CyclistEverything leads towards the Olympics: Josh Tarling Q&AYou will be among the favourites for a time-trialling medal at this summers Olympic Games in Paris. What are your expectations?To win. Id like to do the road race as well, but it depends because there are only four spots on the GB team. I also want to do the Madison on the track. So Id like to win the Madison and the time-trial.Youve now beaten almost all the top time-triallists on the WorldTour. Whos your biggest remaining rival?Filippo Ganna, my Ineos Grenadiers teammate. Hes the only one. We could be going head-to-head at the Paris Olympics. It would be nice to race against a friend; its exciting and I want to see what I can do. Related Posts Paris 2024 Olympics Cycling: Events, schedule, TV guide and everything you need to know We expect a completely new level from Tadej Pogaar: Mauro Gianetti Q&A Pro Log: Vittoria Bussi reclaims UCI Hour record, Josh Tarling beats Remco Evenepoel at Chrono des Nations, Madis Mihkels and Gerben Thijssen pulled from Tour of Guangxi for racist gesture Youre from Aberaeron in West Wales, which is not really known as a breeding ground for WorldTour talent. How did you first get into road racing?There werent a lot of cycling clubs around so my parents started a club, the West Wales Cycle Racing Team. We got loads of people involved and it really took off from there. We had people my age and it was really good it was one of those environments where everyone was pushing each other.Most young British riders look to head to Europe for training camps but was West Wales a good location for training and developing your skills?The roads are really good, really hard. In summer it was a bit busier with tourists, but other than that theyre quiet. There are no cities there, really, so you can be riding for a while and not see anyone. I really enjoyed it.Were there preferred routes that youd test yourself on?Id go towards Tregaron and do the Devils Staircase [a 1.5km climb with gradients touching 20%]. But in general the whole area is lumpy. Sometimes there are so many hills on a ride that I dont know all their names. Youre just up and down, keeping the power on.Tornanti.ccRecently your development has been fast-tracked and youve set up home in Andorra. Has that been a big change?It was a big change from junior racing to the WorldTour. I can do the on-bike stuff the racing but the biggest change has been the off-the-bike stuff, with staying in your own house and having adult responsibilities. If youre a junior and youre tired, its not like theres no food in the house. Your parents will get food.So youve had to learn to look after yourself more?Now if Im tired and theres no food, I have to go and get some. Plus I have to clean up afterwards. I enjoy cooking though. I like a curry I can do that. But Im a big lunch guy. I like a bagel with some fancy shit on it.In Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe theres already a strong Welsh contingent in the Grenadiers ranks, but is there any West Wales-South Wales rivalry?Last year I did some races with Luke, but this year I havent seen either of them yet. Its nice having Welsh people in the team. Theres no rivalry, but Im one up on them because I can actually speak Welsh.Ineos Grenadiers have a blend of old hands and young talent. Who has been your biggest mentor in the team?Its not really one person. I like rooming with Swifty [Ben Swift]; he keeps me tidy. He does a lot of the off-bike stuff really well, as well as the on-bike stuff. Also Luke, obviously, for racing craft. And you look up to guys like Ganna, whos won everything under the sun. But it doesnt come from just one person.This season has been characterised by some nasty crashes and a growing debate about racing safety, particularly after the crash in the Tour of the Basque Country that took out Jonas Vingegaard, Primo Rogli and Remco Evenepoel. Does safety worry you?It was a horrible crash and a horrible situation. I dont know if it was a really dangerous descent. Were all going to make mistakes, you know. I guess the safest environment is a velodrome because its controlled, but even there you get some of the biggest crashes. And crashes are going to happen. In that crash [the Tour of the Basque Country] I dont think they were taking any more risks than usual. It didnt look like there was any drag racing going on, so probably it was just a mistake. People crash, dont they?Obviously the Olympic Games is your big goal but how does the rest of the season pan out beyond that?Everything leads towards the Olympics. Before then Im going to train at altitude in Andorra, then ideally another altitude camp. But it might change. Otherwise, its the Tour of Norway, back on the track at the National Championships for leg speed and technique, some club 10s in the UK before the Nationals in June. But theres no Tour de France for me this year. The Olympics is such a big goal and I would be knackered if I did the Tour.Is there much chance of you making a Grand Tour debut this year?I would like to do the Vuelta [a Espaa]. This year, with the Olympics, I think realistically that would be the best opportunity. This article originally appeared in issue 154 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribe Related Posts Paris 2024 Olympics Cycling: Events, schedule, TV guide and everything you need to know We expect a completely new level from Tadej Pogaar: Mauro Gianetti Q&A Pro Log: Vittoria Bussi reclaims UCI Hour record, Josh Tarling beats Remco Evenepoel at Chrono des Nations, Madis Mihkels and Gerben Thijssen pulled from Tour of Guangxi for racist gesture The post Everything leads towards the Olympics: Josh Tarling Q&A appeared first on Cyclist.

There were 33 km to go in the 2024 Tour de France and Joo Almeida was preparing to make his individual effort between Monaco and Nice. On the second category climb of the day, the Portuguese rider had someone very special pulling for him, his father, and at the finish line his mother and girlfriend...

MADE, the worlds largest celebration of the art and craftsmanship of bicycle building, will return for its second edition in Portland, Oregon, this August.

CyclistIs Pogaar vs Vingegaard the sports greatest every rivalry?Like with any good cycling rivalry, Tadej Pogaar and Jonas Vingegaards names feel incomplete without mentioning the other. Its a modern-day reprisal of Coppi and Bartali, Poulidor and Anquetil, LeMond and Fignon. At long last, cycling has a new duo to enter this hall of fame.For the past four Tours de France, Pogaar and Vingegaard have duelled with one target in mind: the yellow jersey. After his win at the weekend, Tadej Pogaar has taken a 3-2 lead in Tour de France wins. The race is on to reach the history-equalling fifth, and both seem to have the credentials to do so by the end of the 2020s.As the dust settles on another three weeks of battling, can we consider this to be the greatest rivalry the sport has ever seen?Yin and yangA.S.O./Billy CeustersPogaar and Vingegaard are very different personalities. For starters, the two stem from very different corners of Europe Vingegaard from the stoic Scandinavian north and Pogaar from the chocolate-box setting of Mittel Europa. Pogaars rise can be tracked from the youngsters Tour de lAvenir and breakthrough Vuelta a Espaain 2019. Vinegagaard on the other hand was a lesser-known anomaly who made the most of his ad-hoc leadership role at the Tour de France 2021.In behaviour, the two differ greatly. Pogaar hits back at haters on social media and has a boyish joker demeanour both on and off the bike.Vingegaard is more sedate with his media language. Hes pensive and thoughtful in a way that some perceive as cold. At the 2024 race, however, this has evolved into something more humanised as he discussed the internets watts-per-kilo claims and online forum mysteries.At the 2024 race, they have become more outspoken. With the addition of Rogli and Evenepoel in the media mix zone, the pair have started a well-measured war of words like any great rivals should. Related Posts The 21 best photos from the Tour de France 2024 Who won the most prize money at the 2024 Tour de France? How to fix the Tour de France King of the Mountains classification Is this the end of Tour de France breakaways? Who are Britains future Tour de France stars? A cold war between teamsA.S.O./Charly LopezBehind the two leaders are their teams: UAE Team Emirates and Visma-Lease a Bike.Both have entered a Cold War-like arms race to win the maillot jaune. As the squads realise their potential, they have created the perfect backdrop for this competition. Their differences complement each other, even if it has flared up tribal affiliations for better or worse.Pogaars UAE Team Emirates have built from a mid-table Italian team to a Grand Tour juggernaut in the space of around five years. However, the Emirati-backed team has been met with some fatigue after buying a wealth of A-list names and wunderkinds. With time though, the squad has played around with tactics and formed a strong identity as cyclings most consistent team.Visma-Lease a Bike are a team often ridiculed for tactical decisions, blunt team communications and an outspoken team principal. However, their clinical 2022 Tour de France proved that they are one of the great teams of modern Grand Tours. The Dutch squad has cultivated real talent, raising names like Sepp Kuss and Wout van Aert to the fore. The latter has become a phenom unmatched by UAE.The two teams have employed wildly different strategies over the years and have gone through ebbs and flows with lady luck. This year, luck was certainly against Visma-Lease a Bike, who only last year won all three Grand Tours.The rivalry hasnt seen team strength skew. There are few weak links in either outfit and they seem fairly balanced on paper. With both team leaders on long-term contracts, the battalions are forming around them with every new signing. Dont expect to see a carousel of riders in and out, each addition is signed up with the intention of forming a part of the Tours two leading squads. Under these circumstances, the teams are only set to become more influential.An ongoing Tour de France storyA.S.O./Billy CeustersThis rivalry has brewed over the past few years due to the constant ding-dong between the two at each of their Tour de France skirmishes. Each year, they grow stronger and raise the stakes ever higher at the Grande Boucle.So often, cycling rivalries fizzle out on the big stage. Regardless of contexts in the build-up to the race, Pogaar and Vingegaard have an unflappable way of honouring the biggest race in the sport. With no excuses given, the Tour is the main arena of the rivalry and it can be followed through each years edition of the race.Its all well and good duelling at smaller week-long stage races, but Pogaar and Vingegaards perennial Tour clashes have brought a lifeline to a race that has so often been won too easily.They both benefit from a hard-wired desire to win. Both build up all year for the Tour with no ifs or buts. Even if they end up facing setbacks beforehand, theyll still be at the start line of the race. These are the signs of two true champions.Tit for tatA.S.O./Charly LopezWhen Pogaar goes, so does Vingegaard. This has been the way now for several Tours de France. Thats what the race distils to. When they attack, they are in a world of their own, free from the influence of any GC side characters.Theres a constant adrenaline rush surrounding each instalment of finding out who the best rider on two wheels is. The dynamic shifts throughout the season and has made the Tour outcome tough to call. Their similarity in power and capabilities has allowed the rivalry to blossom into one of cyclings best ever.Over the years, it has become harder to decide whos better at climbing or time-trialling or even fighting for GC for that matter. Since 2021, only 1:03 separates the two after 84 stages of racing. Tour superiority has shifted between them year-on-year and sometimes within the same Tour. In 2022, Vingegaard, along with a blazing Jumbo-Visma squad, proved to be the thorn in his Slovenian rivals side despite a dominant opening week that forecasted another Pogaar whitewash.This alternating balance of power manifested beautifully at the 2023 Tour, which saw a GC seesaw throughout the first and second weeks of the race when only a handful of seconds separated the two.Then again at the 2024 race, another chapter was written this one firmly in Pogaars favour, though Vingegaards early season injury no doube contributed greatly to the relative mismatch. The story is ongoing and it doesnt look like itll fade out in the future, even if Remco Evenepoel desperately wants to make this a love triangle.An unlocked fan tribalismA.S.O./Charly LopezCycling has become more sharp at the edges than it has been for quite some time. The tribalism is emblematic of any great rivalry. We have returned to the primordial state of sports where we live for a parasocial rivalry between two men.On social media, fans create video edits, run dedicated accounts and live and die by the sword of their GC favourite. In online discourse, UAE fans and Visma fans throw metaphorical fists in the name of their chosen son. A decade ago, this never happened for Chris Froome or Alberto Contador. Pogaar and Vingegaard should take this as a compliment. Theyve captured enough imagination for fans to fight tooth and nail in their name. This culture is not too dissimilar from boyband tribalism or football team derbies.Perhaps well reflect on these Tours in decades to come and think, I was more of a Pogaar man, myself.Put some respect on their namesA.S.O./Pauline BalletLongevity is key to every rivalrys significance. The great Italian rivalry of Coppi and Bartali only manifested at the Tour de France on a couple of occasions. Their rivalry blossomed at the Giro instead. And even there, they only shared the podium twice. Poulidor and Anquetil only filled the top two places in the Tour on one occasion. Poulidor and Merckx also only finished first and second on one occasion, with Poulidor more commonly filling the third spot on the podium. Other rivalries such as LeMond and Fignon as well as Pantani and Armstrong also only came truly to the fore at single Tours.In comparison, Pogaar and Vingegaard have filled the top two spots at the past four Tours de France and there is no sign of this slowing down. If we want to show some respect to the two current greats, then we should elevate their names to the same level as the aforementioned double acts.No smoke without fireA.S.O./Billy CeustersOn paper, it all seems in place for it to become a rivalry for the ages. Theres little to separate the two after four years of Tour de France battles. Its open to debate who the greater rider at the Tour de France is even if Pogaars exploits elsewhere in the calendar try to distract from this Grand Tour debate.Every rivalry has a shelf life, of course. But in the case of Pogaar and Vingegaard, theyre similar in age, stature and team strength, and both appear to have plenty of years ahead of them at the top of the sport. Currently, their Tour de France palmars seem competitive enough with one another.Thankfully, the two appear relatively cordial. Theres no malice here they respect each other greatly. Just cast your minds back to the iconic mid-race handshake at the 2022 Tour. Were not in an era of trash talk, heightened tension or slashed tyres like weve seen before in the sport, although Im sure some will feel that these missed spats would have added some spice and colour to the rivalry.To answer my question: no, this is not the sports greatest rivalry. But it certainly has the ingredients to challenge for that title in the next few years. Who knows, maybe this article will need a revisit after the 2028 Tour de France. Related Posts The 21 best photos from the Tour de France 2024 Who won the most prize money at the 2024 Tour de France? How to fix the Tour de France King of the Mountains classification Is this the end of Tour de France breakaways? Who are Britains future Tour de France stars? The post Is Pogaar vs Vingegaard the sports greatest every rivalry? appeared first on Cyclist.

New trains would be better for accessibility, safety and reliability, says passenger group.Potential chaos has been averted as Irish Rail has confirmed that the Commission for Railway Regulation has approved a plan to extend the life of 40-year-old Dart trains.Irish Rails chief mechanical engineer, Peter Smyth, recommended in 2019 that the original 76 carriages be replaced, and the certification for their use was due to run out this month.According to documents released under Freedom of Information legislation, Smyth wrote: From a reliability perspective, the 8100 fleet is likely to deteriorate further from its current low-reliability status, where the fleet is 4 x times less reliable than equivalent more modern Class 8500 EMUs [electric multiple units]. The decision, however, was taken by Irish Rails board to extend the life of the trains which came into use in 1984.Yesterday, Barry Kenny, a spokesperson for Irish Rail, said: Following engagement with the Commission for Railway Regulation, Iarnrd ireann submitted an independent Extended Life Review / Justification Report to the CRR in February 2024 detailing the measures to date and proposed maintenance regime supporting the continued operation of the Dart 8100 fleet.He said: The CRR has confirmed that this, together with a detailed I action plan submitted to the CRR addressing the recommendations in the review, addresses requirements for the continued operation of the 8100 DART fleet.HMark Gleeson, a spokesperson for Rail Users Ireland, said the group was happy to note that Irish Rail has presented a life extension plan to the CRR to allow the continued use of the 40-year-old original Dart fleet beyond the 40-year limit set originally by the CRR.He said that Irish Rail had intended to scrap these trains but that the company did an about-face despite the recommendations of its chief mechanical engineer.Gleeson said: New trains would offer better accessibility, safety and reliability, which is what passengers want. Despite the Governments commitment to public transport, Irish Rail has been left with no choice but to retain these trains in service for up to 50 years.He added: The consequences had the CRR not approved the extension would have been dire with only 68 carriages instead of 144 available, leading to chaos.Gleeson added that the most significant constraint on expanding Dart is the lack of a new depot in Maynooth, so no more orders to expand the fleet beyond whats already ordered for the northern line can take place until the depot is given permission as part of the Dart+ West Railway Order which is still awaiting An Bord Pleanlaapproval. But he said that the 1984 fleet could be replaced without a new depot.

UPDATED July 23, 2024BY The TDA TeamINJourney to the East no comments The Next Big Thing From Korea: K-BikingHallyu, a.k.a., the Korean Wave, has put South Korea on the culture map in recent years think K-Pop superstars BTS, big and small screen hits like Parasite and Squid Game, and the K-Beauty craze but the country is still off many travellers radar. Thats changing, and for good reason. Especially if you like to travel on two wheels. Christina Palassio, Globe & Mail, July 17, 2024The lucky cyclists on the 2024 edition of the Journey to the East Cycling Tour included a Canadian journalist, Christina Palassio, for the Land of the Morning Calm section in Korea from Seoul to Busan. Christina was there to write about the experience of cycling through the country and report on her adventure for the Canadas national newspaper, the Globe & Mail.Christina on the road in KoreaShe was surprised to find that, Chatting with my fellow riders on the tourI learned that most had joined the trip for the Japan section but by the time we neared the finish line, after some tough climbs in the Busan Alps, we all agreed that wed discovered something unexpected and special.Christina wrote, The great thing about bike travel is that you can see the major sights, and you can see the small and quirky everyday stuff, too: seniors exercising at calisthenics machines, traditional hanok houses with their tiled roofs made from burned soil, and their rows of onggi, the pots used to ferment kimchi, and the many cute cafs that popped up seemingly out of nowhere and concluded that Forget music, movies and makeup the next Korean Wave phase should be K-biking.Come to Korea and Bike the Journey to the East Cycling Tour!RELATEDTOURJourney to the EastWhile Korea and Japan are close neighbors, their lands and cultures are completely their own, and cycling across these countries one after the other... Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "The Next Big Thing From Korea: K-Biking" Cancel reply

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Although Ben Healy wasn't quite able to take a stage win on his Tour de France debut over the last three weeks, the Irishman was consistently one of the instigators of attacks and one of the most exciting riders in the entirety of the peloton.On a personal level, Im really, really proud of where...

CyclistHow Biniam Girmay made history at the Tour de FranceBiniam Girmay is well versed in being a history-maker in both one-day Classics and Grand Tours. In 2022, he became the first Black African to win a stage at a Grand Tour after sprinting to victory on Stage 10 of the Giro dItalia.As he lined up for this years Tour de France, the Eritrean once again carried the hopes of a nation on his back. But far from weighing him down, the 2024 Tour saw Girmay flourish and make even more history, adding to his legacy with three stage wins and the green points jersey. Related Posts Nine of the best moments from the Tour de France 2024 Who won the most prize money at the 2024 Tour de France? A star is born: Biniam Girmay profile History in TurinA.S.O./Charly LopezThe 2024 Tour de France route provided eight stages for the sprinters to target, the majority falling in the first two weeks. Still, it was a more difficult start to the race than usual for the fast men, with the Tour kicking off with an extremely hilly Grand Dpart in Italy and a fast-tracked approach to the Alps that saw the highest point in the race the Souvenir Henri Desgrange ticked off at the summit of the Col du Galibier as early as Stage 4.In between came Stage 3, the first flat day of the race (and also the longest at 230.8km) from Plaisance to Turin, and Girmay took his chance at the first time of asking. Approaching the finish, his Intermarch-Wanty team drilled it on the front to lead out the contending group as Girmay himself sat further down the pack in around tenth position. He then emerged on the right to launch his sprint as a mass of bodies began to race for the finish in a horizontal line spread across the road. Girmay came around Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) to win the day and mark a monumental moment in his career.Girmay had become the first Black African to win a stage at the Tour de France, two years after accomplishing the feat at the Giro dItalia.Resplendent in greenA.S.O./Billy CeustersAs Mark Cavendish claimed that elusive record 35th stage win the following day, Girmays modest ninth place was nonetheless enough to move him into the green jersey, and after being narrowly beaten by Dylan Groenewegen of Jayco-AlUla on Stage 6, one sprint remained before the first rest day a 170km ride from Semur-en-AuxoistoColombey-les-Deux-glises with a short uphill kick towards the line.Bryan Coquard (Cofidis) pushed hard for the line but Girmay was on his wheel, taking flight as the gradient sharply increased and Coquard faltered. Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck) was to Girmays right, gunning for his first stage win of the race, but he would be kept waiting as the Eritrean became the only rider to double up on wins in the first week, extending his lead in the points classification by doing so.On Stage 12, the third longest day of the race, Girmay was again present at the business end of the race. He ignited a ferocious sprint and held on to cross the line first and claim win number three in Villeneuve-sur-Lot, beating Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) into second.The podium beckonsTim de Waele/Getty ImagesGiven the traditional Champs-lysesfinish was shelved this year due to the 2024 Olympic Games being held in Paris, the final opportunity for the sprinters came on Stage 16. By this point Philipsen had found his sprinting legs, and when Girmay went down in a crash in the final kilometre, the Belgian won to match Girmays three stage wins and narrow the Eritreans advantage in the points classification to 32 points with five stages still to go. Girmay was down, but fortunately not out. With a bandaged knee, he set off from Saint-Paul-Trois-Chteaux the following day knowing that defending his dwindling points lead would likely depend on intermediate sprints over the mountainous stages that remained. As it turned out, Girmay and Philipsens last battle on the road would come later that same day at the intermediate sprint in Veynes, with Girmay scoring 11 and Philipsen 10 after the bigger points had already been swept up by the breakaway. Neither rider would score another point for the remainder of the race.As Stage 21s individual time-trial brought the 2024 Tour de France to a close, one by one the riders arrived at the finish line, their 33.7km effort against the clock completing just shy of 3,500km of racing over three weeks. The traditional podium ceremony where jerseys and trophies would be awarded was set to follow, albeit in the unfamiliar location of Nice for this year.As Girmay made his way onto the podium draped in the Eritrean flag, his family watched on. His post on social media after that first win back on Stage 3 had simply read: Let me open the door. At the time, footage from his nations capital of Asmara had shown people dancing in the street and chanting Bini in celebration. It showed just how much the moment meant, and continues to mean. The importance of representation cannot be understated.Standing on the podium in Nice as a multiple Tour stage winner and points classification champion, its safe to say that Girmay had opened the door and then some. It was a monumental achievement. The history maker continues to make history. After the race, he immediately extended his contract with Intermarch-Wanty until 2028, a home he has found much success with and an environment he seems to thrive in. Girmays is clearly a story with plenty of chapters still to be written. The post How Biniam Girmay made history at the Tour de France appeared first on Cyclist.

With the Tour de France completed, the Paris Olympic Games are next up on the calendar for a lot of the peloton's biggest names. With a prestigious Olympic gold medal on offer, on July 27th the men will take on the individual time-trial.Included on the startlist are riders such as: Brandon McNulty,...