Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, February 18, 2026

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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha

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Current racing:

• February 16 - 22: UAE Tour
• February 18 - 22: Volta ao Algarve
• February 18 - 22: Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta Ciclista del Sol

Upcoming racing:

• February 21: Classic Var
• February 22: Tour des Alpes Maritimes

Latest completed racing:

• February 16: Clásica Jaén
• February 13 - 15: Tour de la Provence
• February 15: Clasica de Almeria
• February 13 - 14: Vuelta a la Region de Murcia
• 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

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UAE Tour stage two reports

We posted the report from the race organizer and stage winner Remco Evenepoel's Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe with the results.

Here's the report from second-place Josh Tarling's Team INEOS Grenadiers:

Josh Tarling secured second place on stage two of the UAE Tour, clocking a time of 13 minutes and nine seconds in the individual time trial.

Tarling put down a consistent performance across the flat 12-kilometre course, six seconds behind the world champion Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull - BORA - Hansgrohe).

Josh Tarling racing to second place in the stage.

Artem Shmidt also took an impressive seventh place, sporting his American national kit and bike, with a time of 13:32.

With the opening stage ending in a sprint, Tarling holds the same GC position overall in second, moving into the white Young Rider's jersey in the process.

Peter Øxenberg rode well to take the 11th fastest time on Hudayriyat Island, 34 seconds back. The result elevates the young Dane to 11th on GC, with hillier tests to come.

Here's the UAE Tour stage two report from third-place Rémi Cavagna's Team Groupama-FDJ United:

Only two riders were able to beat Rémi Cavagna this Tuesday in the individual time trial that served as Stage 2 of the UAE Tour. Producing an outstanding performance over the 12.2-kilometre course, the French rouleur conceded just twelve seconds to Olympic and World Champion Remco Evenepoel, and six seconds to Joshua Tarling. The rider from Auvergne thus claimed his first WorldTour podium since 2023, in his specialty discipline. David Gaudu also managed to limit his losses, conceding less than one minute to the stage winner.

Rémi Cavagna time-trialing at the 2025 Etoile de Besseges. Sirotti photo

As the time trial took place at the very start of the race, the usual reverse general classification order did not apply for the starting sequence today. Each team was free to decide its riders’ start times, and the choice proved perfectly clear for Groupama-FDJ United. “The first thing to consider was the wind,” explained Stéphane Goubert. “We had seen that it was expected to pick up later in the day, so the goal was to put our time-trial specialist first, meaning Rémi, and then our leader, David. It also suited us in terms of recovery ahead of Wednesday’s tough stage. We noticed that almost all the teams followed the same approach.” The first rider from the team to roll down the start ramp, Rémi Cavagna was even the very first rider in the peloton to tackle the 12.2-kilometre course. “The time trial was taking place on wide, completely flat roads — a real power course for specialists,” said team coach David Han. “There was nothing specific to manage regarding the profile, but there was regarding the wind, which was a front one at the start and more favorable in the second part.”
Starting first, Rémi Cavagna logically set the first best time at the intermediate split (6:33) and at the finish (13:15). However, it was only when Evenepoel crossed the line five minutes later that the full scale of the Frenchman’s performance became clear. The Olympic champion was just nine seconds faster at the intermediate check and twelve seconds quicker at the finish, pointing toward a very high-quality result for Rémi Cavagna. “Joseph [Berlin-Semon], Rémi’s coach, had targeted a slightly higher power zone in the first part,” David explained. “I found him well-positioned on the bike, very stable, he never lost his form,” added Stéphane, who followed him from the team car. “You can see that the strength work he did this winter has paid off — that was where he had struggled a bit previously.” Cavagna himself could not hide his satisfaction, even after being pushed down to provisional third place following Tarling’s finish. “On a course like this, with perfect roads and not too many corners, you can go very fast — and that’s also why I ride,” he smiled. “You had to push a big gear today, and I managed to hold it all the way to the line. I’m happy to finish quite close to the world reference in the time trial.”

More importantly, none of the other specialists starting during the first hour managed to come close to Cavagna’s time, which consolidated his third place before the final hundred riders — theoretically less threatening — took the course. In the end, as expected, no one was able to change the standings, and the podium remained unchanged. Rémi Cavagna secured third place, his best WorldTour result since 2023. “It’s significant because it was purely down to the legs,” David said. “It should give him great confidence moving forward. Last year was a rebuilding season — we were aware of that — after a difficult 2024 campaign. He rode the Vuelta, he coped with that season well, I think he had a calm winter, and 2026 is starting very well. Beyond the result itself, if you look at the times, there’s a clear gap between him and fourth place. Evenepoel and Tarling are perhaps the two best specialists in the world, and he’s right behind them.” “It was my first real test this year. Everyone knows I love this discipline, and it feels good to be back close to the top positions,” Rémi added.

In addition to its second WorldTour podium of the season (after Lewis Bower’s at the Tour Down Under), Groupama-FDJ United also took real satisfaction from David Gaudu’s performance, as he finished 44th in the time trial. “I’m happy because the time trial isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, but the sensations were good today,” said the Breton rider. “It was the first real effort in race conditions and the finishing time is solid. Losing 56 seconds to Remco over a 13-minute effort is more than decent.”“We expected to lose a bit more than a minute to Remco,” Stéphane admitted. “We’re under that, which is very good. There are some climbers ahead of him, but also a few behind.” The French leader therefore remains well positioned ahead of the first summit finish. “It will be another test, on a new and very tough climb,” Stéphane concluded. “It’s long, with steep gradients, and he’ll have to manage the ascent well, both mentally and physically.”

And here's the UAE Tour report from fourth-place Ethan Hayter's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

For the fifth time in eight editions, the UAE Tour featured an individual time trial. The course, just 12.2 kilometers in length and completely flat, shouldn’t have made for some significant gaps between the overall contenders, but the general classification ended up witnessing some changes due to the presence of the wind in the second part of the stage.

Ethan Hayter was one of the early starters, and the British Champion confirmed his ITT credentials, producing a strong ride to stop the clock in 13:28 – thanks to a 54.5km/h average speed – which allowed him to conclude in the top five this stage won by Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). It was a result that elevated the 26-year-old to fifth place on the general classification ahead of Jebel Mobrah, the race’s first summit finish.

Ethan Hayter time-trialing at the 2025 Tour of Holland.

“I’m still building my fitness, so to be fourth here, from a field that included so many quality riders, makes me happy. It’s the kind of result that gives you confidence and I hope some more strong outings of our team will follow this week”, said Ethan after the stage.

Sixth on the opening day, Ilan Van Wilder was another Soudal Quick-Step rider to set a good time on the Al Hudayriyat Island, which helped him remain in the first part of the overall standings and not far from the top ten, where he aims to return Wednesday afternoon.

And here's the UAE Tour stage two report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike sets its sights on the remainder of the UAE Tour after fast time trial

The riders of Team Visma | Lease a Bike did not play a leading role in the individual time trial of the UAE Tour. Wilco Kelderman was the team’s best finisher in sixteenth place.

Wilco Kelderman time-trialing in the 2016 Tour of Switzerland. Sirotti photo

On the second day of the UAE Tour, the riders faced a 12.2-kilometer individual time trial on Hudayriyat Island, featuring a lightning-fast flat course. It soon became clear that few riders could challenge world champion Remco Evenepoel for the stage win. Wilco Kelderman delivered the best result for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. The former Dutch national time trial champion finished in sixteenth place. Tulett, who was fifth overall after the opening stage, lost 55 seconds. 

Sports director Maarten Wynants reflected: “It wasn’t a time trial that suited us perfectly. Ben lost 55 seconds to Evenepoel. Of course, we had hoped the gap would be a bit smaller. Everyone gave it their all, but Wilco may well have been the surprise of the day. His sixteenth place finish shows that he’s already performing well right from the start of the season.” 

“There are still several challenging stages to come with uphill finishes,” Wynants added. “We hope to achieve some top results with Ben in the coming days. The steep final climb in stage three should suit him well. He is surrounded by a strong group of riders, so we’re looking forward to showing ourselves as best as possible.”

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