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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Monday, October 5, 2026

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“To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.” ― William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• Oct 3 - 7: Elite European Road Championships
• Oct 5: Coppa Bernocchi

Upcoming racing:

• 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:

• Sept 27 - Oct 4: Le Tour de Langkawi
• Oct 4: Coppa Agostoni
• Oct 3: Giro dell'Emilia
• Oct 3: Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
• 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

We posted the organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from stage eight winner Matteo Mallucelli's Team XDS Astana:

“The whole team was simply fantastic today! The guys did an incredible job from the very first kilometers all the way to the finish. Harold Martín López spent almost the entire day working at the front and controlling the breakaway. In the final part, Alessio Delle Vedove and Lev Gonov did a great job at the front, and then Lev also managed to start the lead-out for me, bringing us to the 1.5-kilometre mark. After that, Aaron (Gate) and Gleb (Syritsa) were absolutely fantastic and did everything perfectly. I knew I had to start my sprint a little earlier than I had in the previous two days, so I opened it with 200 meters to go and gave everything until the finish, which brought us the victory. It is always nice to finish a race with a win, and after such a difficult week, it is twice as satisfying. Besides the three stage wins, we are also taking home the points classification, so it was a very good race for us. Now I have a few days of rest, after which I will race the final event of the season, the Tour de Kyushu. Let’s see if I can win something in Japan as well”, – said Matteo Malucelli.

A close one. Matteo Malucelli (left) just beats Riley Pickrell for the stage win.

The victory on the final stage of the Malaysian stage race was Malucelli’s 8th win of the season and the 31st victory for XDS Astana Team in 2026.

At the end of Le Tour de Langkawi, Matteo Malucelli claimed the blue jersey as winner of the points classification. Harold Martín López was the best-placed XDS Astana Team rider in the General Classification, finishing 12th.

We posted the report from second place Brandon McNulty's UAE Team Emriates-XRG with the results.

Here's the report from third-place Andrea Raccagni's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Andrea Raccagni produced a strong ride at Coppa Agostoni on Sunday, finishing third from a six-man group to give Soudal Quick-Step a podium at the opening race of the Trittico Lombardo.

Paul Lapeira wins the 2026 Coppa Agostoni.

The repeated climbs through the Brianza hills made for an attacking race, with the action starting early and the leading group changing several times. Soudal Quick-Step were represented in the moves by Filippo Zana and Pepijn Reinderink, before Raccagni emerged among the eight riders at the front with around 50 kilometres remaining.

The final ascent of Lissolo brought another selection. As Brandon McNulty increased the pressure, Andrea stayed with the leaders, cresting the climb in a group of six alongside the American, Paul Lapeira, Mauro Schmid, Sam Maisonobe and Lorenzo Fortunato.

Behind them, Zana and Reinderink were part of the chasing group, but the six leaders maintained their advantage on the return to Lissone, ensuring the victory would be decided between them.

Fortunato tried to break clear inside the final two kilometres, but his accelerations were covered and the group arrived together for the sprint. Raccagni crossed the line third behind Lapeira and McNulty, rounding off a demanding afternoon with a well-earned podium on home roads.