{"id":189662,"date":"2025-10-10T04:43:24","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T04:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/189662\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T04:43:24","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T04:43:24","slug":"eurotrash-when-will-the-one-day-race-reign-of-the-big-three-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/189662\/","title":{"rendered":"EUROTRASH: When Will the One-Day Race Reign of the Big Three End?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this cycling news roundup, we step back and look at the dominance of the Big Three (Evenepoel, van der Poel and Poga\u010dar) \u2014 and wonder when it might end. Plus we catch you up on some of the lesser, late-season races (including one won by\u2026Tadej Poga\u010dar), and look ahead to a uniquely strange race coming up in Andorra.<\/p>\n

TOP STORY:\u00a0<\/p>\n

When Will the One-Day Race Reign of the Big Three End?<\/p>\n

RACE NEWS<\/p>\n

Del Toro Wins Emilia & Gran Piemonte \u2013 he\u2019s Hot this Week
McNulty Storms to CRO Race GC Win
\nMeeus Outsprints Rivals to Claim Binche-Chimay-Binche Win
\nPogi Squeezes in Another Win Two Days After Euros
\nPoga\u010dar, Vingegaard, Roglic & Del Toro to Square off in Wacky Andorra Race
\nScheldeprijs Women to Be Part of UCI ProSeries<\/p>\n

RIDER & TEAM NEWS<\/p>\n

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\nIsrael-Premier Tech Orients Away from Explicit Israeli Affiliation
\nDutchman Marsman to Join van der Poel at Alpecin Deceuninck<\/p>\n

VIDEO Feature<\/p>\n

The PEZ 2024 Lombardia Preview Chat with Chris Horner<\/p>\n

\"TOP<\/p>\n

When Will the One-Day Race Reign of the Big Three End?<\/p>\n

In winning the European Championships Road Race, Tadej Poga\u010dar nosed into the only remaining significant one-day race not recently won by him, Remco Evenepoel or Mathieu van der Poel \u2014 aka The Big Three (not to be confused with the Big Three of stage racing, since Jonas Vingegaard is a practical non-factor in single-day competitions).<\/p>\n

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The table below lays out just how dominant these three riders have been: Of the 30 races since 2023 that we would call \u201csignificant\u201d (Worlds\/Olympics\/Euros + Monuments + Near-Monuments), the Big Three of won 23. With just a couple of exceptions, including Skjelmose\u2019s surprise win at Amstel Gold this year,\u00a0 the only times one of the Three doesn\u2019t win is when the profile is flat enough to open up to other contenders \u2014 or when they simply don\u2019t show up.<\/p>\n

\"Dauphine<\/p>\n

Worlds and Euros were once the domain of sprinters and\u00a0puncheurs, but as course design has gravitated (as it were) towards ascent-fests, those riders have largely been ruled out of likely contention, and even decide not to show up. In fact, should the trend continue, the Big Three may well narrow to the Big Two, as MVDP self-selects out of starting even races that he once won, albeit on punchier courses.<\/p>\n

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As we wrote in Thursday\u2019s EuroTrash<\/a>, the only other crack we foresee in the Big Three\u2019s stranglehold (apart from severe crashes or illness, which we don\u2019t want to see) is the emergence of a new hyper-talented rider. Whether that\u2019s Paul Seixas, or a matured Isaac del Toro, we\u2019re not sure \u2014 but we do look forward at least to something like The Big Four.<\/p>\n

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Race
\n2023 Winner
\n2024 Winner
\n2025 Winner<\/p>\n

World Championship RR
\nMathieu van der Poel
\nTadej Poga\u010dar
\nPoga\u010dar<\/p>\n

Olympic Road Race<\/p>\n

Remco Evenepoel<\/p>\n

Milan-San Remo
\nvan der Poel
\nJasper Philipsen
\nvan der Poel<\/p>\n

Tour of Flanders
\nPoga\u010dar
\nvan der Poel
\nPoga\u010dar<\/p>\n

Paris-Roubaix
\nvan der Poel
\nvan der Poel
\nvan der Poel<\/p>\n

Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge
\nEvenepoel
\nPoga\u010dar
\nPoga\u010dar<\/p>\n

Giro di Lombardia
\nPoga\u010dar
\nTadej Poga\u010dar
\n??<\/p>\n

Strade Bianche
\nTom Pidcock
\nPoga\u010dar
\nPoga\u010dar<\/p>\n

Amstel Gold
\nPoga\u010dar
\nPidcock
\nMattias Skjelmose<\/p>\n

Fleche Wallone
\nPoga\u010dar
\nStephen Williams
\nPoga\u010dar<\/p>\n

European Championships RR
\nChristophe Laporte
\nArnaud De Lie
\nPoga\u010dar<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

RACE NEWS<\/p>\n

JUST IN: ISAAC DEL TORO CLOSES A LOOP OF FIFTEEN VICTORIES
Mexican wonder boy claimed his fifteenth victory of the 2025 season at GranPiemonte in the same region where he started winning at Milano-Torino. Marc Hirschi and Bauke Mollema rounded out the podium in Acqui Terme.<\/p>\n

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Acqui Terme, 9\u00a0October 2025 \u2013\u00a0The hot favourite of Gran Piemonte presented by Cr\u00e9dit Agricole with five victories in Italy in one month plus fifth and seventh at the world championships, respectively for time trialing and road racing, Isaac Del Toro didn\u2019t disappoint once again. He caught attackers Marc Hirschi and Bauke Mollema on the Castelletto d\u2019Erro climb and dropped them off with 17km remaining to grab another solo win at Acqui Terme in a season that will also remain special because of his second place overall in the Giro d\u2019Italia after eleven days in the Maglia Rosa.<\/p>\n

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FINAL RESULTS<\/p>\n

1 \u2013 Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) \u2013 179km in 4h08\u201924\u201d, average speed 43.237km\/h
2 \u2013 Marc Hirschi (Tudor Pro Cycling Team) at 40\u2033
3 \u2013 Bauke Mollema (Lidl-Trek) at 44\u2033
4 \u2013 Fabio Christen (Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team) at 1\u201907\u201d
5 \u2013 Michael Matthews (Team Jayco AlUla) s.t.<\/p>\n

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PRESS CONFERENCE
The winner of the 109th GranPiemonte presented by Cr\u00e9dit Agricole,\u00a0Isaac Del Toro, said:\u00a0\u201cI wanted to have a good season but it\u2019s been slightly better than what we all expected. We\u2019re not a team that goes ahead with an excess of confidence. We always look for room for improvement. I was told the last climb today was hard but I didn\u2019t imagine it this hard, so to have done on the first lap helped to know what to do the second time up the hill. I remained focused to attack at the right time. Obviously we\u2019re proud and happy with all the results we got as a team this year so far. On Saturday at Il Lombardia, the number one goal remains to do a good race for Tadej [Pogacar], to help him take the less possible risks and obviously to stay with him as long as we can and stay attentive. The truth is that Tadej is a very good person. He\u2019s more clever than what is perceived from outside of the peloton. There\u2019s always something to learn from him. To race alongside him helps to understand where you end up\u201d.<\/p>\n

Runner-up\u00a0Marc Hirschi\u00a0said:\u00a0\u201cIt feels nice to come second at GranPiemonte, like two years, because Isaac [del Toro] was very strong today. Second is the maximum achievement I could do. He closed the gap and when he attacked again, I couldn\u2019t follow, so I can be very happy with the second place. The only way to maybe beat him was to force some breakaway, that\u2019s what we did with Matteo [Trentin] so they\u2019d use more riders in the chase. We wanted to go away before him because with the shape he has now, we knew it\u2019d be difficult in the last climb. We did it perfectly but he was still strong. Il Lombardia on Saturday is a different race than today\u2019s with longer climbs. My shape is growing, I feel good, we have a very strong team with Julian Alaphilippe and Michael Storer. For me, personally, the goal will be to make the top 10\u201d.<\/p>\n

Third on the podium,\u00a0Bauke Mollema,\u00a0said:\u00a0\u201cIt feels nice to stand on the podium again after a while, especially in a hard one-day race like today. I\u2019m happy with the result. I mean, Del Toro\u2026 he was too strong! It was nice to be up there in the final. We came quite close but we got the maximum we could hope for. [17 years younger], he could be my son, it\u2019s crazy how good these young guys are. It was good to start the last climb with an advantage. After 1km of climbing, I already heard Del Toro was coming across so I tried to save a little bit to survive the steep part and stay on his wheel a little bit longer. But he went so fast in the last kick, he made a big attack. It was nice to be with [Marc] Hirschi to ride together till the finishing line. I knew I was in good form the last couple of weeks, already since the Tour of Britain. The world championship was my goal and I wasn\u2019t satisfied with my performance in Rwanda but the last week I felt the hard work done in August and September made something possible for these last Italian races of the year. I\u2019m happy with the result and Il Lombardia on Saturday is another opportunity\u201d.<\/p>\n

STATISTICS<\/p>\n

15th win this season for Isaac Del Toro, the same as Tim Merlier. In 2025, only his team-mate Tadej Pogacar won more (19) so far.
\nDel Toro recorded his 18th pro win at GranPiemonte: he is 21 years old, and will turn 22 on November 27. At the same age, Pogacar had recorded 13 wins, going up to 17 before turning 22.
\nDel Toro recorded half of his pro wins in Italian races: 9 out of 18, including the last 6, starting in Larciano on September 7. His first Italian victory took place also in Piedmont, at Milano \u2013 Torino, on March 19 this year.
\n92nd win this season for UAE Team Emirates: the highest value in this century, up from the 85 scored by Team Columbia \u2013 High Road in 2009. This is their first win at GranPiemonte.
\nFirst ever win for Mexico at GranPiemonte: it\u2019s the 15th winning country, coming after the U.S.A., which scored their first win last year with Neilson Powless. GranPiemonte had winners from 7 different countries in the last 7 editions.
\nSecond podium at GranPiemonte for Marc Hirschi, after another second place in 2023.
\nFirst podium for Bauke Mollema since his second place to Filippo Ganna in the prologue of the Deutschland Tour in 2022. Aged 39 and 9 months, he\u2019s 17 years older than Del Toro.<\/p>\n

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McNulty Storms to CRO Race GC Win<\/p>\n

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) became the first rider to win the CRO Race twice, defending his 2023 title with a 1:39 lead over Edoardo Zambanini (Bahrain Victorious). Racing largely in extremely wet, autumnal conditions, the 27-year-old American sealed his third stage-race win of the year after earlier victories in Poland and Luxembourg.<\/p>\n

Frenchman Paul Magnier (Soudal Quick-Step) claimed the points jersey with four stage wins, while Oded Kogut (Israel\u2013Premier Tech) repeated his 2024 success by winning the rain-soaked final stage into Zagreb. Casper van der Woude (Metec-Solarwatt) took best climber honors, and Jakob Omrzel (Bahrain Victorious) was best young rider.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meeus Outsprints Rivals to Claim Binche-Chimay-Binche Win\u00a0<\/p>\n

Belgian rider Jordi Meeus added his name to the Binche-Chimay-Binche honors list with a powerful sprint victory on the uphill cobbles of P\u00e9pini\u00e8re. The Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe sprinter launched his effort at just the right moment, holding off Nils Eekhoff and Christophe Laporte \u2014returning to the podium after an injury-plagued season \u2014 after an aggressive and unpredictable race through Wallonia.<\/p>\n

The 2025 edition of the semi-classic saw constant attacking on the rolling course, featuring the Petit Poggio and Mur de Thuin. Early attempts to form a breakaway repeatedly failed, with high speeds splitting the peloton and leaving top favorite Jasper Philipsen stranded in a chasing group.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

Eventually, Dylan Vandenstorme, Pierre Thierry, and Mikkel Bjerg broke clear, but the reduced peloton\u2014driven by Israel-Premier Tech and Visma | Lease a Bike\u2014reeled them in on the final circuits around Binche. The expected sprint unfolded on the uphill finish, where Meeus seized the wheel of early attacker Jonas Abrahamsen before powering past to victory.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/p>\n

For Meeus, 27, this marks his fourth win of an excellent season, following successes at the Volta ao Algarve, Tour de Suisse, and Copenhagen Sprint. The triumph further cements his place among Belgium\u2019s most reliable finishers as the season draws to a close.<\/p>\n

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Pogi Squeezes in Another Win Two Days After Euros<\/p>\n

Tadej Poga\u010dar continued his unstoppable run with another commanding victory at the Tre Valli Varesine, just two days after the European Road Race Championships. The world champion characteristically broke away from the lead group with just over 20 kilometers to go \u2014 quite late for him \u2014 and soloed to the finish in Varese.<\/p>\n

Despite strong competition from Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d, Egan Bernal, and Isaac Del Toro, no rider could match Poga\u010dar\u2019s power. Behind him, Danish rider Withen Albert Philipsen sprinted to an impressive second, with Julian Alaphilippe taking third.<\/p>\n

The win marks Poga\u010dar\u2019s nineteenth triumph of the season and further cements his dominance ahead of Saturday\u2019s Tour of Lombardy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Poga\u010dar, Vingegaard, Roglic & Del Toro to Square off in Wacky Andorra Race<\/p>\n

On Sunday, October 19th, a very special one-day race will take place in Andorra. In the inaugural edition of the Andorra Cycling Masters, just four riders will compete for victory \u2014 but what the event lacks in quantity of racers, it makes up with quality, pitting Tadej Pogacar , Jonas Vingegaard , Primoz Roglic, and Isaac Del Toro against one another.<\/p>\n

The Andorra Cycling Masters isn\u2019t a UCI race, but this is a deliberate choice, explains organizer David Quintana. \u201cWe want to have four incredibly good riders race together without the support of teams,\u201d Sporza quotes . \u201cThis way, fans can see every year who the champion of champions is.\u201d<\/p>\n

The four competitors will compete twice: After an eight-kilometer uphill time trial on the slopes of the Coll de la Gallina \u2013 one of Andorra\u2019s most famous climbs \u2013 there will also be a regular race of just 32 kilometers in the heart of Andorra la Vella.<\/p>\n

In addition to the sporting competition, the organizers behind the brand-new event will also release a documentary in which fans will see the \u201chuman side\u201d of the cyclists, sports newspaper AS reports.<\/p>\n

The documentary will reveal what goes on behind the scenes and strengthen Andorra\u2019s position as a leading destination for cycling enthusiasts. The documentary will be available to watch on various on-demand content platforms later this year.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"scheldeprijs\"<\/p>\n

Scheldeprijs Women to Be Part of UCI ProSeries<\/p>\n

Two Flanders Classics races will receive a category upgrade on next year\u2019s road cycling calendar: Dwars door Vlaanderen for women had already been announced to join the UCI Women\u2019s WorldTour. In addition, Scheldeprijs for women will belong to the UCI ProSeries from 2026 for the next three seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are extremely proud to take this step,\u201d says Jack Vissers, chairman of the Schotense wielerclub. \u201cOver the past five editions, the interest from teams to participate in Schoten has been particularly strong. We are looking forward to welcoming all Women\u2019s WorldTour teams in the search for a successor to Elisa Balsamo.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a next step in the Closing the Gap program of Flanders Classics,\u201d says CEO Tomas Van Den Spiegel. \u201cAdding the Scheldeprijs for women was one of the very first steps we took, with the support of our presenting partner for women\u2019s cycling, KPMG. That we are now\u2026able to bring each of our women\u2019s races to the same level as the men\u2019s races is a continuation of a project in which we have enthusiastically taken on a pioneering role.\u201d<\/p>\n

RIDER & TEAM NEWS<\/p>\n

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Israel-Premier Tech Orients Away from Explicit Israeli Affiliation<\/p>\n

Embattled team Israel-Premier Tech announced<\/a> Monday that it will undergo a full rebrand ahead of the 2026 season, moving away from its current Israeli identity. Founded 11 years ago as Cycling Academy, the team grew from developing riders in non-traditional cycling nations to winning Tour de France stages. Owner Sylvan Adams will step back from daily involvement to focus on his role with the World Jewish Congress. A new name and direction will be announced soon, continuing the team\u2019s global talent mission.<\/p>\n

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Dutchman Marsman to Join van der Poel at Alpecin Deceuninck<\/p>\n

Alpecin-Deceuninck has signed Dutch all-rounder Tim Marsman for the coming seasons. The 24-year-old joins from VolkerWessels after several strong years on the Continental circuit with Metec-Solarwatt. Marsman, who won the 2023 Tour du Loir et Cher and a stage at the 2022 Tour de Bretagne, impressed this year with victory in the Olympia\u2019s Tour time trial. Known for his power on varied terrain, Marsman becomes the fifth Dutch rider on the roster for 2026, joining Mathieu van der Poel, Oscar Riesebeek, Senna Remijn, and Tibor Del Grosso.<\/p>\n

Watch the PEZ YOUTUBE Channel here<\/a><\/p>\n

With Lombardia looming large this weekend, it\u2019s not a bad time to revisit Pez\u2019s 2024 Lombardia Preview video chat with Chris Horner \u2013 below\u2026<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u2022 Gotta Comment, though or suggestion?\u00a0 Drop us a line at [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n

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