Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. - Immanuel Kant
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- 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:
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- 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
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Sam Welsford, the Australian sprinter, has signed a two-year deal with the INEOS Grenadiers from 2026.
One of the fastest finishers in the WorldTour, including six stage wins at the Tour Down Under, Welsford arrives having established himself as a consistent threat in bunch sprints, and a powerful presence across the classics.
Welsford will work closely with recently retired sprinter and multiple track world champion Elia Viviani, now a Sport Director, alongside the team’s wider performance group.
Welsford’s explosive speed, track pedigree and tactical nous make him a formidable addition to the Grenadiers’ ambitions for race wins in 2026.
Sam Welsford winning stage six of the 2025 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
Sam Welsford said: “I’m really excited to become a Grenadier. I’ve always admired the team’s professionalism and the way they commit fully to a goal.
“I feel like this is the exact right environment for me to keep progressing as a sprinter and to chase big results. I’m very hungry to contribute, to learn and to race with the kind of intent that this team is renowned for.”
Geraint Thomas, Director of Racing, said: “We haven’t had many sprinters in the team in the past but when we have, they’ve been pretty successful, so hopefully Sam can continue that history.
“Having been given an early insight into what he’s capable of physically, we believe there’s still plenty to unlock with Sam. The team has shown how dialled we are in positioning our fast guys for the finish, and we’ll do the same to give him opportunities to win.
“He’s got a great track pedigree - Olympic and multiple world champion in the team pursuit - so the way he’s used to working there will fit right into our team environment as well. I’m super excited to see him get stuck in.”
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The team sent me this:
Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe enters the 2026 season together with Specialized with a new look – while staying true to its own history. The new jersey is more than a design update.
It is the consistent evolution of the kit in which the team marked a major milestone at the Tour de France. Created in collaboration with Specialized and inspired by the world of aviation – a core element of Red Bull’s DNA – the jersey combines speed, precision and lightness into a powerful visual statement. A look that conveys performance.
The 2026 kit.
The new kit made its debut as part of Project Peloton – spectacularly staged and symbolic of the team’s ambition: nine riders lifted an airplane into the air using nothing but muscle power, perfect teamwork and technical innovation. A glimpse of what’s to come.
The new jersey consistently builds on the design language of recent years. Following the dominant Racing Blue of 2024 and the more balanced color scheme with increased white in 2025, a lighter Dynamic Blue now adds fresh accents to the heat-optimized, light base color.
This color combination was first introduced with the successful Tour-de-France limited edition – a look that created instant recognition and is now taken to the next stage of evolution. The striking blue shoulders become a signature element: clear, visible and unique in the peloton.
Dynamic stripes on the front of the jersey symbolize speed and aerodynamics. Their visual language is inspired by chevron elements from aviation – a direct reference to Red Bull’s flying DNA.
This connection between cycling and aviation is also reflected in the photo shoot: the new jersey was presented inside an original Red Bull parachute that had only been in the air with a Red Bull athlete days earlier. Against this backdrop, Junior European Champion Karl Herzog, U23 World Champion Lorenzo Finn, and Grand Tour stars Florian Lipowitz and Primož Roglič showcase the new look – confident, focused and ready for the season ahead.
In addition to the UCI WorldTeam, the Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe Rookies and the junior team grenke – Auto Eder will also compete in the new look.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Tudor Pro Cycling is proud to announce a new partnership with historical Italian apparel brand Sportful, who will become the team’s Official Technical Partner starting January 2026.
This partnership is a shared mission to push the limits of performance, innovation, comfort and design at the highest level of professional cycling.
“Sportful has been part of some of the most defining moments of my career” remembered Fabian Cancellara, “especially the 2010 season, which holds memories I’ll never forget. To bring that history into the future with Tudor Pro Cycling feels incredibly special. We’re not just reconnecting with a brand; we’re building on shared experience and trust.”
“Sportful brings decades of expertise and a deep commitment to innovation - values that strongly resonate with us at Tudor Pro Cycling,” said CEO Raphael Meyer. “This partnership is built on a shared drive to keep progressing, to keep improving, and to explore how far we can go together” added Kurt Bergin-Taylor, Head of Innovation. “We’re excited for what lies ahead.”
At the heart of the partnership is a deep collaboration between the innovation teams at Tudor Pro Cycling and Sportful. Engineers and designers are working side by side and with the riders to develop next-generation race apparel, tuned precisely to the demands of high-level competition. From aerodynamic gains to thermoregulation breakthroughs, every piece is built for the toughest conditions, at the highest standards.
“We are really happy to be part of this great project for the next years!” said Alessio Cremonese – Executive Chairman at Sportful (MVC Group). “Together with Tudor Pro Cycling, we’ll turn limitless potential into exceptional results - continuing to innovate our products and inspire the entire cycling world.”
The result: a bespoke Sportful collection co-engineered with Tudor Pro Cycling, debuting in the 2026 season. Designed with input from the Team’s riders and experts, this collection is built for speed, comfort, and uncompromising performance.
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