From an innovative lock thats already smashed its crowdfunding goal to Garmins TrainingPeaks takeover and some gloriously bodged aero upgrades at the Transcontinental Race, here's all this weeks cycling tech

Good morning and welcome to the liveblog of the Tour de France. Today, the peloton faces the second of the two Alpine stages, finishing atop the legendary Alpe d'Huez. The queen stage of this year's race promises to be a brutal day in the saddle, with the toughest climbs set to test every rider to t...

Former Tour de France stage winner and TV2 cycling expert Rolf Sorensen believes frustration helped drive Tadej Pogacar towards his record-breaking victory on Alpe dHuez. Pogacar began the final climb more than three minutes behind the remaining breakaway riders, with UAE Team Emirates XRG weaken...

In July 2013, second-year pro Luke Durbridge watched the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-lyses. He collected the hats tossed out to the fans at the roadside, and gaped at the lights show on the Arc de Triomphe, as Chris Froome was crowned the winner on the races 100th anniversary. This looks like the big show, Durbridge told himself. I thought, Next year, I really want to go. Twelve months on, the Australian was back, and this time he was part of the peloton. He has since raced 12 of the last 13 Tours more than 200 stages each one with the same team, now named Jayco AlUla. This edition, however, will be his last; after next Januarys Australian Road Championships, the 35-year-old will retire from professional cycling, calling time on a 15-year road career. Im just incredibly lucky to be able to do as many [Tours] as I did, he tells Cycling Weekly. I just wanted to do one.Durbridge is one of at least five riders who have decided, on their terms, that this will be their final Tour. Alongside him in the Class of 26 are Damiano Caruso (Bahrain Victorious), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Damien Howson (Pinarello Q36.5) and Ion Izagirre (Cofidis), all of whom are due to retire at the end of this season. Riders dont always have the luxury of knowing when their final Tour will be. Some careers end in crashes or contract breakdowns; other times, riders just never make the cut for the eight-man squad again. While theres often great fanfare around debutants at the Tour take Paul Seixas and Isaac del Toro, for example the final-timers tend to exit stage left, without a curtain call. Cycling Weekly spoke to three of them at this years race, and asked them about their best memories through the years, their toughest moments, and the wisdom they have for the next generation. Probably the most standout memory is actually the people, says Durbridge. All of my best friends and all of my closest relationships have come from just being in the trenches at the Tour. You probably remember the hard moments with your mates more than you do the ones where you might have got a nice victory. What, then, was his hardest moment? Alpe dHuez, 2018, he replies, no need to stop and think. I made the time cut by 50 seconds, last guy on the road. I was quite good on the climb beforehand, and then I just completely cooked it up in the heat nutrition-wise. Then I was just dipping into the soul. I got a lot of help from the crowd that day. Thats a pretty iconic moment for me. Im pretty proud of myself that I got it done. Howson's final Tour is Pinarello Q36.5's first. (Image credit: Getty Images)Durbridges compatriot and former team-mate Howson is riding his third Tour de France. After competing in back-to-back editions in 2017 and 2018, he began to wonder if hed ever return to the biggest bike race in the world. Now, eight years on, hes back with debutants Pinarello Q36.5. I set it as a goal when I changed teams four years ago to Q36.5, the 33-year-old says. It was a goal of mine to get back to the Tour de France, and it was a goal of theirs to make the Tour de France, so its cool to be here in my final year, along with the team, both achieving our goals that we set many years ago.Howson chose the eve of this years Grand Dpart in Barcelona to announce his retirement. Already, his farewell Tour has brought a full-circle moment. We started in Carcassonne the other day, and thats the place where I fractured my scaphoid in my last Tour de France and ended my race there on stage 15, he says. That was another reason I wanted to come back; after feeling the finish in Paris [in 2017], its an iconic moment in sport, and to get so close and break the scaphoid, I wasnt able to get there that year. Now, eight years later, were back at the Tour de France and trying to tick off the teams objectives and ambitions. But itll be a nice little cherry on the top for me to finish in Paris.Danish champion Cort is a two-time stage winner. (Image credit: Getty Images)Uno-Xs Magnus Cort has only failed to finish one of the eight Tours he started. Funnily, that uncompleted edition in 2022, which began in his native Denmark, is also the one that gave him the fondest memories.I was in the polka dot jersey, he says of the opening stages out of Copenhagen. Then I got a second day where I was riding alone in the breakaway. That was also very special. Its something I wont get the chance to do again now. It was the one time I had the opportunity to do something, and I was very happy that I could do it. Cort is one of two riders in the Class of 26, alongside Izagirre, who can call themselves stage winners. The Dane earned the first of his two victories on his debut in 2018, while the second came five days before he withdrew in 2022. Rather than his wins, some fans might remember Cort more for his tongue-in-cheek hotel reviews, which he began posting on Instagram as early as 2019. Many of them are not the best hotels, so I dont think thats a part I will miss, he says. I know a lot of people have told me theyll miss my reviews.Whats the biggest hotel nightmare hes had at the race? It was this one we stayed in two years ago, he says. We stayed in a slightly different part of the hotel, and I dont know if it was the weather in the different part, but it was a lot more moist there. There was water basically running down the walls. It was really, really nasty there.The rough nights, though, have taken nothing away from Cort's Tour experience. Its been great, he says, but he won't reminisce any deeper just yet. That will come later. For the moment, Im thinking about the race and doing everything I can like every other year. After 12 years, Durbridge is still taking it one stage at a time. (Image credit: Getty Images)Durbridge, too, isnt letting himself sit back and reflect on his 13 Tours just yet. With two days still to go until Paris, he's sticking to the mantra he's always had: Im trying to keep it one stage at a time. Its the same wisdom the Jayco AlUla road captain gives to any rider at the start of their Tour journey. Try and take it all in, he says. Try not to get overwhelmed, because you want to do many Tours. I think in my first Tour de France I got a bit overwhelmed by just the size and the craziness of it, and I didnt quite perform. But performing at the Tour is what you want to do its not just about getting selected for the Tour. Howsons advice is similar. The hype is real, he says. But at the end of the day, it is still just a bike race, so dont let it overwhelm you; embrace it rather than let it hold you back. Come Sunday evening, when the race closes on the Champs-lyses, all the cameras will be pointed at the stage winner, the yellow jersey, and the other podium finishers. Spare a thought then for the final-timers Durbridge, Cort, Howson, Izagirre and Caruso and the legacies they leave behind. They might not be on the start line next year, but they'll be part of the Tour's history forever.

Joxean Matxin has defended the split-second decision that preceded Einer Rubios race-ending crash on Alpe dHuez, insisting he braked only to avoid hitting a spectator who had fallen directly in front of the UAE Team Emirates XRG car. Rubio struck the rear of the vehicle during the chaotic closin...

UAE Team Emirates-XRG's general manager has said he was a "victim" of the doping scandals which rocked the former team he was in charge of.In an interview with French sports newspaper L'quipe at the 2026 Tour de France, which his team is set to win through Tadej Pogaar, Mauro Gianetti denied responsibility for the controversies which affected his former team, Saunier Duval.At that team, where Gianetti was manager from 2004 to 2008, three riders, Leonardo Piepoli, Riccardo Ricco and Juan Jos Cobo, were involved in doping scandals, which included Ricco testing positive for EPO at the 2008 Tour. Cobo was stripped of the 2011 Vuelta a Espaa title after abnormalities in his biological passport."I made the mistake of taking them in my team. I should have reacted differently, been clearer with the press, explain that I was a victim," Gianetti told L'quipe."My concern was to save the jobs of 70 people. You never know what your children do in their rooms, and you certainly don't know what the riders do at home," he continued. "And before signing Ricco, I asked him to go to the UCI to be tested. The UCI then sent me a document stating that he did indeed have a naturally occurring hematocrit level above 50%. I feel like a victim of this. I filed a complaint in Italy against the riders who had caused me to lose sponsors and damaged my reputation."A winner of Lige-Bastogne-Lige and Amstel Gold Race in the notoriously EPO-affected era of the 1990s, Gianetti denied ever taking the drug. However, he said: "It was a peculiar time." On his hospitalisation at the 1998 Tour de Romandie, Gianetti said: "That's a personal matter; what I had to say, I've already said."The 62-year-old, at the head of the UAE and Pogaar project, was asked if his past has damaged the image of the Tour's yellow jersey."In any case, Pogacar is so strong that no matter the team, there will be doubts concerning him," Gianetti said. "I'm doing my job, I've brought more than 600 million euros into cycling, getting contracts signed, salaries."

Good morning and welcome to the liveblog of the Tour de France. Today, the peloton faces the second of the two Alpine stages, finishing atop the legendary Alpe d'Huez. The queen stage of this year's race promises to be a brutal day in the saddle, with the toughest climbs set to test every rider to t...

Much of cycling's apparel advancement over the past three decades of my cycling career has genuinely been about improving performance. Be it technical features, cut, or even comfort, each phase has raised the benchmark in sporting prowess - but what, in my opinion, has taken a backwards step is this current phase for pastel colourways. With even the best cycling jerseys succumbing to this sugary trend, it's one trend that I just can't, so I've increasingly found myself stuck in invisible black jersey funk.That was until the Paria R-01 Short Sleeve Jersey.(Image credit: Hannah Bussey)Technical detailsUK-based brand Paria has steadily been earning a bit of a cult-like following, filling the gap between boring cycling kit block or faded colours. Their motto is "Ride Loud," and they're best known for collaborating with alternative artists, breweries, and rock bands.However, beneath the edgy aesthetics, which quite frankly are the most exciting designs since the 'Euro fluro' colourways of the early 2010's, lies, according to the brand, some serious technical apparel. Made from an 88% polyester and 12% elastane (130g/m) fabric mix, the Paria R-01 Short Sleeve Jersey is claimed to have been optimised for temperatures ranging from 18C to 30C, and even boasts an extended range of 15C35C if suitably accessorised or stripped of a baselayer.This temperature range is achieved by changing the fabric weave, with the back being a more opaque stretch fabric than the front, which is more open and highly breathable.The fit is designed to be race-fit: high-compression; in other words, small really does mean small. If you are unsure of your exact size, erring on the side of caution and sizing up would be your best bet.This is with the side note that there are both male and female fit options of the R-01 Short Sleeve Jersey, and, as you have probably guessed, I was riding the women's fit. There are actually several designs for both genders to choose from, all of which I appreciate, although I have noted that the men's have a couple more, including this one.Whatever your gender, all the jerseys share the same features: three open rear pockets and one small zip-secure one, a five-centimetre silicone hem gripper that circumnavigates the entire jersey, raw-cut, bonded, finished sleeves, and a low-profile collar. The Paria R-01 short sleeve jersey is available in three colours: Leopard print, Black raw and Wreckerboard (Image credit: Hannah Bussey)PerformanceThe Paria R-01 is, hands down, the most complimented women's jersey I've ever worn. Everyone shares in the joy of an outlandish colourway and asks where it came from - even other clothing brands.Riding the R-01 on several summer rides, I found the 130g/m fabric blend incredibly efficient at moving sweat away from the skin. On climbs where the internal thermostat started redlining, I found that the material dried rapidly, preventing that cold, clammy feeling on the subsequent descents. The Paria's quoted optimal temperature range of 18C to 30C is spot-on. I just did away with an undervest when riding above 30 degrees and still found the R-01 to be perfect. The robust wraparound silicone hem gripper ensures the jersey stays put, never riding up or swinging round, even on some pretty challenging off-road routes.I did suffer the odd roll-up moment - but this was totally down to the size being a tad too small for my hips. The same goes for the arms. Designed with a 'modern' aero fit that finishes just above your elbow, the tightness of the fit depends on your biceps size. As someone who now regularly strength trains, I found there was no slack to pinch any fabric. Note to all: small means small, so size up if you're debating which size is best, although even if it is tight, it will remain in full colour, with no whitening 'grin-through' distortion that can be found on under-dyed fibres.R-01 features standard triple rear pockets. They are reinforced to prevent sag, meaning you can load them up with a phone, a multi-tool, and several gels without the jersey bouncing around on your lower back. They also sit high enough to feel secure but are jersey size dependent. So again, my small jersey meant small pockets, which did mean my XL iPhone 13 had to squeeze in, rather than slot, but at least I knew it was secure; it just made grabbing images on the fly a little more challenging, as it took longer to get my phone in and out of the pocket. The jersey is constructed from lightweight and fast-drying material, comprising 88% polyester and 12% elastane (Image credit: Hannah Bussey)ValueAt 89/$102, the Paria R-01 sits in an interesting sweet spot within the cycling apparel market. It isn't an entry-level budget kit, but it consciously undercuts the eye-watering prices of mainstream "premium" brands such as Rapha, Maap, or Pas Normal Studios, where equivalent race-fit jerseys frequently push past 160/ $215.For your money, you are getting genuine technical performance - such as the high-wicking 130g/m fabric blend, reliable YKK hardware, and tailored, flap-free panelling - without paying the "brand tax" associated with the sport's giant labels.Better than that, it bridges the gap between team kit and meek pastels that see me reaching for my full goth emo look of all-black kit. While its ultra-aggressive cut requires casual riders to size up, it is a high-value, pro-level choice for cyclists who want to ride fast without looking like a box of macarons.Tech specPrice:89/ $102Pockets: ThreeFit:RaceType:Short sleeveColours:Leopard print (tested), Black raw, WreckerboardSizes:XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL

Tadej Pogacar has won the Alpe d'Huez for the first time in his career this Friday, and his power output was one of the highest in cycling's history when it comes to the Tour de France. Aside from that, he also beat Marco Pantani's historic ascent of the climb back in 1998. It was a day where many...

The final stage of the 2026 Tour de France has been shortened after policing resources were put under pressure due to the wildfires currently impacting the country.Instead of starting in Thoiry, just outside Paris, stage 21 will now start on the Champs-lyses, with two more laps of the famous street before the Montmartre circuit is used, the race's organisers announced on Saturday afternoon.The team presentation will still take place in Thoiry, but riders will then travel into the capital by bus. The stage will now be 89km rather than 133km long.More to follow...