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Tuesday, October 14, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
In politics stupidity is not a handicap. - Napoleon Bonaparte
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.
Current racing:
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
Upcoming racing:
- October 15: Giro del Veneto
- October 19: Veneto Classic
- October 19: Japan Cup
- October 19: Chrono des Nations
Latest completed racing:
- October 12: Paris-Tours
- October 11: Il Lombardia
- October 9: Gran Piemonte
- October 7: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- October 7: Tre Valli Varesine
- October 6: Coppa Bernocchi
- September 28 - October 5: Tour de Langkawi
- October 5: Coppa Agostoni
- October 4: Giro dell'Emilia
- October 3: Mûnsterland Giro
- September 21 - 28: World Cycling Championships
- September 17 - 21: Tour de Luxembourg
Here's the news from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The best and most successful sprinter of the season, Tim Merlier will pin a number one more time this year before bringing to a conclusion another successful campaign in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey, at the Tour of Holland. The Belgian, victorious in 15 races since the end of January, will be joined by Ayco Bastiaens, British ITT Champion Ethan Hayter – a podium finisher earlier this season at the Tour of Belgium – Yves Lampaert, Pepijn Reinderink and Bert Van Lerberghe.
Tim Merlier wins 2025 Tour de France stage nine. Sirotti photo
A short evening prologue which will establish an initial pecking order, a 15km individual time trial on Thursday, two days for the sprinters, another one with lots of climbing where the peloton will tackle the legendary Cauberg, and an uphill finish on the VAM-Berg – which should be decisive in the final outcome – will be the six stages making up the event that gets underway on Tuesday.
“We look forward to this new stage race, which is a bit atypical. There’s a bit of everything, from almost 20 kilometers of time trial and the VAM-Berg to opportunities for the sprinters and even some gravel, which will sure make for an exciting week. We have a good team, who can be in the mix on the flat with Tim, but also Ethan, Yves and Pepijn can do something nice on this terrain. That being said, the confidence is there in our chances of leaving our mark on the Tour of Holland”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Tom Steels.
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Here's the Tour of Holland preview from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike brings a strong squad to the first edition of the new Tour of Holland, where Olav Kooij and Christophe Laporte aim for stage wins and a potential shot at the general classification.
For the first time since 2004, the Tour of Holland is back.
Six stages featuring sprints, hills, time trials and gravel will take the riders through the Netherlands, starting on Tuesday in The Hague and finishing on Sunday in Arnhem. It’s a great opportunity for Team Visma | Lease a Bike to race in front of home crowds – and a spectacular way to end the season.
“It’s very good news for cycling in the Netherlands that we now have a race like this again after 20 years of absence. We are very excited to race here, and we’re bringing a squad with a mix of experienced riders and younger guys. It will be six days of hard racing,” sports director Arthur van Dongen says.
The lineup is spearheaded by Olav Kooij, Christophe Laporte and Bart Lemmen. For Kooij, the Tour of Holland will be his last race for the team, and a chance to finish off a memorable season with a big result on home soil. The Dutch sprinter has been dealing with illness in the lead-up, but now feels ready to go all out again after racing Paris–Tours last Sunday.
“I’m looking forward to the Tour of Holland. It’s pretty exciting to have a new race in the Netherlands, and I’ll be enjoying my last race in black and yellow in my home country. I want to make it a good ending,” the Dutchman says.
Olav Kooij after stage one of the 2025 Tour of Poland. Sirotti photo
Although known for his fast finish, Kooij has also proved himself a capable climber multiple times, with podiums on the VAM-Berg and in the Bretagne Classic. A top-five overall finish in this year’s Renewi Tour also raises the question of whether Kooij can fight for the general classification, but that’s still too early to say, Van Dongen remarks.
“After the second time trial, we’ll know a lot more about the GC. Olav is a sprinter with a big engine, but we have to see how much time he loses against the clock. Otherwise, Christophe Laporte and Bart Lemmen are full of motivation, and they’re also capable time trialists.”
Besides the two time trials, Van Dongen highlights the hilly days in Limburg and on the VAM-Berg as potential key stages. The gravel on the final stage in Arnhem and the relatively short length of the stages also encourage aggressive racing, which could turn the race on its head. For Olav Kooij, however, it’s one step at a time.
“It would be nice to get a stage win. That’s my personal goal. But we also have a strong team here with Bart and Christophe, so hopefully we can get a good result overall too,” Kooij adds.
Kooij is by no means the only rider on the team for whom a strong end to the season would mean a lot. For Laporte, 2025 has been a year marred by illness, but a solid autumn program and podium places in Binche–Chimay–Binche and Paris-Tours have once again proved the Frenchman’s quality.
“It’s been a tough year, but I feel like I’m back on track now. I needed some time to train and get back in shape, and I’m finally getting closer to my top form, even though I’m not quite there yet. It’s important to finish the season on a good note so I can take the confidence into the winter and next year,” Laporte reflects.
The Tour of Holland would normally be a race very well suited to Laporte, who thrives in the classics-style terrain many of the stages offer. A return to the VAM-Berg, where he won the European Championships ahead of Wout van Aert and Olav Kooij in 2023, also brings back good memories. Overall, Laporte is just happy to add as many race days as possible before the winter break, though there’s one thing that would make the end of the season even sweeter.
“It’s really nice to add an extra six days of racing, and there are definitely some hard stages that I like. I would love to get a win before the winter break, and if I get that, maybe I’ll also look at the general classification,” Laporte concludes.
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And here's the Tour of Holland preview from Danny van Poppel's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:
Professional cycling races in the Netherlands are rare. So it's all the better for Danny van Poppel to return home in the champion's jersey. As captain, he wants to sprint to stage victory.
"It's the most important race of the year," says Danny van Poppel when he talks about the Tour of Holland (14 to 19 October). With a twinkle in his eye, of course. However, this view is not that far-fetched, at least from the 32-year-old's personal perspective. After all, Danny is not only travelling to a race in his home country as Dutch champion, but also as captain of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe.
Danny van Poppel winning the 2018 Tour of Valenciana. Sirotti photo
The first point in particular is a rarity. Since Danny's first championship honour in the elite class in June, no race above UCI category .2 has been held in the Netherlands. Alongside the Amstel Gold Race (1.UWT) and the Volta NXT Classic (1.1), the Tour of Holland (2.1), which celebrates its premiere this year, is one of only three races in the cycling-mad country in which WorldTeams are eligible to compete.
Last start in the Netherlands at the Vuelta
"It's been hard to organise races in the Netherlands in the last couple of years," says Danny. "There are many at a lower level, but at professional level there are not." The official requirements are high. In the current season, for example, three out of five .1-races were cancelled due to a NATO summit in The Hague, because the two-day event meant that there were no motorbike police available for most of the year to provide the necessary security for the races.
As a result, the last time Danny was able to ride in front of his home crowd was in 2022, with the exception of his championship-winning race. Which fits the picture: It wasn't a Dutch race in the true sense of the word, but the Gran Partida of the Vuelta in and around Utrecht. "We won two of the three stages back then with Sam Bennett," recalls Danny, who was the leadout man.
"That's own of the best highlights in my career. It's a shame that I almost never can race in the Netherlands." Apart from a few more national championships, it is necessary to look back to 2018 to find one of Danny's starts on home soil. Back then, it was the first race of the short-lived Hammer Series in Limburg.
Aiming for a stage win
"I hope that the Tour of Holland will give the Dutch race organisers a boost," says Danny. "That would be important for Dutch cycling." The first step at least seems to have been taken, with the Tour following in the footsteps of the Ronde van Nederland, which was cancelled in 2004.
That Danny could become the successor to his compatriot Erik Dekker, the last winner of the race to date, is not impossible, but not particularly likely either. Above all, Limburg's hills and almost 20 kilometres of time trial, spread over a short prologue and another time trial, make the race more than just a sprinters' tour.
"It will be very difficult for me to win the general classification, but never say never!" says Danny. "The goal is definitely to win a stage." He has already celebrated three times this year. Victory in the national championships has been joined by two in the Tour of Hungary.
Close to home, the family comes to the track
On these occasions he has never worn the special jersey in red, white and blue. "It's great to wear it at a race in my home country. I'm very motivated to present the jersey to the public. And I'm really up to win a stage in it!" The time trial, but also the first stage around Dordrecht, are not too far away from Danny's birthplace Moergestel near Tilburg. "My family will be coming to visit me. Especially for my grandparents, it's not so easy to see me when I'm travelling somewhere in the world." Extra motivation for Danny at every turn.
And that's exactly what it's all about so close to the end of the year. "The form is still there, but in this part of the season it's all about mentality," he says. "I'm still very motivated and that will bring me really far in this race."
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Here’s the team’s update:
With a wealth of talent making the trip to Asia, UAE Team Emirates-XRG is pleased to announce its squad for the Tour of Guangxi. Beginning on Tuesday, 14 October, the six-day stage race is the final WorldTour event of the season, and will see the Emirati squad look to add to its historic win tally.
Beginning in Fangchenggang on Tuesday, the Tour of Guangxi is now in its sixth edition and will run until Sunday, 19 October. Raced in the Chinese province of Guangxi, the final WorldTour stage race often sees sprinters get their opportunities before one big showdown amongst the climbers on the summit finish at Nongla Scenic Spot.
This year’s course is no different, but has enough lumps and bumps to entice the peloton into aggressive racing in a bid to upset the sprinters. As such, UAE Team Emirates-XRG has named a squad that is ready to race on the front foot.
Led by Sports Directors Simone Pedrazzini and Jan Polanc, the seven-man squad is as follows:
– Igor Arrieta (Spa)
– Jan Christen (SUI)
– Felix Großschartner (AUT)
– Julius Johansen (Den)
– Jhonatan Narváez (Ecu)
– Ivo Oliveira (Por)
– Rui Oliveira (Por)
For all seven riders, the final race of the season presents an opportunity to go in search of success, and a mix of youth and experience should suit the Emirati squad well in China.
Igor Arrieta at the end of stage four of the 2025 Coppi-Bartali race. Sirotti photo
For Rui Oliveira and Jan Christen, a race debut at the Tour of Guangxi awaits, whilst for Jhonatana Narváez, this will be the Ecuadorian’s fifth participation in China. The 28-year-old won his very first race this season, the Tour Down Under, and nine months on, he will bring his debut season with UAE Team Emirates-XRG to a close.
Narváez will hope to follow in the footsteps of his fellow South Americans, Sebastián Molano and Fernando Gaviria, both of whom claimed stage wins at the Tour of Guangxi for the Emirati squad.
Felix Großschartner is a rider who knows what it takes to be successful in this environment, having finished as the runner-up at the 2018 Tour of Guangxi. Meanwhile, Igor Arrieta, Julius Johansen and Ivo Oliveira will each add their strengths to the group.
Looking ahead to the sixth instalment of the Tour of Guangxi, Narváez set his sights on a strong end to the season for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Narváez: “We’ve been here in China a few days now and are adjusting to the surroundings and doing some good training.
“It’s a nice race and there are a few hilly stages here which can suit me well, and some sprinting chances for the Oliveira brothers also.
“I’m really pleased with my first season at UAE and it has been a special one to be a part of. I hope we can finish the year on a high note here in Guangxi.”
UAE Team Emirates-XRG heads into the final WorldTour race sitting comfortably at the top of the pile in the UCI WorldTeam rankings, whilst the all-time record for wins in a season was passed by the team last month. The Emirati squad currently sits on 94 victories for the campaign, and this week will present the final opportunity to add to this history-making tally.
The Tour of Guangxi will begin on Tuesday with a nigh-on 150km-long course that begins and ends in Fangchenggang. Tougher tests will come for the peloton, but the opening day looks well set for a sprint finish from the peloton.
Raced from Chongzuo to Jingxi, stage 2 presents a more interesting affair, with a Category 2 climb topping out with 35km to ride. Standing at 3.7% for 8.4km, this climb is not the toughest of tests, but with the final 35km all gradually rising to the line, we could see more selective racing on Wednesday.
Stages 3 and 4 will certainly provide a sterner challenge for the pure sprinters in the bunch, with each featuring over 2,000m of elevation gain. With three categorised climbs on the route, stage 3 takes the peloton from Jingxi to Bama, before stage 4 runs from Bama to Jinchengjiang.
Despite not finishing with an uphill kick of any kind, stage 4 may well be the toughest of the race. With 2,676m of elevation gain, Friday’s stage is punctuated by a Category 2 ascent, which tops out with 35km to go. This climb stands at 5.6% for 4km, before an uncategorised climb stretches out for a kilometre at 6% some 11km from the finish.
Saturday will be the day that all the climbers have circled in their roadbooks, with a summit finish in store at the Nongla Scenic Spot. This climb, averaging 7% for 4.6km, routinely decides the overall winner of the Tour of Guangxi and has maximum slopes of 15%.
To end the WorldTour season on Sunday, stage 6 will begin and end in Nanning. A 133.1km course will mostly be raced on a circuit in the city, but it is not without its difficulties. A short but steep climb (1.2km at 12%) will be tackled on each lap, before a flat finish in the city.
The sprinters should come to the fore once again on the final day, but the final climb with 20km to go may tempt an opportunistic late attack from the bunch.
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