Christophe Laporte has spent a lot of the season working as a domestique in Team Visma | Lease a Bike, but when he got his own freedom he has managed to thrive. At the Olympic Games he rode to the final podium and again in France today, the home rider managed to take a strong win at Paris-Tours unde...

The Gravel World Championships today put forward some of the best riders in the world in off-road sectors. A race that favoured road riders, it was no surprise to see the World Tour riders swarm the front. Florian Vermeersch had proven his worth in the past in such race and did so again today. He fi...

Mathieu van der Poel won the 2024 Men's UCI Gravel World Championships aboard a custom-painted Canyon Grail CFR.2022s inaugural UCI Gravel World Championships ruffled the feathers of die-hard gravel fans when some racers including Van der Poel raced on their road bikes with minimal changes required for the fine gravel that Italy provided.Mathieu van der Poel soloed to victory in Leuven. DAVID PINTENS/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty ImagesHowever, 2024s route was technical enough for gravel bikes to be required, with few opting for road bikes.Speaking to BikeRadar at the start, Van der Poel recognised the tougher terrain: "The course is quite rough in places, particularly through the middle section."Most road pros ported their groupset over from their road setup Liam Cahill / Our MediaHis setup, however, shows how close World Tour racers like to keep their setup to the road bikes they know so well.Van der Poel opted for his standard Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 Di2 groupset, with the only change coming at the chainrings.His usual 54/40t combination was swapped for a smaller 52t outer. Officially, this should be paired with a 36t chainring, but we think it looks more like a 39t.These cranks have seen some miles Liam Cahill / Our MediaThe wheels comprise Dura-Ace hubs laced to unbranded rims. Given the Dutchman typically rides with Shimano wheels, we expect these may be borrowed from Shimanos gravel range to provide a wider internal width.The Terreno Zero was a popular choice on course. Liam Cahill / Our MediaSpeaking of which, Vittorias Terreno Zero was the choice of the day in a 38mm size. These tyres are the slickest in Vittorias gravel range, but with minimal mud on the course, excessive tread wasnt needed.While snapping photos of the bike, Alpecins mechanic told us Van der Poel is not running inserts, and that he never does, instead opting for a relatively high 3.5Bar / 50psi tyre pressure.Such a high pressure seems excessive. However, given the dry conditions, Van der Poel was likely looking for the fastest setup possible.Aero matters, even on gravel Liam Cahill / Our MediaAerodynamics is as much part of the pursuit of speed in gravel as on the road.Van der Poel used a set of Spatz Windsock 2 shoe covers. Naturally, he had a gleaming white pair with branding from sponsor, Zwift.Flared drops mean canted in levers are still in line with the drops, therefore remaining UCI legal Liam Cahill / Our MediaThe front end of the bike showed further chasing of aero savings. Sat on a fully integrated CP0039 cockpit, Van der Poel had his levers canted inwards at quite an angle.The UCIs hood angle rules still apply, but riders can get away with more aggressive-looking setups thanks to modern flared drops.The gorgeous iridescent paint looked different from every angle Liam Cahill / Our MediaWhile there were still riders opting for road bikes at this years event, these choices appeared to be made out of necessity. Though some will remain unhappy until the rainbow bands are awarded to the winner of Unbound Gravel gravel racing's premier event for a rider of Van der Poels calibre and handling skills to choose a gravel bike suggests the UCI has started to design World Championship courses worthy of the 'gravel' name.

Marc Hirschi has won several races this year and he keeps UAE Team Emirates' tally going up constantly. The Swiss rider was victorious at the Coppa Agostoni today, succeeding after a late attack.It was a race that was very fast right from the start and had no slowing down. Lots of splits occured th...

Seth Dunwoody, who was among a group of Irish riders in action across Europe this weekend, took an aggressive approach to La Philippe Gilbert juniors (2.1) stage race in Belgium. The Cannibal B Victorious rider, who was 5th in in the junior TT at the World Championships the week before last, got off to a []The post News Shorts | Dunwoody, Meehan, Corkery, Townsend, Dunbar, OBrien appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

On the 10th of October we have the final Italian classic before Il Lombardia Gran Piemonte is a race that often changes it's route and always brings something new to the table, making it an interesting race to follow every year. We take a look at it's profile.This year we have got a 180-kilometer r...

On the 13th of October we have one of the most special races of the season. The season is almost ending, and we have got the Chrono des Nations, the main time-trial one-day race event (excluding the World, European, National Championships and Olympic Games). We take a look at the profile.It is a ra...

Tadhg Killeen (Kilcullen Cycling Club Murphy Geospacial) and three-time Olympian Robin Seymour (Team Worc) have fought out a very tight battle at the front of the mens race at the opening round of the Cyclocross National Series. However, while that verdict went down to the wire in Belfast this afternoon, the womens race was very []The post Killeen and Seymour battle as Lawless dominates Cross National Series opener appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

Laurens ten Dam has had a whirlwind week, juggling multipleroles in cycling. The 43-year-old from Bedum, Netherlands, raced in the WorldGravel Championships today in Leuven, while also serving as part of thecoaching team for the Dutch national squad at last weekends World Championshiproad race...

QuintenHermans, 29, from Belgium, secured a bronze medal at the Gravel WorldChampionships in Leuven, Belgium, after a hard-fought sprint finish. Hermans,who rides for AlpecinDeceuninck, competed alongside a strong field butultimately finished behind Mathieu van der Poel, who claimed gold after...