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Saturday, November 8, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
There is no greatness where there is no simplicity, goodness and truth. - Leo Tolstoy
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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
Here’s the company’s announcement:
After multiple discussions with the team and careful assessment of all relevant circumstances, Premier Tech has decided to step down as co-title sponsor of the team taking effect immediately.
Although we took notice of the team’s decision to change its name for the 2026 season, the core reason for Premier Tech to sponsor the team has been overshadowed to a point where it has become untenable for us to continue as a sponsor.
First and foremost, we want to thank the team — riders and staff — for the four unforgettable seasons by their side, and to acknowledge their incredible accomplishments and professionalism, both on and off the road.
Team Israel-Premier Tech is presented before the start of the 2025 Vuetla a España. Sirotti photo
We have been involved in cycling for 30 years, but above all, we are passionate about our industries, our markets, our clients, and our team members since 1923. They are at the very heart of our purpose and why Premier Tech exists. We want each of these stakeholders to feel enthusiastic and proud to be associated with Premier Tech, its brands, its products, and its services.
Premier Tech’s ambition in cycling has always been to build bridges across all levels of the sport, paving the way for athletes and staff to achieve their full potential. Supporting the growth of the sport, alongside the development of Québec and Canadian cyclists, is at the heart of this commitment — and will remain so in the future.
The team sent me this:
Liv AlUla Jayco is thrilled to confirm that Australian talent Ruby Roseman-Gannon has inked a contract extension with the team, confirming mutual trust and confidence between the squad and the rider from Melbourne.
Despite a start to the season full of setbacks in 2024, the 26-year-old displayed her resilience to turn things around mid-year and have one of her career-best seasons to date. The former Australian road race champion jumped into the spotlight when she claimed her first UCI Women’s WorldTour victory at the highly competitive Tour of Britain, beating some of the world’s top riders in gruelling conditions.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon wins the 2022 Australian Criterium Championships.
With confidence high, Roseman-Gannon pushed on, always on the offensive during the next races. However, crashes and injuries once again hampered her successful streak. Showing her pedigree, the Liv AlUla Jayco rider never let her setbacks get the better of her and once again turned things around.
She proved to the world her abilities by claiming her first ever World Championship title in the mixed team relay for Australia, before an impressive sixth place in the women’s road race at the UCI World Championships. Roseman-Gannon’s upward trajectory is continuing at a rapid rate, and the squad is pleased to continue to work and develop the Australian over the next two seasons.
Ruby Roseman-Gannon:
“I’m super happy to be re-signing with Liv AlUla Jayco. Over the past two years, we’ve built a lot of momentum and I’m excited to see where we can take it in the future. As a team we have a lot of strength, motivation, positivity and a real sense of belonging between us – all of which made it an easy decision to stay for another two years. Personally, I’ve had a challenging year and I’m super grateful for the support of the team throughout this. I’m really motivated to make the next two years my best yet.”
Wim Stroetinga – Sporting Manager Liv AlUla Jayco:
“Ruby is a big asset for the team and so it is fantastic to see her stay with us for at least two more seasons. She is a versatile and knowledgeable rider who has grown as both a team leader and a valuable support rider for her teammates. Recent seasons have provided their setbacks for Ruby, but she has shown her resilience in spite of this. She has shown time and again that she can win at the highest level, and we believe that there is plenty more to come from Ruby.”
Ruby Roseman-Gannon
Renewal: 2026 & 2027
Nationality: Australian
Age: 26
Key results:
1st Tour of Britain, stage 4 (2024)
1st Australian road race championships (2024)
1st World Championships Mixed Team Relay (2024)
4th Tour Down Under, general classification (2023)
4th GP de Plouay (2023)
6th World championships road race (2024)
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Here's the team's news:
Team Picnic PostNL are pleased to announce two new additions to their Men’s program for the 2026 campaign in the form of Mattia Gaffuri and Henri-Francois Haquin. Gaffuri is contracted with the team through 2027 while Haquin will wear the two-striped jersey for 2026.
Mattia Gaffuri:
Hailing from Italy, Gaffuri is a relative late comer to the sport of cycling and is renowned as one of the stronger climbing amateurs on the scene; and you may recognise his name from the Zwift Academy series. In previous years he’s focused mainly on gravel races and some events throughout the year, but in 2025 with his team Swatt Club he has taken on a fuller calendar of racing. This has seen a lot of gravel racing, but also more road racing where he has started to find his feet and work more on the technical skills of racing in the bunch.
Mattia Gaffuri. Photo: Swatt Club
Showcasing his talents as a climber he finished second and third on GC respectively at the Tour de Beauce and Oberösterreich Rundfahrt – two challenging 2.2 level races. One of the most memorable moments of Gaffuri’s 2025 campaign was finishing fifth at the Italian national championships road race where he helped his teammate to claim the famous tricolore. Towards the end of this year, he’s also took part in some of the Italian one-day races as a stagiaire, with a quietly impressive 15th place at Giro della Toscana and 11th at Trofeo Tessile & Moda – Valdegno Oropa against quality opposition.
Gaffuri said: “What really attracted me to Team Picnic PostNL is the attention to detail and the strong focus on long-term rider development. The team’s scientific approach, from training to equipment, is something I really appreciate — especially because I’ve also worked as a coach myself in recent years. I’m looking forward to gaining experience in bigger races, something I haven’t had many opportunities to do so far. I’d describe myself as a climber, more of a diesel type with a strong engine, and I know I still have room to grow when it comes to race craft. My goal is to become a rider who can target results in smaller stage races, while also being a reliable support for our finishers in the mountains. I’m quite consistent on the bike, and off the bike I’d say I’m a quick learner: once I set my mind to something, I really commit to it. I’m confident that my ability to learn and adapt, plus the support of the team, will help me take big steps in the years ahead.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna added: “Mattia’s story is quite a special one. He’s more of a late comer to the elite level from the sport and comes from the gravel scene. There, he caught our attention, and from that moment we started following him closely. What we saw was really impressive with strong performances, even against pros. Once we got in contact and looked at his data, that only confirmed what we’d seen; his numbers are outstanding. At the Italian Championships, for example, his teammate went on to win the pro title, and Mattia played a crucial role in making sure the main favourite never came back.
"We see him as a rider who, in a few years, can be potentially compete in the finales of the Ardennes Classics while in the Grand Tours, he’s going to be an important piece of the puzzle for our finishers Max and Oscar. Even at the end of season, he showed some truly impressive things while riding as a stagiaire, so we’re very happy to have him on board for the next few years.”
Henri-Francois Haquin:
Coming from Is-en-Bassigny in France, young 22-year-old Haquin spent his first three years out of the junior ranks with CC Étupes where he honed his skills and race craft, building his endurance after having not raced too much as a junior during the covid pandemic. 2023 saw him race mostly on the competitive and challenging French domestic circuit where he impressed with wins at races such as GP Agglo-Bourg en Bresse and the overall title at Tour de Moselle. A strong rider who can go well over a variety of terrain and has some staying power, 2024 saw him continue where he left off. That meant more good results on the French national circuit, and even a UCI level win at the Tour Alsace, plus a plucky fourth in the French U23 road race. This season gone by saw Haquin step up to Pro level, where he made his first starts in some of the biggest races on the calendar – even making the break at the famous Liège-Bastogne-Liège – and finding his feet in some sprints.
Haquin said: “I’m really excited to be joining Team Picnic PostNL, I think it is the most beautiful opportunity of my career so far. It’s a real chance for me to just give it my best in 2026 and see where I can go. The team has a very professional set-up and I’m looking forward to working with all the staff and the other riders. For now, I see myself as rouleur come puncheur. I have a bit of a sprint on that terrain and I don’t mind a hard day out on the short hills. In this coming year I just want to learn as much as possible and give my all for the team, and hopefully we can achieve some nice results together as a group.”
Team Picnic PostNL head coach Rudi Kemna concluded: “Henri-François was brought to our attention by our coach Melvin, who had seen him impress with the team CC Étupes. Since then, he’s continued to show good performances. When we looked at his data, it confirmed what we already suspected: he’s a real top talent with a huge engine and plenty of room to grow. He’s the kind of rider who can be part of the early breakaway in the spring classics and still be there deep into the finale. At the same time, we don’t rule out the possibility that he could develop into a sprinter. He has the power, and if we can help him master all the finer details — timing, positioning, reading the race — then the potential is there. We’ll make sure he gets opportunities to test himself in sprints too.”
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Here’s the team’s post:
The Italian ProTeam, led by Contador brothers and Ivan Basso, concludes the 2025 season satisfied with having achieved its goal of finishing among the top 30 in the world rankings and becoming the best Italian team. The six victories and countless podium finishes highlight the enormous commitment and hard work put in during a crucial year for the project’s future.
The cyclists, staff, and management of Polti VisitMalta are delighted with the excellent work they have done. Nearly 200 days of racing across three continents required an unprecedented organizational, logistical, sporting, and financial effort from the team, which managed to accumulate 3,085 points and finish 28th in the world rankings, the highest-rated Italian team.
The early start of the season in January highlighted the ambition of the young riders, with Crescioli finishing eighth in the first race of the season, the Clàssica Camp de Morvedre. Piganzoli’s debut also quickly made its mark with a tenth-place finish in the Clàssica CV, a seventh-place finish in the queen stage of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, and a strong podium finish in O Gran Camiño. His second-place overall finish was rounded out by two more podium finishes in the third (time trial) and fourth stages. Meanwhile, Germán Gómez competed in the Colombian National Championship, and Giovanni Lonardi secured a remarkable fifth-place finish in the final sprint of the Clásica de Almería.
Davide Piganzoli before the start of 2025 Tirreno-Adriatico stage 6. Sirotti photo
March and the start of the Italian racing calendar did not help the team in their pursuit of results, with Lonardi’s sixth-place finish in Cholet (France) being the best result of the month. This was before April, which changed the dynamic with some important results. Davide Bais was the first to come close to victory with a strong second place at the Giro Reggio Calabria, while Fernando Tercero finished in the top-10 at the Giro d’Abruzzo, and Davide Piganzoli, with his fourth place in the toughest stage of the Tour of the Alps, also came close to breaking into the top ten in the final general classification.
In this series of stage races, Aidan Buttigieg finished second at the Tour of Malta after coming close to victory in each of the three stages, while Lonardi’s speed contributed to three top-5 finishes (including a second place), and Germán Gómez finished sixth in the general classification in Turkey.
We thus reach the highlight month of the season: the Giro d’Italia. Team Polti VisitMalta honoured its fifth participation in as many seasons in the Professional category by bringing, for the second consecutive year, all eight riders from the start to the finish. From Albania all the way up the Italian peninsula, with a finale in Rome blessed by the Pope: more than 3400 kilometres, of which about 400 were spent in the breakaway by Alessandro Tonelli, who was awarded the Combativity Prize on three separate stages. Overall, Polti VisitMalta jerseys were part of the day’s breakaway in roughly 70% of the racedays. Among the highlights were Fran Muñoz’s long solo effort in Apulia during the opening week, as well as multiple attacks by Andrea Pietrobon, the Bais brothers and especially captain Maestri — 6th in stage 14 (Nova Gorica) after being caught near the end, and 2nd in stage 18 (Cesano Maderno) by winning the sprint of the chasers behind a stage winner. On the decisive day atop the Colle delle Finestre, Maestri attacked early to support Davide Piganzoli, who after three weeks of consistent strength successfully defended 14th place in the GC. Finally, for sprinter Lonardi, a fine 5th place in Naples on stage 6.
While the Giro d’Italia was underway, Ludovico Crescioli dominated the Tour of Hungary, finishing in the top ten thanks to his consistency, while Fernando Tercero took seventh place in the mountainous Mercan Tour. Manuel Peñalver’s speed in the Tour of Slovenia (two top-5 finishes) led to a Route d’Occitanie where Davide Pignzoli’s quality catapulted him once again to the final podium, coming close to victory in the queen stage, finishing in Luz Ardiden.
The first three victories came almost consecutively, with Manuel Peñalver finally raising his arms in the air on the opening stage of the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai after a powerful sprint. Maltese Aidan Buttigieg took the road and time trial national titles. Peñalver came close to victory on two more occasions in China, completing a spectacular start to July.
Results in the August races in Burgos and Denmark were not the best. But Giovanni Lonardi’s seventh-place finish at the Polynormande paved the way for his victory at the GP Plouay and, on the same day, a respectable fifth-place finish for Javier Serrano at the GP Kranj, marking a turning point after a difficult season for him plagued by illness and injury.
The final stretch of the season saw an inspired Polti VisitMalta team rack up excellent results, including Lonardi’s victory in the second stage of the Tour of Istanbul and his podium finishes in the remaining stages, Piganzoli’s third-place finish at the GP Industria & Artigianato, and the Italian rider’s string of top-10 finishes in Tuscany, Sabatini and Pantani. Peñalver returned to the podium at the GP Rik Van Looy, the Belgian classic, until a few days later Samuele Zoccarato raised his arms to the sky at the Tour de la Mirabelle in France, with a widely applauded solo victory.
There would be two more chances to see Lonardi on the podium, at the Coppa Bernocchi and the Tour de Vendée. The closing of the classics season and the debut at the Tour of Holland kept alive the fighting spirit and energy of a team that concluded its season at the Veneto Classic with a triple final success in Lega Ciclismo Professionistico’s Coppa Italia delle Regioni: Mattia Bais Best Climber, Piganzoli Best Young Rider, Polti VisitMalta Best Team. The longest season in Polti VisitMalta’s history!
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Here’s the team’s post:
Zak – short for Zakkari – Dempster will start the 2026 season as Chief of Sports for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe. In this interview, he gives us an insight into his work and his private life.
Born in 1987, Zak hails from Castlemaine in the state of Victoria, just north of Melbourne. At the age of 18, Zak came to Europe with the national team to chase his Olympic dream, but also with the goal of starting a professional career on the road.
"But I wasn't good enough to make progress very fast. So it took me a time riding in smaller continental teams before joining Team NetApp - Endura", he recalls. He remained with Ralph Denk's team for four years, made the transition to Bora – Argon 18, before moving on and ending his active career in 2019 with Israel Cycling Academy in 2019. There, he switched directly from the bike into the car, gaining his first experience in his new position as Sports Director. After three years, he moved on to INEOS Grenadiers, where he spent another three years. "The six years went really fast. The time was right for the next step."
Zak Dempster wins the 2019 Veenendaal - Veenendaal Classic.
Zak, you've been with the team some years ago. What has changed the most between then and now?
"Well, since almost everything has changed, it’s hard to pick something. But now I am part of a pretty cool team (laughs). It’s hell stronger than when I was here before. For example: The year I left Dan Lorang startet and he was like the first coach. But for me I have never had a coach on that team. The situation now is completely different. We are competitive."
And now you are Chief of Sports of this competitive team. What is it like?
"It’s a new role form me. Up to now I was like a project manager, managing the races and doing my part with the athletes. Chief of Sports is more having an overview, see the big picture that includes everything that has to do with sports. Well, there ist the leadership group with John Wakefield as the new Director of Sports Science & Technical Development – I’m directly in contact with him. There are Oli Cookson, our new Head of Racing, Risto Usin as the Head oft the mechanics group, Jan-Niklas Droste as Director Health & Human Performance and Tim Meeusen as Director of Rookie Development and I’m on top of that. It’s a real capable group. In terms of knowledge it’s a super talented team Ralph had build for behind the scenes."
You are with the team since the beginning of October. What were your tasks during the first few weeks, what comes next?
"It's all about listening. I needed to find out everything I could. I talked to people to find out what we can improve and what they need from me. I just have to be patient. Recently we finished the feedback talks with the riders. The information we got from them are very important. Now we're taking them into context with the group to build an environment that creates a winning culture."
Zak, do you have family?
"Yes, my wife is from Catalonia, Spain. We`ve got a little girl, she's two and a half years old. So, it's been a while since I've been back to Australia - a long time, actually (laughs). I do miss it at Christmas. I was looking if I could continue my normal role as sports director and connect it with Tour Down Under but something always gets in the way. This year I think I need to be on the ground and get my feet under the table, learn everyone's names and play my part to create the environment that we need."
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