Aged just 16, Amir Ansari fled his home and embarked on a 3,000-mile journey in search of safety. Eight years on, hes about to become an Olympian. Dan Challis hears his story

Schwalbe wants its new Clik valve to become the industry standard for bike valves, replacing Presta and Schrader valves.Despite existing for almost as long as the bicycle, Presta and Schrader valves are too complicated in the eyes of the Cliks inventor, John Quintana.Quintana wanted to create a new valve that was simple enough for his children to inflate their bicycle tyres, and the Schwalbe Clik Valve (SCV) is the result.Earning its name from the noise the pump head makes as you click it on the valve, the SCV also promises increased durability, better airflow and less clogging from tubeless sealant, compared to existing designs.Presta and Schrader combinedThe Schwalbe Clik Valve combines elements from Presta and Schrader valves. - Stan Portus / Our MediaLaunching at Eurobike, Schwalbe says the SCV avoids the pitfalls of Presta and Schrader valves and combines their best features.I think a lot of people would agree that existing valves whether Presta or Schrader have got their intrinsic problems, says Schwalbes Tim Ward.Schwalbe says these problems include the nut of a Presta valve being fiddly to unwind, getting bent or corroding, as well as the threaded exterior wearing out the rubber seal in your pump. Schrader valves require a bigger hole in the rim and a lever on the pump head to hold it in place when inserted on the valve.I think a combination of those things led [Quintana] to believe that after 100 years someone could come up with something better, says Ward.Once people use it, I think theyll be converted, he adds.You can release air via the valve with your fingernail. - Stan Portus / Our MediaThe outer dimension of the SCV is the same as a Presta valve.However, as with a Schrader valve, when you put your pump head on the SCV, the poppet valve opens.This means you dont have to unscrew a nut, as with a Presta valve, or lock the pump head in place.The poppet valve also extends enough to let out air with your finger.A valve cap is available (left) for the SCV, but you don't have to use one. - Stan Portus / Our MediaTheres no need to use a valve cap with the SCV, but one is available, which also has an advantage over other caps.Ward says: The valve cap pushes on and off, so it doesnt need to be threaded onto the valve. Threading a valve cap can lead to it getting stuck.You also don't need much of the SCV valve to be exposed to click a pump head into place. Ward says this could mean people use shorter valves which may offer a weight or aerodynamic advantage. When pumping up a tyre with the SCV, Schwalbe claims the airflow rate is increased by 50 per cent compared to its SV Presta valve. This could be advantageous for tubeless setups where greater airflow can make it easier to seat a tyre.Available as a conversion kitYou can convert other valves to the standard. - Stan Portus / Our MediaThe SCV standard is available as a tubeless valve and will be on Schwalbe inner tubes from next year.Schwalbe provides an SCV conversion kit which means you can convert other valve types including the less common Dunlop to the the new standard. Switching valves to SCV should be easy, according to Ward: In terms of converting tubeless valves that are Presta all youve got to do is remove the existing valve cores and put the new cores in. The kit includes either a pump head or pump adapter that can be integrated into most existing hand or track pumps.Schwalbe says pump manufacturer SKS already has a pump with the SCV pump head in its lineup, which is also launching at Eurobike, and other manufacturers will release pumps with the design.Becoming an industry standardBecoming an industry standard means becoming a global standard. - Stan Portus / Our MediaSchwalbe says it wants the SCV to become the new industry standard and Ward spells out what this means: If its going to be an industry standard, it needs to be a global standard. It will take a while to spread out.Ward says there will likely be Presta and Schrader valves for a long time yet, but that Schwalbe is committed to this new standard and improving bicycle tyre valves, with the brand backing and bringing its resources to Quintanas vision.If you dont make some brave steps, you never change anything, do you?"

Five-timeOlympicgold medallist andTour de FrancewinnerSir Bradley Wigginshas opened up about beingsexually abused by his cycling coach when he entered the sport at the age of 13.Wiggins alleges he was sexually assaulted by the elderly coach, who has since passed away, for three years. Speakin...

Classified and Tektro Racing Products (TRP) have collaborated on a 1x electronic groupset called Vistar Powershift with up to 16 gears.Classified and TRP say the Vistar Powershift has the widest range of any gravel or road bike groupset on the market.With 16 speeds for road or 15 for gravel, the Vistar Powershift is said to have a gear range of 528 per cent.Integrated shiftingThe Classified internal gear hub has two speeds. - Stan Portus / Our MediaUnveiled at Eurobike ahead of its official launch in October, the new groupset was an opportunity for Classified to integrate a shifter for its two-speed Powershift hub into a groupset.The Classified Powershift two-speed internal gear hub replaces your front derailleur. It offers the range of a 2x drivetrain and promises quicker and more reliable gear shifting.In the past, Classified relied on an auxiliary shifter a bit like SRAMs blip shifter to change between its hubs two speeds.Yannick Mayer, product manager at Classified, says TRP was the first groupset manufacturer that was open to integrating a Classified shifter into a groupsets levers.The Vistar Powershift is TRP's first road and gravelelectronic groupset.The levers have two buttons to change gears like on Shimano Di2 levers. - Stan Portus / Our MediaThe gear shifters are configured like Shimano levers, with two buttons on each Vistar Powershift lever. The left lever controls the hub and the right controls the rear derailleur.The synergies between our brands have been useful for this project and were happy we can launch it now its been quite a while in development, says Mayer.How many gears?The derailleur works in tandem with the hub to provide 15 or 16 speeds. - Stan Portus / Our MediaThe Vistar Powershift uses a 1x drivetrain, 12-speed cassette and Classifieds Powershift hub.Classified and TRP say Vistar Powershift has virtual shifting, courtesy of what they call QuantumShift.Some simple arithmetic, however, may lead to some confusion. A 12-speed cassette paired with a two-speed hub does not make 15 or 16 gears.But Mayer says you do not get 24 gear ratios on 2x systems.In traditional 2x systems, there is always an overlap, says Mayer. So those systems have about 14 unique gears.With our cassette spread and QuantumShift, we can extend that to 16. The 16 are programmed in a way so it is the most seamless ratio spread that you can have.The gear range with the biggest cassette we sell which is the 11-40t cassette is 528 per cent.For comparison, with other gravel groupsets, which usually have a 10-52t cassette, the gear range is 520 per cent.With our option, you have small steps between the gears and still more overall range than the competition, he says.Despite this, Classified and Powershift say you can still use the Powershift hub and rear derailleur independently, enabling all 24 gear options.Chain management and braking performanceThe groupset is available with four chainring sizes from 46t to 52t. - Stan Portus / Our MediaIn their press material, Classified and TRP highlight the aerodynamic benefit of a 1x drivetrain, but they state their new groupset also optimises drivetrain efficiency through chainline management.The Vistar Powershift groupset is available with a lightweight or aero crankset in four sizes: 46 or 48 teeth for gravel bikes, and 50 or 52 teeth for road bikes.Mayer says the cranksets are available in different offsets for the ideal chainline.The road chainline is 45mm and the gravel chainline is 47.5mm.Then we have a long gravel spindle. So that, in combination with the less offset chainring, gives you a 50mm chainline to clear the very narrow chainstays of some gravel bikes, he says.The TRP cassette also features the brands Wave Technology to ensure direct and quick shifting.TRP which has also released an electronic drivetrain with Bosch at Eurobike says it has brought its 35 years of experience producing advanced braking systems to the Vistar Powershift groupset.TRP claims the Vistars brakes are ergonomic and enable powerful, one-fingered braking irrespective of hand size.Raced at UnboundThe aero chainring on Arno Van Den Broeck's Unbound bike.Classifieds first full groupset was raced at Unbound 2024 by Arno Van Den Broeck (Ridley Factory Team) who completed the 200-mile gravel course in nine hours.Classified and TRP cite this as proof of the Vistar Powershifts durability and reliability. They say the groupset uses high-quality materials and advanced engineering techniques, and is built to withstand the rigours of intense cycling.The collaborating brands also highlight that riding with one large chainring reduces the load on the chain, cassette and bearings, improving the lifetime of the components.Tooth profile helps durability but Mayer adds: No front shifts increases the durability because you dont have side forces on the chain, or dirty parts grinding down on the chainring.While its not available to the public yet, the groupset has already received recognition, winning the components category at the Eurobike Awards 2024.

Annemiek van Vleuten very much enjoyed her time as a regular analyst for theNOSduring the Tour de France. There, she even hinted that a start on the Paris Olympics was an option, but for that, the parcours would have to be very different from what we'll see next weekend."I was on the plane back ho...

The Hutchinson Touareg Green gravel tyre is a new eco tyre that uses recycled or bio-sourced materials.Revealed at Eurobike, the Touareg Green replaces the previous Touareg and follows a trend for more environmentally friendly tyres. Schwalbes new Green Marathon tyre, which has a closed-loop production cycle, is probably the best known. The Norwegian company ReTyre is also showing the worlds first carbon-neutral tyre at Eurobike.Hutchinson has also announced it will introduce recycled and bio-sourced material into all of its products by next year.Hutchinson says its new gravel tyre offers the same performance and standard as the previous Touareg. It is also available for the same price of 45.99 / 49.99.Five years of developmentThe Touareg Green is manufactured using 57 per cent sustainable materials. - Stan Portus / Our MediaHutchinson says it began developing the Touareg Green in 2019. It aimed to create a sustainable gravel tyre that maintains the same performance and price as typical gravel tyres.To achieve this goal, Hutchinson has developed two new compounds, a casing and tread, which use 90 and 64 per cent recycled or bio-sourced materials, respectively.The previous Touareg gravel went some way towards being sustainable. But Hutchinson says the proportion of sustainable materials used throughout the Tourag has risen from 15 to 57 per cent.Hutchinson says it didn't want to create a tyre with a higher percentage of sustainable materials that impact performance or lead to a price increase.Hutchinson says the Touareg Green performs like its predecessor. - Stan Portus / Our MediaThe French company now uses carbon black a material used in tyres for stiffness and durability that is recycled and sourced in Europe. Guillaume Trouvain, head of research and development at Hutchinson says: Raw materials are also a huge part of the transition to sustainability. Our suppliers recognise this and are constantly testing and developing new products and processes which show real promise.Everyone in the ecosystem must participate to ensure the transition continues and we are proud to be one of the driving forces behind this progress.Hutchinson ResolutionsThe Touareg Green uses recycled carbon black sourced from Europe. - Stan Portus / Our MediaThe Touareg Green is part of Hutchinsons commitment to improving its environmental credentials.To highlight its credentials, Hutchinson has created a new labelling standard for eco products called Resolutions.All products with this label will go through in-depth lifecycle analysis to ISO standards, according to Hutchinson.The products are assessed in three areas: CO2 reduction; weight savings; and use of recycled or bio-based materials.Hutchinson says it also conducts a more global analysis of the entire environmental footprint of the products.

Great summer jersey with innovative fabric for an excellent fit 8/10

The Olympic Games are about to start and already this Saturday we will have the time-trial events that will dictate a new champion. With Primoz Roglic out of the picture a new rider will take on the special title and amongst the favourites is Remco Evenepoel, fresh off a terrific Tour de France, and...