Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
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2024 Tour de France | 2024 Giro d'Italia
Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. - Robert Kennedy
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2020: The Tour During Covid-19, Better Late Than Never is available in both Kindle eBook and Audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- September 21 - 28: World Cycling Championships
Upcoming racing:
- September 28 - October 5: Tour de Langkawi
- October 3: Mûnsterland Giro
- October 4: Giro dell'Emilia
- 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:
- 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
- September 13: Memorial Marco Pantani
- September 12: Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- September 2 - 7: Tour of Britain
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The UCI posted this too late to make yesterday's news.
Belgium’s Remco Evenepoel underlined his reputation as one of the sport’s finest time trialists with a commanding victory in the Men’s Elite Individual Time Trial at the 2025 UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Kigali.
The world champion in the discipline of the past two years powered through the 40.6-kilometre course in 49 minutes 46 seconds, averaging nearly 49 km/h, to secure his third world title against the clock. It was a performance that left no doubt about the 25-year-old’s dominance, and it reaffirmed why he came to Rwanda as one of the top stars to watch.
Remco Evenepoel on his way to his third world championship. Sirotti photo
Speaking after the race, Evenepoel described both the challenge and the thrill of the course. “It felt pretty good right away on the first flat part; I could feel my legs turning. I held my pace without going over the limit. The first climb of the day was quite hard, along with the last two, so I really pushed it there.
“After that, I saw I had a big gap, so I kept a pace I could sustain until the bottom and then went flat out on every climb. I must say, the cobbles were brutal—I hated them at some point. It was so hard to push through them toward the end, but winning was the most important thing.”
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Australia’s Jay Vine impressed with a strong ride, finishing in 51:00.83, more than a minute behind Evenepoel but comfortably ahead of the rest. His silver medal was a breakthrough on the world stage, confirming his rise as a versatile rider capable of shining in major championships.
The podium was completed by another Belgian, Ilan van Wilder, who claimed bronze in 52:22.10, sealing a remarkable day for Belgian cycling. With Evenepoel and van Wilder both on the podium, Belgium showcased its depth of talent in the discipline.
Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogačar, fresh from his fourth Tour de France win in July and reigning world road race champion, finished fourth in 52:23.76, narrowly missing the podium. His presence in Kigali brought added star power, but on his birthday, he sadly had to settle for a place just off the medal spots.
Mexican sensation Isaac Del Toro, one of the sport’s rising stars at just 21, finished fifth in 52:26.89, confirming his promise with another strong showing on the global stage.
Dutch climbing ace Thymen Arensman, another of the pre-race favourites, placed ninth in 53:25.71.
For the host nation, the crowd roared as Shemu Nsengiyumva secured a strong 25th place with a time of 56:41.13, while Moise Mugisha finished 31st in 58:40.67 in a race that drew 54 riders. Though not in medal contention, both riders were warmly applauded for their determination, with their participation marking Rwanda’s growing stature in world cycling.
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Here’s the team’s news:
Emmanuel Houcou joins the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for the next three seasons. The young Frenchman has shown in his first year in the pro and U23 peloton that he has a lot of potential in sprints, puncheur-type finishes and classics-style racing. Houcou grew up on the island of Martinique, a part of France in the Caribbean. Cycling runs in the family so it was a logical choice for young ‘Manu’.
“I was four or five years old when I started on a mountain bike,” he says. “I think I was ten when I first raced on the road. Cycling is very popular on the island. The Tour de Martinique stage race is a big event. My dad and uncle were cyclists and my grandfather too, so it was a logical choice. I will be the only professional cyclist from the island next year and am really proud of that. I hope my step to the pros and the races I will get to ride, will inspire young riders on Martinique to also dream big.”
Emmanuel Houcou
Houcou himself dreamed big when he was just 16 years young and travelled to Hyères, in the south of France, with his 18-year-old sister Rachel to finish high school. He raced with VC Hyerois as a junior and moved to the highly renowned amateur team of AVC Aix when he was 18. He now lives in the city of Aix-en-Provence and raced with the Arkéa B&B development team this season.
“I am sprinter but a modern sprinter,” he introduces himself. “Peter Sagan was my idol growing up. I also love the Classics and like him I can sprint after a harder race with some climbs like many modern sprinters these days. Just like him I also like to spice up the races and finally I can also do well on puncheur-style finishes.”
Houcou recently showed this with a second place in GP Plouay, a race with pro teams and club teams, which is run on the same punchy course as the World Tour race. It’s only his first year in the U23 ranks but he already showed what he is capable of and the terrains he thrives on.
He was the runner-up in the U23 version of the Bredene Koksijde Classic, scored top tens in Paris-Troyes, Tour de Bretagne and Paris-Roubaix. His biggest win was the opening stage in the Orlens Nations GP, a renowned stage race for the U23 category in Poland.
“There was a strong field there with all the strong sprinters from my age group like Jed Smithson and Mathieu Kockelmann. It was the first race I did with the national team, and it was a great week. I also liked racing Paris-Roubaix where I was ninth. It was a lot harder than I expected but I also had great fun.”
It was after that race Houcou came onto the radar of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. After receiving a call from head of performance Kurt Bogaerts and a video call with general manager Doug Ryder, Houcou decided to join the team.
“I will be the only French rider on the team next year,” he says. “I could have joined a French team but Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is one of the most modern teams out there with a big future. Joining an international team is a bit out of the comfort zone but I can’t wait. They looked for a rider like me, the contact was very pleasant straight away and they have a good plan for me to grow and develop. I am still young so the first year will be more about helping someone like Matteo Moschetti, but I hope to win races too. My biggest dream is to be World Champion and win Milan-Sanremo. It’s becoming more difficult for sprinters every year, but the dream is there so why not.”
General manager Doug Ryder said on the signing of the young Frenchman:
“We’re excited to welcome Emmanuel Houcou to Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team as our first French rider, joining us from Martinique, and as a second sprinter alongside Matteo Moschetti. Manu is a modern sprinter with a real taste for the classics, including races like Milan–Sanremo. With us, he’ll have a great program and the chance to take on some big races that will help him continue to develop. He thrives in technical, slightly chaotic finishes with an uphill kicker. These are the perfect characteristics for modern cycling.”
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