Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul. - Douglas MacArthur
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Current racing:
- February 4 - 8: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 4 - 8: Etoile de Bessèges
Upcoming racing:
- February 6: Muscat Classic
- February 7 - 11: Tour of Oman
Latest completed racing:
- January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
- January 31-February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- February 1: GP Cycliste de Marseille - La Marseilaise
- January 29: Surf Coast Classic Race cancelled
- January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under
- January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
- January 1: GP Sven Nys
- December 30: Superprestige Diegem
- December 29: Trofee Loenhout-Azencross
- December 26: World Cup Gavere
- December 23: Superprestige Heusden-Zolder
- December 14: World Cup Namur
Here’s the team’s news:
Today RCS Sports & Events officially awarded the wild cards for some of the most important Italian races of the spring calendar, WorldTour-level competitions that attract the international spotlight: Team Polti VisitMalta will take part in a trio of highly prestigious races in March.
On Saturday the 7th, the Tuscan gravel classic — not a Monument but unique in prestige and spectacle — the Strade Bianche; from the 9th to the 15th comes the Tirreno-Adriatico, the Race of the Two Seas, where last year sprinter Lonardi claimed two top-10s and captain Maestri went close to victory with one of his trademark breakaways; finally, on another legendary Saturday for cycling, the 21st, the Classicissima: Milan-San Remo, where in 2024 Davide Bais launched a move that was caught just before the decisive Poggio.
Team Polti-VisitMalta before the start of the 2025 Milano Sanremo. Sirotti phnoto
Polti VisitMalta’s general manager Fran Contador: “Our way of racing and the growth of the project have allowed us to earn invitations to the major RCS spring races, which we’ll approach with our usual enthusiasm, grateful to the partners who share this journey with us and to the organisers for their trust. We’ll work hard to make the most of these great opportunities — we can’t wait to be at the start and to bring our best performances to the roads of Italy!”
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Here’s the team’s update:
Valentin Paret-Peintre is ready to get his season underway in the same place where one year ago he captured his first victory as a Soudal Quick-Step rider. The French climber will be in action at the Muscat Classic and the Tour of Oman, at the latter returning after finishing an impressive runner-up and winning two jerseys in 2025.
Valentin Paret-Peintre wins stage five of the 2025 Tour of Oman.
The man who tamed in spectacular fashion the gruelling gradients of the Green Mountain, one of cycling’s most brutal climbs, Paret-Peintre will be joined for the two races in the Sultanate by Gil Gelders, Junior Lecerf, Warre Vangheluwe, Mauri Vansevenant – who just last week concluded eighth overall at the AlUla Tour – and Ceriel Desal and Stan Van Tricht, the two Belgians riding for our feeder squad this season.
Muscat Classic should once again be an affair between the puncheurs and the climbers, thanks to the presence of half a dozen climbs on the course, including the steep Al Jissah, which will be tackled in the last seven kilometers. In the absence of an individual time trial, the 15th edition of the Tour of Oman will be decided on the two demanding uphill finishes – the Eastern Mountain and the Green Mountain – where significant gaps can be opened.
“The course of the Tour of Oman is similar to what we had in recent years, with two uphill finishes and some potential sprint stages, but the wind can also leave its mark on the race. In 2025, we had a good week here and we’re determined to fight again for some strong results. The boys are motivated and can’t wait to show that in the next days”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Sep Vanmarcke.
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Here’s the team’s post:
Ben O’Connor has today confirmed his goals for the 2026 season with the Giro d’Italia general classification his main objective.
The 30-year-old was a stage winner at the Italian Grand Tour back in 2020 and finished fourth overall in 2024.Now, the rider from Perth is eager to return stronger and more mature and challenge once again for the overall title, this year with Team Jayco AlUla.
Ben O'Connor wins stage 17 of the 2020 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
Having kicked off his season in his native Australia at the Tour Down Under, O’Connor will now shift his focus and preparations to May and the Grande Partenza in Bulgaria.
“The Giro d’Italia always finds our soft spots,” O’Connor explained. “Maybe it’s just the Italian allure, or maybe because it was the Grand Tour I always believed I’d perform well at.
The 2024 Giro and the fourth place overall was a good result, but no one likes finishing off the podium. I’d love to change that in the future and can’t wait to be back there this year.”
The 2026 Giro d’Italia features a 40km individual time trial and a massive 49,150 metres of climbing: the perfect combination for the Team Jayco AlUla climber. Living and training at altitude, the return of several mountain top finishes above 2,000 metres is also a welcome addition with O’Connor hoping to shine on the hardest of days.
“Having that long crescendo into the final week of big mountains is something that’s always suited my style,” O’Connor continued “And it’s been replicated again for 2026, especially the Dolomiti stage.”
With no fewer than 12 Grand Tour starts under his belt, the four-time Grand Tour stage winner knows what it takes to pace himself over three weeks. O’Connor has come close to a GC victory before with his stunning second place finish at the 2024 Vuelta a España, plus another near-podium finish, with fourth place at the 2021 Tour de France.
“Ben has been on the podium in a Grand Tour before,” said Sporting Manager Gene Bates. “He was fourth at the Giro a few years ago and so he knows what it takes. This year, he’s older and wiser, and we’re really looking forward to supporting him to achieve the best result he can overall at the Giro.
His season is built around this early goal, he had a strong start in Australia and we’ll be helping him to build over the next months to arrive in Bulgaria in the best shape possible, and with a team ready to assist him over the challenging edition of this year’s Giro.”
Team Jayco AlUla performance staff believe 2026 can be the year that O’Connor steps onto the Giro podium and the team will be backing him as team leader all the way from Bulgaria to Rome.
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Here’s the post from Marit’s Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:
Arne Marit has started his time at Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe with the best possible result. However, the Belgian wants to be important for the team in other roles.
A week ago, Arne Marit didn't have to think long to find an answer to the question of what was the best moment of his cycling career so far. "Morbihan," he said after a moment's thought, referring to the one-day race in the department of the same name in north-west France that provided the backdrop for his first and, to date, only victory as a professional. That was in his first year as a professional cyclist in 2021. In a season completely turned upside down by the Covid pandemic, the race normally held in May concluded the ProSeries in mid-October. Established sprinters such as Bryan Coquard and Elia Viviani, who had a combined total of 130 victories at the time, lost out to the neo-pro from Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise. "That gave me a lot of self-confidence. Plus the adrenaline - a great moment."
However, anyone who asks Arne Marit now about his best moment in his cycling life will get a different answer. "Mallorca Challenga, Palma," he now says, and in most cases will barely be able to hold back a broad grin. Because since the weekend, he has a second victory to his name. In the first race for his new team. Actually planned as the lead-out guy. And after a pre-season with an uncertain end.
Arne Marit wins the 2025 Trofeo Palma.
Despite a current contract with Intermarché, Arne fell victim to the team merger with Lotto. He was only informed of the decision at very short notice, which made the search for new employers more difficult. When the Belgian was already prepared to sign on with smaller teams, he was contacted by Zak Dempster. The sports director of Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe offered Arne Marit a new home, which he gratefully accepted.
"The first few weeks in the team were overwhelming. I arrived last minute and quickly had to get used to 150 new people, riders and staff. What impressed me the most: Every time I asked for something, I got help straight away," he recalls of his first few days in the team. "It's crazy how quickly people can male something happen. I'm in a very professional environment here. I notice that not only in training, but also with the equipment. But that also means: no more excuses. If it doesn't fit now, then it's the legs," he jokes.
But everything went right for Arne Marit right at his start on Mallorca. He was actually supposed to ride the leadout for Alessio Magagnotti. The 19-year-old Italian is a newcomer to the Rookies and dominated the domestic junior races the year before. However, a crash on the approach to the final sprint meant that both riders got lost in the hectic finale. Arne found himself in the best position, immediately switched from a supporting role to sprinter in his head and rode to victory. "It was a relief. Seeing that I haven't lost my killer instinct means a lot to me." And it also explains the very emotional jubilation after crossing the finish line. Arne had come close again and again in recent months and years, for example as third in a Vuelta stage last late summer.
That was different in his younger years. "I started cycling quite early at the age of ten or eleven. When my father went out for a ride with his mates every Sunday, I wanted to do the same. And then that was also Tom Boonen's big time. He was a huge idol of mine. But it didn't get really intense until I was 16, when I switched to a bigger club for the first time. And because it worked straight away, I never stopped. I won the Nokere Koerse twice in a row as a junior. That's why it's still my favourite race today."
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