It’s your early-season cycling news roundup, featuring Mike’s fanboy-view into Remco’s flying 2026 start and Wout’s accelerated recovery. Plus we check in on early-season races in France and Oman — while looking down the road at some the season’s, um…more headline-worthy races. Next up: UAE — and then things get serious!
TOP STORY
- Will Evenepoel’s Red Bull Launch Sputter or Soar? (Comment)
RACE NEWS
- Schmid Steals Dramatic Win in Muscat Classic
- Costiou Snatches Etoile de Bessèges Victory
- Amstel Gold: Who Will Succeed Mattias Skjelmose and Mischa Bredewold?
- Canyon, L’Etape Announce Partnership
TEAM, RIDER AND CYCLING NEWS
- Van Aert’s Recovery & Training Miraculously On Track
- USA Cycling Relaunches Collegiate All-Star Program
- Doping Doc Martí Is…Back?
Will Evenepoel’s Red Bull Launch Sputter or Soar? (Comment)
There’s little question that Remco Evenepoel is a generational talent. The problem is, he was born into the wrong generation — the one that also features the (arguably) greatest Classics rider of all time, and (arguably) the greatest cyclist of all time.
He’s the strongest time trialist riding today, and he can put that diesel engine to work in a range of one-day races. But his armor has fissures, the kind that rivals can pry open to the point of weakness: He often finds himself out of position and must muster a bigger effort than otherwise necessary. He’s strong in the hills, but can flounder in the high mountains. And moments of concern can fester and become a race-killing crisis of frustration.
It was all on display at last September’s World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda: The “weight of a nation”-style pressure, as cycling- (and Remco)-mad Belgians gathered in the African nation to root on (and lean on) their latest national hope.
The crumbling on the day’s selective climb — followed by a remarkable rally, steadily narrowing the gap to Pogačar. And the explosive reaction to some bike issue (that none of us ever really understood).
Heading into this season, we fans wondered: Would a berth on a new team — one arguably better equipped to support a GC contender than his Classics-focused former squad — lead to accentuation of the positive and mitigation of the negative? After just a couple of weeks, the answer seems clear: Remco is flying. He won five races in seven days, including leading a team time trial victory, winning a modified TT (that didn’t allow him to make full use of his “aero bullet” position) and a ludicrous 50-kilometer solo breakaway that had everyone wondering if he’d accidentally signed up for a Gran Fondo instead of a professional bike race.
But he hasn’t been vanquishing chumps: The Valenciana field included Joäo Almeida, considered by many to be the third-best stage racer in the world, plus rising talents Giulio Pellizzari and Antoni Tiberi. So I say: grant Remco and his new Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe team the gratification they deserve. It’s been a hell of a start. The season is (too) long; the “real” racing doesn’t start for a month — and unless his team decides to capitalize on this momentum by throwing him into MSR or Flanders, we won’t see him square off against Tadej until April 26, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
I’ll be counting the days to see if this is indeed real.
RACE NEWS
Schmid Steals Dramatic Win in Muscat Classic
The Muscat Classic’s ProSeries debut delivered drama as Mauro Schmid claimed victory in a thrilling three-man sprint finish on the Al Bustan heights overlooking Oman’s capital.
Swiss champion Schmid capitalized on numerical superiority after Adam Yates initiated a decisive late attack with 5 kilometers remaining. Two Jayco-AlUla riders, Schmid and Luke Plapp, immediately bridged to the two-time Tour of Oman winner, creating a two-against-one scenario. The trio held off both the charging peloton and counter-attacks from Astana’s Scaroni and Lopez before Schmid proved strongest in the final sprint.
The victory continues Schmid’s excellent early-season form. After winning two stages at the 2024 Vuelta, he narrowly missed overall victory at Tour Down Under, finishing second to Jay Vine. This time, he reversed fortunes against UAE Emirates XRG, with Yates settling for second and former Australian champion Plapp completing the podium.
Earlier, Baptiste Veistroffer (Intermarché-Lotto) animated proceedings with a solo breakaway, building a maximum advantage of 5’35”. However, coordinated chasing by Cofidis, Tudor, and XDS Astana gradually eroded his lead before he was swept up on the penultimate Hamriyah climb, setting the stage for the dramatic finale.
Costiou Snatches Etoile de Bessèges Victory
The 2026 Etoile de Bessèges concluded with high drama as Ewen Costiou detonated the final day time trial, winning the 10.3-kilometer stage and tearing up the general classification to claim overall victory. The Groupama-FDJ rider’s commanding performance in the concluding test to L’Hermitage completely reshuffled the standings in southern France.
Throughout four road stages, the race had remained tantalizingly close. Belgian racer Tom Crabbe took the opening stage with a late attack on the hilly finale in Bellegarde, while Mathieu Kockelmann edged Dylan Groenewegen in a photo finish sprint on stage two. Stage three belonged to Henri Uhlig of Alpecin-Deceuninck, who claimed his first professional victory after an attack-filled finale, and Joppe Heremans won stage four ahead of Lukáš Kubiš.
But the final time trial proved decisive. Costiou stopped the clock at 14:57, vaulting from outside the top ten into the overall lead. His margin was sufficient to overcome race leader Kubiš, who struggled against the clock and slipped down the standings. Paul Lapeira finished second overall with Maxime Decomble completing the podium.
The Etoile de Bessèges is a “true fans’” race, featuring not a ton of well-known riders, but exciting, unpredictable races and glimpses of talent on the rise. This was very much the case in the 2026 version.
Amstel Gold: Who Will Succeed Mattias Skjelmose and Mischa Bredewold?
On April 19, the cycling world will descend on Dutch Limburg for the 60th Amstel Gold Race. From Maastricht’s historic Markt to the iconic Cauberg summit, the day promises celebration and fierce competition.
Both the men’s and the women’s races start in Maastricht. The women race over a grueling 158-kilometer course featuring 22 climbs. After tackling early ascents like Maasberg and Keutenberg, they’ll complete four laps of the Valkenburg circuit, each including the Cauberg-Geulhemmerberg-Bemelerberg trio, before a decisive fifth Cauberg ascent. The winner succeeds Mischa Bredewold around 14:04.
The men face an epic 257-kilometer test with no fewer than 33 climbs. They’ll navigate through the tripoint region before hitting the Cauberg with 80 kilometers remaining. The finale intensifies with repeated ascents of Eyserbosweg, Fromberg, and Keutenberg, plus two more Cauberg climbs. The victor crosses Berg en Terblijt’s finish line around 16:55.
Eighteen women’s teams will compete, including all 14 WorldTeams plus four ProTeams. The men’s field features all WorldTeams and seven ProTeams, including wildcard recipients Pinarello-Q36.5, Tudor, and Cofidis.
Canyon, L’Etape Announce Partnership
TEAM, RIDER AND CYCLING NEWS
Van Aert’s Recovery & Training Miraculously On Track
Wout van Aert’s presence at Visma | Lease a Bike’s Sierra Nevada training camp represents a significant milestone following his ankle fracture at the Zilvermeercross in Mol just a month ago. The injury ended both his cyclocross season and initial spring preparations, but the Belgian star has now joined teammates at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento for a crucial three-week altitude training camp.
Visma | Lease a Bike’s Grischa Niermann provided an encouraging update: “He’s still in rehabilitation, but he can train quite well. I don’t think he could race yet. Training isn’t a problem.” Van Aert is training alongside Timo Kielich, Edoardo Affini, Christophe Laporte, Niklas Behrens, Bruno Armirail, and Davide Piganzoli as they prepare for the spring Classics.
Despite poor weather forcing indoor sessions initially, Niermann remains optimistic about van Aert starting at Opening Weekend on February 28th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. “We hope he’ll be in top form later on, but we do expect him to be ready for the Omloop,” Niermann stated.
While van Aert can’t fully weight-bear on his ankle yet, his ability to complete this planned training camp keeps his spring campaign on track for major targets including Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.
USA Cycling Relaunches Collegiate All-Star Program
USA Cycling will relaunch its Collegiate All-Star Program, a development opportunity that recognizes top athletes and offers them the chance to compete with a composite team in a prestigious U.S. stage race with elite-level support from USA Cycling.
The selected 2026 Collegiate All-Star athletes earned standout results during their 2025 USA Cycling Collegiate Season. Selected athletes are among the top performers in collegiate cycling and have shown strong results, teamwork, and leadership.
This year, the Collegiate All-Star athletes will race as composite men’s and women’s teams at the Redlands Bicycle Classic, bringing together varsity and club riders. Teams will be supported by a dedicated crew of directors, soigneurs, mechanics, and other support staff throughout the week.
“Collegiate cycling plays a critical role in athlete development in the United States,” said Vanessa Drummond, Collegiate Manager at USA Cycling. “The Collegiate All-Star Program brings together top student-athletes from both club and varsity programs to race as one team while gaining experience in elite level competition that can open new opportunities for their future.”
2026 Collegiate All-Star Teams
Women’s Roster
- Gabriella DIXON —University of Michigan-Flint
- Ajay BAKER —St. Charles Composite
- Kaya SCHROEDER —Milligan University
- Ava WILSON — Savannah College of Art & Design
- Finley ASPHOLM —Marian University
- Elanor FINLAYSON — Georgia Institute of Technology
- Jette AELKEN — Savannah College of Art & Design
- Bridget WILSON — Colorado Mesa University
Men’s Roster
- Aidan LEMORANDE —Colorado Mesa University
- Max ABNER —Clemson University
- Luca HAINES —Fort Lewis College
- Samuel MAYER —Savannah College of Art & Design
- Satchel KIM —Georgetown University
- Tom SCOTT —Marian University
- Andy SCARANO — Savannah College of Art & Design
- Dusan KALABA —Midwestern State University
Doping Doc Martí Is…Back?
Notorious doping doctor Jose Martí has allegedly returned to cycling, according to Escape Collective. The Spanish physician, infamous for his US Postal Service involvement, reportedly worked with amateur cyclist Jaume Soler Serrano, father of pro rider Marc Soler. Soler Serrano received an eighteen-month suspension from Spanish anti-doping authority CELAD.
Martí is already banned from working with athletes until June 2027. Violating this prohibition could trigger a lifetime ban, though CELAD documents don’t yet indicate additional penalties. He reportedly posed as a university professor researching cyclist performance.
CELAD had monitored both men before Spain’s Guardia Civil arrested them in August 2023. Soler Serrano’s suspension began last fall. Whether Martí faces further sanctions remains unclear, but his alleged return raises serious questions about enforcement of existing bans in professional cycling.
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