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Wednesday, July 30, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
True happiness comes from the joy of deeds well done, the zest of creating things new. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the Tour de France, 2022: The Fastest Tour Ever is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- July 26 - July 30: Tour de Wallonie
Upcoming racing:
- August 2: San Sebastian Classic
- August 4 - 10: Tour of Poland
Latest completed racing:
- 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
- July 9 - 13: Tour of Austria
- 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 report from GC leader Corbin Strong's Team Israel-Premier Tech with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Mathias Vacek's Team Lidl-Trek:
Czech champion surges to the win ahead of breakaway companions to claim stage four
Despite looking strong in the first three stages of the race, it took until the fourth stage for Lidl-Trek and Mathias Vacek to hit the bullseye. After three fairly flat days, today’s course looked more fitting for strong man Vacek, who relishes a tough day in the saddle. Racing on a ‘mini-Liège-Bastogne-Liège in the Ardennes, Vacek attacked on the final climb of the day, gaining a gap with three accomplices — Tesfatsion and Canal (MOV) and Strong (IPT) — who managed to hold their lead to the finish ahead of the reduced peloton.
Mathias Vacek wins Tour de Wallonie stage four.
Positioned well on the wheel of Strong, the fastest rival on paper, Vacek launched his sprint and comfortably passed the line ahead of the trio. The peloton came in close behind, seven seconds short of the leaders. Heading into the final stage tomorrow, Vacek sits second overall, just one second behind GC leader Strong.
“It was a hard day today but I knew it was a good stage for me so we went all in. With the rain and everything it was really hard and everybody was on the limit. I was feeling good so we took over the race after the first half and followed the moves to keep it under control. In the end I attacked on the last lap and we were four guys in the front. I felt confident in the sprint because all the guys had a lot of fatigue in the legs, which suited me and I could win the sprint. It’s really special, it’s the first road win with the team and it means a lot to me. I hope tomorrow will also be a good day, we keep the focus and for sure we try our best again. For now, I enjoy the victory and tomorrow we go again!”
Eighth place Kim Heiduk's Team INEOS Grenadiers posted this report:
Kim Heiduk led home the Grenadiers in eighth place on a punchy fourth stage at the Tour de Wallonie.
Heiduk sprinted to eighth place after a late breakaway saw him finish in the chasing bunch on the 163km stage.
Brandon Rivera and Heiduk were active throughout the race, both attempting to make breaks but none of which were able to stick.
Artem Shmidt recovered quickly from a puncture to regain control of the peloton, storming on the front to catch the two early breakaway riders with 20km remaining.
With six kilometres to go, a stinging attack by Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek) saw him escape off the front with three others, and eventually take the win seven seconds ahead of Heiduk.
The German rider now sits in ninth place on the GC with one stage to go.
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Team Groupama-FDJ posted this Tour de Wallonie report:
Despite a very hilly route, the fourth stage of the Tour de Wallonie created few gaps on Tuesday, through some of the iconic climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Tom Donnenwirth was able to cover these climbs at the front of the race, as part of the day’s breakaway. The young rider was caught 40 kilometres from the finish line, and the final battle around Seraing ultimately allowed only four riders to break away from a small bunch. Mathias Vacek won, while Kevin Geniets and Lorenzo Germani finished seven seconds later. The general classification will be decided tomorrow in Bertrix.
The Col du Rosier, the Côte de la Redoute, the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons… Some familiar names featured on the Tour de Wallonie riders’ itinerary on Tuesday, during the fourth and penultimate stage. The latter took the riders towards Seraing, after 163 kilometres, and Groupama-FDJ had a clear goal. “With this hard course, always up and down, not many flat roads, and also with the rain forecasted, we wanted to be in the breakaway, targeting the bonus seconds to put us in the race,” explained William Green. “After five kilometers, we tackled a first climb, which wasn’t too steep, and Rémy had to follow the moves. He directly found himself in a move with two other riders, but it wasn’t an ideal scenario. We knew it would be difficult for him to fight for the stage, so we rode tempo until the Col du Rosier, at kilometre 42. The goal was to control the gap around 30 to 40 seconds for Tom to counterattack on the climb and jump across to Rémy, who had to sit on until then. It was an ideal scenario. However, the peloton fought for positioning and the gap was closed. Tom did attack on the climb, but only one rider went with him.”
The fourth stage's early break.
This is how the French puncher found himself in front with the Belgian Vlad Van Mechelen, and the duo was able to take a four-minute lead over the peloton. The two men passed the Côte de la Redoute together, then the Côte de la Roche aux Faucons, where the peloton was reduced to around forty riders, including Kevin Geniets and Lorenzo Germani. At the front, Tom Donnenwirth had only a one-minute gap with fifty kilometers to go, and a few minutes later, he was forced to let his break companion slip away.
“I think it was the right strategy to put us in the top 10 before tomorrow’s queen stage,” explained William. “That’s what Van Mechelen did. He took all the time bonuses and is now eighth overall. That’s what we wanted to do, but the legs did the talking. It’s the first race back and there’s work to do for sure.” Around Seraing, the peloton tackled the Haute Rochette hill (2 km at 6.5%) three times in the final, the last time with just six kilometres to go. “It was quite controlled by Lidl-Trek,” added William. “Lorenzo was strong. He tried to anticipate, and when he didn’t, he was at the front of the peloton to help Kevin. When we got to the final climb, the legs just did the talking, again.”
Four riders broke away after the attack of Mathias Vacek, who also won the small group sprint a few kilometers further down. “We knew there was a descent on wide roads and that a large group could come back,” said William. “There was a 20-second gap at the top and only seven seconds at the finish. We were close to having quite a large sprint. There were certainly some tough climbs today, but they were quite far from the finish.” Behind the leading four, Kevin Geniets and Lorenzo Germani finished in a peloton of thirty-three riders. Overall, the Luxembourger (22nd) and the Italian (24th) are twenty-five seconds behind the race leader, but they remain in contention for the top 10. “Today was the first real physical test after a long break,” concluded William. “We’ll see how we can push ourselves into the mix with Lorenzo and Kevin. I think they’re both equally strong, so we need to see how we can achieve the best result for the team.”
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Here's the team's news:
The prestigious World Tour one-day race will run this year its 44th edition, one whose start and finish will return to the famous Donostia Boulevard area. The 211.4km route retains the race’s traditional character, the demanding terrain around the charming Basque coastal city promising plenty of action Saturday afternoon.
Six climbs are set to feature on the course, the main news being that the excruciating Murgil-Tontorra will be back after its absence in 2024. The 2km hill, which features a maximum gradient of 20%, makes an appearance in the final ten kilometers of the race and will once again be packed with fans hoping to see the winning move on those punishing slopes that conclude less than eight kilometers from the finish.
2024 Clasica San Sebastian: Racing along the coast. Sirotti photo
Our team has been on the Clasica San Sebastian at the last six editions, a remarkable achievement which includes also taking four wins with two different riders, and will naturally look to be again among the protagonists. For this year’s edition, our roster will comprise Gianmarco Garofoli, Gil Gelders, Antoine Huby, UAE Tour and Tour de Romandie top ten finisher William Lecerf, Pieter Serry, Mauri Vansevenant and Louis Vervaeke.
“We have a nice mix of young guys and experienced riders. We don’t start with a big leader, but we have a team that can go for a good result at the end of the day. The final part of the parcours is going to be extremely demanding and it’s where the difference is very likely to be made, but everybody on the team is motivated and determined to give their best in order to do a strong race”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters.
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Here's the team's post:
Since 2022, Rolf Aldag has played a significant role in shaping the team’s sporting development. Through his tireless commitment, experience, and passion, he has been instrumental in establishing Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe as a Grand Tour powerhouse. The team’s standout achievements during this period include overall victory at the Giro d’Italia 2022, a triumph at the Vuelta a España 2024, as well as a podium finish and the White Jersey win at the Tour de France 2025.
“Rolf took on responsibility during a time of transition and helped drive our team forward both athletically and structurally. We are deeply grateful for his dedication. He has left a lasting impact – both in sporting terms and on a personal level,” said Ralph Denk, CEO of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, in recognition of their time together.
Rolf Aldag at the 2025 Tour de France. Getty Image.
“This chapter ends now that we have achieved our objectives, but the path we walked together has left its mark. Rolf was instrumental in shaping our team – it was a period defined by determination and a deep passion for cycling. We look back on these years with great respect and gratitude and sincerely wish Rolf all the best in whatever lies ahead. For the next chapter of our story, we have jointly decided to bring in fresh impetus and take a new direction.”
"With the White Jersey win and podium placement by Florian Lipowitz at this year’s Tour de France, we have reached the goals we set four years ago. Accordingly, we have jointly decided that now is the right time for both parties to pursue new challenges."
Rolf Aldag: “My time at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe has been deeply formative, both personally and professionally. Together, we successfully navigated the complex transition from a sprint-focused team to one built around stage racing, and celebrated major victories – always with a clear vision in mind. I am proud of what we achieved as a team. Now is the moment to take a new path. I wish the team continued success and all the best for the future.”
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