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Thursday, October 2, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said. - Peter Drucker
Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- September 28 - October 5: Tour de Langkawi
Upcoming racing:
- October 3: Mûnsterland Giro
- October 4: Giro dell'Emilia
- October 5: Coppa Agostoni
- October 6: Coppa Bernocchi
- October 7: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- October 7: Tre Valli Varesine
- October 9: Gran Piemonte
- October 11: Il Lombardia
- October 12: Paris-Tours
Latest completed racing:
- September 21 - 28: World Cycling Championships
- September 17 - 21: Tour de Luxembourg
- September 20: Super 8 Classic
- September 19: Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
- September 17: GP de Wallonie
- August 23 - September 14: Vuelta a España
- September 14: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- September 14: GP de Fourmies
- September 14: Trofeo Matteotti
We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.
Here's the Tour de Langkawi stage four report from winner Matteo Malucelli's Team XDS Astana:
XDS Astana Team rider Matteo Malucelli claimed his third stage win at the 2025 Tour de Langkawi. Today, Malucelli sprinted to victory on Stage 4 after a textbook lead-out from his teammates. In the final meters, he left no chance to his rivals, crossing the line with a commanding margin.
Matteo Malucelli wins Tour de Langkawi stage four. Sprint Cycling photo
“Everything went perfectly for us today, even though we tried a slightly different tactic for the finish. We expected a big fight for the breakaway, but due to the headwind, things didn’t unfold as aggressively – only three riders got away, which allowed us to control the race quite comfortably with Alex (Vinokurov) and Anton (Kuzmin). Later, a few more teams joined forces with us to help reel in the break. In the finale, Nicolas (Vinokurov), Lev (Gonov), and Aaron (Gate) gave me a perfect lead-out. We handled the last corners smoothly, and I decided not to wait other teams lead-out, launching my sprint off Aaron’s wheel with 200 meters to go. Even with the headwind, I managed to hold the front all the way to the line. That’s three stage wins out of four – I think that speaks for itself. Now we’re heading into the decisive stage tomorrow, and my teammates will be giving it everything on the final climb”, – said Matteo Malucelli.
Malucelli currently leads the General Classification of the Tour de Langkawi, holding a 22-second advantage over his closest rival. Aaron Gate sits in third overall, 26 seconds behind. Malucelli also leads the points classification.
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Here's the Tour de Langkawi report from Manuel Peñalver's Team Polti-VisitMalta:
Team Polti VisitMalta came close to victory in the fourth stage of the Tour de Langkawi. The Malaysian race once again came down to a sprint, with Manuel Peñalver able to chase down the winner’s wheel, Malucelli (XDS Astana), the only rider to beat him.
The days progress, and Team Polti VisitMalta’s excellent performance in Langkawi continues, active in the race and eagerly seeking victory in the final stretch. The support of all his teammates for Peñalver to protect his options continues to pile up strong positions, with today’s second place leaving victory just a step away, with four stages still to go.
Manuel Peñalver racing in 2024.
Manuel Peñalver: “After yesterday’s tough and demanding day, my legs responded well today. The teammates kept me protected and calm all day, demonstrating the quality we have as a group. Malucelli won again, we’re back on the verge of victory, and I’m sure the victory will finally come.”
Tomorrow marks the queen stage of the Tour de Langkawi, with the summit finish on Fraser’s Hill after 123.1 km, which will determine the overall classification and give the climbers the clearest opportunity.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
It’s a special reunion at the German UCI WorldTeam: after almost ten years, former team rider Zak Dempster is returning – this time as Chief of Sports.
Since October 1, the Australian has been responsible for overseeing the entire sporting division at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe.
Dempster rode his first season with Ralph Denk’s squad in 2013. Until 2016, he played a key role in a formative phase of the team’s history – years in which the foundations were laid for its rise to the WorldTour and its development into a global top team. He was part of the squad when the team celebrated its first Grand Tour stage victory and lined up for its first Tour de France.
With Zak Dempster’s return, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe is also signaling a new generation in management. At just 38 years old, he will now take overall responsibility for all performance departments as Chief of Sports.
Zak Dempster winning the 2019 Veenendaal - Veenendaal
Ralph Denk, CEO of Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, said: “Zak knows our team like very few others. He played an important role in shaping our history, and despite his young age, he already brings extensive international leadership experience. I am convinced that his fresh ideas, clear leadership style, and fearlessness will help us write the next chapter in our sporting evolution.”
Zak Dempster added: “For me, this feels like coming home. I share so many formative moments of my career with this team, and I am excited to now contribute to its future in a new role. I know Ralph as an ambitious team manager, and with Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe he has created the most exciting project in our sport. Now it’s about realizing this enormous potential together.”
The line-up of Sports Directors at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe is also set for the coming season. Oliver Cookson will take on the role of Head of Racing. The 44-year-old Brit brings with him extensive experience, having spent the past ten years as a Sports Director, most of them with Ineos Grenadiers.
Under his leadership, eleven Sports Directors will oversee race planning and the support of the WorldTour, U23, and U19 teams. Alongside Sven Vanthourenhout, who has been in place since August, Klaas Lodewyck and Tony Gallopin will join the squad at the start of the new year. Lodewyck arrives from Soudal – Quick-Step, where he worked as a Sports Director for ten years after the end of his professional career. Tony Gallopin, a Tour de France stage winner, brings experience from two years in a similar role at Lotto.
Enrico Poitschke will also return to races as a Sports Director in the new season, in addition to his current position as the team's Head of Performance Structure Alignment.
Sports Management at Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe 2026:
Chief of Sports: Zak Dempster
Head of Racing: Oliver Cookson
Sports Director (WorldTour): Shane Archbold, Tony Gallopin, Roger Hammond, Klaas Lodewyck, Enrico Poitschke, Christian Pömer, Sven Vanthourenhout, Patxi Villa
Sports Director (U23/U19): Cesare Benedetti, Gregor Gazvoda, Pello Olaberria
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This is not a race we cover, but here is the report from Evenepoel’s Team Soudal Quick-Step:
It was another remarkable performance from Evenepoel, who came to the start straight from Rwanda, where in addition to being runner-up in the road race, he also retained his ITT rainbow jersey.
Remco Evenepoel in his World Champion's kit racing to victory at the European Time Trial championships. Sirotti photo
The 25-year-old was the last rider to start the 24km individual time trial between Loriol-sur-Drôme and Étoile-sur-Rhône, which featured two climbs – the Mur d’Allex (400m, 6.6%) and a 1.1km one averaging 5.2% whose top coincided with the finish line of the race. Evenepoel showed there’s a reason why he’s nicknamed “The Aero Bullet”, as he went fastest through all three intermediate checkpoints and constantly increased his advantage.
By the time he arrived at the finish, where he was clocked in 28:26 after averaging a stunning 50.63km/h average speed in windy conditions, Remco was more than 40 seconds clear of Filippo Ganna (Italy), who took silver, and Denmark’s Niklas Larsen, the bronze medalist. Soudal Quick-Step had two riders in the top five Wednesday afternoon, as Ethan Hayter concluded fourth, less than second from the podium.
“I’m super happy to take another title. The wind was pretty strong, always on the head or a bit on the sides, so it was really difficult sometimes to control the bike and to take the corners properly, but I think I managed everything well. It gives me great delight to become European Champion for the second time in my career, after 2019, when I was in my first pro year. Now I will focus on recovering and then on having some good training before Sunday’s road race. It looks like it is a beautiful course and I’m really looking forward to it”, said Remco, who now simultaneously holds the Olympic, World, European and National individual time trial titles.
Results:
24 km raced at 50.645 km/hr:
- Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) 28min 26sec
- Filippo Ganna (Italy) @ 43sec
- Niklas Larsen (Denmark) @ 1min 8sec
- Ethan Hayter (Great Britain) @ 1min 9sec
- Joshua Tarling (Great Britain) @ 1min 10sec
- Daan Hoole (Netherlands) @ 1min 38sec
- Mathias Vacek (Czech Republic) @ 1min 44sec
- Stefan Küng (Switzerland) @ 1min 47sec
- Bruno Armirail (France) @ 1min 48sec
- Alec Segaert (Belgium) @ 1min 51sec
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