It’s Tuesday and Ryan Mallon – still recovering from a tough weekend on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles – is back with more cycling news and views on the live blog

After Josh Tarling broke the record for the youngest-ever rider to race Paris-Roubaix at last year’s edition, his INEOS Grenadiers teammate Andrew August lowered the bar once again at this year’s race, as he broke the Welsh rider’s record by 224 days, as he raced the Hell of the North at the age of...

A clampdown is needed on coach drivers parking on new Dublin cycle path before it becomes the norm, a city councillor has said. Cllr Donna Cooney (Green Party) said that she raised the issue with officials after complaints from members of the public. She said: “These coaches parked on the new Alfie Byrne Road cycleway and removed cones placed there to park illegally with no permission, forcing children and others on bicycles out onto a busy road.” “These pavements are not designed for heavy coaches either, so they can damage Dublin City Council’s public infrastructure,” she said. Officials told Cllr Cooney that the council’s bus section has advised they have not given any permission for these coaches to be parked at the location. So, it’s apparently not the same as when coach parking on the cycleway was previously enabled by a mix of the council, the National Transport Authority and Gardaí before protests by the I Bike Dublin campaign group put a stop to official misuse of the cycle path. Cllr Cooney said that there needs to be enforcement rather than a huge amount of bollards on cycle paths. She added: “I’m concerned that if they are not fined then others will keep parking on the cycleway when there are concerts on in the area.” Officials told her that road markings and signs will be added to the cycle path. These coaches parked on the new Alflie Byrne road cycle way and removed cones placed there to park illegally with no permission. Forcing children and others on bicycles out onto a busy road. These pavements are not designed for heavy coaches either. So they can damage DCC public… pic.twitter.com/4ocAhlahB7— Cllr. Donna Cooney (@donna_cooney1) April 8, 2024

Cyclist Amstel Gold Race 2024: Route, TV guide, start list and all you need to know The cobbled Classics are done, the Ardennes are to come, and the riders are parched: it’s Amstel Gold Race for both men and women on Sunday 14th April. Named because of its sponsorship by beer company Amstel, its winners are rewarded a glass (sometimes massive, sometimes small) of Amstel to celebrate. Taking riders through the Dutch Limburg region, with riders heading out from Maastricht and circling to the nearby Valkenburg, Amstel Gold seeks out the Netherlands’ biggest climbs to get the riders in the mood for the hilly Belgian races to come at La Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège with the headline hill being the Cauberg — a deceiving 1.2km climb at an average gradient of 5.8%. The tough Dutch profile offers the perfect battleground for both the peloton’s best climbers and Classics riders as they gear up for the Ardennes tests in the weeks to come. The men’s reigning champion, Tadej Pogačar, does not have Amstel Gold scheduled into his 2024 programme, but World Champion Mathieu van der Poel will make a welcome return to the race he won in heroic fashion back in 2019. On the women’s side, Demi Vollering, the defending champion, will be on the start line alongside a field of stiff opposition including the evergreen Marianne Vos of Visma-Lease a Bike. Related Posts La Flèche Wallonne: Routes, how to watch, teams and everything you need to know Tour de France Femmes 2024 route announced ft. Alpe d’Huez and a mini Monument Classics power play: Mathieu van der Poel’s incredible Amstel Gold winning power data Cycling spring Classics 2024: Race dates, Monuments, cobbles and live TV guide Amstel Gold Race: Key information Tornatic Cycling Photography Date: Sunday 14th April Start: Maastricht, Netherlands Finish: Valkenburg, Netherlands Distance: 253.6km (men’s); 157.8km (women’s) Live TV coverage: Eurosport, Discovery+ Previous winners: Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates); Demi Vollering (Team SD Worx) Most wins: Jan Raas (five); Debby Mansveld, Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel, Nicole Cooke, Anna van der Breggen, Chantal van den Broek-Blaak, Kasia Niewiadoma, Marianne Vos, Marta Cavalli, Demi Vollering (one) Amstel Gold Race 2024 routes and profiles Women’s parcours The women’s race has increased by a couple of kilometres for 2024, taking the total race length up to 157.8km. The finishing loop will be tackled on three occasions, taking the peloton up Amstel Gold favourites such as the Cauberg, Bemmelerberg and Geulhemmerberg. The approach to the line will be familiar with the final climb of the Cauberg coming at 1.8km to go. That brings the total climbing to 1,724m. Men’s parcours The men’s spaghetti-style route remains unchanged from the course tackled last year. Over four laps, the peloton will enjoy a feast of characteristically short kickers. For the men, the final approach to the line will take the riders on a shorter loop around Valkenburg, avoiding the iconic Cauberg. Amstel That means it’s 253.6km in total with 3,266m of climbing. Amstel Gold Race 2024: How to watch on TV and streaming Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold 2024 races will be available to watch in the UK on Eurosport and Discovery+ for £6.99 per month with the basic package, which includes cycling and all other Eurosport programmes. It will also be shown on the TV channel Eurosport 1 in the UK. If it’s not being shown in your country, you may be able to watch coverage using a VPN – Virtual Private Network – which allows users to mask their IP address and watch geo-blocked content, provided they don’t need to pay for a subscription. This is also helpful for watching paid-for coverage while travelling abroad in countries without access.   One such example is ExpressVPN, which is very well reviewed, helps users to find way to watch cycling without having to pay for broadcasters services, and costs £5.36 per month, with three months free. Other options include NordVPN, Surfshark and Kapersky. Live TV and streaming times All times BST and subject to change by broadcasters. Women’s Eurosport 1: 12:00-13:50GCN+: 12:00-13:30 Men’s Eurosport 1: 13:50-16:15GCN+ and Discovery+: 13:30-16:00 Amstel Gold Race teams and line-ups Jasper Jacobs/Getty Images Women’s provisional start list Data powered by FirstCycling.com Men’s provisional start list Data powered by FirstCycling.com Amstel Gold Race previous winners Luc Claessen/Getty Images 2023: Tadej Pogačar, Demi Vollering2022: Michał Kwiatkowski, Marta Cavalli2021: Wout van Aert (Tom Pidcock); Marianne Vos2020: No race2019: Mathieu van der Poel; Kasia Niewiadoma2018: Michael Valgren; Chantal van den Broek-Blaak2017: Philippe Gilbert; Anna van der Breggen2016: Enrico Gasparotto2015: Michał Kwiatkowski2014: Philippe Gilbert2013: Roman Kreuziger2012: Enrico Gasparotto2011: Philippe Gilbert2010: Philippe Gilbert2009: Sergei Ivanov2008: Damiano Cunego2007: Stefan Schumacher2006: Fränk Schleck2005: Danilo Di Luca2004: Davide Rebellin2003: Alexandre Vinokourov; Nicole Cooke2002: Michele Bartoli; Leontien Zijlaard-van Moorsel2001: Erik Dekker; Debby Mansveld2000: Erik Zabel1999: Michael Boogerd1998: Rolf Järmann1997: Bjarne Riis1996: Stefano Zanini1995: Mauro Gianetti1994: Johan Museeuw1993: Rolf Järmann1992: Olaf Ludwig1991: Frans Maassen1990: Adrie van der Poel1989: Eric Van Lancker1988: Jelle Nijdam1987: Joop Zoetemelk1986: Steven Rooks1985: Gerrie Knetemann1984: Jacques Hanegraaf1983: Phil Anderson1982: Jan Raas1981: Bernard Hinault1980: Jan Raas1979: Jan Raas1978: Jan Raas1977: Jan Raas1976: Freddy Maertens1975: Eddy Merckx1974: Gerrie Knetemann1973: Eddy Merckx1972: Walter Planckaert1971: Frans Verbeeck1970: Georges Pintens1969: Guido Reybrouck1968: Harry Steevens1967: Arie den Hartog1966: Jean Stablinski The post Amstel Gold Race 2024: Route, TV guide, start list and all you need to know appeared first on Cyclist.

The cycling world mourns the loss of Alexey Tsatevich today. The former Russian pro rider, member of Team Katusha, has passed away; the cause is unknown at this time. Tsatevich was at the time of passing only 34 years old. The Russian classics rider turned pro in 2011 with Itera - Katusha, and in 20...

Visma-Lease a Bike rider 'starting to feel a little bit like myself again' after Dwars door Vlaanderen crash

Cyclist Ultimate protection with invisiFRAME With its range of products – from hydrophobic protective coating spray to custom paint protection film (PPF) – invisiFRAME has placed itself at the forefront of bike protection. Since launching over a decade ago, the pioneer of effective, unobtrusive frame protection has grown from a family company operating from a kitchen to a world-leading force offering well over 40,000 custom kits as well as additionally protective sprays and custom decals. The key to its success? Hard work, a trailblazing approach, user experience and lessons learned from other industries already setting the standard. How does it work? Regardless of your budget, your bike itself is almost certainly the most expensive piece of cycling equipment you own. We all know that feeling of wishing our prized possession was wrapped in cotton wool every time we take it out for a blast. But with invisiFRAME there is no need for cotton wool – just a thin, transparent polyurethane film that sticks to your frame like a snug, see-through glove, giving you peace of mind whether you’re tearing down a gravel trail, floating over the cobbles or dodging potholes on your weekend rides. The premium quality film was developed in the automotive industry to protect car paint on high-end sports and race cars. This state-of-the-art paint protection film (PPF) will protect your frame from general wear and tear, gravel debris, scuffs and scratches, abrasions, stone chips, storage and transportation mishaps – just about any damage you could imagine – keeping your bike looking newer for longer. invisiFRAME offers over 40,000 custom kits, universal protection and after-care products for any bike. And if your bike is not included in the 95% coverage, you can send it into invisiFRAME to be specifically measured for a bespoke kit of your own. People are spending more money than ever on bikes and for under £100 you can protect your frame, keep it pristine and maximise its resale value. What’s not to love? Ah, but can I do it at home, you ask? Of course. The kits are meticulously designed so that even the untrained novice can easily apply them at home without difficulty. On the other hand, if you don’t feel confident enough to take the job on yourself, just consult the Find A Fitter section on the invisiFRAME website to locate your closest local fitter. And if there isn’t one, then drop an email to info@invisiframe.co.uk and the team will try to direct you to someone. Inspiration from the automotive industry invisiFRAME is the brainchild of former car painter Lee Regan, who would blow off steam from the demands of his day job by spending his weekends on mountain bike trails. After maxing out his credit card on a new bike, he found himself too afraid of using it for fear of damaging the pristine Yeti frame. It just didn’t make sense throwing it down mountains without any kind of protection. Then came the light bulb moment. Couldn’t he apply the same protective film that he used on high-end sports cars at work? If this world class PPF is good enough for a supercar, wouldn’t it also be the ultimate protection for a bike? So, he went home and designed his own bespoke frame protection kit and invisiFRAME was born. After showing off his design when riding with friends, it wasn’t long before Lee had his first clients. Interest spread through word of mouth until Lee was able to take the plunge and go all-in with invisiFRAME. From kitchen table to industry leader The company has come on a long way since the days of Lee and his wife, a nurse at the NHS, cutting kits at their kitchen table at night while juggling demanding day jobs and bringing up two children. Fast forward 11 years and invisiFRAME is in rude health, with Lee and Vicky both working full-time alongside a team of ten at the head of a growing and game-changing family business. Over the years, invisiFRAME has developed a unique, patented process that allows the team to map every line, contour and angle of a frame to create a kit like no other on the market – one that is truly bespoke to that frame. While other companies have tried to replicate the details in an invisiFRAME kit, they have always missed the mark. This precision and market-leading commitment to quality has recently led to a merger with American company XPEL, the world’s leading manufacturer of PPF. This merger now allows invisiFRAME to produce more kits, deliver to more countries and develop more products than ever before. Varying levels of protection Aside from its full frame protection kits, invisiFRAME offers other products around its cutting-edge PPF. If you don’t fancy going the whole hog with a protective film on your frame, then its Protective Coating spray offers excellent entry-level protection for your bike, while making cleaning easier for any frame type and finish. Developed together with famous UK department store Fenwick’s, this hydrophobic spray can be applied to all surfaces – including painted matte and gloss, anodised, raw carbon and raw metal. The water-based spray contains no harmful petrochemicals and can also be used for all parts on a bike excluding brake levers, grips, pedals and saddle. Crucially, it will not detract from the bike’s appearance in any way – that means no white marks, smearing or greasiness on your prized possession. Here’s where it gets extra special: not only will a single application give you six months of protection, but a single bottle of Protective Coating (100ml; £15) contains enough solution for approximately 15 to 20 applications. To take things to a whole new level of protection, you can use invisiFRAME Protective Coating in tandem with any custom Paint Protection Film. The spray actively bonds to PPF to refresh and enhance protection so that riding in poor weather and on challenging roads or trails no longer needs to hold you back. There is no better option for maximum protection against the elements. Different finishes and custom extras PPF from invisiFRAME is available in both matte and gloss options to match your frame finish. Unfortunately, the surface of anodized frames does not lend itself well to the application of the polyurethane because the coarse texture traps moisture and air under the film. Gloss films can be polished to extend longevity and keep the surface looking slick – meaning all those little scratches from gravel, stones or muddy trails can be polished out. Furthermore, a range of premium custom decals can be printed to order, to provide you with long-lasting, durable and non-fading colour decals. These should always be applied over the PPF kits to assure as smooth a surface as possible for the kit to be applied to. The final word With over a decade of bike industry experience in the tank, invisiFRAME has developed trusted working relations with the world’s top bike brands and independents. This means the company often works under embargo, licence and special permission to create the ultimate bespoke frame protection and colour decals. This allows protection to be available from the moment a frame lands in store, offering you instant customisation on your beloved n+1. • To discover over 40,000 custom kits, universal protection and after-care products for any bike, visit www.invisiframe.co.uk The post Ultimate protection with invisiFRAME appeared first on Cyclist.

The Giro di Abbruzo has filled in a spot this spring that was left available by the demise of the Giro di Sicilia, but is hosting a good field of riders. In the mountains of central Italy, the riders find interesting racing from the 9th to 12th of April. We preview the race ahead. The race starts of...

Bosch SX motor, 165mm of travel, and mixed wheels make for a potent enduro weapon.Mondraker Dune XRMondraker’s new long travel e-bike gets the lightweight Bosch SX motor and battery system, weighs under 20kg, and is claimed …Continue reading »