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Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Friday, June 26, 2026

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It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have. - James Baldwin

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.

Upcoming racing:

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

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Filippo Ganna wins seventh Italian time trial title

Here's the news from Ganna's Team Netcompany INEOS:

Filippo Ganna claimed an impressive victory at the Italian National Time Trial Championships to become a seven-time winner of the event.

The Netcompany INEOS rider clocked a winning time of 47 minutes and 39 seconds across the rolling course in Barolo.

Filippo Ganna on his way to winning the Italian ITT champs. Again. Sirotti photo

That led to a commanding winning margin of two minutes and six seconds for Ganna, who made sure he retained the Italian tricolor skinsuit for a fifth year in succession.

Luca Giami (UAE Team Emirates - XRG) and Mattia Cattaneo (Red Bull - Bora - Hansgrohe) rounded out the podium positions.

NSN Cycling Team unveils Tour de France roster

Here’s the team’s announcement:

Eritrean history maker Biniam Girmay will lead NSN Cycling Team’s search for stage wins at the Tour de France, a race that takes on added significance this year thanks to its Grand Départ in Barcelona.

The build-up to cycling’s biggest race and its first three stages – which begin on Saturday 4 July – will take place in and around the historic Catalan city, home to the team’s title sponsor.

Biniam will be joined on the start line at the Barcelona Fòrum by British pair Jake Stewart and Lewis Askey, Frenchman Matîs Louvel, and Tom Van Asbroeck, with the Belgian returning to the Tour after a six-year absence. This quartet makes up the core lead-out group for Biniam, who won three stages and the green jersey in the 2024 edition.

Biniam Girmay before the start of the 2026 Clásica de Almeria. Sirotti photo

Italian Marco Frigo is the only debutant in the team’s roster, while fellow stage hunters George Bennett (the reigning New Zealand road champion) and Latvian Krists Neilands will both compete in their sixth Tour.

“We’ve got a good group of riders for the race, focused predominantly around Bini and the sprints,” says Head Sports Director Sam Bewley.

“But the race is 21 stages. We want to have a purpose and a goal across the entire race, so it’s important to have guys like George, Krists, and Marco in his first Tour there so we can keep NSN in the race across as much of the three weeks as possible.

“We feel confident with the guys we have to be able to deliver some good stage outcomes from breakaways, mountain stages, or how the Tour plays out, in addition to our primary focus of the sprints.”

Unfortunately for Biniam, he will have to wait until the race reaches the southern French city of Pau on stage five for his first shot at glory.

The Tour starts with a 19.6-kilometer team time trial in Barcelona, followed by two potential GC days before the race leaves Spain, however this year’s Grand Départ will be one for the whole team to remember.

Bewley adds: “It’s going to be great to start in Barcelona – selfishly, I wish the race started with a bunch sprint, but it’s going to be so cool beginning the Tour in the home city of NSN. We want to do the jersey proud there, but we know the stages aren’t ideally suited to our group of riders. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to race with great pride – it’s going to be a great occasion for everybody connected to the team.”

Biniam starts the race off the back of a strong performance at the recent Baloise Belgium Tour, where he won a stage and claimed two other top-10s across the five days.

His three victories so far this season are his best return in the first six months of a season since 2022, and also put him ahead of where he was going into his history-making 2024 Tour.

He says: “Everybody who knows me understands how special the Tour de France is to me – but I’m more interested in creating more special moments than looking back on what I’ve achieved in the past.

“I know my form is good, but it’s also great knowing that I have a really committed team around me. We have worked hard since the start of the season to discover the best ways to work together, to build trust in each other, and to score the best results possible.

“I’m going into this year’s race full of confidence and with a real sense of anticipation for the first sprint opportunities.”

While this will be Marco Frigo’s first experience of the Tour, he has previously challenged for stage victories in both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España.

“Any rider’s first Tour de France is special,” says the 26-year-old from Bassano del Grappa. “The 2010 Tour – and the big fight between Contador and Schleck on the Tourmalet – was one of the first races I remember watching on TV and knowing what was going on. To be part of this big event will be amazing.

“To be honest, I think I am yet to realize how big the race is – people around me keep telling me ‘Marco, be prepared, because it is going to be crazy’. I think I am still a bit innocent, but I know I am capable of managing this.

“I am super happy with my level right now – I have done everything I can ahead of the race. I think I can try to fight for a stage, and I want to take all the opportunities I can. A lot depends on the tactics, but already from the first week, there are some good stages that we will try to grab. Then, of course, I will give 100% for Bini on the sprint stages, so I think it’s true to say that there is a lot of food in the dish for us.”

NSN Cycling Team at the Tour de France (Saturday 4 – Sunday 26 July)

Riders: Lewis Askey (GBR), George Bennett (NZL), Marco Frigo (ITA), Biniam Girmay (ERI), Matîs Louvel (FRA), Krists Neilands (LAT), Jake Stewart (GBR), Tom Van Asbroeck (BEL)

Sports Directors: Sam Bewley (NZL), Dror Pekatch (ISR), Rene Mandri (EST)

Viktória Chladoňová successfully defends Slovak national time trial title

Here’s the report from Chladoňová’s Team Visma | Lease a Bike

Viktória Chladoňová successfully defended her national time trial title. On the 24-kilometer course in Uničov, the 19-year-old Team Visma | Lease a Bike rider was clearly the fastest. For Chladoňová, who already won multiple titles as a junior, it was her second victory in the elite category.

Viktória Chladoňová

"It feels amazing to win the title again and to be able to wear the jersey for another year. I’m incredibly proud of that," said the winner with a smile. "The course was fast and not too technical. I found a good rhythm and, although the temperature rose to 32 degrees, I managed the conditions well. It was only in the final kilometers that I really started to feel the heat."

With a time of 31 minutes and 40 seconds, Chladoňová finished more than one and a half minutes ahead of the runner-up. "I think I started a little too fast because I couldn’t quite maintain the pace all the way to the finish. Nevertheless, I’m extremely proud to have won again. I’m very grateful to the team for the support they gave me during my time trial today."

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Friday, June 26, 2026

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