Another full EUROTRASH bag Monday: Four more stages of the Giro d’Italia as Isaac Del Toro takes control and Marlen Reusser won the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas – All the reports, results, video and rider quotes. Plus the USA Pro Road National Championships 2025.
TOP STORY:
- Mark Cavendish has a new challenge to enjoy his retirement
Rider news:
- Patrick Lefevere: “Paul Magnier concludes that the Giro is not the Etoile de Bessèges”
- Enric Mas turned down an offer from Visma | Lease a Bike
- Anna van der Breggen resumes training after her crash in the Basque Country
- Fabio Jakobsen is back on the bike after pelvic artery surgery
- Christophe Laporte has to skip Tour de France due to long-term illness
- Damiano Caruso reconsiders and postpones his retirement
Team news:
- Ben Tulett extends contract with Team Visma | Lease a Bike until the end of 2027
- Soudal Quick-Step long-term injured riders returning
Race news:
- Tour de France boss, Christian Prudhomme, responds to criticism of Montmartre stage in Paris
- Hlady and Sabo Earn Under-23 Road Race Titles at 2025 US Pro Road Nationals
- Ryan and Bourgoyne Win Elite Criterium National Titles at 2025 US Pro Road National Championships
Giro EUROTRASH coffee time!
TOP STORY: Mark Cavendish Has a New Challenge, But is Mainly Enjoying his Retirement
Mark Cavendish has been retired from cycling for more than 6 months now, and it seems to be going well for him. The best sprinter of all time, with 35 stage victories in the Tour de France, is mainly enjoying more rest. Although he has also found a new challenge.
“I already have a lot more time for my family. For the past twenty years, I was racing. Or maybe I was in a training camp somewhere. But now I could really take the time to celebrate Cas’s birthday (his son). He turned seven on Thursday,” Cavendish, who also turned 40 last week, told Het Nieuwsblad. “It’s only since Casper was born that I’ve been more aware of my own birthday. In a cyclist’s life, you don’t have time for that, of course.”
Although there are also things that Cavendish misses about being a cyclist. “Especially being on the road with the boys. After all, it has been my life for more than twenty years. So it is logical that you start to like certain things. But when I hear that they are also changing the circuit on the Champs-Elysées with that climb of Montmartre, then I am also glad that I am no longer a cyclist.”
Cavendish doesn’t have a new position in the cycling world yet, but is the face of a sponsorship deal between ASO and Airbnb. He sees his future primarily as an ambassador for the online holiday rental company. “I am not just linking my name to them. As cyclists, we often sleep in impersonal hotels, where you do not really make contact with anyone. There is nothing better than ending up in a home. Honestly, Peta and I are considering opening up our own home one day.”
More time with the family for Mark:
Airbnb Partners with the Tour de France to Shine a Light on French Regions
Airbnb and the organiser of the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift today announced a major, three-year partnership to provide fans with an unprecedented and authentic experience of the races – encouraging the discovery of French communities and culture along La Grande Boucle.
The Tour de France Inspires Travel
Last year, around 10 million people gathered along the Tour de France route to cheer on the competing cyclists and feel the adrenaline of the race. According to a recent study from OpinionWay, 1 in 4 French people plan to book a trip in a destination highlighted by the Tour. With more than 100,000 listings available along the route[3], the Airbnb community will be ready to warmly welcome spectators. Additionally, Airbnb is launching a series of exclusive Experiences along La Grande Boucle. These experiences will allow racegoers as well as the larger public to take part in the magic of the event and discover the treasures of the areas surrounding the route.
And, for the first time, fans will have the opportunity to cycle alongside Mark Cavendish – one of the legends of the Tour de France – at the iconic Grand Palais, a tribute to when the Tour passed through this remarkable location for the final stage in 2017.
Airbnb co-founder and CEO Brian Chesky: “Airbnb is in 29,000 French communes, enabling millions of guests each year to explore the diversity of France. Along with offering once-in-a-lifetime experiences throughout the race, we are proud to partner with Men and Women Tour de France to attract new guests to the rural regions along La Grande Boucle and bring the benefits of race tourism to more communities across France.”
Christian Prudhomme, Director of the Tour de France: “The Tour de France has always been a celebration of the French regions, their landscapes, their culture and, above all, the locals who are the key players. We’re delighted to partner with Airbnb and offer spectators new ways to experience the race. It’s a shared adventure, full of discoveries, hospitality and passion for cycling.”
Giro d’Italia 2025
Visma | Lease a Bike’s Olav Kooij won the bunch sprint at the end of the Twelfth Stage of the Giro d’Italia on Thursday. The fast-finisher beat Casper van Uden (Team Picnic PostNL) and Ben Turner (INEOS Grenadiers) in Viadana. The overall stayed the same with Isaac Del Toro Romero (UAE Emirates XRG) holding onto the pink jersey.
The sprinters also get their chance in the second week. The first half of the 172 kilometre stage 12 has a few short climbs where an early break can probably make its move, but the finale is flat.
From Modena, there are Cat 3 climbs await to Baiso, Trinita and Rossena, but from 95 kilometres the route has no up or down. At 28 kilometres from the finish, the riders will also pass through the finish in Viadana. Via a local circuit, the peloton comes back to finish in Viadana for the first time in Giro history. A bunch sprint is expected in the Lombardy town next to the Po River. The second attempt of the day to break away was the successful one. Three Italians: Giosuè Epis (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Andrea Pietrobon (Polti-VisitMalta) and Manuele Tarozzi (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizane) made up the ‘break of the day’ and the sprinter’s teams, Visma | Lease a Bike and Alpecin-Deceuninck of top favourites Olav Kooij and Kaden Groves, were happy to see them go. The three didn’t get more than a 3 minute lead. They had no chance of the stage win, but they could fight for the intermediate sprints and the KOM points. Tarozzi netted the 9 mountain points on the Baiso and Borsea. He moved up to third place in the KOM competition. In the sprint, Pietrobon beat his fellow escapee Epis after they had a good battle for the points.
During the stage, the rain started to fall on the riders, so there was more nervousness in the peloton. The wind also started to blow, but it was mostly a headwind, so echelons didn’t form. Fifty-five kilometres from the finish, the leaders had less than 1 minute. Only Pietrobon made it to the ‘Red Bull Kilometre’. In the peloton, there were bonus seconds to be won behind Pietrobon. Kim Heiduk (INEOS Grenadiers) jumped away and so the pink jersey, Isaac Del Toro could only sprint for third place. The young Mexican took the 2 seconds bonus to bolster his hold on the pink jersey. On the finishing circuit in Viadana, the sprinter’s teams fought it out in preparation for a good place for the run-in. Picnic-PostNL, Lidl-Trek, Visma | Lease a Bike, Decathlon AG2R, Tudor and Alpecin-Deceuninck were all fighting to get to the front of the peloton, to position their top sprinters Casper Van Uden, Mads Pedersen, Olav Kooij, Sam Bennett, Maikel Zijlaard and Kaden Groves. They all wanted to set up the right train and so the final would be chaotic.
Wout van Aert hit the front with Olav Kooij on his wheel with just under 1 kilometre to go. The Belgian had to ride a very long lead-out of almost 700 metres. With 300 metres to go, Van Uden shot past the two Visma | Lease a Bike riders at top speed, but Kooij jumped onto his slipstream and then passed him again just before the finish line. Van Uden was second, Ben Turner third, points leader Mads Pedersen was fourth and Kaden Groves came in fifth. The GC changed a little as Richard Carapaz moved up to fourth overall.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike): “I lost the wheels of my team-mates a bit, but I trust them and I found my way into the wheel of Wout van Aert. We managed to find each other at the right time. In the other two sprints, I also really wanted to win, but we made some mistakes and I had to wait for the next opportunity. Having the speed to win a stage of the Giro and having the quality in the team, I’m really happy to finish it off today. We raced a few times with Wout before. His lead out is different from the other riders because only he can do it for so long. It was very enjoyable today also because we get on well off the bike too.”
Overall leader, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG): “I was thinking it would an easier day than it happened to be with the wind and everyone wanting to be at the front, attentive and all this, so we caught the breakaway a bit too early. With the team I managed to take a few more seconds at the Red Bull kilometre although we expected to catch the breakaway later on. We managed to pull at the last moment to try and take some seconds, I’m happy with that. Every cyclist in the world wants to win Giro one day, I worked for my current team-mates before, we have no problem of ego, we use this situation to the favour of the team, we’re happy, no stress.”
2nd on the stage, Casper Van Uden (Team Picnic PostNL): “It was quite hectic, but the guys looked after me well today and put me in the wheel for the final stretch. I left a gap after the last corner and went too fast. It was a bit early, but I think it’s better to be a little early than too late. I had speed in my wheel, and it’s better to maintain it than to stop, do a second sprint, and maybe get boxed in. Olav is a fast guy, so it’s not a shame to be second. I think we can be happy with today; we did a good job, I stayed calm and was able to launch a clean sprint, so I think we can be happy.”
4th on the stage and points leader, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “Olav Kooij deserved to win; they handled the finish perfectly, well done to them. You know, we only have two riders in our train, so it’s mostly a matter of timing. I told the guys it was better to stay at the front as long as possible, and then I would try to find a wheel to follow at some point.” They dropped me 1.2 km from the finish. Vacek was still a bit ahead of the pack, but it wasn’t worth fighting to be directly on his wheel. Then I came into the final corner well positioned, but I just didn’t have the speed to overtake the others in front. For me, it’s nice to see other competitors win, although I would have loved to win again. With a finish like this, which suited him perfectly, Olav Kooij deserved the win; Visma did an impeccable job today. But this also shows how difficult it is to pull off such a successful finish. On paper, it’s only 5 km in a straight line with a left-hand bend; it should be a piece of cake to finish well, but it’s never that simple. They executed the finish perfectly; congratulations.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 12 Result:
1. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike in 3:55:40
2. Casper van Uden (Ned) Team Picnic PostNL
3. Ben Turner (GB) INEOS Grenadiers
4. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek
5. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck
6. Milan Fretin (Bel) Cofidis
7. Max Kanter (Ger) XDS Astana Team
8. Paul Magnier (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Matevz Govekar (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
10. Matteo Moschetti Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 12:
1. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG in 42:43:28
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:33
3. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 1:09
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost
5. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:11
6. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:26
7. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 1:56
8. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 2:11
9. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Emirates XRG at 2:18
10. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 2:26.
Giro’25 stage 12:
Mads Pedersen won Stage 13, his fourth stage victory in the 2025 Giro d’Italia. The Dane beat Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) in a thrilling sprint on a stiff uphill finish in Vicenza. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG) finished third and held onto his overall lead in the general classification.
This is a stage for the real puncheurs. From the Veneto region, the route is flat again and the sprinters get another opportunity, two days in a row. Only after the first passage of the finish, the terrain becomes a bit more harder. The climb of Monte Berico comes first and then on the local circuit, the Arcugnano climb is also difficult. A very Liège-Bastogne-Liège style. The Monte Berico (1.1km at 7.5%) has an average gradient of 7.5% over a kilometre, ideal for a real puncheur in Vicenza. Philippe Gilbert caught the escapees at the finish of stage 12 for the win in 2015.
There were attacks immediately after the start flag dropped. Quinten Hermans, with others, tried, but couldn’t get away. The next attempt was successful. A group of nine riders, including: Dries De Bondt (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels), Fran Miholjevič (Bahrain Victorious), Lorenzo Milesi & Sven Erik Bystrøm (Groupama-FDJ), Chris Hamilton (Picnic PostNL), Mattias Bais (Polti VisitMalta) and Filippo Magli (VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè). The peloton saw that this was a strong group and they immediately started riding hard. Visma | Lease a Bike, Lidl-Trek and Q36.5 combined to keep the ‘break of the day’ close. The escapees only managed to gain a maximum 2 minute lead. The average speed of 49kph in the first hour, showed that both the break and the peloton were riding hard. After the first hour, the speed stayed the same and the race was still flying when the peloton started the hilly section. This was 50 kilometres from the finish, at the foot of the San Giovanni in Monte (5km at 6.6%). Nearly all of the early break was caught by the peloton, except Germani. INEOS Grenadiers had been riding hard at the front of the peloton for the last few kilometres, and carried on that pace on the climb. The peloton split into different groups, with only 10 riders in the first group. A number of GC riders, including the pink jersey Juan Ayuso, were missing, but calm returned before the top of the climb. After Ben Turner’s fast turn on the front, there was a moment of hesitation, and things came back together. Thymen Arensman came to the front, but not for long.
There was a lot of action for a few kilometres, but then the pace slowed down. This allowed quite a few riders to rejoin, including Mads Pedersen and, later, Wout van Aert. Germani was still off the front, and was joined by Christian Scaroni after the climb. The two Italians got together in the valley and extended their lead on the peloton. Lidl-Trek and Q36.5 started to pull the race together. They set the pace and kept the leaders within catching distance. At 20 kilometres they came over the first passage of the finish line and the Monte Berico (800m at 7.6%). The peloton rode up the climb at a steady pace. After the summit, UAE Emirates XRG took the lead. The team of overall leader, Isaac Del Toro, caught Germani 11 kilometres from the finish. Scaroni survived for a while and he was first at the intermediate sprint for bonus seconds. Ayuso was second and took 4 seconds, Del Toro 2 seconds. On the descent after that intermediate sprint, the pace dropped again and Romain Bardet attacked at just the right moment. The Frenchman had Mathias Vacek with him for a strong pair of escapees.
UAE Emirates XRG were riding at the front of the peloton, but that was more controlling than chasing. Visma | Lease a Bike and Alpecin-Deceuninck took over, but with 5 kilometres to go Bardet and Vacek still had a 15 second lead. Bart Lemmen, Wilco Kelderman and Timo Kielich went into full chase mode, but didn’t seem to get much closer. Bardet and Vacek started the last kilometre on the climb of Monte Berico with a very small lead, behind them there was an exciting final kilometre. The leading duo couldn’t hold out, because Alpecin-Deceuninck closed the gap for Kaden Groves. There was a problem as the Australian himself lost his place in the last few hundred metres. Then there was a battle between Pedersen, Van Aert and Del Toro. That battle of those three turned into a duel between Pedersen and Van Aert. The Dane was the first to start his sprint, but Van Aert pulled himself back to his rear wheel. It looked like Van Aert had the power to pass Pedersen, but the Belgian fell short just before the finish. After that thrilling sprint, Pedersen crossed the line first to take his fourth stage win in this Giro. Van Aert was second and Del Toro third. The Mexican remains the overall leader with a few more seconds added.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner and points leader, Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek): “Not only the Giro, but the whole season has been really good for me so far. I wouldn’t say that I’m one of the best riders in the world but in the top 5 riders in what I’m good at. The work pays off now. After being good in the classics and good at the beginning of the Giro, I try to keep that shape till Rome. In a finale like today’s, you have to see the openings. I was on the right side of Wout [van Aert], I had to open the sprint when I saw the 200m mark, hoping it was enough to keep to the lead till line and knowing that it burns in everyone’s legs. But I would have given this win away to let Mathias Vacek get it if it was possible, this kid has worked so much for me! I was expecting Isaac Del Toro to be up there for sprinting and I was hoping to be faster than him. Giulio [Ciccone] is also in a great shape so we can share the pressure. He has found a fine balance between assuming the pressure and taking it easy, it’s a new Cicco we see now.”
Overall leader and 3rd on the stage, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG): “It was a really good day with the team, everyone was up there, I can’t be more proud and I’m super happy to take some more seconds to lead the Giro. We try to do those bonuses with the team but I didn’t particularly train for sprinting, it did it for the first time in my whole life when I was in altitude camp one month ago. I don’t think I’m spending that much energy in chasing bonuses. At least I want to believe so. On the finishing line, there’s a gap between the first two and me and another gap between me and the followers. All the riders from the top 20 are crazily strong, they’re Grand Tours winners, podium finishers, etc and I’m the new guy here, maybe on paper I’m not the favourite but I have to be strong and listen to the guys in the team.”
2nd on the stage, Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “Today’s finish was very nice and suited my qualities very well. I think Mads was slightly stronger at the end, and unfortunately, I couldn’t put together a perfect sprint because I got stuck on the final corner after some riders ahead of me went the wrong way. I spent too much energy, and in the end, it was a shame I couldn’t win by so little. It’s clear that it’s difficult to beat him, but I’ve already gotten close to him twice. There are still many opportunities ahead, and I will definitely keep trying to beat him. People say I’m back; the truth is, I never left. The stage was definitely tough from the start, with many attempts to create a breakaway and a very strong group of attackers. The whole team worked hard to keep everything under control, and then I have to admit I was surprised by Ineos’ attack on the toughest stage.” However, I was in a good position and nothing serious happened, but on the last corner I made a mistake and got stuck for a long time, it’s a shame it ended like this.”
10th on the stage and 9th overall, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers): “Today we decided to go for it. We have nothing to lose and we want to liven up the race. I think the whole team is really enjoying this Giro. I repeat: we have nothing to lose, so we acted accordingly. We wanted to see what would happen on the climb to San Giovanni in Monte. It was a decision we made at the last minute.”
Mathias Vacek (Lidl-Trek): “Attacking wasn’t part of the plan. When Bardet went downhill, I decided to follow him, and when we reached the flat, we had a few seconds advantage. At that point, they told me to keep attacking, and I tried. But unfortunately, Bardet isn’t as fast as me on the flat, so I had to be the one who pushed harder and, consequently, expend more energy.” When the peloton caught us with about 600 meters to go, I saw Mads was well positioned and knew he could win. Again today the team was fantastic, I tried, I was close, but we won with Mads, so it’s no big deal. The truth is, the lead was at most 16 seconds when we reached the end of the descent, and there were still many kilometres left. The peloton was also very strong, although I expected them to slow down a bit on the flat. In the end, it turned out the way it did, but I’m very happy for Mads and the team: we’ve already won five stages and achieved so many podiums, that we can say we’re conquering the Giro!”
Break rider, Mattia Bais (Polti VisitMalta): “We wanted to be in the breakaway of the day and that’s what we did. But the gap to the peloton was never more than 2 minutes, so we had no choice and we were neutralised on the longest climb of the day. Then I stayed in the bunch with Piga to help him at the end and we finished in the first group.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 13 Result:
1. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek in 3:50:24
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma | Lease a Bike
3. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:02
4. Remy Rochas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ at 0:05
5. Dorian Godon (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
6. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
7. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
8. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech
9. Orluis Alberto Aular Sanabria (Ven) Movistar
10. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 13:
1. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG in 46:32:59
2. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 0:38
3. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 1:18
4. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:20
5. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 1:35
6. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 2:07
7. Giulio Ciccone (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 2:20
8. Brandon McNulty (USA) UAE Emirates XRG at 2:40
9. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 2:50
10. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 2:54.
Giro’25 stage 13:
Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost) soloed to victory on Stage 14 of the Giro d’Italia in Novo Gorica. The Dane was off the front for 180 kilometres with the break of the day before he rode solo to the finish on Saturday. Not far behind him, Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) brought in what was left of the peloton. Many of the GC rider lost time due to a crash in the wet conditions.
From Treviso, the fourteenth stage is on flat roads to Nova Goriza/Gorica, an Italian/Slovenian city. The final has a few short climbs, but another bunch sprint is expected. In the final there are the San Martino and Saver climbs in the finale. Although the last climb is of less than 800 metres at 6.4% will not be a problem for the fast-finishers. The sprint is slightly downhill.
Many teams were looking for success on the stage, especially now that the riders are starting to get tired. There was a fierce battle for the early break and a strong leading group of 11 managed to escape. Among them were break specialists Taco van der Hoorn and Kasper Asgreen. There was also Wout van Aert, who seemed to be there by mistake. Also there was Quinten Hermans, Fabio Van den Bossche, Stan Dewulf, Dries De Bondt, Josef Cerny and Luke Lamperti. The peloton didn’t like the look of this group and 10 kilometres later they were caught, and a new leading group took their place. Asgreen was there again, but with Clément Davy, Mirco Maestri, Louis Meintjes and Martin Marcellusi. The five gained a maximum lead of 2 minutes, but the bunch didn’t want to give them any more time.
For Meintjes it wasn’t going to work and so the South African dropped back into the peloton, as the other four kept going. Davy was dropped and with 30 kilometres to go, the three still had a 1 minute lead on the peloton. At 23 kilometres from the finish, it all went wrong in the peloton. Pello Bilbao crashed at the front and a lot of the peloton crashed into him. The main victims of the crash were Giulio Ciccone and Antonio Tiberi, who would lose a lot of time. Ciccone was in tears after the crash, but would eventually continue. A group of 17 riders, including Wout van Aert, Simon Yates, Olav Kooij, Kaden Groves, Richard Carapaz and Isaac Del Toro, rode on after the crash and continued at full speed to the finish in Novo Gorica. The next group, including Juan Ayuso, Thymen Arensman, Egan Bernal and Primoz Roglič was at about a minute.
In the final they managed to limit the damage a little, while the group with van Aert were chasing the leading group of Marcellusi, Maestri and Asgreen, who still had a 20 second lead with 6 kilometres to go. This was when the Dane decided to make a solo bid for victory. It looked like Asgreen was on his way to victory in Novo Gorica. Behind Asgreen, Visma | Lease a Bike did everything they could to catch the flying Dane, but they came up short in the final. The 30-year-old Dane took his second stage victory in a Grand Tour. Asgreen won a similar stage in the Tour de France. Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Deceuninck) won the sprint for second place, 16 seconds behind Asgreen, just ahead of Olav Kooij (Visma | Lease a Bike) in third. A group with Arensman, Roglič, Ayuso and Bernal, eventually lost 50 seconds to the group of Del Toro and Yates, while Tiberi, Adam Yates and Brandon McNulty were almost 2 minutes down. Ciccone lost many minutes and dropped out of GC contention. The overall standings were completely shaken up by the crash, but Del Toro was lucky and missed the carnage, so is still the leader with seven stages to go.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Kasper Asgreen (EF Education-EasyPost): “I wasn’t thinking much in the finale. I was pretty tired and destroyed, just trying to get through corners, especially in the descent, and take the time I could get easily. After changing team, which was new to me after seven year with my previous team, I got sick and the team made a tough decision to take me out of the classics, so the plan became to do the Giro, the first goal being to do GC with Richard [Carapaz]. Right from stage 1, he made the top 10 in a sprint, you don’t do that as a climber if you are not going well. It gave the team a lot of confidence. We knew the TT would be tough but he managed to limit the losses, then the whole team switched on. The fight for the victory in this Giro still allows us to go for individual results and I appreciate that opportunity given to me today. I’m happy and proud that it worked out.”
Overall leader, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG): “Some guys crashed in the front, I wasn’t that much in the front but I crashed too because someone hit me from behind. I managed to stand up and go quickly to the front. I don’t know what happened behind me. I didn’t know how big the group was. When I saw Visma and Alpecin leading, I realised I was in the main peloton. I didn’t hear so well what was said in the radio but they informed my team-mates that I was in the front. I just chilled and arrived to the finish line. Visma was already pulling for Olav Kooij, I don’t want to defend what they did but I guess they were trying to win the stage. Times on GC a bit different now but in my mind and my body it’s the same, I just want to be up there. I’m in a good shape. People around me give me the confidence.”
9th on the stage and 4th overall, (Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost): “It was a very tough, incredible, crazy day, but we’re happy with the final result.”
5th overall, Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe): “In the end, I have to accept it and try to make the best of the situation. We knew the road was going to be slippery, so we tried to stay ahead. At that point, there was nothing we could do, but our guys drove hard. We did everything we could. We’ll continue to reevaluate things day by day.”
6th on the stage, Mirco Maestri (Polti VisitMalta): “It was a peculiar stage. For a long time we thought they’d catch us, but the tricky finale gave us the chance to go for it. We had good legs in the front, then Asgreen made the decisive move at the end of a descent. It’s a shame not to turn it into a win, but I spent 170 km in the break with strong legs, won the Red Bull KM in Friuli and took a valuable result. There’s still a week to try again…”
9th overall, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers): “There was a lot of tension to be at the front, and the crash happened right there. I hope no one was seriously injured. Honestly, I don’t know what happened; it all happened very fast. I tried to avoid it, but it was impossible. Many of us went down. It doesn’t seem that serious to me, and I hope it is for the others too.”
Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike): “It was obviously dangerous, and the wet conditions made the finish very tricky. It was a very twisty track, but I have to say that’s the riders’ own fault. The general classification teams are very stressed; they take risks all the time, and I think that’s why they crashed. They create their own stress, and that’s why they crash. You have to be prepared to admit it. Some riders should use their heads.”
Mikkel Honoré (EF Education-EasyPost): “It means everything. We all know Kasper really well, and he’s had a tough spring – he missed his biggest goal of the season with the Classics. So this just means the world to us. It couldn’t be a better day. We’re obviously serious and working really hard,” Mikkel added, “but most importantly, we’re having fun. I think that’s what keeps us going – having a good time together, especially around Italy.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 14 Result:
1. Kasper Asgreen (Den) EF Education-EasyPost in 4:04:40
2. Kaden Groves (Aus) Alpecin-Deceuninck at 0:16
3. Olav Kooij (Ned) Visma | Lease a Bike
4. Orluis Alberto Aular Sanabria (Ven) Movistar
5. Stefano Oldani (Ita) Cofidis
6. Mirco Maestri (Ita) Polti VisitMalta
7. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech
8. Tom Pidcock (GB) Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team
9. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost
10. Mikkel Froelich Honoré (Den) EF Education-EasyPost.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 14:
1. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG in 50:37:55
2. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:20
3. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:26
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 2:07
5. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 2:23
6. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 2:54
7. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 2:55
8. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 3:02
9. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:38
10. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:45.
Giro’25 stage 14:
The mountain Stage 15 of the Giro d’Italia, that crossed the Monte Grappa, was won by Carlos Verona of Lidl-Trek. The Spaniard rode away from the eleven riders in the ‘break of the day’ at the foot of the final climb. The Spaniard was on his own when he came over the summit, he then rode the 43 kilometres solo to the finish in Asiago. The favourites were over a minute behind and had set a fast pace which put Primož Roglič (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe) in trouble on the climb of the Dori. He was dropped and lost a lot of time. Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG) kept the overall lead.
After the easier stages, stage 15 brings down the curtain on the second week. The stage isn’t too hard, but there is the difficult Monte Grappa (25km at 5.8%), the Giro describes it as a ‘pre-Alpine stage’ – a precursor to the real thing in the final week. There is a Cat 2 climb to Dori (16.3km at 5.5%), but there are 30 kilometres to go to the finish in Asiago.
The stage started very fast. After 70 kilometres, the average speed had been 52kph. There were attacks from the guns and, but a leading group couldn’t get together. After the short, steep Muro di Ca’ del Poggio, the peloton split. Antonio Tiberi was in trouble after his crash on Saturday. At the front, the attacks kept coming and eventually there was a big break of 34 riders, before the start of the Monte Grappa. The leading group included Bart Lemmen (Visma | Lease a Bike), Gijs Leemreize (Picnic PostNL), Daniel Felipe Martínez (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Pello Bilbao (Bahrain Victorious), David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ), Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech), Luke Plapp (Jayco AlUla) and three from XDS-Astana: Lorenzo Fortunato, Diego Ulissi and Christian Scaroni. The best-placed rider overall was Einer Rubio of Movistar, at 4:26 down on the pink jersey, Isaac Del Toro. UAE Emirates XRG were happy to let the break go, this allowed Tiberi to return to the peloton, as the leaders started the long climb of the Monte Grappa with a lead of around 4 minutes.
Giulio Ciccone had to stop his Giro, because the injuries for his crash on Saturday. In the peloton, UAE Emirates XRG kept the gap at around 3 minutes, but at the front the co-operation was not good mainly due to the KOM, Fortunato, wanting to take more points. The Italian was first over the top for the maximum points score. The first real move from the favourites came from INEOS Grenadiers. Juan Ayuso had just returned from a bike change, when Egan Bernal attacked after his teammates had kept the speed high on the climb, which had thinned the group out considerably. Bernal jumped away 2 kilometres from the top of Monte Grappa. Del Toro crossed to his wheel and then Richard Carapaz quickly joined them. Thymen Arensman and Derek Gee also came across, one at a time. Behind them, UAE Emirates XRG were still on the front of the group, even though Del Toro was ahead. They kept the difference at around 20 seconds at the start of the long descent of Monte Grappa. The lead of the break had also shrunk to less than 1 minute due to the action amongst the favourites.
On the descent, Marco Frigo had ridden away. Behind him, a merger had taken place, which meant that the attack by Bernal, Del Toro and Carapaz was pointless. In the valley, the pace slowed down and the break gained more time and had more chance of the stage win. Frigo was able to make contact with Bilbao, Lemmen, Scaroni, Romain Bardet, Nicolas Prodhomme, Carlos Verona, Gianmarco Garofoli, Filippo Zana, Florian Stork and Filippo Fiorelli at the front. These 11 escapees were allowed to go by the thinned out peloton, and their lead grew to more than 4 minutes again. Carlos Verona saw his chance at the foot of the Dori climb and rode away from the leading group. He dropped Garofoli and held Zana off. Verona took the KOM points at the top of the Dori and started a 27 kilometre solo to Asiago. Behind Verona, Garofoli and Zana rode away from the others. They came within 15 seconds of Verona, but he pushed harder and extended his lead to more than 30 seconds. A group including Bardet, Stork and Scaroni caught the two Italians, 10 kilometres from the finish, but the GC group was getting closer. Verona kept his pace, to take his first stage win in the Giro d’Italia and his sixth for Lidl-Trek. Behind him, Stork and Scaroni finished second and third.
In the favourites group, it was INEOS Grenadiers who lifted the speed on the climb to Dori, but attacks by Bernal and Arensman came to nothing. A break by Carapaz did cause a split which put Primož Roglič in trouble. He must have been on a bad day and couldn’t follow. When the other riders saw him falter, they put the hammer down. Isaac Del Toro also closed a few gaps and looked fresh. The gap on the Roglič group, including Tom Pidcock, grew to more than a minute at the top of the final climb, before the 27 undulating kilometres to the finish. UAE Emirates XRG set the pace in the GC group, which increased the lead over Roglič, who was now dropping down the overall. Simon Yates’ teammates, Derek Gee, Einer Rubio and Antonio Tiberi also started to work and Roglič was losing more time as the kilometres clicked by. At the finish, the difference had increased to one and a half minutes for the Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe leader and he dropped to 10th in the general classification.
# You can see more photos in the full ‘PEZ Stage Report’ HERE. #
Stage winner, Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek): “This victory is also for my family who was here today. I met my wife when we were members of the junior national team. To be here with them on this special day is very emotional, I’m missing my little one, Leo, we have three kids. Together, we form a great team even though my sport is very demanding. They’re always there for me to keep my feet on the ground. I was super disappointed when I crossed the finish line yesterday as we lost Giulio Ciccone. Today’s victory makes cycling a wonderful sport because of the different emotions it delivers in such a short period of time. It’s a reward for the whole work made by the whole team ahead of this Giro. In the second breakaway that took shape up to Monte Grappa, I had the best legs and I felt strong till the end. Once I was alone in the lead, I had to gamble a lot because the GC riders weren’t so far behind. I’m very happy to deliver a victory to the team.”
Overall leader, Isaac Del Toro (UAE Emirates XRG): “We still need to see who is the leader of the team. Juan Ayuso and Adam Yates are so strong, we’ll see how we play in last week, we need to play the three of us. Personally, I don’t know how good I’ll be in the third week. I wear the Maglia Rosa but I feel nervous in the race because everyone is my idol, I’m a fan of them and now I have to follow their attacks. To be able to do it is crazy. Ineos was super active in the race today. I could not say for sure that they’d attack on Monte Grappa, but I like how they race and when they passed us with a fast train, I caught their wheels and waited for Egan Bernal’s attack. He got a gap, I needed to go quickly, I’m glad I was able to follow him.”
4th overall, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost): “We knew today was a very important stage. I think we did very well. We tried to break the race, just like INEOS did. It was a key day for the general classification. There were a lot of competing interests at stake, and we were in the right place. But we still have a very important week ahead. We’re confident and hope we can maintain this level.”
5th overall, Derek Gee (Israel-Premier Tech): “You can’t rule out a guy like Roglič. INEOS has been riding like this all race, which definitely makes it exciting. You see them line up and think: Here we go again!”
8th overall, Egan Bernal (INEOS Grenadiers): “I was feeling really good this morning, but when the race started, I thought: Phew… maybe today isn’t my day… So it was good that the first part of the stage was on flat terrain. At the start of the Monte Grappa climb, halfway through the day, the peloton was riding quite conservatively. So we decided to go for it.” I’ve said it before: we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I think we did everything we could. It was a fun day, but incredibly tough.”
18th on the stage and 15th overall, Davide Piganzoli (Polti VisitMalta): “It was full gas from the start! The key today was not to lose ground, and we managed to do that. My teammates were crucial — not only Mattia’s breakaway, but everyone’s constant effort. Tomorrow we’ll recover some precious energy ahead of the decisive phase of the Giro.”
Giro d’Italia Stage 15 Result:
1. Carlos Verona Quintanilla (Spa) Lidl-Trek in 5:15:41
2. Florian Stork (Ger) Tudor at 0:21
3. Christian Scaroni (Ita) XDS Astana at 0:22
4. Romain Bardet (Fra) Team Picnic PostNL
5. Nicolas Prodhomme (Fra) Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale
6. Filippo Zana (Ita) Jayco AlUla
7. Gianmarco Garofoli (Ita) Soudal-Quick Step at 0:25
8. Filippo Fiorelli (Ita) VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè at 0:29
9. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
10. Max Poole (GB) Team Picnic PostNL.
Giro d’Italia Overall After Stage 15:
1. Isaac Del Toro Romero (Mex) UAE Emirates XRG in 55:54:05
2. Simon Yates (GB) Visma | Lease a Bike at 1:20
3. Juan Ayuso Pesquera (Spa) UAE Emirates XRG at 1:26
4. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost at 2:07
5. Derek Gee (Can) Israel-Premier Tech at 2:54
6. Damiano Caruso (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 2:55
7. Antonio Tiberi (Ita) Bahrain Victorious at 3:02
8. Egan Arley Bernal Gomez (Col) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:38
9. Thymen Arensman (Ned) INEOS Grenadiers at 3:45
10. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe at 3:53.
Giro’25 stage 15:
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas 2025
Lorena Wiebes won the First Stage of the Tour of Burgos. The European champion won a tough uphill sprint, ahead of Elisa Balsamo and her own teammate Lotte Kopecky.
The Vuelta a Burgos started the first of four days with a stage between Burgos and Poza de la Sal over 125 kilometres. The final in particular was steep, but there were also three short Cat 3 climbs on the route.
At the start, everyone was looking at World champion Lotte Kopecky, who not only came to Burgos to ride her first race after the spring, but also a first test her GC ambitions for the Tour de France Femmes. After a battle for the day’s break, Morgane Coston (Roland) and Idoia Eraso (Laboral Kutxa-Fundación Euskadi) were allowed to escape. After a while, Ally Wollaston (FDJ-Suez) and Océane Mahé (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) went on the counter-attack, but the two failed. Coston also left her escape companion behind, but decided not much later that it was better to continue working together. Together they gained more than 4 minutes on the peloton.
In the last 50 kilometres, the peloton closed up very quickly thanks to SD Worx-Protime. The peloton split into several parts, 30 kilometres from the finish on the descent of La Mazmorra. SD Worx-Protime was very strongly represented with Kopecky, Lorena Wiebes and Barbara Guarischi. Célia Gery (FDJ-SUEZ), Antonia Niedermaier (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto), Aude Biannic (Movistar), Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) and Franziska Koch (Picnic PostNL) were also in the 11 rider group. That group was far too large for any co-operation. And when more riders returned under the impetus of Marlen Reusser (Movistar), the attempt was doomed. The early escape had also been caught.
Steffi Häberlin (SD Worx-Protime) and Géry again, used the moment of merging to get away. That caused a lot of doubt in the peloton. In no time, the two had 40 seconds, but once the peloton got going, that lead disappeared. With the final climb in sight, everything came back together. Lotte Kopecky took the initiative, she controlled the peloton from the front in the last 500 metres. It was also the World champion who started the sprint first, but in the last 100 metres Balsamo and Wiebes came past her. Wiebes was first after a difficult sprint.
Stage winner and overall leader, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime): “This was teamwork. We were represented on all fronts. Marie Schreiber, Barbara Guarischi and Femke Markus controlled it perfectly in the beginning. On the descent, we rode away with an interesting group. Barbara, Lotte Kopecky and I were in front. We spun around, together with UAE Team ADQ, but there was no real further cooperation. Eventually the group with the classification riders who had missed the battle came back. Then FDJ-Suez attacked with Cécilia Gery, but Steffi Häberlin was immediately on her wheel. She did that very well. It put her in a promising position and put us in a seat, because we didn’t need to do anything in the chase of the peloton. In the last few hundred metres, with Lotte Kopecky and I, we had two good cards to play. We knew the last 300 metres were the toughest. It was tough all the way to the finish. Before the last corner, I thought I was locked in, but thanks to a move by Elisa Longo-Borghini, space opened up. I followed her on the outside bend and then came alongside Elisa Balsamo. When I saw Balsamo get over Lotte, I also set up my sprint and it worked out well for the win. It’s nice to win straight away on my restart after the classics. When we were in that breakaway in front, it seemed my legs weren’t super. I had to come in the rhythm for a while. But with this win on such a tricky final stretch, I get confirmation that I am still in good shape conditionally. Although that is no guarantee of success in the future, but this is a nice start. This one is in the pocket. I love the Vuelta a Burgos Feminas, so I’m looking forward to starting tomorrow’s stage in the leader’s jersey. There is still a small climb fairly close to the finish, but that shouldn’t normally be a problem. I hope it will be a bunch sprint. Echelons might be a possibility, but it all depends on the wind direction and strength. Anyway, I am confident. We have a good team at the start. And so regardless of the race scenario, we will try to fight for victory.”
5th on the stage and overall, Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “In some points we were going super slow, like when the first breakaway went, but it was still super dangerous and hectic in the bunch because we were on quite small roads. In the final, the girls did an amazing job for me, always motivating me and being there to close the breakaway, which was caught with just one kilometre to go. I could then sprint for fifth place in the end. The final was really hard, but I gave it my all. After the last climb, there was only a small group in front, but no one really wanted to really work, so the second group came back with like 20km to go. From there, it was hectic and fast until the line, especially with a small road up to the finish where everyone was fighting for position. The sprint started with 300m to go, so it was quite a long sprint, but in the last few metres, I was also able to pass a few riders. I’m happy with today – I couldn’t do anything more.”
5th on the stage and overall, Franziska Koch (Team Picnic PostNL): “I’m happy with my top 10 today, especially in a peloton with so many good sprinters. The race broke up on a descent and I managed to get into the front group, so we were able to control the situation well, which was positive. In the end, it all came down to a bunch sprint. Don’t hesitate to solve the problem and open your doors to explosiveness.”
26th on the stage, Kiara Lylyk: “It was very tough to keep position all day. In the end I really tried to fight, and ended up on Balsamo’s wheel. I was surprised to be there and thought I could go for it. Then the pace ramped a lot in the last 300 meters and I didn’t have the legs yet to battle with the best. It gave me confidence for the position”
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 1 Result:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 3:22:31
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
3. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ
5. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto
6. Franziska Koch (Ger) Team Picnic PostNL
7. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ
8. Ally Wollaston (NZ) FDJ-SUEZ
9. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar at 0:05
10. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility.
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Overall After Stage 1:
1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 3:22:21
2. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:04
3. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime at 0:06
4. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ at 0:09
5. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 0:10
6. Franziska Koch (Ger) Team Picnic PostNL
7. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ
8. Ally Wollaston (NZ) FDJ-SUEZ
9. Steffi Häberlin (Sui) SD Worx-Protime at 0:12
10. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar at 0:15.
Burgos’25 stage 1:
Mie Bjørnal Ottestad claimed the victory in the Second Stage of the Tour of Burgos on Friday. The Norwegian champion beat Marlen Reusser in a sprint. Lorena Wiebes won the sprint for third place from the peloton. World champion Lotte Kopecky lost a lot of time due to a crash.
After Lorena Wiebes’ victory, the riders in the Vuelta a Burgos had a similar stage on day two. Not a flat stage, but also not tough enough to drop most sprinters. It wouldn’t be an easy for the sprinters, because in the last 10 kilometres there was a Cat 3 climb. There was two early escapees; the Colombian Andrea Alzate and the Italian Irene Cagnazzo. The two took 2 minutes on the peloton, so they were never a real threat. They were caught more than 30 kilometres from the finish.
A few kilometres later, there was a big crash in the peloton. Many riders came down, and at least as many riders were stopped behind. One of those was Lotte Kopecky. The World champion was more than 30 seconds behind. She pulled out all the stops, but couldn’t return to the peloton, which was riding hard, mainly powered by Movistar and UAE ADQ. They rode at a high pace towards the climb in the last 10 kilometres, the Alto de Cerca Peseta (1.3km at 5.9%). Elisa Longo Borghini put in a strong attack on the climb.
The Italian champion had Marlen Reusser with her, but soon a handful of other riders were able to join them. This caused the pace to slow down a bit, after which more riders came back. Reusser took advantage of that moment and attacked. The Swiss rider picked a good moment, only Mie Bjørnal Ottestad was able to go with her. Reusser and Ottestad had a nice gap, as they didn’t set up a good chase in the peloton. Lidl-Trek and UAE ADQ tried to close them down, but they couldn’t do anything. Reusser and Ottestad started the final kilometre with a lead of 20 seconds. The Swiss and Norwegian riders sprinted to the finish line together. Reusser was the first to start, but was overtaken by Ottestad. The Uno-X Mobility rider surprisingly won the second stage, not only secured her first victory in the WorldTour, but also for her team Uno-X Mobility and for her country Norway. She also took the overall lead. Eighteen seconds later, Wiebes won the sprint for third place, ahead of Elisa Balsamo. Kopecky had a really bad day and eventually lost more than 2 minutes.
Stage winner and overall leader, Mie Ottestad (Uno-X Mobility): “It’s my first WorldTour victory, so I’m really happy. I don’t really understand it yet. It was a hectic final, and to be able to go with Marlen and out-sprint her was really cool. We were going for a sprint today with Linda [Zanetti], but then the last climb was a bit harder than we expected. We also thought there would be some attacks. I was on it, we got a gap, and then it was just about holding on to the finish line.”
5th on the stage and 6th overall, Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “The first part was quite easy – a small breakaway went and it was quite relaxed in the peloton. Then, we entered the circuit and the real race started – full gas. The wind was quite strong and UAE tried to split the peloton in one section of crosswinds, but nothing much happened. Then, on the climb, they pulled really hard, and over the top Marlen [Reusser, MOV] went with one other rider. UAE chased with Lidl-Trek and in the end, I tried to sprint as best as I could. Initially, I was only with Antonia in this group, and although I wanted to go for a sprint, Antonia needed to save energy for tomorrow. Chiara came back to our group near the finish, but I didn’t know that she was also in the front with Antonia and me. This was an unfortunate miscommunication. In the sprint, I knew that I needed to start early, earlier than Wiebes and Balsamo, but my acceleration was not enough. I’m still happy with it, but if there was not a breakaway, I could have been third.”
12th on the stage, Fiona Mangan (Windspace-Orange Seal): “I’m happy to have my head and legs back after a difficult start to the season. The girls did a great job today and Constance Valentin really helped me in the final. We’re also disappointed for Karolina Perekitko, but the main thing is that we’re all safe and sound and ready to attack another day tomorrow.”
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 2 Result:
1. Mie Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility in 3:02:56
2. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:18
4. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek
5. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Pol) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto
6. Lily Williams (USA) Human Powered Health
7. Gladys Verhulst-Wild (Fra) AG Insurance-Soudal
8. Millie Couzens (GB) Fenix-Deceuninck
9. Juliette Labous (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ
10. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility.
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Overall After Stage 2:
1. Mie Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility in 6:25:22
2. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar at 0:02
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:09
4. Elisa Balsamo (Ita) Lidl-Trek at 0:17
5. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ at 0:22
6. Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Pol) Canyon//SRAM Racing zondacrypto at 0:23
7. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ
8. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:28
9. Juliette Labous (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ
10. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck.
Burgos’25 stage 2:
Marlen Reusser (Movistar) won the Queen Stage 3 of the Vuelta a Burgos. The Movistar rider beat Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) on a tough uphill finish and is the new overall leader of the race. Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx-Protime) was unable to follow and finished 2 minutes down.
The women in the Vuelta a Burgos had a very tough third stage on Saturday, with a finish at the top of the Picon Blanco (8.2km at 9.1%). Norwegian Mie Bjørndal Ottestad was the leader after her impressive victory on Friday, but Marlen Reusser was the top favourite to take over the leader’s jersey on the Picon Blanco.
There were several attacks in the opening phase of the stage, but the peloton was still together after 35 kilometres. With 59 kilometres to go, Alison Jackson, Catalina Soto and Alicia González managed to get away from the peloton, and Silvia Zanardi, Annemarie Worst, Paula Blasi and Anastasiya Kolesava crossed to them and they quickly built up a lead of more than 1 minute. Towards the Picon Blanco, only Kolesava, Blasi, Jackson and Soto remained, but they were caught before the start of the climb and there would be a battle for the victory between the expected riders. In the first kilometres of the Picon Blanco, the group of favourites was thinned out to 12 riders and we saw the leader, Ottestad, in difficulties early on the climb. The Norwegian hung on for a long time.
With 4.5 kilometres to go, Reusser increased the pace and one by one rode the riders behind her were dropped. Ottestad had to let go as expected, while Lotte Kopecky surprisingly couldn’t hold on. The only one who could follow the Swiss rider on the very steep ramps of the climb was Yara Kastelijn. The Fenix-Deceuninck rider was able to stay with Reusser for a long time, but with 1.3 kilometres to go, she was gone. Reusser soloed to stage victory and the overall lead. Kastelijn finished in second place, while Kopecky finished outside the top 10 at more than 2 minutes.
Stage winner and overall leader, Marlen Reusser (Movistar): “I had already gained time in the general classification, so I didn’t need to attack today. I just thought the pace in the group could be a bit faster on the Picon Blanco and then I suddenly got away. That wasn’t really the plan, but I’m really happy that it worked out that way. The team did a really great job today. We might not have been the leader in the race, but we decided this morning to act like it. We took control of the race and I’m so happy. This is why I came to Movistar. I’m normally good at time trials, but… I haven’t done a time trial in two years. We’ll see.”
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 3 Result:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 2:47:35
2. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 0:40
3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ at 1:17
4. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 1:22
5. Petra Stiasny (Sui) Roland at 1:25
6. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ at 1:30
7. Valentina Cavallar (Aust) Arkea-B&B Hotels at 1:34
8. Segolene Thomas (Fra) St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 at 1:39
9. Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Human Powered Health at 1:48
10. Juliette Labous (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 2:05.
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Overall After Stage 3:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 9:12:49
2. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 1:10
3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ at 1:43
4. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 1:58
5. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ at 2:01
6. Valentina Cavallar (Aust) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 2:22
7. Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Human Powered Health at 2:33
8. Juliette Labous (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 2:41
9. Mie Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 3:04
10. Mereia Benito Pellicer (Spa) AG Insurance-Soudal at 3:21
Burgos’25 stage 3:
Marlen Reusser (Movistar) claimed Stage 4 and overall victory in the Tour of Burgos. The Swiss rider won the final time trial finishing in Lezana de Mena to cement her overall win. Juliette Labous (FDJ-SUEZ) was second on the stage, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ) was third on the stage to finish second overall. Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) finished third overall.
The final decision in the 2025 Tour of Burgos would be made on Sunday in the stage 4 time trial. The stage was a relatively short time trial of 9.4 kilometres with a finish in Lezana de Mena, which included some climbing, but nothing serious. On the overall, Reusser defended a lead of 1:10 on Yara Kastelijn and 1:43 on Elisa Longo Borghini. The first top time came from Zoe Bäckstedt, who rode the time trial at an average speed of 43.4kph and clocked a time of 13:05. She was 14 seconds faster than Lorena Wiebes, but the favourites were yet to ride. Time trial specialist Marlen Reusser would be the last rider to start.
Lotte Kopecky was 3 seconds faster than Bäckstedt’s time, but it was not enough for the win. She eventually finished 5th in the stage results, 12 seconds behind stage winner Marlen Reusser. The Movistar rider put the finishing touches on her race by beating Juliette Labous and Elisa Longo Borghini. Reusser finished the race with two stage wins and the overall victory. In the general classification, Yara Kastelijn lost her second place in the final standings to Longo Borghini, but still finished third.
Stage winner and final overall winner, Marlen Reusser (Movistar):“Today was a nice one because I felt good, and also, this time trial here is really nice. It’s sharp, 9km, and it was really interesting with the technical aspect. It was hard, so it was a really nice comeback on the individual time trial. We came here with the idea that I could win the overall, but we couldn’t expect that it would be this clear, so of course we are super happy. I think I showed a nice shape, but the whole team did really great work. Both in the race, but also today, I’m doing an individual time trial, but the preparation and support is a big team behind, they do a lot of things and do it so well, so I could really focus on my task.”
3rd on the stage and 2nd overall, Elisa Longo Borghini (UAE Team ADQ): “The goal was to reach second place in the GC, and I managed to do that, so I consider myself satisfied. And more in general, these four days were very productive because we always raced well as a team and made the race. We were always active and created actions that led to the result we saw today. I am satisfied because I got the signs I expected on the road of preparation towards the Giro d’Italia.”
6th on the stage, Zoe Backstedt (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “I’m a little bit tired now! I think that’s a good thing to say after a time trial. I feel I did quite a good ride after a few hard stages here in Burgos, and also not so much time back training after my mid-season break after the classics season. All in all, I’m quite pleased with today’s ride. There were a few moments where I could have played it better. If I had time to recon the course twice, maybe I also would have done a few sections slightly differently. But on the whole, and considering how my legs felt, I’m happy with it.”
Agnieszka Skalniak-Sojka (Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto): “It was a technical course with speed bumps and road conditions to navigate. In the end, I’m quite happy with how I could do the TT after these three days of racing. I could push even more power than I set myself today, so I’m proud of that. For sure on the corners, I lost some seconds, and I feel like I could have improved there. I didn’t really like the course much after the recon, but when I was on the start line I had a different mindset and I was able to focus entirely on giving it everything. I didn’t come here with any GC ambitions due to the climbing, but to move up a few places after the TT stage is a small bonus. I can take some confidence going into my next race, which will be Tour de Suisse. There, I will face also some more climbing, but there is one stage that is quite interesting for me and I’m looking forward to it.”
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Stage 4 Result:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 12:51
2. Juliette Labous (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:06
3. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ at 0:07
4. Mie Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:09
5. Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime at 0:11
6. Zoe Backstedt (GB) Canyon//SRAM zondacrypto at 0:14
7. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 0:19
8. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime at 0:28
9. Franziska Koch (Ger) Team Picnic PostNL at 0:28
10. Ally Wollaston (NZ) FDJ-SUEZ at 0:31.
Vuelta a Burgos Feminas Final Overall Result:
1. Marlen Reusser (Sui) Movistar in 9:25:40
2. Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) UAE Team ADQ at 1:51
3. Yara Kastelijn (Ned) Fenix-Deceuninck at 1:58
4. Amanda Spratt (Aus) Lidl-Trek at 2:46
5. Juliette Labous (Fra) FDJ-SUEZ at 2:47
6. Elise Chabbey (Sui) FDJ-SUEZ at 3:12
7. Mie Ottestad (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 3:14
8. Valentina Cavallar (Aust) Arkéa-B&B Hotels at 3:27
9. Barbara Malcotti (Ita) Human Powered Health at 3:47
10. Katrine Aalerud (Nor) Uno-X Mobility at 4:23.
Burgos’25 stage 4:
USA Pro Road National Championships 2025
Hlady and Sabo Earn Under-23 Road Race Titles at 2025 Pro Road Nationals
Bridge Road tests the best as under-23 riders chase the Stars and Stripes.
After an electric Friday evening of racing, riders returned to downtown Charleston for the Under-23 Men’s and Women’s Road Races. For many athletes, it marked their third day of racing this week, and the climbs pushed them to their absolute limits. The race began with two laps of the junior course, featuring the Wertz climb, before crossing to the opposite side of the river to tackle the punishing Bridge Road climb several more times. The under-23 women completed five total laps, while the under-23 men faced seven.
Under-23 Women
Thirty-one athletes rolled out for the start of the Women’s Under-23 Road Race, facing 92.6 kilometres of challenging terrain in the hills of West Virginia. With punchy climbs and a selective course, endurance and mental resilience would prove to be incredibly important. Early on, several riders tested their legs with attacks on the relentless hills. Lizzy Gunsalus (Ashland, Mass.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) and Kylee Hanel (Portland, Ore.; Aegis Cycling Foundation – Texas) were the first to go off the front, but their efforts were quickly reeled in. As the race settled in, a group of 10 riders emerged, showing their strength on the climbs and shaping the day’s decisive moves.
Mia Aseltine (Littleton, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) opened a small gap on the third ascent of Bridge Road, briefly gaining separation. Later, with one lap to go, Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) launched a bold attack in a final effort to stay clear. Ultimately, the race came back together in the final kilometres, setting the stage for a high-speed field sprint. Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY24) came out on top, capping off a tactical and hard-fought race.
“From the gun, we kept it steady up the climbs and dropped a few riders every time,” Sabo said. “Once we finally hit the big climb on Bridge Road the tempo picked up, and we just kept shedding people off the back. The second time up, Cassidy [Hickey] launched an attack over the top and held a decent gap for about half a lap. We worked together to slowly bring her back, my teammate did a lot of work there, and I’m super thankful.”
Heading into the final lap, the front group was still intact. “We went really hard up the climb, but it stayed together. After that, it became a bit of a cat-and-mouse game all the way to the line. My teammate kept the pace high and launched a few attacks to discourage other teams from organising. When it came down to a sprint, I knew I had a good shot. I’ve really been working on my sprint. Out of the last corner, someone opened it up and I jumped on. When I felt it was the right moment, I launched, and didn’t look back,” said Sabo.
Results:
1. Ella Sabo (Redlands, Calif.; Virginia’s Blue Ridge TWENTY28)
2. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group)
3. Kaia Schmid (Marblehead, Mass.; Liv-AlUla-Jayco).
Under-23 Men
Perfect conditions greeted the 85 athletes lining up for the 135-kilometre Men’s Under-23 Road Race. The action kicked off early, with a breakaway forming after the first lap. Alexander Scopinich-Burgel (Concord, Mass.; Kelly Benefits Strategies),Luke Mosteller (Tunnel Hill, Ga.; Team California p/b Verge), and Luke Pharis (Austin, Texas; Team Skyline) pushed clear of the peloton, quickly building a gap of over a minute. Their lead steadily grew to nearly four minutes before the peloton began to organise and chip away at the margin about an hour into the race. By the end of lap four, the group began to splinter, Pharis was the first to drop on the Bridge Road climb, leaving Scopinich-Burgel and Mosteller out front.
As lap five began, Otis Engel (Mertztown, Pa.; Team California p/b Verge) bridged up to Pharis in a renewed attempt to escape, but the peloton soon reeled them both back in. The course continued to take its toll, with riders steadily dropping off the back through each climb. Just past the halfway mark, 56 riders remained in the main field. With two laps to go, Mosteller made a solo move on the Bridge Road climb, distancing Scopinich-Burgel and going all-in. But with the peloton in full pursuit and the pace surging, his advantage was short-lived. He was brought back into the fold as the field surged forward.
After more than three hours of trading attacks and tackling unforgiving climbs, the race came down to a dramatic sprint finish.Gavin Hlady (Riverside, Calif.; EF Education – Aevolo) surged out of the final corner with a powerful kick and held his speed all the way to the line, claiming the National Title. Dylan Zakrajsek (Grand Junction, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) powered through for second, while Alfredo Bueno (Lakewood, Calif.; L39ION of Los Angeles) secured the bronze.
“It was a pretty awesome race. We had four of us in the final group of 15 or so. All the boys were ripping,” said Hlady. “I got the lucky position right at the end. I’m pretty excited.”
Results:
1. Gavin Hlady (Riverside, Calif.; EF Education – Aevolo)
2. Dylan Zakrajsek (Grand Junction, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing)
3. Alfredo Bueno (Lakewood, Calif.; L39ION of Los Angeles).
Ryan and Bourgoyne Win Elite Criterium National Titles at 2025 Pro Road National Championships
Thousands of spectators filled downtown Charleston for the elite criteriums at #USPro.
The fifth day of racing at the 2025 USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships brought high-speed action to downtown Charleston as the Elite Men and Women battled it out on the technical six-corner criterium course.
Elite Women
Forty-six elite women lined up for 75-minutes of racing, vying for the Stars and Stripes jersey. From the beginning Fount Cycling Guild launched the first attack five minutes into the race with a large surge from Tess Edwards (Ojai, Calif.; Cynisca Cycling) who tested the field with the first move of the night. Attacks continued between Fount, Cynisca, and L39ion of Los Angeles. Every time Fount made a move, Cynisca or L39ion of Los Angeles would reel it back. Andrea Cyr (Carmel, Ind.; Fount Cycling Guild) pulled away at 23 minutes, while several of her teammates rolled to the front to block the counter move. Then Allison Mrugal (West Chester, Penn.; Cynisca Cycling) and Holly Breck (Chino, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles) countered. All three riders came together but were later pulled back by the group. Attack after attack, the race was full of energy from the gun. Any move that tried to pull away was brought back by key riders like Laurel Rathbun (Encinitas, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles). With four laps left, the race was all together, aside from the riders that were dropped off the back due to the high pace. Attacks continued throughout the closing laps as teams started setting up for a field sprint. With one lap to go, Cyr launched an attack but was quickly reeled in. Breck took over at the front to begin the lead-out, delivering teammate Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles) into the final turn. From there, Ryan launched into her sprint and claimed a decisive victory. Alexis Magner (Athens, Ga.; Cynisca Cycling) crossed the line in second, with her teammate Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Cynisca Cycling) managing to hold on to third, racing in her third event of the weekend.
“I’m seeing Stars and Stripes right now,” said Ryan. “I’m in a great mood and I’m super happy with how my team rode, and there’s only three of us in the race. I think we just orchestrated the race and played it really well. I’m so proud of them, proud of myself. I didn’t have a great start to the season. I had a concussion in March, so I’m just finally feeling like myself again and glad to be back in the Stars and Stripes jersey.”
When asked about how her teammates performed, Ryan said, “Yeah, I didn’t really have to do anything today and I owe this win to them. I mean they selflessly covered every single move they needed to be in. I think they couldn’t have raced any better. They were there when they needed to be and were really smart about how they spent their energy. It was really important that I had teammates today because it would have been a lot different.”
Results:
1. Kendall Ryan (Ventura, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles)
2. Alexis Magner (Athens, Ga.; Cynisca Cycling)
3. Chloe Patrick (Carson, Calif.; Cynisca Cycling).
Elite Men
The Elite Men’s race headlined Friday evening, with 49 riders racing for 90 minutes. Project Echelon Racing, the largest team in the field, immediately took control at the front to set the tempo. Just five minutes in, a small group which included Daniel Uhranowsky (Pittsburgh, Penn.; Visit Pittsburgh), Robin Carpenter (Chino, Calif.; L39ion of Los Angeles), and Fergus Arthur (Bloomington, Ind.; Foundation Cycling New York) gained a slight advantage, but the Project Echelon train kept them within reach. A few solo attacks tried to animate the field, with rider Brody McDonald (Milligan College, Tenn.; Golden State Blazers) the next to test his legs. The eight Project Echelon riders lined up at the front to keep the pace high. At the 23-minute mark, Liam Flanagan (Black Mountain, N.C.; Team Skyline), Trevor August (Pittsford, N.Y.; Above + Beyond Cancer Cycling Team), and Carpenter managed to establish a break, opening a small gap on the field. Project Echelon remained unfazed, keeping the trio within striking distance, hovering around 10-seconds. The break was brought back by the 40-minute mark. Soon after, Colby Simmons (Durango, Colo.; EF Education–EasyPost) launched an attack, disrupting the Project Echelon train and giving other teams a chance to take control. The move sparked a flurry of attacks over the next 30 minutes, but none were able to stick. With fewer than 10 laps remaining, the pace ramped up as teams fought for position. At five laps to go Project Echelon worked their way back up to the front to organise themselves for the sprint. With free laps exhausted, an untimely crash near the front of the field with four laps to go fractured the peloton, leaving roughly 20 riders in contention for the National Title. A chaotic final lap saw elbows flying and tension high but through the last corner, it was anyone’s race. In the end, it was Lucas Bourgoyne (Austin, Texas; Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire) overcoming the Echelon team’s tactics and taking the victory and the National Title. Scott McGill (Fallston, Md.; Project Echelon Racing) held on for second, narrowly edging out Simmons, who took third.
“I knew we needed to stay relaxed, we knew Echelon would ride early. I had my boys with me and we were testing the line in the back to see how fast we could take the corners without crashing. I guess it paid off a little bit,” said Bourgoyne.
The Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire team has had a strong week so far. Teammate Luke Fetzer won last night’s under-23 criterium, then helped Bourgoyne score his win in the elite race tonight. When asked about how it feels to be on the team right now Bourgoyne said “We would like to coin ourselves as America’s team right now since we’ve got both jerseys. If we could stop the year right here, this weekend makes it all…we love West Virginia and we can’t wait to be back.” Bourgoyne credited his success to his teammates saying, “It all came together…this is what we do all year long. We came here to show everyone we are the best criterium team in the country and we did exactly that.”
Results:
1. Lucas Bourgoyne (Austin, Texas; Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire)
2. Scott McGill (Fallston, Md.; Project Echelon Racing)
3. Colby Simmons (Durango, Colo.; EF Education – Easypost).
Hickey and Fetzer Win Under-23 Criterium National Titles at the 2025 Pro Road National Championships, Sarkisov and Edmonds earn junior titles at #USPro.
The 2025 USA Cycling Pro Road National Championships continued Thursday evening with the twilight criterium events featuring junior and under-23 men and women. Wet conditions, energetic crowds, and a technical downtown course made for an exciting night of racing in Charleston.
Junior Women 17-18
As the rain began to fall, the junior women launched into their 45-minute criterium on a slick and technical six corner course. Early in the race, Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy) surged to the front and quickly opened a gap. Recognising the danger, Bridget Ciambotti (Charlottesville, Va.; TWENTY28 Aevolo) made the decisive move to bridge across, locking onto Sarkisov’s wheel. The duo worked together to hold their advantage for the remainder of the race, setting up a two-up sprint to the line. Sarkisov sprinted to the win, with Ciambotti taking second, and Bella Kroutil (Bowling Green, Ky.; Fount Cycling Guild) securing the final spot on the podium. “It was an amazing race, I love it here! I was really happy to win this one after finishing second last year. It was just an incredible day,” said Sarkisov.
Results:
1. Alyssa Sarkisov (North Potomac, Md.; dcdevo Racing Academy)
2. Bridget Ciambotti (Charlottesville, Va.; TWENTY28 Aevolo)
3. Bella Kroutil (Bowling Green, Ky.; Fount Cycling Guild)
Junior Men 17-18
As the rain subsided, 77 junior men lined up for 60-minutes of fast-paced criterium action. From the whistle, the race was aggressive as teams immediately worked to launch riders off the front, with Hot Tubes Development and EF Education-ONTO among the early aggressors. By the second lap, the peloton splintered into multiple groups across the course. Three laps in, Hot Tubes teammates Chandler Evans (Crozet, Va.) and Caden Freyre (Redding, Conn.) attacked from the remains of the field to gain a slight advantage. They were soon joined by eight more riders, including race favourite Enzo Hincapie (Greenville, S.C.; EF Education-ONTO), forming a group of 10 riders by the fifth lap. The chasing peloton kept the break within 15 seconds for most of the race. With five laps to go, the break was reeled in, and the field prepared for a field sprint. Hot Tubes set the tempo at the front in the closing laps to position their sprinter. With perfect execution, Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team) launched his sprint out of the last corner and took the win by over two bike lengths. Hincapie held on for second, while Maddox Simmons (Glen Carbon, Ill.; White Space Bikes) rounded out the podium for third.
Surrounded by proud teammates, an excited Edmonds said, “This race means a lot to me. I was here last year and I sacrificed myself for the team so we could get the win and today I asked the boys to do the same thing for me. We made the call to bring back the break because I was feeling really good and confident in my sprint today.”
Results:
1. Enzo Edmonds (Brooklyn, N.Y.; Hot Tubes Development Cycling Team)
2. Enzo Hincapie (Greenville, S.C.; EF Education-ONTO)
3. Maddox Simmons (Glen Carbon, Ill.; White Space Bikes)
Under-23 Women
Following the junior races, 29 riders lined up for the under-23 women’s 50-minute race. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB p/b Levine Law Group) delivered the ride of the day, attacking 10 minutes into the race and never looking back. Her CCB p/b Levine Law Group teammates executed a flawless strategy, controlling the field to ensure no one bridged across.
“Today went exactly to plan,” said Hickey. “We wanted to make the race hard, and with our numbers, we figured the best way was to get someone off the front. I didn’t expect to be solo from ten minutes in, but I had full support from my teammates. Honestly, I owe it to them. I’m just so proud, this is my first individual U23 title.”
In the sprint for silver, Mia Aseltine (Littleton, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing) narrowly edged out Kenna Pfeiffer (Oviedo, Fla.; Aegis Cycling Foundation), who claimed the bronze.
Results:
1. Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.; CCB P/B Levine Law Group)
2. Mia Aseltine (Littleton, Colo.; Competitive Edge Racing)
3. Kenna Pfeiffer (Oviedo, Fla.; Aegis Cycling Foundation).
Under-23 Men
With a 9:50 PM start, the under-23 men raced for 90-minutes under the lights, vying for the National Title. Kelly Benefits Cycling quickly took control at the front, setting the pace for most of the race. 40 minutes into the race, a crash split up the field. Once the group got back together, the rain started coming down again. One more crash would disrupt the race again, but that didn’t stop Kelly Benefits from strategising with their nine person squad to try to be first across the line. The team was well-positioned going into the last lap, but it was Luke Fetzer (Laguna Beach, Calif.; Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire) who out-sprinted the 2024 Junior 17-18 winner, Alejandro Che (Torrance, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) for the win. Luke Elphingstone (Boulder, Colo.; Kelly Benefits Cycling) finished the bunch sprint with bronze.
After the race, Fetzer said, “That was insane. The rain started coming down. I love my rainy crits, I couldn’t have asked for anything better. That was a fairytale ending. I couldn’t be more happy to come away with the Stars and Stripes.”
Results:
1. Luke Fetzer (Laguna Beach, Calif.; Team Cadence Cyclery p/b Encore Wire)
2. Alejandro Che (Torrance, Calif.; Kelly Benefits Cycling)
3. Luke Elphingstone (Boulder, Colo.; Kelly Benefits Cycling)
Patrick Lefevere: “Paul Magnier Concludes that the Giro is Not the Etoile de Bessèges”
Patrick Lefevere has had nothing to cheer about in the Giro d’Italia, yet. The former manager of Soudal Quick-Step has not seen ‘his’ team win a stage in the Italian Tour and has not really come close. “Our Giro was more or less over when Mikel Landa fell in the opening stage”, Lefevere wrote in his column for Het Nieuwsblad.
“Last year we won four stages in the Giro, at the moment the counter is at zero. Let’s call a spade a spade: I don’t see how that will be any different in Rome. Too bad, our Giro was more or less over when Mikel Landa fell in the opening stage. Of course we have sprinter Paul Magnier, but he concludes that the Giro is not the Etoile de Bessèges. That is — to be clear — absolutely not a reproach.”
Lefevere continues: “He is 21 years old and is riding his first Grand Tour. Then you pay the price. Paul has also had his share of bad luck in this Giro. In the stage to Naples he crashed badly. And then he still managed to get third place: well done. Last year he had a bad fall in the Tour of Britain, where we underestimated the impact a bit and partly out of necessity had to leave him in the hospital. That crash stuck in his clothes, but judging from Naples he has now put that episode behind him.”
“On Thursday, Paul was really disappointed. He was basically where he should have been in the sprint, but then rode into a hole, which caused his chain to come off. He quickly got it back on and finished eighth, which means we should actually take our hats off again. But at the same time, it is also a missed opportunity. There is still one more sprint opportunity in the last week and on the final day in Rome, the fast men will also be in action, but Paul will not experience that. In principle, he will step out of the race on Monday on the rest day. Two weeks are more than enough at this point in his career.”
Finally, Lefevere also spoke about Montmartre stage on the final day of the Tour. “I can imagine the thinking of Christian Prudhomme and co. They must have seen the masses of people who had gathered there during the Olympic Games. A new VIP on Montmartre and the same prizes on the Champs-Elysées. Do the maths. I fear that Tim Merlier will have little say if Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel unleash their demons on that new climb, but of course we have one more who can definitely do it. Remco Evenepoel can suddenly win an extra stage in the Tour,” Lefevere concluded.
Paul Magnier also confirmed the move. “That’s right. I’m already starting to feel the fatigue. […] If I continue to ride at full speed in the third week, there’s a greater chance that I’ll come out of it badly than if I stop on time and with a good feeling and can prepare for the French championship,” the sprinter told Het Nieuwsblad.
Paul Magnier finding the Giro hard:
Enric Mas Turned Down Offer an From Visma | Lease a Bike
Enric Mas was offered a contract by Visma | Lease a Bike last season, reports the Spanish sports-paper MARCA. The Spanish rider recently extended his contract with Movistar until 2029.
Visma | Lease a Bike saw Mas as an additional leader in various multi-day races during the season, but Mas turned down the offer because he wanted to stay with Movistar. Mas is currently preparing for the Tour de France, where he wants to go for a podium place. At the beginning of June we will see the 30-year-old Spaniard in action for the first time in the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Visma | Lease a Bike CEO, Richard Plugge, seems to contradict this story with a “Que?” response on ‘X’ (Twitter).
Mas staying with Movistar:
Anna van der Breggen Resumes Training After Her Crash in the Basque Country
Anna van der Breggen is recovering well. The SD Worx-Protime rider had a bad crash in the Tour of the Basque Country last week and was forced to abandon.
“I’m back on the bike again,” Van der Breggen said on social media. “I’ve had quite a few back problems the past few days, but it’s slowly but surely getting better. I’m almost ready to go back into training mode.”
The comeback rider’s program doesn’t seem to be in jeopardy. The Tour de France Femmes, which starts in just over two months, remains the 35-year-old rider’s main goal.
Anna van der Breggen training again:
Fabio Jakobsen is Back on the Bike After Pelvic Artery surgery
Good news on Fabio Jakobsen’s recovery. The Dutchman of the Picnic PostNL team is back on the bike after surgery for narrowed pelvic arteries.
Jakobsen posted on Instagram, a video of him training with his teammates Pavel Bittner and Nils Eekhoff in Tenerife.
On March 31, the sprinter announced that he wouldn’t be able to race for a while due to the surgery. On April 2, he underwent successful surgery for the condition, which is common among cyclists and causes less blood to flow to the leg muscles, which reduces the power output.
After the surgery, he had a recovery period of about six weeks. Jakobsen’s last race was the Classic Brugge-De Panne, in which he had to abandon.
Christophe Laporte Has to Skip the Tour de France Due to Long-Term Illness
Visma | Lease a Bike will not have Christophe Laporte in the Tour de France this year. The French rider has still not fully recovered from the virus he contracted at the beginning of 2025, according to team manager Grischa Niermann in an interview with L’Equipe.
At the end of February, Laporte was not fit to start the season. A month later, he was still not well, after which the spring was ruled out. At that time, it was also revealed what the problem was. Laporte contracted the cytomegalovirus at the beginning of 2025. This is an infection that can cause fatigue and can last for several months, which is the case for Laporte.
Laporte has apparently still not fully recovered. The Tour de France is out of the question, Niermann explains. “He’s really slowly getting better, but it takes time. He’s not 100% yet. It takes more time than we would like and than he wants, but that’s life. We hope that he’ll be fit again as soon as possible and can train properly again,” Niermann concluded.
In any case, it’s bad news for Visma | Lease a Bike and Laporte. It’s not yet known who will replace the Frenchman in the selection of the Dutch team for the Tour de France. Riders such as Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson are in principle already certain of their selection.
Christophe Laporte out for a longer time:
Damiano Caruso Reconsiders and Postpones his Retirement
Damiano Caruso seemed to be in his last season as a professional cyclist, but according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the 37-year-old Italian is not retiring after all. The experienced climber is said to be sticking with it for another year. This was reported by Ciro Scognamiglio on X. At the end of last year, Caruso seemed to have made up his mind. “I am ninety percent sure that 2025 will be my last year as a professional cyclist,” he told OA Sport in December.
The Italian now seems to be reconsidering. Caruso is currently riding the Giro d’Italia and has been working well for Antonio Tiberi, who was third overall until Saturday and is now 8th. Caruso is also looking for a good final place in Rome. At the moment he is currently in 7th place, just 2:55 behind the pink jersey.
Caruso has been a pro since 2009. Sixteen years ago, he made his professional debut in the kit of the now defunct formation LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini. After two seasons at Procontinental level, the climber made the step to the WorldTour. He first rode for Liquigas and successor Cannondale for a few years (2011-2014) and then for BMC (2015-2018). For the 2019 season, he signed a contract with his current team, Bahrain Victorious.
During his career, the Italian grew into a top domestique for Ivan Basso, Vincenzo Nibali, Richie Porte and Mikel Landa, but also rode for himself. He won stages in the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France. His best result would be his second place overall in the 2021 Giro d’Italia, behind Egan Bernal. Caruso also finished fourth and eighth in the Giro, ninth in the Vuelta and tenth in the Tour. Plus second in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Suisse.
Damiano Caruso postpones his retirement:
Ben Tulett Extends Contract with Team Visma | Lease a Bike Until the End of 2027
Ben Tulett has extended his contract with Team Visma | Lease a Bike by two years. The 23-year-old Brit, who joined the WorldTour team at the beginning of 2024, has already impressed this season, with the highlight being his overall victory at the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.
Since his arrival, Tulett quickly felt at home within the team. “From my very first experiences with the riders and staff, I felt at ease at Team Visma | Lease a Bike,” he says. “The way of working suits me well, and I really enjoy collaborating with the many talented people around me. That combination makes me feel truly at home in this team.”
Extending his contract, therefore, felt like a logical decision for Tulett: “To me, this feels like the right place to grow. The professional environment, the mutual trust, and the shared ambition all give me the sense that I can continue to make great strides here. That’s why I’m happy we’re continuing together.”
Tulett’s development has not gone unnoticed by Grischa Niermann, Head of Racing at Team Visma | Lease a Bike: “Ben has made significant progress this season and fits in perfectly with the team culture. He’s delivered strong performances, achieved great results, and proved he can compete with the very best in the peloton. His growth and talent are why we’re eager to keep building with him.”
Tulett is one of the riders who, within the team’s White Jersey group, has been given the opportunity this year to ride more for personal success. He looks forward to further developing himself as a general classification rider in the coming years. “I’m still learning every day from the expertise around me and want to keep working to improve step by step. Team Visma | Lease a Bike provides the ideal environment for me to continue growing as a rider.”
That vision aligns perfectly with the team’s ambitions. Niermann: “Ben is a huge talent and, on top of that, a real team player. He’s already proven this year that he can win races, and we’re confident he can become a rider who plays a key role in our plans for the Grand Tours and Classics. That makes him extremely valuable for the future.”
Ben Tulett with Team Visma | Lease a Bike till 2027:
Soudal Quick-Step Long-Term Injured Riders Returning
Soudal Quick-Step had to deal with an increasingly large injury list in the spring, with almost ten riders unable to race at one point. The last victims of an injury in the spring are now preparing for a return to competition.
“We currently have fifteen riders on altitude training camp,” CEO Jurgen Foré explained to WielerFlits. “The riders who have been out of action are also working hard on their return there. We didn’t want to skip any steps. Dries Van Gestel broke his scaphoid (during the E3 Saxo Classic), that is an injury that really needs to heal properly first, because otherwise you can have permanent problems. He is also working on his form and could be important in the Tour.”
Martin Svrcek suffered fractures in his right collarbone, right shoulder blade and several ribs in Milan-Sanremo, Valentin Paret-Peintre broke his tailbone in the Tour of Catalonia and Antoine Huby, out for a long time with a fracture in his shoulder blade after a collision during training, are available again. “Martin is on the bike and is training, as are Valentin and Antoine. We can recover Valentin towards the Tour de France. At one point we lost a lot of people, but everything is coming together”, Foré is sure.
Leader Remco Evenepoel has also been back in competition since the Brabantse Pijl, after a crash during training ruined his spring. “Only Warre Vangheluwe (who broke his cervical vertebra in the Scheldeprijs) still has a serious injury, and of course Mikel Landa recently joined them in the Giro. A vertebra is always something delicate, so we want to be very careful with it.”
Valentin Paret-Peintre out with a broken collar bone:
Tour de France Boss, Christian Prudhomme, Responds to Criticism of Montmartre stage in Paris
Remco Evenepoel, Jonas Vingegaard and Wout van Aert are not happy with the addition of the cobbled climb to Montmartre in the final stage of the 2025 Tour de France. However, the boss of the Tour de France, Christian Prudhomme, is not impressed by the criticism.
The final stage of the Tour de France traditionally finishes on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, but the approach will look completely different this year. The riders will climb the cobbles to Montmartre (1.1km at 5.9%) three times in the final. After the last time up to the Butte Montmartre, it is only 6 kilometres to the finish, which will provide a spectacle on the last day of the Tour.
Some riders have already been critical of the change, but Prudhomme is not sensitive to this. “This will further increase the Tour’s prestige all over the world,” he told Sporza. “It will enable cycling to further expand its legend. It was obvious to us that we wanted to do something big for the fiftieth anniversary of the first finish on the Champs-Elysées. It will ensure that the glorious uncertainty of the sport will return,” expects Prudhomme. “I have a crazy dream. The only rider who has ever been able to win in yellow is Bernard Hinault, in 1979 and 1982. This course opens the door to that again.”
Prudhomme then also responds to the criticism from Evenepoel, Vingegaard and Van Aert. “What is good for the Tour is also good for the champions of the Tour,” he says. “When we included the gravel stage in the Tour course last year, we also failed to impress the riders. The same story when we made the cobbles popular again. When Henri Desgrange first included the Tourmalet and the Pyrenees in the route in 1910, not everyone was thrilled. Now they are part of the legend of the Tour. We must continue to build on that legend.”
The Tour wants some of this:
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