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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Thursday, July 30, 2026

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Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. - Francis of Assisi

Bill and Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, 2019: A Year of New Faces is available in both Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

July 28 - 30: Tour de l'Ain
July 29 - August 2: Tour of Denmark

Upcoming racing:

August 1: Clasica San Sebastian
August 2: Circuito de Getxo
August 3 - 9: Tour of Poland
August 4 - 8: Vuelta a Burgos
August 13 - 18: Arctic Race of Norway
August 16: Cyclassics Hamburg

Latest completed racing:

Tour de l'Ain stage two reports

We posted the report from stage winner Wout van Aert's Team Visma | Lease a Bike with the resuilts.

Here's the report from third-place Nicola Conci's XDS Astana Team:

XDS Astana Team rider Nicola Conci finished third on Stage 2 of the Tour de l’Ain, claiming a podium for the team after a solid performance in the French stage race.

The 161.9-kilometre stage started in Saint-Vulbas and finished in Lagnieu. A solo breakaway rider managed to stay clear until the finish, while the chasing group fought for the remaining podium places. Nicola Conci was among the strongest riders in the select group and finished the stage in third place.

Stage winner Markel Beloki finished almost a minute ahead of the first group of chasers.

"As we expected, the race exploded on the final climb, with many attacks. Over the top, four riders had a small gap, while I was about five seconds behind in a chasing group of around ten riders. We managed to bring them back, but unfortunately there wasn’t much cooperation in our group afterwards. I was also struggling with some cramps and when I dropped back to take a bottle, the decisive attack went at exactly that moment. In the end, our group was unable to bring the leader back. Overall, I think we raced well today. The guys from our Development Team did a great job supporting us in the key moments of the stage, and I want to thank them for that. We’ll keep fighting and try again tomorrow", — said Nicola Conci.

Here's the Tour de l'Ain report from Team Picnic-PostNL:

The Tour of Denmark got underway on Wednesday afternoon with rolling roads and a punchy climb in the finish circuit around Aalborg. The middle part of the stage was dominated by a large crash in the peloton that saw Nils Eekhoff and Thom van der Werff go down, but both were able to continue the race.

Coming into the local laps the team looked to position Casper van Uden for the punchy climbs, who followed at the front on the first two ascents. On the flat roads between, a group of six went clear and from the bottom of the climb the last time two more riders were able to bridge across. They would ultimately go on to fight for the stage win, while Van Uden brought the team home in the chasing peloton.

Team Soudal Quick-Step to race the Clasica San Sebastian

Here’s the team’s news:

The course of this 45th Clasica San Sebastian has retained all the elements that have made it one of the most spectacular and demanding one-day races in the world. The 221.1km route, starting and finishing on the famous Boulevard de Donostia, will see the peloton tackle seven ascents - including the iconic Jaizkibel - that will make for a cumulative elevation gain of more than 4000 meters.

A selection could happen long before the final climb, but it’s very likely that the winner will once again emerge on the ultra-steep gradients of Murgil-Tontorra, a 2.1km hill averaging 10.1% and packed with fans that gives absolutely no moment of respite, from whose top only eight kilometers remain.

Our team, who holds the record for most wins in Clasica San Sebastian (six with four different riders), will be at the start of the World Tour event with a strong squad led by Mikel Landa. The Basque, a top ten finisher here on two occasions, is set to make his first outing since the Tour de Suisse, part of a squad that will also include Gianmarco Garofoli, Andrea Raccagni, Martin Svrcek, Dylan van Baarle, Mauri Vansevenant and Filippo Zana.

Remco Evenepoel, riding for Soudal Quick Step, wins the Clasica San Sebastian in 2023. Sirotti photo

“We have many guys who will be present there after completing an altitude training camp, we have Dylan coming from the Tour, but also Mikel, who has started his preparations for the Vuelta without any pressure. The riders are motivated and we hope to get a nice result at the end of the day”, said Soudal Quick-Step sports director Wilfried Peeters.

Decathlon CMA CGM to launch women’s team

Here’s the team’s announcement:

As part of its ONE 2024–2030 strategic plan, the DECATHLON CMA CGM team is taking a new step forward in its development with the creation of its women’s team, starting in the 2027 season.

Supported by its title sponsors, DECATHLON and CMA CGM, as well as major partner Van Rysel and official partners Adecco and SHINE by Cegid, this project reflects their shared ambition to promote equality and performance.

The women’s team will join the NewGen program, led by Guillaume Bonnafond, which already brings together the Junior and Continental teams.

Based in La Motte-Servolex, in Savoie, the team relies on its Performance Center to provide training through the NewGen program, a central pillar of its development strategy. Working closely with the French Cycling Federation and its President, Michel Callot, the team is helping a new generation of female cyclists rise to the top of the global cycling scene.

The team will begin its journey in the ProTeam category, the second tier of international competition.

Composed of 12 riders, the team will be supported by an experienced staff that includes a sports director, a coach, two athletic assistants, two mechanics, a Doctor, a physical therapist, a nutritionist, and physical and mental trainers.

The team will also benefit from resources shared with the men’s team, giving it access to the full range of expertise offered by the Performance Center. Like the men’s WorldTour team, the women’s team will be outfitted by Van Rysel. This structure was designed to provide athletes with top-level support, in line with the performance and development standards championed by DECATHLON CMA CGM.

Javier Lopez, President and Chief Executive Decathlon:
“For Decathlon, the launch of our women’s cycling team in 2027 is a key milestone in our strategy. Thanks to the expertise of our Performance Center in Savoie, the NewGen initiative, and the technical know-how of our Van Rysel brand, we aim to provide these young riders with an exceptional ecosystem in which to grow and succeed. The innovations developed in the field alongside these athletes will directly inform the design of our products, making high performance accessible to all female cyclists. We are committed to providing this team with the best possible conditions for success. With humility and determination, we are particularly proud to support women at the highest level.”

This launch is part of a broader trend in the evolution of women’s cycling, driven by a growing audience (26 million viewers tuned in to the 2025 Women’s Tour France, an increase of 7.4 million compared to 2024) and a sharp rise in the number of licensed female cyclists in France (up 23% from 2023). The rise of women’s competitions, the arrival of new partners, and the gradual professionalization of teams all demonstrate the sport’s growing potential on an international scale.

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Thursday, July 30, 2026

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