The Sistema Ibrico is the dominant mountain range that stretches over 500 kilometers across the northeast of Spain. Its a natural border that separates the Spanish central plateau and the Ebro depression. The Ibrica Norte route runs through the northern part, mostly in La Rioja but also stretching into Soria in the south and Navarre []The post Iberica Norte appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Kask has launched the Nirvana, claiming the aero helmet offers game-changing aerodynamic performance, superior ventilation and next-level safety.Ineos Grenadiers, the Kask-sponsored WorldTour team, have been riding the Nirvana, with its distinctive ear tip covers, in public since January.As we reported at the time, the new aero helmets pattern of front vents mimic the lightweight Utopia Y. Meanwhile, the sides, which cover the tops of the wearers ears, and the rear bob-tail recall the Bambino.Kask pitches the Nirvana, which it claims minimises drag and optimises comfort, at road and track cyclists and triathletes seeking "maximum performance". The Kask Nirvana is available to buy now for 320 / $400 / 360 / AU$570, in medium (52-58cm) and large (59-62cm) sizes.It comes in five colours: White Matt, Black Matt, Cherry Red, Blueberry Fade and Ultra-Violet.The fastest and coolest aero helmetKask says the Nirvana achieves "aero perfection". - KaskKask claims the Nirvana is 19 per cent better ventilated and 35 per cent more aerodynamic than the best aero helmets. However, the Italian brand will not share evidence to support this claim.Relative to its own road bike helmets, Kask says the Nirvana is cooler than the Utopia Y, but not as well ventilated as the Protone Icon, Valegro and Elemento.Kask says it used computational fluid dynamics to test the aerodynamics of the Nirvana being worn by a digital model of a rider.Kask is targeting watt-obsessed roadies, track riders and triathletes with the Nirvana. - KaskAt a wind speed of 45kph, and at wind angles of 0, 10 and 20 degrees, Kask claims it found the Nirvana produces less drag than the Utopia Y.The Nirvana saves 4.4W or 72 seconds over 180km at 45kph, 6W or 7.2 seconds over 20km at 50kph and 10.4W or 1.2 seconds over 4km at 60kph, according to the brand.The Nirvana keeps your head much cooler than the best aero helmets, according to Kask. - KaskKask says the European version of the Nirvana weighs 270g, while the American and Australian model weighs 290g. The discrepancy owes to different helmet safety standards in North America and Oceania.Kask Nirvana specsThe back of the Nirvana features an eyewear port, hi-vis logos and an Octofit dial. - KaskThe Kask Nirvana features the brands Octofit+ retention system (a two-way dial at the back of the helmet). This is claimed to improve fit and comfort, while letting longer hair pass through the back of the helmet.However, Kask admits the Nirvanas ear tip covers wont suit people with large ears.The sunglasses port at the front of the helmet is optimised for cycling sunglasses from Koo, Kasks in-house brand. But Ineos Grenadiers SunGod sunglasses appear to fit fine.Multipod internal padding is said to absorb more energy if you hit your head. - KaskKask says the Nirvana meets its own WG11 safety standard. The Italian brand uses this instead of MIPS and is waiting for a rating from Virginia Tech.By absorbing 10 per cent more energy from impacts, Multipod, Kasks own 3D-printed internal padding, strengthens the helmet against linear and rotational impacts, according to the brand.Kask says Multipod is an isotropic material, meaning it reacts in the same way to force from any direction. This can minimise shear stress between the head and inside of the helmet, according to the brand.Kask acknowledges that the Nirvana's dropped sides won't fit larger ears. - KaskYou can also fit a reflective insert into the back of the helmet. Kask claims the helmets logos also improve visibility.The faux leather chin strap is washable, comfortable and shouldnt irritate skin, according to Kask.

The French WorldTour team says the machines are cutting edge and reiterates trust in wheel sponsor too

Guillaume Martin had a solid if unspectacular 2024 Tour de France. Finishing as the top ranked French rider in the general classification, Martin was still over 14 minutes off the top-10 in 13th, a total of 43:49 down on Maillot Jaune winner Tadej Pogacar.Post-Tour de France, the Cofidis star lament...

Maxxis has released the third generation of its legendary all-around High Roller mountain bike tyre.The new rubber is designed for downhill and trail riding, and is said to sit between the Assegai and Shorty in Maxxis tyre line-up.Maxxis describes the High Roller III as an intermediate tyre, with the new tread pattern allowing for good soil penetration in wet weather and the traction and cornering control needed for dry and dusty conditions.The tyres were launched at Crankworx Whistler, in British Columbia.The High Roller III is available now and is priced at 74.99 with the DH casing. A version using Maxxis' DoubleDown casing is set to cost 79.99 when it's released.New tread to shredThere are fewer knobs than the High Roller II. - MaxxisMaxxis has given the High Roller III a hybrid tread that combines an open pattern on the centreline with large, well-supported lugs on the shoulder.This is said to give the tyre good wet-weather performance, while maintaining good traction on dry trails.The side knobs on the High Roller II are much smaller. - Alex Evans / Our MediaCompared to the previous generation, the new tyre appears to have less tread in the mid-section, which could result in a less gradual transition of grip.The High Roller III has already made tracks on the World Cup circuit. - MaxxisThe shoulder grip looks to have been beefed up, which should result in greater stability and traction on high-speed corners.Maxxis' Test Pilot initiative has kept the name of this new tyre quiet. - MaxxisMaxxis says it worked alongside downhill riders including Jackson Goldstone, Ronan Dunne, Marine Cabirou and Ellie Hulsebosch when developing the tyre all of whom have taken prototypes to the top of World Cup podiums.26 is deadOnly DH-casing tyres are currently available. - MaxxisUnlike the previous generation, therell be no 26in wheel-size options, with the tyre only available in 27.5in and 29in sizes with 2.4in widths.At launch, only DH-casing tyres will be available, with DoubleDown and EXO+ options coming soon.All tyres will come in the brands MaxxGrip rubber compound.The DH-casing tyres are said to weigh in at 1,400g for the 29in version and 1,335g for the 27.5in.Maxxis says it has also managed to reduce the environmental impact of its packaging by using a 75 per cent recycled cardboard hanger and recyclable plastic straps instead of zip-ties.

The countdown is on for the 2024 Paris Games. The opening ceremonies take place on Friday evening, and the first cycling event, the individual time trial, gets going the very next day. With it comes Team USA's first chance at a medal

Whilst the Olympic Games are perhaps not as big of a deal for road cycling as it is on the track, the fact remains the Olympics only happen every four years, offering riders a limited number of chances during their career. Arguably, Tadej Pogacar might never get a better chance to go for gold than t...

The start of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is only days away, with the cycling action taking place across the Summer Games, from 28 June to 11 August. There has been cycling at the Olympics since 1896, when there were road and track cycling events. Mountain biking was added in the 1990s and BMX racing began in 2008, with freestyle BMX appearing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.From road racing to BMX, here is our guide to all of the bike events at Paris 2024.Cycling at the 2024 Paris Olympics scheduleThe cycling schedule for the Paris Olympics runs throughout the Games. - Our MediaCycling at the Olympics Road RaceExpect sharp hills and cobbles on the Road Race routes. - Dario Belingheri / Getty ImagesMens Road Race: Sat 3 AugWomens Road Race: Sun 4 AugThe wildly unpredictable mens Road Race takes place only 13 days after the end of the Tour de France, meaning some riders will have hit peak form and others will be broken by fatigue. Only two things are certain. First, there will be a new Olympic champion, because Tokyo 2020 winner Richard Carapaz has not been selected by Ecuador, with Jhonatan Narvez taking their lone spot.Second, at 273km, this will be the longest ever Olympic Road Race.Similar to the 270.8km Tour of Flanders this year, it promises to be a punchy, Classics-style affair.After leaving the Trocadro, riders will venture through the undulating le-de-France region, taking on slopes such as the Cte de Chteaufort (900m at 5.7%), which has a memorial to Jacques Anquetil.They will then return to Paris for three laps of an 18.4km circuit with technical bends and the cobbled climb of the Butte Montmartre (1km at 6.5%), before a 230m sprint finish towards the Trocadro.I lived on the Butte Montmartre, so I know every cobble and there are some sketchy, steep roads, says cycling commentator Carlton Kirby, author of Magic Spanner, about life behind the scenes at the worlds biggest cycling races.In front of the Sacr-Coeur basilica, there is a tumbling staircase. Montmartre means Martyrs Mount and if you wanted redemption you had to crawl up the mount.So this is an extreme and steep course. There will be elbows, luck, teammates not functioning, weather issues rain on cobbles is a nightmare. It could be the greatest finale weve ever seen.With 2,800m of climbing and 13 ascents, the route will favour strong Classics riders including Mathieu van der Poel (Netherlands) and Mads Pedersen (Denmark).It will be full of French Julian Alaphilippe fans, adds Kirby. It suits him perfectly.But how does Belgium pick four riders? And who will be the boss? You might get team riders attacking each other. Van der Poel is favourite.Remco Evenepoel will be a contender for both Road and TT gold. - Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty ImagesStephen Park expects a gritty race. It will be a war of attrition, so it will be six to seven hours on the bike and full-gas from the off, he insists.With even the biggest teams having only four riders, it is hard to ride as a team for a race of this nature, so we will see attacks from the start gun.The womens road race is 158km and packs in 1,700m of climbing, with nine ascents and two laps of the finishing circuit.The route has the same start and chaotic finish as the mens race, either side of a dash through the Valle de Chevreuse.Medal favourites include Lorena Wiebes of the Netherlands and Belgiums world road race champion Lotte Kopecky.Lorena Wiebes has enjoyed a fine 2024 season, with wins galore. - Matt McNulty / Getty ImagesThe womens event will be a real distillation of talent, insists Kirby. Wiebes looks monstrously good."Some are compromised between the track and the road, especially the Italian riders Elisa Balsamo and Marta Cavalli."But, for Britain, I hope the Bckstedts (Zoe and Elynor) get their chance to shine.Road race routesThe Road Race routes for Paris 2024. - Our MediaTime TrialWorld Time Trial champion Chlo Dygert is a favourite for Olympic gold. - Dario Belingheri / Getty ImagesMen/Women: Sat 27 JulyWith its long straights and crpe-flat terrain (only 150m of ascent), the Paris Time Trial course will celebrate the events primary quality: electrifying speed.This summer, male and female riders will race the clock on the same 32.4km course for the first time.Riders will depart the Esplanade des Invalides, before dashing past iconic cycling locations, including the Vlodrome Jacques Anquetil, the Paris 1924 track cycling venue, and returning via the Place de la Bastille to Pont Alexandre III bridge.Expect this technical, rapid route to appeal to TT purists.Male contenders include 2023 World Time Trial champion Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) and Filippo Ganna (Italy). Probably the most exciting prospect for Britain is Josh Tarling, who won a (bronze) medal at the World Championships in Glasgow, says Park.He is young (20), but continues to hone his craft well. Female prospects include Tokyo silver medallist Marlen Reusser of Switzerland and 2023 world Time Trial champion Chlo Dygert (USA). Zoe Bckstedt (a junior Time Trial world champion) would be great, adds Kirby.Time Trial routeThe Paris Time Trial route. - Our MediaTrack cyclingFilippo Ganna spearheads Italys Pursuit squad. - Sarah Reed / Getty ImagesMon 5 Aug Sun 11 AugA fast and frenzied feature of the Olympics since Athens 1896, track cycling is one of the most exciting spectator sports, serving up outrageous speeds, raw tension and brute force.It helps that Britain is pretty good at it, too, topping the track table again at Tokyo 2020. At the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, Jack Carlin will be chasing medals in the Sprints, while Dan Bigham will be powering up the mens Team Pursuit squad.Katie Archibald is hunting a hat-trick of Team Pursuit, Omnium and Madison golds.She helped the womens Team Pursuit squad to pip New Zealand and France to the 2023 world title. Emma Finucane won Sprint gold and Neah Evans and Elinor Barker took gold in the Madison.Aero guru Dan Bigham is chasing Olympic gold. - ANP / Getty ImagesThere will be 190 global track cyclists battling it out in Paris. The Australians always bring their A game, and New Zealand and Canada too, warns Kirby.Watch out for Harrie Lavreysen (Netherlands), who won double gold in the Individual and Team Sprint at Tokyo 2020, and Kevin Quintero (Colombia), who took gold in the Keirin at the 2023 Worlds.The Team Pursuit is always special, adds Kirby. In Tokyo, the Danes versus the Italians was decided on the final pedal stroke, after Filippo Ganna did a monster turn and nicked it from the Danes in their pomp.New Zealands world Keirin champion Ellesse Andrews will be looking to upgrade her silver from Tokyo 2020, and American Jennifer Valente will hope to defend her Tokyo Omnium gold.Mountain bikingSwitzerlands Jolanda Neff won Olympic gold in Tokyo and is hoping to defend it in Paris. - NurPhoto / Getty ImagesWomens Cross-Country: Sun 28 JulyMens Cross-Country: Mon 29 JulyA fusion of speed, stamina, strength and skill, Cross-Country MTB is the only mountain biking discipline with Olympic status.It sees punchy riders such as Tom Pidcock scrap over laps of a 4.3km course packed with forests, gravel, rocks, jumps and climbs.For mountain bikers, the Olympics is the big one, insists three-time Cross-Country MTB Olympian and commentator Oli Beckingsale (bwcycling.co.uk).If you medal, it is a life-changing experience. I did three Games, starting with Sydney 2000, and its just mind-blowing to be part of that big circus.The Paris course is on the site of an old sandstone quarry at lancourt Hill: at 230m, its the highest point in the Paris region.French rider Loana Lecomte, who won the test event, says it is a beautiful circuit that encourages real mountain biking".Races usually last one to two hours. It is a mass start, with six to seven laps of a circuit with hard climbing and technical elements, explains Beckingsale.Whereas a road race starts steady and builds, this is intense from the start, like a cyclocross race, with everyone jockeying for position.There is a mix of wide and narrow track, so if you are too far back on the narrow track before a technical section, you risk losing time.There is usually a lead group of five to 10 riders and then attacks from that. We will see fast, close racing. We will get seconds, not minutes, between riders, so really full-on.Tom Pidcock is hoping to repeat his Tokyo 2020 gold. Pidcock has punch on climbs, but he is one of the most technically adept riders too, says Beckingsale.A course with a tougher ascent may favour Tom more, admits Park. At the recent World Cup race (in Nov Msto, Czech Republic), he dominated.Competition will come from New Zealander Sam Gaze, Nino Schurter (Switzerland) and Victor Koretzky (France).Britains Evie Richards will be hunting a medal in the womens race. Evie had a concussion recently, but I am confident she will come back strong, says Park.As well as winning the World Championships in 2021, she has been a regular podium visitor at World Cup level.Home favourite Pauline Ferrand-Prvot is chasing a first Olympic gold to add to her glittering career.Other rivals include fellow Frenchwoman Loana Lecomte, and 22-year-old rising star Puck Pieterse of the Netherlands.BMX racing and freestyleCharlotte Worthington will be hoping for another gold medal. - Borja B. Hojas / Getty ImagesBMX Freestyle: Tue 30 Jul Wed 31 JulBMX Racing: Thu 1 Aug Fri 2 AugBMX RacingThis is an explosive, exciting discipline that will leave gravity-grounded road cyclists gawping with delight.The sport is split into BMX racing and BMX freestyle events, with both competitions hosted at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines BMX Stadium.After launching out of a gate on top of an 8m-high start hill, riders race around a 400m track festooned with jumps, banked corners and obstacles.Its similar to road racing, but youre flying in the air, explains BMX rider Jon Taylor, who commentates for the BBC.Riders travel at big speeds of 30mph and clear 30ft jumps. Imagine going down a hill on a road bike and someone pulls out a jump the size of a double-decker bus!BMX Freestyle Freestyle is a hazardous world of stunts, akin to gymnastics on a bike.On a park course, riders perform as many tricks as possible in 60 seconds, scoring points for the complexity of their stunts, height and style.It looks dangerous, but every rider is thinking: how can I ride this course better than everyone else? says Taylor.They will often save the best tricks for the final. Sometimes, they fly backwards on jumps, so they are totally blind until they spot their landing.At Tokyo 2020, Charlotte Worthington stormed to acrobatic gold in the womens freestyle, while Bethany Shriever took gold and Kye Whyte took silver in the BMX racing.To live that experience was phenomenal, recalls Taylor. Charlotte Worthingtons360 backflip was on the cover of every newspaper.The confidence of BMX riders is staggering. Theres a continual challenge to learn new tricks, and that brings to the forefront higher degrees of danger and degrees of mental fortitude, explains Park.Paralympic cycling Frances Dorian Foulon is part of the home nations strong Individual Pursuit team. - Kiyoshi Ota / Getty ImagesTrack: Thu 29 Aug Sun 1 SeptRoad: Wed 4 Sept Sat 7 SeptAt the Paralympics, 220 cyclists compete across 17 track events and 34 road events.Road riders can compete in the Road Race, Time Trial and Relay, while track athletes can take part in Time Trial, Individual Pursuit and Team Sprint races.In road events, youll see bicycles, handcycles, tricycles and tandems, while track events include bicycles and tandems with sighted pilots for visually impaired riders.All events are classified according to athletes disabilities, incorporating conditions such as impaired muscles, amputations, neurological conditions or sight impairments.British serial winner Dame Sarah Storey is the headline act: with 17 golds, across swimming and cycling, Storey, who was born without a functioning left hand, is Britains most successful Paralympian.Other medal hopes include the visually impaired Scottish cyclist Neil Fachie, who won gold in the Tandem 1km Time Trial at London 2012 and Tokyo 2020, and Kadeena Cox, a former runner with MS who won gold in the Time Trial and Mixed Team Sprint at Tokyo 2020.Great Britain is a dominant force in Paralympic cycling. - Dean Mouhtaropoulos / Getty ImagesThe Team Sprint on the track will be exciting, says Park, with Team GB looking to retain their gold from Tokyo.There has been a real battle between Great Britain and China.But theres a good chance well see Jody Cundy, Kadeena and Jaco (van Gass) in that team again, pushing hard. Fin Graham will be strong in the Time Trial.And the Tandem events on the track are massively exciting, especially the Sprints.Park admits there is now a higher degree of competition worldwide.The Netherlands and France were Britains biggest cycling rivals at Tokyo 2020. Home favourite Alexandre Laut, who suffered a stroke at birth and lost 95 per cent of his muscle power on his right side, is looking to better the four track and road medals he won in Tokyo.American athlete Oksana Masters, an amputee who was born in Ukraine and suffered leg damage from in-utero radiation poisoning after the Chernobyl disaster, has won 17 Paralympic medals across multiple sports.And Keiko Sugiura, who has paralysis on the right side of her body, won double gold in the Road Race and Time Trial at Tokyo 2020, aged 50.

Matteo Moschetti was rushed to hospital in Milan after incident during training

On his Tour de France debut, Remco Evenepoel was the clear best of the rest behind Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard, giving Belgian cycling hope that their long wait for a new winner of the Maillot Jaune might finally be coming to an end in the not too distant future.Former Belgian cycling pro an...