The ninth stage of Vuelta a Espana could've gone in many directions. Without Tadej Pogacar, there was for the first time a sense of uncertainty about the events of the day. When a strong breakaway finally formed up the road, it seemed as though peloton was quite content to let the escapees fight it...

The Teutenberg name returned to the top step of the podium in Philadelphia on Sunday, as Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) sprinted to his first professional road victory.His aunt, retired German sprinter Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, won the womens race five times and now works as a lead sports director with Lidl-Treks womens team. On Sunday, her nephew added his name to the Philadelphia honours roll by winning the first mens edition in 10 years.Making the most of Lidl-Treks numerical advantage, Teutenberg made the race-defining selection before beating Robert Donaldson (Jayco AlUla) and Jonas Rutsch (LottoIntermarch) in the three-up sprint.Teutenberg knew Donaldson well from their under-23 days and entered the finishing straight confident that he could beat the British rider."I sprinted a couple of times against [Donaldson] in under-23 [Paris-]Roubaix, and I won the sprint there, so I knew normally I should be faster," Teutenberg said. "But you never know."It was a bit of cat and mouse waiting. Then, with 220 metres to go or something, I just went with all I had. It was a clean set of wheels."The 24-year-old was also struck by the reception on the Manayunk Wall, where spectators packed the roadside for the races return."It was incredible how many people were there," he said. "It was super loud," comparing the atmosphere on the climb to the Tour of Flanders.Lidl-Trek plays its numbers(Image credit: Getty Images)After the decisive breakaway formed with two laps remaining, Lidl-Trek had options on both sides of the split. Teutenberg and Sebastian Grindley were in the front group, while U.S. national road racing champion, Quinn Simmons, pursued with Simone Gualdi (LottoIntermarch).Lidl-Treks advantage appeared to be slipping when Grindley punctured with around 20km remaining. Fortunately, Simmons was not far behind. "I didnt hit anything, but my rear wheel started to spray sealant, so this just happened to work out," Grindley said."The DS was debating bringing me back anyway and called me back to tow Quinn up to the front. This was literally 30 seconds before my flat, so it all worked out, really."After a wheel change, Grindley joined Simmons in pursuit of the breakaway. The trio regained the leaders on the first of two short finishing circuits, giving Lidl-Trek three riders at the front."We knew Quinn was super strong, so that somehow he would find his way and make it to the front and thats what he did," Teutenberg revealed. "I tried to slow the group down a bit, and when he arrived in the group, he immediately attacked."Lidl-Treks strength in numbers was clear, and its rivals were watching closely."We had a few guys in the move, but Trek always had us outnumbered," lamented Luke Lamperti (EF Education-EasyPost). "In the final, Teutenberg had been sitting on and, to be honest, he had good legs. We knew Donaldson was going well."Ben Oliver made the decisive selection for Modern Adventure Pro Cycling but was unable to follow the final move."I wanted to be on the hill when the attacks were going," Oliver said. "I snuck away with a group and we had a good group rolling. The legs kind of fell off at the end, but I made it to the final and had a good chance. I didnt quite make it happen, but Im happy to be in the mix."The reunion at the front created some confusion on Lemon Hill, allowing Rutsch, Donaldson and Teutenberg to power away from the enlarged group. Their acceleration produced the winning split, leaving Teutenberg to convert Lidl-Treks tactical strength into victory on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.With the Maryland Cycling Classic cancelled for 2026, the next top-tier race on the calendar is the Grand Prix Cycliste de Qubec on September 11, 2026. The UCI Road World Championships follow later that month, in Montreal, from 20-27 September.

Paul Magnier is undeniably one of the most exciting young riders in the peloton right now. The 22-year-old Frenchman entered professional ranks like a tornado, sweeping up no less than 32 victories across the three seasons with Soudal - Quick-Step. Of course, his performances attracted other teams t...

Construction works on the Narrow Water Bridge project have necessitated the closure of a section of the Carlingford Lough Greenway for six months, Louth County Council has said. The council said that the closure is required to ensure public safety while major works are being carried out on the under-construction bridge (an artists impression of the finished bridge is shown above).It said that diversions will be in place, but the diversion includes at least 1km on a busy regional road with no segregation. The greenway is planned to be fully closed between Lower Shore Road (L7051) and Victoria Lock from this Tuesday, September 1st to February 28th, 2027.The council said: Alternative routes will be clearly signposted, with Greenway users diverted via the Fathom Line, Newry Road (R179) and the L70541 (corrected). Local and emergency access will be maintained throughout the works. The temporary closure will facilitate a significant phase of construction on the Narrow Water Bridge project, a landmark cross-border infrastructure scheme linking County Louth and County Down, said Louth County Council.The council said contractors have completed the temporary marine piling works required for what is called the skid beam system, which will allow parts of the bridge to be put in place. While, off-site work is continuing to fabricate the bridge components that will be put in place using the skid beam system.The project is now moving from the foundations and enabling works phase into the highly visible bridge erection phase, which will see the structure begin to take shape over Carlingford Lough, the council said.The council added: Once completed, Narrow Water Bridge will provide a new connection between Omeath and Warrenpoint, enhancing sustainable travel, supporting tourism and strengthening links between communities on both sides of Carlingford Lough.

UAE Team Emirates - XRG's Joxean Matxin has provided an update on the condition of Tadej Pogacar, describing the Slovenian as being in a bad way as uncertainty continues over precisely what sent the general classification leader crashing out of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana on Stage 8. Pogacar suffered...

Sepp Kuss begins Stage 9 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana, the first mountain stage since Tadej Pogacars race-ending crash, sitting fourth overall and suddenly facing a realistic route back towards the red jersey he won three years ago. Pogacars withdrawal on Stage 8 removed a leader who had already bu...

German rider Tim Torn Teutenberg (Lidl-Trek) bested his breakaway companions to win the Philadelphia Cycling Classic, which returned after a 10-year hiatus.After spending two full laps in the decisive breakaway, Teutenberg, Robert Donaldson (Jayco AlUla) and Jonas Rutsch (LottoIntermarch) emerged as the only riders left in contention. On the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Teutenberg launched his sprint early and held off Donaldson and Rutsch to claim his first professional road victory.After its long absence, the Philadelphia Cycling Classic brought top-tier racing back to Pennsylvania with an 87-rider field included five WorldTour teams, alongside UCI ProTeams, Continental squads and the leading domestic teams.The racing was active from the onset and a seven-rider breakaway containing Philadelphia-native Robin Carpenter (Modern Adventure Cycling) formed during the opening lap. Canadian Derek Gee-West subsequently joined the move for Lidl-Trek, while Rutsch made an unsuccessful attempt to bridge across, leaving all the bigger teams, minus Lidl-Trek, unrepresented in the selection. The peloton seemed content to let the breakaway sit in the wind, and there was soon a 1:40 gap. It wasn't until the fifth of the eight 23.2km circuits that the breakaway started to falter. On the Manayunk Wall, a group of 11 riders attacked and eventually swept up the remnants of the breakaway, leaving a much-reduced race at the front.The decisive move formed on the sixth ascent of the infamous Wall after NSN Cycling Team increased the pace leading into the climb. Riley Sheehan escaped off the front and was joined by Donaldson, Luke Lamperti (EF Education EasyPost) and Teutenberg as the peloton splintered behind them.Rutsch started the chase once again but was aided this time by was Lidl-Treks Sebastian Grindley, Ben Oliver (Modern Adventure Cycling) and Eder Frayre (L39ION of Los Angeles). The two groups joined before the start of the penultimate full lap, giving Lidl-Trek two riders in the eight-man selection.Determined to not be left out, U.S. national champion Quinn Simmons attempted to bridge as the rest of the peloton looked to be out of contention. He joined by Simone Gualdi (LottoIntermarch). Simmons then gained a teammate when Grindley punctured out of the front group and, following a wheel change, joined the chase.In the front group, Oliver and Frayre lost contact with the breakaway on the final ascent of The Wall but were able to reconnect later on the descent. On this first of two short finishing circuits, Simmons' chase group caught the leaders, now giving Lidl-Trek three cards to play with. The reunion was short-lived, however. Rutsch, Donaldson and Teutenberg powered clear on Lemon Hill and carried their advantage onto the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where Teutenberg held off his two companions for the win.

Enric Mas delivered an emphatic first defence of the red jersey by winning Stage 9 of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana atop the Alto de Aitana, dropping Primoz Roglic before outsprinting Oscar Onley. Mas attacked with approximately three kilometres remaining after Decathlon CMA CGM Team had spent much of th...

The autumn of the 2026 season has a completely new spice to it. Due to the injuries suffered in a Vuelta a Espana crash, it seems like world champion Tadej Pogacar might have to miss the rest of the on-going season. This creates completely different dynamics for the races that are yet to take place,...

After finishing ninth overall at the Tour de France in July, Tom Pidcock returned to mountain biking at the World Championships in Val di Sole to win the mens elite XCO title for the second time in his career. Despite only having ridden one World Cup event so far this year, which he won at Nov Msto in May, the British rider once again proved to be too strong for his competition, beating many of the worlds best riders to reclaim the rainbow jersey that he last won on home soil at Glentress Forest in 2023.Starting 35th on the grid, Pidcock navigated the traffic and scythed his way through the field on the opening laps to move himself up towards the front of the race. By the end of lap four of eight, the double Olympic champion had fought his way onto the back of the leading group of Martn Vidaurre, Adrien Boichis, Cole Punchard and his British teammate Charlie Aldridge. A mistake on an uphill section through the forest on the fifth lap saw Pidcock lose ground, as he was forced to put a foot down after getting his tyre caught on a root. However, he quickly composed himself and gradually worked his way back to the leaders, remaining at the back of the five-rider group for the rest of the lap as he took some time to recover.After some brief respite, Pidcock came to the front at the start of the sixth lap, putting in a massive attack on an uphill section, which distanced Punchard off the back of the group. He then continued to push on through the remainder of the lap, with the other three riders battling to stay in his wheel.Another dig through an uphill section then saw Boichis distanced, leaving three riders at the head of the race. With the Frenchman dropped, Aldridge and Pidcock began to work to drop Vidaurre, but the Chilean continued to hold on as they went onto the seventh lap.However, the pace of the British duo ultimately proved too much for Vidaurre, as he began to lose ground and was ultimately dropped. It would now be a battle between Aldridge and Pidcock to decide the victory, with the recently-crowned European champion continuing to battle in the wheel of his more experienced compatriot.A brilliant move from Aldridge then saw him go down the inside of Pidcock through a sweeping right-hand berm on a downhill section, pulling out a small advantage over his teammate. However, Pidcock quickly worked to get back into the wheel, before attacking on the next uphill section, just as Aldridge was pausing to take a drink from his bottle.Centimetres then turned to metres for Aldridge as Pidcock began to open up a gap over the Scottish rider. The Yorkshireman then continued to power away, as Aldridge began to pay for his earlier efforts. As they went onto the eighth and final lap of the race, Pidcock had a nine-second lead over his teammate and was continuing to press home his advantage in what was quickly becoming a complete show of domination.Meanwhile, a rear-wheel puncture for Martn Vidaurre saw him fall to fourth place, whilst Cole Punchard produced an incredible comeback to move himself into a medal position in third place as they began the final lap.A valiant effort from Charlie Aldridge saw him continue to fight on, but he was simply unable to match Tom Pidcock, who held his bike aloft as he crossed the line to become World Champion once again.Aldridge then came home to complete a British one-two and claim his second silver medal of the week, after finishing runner-up in the short track event on Friday, whilst Punchard also held on to finish third ahead of a disappointed Vidaurre and Boichis in fourth and fifth respectively.Elsewhere, it was not a good day for Mathieu van der Poel, who finished four minutes and forty seconds behind Pidcock in thirtieth place, whilst double World Champion Alan Hatherly suffered misfortune with an early puncture and finished in forty-third place.In his post-race interview, an emotional Pidcock dedicated his victory to the late Finlay Tarling, who died aged 19 years old in a crash at the Volta a Portugal earlier this month.I dont have many words to be honest, said Pidcock. It was a hard road here after the Tour. I just want to dedicate this win to Fin Tarling and to Josh, seeing him start the Vuelta was incredible, so I want to dedicate this to his family.Having only raced his mountain bike once so far this year, Pidcocks form was unclear going into these championships, but he once again proved himself to be the best rider in the world at this discipline.I knew it was a course where you really couldnt overpace yourself and you had to ride within your limit, he said. I crashed pretty badly in practice on Friday and my back was hurting from the first lap. I really couldnt go any harder, so Im lucky that the pace I could hold was good enough to get to the front. On the last two laps I just had to push whatever I could and see if I could try to stretch that gap before a final sprint, and yeah, that was a pretty hard race.Always a balancing act between his road racing commitments and his ambitions in other disciplines, Pidcock laid out his plans for the next two years ahead of the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028, where he will be looking to win a third-consecutive gold medal in the cross-country event.Next year, Im not going to do as much mountain biking, Pidcock stated. Ill focus on the road and then return to mountain biking before LA the following year, but Ill need to find the time to come and wear those bands.ResultsUCI Mountain Bike World Championships 2026, Mens Elite Olympic Cross-Country1. Tom Pidcock, Great Britain, in 1:25:262. Charlie Aldridge, Great Britain, +17s3. Cole Punchard, Canada, +31s4. Martn Vidaurre, Chile, +59s5. Adrien Boichis, France, +1:066. Mathis Azzaro, France, +1:477. Dario Lillo, Switzerland, +1:548. Filippo Colombo, Switzerland, +2:029. Fabio Pntener, Switzerland, +2:0410. David List, Germany, +2:08