2+ hour, 45+ min ago (592+ words) 'I'm a climber and I love stage races. The harder and longer, the better for me' says 24-year-old Austrian SD Worx-Protime found itself in unfamiliar territory in 2025 when the team was well off the podium on the all-important queen stages at two out of the three Grand Tours, but the once dominant Dutch team is continuing to take steps to rebuild the depth in its climbing group with the signing of Valentina Cavallar through to 2028. There were some battles with illness and other obstacles to contend with in the 2025 season but even then Cavallar delivered a top ten finish on the summit of the Lagunas de Neila at the Vuelta Femenina and then captured eighth overall at Vuelta a Burgos before taking her first professional win at Alpes Gresivaudan Classic. "Valentina Cavallar is a great addition to our climbing squad,…...

9+ hour, 47+ min ago (408+ words) Qualifier events for the World Championships will run across 32 countries The 2026 Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series has again considerably ramped up in scale, delivering a swathe of new opportunities for riders to secure a spot in the UCI Gravel World Championships. The number of events in the qualifying series climbs to 45 in a move that will also increase the number of UCI points available to gravel specialists therefore providing more chances for riders to move their way up the grid at the race for the rainbow jersey, where the front rows of the elite races are often dominated by WorldTour riders. The 45 events across 32 countries compares with 2025's announcement of 33 qualifying opportunities. That was already a significant expansion on the year before for the series, which launched in 2022 with a 12-event calendar. Four of the 2026 qualifying events have already been…...

13+ hour, 12+ min ago (884+ words) Does more money equal more performance, or do the laws of diminishing returns come in to play? When it comes to cycling jackets, whether that's the best winter cycling jackets or the best waterproof cycling jackets, there is a huge range on offer covering full waterproofs to deep winter jackets. However some of these can really add up in price to several hundreds of pounds. The Assos Equipe RS Johdah for example comes in "635, or $830 while the Van Rysel Winter Road Cycling Jacket is "69.99, just shy of 10% of the price by comparison. But just what does an increase in price actually get you when it comes to jackets? Is it all marketing jargon, named brand snobbery, or actual technical enhancements which make the performance markedly better? When it comes to the more packable and insulated ones, those are the two…...

15+ hour, 10+ min ago (651+ words) Former Olympic MTB champion completes weekend sweep for elite women after late mistake by Gunsalus Cannondale Factory Racing teammates Jolanda Neff of Switzerland and Cole Punchard of Canada pulled out victories from last-lap drama in their respective UCI C2 elite races on Sunday at North Carolina Grand Prix. Lizzy Gunsalus (Marian University) and Lauren Zoerner (Competitive Edge Racing) repeated their second-place and third-place podium spots from the day before in the women's race. Neff rode solo both days for a sweep of C2 events, her first 'cross wins with a new Cannondale team. She began her MTB comeback this season after several years with an ongoing respiratory illness. Like Neff, the 22-year-old Punchard has focused on mountain biking, winning silver in the men's U23 XCO and bronze in the U23 XCC races at Worlds this year. He went straight to the win at his…...

15+ hour, 37+ min ago (525+ words) Geoffrey Bouchard had ended his seven-year pro career after fracturing his collarbone at Tour de Luxembourg "After 7 intense and memorable years, it's time to hang up the bike," is what Geoffrey Bouchard said on October 13 as he thought his time in professional cycling had come to an end, but just over a month later, TotalEnergies announced him as a surprise signing for 2026. Bouchard came to the pro peloton late, making his debut with AG2R La Mondiale in 2018 and staying there for the next seven years. Not a prolific winner, Bouchard did have several high points, notably taking the King of the Mountains jersey at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espa'a. He has one professional victory from a stage of the 2022 Tour of the Alps. After crashing out of the Tour de Luxembourg and fracturing his collarbone, and amid the current…...

16+ hour, 11+ min ago (455+ words) 'Who am I without my bike? Without the bike, I am Esteban. I am a son, I am a brother, I am a husband, I am a father' says former Il Lombardia winner Colombian cycling star Esteban Chaves has retired from professional cycling after 16 years at the top, EF Education-EasyPost announced on Monday. It was a decision that came without any regrets for the 35-year-old, who looked ahead to fatherhood and the next chapter of his life. "The decision is the right one," said Chaves on EF's website. "I am very happy. I am very proud of the sporting career I have had. I'm very happy to close this chapter in the way we are closing it. Who am I without my bike? Without the bike, I am Esteban. I am a son, I am a brother, I am a…...

17+ hour, 36+ min ago (881+ words) Some brands charge several hundred for a light, and some seem to charge pennies. Does it make a difference? This is probably the easiest reason for why some bikes cost more than others. A Trek Ion 200 RT has 200 lumens and costs "35-50 ($40-65) depending on where you shop. An Exposure Six Pack 15 light at "495 ($650) comes with a whopping 6,000 lumens. Cost per lumens, the Exposure light actually comes out at better value, though that only works if you actually need those extra lumens. This is an extreme example, as the Trek Ion is more of a commuter light, and will not illuminate a country lane well enough to ride safely in the dark. The Exposure meanwhile can be used for rapid downhill MTB adventures and illuminates most of the forest. Generally speaking, 600-1000 lumens is about right for riding at a reasonable speed on…...

18+ hour, 38+ min ago (670+ words) South Africa's Hayley Preen takes victory in elite women's race in Kenya, as Eritrea find success at all levels Nine months after fracturing several bones, including his ribs and lower back, following a crash at the Grand Prix La Marseillaise, Eritrea's Merhawi Kudus has returned to his absolute peak shape, taking victory in the African Continental Championships road race. The championships took place in Kwale, Kenya, this past weekend, with titles awarded at the junior, under-23 and elite age categories. Kudus' victory closed out the event, as he and teammate Awet Aman rode away to an Eritrea 1-2 and arrived hand-in-hand at the line. 22-year-old Algerian Oussama Abdellah Mimouni rode to an impressive third place after a hard-fought final climb. Despite long being one of Eritrea's top riders, this is only Kudus' second podium finish in the African Championships road race,…...

18+ hour, 43+ min ago (706+ words) From lights that know what's around you, to self dimming options, to ones that have in-build theft alarms In the same way that phones, watches, microwaves and fridges have all become smart and communicate with you, we have now hit the point where the best bike lights have gained somewhat of a technological sentience and become "smart" lights. With the advent of these smart lights, there actually comes a lot of highly useful features that have won me over from my love of more analog technologies such as mechanical shifting and rim brakes. So just what do these smart lights do that makes them so great? This is something that is becoming more common and assists in allowing some of the future section to work fluidly. Some lights will now connect with the best bike computers or smart phones so…...

23+ hour, 9+ min ago (689+ words) The French national champion heads to a foreign team for the first time, with hopes of continuing the British squad's aggressive tactics It would come as little surprise to learn that French riders make up a large chunk of WorldTour rosters, past and present. Yet, for all the success throughout their 15-year history, Ineos Grenadiers are a team that has had very little Les Bleus representation. Just five Frenchmen have represented the British squad since its 2010 launch. Godon was Ineos' first signing of the summer, as he called time on seven seasons at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to make the bold leap into a foreign team for the first time. "Ineos are an exciting project for me. I always said, I want to ride in a foreign team, as a French cyclist who has raced on French teams for 10 years. I…...