As its name implies, the North German Plain is not obvious bikepacking territory. In total, you will climb only 700 meters on this excursion from Hamburg, Germanys second-biggest city, into []The post From Hamburg to Heath and Hills appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

The behaviour shown by Aleix Espargar does not reflect the values or standards that govern us as a team, Lidl-Trek, who the Spaniard represents as an ambassador after a brief racing stint last year, said

CyclistPro team history: WiggleMain image: Elisa Longo Borghini holds off Lucinda Brand to win the 2017 Strade BiancheGoing into the final corner of the opening road stage of the 2013 Route de France, Italian rider Giorgia Bronzini was in third place. Despite a number of attempts by riders to escape, it was clear by the time the 122km stage entered its final lap that a reduced-bunch sprint would decide the podium. With 3.5km remaining, Bronzini asked her Wiggle-Honda teammates to go to work for her.Bronzini was a two-time World Champion and one of the worlds premier sprinters. Put her in a good position with 250m to go and the likelihood was that she would deliver victory. And so it was here.I opened my sprint in the last 150m and I won by a bike length, Bronzini said afterwards. I think maybe [Emma] Johansson was a little bit tired because she only had one teammate with her in the final, so she had to work hard to catch so many breaks. That was good for me because I was fresher than her.It wasnt known at the time but a pattern had been set. In a remarkable turn of events Bronzini would go on to win the next five stages, setting a record in womens stage racing with six consecutive stage victories.It was unbelievable because it was a hard race for me as I was working to do something for Linda [Villumsen, team leader] but I think that when all things are positive you have more power, Bronzini said after her sixth straight win. The girls believe in me and give me more power, so we are the strongest team in the race.The next day Villumsen attacked alone on the descent of the Col de Dun, winning the stage by nearly six minutes.Finally a different person won! laughed sports director Simon Cope. Villumsens stage win also secured the overall win, rounding out a quite remarkable race for the Wiggle-Honda team in what was its debut season. Related Posts Pro team history: Solo Pro team history: Bianchi Pro team history: Kas Pro team history: Carpano Launch of a new eraDream Team Professional Cycling (DTPC) is pleased to be able to unveil the British-registered DTPC Honda Pro Cyclings roster for 2013, ran an announcement on the newly launched teams website on 30th November 2012. Alongside Bronzini and Villumsen, the roster included some of Britains strongest riders, including Joanna Rowsell, Laura Trott and Dani King.Founded by Australian rider Rochelle Gilmore, the team soon attracted online retailer Wiggle as title sponsor alongside Honda. The formal launch in January 2013 made clear that one of the goals of the project was to provide a better-funded and more professional setup for elite women riders.Last year there was one incident that reminded me I needed to take this step, Gilmore said at the launch. The team I was with had the athletes travel from Italy to Belgium. I think it took them 13 hours and they arrived after midnight. The next day they were expected to perform at world-class level and unfortunately for them they didnt. I was a hundred per cent convinced the girls were in top form but they were let down by logistical reasons.Kirsten Wild celebrates victory at the 2018 RideLondon Classique Wiggles 143rd and final win.GettyWiggle-Hondas first victory came when Emily Collins won the Omloop van het Hageland one-day race in March. Bronzini then took a series of wins, including a stage at the Giro, before that six-stage haul in France.The team took 22 wins that season to finish fifth in the UCI rankings. Bronzini, who had told Gilmore at the start of the season she hoped to bag ten wins, ended up with 17.Fast forward to 2015 and the team was firmly established in the peloton but had yet to secure a win at World Cup level (the equivalent of the Womens WorldTour today). That changed with the signings of Jolien Dhoore and Elisa Longo Borghini. Dhoore opened the teams World Cup account by winning the 138km Ronde van Drenthe on her birthday after being perfectly steered to the line by her teammates.I just won a World Cup on my birthday. What else is there? Im happy! Dhoore laughed afterwards. We have three cakes and a bottle of wine I think we have enough.We smashed it at Drenthe, Chloe Hosking added later. We like racing together and we all have confidence in each other.The Tour of Flanders was three weeks later; this time it was Longo Borghini who would claim the win. Before the race Bronzini told her to trust her instincts: Just go when you feel like it, Bronzini said. Longo Borghini attacked with more than 30km to go and built a decisive lead.I saw that I got 30-35 seconds immediately, she said afterwards. I think the girls were just looking at me and thinking, Oh, shes crazy, shell never come to the finish line. When I saw I had one minute I thought for sure I will win this race.The team would secure a further two World Cup wins in 2015 Bronzini winning the Tour of Chongming Island and Dhoore claiming the Open de Sude Vrgrda. It meant that Wiggle Honda had won four out of the nine individual World Cup races on the womens calendar in what was by far their most successful season to date.A change of title sponsorship came in 2016 with the sports nutrition company High5 replacing Honda. With the UCI also launching the Womens WorldTour (WWT) in place of the World Cup it was a season of change. Three WWT victories followed, with Hoskings win on the Champs-lyses at La Course, where she powered to the line after a crash-marred final lap, the pick of the bunch.The following year Longo Borghini added Strade Bianche, hitting the top of the Via Santa Caterina climb at the head of a small break before successfully negotiating the rain-slicked cobbles of Sienas Piazza del Campo to win.This is an important win for me because its one of the most beautiful races in the world, the Italian said afterwards. Im very proud to have honoured the race by racing so hard.Sadly, the team folded at the end of the 2018 season having amassed 143 victories over its six seasons, the last coming courtesy of Kirsten Wild at the 2018 RideLondon Classique.The idea of founding a womens cycling team was to make the most professional environment possible, Gilmore said when announcing the closure. It was those moments when I sat back and saw my athletes happy and enjoying their life, living their dreams, comfortable in their environment, just having a laugh over dinner, that really gave me internal happiness.The post Pro team history: Wiggle appeared first on Cyclist.

On the gravel roads outside Siena, Tadej Pogacar was given a rare honour in cycling before the 2026 edition of Strade Bianche. One of the races decisive sterrato sectors has now officially been dedicated to the Slovenian star, marking his remarkable success on the Tuscan white roads. The newly name...

The mountains in the far western corner of North Carolina are home to some of the most extraordinary environments and topography east of the Mississippi River. At their heart lies []The post Qualla Quest appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

In the age of aero, everything is measured for marginal gains, with ultra-endurance athlete Lael Wilcox going as far as testing hairstyles in a search for watt savings. The American racer, who became the first woman to win the Trans Am Bike Race in 2016, spent time in Specializeds wind-tunnel testing facility last week, investigating how aerodynamics could impact her world circumnavigation record attempt. According to a post on Instagram, the racer tested bags, aero bars, outfits and even her hairstyle. It's not the first time Wilcox has circumnavigated the world, after setting the womens record in 2024. Wilcox is looking to beat the record, set by Mark Beaumont, of 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes. To do so, she will need to ride at 15mph for 16 hours a day, or 16mph for 15 hours a day, in order to hit 240 miles per day for 78 days consecutively. Wilcox is taking on one of cycling's longest record attempts. Lael Wilcox / Instagram She says: We are looking to save minutes wherever we can. A mile an hour faster, saves me a whole hour every day. Aerodynamics play a key part in cycle racing. Lael Wilcox / Instagram Sleep is a main concern for Wilcox's attempt, with the post continuing, We have 24 hours in the day and I want to sleep a minimum of 6. Wilcox is yet to brave the shave, but she shared what it might look like. Lael Wilcox / Instagram In her testing, Wilcox reveals that a bun is faster than a ponytail, but says: If I buzzed my hair Id probably save 10 minutes a day not having to wash it, brush it or put it up. And its more aero. Its not the only follicle testing thats happened at the Specialized wind tunnel, with Ben Delaney visiting on behalf of BikeRadar back in 2015 to see if shaved legs would save time. In his testing, he found shaving his legs saved 48 seconds over 40km.

Australian was set to race Paris-Nice on Sunday

For Wout van Aert, the white roads of Tuscany hold some special memories. Four years after his last appearance at Strade Bianche, the Belgian will line up once again in Siena on Saturday, having personally asked for the race to be reintroduced into his programme. Speaking ahead of the race in commen...

Following claims by two local politicians to the contrary, Irish Rail has clarified that new Dart trains planned to enter service on the Northern Line between Drogheda and Dublin, starting in Q2 2027 will add passenger capacity.The claims that the new trains will not add capacity were made by North County Dublin-based TD Grace Bolard (Fine Gael) and a Donabate-based councillor, Cllr Corina Johnston (Labour).At the Oireachtas transport committe last week, Deputy Bolard said The rail carriages that have been ordered are to replace the existing rail carriages, so, albeit, there will be some additional capacity on the train set once deployed, and obviously theyre not going to be deployed until 2027, there has been no increase in the service and there is no proposed increase in the service.Then yesterday Cllr Corina Johnston said: The Dart+ replacement carriages which will begin coming into service next year on this line will not provide any significant capacity increases. According to replies received from Irish Rail, the capacity will increase from 1,258 (currently on 8-car commuter trains) to 1,272 on the new hybrid Dart 10-car trains, an increase in capacity of 14.But not all the current trains are 8-car commuter trains, with Irish Rail confirming to this website that four peak services inbound on the Northern Line are shorter trains. In a Facebook post, Cllr Johnston added: This at a time when planning permissions have already been granted for 1000s of much needed homes along this line with an inadequate public transport system to support our growing communities. Today, Barry Kenny, a spokesperson for Irish Rail, said: Our new Dart trains have been designed based on customer feedback to have a mix of seating and standing capacity as is typical of commuter services.Open gangways on the new Darts, as opposed to interconnecting doors, will assist in capacity. Most significantly, a number of services will see a large increase in capacity, which are currently operated either by four-carriage Commuter railcar trains or seven-carriage Intercity trains, he told this website. He said that the current Northern Line rail service is not running 8-car Commuter trains. In the current morning peak, there are 4-car trains in use 6am Drogheda to Pearse and 9am Drogheda to Connolly, and 7-car Intercity trains are used on the 6.40am Drogheda to Pearse and 6.58am Dundalk to Connolly All of these services will have longer trains mostly replaced by the new Dart trains, and, with the Dundalk train, Kenny explained: While the new Darts wont operate to/from Dundalk, we envisage an 8-carriage Commuter being moved on to this service, as it is far more suited to peak Commuter services, and has much greater capacity.Once the new, longer trains are put in place, the existing trains will also be relocated to other lines. IMAGE: As well as having open gangways in other words, no doors between carriages the overhead displays on the trains will show how crowded each carriage is. Kenny said: On other routes, as 8-carriage Commuter trains currently on Drogheda services are replaced by 10-carriage Darks, we will be able to deploy those on other Commuter routes to increase capacity, and the cascade of Intercity services will enable us to add capacity on Intercity routes also.He also said that the 30 electric-only trains from the first Dart train order will allow Irish Rail to make all Dart services full-length.He added: Thereafter, as infrastructure is delivered under the Dart+ Programme, we will be able to operate more services, and at maximum capacity.Running extra trains on the line will require major infrastructure works under the Dart+ programme. Some works on Dart Coastal North, on the Northern Line, are planned for 2028, but the main works are not planned until 2030. These works will allow for Irish Rail to run extra trains on the Northern Line.Works on Dart+ West, including the Maynooth line, and Dart+ South West, on the Kildare line, are expected to get underway before 2030, with the former advancing first.

Currently, the Spanish brand has four e-bikes in this range, with two Kemen options, the Muga, and the Diem. Considering the model name for the last bike mentioned, it would be fitting that the most recent bike is called the Carpe. (Carpe Diem, get it?)And, it has an unapologetic bend toward urban riding and commuting. The Carpe is fully compatible with Orbeas range of accessories and has some pretty cool features that make urban riding and commuting that much easier.Orbea CarpeOrbea focused its attention on a handful of key aspects when designing the Carpe for urban riding. First is Carpes geometry, which strikes a balance between comfort on long rides and agility.Modern seat tube and head tube angles keep the rider in a comfortable, upright position. A moderate reach and stack height also help keep the rider upright while maintaining a balanced position over the bike, confidence, and control.Knowing that even pavement can be a bit harsh, Orbea designed the Carpe with its Twin Glide Flex seat tube. This double-seat tube design allows a bit of natural flex, absorbing vibrations and small amounts of chatter experienced on urban rides. Combined with the absorbing qualities of a carbon fork, the Orbea thinks the Carpe does a good job of keeping the commute comfortable.And the low/mid step through frame makes getting on and off the Carpe easy.Orbea also ensured that the Carpe would be compatible with its accessory lineup. The bike has multiple mounting points and comes equipped with fenders and a rear rack. A front rack and basket, a larger rear rack, a phone mount, panniers, and other Orbea commuting accessories are compatible.Two models also have lights incorporated into the build. However, one Carpe model is available without accessories for those wanting to travel light.Again, Orbeas goal was to design a bike that made sense for urban riding and commuting. One issue many often run into is limited space, such as storing the bike in an office or an apartment. To slim down the Carpes footprint, Orbea designed it with folding pedals and a folding stem.Carpe DetailsOrbea offers three Carpe builds, all with the same hydroformed 6061 alloy frames. The frames are offered in four sizes (S-XL) and three colors. They equipped all three builds with a Shimano EP600 motor and a 420Wh battery, and Orbea offers a 252Wh range extender.Two of the Carpes see traditional drivetrains, while the highest specd model gets a Gates CDX belt. Opting for a belt over a chain, Orbea also uses a Shimano Nexus 5-speed Di2 hub on the build.Carpe 10 main componentsColor: NickelMotor: Shimano EP600Battery: Orbea internal 420WhDrivetrain: Shimano Nexus Inter-5 Di2Brakes: Shimano MT200Tires: Vittoria RandonneurAccessories: Phone mount, Orbea Rear Rack, fenders, Supernova lights, kickstandPrice: $3,999Carpe 20 main componentsColor: Diamond BlackMotor: Shimano EP600Battery: Orbea internal 420WhDrivetrain: Shimano Cues 9-speedBrakes: Shimano MT200Tires: Vittoria RandonneurAccessories: Phone mount, Orbea Rear Rack, fenders, Supernova lights, kickstandPrice: $3,399Carpe 25 main componentsColor: Mars RedMotor: Shimano EP600Battery: Orbea internal 420WhDrivetrain: Shimano Cues 9-speedBrakes: Shimano MT200Tires: Pirelli Cinturato All Road ClassicAccessories: N/APrice: $3,399See the complete builds and all the information at orbea.com.The post Seize the Ride Day with Orbeas Latest Urban eBike, the Carpe appeared first on Bikerumor.