Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Sunday, March 15, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell. - William Tecumseh Sherman
Bill & Carol McGann's book The Story of the Tour de France, Vol 1: 1903 - 1975 is available in print, Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing:
- March 8 - March 15: Paris-Nice
- March 9 - 15: Tirreno-Adriatico
Upcoming racing:
- March 18: Danilith Nokere Koerse
- March 18: Milano-Torino
- March 19: GP de Denain
- March 20: Bredene Koksijde Classic
- March 21: Milano-Sanremo
Latest completed racing:
- March 7: Strade Bianche
- 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
We posted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Dorian Godon's Team INEOS Grenadiers:
Dorian Godon claimed his first victory for the INEOS Grenadiers with a strong man's sprint in tough wintery conditions at Paris-Nice.
The race's penultimate stage had to be amended not once but twice due to snow and heavy, persistent rain. A GC day of climbing was ultimately replaced by a 47-kilometre uphill drag, with the team working hard to set up a bunch sprint into Isola.
Committing fully to the new plan, the Grenadiers executed perfectly, with Kevin Vauquelin and then Josh Tarling driving into the final kilometre. Sam Watson then continued the leadout before Godon jumped clear, rebounding from a number of recent near-misses to claim a popular victory.
Dorian Godon wins Paris-Nice stage seven.
Positioning had been key on the uphill drag, with the likes of Carlos Rodriguez and Michal Kwiatkowski getting through a lot of work to ensure the team remained to the fore in a fast and furious stage.
The sprint ensured that the GC positions went unchanged, with Vauquelin retaining fourth place overall with one stage to go.
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Here's the Paris-Nice stage seven report from second-place Biniam Girmay's NSN Cycling Team:
While taking second in a sprint would be seen as a disappointment for many riders throughout their careers, Biniam Girmay took the positives from finishing best of the rest in Saturday’s Paris-Nice stage.
Having already been shortened yesterday evening because of snow and freezing conditions at the initial summit finish at Auron, today’s seventh stage was then cut from 120.4km to 47km owing to torrential rain.
Although the final parcours opened it up to sprinters, conditions along the route from the outskirts of Nice to Isola Village still made for an unpleasant 61 minutes and 48 seconds of racing.
Paris-Nice stage seven gets a wet start.
Biniam finished just behind home rider Dorian Godon (IGD) to record his best result of the week, marking the team’s second podium after Lewis Askey’s third place in Friday’s stage.
“I think it was 10 out of 10 cold – I could not get colder than this,” says Biniam. “But today is the best result I have had in these conditions.
“I was just on the limit. It was a shit day to ride a bike, but I am getting better in this weather, as I am not used to it. So, second place – I think we just need to be happy with this.”
With the road gradually rising in the final kilometers, Biniam was kept out of trouble on treacherous roads by Tom Van Asbroeck and Ryan Mullen. His finishing speed meant that he almost got the better of Godon, but beat the likes of Cees Bol, Laurence Pithie, and Luke Lamperti.
He adds: “The team did quite a nice one-hour ride. We were always in the front and under control. At the finish, I think everybody was just freezing, but they dropped me in a good position.”
And here's the Paris-Nice report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
Due to the inclement weather – snow and strong winds – the organisers had to change the route of the penultimate stage, which was initially scheduled to finish on Auron, giving the climbers another opportunity to fight for victory or to try to improve their general classification. Instead, the peloton took on one of the shortest road stages in recent memory, just 47 kilometers from Pont Louis Nocera to Isola.
Despite it being an uphill finish, the climb favoured the durable sprinters, and after numerous attacks and a late crash that split the peloton, it came down to a reduced mass gallop, won by Dorian Godon (Ineos Grenadiers). Jasper Stuyven, who concluded third in Montargis at the beginning of the week, was again present for Soudal Quick-Step and took a solid eighth place.
Paris-Nice stage seven with three kilometers to go.
The 84th edition of Paris-Nice finishes on Sunday with the traditional stage around Nice. The course is different from last year, but the many climbs and fast descents on the course are sure to give plenty of opportunities to the attackers.
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We psoted the race organizer's report with the results.
Here's the report from stage winner Isaac del Toro's UAE Team Emirates-XRG:
Isaac Del Toro delivered another commanding performance today to win Stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico, attacking on the steep finishing climb to Camerino and extending his lead in the general classification with just one stage remaining.
The penultimate stage of the prestigious Italian World Tour race covered 188km from San Severino Marche to Camerino, featuring a demanding finale with repeated punchy climbs before the uphill finish. UAE Team Emirates-XRG controlled the race through the decisive kilometres, positioning Del Toro perfectly ahead of the final ascent as the GC battle intensified.
As the gradients steepened in the final kilometres, Del Toro responded to attacks from his closest rivals before launching a decisive acceleration of his own with only Matteo Jorgenson able to match him. The Mexican rider quickly created a gap over the Visma-Lease a Bike ride and powered clear to the finish line, claiming a memorable stage victory and valuable seconds over his rivals in the overall standings.
Isaac del Toro wins Tirreno-Adriatico stage six. Sirotti photo
Behind him, Giulio Pellizzari and Matteo Jorgenson fought for the remaining podium places on the stage, but neither could match the pace set by the UAE Team Emirates-XRG leader, who crossed the line alone after a powerful late surge.
Isaac Del Toro: “Today was a very hard stage and the team rode incredibly well all day. They kept the race under control and gave me the perfect position for the final climb. When the attacks started I tried to stay calm and then go at the right moment. To win the stage and extend the lead here means a lot, but we still need to stay focused for the final day. I dedicate this win to the teammates and all the staff who have been incredible all week.”
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And here's the Tirreno-Adriatico report from Clément Braz Afonso's Team Groupama-FDJ United:
In good form since the start of the season, Clément Braz Afonso perhaps showed it more than ever this Saturday during stage six of Tirreno-Adriatico. Heading towards Camerino, the 25-year-old Frenchman first managed to make it into the day’s breakaway before holding off the peloton until seven kilometres from the finish on an extremely demanding circuit. Although he was eventually caught, he still fought all the way to the line to maintain his sixteenth place in the overall standings. Quite a day!
Before a final stage set to favour the sprinters on Sunday, Tirreno-Adriatico featured one last hilly stage – and therefore one suited to the favourites – on Saturday. As on the previous day, nearly 4,000 metres of elevation gain were on the menu between San Severino Marche and Camerino, where a very steep climb (3 km at 9%) had to be tackled three times in the final sixty kilometres. Before reaching the tough finishing circuit, the peloton first had to cover one hundred kilometres including the long ascent of Sassotetto (13 km at 7.3%), but the right breakaway formed shortly before this climb.
Midway into Tirreno-Adriatico's sixth stage. Sirotti photo
“It started flat out,” said Yvon Caër. “Van Aert and Van der Poel really wanted to be in the break, so there was a big fight. It only went clear after about an hour, with seven riders, ten kilometres before the first ascent.” In that move was Clément Braz Afonso, alongside Filippo Ganna, Vincenzo Albanese and Gregor Mühlberger among others. “The plan today was to get into the break and, if possible, to have Clément there to anticipate and try to go for the stage,” Yvon added. “Unfortunately, the peloton decided otherwise. They first allowed four minutes, but when we entered the circuit the gap quickly dropped to two.”
The gap was even down to just 1’30 as the fugitives reached the first ascent of Camerino, sixty kilometres from the finish. That is why Clément Braz Afonso and Gregor Mühlberger dropped their fellow escapees. “On such a hard climb they almost naturally found themselves alone because the others were struggling a bit,” Yvon said. “It was almost better to be two, with a strong climber who can also pull strong like Mühlberger. I think it was the right option and they did a nice ride together.”
The duo even managed to temporarily push the gap back up to two minutes, but on the second and penultimate ascent of Camerino the peloton closed in to just thirty seconds. Still working together, the Frenchman and the Austrian kept pushing over the small uphill sections before the circuit’s main descent. With twenty-three kilometres to go, the group of favourites – reduced to around thirty riders – was only five seconds behind, but everything eventually came back together seven kilometres from the finish, just before the final ascent of Camerino.
“Cycling is such nowadays that breakaways rarely make it to the finish,” said Clément. “But we still tried today, and I don’t think I made many mistakes.” “It ended as we feared, but Clément still tried to ride the final climb as well as possible with the general classification in mind,” added Yvon.
Alongside the favourites at the start of the decisive climb, the Groupama-FDJ United rider gritted his teeth in the wheels for a few hundred metres before eventually having to let go. “I tried to recover a bit before the final climb, but they dropped me at the bottom,” he said. “I just couldn’t change pace anymore.” Still fighting, Clément Braz Afonso pushed all the way to the line to finish eighteenth despite the day’s efforts, thereby confirming his sixteenth place overall. “We tried to put Clément in a position to fight for the stage and potentially move up in the GC,” Yvon explained. “It was a gamble, but one worth taking. Clément is very happy with his day and so am I. We have no regrets and once again he showed some very interesting things. He has just raced Trofeo Laigueglia (13th), Strade Bianche (17th) and Tirreno-Adriatico. To be in this kind of condition after such a big block is very promising. He really delivered a very solid ride today.”
“I’m really happy with my legs since the start of the season,” Clément concluded. “I couldn’t have imagined this when I was riding for CIC U Nantes Atlantique two years ago. I think I can be proud of myself.”
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