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Monday, July 7, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
It costs a lot of money to look this cheap. - Dolly Parton
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2021: The Little Cannibal Dominates is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Upcoming racing:
- July 9 - 13: Tour of Austria
Latest completed racing:
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from Team Lotto:
The Lotto Cycling Team has secured its first top-ten finish in the Tour de France. In Boulogne-sur-Mer, Jenno Berckmoes sprinted strongly to claim tenth place. A bright spot on an eventful day, as Lennert Van Eetvelt had a serious crash.
"This is the kind of stage I came to the Tour for," said Jenno Berckmoes at the start of stage two of the Tour de France in Lauwin-Planque. Prophetic words, because 209 kilometers later, his name is neatly placed tenth in the stage results. "I'm happy. Exhausted, but happy," said Berckmoes. "I had said beforehand that I wanted to see how far I could go at this level. I would be satisfied with a top ten, and look… just made it."
The stage two finish. Sirotti photo
Brent Van Moer was part of the four-man breakaway of the day and did a lot of hard work. In the finale, Berckmoes seized his opportunity. "I was definitely way too far back when it all blew open with ten kilometers to go, on that climb. I managed to pass a few people, so I just made it over the top, but it was the same story on the next climb. Barely hung on. Then I managed to push once more, I think I did the right thing there, but I had nothing left to really sprint. I got the most out of it, also thanks to the hard work of the team today. To ride into the top ten on day two, I'm happy with that."
Despite Berckmoes' top-ten result, it was a turbulent day for Lotto Cycling. Midway through the stage, Lennert Van Eetvelt crashed hard, a new blow following his fall last week at the Belgian championships in Binche. Fortunately, with the help of three teammates, Van Eetvelt was able to continue and finish safely. A medical update will follow later.
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Here's the Tour report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
A pulsating finale at the end of the second day brought in the mix the puncheurs, but more importantly, the general classification men. Côte du Haut Pichot, Côte de Saint-Étienne-au-Mont and Côte d’Outreau were the three small classified climbs where the race exploded, the furious tempo pushed at the front thinning out the peloton at first before leaving a group of six alone in the lead.
Having been brought in a good position and protected there by his Soudal Quick-Step teammates just as things became nervous and many teams started fighting for positioning, Remco Evenepoel responded with ease to the accelerations and made it into the leading group. On the descent, they were joined by others, which soon led to more attacks, the Olympic Champion being among those who responded to one of these accelerations, keeping everything together as the reduced bunch tackled the short climb to the finish.
The wet peloton passes through the city of Arras early in the stage. ASO photo
The day’s winner emerged following an uphill sprint, where Mathieu Van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) prevailed, moving into the yellow jersey. Remco concluded the 209.1km stage in the same time and made a huge jump in the standings, where he is now just a couple of seconds from the top ten ahead of Monday’s flat stage to Dunkerque, where the sprinters should return in the spotlight.
“We did a great job as a team today! I had four guys with me on the steepest climb of the day and I’m happy I got over this hectic stage. The feeling was good on this stage and this is something that gives me more confidence after what happened on the first day. We’ll continue to take it day by day and stay focused”, Evenepoel said at the finish.
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Team INEOS Grenadiers posted this Tour report:
A punchy stage two at the Tour de France saw Carlos Rodriguez lead home the Grenadiers.
An early break of six riders went clear on the 201.9km stage - the longest of the Tour -, and the rain poured as a number of crashes and punctures littered the first 100km of the stage.
As the peloton caught the remaining four break with 50km to go, the pace increased with three categorised climbs still to go.
The front of the peloton put the hammer down up the Côte du Haut Pichot, while Geraint Thomas was caught behind a crash which split the peloton, but came back together on the descent.
The day's break at kilometer 150.
Inside the final 30km, the stress continued to reduce the peloton, with Sam Watson, Thomas, Tobias Foss and Axel Laurance working on the front. Connor Swift did an excellent job working through the peloton to bring Rodriguez onto the wheels of the Grenadier train.
The final two climbs saw attacks come thick and fast, with Thomas and Axel making it into the front group, but were just distanced inside the final three kilometres. Rodriguez and Thomas finished in the second group, 31 seconds back on the sprint, with Laurance just behind.
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Here’s the team’s update:
Chinese company XDS, which debuted in the World Tour in 2025 with XDS Astana Team, has extended its partnership with the Astana project for another three years. The agreement was signed ahead of the season’s biggest event — the Tour de France.
XDS’s flagship X-LAB bikes have quickly established themselves among the world’s elite. XDS Astana Team is enjoying an outstanding season, with 21 victories, 42 podium finishes, and currently holding fourth place in the World Team Ranking. The X-LAB bikes have proven their performance across sprints, mountain stages, and cobbled classics.
Christian Scaroni on an X-Lab bike at the start of the 2025 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
"The first half of the season has shown the team's high level and the success of our partnership. We are pleased with the results and are happy to announce our continued support for the next three years. The team has ambitious goals, and we are confident we will achieve them together”, – said Mr. Tan Yancong, CEO of Shenzhen Xidesheng Bicycle Co., Ltd.
"We are very happy to extend our collaboration with XDS. In just a few months, we have already achieved impressive results, and this is only the beginning. XDS’s support has given the team strong momentum, which we will continue to build on. I thank the company’s leadership for their trust and belief in our project”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of XDS Astana Team.
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