Expanded from eight to nine days and encompassing both a record distance - 1,165km - and a record elevation gain - 17,240m - this year's race is set to be another blockbuster. 

And with Anna van der Breggen back out of retirement, Kasia Niewiadoma looking to defend her crown, and 2023 champion Demi Vollering desperate to regain the title with new team FDJ-Suez, it could also be the most competitive year yet. 

Organised by men’s Tour de France organisers ASO and overseen by race director Marion Rousse, the 2025 Tour de France Femmes will take place entirely within French borders after last year's Grand Départ in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. 

Unlike last year's race, which ran entirely separately from the men's Tour de France, the women will get going one day before the men's Tour reaches its finale in Paris on 27 July.

Read more: The untold story of the Tour de France Femmes

Read more: Tour de France Femmes 2025 route reveal

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025: Key details

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025: The route

After a Grand Départ and opening two stages in Brittany the race winds its way roughly diagonally through central France, shifting slightly south and east all the way to the finish line in Châtel in Haute-Savoie, near the Swiss border.

Intriguingly, there's no time-trialling in this edition - good news for some, bad news for others. Three flat stages early in the race will provide a happy hunting ground for the sprinters before the GC action really kicks off in the second half, with three mountain ranges - the Armorican Massif in the northwest, Massif Central, and the Alps all looming large.

While Alpe d'Huez, which played host to the thrilling finale of the 2024 race, won't feature, the 2025 parcours includes the Col de la Madeleine, the highest point of this year's race, on stage eight. The Col tops out at 2000m and will come at the end of a short but gruelling queen stage featuring 3,490m of climbing. 

Last year the GC battle went right down to the wire, with Demi Vollering missing out by an agonising four seconds, and it looks like the organisers are keen to see another final-day showdown to decide the yellow jersey. After the queen stage there's still one more day in the mountains of Haute-Savoie -  no Champs-Élysées procession here - with the fearsome Col de Joux-Plane on the menu before the finish in the ski region of Les Portes du Soleil. 

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025: Stage-by-stage

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025: The jerseys

The jerseys of Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025 replicate those of the Tour de France and classifications are yellow for the overall leader, green for the leader in the points standings, polka-dot for the mountain classification, and white for the best young rider.

Along with the jersey prizes, there is an award for the most combative rider of each stage, with the winner wearing a red number on the following day. This is awarded each day, with a 'Super Combativity' award decided by a jury at the end of the race for the most active rider throughout the entire event.

There is also a team classification where the time of the first three riders from each team is put together to create a single time. This is then done in a similar way as the individual general classification.

In addition, there are plenty of bonus seconds up for grabs at the race. There are ten, six and four bonus seconds available at the end of each stage for the first three riders, as well as bonus sprints that are dotted throughout the race on key climbs to make the racing more entertaining for spectators.

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025: The teams

22 teams will take part in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. These include the 15 women’s WorldTour teams, the two best-ranked Continental teams, and five other Continental teams.

Women's WorldTour teams

AG Insurance-Soudal

Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto

Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling 

FDJ-Suez

Fenix-Deceuninck

Human Powered Health

Lidl-Trek

Liv-AlUla-Jayco

Movistar

Roland

Team Picnic PostNL

Team SD Worx-Protime

Team Visma-Lease A Bike

UAE Team ADQ

Uno-X Mobility

Continental teams

TBC

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift: Past winners

2024: Kasia Niewiadoma (Pol) - Canyon-SRAM

2023: Demi Vollering (Ned) - SD Worx

2022: Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) - Movistar Team

Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift 2025: On TV

The race will be shown live in the UK and Europe on Eurosport and Discovery+. It is expected that viewers in the US will be able to tune in to the action on CNBC and Peacock Premium.

Useful links: Event schedule | Road race and time trial routes |Guide to track cycling | Guide to mountain biking

While cycling of every flavour has its major annual events in which each rider strives for success, every four years an opportunity arises to take a rare and historic gold medal at the Olympic Games. 

For the Paris 2024 Olympic cycling events, however, the riders have had just three years. Originally scheduled for July/August 2020, the Tokoyo Games were moved to 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. So there will be new winners just three years on.

Cycling Weekly will have a reporter on the ground throughout the event, bringing you news and interviews, whilst our in-office news team will be dedicated to bringing you reports on the individual time trials, road race, and track events.

There will be four different types of cycling on show in Paris and its environs: road, track, BMX and mountain biking, with many sub-disciplines part of that.

The road time trials come first, awarding some of the first medals of the Olympics on Saturday 27 July, with the road races following a week after - the men on Saturday 3 August, and the women the day after on Sunday 4 August.

Many of the world's best riders from the professional road peloton will be in attendance, with reigning world champions Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) hot favourites in the road races. Defending women's champion Ana Kiesenhofer (Austria) will be there, but she is unlikely to surprise the field again. Meanwhile, Richard Carapaz (Ecuador), gold medallist at Tokyo, has not been selected. 

There will be a new champion in the women's time trial, with Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands) having retired since last time around, while it is not yet known if Primož Roglič (Slovenia) will tackle it yet.

Of course there's much more than road cycling at the Olympic Games, with a host of track events to enjoy, six in total: the team pursuit, the omnium, the Madison, the sprint, the team sprint, and the keirin. All the track events take place between 5 August and the final day of the Games on 11 August.

Elsewhere, there'll be the women's and men's cross-country mountain biking races, which take place on Sunday 28 July and Monday 29 July, respectively.

Finally there are the two BMX events, making their return for the second time, Freestyle and Racing. The Freestyle takes place on Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 July, with the Racing on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 August.

Olympic cycling schedule

Here's an overview of all of the cycling events at the 2024 Paris Olympics

Road events

The only race you could really compare the Olympics road race to is the World Championships. Both races are usually based around circuits, with riders competing for their countries and not their trade teams.

However, teams are much smaller than World Championships, with the biggest squads in the road races boasting just four riders, which makes it very interesting tactically. Many teams have just one rider in the whole event.

In the Olympics, riders have to wait for another four, or five, in this case, years before having another go at winning. In the World Championships, riders can try every 12 months. There aren't too many chances to go for a gold medal in a professional career, so it attracts a field of world-class talent.

Track events

After the road events, we see the track riders take to the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome on Monday, August 2 through to Sunday, August 8.

The riders will compete in the team pursuit, sprint, team sprint, omnium, the keirin and the Madison. The pursuit, omnium and Madison are what are called "endurance" events, suiting some road riders too, while the sprints and the keirin are sprint events, for pure powerhouses.

For an in-depth explanation of each event, check out our guide to track cycling disciplines.

Who are the reigning Olympic champions?

Here are the Gold medal winners from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics:

• Men’s road race: Richard Carapaz (Ecuador)
• Women’s road race: Anna Kiesenhofer (Austria)
• Men’s time trial: Primož Roglič (Slovenia)
• Women’s time trial: Annemiek van Vleuten (Netherlands)
• Men’s team sprint: Netherlands
• Women’s team sprint: China
• Men’s team pursuit: Italy
• Women’s team pursuit: Germany
• Men’s sprint: Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands)
• Women’s sprint: Kelsey Mitchell (Canada)
• Men’s keirin: Jason Kenny (Great Britain)
• Women’s keirin: Shanne Braspennincx (Netherlands)
• Men's omnium: Matt Walls (Great Britain)
• Women's omnium: Jennifer Valente (United States)
• Men's Madison: Denmark
• Women's Madison: Great Britain
• Men’s BMX race: Niek Kimmann (Netherlands
• Women's BMX race: Beth Shriever (Great Britain)
• Men's BMX freestyle: Logan Martin (Australia)
• Women’s BMX freestyle: Charlotte Worthington (Great Britain)
• Men’s mountain bike: Tom Pidcock (Great Britain)
• Women's mountain bike: Jolanda Neff (Switzerland)

One for the climbers - as all modern Tours are - the 2025 Tour de France route incorporates five summit finishes and spans four mountain ranges - the Alps, Massif Central, Jura and Pyrenees. The riders will also endure a brutal mountainous time trial to the Peyragudes altiport as part of a total of 44km against the clock, and a hilly opening week in northern France, with the first summit finish coming 10 days in on Bastille Day

High points (literally) include the race's highest, Col de la Loze, which is tackled from the eastern approach for the first time, and Hautacam, two climbs which Jonas Vingegaard will relish. Mont Ventoux, the Puy de Sancy, Superbagnères and the Col du Tourmalet all feature, with the GC battle likely to be decided on the uppermost slopes in the second and third week of racing.

And after last year's Olympics-induced absence from Paris and final-day time trial in Nice it's back to standard procedure. Fifty years after the first finish on Paris' most iconic boulevard, the race returns to the famous Champs-Élysées for the usual champagne-sipping and sprint finish on the last stage.

The world's best riders will battle for victory, with 2024 winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) taking on Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike), Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step) – the latter returning from injury – and Primož Roglič (Red-Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).

The three-week event is the second in the trio of Grand Tours, coming after the Giro d'Italia and before the Vuelta a España.

Check out our in-depth page on the Tour de France 2025 route for everything you need to know about the 21 stages from Florence to Nice, and our analysis of the route and where it might be won or lost.

Tour de France 2025: Key details

Tour de France 2025: The route

Tour de France 2025 route: Stage-by-stage

Tour de France 2025: The teams

The Tour de France peloton consists of 23 teams of eight riders. One more team that previous years. This includes all 18 UCI WorldTour teams, as well as the two best-ranked UCI ProTeams, and three further squads that were invited by the organiser, ASO. 

The teams racing the 2025 Tour de France are:

• Alpecin-Deceuninck
• Arkéa-B&B Hotels
• Bahrain-Victorious
• Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
• Cofidis
• Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale
• Team Picnic PostNL
• EF Education-EasyPost
• Groupama-FDJ
• Ineos Grenadiers
• Jayco-AlUla
• Intermarché-Wanty
• Israel-Premier Tech
• Lidl-Trek
• Lotto
• Movistar
• Soudal Quick-Step
• TotalEnergies
• UAE Team Emirates-XRG
• Uno-X Mobility
• Visma-Lease a Bike
• XDS Astana Team

Tour de France 2025: General classification riders

When it comes to potential yellow jersey winners, like last year, there are four riders to watch out for.

The quartet comprises 2024 winner and Triple Crown supremo Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates); Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quick Step), two-time champion Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike), and Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe). 

Pogačar will start as the favourite to win back-to-back Tours for the second time in his career, after an imperious reign in 2024 which saw him win - among many other races - the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and World Championships. 

2022 and 2023 champion and last year's runner-up Vingegaard will likely be his biggest obstacle as the two go head-to-head once more, is the only rider over whom hangs a significant question mark for the race. 

Evenepoel finished third and claimed the best young rider's jersey in his Tour de France debut in 2024, and has publicly stated his aim to compete with Vingegaard and Pogačar in 2024. The 2022 Vuelta champion will eye taking the yellow jersey on stage five's flat ITT and is another strong contender for a podium place - as is Roglič, if he can break his Tour curse. The Slovenian now has four Vuelta titles and one Giro crown but has suffered years of misfortune, including crashes and injuries, at the sport's biggest race. 

After coming 5th overall and taking a stage win in his Tour debut in 2023, Carlos Rodríguez will lead Ineos Grenadiers.

Tour de France 2025: Sprinters

Jasper Philipsen of Alpecin-Deceuninck and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty) starred last year, each winning three stages and Girmay making history as the first black African to win a Tour de France stage. The Eritrean won the green jersey, becoming the first African to win any jersey at the Tour, and his ability on punchy sprint finishes could see him ride into the history books once again in 2025.

Other sprinters likely to challenge for stage wins include Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla), Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek). 

Tour de France 2025: On TV

The race will be live-streamed on Discovery+ and Eurosport in the UK and in Europe. Subscription costs are £6.99/month or $8.99/month, and £39.99 or $49.99 for a year. The race is also streamed, for the final time in 2025, on ITV4 in the UK, and is free to view.

A Flobikes annual subscription will cost you $209.99 if you want to watch in Canada, while in the USA NBC Sports via Peacock Premium ($4.99 per month) will show the race. Australians can can watch the Tour for free on SBS on Demand.

And, of course, if you want to watch your local stream from anywhere in the world you'll need a VPN from a trusted company like ExpressVPN.

Tour de France: The jerseys

The Tour de France jerseys and classifications are yellow for the overall leader, green for the leader in the points standings, polka-dot for the mountain classification, and white for the best young rider.

Along with the jersey prizes, there is an award for the most combative rider of each stage, with the winner wearing a red number on the following day. This is awarded each day, with a 'Super Combativity' award decided by a jury at the end of the race for the most active rider throughout the entire event.

There is also a team classification where the time of the first three riders from each team is put together to create a single time. This is then done in a similar way as the individual general classification.

In addition, there are plenty of bonus seconds up for grabs at the race. There are ten, six and four bonus seconds available at the end of each stage for the first three riders, as well as bonus sprints that are dotted throughout the race on key climbs to try and make the racing more entertaining for spectators.

Of course, there's also prize money up for grabs. For winning the 2023 edition of the race, Jonas Vingegaard collected €535,220 (£463,100), a sum which is customarily shared out among the team's riders and staff.

Tour de France: recent winners

• 2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
• 2013: Chris Froome (GBr)
• 2014: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita)
• 2015: Chris Froome (GBr)
• 2016: Chris Froome (GBr)
• 2017: Chris Froome (GBr)
• 2018: Geraint Thomas (GBr)
• 2019: Egan Bernal (Col)
• 2020: Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
• 2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
• 2022: Jonas Vingegaard (Den)
• 2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Den)
• 2024: Tadej Pogačar (Slo)

Tour de France FAQ

Critérium du Dauphiné 2025 is the 77th edition of the race, and is being held between June 8 and June 15. Its mountainous terrain and spot in the calendar, just three weeks before the start of the Tour de France, makes it a favourite warm-up race for the major GC contenders. 

The race was created in 1947 by the newspaper Le Dauphiné Libéré, and was known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré until 2010, when it came under the control of Tour de France organisers ASO. 

Despite its status as one of the key warmup races for the Tour, relatively few riders have won both races in the same year. Chris Froome won both three times, in 2013, 2015, 2016, while Bernard Hinault did the double in 1979 and 1981. Most recently, Jonas Vingegaard won both races in 2023. 

Taking place in the Rhône-Alps region in the southeast of France, the eight-day stage race favours climbers, and tends to feature a number of Tour de France climbs including Mont Ventoux and the Col du Galibier. This year the Col de la Madeleine on Stage 7 is the most infamous, with the majority of the toughest climbs packed into that penultimate stage. 

Home favourite Romain Bardet is set to retire from road racing at the end of the Dauphiné, so expect some gutsy performances from the veteran Frenchman, while the entire 2024 Tour de France podium - Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, and Remco Evenepoel - are on the provisional start list. 

Critérium du Dauphiné 2025: The route

This year the race will begin with a 189km stage from Domérat to Montluçon, in the Allier department, with a bunch sprint likely but some late climbs offering a potential springboard for a puncheur to take the yellow jersey.

Stages 2 and 3 - the latter beginning in Romain Bardet's home town of Brioude - are firmly in puncheur territory, with category 3 and 4 climbs aplenty as well as the odd cat 2. Stage 4 is a zippy 17.7km time trial with a large bump in the middle of the parcours to liven things up and potentially cause problems for the TT specialists. 

The hills return on Stage 5, the last possible outing for the sprinters, while Stage 6 is where things start to get serious, with the first Cat 1 climb - the Côte de Mont-Saxonneux - 40km or so from the uphill finish at the Combloux ski resort. From there, it's into the major mountains and the real GC showdown. 

The riders will tackle three HC climbs and 4,700m of elevation gain on Stage 7: the 2000m Col de la Madeleine straight out of the gate, the Col de la Croix Fer at the halfway mark, with a summit finish at Valmeinier 1800 to finish. 

The final stage is comparatively gentler, with six climbs but only two Cat 1s, including one - the Col du Mont-Cenis - shortly before the finish line at the Plateau du Mont-Cenis. 

Critérium du Dauphiné 2025: Stage-by-stage

Critérium du Dauphiné: The jerseys

Like at other ASO-run races including the Tour de France, the leader of the race - the rider with the lowest overall time - wears a yellow jersey, the best young rider (aged 25 or under) wears a white jersey, and the points leader (collecting points from sprints) wears a green jersey. The King of the Mountains (rider with the most points over classified climbs) wears a dark blue jersey with white polka-dots, a similar design to that at the Tour de France but with different colours.

Critérium du Dauphiné: Past winners

2024: Primož Roglič (Slo) Bora-Hansgrohe

2023: Jonas Vingegaard (Den) Jumbo-Visma
2022: Primož Roglič (Slo) Jumbo-Visma
2021: Richie Porte (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers
2020: Daniel Martínez (Col) EF Pro Cycling
2019: Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana
2018: Geraint Thomas (GBr) Team Sky
2017: Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana
2016: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2015: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2014: Andrew Talansky (USA) Garmin-Sharp
2013: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky
2011: Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Sky

Mathieu van der Poel is a man who has almost won everything within his powers. The 28-year-old has won Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, and the Tour of Flanders twice, stages of the Tour de France and the Giro d’Italia, over a glittering career. The Dutchman has also been cyclo-cross world champion five times, and likes to dabble in mountain biking too. 

Discover more about him through our 21 things you didn’t know about Mathieu van der Poel page.

He is the third generation of professional racers in his family, and has dominated the cyclocross discipline since be began racing. Since his transition to the road, he has showed his strength across a variety of races, especially in the Spring Classics.

Paris-Nice 2025 is the 83rd edition of the eight-stage event, often referred to as the 'Race to the Sun'. This year held from 9 to 16 March, it typically opens in wintry conditions near Paris before concluding in the warmer, Mediterranean city of Nice. 

This year it starts in the Yvelines department just west of Paris and features something for everybody, with three stages for the fast men, three summit finishes, the Alpes-Maritimes as a GC battleground, and a tricky team time trial for the third year in a row. 

One of the biggest week-long stage races in the UCI WorldTour calendar, Paris-Nice is often used by Tour de France hopefuls to test their form or tune up for the season.

Paris-Nice was most recently won by Matteo Jorgenson (USA) of Visma-Lease a Bike, who got the better of Remco Evenepoel (Bel) of Soudal-QuickStep in a classic tussle. Tadej Pogačar of UAE Team Emirates won the 2023 edition and Primož Roglič the year before that, but both Slovenians have ruled out a tilt in 2025. 

Other recent winners include two-time winner Max Schachmann, 2019 Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, 2018's Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas, as well as Bradley Wiggins, Richie Porte and Alberto Contador.

Going further into the history books, other winners include the likes of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx, while Sean Kelly claims the most wins with seven in the 1980s.

Paris-Nice is organised by ASO, the same outfit behind races such as the Tour de France and Paris-Roubaix.

The 2020 event was the last international cycling event, and the last sporting event in France, before mass gatherings were cancelled due to Covid-19. 

Paris-Nice 2025: The route 

Paris-Nice 2025 route: Stage-by-stage 

Paris-Nice: The jerseys

As with all ASO-owned races, the leader of the General Classification sports a yellow jersey (although earlier in the race's long history it was blue and gold to mimic the Mediterranean sky, and it has changed several times over the years). The leader of the points classification wears a green jersey, the King of the Mountains a red and white polka-dot jersey, and the best young rider races in white. The rider leading each classification at the end of the final stage is crowned the overall winner of that classification. 

Paris-Nice: Recent winners

2024: Matteo Jorgenson (USA)

2023: Tadej Pogačar (Slo)
2022: Primož Roglič (Slo)
2021: Max Schachmann (Ger)
2020: Max Schachmann (Ger)
2019: Egan Bernal (Col)
2018: Marc Soler (Esp)
2017: Sergio Henao (Col)
2016: Geraint Thomas (GBr)
2015: Richie Porte (Aus)
2014: Carlos Betancur (Col)
2013: Richie Porte (Aus)
2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr)
2011: Tony Martin (Ger)
2010: Alberto Contador (Spa)
2009: Luis Leon Sanchez (Spa)
2008: Davide Rebellin (Ita)
2007: Alberto Contador (Ita)

Paris-Nice 2025: More information

Key info: Paris-Nice route | Paris-Nice start list | TV guide - TBC

Website: Paris-Nice

Strade Bianche 2025 will be the 19th edition of the Italian WorldTour race, and the 11th Strade Bianche Rosa. This year’s edition will take place on Saturday 8 March with both the men’s and women’s races taking place on the same day.  

Strade Bianche is a one-day race held in Tuscany, famous for its white gravel roads which have fast become the defining feature of the race. First held in 2007, the race quickly established itself within the men’s WorldTour. 

Its iconic parcours, difficulty and prestige have lead some to describe it as cycling's 'Sixth Monument', including both Romain Bardet and Thibaut Pinot. The race is twisty, undulating and punchy, without any major serious climbs, but it's nevertheless a tough challenge.

Fabian Cancellara has won the men’s race three times and leads the charts for the most Strade Bianche victories. In 2021 Mathieu van der Poel took a memorable win after multiple explosive attacks including one on the climb to the finish which left Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal in a cloud of dust. 

The race seems to favour anyone and everyone: climbers like 2024 winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), puncheurs, and - thanks to its uneven gravel sectors - cobbled classics specialists, cyclo-cross and former mountain bike riders can all do well.

After the success of the men’s edition of the race, a shorter women’s event named Strade Bianche Rosa was first held in 2015 and also quickly established itself within the women’s WorldTour, serving as the opening event of the women’s WorldTour calendar. 

The Dutch, much like in most top-level women's racing, have dominated the race with the last four of eight editions going to a Dutch woman. Only Annemiek Van Vleuten and Lotte Kopecky have won it twice, with the Belgian likely to go for the hat-trick in 2025.

British rider Lizzie Deignan (Trek-Segafredo) managed to back up her second place in 2015 with a win in 2016, being the only Brit to ever win the women's event.

Strade Bianche 2025: The route

Strade Bianche, meaning 'white roads' in Italian, refers to the sectors of unpaved gravel that are a key feature and a unique characteristic of the race. Some are flat, some involve steep climbs or technical descents, testing the rider's bike handling skills. 

This year there are 16 of these gravel sectors in the men's race, up from 11, covering 81.7km of the total 213km. The women's race has increased from eight to 13 gravel sector, totalling 50.3km of the 136km. 

Another key feature of the race is its finale: the incredibly steep, narrow climb, the Via Santa Caterina, which peaks at 16%, to the finish in the beautiful Piazza del Campo within the city of Siena. 

Strade Bianche: Recent winners

2024: Tadej Pogačar (Slo), UAE Team Emirates

2023: Tom Pidcock (GBr), Ineos Grenadiers
2022: Tadej Pogačar (Slo), UAE Team Emirates
2021: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned), Alpecin-Fenix
2020: Wout van Aert (Bel), Team Jumbo-Visma
2019: Julian Alaphilippe (Fra), Deceuninck - Quick-Step
2018: Tiesj Benoot (Bel), Lotto-Soudal
2017: Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol), Team Sky
2016: Fabian Cancellara (Sui), Trek-Segafredo
2015: Zdeněk Štybar (Cze), Etixx - Quick-Step
2014: Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol), Omega Pharma - Quick-Step
2013: Moreno Moser (Ita), Cannondale Pro Cycling Team
2012: Fabian Cancellara (Sui), Radioshack-Nissan
2011: Philippe Gilbert (Bel), Omega Pharma-Lotto
2010: Maxim Iglinsky (Kaz), Astana
2009: Thomas Löfkvist (Swe), Team Columbia-HTC
2008: Fabian Cancellara (Sui), CSC ProTeam

Strade Bianche Rosa: Recent winners

2024: Lotte Kopecky (Bel), SD Worx-Protime

2023: Demi Vollering (Ned), SD Worx
2022: Lotte Kopecky (Bel), SD Worx
2021: Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned), Team SD Worx
2020: Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned), Mitchelton-Scott
2019: Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned), Mitchelton-Scott
2018: Anna van der Breggen (Ned), Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team
2017: Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita), Wiggle-High5
2016: Lizzie Deignan (GBr), Boels-Dolmans Cycling Team

Key info: Start list | How to watch I Route - 2025 details TBC

Previous editions: 2024 / 2024 W | 2023 / 2023 W | 2022 / 2022 W I 2021 / 2021 W | 2020 / 2020 W | 2019 / 2019 W | 2018 |2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011

External links: Official website | Official twitter feed
Strade Bianche donne official website 

Organised by RCS Sports and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, the four-stage race will take place from 6-9 February this year. It is typically a flat affair, passing through the Middle Eastern country's desert landscapes and urban skylines. 

Fabrizio D’Amico, chief operating officer at RCS Sports and UAE Tour director, said of the inaugural event: "Seeing the Women’s UAE Tour coming to reality is something we are very proud of.

"With the Abu Dhabi Sports Council we worked with the objective of bringing further cycling excitement to the region and in doing so, it is therefore natural to offer the same playing field to women with a women’s version of the UAE Tour at the same level as the men’s race. 

"We want this new race to become one of the best and most important races of the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar with the goal also to help the development of women’s cycling within the Country and the whole Continent."

The men's version of the race, the longer, more hilly seven-stage UAE Tour, has taken place every year since 2019. 

Key Info: Start List I How to Watch - 2025 details TBC

UAE Tour Women 2025: Key details

UAE Tour Women 2025: The route

As usual the UAE Tour Women 2025 route is almost entirely flat. It's a sprinter's paradise, with only one hill in the entire race - the Jebel Hafeet on Stage 3 of 4, a 10km climb which will likely arrange the GC standings. At an average of 8-9%, with a high of 11% at 3km to go, it should be decisive. Stage 4 returns to sprinter-friendly territory. 

UAE Tour Women 2025: Stage-by-stage

UAE Tour Women 2025: The jerseys

General Classification/Leader's: Red

General points: Green

Intermediate sprint: Black

Young rider's: White

UAE Tour Women: Recent winners

2024: Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime

2023: Elisa Longo Borghini (Ita) Trek–Segafredo

Official race links

UAE Tour Women official website

UAE Tour Women official Twitter page

The Tour Down Under 2025 is traditionally the opening event of the UCI WorldTour and women's WorldTour season. The inaugural race was held in 1999, with this year marking its 25th anniversary, while the women's edition began in 2016. In 2018, the Tour Down Under became the world's first professional cycling event to offer equal prize money to men and women. 

The race takes place in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and features a variety of terrain, from flat to steeply uphill. Riders often have to contend with challenging conditions and high temperatures, with the race coming at the height of summer in the southern hemisphere. The men's peloton tackle six stages and the women three, totalling 819.9km and 322.8km respectively this year, with both editions tackling the famous Willunga Hill climb.

Tour Down Under 2025: The route

Women's Tour Down Under 2025: The route

Key Info: Route I Start List I How to Watch - TBC

Tour Down Under 2025: The jerseys

Leaders of the four classifications - the General Classification, Sprint Classification, Mountains Classification and best Young Rider - sport a specific jersey. The GC, or overall leader's, jersey is ochre; the Sprint leader wears blue; the King/ Queen of the Mountains wears a polka dot jersey and the best Young Rider, the leading rider aged under 23, wears white. The riders wearing each of these jerseys at the end of the final stage are crowned the overall winners of each classification.

Tour Down Under: Recent winners 

2024: Stevie Williams (Israel-PremierTech)

2023: Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates)

2022: No race due to Covid-19 pandemic

2021: No race due to Covid-19 pandemic

2020: Richie Porte (Trek-Segafredo)

2019: Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott)

2018: Daryl Impey (Mitchelton-Scott)

2017: Richie Porte (BMC Racing)

2016: Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge)

2015: Rohan Dennis (BMC Racing)

2014: Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge)

2013: Tom-Jelte Slagter (Blanco Pro Cycling)

2012: Simon Gerrans (GreenEdge)

2011: Cameron Meyer (Garmin-Cervelo)

2010: André Greipel (HTC-Columbia)

2009: Allan Davis (Quick Step)

2008: André Greipel (Team High Road)

2007: Martin Elmiger (AG2R Prévoyance)

2006: Simon Gerrans (AG2R Prévoyance)

2005: Luis Leon Sanchez (Liberty Seguros-Wurth)

2004: Patrick Jonker (UniSA-Australia)

2003: Mikel Astarloza (AG2R Prévoyance)

2002: Michael Rogers (Australian Institute for Sport)

2001: Stuart O'Grady (Credit Agricole)

2000: Giles Maignan (AG2R Prévoyance)

Women's Tour Down Under: Recent winners

2024: Sarah Gigante (AG Insurance-Soudal)

2023: Grace Brown (FDJ-Suez)

2022: No race held due to Covid-19 pandemic

2021: No race held due to Covid-19 pandemic

2020: Ruth Winder (Trek-Segafredo)

2019: Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton–Scott)

2018: Amanda Spratt (Mitchelton–Scott)

2017: Amanda Spratt (Orica–Scott)

2016: Katrin Garfoot (Orica–AIS)

Official race links

Santos Tour Down Under Official website

Santos Tour Down Under Official Twitter feed

The route for the 2025 edition looks tailor-made for Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), who hasn't ridden the race since making his Grand Tour debut there in 2019. Meanwhile, four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) has ruled out a tilt at a record-breaking fifth title, instead targeting the Giro d'Italia.

With just one fully flat stage, 10 summit finishes (including eight category 1s), another ascent of the fearsome Angliru and a mountainous time trial, this is another one for the hardiest of climbers. 

A far cry from 2025's Tour de France route, which takes place entirely within French borders, the Vuelta takes a jaunt around Europe before settling down in Spain. Beginning in Turin, Italy, the race pays a visit to France and Andorra for its most international edition (by number of countries visited) since 2009. 

It's also an extremely northern edition of the race, with the traditional closing stage in Madrid marking its furthest venture south.

Andorra plays host to the first major GC battle, a summit finish in Pal, kicking off a tough weekend in the Pyrenees and a densely-packed mountainous second week. After a couple of stages for the puncheurs the highest mountains return, including the Alto de l'Angliru on - to add insult to injury - the longest stage of the race, a 202km slog up to the legendary peak. 

The climbing is broken up by a flat ITT for the specialists in Vallodolid on stage 18, but then it's back to the high mountains once more on the penultimate stage, with a summit finish on the 2,200m-tall Puerto de Navacerrada. 

Here's all you need to know ahead of the last Grand Tour of the season.  

• 2025 Vuelta a España route
• 2025 Vuelta a España start list - TBC
• 2025 Vuelta a España contenders - TBC

Vuelta a España 2025: Key details

Vuelta a España 2025: Stage-by-stage

Vuelta a España: The jerseys

The red jersey of the Vuelta's general classification leader is now well established (it was previously gold, but changed in 2010). The leader of the mountains classification wears a polka-dot jersey, but its large blue spots mean it's very different to the one that riders in the Tour de France wear. The points leader's green jersey is lime green, while the jersey for best young rider (born after 1 January 1998), is white – familiar from the Tour de France.

There are other awards on offer as well, including the teams classification and a daily combativity award. Embellished jersey numbers, rather than jerseys, are on offer for this.

Riders in the general classification in particular will be interested in the bonus seconds that are available throughout the race. There are 10, 6 and 4 seconds for finishing first, second and third on a stage, plus 3, 2 and 1 seconds at nine different intermediate sprints throughout the race and 10 separate bonus uphill sprints.

Vuelta a España 2025: The teams

There will be 22 teams riding the 2024 Vuelta a España, including all 18 WorldTour teams and four second-tier ProTeams. Full details are yet to be confirmed.

Vuelta a España: Past winners

2013: Chris Horner (USA) RadioShack–Leopard
2014: Alberto Contador (Esp) Tinkoff–Saxo
2015: Fabio Aru (Ita) Astana
2016: Nairo Quintana (Col) Movistar Team
2017: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Sky
2018: Simon Yates (GBr) Mitchelton–Scott
2019: Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
2020: Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
2021: Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo-Visma
2022: Remco Evenepoel (Bel) Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl
2023: Sepp Kuss (USA) Jumbo-Visma

2024: Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe

Commonwealth Games 2022,
Location: Birmingham, UK
Dates: July 28 - August 8

The Commonwealth Games currently features four cycling categories: track, road race, time trial and mountain bike.

Track cycling will take place from Friday 29 July to Monday 1 August at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London, the same venue used at the 2012 Olympic Games. Mountain biking is next on the agenda on Wednesday 3 August, with the races navigating the Cannock Chase Forest, north of Birmingham. 

The time trial will get underway on Thursday 4 August, with the circuit starting and finishing in West Park in Wolverhampton. Finally, the road race will start and finish in St. Nicholas' Park in Warwick on Sunday 7 August, on the penultimate day of the Commonwealth Games. 

Commonwealth Games 2022 cycling schedule 

Track Cycling

Held at Lee Valley VeloPark, London

Friday 29 July

10:00-13:00

Events:
Women's Tandem B Sprint - Qualification and Semi-Finals
Women's and Men's 4000m Team Pursuit - Qualification
Women's and Men's Team Sprint - Qualification 

16:00-18:30

Events:
Women's Tandem B Sprint - Final
Men's Tandem B 1000m Time Trial - Final
Women's and Men's 4000m Team Pursuit - Finals
Women's and Men's Team Sprint - Finals

Saturday 30 July

10:00-13:45

Events:
Women's Sprint - Qualification, 1/8 Finals and Quarter-Finals
Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit - Qualification
Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit - Qualification

16:00-19:00 

Events:
Men's Keirin - Round 1, Round 1 Repechage, Round 2 and Finals
Women's Sprint - Semi-Finals and Finals
Women's 3000m Individual Pursuit - Finals
Men's 4000m Individual Pursuit - Finals

Sunday 31 July

10:00-13:00

Events:
Men's Sprint - Qualification, 1/8 Finals and Quarter-Finals
Men's Tandem B Sprint - Qualification and Semi-Finals
Men's 15km Scratch Race - Qualification

15:00-19:30

Events:
Men's Tandem B Sprint - Finals
Men's Sprint - Semi-Finals and Finals
Women's Tandem B 1000m Time Trial - Final
Women's 25km Points Race - Final
Women's 500m Time Trial - Final
Men's 15km Scratch Race - Final

Monday 1 August 

14:00-19:00 

Events:
Women's Keirin - Round 1, Round 1 Repechage, Round 2 and Finals
Men's 40km Point Race - Qualification and Final
Men's 1000m Time Trial - Final
Women's 10km Scratch Race - Final

Mountain Biking

Held at Cannock Chase Forest

Wednesday 3 August 

Men's Race - 11:30

Women's Race - 14:00

Time Trial

Held at West Park, Wolverhampton

Thursday 4 July

10:00-16:00

Both the men's and women's time trial will start in West Park in Wolverhampton , heading in a loop before finishing back in Wolverhampton. The loop takes in Dudley's historic castle plus Staffordshire, as the men race against the clock over 37km, while the women's time trial tackles a shorter 29km route.  

Road Race

Held at St. Nicholas' Park, Warwick

Sunday 7 August 

08:00-17:00

The men's road race will complete 160km over ten laps of the course in Warwick. The women's road race sees the riders cover seven laps of the course, totalling 112km in what could prove a gruelling event. 

The course will start and finish in Warwick's St Nicholas' Park. Riders will then head through Leamington Spa and Hampton on the Hill, before crossing the River Avon with views of Warwick Castle. 

Commonwealth Games 2022: Live TV

The action will be broadcast across the BBC, on BBC TV, via the BBC Sport website and app, with further updates on BBC Radio 5 live. Catch-up is also available on BBC iPlayer. 

Commonwealth Games 2022 Team England riders

Track Cycling

Blaine Ridge-Davis
Charlie Tanfield
Dame Laura Kenny
Ethan Vernon
Grace Lister
Hayden Norris
Joe Truman
Josie Knight
Lauren Bate
Maddie Leech
Milly Tanner
Oliver Wood
Ryan Owens
Sophie Capewell
Sophie Lewis
Hamish Turnbull

Track cycling (Para)

Sophie Unwin
Georgia Holt (pilot)
Steve Bate MBE
Chris Latham (pilot)

Road Cycling

Abi Smith
Alice Barnes
Anna Henderson
Ben Turner
Connor Swift
Dan Bigham
Ethan Hayter
Fred Wright
Jake Stewart
Josie Nelson
Joss Lowden
Matt Walls

Mountain Bike

Evie Richards
Harry Birchill
Joseph Blackmore

Commonwealth Games 2022 Team Scotland riders

Charlie Aldridge
John Archibald
Lauren Bell
Jack Carlin
Libby Clegg
Finn Crockett
Neah Evans
Neil Fachie
Sean Flynn
Kyle Gordon
Jenny Holl (pilot)
Aileen McGlynn
Iona Moir
Anna Shackley
Isla Short
Lusia Steele
Lewis Stewart (pilot)
Mark Stewart
Ellie Stone (pilot)

Commonwealth Games 2022 Northern Ireland riders

Lydia Boylan
Chris McGlinchey
JB Murphy
Cameron Orr
Joanna Patterson
Darren Rafferty
Matthew Taggart
Alice Sharpe

Commonwealth Games 2022 Team Wales riders

Elynor Bäckstedt-Calvert
James Ball
Matt Rotherham (pilot)
Elinor Barker
Megan Barker
Ella Barnwell
Rhys Britton
Ellie Coster
Leah Dixon
Owain Doull
Rhian Edmunds
Emma Finucane
Joe Holt
Nia Holt
Amy Cole (pilot)
Eluned King
Harvey McNaughton
Anna Morris
Alex Pope
Steff Lloyd (pilot)
William Roberts
Jessica Roberts
Luke Rowe
Joshua Tarling
Geraint Thomas
Lowri Thomas
Stephen Williams

Il Lombardia is the final of five races known as Monuments in the professional cycling calendar. Formally called the Giro di Lombardia or nicknamed the 'Race of the Falling Leaves'.

It first took place in the year of 1905 and it has been the least interrupted of all the Classics with just two years out due to the second World War in 1943 and 1944, this means that the riders will be racing the 116th running of the race.

In 2020, the race took place just before the Giro d'Italia and shortly after Strade Bianche and Tirreno-Adriatico due to the rejigged season. It was also the second Monument ran. In 2021 though, it returned to its usual slot in the calendar, which is once again the case for 2022, too. 

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) became the first Slovenian rider ever to win the race in 2021, after Jakob Fuglsang (Astana-Premier Tech) became the first Danish rider to win the event the year before.

The rider who has won Il Lombardia the most was the legendary Italian, Fausto Coppi. Five times Coppi took the win here with Alfredo Binda just behind on four.

Six other riders sit on three victories at the great race, including Irishman Sean Kelly and the 'Little Prince' himself, Damiano Cunego.

Tom Simpson is currently the only British rider ever to win the race back in 1965. Belgian riders Eddy Merckx and Philippe Gilbert (Lotto-Soudal) are also among a number of riders to take multiple victories in the race. 

With the World Championships moved to the autumn in 1995, Il Lombardia is often the race where the new world champion dons the rainbow bands for the first time. Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck - Quick-Step) showed off his title last year, but, at the time of writing, it isn't known who will replicate this in October.

Il Lombardia route

The full route of the 2022 Il Lombardia hasn't been revealed yet. Once it is revealed, check this page again. 

Il Lombardia recent winners

2010: Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Omega Pharma-Lotto
2011: Oliver Zaugg (Sui) Leopard-Trek
2012: Joaquim Rodríguez (Esp) Team Katusha
2013: Joaquim Rodríguez (Esp) Team Katusha
2014: Dan Martin (Irl) Garmin-Sharp
2015: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Astana Pro Team
2016: Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-BikeExchange
2017: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
2018: Thibaut Pinot (Fra) Groupama-FDJ)
2019: Bauke Mollema (Ned) Trek-Segafredo
2020: Jakob Fuglsang (Den) Astana Pro Team
2021: Tadej Pogačar (Svn) UAE Team Emirates

Key info: TV guide | Start list

UCI WorldTour events are top-level races for professional cyclists.

The events form a series, with riders competing for the overall title as well as individual wins. The UCI Women's WorldTour was launched in 2016, replacing the original World Cup and therefore adding stage races to the calendar.

After two years of disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2022 calendar largely returned events to their traditional spots in the year. Australian races Santos Tour Down Under and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race were removed from early in the year, though, with the effects of the pandemic still affecting the organisation of certain events. 

Men's UCI WorldTour 2022 calendar

UCI Women's WorldTour 2022 calendar

Its lush but challenging mountainous terrain and the inclusion of time-trials gives GC contenders the chance to ride into form in the last few weeks leading up to Le Grand Boucle.

The men's Tour de Suisse this year features eight stages from 15-22 June, while the four-stage women's race is to take place from 12-15 June, just before the men's edition begins.

Tour de Suisse 2025: Key details

The Tour de Suisse – also referred to in English as the Tour of Switzerland – has a long and storied history. It was first run in 1933 as a five-stage race that started and finished in Zürich.

Beginning as a September, and then August, fixture, it established its June pre-Tour slot in the 1950s.

Early editions were most often won by home riders, including big-name Tour de France winners such as Hugo Koblet and Ferdi Kübler. But by the 1970s the Swiss were rarely having it their own way. The last home victor was Classics star Fabian Cancellara in 2009.

2025 will be the 88th edition of the men's race and the 9th edition of the women's race. The race has run every year since 1933 with the exception of a three year hiatus during World War Two and a cancellation in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The race traditionally features a mixture of time trials, relatively flat stages for the sprinters and high mountains. In the past, the weather has also played a part in the event, with the high mountain passes often affected by poor conditions and snowfall.

Tour de Suisse 2025: The route

Details of the Tour de Suisse 2025 route will be added as they are released.

Tour de Suisse 2025 stage-by-stage

Tour de Suisse 2025 stage-by-stage (women's)

Tour de Suisse: The jerseys

Like at the Tour de France and several other prestigious stage races, the general classification leader at the Tour de Suisse - the rider with the lowest overall time - wears a yellow jersey. The rider with the lowest overall time at the end of the eight-stage race is crowned the winner of the Tour de Suisse.

Unlike at the Tour de France, the other jerseys are different: the points leader wears a black jersey, the King and Queen of the Mountains a red jersey (no polka dots here), while the best young rider (aged 25 or under) wears the classic white jersey.

Tour de Suisse: Past winners (men's)

2024: Adam Yates (GBr) UAE Team Emirates

2023: Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Trek-Segafredo
2022: Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers
2021: Richard Carapaz (Ecu) Ineos Grenadiers
2020: No race
2019: Egan Bernal (Col) Team Ineos
2018: Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team
2017: Simon Špilak (Slo) Katusha-Alpecin
2016: Miguel Ángel López (Col) Astana
2015: Simon Špilak (Slo) Katusha
2014: Rui Costa (Por) Lampre-Merida
2013: Rui Costa (Por) Movistar Team
2012: Rui Costa (Por) Movistar Team
2011: Levi Leiphemier (USA) RadioShack
2010: Fränk Schleck (Lux) Saxo Bank
2009: Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Saxo Bank
2008: Roman Kreuziger (Lux) Liquigas

Tour de Suisse: Past winners (women's)

2024: Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx-Protime

2023: Marlen Reusser (Sui) SD Worx

2022: Lucinda Brand (Ned) Ineos Grenadiers 

2021: Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo

2002-2020: No race 

2001: Kimberly Baldwin (USA) Saturn Cycling Team

2000: Zulfiya Zabirova (Rus) Acca Due O

1999: Zulfiya Zabirova (Rus) Acca Due O

1998: Rasa Polikevičiūtė (Ltu) Ebly

When: 10 April 2022

Rank: UCI WorldTour

The Amstel Gold Race is one of the Ardennes Classics (despite being situated in the Netherlands) and takes place on Sunday 10 April. The only UCI WorldTour event in the Netherlands, the race will switch its usual dates with Paris-Roubaix due to the French elections. 

The first of the three Ardennes, before La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the race is generally a hotly contested affair. 

Taking a place on the UCI WorldTour and the UCI Women's WorldTour, both the men's and women's races draw in some of the top riders in the world.

In the 2021 men's race Wout van Aert managed to beat Tom Pidcock and Maximillian Schachmann to the line first, while Marianne Vos beat compatriots Demi Vollering and Annemiek Van Vleuten to secure victory in the women's race.

>>> Iconic Places: The Cauberg

Amstel Gold Race 2022 route

Men's race

The 57th edition of the men's race will feature the same narrow roads, short, sharp ascents, twists and turns expected from the Ardennes Classics.

The route changed dramatically in 2017, with the Cauberg finish extended to almost 2km further on from the top, with the Bemelerberg signalling the final climb instead.

The 263km men's route changed slightly in 2018 and it stayed the same for 2019, with a distance of 265.7km. The race shortened slightly to 216.75km last year to enable the race to proceed, but this year riders will face 254.1km, covering 33 hills in total. 

Kicking off in the Maastricht, Amstel Gold Race features its first hill just 9km into the race, with the Slingerberg. The southern Netherlands region of the hilly Limburg heavily features during the race, with challenging climbs featuring multiple times throughout the race. The Cauberg, for example, is navigated three times. 

The Keuterberg climb, at 22% gradient - albeit for a short distance - could prove pivotal in the race, but there will still be 21km left in the race once the riders have ascended the Cauberg for the final time. 

From there, the route covers the narrow roads to the foot of the Bemelerberg climb, before moving through Terblijt. Little time will be left in the race from this point, with the arrival in Vilt determining the winner of the Classic. 

Women's race

The women's race is 128.5km long, featuring 19 hills. The Cauberg climb is the last of the day, before a 1.6km run-in to the line. 

Starting in the Maastricht, over 7km of zigzag roads leads the women through the Limburg region. Multiple hills will come thick and fast from there on, with the 800m Cauberg, averaging 6.5%, navigated four time in total. 

The first time after the Cauberg, the riders will pass the finish line before completing three laps of a 17.9km circuit - featuring the Geulhemmerberg/Bemelerberg/Cauberg combo. After the final lap of the race, the riders will face a 1.6km stretch to the finish. 

Men's Amstel Gold Race 2022 start list

Jumbo-Visma

BENOOT Tiesj
LAPORTE Christophe
DUMOULIN Tom
VAN HOOYDONCK Nathan
TEUNISSEN Mike
ROOSEN Timo
VAN EMDEN Jos

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl

VERVAEKE Louis
SCHMID Mauro
ASGREEN Kasper
SERRY Pieter
SÉNÉCHAL Florian
HONORÉ Mikkel Frølich
BAGIOLI Andrea
ŠTYBAR Zdeněk

Ineos Grenadiers

TURNER Ben
VAN BAARLE Dylan
ROWE Luke
KWIATKOWSKI Michał
NARVÁEZ Jhonatan
PIDCOCK Thomas
HAYTER Ethan

Bora-Hansgrohe

UIJTDEBROEKS Cian
ALEOTTI Giovanni
BENEDETTI Cesare
KOCH Jonas
KONRAD Patrick
SCHELLING Ide

Lotto Soudal

CAMPENAERTS Victor
DE BUYST Jasper
GILBERT Philippe
KRON Andreas
WELLENS Tim

Trek-Segafredo

SIMMONS Quinn
SKUJIŅŠ Toms
BARONCINI Filippo
LIEPIŅŠ Emīls
KAMP Alexander
VERGAERDE Otto
HOOLE Daan

EF Education-Easy Post

BETTIOL Alberto
VALGREN Michael
POWLESS Neilson
VAN DEN BERG Julius
VAN DEN BERG Marijn

Bahrain-Victorious 

TEUNS Dylan
MACIEJUK Filip
WRIGHT Fred
MOHORIČ Matej
SÜTTERLIN Jasha
PRICE-PEJTERSEN Johan

Cofidis

KREDER Wesley
ALLEGAERT Piet
RENARD Alexis
COQUARD Bryan
VANBILSEN Kenneth
ARMÉE Sander

Team DSM

DENZ Nico
KRAGH ANDERSEN Søren
VERMAERKE Kevin
COMBAUD Romain
DEGENKOLB John
PEDERSEN Casper
MAYRHOFER Marius

Movistar

JACOBS Johan
KANTER Max
LAZKANO Oier
ARANBURU Alex
VERONA Carlos

Astana Qazaqstan

BATTISTELLA Samuele
VELASCO Simone
BASSO Leonardo
FEDOROV Yevgeniy
BOARO Manuele

Groupama-FDJ

PACHER Quentin
LE GAC Olivier
STEWART Jake
KÜNG Stefan
MADOUAS Valentin
GENIETS Kevin
LIENHARD Fabian

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux

BAKELANTS Jan
VAN DER HOORN Taco
PLANCKAERT Baptiste
BYSTRØM Sven Erik
PASQUALON Andrea

AG2R Citroën Team

VAN AVERMAET Greg
TOUZÉ Damien
CHEREL Mikaël
WARBASSE Larry
GODON Dorian
DEWULF Stan
COSNEFROY Benoît

UAE Team Emirates

AYUSO Juan
BRUNEL Alexys
FISHER-BLACK Finn
HIRSCHI Marc
MOLANO Juan Sebastián
OLIVEIRA Ivo
TRENTIN Matteo

BikeExchange-Jayco

EDMONDSON Alex
DURBRIDGE Luke
MATTHEWS Michael
SMITH Dion
MEZGEC Luka

Israel-Premier Tech

HERMANS Ben
SAGIV Guy
HOLLENSTEIN Reto
IMPEY Daryl
NEILANDS Krists
WÜRTZ SCHMIDT Mads
STRONG Corbin

Alpecin-Fenix

OLDANI Stefano
RIESEBEEK Oscar
VAN DER POEL Mathieu
BAYER Tobias
THWAITES Scott
SBARAGLI Kristian
BAX Sjoerd
GOGL Michael

Arkéa Samsic

ANACONA Winner
BARGUIL Warren
CAPIOT Amaury
GUGLIELMI Simon
OWSIAN Łukasz
RUSSO Clément
SWIFT Connor

TotalEnergies

SIMON Julien
OSS Daniel
TERPSTRA Niki
SAGAN Peter
DUJARDIN Sandy
SOUPE Geoffrey
TURGIS Anthony

Sport Vlaanderen - Baloise

VAN ROOY Kenneth
BERCKMOES Jenno
VAN POUCKE Aaron
APERS Ruben
HERREGODTS Rune
VERWILST Aaron
BRAET Vito

Bingoal Pauwels Sauces WB

LIVYNS Arjen
MOLLY Kenny
PAASSCHENS Mathijs

B&B Hotels-KTM

BARTHE Cyril
BONNAMOUR Franck
CHEVALIER Maxime
FERASSE Thibault
JAUREGUI Quentin
LIETAER Eliot

Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè

GABBURO Davide
FIORELLI Filippo
BATTAGLIN Enrico
ZANA Filippo

Women's Amstel Gold Race 2022 start list

Jumbo-Visma 

VOS Marianne
HENDERSON Anna
KOSTER Anouska
MARKUS Riejanne
LABECKI Coryn
BEEKHUIS Teuntje

Team SD Worx

VAN DEN BROEK-BLAAK Chantal
VOLLERING Demi
SHACKLEY Anna
FISHER-BLACK Niamh
VAS Blanka
MOOLMAN Ashleigh

Trek - Segafredo

BALSAMO Elisa
BRAND Lucinda
THOMAS Leah
VAN ANROOIJ Shirin
CORDON-RAGOT Audrey
LONGO BORGHINI Elisa
WILES Tayler
VAN DIJK Ellen

Canyon//SRAM Racing

AMIALIUSIK Alena
CHABBEY Elise
CROMWELL Tiffany
HARVEY Mikayla
NIEWIADOMA Katarzyna
PALADIN Soraya

Movistar Team

VAN VLEUTEN Annemiek
GIGANTE Sarah
MARTÍN Sara
PATIÑO Paula Andrea
SIERRA Arlenis
AALERUD Katrine

EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

BANKS Elizabeth
DOEBEL-HICKOK Kristabel
EWERS Veronica
SHAPIRA Omer
SMITH Abi
STEPHENS Lauren

Team DSM

CURINIER Léa
GEORGI Pfeiffer
KIRCHMANN Leah
LABOUS Juliette
LIPPERT Liane
MACKAIJ Floortje

UAE Team ADQ

BERTIZZOLO Sofia
BUJAK Eugenia
GARCÍA Mavi
MAGNALDI Erica
PINTAR Urša
WRIGHT Sophie

Liv Racing Xstra

JACKSON Alison
JASKULSKA Marta
KOREVAAR Jeanne
NEUMANOVA Tereza
STULTIENS Sabrina
TON Quinty

FDJ Nouvelle-Aquitaine Futuroscope

CAVALLI Marta
CHAPMAN Brodie
FAHLIN Emilia
LUDWIG Cecilie Uttrup
MUZIC Évita
WIEL Jade

UNO-X Pro Cycling Team

AHTOSALO Anniina
BARNES Hannah
LOWDEN Joscelin
LUDWIG Hannah
OLAUSSON Wilma
YSLAND Anne Dorthe

Human Powered Health

BUYSMAN Nina
CHRISTIE Henrietta
CLOUSE Katie
MALCOTTI Barbara
RAAIJMAKERS Marit
YONAMINE Eri

Roland Cogeas Edelweiss Squad

BAUR Caroline
CANTERA Ines
DRONOVA-BALABOLINA Tamara
STERN Léa
STIASNY Petra
ZABELINSKAYA Olga

Team BikeExchange - Jayco

FAULKNER Kristen
MANLY Alexandra
ROSEMAN-GANNON Ruby
SANTESTEBAN Ane
SPRATT Amanda
WILLIAMS Georgia

GT Krush Tunap Pro Cycling

BAKS Marissa
COLBORNE Henrietta
DE VRIES Femke
VAN DE WETERING Carola
VAN NECK Melissa
WELMERS Petra

Le Col - Wahoo

HOLDEN Elizabeth
MERINO Eider
TOWERS Alice
VAN DER DUIN Maike
VANDENBULCKE Jesse
VERHULST Gladys

Parkhotel Valkenburg

BREDEWOLD Mischa
DE GAST Belle
GERRITSE Femke
LIMPENS Pien
SCHOENS Quinty
VAN BOKHOVEN Julia

Valcar-Travel & Service

ARZUFFI Alice Maria
BARIL Olivia
KUMIEGA Karolina
PERSICO Silvia
PIRRONE Elena
STANNARD Elizabeth

Bingoal Casino - Chevalmeire - Van Eyck Sport

BRAAM Danique
CLAES Lotte
DE ROECK Naomi
JANSEN Noa
JONGERIUS Claudia
KULYNYCH Olha

Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling

SALAZAR Lizbeth Yareli
ALESSIO Camilla
ASENCIO Laura
CONFALONIERI Maria Giulia
LACH Marta
NILSSON Hanna
VIECELI Lara

AG Insurance - NXTG Team

AERNOUTS Amber
ARENS Maureen
BORGSTRÖM Julia
MASETTI Gaia
MEERTENS Lone
SHARPE Amelia

Plantur-Pura

DE BAAT Kim
DE WILDE Julie
GHEKIERE Justine
KASTELIJN Yara
VAN DE VELDE Julie
VAN DER HEIJDEN Inge

Andy Schleck-CP NVST-Immo Losch

DANFORD Georgia
FABER Claire
MÜLLENBERG Lisa
RIJKES Sarah
SCHIFF Carolin

Team Coop - Hitec Products

ANDERSSON Caroline
GÅSKJENN Ingvild
MOHR Mari Hole
NELSON Josie
STEIGENGA Nicole

Amstel Gold Race past winners

Men's

2010: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma–Lotto
2011: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Omega Pharma–Lotto
2012: Enrico Gasparotto (ITA) Astana
2013: Roman Kreuziger (CZE) Saxo–Tinkoff
2014: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) BMC Racing Team
2015: Michał Kwiatkowski (POL) Etixx–Quick-Step
2016: Enrico Gasparotto (ITA) Wanty–Groupe Gobert
2017: Philippe Gilbert (BEL) Quick-Step Floors
2018: Michael Valgren (DEN) Astana Pro Team
2019: Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Corendon–Circus
2020: No race
2021: Wout van Aert (BEL) Team Jumbo-Visma

Women's

2001: Debby Mansveld (NED) Vlaanderen T Interim
2002: Leontien van Moorsel (NED) Leontien van Moorsel (NED)
2003: Nicole Cooke (GBR) Pasta Zara–Cogeas
2004-2016: No race
2017: Anna van der Breggen (NED) Boels-Dolmans
2018: Chantel Blaak (NED) Boels-Dolmans
2019: Kasia Niewiadoma (POL) Canyon-SRAM
2020: No race
2021: Marianne Vos (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma

UAE Team Emirates is a new name in the pro peloton for 2017, although the roots of the team actually stretch back to 1991, making it one of the longest-running squads.

The then Italian-registered squad rode under the Lampre name and with various secondary sponsors throughout the 1990s and 2000s: Lampre-Panaria, Lampre-Fondital and Lampre-Merida among them.

In recent years, though, Lampre's former distinctive pink, blue and green kit perhaps stood out more than any individual rider.

Former world champion Rui Costa and Italian Diego Ulissi were the biggest stars signed to the team, that is, before Tadej Pogačar decided to win two Tour de France titles in successive years while still in his early 20s. 

The team very nearly did not gain a place in the 2017 WorldTour after a Chinese backer failed to come up with sponsorship money. A last-minute deal struck with Abu Dhabi saw the squad saved, and a place in the WorldTour secured. Emirates airline joined the team as co-title sponsor in February 2017.

The team did start to pick up some big wins though and with a growing budget they started to bring in some big names and very promising youngsters.

Pogačar signed from Continental team Ljubljana-Gusto, immediately started putting in top performances, taking third overall at his first Grand Tour in the Vuelta.

In 2021, he continued to impress with multiple race victories, including Monument victories in Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Il Lombardia, the team's first Monument race wins since 2008. However, the Slovenian rider wasn't the only UAE Team Emirates member picking up wins last season. 

Joe Dombrowski won stage four of the Giro d'Italia, while Rafał Majka triumphed on stage 15 of the Vuelta a España.

The addition of Marc Soler to the squad will help add some stability and race craft, while João Almeida is an exciting Portuguese rider many are expecting to showcase his considerable talent in 2022. 

Pascal Ackermann (GER)
João Almeida (POR)
Andres Camilo Ardila (COL)
Juan Ayuso (ESP)
George Bennett (NZL)
Mikkel Bjerg (DEN)
Alexys Brunel (FRA)
Alessandro Covi (ITA)
Rui Costa (POR)
Finn Fisher-Black (NZL)
Davide Formolo (ITA)
Fernando Gaviria (COL)
Ryan Gibbons (RSA)
Felix Groß (GER)
Marc Hirschi (SUI)
Álvaro Hodeg (COL)
Vegard Stake Laengen (NOR)
Rafał Majka (POL)
Brandon McNulty (USA)
Yousif Mirza (UAE)
Juan Sebastián Molano (COL)
Ivo Oliveira (POR)
Rui Oliveira (POR)
Tadej Pogačar (SLO)
Jan Polanc (SLO)
Maximiliano Richeze (ARG)
Marc Soler (ESP)
Joel Suter (SUI)
Matteo Trentin (ITA)
Oliviero Troia (ITA)
Diego Ulissi (ITA)

Team TotalEnergies, formerly Total Direct Energie, compete at a UCI ProTeam level and often gain wild card entries to the World Tour. The team can trace its routes all the way back to 1984 as Systéme U.

For the majority of the 21st century, they have focused on wins from the provocative Thomas Voeckler. The famous breakaway specialist has won four stage wins at the Tour de France for the team, alongside several national championship jerseys and overall wins at smaller stage races.

Other significant riders were Bryan Coquard and Sylvain Chavanel. In 2019, the teams hopes were lain upon Niccoló Bonifazio.

The team made some bigger name signings over 2020 and 2021 with Niki Terpstra joining from Quick-Step in 2020 as well as Edvald Boasson Hagen, Chris Lawless, Pierre Latour, Víctor de la Parte all joining along with multiple others.

For the 2022 season, the team are looking to get more victories after announcing they signed three-time world champion, Peter Sagan from Bora-Hansgrohe along with Daniel Oss, Maciej Bonar and Juraj Sagan. Peter Sagan signed a two-year contract covering 2022 and 2023.

With those riders, Sagan brings with him the American bike brand Specialized, Sportful, new shoe brand, wheels, helmets and components as the team's new look is going to be freshened up yet again for the 2022 season.

Consisting of majority French riders, the latest additions have changed the dynamic somewhat in their squad, and signals their intentions for the upcoming season.

After finishing a respectable 22nd on the UCI World Team Ranking last year, Team TotalEnergies will no doubt hope Sagan and co. will help them climb higher to compete with WorldTour outfits - and potentially win a race or two in the process. 

Team TotalEnergies 2022 squad

Edvald Boasson Hagen (NOR)
Maciej Bodnar (POL)
Niccolò Bonifazio (ITA)
Mathieu Burgaudeau (FRA)
Jérémy Cabot (FRA)
Víctor de la Parte (SPA)
Fabien Doubey (FRA)
Sandy Dujardin (FRA)
Valentin Ferron (FRA)
Alexandre Geniez (FRA)
Fabien Grellier (FRA)
Alan Jousseaume (FRA)
Pierre Latour (FRA)
Chris Lawless (GBR)
Lorrenzo Manzin (FRA)
Daniel Oss (ITA)
Paul Ourselin (FRA)
Cristián Rodríguez (SPA)
Juraj Sagan (SLO)
Peter Sagan (SLO)
Julien Simon (FRA)
Geoffrey Soupe (FRA)
Niki Terpstra (NED)
Anthony Turgis (FRA)
Dries Van Gestel (BEL)
Alexis Vuillermoz (FRA)

After first registering in 2011 as a Luxembourg team called Leopard Trek, cycling manufacturer Trek took over the ownership of the team and its ProTeam license in 2014, re-registering them to the United States. Now a UCI WorldTeam and called Trek-Segafredo, the team has had mixed fortunes during its existence.

Trek-Segafredo seemed to place their main hopes of Grand Tour success on Bauke Mollema a few years ago, but while having impressed in some shorter stage races, the 35-year-old has yet to reach the podium of a three-week stage race.

Mads Pedersen and Jasper Stuyven have stepped up in recent years though, performing strongly in the peloton as the team tries to close the gap to the upper reaches of the Grand Tour winning teams. 

In 2021, Pedersen won Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, while Stuyven came first in Milan-San Remo, the American team's first Monument win in the race after achieving four successive podiums after beginning in 2011. 

Having said that though, Bauke Mollema also won stage 14 of the Tour de France as the team finished 11th on the UCI World Team Ranking. 

Regardless, Chris Horner remains the only Trek rider to have ever won a Grand Tour race, after his 2013 Vuelta a España win, something the team will be desperate to change, though largely unlikely. The team is still lacking a real standout general classification rider, despite having more of a prominent feature in the Classics and Monuments due to the sprinting nature of the team. 

The departure of strong Italian rider Vicenzo Nibali isn't ideal too, leaving the America team searching for someone to provide them with Grand Tour stage wins, at the very least.

Trek-Segafredo 2022 squad

Jon Aberasturi (ESP)
Filippo Baroncini (ITA)
Julien Bernard (FRA)
Gianluca Brambilla (ITA)
Marc Brustenga (ESP)
Dario Cataldo (ITA)
Giulio Ciccone (ITA)
Jakob Egholm (DEN)
Kenny Elissonde (FRA)
Tony Gallopin (FRA)
Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (ERI)
Asbjørn Hellemose (DEN)
Markus Hoelgaard (NOR)
Daan Hoole (NED)
Alexander Kamp (DEN)
Alex Kirsch (LUX)
Emīls Liepiņš (LAT)
Juan Pedro López (ESP)
Bauke Mollema (NED)
Jacopo Mosca (ITA)
Matteo Moschetti (ITA)
Mads Pedersen (DEN)
Simon Pellaud (SUI)
Quinn Simmons (USA)
Mattias Skjelmose Jensen (DEN)
Toms Skujiņš (LAT)
Jasper Stuyven (BEL)
Edward Theuns (BEL)
Antonio Tiberi (ITA)
Antwan Tolhoek (NED)
Otto Vergaerde (BEL)

Having been around in some guise since 1980, the Spanish super-team have seen it all, from 13 Grand Tour wins to their fair share of doping scandals. 

They got off to a slow start under Movistar sponsorship in 2011, but welcomed back Alejandro Valverde from his two-year suspension and signed young GC prospect Nairo Quintana in 2012. Years of success followed soon after, but the Spanish team has struggled somewhat in the last couple of years.

Richard Carapaz won the 2019 Giro d'Italia, but soon switched teams for Ineos Grenadiers at the beginning of 2020, leaving Movistar's roster largely devoid of any real Grand Tour challenger.

Mikel Landa, Nairo Quintana and Andrey Amador also all left the team at the end of 2019, leaving Valverde as the only star rider on the squad for 2020. 

The veteran stalwart has managed to maintain his incredible consistency throughout his career, but at 41-years-old it is unlikely he'll challenge for major races in the way he used to. Despite that, he has an excellent palmares in the one day races. 

He has won Liége-Bastogne-Liége four time, La Fléche Wallonne a staggering five times and taken 12 Vuelta stage wins and 4 stages at the TdF. And of course this was then rounded off by winning the World Championships in 2018.

Marc Soler and Enric Mas are both strong performers with wins to their names in 2021, but the loss of Vuelta a España stage 18 winner - the team's only Grand Tour victory last season - Miguel Ángel López is another loss to the once-formidable entity.

In 2020, Movistar suffered a major fall from their once indomitable position on the UCI World Team Ranking, and they managed to regain some credibility last season. However, they still ended up finishing thirteenth overall, a major setback in their aspirations to fight for Grand Tours again. 

Retiring at the end of the season too is the irreplaceable Valverde, causing some in the peloton to question their chances of challenging at all in the next couple of years.

Movistar Team 2022 squad

Juan Diego Alba (COL)
Jorge Arcas (ESP)
Héctor Carretero (ESP)
Dario Cataldo (ITA)
Gabriel Cullaigh (GBR)
Iñigo Elosegui (ESP)
Imanol Erviti (ESP)
Iván García Cortina (ESP)
Abner González (PUR)
Juri Hollmann (GER)
Johan Jacobs (SUI)
Matteo Jorgenson (USA)
Miguel Ángel López (COL)
Enric Mas (ESP)
Lluís Mas (ESP)
Sebastián Mora (ESP)
Gregor Mühlberger (AUT)
Mathias Norsgaard (DEN)
Nelson Oliveira (POR)
Antonio Pedrero (ESP)
José Joaquín Rojas (ESP)
Einer Rubio (COL)
Sergio Samitier (ESP)
Gonzalo Serrano (ESP)
Marc Soler (ESP)
Albert Torres (ESP)
Alejandro Valverde (ESP)
Carlos Verona (ESP)
Davide Villella (ITA)

The Dutch team formerly known as Belkin, which was formerly known as Rabobank, which formerly known as LottoNL-Jumbo, which was formerly known as six other things, has been around for so long most of their riders weren’t even born the first time they rode the Tour de France (in 1984 as Kwantum). Since Euskaltel have disbanded, they’ve got the most orange, booziest fans in cycling, despite the team kit being a yellow and black combo. Said team kit comes in two sizes: extremely tall and broad, or extremely tall and skinny.

The team's biggest recent success has come from a plethora of talented riders, which includes, but is not limited to, Primož Roglič, Wout van Aert, Jonas Vingegaard, Tom Dumoulin and Sepp Kuss.

After a few years of poor results, the team switched focus and began recruiting strong climbers to compete at Grand Tours. For the last few years, they have been edging up the rankings, with riders claiming stage victories and top ten overall finishes. Success finally came in 2019 when Primož Roglič, the former ski jumper, won the overall at the Vuelta.

Since that win in Spain, the team is one of the strongest on the UCI WorldTour. Roglič has won the Vuelta for three consecutive years, while Wout Van Aert triumphed at the Amstel Gold Race and Gent–Wevelgem this year and the Slovenian finished first at the Tour of the Basque country too. 

However, the Dutch team also secured plenty of other wins in 2021, helping them cement their place as one of the top outfits on the WorldTour. Jumbo-Visma ended up finishing third on the UCI World Team Ranking last season, behind Deceuninck - Quick-Step and Ineos Grenadiers, but the talent of their riders could see them produce even better results in 2022.

Team Jumbo-Visma 2022 squad

Edoardo Affini (ITA)
Tiesj Benoot (BEL)
Koen Bouwman (NED)
David Dekker (NED)
Rohan Dennis (AUS)
Tom Dumoulin (NED)
Pascal Eenkhoorn (NED)
Tobias Foss (NOR)
Robert Gesink (NED)
Chris Harper (AUS)
Michel Hessmann (GER)
Lennard Hofstede (NED)
Olav Kooij (NED)
Steven Kruijswijk (NED)
Sepp Kuss (USA)
Christophe Laporte (FRA)
Gijs Leemreize (NED)
Sam Oomen (NED)
Primož Roglič (SLO)
Timo Roosen (NED)
Mike Teunissen (NED)
Milan Vader (NED)
Wout van Aert (BEL)
Tosh Van der Sande (BEL)
Mick van Dijke (NED)
Tim van Dijke (NED)
Jos van Emden (NED)
Nathan Van Hooydonck (BEL)
Jonas Vingegaard (DEN)

Lotto-Soudal are a likeable old-school Belgian team who walk the fine line between organisational competence and chaos. Lotto would usually attack the Tour de France on two fronts, with André Greipel in the sprints and Jurgen Van den Broeck in the overall. Neither of which worked particularly well.

On past results though, Greipel’s was also the safer bet — he eventually won 22 stages over his career. Now though, the team's form is much more sporadic, evidenced by their nineteenth-place finish in the UCI World Team Ranking for 2021. 

Sponsored by the Belgian lottery and adhesives and sealants manufacturer Soudal, Lotto-Soudal started racing in 1985, and is one of the oldest teams in the peloton. 

Unfortunately, Lotto were struck by tragedy in 2019, when their young talent Bjorg Lambrecht died after a crash 50km into stage three of the Tour of Poland.

Still reeling from that incident, Lotto-Soudal have struggled for victories in the past two years, and have relied heavily on talented sprinter Caleb Ewan for a large proportion of their wins.

In 2021 the Australian won a stage on the UAE Tour, the Benelux Tour, two stages on the Tour of Belgium and, most notably, stages five and seven on the Giro d'Italia. He also scored the team's joint-highest Monument race finish, achieving second at Milan-San Remo. 

Perhaps the most incredible story of Lotto-Soudal's 2021 season though came from Florian Vermeersch at Paris-Roubaix. The 22-year-old surprised everyone when he managed to join a group of breakaway riders during the race, and upon coming into the velodrome at Roubaix, the young Belgian was neck and neck with Sonny Colbrelli and Mathieu van der Poel.

Colbrelli agonisingly pipped Vermeersch to the line, but he still managed to finish ahead of Van der Poel in what was a thrilling finale to an eventful race.

2021 also only yielded two top-ten finishes in the Classics, at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Amstel Gold Race, a far cry from the team's previous successes. However, Lotto are still waiting for a Grand Tour winner too, having failed to succeed in any of the three races since the team formed in 1985.

Largely comprised of Belgian riders, Lotto-Soudal also features a fairly inexperienced roster. The team hopes one day their young rides will develop into race winners.

Lotto-Soudal 2022 squad

Filippo Conca (ITA)
Steff Cras (BEL)
Jasper De Buyst (BEL)
Thomas De Gendt (BEL)
John Degenkolb (GER)
Caleb Ewan (AUS)
Frederik Frison (BEL)
Philippe Gilbert (BEL)
Kobe Goossens (BEL)
Sébastien Grignard (BEL)
Matthew Holmes (GBR)
Roger Kluge (GER)
Andreas Kron (DEN)
Kamil Małecki (POL)
Tomasz Marczyński (POL)
Sylvain Moniquet (BEL)
Stefano Oldani (ITA)
Harry Sweeny (AUS)
Gerben Thijssen (BEL)
Tosh Van der Sande (BEL)
Maxim Van Gils (BEL)
Brent Van Moer (BEL)
Harm Vanhoucke (BEL)
Florian Vermeersch (BEL)
Viktor Verschaeve (BEL)
Xandres Vervloesem (BEL)
Tim Wellens (BEL)

Ineos Grenadiers was formed in 2010, as Team Sky.

The British squad entered the professional peloton with the aim of winning the Tour de France with a home rider within five years, something that they achieved when Bradley Wiggins became the first British winner in 2012.

This has been followed up with four more victories for Chris Froome in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017 - the latter year in which he also won the Vuelta a España twice in 2011 and 2017, which he then followed up with victory at the 2018 Giro d'Italia, with Team Sky becoming one of the most successful teams in world cycling.

However, the team has faced a fair amount of controversy. Firstly, when Wiggins's 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné victory was put into question following reports of a mysterious package delivered to Team Sky at the race.

Facing MPs, team manager Dave Brailsford claimed the infamous Jiffy bag contained the decongestant Fluimucil, intended for Wiggins - but this has never been proven.

More recently, questions were raised around Chris Froome, following an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for salbutamol at the 2017 Vuelta a España.

Froome's blood contained twice the permissible limit of the asthma drug, Sabutamol, but after a protracted process, he was found not guilty of any anti-doping violation and was allowed to compete at the 2018 Tour de France.

The team became Team Ineos in 2019 after Sky decided to pull its sponsorship from the team. Ineos, a British chemical company, took over sponsorship in May 2019 with the team making their debut in new red and black colours at the Tour de Yorkshire.

In August 2020 they changed name and look yet again, with the name changing to Ineos Grenadiers, to advertise the new 4x4 car that Ineos had started making.

Heading into 2022

Team Ineos' history

The Ineos Grenadiers - then called Team Sky - was formed in 2010 with a 26-man squad including eight British riders alongside overseas riders such as Edvald Boasson Hagen, Simon Gerrans and Juan Antonio Flecha.

Sky Professional Cycling, as Team Ineos was called in their first season, achieved immediate success, with Greg Henderson winning the Cancer Council Helpline Classic criterium before the Tour Down Under on their first race as a team.

Flecha also delivered the team with a strong start on the cobbles, winning Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, while Bradley Wiggins briefly wore the pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia after winning the opening time trial before being caught up in a crash on stage two.

However there was less success at the Tour de France, where Wiggins was unable to reproduce the form that had taken him to third place in the 2009 race, eventually finishing in 22nd place, nearly 40 minutes behind the winner.

Team Sky again delivered a strong start to the season in 2011, with Ben Swift taking two stage wins at the Tour Down Under, while Wiggins showed a return to some sort of climbing form as he finished third in Paris-Nice, while Geraint Thomas showed a hint of his future Classics potential with second in Dwars Door Vlaanderen.

Wiggins then took victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné to provide perfect preparation for another tilt at the Tour de France.

However Wiggins's 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné victory has since been partially overshadowed by revelations about a package delivered to Team Sky at the race.

In December 2017, team manager Dave Brailsford told MPs that the package contained the decongestant Fluimucil, intended for Wiggins, although evidence to prove that this was indeed the contents of the infamous Jiffy bag have yet to be provided.

The opening stages of the 2011 Tour de France went well for Team Sky, with the team taking third place on stage two's team time trial, to put Wiggins in a strong position in the overall classification.

However disaster struck on stage seven, when Wiggins crashed heavily, breaking his collarbone and having to abandon the race. That led to a change of approach for Team Sky, with riders going in search of stage victories, and Edvald Boasson Hagen delivering two wins.

Better luck came at the 2011 Vuelta a España, which saw the emergence of Chris Froome as a general classification as he took second in the race behind Juan José Cobo.

Froome took the leader's red jersey on stage 10 of the race as he out-performed team leader Wiggins in a 47km time trial, but lost the lead on the next stage as he was put on domestique duties for Wiggins on a summit finish.

However on the crucial stage 15 to Alto de l'Angliru Wiggins was struggling again, and as the Team Sky leader faded, Froome followed Cobo, who went on to win the stage and take the leader's jersey, with Froome moving to second overall and Wiggins third, which would remain their positions to the finish in Madrid.

But, in 2020, Cobo was found to have won with the help of performance enhancing drugs and had the race title stripped from him and given to Froome, making him the first British rider to win a Grand Tour.

The 2012 season saw the arrival of world champion Mark Cavendish at Team Sky, with lead-out man Bernard Eisel also making the switch to Sky from HTC-Highroad. They were also joined by climbing domestiques such as Richie Porte and Sergio Henao.

Wiggins started off the 2012 season in impressive style, winning both Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie, as he geared up to his main target of the season, the Tour de France.

Team Sky had a dominant 2012 Tour de France. Wiggins kicked the race off in perfect style with second place to Fabian Cancellara in the prologue, and then moved into the yellow jersey on the first mountain stage to La Planche des Belle Filles.

Looking comfortable over the next few stages, Wiggins was then put in a bit of trouble when team-mate Froome moved clear on stage 11's summit finish to La Toussuire, before being called back to help his team leader. Despite the drama Wiggins's lead was extended beyond two minutes by the end of the day, with Froome moving up to second.

The would remain their positions all the way to Paris, with Wiggins only extending his advantage in the time trial on the penultimate stage, eventually riding into Paris as the first British winner of the Tour, with Cavendish also winning three stages, including the final day on the Champs-Élysées.

In September, Team Sky reached a big milestone as they notched up their 100th victory as Lars Petter Nordhaug claimed victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal.

Team Sky further enhanced their ranks for the 2013 season as Vasil Kiryienka and David Lopez Garcia joined from Movistar, and Jonathan Tiernan-Locke signed a two-year deal. But the big name departure was sprinter Cavendish who left for Omega Pharma-Quickstep.

The season started well for Team Sky. Porte won Paris-Nice in March, as the Australian produced some fantastic riding winning two of the last three stages –the queen stage, and the time trial.

After the success of 2012, Wiggins was chosen as leader for the Giro in 2013, as Froome got the nod to lead the team at the Tour. It wasn’t a successful Giro campaign for Wiggins; he crashed on stages seven and eight, and a few days later, Wiggins’s horrible Giro came to an end as he abandoned due to a chest infection.

In his preparations for his tilt at Tour glory, Froome won both the Tour of Romandie and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

In the Tour, Froome produced some impressive performances, especially on stage eight, on the final climb of Ax 3 Domaines, and then again on Mont Ventoux en route to his first Tour de France victory.

As the season came to an end, Wiggins put his Giro disappointment behind him as he claimed overall victory at the Tour of Britain, winning stage three’s time trial at Knowsley Safari Park.

Team Sky started the 2014 season with some more reinforcements as well as departures. Both Rigoberto Uran and Mathew Hayman left the squad to join Omega Pharma-Quickstep and Orica-Greenedge respectively.

But the squad strengthened, with the arrivals of Philip Deignan from UnitedHealthcare, Mikel Nieve who joined on a two-year deal from Euskaltel Euskadi after the team folded at the end of the 2013 season. Sebastian Henao (cousin of Sergio) was the final arrival at the beginning of the season.

The season didn’t start particularly well for Team Sky, and it proved to be an omen for things to come. Thomas pulled out of Paris-Nice, and then Porte abandoned Tirreno-Adriatico and later missed the Giro.

Froome started the 2014 Tour in the hope of retaining his 2013 crown. But a miserable opening set of stages coincided with Froome crashing twice on stage four, which resulted in him abandoning the race. Nieve was Team Sky’s highest placed rider in 18th position.

Froome went on to ride Vuelta a España after the disappointment of the Tour. Froome finished second overall, 1-10 behind Alberto Contador.

Thomas signed a new two-year deal at the start of the 2015 season, and with that Team Sky saw a new influx of riders. Leopold König, Nicolas Roche, Wout Poels, Andrew Fenn, and Elia Viviani all joined.

After those signings, Wiggins was the next name to commit to Sky, on a deal that would see him stay with the team up until the 2015 Paris-Roubaix. But Edvald Boasson Hagen was one of the big names that decided against renewing his deal.

The season started off well, in February Froome won the Ruta del Sol, whilst Thomas won the Volta ao Algarve.

In the Classics campaign, Sky had some good success. Ian Stannard won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad for the second successive time, and in E3 Harelbeke Thomas picked up victory after riding solo ahead of Peter Sagan and Zdenek Stybar.

In March, Team Sky continued their good success in Paris-Nice, with Richie Porte taking two stage wins on his way to overall victory.

The following month saw the departure of Bradley Wiggins, who left the team after a 15th place finish in Paris-Roubaix.

Sky endured another disappointing Giro in 2015; Porte was their main hope, but he lost time in the first stage, and then was docked a further two minutes on stage 10 after receiving a wheel from fellow Australian Simon Clarke, with Clarke riding for Orica-Greenedge. With him down in 12th position Porte abandoned the race on the second rest day.

Froome was targeting his second Tour crown in 2015. The previous year he crashed out on stage four, but in preparation for the Tour the Briton won the Critérium du Dauphiné for a fourth time.

Team Sky started the Tour well, with Froome taking the race lead on the Mur de Huy. A week later on the Tour’s first mountain stage Froome produced a strong performance to La Pierre-Saint-Martin to increase his lead. From there the overall result was almost a foregone conclusion, with Froome riding strongly throughout the rest of the race to take his second Tour victory.

Porte also announced halfway through the Tour that he would be leaving for BMC Racing to pursue bigger targets.

With one of Team Sky’s most trusted domestiques leaving the squad, Sky had another recruitment drive in which Mikel Landa was the big name to join, moving over from Astana.

Further arrivals included Michal Golas, Gianni Moscon, Dutch sprinter Danny Van Poppel, Benat Intxausti. Another big name joined Team Sky in the shape of 2014 World Road Race Champion Michal Kwiatkowski.

Welshman Thomas started the season well winning Paris-Nice for the first time, and also claiming his second successive victory at the Volta ao Algarve.

Winning one of the Monuments was a major goal for Team Sky in 2016, and although the early Classics didn’t go to plan they did manage to win Liege-Bastogne-Liege. Prior to that Ben Swift finished second in Milan-San Remo, Luke Rowe came in fifth at Tour of Flanders, and Ian Stannard completed the podium at Paris-Roubaix.

In the Ardennes week, it was Poels who soloed to victory at Liège-Bastogne-Liège to give Team Sky one of their first victory in a Monument.

Leading up to the Tour, Froome once again showed his prowess in the Critérium du Dauphiné, taking overall victory in the race for a third time.

Froome entered the 2016 Tour de France as the race favourite, but no one expected him to take yellow in the manner he did: with a daring downhill attack off the Col de Peyresourde on stage eight.

Then on stage 12 there was carnage on the slopes of Mont Ventoux as Froome crashed after a motorbike got held up by the crowd, with Froome then providing one of the most enduring moments in the history of the race as he decided to run up the mountain.

Another surprise move on stage 11 to Montpellier saw Froome claim some more time; and the Briton held on to win a historic third Tour title.

Froome followed up his historic Tour with another good performance in the Vuelta a España, as he finished second, just like he did in 2014. This time he was one minute, 23 seconds behind winner Nairo Quintana.

After the success of 2016, Sky signed some talented young riders; Owain Doull and Jon Dibben joined from Team Wiggins, and Diego Rosa and Kenny Elissonde joined from Astana and FDJ respectively.

There were a few notable outgoings as Roche and König joined BMC Racing and Bora-Hansgrohe respectively.

Since 2016, Froome has won both the Tour and the Vuelta, likeable Welshman Thomas won the 2018 Tour and young talent Egan Bernal took the 2019 victory.

In 2020, Ineos had a rather unusual season. They did not control the Grand Tours like they did in the passed with Egan Bernal ending up abandoning both the Tour and the Dauphiné.

The Giro, which in the 2020 season started after the Tour, was looking to be a good option as an in form Geraint Thomas headed to the race in good form after a solid second at the Tirreno-Adriatico.

Unfortunately, Thomas crashed out on stage three leaving the team to hunt stages, which they did very well, taking seven wins across the race.

But it was the mountains that brought a surprise with Tao Geoghegan Hart coming through from over four minutes down to take an incredible overall victory, making him the fifth British rider to win a Grand Tour.

2020 also saw the announcement of Filippo Ganna as an unstoppable time trialist, he won every ITT he was on the start llist for. The Tirreno-Adriatico final stage, the World Championships and all three TTs at the Giro as well as a road stage too.

Richarc Carapaz then continued the good form at the Vuelta, winning a couple of stages and trading the leaders red jersey with defending champon, Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma). But, despite giving everything on the final racing stage, Carapaz was unable to topple the Slovenian right at the end and only managed second overall.

In 2021, Ineos Grenadiers didn't look too different, but the departure of Chris Froome to Israel Start-Up Nation certainly gave the team a different feel. However, the signings of Adam Yates, 2020 Dauphiné winner Dani Martínez, third at the 2020 Tour Richie Porte, Laurens De Plus and young star Tom Pidcock meant Ineos didn't lose any power.  

The team managed to finish second on the UCI World Team Ranking behind Deceuninck - Quick-Step, after a plethora of wins, not least Egan Bernal's second Grand Tour victory in the Giro d'Italia, the team's third win in the event in four years.

Geraint Thomas won the Tour de Romandie too, while Richard Carapaz excelled in the Tour de Suisse and Richie Porte added a Critérium du Dauphiné victory to his stage triumphs. However, the team failed to win a Classics or Monument race, which they haven't achieved since 2017.

Ineos Grenadiers 2022 squad

Andrey Amador (CRC)
Egan Bernal (COL)
Richard Carapaz (ECU)
Jonathan Castroviejo (ESP)
Laurens De Plus (BEL)
Eddie Dunbar (IRL)
Omar Fraile (ESP)
Filippo Ganna (ITA)
Tao Geoghegan Hart (GBR)
Ethan Hayter (GBR)
Kim Heiduk (GER)
Michał Kwiatkowski (POL)
Daniel Martínez (COL)
Jhonatan Narváez (ECU)
Tom Pidcock (GBR)
Luke Plapp (AUS)
Richie Porte (AUS)
Salvatore Puccio (ITA)
Brandon Rivera (COL)
Carlos Rodriguez (ESP)
Luke Rowe (GBR)
Magnus Sheffield (USA)
Pavel Sivakov (RUS)
Ben Swift (GBR)
Geraint Thomas (GBR)
Ben Tulett (GBR)
Ben Turner (GBR)
Dylan van Baarle (NED)
Elia Viviani (ITA)
Cameron Wurf (AUS)
Adam Yates (GBR)

Official website: ineosgrenadiers.com

Twitter feed: @IneosGrenadiers

Facebook page: Facebook/IneosGrenadiers

After over two decades in the peloton, Groupama-FDJ is one of the most well-established teams in the sport's top level.

Longevity doesn't always equal results, however, and the French squad have often underperformed with smatterings of big results.

Thibaut Pinot is the team's most-talented rider though, with his success in the 2014 Tour de France propelling him into the limelight - something which can be almost unbearable for French riders as the weight of a nation is placed on their shoulders every July.

The Frenchman is still with the team, and is now accompanied most notably by Stefan Küng and Arnaud Démare, both of whom have outperformed Pinot in recent years. 

The squad's nominated sprinter, Démare won eight races in 2021, including Paris-Tours and was the overall winner of the Boucles de la Mayenne. Küng, meanwhile, has excelled as a time triallist, with his European Time Trial Championships performance highlighting his talent. 

These results helped the team secure ninth in the UCI World Team Ranking for 2021, a promising return from a largely inconsistent team over the years.

Jake Stewart managed a second-place finish at the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad too, while David Gaudu picked up third in Liège–Bastogne–Liège. None of the team's riders finished in the top-ten in any of the three Grand Tour general classifications though, and is something they'll hope to rectify in the upcoming season.  

The introduction of Michael Storer will certainly help Groupama-FDJ be more competitive next year, the Australian winning the Vuelta a España mountains classifications after two stage wins. He also triumphed in the Tour de l'Ain, and the 24-year-old has shown plenty of promise.  

Groupama-FDJ 2022 squad

Bruno Armirail (FRA)
Matteo Badilatti (SUI)
William Bonnet (FRA)
Alexys Brunel (FRA)
Clément Davy (FRA)
Mickaël Delage (FRA)
Arnaud Démare (FRA)
Antoine Duchesne (CAN)
David Gaudu (FRA)
Kevin Geniets (LUX)
Jacopo Guarnieri (ITA)
Simon Guglielmi (FRA)
Ignatas Konovalovas (LIT)
Stefan Küng (SUI)
Mathieu Ladagnous (FRA)
Olivier Le Gac (FRA)
Fabian Lienhard (SUI)
Tobias Ludvigsson (SWE)
Valentin Madouas (FRA)
Rudy Molard (FRA)
Thibaut Pinot (FRA)
Sébastien Reichenbach (SUI)
Anthony Roux (FRA)
Miles Scotson (AUS)
Romain Seigle (FRA)
Ramon Sinkeldam (NED)
Jake Stewart (GBR)
Benjamin Thomas (FRA)
Attila Valter (HUN)
Lars van den Berg (NED)

The merging together of WorldTour teams Cannondale and Garmin-Sharp in 2015 created the team that evolved into what we now know as EF Education-EasyPost, newly changed for the 2022 season. 

At the time of the merger, the team maintained more remnants from the old American Garmin team than it did from Cannondale, with big names like Peter Sagan going elsewhere.

There was a period of rebuilding during the 2015 and 2016 seasons, which were largely devoid of major results for the team. There were some changes in riders, too with previous team leaders Daniel Martin and Ryder Hesjedal leaving the squad.

The signing of Rigoberto Uran for the 2016 season paid off the following year, when the Colombian placed second in the 2017 Tour de France and took a stage win – the team's highest-ever placing in the race.

However, Uran's success in the Tour did not help attract much needed sponsorship to ensure that the squad survived into the 2018 season. Team manager Jonathan Vaughters worked hard to find a new sponsor at the end of 2017, and a crowd-funding page was set up to assist in raising money.

The work paid off, as EF Education First was announced as a new title sponsor, with Drapac as co-title sponsor and the team's continuation was secured for 2018.

The American team finished a lowly sixteenth on the UCI World Team Ranking in 2021, and will look to achieve better results in the 2022 campaign as a result. 

The team did secure some impressive stage wins during the course of the season though, with Magnus Cort providing the majority of victories. He triumphed on stage eight of Paris-Nice, and stages six, 12 and 19 at the Vuelta a España, while Alberto Bettiol won stage eight of the Giro d'Italia, Neilson Powless won the Clásica de San Sebastián, and Stefan Bissenger secured stage three at Paris-Nice.

EF Education-EasyFirst 2022 squad

Daniel Arroyave (COL)
Alberto Bettiol (ITA)
Stefan Bissegger (SUI)
Jonathan Caicedo (ECU)
Diego Camargo (COL)
Simon Carr (GBR)
Hugh Carthy (GBR)
Esteban Chaves (COL)
Magnus Cort (DEN)
Owain Doull (GBR)
Odd Christian Eiking (NOR)
Ruben Guerreiro (POR)
Ben Healy (IRL)
Alex Howes (USA)
Jens Keukeleire (BEL)
Merhawi Kudus (ERI)
Sebastian Langeveld (NED)
Lachlan Morton (AUS)
Hideto Nakane (JPN)
Mark Padun (UKR)
Neilson Powless (USA)
Sean Quinn (USA)
Jonas Rutsch (GER)
Tom Scully (NZL)
James Shaw (GBR)
Georg Steinhauser (GER)
Rigoberto Urán (COL)
Michael Valgren (DEN)
Julius van den Berg (NED)
Marijn van den Berg (NED)
Łukasz Wiśniowski (POL)

The roots of Team DSM stretch back to 2005, when the squad was known as Shimano–Memory Corp, before becoming Skil-Shimano, Giant-Shimano, Giant-Alpecin, Team Sunweb and then Team DSM with the Dutch brand taking over for 2021.

Tom Dumoulin was the team's biggest general classification hope for Grand Tours. The Frenchman won the Giro d'Italia in 2017 and was second in both the Giro and the Tour de France in 2018, but his departure to Jumbo Visma for the 2020 season has left the German outfit struggling for wins on the UCI WorldTour, and they ended 2021 ranked 21st on the UCI World Team Ranking. 

Cees Bol and Romain Bardet are the team's most likely sources of wins, especially since Vuelta a España mountains classification and two-stage winner Michael Storer has left the team. 

Nikias Arndt is the only other Team DSM rider who managed a victory last season, leaving the German team struggling to see where any race wins will come from in the upcoming campaign. 

However, seven top-ten finishes in Monuments and major week-long stage races means there are encouraging signs for the largely youthful squad. Bardet also secured seventh in the Giro d'Italia general classification, and if the team can help him even more in 2022, Team DSM could challenge with the correct tactics. 

The inexperience of the majority of their riders could also come to fruition in a few years time, allowing Team DSM to challenge for the most prestigious races in cycling once again. 

The Women's Team DSM is registered in the Netherlands, and was founded in 2011, taking the DSM name along with the men's team in 2021.

Team DSM 2022 squad

Thymen Arensman (NED)
Nikias Arndt (GER)
Romain Bardet (FRA)
Cees Bol (NED)
Marco Brenner (GER)
Romain Combaud (FRA)
Alberto Dainese (ITA)
John Degenkolb (GER)
Nico Denz (GER)
Mark Donovan (GBR)
Nils Eekhoff (NED)
Chris Hamilton (AUS)
Leon Heinschke (GER)
Jonas Iversby Hvideberg (NOR)
Asbjørn Kragh Andersen (DEN)
Søren Kragh Andersen (DEN)
Andreas Leknessund (NOR)
Niklas Märkl (GER)
Marius Mayrhofer (GER)
Tim Naberman (NED)
Joris Nieuwenhuis (NED)
Casper Pedersen (DEN)
Frederik Rodenberg (DEN)
Florian Stork (GER)
Martijn Tusveld (NED)
Henri Vandenabeele (BEL)
Kevin Vermaerke (USA)
Sam Welsford (AUS)

The Belgian team has changed its name for the 2022 season, with title sponsor Deceuninck agreeing to sponsor Alpecin-Fenix instead. Quick-Step has extended its deal with the team until 2027 though, with Alpha Vinyl added to the team name to promote the company's flooring. 

The Belgian outfit is dependable with racking up wins on the UCI WorldTour each season, with arguably some of the best riders in the peloton plying their trade with the team. Big names such as Kasper Asgreen, Mark Cavendish, Julian Alaphilippe ride for Quick-Step, while they also boast the emerging talent of Remco Evenepoel. 

Finishing first in the UCI World Team Ranking, Quick-Step secured an incredible amount of victories in 2021. The squad's focus has traditionally been close to home in the spring Classics with the team able to count numerous wins in races such as the Tour of Flanders, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Classic Brugge-De Panne, E3 Harelbeke, La Flèche Wallonne and Brussels Cycling Classic in 2021 alone. 

Mark Cavendish also secured the green jersey at the Tour de France with four stage wins to equal Eddy Merckx's record amount of stage wins at the Grand Tour, while Julian Alaphilippe triumphed on the first stage in France. 

Fabio Jakobsen replicated Cavendish's form in the Vuelta a España by winning the points classification with three stage victories, and Florian Sénéchal also crossed the finish line first during the event too. 

The squad does lack a bona fide Grand Tour winner, despite the big-budget outfit packed with cycling stars.

The team could only manage their best Grand Tour general classification finish at the Giro d'Italia, when João Almeida came sixth. Clearly, that will be an area to focus on for the upcoming season, especially considering the Portuguese rider has since departed for UAE Team Emirates.

Alaphilippe should continue to impress during the season though, capitalising on the form that saw him retain his World Road Race Championship title midway through last year.

Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl 2022 squad

Julian Alaphilippe (FRA)
Kasper Asgreen (DEN)
Andrea Bagioli (ITA)
Davide Ballerini (ITA)
Mattia Cattaneo (ITA)
Rémi Cavagna (FRA)
Mark Cavendish (GBR)
Josef Černý (CZE)
Tim Declercq (BEL)
Dries Devenyns (BEL)
Remco Evenepoel (BEL)
Mikkel Frølich Honoré (DEN)
Fabio Jakobsen (NED)
Iljo Keisse (BEL)
James Knox (GBR)
Yves Lampaert (BEL)
Fausto Masnada (ITA)
Michael Mørkøv (DEN)
Mauro Schmid (SUI)
Florian Sénéchal (FRA)
Pieter Serry (BEL)
Stijn Steels (BEL)
Jannik Steimle (GER)
Zdeněk Štybar (CZE)
Bert Van Lerberghe (BEL)
Stan Van Tricht (BEL)
Ilan Van Wilder (BEL)
Mauri Vansevenant (BEL)
Ethan Vernon (GBR)
Louis Vervaeke (BEL)

Cofidis, a French money lending company, has sponsored the French team since it formed in 1997.

The team has faced controversy over the years, with doping largely at the centre of those issues. In 2009, the UCI ProTour then decided not to renew Cofidis' license for the follow season, leaving the French team to compete as a UCI Professional Continental team for the following decade. The team joined the UCI WorldTour for the 2020 season. 

Once a successful outfit winning Classics and top-level stage races, Cofidis are now in search of a long-awaited reprieve with victory at cycling's most prestigious events. In recent years, the team has enjoyed success more often at French Cup level races, but they have also managed three Grand Tour stage wins in the past four seasons.

With 12 wins in 2021, Cofidis finished fifteenth on the UCI team world ranking. However, nine of those wins came from departing riders Elia Viviani and Christophe Laporte, meaning the squad for the upcoming season is fraught of race winning experience. 

Guillaume Martin remains though, one of Cofidis' three outstanding performers last season. Team boss Cédric Vasseur is also hopeful new signing Bryan Coquard can replicate the form from Laporte displayed, though that is a sizeable task given the disparity between each riders' fortunes in recent times. 

The team will also welcome a women's professional squad in 2022, becoming the eighth side from the men's WorldTour to put investment into the women's side of the sport.

Cofidis 2022 squad 

Piet Allegaert (BEL)
Sander Armée (BEL)
François Bidard (FRA)
Tom Bohli (SWI)
Andre Carvalho (POR)
Thomas Champion (FRA)
Davide Cimolai (ITA)
Simone Consonni (ITA)
Bryan Coquard (FRA)
Alexandre Delettre (FRA)
Rubén Fernández (SPA)
Eddy Finé (FRA)
Simon Geschke (GER)
Jesús Herrada (SPA)
José Herrarda (SPA)
Ion Izagirre (SPA)
Wesley Kreder (NED)
Victor Lafay (FRA)
Guillaume Martin (FRA)
Anthony Perez (FRA)
Pierre-Luc Périchon (FRA)
Alexis Renard (FRA)
Rémy Rochas (FRA)
Szymon Sajnok (POL)
Benjamin Thomas (FRA)
Hugo Toumire (FRA)
Kenneth Vanbilsen (BEL)
Davide Villella (ITA)
Jelle Wallays (BEL)
Max Walscheid (GER)
Axel Zingle (FRA)

Bora-Hansgrohe are a German-registered UCI WorldTour professional cycling team, joining the WorldTour in 2017 after forming in 2010.

Originally Team NetApp, cooker extractor fan manufacturer Bora became title sponsor for the German team in 2015, with bathroom product company Hansgrohe joining in 2017. 

The team finished sixth on the UCI Team World Ranking in 2021, a strong season which yielded stage wins on the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia, plus a Paris-Nice victory through Maximilian Schachmann.

However, the loss of lead rider and star man Peter Sagan to Team BikeExchange is certainly a significant shift in the squad, with the Slovakian winning four stage races in the season, plus the Giro d'Italia points classification. His drop down a level to the French team came as a shock to Bora-Hansgrohe, but Sam Bennett's return will help to limit the impact of losing Sagan. 

Bora-Hansgrohe have also added ten more new riders to the team, creating a 30-man roster capable of challenging for race wins, should the team get their tactics right. 

The departure of Sagan also provides more opportunities for other members of the squad to impress. Max Schachmann has performed consistently well since joining the team in 2019, and could step out of the shadows to build upon some strong displays last year. 

The German retained his Paris-Nice title last year and came first in the German national road championships. He also managed top-ten finishes in Tour de Suisse, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, La Flèche Wallonne and Amstel Gold Race - the latter saw him end up on the bottom step of the podium. 

Producing more competitive results in the Classics, Monuments and Grand Tours will certainly be an area of focus for Bora-Hansgrohe in 2022. The team achieved just five top-ten finishes in the Classics and Monuments, and will expect to perform better in the upcoming season. 

Bora-Hansgrohe 2022 squad

Giovanni Aleotti (ITA)
Shane Archbold (NZL)
Cesare Benedetti (POL)
Sam Bennett (IRL)
Emanuel Buchmann (GER)
Matteo Fabbro (ITA)
Patrick Gamper (AUT)
Felix Großschartner (AUT)
Marco Haller (AUT)
Sergio Higuita (COL)
Jai Hindley (AUS)
Lennard Kämna (GER)
Wilco Kelderman (NED)
Jonas Koch (GER)
Patrick Konrad (AUT)
Martin Laas (EST)
Luis-Joe Lührs (GER)
Jordi Meeus (BEL)
Ryan Mullen (IRL)
Anton Palzer (GER)
Nils Politt (GER)
Lukas Pöstlberger (AUT)
Max Schachmann (GER)
Ide Schelling (NED)
Cian Uijtdebroeks (BEL)
Danny van Poppel (NED)
Aleksandr Vlasov (RUS)
Matt Walls (GBR)
Frederik Wandahl (DEN)
Ben Zwiehoff (GER)

Formed in 2013, IAM Cycling joined the WorldTour in 2015 after two seasons at UCI Pro Continental level. 

Former French road race champion Serge Beucherie managed the Swiss outfit, with Swiss investment management company IAM Independent Asses Management SA the title sponsor of the team. 

However, after finishing last place in the 2015 UCI WorldTour ranking, the Swiss team folded at the end of 2016 because they couldn't manage to secure a second sponsor. 

The team struggled for success during their two seasons on the WorldTour, but Matteo Pelucchi managed two Tour of Poland stage victories in 2015, before 2016 heralded stage wins on all three Grand Tours, with Jonas van Genechten on stage seven at the Vuelta a España, Mathias Frank also at the Spanish race on stage 16, Roger Kluge on stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia and Jarlinson Pantano on stage 15 of the Tour de France.

The team's best Grand Tour GC finish came at the 2015 Tour de France, where Mathias Frank ended up eighth overall. 

IAM Cycling's best result came at the 2016 Paris-Tours, with Jonas van Genechten securing third-place and a podium position - the team's only Classics or Monument one during their existence. 

Since IAM Cycling disbanded in 2016, no other Swiss team has joined the WorldTour peloton. 

Astana Qazaqstan Team is a team that would have gladdened the hearts of the people behind the UCI’s original globalisation project: a Kazakh squad, led by an Italian and a Dane.

Since appearing on the scene in 2007, the squad has become a mainstay of the top-flight, with a host of wins in the world's biggest races.

Most notably, Italian Vincenzo Nibali won the 2014 Tour de France after finishing third overall in the 2012 edition and claiming the Giro d'Italia victory in 2013.

The team also successfully nurtured a new Grand Tour talent in the shape of Fabio Aru, who won the 2015 Vuelta a España after placing second in the Giro behind Alberto Contador (Tinkoff) earlier in the year.

However, with Nibali moving to Bahrain-Merida in 2017 and Aru to UAE Team Emirates in 2018, the squad lacked a Grand Tour leader. Nibali is back for the 2022 season though, with four-time 2021 race winner Miguel Ángel López also joining him to make the squad considerably stronger. 

Alexey Lutsenko, who was already with the team before this year, and Gianni Moscom, joining from Ineos Grenadiers, will act as team leaders alongside the aforementioned Nibali and López for the 2022 season. 

Astana are hoping these additions to the team will help rediscover the form that saw them climb to such meteoric heights some years ago now, after the team finished an underwhelming twelfth in the UCI World team ranking for 2021.

Just three top-ten finishes in the Classics and Monuments last year highlights the team's lack of strength at fighting for podiums at cycling's most prestigious races, but Aleksandr Vlasov's fourth-place finish in the Giro d'Italia GC did provide reason for optimism within the team, but the Russian has since departed for Bora-Hansgrohe.

Sponsored by the Samruk-Kazyna, a coalition of Kazakhstani state-owned companies, and named its capital city Astana (now renamed Nur-Sultan), Premier Tech left the team at the end of 2021 due to financial reasons. They have now been renamed as Astana Qazaqstan Team. 

Astana's success has been tempered by controversy over the years too, including several doping cases within the team, including Maxim and Valentin Iglinskiy both failing tests for banned blood booster EPO in late 2014. The UCI conducted a review into the team and its management, and while the team's WorldTour status looked in jeopardy, it was awarded a licence for 2015.

Astana Qazaqstan Team 2022 squad

Leonardo Basso (ITA)
Samuele Battistella (ITA)
Manuele Boaro (ITA)
Gleb Brussenskiy (KAZ)
Valerio Conti (ITA)
Stefan de Bod (RSA)
David de la Cruz (ESP)
Joe Dombrowski (USA)
Yevgeniy Fedorov (KAZ)
Fabio Felline (ITA)
Michele Gazzoli (ITA)
Yevgeniy Gidich (KAZ)
Dmitriy Gruzdev (KAZ)
Sebastián Henao (COL)
Miguel Ángel López (COL)
Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ)
Davide Martinelli (ITA)
Gianni Moscon (ITA)
Yuriy Natarov (KAZ)
Antonio Nibali (ITA)
Vincenzo Nibali (ITA)
Nurbergen Nurlykhassym (KAZ)
Vadim Pronskiy (KAZ)
Alexandr Riabushenko (BLR)
Javier Romo (ESP)
Harold Tejada (COL)
Simone Velasco (ITA)
Artyom Zakharov (KAZ)
Andrey Zeits (KAZ)

Australia's only top-level cycling team, Team BikeExchange-Jayco have steadily evolved since making their debut in 2012. The team comprises both men's and women's line-ups, both competing in the UCI's respective WorldTour calendars.

Initially, the men's squad found success in the Classics, team time trials and opportunist stage wins, but have more recently nurtured rising Grand Tour contenders and the next generation of sprinters. 

Colombian Esteban Chaves and British twin brothers Simon Yates and Adam Yates have made a big impression on Grand Tours in the past few seasons with Adam leaving to join Ineos Grenadiers in 2021.

Chaves established himself as a serious contender during the 2016 Giro d'Italia, where he placed second overall and wore the maglia rosa for a spell. This was backed up with a third place in the Vuelta a España the same year.

Since turning professional with the team in 2014 though, Simon Yates has had setbacks along with monumental highs. In 2016, he fell foul of the team omitting to submit a therapeutic use exemption certificate for an asthma drug, and he failed an anti-doping test at 2016 Paris-Nice.

However, those lows have been outweighed after Yates won the 2017 Tour de France young rider classification, before emerging victorious in GC at the 2018 Vuelta a España. He also has eight Grand Tour stage wins to his name too, making the BikeExchange rider highly successful in the team's colours. 

Despite these successes a number of years ago now, Team BikeExchange - who will welcome new title sponsors Jayco in 2022 - finished just eighteenth on the UCI WorldTour team ranking for last season. A lack of wins provides reason for the drop in standings, with Yates the only member of the team able to win a Grand Tour stage race, which helped him finish third in the GC.

However, strucural changes in 2020 meant the 2021 season was a season of adjusting and developing, with a host of new riders added to the roster to propel the team back towards the front of the peloton. Simon Yates and Michael Matthews will continue to lead in the new season, with seven new riders from seven different countries joining the team to try and find BikeExchange-Jayco some improved performances. 

Team BikeExchange-Jayco 2022 squad

Alex Balmer (SWI)
Jack Bauer (NZL)
Sam Bewley (NZL)
Lawson Craddock (USA)
Kevin Colleoni (ITA)
Luke Durbridge (AUS)
Alex Edmondson (AUS)
Tsgabu Grmay (ETH)
Lucas Hamilton (AUS)
Michael Hepburn (AUS)
Damien Howson (AUS)
Amund Grøndahl Jansen (NOR)
Kaden Groves (AUS)
Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN)
Tanel Kangert (EST)
Alex Konychev (ITA)
Jan Maas (NED)
Michael Matthews (AUS)
Cameron Meyer (AUS)
Luka Mezgec (SLO)
Kelland O’Brien (AUS)
Jesús David Peña (COL)
Callum Scotson (AUS)
Nick Schultz (AUS)
Dion Smith (NZL)
Matteo Sobrero (ITA)
Campbell Stewart (NZL)
Simon Yates (GBR)

The Bahrain Victorious team started life as Bahrain-Merida and joined the Union Cycliste Internationale's top-flight WorldTour in 2017.

The squad is backed by the Bahrain government and businesses to promote the country worlwide, with Bahrain's Prince Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa a driving force behind the team since creating it in August 2016. 

Bahrain Victorious has a strong roster, featuring 2021 Paris-Roubaix winner Sonny Colbrelli, Mikel Landa and Wout Poels, among plenty of other talented riders. A strong 2021 saw the team finish fifth on the UCI World team ranking, after securing multiple victories through a variety of riders.

Colbrelli is currently the team's most successful rider, winning 18 races as he heads into his sixth season with the Bahrain-based outfit. Matej Mohorič is the team's next best rider, achieving 12 wins during his time.

The team enjoyed success in the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Critérium du Dauphiné, acheiving three stage wins in each event through Damiano Caruso, Gino Mäder, Colbrelli, Mark Padun, Matej Mohorič and Dylan Teuns. 

Mäder also won the young riders classification at the Vuelta a España, displaying signs of a promising future whereby he can build on his sixth stage victory at the Giro. 

However, Bahrain Victorious are still waiting for their first Grand Tour GC win in their short existence, after finishing second twice at the Giro d'Italia in 2019 and 2021 respectively, added to their second-place finish at the Vuelta in 2017. 

In 2022 the team will retain the Bahrain Victorious name it acquired at the beginning of 2021, with Milan Eržen acting as general manager. A British core left the team at the start of last year, with title sponsors McLaren, Rod Ellingworth, Le Col and Mark Cavendish all departing for pastures new.

That didn't seem to hinder the team in any way though, with riders from across the globe joining forces to produce the team's most successful year. The 30 total victories from last year surpassed Bahrain's largest haul of 28 from 2018, and included five Classics wins and three GC wins. 

Bahrain Victorious 2022 squad

Yukiya Arashiro (JPN)
Phil Bauhaus (GER)
Pello Bilbao (ESP)
Santiago Buitrago (COL)
Damiano Caruso (ITA)
Sonny Colbrelli (ITA)
Feng Chun-kai (TWN)
Kamil Gradek (POL)
Jack Haig (AUS)
Heinrich Haussler (AUS)
Mikel Landa (ESP)
Filip Maciejuk (POL)
Ahmed Madan (BHR)
Gino Mäder (SUI)
Jonathan Milan (ITA)
Matej Mohorič (SLO)
Domen Novak (SLO)
Alejandro Osorio (COL)
Hermann Pernsteiner (AUT)
Wout Poels (NED)
Johan Price-Pejtersen (DEN)
Luis León Sánchez (ESP)
Jasha Sütterlin (GER)
Dylan Teuns (BEL)
Jan Tratnik (SLO)
Stephen Williams (GBR)
Fred Wright (GBR)
Edoardo Zambanini (ITA)

Official website: teambahrainmerida.com

Twitter feed: @bahrain_merida

Facebook page: Facebook.com/Bahrain-Merida-Pro-Cycling-Team-592217904262112

Founded in 1992, AG2R Citroën Team was formerly known as Chazal between its inception and 1995. Current general manager Vincent Lavenu created the team upon his retirement in 1992, and has stuck with the French-based team ever since. 

The oldest French squad in the peloton, AG2R Citroën generally focusses on a strong contingent of riders from the nation, interspersed with talented individuals from other countries.

The French team's title sponsors are French insurance firm AG2R La Mondiale and French automobile manufacturer Citroën, and has competed at a consistently competitive level on the WorldTour for a number of years - albeit without ever having a rider win the GC at a Grand Tour and only producing one Classics win in the last decade. 

Despite that, the team regularly manages to win races on the WorldTour each year, with their greatest success in 2021 coming on stage nine of the Tour de France when Ben O'Connor ascended to victory at Tignes. O'Connor also managed to finish just one place off the podium of the general classification, coming fourth in the prestigious event in the team's home country. 

One of the standout riders in the team, AG2R Citroën also possesses plenty of other strong riders among its 29-man roster, making them a dangerous proposition in 2022. 

Geoffrey Bouchard also managed to win the Giro d'Italia mountains classification, while Andrea Vendrame picked up a stage 12 win during the same event. 

As a result, AG2R Citroën Team finished the season eighth in the UCI World Ranking, after securing 12 victories over the course of 2021.

Indeed, riders from the French team are consistently strong on mountain stages, generally finishing in good time and fighting for the mountains classification jersey, as evidenced throughout the 2010s with multiple battles for the Tour de France polka dot jersey.

Four riders join AG2R Citroën for 2022, including Felix Gall from Team DSM, Antoine Raugel from Conti Groupama FDJ, and Paul Lapeira and Valentin Paret-Peintre from the U23 squad. 

AG2R Citroën Team squad for 2022

Clément Berthet (FRA)
François Bidard (FRA)
Geoffrey Bouchard (FRA)
Lilian Calmejane (FRA)
Clément Champoussin (FRA)
Mikaël Cherel (FRA)
Benoît Cosnefroy (FRA)
Stan Dewulf (BEL)
Julien Duval (FRA)
Mathias Frank (SUI)
Tony Gallopin (FRA)
Ben Gastauer (LUX)
Dorian Godon (FRA)
Alexis Gougeard (FRA)
Jaakko Hänninen (FIN)
Anthony Jullien (FRA)
Bob Jungels (LUX)
Lawrence Naesen (BEL)
Oliver Naesen (BEL)
Ben O'Connor (AUS)
Aurélien Paret-Peintre (FRA)
Nans Peters (FRA)
Nicolas Prodhomme (FRA)
Marc Sarreau (FRA)
Michael Schär (SUI)
Damien Touzé (FRA)
Greg Van Avermaet (BEL)
Gijs Van Hoecke (BEL)
Andrea Vendrame (ITA)
Clément Venturini (FRA)
Larry Warbasse (USA)

The Tour de Romandie 2025 will be the 78th edition of this hilly and challenging Swiss race, and the Tour de Romandie Féminin the 4th edition. The route typically features an elevation gain of roughly 12,000 metres, with a prologue and an individual time trial bookending the race. The parcours normally tackles the Jura and Alps mountain ranges, while its emphasis on time-trialling means the winner is usually excellent against the clock.

The Tour de Romandie takes place over six days (four for the Tour de Romandie Féminin) in the French-speaking – or Romandie – region of Switzerland, and is a key build-up race for both the Giro d'Italia, which starts just a week later, and the Tour de France.

The race began in 1947 and has been held every year since, apart from a brief hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers) won the 2024 edition ahead of Bora-Hansgrohe duo Aleksandr Vlasov and Florian Lipowitz. Adam Yates took the top step of the podium in 2023, and in recent times riders like Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome and Cadel Evans have all won this race on their way to Tour de France victory.

The Tour de Romandie Féminin was first raced in 2022 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the men's race. Lotte Kopecky won the most recent Tour de Romandie Féminin, ahead of 2023 winner and team-mate Demi Vollering, while Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio won the inaugural race. 

Tour de Romandie 2025: Key details

Route page | Where to watch | Start list (2025 details to be confirmed)

Tour de Romandie 2025: The route

Tour de Romandie 2025 route: Stage-by-stage

Details of the route and stages to follow. The route and dates for the Tour de Romandie Féminin have not yet been announced.

Tour de Romandie: The jerseys

The leaders of four classifications at the Tour de Romandie sport a specific coloured jersey. The general classification leader wears yellow, the leader in the points classification orange, the King/Queen of the Mountains light blue, and the best young rider (under 25) white.  

The Tour de Romandie men's race also has a special red jersey for the best Swiss rider, awarded to the first rider from the home nation to finish each stage. At the end of the race it is presented to the best-ranked Swiss cyclist in the general classification. 

Tour de Romandie: Recent winners (men's)

2024: Carlos Rodríguez (Spa) Ineos Grenadiers 

2023: Adam Yates (GBr) UAE Team Emirates

2022: Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus) Bora-Hansgrohe 

2021: Geraint Thomas (GBr) Ineos Grenadiers

2020: No race due to COVID-19

2019: Primož Roglič (Slo) Team Jumbo–Visma

2018: Primož Roglič (Slo) LottoNL–Jumbo

2017: Richie Porte (Aus) BMC Racing Team

2016: Nairo Quintana (Col) Nairo Quintana

2015: Ilnur Zakarin (Rus) Team Katusha

2014: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Ski

2013: Chris Froome (GBr) Team Ski

2012: Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Team Ski

2011: Cadel Evans (Aus) BMC Racing Team

2010: Simon Špilak (Slo) Lampre–Farnese Vini

2009: Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas

2008: Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana

Tour de Romandie Féminin: Recent winners

2024: Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime 

2023: Demi Vollering (Ned) SD Worx

2022: Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio (RSA) SD Worx

Now in its seventh edition, the UAE Tour 2025 is a seven-day stage race running from 17-23 February this year. It is the result of a merger between the Abu Dhabi Tour and the Dubai Tour, and is one of the first events on the year's UCI WorldTour calendar. 

Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) won the inaugural UAE Tour in 2019, with Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) claiming the 2020 title. In 2021 and 2022, Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) took back-to-back victories in the desert, before a Belgian double: 2023 was won by Remco Evenepoel of Soudal–Quick-Step and in 2024 Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny) won by a tiny two-second margin over Ben O'Connor. 

The young Belgian nicked the title on the final day purely thanks to time bonuses at the finish line, and ousted Brandon McNulty, who was dropped earlier on the mountainous final stage.

Previous champions of the Dubai Tour include Mark Cavendish, Elia Viviani and Marcel Kittel, with the event predominantly favouring sprinters. Comparatively, the Abu Dhabi Tour was more one for the climbers, thanks to the pivotal climb of the 10.8 kilometre Jebel Hafeet. The merged tour tends to favour classic GC contenders.

This year the UAE Tour can boast of having Tadej Pogačar, of course riding for UAE Team Emirates-XRG, on the start line - in very bad news for all the other GC contenders.

Route page | Where to watch | Start list (2025 details to be confirmed)

UAE Tour 2025: The route

The UAE Tour 2025 begins at the Madinat Zayed Shams Solar Park with a flat stage among the sand dunes of the desert, followed by a fast, flat time trial on sweeping roads on Al Hudayriyat Island.

Expect the GC battles to kick off on Stage 3, which begins with a long, flat ride through the desert to build up to 20km of continuous climbing up to Jebel Jais. This one has a sting in the tail, with the regular 5% gradients kicking up to 7% in the final 2km.

From there, the route features another three completely pan-flat stages, before the final stage - again totally flat - kicks up to the Jebel Hafeet climb. At 10km long with gradients around 8-9%, and a peak of 11% with 3km to go, the Hafeet climb will likely be key in determining who lifts the trophy at the end of the day. 

UAE Tour 2025: Stage-by-stage

UAE Tour 2025: The Jerseys

General Classification/Leader's: Red

General points: Green

Intermediate sprint: Black

Young rider's: White

UAE Tour: Recent winners

2024: Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny)

2023: Remco Evenepoel (Soudal–Quick-Step)

2022: Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates)

2021: Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Team Emirates)

2020: Adam Yates (Mitchelton-Scott)

2019: Primož Roglič (Team Jumbo-Visma)

Abu Dhabi Tour: Recent winners

2018: Alejandro Valverde (Movistar Team)

2017: Rui Costa (UAE Team Emirates)

2016: Tanel Kangert (Astana Pro Team)

2015: Esteban Chaves (Orica–GreenEDGE)

Dubai Tour: Recent winners

2018: Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors)

2017: Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors)

2016: Marcel Kittel (Etixx–Quick-Step)

2015: Mark Cavendish (Etixx–Quick-Step)

2014: Taylor Phinney (BMC Racing Team)

Official race links

UAE Tour official website

UAE Tour official Twitter feed

Our Editor's Choice Awards showcase the best of the best, with places reserved only for equiptment that scored 4.5 or 5/5 this year. 

Paris-Roubaix 2025 will be held on 13 April, with the women's race held on 12 April.

One of the oldest, most prestigious, and most popular races on the calendar, the 'Hell of the North' – or 'Queen of the Classics' if you prefer – can be in turn dusty and dry, or wet and muddy, but it is always a spectacle. The race is infamous for its pavé, or cobbled, sections and incredibly difficult conditions. 

The men's race has not started in the French capital of Paris for some time, but rather a few miles north in the town of Compiègne. From there, the riders will embark on a gruelling ride to Roubaix. The women start at Denain, which is roughly south of Roubaix and the winding parcours takes in many of the famous sectors.

The finish is a unique one, with the riders coming onto Roubaix's outdoor velodrome to do a lap and a half to the line. Signifying the end of the Northern cobbled Classics, its finale being in the iconic Roubaix velodrome on the Belgian border only adds to the show.

This will be the fifth edition of the women's race – the Paris-Roubaix Femmes – which was won last year by Belgian Lotte Kopecky of SD Worx-Protime. 

Mathieu van der Poel won back-to-back editions, sealing victory in 2024 with an audacious 60km solo attack, the longest successful solo move of the 21st century. The 2024 race also saw the first time that both men's and women's rainbow jerseys lifted the prestigious cobblestone trophy.

>>> 12 pictures that show just how tough the Paris-Roubaix cobbles are 

Key info: Key sectors | Route & Start list | How to watch - 2025 details TBC

Paris-Roubaix 2025: The route

Paris-Roubaix 2025 doesn't differ hugely from the 2024 edition: the men's route has one additional cobbled sector compared to last year's, bringing the total to 30. One of the early sectors has been binned, and two have been added around Quérénaing: a 1.3km sector at Artres and a 1.2km sector at Famars, both shortly after the 130km mark. 

The major change is just before the Trouée d’Arenberg, which raised eyebrows and made headlines in 2024 when a chicane was introduced on the approach to the sector for safety reasons. The highly controversial chicane has been replaced this year with "a small detour" along the Arenberg mining site, according to the organisers, which packs in four right-angle corners into the kilometre just before the cobbles. 

The women's route is unchanged from last year's: 148.5km from Denain to the famous Roubaix velodrome, featuring 17 cobbled sectors - the last 17 on the men's route - including the challenging sections of Mons-en-Pévèle and Carrefour de l’Arbre. In total, the women will tackle 29.2km of cobbles, although once again the Arenberg doesn't make the cut - the infamous sector has never featured in the women's race. 

Paris-Roubaix: Recent winners

2024: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck 

2023: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
2022: Dylan Van Baarle (Ned) Ineos Grenadiers
2021: Sonny Colbrelli (Ita) Bahrain Victorious
2020: No race due to Covid-19
2019: Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
2018: Peter Sagan (Svk) Bora-Hansgrohe
2017: Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing
2016: Mathew Hayman (Aus) Orica-GreenEdge
2015: John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin
2014: Niki Terpstra (Ned) Etixx - Quick-Step
2013: Fabian Cancellara (Sui) Team RadioShack
2012: Tom Boonen (Bel) Omega-Pharma - Quick-Step
2011: Johan Vansummeren (Bel) Garmin-Cervélo
2010: Fabian Cancellara (Sui) Team Saxo Bank
2009: Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step
2008: Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step
2007: Stuart O’Grady (Aus) Team CSC
2006: Fabian Cancellara (Swi) CSC ProTeam
2005: Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step-Innergetic
2004: Magnus Backstedt (Swe) Alessio-Bianchi
2003: Peter Van Petegem (Bel) Lotto-Domo
2002: Johan Museeuw (Bel) Domo-Farm Frites
2001: Servais Knaven (Bel) Domo-Farm Frites

Paris-Roubaix Femmes: Recent winners

2024: Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx-Protime

2023: Alison Jackson (Can) EF Education–Tibco–SVB

2022: Elisa Longo-Borghini (Ita) Trek-Segafredo

2021: Lizzie Deignan (GBr) Trek-Segafredo

Previous editions:  2024 / 2024 W | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010

External links: Official website | Official Twitter feed

Known in Flemish as the Ronde van Vlaanderen, it is one of the five historic Monuments - the biggest and most prestigious one-day races - of the cycling calendar, stretching back over 100 years. Along with Paris-Roubaix it is one of the iconic 'Cobbled Classics', among the most strenuous one-day races of the season. 

The event has only ever stopped running during World War I, and has been organised without interruption since 1919 - the longest uninterrupted streak of any cycling classic. 

The women's race was first introduced in 2004, and is held on the same day as the men's race. While the route is shorter, both events share many of the same roads and legendary climbs.

The men's route is largely similar to last year's, but switches to a start in Bruges, one of its two traditional start locations, the other being Antwerp. The Eikenberg cobbled climb (1.2km at an average of 5.5%) returns to the parcours, along with the Karel Martelstraat, which replaces the Kerkgate cobbled climb. The women's edition both starts and finishes in Oudenaarde and again tackles the Koppenberg, Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg. 

Tour of Flanders 2025: Key details

About the Tour of Flanders

The rich history of the Tour of Flanders makes it an especially prestigious event. Rik van Looy, Roger de Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx are previous winners of years gone by, with 21st century Classics greats Fabian Cancellara and Tom Boonen also among the victors of the Belgian race.

The difficulty of the race is proven by the fact that no rider has won more than three times in their career. In order to win, riders need a coherent synergy between their tactics, team support and strength, with a fair dose of luck thrown in for good measure.

One of two major cobbled classics, alongside Paris-Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders includes 16 cobbled climbs this year. Each ascent is notorious in its own right, and has featured in the race since its first edition back in 1913.

Perhaps the most famous of all of the climbs is the Koppenberg, a gruelling hill that often forces riders to unclip from their bikes and walk. With its uneven cobbles and maximum gradient of 22 per cent, it is easy to understand why, and it has often ended up being the decisive moment of the race. 

The Oude Kwaremont and Paterberg ascents, which are both climbed in succession shortly before the Koppenberg, are also crucial. The former is a tough drag, while the latter is punishingly steep. The field could become more spread out at this stage, providing an impetus for riders to ascend the Koppenberg even quicker. These two climbs are then tackled during the final circuit of the race, coming at 16km and 13km from the end in Oudenaarde. 

Men's Tour of Flanders: Past winners

2024: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck

2023: Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates
2022: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
2021: Kasper Asgreen (Den) Deceuninck–Quick-Step
2020: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix
2019: Alberto Bettiol (Ita) EF Education First
2018: Niki Terpstra (Ned) Quick-Step Floors
2017: Philippe Gilbert (Bel) Quick-Step Floors
2016: Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff
2015: Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Team Katusha
2014: Fabian Cancellara (Sui) Trek Factory Racing

Previous editions:  

2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 

Women's Tour of Flanders: Past winners

2024: Elisa Longo-Borghini (Ita) Lidl-Trek

2023: Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
2022: Lotte Kopecky (Bel) SD Worx
2021: Annemiek van Vleuten (Ned) Movistar
2020: Chantal van den Broek-Blaak (Ned) Boels-Dolmans
2019: Marta Bastianelli (Ita) Virtu Cycling
2018: Anna van der Breggen (Ned) Boels–Dolmans
2017: Coryn Rivera (USA) Team Sunweb
2016: Lizzie Armitstead (GBr) Boels–Dolmans
2015: Elisa Longo-Borghini (Ita) Wiggle–Honda
2014: Ellen van Dijk (Ned) Boels–Dolmans

Previous editions: 

2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014

Official race links

Tour of Flanders official website

Tour of Flanders official Twitter feed

Coming after the gravel roads of Strade Bianche, the race is often used as something a bit different for the Classics men as they build for Milan-San Remo a week later. It also attracts some of the world's best GC riders and is an important warm-up race for the Giro d'Italia. 

In recent years it's been won by the best of the best: three-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE team Emirates), four-time Vuelta champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), and double Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) were the last three to lift one of cycling's best trophies, and the only one (probably) to double up as a weapon. 

The seven-day event, known as 'The Race of the Two Seas', starts at the coast of the Tyrrhenian sea and makes its way across Italy to the shores of the Adriatic sea. Along the way, the riders tackle sharp climbs and long mountains, as well as sprint finishes and a time trial.

The race started in 1966 with Dino Zandegù taking the win ahead of Vito Taccone and Rolf Maurer. The record for the most overall victories is held by Belgian star Roger De Vlaeminck, who has a total of six wins, claimed between 1972 to 1977.

Tirreno-Adriatico 2025: Key details

Tirreno-Adriatico 2025: The route

Tirreno-Adriatico 2025 consists of seven stages; like last year it kicks off with a completely flat 10km individual time trial. After a flattish stage two for the sprinters comes the race's longest day in the saddle, a 239km trot from Follonica to Colfiorito (Foligno). The puncheurs also get their day in the sun with three undulating stages, each dotted with climbs of varying difficulty. 

The toughest test comes on the penultimate day. The route winds through the rolling terrain of the hilly Marche region before tackling a summit finish at Frontignano, an 8km climb with long stretches above 10%, which makes its debut at the race this year. 

The 'Race of the Two Seas' concludes with a run-out for the sprinters to traditional finish San Benedetto del Tronto, with a couple of short climbs in the first half of the day giving way to a pan-flat final 80km, which includes five loops of a 15km circuit.  

Tirreno-Adriatico 2025: Stage-by-stage

Tirreno-Adriatico 2025: The jerseys

The leader of general classification – the rider with the shortest cumulative time as the race goes on – wears the Maglia Azzurra, and the rider wearing it at the end of the final stage is crowned the overall winner of the race. 

The points classification is one for the sprinters, and the leader wears the Maglia Ciclamino, or pink jersey. The King of the mountains wears a Maglia Verde and the leader of the young rider classification is awarded the Maglia Bianca (white jersey).

Tirreno-Adriatico: Recent winners

2024: Jonas Vingegaard (Den), Visma-Lease a Bike

2023: Primož Roglič  (Slo), LottoNL–Jumbo
2022: Tadej Pogačar (Slo), UAE Team Emirates
2021: Tadej Pogačar (Slo), UAE Team Emirates
2020: Simon Yates (GBr), Mitchelton-Scott
2019: Primož Roglič (Slo), Team Jumbo-Visma
2018: Michał Kwiatkowski (Pol), Team Sky
2017: Nairo Quintana (Col), Movistar Team
2016: Greg Van Avermaet (Bel), BMC Racing Teamv
2015: Nairo Quintana (Col), Movistar Team
2014: Alberto Contador (Esp), Tinkoff-Saxo
2013: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita), Astana Pro Team
2012: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita), Liquigas-Cannondale
2011: Cadel Evans (Aus), BMC Racing Team
2010: Stefano Garzelli (Ita), Acqua & Sapone
2009: Michele Scarponi (Ita), Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni-Androni Gicattoli

Key info: Route guide | Start list | How to watch - 2025 details TBC

Official race links

Tirreno-Adriatico official website

Tirreno Adriatico official Twitter feed

Like the other Monuments it has plenty of nicknames: 'La Classicissima', 'La Primavera' due to its springtime slot, and it's also known as one of the 'sprinters' classics' (the other being Paris-Tours) because of its fastman-friendly finish in San Remo's Via Roma.

It was inaugurated in 1907, when it was won by Frenchman Lucien Petit-Breton. Since then it has been won by many of cycling's biggest stars, Eddy Merckx being the most prolific with seven wins between 1966 and 1976. 

It's quite an open race, in that it can be won by a punchy climber, a bunch sprinter, or even a great descender, like Vincenzo Nibali in 2018 and Matej Mohorič in 2022, who used a dropper seatpost for an edge on that final downhill. 

A women's version – the Primavera Rosa – took place between 1999 to 2005, but was cancelled by the UCI in 2006, before being reintroduced for 2025. The Primavera Rosa will take place on the same day as the men's race this year, with the route and distance to be announced. 

Key info: Route and start list | How to watch - 2025 details TBC 

Official Milan-San Remo website

twitter: @milano_sanremo

Milan-San Remo 2025: Key details

Milan-San Remo 2025: The route

Milan-San Remo 2025 will be the first of three editions to start in Pavia, thanks to a three-year deal between the organisers RCS and the province of the same name. From its start line it heads north towards Milan, where it joins the traditional route, although there are plenty more detours through the region.

There's a gradual climb up to the Passo del Turchino at around the halfway mark before a quick descent, while the twin climbs of the Cipressa (max 9%) and the Poggio (max 8%) which are now the hallmarks of this race appear in their usual position inside the final 30km.

After the Poggio it's time for the classic switchback descent into the urban centre of San Remo, with the finish line on the Via Roma, where the riders get a well-earned rest after 289km of hard racing.

Milan-San Remo: Past winners

2024: Jasper Philipsen (Bel) Alpecin-Deceuninck

2023: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Deceuninck
2022: Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain Victorious
2021: Jasper Stuyven (Bel) Trek-Segafredo
2020: Wout van Aert (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
2019: Julian Alaphillipe (Fra) Deceuninck–Quick-Step
2018: Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Bahrain-Merida
2017: Michal Kwiatkowski (Pol) Team Sky
2016: Arnaud Démare (Fra) FDJ
2015: John Degenkolb (Ger) Giant-Alpecin
2014: Alexander Kristoff (Nor) Katusha
2013: Gerald Ciolek (Ger) MTN-Qhubeka
2012: Simon Gerrans (Aus) GreenEdge
2011: Matt Goss (Aus) HTC-Highroad
2010: Oscar Freire (Spa) Rabobank
2009: Mark Cavendish (GBr) Columbia-Highroad
2008: Fabian Cancellara (Sui) CSC 

Starting on 9 May 2025, the Corsa Rosa has its Grande Partenza - or big start - in Albania for the first time in its history. After three days on Albanian soil the route returns to Italy, where the top GC contenders will battle it out for the prestigious maglia rosa, or pink jersey.

Following his historic Triple Crown triumph last year - winning the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and World Championships, for the first time since 1987 - Tadej Pogačar will not be back, but there are a host of other contenders ready to claim the title.

Last year the Slovenian romped to victory, winning six stages and the King of the Mountains jersey. Not content with that, he finished with an advantage just shy of 10 minutes over second-placed Dani Martínez - the biggest winning margin since 1965.

As Pogačar is skipping the Giro in 2025 that opens the door to favourites Primož Roglič and Juan Ayuso, but also some potential outsiders for the podium. In fact, there are five former winners present - Roglič, Egan Bernal, Nairo Quintana, Richard Carapaz and Jai Hindley. The Giro can see an eclectic mix of riders, with many opting out of the year's first Grand Tour to concentrate on a tilt at the Tour de France.

It's not just the GC action that is mouthwatering, with a host of sprinters and puncheurs to look out for - both Tom Pidcock and Wout van Aert will be making their debut, for example.

This year, Cycling Weekly will be covering the race with daily race reports, reactions following each stage, and analysis as the Italian showdown progresses.

Read more: Giro d'Italia 2025 route

Giro d'Italia 2025: Key details

Stage-by-stage reports from the Giro d'Italia 2025

Stage one: Mads Pedersen out-sprints Wout van Aert to take victory and pink jersey on stage 1 of the Giro d'Italia

Stage two: Josh Tarling wins Giro d'Italia's Tirana time trial as Primož Roglič takes the leader's maglia rosa

Stage three: Mads Pedersen reclaims pink jersey after second Giro d'Italia sprint win on stage 3

Stage four: Casper van Uden sprints to victory in unusual TT helmet on Giro d'Italia stage 4

Stage five: 'Truly incredible' - Mads Pedersen springs to hat-trick win on Giro d'Italia stage 5

Giro d'Italia 2025: The route 

The Giro d'Italia 2025 will kick off in Durrës, Albania, with a medium-mountains opener traversing 164km to the Albanian capital Tirana. Billed as a 'mountain stage in the city' by organisers RCS, it will feature 1,800m of climbing, getting the race off to a less than gentle start.

Stage 2 will feature a 13.7km individual time trial on the streets of Tirana, before the Grande Partenza concludes with a similar medium-mountains test to Stage 1. The third stage of the Giro will take in 2,800m of climbing compacted into a short 160km loop starting and ending in Vlorë.

After a tricky first three days the fast men come into the equation, with three back to back flat (or flat-ish) stages as the race heads into its mother country. There are six sprint stages in total, including the now-customary loop in and out of Rome on the final day.

A jaunt in the Apennines and some Tuscan white gravel also feature in the opening week, while the action returns with the second of two time trials. There isn't much climbing in the first half of the race, but the organisers make up for it with a challenging final week, with more than 5,000m of climbing packed into both Stages 19 and 20. Those two days in the saddle will decide the winner of this year's Giro d'Italia.

Read more: Giro d'Italia 2025 route

Giro d'Italia 2025: Stage-by-stage

Giro d'Italia 2025: The jerseys

The rider wearing the pink jersey (maglia rosa) leads the general classification. This is the rider who has accumulated the fastest time around the route so far, inclusive of time bonuses collected. On the final day, it is awarded to the overall general classification winner along with the Trofeo Senza Fine.

There are other jerseys up for grabs too. The purple (ciclamino) jersey is awarded to the rider who has accumulated the most points. More points are offered at the end of flatter, punchier stages than on mountain finishes, so this is a jersey for the sprinters. The blue (azzura) jersey goes to the rider who accumulates the most points on classified climbs, and the white (bianca) jersey is like the pink jersey but given to the best young rider under 26.

Read about the Giro d'Italia jerseys here.

More about the Giro d'Italia 2025

• Giro d'Italia 2025 route
• Giro d'Italia 2025 start list
• Giro d'Italia jerseys
• How much prize money does the winner of the Giro d'Italia get?
• How to watch the Giro d'Italia
• What is the 'Red Bull KM' at the Giro d'Italia?
• What teams are riding what bikes at the Giro d'Italia
• Who will win the Giro d'Italia 2025? The GC contenders vying for the pink jersey
• Why is the Giro d'Italia starting in Albania?
• Tom Pidcock, Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert - meet the stage hunters of the Giro d'Italia 2025

Giro d'Italia: Past winners

The Ghent Six is an annual track cycling event held in the Belgian town of Ghent.

Unsurprisingly the reason for it to be called a Six is because the event takes place over six days on the boards of the Kuipke velodrome in Ghent, Belgium.

The format of Six-Day racing gained it's popularity in the late 1800s at New York's famous Madison Square Garden - this is where the name Madison comes from - with racing going on for 24 hours over the full six days.

It started out with teams of two racing around the clock, one would race while the other rested before being launched into racing over the six days and nights.

Unsurprisingly, this changed and now both riders are on the boards with each rider taking turns to race before being slung into action by their team-mate after taking a lap or so out.

The Kuipke is unique in the world of European velodromes, firstly due to it being much shorter than the standard velodrome (which is 250m) as this venue is 166-metres long, this makes it a close and intimate venue with incredibly steep banking on the corners.

The Ghent Six Day was first held back in 1922 which was won by Marcel Buysse and the superbly named Oscar Egg. Great rider, but he didn’t half cause a mess when he fell off.

The rider who has won the event the most times is Patrick Sercu who claimed victory with various team-mates 11 times. Australian rider Danny Clark has six.

Bradley Wiggins has won the event twice (2003/2016) and come second once (2002) making him the most successful Brit at the event, taking the 2016 event as Madison world champions along with Mark Cavendish.

Cavendish had also come second along with Deceuninck - Quick-Step team-mate and Six Day racing legend, Iljo Keisse in 2014.

The last winners of the event were Belgians Kenny De Ketele and partner Robbe Ghys. 

There was not a 2020 event due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and as of 2019 team time trial mixed relay. This is across Junior, U23 and senior ranks.

The first championship was held in 1921 and is usually held late in the season, following the Vuelta a España. They are held in a different region every year and the course can change dramatically, from flat sprinters courses, to pure mountain routes.

Italy top the metal table, with 52 golds since the race was conceived. The most successful rider was Italian Alfredo Binda who won the race three times and took home Bronze once. More recently Óscar Freire matched this achievement. Peter Sagan is the first rider to take the honours three years in a row.

The Benelux Tour – formerly known as the BinckBank Tour and Eneco Tour – is a WorldTour-level week-long race incorporating stages in both the Netherlands and Belgium. In 2021 it takes place between August 30 and September 5.

Thanks to its undulating terrain, its short, steep hills and cobbled sections, the Benelux Tour already has the feel of the spring Classic that spring forgot; often featuring roads used in famous one-day races such as the Amstel Gold Race, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Tour of Flanders. As a result, it produces winners that wouldn't usually be tipped for WorldTour stage races.

This race often attracts the biggest Classics names, this year may see less big names as it is just after the World Championships and just before the Giro d'Italia, with the Ardennes Classics starting in the same week. Some famous classic and sprinting names are bound to be drawn to the race though.

It has also become known for one of the more exciting new styles of racing in the WorldTour thanks to the 'Golden KM' where riders have three intermediate sprints, all with three, two and one bonus second on within one kilometre, often changing the outcome of the race.

This has caused some explosive racing through the whole week, especially on the final stage where the placement of the Golden KM is on the famous Bosberg cobbled climb.

BinckBank Tour 2021 route

The route for the 2021 Benelux Tour is yet another testing one with several very hill stages, an 11.1km time trial, a couple of sprint stages and the usual Flandrien epic finishing in Geraardsbergen.

Stage one, Surhuisterveen to Dokkum (169.6km)

Stage two, Lelystad to Lelystad (11.1km ITT)

Stage three, Essen to Hoogerheide (168.3km)

Stage four, Aalter to Ardooie (166.1km)

Stage five, Riemst to Bilzen (188km)

Stage six, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve to Houffalize (207.6km)

Stage seven, Namur to Geraardsbergen (180.9km)

Former winners of the BinckBank Tour

2005 : Bobby Julich (USA) Team CSC
2006 : Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner
2007 : Iván Gutiérrez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
2008 : Iván Gutiérrez (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne
2009 : Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) HTC-Columbia
2010 : Tony Martin (Ger) HTC-Columbia
2011 : Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor) Team Sky
2012 : Lars Boom (Hol) Rabobank
2013 : Zdeněk Štybar (Cze) Omega-Pharma - Quick-Step
2014 : Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Belisol
2015 : Tim Wellens (Bel) Lotto-Soudal
2016 : Niki Terpstra (Hol) Etixx - Quick-Step
2017 : Tom Dumoulin (Hol) Team Sunweb
2018 : Matej Mohorič (Slo) Bahrain-Merida
2019: Laurens De Plus (Bel) Jumbo-Visma
2020: Mathieu van der Poel (Ned) Alpecin-Fenix

Key info: Start list

Previous editions: 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007

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Date of birth: July 30 1999

Height: 1.7 metres

Weight: 58 kg

Team: Ineos Grenadiers

Twitter: @tompid

Instagram: @tompidcock

Tom Pidcock also has his own official website 

Most notable achievements

Road
- Strade Bianche victory 2023
- Tour de France stage victory, Alpe d'Huez 2022
- Tour of Britain, second overall 2022
- Brabantse Pijl victory 2021
- Giro d'Italia U23 "Baby Giro" overall victory 2020

Cyclocross
- UCI World Championships victory 2022

Mountain bike
- Cross-country gold medal, Tokyo Olympic Games 2022
- Cross-country victory, UEC European Championships 2022 

Early life

Tom Pidcock was born in Leeds, Yorkshire on 30.07.1999. His Father, Giles, is a former cyclist and still heavily involved in the sport today. Tom's younger brother Joe is also a professional, and rides for the TRINITY Racing team run by Andrew McQuaid.

Right from the beginning, Pidcock was hooked on road and track and soon made the Great Britain Junior Academy. When not riding as part of the GB academy, he started out with a local team, Paul Milnes/Oldfield ERT.

Pidcock was on a bike from the age of three, riding on the paths surrounding Herne Hill velodrome in London and as much as he could while attending school. His first race came at the age of seven at the Castle Combe circuit in Wiltshire.

His first success on two wheels came with a victory in the British National Youth Road Series in Scarborough, near his Leeds home, aged 14.

Career to date

Pidcock's professional road career started with Team Wiggins where he raced for two years before joining Trinity Racing to focus on cyclo-cross and under 23 races. But it was in 2021 where the British rider made the expected move to WorldTour team, Ineos Grenadiers where he signed a three-year contract.

In 2018 Pidcock made his first starts at both the Tour de Yorkshire and Tour of Britain, performing better at the latter with a very solid 17th place overall.

2019 was one of Pidcock's most impressive years, winning races like the U23 Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Alsace as well as some brilliant rides including getting third in the U23 World Championships in Yorkshire, top results at the Tour de l'Avenir, with a few interesting results in the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he got 26th and then fifth at the Rutland-Melton Cicle Classic.

2020 was of course a tricky one, as it was for all riders, but he still put on some incredible displays at just four races, making his elite debuts in both the World and European Championships where he took 42nd and 55th respectively, European Championships where he took 42nd and 55th respectively. He also took fourth in the U23 European Championships time trial.

In 2021, Pidcock made his highly anticipated debut for Ineos Grenadiers at the Tour des Alpes-Martimes et du Var, only managing 86th, 81st and 37th over the three stages, finishing 52nd overall. His second race saw him go on the attack but not feature in the finish of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad as he finished 55th.

But it was the day after at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne where he first showed that he was full of promise, taking third in a small bunch sprint behind former world champion, Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo).

Later that Spring, Pidcock took his first steps to greatness on the road with his first major Classics victory at Brabantse Pijl. A few days later, he would be forced to settle for second place behind Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) in the Amstel Gold race after a dubious photo finish ruled he had finished behind the Belgian.

Before those two big results in Belgium and the Netherlands, Pidcock recorded a fifth placed finish at Strade Bianche, a race he would go on to win in the years to come.   

Just a few months later, things would suddenly go up a notch with a ground breaking result at the rearranged Tokyo Olympic Games. In the cross-country mountain bike event, Pidcock blew his rivals out of the water to land a first-ever gold medal for Great Britain in the event. The Yorkshireman also landed first place in mountain bike world cup rounds as well as in various cyclocross events.  

When 2022 arrived, Pidcock would rapidly begin the new year with a bang, winning the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Fayetteville, USA giving him the cross’ rainbow bands for the rest of the following year.   

His road campaign would begin with third place at Dwars door Vlaanderen- a key warm up race for the Tour of Flanders- before fifth on his return to Brabantse Pijl. Later that summer, he would go on to get his biggest result on the road yet, a stage win at the Tour de France on the Alpe d’Huez, one of the French Grand Tour’s most iconic climbs. 

In August, Pidcock's success would continue to arrive by the bucket load. At the mountain bike European Championships in Munich, Pidcock dominated from the moment the flag was dropped, going on to win the gold medal. The Yorkshireman put three-laps into his rivals in the process. 

The final few months of the 2022 road season saw Pidcock finish second at the Tour of Britain. He also was leading the points classification before the race was cancelled due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Many felt that if the race had continued, Pidcock would have comfortably wrapped up the overall title due to the form he had displayed in the races early stages.

During the off season, Pidcock competed in a handful of cyclocross races across Europe, including the Dublin round of the UCI cyclocross world cup.

There was much discussion about whether he would look to defend his cyclocross world title in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands, although the Yorkshireman and his coaches refused to commit themselves either way.

In the meantime, the Ineos Grenadiers man won the Boom round of the Superprestige competition in Belgium, he also took the runner up spot in Diegem behind Wout van Aert in the same competition.  As well as those two results, Pidcock finished on the podium at three rounds of the world cup.

Eventually, he would sit out the cross' worlds, with the aim of starting his 2023 Spring Classics campaign on the road in the best shape possible.


When 2023 arrived, that decision would prove to be an important one. In early February, Pidcock beat the likes of Jai Hindley (Bora-Hansgrohe), Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) and Sergio Higuita (Bora-Hansgrohe) in a steep, uphill sprint to win stage four of the Volta ao Algarve. His form was evidently there.

A few weeks later, on Saturday 5 March 2023, Pidcock got his biggest win on the road  since Alpe d'Huez by taking the honours at Strade Bianche in sensational style.

It was a performance for the ages, and arguably his finest victory yet. Since then, Pidcock was forced to sit out Milan-San Remo after being diagnosed with concussion in the aftermath of a crash at Tirreno-Adriatico. He returned to racing in late March at Dwaars door Vlaanderen.

Nationality: Belgian
Date of birth: September 15, 1994
Team: Jumbo-Visma

Twitter: @WoutvanAert

Wout van Aert is among the illustrious rank of riders who began their career riding the mud before transferring to the road, alongside Cadel Evans, Jakob Fuglsang, Peter Sagan and Matthieu van der Poel. Starting in cyclocross, Van Aert dominated the under-23 ranks, winning the Superprestige and World Championships, before replicating this at the senior level. For three successive years, the Belgian won the World Championship and National Championship titles.

In recent years, Van Aert has lived up to his potential as a Classics talent. He finished third in his Strade Bianche debut and 13th in his first Paris-Roubaix, both in 2018. In 2019 he want on to take third in Strade Bianche (again), second in the E3 BinckBank Classic and sixth in Milan-Ran Remo.

After a successful Classics campaign in 2019, there were high expectations for his Tour de France debut. Van Aert had already won two stages at the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Belgian National Time Trial Championships. The high expectations were met with his maiden Grand Tour stage victory in stage 10 from Saint-Flour to Albi, outsprinting Elia Viviani and Caleb Ewan.

He was also a remarkable support rider for sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, with Van Aert holding 500 watts for around five minutes during his lead-out effort on stage seven, which was eventually won by Groenewegen.

Then three stages later, he suffered a severe crash during an ITT. He was battling his compatriot Thomas De Gendt for the provisional stage lead before clipping a barrier in the final few kilometres, leading to a heavy cut to his upper leg.

The injury could have ended Van Aert's career, but after a long recovery process he returned to competition in December 2019, racing cyclocross in Loenhout and finishing fifth in his first race back. The 2019/2020 cyclocross season was an opportunity for Van Aert to return to fitness ready for a new Classics campaign, while also returning to his best on the CX circuit.

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Nationality: Colombian

Date of birth: January 13, 1997

Team: Ineos Grenadiers

Twitter: @eganbernal

Little was known about Egan Bernal before he was signed by Team Sky in 2018. Another rider from the long line of Colombian climbers, he was signed by Androni-Sidermec team boss Gianni Savio in 2016 and immediately began racing at the senior level, bypassing the U23 category.

Impressive results came quickly, with top 10 finishes in the Vuelta a San Juan and Tour of the Alps. His first professional win came in the Sibiu Cycling Tour with two stage victories and the overall, rubber-stamping his position as a force to be reckoned with.

The string of results drew the attention of Team Sky talent scouts and a contract buyout of €350,000 saw Bernal switch teams at the end of the 2017 season, then signing a five-year contract extension at the end of the 2018 season.

Throughout  2018, there were a flurry of questions surrounding the Colombian's development and whether Ineos were over-racing Bernal during a packed season. He rode as a mountain domestique in the Tour, supporting Thomas to victory and putting in a phenomenal performance on Alpe d'Huez, whilst also finishing second in the white jersey competition and 15th overall. The season also saw him win the overall at Amgen Tour of California and podium at the Tour de Romandie.

It was 2019 when Bernal's potential fully emerged as he became a leader in a Grand Tour. While he was initially due to lead Team Ineos at the Giro d'Italia, a training crash on the eve of the race resulted in him missing the Giro and instead racing the Tour.

Bernal came into the Tour piping hot, with GC wins in Paris-Nice and Tour de Suisse. However, his lack of Grand Tour leadership experience ensured many commentators wrote him off.

As a co-leader with Geraint Thomas, there were also persistent questions  rivalry between the two. It became apparent, however, that both were willing to work for the other and ultimately let the road decide. Decide it did and after 21 stages of one of the most exciting Tours in recent memory, Bernal became the youngest winner since 1909 and the first Colombian to win the race.

A phenomenal battle between the panache of the Frenchman Alaphilippe and the steadfast Ineos riders ensued. After holding the jersey for 14 days, stage 19 saw Alaphilippe lose yellow after being dropped on the Col de l'Iseran. After the stage was cancelled midway due to landslides at the summit of the climb, the time difference was enough for Bernal to take yellow, which he defended the next day, doing enough to be crowned overall victor.

In 2020, Bernal raced four stage races and the national championships, he dominated at the Route d'Occitanie but was bettered by other riders in the Tour Colombia 2.1 and the Tour de l'Ain, then he abandoned the Critérium du Dauphiné due to back pain.

The follow year, at the age of just 24, the Colombian won his second Grand Tour in the Giro d'Italia, collecting two stage wins in the process. Despite coming under difficulty in the final week, Bernal was able to hold a convincing winning margin, prevailing by almost a minute and a half over Bahrain Victorious's Damiano Caruso. That September, he went on to place sixth at the Vuelta a España. 

Bernal's 2022 season was expected to be one of his strongest, before a winter training crash threw his career, and life, into jeopardy. On home roads in Colombia, the Ineos Grenadiers rider collided at speed with a bus, suffering breaks to his ribs, femur, kneecap and vertebrae. "I almost killed myself," he said at the time, "but do you know what? I am grateful to God for putting me through this test."  

He returned to light racing in August, before ending his season the following month to undergo knee surgery in Colombia. 

Nationality: French

Date of birth: June 11, 1992

Height: 1.73m

Weight: 62kg

Team: Soudal Quick-Step

Twitter: @alafpolak

Most notable victories

World Championships Road Race: 2020, 2021
Tour de France: Six stage wins across the 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 editions. Winner of the mountains classification in 2018.
Milan-San Remo: 2019
Strade Bianche: 2019
La Flèche Wallonne: 2018, 2019, 2021
San Sebastián Classic: 2018
Tour of Britain: 2018

Career

Two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe has the same mystique as the French riders of old. A puncheur who rides with his heart, rather than his head, he has had a star-studded career that has seen him victorious in a mixture of Classics and stage races. The 2019 Tour de France saw a flying Alaphilippe hold the yellow jersey for 14 days, while the following year, he soloed to his first road world title, a feat he would repeat in 2021 to mark stunning back-to-back victories. 

The Frenchman began his career as a cyclo-cross rider, before signing for the Etixx-IHNed team, the development squad for the WorldTour team Omega Pharma-Quick-Step. The 2013 season was his breakthrough year, with a stage win at the Tour de l'Avenir, which saw him bumped up to the elite Quick-Step squad and take his first professional win in stage four of the Tour de l'Ain.

After having gained experience in a domestique role, his first major chance came in the 2015 La Fléche Wallonne, when he made the crucial split before finishing second behind Alejandro Valverde, ahead of Classics veteran Michael Albasini. Alaphillipe backed up this result on the following weekend at Liége-Bastogne-Liége, proving that Fléche Wallonne was no fluke. A stellar season ended early with a diagnosis of glandular fever and extreme fatigue.

Building on his 2015 form, he placed second again in La Fléche Wallonne the following year, before clinching overall victory at the Tour of California. A strong showing at the Critérium du Dauphiné and the Tour de France in 2016 cemented his place as a young rider to watch. A few weeks later, he battled to fourth in the Olympic road race after a heavy crash on the final descent.

The Frenchman missed the 2017 Classics season and the Tour due to a knee injury, however his debut Vuelta a España appearance resulted in his maiden Grand Tour stage win, with the remaining riders of the day's breakaway unable to hold his wheel on the final climb.

The consecutive second places in the previous three years at La Fléche Wallonne clearly hung over Alaphillipe, with 2018 being the year to rectify this. He launched his attack on the final ascent of the Mur de Huy, dropping Valverde. In a post race interview he spoke about finding the "bit that was missing between the podium and first place." He rounded out a stellar season with two Tour stage wins and the GC at the Tour of Britain.

In many ways, 2019 was the year of Alaphillipe. Successive victories in Strade Bianche,  Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo was merely a taste of what was to come. The Tour that year saw him win two stages as well the hearts of the entire French nation. His surprising climbing ability, well into the third week, pushed Ineos onto the back foot and many willed the Frenchman onto victory.

Alas, the now famous stage 19 landslide saw Alaphillipe lose his grip of the jersey. It still remains uncertain as to where his future lay.

Since the 2019 Tour, the Frenchman went on to reach new heights in his career, prevailing at the Road World Championships in Imola, Italy, the following year. 

In 2021, the then Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider defended his world title in style, breaking away on the finishing circuit in Leuven, Belgium and soloing to the line. Across both years, he added to his Tour de France stage win tally, taking the yellow jersey in the first week of both the 2020 and 2021 editions. 

2022 brought a year of misfortune for Alaphilippe. In April, he was hospitalised after careering into a tree at Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He suffered two broken ribes, a broken scapula and a punctured lung, which left him sidelined for two months. 

He returned to winning ways in July at the Tour de Wallonie, before a bout of Covid struck him down. Then, at the Vuelta a España, Alaphilippe had to call off his support duties early, abandoning the race with a dislocated shoulder on stage 11.