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Sunday, November 30, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live. - Jim Rohn
Les Woodland's book Dirty Feet: How the Great Unwashed Created the Tour de France 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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Here’s the team’s announcement:
The INEOS Grenadiers are excited to welcome the highly experienced duo of Elia Viviani and Daryl Impey as Sport Directors, ahead of the 2026 season.
Viviani joins following a stellar career on both the road and track, which included a Tour de France stage victory among 90 professional road wins, along with Olympic and World Championship titles on the track. A former Grenadier, the Italian spent three seasons with the team before recently retiring from racing.
Elia Viviani before the start of 2025 Vuelta a España stage eight. Sirotti photo
Impey, a former South African national champion, became the first African rider to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France in 2013 and won a Tour stage in 2019. He concluded a distinguished 16-year pro career in 2023, before successfully moving into the role of Sport Director.
“I’m thrilled to return to the team that has always felt like home, firstly as a rider but now as part of the staff,” said Viviani.
“I want to give my absolute best to support the riders and share everything I’ve learned throughout my career. The team is entering a new era and I’m excited to be part of this challenge.”
Daryl Impey said: “I’m really looking forward to working with the riders and staff and playing a part in the team’s ambitions for the future.
Daryl Impey after stage 4 of the 2022 Tour of Switzerland. Sirotti photo
“I’ve raced against the INEOS Grenadiers for many years - and even alongside some of the staff earlier in my career - so it’s great to now be working together.
“Having started my career as a teammate of Geraint’s, it’s really special to be reunited now as colleagues. When the opportunity came to join a team with such a clear mission and vision, it was an easy decision to join. I’m excited to get started and hit the ground running in the new year.”
Geraint Thomas, Director of Racing, said: “Elia and Daryl are excellent additions to our team. Their experience, professionalism and leadership qualities will add real value to the INEOS Grenadiers.
“They will also bring fresh ideas and perspectives into an established environment which is really important for our growth as a team, as we continue to challenge ourselves in every area.”
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The race organizer sent me this:
Australian cycling star Ben O’Connor, who won the Queen Stage of this year’s Tour de France, has become the first rider confirmed for the Santos Tour Down Under (TDU) in January.
In a huge boost for the event, the 30-year-old will lead Australia’s Team Jayco AlUla on a climber-friendly course when the 2026 UCI WorldTour season begins in South Australia from January 16-25.
O’Connor is one of Australia’s top general classification riders, having won four stages across all three Grand Tours including two at the Tour de France.
The pick of them came in July this year when he claimed the Tour’s highest summit finish at over 2300m above sea level on top of the Col de la Loze on Stage 18.
He attacked his rivals with 16km to go and held off superstars Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard to record a memorable victory, on his way to finishing the Tour 11th overall on general classification after overcoming a nasty crash on the opening day.
Ben O'Connor wins 2025 Tour de France stage 18. Sirotti photo.
Now entering his second season with Team Jayco AlUla, O’Connor is coming back to where it all began in Adelaide after he launched his professional cycling career at the TDU in 2017.
He last rode the Santos Tour Down Under in 2023 when he finished sixth overall after a third placing in the final stage to Mount Lofty, and in 2024 finished second overall at both the Vuelta a Espana and road race at the UCI World Championships.
Quotes attributable to Team Jayco AlUla rider Ben O’Connor:
“It’s one of the best races of the year, a lot of people can back that up being centralised in the middle of the city with this big festival atmosphere as well so I love it.
“And riding with Team Jayco AlUla there is a responsibility to perform there, so I want to be ready and switched on.
“The last time I was here I was sixth and had bit of a bungle at the bottom of a climb and I never made the group that ended up winning that stage, so I’d love to be on the podium in Adelaide one year.
“I think the main stage will be the Uraidla day when you go up the Corkscrew and turn left, it makes the climb 2km longer and it’s quite different going from a 5-8 to a 10-13 minute effort, so it does suit me a bit better.
“And that final day in Stirling is pretty relentless, nothing is too steep but I’m thinking things can get pretty out of hand later in the laps, because there will be some fatigue and it’s a pretty unforgiving circuit.
“So it definitely opens the race up to be more aggressive, especially on that last stage because you can just lay it all out there.
“Even with the prologue you can’t play it safe any day at the TDU if you’re trying to win it or finish top three, because the difference between third and sixth can be five seconds, so every single thing often counts Down Under and you have to be super switched on.”
Quotes attributable to TDU Race Director Stuart O’Grady:
“We are very excited to have Ben back at the Santos Tour Down Under in January and I'm sure the same goes for thousands of cycling fans who watched him win that amazing stage at this year’s Tour de France.
“Ben launched his professional career here eight years ago and now he returns to Adelaide as a multiple Grand Tour stage winner and one of the top general classification riders in the world.
“The challenging course for next year's TDU will suit his climbing abilities and we expect he will be joined by a really strong Jayco AlUla team with him to target the Santos Ochre Leaders Jersey.”
The 2026 Santos Tour Down Under route is shaping up at the most exciting in history with the return of an inner-city prologue, two climbs up the Corkscrew, three times up Old Willunga Hill and a thrilling final stage showdown in Stirling to decide the Santos Ochre Leader’s Jersey.
The women’s race will be the longest in its history at 395km, showcasing new stage starts in Willunga, Norwood and Magill, and also feature two ascensions of the Corkscrew as well as a new one-day race in the Barossa. It will also be the first time in TDU history that all 15 women’s WorldTeams will be on the start line alongside all 18 top-tier men’s teams.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
6d Sports Nutrition will continue as the Official Nutrition Partner of Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance – Soudal for the next two years, extending a partnership that began in 2017 and has grown into a model of a symbiotic collaboration. The renewal reinforces the shared commitment to innovation, evidence-based product development, and providing riders with the best possible nutritional support across training, racing, and recovery.
Rather than a traditional supplier relationship, the collaboration between 6d and our teams has been shaped by close communication and continuous feedback. Performance staff, riders, and nutritionists work together with 6d to refine existing range and contribute insights that help guide the development of new products.
A key element that further strengthens this collaboration is 6d’s unique Unit System, built around Sports Units, Ultra Units, and Protein Units. This intuitive framework makes it exceptionally easy for riders and performance staff to plan fueling and recovery with precision, regardless of training load or race demands. By simplifying nutrition strategy without compromising performance, the Unit System has become a cornerstone of daily practice within the teams, making 6d truly irreplaceable.
Speaking of the agreement, Andy Baert, CEO of 6d Sports Nutrition, said: “After eight years of intensive and successful collaboration, we are extremely proud to extend our long-standing partnership with Soudal Quick-Step and AG Insurance – Soudal for two years. Our shared focus on innovation, product development, and supporting peak performance has led to many great victories. We look forward to continuing this strong partnership and supporting the riders with the best possible sports nutrition.”
This was echoed by Jurgen Foré, CEO, Soudal Quick-Step & AG Insurance – Soudal, who added: “High-performance sport demands partners who are fully committed to innovation, reliability, and continuous improvement. 6d has consistently demonstrated those values throughout our longstanding and successful relationship. Their willingness to work closely with our riders and performance staff, to listen to feedback, and to turn it into meaningful product development, sets them apart. We are delighted to extend our partnership and thank 6d for their ongoing support.”
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