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Saturday, June 21, 2025

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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am. - Francis Bacon

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Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the link on the right.

Current racing:

• June 15 - 22: Tour de Suisse
• June 18 - 22: Baloise Belgium Tour
• June 21 - 29: Most national road championships

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

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Tour de Suisse stage six reports

We posted the report from stage winner Jordi Meeus' Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe with the results.

Here's the report from second-place Davide Ballerini's Team XDS Astana:

Stage Six of the Tour de Suisse concluded with a bunch sprint. XDS Astana Team rider Davide Ballerini, well-positioned in the final kilometer with strong support from his teammates, sprinted to an impressive second place.

The stage six sprint. Ballerini is just under winner Jordi Meeus' raised arm. Getty photo

“Of course, it’s a bit disappointing not to win. I think I was really close, and my sensations in the final were very good. But at one point in the sprint, I got squeezed against the barriers on the right-hand side, had to brake and restart, which cost me a few crucial moments. Still, I’m happy that my form is building after a week of racing, which is the most important thing ahead of the Tour de France. Big thanks to the team for their great work during the stage and especially in the finale. This was the only real sprint stage, and the guys did a great job”, – said Davide Ballerini.

Here's the Tour de Suisse report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

In stage six of the Tour de Suisse, Team Visma | Lease a Bike did not feature in the bunch sprint. The stage win went to Jordi Meeus.

The stage took the peloton from Chur to Neuhausen am Rheinfall. After a tough start featuring two second-category climbs, the route levelled out heading into the final. Right after the start, a battle broke out for a place in the early breakaway. Both Bart Lemmen and Thomas Gloag were active in the opening phase. A strong lead group of five riders formed. Lemmen and Gloag made attempts to bridge across, but their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful. 

Stage six about to start.

In the run-up to the sprint, Tiesj Benoot suffered a minor crash at the back of the peloton. Fortunately, the 31-year-old Belgian was able to continue without major issues. Meanwhile, the last remaining escapees – Stefan Küng, Harry Sweeny, and Mauro Schmid – were only reeled in during the final kilometres by the charging peloton. In the bunch sprint, Meeus proved the fastest. Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders played no part in the finale. Tomorrow sees the last regular stage, followed by the concluding time trial on Sunday. 

“We did everything we could to get someone into the early break,” reflected sports director Maarten Wynants. “A few riders, including Küng and Schmid, made up the first serious move. Bart and Thomas put in a big effort to close the gap, but unfortunately it didn’t work out. There really wasn’t much more in it for us today. Sadly, Tiesj was also involved in a crash towards the end, but luckily he escaped with just some abrasions. In tomorrow’s challenging stage, we’ll be looking to show ourselves again – hopefully in the breakaway.”

Tour of Belgium stage three reports

We posted the report from stage winner and GC leader Ethan Hayter's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.

Here's the report from Filippo Ganna's Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Filippo Ganna fired to second place in the third stage time trial at the Baloise Belgium Tour, to also take second place on the GC.

Ganna clocked a time of 10:33.0, four seconds behind British rider Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) on the 9.7km stage to take second place on the stage. The Italian rider currently sits two seconds behind Hayter overall, with two hilly stages remaining.

Stage winner Ethan Hayter. Getty photo

Connor Swift was the first of the Grenadiers to fire into the podium slots, clocking a second quickest time of 10:48, before finishing sixth. Ben Turner also rode well to finish just behind in ninth to see three Grenadiers in the top-10 of the stage. Swift now also sits seventh on the GC, with Turner one place behind in eighth.

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