Kasia Niewiadoma stole the show in Mont Ventoux's great debut in women's racing. Elisa Longo Borghini has only seen the stage winner again at the finish after she took off alongside Demi Vollering and Marlen Reusser with 10 kilometers to the top, but the UAE Team L'IMAD rider still put in a valiant...

Its just after midday in the river-banked commune of La Voulte-sur-Rhne, and Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney is daring to believe. Im not going to lie, she begins, speaking to a TV crew at the start of stage seven of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the dream of mine is to win at the top of the climb. Mont Ventoux is so iconic that it would be a career-defining moment. It seems like a bold statement. Niewiadoma-Phinney, remember, has not made a habit of winning races; until Friday, she had never won a stage of a Grand Tour, and had only collected three victories in seven years. A win on Mont Ventoux? Shes more likely to lose time to her GC rivals, many scoff at the thought. But theyre fools for underestimating a former Tour champion. You see, Niewiadoma-Phinney has done her homework. Shes reconned the climb three times, familiarised herself with all of its 16km of tarmac, and though she doesnt tell the interviewer, shes got an audacious plan: attack with 11km to go, and solo away. If all the right notes are played in time, shell soar from third to first overall, and end the day in the yellow jersey. Fast forward five hours. Niewiadoma-Phinney is lying on a concrete slab under the red-tipped transmitter tower at the summit of Mont Ventoux. She kisses her fingers and crosses her chest. She then sits up, and beams with a big, toothy smile. A member of the race organisation is waiting beside her to take her to the podium, built on top of the coarse limestone gravel. The Canyon-Sram rider started the day trailing yellow by a minute and 17 seconds. Not only has she won the stage, but she now leads by 15 seconds. Heres how she did it. (Image credit: A.S.O./Gaetan Flamme)Kasia is, you know her, a little bit all or nothing, Rolf Aldag, Canyon-Sram director of sport, tells Cycling Weekly outside his team bus. Its an attitude that has seen his rider come agonisingly close to victories (like her third place on stage five), but also makes her easy to bring on board with a plan. Canyon-Sram's big Tour de France plot was hatched last November; in a presentation to the team, they declared they were coming to win. There was no other logic, says Aldag. If you have a former winner, someone whos always been on the podium, you cant go there and say, Lets see what happens. Maybe fifth is a good place.The race started well. Seventh on day one, Niewiadoma-Phinney kept pace with GC favourites Demi Vollering (FDJ United-Suez), Pauline Ferrand-Prvot (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Marlen Reusser (Movistar) on days two and three and then, amazingly, put in a career-best time trial performance on day four to stay within contention. Bolstered by the performance, Aldag began to sketch out a blueprint. [Newiadoma-Phinney and I] just randomly met at breakfast. Nobody was there. And I was like, Well, what do you think? What is your self-belief? Where can we support? Do you trust yourself? he recalls. On Ventoux, there was one clear option: If we wanted to go for yellow, we couldnt wait until they attacked. We needed to get out of the forest alone, with a decent gap It was exactly as planned. At the foot of the climb, Niewiadoma-Phinney looked to her right and spotted her parents, who had come to surprise her. I could see my dad crying, she said, and I thought I just needed to make them proud. It was only a few kilometres later that she made her winning move. It came just inside 10km to go, a counter to an acceleration by Vollering, that saw Niewiadoma-Phinney peel to the left, kick ahead, and immediately draw out a 10-second lead. Vollering and Reusser looked at each other, but neither closed the gap. Within 2km, it grew to almost a minute. They were playing games, Aldag smiles. That was exactly what we were hoping for. (Image credit: A.S.O./Billy Ceusters)Niewiadoma-Phinney, too, had it all worked out. "My big idea was to make it to Chalet [Reynard] with 6km to go on my own, because I knew with the wind we had today, if someone was chasing behind they would try to stay on the wheel as much as possible, she later revealed. Once I made it to Chalet, there was a lot of headwind, but I knew in the back they would just play the game.At that same point, a motorbike passed her and flashed her the time gap on a chalkboard. It showed she was closing in on taking the yellow jersey. She kicked out of the saddle, dropped back down low, and ploughed on through the lunar expanse.From the recon, I knew that the more speed you take into the corners, the more you get out of them, so I just tried to keep the momentum going, she said. Her team-mates shouted encouragement into their radios, hoping to do the same. I really had no doubt that she would win it, Antonia Niedermaier said post-stage. I told her, Kasia, youre the strongest. I believe in you. Youre the queen. Riding shotgun in the follow car, Aldag was feeling confident. Were nearly at 2,000m. I think Kasia is super efficient here, and its day seven of the race. This is something you cannot forget, he said. Same day, same race, but on stage two would probably be a different outcome. But shes so fatigue-resistant. Polka dot flags lapped viciously against the snow marker posts that lead to the summit. By the finish line, fans teetered on their feet, blown by the gusts that traced down the closing straight. Their eyes gazed across mountain, and suddenly there was Niewiadoma-Phinney, alone in the distance, charging around the final corner. Vollering and Reusser chased behind. But the gap was too big. By the time they passed under the gantry, Niewiadoma-Phinney was already strewn out beyond it on the ground. (Image credit: A.S.O./Billy Ceusters)Niedermaier, sixth across the line, was the first to congratulate her. Youre the queen, she told her team leader, this time to her face, as the pair sat cross-legged and hugged. Niewiadoma-Phinney laughed between gasps for air. I said winning here would be a career-defining moment, she recalled. I feel like I can retire now. That retirement, however, will have to wait. Now back in the yellow jersey she took home in 2024, Niewiadoma-Phinney has two days left to race, and a 15-second lead to defend. I definitely expect a massive fight for everything, she says. Bonus seconds, basically everything. The gap is so small. But she knows what it takes. Two years ago, she won the Tour by just four seconds the smallest winning margin in the history of both the men's and women's races. This year's finale could be even closer. Nice is going to be a big, big battle, says Aldag, looking ahead to the final two stages. I would have loved to have 40 seconds, not 15, but it is what it is and we deal with it... It's all in to try and win the Tour. A post shared by Katarzyna Niewiadoma Phinney (@kasianiewiadoma94)A photo posted by on

The queen stage of 2026 Tour de France Femmes became loot of Kasia Niewiadoma who put more than a minute into runner-up Demi Vollering. Marlen Reusser in fourth place lost a further half minute and drops to third overall with two stages left. Vollering opened the race early with an acceleration 11 k...

Remember the patent story I wrote a year and a half ago that predicted all the latest wireless Di2 derailleurs, or the one more than two years back that teased 13-speed Shimano cassettes? Well, that early tease is getting supported by several recent partial slip-ups from several different companies in the bike industry. And it all points to a new Shimano GRX 1x 13-speed update on the near horizon, possibly with Dura-Ace 13-speed coming not far behind?So what do we know?Is Shimano going 13-speed with a new MicroSpline Road freehub?Bikerumor GRX 13 mockupAbout a week ago, DT Swiss revamped their affordable aluminum 1800-series of road, endurance all-road & gravel bike wheels. Out of those three separate disciplines, only one, the gravel G1800, included a slightly new reference to a previously-unannounced freehub standard. DT called it MicroSpline Road in their press kit. We could have written that off as no big deal if there wasnt anything else floating around. Plenty of Shimano gravel groupsets were already using MicroSpline since GRX 112 shares wide-range MTB cassettes on MicroSpline freehubs.So why a separate MicroSpline Road?It turns out the next one to reveal a bit more was German online retailer Bike-Discount.de. They listed those new DT Swiss G 1800 Spline wheels with a bit more detail on freehub options, and some telling freehub body product codes. In addition to classic SRAM XDR (AXDR) & Shimano HG 11s (ASF11), we see two other options with very similar codes: Shimano MicroSpline 12s (ASL12R) & Shimano 13-speed (ASL13R).The 12-speed MicroSpline seems to be the current MTB standard, and the new ASL13R appears to be the next-level progression that DT was calling MicroSpline Road. Similar product numbers would make sense for both being the same spline pattern. But this one goes to 13!Why, you ask?Bikerumor Shimano 13sp cassette mockupPerhaps a new 13-speed MicroSpline road freehub needs more space to fit that extra gear? Shimano, SRAM & Campagnolo have all used a few tricks in the past to fit more cogs of the same width in the same spacing before sometimes pushing those cogs closer to the frame/dropout surface, and sometimes cantilevering them over hub flanges & spokes. The fact that Shimano would need another, slightly different freehub body suggests they couldnt find more space with the existing MicroSpline, and needed to push it a bit furtherShimano 13-speed isnt guaranteed, but its not just speculation eitherShimano has been teasing us with 13-speed cassettes in the patent drawings for at least two years. They could have easily put 12 cogs on that cassette if they werent trolling us.And in the meantime, both SRAM and Campagnolo have launched 13-speed gravel & road groupsets. So, its high time for Shimano to catch up.When is it coming to gravel? And when will Shimano 13sp hit the road?Thats something we dont know. Shimano hasnt told us when to expect a new dropbar groupset. Frankly, with fairly recent GRX 12-speed launches, we wouldnt have expected a new Shimano gravel launch any time soon. But the fact that DT Swiss is debuting this new freehub body option only on their gravel wheels (and clearly not on the road & all-road variants) suggests gravel is likely to get 13-speeds first. That probably does make the most sense, giving more range or smoother gearing steps to 1x drivetrains.Yet really, weve been waiting for a new Dura-Ace groupset for several years. DT is calling the new 13sp freehub MicroSpline Road which sounds to us like its laying the groundwork for a 13-speed road groupset, too. The fact that we didnt see it on pro bikes at this years Tour de France suggests it likely wont be ready until at least next spring.But lets just say that Shimano & DT have piqued our interest. And well be keeping our eyes open to spot an extra cog on pro road and gravel bikes over the next few months!bike.Shimano.com

Back in 2020, UAE Team Emirates - XRG still had a long way to becoming the world's best team. Tadej Pogacar had just won his first Tour de France. For the following season, the Emirati team has made several moves on the transfer market, among which the arrivals of Matteo Trentin, Rafal Majka and Mar...

It was supposed to be the day things came full circle for Demi Vollering. A decade ago, on the slopes of Mont Ventoux, the then teenager scaled her first mountain by bike on a trip away with her speed skating team-mates. It was the moment she realised she had something special. She then transitioned to cycling, powered to the top of the sport, and, on Friday, returned to the limestone giant where it all began, this time within touching distance of the yellow jersey at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift. The script was written. The finale scene would be uplifting: Vollering standing at the summit, applauded by the crowds, a tear in her eye. Instead, she couldnt get away from the climb sooner.The FDJ United-Suez rider spent the afternoon trying, and failing, to chase down the stage winner Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (Canyon-Sram) with Marlen Reusser (Movisar). She started the day 12 seconds off Reussers yellow jersey, and ended it 15 off Niewiadoma-Phinneys. A few hundred metres beyond the finish line, Vollering ground to a halt in a huddle of TV cameras. She downed a bottle of water, calmly put on a jacket, and then pierced through the crowd to descend 6km down to her team bus. She said nothing. The only sound the microphones captured was the roaring of the wind. I didnt see her after the finish. So I dont know exactly how she feels, Nicolas Maire, Vollerings sports director at FDJ, told Cyclingnews half an hour later. Asked for his thoughts on how the stage panned out, Maires verdict was simple. That was not the plan, he said. But at least we pushed her to fight until the line and to still believe that its possible on the next day. For sure, it is not what we expected. We were looking for a stage win, but I think Kasia was really, really strong, and she showed it. We will see what we can do in the next few days. So what went wrong on the Ventoux? Though chased by two of the peloton's finest climbers, Niewiadoma-Phinney managed to build a minutes gap barely 3km into her 10km solo. Another 4km later, and the Canyon-Sram riders advantage had doubled, making her the virtual yellow jersey on the road, an honour she took for real at the summit. Surely a duo as strong as Vollering and Reusser could have caught her? For Lars Boom, another of FDJ United-Suezs sports directors, the problem stemmed from the pair looking at each other too much. You always know that Kasia will be there, he said. And you obviously know that you are a minute and five seconds ahead of her in the standings, but you also know that you can't let her ride too far alone. That's not only on us, but that's also on Marlen to control that, I think. But she's playing more with her [yellow] jersey.We did take initiative to make the race hard at the start, which suits Demi, but Marlen just let it go. She looked very quickly to Demi, and that is sometimes not so smart. Reusser later agreed that she and Vollering had been stupid with her tactics. The Swiss rider, however, also pointed the finger at her old SD Worx team-mate, who she felt could have co-operated better. Demi kept attacking super hard, and I kept telling her, Dont do this. Lets just ride, Reusser said. We had Kasia well in sight. We could for sure close the time. Instead, she said, she and Vollering got a nice portion of lactic acid again and again in the legs, and Niewiadoma-Phinney rode away. It was only when Vollering had begun her warm down outside her team bus that she felt ready to speak to the media. Dutch broadcaster NOS was on hand to ask her about her day. I launched an attack, and then Kasia very cleverly went straight over the top of it. And then, well, I really should have closed the gap straight away, Vollering rued. "Afterwards, you always start to wonder a bit whether you really couldnt do it, or whether thats just what you thought at the time. But yes, thats mainly where the disappointment lies.I hoped to be able to break away with Marlen and then catch up with Kasia, but, unfortunately, that didnt work out.Another chance might come in the future for Vollering to close the loop on her Mont Ventoux tale. But on Friday, in pursuit with Reusser against Niewiadoma-Phinney dogged ride, she seemed to play her cards wrong. Rather than winning the stage, her deficit in the GC grew by three seconds. Until the finish line in Nice, all is possible, FDJ sports director Maire said. I think Kasia took a good advantage today, but well try to fight in the next few days, and see what Demis feeling is after this stage to see what we can do.With two stages remaining, this Tour de France Femmes is far from over.

The 2026 Vuelta a Burgos will take place from the 4th to the 8th of August. The Spanish race is one of the single biggest preparation races towards the Vuelta a Espaa and will feature several stages where the climbers will be testing their form. We take a look at its profiles. The race was first h...

Demi Vollering and her FDJ United-SUEZ teammates Juliette Berthet and Clia Gery were each fined CHF100 on Friday for public urination during stage 7 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, which finished atop Mont Ventoux.The offence falls under article 2.12.007, section 8.6 of the UCI regulations, covering "unseemly or inappropriate behaviour", including undressing or urinating in public during a race, where it is considered damaging to the image of the sport.At a Womens WorldTour race such as the Tour de France Femmes, the fine runs between CHF100 and CHF200. And while three FDJ riders received the minimum sanction, the fines do highlight some of the practical difficulties around nature breaks.When and where are riders allowed to pee?The UCI regulations are clear on what riders can be fined for, but offer little guidance on where and when riders are actually supposed to pee. There is no formal nature-break zone or designated time. Instead, the peloton has traditionally governed themselves through convention. Once a breakaway is established and the race settles down, riders may collectively choose a quieter section of road, away from towns and spectators, to stop. The bunch eases off, a group pulls over and, traditionally at least, nobody attacks.But that is convention, not regulation, and modern racing does not always provide the lull required for it.At this edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, much of the racing has been relentlessly aggressive, with attacks and counter-attacks beginning almost immediately. There have been precious few calm moments for the peloton to take a collective nature break.Friday was, remarkably, one of the first."So many people [peed] today, Im surprised there arent more [fines]," one rider told Cycling Weekly. "I feel like its the first stage we could even do that. Finally it wasnt full gas from 0km."For the womens peloton, there is also the issue of mechanics to contend with.Male riders can generally make a roadside stop relatively quickly without substantially undressing. If the race is moving quickly, some can even urinate while continuing to ride, moving to the edge of the road and occasionally relying on a teammate for a push.For women, the process is more cumbersome. A rider generally needs to stop, dismount and lower her shorts enough to squat. Depending on her clothing, that may also mean undoing or removing part of her jersey. And with one-piece race suits becoming increasingly common, a nature break means undressing almost fully.Finding a section of the course that is not considered "in public" can be difficult, too, particularly on a race such as the Tour de France Femmes where spectators line the road, television cameras rove through the convoy and, as on Friday's stage, there's a lot of exposed terrain.Stopping can also have a competitive risk, something Vollering knows all too well. At the 2023 Vuelta Femenina, Vollering and several SD Worx teammates stopped for a nature break just as Movistar began forcing the pace ahead of a crosswind section. Vollering, who had started the day in the red leaders jersey, found herself chasing after the race split apart and eventually finished 1:04 behind the leaders. She lost the Vuelta to Annemiek van Vleuten the following day by just nine seconds.To that end, a CHF100 fine may be a price riders are happy to pay if the yellow jersey is on the line.

POCs VPD Air kneepads were my go-to knees for quite a while, as I liked their minimal leg coverage and how well they stayed in place. Given that experience, I was stoked to try out the new VPD Max kneepads. Ive been riding them since June and found they are very secure on the leg, offer zero restriction of mobility, and have remained perfectly comfortable the whole time.VPD Max Kneepads ConstructionIts hard to see in the photo, but the backside of the outer VPD layer has a slick fabric that enables it to slide easily over the inside layer.POC recommends the VPD Max kneepads for downhill, enduro, or technical trail riding. Their main feature is the two-layer VPD construction on the knee padding, which provides level 2 protection. This new protector allows for some movement between the layers, helping the pad stay properly positioned on your leg during a crash. POCs VPD (Visco-elastic Polymer Dough) protectors stay soft enough to hug the shape of your leg when theyre warmed up, but they harden upon impact. The VPD protectors are perforated to allow airflow, and ergonomically shaped to ensure comfort while youre in the riding position.Aside from the knee protector, theres just a simple sleeve and some grippy hems on these slip-on knees. The pads soft Lycra sleeves stretch and move with your leg, and basically provide zero resistance as your leg bends. A more durable outer fabric covers the knee padding itself.Keeping these pads in place are silicone-printed hems. The upper hem is 2 wide, but the silicone printing covers 1.5 of that. POC ensured the upper sleeves were nice and long so the upper hem can grab your thigh and stay put. The rear half of the lower hem features the same silicone print to grip the upper calf.POC says these pads can be washed on a gentle cycle but the fine print says: This products performance has been verified up to a maximum of five washes at 30 C. I guess if you wash your pads often, it might be best to hand wash them. On that note, the VPD protector is not removable; its fully sewn in.If you ride with elbow pads, POC has a matching set of VPD Max Elbows which also feature the two-layer protector.Ride Impressions: Fit/ComfortFollowing POCs sizing guide, I requested size medium pads, and they fit me very well. Due to the sleeves long upper sleeve, the top hem of these pads sits very high up my leg. They sit so high up that I almost had issues pushing certain shorts up enough to get the hems properly positioned. Some of my slimmer-fitting shorts legs were getting tight on my thighs by the time I had them pushed out of the way.Thankfully, every pair of shorts I tried did accommodate the VPD Max kneepads, so I never had to put the pads on first, then pull my shorts on over top.The bottom of the VPD padding doesnt extend far below the knee, but it does cover about 3 beneath my kneecaps. If shin protection is a priority for you, the VPD Max kneepads dont offer much, but the minimal leg coverage is nice for hot weather rides. The dual-layer knee padding sits right over my kneecaps and never shifted around while I rode.Right away I found the VPD Maxs top hems are pretty snug, but they do their job and keep the pads in place. The first time I wore the pads, it immediately felt like having two rubber bands wrapped around my thighs. I hoped this wouldnt be annoying or uncomfortable, and thankfully the hems were easily forgotten on the trail.While the hems left well-defined impressions of their silicone grippers around my legs, theyre not tight enough to cause any muscle-related discomfort. By the third time I wore the pads, the upper hems were becoming less noticeable. So far the hems havent loosened up noticeably, which is a good sign for the pads longevity.On the bottom end, the VPD Maxs knee padding does sit right on your shin, but I never found the bottom edges pushing against my leg enough to be uncomfortable. I also had no comfort issues with the lower hems, which dont fit quite as tightly as the uppers. After all my rides over the last month and a half, I have no complaints about discomfort of any kind from the VPD Max kneepads.Fit with PantsSince I tested these pads in the summer, I almost forgot to try riding them with pants. The knee protection on the VPD Max kneepads is a tad bulky, but I went right for my slimmest-fitting MTB pants and the pads were totally fine underneath. I had no issues with the kneepads feeling tight inside the pant legs, and they never got hung up or tugged on them as I pedalled. Since these pads stay in place so well, youll probably never have to shift them back into position mid-ride, and thats ideal when youre wearing pants.SecurityFrom my first test ride, the VPD Max knees provided a secure fit. Those snug upper hems and grippers work very well, as Ive never once had to readjust these pads during a ride. The lower hems help hold the pads in position, too. While putting them on, you can feel the silicone printed backsides of the hems gripping your calves.Throughout hot, sweaty rides, three-hour-plus pedals, and all my other test laps, the VPD Max knees simply stayed put. I even rode them with a budget-friendly chamois that doesnt have tight-fitting legs, and despite no extra support from the chamois, the pads didnt budge at all.After a few rides, I noticed some minor stretching of the sleeve fabric on the backside of the pads, but the fabric has not stretched out considerably and it never bunched up inside my knees.Mobility/WarmthThe VPD Max Kneepads are possibly the best knees Ive ridden in terms of pedalling mobility. As soon as I bent a leg in them, I was impressed with the unrestricted freedom of movement. The only thing that flexes when you bend your knee is the Lycra sleeve, so theres pretty much zero resistance. The VPD knee padding itself is fairly short, so it doesnt have to flex as your leg bends.As for warmth, its nice to know the VPD padding is perforated, but I cant say I felt air flowing right through it during rides. As mentioned, most of your lower leg remains exposed in these pads, but the upper sleeves do cover a lot of the thigh. The sleeves dont allow wind to breeze right through, but overall these pads arent excessively warm, so Ive had no problem riding them in mid-summer temperatures.The VPD Max Kneepads are available in sizes XS-XL, and come in Black only. MSRP is $170. POC includes a mesh carry bag with each pair.poc.com

The 2026 Tour de Pologne takes place between the 3rd and 9th of August and gives continuation to the WorldTour calendar. Between the Tour de France and the Vuelta a Espaa, it often sees a few riders who participate in both, whilst providing opportunities for many different kinds of riders. We take...