Urska Zigarts Grand Tour ambitions no longer feel like a distant projection. As the Giro dItalia Women heads towards its decisive weekend, they are being backed up by results, consistency and another place inside the races top 10. After the race returned to flatter terrain on Stage 6, Zigart rema...

Remco Evenepoels place in the Tour de France hierarchy has become harder to define than it was two years ago, but Michel Wuyts believes the Belgians career is still being judged through an unfairly narrow lens. The former cycling commentator and long-time Belgian analyst has pushed back against th...

New draft routes for the long-delayed Lucan and Poolbeg Luas tram project are expected to be published by the end of 2026, and early next year, respectively, the Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees heard last week.The delay of the Poolbeg project comes as the new housing it was supposed to serve is at an advanced stage of construction, with many of the new apartments already built.The Lucan Luas is expected to be an extension of the Red Line from the Point Village, while the Lucan Luas has long been planned to be a new route which will share a high-capacity section of the Red Line where it runs between Davitt Road and the Grand Canal before branching in a different direction at both ends of this section.The western end has long been planned to go to Lucan via Liffey Valley, while the eastern section has a number of options into the city centre, as shown in the map below from the 2021 Luas Lucan Feasibility Study.IMAGE: Options for the Lucan Luas in the 2021 Luas Lucan Feasibility Study. Its unclear if any of these options will be used. Lorcan OConnor, chief executive of Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), told the committee that the project team are working with the National Transport Authority (NTA) so that the Lucan Luas route does not conflict with the Liffey Valley BusConnects project, which is under construction now or shortly. The original tram route was to run down the Ballymun Road, which is the route that will be dug up by the BusConnects project.The NTA is legally responsible for Luas, and this responsibility is delegated to TII. OConnor said: Turning to light rail, the Luas Finglas railway order has been granted, and the Luas Cork preferred route has been published and is out for public consultation until mid-June. We are working on the emerging preferred routes for Luas Lucan and Luas Poolbeg and expect to bring Lucan to an initial public consultation later this year and Poolbeg early next year.We look forward to commencing planning on further Luas lines as prioritised by the NTA and fulfilling the vision of the NTAs greater Dublin area transport strategy, he said. Shane Moynihan, a Fianna Fail TD for Dublin Mid West, said: I welcome the fact that the Lucan Luas preferred route will be published later on this year. Will Mr OConnor give me a more specific time as to when he thinks we will see that?OConnor replied: Hopefully, before December. I cannot really say more than that, but in the same way we are now at the preferred route status in Cork, that in itself is a very significant milestone because all of a sudden, people can visualise what that might mean broadly speaking, the journey time into the city centre and the connections it creates. We have found, certainly in that initial emerging route consultation, very helpful feedback to allows us to tweak or make changes to enhance the overall project.Giving a broader view of Luas, OConnor said that the use of the tram system in Dublin has grown by nearlu 60% in the last 10 years, and that renewal of the network and trams is needed after over 20 years of service. On the light rail side,Luaspatronage has grown by almost 60% over the past decade, and it continues to grow. TII expects theLuaswill carry approximately 60 million passengers this year, making it the busiest railway in the country. A new timetable was introduced last year, providing much-needed extra capacity on both lines, and further enhancements are planned for next year, said OConnor. In terms of the asset base, TII has been actively strengthening our capability and capacity to deliver a step change in asset investment, which is necessary to protect the performance and reliability of the network, which is now over 20 years old, he said.On this, he continued: TII is working with the NTA to agree increased multi-annual funding and to streamline approval processes for the asset renewal works. There are many benefits, including reduced costs and improved value for money, consequent on evolving to a multi-annual planning and delivery approach for asset management, much like what is in place at the moment for the heavy rail side.He said that the light rail asset base for Luas is valued at approximately 2 billion, and TII is currently spending about 115 million per annum to provide services and maintain the network, and plans to spend another 20 million of capital funding on asset investment and asset renewal works. This compares to ticket revenue in 2026, which is estimated to be in the region of 60 million. OConnor added: Longer-term projections undertaken in 2025 highlight the need for approximately 1.8 billion over the next 20 years in asset life-cycle investment, which equates to about 90 million per annum over the next number of years.Last year, it was revealed that TII has an internal vision for other future Luas routes read more about that here and see the map below. Most of these routes have yet to receive NTA or Government approval.IMAGE: Lucan and Poolbeg Luas routes, along with other possible future Luas routes that have not yet gained NTA or Government approval.

Today, we are sharing the sad news out of Fairfax, California. Bike industry pioneer Charlie Cunningham has passed away at the age of 78. Eleven years ago, Charlie was riding bikes with his wife, Jaquie Phelan, and was involved in an accident. He suffered life-altering injuries and has been living in a care facility since. (Photo / Charlie Kelly Facebook)Unfortunately, in my many years in the industry, I never had the opportunity to meet Charlie in person. But, as I ride my mountain bike, Ive definitely enjoyed his many contributions to the sport. And, in so many different ways. 1988 Cunningham Racer (Photo / Vintage Mountain Bike Workshop)Way back in 1982, along with master framebuilder Steve Potts and Mark Slate, Charlie co-founded the brand Wilderness Trail Bikes (WTB). And he and Potts ran it from 1982 to 2002. WTB was one of the pioneers, and arguably one, if not the first, aftermarket brand to start making mountain bike-specific parts during the emerging sports infancy. (Photo / Cunningham Bicycles)A lot of these inventions in bike parts came from Charlie Cunninghams visionary mind, and they played an instrumental part in steering mountain bikes away from their roots in road biking. Charlie was also one of the very early adopters, proponents, and builders of aluminum frames. Charlie may be gone and will be missed by many. But he leaves a monster legacy behind that helped make mountain biking the amazing sport it is today. And that legacy will never go away. Pedal in Peace Charlie. The post Industry Loses Pioneer, Visionary, & Frame-Builder, Charlie Cunningham appeared first on Bikerumor.

Jonas Vingegaard left the 2026 Giro dItalia as the races first Danish winner, a Grand Tour Triple Crown champion and the dominant force of the Corsa Rosa. For Spanish cycling journalist Javier Ares, the size of that dominance also raised a harder question about the field behind him. Vingegaard was...

From the Summum DH bike to the long-travel Anark freeride/bike park rig, Mondraker has been on a roll with new and updated bikes lately. Today, that continues with the announcement of the all-new KOAZ dirt jump bike. A play bike built for dirt jumps, pump tracks, and skate parks, the KOAZ is made for creative riding and self-expression.Being a Mondraker, it follows the brands design language with its unmistakable, signature aesthetic. With a focus on simplicity, it comes in two frame sizes, one complete build, or as a frameset. Lets check it out.Mondraker KOAZ Frame DetailsThe KOAZ frame is made from 6061-T6 Stealth Alloy Evo with hydroformed tubing. Overall, the frame has a fairly standard-looking design for a dirt jump bike, but the head tube junction is 100% Mondraker. The extra brace, or stiffness link, is one of the brands signature design features, intended to add stiffness for accurate steering and responsive handling.Moving down to the cranks, Mondraker focused on stiffness with a split-forged bottom bracket shell. According to the brand: By eliminating abrupt welds and stress concentrators, KAOZ has exceptional stiffness and superior fatigue resistance. This should be beneficial for the hard landings and extreme forces involved with dirt jumping.Like most proper dirt jump bikes, the KOAZ is designed to be simple and is compatible with single-speed drivetrains only. That includes adjustable sliding dropouts with an integrated brake mount that adjust in unison to make it easy to maintain correct chain tension and brake alignment.The frame is designed to be used with 26 wheels, and it has 10 x 135mm rear axle spacing. It has Silent Core internal routing for the brake line to prevent cable rattle. The brake line also comes with added length to wrap around the head tube for bar spins and massive tailwhips.GeometryKeeping with the simplicity theme, the KAOZ comes in two frame sizes with a 25mm difference in reach separating the two. The reach on medium is 415mm, while the large stretches out to 440mm. Otherwise, the measurements and angles are consistent across the two sizes and appear well-suited for the intended use.Mondraker KAOZ: Builds and PricingMondraker is offering the new KAOZ in one complete build or as a frameset. The frame currently comes in the Superblack colorway only.KAOZ Frameset: $899 USD / 629 / 699KAOZ Complete: $2,599 USD / 1,999 / 2,199Fork: RockShox Pike DJ, 100mmCrankset: SRAM Truvativ Descendant 165Wheels: DT Swiss D 1900 Classic Single Speed w/DT 370 hubsTires: Maxxis DTH 26 x 2.3Rear Brake: SRAM DB8, 4-pistonCockpit: Onoff handlebar, stem, gripsSaddle: Ergon SM10 DHMondraker KAOZ: AvailabilityThe new KAOZ dirt jump bike officially launches today and is available now. Head to the Mondraker website to learn more or find a dealer near you.mondraker.comThe post Mondraker Re-Enters the Dirt Jump Market With the All-New KOAZ appeared first on Bikerumor.

The love story of Jai Hindley and Giro d'Italia wrote its another chapter this May. The 2022 Corsa Rosa champion and a runner-up from 2020 complete his podium result collection with a strong third place after three weeks of consistent performances in the mountains. "It was a great Giro," Hindley ana...

Its already been a big week for top tube bags, with both Revelate and Restrap announcing new and updated models. Not to be left out, Apidura is launching two new Aero Bolt-On Top Tube Modules, both of which have already proven themselves on the race course at Unbound last weekend. The new Aero Bolt-On and Aero Bolt-On Long give riders two sizes of strap-free, aerodynamic top-tube storage bags for racing or fast-paced riding.Aero Bolt-On Top Tube Module DetailsLast year, Apidura launched its Aero System, which included a strap-on version of the Top Tube Module. The Bolt-On version is the logical next step in its evolution, ditching the straps for a more streamlined attachment, aerodynamic profile, and enhanced stability.The Aero Bolt-On Modules attach with two M5 hex bolts to the mount points on the top of the top tube. They are designed with 5cm of fore-aft adjustability so riders can fine-tune the alignment at the rear of the stem to maximize aerodynamic performance. A Carbon Stability Structure comprised of a full-length internal carbon plate and high modulus rods is intended to add stability, rigidity, and maintain the bags shape.The Modules are made with a Hexagrid material, which is a lightweight, high-strength nylon grid thats laminated with TPU. The seams have been RF-welded to bolster water resistance. On the standard version, the single main compartment features a user-friendly magnetic closure for quick and easy access to your snacks while moving at race pace. The Bolt-On Long uses a full-length waterproof zipper closure. The standard-size Aero Bolt-On Module weighs a claimed 95 grams and has a 0.4-liter storage capacity. The Long version weighs a claimed 120 grams while doubling the capacity to 0.8 liters. Both sizes can be combined with the Aero Frame Module to add storage capacity and save even more watts.Aero Bolt-On Top Tube ModuleAero Bolt-On Long Top Tube ModuleWind Tunnel TestedAccording to Apidura, wind tunnel testing backed up aerodynamic claims with pro gravel racer Dylan Johnson finding the Aero Bolt-On Module saved 4.2 watts when used on its own. That number increased to 5.2 watts saved when used in combination with the Aero Frame Module. You can learn more about Johnsons wind tunnel testing in this video.Sofia Gomez-Villafane en route to victory at Last weeks Unbound 200.Race ProvenIt never hurts to have some race results to back up the performance of your new product at launch. Fortunately for Apidura, athletes using the new Aero Bolt-On Modules stormed the podium and the top of the results sheet at last weeks Unbound Gravel. Sofia Gomez-Villafane raced her new Specialized Crux 5 with the Aero Bolt-On Top Tube Module to victory in the Unbound 200. Robin Gemperle raced his prototype Scott Addict 32 with the Aero Bolt-On Long Top Tube Module to the top step in the Unbound XL.Other notable finishes by racers using the Aero Bolt-On bags include Gee Scheuers (2nd Unbound 200), Matt Beers (2nd Unbound 200), and Keegan Swenson (5th Unbound 200). Of course, these are some of the best gravel racers in the world, but its a strong endorsement for Apiduras new Aero Bolt-On Top Tube Modules.Robin Gemperle racing a prototype Scott Addict 32 to victory at Unbound XL. (photo/Ri Ganey/Scott)Apidura Aero Bolt-On Top Tube Modules: Pricing and AvailabilityAero Bolt-On Top Tube Module: $98 USD / 68 / 78Aero Bolt-On Long Top Tube Module: $141 USD / 92 / 109The Aero Bolt-On Top Tube Modules are currently available for pre-order with estimated shipping at the end of July. Head to the Apidura website to learn more or pre-order yours.apidura.comThe post Apidura Launches Two New Bolt-On Versions of Its Aero Top Tube Modules appeared first on Bikerumor.