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Monday, September 7, 2026

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Current racing:

• August 22 - Sept 13: Vuelta a España

Upcoming racing:

• September 9: Giro della Toscana
• September 10: Coppa Sabatini
• September 11: GP de Québec
• September 12: Memorial Marco pantani
• September 13: GP de Montréal
• September 13: GP de Fourmies
• September 13: Trofeo Matteotti

Latest completed racing:

• September 2 - 6: Tour of Britain
• September 2 - 6: ZLM Tour
• September 6: GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
• August 30: Bretagne Classic Ouest-France
• August 25 - 28: Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine
• August 19 - 23: Renewi Tour
• August 18 - 21: Tour du Limousin-Périgord
• August 13 - 18: Arctic Race of Norway
• August 16: Cyclassics Hamburg
• August 16: La Polynormande
• August 3 - 9: Tour of Poland
• August 4 - 8: Vuelta a Burgos
• July 29 - August 2: Tour of Denmark
• August 2: Circuito de Getxo

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Vuelta a España stage 15 reports

We posted the organizer's report with the results.

Here's the Vuelta report from stage 15 winner Wout van Aert's Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Team Visma | Lease a Bike concluded the fifteenth stage of La Vuelta a España in impressive fashion. Wout van Aert sprinted to victory in Córdoba after a strong and tactically executed stage. The Belgian secured his second stage win of this Vuelta a España, giving Team Visma | Lease a Bike its fifth victory of the race.

“It may sound like a cliché, but it’s a huge luxury to ride in such a strong team,” a delighted Van Aert said afterwards. “With Bruno and Steven, we have two of the biggest engines in the peloton. When they take control at the front, it hurts everyone, especially on a day like today.”

Wout van Aert will start stage 16 on Tuesday in the greens points classification leader's jersey.. Sirotti photo

The pace was high from the very start. As the riders approached the finish in Córdoba, the pace increased and several groups began to form. Van Aert stayed attentive near the front and patiently waited for his moment: “It’s true that I’m riding with confidence, especially after my victory on Friday. It makes it a bit easier to just go for it and not overthink things,” the Belgian explained.

After the intermediate sprint in Santa María de Trassierra, Van Aert launched an acceleration from the first group. He was quickly joined by Andreas Leknessund and Ramses Debruyne, before Thibau Nys and Alessandro Romele also made the connection. A five-man breakaway was formed. “I wanted to race aggressively and take as much time as possible in the final ten kilometers. We worked well together until a few kilometers from the finish. After that, I fully committed to my sprint,” Van Aert said.

Here's the Vuelta stage 15 report from second-place Alessandro Romele's Team XDS Astana:

XDS Astana Team rider Alessandro Romele claimed second place on Stage 15 of La Vuelta Ciclista a España, securing his first podium finish in the Spanish Grand Tour.

The 110.2-kilometre stage from Palma del Río to Córdoba was shortened due to the extreme heat. An early breakaway of 11 riders gradually split apart, and in the decisive phase a group of five riders moved clear. The second chase group of 12 riders was unable to close the gap, and the stage victory was decided in a five-man sprint. Wout van Aert took the win, with Romele finishing second. His XDS Astana Team teammate Henok Mulubrhan also delivered a strong result, crossing the line in tenth place.

Alessandro Romele is second to Wout van Aert in stage fifteen. Sirotti photo

“It was a tough race from the very beginning, with the Visma riders setting a very high pace to control the race, as I think their original plan was to go for a sprint. In the end, though, the race turned into a fight for the win from the breakaway. There were several attacks from the other riders, and I think my attack in the intermediate sprint changed things a little. Wout then tried to go clear, I managed to stay on his wheel, and together we bridged across to the two riders who were already up the road. That’s how the group of five was formed. We worked well together from the start.

"Wout made a few attacks on the short climbs after the KOM, but overall there was good cooperation until the final four or three kilometres. Then the other riders started to play it more tactically and we began watching each other a little more. I was feeling good, and Shefer was also a big help from the car, keeping me calm and telling me to focus more on Wout’s wheel. That’s what I tried to do, and I also tried to make him work a little more, but it wasn’t enough. The numbers we produced were really strong, so I think the strongest rider simply won today”, — said Alessandro Romele.

Here's the Vuelta report from Team Groupama-FDJ United:

The Groupama-FDJ United Cycling Team rounded off the second week of the Vuelta in very solid fashion this weekend. Thanks to Clément Berthet and Bastien Tronchon, two more top-10 finishes were added to the team’s tally. The French climber claimed sixth place at the summit of the Sierra de la Pandera on Saturday, following a breakaway alongside Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet, while his puncheur teammate seized his opportunity in Córdoba, with Enzo Paleni’s support, to take seventh place on Sunday. Ahead of the final week, Clément Berthet and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet also sit ninth and 13th respectively in the general classification.

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Bastien Tronchon before the start of stage fifteen with a cooling jacket and ice pop. Sirotti photo

Before reaching the second rest day, the peloton faced two demanding stages this weekend, challenging not only because of their profiles. It all began with the more mountainous of the two on Saturday, with a summit finish at the Sierra de la Pandera after 154 kilometres and more than 4,000 metres of elevation gain. The pattern from the previous day, which had seen a large breakaway form after a fierce battle from the start, was repeated, and the Groupama-FDJ United team’s two climbers were once again involved.

“We had to be vigilant, especially with regard to our direct rivals,” explained Benoît Vaugrenard. “Some of them attacked, so Clément and Guillaume followed them into this 45-man breakaway. The risk with this kind of breakaway is that there are a lot of attacks, which is much more demanding for the legs. In the end, the group managed its effort fairly well, which was good for us. On top of that, one rider went clear with 50 kilometres to go, and that was a good situation because the teams that had numbers in the group had to chase, which meant the pace remained consistently high. It was all beneficial for us. We only had two riders, so we had to be defensive and simply wait.” In particular, Clément Berthet and Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet had to bide their time until the toughest, but also the most decisive, climb of the day: the final one.

At the foot of the Sierra de la Pandera (12 km at 7.5%), the breakaway had built up a substantial time advantage over the peloton and was therefore assured of fighting for the stage victory. With ten kilometres remaining, Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet first launched an attack to bridge across to the rider out front. “He anticipated the steepest section, which was a smart move,” Benoît continued. “After that, it was all about the legs.”

With six kilometres remaining to the summit, a group of around ten riders regrouped at the front, including the two Groupama-FDJ United representatives. Clément Berthet briefly tried his luck one kilometre later before everyone was left to fend for themselves over the final four kilometres. Riding at his pace, Clément Berthet managed to reach the finish in sixth place, just 27 seconds behind winner Marco Brenner, while his teammate took 11th place. “Clément was just missing a little bit to follow Rodriguez in particular, but it was decided by very fine margins,” Benoît said. “In any case, it was a good day. We gained time on several rivals and Clément moved up to ninth overall. In such intense heat, it is never easy to attack again from one day to the next, but Clément and Guillaume showed that they are in very good shape.”

Before the week’s final battle, the general classification appeared somewhat frozen ahead of Thursday’s individual time trial. However, the cards were reshuffled on Sunday following the announcement of a route change for Stage 15 due to the extreme heat. Instead of the 190 kilometres originally planned to Córdoba, the riders had just 110 kilometres to cover on a day that promised to be intense. “It was more than 40 degrees, it was truly hellish,” Benoît said. “It was a stage that could have been tricky, with lots of small, winding roads as well as the heat. We didn’t know what Visma-Lease a Bike were going to do, so Enzo was instructed to follow the attacks for the first 20 kilometres.” The young Frenchman followed those instructions, and actually went one better, because after two unsuccessful attempts, he was the one who formed the day’s successful breakaway after ten kilometres of racing.

However, the team of Brennan and Van Aert never allowed the nine escapees more than a one-minute advantage, inevitably bringing them back together with around 30 kilometres remaining, despite a severely reduced peloton. “We suffered all day behind,” Bastien Tronchon admitted. “Visma-Lease a Bike’s strategy was to make things difficult for the other sprinters, and it worked very well.”

However, the sprint option moved further away when Wout Van Aert and three other riders caught the lone remaining breakaway rider after the intermediate sprint. “Van Aert didn’t have many teammates left, so he went on the attack,” Benoît explained. “We still had Enzo, our two climbers, and Bastien. They were caught a little off guard by Van Aert’s move, and behind them it immediately became a split because the favourites were more than happy to let it go and finish the stage quietly.”

Unfortunately, Groupama-FDJ United missed this first group, as well as another one that went clear moments later. “I wanted to be too cautious, and when the move went, the door closed and I found myself blocked,” Bastien recounted. “Then I thought I had nothing to lose by trying.” The French rider therefore launched a counter-attack alongside Enzo Paleni with around 25 kilometres remaining. “They reacted pretty well because it was really the last moment to go, and Enzo was incredibly strong in getting back up the road with Bastien,” Benoît added. The duo nevertheless had to spend a long time chasing in no man’s land before catching the main chasing group with just five kilometres remaining. “We made a huge effort with Enzo,” Bastien said. “I was lucky that he followed me, because I wouldn’t have made it back without him.”

Although the five-man front group was not caught, Bastien Tronchon was nevertheless able to contest sixth place in the sprint, ultimately taking seventh. “I’m in the top 10 again, but it could have been better,” he regretted. “It’s a shame because I was having a great day, but I was always a little late.” “We came through it well; they corrected the situation nicely, and it was courageous to go back on the attack like that, especially in the heat,” Benoît continued. “It shows that the group is doing well. Bastien was still there when there were only 40 riders left, which proves that he is riding well and recovering very well. He was a little disappointed to have missed the decisive move, but it was still a good day on a very difficult stage.”

Clément Berthet retained his ninth place overall, while Guillaume Martin-Guyonnet gained one position to move up to 13th. This brought to a close a highly productive week for Groupama-FDJ United, with one stage victory and three top-10 finishes to its name. “We would have signed up for that,” Benoît concluded. “The stage win was extraordinary, then we always had riders in the breakaways and gained a little time in the general classification. It was a very good week. We knew it was full of opportunities for breakaways. We had to be really attentive and avoid getting caught out, and that’s what we did. We’re now heading into a third week that will probably follow a more traditional pattern.”

Here's the Vuelta stage fifteen report from GC fifth-place Oscar Onley's Team Netcompany INEOS:

Oscar Onley retained fifth overall as he rolled into the finish of stage 15 in a group of GC contenders after Wout van Aert (Visma Lease a Bike) won from the break.

Shortened due to adverse weather conditions, the stage began with a fast and furious start with the fight for the break ensuring a high tempo.

Netcompany INEOS worked well together to navigate the intense 100km stage in temperatures over 40°C at times, keeping Onley safe and ensuring safe passage to the final week of the race.

There was no change to the overall standings, meaning Onley also retains the white jersey for the best young rider.

Oscar Onley heads to the start of stage fifteen. Sirotti photo

Reaction - Oscar Onley:
“Today was very hot and pretty full on. A short stage made it a little bit different to normal, but we did well as a team.

“The last week of the race is hard. There’s two sprint stages to start with, but then from the TT [stage 18] it’s going to be hard.

“I want to try and get back to the level I had last week and see what happens. Firstly, recover as best possible tomorrow.”

And here's the Vuelta report from Ethan Hayter's Team Soudal Quick-Step:

Ethan Hayter is one of the most combative riders of this edition, which he has showcased again Sunday afternoon by going in his fourth breakaway. The extreme temperatures forced the organizers to reduce to just 79 kilometers the stage to Cordoba - the stunning city which at its height was home to the world’s largest library, consisting of 400 000 books - but couldn’t stop the 27-year-old Brit from going again on the attack.

Ethan Hayter riding the stage one time trial. Sirotti photo

The British ITT Champion stayed there for almost 60 kilometers, before being caught by a group that then went on to fight for the stage in the Andalusian city where Wout Van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) prevailed.

“It was really nice to be in the breakaway again. We went right after the start and built a good gap, but the chasers rode really fast and they eventually caught us. The heat didn’t help too, but the feeling was good, which is encouraging ahead of next week’s stage against the clock. I’m looking forward to it and I hope to get another good result for the team”, Ethan said after arriving home.

Tour of Britain stage five final reports

We posted the organizer's report with the results.

GC winner Tim Wellens' UAE Team Emirates-XRG posted this Tour of Britain final report:

Finishing the job on stage 5 in Scotland, Tim Wellens landed the overall title of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain. The Belgian defended the green jersey on the final day, taking UAE Team Emirates-XRG‘s 71st victory of the season.

It was an extra special day for the Emirati squad, with Nils Politt taking stage 5 and landing the team’s 70th win of 2026, just seconds before Wellens crossed the line in green. The whole race was a demonstration from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, with the squad decimating the peloton in the crosswinds and heading up the road with five of its riders.

 

Nils Politt wins Tour of Britain stage five.

In a front group of eight, a remarkable five of the number hailed from UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Their attack came more than 80km from the finish, with the team making the most of Duddy Bank (1.9km at 5.5%). It was on this climb that Wellens, Politt, Mikkel Bjerg, Florian Vermeersch and Benoît Cosnefroy took their leave from the pack, producing a team performance that will be remembered for years to come.

For Wellens, the win is his second of the season, but his first general classification success since the 2024 Renewi Tour. The 43rd victory of his career was taken thanks to a stellar display on Saturday’s stage 4, which launched him into the leader’s jersey that he was able to defend on Sunday.

Raced completely within the Scottish Borders, to and from Earlston, stage 5 of the Tour of Britain took the peloton into the nearby Lammermuir Hills. The race began under wet and stormy conditions on Sunday morning, but the weather cleared as the afternoon dragged on, UAE Team Emirates-XRG made an exhibition of defending the green jersey of Wellens.

A four-rider breakaway went up the road as the stage left Earlston, including Ben Wiggins of Team Great Britain. Their advantage was soon pegged at the two-and-a-half-minute mark, with Fix All Quick-Step combining with Decathlon CMA CGM and UAE Team Emirates-XRG to marshal the front of the peloton.

The main tests of the day were to be Redstone Rigg, Duddy Bank and Hardens Hill, with the trio of categorised climbs falling in the middle of the stage. In the green jersey, Wellens was surrounded by his teammates and remained in prime position. Their job was clear: remain in place to ward off any attacks.

However, under the impetus of Netcompany-INEOS, the race was torn to pieces in the crosswinds. The British squad started the move, but UAE Team Emirates-XRG soon came to define it.

Looking every bit the champion-in-waiting, Wellens remained attentive in the green jersey, and alongside his nearest teammates, took the race by the scruff of its neck. With his assured display, the 35-year-old secured the overall title of this year’s race.

Alongside only Filippo Ganna of Netcompany-INEOS, the five riders from UAE Team Emirates-XRG went up the road and left the peloton in their wake. The strongest team in the race was flexing its muscles, and the roadside fans were treated to a spectacle.

As the leading group of eight riders approached the final 10km, their advantage had stretched to beyond a minute. It was at this point that Politt grabbed his chance for the Emirati squad, attacking from the front and dispatching of the battling Wiggins.

Once on his own, Politt did not look back. The stage was to be his, a 10th career victory, and behind, his teammate Vermeersch rode to second, with Cosnefroy in fourth.

Taking a 1-2-4 finish on the final day, UAE Team Emirates-XRG ended this year’s Tour of Britain in spectacular fashion. Not only had their efforts delivered Wellens to the overall victory, but landed a stage win for Politt and a win in the team classification.

As such, the whole squad took to the podium in Earlston to celebrate a job well done. It had been an exhibition on Scottish roads, and become a race to remember for the Emirati team.

For UAE Team Emirates-XRG, it was a maiden victory in the Lloyds Tour of Britain, and for Wellens, it was the 10th GC win of his career.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG went on the front foot in Lincoln on the opening stage, placing both Wellens and teammate Florian Vermeersch inside the top 10. This outing was followed up by a crosswinds casino on stage 2, in which the Emirati team played a fine hand to move Wellens up to second overall. Of course, it was on Saturday’s Queen stage that the race-winning move would be made.

Between Helmsley and Leyburn, Wellens and co. went on the attack in the Yorkshire Dales. Turning the race on its head, the Belgian dropped the race leader Lewis Askey (NSN Cycling Team), and rode himself into the green jersey.

After successfully defending green and landing the overall Tour of Britain title, Wellens was in fine spirits when discussing the race on Sunday evening.

Wellens: “It was a great week, not only for me, but for the whole team. It was a very successful week. We came here for the GC, and then today we also have this stage victory. So it has been perfect.

“Today, to be honest we just wanted to defend the leader’s jersey. We didn’t want to attack, we didn’t want to make a hard race, we just wanted to ride defensively. Then suddenly in the crosswinds, Ineos started to ride hard. We just followed, there was a gap and then we just tried to tempo with Mikkel. But because the crosswinds were so hard, when Mikkel was riding the tempo, the group split again and we put the whole team in the front. We can say that today we win especially thanks to Mikkel, who made the gap.

“I cannot say this has happened before, but it was quite impressive. I have still a lot of nice races to come, but first we celebrate this one. I am happy to bring the trophy home.”

Here’s the Tour of Britain report from GC second-place Lewis Askey’s NSN Cycling Team:

A stage win and second overall: Lewis Askey’s Tour of Britain debut could not have gone much better.

With the help of his teammates, Askey navigated his way through a crazy final stage in the Scottish Borders on Sunday to seal his status as this year’s runner-up.

Lewis Askey wins Tour of Britain stage one.

“Obviously I would have loved to come away with the win, but I couldn’t have done any more,” he says “I’m happy with my week – it’s been good.

“I asked before coming here to do the GC – we thought it was going to be too hard for me. I’m not surprised with the stage win, but holding on to second on GC was me outperforming what was expected of me.”

Stage five was another frantic day of racing in Britain, with the crucial moment of the stage coming after the first categorized climb at Redstone Rig. UAE Team Emirates – XRG and Netcompany INEOS split the peloton in crosswinds on exposed, narrow roads deep in the heart of the countryside.

This split eventually saw eight riders form a lead group, including five from UAE, with Askey battling in the second group with Jake Stewart to preserve his GC position.

“I made one slight mistake today – a little bit of lack of urgency when we came into the crosswinds,” Askey says. “I wasn’t in that very first split, so I had to wait for reinforcements. We had to give up the stage win at that point and focus on getting second on GC.

“Those guys up front – they’re the strongest guys in the race. We just had to keep it moving and go hard all the way to the line. We knew they’d attack each other in the final, which would give us some time back.

“Jake was on an outrageous day today. I think without him here today, I would not be sitting second on GC.”

ZLM Tour stage five final reports

We psoted the race organizer's report with the results.

Here's the report from stage five winner Henry Hobbs' Team Visma | Lease a Bike:

Henry Hobbs wrapped up the ZLM Tour with a victory in the fifth and final stage. The Brit from Team Visma | Lease a Bike was the fastest in the sprint in Waalwijk, securing his second victory of the season and his first win in a professional peloton. The victory came after a strong team performance from the young squad.

“It was a hectic final lap. The team played a really big part today, especially with positioning and keeping me out of the wind. A big chapeau to them. To win my first professional race today makes me very happy,” Hobbs says.

The final stage was shaped for much of the day by a seven-rider breakaway, with six riders remaining in the finale. Team Visma | Lease a Bike helped to keep the pace high in the peloton and played its part in bringing the breakaway back inside the final three kilometers. That set up a sprint for the stage victory, with Hobbs proving to be the fastest. The Brit was able to cap off the strong work of his teammates with a beautiful finish to five days of racing in the Netherlands.

Henry Hobbs wins ZLM Tour stage five.

“After five days of hard racing in the Netherlands, it’s great to finish it this way. Especially with this young team,” says sports director Arthur van Dongen. “They worked more and more together throughout the week and put in a fantastic team effort today to get this victory. On top of that, everyone developed strongly throughout the week and got better every day.”

“This is a great compliment to our scouting department, which has done a great job identifying these guys and supporting them through our development program. This is the first race they’ve competed in at the professional level, and to finish it this way means a lot to the team,” Van Dongen concludes.

With Hobbs’ victory, the ZLM Tour ends on a high note for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. For the Brit, the win marks another important step in his development and his first victory in a professional peloton.