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Monday, October 12, 2026
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Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- Oct 13 - 18: Tour of Guangxi
- Oct 13 - 18: Tour of Holland
- Oct 14: Giro del Veneto
- Oct 18: Chrono des Nations
- Oct 18: Veneto Classic
- Oct 18: Japan Cup road Race
Latest completed racing:
- Oct 11: Paris-Tours
- Oct 10: Il Lombardia
- Oct 8: Gran Piemonte
- 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
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from winner Per Strand Hagenes' Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Per Strand Hagenes claimed an impressive victory in the 120th edition of Paris–Tours. The 23-year-old Norwegian attacked from the lead group with one kilometer remaining and managed to hold off his competitors. Former winner Christophe Laporte sprinted to third place.
"It's great to end the season with a victory," a delighted Hagenes said afterward. "I didn't have the best legs at first, but I kept fighting and believing. After the final climb, everything came back together and everyone was looking at Christophe. I was able to take advantage of that. I tried to find the right moment to attack, and once I opened up a small gap, I went all-in to the finish."
Twelve riders broke away early in the 120th edition of the French one-day race. Team Visma | Lease a Bike missed the move and was forced to chase. Thanks to the efforts of Edoardo Affini and Elliot Rowe, the gap to the breakaway gradually came down. After tackling several gravel sectors and climbs, the breakaway was eventually caught.'
Per Strand Hagenes wins Paris-Tours
In the closing stages, Hagenes and Laporte were part of an eleven-rider group battling for victory. Hagenes seized his opportunity and launched a powerful attack in the finale. Jasper Stuyven tried to bridge the gap, but the Norwegian proved impossible to catch. Hagenes, who won the U23 edition of Paris–Tours in 2022, secured his team's 51st victory of the season.
"We didn't get off to a good start. We had nobody in the breakaway, which meant we had to start working early. The guys gave everything to close the gap to the leaders so that Christophe and I could still fight for the win. I'm really grateful to them for that. This truly is a team victory," Hagenes said.
Sports director Maarten Wynants reflected on the French one-day race. "Before the season, we set ourselves the goal of winning every gravel race we took on. We had already won the first two, which gave us extra motivation to win the third as well. However, we weren't quite awake this morning," the Belgian admitted.
"Twelve riders went up the road, and we didn't have anyone in the move. That wasn't a good situation to be in. A strong Edo and Elliot managed to turn things around by working hard at the front, together with INEOS and Tudor. In the end, everyone on the team did a fantastic job, which allowed us to use our numerical advantage in the finale. It was fantastic to see. We kept attacking rather than immediately taking control and riding for a sprint. It worked out perfectly."
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Here's the Paris-Tours report from second-place Jasper Stuyven's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Jasper Stuyven came a whisker away from victory at Paris-Tours, taking second place after an attacking performance from Soudal Quick-Step over the demanding vineyard tracks and climbs.
Yves Lampaert put the team on the front foot early, joining the day’s twelve-man breakaway. As the gravel sectors began to whittle down the leading group, the Belgian remained among its strongest riders, surviving at the head of the race until the last escapees were caught with just over 20 kilometres remaining.
The Wolfpack continued to play a key role in the finale, with Pepijn Reinderink working alongside Stuyven to help bring back another dangerous move before the final ten kilometres. Jasper then made the decisive selection and remained alert as repeated attacks kept the outcome uncertain all the way into Tours.
Soudal Quick-Step rider Tim Merlier flatted in the second vineyard track, Pocé-sur-Cisse. He was soon back up with the pack.
When Per Strand Hagenes accelerated shortly before the final kilometre, Stuyven launched his pursuit. Closing on the Norwegian down the finishing straight, Jasper narrowly ran out of road, crossing the line ahead of Christophe Laporte to secure second place and reward a strong collective effort.
The team’s happiness in a good day’s work was reflected to by Sports Director Iljo Keisse who said, ‘I think as a team we rode the perfect race, mainly thanks to Yves who put everybody in the box seat by jumping in the early attack. The rest of the team stayed in position all race and went in front in the finale of the 10 final gravel sections, taking control of the race.
"Jasper rode a nice race and, he deserved a win after an amazing season. We didn’t quite get the cherry on top of our cake, but that was not anybody’s fault; We rode a nice race.’
And here’s the Paris-Tour report from seventh-place Thibaud Gruel’s Team Groupama-FDJ United:
For the second year in a row, Thibaud Gruel came close to victory at Paris-Tours on Sunday. In front of his family and friends, and on roads he knows well, the local boy showed that he was one of the strongest riders in the field, making it into a six-man group that emerged at the front over the final climb of the course. However, the tactical nature of the final did not work in his favour and, after two groups came back together, he had to settle for seventh place in the sprint. Olivier Le Gac, meanwhile, took part in his last race with Groupama-FDJ United.
The 216 kilometres from Chartres to Tours were to bring the 2026 French road cycling calendar to a close on Sunday. Or at least the calendar of road races, as the official end of the season will not come until next week, with the traditional Chrono des Nations in Les Herbiers. Nevertheless, the day after Il Lombardia, a significant part of the international peloton was preparing to pin on a race number for the last time this season at the 120th edition of the French classic. Continuing the trend of recent editions and the transformation introduced in 2018, the race once again featured a particularly demanding final 70 kilometres, with ten vineyard paths and nine climbs.
The Paris-Tour peloton 47 kilometers into the race.
These obstacles were expected to provide the setting for the decisive battle, but a strong breakaway of twelve riders forced the peloton to work hard throughout the day. As the riders approached the first vineyard path, the gap stood at 1 minute 30 seconds. It then dropped to under a minute with 50 kilometres remaining, ahead of the first decisive sequence of difficulties. “When we reached the key section, everyone wanted to be near the front,” Frédéric explained. “But not everyone can be there. Things got heated, and we saw a huge crash that marred this Paris-Tours.”
Clément Russo and Olivier Le Gac were among those caught up in the crash, while Thibaud Gruel managed to avoid it by riding straight into the neighbouring field. “I got a bit scared, but I managed to avoid the crash,” said Thibaud, who dropped back into a second group. “It wasn’t pleasant having to fight my way back to the front, but fortunately Romain helped me a lot so I could make the jump across. I made a big effort at that point, but I managed to get things back on track.”
Like the young local rider, the French champion also managed to bridge the gap to the leading group after a few minutes of chasing. He joined Axel Huens and Bastien Tronchon, who had escaped the consequences of the crash. The Vuelta stage winner then sacrificed his own chances for his teammates, taking the lead in the group as they chased the five remaining breakaway riders. With around 35 kilometres to go, Axel Huens also attempted to anticipate the action, but abandoned his move after a few kilometres when he saw that the peloton was still well organised. The racing did not intensify again until around ten kilometres later, on the Côte de la Rochère, where Thibaud Gruel did an excellent job of staying with the strongest riders. Axel Huens and then Romain Grégoire subsequently caught up with the group, which had been reduced to around thirty riders.
On the next climb, the early breakaway was caught, but one rider managed to escape on his own. Caught out of position, Groupama-FDJ United initially tried to send Romain Grégoire in pursuit. However, the French puncheur nearly crashed coming out of a corner. Thibaud Gruel then followed several attacks, but he couldn’t join a duo that managed to bridge across to the lone leader. “That was the only moment in the entire 216 kilometres when we came under a bit of pressure,” Frédéric explained. “We knew Thibaud was strong, that this was his race, and we had to make choices. Romain perhaps wasn’t feeling at his best, so he sacrificed himself to help bring the move back. When you have four riders, and then three, in a leading group, you have to know when to make a decision.”
Thanks to the work of the French national champion, the groups came back together on the vineyard path preceding the final climb. As he’s used to, Thibaud Gruel stayed near the front throughout this crucial section, beginning the final climb in third position. He then held firm when the final attacks surged and came over the top in a group of six, with a small gap over the rest of the field. “With the headwind, things split up later than they did last year,” Thibaud observed. “We immediately started working together and taking turns on the front. It was a strong group, but riders came back from behind a little later, and from that point onwards the final became very tactical.”
With five kilometres remaining, the leading group grew from six to eleven riders, which led to a moment of gambling from everyone. “It was difficult because I was on my own, and I was worried about missing the decisive move,” Thibaud said. “I followed quite a few attacks at first, but then I thought I was going to waste too much energy if I kept following everything. I saw that the two Decathlon riders were behind, so I decided to follow Lapeira’s wheel.”
As the riders entered the final two kilometres, however, the breakaway group began to split slightly. Four riders gained a few metres, and Per Strand Hagenes even managed to go clear on his own under the flamme rouge. “I went all-in for the sprint, but Hagenes was strong, so it didn’t work out that way,” Thibaud admitted. “I couldn’t do everything myself anyway.” On the finishing straight, two riders crossed the line ahead of the sprint, in which the rider from Tours finished fifth, giving him seventh place overall on the day. “It was a bit like last year: you had to get the tactics right and have a bit of luck, and I was missing some of that,” he added. “I felt really good, and I was highly motivated to race at home in my final event of the season. The team helped me a lot. It was a great day, even though I’m a little disappointed with the result. That’s twice now that I’ve been in contention for the win, but I have fewer regrets than last year.”
“The feeling is mixed,” Frédéric agreed. “We can say that we’ve been beaten by stronger riders in the sprint, but the final was still very tactical, and perhaps there was a way to win. Seventh is nevertheless a good result, and Thibaud is still young. He’ll have plenty of other opportunities.” Axel Huens (15th) and Romain Grégoire (22nd) finished in a chasing group around 30 seconds behind the winner.
While the 2026 edition of Paris-Tours brought the season to a close for many riders, including the French national champion, it also marked the end of a 13-year adventure between Groupama-FDJ United and Olivier Le Gac. “It’s one of the old guards who’s leaving, and that surely means something,” Frédéric said. “I saw him join the team, and I’ve always been his designated sports director. Olivier has been an example to everyone throughout this decade: a model, loyal teammate, and a true road captain for our younger riders in recent years. In his own way, he has left his mark on the team’s history.”
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Here's the update from Marc Soler's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
The UCI WorldTour season will draw to a close next week in China, with the Tour of Guangxi rounding out the campaign. In anticipation of the seventh edition, UAE Team Emirates-XRG is pleased to present its lineup, including the welcome return of Marc Soler.
Soler, out with injury since the Giro d’Italia in May, will be making his debut in the Tour of Guangxi, as will his teammate Florian Vermeersch. The pair will be joined in China by a former stage winner, Sebastián Molano.
Marc Soler wins stage one of this year's Vuelta a Murcia.
The Colombian sprinter will have plenty of chances to add to his tally, with a succession of flat stages presenting ample terrain to pit the world’s best against one another. At Molano’s disposal will be his trusty lead-out man, Rui Oliveira, who recently piloted Molano to a terrific stage victory at the CRO Race.
For Molano, it will be his final race in UAE Team Emirates-XRG colours. After eight seasons and 20 victories to date, the Colombian will depart for pastures new in the off-season. This only adds to the motivation for the sprinter to end his season in style.
Molano: “It’s been an incredible journey over the past 8 years with the team with so many shared memories. Above all, I’m lucky to have made many friends here.
“I’m hoping to end the year on a high note here in Guangxi. There are many sprint opportunities and we also have a strong team for the GC, so we go in full of options and aim to do our best.”
Rounding out the UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad in China will be last year’s third-place finisher, Jhonatan Narváez, Rune Herregodts, and Julius Johansen.
Narváez has looked sharp in the recent Italian Classics and will hope to carry this form into the final race of the season. Offering guidance to the Ecuadorian and his teammates at the Tour of Guangxi will be Sports Directors Aner Moreno and Simone Pedrazzini.
The team will look to add to its three stage victories to date, taken by Fernando Gaviria and Molano in 2019 and 2023, respectively.
The 2026 Tour of Guangxi gets underway on Tuesday, 13 October in Chongzuo. Sitting on the Sino-Vietnamese border, Chongzuo is home to over two million residents and will host the first two stages of this year’s race.
Stage 1 is the flattest of the entire race, covering less than 1000m of climbing over a 149.2km-long parcours. The start and finish of this stage are located just two streets apart, in the middle of Chongzuo’s urban area. Stage 2, meanwhile, will head northwest for a finish in Jingxi.
There is a single category two climb in stage 2, but 8km at 4% should provide little for the sprinters to worry about. Expect another bunch finish on Wednesday.
At 211.3km in length, stage 3 between Jingxi and Bama is by far the longest of the race, which is perhaps fitting for the ‘Hometown of Longevity’. The Bama Autonomous County is renowned for its number of residents who live beyond the age of 100.
Whether the sprinters get their chance again on stage 3 will be dictated by the peloton. The roads in the final 75km of racing are undulating, offering the possibility for some teams to put the squeeze on their rivals.
In the following day’s stage 4 between Bama and Tian’e, there is the most amount of elevation gain of any stage in this year’s Tour of Guangxi. Two categorised climbs fall in the middle of the day, before an uncategorised 2km-long climb at 5% marks the final challenge, topping out 25km from the finish.
For the penultimate stage, the peloton will be in the saddle for a little over 170km from Jinchengjiang to Yizhou. It will offer one last chance for the sprinters, with little to stand in their way thanks to a pan-flat approach for the final 50km.
The final stage of this year’s race is identical to stage 5 of last year, with the race organisers opting for a grandstand finish to the seventh edition. The Nongla Scenic Spot is where the winner of the Tour of Guangxi will ultimately be decided, coming at the end of a 4.3km-long climb that averages 7%.
This steep climb has long been the landmark feature of the Tour of Guangxi. Its 15% slopes and dramatic scenery offer a fitting way for the eventual race winner to announce himself as the champion-in-waiting.
Expect this year’s general classification battle to come right down to the wire, after some 1,041km of racing and six stages. The sprinters will have plenty of moments to butt heads throughout the week, but it will be on the Nongla ascent that the patient climbers will finally have their chance.
Here's the Tour of Guangxi preview from Team Jayco AlUla:
A year on from his first WorldTour stage race victory, Paul Double will return the Tour of Guangxi to lead Team Jayco AlUla’s general classification ambitions.
The 30-year-old took an impressive overall win after soloing to victory on the summit finish of the queen stage on the penultimate day. Coming back this season, he will once again aim to test himself amongst a strong GC field in the six-day race that starts on 13 October.
Paul Double wins stage 5 of the 2025 Tour of Guangxi and becomes the GC leader and eventually the overall race winner. Photo: Sprint Cycling.
Lining up alongside Double will be fellow British rider Bob Donaldson, who will be targeting the sprint finishes. Donaldson has had a superb 2026 season, finishing second at the Philadelphia Classic and taking fifth at In Flanders Fields (formerly Gent-Wevelgem).
Adding to the strength in the climbs will be Australian Rudy Porter, who heads to China after making his monument debut at Il Lombardia. Dries De Bondt will give the team options on potential breakaway days, alongside his compatriot Dries De Pooter.
Meanwhile, completing the line-up will be the strong engines of Austrian Patrick Gamper, and German Jasha Sütterlin.
Team Jayco AlUla for Tour of Guangxi
Dries De Bondt (BEL)
Dries De Pooter (BEL)
Bob Donaldson (GBR)
Paul Double (GBR)
Patrick Gamper (AUT)
Rudy Porter (AUS)
Jasha Sütterlin (GER)
Paul Double:
“I’m very excited to go back to Guangxi with the No.1 on my back, the memories from last year are very special. It would be a dream to repeat it however with the strong competition and my form is maybe more questionable compared to last year so it will be difficult, although winning ever easy. That said, we come with a strong team and as proved last year on my day I have the capabilities.”
Tristan Hoffman (Sport Director):
“We have the winner from last year in Paul Double, who will be going for the general classification again. That will be the main goal for the team and the characteristics of the race is more or less the same as it was last year, and stage six will be the same and it will be the decisive stage. Every day has some climbing in it, so anything could happen and we will be sure that if there are moves then we will be in them. We will also support Bob for the sprints. There will be quite a lot of good sprinters in Guangxi, but he can hopefully take some top-five finishes.“
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Here’s the Tour of Guangxi news from Afonso Eulalio’s Team Bahrain Victorious:
The 2026 Tour of Guangxi will be held from October 13–18. This WorldTour race will welcome riders with its revamped routes as the new design features the rolling terrain of the signature Karst topography. It starts from Chongzuo for the very first time and finishes at NongLa for the queen stage to define the general classification. It will be a balanced route suitable for sprinters, classics specialists and climbers.
The first two stages provide chances for sprinters, while stage 3 marks the longest stage (211.9 km) of this edition. Riders head further east on stage 4 and stage 5, which creates a better chance for breakaway specialists or sprinters to fight for glory in a reduced bunch sprint at Tian’e and Yizhou, considering the multiple categorised climbs in the middle of the race. The most decisive GC battle will take place at NongLa (3.2 km at 7.3%, max. 14.8%) to finish the sixth edition of the Tour of Guangxi on a high.
Lead Sports Director Aart Vierhouten outlined the team’s ambitions ahead of the race: “In the first two sprint stages, we’re going all in for Žak. We then turn our attention to Afonso for the GC, whilst looking to Pau in the reduced group sprints.”
Afonso Eulalio after having won the 2026 Giro d'Italia's Best Young Rider classification. Sirotti photo
Žak Eržen will be our designated sprinter. The 20-year-old Slovenian will make his debut in the Tour of Guangxi, with Daniel Skerl, Matevž Govekar and Vlad Van Mechelen forming part of his lead-out train. Daniel and Matevž were already successful in the last two editions; the Italian secured two top-5 finishes at Jingxi and Bama in 2025, and the Slovenian was the winner at Nanning in 2024. For the GC, Afonso Eulálio will be our leader after his stellar 2026, supported by Pau Miquel and Max van der Meulen. Alongside their GC ambitions, Afonso and Pau will also be contesting stage victories.