Reigning road race World Champion Lotte Kopecky has become the new European Champion in the time-trial discipline, succeeding after teammate Marlen Reusser got the title last year. The Belgian was the fastest against the clock in the modest field and has put another shirt on her extensive palmars....

Behind IrishCycle.com: Given that September is seen as a time for renewal or change, it might be a good time to update readers on the figures behind IrishCycle.com, including the numbers of paid subscribers who are the lifeblood of this website and how well the site is performing. For those who are new to the website, I am its editor, and I write most articles with input from guest comment writers and some freelance news articles. You can read more about the websites history and me on this websites About page.There have always been smaller printed publications, but these were funded mainly by cover price and advertising. IrishCycle.com is part of a trend of reader-funded journalism. In this case, it is also open-access because subscribers value its journalism and see the point in sharing it more widely. Subscribers 409 paid subscribers support IrishCycle.com. Their monthly and yearly subscriptions keep this news website going without them, this site would not exist. The number of subscribers is thankfully still increasing, but, with all of the costs, it is still not sustainable for the mid to long-term.Subscribers pay for the cost of running the website, including a monthly wage and related income tax, payment fees, hosting, backend software and services such as WordPresss Jetpack which helps the site run, domain names, freelance articles, travel when needed, and equipment such as voice recorders etc. Readers who can and want to help support this website should please subscribe at irishcycle.com/subscribe.Articles To date, in 2024, IrishCycle.com has published 214.7k words across 323 articles. IrishCycle.com publishes a wide range of articles, including in-depth news articles that take weeks to put together, comment articles on details of projects or debunking misinformation, and shorter article on events etc.For example, there are articles such as one published today (Climate report card questioned for use of word achieved in line about Government commitment which has yet-to-be-reached), which can take a week or more of back and forth with questions to put together, while the other article put online today (Garda docked pay after reportedly dangerously overtaking cyclist then threatening them) can be written quickly, as noted in it, theres another element to the story which will take longer. Around 7-12+ articles are published most weeks, and articles are published on most days and across seven days regularly. It will depend on how complicated stories are, how much news there is, and to be honest depending on what I can work on its easier outside the summer months when children are not home!Most read articles to date in 2024:Number of post, comments, average comments per post, WordPress likes (must be WordPress account and logged into it), total words and average words per post all by year, including 2024 to date:Readers (views and visitors)With over a million views on IrishCycle.com so far this year, this website has a mix of audiences, including a very general readership, a more dedicated readership and people who only read this site when a project or news item relevant to their area or issue they are interested in is covered.Viewer stats are noted as being affected by a cookie issue, but, despite this, IrishCycle.coms year-to-date traffic is not far off the 2023 total view count:This gives the total views by month (for September 2024, its to date) and average views per day by month (September 2024 to date):Where are readers coming from?A huge 68% of traffic to IrishCycle.com comes from Google.66% from a mix of search results and articles previews shown on Googles news surfaces, which includes news/other articles that are shown while on search pages, apps, and when you swipe left on Android phones. It is hard to separate these fully but it is understood that the traffic is mainly from news surfaces.Another 2% comes from Google News. Being listed on the traditional Google News page is not a huge source of traffic compared other sources.Note: Search engines are included to compare to Google; there are other websites (which are not listed) that generate around the same number of clicks. It is unknown how well WordPress tracks where the source of traffic is from all locations, including some social media which are not listed at all.Web traffic sources, number of views and percentage of total views:Google (see notes)703,95266%Twitter45,7034%Google News22,4232%Facebook18,5471.70%Reddit6,7580.60%Bing1,7450.16%Linkedin1,1510.10%DuckDuckGo5320.04%Yahoo2480.02%Social media links and follower countArticles are shared across Twitter, Bluesky, Linkedin, Mastodon, Threads, and Facebook with the latter three automated by WordPress and the former three manually shared. The number of followers per account is listed below.Instagram is not used much (this could be improved), and YouTube is mainly used for embeds.While there are only 552 email subscribers, emails contain full articles, and most emails are opened by 300-400 subscribers, which is far higher than the typical follower vs click rate on social media.NameNumber of followers etcTwitter15.4k Facebook4.2k Mastodon1.2kLinkedin703Threads592Bluesky583Email552 YouTube350Instagram133A bit more about readers?The vast bulk of readers are based in Ireland, while the two largest English-speaking countries are (as would be expected) next: And, finally, 88% of readers are reading IrishCycle.com on their phones. This is relatively new data, but it is probably a factor that IrishCycle.com needs to take into account.

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!

This suggests that active travel is not a central part of this new transport hub, said Belfast Cycling Campaign, as Translink confirms that its sourcing temporary cycle parking to install

Edoardo Affini is a tremendously talented time-trialist but recently he has struggled to get the results he desired. This Thursday would mark the 5th year anniversary since his last pro win but the Italian snatched the European Championships title with the time-trial of his life."It's a great feeli...

With the Roaduno duly racked and running nicely, the wise thing would be to continue to ride it as is and get to know it whilst plotting my next move:Alas, I am not wise, and this morning I decided I was going to go ahead and unlock that inner chainring:You know that scene in Taxi Driver with the gun salesman? Thats how I feel when Im digging out spare parts for a project:[Lookit that, thats a beautiful little derailleur.]According to Rivendell, the stock freewheel is good for single speeds but doesnt work well with chain tensioners, so I figured Id swap it for this one which uses a Shimano bottom bracket tool to install:I also had what I figured would be a perfect front derailleur:And between The Classic Cycle 21st Century Friction Shifter Shootout and a box of treats Id received from Rivendell I had about a thousand rear derailleurs to choose from, which I eventually narrowed down to these:For a shifter I figured Id use a Silver2:And of course Id need other odds and ends, such as a new chain and a cable guide for the underside of the bottom bracket shell:Also in my box of treats was a 44-tooth chainring, so I figured while I was at it I might as well not only unlock the little ring but shoot for the moon and go for a 31 with an overdrive gear:After installing the chainring, I removed the little nipple pastie from the shifter boss:Then I mounted the Silver2 in the downtube shifter position, since I figured that way when I start swapping cockpits I wouldnt have to relocate it:Installing the front derailleur, I realized that since the middle and large chainring were so close in size it would have to sit pretty high up to clear that middle ring:So I changed my mind and reverted to the original setup:For the tensioner I decided to use the Ultegra, since capacity wasnt going to be a concern and it seemed like the tidiest option:Excitedly I headed out for a test ride:Guess what? It skipped. So I tried another rear derailleur:That skipped too. So did this one:Could it be the freewheel? I dug out another one, a Shimano. It skipped. I shortened the chain, figuring maybe I wasnt getting enough tension out of the derailleur. I played with limit screws and the B screw on the Ultegra. Ultimately I got the best results with the Ultegra derailleur coupled with the chain cut as short as I dared, and it worked perfectly on the big ringbut in the little ring it still skipped. Heres how it looks in that position:That seems like it should work to me but perhaps Im missing something obvious. Whatevers going on it has to be something Im overlooking, or setting up wrong, or the derailleurs bent or something, or somehow both my freewheels are worn (though they sure dont look it), because Rivendell have been riding them this way for awhile now with no problems, as have plenty of other people:No, its definitely me. Im sure Ill figure it out, but in the meantime feel free to tell me what Im doing wrong.

When Parcours called their new affordable carbon FKT wheelset the first truly aero-optimized gravel wheelset I immediately wanted to review them. Much of my gravel riding is spent on my own in the wind, and while I dont really hit average speeds nearly as high as serious pro gravel racers, I so appreciate the aero gains when they dont compromise on weight, rider quality, or stability in variable wind conditions. And the FKTs are quite light, have the comfort benefit of large-volume tires, and made solid all-rounder performance promisesParcours FKT all-rounder aero carbon gravel bike wheels(All images/Cory Benson)Before even showing them to me, Parcours described their new FKT gravel wheels as fast, wide, light & affordable. Deep & aero enough for racing but not so affected by crosswinds so as to still be versatile for everyday rides. Wide inside at 27mm hookless internal, and much wider outside to deliver smooth aerodynamics for 35-45mm gravel tires. Yet still as light or lighter than most other aero gravel wheels, even those that cost a lot more. And yes, just $1600 / 1560. They arent cheap, but fall clearly in the more affordable spectrum for carbon gravel wheels.Sure, these are wheels designed for gravel racing. But really without any real downsides for slower riders, they seemed like solid all-rounders, too.Now, what about those aerodynamic claims?For almost the last decade, weve seen an explosion of aerodynamic bike wheel design. And that trend can mostly be described as wide blunt-nosed aero rims that mimic a truncated NACA airfoil design, where the rim ends near the widest point of the airfoil and the tire takes over at that point. Its a pretty solid-performing design working as wind hits either the tire or rim as the leading edge but seemingly best up to a ~30mm road tire, lest the rim gets crazy wide AND heavy.Unique aero rim profileParcours did something very different with the FKT. They call it a hybrid truncated virtual foil design. And its what they say makes these truly aero-optimized for gravel.note: Corys sketch of how he interprets aerodynamic gravel dustInstead of making the widest point of the rim at the bead, the FKTs widest point is at the midpoint of the dim section itself. I measured the 40mm wide external widest point to be actually 25mm from the tire, closer to the spokes. The rim is actually 32mm wide outside where it meets the tire. And the rims and tire sections are quite similar in both size and shape see my rough sketch, above. This creates a depressed area (red, in my doodle) where air doesnt seem to move around much. And that means the air flowing past the wheel (blue) kind of just doesnt touch the wheel there. In theory, that special airflow patterning is what makes these wheels fast.Real-world gravel aerodynamicsMoment of full disclosure here. Parcours didnt actually show me this. Though, they kind of described it to me. And then I drew that sketch after seeing how the wheels looked after riding them on duty gravel. You see, only the wider blunt nose of the rim gets dirty. The areas in red on my sketch dont actually come in contact with the dust kicked up as you ride, so theres real physical evidence of how the wind hits these aero gravel wheels. Now, Parcours arent really the only ones to do something like this. DT Swiss & Swiss Sides latest 50mm deep aero gravel wheels angle back in almost 2cm below the bead. But the Parcours FKT that I review here seem to most closely match the rim to its optimal tire profile for the smoothest aerodynamics at both the front and rear edges of the rim pedaling into the wind.So, how did they feel?Riding Review: Parcours FKT impressions on road & gravel(Photo/Micha Gd)They are quick, for sure. Combined with the new 40mm wide Panaracer GravelKing X1 tires (at a real 446g apiece) that these wheels were optimized for, the Parcours FKT wheels roll fast over all sorts of hard gravel surfaces and still feel quick on tarmac. And they dont seem uncomfortably stiff. A decent amount of that credit does go to the tires and their fast-rolling GKX1 tread design with continuous blocky centerline tread. And the rest can be split between smooth spinning sealed EXO stainless bearings and wheel aerodynamics.(Photo/Micha Gd)Without objective wind tunnel testing for our review, evaluating the new Parcours FKT gravel wheels comes down to subjective feel. Yes, they made an already quick bike feel quick. And I did set a few new personal best times on gravel segments that Ive ridden on a number of different wheel + bike + tire combos. In fact, I set 8 Strava PRs on one midsummer ride alone, including both a 7.5km descent and a 8km/500m climb. Real Weight & ValueMuch of what I think makes these aero gravel wheels a solid all-rounder upgrade option is their combination of aerodynamic performance claims, lightweight, and affordability. Its quite easy to find a set of carbon gravel bike wheels these days that excel in one or two of those categories. But nailing all three is still rare.I always feel like I need to take aero claims with a pinch of salt vs. real-world performance. But as silly as it sounds, the dust pattern that accumulated on these Parcours FKT wheels is really what convinced me, and probably forms the basis for this review. You can simply see how the air flows over the wheels, validating Parcours claims.Weight-wise, these aero gravel Parcours FKT wheels weighed a real 1561g on our scale (725g front / 835g rear) with rim tape, valves & centerlock rotor lockrings already installed. Average rim tape for each wheel in my experience weighs about 10-15g, long alloy valves weigh about 5g apiece, and alloy lockrings about 8g each. So lets say thats 50g of extras, making these pretty close to spot on Parcours claimed wheelset weight of 1500g. There are lighter mid-depth aero wheels out there, and lighter non-aero gravel wheels. But very few that do both at 1500g.Affordability is their icing on the cake. Surely not cheap, theyre much more affordable than the latest top-tier wide aero gravel wheels from DT Swiss or Zipp, both of which are also heavier. And mostly on par pricewise with less aero-optimized gravel wheels from other affordable carbon wheel companies. Key Tech DetailsI didnt really get into the core tech details of Parcours new FKT gravel wheels beyond their aero rim shape, because I already did that in detail back at the start of July. Read on here for more info. It is worth touching on some key points again, though.Importantly, Parcours lays up the carbon in this rim with the same IMPACT+ tech from their Alta all-road & gravel wheels. This construction uses an extra flexible proprietary resin to reinforce the carbon fiber at the hookless bead to increase durability and impact resistance.(Photos/Cory Benson)They then lace up the new aero gravel rim to their same road disc alloy hubset with straight-pull bladed Sapim CX-Ray spokes (2-cross, 24 spokes per wheel) with external alloy nipples. Those hubs feature a 6-pawl freehub with two offset engagement points per pawl to a 44T ring for 88 POE at 4 fast hub engagement. The wheels come standard with a Shimano HG freehub, but can be switched out for a SRAM XDR body like our test wheels when you order. Theres even the option to get a Classified hubshell build that is ready to drop in your Powershift rear hub internals. But, getting a Campagnolo N3W or Shimano MicroSpline freehub requires a custom wheelbuild.Final ThoughtsWeve been riding the 1200 / $1600 / 1560 47mm deep aerodynamic carbon Parcours FKT gravel wheels since the start of the summer on a Canyon Grail. And summing up my wheel review, I can comfortably say that Ive actually set some fastest known times well, at least fastest for me. These wheels hit a sweet spot of visible aero performance, light-enough weight, and reasonable-enough affordability that I think they make a great all-rounder upgrade for most riders looking to get more out of their gravel bike.While other wheelsets might have more flashy appeal, these FKTs are ones that Im a little sad to ship back to Parcours for the next gravel biker to ride.Parcours.ccThe post Review: You Can Actually See Parcours FKT Aero Gravel Bike Wheels Aerodynamic Gains appeared first on Bikerumor.

CyclistThe best British cycling moments from the Paris 2024 ParalympicsThe summer of sport has officially passed. The Paralympics is over for another four years but the memories from these Games will last a lifetime. In total, Great Britain won 22 medals in cycling, a mix of gold, silver and bronze placing them third in the sports medal table.These are five of the best moments.Sarah Storey wins incredible 19th gold medalDame Sarah Storey has never lost in cycling at the Paralympics.Just let that sink in.#Paris2024 #Paralympics #IAmLimitless pic.twitter.com/5PlJoZf3Lh British Cycling (@BritishCycling) September 6, 2024 Sarah Storey, the most decorated British Paralympian, notched her 19th gold medal with victory in cyclings C4-5 road race. It was the 30th medal of her career, and came just two days after winning a gold medal in the C5 road time-trial. The 46-year-old pipped Frances Heidi Gaugain to the line and described the Paralympics as a whirlwind.Storeys Paralympic career stretches back to the 1992 Barcelona Games. Then, as a 14-year-old swimmer, she won two gold medals before adding another three in the pool at Atlanta 1996. She transitioned to cycling and won her first Paralympic gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games in the time-trial and individual pursuit.Her dominance continued throughout her home Paralympics at London 2012, where she claimed a further four gold medals. At Rio 2016, Storey was victorious in the individual pursuit, time-trial and road race, going on to defend her titles in these events at Tokyo 2020. And shes yet to rule out LA 2028 Related Posts The best cycling moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics The Olympics needs to add these five cycling events Meet the handcyclist whos been tackling Britains toughest hill climbs Neverending Storey: Why Dame Sarah isnt slowing down yet Archie Atkinson wins silver medal and hearts worldwideBritish CyclingFrom an experienced Paralympian to one making their debut. 20-year-old Archie Atkinson lit the track on fire in Paris, setting a world record with a time of 4min 17.7sec during the mens C4 pursuit qualifying. He was set to win the gold medal against Slovakias Jozef Metelka but crashed just before he could make the catch.But Atkinson can be pleased with a silver medal around his neck. He said that younger him would be proud and that he completely emptied himself and fell off his saddle. His exploits were picked up by Channel 4 show The Last Leg, which described his debut Games as his origin story.One thing is for sure. He will be a menace in 2028.Redemption for Kadeena Cox with team sprint goldParalympicsGBAfter posting the second-fastest time in qualifying, it was heartbreak for Kadeena Cox after a crash on the first corner of the C4-5 500m time-trial left her unable to defend her title from Rio and Tokyo. She was able to participate in the C1-5 team sprint a few days later, though, alongside Jaco van Gass, who was gunning for his second gold medal of these Paralympics having defended his C3 3,000m individual pursuit title, and Jody Cundy, who was eyeing to win a medal at each of his eight Paralympic Games.On the final day of racing on the velodrome, Cox kicked things off by riding the first lap, followed by Van Gass then Cundy. With their time of 47.738sec they beat the Spanish trio by 1.8sec to retain their title from Tokyo.Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl dominateTeam ScotlandSophie Unwin and Jenny Holl were a force to be reckoned with at the Paralympics. Kicking things off on the track, the pair Unwin is visually impaired and Holl is her pilot rode to a bronze medal in the womens B time-trial as fellow Brits Elizabeth Jordan and pilot Dannielle Khan scored gold. They then jumped to the top step of the podium in the pursuit, beating Ireland by over two seconds.The order was reversed on the road time-trial, where Unwin and Hall secured a silver medal against the same two-woman Ireland team. It was a gold medal for the pair in the road race, however, narrowly beating Ireland (again) by three seconds in the sprint to the line. Talk about a dynamite duo.Finlay Graham wins road race goldUCI Paracycling24-year-old Finlay Graham sprinted to a gold medal in the mens C1-3 road race, beating Frances Thomas Peyroton-Dartet over the 71km course.Graham, who had secured a silver medal on the track for the mens C3 3,000m individual pursuit the week prior, was part of a trio comprising Peyroton-Dartet and his teammate Alexandre Lautto break away on the third of five laps. Graham and Peyroton-Dartet would leave Laut behind as they closed in on the finish, where Graham outsprinted his French rival to win the gold.It was Great Britains 43rd gold medal of the Paralympics. They would ultimately finish second in the overall medal standings to China, finishing with 124 medals 49 gold, 44 silver and 31 bronze. Related Posts The best cycling moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics The Olympics needs to add these five cycling events Meet the handcyclist whos been tackling Britains toughest hill climbs Neverending Storey: Why Dame Sarah isnt slowing down yet The post The best British cycling moments from the Paris 2024 Paralympics appeared first on Cyclist.

The most recent update in the UCI rankings adds up results from the Vuelta a Espaa, BEMER Cyclassics and Tour of Britain. UAE Team Emirates had a bad Vuelta but still managed to increase their lead whilst Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe comes very close to the podium after a great performance in the fi...

CyclistRideLondon cancelled for 2025 with plans to work on a new conceptLondon Marathon Events has announced RideLondon will not take place in 2025. The event, which comprised a three-day Womens WorldTour race, as well as 100, 60 and 30-mile mass rides plus a central London FreeCycle will go on a hiatus next year.LME notes full refunds will be offered and it will undergo a full strategic review of the event, which began as a legacy event from the 2012 London Olympics, taking riders on the Olympic Road Race route over Box Hill in Surrey.Hugh Brasher, LME CEO, said, We feel the time is right to take a pause this year and bring all stakeholders together to work on a new concept for the worlds greatest festival of cycling.Londons Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman, said, Its disappointing news that RideLondon wont be taking place next year; its a fantastic event to celebrate cycling that brings together cyclists of all levels, from beginners to professional athletes. Iam committed to working with all partners to bring back this hugely popular event in the future.It comes a few months after news that the RideLondon Classique pro race was cancelled for 2025 after the UCI had pushed it back a week on the calendar to 30th May-1st June. LME said it was not feasible to host the event on these dates and that there was no prior warning about the move. The last edition of the Classique earlier this year was dominated by Lorena Wiebes of SD Worx-Protime, who won all three stages. RideLondon had been held annually apart from the Covid-induced cancellations in 2020 and 2021. It returned for 2022 after moving from Surrey to Essex and held its tenth edition in May this year. Related Posts Tour of Britain 2024 review: Williams rewarded, Magnier graduates and Remcos 24-carat bike RideLondon Classique gallery: Wiebes World, party time, excellent Cyclist Magazine Podcast episode 105: RideLondon Special, with race director Kevin Nash Taking over London: Behind the scenes at RideLondon The post RideLondon cancelled for 2025 with plans to work on a new concept appeared first on Cyclist.