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Dorian Godon won't be wearing Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale kit for much longer, but the team is still getting its money's worth from the French national champion, who is bound for the Ineos Grenadiers next season. Godon won the Coppa Bernocchi-GP Banco BPM on Monday.
The Italian one-day came down to a sprint in Legnano, although only after a breakaway group was caught inside the last few kilometers and then further attacks were reeled in with less than a thousand meters to go. The sprinters took over from there, and Godon bested Tobias Lund Andresen (Picnic-PostNL) and Giovanni Lonardi (Polti-VisitMalta) in the end.
After Mattias Skjelmose expressed uncertainty over his role with Lidl-Trek given Juan Ayuso's impending arrival, Ayuso himself said on Sunday that he can see where his future teammate is coming from.
"I can understand some parts of it," Ayuso said before the road race at the European Continental Championships, as Feltet.dk reports. "If the team has said, 'You are the leader,' I can understand a certain kind of frustration."
On the other hand, Ayuso pointed out that cycling's top teams all feature multiple star riders. Ayuso's current squad UAE Team Emirates-XRG, of course, counts on an abundance of GC riders surrounding leader Tadej Pogačar, a fact that helped spur Ayuso's decision to head elsewhere.
"It's normal if you want to be a super team that you keep signing good riders," Ayuso said. "UAE, Visma and now Red Bull have a lot of riders who are racing for the general classification. You can't be a super team and only have one rider." [Feltet.dk]
Vingegaard looking for answers after being dropped early at the Euro Champs
Jonas Vingegaard's presence at the European Championship road race was cause for much excitement in the build-up to the event, where he'd face off with Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel in a rare one-day appearance. However, it was certainly not his day; the Vuelta a España champion was dropped as Belgium began attacking on the second long climb of the day, abandoning with about 80 km remaining.
"I had hoped for more, of course, but sometimes you just don't have a good day," Vingegaard told Feltet. "Maybe it's because of my busy schedule or maybe I'm just not in good shape. I was already struggling on the first climb. I thought it would get better, but when the pace picked up again, I realised it was too much."
He's not lost all hope, though, and said that, with the right preparation, he believes he can compete in this sort of race (again) in future.
Del Toro and UAE Team reportedly discussing extension of contract that already runs to 2029
Isaac Del Toro has been one of the riders of the season with no less than 14 wins to his name, pretty much positioning him just beneath Tadej Pogačar in the UAE Team Emirates-XRG pecking order. And despite already having a contract until 2029, Dan Benson reports that Del Toro and the Emirati team are discussing an extension.
UAE Team Emirates like to lock in their generational talents, including Pogačar whose contract runs through 2030. An extension for Del Toro would serve as a commitment between rider and team, and would likely rewrite the terms in an era in which contracts appear to be less fixed than they used to be, as demonstrated by the recent Juan Ayuso transfer to Lidl-Trek.
Vollering wins European road race, her first major international title
Demi Vollering won the elite women's European Championship road race on Saturday after 36 km solo in France's hilly Ardèche region.
After the Dutchwoman attacked the small selection, Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) set off in pursuit with Vollering's compatriot Anna van der Breggen for company. Despite the Pole's best efforts, Vollering was unstoppable, ultimately riding away to victory by a margin of a minute 18 seconds.
Niewiadoma snatched silver on the run-in, with Van der Breggen rounding out the podium. Elise Chabbey (Switzerland) then led the rest of the peloton home in dribs and drabs, French contenders Juliette Labous and Cédrine Kerbaol finishing sixth and ninth, and pre-race favourite Elisa Longo Borghini settling for tenth.
Brief results
Demi Vollering (Netherlands) 2:57:53
Kasia Niewiadoma (Poland) +1:18
Anna van der Breggen (Netherlands) +1:24
Elise Chabbey (Switzerland) +2:31
Franziska Koch (Germany) "
Del Toro takes UAE Team's 88th win of the season at Giro dell'Emilia
A week after his memorable ride at the Kigali World Champs, Isaac Del Toro returned to Europe with a bang, following through on his promise to win the Giro dell'Emilia, his fifth Italian one-day victory in a month and UAE Team Emirates-XRG's 88th of 2025.
After an attritional last couple of laps, which included a daring but ill-fated attack from Cian Uijtdebroeks, Tom Pidcock accelerated hard at the base of the last time up the iconic San Luca climb, and put some distance between himself and the chase group. But just inside the last kilometre, Del Toro leapt across the gap with alarming ease, then sprinted into the last few hundred metres to ensure his 14th win of the season.
Brief results
Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG)
Tom Pidcock (Q36.5) +0:01
Lenny Martinez (Bahrain Martinez) +0:05
Egan Bernal (Ineos Grenadiers) "
Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe) "
Le Court-Pienaar wins Giro dell'Emilia Donne
Though many of the sport's top European athletes are in France this weekend for the European Championship road races, there has been no shortage of talent on the startlists for the Giri dell'Emilia and its attritional laps of the steep San Luca climb.
The Giro dell'Emilia Donne was hotly contested, newly minted world champion Magdeleine Vallieres one of the many to get in on the action in the closing laps, but Mauritian national champion Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) emerged victorious after a dominant final climb.
Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) raced to second place, just as she did in Kigali, with Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) claiming the last step of the podium and denying Isabella Holmgren a Lidl-Trek two-three.
Brief results
Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal)
Niamh Fisher-Black (Lidl-Trek) +0:24
Yara Kastelijn (Fenix-Deceuninck) +0:33
Isabella Holmgren (Lidl-Trek) +0:34
Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team ADQ) "
Jarno Widar puts Worlds disappointment behind him with U23 European title
Belgian teen Jarno Widar had big ambitions for the late-season international championships starting at the U23 Worlds last weekend, but the 19-year-old finished a disappointing 34th in Kigali. However, a week later in the French Ardèche region, a vengeful Widar fought back on Saturday to take the Under-23 European title.
Widar is the sort of rider who is a favourite whenever he turns up, and that was no different on the climber-friendly European champs course, where he proved strongest on the final climb of the Val d'Enfer, launching to a solo victory ahead of lone chaser Maxime Decomble (France), with Héctor Álvarez (Spain) leading home a small chase group in third.
After two years on the Lotto development team, the young Belgian is stepping up to the elite squad this winter, which itself is primed for promotion to the WorldTour.
Brief results
Jarno Widar (Belgium) 3:11:58
Maxime Decomble (France) +0:14
Héctor Álvarez (Spain) +0:46
Simone Gualdi (Italy) "
Senna Remijn (Netherlands) "
Kristoff's retirement moves up after crashing out of Langkawi, win tally remains 98
Alexander Kristoff has raced his last race as a professional cyclist. The 38-year-old Norwegian was due to bow out at the close of the ongoing Tour de Langkawi, but a crash during the penultimate stage forced him to call time a day early.
"The hand is quite badly bloody and full of holes, and the arm also is bad, so it was more or less impossible to hold the handlebars," Kristoff said in a reel posted by his team. "So it's over. It was not the way I want to end the race or the career, but cycling is a brutal sport and it changes fast, so ... that's life. I will not dwell too much about it, life goes on."
Many were optimistic that Kristoff might find the two wins needed to make it to 100 at the sprinter-friendly Tour de Langkawi, but despite finishing top five on three of the week's seven flat finales, the 'Stavanger Stallion' was unable to rack up another victory, leaving his tally at a still-remarkable 98. The list includes four Tour stages, Milan-Sanremo 2014, Tour of Flanders 2015, and medals at the Olympics and World Champs in 2012 and 2017 respectively.
SRM Origin Aero cranks let you swap crank lengths – at a cost
SRM has unveiled its new Origin Aero Aluminium cranks, giving riders a way to experiment with crank length without buying multiple cranksets. The arms use bolt-on anodised tips available in seven lengths, allowing adjustments in 2.5 mm increments from 160 mm to 175 mm.
SRM says the Origin Aero is its narrowest road crank to date, with a 144 mm Q-factor – narrower than Shimano’s road (148 mm) and gravel (151 mm) cranks, edging closer to track bike territory. The wide, flat arms are also pitched as an aero upgrade, aiming to reduce drag while maintaining stiffness.
There’s a catch, of course: price. The arms alone are €2,015, throw in the SRM power meter spider (€1,210), and you are over €3,000 before you've put a chainring on.
Israel-Premier Tech withdraws from three Italian one-day races
On the heels of Israel-Premier Tech being disinvited from the Giro dell'Emilia, the embattled ProTeam has withdrawn from three other one-day races in Italy in October, citing safety concerns around the threat of protests.
The team's change of plans means it will not race the Coppa Bernocchi, Tre Valli Varesine, and Gran Piemonte events the week of October 5. That leaves the Giro di Lombardia as, right now, the only one of the slate of Italian autumn one-days on its schedule, although the team still plans to race at several other late-season events including the Tour of Guangxi and Paris-Tours before finishing its season at the Utsonomiya Japan Cup.
Paula Blasi wins U23 European road title
Mads Pedersen ends season early due to illness
Mads Pedersen has ended his season a few days early after illness forced him out of his late-season goals. The Dane finished a disappointing 15th in the ITT at the European Championships on Wednesday, and was due to lead Lidl-Trek at Friday's Sparkassen Münsterland Giro, before joining compatriot Jonas Vingegaard at the Euros road race on Sunday.
The Lidl-Trek fast man has had arguably the best season of his career despite missing the Tour de France, scoring 14 victories between February and September, including a memorable third Gent-Wevelgem, four stages at the Giro d'Italia, one at the Vuelta a España, plus two Grand Tour points classification jerseys. 2025 also marked the year he signed a lifetime contract with Lidl-Trek.
Pro fields set for Nedbank Gravel Burn debut
The inaugural Nedbank Gravel Burn has confirmed its professional men’s and women’s start lists for the seven-day, 800-kilometre race across South Africa created and run by the former team behind the legendary Cape Epic. With a $150,000 prize purse, the event has quickly attracted a diverse line-up from road, mountain bike and gravel racing.
The men’s field is headlined by Tom Pidcock, fresh from a Vuelta podium and top-ten at the World Championships in Rwanda. Other names include gravel stalwarts Peter Stetina, Chad Haga, Payson McElveen, Lachlan Mortan, plus WorldTour veterans Robert Gesink and Lukas Pöstlberger, Cam Wurf and Adam Hansen.
The women’s line-up brings equal star power. Paris-Roubaix Femmes champion Alison Jackson, South Africa’s Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, American all-rounder Lauren Stephens, Canada’s Haley Smith and rising German Rosa Klöser headline a field that also features Whitney Allison, Catherine Colyn and triathlete Ruth Astle.
Top 5 Men to Watch
Tom Pidcock (UK)
Lachlan Morton (Australia)
Robert Gesink (Nedtherlands)
Matt Beers (South Africa)
Cam Wurf (Australia)
Top 5 Women to Watch
Alison Jackson (Canada)
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (South Africa)
Lauren Stephens (USA)
Haley Smith (Canada)
Rosa Klöser (Germany)
Ratio Technology joins the modular rear derailleur game
UK-based Ratio Technology, best known for its shifter conversion kits, has announced its own mechanical rear derailleur. Named “The Mech”, this cable-operated derailleur has a modular design that can be paired with 10-13 speed cassettes in a 1x configuration.
The derailleur, not yet in production, will have two different cage length options (for 46T and 52T maximum sprocket sizes), and the ability to be mounted to a traditional derailleur hanger or directly to a UDH frame (not unlike SRAM’s T90 mechanical derailleur). It will have replaceable cable fins to make it compatible with a range of popular dropbar and mountain bike shifters.
Ratio Technology joins the likes of Madrone in aiming to offer a modular and rebuildable mechanical derailleur that frees up restrictions of shifter compatibility and speed counts.
Pricing and availability are still to be confirmed.
Canyon is now selling its first-ever wheelset
Initially announced in July alongside the latest Grizl, Canyon has now made its GR 30 CF carbon gravel wheelset available for individual purchase. The wheels are the German brand's first in-house rims built with DT Swiss 350 Spline hubs and Aerocomp spokes, onto 30 mm-deep, hookless rims with a 27 mm internal (33 mm external) width. The claimed weights are 715 g front (including rim tape) and 810 g rear, totalling at 1,525 g per pair.
A complete wheelset is priced at £860/€899 and the hoops also come specced on the Grizl gravel bike builds. Canyon says more wheelsets are planned for 2026.
3T introduces new Primo2 WPNT gravel bike
3T's has refreshed its Exploro gravel bike lineup with the Primo2 WPNT, which comes with fully integrated cable routing, UDH dropouts, and in-house "We Paint" (WPNT) finishes, done at the brand's home, Bergamo, Italy.
The road-inspired geometry and handling characteristics remain unchanged, though 3T says it has raised the bar height by 15mm to accommodate cable integration, and says the bike is aero-optimised for 35–45 mm tyres, though max clearance is 51 mm.
Pricing for complete builds ranges from £2,800 / US$3,699 / €2,705 to £4,072 / US$5,359 / €3,934, and a frameset goes for £2,035 / US$2,799 / €1,966.
Russia has extended Sofiane Sehili's detention
French ultra-cyclist Sofiane Sehili, who has been jailed in Russia's far-east since early September, has had his detention extended until November 3.
Sehili was on track for a world record pace for an 18,000 km ride across Eurasia, but ran into trouble just 200 km from the end of his journey. His attempts to cross the border from China to Russia were blocked twice, before Sehili – who had a valid Russian e-visa – tried a third route. However, he was arrested when presenting himself at a checkpoint on the Russian side, and detained on suspicion crossing the border illegally.
Sehili has been in pre-trial detention since, with an expected hearing this week pushed back by a court this week. His detention will now continue until at least November 3. Sehili's Russian lawyer, Alla Kouchnir, has told AFP she "will definitely file an appeal."
Sehili's partner, fellow ultra-cyclist Fanny Bensussan, has provided an update on Instagram, saying that she still has had no contact with Sofiane outside of letters. "He is doing okay. He is finding a routine in a foreign environment, he is writing and learning Russian with one of his two fellow inmates. There are three of them in a 15m² cell," she wrote.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a number of westerners have been arbitrarily detained in instances of "hostage diplomacy". Franco/Russian relations are particularly frosty due to France's key role in support of Ukraine.
EF signs junior world 'cross champ Agostinacchio
EF Education-EasyPost has announced the signing of junior cyclocross world champion Mattia Agostinacchio "on a long-term contract." The 18-year-old Italian, who won his junior world title in Liévin, France, earlier this year, has been delivering increasingly promising results on the road as well these past two years of racing in the junior ranks. He will continue to compete in both road and 'cross events as he joins his new team.
"This kid is crazy intelligent. He learned English from YouTube and TikTok, and that impressed me," EF team boss Jonathan Vaughters said in a statement. "The second thing that impressed me was that when I met and had dinner with his entire family, I got to know his background. That’s always very important when you’re taking on young riders. So, his dad is a police officer, his mom is a school teacher, and on the cycling side, he didn’t have a power meter until a year ago.
"He doesn’t have a deep history in cycling; he’s just a kid from the Italian mountains, and his dad’s love of mountain biking got him into the sport. His dad coached him from books, and his dad coached him to win at Worlds, and I can guarantee that no other kid at the Worlds had their dad coaching them as a side hobby before coming away with the rainbow jersey. To me, that tells me there’s a lot of untapped potential still to come."
Rouvy will close Bkool as a standalone platform
After acquiring Bkool earlier this year, Rouvy announced today that the Spanish-based virtual cycling platform will cease to operate as a standalone entity as of the end of November.
In a press release announcing the decision, Rouvy said that after acquiring Bkool it "entered a strategic learning period to evaluate users' needs, platform reliability, and long-term sustainability," ultimately determining that the multi-platform structure is no longer financially viable. Instead, Rouvy will "focus fully on further developing the Rouvy app, while integrating selected technical capabilities from Bkool into the Rouvy platform."
Bkool’s ability to convert GPX files into immersive 3D routes is a strong complement to Rouvy’s recently launched Route Creator tool, giving users more ways to bring real-world routes indoors. Bkool’s strong user base in France and Denmark, along with its loyal riders worldwide, can begin transitioning their subscriptions to Rouvy today.
"I want to assure both Bkool and Rouvy users that our plans to bring some of Bkool’s most popular features and capabilities to Rouvy remain unchanged," said Rouvy CEO and co-founder Petr Samek in the press release.
The news isn’t as positive for Bkool staff. Although employees were notified in advance, Rouvy expects only about 20% will have the chance to transfer and support integration efforts. The remaining employees will receive career transition support.
Zak Dempster leaves Ineos for Head DS role at Red Bull
Ineos Grenadiers' sports director Zak Dempster has joined Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe with immediate effect to become the team's new Chief of Sports.
The 38-year-old former pro had been with Ineos for the past two seasons but now moves over to Ralph Denk's organisation alongside Oliver Cookson, another former Ineos staffer who will now perform DS duties for the German squad.
"For me, this feels like coming home," Zak Dempster said, having raced for previous iterations of Bora-Hansgrohe in the mid-2010s. "I share so many formative moments of my career with this team, and I am excited to now contribute to its future in a new role. I know Ralph as an ambitious team manager, and with Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe he has created the most exciting project in our sport. Now it’s about realizing this enormous potential together."
Canyon adds shorter crank options to MyCanyon
Canyon is expanding its MyCanyon customisation programme with new crank length options for the Aeroad CFR, answering a growing call from riders for shorter setups. Alongside the standard 170, 172.5, and 175 mm options, customers can also choose 160 mm cranks from Shimano, plus 160, 165, and 167.5 mm from SRAM. Shimano 165 mm and SRAM 162.5 mm will be added by the end of November.
The update reflects a shift in fitting trends, with shorter cranks increasingly popular among smaller riders and those seeking more aerodynamic, high-cadence positions. Until now, such lengths have been difficult to source on stock builds.
Also new is a limited-run ‘Abell’ artwork in Canyon’s Mano collection, a shimmering green finish inspired by Jasper Philipsen’s points-jersey at the Vuelta a España. The hand-stamped design joins Canyon’s Astro series and is available now through the MyCanyon configurator.
Shimano addresses subcontractor storage violation
Shimano has released a press release addressing a formal recommendation Japan's Fair Trade Commission issued to it on 17 September, finding the company violated the Subcontract Act by having subcontractors store Shimano-owned moulds and equipment for free and conduct inventory checks despite long gaps without orders.
Investigators said that since 1 December 2023, Shimano's subcontractors held 4,313 tools at no charge and performed twice-yearly inspections, "thereby unfairly harming the interests of its subcontractors."
Shimano said in a press release that "We sincerely apologise for any concern or inconvenience this has caused," and said it is compiling cost estimates from affected contractors, has begun payments, and will "review internal compliance training and strengthen our verification systems."
This addresses JFTC recommended remedies, which included reimbursing storage and inspection costs, a board resolution acknowledging the violation, notifying suppliers, employee training, and a report on corrective measures. The investigators said Shimano had already retrieved or ordered the disposal of 468 tools from 42 suppliers by late 2024.
Castelli unveils new Alpha 150 winter jacket
Cofidis parts ways with GM Cédric Vasseur as relegation looms
French team Cofidis has parted ways with general manager Cédric Vasseur, the former pro-turned manager who took up the role in 2018. The Frenchman guided the team through its first WorldTour promotion/relegation cycle ('20-'23), but as 2025 draws to a close, Cofidis is at risk of dropping back down to ProTeam level.
In Vasseur's place, the organisation is bringing Raphaël Jeune, another former pro who went to work as a marketing manager at Look Cycle International, the bike and equipment brand that has a long-term relationship with Cofidis.
There's still a chance the team can survive relegation, but to do so they'd have to battle Uno-X Mobility, which recently moved ahead of Cofidis in the rankings – both are currently outside the top 18, but with Lotto (9th) and Intermarché Wanty (18th), the 19th-ranked team will also make the cut.
Owain Doull signs two-year contract with Visma to 'guide our young talents in classics and sprints'
Owain Doull, currently of EF Education-EasyPost, has signed a two-year contract with Visma-Lease a Bike.
"Last season was my best so far and I expect that I can take another step forward with this team," Doull said. "I'm very excited about the opportunity I'm getting here with one of the best teams in the world."
The 2016 Olympic team pursuit gold medallist is coming to the end of four years with EF, following five and a half with Ineos. Since committing to the road, he's specialised in the classics, latterly becoming something of a road captain. It's this that the 32-year-old Welshman has been recruited for.
"Owain's most important role will be to guide our young talents in the classics and sprints," said Grischa Niermann, senior sports director at Visma-Lease a Bike.
Montréal unveils 2026 Worlds courses
Organizers of the 2026 UCI Road World Championships unveiled courses for the event, scheduled for late September. The road courses keep much of the familiar Grand Prix de Montréal circuits, but with the addition of a long opening loop.
The men's and women's road races will start in Brossard, across Lac Saint-Louis from Montréal, with a mostly flat first third before entering the hilly Mont Royal finishing circuits. The elite men will do 12 laps and the women eight laps, which include the Camillien-Houde climb (2.3 km at 6.2% average). The finish is on a false flat after a descent.
Road courses for the Elite men (left) and women for the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, Canada.
The men's race will be 273.2 km while the women's race will break another distance record at 180 km. After the climb-fest of Kigali, Rwanda in 2025, total elevation gain is more manageable with 2,502 meters of climbing for the women and 3,720 m for the men. Full courses for all road and time trial events are now posted. [Montréal 2026]
World Time Trial Champion and silver medalist in the road race Remco Evenepoel has another race on his hands this week: getting home from Rwanda in time to race Wednesday's European Time Trial Championships.
For reasons unknown, the UCI allowed the European Championships to follow Worlds by less than a week. While the courses are quite different and there is not much overlap in the roster for the TT events, Evenepoel is one of several riders who were in Rwanda who will be scrambling to make the turnaround – Juliette Labous and Marlen Reusser also raced the road event in Kigali and are scheduled for Wednesday's TT.
"A ridiculous schedule, of course," Dutch national team coach Koos Moerenhout told Wielerflits, noting that the different fields (all six Euro TT fields race on Wednesday) have different start times and in some cases different start locations. The elite road races are October 4-5. The road races also conflict with the Italian 1.Pro Giro dell'Emilia event and the U23 Giro di Lombardia.
Evenepoel breaks men's World Champs medal record in Kigali
Remco Evenepoel may not have won the World Championship road race, achieving the longed-for double after his time trial triumph, but his runner-up finish to Tadej Pogačar in Kigali means that he adds a silver medal to his collection, bringing his elite World Championship medal haul up to eight, and becoming the first elite man to do so.
With his third-consecutive TT victory at the start of Worlds week, Evenepoel drew alongside Alejandro Valverde, Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara who all won seven World Championship medals in their elite careers.
Jeannie Longo is the all-time elite Worlds medal record-holder with 14 across both road (eight) and TT (six) disciplines, winning gold on nine occasions.
Evenepoel's World Championship medal collection:
Silver in the TT in Harrogate, 2019
Bronze in the TT in Bruges, 2021
Bronze in the TT in Wollongong, 2022
Gold on the road in Wollongong, 2022
Gold in the TT in Glasgow (Stirling), 2023
Gold in the TT in Zurich, 2024
Gold in the TT in Kigali, 2025
Silver on the road in Kigali, 2025
Arnaud De Lie just keeps winning, adds Paris-Chauny to late-season surge
Arnaud De Lie's late-season successes just keep racking up. This weekend the Lotto sprinter added the mini-classic Paris-Chauny to his European win streak that began on the last day of the Renewi Tour, beating Mathieu van der Poel to a defiant stage and overall victory.
Bretagne Classic victory came next, then, after a winless diversion to Canada, De Lie returned to Europe and scored back-to-back victories at the GP Wallonie and Super 8 Classic.
Paris-Chauny was his next stop, a hilly French one-day that played perfectly to the Belgian's strengths. After an aggressive run-in, De Lie won the bunch gallop ahead of XDS-Astana's Max Kanter and Unibet Tietema Rockets' Lukáš Kubiš.
