Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, October 4, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
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Les Woodland's book Tour of Flanders: The Inside Story - The rocky roads of the Ronde van Vlaanderen is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- September 28 - October 5: Tour de Langkawi
- October 4: Giro dell'Emilia
Upcoming racing:
- 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:
- October 3: Mûnsterland Giro
- 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 race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Arvid de Kleijn's Tudor Pro Cycling Team:
Arvid de Kleijn stormed to victory on Stage 6 of the Tour de Langkawi, matching his score of two wins from both 2023 and 2024 editions.
With the Queen Stage behind, the Tour de Langkawi opened three more chances for the fast men - and Arvid wasted no time.
Stage 6 came with rain, chaos and crashes, but the team stayed sharp with two goals in mind: winning the intermediate sprint with Yannis and winning the stage with Arvid. Mission accomplished for today.
Arvid de Kleijn wins stage six.
Yannis gained three valuable bonus seconds in the first sprint as he continues his chase to the GC lead. The break was then allowed some space before being reeled in for the sprint. Arvid once again chose Blikra’s (Uno-X Mobility) wheel — just as on Stage 2 — launched with 150 metres to go, and powered to victory.
Right after the finish, Arvid’s first thoughts were with his sprint rival Matteo Malucelli, who crashed out earlier: “I’m sorry for Malucelli crashing out — I’d have loved to battle again, but I wish him a quick recovery.”
Reflecting on the day, Arvid was happy: “The stage was hectic, as expected, but super nice: Yannis took 3 bonus seconds, we controlled the race and we won — so it was perfect. The sprint was fast and chaotic. I took the Uno-X wheel like the other day and chose the long route to avoid being blocked. Once I launched, I knew I had the speed. Perfect sprint and day for us. I hope in the coming stages I’ll still have the chance to sprint. We’ll go all in.”
The GC battle is wide open too. Thanks to his intermediate sprint win, Yannis still sits 4th overall — just one second off the podium and seven from the race lead.
Arvid added with a smile: “Yannis is a climber, a smaller guy, so he can’t push much power in a sprint. But I gave him a tip on aerodynamics, told him to stay low — and it worked!”
Today’s win marks another step for Tudor Pro Cycling: with 14 victories in 2025, we’ve just set a new all-time record for the team.
And the season isn’t over yet.
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We posted the report from third-place Pavel Bittner's Team Picnic-PostNL with the results.
Here's the report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Olav Kooij was unable to contest the podium places in Friday afternoon’s Münsterland Giro. The Team Visma | Lease a Bike sprinter got boxed in during the finale and could not fight for victory, which eventually went to Jasper Philipsen.
Now two-time Münsterland Giro winner Jasper Philipsen (left) on the podium with two-time winner (2011 & 2012) Marcel Kittel
The 19th edition of the Münsterland Giro was one for the sprinters. With many world-class fast men lining up in Stromberg, the sprint teams kept the three early escapees within reach throughout the afternoon. The breakaway was caught with 45 kilometres to go, partly thanks to the efforts of Mikal Grimstad Uglehus and Jed Smithson – two riders from the Development Team who were given the chance to show themselves in Germany.
As the peloton approached Münster, attacks came thick and fast. Despite a small crash in the finale, a bunch sprint proved inevitable. Niklas Behrens did an excellent job heading into the finale, but Christophe Laporte and Kooij - the 2022 winner of the German one-day race - lost each other in the final kilometres. The Dutch sprinter was too far behind to contest the victory and crossed the line in sixteenth place, well behind winner Philipsen.
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“This is obviously not what we came for here”, sports director Maarten Wynants admits afterwards. “With so many sprinters, it was a fight for position. In the finale we lost each other at the front. When you're not well positioned at such high speeds, you know it’s over.”
However, Wynants was pleased with his team’s work throughout the day. “Mikal played an important role for us today. Together with the other sprint teams, we kept things under control. Niklas was also extremely strong going into the local lap. At that point we were perfectly placed, just as we had planned. Unfortunately, that good work is not reflected in the result today. Luckily, new opportunities are coming up soon for Olav”, Wynants concludes.
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And here's the Münsterland Giro report from Tim Merlier's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The Münsterland Giro marked Tim Merlier’s final outing as European Champion, but it was no fairytale ending for Soudal Quick-Step’s speedster. Merlier, who since winning the continental title last year has amassed a total of 17 wins, was one of the big favourites at the last German race of the season, but his hopes of victory abruptly came to an end inside the last eight kilometers, when he was involved in a crash.
Tim Merlier after stage nine of the 2025 Tour de France. Sirotti photo
Until that point of the race, Soudal Quick-Step had been in control of things with Ayco Bastiaens and Jordi Warlop, who kept the original breakaway in check before reeling it in around 40 kilometers from the finish. On the local laps, other riders tried to get away and flip the scenario, but our team did an excellent job and also brought these late attackers back.
Due to the crash that came so close to the line, only a reduced group was left to fight for victory, which was taken by Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) after a hectic sprint. Soudal Quick-Step’s top finisher in Münster ended up being former Belgian Champion Yves Lampaert.
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