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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Thursday, June 18, 2026

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There is frequently more to be learned from the unexpected questions of a child than the discourses of men. - John Locke

Stoic philosopher Epictetus' Golden Sayings is available in both audiobook & Kindle eBook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

June 17 - 21: Tour de Suisse
June 17 - 21: Baloise Belgium Tour

Upcoming racing:

June 24 - 28: National Championshps
July 4 - 26: Tour de France
July 7 - 12: Tour of Austria

Latest completed racing:

Wout van Aert to miss Tour de France due to elbow injury

Van Aert’s Visma | Lease a Bike team posted this bad news:

Wout van Aert will not take part in the upcoming Tour de France. The Belgian is still dealing with the effects of an elbow injury and has not recovered in time to start the Tour de France at the required level.

A few days before the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Van Aert crashed during training. During the race, an infection unexpectedly developed in the wound on his elbow, forcing him to abandon the race. This week, the wound was cleaned again in hospital, and he also spent one night under observation in hospital.

After consultation between Van Aert, the medical staff, and the performance coaches of Team Visma | Lease a Bike, it has been decided that full recovery is the priority and Van Aert’s health comes first. For this reason, he will not be included in the selection for the Tour de France.

Wout van Aert winning stage five of the 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alps just a few days ago.

Wout van Aert: “This is of course a big disappointment. The Tour de France is one of my main goals every year. Unfortunately, a crash during training has put a spanner in the works, and the injury to my elbow has worsened and has still not healed sufficiently. Together with the team, we have concluded that starting the Tour in top form is not feasible at this point. My full focus is now on my recovery so I can return to my best level later this season.”

Race coach Marc Reef: “Wout is one of the most important riders in our team and we would obviously have loved to have him at the start of the Tour. In recent days we have explored all options, but ultimately his health comes first. With the recovery process required, it is not possible for him to reach top form in time for the Tour de France. It is unfortunate that he will not be there, but we are convinced this is the right decision for his recovery and the rest of his season.”

Team Visma | Lease a Bike always takes potential withdrawals into account when preparing for races and therefore has replacements ready for every position. This is also the case for the upcoming Tour de France. Who will replace Van Aert will be announced by the team on June 23, when the final Tour de France selection will be presented.

Tour of Switzerland stage one team reports

We posted the report from stage winner Tadej Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG with the results.

Here's the report from fourth-place Ilan Van Wilder's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

For the first time in its long history, the Tour de Suisse got underway from Italy. It was a demanding day in the saddle, with an elevation gain of 2500 meters, the kind of terrain where it wasn’t easy for the peloton to control things, as shown by the way things panned out.

The race exploded with more than 70 kilometers to go, just as the man who had animated up until that point was about to get caught by a select peloton featuring both Mikel Landa - racing here for just the second time in his career - and Ilan Van Wilder. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) attacked on an uphill section and opened a gap which he only kept increasing until the finish in Sondrio, where he took the win and the yellow jersey.

Mikel Landa heads to the start of stage one. Sirotti photo

Behind, the already depleted bunch fragmented, and Ilan Van Wilder made sure of being on the right side of this split, part of a small four-man group which came home a couple of minutes later. Soudal Quick-Step’s 26-year-old Belgian had something left in the legs at the end of this arduous stage to sprint to fourth place, a result that puts him in a good position for a strong GC going into the next stages.

Here's the Tour of Switzerland report from seventh-place Wilco Kelderman's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Wilco Kelderman made a strong impression in the opening stage of the Tour de Suisse. The Dutch rider was able to follow the strongest riders in the final and ultimately crossed the line in seventh place, behind Tadej Pogacar, who lived up to his status as the top favourite.

In the first stage of the Tour de Suisse, with start and finish in Sondrio, Italy, attention quickly turned to the second half of the stage, where the organisers had included several steep climbs. That was ultimately where the race exploded, when Pogacar launched his attack with 70 kilometres to go.

The peloton descends in stage one. Sirotti photo

While the Slovenian rode solo to victory, Kelderman showed strong legs in the chase group. In the demanding finale, the Dutchman launched an attack on the steep final climb, eventually finishing seventh after a strong ride.

“It was not the race situation we had expected,” sports director Gaëton Pons reflected afterwards. “We expected the race to explode in the final 30 kilometres, but it happened much earlier. There was little we could do against Pogačar and his team, but Wilco rode a very strong race. It’s a performance that gives confidence for the coming days.”

In the upcoming stages, the Dutch team hopes to once again feature at the front. “There are still several good opportunities for us. Tomorrow we already face another tough finale in which we hope to compete with the strongest riders again. In the days that follow, we also have riders who can go for strong results. I saw a good team today, and that gives confidence,” the Belgian sports director concluded.

And here's the Tour of Switzerland report from ninth-place AJ August's Team Netcompany INEOS:

AJ August and Tobias Foss sprinted to ninth and 11th position respectively on the opening day of the Tour de Suisse.

The Netcompany INEOS duo worked their way into a chasing group of contenders on a stage which saw the general classification evolve massively.

The race sparked into life with over 70 kilometres remaining as Tadej Pogacar (UAE Emirates – XRG) pushed on following the intermediate sprint, and quickly opened out an advantage on the Triangia climb.

The peloton behind would eventually regroup, with August and Foss part of the select group, which saw a number of attacks on the run-in.

Pogacar eventually won the stage by a margin of 2:14 over Richard Carapaz (EF Education – Easypost), while August and Foss crossed the line in a group 4:30 back on the new race leader.

Baloise Belgium Tour stage one reports

We posted the report from stage winner Biniam Girmay's NSN Cycling Team with the results.

Here's the report from third-place Max Kanter's XDS Astana Team:

Stage 1 of the Baloise Belgium Tour had a distance of 188,3 kilometers in Scherpenheuvel-Zichem, where the race was finished with the bunch sprint. The team sprinter Max Kanter claimed third place.

Biniam Girmay wins Tour of Belgium stage one.

"First of all, it was a good start for us here at the Tour of Belgium. I think we raced very well as a team. There were a lot of attacks during the final two laps, but the guys did a great job covering the important moves and keeping an eye on the general classification contenders, which allowed me to stay calm and save energy for the finish. In the end, it came down to a bunch sprint, and our goal was to remain patient and composed throughout the finale. Everything worked out really well. The team did an outstanding job positioning me and delivering me into the final 200 meters. Today, two riders were simply faster, but overall I think it was a very good start to the race. We can still improve a few details, and hopefully over the next stages we can fight for a stage victory", — said Max Kanter.

And here's the Tour of Belgium report from fourth-place Steffen De Schuyteneer's Team Lotto-Intermarché:

Lotto-Intermarché kicks off the Baloise Belgium Tour with two riders finishing inside the top ten. Steffen De Schuyteneer sprinted to a strong fourth place at the Basilica of Scherpenheuvel, while Joshua Giddings crossed the line in seventh after a nervous bunch sprint.
“It was quite a chaotic sprint,” said De Schuyteneer afterwards. “With three kilometres to go, I lost Joshua (Giddings) and told him over the radio that he could lead out Jenno (Berckmoes), because we had originally planned to sprint with both of us.”

De Schuyteneer then managed to reposition himself and launch his sprint at the right moment. “I moved in behind the Astana riders and found a gap to start my sprint. After that, fourth place was the best result possible. It’s a nice result for me personally and, together with Joshua’s seventh place, it was a good day for the team.”

The result gives De Schuyteneer plenty of confidence for the stages ahead. “There will be more opportunities, and I’m really looking forward to them,” he concluded.

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Thursday, June 18, 2026

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