Boost for young Italian ahead of the Giro d'Italia

In a sport where contracts are short, team-driven and constantly shifting, Remco Evenepoel has taken a very different step. The Belgian has agreed a rare lifetime partnership with Specialized, a move that signals not just confidence in his current level, but belief in his long-term place at the top...

Only using deaths per million people as a metric to compare cycling safety in Ireland and the Netherlands is flawed, a council and a campaigner have said after the Road Safety Authority compared deaths on Irish and Dutch roads.The comments were made after the RSA released a statement this morning, which compared Ireland and the Netherlands as follows: Ireland has a relatively low cyclist mortality rate compared to many EU countries. Based on the average for 20222024, fewer than two cyclist deaths per million inhabitants were recorded annually in Ireland, compared to 15 deaths per million in the Netherlands and around eight in Belgium and Romania.Cllr Ray Cunningham (Green Party), a Dublin-based councillor, said the RSA should look at the full picture, not just deaths per million people.The RSA should also publish the statistics on how many people cycle regularly in Ireland, and how much distance is travelled by bike. Those comparisons would tell a very different story, a story of a country where too many people are scared to cycle. But thats a story that would reflect very badly on the RSA itself, said Cllr Cunningham.Ciarn Ferrie, a cycling campaigner and co-founder of the campaign group I Bike Dublin, said: The RSA is once again trying to tell us that cycling is safer in Ireland than in the Netherlands because there are fewer people killed while cycling here. Its like saying Very few people drown in our shark-infested swimming pool.The reality is that deaths and serious injuries of people cycling have been on a dramatic upward trajectory for well over a decade. In 2014, there were 120 people killed or seriously injured while cycling on Irish roads. That figure increased to 321 by 2021, and while the figures released for recent years show an improvement, we know that there are serious questions about the reliability of those figures, he said.Ferrie added: In the Netherlands, 75% of secondary school children cycle to school. In Ireland, that figure is just 3.4%. That tells you much more about the relative safety of the roads in the two countries.The situation echoes a claim by former UK Road Safety Minister Mike Penning, who told the House of Commons Transport Select Committee in 2012 that Britains roads are safer for cyclists than those in the Netherlands.At the time, Road.cc reported that the claim astonished and angered cycle campaigners. The news website said that Pennings claim was based on deaths per 100,000 population, a measure that takes no account of the huge differences between the numbers of cyclists and levels of cycling in the UK and those in the Netherlands.The website also pointed to an analysis of the figuresby the RadWagon blog, which used the standard measure of deaths per kilometre per 100 million cyclists, people here are nearly three times more likely to be killed while riding a bike than their counterparts across the North Sea.Issues with police dataThe RSAs press release this morning was prompted by the release of an EU-wide report by the European Transport Safety Agency (ETSA).Across the EU, the ETSA said that older cyclists are disproportionately at risk, with mortality rates rising sharply among those aged over 80; men account for 80% of cycling deaths; and deaths among e-bike users are increasing in countries that distinguish between bicycle types.In their statement, the RSA outlined that Despite an increase in serious injuries observed over the period 2014-2024 in Ireland based on police data, there was a 21% decrease in serious injuries among cyclists over the five-year period 2020-2024. But in this case, the RSA noted that Serious injuries are widely underreported in police records.Studies across Europe show that the actual number of serious injuries is underestimated in police records. Research based on hospital data suggests that the true scale of serious injuries is far higher, with fewer than 10% of injured cyclists appearing in police statistics in some countries. In Ireland, hospital records show between two and three times more seriously injured cyclists than policebased data for the years 20142022, the RSA said.They also reveal around nine times more collisions involving no other vehicle in hospital records compared with police-based data. In addition, the hospital data indicate that cyclist hospitalisations doubled in 2022 relative to 2014, along with a sustained increase in the number of cyclist collisions involving no other vehicle up to 2023, the RSA noted before outlining how motor vehicles remain the greatest risk.The RSA said: In Ireland, collisions involving no other vehicle are the leading cause of serious injuries among cyclists admitted to hospital. This underlines the importance of high-quality, well-maintained cycling infrastructure to prevent both serious and fatal injuries.EU targetsAcross the EU in 2024, 1,926 cyclists were killed, with the number of deaths across the union falling by 8% in the decade 2014 to 2024, amounting to an average annual reduction of 0.5%. This compares to motorised road users falling at an annual rate of 2% four times faster than the decline in bicycle user deaths. The RSA said: To meet the EUs 2030 target of halving road deaths, an overall annual reduction of 6.5% would be required thirteen times the current rate of progress for cyclists. Cyclists now account for 10% of all road deaths in the EU, and without significant safety improvements, this proportion is expected to grow.Jenny Carson, co-author of the report, said: Governments are actively encouraging more people to cycle for the climate, to reduce fossil-fuel use and congestion, for public health, for our cities. But they are not providing the safe conditions that cyclists need and deserve. You cannot ask people to cycle and then fail to protect them from fast-moving traffic.Michael Rowland, director of research, standards and assurance at the Road Safety Authority (RSA), said: Irelands cyclist fatality rate is relatively low compared to other European countries, however, every loss of life on our roads is a tragedy. The rise in serious injuries on our roads is also a significant concern. We need to act decisively to make our roads safer for cyclists.He added: This means lower speeds in urban areas, better enforcement, and sustained investment in high-quality, segregated cycling infrastructure. Encouraging people to cycle must go hand in hand with ensuring they can do so safely.

Further to yesterdays postlets take a half-assed end-of-the-week look at that now-extinct turn-of-the-century drivetrain configuration, the road triple:Please note that all this is so off the top of my head that its borderline fiction, and no doubt at least some of you will quibble with the timeline and historical accuracy. Thats perfectly fine. In fact Im doing you a favor, since the whole point of bicycle blogs and forums is to provide a place where people who know more than you do get to say, Well actually So, youre welcome.Anyway, as weve already established, as the new millennium dawned, cycledom found itself in the throes of a road bike boom the likes of which the world had never seen:[The LeMond Tete de Course may very well have been the high water mark of Road Bike Mania]While theres a common misconception that low gearing for bicycles did not exist in the 1990s and and gear-shaming was so extreme that Russ from Path Less Pedaled wasnt even able leave his house until 2017, certainly mountain bikes, touring bikes, hybrids and the like all came equipped with triple-chainring cranks. However, it is true that higher-end road racing bikes did not come with triples, becausethey were for racing, and GENERALLY SPEAKING a bicycle racer didnt have much use for a triple. Sure, then as now plenty of non-racers bought racing bikes anyway and dealt with the gearing, but like ordering a stiff drink or contorting your portly middle-aged body into a Porsche 911 (or ordering a stiff drink or three and then contorting your portly middle-aged body into a Porsche, which was still socially acceptable back then) they knew what they were getting into and they paid the price.However, by the late 1990s road cycling had become so overrun by the hordes of the hairy-legged that the industry had no choice but to provide them with bikes they could actually pedal, and by the end of the decade you could choose between a double and triple when purchasing your Corporate Road Bike:Still, if you wanted a bike with Dura-Ace or Record that was only available in a double, because who would want a super high-end racing bike with a triple drivetrain? Thats would have been like ordering that Porsche 911 with an automatic transmission!But convenience always wins over purity, and eventually both Campagnolo and Shimano offered their top-level racing components in a triple configuration. I dont remember who came first, but by around 2002 there was a three-ring version of Dura-Ace:[Photo borrowed from here, Ill give it back, I promise]And of Record:[From here]Though the copywriters still had to be mindful of the tender egos of customers. Campagnolo for example positioned the triple as an adornment for the most sophisticated bicycles:And if anyone dared look askance at your triple youd remind them BUT THE PROS USE THEM ON THE ANGLIRU:Yet two years later the stigma clearly had not vanished completely:[From here]And even Campagnolos catalog copy for the more accessible Centaur was highly defensive:I 100% guarantee that whoever wrote that would not have been caught dead on a triple.But what of the mechanical differences between Shimano and Campagnolo when it came to triples? (Remember: SRAM had not entered the road bicycle drivetrain market yet.) Well, Campagnolo had an inherent advantage due to their superior front shifting technology:[Leave your Actually thats a rear shifter comment below.]Campagnolo shifters of that era worked with both double and triple front chainrings; furthermore, because there were lots of little detents (I guess youd call them) in the shifting action (people compare it to friction) so you could really finesse and trim those front shifts.On the other hand, Shimano front shifters had to be dedicated double or triple units, because the idea that a rider should have to use any skill whatsoever in order to shift was antithetical to the post-STI Shimano philosophy. Furthermore, Shimano double front shifters were already finicky to set up, so the addition of a third chainring increased the Fuss Factor by 50%. The flipside of this was that Shimano had a considerable advantage over Campagnolo in the low-gearing-for-road-bikes department because they had a full line of mountain bike stuff that was often compatible with the road stuff, whereas Campagnolo had no mountain bike stuff by now, and no derailleur that was rated for more than a 29-tooth cog [intern: fact check that]. But home-curated hodgepodge drivetrains do not sustain the bicycle industry, and whether its a Dura-Ace triple instead of an XTR rear derailleur and cassette, or a GRX gravel drivetrain instead ofan XTR rear derailleur and cassette, off-label use and mainstream sales are not compatible.Also, consider your older cyclist of means. You know, the one who cant decide between crabon and titanium. What do you do if you want that customer? You sell him a bike made out of both:The same logic applied to drivetrains. Do you make this discriminating customer sully his new dream bike by sticking a mountain bike derailleur on it, or force him to forfeit full-Record bragging rights by using a Racing T? Certainly not! Instead, you offer him a complete high-end drivetrain thats just the 53/42 hes been riding for decades, plus the 30-tooth front chainring he now needs for the climbs. Age of excess indeed! Basically, the high-end triple was just a regular Record or Dura-Ace drivetrain with a whole other mini-drivetrain (still not that low by todays standards) bolted to the side of it. 30 gearing permutations, many of them redundant? Now thats decadence!Of course, in retrospect its completely unsurprising that the road triple has disappeared. Due to the aforementioned redundancies, it required skill to use efficiently, and as weve already established, convenience always wins. So it makes sense that the drivetrain companies eventually figured out how to take the smaller-BCD crank, get the same gear range, and rebrand it as compact for roadiesand yes, sure, on balance Id say everyone was better off for it. Also, before SRAM entered the picture, it was just Shimano and Campagnolo, and theyd compete with more, more, MORE! More cogs, more front chainrings, computers integrated into the shifters If SRAM hadnt shown up wed probably be riding road bikes with 134 drivetrains by now. But SRAM could never really get the hang of front shifting, and eventually went the opposite way by killing it entirely.As for the experience of actually using a road triple, it does require more thought to use, but it is quite decadent. Even now the 130- or 135-BCD crank is part of my muscle memory, and while a compact crank objectively makes more sense, on a skinny-tired racing bike Id often rather be in a 39 or a 42 rather than having to choose between a 34 or a 50, or a 36 and a 52. So a road triple is nice in that you dont have to give up what used to be your small ring back in the old days, yet you still get an actual small ring when you need it.But for better or worse, the triple is gone, never to return. And theres not a chance it will return. Just imagine how quickly a triple front derailleur would drain a battery!

Three years ago, Isla Bikes took the decision to cease the production and sale of bikes, citing difficulties in the industry, despite being profitable. But the company is back with the Rosetta, a gravel bike that challenges conventions. Isla Rowntree, who founded the company in 2005, spoke to BikeRadar at Bespoked, the handmade cycle show, which runs from today through to Sunday in Peckham, London. Rowntree said the decision to downscale the business gave her the opportunity to build a bike born out of the riding she does. The Islabikes Rosetta has a step-through frame. Stan Portus / Our Media As well as racing bikes, Rowntree takes on cycling adventures that inform the design decisions behind the Rosetta, which she calls an adventure ready gravel bike. The most obvious deviation from the best gravel bikes is the step-through frame. Rowntree says the step-through might mean people think the bikes only for women, but she says its for men too. Rowntree says she opted for a step-through design because when cycling in the British countryside you often encounter fences and gates. A step-through design makes the Rosetta easier to dismount when you hit one of these obstacles, especially with Rowntree's preferred cycling baggage, panniers. Rowntree says panniers make more sense for off-road riding than frame bags because you are often doing mini manuals to clear obstacles. The weight at the rear of the bike makes this easier, while placing the weight at the rear improves rear-wheel traction. Panniers are also easier to remove when lifting the bike over obstacles, Rowntree says. The other difference between typical gravel bikes and the Rosetta is the choice of handlebar. Rowntree has fitted a flat bar to the bike rather than a drop bar. The bike has a flat handlebar. Stan Portus / Our Media She says if you were designing an off-road bike without preconceptions, you would logically choose a flat bar, which puts your hands in a more natural position for moving the bike across rough terrain. While Rowntree made the prototype, the Rosettas frame is produced by Stayer, the East London-based bike builder, which is also exhibiting at the show. The bike has high-quality bearings and brakes from Hope Technologies, while it uses an inexpensive Shimano CUES drivetrain. This is because the drivetrain components will wear out and be replaced, but you want the other components to last much longer. The Rosetta has an "inexpensive" CUES drivetrain with "very low" gearing. Stan Portus / Our Media There is an Exposure light attached to the rack. Stan Portus / Our Media The gearing is also very low for real-world climbing. Rowntree adds that when touring, people are going to be freewheeling down hills rather than pushing the pace. Elsewhere, the Rowntree has fitted the bike with mudguards, a rack for panniers and a dynamo, which powers front and rear lights and can charge your phone. Although the rear light is mounted on the rack, Rowntree says you can disconnect the dynamo wire by the down tube to make removing the rack easier when travelling with the bike. The bike on display at Bespoked is fitted with 45mm gravel tyres because this is what Rowntree favours for her riding, but she says it has clearance for tyres up to 57mm wide. Ultimately, Rowntree says the bike is well sorted and aimed at providing riders with everything they need. But she says, The challenge for me is connecting with people who will appreciate it.

30-year-old Cristian Camilo Muozs health deteriorated significantly after receiving stitches for his injured knee, with doctors reportedly attributing his death to hospital-acquired bacteria

Tom Pidcocks 2026Tour of the Alps campaign has shifted expectations around his spring in a matter of days, with the British rider emerging from an uncertain return to racing to become one of the standout performers of the week. Racing for Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, Pidcock arrived at the ra...

Tim Shoreman (Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli) wins stage three of Rs Tailteann 2025. (Photographer: Lorraine OSullivan).Cairde Rs Tailteann is delighted to announce one of our visiting teams for the 2026 event: Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli from the United Kingdom.This marks the teams fourth appearance at Rs Tailteann, and they return once again with a strong reputation and a proven record on Irish roads.Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli has consistently shown its strength in recent editions of Rs Tailteann, taking six stage wins over the last three years, winning the points jersey on two occasions and wearing the yellow jersey in 2025. Their performances have made them one of the standout visiting teams in the race in recent years.Team Manager, Stuart Reid said: Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli is excited to be returning to Rs Tailteann in 2026 for what will be our fourth consecutive year in the race. Having won six stages over the past three years, claimed the points jersey on two occasions and worn the yellow jersey last year, the Rs has obviously been a very happy place for us. With what looks like another fantastic route put together by the team at Rs Tailteann, we are looking forward to coming back in May and getting stuck into what should once again be some fantastic racing.Race Director Ger Campbell added: Wheelbase / Cabtech / Castelli has made a big impact on Rs Tailteann over the last number of years and we are very pleased to welcome them back once again. They are a team that always races with intent, and with the depth and experience they have in their squad, they will certainly be one to watch this year.

This weeks Debrief features the Cotic Jeht 3, Monkey Lights, Root Beer Strael, Wizard Tees, a couple of events to follow live, and more. Find it all hereThe post Friday Debrief: All-new Cotic Jeht 3, Root Beer Strael, Monkey Lights, and More appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

You guys know that jaw-dropping, crazy titanium aero bike by New Yorks No.22? You know, the one weve been shooting photos of and talking about for a few years? Well, we saw the Reactor Aero again at the Cadex booth at this years Sea Otter.(Photos / Ron Frazelle)While at the Cadex booth, I was informed that the new frame and fork are finally ready for production. If you like it and want it, youll need $1000 to start the process. And, you may need to sit down for this: the estimated cost of the frameset is between $10,000 and $15,000. Deliveries are anticipated to be in the Summer of 2026.If the No.22 Reactor Aero is anything, its crazy looking and beautiful in all of its grandiose titanium over-the-top-ness. Its an amazing example of what can be done in the bespoke 3D-printed frame-making space. All in all, its impressive to say the least. Is it my cup of tea? Nah. But that doesnt mean I dont appreciate it. Lets see what the crew at No.22 has to say about the next steps for this wonder steedApril 2026 Update (from the horses mouth)The first production-representative Reactor Aero is currently being printed. Our production path is fully solidified. First, 3D-printed sub-assembliesare done by RAM3D in New Zealand. Then, its shipped to our production facility in Johnstown, NY, where they are welded, aligned, and finished in-house. This hybrid approach leverages the design freedom of 3D printing while maintaining the tight control over quality and tolerances that No. 22 is known for.Concurrent with the frame, we have finalized the fork molds for production and are completing testing on our bespoke titanium and carbon bar/stem combination.V2 Updates and Improvements:Complete overhaul of the aerodynamic form and profiling in response to the UCIs latest guidelines.Bespoke, intricately designed and machined, titanium and carbon bar/stem combo and headset.New aerodynamically refined seat tube and custom titanium seatpost delivering a novel approach to rider comfort and aerodynamics.Partnership with industry-leading 3D sintering partner, RAM3D of New Zealand. Together, both brands have created a 3D-printed Parts Kit. This will be fully welded, aligned, and assembled by No. 22 in our New York facility to exacting standards.Partnership with Redburn Design to finalize the 3D modeling of all sizes and components.Design finalized for production. Production test printing in progress, which will undergo ISO testing in late spring.The Reactor has always been the most race-oriented road frame in the No. 22 lineup. And the Reactor Aero is the worlds first truly aero-optimized titanium race machine. Developed in-house and subject to multiple CFD simulations, the Reactor Aero delivers a confirmed 30-40% drag reduction compared to the current Reactor. As with all of our models, every piece of the frameset is either made by or specifically for the brand. This provides an unrivaled level of control and precision in the manufacturing process.In developing the Reactor Aero, we are aiming not only to set the bar for titanium frame aerodynamics but to enhance performance in all other areas as well. Drivetrain stiffness, which the Reactor is known for, has been further improved upon, resulting in likely the most efficient power transfer available on a Ti frame. To achieve this, the down tube, bottom bracket intersection, and chain stays were fully redesigned and optimized by utilizing the formal freedoms offered by 3D printing. All other tubing profiles and intersections were also built from the ground up to help temper drivetrain stiffness with the legendary ride quality that titanium is known for.The final version will be printed as sections that can be finished and welded in-house, allowing us to leverage our titanium fabrication expertise, resulting in tighter controls over quality, tolerances, and finishes.Structure of DepositsDeposits have the following structure:Deposits are in the amount of $1,000, which will be credited towards the final purchase price of your bike.First-come, first-served. Deliveries of production Reactor Aero models will follow the order in which deposits were received.Deposits are non-refundable, but can be transferred as a credit to the purchase of any other No. 22 model if you change your mind about the Reactor Aero.Path to ProductionWe are in the final stages of preparing the Reactor Aero for production. The design is finalized, the fork molds are complete, and the first production-representative frame is being printed. Remaining steps include:ISO structural and ride quality testing to ensure the bike delivers titaniums hallmark feel and durability.Finalize production of Ti and carbon fiber components.Pricing for the final production version has not yet been finalized, but we anticipate a frameset (frame, fork, headset, thru-axles, aero titanium seatpost, and integrated titanium-and-carbon stem and handlebar combination) price in the range of USD $10,000 to $15,000. We are currently targeting first customer deliveries in summer 2026.As with all of our bikes, we will be building all Reactor Aero models to order for each customer. As we near the production launch of this bike, we will coordinate one-on-one with each deposit holder to finalize options and build configurations.Reactor Aero GeometryFrame Specs*All specifications are subject to change before production launch*Brake type: flat mount disc brakesTire Clearance: Targeted 34mm measured tireFront Axle Spacing: 142x12mm thru-axleRear Axle Spacing: 142x12mm thru-axleFork Dimensions: 45/50mm offsetDerailleur Hanger: UDH hangerBottom Bracket Shell: T47 threaded, 85.5mm widthSeatpost Size: Aero Ti SeatpostIf you have the means, get in touch with No.22 at the link below to order yours. 22bicycles.comThe post The Reactor Aero V2 Super Bike by No22 is Finally Ready for Production. Really. appeared first on Bikerumor.