Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, November 22, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
If you tried to give rock and roll another name, you might call it 'Chuck Berry'. - John Lennon
Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Giro d'Italia, A Year-by-Year History of the Tour of Italy, Vol 1: 1909 - 1970 is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- 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 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- 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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Magnier’s Team Soudal Quick-Step posted this:
The 21-year-old Frenchman – one of the most successful riders in the peloton last season – made a ranking of his most important victories of 2025.
“It’s difficult to make a ranking, because all my 19 victories were important and each of these had its own story, but if I were to start with one, then that would be my first success of the season, on the opening day of the Étoile de Bessèges. It’s a great memory, because I returned to winning ways after the crash in the Tour of Britain the year before, and got a confirmation of all the hard work I had put in during the winter. At the same time, it was special because I could dedicate it to my important grandmother, who’d passed away just a couple of days before the race.”
Paul Magnier wins stage one of the 2025 Étoile de Bessèges. Sirotti photo
“Next one is the Dwars door het Hageland, which was a hard one-day race featuring cobbles and hills, and full gas from the start. I managed to prevail from a small group after a demanding race, and it was great to do it in Belgium with the Soudal Quick-Step jersey on my shoulders.”
“My victory in the Tour de Pologne was the first one I got in a World Tour race. It’s memorable, because it came after a beautiful finale, which suited me, but also because I wore the T-rex Quick-Step jersey on that day, which allowed for a nice celebration on the line.”
“In September, came my success at the Grand Prix de Fourmies. I’m putting it on the list because it was the first of the 14 wins that I took in the last five weeks of the season, but also because I had at my side Dries Van Gestel, whose experience and skills were instrumental in the incredible run I had from there on.”
“The last of these is the final stage of the Tour de Guangxi. To win after such a demanding parcours, featuring some really steep gradients, and a challenging race, at the end of a long season, made my proud of what I achieved in China, but also of my teammates. They put in an incredible amount of work, not just on that day, but during the entire week, helping me cap off in style an amazing year in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey.”
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Here’s the announcement from NSN:
NSN and Stoneweg launch the NSN Cycling Team
The international sports and entertainment company NSN (Never Say Never) and Stoneweg, a global investment platform based in Geneva Switzerland, have entered into a joint venture in professional road cycling to take over the WorldTour and Development team structure ahead of the 2026 season. As a result, the new WorldTour Team name is NSN Cycling Team, and the Conti Team name is NSN Development Team. NSN Cycling Team is a Swiss team and has a Spanish structure that is based in Barcelona and Girona.
The Israel-Premier Tech team will look quite different in 2025. Sirotti photo of the team being presented at the Vuelta a España.
This new era marks a significant milestone in the growth of the team and an opportunity to join forces with organizations united by shared values of ambition, excellence, and the drive to inspire through sport.
“We are proud to welcome NSN and Stoneweg to the team and announce our new name and identity: NSN Cycling Team,” says NSN Cycling Team General Manager Kjell Carlström. “NSN’s acquisition of the team license, and subsequent role in the team’s operations, is an opportunity to welcome investment from an industry leader in global sports and entertainment, drawing on their wealth of experience to the benefit of the team and our partners. NSN shares our commitment to innovation, development, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in cycling. Our long-term relationship with Stoneweg acts as a foundation for this new partnership and together, we have ambitious goals for the coming WorldTour cycle. This is an incredibly exciting new chapter for the team, and we can’t wait to make our debut as NSN Cycling Team.”
Thanks to this operation, NSN reinforces its role in sports and entertainment at a global level. Since it was founded seven years ago, the company has developed projects in the worlds of football, music, audiovisual production, marketing, and brand and talent management. In 2025, it organized seven friendly matches in different parts of the world, including the three match Latin American tour of Inter Miami and two Barça Legends–Real Madrid Leyendas matches in Mexico and El Salvador. Additionally, NSN owns a team in the Danish Second Division, Helsingør FC, operates a vertical dedicated to representing young footballers, and holds a majority stake in GUAVA, the gravel-bike brand.
“It is a huge challenge for NSN to immerse ourselves in the world of cycling, a sport with global reach,” says NSN President & Founder Joel Borràs. “It represents a fantastic opportunity to explore new ways of communicating and connecting with a sport that aligns with the values of our company, and for the NSN Cycling Team to bring fresh passion to a sport that has inspired millions of people for many years. We want to thank Stoneweg for all the support they have given us in driving this exciting project, which opens up a new and thrilling path for us in the world of sport. We could not have found a better partner to give this team a renewed boost.”
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NSN completed this operation thanks to the support of the Switzerland headquartered investment platform Stoneweg, founded 10 years ago by Jaume Sabater, which has already partnered with the team since 2023. With this move, the team becomes the main vehicle for NSN’s venture in the exciting world of cycling, marking a new chapter for both NSN and the team. After several joint projects, NSN and Stoneweg have now formalized their strategic alliance by signing an agreement through which Stoneweg becomes a shareholder of NSN, with the aim of continuing to support major projects in the world of sport and entertainment. NSN and Stoneweg consider cycling a sport with strong global growth prospects in the coming years, one that represents values well aligned with the company. They also welcome the opportunity to strengthen the professional cycling landscape and to support a team committed to developing young talent.
Jaume Sabater, CEO of Stoneweg Group, commented: “Launching NSN Cycling Team is a proud moment for all of us and we are incredibly excited to work with Kjell and the whole team to ensure we can compete at the very highest level of world cycling in the years ahead. Cycling is a sport that promotes values we firmly believe in from ambition and resilience to teamwork and integrity. Our new WorldTour team aims to embody these principles and inspire the next generation of riders and fans.”
With the 2026 Tour de France set to start in Barcelona, the home of NSN, the new partnership represents an exciting new chapter for the team.
The NSN Cycling Team and NSN Development Team will gather next week for the team’s pre-season training camp and will unveil its new look and race program in the coming weeks
About NSN:
NSN is a global company specializing in sports and entertainment, founded seven years ago. Since its inception, the company has driven projects in football, music, audiovisual production, marketing, and brand and talent management. NSN has organized multiple friendly matches around the world, including the three games of Inter Miami’s Latin American tour and two Barça Legends–Real Madrid Leyendas matches in Mexico and El Salvador. The company also owns Helsingor FC, a team in Denmark’s Second Division; operates a division dedicated to representing young footballers; and holds a majority stake in GUAVA, a brand specializing in gravel bicycles; and has produced documentaries and television shows for major platforms and channels. NSN has offices in Barcelona and Madrid (Spain), Tokyo (Japan), Mexico City (Mexico), and Dubai (United Arab Emirates).
About Stoneweg:
Stoneweg is a global alternative investment group, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and part of SWI Group.
Founded in 2015 by a veteran team of investment professionals, Stoneweg has expanded its platform and capabilities both organically—through joint ventures—and via strategic acquisitions, reaching €11 billion in assets under management (AUM).
It is a trusted capital partner and investment manager for a wide range of global and local investors, capital providers, and banking institutions, with a strong track record of creating value through various structures, including club deals, joint ventures, and co-investments.
The group relies on local operating teams to identify, develop, and manage real assets and other alternative investments worldwide. With more than 250 employees, Stoneweg has an operational presence in 23 offices across 17 countries in Europe, the U.S., and Singapore.
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