Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Friday, March 6, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory. - Albert Schweitzer
Les Woodland's book Paris-Roubaix: The Inside Story - All the bumps of cycling's cobbled classic is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Upcoming racing:
- March 7: Strade Bianche
- March 8 - March 15: Paris-Nice
- March 9 - 15: Tirreno-Adriatico
Latest completed racing:
- March 4: Trofeo Laigueglia
- 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
Here’s the bad news from Matthews’ Team Jayco AlUla:
Unfortunately Team Jayco AlUla leader Michael Matthews suffered a crash whilst out training today, Thursday 5th March, and was transferred to hospital.
Team medical staff have confirmed that CT-scan results show fractures to both of his wrists, subsequently ruling him out of all upcoming races.
Michael Matthews winning the 2025 Eschborn-Frankfurt race.
The 35-year-old enjoyed a dream start to the 2026 season with a victory in his first race, Gran Premio Castellón. He was set to line-up on Sunday at his first major WorldTour test of the season, the gruelling eight-day Paris-Nice.
Matthews is now in direct contact with team medical staff and will have extensive support to aid a swift recovery.
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Here's the post from Wout van Aert's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
On Saturday, the starting signal for the 20th edition of Strade Bianche will sound in Siena. Team Visma | Lease a Bike travels to Tuscany with ambition and a strong lineup. Wout van Aert will appear at the start of the Italian spring race again after several seasons. Among others, he will have Matteo Jorgenson alongside him. We look forward together with Van Aert and sports director Maarten Wynants.
In recent years, Strade Bianche has established itself as a highlight of the early cycling season. The race over Tuscany’s gravel roads features a modified course compared to last year’s demanding edition. Some gravel sectors have been removed and the race is shortened. In total, the riders will face 64 kilometers of gravel roads. The finish remains at the iconic Piazza del Campo.
For Van Aert, Strade Bianche will be his second race of the year. The 31-year-old Belgian opened his season last Tuesday at Le Samyn and is now looking forward to his return to Italian soil. Since 2021, Van Aert has not competed in Strade Bianche, a race he already won in 2020. On those same gravel roads, Van Aert claimed his memorable stage victory in last season's Giro d’Italia.
Wout van Aert wins the 2020 Strade Bianche. Sirotti photo
“I’m looking forward to racing again in Italy,” Van Aert opens. “It’s been a while since I last lined up at the start of Strade Bianche. Together with the team, we decided to skip the race for a few seasons, but this year it’s back on the schedule at my request. The combination of Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico seems like a good preparation for our other goals later in the spring.”
Due to an ankle injury during the winter and illness during last weekend’s opening races, Van Aert did not have a flawless preparation. Last Tuesday he pinned on a race number for the first time this season at Le Samyn, where mechanical problems prevented him from contesting the victory.
“It was nice to open my season at Le Samyn, but I’ll arrive at the start in Siena with more question marks than I had hoped,” says Van Aert. “I had marked Strade Bianche as the first real big goal of the season, but we’ll have to see how I feel on Saturday. In any case, I’m highly motivated to show myself. We’re lining up with a strong team. Matteo has already shown good form in the French spring races. We can definitely aim for a top result.”
“Strade Bianche is one of the most challenging races on the calendar,” adds sports director Maarten Wynants. “As with other races, meticulous preparation is essential here. Because of the chaos, it’s not easy to make adjustments from the team car, so it’s important to have a clear plan beforehand. We can rely on a strong lineup. Several of our riders starting have a background in cyclocross or mountain biking. That’s definitely an advantage on a course like this. With Wout, we also have a former winner on the team who has already proven he can perform well here. Alongside him, Matteo is one of the leaders. We also have riders like Timo Kielich, who is very capable on the unpaved sectors. We’re looking forward to it.”
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Here's the Strade Bianche preview from Matej Mohorič's Team Bahrain Victorious:
Following the successful victory at Trofeo Laigueglia, Bahrain Victorious will remain in Italy to take part in Strade Bianche on March 7, the iconic race that marks the opening of the Italian UCI WorldTour Classics season.
Strade Bianche will feature some changes to its route while preserving the unique charm of one of cycling’s most spectacular races, set against the backdrop of Siena with its iconic finish in Piazza del Campo and the traditional start from the Fortezza Medicea.
The 2026 edition will cover 203 kilometres with more than 4,100 metres of elevation gain, featuring 14 gravel sectors totalling 64.1 km, reduced from 16 sectors and 81 km of gravel in 2025. The race remains characterised by a constantly rolling profile across the Crete Senesi, with short steep ramps, technical gravel sections and relentless terrain that rarely allows riders to recover.
After the start in Siena, the race quickly reaches the first gravel sectors before heading through Radi and Buonconvento and tackling the paved climb to Montalcino (4 km at 5%). The middle part of the race features two long gravel sectors, including the demanding San Martino in Grania. The decisive point traditionally comes on Monte Sante Marie (11.5 km), the longest and most selective sector of the race. The finale then unfolds on the steep Colle Pinzuto and Le Tolfe sectors before the iconic uphill finish in Siena’s Piazza del Campo.
Bahrain Victorious will head to Siena with two leaders: Matej Mohorič and Pello Bilbao, both of whom have already achieved top-five results in recent editions of the race (Mohorič in 2024 and Bilbao in 2025).
Matej Mohorič finishing fifth in the 2024 Strade Bianche. Sirotti photo
Matej will be making his sixth appearance at Strade Bianche, having also finished sixth in 2023. Bilbao has a strong history in the race as well, with seventh place in 2023 and fifth in 2022 too.
Also in the line-up is Attila Valter, a former mountain biker, who finished fourth in 2022 and fifth in 2023 and considers Strade Bianche one of his favourite races. He could play a key role in supporting the team leaders, particularly on the decisive Monte Sante Marie sector.
Providing crucial support for the leaders will also be Afonso Eulálio, who is expected to stay with Mohorič and Bilbao deep into the race and assist them through the decisive sectors.
The line-up is completed by Edoardo Zambanini, Fran Miholjević and Pau Miquel, who will work to protect the leaders during the early and middle phases of the race while coordinating communication between the riders and the team car.
Bahrain Victorious Sports Director Enrico Gasparotto commented:
“History is always a source of important insights for the present or the near future, and history tells us that Bahrain Victorious riders have always had a fairly good relationship with this race. Matej and Pello have fought for important results here in the past.
"So we arrive motivated and ready to maintain this trend again this year. We hope to use the momentum from the last races, where we achieved some great results, to aim for something important here.
"Of course the level of the start list is extremely high. As in previous years, Pogačar will start his season here and will want to begin strongly right away. The list of competitors is very strong, but we feel ready to leave our mark.”
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And here's the Strade Bianche preview from the NSN Cycling Team:
By the time the peloton rolls out from the Fortezza Medicea in Siena, the European season is already in full swing, yet few races carry the unique prestige and unpredictability of Strade Bianche.
There is something different about this race. The white roads of Tuscany demand constant attention. The rhythm rarely settles. Gravel sectors interrupt the flow, short steep climbs sting the legs, and positioning becomes just as decisive as strength. It is a race where preparation meets instinct, and sometimes luck.
Strade Bianche has quickly become one of the most iconic one-day races on the calendar. Not because of extreme altitude or distance, but because of the tension it builds from start to finish. Every sector has the potential to shape the outcome, and every mistake can be costly.
This year, the team lines up with George Bennett, Pier-André Côté, Pau Martí, Krists Neilands, Alessandro Pinarello, Nick Schultz, and Floris Van Tricht, a group that combines climbing depth, experience, and riders capable of handling demanding terrain.
George Bennett racing in stage 4 of the 2024 Vuelta a España. Sirotti photo
For Pinarello, Strade Bianche is one of the standout races of the early season.
“I think Strade is one of the most important races on the calendar,” he said. “It’s very different because of the gravel sectors. The race is hard on the climbs, and it can also be dangerous with crashes or punctures.”
That unpredictability defines the day. Strong legs are essential, but rarely enough on their own.
“You need good legs, but you also need a bit of luck,” Pinarello added. “If I have the legs to finish in the top 20, that would already be a very good result.”
Sports Director Pat McCarty highlighted the particular demands of the Tuscan classic.
“Obviously, Strade is a very special race and a very difficult one,” he explained. “The unique conditions make for a tough day. They have removed two sectors from the 2025 version, which could slightly change the cadence of the pre-final, but ultimately it will still be a typical and demanding Strade.”
With potential changes to how the race develops before the finale, flexibility will be important.
“For us, we’ll have a more open strategy,” McCarty continued. “We want to be present in earlier breakaways if the opportunity is right, but also keep riders in reserve for a more traditional final. If we can have two or three riders on a strong day, and have a clean race, then we’ll be happy to see how far they can go.”
In a race where positioning, resilience and composure matter as much as power, collective execution becomes decisive. By the time the riders face the final steep ascent into Siena’s Piazza del Campo, only those who have managed both the physical effort and the constant tension remain in contention.
Strade Bianche rewards clarity, courage and unity. Saturday in Tuscany will once again test all three.
NSN Cycling Team at Strade Bianche (Saturday 7 March):
Riders: George Bennett (NZL), Pier-André Côté (CAN), Pau Martí (ESP), Krists Neilands (LAT), Alessandro Pinarello (ITA), Nick Schultz (AUS), Floris Van Tricht (BEL)
Sports Directors: Pat McCarty (USA), Francesco Frassi (ITA), Sam Bewley (NZL)
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