Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, February 14, 2025
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
I experience a period of frightening clarity in those moments when nature is so beautiful. I am no longer sure of myself, and the paintings appear as in a dream. - Vincent Van Gogh
Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- February 14 - 16: Tour de la Provence
Upcoming racing:
- February 15: Vuelta Ciclista a la Region de Murcia
- February 16: Clásica de Almeria
- February 17 - 23: UAE Tour
Latest completed racing:
- February 8 - 12: Tour of Oman
- February 5 - 9 Etoile de Bessèges/Tour du Gard
- February 5 - 9: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 7: Muscat Classic
- February 1 & 2: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- February 2: GP La Marseillaise
- January 29 - February 2: Challenge Vuelta a Mallorca
Here’s the team’s news:
Team Bahrain Victorious is set to take on the UAE Tour, the only UCI WorldTour race in the Middle East, with a well-rounded squad built for both the mountains and the sprints. Pello Bilbao will lead the team, supported by strong climbers Torstein Træen and Rainer Kepplinger for the mountain stages. In the fast finishes, Phil Bauhaus will be the team’s designated sprinter, backed by a lead-out train consisting of, Daniel Skerl, and the experienced Andrea Pasqualon. While Max van der Meulen will offer all-around support.
The UAE Tour promises a mix of sprint opportunities and decisive climbing stages, along with a crucial time trial. The race follows its usual format, featuring two summit finishes at Jebel Jais and Jebel Hafeet, as well as an individual time trial on Stage 2—three key stages that will shape the general classification unless echelons come into play.
Pello Bilbao after stage 10 of the 2023 Tour de France. Sirotti photo
The opening stage, from Madinat Zayed Shams Solar Park to Liwa Palace, covers 138 km of desert terrain, featuring rolling dunes and steep gradients in the Moreeb Dune circuit before a challenging uphill sprint finish. Stage 2’s Al Hudayriyat Island ITT is a 12.2 km flat and fast course, offering GC contenders like Bilbao an early opportunity to gain time. Stage 3, the first summit finish from Ras Al Khaimah to Jebel Jais, features a 20 km climb with an average gradient of 5%, peaking at 9% near the finish—an important stage for Bilbao to make an impact. Stage 4, a 181 km sprint stage from Fujairah Qidfa Beach to Umm Al Quwain, crosses multiple Emirates, where wind and sand could play a crucial role.
Stage 5, spanning 160 km from the American University of Dubai to Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, is another high-speed stage featuring the open desert roads of Dubai, where Bauhaus and his lead-out train will aim for victory. Stage 6, a 167 km route through key Abu Dhabi landmarks such as Khalifa City, Yas Island, and Qasr Al Hosn, is expected to conclude in a mass sprint. Finally, the queen stage—Stage 7—takes the peloton from Al Ain Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium to the summit of Jebel Hafeet, a decisive 10 km climb with 8-9% gradients, peaking at 11%, which is likely to determine the overall winner of the UAE Tour.
Content continues below the ads
Neil Stephens, Team Bahrain Victorious Sports Director, comments:
“We are really looking forward to starting the UAE Tour 2025, especially coming off a high note with a win in Valencia for Buitrago. Our road captain, Bilbao, also finished on the podium there, and we would love to see him on the podium again at the UAE Tour.
"It’s a very similar race to last year, with two summit finishes on Jebel Hafeet and Jebel Jais, an ITT on Stage 2, and four stages for the sprinters. We’ve got Bauhaus for the sprints, and he raced well in Australia, but we’ll be aiming to go one better and secure a win here. Nikias, who usually leads out Phil, won’t be available for UAE this year, but this presents a great opportunity for our young talent, Daniel Skerl. He worked well with Phil in Australia, and we’re looking to fine-tune our sprint execution for UAE.
"Kepplinger is coming into the race in solid form after Saudi and Valenciana, while Torstein will provide additional mountain support. Young Max van der Meulen will offer all-around support. Lastly, we have the experience of Pasqualon, who will help position the lead-out and keep Pello in a good position on the GC stages.
"A good outcome for us would be securing a podium in the GC and winning a stage.”
Pello Bilbao is eager to fight for his third podium at this race:
“I already have a lot of experience in this race, and the route remains quite similar to previous editions. Maybe the first stage has a little kick at the end, which could make a difference if the wind plays a role, but overall, the race profile is familiar to me. This suits me well—I know what to expect and how to perform here.
"We have a really complete team. We can fight for the bunch sprints with Phil, who has a strong lead-out train, and I’ll also take advantage of that support on the mountain stages to position myself before the final climbs and fight for the overall.
"It’s going to be difficult with Tadej back on the start line, but I will fight for a place on the podium, something I’ve already achieved twice before. I’m coming into the race in good shape after Valencia, and my morale is high leading into the UAE Tour.”
Content continues below the ads
Here's the team's news:
Tim Wellens to make European debut at Vuelta a Murcia this weekend, with João Almeida set to lead team at next week’s Volta ao Algarve
With the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and Tour of Oman in the rearview mirror, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have announced their lineups for the tests to come across Spain and Portugal. Following a trio of one-day races in the Vuelta a Murcia, Figueira Champions Classic and Clásica Jaén across Saturday to Monday, the Emirati squad will take to the Volta ao Algarve and Vuelta a Andalucía between Wednesday, 19 February and Sunday, 23 February.
Tim Wellens wins the 2023 Ruta del Sol. Sirotti photo
In Spain, Tim Wellens will make his first appearance of the season in Europe, with the Belgian’s last stage race on the continent bringing the overall title at the Renewi Tour last year. The 33-year-old will make his bow at the Vuelta a Murcia on Saturday before racing the Clásica Jaén and Vuelta a Andalucía next week.
Across the border in Portugal, meanwhile, recent Volta Valenciana runner-up João Almeida will return to home roads and look to build on a fine start to the season. The Portuguese climber spent a day in the leader’s jersey in Valencia and claimed four successive top-10 finishes. This Sunday, he will race the Figueira Champions Classic before aiming for a strong GC showing at the Volta ao Algarve from 19 February.
Almeida: “Figueira and Algarve are two special races for me – it’s not so often we get to race in Portugal, and it’s always a privilege to count on home support.
“Valenciana was confirmation that the form is good and I took a lot of confidence from that. The team is really strong, I feel like Algarve can suit me better and we also have young guys like Morgado and Christen who are on form, so we are heading in from a strong position. I can’t wait to get it started.”
Beginning a blockbuster nine-day spell of racing across Spain and Portugal, UAE Team Emirates-XRG will take a team full of climbing talent to the Vuelta a Murcia on Saturday, 15 February. Joining Wellens in making their season bows will be Igor Arrieta and Isaac del Toro, whilst Marc Soler will make his first appearance since the Tour Down Under and Adrià Pericas, Brandon McNulty and Matthias Schwarzbacher will follow on from their recent races.
UAE Team Emirates-XRG triumphed with a 1-2 finish at this race in 2022, whilst Wellens certainly knows what it takes to score a good result here. He placed third on his first outing of the year last season.
After a neo-pro campaign in which the 21-year-old won the Vuelta Asturias and a stage of the Tour Down Under, there will be excitement for the re-emergence of Del Toro following his winter’s training, with the Mexican a key climber in the sides for both the Vuelta a Murcia and Clásica Jaén.
The UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad for both one-day races – on Saturday and Monday – will remain the same:
Igor Arrieta (Spa)
Isaac Del Toro (Mex)
Brandon McNulty (USA)
Adrià Pericas (Gen Z) (Spa)
Matthias Schwarzbacher (Gen Z) (SLK)
Marc Soler (Spa)
Tim Wellens (Bel)
Wellens: ”In the past, the start of the season has always been a good period for me. I usually have good legs, and I hope this year can be similar. My preparation went really well this winter.
“The Ruta Del Sol is a race I won in the past and so I’m always motivated to race there. The Vuelta Murcia was my first time ever racing there last year, but it’s a race I also enjoyed, so I’m happy to go there. Overall, I’m really looking forward to joining the team again, getting back into the race rhythm and starting the season with great motivation.”
Rounding out next week’s action in Spain, Wellens, Arrieta, and Soler will also head to the Vuelta a Andalucía between 19-23 February, where Vegard Stake Laengen, Alessandro Covi, Pavel Sivakov and Pablo Torres will join the trio. Each day of racing in the region will challenge the peloton with over 2,000m of climbing, promising an exciting five days of racing for the race’s centenary edition.
Otherwise known as the Ruta del Sol, the 2024 Vuelta a Andalucía was significantly curtailed due to local protests; however, at the last uninterrupted edition in 2023, UAE Team Emirates-XRG walked away with the overall title through Tadej Pogačar.
With the Slovenian making his season debut at the UAE Tour this time around, the following riders will hope to bring the title back to the Emirati squad:
Igor Arrieta (Spa)
Alessandro Covi (Ita)
Vegard Stake Laengen (Nor)
Pavel Sivakov (Fra)
Marc Soler (Spa)
Pablo Torres (Spa)
Tim Wellens (Bel)
For this Sunday’s one-day Figueira Champions Classic, Almeida will be joined by Felix Grossschartner and Julius Johansen, the latter of whom spent the majority of his time last year racing on Portuguese soil. The lineup will be rounded out by Jan Christen and Antonio Morgado, both riders who enjoyed fantastic starts to the season and picked up a win apiece during the Challenge Mallorca.
For the Volta ao Algarve, the following riders will hope to take UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s first overall victory in the race since 2019:
João Almeida (Por)
Jan Christen (Swi)
Felix Grossschartner (AUT)
Antonio Morgado (Por)
Ivo Oliveira (Por)
Rui Oliveira (Por)
Nils Politt (Ger)
For its 51st edition, the 2025 Volta ao Algarve has produced one of its hardest routes in a generation, with the customary final-day ascent of Malhão changed to a 19.6km-long individual time trial. However, before this decisive test against the clock, the riders will face a summit finish atop Alto do Foia on stage 2 and 7,188m of climbing packed into the race’s other three stages.
It is a challenge that Almeida, twice a top-10 finisher in Algarve, is relishing.
“Overall, I’m happy with the first race of the season. I think starting with a second place is not bad at all,” he said after the final stage of the Volta Valenciana. “Now I go back to Portugal with a good amount of confidence and with my eyes on the prize.”
Content continues below the ads
The team sent me this update:
A total of 8 riders will compete in this weekend’s races in Spain: the Vuelta a Murcia on Saturday, February 15, and the Clásica de Almería on February 16. Two very young riders will make their debut.
The VF Group Bardiani-CSF Faizanè is preparing to take on two important races this weekend. On Saturday, February 15, it will be time for the Vuelta a Murcia, a 1.1 category race held in the namesake region, covering a 199.6 km route. The course retains the technical characteristics seen in previous editions.
The selected riders for this event are: Luca Colnaghi, Martin Marcellusi, who is coming off a strong start to the season and a second-place finish at the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana. Joining them will be Alessio Martinelli, Luca Covili, Luca Paletti, Filippo Turconi, and Mattia Stenico, a young Trentino-born rider from the 2006 class, making his absolute debut among the professionals.
Luca Colnaghi racing at the 2023 Tour of Norway.
On Sunday, February 16, it will be time for the Clásica de Almería, a 1.Pro-category one-day race held in Andalusiaover a 189.1 kmcourse. While mostly fast and flowing, the route is not entirely flat. The lineup will be the same as for the Vuelta a Murcia, with one change: Mattia Stenico will be replaced by Andrea Montagner, another young debutant born in 2006.
LINE UP – VUELTA A MURCIA:
- Luca Colnaghi
- Martin Marcellusi
- Alessio Martinelli
- Luca Covili
- Mattia Stenico
- Luca Paletti
- Filippo Turconi
- Sport Director – Mirko Rossato
LINE UP – CLÀSICA DE ALMERÌA:
- Luca Colnaghi
- Martin Marcellusi
- Alessio Martinelli
- Luca Covili
- Andrea Montagner
- Luca Paletti
- Filippo Turconi
- Sport Director – Mirko Rossato
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary