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Wednesday, December 3, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness? - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- December 23: Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 26: World Cup Gavere
- December 29: Trofee Loenhout-Azencross
- December 30: Superprestige Diegem
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
Latest completed racing:
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 26: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
- October 19: Veneto Classic
- October 19: Japan Cup
- October 19: Chrono des Nations
- October 15: Giro del Veneto
- October 12: Paris-Tours
Here's the team's announcement:
NSN Cycling Team is proud to confirm the signing of Biniam Girmay on a three-year contract through to 2028.
The 25-year-old Eritrean phenomenon – already a history-maker, Tour de France green jersey and multiple stage winner, and source of inspiration – joins NSN Cycling Team as a marquee rider ahead of a bold new era for the team.
Girmay’s arrival signals NSN’s commitment to winning and to elevating cyclists who inspire audiences far beyond the finish line.
Biniam Girmay at the start of 2025 Tour de France stage 2. Sirotti photo
His versatility as a sprinter and classics rider, and natural leadership qualities, will add depth to NSN’s growing roster of young and ambitious riders, says General Manager Kjell Carlström.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome Biniam to NSN Cycling Team. Not only will 2026 mark a new chapter for the team, but it also represents one for Biniam and I couldn’t think of a better time to embark on a new chapter together,” says Carlström.
“Biniam represents everything we love about cycling. His talent is obvious, but his humility and drive are what make him an extraordinary cyclist. From the first conversation, it was clear he shares our vision both on and off the bike and I have no doubt he will be a fantastic fit and will be a leader of our team, inspiring our riders and the entire cycling community.”
In joining NSN Cycling Team, Girmay emphasized the excitement of taking on a new challenge and working with a new sprint train.
Biniam Girmay:
“I’m really happy to be here, especially with a new atmosphere and a new beginning, for me and for the team,” adds Girmay. “As a rider, I always like to have a good environment, especially inside the team and I already heard a lot of positive things from my new teammates. When I look back at the last two years of the team, the team has improved so much. There is a really good team spirit.
“Looking at the team’s sprint train, they were always really strong, especially how they stayed together and motivated each other. I heard them many times during races, motivating each other so much, so I’m really looking forward to working together. I see a great opportunity with NSN Cycling Team and I feel that this is the best thing for my future.”
Girmay has a palmarès most cyclists would dream of, with stage victories at the Giro d’Italia and Tour de Suisse among his 16 pro wins to date. However, his eyes remain firmly on the future.
“To be honest, I never look back at what I achieved. I always look to the future,” Girmay explains. “I always care what the next step is. What’s done is already done, so I don’t want to look back or be satisfied. I always want to do more. My main objective for the future, because I’m still only 25, is simple – to win bike races. I really love to win at the classics, and, for the moment, I only won Gent – Wevelgem so I still want to achieve more together with the team. I believe one day we can win one of the biggest races in cycling together.”
Girmay’s signing doesn’t just reflect NSN Cycling Team’s growing performance ambitions but also adds an exciting new development in the team’s Racing for Change project. With the team’s Field of Dreams bike center in Bugesera, Rwanda, already changing the lives of thousands of youths in the area, Girmay’s arrival lends itself to a possible expansion of the project in Eritrea to contribute to the development of cycling talent.
He says: “In Eritrea, cycling is our culture – it’s in our blood. And as an African rider, I want to develop African cycling. This team already did incredible things. I’m super happy to be part of a team with a big project in Rwanda. For me and the team, it’s a nice combination – an African rider and a team that wants to develop cycling in Africa.
“We need people who can give opportunities, bring riders to Europe, or give them the facilities they need. I will give my support from the bottom of my heart to do everything it takes to build Eritrean cycling to the top level and that starts with initiatives like the team’s Racing for Change project. I believe if we create these opportunities, we’ll see more Eritrean and African riders in the biggest races.”
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Italian talent Monica Trinca Colonel has confirmed her commitment to Liv AlUla Jayco, signing a new contract extension to see her through 2027.
The 26-year-old burst onto the scene with a breakthrough season in 2025, filled with multiple standout performances that saw her make her name within the elite women’s peloton.
In her first months in the WorldTour, the Italian scored an impressive fourth place overall at the UAE Tour Women plus eighth place in the iconic and gruelling Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
Trinca Colonel. Sprint Cycling photo
Turning heads, the climber continued to impress, consistently finding herself in the select groups coming into the finals of races with her results speaking for themselves. In September, she earned her first professional victory at the Tour de l’Ardèche by winning the final stage and the overall classification with it.
After finding her feet quickly within the WorldTour, and within the Liv AlUla Jayco team environment, Trinca Colonel has proved to be an important leader for the future and will continue to have a big role within the squad for the seasons to come.
Monica Trinca Colonel:
“I’m happy to announce the extension of my contract with the team until 2027. From the very beginning, I’ve found it the ideal environment for my growth as a rider, and I have received incredible support every day from everyone. I know the trust the team has in me, and I have in them, and my goal is to repay their confidence and the hard work of all the staff with ever-improving results.”
Wim Stroetinga – Liv AlUla Jayco Sporting Manager:
“Since joining the team at the start of the season, Monica has really impressed us right from the very beginning. Her fourth-place overall finish at the UAE Tour in February showed that she had plenty of potential to build on, and she backed that up with a strong spring campaign. Though she had some challenges over the summer, she never gave up, and it was great to see her persistence pay off with the stage and overall win at the Tour de l’Ardèche. We are delighted that she has extended with the team and excited to see how much further she can grow as a rider with the help of the GreenEDGE Cycling staff.”
Trinca Colonel
Renewal: 2026 & 2027
Nationality: Italy
Age: 26
Key Results:
1st Tour de l’Ardèche, overall classification (2025)
1st Tour de l’Ardèche, stage 4 (2025)
2nd Italian RR Championships (2025)
4th UAE Tour Women, overall classification (2025)
4th La Vuelta Femenina, stage four (2025)
5th Italian TT Championships (2025)
6th Tre Valli Varesine (2025)
7th La Vuelta Femenina, overall classification (2025)
8th Trofeo Alfredo Binda (2025)
8th Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2025)
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Here’s the post from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone in Rome was the host of the 2026 Giro d’Italia route presentation, Monday afternoon. The 109th edition (8-31 May) gets underway from Bulgaria, making it for the 16th time that the Corsa Rosa starts from a foreign country. Burgas is where the first pink jersey will be awarded, while Veliko Tarnavo and Sofia are also set to welcome the peloton before an early first rest day.
Blockhaus is back next May as the scene of the first real battle between the GC contenders, but the opening week will feature also a couple of “muri” stages and opportunities for the sprinters. The sole individual time trial of the race takes place in Tuscany, where the flat 40.2km course promises to bring significant changes to the overall standings. The tough summit finish to Pila, back after 30 years, and a flat stage in Milano are the other two highlights of the week, which concludes in the capital of Lombardy.
Profile of stage 7 with its finish at Blockhaus.
The final part of the Giro d’Italia is also the hardest one of this edition. A short but hard and intense stage held entirely in Switzerland, from Bellinzona to Cari, followed just forty-eight hours later by the Dolomite queen stage to Piani di Pezze, which retraces some of the Giro’s most iconic roads, promise to deliver a meaningful shake-up to the general classification. If the fight for the maglia rosa will still be in the balance after that, things could change on Saturday, when the bunch tackles Piancavallo, a stage that comes before the traditional finale for the sprinters in Rome.
“It’s a nice parcours and we look forward to discovering Bulgaria. It looks like there will be plenty of opportunities for the sprinters, but once again, the route will favour the climbers. There’s that individual time trial after the first week, but the presence of so many ascents, especially in the second half of the race, will make for another demanding race”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Davide Bramati.
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Here’s the story from team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale:
As a new season approaches, the team is preparing to write a new chapter in its history. We meet with Thomas Damuseau, Director of Operations, and Jean-Baptiste Quiclet, Director of Performance, to take a behind-the-scenes look at how a season is built, from the initial ideas to the first pedal strokes.
1 - When preparation rhymes with precision
The seasons come and go, but no two are alike: technical developments, changes in partners, equipment suppliers, riders even staff members... Like a balancing act, a cycling team must be built on solid foundations. That's why each new season is prepared with meticulous precision, in order to build a stable base capable of supporting the ambitions for the year ahead. This preparation is based on several criteria that raise many questions.
These issues must be addressed one by one in order to anticipate each year, the needs that may differ depending on partners, riders objectives. For example, in 2026, the stability of the contract with Van Rysel allows us to be confident, to be able to place orders in advance, and to know the equipment: "we're not starting from scratch,", adds Thomas. However, the situation can sometimes be the opposite when there is a change of equipment supplier. It is therefore necessary to train mechanics specifically on the new equipment, in addition to the annual training program. Another example is on the recruitment side: "With the arrival of Olav Kooij and the sprinters' train, more aero frames, reinforced pedals, and specific gear shifters were ordered. As soon as we have information about the riders for 2026, we will update the orders,"says Thomas.
Olav Kooij at the 2025 Tour of Poland. Sirotti photo
All these decisions must be made with performance in mind, which remains the priority. The division is highly agile in adapting to different suppliers and the timing of workforce validation. "We have a basic order of 70%, and we have a 30% margin depending on recruitment,"says Thomas. Before preparing for the season, it is therefore essential to take stock of all these different factors. But when is the right time to address all these issues?
2 - Behind every decision, a specific timeframe
While the off-season may seem like a quiet period for riders, this is not the case for staff. “We work in sync with the cycling season. October, November, and December are actually a very busy time: we have three months to prepare the bikes, vehicles, and clothing," explains Thomas Damuseau. Three months, then, to get everything that has been thought out and planned well in advance up and running. Around fifteen people, including mechanics and logisticians, work hard to make sure everything is ready.
The strategic part actually begins much earlier, in the middle of the current season, between six months and a year in advance. "We have to anticipate equipment needs, based on advice from the innovation department in conjunction with Swiss Side,"explains Thomas. The idea is that orders arrive during the summer so that mechanics then have time to prepare the bikes: "Not only do we have to assemble it mechanically, but we also have to create its passport, which means putting it in stock and entering it into the computer," adds Thomas.
During the first team-building camp in October, bike fitting is carried out for all riders that everyone can return home with their 2026 training bike. As for the time trial bike, the equipment is pre-assembled. Tests are carried out on the track in November and final adjustments are made during the December camp, in order to make any last necessary adjustments during this camp: "It's during the first efforts that you get the best feel for your position on the time trial bike, so we prioritize changes during the training camps," says Thomas.
The 2025 season ended in mid-October, and riders their 2026 bikes at home by the end of the month. This demonstrates the team's agility in making time an ally of performance.
3 - Preparing for a season from a sporting perspective
In terms of sports, the idea is also to plan ahead as much as possible so that the performance center can be up and running very quickly. Five coaches work with all the riders on a daily basis, supported by the head coach and the performance director.
From initial discussions in October
Even before the first pedal strokes, you have to learn how to build a relationship and establish a working method with each rider. "The coach-trainee relationship is very valuable and needs to be nurtured on a daily basis," says Jean-Baptiste. Phone calls, emails, training plans... everyone has their own method, as long as it is effective and suits both parties.
To ensure that the relationship runs smoothly from the very first races, it needs to be well prepared. "In October, we were fortunate enough to have all the riders together at the performance center, which gave us an opportunity to talk with them for the first time," explains Jean-Baptiste. This was an opportunity to talk to each of the riders individually, learn about their lifestyles, any constraints they may have, their goals for 2026, and establish a working method. To help them, the coaches have access to data riders new riders previous seasons so they can quickly establish an effective working method.
Before setting the objectives and schedule in November
Once the training method has been decided with the riders, usually in October, a meeting with all the sports directors is held in November to set the goals for the season: the idea is clear, to arrive at the races with the best possible team. "At this meeting, we select the most important races on the calendar for the team and assign riders to them. That's how we build the backbone of the calendar,"says Jean-Baptiste. The entire 2026 calendar is reviewed to assign riders to each race. "We analyze the race routes, particularly that of the Tour de France: depending on whether there is a team time trial, as there is this year, we won't line up exactly the same riders build our preparation without taking this into account,"explains Jean-Baptiste. All the races on the calendar are detailed, with the associated desires and needs for each one. This means that in December, each rider a preliminary calendar for their 2026 season, regardless of their role. This program is, of course, provisional and will be adjusted throughout the season.
Organize resources in December
Once the objectives have been set and the riders , the next step is to discuss the methods to be used: individual training sessions? Group training sessions? Wind tunnel tests? Team time trial training? All of this will be determined based on the objectives of the team, each rider each race, and prepared with meticulous precision. "Another example is the 2026 Tour de France: it will start with a team time trial. So we will focus particularly on this exercise in preparation for the Grande Boucle, and adapt the training schedule accordingly," emphasizes Jean-Baptiste. As for the other training camps and methods, these will depend on the objectives of each rider. "Preparation races no longer exist. We line up for races to perform and to win. To train, we will do several training camps with different training groups,"adds Jean-Baptiste. Find out more in video the secrets of the team's preparation.
Each season therefore has its share of uncertainties and predictable elements, and the 2026 season is no exception. As we have seen, it promises to be exciting and has already been well underway for several months. With the arrival of CMA CGM as title partner, Adecco as official partner, and new riders, a promising season is on the horizon... So stay tuned to find out what's next!
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