With a professional career spanning nearly 20 years, George Hincapie saw the peloton develop a lot during his time as a rider. In order to keep up with the best of his age however, the American admittedly took some short cuts.I was part of the dark era of cycling, Hincapie, a former super domesti...

American ultra-endurance rider Wilcox covered 18,125 miles, across 22 countries and four continents, in 108 days and 12 hours to break Jenny Grahams record. But why did her around the world route miss out so much of the world?

The Irish cyclocross season will be a busy one this year, with the four-round Cyclocross National Series one of the major features and getting underway within weeks. There is not much respite after the road season for those riders who also compete on mud over the winter as the opening round of the series will []The post Four-race Cyclocross National Series confirmed, Belfast up first appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

Its something special when value and performance coincide. That looks to be the case with the new Cosmic S carbon wheels from Mavic. They are the first Mavic Cosmic Carbon wheels to enter the market under $1000 ($999), and they carry over the attributes of their pricy brethren.(All photos: Mavic)Mavic Cosmic S Carbon WheelsetCarbon wheels are becoming more affordable and also transferring some pretty high-tech gains. Mavic is looking to capitalize on the growing market for less pricey performance carbon wheels.Some of the industry heavy hitters have already staked a claim in this growing market: Roval (Rapide 38 C), Trek (Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35 TLR), Hunt (40 Carbon), and Zipps (303s). Most, if not all, of these wheels are under $1000 and offer a solid build with a high-end partner for those looking to upgrade later. What separates those above is the quality of the wheel build, quality of materials, and warranty.Cosmic S Carbon 42 Rim DetailsThe new Cosmic S Carbon 42 looks to be a solid all-arounder, with a conservative 21 mm rim width (compared to the newest breed). The wheels come fully tubeless-ready and ship with Mavic UST valves. The rim shape is also slightly conservative, but it uses a well-trusted Mavic design. Its like a mix of the Cosmic SLR 45 and the SRL 40, but disc-specific.Mavic Classic Hub with Instant Drive 360The hubs are listed as Mavic classic hubs with the Instant Drive 360 (ID360). Weve used the ID360 on the Mavic All-Road wheels and their mountain bike designs. The hubs are very easy to service and use an upgradeable tooth system similar to the DT-Ratchet drive. They also use Mavics Infinity hubs QRM auto-bearing preload technology, which is another bit of easy maintenance. The hubset is Centerlock, making for a clean look and overall presentation.The hubs arrive with various spacing accommodations, including 135mm QR, making this wheelset a great option for those looking to upgrade an older QR disc road bike.Cosmic S Carbon 42 Hub CompatabilityFreewheel: Shimano/Sram, convertible to Campagnolo ED11, N3W, and XD-R with optional driver bodiesFront axle: 12100 thru axle, easily convertible to quick release with included adapters. It is not compatible with 15mm through axles.Rear axle: 12mm thru axle, convertible to Quick Release with included adaptersWhats the weight?Mavic lists the total weight of the Cosmic S 42 wheels as 1595g, 745g for the front, and 850g for the rear.How does this compare with the models listed above?Roval Rapide C 38 Disc: Weight: 1,560g, Price: $1,100Trek Bontrager Aeolus Elite 35 TLR: Weight: 1,615g, Price: $1,049Hunt 40 Carbon Aero: Weight: 1,499g, Price: $1,199 Zipp 303s Disc: Weight: 1,530g, Price: $1,327 The Cosmic S Carbon 42 Wheelset is directly in the thick of it, coming in slightly heavier than most, but certainly not by much. And we all know that not just the weight defines a great-performing wheelset.AvailabilityThe new Cosmic S Carbon 42 Wheelset is available worldwide starting today. Word is that Mavic USA will have stock starting early September, ready to ship. We look forward to seeing more affordable performance options from this iconic French brand.Mavic.comThe post Mavic Introduces Their First Sub $1000 Carbon Wheelset, The Cosmic S Carbon 42 appeared first on Bikerumor.

With four wins in his last four race days, Marc Hirschi could well be in the form of his life at the moment. With a home World Championships on the horizon in Zurich, the stars might be aligning for the 26-year-old Swiss rider.This Thursday afternoon, Hirschi took the latest of his recent successes...

After 108 days, 12 hours, and 12 minutes, Lael Wilcox is back where she started in Chicago, after riding around the world. OK, not just riding around the world, but racing the 18,125 miles(29,169 km) route with 630,000 feet (192,024 m)of climbing fast enough to claim the record. Previously, the womens record was held by Jenny Graham at 124 days, 10 hours, and 50 minutes. Lael is no stranger to setting records, and she smashed this one by roughly half a month. Her route started from Millenium Park in Chicago, riding from there to New York. After a plane ride to Porto, Portugal, Lael crossed through Europe, riding south into Turkey, before finishing in Tbilisi, Georgia. Another plane trip found her in Perth, Australia, and a massive ride later she was in Brisbane. Flying from Brisbane to Invercargill, New Zealand, the route wrapped up in the southern hemisphere in Auckland, New Zealand before flying to Anchorage, AK for the final push back to Chicago. For the official record, there was a required distance, but not a required path (weve asked for clarification on this, and will report back when we hear). You can see the exact path taken by Lael on Raphas page, here.While riding in the lower 48, Lael followed many of the Adventure Cycling Associations routes, and she is fundraising for the ACA here. Congratulations, Lael!Fun facts from Lael:How many cups of coffee: 200, but I really drink a lot more Coca Cola than coffee! I bet Im somewhere between 300-600 cokes.Favorite day of riding: my first dayback in Alaska, where I grew up. It felt incredible to be on my home terrain with daylight until 11pm after a winter crossing of Australia and New Zealand.Most challenging day of riding: on day 4, I was throwing up all day, it never stopped raining and I was getting multiple punctures. I still rode 139 miles, but it was a tough one.Number of countries: 22.Total miles: on day 105, Im at 17,284. The total should be 18,140 after 110 days.Average daily miles: 163 miles per day.Average speed: 14.5 mph.Average daily calories: Im probably eating between 6,000 and 8,000. Ive lost a little weight, but not too much.The estimated number of people that joined me on the ride: at least 3,000.Nights in hotels: most Ive stayed with a few friends along the way too.Nights camping: 3 weeks.The post Lael Wilcox Sets Around the World By Bike Record By Almost 16 Days! appeared first on Bikerumor.

On the 13th and 15th of September, Derek Gee will be back on home roads battling it out for a victory on Canadian soil at the GP Quebec and GP Montreal. Given the high quality field however, the 27-year-old is under no illusions about the difficulty of the task ahead.Most notably, the presence of Ta...

Michael Woods only picked up cycling in quite late age and thus his longevity at the age of 37 isn't really surprising. But when things weren't moving in the right direction for a while this spring, even the current Canadian champion had some doubts about returning to the top."I thought I was just g...

Victor Campenaerts clocked 6th best time among elite category at the European Championships ITT, won by Edoardo Affini. But it was the U23 champion Alec Segaert who clocked the fastest time on the 31.8 kilometer course. The 21-year-old, who would've been among favourites even in the elite category c...

Jorgen Nordhagen will turn professional next year with Visma | Lease a Bike. The multitalent who was a junior world champion in cross-country skiing last winter has made a full commitment to cycling and it's up to him to prove this was the correct decision.The 19-year-old already looks forward to ra...