Search our site:

Sign up for our Email Newsletter

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, September 9, 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

My favorite things in life don't cost any money. It's really clear that the most precious resource we all have is time. - Steve Jobs

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:

• August 23 - September 14: Vuelta a España

Upcoming racing:

• September 12: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
• September 13: Memorial Marco Pantani
• September 14: Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal

Latest completed racing:

• September 2 - 7: Tour of Britain
• August 31: Bretagne Classic-Ouest France
• August 26 - 29: Tour Poitou Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
• August 20 - 24: Renewi Tour
• August 19 - 22: Tour du Limousin
• August 17: Hamburg Cyclassics
• August 17: La Polynormande
• August 12 - 16: Tour of Denmark
• August 15: Circuit Franco-Belge

The team sent me this:

Bruno Armirail will race for Team Visma | Lease a Bike for the next two years. The experienced time trialist will add depth to the Dutch WorldTeam, particularly in the Grand Tours.

Armirail (31) has competed at WorldTour level for eight years and is known as a highly versatile rider with a big engine and strong time-trialing abilities. The 31-year-old Frenchman is a three-time national time trial champion and currently holds the national champion's jersey in the discipline. This season, Armirail has shown his offensive racing style, earning him the KOM titles at both the Tour of the Basque Country and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Bruno Armirail climbing in stage 6 of the 2025 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo

“This is a unique opportunity in my career to race for one of the best teams in the world,” said Armirail about his move. “I want to challenge myself by changing environment and race for a foreign team for the first time. I'm also looking forward to being part of a team that can compete for victory in nearly every race. I expect to play an important support role in the major races, but I also hope to keep improving in time trials, on climbs, and in controlling breakaways.”

Head of Racing Grischa Niermann sees the experienced Frenchman as a key asset for the Grand Tours and tough stage races. “He’s suitable for all terrains,” said Niermann. “He brings a lot of experience and clearly has a big engine. But we believe that within our professional environment, he can still take further steps in his development.”

The team sent me this news:

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is strengthening its roster for the coming season with an experienced all-rounder: Mattia Cattaneo will join the team. The 34-year-old Italian brings a wealth of experience and will be a valuable addition to the team’s ambitions – both in stage races and in demanding one-day classics.

With Cattaneo, Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe secures another strong signing for the new season. The Italian is about to begin his 14th year in the pro ranks and has competed in just as many Grand Tours. It is precisely this consistency and experience that the team will rely on. Known as a powerful rider, the Lombard also showcases his strength in time trials and challenging one-day races.

Mattia Cattaneo racing at the 2021 Tour of Luxembourg.

Ralph Denk, CEO of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, says: “With Mattia, we continue our strategy of pairing our young talents with experienced professionals. Mattia brings race awareness and experience, along with the big engine that provides crucial power for the team – from one-day races to the Grand Tours.”

Mattia Cattaneo says: “I’m very happy to be joining Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe and I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone and starting to race. I’d like to thank the team for giving me this opportunity. I’ll do my best to support the team leaders, and I’m convinced that my contribution can be valuable for the team.”

Faulkner’s Team EF Education-Oatly posted this news:

Olympic gold medalist and reigning US road-race champion Kristen Faulkner underwent a successful operation to stabilize the cartilage in her right shoulder.

She will now complete six weeks of rehab at home in the United States before resuming her on-bike training to prepare for the 2026 season.

Kristen Faulkner racing in the 2023 Strade Bianche

Kristen’s injury dates back to her crash at the 2025 Tour de France.

“Kristen injured her shoulder at the Tour,” explains EF Pro Cycling Head Doctor Jon Greenwell. “After she’d had a few days’ rest, she noticed that her shoulder was still pretty painful, so we organized an MRI scan that showed some damage to the cartilage, which could potentially cause some shoulder instability. After consulting with USA Cycling and a couple of orthopedic doctors in America, we decided that the best thing to do for her long-term health was an operation to repair the cartilage. We didn’t want to leave it and then have her suffer from pain and instability later, so now was the best time to do it. The rehab process will be about six weeks before she can get back on the bike, and then she'll be ready to go for a full preseason to race next year.”

Kristen is satisfied with the operation and excited to start training for 2026 unhindered. She is recovering from the operation at home with family and friends.

“The surgery was very successful," Kristen says. "I am recovering now, and with the timing of it, I'll be able to start next season on a normal timeline. I'll be healthy and fully recovered going into next season.”

Grégoire's Team Groupama-FDJ posted this too late for yesterday's news:

He had to fight hard until the very end, but this Sunday in Cardiff, Romain Grégoire did secure his final victory in the 2025 Tour of Britain. In a fast-paced sixth stage, and after following the attacks from Remco Evenepoel in the final, the Frenchman firmly held onto his green jersey. In the Welsh capital, he therefore secured his fourth victory of the season, and the third overall stage race victory of his career.

Romain Grégoire wins Tour of Britain stage four.

Just 112 kilometres separated Romain Grégoire from the overall win in the Tour of Britain this Sunday morning. However, with the leader’s green jersey on his shoulders, the young man was obviously expecting a hard day between Newport and Cardiff, on a profile that didn’t feature major climbs, but that still included a demanding terrain and a one-kilometre hill at 10% ten kilometres from the finish. “The weather conditions weren’t easy either as it rained a lot during the day,” said Jérôme Gannat. “It was also a tactical stage in a way. First, we had to let go the right breakaway, which went after about twenty kilometres. There were four riders, the closest overall was 1’13 back, which wasn’t too much of a worry. The goal was to keep them at about two minutes because we knew it would come back fast in the final, so Reef and Matt pulled at first. After fifty kilometres, things got a bit tense in the peloton because we approached a strategic zone, with small roads typical of Wales. The gap was reduced to just one minute.” Temporarily stopped by a herd of cows, the bunch eventually cruised with this gap until the final twenty kilometres.

Then, following a big push approaching the day’s final climb, the breakaway’s lead dropped to thirty seconds. On “Caerphilly Mountain” (1.3 km at 9.6%), the last fight between the favorites did take place, and Romain Grégoire entered the scene. “It was a nervous stage,” said Romain. “To be honest, I didn’t sleep well last night. There were a lot of riders close to me in the general classification, so we had to manage it well. That’s what we did perfectly as a team. I was a bit nervous because I knew I could win, but I could also finish tenth tonight. It wasn’t easy on the climb, but I was quite confident, I had good legs, and I was able to follow the attacks.”

After he responded brilliantly to Remco Evenepoel and Oscar Onley, the young Frenchman crossed the summit in a small group of about ten riders. “The leaders found themselves together at the top,” added Jérôme. “Ideally, Quentin should have been with Romain in the final, but he had a mechanical problem on the climb. Romain had to manage it on his own, but he especially had to keep an eye on Alaphilippe and Evenepoel.” The Belgian wasn’t actually keen to give up. “The descent wasn’t easy either,” said Romain. “Remco attacked, it wasn’t a fun moment, but I managed to catch him.”

Thanks to a solid effort, Romain Grégoire managed to bring it all back together with five kilometres to go. Then, a few moments later, the leaders’ group got bigger. “With 10 or 15 riders, it would have been really dangerous for me at the finish, but when sprinters like Kooij and Watson came back, it was easier to manage,” said Romain. “When I saw Visma-Lease a Bike leading out in the last two kilometres, I was more confident.” “There were also the three riders left from the breakaway in front, and that suited us as well,” added Jérôme.

Eventually, the fugitives were caught in the final straight and the time bonuses at the finish were grabbed by the fast men. Olav Kooij claimed victory, and Romain Grégoire sealed his overall win in the British event. “It’s crazy,” he commented. “I’m really happy with this victory, for me and for the team. It’s incredible to win a GC in a race like this. It’s quite rare in a career. And then winning in front of Remco and Julian makes the victory even sweeter. I just enjoy the moment. It was the first race of a big block, so starting with a victory like this will obviously give me a lot of confidence.”

Also winning the best young rider classification, Romain Grégoire scored the thirteenth victory in 2025 for Groupama-FDJ, but the first overall win since the 2023 Tour du Limousin. “He had this race in mind because he knew the stages suited him, especially the one he won,” concluded Jérôme. “Yesterday, he did what he had to do by finishing in the climbers’ group without losing time. Romain is really strong when he’s determined. Overall, we defended the jersey for two days, and I think we did it well. We had an experienced team with Quentin and Olivier, but we also had the youngest rider in the race with Reef, and a sprinter in Matt. We handled our responsibilities and our strategy well, so I think we can be proud of that. Finally, it was special because the staff from La Conti that was here didn’t know the WorldTour riders very well, but it went well. There was a very good atmosphere and that obviously also affects the results.”

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