Former Irish champion Rory Townsend had taken the coveted crown last week, but has already been usurped after a bonkers effort from Foran Cycling riders, with Dom Jackson knocking eight seconds off the previous record

Ben O'Connor was fined 1000CHF and was stripped of 20 UCI points yesterday. At first it was announced in the race report that he had arrived at the podium celebrations late. Then, it was confirmed that this was his own mistake; and a video shows the moments of him arriving again, clearly angry befor...

Part route report and part story, this upbeat piece from Eric Hockman chronicles his ride of our 125-mile Wilson's Ramble route in North Carolina with a ragtag bunch of friends. As they ride, they savor the region's unique natural beauty, fly fish in the creeks, stop by some cultural institutions, and meet a heaping handful of menacing canines. Find Eric's story and a gallery of photos here...The post Who Let The Dogs Out? Bikepacking The Wilsons Ramble appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

On the 8th of September, the same day the Vuelta a Espaa finishes; the peloton in Germany will tackle the BEMER Cyclassics. The one-day race provides an opportunity for the sprinters and classics specialists in an explosive race.The preliminary startlist includes: Sam Bennett, Marco Haller, Jordi...

An unreleased drop-bar variant of Shimanos Cues groupset has been leaked on the new Cube Nuroad Pro gravel bike.Released in early 2023, Cues consolidated Shimanos entry-level Alivio, Acera and Altus groupset families into an all-encompassing range of 9-, 10- and 11-speed drivetrain components.Though 2x mountain and urban bike components are available as part of the Cues range, it is primarily intended to offer affordable 1x drivetrains for all disciplines.At the time, Shimano also announced it would be phasing out its budget-oriented Tiagra, Sora and Claris road bike groupsets.Though it didnt go as far as confirming it upsetting some mullet drivetrain fans Shimano strongly hinted a drop-bar version of Cues would take their place.The new shifters look very similar to existing Shimano road hydraulic disc brake levers. - CubeThis unreleased drop-bar version of Cues bridges the gap between Shimanos premium GRX gravel bike and budget road bike groupsets. These are widely specced on entry-level gravel bikes, but have all been 2x to date.The RD-U6000 rear derailleur is compatible with wide-range cassettes. - ShimanoNotably, the bike is built using the existing Cues RD-U6000-GS rear derailleur, confirming the new Cues BR-U6030 drop-bar levers use the same cable-pull ratio as their flat-bar equivalents.This is hardly surprising given Cues focus on increasing compatibility. However, this marks the first time Shimanos mechanical drop-bar and flat-bar components have been officially inter-compatible since the 9-speed era.The levers themselves look very similar to existing Shimano hydraulic road bike levers.Like Shimano's new GRX groupsets, new Cues appears to be compatible with wide-range 11-50t cassettes. - ShimanoThe derailleur is paired with a wide-range Cues CS-LG400 11-speed 11-50t cassette.The 1x variant of Shimanos latest 12-speed GRX groupset is compatible with similarly wide cassettes.However, with the safe assumption Cues will be priced lower than GRX, this makes the new groupset Shimanos cheapest 1x drop-bar groupset.The crankset is a third-party option, but hints at things to come. - CubeOn this bike, the crankset is a third-party option from Cubes in-house Acid component brand.Given its focus on 1x drivetrains, we expect the complete drop-bar Cues groupset to use the same or very similar crankset options as its flat-bar variants.Cues U6000 is Shimano's mid-tier option for Cues, sitting beneath U8000 and U4000. - ShimanoThe bike is built using a KMC xGlide chain. Shimano Cues groupsets use Shimanos Linkglide technology and are not compatible with existing 11-speed chains. As far as we are aware, this is the first third-party Linkglide chain available for Cues.The new groupset was spotted on one of Cube's new entry-level gravel bikes. - CubeThe Nuroad is Cubes do-it-all alloy gravel-inspired bike platform.Pairing relaxed geometry and wide tyre clearance with mounts for mudguards, kickstands and racks, the Nuroad is also indicative of the type of bike we expect to see Cues specced widely on.At 1,199 / 1,199, the Nuroad Pros price is also telling.This is a price point few brands can hit using Shimanos existing GRX components, or SRAMs Apex Eagle family for that matter, without compromising elsewhere.Only one drop-bar Cues bike has been seen so far, so we cant speculate on the availability of 2x components, dropper-post compatibility or pricing. Shimano has been contacted for comment.

Wout van Aert has been one of the stars of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, winning three stages and looking on course to take home both the Green Jersey and the Polka-dot Jersey. Sadly however, on stage 16, the Belgian crashed out on a slippery descent, ending his race."He spent the night in hospital. W...

Pinarello debuts the first of Fausto Talks a 6-part web documentary series telling the stories behind several of the brands most iconic bikes. And they start with the wild and revolutionary aerodynamic carbon Pinarello Espada that Miguel Indurin rode to an Hour Record thirty years ago this week, on the velodrome in Bordeaux, France. It was a bike unlike anything that came before it. And it laid the foundation for both the carbon fiber construction and aero focus that dominates almost all modern performance bikes these days, across all disciplinefs.The tale of the Pinarello Espadas development quickly drew me in, and cant wait to see what comes nextFausto Talks Documentary Series on iconic Pinarello bikesThe Espada story is a compelling and emotional one. Sit back and let Pinarellos President, and son of the bikemakers founder Fausto Pinarello tell how the bike came to be. It was a watershed moment for the brand. And the for then 33-year-old Fausto who had shifted from his role in finishing Pinarello bikes to a leadership role securing pro sponsorships, and just lured Indurins Banesto team back onto Pinarello bikes.(Photos/Pinarello)The Espada developed so quickly as the Pinarello team ran with the idea to create a truly innovative bike bringing in outside experts for their first wind tunnel testing, complete aero-led design, and first-ever carbon frame. From the first welded aluminum prototype in the wind tunnel to a rideable plaster mockup to the final carbon bike that Indurin would ride 53.040km (32.958mi) in one hour.Whats next?And still, the story of Indurins wild Pinarello Espada Hour Record bike is only the 1st of 6 that will complete the Fausto Talks series. Tune back in here or the official Pinarello YouTube channel each month. On the 4th of the month, from here until February, Pinarello will share more stories, and well see if it could have been named Fausto Tears Up Telling Stories?Pinarello.comThe post Fausto Talks About Indurins Wild Pinarello Espada Hour Record Bike & More To Come appeared first on Bikerumor.

Despite having finished 4th at both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France in his career, when Ben O'Connor moved into the race lead of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana on stage 6, many assumed it would be a matter of time before he passed it on. Now though, as stage 17 begins, the Aussie is still, just a...

After a thrilling day of racing on stage 2 at the 2024 Tour of Britain, Stephen Williams not only took the stage win but moved into the overall lead of the race also.Eight riders got themselves in the day's early breakaway on stage 2, including the King of the Mountains leader, Callum Thornley. With...

After a hiatus from sharing his journey, Greg McCahon returns with a fresh video installment documenting his ride from Alaska to Argentina. Find a heavy and moving 40-minute video from the new solo leg of his ride and a set of images from rural Mexico here...The post Cycling Through Mexico Alone (Video) appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.