Three days, three violent attacks that left (most) of his competition in the dust. It's fair to say Tadej Pogacar came into this Giro d'Italia hungry for victories. His sports director and mentor Joxean Matxin is no less impressed than the rest of the world, however he notes this doesn't surprise hi...

Despite the threat of Tadej Pogacar's attack up in the air, stage three seemed to be lined up for the sprinters. Team dsm-firmenich PostNL was hoping their leader Fabio Jakobsen would prove his worth, but at the end it was the young winner of three Tour of Turkey stages Tobias Lund Andresen who had...

Giulio Pellizzari made an entrance to the big cycling world in 2023, when the still just 20-year-old Italian, among other great results, finished second overall at Tour de l'Avenir, losing only to Mexican wonder Isaac del Toro.Already then, we have heard reports that Pellizzari was in talks with BOR...

A sprint stage with the finish in Andora, not that one, the one four metres above sea level on the Ligurian coast.Merlier earlier: RAIs journalists were on strike for the day but the lack of audio commentary on Italian TV wasnt disastrous given little happened for 98% of the stage. Nobody attacked at the start, even the invited wildcard teams have house sprinters to back.The bunch let the sprinters contest the intermediate sprint in Masio only for 30 or so to get a gap and press on, prompting panic in the peloton. But the move was too big to be cohesive, many top sprinters were up ahead but this meant the group was loaded with riders wanting to sprint at the finish but not drive the pace there.With 4km to go Mikkel Honor attacked the regrouped bunch on the climb up to Fossano and Tadej Pogaar went with him, then Geraint Thomas too. Soon Honor couldnt hold the wheels on the flat and the two GC contenders were away going past the flamme rouge. So much for Pogaar saving energy but both he and Thomas were in the right place thanks to their teams and so why not?In the sprint Tim Merlier switched trains from the left to the right of the road and this was probably the winning move, he jumped onto the right wagon and while others led out, including Tobias Lund Andresen and Jonathan Milan both from a very long way out. Merlier was able to make his final sprint later and was half a wheel ahead on the line.The Route: 190km and if the profile looks pointy goes beyond 1,000m above sea level its still a gentle stage. Acqui Terme has a Latin name that means thermal waters and is still known 2,000 years later for its gushing boiling spring.Its into the hills but for the most part via the main road and alongside a railway line, its all gradual climbing. The defining feature of the Colle del Melogno is the fort at the top and the way the road rides through it.The Finish: another day, another 1.5km climb at 5% with 3km to go. This time its around the Capo Mele, the easiest of the three capes that feature on the coastal road to Sanremo. One difference today is the climb doesnt have the same bends to help string out the bunch; another is that its downhill into town, all on the Via Aurelia road.The Contenders: yesterdays sprint can help hone todays picks but only so far, its hard to extrapolate too much from one outcome. Still Tim Merlier passed the climbing test yesterday, likewise Jonathan Milan. While Olav Kooij was in the mix as was Tobias Lund Andresen but team mate Fabio Jakobsen wasnt.Milan, Kooij, MerlierTLA, Girmay, VernonWeather: cloudy and rainy at times inland with 13C, then warmer temperatures, sunshine and a tailwind on the coast.TV: KM0 is at 12.35pm CEST and the finish is forecast for 5.15pm CEST. Tune in for the sprint finish.Postcard from Cairo MontenotteText from the Giro describes todays stage, writing the gentle ascent of the Val Bormida leads through charming towns and villages. True but todays route passes through Cairo Montenotte in the same valley. Once a village amid a large plain used for farming, in the early 20th century it was quickly transformed into an industrial base with a giant coking plant and large chemical works.With no coal or iron underground, what happened? They built the worlds longest ropeway in 1912 to take coal from the port of Savona, traversing the mountains for 17km. Today the tall pylons rust while cables and buckets dangle idly in the air surrounded by birdsong and babbling rivers. If the improbable supply of coal from the sky supplied Cairo with raw materials problem is that most of the activity, including the cables, has stopped today. The coke plant, Italys last, still works but only a few hundred workers are employed. Much of the land and buildings around it lie derelict. This isnt in the guidebooks.No more so than with nearby Ferrania, a company that made photographic film and cameras. Its not one building but a complex of factories, offices and even apartment blocks for workers. You might imagine a gradual story of decline, think Kodak faced with digital cameras and smartphones. Only here things seemed to have halted one day in the mid-1990s.The factory gates have a sign saying biciclette a mano (cyclists dismount), ok. Peek into the office by the factory turnstiles and cards are waiting for workers to punch. Push and the heavy door opens. A file rests on a reception desk, perhaps with the days appointments. Dusty sofas opposite allow guests to wait for a manager who will never show up.If a picture is worth a thousand words then local photographer Samuele Silva has visited, documented the site with plenty of pictures and written up more of the history at samuelesilva.net where youll get the vibe.There are some broken windows and kids have got in and left their marks but this is place where time has been frozen from one day to the next. The electricity is cut but you half expect an TV to be flickering as Jan Svorada and Fabio Baldato contest an intermediate sprint in the 1994 Giro. While the Giro speeds toward the coast today, something stopped in Ferrania.The post Giro Stage 4 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

While Thymen Arensman has already quite significant portion of time in the opening two stages of the Giro d'Italia, another Dutch-speaker Cian Uijtdebroeks was seen up the front and still in the mix for final podium. In Kop over Kop podcast, the differences between the two are discussed, among other...

While it's clear Demi Vollering won't write the next chapter in her career with SD Worx - Protime from 2025 onwards, it's still unclear where the recent Vuelta Femenina champion will head to. Some media favor the French team FDJ - Suez with rising star vita Muzic.However UCI forbids teams to announ...

Chris King has always been about making the most precise components its right there in the name. Their hubs are works of art, with their patented RingDrive system buzzing away as you coast. But that RingDrive precision came at a cost, namely a more complex service procedure and costly driveshell replacements. Chris King had already phased out their needle-bearing design of the RingDrive system in 2019. Moving from that to a twin-bearing system reduced drag by more than 20% and made for a system that was lighter and easier to manufacture. The issue was that adapting the current hub design to the current twin-bearing system required multiple axle and internal driver body variations. Now with the Gen 4 hubs, that all changes. Previous iterations of our hubs needed to balance compatibility with evolving external technologies, like the SRAM and Shimano drive systems, with our patented internals and bearings. With those core systems having stabilized, it gave us an opportunity to rethink what was going on inside our hubs, and so we took the chance to simplify things for our riders and streamline manufacturing.For Gen 4 we undertook a holistic development process for each of the three hub products Boost CenterLock/6-Bolt, R45D, and R45, collapsing the specs into a design that allows for a universal axle and internal parts. In previous generations, we chased specs that led us to different bearing sizes, etc. Gen 4s universal parts have allowed us to streamline manufacturing, and as a result, helped us reduce hub prices AND the cost of the small parts long-term riders will want for hub service and upgrades.King Sales Manager Greg HudsonNotably, Chris King points out that this is not a performance-based evolution. Essentially, the hubs now use universal parts which allow King to offer drive system conversion kits for just $80 (for hubs that are already converted to or sold as Gen 4). Compare that to their previous conversion kits which were up to $380 in 2023. Better yet, the Gen 4 system is backward compatible with previous King hubs, so you can convert your existing hub to Gen 4 though these conversion kits are more expensive. Moving forward, Gen 4 R45D and Boost 6-Bolt conversion kits are priced at $275, which includes the axle, adjusting clamp, bearings, and driveshell. Similarly, Boost CenterLock conversion kits are priced at $250, inclusive of the axle, bearings, and driveshell.At the time of writing, prices for new Gen 4 hubs werent available, though we know that driveshell conversion kits for new hubs should run $80 since you only need to change out the driveshell. Chris King says that Gen 4 hubs are now shipping and are being built into their complete wheels. Specific improvements with Gen 4 include:Brand new driver/axle systemImproved compatibility/ease of changing Driveshell typesLower-priced conversion kitsBetter XDR user experience with threaded Driveshell end capEasier assembly and disassembly (no axle wedge)Simpler preload adjustment (no spacer spring to compress)More versatility due to universal axle and internal partsMore cross-compatibility due to common bearing sizesBackward compatibility with previous generations of King hubsGen 4 R45D hubs utilize an updated adjusting clamp that allows for disc removal without the need to remove the adjusting clamp.chrisking.comThe post Chris King Gen 4 Hubs Get Universal Parts, Swapping Driveshells Now Easier & Cheaper appeared first on Bikerumor.