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Groenewegen chalks up first win for Unibet Rose Rockets
The opening races of the road season are often punctuated by mishaps and experimentation as riders adjust to a morphed or completely new environment, but someone who appears to be settling in nicely with his new squad is sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, who scored his first win in a Unibet Rose Rockets jersey at Sunday's 1.1-ranked Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana.
It was not an easy day out with the early elevation gain and late crosswind action, but Groenewegen and his new sprint squad dealt with everything thrown at them. The Dutchman had a sturdy lead-out from lieutenant Elmar Reinders (who travelled over with him from Jayco-AlUla), Rory Townsend and Karsten Larsen Feldmann, who together helped ensure Groenewegen could get the better of French phenom Paul Magnier in the gallop to the line.
Alpecin-Premier Tech double up podium 1-2-3 as Van der Poel wins at Hoogerheide
The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup drew to a close on Sunday afternoon with the elite men's race at Hoogerheide in the Netherlands, the event launched in 2000 as a legacy race for Adrie van der Poel, who has designed the course in his home village ever since.
This year, his son took the win, as expected, doubling up after his victory at Saturday's penultimate round in Maasmechelen, just over the border into Belgium. After Mathieu van der Poel went solo in the third lap, the rest of the field soon settled into a race for second that lasted all the way to the line. Thibau Nys was determined to get something out of the weekend, leading the group up the fast finishing ramp, but Tibor Del Grosso was stalking him and was able to come round for second. Just behind was the third Alpecin-Premier Tech rider Niels Vandeputte, who kept the power down even as Nys eased off, and snatched the last podium spot with a throw.
That meant a back-to-back podium sweep for the Alpecin-Premier Tech trio, and Van der Poel also celebrated the overall World Cup title for only the second time in his elite career.
Pieterse does the double with enthralling Hoogerheide win
It was a truly thrilling finale of the elite women's World Cup at Hoogerheide, Netherlands, the home of the Grand Prix Adrie van der Poel. The win eventually went to Puck Pieterse with a late move in the final lap, meaning the Dutch rider does the double this weekend after Saturday's return to the top step at Maasmechelen.
Throughout the race, there were at least half a dozen riders duking it out for glory in the absence of Lucinda Brand and Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado, with the season's revelation Amandine Fouquenet ever-present, along with Kristýna Zemanová, Sara Casasola, and a Zoe Bäckstedt who is finding a rich vein of form just in time for next weekend's World Championships.
Pieterse had tried to go clear multiple times, but Fouquenet was a very sticky rival, as was Zemanová, and Pieterse's ride was not without mistakes. However, the Fenix-Premier Tech rider finally ripped clear as Fouquenet's lights seemed to dim about half a lap from the finish, just as Pieterse went on the attack. She dug deep for the last few minutes to ensure she stayed solo, and stay solo she did. Zemanová charged up to the line in second, and Fouquenet just held on to third ahead of a speeding Bäckstedt.
A week from CX Worlds, Brand skips Hoogerheide World Cup due to calf issue
World Cup leader Lucinda Brand has decided to skip Sunday's final World Cup round at Hoogerheide due to calf complaints. The Dutch veteran will focus instead on recovery ahead of next week's World Championships in Hulst, Netherlands.
Brand suffered her first significant off day this season at Saturday's World Cup Maasmechelen, never seeming herself from the start, and ultimately finishing 10th. That meant that her much-talked-about podium sweep was over, capping out at 63 with the previous weekend's win at Benidorm.
Though she misses the final round, Brand has already secured the World Cup overall, leading second-place Aniek Van Alphen by 111 points after Maasmechelen's 11th round.
Van der Poel takes hard-won 50th World Cup victory in Maasmechelen thriller
Mathieu van der Poel was the unsurprising victor at the close of the elite men's race at Maasmechelen, marking a record-equalling 50 World Cup wins for the world champion. It was not a dominant victory like that of Benidorm a week ago, though, as Van der Poel faced down two punctures and an ill-timed tumble on his way to his 22nd consecutive win.
It was a refreshingly dramatic outing for the elite men on the Belgian-Dutch border, with Cameron Mason keeping the Alpecin-Premier Tech boys from a characteristically early assertion of their dominance in the first two laps. However, after the British national champion punctured out of the lead group he'd personally broken off the pack, the remainder of the race was an Alpecin-Premier Tech show, with Thibau Nys trying desperately to make his mark in their midst. The Belgian looked strong, but he struggled to get along with certain sections of the course, and despite his best efforts, Nys was unable to prevent Tibor Del Grosso and Niels Vandeputte from making it a team 1-2-3.
The final round of the World Cup comes as soon as this Sunday when the field descends on Hoogerheide for the Grand Prix Adrie van der Poel. Its namesake's younger son Mathieu takes a 38-point series lead to the grand finale where the current world champion has won eight times before.
Elite men's World Cup standings after Maasmechelen:
Mathieu van der Poel – 280 pts
Thibau Nys – 242 pts
Niels Vandeputte – 222 pts
Tibor Del Grosso – 191 pts
Michael Vanthourenhout – 187 pts
Pieterse wins World Cup Maasmechelen as Brand's podium streak comes to an end
Puck Pieterse took her first World Cup win in two years at Saturday's elite women's race in Maasmechelen, Belgium, the penultimate round of the series. The Fenix-Premier Tech rider's second victory of the season came after a near race-long battle with Amandine Fouquenet, right up until the French rider suffered a late puncture. This allowed Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado back into the fold, and she was able to seal a Fenix-Premier Tech 1-2, Fouquenet settling for third.
The overall World Cup standings remain unchanged at the top with Lucinda Brand mathematically secure after last weekend's World Cup Benidorm, but it was otherwise a day the Dutch veteran would surely like to forget as not only did Brand's podium streak come to an end – on 63 – but with 10th across the line, she registered her first finish outside the single digits since 2018 (she has though chalked up a few DNFs in the interim).
Defending champion of the Santos Tour Down Under, Jhonathan Narváez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), is out of the race following a crash on Saturday's stage 4.
The Ecuadorian champion, who was sitting second overall behind teammate Jay Vine, came down within the first 5 km of the stage. He was the only rider to crash, and was quickly attended to by medical staff.
The extent of Narváez's injuries is unclear at the time of writing, but he was seen undergoing a concussion protocol before abandoning the race.
UPDATE: UAE confirmed on Saturday evening that Narváez suffered several fractures in the fall.
“Narváez was taken to hospital for precautionary spinal and neurological assessment," said Dr Adrian Rotunno, medical director of UAE Team Emirates-XRG. "He has sustained several stable thoracic vertebrae compression fractures that will not require surgery at this stage. He is currently stable and will be kept in hospital for further observation.”
❤️🩹 We already have some drama in this stage. 2nd in GC, 🇪🇨 Jhonatan Narvaez was involved in a crash, and the Ecuadorian is undergoing a concussion protocol.
— Santos Tour Down Under 🚴🚴♀️ (@tourdownunder) January 23, 2026
Lauf Gravel Worlds boosts pro prize purse to $150,000
Competitors at the 2026 Lauf Gravel Worlds race will have a shot at what the promoter is calling the largest prize purse for a single day of racing in the sport. The event's 17th edition, scheduled for August 22 in Lincoln, Nebraska, will feature US$150,000 in total prizes, split evenly between the men's and women's fields in the 150-mile main event. The date is one week after the Leadville Trail 100, meaning there are no calendar conflicts with the Life Time Grand Prix series.
The prize pool goes 10 spots deep for both fields and is heavily top-weighted, with $25,000 to the winner, $17,000 for second place and $10,000 for third; 10th place wins $500. Contestants for the pro/elite field must submit an application for entry. [Lauf Gravel Worlds]
Nicole Frain and Romain Bardet win RADL GRVL in Adelaide
Coinciding with the Tour Down Under, RADL GRVL saw a surprisingly stacked field line up for the 127 km gravel race south of Adelaide.
Going solo early on and retaining a lead, it was former Australian road champion Nicole Frain (Factor Racing Team) that won the pro women’s race. Melisa Rollins (USA) finished second, with face of the event, Tiffany Cromwell, finishing in third.
In the men’s pro race, it was four-time Tour de France stage winner Romain Bardet (Factor Racing Team) who animated and ultimately won the race. Current Unbound 200 champion, Cameron Jones (NZ), finished 54 seconds behind after plugging a punctured tyre. USA’s Alexey Vermeulen completed the podium.
The race also doubled as the inaugral Oceania Gravel Championships, with Nicole Frain and Cameron Jones receiving those jerseys. Full results here.
Sam Bennett back to training after treatment for atrial fibrillation in November
As he told the Irish Independent, Sam Bennett underwent an ablation procedure in November to treat an atrial fibrillation.
The Irish sprinter, who joined Pinarello-Q36.5 for this season, said that he was feeling unwell for some time, and then experienced "heart flutters" in November. Doctors diagnosed the problem and he underwent a successful surgery that month. He has since resumed training. [Irish Independent]
The redesigned No. 22 titanium stem is non-integrated
In the world of high-end bikes, it's becoming less common to see non-integrated cockpit components released. And the redesigned titanium stem from custom frame and component fabricator No. 22 Bicycles is just that: a traditional design meant to complement any bike, and just happens to pair particularly well with the brand's own framesets and headsets. The Johnstown, NY-based builders claim the updated stem is lighter and stronger than the previous version and now offers an optional, custom-designed out-front computer mount for an additional US$199. The size range has also expanded to include lengths from 70 mm to 120 mm, with 0-degree or +/-6-degree rises. Finish options are raw, high polish, or anodized, at a cost of US$495. The claimed weight for a 100 mm version is 181.07 g, with the computer mount at 22.52 g (37.07 g including hardware). No. 22
Five new colors of Wolf Tooth bottom brackets
With the addition of five new colors, Minnesota-based Wolf Tooth Components now offers nine options in its catalog of BSA and T47 internal bottom brackets, all designed, machined, and assembled in-house. This includes red, blue, gold, olive green, and espresso brown. T47 external bottom brackets are offered in the four original colors: black, silver, purple, and orange. First launched last spring, Wolf Tooth focused on engineering its bottom brackets to be smooth, durable, lightweight, and home serviceable with custom bearings, seals, bushings, and cups. All colorful products are available now through Wolf Tooth's Color Shop. Wolf Tooth.
Derek Gee-West is getting a new Canadian national champ's jersey
After Derek Gee-West's understated Canadian national champion's jersey drew some criticism when it was revealed in the announcement of his deal with Lidl-Trek, rider and team apparently decided to go back to the drawing board.
"Don’t worry fans, a new jersey is in the works for Derek," read a comment from the Lidl-Trek Instagram account on a post sharing details about his 2026 racing program. That program will see the Canadian in action at the Volta ao Algarve, the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour of the Alps, and the Giro d'Italia in the first part of the season. [Instagram]
Two years after Strade Bianche organizers bumped up the race's total distance and the amount of sterrati gravel sectors, the "white roads" that give the race its name, they're reversing course – a little.
The 2026 men's edition will see a slight reduction in total distance, to 201 km from last year's 213 km, although that's still more than the original 185 km length from 2023 and prior years. It will also feature almost 18 km less in gravel sectors than last year. The chief changes: the opening gravel sector, which comes just 10 km in, is cut from 4.4 km to 2.4 km; the downhill former fourth sector (6.4 km) is chopped entirely, as is the 9.3 km sixth sector that previously preceded the uphill San Martino in Grania sector. The back half of the course is essentially unchanged, retaining crucial sectors like the 11.5 km Monte Sante Marie at roughly the midway point and the finishing circuit around Siena with Colle Pinzuto.
For the women, the race drops from 135 km to 131 km in total distance, with the same changes to the opening sector and dropping sector 4 and sector six. As with the men's race, the second half of the course remains unchanged. Strade Bianche is March 7 this year.
John Barnett of Barnett Bicycle Institute has passed away
Originally reported in Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN), John Barnett, who founded Barnett Bicycle Institute (BBI), passed away in December at the age of 74. Barnett grew the Colorado Springs-based school from a side project he began in the 1980s following a stint at Criterium Bicycles, where he and shop owner Chris Caunt dabbled in building early mountain bikes. According to BRAIN, the Institute "instructed thousands of professional and amateur mechanics over its decades in operation." After nearly 40 years in business, Barnett sold BBI to the National Bicycle Dealers Association in 2016, which then sold it again to QBP in 2019. It closed not long after QPB took over.
New Jersey governor signs controversial e-bike bill into law
In one of his last acts as outgoing governor, New Jersey's Phil Murphy signed a controversial bill into law requiring e-bike owners to be licensed and carry insurance. The bill also bars children under 14 from piloting an e-bike.
The law does away with the broad three-class system used in many states and makes New Jersey the first state in the US to require licenses and insurance for all e-bike riders, including Class 1 bikes, which are pedal-assist only and have a top assisted speed of 20 mph. Residents with valid motor vehicle driver's licenses won't need a separate license for e-bikes, but must carry insurance.
Cycling advocates criticized the new rule for disproportionately penalizing lower-speed e-bikes, even as the state has consistently failed to enforce an existing law, passed in 2019, that required license and insurance for owners of Class 3 e-bikes, which have a top assisted speed of 28 mph. The law was passed in response to safety concerns around crashes, but advocates say that it fails to properly distinguish conventional low-speed e-bikes from unregulated e-bikes and mopeds, which are disproportionately involved in crashes. [NJ.com]
Transrockies will promote an MTB stage race in New Mexico
The Transrockies Race Series announced a new event for 2026, adding the New Mexico Singletrack event to its roster of mountain bike, gravel and running events. The three-day stage race will take place in central New Mexico around Los Alamos and Santa Fe. The event, planned for September 19-21, features a US$20,000 prize purse, equally split between men and women. More info coming soon at transrockies.com
Report: Primož Roglič will race Milan-San Remo
As Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe works out calendars for its crowded room of team leaders, Primož Roglič's spring schedule is falling into place. The four-time Vuelta a España winner is slated for an Italian-flavored March with a planned start in Tirreno-Adriatico and, reports Het Laatste Nieuws, a crack at Milan-San Remo.
The former race is one he's well-acquainted with, having won it in 2019 and 2023, his last two entries. His palmarès at La Primavera are less impressive, with a 67th place in 2017 and 17th in 2022, his last entry, where he finished in the third chase group.
Evenepoel will join Vingegaard and Del Toro at the UAE Tour
The start list for the UAE Tour is shaping up to be a good one as Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) is confirmed to join Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Isaac del Toro (UAE-Team Emirates XRG) in the one-week battle next month.
Organizers unveiled the routes of the men's and women's events on Monday. As far as Evenepoel and Co. are concerned, the GC battle is likely to get underway early in the stage 2 time trial and a stage 3 summit finish at Jebel Mobrah, before the always-decisive climb to Jebel Hafeet on stage 6.
The women's race gets underway on February 5 with the men starting on February 16.
Brendan Johnston falls short of crossing-Australia record, raises over AU$38,000
Some eight days after leaving Perth, Johnston reached the Opera House in Sydney to finish the approximate 4,000 km effort. Johnston battled heavy headwinds, rainstorms, and more during the week.
The Fastest Known Time (FKT) remains at 6 days, 11 hours, held by Austrian ultra-specialist Christoph Strasser. While Johnston fell short of the attempt, the effort has raised over AU$38,000 (and counting) for Tour de Cure, a charity for cancer research.
Van der Poel gives himself an early birthday present at World Cup Benidorm
48 hrs ago, Mathieu van der Poel wasn't even on the start list for UCI World Cup Benidorm, but as the sun sank towards the horizon on Sunday afternoon, the world champion soloed to an emphatic victory after going clear at the end of the first lap.
Van der Poel was able to take advantage of a blistering effort from Alpecin-Premier Tech teammate Tibor Del Grosso for much of the opening lap, the young Dutchman's infernal pressure possibly contributing to third-wheel Toon Aerts' mishap at the barriers that created the decisive gap.
Suddenly alone, Del Grosso and Van der Poel were conjoined until the start-finish climb, where the world champion put the hammer down. And that was that, with seven laps remaining. Van der Poel eventually took the win by half a minute, which means he also extends his lead in the overall standings – and all the day before his 31st birthday.
Elite men’s top 5, Benidorm
Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) 1:01:04
Elite men’s World Cup standings after Benidorm (round 10/12)
Mathieu van der Poel – 240 pts
Thibau Nys – 220 pts
Niels Vandeputte – 197 pts
Michael Vanthourenhout – 187 pts
Laurens Sweeck – 186 pts
Lucinda Brand secures CX World Cup title at Benidorm with two rounds to go
Lucinda Brand took a confident victory at UCI World Cup Benidorm on Sunday afternoon, in doing so, mathematically securing the overall title with two rounds to go.
The 36-year-old Dutch rider has won eight of the nine rounds she's contested – Brand decided against racing at Flamanville early in the series in favour of team training camp – with Ceylin Del Carmen Alvarado finally breaking her dominant compatriot at a wintery Zonhoven, and then again at the national championships. But in Benidorm, Brand dominated the second half of the race to take her 18th win of the season, and extend her podium streak to 63.
In the overall World Cup standings, Brand now leads challenger and Flamanville winner Aniek Van Alphen by 110 points. With a maximum of just 80 points available at next weekend's Maasmechelen and Hoogerheide double-header, Brand has already won the World Cup.
Vingegaard would like to target Monuments some day
There have been a lot of announcements lately as riders and teams more often than not confirm what was expected, or at least, long rumoured about their 2026 plans. For instance, Jonas Vingegaard's attempt at the Giro-Tour double. Amidst all that, the Dane has also had to field a lot of questions relating to arch-rival Tadej Pogačar, whose combined goal of Monuments and the Tour de France is a point of inspiration for Vingegaard.
"I haven't found the right way to race [one-days] yet," Vingegaard told Wielerflits. “I would love to do that. I enjoy watching those races, because they are very special races. I also understand very well why Tadej would like to win them. Of course, I would very much like that too. But right now I just can't. What's more, we are all preparing specifically for certain competitions, because the level is so much higher than a few years ago. You simply have to be 100% in order for every course."
For the time being, Vingegaard's sight is still focussed most sharply on the summer, only this year, he's taking a different approach with a first attempt at Giro d'Italia victory – something that would put him ahead of Pogačar in at least one respect as the first to win all three Grand Tours.
"Everything is designed with the Tour in mind," Vingegaard said. "If you do too much in the spring, you pay the bill in Tour de France. If you do the Giro and want to compete for the Tour victory, then you have to ride a less heavy spring.”
Vingegaard will make his 2026 debut at the UAE Tour, then head to the Vuelta a Catalunya before dedicating himself to Giro preparation. His fourth and – for the moment – last planned appearance of the season will be the Tour.
Van der Poel is racing Benidorm World Cup after all
Alpecin-Premier Tech has announced that Mathieu van der Poel will race at World Cup Benidorm after all – this comes just days after he was said to be skipping the 10th of 12th rounds.
"After a strong week of training, the urge to race was simply too great," reads the team announcement. "Our world champion will defend his leader’s jersey in the UCI CX World Cup."
Van der Poel leads the overall World Cup classification – which he had said was low on his list of goals – by 10 points over former leader Thibau Nys. With three rounds to go, there is a maximum of 120 points available, and with Van der Poel set to race all three, it's hard to look past the world champion who will hope to extend his winning streak between now and the World Championships in two weeks' time.
2026 Tirreno-Adriatico course revealed
Promoter RCS Sport unveiled the route for March's Tirreno-Adriatico stage race, and the key takeaway is it's one for the puncheurs. The race starts with the short (11.5 km) and flat individual time trial at Lido di Camaiore that has become customary in recent years.
From there, the "Race of the Two Seas" heads into Tuscany and the Marches for a series of tricky, hilly stages. There are no major summit finishes, but stages 2, 5 and 6 all feature short but steep ascents at or very near the finish. Stage 2 finishes in the hilltop town of San Gimignano, famous for its old city center and surviving medieval towers. The race starts March 9 and finishes a week later in San Benedetto del Tronto.
Rapha's new Team USA kit drops tradition in favor of pastels
New USA Cycling apparel sponsor Rapha wasted no time coming up with its first kit design for the national team. The new design, called Lightspeed, is a significant departure from past kit graphics that leaned heavily on a traditional stars-and-stripes motif in primary flag colors. The new one incorporates those elements in a muted pattern of pastel hues, although the large, block-letter USA on the chest, back and side panels on the navy blue shorts makes no mistake about who's wearing it.
In the release announcing the new kits, USA Cycling and Rapha noted that riders had requested lighter colors for hot weather. Less of a focus of discussion – perhaps for competitive reasons – are the technical details of the pieces, in particular those related to aerodynamics.
Van der Poel decides against adding World Cup Benidorm to CX schedule
Cyclocross world champion Mathieu van der Poel has decided against adding this weekend's World Cup Benidorm to his CX schedule.
When Van der Poel and his team unveiled his winter programme in December, Benidorm was included but with a TBC attached. The decision not to race comes almost two weeks after the Dutchman took over the World Cup overall lead with Zonhoven victory at the end of the Kerstperiode. Early series leader Thibau Nys now looks poised to resume control of the overall classification this weekend, though Michael Vanthourenhout and Niels Vandeputte are also within a podium finish of the lead (obviously Nys would also have to have a bad day) – each round, the winner receives 40 points, then it goes 30, 25, 22, 21, 20, etc.
Unfortunately for whoever takes over the leader's jersey on Sunday, Van der Poel will be back on the startline for the double-header World Cup finale next weekend, with Maasmechelen (January 24) and Hoogerheide (January 25) carrying a combined maximum of 80 points, for which its hard to look beyond the world champion who has not lost yet this season.
World Cup standings pre-Benidorm (three rounds to go):
Mathieu van der Poel – 200
Thibau Nys – 190
Michael Vanthourenhout – 187
Laurens Sweeck – 186 *
Niels Vandeputte – 176
Emiel Verstrynge – 165
*Laurens Sweeck took over the World Cup lead at Antwerp and held it through three further rounds, until a crash at X2O Loenhout ended the Belgian's season days before Zonhoven.
Carapaz reportedly targeting the Giro
As reported by AS, Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) is planning to return to the Giro d'Italia this year in what will mark his fifth participation in the race he won back in 2019.
The 32-year-old Ecuadorian rode to third overall in 2025 after a hotly contested three weeks. He is set to take on Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) and João Almeida (UAE-Team Emirates XRG) in the GC battle at this year's race, where he is likely to be joined by Ben Healy. [AS]
ENVE launches Foundation AR40 Wheels
Featuring what ENVE calls an "aerodynamically optimized 40 mm rim depth," the new AR40 is the US brand's most recent addition to its Foundation lineup. At a cost of US$1,400 (UK£1,800 / EU€1,649) per wheelset, the AR40 is positioned at a more approachable price point than the brand's SES rims, yet it borrows technology and design from the higher-tier option.
The AR40 is optimized for 700 x 29 mm - 30 mm tires and can accept up to 50 mm – with a 25 mm internal rim width – for road, all-road, and gravel use. Foundation AR40 wheels have a hookless bead and come equipped with ENVE's Innerdrive Foundation hubs, weighing a claimed combined 1515 g (including tape, valves, and a HG freehub). ENVE
Derek Gee-West will race the Giro
Derek Gee-West announced on Wednesday that he will target the Giro d'Italia in his inaugural season with Lidl-Trek. The Canadian national champion, who left the Israel-Premier Tech team (now NSN) to join Lidl-Trek in a drawn-out contract saga, rode to fourth overall at the Italian Grand Tour in 2025.
The news clears up some uncertainty around Lidl-Trek's plan to utilize its various GC specialists, with Juan Ayuso slated to head to the Tour de France.
In a separate interview with El Pais, Gee-West touched briefly on his departure from NSN, saying that he "felt trapped by the system" while trying to extricate himself from the team but not delving too deeply into the reasons for his departure, which remain the subject of speculation. [El Pais]
