The route of the 2026 Tour de France Femmes has been announced this morning in Paris and it features a very difficult route which differs quite a lot from this year's. The time trials are back at next year's edition and we will have a mythical first-time summit finish at Mont Ventoux, with a finale...

The Basque cycling summer hits one of its peak moments with the Clsica San Sebastin, one of the most prestigious and selective one-day races on the international calendar. The Basque race, part of the UCI World Tour calendar, will once again bring together on the 1st of August some of the leading...

Mondraker's first ever gravel bike takes a different stance in its second iteration with a change of motor and an 'everyday' ride

Netcompany INEOS has a budget of 50 million and very little to show for at the Tour de France. The British team has failed to net any meaningful result at the sport's greatest event, and the management is to blame for its poor decisions in tactics and team selection, and the team's own contradictio...

Mondraker broke its own mold when it launched the original Dusty in 2023. The Dusty e-gravel bike was the brands first non-MTB, setting the stage for additional drop bar models, including the Arid gravel bike and the 2nd Gen Arid, which launched earlier this month. Today, Mondraker is introducing the next generation of the Dusty, featuring a redesigned frame, a new drive system, and a host of refinements and updates to make it the ultimate all-round bike.According to Mondraker, The all-new Dusty is a full evolution: a second-generation platform that transcends the gravel category entirely and steps into something bigger, something we simply call all-round. Because thats exactly what it is. Gravel, weekend escapes, back-to-back adventures, urban commutes the new Dusty doesnt care which you choose. Its built for all of it.Mondraker Dusty DetailsThe new Dusty carries on Mondrakers signature design language and looks strikingly similar to the new Arid gravel bike. This includes the Stealth Air Carbon frame with lowered seat stays with cutouts by the seat tube junctions, along with the uniquely shaped fork. Of course, the Dusty adds a bit of bulk in the downtube and around the bottom bracket to house the drive unit and frame-integrated battery.According to Mondraker, the frameset delivers the perfect blend of strength, stiffness, and compliance, weighs just 1,710 grams in size M/L (the fork adds 490 grams), and meets the same ISO testing standards as Mondrakers MTB frames. It has clearance for tires up to 50mm wide and is compatible with gravel suspension forks. For clean aesthetics, the Dusty frame has through-headset cable routing using Mondrakers Hidden Housing Guide System.TQ-HPR60 Drive SystemWhile the original Dusty used a hub drive motor, Mondraker has switched the new Dusty to the lightweight TQ-HPR60 mid-drive system. Using its unique Harmonic Pin Ring design, the HPR60 is impressively compact and very quiet, with smooth power delivery, impressive efficiency, and no drag. This mid-power motor puts out up to 60 Nm of torque and 350 watts of peak power with three pedal-assist levels, which are customizable through the TQ app.The TQ-HPR 60 is powered by a 580Wh internal battery on most models. On the S build, riders have the option to choose between the longer range of the 580Wh or the lighter weight of the 360Wh batteries. Regardless of battery size, all Dusty models are compatible with TQs 160Wh range extender for longer rides.Ride information is shown on the discreet top-tube integrated TQ color display, where riders can also power the system on and off, or change assist modes. Drop bar builds also include TQs Single Button Road Remotes, which are left and right blips hidden under the bar tape. The top-of-the-line RR build uses the SRAM Force HRD shift systems bonus buttons through an ANT+ connection.GeometryThe new Dusty has a geometry that closely mirrors that of the Arid gravel bike and matches up with its all-round intended use. It comes in five frame sizes, S to XXL. Check out the chart below for all of the details.Mondraker Dusty: Key Specs and HighlightsStealth Air Carbon frameset and fork with a total weight of 2,200 grams (size M/L).TQ HPR60 drive unit 60 Nm torque, 350 W peak power, 200% assistance.580 Wh or 360 Wh fully integrated internal battery on selected builds.160 Wh range extender compatible in a water bottle format with Fidlock mount.700x50c tyre clearance.3 fully customizable assistance modes via TQ E-Bike app.Mullet-style 112 drivetrain with a 42t chainring.Gravel drop bar or flat handlebar options on selected builds.TQ colour display integrated into the top tube.Hidden Housing Guide (HHG) through headset.Fender-compatible design exclusively with Mondraker dedicated fenders. Sold separately.KSA40 kickstand mount.Bike geometry compatible with suspension fork fitment.UDH hanger system / 12x100mm front, 12x142mm rear axle.Flat mount rear brake / tapered head tube.5 sizes: S, M, M/L, L, XL.Mondraker Dusty: Builds and PricingThe new Dusty e-gravel bike comes in four complete builds ranging in price from 5,499 to 8,999 (prices may vary by region). It should be noted that the Dusty S is offered in drop bar and flat bar variants, both of which have the option of choosing 580Wh or 360Wh batteries.Dusty RR: 8,999Dusty R: 6,999Dusty S 580 (Flat or Drop Bar): 5,999Dusty S 360 (Flat or Drop Bar): 5,499AvailabilityMondrakers new Dusty e-gravel bikes are available now. Head to the Mondraker website for Full specs, availability in your region, or to find a dealer near you.mondraker.com

An oenophile may have an entire wine cellar, but they can only drink one bottle at a time.* Similarly, I have the bicycle equivalent of a wine cellar, but I can only ride one bike at a time.** And the one Ive been riding lately is this:[Getting some use out of that triple!]*[Im sure oenophiles do in fact drink more than one bottle at a time, but just go with it.]**[Actually, like any cyclist parent, I have often ridden my own bike whilst wheeling a childs bike alongside, but just go with it.]As Ive probably mentioned, while of course I rotate them in and out, I do try to keep only one bicycle inside my actual living quarters at a time.*** In practice Im not always successful at this, and will often wind up allowing two or even three to live inside with me.**** But lately Ive been making a concerted effort to keep it down to a single bike, and most recently its been this one, since it doesnt take up a lot of space, plus I find skinny-tired road bikes particularly well-suited to the sweating season.Just throw on a jersey and go:***[Im only counting my own bikes here. Weve also started keeping my wifes bike and my younger sons bike in the house, too.]****[JESUS CHRIST WOULD YOU STOP WITH THE GODDAMN FOOTNOTES???]And yes, I also throw on shorts, but I wanted to spare you another footnote.Also, further to the recent shoe discussion, while I have come to embrace flat pedals and use them often (flat pedals and sandals are really good for summer riding), I do still prefer clipless pedals when riding sporty road bikesnot because I think it nets me any gains in performance, but just because it feels right for reasons that dont really matter. But I am down to only one (1) bicycle with traditional single-sided road pedals, and I do find myself wondering if Im maybe done with them altogether:Pearl Izumi sent me those fancy shoes last year, and in something stiff and racy like this I doubt very much I could tell the difference between a road pedal and a mountain bike pedal. Yes, theoretically the road pedal would have more cornering clearance, but at this point in my life Im as likely to enter a criterium as I am to join the rodeo circuit. So I think I may finally commit to two-sided pedals for everything and just put on the fancy shoes when Im looking for the sensation of Maximum Fredness.Otherwise, at a fraction of the price, these things have the advantage of sneaker-like walkability:[How badly do you want to pick that large piece of gravel out of there?]For some reason I can only find the womens version on the Pearl Izumi site now, though Id be surprised if the mens version and the womens versions werent identical. Or maybe they arent. Or maybe theres only ever been one version and Ive just been wearing womens shoes.Either way it seems like maybe theyve been discontinued, and I suppose I could just ask Pearl Izumi, but that sounds dangerously adjacent to work.The point is I like the shoes regardless of genderway.Oh, and if youre wondering how much heavier the cheap, walkable shoe is than the stiffer, pro shoe, heres how much the cheap shoe weighs:Sorry, lets try that again:Now heres how much the pro model weighs:And heres an old road shoe with a Delta cleat just because:So basically the difference between the heaviest shoe and the lightest shoe is around 50 grams. So if you want superior walkability at a road shoe weight, simply do one or more of the following:Wear shorter socksTrim your toenailsSurgically remove one or more toesOf course if youre too much of a woosie to ditch some toes you might get part of the way there if you really go to town on those callouses with a pumice stone.You wont find great advice like that over at Escape Collective.Speaking of the Bargain Basement Bike, I found it on the Craigs Listings, which is almost entirely either crap or people asking way too much for plastic bikes they bought six months ago and never rode, though if you look really hard you might find something like this:[Not an endorsement, dont know the seller, dont know nothing about nothing, but it seemed interesting, thats all.]Anyway, as someone who needs to sell bikes and bike stuff from time to time, prefers to do stuff locally, and refuses to use Facebook, I have often longed for an alternative to the aforementioned list, and recently I heard from someone who has created just that:Heres the story:As with the bike, I dont know nothing about nothing, but it seemed interesting, thats all.Maybe next time Ill give it a try.

Tadej Pogacar has become accustomed to the figure of Mathieu van der Poel lurking in his shadows in the classics, but a dream during the Tour de France almost served as a warning for what was to come later in the race. The Dutchman and Pogacar have entertained as the greatest of rivals in classics s...

The Curve Big Kev V2 is a titanium gravel bike built around progressive geometry and 29 x 2.4 tires. Having long preferred underbiking on carbon gravel bikes with skinnier tires, Jeff Bartlett spent the last few months testing the Big Kev V2 on Vancouver Island, riding his favorite forest service roads, ripping backyard singletrack, and racing along the Tree to Sea route to find out whether the bike could open his mind. Dive into his Curve Big Kev V2 review hereThe post Curve Big Kev V2 Review: Embracing The Gravel-Plus Era appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

The Tour de France might be done and dusted for another year, but there's plenty of bike-racing excitement still left on the calendar. No, not La Vuelta, we're talking about the prestigious Brompton World Championship (BWC), which is happening in London again this year, but will be held at a new venue and with an expanded programme of challenges and shenanigans. Announced this week via an epic piece of Strava art, the 2026 Brompton World Championship will take place within the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London, on Saturday 5 September. A post shared by Nicolas Georgiou (@nico_georgiou)A photo posted by on In 2025, riders from over 25 countries contested the BWC in Coal Drops Yard, Kings Cross, but this year's event will see 650 competitors compete for the coveted crowns on the fast-paced circuit at Lee Valley VeloPark, which hosted the track cycling events during the 2012 Olympics. Open to all, so long as you're quick and willing to wear some sort of fancy dress, the races will have an exciting Le Mans-style start, whereby riders have to run to their bike and unfold it before they can start racing. Its believed to be the only sporting event in the world where origami and bike racing intersect. The format consists of 10 qualifying heats, each featuring up to 75 riders each. The quickest 75 men and 75 women will progress to the respective finals, after which two small-wheel wunderkinds will be crowned Brompton World Champions for 2026. New for this year are a four-person relay race, where fast-paced change overs should inject some jeopardy and entertainment into the mix for onlookers, and the Hydro Scrap Lap, a crowd-pleaser of a contest that celebrates the most creative and memorable rider of the day.(Image credit: Brompton Bicycles)"The championship captures everything we love about our community: people coming together, expressing themselves and sharing the joy of riding," said Chris Willingham, Brompton's Chief Marketing Officer. Its a day that showcases cycling at its most welcoming, creative and fun, and were excited to see riders from across the globe come together once again.The Brompton World Championship was born in 2008 in Barcelona, Spain, and has been held in various incarnations in various places around the world most years ever since. In fact, confusingly, there has already been a Brompton World Championship this year, held at the Sea Otter Classic in April. Originally, contestants all had to wear a suit jacket, collared shirt and tie in reference and deference to the commuters who form the core of Brompton Bicycles customer base but over the years other themes have been explored, and the bikes themselves are often impressively pimped for the occasion. Theres only one over-riding rule: no Lycra. As fun and frivolous as the event is, typically there is some serious prize money up for grabs. Tickets and entry spots are available now.