Search our site:

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Back to news and opinion index page for links to archived stories | Commentary | Our YouTube page

I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road. - Stephen Hawking

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:

Latest completed racing:

Nov 7 & 8 European Cyclocross Championships
Nov 1: Trofee Oudenaarde - Koppenbergcross
Oct 25: Superpresitge Overijse - Vlamse Druivencross
Oct 13 - 18: Tour of Guangxi
Oct 13 - 18: Tour of Holland
Oct 18: Chrono des Nations
Oct 18: Veneto Classic
Oct 18: Japan Cup road Race
Oct 14: Giro del Veneto

The rest of the year's completed races are here.

Team TotalEnergies to become XEFI

Here’s the team’s press release:

XEFI becomes the title sponsor of Vendée Cyclisme, Jean-René Bernaudeau’s professional cycling team

XEFI Group, a French specialist in local IT services for small and medium-sized businesses, will become the title sponsor of the professional cycling team founded by Jean-René Bernaudeau from the 2027 season, for a period of three years.

The Vendée-based team will compete under the name XEFI.

A historic team in French cycling
Based in Les Essarts-en-Bocage, Vendée, the team, chaired by Jean-René Bernaudeau and led by General Manager Stéphane Heulot, has competed in every Tour de France since 2000. Building on its development pathway and strong local roots, the team is now ready to begin a new chapter in its history.

Developing talent and supporting it all the way to the highest level
Founded in 2000 by Jean-René Bernaudeau and built around its rider development pathway, the team has helped launch the careers of riders who have left their mark on the peloton, including Thomas Voeckler and Sylvain Chavanel. At XEFI, similar career paths can be found, with employees progressing from apprenticeships to general management positions.

Jean-René Bernaudeau at stage 13 of the 2026 Tour de France. Sirotti photo

Training and development are another key value shared by both organisations. On the cycling side, a complete development pathway prepares the riders of tomorrow: a sports-study programme for cadet and junior riders (CREF), followed by a development team (Vendée U – Primeo Energie), which supports young talents on their journey towards professional cycling.

At XEFI, the group launched XEFI ACADEMY in 2020 to provide training in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and IT.

In both organisations, the same belief prevails: identifying talent early, providing hands-on training and giving people the opportunity to reach their full potential.

A partnership that builds on XEFI’s commitment to sport
Sport is deeply rooted in the group’s culture. More than half of its employees take part in the XEFI Santé-Sport programme. Since 2018, XEFI has supported Vélo Club de Villefranche-Beaujolais, a partnership that led to the opening of the XEFI agency in Villefranche-sur-Saône.

Just as XEFI agencies maintain close relationships with their local customers, the team is firmly rooted in its region and driven by a collective spirit. This partnership will give every agency across the network the opportunity to share the excitement of racing with its customers and employees.

A project supported by the entire network: XEFI franchisees have collectively chosen to join forces with the group to make this partnership possible.

Let the adventure begin!

SACHA ROSENTHAL – FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF XEFI:
"Seeing XEFI on this team’s jersey will be an incredibly emotional moment. I will think of our employees, our franchisees and everyone who helps this company grow every day. I know how much I owe them, and I will be proud to share this adventure with them. I left school at fifteen. I built my career through hard work, learning and moving forward alongside others. So giving someone an opportunity, supporting them and watching them succeed is something that means a great deal to me personally. It is one of the most rewarding things you can do when running a company. In what Jean-René stands for, I recognise that same belief. Sport plays a major role in my life. I love the effort, the discipline and the courage it takes to start again when things get difficult. And in cycling, there is something I find truly remarkable: a rider giving everything to help a teammate win. That commitment to the collective is something I want to bring to life at XEFI. When I commit to something, I give it my all. I want the riders, staff and everyone involved in this team to feel that they have people alongside them who truly believe in them. We will have ambitions, and we will stand by them through the difficult moments. I want the entire XEFI family, in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Spain and the French overseas territories, to share in the excitement of this team. I want us to look forward to the races, cheer on the riders and share their emotions. And above all, to enjoy coming together around an adventure that unites us."

JEAN-RENÉ BERNAUDEAU – FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF VENDÉE CYCLISME:
"I am particularly delighted to see XEFI join forces with Vendée Cyclisme, a company with which we share much more than ambition: a genuine vision of people and the future. Personal fulfilment, kindness, high standards, dedication to a job well done and training are at the heart of our shared values. At XEFI, just as in our organisation, we firmly believe that success begins with developing and supporting the women and men of tomorrow. Since the creation of CREF in 1991, followed by Vendée U – Primeo Energie, our ambition has remained unchanged: to give young people from our region the same opportunities that I was fortunate enough to have. To develop athletes, but above all, to help shape individuals. Selflessness, courage and solidarity are values we have always stood for. This partnership with XEFI allows us to uphold these values and take them to a new level through a medium-term project that we are all incredibly excited about. This project is not about blindly pushing forward, but about restoring meaning to elite sport while remaining true to our beliefs and our commitment to transparency. I would like to congratulate Stéphane Heulot on his outstanding work. I also want to warmly thank Sacha and his entire team, who have already welcomed us with such warmth and affection in Lyon. A wonderful adventure is beginning, of that you can be certain.:

Itamar Einhorn embarks on a new chapter

Einhorn's NSN Cycling Team posted this:

There are times when you have a clear sense of how things will unfold, even though many questions remain.

That was the feeling, at least, in the conference hall in Kigali last winter. Stars from the professional teams that had arrived for the Tour du Rwanda took to the stage to share their expectations ahead of almost 1,000 kilometers of grueling racing.

As usual, the sprinters were in the spotlight. They were the ones expected to deliver.

Itamar Einhorn, NSN’s 29-year-old sprinter, sat there with a broad smile — an unusual sight at events like this. Riders, however famous, are usually careful not to appear too confident when they know that, within hours, they could find themselves beaten.

Itamar Einhorn wins the 2022 Israeli road championships.

But Einhorn spoke casually about what lay ahead, sending an almost boastful message: winning the difficult opening stage was simply a matter of deciding to do it. “I know what I need to do.”

Perhaps he was not especially modest. But he was right.

The next day, victory in the brutal sprint was already in his pocket — as if it belonged to him. It was the win of a powerful sprinter who knows what is required. Einhorn would go on to win four stages across two visits to Rwanda, in 2024 and 2026. He became something of an African icon — a name that commands respect.
Einhorn delivered on his promise to win this year’s Tour du Rwanda opening stage
Today brought a significant development for Einhorn. Having broken records and barriers over a decade as a professional, he is embarking on a new chapter with a new team: Solution Tech–NIPPO–Rali. He has signed a two-year contract for the 2027 and 2028 seasons, with the team assigning him a central role in its sprint program.

“I see it as an enormous compliment that they have put this trust in me,” says Einhorn. “In many ways, signing a contract like this with a foreign team at this point in my career is a huge achievement. Someone comes along, gives you a major new challenge and believes you won’t let them down. It’s as if someone looked at your career and said, ‘Let’s give him his dream. He won’t disappoint us.’

“Of course, it puts me under pressure and excites me. But despite the pressure, I know I can handle it. This will be the most challenging task of my career — and it is right in front of me. It’s the big step forward I’ve been waiting for.”

Einhorn admits he would have been happy to continue with the team where he achieved so much and broke barriers that had seemed out of reach for Israeli riders. But he has always had a weakness for drama. On 19 September 2021, he and the team created an unforgettable moment: Einhorn won Stage 4 of the Tour of Slovakia, beating former world champion Peter Sagan on home roads. The victory brought him widespread attention and established him as a rider capable of challenging the best in the world. A superb Vuelta performance had come before that, and further professional wins followed.

He adds: “I achieved things I could only dream about as a child. In the end, I never really imagined it would happen. It was a huge dream, and I managed to make it come true with the help of a team that gave everything, and pioneers such as Ron Baron, to whom I owe so much.

“Yes, I wanted to continue. But when it became clear that wouldn’t happen, I did everything I could to find a new team, with tremendous help from my girlfriend Leah, who in many ways acted as my agent. Looking back, there were also missed opportunities. I could have won more, but I’m proud of what I achieved. Winning in Taiwan in consecutive years and taking four stages in Rwanda is no small thing. Now, with my new team, I hope to race the Giro and qualify for a second consecutive Olympic Games.”

Einhorn’s milestones are a central part of his legacy. Ron Baron, ICA co-founder, who followed Einhorn’s career for a decade, says: “During his 10 years with us, he will be remembered as the Israeli who broke more glass ceilings than any other rider — above all as the first great Israeli winner, a trailblazer and an icon. No one has won as often as he has. Above all, he is a magnetic personality who was loved by all of us. He proved that Israelis can win. He was completely loyal to us for 10 years. I wish him success with his new team, and I want him to know that our door will always be open to him.”

Nadav Raisberg, Einhorn’s teammate, compatriot, and someone who has always looked up to him, believes the move to a foreign team is one of his greatest achievements:

Raisberg says: “For me, this is an enormous achievement, one that adds to Itamar’s impressive list and once again shows why there has always been something special about him. He was the first Israeli to win a stage at a major race, and now he is also the first to join a foreign team that has chosen him as its sprinter — a team aiming to compete in a Grand Tour. It’s unbelievable. I admire him and want to reach the places he has reached. Itamar is an example to all of us.”

Bicycle Racing News and Opinion,

Wednesday, November 11, 2026

Home

Racing Results & Archives

Bicycles & Cycling Lifestyle

Cycling History

Site Information