Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult. - Seneca
Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- December 14: World Cup Namur
- December 23: Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 26: World Cup Gavere
- December 29: Trofee Loenhout-Azencross
- December 30: Superprestige Diegem
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
Latest completed racing:
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 26: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
- October 19: Veneto Classic
- October 19: Japan Cup
- October 19: Chrono des Nations
- October 15: Giro del Veneto
- October 12: Paris-Tours
- October 11: Il Lombardia
- October 9: Gran Piemonte
- October 7: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- October 7: Tre Valli Varesine
Here’s the team’s news:
Lidl-Trek is pleased to announce that after a successful period as a stagiaire, Marine Lenehan will join the Team on a two-year contract, keeping her in Lidl-Trek colors through 2027.
At 27, Marine is a relative newcomer to cycling, having only taken up the sport three years ago. Since then, her progress has been remarkable. After earning a bronze medal at the Irish National Championships, Marine joined Lidl-Trek as a stagiaire in August 2025 and quickly impressed with her work ethic and strength on the bike. She gained valuable experience racing at the Tour de Pologne, GP Stuttgart, and GP Wallonie, showing her ability bike against elite competition.
Marine Lenehan
“My time as a stagiaire with Lidl-Trek has honestly been an incredible experience,” said Marine Lenehan. “It was a big step up, and I’ve learned so much in such a short space of time. The level of professionalism, the support from the staff, and the team environment have all been amazing. From the very start, everyone was so welcoming and there is a real family vibe within the team. I’ve loved testing myself in the races and seeing how I measure up against some of the best riders in the world. It’s been both challenging and rewarding, and it’s definitely confirmed that this is where I want to be.
"I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to join as a full-time rider, and honestly, it still feels a bit surreal! It’s a real pinch-me I’m dreaming moment. I still feel quite new to the sport, which makes this opportunity even more exciting. I only started cycling a few years ago and completely fell in love with the sport. The freedom, the community, and the constant drive to push my limits. To now be joining a team like Lidl–Trek full-time is something really special.
"My main goal is to keep developing as a rider improving all aspects of my performance: physically, tactically, and mentally to gain more experience at the top level and contribute to the team wherever I can. Long term, I want to establish myself as a reliable teammate and hopefully start targeting some results of my own. But right now, it’s all about learning, growing, and making the most of every opportunity. A huge thank you to everyone at Lidl–Trek for believing in me. I can’t wait to line up alongside my teammates and give it everything in 2026!”
“Marine’s story is a great example of what’s possible with dedication and talent,” said Luca Guercilena, Lidl-Trek General Manager. “In just a few years, she’s made huge progress and shown the qualities we value most – a willingness to learn and to work hard for her goals. We believe she has a lot more potential to unlock, and we’re excited to help her continue developing within our structure.”
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
American powerhouse Luke Lamperti will strengthen EF Education-EasyPost’s roster, starting in 2026.
The 22-year-old from Santa Rosa, California, packs a fast sprint and all of the toughness of a seasoned classics racer. Going into his third year in the WorldTour, he already has six wins to his name, including a stage victory this summer at the Czech Tour. Luke has podiumed in Belgian one-day races like Danilith Nokere Koers and the Bredene Koksijde Classic and dreams of winning monuments in his new EF Education-EasyPost jersey.
“I am really excited to join the team,” Luke says. “I already know quite a lot of the guys and am looking forward to joining a nice group and seeing what the next years bring. It feels like I am coming home. It’s an American team. Obviously, cycling isn't massive in the US, so it is pretty special to be able to join an American WorldTour team as an American rider.”
Luke Lamperti in 2023.
Luke raced motocross bikes before he switched to pedal power. As a kid, he started cycling to get stronger for dirt bike races and was thrilled by the freedom he discovered exploring his home roads.
“Where I grew up, in Sonoma County, there is just amazing riding,” Luke says. “I fell in love with riding there, being out and always striving to be better. Having goals drove me forward. It went quite fast, and I ended up where I'm at now.”
Luke’s motocross skills, determination, and strength lead him to the front of the USA’s most competitive youth races. He was soon competing for one of the top junior teams in the country and traveling to Europe to race with the American national team. Results like his top 10 at Paris-Roubaix Juniors earned him a spot on Trinity Racing, where he rode with EF Education-EasyPost teammates Ben Healy, Max Walker, and Lukas Nerurkar.
“That was when I moved to Europe full-time and committed completely to living like a pro,” Luke says. “I was not a pro yet, but we were doing a full European race calendar. After those three years at Trinity, I turned pro, and the transition went fairly smoothly. From my first races, I already felt pretty comfortable. I had some good results my first year, as well as some setbacks, but it was a pretty good transition. I have really enjoyed the last two years.”
Luke wants to keep his momentum rolling with EF Education-EasyPost. He is the kind of rider who can go for results on a wide range of terrain, from hilly, windy spring classics to summer stage races.
“Luke is a great sprinter and a great classics rider who knows how to do a lead out,” says EF Pro Cycling founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters. “He is a real leader, especially for a guy who is as young as he is. He can already be a road captain, even though he is 22 years old. He has a great ability to lead a group of people on the road, and he knows how to read race tactics incredibly well. He's going to be one of our go-to classics guys in the cobbled races. And he is going to be a sprinter that we use quite a bit. I also think he's going to be a great mentor for Noah Hobbs, our superstar U23 sprinter that we're bringing on. Doing a grand tour this year along with a heavy schedule like Luke did should set him up for success this coming year. I could see him winning a race like Gent Wevelgem. If you really want to dream: Milano-Sanremo. Luke is good in highly technical, highly tactical races.”
Luke sees himself developing in the same direction.
“I would say I'm a sprinter, but not a pure sprinter,” Luke says. “I am more of a punchy sprinter who can do well in the classics and then sprints, where there are fewer guys. There are races like Sanremo, where I would really like to do well. Grand tour stages are also something I'd like to go for more in the future.”
Luke’s favorite races will always be the classics, though. He comes into his own on windswept cobbles and can’t wait to smash it up Belgium’s bergs with our classics squad alongside fellow Americans, Neilson Powless and Colby Simmons.
“I love the thrill from the start to the finish of the classics,” he says. “No matter if it's 200 kilometers to go or two kilometers to go, you always have excitement. I really like the full day of excitement and full gas racing and positioning for the cobbled climbs. The fans and cycling culture in Belgium are also super nice.”
Luke knows that to achieve his bike racing dreams, he needs to focus on the process. With our team, he is confident that he will have all of the support he needs to compete with the very best.
“I want to get the best out of myself throughout my career,” Luke says. “I want to perform in the best races in the world. For me, it is about continuing to step up until I am going for results in the biggest races.”
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
GreenEDGE Cycling is delighted to announce the appointment of Gene Bates as Sporting Manager of Team Jayco AlUla for 2026.
Bates has a wealth of experience as a coach and sport director, in addition to more than a decade of racing as a professional in Australia and Europe. The Australian joined the GreenEDGE Cycling family in 2014 as the Lead Sport Director for the women’s team, playing a major role in some of its most memorable victories, before moving to the men’s squad for the 2019 season.
After joining AusCycling as the Head of Endurance in 2023, he returned to the team this season as the Team Manager and Lead Sport Director of the Liv AlUla Jayco squad.
In his stead, Wim Stroetinga will step up and take over as the Sporting Manager of the Liv AlUla Jayco team. The Dutch former professional rider has been a sport director on the Australian squad since 2024.
These changes form part of the restructuring of the GreenEDGE Cycling performance group as the team looks to take on the 2026 season with a fresh and reinvigorated outlook.
Gene Bates in 2027 with Annemiek van Vleuten at the Amstel Gold Race Ladies. Hoebele photo
Brent Copeland – General Manager GreenEDGE Cycling:
“Gene has been an integral part of GreenEDGE Cycling since he joined more than 10 years ago. I have a lot of trust in him, and I am proud to see him step into the role of Sporting Manager at Team Jayco AlUla for next season. I believe that, with his experience, he will be a huge asset for the team in this position, and I look forward to seeing the impact he can have in 2026.”
Gene Bates – Sporting Manager Team Jayco AlUla:
“I’m very grateful to Brent Copeland for giving me this opportunity and trusting me to take on this role as Sporting Manager. It will be a big challenge, but it’s one that I’m looking forward to taking on alongside some fantastic athletes and staff. I’m sad to be leaving the women’s team but I know that they’re in very capable hands with Wim and the other directors.”
Wim Stroetinga – Sporting Manager Liv AlUla Jayco:
“I’m really excited to jump into this role, and it makes me nervous in a positive way. Gene did a great job last year and we will continue on that pathway he set for us. We want to maintain the progress we made last year and make an extra step to bridge the gap from top five to wins. It will be really challenging but we can do it with the group of riders that we have now.”
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Schachmann’s Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:
In his first season back with Soudal Quick-Step, Maximilian Schachmann took two wins, finished a remarkable third overall at Itzulia Basque Country and played an important role in many of the team’s victories. Now he is already preparing for next year and is hungry for more.
“I think it was a good year. I enjoyed being back in blue with the Wolfpack and that motivated me as I got my season underway in Algarve. It was a solid start there, and getting a top five overall showed that I had strong legs, which gave me confidence for the next races. It was a pity that I got a bit sick before Paris-Nice, a race I love, but even in these conditions, I did my best to help Ilan.
GC Leader Max Schachmann finishing third in the fourth stage of 2025 Tour of the Basque Country. Getty Sport photo
"A couple of weeks later, I returned at the start of Basque Country. It’s a race where I had success in the past, and it made me happy I could continue on this road. To win the prologue, enjoy a spell in the yellow jersey, get a few more podiums and finish third on the general classification was really great. The fact that in June I conquered the ITT title at the Nationals – a victory that was missing from my palmares – rounded out what I believe was a solid first part of the season.
"Being back at the start of the Tour de France was nice, and I tried to help the team whenever possible. In the first week, I tried to help Remco with positioning, but also Tim’s lead-out train. It was a hard Tour, but it ended up being a great one for us, with four wins and lots of beautiful memories.
"Now I’m already training for next season, where I have two goals: to continue improving and to hit the level I had last April, in the Basque Country, because I am able to do that, I know I can do some nice things. I’m also looking forward to the Ardennes Classics, and even if it’s a long way until then, I would like to be at the start of the World Championships in Montreal.”
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