The bikes launched in the city in 2022 after the Bristol scheme was stopped due to vandalism

Itzulia Basque Country is a very open race in it's days that can end with a sprint, that was the case today and it will also be the case on stage 3. A hilly day, it features a flat finale but an uphill start and hilly profile; a breakaway can certainly succeed and it can be a very interesting day. W...

From commuting around town to racing for the gravel podium, the Recon family is meant to offer something for everyone

Cyclist Pro Log: Mathieu van der Poel and Elisa Longo Borghini win Tour of Flanders, Primož Roglič goes wrong way and still wins, Marianne Vos hits 250 wins Welcome back to another edition of Pro Log. The second Monument of the year took place this past weekend in the shape of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, also known as the Tour of Flanders. The races were won by Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) and Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) in two different ways. Meanwhile, the Itzulia Basque Country is currently underway, Paul Lapeira (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) won Stage 2 into Kanbo. Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) continues to be the general classification leader after taking the jersey in the opening time-trial (see more below). Related Posts Tour of Flanders gallery: Koppenbergcross spring edition Wout van Aert to miss Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix with multiple fractures Where Paris-Roubaix 2023 will be decided, part 1: The Arenberg Forest Cycling spring Classics 2024: Race dates, Monuments, cobbles and live TV guide Mathieu van der Poel solos to Ronde van Vlaanderen victory Dario Belingheri/Getty Images Following Wout van Aert’s collarbone and rib-breaking crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen, all eyes were fixed on Mathieu van der Poel heading into the Tour of Flanders. He did not disappoint. Attacking on the Koppenberg while many of his closest rivals were forced to dismount and walk up the slope in slippery conditions, Van der Poel launched into a 45km solo breakaway to reach the finish in Oudenaarde. He celebrated by crossing the line, stepping off his Canyon bike and raising it over his head. Over a minute behind, the sprint for podium positions was on. Luca Mozzato (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) finished second with Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) third, but a relegation for the Aussie due to an irregular sprint promoted UAE Team Emirates’ Nils Politt to the third spot. Van der Poel’s record-equalling victory in the race means he joins legends such as Johan Museeuw, Tom Boonen and Fabian Cancellara as the only riders to win the Tour of Flanders three times. Now for Paris-Roubaix… Elisa Longo Borghini wins three-up sprint at Flanders Dario Belingheri/Getty Images Nine years after her first win at the Tour of Flanders, Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidl-Trek) made it two by winning a three-up sprint to the line. A rejuvenated teammate in Shirin van Anrooij attacked in the final 21km as the chasing group splintered before the final ascent of the Oude Kwaremont. In the last kilometre, the win was to be decided between the front trio of Borghini, Van Anrooij and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon-SRAM). Van Anrooij led out the sprint as Longo Borghini and Niewiadoma battled, the Italian national champion prevailing and Van Anrooij cheering behind. Lidl-Trek is a team on fire this Classics season. Marianne Vos notches 250 career victories at Dwars door Vlaanderen Jasper Jacobs / BELGA MAG via AFP Before Ronde van Vlaanderen, there was the midweek warm-up at Dwars door Vlaanderen and victory in the women’s race was between Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Shirin van Anrooij (Lidl-Trek). It was a close finish, but Vos managed to outsprint her compatriot as she claimed her 250th career victory. What a feat. It was also Vos’s first win at Dwars door Vlaanderen. It seems surprising that, given her grand total of wins, she could still find a race she hadn’t won in 2024, Paris-Roubaix is next on that list. During the men’s race, a large crash took down big names in Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty). Van Aert broke his collarbone and multiple ribs, ruling him out for the remainder of the Classics season, Pedersen came away with a few nasty scrapes and Girmay continued with no fractures. Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) made sure the team could celebrate something, however, attacking with 7km to go and soloing to the line for victory. Jonas Abrahamsen (Uno-X) won the sprint for second place, with Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) third. Wrong way for Primož Roglič  𝙃𝙚 𝙬𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙖𝙮 Despite the wrong turn Primoz Roglic still took the provisional lead on stage 1 of the Itzulia Basque Country #Itzulia2024 pic.twitter.com/ICThcfqbMT— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 1, 2024 Primož Roglič (Bora-Hansgrohe) won the opening stage 10km individual time-trial at the Itzulia Basque Country on Monday, but it wasn’t all plain sailing. Just 100m from the finish line, the Slovenian took a wrong turn and headed to the right, apparently the same direction as all his recon rides, and lost eight seconds. He was able to rectify his mistake and still top the standings. The next best rider, Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), finished seven seconds down. It wasn’t the best start to proceedings for Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-QuickStep), who crashed a few metres after riding down the start ramp. But he was able to remount and finish fourth overall, 11 seconds down on Roglič. Tom Pidcock (Ineos Grenadiers) was forced to withdraw from Itzulia Basque Country after crashing during the time-trial recon. The Brit was taken to hospital but thankfully the team later reported that he suffered no fractures. See you next week. The post Pro Log: Mathieu van der Poel and Elisa Longo Borghini win Tour of Flanders, Primož Roglič goes wrong way and still wins, Marianne Vos hits 250 wins appeared first on Cyclist.

Although Mathieu van der Poel powered to a stunning triumph at the 2024 Tour of Flanders, there was a moment of discontent as the Dutchman was showered with abuse by a certain section of 'supporters', with beer also been thrown on the world champion. “We certainly take it seriously,” says Chief of P...

Cyclist Tour of Flanders gallery: Koppenbergcross spring edition The Tour of Flanders is over for another year, with the cobbled Classics set to conclude at Paris-Roubaix this weekend, so while we wallow in our grief for the one-day races that we won’t see again until 2025, it’s the perfect time to relive the 2024 Ronde van Vlaanderen through the medium of photography. We sent Xavier Peyreyron into the thick of the action to capture the men’s race and the end of the women’s race (because it would’ve been impossible to shoot both at once), here are his highlights from a monumental Easter Sunday. Related Posts Big Ride: Flanders vs Roubaix Cobble hoppers: How to watch Paris-Roubaix in person The best cobbled climbs in Flanders Xavier Pereyron This year’s race began in Antwerp. Xavier Pereyron And even featured a special edition EF kit, which some people liked. Xavier Pereyron Soudal-QuickStep boss Patrick Lefevere was more focussed on psyching out rival teams’ riders at the presentation. Xavier Pereyron Visma-Lease a Bike didn’t have Wout van Aert but did have some very cool jackets. Xavier Pereyron You don’t need a jacket to look cool when you’re Mathieu van der Poel, rainbows aplenty but no white shorts – probably for the best given the dirt. Xavier Pereyron The fans were of course out in force right from the start and several layers deep on the Oude Kwaremont. Xavier Pereyron Van der Poel’s Alpecin-Deceuninck team were understandably present at the front. Xavier Pereyron As were new cobbled Classics powerhouse Movistar. Xavier Pereyron Without Wout, Visma were a bit more open with their strategy. Xavier Pereyron Mads Pedersen was nursing some cuts and bruises from the crash that took out Van Aert as well as teammate Jasper Stuyven, but had to try to take this chance on a very lovely bike. Xavier Pereyron But there was only one clear favourite at the start of the day. Xavier Pereyron And who would’ve doubted him? Xavier Pereyron Here’s a brief interlude from the Van der Poel show to get a nice picture of Decathlon-AG2R’s very nice new kit. Xavier Pereyron The big talking point of the day was the Koppenberg, the hardest of Flanders’ cobbled climbs, that saw a decimation of the peloton, which was almost entirely reduced to walking. Xavier Pereyron At this point even trying to follow Van der Poel was a mistake. Xavier Pereyron Matteo Jorgenson gave it the best shot and stayed on the bike, but ended up 31st. Xavier Pereyron Ben Turner (left) quickly fell victim to the surface and gradient. He came 38th. Xavier Pereyron While those behind went sideways, was Van der Poel even out of zone two? Xavier Pereyron It certainly didn’t look like it. Xavier Pereyron Dismounting was a wise decision with the cobbles so slippy. Xavier Pereyron Oliver Naesen stretched his running legs and ended seventh. Xavier Pereyron Matej Mohorič didn’t finish the race and Tiesj Benoot came home 15th. Not the best day out. Xavier Pereyron Mads Pedersen was one of the favourites before his crash the other day, looking in fine form beating Van der Poel at Gent-Wevelgem, but he came in 22nd. Xavier Pereyron This looks like a glitch in the matrix but it’s actually Matteo Trentin and a man who had one of the days of his life – Arkéa-B&B’s Luca Mozzato came in second, winning the sprint from the group of ten. Xavier Pereyron Owain Doull should be pleased with 29th too. Xavier Pereyron All eyes for the future will be on this man though. UAE Team Emirates’ neo-pro António Morgado ended up fifth on his debut. Xavier Pereyron UAE had a good day all round, two of Morgado’s teammates finished ahead of him for a 3-4-5, including a podium for the man you see going sideways here. Xavier Pereyron Outside of Naesen there weren’t any high placed finishes for Decathlon, but any excuse for another shot of this kit. Xavier Pereyron Movistar’s cult hero Oier Lazkano has been looking strong but somehow finished down in 73rd. Xavier Pereyron Laurens De Plus ended up 71st and was probably wondering why he wasn’t in Sierra Nevada with Geraint Thomas and co. at altitude training. Xavier Pereyron No shame in walking. Xavier Pereyron Big points to Tim Merlier for representing cyclocross properly on the day. Xavier Pereyron And of course with a proper dismount, your champ. Xavier Pereyron With plenty of time to haul his bike in the air. Xavier Pereyron The lack of Van Aert and Pogačar doesn’t make the images and the feat any less special. Xavier Pereyron Some bloke. Xavier Pereyron Caption competition in the comments please… Xavier Pereyron Flanders is never an easy day out, but big John Degenkolb is better suited to Paris-Roubaix and will be looking to upset the Van der Poel party this weekend. Xavier Pereyron In the women’s race, the rain came crashing down but many fans stayed out to watch a thriller. With more cyclocross legends front and centre including Lidl-Trek’s Shirin van Anrooij. Xavier Pereyron And of course CX racer and MTB World Champ Puck Pieterse who closed out an impressive first Classics season with a strong sixth. Xavier Pereyron It came down to a three-up sprint between Van Anrooij, her teammate Elisa Longo Borghini and Kasia Niewiadoma, and it was the Italian who came out on top. Xavier Pereyron Ciclismo. Xavier Pereyron Not an SD Worx in sight, just people living in the moment. Xavier Pereyron After being all but invincible last year, SD Worx are certainly in a down patch. Xavier Pereyron But even the world’s best struggle in conditions like that. Hats off all round. Xavier Pereyron Who would’ve predicted that podium at the start of the day? Xavier Pereyron This guy would’ve guessed top spot anyway. Xavier Pereyron Now that is a stacked podium. Xavier Pereyron With a very worthy champion. The post Tour of Flanders gallery: Koppenbergcross spring edition appeared first on Cyclist.

Mathieu van der Poel made it a terrific trifecta of Tour of Flanders titles last weekend with stunning display on the historic cobbles and climbs of Flanders. No one has even won the race four times... Could van der Poel be the man to do so?According to Fabian Cancellara, himself a three-time winner...

Cyclist Where Paris-Roubaix 2024 will be decided, part 1: The Arenberg Forest ‘If this uncouth forest yield anything savage, I will either be food for it or bring it for food to thee.’ – Orlando to Adam in As You Like It, Act 2, Scene 6. Just the name of the Forest of Arenberg has that Shakespearian ring to it, and, just like As You Like It’s Forest of Arden, it has the capacity to give with one hand and take away with the other. ‘You can’t win Roubaix there, but you can lose it,’ 2016 Roubaix winner Mat Hayman tells Cyclist. We’d dismiss his assessment as just another sporting cliché were it not so true. The Arenberg section of cobbles has the capacity to ruin not just races, but careers. Kevin Faingnaert ‘It’s a nervous time for everyone; you just want to get through there unscathed,’ Hayman adds. This long, straight section of cobbles, 2.3km in length, is also known as the Trouée d’Arenberg (the Arenberg Trench). It makes its way through the forest, flanked on one side by a barrier to hold back the baying crowd and on the other by an often wet and muddy strip of grass that cruelly tempts riders to escape the rattle and danger of the cobbles, only for them to succumb to a different kind of fall, albeit onto a slightly more forgiving surface. The famous stretch of cobbles has once again been polished and perfected by goats. As a form of eco-grazing, many of the animals have been seen munching on grass between cobblestones before the peloton arrives Related Posts Tour of Flanders gallery: Koppenbergcross spring edition Grubers’ Paris-Roubaix gallery: Finding heaven in Hell Big Ride: Flanders vs Roubaix Who is Paris-Roubaix winner Mat Hayman? Paris-Roubaix: ‘Just ridiculous’ ASO/Pauline Ballet ‘You ride through there and you think, “This is just ridiculous”,’ says Hayman, now a sport director at Jayco-AlUla. ‘Your bike feels as though it’s about to fall apart at any moment. You don’t know how carbon fibre can even take that kind of shock. Anybody who’s gone over there – including those who’ve done the sportive – will understand. It’s by far the worst section of cobbles in the race, and if there’s any kind of moisture in the air, you know it’s going to be slippery.’ It may make its appearance almost 100km from the finish in Roubaix, but the almighty scrap to get to the front before hitting that stretch of cobbles, as Hayman points out, is about ensuring as clear a path as possible for yourself. If you crash here, not only might it put your race in jeopardy, but also your season, or even your career. Two of the most infamous accidents happened here to Johan Museeuw and the late Philippe Gaumont, in 1998 and 2001 respectively. Gaumont’s horror crash broke his femur, while Museeuw shattered his kneecap, with the resulting gangrene infection almost costing him his leg. But he would return to win a second Roubaix in 2000, to add to his 1996 victory, and then add a third in 2002. When Hayman won in 2016, his then-Orica-GreenEDGE teammate Mitch Docker endured a high-speed crash at the entrance of the forest. With a broken cheekbone and broken nose, he suffered such severe facial injuries that it was unsure if Docker would lose sight in one eye, but fortunately made a full recovery. ‘It really is a nerve-wracking part of the race, and you’re pretty happy once you’re through,’ says Hayman. ‘But there really are no winners in the Arenberg.’ For 2024, there is talk that a turn will be added before the entrance to the forest in order to slow the roaring peloton down and reduce the number of incidents, crashes and broken bikes on the cobbles. This section is still not included in the women’s version of the race. The post Where Paris-Roubaix 2024 will be decided, part 1: The Arenberg Forest appeared first on Cyclist.

Not renowned for his sprinting capabilities, it was somewhat of a surprise to see Louis Vervaeke in the mix for victory on stage 2 of the 2024 Itzulia Basque Country, eventually coming home 3rd from a reduced bunch. “I'm not a sprinter, but there were not many sprinters left in position,” the 30-yea...

Cyclist Ribble’s Special Edition Ultra SL R: A solid gold hit for DJ Spoony He might be better known for spinning vinyl than turning pedals, but Radio 2’s DJ Spoony has turned the volume up to 11 with this eye-catching Ribble Special Edition Ultra SL R custom build. The disc jockey discovered cycling after he picked up an injury when running, and had been riding a stock Ribble Ultra since falling in love with the bike at a show. But this creation really moves the dial. The Lancashire-based bike brand remixed the high-end superbike at its in-house custom design and paint studio, decking out the Ultra SL R with some seriously hot components and embellishing the build with details personal to Spoony. Let’s start with the paint. The Ultra SL R’s T1000/800 carbon frameset has been hand-coated in a black and gold marble paint scheme, featuring a Spoony logo in gold leaf on one of the fork legs and handwritten lyrics from the Prince track ‘Starfish and Coffee’ on the chainstays. The DJ says, ‘Prince wrote the song about an autistic girl he went to school with. It teaches us people with special abilities, or who are different, are extraordinary – we are the ordinary ones.’ The one-piece Ribble Ultra Aero Carbon integrated handlebar is colour-matched to the frame, while the Mavic Cosmic SL 45 Carbon Tubeless Disc wheels feature custom Silk Graphics decals. A gold Kustom Kapz top cap with DJ Spoony logo completes the cockpit. As you’d expect for a machine that’s had this much time and effort applied to its creation, no expense has been spared on the componentry. The Ultra SL R has a 12-speed Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset, while the drivetrain is spiced up with a KMC X12 TiN gold chain. Practical additions include tubeless Continental GP5000 28mm tyres and a black Fizik Arione R5 Kium saddle perched on a Ribble Ultra SL R carbon seatpost. DJ Spoony doesn’t intend to hang the custom creation on his studio wall simply to be admired, either. He completed RideLondon last year, and aims to ride at least 100 kilometres a week in the run-up to this year’s event. He also has plans for riding further afield. ‘I’m going to take the bike to Ibiza and try to cycle around the island,’ he says. ‘Plus, I’d really like to build up my “Beats and Bikes” cycling club to cater for various standards and abilities. Cycling should be enjoyed by everybody and anybody.’ The standard Ribble Ultra SL R costs from £4,999, but why stop there? Follow in DJ Spoony’s footsteps and create your own chart-topping creation at ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-customcolour. The post Ribble’s Special Edition Ultra SL R: A solid gold hit for DJ Spoony appeared first on Cyclist.