The renowned cycling website WielerFlits dropped a bombshell on Sunday evening with a breaking report that Soudal-QuickStep is working on a merger deal with Jumbo-Visma to create a new cycling superteam.
Talks between the teams have been ongoing since mid-July, with Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-QuickStep being combined for the start of the 2024 season under the name Soudal-Visma or Visma-Soudal.
Jumbo-Visma managed to win all three Grand Tours in the same year, with three different riders claiming victory in the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. Not even the dominant Team Sky achieved such a feat back in their heyday.
So, what exactly drives their consistent success?
It’s been a full ten years, but America can finally celebrate having a Grand Tour champion once more.
This past Sunday, Sepp Kuss clinched victory at the Vuelta a España, earning the honor of being the first American to win such a prestigious cycling race since Chris Horner’s win in 2013.
Wout Poels (Bahrain Victorious) wrestled victory from Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step) in a fabulous sprint finish at the end of Stage 20 of La Vuelta a Espanā 2023.
A resilient and determined Remco Evenepoel dominated the day, conquering each summit as it arose, sealing the KOM competition atop La Cruz de Linares.
However, the biggest question hanging over the day after the Stage 17 drama was whether Sepp Kuss’ red jersey would be attacked by his Jumbo-Visma teammates, Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič.
Sepp Kuss clawed his way back to defend his red jersey by seconds after being dropped by Jumbo-Visma teammates Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič on the savage gradients and swirling fog of the Altu de L’Angliru.
Stage 16 of the Vuelta a España was characterized by blistering speeds, strategic decisions, and emotionally charged moments.
As the riders embarked on the route, they were met with varying weather conditions – from torrential downpours to brief spells of dryness. All eyes were on Jumbo-Visma’s trio and the UAE Team’s tactics for their General Classification contenders.
Jonas Vingegaard crossed the line in first, laying down a dazzling performance in his favorite playing ground, the high mountains. It seems rather fitting that the champion of the Tour de France won an emphatic victory on a day that the Vuelta a España climbed an iconic French climb, the Col du Tourmalet. Shortly after … Read more
America’s Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) took Stage 6 of the Vuelta a España after a powerful attack on the Arcos de las Salinas climb propelled him beyond the rest of a large breakaway group.
Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep) launched a blistering attack on the final hairpin of the mighty Arinsal, fighting off a determined Jonas Vingegaard, who was in hot pursuit. The first mountain stage of Vuelta a España 2023 lived up to expectations as the GC favorites battled up steep slopes. Remco was involved in a collision after the … Read more
The Vuelta a España 2023 start list has a star-studded lineup, with certain teams arriving with depth, experience, and talent – while others will be arriving with a slightly underwhelming set of riders for the race.
This year, the Vuelta a España 2023 promises another exhilarating chapter in its storied journey, with heart-pounding climbs, lightning-fast sprints, and strategies that can make or break a season. Ready for the ride?
With the Vuelta a España 2023 just weeks away, attention is inevitably turning to the red-hot favorites for the maillot rojo (red jersey).
The Vuelta may be considered the least prestigious of the cycling calendar’s three Grand Tours, but there’s a whispered sense among cycling insiders that it’s set to shrug off that position to be the most thrilling General Classification battle of the season.
With Jonas Vingegaard’s second Tour de France victory confirmed, it’s time to look back on the drama provided by three weeks of scarcely-believable action in the great race’s 110th edition.
Join us as we run back through all the action, sub-plots, and headline-making drama of the 2023 Tour de France.
Stage 21 of the 2023 Tour de France saw a thrilling conclusion in Paris as Jordi Meeus of Bora emerged victorious in a razor-thin sprint finish.
The final stage of the race started off as a relaxed procession toward the French capital, with riders enjoying the tradition of champagne toasts and photo opportunities.
However, once the peloton entered Paris, the atmosphere shifted from casual to competitive.
The penultimate stage of the 2023 Tour de France turned into a tense, tactically charged race with Tadej Pogacar delivering a stunning performance to win the stage.
Beginning the day, the spotlight was on Thibaut Pinot, the French rider attempting to seize the opportunity for a home victory.
AG2R Citroën’s Felix Gall launched an impressive solo attack with 6 km to go of the toughest climb of this year’s Tour – the Col de Loze – and held his lead to the finish despite the efforts of Simon Yates and Jonas Vingegaard.
Defending champion Jonas Vingegaard rode the time trial of his career to eclipse rival Tadej Pogačar and take a potentially Tour-winning 1 minute and 38 seconds out of the Slovenian in his first stage win of the year.
Wout Poels claimed a superb first Tour de France win on Stage 15 in Saint-Gervais de Mont-Blanc, as Tadej Pogačar failed to land a hammer blow against Jonas Vingegaard in the battle for yellow. Poels dropped Wout van Aert decisively on the final climb, pushing on to the line with an advantage of over two … Read more
Carlos Rodriguez (Ineos Grenadiers) claimed a brilliant victory on Stage 14 with a nerveless descent into Morzine as the electrifying duel between Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard ultimately ended in a stalemate.
The final climb up the hors catégorie Col de Joux Plane delivered high drama as anticipated, but neither Pogačar nor Vingegaard could land a knockout blow in what became a cagey, tactical contest.
In what turned out to be an electrifying Stage 13 of the 2023 Tour de France, Michał Kwiatkowski of Ineos Grenadiers broke away from the pack to achieve a well-deserved victory atop the Grand Colombier.
The battle commenced right from the start at Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, with the peloton showcasing an impressive average speed of over 50km/h.
As the starting gun echoes through the morning air, a swarm of cyclists surges forward, their eyes fixed on a singular goal: the Champs-Élysées.
But what factors decide who gets there first, and what is the Tour de France average speed?
Stage 11 of the Tour de France 2023 saw Belgian sprinter Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck secure his fourth win of the Tour in a thrilling sprint finish in Moulins.
The stage, stretching from Clermont-Ferrand to Moulins over 179.8 kilometers, was a relatively flat affair, making it a prime opportunity for the sprinters to shine.
Canada’s Michael Woods pulled off a career-best victory on the iconic Puy de Dôme, overhauling Matteo Jorgenson within the final kilometer on Stage 9 of the 2023 Tour de France.
In a gripping finale to the Stage 7 of the 110th Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) clinched his third win of the 2023 edition, defeating Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan) in a heart-stopping sprint finish.
When Cavendish, seeking to break the record for the most stage wins in Tour history, took a flyer and hit out for glory, Philipsen had to react swiftly.
Tadej Pogačar delivered the perfect response to his Stage 5 struggles with a destructive late attack to drop Jonas Vingegaard and claim an epic victory on Stage 6 of the 2023 Tour de France.
Even more important than the psychological victory of decisively dropping Vingegaard for the first time in his career – just a day after many were questioning his chances of recovering any kind of title push – was the 28 seconds Pogačar took out of his Danish rival, reducing the GC deficit by half.
Bora – Hansgrohe’s Jai Hindley showed his General Classification intentions by sustaining a powerful solo attack for almost 20 km to take the first mountain stage of this year’s Tour.
It was the Australian’s first stage win in his debut Tour de France, after winning the Giro d’Italia last year. Hindley snatched the yellow jersey from UAE’s Adam Yates, on what was a poor day for UAE.
Fasten your helmets and prepare to embark on a riveting journey that cycles through over a century of pedal-pushing evolution, exploring the transformation and innovation of historic Tour de France bikes.
We’ll explore the nuances of each epoch, focusing on the innovations and adaptations that have transformed the face of professional cycling.
The Tour de France isn’t just a test of physical talent and endurance; it is a chess game on wheels, a spectacle of strategy where every decision could mean the difference between victory and defeat.
In this article, I’ll be drawing on my experience of elite-level road racing to demystify the fascinating tactics and intricate strategies that shape the outcomes of this iconic race.
With the Tour de France 2023 just one month away, attention is inevitably turning to the red-hot favorites for the yellow jersey.
The Hautacam is a sensational climb and one on the bucket list of many cyclists due to its infamous history and testing gradients.
Although it is not as long as nearby behemoths such as the Col du Tourmalet, it still packs a punch. It is well known for boasting an abundance of steep gradients, which are littered at random points throughout the climb.
Seemingly from nowhere, Jonas Vingegaard has risen to the pinnacle of world cycling, taking the yellow jersey in the most recent Tour de France. If you’ve been living under a rock for the past two years, you might not have even heard of Jonas Vingegaard. Having entered his first Grand Tour in 2020, he has … Read more
The Tour de France is one of the most iconic events in world sport. Famous winners include the likes of Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault. In the modern era, cyclists like Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins have won eternal glory at Le Tour. And while competition winners can expect to see their names … Read more