Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. - Aristotle
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.
Current racing:
- August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España
- September 9: Giro della Toscana
Upcoming racing:
- September 10: Coppa Sabatini
- September 11: GP de Québec
- September 12: Memorial Marco pantani
- September 13: GP de Montréal
- September 13: GP de Fourmies
- September 13: Trofeo Matteotti
Latest completed racing:
- September 2 - 6: Tour of Britain
- September 2 - 6: ZLM Tour
- September 6: GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
- August 30: Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
- August 25 - 28: Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
- August 19 - 23: Renewi Tour
- August 18 - 21: Tour du Limousin-Périgord
- August 13 - 18: Arctic Race of Norway
- August 16: Cyclassics Hamburg
- August 16: La Polynormande
- August 3 - 9: Tour of Poland
- August 4 - 8: Vuelta a Burgos
- July 29 - August 2: Tour of Denmark
- August 2: Circuito de Getxo
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Matthew Brennan claimed his fourth victory of this Vuelta a España. The young Brit capped off a perfect team performance in powerful fashion. Brennan’s victory marked Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s sixth stage win of this Grand Tour.
“It’s absolutely incredible”, a delighted Brennan says after the finish. “Four victories already, when the plan was to win one. This is unbelievable. The people watching the stage on television will have seen how hard my teammates worked today. Wout then brought me to the finish in an amazing way in a chaotic finale. That was perfection.”
Vuelta stage 16 winner Matthew Brennan. Sirotti photo
Brennan is right to call this a team effort. Immediately after the start in Cortegana, Team Visma | Lease a Bike took control of the race. Led by Steven Kruijswijk, who is in the final week of his professional cycling career, and Jørgen Nordhagen, the team kept the breakaway riders within a safe margin throughout the stage. Once the five escapees were caught well before the finish, the focus shifted to Wout van Aert and Brennan. With a brilliant lead-out, the Belgian delivered his teammate perfectly, allowing Brennan to sprint comfortably to his fourth victory.
“Even without Christophe Laporte, who unfortunately had to go home, the lead-out was perfect. I just had to trust Wout and follow his wheel. It’s really impressive that he can deliver me to victory in all this chaos”, Brennan says. The 21-year-old Brit is the youngest rider since Vicente Carretero in 1936 to win four stages in the Vuelta a España. Teammate Van Aert described the achievement as exceptional. “He has done it again. It’s really impressive.”
Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s tally in this Vuelta a España now stands at six victories. “Today was a true team performance. Everyone stuck to the plan and gave everything for the stage victory. A big round of applause for Steven and Jørgen, who never gave the breakaway a chance today. In a Grand Tour, there is a new opportunity every day. We’re not done yet as a team. Tomorrow, we’ll go for number seven”, Van Aert concludes.
Content continues below the ads
Here's the Vuelta report from stage 16 third-place Vito Braet's Team Lotto-Intermarché:
Vito Braet claimed an impressive third place today in the 16th stage of the Vuelta a España. The 181-kilometre stage from Cortegana to La Rábida looked set to be one for the sprinters, although the hilly first half of the race and the headwind made for a demanding day. In the end, the winner was decided in a sprint, with Braet fighting his way onto the podium.
However, the original plan was not for Braet to sprint for himself. “The plan was to do the lead-out for Steffen (De Schuyteneer), but we lost each other at the roundabout. In the end, I tried to find my own way through.”
Matthew Brennan wins Vuelta stage sixteen.
The finale required patience and good positioning. “The plan was to wait as long as possible, because with the headwind it was dangerous to come to the front too early. Because we lost each other, it became a bit chaotic.”
Still, Braet managed to position himself well for the sprint. “I know that when it’s a slightly harder race and most riders have lost some of their pure speed, I can make my own plan in the sprints. To finish third and be able to beat sprinters like these obviously makes me very happy.”
Here's the Vuelta report from Oscar Onley's Team Netcompany INEOS:
Oscar Onley remains in fifth place overall at La Vuelta a Espana as the race resumed following the final rest day.
Stage 16 played out with a sprint finish into La Rabida, with Onley crossing the line safely in the peloton to hold station.
The Netcompany INEOS rider remains 5:44 back on overall leader Enric Mas (Movistar), holding the white jersey ahead of a final run-in featuring some key GC tests.
Oscar Onley on his way to the start of Vuelta stage fifteen. Sirotti phjoto
Matthew Brennan (Visma | Lease a Bike) would prevail in the bunch kick after the day’s five-man break were reeled in by a watchful peloton with 24kn remaining. Onley was well supported throughout the day and positioned safely on the final run-in.
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the Vuelta report from Alberto Dainese’s Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Week three of the season’s final Grand Tour began with high temperatures and a stage that had bunch sprint written all over it, although the breakaway was hoping to have a chance in case crosswinds would have made an appearance, turning a rather quiet day into a hectic one.
The five men who jumped clear on the hilly first part of the stage to Palos de la Frontera were easily brought back with 25 kilometers to go, paving the way for a bunch sprint. Soudal Quick-Step hit the front in the closing three kilometers and pulled hard to bring Alberto Dainese in a good position as the peloton entered the finishing straight, and the Italian took ninth behind Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) for his second top ten of the race.
Soudal Quick-Step rider Mikel Landa at the stage 16 pre-race teams presentation ceremony. Sirotti photo
The general classification remained unchanged and should continue like this also after Wednesday’s stage, which will come with another opportunity for the sprinters of La Vuelta.
And here's the Vuelta report from Team Picnic-PostNL:
Stage 16 of La Vuelta brought the peloton back into action after the final rest day, with a bunch sprint expected in La Rábida. Five riders went clear early in the stage, but the peloton kept the breakaway on a short leash and never allowed the gap to grow beyond two and a half minutes. It was a difficult day for Team Picnic PostNL, however, as Timo Roosen was forced to abandon due to the effects of his crash earlier in the weekend.
The Vuelta stage 16 peloton heads for the finish line. Sirotti photo
The team is now left with four riders in the race. With 23 kilometres to go, the breakaway was caught by a nervous peloton as the wind threatened to play a role in the finale. Splits formed shortly afterwards, although the bunch quickly came back together before the pace settled ahead of the run-in to La Rábida. In the final kilometres, Gijs Leemreize did a strong job of positioning Timo de Jong towards the front, dropping him into the wheels with 1.5 kilometres remaining. De Jong battled in the sprint and crossed the line in 14th.
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s update:
The September Italian calendar continues with two historic races in Tuscany: the 98th Giro della Toscana – Memorial Alfredo Martini on Wednesday, September 9, followed by the 74th Gran Premio Città di Peccioli – Coppa Sabatini (UCI 1.Pro) on Thursday, September 10.
Bahrain Victorious will return to both races for the first time since 2021, with a strong lineup that was already in action on Sunday at the GP Industria & Artigianato in Larciano.
There will be two changes to the lineup across the two races. Matej Mohorič will join the team, replacing Bálint Feldhoffer, while Feldhoffer will return for the Coppa Sabatini, replacing Kamil Gradek.
Both races feature well-known Tuscan terrain, with Monte Serra representing the key challenge in the Giro della Toscana, while the Coppa Sabatini is characterised by its punchy circuits and repeated passages in the finale through the finish in Peccioli.
Bahrain Victorious has enjoyed several podium finishes in both races. At the Coppa Sabatini, Sonny Colbrelli finished second in 2021, his fourth podium with the team after winning the race in 2014 and 2016. The Giro della Toscana has also brought podium for the team, with Giovanni Visconti finishing second in 2017 and fourth the following year, when Domenico Pozzovivo took third.
The Giro della Toscana – Memorial Alfredo Martini covers 189.4 kilometres, starting and finishing in Pontedera. The opening 81.2 kilometres form an initial point-to-point section, including three short laps featuring the Peccioli ramp that the peloton will face again the following day in the Coppa Sabatini.
The second part of the race enters a 54.1-kilometre circuit around Monte Serra, which will be tackled twice. The key climb is around eight kilometres long and is usually the decisive moment of the race. After the final ascent, the riders face a long descent before the final 16 kilometres on flatter roads towards Pontedera, offering the opportunity for chasing groups to close the gap.
Isaac del Toro won the 2025 Giro della Toscana.
Sports Director Roman Kreuziger expects the team to continue to be competitive in this Italian block.
“I think we have a nice roster here for these Italian races. Antonio Tiberi showed in Larciano that he is already race-ready. He is in good shape and knows the Tuscan roads pretty well.
“Starting with the Giro della Toscana, the famous Monte Serra is the crucial part of the race. It’s a very tough climb from this side, but I would say it is a little better for descending, with a slightly wider road, although there are some narrow sections. It is definitely a better side for climbing and then descending towards Buti.
“Regarding the contenders, we know that Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is coming with a very strong team, so they will probably have a lot of control over the race.
“We have Antonio, who showed that he is ready. He can focus on the main guys in the peloton, while with our other climbers we can race aggressively and try to avoid problems, so that we still have numbers later in the race.
“It’s the second race of this block, so I think we should be confident. I still believe that a top-five result is a realistic goal. If the race doesn’t come back together in the final 16 kilometres on the flat roads to Pontedera, then I think we have a really good chance of achieving it.”
The following day, the riders will line up at the GP Peccioli – Coppa Sabatini, which retains its traditional characteristics, beginning with an initial point-to-point section through the roads of Valdera. After this opening phase, which ends with the return to Peccioli, the riders enter an initial 24.8-kilometre hilly circuit to be completed five times before passing through the start area again.
The final 12.2-kilometre circuit then begins, with two laps leading to the third and final passage over the finish line in Peccioli. The finish comes at the top of a short, steep climb, tackled for the final time after 197.6 kilometres and 2,742 metres of elevation gain.
Kreuziger believes the Coppa Sabatini will offer a different challenge, with its consistently rolling terrain and demanding finale.
“On Thursday we will ride the Coppa Sabatini. It’s a slightly different race, with different circuits throughout the day. It’s a bit more lumpy from the start, with up and down all day. It’s a well-known course that we have raced in the past and it hasn’t really changed.
“The roster will change a little because Kamil Gradek will take a rest for Sabatini and Bálint Feldhoffer will come in for him. Again, I think we have a nice balance in the roster for these races. I expect that Lenny Martinez will already feel better on Thursday, and the course suits him well. Of course, in September you also have to be ready for the possibility that some breakaways can get quite far.
“Again, the goal of a top-five finish is very realistic.
“It’s really good to see that the guys have come to these races, they are happy to be here and willing to suffer and fight for the glory. The harmony between them is really nice to see, and I think they will show that on the road.
“We want to make our colours proud. It’s nice to see the guys fighting and performing in the Vuelta, and that is also a big boost for the guys here at the other races and at home. They will be motivated to show what they can do.”