Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, October 8, 2026
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Current racing:
- Oct 8: Gran Piemonte
Upcoming racing:
- Oct 10: Il Lombardia
- Oct 11: Paris-Tours
- Oct 18: Chrono des Nations
Latest completed racing:
- Oct 3 - 7: Elite European Road Championships
- Oct 6: Tre Valli Varesine
- Oct 6: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- Oct 5: Coppa Bernocchi
- 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
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Here’s the team’s news:
The October campaign on Italian roads moves to Piedmont, where the next autumn Classic, Gran Piemonte, takes place on Thursday, October 8th.
The 110th edition will unfold from the medieval town of Asti, in the heart of Piedmont, to Bra in the province of Cuneo, covering a 185-kilometre hilly course through the Langhe, Monferrato, and Roero areas.
“This year’s route of Gran Piemonte won’t be an easy one,” Bahrain Victorious Head Sports Director Gorazd Štangelj explains when asked about a preview of a race that often changes its soul, being suited for sprinters, climbers, and classics specialists alike. “This edition is wide open. I guess it will be a matter of a restricted sprint, and we aim to be there to contest it with our leader Pau Miquel to jump onto the podium.”
Paul Miquel (in blue kit) finishes stage two of the 2026 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
In the final, Afonso Eulálio and Edoardo Zambanini will be key riders alongside Pau. They need to protect him, commit fully to the sprint, and lead him out until the very last metres. With a strong start list, narrow roads, and the possibility of wet and cold conditions, positioning will be crucial. We have to keep racing at the front, especially if it rains, and give Pau the best possible chance to fight for the podium.
The start should be very fast, and I expect the breakaway to go relatively early, so our first priority will be to cover dangerous moves. Mohorič and Borgo will have this role from the start, while also helping us control the composition of the break if necessary.
“After that, the key will be to protect Pau and keep the team well-positioned. On these narrow roads, especially if the weather is wet, staying in front can save a lot of energy. The climbs of Manera, Tre Cunei, and Roddino should progressively take some freshness out of the peloton.
"I’d say that the second time we climb La Mora, that is where the race should really start. After that, it is a race for the win. We need to keep Pau protected and neutralise dangerous attacks with Eulálio, Miholjević, and Caruso. We also need to be very smart about the final 700 metres. The priority is to bring Pau into the right position for the sprint.
"Damiano will once again be our road captain. It is one of his last races, so I hope he can enjoy these final kilometres of his career while doing what he does best: guiding the team.”
Gran Piemonte will be the last dance for 38-year-old Damiano Caruso, who had long signalled his retirement at the end of this 2026 season. In May, the team announced that he would remain with Bahrain Victorious beyond his racing career as a Sports Director.
Now, after an intense year that saw him ride two Grand Tours – including the Giro d’Italia, where he played a pivotal role supporting and mentoring white jersey winner Afonso Eulálio, and the Tour de France – the moment to say goodbye has arrived.
Damiano Caruso at the 2026 Giro d'Italia teams presentation ceremony. Sirotti photo
“I have to admit that there is some emotion, even though I have been preparing myself for this moment for months,” Damiano Caruso admits on the eve of his final race as a professional.
“Even though this is the last race of my career, it has been a season raced at a high level, in which I certainly didn’t hold back. Despite the fatigue making itself felt, I’m proud to be able to bring my career to a close in a year in which I managed to ride two Grand Tours in relatively quick succession. I had the satisfaction of supporting Eulálio in the fight for the pink jersey and then seeing him win the white jersey.
"On top of that, after a couple of months, making it to the Champs-Élysées was one of my goals for this year, and I’m very happy to have achieved it. Now I’ll enjoy these final kilometres on the bike, honouring my role as road captain and, above all, giving my all until the very end for this sport that has given me so much and that will continue to be part of my life in my new role as a Sports Director."
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Olympic gold medallist Oliver Bleddyn will make the step up to the WorldTour peloton with Team Jayco AlUla, inking his first professional contract for 2027 and 2028.
The 24-year-old has spent the last two months as a stagiaire with the team and the management are looking forward to working with the Australian as the track star turns his focus to the roads.
Bleddyn was part of the Australian team pursuit squad that triumphed in the velodrome at Paris 2024 alongside his new teammate Kelland O’Brien. The rider from New South Wales also added a Commonwealth Games gold in the individual pursuit in Glasgow earlier this year, boosting his already impressive palmares on the track.
Oliver Bleddyn
In recent years, Bleddyn has juggled his successful career on the track alongside his efforts on the road, taking a silver medal in the Australian time trial championships at the start of 2026 and winning the ProVelo Super League overall title in March.
With his explosive pedigree, the squad is looking forward to seeing what the Australian can achieve on the road under the team’s guidance. Adding his combination of speed, strength and time trial ability to the roster will boost the team’s engine room, making Bleddyn an exciting addition for the coming season.
Oliver Bleddyn:
“I’m super excited to be joining Team Jayco AlUla. Growing up as an Australian watching the team, naturally it was always a team I wanted to be a part of. Seeing the culture that’s been built over the years makes the opportunity to now be part of that really special.
"I’m really excited about what next year can bring. There are some great opportunities ahead and I’m super keen to make the most of them. The Tour Down Under would definitely be a special race for me to do. To race at home with this team is an opportunity I’d be really excited about.”
Gene Bates – Head of Performance:
“Oliver has a big track background and was part of the Australian gold medal winning team at the Paris Olympics in the team pursuit setting a new world record along the way, so he has got a huge engine.
"He is a great and enthusiastic young rider and is also gaining a lot of experience on the road, riding as a stagiaire with the team this second half of the 2026 season. We are confident Oliver will be a great addition to the team in many different roles, he will be an important rider for us across many different team line-ups and races and will certainly continue to develop in the next few years.”
Oliver Bleddyn
Age: 24 years old
Nationality: Australian
Contract: 2027 & 2028
2026 results:
1st Overall – ProVelo Super Lague
2nd – Australian Time Trial Championships
1st – Tour of Tasmania – Stage 2
1st Overall – Habour City GP
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
The 24-year-old Norwegian-American all-rounder Magnus Bratli Sheffield will join Uno-X Mobility from 2027 on a four-year contract running through 2030, bringing one of the peloton’s most versatile profiles and a Norwegian connection that goes far beyond his family roots. Sheffield holds both Norwegian and US passports, speaks Norwegian and has been closely connected to Norway throughout his life.
For Magnus Bratli Sheffield, joining Uno-X Mobility is about more than changing teams.
His mother grew up in Gjøvik before moving to the United States to study at the age of 20, where she met Magnus’ father. Sheffield grew up in New York, but Norway remained a constant part of family life. Today, his sister lives in Norway, while his brother also spent several years here before returning to the US to study.
Magnus Sheffield in the Best Young Rider's white jersey after stage one of the 2026 Tirreno-Adriatico. Sirotti photo
“My mum grew up in Gjøvik, and most of our family now lives around Oslo. She moved to the US to study when she was 20, and that’s where she met my dad. We always spoke Norwegian at home. It was almost our secret family language growing up in the US.”
“Even though we grew up in the US, it was really important to my parents to keep the Norwegian traditions. We travelled back often to visit family. When I was a kid, coming to Norway always felt like a little adventure. In some ways, it still does.”
That relationship with Norway has followed Sheffield throughout his cycling career. He has previously described his Norwegian heritage as a major part of his identity and has regularly returned to the country throughout his life.
Not if, but when
The connection with Uno-X goes back almost as far.
Sheffield was already on the team’s radar as a junior. In 2019, aged 17, he finished third in the junior road race at the World Championships in Yorkshire, behind Quinn Simmons and Alessio Martinelli.
There was already a little Norwegian subplot.
“After I won bronze at the junior World Championships, someone asked me in the press conference if it could count as a medal for Norway as well. I said: ‘This is a medal for both Norway and the US.’”
“I spoke with Uno-X when I was a junior, and I’ve always felt that it was never really a question of if I would ride for the team, but when.”
Seven years later, that moment has arrived.
“Joining Uno-X Mobility feels like closing the circle on the journey my mum started when she moved to the US at 20. Uno-X has always been a team I was interested in, even before I became a professional.”