Samwise Cycle Racing Newsletter
Friday, June 26, 2026
Ethan Hayter Wins Fourth Career British Elite Men’s Time Trial Title in Lampeter
Ethan Hayter (Soudal-QuickStep) claimed his fourth career elite men’s British time trial title at the 2026 National Road Championships in Lampeter, Wales, on Thursday. The 27-year-old delivered a dominant ride on the flat 38.4km course, finishing 1 minute 30 seconds ahead of runner-up Connor Swift (Netcompany Ineos). Josh Charlton (Netcompany Ineos Racing Academy) completed the podium, 1:40 down on Hayter. The win cements Hayter’s standing as Britain’s premier time trial specialist ahead of the national road race on Sunday, with the Soudal-QuickStep rider having now won the discipline in 2018, 2022, 2023, and 2026.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Zoe Bäckstedt Defends British Elite Women’s Time Trial Title in Sweltering Lampeter Heat
Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM) successfully defended her British elite women’s time trial title at the 2026 National Road Championships in Lampeter, Wales, on Thursday. With temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, Bäckstedt beat Anna Morris by 21 seconds to claim her second consecutive elite national crown on the 25.6km course. The win marks her third victory of the 2026 season, following triumphs at the Vuelta Extremadura Feminas time trial and a stage of the Tour de Suisse. Bäckstedt described the conditions as making the effort ten times harder. The British national road races conclude on Sunday.
Sources: Cycling Weekly Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Oscar Onley Ruled Out of Tour de France After Shoulder Injury at Tour Auvergne Crash
Netcompany Ineos confirmed Thursday that Oscar Onley will not start the 2026 Tour de France after sustaining a significant shoulder injury at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes earlier this month. The 23-year-old Briton, who finished fourth overall at last year’s Tour, crashed into a ravine on stage six of the tune-up race, dislocating his shoulder. A new medical update confirmed he would not be fit in time for the July 4 Grand Départ in Barcelona. Onley signed for Netcompany Ineos in December with the aim of leading the team’s GC challenge. He has already started rehabilitation and is making encouraging progress.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Huub Artz and Daniek Hengeveld Claim Dutch National Time Trial Titles in Achterhoek
Huub Artz powered to victory at the Dutch elite men’s national time trial championships in Laren, Achterhoek on Thursday, clocking 40:29.26 to beat Dylan van Baarle (Soudal-QuickStep) by 31 seconds. Sjoerd Bax (Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling) was third, 58 seconds back. In the women’s race, Daniek Hengeveld (Visma-Lease a Bike) scored her first elite Dutch time trial national title, with team-mates Femke De Vries and Lieke Nooijen completing a Visma-Lease a Bike podium sweep. Dutch organizers shifted start times to the afternoon to avoid extreme heat, with temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius in the Achterhoek region.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
European Federations Adapt National Championship Schedules as June Heatwave Grips Continent
A June heatwave sweeping Western and Central Europe has forced multiple cycling federations to adapt their national road championship schedules this week, with temperatures reaching 35°C in the Netherlands and rising well into the 40s across parts of France and Spain. Belgian Cycling added a special refreshment zone to the time trial course in Maarkedal and considered sprinkler systems along sections of the route. Dutch organizers shifted start times to the afternoon to avoid peak heat in Laren. In France, organizers increased accessible water points and opened cooling facilities to spectators. British riders competed in over 30-degree heat in Lampeter, Wales.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Cat Ferguson Ruled Out of Tour de France Femmes Debut After Hidden Ankle Fractures Discovered
Movistar’s Cat Ferguson will not make her Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift debut this August after being diagnosed with two fractures in her ankle. The 20-year-old crashed on the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia Women at the end of May, but initial tests did not reveal the injuries and early reports were optimistic. Despite weeks of recovery, further checkups uncovered the hidden fractures. Ferguson will need several more weeks to heal, ruling her out of the race and this week’s British Road Championships. The Movistar rider had started 2026 strongly, winning stages at the Setmana Valenciana and the Navarra Classic earlier in the season.
Sources: Cyclingnews Cycling Weekly Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Red Bull Confirms Evenepoel and Lipowitz Will Fight It Out on the Road at Tour de France
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team manager Ralph Denk confirmed Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz will share co-leadership at the 2026 Tour de France, with race performance determining who receives team support. Denk drew comparisons to the McLaren Formula 1 ‘Papaya Rules’, allowing riders to race freely without damaging team ambitions. “Remco is still the team leader and Florian Lipowitz is a bit of the second man but in terms of sporting performance, they are on equal footing,” Denk said. Lipowitz finished third at the 2025 Tour as Evenepoel abandoned after an injury-hit winter, giving both strong motivation for the July 4 Barcelona start.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
Paul Seixas Confirms Tour de France Debut as Decathlon CMA CGM Name Delayed Squad
Paul Seixas will make his Tour de France debut on July 4 after Decathlon CMA CGM confirmed the 19-year-old French talent has recovered from a recent crash and is fit to start in Barcelona. Seixas shared the news in a widely circulated social media video showing the moment he told his grandparents. His team, who had delayed naming their Tour line-up, confirmed Seixas and his squad will travel to Barcelona early next week ahead of the Grand Départ team time trial. Seixas had briefly abandoned the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in June following a crash. Decathlon increased their budget to 40 million euros this season to support a Tour de France challenge.
Sources: Cyclingnews Share ↗ ✉︎ Email 💬 Text
2026 Giro d’Italia — Final GC
Top 3 Classification
1. Jonas Vingegaard — Visma-Lease a Bike
2. Felix Gall — +5:22 | Decathlon CMA CGM
3. Jai Hindley — +6:25 | Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
Tour de France 2026 — GC Favorites
Grand Départ: July 4 — Barcelona
Jonas Vingegaard — Visma-Lease a Bike
Tadej Pogačar — UAE Team Emirates
Remco Evenepoel / Florian Lipowitz — Red Bull
Paul Seixas — Decathlon CMA CGM
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.