After beating Tadej Pogacar in the opening Giro d'Italia stage, Jhonatan Narvez joins the Slovenian at UAE Team Emirates on a two-year deal from 2025 onwards. His sixth season at Ineos Grenadiers was arguably the best of his career, beating compatriot Richard Carapaz for the sought after Olympic Ga...

Ben OConnor, the Australian rider who has finished 4th in both the Tour de France and Giro dItalia and won stages in those races, has joined Team Jayco AlUla on a new two-year contract. The team says he has been signed as a Grand Tour general classification leader. OConnor (28) joins the team from Decathlon []The post Ben OConnor signed by Eddie Dunbars Team Jayco AlUla as GC man appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

Nearly half of UK consumers cant afford to buy a new bike outright, according to new research from Cycle to Work provider Cyclescheme.The research was conducted ahead of the UKs 11th Cycle to Work Day, which takes place today and encourages people to swap their cars for bicycles.Despite affordability being a barrier, Cyclescheme says more people are cycling to work and would like employer support to buy a bike.The increasing cost of bikesA quarter of respondents said it would take at least six months to save for a new bike. - Steve Sayers / Our MediaAdrian Warren, chair of the Cycle to Work Alliance, says studies conducted by Cycling UK and Aviva suggest the average cost of a bike in the UK is between 835 and 900.If you compare that to a few years ago, the same specced bike would have been 600, says Warren. I think that's reflective of how bike and component prices have significantly increased over the last two to three years.Warren says the research, which involved a UK-wide survey of 2,000 employed people across sectors, didnt directly ask people why they couldnt afford a new bike. But his hunch is that it relates to people making tricky financial decisions.Of the 49 per cent [who cant afford a new bike outright], a quarter of those would say it takes at least six months to save for one. So I think that intimates there's a lack of cash flow up front to be able to go and buy that bike.But talking generically, everyone in a cost-of-living crisis is having to make tough choices still, he says.More people cycling to workThe number of people cycling to work has increased in 2024. - Steve Sayers / Our MediaEven if people cant afford a new bike, more people are cycling to work. The research says the number of people commuting by bike has increased by 13 per cent since 2023.Reasons for this increase in commuting by bike vary. One factor is that cycling can help people spend less money on fuel or public transport. Speaking to BikeRadar last year, Warren said cycling can save you 750 per year and 1,400 if you live in London.He says people with bikes are using them more, that improvements in cycling infrastructure have contributed to the uptick in people cycling to work, and there are changing perceptions of cycling as a viable mode of transport.Our research again showed that 67 per cent of people would like to start cycling more, and some of the encouragement would be if their employer provided support, says Warren.Many small to medium businesses dont offer a Cycle to Work scheme, despite the assistance being launched 25 years ago by the UK government. An inclusivity issueMore than half of respondents say they "don't fit the bill". - Russell Burton / Immediate MediaDespite the 13 per cent increase, the research says there is an inclusivity issue with commuting by bike.Reflective of how cycling struggles with diversity and how women are underrepresented, the research says the typical cycling demographic leans towards the young and male. This led to 58 per cent of respondents saying they dont fit the bill and 25 per cent ranking accessibility as a top barrier to cycling to work.Away from gender and age, Warren says he is particularly concerned by inclusivity in regards to income.Blackhawk Network, the employee benefits company that operates Cyclescheme, says 1.6 million jobs are paid at or below the national minimum wage, which matches the UK government's 2023 Low Pay Commission Report.Warren says more than half of those employees are in retail and hospitality work and some sections of the NHS.Thats where the inclusivity becomes a real problem for me. And the reality is, that is the exact cohort of employees that the Cycle to Work benefit should be there to really help, he says, adding that legislation and gross salary sacrifices mean these employees cant benefit from typical Cycle to Work schemes.To help those on the national minimum or living wage, as well as temporary workers and low-hours employees, Cyclescheme launched the IntoCyclescheme solution in February this year. The benefit acts more like a loan between employers and staff than other Cycle to Work schemes. It can be paid off over 12, 24 or 26 months.While it doesnt offer the same tax savings as other schemes, Warren says: It does tackle one of the biggest barriers which is the outlay of buying that bike in the first place.The biggest positive impact on active travelEven if it will still take lots of work to remove the barriers to cycling, Warren says after 25 years the Cycle to Work scheme is the employee benefit that has the biggest positive impact on active travel behaviour.Not only does it encourage people to change their behaviour, but all of the benefits that come with that positively impact the government policies, and our environment, but also takes relief on the NHS from some of the obesity, inactivity, mental health situations that they have to cope with.

Reasonably good shorts if the sizing, looks and thin-feeling pad work for you, and if they're less than half price... 5/10

Lorena Wiebes has been to able to achieve unthinkable in getting the full leadership within the star-filled Dutch national team. She'll still have to deal with her in-season teammate Lotte Kopecky, but with the support of stars such Demi Vollering and Marianne Vos, the odds play in the 25-year-old D...

A crash in the time trial thwarted Chlo Dygert's Olympic triple effort, but she's still got the track and road race to go. Chris Marshall-Bell sits down with the enigmatic American to find out what makes her tick

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Axel Zingle has a badge of one of the most reliable UCI points scorers in the bunch, especially at the smaller one day races (1.Pro and 1.1), where's a consistent podium finisher. One can easily see why Cofidis is not happy to see one of their leaders leaving, but there was no way to match the offer...

Weve spotted these classy silver lowers on the bikes of their pro athletes this year, but maybe you too will soon be able to get ahold of a limited pro edition RST fork. A little further down the development pipeline, RST are also working on wireless electronic suspension controls. Plus, they have a tidy AirTag tracker that securely fits into your tapered steerer and will help keep tabs on your beloved bike. And you can already get that one nowRST Limited Team Edition mountain bike forks, coming soon?(Photos/Cory Benson)RST is certainly most known for affordable suspension forks that get heavy OEM spec on entry to mid-level bikes. But while a lot of their forks focus on affordable value, their internals and performance still seem pretty solid. So in a move to shift a bit away from the budget feel of black decals on black forks, RST has been giving all of their sponsored athletes special edition forks this year. Bringing back a look I remember from their team XC & DH forks in the late 90s (when 26 wheels were big and 180mm travel seemed unbelievable) these new pro Team forks get classy silver magnesium lowers and shiny retro red decals. And wow, do they look a lot cooler. RST says the feedback has been great from their sponsored athletes. And fans of the brand also seem pumped. Silver forks are faster, right? So, now RST are toying with the idea of releasing a limited team edition of the silver forks. And they showed us this 38mm stanchion Stitch 29 Air enduro fork, which would likely be the first one available to consumers in 160, 170, or 180mm travel.Electronic suspension controlAgain, RST makes us think about value-oriented suspension, not necessarily the cutting edge, right? Well, it looks like even mid-tier suspension is going to be getting electronic damping controls in the near future. In fact, weve seen RST working on affordable electronic controls for years like their Elev8 E wireless dropper. And this wireless prototype electronic fork damping controller has been in the works for several years too.RST say they have sorted out all of the electronics inside the fork leg, and paired it to an existing wireless remote. And now, they are really just refining the installation. This prototype used more complex system wiring that allowed for multi-directional communication. But RST thinks they will move to a simpler setup that will allow for slimmer wiring and connectors to a battery pack that sits securely inside the bottom of the forks steerer tube.No official word on how long it will be until this makes it to market. But since its targeting affordable OEM spec, wed expect it wouldnt be until at least MY26.RST Smart Tag system Apple AirTag bike trackerAnd finally, while youll have to wait for the RST Team fork, heres something you can buy from RST right now.Their latest Smart Tag Platform bicycle tracker has a fun PR campaign right now, with your bikes fork sending you a postcard from a tropical beach somewhere. Hopefully, the idea of securely mounting an Apple AirTag inside the steerer tube means you will be able to get back a stolen bike or ebike quicker than it can travel around the world on holiday, though. The ~$20 / 20 Smart Tag holder bolts almost flush into the 1.5 opening at the bottom of your forks tapered steerer with a tamper-resistant Torx security bolt. Its a simple solution, with an open expander layout designed to be both secure and to allow for good wireless antenna communication. It should help keep tabs on your bike in populated areas where bike theft is most common. And if you act fast with tracking, you should have a good chance to recover your bike before the tracker is discovered and tampered with or disabled.RSTsuspension.comThe post RST Teases LTD Team Stitch Pro Enduro Fork, Electronic Control Prototype & AirTag Tracker appeared first on Bikerumor.

With Dylan Teuns, Cofidis gains a strong leader for classics as well as a rider capable of winning Grand Tour stages. The 32-year-old rider will bring a lot of experience for spring campaign, aiming to win a monument in Cofidis colours on a two-year deal."Cdric Vasseur was one of the first manager...