UPDATED August 12, 2024BY Shanny HillINSouth American Epic no comments Colombian Cycling Culture is a Sight to BeholdAs I sat in a restaurant on the outskirts of the city I watched as thousands of cyclists of all ages and styles passed in front of my eyes a sea of cyclists. Street vendors were all selling bike gear helmets, sunglasses and uniforms. Everything was about cycling. I had never even dreamed of anything like that, but once one of our Dutch riders told me that he also had never witnessed anything similar, I realized that what I was seeing was absolutely unique. from Colombias Crazy Cycling Culture, 2017I remember reading this blog by Cristiano, our South America Head of Operations, and thinking it all sounded quite cool but it wasnt until I experienced this myself in July that I could truly appreciate what he was saying. Cycling into Bogota on a Sunday means joining a river of local cyclists who are out enjoying the quieter weekend traffic. It reminded me of being at a bike race where all you see are cyclists in every direction but this was a public road on the outskirts of a massive city where it felt as if cyclists had simply taken over the streets.Up into BogotaWhile participating in this years South American Epic, I chose to tackle this big climb into Bogota. Cristiano had mentioned it was a classic route for local cyclists. Starting from La Vega, you almost immediately start climbing and it doesnt relent for 25 km during which you ascend 1600m. I did see a lot of cyclists on the climb and it was exciting to be amongst the local crowd enjoying their weekend ride but as I reached the summit the true scale of the local cycling scene became apparent.Shanny at the top of the climbIt isnt just Bogota each day in every place across Colombia we saw cyclists. The range of riders was extremely wide women and men of all ages chugging uphill on knobby-tired mountain bikes or whizzing down another hill on slick carbon racing machines (there is only uphill or downhill in Colombia, nothing is flat!). Some were in serious looking pelotons and others were in pods of one or two friends, out to enjoy themselves at a more moderate pace. Some wore sleek and flashy cycling kits, others were in baggy shorts, but everyone was just there to ride.Especially on the weekends, even in the more remote or rural areas we passed through like Elias and the southern city of Pasto, we saw many cyclists out enjoying the natural beauty of their country and the natural challenge of the climbs in the Andes. If the mountains in Ethiopia and Kenya created a running culture, they have certainly created a cycling culture in Colombia.Riding on rural climbs, it is common to see local cyclists in pro gear training on the climbs, stopping to watch the Tour de France at a local cafe, then climbing another mountain perhaps we have seen the next Nairo Quintana or Rigoberto UranSo it is safe to say, the Colombians love their bicycles, and for us riding on the tour, it makes us feel more welcome and slightly safer as we pedal across this cycling crazy nation. from Mucho Gusto Colombia! Blog, 2017I havent been in any other country that has had such an avid cycling cultureeveryone greets each other. Theres a real sorority/fraternity. The passion they haveall linked through cycling was tremendous. -2024 South American Epic participant Tom PerlmutterI was glad to have experienced Colombian cycling culture and hope I have a chance to return. In this video our Content Creator for the 2024 South American Epic sits down with some of the tour participants and a local cycling advocate to gain further insights into what the local culture is all about.Have you been to an under-the-radar cycling destination? Tell us about a cycling-mad country you have visited in the comments below.RELATEDTOURSouth American EpicThis challenging expedition offers you the best opportunity to explore the vastness and diversity of South America by bike. In keeping with the TDA... Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "Colombian Cycling Culture is a Sight to Behold" Cancel reply

Lotto Dstny have also confirmed their lineup for the Vuelta a Espaa this Monday afternoon, a lineup that will focus on stage wins but may provide surprises. Arnaud De Lie and Maxim van Gils are absent but in the lineup of the Belgian team are Victor Campenaerts, Lennert van Eetvelt and Thomas de Ge...

We don't know what is really going on inside UAE Team Emirates with Juan Ayuso, but from the outside it seems clear: Juan Ayuso must leave the UAE team if he wants to fight for a Grand Tour win in the short term.We analyze this together with CiclismoAlDia. Tadej Pogacar's team will have the Slovenia...

What makes Forge+Bonds FusionFiber carbon unique is swapping a nylon polymer in place of traditional resin, and now that same material tech boosts comfort in your mountain bike bar, too. Not just another carbon MTB handlebar, this new Forge+Bond 25 MTN bar increases rider comfort. More vibration damping without sacrificing steering stiffness delivers boosted control and decreased rider fatigue, so you can ride moreForge+Bond 25 MTN vibration-damping carbon MTB bar(Photos/Forge+Bond)By substituting conventional resin with their FusionFiber nylon polymer, Forge+Bonds carbon mountain bike handlebar claims to be both light and more comfortable. FusionFiber promises up to 3x improved vibration damping vs. traditional carbon construction. And they claim that their FusionFiber handlebar is more durable than conventional carbon, failing at about 1/3 higher forces than most conventional carbon bars.Also by replacing that traditional thermoset resin that hold the carbon fibers together with a thermoplastic polymer binder, the Forge+Bond FusionFiber solution also means this can be a much more sustainable product. At the end of the bars life, or ultimately if you manage to break it, Forge+Bonds nylon polymer can be heated up to a high temperature, and the carbon itself can be separated from the binder for recycling. Thats one of the biggest benefits of Forge+Bond FusionFiber, just like in their carbon rims.OK, now why do we want more mountain bike bar flex?Can we all agree that with the shift to 35mm diameter mountain bike handlebars, a lot of bars actually became too stiff? I know everyone talks about stiffness being the goal of premium bars. But to me, its been like a decade and 1 clamps since I had a real problem with a mountain bike bar that was too flexible to the extent that it lessened the enjoyment of my ride. So, Im totally intrigued by Forge+Bonds claims of improved rider comfort.Tech detailsForge+Bond crafts their new carbon 25 MTN bar from their FusionFiber thermoplastic composite held together with long-chain nylon polymers. Forge+Bond dont give away too much of their proprietary manufacturing tech. But instead of assembling pre-preg carbon layers (that have to be kept refrigerated), they use an automated process to both precisely cut dry nylon-impregnated carbon sheets and lay them up into a mold where multiple heat cycles bond it all together to create this unique FusionFiber mountain bike bar.The 25mm rise bar gets 7.5of backsweep, 5 of upsweep, and a 35mm diameter x 75mm wide clamping area. The 800mm wide bar weighs a claimed 250g uncut. And you can trim it down as short as 750mm wide if you want to go narrower.Like their rims, Forge+Bond manufactures the new 25 MTN carbon bar in the USA, in their Gunnison, UT factory. And they rate these bars for pretty much any type of mountain biking from XC to DH hence calling it an all-mountain bar.Forge+Bond 25 MTN bar Pricing & availabilityThe Forge+Bond 25 MTN bar with its FusionFiber carbon construction is available now for $265, direct from F+B. Additionally, the bars feature a Return to Fun lifetime warranty. F+B will recycle any component that genuinely does get broken, and get you back on the bike, too.Also, for a limited time, if you buy any one of their existing carbon wheelsets across all disciplines road, gravel, or MTB Forge+Bond will let you buy their new handlebar for half price, just $132.ForgeAndBond.comThe post Forge+Bond 25 MTN Bar Puts Vibration-Damping Plastic FusionFiber in Your Hands appeared first on Bikerumor.

CyclistThe best cycling moments from the 2024 Paris OlympicsThe Olympics might be over for another four years, but they once again provided us with some sensational cycling moments across the multiple disciplines of road, track, mountain bike and BMX. Here are eight of the bestRoad cycling Kristen Faulkner flies the coopZac Williams/ZW PhotographyAt the end of a dramatic womens road race, Kristen Faulkner embarked on a last-ditch solo breakaway to become the first American woman in 40 years since Connie Carpenter-Phinney to win the gold medal. Dropping her rivals of Marianne Vos (Netherlands), Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Blanka Vas (Hungary) in the final 3km, the Alaskan native, who only secured a spot on the start line after the United States Taylor Knibb pulled out to focus on the triathlon, powered to the win in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.If that wasnt enough, Faulkner doubled up on gold medals with womens team pursuit success against New Zealand on the velodrome too. Related Posts The Olympics needs to add these five cycling events Pro Log: All the cycling action from the Olympics so far Show of relentlessness wins Olympic gold for Tom Pidcock Remco Evenepoel does the double despite dramaZac Williams/ZW PhotographyAnother rider to secure double gold was Belgiums superstar Remco Evenepoel. A week after time-trialling his way to victory on treacherous wet roads ahead of Filippo Ganna (Italy) and fellow countryman Wout van Aert, he was back in action for the mens road race. He lived up to the hype and then some.After bridging across to the leading group he immediately began to drop riders, with Valentin Madouas of France the last man standing. Evenepoel surged away on the penultimate climb and embarked on a 15km solo ride to the finish line. However, it wasnt without some late dramatics.In the last kilometres with the gold medal practically already around his neck, a puncture left Evenepoel screaming for a new bike. No race radios meant he had no idea of Madouass position on the road. The camera motorbike couldnt help him either. Eventually he was relayed the information that Madouas was a minute down and Evenepoel could provide the public with a touch of dramatic flair at the finish line.Track cyclingHarrie Lavreysen is the fastest man on two wheels@UCI_TrackDutch sprinter Harrie Lavreysen successfully defended his sprint and team sprint gold medals from Tokyo at the Paris Olympics, even going one better and adding the keirin to his palmars. The 27-year-old headed into these Games as one to watch, bolstered by his multiple World and European Championships titles in both the sprint and team sprint.In qualifying for the sprint, he set a new world record of 9.088secs, and in the final won the first two races against Australias Matthew Richardson for the gold medal. The Netherlands team set a new Olympic record in qualifying, their three riders of Lavreysen, Roy van den Berg and Deffrey Hoogland hitting a time of 41.279secs over the three laps. They pushed this even further in the gold medal matchup against Great Britains Jack Carlin, Ed Lowe and Hamish Turnbull, setting a new world record of 40.949secs.It was a messy finale for the mens keirin. A crash in the final corner took down Carlin (Great Britain) and Shinji Nakano (Japan), with Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom (Malaysia) being relegated. Lavreysen was already ahead, his gold medal never in danger, with the Aussie duo of Richardson and Matthew Glaetzer finishing on the podium.Lavreysen was able to dispatch his rivals with ease throughout multiple disciplines in the Olympics. He now has five gold medals and one bronze. Great Britains Jason Kenny holds the record for most Olympic golds (seven) and Olympic medals (nine) for a cyclist. Its hard to sustain such dominance over multiple Olympic cycles, but Lavreysen will only be 31 years of age at the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. He could well be on his way to rivalling Kenny.Team sprint gold for Great Britain@UCI_TrackGreat Britains Katy Marchant, Sophie Capewell and Emma Finucane won gold against New Zealand in the womens team sprint final, setting a new world record of 45.186sec in the process. It was the third WR they had set throughout the event, previously hitting 45.472sec in qualifying and 43.338sec in the first round against Canada.It was Great Britains only gold medal on the track. The host nation of France topped cyclings overall medal table with three golds, three silvers and three bronze medals. Netherlands finished second and Australia third. Its the first time since the 2004 Athens Olympics that Great Britain has not been at the top of the rankings. However they did take home the most medals, with 11 in total (two gold, five silver, four bronze).Italian joy in the Madison@UCI_TrackIn the beautiful chaos of the madison track race, Italys Vittoria Guazzini and Chiara Consonni hang-slung their way through 120 laps and managed to lap the field, gaining the 20 points that would ultimately secure gold with 37 points in total.The Netherlands also lapped the field and finished on 28 points, but Great Britains duo of Elinor Barker and Neah Evans won the final sprint with double points on offer to leapfrog them to silver. Guazzini and Consonni burst into tears as the realisation of gold hit them.Portugals first track cycling gold medal@UCI_TrackThe 200-lap mens madison race saw multiple crashes on the banks of the Vlodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, but from out of this maelstrom Portugals Rui Oliveira and Iri Leito managed to win all four of the last sprints on offer to surpass Italys duo of Elia Viviani and Simone Consonni, who had been leading for the majority of the race.Ive never won a single race in my life, Oliveira said. There have been so many disappointments through the years. If someone had said youd win your first race at the Olympics in Paris, Id say Youre kidding me. Were not even close to being the favourites but we ride our hearts out.Mountain bikingTom Pidcock, Pauline Ferrand-Prvot prevail Alex Broadway/Getty ImagesIn one of the best races of the Olympic Games, a dramatic showdown commenced on the final lap of the mens XC MTB race. After an early puncture forced him out of the leading duo, Great Britains Tom Pidcock worked his way back through to pack over the next half an hour of racing to join Frenchman Victor Koretsky and South Africas Alan Hatherly at the head of the race.Koretsky and Pidcock would trade blows, each attacking and swapping places with a gold medal up for grabs. It was on the final part of the course where the trees split the racing lines that would prove the decisive moment. Pidcock went left and just came out in front of Koretsky, who went right, and the duo came together. Pidcock pulled away as Koretskys momentum was disrupted. The Brit arrived at the finish line to a chorus of boos from the French crowd, but he successfully defended his Olympic title.UCI MTBIn the womens race, Pauline Ferrand-Prvot cemented her status as one of the best riders to ever grace the sport. Ferrand-Prvot has won almost everything, including World Championships across road, cyclocross, mountain bike and gravel, but the Olympic title in XC MTB is one that has eluded her.After distancing her rivals on just the second lap, she quickly built a lead impossible to pull back and won the gold medal by almost three minutes in front of a celebrating home crowd. She was embraced by silver medallist Haley Batten of the United States and bronze medal winner Jenny Rissveds of Sweden before standing on the top step of the podium.It was her final MTB Olympic race as she will switch back to road racing in 2025, with her eyes on the Tour de France Femmes.BMX RacingAn all-French podiumJeux OlympiquesIt was a dream scenario for France in the mens finale of BMX Racing. Joris Daudet, Sylvain Andre and Romain Mahieucame home for gold, silver and bronze that marked a home nations first podium sweep at the Summer Olympics in a century.Winner Daudet boasts 12 World Championship medals but had never been able to score a medal in the last three Olympics. Andre finished off the podium in fourth at Tokyo. Then their home Games came around.After a historic 1-2-3, they were impossible to tear from the track on the outskirts of Paris in front of a roaring home crowd. When the delayed womens race could eventually get underway, Australias Saya Sakakibara won gold. Her partner Mahieu, who had just won bronze, was waiting for her after the finish line.Great Britains Beth Shriever couldnt replicate her success from Tokyo, finishing last in the final, but gave one of the most heartfelt interviews after her 8th place. She said, Ive loved every single second being here. Sometimes it cant always go to plan, but thats just life. I gave my all into this. Im happy, Im healthy, Ive got my friends and family here and thats what matters.Ive never experienced anything like [the French 1-2-3]. Insane. Ive had a great time and it is what it is its all good. Im happy.The post The best cycling moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics appeared first on Cyclist.

After a rather anonymous Tour de France, Bahrain - Victorious hopes to provide all the good reasons for fans to forget about their French misery as their goal for Vuelta a Espana is no less than GC podium with Antonio Tiberi and ideally a couple stage wins on top of that.Sports Director Neil Stephen...

Juan Ayuso will not race the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. Since Joao Almeida raised his hand in the middle of the climb of the Tour de France everything seems to go wrong for the Valencian in a UAE Team Emirates in which the only figure who has publicly supported him since then has been Joxean Matxin.Afte...

Having started his racing with Dungarvan CC, David Gaffney moved last winter to find a European team he could begin his first-year junior season with. And the 17-year-old has repaid the confidence Team 31 Jolly Cycles showed in signing him up. Last month he rode the five-stage Ain Bugey Valromey Tour (2.1) in France. His []The post David Gaffney | I gave it everything, I didnt want to waste the chance appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

Remco Evenepoel's palmaresis filling up rapidly and after his double Olympic title, there are not too many achievements left on the list anymore. While there are still four monuments missing on Remco's to-do, it's the remaining two Grand Tours (won Vuelta a Espana in 2022) he sets his eyes on"I rea...

Having started his racing with Dungarvan CC, David Gaffney moved last winter to find a European team he could begin his first-year junior season with. And the 17-year-old has repaid the confidence Team 31 Jolly Cycles showed in signing him up. Last month he rode the five-stage Ain Bugey Valromey Tour (2.1) in France. His []The post David Gaffney | I gave it everything, I didnt want to waste the chance appeared first on Sticky Bottle.