On the 12th of October the cycling peloton tackles the final monument of the season: Il Lombardia. The queen of the Italian autumn classics is the monument for the climbers and every years features an exciting route packed with iconic climbs. Here's where and when to watch it.Estimated time of depa...

CyclistOpinion: How to fix the Gravel Worlds teething issuesThis weekend saw another edition of the UCIs latest blue riband event, the UCI Gravel World Championships. The elite events saw the Dutch dominate, with Mathieu van der Poel and Marianne Vos adding a gravel world title to their existing mountain bike, cyclocross and world titles.The third iteration of the championships, held in Belgium, was heralded as a success by many, with even more eyes watching gravel racing than ever before. Despite a lack of live UK broadcasting, the race still managed to court headlines, mainly due to the A-list road star winners as well as disgruntled vox-pops from gravel specialists who are still frustrated with the championships format.This begs the question: how can we possibly improve the UCI Gravel World Championships for the years to come? Whats broken and what needs to change for the event to grow at an equal pace to cyclings gravel scene?Gravel sector quotasJames YorkThere is much talk every year surrounding the route of gravels new prestige race. Is there enough gravel? Is there too much gravel? Its a hard balancing act for organisers. However, the route designers rarely share the actual percentage of gravel on the World Championships parcours.With the race dictated by its niche surface type, the Gravel Worlds needs to stay true to its name. Thats a given. To silence all these debates about the amount of gravel included, the UCI should ask gravel riders to decide on a baseline quota for this top-level race. Then, we can finally stop arguing about whether the race is truly gravel or not.A 60% gravel/non-gravel ratio seems to be the lucky number. The past two editions have been near this figure and were met with relatively positive responses. If we have this baseline, it will give route designers clear-cut criteria to work with backed up by the UCI rulebook, rather than local organisers having to decide for themselves.Put an end to wildcards for road ridersThe current UCI qualification process allows a quota of wildcard entries for non-gravel riders to participate in the disciplines World Championships. These are usually handed out to riders from the WorldTour road scene, cyclocross or mountain bike spheres.Wildcard entrant Lotte Kopecky, the silver medallist in the womens race, even outlined last week that she had never raced on gravel before. It doesnt do the whole gravel scene any favours having a rider jump into a new discipline and immediately land on the podium at the most competitive gravel event in the world. Its ludicrous.I understand that having these top-flight names helps bring new eyes to the relatively new addition to the UCI calendar. This name recognition also helps to leverage TV rights and mass media coverage for this fairly underground scene. On the other hand, it does feel a bit silly that road riders can be parachuted into these races and defeat riders who spend all year embedded in the gravel circuit. Heres one solution: eradicate the wildcard selection. Instead, WorldTour road riders, like the gravel specialists, have to race at least one UCI Gravel Series event or national championship. If they reach the top 20% of race finishers, their entry to the UCI Gravel World Championships is guaranteed just like any other rider in the pack. Its not particularly egalitarian if a non-gravel rider is able to bypass the usual qualification standards only to steal the rainbow jersey come October. If anything, the current system undermines gravel specialists who get sidelined in favour of glitzy names from the Tour de France who dont participate in any other gravel races.Making sure non-gravel specialists race even just one gravel event prior to the Worlds could help avoid the farcical cameos that have dominated the event in the past three editions. To date, no gravel specialist has made the podium of an elite Gravel Worlds race since the events inception in 2022. Even if these roadies dabble in gravel just once, it at least provides some legitimacy to their World Championships ticket. Related Posts Pro Log: Double Dutch delight at Gravel Worlds; Tadej Pogaar wins first race in rainbow jersey UCI Gravel World Championships 2024 tech gallery: Road, gravel and CX bikes, self-inflating tyres and incredible paintjobs The best photos from the UCI Gravel World Championships 2024 Il Lombardia 2024: Everything you need to know How to solve the issue of teams and countriesJames YorkOther UCI World Championships such as the road and track events revolve around teams and national federations. However, it has been explicitly clear since the inception of the UCI Gravel World Championships that riders are competing as individuals. If grouping riders into national teams isnt supposed to affect the dynamic of the race, then why do it? Why not have riders competing as individual athletes instead?The ambiguity of the current setup came to a head this weekend when Belgiums Jasper Stuyven lamented his compatriots Quinten Hermans and Gianni Vermeersch for working in favour of Dutch Alpecin-Deceuninck trade teammate Van der Poel. Despite wearing the same Belgian national kit, there were fierce disagreements. For the average viewer tuning in, this strange dynamic of trade team cliques and national incohesion detracts from the viewing experience.The rest of the gravel season is raced by riders individually its part of gravel culture. Why blur the lines by introducing the team dynamic? The privateer spirit is at the heart of the gravel scene, so why not replicate that in the disciplines biggest event?Improving the broadcast, importantly with live UK broadcastingPerhaps the distribution of TV rights isnt within the UCIs remit. It is, after all, the TV stations that buy out live race images. That said, the lack of live broadcasting did detract from the event, particularly in the UK.British viewers were left to watch highlights packages on Eurosport after the event. In comparison, Belgian broadcaster Sporza monopolised live viewers as one of the few TV channels showing the race live. Discovery+ didnt even stream the event on digital platforms, instead favouring Giro dellEmilia and Paris-Tours road races over the weekend.Given the lengths the UCI has gone to broadcast the race and send TV motorbikes down these treacherous off-road paths, the race broadcast should be given higher priority as a means of spreading the word about the event and, in turn, the exciting gravel scene, which is rapidly growing across Europe and North America.One solution is to live-stream the race on the UCIs YouTube channel. This already happens for the UCIs Track World Cup, BMX Racing World Cup and even the bodys own gala congress. It may not be the most profitable way to gain new viewers, but it would certainly help to capture some attention from countries outside of the host nation, particularly if they host UCI Gravel Series races, as the UK does.Its not all doom and gloomJames YorkThe UCI Gravel World Championships have shone a spotlight on the discipline. To some purists disdain, the gravel scene has been elevated thanks to the new event. Gravel is no longer at the hipster fringes of cycling. With UCI recognition, gravel has moved closer to taking its place in the upper echelons of cycling alongside cyclocross, track, mountain biking, BMX and road.Despite being a new event, the novelty hasnt worn off. The Gravel Worlds generate traction within cycling circles, capturing the attention of many of those who rarely keep up with other gravel races such as Unbound. With the iconic rainbow jersey on the line in some of the sports most celebrated locations, the Gravel World Championships have been a success for the sport, and for the UCI.Yes, some work needs to be done to improve the event. Some teething errors still remain. Given how gravels rise has happened almost exclusively outside of the UCIs remit, this is understandable. Some rules need ironing out and some adjustments still need to be made, such as to introduce under-23 and junior events like in road and cyclocross. That said, I expect the UCI to work these issues out in time. Remember, Rome wasnt built in a day. Related Posts Pro Log: Double Dutch delight at Gravel Worlds; Tadej Pogaar wins first race in rainbow jersey UCI Gravel World Championships 2024 tech gallery: Road, gravel and CX bikes, self-inflating tyres and incredible paintjobs The best photos from the UCI Gravel World Championships 2024 Il Lombardia 2024: Everything you need to know The post Opinion: How to fix the Gravel Worlds teething issues appeared first on Cyclist.

There was chaos and emotion as the riders refused to race on at Tre Valli Varesine (1.Pro) in Italy today. The peloton protested but also clearly had sympathy for the race organiser as he realised the event was being brought to a halt. The rider protest due to heavy rain and flooding on the []The post Chaos and emotion as riders down tools at Tre Valli Varesine | Video appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

Lapierre has their first carbon gravel bike with the all-new Crosshill CF. In a world of aero-influenced bike design where almost every new bike looks like the next, this Lapierre Crosshill CF stands out with its uniquely curved and shaped rear end. Designed to be a performance-focused platform to slot in between their alloy adventure gravel bike and carbon endurance all-road bike, the new carbon gravel bike has already popped up at UCI Gravel World Championships.But its not just a race bike. Lapierre reinterpreted the open flexing stays of their successful XC race hardtail to create a carbon gravel bike with extra comfort for those extra long rides and multi-day adventures2025 Lapierre Crosshill CF comfort carbon gravel bike(Photos/Lapierre)The unconventional seat cluster with seatstays that bend and curve in multiple directions around the seattube is impossible to ignore. I suspect that the design of the new Lapierre Crosshill CF carbon gravel bike will have both lovers and haters. But the Flexstays concept is hard to argue with in terms of rider comfort the key feature at the heart of this new carbon gravel bike design.By separating the front and rear triangles and giving those extended, bowed seatstays plenty of places to flex, gravel road buzz can be tuned out before it gets to the riders back, making it so you can pedal longer over rougher terrain, without sacrificing sporty performance. Its not a new concept.But this new carbon Lapierre Crosshill CF gravel bike looks to take it to the next level especially targeting endurance and ultra-distance gravel riding & racing.Gravel race-ready(Photo/2024 UCI Bolero Gravel World Championships, Flanders)Designed to work with short-travel gravel suspension forks, the carbon Crosshill CF looks a bit more like an adventure bike. But Amber Kraak raced the new Lapierre Crosshill to a podium spot at the Dutch Gravel Champs a week ago, then a solid 18th place at Gravel Worlds this past weekend. Think about it this way, while almost every other rider was on an aero bike with relatively skinny tires, Kraak was riding a bike with a suspension fork, high-volume tires, and a dropper seatpost. So it still seems to deliver on the performance front, too. Have a look at her racing in the mud at Dutch Nationals here, courtesy of the Royal Dutch Cycling Union.A big part of that is all-new race-ready geometry.Compared to the alloy Crosshill, Lapierre highlights that the new carbon Crosshill CF features:slightly slacker head angle to 71-71.5 for improved stability over rough gravel roadsshorter toptubes & incrementally shorter frame Reach for a more compact fit and comfortable riding positionsteeper seattube angles (1.5-3.5 depending on size) for more efficient pedaling and forward weight balance5mm shorter chainstays (430mm) for more responsive handling without compromising max tire size4-5mm higher bottom bracket for improved cornering clearance and increased manueverabilityadditional XXL size (6 sizes, from XS-XXL)How did they get here?Until now Lapierre only offered the Crosshill as a budget aluminum do-it-all bike from casual gravel to bikepacking. Since 2016, it was their first official gravel bike, but still more of an affordable all-rounder with trekking & commuter roots. If you wanted something lighter and faster, their only option was the carbon Pulsium Allroad with just 32mm tires (and several mms to spare) but not even the SAT elastomer they introduced on the Pulsiums for added comfort & endurance back in 2017.But now with gravel racing getting rougher and more technical, Lapierre took a page out of their mountain bike development to create a more comfortable carbon gravel race bike that still delivered race-ready performance.Whats new?Directly inspired now by their latest ProRace CF carbon XC hardtail, the new carbon gravel Crosshill CF features the same 3D Tubular rear triangle concept. Again, its the same idea weve seen since 2015 on theirXelius&Aircoderoad bikes to dissociate the seatstays from the seat tube to improve their flexibility over a longer length and disperse vibrations and other shocks through the top tube instead of directly to the seat tube.Lapierre says that here on the new carbon gravel bike, the double S-bend seatstay design provides up to 12% more vibration absorption at 40km/h than a conventional carbon frame layout.Tech detailsThe new Lapierre Crosshill CF gravel bike comes in 7 complete builds all sharing the same UD SL carbon frame, although mostly with the rigid carbon fork. But there are 2 adventure-inspired builds, getting 30-40mm travel suspension forks.full UD carbon SL frame & fork, made from standard modulus fibers for greater elasticity and responsivenesslightweight layup optimized for lateral rigidity, responsive ride & increased vertical flexibilityintegrated fully internal cable routing through the headset, but specd with 2-piece adjustable cockpits1x or 2x chainring compatibility, with removable front derailleur mountfull mechanical and electronic shift compatibilityUDH for compatibility with all rear derailleurs, i.e. Transmission-compatible700c x 45mm max tire clearance12mm thru-axles and flat mount disc brakesBB86 PressFit bottom bracketsoft rubber chainstay guard for a quiet ride and frame protectionconventional external seatpost clamp for 27.2mm round seatpost2 conventional sets of bottle cage mounts inside the main triangle, plus 2-bolt toptube bag mount2-bolt cage mount on each fork legfull coverage fender mounts front & rear with removable seatstay bridge bracketUCI-approved for gravel and road racing1000g claimed frame weight (size M, unpainted) & 404g (raw, uncut steerer)complete builds feature gravel-optimized cockpits with semi-integrated routing, alloy stems, and separate riser handlebars with 12 flare to their drops.alloy bars (5.0, 6.0 & 6.0S) get 114mm drop & 12mm rise. aero carbon bars (7.0, 8.0 & 8.0 S) get deeper 122mm drop but higher 20mm higher rise for a broader position range 2024 Lapierre Crosshill Pricing & optionsCrosshill CF 5.0Complete carbon gravel bike builds start at 2800 for the Crosshill CF 5.0 with a Shimano GRX 212 drivetrain and house-brand alloy wheels. Or 3200 for the Crosshill CF 6.0 with the same GRX drivetrain, but a crankset upgrade and alloy DT Swiss G1800 wheels. Or for 3700 you can get a Crosshill CF 6.0 AXS that upgrades to a SRAM Rival Xplr AXS groupset and higher-spec DT GR1600 alloy wheels.2025 Lapierre Crosshill CF 6.0 SThe real standout in the affordable builds is the banana yellow Lapierre Crosshill CF 6.0 S for just 3500, built with a SRAM Apex Xplr AXS 1x wireless electronic groupset, a 40mm travel SR Suntour GVX32-S gravel suspension fork with remote lockout, and the DT G1800 wheels. This is likely one of the most affordable carbon gravel bikes you will find with a wireless groupset and a suspension fork, although that means its no featherweight at a claimed 10.3kg complete.Crosshill CF 7.0Move up to the Crosshill CF 7.0 at 4200 and you get GRX Di2 2x and the carbon Lapierre riser handlebar, once again back to the full carbon fork and the alloy DT GR1600 wheels, at 9.0kg.Lapierre Crosshill CF 8.0The rigid builds finally top out with the 6000 Crosshill CF 8.0, built up with SRAM Force Xplr AXS, carbon riser handlebar, and carbon DT Swiss GRC1600 wheels, at a claimed 8.7kg.2025 Lapierre Crosshill CF 8.0 SThen, theres one final premium gravel suspension build. The 7000 Lapierre Crosshill CF8.0 S gets a lighter & shorter 30mm travel RockShox Rudy Ultimate suspension fork with lockout, a Force Xplr AXS groupset, the carbon bar, and then those carbon DT GRC1600 wheels.AvailabilityIt may have only just popped up on the racing scene, but all 7 complete bike builds are available now in 6 stock frame sizes (XS-XXL). Hot up your local Lapierre dealer bike shops now.LapierreBikes.comThe post Lapierre Flexes All-New Crosshill CF Carbon Gravel Bike Ready for Adventure or Racing appeared first on Bikerumor.

The great promise of Spanish cycling will make the jump to the World Tour immediately! Pablo Torres will compete in the main team of UAE Team Emirates from the 2025 season on his first professional contract. And what a deal it is!The 18-year-old rider from Madrid has renewed with UAE until 2030, the...

GianniMoscon belongs to those riders in cycling peloton whose reputation preceeds their sporting performances. The 30-year-old was once regarded as one of the brightest talents in the peloton and that is why he was scouted by the Team Sky back in 2016.And while the Italian set off to a great start...

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The Supercombative Rider of the Vuelta a Espaa 2024 has his reward after the brutal final stretch of the season he has done with UAE Team Emirates. Marc Soler has just renewed with the UAE team until 2027.This has been announced by UAE itself in an official statement which also announced the promot...

Taco van der Hoornstruggled with the aftermath of a concussion for a long time, which made it questionable for a long time whether he would still be able to practice as a professional cyclist. That question was answered with a clear yes at Elfstedenrace last month.Things went wrong for Van der Hoor...