Felix Gall has just finished second at the Giro d'Italia, the best result of his career in a Grand Tour and the one where he showed his best level in the mountains. The Austrian could benefit from an unwritten rule amongst the pros, which might have been the reason why he was never tested on the dow...

The electric hire bike provider lifted the restrictions as part of an effort to attract cyclists who would otherwise use illegally-modified electric motorbikes

On the 3rtd of June 2026 the peloton takes on the Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes; taking place in the southeast of France, as one of the few European one-day races that are specifically aimed for the climbers; some of them preparing for the upcoming Tour de France. We preview the race and take...

Grischa Niermann has been with the Dutch team since turning pro in 1998

The electric hire bike provider lifted the restrictions as part of an effort to attract cyclists who would otherwise use illegally-modified electric motorbikes

It was reported this Monday evening that Head of Racing at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, Grischa Niermann, was leaving the team. The current Head of Racing is a key part of the team and has guided the likes of Jonas Vingegaard, Wout Van Aert and the group of sports directors within the team. This has n...

As everybody knows by now, this blog is merely an avocation; my vocation is of course my ongoing mission as the Classic Cycle Old Crap Test Pilot, and the latest bicycle I am test-piloting is the 1999 GT XCR 1000:However, I was having two problems with the bicycle, which turned out to be related. The first was that the movement of the rear suspension was creating tension on the front derailleur cable, which in turn was causing front shifting* problems:*[For those of you born in the 21st century, bicyclesyes, even mountain bikesused to have multiple chainrings, sometimes as many as three (!), as well as a second shifter and a frontally-mounted derailleur to move the chain from one ring to another.]The second problem was that the rear shock was leaking air, causing it to bottom out excessively, exacerbating the problem above.So I returned the shock to Classic Cycle:And have now received not only the overhauled unit, but another one just in case the first one still doesnt work:Plus, Paul was even kind enough to include a shifter cable and some housing so I could address that front shifting problem, which I have now done.So I am ready to resume testing.Generally speaking, I prefer not to drive places in order to ride, and while I do feel smug when I arrive at a mountain bike trail and am the only person who actually rode to to it, this is not my primary motivation for doing so. Rather, its mostly because I want to maximize my riding time, and every minute spent in a car is one that could be better spent on a bicycle. Plus I live close enough to the trails that riding to them is actually enjoyable.However, the calculus changes if I need to run a car-based errand that happens to bring me close to a mountain bike trail, in which case tossing a bike on the car and squeezing in a quick ride becomes a much more attractive proposition. So yesterday thats just what I did, and Ill admit it feels pretty good to zip up to the trail in just a handful of minutes, even you do have to deal with the GODDAMN SENIOR DRIVERS:Obviously I honked constantly while screaming JESUS CHRIST, JUST MOVE TO FLORIDA ALREADY.Speaking of driving, I dont talk too much about automotive cycling accessories (or cycling automotive accessories) like racks and stuff, since I dont do that much driving-to-ride anymore. (I did a lifetimes worth when I used to race cyclocross, plus all the driving-to-go-mountain biking I used to do when I lived in Brooklyn. When you live in Brooklyn youre like 20 miles in any direction from decent riding, and its sort of like being trapped in New York Citys crotch.) However, one nice thing about old-fashioned mountain bikes with quick release axles is that I can use them with my old fork-mount roof rack traysthough I guess theres such a thing as thru-axle adapters, but Im not sure Id feel great about putting the hefty Jones up on the roof, if the rear wheel strap could even fit around the tire, which Im not sure it would:I believe the rack Im using is this one, and the handy thing about it is you can put it on or take it off in a matter of minutes without any tools, which is useful when youre a schnorrer like me who stores his car for free in the public right of way. Roof racks are also more convenient in urban areas since you need every millimeter of fore-aft space you can possibly get in order to parallel park. This means if Im too lazy to remove the rack it doesnt take up extra lateral room. Oh, heres a shot from the other side where you can see the longer front shifter cable housing to account for the movement of the rear suspension:And heres a weird accidental selfie I took of myself in the reflection of my pollen-smeared window:Anyway, in no time I was out on the trail:Front shifting is working well now, and after some initial fussing I think maybe the shock is too.Obviously, whether youre a fan of modern Industry Standard Fully-Suspendered Mountain BikesOr of unsuspenderated ones like I amboth are going to be more capable than this old GT. (Though the brakes, hubs, and most of the drivetrain components on it are absolutely fantastic.)However, riding the best bike is not what being the Old Crap Test Pilot is all about. And what is it about? Why, its about enjoying the bicycles in the context of the era in which they were designed! Or something. And riding an old aggressive mountain bike like this is funeven if it wants to throw you off of itself, which it ultimately succeeded in doing:[The bike and I were both fine.]Jan Heine says larger wheels dont roll over stuff better, but once youre talking about actual rocks and not gravel I respectfully disagree:Though in this instance we must also take into account the riders profound lack of skill. And yes, a full-suspension bicycle like this is everything Im against, but please bear in mind that the statute of limitation on my prejudices is 25 years, after which most bikes simply become charming. This is because I am, above all, a contrarian, and once a bike reaches full obsolescence I automatically take a great deal of delight in riding it. And with rim brakes, bad geometry, 26-inch wheels, and a triple crank, this bike is a contrarians dream. Old full suspension mountain bikes are the new singlespeed.

Mike Sinyard, the founder and chairman of Specialized, has criticised the UCI's decision to disqualify Lorena Wiebes from the Giro d'Italia Women, describing the sanction as "arbitrary" and suggesting male superstars would have been treated differently. Speaking to Lennard Zinns Substack newsletter, Sinyard said: The disqualification of Lorena is very arbitrary. Can you imagine if this was Mark Cavendish, Remco [Evenepoel], [Peter] Sagan, or any of the other men stars? Theres no frigging way that they wouldve been thrown out of the complete race. Specialized is the bike supplier to Wiebes' Team SD Worx-Protime. Wiebes won stage one of the Giro dItalia Women, but was subsequently disqualified from the race by UCI commissaires on the grounds that her bike was 20g below the 6.8kg weight limit. Team SD Worx-Protime immediately called the decision into question, claiming there was a weight difference of more than 50g between the first and second weighing of Wiebes bike after the stage finish in Ravenna. "Exceptionally severe" Lorena Wiebes won stage one of the Giro d'Italia Women but was subsequently disqualified. Getty Images The 6.8kg weight limit was introduced as part of the UCIs Lugano charter in 2000 and has remained unchanged in the 26 years since. The Lugano charter put an end to the Wild West era of bike design that dominated the 1990s, with monocoque carbon frames, such as the 1996 Lotus Sport 110, also outlawed as a result of the wide-ranging document. Wiebes was disqualified for a "breach of article 2.12.007 2.2: use of a bicycle not in compliance with the regulations, specifically failing to meet the minimum weight requirements". The sprinter's team has already said it is astonished at the decision to kick the 27-year-old out of the Giro, describing the sanction as "exceptionally severe". The team said Wiebes has raced and won on the same bike throughout the season and that previous UCI checks had found the bike to be "comfortably" above the minimum weight limit. The UCI's 6.8kg weight limit has been in place since 2000. Our Media The teams statement continued: The team therefore does not understand how the very same bicycle could now suddenly be measured below the minimum weight requirement. Team SD Worx-Protime believes that Wiebes' disqualification is an exceptionally severe sanction. In a flat sprint stage, unlike a mountain stage, a small reduction in weight provides virtually no advantage. This is certainly true for a rider like Wiebes, who won the sprint in Ravenna by three bicycle lengths. Team SD Worx-Protime, a leading team in the women's peloton for the past fifteen years, has no explanation for why Wiebes' bicycle was found to be under the minimum weight on this occasion. Wiebes bike had been equipped with a single 1xchainring for the opening stage of the Giro, rather than her usual 2x setup. However, according to Cyclingnews, Wiebes' agent has refuted the idea that the change would have brought the bike below the weight limit. Read more The UCIs 6.8kg weight limit is under threat (again). Does it need to change? These are the 6 rules the UCI needs to ditch The UCI rule changes for 2026 you need to know about Another headache for the UCI Wiebes, pictured warming up at the 2026 Vuelta a Burgos Feminas, rides a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL8. Getty Images Team SD Worx-Protime has also threatened to take legal action against the UCI. The fallout from Wiebes' disqualification continues a difficult fortnight for the UCI after Belgiums Market Court dismissed the governing body's appeal against an interim order suspending the maximum gear ratio technical standard. The court's ruling means the UCI is unlikely to be able to implement its trial of limiting the gear ratios used in professional road cycling.

Afonso Eullio returned to Portugal this Monday with a subtle smile, but fully aware that he has just signed off one of the biggest results in Portuguese cycling in recent years. The Bahrain - Victorious rider landed at Francisco S Carneiro Airport, in Porto, a day after finishing the Giro dItalia...

Wahoo is pushing its Elemnt computers further into the tell me what my body is doing, before I completely detonate category. The coming soon firmware updates will add native integration for four next-generation performance tracking sensors: CORE, FLOWBIO, hDrop, and Tymewear.These updates mean riders using the latest third-generation Wahoo Elemnt GPS cycling computers (the ones here, which launched last spring) will be able to see real-time body temperature, sweat loss, sodium loss, hydration status, and breathing metrics directly on their head unit. Well, thats only if you have these additional accompanying sensors, of course. But if youre looking to optimize everything, youll be able to see these numbers right alongside the usual power, heart rate, speed, time, and the like.Wahoo ELEMNT adds live body temp, sweat & breathing trackingThe update is coming later in the middle of June and will be available to all existing and future Wahoo Element V3 cycling computer users. Each of the four independent CORE, FLOWBIO, hDrop & Tymewear sensors tracks different performance stats. So, you pick whats of interest to you to expand your Elemnt capabilities, and how you want to focus your training on the bike.How Will This Make Me Faster?Tymewear chest strap sensor (Photo/Tymewear)The first question most are gonna ask, Will they make me faster than my ride buddies? Definitely, maybe. But first, you should know the sensors, what they do, and if they might be helpful to you, or shock you into data analysis paralysis.Like a power meter or heart rate monitor, these sensors will connect to your device via Bluetooth and provide real-time data through Wahoo Elemnt computers.Hdrop sensor can attach to your heart rate strap or a bicep strap (Photo/hDrop)CORE: body temperature sensorsFLOWBIO: sweat and sodium loss monitoringhDrop: real-time sweat and hydration analysisTymewear VitalPro: breathing and ventilatory threshold trackingAs a coach and someone who regularly combs through power and heart rate data, I believe power, heart rate, and RPE (rate of perceived exertion) remain the foundation. They are not going anywhere.But, theres certainly a lot of value in each of these newer metrics, if you learn how to analyze and take advantage of the new data.Real Time Is The Real ChangeCORE heat sensors are quickly becoming the go-to for heat adaptation (Photo/CORE)All these sensors have corresponding apps that will grab the data, but that leaves the user to then crunch the numbers, usually post-ride. Its not very actionable in real time, but this update has the potential to change that.Now you can see when you need to drink, slow your breathing, when to dial it back lest you overheat, and other metrics that arguably a good rider will already be aware of, but can certainly sneak up on you in the heat of a race or intense effort.So is it going to change the way we train or ride? Not really (though, to be fair, I havent tested this yet). But it could make us more dependent on screens and computers telling us what to do.Useful or Too Much?FlowBio sensor also can be added to your existing heart rate strap (Photo/FlowBio)Heres the obvious question: Does every rider need body temp, sodium loss, sweat composition, and ventilatory threshold data on their bike computer?No. Absolutely not.But for serious athletes, coaches, triathletes, gravel racers, ultra riders, and heat-prone folks, this stuff could be genuinely useful. The key is whether the data is easy to read and simple to act on. More numbers are only better if they lead to better decisions. Otherwise, its just another screen to stare at while failing to avoid the pothole.No matter how you cut it, these gadgets are going to become increasingly prevalent in our racing and training. They are nice ways to get a baseline, especially for fluid and mineral loss. But I think we can become too dependent on them and second-guess our intuition.Ill reserve all my thoughts until I try it for myself, but I do feel like were gonna look like Robocop soon, heading up the climb, watching commercials on our head units to see our breathing rate and chamois butter status.Available for Wahoo Elemnt V3 users, soonThe firmware update is scheduled to go live later in June and will be available for all existing and future Elemnt V3 users. That includes the current-generation Elemnt lineup:Elemnt Bolt 3 $350 / 300 / 330Elemnt Roam 3 $465 / 400 / 450Elemnt Ace $500 / 450 / 480No new head unit required, assuming youre already on the V3 platform. That is the kind of update riders actually like: more function, same computer, no congrats, your six-month-old device is now old nonsense.Why are we telling you now? First, Wahoo was planning to roll out the sensor integration at the start of this month, but they are still making sure theres no bugs in the system as they loop in some very new metrics from 4 different new companies. Secondly, if you have an Elemnt and were on the fence about trying out one of these other sensors, now could be a good time to reevaluate how they could optimize your performance.A few of my Bikerumor colleagues and I are curious, and looking forward to trying out the new integration soon, too.Wahoo.comThe post Wahoo ELEMNT Update To Display Live CORE, FLOWBIO, hDrop & Tymewear Sensor Data appeared first on Bikerumor.