On the 6th of April the women's peloton takes on one of it's toughest races. The recently-created Paris-Roubaix Femmes has proved to be a great success and this year it should provide a lot of emotion and action once again. We preview the race ahead. The race features 148.5 kilometers, relatively lo...

The British rider won't be lining up at Paris-Roubaix - but here's a glimpse at his cobble ready machine from Omloop

Four bikes made the road.cc Recommends cut in March, along with Shimano 105 12-speed mechanical, a handy workstand from Topeak and plenty of clothing

Cyclist Meet the maker: Tore Juncher Jørgensen of Starfish Bicycles Strava stats, watts per kilo, ultra-high modulus carbon… in the performance-obsessed world of modern road cycling, the simple joy of getting around on two wheels is easily overlooked. That glorious feeling of cruising along under your own steam can get forgotten when there’s a KoM up for grabs. But Tore Juncher Jørgensen of Starfish Bicycles is on a mission to change that. From the Starfish workshop in Vester Skerninge, Denmark, Jørgensen crafts what they term ‘soft bikes for soft people’. These aren’t performance machines built for crushing PBs; they’re designed for fun with an emphasis on comfort, and what they sacrifice in speed they compensate for in character. Related Posts Meet the maker: Fabio Putzolu of Ichnu Cycles Meet the maker: Sami Al-Khayat of Wolken Meet the maker: Enrico Bellé of Bellé ‘I’ve always been riding bikes,’ says Jørgensen. ‘To begin with it was just a means of transportation, but then around 2017 my sister worked in a bike shop and she gave me her old single-speed bike. ‘I was living in Copenhagen, which is the flattest of flat cities so a single-speed bike is perfect for getting around. It was an eye-opening experience for me and I slowly got into the single-speed scene, dabbled in a bit of fixed-gear touring and just enjoyed riding the bike. I do a lot of DIY and I’ve always been interested in learning about whatever I’m working with, so it was natural for me to just start experimenting with the mechanical side of things, which eventually turned into framebuilding.’ Patrik Lundin / Cyclist That’s the path that led Jørgensen to set up Starfish Bicycles. It’s a name they picked for a number of reasons, including their love of animals as well as the starfish’s characteristic softness and gender fluidity. To date, Jørgensen has built a number of weird and wonderful bikes and parts in the Starfish workshop. These include a single-speed MTB, a multi-surface, mile-munching ATB, various racks, forks and even frame bags. But Starfish’s latest creation, and the one Jørgensen chose to show at Bespoked 2023, is their personal mixte-frame randonneuring bike. ‘The idea was to build my take on a rando bike,’ Jørgensen explains. ‘I wanted it to push the limits of softness. It was my goal to find out where that threshold is: at what point does a bike become too soft?’ Patrik Lundin / Cyclist Jørgensen built the frame using Rene Herse x Kaisei tubes. It was the thinnest tubing available at the diameters they wanted, allowing them to make the frame as soft and flexible as possible. They also made the choice to build a mixte frame rather than a traditional double diamond. All mixte up The mixte, for the uninitiated, is a breed of step-through frame that replaces the conventional top tube with a pair of smaller tubes that run all the way down past either side of the rear wheel, meeting the rear dropouts just below the seatstays. This creates a low stepover height that historically made it suitable for all genders. Patrik Lundin / Cyclist ‘I chose the mixte style because it was a fun way to do something different and stand out a bit at Bespoked,’ says Jørgensen. ‘I really like the look and history of it. Today you kind of perceive it as a women’s bike, but the intention of it was to be for mixed genders. ‘In addition to the frame, the stem is also hand-built by me. The headset is an old one by Campagnolo. Sram supplied a lot of the parts, but I wanted to find some components that would contrast with the modern stuff. It had a few scratches and little dents in it, but I just gave it a polish to clean it up. The old Brooks saddle was completely flat when I found it, so I had to soak it in water to restore it. Then I gave it a good clean and put the paracord in to keep it nice and tight.’ What Jørgensen loves most about this particular frame is the subtle details that make it sing. The head tube reinforcements, for example, took many hours to file and perfect. They’re functional but also decorative and they give the frame its personality. ‘I really enjoyed the slowness of hand-filing lots of these little details. It’s a fun contrast to all the big jobs you have to do to make a frame. I love spending just as much time perfecting the details that are purely there for the looks. You have to have the reinforcement, but it could just be a simple ring.’ Patrik Lundin / Cyclist Starfish is taking commissions, but pricing isn’t set in stone as of yet. It’s still relatively early days for the builder with only a handful of completed bikes, so the best thing is to get in touch and talk your idea through. Jørgensen’s plan for the Mixte Rando bike is to make a few tweaks and start racking up the miles in spring when they tackle their first brevet – a style of non-competitive riding that ties in nicely with the brand’s core values. ‘I’ve been inspired by randonneur bikes these past few years, so getting into it was a no-brainer for me. I like that it’s kind of a competition, but it’s also not. There’s something that pushes you but it’s not the desire to be first, and that really resonates with me.’ Starfish Mixte Rando bike • Price TBC • søstjernecykler.dk • This article originally appeared in issue 150 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribe The post Meet the maker: Tore Juncher Jørgensen of Starfish Bicycles appeared first on Cyclist.

Mads Pedersen has had a mixed Classics season so far this year. Victory at Gent Wevelgem was followed by a crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen which meant he was less than 100% for the Tour of Flanders. Now, a week on, can he challenge Mathieu van der Poel for Paris-Roubaix success?Due to him feeling les...

Cyclist Who are the favourites for Paris-Roubaix 2024? The beauty of Paris-Roubaix often lies in its unpredictability, with the dreaded cobblestones always playing a major role in upsetting the expected order of proceedings. In 2024, the men’s race will face the largest stretch of cobbled sectors seen in the last 30 years – 55.7km – with the women’s peloton taking on 29.2km of pavé. Leaving that aside, some haven’t had the easiest ride to the Paris-Roubaix start line this year, crashes and injuries having arrived at an unfortunate time for many of those hoping for glory in the Queen of the Classics. With that said, let’s check out the contenders for this year’s men’s and women’s races… Related Posts The edge of glory: Does history predict a win for Mathieu van der Poel at Paris-Roubaix 2024? How to watch Paris-Roubaix 2024 Where Paris-Roubaix 2024 will be decided, part 1: The Arenberg Forest Paris-Roubaix 2024: Routes, start lists, history and all you need to know Men’s Paris-Roubaix 2024 favourites Pauline Ballet/ASO Mathieu van der Poel Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Deceuninck) is enjoying the form of his life right now. Last weekend, clad in the resplendent rainbow bands of the World Champion’s jersey, he rode away from his competitors on a 45km solo attack to Tour of Flanders glory. In doing so, he notched a record-equalling third win in the Monument, joining Tom Boonen and Johan Museeuw, two riders who also know the trials and tribulations of the Roubaix cobblestones pretty well. We would all have loved to see Van der Poel battle alongside his eternal rival Wout van Aert in Roubaix, but the Visma-Lease a Bike rider will not take to the start line after suffering multiple broken bones in Dwars door Vlaanderen. Van der Poel will still face some stiff competition, however. Jasper Philipsen Alpecin-Deceuninck have a decent 1-2 punch in the form of Van der Poel and Jasper Philipsen, albeit not for too much longer with Philipsen looking set to depart the squad. Winner of Milan San-Remo, Philipsen outlasted all his competitors over the draining 288km, beating Michael Matthews (Jayco-AlUla) and Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) in the sprint finish, and he then went on to win Brugge-De Panne. The chaotic nature of Paris-Roubaix means you have to adapt to the road on the day, and if Van der Poel is detached, Philipsen is there to shine. He finished second to Van der Poel last year, will he go one better in 2024? Stefan Küng Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) is gaining momentum at the right time to be a strong podium contender, finishing third at Dwars door Vlaanderen. When it comes to Paris-Roubaix, he has been consistently there or thereabouts at the Roubaix Velodrome, on the podium in 2022 and fifth last year. Should he make the right moves and utilise his experience on the cobbles to navigate some of the impending chaos, there’s no doubt he will be right up there once more, hoping to lift the cobblestone at the end of the race. Oier Lazkano Oier Lazkano (Movistar) is a man being mentioned more and more as the Classics season progresses. The Spanish national champion seems to possess this unrivalled spirit of ciclismo that has fans rooting for him and causes him to stand out despite his last podium coming at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in February. Lazkano was making moves at the E3 Saxo Bank Classic as well as just last week on the penultimate ascent of the Paterberg at the Tour of Flanders with Van der Poel initially on his wheel. He managed to bridge back when the World Champion left everyone behind. He’ll also have a strong teammate in Iván García Cortina – who had also tried attacking at Flanders, flying ahead only to be halted by the punishing Koppenberg. Lidl-Trek While there’s no doubt the Lidl-Trek team across the men’s and women’s pelotons has been entertaining throughout the Classics, the men’s squad is hindered by injuries sustained in the Dwars door Vlaanderen crash. Jasper Stuyven is out and Mads Pedersen is banged up. Fortunately, the Dane has no broken bones, but it doesn’t feel as though he’s operating on 100%. They still have Jonathan Milan in tow and ‘El Tractor’ Tim Declerq, who is always a trusty man to rely on in these big races. Dark horses There’s also the experienced Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) and his in-form teammate Nils Politt, and keep an eye on Alberto Bettiol (EF Education-EasyPost) too. Also, Ineos Grenadiers’ Josh Tarling, who looks set to lead his team in Hell at just 20. Paris-Roubaix Femmes 2024 favourites Jasper Jacobs/Belga Mag via AFP Marianne Vos Marianne Vos is indeed boss, having reached the dizzying heights of 250 career wins with her victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen last month. With SD Worx-Protime not dominating like usual and Tour of Flanders winner Elisa Longo Borghini (Lidk-Trek) targeting the Ardennes over Roubaix, the door is open – not that she needs it – for a vintage Vos ride and gigantic cobblestone prize in the race on Saturday 6th April. Vos finished second to Lidl-Trek’s Lizzie Deignan in the inaugural edition of Paris-Roubaix Femmes in 2021 and a positive Covid test thwarted her participation in its second year. Last year, Vos placed 10th. If anyone can win over the unpredictable cobbles in 2024, it’s her. Lotte Kopecky Paris-Roubaix Femmes is a Monument that has surprisingly evaded the SD Worx-Protime team for the past three editions. Lotte Kopecky has come out swinging this season, winning the UAE Tour, Strade Bianche, Nokere Koerse and racing to second place at Trofeo Alfredo Binda. Kopecky is a phenomenally strong rider who excels in these punishing conditions and named Paris-Roubaix Femmes and the Olympics as her main goals this season. Who would put it past her? Lorena Wiebes Kopecky is joined by teammate Lorena Wiebes who has been sniffing out wins wherever possible this season – including Ronde van Drenthe, Gent-Wevelgem and the recent Scheldeprijs, of which she is the only winner in the race’s four-year history. Should she make the decisive group in the velodrome, her power will no doubt help propel her to the line. Elisa Balsamo Lidl-Trek has been the dominating team at this race, winning back-to-back editions with Lizzie Deignan and Longo Borghini. Neither will be racing the 2024 edition, but Elisa Balsamo will. Victorious at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and the Classic Brugge-De Panne last month, Balsamo is one to watch over the 148.5km ride to the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux. She also won’t make the same mistake of being disqualified in 2022 due to a sticky bottle. Dark horses Defending champion Alison Jackson (EF Education-EasyPost) will be looking to repeat her success as the fast women of Charlotte Kool (DSM-firmenich PostNL) and Emma Norsgaard (Movistar) also line up in Denain. Letizia Paternoster (Liv AlUla Jayco) has been building a strong Classics season too, third in Dwars door Vlaanderen and ninth at Flanders. Don’t forget star Chiara Consonni (UAE Team ADQ) either, fierce on the road and on the track, which conveniently, both feature in Paris-Roubaix Femmes. For all the details on this year’s races, check out our full Paris-Roubaix guide The post Who are the favourites for Paris-Roubaix 2024? appeared first on Cyclist.

Itzulia Basque Country is a race that so far has been completely marked by the crashes. The GC fight took place on the opening time-trial, but ever since only a few seconds changed between favourites. Everything is left for the final and brutal queen stage, where the gaps are very close and Mattias...

Cyclist Q36.5 takes the holistic approach to cycling kit Luigi Bergamo had already been in the cycling industry for over 20 years by 2014, and for a decade had been head of research and development, then later vice-CEO, at a Swiss premium clothing brand. It’s safe to say, then, that he’d done pretty well for himself, but he felt it wasn’t enough.  ‘I wanted to bring about something new and express my vision about clothing,’ Bergamo tells us. And so he started Q36.5.  ‘I’m from Bolzano in the Italian Dolomites, and I’d spent 20 years in Switzerland which was super-nice, but I was a little homesick. Like alllove stories, they eventually have to end. In Switzerland I grew up and I learned a lot, but I wanted to do something for myself.’  Given his hands-on experience with the design and production of highly technical clothing, Bergamo quickly found a niche.  ‘Q36.5 was a pioneer in the introduction of woven fabrics,’ he says. ‘In clothing there are two big families when it comes to fabrics, the knitted family and the woven family, and they have different characteristics. Q36.5 ‘The more common of the two is knitted but we believe woven fabrics are really interesting because they can be very thin and yet be more robust and lighter, while having a very tight construction. For autumn and winter clothing, that means you can have a natural membrane without the discomfort, that breathes like normal fabric but with wind protection, and compared to normal fabric it has less weight and absorbs less sweat.’  That emphasis on thermoregulation is where the brand gets its name, the Q standing for the Latin word for research – quarerer – and 36.5 denoting the body’s core temperature. However, Bergamo emphasises Q36.5’s approach to fabrics extends beyond temperature: ‘You can make bibshorts lighter but just as strong, for example, with more compression for the legs and better muscle support.’  British cyclists don’t need convincing of how variable weather conditions can be over the course of a single ride, whether at altitude or not. Cycling is unique in that it demands you consistently adapt to changing weather, as opposed to running, for example, where your body will normally maintain a fairly constant temperature once you’ve settled in. ‘On the bike, we either need to carry kit for all eventualities or have clothing that can do it all. ‘The objective of thermoregulation is to really create something that is very active and is suitable for different situations,’ Bergamo says. ‘The goal isn’t to make a super-light or super-ventilated jersey but rather one that can react and can protect you whether you’re going up a hill or coming back down.’  Q36.5’s remit extends to shoes too, where the same philosophy of listening to the body applies.  ‘When we started, I was in love with shoes, and was always looking for different types of shoes and studying the approaches of different people. Then when we were designing new bibshorts we were testing pressure on the saddle as part of deciding a new chamois, and we also tested pressure on the feet.  ‘We saw a very interesting relationship between the pressure points on the saddle and on the shoes,’ says Bergamo, ‘so we started doing more testing with different people and shoe types, and saw that when we changed the chamois there was different pressure on the feet, and when we changed something on the shoes, the pressure on the saddle changed. That inspired us to think about all three points of contact together in our product development.’ Q36.5 That shows itself in areas such as Q36.5’s chamois-like footbed and in its work with insole company Solestar, as well as the development of its knitted shoes. ‘It’s quite innovative in the upper. Where normally knitted shoes are more flexible, we added a flap system around the instep that gives them more stability and support.’  Q36.5 has two categories within its kit collection: the Dottore line favours technical woven fabric, is more fitted and is designed with performance in mind; the Gregarius products, on the other hand, feature a mix of fabrics for a more ‘democratic’ fit. And Bergamo aims to make the buying process as holistic as the production.  ‘We want to create a complete outfit to simplify riders’ choice,’ he says. ‘People say, “OK, to go out today in this temperature, what do I need to wear?”, or, “I’m on the gravel bike and want an outfit; what do I need?”, and we’ll create a full outfit that answers their questions.’ While Bergamo retains a close connection to Switzerland, with the brand’s flagship store in Zurich and title sponsorship of Swiss ProTour team Q36.5 Pro Cycling, 99% of Q36.5’s production is in Italy.  ‘Within 350km² we have the source, development and production,’ he says, which not only helps the company’s sustainability, it means Bergamo can stay hands-on and see everything. Which is just how he likes it. • View the full range of Q36.5 cycling clothing The post Q36.5 takes the holistic approach to cycling kit appeared first on Cyclist.

The TV coverage of the mass crash on stage 4 of the Itzulia Basque Country caused quite a stir on social media. With the race neutralised for over 20 minutes, viewers were forced to watch repeats of the crash itself and close up images of riders strewn across the ground and in pain. Whilst for many,...

The 2024 edition of the Rás Tailteann will take place from Wednesday, May 22nd to Sunday, May 26th. This is the 69th edition of the race. This year, the event will kick off from Tullamore, County Offaly in Ireland’s Midlands, where the first stage finish will be in Kilmallock. This will be the first-ever Rás Tailteann stage to finish in the County Limerick town. The 2024 edition will also have finishes in Sneem, County Kerry on the famous ‘Ring of Kerry’, Cahir, County Tipperary which will see the first finish there since 1967 and Kildare Town, County Kildare with the fifth and final stage of the 2024 Rás Tailteann finishing in Bective, County Meath where the race will take in three laps of a 14.1KM spectator-friendly finishing circuit. 784.8KM of Irish roads awaits this year’s entrants with a total of eighteen categorised climbs over the five stages, including two x category one climbs on stages two and four. Sponsor 1 – Rider Numbers – Work Permits Ireland Cairde Rás Tailteann is delighted to announce our first sponsor of the 2024 event: Work Permits Ireland, who are the official sponsor of the rider numbers. Work Permits Ireland was established in 2018 to effectively manage employment permit applications for a variety of industries and clients nationally and internationally. Its dedicated staff has experience processing, managing, and delivering all types of employment permits issued by the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment. Colm Hilliard, director of Work Permits Ireland, is a keen sportsman, involved for many years in Gaelic football as a player, coach and administrator with his club, St. Colmcille’s in East Meath. Colm is “proud to be associated with the Rás, as a good few people from East Meath were involved with this race, particularly the Nulty brothers from Cooperhill and many others.” However, his “friendship and as a work colleague with Louis White, a native of Platin, Drogheda, and a renowned team manager and a motivator ahead of his time in the Rás, is the main reason for this sponsorship.” Louis was a proud and knowledgeable sportsman in every sense of the word. His love for cycling is well-known locally and nationally. Colm expressed that “the fact that we have a stage of the Rás in East Meath this year is very special”. Colm and Work Permits Ireland have sponsored local amateur sports clubs in East Meath and this year decided to make a gesture of sponsorship to the Rás “in support of the great voluntary efforts over the years of very many people, particularly the likes of Ger Campbell”. Ger Campbell, Race Director, expressed his gratitude to Colm and the team at Work Permits Ireland. He added, “Having Colm and Work Permits Ireland join the race as a commercial partner is very special, and we are sure his generosity will help to keep Louis White’s vision for the sport alive.” Picture 1: Work Permits Logo Visiting Team 1 – Team Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli – United Kingdom Cairde Rás Tailteann is delighted to announce our first visiting team of the 2024 event: Team Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli, who return after their debut in the race in 2023. On returning to the event, Team Manager Stuart Reid said, “We return to the Rás after making a very successful debut in 2023, where we came away with two stage wins, the points jersey, the best team overall on GC, and a rider less than 10 seconds off the final general classification podium. After returning from last year’s Rás, we went on to finish 2nd team overall in the British National Road Series and 1st team overall in the British National Circuit Series, including two wins.” When asked about the team’s preparation for this season, Stuart said, “We will return to this year’s Rás after a number of National B road races, in which we have had two wins already, along with the first two rounds of the National Road Series – The East Cleveland Classic and the Lincoln GP, as well as the UCI CiCLE Classic.” Welcoming Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli back to the event, Ger Campbell, Race Director, said, “With a top-five finish and being the highest-placed team in the event, Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli had a stellar debut in the Rás in 2023, and we look forward to seeing them bring their talent to the Irish roads again this year.” PICTURE 2: Team Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli celebrate Matthew Fox’s second consecutive stage win in Castlebar during Rás Tailteann 2023 (Photographer: Lorraine O’Sullivan) Photographer: Caroline Kerley Visiting Team 2 – Foran Cycling Team – United Kingdom Cairde Rás Tailteann is delighted to announce our second visiting team of the 2024 event: Foran Cycling Team, who return after their debut in the race in 2022. Foran Cycling Team (previously Foran CCC) was set up in 2019 by Tom Quaid and Paul Lavelle (Directors of Foran Construction) and has very much been a rider-run team since its inception. In essence, the team is a group of working professionals who strive to race at the highest level alongside their careers, whether that is National Road Series events or overseas stage races. When asked about their hopes for Rás 2024, Tom and Paul said “Last year was a big step up for Foran, and we posed a real GC threat. Sadly, we couldn’t pull it off, but it ignited the desire of our riders to put themself in the best position ahead of selection and this has boosted the strength of the team. After banking even more mileage over winter around full-time jobs, we hope to play a major role in the race, with results on stages and for the overall GC.” With respect to preparation plans, Tom described the hard work that the riders are putting in: “Every Sunday, Foran rides together, rain or shine. Combined with social activities and team camps, this creates a big family feel for the team. During races, this is then leaned on heavily as we all know each other really well and can support each other. Outside of the Foran trip to Tenerife, some riders have gone on other holidays/training camps to escape the London rain and bank some training miles.” Welcoming Foran CT back to the event, Ger Campbell, Race Director, said, “With a top-ten finish in last year’s Rás and some really strong performances, Foran CT are certainly a team to watch at this year’s event.” In concluding his remarks about the first two visiting teams, Ger Campbell spoke about the strong results from Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli and Foran CT riders at last weekend’s Rás Mumhan in County Kerry. Tom Martin (riding for All human/Velo Revolution) finished third, who rode the Rás Tailteann last year with Wheelbase/Cabtech/Castelli and finished 5th overall. One place ahead of Martin was Dom Jackson, who finished Rás Mumhan in the runner-up position after his seventh place finish last year at Rás Tailteann for Foran CCC (now Foran CT).   The post Rás Tailteann 2024 : News appeared first on IrishCyclingNews.com | Irish Cycling News | IrishCycling.