Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, February 14, 2026
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. - Charles Spurgeon
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2023 Tour de France, 2023: The Viking Again Conquers the Tour is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- February 13 - 14: Vuelta a la Region de Murcia
- February 13 - 15: Tour de la Provence
Upcoming racing:
- February 15: Clasica de Almeria
- February 16: Clásica Jaén
- February 16 - 22: UAE Tour
- February 18 - 22: Volta ao Algarve
- February 18 - 22: Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta Ciclista del Sol
- February 21: Classic Var
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
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Mattia Bais' Team Polti-VisitMalta:
Sports director Giovanni Ellena had been clear on the eve of the Tour de la Provence: beyond the chances of a good position in the GC on Saturday’s summit finish, there was already an opportunity to fight for top results on the opening day. Said and done: making the most of the rain-soaked roads and the difficulty for the top squads to organize a chase, Mattia Bais carried the breakaway — formed 123 kilometers from the end — all the way to the line. First they were five, then four, later three, finally just two remained: Polti VisitMalta‘s rider and Tendon (Van Rysel) who took the win at the finish while the peloton was closing in just a few meters behind.
A wet and happy Arnaud Tendon wins Tour de la Provence stage one. Photo: Xavier Pereyron/LNC
For Bais, who thanks to his strong riding on the rolling terrain of southern France now leads the KOM classification, this 2nd place is the best result of his career: “Not a nice day in terms of weather, but a very good one in terms of feelings and my physical and mental response after the crash at the end of the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. We managed to go full gas, then Tendon was faster than me in the sprint. Of course, at that point you want to win and it’s a bit disappointing not to, but I’ll hold on to the satisfaction and the polka-dot jersey. Now I’m mainly thinking about recovery and tomorrow I’ll be ready to carry out the tasks I’m given.”
Ellena’s comment from the team car: “The guys all confirmed the sharpness we’ve shown at the start of the season, they’re athletes ready to take their chances in any scenario. This is proven not only by Mattia’s ride, but also by the fact that all his teammates stayed compact in the main group despite the pace and the selection.”
Content continues below the ads
And here's the Provence Tour report from Team Groupama-FDJ United:
It was a potentially tricky stage, but the Groupama-FDJ United cycling team came through it safely. The opening day of the Tour de la Provence this Friday brought extremely difficult weather conditions for the peloton, which was ultimately beaten by the day’s breakaway. Just two seconds behind stage winner Arnaud Tendon, however, Lorenzo Germani (6th), Blake Agnoletto (8th) and Victor Loulergue (9th) all secured top-10 finishes—proof of their excellent positioning throughout the day. Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet also finished safely within the peloton ahead of the decisive stage on Montagne de Lure.
The peloton had surely hoped for far better conditions for its opening day in the south of France. Unfortunately, heavy rain accompanied the riders from Marseille to Saint-Victoret on this first stage of the Tour de la Provence. “We didn’t really know what to expect at the start,” explained sports director Tanguy Turgis. “We were wondering whether the weather would open up the race or if it would end in a big sprint. We had asked Victor and Lorenzo to follow any early moves of around ten riders, and the rest of the team to stay around Guillaume, who was the priority. Today, we were taking a defensive approach.”
A four-man breakaway formed early, from the Col de la Gineste, prompting the entire Groupama-FDJ United squad to regroup around the French climber. He was supported by Lorenzo Germani, neo-pro Titouan Fontaine, and four riders from the development team (“La Conti”): Blake Agnoletto, Victor Loulergue, Rémi Daumas and Esteban Foucher.
The day's four-man break
Despite being a very young squad, they handled the key sections of the course perfectly. “We had to stay alert and together when we reached the hilly section midway through the race, and the riders did that very naturally,” Tanguy added. “We knew the descent at kilometer 90 was very technical, and even more so in today’s rain. The guys were well positioned and did a great job. They were never caught out and always stayed around Guillaume. When a team is well organized all day, it shows real team spirit and sets you up well for the crucial moments. Fred [Guesdon] told them several times how well they were racing in that regard.”
In the final hour of racing, as the peloton intensified the chase behind the breakaway, the leader and his teammates never left the front third of the bunch. “With ten kilometers to go, there was a technical section through town and a tunnel where positioning was crucial,” added Tanguy. “The guys were up there again, we came out at the front, and the peloton split behind.”
The bunch was therefore fragmented heading into the final five kilometres, behind a two-man breakaway that managed to hold on in a final made tricky by rain and soaked roads. “The key point of the sprint was at 800 metres,” Tanguy explained. “The guys took the lead to get into position, especially Titouan and Lorenzo. There were big puddles on the right-hand side between 600 and 300 metres where nobody could move up. By pushing hard at 800 metres, the boys secured good positioning, and then everyone more or less held their place. That’s how we managed to finish sixth, eighth and ninth—it was all about positioning.”
Lorenzo Germani crossed the line first, followed by Blake Agnoletto and Victor Loulergue, the latter also claiming the best young rider’s jersey. Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet finished safely within the main bunch. “The priority was to bring Guillaume home safely, and that mission was accomplished because they rode really well as a team and showed the right attitude”, concluded Tanguy. “Most of them are young riders from the development team who don’t yet have all the reflexes of the pro peloton, but everything was done perfectly—well guided by the experience of Guillaume and Lorenzo. It was quite enjoyable to watch.”
Content continues below the ads
We posted the report from stage winner Marc Soler's UAE Team Emirates-XRG with the results.
Here's the Murcia Tour report from Viktor Soenens' Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Vuelta a Murcia scheduled a demanding 176km stage Friday afternoon, but the strong winds forced the organisers to change things. Just as the riders began rolling through the neutral zone, the decision was taken to stop the race and move the start a couple of hours later, when the peloton was due to tackle a reduced course of just 80 kilometers.
Once the stage resumed, an 11-man breakaway went 1:10 clear; later, two riders attacked from there before the main difficulty of the day, Alto Virgen del Castillo, and Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) ended up taking the win. Behind, a big surge at the front of the peloton split it into small groups, and among those who booked a place in the main one was also the promising Viktor Soenens.
Marc Soler wins stage one.
The Belgian, who came here after finishing tenth overall at Volta Comunitat Valenciana, produced another consistent ride and continued to impress even when the tempo went up and he had to let go of the group on the steep gradients. Soenens gave his best on the climb, staying with some more seasoned riders, and concluded this tough day of racing as the squad’s highest-ranked rider.
Content continues below the ads
Viviani’s Team INEOS Grenadiers posted this:
Ahead of his first race in the new role of Sport Director, Elia Viviani talks us through the team's planning and approach to the seven-day UAE Tour.
Hi everyone. Myself and the team are really excited to fly out to UAE Tour and put our plans into action.
We have a strong team with different options to play during the week, which is really important for a race like this. A key focus during the week will be around the sprint stages with Sam Welsford. He's showed how strong he is at the Tour Down Under with a win already this season. The goal is to support him with a strong lead-out with Connor [Swift], Ben [Swift], Josh [Tarling] and Artem [Shmidt] and put him in the position to do his best in the sprints versus some of the best sprinters in the world. The sprint field is always exceptional at UAE Tour and it’s a challenge everyone is looking forward to.
Sam Welsford winning stage three of the 2026 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
Another important day for us will be the stage two time trial on Tuesday, and the goal is to win it with Josh. It’s his first race this season and it’s a stage he won last year over the same distance (12.2km). We are confident he can compete for the win this year too and he will have our full support.
From a GC perspective we will give the opportunity to Embret Svestad-Bardseng to continue to develop as a GC leader. It will be a good week where he can learn and do his best without the pressure of results. For Peter Øxenberg, similarly it will be a week of learning and continuing his promising progress as a GC rider. The two summit finishes (stage three and six) will be really good tests. With so much experience, Ben Swift will be our road captain in the race and we know it's a role which he really suits. We have a nice team with a mix of younger and experienced riders and we’re ready for any situation, which you have to be in this race. Most years you will see echelons and some crazy stages in the crosswinds.
For me it’s my first time in this new Sport Director role, supporting Xabi Zandio on this race. Everyone is really excited to start the UAE Tour on Monday and we will give everything to continue the team's promising start to the season.
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary