After mentioning the Roaduno yesterday I had to run right out and ride it:Im sure you know how that works:As usual, the bike felt fantastic, I immediately renounced gears as pointless, and then I committed to riding this bike and only this bike going forward:Of course this will never, ever happen, and I completely forgot my pledge as soon as I got off the bike, but I can assure you that in the moment I totally meant it, and its ability to elicit such drunken promises is a testament to what an intoxicating bicycle it is.Anyway, I dont need to commit because Ive paid my dues as a singlespeeder, having participated in not one but two Singlespeed World Champtionships, plus a Singlespeed Cyclocross World Champtionships for good measurespeaking of which, I noted in the comments the other day that this years SSWC will take place right here in my home state, even though Port Jervis really should be in Pennsylvania, or at the very least New Jersey:For a moment I caught myself thinking Maybe, but then I realized I dont meet any of the criteria:Single Speed WonderlandPrePare yourselves for a total SingleSpeed take over of Port Jervis, NY. This will be a gathering of Friends and Awesome Humans from around the globe and you are invited as long as you can be one, but ideally both of those things no matter what you rideAt this stage in my life I am not even remotely capable of being either a Friend or an Awesome Human. Of course if they add a Solitary Cantankerous Old Misanthrope field I might reconsider. Then again, I ride my own personal Solitary Cantankerous Old Misanthrope World Championship pretty much every day, so I theres no reason for me to travel almost all the way to Pennsylvania for that.Anyway, Im glad to see that the SSWC tradition is still alive, and I do admit that if I still had my Artisanal Singlespeed I might be more tempted:Oh well.Speaking of ironic rides, Portland (the one in Oregon) used to be the where the most ebullient ones took place. Alas, look how far theyve fallen:The Worlds Largest Electric Bicycle Ride, really? Thats just called traffic. Seriously, this is just a normal day on every street in New York now, except when this rides over theyre not handing anybody their lunch:Not only that, but BikePortland founder Jonathan Maus has shared an update concerning his hiatus, and he appears to be ditching cycling and moving on to basketball:On that note, you should know that Im exploring other opportunities. Ive loved building BikePortland; now I want to build something else. Whether its on my own or (preferably!) with a team of other passionate people doing cool things. Ive already started building a place for myself in the local basketball world, and thats an area I plan to continue pursuing. And while I take a shot at basketball, look for help with a BikePortland relaunch, Im also open to something different. On that note, I might have an exciting opportunity in the local media. If that opportunity materializes, and if I choose to take it, it would solidify my path considerably.Reading between the lines, its pretty clear hell soon be doing color commentary for the Portland Trail Blazers.Oh well.Yes, as Bob Dylan sang, the times they are a-becoming different from the times that a-proceeded them, and while its sad to see Portlands fall fromwell, they were never in a state of grace to begin with, so lets just call it a fall from relevanceit is strangely satisfying to watch the cycling world lie in the bed it made for itself:Is there a fancy German word for lamenting that which is completely your fault?I mean you literally asked for it:It feels like an inevitability that bikes are expensive. Although I dont like the fact theyve escalated in price way over inflation, I dont think that all brands are offering us any more than they did in 2010 when a SRAM Red or Dura-Ace equipped bike cost 6,000 rather than costing more than the 13,000 today.Yes, aero has improved, gears are now electric and brakes are hydraulic. But the improvements far from justify a doubling in price. And you have nobody to blame for cockpit swaps that cost Five Hundred British Complacency Units but yourself: With the right sized bar for me, or just a less narrow bar that flared out more at the drops, the bike would be transformed. To do that and replace the aero cockpit like-for-like would cost around 500. On a bike that costs ten grand, I dont want to have to spend a penny more to make it fit and perform better. It absolutely should be right, straight out of the shop.Hey, you wanted proprietary plastic integrated wireless fluid-filled electronic aero pods with wheels, and that means changing a stem is only marginally easier for your bike shop than replacing the airbag in your car, so if you insist on riding what the pros ride then suck it up and pay.But sure, bicycles should be infinitely customizablelike cars?Id like to callout to the brands that currently dont offer this level of customer service. If you want to justify the high price of bikes, then step up. We as customers need a higher level of service.If I was ordering a new car Id get a raft of choices on wheels, the interior, equipment, the gearbox, even the engine. New kitchens come with a myriad of options. Heck, sofas come with more options than most off-the-peg bikes.When we are asked to pay so much for admittedly great bikes, options should be mandatory not optional.When was the last time Warren bought a car? The process of buying a Hyundai is pretty much exactly the same as buying a Specialized. Pick a model, pick a trim, pick a few accessories (wheel locks for the Hyundai, bottle cages and a saddle bag for the Specialized), and thats it. By the way, youll have to go all the way up to the Calligraphy trim on the Santa Fe to get the relaxation function on the drivers seat:Its well worth it, too, because it promotes maximum engagement with the road and your surroundings:Anyway, things are hardly as bad as Warren suggests, because last time I checked, Rivendell will put a bike together for you any way you want. I certainly get buying a modern rocket bike if thats what you want, and if it is what you want then ride and enjoy, but if the Fred Sleds of today dont offer you enough choice, then maybe youre just shopping for the wrong bike.

Nobody wants to be woken up in the middle of the night, especially when theyre in the midst of one of the worlds toughest endurance events. But thats exactly what happened to leading Tour de France contenders Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogaar.Vingegaard and Pogaar were woken at 2am and 5am, respectively, on Sunday morning by doping control agents from the International Testing Agency (ITA), who made the riders provide samples ahead of stage 15.The incident has proved divisive, with reactions ranging from sanguine acceptance to uproar and apology. Pogaar said the test meant he only got four hours of sleep before Sundays stage. But he added that, If this is necessary to prove that we are riding clean, then I totally accept it.Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohes Remco Evenepoel took a different approach and described the incident as inhumane, pointing to the importance of sleep at the hardest and biggest race in the world. I hope it doesn't happen any more in the future, he added.Athlete welfare versus keeping sport clean Tadej Pogaar: If this is necessary to prove that we are riding clean, then I totally accept it. Tim de Waele / Getty Images The ITAs testing of Pogaar and Vingegaard reveals a tension at the heart of anti-doping controls and particularly cycling, which has a history marred by substance abuse that breeds distrust towards its stars between athlete welfare and keeping sport clean.April Henning, director of the international network of doping researchers and an associate professor at Heriot-Watt University, told BikeRadar of her reaction to the ITA testing.I immediately thought of the tension between the push for anti-doping controls and to maintain doping-free cycling, against that tension of athletes' rights and the need forrespecting a recovery period and allowing athletes to actually rest, she said.On the one hand, it's very easy to say there has to be a line, Henning said. Athletes have to be allowed time off. They have to be allowed the ability to recover. They have to be allowed to sleep when they're in the midst of a multi-week stage race that requires hours and hours of intense endurance activity a day.But she added: The other side of it is that we should be testing at all times because we know from previous cases, previous scandals the lengths that athletes will go to to use prohibited substances to gain an advantage.EF Education-EasyPost manager Jonathan Vaughters, a former US Postal rider who admitted to doping throughout his career, took to X to comment on the nighttime anti-doping control test.I dont post here much. But Ill roll this grenade down the aisle: 2am testing is one of the very effective ways to prevent peptide(EPO,hGH) and testosterone micro dosing. If the UCI had tested us in 2001 at 2am? Wed all have been suspended and saved the sport 25 years of drama, he wrote.Its unfortunate that Tadej and Jonas have to atone for the sh*t we did. However, Id take some lost sleep for some credibility. I should apologize to both of them, honestly, he added.ITAs defence Jonas Vingegaard abandoned the Tour de France after a crash on stage 15. David Pintens / Getty Images Part of the consternation over the nighttime tests relates to the UCIs anti-doping rules. Article 5.2 says: Unless the rider has identified a sixty minute testing window between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., or has otherwise consented to testing during that period, the UCI will not test a rider during that period unless it has a serious and specific suspicion that the Rider may be engaged in doping."The ITA has implemented the UCIs anti-doping programme independently since 2021. On Sunday, it defended the decision to test Pogaar and Vingegaard, placed first and second in the general classification when the test occurred.The ITA is conscious that night-time testing may be disruptive to riders' rest and recovery. Due consideration has therefore been given to minimise as much as possible the impact testing activities have on riders, the ITA said in an official statement."However, the ITA, on behalf of the UCI, has the responsibility to ensure the effectiveness of the cycling anti-doping program and the integrity of cycling races. As such, effective testing must, in limited and justified circumstances, be capable to occur outside standard daytime hours.LEquipe then reported that the nighttime tests were carried out after being authorised by a judge in Paris before the race. This legal procedure is similar to that of a search warrant in criminal law, and this is the first time it has been implemented since it was brought into French law in 2015.Vingegaard crashed out of Sundays stage and broke his collarbone, forcing him to abandon the race.Pogaar suggested the incident could have been due to the disrupted sleep after the nighttime test. However, Team Visma-Lease a Bike reasoned that it could have been due to the line the lead motorbike took through the corner where the two-time champion came down, ending his race and leaving fans bereft of the one potential challenger to Pogaars dominance.The Cyclistes Professionnels Associs weighs in Adam Hansen (left): Riders are terrified of getting a missed control. Dario Belingheri / Getty Images The riders union, Cyclistes Professionnels Associs (CPA), released an official statement on Monday, that said other riders were subject to nighttime tests at the weekend, and that highlighted the same conflict between riders and anti-doping raised by Henning.Professional riders are the first to want a clean sport, it said. To preserve the integrity of their discipline, they contribute directly to funding the fight against doping (they are the only athletes who contribute financially to testing).However, nighttime testing raises questions about its relevance: Interrupting their rest in the middle of the night for testing now warrants serious consideration.Our goal is not to call into question the fight against doping quite the contrary. We want it to be increasingly effective, targeted and efficient in identifying cheaters, but always while respecting fundamental rights, health, and recovery conditions.According to Adam Hansen, president of the CPA, cyclists must be available for tests every day of the year. For one-hour control slots they must be at the exact location stated in their whereabouts. But doping control officers can still show up for the other 23 hours of the day.If a rider isn't home, because they stepped out to get a coffee or went to the park with their child which they decided during the day, they are required to provide proof of where they were and why, Hansen wrote on X. Failing to justify their whereabouts can be logged as a missed test. Riders are terrified of getting a missed control.The problem for Henning, however, is where the line is drawn. It is a real, real tightrope to be balanced on when you're trying to do what's best for the athlete and do what's best for the sport, she said.That's the question that we simply just don't have a great answer to, is where does that line need to be? And there absolutely needs to be a line. But where it falls is just that tension that nobody has a great answer to.

I spotted something among the world's best climbers as the fight for the podium began up the final ascent of the Plateau de Solaison on stage 15due to Jonas Vingegaard's abandonment earlier in the stage. If you include the Dane, Pogaar, Evenepoel, Del Toro and Seixas were all wearing lace-up versions of the best road cycling shoes. Well, we know Evenepoel is wearing a yet-to-be-released lace-up version of the Specialized Torch, but given Evenepoel has his own signature model, you have to question why? Pogaar has often favoured DMT dial-operated shoes and is rarely seen in laces. At this year's Giro d'Italia, I noticed Vingegaard had started switching between Nimbl lace-ups and dials depending on the parcours. Seixas seems to stick with his Giro Empire SLX II; this could be because he doesn't have the choice, with Van Rysel not offering the Decathlon CMA CGM team a range of shoes right now.So, should you be considering the switch to lace-ups as well? If the discounts I have found are anything to go by, now is a great time to be doing a bit of shopping. You can get the Paul Seixas look with up to 40% off the Giro Empire SLX II at Competitive Cyclist, for example. For our UK readers, there is 25% off the outgoing version of the Specialized S-Works Torch Lace, and many more... Rapha Classic Road Shoes Giro Empire SLX II Specialized S-Works Torch Lace Giro Stylus II Lake CX21C Adidas Heritage Road Shoe Why are the world's top riders switching to laces? There are a number of benefits to laces, that is for sure, but it's not all about performance. Much of the reason for choosing a lace-up revolves around fit and comfort. Our Digital Editor Michelle Arthurs-Brennan praises lace-ups for the ability to fine-tune the fit for each individual, even across the same person's feet. On the flipside, our newly appointed Tech Editor Aaron Borrill, who recently awarded the Giro Imperial AS a dial-operated shoe, our converted Best Overall cycling shoe, said that: for all-year-round cycling, laces can become brittle, take a lot longer to put on and off, and for hard efforts, the lack of regulated tension on the lace can become problematic. (Image credit: Getty Images)For the racers, though, the main goal is efficiency. Especially when things head uphill. This is where the difference between winning and losing can be less than a single watt at the line. The better the fit, the better the power transfer and ultimately the more efficient the pedal stroke becomes. That is why we are seeing the world's best riders switch to laces for the biggest stages. As Aaron mentioned, they aren't for everyone; dial-retention systems are very good also, and many of our top picks for the best cycling shoes feature BOA or similar systems. For all of today's best deals on the cycling shoes featured here in your region, check out the box below.

Remco Evenepoel will target back-to-back stage victories at the Tour de France on Tuesday, but Red Bull BORA hansgrohe have warned that the Belgian cannot afford to become overexcited during the stage 16 individual time trial. Evenepoel begins the 26.1-kilometre test from Evian-les-Bains to Thon...

Starting and ending in the market town of Rothbury, which locals refer to as a village, the Slymefoot Trail encompasses classic upland gravel tracks through expansive terrain, forestry tracks, sections []The post The Slymefoot Trail appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

US rider Brandon McNulty was hit by a car on his reconnaissance of the Tour de France time trial earlier today.The UAE Emirates-XRG rider was riding the 26km course from vian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains when a car unrelated to the race knocked him to the floor.Team principle Mauro Gianetti confirmed McNulty had been knocked off and told The Athletic: He was just riding his bike with one car behind him. A normal car, we dont know who they are. And when he (McNulty) overtook, he just stopped the car, and Brandon was unable to prevent himself riding into it.Gianetti initially said it was unclear if McNulty would be fit enough to start the time trial this afternoon. He said: I hope so. Im still waiting for the confirmation of the doctor.He later told broadcaster TNT that McNulty injuries were not serious.The 28-year-old Pheonix native is currently sat 19th on GC and will be expected to be a key domestique for team leader Tadej Pogaar in the mountains in the races third week.

Despite the organiser's aim to keep the race close, their decisions have contributed to a lack of jeopardy as the race enters its final week

Oliver Naesen believes that the overnight doping controls may become increasingly difficult to avoid in professional cycling if anti-doping authorities are trying to detect substances that disappear from the bloodstream within a matter of hours. The Decathlon CMA CGM Team rider was speaking after Ta...

After the huge success of Rider of the Year 2025, BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus return, in partnership with bicycle accessories brand Lezyne, for a fourth edition of the coveted awards and we want your nominations.Were asking you to submit your suggestions for each of the three mountain bike and road categories Rider of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement.From your suggestions, our panel of expert judges will create a shortlist for Rider of the Year and Newcomer of the Year to be put to a public vote, while an expert panel from each brand will decide the Lifetime Achievement winners.Winners will be announced at a live awards ceremony on Thursday, 26 November and online in news articles on Friday, 27 November. There'll be interviews with the winners in Cycling Plus issue 453 and MBUK issue 468.You can submit your suggestions via the links below or the form until Sunday, 23 August. Cycling Plus Rider of the Year MBUK Rider of the Year

Josh Tarling set the fastest time early on in the Tour de Frances stage 16 time trial, but the Netcompany-Ineos riders chances of staying at the top of the results sheet come the end were hampered by his ongoing recovery from a broken collarbone and a fractured rib.Tarling, 22, posted a time of 34:21 on the course from vian-les-Bains to Thonon-les-Bains on a course that headed inland up a climb, then descended back towards the southern shores of Lake Geneva. He was five seconds faster than his teammate Filipoo Ganna.Though the parcours wasnt entirely suited to his characteristics, Tarling, a winner of nine time trials in his pro career and two seconds off a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, would ordinarily have been one of the favourites for the stage.But the Welshman crashed at mid-Junes Tour Auverge Rhne Alpes, breaking his collarbone and cracking a rib. He was able to start his maiden Tour just three weeks later, but admitted that his injuries have hampered him during the race.Before coming here my goal was top-5, but with the Dauphin [the previous name for the Tour Auverge Rhne Alpes] and all the problems around that, I just hope to have done a good ride, Tarling said.Asked if he felt pain during the time trial, he answered: A bit, in the ribs and the shoulder, but its coming back. Its OK. I think all the race [hes been affected]. Ive just been healing. I had so much water weight at the start from all the healing.Analysing his performance, Tarling continued: Its too long for me, too long and hard, but for me I take it as a good chance to go full before the Worlds. I under-did the climb, I had too much left at the end. I think that pacing is not going to work [for the GC riders] but I did a good race.Just after Tarling began descending the climb, he had to swerve to avoid some fans who were crossing the road. Fortunately, he was able to and avoided any problems. I looked up and there were people, he said. I didnt have too much time to react and it was just carry on.Tarling is racing his first ever Tour and will be aiming to complete the remaining five stages. He hasnt finish his previous two Grand Tours, the 2025 Giro dItalia where he won a stage, and the 2024 Vuelta a Espaa.