Nairo Quintana has again left his mark on the northern roads of Spain after sealing a third overall title at the Vuelta a Asturias, a race that has become the stage of choice for his displays of class and endurance, and has been the stage for his return to victories for the first time since 2022....

'We have come a long way, but it shows we are still not there yet,' she said

What was reported this Sunday night in the Portuguese media has been confirmed this Monday morning by the man himself. The Giro d'Italia has lost one of its main figures, as Joo Almeida has been sidelined from the first Grand Tour of the season. The stage-race specialist was meant to lead UAE Team...

The Giro d'Italia is losing several of its candidates at a fast pace. After the confirmed of withdrawal of Joo Almeida, perhaps Jonas Vingegaard's biggest potential rival for the Corsa Rosa, it seems very likely that the only rider who finished on the podium last year who was going to take to the s...

The 2026 Tour de Romandie will take place from the 28th of April to the 3rd of May and will make for Tadej Pogacar's debut in a stage-race this year. The Swiss race provides the final big test ahead of the Giro d'Italia whilst also following the spring classics, a period where many are looking to sa...

Bespoked bills itself as the worlds biggest handmade bicycle show, and at the latest edition in Peckham, South London, there was one theme that ran across many of the bike builders on display: 32in wheels. If youve been following cycling tech in recent months, this is unlikely to be a surprise. Since Maxxis first revealed its 32in Aspen tyres, interest in the emerging wheel size has been gaining momentum. This has accelerated in recent months, with several pro riders claiming victories using the oversized wheels, including Neko Mulally at the Sea Otter Classic downhill race. The wheel size, however, is yet to break into the mainstream. Instead, it's smaller makers, such as those on display at Bespoked, that are going big. Proportionate builds Sam Alison said the Singular 32in gravel bike was an evolution of earlier 32in mountain bike prototypes. Stan Portus / Our Media Singular Cycles had a 32in gravel bike on display at Bespoked, which founder Sam Alison said was an evolution of earlier 32in mountain bike prototypes. Sharing a similar viewpoint as Darren Baum, of Baum Cycles, which released the DBM 32 in February, Alison said the main advantage of 32in wheels is you can build bikes for taller people. Youre going to have a bike that feels proportionate, he said. Over 6ft himself, Alison said riding a 32in-wheel bike feels remarkably normal, but the larger size makes for a smoother ride and maintains momentum well. However, he added the size wont be optimal for twisty single tracks. Alison said Singular Cycles has already sold 32in-wheel bikes through a pre-order batch. Attention grab Boyd has made 32in options across its range of alloy MTB wheels. Stan Portus / Our Media The wheels on the Singular Cycles bike were made by the American company Boyd, which was also exhibiting at Bespoked. Rory Hitchens is a cycling-industry veteran, who has built small and major brands in the UK. He now works as a consultant for companies, including Boyd, which has created 32in options across its range of aluminium wheels. Hitchens expressed why smaller companies should look into the new wheel size matter of factly: If you do 32in, it should get some attention. (And attention Boyd has got, clearly). However, he added that although there are few options available for 32in wheels, Its all coming. Like Alison, Hitchens, who is 6ft 2in, said 32in should be an option primarily for taller people 5ft 10in and above. Some in the cycling industry have said 32in wheels wont bring more people into cycling, but its simply a tactic to get more sales from people who already cycle. When I put this to Hitchens he replied, Well, of course. For Hitchens, 32in wheels make sense for taller riders, who, as Alison pointed out, will have proportionate bikes. And selling bikes is, after all, what the industry is always trying to do. But this relates to another issue that has plagued the industry for several years: overstocking. Ever since the Covid pandemic and ensuing economic downturn, cycling companies have been trying to shift products, which Hitchens says has hindered innovation. Product managers have been handcuffed, he said. Although the momentum behind 32in wheels suggests that might be changing. Not on the high street Stout described the 32in Hrok as "amazing" on steep terrain. Stan Portus / Our Media Russel Stout, who runs Stout Cycles and its custom frame service Hrok, had a 32in hardtail mountain bike on display at Bespoked, which featured unreleased 32in tyres from Vittoria. Stout said the bike was quickly bashed together at the end of last year to see what a 32in build was like. With a head angle of 65.5 and a trail of 130mm, Stout said the bike was possibly too slack but, on the steep terrain around Stout Cycles home in the Tweed Valley, its f***ing amazing. The bike was fitted with unreleased Vittoria Peyote 32in tyres. Stan Portus / Our Media Stout said the ride isnt that different from a 29in bike. But, at 6ft 1in himself, he added that 32in wheels should really be for people who are 5ft 10in and above. He wrote in a blog post in January that if youre 6ft 5in or 7in then the size makes perfect sense. But perfect sense for the consumer is also a differentiator for makers such as Stout. If you do custom stuff, you have to do something thats not on the high street, he said. Future-focused Pashley wants to update its bikes for the future. Stan Portus / Our Media Much of the conversation around 32in wheels has focused on performance, which is backed up by Mulallys win at Sea Otter, but also Felix Stehlis victory at Cape Epic. Race-winning performance, however, is not typically associated with one brand displaying a 32in mullet gravel bike with a 32in wheel up front and 29in wheel in the rear at Bespoked. Now in its centenary year, Pashley Cycles is probably best known for 'sit up and beg' Dutch bikes and vintage throwbacks. But, visiting Bespoked for the first time, its stand was packed with bikes of a different ilk. Alongside the sleek Roadfinder SL, Pashleys 32in mullet gravel bike was an adaption of its Wildfinder grountain bike, released in September last year. It's part of the companys candid mission to bring itself into the modern age. Pashley tweaked its Wildfinder to fit a 32in front wheel, which included adding a large carbon fork. Stan Portus / Our Media Andy Smallwood joined Pashley as CEO in 2024, having previously been the CEO of Ribble Cycles. Smallwood said Pashleys products didnt align with the craftsmanship of the team, and they werent necessarily making the type of bikes they ride. He said the next step with Pashley is moving it into the future, while being respectful of the heritage. The 32in mullet bike is part of the companys candid mission to bring itself into the modern age. But as Hitchins said, Pashleys 32in mullet can be seen as a way to grab peoples attention. At the time of the show, nobody had ridden the bike. Lead designer Jon Cumberpatch summarised Pashleys position on 32in wheels simply: We dont want to jump straight on the bandwagon. You may like 32in wheels could be terrible for the bike industry here's why Schwalbe is fully convinced by 32in tyres and not only for mountain bikes The cynics were right 32in wheels require a new axle standard, says wheel brand

Summer-ready cycling kit, pro-level eyewear, and a bottle that cleans itself - here's what's currently in for review

The Tour de Romandie will take up the spotlight this week in the world of cycling and at the start line, for the first time, is the World Champion Tadej Pogacar. The struggling Swiss race warmly welcomes the best in the world, who may help the event climb out of its recent financial issues. Race di...

For me it was a weekend of skinny-tired riding:I also continued to enjoy my latest gratuitous acquisition:And as I begin my second full week of ownership Im proud to announce that I still havent spend any money on it:Thats called willpower.No, if I had willpower Id never have bought the bike in the first place.Though if Id never bought the bike it would probably still be sitting in a garage and that would be a shame because its a very good bike.Speaking of my lack of willpower, Ive noted in the past that confronting drivers is never worth it:And the same thing is also true when it comes to confronting other types of people youre liable to encounter while riding, such as pedestrians, other cyclists, and beer-soaked derelictsor even those who occupy multiple categories at the same time:Alas, due to the same lack of willpower that compelled me to buy a used bike off Craigslist even though I already have all the bikes I could possibly want and more, I am also not always successful in restraining myself when the potential for confrontation presents itself. This past weekend was one such instance, and as it happens it involved that last category of person.What happened was, I was Just Riding Along And Minding My Own Business (JRAAMMOB), not too far from this spot:As you can see, this is a lovely car-free path, though there are certain spots where unsavory types are wont to congregate, often leaving broken glass and other detritus behind from their shattered beverage containers. This can cause flat tires, and is likely the reason I was spogged upon during my short-lived quest for the meaning of gravel:Anyway, it was a warm and sunny morning, there were a fair number of cyclists and other recreators enjoying the path, and as I approached one spot where antisocial people tend to inebriate themselves I observed three flush-faced fellows stacking cases of beer and taking up their stations along along either side of the path, where theyd presumably spend the rest of the day turning that beer into urine. As I say, it was warm and sunny, so I certainly wasnt the first cyclist to ride past them. Furthermore, they were basically standing in the path, as on this section of trail theres fencing on either side of it. However, at last there was plenty of room for me to ride though, and I did so without passing them too closely on purpose or going excessively fast or making a comment or in any way puncturing the invisible veil between regular people and winos.They, however, were either too drunk or not drunk enough to respect the veil, and started in on how people on bikes think they own the place or something like that. This is a deeply stupid thing to say when youre standing in a busy bike path on a warm and sunny day in the middle of the morning. Its like sitting in a urinal in a baseball stadium restroom and getting mad because people keep pissing in your mouth.Still, I didnt say anything, though after passing I couldnt help turning around for a parting look, which inspired more inarticulate grousing on their part. And this is where Im not proud of myself. Years of dodging broken glass, coupled with their sneering, compelled me to make a trite yet effective hand gesture. This prompted even more grousing, as well as exhortations on their part to come back and fight them. Now, obviously theres not a universe in which Im going to stop in the middle of a ride to engage in a wino fight. However, I do wage an ongoing struggle against the urge to open up my big mouth, and so I heartily recommended that they should seek employment, though I used the word job instead of employment, which freed up enough syllables for me to also include an expletive.This was an ironic choice of words on my part, since I myself am barely employed. However, it certainly landed, since they were either unemployed and unhappy about that fact, or else employed in some capacity and resentful of having been miscategorized. Whatever the case, as I continued to ride away their outraged howls rose to a fever pitch, like in those zombie shows when the undead catch a whiff of humans, and instead of feeling smug about the zinger I regretted it immediately, for the following reasons:Id Created a Massive Inconvenience for MyselfThis path is my main paved trunk route and where I begin the vast majority of my road rides. Now when passing through this spot Ill have to be on the lookout for the drunks. Granted, its possible they wont even have remembered the incident once theyd gotten through all that beeror, if they have, its equally possible they would never be able to distinguish me from any of the other hundreds of cyclists that pass through that spot on a given day. Yet its also possible theyre in possession of some preternatural drunkard memory, and will never forget my words or my hairy face. Indeed, the inability to process and excrete stored rage could be precisely what drives them to drink in the first place. And since, as I say, theres no way Id ever engage in a wino fight, I must now be extra vigilant during a time when Im usually decompressing.Even worse, you really cant see too far ahead on this section of trail, and theres also really no place to conveniently exit it at this spot in order to circumvent potential assailants. So no matter how vigilant I am, by the time I spot the angry drunks Ill be committed to run the gauntlet, and even with a head of speed theyd be liable to pelt me with beer containersor worse, pull me from my bike, savagely beat me, and then loot my jersey pockets for more beer money.So basically, what Im saying is Ive now got a Strait of Hormuz situation on my hands, and I have no idea when it will resolve itself.Id Possibly Created a Massive Inconvenience for Other CyclistsThe winos were only just getting dug in for the day when I passed them, and Id clearly angered them. What if, unable to get their hands on me, they turned their rage on the very next cyclist? At the very least, its certainly possible that, having reaffirmed everything they think about people on bikes, I only bolstered their resolve to take up as much of the bike path and make as much of a mess as possible on it going forward. So, uh, sorry, fellow cyclists.Id Lowered Myself UnneccesarilyIve got a very nice life. Do I really need to put a bunch of drunks in their place? Yes, they shouldnt be building a beer fort in a bike path, but thats for the police to handle. Meanwhile, Ive got all the things they dont: a wonderful family, a genuine Chris Huber road bicycle, teeth So when I get mad I should simply remind myself of this instead of engaging with them. (Even if, objectively speaking, all I really did was give them some good advice.)Riding a bike, especially on a bike path, is such an obvious metaphor for life that any halfway decent editor would flag it. Yet apparently I need to keep learning the same elementary life lessons over and over again. Like a weekend ride on a sunny bike path, life is as easy as you make it. The drunks would certainly have an easier time of it they didnt position themselves in pointed opposition to everything around them, but Id also have an easier time if I simply ignored them and got on with it. Theres no surer way to be disappointed than to expect other people to behave sensibly, so short of that youve got to behave sensibly yourself.