Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, March 28, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the link on the right.
Current racing:
- March 24 - 30: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- March 25 - 29: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
- March 28: E3 Saxo Bank Classic
Upcoming racing:
- March 30: Gent - Wevelgem
- March 30: La Roue Tourangelle
- April 2: Dwars door Vlaanderen
- April 2: Paris - Camembert Lepetit
- April 4: Route Adélie de Vitre
- April 5: GP Miguel Indurain
- April 5: Volta Limburg Classic
- April 6: Ronde van Vlaanderen
Latest completed racing:
- March 26: Classic Brugge-De Panne
- March 22: Milano-Sanremo
- March 21: Bredene Koksijde Classic
- March 20: GP de Denain
- March 19: Danilith Nokere Koerse
- March 19: Milano-Torino
- March 9 - 16: Paris-Nice
- March 10 - 16: Tirreno-Adriatico
- March 8: Strade Bianche
- March 5: Trofeo Laigueglia
- March 4: Le Samyn Classic
We posted the report from fifth-place Mikel Landa's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.
Here's the report from Frank van den Broek's Team Picnic-PostNL:
A potential day for the breakaway, Team Picnic PostNL and Frank van den Broek had marked stage four in their calendars as one to attack. It was a fast start to proceedings and a big fight to make the move, with the team prominent in several attacks, but eventually a group of 12 jumped clear that included Van den Broek. However, the peloton kept them on a tight rope and didn’t allow the advantage to go out too far. On the climbs entering the last 60 kilometres a duo attacked from the break, while Van den Broek formed part of a chase group. However, despite their best efforts, all of the breakaway was reeled in throughout the remainder of the stage, with Van den Broek caught on the lower slopes of the final ascent.
Primoz Roglic narrowly beat Juan Ayuso for the stage win.
Speaking at the finish Van den Broek said: “It was a pretty hard start and I was on my limit to get in the break. UAE kept pushing in the peloton so we had to keep riding to maintain a gap, and I was suffering. On the flatter part in the middle of the stage I recovered and started to feel really good actually. Then once the hilly zone started there was an attack from Steinhauser and I was at the car at that moment so couldn’t really react. I was in a position to chase but knowing the gap to the peloton we had no choice but to go full, and we then got caught on the lower part of the last climb. It’s unfortunate that the peloton didn’t give us some more room. I’m starting to feel stronger and stronger, so I’m happy with today and with some nice racing. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and a sprint chance with Pavel.”
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And here's the Volta a Catalunya report from Brieuc Rolland's Team Groupama-FDJ:
Second summit finish, and second breakaway in a row for Groupama-FDJ. After his day up front to La Molina, Lorenzo Germani did it again on Thursday towards the ascent of Montserrat. This time, he brought with him his young teammate Brieuc Rolland in a twelve-man break. The French rider was then able to reach the final climb before the peloton, but the favourites did fight for victory ultimately. Primoz Roglic won, while a less hilly profile looms on Friday.
The riders lined up before the start.
The peloton gained much less height than the day before, this Thursday, in Catalan territory. Still, an undulating terrain, tallying nearly 3,000 meters of elevation gain, and a finish at the summit of Montserrat (8.8 km at 6.5%) were on the riders’ menu. At the start of this 188-kilometer loop, an eight-man breakaway quickly established itself, but initially without a rider of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team. “We know it’s difficult for a breakaway to make it in the WorldTour, but to exist, go far and have an impact on the race, our objective was to go up front,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “We also hoped that UAE Team Emirates wouldn’t want to fight for the victory so as not to offer Roglic a chance to take the bonus seconds. We had to seize this opportunity. One move went without us, but the guys reacted very well. They could have thought that the big teams would control it anyway, that it was pointless, but they made a counterattack to join the breakaway. That’s the spirit we wanted to see, so congratulations to them.”
More specifically, Lorenzo Germani – him again – and Brieuc Rolland joined a four-man counterattack while the breakaway had already a thirty-second lead. They made it across after ten minutes of chasing. “I was feeling a little tired this morning, but like the whole peloton after yesterday’s long and hard stage,” said the Breton climber, at the start of his first WorldTour race. “The goal today was to be at the front of the race to potentially challenge for the win if the peloton gave us enough ground. I could rely on a very strong and generous Lorenzo in the breakaway. Unfortunately, one rider was too high in the general classification, so we didn’t have a really significant margin.” Unlike the day before, when the gap almost reached seven minutes, the breakaway’s advantage never exceeded three and a half minutes on Thursday. Therefore, the attacks started early up front, with more than sixty kilometres to go.
Johannes Staune-Mittet and Georg Steinhauser broke away, and the collaboration between the rest of the group wasn’t always ideal between them. “It’s a shame Brieuc wasn’t able to follow this move, but he’s young,” Stéphane noted. “You need some reflexes in breakaways, and you learn them in moments like these. You have to be on your guard all the time. This would have allowed him to go further, even if victory wasn’t possible, but it will mostly allow him to make the right choices the day the break will make it. It was still a very good day for the team, and I especially want to note their attitude at the start.” In the final, Brieuc Rolland broke away with three riders chasing the leading duo, but the fierce battle within the peloton only allowed him to complete two kilometres of the final climb before being caught.
“I gave it my all in the breakaway so as not to have any regrets,” he said. “It was a first for me, and I’m satisfied.” Clément Braz Afonso was ultimately the first Groupama-FDJ rider to reach the summit, in 33rd position, around two minutes behind the winner and new leader, Primoz Roglic.A less difficult route is on the program tomorrow towards Amposta. “There will be one less team to pull since Kaden Groves has withdrawn, but there are still a few teams left to control things at the start,” concluded Stéphane. “We’ll be attentive but not overly aggressive. Our real focus is this weekend.”
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We posted the report from new GC leader Magnus Sheffield's Team INEOS Grenadiers with the results.
Here's the report from third-place Simone Velasco's Team XDS-Astana:
Today marked the third stage of the Italian stage race Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali. In difficult weather conditions, the riders covered 142 km, featuring a series of short but steep climbs. Simone Velasco took third place, finishing in the chasing group behind Australian rider Jay Vine, who attacked on the final climb of the day.
As a result of Stage Three, Velasco moved up to third place in the overall classification.
Near the finish, the peloton races in the rain. Sirotti photo
“It was a very tough day due to bad weather. We raced under the rain the entire stage, and it was extremely cold. The final part of the race was quite tense, and I had to stay at the front the whole time. Our leader, Diego Ulissi, lost some ground today, but I managed to finish third. There are still two tough stages ahead, so we will see what we can do. I would love to fight for a stage win, and we will also try to improve our position in the General Classification”, – said Simone Velasco.
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Here’s the team’s news:
Team Bahrain Victorious heads into the 68th edition of the E3 Saxo Classic with Fred Wright leading the line-up for the second of the five iconic Flemish classics.
Held on Friday, 28 March, the E3 Saxo Classic is renowned as a key indicator for the Ronde van Vlaanderen and is considered second only to the Ronde in terms of challenge. Starting and finishing in Harelbeke, this year’s 208.6km route features a punishing series of 17 climbs, including the iconic Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont, before a final ascent of the Tiegemberg, located just 20km from the finish—setting the stage for a decisive finale.
Fred Wright will be supported by Alberto Bruttomesso, Robert Stannard, Kamil Gradek, Roman Ermakov, and Vlad Van Mechelen. Matej Mohorič will also line up and have the opportunity to fight for victory, giving Bahrain Victorious multiple cards to play in the decisive moments of the race.
Fred Wright racing in the 2023 Tour of Flanders. Sirotti photo
Fred Wright commented:
“I’m really looking forward to E3 on Friday. Sometimes I think it’s almost harder than the Ronde van Vlaanderen, with a lot of climbs squeezed into one go—just one after the other. The shape and the legs were where I wanted them to be in Sanremo. I haven’t had the best results in E3 in the past, but I’ve got a good feeling about this year.”
“I think the race always kicks off after the Tiegemberg. The last couple of years, we’ve been there in that front group of around 20 guys. So, the first step is getting over the Tiegemberg in the front, then trying to hang on to the big guys and fight for something special at the end.”
“I’d love to get a podium in one of these upcoming races—but obviously, Flanders and Roubaix are the big ones.”
Sports Director Michal Golas added:
“We’ve got a balanced team that’s ready to take on the unique challenges of E3. Fred is in great shape, and with the depth of riders we have supporting him, we’re looking forward to racing aggressively and being in the mix when it matters.”
Here’s the team’s news:
After the Italian classics, the cycling peloton has once again touched down in Belgium. Team Visma | Lease a Bike will be at the start of the E3 Saxo Classic and Gent-Wevelgem with strong teams. Leaders Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij look ahead to the two races together with head of racing Grischa Niermann.
Van Aert is taking the same approach this spring as he did a year ago. After his season opener in Spain and Portugal, the 30-year-old rider could still be admired in the Belgian opening weekend before leaving for Tenerife for an altitude training camp. Together with teammates Tiesj Benoot and Wilco Kelderman, the Belgian stayed on the Teide for three weeks to optimally prepare for the big spring classics.
Wout van Aert in red after stage three of the 2024 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
Van Aert: “We had a good and nice training camp in Tenerife, but of course, as a cyclist, what you want most of all is racing. I'm really looking forward to pinning on a race number once again.” Van Aert will do that this Friday in the E3 Saxo Classic. The Belgian keeps fond memories of the classic, which he managed to win in 2022 and 2023. “The E3 Saxo Classic is one of my favourite races and I am proud that I have already won it twice”, he says.
E3 Saxo Classic:
Sports director Niermann is also looking forward to the Flemish classics. “The E3 Saxo Classic is a beautiful race over a large part of the Tour of Flanders course. Often the race is seen as a kind of dress rehearsal. For us it will be interesting to see how Wout and Tiesj feel after their altitude camp.”
Van Aert adds: “That's always a bit of a wait and see in such a first race after an altitude camp. You saw that last year in the E3 Saxo Classic as well. But we have a strong team, including Matteo Jorgenson who showed great things in Paris-Nice.” Niermann: “We are not the favourites, but we have to make use of the multiple options we have in our team. We will do everything we can to be in the final with as many riders as possible.”
Gent-Wevelgem:
Although cobblestones also play an important role in Gent-Wevelgem, it is a race of a different caliber than the E3 Saxo Classic. Team Visma | Lease a Bike is therefore heading to Ypres with sprinter Olav Kooij as the team’s leader. Last weekend the 23-year-old rider rode to a creditable eighth place in Milano-Sanremo, in Classic Brugge-De Panne he crashed in the hectic finale. Despite multiple abrasions, he will be ready for Gent-Wevelgem. “There he showed that he has taken another step in racing classics this winter”, Niermann states. “He deserves our full support in Gent-Wevelgem. We are going for a sprint with Olav, but in this race every edition is a game between attackers and sprinters. A sprint is therefore not a given, but we are going to guide Olav to the finish line as best we can.”
His sixth and eighth place finishes in the previous two editions of Gent-Wevelgem taste like more. Kooij: “I think it's a very nice race. Especially the edition that Christophe Laporte won on behalf of our team was brilliant because of our excellent team effort. The important thing for us is to be attentive in the hilly area and then see what the situation is towards Wevelgem. Hopefully we can create a situation there in which we can fight for the win.”
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