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Thursday, June 19, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines. - Frank Lloyd Wright
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 2: 1976 - 2018 is available in print, Kindle eBook & Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
- June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
Upcoming racing:
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
- June 24: Giro dell'Appenino
- July 2 - 7: Tour of Austria
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Latest completed racing:
- June 8 - 15: Critérium du Dauphiné
- June 13: GP Kanton Aargau
- 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 report from second-place Oscar Onley's Team Picnic-PostNL with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Joao Almeida's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
João Almeida delivered an exceptional solo performance on Wednesday afternoon, securing victory in stage 4 of the Tour de Suisse. The 49-kilometre solo effort into Piuro, Italy, marked an emphatic win for the Portuguese talent who bounces back from having lost time earlier in the race.
Joao Almeida wins stage four. Sirotti photo
The stage unfolded with a strategic move by Almeida, who, after being led out by his team on the Splügenpass climb, launched an attack some 1.8km from the summit. His relentless pace distanced rivals Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL) and Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), allowing him to cross the finish line alone, 40 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor.
This victory propels Almeida from 18th to 7th place in the general classification, now 2’07” behind race leader Romain Grégoire (Groupama-FDJ).
Almeida: “I gave a lot – it was a hard effort with a lot of team work and it was nice to finish it off. There is still a long way to go and a lot of time to claw back but I’m happy with the stage win and I’m going to enjoy this one. We’ll try again tomorrow, it’s a hard stage, but overall I’m very happy with the shape and especially with the Tour de France not far away.”
The win marks the 46th victory of the season for the Emirati squad.
Here's the report from third-place Ben O'Connor's Team Jayco AlUla:
Ben O’Connor attacked to third place on stage four of the Tour de Suisse, gaining time on several of his general classification rivals ahead of a key mountain stage.
The stage exploded over the major climb of the day, the Splügen Pass, with João Almeida going solo over the top. O’Connor was part of a select group chasing the Portuguese rider down the sweeping descent on the other side.
Inside the final 25 kilometres, the Team Jayco AlUla rider attacked several times in an effort to close the gap on Almeida and gain time on the other GC contenders. With a little over five kilometres to go, O’Connor followed a dangerous move by Oscar Onley that would go all the way to the line.
Ben O'Connor finishes third. Sirotti photo
The attack saw him reduce his gap to the leader’s yellow jersey by 22 seconds, while he also moved up to fourth place overall and is now 28 seconds away from the overall podium. Meanwhile, Felix Engelhardt kept his lead in the mountains classification for a fourth consecutive stage after moving into the lead on the opening day.
Ben O’Connor
“The stage was amazing, I had a really good day and I am really happy to have slipped away and managed to gain a little bit more time. I lost a little bit to Almeida, but all in all, I’m in a really good spot for the rest of the week. I’m ready to crack on and finish off the rest of the stages.”
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Here's the Tour de Suisse report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Tom Gloag showcased his best form in the fourth stage of the Tour de Suisse. The 23-year-old was part of a strong breakaway, but ultimately the peloton didn’t give them much leeway, especially as the pace ramped up on the final climb. Bart Lemmen gave it his all there, but eventually lost significant time to his direct rivals in the general classification.
After a fierce battle to form the breakaway, eight riders, including Gloag, managed to go clear after 90 kilometres. The group built a solid advantage, with the young Brit showing his strength on the climbs. However, it soon became clear that the move would not succeed, as the reduced peloton was closing in quickly on the slopes of the Splügenpass.
The pace then intensified on the day's decisive climb. Lemmen once again demonstrated strong legs and managed to stay with the favourites for a long time, but eventually had to concede to the top contenders for the overall victory. João Almeida proved to be the strongest after a long solo effort. Lemmen finished in 17th place.
Thomas Gloag winning the 2024 Czech Tour queen stage.
“The plan today was to get into the early breakaway,” team director Maarten Wynants reflected. “That wasn’t easy, but in the end a strong group formed with Tom in it. Unfortunately, they were not given much space by the peloton, even though Tom looked strong uphill. We also aimed to keep Bart well-positioned in the GC, but unfortunately that didn’t work out.”
Tomorrow the Tour de Suisse features the queen stage, with a brutal finale in store. “Tomorrow will be a very tough day, but we’ll see what’s possible. Hopefully we can get into the break again and go for the stage win from there. The general classification is likely out of reach now, but we’ll do everything we can to take a stage victory before the end of the race,” Wynants concluded.
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We posted the report from stage winner Tim Merlier's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.
Here's the report from Team Picnic-PostNL:
Baloise Belgium Tour got underway on Wednesday afternoon with a flat stage to Knokke-Heist. With a breakaway out front, the Team Picnic PostNL squad remained in the peloton, looking to keep their powder dry for the finale. The early break was caught ahead of the golden kilometre where a battle for bonus seconds ensued, before another duo then went clear. However, the bunch were always in control and reeled them in.
Coming into the last five kilometres the team moved forwards well and held their position at the front of the peloton, trying to keep out of any potential crashes as best as possible. Going under the flamme rouge last lead-out Nils Eekhoff was in third wheel and came round the last corner with sprint finisher Casper Van Uden in tow. Eeekhoff used the others in front of him and then hit out and opened up the lead-out, but just as Van Uden looked to start his sprint he dropped his chain. Quickly getting it back on, he continued to push for the line but by that point others had more momentum and it would be eighth place on the day for Van Uden and the team.
Tim Merlier wins stage one.
Van Uden expressed: “The boys did a good job posting Nils and me all day. In the final the lead out was really good and we stayed out of trouble but when I launched my sprint, my chain came off. I could get it back on quickly but by then I had lost some momentum. The way we rode was good so we’ll look to our chances in the next days.”
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Here's the team's announcement:
With a maiden WorldTour win to his name, Jake Stewart is embarking on a new chapter in his career, one that will see him stay with Israel – Premier Tech through to 2028 having signed a three-year contract extension.
Stewart stormed to victory in the bunch sprint on stage 5 of the Critérium du Dauphiné last week, after a near-miss on stage 1, just weeks after securing his first win in IPT colors at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque in May.
Jake Stewart wins stage five of this year's Critérium du Dauphiné. Sirotti photo
Despite only joining IPT last year, the 25-year-old Brit from Coventry quickly became an asset to the team explains General Manager Kjell Carlström.
“Jake joined us in 2024 as a key support rider for the team’s sprint leaders but we knew he had what it took to become a leader in his own right, both on and off the road,” says Carlström. “Jake settled into the team immediately and established himself as one of the team’s MVPs – a rider all of his teammates want by their side at the start line. We knew we wanted Jake in the team long term, and we were happy to put pen to paper earlier this year to make that happen. The fact that Jake has secured two victories since then is a testament to his determination and hard work, and extremely well-deserved. Jake has a bright future ahead of him and we’re thrilled that he will continue his development as a rider in IPT colors.”
For Stewart, the decision to renew his contract with IPT comes down to team culture.
“It was a no-brainer to renew with the team and it was something that was already on my mind at the end of last year,” explains Stewart. “Having been part of a team that’s been so successful and a part of so many wins in the team, especially last year with Tour of Britain, Flèche Wallonne, and Tour of Guangxi, it allowed me to re-find my love for training and racing and being a bike rider. That’s massively down to the team, the support and professionalism here and, just generally, the environment in the team has allowed me to begin to fulfil my potential. I always knew what I was capable of doing, but for whatever reasons in the past, I’d not fulfilled the opportunities I was given.
“That’s certainly evident in the last month or so with the two wins which show that with the right support, the right team, and being in an environment where I’m happy and relaxed, the success is a by-product of that.”
Stewart may still be on a high after his first WorldTour win, but he remains focused on his role in the IPT sprint train. With that attitude and selflessness, it’s little wonder Stewart is such a valued teammate.
“It feels like I’m turning a new page in my career,” adds Stewart. “The goal for the future remains the same with IPT; developing me into a world-class lead-out rider, and that’s something I’m really keen to do personally. But obviously, I also get my own opportunities and I try to make the most of them. I’m really looking forward to the next three years with IPT, four years including this year, and I’m really excited for the future and seeing what we can build as a team.”
IPT owner Sylvan Adams echoes Stewart’s emphasis on team culture, acknowledging the integral role Stewart has taken on within the team.
“Since joining IPT, Jake has become one of our leaders, as he typifies our team culture. This was on full display last week at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where Jake was assigned lead out duties for our sprinter, Pascal Ackermann. When Pascal unfortunately crashed out, Jake put on a master class for all the other sprinters and their teams, by winning the stage himself. Jake is a fearless winner and adds to a winning culture on our team. I am delighted that Jake will be with us for the next three years, and beyond!”
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