BikeRaceInfo: Current and historical race results, plus interviews, bikes, travel, and cycling historyBikeRaceInfo: Current and historical race results, plus interviews, bikes, travel, and cycling history
Search our site:
Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Monday, October 13, 2025

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia

Perhaps we've never been visited by aliens because they have looked upon Earth and decided there's no sign of intelligent life. - Neil deGrasse Tyson


Bicycle History

James Witherell's book Bicycle History: A Chronological History of People, Races and Technology is available in both print and Kindle eBook formats. To get your copy just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Upcoming racing:

Latest completed racing:


Paris-Tour reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.

Here's the report from winner Matteo Trentin's Tudor Pro Cycling Team:

The early part of the race was shaped by a lively breakaway that set the tempo on the long, flat roads leading into the Loire Valley. With 36 kilometers remaining, two riders managed to move clear, to create a dangerous action for the finale.

Matteo Trentin wins 2025 Paris-Tours. Sprint Cycling photo

Behind them, a chasing group gradually established itself, featuring several experienced riders including Trentin. The repeated cobbled sectors and short climbs of the finale gradually reduced the group’s size, with only four riders remaining in pursuit of the leading duo. The gap narrowed steadily, and while the two in the front started looking at each other at the flamme rouge, the chasers finally made contact within the last kilometer. Trentin then positioned himself perfectly for the sprint, launching his effort in the final meters to secure the win.

Right after the finish, Matteo said: “I feel old knowing I first won this race ten years ago, but inside I’m still young. I’m happy to finally win a race this year. After the Tour de France I felt strong, but some bad luck in Hamburg delayed things a bit. Today the two leaders were strong, but we managed to keep them close and close the gap. It was a hard race with echelons, side wind, and high speed, but I could use my diesel energy and it worked.”

This is Matteo’s third edition after 2015 and 2017, the first of the modern version. But he also added that now he’s won them both, he won’t come back!

find us on Facebook See our youtube channel

The Story of the Tour de France, vol.2 South Salem Cycleworks frames Melanoma: It Started With a Freckle The Story of the Giro d’Italia, vol.2 Shade Vise sunglass holder Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Store Advertise with us!


Content continues below the ads

The Story of the Tour de France, vol.1 South Salem Cycleworks frames Melanoma: It Started With a Freckle

Here's the Paris-Tours report from second-place Christophe Laporte's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Christophe Laporte finished second in Paris–Tours after a grueling race. The 32-year-old Frenchman from Team Visma | Lease a Bike narrowly had to concede victory to Matteo Trentin in an exhausting finale.

The peloton set off from Chartres for a race of over 210 kilometers. Six riders attacked early, but their effort came to an end well before the finish.

The high pace turned the race into a battle of attrition. In the finale, defending champion Laporte was the only Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider left in the front group. A compact peloton reached Tours, where several short climbs and gravel sections followed in quick succession. Meanwhile, French duo Paul Lapeira and Thibaud Gruel held a small lead over the chasers.

With eighteen kilometers to go, Laporte launched an attack of his own, joined by four strong riders. The group of five caught the two leaders only in the final kilometer. In the long sprint, Laporte ultimately had to let only Trentin pass him, while Albert Philipsen took third.

Paris-Tour gets started. ASO photo

“When you finish second, there’s always a bit of disappointment, but I can look back on my race with satisfaction,” Laporte said afterwards. “In the finale I was somewhat isolated, but I managed to respond well to the others’ attacks. Eventually, I decided to make my own move. Together we managed to close the gap and sprint for the win. In the sprint, I felt cramps coming on, which made it almost impossible to push any harder. I gave everything I had, but Matteo was just a little stronger today. I’m happy with my form this autumn.”


Content continues below the ads

The Story of the Giro d’Italia, vol.1 Shade Vise sunglass holder Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Store

Teams headed to Tour of Guangxi

Here's the preview from Team Soudal Quick-Step:

One of the most successful teams since the race was created – with a GC win and eight stage victories to its name – Soudal Quick-Step returns at the start of the Tour of Guangxi between 14-19 October. The season’s final World Tour event, Guangxi has six stages, at least half of which should come down to a bunch sprint, making the fast men present in the race the main contenders for the points jersey.

However, the general classification will once again be an affair between the climbers, with the Nongla Scenic Spot set to serve as the scene of their much-anticipated showdown. The classified climb coming at the end of the penultimate stage is only a couple of kilometers long, but the final kilometer will be a gruelling one, as the average gradient reaches almost 15% and is perfect for those hoping to open some decisive gaps.

One of the most successful riders of the season, with a total of 14 victories in the bag since the month of February, Paul Magnier leads Soudal Quick-Step in China, where he will make his final appearance of the year. Joining the Frenchman on our squad for the sixth edition of the Tour of Guangxi will be Josef Cerny, Antoine Huby, Andrea Raccagni, Dries Van Gestel, Warre Vangheluwe – a stage winner here in 2024 – and Jordi Warlop.

Paul Magnier earler this year at the Besseges Tour. Sirotti photo

“We are going to Guangxi with a well-balanced and motivated team. We hope to get a stage victory with Paul, but also Antoine and Andrea could do something nice on the hilly terrain, so this gives us confidence in our chances of ending the season on a high. The guys have displayed great form in the last couple of weeks and they are eager to show this again, as well as their hunger for success, in China”, said sports director Kevin Hulsmans.


Content continues below the ads

Advertise with us!

Here’s the Tour of Guangxi preview from Team Bahrain Victorious:

The sixth edition of the Tour of Guangxi will take place from October 14th to 19th, starting from Fangchenggang. As the final WorldTour race of the season, the event will once again bring down the curtain on an action-packed year.

Following a sprinter-friendly opening three days, Friday’s parcours looks to be the most testing of the six. With four categorised climbs on the way, we can expect either a successful breakaway or a reduced bunch sprint to the line in Jinchengjiang. Stage five remains the signature, ‘Queen’ stage of the ToG: its mountain-top finish to Nongla ends with a punishing final 3.2km at 7.3%, including 1.2km at 14.8% will play a decisive role in the final General Classification standings. Sunday’s conclusion in Nanning is another challenging loop, with the Cat.2 Qingxiushan (1.4km at 11.7%) to be crested five times. On this same circuit 12 months ago, Matevž Govekar claimed stage victory for Bahrain in a hard-fought reduced bunch sprint.

In 2025, Team Bahrain Victorious return with one of our strongest line-ups yet, with a clear dual focus. Phil Bauhaus will lead the team as the designated sprinter, aiming to seize any of the five sprint opportunities. The German achieved two top-five finishes in his first Tour of Guangxi appearance back in 2019, and returns to face this redesigned course. He will be supported by Andrea Pasqualon and Daniel Skerl in the lead-out, making up a formidable trident ready to contest stage victories.

Phil Bauhaus after stage 3 of the 2025 Tirreno-Adriatico. Sirotti photo

On the other hand, Pello Bilbao will spearhead the team’s GC ambitions. The Basque rider makes his Tour of Guangxi debut, looking to round off a consistent 2025 which has been characterised by a string of strong WorldTour results.

“We are going to China with a mixed team of experienced and young guys,” says Sports Director Borut Božič. “For the GC, the leader will be Pello, and for the sprint, Phil Bauhaus. We also have other guys who can perform strongly. I expect we will be able to fight for the GC, with the first three stages likely being bunch sprints and the final one a reduced bunch sprint. I believe we are ready and will achieve some good results in China.”

The line-up is completed by key support riders Mathijs Paasschens, Roman Ermakov, and Max van der Meulen. Paasschens returns for a third consecutive appearance, while Ermakov and Van der Meulen will make their debuts. Ermakov could be a key card to play in a breakaway on the rolling stages.

The selection is a blend of experience, sprinting firepower and GC focus that gives Bahrain Victorious a real chance to end the season on a high.

And here’s the Tour of Guangxi preview from Team Jayco-AlUla:

Alan Hatherly, Paul Double and Max Walscheid will lead Team Jayco AlUla’s ambitions at the six-day Tour of Guangxi, which starts on 14 October.

Recently crowned double mountain bike XCO world champion, Hatherly will focus on the overall classification. He will share that responsibility with Double, who soloed to his first-ever overall victory at Okolo Slovenska last month.

Meanwhile, Walscheid has his sights set on stage victories in the multiple expected sprint finales.

Max Walscheid winning stage 8 of the 2020 Tour de Langkawi.

Providing backup on the flat and rolling terrain, as well as the sprints, will be a strong engine room of riders. Luka Mezgec and Bob Donaldson will be key in the leadout for Walscheid, while Jasha Sütterlin and Patrick Gamper add yet more power in the core of the squad.

Team Jayco AlUla for Tour of Guangxi
Bob Donaldson (GBR)
Patrick Gamper (AUT)
Alan Hatherly (RSA)
Luka Mezgec (SLO)
Jasha Sütterlin (GER)
Max Walscheid (GER)
Paul Double (GBR)

Alan Hatherly:
“I’m really excited to finish my season off at Guangxi. I think it’s a race that suits me really well, and coming off of my MTB season, I think I’ll be ready for that type of effort. It’s been a great year of learning the ropes with the team and I’m already looking forward to rebuilding into 2026 with what I’ve learned this season. I still have big goals on the road and I’m curious to see where it takes me.”

Steve Cummings – Sport Director:
“Max will be our sprinter and Alan and Paul are our men for GC. The ultimate goal is to take wins, and we have chances across all the stages as well as the overall. This is a great opportunity for Max who doesn’t often get the chance to sprint for himself, so I’m looking forward to seeing how this goes. It is a similar situation in the GC. Paul has won a couple of pro races this season, and in my opinion, he has had a great first season racing at WorldTour level. Guangxi is a great opportunity to test himself again at this level.

"Alan showed his best form on the road in AlUla when he was in the fight for overall win. Since then, he has performed exceptionally well on the MTB, notably winning at the World Championships. It’s always tricky to balance the two disciplines, road and MTB, but Guangxi is a good opportunity for him to demonstrate his versatility and talent. I hope he will also be in the mix for the GC. The other riders are equally important helping the boys realise the opportunity. It’s a real positive that we have options on all stages.”

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary