Professional cycling has changed radically in recent years, and the salaries of its biggest riders are clear proof. The top riders in the WorldTour now command figures that not long ago seemed reserved for other sports, with Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, and Jonas Vingegaard clearly ahead of the r...

Extreme heat has become one of the defining challenges of this summers cycling season. Riders at both the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espaa have repeatedly raised concerns about racing in temperatures that can push the human body to its limits, reigniting the debate over whether cycling needs clea...

Tim Wellens has hit back at criticism following his decision to give the 2026 World Championships a miss, turning down an opportunity to ride for Remco Evenepoel and Wout van Aert as Belgium chase the rainbow jersey in Tadej Pogacar's absence. The UAE Team Emirates - XRG all-rounder will be at this...

Its Thursday and Ryan Mallons here to reconvene the Matthew Brennan Appreciation Society and operate you favourite cycling live blog too, of course

Matthew Brennan's electric Vuelta a Espana has seen Visma re-find their spark. At the Spanish Grand Tour, Brennan and Wout van Aert have run riot as they took seven stages of 17 so far, with the young British rider taking five of those wins. The youngest-ever rider to reach five Grand Tour stage win...

Effective, well-made bike-drying tool that performs well, but the premium price makes it a luxury

The time for talking at the Vuelta a Espana is over. With just four stages remaining, a blockbuster finale kicks off with stage 18's time trial on Thursday. There's no rest for the bunch soon after as a double-helping of mountain stages comes before a final punchy battle to finish the race. With the...

The top of the Nufenen Pass the culmination of a week-long adventure. 50 women riding 800 leg-burning kilometres across the Alps. They started the week as strangers, yet nobody is left behind, as cheers and applause ring out across the valley. Its exactly as we hoped, yet better than we imagined.A week earlier, on Friday evening, 50 women set off together from Munich to ride the 800 kilometres and 10,000 vertical metres across the Alps to Lausanne. They come from all over Europe and beyond, with eight travelling from the US and two from Australia. Most of them have never met before. Some are fast road riders who would never normally dream of strapping bags to their bikes, never mind days worth of luggage. Others can pitch a tent in the dark and rustle up dinner from three ingredients, but wouldnt necessarily describe themselves as particularly quick on two wheels. Some race, others are here for the adventure. For a few, its their first time camping at all.Thats exactly how it should be.The first night delivers an immediate reality check. It rains for hours. By morning, the tents are soaked on the outside, shoes are damp, and the ground around camp has turned to mush. One way or another, everything gets hastily packed up and strapped back onto the bikes. Its not exactly the most romantic introduction to bikepacking, but a very honest one.For Natalie, theres more than one new experience here. We first got to know her at the Migration Gravel Race, where she proved just how strong a gravel rider she is. She now lives in Mallorca, and shes no less formidable on a road bike. Holding her wheel takes some serious effort. Until now, though, she had never slept in a tent. So, naturally, her first taste of camping comes with relentless rain, wet shoes and a thoroughly soaked tent.Why We Werent Looking for the 50 Fastest RidersSome time earlier, while planning the GRL PCK Rally, one thing quickly became clear: places wouldnt be allocated on a first come, first served basis. We didnt want to reward whoever happened to open the registration link fastest. We certainly didnt want to build a homogenous group where everyone had the same skills and experience.So we decided to use a ballot.We deliberately looked for a mix: strong riders with no bikepacking experience, seasoned bikepackers and camping pros, gravel newcomers, and women for whom the very idea of getting back onto a fully loaded bike every morning for seven days straight was already well outside their comfort zone.A great group isnt one where everyone rides at the same pace. Its one where nobody feels they have to keep up with everyone else. That becomes clear after just a few days. The groups are constantly changing. In the morning, you might set off with riders youd barely spoken to the night before. Faster riders wait for those further back. Before long, women with completely different relationships with cycling find themselves riding side by side: road, racing, gravel, bikepacking, performance or simply adventure. And its these differences that lead to some of the strongest connections of the week. At first, cycling is the only thing everyone has in common. By the end, its just one of many.For Vivien, too, it quickly becomes clear that riding a lot and spending seven days crossing the Alps with luggage are two very different disciplines. The route is unfamiliar, the bike is heavier than usual and, once the gravel ramps get properly steep, fitness only takes you so far. That is exactly the point. None of us should have to prove how strong we are here. But everyone should get the chance to discover what they can still find in themselves when things get really tough.Its Supposed to Hurt. A Little, at Least.At the same time, we dont want the Rally to turn into nothing more than a nice group bike ride. The route should be beautiful, but it should also push us all of us. Even the strongest riders should reach a point at least once when they start wondering who on earth came up with this bloody route. For many, that moment comes on day four, on the way to Rifugio San Lucio, between Italy and Switzerland.The climb is eleven kilometres long at an average gradient of ten per cent. The final five kilometres are on gravel, with ramps of more than twenty per cent. On a loaded bike, it begins to feel less like cycling and more like a particularly awkward form of mountaineering.There is pushing. Swearing. Laughing. Riding again. Pushing again. And that is exactly why, looking back, this climb becomes one of the most talked-about moments of the whole week.No one has to pretend any of this is easy. When even the strongest riders eventually end up pushing their bikes, everything suddenly feels a little more manageable. People help each other, wait for one another, share snacks, and start celebrating things that would have seemed completely ordinary just a few hours earlier. The challenge doesnt go away, but it feels different when you share it.Sorry, Weve Run Out of PizzaOn Monday evening, we arrive in Italy starving and discover something we had previously assumed to be physically impossible: the pizzeria has run out of pizza. In Italy. So whatever is still available ends up on the table, and everyone shares.On day five, a small group spontaneously decides not to ride back down into the valley, but to stay up on the pass and spend the night there. Dinner consists of shared packets of Yum-Yum instant noodles. For Mara, who has brought neither emergency food nor cooking equipment, that evening comes to sum up what the Rally is all about. I didnt have any emergency food or cooking gear with me. But then I was invited to stay. These women shared their pots, their stove and their ramen with me up on the mountain, even as it was getting dark and cold. I was so grateful.Its in small moments like these that the differences within the group suddenly stop mattering. Who is faster, what bike someone rides or how much bikepacking experience they have becomes irrelevant when youre sitting hungry on a mountain pass with just one packet of noodles left.Of course, self-supported doesnt mean no one helps. SRAM send two female mechanics along for the ride, covering the entire route by bike. Theyre part of the group, but theyre also there when a minor mechanical turns into something that can no longer be fixed at the roadside with a multitool and collective optimism.For Jess S., a moment on the Nufenen Pass sums up the entire week. She sets off early with full bottles, hoping to beat the heat that has taken such a toll on her over the previous few days. Slowly but surely, she and a friend make their way up the climb, encouraging each other all the way. Ill never forget the moment when I was about three quarters of the way up the climb and heard a car behind me. It was Laura and Ami in the support car, music blasting, cheering at the tops of their voices. I was close to tears. Just a few days earlier, I hadnt even been sure I would make it through the Rally at all.Once at the top, the two of them stay by the support vehicle in the cheer zone. Cowbells ring out, setting the rhythm for us to keep pedalling, while we sing, dance and laugh. Its a reminder that, in the toughest moments, you can get through almost anything if you slow things down, take it step by step and allow others to help you.Elsewhere along the route, unexpected support appears from time to time too. In 36-degree heat, Lael Wilcox and Sami Sauri suddenly appear at a secret aid station, slicing up watermelon for 50 sweaty riders. For many of us, Lael had been a role model long before we ever arrived at the Rally. Now one of the worlds greatest ultra-cyclists is standing right in front of us, handing out slices of watermelon. Later comes another surprise: Lael gets on her bike and rides the final kilometres into Lausanne with us.From 50 Bikepackers to One Huge Cheer PCKAs we approach Lausanne, the energy shifts once again. Friends and family are waiting for us, while riders including Emma Pooley and women from Team Amani join the celebrations. The next day, we meet up with more cycling communities from Switzerland, the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe for our Cheer PCK. Suddenly, our Rally group has grown into a much bigger community of riders, friends, families and supporters. For around three quarters of the Rally participants, its their first time standing at the roadside watching the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.Cheering feels different after that. For seven days, weve experienced first-hand what it means to hear someone shouting our names from the roadside, especially when the last thing we want to do is ride another metre uphill. Now were on the other side of the barriers. Its loud. Very loud.People from different communities, countries and corners of cycling stand side by side, cheering themselves hoarse. After a week of encouraging each other over mountains, were now cheering on the best riders in the world. For us, it brings the whole experience full circle.What Stays With You After 800 KilometresPerhaps the best moments come afterwards. When messages start popping up on our phones. When we see women who didnt know each other before the Rally already planning their next bikepacking trip together. Some meet up for hikes. Others visit each other in their home towns. Phone numbers exchanged somewhere on the road between Munich and Lausanne turn into friendships.One message from two participants stays with us in particular. They write that the Rally gave them more than just memories. It gave them friendships, new confidence, bigger ambitions and the belief that theyre capable of more than they had ever thought.Perhaps thats the part you simply cant plan for.We could plan the route. We could choose 50 women, find campsites, bring sponsors on board, and decide where we wanted to nudge them a little beyond their comfort zones. We could even make sure their names were written on the road at the top of the Nufenen Pass. But we couldnt plan who would end up riding alongside whom. Somewhere along the way, it stopped being about covering 800 kilometres from Munich to Lausanne. It became about who suddenly appeared beside you on the road, who waited for you at the top of the pass and who, afterwards, asked: What are we doing next?Der Beitrag 50 Women, 800 Kilometres and No Pizza: What Happens when Strangers Ride Across the Alps Together? erschien zuerst auf GRAN FONDO Cycling Magazine.

The 2026 Vuelta a Espaa hits its crunch time with the individual time trial on Thursday 10 September, which could decide the direction of the race overall.Stage 18's 32.1km time trial comes with just three further stages left, so it is last chance saloon for anyone aiming to battle for the overall title, or to impress on general classification. It is also the last chance for time trial specialists to win a stage, the first since the opening day in Monaco.With the victor on stage one absent Tadej Pogaar, remember the stage is open for someone else to win, whether that be a TT star like Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) or Stefan Kng (Tudor Pro Cycling), or a GC rider like Primo Rogli (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).With just over 150m of climbing in today's 32.1km effort, it is a stage for power, not for the climbers. The timing points come at 11.5km and 22km. The first rider will be the lanterne rouge, or last man on general classification, Mathias Norsgaard (Lidl-Trek) at 2:07pm CEST (1:07pm BST/8:07am EDT), with riders the heading out at minute intervals until Ral Garca Pierna (Movistar) at 4:15pm CEST, at which time there will be two-minute gaps all the way to Enric Mas (Movistar) at 4:55pm CEST.Favourites to look out for include Hayter, Kng, Andreas Leknessund (Uno-X Mobility), Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike), Rogli and Joo Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).Vuelta a Espaa stage 18 ITT start timesStart timesStart orderRider Start time (CEST)1Mathias Norsgaard (Den) Lidl-Trek14:07:002Paul Double (GBr) Jayco AlUla14:08:003Louis Rouland (Fra) Cofidis14:09:004Domen Novak (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG14:10:005Ethan Hayter (GBr) Soudal Quick-Step14:11:006Asbjrn Hellemose (Den) Jayco AlUla14:12:007Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe14:13:008Marc Brustenga (Esp) Kern Pharma14:14:009Matev Govekar (Slo) Bahrain Victorious14:15:0010Steffen De Schuyteneer (Bel) Lotto-Intermarch14:17:0011Juan Guillermo Martinez (Col) Picnic PostNL14:18:0012Callum Thornley (GBr) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe14:19:0013Csar Macas (Mex) Burgos Burpellet BH14:20:0014Vito Braet (Bel) Lotto-Intermarch14:21:0015Rasmus Tiller (Nor) Uno-X Mobility14:22:0016Oscar Chamberlain (Aus) Decathlon CMA CGM14:23:0017Gianni Moscon (Ita) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe14:24:0018Alberto Dainese (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step14:25:0019Olivier Le Gac (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United14:26:0020Alessandro Covi (Ita) Jayco AlUla14:27:0021Jasha Stterlin (Ger) Jayco AlUla14:28:0022Alastair Mackellar (Aus) EF Education-EasyPost14:29:0023Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar14:30:0024Fabio Van Den Bossche (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step14:31:0025Sinuh Fernndez (Esp) Burgos Burpellet BH14:32:0026Darren van Bekkum (Ned) XDS Astana14:33:0027Timo de Jong (Ned) Picnic PostNL14:34:0028Iigo Elosegui (Esp) Kern Pharma14:35:0029Ivo Oliveira (Por) UAE Team Emirates-XRG14:36:0030David de la Cruz (Esp) Pinarello-Q36.514:37:0031Michael Gogl (Aut) Alpecin-Premier Tech14:38:0032Ivn Cobo (Esp) Kern Pharma14:39:0033Roman Ermakov (Slo) Bahrain Victorious14:40:0034Bryan Coquard (Fra) Cofidis14:41:0035Mats Wenzel (Lux) Kern Pharma14:42:0036Georg Steinhauser (Ger) EF Education-EasyPost14:43:0037Martin Tjtta (Nor) Uno-X Mobility14:44:0038Sylvain Moniquet (Bel) Cofidis14:45:0039Thibau Nys (Bel) Lidl-Trek14:46:0040Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz) XDS Astana14:47:0041Pablo Castrillo (Spa) Movistar Team14:48:0042Mathijs Paasschens (Ned) Bahrain Victorious14:49:0043Nick Schultz (Aus) NSN Cycling14:50:0044Jorge Arcas (Spa) Movistar14:51:0045Chris Hamilton (Aus) Picnic PostNL14:52:0046Magnus Cort (Den) Uno-X Mobility14:53:0047Gal Glivar (Slo) Alpecin-Premier Tech14:54:0048Darren Rafferty (Irl) EF Education-EasyPost14:55:0049Xabier Mikel Azparren Irurzun (Esp) Pinarello-Q36.514:56:0050Matthew Brennan (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike14:57:0051Ivan Ramiro Sosa (Col) Kern Pharma14:58:0052Fredrik Dversnes (Nor) Uno-X Mobility14:59:0053Lorenzo Rota (Ita) Lotto-Intermarch15:00:0054Jess Herrada (Esp) Burgos Burpellet BH15:01:0055Sergio Samitier (Esp) Cofidis15:02:0056Frederik Wandahl (Den) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe15:03:0057Joo Almeida (Por) UAE Team Emirates-XRG15:04:0058Gianni Vermeersch (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe15:05:0059Lucas Hamilton (Aus) Netcompany-Ineos15:06:0060Roland Thalmann (Sui) Tudor Pro Cycling15:07:0061Lars Craps (Bel) Lotto-Intermarch15:08:0062Alessandro Romele (Ita) XDS Astana15:09:0063Ivn Romeo (Spa) Movistar15:10:0064Walter Calzoni (Ita) Pinarello-Q36.515:11:0065Jacopo Mosca (Ita) Lidl-Trek15:12:0066Carlos Canal (Spa) Movistar15:13:0067Steven Kruijswijk (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike15:14:0068Sander De Pestel (Bel) Decathlon CMA CGM15:15:0069Rmy Rochas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United15:16:0070Simon Dalby (Den) Uno-X Mobility15:17:0071Thomas Gloag (GBr) Pinarello-Q36.515:18:0072Rudy Porter (Aus) Jayco AlUla15:19:0073Jose Luis Faura Asensio (Esp) Burgos Burpellet BH15:20:0074Marcel Camprub (Esp) Pinarello-Q36.515:21:0075Clement Alleno (Fra) Burgos Burpellet BH15:22:0076Andreas Leknessund (Nor) Uno-X Mobility15:23:0077Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe15:24:0078Bastien Tronchon (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United15:25:0079Pau Miquel (Esp) Bahrain Victorious15:26:0080Fabian Weiss (Sui) Tudor Pro Cycling15:27:0081Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost15:28:0082Ibon Ruiz (Spa) Kern Pharma15:29:0083Gianmarco Garofoli (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step15:30:0084Pau Marti Soriano (Esp) NSN Cycling15:31:0085William Barta (USA) Tudor Pro Cycling15:32:0086Axel Laurance (Fra) Netcompany-Ineos15:33:0087Andreas Kron (Den) Uno-X Mobility15:34:0088Bruno Armirail (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike15:35:0089Lennard Kmna (Ger) Lidl-Trek15:36:0090Stefan Kng (Sui) Tudor Pro Cycling15:37:0091Julien Bernard (Fra) Lidl-Trek15:38:0092Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) NSN Cycling15:39:0093Hannes Wilksch (Ger) Tudor Pro Cycling15:40:0094Attila Valter (Hun) Bahrain Victorious15:41:0095Paul Ourselin (Fra) Cofidis15:42:0096Enzo Paleni (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United15:43:0097Rudy Molard (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United15:44:0098Mauri Vansevenant (Bel) Soudal Quick-Step15:45:0099James Shaw (GBr) EF Education-EasyPost15:46:00100Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita) XDS Astana15:47:00101Luke Tuckwell (Aus) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe15:48:00102Reuben Thompson (NZl) Lotto-Intermarch15:49:00103Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike15:50:00104Jrgen Nordhagen (Nor) Visma-Lease a Bike15:51:00105Milan Vader (Ned) Pinarello-Q36.515:52:00106Kevin Vermaerke (USA) UAE Team Emirates-XRG15:53:00107Valentin Madouas (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United15:54:00108Larry Warbasse (USA) Tudor Pro Cycling15:55:00109Carlos Rodrguez (Esp) Netcompany-Ineos15:56:00110Ramses Debruyne (Bel) Alpecin-Premier Tech15:57:00111Mikel Landa (Esp) Soudal Quick-Step15:58:00112Eddie Dunbar (Irl) Pinarello-Q36.515:59:00113Henok Mulueberhan (Eri) XDS Astana16:00:00114Marco Brenner (Ger) Tudor Pro Cycling16:01:00115Jos Manuel Daz (Esp) Burgos Burpellet BH16:02:00116Patrick Konrad (Aut) Lidl-Trek16:03:00117Valentin Paret-Peintre (Fra) Soudal Quick-Step16:04:00118Callum Scotson (Aus) Decathlon CMA CGM16:05:00119Pello Bilbao (Esp) Bahrain Victorious16:06:00120Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor) Uno-X Mobility16:07:00121Emanuel Buchmann (Ger) Cofidis16:08:00122Urko Berrade (Esp) Kern Pharma16:09:00123Jack Haig (Aus) Netcompany-Ineos16:10:00124Gijs Leemreize (Ned) Picnic PostNL16:11:00125Koen Bouwman (Ned) Jayco-AlUla16:12:00126Jarno Widar (Bel) Lotto-Intermarch16:13:00127Embret Svestad-Brdseng (Nor) Netcompany-Ineos16:14:00128Ral Garca Pierna (Esp) Movistar16:15:00129Santiago Buitrago (Col) Bahrain Victorious16:17:00130Jan Hirt (Cze) NSN Cycling16:19:00131Filippo Zana (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step16:21:00132Finlay Pickering (GBr) Jayco-AlUla16:23:00133Mario Aparicio (Esp) Burgos Burpellet BH16:25:00134Juan Felipe Rodriguez (Col) EF Education-EasyPost16:27:00135Matthew Riccitello (USA) Decathlon CMA CGM16:29:00136Guillaume Martin Guyonnet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United16:31:00137Lo Bisiaux (Fra) Decathlon CMA CGM16:33:00138Harold Tejada (Col) XDS Astana16:35:00139Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike16:37:00140Clment Berthet (Fra) Groupama-FDJ United16:39:00141Cristin Rodrguez (Esp) XDS Astana16:41:00142Mattias Skjelmose (Den) Lidl-Trek16:43:00143Jakob Omrzel (Slo) Bahrain Victorious16:45:00144Oscar Onley (GBr) Netcompany-Ineos16:47:00145Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost16:49:00146Primo Rogli (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe16:51:00147Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon CMA CGM16:53:00148Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar Team16:55:00