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Tuesday, July 21, 2026

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Current racing:

July 4 - 26: Tour de France

Upcoming racing:

July 26: Vuelta a Castilla y Leon

Latest completed racing:

Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe looks back of the Tour's second week

Here's the team's update:

The second week of the Tour de France took the peloton and Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe from the Massif Central to the Alps. And to the first major goal for the race. A look back.

As the second week of the Tour de France unfolds, Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe, with Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, are really finding their stride. The two wingmen made it through the Massif Central and the Vosges without losing much time. On the first Alpine stage, Remco then went for the big win: he claimed victory on the steep mountain finish at the Plateau de Solaison and celebrated his first stage win of this Tour.

Florian Lipowitz heads to the start of stage five. Sirotti photo

Stage 10: Aurillac – Le Lioran
Immediately after the rest day, a gruelling stage awaits in the Massif Central, featuring 3,800 metres of climbing. Remco Evenepoel runs into trouble in the final, but keeps a close eye on the rest of the group – who are chasing Pogacar together – and fights his way back down the descent. He then uses the last climb to the finish in Le Lioran to fly past everyone else and even make up a few seconds. Florian Lipowitz finishes fourth. Both make up time on Vingegaard and, above all, Del Toro. As a result, Remco jumps to third place in the general classification, whilst Florian climbs to sixth.

Stage 11: Vichy – Nevers
Stage 11 of the 2026 Tour makes history. With an average speed of 50.91 km/h, it will go down as the fastest stage in the history of the race – time trials excluded. The sprinters battle it out for the stage victory in the final stretch.

Stage 12: Circuit de Nevers Magny-Cours – Chalon-sur-Saône
The next stage for the sprinters gets underway at the Magny-Cours motor racing circuit. A few rain showers and a mass crash in the final stretch cause a bit of a scare, but ultimately Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe head into the upcoming mountain stages in good spirits.

Stage 13: Dole – Belfort
On the way to the Vosges lies the Tour’s longest stage, at 206 kilometres. It’s a stage for the breakaway riders. Maxim Van Gils is among them and battles for the stage win over the Ballon d’Alsace. In the end, he finishes fourth, continuing his incredible comeback.

Stage 14: Mulhouse – Le Markstein
In the Vosges, one of the Tour’s most challenging stages awaits, with 4,000 metres of climbing and three Category 1 climbs. Thousands of spectators line the climbs, providing incredible scenes along the route. On the sporting front, Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz once again put in strong performances, finishing fifth and seventh respectively, and keeping the gaps to their rivals to a minimum. In the general classification, they defend third and sixth place.

Stage 15: Champagnole – Plateau de Solaison
The Alps have been reached and Remco Evenepoel is in top form. On the eleven-kilometre-long final climb to the Plateau de Solaison, with an average gradient of nine per cent, he holds his own against Pogacar throughout and refuses to be shaken off. In the final sprint, he gives the Slovenian no chance and celebrates Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe’s first stage victory in this Tour. He also climbs to second place in the general classification. Finishing fifth on the day, Florian Lipowitz also takes a step forward.

Remco Evenepoel wins stage fifteen. Sirotti photo

Mike Teunissen extends contract with Team XDS Astana

Here’s the team’s announcement:

Experienced Dutch rider Mike Teunissen, who is currently racing the Tour de France, has extended his contract with the UCI WorldTeam XDS Astana Team for two more seasons, through the end of 2028.

The 33-year-old Teunissen is a key rider in Max Kanter’s sprint train and one of XDS Astana Team’s main Classics specialists. While doing an enormous amount of work to help the team achieve its goals, Teunissen has also delivered a series of impressive individual results in prestigious one-day races during his two seasons with the team. His highlights include fifth place at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne (2026), the Super 8 Classic and Dwars door het Hageland (2025), 10th place at the Monument Paris–Roubaix and E3 Saxo Classic (2025), as well as eleventh place at Milano–Sanremo (2025).

Mike Teunissen wins stage three of the 2023 Renewi Tour.

“There isn’t much to say – I’m happy that the work I do for the team is appreciated and helps us achieve results. I feel very comfortable at XDS Astana Team, and my passion for cycling is as strong as ever, continuing to motivate me every day. The team has a clear vision of how to develop both its sprint project and Classics program, and I fully share that vision. So, agreeing on a new contract was an easy decision for me, and I’m very happy about it. Right now we’re at the Tour de France, and I think our team has shown that we can be a real force in the sprints, which is great to see. I feel that I continue to improve year after year, and I’m confident that together with this team we can achieve a lot. There are still a few important goals for me this season, and after that I’m looking forward to continuing the work and starting new seasons together”, – said Mike Teunissen.

“Over the past year and a half, Mike has become one of our key riders, both in the Classics and in the sprint train. His strong individual results in the Classics are only one part of his contribution to the team. The other is the tremendous work he does as the lead-out rider for our sprinter Max Kanter. This year, XDS Astana Team’s sprint has reached a completely different level, becoming much stronger, and we have seen that both at Paris–Nice and at the ongoing Tour de France. I’m delighted that Mike will continue racing for our team. A rider with his experience will undoubtedly help us become even stronger and more confident, both in the sprints and in the Classics”, – said Alexandr Vinokurov.

Team EF Education-EasyPost reports on Tour de France stage fifteen

This was posted by the team too late to be included in Sunday's news.

EF Education-EasyPost went for it again on Stage 15 of the Tour de France.

A day after Richard Carapaz's sensational attack on the Col du Haag, Ben and Alex took off with the early break to try to tempt fate and get ahead of the GC race. The pace out of Champagnole was ferocious, as rider after rider tried to make the move and the race course rolled into the Jura. Ben [Healy] and Alex's [Baudin] teammates pulled hard to set them up before the two launched midway through the race and got away with a 24-rider break.

The yellow jersey group behind them never let off the pace and kept the gap in check. On the slopes of the Col de la Croissette, Alex and Ben had to relent. Richie came past them with the maillot jaune and hung tough on the brutal climb to the Plateau de Solaison to finish 12th on the stage.

Ben Healy before the start of stage thirteen. Sirotti photo

Tomorrow, the guys will enjoy their well-deserved rest day and get ready for Tuesday's time trial.

"The goal was to get into the breakaway with Richie to take him as far as possible. I think we would have had a great option to win, but we didn't manage to slip him into the break. So yeah, we found ourselves at the front with Ben. After that, you know, it came down to pure leg power on the Col de la Croissette climb, and I just didn't have the legs to follow. So that's how it went.

"I'm starting to feel a bit dead now – I think everyone is. But yeah, I'm happy to have been out front again. I still enjoyed myself even if it didn't pay off. We'll keep trying.

"We'll be able to take advantage of what amount to two rest days – with the time trial coming up where I can just take it easy, recover as much as possible, and then give it my all afterward. There are still opportunities left. Going to the front every single day, as much as possible." – Alex Baudin

"Today was a tough one, to be honest. We did a good job of working as a team and getting into the break. We wanted Richie in there and didn't get him in, so it was not the ideal situation, but we'll get them next time." – Ben Healy

"Today was a really hard stage. For us, it was really important to stay in the front. Ben and Alex made it up there and were fighting for the stage. But in the finale, it was a stage for the GC guys. Remco is a very strong guy. So it's OK. I feel really good. I think I have the legs now. We will try next week. I think we have a lot of opportunities these next days." – Richard Carapaz

The view from the race Cadillac:
"The goal was to get into the break – we thought again the break had a chance to make it, depending on the different scenarios. There are always things that are going to be out of your hands: this GC team or that GC team wants to do their thing. But our ambition was clear.

"There was this one section of very fast downhill where it was splitting. There was one split we weren't in that we wanted to be part of, so we had to put some resources into bringing it back together. Then we made the next one and went with the group – a big group, with Ben and Alex in it, both of whom are interesting for us to have up front. Obviously there was a lot going on with the GC teams as well, but we couldn't control that. We had Richie behind, and in the end it became yet another GC day.

"Richie did a solid ride, so his legs are obviously really good. He's 12th in GC – still far enough away that I think he can be involved in the right way.

"The boys are good, doing things at a high level – they're able to function and execute the plans we need to put in place. Beyond that, a lot will be determined by what the other teams decide to do." – Tom Southam, sports director

Wahoo data scroll
Michael Valgren's Wahoo read 199 kilometers ridden by the time he got back to the bus. Stage 15 was 184 kilometers long. Why did Michael ride extra kilometers? The whole peloton did. Most stages start with a few neutralized kilometers for the peloton to roll out of town and wave to the crowds, before the flag drops at kilometer zero and the racing starts. Today's neutral was just a couple of kilometers, but neutralized sections can sometimes be over a dozen kilometers.

The thing was that today's stage finished at the top of the climb to the Plateau de Solaison and the racers had to ride back down — a further 12 kilometers. This is often the case for summit finishes where it would be difficult to park enough team vehicles at the top and even harder to get them down fast. As soon as they cross the line, a soigneur hands them a jacket and a whistle, along with their Amacx cherry juice and recovery drink. At this year's Tour, there is a stylish vest for all of the athletes, so the crowds know that they are racers.

Descending is chaotic at best and often dangerous, as the riders weave through crowds of fans. The first riders often go down while the grupetto is coming up, so there are cars and riders to avoid. And as soon as the broom wagon passes, half the crowd jumps on their bikes to try to ride downhill with the pros. That's what the whistles are for. Riders toot them to encourage fans to get out of the way. If you ever come to watch the Tour de France, please let the riders descend in peace. Two weeks into a Tour de France, they are very tired after a nearly 200-kilometer stage.

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

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