Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, November 14, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Everything negative - pressure, challenges - is all an opportunity for me to rise. - Kobe Bryant
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both 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
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
Cycling legend returns to strengthen Lidl-Trek’s women’s Sport Director group
Lidl-Trek is pleased to announce the return of Fränk Schleck, who joins the Team as part of the women’s Sport Director group. The Luxembourgish cycling legend, who spent the final years of his racing career with the Team, will work alongside Ina-Yoko Teutenberg and her staff as the Team continues to push for excellence at the top level of the sport.
Frank Schleck wins 2015 Vuelta a España stage sixteen. Sirotti photo
A household name in professional cycling, Schleck enjoyed a career spanning 14 years at the highest level, highlighted by a Tour de France podium finish, two Tour stage victories, and wins at both the Tour de Suisse and Amstel Gold Race. His return to Lidl-Trek reunites him with many familiar faces from his racing days — from management and coaches to mechanics and soigneurs — in a team environment he knows well.
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“It feels amazing to be back,” said Fränk Schleck. “This team means a lot to me, and there’s a real sense of pride and familiarity returning to a place with so many good memories. Coming in from the outside, I could immediately see the energy and direction of the project. The October camp showed me how committed everyone is to pushing standards, and it’s exciting to now be part of that process.
“Personally, I want to contribute as much as I can on and off the field and help the team reach the next level. Success for me is seeing us achieve our collective goals. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’m looking forward to sharing my experience and knowledge with the team.”
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Here’s the post from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Today it's time to say goodbye to Sophie von Berswordt, who will join VolkerWessels Cycling Team in 2026. The Dutch rider has spent the past two years with Team Visma | Lease a Bike, often delivering impressive performances in the spring classics, as well as riding the Tour de France Femmes in 2024.
Sophie von Berswordt
2024:
Despite having never raced on the road at WorldTour level before, Sophie made the jump to Team Visma | Lease a Bike in 2024 and immediately showed her talent for the classics - perhaps a testament to her mountain bike skills. Although she didn’t reach the podium, 20th in Dwars door Vlaanderen and 14th in Paris–Roubaix Femmes were highly impressive results. In Roubaix, she was even in contention for a top-10 finish but was beaten in the sprint. That was only the beginning of her season, however, as she was later called up for both the Vuelta a España Femenina and the Tour de France Femmes - all in her very first WorldTour season. She made it safely through both races, finishing 2024 with no DNFs, a wealth of experience, and several solid results to her name.
2025
In 2025, Sophie once again proved her strength in some of the toughest one-day races of the season. 12th in Dwars door Vlaanderen and 17th in Paris–Roubaix Femmes, where she helped teammate Pauline Ferrand-Prévot to victory, were the highlights. Later in the season, her time-trialling skills came to good use at the Baloise Ladies Tour, where she finished 10th overall after a strong performance against the clock. Sophie’s final race for Team Visma | Lease a Bike came in early October, somewhat fittingly in another cobbled classic: Binche–Chimay–Binche. In 2026, she will trade the black and yellow for new colors, and we wish her all the best for the future.
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