Anti-doping bodies are an important part of cycling. Thanks to their hard work, the community can live in an illusion that the current cycling is a clean sport. Part of their methods of ensuring the integrity of our sport is through "in-home visits" which can happen on any day of the year. But there...

Netcompany-Ineos have announced the signing of former Tour de l'Avenir winner Joe Blackmore, as an overhaul continues at the British WorldTour team.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 Clment 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, Lige-Bastognie-Lige U23, the Tour de Taiwan and the Tour de Rwanda; this led him to be crowned Cycling Weekly's rider of the year."Im 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. "Its been a tough 2026 for me with injuries, but its made me even more motivated to reach my full potential."Geraint Thomas, Netcompany-Ineos's director of racing, said: "Joe is a rider weve 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. Were 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. "Hes shown significant mental toughness throughout his career and has worked incredibly hard to establish himself at the highest level."Hes got a diverse skill set and brings valuable experience to the team. Hes 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: "Clment 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.

UCI Track World Championships 2026 Day 1Wednesday 14 October Shanghai Velodrome, ChinaWomens scratch: Lara Gillespie silver Team pursuit: Ireland 16th, 4:27.239Next for Ireland: elimination final Thursday 11:30 Irish timePhotos: SWpixLara Gillespie won silver in the womens scratch race at the UCI Track World Championships in Shanghai on Wednesday. She lost the title to Lorena Wiebes on a photo finish.ScratchTeam pursuitDay oneScheduleIrish teamHow the races workThe Dutch rider took her third scratch world title in a row by the narrowest of margins. Portugals Maria Martins was third. It was another close finish between Gillespie and Wiebes, who beat her on all three stages of the Tour of Chongming Island on Sunday.Photos: SWpixHow the scratch was wonThe 40-lap race came alive in the closing laps. Valentine Fortin of France attacked with seven laps to go, and Wiebes went straight after her. Gillespie closed the move down and brought the bunch back together.Wiebes went again with two laps to go. Gillespie and Martins went with her, and the three came to the line together. Wiebes got her wheel in front at the finish line, with Gillespie a fraction behind in second. Italys Martina Fidanza was fourth. Fortin finished 23rd, and European champion Hlne Hesters was 21st. Martins got a warning from the commissaires for dangerous riding during the race.I wouldnt normally say Scratch is my favourite race but Im really proud of how I rode today, representing Ireland as best I could, Gillespie said.Of course it was so close and I dont think Ive ever been so angry to take silver at a World Championships, but I think I can be proud of how I raced. It gives me confidence for the races coming up.Womens Scratch Result40 laps (10km) 12:15 48.980 km/h1Lorena WIEBES 55Netherlands2Lara GILLESPIE 52Ireland photo finish3Maria MARTINS 58Portugal warning, dangerous riding4Martina FIDANZA 124Italy5Sze Wing LEE 19Hong Kong6Eva ANGUELA YAGUEZ 47Spain7Amalie DIDERIKSEN 45Denmark8Lea Lin TEUTENBERG 18Germany9Nafosat KOZIEVA 61Uzbekistan10Olivija BALEIYTE 27Lithuania11Scarlet CORTES UGARTE 5Chile12Teniel CAMPBELL 37Trinidad and Tobago13Prudence FOWLER 150New Zealand14Maeve PLOUFFE 1Australia15Aline SEITZ 59Switzerland16Emma JIMENEZ PALOS 60United States17Abigail MILLER 17Great Britain18Petra EVKOV 44Czechia19Misaki OKAMOTO 129Japan20Haidi YUAN 8China21Hlne HESTERS 70Belgium22Anita Yvonne STENBERG 56Norway23Valentine FORTIN 16France24Andrea ROBLES FELIX 138MexicoTeam pursuit: crash, then a three-rider re-runThe team pursuit squad had a difficult morning. Aoife OBrien crashed during qualifying. The commissaires offered the other three a re-run, and Emma Jeffers, Fiona Mangan and Esther Wong rode it as a trio. They finished 16th in 4:27.239, which wasnt enough for a place in Thursdays first round. Great Britain were fastest in 4:08.055, just over five seconds outside their own world record.Womens Team Pursuit Qualifying4km top eight to the first round1GREAT BRITAINqualified4:08.0552GERMANYqualified4:09.9783ITALYqualified4:10.2754NETHERLANDSqualified4:13.8435AUSTRALIAqualified4:14.3686CHINAqualified4:14.5697NEW ZEALANDqualified4:15.0848FRANCEqualified4:15.5109UNITED STATES4:18.81010BELGIUM4:19.01211JAPAN4:19.09312BELARUS4:21.28813SWITZERLAND4:21.49114INDIVIDUAL NEUTRAL ATHLETES4:22.13015POLAND4:24.55316IRELANDJeffers OBrien Mangan Wong4:27.23917CHILE4:34.610Elsewhere on day oneChina won the womens team sprint on home boards. Jiang Yulu, Tong Mengqi and Yuan Liying beat Great Britain in the final, 45.578 to 45.933, and Germany took bronze against the neutral athletes. The Netherlands won the mens team sprint again: Jeffrey Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen and Roy van den Berg beat Australia in 41.954, with China third ahead of Japan.In the mens team pursuit first round, Denmark (3:44.043) and Italy (3:45.332) were the fastest heat winners and will race for gold on Thursday. Great Britain and France ride for bronze.Day One PodiumsWednesday 14 OctoberLorena WiebesWomens scratchLara GillespieWomens scratchMaria MartinsWomens scratchChinaWomens team sprintGreat BritainWomens team sprintGermanyWomens team sprintNetherlandsMens team sprintAustraliaMens team sprintChinaMens team sprintNext for the IrishIreland have a rider in Thursday evenings elimination final, about 11:30 Irish time. Gillespie races all four rounds of the omnium on Friday. On Saturday Emma Jeffers opens the session in the kilo at 04:00 Irish time, and Fiona Mangan rides individual pursuit qualifying at 06:23. Gillespie closes the championships in Sundays points race.Still to come Irish RidersIrish time on the right Shanghai is +7 hoursThu 15Elimination Final18:30 local11:30Fri 16Omnium I ScratchLara Gillespie c. 12:35 localc. 05:35Fri 16Omnium II TempoLara Gillespie c. 14:35 localc. 07:35Fri 16Omnium III EliminationLara Gillespie c. 18:05 localc. 11:05Fri 16Omnium IV Points raceLara Gillespie c. 19:40 localc. 12:40Sat 17Kilo time trial QualifyingEmma Jeffers 11:00 local04:00Sat 17Individual pursuit QualifyingFiona Mangan 13:23 local06:23Sat 17Kilo time trial Finalif Jeffers makes the top eight c. 17:35 localc. 10:35Sat 17Individual pursuit Finalsif Mangan makes the top four c. 20:00 localc. 13:00Sun 18Points race FinalLara Gillespie c. 14:00 localc. 07:00c. marks an estimated start, worked out from the official running order. Allow a few minutes either way.The Irish team in ShanghaiGillespie arrives in good form and already acclimatised. She finished second overall at the Tour of Chongming Island on the outskirts of Shanghai on Sunday, on the podium of all three stages behind Lorena Wiebes, and the week before that took silver in the omnium at the 3 Days of Aigle in Switzerland.She won bronze at the 2024 Worlds before taking European and world titles in 2025, and this week she races the scratch, the omnium and the points race.Aoife OBrien targets the elimination race. Her 2025 was disrupted by injury, but she has built steadily through 2026, with podiums in road races around Europe and a stage win at Rs na mBan with the national team.Emma Jeffers rides the kilo time trial. She made her national team track debut last year at both the European and World Championships, and has had a strong road season, with podiums at Rs na mBan and regular racing in one-day and stage races for Liv AlUla Jayco.Fiona Mangan returns for her second Worlds after her debut in Chile last year and takes on the individual pursuit. She rode her second Tour de France Femmes this summer and has been a regular presence in one-day races through the season.IRLIreland Track Worlds TeamShanghai 1418 October 2026Lara GILLESPIEScratch Omnium Points raceAoife OBRIENElimination Team pursuitEmma JEFFERSKilo time trial Team pursuitFiona MANGANIndividual pursuit Team pursuitEsther WONGTeam pursuitHow the races workMost of Irelands events this week are endurance races on the 250-metre track, so four laps make a kilometre. Five of the seven are bunch races, where tactics, positioning and a fast finish matter as much as raw power; the other two are races against the clock.Scratch Lara GillespieThe simplest bunch race on the track. Everyone starts together and the first rider across the line at the end of the final lap wins. The final is 40 laps (10km), with the bell rung for the last lap.There are no points and no intermediate sprints, but laps count: a rider or group who breaks clear and catches the back of the bunch has gained a lap, and is placed ahead of every rider they lapped, whoever wins the final sprint. That leaves two ways to win. Attack early and try to gain a lap, or sit in, save energy and back yourself in the sprint. Gillespie, a fast finisher, will want it to come down to the line, and so will Lorena Wiebes.If more than 24 riders enter, there are 7.5km qualifying heats first. Wednesdays field is exactly 24, so it goes straight to the final.Points race Lara GillespieA bunch race decided by points rather than by who crosses the line first. The final is 25km, 100 laps, with a sprint every ten laps, which makes ten sprints in all. Each intermediate sprint pays 5, 3, 2 and 1 point to the first four riders; the final sprint pays double, 10, 6, 4 and 2.The big swings come from laps. Gaining a lap on the bunch is worth 20 points, and being lapped costs 20, so a well-timed attack can be worth more than winning several sprints. If riders finish level on points, the final sprint decides it. It is a race of constant calculation, and riders and coaches track the scores lap by lap.Elimination Aoife OBrienOften called devil take the hindmost. After a neutral start, the last rider across the line every two laps is eliminated and pulled out, judged on the back wheel. It carries on until two riders are left, and they sprint for the title.Positioning is everything. Sitting near the front is safe but costs energy in the wind; drifting to the back risks being caught out by a sudden surge. The best elimination riders read the race and move up just before each sprint. If the field is too big, riders first qualify through 7.5km scratch heats.Omnium Lara GillespieFour bunch races in one day, the decathlon of track endurance racing. In order:Scratch (10km): first over the line wins, as above.Tempo race (10km): from the fifth lap onwards, one point goes to the first rider across the line on every lap, and gaining a lap is worth 20. It rewards riders who are active at the front all race.Elimination: as above, last rider out every two laps.Points race (20km): the finale, scored as above.The first three races award omnium points by finishing position: 40 for the winner, 38 for second, 36 for third, dropping by two a place. Riders carry that total into the points race, where every sprint point and every lap gained or lost is added on or taken off. The highest total wins the title. The omnium often stays open until the last laps, because a single lap gained in the points race can wipe out a 20-point deficit. Gillespie took silver in the omnium at the 3 Days of Aigle last week.Kilo time trial Emma JeffersOne rider, one kilometre, four laps from a standing start, held in the start gate until the countdown ends. It is a flat-out effort of a little over a minute, with no tactics, no drafting and nowhere to hide. Getting the bike up to speed from a standstill is half the race.Every rider sets a time in qualifying, and the eight fastest go through to the final later the same day to ride again for the medals, with the fastest qualifier going last.Individual pursuit Fiona ManganTwo riders start at the same time on opposite sides of the track, half a lap apart, and chase each other over the set distance. It is a test of pacing as much as power: go out too hard and the last laps are brutal.Qualifying is about the clock, not the rider across the track. The two fastest qualifiers meet in the gold-medal final and the third and fourth fastest ride for bronze, both later the same day. In any ride, catching your opponent ends the race.Team pursuit Mangan, Jeffers, OBrien, WongThe team version: four riders over 4km, 16 laps, starting on opposite sides of the track from their opponents. They ride in a tight line and take turns on the front, peeling up the banking and dropping back onto the rear wheel after each turn. The clock stops when the third rider crosses the line, so one rider can be used up and dropped in the closing laps.Every team rides qualifying alone against the clock. The eight fastest go into the first round, ridden head to head the next day, and the fastest teams from that round contest the gold and bronze finals later the same evening. Ireland have exactly four riders for the event, so there is no fresh rider to rotate in between rounds.Photos: SWpixThe post Lara Gillespie takes world silver in scratch as Wiebes wins by a photo finish in Shanghai appeared first on Irish Cycling News.

A season to forget for Neilson Powless isn't quite over as he takes on the Tour of Guangxi. While the EF Education-EasyPost rider is relieved to put a year of disappointments behind him, he sees a chance to at least sign off with a bit of momentum. Racing less than half than he has the previous five...

CyclistHow to maintain your waterproof cycling kitWet weather cycling gear, like other outdoor waterproof clothing, needs to be looked after to keep it working at its best. While water beads off waterproof clothing when its box-fresh, after its been worn for a while this may no longer occur and youll also find youre getting damp from sweat more readily.Thats when you probably need to clean and possibly re-waterproof your cycling jacket and other poor weather outer layer clothing to restore comfort and effectiveness.Its important to do this carefully though, as waterproof clothing is delicate and you can damage it or fail to restore water resistance by using the wrong products. Well walk you through when you need to clean and re-proof waterproof fabrics and the specialist products to use.Although there are a wide range of branded products such as Gore-Tex, eVent and Polartec, as well as own-brand fabrics, the same principles apply to each and most brands recommend the same small range of cleaning and re-proofing products.What makes cycle clothing waterproof?PolartecCycling waterproofs fall into either hardshell or softshell categories. A hardshell garment will usually be made of a three-layer fabric, where a waterproof, breathable membrane is sandwiched between an outer and an inner layer.In the past, the membrane was ePTFE (expanded polytetrafluoroethylene), with Gore-Tex the best known brand. The membrane was made with forever chemicals, which have now been banned, so now membranes are typically made of ePE (expanded polyethylene).The clothings outer layer is treated with a durable water repellent (DWR) coating, which repels water. This is what causes water droplets to bead up and run off the surface of the garment.This too used to be made of PFCs (perfluorinated compounds), which have also been banned as they dont break down in the environment, so PFC-free coatings are now used.On clothing with greater water resistance, the seams may be taped either on the inside or the outer face to help keep water out.Softshell cycling kit usually does without a membrane, but relies on a DWR coating alone to provide breathable water resistance. Some cycling clothing mixes fabrics with and without a membrane, to provide water resistance, but with increased breathability.When do my cycling waterproofs need care?Markus StitzThe DWR coating allows water vapour to escape, while helping to keep liquid water out and is needed for the waterproofing to be effective and for the membrane in a three-layer garment to work effectively.Over time, the DWR coating tends to wear off, while when it gets dirty or contaminated with oils or sweat it will be less effective.The outer face of your water-resistant cycling kit will tend to wet out, a sure sign that it needs care. Youll also find that, since it becomes less breathable, theres increased sweat build-up as you ride and your cycling jersey or base layer gets more damp.How do I maintain my waterproof clothing?There are two stages to caring for waterproof clothing. Often, you can reduce wetting out and restore its water resistance by washing it, but if this isnt effective you may need to re-treat it with a fabric reproofer.General-purpose laundry detergents include wetting agents, perfumes and other additives, which stay on the surface of waterproof clothing and will cause it to wet out, so its important to use a specialist product purpose-designed to wash technical waterproofs we have specific recommendations below.Never use bleach or harsh chemicals or dry clean a waterproof.If washing alone is not effective, the garment may need to be re-proofed. Again, there are specific products available that will add a new DWR coating. You usually need to wash your cycling kit with a specialist wash first, but some products clean and re-proof your waterproofs in one step.After washing, youll need to dry your waterproofs. Some re-proofers benefit from tumble drying or gentle ironing on a low setting as this improves their effectiveness.Be very careful to read your kits washing instructions and keep the temperature low though, as some fabrics and seam-sealing can be damaged by excessive heat. Elastane or Lycra, in particular, can be damaged by heat, so a softshell may lose its stretch if it gets too hot.What re-proofing products are available?Matthew Loveridge / CyclistTwo specialist brands that we have found to be effective and that are recommended by a number of cycle clothing brands and waterproof fabric manufacturers are Nikwax and Grangers.Nikwax sells Tech Wash, which is a wash product that can often refresh a DWR outer surface coating. Grangers equivalent is Performance Wash.If you need to re-treat your clothing, Nikwax sells TX.Direct, while Grangers sells Clothing Repel. Both are available either as wash-in or spray-on formulations.NikwaxBoth brands sell a range of other products designed for specific uses. Nikwaxs range includes Softshell Proof for softshells, Polar Proof for fleece clothing and formulations for everything from gloves to neoprene overshoes.Grangers sells Plus formulations as well as standard washing and re-proofing products and two-in-one wash and repel products. Again, there are more specialist Grangers products for specific types of clothing.Both brands sell larger volumes as well as smaller packs which will typically provide one or two washes.Other brands with treatment products include Muc-Off and G-Techniq. Some brands, such as Endura, sell their own washing and re-proofing products, although these are often from specialists ranges but in own-brand packaging.The post How to maintain your waterproof cycling kit appeared first on Cyclist.

CyclistMeet the Maker: Chris Yeomans and The Flying GateThe ride feel is what gets most people, says Chris Yeomans, current steward of the iconic Flying Gate marque. I often get comments along the lines of, I feel like I am being pushed uphill, or, Its like the wind is always behind me.Yeomans is fresh back from touring the east coast of Ireland with his wife, Dawn. For the trip, they each rode slightly different versions of what some might say is one of British cyclings great engineering curiosities.Juan Trujillo Andrades / CyclistConceived in the 1930s an era when time-trialling dominated the domestic racing scene the Flying Gate was originally known by its creators as the VS37 and commercially as the International TT. Its unconventional frame, with its cut-off seat tube, double sets of seatstays and additional vertical tube, created a gate-like silhouette, while its short wheelbase and stiffness made it ride like a spooked cat. It didnt take long for its nickname to eclipse the official title, and it has stuck ever since.Yeomans is the latest in a succession of custodians who, over the decades, have committed themselves to keeping the Flying Gate from drifting into obscurity. Originally designed and built by Bill and Reg Baines of the Baines Company in Bradford, the Gate went out of production in 1954 and remained in a state of dormancy until it was resurrected by framebuilder Trevor Jarvis of TJ Cycles in 1979.Chris Yeomans took over the responsibility for building a quirky bike that was originally designed for time-trialling in the 1930s. Having initially said no, he was swayed by the bikes loyal and enthusiastic fans. Juan Trujillo Andrades / CyclistOver the course of 35 years, Jarviss Flying Gates became known for their intricate lugwork and attention to detail qualities that have helped make many of his iterations highly sought-after collectors items. But he couldnt do it forever, and having entered his eighties he began looking for someone to take the reins.Initially I said no as I wanted to focus on my own brand, Smithy Frameworks, Yeomans says. Then I went to one of the Flying Gate Weekends. Its an annual gathering of enthusiasts that has been taking place for almost 30 years. Its a unique event, more of a family gathering than anything. I saw Trevor had created something quite special and I was hooked. He asked me again and I said yes. I still meet up with him regularly. Hell be 93 this year.Flying out of the gateA blacksmith by trade and professional framebuilder for the past two decades, Yeomans enjoys the process of building the Flying Gates unique frame.Creating things in metal has always been a real passion. The end result often felt more important than the financial benefit something Im sure many artists can relate to. Flying Gate frames are slightly more challenging to make than conventional frames so I guess I find them more rewarding.Juan Trujillo Andrades / CyclistThe bike he has just toured the Irish coast on isnt your run-of-the-mill Flying Gate (if there is such a thing). It comes fresh off the back of an award-winning appearance at Bespoked, where it took the Peoples Choice Award thanks to its striking mix of handcrafted beauty, elaborate detail and, lets be honest, sheer geometrical oddness.The componentry is quite a mix, says Yeomans. Hope hubs in silver bomb-proof for the Welsh roads and weather; Pacenti rims, silver obviously and durable too; Sugino Super Maxi 165mm cranks off Ebay square taper still has its place if youre not shy on maintenance, and I wanted to experiment with loose-ball bottom brackets to see if they could still hold their own, so I bought a Sugino one on eBay for 5 and a packet of loose ball bearings. It runs as sweet as any other bottom bracket I have used and was a doddle to set up.Theres some nice colour-matching too. The gold Connex chain, for example, perfectly complements the lug detailing and stem spacer.Obviously not essential, Yeomans admits, but it ties everything together.Elsewhere, the build is kept utilitarian and classic with a Brooks saddle, Cinelli bars, Grepp cloth bar tape and TRP levers. Theres also some rather pleasing period cabling for the brakes courtesy of Sim Works.Juan Trujillo Andrades / CyclistAs brilliantly curated as the componentry is, its the finer points of the frame that really make Yeomanss Gate sing. The stem is a prime example, crafted using his blacksmithing skills to match the lugwork and pick up on the box-lining from the top tube. Meanwhile the colouring has been achieved using a patination fluid to help highlight the lines.Then there are the lugs.Trevor has gradually been emptying his old workshop and passing relevant stuff onto me, Yeomans explains. Among which was a box of assorted old lugs. Hunting through them, I came up with a set, quite possibly Nervex, which I tweaked a bit and filed to what you see on the bike.Colour work and graphics are courtesy of Lee Morgan Artworx.I think the box-lining may have made him cry a bit, but he didnt let on, Yeomans says.Like what you see? Yeomans says a similar frameset to this one works out at around 2,500, with a lead time of approximately four to six months.The post Meet the Maker: Chris Yeomans and The Flying Gate appeared first on Cyclist.

Wolf Tooth Components believes that bike shops are the cornerstone of the bike industry. To back that up, Wolf Tooth tells us they started a new dealer program this year, and part of that commitment involves developing some exclusive, dealer-only products and limited editions. The Camo SHIFT Gravity Pedals are the first of these products to be produced in a limited run of just 150 pairs and available only through brick-and-mortar retailers. Wolf Tooth says that moving forward, it expects one or two dealer-exclusive products to be released each year.Camo SHIFT Gravity PedalsWolf Tooth completed its family of clipless pedals earlier this year when it launched the SHIFT Gravity Pedals. This added a large platform model alongside the CTRL (trail), ALT (XC), and DEL (gravel race) models that came out last year. Now, the SHIFT is the first product to get the dealer-exclusive treatment in a limited-edition Camo colorway.Based in Minnesota, Wolf Tooth says the fall colors are in full swing, so it makes sense to launch a camouflage pedal now. They worked with Ashley Anodized It (@ashley.anodized.it on Instagram) to create the one-of-a-kind camo finishes on the pedal bodies. According to Wolf Tooth, Each pedal body features a unique anodized camouflage pattern in olive, tan, black, and brown tones, finished off with a blaze orange end cap, because when you go all in, you go all in.Where Can I Buy Camo SHIFT Pedals?Wolf Tooth says that they pre-sold 130 pairs of Camo SHIFT Pedals to dealers. They have a landing page on their website with a dealer locator showing only the dealers with inventory of the Camo SHIFT pedals; check it out here. According to Wolf Tooth, they arent allowing any online sale of the Camo SHIFT Pedals; customers need to visit the shop (or call) to order a pair. The idea is to drive traffic to the shops that are so instrumental to our cycling communities.Dont see your LBS or another shop near you on the list? Wolf Tooth says it intentionally held back 20 pairs of the Camo pedals so any shop can order them for you, on a first-come, first-served basis. All the shop needs to do is reach out to Wolf Tooths dealer support team.Pricing and AvailabilityThe limited-edition dealer-exclusive Camo SHIFT Pedals retail for $289.95 and are available now at select retailers nationwide. Head to the SHIFT dealer locator here to find the nearest location with stock of the Camo pedals, or hit up your LBS to order you a pair before theyre gone. And if you head to the Wolf Tooth website, be sure to check out the limited-edition Camo merch; theyve got hats and long-sleeve T-shirts.wolftoothcomponents.com

Illegal bikes are a rational response to payment model used by large food delivery apps, says head of London-based delivery firm.Deliveroo, the app-based food delivery service, said it plans to monitor its delivery riders to assess how quickly they travel and compare the data with the legal speeds of e-bikes in the UK, but the company did not respond to repeated requests on whether it will implement the same technology in Ireland. As IrishCycle.com has reported several times, including earlier this week, a legal e-bike in Ireland is a pedal-assisted electric bicycle with a maximum continuous rated power output of 250 watts and a maximum speed of 25km/h before the motor stops helping. This is the basic rule across the EU and basically the same as the UK, where the limit is 15.5mph. Above these thresholds, or if the bike can move without pedalling (besides freewheeling) using a throttle, then it is legally considered a moped or even a motorcycle depending on speed and power.Deliveroo and Just Eat delivery riders are regularly seen moving without pedalling and at higher-than-normal e-bike speeds on streets in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, and Galway. Both Deliveroo and Just Eat were also contacted three times since last Friday, and both did not respond at the time of publication of this article on Wednesday after 6pm.Last week, The Times in London reported that Deliveroo would be implementing systems to crackdown on riders registering as having a bicycle or e-bike and actually using a moped or motorcycle. The speed technology is helping us better detect the use of illegal e-bikes by looking at sustained speeds. Where we see sustained speeds that are illegal, we will disable a riders account, Paul Bedford, policy and sustainability director at Deliveroo, told The Times newspaper. He said that GPS data showing a rider at higher speeds would have to be checked to see if they were going downhill at the time or if they were in an area known for poor GPS signal where an inaccurate speed might be recorded. He added: We are designing our approach to identify sustained patterns and avoid penalising riders who are following the rules.Bedford also said that Deliveroo were calling on the UK government to ban the sale of conversion kits which make it easier for non-electric bikes and e-bikes to be souped up, allowing for speeds far higher than allowed under the law. These kits and many types of imported overpowered bikes are also associated with fires. An illegal e-bike is the rational response to that pay modelIrishCycle.com also asked Deliveroo to respond to comments made by Ben Knowles, CEO and Co-Founder of Pedal Me, a cargo bike delivery company based in London. Knowles responded to The Times article last week, saying everyone could have seen the issue long before Deliveroo admitted it was a problem, and that the payment model to the food delivery companies to staff its service is a large part of the problem, as it incentivises poor behaviour.Huge congratulations to Deliveroo, who this week became the last people in London to notice the 30mph delivery bikes, said Knowles. And credit where its due: theyve now said it out loud. Their policy director has told The Times that some of their riders are on illegal e-bikes, and that theyre piloting technology to catch them using their own delivery data. Groundbreaking stuff.Who else had already spotted them? Everyone on the pavement. Everyone behind the wheel. The London Fire Brigade, putting out the battery fires. The Met, who seized more than 2,500 illegal e-bikes and e-scooters in the first seven months of this year. Basically anyone with eyes, said Knowles in a post on LinkedIn. Knowles said that The riders arent doing this for fun and pointed to the paid-per-delivery model pushes riders towards using faster bikes to make more money. He said: An illegal e-bike is the rational response to that pay model.Deliveroos solution? Ban the riders. Ask the government to ban the kits. The pay model that put them on those bikes stays exactly where it is. Meanwhile, the costs land on everyone else: fires in peoples homes, danger on our streets, police time, and a legitimate e-bike industry tarred by association, he said. Knowles company, Pedal Me, has prided itself on hiring staff directly rather than as contractors or self-employed. He said that solving issues that the gig economy creates feels like a game of whack-a-mole.He added: Every fix works around the same fact: the model depends on classifying riders as self-employed contractors, and that comes first. Ahead of common sense. Ahead of public safety. Ahead of the risk of modern slavery in the supply chain. The problem is the model. It will stay the problem until these riders are employees, so they can be paid fairly, kept safe, and the companies that profit from their work contribute to society like every other employer does.EU law edging toward viewing workers as staffIreland must transpose the EUs Platform Workers Directive into law by December 2nd of this year. During the summer, reports suggested this legislative change may force delivery companies to reclassify riders as employees, but its unclear how they will react.A Supreme Court judgment (The Revenue Commissioners v. Karshan (Midlands) Ltd. t/a Dominos Pizza) already ruled against delivery staff being counted as contractors, and after that, Revenue asked businesses to review the status of their workers.That Irish case, in October 2023, followed another in the Netherlands earlier that year, in which the Dutch Supreme Court upheld a Court of Appeal ruling that Deliveroo riders were legally employees, citing similar tests and reasoning on who is and isnt an employee or a contractor.The Dutch Court of Appeal ruling was made in February 2021, but in October 2022, before the Supreme Court ruling, Deliveroo announced it was ending its services in the Netherlands, although the company did not directly mention the judgment and said it was after it had determined that achieving and sustaining a top-tier market position in the Netherlands would require a disproportionate level of investment with highly uncertain long-term potential returns.The situation is different in the UK, where the courts ruled in Deliveroos favour in 2021 and said delivery workers are contractors. Deliverooalso did not respond to a request for comment on Knowles criticisms of their model.

Spanish cycling has a new generation of riders starting to make their mark and raising high hopes for the future: Benjamn Noval, Hctor lvarez, Alejandra Neira, Paula Blasi and others. Results in the development categories and early success as professionals have put several young riders in the spo...

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