Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Thursday, October 30, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
It is the peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others and to forget his own. - Cicero
Stoic philosopher Epictetus' Golden Sayings is available in both audiobook & Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- 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:
- 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
- October 11: Il Lombardia
- October 9: Gran Piemonte
- October 7: Binche-Chimay-Binche
- October 7: Tre Valli Varesine
Here’s the post from Raccagni’s Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The 21-year-old neo-pro looked back on his first season in the Soudal Quick-Step jersey and talked about his ambitions for the future.
Andrea Raccagni concluded just a couple of weeks ago, in China, a solid rookie season. The Italian, who turned pro after two years spent with our Devo squad, competed on three different continents from January until October and scored a total of nine top-ten results, including some at World Tour level. Motivated by this, Andrea is already looking forward to 2026, a year where he hopes to discover some new races and fight for a victory.
Andrea Raccagni
“My season can be divided in two parts: before and after the National Championships. I got a couple of top ten results in the first months of the year, but I didn’t have the best feeling, whereas after the Nationals and an altitude training camp, I felt better and stronger in some really hard races.
"It was nice to start my season with a top ten on the last stage of the Tour Down Under before returning to Europe. There I hit the cobbles and made my Paris-Roubaix debut. I suffered on that day, but despite this, it still was an experience from which I learned a lot. I remember the atmosphere that the fans made, it was crazy out there, and I hope to be back at the start one day.
"Then, the summer brought a top fourth-place finish in Poland, which was the first result that came after a performance that really made me happy, especially as I achieved it on a hard course, with almost 3000 meters of climbing. I got the answer I was looking for that day and a confirmation of the fact I was working in the right direction. In Germany and Slovakia I began racking up top-ten results, and in the latter it was incredible to get my first top ten overall finish, which was actually insane, as I concluded just two seconds from the white jersey. It was one of the highlights of the season for me.
"I see next year as being more or less the same. I want to improve on the climbs, because I feel good there. I already knew I was capable of some nice things in the sprints, but I was happy to see what I could do when the road went up. Next season I would also like to get a victory and discover some new races, like the ones in the Ardennes. I also hope to be at the start of Milano-Sanremo and the Giro, these are two races that every Italian dreams of, and it would make me happy to race them.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
After four years with the Kazakh team, Italian rider Simone Velasco has extended his contract with XDS Astana Team for two more seasons (2026 and 2027).
The 29-year-old rider had a very solid and consistent year, earning 1464 UCI World Ranking points. Velasco achieved several podiums in one-day races such as the Giro dell’Appennino, Giro della Romagna, and Coppa Agostoni, as well as two Top-10 overall results at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and the Itzulia Basque Country. However, his most remarkable performance in 2025 came with a 4th place at the Monument classic Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
Simone Velasco wins the field sprint for third place at the 2025 Giro dell'Appennino. Sirotti photo
“After four seasons with the team, I feel my career is developing in the right direction, and I’m happy to keep improving as a professional rider with XDS Astana Team. This year I took another step forward and achieved several results I can be proud of. Yes, I missed a victory, although I came close a few times, but overall, it was a strong season for the entire team – where I didn’t win, my teammates did. In any case, next season I’ll aim for victory in every race or fully support my teammates”, – said Simone Velasco.
“Simone Velasco is one of those riders who have become strongly associated with our team, always performing at a consistently high level each season. Simone is someone we can always rely on to deliver results. He has grown significantly with us, and it’s great that his career continues in XDS Astana Team. This year he came close to the podium at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and that’s a great goal for him in the upcoming seasons”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov, General Manager of XDS Astana Team.
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Here’s the team’s announcement:
At the Tudor Pro Cycling Media Day in Spain last January, the Team set an ambitious goal: to finish the 2025 season among the top two UCI ProTeams - earning automatic invitations to all WorldTour and ProSeries races in 2026. Today, that goal has been achieved, marking a major milestone in the Team’s journey and confirming its place among the sport’s elite.
With 15 victories, including a stage win at Paris–Nice by Michael Storer, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec claimed by Julian Alaphilippe, and Matteo Trentin’s triumph at Paris–Tours, the 2025 season was Tudor Pro Cycling’s most successful to date. The Team also celebrated its first Monument podium at Il Lombardia, three national titles, and a successful debut participation in the Tour de France.
Julian Alaphilippe wins the the 2025 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec.
In total, Tudor riders scored an impressive 10,026.3 UCI points, nearly four times more than in 2023, the Team’s first year in the professional peloton.
“I am very proud of what we have achieved as a team, not only in 2025 but since we joined the pro peloton in January 2023,” said founder Fabian Cancellara. “This success is the result of hard work, commitment, and belief from our riders, staff, and partners. Reaching our main goal of ranking among the top two Pro Teams is something we can all take pride in. Now, we can rest a little and look forward to 2026 with confidence.”
Looking ahead, preparations for next season are already underway.
“We can now plan our season with much greater clarity,” added Raphael Meyer, CEO of Tudor Pro Cycling. “With automatic invitations to all WorldTour and ProSeries events, we’re in a stronger, more stable position. No more plan B or C, we can focus on one clear path. We can offer a refined work plan to everyone - riders and staff - earlier. This will improve their lives and allow us to organize better, and ultimately elevate our performance once again.”
This milestone is a confirmation of Tudor Pro Cycling’s growth, vision, and potential. The journey from a young ProTeam to a consistent contender on the world stage has been swift, but it’s only the beginning. With passion, dedication, and purpose, the Team now turns its focus to 2026, ready to compete, inspire, and continue writing its story at the very top of world cycling.
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Here’s the team’s news:
Five of the team’s key riders will continue to wear the Team Polti VisitMalta colors next season. These include young riders such as Fernando Tercero, Javi Serrano, Fran Muñoz, and Colombian Germán Gómez; as well as an experienced Diego Pablo Sevilla, who will remain with the Alberto Contador Foundation until 2027.
Quality in different terrains, team riders, part of some of the great results of recent seasons. The five contract renewals announced by Team Polti VisitMalta guarantee that the core of the squad remains unchanged, as do the goals and ambitions for 2026.
Diego Pablo Sevilla
A fixture in the Giro d’Italia lineup for the past two years, Fran Muñoz has already demonstrated his physical condition, his capacity for prolonged efforts, and his fondness for the classics, which also make up a large part of the calendar. His impressive performance as a domestique and supporter is an asset his teammates will continue to appreciate: “I’m very happy to be here after two years in the category and with all the experience I’ve accumulated. I’m looking forward to 2026 with great enthusiasm and ready to take a step forward. I think it’s going to be a year with many interesting goals, so I’m eager to start working right away.”
Both the toughest mountain stages and the GC in stage races will continue to be the preferred venue for Fernando Tercero, who has fully recovered from the cytomegalovirus that affected him last year. In 2025, he managed to reach the top 10 at the Giro d’Abruzzo, the Giro del Friuli, and the Tour de Langkawi. “This will be my fourth year as a professional. I’m eager to repay the confidence and strive for the level I achieved at the end of this season. I hope to grow from there.”
With over 10 years’ experience at the Fundación, and familiar with the project development and the progression of the ProTeam, Diego Pablo Sevilla will once again be a reference for everyone. Always at the service of his teammates, he will maintain this fundamental role until 2027: “I’m especially excited to renew my contract for another two years. I’ll continue competing at home, I feel the trust of the team, and I hope to repay it by working towards everyone’s goals. The journey within this project, which I’ve seen grow, motivates me to continue seeking new challenges.”
In a year complicated by injuries, Javier Serrano has taken advantage of the end of the season with several top positions at Qinghai Lake and GP Kranj. The Madrid native’s speed and explosiveness will continue to serve Team Polti VisitMalta: “I’m very happy to continue being part of a growing project, and although it’s been a difficult year, the team has supported me and continues to believe in me. They’ve supported me, and with that careness, I have renewed hope for 2026.”
Colombian Germán Gómez maintains his strong performance on the toughest days, as demonstrated this year with strong overall rankings in Turkey and the queen stage of the Vuelta a Burgos. “I’ve already completed two years with this squad, now I’m motivated to turn all that learning into results, but also into work toward our very ambitious goals for next season.”
Jesús Hernández, Sports Director: “The renewal of these cyclists demonstrates that we continue to trust the work of the Fundación Alberto Contador in the U19 and U23 categories, who are now demonstrating their professionalism, and in the talent of the promising young riders on whom the team’s philosophy is based, supporting their growth and being the place where they later find their competitive maturity.”
Fran Contador, General Manager of Polti VisitMalta: “The vast majority of these renewals coincide with cyclists who have come through the ranks of our youth teams. But they are very different profiles, with the weight within the team that Sevilla wins year after year; with the fundamental work of Muñoz, who must continue to grow; with the explosiveness and speed of Serrano, who will help us score many points; with the talent of Tercero, who, as he was able to compete at the level of Piganzoli in his U23 stage, we know he has the ability to lead the squad; and with the talents in the mountain stages of Gómez and his great fit within the Polti VisitMalta philosophy.”
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