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Thursday, March 6, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good. - Samuel Johnson
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.
Upcoming racing:
- March 8: Strade Bianche
- March 9 - 16: Paris-Nice
- March 10 - 16: Tirreno-Adriatico
- March 19: Danilith Nokere Koerse
- March 19: Milano-Torino
- March 20: GP de Denain
- March 21: Bredene Koksijde CLassic
- March 22: Milano-Sanremo
Latest completed racing:
- March 5: Trofeo Laigueglia
- March 4: Le Samyn Classic
- February 26 - March 2: O Gran Camiño
- March 2: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
- March 2: Faun Drôme Classic
- March 1: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- March 1: Faun Ardèche Classic
- February 17 - 23: UAE Tour
- February 19 - 23: Volta ao Algarve
We posted the report from second-place Christian Scaroni's XDS Astana team with the results.
Here's the report from winner Juan Ayuso's UAE team Emriates:
Following an afternoon of breathless attacks in the Ligurian hills, Juan Ayuso won the 2025 Trofeo Laigueglia from a four-up sprint, giving UAE Team Emirates-XRG victory in the first race on Italian soil of the campaign.
It was a strong acceleration from the 22-year-old, who adds the Italian one-day race to his victory in the Faun Drôme Classic on Sunday. In taking his second win from three race days in 2025, Ayuso not only became the second UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider to win Trofeo Laigueglia – after Jan Polanc in 2022 – but the first Spanish winner in the race’s 61-year history.
Juan Ayuso with the Trofeo Laigueglia winner's trophy. Sirotti photo
Earlier in the race, it was Ayuso’s UAE Team Emirates-XRG squad that piled the pressure on his rivals. As the peloton made a series of ascents of the Colla Micheri climb, the Emirati squad drove the pace at the front of the bunch, ensuring that the number of contenders dwindled as the finale came into view.
Both through Igor Arrieta and António Morgado, Ayuso had teammates strong enough to make a difference. It was on the third ascent of this defining climb that their work truly began to pay off, as the numbers of riders in the wheel began to drop considerably, and Ayuso lay in wait for a big attack. This was, of course, how the Faun Drôme Classic was won on Sunday afternoon.
This time around, the Spaniard would not go it alone, but with Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) and Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) in the wheel. Once Morgado had dropped the hammer for one last time, Ayuso sensed his chance to attack with 20.9km to ride. Opening a gap with Powless and Scaroni, neither Ayuso nor Scaroni was happy to have the EF Education-EasyPost rider along for the ride.
Over the top of the Colla Micheri, Ayuso and Scaroni produced a series of blows which had Powless in trouble, but the American produced a smart descent alongside Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) to make the front group four-strong heading towards the final 10km of racing.
Through the final two climbs of the day, a similar situation played out once more, with Ayuso and Scaroni trading blows, as Powless and Storer stuck to task behind, eager to take any opportunity for recovery with the final sprint in mind. As such, the group of four was forced to accept that only a sprint would decide the day’s winner as the finish line approached.
Twice a podium finisher in this race, all eyes were on Ayuso under the flamme rouge, but the 22-year-old did not let this disrupt him from finishing the job. With his rivals keen to follow the wheel, Ayuso accepted the mandate and became the first to open up his acceleration.
Once he had launched his sprint, it soon became clear that Ayuso was truly the strongest rider of the day in Laigueglia. The Spaniard was able to celebrate another impressive victory as he crossed the line in first, ahead of Scaroni and Storer.
It was no less than the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider deserved, with his team controlling proceedings all afternoon and Ayuso animating a thrilling final hour of racing.
Speaking to the TV crews beyond the finish, Ayuso heaped praise on his teammates and looked forward to his next goals in Italy.
Ayuso: “It was the place I was missing. I did one time third, one time second and now finally I have also finished first. I am glad I could finish the work of the team! We controlled all day, we made a hard pace on the climbs and then on the final circuit, I always had a teammate with me covering every move.
“I was quite confident [against Scaroni], the only thing I didn’t want was for more people to arrive from the back because then they could attack with one or two kilometres to go, and then you never know. I just wanted a sprint with the ones who were there – nobody to come from behind – and then I was quite confident in my sprint to be able to win.
“The big goal is the Giro [d’Italia] but next week we start Tirreno[-Adriatico] which is a race I really like. Last year I was second and I won a stage, so I really want to improve on that.”
Here's the Trofeo Laigueglia report from sixth-place Magnus Sheffield's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Magnus Sheffield put in a gutsy ride to claim sixth place at the Trofeo Laigueglia.
The American was present in a pair of moves in the closing stages of an exciting race, attacking late on to claim a strong top 10.
Juan Ayso wins the sprint. Sirotti photo
Michal Kwiatkowski was also well positioned and on the front as the race ticked off laps of the finishing circuit in Liguria.
The Pole launched an acceleration from the second group on the descent off the Colla Micheri. Up ahead a group of four riders had pushed clear, with Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) claiming victory in the four-up sprint.
Christian Scaroni (XDS Astana Team) and Michael Storer (Tudor) rounded out the podium places. Kwiatkowski secured a top-15 finish from the second chasing group.
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And here's the Trofeo Laigueglia report from Team Polti-VisitMalta:
A powerful breakaway was the protagonist of the Trofeo Laigueglia with the presence of Mattia Bais as a representative of Team Polti VisitMalta. He managed to win the classification of the best Italian climbers (Laigueglia is the opening event of the new Coppa Italia delle Regioni) and was named the most combative rider.
An exciting start to the Italian calendar for Team Polti VisitMalta. In the more than 190 kilometres of the Trofeo Laigueglia, the super combative Mattia Bais wanted to be part of the breakaway that was the protagonist of the race. Nine riders with a lead of no more than two and a half minutes went away and reached the final circuit where Bais selected the leading group and scored more mountain points. Together with Eiking (Unibet) and Badilatti (Q36.5) they held on until the last 20 kilometres, neutralised by the favourites.
Early in the race as the peloton races along the coast. Sirotti photo
Mattia Bais: ‘I tried it from a distance with a group of quite a high level, with strong riders and that we could make our way. But the bunch didn’t let us take advantage. Even so, on the final circuit I tried to give it my all with a move to stand out on the penultimate lap. But they neutralised me and I couldn’t stay in front, so we’ll keep trying!
Juan Ayuso (UAE) took the win, with Zoccarato fighting at the end in the chasing groups. Crashes affected De Cassan and Serrano in the peloton, with no injuries to any of them after the incidents.
Stefano Zanatta, sport director: ‘We approached the race in an active way, wanting to be protagonists. Mattia Bais could have been in the breakaway of nine riders and it was a high level breakaway, with riders from WorldTeam and ProTeam teams. Despite the advantage, in the final circuit they were approached from behind and they ended up neutralising them. I think that getting on the podium with the mountains jersey in the first Italian race is a good result. The crashes have weighed us down at the back, with Zoccarato the best placed and the ambition to continue to aspire to good results in the intense calendar that awaits us’.
Team Polti VisitMalta will race the Strade Bianche this Saturday.
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Here’s the team’s update:
This Saturday, the peloton will gather in Siena for one of the most beautiful races of the season: Strade Bianche.
Richard Carapaz, Rui Costa, Ben Healy, Mikkel Honoré, Archie Ryan, James Shaw, and Michael Valgren, will race the Tuscan classic for EF Education-EasyPost.
Nina Berton, Letizia Borghesi, Cédrine Kerbaol, Nina Kessler, Sarah Roy, and Noemi Rüegg will race for EF Education-Oatly.
From the start near Siena’s Medici Fortress our squads will roll into the hills south of the city for a furious race through the vineyards and olive groves. The 213-kilometer men’s race includes 16 sectors of white gravel, known as sterrato, for a total of 81.7 kilometers on cypress-lined dirt. The women’s race packs 12 white-gravel sectors into 136 kilometres, twisting up and down through the countryside.
If it is dry, a huge cloud of dust will follow the peloton across the landscape, making it hard for the riders to see, as they plummet down narrow farm roads, dodging potholes and other riders to try to stay at the front of the peloton. In the wet, the white gravel becomes a slippery gray clay, that cakes the riders and their bikes and makes every corner treacherous.
“It’s a special race because of the gravel sectors,” says Nina Berton. “It is also a really historic race, so it's super fun that we are able to do it. Racing on the white roads is a lot of adrenaline, but you have to keep the focus and control your bike, while going still as fast as possible, so you save energy. If you do one wrong movement or a hectic move in the gravel, you will just slip. All the descents and steep climbs make it a fun race.”
Racing on the Tuscan gravel roads in 2024. Sirotti photo
Strade Bianche is fun and it is also brutal. Managing your effort well across the whole distance is a huge challenge, as the climbs come one after the other and are explosive, especially towards the final hour of the race, where unpaved hill after awful, steep, unpaved hill leads in to the final ascent up to the Piazza del Campo, the iconic medieval marketplace in the heart of Siena, where the winner will be crowned under the Palazzo Pubblico and Torre del Mangia bell tower.
That contrast between beauty and grit speaks straight to James Shaw’s heart.
“For me, this is the race on the calendar,” James says. “Others can have their Flanders and Roubaix. Strade – this is the one for me. There's a certain romance to it. It’s so picturesque and Siena is just this magical place with the crowds. There is this whole history there with the horse race and the architecture. I'm just in love with it. Maybe I'm a bit of a romantic, but it has got this extra dimension to it that the other races don't have. If you said to me, you can win one bike race in your whole career, you'd just win one race, you had to pick one, this would be it for me.”
Cédrine Kerabol will captain EF Education-Oatly at Strade Bianche. She knows that her best chance of victory will come if she just throws herself into the action and focuses on racing well.
“The gravel makes the race very unpredictable,” Cédrine says. “It is a bit like Paris-Roubaix. We never know what can happen – everything can happen. It is a race where you need to be very aware. Physically, you need to be strong and mentally even more. You need to be in the front when you hit every gravel section and make sure you don't crash and you avoid crashes. You need be prepared for everything. I always try to first focus on the process. The goal will be to give the maximum. As a team and personally, we will give everything, so we don’t have any regrets. And then we'll see.”
Richard Carapaz is taking a similar approach to Strade Bianche. He is in good shape and looking forward to racing onto the white gravel with his EF Education-EasyPost teammates.
“Strade Bianche is a beautiful race,” Richie says. “I’m excited to race it with the team, and right now I am feeling very good. The legs feel great after a very good pre season of training. We’ve done the recon, and this year is a bit harder than previous editions of the race and a bit longer with one more sector. For us, it will be a big challenge, because this race is not only won with good legs, but also with being in the best position in key moments of the race and staying away from the complicated moments in the back. We’ll do our best, obviously thinking of a win. The team is very experienced and capable of making it happen. I feel ready. We’ll see at Strade on the weekend. We’re hoping for the best.”
For Archie Ryan, it’s a dream come true to support Richie in the race that captured his imagination the first time he saw it on television.
“I'm super excited,” Archie says. “I've never done it before, but it must be one of, if not the, coolest races on the calendar. I haven't given gravel a proper crack, myself, but I'm super excited to try out the old sterrato. I’ll go into it with an open mind and do what I can to help the team. I think we've got some good options with the boys and we can do something special if we put our heads together. I just want to be an integral part of the team and do what I can to help the big boys. Racing in Italy is such a vibe – up, down, left, right, techie descents, steep climbs, all the Italians drinking their espressos, watching the race pass by.”
Our Italian, Letizia Borghesi is going to feel right at home on Saturday. She is going to put her cyclocross skills to work on the white gravel and ride with everything she has got for the squad.
“For the Italian people, Strade is a really special race,” she says. “All of the hard sectors are full of people cheering, like we see in Belgium. It is a real Italian classic. With Roubaix and Flanders, I think it is the most epic race on the calendar. You cannot hide and the strongest rider usually wins. I want to arrive at the finish line completely empty. I love the gravel. It is a really brutal race.”
Here's the team's news:
Team Jayco AlUla return to the iconic one-day Italian race Strade Bianche with last year’s top-ten finisher Filippo Zana headlining a mixed team looking for an improvement on their 2024 result.
Zana will have a strong squad around him with experienced fellow Italian Alessando De Marchi for company along with World Mountain bike champion Alan Hatherly, who makes his debut appearance at the race. The rest of the team is known for being aggressive, strong on the climbs and good at holding the best position and are ready to face the 213km of 2025 edition which includes the over 80km on gravel roads.
Filippo Zana finishing stage 15 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
The enthusiasm of young Italian Davide De Pretto, Felix Engelhardt and Anders Foldager will be an important weapon to face one of the most difficult races of the entire calendar. Rounding out the squad will be Danish Asbiørn Hellemose who will have on his side the experience acquired after racing a full season in the gravel world.
Team Jayco AlUla at Strade Bianche:
Alessandro De Marchi (ITA)
Davide De Pretto (ITA)
Felix Engelhardt (GER)
Anders Foldager (DEN)
Alan Hatherley (RSA)
Asbjørn Hellemose (DEN)
Filippo Zana (ITA)
Filippo Zana:
“This will be my fourth Strade Bianche and, every year, I have always improved. Last year I finished in ninth place and, I hope to improve on that result this weekend.. I have been at high altitude at Teide for two weeks and I think I’m in a good shape. I don’t think that an extra gravel sector can make the difference, Monte Sante Marie will make the real selection. There will be teams that will have the interest of making the race harder, you will always have to be in front”.
Valerio Piva (Sports Director):
“The Strade Bianche is one of the hardest and most selective races of the entire WorldTour circuit. This year even more so since a new gravel sector of over nine kilometers has been added during a race with a total of over 210 kilometers. We have a strong group of riders starting with Filippo Zana and the group of youngsters – Davide De Pretto, Felix Engelhardt and Anders Foldager – who know how to ride aggressively, are good on climbs and know how to hold positions. Alan Hatherley will have his first Strade Bianche experience and we believe he can do well, as can Asbjørn Hellemose who, last year, did several gravel races.”
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Here's the team's update:
Paris-Nice is shaping up to be one of the most challenging stage races on the 2025 calendar. Across eight days of racing, the challenging parcours and an elite start list will make for a demanding battle, often used by Grand Tour hopefuls to test their form and tune up for the season. The 83rd Race to the Sun features a route designed to challenge every type of rider. Starting in the Yvelines on the south-west edge of Paris, the race will traverse 1,206 kilometres, with three stages for the fast men, three summit finishes, and a pivotal team time trial.
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe heads into the race with a strong lineup, aiming for top results in both the GC and sprints, with Florian Lipowitz and Aleksandr Vlasov leading the charge for the overall and Danny van Poppel the team’s key card to play in the fast finishes.
Aleksandr Vlasov winning stage 7 of the 2024 Paris-Nice. Sirotti photo
The race opens with two relatively flat stages to suit the sprinters, provided crosswinds don’t shake things up, especially on the exposed Beauce plains of Stage 2. “These stages will help the team and riders get into the rhythm," explains Sports Director Patxi Vila.
Following from that, the GC battle is set to heat up on Stage 3, featuring a rolling 28.4km team time trial to Nevers. A key feature of the stage is the Côte de la Pisserotte towards the finish, where riders will need to carefully manage their effort. Teams will likely look to the strategic use of riders on the approach to the finish, the climb itself and the downhill run-in to the line. “Strong teamwork will be key to positioning Aleksandr and Florian well for the GC battle,” continues Vila. “Although there is still significant climbing to come on the following days, this stage could have a central role to play in the GC battle.”
Midweek, the race reaches its first summit finish on Stage 4 at La Loge des Gardes, a 7km climb averaging 6.5 per cent. "It’s quite a long climb, and the first proper climbing test for the general classification test," says Vila. “With over 3000m of elevation, it promises a selective stage finish.”
He likens the following day’s finish to an Ardennes classics finale. “Stage five presents a different challenge with a short, steep finish, more reminiscent of the Ardennes than a traditional mountain stage. The last two kilometres feature a very steep kicker, which will change the type of winner compared to Stage four." With seven short punchy categorised climbs, and a final climb which ramps up to 18 percent in its steepest section, a selection could also be made here.
Following two intense GC days, Stage 6 should bring the sprinters back into contention. "It’ll be a long stage finishing most likely with a sprint,” according to Vila. “If the wind stays calm, a bunch finish is likely, and van Poppel will be ready to contest it.”
As the race progresses into the final weekend, the Alpes-Maritimes mountains set the stage for the resumption of the GC battle, with the final two stages featuring steep climbs and no doubt also fierce competition. "Both of these stages around Nice will be for the GC guys, likely one-on-one fights between the contenders," explains Vila. The penultimate stage serves up 3,700m of elevation, finishing at the ski resort village of Auron. Last year’s penultimate stage was set to finish there, but snowfall forced the rerouting of the course to the Madone d’Utelle, where Aleksandr Vlasov soloed to victory.
The race will then reach its conclusion with an almost 120km loop around Nice, culminating with the classic finale used in recent years - the Col des Quatre Chemins - a tough 3.6km long climb averaging almost 9 percent, with sections kicking up to 16 percent.
With this demanding parcours in mind, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe is hoping for a strong GC showing with Florian Lipowitz and Aleksandr Vlasov. This will be Lipowitz’ first major race of the season, while Vlasov takes to the start after competing at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. "Both riders are heading to the race with ambition and a focus on achieving a good result overall. With riders like Vingegaard, Skjelmose, and Almeida, among others, in the field, however, the competition will be fierce,” Vila acknowledges. “Nevertheless, we’re up for the challenge of taking out a strong GC result and, hopefully, also a strong showing Danny van Poppel. So the goal will be a top-five finish in the GC and a stage victory. We’ll fight to be the protagonists of the race. Paris-Nice is never an easy one, but our team is ready to take on the challenge.”
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