Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Tuesday August 25, 2026
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Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2019: A Year of New Faces is available in both Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España
- August 25 - 28: Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
Upcoming racing:
- August 30: Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
Latest completed racing:
- August 19 - 23: Renewi Tour
- August 18 - 21: Tour du Limousin-Périgord
- 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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Here's the report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
The third stage of the Vuelta a España was canceled shortly before the finish. Severe weather conditions made it impossible for the riders to complete the stage to Font-Romeu.
The day started out warm and sunny, but the weather suddenly changed during the final part of the stage. The riders were first met with rain and wet roads, but conditions soon deteriorated into a severe hailstorm. The hailstones were so large that the riders had no choice but to seek shelter.
Here's the picture of the hail Team Groupama-FDJ posted.
According to sports director Maarten Wynants, canceling the race was the right decision. "It was a good decision by the organizers and the riders to get off their bikes. Given the weather conditions, it was simply too dangerous to continue, and canceling the race was the safest option for everyone", Wynants said.
The organizers have just announced that no winner will be declared and that there will be no podium ceremony.
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Here's the Vuelta post from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
The green jersey wearer animated the third stage before the extreme weather forced the organisers to cancel it.
Ethan Hayter has been in the spotlight in all three stages of the race so far: second for the smallest of margins on the opening day time trial, most combative after 180 kilometers at the front on the roads to Manosque, and part of the breakaway for the second day in a row on what should have been the first summit finish of the Vuelta.
Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates on the day's penultimate climb, just before the hail hit.
Just two kilometers into the stage that was supposed to finish atop Fort Romeu, the 27-year-old attacked and formed a solid group together with five other riders. Once again, he was prominent in the breakaway, helping it take the gap to three minutes before the peloton began chewing into it. Around 25 kilometers from the finish, on the first climb of the day, Ethan was overhauled by the chasers, minutes before chaos ensued.
Heavy rain started, quickly turning into hail, which prompted the organisers to stop the race while the riders started to put jackets on and seek shelter at the roadside. As the weather didn’t improve half an hour later, it was decided to cancel the stage for the security of the riders, meaning there was no official result on Monday.
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Here’s the team’s news:
From the cobbled classics to stage racing, Kasper Asgreen is set to add depth to NSN Cycling Team’s roster as an exciting addition for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.
2027 will mark Asgreen’s tenth year as a pro, during which time the Dane has established himself as a winner and stalwart teammate.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kasper Asgreen to NSN Cycling Team,” says General Manager Kjell Carlström. “Kasper is exactly the versatile rider we wanted to add to our roster, and we expect him to make a strong impact as both a leader and a teammate.
Kasper Asgreen on the podium after winning the 14th stage of the 2025 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
“He is a fighter – whether on the cobbles, in a breakaway, putting the hammer down on the front of the peloton, or racing against the clock. His aggressive, opportunistic approach has earned him victories across a wide range of races, and we are excited to see what he can achieve in the years ahead.
“Not only will Kasper’s experience and versatility see him assume a leadership position in the team, naturally as one of our key riders for the classics, but I also see him playing an important role in guiding our young riders. They can learn a lot from a rider of Kasper’s caliber and really tap into his racing know-how.”
For Asgreen, NSN Cycling Team feels like a natural fit.
“When Kjell reached out, it was just really nice to feel the motivation that the team had around me and hearing what the sporting management group thought we could both bring to the table,” explains Asgreen. “Especially how we could win some bike races together and not just me, but how I can play a role in the team. I love winning myself, don’t get me wrong, but I also love it when my teammates and the people I work with succeed. This shared motivation and direction were key reasons I chose to come to the team.”
Asgreen’s breakthrough second place at Ronde van Vlaanderen in 2019 cemented his name as a classics’ favorite and it only took two more years to stand on the top step of the iconic Belgian Monument. Naturally, the classics remain some of Asgreen’s favorite races.
“I definitely still have multiple goals that I would like to achieve,” adds Asgreen. “The classics are obviously very special to me. They are where I had my big breakthrough and are the races that I enjoy so much. I think the team already has a good classics squad and there’s so much potential there to be successful. So I hope I can come in and help guide the boys and use the experience I have from winning some of the biggest ones.”
\Looking ahead to his time with NSN, Asgreen is motivated to complete the Grand Tour trifecta after the 31-year-old added Tour de France and Giro d’Italia stage wins to his palmarès in recent years.
He adds: “I already have a stage win in the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, so the next step would be to try and complete the trilogy and I would love to do that with NSN. Beyond the classics and Grand Tours, one of the other big goals I have is the World Championships time trial. In 2021, I was two seconds off the podium at the World Championships, so I still have a score to settle there, and I would really like to get that medal at some point.”