Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, August, 15, 2026
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Current racing:
- August 13 - 18: Arctic Race of Norway
Upcoming racing:
- August 16: Cyclassics Hamburg
- August 16: La Polynormande
- August 18 - 21: Tour du Limousin-Périgord
- August 19 - 23: Renewi Tour
- August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España
Latest completed racing:
- August 3 - 9: Tour of Poland
- August 4 - 8: Vuelta a Burgos
- July 29 - August 2: Tour of Denmark
- August 2: Circuito de Getxo
- August 1: Clasica San Sebastian
- July 28 - 30: Tour de l'Ain
- July 4 - 26: Tour de France
- July 26: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
- July 8 - 12: Tour of Austria
- June 24 - 28: National Championshps
- June 17 - 21: Tour de Suisse
- June 17 - 21: Baloise Belgium Tour
Here's the statement from the Volta a Portugal:
The organization of the 87th Volta a Portugal deeply regrets to announce the death of British rider Finlay Tarling of the NSN Development Team, following a serious accident that occurred during stage 8 of the race, between Melgaco and Fafe.
At this moment of profound sorrow, the Volta a Portugal organization and the Portuguese Cycling Federation extend their deepest condolences to Finlay Tarling’s family, his teammates, NSN Development Team and all his friends and loved ones.
In light of this tragic event the race will be neutralized until its arrival in Fafe and, as a sign of respect and mourning, the podium ceremony scheduled for today will not take place.
Finlay Tarling
Finlay Tarling's NSN Cycling team posted this:
It is with broken hearts that we announce the passing of Finlay Tarling today during the Volta a Portugal. Fin was a beloved member of our team but, above all, he was a son, a brother, and a friend to so many people. He will be deeply missed.
We extend our deepest condolences to Fin’s parents, Michael and Dawn, his brother Josh, and all those fortunate enough to have called Fin a friend.
Rest in peace, Fin.
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We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.
Here's the report from Team Picnic-PostNL:
Stage 2 of the Arctic Race of Norway offered another opportunity for the sprinters, with Team Picnic PostNL starting the day with five riders after Bjorn Koerdt was forced to withdraw following his collarbone fracture in the finale of the opening stage. It took a little longer for the breakaway to form than on Stage 1. In wet conditions, five riders went clear after the first of two categorised climbs. Their advantage grew to around two minutes, but the peloton kept the escapees on a short leash, with Team Picnic PostNL contributing to the chase.
Erlend Blikra wins stage two. Photo: ASO/Thomas Maheux
The breakaway was finally caught on the local finishing circuit with seven kilometres to go, setting up a second bunch sprint in as many days. Team Picnic PostNL moved towards the front with four kilometres remaining, but Blikra proved fastest in the sprint to take the win. Dillon Corkery was the team’s first rider across the line.
Here’s the news from Visma | Lease a Bike:
Fabio Jakobsen has joined Team Visma | Lease a Bike with immediate effect. The 29-year-old Dutch sprinter has signed a contract that will see him ride in the yellow and black colours through the end of the 2027 season. He will begin working within the team's performance environment straight away.
Jakobsen has claimed multiple Grand Tour stage victories and became European Championship during his career. The Dutchman now sees Team Visma | Lease a Bike as the ideal environment to rebuild towards his best level and compete for victories once again.
Fabio Jakobsen at the start of the the 2026 Tour of Bruges. Sirotti photo
“I've raced against the team for several years now, and seeing everything they've achieved throughout the years and how consistently they perform at the highest level, It's a dream come true to wear these colours.”
The Dutchman is convinced that Team Visma | Lease a Bike offers the ideal environment to return to his best. "My goal is to get back to the level where I can compete at the highest level again and sprint for victories. As a sprinter, you never win on your own, so being part of a strong team is essential. I believe this is one of the best performance environments in the world”, he says. “I believe we can learn from each other and continue to improve together. There's a lot of work ahead, but I'm confident this is the right environment to make progress.”
Mathieu Heijboer, Head of Performance, explains the reasoning behind this move: “We had been looking for a specialist for the pure flat sprints. The more we looked into Fabio's situation, the more convinced we became that there is still a great deal of untapped potential. We believe we can create the right environment to help him unlock it. At the same time, having Fabio join us now allows us to start working with Fabio straight away instead of waiting until next season.”
For the coming months, the focus will be on a gradual return to competition. It will be centered around rebuilding his condition, introducing him to the team’s training philosophy, nutrition programme and way of working, and helping him settle into the team. The team wants to give him the time and structure he needs, with the ultimate goal of seeing him compete for sprint victories again.
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Vlad Van Mechelen & Matej Mohorič to lead Team Bahrain Victorious at ADAC Cyclassics
Here’s the team’s update:
The 29th ADAC Cyclassics will be held this coming Sunday. The race starts in Buxtehude and finishes in Hamburg after 206km of racing. It features rolling terrain, with the Waseberg (700m at 10%) tackled five times, serving as a launchpad for late attacks and potentially leading to a reduced bunch sprint finish on the final loop alongside the Elbe River.
Team Bahrain Victorious will line up for the race with a mix of experienced riders and young debutants, with Vlad Van Mechelen as leader and Matej Mohorič as co-leader. Two German riders will be among our key riders, with Nikias Arndt serving as team captain. Both Nikias and Phil Bauhaus have previously finished in the top 10 at the race.
Matej Mohorič checking out the 2026 Tour of Flanders course before the race. Sirotti photo
The team will also feature promising youngsters Fran Miholjević, Žak Eržen and Oliver Stockwell, who will take on supporting roles. We aim to shine among the world’s best in this one-day WorldTour event.
Comment from our lead sports director Aart Vierhouten:
“We will start with Matej and Vlad as our leaders. All others are here to support them. With a highly demanding finale parcours, where we will do the Waseberg twice with only 12km between the climbs. From the top of the climb to the finish line is only 15km. So, we will see an absolutely fast and exciting last hour of the race.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
Tour de France podium finisher announced in the UAE Team Emirates-XRG lineup for the German one-day race, as the second half of his campaign begins
Three weeks on from finishing on the podium of the Tour de France, Isaac del Toro will continue his season for UAE Team Emirates-XRG at the Cyclassics Hamburg.
Isaac del Toro was the Best Young Rider of the 2026 Tour de France. Sirotti photo
In Germany, Del Toro will race the UCI WorldTour one-day race for the second season running, with the Emirati squad hoping to finish on the podium for the first time since Alexander Kristoff’s third place in 2018. From the team car, it will be Sports Director Andrej Hauptman marshalling the seven-man squad.
Alongside Del Toro, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG outfit will be completed by Filippo Baroncini, Mikkel Bjerg, Benoît Cosnefroy, Rune Herregodts, António Morgado, and Florian Vermeersch.
Last season, the Cyclassics Hamburg was won by Rory Townsend, who held off the rampaging peloton to take a surprise victory and upset the sprinters’ applecart. Behind the Irishman, Morgado rode to seventh place for UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
Townsend notwithstanding, this is a race that is well suited to the bunch sprinters, and hosts its 29th edition this year. At 205.2km in length, the Cyclassics Hamburg will run on an almost identical route to last year, including the fresh start in Buxtehude for the second consecutive year.
The opening kilometres will be fast and dart through Lower Saxony, before the race returns to its usual battleground in the outskirts of Hamburg. It is here that the Waseberg climb awaits the peloton, with its 9.1% slopes for 700m. The climb will be tackled on five occasions as the peloton makes its way around a technical, supporter-packed course.
For this reason, although the flat finish naturally lends itself to the sprinters, the fast men will have to be attuned to any opportunistic attacks. The course is not a walk in the park and will make for an attritional afternoon of racing in northern Germany.