Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Wednesday, March 4, 2026

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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia

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Les Woodland's book Tour de France: The Inside Story - Making the World's Greatest Bicycle Race is available in print, Kindle eBook and audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.

Current racing:

• March 4: Trofeo Laigueglia

Upcoming racing:

• March 7: Strade Bianche
• March 8 - March 15: Paris-Nice
• March 9 - 15: Tirreno-Adriatico

Latest completed racing:

• March 3: Le Samyn Classic
• February 25 - March 1: Giro di Sardegna
• March 1: Faun Drome Classic
• March 1: Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne
• February 28: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
• February 28: Faun Ardèche Classic
• February 22: Tour des Alpes Maritimes
• February 16 - 22: UAE Tour
• February 18 - 22: Volta ao Algarve
• February 18 - 22: Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta Ciclista del Sol
• February 21: Classic Var
• February 16: Clásica Jaén
• February 15: Clasica de Almeria

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Ename Samyn Classic reports

We posted the report from second-place Laurenz Rex's Team Soudal Quick-Step with the results.

Here's the report from winner Jordi Meeus' Team Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe:

He went into the race as the favourite for a sprint final and fulfilled this role with flying colours: Jordi Meeus opened his victory account for the 2026 season at the Belgian classic Le Samyn.

Jordi won by one bike length. It was the tenth win of the season for Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe.

Jordi Meeus wins the 2026 Ename Samyn Classic. Photo: Getty Sport

After a good 200 kilometres on a circuit from Quaregnon to Dour not far from the French border, it was the 27-year-old Belgian who left his rivals in the greatly reduced field no chance. The last kilometre on the slightly undulating profile also had a few more climbs. There were also several short cobblestone sections to complete on each lap.

"The Opening Weekend with the Omloop, Kuurne and Samyn was a big goal for me. And I am very happy to be going home with a victory from these three races", said Jordi. "It's not easy to win as the favourite, but my legs felt good. That was actually the case throughout the whole season. I think I had a little more to offer than the results of the previous races showed, so I'm very happy that I was able to put in a good sprint today."

"I am very happy for Jordi", said Shane Archbold, who was the sports director at Le Samyn. "He started his season with a few second places and good results in recent weeks. Finally, he has achieved his victory. The other riders in the team also performed really well today. We had two rookies here, both of whom rode a pretty good race. For Michiel Mouris, it was his first professional race and his first ride over 200 kilometres."

"Our plan was pretty clear: Gianni Vermeersch was involved in every single move and tried to make the race as tough as possible. And for the sprint we had Jordi."

Here's the Ename Samyn Classic report from third-place Hugo Hofstetter's NSN Cycling Team:

There’s something about Hugo Hofstetter and the Ename Samyn Classic. The Frenchman won the Belgian one-day race during his first spell with the team in 2020, and, having placed second in both 2022 and 2023, added a third-place finish to his palmarès in this year’s edition on Tuesday.

Hugo Hofstetter wins the 2020 edition of Le Samyn

Hofstetter rode a typically under-the-radar race, but noticeably positioned himself brilliantly approaching the finish line in Dour. After solo attacker Per Strand Hagenes was caught with around 600 meters remaining, Hofstetter was able to get a clear run at the finish line, and placed behind winner Jordi Meeus (RBH) and was only just denied second by Laurenz Rex (SOQ).

And here's the Ename Samyn Classic report from Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Per Strand Hagenes just wasn't able to top off a strong race with a victory in the Ename Samyn Classic. After a long solo attempt, the 22-year-old Norwegian was caught by the peloton in the final meters. Wout van Aert, who made his season debut in Wallonia, couldn't compete for the win because of a flat tyre.

Per Strand Hagenes takes a solo win at the 2023 Sparkassen Münsterland Giro.

Van Aert had to skip the Flemish Opening Weekend due to illness, but had recovered enough to make his appearance in the Walloon cobbled classic today. The same could not be said for Christophe Laporte. The Frenchman, who played a key role in Matthew Brennan's victory in Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne last Sunday, did not feel completely fit and decided, in consultation with the medical staff, to skip the race.

Team Visma | Lease a Bike lined up at the start of the 1.1 race with a young team. In addition to Hagenes and Van Aert, Pietro Mattio, Loe van Belle and Development riders Matisse Van Kerckhove and Aldo Taillieu were part of the six-man line-up. With 60 kilometres to go, Hagenes and Mattio saw their chance to break away from the peloton and were joined by several other riders. The group caught up with the leading group and gained a half-minute lead over the peloton.

On the Rue de Belle Vue, one of the most difficult cobbled sections of the course, Hagenes went on the attack. The Norwegian rode away on his own and immediately took a significant lead over his fellow escapees. While the rest were caught by the peloton, Hagenes remained in the lead. In the final kilometres, a fighting Hagenes gave everything he had, but just after the final kilometre mark, he had to admit defeat after a solo ride of more than 30 kilometres.

"It was quite a battle, but it was worth the try", Hagenes said afterwards. "With two laps to go, we rode away with a nice group. The cooperation wasn't optimal, so I thought: I'm going for it and we'll see where it takes me. At the end, I felt my tank running empty, but I didn't want to give up. I did my best, but in the end it was just not enough."

When Hagenes was caught, Van Aert was no longer able to compete for the victory. The Belgian suffered a flat tyre in the final and was therefore eliminated. "I had to swap bikes with a teammate and then I was in no man's land. That was a shame", Van Aert said.

"I felt okay, but I would have liked to race in the final to see how far I could get. As a team, we were in a good position with Per riding at the front and looking really strong. My plan B was to stay at the front and jump in on any counterattacks. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way."

Despite missing out on a good classification, Van Aert is looking ahead with confidence to the races to come. "It was definitely the right choice to start here. I think I took a step forward today. With regard to Strade Bianche, this is of course not quite the build-up I had in mind, but I am definitely looking forward to returning there."

Team Soudal Quick-Step to race Trofeo Laigueglia

Here's the team's update:

We are back after five years at the start of the Trofeo Laigueglia, one of those typical Italian one-day races which give almost no respite and where the quick succession of hills leads to countless attacks, making things difficult to control for the peloton.

The route covers 192 kilometers along the picturesque Ligurian coast, and features a string of iconic climbs, such as Capo Mele, Capo Berta, and the Cipressa. In the final 40 kilometers, the race moves onto a local circuit made up of Colle Micheri (whose average gradient reaches 8.6%) and Capo Mele, and it’s there that the decisive attacks usually come, especially as from the top of the last climb only a short and fast downhill separates the riders from the finish.

Mauri Vansevenant finishing the 2024 Vuelta a España stage 6. Sirotti photo

Third at the 2021 edition, Mauri Vansevenant will be one of the four Soudal Quick-Step riders at the start, alongside Gianmarco Garofoli – who finished runner-up last week at the Giro di Sardegna – Junior Lecerf and Louis Vervaeke. They will be joined by two young and promising Belgians coming from our feeder squad, Jasper Schoofs and Viktor Soenens, who have both impressed in February, at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana.

Winning the overall classification in Sardegna gave us a lot of confidence for Trofeo Laigueglia.

“It’s a race held on a beautiful but demanding parcours, but we have riders who can do something on the many hills of the day. Regarding our two Devo guys, this will be another good experience for them, something from which they will both learn as they continue to develop”, said sports director Davide Bramati.

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