Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Monday, June 29, 2026
Pogačar Chases Record Fifth Tour as Barcelona Grand Départ Countdown Begins
The 2026 Tour de France begins with a team time trial around Barcelona city centre on July 4, with Tadej Pogaçar chasing a record-equalling fifth victory and his third consecutive title. Pogaçar and UAE Team Emirates-XRG enter as overwhelming favourites, with Jonas Vingegaard of Visma-Lease a Bike arriving as his most likely challenger after winning this year’s Giro d’Italia. Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, riding together at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, represent a dangerous partnership for the general classification. A total of 184 riders from 23 teams will start the three-week race in northern Spain before the peloton crosses into France.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Oscar Onley Confirmed Out of Tour de France, Josh Tarling Also Doubtful After Ineos Crashes
Oscar Onley will miss the 2026 Tour de France after Netcompany Ineos confirmed a significant shoulder injury, sustained when he overshot a left-hander and fell into a ravine during the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. He has already started rehabilitation and is making encouraging progress, but will not be fit for the July 4 Barcelona start. The setback is the latest blow in a difficult debut season with Ineos, having failed to finish three of his five stage races. Compounding the team’s pre-Tour difficulties, time trial specialist Josh Tarling also broke his collarbone at the same race and underwent immediate surgery, with his Tour de France participation uncertain.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Grégoire Claims French National Title in Heat-Shortened Race
Romain Grégoire won the French national road race championship for the first time, with Groupama-FDJ United delivering a controlled team performance on the day. The 23-year-old attacked around 500 metres from the top of the longest climb on the circuit, moving clear with three kilometres remaining and arriving at La Tour-du-Pin unchallenged, with time to celebrate before crossing the line. The race in the Isère region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes was shortened from its original distance due to extreme heat, with temperatures reaching the upper 30s Celsius on the day. Paul Lapeira of Decathlon CMA CGM took silver, with Joris Delbove of TotalEnergies in third.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Herregodts Springs Major Upset at Belgian National Championship
Rune Herregodts of UAE Team Emirates-XRG claimed the biggest victory of his career at the Belgian national championships, outsmarting the top favourites in a blisteringly fast and hugely unpredictable elite men’s road race from Antwerp to Brasschaat. The absence of Wout van Aert, Tim Wellens, and Remco Evenepoel — all preparing for the Tour de France — created a wide-open race on the ultra-flat course. A mass break of some 60 riders in the first hour foiled sprinters including Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Premier Tech. Herregodts crossed the line ahead of Jonas Rickaert of Alpecin-Premier Tech in second and Fabio Van Den Bossche of Soudal-QuickStep in third.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Bossuyt Claims Emotional Belgian Women’s Road Title in Comeback Sprint
Shari Bossuyt of AG Insurance-Soudal won her first senior Belgian national road race title, outpowering Lotte Kopecky of SDWorx-Protime in a small group sprint at Brasschaat in an emotional result. The 137-kilometre race, starting in Antwerp, saw multiple moves go clear throughout before it became certain in the closing kilometres that a bunch sprint of some 30 to 35 riders would decide the champion. The victory carries significant personal meaning for Bossuyt, who is in the midst of a comeback following a two-year suspension for the banned substance Letrozole. The result represents the latest chapter in what has been described as a dream comeback for the Belgian rider.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Longo Borghini Seals Seventh Italian National Title with Solo Attack
Elisa Longo Borghini of UAE Team ADQ secured the Italian national road race championship for the seventh time in her career and the fourth year in a row, breaking away solo to defend her title convincingly. The 120-kilometre course around Pordenone featured three ascents of the Castello de Caneve — 1.2 kilometres at 6.6 per cent and 3.1 kilometres at 4.5 per cent — and Longo Borghini showed no difficulty on any of them before powering away to the finish. Monica Trinca Colonel of Liv AlUla Jayco finished second, 20 seconds back, with Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Balsamo in third.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Bäckstedt Makes History with British TT and Road Race Double in Aberystwyth
Zoe Bäckstedt completed a historic double at the British road national championships in Aberystwyth, adding the elite women’s road race title to her time trial championship defended for the second year running. Bäckstedt had described the heat conditions as making the effort ten times harder during the time trial, but returned on Sunday to attack solo with 14 kilometres to go in the road race. She became the first British woman to complete the time trial and road race double since Alice Wood in 2019. DAS-Hutchinson’s Josie Knight finished second, with last year’s champion Millie Couzens of Fenix-Premier Tech in third.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Camprubí Claims First Pro Victory at Spanish National Championships
Marcel Camprubí of Pinarello-Q36.5 sealed a stunning first professional victory at the Spanish national championships, defeating Joel Nicolau of Caja Rural in a head-to-head sprint at the finish in Sabiñánigo. The victory came on the back of an impressive showing at the Tour de Suisse the previous week. The 211-kilometre course through Aragón concluded with a repeated 26.5-kilometre circuit featuring multiple punchy climbs, with the 24-year-old proving strongest over the demanding terrain. Urko Berrade of Equipo Kern Pharma rounded out the podium in third. The result marks Camprubí’s first professional victory.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
UCI World Tour Rankings
Men’s Individual Top 5
1. Tadej Pogaçar — 11,593 pts | UAE Team Emirates-XRG
2. Jonas Vingegaard — 8,625 pts | Visma-Lease a Bike
3. Isaac del Toro — 5,340 pts | UAE Team Emirates-XRG
4. Remco Evenepoel — Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
5. Florian Lipowitz — Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Next Up: Tour de France 2026
Grand Départ — Barcelona, Spain
Stage 1: July 4 — Team Time Trial, Barcelona
Stage 2: July 5 — Barcelona — Montjuïc
Stage 3: July 6 — Enter France & Pyrénées
184 riders, 23 teams, 3 weeks
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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