In this special edition of EuroTrash, Mike digs into whether Grand Tours are becoming less competitive — and learns that he should be watching the Vuelta after all. With little racing happening outside of Italy — save Per Strand Hagenes’ brilliant late victory at the Antwerp Port Epic — this version profiles Michael Valgren, who claimed an emotional Giro stage win after a four-year injury battle, crossing the line clutching his son’s Pokémon charm; Thomas Dekker, whose naked Oklahoma incident continues to haunt him; World Champion Magdeleine Vallieres, whose EF team serves up a charming profile — and Giro domestique Simone Consonni, who made headlines grabbing roadside ice cream. Plus Silicon Valley’s Spectrum Ride provides a glimpse into high-level — but amateur — group riding.
TOP STORY
- Are Grand Tours Becoming Less Competitive?
RACE NEWS
- Antwerp Port Epic 2026: A Battle Through Belgium’s Cobbles and Gravel
TEAM, RIDER AND CYCLING NEWS
- Valgren’s Grand Tour Dream Fulfilled After Years of Pain
- Naked Ambition: Thomas Dekker’s American Record Strikes Again
- A Day in the Life of World Champ Magdeleine Vallieres
- Ice Cream and Domestique Duties: Consonni’s Quiet Day at the Giro
MIKE’S RIDE OF THE WEEK
- The Spectrum Ride (Palo Alto, California area)
VIDEO
- Fidlock Bike Fastener Tech at Sea Otter
Are Grand Tours Becoming Less Competitive?
As I watched the closing kilometers of the Giro’s 16th stage — another walkover by Jonas Vingegaard — I was struck with a question: Are Grand Tours becoming less competitive?
I had no data informing the question, just anecdotes and memories — of easy wins by Pogačar, mostly, but also of other big time gaps by Vingegaard; I seemed to recall that Bernal’s 2019 Tour win came easily, as did at least a couple of Froome’s…
So I decided to consult the data. And the answer is…Maybe?
My memory, it turns out, is far from perfect: Bernal’s win — and two of Froome’s — were quite tight. Nibali’s rather immemorable Tour victory back in 2014, meanwhile, was a monster: 7:37 over…Jean-Christophe Péraud?
My hypotheses as I looked into this were that Grand Tours were becoming less competitive, and that the Tour, which draws the full complement of top talent, would yield the tightest standings.
Dead wrong on that second point.
It appears that we fans of heated races that keep us watching until the ultimate — well, the penultimate stage — should be watching the Vuelta. Notwithstanding those storied monster climbs and the strength-sapping effects of a full season of racing in the legs, the last Grand Tour of the year tends to be close.
Just a week ago I responded that I’d follow the Tour. Maybe I should shift my allegiances from Burgundy to Rioja.
As for the Giro…it sure appears that the pink line will soon skew north once again.
RACE NEWS
Antwerp Port Epic 2026: A Battle Through Belgium’s Cobbles and Gravel
While not a race of the sport’s biggest names, the 2026 Antwerp Port Epic delivered dust, drama, and a stunning finish on Pentecost Monday in Belgium.
With 28.5 kilometers of cobbles and 41.5 kilometers on unpaved roads, the race is one of the more interesting one-day classics of the year. The 193-kilometer route — raced on atypically warm day — made the race a true test of endurance and tactical nous.
Six WorldTour teams lined up for the race, featuring a few notables, including Tim Merlier, Dries De Bondt, Per Strand Hagenes, and Filippo Fiorelli. Early attacks were plentiful but short-lived, with the peloton reeling in each attempt before the race finally broke apart in the closing stages.
With five kilometers remaining, the tension in the lead group was palpable, with riders watching each other closely before attacks came thick and fast. It was Brent Van Moer who ultimately triggered the decisive move, bringing with him Per Strand Hagenes — who then countered brilliantly in the final kilometer to hold off Pau Miquel and Dries De Bondt in a breathless finish.
A thrilling edition of a race that probably deserves more renown than it receives.
TEAM, RIDER AND CYCLING NEWS
Valgren’s Grand Tour Dream Fulfilled After Years of Pain
For Michael Valgren, Wednesday’s Stage 17 victory at the Giro d’Italia was far more than a stage win. It was the culmination of a four-year battle back from injuries that came close to ending his career entirely.
In June 2022, Valgren hit the deck at La Route d’Occitanie and suffered a broken pelvis, a dislocated hip, and tears to his MCL, ACL, and meniscus. Having been forced to wait until his pelvis healed before he could even stand up, he then suffered problems with movement and extreme pain in his leg. The injuries were so severe that his future in the sport was genuinely in doubt. As Valgren himself reflected after the win, “If you ask me, I would say ‘no’ [my career was not in danger]. I think if they had asked my doctor, he would have said ‘yes,’ but they never told me. So I kept working on my rehab for more than a year, just to get back on the bike.”
Throughout that ordeal, EF Education-EasyPost never wavered. The team placed him with their development set-up in 2023 to ease him back into the top tier, allowing him to rebuild rhythm and confidence at his own pace. Such was his determination that he competed almost exclusively for the WorldTour team across that season.
The 34-year-old Dane ultimately launched a perfectly timed attack just under the flamme rouge on the road to Andalo to claim his first-ever Grand Tour stage victory, crossing the line holding his son’s green Pokémon charm aloft. It was his second win of a remarkable 2026 season, having already taken a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico in March.
“This was missing from my résumé. My career has been pretty good, but I needed this Grand Tour stage win,” he said afterwards. Few in the peloton could have disagreed.
Naked Ambition: Thomas Dekker’s American Record Strikes Again
Remember when Thomas Dekker and Laurens Ten Dam found themselves in jail before Unbound Gravel, having been found naked in public? The incident continues to follow Dekker.
The Dutch cycling veteran was briefly detained at Chicago’s airport on his way to Emporia for Unbound Gravel 200, and the hold-up cost him his connecting flight to Kansas City.
Ten Dam recounted the story on his podcast Live Slow Ride Fast, barely able to contain his laughter. “He was in trouble,” he said. “I had a missed call from him, but by then I was already asleep in my tent. When I woke up in the morning, I had a bunch of texts from him — ‘Lautje, I’ve been stuck for over an hour and I’m missing my flight. What did they ask you last time?’”
The reason for Dekker’s detention traces back to a previous American misadventure the two shared. While getting changed beside their camper van in Oklahoma, the pair were spotted in the nude and briefly taken into custody — an episode that apparently left a mark on Dekker’s U.S. criminal record. Not the most flattering kind.
“We were standing there naked in Oklahoma,” Ten Dam laughed. “Apparently a note was made somewhere saying: these are two sex offenders.” He admitted the same thing happened to him on his next trip to the States, though he had a trump card Dekker lacked. “They told me: bring your children along, then they’ll be a bit more accommodating. Thomas, of course, didn’t have that.”
And so Dekker sat waiting for three hours before officers ran a quick Google search, heard his explanation, and sent him on his way — flight missed, dignity only partially restored.
A Day in the Life of World Champ Magdeleine Vallieres
Last September, in Kigali, Rwanda, I had a chance to meet the (very) recently crowned World Champion, Canadian Magdeleine Vallieres. I found her to be kind and thoroughly self-effacing. Her trade team EF-Oatly produced this video, which proves my suspicions correct.
Ice Cream and Domestique Duties: Consonni’s Quiet Day at the Giro
Stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia offered plenty of drama — just not for everyone.
While the breakaway riders were putting on a show at the front of the race, the peloton ticked along at a comfortable pace. Simone Consonni took full advantage of the relaxed tempo, seizing the opportunity for a very unconventional pit stop.
Rather than collecting a musette from a Lidl-Trek team soigneur, the 31-year-old pulled over to greet his family roadside — and left with an ice cream in hand. On a warm day in the mountains, it was hard to blame him. Consonni, the older brother of professional cyclist Chiara Consonni, eventually rolled into the finish town of Andalo in 151st place, nearly twenty minutes adrift of stage winner Michael Valgren.
The Italian’s role at this Giro has never been about personal glory. His primary job is to serve as a lead-out man and all-round domestique for fellow Italian and sprint specialist Jonathan Milan, nursing him to the front when the roads flatten out.
But so far, this has not been the Giro that either Consonni or Milan — or Lidl-Trek as a whole — had envisioned. Milan remains without a stage win, his closest brush with victory coming on Stage 3 into Sofia, where he was pipped at the line by French youngster Paul Magnier. With the race entering its final week, time is running out for the team to make their mark.
Thanks to Wielerflits for this content.
MIKE’S RIDE OF THE WEEK: THE SPECTRUM RIDE (SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA)
I love a group ride, and have joined them up and down the West Coast: Portland’s Sauvie Island Shootout and Bend’s Hammerfest. The Rose Bowl Ride, House of Pain (East Bay), Port of Oakland, SWAMI’s in San Diego (various versions), Montrose — and several on the Peninsula, which seems to be home as many group rides as any MSA anywhere.
Saturday I jumped into the Spectrum Ride, as fast a ride as I’ve found. Spectrum is classic Silicon Valley, all energy and risk: guys breaking off the front on the downhills — and by cutting in front of oncoming cars, or blowing through intersections.
It’s not a hilly ride, though the intensity does ratchet up on a few steady grinds. The route runs through the uber-wealthy burgs of Woodside and Portola Valley, home to many a tech mogul. As I rode — when I could see straight — I spied several skinsuits and several superbikes; I saw Stars & Stripes on a 14 year-old kid aboard a $7,500 Emonda; Stars & Stripes on a 60 year-old Masters champ on the new Factor; and at least two more sets of sleeves with those telltale Stars & Stripes.
I cooled down by riding through the most beautiful college campus anywhere…
…and then by the gas station that consistently has the most expensive gas anywhere.
That’s not AI-generated!
PEZ VIDEO
Richard and I checked out a lot of cool new tech at Sea Otter last month. Here’s something downright groundbreaking: Fidlock’s magnetic-mechanical fastening systems.
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