Ben O'Connor was arguably the star of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana. He may not have won the race, but a stage win, 13 days in the Red Jersey and finishing 2nd overall guarantee it was three weeks he won't soon forget.It was pretty nice to have that feeling that you can maybe one day win a Grand Tour,...

The Director of Public Prosecutions directed no prosecution for an alleged road traffic offence in a case where an off-duty Garda was reported to have dangerously overtaken a person on a bicycle, then flashed their badge and spoke to them in what was said to be a discourteous and threatening manner.The officer was later given a temporary reduction in pay for their behaviour.Two example case studies were published in the GSOC 2023 Annual Report featuring cyclists who felt the need to report Garda actions. IrishCycle.com is aware of the second case study involving a cyclist who was fined after reporting a motorist, and this website is investigating the details of this case before reporting on it further.The case study relating to the Garda overtaking a cyclist found that the officer was in breach of the Garda Discipline Regulations for Discourtesy, Abuse of Authority and Discreditable Conduct.The GSOC case study said: A member of the public alleged that while they were travelling on their bicycle, a Garda member driving a private vehicle dangerously overtook them, before identifying themselves as a Garda and speaking to them in a discourteous and threatening manner. The complainant had cameras mounted to the front and rear of their bicycle.GSOC opened a criminal investigation under s98 of the Act. The investigation established a possible breach of the Road Traffic Acts, and a file was prepared for the DPP. The DPP directed no prosecution, the report said.The GSOC report added: GSOC thereafter opened a disciplinary investigation under s95 of the Act, identifying a number of possible breaches of Garda Discipline Regulations. A report was forwarded to the Garda Commissioner, and the matter was put before a Garda deciding officer. The Garda member was found to be in breach of the Garda Discipline Regulations for Discourtesy, Abuse of Authority and Discreditable Conduct. The Garda member received a temporary reduction in pay.

Later this afternoon, we will find out the new European time trial champion. In the absence of the likes of Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert, Victor Campenaerts carries the hopes of the Belgians."I am convinced that I will ride well," Campenaerts tells HLN, denying the idea of any post-Vuelta a Es...

Lachlan Morton is riding a new Cannondale road bike for his 14,200km lap of Australia.The bike has many similarities to Cannondales race-orientated SuperSix, with the front triangle sharing an almost identical aero silhouette except for a slightly deeper-seated head tube.It seems unlikely this will replace the bike that took Richard Carapaz to a fourth-place finish at the Vuelta a Espaa last week, with Cannondale presumably wanting Morton to use a more endurance-focused model for his Australian odyssey.A new Synapse model would break the expected cadence of Cannondale releases the current Synapse was revealed only two years ago. But it would make sense to have Morton use the brand's flagship endurance model for his latest challenge, which is more than double the length of his 2021 Alt Tour.Not a SuperSix?The bike appears to borrow certain features from the current SuperSix. - EF Pro CyclingThe new bike appears to borrow from the Cannondale SuperSix race bike with a similar aero-profiled fork and Delta steerer tube to the latest model.This unreleased bike appears to have a deeper head tube than the current SuperSix, with the top tube and down tube merging behind the head tube, possibly for increased aero gains.The rear of the new bike seems to have a more endurance-focused design.A shallow, D-shaped seatpost sits in a less profiled seat tube, possibly providing more compliance over the more aero shape of the SuperSix.Keep on trucking: Lachlan Morton will ride 14,200km around Australia. - EF Pro CyclingThe seatstays meet the seat tube with more defined profiling and curve toward the rear dropouts with an increasingly steep arc after the brake caliper.The chainstays also appear more tapered, becoming narrower towards the rear axle and featuring a bowed profile.These features all suggest a more compliant rear end, with the chainstays likely adding a little more flex for more comfortable seating on bumpy surfaces.A super-light Synapse?Our gut says this is a new Synapse. - EF Pro CyclingWith that in mind, it seems this could be a new Cannondale Synapse, but perhaps not an exact replacement for the current model, which has become rather portly with its SmartSense System and integrated lights neither of which are present on Mortons bike.The Lab71 logo on the seat tube suggests the bike is made from Cannondales premium carbon fibre layup.Lab71 is Cannondales equivalent of Specializeds S-Works division, so this bike would sit at the top of the brand's range hierarchy.This could be huge for endurance road bike fans because Cannondale doesn't offer a Synapse at this level. Cannondale has yet to confirm what the new bike is, but we'd guess it's a lightweight, long-distance race-orientated Synapse for those looking for a little more compliance than the SuperSix without the weight penalty of the current Synapse.SuperSix or Synapse, the new road bike is serving Lachlan well. Since the 32-year-old Australian began his ride on 5 September, hes ridden over 3,000km and is ahead of his target to beat the lap of Australia record of 37 days, 20 hours and 45 minutes, a time set in 2011 by Dave Alley of Brisbane.

The Belgian will lead his nation in Switzerland in a fortnight, in the absence of Wout van Aert

This afternoon, the men's and women's time trials of the 2024 European Championship will be fought for. Among others, Lotte Kopecky is one of the women most favoured."I'm actually looking forward to it," she previews in conversation with Sporza. "It's still a fairly long time trial of 31 kilometers...

An investigation later found the police officer to be in neglect of duty for not responding to complaints of other drivers also running red lights, but the finding was quashed by the Chief Superintendent as disproportionate

On the 11th of September, Wednesday, the European Championships have their first Elite events and it kicks off with the time-trials. Modest fields, but we have two European jerseys to hand out today amongst some of the strongest time-trialists in the world.Read our Live Blog below!