Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, June 24, 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
Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance. - Epicurus
Stoic philosopher Epictetus' Golden Sayings is available in both audiobook & Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- June 24: Giro dell'Appennino
- June 21 - 29: Most national road championships
Upcoming racing:
- July 2 - 7: Tour of Austria
- July 5 - 27: Tour de France
Latest completed racing:
- 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
- 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
Here's the team's news:
Twenty-two of our riders will compete for the road race or time trial title, between 24-29 June, in nine different countries.
In the 22 years that have passed since the team’s inception, Soudal Quick-Step has won a staggering 70 National Championships with 32 different riders across 19 countries on three continents. In the next couple of days, our riders will again be in action at these races, for some of them, the last outing before the biggest event of the season, the Tour de France.
“We are very motivated for the Nationals. It goes without saying that we would like to be in the mix at the two Belgian races. For the time trial, we have three strong riders, while for Sunday we’ll rely on around a dozen riders on a course where we have some beautiful memories. In Italy, Mattia will be our main guy for the time trial, while for the road race it remains to be seen what the guys can do together.”
World Time Trial Champion Remco Evenepoel will try to add 2025 Belgian Champion to his list of wins. Sirtotti photo
“In Germany, Max can fight for medals in the time trial, but also be there in the hard road race, despite being alone at the start. France doesn’t have an easy course, but the riders go there with confidence, and depending how the race will go, they could feature in the finale. Ethan had a very good Tour of Belgium and has a fair chance of fighting for medals this week. In the Czech Republic, Denmark, Netherlands and Slovakia, it won’t be easy, but the boys are motivated, and being the Nationals, you never know”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels.
Belgium:
ITT (June 27): Remco Evenepoel, Yves Lampaert, Ilan Van Wilder.
Road Race (June 29): Ayco Bastiaens, Remco Evenepoel, Junior Lecerf, Yves Lampaert, Tim Merlier, Pieter Serry, Dries Van Gestel, Bert Van Lerberghe, Ilan Van Wilder, Mauri Vansevenant, Jordi Warlop.
Czech Republic:
ITT (June 26): Josef Cerny.
Road Race (June 29): Josef Cerny.
Denmark:
Road Race (June 29): Casper Pedersen.
France:
Road Race (June 29): Antoine Huby, Paul Magnier.
Germany:
ITT (June 27): Maximilian Schachmann.
Road Race (June 29): Maximilian Schachmann.
Great Britain:
ITT (June 26): Ethan Hayter.
Road Race (June 29): Ethan Hayter.
Italy:
ITT (June 26): Mattia Cattaneo, Gianmarco Garofoli, Andrea Raccagni.
Road Race (June 29): Mattia Cattaneo, Gianmarco Garofoli, Andrea Raccagni.
Netherlands:
ITT (June 24): Pepijn Reinderink.
Road Race (June 28): Pepijn Reinderink.
Slovakia:
ITT (June 26): Martin Svrcek.
Road Race (June 29): Martin Svrcek.
Content continues below the ads
Here's the team's update:
The last weekend of June is traditionally the time for the national championships. The Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is an international team with 12 nationalities. Canadian Nick Zukowsky is still recovering from his collarbone fracture, and the Australian championships are always in January. This means we have riders fighting for the champions’ jerseys on road and time trial in ten different countries.
Time trial championships:
In Spain David de la Cruz is the defending time trial champion. The time trial is only 14 kilometers long but it’s a hard, uphill effort.
David de la Cruz (shown at the 2024 Tour de Suisse) will try to win a repeat Spanish Time Trial Championship. Sirotti photo
“Wearing the Spanish jersey for a year has been a real privilege,” David de la Cruz said. “I remember how Q36.5 and I worked together to make a full white kit with my flag on it. It is a real beautiful skinsuit! This year the time trial national championships look a bit different because they are a 14-kilometer uphill effort.”
24 June – Surhuisterveen, the Netherlands: Sjoerd Bax
25 June – Riga, Latvia: Emīls Liepiņš
27 June – Granada, Spain: individual time trial: David de la Cruz, Marcel Camprubí and David González
27 June – Ramstein, Germany: Jannik Steimle
27 June – Brasschaat, Belgium: individual time trial: Frederik Frison
Road race championships:
The road race championships are always a special day because in cycling it means you have the chance to earn a jersey you can wear every day of the year. Emīls Liepiņš won the title in Latvia for the past three years and knows what it means to wear a national champion’s jersey.
“We have a great regular kit design with the team,” Emīls Liepiņš said. “But wearing the flag of your country is really special. I am a very proud Latvian and to represent and honour my country means a great deal to me. We always have joint championships with Estonia and Lithuania but this year they are in Cesis, in Latvia. That’s only 70 kilometers from my home. I won the title three times now but it never gets boring so I will try again. Now with my daughter Beatrise and family present it means even more if I would win it again.”
28 June – Ede, the Netherlands: Milan Vader, Sjoerd Bax
29 June – Gorizia, Italy: Gianluca Brambilla, Walter Calzoni, Matteo Moschetti, Giacomo Nizzolo and Nicoló Parisini
29 June – Granada, Spain: Marcel Camprubí, David de la Cruz, David González
29 June – Fischingen, Switzerland: Matteo Badilatti, Fabio Christen
29 June – Binche, Belgium: Frederik Frison
29 June – Cesis, Latvia: Emīls Liepiņš
29 June – Linden, Germany: Jannik Steimle
29 June – Aberystwyth, Great Britain: Mark Donovan, Joey Pidcock
29 June – Dobczyce, Poland: Kamil Małecki
29 June – Navan, Ireland: Rory Townsend
Content continues below the ads
Here's the team's post:
Tudor Pro Cycling began the Tour de Suisse with stage victories in mind, but after a brilliant performance by Julian Alaphilippe on the opening day, the focus quickly shifted to the General Classification.
In the short opening stage in Küssnacht, the Frenchman was part of an early move that proved decisive. Julian crossed the line in 4th place, gaining nearly a minute on many of the GC favorites—a strong start that set the tone for an exciting week ahead.
Alaphilippe consistently held his ground in the front group throughout the race, with stages 5 and 7—featuring challenging uphill finishes—playing key roles in shaping the GC. Heading into the final Individual Time Trial in 3rd place overall, Julian gave it everything in pursuit of a podium finish. Despite a determined effort, the clock wasn’t on his side, and he ultimately concluded the race in a commendable 5th place overall.
Julian Alaphilippe time-trialing in stage eight of the 2025 Tour de Suisse. Sirotti photo
Julian Alaphilippe: "I’m a bit disappointed to miss the GC podium. I didn’t feel great on the TT —this was the hardest day of the week for me. After just one kilometer, I knew it was going to be a tough TT. We initially came here targeting stage wins, but after stage one, we shifted to aim for the overall. It’s been a beautiful week of racing, full of great spirit and teamwork. Sadly, I couldn’t finish it off with a podium, but overall, I’m happy with my form and now I’m looking forward to the Tour de France."
Content continues below the ads
The team posted this:
For the first time since the Giro d’Italia, Team Polti VisitMalta returns to racing on home soil in a one-day event steeped in charm and history in northwestern Italy. The 86th edition of the Giro dell’Appennino will follow the same route for the third time in a row: nearly 200 kilometers from the land of Coppi in Piedmont to the Ligurian capital.
The course features five climbs of increasing difficulty, culminating in the final 40 kilometers with the Bocchetta and the Madonna della Guardia — the latter with double-digit gradients and a summit just 25 km from the finish. New this year is the event’s inclusion in the Coppa Italia delle Regioni, the challenge series organized by the Italian Professional Cycling League, of which this is the sixth round.
The Giro dell'Appennino's challenging profile
For this hilly one-day race with steep ramps, Polti VisitMalta’s lineup will rely largely on riders coming off strong performances in Occitanie and Andorra: Davide Piganzoli, Fernando Tercero, Germán Gómez, Alex Martín, Davide De Cassan. They’ll be joined by Ludovico Crescioli, returning to action, and Mattia Bais, current leader in both the KOM and Combativity classifications of the previously mentioned Regions’ Italian Cup. Said Mattia on the eve of the race: “We’re a strong and motivated squad off the back of recent results — I’m feeling good and ready to help achieve something big!”
Sports director Giovanni Ellena added: “We’ll be racing on the same roads, and against the same number of WorldTeams (three, including two-time defending champions UAE) as in the last three editions. The Madonna della Guardia will be where the real selection is made and our key riders will be Piganzoli, Martín and Crescioli.”
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary