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Sunday, January 18, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old. - Franz Kafka
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the 2024 Tour de France: The Happy Warrior Triumphs is available print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the link on the right.
Current racing:
- January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under
Upcoming racing:
- January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
- January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
- January 29: Surf Coast Classic
- 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
Here's the report from third-place Femke Gerritse's Team SD Worx-Protime:
And that’s the first race day of the new season done. A windy, nervous opener around Willunga (Australia) ended in a sprint, with Femke Gerritse finishing third. Ally Wollaston (FDJ–SUEZ) was the fastest on the 4–5% drag to the line, with Josie Nelson (Team Picnic PostNL) in second.
Ally Wollaston winning stage one. That should be Femke Gerritse on the far right in the multi-colored jersey. Getty Sport photo
“The team spirit was good throughout this first stage and the cooperation was strong. Our plan was to sprint with Femke because we knew the finish suited a powerful rider.”
“Everyone worked very hard today. There was only one rider up the road for a long time. Julia Kopecký did a great job reducing the gap to keep a sprint possible. With 10 km to go the breakaway still had a one-minute lead. Together with Mikayla Harvey, we managed to close it before the final corners.”
“In the last kilometre, Barbara Guarischi guided Marta Lach through the final turns to help position Femke Gerritse as good as possible for the decisive sprint. Wollaston anticipated early and launched first. Femke tried to respond, but Wollaston was simply too strong today.”
“Femke is disappointed—which is understandable—but we’re looking ahead. Tomorrow is a hard stage with an early tough climb, so an early breakaway is certainly possible. The finale is on a local circuit with a short but treacherous hill. A sprint could still happen, but we’ll see how the race unfolds. We’re ready to fight again.”
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Here's the Down Under report from fifth-place Sarah Van Dam's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
Sarah Van Dam made a strong impression on her debut for Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women. In the opening stage of the Tour Down Under, the 24-year-old Canadian sprinted straight to a fifth-place finish.
The new road season traditionally got under way in Australia. The first stage of the Tour Down Under covered 137 kilometres, with Willunga Hill as the decisive climb. Team Visma | Lease a Bike lined up with a strong squad, including debutant Van Dam.
Sarah Van Dam before the race start.
In a closely fought race, one rider managed to build a notable advantage. Alessia Vigilia launched a solo attack well before the finish and held on for a long time. Only in the final kilometre, on the last of three ascents of Willunga Hill, the leader was caught by the peloton. In the sprint that followed, Van Dam showed her speed. The Canadian had only four riders ahead of her. Victory went convincingly to Ally Wollaston.
“The crashes in the finale caused a lot of chaos,” Van Dam said afterwards. “It was a relatively calm day until the final phase of the race. We rode a strong race as a team, but because of the hectic finale we were no longer grouped as we had hoped. I’m satisfied with this fifth place in my first race for the team, although there is always room for improvement. This result gives me a lot of motivation for the coming days.”
Van Dam joined Team Visma | Lease a Bike Women this season. “I feel at home with the team,” the Canadian added. “I received a very warm welcome from my teammates and the staff at the first training camp, which made my transition to this new environment very smooth. It was a big step for me, but I’m very happy that I’ve been able to take it. It’s a unique opportunity to work and learn within a team like this, surrounded by such strong riders. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can achieve this season."
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Here’s the report from Czapla’s CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto team:
Justyna Czapla couldn’t have asked for a better start to her 2026 season. The 21-year-old German pulled on the young riders jersey after crossing the line as the first U23 rider in stage one of Tour Down Under.
“It’s so nice, it’s worked out way better than I thought!” a delighted Justyna exclaimed, having initially expected her best chance of securing the jersey to come on stage three. “For today, the goal was top five in the best young rider classification, but it’s so cool to have it now after the first stage.”
Justyna Czapla will start stage two in the young rider's white jersey. Photoi: James Raison/Greyhound Media
Today’s result marks Justyna’s second-ever young rider jersey as she begins her fourth professional season. The first came following the stage one team time trial at La Vuelta España Femenina in 2025.
She explained her approach to the classification battle on the leg-sapping finishing drag through the Willunga township, which came at the end of an honest 137km – the longest stage ever raced at the Women’s Tour Down Under.
“The first goal was to help Chloé [Dygert] for the lead-out and then the second goal to lose as little time and as fewer positions as possible. I tried to stay on Chloe’s wheel and protect it, but it didn’t work that well because she found her way out and I was still behind some other riders, but it was also a high pace so I was already quite on the limit. Everyone just wanted to fight for their place, so it felt really hectic and dangerous, but I just tried to follow the riders in front of me and fight for every position.”
After several cooler, overcast days where jumpers were the norm, the Australian summer began to show itself again this weekend – the tour starting on a Saturday. Temperatures reached a manageable 27 degrees as the peloton darted between Willunga’s gentle slopes, the bright blue waters of Aldinga Beach, and the rolling roads of McLaren Vale. While the wind was initially subdued, dry vegetation soon began to flitter as the stage wore on. Justyna breaks it down:
“It was quite fast and rolling, and also windy. Not so much in the beginning, but then it got quite windy and some riders tried to do echelons, but I think we managed to stay well in the front, and then we tried everything to do a good lead out for Chloe. We lost ourselves a bit but I think we did everything we could.”
Stage two presents another tough early-season test. With nearly 2500m of climbing packed into a relentless 131km, pressure will be on the pedals throughout the day. The finale unfolds on the demanding Paracombe circuit, where unassuming climbs could offer opportunistic launchpads. For Justyna, the objective for the remaining two stages is clear.
“I will give everything to keep the jersey until the end. I’ve worn a jersey once before at La Vuelta, but that was the only time, so I’m really happy to have it also here in Australia, at the first race of the season.”
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And here's the Down Under stage one report from UAE Team ADQ:
Our team kicked off its campaign at the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under with an impressive display of teamwork and individual grit in the opening stage today. The 137.4 km course around Willunga was marked by hot conditions, aggressive racing, and a gutsy long-range effort from Alessia Vigilia of Uno-X.
The peloton speeds along the Australian coast. Getty Sport photo
From the outset, our riders were active and animated in the peloton, working cohesively to control the race and support each other across the undulating terrain. Moments of strength and determination paid off on the climbs, particularly at the third Queen of the Mountains (QOM) point on Willunga Hill, where Paula Blasi and Alena Ivanchenko rode assertively to secure second and third places respectively in the QOM standings, both finishing on the heels of Vigilia’s valiant effort. Their performance highlighted not only their climbing capabilities but also the solid tactical work from the entire team throughout the stage.
In the final sprint to the line, won by Ally Wollaston (FDJ United – SUEZ), Mavi García and Dominika Włodarczyk rode strong and smart races, crossing the finish line in ninth and tenth places respectively – a testament to their consistency and race awareness in a highly competitive field. These results also place both riders well positioned in the early general classification, demonstrating the team’s depth and readiness for the battles ahead.
Overall, it was an encouraging opening day. From early break efforts to strategic teamwork on the climbs and a controlled chase in the finale, the team delivered a performance that sets a positive tone for the rest of the Santos Women’s Tour Down Under. With energy still high and morale strong, we look forward to the next stage and the opportunities that lie ahead this week in South Australia.
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