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Sunday, August 10, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 2: 1971 - 2011 is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- August 4 - 10: Tour of Poland
- August 7 - 10: Arctic Race of Norway
Upcoming racing:
- August 12 - 16: Tour of Denmark
- August 17: Hamburg Cyclassics
Latest completed racing:
- August 5 - 9: Vuelta a Burgos
- August 6 - 8: Tour de l'Ain
- August 3: Circuito de Getxo
- August 2: San Sebastian Classic
- July 26 - July 30: Tour de Wallonie
- July 27: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
We posted the report from stage winner and new GC leader Victor Langellotti's Team INEOS Grenadiers with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Brandon McNulty's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
At the Tour de Pologne, Brandon McNulty and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates rose up the general classification on the penultimate stage. With just one final individual time trial to go on Sunday, McNulty, Jan Christen and Rafał Majka all sit inside the top six overall, less than 25 seconds each from the race lead of stage 6 winner Victor Langellotti (Ineos Grenadiers).
On the Queen stage of the race, McNulty rode strongly to second place over the line, pipped to the uphill finish only by a bike length by Langellotti. With McNulty a former American national time trial champion, the man from Phoenix, Arizona, can be confident heading into Sunday’s 12.5km ITT.
Behind McNulty in the general classification, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG teammates Christen and Majka sit fifth and sixth overall, respectively. The pair also finished inside the top 10 on stage 6, with the Emirati squad taking a comfortable lead in the team classification into the seventh and final day of racing.
Brandon McNulty finishing second in stage six. Sirotti photo
With over 3,000m of climbing and a little under 150km to ride, stage 6 was always going to be perhaps the toughest of the race, and so it proved. From the off, a large nine-man breakaway headed up the road in search of glory, with Julius Johansen and Vegard Stake Laengen tasked with limiting their advantage on behalf of UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Ever dependable, the Scandinavians pegged the breakaway at a little over a minute from the peloton, before Florian Vermeersch ventured to the front and sought to drive the pace as high as possible. The Belgian guided the race into its final 15km, before Majka accepted the challenge of his adoring fans, who lined the roadside in their thousands.
Chants of “Majka, Majka, Majka” rung out from the Tatra Mountains, as the Polish national champion rose out of his saddle and stretched the group of favourites into one long line on the final climb. Now down to a little over 10 riders, the ‘peloton’ contained three riders from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with the Emirati squad better represented than any other.
Owing a debt of gratitude to the remarkable wind-up job of Majka, both Christen and McNulty tried their hand through the final couple of kilometres, before a sprint to the top of the climb decided the day’s honours.
Though Langellotti came out on top for Ineos Grenadiers, McNulty could be satisfied with his effort, which leaves the American just seven seconds off the race lead heading into his terrain on the final day.
McNulty: “This was a hard stage. It was hard, but it was enjoyable. On days like these, when you know that the fight will go to the line, you can wait for the moment to go full gas and then empty the tank. Both Vegard and Julius were great early on in the day, before Florian did his thing as we have seen all week.
“On the last climb, Rafał was super strong and had the whole group in one line. This was ideal for me and Jan, so I just rode as well as I could and today I just found one guy stronger. Chapeau to Langellotti. I think tomorrow suits me well and it is a day I have been looking forward to, with the goal of staying as close to the lead as possible.
“Tomorrow’s time trial will be the last opportunity to give everything, so I will just give everything I can. It’s been a hard race. The first day was easy, and then every other day has been a lot of up and down, but we’ve managed the nutrition well and got through it as well as possible up to now.”
Here's the Tour of Poland report from third-place Pello Bilbao's Team Bahrain Victorious:
It was a good day for Team Bahrain Victorious on today’s Queen Stage at the Tour de Pologne. Although the win was just out of reach, Pello Bilbao finished 3rd and Antonio Tiberi advanced onto the overall podium, 20 seconds behind the race leader Victor Langellotti (IGD). Today’s stage was, as expected, extremely demanding, as the peloton crossed five first category climbs in three laps, close to Poland’s southern border. Bilbao’s performance also moves him into the top five on GC, and enjoyed his ride:
Pello Bilbao finished third in Tour of Poland stage six. Sirotti photo
“It was a very beautiful stage — a tactical one where you need to be patient, and we had a big fight with the UAE. In the last part, we were at a disadvantage. There were three of them against two of us, and we tried to be intelligent. Antonio was focused on McNulty, and I was focused on Christen, but in the end, we couldn’t hold McNulty’s wheel. He took a small advantage, and we also lost the chance to go for the stage win. It was a pity because the guys had been working so hard all week, and today they rode excellently, but we missed the leaders. We were at quite a good level, but we couldn’t make it, so we’ll try to do our best tomorrow — we still have chances to win.”
Bahrain played a major part in chasing down the early breakaway, which was caught 50 km from the finish. Positioning was hard fought throughout the stage, as were bonus seconds, of which Tiberi took two.
Our seven riders dictated the pace from the front, and with tomorrow’s final day an individual test against the clock, Antonio was satisfied with what the team showed on this penultimate stage:
“I managed to move up to 3rd place in the General Classification. It was a very demanding day, and we knew we had to give it our all, as it was the last chance to try to shake up the overall standings. My teammates were fantastic all day long — they did an amazing job, and I have to give them a big thank you. I’m very proud of them. In the finale, there were several attacks. I also tried many times to gain something, but the level of the riders here is very high, and I couldn’t make a decisive difference. Then, in the final, McNulty attacked, and I tried to follow him, but in the last 500 meters, I was at my limit. I just tried to lose as few seconds as possible until the finish. However, I can’t be unhappy about today because I gave my best, as did everyone on the team, so I’m satisfied with the outcome.”
Despite the day not finishing as he had hoped, Sports Director Michal Golas believes a great result is still possible as the race concludes on Sunday with a 12.5 km time trial in Wieliczka:
“We wanted to win the race and move closer in the GC. I think the team rode well. We tried a couple of times, and I believe they were good moves, but in the end, maybe in the last two kilometers we should have been a bit calm and wait for the sprint. Anyway, I’m proud of the boys and how they rode today. Tomorrow is TT day, which is important, so everything is still open.”
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Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Tour of Poland report:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike showed its attacking spirit in the tough sixth stage of the Tour de Pologne. Olav Kooij and Matthew Brennan made their mark on the race in the breakaway of the day. The stage victory ultimately went to Victor Langellotti.
In the 150-kilometre stage, the riders had to conquer seven short but steep climbs. After the start, Menno Huising joined the first attack. However, the Dutchman and his fellow escapees were given little space and were quickly caught by the peloton. Shortly afterwards, a group of nine riders managed to gain a significant lead. This group included the winners of two previous stages, Brennan and Kooij.
Matthew Brennan winning stage five.
The strong leading group did not get much space: their lead never exceeded two minutes. The succession of steep climbs meant that Brennan and Kooij had to drop back. Not much later, the last remaining escapees were also caught by the group of favourites. In the end, Langellotti proved to be the strongest. Huising and Attila Valter finished in the chasing group. Tomorrow, the final individual time trial will take place, starting and finishing in Wieliczka.
Sports director Jesper Mørkøv: “Both Olav and Matthew gave it their all in the breakaway, but unfortunately the group never got much space from the peloton. It proved impossible for them to survive the last climbs of the day. Menno and Attila also put in a great effort in the final stretch in the second group, but this was the highest result possible today.”
And here's the Tour of Poland report from team Groupama-FDJ:
On the eve of the closing time trial of the Tour de Pologne, the GC contenders field further decreased on Saturday. On the very demanding course around Bukowina, sixteen riders were ultimately able to compete for victory until the end, including Rudy Molard. The Groupama-FDJ’s rider ultimately took fourteenth place on the day, eight seconds behind winner Victor Langellotti, and now holds the same position in the overall.
Team Groupama-FDJ before the start of stage two. Sirotti photo
Following the neutralization of Tour de Pologne’s Stage 3, which featured the biggest elevation gain of the week, the sixth stage became the most important one for the peloton’s punchers/climbers on Saturday. Around Bukowina Tatrzańska, seven climbs featured on the day’s menu, but above all, the repeated slopes at 10-12% were supposed to really produce gaps, especially on the two hills located in the last fifteen kilometers. Well before that, Enzo Paleni tried to join the early breakaway, and succeeded, but only for about thirty kilometres.
“He felt the right move, anticipated well, but he quickly realized he wasn’t feeling well,” explained Jussi Veikkanen. “He had a stomach ache, was feeling aches and pains, and got distanced. We know that a virus is spreading in the peloton. There have been a lot of sick people for the past two days. It didn’t concern us yesterday, but today, Rémi was the main one affected, as he had to abandon. As for Enzo, we’ll have to see how things develop between now and tomorrow.”
A group of nine fugitives then led the way, but without a significant margin, until the second sequence of climbs, some sixty kilometres from the finish line.
The first selection occurred in the peloton. Rudy Molard followed the first group of favorites, before being joined by Thibaud Gruel and Stefan Küng in a bunch of around fifty riders. This group headed for the final two climbs, particularly up Ściana Bukovina (2.5 km at an 8% gradient, including 600 metres at nearly 15%). The slopes didn’t lie, and the strongest riders clearly broke away, with Rudy Molard managing to keep up with the main favorites.
At the top of this penultimate hill, barely fifteen men were still in the lead, and the Groupama-FDJ puncher briefly tried to break away before the descent. However, the hesitation didn’t last long behind him, so he didn’t insist, and the GC men then came all together at the bottom of the final climb (1.8 km at 7.5%), which was followed by a 1,500-meter false flat to reach the finish line. “Rudy’s instructions were to wait on the steep section, then give it a try when it was a bit more rolling, and take advantage of the favourites looking at each other to try and find an opening,” Jussi explained. “He eventually used his bullet when they broke away with six riders in the last kilometre. He really gave it his all, but he couldn’t recover for the final sprint. He made the right move, but it took all his energy out of him.”
Only Victor Langellotti was able to catch Brandon McNulty to claim victory after a tremendous effort. Rudy Molard, meanwhile, finished with the rest of the group, eight seconds behind, in fourteenth place. On Saturday, the Frenchman sits in the same position overall, 44 seconds behind the rider from Monaco. On Sunday, the Tour de Pologne will conclude with a 12.5-kilometres solo effort. “The Vuelta is coming in two short weeks, and there will be a team time trial and an individual time trial,” concluded Jussi. “So the goal is for everyone to be 100% committed tomorrow to work on that, and it is of course a goal in itself for Stefan.”
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We posted the report from stage winner Giulio Ciccone's Team Lidl-Trek with the results.
Here's the report from Mikel Landa's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Mikel Landa managed to make an impressive jump on the overall standings of the Vuelta a Burgos and conclude the five-day race in the top 20. In what was his first appearance since the Giro d’Italia crash that put him on the sidelines, the 35-year-old took it one day at a time, with just one goal: ease back into racing and build his form for the next appointments of the season.
Saturday, as the peloton tackled again the gruelling slopes of the mythical Lagunas de Neila, Landa rode his own pace once the group disintegrated with three kilometers to go and finished a remarkable 14th, just 20 seconds from the top ten of the stage won by Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) with an attack in the closing meters.
Giulio Ciccone wins the final stage.
This strong ride helped the experienced Basque move up several places on the general classification, and end the week in 18th position – a result that will no doubt feed his confidence, especially as it came after three months of no racing on a hard climb known for its steep gradients that take their toll on many riders.
And here's the Vuelta a Burgos report from Team Polti-VisitMalta:
After Sunday’s 140 km in Getxo, today Samuele Zoccarato once again proudly flew the Polti VisitMalta colours at the front: in the final day of the Vuelta a Burgos, he rode about 80 km in a 6-men breakaway before being caught on the Rozavientos climb. Later, on the ascent that served as the summit finish for the entire race, Ciccone (Lidl-Trek) delivered the winning move as Del Toro (UAE) secured the overall victory. For Team Polti VisitMalta Germán Gómez placed 15th in the stage and Davide Piganzoli finished 20th in the GC.
The stage five start line.
Sports Director Jesús Hernández: “We were determined to end this week by getting into the first move this morning, to better support Gómez and Piganzoli in the finale. Well done to Zoccarato and to everyone for playing their role to the fullest against very strong rivals. We also take home Lonardi’s top-10 sprint on Wednesday and some valuable points. The Vuelta a Burgos has allowed us to build both legs and attitude to keep growing steadily towards the last two months of 2025.”
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We posted the race organizer's stage three report with the results.
Here's the report from GC leader Corbin Strong's Team Israel-Premier Tech:
Corbin Strong narrowly missed a second stage win at the Arctic Race of Norway today, battling to second place on stage three in a head-to-head showdown with Tom Pidcock (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) on the uphill finish in Målselv.
Tom Pidcock finishes ahead of Corbin Strong in stage three of the Arctic Race of Norway.
Strong may have settled for second place but the Kiwi proved he is in exceptional form, digging deep on the final climb to hold Pidcock’s wheel, the only rider capable of doing so, to retain the race lead ahead of tomorrow’s fourth and final stage.
With a six-second advantage over Pidcock on the General Classification and the incredible support of his teammates, Strong will look to secure the race win on the eight-lap circuit course in Tromsø.
If successful, it will be Strong’s second General Classification win in less than two weeks after his maiden overall victory at the Tour de Wallonie last week.
While Strong may be in the race lead, he’s not alone in showing off his mid-season form. Teammate Riley Sheehan, who sprinted to second place behind Strong on stage one, currently sits in fourth overall while Hugo Houle gives IPT three in the provisional top-ten, currently sitting in ninth place.
And here's the Arctic Race of Norway stage three report from third-place Christian Scaroni's XDS Astana Team:
XDS Astana Team rider Christian Scaroni finished third on Stage 3 of Arctic Race of Norway, moving up to the third position in the general classification. Another team rider Clèment Champoussin finished the stage fourth.
The third stage of the Norwegian race started in Husøy (Senja) and finished in Målselv after 182 kilometers of racing.
Stage three gets started.
"Today went pretty well. The team did a great job to approach the climb in the front positions, and with riders like Gate, Bol, Ballerini it was easy enough to start the bottom of the climb at the front, so I have to thank them for the incredible work they did for me. Then, on the final climb, we saw that others are also quite fresh and are staying with us. Maybe if that would be a harder and longer climb, it would have suited me better, but that’s how it was today. Anyway, we came away with a nice third place, and Clément finished fourth, so tomorrow we will see if we can do something to improve the GC. In general, I am satisfied with my form and I hope that I can achieve some high results also in September and October. In any case, I think we have already showed something, we are always present, but we are not planning to stop", – said Christian Scaroni after the stage.
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