Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Football combines the two worst things about America: it is violence punctuated by committee meetings. - George Will
Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic 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 team’s announcement:
Lidl-Trek is thrilled to announce that Derek Gee-West has signed a three-year contract that will see him race in Lidl-Trek colors through 2028.
The Canadian champion first captured the cycling world’s attention during his Grand Tour debut at the 2023 Giro d’Italia. Gee-West’s relentless attacking style and willingness to animate the race brought him agonizingly close to a Grand Tour stage win. While he ultimately finished second on four stages, along with runner-up honors in both the points and mountains classifications, he left the Giro firmly established as one of the peloton’s most exciting climbers.
Derek Gee-West finishes stage 17 of the 2025 Giro d'Italia. Sirotti photo
Over the following two seasons, Gee-West continued to develop into a well-rounded stage racer, combining his climbing strength with strong performances against the clock. In 2024, he claimed a stage win and overall podium at the Critérium du Dauphiné before backing it up with a top-10 finish at the Tour de France. The next year began on winning terms at O Gran Camiño and culminated in a consistent and impressive Giro d’Italia, where Gee-West finished fourth overall after three demanding weeks, underlining his status as a genuine GC contender for the future.
Gee-West’s move to Lidl-Trek marks the beginning of a new chapter, as he looks to take the next step in his career within a new environment and ambitious long-term project.
“It’s pretty special to be joining Lidl-Trek,” said Gee-West. “From the outside, you can already see that this is an organisation operating very close to the gold standard in our sport, and that was something that really appealed to me. The ambition, the structure, and the depth of talent across the Team are impressive, and it feels like the right environment for the next phase of my career.
“I’m really looking forward to racing with shared ambitions and multiple options within the team. Lidl-Trek have world-class riders across so many areas of the sport, and being part of a group where we can play different cards in stage races and Grand Tours is something new for me. I’m excited to learn from that, to keep developing as a GC rider, and to see what we can achieve together over the coming years.”
“Bringing Derek on board is a big boost for us,” said Luca Guercilena, Lidl-Trek General Manager. “Over the last three years he has shown an incredibly high level in stage races, and we’re sure we haven’t even seen his limit yet. Derek will have the full support of our performance resources to fully realize his potential. As a Team, we have big goals across the entire season, and recruiting Derek brings us one step closer to achieving them.”
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Here’s the team’s news:
On the eve of the 2026 racing season, NSN Cycling Team is excited to announce two new signings to the WorldTeam with New Zealander Dion Smith joining on a one-year contract and Rotem Tene signing on for two years as a neo pro.
Thirty-two-year-old Smith joins the team with immediate effect after three years with Intermarché – Wanty while Tene, who is the Israeli road race champion, has been promoted from the team’s development program and will officially join the team from from February 2 following Simon Clarke’s retirement.
Dion Smith wins the 2020 Coppa Sabatini. Sirotti photo
“We are pleased to welcome Dion Smith to the team and happy to have made space for him ahead of the 2026 racing season,” explains NSN Cycling Team General Manager Kjell Carlström. “At the same time, we have wanted to bring Rotem Tene up from the Development Team, a promotion he well and truly deserves, and it made sense for him to take Simon Clarke’s spot in the team following his retirement at the end of the Australian racing block.
“Dion brings a wealth of experience after a decade in the pro peloton and will add depth to our one-day and stage race rosters, playing a key role as a support rider. While Rotem has repeatedly shown his strength as a sprinter in the five years he has raced for the Development Team and we are excited to see him develop further over the next two years. Dion’s experience and Rotem’s long-term potential perfectly complement our strategy as we continue to build a competitive and cohesive roster for the coming seasons.”
Smith is determined to make the most of the opportunity to join NSN Cycling Team, a move which will see him unite with many friends in the peloton, as well as former teammate Biniam Girmay.
“To have this late opportunity to sign for NSN Cycling Team this season feels very natural as the team has always seemed like a great fit for myself,” explains Smith. “Being surrounded by familiar faces and guys I train with a lot creates an environment I feel very motivated to be a part of. 2026 will now be key for me to show I still belong in the WorldTour, being a valuable asset to race leaders within the team.”
Twenty-four-year-old Tene, who secured his first pro win on stage 8 of the Volta a Portugal in 2025, expressed his relief at making the step up after knocking on the door of a WorldTour contract for the past few seasons.
“Going professional has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, and dear God did I not expect for it to be this hard,” admits Tene. “It really does take everything you got to make it in this game, doesn’t it? It makes it even sweeter to finally achieve it. I’m excited to finally find out what I’m worth at the top level of the sport!”
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Here's the team's post:
It’s the day you’ve all been waiting for! – Our hot new look for 2026 is finally here.
There’s one thing for sure, you’ll see us out on the road. Thanks to MAAP for once again dropping a fresh and unique look for the new year, our 15th season in the UCI WorldTour. We’re ready to rock ‘n’ roll around the world with all four of our teams set to don this sweet look.
The new, very purple kit.
It’s been described as resembling Mike Tyson’s face tattoo, a Hot Wheels toy car and even Flaming Hot Cheetos. However you want to describe it – WE LOVE IT! Without any further ado, we’ll leave you with some more photos to enjoy before you’ll see us in action in our first race Down Under
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