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Monday, August, 17, 2026

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Upcoming racing:

• August 18 - 21: Tour du Limousin-Périgord
• August 19 - 23: Renewi Tour
• August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España

Latest completed racing:

• August 13 - 18: Arctic Race of Norway
• August 16: Cyclassics Hamburg
• August 16: La Polynormande
• 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

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Hamburg Cyclassics team reports

We posted the report from race winner Paul Magnier's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.

Here's the report from third-place Laurence Pithie's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:

In recent years, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe has consistently been in contention for a top result at the Cyclassics. At the German home classic, just one result was missing to complete every position in the top five. Laurence Pithie filled that gap today, with the New Zealander sprinting to third place.

The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team gets its bikes before the start of the Hamburg race. Sirotti photo.

The road to the podium was built around a clear strategy: the five ascents of the Waseberg were meant to make the race hard enough to take the pure sprinters out of contention for the win. The perfect scenario for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe was a reduced bunch with three of the team’s riders still in the mix.

And that is exactly how the race unfolded.

After the final ascent of the Waseberg, around 50 riders remained in the front group. Among them were Mick van Dijke, Danny van Poppel and Laurence Pithie. Many of the sprinters who had started the race among the favourites, however, were no longer there.

Teamwork to the Podium
The trio stayed patient for a long time, saving energy for the finale. As the race entered its decisive phase, Mick van Dijke moved his teammates into the top ten positions. Then Danny van Poppel took over. With Laurence Pithie on his wheel, he moved to the front of the bunch with 500 metres to go and launched the sprint. Pithie completed the strong team performance by taking third place.

Laurence Pithie at the finish: “We had a super strong team here, and all the boys were in to support me. Once I saw Danny and Mick in the front group, I knew it could be possible to go for a very nice result. We waited a long time, but with 3km to go, we made our move from almost the back and did a nice sprint in the end.”

Fourth-place Paul Penhoët's Team Groupama-FDJ United posted this Hamburg Cyclassics report:

After some frustrating sprints in Poland around ten days ago, Paul Penhoët proved more successful in Germany this Sunday. At the ADAC Cyclassics, the 24-year-old Frenchman managed to contest the final sprint after making it over the final ascent of the Waseberg with the first peloton. He then fought his way through the group over the final two kilometres to give it his all in the finishing straight, where he secured an excellent fourth place: the best result of his career in a WorldTour Classic.

The ADAC Cyclassics, a race that has been part of cycling’s highest level for around twenty years and traditionally made for the sprinters, was set to take place in Hamburg this Sunday. “Since last year, however, they have made the course harder with five ascents of the Waseberg,” explained Jussi Veikkanen. “It has become a little more unpredictable, which is why we wanted to play several cards. The team has often done well here, and we wanted to keep that momentum going.

The plan was to keep Axel and Thibaud as our protected riders and have Paul with a free role”. A year after Johan Jacobs’ superb but unsuccessful breakaway attempt, the goal was therefore not to make the morning break. The Groupama-FDJ United Cycling Team instead wanted to wait until the final seventy kilometres before making its presence felt. “It was mainly from the third ascent of the Waseberg onwards that we needed to be there if anything happened,” Jussi added. “Kevin and Johan had been designated for that role, but in the end, no really interesting group managed to form.” With sixty kilometres to go, the peloton caught the two counter-attackers who had gone clear, and it was only one minute and thirty seconds behind the morning breakaway when crossing the finish line located ten kilometres later.

Paul Penhoët wins the 2023 Tour du Finistère.

With thirty kilometres to go, tensions rose again as the riders approached the fourth ascent of the Waseberg, although it did not cause any significant splits. A few minutes later, as expected, the real selection finally took place. With fifteen kilometres remaining, Isaac del Toro launched the attack everyone had been anticipating, but was unable to create any real gap. Thibaud Gruel came over the climb among the first ten riders, with his teammate Paul Penhoët only a few metres behind.

“We knew there was a 95% chance it would come down to a sprint,” said Jussi. “Actually, the key was positioning on the Waseberg, and that’s what we had focused on because we knew there would be splits after the climb. That’s what happened to Milan and Kooij, who never managed to get back on. As far as we were concerned, all our best cards were well positioned, and it paid off: they were all up front.” “I knew I was in good shape, so I entered the final climb in a good position thanks to Clément, who brought me back up at the last moment,” said Paul. “I could feel that my legs were still responding well at that point in the race, so I was confident about my sprint.”

Over the final ten kilometres, a group of around fifty riders, including Thibaud Gruel, Kevin Geniets, Axel Huens and Paul Penhoët, broke clear and did everything they could to prevent Jonathan Milan and Olav Kooij from returning. The battle was won by the first peloton, and as the sprint approached, the Groupama-FDJ United fast man first benefited from Kevin Geniets’ support before fighting his way towards the front on his own.

“I was focused on being near the front as much as possible, unlike last year, so that I could do my sprint,” Paul explained. After a fierce battle for position, the 24-year-old eventually entered the finishing straight almost on the wheel of favourite Paul Magnier. While Magnier quickly showed that he was the fastest, Paul Penhoët was able to produce a full-strength sprint to secure an impressive fourth place. “I’m where I belong,” he said. “I wasn’t able to move up, but I didn’t lose any positions either. It’s still a good day for me in a one-day WorldTour race.” It was even his best-ever performance in a Classic at this level. “We were left wanting more in Poland, so we slightly changed our strategy here, and it worked pretty well,” added Jussi. “Paul was able to take advantage of the situation, and this will give him confidence for the Tour Poitou-Charentes and the end of the season.”

Axel Huens finished 20th on the day, while Thibaud Gruel was unable to contest the sprint after suffering a dropped chain. “I saw a strong, composed group, and we were still quite numerous in the first group today,” Jussi concluded. “Now we need to maintain this positive momentum and keep the same motivation for the upcoming races.”

Here’s the Hamburg Cyclassics report from Axel Laurance’s Team Netcompnay INEOS:

Axel Laurance sprinted to 11th place at the Cyclassics Hamburg after a fast and attacking 205km race featuring five ascents of the Waseberg.

An early breakaway of five riders established a lead of 4:30 before the first ascent of the Waseberg, with the race continuing to split behind as the peloton worked to bring the leaders back.

With 80km remaining, Brandon Rivera moved into a chasing group as the race began to come back together. Rivera and three other riders were between the peloton and front group of six, who held a two-minute advantage, while further attacks were launched from the peloton behind.

The chasing group were eventually brought back with 65km to go, but the race remained unsettled. With 25km remaining, attacks began coming from the front group, while the chasing group, one minute further back, also began to make moves.

The early breakaway was finally caught by the peloton with 15km remaining, setting up a bunch sprint finish in Hamburg.

Paul Magnier wins the 2026 Hamburg Cyclassics race. Sirotti photo

Laurance was well positioned for the finale and sprinted to 11th place, securing a top-15 finish in a fast and fiercely contested edition of the race.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike posted this Hamburg Cyclassics report:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike showed its attacking intent at the ADAC Cyclassics. Niklas Behrens and Loe van Belle were part of the breakaway, which held on until the final ascent of the Waseberg. Paul Magnier proved the strongest in the sprint from a large group.

In the 29th edition of the German one-day race, Team Visma | Lease a Bike showed its attacking intent. Talented youngsters Behrens and Van Belle were part of the early breakaway, which built up a lead of more than four minutes.

The peloton approaches the finish line. Sirotti photo

The breakaway riders controlled the race for a long time, but the pace set in the peloton eventually prevented them from fighting for the win. On the final ascent of the Waseberg, the team was active at the front, but a sprint was inevitable. Magnier proved the fastest.

“The plan was to race aggressively,” team director Grischa Niermann reflects. “We did everything we could. We knew we had to race because we didn’t have an outright favourite for the win at the start, and the guys did a good job of that. However, in cycling, you are always judged by the result, and unfortunately that was missing for us today.”

Van Belle, Behrens and Tim Rex were all active at various points, which Niermann sees as a positive development. “If you don’t have a big leader at the start, it’s up to the other riders to take their chance. They did that today, and it’s good to see them getting involved in the race.”

Arctic Race of Norway stage four reports

We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.

Here's the report from the GC winer Thomas Silva's XDS Astana Team:

After yesterday’s victory on the decisive stage, XDS Astana Team rider Thomas Silva finished third on the final stage of the Arctic Race of Norway, securing the overall victory in the prestigious stage race.

Thomas Silva wins Arctic Race of Norway stage three.

“I would have liked to win today's stage as well, but it was very difficult to control the race on the final climb. The day didn't start in the best way for me – first I had a puncture, then I was caught behind a crash, but after that everything settled down. The team worked at 100% all day to keep the race under control and, in the final kilometers, to help me stay in a good position. I decided to stick to my own pace, focusing only on my main rivals in the General Classification. A rider from Unibet Rose Rockets launched a very strong attack, but it would have been too risky to follow because the finish was still a long way away. In the end, I finished third, but most importantly, I kept the yellow jersey and won the overall classification. I think this is an excellent result for our team after four great days in northern Norway”, – said Thomas Silva, who has now claimed his eighth victory of the 2026 season.