Uno-X is testing a new prototype lightweight race bike, which before any modifications weighs 6.9kg in a size small. The bike represents a refreshing departure from the aero bike hegemony, with relatively traditional tube shapes used throughout. There's more to be shaved here, according to the team mechanics. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media That said, the head tube features some aerodynamic profiling, as does the upper portion of the seat tube. While still aero profiled, the front end looks quite traditional. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media An aero seatpost is also used, but topped with a lightweight clamp design. This features a hollow carbon cradle fastened in place by two bolts. The seatpost clamp is a neat design. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Below this, the seat stays are strikingly slim, a common tactic used by brands to lower weight while increasing frame compliance. Tobias Johannessen is set to test this one. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Tyre clearance also appears competitive with the growing number of race bikes with space reaching into the mid-thirty millimetre region, albeit the team mechanics wouldnt confirm the frames official limit. Continental's time trial tyres should offer low rolling resistance and weight. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media This bike, belonging to Tobias Johannessen, was running 28mm Continental Grand Prix 5000 TT TR tyres. These are said to be an optimal size for the 38mm-deep DT Swiss ARC 1100, while the choice of a 28mm tyre will be lighter than the increasingly normal-choice 30mm rubber. The choice of 28mm rubber indicates a focus on weight, too. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Up front, the fork crown is notably U-shaped with prominent shoulders. Alongside offering increased tyre clearance, this could be assisting with shaping airflow before it hits the riders legs. The fork crown is U-shaped, which might confer some aero benefit alongside tyre clearance. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media While less impactful when climbing a mountain at slower speeds, aerodynamics will have a role to play in descending speed should a competitor (or Johannessen) attack over the crest of a climb, this efficiency will surely be appreciated when countering. We'll wait to find out if this bike is an updated Falcn RS or something else. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media Its unclear what this new bike will be called both the UCI and Ridleys stickers stat prototype but the family resemblance to the existing Falcn RS all-round race bike is strong. The cockpit appears standard, Ridley clearly preferring a simple setup to work with its Forza components arm. Ashley Quinlan / Our Media The relative lack of deeper-section aero tubes would suggest Ridley is looking to keep this new bike and the Noah Fast set distinctly apart from one another, rather than looking to merge the Falcn RS and Noah Fast into an all-in-one platform. Well deliver the official word from Ridley on this new bike when have it.

Cycling has spent years trying to sell itself as a modern, global, professional sport. Yet every time the UCI takes certain organizational decisions, it signals the opposite. The announcement of the 2027 calendar has again left an indefensible impression: the Vuelta a Espaa will partially overlap w...

The Tour Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes (formerly known as Criterium du Dauphin) begins this Sunday, featuring an eight-stage route that includes a team time trial on the third day and several challenging mountain finishes. The race marks the competitive comeback of Matteo Jorgenson, who has recovered from a...

The UCI Management Committee has signed off on a series of significant regulatory reforms targeting equipment, rider safety, and the yellow card system. These updates will phase in over the coming seasons, with the earliest changes taking effect next month. In an immediate move to crack down on aero...

As reported by this website a few days ago, Dublin City Council has a draft plan to traffic-calm Clontarfs old village centre with a car-free public space this was welcomed by at least some local councillors. Based on the outline of the plan presented to councillors, here are more and better visuals and some key points:The plan includes a car-free public space at the heart of the former village centre. Vernon Avenue will be accessible for everyone.The vast majority of parking spaces in the area will remain unchanged. Beyond the car-free space, motorists will be able to access everywhere they can now, including Nolans of Clontarf.Disabled car parking spaces will be given priority locations beside the public space.The rest of Vernon Avenue, from Seafield Road to Clontarf Park, will include a shared carriageway where motorists will mix with people cycling.This part of Vernon Avenue will have traffic calming and no-through traffic (filtered permeability) to make the area more village-like and make the route safer to cycle, connecting the planned cycle path north of Seafield Road to the S2S Dublin Bay route while maintaining access for motorists.The new public space will also be far better linked to the shops and other businesses with a more direct crossing than the existing one this includes a better connection with a more direct crossing of the Clontarf Road for bus users, people using the seaside car park, and people walking along the Clontarf Promenade.The above is most of what we know so far. Officials told councillors that the full draft designs will be updated on the project website on June 10th, and there will be a public information day on June 25th from 3-7pm at Clontarf GAA Club.This is an artists impression of the view of the public space from the Clontarf Road:This is an aerial view of the draft design:The draft plan from Dublin City Council includes what it terms as a filtered permeability arrangement at Clontarf Village:The two images below show what the council terms as a mixed traffic street on Vernon Avenue the design includes retaining car parking along the section shown and using traffic calming to improve safety and attractiveness of the area: The draft project design includes a zebra crossing at Nolans of Clontarf:More soonALSO READ: Plan to traffic calm Clontarfs old village centre with a car-free public space welcomed

Larry Warbasse capped off his Giro d'Italia campaign with a final breakaway appearance on stage 20, aiming to carry his hard-earned Grand Tour form into the upcoming US National Road Race Championships in Charleston, West Virginia, on June 21. Warbasse, who previously claimed the stars-and-stripes n...

A tough stage to start that borrows from three mountain ranges.The Route: 140km and 3,200m of vertical gain. Is this a mountain stage? Yes, and sure it only a warm-up compared to what awaits next weekend but this takes in three mountain ranges in a day and some tough climbing.After Vizille its into the Vercors mountains with a drag up to the intermediate sprint on Paul Magniers home roads and then where the Col de lArzelier looks soft at 5.7%, stare at the profile more and youll see the flat section mid-way. The first kilometre is savage with 12-15% and then two thirds of the way up theres more steep sections.The Cte de Quaix is the hard part of the Col de Palaquit in the Chartreuse Alps, complete with 12% sections on a narrow road before crossing to the Col de Vence, the Dauphin and Tour have been here before. The descent to the valley is on a bigger road.The final climb of the day is notable because its consistently steep, 8km at over 7%.The Finish: a ride into Saint-Ismier, a suburb of Grenoble and flat.The Contenders: who attacks where? Today could see a select group of the GC contenders coming into contest the win. The best climber and descender? Paul Seixas (Decathlon-CMA CGM) fits the bill here, one thing weve yet to see is how he sprints in a small group. Isaac del Toro (UAE) is another comparative pick.Todays climbs are Alpine but shorter in length so Netcompany-Ineos pair Oscar Onley and Kvin Vauquelin find terrain to suit and to see which is the better bet for July.Valentin Paret-Peintre (Soudal-Quickstep) is unlikely to be winning overall but despite the waif-like build hes a hustler for sprint finishes.For riders unsure of winning outright summit finishes this is a big chance, so Santiago Buitrago and Pello Bilbao (Bahrain) come to mind.The early breakaway has a chance if the big teams look to each other rather than trying to lock down the race. So Ben Healy (EF), Marco Frigo (NSN) and team mates Ivan Romeo and Diego Pescador (Movistar) are longshots but normally they wont get much space in 140km.Seixas, Del Toro, VP-POnley, BuitragoBilbao, Healy, Vauquelin, Romeo, Van GilsWeather: sunny and 25CTV: the last 90 minutes live on TV and an early finish forecast for 2.50pm CEST.Postcard from GrenobleThe race will begin today with a brief tribute to Thierry Cazeneuve who was the organiser from 1988 to 2009. He died in January earlier this year at the age of 74.Georges Cazeneuve was one of several ex-resistance founders of the Dauphin libr newspaper in 1945. His idea to launch a bike race to boost sales in 1947 was a great idea. His nephew Thierry took over the race in 1988 after joining the newspaper in 1973, and as a boy hed sold newspapers to the crowds at the race.Becoming organiser was no gilded inheritance, the newspaper got bought by outsiders in the early 1980s and one of the first thing the new owners and their accountants spotted was the big loss from running a bicycle race. They were going to pull the plug on the race only for the news to leak from where or who, we can imagine and letters flooded in from readers asking for the race to be maintained.Embed from Getty ImagesThierry Cazeneuve was the Dauphin organiser for a week in June and all the meetings and calls that were needed before and after but his main job was a journalist on the sports desk at Le Dauphin libr. He covered rugby during the winter and cycling in the summer. He had more the rugby players build, bolstered by a passion for cooking at home.His position as a race organiser made him an insider in the sport but he compartmentalised this and every July became a suiveur of the Tour de France, a follower who deserves to be followed quipped Antoine Blondin. The Dauphin librs own obituary for him says the Michelin Guide sometimes mattered more than the Roadbook when on the Tour, for him it was all about the journey and story-telling. As in sharing, he cautioned several times about inventing myths and urged writers to stick to the facts.He took over writing the official Tour de France history books from Pierre Chany and also became president of the Ligue nationale de cyclisme, Frances governing body of professional cycling, between 2003 and 2007 too.He sounds like terrific company for a long lunch today, especially if you let him pick the place. All these hats but hes best remembered as the race organiser, reviving the event and prolonging it for as long as possible. His death at 74 was too early, hed have loved to see Paul Seixas in action again but you dread to wonder what hed have made of the race dropping the Dauphin label.The post Aura Tour Stage 1 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

RCS Sport CEO Paolo Bellino defended the sudden decision to cut stage 8 of the Giro dItalia Women, stating that an unpredictable avalanche risk left organizers with no alternative. Following urgent warnings from national park authorities regarding an unstable ice sheet near the summit of the Colle...