The Japanese Team UKYO has a base in Italy and is one of the best teams when it comes to developing young Italian talent. After winning a stage at the Settimana Internazionaler Coppi e Bartal, Tommaso Dati has taken the victory on stage 1 of the Tour of the Alps, beating Tom Pidcock in the final spr...

I realize this is a cycling blog, but you may be interested to learn there was a motorcycle show out in California this past weekend:I mean Im definitely not, but maybe you are.As for me, Im not happy about this weather:Yes, its ideal for cycling, yes the colors are delightful, yes there are flowers and other crap like that sprouting up everywhere you look. But while the short-sighted and shallow-brained may mistake this for beauty, I see only a fleetingly verdant burst of ostentation before the inevitable death:First it all wilts beneath the scorching sun, then all the leaves dry up and fall off the trees, and before you know it youre back in a frozen hellscape:I mean why even bother? What, am I supposed to rejoice in the season of rebirth? How can I when birth is merely the prelude to death? We cant even count on spring coming again next year since were officially 389 days past the date on which the world was supposed to end:Just kidding!I mean yeah, Ive got it in the back of my mind how fleeting it all is, but even so Im enjoying myself tremendously after the winter we had:Though one is never free from the specter of death, especially deep in the forests of upstate New York City, which are haunted by the ghosts of Citi Bikes:See?Heres a tableau that suggests the rider attempted to hit that jump, didnt make it, and then crawled off into the woods, never to be seen or heard from again:Its estimated that 30-40 people a year meet their fate in exactly the same way, but Lyft refuse to acknowledge it:Ive also been enjoying and reflecting upon the virtues of the 30mm tire size:As I understand it, this is more or less the standard road bike tire size now, and many people will look at this and say, Whats the point of putting a road bike tire on a cyclocross bike?But keep in mind that a 30mm tire is only slightly narrower than a cyclocross racing tire, and that before gravel was invented would have been considered more than adequate for all-around mixed-terrain cycling. In fact, it still is more than adequate, but you wouldnt know that if you listened to the bike reviewers:Yes, high-volume tires are a good thing, and obviously 30mm tires will only take you so far offroad, but if youre old enough to be cynical about spring youre also old enough to be really annoyed at how quickly these people went from pushing bikes with no clearance to telling you youre an idiot if your drop-bar bike cant at least clear a fat bike tireoh, sorry, forget about all that, theres a new wheel size now and the bike you bought last week is now obsolete:But yes, I so find 30mm tires sufficient for rides that include gravel detours:Though its important to bear in mind that as a contrarian Im also highly motivated by spite.

UPDATED April 20, 2026 BY The TDA Team IN Road of Empires no comments Cycling the Mediterranean In Europe and North Africa Andaluca, Algeria, Tunisia & SicilyFor many years TDA Global Cycling had been considering a cycling tour that would link Europe and North Africa. With our Operations Manager, Miles, coming up with the inspiration for the route and the name, we decided to forge ahead, and in 2025 we ran the first edition of The Road of Empires. This brilliant trans-Mediterranean route allows cyclists to visit southern Spain and Sicily, as well as Algeria and Tunisia, while crossing the Mediterranean by ferry, twice. It was, and remains today, a daunting logistical challenge for our operations team. It is, however, well worth the extra effort, creating a one of a kind cycling adventure that explores places few get to visit by bike.The first edition of the tour gave our cycling participants a chance to better understand the intertwined history of the region, including the empires that moved across those lands, and to see just how many similarities and contrasts exist culturally on both continents along the Mediterranean to this very day.We sat down with our Operations Manager to discuss how he came up with the concept and what the riders can expect to experience along the way during the next Road of Empires adventure scheduled to start in Seville in March, 2027.Exploring More of Spain and ItalyIn Spain and Sicily, where TDA has already run tours, it was not difficult to research additional options. For Spain, we wanted to include the southern Spanish cities of Seville, Granada and Cordoba with their Roman and Moorish history and grand architecture. In terms of cycling in Spain, we knew how incredible the roads are in Andalusia and how beautiful the Sierra Nevadas would be.For Sicily, it was similar, in that we wanted to cycle new regions of the island, areas that we do not currently cover on our Viva Italia tour. So we included a visit to the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and the chance to visit the ancient mosaics nearby in Piazza Armerina. Finishing in Syracuse, once the capital of the Byzantine Empire, was a fitting way to conclude the trip. Algeria and Tunisia & North AfricaAlgeria and Tunisia were much more difficult to research. In Tunisia, there have been some local cycling tours, as well as more independent cyclists crossing the country, but in Algeria there had been no commercial cycling tours in recent decades and very little information from independent cyclists. This was a big part of the draw for us. We love to open new countries to cycle tourism and experience new lands and cultures ourselves.We spent months researching roads with satellite viewing, searching out local contacts in both countries to communicate with, reading up on the historical and cultural highlights to visit, and planning a scouting trip to go and check all the details. This is where we were able to confirm the areas suitability for cycling, in terms of safety, logistics, accommodations, government approvals, ancient ruins to visit and, most importantly, the potential for fun! In North Africa, what will be remembered by the riders, without a doubt, is the hospitality and curiosity of the local people along the way. They will also be amazed by the lush, green environment of the North African coast, the abundance of Roman ruins, the cultural influence of previous French colonialism, and the incredible cycling. Many of our participants on the first Road of Empires noted that some of the days were the nicest routes theyd ever ridden.Anyone who loves exploring new lands, cycling along coastlines and through mountains, experiencing and learning about different cultures, who has dreamed of being an archeologist (or at least are ready to be amazed by the ancient ruins along the route), and anyone who is up for an adventure, is going to love this cycling adventure!RELATEDTOURRoad of Empires Pedal through history on the Road of Empires Cycling Adventure. Spin through Spain, Algeria, Tunisia & Sicily and learn about the Moors, Romans... Related Posts:Leave a Comment for "Cycling the Mediterranean In Europe and North Africa Andaluca, Algeria, Tunisia & Sicily" Cancel reply

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From the 20th to the 24th of April the riders will take on the Tour of the Alps. This is often used as the ultimate preparation race towards the Tour of the Alps, whilst in itself it is a very prestigious race with plenty high mountains and its international course, often crossing borders. We previe...

Cedaero in Minnesota just released a handy new product theyre calling the Brown "Paper" Bag. Made of recycled X-Pac, its a no-nonsense hauler that folds flat, offers generous capacity, and looks to have endless uses for daily life. See it hereThe post The Cedaero Brown Paper Bag Looks Farmers Market-Ready appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Remco Evenepoel will skip La Flche Wallonne. The 26-year-old Belgian will not start Wednesdays Belgian classic, despite leaving the door open after his recent Amstel Gold Race win. All his focus shifts to Sundays showdown with Tadej Pogacar at LigeBastogneLige. From the start of the season, E...

Bus priority measures, mainly bus lanes, are proposed along the N3 between the M50 and Clonee. The project is at the option stage, with public consultation underway on the emerging preferred option.The project, proposed by Fingal County Council in partnership with Meath County Council and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), will run from Junction 2 at Snugborough, east of the Blancherstown Centre, to just west of new Junction 4b at Clonee. Fingal County Council said they are aiming to support efficient public transport along the route, while also improving safety and accessibility for people walking and cycling.The emerging preferred option mainly involves using existing hard shoulders as bus lanes and a new outbound exit at Junction 4b (Clonee). In terms of active travel, two new pedestrian and cycling bridges are proposed to provide safe access across the N3. It is planned that the bus lanes will only be used by buses when the main carriageway backs up. The council said: Bus priority on the hard shoulder means that buses will be allowed to use the hard shoulder when traffic on the main road is very busy. This would usually happen during morning and evening peak traffic times. When traffic is flowing normally, buses will stay in the main traffic lanes, and the hard shoulder will continue to serve its normal purpose.Consultation details can be found at consult.fingal.ie and submissions can be made by Monday, May 18th of 2026.

In part four of our Sea Otter Classic video coverage, Neil looks at some compelling new bikepacking bags from Revelate and Restrap, a new production bike from BTCHN', Niner's all-new RLT9 Steel, and much more. Watch it here...The post Video: Fresh Finds at Sea Otter 2026 (Part 4) appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Genesis has made updates to three models of its Croix de Fer steel gravel bike and the Tour de Fer touring bike, as well as to the MTB-adjacent Vagabond gravel bike, where there's a new frameset-only option. The main change is a switch to Shimano CUES from GRX for the majority of the Croix de Fer range and the Tour de Fer. While Shimano GRX uses Hyperglide shifting, the Linkglide system employed by CUES should be more robust, cutting down bike-maintenance needs. All the bikes get new frame colours. According to Brodie Gardias, senior Sportline brand manager: Our approach with the latest Genesis lineup was straightforward: keep the soul and character intact but add benefits riders will notice. Each model has a loyal following because they are dependable and are a joy to ride, so we focused on refining each specification to boost rideability, durability and serviceability wherever possible. Croix de Fer range The Croix de Fer 30 sees a swap to Shimano CUES with hydraulic braking. The Croix de Fer bikes to get an update are the 10, 20 and 30 specs. The Croix de Fer 30, which is priced at 2,299.99, is the highest spec that has seen changes. These include a switch to a Shimano CUES 2x10-speed groupset from GRX, which is specced with Shimanos in-series hydraulic disc brakes and offers 46/32t x 11-39t gearing. The Croix de Fer 20, meanwhile, is priced at 1,699.99. It too has been updated to 2x10-speed CUES with the same ratios, but it retains the TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes of the previous years spec. Finally, the Croix de Fer 10, for 1,499.99, has a CUES 2x9-speed groupset with the same TRP Spyre mechanical disc brakes. Theres slightly less broad-range gearing: 46/32t x 11-36t. Alongside the spec updates, there are new colourways for the Croix de Fer 10, 20 and 30. Tour de Fer 30 The Tour de Fer now has a Shimano CUES groupset with a Genesis-branded crankset. The 1,799.99 Tour de Fer 30 has also had a rework, which Genesis says sees the largest of the brand's changes for 2026. These include a new straight-bladed steel fork, and full outers for the brake and gear cables. Genesis has swapped to a part-Shimano CUES drivetrain, which it claims should improve durability. It reckons this kits the bike out for long-distance touring, commuting and everyday use. Theres a mix of Shimano CUES Linkglide components, paired with a Genesis-branded 46/30t crankset. As before, the bike includes front and rear racks and dynamo-power lighting, Promax mechanical disc brakes and Vittoria Randonneur Tech 40mm tyres. Vagabond The Vagabond offers massive tyre clearance and MTB-like gearing. Theres a spec update, too, for the 1,799.99 Vagabond 10 steel gravel bike. This offers MTB-like features, including a MicroShift Sword 34t x 11-48t groupset, TRP Spyre brakes and big 2.35in Maxxis Ikon tyres on 35mm-wide rims. Finally, theres a new build-your-own Vagabond frameset, priced at 899.99. This has a Boost rear axle, and the supplied steel fork can be swapped out for a 40mm-travel suspension fork. As with the Vagabond 10, theres enough room for 2.35in MTB tyres. The frame is compatible with a dropper post, and theres internal dynamo routing and a wide range of mounting points.