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Saturday, March 29, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much. - Oscar Wilde
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Current racing:
- March 24 - 30: Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- March 25 - 29: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
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 28: E3 Saxo Bank Classic
- 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 stage winner Matthew Brennan's Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.
Here's the report from Mikel Landa's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
On paper, stage five of the race should have been one for the sprinters, and until 20 kilometers to go, everything was pointing to a mass gallop on the streets of Amposta. Everything changed though on the exposed roads before the small Catalan town, where several teams drilled it at the front and put down the hammer, fragmenting the peloton.
Fourth on the general classification of the oldest stage race in Spain, Mikel Landa was on the right side of this split and made the cut together with some 30-odd riders. As the speed increased and many riders got spat out the back, Soudal Quick-Step’s leader continued to remain well positioned in this select group and arrived at the finish – where Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) won – some 40 seconds ahead of the chasers, cementing his place in the top five and increasing the advantage he has over some of his GC rivals.
Matthew Brennan wins Volta a Catalunya stage five.
It was a great ride and a morale-boosting result for Mikel ahead of the race’s queen stage, scheduled on Saturday, when the bunch will face four classified climbs and an elevation gain of almost 4000 meters on their way to Queralt, which makes its second consecutive appearance at the Volta a Catalunya.
UAE Team Emirates reports on the Volta a Catalunya and other races:
Juan Ayuso continued his close battle with Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), taking the upper hand in an intermediate sprint and reclaiming the leader’s jersey by a margin of just 1” heading into the final weekend of the Volta a Catalunya.
“The perfect scenario would have been for Roglič to have been behind but with such a good and strong rider like him, it is always hard,” Ayuso said, reflecting on the stage. “I am happy I was in the front, I arrived safely. I got the bonus second, which is only one second but we don’t know on Sunday if that could be the deciding second to win or lose. I would prefer to have the second than not to have it!
Juan Ayuso just beats Primoz Roglic to win stage three of the Catalonia Tour.
“In any other race, one second would not be something to lose any energy on, but in this race we have seen many times that it can be decided by small margins.
“On paper tomorrow is the hardest stage, in my opinon. It has the hardest climb and it is the easiest to lose time or gain time. We will have to play it smartly because everything is super tight, but I have a strong team around me and I hope tomorrow I can still be in the jersey.”
Elsewhere at Coppi e Bartali, Igor Arrieta took a solid second place on stage 4 behind the solo arrival of Ben Tulett (Visma-Lease a Bike).
There was movement in the final 20km from veteran climber Rafał Majka who put in a strong attack on the penultimate climb of the day, taking with him the Belgian duo of Jarno Wildar (Lotto) and Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal Quick-Step). But as the steep Valico Rio Chiè climb approached, it was Arrieta who came to the fore. The Spaniard followed the right wheels and showed his strength as the slopes reached their toughest.
Crossing the line in second behind the day’s winner, Arrieta moves into fourth place in the general classification, just 23″ down on the race lead of Tulett with a stage to go.
Arrieta: “It’s been quite a nervous race today, mostly because of the rain. The legs felt good and I tried to save a bit until the last climb to make a move. I pushed hard on the last section but Tulett was just too far ahead at that point and stronger. We’ll try again tomorrow.”
Over in Belgium, Tim Wellens produced a valiant display to finish among the the top 10 at the E3 Saxo Classic. The Belgian rouleur was well in the fight all afternoon and behind the solo displays of Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers) – first, second, and third respectively – the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man was among the first chase group across the line.
Taking eighth place in Harelbeke, Wellens showed himself in a strong vein of form as the team looks towards another big opportunity at Gent-Wevelgem in Flanders Fields on Sunday.
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We posted the report from fourth-place Casper Pedersen's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Mads Pedersen's Team Lidl-Trek:
The E3 Saxo Classic delivered the promised spectacle, with action from start to finish and a well-earned podium spot for Mads Pedersen after a fantastic race.
Lidl-Trek started the day with ambition and a clear plan, but that strategy seemed to be thrown out the window early on when a massive crash split the peloton in two. Among those caught in the second group were Mads Pedersen, Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Filippo Ganna. Meanwhile, up front, Jasper Stuyven and teammates Tim Declercq and Tim Teutenberg found themselves in a lead group of around 50 riders, gaining more than three minutes on the chasers at one point. But the pre-race favorites weren’t about to be left behind, and with 110 km to go, the two groups merged.
The E3 top three finishers, from left: Filippo Ganna (3rd), Mathieu van der Poel (1st) & Mads Pedersen (2nd)
That was Mads Pedersen’s cue to really kick off the race. On the Taaienberg, after a perfect set up by Alex Kirsch, Pedersen launched the first major attack, with only Van der Poel and Ganna able to follow. They quickly bridged to Aimé De Gendt and Casper Pedersen, who had gone clear earlier. The strongest riders were now at the front, working well together. Behind them, Jasper Stuyven rode in a chase group of six, while Toms Skujins and Kirsch were positioned in the peloton. Lidl-Trek was present on all fronts.
With around 40 km to go, Pedersen put the hammer down again on the Paterberg. Van der Poel answered with an acceleration of his own on the Oude Kwaremont. Mads initially managed to hold the Dutchman’s wheel but just couldn’t quite stay with him. Ganna followed slightly behind. Pedersen hovered around 15 seconds back for a long time but couldn’t close the gap. In the end, the order at the finish in Harelbeke was 1. Van der Poel, 2. Pedersen, 3. Ganna.
Behind them, Jasper Stuyven sprinted to fifth place in the chase group, while Toms Skujins’ strong ride meant Lidl-Trek placed three riders in the top 11. A fantastic team performance, with our squad present in every key move. More big races ahead, and a victory hopefully on the cards!
Mad's reaction:
“I am actually really happy today. I had good legs and this is, by far, the best result I have done in this race and to be beaten by a ‘monster’ is okay. I think it was pretty clear [that MVDP was better today], he went on Kwaremont and went fast from the bottom already and, at one point, I just couldn’t hold the wheel and he is just incredibly good. When he has a gap, he just keeps extending it, and it is impossible to come back from that so, definitely there, on Kwaremont, he made the difference and showed his class. We wanted to open up the race at Taaienberg and I talked with the DS yesterday and they told me to try something there myself instead of following. For me, it was nice to open up the race and we could go into a smaller group from there with Filippo also, all three of us wanted to work all the time and it was really nice. I learned today that the shape is there and it was proper racing today so I am happy and ready for what’s to come.”
“Normally, I am fighting to win, but as I said, previously I have never done very good in this race so this is a big step forward. I was pretty sure that on Taaienberg that if I didn’t go then either Wout or Mathieu would try and so, why not do it myself. Alex Kirsch made a perfect run in and it was high speed from the bottom and it would have been stupid for me to not take advantage of that. On Paterberg I just wanted to go over it as fast as possible. This climb is a horrible thing and I just wanted to pass it as quickly as I could. It doesn’t matter if you go yourself or with someone else, it would be same amount of pain and power you have to push because it is so steep so, if it was me or Mathieu or Filippo that would go there it wouldn’t make a difference on the power output so I could take the front instead of being behind. To be honest, I don’t know [if MVDP was suffering on the Pateberg] because I was not look back, I was just concentrating on my pace. I hope he was suffering a bit because I was suffering but, then he put me in the pain cave on Kwaremont.
“This is not only a big step forward in terms of results at this race but it is also confirmation that the shape is there and it shows that Sanremo was not the best day I had and I know that my shape is good and today, I proved that. It is just not easy when you have a monster like Mathieu racing. It doesn’t make it easier for the rest of us but, you know, he is one of the biggest stars in cycling not only now but in history so, in the end, it is nice to be a part of that and today, I was just the best of the rest.
“You saw today, he [MVDP] is on another level but everything is possible, so much can happen in these races so for us it about not giving up. I have shown that it is possible to beat him. He has said he is not racing on Sunday but I have showed that even with him there at Gent-Wevelgem I can beat him, but that is a different race and there are also other riders, not just him, that are fast so now, it’s onto the next, but this is a good start to the Classics campaign.”
Here's the E3 report from third-place Filippo Ganna's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Filippo Ganna rode to an incredible third place finish at the E3 Saxo Classic after a gutsy ride in tough conditions to seal his second podium of the week.
Following on from his heroics at Milano-Sanremo, Ganna once again powered his way into an elite group of contenders, then was able to hold his own and time trial to the finish in Harelbeke as the race began to split apart.
Brilliantly set up by his teammates, it was another superb performance to continue the Italian's recent momentum.
An early crash sent the peloton into disarray, splitting into two group as they tackled the 208km punchy race in Harelbeke.
Bob Jungels, Ben Turner, Connor Swift and Tobias Foss were ahead, while Ganna, Sam Watson and Josh Tarling worked together to close the 1:30 advantage with 140km to go.
The peloton came back together, before a flurry of attacks occurred with 100km to go. Swift and Jungels controlled the pace, with Ganna and Tarling in tow as the peloton attacked onto the Oude Kruisberg.
With 80km to go, Ben Turner accelerated hard up the Taaienberg with Tarling and Ganna hot on his wheel, before Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) countered the move. Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin - Deceuninck) was quick to get on his wheel, with Ganna chasing over the top of the climb and reaching the duo.
The three were able to bridge over to an earlier break of Casper Pedersen (Soudal Quick-Step) and Aime De Gendt (Cofidis), with Tarling riding well in the group behind.
Inside the final 40km, van der Poel rode away from the break solo, with Pedersen and then Ganna following suit on their own.
As the conditions began to worsen, Ganna gritted his teeth and continued to grow the gap on the peloton.
As van der Poel took the win, Pedersen finished solo in second, and Ganna rolled in third after a fantastic performance.
Filippo Ganna: “It was hard to follow those guys but Mathieu won the race and he did everything right.
“I'm really happy with the performance. In the last few kilometres, I was completely in the red zone and I just was pushing and pushing to cross the line. I don’t know how to describe the pain. Just fire in the legs.
“It was a really hard race but I’m happy. The shape is there. I’m not the best rider for the steep climbs but I tried to defend myself.
“After a few kilometres, there was big crash and the group split in two. We were pushing with the team and got back in a good position. I think we did a great performance.
“We will see what can happen but for sure we stay focused now and try and do some amazing races.”
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Here's the E3 report from sixth-place Stefan Küng's Team Groupama-FDJ:
This time, his efforts were rewarded. Member of a chasing group in the final 80 kilometres of the E3 Saxo Classic this Friday, after the race exploded on the Taaienberg, Stefan Küng did not leave the race empty-handed. Behind an untouchable Mathieu van der Poel, the Swiss rider secured a fine sixth place to kick off the cobbled Classics campaign. On Sunday, the riders will be in Gent-Wevelgem for the next round.
Stefan Küng at the 2024 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
The “mini-Ronde” took an unexpected direction right from the start in Harelbeke on Friday. While 200 kilometres of racing and no fewer than seventeen bergs were still to be covered, a big crash split the peloton and created an unusual race configuration. Fifty riders broke away and quickly opened up a gap of more than two minutes over the rest of the pack. “It was a hell of a day,” said Stefan Küng. “It never eased off. This big crash after ten kilometres split the peloton in two. We had five guys in front, so we started to pull after a while to keep an advantage.” “We didn’t expect this scenario but given that we had many riders in the first peloton, it wasn’t such an issue for us,” added Frédéric Guesdon. “Olivier pulled first, then Visma-Lease a Bike and Q36.5 gave us a hand, but we gradually understood that it would come back together and that another race would start in the first bergs. Still, it changed the face of the race compared to usual.”
No breakaway could therefore establish itself in the first part of the race, and after almost eighty kilometres of distance battle, the two pelotons came together around the halfway point. From then on, a race for positioning took place over the first few bergs, particularly on the Kortekeer, before heading to the Taaienberg, the race’s traditional “launch pad”. Two men managed to reach it before the peloton, while the first fight took place among the favorites. Mathieu van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, and Filippo Ganna took the lead, while Stefan Küng entered a first chasing group with five other competitors.
“I was a bit far back at the bottom of the Taaienberg, so I was just able to catch the second group, but we quickly realized that the collaboration wasn’t super,” said the Swiss rider. While the gap to the peloton gradually increased, the margin with the leading group also got bigger and bigger as the kilometers went by. It reached one minute with more than fifty kilometres to go, and even approached two minutes before the famous Paterberg-Vieux Kwaremont sequence.
After this key point, Van der Poel took off alone in the lead, while the group of Stefan Küng reduced to four riders. On the way back to Harelbeke, this quartet was able to catch two riders and therefore get back in the mix for 4th place. Pedersen and Ganna managed to secure their podium spots, and a tough sprint decided the rest of the top 10, a handful of seconds ahead of the main peloton. Stefan Küng fought all the way to the finish line to secure sixth place on the day.
“Fortunately I was able to finish in the top 10 and I’m not coming home empty-handed,” he said. “It’s certainly not a podium, but it’s still something in such a quality race.” “We have nothing to regret or feel bad about,” said Frédéric. “I think Stefan is where he belongs. We were aiming for the top 5, and we got sixth. That’s still satisfying. It could have been even better if the move with Valentin and Van Aert had come back, but that’s racing. We also met the expectations as a team today, and that’s good to point out.”
Stefan Küng earned his fourth career top-10 finish at the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday and will return to action next Wednesday on Dwars door Vlaanderen. Meanwhile, Gent-Wevelgem is on the horizon for the group.
And here's the E3 report from ninth-place Matteo Jorgenson's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Matteo Jorgenson finished ninth in the E3 Saxo Classic. The 25-year-old American crossed the line in a chasing group well behind race winner Mathieu van der Poel after a tough edition of the Belgian classic.
The 67th edition of the E3 Saxo Classic saw a chaotic opening phase. A crash split the peloton into two groups with Jorgenson, along with Julien Vermote and Tosh Van der Sande, part of the first group. Wout van Aert, making his return to racing after a training period, found himself in the second peloton alongside several other favourites.
Matteo Jorgenson winning 2025 Paris-Nice stage eight.
After a long chase, the two groups merged with 110 kilometres to go. Shortly after, Aimé De Gendt and Casper Pedersen set up the first significant breakaway of the day. On the crucial Taaienberg climb, about 80 kilometres from the finish, Van der Poel, Mads Pedersen, and Filippo Ganna made their move, rapidly closing the gap to the leading duo. In the chase, Jorgenson found himself with some strong companions. Meanwhile, Van Aert tried several times to accelerate from the peloton but was unable to make a decisive impact.
As the race approached the Paterberg and Oude Kwaremont climbs, the leaders extended their advantage. On the cobbled ascents, Van der Poel made the race-winning move, riding solo to Harelbeke. Meanwhile, Jorgenson helped further reduce the chasing group. Alongside Jasper Stuyven, Tim Wellens, and Stefan Küng, he reeled in two remaining escapees. Ultimately, the American had to settle for ninth place.
"I felt quite good today," Jorgenson said afterwards. "Like many others, I was held up behind the crash in the opening kilometres and had to put in a big effort to get back to the first peloton. On the Taaienberg, we weren’t in the best position, so we were not able to react to the accelerations at the front. I ended up in a chasing group, but because of my earlier efforts, I didn’t have much left in the tank.”
In the peloton, Van Aert sprinted to 15th place. “After the accelerations on the Taaienberg, I found myself further back,” said the Belgian. “I tried several times to force something, but in the end, it proved too difficult. Overall, I rode a decent final, but I can’t be satisfied with my race. I came here to get a result, and that did not happen.”
Head of Racing Grischa Niermann acknowledged that it was not the team’s best performance but remained optimistic for the upcoming races. “Today showed once again how important it is to be in a good position before the cobbled climbs. Unfortunately, we weren’t where we needed to be. We also have to admit that the three strongest riders in the race made the difference, and from that point on, we were unable to close the gap. Fortunately, we have a chance to bounce back in Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday. Now, we can only focus on our next goals.”
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And here's the E3 report from Team Picnic-PostNL:
The cobbled classics continued with the “Mini Flanders” at E3 Saxo Classic on Friday, where the peloton took on several climbs and cobbled ascents. It was an unfortunate start to the race for Team Picnic PostNL with Kevin Vermaerke having to step off the bike after an early crash. From there, the race split into several sections with the team well represented with five riders in the front group of around 50.
At one point they led the second peloton by over two minutes but eventually things merged together; while in the meantime Julius van den Berg had forged ahead in a break group, but they too were brought to heel by the now full peloton with 100 kilometres to go. From there, the race entered a new phase and the expected classics specialists came to the fore. Van den Berg battled to the line and was the team’s first rider home in Harelbeke.
Julius van den Berg in 2024.
Van den Berg said: “It was a pretty chaotic race, especially at the start where there was the crash that Kevin was involved in. We were in front of it with about four or five guys, and our goal today was to be in the race so we really wanted to try and get in the break. We all tried a lot and I was in a little bit break with two other guys but the peloton started riding because quite a few of the favourites were behind, but eventually everything came back together after the first few climbs. Niklas tried to anticipate and get away with a group but unfortunately he just couldn’t bridge to it. From there it was on legs and positioning. We knew that we weren’t going to be the guys who could get a top result from the main peloton, so that’s why we wanted to be ahead of the race, but unfortunately that didn’t work out today. It wasn’t a great race for us but we showed our intentions and we were all 100 percent committed to be in front and be in the break and the moves. I think we can all take something from the day and we’ll see what the next races bring.”
Livyns’ Team Lotto posted this:
Arjen Livyns is in great form, and it's not going unnoticed. On Sunday, he will line up for Gent-Wevelgem. He looks ahead. "If the peloton continues with the same momentum as the past few weeks, it will be a hard race."
17th in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 42nd in Strade Bianche- after a heavy crash-, 13th in Nokere, 25th in Milan-Sanremo. Arjen Livyns (30) hardly makes any mistakes: wherever he starts, he is there, riding himself into the spotlight, and consistently performing well. It's a busy time for Livyns, as after E3 Harelbeke, he also has Dwars door Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, and tomorrow, Gent-Wevelgem on his schedule. He scouted the latter earlier this week. "The key to Gent-Wevelgem is the same as for almost every Flemish race: positioning is key," Livyns looks ahead. "For Sunday, first, it's towards the Moeren, then after the Moeren, the hill zone starts, and around the Kemmelberg, then the finish is already near. If the peloton continues with the same momentum as in the past weeks, the race will be hard. It will be up to us to take Arnaud (De Lie) as far as possible into the hill zone."
Arjen Levyns
Arjen Livyns knows what he's supposed to do on Sunday. "After the last time over Kemmel, it goes really fast, but everything is already stretched out before that. It's a matter of being in position – that's up to Alec Segaert, Brent Van Moer, and myself. If Arnaud is still in a good position, we can go all in with our card. If the circumstances are different, my role will be freer. By the way, I don't think the plugstreets, which are characteristic of Gent-Wevelgem, will play a crucial role. I scouted the three sections earlier this week, and they are in relatively good condition. The road surface of the second section is worse, so there, it’s mainly about hoping to get through without any issues."
Livyns is in great form – "Maybe my best shape ever," he said at the start of E3 Harelbeke yesterday – and it's not going unnoticed. He doesn’t have just one explanation. "It's a combination of factors," he explains. "The past two years with the team, I haven't ridden many finales because I was often working for others. Due to circumstances, we, the second-line riders, have now moved up a bit. I can show myself more. The Vuelta last August, my first Grand Tour, also made me mentally stronger. Moreover, I had a good winter, and I was able to do a solid altitude camp in Tenerife. Above all, I've been able to stay healthy this spring, unlike many others, unfortunately. Mentally, everything is in the right place, and the results are following. It feels good."
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