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Thursday, February 19, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way. - Booker T. Washington
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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
- February 25 - March 1: Giro di Sardegna
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
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Antonio Tiberi's Team Bahrain Victorious:
Antonio Tiberi claimed a brilliant solo victory on Stage 3 of the UAE Tour, winning atop the new summit finish of Jebel Mobrah after the 183km stage starting in Umm Al Quwain.
After a largely controlled day on the flat run-in, the race ignited on the steep final climb. Felix Gall (Decathlon–CMA CGM) launched the first major move with 6km to go, with Tiberi immediately following before making his decisive attack with 4km remaining, opening a gap as the gradients spiked.
Behind, leader Remco Evenepoel began to crack on the steepest slopes and ultimately surrendered the red jersey, losing 2:04. Isaac del Toro mounted a late chase and clawed time back in the closing kilometres, but Tiberi held firm to the line to win by 15 seconds.
Antonio Tiberi wins UAE Tour stage three.
The result moves Tiberi into the Red Jersey as race leader and also the White Jersey as best young rider, sitting 21 seconds ahead of Del Toro on GC. Another key GC showdown is expected on Jebel Hafeet (Stage 6).
A delighted Tiberi commented:
“It’s amazing. This is a dream for me, and I still need to realise what I’ve done. I started the season with really good sensations right from the training camps. Then, in my first race, I felt that I was already close. I had been waiting for this moment to come, and today it finally happened.
"It’s even more special to achieve it on such a hard climb here in the UAE. I came here with the goal of finishing in the top five, maybe even the top three. I think today I showed that I can also try to win the UAE Tour, and from now on I will definitely go for the victory.”
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Here's the UAE Tour report from second-place Isaac Del Toro's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
Isaac Del Toro delivered a gutsy and determined performance on stage 3 of the UAE Tour, crossing the line in second place on the demanding summit finish up Jebel Mobrah, keeping himself well-in for the general classification after a measured ride to the line.
Italian rider Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) powered to victory – his early move on the steep ramps of Jebel Mobrah proving decisive as he opened up a gap and rode clear to win and seized the race leader’s jersey. Del Toro chased relentlessly to the finish, eventually finishing 15 seconds behind the stage winner thanks to an excellent late surge.
Isaac Del Toro (right) wins stage one of the 2026 UAE Tour.
The 183 km stage from Umm al-Quwain to Jebel Mobrah was the UAE Tour’s first serious mountain test, with the impressive new climb featuring sustained gradients averaging more than 8 % and ramps of up to 18 % under a hot desert sun. The brutal finish split the peloton and caused significant time gaps, with several GC favourites struggling on the final slopes. Del Toro, however, managed his effort expertly, pacing his limits and riding his way into the strongest group before powering home in second.
Del Toro’s ride also elevates him in the general classification, with the Mexican now well placed in contention as the UAE Tour continues towards its deciding climbs later in the week.
Isaac Del Toro: “On the profile you get an idea for how hard the climb is but riding it is another level of hard. I was very careful with my effort and tried to manage it on the climb. I think the team did a perfect effort to control things for me and try to help me, so thanks to them I was able and confident to try something in the final.
"I really tried to catch Tiberi but he was going really fast and was very strong, so chapeau to him. I’m really happy with my effort and the work of the team. In the TT yesterday I did a decent performance, not my best, but it’s okay. I’m optimistic for the rest of the race.”
And here's the UAE Tour report from Derek Gee-West's Team Lidl-Trek:
Derek Gee-West climbed his way to a strong seventh place on Stage 3 - and the first mountaintop finish - of this year's UAE Tour.
On the brutally steep slopes of the Jebel Mobrah, Gee-West made a strong impression competing with the race favourites as the tension built towards the first of two ramps up to the finish line, which acted as a launchpad for several attacks.
"The first three days racing with the Team have been great! Really great! I am quickly getting used to the Team and we have had a nice mix of a very stressful sprint day, a time trial, and then this so covering all the bases pretty quickly. Hopefully a few relaxed days are coming up now. We've got some good days for Jonny next and then another chance to what I can do."
Derek Gee-West finishing 2025 Giro d'Italia stage 17. Sirotti photo
The final climb – with it’s average gradient of 11.8 percent, and pitches of 16 percent in places – loomed over the riders on the short descent between the day’s two key challenges and was ultimately where the stage victory was decided.
In the end, Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious) managed to take a solo stage win despite being chased down quickly in the closing kilometers with Derek leaving it all out there as he sprint to cross the line seventh, a result which, combined with yesterday’s solid time trial, strengthens his position in the General Classification.
The remainder of the UAE Tour will contain more bunch sprint opportunities for Jonathan Milan and an interesting sixth stage for the General Classification contenders.
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We posted the report from stage winner Christophe Laporte's Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the results.
Here's the report from second-place Bastien Tronchon's Team Groupama-FDJ United:
Bastien Tronchon wasted no time making an impression in Groupama-FDJ colours. After crashing last Sunday at the Clásica de Almería, the French rider bounced back in style on Wednesday’s opening stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia. Following an animated day of racing, he powered to second place in a reduced bunch sprint, beaten only by Christophe Laporte. More opportunities await him and his teammates later this week.
Team Groupama-FDJ is presented before the race start. Sirotti photo
The riders faced a demanding opener in Andalusia, with nearly 2,700 metres of elevation gain packed into 150 kilometres between Benahavís and Pizarra. Most of the climbing also came in the first half of the stage, which could mean aggressive racing from day one. Everything actually started with a twenty-kilometre climb averaging 5%. “Campenaerts went right from the gun, and we quickly realised that Visma-Lease a Bike wanted to make the race really hard,” explained William Green. “For the first half of the climb, there was no real fight, but for the second half, it was a very high tempo with a lot of attacking, trying to bridge across to Campenaerts. He went over the climb with around thirty seconds, and at this point more than twenty riders had already been dropped, including Paul. Maxime then sacrificed himself and tried to bring him back. He did a great job, Paul made it back to the convoy, but that’s when the fight picked up again.”
On the third climb of the day, Puerto de las Abejas (4 km at 5.5%), a group of around fifteen riders broke clear of the peloton to bridge across to the seven-man morning break, with seventy kilometres still to race.
“We were fortunate to have Clément [Braz Afonso] in there, but it also meant the end of Paul’s chances,” William added. With fifty kilometres to go, the leading group split up, but the peloton was still only thirty seconds behind. “We didn’t panic too much because there was never really hesitation in the bunch,” said Bastien Tronchon. “The gap wasn’t growing, and it was actually a pretty well-managed day. The guys did a great job covering moves, and once Paul was out of the front group, the plan was for me to sprint, so I tried to save myself as much as possible.”
“We know how fast Bastien is, and we said in the morning briefing that this was a real opportunity for him,” added William. “Valentin also did a strong job pulling to bring back the break”. With around thirty-five kilometres to go, the race came back together and a peloton of roughly seventy riders was formed. Romain Grégoire followed one move before several teams took control to set up a bunch finish. On a flat run-in with no further difficulties, the peloton’s progress was no longer disrupted.“We were always together in the last ten kilometres with Clément [Russo],” Bastien explained. “He led me out until about one kilometre to go, but unfortunately we lost each other. I had to go left, he went right, thinking I was still on his wheel.”
“It was also the first final they’ve ridden together,” said William. “We knew the wind was coming from the left in the sprint, and the plan was to stay on the right-hand side, where Clément was.” Launching his sprint alone on the left side of the road, Bastien Tronchon briefly went head-to-head with Christophe Laporte. “I really believed in it for a long time,” he admitted. “Maybe I opened up a bit too early, but I’d rather go too early than get boxed in. In the end, Christophe was just stronger. It’s a slightly bittersweet second place because we said again this morning on the bus that we’re not here just to make up the numbers — we’re here to win.” “We’re obviously satisfied with second place, but at the same time Bastien clearly had what it took to win today,” William concluded. “It’s a great way to start the week. The team is strong, we’ve got four more opportunities and cards to play on every stage.”
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We posted the report from the race organizer with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Paul Magnier's Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Paul Magnier celebrated his 25th pro victory on the roads of Volta ao Algarve, one of the many competitions on which our team has left its mark in the past two decades. Magnier, who made his stage race debut this season in Portugal, became the first Frenchman to win a bunch sprint this century in Algarve, a feat that brought three different jerseys on his shoulders, for leading the overall, points, and youth classifications.
Soudal Quick-Step left absolutely nothing to chance Wednesday afternoon, when our team controlled the large nine-man breakaway group that formed soon after the start, making sure it would bring it back with more than 20 kilometers to go. Then, as the peloton increased the pace, the Wolfpack kept Magnier in a good position the entire time before hitting the front again just a few kilometers from home to form a redoubtable lead-out train.
Pual Magnier wins Volta ao Algarve stage one.
Having won in Tavira several times in the past, our squad knew the finale and that helped Paul time his effort to perfection there, as the young Frenchman unleashed a formidable sprint inside 200 meters to go to capture Soudal Quick-Step’s 26th Volta ao Algarve stage victory.
“I had a strong team around me and they did a great job the entire day, something for which I want to thank them. I was confident today and benefitted from a great lead-out, and we can all be happy with what we achieved on this stage. The yellow jersey is a nice bonus and I’ll wear it with pride”, a delighted Paul said after the podium ceremony.
And here's the Algarve report from third-place Pavel Bittner's Team Picnic-PostNL:
Stage 1 of the Volta ao Algarve saw the peloton tackle 183 kilometres from Vila Real de Santo António to Tavira, where a sprint was expected. A nine-rider breakaway built an advantage of around two minutes but was reeled in with 24 kilometres to go, setting up a fast finale. The team showed strong cohesion in the closing kilometres, keeping Pavel Bittner positioned towards the front leading into the bunch sprint. Coming from behind, Bittner powered to an impressive third place on the line. After a committed lead-out effort, John Degenkolb still managed to finish ninth, underlining the team’s collective effort. Paul Magnier took the stage victory.
Volta ao Algarve stage one gets started.
After the finish Bittner said: “It was a really nice team effort. This was my first race of the year, and after a strong winter of preparation, I was excited to see where I stood. The day was fairly easy until the bonus sprints, and later it calmed down again with the headwind. We were well-prepared to deliver in the finale. John was there, but I lost his wheel a little bit, yet I kept fighting and was quite smooth with positioning. When I felt I had a good position for the final sprint, I went for it. I couldn’t quite move further forward to take the win, but for my first sprint and the first race of the year, it was a really good start. We’ll have a fun rest of the week here.
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