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Pro Log: Track Champions League axed; Fem van Empel to take a break; UK Grand Départ confirmed; Milan San Remo results
Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. Here’s a rundown of the latest results before we get started:
- Men’s Milan-San Remo, Sat 22nd March: 1st Mathieu van der Poel, Alpecin-Deceuninck, 6h 22min 53sec; 2nd Filippo Ganna, Ineos Grenadiers, +00sec; 3rd Tadej Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates XRG, +00sec.
- Women’s Milan-San Remo, Sat 22nd March: 1st Lorena Wiebes, SD Worx-Protime, 3h 43min 32sec; 2nd Marianne Vos, Visma-Lease a Bike, +00sec; 3rd Noemi Rüegg, EF Education-Oatly, +00sec.
- GP de Denain, Thurs 20th March: 1st Matthew Brennan, Visma-Lease a Bike, 4h 15min 54sec; 2nd Gianni Vermeersch, Alpecin-Deceuninck, +00sec; 3rd Dries de Bondt, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, +00sec.
- Men’s Nokere Koerse, Weds 19th March: 1st Nils Eekhoff, Picnic PostNL, 4h 15min 42sec;2nd Matteo Moschetti, Q36.5 Pro Cycling, +00sec; 3rd Luke Lamperti, Soudal Quick-Step, +00sec.
- Women’s Nokere Koerse, Weds 19th March: 1st Marta Lach, SD Worx-Protime, 3h 25min 50sec; 2nd Linda Zanetti, Uno-X Mobility, +00sec; 3rd Lara Gillespie, UAE Team Emirates ADQ, +00sec.
Mathieu van der Poel wins Milan-San Remo again
Mathieu van der Poel made it three victories in a row for Alpecin-Deceuninck at Milan-San Remo. The Dutchman was able to stick to Tadej Pogačar‘s attacks from the Cipressa onwards, even trying to launch his own bid to go solo on the Poggio.
While Filippo Ganna was briefly dropped from the two leaders several times, he worked his way back on the run in to San Remo to be in contention again for the sprint finish. Van der Poel, who won Milan-San Remo in 2023, launched his sprint early and had the power to see off both his rivals on the Via Roma for glory in a race for the ages.
Lorena Wiebes crowned after 20-year absence for women’s Milan-San Remo
The women’s Milan-San Remo made its long-awaited return after two decades. The 156km race departed Genova for the Tre Capi, Cipressa and Poggio before the finish in San Remo. Elisa Longo Borghini was the only favourite to create a gap after a last-minute attack in the final 2km, but was reeled in by a determined Lotte Kopecky.
It was a perfect display of teamwork by Kopecky to sacrifice her chances to bring the small group back together for a sprint, which was then won by her SD Worx teammate Lorena Wiebes ahead of Marianne Vos and Noemi Rüegg.
Men’s and women’s 2027 Tour de France to begin in the UK
After a couple of weeks of rumours, it has been confirmed that both the men’s and women’s Tour de France races in 2027 will kick off in Great Britain. Edinburgh will host the men’s Grand Départ, with the following two stages to take place in Wales and England. The plan for the Tour de France Femmes stages is yet to be confirmed, but it will be the first time the men and women’s pelotons will have come to the same nation outside France in the same year, and the first overseas start for the women’s race.
The men’s Tour de France last visited British roads in 2014, when the race kicked off with a pair of stages in Yorkshire before a stage down to London, with massive crowds in attendance throughout as Marcel Kittel won two of the three stages.
Fem van Empel to take time off
Visma-Lease a Bike’s Fem van Empel has announced she is taking some time off to prioritise her mental health. After another strong cyclocross season in which she won her second consecutive World Championship, Van Empel raced in Strade Bianche and Trofeo Alfredo Binda on the road this month, however she didn’t finish Binda and will now take a pause from racing.
She said, ‘In recent years, I’ve been on an incredible journey – winning three world and European titles at the highest level of cyclocross. This has required a lot of dedication and daily commitment. Right now, I’m facing some challenges. After discussing it with the team, we’ve decided that taking a break from racing is the best step for my mental health and well-being. I’ll focus on my recovery with the goal of coming back stronger.’
UCI and Warner Bros Discovery cancel Track Champions League
An update from the UCI and WBD Sports
— UCI Track Champions League (@UCITCL) March 24, 2025pic.twitter.com/2lazSZq4dE
The UCI and partner Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) have announced that the UCI Track Champions League has been cancelled, instead prioritising the UCI Track Nations Cup.
In a bid to ‘redefine’ WBD’s involvement in promoting track cycling, the UCI Track Nations Cup will be renamed the UCI Track World Cup from 2026 and it will play a role in the qualification process for the World Championships and Olympics. The series will be three rounds and consist of Olympic events plus the elimination race.
WBD also says the Track World Cup coverage will be on ‘linear, social and digital platforms as well as Warners Bros. Discovery’s wider network that includes free-to-air broadcasters and partners across the European continent’, and that for those outside of WBD’s remit it will be free to watch on the UCI’s YouTube.
See you next week.
The post Pro Log: Track Champions League axed; Fem van Empel to take a break; UK Grand Départ confirmed; Milan San Remo results appeared first on Cyclist.