All nine stages, from Leeds in Yorkshire to France’s Puy de Dôme, were unveiled in a ceremony inside Paris’s Palais des Congrès on Thursday. Those in attendance wooed at the highlights – stage two’s “mini Liège-Bastogne-Liège” through the Peak District, the following day’s London team time trial, the closing Queen stage’s volcanic finale – and the excitement was justified: this is a route that promises surprise and suspense. And yet, the finale may be a damp squib.

In each of the previous five editions of the Tour de France Femmes, the organisers have built the route around fabled climbs of old. They ticked off the Col du Tourmalet in 2023, Alpe d’Huez in 2024, the Col de la Madeleine in 2025, and this summer, the most mythic of them all, Mont Ventoux.

Next year’s route dodges both the Pyrenees and the Alps, and is designed instead towards a crescendo on the Puy de Dôme, the volcano that towers over Clermont-Ferrand. At 170km with 3,840m elevation, the final stage is perhaps the only true mountain stage of the race. It’s here that the yellow jersey will be decided. It’s also a stage that risks being a flop for the fans.

I was on the Puy de Dôme in 2023 when the men’s race returned to the mound after 35 years. Why had it taken them so long? The area is protected as a Unesco World Heritage site. As such, its final four-or-so kilometres, a twisting road barely four metres wide, is closed year-round to cyclists.

When the Tour went back three years ago, it did so on one condition: there would be no fans on the volcano. Journalists and photographers had to apply in advance for a pass to report from the top. I watched the race from the car park 5km from the summit, where security bodies stood firm to turn people back, and guard the nature behind them.

As everyone in the sport will tell you, it’s the fans that make cycling. That stage, won by Michael Woods, was proof of that. With nobody at the road side, it made for an eerie and soulless ascent. I fear it could be similarly underwhelming for the women’s race next August.

“It’s up to the Puy de Dôme department to decide with us,” Rousse said of the fan logistics, “but we’re looking into having people at the finish. We’re talking about between 3,000 and 4,000 spectators at the summit, because it’s our final stage with the podium ceremony at the summit. We also need to preserve this climb.”

Four thousand fans are better than none, but that number pales in comparison to the crowds this race deserves. There may have been 10 times that on Mont Ventoux this summer.

Time trial conundrum

As well as the final six stages, the details of stage three’s team time trial were also announced on Thursday. Rousse's list of landmarks included on the 18km London course made her sound as if she was reading out the place names on a Monopoly board: Downing Street, Big Ben, Tower Bridge, London Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park, and the Mall. It's so central it made a Frenchman sat behind me in Thursday’s ceremony gasp. “Très stylé,” – very cool – he said under his breath.

This team time trial, naturally, comes at the expense of an individual one, which has been dropped from the course for 2027. The decision was made to show off the collective element of the sport (and undoubtedly to keep London’s roads closed for as little time as possible), but it may take some of the sting out of the general classification.

Let’s not forget that this summer’s ITT in Dijon shook up the contenders; it catapulted Marlen Reusser into yellow, ruled Pauline Ferrand-Prévot out of the running, and gave Demi Vollering and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney something to chase. It ended up being one of the most important stages.

Reusser, present at the route presentation, was understandably disappointed about the omission. “I think it’s missing an individual time trial,” the world champion said. “A team one is cool – it’s my favourite discipline – but it’s very different for making gaps in the general classification.”

As for the other days, there’s a lot for the stage hunters to get excited about. Stage two from Leeds to Sheffield, with seven categorised climbs including Winnats Pass and Snake Pass, is Grand Départ GB managing director Paul Bush’s favourite – “it’s wonderful, isn’t it?” – and could see early GC blows.

Stages five and seven, too, should draw out a fight. The former boasts the Classics-style recipe Rousse likes to cook up, while the latter brings the route’s first uphill finish to La Loge des Gardes.

The big question, though, remains: will we have a similarly close GC fight as this year? Ahead of the final day in Nice, Niewiadoma trailed the eventual winner Vollering by just eight seconds. Rousse and her organising team expect tension until the end. But it may be an anticlimax if there are few fans on the Puy to see it.

A close battle is not something that happened in this year's race, where UAE Team Emirates-XRG's Slovenian all but sealed the yellow jersey on just stage six, with a dominant performance over the Col du Tourmalet. The route announcement for 2026 was all about "crescendo", with the organisers aiming for a slow build to the Alps at the end of the race; they had the crescendo thrown in their face with a forte performance in the first week.

For 2027, then, it was back to the drawing board. Out are any early forays to the mountains, with the first summit finish on stage nine, and while few would bet against Pogačar on a punchy stage five, for example, he will not be able to have minutes of advantage by the Alps, and potentially not until the Pyrenees, if his rivals play ball. There are only three summit finishes in 21 days, down from five in 2026, amid six days in the mountains. There was little talk of 'the hardest Tour ever'.

In comes two long time trials, on stages seven and 17, which are not-so-subtly designed to tilt the balance of power away from Pogačar, and towards Remco Evenepoel of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, time trial world champion. It also might help great French hope Paul Seixas, third at the World Championships this year. At 71km, t's the most time trialling since 2012 and Bradley Wiggins's triumph. It doesn't take a genius to read that ASO and route supremo Thierry Gouvenou hope to mix things up a bit, or at least not make it so much of a procession.

Speaking to L'Équipe, Tour director Christian Prudhomme did not hide the ambition to throw in a different challenge with the long TTs: "We can tell ourselves that there might be a chance of suspense and a great battle right to the end. Knowing, of course, that Pogačar has been so dominant in recent years, that he has such talent that, whatever the course, he somehow manages to manipulate it."

Manipulate it he will. Pogačar, should he return to the level he was at before crashing out of the Vuelta a España, is still one of the better time triallists in the peloton, and will be able to bend this course to his will. He is still the likely winner, Prudhomme knows this, but the hope is things are just a little bit more competitive.

The first week does not look too dissimilar from 2025, when the race started in Lille, and a series of Classics-style stages followed before the Pyrenees were reached in the second week. Pogačar won two of them, in Rouen and on the Mûr-de-Bretagne. Plumelec on stage five looks ripe for his picking once again, and the 28-year-old does not need high mountains to do his thing.

There might also not be endless mountains, but this is a route full of pitfalls, whether that be tricky climbs, hair-raising descents or the weather, with the win potentially playing a huge role on several stages. Stage 14 in the Massif Central is the kind of day which could blow the race apart, as could stage eight. The TTs, the Alps and Pyrenees will decide the race, but there is more than enough to keep everyone interested over the three weeks.

The aim, though, is for exciting racing, which was certainly true of 2025's opening week, and entertain the kids, with Prudhomme highlighting the TV audience among 15-24 year old's in that L'Équipe interview.

The idea is "having the favourites neck and neck right from the start, before tackling the officially mountainous sections". "The course is designed for spectacular riders," Prudhomme added.

The most spectacular rider remains Tadej Pogačar. There are opportunities for Evenepoel, for Seixas, and don't forget Jonas Vingegaard, but the route of a Grand Tour won't decide the winner. Still, I was excited by the route announcement, and am ready for next July's thrills across France, even if everything points towards a familiar face in yellow. See you in Edinburgh.

Most notably, the Dura 2 Solar goes all-in on voice control and moves away from fiddling with your bike computer mid-ride with sweaty or frozen-solid hands while careening downhill.

Staple features like the Dura Solar’s impressive 120+ hours of battery life (with two hours of battery life gained for every hour of sunlight exposure) and easy integration with the Coros app for data uploading and analysis remain with the Dura 2 Solar.

What's new?

Trimming weight seems to be a goal for many brands these days, and Coros is no different. The Dura 2 Solar weighs just under 100 grams, thanks in part to a carbon backplate, and is only 5.7mm thick at the upper bezel. Its predecessor, the Dura Solar, is 102 grams.

Despite dropping 3 grams, the Dura 2 Solar has a larger display. The Dura 2 has a 3.5-inch screen with the solar panel at the bottom, while the Dura Solar has a 2.7-inch display with the solar panel at the top. Both computers’ displays are touchscreens, and Coros says the Dura 2 Solar’s touchscreen stays responsive even with wet or gloved fingers.

Notably, the Dura 2 Solar’s screen has a 38Hz refresh rate, the fastest of any MIP display.

Coros aims to make interacting with the computer easy, giving riders tactile buttons, haptics, a touchscreen, and voice control to navigate the Dura 2 Solar’s features. Haptics and voice control are the two new additions for this product release.

With voice control enabled, riders can skip buttons and the touchscreen and issue commands to switch pages, set reminders, and set ride alerts. Users can also use voice control to leave post-ride training notes that upload to the Coros app. Finally, riders can vocalise map pins or points of interest to be saved to riding maps.

Lastly, the Dura 2 Solar has its own MCP gateway. The MCP gateway lets riders upload data directly to Claude and ChatGPT without a DIY GitHub script. This is particularly interesting because Coros seems to be the first major cycling computer brand to offer a native MCP gateway.

Some open-source MCP connectors exist for Wahoo and Garmin, but neither brand offers an official one. As of May 2026, Garmin had an open feature request for a native MCP gateway. Coros is leading the way in the AI Era by providing an MCP connector out of the box.

The Dura 2 Solar is compatible with a variety of sensors: heart rate monitors, power meters, the best turbo smart trainers, radar, lights, and e-bikes.

Additionally, the Dura 2 Solar supports connectivity with many common data collection and virtual cycling platforms: Zwift, Wahoo, Strava, RideWithGPS, Komoot, TrainingPeaks, TrainerRoad.

The Dura 2 Solar costs $499 and will be available starting November 3, 2026.

Tech spec

• Size: 117 x 58 x 17mm
• Weight: 99g
• Display size: 3.5"
• Display type: SHARP MIP touchscreen
• Display resolution: 336 x 620
• Battery life: 120 hours (without solar charging)
• Data syncing: Bluetooth, WiFi, and ANT+
• Sensors: Barometric altimeter, accelerometer, gyroscope, electronic compass, temperature sensor, microphone, speaker
• Drivetrain support: Shimano, SRAM, Campagnolo (coming end of 2026)

With the winter sun staying lower on the horizon, it can create intense glare off damp roads or frost, followed by deep shadows around tree lines or buildings, meaning a standard pair of cycling sunglasses becomes less effective.

Photochromics cleverly shift automatically so your view of the road or trail isn't affected as the light changes. Particularly useful for winter rides, with limited daylight if you set off at dawn and finish under full sun. They eliminate the hassle of being forced to remove your sunglasses as you ride or even swapping lenses mid-ride.

Beyond the pure dawn-to-dusk convenience, adaptive lenses enhance on-bike safety in winter by keeping your eyes shielded from eye-watering wind, grit and road spray that comes with the worst weather of winter.

Below, I've selected some of the best photochromic lens-equipped sunglasses, with various price points.

Anti-fogging technology is also very handy during winter rides, and many will come with an additional moisture-repelling coating on the lens or anti-fogging cutouts.

Photochromic Cycling Sunglasses - UK Deals

Photochromic Cycling Sunglasses - US Deals

These sunglasses deals are available at various cycling retailers in the UK and US. It's worth noting that Cycling Weekly readers can get an additional 10% off sunglasses that are in the Sigma Sports Sale with our exclusive code: CYCLINGWEEKLYEXTRA10.

Shop the Sigma Sports Warehouse Clearance Sale.

The route of the 114th edition was announced in a presentation at the Palais des Congrès in Paris by race director Christian Prudhomme.

The race will see the most time trialling since the 2012 edition, offered up via two individual time trials, a brutal Pyrenean Queen Stage which finishes atop the Col du Portet on day 18, with testing stages between Edinburgh and Paris. It is the fourth foreign Grand Départ in five years, and the third in Britain.

Aiming to break the record for Tour wins will be Tadej Pogačar, who won for a fifth time this season; between him and a sixth yellow jersey is an estimated 3,479km of racing with 54,450m of elevation across 21 days.

According to the organisers, there are seven flat stages, six hilly days, six mountain stages, including three summit finishes, as well as the two individual time trials. There are three rest days, including one on the opening Monday to move the peloton from Cardiff to Normandy. It's likely that there will be six sprint stages, which would match the number from 2026.

The race begins in Edinburgh on Friday 2 July 2027, with a stage expected to be for the fast men, and ends three weeks later on Sunday 25 July in Paris, after a third year of the Montmartre circuit.

This year, the Pyrenees will be the decisive mountain range, with the final stage there on the 19th day. However, there are key days throughout, with Classics-style days in between, and the Alps and the Massif Central to be pivotal. There are also nods to the World Championships, with the 'Super Worlds' taking place in France in August; there's a stage that finishes in Sallanches, where the road race will be.

Week one

The first stage will be an opportunity for a sprinter to grab control of the yellow jersey, after a few modest climbs through the Scottish Borders; could it be a chance for Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) to make British dreams come true in Carlisle?

Liverpool is next, after a trip through the Lake District, with a range of finishes on the cards, from a bunch sprint to a lone winner after five categorised climbs. Stage three sees yet more climbing, with seven categorised ascents through Wales, from Welshpool to Cardiff. It has the potential to be a general classification day, or at least one full of tension for them – expect a hard battle for the win and for yellow at the end of the last day in Britain.

After an early rest day as the teams and riders head across the Channel to Normandy, there will be a day on the French coast, with the wind and small climbs likely to be an issue for the fast men hoping to win, with an uphill finish to end.

Stage five is definitely one for the puncheurs, with a double ascent of the Côte de Cadoudal on the menu, which was used at the Tour de France Femmes last year, when Marianne Vos won. The next day, stage six sees the peloton head into central France from Vannes to Angers, almost due east, which should be a sprint stage.

The first individual time trial comes on stage seven, with 38km against the clock on an undulating course through the Loire Valley, finishing in front of the Château de Chambord. The next day sees the longest stage of the Tour at 224km, which will be another hilly affair for the Classics men; Matej Mohorič won here in 2021.

Stage nine concludes the opening week with the first summit finish of the race, just one of three in the race remember, on the Grand Colombier (17.4km at 7.1%) to give the GC riders something to think about on the rest day.

Week two

The second rest day of three is in the Haut-Savoie, the site of a rest day last year too. Stage 10 begins in Annecy, heading to Sallanches for 171km through the mountains, with five classified climbs.

Stage 11 is on Bastille Day, so that means more climbing, including the Montée de Bisanne (12.4km at 8.3%). There is technically no summit finish, with 4km after the top of the final climb. Race director Christian Prudhomme highlights the descent into the final climb, so watch out.

After those days of climbing, there's a bit of a breather on the run-in to Valence, which should be a day for the sprinters, if the wind doesn't blow too much. Jonathan Milan won here in 2025.

Another sprint is expected on stage 13 to Montpellier, which is very flat over 164km, although the win could upset things again. The finish is apparently in the city centre, which should be fun.

Stage 14 is back to climbing, however, with a finish up to the altiport at Mende, on the edge of the Massif Central, the site of Michael Matthews' win from the breakaway in 2022. The next day is another day for the attackers in the region, stage 15 from Rodez to Albi, with descending just as important as climbing.

Week three

The time trial returns on stage 16, after a rest day in Toulouse, with 33km on a largely-flat course before the Côte de Pech-David, with ramps of 20%, which will put pause into the minds of rouleurs.

The final week continues with a sprint stage to Pau on day 17, so often a home for the Tour, where Olav Kooij won most recently. The gateway to the Pyrenees is then used for stage 18, with more than 5,000m of climbing all the way to the Col du Portet (16km at 8.7%), which is the highest point of this year's Tour. This is the Queen Stage on paper.

There is one more mountains day on stage 19, with 4,300m on the cards from Hasparren to Laruns, via the Col de Soudet (15.1km at 7.2%) and the Cold de Marie Blanque (7.7km at 8.6%).

Stage 20 is a sprint stage to Libourne, home to a finish for just the third time, before a gigantic transfer up to Paris for stage 21's Montmarte extravaganza. Three ascents of the cobbles to finish of the Tour.

Tour de France 2027 stage table

Three of the race's nine stages will be contested in Britain, with the Grand Départ action starting on Friday 30 July, just five days after the conclusion of the 2027 Tour de France (the full route of which has also just been announced). Stage one will start in Leeds and cross the Pennines, going from east to west, to finish in Manchester.

During stage two, riders will tackle some of the most famous hill climbs in England's Peak District, including Snake Pass, which has a gradient of 5.7% for over 6km and has the potential to split the peloton.

Much anticipation surrounds stage three, when the streets of London will host the first ever team time trial to feature in the Tour de France Femmes.

After a day of travel, the action will resume across the channel in France. Stage four will take riders to Calais and stage five sees the peloton heading to Magnanville. A day for the sprinters beckons on stage six, as the race rolls into Bourges, but then the final three stages will be contested on the historic slopes of the Massif Central.

Stage seven will suit the toughest climbers, with a finish in La Loge des Gardes, with six more graded ascents coming the next day, as the race climbs to Clermont-Ferrand on stage eight. The yellow jersey will be won on Sunday 7 August, as the Tour comes to a end on the iconic volcanic peak of Puy de Dôme.

A classic climb in the golden era of Eddy Merckx (and scene of the infamous 1975 incident, when The Cannibal was punched by a spectator mid climb), Puy de Dôme was absent from Tour routes for 35 years, because of protections being put in place around the delicate natural environment that makes it special. It featured in the 2023 Tour de France, when Canadian climber Michael Woods took victory, riding for Israel-Premier Tech, but fans were banned from spectating by the side of the road.

With the climb appearing for the first time ever on the Tour de France Femmes route, at the very climax of race, it's not yet known whether such restrictions will be in place next year, and how that will impact the atmosphere.

Tour de France Femmes 2027 stage table

Announced on Wednesday, the news means the historic HQ in Wilton, Connecticut, will close by mid-2027, with a new satellite office opening on the West Coast of the US to handle North American retail and owner support.

In a press release, the brand said: "Over the next six months, Cannondale will adopt a new sales model in North America." As for the West Coast office: "A dedicated commercial, retailer and rider support team will be based there, providing Cannondale expertise and services to retailers and riders across North America."

Cannondale's global HQ is to move to Woudenberg in the Netherlands, currently its European base, with R&D and engineering in Freiburg, Germany. Pon, which also owns Cervélo and Santa Cruz, is based in Amsterdam.

According to reporting by Escape Collective, as many as 143 people in jobs in Wilton and working remotely could be laid off, with the roles ranging from engineering to vice presidents.

A spokesperson for the brand said: "As part of these broader organisational changes, global functions currently based in Wilton will transition to join existing teams in Europe over a period extending into 2027. Woudenberg will serve as Cannondale’s global headquarters, bringing together global leadership, Brand & Marketing, Product Management, and other central functions.

"We are actively working through what these transition plans mean for individual roles and responsibilities at the Wilton office."

A source close to the US staff told Cycling Weekly that it was the end of an era for the brand.

"This is an incredibly sad day for all the people impacted by this decision, and this draws a line under the Cannondale that we knew and loved," they said. "It'll be a third wheel brand in the sales toolbox of the PON USA sales team from here, as Santa Cruz and Cervelo will no doubt be the main focus."

Cannondale was founded in 1971 by Joe Montgomery, Murdoch MacGregor and Ron Davis in Connecticut. The brand is known not only for some of the most iconic road and off-road bikes, including the original ST-500, Six13, SuperSix Evo, SystemSix, CAAD, SM-500 and Scalpel mountain bike, Topstone, and SuperX gravel bike, but also for a slew of technical innovations.

Wednesday's press release said: "For more than five decades, Connecticut has been instrumental in shaping Cannondale into one of cycling’s most influential brands. Cannondale is deeply grateful to the team members whose passion, creativity, and commitment built this incredible foundation. The innovative spirit they fostered remains a core part of Cannondale’s DNA as the brand proudly carries its legacy into this next chapter of growth and rider-focused innovation."

And this kind of proves the underlying truth in the sagacious saying: you can’t unquestionably believe anything, let alone everything, you read or hear. Eighty three percent of statistics are made up. Spin and fake news have been around forever, and even if a set of figures looks legit, the order in which they’re presented bends the light that reflects back off them.

Anyway, did you see British newspaper The Times this week? In a piece under a nice calm, not-at-all-sensationalist headline – 'Do police in your area let reckless cyclists ride roughshod?' – the paper proceeds to allege that most police forces around Britain don't tell law-breaking bikers off anymore, let alone fine or prosecute them.

Intrepid journalists at the paper have discovered, by lodging freedom of information requests to police forces in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, that the number of fixed-penalty notices for misdemeanours such as running red lights or riding on the pavement have gone down in the last year. This is everywhere except in the City of London (where the force have their own cycle squad), despite the number of cyclists and cycling trips purportedly going up. As ever, riders of electric bikes are the target of the most ire, but there isn’t a huge amount of distinction going on.

I’m not going to lie, there are some interesting stats in there, and the stories and quotes from entities representing vulnerable people – especially those who are blind or partially sighted – about the horrors of crossing the road when you’re not sure if a bike (or any vehicle for that matter) is going to stop when it should, are compelling.

We would never condone cyclists running reds, bombing along pavements or any other selfish and entitled behaviour. It’s wrong, and we call it out regularly. And we also applaud decent policing initiatives when they’re announced, as they were by the aforementioned City of London’s cycling squad last week, with the launch of an campaign aimed at properly educating errant cyclists.

But, neither are we going to sit here and accept that cyclists are the real problem when it comes to safety on the road. Because that is miles from the truth, no matter how you want to spin it.

The various police forces named in The Times report have not individually responded to the implication that they are 'letting reckless cyclists ride roughshod' over their patch, and neither have they come back to us when we reached out for comment, but it’s no secret that resources are stretched thin, and have to be allocated to areas of highest priority.

As a City of London Police spokesperson told Cycling Weekly last week, “Even with a dedicated cycling team, we know we’re not going to fine our way out of this, so we’re looking for innovative ways to bring about behavioural change and make an actual difference.”

So perhaps, like their colleagues in the Square Mile, police elsewhere in the country are trialling new methods of law enforcement or measures that encourage behavioural change other than persisting with ineffectual penalty notices. Or maybe they have concluded they need to address other issues altogether.

Because, buried right at the bottom of The Times piece is another set of statistics and figures that put a different slant on this story. They come from Adam Tranter, a former cycling and walking commissioner for the West Midlands, who points out that: "The reality is that the biggest danger to pedestrians is overwhelmingly drivers of motor vehicles. On average, more pedestrians are killed each year by cows than by cyclists."

"By comparison, in 2025 alone, 364 pedestrians were killed and 5,960 seriously injured, almost all of them hit by drivers of motor vehicles. In an ideal world, everyone would follow the rules of the road but with limited policing resources and competing priorities, if you want to improve road safety, it does not make sense to focus much police attention on cycling behaviour."

Muscle should not be thought of as ballast holding you back on climbs but rather the engine behind power, resilience and healthy ageing. A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in June was the latest to highlight how regular resistance training can reduce the risk of early death, proving that building strength is not just about riding faster, but staying stronger and healthier for longer.

Chris Gibson and Ellie Black spend much of their working lives trying to change cyclists’ perceptions of strength training. As coaches with Barbells & Bikes, they are acutely aware that many riders still see the gym as the enemy, fearing that lifting weights will make them heavier and slower. “It’s probably the biggest misconception we come across,” says Black. “People think they’ll walk into the gym and come out looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

The duo have a radical view about lifting weights: namely, that it could save your life. Gibson had only been cycling for a few years when he was involved in a catastrophic hit-and-run while descending the Col de l’Iseran in the French Alps. He was left for dead, and spent five-and-a-half months in hospital. “My orthopaedic surgeon told me that without the muscle mass around my neck and shoulders, I would probably have died,” he says.

Not long afterwards, Black suffered a devastating crash in Tenerife, breaking four ribs and sustaining a rare internal ‘degloving’ injury, where her glute muscle tore away from the underlying fascia. “Every orthopaedic surgeon asked the same question: ‘How have you not broken your hip?’” she says. “I genuinely believe it’s because I strength train. I had the muscle mass and bone density to absorb that impact.”

This is not, of course, to suggest that lifting weights makes cyclists crash-proof. But Gibson and Black argue that stronger muscles, denser bones and more resilient connective tissue provide valuable protection when things go wrong, while also speeding up recovery. “Having that structural integrity allows you to recover from inevitable falls much more quickly,” says Gibson. “Ultimately, it gets you back to doing what you love.”

The benefits of weight training extend beyond crash resilience. Cycling is superb for cardiovascular fitness, but because it is non-weight-bearing it does little to maintain bone mineral density. Resistance training helps counter age-related losses in both bone and muscle, reducing the risk of muscle loss (sarcopenia) and improving long-term health.

The fear of becoming “too bulky” remains a major barrier, despite the reality. “Any bodybuilder will tell you how incredibly difficult it is to build significant muscle,” says Gibson. “It requires calorie surpluses and huge volumes of lifting in reps of eight to 12 per set.” For cyclists, the aim is not to add unnecessary mass but to make existing muscle work more effectively: fewer reps at heavier weight.

“The goal is rarely to increase muscle size,” says Black. “It’s to improve the function and capacity of the muscle riders already have.” Much of the early improvement comes from the nervous system ‘learning’ to recruit muscle fibres more efficiently, meaning riders become stronger without dramatically increasing their size. Strength training develops qualities that cycling alone cannot.

Black and Gibson encourage riders to focus on fundamental movements such as squats, hip hinges, pushes, pulls and stability work, using the minimum effective dose to stimulate adaptation without compromising riding. “Cyclists often think a successful gym session is one they crawl out of,” says Gibson, “but strength training isn’t about creating more fatigue. It’s about intent, quality and becoming a more resilient athlete.”

Never mind the performance benefits, there is a health dividend too. “From a health perspective, muscle is not just extra mass,” explains Professor Edward Giovannucci, a specialist in nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, USA. “It is important for strength, stability, glucose metabolism, physical function and healthy ageing.”

Along with Dr Yiwen Zhang, Giovannucci led the study featured in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, which found that people who performed moderate amounts of resistance training over many years had a 13% lower risk of premature death from all causes, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Crucially, these benefits were independent of aerobic exercise, meaning that even committed endurance athletes stand to gain by adding strength training to their weekly routine. “We found that adding resistance training may provide additional benefit across most levels of aerobic activity,” Zhang explains. “For endurance athletes, the goal is not necessarily to build large amounts of muscle, but to preserve enough strength and lean mass to support long-term health.”

That message is reflected in current physical activity guidelines, which recommend combining aerobic exercise with muscle-strengthening activity rather than relying on endurance exercise alone. Scientists are also changing the way they think about muscle itself: not only as the functional tissue driving movement, but as an organ in its own right. “Calling muscle an organ means that it does more than produce movement,” adds Giovannucci. “Skeletal muscle can release signalling molecules called myokines, which may communicate with other tissues, including fat, liver, pancreas, bone, brain, blood vessels and the immune system.”

For cyclists, this means muscle is not only a tool for generating power. It is also part of a broader metabolic and signalling system that influences long-term health. “It doesn’t just help you climb faster – it helps regulate processes throughout the body,” says Giovannucci.

Muscle also plays a vital role in metabolic health. It is one of the body’s largest storage sites for glucose, taking sugar out of the bloodstream, ready for use during exercise. Maintaining muscle mass therefore creates a larger reservoir for glucose, while improving insulin sensitivity, allowing the body to regulate blood sugar more efficiently.

Fitness trainer Theo Calvert helps cyclists to develop strength – and encourages them to broaden their view on muscle. “Muscle regulates energy, glucose and fat metabolism, accounting for 75 to 80% of the body’s post-meal glucose uptake,” he explains. Beyond producing power on the bike, functional muscle improves metabolic health, insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular fitness and immune function. “The goal shouldn’t be maximal size, but sufficient, functional muscle alongside endurance capacity,” says Calvert.

Those qualities become increasingly important as we age. “From our 30s onwards, muscle mass and strength naturally decline, and cycling does little to protect bone health,” adds Calvert. “Resistance training increases the resilience of muscles and tendons that endure thousands of pedal revolutions every week.”

Strength-and-conditioning coach Emma O’Toole of Built to Endure concurs, adding that the biggest misconception among recreational cyclists is that effective gym work requires hours each week. In reality, she says, consistency matters far more than volume.

“Cycling is fantastic for cardiovascular health, but it provides relatively little stimulus to maintain maximal strength, bone mineral density or the load tolerance of muscles, tendons and connective tissue,” says O’Toole. “For the vast majority of recreational cyclists, around 60-90 minutes of well-planned strength training each week is enough.”

O’Toole prescribes sessions built around fundamental movement patterns: squats, hinges, pushes, pulls, presses and core stability. Split squats, Romanian deadlifts, press-ups, rows and shoulder presses all feature regularly, with bodyweight exercises providing an ideal starting point before progressing to dumbbells or barbells.

All the trainers consulted for this feature agree that 90 minutes to two hours per week is an appropriate amount of time for cyclists to dedicate to strength workouts. “This is sufficient for muscle hypertrophy [growth], increased power output, and improved overall efficiency which will directly result in increased performance,” says Black.

“Typically, this is divided into two sessions per week, allowing for sufficient recovery between workouts, and ensuring no impact on cycling performance from excessive fatigue.”

Black suggests allocating 20-30% of total training time to strength work. “During competitive seasons, cyclists may prioritise cardiovascular training to sustain endurance, whereas the off-season provides an opportune time to increase the volume of strength training.” O’Toole echoes this approach.

“I’d much rather see someone complete two 30-45 minute sessions every week throughout the year than spend hours in the gym during winter before abandoning it once the riding season starts.”

Strength training should not be regarded as a rest day activity. “To achieve the desired stimulus, you need to lift with intent and positively stress the body,” insists Black. This means finding a suitable place in your schedule. “If you are combining cycling and lifting on the same day, do so on days with a shorter or easier ride. Ideally leave around three hours between to allow for adequate refuelling.”

Cycling always rewards efficiency, but as you grow older the future of riding longer, stronger and healthier may not come from losing weight – it may come from building more strength. Building and maintaining muscle mass, as the coaches and the research show, is not the enemy of endurance, nor is it a threat to cycling performance. On the contrary, it is precisely what allows cyclists to produce power, absorb impacts, recover from setbacks and continue riding for many years to come.

Design details

The No. 6 G45R (R for race) is the brand's lightest gravel bike wheelset, part of its ProjectSpeed, which aims to make light, fast-accelerating, responsive wheelsets. Unlike the G45W (W for wide), these feature a narrower rim profile to shave off as much weight as possible.

The rims are hooked, made from Toray T700 and T800 carbon fibre, with a unidirectional glossy finish similar to the Campagnolo C-Lux finish. Both measure 45mm deep, but the front is 34.5mm wide externally and 28mm internally, while the rear is 33mm wide externally and 26mm internally. The claimed weight is 1,195g, and the scales of truth match this closely at 1,198g with rim tape, but no valves or lockrings.

The narrower rim relative to the 'W' offering reduces rotational mass, making the wheels more responsive to acceleration, changes in direction, and braking. This design philosophy continues into the carbon-fibre spokes. The rear spokes are wider at 5mm and are claimed to be more aerodynamic, while the front are still bladed but narrower at 3.8mm. The front uses just 16 spokes in a one-cross 1:1 pattern (eight on either side), while the rear uses 20 spokes in a two-cross 1:1 pattern. Spoke nipples are external for ease of adjustment and made of an aerotitanium alloy.

The hubs are No.6’s own Zero Gravity v.3, featuring a 45-tooth ratchet engagement system, Tripeak ceramic bearings, and compatibility with all Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo hub types.

No.6 claims optimal tyre widths of 40-50mm, while the maximum rider weight is 110kg and max. pressure is 110 PSI. Black, white, silver, and holographic decals are available.

Performance

The wheels come with valves, lockrings, and pre-taped rims, and the taping quality is good. I fitted a pair of Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tyres for testing, in both 50mm and 45mm options. These are tougher tyres to fit, but that is not on the rims. A lever easily slotted the tyres on and the wheels were good to go.

A brief word on rim width, as this is fairly subjective. Both wider and narrower rims have pros and cons. In terms of aero performance with 50mm tyres, the 34.5mm external width is probably narrower than optimal for watt savings. But there are a few potential benefits. Firstly, fitting tyres can be a little easier with a narrow rim, as you have less distance to get the second tyre bead on. Next, at low pressures on wider tyres, if you have wider rims, there is potentially more chance of a rim strike, so reinforcements need to be made. Finally, narrower rims without the required reinforcement are lighter, and on gravel in particular, where speeds are lower and inertial force is harder to overcome, this can be more beneficial when accelerating, especially up climbs.

As I said, this is all very subjective, but I've enjoyed the performance on the No. 6 wheels, even if the aero benefits at the average speed I raced the Gralloch UCI gravel race at are negligible (just over 32km/h).

What I did find is that, for climbing, they are frankly dreamy. From sustained-pace efforts to the starting climb at The Gralloch, they changed speed rapidly, a trait I really like in bunch events like this. The low weight also means more responsive braking and direction changes, which, on technical sections and fast descents into tight corners, proved a brilliant combination. The hub engagement also helps with acceleration, with the 45t ratchet quick to respond and with no give.

I can’t comment on the performance gain of the ceramic bearings or the subjective ‘feel’ of the aero performance, but I can say these wheels are no slouch; tellingly, they roll fast on the road, too. Off-road, tyres make the biggest difference to speed, on tarmac, they play a part but the reduced rolling resistance swings the scales in favour of aero performance and hub rolling. I actually spoke with some of the DAS Hutchinson team and a few of them have used the G45R wheelset as a road race wheel option with wider road tyres. Again, from rim to rim, even at race speeds, the differences are usually a handful of single-digit watts, and they depend on the frame. All I can say is that these wheels ‘feel’ like they perform at a comparable level to other high-end offerings I've ridden, including Scope, Black Inc, Enve and DT Swiss.

I'm far less fond of carbon spokes. I find these somewhat superfluous on road wheels, as they are stiff in some directions but not as strong in others, like torsional forces. On gravel, they just don't make sense, given their lack of resilience against side impacts. On the road, this is rare; on gravel, stones regularly fly up into spokes. I suffered a stone strike at The Gralloch, which caused a splinter to come off one of the spokes. No.6 do supply spare spokes for both front and rear, with no need to remove tyres and rim tape to fit, but, as a rule, carbon spokes for gravel wheels are not something I think is needed. Alloy spokes perform brilliantly and are more durable.

Value

Certainly, $2,199 isn't cheap for a wheelset, and for a Chinese wheelset, it’s significantly higher than it has traditionally been. Those worried about Chinese wheels not being made to the same standard as ‘European and US’ wheelsets need not worry, however, given that the majority of carbon wheels from those brands are made in Asia. The main differences are marketing budget and occasional quality control, but the No.6 wheels run true and have a better finish and roundness than some big-brand wheels I have tested.

However, with the ceramic bearings, 45T engagement, carbon spokes, and a CFD-designed rim that has performed well in independent testing, these wheels are taking on the likes of the Enve G SES 4.5 Pro (£3500 /$3300), Scope Artech 4.G (£3,500 / $4,398), and Roval Terra CLX Aero (£2998 / $3400). Compared with these options, the No.6 wheels offer good value.

Of course, import taxes are an issue, as European dealers are currently limited. However, customer care and service are impressive, with spares easy to purchase and supply. But at this price, the Hunt Limitless 40 UD spoke wheels, which are similarly specified and priced at £2,449, might be a more attractive offer to UK customers at the moment, given Hunt’s proven customer care and service. However, those wheels are shallower and heavier, and are hookless only.

Personally, I have no qualms with purchasing wheels from China. The quality and finish of the No.6 wheels have been superb; the performance matches any top-of-the-range offering, and the customer care has been great. ]

So, are these wheels good value? Yes, compared to the high-end performers they compete against. However, they aren't cheap and still represent a large investment for a set of wheels. You can get similar performance for less.

Tech spec

• Price: £1,699 / $2,199
• Weight: 1,195g
• Hubset: Zero Gravity v.3
• Freehub options: Shimano HG11/12, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo
• Rim depth: 45mm
• Spoke count: 16/20 front/rear
• Rim: Hooked

Before I tell you the story, let me preface it by stressing I never intended to race a hill climb on a single-speed bike. “What about your road bike?” you might be wondering. A good question, to which there is a simple, albeit sombre answer: my road bike met a deadly fate this July when, strapped to a car roof rack, it was snapped into three pieces by the metal height restriction bar of a car park (I promise I’ll write that warning tale another time).

The plan on Sunday was to borrow my brother’s road bike. He and I had ridden a couple of hill climbs together before. If you’ve ever scrolled down this website as far as my author bio, you might know that my proudest result is 28th out of 40. I’m no racer, but I like taking part.

So when a friend suggested I sign up to East London Vélo’s event and sling myself up Mott Street in Epping Forest – an almost one-kilometre climb that scales a modest 67m – I said I was game, provided my brother raced too and lent me his bike.

That plan ran smoothly, until we reached the sign-on. My brother gave me his bike to test ride while we waited to collect our bib numbers from the boot of a car beside the pub. Within 10 pedal strokes, I slashed his back tyre on a shard of glass and sealant sprayed all over my calves.

I scrambled to help him patch the tubeless rubber – a task we were improvising off the cuff – but by the time it was fixed, I had already decided my road bike curse was too strong. How could I risk someone else’s bike? As we'd soon find out, the start order made a swap impossible in any case; setting off just six minutes apart, there would be no time for one of us to get up and down to pass over the bike. My only option was to race with one gear. “What's the ratio?” another entrant asked me. The wrong one, I said.

I thought about going home. I figured the least I could do was stay and cheer. I’d ridden the best part of an hour to get to the start, surely I should make that count for something? Then my stingy nature kicked in. Entry to the competition had cost me £5. As long as I had two wheels that spun, I was going to get my money’s worth.

I appreciate hill climbs are fertile turf for tech-savvy cyclists, so, for them, this was my ‘set-up’: a navy blue Decathlon ELOPS 500 city bike, steel frame, aluminium rims, circa 12kg all-in. I’d be surprised if the winner’s bike weighed much more than half that.

I bought this bike as a cheap runaround to get to and from friends’ houses, the pub, or the barber. Occasionally, I’ll lug it over to big Tesco. But I wouldn’t dare challenge it to any incline greater than 5%, for fear my thighs would burst like watermelons in a microwave. I certainly wouldn’t take it anywhere near Mott Street – average gradient 6.7%, max almost 15%.

Fortunately, I reassured myself, I’d fitted clipless pedals for the ride out, so I’d have some strength in the upstroke. But it was time to be realistic. In the face of such Alpine slopes, my goal quickly shifted from clocking a decent time to simply reaching the top at all. Could I make it?

At least 20 people began their efforts before me. I cheered them off with an “Up! Up! Up!”, then took my place in the queue and gawped at another man’s S-Works bike. He could probably have bought 50 of mine for the price of his – not that the fleet would be much use.

When my turn came to start, a kind event organiser offered to give me a push. “Please,” I said, “and if you could keep pushing all the way, that’d be great.” He laughed. Presumably he thought I was joking.

Thirty seconds until lift-off. I clip in. 10 seconds. Five, four, three, two, go. I stand up on the pedals and thrust my hips towards the bars for momentum. The last thing I hear is the voice of my brother, the day’s second-last entrant, willing me on from the start line, before I sweep round to the left, up a ramp, and rise into the forest.

Immediately, it’s a grind. My brain starts to wander to the worst case scenario. “What will you do if the chain snaps?” I guess I’ll get off and run. “In those shoes? They’re worth more than the bike.” I’m afraid I don’t have an option.

I reach the halfway point, a welcome plateau, and my minute-man comes sailing over my right shoulder. The sluggishness of my RPM is comical in comparison. He looks weightless. I feel like I’m towing a three-seater sofa.

Just as my spirits start to fade, a marshal – a guardian angel – tells me I’m almost there. I know the climb, and know there’s another 200-odd-meter ramp, but I appreciate the sentiment, and rise out of the saddle again to prove that, despite my speed, I really am trying my hardest.

The finish line is usually signalled by a roar at hill-climbs competitions. I hear the noise swell from the other finishers as they spot me in my neon pink jersey (how could they miss me?) and I kick ahead, as hard as I can, surging towards the crowd and gathering speed. My mouth opens involuntarily. I don’t have the energy to close it.

Where, oh please, where is the finish line? I glance down and spot a dark blue mark across the road. As I lurch across it, I let out a moan that makes me sound like a birthing cow. There’s applause. Someone calls out my bib number. The timekeeper then scribbles down the reading on his stopwatch. And five metres up the road, legs frail and throbbing, I’m bent double, acting out the opening scene of the movie.

The closing scene, perhaps, is what comes a few minutes later, when I turn to my friends and punch the air. No, I wasn’t in the running for the medals – my time of four minutes and 10 seconds placed me second last, ahead of a gentleman more than twice my age. The winner managed 2:01 – but I had accomplished something, scaled the unscalable, and that was worth celebrating.

A few hours later, my friend sent me some photos he took at the finish. I didn’t see the winner cross the line, but I’d be surprised if his face looked as pain-stricken as mine. I think I may have been prouder of my performance than he was of his.

The bond I have with my steel runaround has now deepened. Cycling Weekly’s photographer Richard Butcher once told me, “The best camera is the one you have with you”, and I suppose that’s also true of bikes. I may not have set a new PB, but Sunday’s hill climb was a reminder that racing isn’t just for the fastest. There’s joy in not taking yourself too seriously – I had more fun on the single-speed than I’d ever had with gears.

That said, let this be clear: I hope I never have to race on it again.

The headline grabber is the new flagship Garmin Edge 1060 bike computer, replacing the top-tier Garmin Edge 1050. The new Edge 1060 introduces an onboard microphone and speaker alongside a host of additional features, including intelligent navigation, improved battery life, and its signature high-resolution display.

Elsewhere, the Explore 3 series caters to touring and recreational riders who prioritise straightforward navigation over deep performance metrics, with an Explore 3 Plus variant borrowing the 1060's voice and audio features.

Perfectly timed for indoor riding season, Garmin’s Tacx division has released the Nēra smart trainer, which offers the preinstalled Zwift Cog and Click virtual shifting system. The Nēra also brings all-new multidirectional movement, with built-in motion pods designed directly into the unit for what they claim will be a comfortable and realistic ride.

All the new Garmin devices are available now via Garmin, and below you'll find more information and the all-important prices.

Garmin Edge 1060

Taking over the top spot in Garmin’s computer lineup, the new Edge 1060 builds on the Edge 1050 with key hardware and navigation upgrades. It also becomes the most expensive bike computer on the market with a launch price of $799.99/£699.99, surpassing the 1050, generally by $100/£100.

The headline addition is hands-free voice control. Powered by an integrated microphone and speaker, riders can trigger actions simply by saying "OK Garmin," keeping hands safely on the handlebars. The unit also integrates with the Garmin Messenger app to send and play audio messages on the go.

Route planning gets a boost with real-time road closure alerts, interactive route previews, and a "free flow routing" mode designed to prioritise uninterrupted paths with minimal stops.

It also offers a customisable home screen and emergency reverse charging. Battery life ranges from 20 hours under heavy load to 60 hours in battery saver mode, the same as the 1050.

There's no solar charging seen on other Garmin devices because the Edge 1060 uses a bright liquid crystal display panel (inherited from the Edge 1050 and can't utilise the Garmin solar-harvesting Power Glass.

Garmin Edge Explore 3 and Edge Explore 3 Plus 

Expanding its bike computer lineup, Garmin has unveiled the Edge Explore 3 and Edge Explore 3 Plus. Succeeding the popular Edge Explore 2, Garmin says the new units are designed to be easy-to-use GPS cycling computers.

The two new siblings are physically the same size, with the Plus benefiting from additional internal hardware.

The main addition to the higher-spec Explore 3 Plus is the hands-free voice control, thanks to a newly added onboard microphone and speaker—mirroring the tech on the Edge 1060. Both units receive boosted navigation capabilities, including pin-drop navigation, live road hazard warnings, "free flow routing" to avoid frequent stops, and interactive previews for upcoming points of interest.

Under heavy use, the standard Explore 3 delivers up to 16 hours of battery life, while the feature-rich Plus model offers 14 hours; both extend to an impressive 48 hours in battery saver mode.

Elsewhere, the feature list includes Garmin Coach training plans, live tracking, incident detection, e-bike and smartwatch connectivity, and real-time carbon footprint metrics.

Pricing for the Garmin Edge Explore 3 is $399.99/£349.99, and the Garmin Edge Explore 3 Plus is $499.99/£429.99.

Tacx Nēra Smart Trainer

Garmin who own Tacx has expanded its indoor cycling ecosystem with the launch of the Tacx Nēra, which is claimed to be a performance smart trainer positioned alongside the premium Tacx Neo 3M and Tacx Neo 2T models.

The unit is ride-ready right out of the box, offered with either a preinstalled cassette or as a Zwift Ready configuration complete with the Zwift Cog and Click for virtual shifting.

Built to handle heavy efforts, the Nēra supports sprint efforts up to 2,200 watts, simulates gradients up to 20%, and maintains an impressive power and cadence accuracy within 1%.

All new integrated motion pods deliver multidirectional movement—covering forward, backwards, and side-to-side motion—for what they say is a comfortable and immersive ride feel. Connectivity is equally robust, featuring built-in Wi-Fi for fast virtual racing on Zwift or ROUVY, as well as native syncing with compatible Edge computers and the best Garmin smartwatches.

The Nēra is also compatible with the Tacx Alpine hill climb and steering simulator, and can be collapsed and carried with foldable legs and a built-in carry handle.

Pricing for the standard Tacx Nēra and the Tacx Nēra with Cog and Click is $999.99/£859.99.

To make these deals even sweeter, Cycling Weekly readers can now get an additional 10% off at checkout using our exclusive code: CYCLINGWEEKLYEXTRA10.

Shop the Sigma Sports Warehouse Clearance Sale.

I also teamed up with Michelle Arthurs-Brennan, Cycling Weekly's Digital Editor, to scope out some of the best women's deals, where discounts are even better, up to 80% or more. Whether you're refreshing your winter wardrobe or shopping early for Christmas gifts, these are well worth grabbing.

There are a few quirky items in the mix—like an Oakley face mask knocked down by 98%—though you can never have too many backup face masks, right?

Keep in mind that as a warehouse clearance, stock levels and sizes are extremely limited. If you spot something in your size, move quickly before it sells out. The prices below reflect the extra 10% discount—just enter CYCLINGWEEKLYEXTRA10 at checkout.

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Sigma Clearance Sale Men's Deals

Interestingly, both Picnic and the Great Britain Cycling Team were in winning form last week. The former won their first WorldTour race of the year with their men’s team, at the Tour of Guangxi, while the latter was tremendous at the Track World Championships in Shanghai, winning six golds and topping the medal table. It’s proof that both things can be true at the same time, that teams can be successful, while also not having the most harmonious culture; elite sport is ruthless.

Picnic PostNL have had a bleak year across their men’s and women’s teams, with the former winning thrice, and the latter not winning at all. It’s not a surprise, then, that stories criticising their management structure have emerged. If they were winning, as they have so often in the past, then concerns over management style or team atmosphere could be explained away or simply don't make the headlines. It’s when you’re not as successful that the vultures start circling.

Clearly, as the investigations in Dutch media showed, there are questions to be answered over a seemingly tough environment. Different riders might respond to coaching styles in different ways, but when people say that they thought of self-harming, a line has been crossed, and something needs to change.

British Cycling, meanwhile, is a juggernaut, and a reliable source of world and Olympic medals, especially on the track, but it is not the first time that team’s culture has been criticised. Different circumstances to Picnic, but an alleged similarly poor climate. The report referenced above was not even the only negative story about the GBCT last week, with Matthew Richardson sent home from the Worlds, reportedly under investigation for inappropriate behaviour. It requires some cognitive dissonance here, but BC had both a great week, and a poor week.

That there is a “toxic culture” alleged at both teams does not astonish me, but that does not mean it should be treated as normal. As much as elite sport is a brutal environment, with world-class performances a harsh but tangible yardstick, no rider or staff member should have to suffer through something beyond the pale. It is clearly something that is normalised, sadly, even in this era of mental health awareness and care. It shouldn’t take underperformance or a whistleblower to cause reflection, and bring about change – BC and Picnic should take this opportunity to make sure this kind of report doesn’t emerge again.

The best teams aren’t necessarily the happiest, most lovely places to be, however, and many riders only respond when being pushed to a level which might be construed as negative in the “normal” world. Simply put, as ever, I am just delighted that I’m not a professional cyclist; the pressure to perform and succeed is simply too great.

What we cannot forget, however, is that the athletes we watch perform at the very top level are human beings, too. Somehow, those in charge of getting the best from them need to balance their approach, because there’s no space for toxicity in the cycling I want to be part of.

This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.

If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.

Around 9,000 tickets are expected to go on sale, with prices starting at £27.

The event, scheduled to take place from 18:30 on Wednesday 30 June, will be held on the esplanade outside Edinburgh Castle, and will involve the producers of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, a bagpipes and dance show that performs every August in the city.

Tickets will go on priority pre-sale this Friday 23 October to people who subscribe to the Grand Départ GB newsletter. Visit the Le Tour GB website to sign up.

Members of British Cycling, Scottish Cycling and Beicio Cymru will then have a pre-sale window from midday the following day, Saturday 24 October.

On Monday 26 October, the pre-sale will open up to customers of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Any remaining tickets will then go on general sale at midday on Friday 30 October.

Fans without tickets will still be able to see the riders as they approach Edinburgh Castle on the Royal Mile, but will not able to access the presentation.

It is highly uncommon, though not unprecedented, for the Tour de France’s opening ceremony and team presentation to require tickets.

The event consists of all 23 teams (184 riders) riding on stage to be introduced to the crowds. Last year’s presentation took place at the foot of the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. In Lille the year before it was in the city’s Grand Place, while in Florence in 2024 it was at the Piazzale Michelangelo. All three were open free-of-charge to the public.

The last time the Tour started in the UK, however, the opening ceremony and team presentation were ticketed, with more than 10,000 people attending inside Leeds Arena.

The race will begin on Friday 1 July, two days after the opening ceremony, leaving Edinburgh for a stage finish in Carlisle. Stage two will stretch the following day from Keswick to Liverpool, and stage three from Welshpool to Cardiff.

The full route for next year’s Tour de France will be officially announced in a ceremony in Paris at 10:00 (BST) this Thursday 22 October.

Their sister Women's WorldTour team, AG Insurance-Soudal, are also making the switch from the American to the Taiwanese brand. The men's WorldTour team will also be known as Soudal Safety Jogger from next year.

Specialized first joined with what was Quickstep-Innergetic for the 2007 season, and have been together since, apart from two seasons on Eddy Merckx bikes. It has been a long and fruitful partnership, through Classics domination with the likes of Tom Boonen and Grand Tour sprint success with Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel and latterly Tim Merlier. There have also been World Championship wins and a Grand Tour victory for Remco Evenepoel, who still rides Specialized at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

Now, it's goodbye to the S-Works Tarmac SL9 and hello to the Merida Reacto, along with the Time-Warp for time trialling. The deal runs to 2030 to begin with, and will see the bikes complete with Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets, wheelsets, and pedals, along with Continental tyres. There are also new saddles from Prologo, shoes from Sidi, and helmets from Lazer.

Merida return to the WorldTour after one year out – they were last ridden by Bahrain Victorious at the sport's highest level.

According to a team press release, extensive research and evaluation was taken by the head of technical and development Nicolas Coosemans, along with performance coach Koen Pelgrim.

"Products were extensively tested and assessed in controlled environments, including wind-tunnel testing, as well as in real-world ‘on the road’ conditions," the press release reads. "This rigorous approach ensures that every element of the teams’ technical package has been selected to help our riders perform at the highest level."

"We have been working on this project for more than one year, because decisions around technical partners have a direct impact on the performance of our riders," CEO Jurgen Foré said. "We wanted to look at every element of our equipment package and understand where we could make improvements, while also building on the strong relationships that we already have.

"What excites me most is not simply the individual products that our riders will use, but the expertise that each of these companies brings our teams. We want our technical partners to work closely with our riders and performance staff, sharing knowledge, data and ideas so that we can continue to develop together.

"We are very grateful to all of our new partners for the confidence they show in Soudal-Safety Jogger and AG Insurance-Soudal. We look forward to beginning these new partnerships and being able to show you exactly what we have been working so hard to deliver."

Founded in a western suburb of Paris in 1903, the brand had established its own cycling team within two years. It would ‘own’ racing well into the thirties, winning the Tour de France seven times, Paris-Roubaix nine times, Paris-Tours nine times, and the Tour of Belgium 13 times. And that’s just for starters.

When, during the 1929 Tour, the team had the audacity to work, well, as a team in the Alps – shielding star rider Maurice De Waele from attack – race founder Henri Desgrange, in a fit of fury, responded by banning commercial teams. They wouldn’t be welcomed back for thirty-one years.

“They were winning across the board,” says current owner Richard Hoddinott of vintage specialists The Velo Pages. “Alcyon represented the pinnacle of that era of racing machines, and this particular bike is the best preserved 1920s racing bike I've ever seen. It took me eight years of negotiations to buy it from a collector in the south of France. It’s completely original, right down to the tyres.”

It’s uncertain whether this is a team bike, but its survival intact is intriguing, as is its livery. Blue was always associated with the brand, inspired by the colour of the kingfisher’s plumage in the Greek myth of Alcyone and Ceyx.

Alongside talented French riders, such as the impossibly suave André Leducq, the team also signed many Belgian stars, including De Waele, Romain Maes, and Sylvère Maes. Consequently, it’s alleged that blue was chosen for the Belgian national team jersey as a tribute to Alcyon.

The Polish rider, who most recently rode for Human Powered Health, committed three whereabouts failures, according to the International Testing Agency (ITA), with Pikulik confirming on social media that this was due to missed tests.

The 29-year-old finished second in the omnium at the Paris Olympics in 2024, behind Jennifer Valente of the USA, four years after she had taken a bronze medal in the same event at the 2020 UCI Track World Championships. In 2023, she won the Tour of Guangxi and a stage of the Tour Down Under, before she finished third at the European Championships road race in 2024.

Her period of ineligibility has been set from 9 December 2024 to 8 June 2026, meaning all results within that time have been disqualified. Pikulik has not raced since March, and only finished three races in 2025, so the punishment is not a severe one. The ITA handles anti-doping for cycling's governing body, the UCI.

Whereabouts is the name of the anti-doping system used by the ITA and UCI for out-of-competition testing, with details of where a rider will be; they have to give a daily window for where they will be available for testing.

The statement reads: "The ITA reports that rider Daria Pikulik has agreed to the consequences for her ADRV under article 2.4 of the UCI anti-doping rules.

"Daria Pikulik committed three whereabouts failures within a 12-month period. The rider did not challenge the ADRV and agreed with the consequences proposed by the ITA. Accordingly, the case was resolved via an acceptance of consequences.

"In accordance with article 10.13.1 of the UCI anti-doping rules, the rider’s period of ineligibility is from 9 December 2024 until 8 June 2026. Additionally, all the rider’s competitive results within this period are disqualified including forfeiture of medals, points and prizes."

In a post on Instagram in Polish, Pikulik wrote: "Many questions remain, and I must face them head-on. I'd like to explain why you haven't seen me racing since March. I was suspended for failing to report for three doping tests.

"This happened to me twice, in September 2023 and October 2023. Realising the seriousness of the situation, I tried to systematically complete my residence data in the system, but due to my oversight and a much greater workload, it happened a third time in September 2024.

"I spent the last two years trying to defend my good name, and ultimately CAS issued a judgment in March 2026 without a penalty, finding me guilty of omitting an inspection.

"In September, I was finally suspended from December 2024 to June 2026. It was a terribly difficult time for me and my loved ones. It was never my intention to violate anti-doping rules.

"Throughout my career, I have passed dozens of doping controls without any problems.

"However, I need to accept what happened and put it behind me. I apologise to everyone I've let down and thank everyone who has been with me through this time."

Human Powered Health was contacted for comment.

Announced on Monday afternoon, the move ends the 31-year-old's three years at Lidl-Trek, which were dominated by his comeback from a horror crash in 2023, while he rode for Ineos Grenadiers.

Geoghegan Hart won the Giro d'Italia in 2020, and was among the favourites to win at the 2023 edition, when he he fractured his left hip and femur in a crash. Since then, there has been a long process of rehabilitation, with glimmers of his past form.

"Tao is an incredibly gifted rider with the perseverance and stubbornness to come back from a horrific crash injury," EF's CEO, Jonathan Vaughters, said in a press release. "While the fruits of his work to come back from injury have not blossomed yet, we are taking the bet that 2027 will be the year that this happens."

"It started with a very interesting, personal conversation with EF Pro Cycling founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters – talking one-to-one about the difficulties I’ve had since the injury three years ago, ideas around that, and opportunities for the future," Geoghegan Hart added.

"There are a lot of people on this team I’ve known for a long time, and also quite a few young riders I’ve got to know recently whom I’m excited to work alongside. On a personal level, it’s really about trying to re-find the condition I had in my best years – the ceiling of that, the journey towards it, and the end results themselves. It’s an exciting prospect to come into a new environment with new ideas, new perspectives, and different people."

"I’m much more interested in looking forward in the moment," he continued. "A good leader, in sport or beyond, is really aware of individual qualities, promotes those qualities in the people around them, respects them, and equally has empathy and understanding for all our inadequacies – what we each bring and can contribute. It’s about finding a way to make all those individual instruments line up and occasionally play a tune – sometimes it sounds a bit cranky, but you still get the job done and steadily build towards something."

Sounding raring to go, Geoghegan Hart added: "When I spoke to head sports director Charly Wegelius a few weeks ago, I said one thing I really love about cycling is the feeling of turning up to a race hotel with fire in your belly – knowing you did really great preparation in the weeks or months leading in, with your eyes on the prize, whatever that prize may be. I look forward to chasing that feeling."

It was revealed last week than Richard Carapaz would be leaving EF to move to NSN at the end of the season. See our full guide to 2027 transfers here.

Unsurprisingly, the UAE Team Emirates XRG star has his sights set firmly on a victory at the Vuelta a España, with a win at the Spanish race being the only Grand Tour still missing from his impressive palmarès.

Pogačar also used the media event at a charity golf event in Volčji Potok, in Slovenia, to answer some questions about his crash during stage eight of this year's Vuelta, which left him with multiple serious injuries, including a fractured collarbone, a vertebra injury and concussion, and around which several florid conspiracy stories have evolved, mainly around errant TV recording equipment.

"It was a big stone," he confirmed to Slovenian national broadcaster RTVSlo . "Everything else is fake news."

Also, very predictably, Pogačar is also intent on securing another win at the Tour, which gets underway in Britain on Friday 2 July 2027. If the Slovenian topped the General Classification for a sixth time, that would give him one more Tour title than Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain, all of who achieved five victories in their incredible careers, making him the most successful rider in the history of the Tour. (Lance Armstrong won seven consecutive Tours, between 1999–2005, but his titles have stripped from the record because of his doping.)

The other main focus for Pogačar next year is UCI Road World Championships, which he missed this year because of injuries sustained during his calamitous crash in Spain. In 2027, the Worlds will take place in Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc, France, starting on 24 August, leaving Pogačar just a couple days of recovery before the beginning of the Vuelta a España, which gets underway in Galicia on 4 September 2027.

“The hope for next year are of course the world championships, combined with the Tour and the Vuelta,” Pogačar told reporters. “Even if I would rather go to the Giro, I will have to check off the Vuelta at some point. So I think that will be the goal for next year”

The decision to prioritise the Vuelta next year, at the expense of the Giro d'Italia, was made more likely by the fact that the LA Olympic Games (which kick off on 14 July 2028) will be taking place hot on the heels of the 2028 Tour de France, scheduled to start in Reims on Saturday 24 June, which would make a successful stab at the 2028 Vuelta a stretch, even for someone with Pogačar's capabilities.

Sidi’s famous heel adjustment system remains, but new materials such as the no-stretch Firmor X are designed to offer enhanced stiffness alongside the improved fit. Combine that with a carbon-fibre sole and high levels of breathability, and this is a shoe designed to excel in fast-paced, high-intensity off-road scenarios.

To find out how good a gravel shoe this is, I’ve racked up over 1,000km off-road from forest trails to canal towpaths, to really put them through their paces.

Design details

The Sidi Aeron shoes are a high-end gravel race shoe built upon a carbon-fibre sole with Sidi’s own Firmor X material, which is designed to provide support through its lack of stretch, similar to Dyneema.

The shoe features a conventional tongue design, but the retention cable runs through the upper section. The retention dials are the new Nuun 001C dials from Sidi, now used across the entire range of its higher-end shoes.

Three standard colours are available, with this white option, black, and an orange and black version. A lilac-and-fluoro-yellow special edition is also available for a slight price increase.

Size-wise, the Sidi Aeron has a fairly expansive 36-48 size range with half sizes all the way up to 46.5.

Design-wise, the shoe still features some of that more modular look Sidi used to have with the Ergo, Wire, and Shot range. However, fewer parts are now removable or replaceable, though the rear heel adjustment system is, and the stud treads on the sole can be, too.

Specifications

The biggest change to Sidi shoes over the last two years is the introduction of the Millennium fit. This replaces the old long, narrow last with a slightly curved last that previous Sidi shoes featured, widens the toe box, straightens the last, and moves the cleat mounting plate further back on the shoe. This follows the design trend of nearly every major cycling shoe manufacturer over the last few years, with Sidi among the last to adopt it.

With this shift in design methodology, the brand has also undergone a drastic design change. Previously, Sidi shoes featured many removable and replaceable parts, whereas now these have been trimmed down to reduce weight across the ranges. Customizable elements remain, with the upper retention fitment having three attachment points, while the ankle retention system remains but has been significantly slimmed down.

The dials have been completely overhauled to the same Nuun 001C used on the Sidi Shot 3 shoes, which are now lighter and also sturdy, hence their use by Nasa apparently. These dials tighten by turning clockwise, rather than towards the exterior of each shoe individually, while a push-to-release system loosens them. These shoes feature two dials for upper and lower foot adjustments.

Inside a fairly basic insole is provided which is lightweight but rather flat without any arch support.

Externally, the shoe features a mesh-like structure for greater breathability, but the Firmor X fabric running through it prevents the panels from stretching. Combined with the stiff carbon fibre sole, the shoes are designed to offer the highest level of stiffness in Sidi’s off-road range. The external tread and removable toe studs provide security when walking over muddy terrain.

Performance

Wearing the Sidi Aeron shoes, the Millennium last is a huge improvement over the previous one. I had this with the Sidi Shot 3 as well, but I personally prefer the Aeron's retention system, with the dials on the side of the foot rather than on the tongue. However, you need to adjust the tongue into the correct position; otherwise, the internal wire mounting point can put uncomfortable pressure on the inside of your foot. In terms of toe-box room, however, it was fantastic, better than Shimano Wide-Fit and on par with Nimbl, Quoc, and Q36.5.

The most impressive thing I have found about these shoes is their overall stiffness. The soles are incredibly stiff and transfer power well. I used these shoes with the WolfTooth DEL pedals, and the tread on the Aeron was the correct height to make use of the high contact patch on the pedals. When stamping down on them, the power transfer was direct, which I can attest to with various Strava KOMs gained across testing loops.

On top of that, the Firmor X upper strands do a great job supporting the upper structure, so there is limited material flex across the top of the shoe. This was a slight issue with the Shot 3, but still far better than the Shot 2S. The biggest improvement is the dials, which clamp down on the foot fantastically without needing to over-tighten them. The tabs are easy to operate, even off-road with jarring ride surfaces. I also appreciate being able to flick them up or down, and I hope they'll last longer than other dial options. One issue, however, is that turning clockwise to tighten the right shoe is fine; on the left shoe, it feels counterintuitive. Most dials, such as Boa, rotate externally to tighten. There is also no micro-adjustment for loosening, instead a push to release system. This is, however, great for getting your foot in and out of the shoe easily, as the opening is large.

I did, however, find the ankle adjustment somewhat superfluous for me. I have a narrow ankle/heel, and the Specialized S-Works 6, with its notoriously narrow heel, fit me perfectly. With the Sidi Aeron, I didn’t need the adjustment, which, to be fair, is a testament to the retention system.

I also thought the insole was a bit cheap. I’m in two minds here, as Nimbl also offers a very basic insole, and I think if you spend over £300 on a shoe, custom insoles will offer a bigger performance gain. But then Shimano and QUOC offer brilliant customisable insoles at the point of purchase with adjustable arch support. Specialized meanwhile offers different insoles, but no option to choose at the point of purchase, annoyingly.

I also have to say these shoes are heavier than I'd like for a high-end gravel race shoe. 407g for a size 45 is not bad, especially with the tread required on the outsole, but the Fizik Ferox 2 are 342g in the same size, while the Nimbl Urano are an insane 248g. When racing, accelerating, and riding at higher cadences, a 150g difference at the point of rotation is noticeable. For more casual riding, it isn’t, but then these are race shoes. However, the Sidi Aeron is more durable than the Urano shoes, which I would personally save only for race days.

Value

At £349, the Sidi Aeron is a premium gravel shoe. That’s to be expected with the carbon-fibre sole and other high-performance features. This is far cheaper than the Nimbl Urano (£550) and the Specialized S-Works Recon Evo (£399.99). However, the Fizik Ferox 2 are cheaper at £319.99, while the Specialized S-Works Recon SL are also £350 and claimed to be a fair bit lighter.

From testing, I can confirm the Fizik Ferox 2 are a bit more comfortable, although the total system stiffness might lean toward the Sidi Aeron. However, the S-Works Recon SL are similar at that level and a fair bit lighter. I personally prefer their fit too, but the varus wedge works well for my foot; it won’t for everyone.

Honestly, system weight is the main deterrent from a gravel-race perspective. Those races have a strong bunch-racing element, where accelerations count, and they also tend to have a lot of elevation gain for the distance in UK events such as Gralloch and Graean. Where the Sidi Aeron have really impressed me is the comfort over longer durations and when doing more ’Fastest Known Time’ style rides where the pace is more consistent.

Although stiff, they don't lack comfort, which can be difficult with gravel shoes, in my experience. I'd personally opt for something like the Sidi Dominator X, which has a carbon sole, a similar retention setup, the same last, and costs £226.

Tech spec

• Price: £349 / €399 / $569.99
• Sole: Carbon
• Sizes: 38-48 (half sizes 38.5-46.6)
• Weight: 407g per shoe (size 45)
• Retention: Dual dials
• Colours: Three (plus Coffee Grinder special edition)
• Cleat mounting: Two-bolt

Scoring notes

Design and aesthetics 9/10

I personally prefer the sleeker less modular design of these over previous Sidi shoes, while the colour palette is a good mix and impressively easy to clean mud off of.

Fit 9/10

The new Millennium fit is a huge improvement over previous Sidi fits. It’s accommodating but not so big as to leave excess wiggle room. The heel adjustment works well but wasn’t really needed for me personally. Insoles are a bit basic though.

Performance 10/10

When it comes to power transfer these shoes are excellent, perhaps not as locked in as the Nimbl Urano, but brilliant by comparison to most competitors. A more reward cleat fitting allows a better power generating fit personally as well.

Weight 6/10
This is where the shoes struggle a bit, as they are heavy compared to other similar specification gravel race shoes. It’s not just a small weight penalty either, it’s a significant one that is perceivable in race efforts.

Value 7/10

These are expensive shoes and unfortunately do not offer the greatest value with the higher weight. There are similar performing shoes for less, or slightly less stiff shoes for a significant reduction in price.

Total
42/50

The news, announced on Monday morning, comes after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) extended its own deal with the Tour's organisers, ASO, and the Vuelta a España's organisers, Unipublic. It is an extension of the deal signed in 2024.

It means the biggest race of the year will remain behind a paywall in the UK, after ITV gave up its rights last year. TNT Sports is also available through HBO Max, with monthly packages beginning at £30.99 a month, with 12-month contracts coming in at £25.99 a month.

The races covered by the deal include the Tours, Roubaix, the Vuelta, the Vuelta Femenina, Paris-Nice, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, among others. TNT Sports also has the rights to the Giro d'Italia until 2029.

"It is a privilege to act as the custodian of the biggest events in cycling including the Tour de France and La Vuelta and we welcome the opportunity to continue working in partnership with the EBU and ASO to showcase the very best of our sport," Trojan Paillot, SVP, Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndication at Eurosport and TNT Sports, said in a press release.

"Over four decades, we have built a proven record of bringing fans quality cycling coverage and stories and have relentlessly pursued new ways to grow the sport. Our commitment to innovation, passion for the sport, and unmatched scale makes us the perfect partner to continue advancing cycling coverage for many years to come."

This was the first year that the Tour de France was not available on free-to-air (FTA) television in the UK, although highlights were shown on 5. The channel will also show live coverage of the UK Grands Départs of the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift in 2027. The deal for Tour and Vuelta highlights lasts until 2028, with the Giro deal going to 2029.

The deal between the EBU and ASO sees the Tour on FTA across Europe, but neither the BBC or ITV, both members of the EBU, have exercised their ability to access the rights.

The races included in the deal are: the Tour de France, the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the Vuelta Femenina, the Vuelta a España, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Flèche Wallonne, Paris-Nice, Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg, Eschborn-Frankfurt, Clasica San Sebastian, Paris-Tours, Tro Bro Leon and Volta Catalunya.

This whole affair made a lot of people very angry. Wiebes, her team, most of her rivals, and almost anyone watching the event. It’s hard to find anyone who really liked the outcome – it didn’t even bring much satisfaction to the race organisers or the commissaires.

If you want to grasp how little 20 g is, there’s about 10 g of air in each tyre. (That’s a sum I first did in 2008 when working out what advantage a mate of mine was going to get from a very expensive plan to fill his tyres with helium. I didn’t tell him.)

Naturally, I decided to work out how much of an advantage you get from saving 20 g on a flat sprint stage. It was 139 km long, with (are you ready?) 240 m of climbing. I ride in Cambridgeshire most of the time, and I can barely concoct a ride that flat if I try.

It turns out that if you do the maths there aren’t enough decimal places in the universe to quantify the smallness of the advantage gained on those gradients. It’s the same if you calculate the advantage in sprint acceleration. It’s a decimal point, and a whole lot of zeroes. By the time you get to a non-zero digit you’ve stopped caring.

However, there’s a problem with the outrage. That is, on this occasion, for once in their lives, the commissaries have applied the UCI’s rule exactly as written. The sanction for an underweight bike is expulsion from the race. That’s it. There was no fudging or looking the other way, even though I suspect they probably wanted to. For years we’ve asked for consistency and now we have it.

There’s even precedent for them to follow – as recently as last October they disqualified Jan-Willem van Schip from the Tour of Holland for a seatpost that hadn’t been registered with the technical committee. Absolutely no one (apart from him) minded, presumably because he’s not as famous as Wiebes.

There are many other illegal things that make a much bigger difference in a result than the nothing at all that 20 g makes. There are sticky bottles, illegal feeds, or stopping for a pee where a Belgian pensioner with binoculars might see you from the roof of their campervan. For those offences commissaires often just look the other way – one commissaire recently told me off for criticising a sticky-bottle episode because, as he put it, “If he hadn’t taken it he’d probably have been dropped from the break.” If they do take action, it’s a fine and a points deduction.

But we’d go mad if we started trying to work out sanctions on the basis of how much actual difference it made. How much did you gain from that illegal feed? How much did you use your sneaky alleged electric motor?

The issue here is simply that the rule is wrong. It’s disproportionate, and it would be very simple to change it. If a sticky bottle is a fine, then for a first-time offence of up to 200 g underweight the right punishment is maybe relegation at the finish and nothing more. For a margin of over 200 g, maybe relegation and a time penalty big enough to dent a GC hope.

Honestly, getting disqualified from a whole Grand Tour should probably require that when you arrive at the bike check, the bike is bobbing above your head on a string like a balloon.

The 31-year-old teamed up with 19-year-old elite Track Worlds debutant Erin Boothman in the hand-slinging event in Shanghai, China. The pair scored in six of the 12 sprints, won two of them, and gained a lap on the field to win with 40 points ahead of France’s 33.

“I think we did a really good job of how we wanted to execute,” the now seven-time world champion Morris said afterwards.

With the victory, Morris became the first woman to win all three of the team pursuit, omnium, and Madison – the three Olympic endurance events – at a UCI Track Worlds since the Madison was introduced for women in 2017.

“I’m quite speechless,” she said of the feat. “I think it’s going to take a while to sink in. It’s been a busy few days and [I’ve been] just trying to focus on one thing at a time. Now I’ve got a good amount of time to reflect and enjoy all the moments of this week.”

Boothman, already a four-time world champion as a junior, has added two senior world titles to her palmarès this week, having also won the team pursuit on Thursday. She has the chance to win a third in the points race on Sunday.

“I’m excited for it,” the teenager said. “I’m going to give it my best bash. I’m definitely running on high morale from the last two races.”

Couzens 'in shock' at IP win

In an all-British women’s individual pursuit final, Millie Couzens pipped Josie Knight to the gold medal by half a second.

The former British road champion qualified first in the 4km event with a time of 4:21.161 on Saturday morning. She then led from the first lap in the final, going on to clock a 4:21.505, and claim her second world title. Her first, like Boothman, came in the team pursuit on Thursday.

“It’s amazing. I’m still in shock, to be honest,” Couzens said. “I had absolutely zero expectations going in. I was like, ‘If I can get on the podium, that would be a really good result.’ I didn’t expect this.”

On racing against Knight, a double European individual pursuit champion, Couzens said: “It’s always a bit weird racing against a team-mate, but actually it was quite nice: it feels like you’re in it together.”

Elsewhere, Olympic Madison champion Iúri Leitão (Portugal) earned his second world title in the men's omnium. Great Britain’s Henry Hobbs went into the final points race in third, but slipped to sixth overall after various riders gained laps. Fabio Van den Bossche (Belgium) came second and Tim Torn Teutenberg (Germany) third.

The only other medal event on Saturday was the women’s kilometre time trial, which was won by Germany’s Pauline Grabosch. Hetty van de Wouw (Netherlands) took the silver, six tenths of a second down on Grabosh’s winning 1:04.572. Sofie van Rooijen (Netherlands) finished third.

The Track Worlds will come to a close on Sunday with five more world titles on the line: men’s sprint, women’s keirin, women’s points race, men’s elimination race and men’s Madison.

Great Britain currently lead the medal standings with six golds. The last time the nation won as many gold medals was in 2012. They claimed nine in 2008.

I understand; seemingly, the cost of everything is increasing. It’s frustrating, but I’d like to explain why the cost of servicing is so high, while bike mechanics (apparently 105,000 more of whom will be required in the next six years) are rarely seen driving around in Ferraris.

At our workshop, our standard rate is £80 per hour, which is pretty typical in this area. Quite often, when people see that written down on an estimate, we can practically see the cogs turning as they compare that to their own hourly rate.

But, as is the case with most hourly charges, the mechanic does not take home £80.

Firstly, there’s the 20% VAT, so you can take off just over £13 straight away. Then there are overheads: premises, rates, utilities, tools, consumables, training, insurance, software, admin fees, accountancy, card fees, shrinkage (which is a posh term for things getting stolen), and so on.

By the time you take all of that out, you’re lucky if the mechanic takes home much above minimum wage.

No mechanic on the planet charges for eight hours of work a day. They'll book bikes in, book bikes out, identify parts to be ordered, write estimates, sort out warranty claims, do test rides and answer the phone.

And, customers really like to talk, again, entirely reasonably. Most clients respond poorly when you then slide the card machine towards them to pay for that time.

Adding to the bill is the fact that bikes have become increasingly complicated.

And a lot of this increased complexity means simple jobs take longer, the classic example being replacing a headset bearing. This job used to take five minutes, but now can take up to four hours and require both brake hoses to also be replaced.

A changing ecosystem

Things weren't like this when I was growing up and visiting bike shops. Chatting to the mechanic was part and parcel of the visit and bike shops used to have a nice relaxed atmosphere.

The blame does not lie entirely with the birth of the integrated cockpit. The economics of modern bike shops have changed fairly dramatically in recent years.

Historically, a bike shop worked as an ecosystem. Bike and accessory sales and servicing all worked together harmoniously, each subsidising the other through the year. Customers tended to be pretty loyal to their preferred mechanic, and shop, and the staff became loyal to the customers.

But then The Internet arrived, bringing an online marketplace and price comparison.

Suddenly, it was easy to find that the same tyre or cassette was cheaper somewhere else. So customers quite reasonably followed the cheaper price. Who wouldn't? No matter that a bricks-and-mortar shop would lose money applying the same discount, due to the inconvenience of business rates, keeping the lights on, and allowing its staff reasonable breaks.

As soon as bike shops realised they could no longer rely on profitable retail, they had to lean into the one thing you can't buy in a cardboard box: services; fixing bikes, professional advice and bike fitting. When the only thing you have left to sell is your experience and knowledge, you're not going to give it away for free.

Unfortunately, not all bike shops were able to pivot quickly enough into a more service lead business model, and many have gone the way of the dodo. This has brought about a scarcity of reputable service centers, meaning demand is beginning to outstrip supply, and what always happens then? You don't have to be Adam Smith to realize the price is going to start creeping up.

So, what's to be done?

It’s all well and good me moaning about the internet and internal cable routing, but that doesn’t stop the cost of your next bike service from making you wince.

So, what can we do? Well, firstly, be respectful of your mechanic's time. If they’re clearly snowed under, that story of the puncture you picked up at the base of Alpe d'Huez can wait. If they are working on your bike and you're paying them for it, they may be a little bit more receptive to conversation.

Secondly, next time you're about to press the button on another online purchase, just think about whether the £5 you're going to save will be worth it when the lights go out at your local bike shop.

The Ecuadorian, the winner of the King of the Mountains competition at the Tour de France this year, and a former winner of the Giro d'Italia and the Olympic road race, has signed for NSN for three years, it was revealed on Friday afternoon.

"Signing Richard Carapaz is a significant moment for our team and an important milestone in the development of our sporting project," the team's general manager, Kjell Carlström, said. "Richard is a proven champion. His achievements speak for themselves, but what makes him particularly special is his mentality."

"For me, it's a tremendous opportunity as a rider to be part of this project and, above all, to be one of the team's leaders, Carapaz said. "I’m simply very excited.

"I'm really looking forward to it, and to be honest, this reminds me a lot of when I signed my first professional contract, when I was incredibly excited about being in the WorldTour. I still have the same motivation as I did that day and that’s really an incredible feeling."

The 33-year-old was contracted to EF until 2028, but has moved to boost the team, both as a general classification leader and helping the next generation through. This season, Carapaz won two stages at the Tour and finished eighth overall, before going on to finish fourth overall at the Vuelta a España. The aggressive climber is a fan-favourite for his attacking style.

"He is one of those riders whose passion for cycling is so evident and we believe he still has some of his best performances ahead of him," Carlström added. "His experience and leadership will be extremely valuable, not only in helping us achieve our sporting objectives but also in developing the next generation of talent within the team.

"Richard is someone our young riders can look up to, and I have no doubt he will fit in perfectly in our team culture. We’re excited for Richard’s next chapter at NSN Cycling."

Carapaz said: "I find the NSN project really interesting and after our first conversations, I was convinced this would be the right place for me. I’m a rider who has achieved great results throughout my career, many of which were in the Grand Tours, and that fits very well with what NSN was looking for.

"The team has big ambitions to keep growing and already in my conversations with the performance team, it was clear we share the same desire to keep improving and achieve big things together. I think the team has a lot of potential to develop and I’m excited to be part of that in the next three years."

Carapaz joins Santiago Buitrago, Lennert Van Eetvelt, Kasper Asgreen, Artem Shmidt and Cedric Beullens as new arrivals for 2027 at NSN, as the team formerly known as Israel-Premier Tech continues its overhaul.

Discover the full breakdown of WorldTour transfers with our guide.

The pair doubled their country's gold medal haul at the championships in Shanghai, China, adding to the titles already won in the women's team pursuit and men's scratch race.

Morris's omnium win continued a stellar year for the 31-year-old, who, prior to Friday, had already collected two European titles, two Commonwealth Games titles and a world title in the team pursuit this year.

"It's amazing," she said of her sixth career rainbow jersey. "These stripes are hard-earned, and it was tough racing out there today."

A mass pile-up in the scratch race, the first of the four events of the omnium, saw the defending champion Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands) crash out of the competition.

Morris, who won the European omnium title in February, was the most consistent throughout the events; she finished third in the scratch race, won the tempo race, and then placed third in the elimination race to head into the final points race with a tally of 112, and a 12-point lead over Tsuyaka Uchino (Japan).

She then cruised through the final to beat Uchino by 11 points.

"I just took each race as it came, and then in the points race, you race against the standings," Morris said. "I left it all out there, which is what you want at the end of a long day. To come away with the win, I’m really happy with that."

Gold at last for Stewart

Stewart's mastery in the points race earned him a well-deserved and long-awaited first career world title.

The 31-year-old, a bronze medallist in the same event in 2018 and twice a silver medallist in the Madison, scored in 11 of the 16 sprints in the 160-lap race, winning three of them.

He led by just two points going into the final lap, where second across the line brought his tally to 35 points – seven ahead of the Olympic omnium champion Benjamin Thomas in second.

“Those words – ‘world champion’ and my name – in a sentence, I started to think I wouldn’t hear them,” Stewart said afterwards. “Right now, it feels a bit surreal, to be honest. I’m just over the moon.”

The Scot went on to thank his road team, Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, who he said had given him “a new lease of life” since he joined them this season.

“I’ve really found a new strength this year,” he said. “Combine that with the full support of British Cycling – to give an old dog like me a place and somewhere to express myself and race like I do.

“Tonight the race went my way. It was on and off, it was a thousand repeated efforts, and that’s what I like.”

Suspense swelled at the end of the points race as Denmark’s Carl-Frederik Bévort attacked in search of a lap gain. Had he made it, he would have overhauled the standings and catapulted himself to top spot, but ended up narrowly missing the catch before the race ended. Portugal’s Carlos Salgueiro placed third.

In the women’s sprint finals, Emma Finucane sealed a valiant silver medal against home favourite Yuan Liying (China), who beat the Welshwoman 2-0 in the final.

The 21-year-old Chinese rider won her first world title on Wednesday in the team sprint. In the second match-up of the final, she gained a jump on Finucane, previously a two-time world champion herself in the event, to win by a matter of bike lengths.

Great Britain's Sophie Capewell missed out on the bronze medal in a photofinish decider against Japan's Mina Sato. The difference was a thousandth of a second.

Milan breaks world record

Elsewhere, Jonathan Milan broke his own world record in qualifying for the men’s individual pursuit, becoming the first person in history to go sub-3:59 with a 3:58.850.

The Italian went on to go almost two seconds slower in the final, but still six seconds faster than his opponent, Denmark’s Frederik Madsen, who himself broke the four-minute barrier in qualifying.

"It was a goal [to break the world record], but I actually didn't really think about it," the now two-time individual pursuit world champion said. "It's not a super, super fast track – it's an OK track with the conditions. We're all pushing our best to make the best out of it. I'm just happy for how it went."

Filippo Ganna, a previous world record holder in the 4km event, took bronze.

In the men’s kilometre time trial, the world record holder Jeffrey Hoogland regained his crown after falling short to his fellow Dutchman Harrie Lavreysen in each of the last two years. Lavreysen, already a team sprint and keirin gold medallist in Shanghai, chose not to defend his title.

France’s Etienne Oliviero finished runner-up, more than six tenths of a second off Hoogland’s winning 58.713 seconds. Great Britain’s Joe Truman claimed the bronze medal for the third year in a row, clocking 59.414 after his visor appeared to fly off his helmet mid-effort.

The joke plays on a stereotype that has long burdened the island. Forget its luscious blue vistas and sun-drenched soils, and it's easy to poke fun at the small island hanging off the English coast – but its islanders are determined to paint its image anew.

The Isle of Wight is famous for a few things: it was the Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson's favourite place, it's home to some of the last red squirrels in the UK, and in 2010 the idyllic waters of Freshwater Bay became the scene of a £56 million cocaine bust.

But it's also a great place to explore by bike. The perimeter ride is already popular, with visitors circling the route along its undulating white coastal cliffs over the course of a day, and last year DJ Pete Tong and cycling commentator Orla Chennaoui brought luxury bike holiday LeBlanq to the island.

While Staunton is neither a Caulkhead (a born-and-bred islander) nor a DFL ("Down from London"), he's passionate about the place he's decided to call home. He took me, round-the-world record-breakers Amy and Kyle Hudson, influencer Paris Wood and her partner Ben McCullough on a ride that showcased his favourite parts of the island.

Starting in Freshwater, on the western edge of the island, we began a steady ascent over the Compton Bay cliffs before ploughing along six kilometres of undulating Military Road. From there we were rolling, the momentum gained from short, sharp climbs carrying us to Newchurch for coffee and cake at Pedallers Café.

We made a few more spontaneous stops, too. The nostalgia of the miniature village hooked all five of our party, as did the waft of garlic as we passed the island's famous farm. The Isle of Wight is the sunniest place in the UK, with over 2,000 hours of sunlight a year, and the islanders make the most of it: they distil mermaid gin infused with homegrown citrus fruits and export their tomato harvests across the country. This summer alone, 10 million sweetcorn cobs were ferried to the mainland, and the garlic grown here is the best in the country – though the chilli garlic relish is not for the faint-hearted.

Onwards we cycled into the heart of the island, each of us imbued with the bulb's distinctive whiff. Here crows circled above open fields as we snaked through quiet, hedge-lined country lanes. Though relatively flat, the island still harbours some stinging ascents, and Staunton peppered them throughout the 97km route. The first came before our lunch stop at the Spyglass Inn – 160 metres of elevation over five kilometres – with another 170m kicker straight after.

It was around this point that I hit a wall. Ill-equipped for a day out with social media influencers on lovely bikes, my flat-pedalled old gravel bike was a poor match for the island hills – my lack of fitness didn't help, either. I made a sorry companion for Staunton, who has worked with national champions during his time as an endurance coach, but he stuck with me, chivvying me along with stories of growing up on the island.

Over half of the Isle of Wight is protected as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, he told me, home to rare species of butterflies and wildflowers found only in England's chalk soils. The scenery regularly stopped us in our tracks, with the slow-eroding cliff faces overlooking the blue-green expanse of the English Channel. The island loses between one and three metres of coastline a year to erosion, but each retreat exposes new treasures. One palaeontologist crowned the Isle of Wight the most diverse location for dinosaur bones in the country, and it's even got a dinosaur of its own: the "white rock spinosaurid", an enormous carnivore that roamed the land over 125 million years ago.

As we made our way back towards the Albion Hotel for a post-ride dip in the sea and dinner at The Red Lion (butternut gnocchi for me, please!), I found myself elated, despite my screaming legs.

The pace of life here is slow. Even if you find yourself out on a big bike ride, the energy on the island feels rejuvenating. Jenna, a DFL who settled on the island eight years ago, remembers spotting her painter and decorator down at the beach when he was supposed to be painting her kitchen – there was a really good swell, apparently. I met another woman on an early-morning swim, both of us dodging breaking waves. She moved to the island over a decade ago after a career spent around the world. Now she joins a group of friends every morning for a swim – many of whom I saw litter-picking at a silent beachfront disco the night before.

One of our group asked Staunton what "the point" of the Isle of Wight was. I kind of understood what she was getting at: it's just a dislodged piece of old England, right? After a weekend of eating well, sea swimming and cycling across the island, whatever preconceived notions I had of island life changed. There is real community here – I was shown its unique blend of culinary culture, quiet country roads and punchy climbs by a rider genuinely passionate about his home. There's no better advertisement than that.

The good thing is for many of us living in the south of England, the island is surprisingly accessible. You can travel by train in an hour and thirty minutes from London and cycle straight from the ferry port – you can even drive there from Bristol in 2 hours. You can visit a garlic farm boasting produce as left-field as garlic ice cream, go for a sauna and a dip in the sea or complete the 65-mile perimeter ride and be home in time for tea. Plus, there are dinosaurs everywhere.

We were guests of The Albion Hotel in Freshwater, Isle of Wight, who kindly hosted our stay.

Wightlink operates ferry services to the Isle of Wight. Find out more at wightlink.co.uk.

Like so many technologies, once it's out there, it often goes through a refinement period. This is where 2026's bike light trend comes in, following broader bicycle trends: more cockpit integration and decluttering, without compromising tech or, in the case of lights, lumen output or battery life.

Check our experts pick of the best bike lights 2026

Traditional bike lights have tended to be fairly long and cylindrical, largely because of the shape, size, and inefficiency of older-style bulbs. LEDs are directional; given how small they are and the reflective technology built into these tiny optics, we no longer need big reflectors or linearly laid-out circuits.

That is why the out-front mount lights can be flatter, rectangular, and almost 'credit-card' thick. This keeps the light's footprint to a minimum while offering more mounting-option real estate, minimising the space it occupies on your handlebar.

Meaning you can mount them either under the out-front mount or, on some models, directly under the best bike computers in a 'stacking' format.

This new wave of slim, clutter-free lights could also be a good excuse to keep them on your bike year-round. So many of us remove our lights in the spring as the days lengthen to cut the bulk and clutter at the cockpit; for some reason, it makes us feel free and faster. So, mounting it right under your computer (which is always there) is a win for convenience, and it lets you use them for increased daytime running visibility if the clouds draw in or you're in heavily wooded or covered areas.

The Worlds were scheduled to take place from 3 to 7 November, but cycling's governing body was under pressure to take action after the Houthi attack on Riyadh's international airport on Saturday, which killed 13 and left 300 injured.

The specific circumstances were not referenced in the UCI's statement, but just alluded to as "recent developments in the region". 2026 was the second year in a row that the Urban Worlds were to take place in Riyadh, which sees riders compete for rainbow jerseys in trials and BMX Freestyle. Last year Great Britain won two medals, including gold for Charlie Rolls in the men's elite 26" trials event.

Australia and Austria had already withdrawn from the Worlds, and other sporting events had already been postponed, including the PIF Saudi International in golf.

"The decision follows consultation with athletes, staff and the selection panel, with the athletes fully informed and supportive of the decision," an AusCycling statement this week read.

"It reflects the escalating regional conflict, the loss of life and the Australian Government’s updated Smartraveller advice."

"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the Saudi Cycling Federation announce that the 2026 UCI Urban Cycling World Championships, scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 3 to 7 November, will not proceed," a UCI spokesperson said on Friday. "The event was set to bring together the world’s best riders in trials and BMX Freestyle (Park and Flatland).

"The decision follows a joint assessment of recent developments in the region and their impact on the logistical organisation of the Championships.

"The UCI regrets having to take this decision and expresses its appreciation to the Saudi Cycling Federation for their support and cooperation throughout preparations for the event. It also thanks the athletes, teams and National Federations for their understanding.

"The Saudi Cycling Federation reaffirms its commitment to developing cycling in the Kingdom and strengthening its partnership with the UCI. These efforts aim to support the growth of the sport, broaden participation and continue attracting major international cycling events to Saudi Arabia in the years ahead.

"The UCI will communicate shortly on the sporting consequences of this announcement."

I was very impressed with the A1R0evoS road bike last year, so I was excited to try the A1R0evoG gravel bike over the summer.

A big part of the Handsling appeal is the ability to completely customise the bikes in terms of components, sizes and colours. You can do this on the website, by phone or email, or even by visiting their Hampshire premises. Being able to choose a longer stem, bigger cassette and shorter cranks, for example, is something that many of the bigger brands still don’t offer, whilst the huge choice of colours available enables you to make the bike a little more personal. It’s a bit shallow, I know, but I wouldn't relish spending many thousands of pounds on one of the best gravel bikes only to find three identical-looking ones outside the café on a Sunday morning.

I spent some time communicating with Rob at Handsling when speccing the test bike and choosing the paint job, but all the choices were ultimately mine, so anything that I didn’t like was totally my fault – a great service but also a good way to avoid criticism about the spec!

Design details

I’m unlikely to ever get complimented on my good looks, dress sense, or cycling ability, but every ride on the A1R0evoG garnered envious looks and words of admiration. The matte ‘Techno Violet’ paint flipped from deep purple to green to blue, then back again, depending on how the light hit it, and it even looked superb after a ride, covered in dust. It’s a £300 option, but so worth it.

The T800 carbon frame weighs just 880g (claimed, size 52) and wouldn’t look out of place on the start line of a road race. At a glance, it resembles the A1R0evoS, with deep forks, dropped seatstays, one-piece bars, and an aero cutout in the seat tube, but it has key design differences.

Tyre clearance is a modern 55mm for starters, and a round seatpost allows you to fit a dropper post. Multiple mounting points let you load it up and head for the hills, though you may need to supply your own bolts, as many use lightweight rubber blanks instead. It even has hidden mudguard mounts, but it offers no in-frame storage, which is fine by me but will be rued by others.

There are six frame sizes available, from 50cm to 60cm, with a plethora of colour and specification options.

Specifications

I chose SRAM’s Force XPLR AXS E1 13-speed groupset with a 10-46T cassette. I wanted a 38T chainring to help me on the steep local hills, but due to temporary supply issues, I had to push a bit harder on a 42T ring. There is a mount for a 2x drivetrain, and the frame uses a threaded T47 bottom bracket.

Handsling suggested I try the Parcours FKT carbon wheelset, a popular option from a British brand that looked superb on the A1R0evo’s frame and promised both performance and comfort. These were shod, quite presciently given the winter order date and heatwave review period, with Vittoria’s fast-rolling Terreno T50 tyres in 50mm width – lovely, supple tyres, but I wouldn’t choose them as a year-round option, and even after 500km there was noticeably less tread left.

Handsling doesn't offer gravel-specific handlebar options, so the off-road bike uses the same bars as the road bike: a one-piece unit with a standard road shape and no flare. I went for a setup slightly shorter and wider than my road bike, with a 100mm stem and 40cm-wide bars, still quite aggressive for a gravel bike, but one I thought would suit its character.

A round, 27.2mm carbon seatpost and a Selle Italia Flight Superflow Boost kept my bum from scraping on the back wheel.

It is, of course, slacker than the road-going A1R0evoS, but the reach and stack figures are not too dissimilar at 393mm and 570mm respectively for a size 56. The wheelbase is 47mm longer thanks to the lengthier chainstays and 72-degree head tube. This is clearly a bike that is made to blend speed and stability.

One thing worth noting is that the top tube is pretty horizontal, meaning there isn't much standover height if you need it. I think I had less seatpost showing on the A1R0evoG than on any bike I can think of, and I am toward the top end height-wise for that frame size.

The weight of the 56cm test bike came in at 8.4kg.

Performance

Let’s not beat around the bush – I loved riding this bike. Ride after ride, I kept waiting for an Achilles' heel, but in over 500km I didn’t find one. I used it for high-speed blasts, long days out and even an overnight trip with a full complement of luggage, and it always felt sublime.

The overwhelming feeling was that the bike was superbly balanced, which gave me huge confidence at speed or when the trails got techy. It was fast too, everywhere. Tarmac was easy thanks to the aggressive position (and lightly treaded tyres), while rocky drops and other MTB-esque features were dispatched with ease. Even horrible, steep climbs felt a touch easier, despite the too-large chainring.

I found the combination of SRAM’s Force XPLR levers and Handsling’s Integrated Race Handlebar very comfortable, even without gloves, but I get that some riders prefer a wider, more flared handlebar and/or the option to fit a suspension stem. In truth, though, I only thought about the bar width in super slow, very technical sections, when a little more width would have increased control. Everywhere else, I loved the racy feel it added. Anyway, a quick pre-build phone call to Handsling could no doubt come up with other options.

In fact, the only ‘issue’ I had with the bike out on the trails was with the FKT wheels. They looked and felt fantastic to ride, but on three separate occasions I suffered a rapid loss of air, which I can only put down to a quick burp from the hookless interface between the rim and the tyre. On all three instances, the tyres held air again when re-inflated, with no evidence of sealant escape. The 47mm deep rims and large 50mm tyres also caught the wind a little, with a side profile of over 100mm.

In the workshop, as with the A1R0evoS, Handsling has used a wide variety of hex bolts on the bike, which is a little frustrating, including my pet peeve: 3mm bolts. These are only on the bottle cages, though, and are easy to replace. I also found accessing the seatpost bolt a bit awkward, as it is situated on top of the top tube but close to the post itself. So I had to force my torque wrench at a slight angle, and it didn’t always sit nicely in the bolt hole, leaving it slightly chewed; an extension or better skills on my part would have prevented this.

Overall, the fast frame, large volume tyres and aggressive set-up felt absolutely perfect on all my local Peak District trails, with astonishing comfort and prodigious speed. I used to think that my personal Cannondale Topstone was the perfect gravel bike for my riding, but now I know that the A1R0evoG is.

Value

As specced with SRAM Force XLPR AXS and Parcours FKT wheels, the test bike cost £6,038. That's a lot of money for any bike, but especially one likely to take a beating off-road. That aside though, the A1R0evoG does offer decent value against its similarly specced rivals, although there is a very wide range of prices for Force AXS-equipped gravel bikes: The Specialized Diverge 4 Pro is £1,000 more, as is the Cervelo Aspero 5 Force, yet the Canyon Grail with Force is only £4,649, so the as-tested Handsling sits roughly mid-pack.

However, the base A1R0evoG Force AXS gravel bike starts at a very reasonable £4,799, with options such as better wheels and fancy paint pushing the price up. Even at the lowest price, you still get complete control over things like bar width and crank length, which I think is a very valuable (yet no-cost) service provided by Handsling.

I’d like to see a little more uniformity in terms of bolt sizes used, and some form of protection provided for the gorgeous paintwork (although Simon Whiten did explain to me that any form of protection would add an extra 4-6 weeks to the build time, as the sprayed-to-order frames take that long to be cured enough for protection to be applied).

The beautifully balanced ride-feel on its own made the test bike feel well worth the cash, though, let alone customisable options and spec.

Tech specs

• Price: £6,037.99
• Frame: Handsling A1R0evoG
• Size: 56cm (Large)
• Weight: 8.4kg
• Groupset: SRAM Force XPLR AXS
• Crankset: SRAM Force XPLR AXS 42T, 170mm
• Cassette: SRAM Force XPLR 13-speed 10-46T
• Wheels: Parcours FKT 47mm
• Tyres: Vittoria Terreno T50 50mm tubeless
• Brakes: SRAM Force eTap AXS hydraulic
• Bar/stem: Handsling Integrated Race Handlebar 400mm x 100mm
• Seatpost: Handsling carbon 27.2mm
• Saddle: Selle Italia Flight Superflow Boost

The 26-year-old clocked a time of 3:58.850 in qualifying for the 4km event in Shanghai, China, becoming the first rider in history to go below 3:59.

The velodrome in Shanghai is located at sea level, meaning Milan did not benefit from the low air density of higher-altitude efforts. Low air density reduces aerodynamic drag.

His previous benchmark was 3:59.153, set at the Track Worlds two years ago in Ballerup, Denmark.

"It was a goal [to break the world record], but I actually didn't really think about it," Milan later said.

"It's not a super, super fast track – it's an OK track with the conditions. We're all pushing our best to make the best out of it. I'm just happy for how it went."

A two-time Tour de France stage winner who rides for Lidl-Trek on the road, the Italian went on to beat Frederik Madsen (Denmark) in the final with a time of 4:00.769 to earn his second individual pursuit world title.

Madsen qualified in 3:59.979 on Friday, and himself became only the fifth rider to break the four-minute mark.

The individual pursuit, though not part of the Olympic programme, is one of the blue ribbon events at track cycling championships. It consists of a single rider completing 16 laps of a 250m track – 4km – from a standing start.

During the event, two riders start their efforts on opposite sides of the track. While it is only each rider's time that seeds them in qualifying, if one rider catches the other in the finals, they are declared the winner.

Filippo Ganna (Italy) beat Rasmus Pedersen (Denmark) to the bronze medal in the third place ride-off on Friday.

Ganna has previously broken the world record four times: twice in 2019, once in 2020, and then again in 2022 with a 3:59.636.

That benchmark stood for two years before Great Britain’s Josh Charlton bettered it at the 2024 Track Worlds with a 3:59.304.

At the time, the then 21-year-old Charlton said he was in “total shock”. He kept his world record for around six hours before Milan beat it, and him, with a gold-medal ride in the final.

The first person to go sub-four minutes in the individual pursuit was Ashton Lambie (USA). The American clocked 3:59.930 at a behind-closed-doors event at altitude in Aguascalientes, Mexico in 2021.

The individual pursuit was removed from the Olympic programme after the 2008 Games in Beijing, China, and was replaced by the Omnium.

None of these iconic brands survived the decade, driven to extinction by overseas competition and the incoming tide of new-fangled carbon fibre. French component manufacturers Simplex, Huret, Mafac, and Maillard suffered a similar fate, heralding the end of a Grand French Era for cycling brands.

Fortunately, such strife was too distant in the future to trouble Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke, as he won prologue after prologue for La Redoute–Motobécane between 1980 and 1983. This large yet lithe beauty, a size 60cm ’81 model, was his ride midway through his stint with the team.

“It’s so wonderfully Gallic,” says current owner Richard Hoddinott of vintage specialists The Velo Pages. “Just as there’s an expectation for Italian bikes to feature Campag, almost every peripheral component on this Motobécane is French – the elegant 53t Stronglight chainset, the Simplex mechs and shifters, the Sachs Maillard 6-speed cassette, the Maillard 700 hubs and the Mavic Super Champion rims. Only the Cinelli cockpit, Selle Italia saddle and Weinmann 400 brakes are sourced from further afield.”

Motobécane was renowned for its frame finishes, and this bike does not disappoint. The deep blue flam metallic paintwork, the chromed forks – note the seamless Cinelli microfusion crown – and the rear triangle sparkle as if they’ve been dusted with diamonds.

After retiring from racing, Vandenbroucke built a successful career as a directeur sportif for Lotto, where he faced the heartbreaking challenge of coaching his troubled nephew, Frank Vandenbroucke. The French cycling industry fought back too, with brands such as Look, Lapierre and Van Rysel now commonplace in the pro peloton.

It’s a no-brainer. No one in their right mind would pony up fifty notes when they could spend two-minutes watching a little cautionary movie, surely? (It takes longer than that for the officer to fill out the paperwork for the fine). And, predictably, every single one of the 70 velo-villains nabbed by the City of London Police force for hopping the lights on Wednesday, when the new initiative was first rolled out, went for the video option.

But what does this video show, and will it be effective in reducing behaviour that the police say has become endemic on the capital’s streets?

Well, I’ve seen it. And I’ll never jump a light again.

To be honest, I’m a pretty well-behaved cyclist these days anyway (of course I am, I work for Cycling Weekly), and I also now live in a place where both traffic lights and police officers are few and far between. But there was a time when I lived in London and worked as a bike courier, and I’d routinely go through dozens of red lights every day.

It is, in essence, a selfish act to run a red light, and we all know it's a bad thing to do. You’re basically saying that your time is more important than everyone else’s. And this alternative punishment is very much of the ‘we’re not angry with you, we’re just disappointed’ school of disciplinary psychology, which tends to be much more effective.

"We issue cyclists fixed penalty notices for going through red lights in the city on a daily basis," explains Sergeant Stuart Ford, Cycle Team lead at City of London Police. "Riders running reds is one of our biggest complaints, from residents, people visiting and working in the city. We have to act on what they're saying. And it is a bit of a nightmare out there for pedestrians and vulnerable road users.

"Between 8 and 9 in the morning, in the city, we get 20,000 cyclists come through. We're only a small team, there's only ten of us, if we're all out in the morning, we might issue 20 tickets. That's nothing. That's not going to get the message out there.

"So I came up with this 3E approach, which is engage with people, educate them, and enforce the law. The whole point is I want to get some sort of behavioural change. A lot of cyclists are very good and they abide by the laws of the road, but some don’t. Rather than issuing tickets all the time, I wanted to come up with something else, where we give them an opportunity to watch a safety video and give them a bit of a warning if you like."

Sergeant Ford says he doesn’t especially love the term 'sin bin', and prefers to call it a "cycle time out zone". Riders who agree to watch the video stand on a five-by-two-metre mat with a picture of a bike on it, surrounded by a police logo, and watch the short film.

"I've been a cyclist my whole life," says Ford. "I've got four or five road bikes at home myself. It's what I do. I like bikes. So I'm coming from a good place. I don't want to be penalising people that want to do the right thing getting on their bikes. I just want people to abide by the law."

The video shows the potential consequences of your selfish actions on others, in this case people with sight impairment, some of whom describe frightening encounters with pedal-powered light jumpers. It’s filmed in a way that encourages empathy with these people, and for good measure, one of them invokes the physical and mental damage that could be done to their guide dog – which is a complete clincher – and what that would mean for their freedom.

You’d have to be monster if having this perspective thrust in your face didn’t make you stop and think, or in this case, think and stop. Watching the video, I found myself regretting all those red-light indiscretions of years gone by. I never ran over any assistance labradors (seriously, I didn’t – don’t write in), but it could have happened loads of times.

There are counterpoints to be made, about drivers’ behaviour, but it’s hard to argue with the basic premiss of Ford's thinking, and most cycling-oriented orientated organisations are in agreement.

"Cyclists are not really the issue of safety on the roads, that's more cars and driving and speeding, so it's kind of fiddling whilst Rome burns on safety grounds," says Tom Fyans from the London Cycling Campaign. “But we are broadly supportive. We think it's an innovative way of getting through to cyclists that they've got responsibilities on the road to keep people safe other than themselves.

"There are more bikes than cars now in the City of London, so the situation is a little different there to elsewhere. And if it gets cyclist respecting red lights a bit more and thinking about how to stay safe on the road, and keep others safe, that's a good thing."

There is another part of the video, for those perhaps lacking in empathy, which isn’t for media or general public consumption, that shows real footage of a bike rider going through a red light, getting knocked off her bike, and then talking about the life-long consequences of that rash decision. I’ve not seen that yet bit, and I don’t intend to – I’ll just stop at the red lights from now on.

Alongside Brian Robinson, Tom Simpson and Barry Hoban, Denson helped open doors for the generations of British cyclists who followed. Born in Chester, he developed his strength in the fiercely competitive world of British time trialling, track and road racing before crossing the Channel to pursue his ambitions.

Denson became one of professional cycling's most respected domestiques, riding for two of the sport's greatest champions, Rik Van Looy and Jacques Anquetil.

His finest years came with Anquetil's Ford France team in 1965 and 1966. "It was like being with Manchester United," Denson recalled. The riders were treated as celebrities, once attending a reception with Prince Rainier and Princess Grace in Monaco.

But behind the glamour lay extraordinary hard work.

In May 1965, Denson played a crucial role in one of cycling's greatest feats. Anquetil won the mountainous Critérium du Dauphiné, then travelled overnight to Bordeaux to contest the 584-kilometre Bordeaux-Paris classic, starting at one o'clock the following morning.

Denson and Jean Stablinski were entrusted with shepherding their exhausted leader through the night.

"Jacques was riding so close to me his shoulder would occasionally brush mine," Denson recalled. "To help him I pushed him for long stretches." At one point Anquetil leaned against Denson, apparently falling asleep while still riding. Somehow, he recovered and completed his historic double.

The following year Denson made history himself, becoming the first British rider to win a stage of the Giro d'Italia. Riding for Ford France, he escaped on the mountainous ninth stage from Naples to Campobasso, dropping his breakaway companions and battling alone to victory.

It was a landmark achievement for British cycling, and proof that Denson was far more than a willing workhorse. He also won the 1965 Tour of Luxembourg.

The death of his close friend Tom Simpson during the 1967 Tour de France affected Denson profoundly. He eventually retired from professional racing in 1969.

Strong, loyal, immensely capable and full of wonderful stories, Vin belonged to an era when British cyclists had to fight for every opportunity abroad.

With his passing, the final link to that remarkable pioneering generation has gone.

Cycling Weekly's thoughts are with Denson's friends and family.

Matt Bostock earned the nation’s first rainbow jersey of the championships with a hard-fought victory in the men’s scratch race. A quarter of an hour later, the British women’s team pursuit squad then set out and dominated their final against Italy, leading for more than three quarters of the 4km event, and winning by over five seconds with a 4:04.610.

The quartet in the final included three riders who won the European title and set a world record in February – Anna Morris, Josie Knight and Millie Couzens – plus 19-year-old Erin Boothman, a four-time junior world champion. Megan Barker was also part of the winning team, having subbed in in the first round earlier in the day.

"It was phenomenal," said the now three-time world champion Knight. "Last year, when we came third, we really wanted more. To come back this year and win in the way we did, with a fresh new team – obviously, me, Meg and Anna have been doing it a while, but these two [Boothman and Couzens], it’s their first senior World Championships – to come home with a gold is really special."

Morris explained that the team's strategy in the final was to "come home like a train". After the 31-year-old peeled off, that responsibility fell on Knight, Couzens and Boothman, the latter two on their senior Worlds debuts.

"I’m over the moon to even be riding with these girls,” said Boothman. “To come here, get the experience to even ride with them, but then to come away with gold is super special.”

Great Britain have now won the women's team pursuit nine times since the event was introduced to the Track Worlds in 2008, making them the most successful nation.

Germany earned the bronze medal in Shanghai.

Bostock in control

While the team pursuit gold medal was a collective effort, Bostock’s was one of individual brilliance.

The Manxman animated the 40-lap scratch race from the beginning, before setting off solo after the breakaway Alex Vogel (Switzerland) around the halfway mark, and catching and passing him with around 10 laps remaining.

Bostock then ploughed on at the front of the race to hold off the bunch by more than half a lap. Tom Sexton (New Zealand) finished second, with Lindsay De Vylder (Belgium) in third.

"It’s been a dream ever since I was a kid," Bostock said of his maiden world title.

"I stepped away from track and watched my partner [Megan Barker] at the Olympics and thought, ‘You know what, I’ll give it a go in the next few years and see where it could take me.’ A couple of years on, I’ve got myself a world title. I couldn’t be happier."

Curiously, Bostock went on to add that he wasn't originally meant to be in the British team for this week's Worlds, and only got the call-up to race the scratch the night before.

"After the Commonwealth Games [where Bostock won the points race] it was the plan to miss this and focus on next year," he explained. "It's been, honestly, crazy."

Danish pursuit supremacy

Also on Thursday, Denmark claimed the men’s team pursuit title for the fourth consecutive year, romping past an Italian quartet that counted Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan.

The team of Rasmus Pedersen, Frederik Madsen, Lasse Norman Leth and Carl-Frederik Bévort won with a comfortable five-second margin, clocking 3:40.865 in the final. The time put them within a second of their own world record – 3:39.977 – set, like the British women, at the European Championships in Konya, Turkey, in February.

“[The time is impressive] especially considering the circumstances of this track,” said Pedersen. “It’s maybe not the fastest track, but we executed the perfect race. We have a great team.”

The bronze medal ride-off swung the way of Great Britain who, despite trailing for the middle two kilometres, overhauled their race against France to win by more than three seconds with a 3:47.245.

The British team consisted of brothers Noah and Henry Hobbs, Ethan Vernon, Ollie Wood, and Bostock, who rode in the first round on Wednesday.

Kopecky eliminates all

Elsewhere, Lotte Kopecky cruised to her third elimination race world title. The Belgian fended off Japan’s Yumi Kajihara in the final two, with the USA’s Megan Jastrab rounding out the podium.

“A world title is always special. [The elimination race] is one of my favourite disciplines on the track so it’s really nice to get a win here today,” said Kopecky, who missed last year’s event due to a fracture in her back.

Abi Miller, Britain’s 18-year-old senior Track Worlds debutant, placed ninth.

In the men’s keirin, Harrie Lavreysen collected his second world title of the championships, a day after winning the team sprint with the Netherlands.

The Japanese sprint event now makes up six of the Dutchman’s record 22 track world titles. Max Dornbach (Germany) came second and Shinji Nakano (Japan) third.

No British man made it into the quarter-finals of the keirin. The nation’s hopes had been pinned on the European champion Matthew Richardson, until he was sent home on Monday amid reports of serious misconduct regarding discriminatory posts and behaviour.

Richardson’s withdrawal from the squad came too late for Great Britain to swap another rider into the event.

Olympic team sprint champions Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell powered through the first rounds of the individual sprint and will compete against each other in the semi-finals on Friday. Finucane is already a two-time world champion in the event.

The other women’s sprint semi-final will be made up of China’s Yuan Liying and Japan’s Mina Sato.

According to a report in The Times on Wednesday, an independent survey, funded by UK Sport and conducted by a company called the Happiness Index, uncovered a fall in morale among its elite riders, and an alleged lack of accountability in the GBCT's senior leadership.

A spokesperson for British Cycling said that the wellbeing of its staff was "fundamental to everything we do", and said that an action plan was being implemented to address concerns.

This is not the first time that the culture at BC has been criticised, with a 2017 report into the GBCT saying that a "culture of fear" existed.

Separately, this week, British track sprinter Matthew Richardson was withdrawn last-minute from this week's UCI Track World Championships amid reports of serious misconduct, also revealed in The Times.

As part of the survey conducted most recently, athletes and staff were asked for three words to describe the culture of their World Class Programme; "driven" was most-used by athletes, but that was quickly followed by "toxic". Other words included "cold", "unconcerned", "distant", "unclear" and "restrictive".

According to The Times, the Happiness Index calculated saw a satisfaction score of -42 for male riders and -31 for female riders, the scale running from -100 to +100. The male and female staff scores were -4 and -5, respectively, all of which was a dramatic drop from the last time it was taken.

"The wellbeing of our staff and riders is fundamental to everything we do at British Cycling," a BC spokesperson said.

"The Culture Feedback Survey, which has been the subject of recent reports, is independently run to provide a valuable tool to help us learn and improve. The majority of team members say they love their jobs and overall favourability has increased, ranking ‘very good’ in the latest study.

"However, it is important to recognise others want to see improvements, and we are committed to listening and acting on this.

"As a result, the Great Britain Cycling Team has developed an action plan that is being implemented alongside wider work across British Cycling, focused on leadership, development, feedback and wellbeing. UK Sport is aware and supportive of the action we are taking."

The action plan is also focusing on "psychological safety, empowerment, and colleague experience", The Times reported.

A spokesman for UK Sport said: "It is critical to us that the sports we invest in have a safe, healthy and high-performing culture where athlete voice is included in decision-making. That is why the sports we work with undertake periodic, independent surveys of their athletes and staff within performance programmes to form one part of the assessment of the culture within those environments.

"We have engaged with British Cycling on the findings of their most recent culture survey and are aware of the action plan that they are already implementing to address some of the themes it raised.

"We will continue to work with British Cycling as they embed this plan and ensure their performance culture is of the highest possible standard."

On Thursday morning, NOS Sport and In De Waaier published their investigations into Picnic PostNL, with the latter being a four-part podcast series, after interviews with 71 current and former employees. They documented allegations of a toxic culture at the team, which amounted to an "unsafe working situation". In response, they said "we do not recognise ourselves" in the stories.

Picnic PostNL is run by sports director Rudi Kemna and owner Iwan Spekenbrink. This year, the men's team has won just three times, including one at WorldTour level, while the women's team is yet to register a victory.

Among those interviewed by the Dutch outlets was former rider Martijn Tusveld, a squad member between 2018 and 2024, who said his position at the team changed after he criticised the team's tactics at the 2020 Giro d'Italia, and later felt "powerless".

"I became anxious," he told NOS. "I thought, 'I'll keep my mouth shut and say yes and amen.' And that's what I did for the rest of the years with this team. I also thought about harming myself."

Adriaan Helmantel, Tom Dumoulin's former coach, also spoke on the record, saying that the team "became a dictatorship".

In a statement released later on Thursday, a Picnic PostNL spokesperson said: "We have taken note of the publications by NOS Sport and In de Waaier about Team Picnic PostNL. The accounts shared by current and former riders and staff members affect us. At the same time, we do not recognise ourselves in the overall picture presented in the publications.

"The fact that experiences differ does not diminish the seriousness of the accounts that have now come to light. We will therefore commission an independent investigation into how our team culture is experienced in practice and to what extent it reflects the culture we strive for."

The statement listed three promises that make the foundation of the team: fair, healthy and responsible sport; safe collaboration based on shared values; and continuity and job security.

"In a performance-driven environment such as professional sport, things can go wrong," the statement continued.

"That is why there are several ways for people within our team to raise problems and concerns. Riders have a personal coach, there is a Rider Committee, and staff members can turn to confidential advisers. If people have felt unsafe within our organisation or have felt they lacked sufficient opportunity to raise concerns, we want to understand how that could have happened.

"We are proud of what we have built since 2008 together with the many people who are, or have been, part of and associated with this team. Precisely for that reason, we believe it is important to take a critical look at ourselves.

"We will therefore commission an independent, professional investigation into our team culture. We will take its findings seriously and implement any improvements that may be needed, out of respect for everyone who is, or has been, part of Team Picnic PostNL."

There are about 30 of us in the room, with varying levels of experience. Pavarini invites us to share our aims: some want to optimise their set-up; others to improve their descending; a few to convert their road experience to gravel. Everyone wants to explore this lesser-visited part of Tuscany, which is basking in May sunshine. Eventually, it is my turn. I tell them that my aim is to enjoy it as much as possible and to see how much I can learn about riding on gravel.

Back in London, gravel riding is an answer to the biggest problem I have with road cycling: traffic. There are fewer early starts, less segment-chasing, more immersion in nature. Last year, I bought my first gravel bike from my dad’s friend Ray (a steal at £350). But frankly, my bike handling and technical skills could still use some improvement. So here I am.

Three days to master gravel

The format of the clinic is simple: three days of guided riding – between 50 and 70km per day, always with over 1,000m of climbing – with technical sessions in the evenings, covering topics including bike set-up, biomechanics and nutrition. This preparation ramps up to a final “race pace” ride with two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist Paolo Bettini. It is centred around Peccioli, a hilltop village that is at the heart of pioneering efforts to combat rural decline.

Organisers ExtraGiro have assembled a crack team of coaches, mechanics, guides and even a camera crew to join us on the rides. There is Luigino ‘Oscar’ Veneziano, former mechanic at Marco Pantani’s Mercatone Uno; biomechanic Fabrizio Pederzoli and, the star of the show, Francesco Casagrande, who recorded 51 career victories, but also served a nine-month doping ban in 1998. He held the Giro’s maglia rosa for 11 days in 2000, losing it during an uphill time trial. “That’s the [loss] that sticks with me the most bitterly, because between finishing second and winning a Giro d’Italia, there’s a world of difference,” he tells us. “You need mentality, determination and passion as a pro cyclist, because if you don’t enjoy it, you quit.”

On the first day, the team help us set up our Cube Nuroad Pro hire bikes. Pederzoli adjusts saddle heights while Veneziano inflates our tyres to a squishy 35psi with a whirr of his tiny electric pump. On a gravel bike, we learn, the saddle should be lower for more control, with a smaller drop to the handlebars – 4cm, says Casagrande, compared to 6–8cm on a typical road bike. Tyre pressure, meanwhile, should be lower for rougher roads; higher for “champagne gravel”. “You should always keep pressure slightly lower on gravel,” he says. “Better a bit less than a bit more.”

We ride the undulating 50km “Constellation Loop” through cypress-lined lanes, up relentless hills and along dusty strade bianche. The May sun is warm and the countryside is green and fragrant: it smells of cypress needles, rosemary, woody juniper. On the first climb, the group immediately starts to splinter. It is “not a competition”, we are told, but there is some initial showmanship: best kits, best bikes – and an attempt to conceal heavy breathing. Riding in a group this size pushes me to ride through ruts I’d usually dodge and to carry more speed through corners, doing my best to match the others’ pace on climbs (manageable) and descents (more problematic). There is no choice but to adapt.

Casagrande, meanwhile, looks comfortable, dancing up climbs on the drops or checking on members of the group. He converted to mountain biking after his road career, so he’s equally comfortable riding off-road. On one arm, he has a tattoo of the Olympic rings; on the other, a pulse line interrupted by a bike (Olympian Bettini, in case you’re wondering, has a tattoo of two clinking wine glasses). “Tutto bene?” Casagrande asks when he passes. There is a language barrier, of course, so I give him an enthusiastic thumbs up and say: “Si, bene.”

For Pavarini, Peccioli Gravel Clinic is also a slow-tourism project, designed to showcase the area’s landscapes, villages and culture. “I think that the bike economy is a way to support small towns, small territories,” he says. Over the four days, we visit Peccioli itself, with its medieval centre, viewing terrace and wealth of public art. We do a night ride to the Libbiano Astronomical Centre, where an enthusiastic astronomer shows us the master telescope, and we observe Jupiter with its two moons. Our rides take us through villages including colourful Ghizzano and quaint Legoli; to lunch spots like Agriturismo Diacceroni, where we are interrupted by a donkey. We visit the family-run Venerosi Pesciolini winery, and, on Sunday, join the local party, Festa sulle Serre. The routes, which intertwine and overlap, are pleasingly designed to build familiarity with the area, like a jigsaw puzzle slowly being completed.

Clocking up power tips

On the gravel, I pick up tips: descend on the drops, pushing my weight backwards; climb seated, and resist the temptation to spin in too low a gear. In one technical session, Pederzoli draws a clock-shaped diagram on the board. “Memorise this: I generate 80% of my pedal drive between the one and five [o’clock positions].” This drive, he says, should come from the glutes, while the circle should be closed with a pulling movement like wiping a shoe on a doormat.

Bettini shares some of his own advice too: “Speed always pays off. Speed gives you stability,” he says. “On terrain that isn’t stable, where the bike moves around – it may seem strange, but the slower you go, the easier it is to crash.” He is right, of course. Too little speed – too much caution – increases the chance of wheels being sent off their line. Steep gradients are best approached with full commitment: push hard on climbs and lay off the brakes on descents.

As I grind up the hills, I think of Pederzoli’s pedalling advice, visualising the push from my glutes. Pleasantly, I find that I am less fatigued. At one point, he even tells me that my pedalling style is perfect (“forte! Perfetta!”). My problem, though, is on the steepest descents, where I can’t bring myself to go onto the drops. I resolve to continue to practise in private.

On the third morning, I ask Pederzoli if he can adjust my bike position and cleats to stop the dull ache that has developed in my long-ailing left knee. He moves my cleat backwards slightly, twisting it by a millimetre or two. This, he says, improves comfort and stability, while the cleat should be in line with the widest metatarsal part of the foot (he recommends marking this with a piece of duct tape). Pederzoli determines that my saddle should also come forward – a move I am sceptical about. It turns out, though, he is right.

In the afternoon, it is time for the “race pace” ride with Bettini, something I’d gravely underestimated. Bettini was taking no prisoners. I lose contact before the end of the first climb: too slow, too many leftover beans from lunch in my saddlebag. After a few grumbling kilometres as a ‘chasse patate’ – caught between the lead group and the stragglers – I drop back and give myself time to appreciate some of the most technical gravel sections of the trip. One stretch is like the bottom of a riverbed: full of loose, chunky rocks and deep gullies on which previously I’d have got off and walked. I take Bettini’s advice and push hard. The rocks move, the wheels skid, my arms vibrate – but I’m across, I’m upright, and I’m enjoying it.

In future editions, Pavarini intends to enhance the “clinic” aspect of the event, with more practical tips and advice for bikepacking. I have certainly gained confidence over the three days, partly because of the coaching, and partly due to the level of support, which creates a safe environment in which to experiment. Above all, the clinic provides access to gravel’s most important teacher: the strade surface itself. I gain a better sense of how it moves, which lines to choose. I get used to how it purrs under the wheels, the plumes of dust, and how the rocks skitter as you slow down. The experience is so immersive that when I go to bed at night, I replay sections – a corner, a rocky descent – and I can almost feel the sensations.

“For each of you, the question must be: why do I ride a bike?” asks Bettini in the final session. I have often wondered this myself, commuting in the rain, slogging up hills, having an altercation with a driver. But here, feeling the Tuscan sun on my skin, smelling the countryside, listening to the birds, the answer is clear. For this.

Key travel info

Getting there

Pisa, around 30km from Peccioli, is the nearest airport. Flights from London start from around £35 return. Florence, which is well-served by flights to the UK, is just over an hour away.

Where to stay

We stayed at Le Palaie (lepalaie.it), a 150-hectare country estate where old farmhouses have been converted into self-contained accommodation, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. Le Palaie’s winery is also on site, where guests can visit the cellar – and, crucially, try the wine. Prices start at around £100 per night.

Sign up to the clinic

The Peccioli Gravel Clinic fee (TBC for next year) includes accommodation, breakfast, lunch, guided rides and training. Italian language recommended. Pre-registration is open for next year’s event: peccioligravel.it. Bikes can be hired from gippobike.com.

Beyond the bike

Don’t miss Peccioli’s highly successful waste management plant, Triangolo Verde, an unusual attraction that generates electricity for the town. The profits it generates – €345m (£299m) so far – have funded the MACCA open-air museum, a treasure trail of over 70 contemporary public art installations – and helped Peccioli secure the title of “Italy’s most beautiful village” in 2024. The Terrazza del Palazzo Senza Tempo is a viewing platform by Italian starchitect Mario Cucinella, while Endless Sunset is a bridge which changes colour throughout the day – and provides lift access to the town’s upper levels. It’s also worth visiting villages Ghizzano, Legoli and Lajatico, the birthplace of tenor Andrea Bocelli, who is proudly celebrated on every wall.

This article was first published in the 11 June 2026 print edition of Cycling Weekly magazine – available to buy on the newsstand every Thursday (UK only) while digital versions are available on Apple News and Readly. Subscriptions through Magazine's Direct.

The 23-year-old will ride for the squad for the next three years, where he'll be joined in 2027 by British rider James Shaw and Frenchman Clément Champoussin, it was revealed on Wednesday afternoon.

Netcompany-Ineos have now announced six new riders for 2027, and have lost riders including Filippo Ganna to Lidl-Trek, Magnus Sheffield to Uno-X Mobility and Ben Turner to Soudal Quick-Step.

Blackmore has finished just one race in 2026 due to a persistent knee problem, and moves from NSN Cycling, the team he turned pro at as Israel-Premier Tech in 2024. That year, he won the Tour de l'Avenir, the premier under-23 race, Liège-Bastognie-Liège U23, the Tour de Taiwan and the Tour de Rwanda; this led him to be crowned Cycling Weekly's rider of the year.

"I’m extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to spend the next three years of my career with Netcompany-Ineos," Blackmore said in a press release. "It’s been a tough 2026 for me with injuries, but it’s made me even more motivated to reach my full potential."

Geraint Thomas, Netcompany-Ineos's director of racing, said: "Joe is a rider we’ve followed closely and someone we believe has significant potential. He has already shown what he is capable of across different types of racing, but importantly we believe there is still a lot more to come.

"Our focus will be on giving him the environment, support and time to continue that progression. We’re really looking forward to welcoming him to the team and seeing what we can achieve together."

Shaw moves to his new team after five years with EF Education-EasyPost, and made his name as a strong climber. He has signed for just a year.

"As a kid, this was the team that inspired me," the 30-year-old said. "I grew up looking up to riders like Geraint, so to now have the opportunity to pull on the jersey and become part of a team I've admired for so long is a dream come true."

"James is a real fighter," Thomas added. "He’s shown significant mental toughness throughout his career and has worked incredibly hard to establish himself at the highest level.

"He’s got a diverse skill set and brings valuable experience to the team. He’s also someone who will contribute to the strong British culture we have within the squad, both on and off the bike."

Champoussin, meanwhile, has joined from XDS Astana, adding more climbing power. The 28-year-old won a stage of the Vuelta in 2021, and will expected to help riders like Blackmore and Oscar Onley to general classification objectives.

Thomas explained the signing: "Clément brings significant experience and another dimension to the group. He's a solid, strong and consistent climber who has shown he can perform at the highest level."

Discover the full breakdown of WorldTour transfers with our guide.

For seven years, US wheel manufacturer Boyd Cycling has been refurbing and donating customers' unwanted wheels to young riders – and now, in conjunction with the Kent Cyclopark Charity, it's bringing that philanthropic strategy to UK shores.

The strategy operates annually throughout each October, and acts as a kind of part-exchange deal, with those donating wheels benefiting too: those who trade in their old wheels, either in a Boyd retailer or online, receive a 20% discount when buying new Boyd wheels.

Boyd Cycling says customers can trade in any wheelset, irrespective of brand, or model. The company will then service as required before donating to young cyclists. Those trading in their wheels will have them assessed for suitability and serviceability in the first instance, and Cyclopark will then carry out any work that needs doing before passing them on to young riders.

The riders benefiting from the wheels will mostly be those patronising Cyclopark in the U12 up to U23 categories, across both cyclo-cross and road racing disciplines.

Cyclopark and its accompanying charity provides a mostly self-funded space for riders of all ages to race and ride at Gravesend, Kent. As well as the road circuit itself, the venue features a cafe, BMX pump track and MTB trails, and six fitness studios.

Cyclopark's CEO Jonny Hamp said in a statement: “Every day we see the difference cycling can make in young people's lives here at Cyclopark Charity. It’s about much more than riding a bike. It’s building confidence, making friendships, developing new skills and feeling part of a community. We know that the cost of equipment can be a real barrier, especially for young riders.

“That’s why we’re really pleased to be working with Boyd Cycling on this fantastic initiative. By giving quality equipment a second life, we’re helping to create opportunities for the next generation of cyclists, ensuring that enthusiasm and potential, rather than financial circumstances, determine how far they can go."

The team, which also included Rhianna Parris-Smith and Emma Finucane, led fellow finalists China after the first of three laps, before Capewell took her turn and the trio fell behind, missing out on gold by less than four tenths of a second.

Capewell revealed afterwards that she suffered a mechanical issue, and struggled to stay upright on her bike.

“[It was] a disappointing final. It wasn’t our best ride. My saddle snapped halfway through my lap, so as you can imagine it was quite difficult staying up and finishing off my turn,” the 28-year-old Olympic champion said.

“[I] still put in a good ride considering, but there was a lot more in there, and it would have been really interesting to see what we could have put up in that final.”

Tong Mengqi, Yuan Liying and Jiang Yulu earned China’s first world title in the event since 2015 with a time of 45.578 seconds.

Despite her saddle snap, Capewell praised her opponents, saying they “came out swinging” inside their home velodrome in Shanghai.

“That wasn’t the finished product for us. We’re actually a fairly new team put together. Me and Emma have ridden a lot, and I had the privilege of riding with Rhianna at the start of the year at Euros, but we’re not a well drilled team,” said Capewell, who won Olympic gold in the event with a world-record ride alongside Finucane in 2024.

“To turn up today and get a silver medal is something I’m super proud of,” she said. “At the start of Olympic quali[fication], a silver medal’s not too bad, and leaves us hungry for more.”

Germany claimed bronze to round out the podium.

In the men’s team sprint, the Olympic champions, the Netherlands – made up of Roy van den Berg, Harrie Lavreysen and Jeffrey Hoogland – claimed their eighth title in nine years with a time of 41.954 seconds in the final.

Australia were the last team to beat the Dutch, doing so in 2022, and took silver in Shanghai, having led the first two laps of the final, before Hoogland overhauled the deficit in the last lap to win by more than half a second. China sealed the bronze medal.

Great Britain's men’s team sprint trio, silver medallists last year, placed 6th this time round. The team was without the double European champion Matthew Richardson, who was withdrawn from the squad on Monday amid reports of serious misconduct.

According to The Times, the 27-year-old is under investigation for discriminatory posts and behaviour. Richardson responded to allegations in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, vowing to “co-operate fully” and with “contrition for the feelings of anyone who might be affected”.

The first rainbow jersey of this year’s Track World Championships went to Lorena Wiebes, the now three-time scratch race champion in as many years. The Dutchwoman attacked off the front of the pack inside two laps to go, and was chased by Lara Gillespie (Ireland), who couldn’t find the speed to pip her on the line.

“It’s quite crazy,” said Wiebes, who represents SD Worx-Protime on the road. “Of course, you always go for the win, but it’s always harder and harder to repeat it.”

Denmark will face Italy in the final of the men’s team pursuit on Thursday. Great Britain qualified for the bronze medal ride-off against France.

The British women’s team pursuit squad qualified first on Wednesday, with the first round and finals to follow on Thursday.

The 25-year-old, who has been riding for SD Worx-Protime this season, said she was visited by ITA officials on the day in question, in September, and tested in a room next to where the body of her very recently deceased mother lay.

In the post, Cavallar decried the lack of discretion shown by authorities, and implied that the emotional trauma caused by this event and the way it was handled had played a part in her decision to take some time away from racing.

The Austrian stepped back from racing for “personal and family reasons” after withdrawing from the Tour de France Femmes and subsequently suffering the loss of her mother.

"Riders, especially at international level, are subject to testing regardless of their participation in races in order to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable anti-doping program," explained Marta Nawrocka, Head of Communication at the ITA, responding to questions about the timing of the testing. "This includes both in- and out-of-competition testing."

"In this particular case, the doping control officer was not aware of the athlete’s personal circumstances upon arrival. Once these became apparent, the officer sought to handle the situation with sensitivity and respect, completing the procedure as promptly as possible and in accordance with the applicable anti-doping regulations.

"We fully recognise that this was an exceptionally distressing situation for the athlete and that regulatory compliance alone does not address the human dimension of such circumstances," Nawrocka continued.

"According to the information gathered by the ITA since the rider’s Instagram post of yesterday, Ms Cavallar and her family cooperated fully with the procedure, and no concerns or requests to postpone or discontinue the control were raised at the time or afterwards.

“Faced with an exceptionally sensitive situation, the DCO, with the rider and her family’s support, endeavoured to pursue the procedure as discreetly, respectfully and swiftly as possible.

“We fully recognise that undergoing a doping control in these circumstances has added to her distress experienced at an extraordinarily painful time. We have been in touch with the rider directly and apologised."

The UCI is well within its rights to ask professional riders to supply details of their movements and locations between 6am and 11pm, whether they're competing in a race or not, on the understanding that the ITA can test them at any time.

Out-of-competition testing (OOCT) was heralded as one of the biggest breakthroughs in anti-doping efforts when it came into action in 2004, and athletes involved in all recognised Olympic sports have to conform with OOCT under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code, not just cyclists. Testers can take blood and/or urine samples and refusing one can result in the same penalty as a positive test.

In exceptional circumstances, if they have permission from WADA, the ITA they can also target cyclists outside of those hours, as happened during this year's Tour de France, when multiple riders including leader (and eventual winner) Tadej Pogacar and two-time champion and best-placed challenger Jonas Vingegaard were both tested in the middle of the night.

The Track Cycling World Championships take place in China for the first time in its 123 year history. The 250 metre, indoor Shanghai velodrome in Chongming District opened in December 2023, and this is its first international event.

400 riders from 46 nations will compete in the 22 events over five days. British sprinter Matthew Richardson however will not be one of them, as he was withdrawn from the event and sent home by British Cycling just days before the racing started.

The Times has reported that Richardson is under investigation for circulating discriminatory posts and behaviour. The sprinter, who won two silver medals at the Paris Olympics for Australia before switching nationalities, took to Instagram to say he would co-operate fully with the process.

Having topped the medal table last year, the Dutch are once again expected to be the strongest team on the track, in part thanks to sprinter Harrie Lavreysen, who already holds 20 world titles and is undefeated in the sprint since he first won it in 2019. At 29, Lavreysen is already considered the greatest male sprinter of all time.

Great Britain's best chance of gold comes with the women's sprint squad, led by 2025 sprint world champion Emma Finucane, who, coming into these championships, said she wanted to become 'the most successful British sprinter.

The full schedule, live timings and results will all be posted on the Tissot Timing website throughout the event.

2026 Track Cycling World Championships - riders to watch

Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands)
The Dutchman is epxected to add to his massive haul of world titles in Shanghai. A former BMXer, no rider has found a way to beat him in the sprint since 2018, the year before his run of wins from 2019 onwards that also includes Olympic Games. Expect him to compete in all sprint competitions. He was part of the trio that qualified fastest by more than a quarter of a second in the men's team sprint on the opening morning. His biggest challenger might be from a team mate.

Lorena Wiebes (Netherlands)
The Dutch sprinter is almost unbeatable on the road, and so it proved on the track as she won the first event, the women's scratch race. No doubt with one eye on the 2028 Olympic Games in LA, Wiebes also rode the team pursuit, qualifying as the fourth fastest nation, nearly six second behind Great Britain

Emma Finucane (Great Britain)
Three world and one Olympic title make Finucane the most decorated rider in the British team, despite only being 23 years old. She became the first sprinter to win four golds in one Commonwealth Games earlier this year winning the sprint, team sprint, keirin and 1,000m tt. Whether or not she will be affected by the withdrawal from competition of her partner Matt Richardson remains to be seen.

Lotte Kopecky (Belgium)
While the former road world champion has had a poor season by her own very high standards, she remains a standout rider in the women's endurance events with six world titles under her belt. She's down to ride the elimination race, Madison, and omnium - teams can change riders at the last minute if they wish. Kopecky has a decorated palmares, but is still missing an Olympic title. She will have one eye on the LA Games, but as such a standout rider, all her competitors will have one eye on her when racing.

Taylor Phinney (USA)
Back riding a major track competition for the first time in 16 years; the American has come out of retirement in a bid to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games. Having won the individual pursuit world title early in his career, Phinney did not compete on the track once he switched to the WorldTour. The USA qualified seventh fastest in the team pursuit and Phinney is only a substitute for the individual pursuit

That's why for my son's first pedal bike, I put geometry first, and I don’t regret it for a minute. His Prevelo Zulu One has set him up perfectly on the pedals and filled him with confidence, culminating in a trip to the Forest of Dean, a mountain-bike haven on the Welsh-English border.

But alas, why do kids grow so fast? Just over a year after getting the Prevelo, he was ready for bigger wheels, and it makes our shotgun adventures seem like a lifetime ago.

So when I saw that Early Rider had updated the geometry of their Seeker 16, and given the brand's reputation for making lightweight kids’ bikes, I knew we needed to put it to the test.

Design details

The latest version of the Early Rider Seeker 16 is once again constructed from a 6061 aluminium frame and fork, which features new dropouts able to accommodate thru-axles; these allow better wheel retention and alignment with the disc brakes when tensioning the single-speed chain and gear.

The biggest change is the bike's geometry: Early Rider has lowered the bottom bracket by 20mm, slackened the head angle by 1.5 degrees from 69.5 to 67, and shortened the seat tube, resulting in a dramatic 40mm drop in standover height. Early Rider claims this should increase stability and make you feel more part of the bike rather than perched atop it.

Aesthetically, while Early Rider has recently introduced more colour, they have stayed true to their roots by continuing to offer the brushed finish we tested alongside 3 new colour-accented designs

Unboxing and assembly

I always like to discuss how kids’ bikes come assembled, as while many reading this might be cyclists, not all parents are, and I think it's helpful, especially when buying direct online. The good news is that the Seeker comes pretty much ready to ride out of the box.

Final setup still requires some parent input, though. Early Rider requires parents to fit the handlebar, align the stem, screw in the pedals, and, if needed, shorten the brake lever reach.

That wasn’t a problem for me, but if you're unsure, Early Rider provides a video to follow and printable instructions if needed. If you're unsure, your local bike shop should charge only £35/$50 to build the bike for you.

The only issue I had was that the handlebar was missing a centring logo, so I had to get the tape measure out. I tend to do this anyway, after losing faith many years ago that those logos were actually in the middle.

Specifications

The Seeker 16 comes with a raft of ‘kids-specific’ in-house Early Rider-branded components, as you might expect. Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into the sizing: the stem is a short 35mm, and the narrow 500mm handlebar uses the 31.8mm standard, making changes or room for growth later much easier.

There are shorter crank arms that work in tandem with the lowered bottom bracket, reducing the length from 110mm to just 90mm. The brand has swapped from Vee Tire Crown Gem, a fairly aggressive MTB tyre for a kids bike, to the new Kenda Booster 16 x 2.2in tyre, which looks to offer a better balance of rolling resistance and grip. Early Rider has even scaled up the hydraulic disc brake rotors, matching the powerful reach-adjustable stoppers with 140mm discs.

Given the undeniable premium of the Seeker range, many will be glad to know (especially for those looking to hold on to them as hand-me-downs) that Early Rider has also made smart choices to maximise the longevity of these parts. For example, the wheels feature sealed bearings, as does the bottom bracket. There are tough double-walled alloy rims, and the bike comes equipped out of the box with a very nice set of pedals (although I did fit my son's preferred Red, Funn Taipan pedals; the emphasis here is on the Red colour rather than the pedal itself).

All this results in a bike that weighs just 6.5kg/14.3lbs with pedals fitted; that's a kilo/2.2lbs lighter than his smaller 14-inch-wheel Prevelo. Very impressive!

One last thing: the Seeker 16 comes with a bottle cage mount, which is rare on kids' bikes, even in larger sizes. I tried fitting an Elite CEO Jet cage, but the front triangle gap is too tight. However, Early Rider offers a Universal Utility Plate and Strap designed for small bottles. This shouldn’t be a negative, as I said; so many kids' bikes don’t offer bottle cages at all.

Performance

Before I get into how the bike performs, I just want to remind you all that our reviews of the best kids' bikes are based solely on our observations of our kids riding. We, of course, can’t ride them ourselves, and some younger kids, like my son, can't always articulate or critique precise handling characteristics.

First and foremost, I think the Early Rider's lower overall weight has really turbo-charged my son's riding. He immediately felt at home, given the bike's geometry isn’t all that different from his Prevelo, and built speed very, very quickly. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, I don’t regret him riding a slightly heavier bike to start with for a minute, but it is clear geometry and weight need to go hand in hand more often.

This most notable difference has been on inclines, not so much on ‘hills’, as most parents will know hills just take time, muscle, size, and we have a towline for those; however, small rises on a path or terrain now have been a fun challenge and, in most cases, unnoticeable to him, where previously it wouldn’t have been possible. Some of that is his age, height, wheel size, and increased experience, but I have no doubt weight is a big factor, since he generally looks more comfortable moving the bike around.

The geometry changes Early Rider has made are clearly valuable, and I have noticed a marked improvement in my son's confidence hitting ‘scary’ terrain since putting a leg over the Seeker. For us, that's rocky, steeper sections of trail or longer descents on the local bike paths. A good example is the old railway line near us, which drops down to several road crossings where bridges have been removed over the years. Where he might have hopped off and walked down before, he is racing down, a heart-stopping moment for me, praying he stops for the road.

There is one quirk, though. Given the prevalence, rapid construction, and investment in pump tracks across the UK & US as great places for kids to learn to ride bikes and hone their skills, I noticed my son striking his pedals more often on the Seeker.

We frequent a number of them here in South East England, including a local BMX track. The lower bottom bracket, which is now as low as his smaller-wheeled Prevelo (Early Rider is 185mm w/90mm arms, Prevelo 181mm w/85mm arms), combined with the slightly longer wheelbase of the 16-inch Seeker, means the pedals, depending on the style of track, are very close to the ground.

This is with aftermarket Funn Tapien S Kids pedals, which add about 10mm to the leading edge, but that still doesn't offer much tolerance.

The bike isn't entirely to blame; I need to coach my son to keep his pedals level, but it's something to watch for. On the trail, this has not caused any issues yet, and this lower stance, as I said, is rapidly building confidence.

Value

Let's address the obvious elephant in the room: The Seeker 16 is £599 or $749 direct in the US, which is undeniably a lot for a kids' bike. However, I have no doubt the Early Rider is worth every penny.

I'll use the Prevelo example again, not just because we have experience with the Zulu, but because there aren’t many bikes in this part of the market. The Zulu Two, which is the size up from our Zulu One, is $50/£35 cheaper than the Seeker– however, claimed weights don’t match the actuals in my experience, and it also isn’t quite there in terms of specification and finish kit.

The Orbea Kimu was our first choice and was set to be only £399. Unfortunately, Orbea decided not to sell the bike in the UK or the US. Another popular bike in parent-cyclist Reddit threads is the Nukeproof Cub, which is also only £399 but has a much lower specification and only mechanical disc brakes.

I'd go a step further: even in a more crowded market, the Early Rider offers so much for the price, even compared with some adult bikes, especially if you plan to hand it down. There is also a thriving second-hand market for these bikes, so they hold their value well.

So once you take all this into account, I can’t fault the Seeker; many will pick at the price, but if you want to save some cash, you could consider the more affordable Belter 16, which is very similar but forgoes the disc brakes, thereby also saving a considerable amount of weight.

Right now, Early Rider has the market, and for good reason: the Seeker is brilliant and builds on years of dedicated focus on solutions to improve kids’ riding experiences. However, if Orbea, Nukeproof, or Prevelo start to catch up on spec, weight, or availability, that higher cost could be more troubling.

Tech spec

• Price: UK - £599, US - $749
• Weight: 6.5kg/14.3lbs with pedals fitted
• Age: 4-6 years
• Standover: 41cm/16.1"
• Max seat height: 56cm or 22"
• Min seat height: 47cm or 18.5"
• Frame & Fork: AL6061, brushed finish, forged dropouts
• Wheels: 16" 24h, double-walled on sealed bearing hubs
• Tyres: Kenda Booster 16" x 2.2"
• Brakes: ER Crux Hydraulic brakes w/14mm Rotors
• Stem: 35mm - 31.m clamp
• Handlebar: 500mm, 25mm/1" rise & 19mm grip diameter
• Cranks: ER Crux 90mm long

The former Soudal Quick-Step development team rider wrote on Instagram on Tuesday that he had suffered from “multiple injuries, surgeries, endless hours of rehabilitation and a big crash this year”.

Despite the setbacks, Hulsmans, who spent the past season with the Dutch UCI Continental team VolkerWessels, hoped to continue racing into next year. He has now found himself forced to end his “cycling chapter”.

“With pain in my heart, I have to say goodbye to the sport that has been part my whole life,” he wrote. “Not because I stopped loving it. Not because I lost my passion. But because, unfortunately, I couldn’t find a team for next season.

“I never imagined this moment would come so soon. I still love cycling as much as when I first started. I had so much more to give and dreams left to chase.”

Hulsmans spent three seasons as part of Soudal Quick-Step’s development squad between 2023 and 2025. During that time, he won a handful of national races in Belgium, and a stage of the West Bohemia Tour, an under-23 stage race in Czechia.

In July this year, Hulsmans broke his scaphoid and had to undergo surgery for the fourth time in four years. Due to his injuries, he said, he found himself having to “start over while everyone else kept moving forward”.

“But every single time, I fought my way back. Not because I had to, but because I loved this sport too much to give up on it,” he continued.

“And maybe that’s what hurts the most. After everything I’ve been through, I never thought my journey would end like this. I wasn’t ready to stop. I still had the motivation, the passion and the hunger to keep going.”

Though the Belgian didn’t say what he plans to do next, he said “a new chapter is waiting for me”.

“It’s strange to say goodbye to something that has been your whole life, especially when deep down you still wish you could continue,” he said. “But when one door closes, another one opens.

“Thank you, cycling. For the victories, the tears, the lessons, the friendships and all the memories.”

The news follows that of 24-year-old Lotto Intermarché rider Robin Orins who decided last week to end his career, citing physical and mental struggles.

Likewise, 24-year-old Kim Cadzow, a rider for women's WorldTour team EF Education-Oatly, announced her retirement in July, saying riding her bike was “no longer my happy place” and had begun to feel “more and more like a punishment”.

In August last year, the former Zwift Academy winner Louis Kitzki, who graduated to Alpecin Decuninck’s development team, stepped away from cycling due to safety concerns.

The 27-year-old was pulled on Monday from Great Britain's 20-rider squad for the event in Shanghai, China, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, amid reports of serious misconduct.

According to The Times, Richardson is under investigation for discriminatory posts and behaviour.

In an Instagram post shared on Tuesday afternoon, Richardson said: "I understand the seriousness of what has been raised in recent reports about my withdrawal from the 2026 UCI Track Cycling World Championships.

"British Cycling has said it looks into matters like this through its established procedures. I will co-operate fully with its processes. I assure everyone that I will do so properly, and appropriately and with contrition for the feelings of anyone who might be affected.

"Out of fairness to everyone involved, and on advice, like British Cycling, I will not be commenting further until any process is complete. I am deeply disappointed to miss the World Championships, and I wish the Great Britain team and every rider competing the very best.

"I ask that my family's privacy is respected at this time."

British Cycling confirmed to Cycling Weekly on Monday that Richardson had been withdrawn from the Worlds squad, but did not provide a reason.

While the governing body said it does not comment on internal investigations, it shared the following statement with The Times: "British Cycling takes any allegations of harassment, bullying or discrimination extremely seriously.

"Where concerns are raised, they are investigated thoroughly through our established procedures. Out of fairness to anyone involved in an investigation, we would not comment on any ongoing process."

Richardson is understood to have travelled to China with the team, where he was due to make his racing comeback after a serious crash in Japan in July.

He was expected to compete in three events: the team sprint, sprint and keirin. He won two silver medals at the Worlds last October, and is the reigning sprint and keirin European champion.

Great Britain's men’s sprint squad will instead rely on Harry Ledingham-Horn, Ed Lowe and Joe Truman.

Phinney was stunned. “I thought it was a funny joke that somebody would even think that I was still capable of doing that,” the 36-year-old now laughs. Yes, he had once been a power horse – he won a time trial stage of the Giro d’Italia in 2012, took silver in the TT at the Road World Championships the same year, and later came eighth at Paris-Roubaix – but he was six years retired from road racing, and hadn’t competed on a track for over 15 years, when he won his second individual pursuit world title.

As far as Phinney was concerned, his cycling career was over. His track days were long dead and buried. But after he put down the phone to his friend, he says, “the idea was planted in my head”.

Phinney’s talking to Cycling Weekly from a hotel on Chongming Island, a leafy, out-of-town district of Shanghai, China. On Wednesday, he will lead the USA’s team pursuit quartet off the start line at the UCI Track World Championships, his first in 16 years.

The journey there has been rapid and unexpected, driven by an overarching goal: to compete at the LA Olympics in two years. It’s an event that holds huge sentimental value for the Phinney family; Taylor’s mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won gold in the inaugural women's road race at the LA Olympics in 1984. His father, Davis Phinney, won bronze at the same Games in the team time trial. The opportunity to add to that legacy was too good to ignore.

Not long after the strange phone call, Phinney went to Gran Canaria on a training camp with his wife, former Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. His legs felt good – he had been spending a lot of time in the gym. “I was trying to have more of an Arnold Schwarzenegger body, not necessarily a cyclist body, and I just kept thinking about this idea,” he says.

“It felt very cinematic, and it felt like it would close a loop on my career that I never actually closed on the track ever since the individual pursuit was taken out of the Olympic programme. So I thought I’d give it a shot.”

Phinney’s friend set up a video call with the USA’s men’s endurance coach, Jono Hailstone. He explained there was a team camp in April, and invited Phinney to come along. “I felt like If I was going to do it, then I was going to do it right,” Phinney says.

On 1 February, he emailed USA Cycling and USADA, the anti-doping authority, to ask to be re-added to the testing pool. It's that moment, Phinney now realises, that marked his coming out of retirement. He then worked closely with the accomplished Australian track coach Tim Decker, and built towards his tryout in the spring.

Fittingly, the camp took place in Carson, at Team USA’s home velodrome, where the Olympics will be held in two years. Phinney paid his own expenses to get there from his home in Girona, Spain. “I didn’t have a bike position, didn’t have any wind tunnel data,” he says.

“I just showed up to the camp and basically was changing my position in between every single effort to try and find something that was fast.” Did it work? Put simply, he says, “the tryout went well – since then, we’ve been to the wind tunnel, and I’m actually part of the programme now.”

Phinney officially announced his comeback on Instagram after the camp in April. “Never in a million years could I have predicted this,” he wrote. The post now has almost 400 comments – a scrapbook of encouragement from his friends, fellow riders and fans.

“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Phinney says. “I wasn’t totally sure how it was going to be received because I kind of just ghosted from the professional road racing scene when I did [retire]. That’s what I needed to do at that time, apparently.”

Phinney’s last road result was a DNF at the Japan Cup in October 2019. He had only announced days before what seemed like a snap retirement, aged 29. By then, though, injuries had pushed him to the point he fell out of love with professional cycling. He turned instead to a new life as an artist, trading training logs for oil paints and DJ decks, and signed up for the odd gravel race to keep his hand in.

It was to his surprise then, that, come August this year, he was immersed once again in the bubble of elite cycling. Phinney joined the US team for a second camp in Zolder, Belgium, and found that training in velodromes, after only a few months back, had begun to feel “quite familiar”.

“It feels like a nice continuation of something that I closed a long time ago,” he says. “Time is funny, you know. It was a while ago, but it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago.”

Of course, the comeback has not been without sacrifices. The dates of the August camp meant Phinney had to miss this summer’s Tour de France Femmes, having previously gone every year to support his wife.

He also says he doesn’t have as much energy to be creative, “but I’m not so sad about it. I came to the realisation that I’ll have my whole life to be creative, and that’s a pursuit that I want to always be involved in. But my physical body is only capable of going this fast for a limited amount of time.”

That speed was put to the test in late August at the US National Track Championships, an event Phinney hadn’t competed at since he was a teenager. He went on to win gold in the team pursuit, though he plays down the achievement. “The National Championships is not the most competitive event,” he says. “I mean, we did like a 4:03, which is so slow. But we went 11 seconds faster than that the other day in training in a race sim[ulation].”

The goal now is to go even faster in Shanghai. This week’s World Championships mark an important first step in the qualifying process for the LA Olympics. Nineteen nations are set to compete in the men’s team pursuit. Only eight will start in LA.

“We don’t really know what to expect or how we’re to rank ourselves among our peers,” Phinney says. But he’s confident in his teammates. “Especially with the addition of Ashlin Barry,” he says, naming the 19-year-old who just won the under-23 road world title. “We’re all saying that we’re jumping on board the Smashlin Express, because he’s really carrying the team right now.”

Barry’s so strong, in fact, that Phinney is planning on ceding his own entry in Friday’s individual pursuit to the teenager. “I think he could win or get a medal,” Phinney says, and cites a fun, if sobering, fact: “The first World Championship that I won, he was two.”

Unlike Phinney, Barry was part of the US team that finished fourth at the Worlds last October – their best result since they won a bronze medal in 1995. The nation hasn’t fielded a men’s team pursuit squad at the Olympics since 2000, but if the results roll on like last year, they’ll qualify for LA comfortably.

Phinney is determined to make it there. Is that what closing the loop looks like to him? “For sure there are ideals. You set goals, and the goal is clear: racing in the Olympics,” he says. “But I think in some way, just being part of the process is enough of closing the circle. As far as I was concerned, until November or December of last year, all of the circles were closed. I was fully retired and wasn’t even thinking about racing.

“Just to be here at the Worlds and to be part of the team and feel like I’m actually an elite athlete competing at the highest level with the three or four other best team pursuiters in the country, that’s something I would not have predicted for myself even last year in October.”

A few minutes later, as our call draws to a close, Phinney utters a sentence that he also likely never predicted he'd say: “I’m going to go do some heat training now, like the youth.” It's a simple line, but one that embodies how much his attitude to elite cycling has changed since he took that strange phone call last winter.

What does the heat training involve? A turbo session in a hazmat suit? “Nah, I’m not that crazy yet. I’ll be there eventually. I’m just going to take an uncomfortably hot bath,” he says. If it gets him even a tiny bit closer to LA, it will have been worth it.

Men’s team pursuit qualifying begins at 12:29pm local time on Wednesday (9:29pm PST Tuesday, 5:29am BST). If the USA qualify in the top eight, they’ll also compete in the first round at 7:17pm (4:17am PST, 12:17pm BST).

The most immediate concern is non-race vehicles on courses, something which was seen at two Italian races last week, but also caused the death of Finlay Tarling in August. The statement, shared by Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy among others, read: “This summer, a life was tragically lost to exactly this kind of failure. We will not stand for this any longer. Riders race at high speed with little protection, and we depend on the UCl and race organisers to secure the roads. That responsibility is not being met.”

The protest, and the statement, were heartwarming to see. It was also welcomed by Tarling’s father, Michael, on social media. Riders should not settle for racing in unsafe conditions, and by speaking up and by making a stand they have made their feelings clear. It was reportedly organised in the week before Lombardia, after two of Pidcock’s teammates had been hit by a police motorbike at Tre Valli Varesine. Interestingly, it was organised outside of the auspices of the riders’ union, the CPA, and instead organised just by the riders themselves; there seems to be a consensus in the peloton on this topic.

This week, the International Association of Cycling Race Organisers (AIOCC) responded to the protest, saying they were committed to race safety.

“We understand the legitimate concerns of the riders and the risks inherent in their profession,” a statement read. “We stand in solidarity with them, but at the same time regret that Saturday's protest took place without any prior consultation between the race organiser and the riders' unions. Only by working together in a calm and respectful manner can we make progress in the interests of, and out of love for, cycling.”

I’m not sure this is true. Riders have voices, and are the stars of the sport, and so by protesting, by perhaps even withdrawing their labour, then they can force through changes that are clearly needed. One death is too many, and a rapid conversation is needed in order to avoid this kind of tragic situation again in the future – we are past the point of calm and respectful.

My hope is that this protest and the organising triggers a new solidarity in the peloton, between riders of all statures and nationalities, and that this energy can be kept up. One protest and statement should just be the start, not the end of this action. The pressure needs to be kept on the UCI and race organisers to do something, to make visible change, to prevent something like Tarling’s death happening again. Statements and commissions don’t cut it when things are so clearly dangerous; this should be a never again moment.

This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.

If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.

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