Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,
Saturday, March 21, 2026
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2025 Tour de France | 2025 Giro d'Italia
Life can only be understood backward, but it must be lived forward.– Soren Kierkegaard
Bill & Carol McGann’s book The Story of the Tour de France, 2022: The Fastest Tour Ever is available in both Kindle eBook & audiobook versions. To get your copy, just click on the Amazon link on the right.
Current racing
- March 21: Milano-Sanremo
Upcoming racing:
- March 23 - 29: Volta a Catalunya
- March 25: Ronde Van Brugge - Tour of Bruges
- March 25 - 29: Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali
Latest completed racing:
- March 20: Bredene Koksijde Classic
- March 19: GP de Denain
- March 18: Danilith Nokere Koerse
- March 18: Milano-Torino
- March 8 - March 15: Paris-Nice
- March 9 - 15: Tirreno-Adriatico
- March 7: Strade Bianche
- March 4: Trofeo Laigueglia
- March 3: Le Samyn Classic
We posted the report from second-place Pascal Ackermann's Team Jayco-AlUla with the results.
Here's the report from third-place Pavel Bittner's Team Picnic-PostNL:
Team Picnic PostNL lined up at the Bredene Koksijde Classic for a demanding 203-kilometre race that, while expected to end in a sprint, always leaves room for echelons and attacks over the hilly middle section. The race saw multiple breakaway attempts, with an early trio first going clear before a larger group of ten riders including Frits Biesterbos bridged across after the hill zone. That move was eventually brought back, but a new six-rider break then formed and once again forced the peloton to stay alert.
Throughout the day, Team Picnic PostNL rode attentively, helping to control the breakaways and staying well positioned whenever the threat of echelons loomed, always looking to seize opportunities. In the closing kilometres, the peloton reeled in the final escapees, setting up the anticipated bunch sprint. The team brought Pavel Bittner into position, who powered to the line and secured a strong third place after a bike throw in a tight finish, matching last year’s podium result for the team.
The podium, from left: Pascal Ackermann (2nd), Dylan Groenewegen (1st), & Pavel Bittner (3rd). Sprint Cycling photo
After the race, Bittner said: “We went into today’s race aiming to set me up for the sprint, so the team was on it from the start. We even controlled the race for the first 60 kilometres and had a good position going into the hills. I felt strong, and at that point the race wasn’t too difficult, so the bunch came back together. Later, in the crosswind sections, we stayed in control, even when Frits got caught in a small group for a moment. On the local laps, we stayed near the front, helping to bring back the breakaway. Coming into the final, I had to surf the wheels a bit to reach the front. I might have been slightly too far back, but I found a clear line and launched my sprint. Groenewegen was really fast today, so I couldn’t get past him. Overall, it’s a great podium for the team, and I hope we can build momentum for the upcoming races.”
And here's the Bredene Koksijde Classic report from Team Soudal Quick-Step:
After a very fast opening hour, the peloton quickly reached the hill zone at the Bredene Koksijde Classic, where seven riders managed to break clear and create the first selection of the race.
Once the five climbs were behind them, the race headed towards the finish in Koksijde, but Soudal Quick-Step refused to settle. The team went on the attack, with moves from Stan Van Tricht, Warre Vangheluwe and Gil Gelders.
It was Gelders who eventually made it into a strong leading group of six riders. The breakaway stayed clear for a long time, but was only caught with 1.6 kilometers to go.
Despite being caught close to the finish, the 23-year-old Belgian can look back on a solid performance, having been one of the most active riders in the final.
Dylan Groenewegen wins the Bredene Koksijde Classic,
“After the hilly section, I made a good move and got into the breakaway. We worked well together and tried to stay ahead of the peloton. It’s a pity we didn’t make it to the finish, but overall I’m happy with my race today“, Gil said after the race.
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Here's the post from 2020 winner Wout van Aert's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:
This Saturday, the first cycling monument of the season, Milano-Sanremo, is on the calendar. Wout van Aert will line up at the start of La Primavera with ambition. He is supported by a strong Team Visma | Lease a Bike lineup. We look ahead with the former winner.
Saturday marks the 117th edition of Milano-Sanremo. The riders are preparing for a long race, with the climbs of the Cipressa and the Poggio set to play a decisive role. In the streets of San Remo, the race will ultimately be decided after a battle of nearly 300 kilometers.
Team Visma | Lease a Bike can rely on a strong squad as they aim for another victory in the Italian classic. One of the key riders for the yellow-and-black formation is Van Aert. The 31-year-old Belgian is in good form and knows what it feels like to win in Sanremo. In 2020, he claimed victory in La Primavera.
2020 Milano-Sanremo: Wout van Aert beats Julian Alaphilppe for the win. Sirotti photo
“I skipped Milano–Sanremo for a few years, but I definitely wanted to start there again this season,” says Van Aert. “The race is one of the most beautiful on the cycling calendar. I really enjoyed watching last year’s exciting edition, so it’s extra motivating to be back at the start soon.”
In recent weeks, Van Aert showed himself in Strade Bianche and Tirreno–Adriatico, where he further sharpened his form. “Overall, I’m satisfied with how I felt during those races,” he says. “I had a good week at Tirreno–Adriatico, where I was able to test myself several times. I’ve done everything I can to be ready. It’s the start of an important month with many top classics. I hope to be competitive everywhere. I’m not starting as the top favorite, but my goal is to win the race. I absolutely believe in my chances. Milano-Sanremo is a race where many scenarios are possible,” Van Aert concludes.
Head of Racing Grischa Niermann also looks ahead: “We can rely on a strong group. In addition to Wout, riders like Matteo (Jorgenson) and Christophe (Laporte) have shown in recent races that they are in good form. With them, we can certainly play a role in the finale. We head to Milan with a lot of ambition.”
Here's the Milan-Sanremo preview from Mads Pedersen's Team Lidl-Trek:
It’s time for the first Monument of the season as Mads Pedersen and Elisa Balsamo lead our men’s and women’s squads for La Classicissima
Apart from early holidaymakers and local traffic, the Ligurian coastline is tranquil on the spring days before Milano-Sanremo. Glittering azure ocean spans far into the horizon from the jagged cliff faces holding a winding, long strip of tarmac leading to the base of the Poggio di Sanremo. This specific road on the Italian Riviera is part of professional bike racing myth and legend. It sets the stage for La Classicissima, the longest of the classics, the season’s first Monument – and perhaps the hardest one to win of them all.
On March 21, 2026, the hum of the WorldTour men’s and women’s pelotons will harmonise with the sounds of the ocean, and things won’t be quite so peaceful in this postcard-perfect part of Northern Italy. Riders will be racing up and over the Capo Mele, Capo Cervo and Capo Berta towards the Cipressa and the Poggio, with anticipation building towards the most exciting and tense finish of the season. Who will make it to the base of the climb in the best position? Who will make their move first when the gradients kick up? Who will bide their time and wait for a sprint?
Mads Pedersen wins 2025 Vuelta a España stage 15. Sirotti photo
How the race might play out in the finale of Milano-Sanremo is notoriously difficult to predict, which is why it is so challenging to cross the line first in this Monument. One thing for sure is that riders need to be ready for every race scenario, fighting for position when it matters and using experience to know when to make their move.
Lidl-Trek comes with a line-up for both the men’s and women’s races which combines newer talent and well-practiced Monument riders. Mads Pedersen, who finished in fourth place in the 2024 edition of San Remo, makes his comeback to racing after over a month out recovering from his crash on the opening stage of Volta Comunitat Valenciana.
"After a few hard trainings this week, we believe that it is a good decision to race again, pin the numbers on, and get comfortable in a race again. Of course, the doctors and my coach also had a say in how and when I could make it back. Dr Jens did a lot of examinations with me and my hand and he is 100 percent confident that I am able to race again already — so it’s pretty nice to be back already. It’s really nice to be able to be at this point and start here in Italy. It’s a good starting point ahead of the Belgian Classics too." - Mads Pedersen
The Danish puncheur has been in the top-10 on three occasions in this race and he will be supported by a squad that will ensure he is exactly where needs to be at crunch time. Riders like Søren Kragh Andersen, Toms Skujiņš and Giulio Ciccone know the San Remo roads well and how to expertly manoeuvre through the peloton. The line-up is completed with punchy climber Andrea Bagioli and strong all-rounder Mathias Vacek – Lidl-Trek’s men’s team will be sure to make their mark on La Primavera.
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Here's the Milano-Sanremo news from 2022 winner Matej Mohoric's Team Bahrain Victorious:
The 117th edition of the Spring Classic, the first Monument of the season, takes place on Saturday, March 21st. From Pavia to the iconic finish line on Via Roma in Sanremo, the race covers nearly 300 kilometres towards the coast, starting calmly before building into the expected intense finale. From the Cipressa onwards, fierce battles are anticipated, with the strongest riders in the world set to animate the race.
The 2026 Milano-Sanremo will start in Pavia for the third consecutive year. The route initially heads towards Milano before reaching Certosa, where it joins the traditional course. After a second passage through Pavia, the race reconnects with the 2025 route in Voghera and continues to Tortona. From there, it heads west along the Aurelia state road through Varazze, Savona, and Albenga, before reaching Imperia.
In San Lorenzo al Mare, following the classic sequence of the Capi, the race tackles the decisive climbs introduced in the final decades of the last century: the Cipressa (1982) and the Poggio di Sanremo (1961). The Poggio begins 9 km from the finish and crests at 5.3 km to go. The technical descent that follows features a succession of hairpins, curves, and counter-curves before rejoining the Aurelia. The final kilometres unfold on the streets of Sanremo, with a left-hand bend at 850 metres to go and the final corner at 750 metres, leading onto the finishing straight on Via Roma.
Matej Mohorič headlines the Team Bahrain Victorious line-up for a race he knows all too well, having taken a spectacular victory in 2022 with the iconic dropper seatpost. Attacking on the descent of the Poggio di Sanremo, he created a decisive gap and held on all the way to the finish. Supporting team leader Matej Mohorič will be Damiano Caruso, Fran Miholjević, Roman Ermakov, Alessandro Borgo, Pau Miquel, and Edoardo Zambanini.
Matej Mohoric wins the 2022 Milano-Sanremo.
Matej Mohorič said, “Milano Sanremo always brings out the special memories and emotions. I worked really hard over the winter, and I feel pretty good. I’m very calm and focused, I know exactly what it takes to get a result on Via Roma, and I’ll enjoy every moment of the race on Saturday, making sure I leave everything out on the road and have no regrets at the finish line.”
Sports Director Enrico Gasparotto said, “La classicissima di Primavera, the first monument race of the season, means a lot to us as a team. Nibali first and Matej second both won it, so obviously we are excited to be here and fully motivated to give our maximum. We are not favourites, we can see that some riders are stronger than us, but Matej is the man of thousands of surprises. The whole team is fully committed to supporting him throughout the longest race of the season, and we believe he can bring home a strong result.”
Here’s the Milano-Sanremo news from Biniam Girmay’s NSN Cycling Team:
All eyes will be on Via Roma this Saturday afternoon to see who will be crowned the king of Milano – Sanremo, the first Monument of the season, and the longest one-day race on the cycling calendar.
For NSN Cycling Team, the almost-300-kilometer race from Pavia to the Ligurian coastal town of Sanremo presents an exciting opportunity to play multiple cards with the likes of Biniam Girmay and Corbin Strong returning to the race, both of whom have a previous best result of 12th place and return hungry for more.
“We are looking forward to Milano – Sanremo with confidence in our leaders and the team around them,” explains Head Sports Director Sam Bewley. “It’s obviously a long race with some complexities, but this Monument is especially exciting for us as we know that it suits our riders’ characteristics well, especially Corbin and Biniam.”
With the action always kicking off in the final hour of racing, against the backdrop of the Cipressa and Pogio climbs, Milano – Sanremo is a race defined by patience and ultimately, who has the best legs.
“It’s always special to line up at a Monument and especially one like Milano – Sanremo, which is the Monument most suited to me,” adds Biniam. “There’s not much to say about the race, really. I mean, there are no surprises or secrets to it. It’s all about having the legs in the finale after a very long day of racing. I’ve had a good start to the year and hope that with the tough racing at Paris-Nice in my legs, I’ll be in even better shape on Saturday. We have a strong team with different cards to play, so I’m excited to get to the start line.”
Biniam Girmay at the rider presentation ceremony of the 2024 Milan-Sanremo. Sirotti photo
For Strong, he is excited to continue his Italian racing block, having recorded two top-15 finishes at Tirreno Adriatico before illness forced him to abandon on the morning of the penultimate stage.
“I look forward to Sanremo every year and the way it has been raced the past years suits me well,” adds Strong.
“My shape was good during Tirreno, and I’ve bounced back from my sickness well. I’m optimistic we can aim for a top result with myself or Bini.”
Behind Strong and Girmay, there is a strong engine room made up of Lewis Askey, Pier-André Côté, Krists Neilands, Nick Schultz, and Dion Smith, all of whom bring experience and will be tasked with positioning the team’s sprinters in the crucial run into the Cipressa and Poggio.
NSN Cycling Team at Milano – Sanremo (Saturday 21 March):
Riders: Lewis Askey (GBR), Pier-André Côté (CAN), Biniam Girmay (ERI), Krists Neilands (LAT), Nick Schultz (AUS), Dion Smith (NZL), Corbin Strong (NZL)
Sports Directors: Sam Bewley (NZL), Francesco Frassi (ITA), Dror Pekatch (ISR)
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Here's the Milan-Sanremo news from Michael Valgren's Team EF Education-EasyPost:
Last week’s win at Tirreno-Adriatico was one of the highlights of Michael Valgren’s storied career.
Five years after his last victory and four years on from the career-threatening crash in which he fractured his pelvis and ruptured his ACL, his MCL, and his meniscus, Michael crossed the finish line in Mombaroccio with his arms in the air as he always believed he could. The way he attacked the final climb, a 4.2-kilometer ramp with double-digit slopes, and held off the charging peloton showed that the former Omloop Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold winner is back to his best.
Michael Valgren wins 2026 Tirreno-Adriatico stage five. Sirotti photo
“It was just awesome,” Michael said. “The way the course was, you would never have bet on me in a million years if you looked at that profile. The way I rode it makes the win extra special.”
Tirreno-Adriatico was just the second race of Michael’s 2026 season. He spent the winter at home in Denmark with his family, taking care of their newborn son with his wife. Training on wet, windswept roads around Østerild, he worked through the cold and dreary months, dreaming of spring in Italy.
His focus now is on Milano-Sanremo — La Primavera — the 300-kilometer Monument that descends from Lombardy to the Riviera dei Fiori. After a long prelude through the Po Valley, the race crosses the Turchino Pass and drops down to the Ligurian Sea, where it hits the Capos Cervo, Berta, and Mele, before coming to a crescendo up the iconic climbs of the Cipressa and the Poggio. Michael’s ride at Tirreno gave him confidence that he can pass the race’s decisive tests.
“It is always nice to come off a win. You know the form is there and the shape is really good,” Michael said. “Going into Milano-Sanremo, I have high hopes. I really hope that I can nail it, because then with the legs I have now, I think the fight for the podium is quite realistic. That’s my ambition — to be in the fight for the podium spot. To pull that off is going to be really difficult, but I think it’s realistic. At Tirreno, the climb was a double-digit gradient, while the Cipressa and the Poggio are just around four or five percent. That requires more high-speed power, which is good because it means there is more draft. Basically, it's harder for the best guys to ride away. The watts I did at Tirreno are going to be pretty much the same as what I will need to do at Sanremo. Hopefully, I can just keep my 500-and-something for 10 minutes, and I should be there in the finale.”
To do his best in the crucial final kilometers of Milano-Sanremo, Michael will draw on all of the experience he has gained from doing the race earlier in his career. This will be the seventh time he has raced the Italian spring Monument.
“It is really going to help that I've done the race quite a few times,” Michael said. “It's a really long race. You can't just sit in at the beginning and talk to your mates and not be concentrated, because you might spend stupid energy which you just can’t afford to lose, because it's such a long race. Even though it's not long in time, it's long in kilometers. And something happens when you pass 250 kilometers, almost no matter how easily you've been riding all day. Your legs can feel like jelly or you're just on your game. You have to be smart. You stop to pee when the peloton stops for a pee and keep fueling all day. You need to stay out of the wind, stay behind big guys in the peloton, because there can sometimes be a little bit of a crosswind near the beginning south of Milano. It is really important to stay behind those big guys and get that extra draft and protection. There are all these small things that you can do throughout the day that really add up. You save, save, save, and then when you have to hit it, you hit it hard.”
The best power in the peloton won’t help if you hit the bottom of the Cipressa or the Poggio at the back of the pack, though. Coming into those climbs with the first riders is crucial. Michael has been doing his homework.
“I think I know where to move up before those two really important climbs,” he said. “In the past, I tried to go on the inside of one roundabout and then the outside. Just looking from videos, I think I found a really good path to get through that fight for position, which I think is going to be the key. Obviously, you then need legs. But positioning is 100 percent going to be key.”
Michael won’t have to do it alone on Saturday. Kasper Asgreen, Mikkel Honoré, Madis Mihkels, Alastair MacKellar, Luke Lamperti, and Harry Sweeny will be there to share the work in the wind and navigate the surging pack during the run-ups to the key climbs. Depending on how the race plays out, EF Education-EasyPost could play a number of cards at this year’s Milano-Sanremo.
“We have a super strong team,” Michael said. “Guys like Kasper and Harry could also ride the finale if they are on a top day. We’ll have to communicate a lot about how we're feeling and just be honest. Maybe I won’t feel great on the Capos and we will have to adjust, so I do the lead-out for Harry or for Kasper or whatever. Luke is going really well. If he can come over the Poggio in a group that catches the attackers, he can go for the sprint. I think there’s a realistic chance for him to finish on the podium if he rides the perfect race.”
If Michael is the one who makes it over the Poggio and into the dash down the descent to Sanremo, he has already visualized how it would best play out.
“I have my ideas of how I want to do the finale,” Michael said. “I was really unlucky when I did it back with the team in 2022. We were with only eight or nine guys over the Poggio. It was the year that Matej Mohorič went away on the downhill. I was in the first group, but then I had a mechanical on the descent. My chain fell off, so I never really got to make my move at the bottom. If we are in a group of 10, 15, or 20 riders in a line coming down the Poggio, I'm not going to sprint against those guys, because there are going to be like five guys there who are faster than me. There is that flat section where everybody stops and looks at each other just for a little bit of a second. That’s where I have to move.”
That’s the dream scenario, but anything can happen at Milano-Sanremo. That’s what makes La Primavera such a wonderful race.
“Obviously, the distance is what everybody talks about,” Michael said. “When you say Milano-Sanremo, everyone goes, ‘Oh, that’s the super long one.’ And it is, but as everyone also says, it’s the easiest one to finish, but the hardest one to win. I agree with that 100 percent. That’s the beauty of it. There are so many possible scenarios and so many riders who could win. There are the favorites, but you don’t really know who is going to be on top of that podium until the end of the day. It’s a really open, special race, which I think is good for cycling. We need some more unpredictable races.”
If there is one thing we have learned about Michael Valgren, it’s that he is good at defying the odds. Don’t be surprised if you see him charging over the top of the Poggio in the race for the win on Saturday.
And here's the Milano-Sanremo preview from Jenno Berckmoes' Team Lotto-Intermarché:
This weekend, the peloton takes on the first monument of the season with Milano-Sanremo. The longest race on the calendar covers 298 kilometers from Pavia to Sanremo and is known for its unpredictable character. Together with Jenno Berckmoes, we look ahead to what is to come: “ I think that I am coming really close to my best shape, so of course I hope for a good result on Saturday”.
This Saturday, the team lines up with Huub Artz, Jenno Berckmoes, Lorenzo Rota, Jonas Rutsch, Liam Slock, Luca Van Boven and Georg Zimmermann.
With a mix of experience and strength across different terrains, the squad is prepared for the many scenarios that can unfold over such a long day in the saddle. Seen the amount of kilometers of racing and the decisive moments expected on the Cipressa and Poggio, the team approaches the race with a clear plan: stay attentive, support each other, and be ready to take opportunities when they come.
For Jenno Berckmoes, Milano-Sanremo is a race that has been on his list for quite some time. After a solid week at Tirreno-Adriatico, where he could feel his shape improving, Jenno heads into the race weekend with confidence. “Tirreno-Adriatico has really done me well last week. I started the week off a bit ill but I luckily recovered quickly. I could really feel that my form was growing throughout the whole week of hard racing”, Berckmoes says.
Jenno Berckmoes winning the fourth stage of the 2025 Tour of belgium.
In the build-up to La Primavera, Berckmoes stayed in Italy together with Georg Zimmermann to continue working towards the race and to prepare himself in the best possible way. “I spent past week together with Georg here in Italy to do some final recons and my form has really improved", he explains.
While he feels that his shape is progressing in the right direction, Berckmoes remains realistic about what lies ahead in such a demanding race. “I think that I am coming really close to my best shape, so of course I hope for a good result on Saturday. It’s a tough race and seen the line-up of other teams, it definitely won’t be easy. I just hope I can finish close this weekend with a great result”, he adds.