Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, January 2, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron. - H. L. Mencken
Les Woodland's book Cycling's World Championships: The Inside Story is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under
- January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
- January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
- February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Latest completed racing:
- 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
- November 16: Trofee Hamme-Flandriencross
- November 1: Trofee Oudenaarde-Koppenbergcross
- October 26: Superprestige Overijse-Vlaamse Druivencross
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Guangxi
- October 14 - 19: Tour of Holland
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Here's the teamn's announcement:
Team Visma | Lease a Bike has added another reinforcement for 2026 with the signing of Louis Barré. The 25-year-old Frenchman has signed a three-year contract and will strengthen the team’s core for the hilly classics.
Barré is considered a talented rider with plenty of room for further development. In recent years, he has shown himself with strong results in tough races such as the Amstel Gold Race, the Dauphiné, the Tour de Romandie, the Tour of Guangxi, and various smaller one-day races.
Georg Zimmermann leads Louis Barré in stage one of the 2024 Tour Down Under. Sirotti photo
“The team’s story and the plans they have really convinced me,” Barré says about his move. “Team Visma | Lease a Bike is one of the best teams in the world, and I believe that with the support and structure here I can make significant progress. The team is innovative in every area: nutrition, equipment, training camps, and more. I want to challenge myself, and I think this is where I can become the best version of myself.”
Head of Racing Grischa Niermann is pleased with the Frenchman’s arrival. “Louis caught our eye during the tougher one-day races. He achieved some great results there, and he also showed himself in the Dauphiné. He is still relatively young and has good potential for growth. We believe he can continue to develop within our team and see him as a strong addition to our lineup for the demanding hilly classics.”
Barré adds: “I want to keep focusing on the hilly classics because that’s where I perform best. But I’m also looking forward to improving in week-long stage races and supporting the best general-classification riders in the world when they fight for victory.”
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Here’s the team’s post:
Our 2026 ASSOS team kit breaks technological boundaries and brings bold, free-spirited style to the peloton. Its launch completes the first phase of our multi-year project to go beyond the current orbit of professional cycling with Switzerland’s technical apparel pioneers.
Each EF Pro Cycling athlete raced beyond their home universe to earn their spot on our team propelled by their courage and driven by their dreams. Now, we’re entering a new era together with ASSOS of Switzerland. The goal? Blast away from professional cycling’s established trajectory. We will find new realms in which to revel thanks to the limitless technical possibilities ASSOS can unlock. Our course is set for the future of speed.
The 2026 Assos-made EF-Pro Cycling kit.
Ever since EF joined the WorldTour, we have come in hot (and hot pink), pushing the boundaries of design – and design regulations – to the absolute limit. Cycling is a sport where every variable can be accounted for, measured, and infinitely optimized. And yet the forces that drive an athlete to achieve the impossible defy any scientific explanation. This is the space EF Pro Cycling and ASSOS intend to explore.
Our 2026 kit offers nods to the future, with each line and design element a pathway to a new frontier, but it’s not about the fabric. This partnership is all about finding that point where science meets wonder and the known bleeds into the unknown, inspiring every rider to explore the boundaries of their own personal universe, and go beyond them.
Designed as a complete performance system, the kit blends form and function, using color, materials, and construction with the same purpose‑driven intent as ASSOS’ engineering philosophy, with every element serving a role in the pursuit of speed.
Together with ASSOS, we are going to ride, explore, innovate, adventure, and race into the new future of speed. Suit up and join us.
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Here’s the team’s post:
One of the best days of the cycling season is here: we can now proudly show our new arrivals in NSN Cycling Team kit!
We’re thrilled to welcome Biniam Girmay, Lewis Askey, Ryan Mullen and Alessandro Pinarello to the team for 2026, which also marks our return to the UCI WorldTour.
The next milestone for our stunning new jersey, which is designed by Stijn Dossche of stycle.design and produced by Ekoï, will be when it makes its racing debut in Australia in the coming days.
Biniam Girmay in the 2026 NSN jersey.
Biniam Girmay:
The 25-year-old Eritrean phenomenon – already a history-maker, Tour de France green jersey and 16-time race winner – joins NSN Cycling Team as a marquee rider on a three-year deal.
He says: “Looking at the team’s sprint train, they were always really strong, especially how they stayed together and motivated each other. I heard them many times during races, motivating each other so much, so I’m really looking forward to working together. I see a great opportunity with NSN Cycling Team and I feel that this is the best thing for my future.”
Lewis Askey:
Having enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, one that included his first two pro victories and a debut appearance at the Tour de France, British rider Askey joins NSN Cycling Team on a three-year deal.
“I felt this environment would give me more chances throughout the year, more opportunities to be in that situation,” says Askey. “You spend a lot of time with your teammates, not just at races but the whole year, and it really affects your quality of life.”
Ryan Mullen:
A 10-time Irish champion, including seven in the time trial, Mullen brings experience and power to NSN Cycling Team. He will play a key role across Spring Classics campaigns, sprint trains, and stage race support in 2026 and 2027.
He says: “My qualities as a rider are what have brought me to this point in my career. I’m never afraid to get my hands dirty in any race situation—whether it’s fighting through an echelon in Belgium, guiding a GC rider safely through tense moments, or delivering a sprinter at 70 kph. I’d describe myself as a bit of a jack of all trades, which allows me to step up and make a difference in a variety of scenarios.”
Alessandro Pinarello:
Pinarello, 22, has steadily established himself as one of Italy’s brightest emerging riders. He finished fourth at Giro della Toscana and sixth at Giro della Romagna in 2025, his best season to date.
“On a personal note, I want to develop further in stage races for the General Classification and to find new limits in one-day races,” says Pinarello. “I would love to win a stage at the Giro d’Italia, but I also have my eye on racing La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and, of course, the biggest dream for any cyclist is to race the Tour de France.”
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