Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, June 13, 2025
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds; our planet is the mental institution of the universe. - Goethe
Bill McGann’s book Why Your Bike Is Made in Asia: My career in bicycles as I watched two continents squander an industry is available in print, Kindle eBook & Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
Upcoming racing:
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Latest completed racing:
- June 8: Brussels Cycling Classic
- May 9 - June 1: Giro d'Italia
- May 29 - June 1: Tour of Norway
- May 14 - 18: 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- May 18: Rund um Köln
- May 13: Classique Dunkerque
- May 11: Tro-Bro Léon
- May 10: GP du Morbihan
- May 9: Tour du Finistère
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Jake Stewart's Team Israel- Premier Tech:
Having come so close to taking his first WorldTour victory in the opening stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné on Sunday, when he was the fastest finisher behind the race’s big four GC contenders, Stewart finally achieved that feat in Mâcon on stage 5 today.
Jake Stewart wins stage five. Sirotti photo
After teammates – notably Krists Neilands and Matîs Louvel – contributed to bringing the day’s plucky breakaway back, Stewart was perfectly placed going into the final kilometer thanks to the help of Guillaume Boivin. So confident was the British rider that he went long in the sprint and produced a dominant finish that nobody got close to matching.
This is the 25-year-old British rider’s second victory for IPT, and comes less than a month after he took his first in the final stage of the 4 Jours de Dunkerque.
Despite the triumph – which was IPT’s 12th win of 2025 – it came on a day of mixed fortunes. Pascal Ackermann, the team’s designated leader for the day, crashed and abandoned the race.
“Yeah, that one feels good,” says Stewart. “But it’s such a shame with Ackermann again, he crashed today, and so it was handed over to me for the final. But it was also a really good day for him, so, I’m gutted for him that he didn’t get to contest the finish. But the boys backed me, the DSs backed me, the team backed me and, yeah, they did an awesome job. I’m just so happy that I could finish it off.”
Referencing his near miss in Sunday’s opening stage, he adds: “I definitely could [feel it coming]. I’ve just been going better and better this season, and obviously I took the win in Dunkerque, which was my first win of the year and the first one in a few years. Then it was so close on the first day here, so to get redemption today, which was like the last opportunity for us, is really good.
“I was following [Jonathan] Milan for the last 3km, then I managed to pick up G, my teammate, in the final heading into 1km to go. I jumped from Milan’s wheel to his wheel and he just moved me into a really good position. Lidl – Trek came up the inside and yeah, it kind of got a bit boxy. I managed to find my way through on the U-bend and picked up Van der Poel’s wheel, and from there I knew I just needed to kick before Milan and get a bit of a rush on him. I managed to kick at 300 before he went and I held it to the line.”
Sports Director René Mandri praised the team – from shifting focus after Ackermann’s crash to backing Stewart in the finale, “We had the clear plan to cooperate with the other sprinter teams and bring the race into a sprint,” explains Mandri. “We had Ackermann here to prepare for the Tour de France and there was a big chance to get to the sprint with him today. Unfortunately, he crashed and Jake was ready to take on the responsibility of going for the win. He was our lead out guy for Acki, but also plan B from the beginning of the Dauphiné. The guys did everything they needed to get the race going in our favor and G positioned Jake perfectly into the last roundabout. From there on Jake delivered perfectly. The whole team put a great effort into it and I’m really happy for Jake and the whole IPT family.”
As the Dauphiné gets set for three mountain stages to end this year’s race, Stewart’s Kazakh teammate Alexey Lutsenko sits 13th overall. He moved up two places today, but remains 1:24 behind race leader Remco Evenepoel.
Here's the report from GC leader Remco Evenepoel's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The fifth day of the Critérium du Dauphiné got underway with a special moment at the start in Saint-Priest, as Servais Knaven – the man who delivered our first ever victory 22 years ago – met with Remco Evenepoel for a short chat, twenty-four hours after the latter claimed Soudal Quick-Step’s 1000th win at the end of a time trial that brought the race’s iconic yellow jersey onto his shoulders.
Servais Knaven winning the 2001 Paris-Rouabix.
It should have been a rather calm day for the Belgian and his teammates, but it turned out to be completely different, when with 115 kilometers to go, Louis Vervaeke was involved in a crash and had to say goodbye to the race due to a broken collarbone. The rest of the Soudal Quick-Step boys made sure of keeping Evenepoel in a good position as the peloton made its way to Mâcon, where the stage was supposed to finish.
In the closing kilometer, the sprinters moved up through the peloton and the fight for positioning led to another crash, this time the yellow jersey being among those who hit the deck. Fortunately, the leader of the race got back up immediately, and accompanied by Pascal Eenkhoorn, came home a few minutes later, getting the same time as winner Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech).
Remco Evenepoel on the podium with two-time Tour de France winner Bernard Thevenet. Sirotti phnoto
After the podium ceremony, Remco talked about the incident: “I really don’t know what happened, but on the bright side, it looks like there’s just a few bruises and nothing really serious. We stayed at the front the entire stage to honour the yellow jersey but also to make sure we would be out of trouble. It was a good day to recover a bit from yesterday’s effort, but it’s a pity that we’ve lost Louis, to whom we all wish a fast recovery. On Friday, the first mountain test of the race awaits and we’ll see what we can do there.”
Content continues below the ads
Here's the Critérium du Dauphiné stage five report from Jonas Vingegaard's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike came through the fifth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné without any issues. With the stage for the sprinters' teams behind, the yellow-and-black formation is now focused on the upcoming mountain stages.
After yesterday’s individual time trial - where Jonas Vingegaard and Matteo Jorgenson finished second and third respectively - and with three mountain stages ahead, the fifth stage was expected to be a relatively easier day. With five categorized climbs in prospect, the attackers were given plenty of freedom. It wasn’t until the final kilometers that the escapees were caught, allowing the sprinters’ teams to take control at the front of the peloton.
Jonas Vingegaard before the start of stage five. Sirotti photo
The stage win went to Jake Stewart. The Dutch cycling formation did not contest the stage victory, but navigated the fifth day in France smoothly. Sports director Grischa Niermann is satisfied with that. “It was a nervous day in the peloton, and the high temperatures certainly played a role. We stayed compact and close to the front all day as a team and avoided any problems. Compliments to the squad.”
Starting tomorrow, the peloton will enter the high mountains. With finishes at Côte de la Cry, Valmeinier 1800, and Col du Mont-Cenis coming up, it promises to be a spectacular weekend in the Critérium du Dauphiné. “We will prepare a solid plan for those stages. They are short but tough”, the sports director says.
Vingegaard currently holds fourth place in the general classification, with Jorgenson in eighth. The gaps to leader Remco Evenepoel are small. “We want to move up the general classification with Jonas and Matteo and compete for stage wins. The team is in good shape: not only in terms of positions in the GC, but also Ben and Sepp are doing well”, Niermann concludes.
Content continues below the ads
Harold Tejada's Team XDS Astana posted this bad news:
XDS Astana Team rider Harold Tejada forced to abandon Critérium du Dauphiné due to injury.
Harold Tejada finishing stage three. Sirotti photo
After a crash during Stage 5 Harold Tejada was forced to abandon the race. A hospital X-ray later revealed a fracture of the 4th metacarpal bone in his right hand. Tejada will now undergo a recovery program to return to form as quickly as possible. Further updates will follow.
Content continues below the ads
Here's the team's preview:
With the Tour de France on the horizon, UAE Team Emirates-XRG will take to the start of the final WorldTour stage race before this summer’s Grand Départ. Beginning on Sunday, João Almeida will be back to lead the line for the Emirati squad at the Tour de Suisse, with the Portuguese rider looking to defend the title won by the team last season.
João Almeida winning stage 6 of the 2024 Tour de Suisse. Sirotti photo
It is a race that Almeida knows well, given he finished second here behind eventual winner and teammate Adam Yates last time out. Both men enjoyed an incredible outing in Switzerland, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG dominating the final half of the race.
Between the pair, the Emirati squad won all four of the final stages, and on each of those days, Yates and Almeida claimed 1-2 across the line. With two stage wins going to Yates and two going to Almeida, the latter could hardly wish for a better precursor to this year’s edition. With Yates’ path to the Tour de France going through the Giro d’Italia, Almeida will lead UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the Tour de Suisse, and the 26-year-old is raring to go after a recent spell at altitude.
Almeida: “It’s been a pretty good season for me so far this year, and I want to keep on that path as we build up towards the Tour de France.
“Training has been going well, we’ve just come back from altitude with most of the Tour team and now it’s time to test the legs.
“It’s no secret that I really like the Tour du Suisse. After what we did here last year we will be coming back aiming to defend the title. It’s never an easy thing to do – but we’ll give it a good shot.”
Led by Sports Directors Fabrizio Guidi (Ita) and Simone Pedrazzini (Ita) in the team cars, UAE Team Emirates-XRG have selected a versatile contingent to support Almeida’s ambitions in Switzerland.
In António Morgado, last year’s runner-up up will have a Portuguese compatriot on the road, whilst home favourite Jan Christen will once more link up with Almeida, after their stage-winning combination at this year’s Volta ao Algarve.
Forming the engine room, Julius Johansen, Mikkel Bjerg and Vegard Stake Laengen will be called upon, with all three riders proving ever-dependable through the early months of the campaign. For Johansen, it will be a first outing since the Vuelta Asturias in April, where the Dane came mightily close to snatching his first victory in UAE Team Emirates-XRG colours.
Finally, Felix Großschartner of Austria will round out the seven-man squad and likely prove instrumental to Almeida in the mountains. The 31-year-old finished runner-up at the Tour of Slovenia last week, demonstrating a strong vein of form heading into the Tour de Suisse.
As for the route, the first two stages of the eight-day race look set to suit the puncheurs. On the opening day, a 3.8km-long steep climb within the finale could prove spicy, before an uphill drag to the line on stage 2 will also offer hope to those sprinters who can tackle shallower climbs.
For the general classification riders, stage 3 will draw the riders out of hiding, should the first two stages have failed to do so. After a meandering first 140km of racing, the final 50km of stage 3 will pack in well over 1,000m of climbing and see the riders end on a 3km climb at 5.3%. The following day, the peloton will crest the Splügen Pass, which stands at over 2,000m in altitude.
Stage 5 will be the Queen stage of this year’s Tour de Suisse, bringing with it 3,620m of climbing and both the Julier Pass and Passo San Bernadino. The latter will mark the #rideforgino prize, in ode to the late Swiss rider Gino Mäder. Once over the Passo San Bernadino, the riders will head part of the way up the final climb before turning off and taking in a circuit. Once they reach the foot of the final climb for the last time, 6.4km will remain at a testing average gradient of 9.5%.
The sprinters should come to the fore again on stage 6, before stage 7 will act as the final road stage of the race. At the end of the seventh stage, the GC contenders will once more do battle, this time on a 3.1km climb to the line at 8.9%. This will be the longest stage of the race at 207.3km.
The final stage will take the shape of a 10.1km-long individual time trial, with the majority of the route trending uphill at an average gradient of 9%. This is a textbook climbing time trial and is not dissimilar from the stage won by Almeida last season.
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary