The two-time British champion and TNT Sports pundit chats to the road.cc Podcast about the pressure that comes with Onleys big money move to Ineos, and explores the dog eat dog world of promoting smaller races

ASOs decision to award a Tour de France 2026 wildcard to Caja Rural instead of Unibet ROSE Rockets has been labelled a serious sporting error, with Danish cycling expert Emil Axelgaard arguing that the choice cannot be defended on performance grounds. Speaking to TV2, Axelgaard described the wildca...

Wout van Aert was a great part of Simon Yates' final season in the peloton, however the two have now split apart as the Briton announced his retirement earlier this month before the team's second training camp. Van Aert responds to the question of why retirements for top riders have become more norm...

For some, winter is the time to step out of ones comfort zone. Its far enough from the meat of the season, try new things, start some good habits, or go far off the deep end with feats of strength.(Welcome to the future Photo/Dicky)Some of my riding friends used this time to explore the technical side of riding. Take my buddy Dicky, for example (pictured above), he used the fall/winter to build and bridge up to the pointy end of the 32 mountain bike conversation.(Jeff at 762 miles, slightly cracked and slightly happy after ParisBrestParis in 2023. Photo/Koontz)My buddy Jeff, on the other hand he went for the full feats of strength (a Festivus tradition for those who observe). Jeff challenged himself to see how long he could ride on the roller over a 24-hour period. Its a wild idea, and not for those with a weak backside. However, Jeff didnt do this just for the press and punishment. His underlying motivation was a ride to push him further toward his big event of this season, theRace Across America (RAAM).I sat down with him for an interview to gain insight, see what he was thinking, and find out whats next. (Mid effort, with a crowd of his Visit PGH mates cheering him on. Photo/Koontz)BikeRumor: First question, and most importantly WHY?!Jeff Koontz: I love crazy ideas, and having registered for RAAM (itself a crazy idea), I needed opportunities between now and June to test fueling strategies. My body can handle whatever fueling strategy I throw at it for six hours, but beyond 10 or 12 hours, it starts to struggle to get the right fuel into the system. With that in mindand Pittsburgh January weatherI came up with the roller challenge.BR: Why rollers and not one of the many super-cool and highly enjoyable smart trainers?JK: Ive been bike racing and training since 1995, and Ive always trained on rollers. Even with the great smart trainers out there today, Ive always just paired my power meter and heart rate monitor to Zwift and ridden on the rollers. Over that 30-year period, Im on just my second set of Kreitlers.(Koontz rolling fast at the 24-hour TT Championships. Photo/Koontz)BR: What was the longest ride youd completed before this effort?JK: The longest was ParisBrestParis in 2023 at 762 miles (on rollers, it was the PRL Full).BR: Did you train specifically for this ride? Did you have a mileage goal as well as a time goal?JK: Ive been on a structured training plan with my coach, Josh Friedman (ATP Race Consulting), for quite a while. Since the end of the road season, weve been building toward RAAM. The goal was mileage in 24 hours, with an original target of 717 miles (spoiler alert: nope), measured at the wheelnot Zwift miles. That number came from two historical 24-hour roller rides from 1975, the only records I could find. The first was 687 miles, set by Olympian Jack Simes, whom I had the pleasure of messaging with before and after the challenge.(Koontz rig, pre roller-rampage. Photo/Koontz)BR: Walk us through your equipment choices. Were these all selected specifically for this effort?JK: I put tri bars on my road bikea BMC Teammachine R-01because my hands cant tolerate drop bars for that long, and a TT bike wouldve been brutal for 24 hours. In testing, my 54/40 chainrings were a little light, so I swapped in my TT bikes 58/44 crankset. I also ran my TT wheelset: a Princeton Blur Disc rear wheel and a Mach 7580 front wheel, with Corsa Pro Speed tires and latex tubes at about 120 psi. I used 3 Kreitler alloy rollers, disconnecting the flywheel and headwind fan to spin as freely as possible. In December testing, I could hold 32 mph at about 170 watts and thought that, with good fueling and limited downtime, 717 miles was possible. On ride day, though, 32 mph took closer to 210 watts. Trying to stay in the 3235 mph range early on proved unsustainable, and it wasnt until about 12 hours in that I fully accepted my fate. I think the record may have been doable on 4.5 rollers, but thats not what I hadand I dont see a do-over in my future.(Photo/Koontz)BR: How did you fuel for this? I noticed the Hydropakwalk us through the plan.JK: My wife was home for much of it, but I didnt want to ask her to stay up for 24 hours, and I wanted to minimize the number of bottle fillings. The Hydropak was always plain water. The front 750ml bottle was a double-strength NeverSecond carb mix to reduce liquid intake and bloating, and the rear 750ml bottle was pure, unflavored maltodextrin. Every three hours or so, I took a 500ml recovery drink mixed with coconut milk for protein, some fat, and a big mental break from the mouthfeel. I charted everything in advance so my wife would know when to supply bottles, and overnight, she left a cooler next to the trainer for easy access. I initially targeted 96g of carbs per hour, which proved too aggressive, so I backed off to find the intake rate my gut could tolerate.(Double-checking the stats, and keeping music going. Photo/Koontz)BR: Music, podcasts, movies, bike raceshow did you pass the time?JK: I started with the extended editions of The Lord of the Ringsalmost 12 hours. Then I switched to Game of Thrones from the beginning until about two hours to go, when teammates showed up for the final stretch and an after-party.BR: Chamois cream or none?JK: Yesdefinitely. Assos is my go-to, and Id recommend avoiding anything with strong menthol for an effort like this. A week later, I was peeling like a sunburn, but honestly, Ive had worse, and my backside came through in pretty good shape.BR: Were there dark moments where you questioned the whole thing?JK: Oh yes. Around midnighteight hours in. I started at 4 pm, and when midnight hit, it dawned on me that Id ridden a long time and still had 16 hours to go. That realization hit hard. From there on, I took it one hour at a time, like counting down intervalsexcept the minutes were hours.BR: How long did recovery take?JK: I took two days off the rollers, then was back on themwearing a heat suitthe following Tuesday.(Koontz pre Paris-Brest-Paris. Photo/Koontz)BR: Whats next, and what did this teach you heading into RAAM?JK: Next up is Texas Hell Week in March, capped by the Longhorn 500-mile ultra. After that, Im targeting Crush the Commonwealth (Philly to Pittsburgh), which Ive done before, and possibly a 24-hour TT in May. All of it feeds into RAAM on June 16. The biggest lesson was nutrition. For the power outputs Ill manage over 24 hours, 90g of carbs per hour may be too much. I can get what I need from slightly reduced carbs, combined with fat metabolism, in Zone 2. Forcing too many carbs early created gut setbacks. Training the gut may help, but I think 90g is better for someone doing 250300 normalized for five hours than 190 watts for 24 hours. Ill keep experimenting.BR: Can you share the final data? JK: Yes..Elapsed / Moving Time: 24:00 / 22:18Avg / Normalized Power: 171 / 190Calories Burned: 14,162Load / TSS: 915Miles (measured at the wheel): 628.5Average Speed: 26.2 mphMiles recorded in Zwift (Tempus Fugit): 480.3Average HR: 111 bpmDi2 data showed most time split between 5812 (27%), 5813 (28%), and 5814 (27%), with heavier use of the 5812 early and higher gears later.BR: Any parting words for riders looking to push whats possible?JK: While I put a lot of work into training, theres an equilibrium between pacing and fueling that, if you get it right, lets you ride nearly forever. You also need a solid mental framework for time, distance, and workload. That comes from experienceand the only way to get experience is to try new things. The most rewarding things in life often come from facing fears, especially when the fear of failure is high.The post Interview: Why Did Jeff Ride The Rollers for 24 Hours appeared first on Bikerumor.

CyclistPro cycling winners and losers in January 2026A new season has officially begun, with WorldTour racing kicking off earlier this month at the Tour Down Under and January coming to a close with the AlUla Tour and Mallorca one-day series. Weve had a look at who has got off to a fast start, who needs to go back to square one and who is still in the starting blocksWinnersEF Education-OatlyCon Chronis/Getty ImagesEF Education-Oatly have started 2026 hot. Noemi Reggdefended her title at the womens Tour Down Under after World Champion Magdeleine Vallieres put in a big pull up Corkscrew Road to get her teammateinto prime position, all the Swiss rider then needed to do was beat ah, just the three UAE Team ADQ riders.It ended up being egg on UAEs face as Ruegg would power away in the sprint for the stage and overall victory. The EF party didnt end there in Australia, with Harry Sweeny finishing third overall at the mens Tour Down Under for his first elite stage race podium. The team have also confirmed a contract extension for Tour de France standout Ben Healy, who is now committed to the team through 2029.Read more: Pinky promise: Why this could be the season of EF Education-OatlyDecathlon-CMA CGMCon Chronis/Getty ImagesIt was an incredible display of teamwork as Decathlon-CMA CGM took on a field including Matthew Brennan, Sam Welsford, Ethan Vernon and Danny van Poppel to stamp their authority on the sprint for Stage 1 of the mens Tour Down Under. A well-formed sprint train delivered Tobias Lund Andresen to victory that day and he would go on to podium in three more stages and win the points jersey.Welsford got one on the board too for Ineos Grenadiers in their new era of actually having a sprinter, while Vernon and Brennan also took sprint victories in the race, but none could challenge Lund Andresen for the jersey. Its a great sign for a Decathlon team who have put a big focus on building a proper sprint train over winter.Read more: One down: 5 talking points from the Tour Down UnderCat Ferguson (Movistar)Sprint CyclingMovistars Cat Ferguson started a new season exactly how she left the old one. Winning. She closed 2025 with two consecutive victories at the Vuelta Ciclista Andalucia Elite and Tour de France Prudential Singapore Critrium, and won her first race of 2026 in Spain at Trofeo Llucmajor.Jonathan Milan (Lidl-Trek)A.S.O./Charly LpezIt was set to be a mouth-watering matchup between Jonathan Milan and Soudal-QuickSteps Tim Merlier at the AlUla Tour, but a lingering knee injury forced Merlier off the start list. Milan meanwhile has been sweeping up the sprints with success on Stage 1 and 2, though narrowly missed out to XDS-Astanas Matteo Malucelli on Stage 4.Read more: Assessing the mens sprinting hierarchy in 2026Red Bull-Bora-HansgroheMaximilian Fries / Red Bull Content PoolRemco Evenepoel made his debut for Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe in the Trofeo Ses Salines team time-trial alongside teammates including Florian Lipowitz and Lorenzo Finn. The squad set a time just 4 seconds faster than Movistar to take the win, averaging 59.7km/h over 23.8km.Evenepoel then went 2-for-2 with victory at the Trofeo Serra Tramuntana. Just the ol 50km solo breakaway to stretch the legs at the beginning of the season. Related Posts UCI Cyclocross World Championships 2026 preview One down: 5 talking points from the Tour Down Under We predict every men's WorldTour race in 2026 The 9 most anticipated head-to-heads to look forward to in 2026 LosersUAE Team Emirates XRGUAE Team Emirates XRGNo team has had more bad luck this month than UAE Team Emirates XRG. Things were going great for the squad that broke the wins record last season, finishing Stage 2 of the Tour Down Under with a 1-2 through Jay Vine and JhonatanNarvez. Then it began to speed downhill.Narvez was forced to abandon with severalfractures in his spine, Vegard Stake Laengen sustained a rib injury and Mikkel Bjerg fractured his hand and shoulder in a collision with a kangaroo. SebastinMolanoalso pulled out of the race and it later came to light that even winner Vine was unable to escape unscathed, sustaining a fractured wrist on the final day from the kangaroo incident.Sports director Fabrizio Guidi also became the first person to be suspended through the UCIs yellow card system for a breach of regulations or guidelines concerning vehicle movements during the race or failure to comply with the instructions of commissaires and/or the organisation that occurred on both Stage 2 and Stage 5. Tsk tsk.All this before we get to Jan Christen. The 21-year-old crashed twice on Stage 1 of the AlUla Tour and was hit with a 20-second time penalty for drafting. His behaviour left a sour taste when he was seen unceremoniously grabbing his bike from a pile with two riders lying injured on the ground letting their bikes slam down behind him and then hit another rider on the hip behind a team car to let him through. Not a good look.Finally Davide Stella was one of three riders involved in a nasty 100kmh+ crash at the AlUla Tour, but thankfully at those speeds it couldve been much worse.Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike)A.S.O./Billy CeustersJonas Vingegaard crashed this week during a training ride in Malaga. Fortunately he sustained no serious injuries, but it appears he was being trailed by an amateur at the time. A reminder to everyone that if someone doesnt want you on their wheel, you probably shouldnt keep trying to follow them.Germn Drio Gmez (Polti-VisitMalta)Gonzalo Arroyo MorenoPolti-VisitMaltas Germn Drio Gmez has been provisionally suspended by the UCI after testing positive for Boldenone and one of its metabolites in an out-of-competition sample on 28th December. He has the right to request an analysis of his B sample.The 24-year-old said on social media, Today could be the most complicated of my life as a rider. But in the midst of the total surprise and uncertainty created by a result which does not fit with my mindset as a high-performance athlete, I can only assure you that behaviour, both in and outside racing itself, has always been both exemplary and transparent.If his name sounds familiar, he was the Colombian pictured in tears at the side of the road following a mechanical during the junior mens road race at the 2019 World Championships in Yorkshire.Visma-Lease a Bike Dario Belingheri/Getty ImagesIt was a shock to everyone when Simon Yates announced his sudden retirement ahead of the 2026 season. The reigning Giro dItalia champion hung up his cleats at the age of 33, and the squad suddenly has some big shoes to fill. Theyll be looking to Matteo Jorgenson to fill some of his duties, while hoping British rider Ben Tulett can step up again after a strong 2025 and new signing Davide Piganzoli can deliver on his promise displayed with Polti-VisitMalta.Read more: Simon Yates retiring at the top is the perfect send offUnibet-Rose RocketsCorVosIt was all going so well for Bas Tietemas Unibet-Rose Rockets team. Big new signing Dylan Groenewegen landed from Jayco-AlUla and immediately delivered in his first race, winning the Clssica Comunitat Valenciana 1969, beating Soudal-QuickSteps young phenom Paul Magnier. However it was announced today that the team had not received a Tour de France Wild Card, despite Groenewegen being front and centre at the route presentation.UAE Team ADQCon ChronisFor losing the previously mentioned 3 vs 1.The post Pro cycling winners and losers in January 2026 appeared first on Cyclist.

Tadej Pogacars newly announced sponsorship agreement has come under increased scrutiny following a detailed report outlining past legal and regulatory issues linked to the crypto company he has partnered with. Earlier this week, Pogacar confirmed that he had become a global brand ambassador for cry...

For a rider who had already become a trusted part of the most dominant team in the modern peloton, August 2025 threatened to take away far more than a season. It came close to taking away everything. When Filippo Baroncini hit a wall at high speed during the Tour de Pologne, the consequences were im...

Having enjoyed an incredible trajectory since turning pro at the start of 2022, Ben Healy is now front and centre of EF Education-EasyPosts drive to find a new title sponsor in its bid to become the worlds biggest cycling team. His positive demeanour, coupled with the manner of his riding, means he has become as []

The fourth round of the Challenge Mallorca is the Trofeo Andratx - Pollena, which is going to be taking place on the 31st of January this year, estimated to start at 12:20CET and finish at 16:05CET. We preview the race ahead. First held in 1997, the Trofeo Pollena has challenged riders with a dem...

The fourth round of the Challenge Mallorca is the Trofeo Andratx - Pollena, which is going to be taking place on the 31st of January this year, estimated to start at 12:20CET and finish at 16:05CET. We take a look at its startlist. First held in 1997, the Trofeo Pollena has challenged riders with...