Paris-Nice wasn't a race that was on Jonas Vingegaard's initial schedule and is also one that lacks the long mountain stages where the Dane usually thrives in. However, he has been dominating the overall classification now with two consecutive stage wins, which is a very convincing first shot ahead...

Muc-Off has announced the release of its new Dark Energy a wax chain lube that it claims beats major competitors for both efficiency and durability. The result of four years of research and development, and testing by its sponsored pro teams, Muc-Off says its performance claims have been validated by independent test labs, as well as its own internal processes. Designed for use in dry-to-damp conditions, Muc-Off says a chain treated with Dark Energy wax lube can go up to 300 miles / 482 kilometres between applications. PFAS- and PFTE-free, Muc-Off Dark Energy chain lube is said to be made from plant-derived, inherently biodegradable wax (as opposed to paraffin wax, which is derived from petroleum or other hydrocarbons). It costs 15 / $15 / 15 for a 50ml bottle, or 23 / $25 / 30 for a 120ml bottle making it much cheaper than the brands Ludicrous AF lube, which costs 40 for a 50ml bottle. Alongside the Dark Energy lube, Muc-Off is also launching a Chain Wax Cleaner, which helps strip a chain of factory grease and/or other contaminants, so it is prepared for the application of wax lubes. Read more: Best chain lubes for bikes 2025 our top picks for road, gravel and MTB chain lubricant Why now? Until now, Muc-Off has made mostly oil-based lubes. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Wax-based chain lubricants have been growing in popularity for a number of years, with many WorldTour teams now using immersively waxed chains in search of drivetrain efficiency gains. As a result, many brands have developed and marketed wax-based lubes, including CeramicSpeed, Silca and AbsoluteBlack. Muc-Off, though, has stuck largely to oil-based lubes, until now previously claiming its Ludicrous AF lube was the worlds fastest chain lube. Muc-Off has developed its own chain cleaner to prep chains for Dark Energy wax lube. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Given this, our first question to Muc-Off when it told us about Dark Energy was why it had decided to make a wax-based chain lube at all. According to the brand, it simply wasnt possible previously to hit the sweet spot of low friction and high durability it demands of its high-performance lubes. It did, however, point out that it has previously produced wax-based lubes (such as its Dry wax lube' from 2008), and that it has evaluated wax formulas in development and testing for many years alongside oils. Our samples arrived in a presentation box, but we imagine you'll just find the bottles in shops. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Muc-Off also noted it tested a prototype C4 wax with Chris Froome and Team Sky way back in 2014, although this was never made publicly available. The difference now, Muc-Off says, is that it has developed a unique next gen blend of waxes, with a focus on how the different mix of advanced waxes behave in race conditions at WorldTour level. Although Muc-Offs press materials note the wax in Dark Energy is plant-derived, it declined to specify the exact formula for confidentiality reasons. How does Muc-Off Dark Energy stack up against the competition? Muc-Off says Dark Energy beats the competition for efficiency and durability. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Muc-Off was coy when asked how Dark Energy compares to Ludicrous AF in terms of drivetrain efficiency, noting simply that the latter remains one of our most efficient lubes to date. It also said Ludicrous AF really comes into its own in wet and harsh conditions, and noted that at unbound last year, some riders were trying to top up their wax during the race itself. In contrast, Muc-Off views Dark Energy as an option for dry to damp conditions, and cites the cleanliness and quietness of waxed drivetrains as a key differentiator. WIth regards to performance versus competitor wax lubes, Muc-Off was more forthcoming. Muc-Off provided data from Bike Engineering to show Dark Energy is more efficient than the competition. Muc-Off Dark Energy is one of the fastest dropper waxes out there, it says, according to both its own internal tests and those performed by the German test lab Bike Engineering. A chart from the Bicycle Engineering tests (above) shows Dark Energy besting key competitors such as Silca Super Secret, Squirt and CeramicSpeed UFO All Conditions, in terms of efficiency, although Smoove comes out marginally ahead. Muc-Off also provided an 'average wear' chart from its own internal tests showing Dark Energys claimed low drivetrain-wear rates compared to other wax lubes. Muc-Off claims its own testing shows Dark Energy lube can reduce drivetrain wear compared to the competition. Muc-Off The real story, Muc-Off says, is that Dark Energy is not just efficient, but it can also deliver up to 300 miles of durability and low wear characteristics. For context, this is a similar figure to what Silca claims for its EnduranceChip wax additive which is claimed to help an immersively waxed chain last up to 550 kilometres / 340 miles before it needs to be re-waxed. CeramicSpeed's UFO Drip All Conditions drip lube is claimed to "last 300km / 180 miles in generally dry and clean conditions". Creating a [wax lube] formula that hits all those goals is a huge challenge as some formulas may be fast but then suffer with wear (and vice versa). Despite these performance claims, Muc-Off acknowledges that oil-based chain lubes remain the easiest to use. Like other wax lubes, Dark Energy must be applied to a scrupulously clean chain and needs time to cure before it can be ridden.

Although the Cycplus AS2 is currently one of our top-rated electric pumps, its hard to ignore that the Airbank Mini offers 90% of the functionality for over a third less. Now it's just 33 in the Amazon Spring Sale

It would be hard to imagine that any rider at the start of 2026 would be able to share the spotlight with Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Remco Evenepoel... But that is the case, as Paul Seixas' stratospheric rise through the ranks of the sport has gotten everyone's attention...

The second of five episodes in filmmaker Gregg Dunham's Stagecoach 400 Documentary Series finds riders emerging from the mountains and riding under San Diego's city lights, where creature comforts tempt them to linger a while or call it quits. It explores the psychological effects of navigating an otherwise easy section of the rugged route. Watch it and find an introduction from Gregg below...The post Stagecoach 400 Documentary Series, Episode 2: Its Not a Race Or is it? appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Hey, look at that, you can pre-order an Appaloochy!I have to say, they may project a folksy image over at Rivendell, but its kind of insidious how every one of their bikes is as good as the other in the sense that theyre all similarly versatile, and yet theyre just different enough that you want to have all of them.Diabolical.By the way, Ill remind you as usual that Rivendell did not ask me to mention this presale. Also, they did not ask me to mention theyre going to be at the Philly Bike Expo this weekend:For that matter, the Philly Bike Expo did not ask me to mention that the Philly Bike Expo is this weekend either. But I am anyway, because my own memories of the Philly Bike Expo are bittersweet. Mostly theyre sweet, because they used to invite me down to do little talks, and Im proud to say I even spoke at the very first Expo back in 2010, when it was still in the armory:Unfortunately, the bitter part happened in 2017, when they invited me to speak at the Industry Party:I learned something very important that day, which is that when you give a talk and people come to your talk they want to hear you speak, but when people are having a party and you come to their party and you try to speak at their party, youre basically just an asshole.It was one of the more humbling experiences of my life, but I dont regret it, because its the sort of thing that builds character. Hey, if you dont feel like an asshole every now and again are you even trying? Sure, they havent invited me back since, but I had a good run. I even gave away my old crabon Tramac one year as a prize when I conducted a real-life quiz:Ah, memoriesAnyway, to be honest, Im more than happy to stay put and ride, especially now that signs of spring are emerging:I dont think Ive ever been as excited to see things growing out of the groundor to ride a relatively boring bike path for that matter:This is the path that starts right out my back door, crosses into Westchester County, and takes me straight to all the good roads and trails north of the city without having to deal with any motor vehicle traffic along the way. How many people who live in New York City can say that? (Well, probably at least 100,000, which is roughly the number of people who live in the immediate vicinity of this path.) However, the county does not clear this path, so as soon as it snows it goes offline and thats that until the thaw. This means Ive got to ride through downtown Yonkers instead, and while thats fine its not exactly inspiring. I mean youd rather ride on the path above than behind this, right?Sure you would. Its like the difference between needing to use a shared bathroom down the hall or having your very own en suite salle de bain. Easy access to good riding is the main reason I live where I do, and so it feels very good to finally have my path backeven if things do sometimes get a little weird there:The other path upon which I rely heavily is the Old Croton Aqueduct, which is directly adjacent, and reconnaissance indicates were well on the way to full rideability:Yes, we did get a little snow again yesterday, but Im choosing to believe that its merely a dead cat bounce and that the bottom has officially fallen out of winter.By the way, one or two of you lamented my choice of tire for this bike. Hey, if the bikes spending lots of time on the road, why not use road tires? And what, you dont think I have knobby tires for it? Oh, Ive got knobby tires for it all right:Put that on your shoulder and portage it.Meanwhile, in pro cycling news, people are very excited about Jonas Vingegaards tights:Which were custom curated by a teammate who David Lee Rothified them by cutting out the crotch:The now viral extra-long tights, Visma revealed later, were worn over another base pair of bib tights, their chamois surgically removed and waist cut by Vingegaards teammate Victor Campenaerts, to ensure the team leader wasnt floating several centimetres above his saddle.The plan was to have them ripped off by two teammates later in the stage, so Vingegaard could remove the rest of the tights as if they were a pair of legwarmers. But the chaos inflicted in the crosswinds meant that opportunity never arose, spawning arguably the most iconic moment of the 2026 season so far.In other words, the idea was to do this:Hey, Vingegaard looks pretty good, but hes no Bret:Dont know who Bret is? Just ask the AI!Ooh, a satirical archetype! I like that.I also look forward to the new line of crotchless cycling gear, coming soon from Pas Normal Studios.

Cam Rogers won prologue at Tour of Rhodes

London is among 19 cities around the world to have achieved remarkable reductions in air pollution over the last 15 years, analysis by Breathe Cities has revealed

The 2026 season has only gotten under way two months ago but many teams already have their eyes on the upcoming transfer market. The negotiation game is no longer played within just a few months, specially when it comes to the big stars of the peloton. Arnaud de Lie is going to be one of the biggest...