Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, June 28, 2026
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Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night? - Jack Kerouac
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Current racing:
- June 24 - 28: National Championshps
Upcoming racing:
- July 4 - 26: Tour de France
- July 8 - 12: Tour of Austria
Latest completed racing:
- June 17 - 21: Tour de Suisse
- June 17 - 21: Baloise Belgium Tour
- June 7 - 14: Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
- June 14: Copenhagen Sprint
- June 14: GP Gippingen/Canton Aargau
- June 10: Circuit Franco-Belge
- June 7: Brussels Cycling Classic
- June 1 - 5: Ethias-Tour de Wallone
- May 8 - 31: Giro d'Italia
Here’s the team’s news:
NSN Cycling Team sprinter Oded Kogut was crowned the 2026 Israeli Time Trial Champion this morning.
It is the Haifa-born rider’s third national time trial title. Kogut covered the 28-kilometer course at an average speed of 50.7km/h, stopping the clock at 32:33. He finished 19 seconds ahead of teammate and newly-crowned road champion Nadav Raisberg, while Rotem Tene claimed third, completing an all-NSN podium.
Oded Kogut at the start of stage 5 of the 2025 UAE Tour.
The fastest rider of the day, however, was Omer Ramon from the NSN Development Team. Ramon captured the Israeli Under-23 Time Trial Championship with a blistering average speed of 51.7km/h, finishing in 32:35.
Kogut says: “I’m happy I’ll have the opportunity to wear the Israeli champion’s jersey in time trials around the world with the team. More importantly, I’m delighted to be back to full fitness for the rest of the season.”
Kogut returned to racing after spending nearly two months sidelined following a crash earlier this season.
First-year Devo rider Ramon, who took the junior title in 2024 and 2025, adds “I came here determined to prove myself in a discipline I know suits me. I gave everything I had, and fortunately it was enough to set the fastest time of the day. It’s a perfect feeling. Now my focus is already on the rest of the season.”
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Here’s the post from Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:
Primož Roglič claimed the Slovenian time trial title, while Mattia Cattaneo took bronze in Italy.
Primož Roglič claimed the Slovenian national time trial title in Karteljevo on Friday afternoon, adding a first victory of the season for the Slovenian and a national champion’s jersey to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe’s week of racing.
On the 28.8km course around Karteljevo, Roglič produced a clear benchmark performance, stopping the clock in 34:25.49. The route, raced over two laps, featured an out-and-back profile with a descent early in the lap, a sustained climb towards the turning point, and a final uphill section back to the finish. In hot conditions, with temperatures around 33°C, Roglič was the only rider to average over 50km/h, finishing 1:28 ahead of the silver medallist.
Primož Roglič time-trialing at stage 4 of the 2026 Tour de Suisse. Sirotti photo
The result marks Roglič’s second Slovenian national time trial title, which he last won in 2016. Returning to the national championships for the first time since 2020, Roglič underlined his strength against the clock with a controlled and dominant ride on home roads.
One day earlier in Italy, Mattia Cattaneo also delivered a strong ride, taking bronze in the Italian national time trial championships. The 40.3km test from Santuario di Vicoforte to Barolo offered a rolling parcours through Piemonte. He finished 2:36.33 down on the eventual winner Ganna.
The team now looks to the upcoming series of national road race championships this weekend.
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Here’s the report from UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
UAE Team Emirates-XRG duo take the German and Portuguese titles, respectively, with their teammates impressing across a number of nations
Hot on the heels of Jan Christen’s success in Switzerland, Nils Politt claimed the German National Time Trial Championships for UAE Team Emirates-XRG. The German rouleur bettered his competition by less than two seconds, landing another national title for the Emirati squad.
Nils Politt checking out the Tour of Flanders course in 2025. Sirotti photo
Riding aboard the new Colnago TT2 bike, Politt produced a splendid performance in Streufdorf, setting the fastest time across the 41km course. It marks the third time that the 32-year-old has landed the national title aboard his time trial bike, and will give the German another year wearing the national colours against the clock.
On Friday afternoon, both Max Walscheid (Lidl-Trek) and Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla) came close to Politt’s time of 48:25, but neither man was able to overhaul the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider come the line. For Politt, the display was one worthy of the team’s 46th win of the 2026 campaign.
Politt: “I am super happy with the title. It was close! I had a small problem in the second half of the course when my chain dropped, so it was getting even closer then, but in the end, two seconds are two seconds. I am super happy to take this with me to the next race, it is my third title in the time trial.”
German National Championships ITT – Elite Men results:
1. Nils Politt (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 48:25
2. Max Walscheid (Lidl-Trek) +2″
3. Jasha Sütterlin (Jayco AlUla) s.t
It was a successful afternoon for UAE Team Emirates-XRG on the nationals front, with António Morgado also picking up the Portuguese National Time Trial Championship. For the young talent, it is his third crown in a row, and the Emirati squad could also celebrate Ivo Oliveira in third place.
Over in Denmark, Mikkel Bjerg was narrowly pipped to the gold medal by Kristian Egholm of Lidl-Trek. Bjerg missed out by less than a second, but can nevertheless take a lot of satisfaction from his strong performance.
Equally, Tim Wellens, Rune Herregodts and Florian Vermeersch showed themselves well in the Belgian National Time Trial Championships. The trio finished second, fourth, and sixth, respectively, on a course that had been halved to 20km due to the intense heat.
Portuguese National Championships ITT – Elite Men results:
1. António Morgado (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) 33:15
2. Rafael Reis (Anicolor/Campicarn) +1″
3. Ivo Oliveira (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) +20″
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And here's the Italian road championships report from Team XDS-Astana:
The Elite men’s road race of the Italian National Championships took place today. The 232.5-kilometre race concluded with a sprint finish on the streets of Cuneo. Alessandro Romele launched a long sprint with 300 meters to go, but was passed in the closing meters by two riders – Jonathan Milan, who claimed the Italian national title, and Tommaso Dati. As a result, Alessandro Romele finished in third place.
Jonathan Milan on the final podium of the 2026 Giro d'Italia after winning the 21st stage. Sirotti photo
“I have a decent sprint, and I work on it specifically in training, but I’m not a pure sprinter. Today, when I saw the group hesitate a little, I took my chance to attack. It was the only opportunity I had to make a move in the finale. I knew it was still too early to start the sprint, but I decided to take the risk. Jonathan Milan was the strongest rider today, but I managed to finish on the podium, and I’m really happy about that. I already felt good in the time trial, and today everything came together perfectly for me. The race went well, and I gave everything I had. It was a very fast race. Milan’s team controlled everything, and it was clear that no breakaway would make it to the finish today. So the key was to save as much energy as possible for the finale. Then I tried to surprise the sprinters, but it wasn’t enough for the victory. Still, a podium in the Italian National Championships road race gives me great motivation for the future”, – said Alessandro Romele.