Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page
2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Do what you feel in your heart to be right- for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't. - Eleanor Roosevelt
Les Woodland's book Sticky Buns Across America: Back-roads biking from sea to shining sea is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- January 28 - February 1: Challenge Ciclista Mallorca
Upcoming racing:
- January 29: Surf Coast Classic
- February 1: Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
Latest completed racing:
- January 17 - 25: Tour Down Under
- January 25: Classica Comunitat Valenciana 1969-GP Valencia
- 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
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s post:
Today, we at Team Polti VisitMalta have received a notification from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) regarding a potential Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) by our rider, German Dario Gomez Becerra, referred to an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from an out-of-competition test conducted on December 28, 2025. As a result, the UCI has imposed a mandatory provisional suspension on the rider with immediate effect.
Dario Gomez in December 2025 after colliding with a van while training.
At Team Polti VisitMalta, we operate under a strict zero-tolerance policy towards doping. This principle is a non-negotiable foundation of our project and is clearly stipulated in all our contracts and in our Code of Conduct. In adherence to this policy and the UCI’s decision, we have also suspended the rider’s contract, and he will be excluded from all team activities pending the resolution of the proceedings.
We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to clean cycling and will continue to collaborate fully with the UCI and all competent authorities to clarify the facts. Our team will always uphold the values of fair play and integrity in sport.
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the news from Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:
From tomorrow, Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe will start the new season in Europe. Part of the team: Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, who will contest their first race of 2026 on Mallorca.
Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz in their new Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe kits.
The Challenge Mallorca will kick things off with five very different one-day races. The varied profiles offer many riders their first assessment of the year.
It starts on Wednesday with the Trofeo Calvià. The start and finish are in Palmanova, and a circuit with character awaits in between: first the route leads northwards towards Sóller, then back to Andratx - laid out like a figure of eight. Over almost 150 kilometres, the climbs along the west coast of Mallorca dominate the profile.
Alongside Frederik Wandahl and Alexander Hajek, Adrien Boichis will also be at the start. This is the Frenchman's first race with the WorldTeam - but the environment is not entirely new to him. A total of four rookies will be racing alongside the pros. Max Bock is celebrating his debut in the colours of the Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe Rookies. Theodor Clemmensen, Davide Donati and Sebastian Putz are also starting their season.
Three letters, big meaning: TTT. Team time trials are rare - and on focus in 2026. Because on 4 July, the Tour de France starts in Barcelona with precisely this discipline. For Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, preparation begins early. Every opportunity is used to perfect processes, test equipment and sharpen race tactics under competitive conditions.
Mallorca serves as the first endurance test - and as a much-acclaimed debut: Remco Evenepoel is doing his first race day for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe here. Florian Lipowitz is also wearing a race number for the first time this season. Together as a team for the first time - and then directly in the team time trial. This is where teamwork counts more than individual time trial strength. Rhythm, trust and precision are crucial. What should work perfectly in Barcelona in July will be sown in Ses Salines in January.
On paper, the 24-kilometre course looks like a high-speed race. But a second glance reveals the pitfalls: changeable winds, a narrow road on the way to and from Campos, meeting traffic between the teams and a tight 180-degree bend after ten kilometres demand maximum concentration. For the fans, this means that surprises are inevitable.
Evenepoel and Lipowitz will be supported by Mattia Cattaneo, Nico Denz, Gianni Moscon and Maxim Van Gils. Rookie Lorenzo Finn will gain valuable experience in the middle of this team. An exciting constellation that will provide answers - and pose new challenges.
On the following two days, it's off to the mountains. On Friday, 154 kilometres through the Tramuntana Mountains are on the agenda. Among others, the route leads over the Puig Major at an altitude of 935 metres. Shortly before the finish in Lluc, Sa Batalla is an ideal point for attacks.
There are also around 150 kilometres on Saturday, but the character is different. The course stretches from Andratx along the west coast up to the Mirador d'es Colomer in the north. The first half is undulating and promises another active race. This is followed by the Puig Major again - this time from the other side towards Sóller. In the finale, a three-kilometre-long final climb will be decisive.
On these days, the team is relying on a mix of riders who were already involved in the first races of the Challenge. The final line-up will be decided after the first races.
The final stage will take place in the centre of the island's capital. The first two thirds of the race on Sunday are demanding and undulating - ideal for tactical games. If it remains closed, the decision will be made in the grand finale: the last hour of the race will be held on a circuit in the harbour of Palma. The stage is set for the fast riders.
Arne Marit and Alessio Magagnotti are two new faces on the provisional starting list for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe. One of them brings experience, the other is a Rookie who has already impressively demonstrated his sprinting talent in the junior classes.
Content continues below the ads
Here’s the team’s update:
XDS Astana Team will take part in the Challenge Mallorca, which will be held in Spain from January 28th to February 1st. The Challenge Mallorca will be opened with Trofeo Calvià.
Arjen Livyns in 2024.
Rider roster: Clément Champoussin, Lev Gonov, Arjen Livyns, Christian Scaroni, Thomas Silva and two riders of XDS Astana Development Team, Alessio Delle Vedove and Ludovico Mellano.
Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary