A good way to boost visibility, but not the best for more serious cycling

Apparently its only Wednesday, but Ryan Mallon is willing and able to set aside that grim realisation to bring you more cycling news and views on the middle of the week live blog. Wednesday, really?

When Tadej Pogaar crashed out of the Vuelta a Espaa, the news sent shockwaves worldwide.The Slovenian left La Vuelta with injuries severe enough that he will miss the rest of the 2026 season. Not only did that open the door for Enric Mas (Movistar) to win the Vuelta, but it also meant that Pogaar would be unable to defend his rainbow jersey in Montral.Before Pogaar crashed out, most riders were likely just aiming for the podium at the Road World Championships. His absence changes everything. And Id argue that Team USA has its best chance of winning in decades, with Brandon McNulty among the race favourites. Heres why.(Image credit: Getty Images)Pogaar has been unstoppable on hilly courses, winning everything from Milan-San Remo and Lige-Bastogne-Lige to Strade Bianche and Il Lombardia in the past few seasons. The race that most closely mimics the upcoming Worlds is the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral. While Pogaar has won that twice before, last year he finished second behind his teammate, McNulty.In 2025, the American launched the race-winning move with 36km to go, joined by compatriot Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Louis Barr (then Intermarch-Wanty) and Pogaar. The latter split the group again with less than 20km to go. Eventually, McNulty attacked off Simmons wheel to bridge across to Pogaar (who, it should be said, may have been waiting for his teammate), and the pair rode arm-in-arm across the finish line.Its easy to say that McNultys victory was a gift, but the American was certainly the first or second-strongest rider that day, having shown the strength to drop everyone in the race bar Pogaar.The Americans had quite the day in 2025, with Simmons finishing third and Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost) breaking away from the peloton to finish fourth. All three will be on the same team come September 27, joined by Matteo Jorgenson, Kevin Vermaerke, Larry Warbasse, Artem Schmidt and Sean Quinn.Team USA is, without a doubt, one of the strongest teams in the race, especially after McNulty and Simmons just finished third and fourth, respectively, in the 2026 GP Montral. But can team tactics make a difference on the Montral road race course?The World Championship road race uses the same city circuit as GP Montral, with the defining feature of a 1.6-kilometre climb called the Voie Camillien-Houde. The climb snakes its way up through Mount Royal Park before descending into the city streets. There is a 500-metre difference between the Worlds loop and the GP Montral circuit, but the essential climbs and descents are identical.If there is only one thing to know about the Montral city circuits, its that there is hardly a flat metre of road. Every twist, turn and pitch makes it difficult to organise a chase. That means breakaways are more likely to succeed.In the post-pandemic era, the winning group at GP Montral has never been larger than five riders. Pogaar won in 2022 and 2024, Adam Yates outsprinted Pavel Sivakov in 2023, McNulty won in 2025, and Isaac del Toro outsprinted Paul Seixas to win this years edition. It has always been a race of attrition, with the peloton growing thinner and thinner each lap around Montral.The rider who wins will need a combination of high fatigue resistance and VO2 max power. There are plenty of riders who can push 8w/kg for five minutes, but how many can do the same numbers after five hours of racing?McNulty is one of those few, as he displayed in the last two editions of GP Montral. Not only did he finish alongside Pogaar in 2025, but he arguably did more work, sitting in the wind, launching the winning move and then bridging solo to Pogaar in the finale.While its easy to draw comparisons between GP Montral and the World Championships, there are a few key differences. Lets start with the route.GP Montral is 209 kilometres long, while the 2026 Road Worlds is 273 kilometres. Instead of the 17 repeats of the Voie Camillien-Houde that we see in GP Montral, the Worlds course features only 12 laps of the city circuit, preceded by a 100-kilometre flatter section.That means the early break at Worlds will form on the flats, whereas at GP Montral it forms on the Voie Camillien-Houde, which is featured at kilometre zero. Break formation is crucial on a route like this because the breakaway riders have a legitimate chance of making it to the finish. Of course, chances favour the peloton, but chasing on a hilly city circuit is easier said than done.When looking at the list of pre-race favourites, it might seem crazy to mention McNulty among them. The list includes Remco Evenepoel, Wout van Aert, Isaac del Toro, Paul Seixas, Mathieu van der Poel and more. McNultys rsum isnt as impressive as those of the biggest names, but you have to remember that he has spent the majority of his career riding in service of Pogaar. The American has been instrumental in many of Pogaars Tour triumphs and has had little opportunity to ride for himself since joining UAE Team Emirates in 2020.Perhaps the biggest factor playing in McNultys favour is the timing of his peak. Late September is notorious for mental and physical burnout, lost motivation and a longing for the off-season. While Van Aert was flying at the Vuelta, its difficult to say if hell be able to maintain that form for two more weeks. Evenepoel, Del Toro and Seixas have enjoyed a long break after the Tour, but weve already seen how difficult it is to peak for a specific one-day race. While Del Toro won this years GP Montral, he was dropped from the lead group only two days before at GP Qubec.In 2025, McNulty was in the form of his life in August and September. He won the Tour de Pologne, GP Montral, Tour de Luxembourg and CRO Race, with those final two races finishing on September 21 and October 5. The Worlds road race is on September 27 this year, and McNulty has already shown he is in top shape with his podium finish at GP Montral.Instead of fighting each other for the podium, Simmons and McNulty will team up at the World Championships. With the help of Jorgenson, Vermaerke and more, the American team has a legitimate chance of winning the rainbow jersey.

Specialized has revealed the new S-Works Diverge 4, which uses the companys highest-tier carbon fibre layup and features breakthrough integration.The Diverge 4 was first released in September 2025, but the S-Works line was cut from the range, which topped out with the Pro LTD.Specialized claimed the Pro LTD, which broke cover at Unbound 2025, had already proven itself with great positive feedback from its athletes. But now Specialized has brought the S-Works Diverge back, stating it takes the gravel bikes magic recipe of speed, capability and confidence to the next level.Whats new? Specialized has shaved 200g from the frame weight. Specialized The main difference between the new S-Works Diverge and the previous carbon models is the choice of carbon fibre.Whereas the Diverge models launched last year used Specializeds Fact 9r Carbon, the S-Works model uses its highest-tier Fact 12r Carbon.Specialized says this shaves 200g off the frame weight compared to the 9r Carbon Diverge. A painted S-Works Diverge frame in a size 56cm weighs a claimed 950g. The bike now has internal cable routing. Specialized The premium build features a SRAM Red XPLR groupset. Specialized The S-Works Diverge also has Specializeds Future Shock 3.3 stem suspension. The fully serviceable design with 20mm of travel featured on the Diverge Pro LTD, but with external cable routing.Specialized says it has now managed to run cables internally through the stem. This breakthrough integration combines a smooth front end with aero performance and a cable-free aesthetic.Specialized adds that the S-Works Diverge will be available in an uncompromising build. The bike has the same Roval Terra CLX III gravel wheels as the Pro LTD model, but switches the Shimano GRX Di2 drivetrain for SRAM Red XPLR. It has a CeramicSpeed headset and bottom bracket.The S-Works Diverge costs 11,999 / $12,500 / 13,500 / AU$18,900.50mm tyre clearance and down-tube storage The bike has room for 50mm tyres and features down-tube storage. Specialized Elsewhere, the new S-Works Diverge shares the same features as the carbon Diverge models released a year ago.Suitable for gravel racing or bikepacking, the bike has clearance for 50mm gravel tyres with more than 7mm clearance. It will also fit 2.2in tyres with 4mm, which Specialized says it expects many riders to choose for rougher terrain.The bike also has the SWAT 4.0 down-tube storage compartment. This has a larger door with a simplified and more robust design compared to the previous 3.0 version.Specialized updated the Diverges geometry last year to help provide a more stable and confidence inspiring ride on off-road terrain. The head tube was slackened by half a degree to increase the bikes trail and wheelbase. Specialized also dropped the bottom bracket to offset the increased tyre clearance and lengthened the chainstays to balance the bikes handling. You may like: 5 new gravel bikes that have got us excited

All of these things look like they would do very nicely for riding to work, and our reviewers are busy putting them through their paces

Remco Evenepoel has predicted that this year's elite men's World Championships around Montreal will be one for those riders with a climber's build, rather than power riders like Mathieu van der Poel.The Belgian was speaking after the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral at the weekend, won by Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). Evenepoel pointed out the average build of the top-10 finishers who included Paul Seixas (Decathlon CMA CGM, second), Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe's Evenepoel in fifth and Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) in sixth, was very much that of a climber.With the way the longer climb is ridden, it is really difficult for the heavier guys, he was reported as saying on the Dutch outlet Wielerflits.If you look at the average weight of the [Montreal] top 10, we are perhaps at 63 or 65 kilograms, said Evenepoel. Those aren't heavy men, but riders like Wout [van Aert] and Mathieu [van der Poel] can survive this on super days, he added. Van Aert and Van der Poel clock in at 75 and 78kg respectively some way above 72kg Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), the heaviest finisher in the top-10 at the GP Montreal, in a creditable fourth place.The World Championships course and the GP Montreal use the same Mount Royal loop in the centre of the Quebeois city, featuring a significant climb the Voie Camillien Houde and multiple smaller rises, each lap. However, the races are not the same. While the GP Montreal is held exclusively on the Mount Royal loop, which it completes 16 times, the Worlds course features 100 mostly flat kilometres, before diving into the Park for 12 laps of the loop. The Worlds places less onus on outright climbing ability. It is also a difference that we will first ride 100 kilometres on flat terrain, Evenepoel said. We can ease into it a bit then; here it was full throttle right from the start. And the race is much longer, so it will be less explosive towards the end and come down more to endurance.It was a good dress rehearsal," he told Wielerflits. "Most of the men designated as favourites were all at the front. I always feel a bit, when coming down from altitude, that I lack that extra punch. But we still have two weeks, so it will be fine.