Rob Britton is riding Factors new Sarana gravel bike for the Traka 560 gravel race today. Designed with input from the 2025 Unbound XL winner, the Factor Sarana majors on comfort and control over long distances, without compromising on aerodynamics or speed. Most notably, the Sarana is designed to be used with a gravel suspension fork up front, with Britton opting for the 40mm-travel version of Foxs 32 Taper-Cast Factory gravel fork. The rest of the bike features a collection of truncated aerofoil tube shapes, with deeper aerofoils up front, shorter, slimmer ones at the rear, and heavily dropped seatstays. Britton also opted for a set of time-trial style aero extensions, to help with speed and comfort during the long flat stretches in-between climbs on the 550km course. Bang on trend for this years Traka, Britton is also using Schwalbes Thunder Burt tyres the German brands fastest cross-country mountain bike option rather than dedicated gravel tyres. These were mounted to the Saranas new Black Inc Forty Six gravel wheelset, which features wide, 46mm-deep aero rims designed for chunky tyres. Read more: Canyon's new unreleased Grail CFR is an aero bike with clearance for XC tyres Monster gravel TT XC tyres are on-trend at this year's Traka, with many top racers opting for Schwalbe Thunder Burts. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Ultra-wide tyres have been a clear theme at this years Traka, with countless pros and amateur riders opting for 50mm+ options. Speaking exclusively to BikeRadar before the race, Britton described the Schwalbe Thunder Burts as a terrible mountain bike tyre, but one of the best gravel tyres Ive used. Britton opted for the narrowest, 2.1in / 53mm version, although the Sarana frame has clearance for 2.2in / 57mm tyres, so can accommodate even larger tyres if desired. The Fox suspension fork has less tyre clearance than the Sarana frame, but it still clears a 2.1in Thunder Burt. Simon von Bromley / Our Media The Sarana can be specced with a dropper seatpost to improve its descending capabilities. Simon von Bromley / Our Media The Fox gravel forks clearance tops out at 50mm (the Schwalbes measure a little narrower than specified once mounted up), although the Sarana can also be specced with a matching rigid fork, enabling the use of 57mm-wide tyres front and rear. The Sarana can also be specced with a dropper seatpost if desired, although Britton has opted for a rigid carbon post from his sponsor Easton for this race. Britton's aero extensions mount directly to his one-piece Black Inc cockpit. Simon von Bromley / Our Media A set of custom bar-end shifters enable Britton to change gears while in an aero tuck. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Despite these XC-inspired features, the rest of the Sarana is firmly in fast endurance bike territory. The frame is aerodynamically optimised, and features a fully integrated, Black Inc aero cockpit up front. Brittons aero extensions are identical to those specced on Factors Hanzo time trial bike, and provide the Canadian with a comfortable and aerodynamic position to lock into for extended periods. XC/gravel hybrid drivetrain Instead of Shimano's GRX drivetrain components, Britton opts for the lighter (and pricier) XTR rear derailleur and cassette. Simon von Bromley / Our Media One of the few pro riders we've seen at this years Traka on a Shimano drivetrain, Britton paired a top-spec XTR rear derailleur with a 10-51t cassette and a 46t 1x aero chainring. Britton told us he usually opts for a 46t chainring for longer races, because it gives him a comfortable spread of gears for challenging courses (this years Traka 560 route features more than 9,000m of elevation gain). Britton uses a 46t chainring mounted to a Sigeyi power meter and Easton cranks. Simon von Bromley / Our Media This chainring is mounted to a Sigeyi power meter spider, with Easton carbon cranks in a relatively short (considering Brittons 1.88m height), 170mm length. Instead of GRX gravel shifters, Britton has opted for Shimano Ultegra Di2 road shifters. He also has a set of custom satellite shifters mounted to his aero extensions. Luggage and plugs at the ready Britton uses Tailfin bags to carry all of his food, tools and spares. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Finishing off Brittons build is a set of Tailfin frame bags, plus a small saddle bag, two bottle cages and some tubeless plugs taped to the frame, ready to be called into action at a moment's notice. Britton said his frame bags would be filled with fuel for the race, from his sponsor The Feed, plus tools and spares to help him deal with any mechanical failures. Britton has a tubeless plug ready to go on his chainstay. Simon von Bromley / Our Media And another one taped underneath the stem. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Instead of bringing a hand pump, Britton said he would be racing with an electric mini pump, with enough juice to fully re-inflate his tyres around four times. Last but not least, Britton is running Shimano XTR SPD pedals, plus Exposure lights and a custom-made saddle from Canadian brand, Reform. Britton has a custom saddle made by Reform. Simon von Bromley / Our Media Rob Britton with his new Factor Sarana for the 2026 Traka 560. Simon von Bromley / Our Media

EF Education-EasyPost rider Sean Quinn has found a creative way to fill those hours of waiting around to ride his bike

Paris-Roubaix is a brutal race and whilst in front the likes of Tadej Pogacar and Mathieu van der Poel light it up on a yearly basis; for most riders it's a matter of survival. However it's a race that's far from just being about the legs, but more about the luck. Avoiding crashes and mechanicals is...

Weve been on the ground at the Traka gravel event in Girona, Spain, and have clapped eyes on what appears to be a new unreleased Canyon Grail CFR. The new frameset appears to be a more aggressive version of the existing Grail, heavily influenced by the latest Endurace CFR endurance-cum-race bike. The bike is being raced by the Canyon X DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing team. Read more: The new Canyon Endurace CFR is good, but I dont think it's an endurance bike The frameset appears well-stocked with mounting ports, with native storage solutions set to be available. Simon von Bromley / Our Media However, given one bike in the pits was sporting also new-looking 2.1in (53mm) Race Pro branded Schwalbe Thunder Burt XC tyres, plus another with a set of 2.2in (55mm) tan-sidewall Thunder Burts, we can safely assume the new bike also addresses the previous Grails 42mm clearance. The fork features a broad, angular shoulder primarily to boost tyre clearance. Simon von Bromley / Our Media This comes as little surprise, given tyres used in gravel events have increased in width sharply over the lifetime of the current Grail. These new Schwalbe Race Pro-branded Thunder Burt tyres are also new. Simon von Bromley / Our Media This new Grail CFR is compatible with Canyons swept-forward CP0053 Race handlebar, which broke cover alongside the latest Endurace CFR. We also spotted bikes fitted with the adjustable CP0048 Pace handlebar. The new Grail CFR is compatible with Canyon's existing cockpits Simon von Bromley / Our Media The upper section of the seat tube is deepened to house an aero seatpost, with the lower section narrower likely an attempt to increase tyre clearance while offering a little extra compliance through the frameset. including the new swept, non-adjustable aero handlebar. Simon von Bromley / Our Media These sections are effectively separated by a new dropped seatstay arrangement the previous bikes design took clear inspiration from the Ultimate lightweight all-round race bike, but this bike is far more reminiscent of the Endurace CFR, which in turn was inspired by the Aeroad CFR. The new bike features a deeper aero seatpost, SP0076. Simon von Bromley / Our Media The fork also sports broad shoulders, which are clearly intended to provide wide tyre clearance, but could also act as an airflow trip before it impacts the riders legs (in line with some of the latest aero bike designs, including the radical Factor One). The seatstay arrangement has also changed, and is now dropped. Simon von Bromley / Our Media The down-tube bottle cage is also sitting on top of what is likely a storage compartment port, an increasingly common feature in gravel bikes.

Amy and Kyle Hudson's round the world cycle begins today

The time for endlessly debating and re-diagnosing the problem has passed, Fran Millar said, claiming pro cycling has been failed structurally and commercially

Good morning, friends. Welcome to the liveblog of the Tour de Romandie. After Tadej Pogacar claimed his second victory in the race, will he raise his arms for a third time in as many days today? The road will ultimately decide who is the strongest by the end of the stage. So join us and follow all t...

Roaming around the pits of the South Korean season opener of the mountain bike World Cup, we spotted this prototype Lapierre that goes against current cross-country convention. If you lined up all the XC bikes on the World Cup stage, youd quickly see theres a certain suspension layout favoured for racing. Lapierres current XRM fits this bill, featuring flex-stay suspension and a top tube-mounted shock, but its new prototype goes against the grain by mounting the shock to the lower part of the frame. Its not alone Scotts Spark and Mondrakers Podium both have a lower-mounted shock, but it's an architecture weve seen many brands move away from, most recently, Giant with its new Anthem. More from South Korea Charlie Aldridge's South Korea World Cup bike swaps electronic and mechanical tech as he targets victory Brit Evie Richards claims second in South Korea short track XC aboard prototype Trek that may never hit store shelves The frame is more svelte than the current XRM XC race bike. Ross Bell / Our Media One of the main reasons for this is to create more usable space in the front triangle for a second water bottle, while also saving weight. Lapierres prototype appears to have room for only one bottle, although there is a large mount on the underside of the top tube to carry accessories. Were not sure why the French brand has made this move, but perhaps the design enables a more desirable setup that suits the more rowdy nature of modern-day cross-country racing. The rear shock is buried in the bottom bracket area, not dissimilar from Lee Cougan's design. Ross Bell / Our Media A lower shock mount also lowers the bikes centre of gravity, making it feel more planted and quicker to turn. The bike continues to use a flex-stay design, with no bearings besides those connecting to the main pivot and linkage. While the headset cable routing looks clean, many find that it gets in the way of maintenance. Ross Bell / Our Media Another noticeable difference from the current XRM is the internal cable routing, which now runs through the headset rather than via ports on the head tube. We didnt see who was riding this bike, and with lights and a bell attached, were not sure if well see it between the tapes this weekend but its one to look out for this season.

The 2026 Milano-Sanremo edition was one of the most exciting in recent years and the comeback of Tadej Pogacar could be seen as an absolute highlight of the spring. The World Champion had to overcome a high-speed crash right before Cipressa; and the rider who landed on top of his bike Tim Marsman no...