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Thursday, September 17, 2026
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Current racing:
- September 15 - 18: Giro d'Abruzzo
- September 16 - 20: Tour de Luxembourg
Upcoming racing:
- September 18: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
Latest completed racing:
- 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
- September 9: Giro della Toscana
- September 2 - 6: Tour of Britain
- September 2 - 6: ZLM Tour
- September 6: GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
- August 30: Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
We posted the stage two race report from the race organizer with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Dorian Godon's Netcompany INEOS team:
Dorian Godon sprinted to second place at the Giro d'Abruzzo as a late break held on during stage two.
The Frenchman benefitted from strong work from his Netcompany INEOS teammates on the run-in, but at the line there was no hauling back solo victor Lennart Jasch (Tudor Pro Cycling).
Lennart Jasch wins Giro d'Abruzzo stage two.
Godon won the sprint behind, crossing the line nine seconds back on the German. Kevin Vauquelin also finished in the peloton and sits seventh overall, 12 seconds back on continued race leader Alessandro Fancellu (MBH Bank CSB Telecom Fort).
The team arrived at the front ahead of the final 20km, with Milkias Maekele helping set a tempo to bring back the day's initial five-man move.
No sooner had they been reeled in than fresh attacks went clear, with Netcompany INEOS committing numbers to the front at the foot of the final climb. Bob Jungels and Peter Øxenberg set the tempo on the front, while in the peloton Mattie Dodd helped shepherd Godon over the Scagnano ahead.
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We posted the report from winner Aubin Sparfel's Decathlon CMA CGM Team with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Romain Grégoire's Groupama-FDJ United team:
Romain Grégoire came within just a few metres of claiming his first victory in the French national champion’s jersey. This Wednesday, the young puncheur genuinely believed he was going to win the Grand Prix de Wallonie after a remarkable effort from his teammates and a sharp attack of his own two kilometres from the finish on the Citadel of Namur. However, he was forced to concede victory in the closing metres to Aubin Sparfel, who came back from behind. A frustrating outcome.
Romain Grégoire finished a close second to Aubin Sparfel
Eight years later, the WorldTour Groupama-FDJ United team returned to the Grand Prix de Wallonie this Wednesday. With the French champion in their ranks, there was never any question of simply making up the numbers. “It was Romain’s first time racing this event, but we knew that the final climb of the Citadel of Namur really suited his qualities, given its length, the corners and the fatigue accumulated during the race,” explained William Green. “Knowing all that, we knew we had a card to play. He was good in Italy, not great after the crash, but he had recovered well and we knew we had a true opportunity today. That’s why we took control of the race from the very beginning.”
Six riders animated the first part of the race, but it was also a matter of managing the chase smartly. “We wanted to allow the breakaway to build a fairly substantial gap so that we could set a strong pace in the middle of the race,” William explained. “We stopped riding once the gap dropped below three minutes because that risked encouraging attacks midway through the race. We then took control again with Baptiste, who did an incredible job today. As expected, there were still attacks on the first two climbs. A group of strong riders got away, but we stayed calm. The group wasn’t that big, and we knew there would then be headwinds and crosswinds. Esteban did a really great job, and then other teams came to ride with him.”
With forty kilometres to go, the chasing group caught the morning breakaway, but the peloton was only about a minute behind. Thanks to a well-organised chase within the bunch, all the attackers were caught with eighteen kilometres remaining, at the foot of the penultimate climb, Tienne aux Pierres (3 km at 5%). “We knew attacks could come, but if they didn’t, the objective was to set a strong pace so that we could find ourselves more easily on the final climb,” William continued. “Decathlon-CMA CGM set a very hard tempo, and then Lorenzo was very strong when he took over in the second half of the climb. Thanks to his efforts, riders such as Girmay and Askey were dropped and couldn’t get back. It was a real team effort.”
Although Tim Wellens and a few others tried to get away at the top of Tienne aux Pierres, Axel Huens remained alert to close a few gaps before Lorenzo Germani took over at the front again. “He started riding early because we didn’t want the group behind to come back,” William explained. “He was able to lead the group from six to three kilometres from the finish, right to the foot of the climb. We tackled it in first position, then Axel did exactly the strategy we had planned: eliminate as many riders as possible and make the climb as hard as possible. It was really important to make that effort to give Romain the best possible chance.”
For more than a kilometre, Axel Huens therefore controlled the front of the peloton and stretched the group out, with his French champion teammate in his wheel. “The team once again did a monstrous job,” Romain said. “Axel did a superb final climb after Lorenzo dropped him off at the foot. It was exactly the plan from this morning’s briefing. He launched exactly where I wanted him to, so that I could start my attack, and then I did exactly what I had to do to eliminate the fastest riders.” “Everything went exactly as planned,” William added. “We knew it would be difficult with the headwind in the final kilometre, but we had to make that effort, and we did it where we wanted to. I’m really proud of the team for executing exactly the plan.”
The French champion duly launched his attack two kilometres from the finish, coming out of a corner, and took only two riders with him. One of them was Paul Lapeira, whose counterattack failed to shake off Romain Grégoire, but which reduced the trio to a duo with 1,500 metres remaining. From then on, the two riders worked together without overcommitting, while around half a dozen riders chased behind them. “It was normal to gamble a bit with Lapeira,” Romain admitted. “That’s what happens when there are two riders in the final of a bike race. I don’t think I made any mistakes.”
Under the flamme rouge, the duo still held an advantage of around thirty metres, but as the chasers closed in, the sprint opened with nearly 400 metres remaining for Romain Grégoire and his opponent. The rider from Besançon managed to get the better of his rival with 200 metres to go and entered the final straight in the lead. However, Aubin Sparfel came back to him with 50 metres remaining, leading to a side-by-side battle all the way to the line. The duel ultimately went against the French champion by the narrowest of margins. “I think I did everything right,” said Romain. “We simply came up against a very strong Aubin Sparfel, who took the victory away from me in the final 50 metres. It’s extremely frustrating because I could see the victory so close, but it didn’t happen. I’m very disappointed.”
“The disappointment is huge, perhaps more than usual, because we feel that we gave everything we had,” William continued. “But with hindsight, we wouldn’t change anything about our strategy. We simply have to acknowledge Sparfel’s impressive effort. It’s a shame because Romain is getting closer and closer, and the team was once again there around him today. We’ll try again.”
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We posted the report from fourth-place Per Strand Hagenes' Team Visma | Lease a bike with the results.
Here's the report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Created almost a century ago, the Tour de Luxembourg is holding its 86th edition this week, and our team was among those lighting up the first day, which ended up being a selective one. Everyone was expecting the big moves to come on the last climb of the day, averaging 6.5% over 2.6 kilometers, and those slopes were enough for the peloton to split after just a few attacks.
Andrea Raccagni tried to follow one of these and ended up being part of a small chasing group, before the bunch came back, overhauling them. Soudal Quick-Step quickly got reorganized at the front, coming with four riders at the front and setting a tempo that chewed into the leading duo’s advantage and caught them four kilometers from the line.
Mathieu van der Poel wins Tour of Luxembourg stage one.
The uphill finish was steep enough for differences to be opened, and Jasper Stuyven - third at the Tour of Britain a few weeks ago - left it all out there en route to a solid fifth place, just two seconds behind winner Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck). Andrea Raccagni was also in the mix, concluding seventh and making Soudal Quick-Step the only World Tour team in the top ten overall.
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Here’s the announcement from the team
The 32-year-old German Ben Zweihoff has extended his contract with Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe and will continue to bring his experience to the German UCI WorldTeam beyond 2026.
After many years as a professional mountain biker, Zwiehoff has been wearing the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe jersey since 2021, quickly establishing himself in road cycling. The Essen native has demonstrated his potential with second-place finishes at the Czech Tour and the Tour of Türkiye, among other results. Beyond his own results, however, Zwiehoff has made a name for himself above all as a domestique – a rider who shapes races long before the cameras capture the decisive moments in the finale.
Ben Zweihoff. Photo: George Marshall
The German has shown just how crucial this support role can be across five Grand Tours. In 2022, he was one of Jai Hindley’s key helpers on the Australian’s way to victory at the Giro d’Italia. In 2026, he helped Hindley return to the Giro podium. Over the years, Zwiehoff’s experience have made him one of Red
Ben Zwiehoff: “I feel extremely comfortable here, so extending my contract means a lot to me. Cycling is very much a team sport: You can have the strongest leader in the race, but if the team can’t control certain situations, things will eventually become difficult for the leader. That’s exactly the kind of work I really enjoy – and I still have plenty I want to achieve with this team“
Zak Dempster, Chief of Sports: “Ben is exactly the kind of rider every successful team needs. He is experienced, extremely reliable and takes care of his team mates on and off the bike. Much of this work often goes unnoticed in the results, but for our leaders, it is crucial every single day. We are therefore all the more pleased to continue on this journey together.“