonie
- August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España
- September 13: GP de Montréal
- September 13: GP de Fourmies
- September 13: Trofeo Matteotti
- September 12: Memorial Marco Pantani
- September 11: GP de Québec
- September 10: Coppa Sabatini
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Here’s the team’s news:
Bahrain Victorious is set for its October block of racing in Italy, with an intense week of competition beginning this Saturday, October 3, with the Giro dell’Emilia and concluding with Il Lombardia.
The 109th edition of one of the oldest and most iconic races on the Italian and international cycling calendar will once again bring together some of the world’s best climbers. The race, which boasts a roll of honour featuring many of cycling’s greatest champions, will have a prestigious new start location this year, with the peloton setting off from the historic centre of Ferrara in front of the beautiful Castello Estense.
The riders will face a 197.9-kilometre route, including two full laps of an 11.3-kilometre city circuit, followed by an almost flat section before entering the long Apennine section. The race will then reach its traditional and spectacular finale in Bologna, in front of the Basilica of San Luca, one of the most iconic finishes in international cycling.
As usual, the riders will pass through the Meloncello arch with 39 kilometres remaining. From there, they will tackle the first ascent of San Luca followed by four full laps of the classic 9.2-kilometre circuit. The decisive selection is expected to come on the brutal 20% gradients of the Curva delle Orfanelle and the following straight, where the strongest climbers will fight for victory.
Bahrain Victorious will aim to return to the podium with Lenny Martinez, who finished third in last year’s edition.
Lenny Martinez finishes third in the 2025 Giro dell'Emilia. Sirotti photo
Gorazd Stangelj, Head Sports Director:
“It’s a very iconic race. I remember it from the past, and for me, it is a race that has made history. Riders who were champions 20 or 30 years ago won here, and that makes it really important.
“It’s a race that I like, and it is always nice to win it. Pogacar won it wearing the rainbow jersey he had just conquered, Roglič has won it three times, and many other champions have also taken victory here.
“The race itself is not really complicated because, at the end, you just need to be the strongest on the climb. But before that, you need to be protected and positioned well, and I think we have a good team to do this and protect our leader, Lenny.
“For Pello, it is one of the last races of his career, and he is very motivated. The same goes for Damiano; both of them are really keen to race these days.
“Then we have a few young guys, like Max, Alessandro and Oliver, who will do the job until we reach the circuit and protect our leader. Once we enter the circuit, it will be time to finish the job, with Afonso, Pello and Lenny expected to be the strongest riders from our team.
“Positioning at the critical points will be important, as will continuing to fight through the first two laps, which are always the hardest.
“We have Lenny as our leader, while Pello and Afonso can cover the early moves on the circuit. With this, I think we are fine. I like to look at the statistics, and most of the time the race has been won in the last few kilometres, apart from the 2024 edition when Pogacar attacked much earlier, on the first lap.
“The more traditional scenario is a late attack on San Luca. The strongest climbers reduce the group repeatedly, and the race is finally decided in the last few kilometres, where hopefully we will be there fighting for the podium.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
UAE Team Emirates-XRG is pleased to announce the signing of Pierre Gautherat, with the young Frenchman set to join the team on a contract through to the end of the 2029 season.
The 23-year-old arrives as one of France’s promising young riders for the Classics, bringing with him several seasons of WorldTour experience despite his young age.
Pierre Gautherat wins stage three of the 2025 4 Days of Dunkirk. Photo: JL Burnod
A powerful rider well suited to the demands of the northern Classics and tough one-day racing, Gautherat has shown steady progression since turning professional. His development has been underlined by a series of strong results over recent seasons, including a stage victory at the 2025 4 Days of Dunkerque, second place at the 2024 Gran Premio Castellón and podium finishes at Tro-Bro Léon in both 2024 and 2025.
The 2026 campaign has represented another step forward, with Gautherat taking victory at Paris-Camembert, alongside second place at the Classique Dunkerque and fourth at Tro-Bro Léon. More recently, he demonstrated his speed and versatility with second- and third-place stage finishes at the Tour de Luxembourg.
Gautherat will add further depth to UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Classics group while continuing to develop his own ambitions in the biggest one-day races.
Pierre Gautherat: “I’m very proud to be joining UAE Team Emirates-XRG. It’s a huge opportunity for me and an exciting new chapter in my career.
“I feel that this is the right environment for me to take another step forward, continue developing as a rider and challenge myself at the highest level. I’m especially motivated by the Classics and I want to keep progressing towards the biggest races and integrate into the squad.
“I’m really looking forward to joining the team, learning from the riders and staff around me and giving everything I can to contribute to the team’s success.”
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Here’s the team’s update:
The European Road Championships in Slovenia are just around the corner. Several Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders will represent their countries across the different European Championship events. Below is an overview of who will be racing and when.
Bruno Armirail (shown at the 2026 Vuelta a España stage 6) will race the European Road Championships. Sirotti photo
U23 women (October 2)
- Viktória Chladoňová (Slovakia)
- Rosita Reijnhout (The Netherlands)
U23 men (October 2)
- Aldo Taillieu (Belgium)
- Matisse van Kerckhove (Belgium)
- Jonas Høydahl (Norway)
Elite women (October 3)
- Femke de Vries (The Netherlands)
- Lieke Nooijen (The Netherlands)
- Katharina Sadnik (Austria)
Elite men (October 4)
- Bruno Armirail (France)
- Tijmen Graat (The Netherlands)