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Thursday, February 12, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment. - Claude Monet
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.
Upcoming racing:
- February 13 - 14: Vuelta a la Region de Murcia
- February 13 - 15: Tour de la Provence
Latest completed racing:
- February 7 - 11: Tour of Oman
- February 4 - 8: Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- February 4 - 8: Etoile de Bessèges
- February 6: Muscat Classic
- 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
We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.
Here's the report from stage five third-place Luke Plapp's Team Jayco AlUla:
Luke Plapp came close to victory on the final stage of the Tour of Oman but had settle for a solid third place after a strong collective performance from Team Jayco AlUla.
Green Mountain, known locally as Jabal al Akhdhar, once again proved decisive for the overall victory of the five-day race, and the riders in purple put in a strong performance.
Plapp attacked a few hundred meters from the finish line and was only overtaken in the final 100 meters of the climb to take third on the day. Meanwhile Paul Double finished a few seconds behind in fifth place on the stage, having done a big job all week to work for the team’s overall ambitions.
The steep final climb, unfortunately, proved too much for Mauro Schmid after he was dropped in the final kilometres of the day and had to relinquish the overall leader’s jersey.
The moment Mauro Schmid is dropped on the finbal climb.
However, the Swiss champion returns from Oman with a remarkable performance and victories in the Muscat Classic and the third stage of the Tour of Oman. The final general classification standings were ultimately decided by a countback of finish placings after Schmid and Double finished on the same time as Adam Yates, with Schmid being awarded fourth overall and Double in fifth.
Luke Plapp
“We gave it everything we had to defend the GC and also have a good stage result. In the end, was an amazing week with Mauro and the team in Muscat Classic and then Tour of Oman. I loved racing with the boys and getting as many results as we could with Mauro, and then today, I was happy to be able to mix it with the boys on the climb. I’m super happy and proud of Mauro to be able to be there on GC. This ends a brilliant block of racing after Australia and now here.”
Mauro Schmid
“It was a pretty perfect week and today I knew from the beginning it will be quite tough for me. With the few seconds I had on my opponents, I hoped I could reach the podium, but it wasn’t to be. I gave it everything I had, but it wasn’t enough on the climb. I’m still super happy with this first block of races of the season, and now I’m ready for some rest.”
Valerio Piva (Sport Director)
“I feel sorry for Mauro. I would have loved to see him on the podium, but the climb turned out to be very selective. The fact remains that Mauro rode a great Tour of Oman, also winning the Muscat Classic and he’s certainly a rider with great prospects. Plapp also did very well, having been held back by a crash a few days ago but still capable of a great race today, as did Double, who proved to be a real revelation.”
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Here’s the Tour of Oman report from Patryk Goszczurny’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike secured the golden jersey for Patryk Goszczurny in the final stage of the Tour of Oman. The 19-year-old Pole reached the finish line unscathed in the difficult final stage, thereby securing victory in the combativity classification.
In the final stage of the five-day stage race, all eyes were on Green Mountain, which proved to be the decisive factor in this race. After a five-rider breakaway was caught on the final climb, it was every man for himself on the steep final climb. Tijmen Graat made a good impression and held his own for a long time in the elite group.
Patryk Goszczurny takes home the Golden Jersey for combativity.
With two kilometers to go, he wasn't able to hold on and fought his way to the finish at his own pace. "We had secretly hoped for more in the final. Tijmen was fantastically brought to the foot of the final climb by Aldo and Patryk. It looked pretty good at first, but the last two kilometers were too much", DS Robert Wagner said.
Goszcurny was already virtually assured of the combativity classification, but still had to reach the finish line. The youngster succeeded without any problems. "It's very impressive what Patryk has shown this week. He was in the breakaway three times and yesterday he was only caught three kilometers before the finish."
"It was a wonderful experience for him in his first race with the WorldTeam. The fact that he also brought home the golden jersey is a great reward." According to Wagner, the team got the most out of this week. "After Sepp and Bart abandoned, we had to adjust our goals and see what we could still achieve. In the end, we went for the jersey with Patryk and we succeeded."
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Here's the Tour of Oman stage five report from Team Groupama-FDJ United:
The Tour of Oman came to a close this Wednesday at the summit of Green Mountain, the race’s traditional decisive climb. Rémy Rochas crossed the finish line two minutes behind stage and overall winner Christian Scaroni, and therefore had to settle for 26th place in the final general classification. A disappointing outcome for Groupama-FDJ United, whose initial ambitions were undermined by illness and crashes at the start of the event.
On paper, the final stage of the Tour of Oman looked quite easy to read. After 150 relatively flat kilometres, everything was expected to be decided on the demanding climb of Green Mountain (6 kilometres at 10%), the very ascent David Gaudu tackled in the leader’s jersey just a year ago. This Wednesday, Thibaud Gruel tried to take advantage of the first part of the race to make his mark. “There was quite a fight at the start, a small breakaway group formed, and he was part of it, but they were eventually brought back. Then a group of five riders went clear,” explained Thierry Bricaud. “After that, it was full gas all the way to the bottom of the final climb. There were no surprises.”
It was Christian Scaroni who triumphed azt the top of Green Mountain.
From the very first slopes, the pace proved extremely intense, Rémy Rochas held on for a few minutes before having to take his own rhythm. “Rémy had been ill shortly before Oman,” Thierry explained. “He was feeling better when he arrived here, but we knew he was lacking condition. He focused on doing a solid climb to build towards what’s next, like he did two days ago, but we were aware we couldn’t expect much from this day. There are no miracles. You don’t regain top form in just a few days.”
Thirty-third on the stage, just over two minutes behind Christian Scaroni — who also claimed the GC — the French climber slipped five places in the general classification and finished 26th overall. “If we look at the results, it’s obviously disappointing and that’s not what we came for,” Thierry said. “However, when you look closer, we faced particular circumstances. Rémy was ill shortly before Oman and wasn’t at 100%, Rudy fell ill on the eve of the Muscat Classic, and we then had Brieuc abandon through illness and Josh due to a crash. That’s a lot. Without them, we knew the overall classification would become complicated. So, we focused on finishing well and putting in the work for what’s ahead. We should still highlight Thibaud’s excellent form. He claimed a fine third place and showed that he is solid and ready for the start of the season. He leaves with confidence. The same goes for Baptiste, who is going very well and will return to racing with the Conti team. Those are the positive takeaways from the week. We know cycling can easily go one way or the other, and you have to deal with less favorable circumstances.”
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Here’s the team’s update:
For the first time since 2020, Vuelta a Murcia is a two-day race whose course will mainly suit the puncheurs and climbers. The region is known for its open flat areas, where the wind can play a major role, and both stages will likely be decided in the closing part featuring a steep, narrow climb, followed by the finish straight after.
Soudal Quick-Step will tackle the race with Casper Pedersen, Tour Down Under best young rider Andrea Raccagni, and Martin Svrcek, who will be joined by four Devo team riders: Jasper Schoofs, Viktor Soenens – tenth overall at last week’s Volta Comunitat Valenciana – Erazem Valjavec and Marc Zafra.
Andrea Raccagni in the 2025 Tour Down Under's best young rider white jersey. Sirotti photo
“We go there with an incredibly motivated team. It’s a strong and balanced squad, with several options across both stages, and the fact Raccagni has a good sprint gives us an extra option for the finale. He will start his first race since finishing top ten in Australia, and we’re looking forward to those two days of racing”, said sports director Kevin Hulsmans.
Despite being one of the youngest races on the calendar, Clasica Jaen – which is scheduled on Monday – has quickly become one of the most popular, thanks to its combination of gravel and hills. The many off-road sectors, stacked in the second half of the 166.7km technical course, and the almost 2400 vertical meters, make for a difficult to control and explosive race on the roads around Ubeda, where the event starts and finishes.
“Positioning, handling skills and pure power will be decisive on Monday. The route is extremely challenging, but we have riders who can aim for a strong result. At the same time, this race is also a great opportunity for our young Devo guys, who can gain valuable experience at a high level in a real classics-style environment. Our objective is to stay well positioned on every gravel sector, anticipate the key moves and give our best the entire day”, added Hulsmans about the race which we’ll tackle with the same seven riders.
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