Pack your bags and join fellow readers on their rides around Washington, Utah, and the Netherlands in our latest installment of Weekend Snapshot. See what three folks from our global community were up to in their recent time off and share a photo from one of your getaways here...The post Weekend Snapshot appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

To include those at all economic levels in this is a priority, or we risk leaving two million people to the dangers of transport poverty, said the Sustrans CEO, calling for a new voucher scheme to end cycling inequality

Congratulations to Leanne Bentley, the first woman to cross the finish line at the inaugural Alps Divide race from the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Geneva, Switzerland. Learn more about Leanne's finish and find photos from the event here...The post Leanne Bentley Wins Alps Divide 2024 Womens Race appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Tadej Pogacar is without a doubt the strongest rider in the current pro peloton and there's plenty arguments you could use. In less than two weeks he will race for the rainbow jersey in Zurich... The World Championships are one of the few top races he has never won and he has got his best form ahead...

The Dolomites are potentially the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen by bike - but don't ride in the mountains without these items...

CyclistOpinion: What is PrimoRoglis legacy?The Iberian dust has settled on PrimoRoglis fourth Vuelta a Espaa win, which he claimed earlier this month. In sealing the maillot rojo again, Rogli has become the Vueltas most successful rider alongside Roberto Heras, who won the Spanish Grand Tour four times at the beginning of the 21st century. A team change, Tour fiasco and a pandemic on from the days of his first Vuelta win in 2019, Rogli is held in a much different regard today compared to five years ago.His lack of Tour de France wins mean some now count the Slovenian as a nearly man, but his broader results speak otherwise. Hes won Paris-Nice, Tirreno-Adriatico, the Volta a Catalunya, Itzulia Basque Country, Critrium du Dauphin, Tour de Romandie, an Olympic gold and a Monument. Hes ticked off almost all of cyclings big races bar the Tour de Suisse and crucially the Tour.That last fact means despite his colossal palmars, Rogli has slipped down cyclings pecking order. He now occupies the second tier of Grand Tour contenders, perpetually in the shadow of his younger countryman Tadej Pogaar and former teammate Jonas Vingegaard. Yet having nonetheless mostly excelled in an age alongside these once-in-a-lifetime talents, what exactly is the legacy of Roglis legacy? Will he go down as one of cyclings greats, or is he a flash in the pan?The merchant of VueltaUnipublic/Sprint Cycling AgencyIn winning the 2024 Vuelta a Espaa, Rogli joined Heras as the most successful Vuelta GC rider in terms of victories. Thats impressive enough in its own right but throw in his 2023 Giro win, and Rogli is up to five Grand Tour victories. This beats the record of Vincenzo Nibali and puts him only two Grand Tour wins away from Alberto Contador and Chris Froome. I mean, Raymond Poulidor has become a Tour legend despite (like Rogli) never having actually won the damn race. The image of Rogli in the red jersey has become customary over the past five years, as has his untouchable reputation on steep Vuelta finales. Yet impressive as it is today, this image seems likely to fade into obscurity in the future Heras, after all, hardly holds the same place in the cycling zeitgeist as contemporaries such as Marco Pantani or Jan Ullrich (despite them only having two Grand Tour wins apiece compared to Herass four). This likely gives us a glimpse into the Slovenians future standing in cyclings hall of fame. Even though hes been nigh-on unbeatable in the Vuelta, success in the Spanish Grand Tour doesnt have the longevity and bestow the history-writing legacy, it seems, that other great champions bask in for decades to come. Related Posts The 21 best photos from the Vuelta a Espaa2024 Opinion: Mens cycling has never been more bleak for fans Pro Log: Is there anything Tadej Pogaar cant do? The Tour de France dilemmaA.S.O./Alex BroadwayThat last point neatly takes us onto the Tour de France. Between efforts in the colours of Jumbo-Visma and now Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, Rogli has participated in six Tours de France. He has only finished three of them, having abandoned all three attempts since his second-place finish in 2020. In fact, when it comes to the Tour, Rogli is probably known more for his meltdown on La Planche des Belles Filles or subsequent concrete-kissing mishaps than his time spent near the top of the GC standings or his three stage wins.Should his Tour legacy ultimately be defined by his failures, Rogli will hardly be alone. As mentioned, Poulidor never won the Tour, while Laurent Fignon has a legacy founded on his own near-miss in 1989, one that was far more spellbinding than Roglis wobble on La Planche. Perhaps Rogli is the Fignon of the new millennium, but the difference between them is that Fignon did manage to win the Tour twice before his unforgettable Champs-Elyses heartbreak. Yes, Roglis time-trial win atop the Monte Lussari at the 2023 Giro helped to score some good karma and gain him a degree of redemption for his Tour failure against the clock three years before the kind of redemption Fignon would never achieve but that was at the Giro. The fact remains that Roglis impact on the Tour has been punctuated by more troughs than peaks.That said, Rogli has had an impact on the Grand Boucle. The Slovenian helped birth the Jumbo-Visma megatron in the early 2020s, and played his part in teammate Vingegaards remarkable win on the Col du Granon in 2022. Its easy to forget the pivotal role Rogli played in shaping the Dutch teams regeneration given that it was Vingegaard who took all the glory (at the Tour, anyway). In truth, now that Rogli has left the Visma parade, the whole thing almost feels like a more distant moment in time. Even the idea of Rogli winning another Tour stage is starting to become alien.A victim of timingDario Belingheri/Getty ImagesHas Roglis time come and gone? Is he a victim of the wonderkid epidemic in cycling? Is he now too old to win the Tour? These are all valid questions that all relate to the current climate in pro cycling.Tadej Pogaar and Jonas Vingegaard currently have an iron fist grip on the top two places at the Tour, while Pogaar and Remco Evenepoel have taken their hand to the Classics in more emphatic fashion than the former ski jumper, who not long ago was himself considered a cycling Jack of all Trades.Yet when you consider that Roglis rise came at a time when the Team Sky train was still dominating, the likes of Vincenzo Nibali was at the top of his game and Alejandro Valverde was the poster boy for the Vuelta. hes actually had little time to stand out. And you could argue that the year when he looked his best, 2020, the pandemic squashed the season and added footnotes to some of his most impressive performances.If Rogli was ten years older or maybe ten years younger hed likely build an even sparklier palmars than he has. Even his status as Slovenias cycling flagbearer has been totally eclipsed by the younger Pogaar. Where Rogli could have hoovered up another Lige-Bastogne-Lige title or an Il Lombardia trophy at the very least his younger colleague Pogaar has been there to spoil the party.The cult of personalityA.S.O./Billy CeustersWhat I found interesting when covering the Tour of Slovenia a couple of years back was how Rogli was seemingly more popular than Pogaar in their native land. This might have changed now that Pogaar has won a third Tour and started winning Classics for fun, but it was hard to avoid Roglis face on banking billboards and the hordes of people wearing shirts from his own clothing line. Even outside of Slovenia, I used to live above a Swapfiets that had a Rogli plastered all over the shop windows. Even now, we get promo videos of Rogli showering in a Hansgrohe bathroom and he was snapped sipping on Red Bull as part of his new teams pre-Tour promotional material. Regardless of his lack of Tour trophies, Rogli has become a face of cycling that reverberates much deeper than his presence on the results sheet suggests it should.The story of how he turned from ski jumping to cycling is unique, and sets him apart from Vingegaard and Pogaar. On top of this, he has an established clothing line in Slovenia and his wife Lora has 20,000 Instagram followers, a book and a foundation set up around the Rogli family name.Hes also become a great example of pro cycling media training. Criticised over his robotic post-race interviews at the 2019 Giro, Rogli is now a goldmine of one-liners and quips when on the mic after a big race. No risk, no glory, eh? has become one of cyclings few catchlines in a peloton that lacks character and personality. This too is changing, mind: Pogaar is a personality cut out of the TikTok generation, Evenepoel is known for his outspoken remarks (plus hes a Pizza Hut brand ambassador in Belgium). Even in this respect, its getting harder for Rogli to stand out against the other titans of the current pro peloton.The bigger pictureChris AuldIt might sound pretentious, but Roglis legacy might be more tied to what he represents, rather than the reality of his results. He changed the definition of what it meant to be a GC rider in the modern age, tapping into one-day racing alongside stage races and harvesting stage wins for fun. Chris Froome and Alberto Contador never won a Monument, after all, and they certainly didnt win anywhere as near as many A-list stage races as the Slovenian. And we cant forget that we have Rogli to thank for Jumbo-Vismas full transition into a GC victory battery farm.In winning the 2023 Giro, Rogli managed to grow beyond the title of Vuelta merchant, while his five Grand Tour wins overall have seen him long discard the mantle of one-Tour wonder. However, a Tour win really is necessary to place Rogli in the ring of cycling greats. If you think of the sports pantheon of all-time GC greats, its unlikely to feature anyone who didnt win the Tour.His chances dont look great, however. Red Bull-Bora-Hangrohe are edging in on signing Evenepoel, it seems, as part of the German teams ambitions to become cyclings freshest super-team. Outside of his own team, Pogaar and Vingegaard arent slowing down in their quest to win more Tour titles, and are both now in their mid- to late-20s, the conventional peak for Grand Tour racing. Rogli will be 35 at the start of next years Tour de France.This isRogli were talking about, though. He has spent his career doing things differently to everyone else, whether its losing a Tour everyone thought he would win on a cataclysmic off-day on La Planche, or achieving his redemption at the Giro despite a mechanical problem that threatened to see the nightmare repeat itself. If he does come back to win the Tour, it could possibly be the most PrimoRogli thing to ever happen.The post Opinion: What is PrimoRoglis legacy? appeared first on Cyclist.

CyclistPro Log: Lorena Wiebes and Tim Merlier win European Road Race titles, Tadej Pogaar and Michael Matthews victorious in CanadaWelcome back to another edition of Pro Log. The European Championships week has come to an end, resulting in new jerseys for several riders including the Netherlands Lorena Wiebes and Tim Merlier of Belgium in the elite road races. Time-trial victories went to Belgiums Lotte Kopecky and Italys Edoardo Affini, and Affini picked up a second jersey by being part of the winning Italian team in the mixed relay, alongside Mattia Cattaneo, Elena Cecchini, Vittoria Guazzini, Mirco Maestri and Gaia Masetti.Lorena Wiebes sprints to second European jerseyUEC - Limburg2024The elite womens 162km road race came down to a sprint finish between the Netherlands, Poland, Italy and France. But once Dutchwoman Lorena Wiebes got her head in the wind, there was no stopping her.Launching her sprint in the final 200m, Wiebes catapulted to the front and remained there with an unmatchable power. Since the modern revamp of the European Championships in 2016, she is the only woman to double up after previously winning in 2022. Italys Elisa Balsamo finished second with Polands Daria Pikulik in third.Belgiums Lotte Kopecky won the elite womens time-trial, ending the three-year reign of Switzerlands Marlen Reusser. Kopecky beat the Netherlands Ellen van Dijk by 44 seconds. Related Posts Flashback Friday: The first unified, multi-sport European Championships in 2018 Limburg, home of the 2024 European Championships and cycling in Flanders Tim Merlier comes out on topTeam Visma-Lease a BikeThe elite mens road race would also come down to a sprint finish after 222.8km of racing. Many countries were well represented in the final kilometre, with Belgium, France and Italy swarming at the front. Belgium had two cards to play in Tim Merlier and Jasper Philipsen.Both contested the sprint but it was Merlier who would prevail, with Olav Kooij (Netherlands) in second and Madis Mihkels (Estonia) in third. Philipsen finished just off the podium in fourth, followed by Alexsander Kristoff (Norway) and Mads Pedersen (Denmark).Italys Edoardo Affini would win the mens elite time-trial by 10 seconds ahead of Switzerlands Stefan Kng.Tadej Pogaar launches successful breakaway in Montral'This is what the crowd came here to see.'Crowd-pleaser Tadej Pogacar has plenty of time to celebrate in the closing stretches after attacking with 23km to go and dropping the field #GPCQM | @TeamEmiratesUAE | @TamauPogi pic.twitter.com/nCbZmxm9o4 Eurosport (@eurosport) September 15, 2024 UAE Team Emirates Tadej Pogaar showed just how fine a form hes in ahead of the World Championships in Zurich after launching a solo attack to win the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montral. He attacked on the Cte Camilien-Houde on the penultimate lap and had time to celebrate at the finish, high-fiving fans before crossing the line.Pello Bilbao of Bahrain Victorious finished second, 24 seconds behind, with Julian Alaphilippe of Soudal-QuickStep prevailing in the bunch sprint for the final spot on the podium.Michael Matthews makes it three at GP QubecSprint CyclingJayco-AlUlas Michael Matthews sprinted to his third win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Qubecahead of Biniam Girmay (IntermarchWanty) and Rudy Molard (Groupama-FDJ). It now puts him above Peter Sagan and Simon Gerrans for most victories in the race, with his previous successes in the event coming in 2018 and 2019.Matthews dedicated the win to his late grandmother, saying, Two days ago here in Quebec, I watched her funeral live. This gave me extra motivation and makes this victory so special. I wanted it so much. If I didnt win then what was the point in being so far away from my family during this difficult time?See you next week.The post Pro Log: Lorena Wiebes and Tim Merlier win European Road Race titles, Tadej Pogaar and Michael Matthews victorious in Canada appeared first on Cyclist.

Spain has decided to bring all of its current top stars to compete against Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogacar, Primoz Roglic and more at the 2024 World Championships in Zurich. They have plenty climbers to fight for the rainbow jersey that is very much a possibility for an in-form team.The selecti...

The route of the 2025 Tour de France will be presented in just over a month on the 29th of October. In most years, most rumours are already known by this time; but there has been more secrecy and privacy when it comes to avoiding information from coming out. Here is what we do however know about nex...

Following last weeks updated carbon fiber version, the new absoluteBLACK HOLLOWcase Titanium is an extremely limited edition model intended for the most exquisite custom bikes.Thats not our qualifier, its theirs theyll only sell it to people with bespoke bikes that absoluteBLACK deems worthy of such art. MSRP is 989 / 839 / $1099, and you need to submit a photo of your bike along with an application to purchase.Still interested? Heres the detailsIt uses the same full ceramic bearings (balls and race are full ceramic, no metal at all), and it has their rubber silencing rings on the upper guide pulley to reduce chain noise by up to 5db.It also keeps the single-side Mono Cage design, but this ones made with titanium. Bucking trends, its not 3D-printed, its forged from 6/4 titanium and given a PVD finish to protect the metal. Pulley wheels are a polymer composite, and lockrings and pulley hardware are 7075 aluminum. Claimed weight is 77.5g, and it fits up to a 34-tooth cassette cog.Available with rainbow, black, titanium (color), red, and gold anodized lower lock rings. Tooth counts are 12 (upper) and 18 (lower).absoluteBLACK.ccThe post Are Your Worthy of the absoluteBLACK HOLLOWcage Titanium? appeared first on Bikerumor.