Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. Here’s a rundown of the latest results before we get started:
Vuelta a Guatemala, Stage 3, Sun 25th October: 1st Wilson Chonay, Hino-One-La Red Suzuki, 4h 19min 59sec; 2nd Alejandro Granados Bonilla, Team Colono Bikestation Kölbi, +00sec; 3rd Freddy Toc, ECA Electricidad Ciclismo, +00sec.
Vuelta a Guatemala, Stage 2, Sat 24th October: 1st Cristian Rico, Nu Colombia, 5h 06min 33sec; 2nd Alejandro Granados Bonilla, Team Colono Bikestation Kölbi, +07sec; 3rd Logan Unger, Momen Racing-Aquaroni-Quici, +43sec.
Elite Women Individual Time-Trial, Italian National Championships, Sat 24th October: 1st Elisa Longo Borghini, UAE Team L’IMAD; 2nd Alessia Vigilia, Uno-X Mobility, +54sec; 3rd Letizia Borghesi, AG Insurance Soudal, +1min 03sec.
U23 Men Individual Time-Trial, Italian National Championships, Sat 24th October: 1st Nicolas Milesi, Netcompany Ineos Racing Academy, 20min 53sec; 2nd Davide Basso, Beltrami TSA-Tre Colli, +1min 12sec; 3rd Davide Frigo, Netcompany Ineos Racing Academy, +1min 19sec.
U23 Women Individual Time-Trial, Italian National Championships, Sat 24th October: 1st Giada Silo, UAE Development 25min 13sec; 2nd Livielle Ongarato, Horizons Cycling Club – Team 1971, +1min 41sec; 3rd N/A
Paula Blasi’s Movistar signing officially confirmed
A.S.O./Gaëtan Flamme
The rumour mill has been churning for months surrounding the future of Paula Blasi, arguably the breakout star of the 2026 season and certainly one of the hottest prospects in women’s cycling – and it has finally been confirmed that she will be making the move from UAE Team L’Imad to Movistar on a three-year deal.
The 23-year-old is leaving before the end of her contract with UAE, the team with whom she started her career just last year, but after winning Amstel Gold Race and La Vuelta Femenina the relationship with the team had seemingly fractured, being sidelined for a domestique role at the Tour de France despite her form.
Having only started racing seriously from 2024 she’ll no doubt continue to grow, and at Movistar she can learn from Marlen Reusser and embrace the Spanish team environment.
Men’s Tour de France 2027 packs in the time-trialling
The 2027 Tour de France routes were announced last week, with the men’s starting in Edinburgh on 2nd July and culminating on 25th July on the Champs-Élysées. But while the race traverses the Jura mountains, Alps, Massif Central, Pyrenees, including decisive ascents of the Grand Colombier and Col du Portet, the focus for the next edition seems to be away from the mountains.
One of the biggest talking points is the number of time-trial kilometres with total of 71km, the most since 2012, with 38km and 33km individual TTs brought in to try to tip the scales away from another Tadej Pogačar domination.
Organisers will be hoping World ITT Champion and this year’s Tour runner-up Remco Evenepoel can bring the fight to Pogačar, with only three summit finishes and the action spread out to keep things as close as possible until the final week. Can the Belgian take another step in his climbing to truly challenge for the yellow jersey?
Another discussion has been around the incredible lacklustre Stage 20. So often a playground for the high mountains and delivering one final blow to shake up the GC, the penultimate stage for the 2027 race will be… flat. Probably to make up for the fact that the final stage in Paris will one again focus on Montmartre, with three ascents on the run to the Champs-Élysées.
Tour de France Femmes 2027 to finish atop Puy de Dôme
The Tour de France Femmes 2027 will kick off on 30th July in Leeds, heading to Manchester and Sheffield before a debut for the team time-trial at this incarnation of the race, with a central London course hopefully drawing the crowds before the race returns to France.
There are no Alps or Pyrenees on the menu next year, instead the race’s mountain tests will be in the Massif Central range, with a summit finish on La Loge des Gardes on Stage 7, an undulating Stage 8, and a final day showdown on the legendary Puy de Dôme on 7th August. The route is described as bringing ‘a Classic every day’ and – like the men’s parcours – seems to be prioritising the hills over mountains.
That final stage, which will also be 2027’s route for L’Étape du Tour de France Femmes, packs in over 3,800m of climbing and finishes on the volcano, which has hosted some of the men’s Tour’s most famous moments, though its last inclusion had no fans allowed on the roadside – let’s hope that isn’t the case this time around.
Elisa Longo Borghini wins eighth Italian ITT Championship
A.S.O./Jennifer Lindini
Do not adjust your sets. The Italian men’s elite time-trial took place in June and was won by Filippo Ganna, however the elite women, U23 and junior events were postponed and relocated, and now we have a women’s champion…
UAE Team L’Imad’s Elisa Longo Borghini won her eighth Italian ITT Championship. First victorious in 2014, the 34-year-old powered through the 19.7km course, averaging 50.839 kmh for a time of 23min 15sec, 54 seconds ahead of Uno-X Mobility’s Alessia Vigilia, with AG Insurance-Soudal rider Letizia Borghesi completing the podium.
Latest transfers
Since last week there have been a few more notable transfers in the WorldTour alongside Blasi. The headline moves include Michael Valgren going from EF Education-EasyPost to Netcompany Ineos, former Ineos man Ivan Sosa going from Equipo Kern Pharma to EF, and similarly Netcompany Ineos Racing Academy rider Nicolas Milesi has also signed for EF’s pro team.
Netcompany are also losing Laurens De Plus, who is going to Decathlon CMA CGM alongside Pavel Sivakov from UAE and Ben O’Connor from Jayco AlUla.
On the women’s side, EF Education-Oatly have signed Bodine Vollering – yes, Demi’s sister – from VolkerWessels as well as South African talent Lisa Bone; AG Insurance-Soudal have signed British rider Noemie Thomson from DAS-Hutchinson; and former MTB XCO World and Olympic Champion Jolanda Neff has signed a deal with Fenix-Premier Tech to add another multi-discipline star to the setup.