Fariba Hashimi has turned a story marked by fear and persecution into one of the most powerful images in Afghan cycling. The 23-year-old rider, who as a teenager once dressed as a man to train, has just taken the silver medal in the womens road race at the Asian Games. Her story is closely tied to...

I was on the bus with the Visma guys, like with Wout van Aert and Pascal Eenkhoorn, and really from then, all I've aspired to do is to race for Visma one day, and hopefully ride the Tour de France with them.Xander Graham is reflecting on an extraordinary day six years ago, which burns bright in his memory, when, during stage seven of the 2021 Tour of Britain, he kept pace with a breakaway group as they rode towards his hometown of Edinburgh. Aged just 12 at the time, he was rewarded for his efforts by being handed a bidon by Eenkhoorn, who was then riding for Jumbo-Visma. The video clip of the moment went viral, but now the story has gone almost full circle.Now 17, Graham still has that bidon and knows exactly where it is (on a shelf in my garage). But as of this week, he also has something else, something that is putting him within touching distance of the dream hes been holding onto for the last five years: a contract with JEGG-SKIL-DJR, a Dutch team who are directly affiliated with Visma-Lease a Bike. I was already a fan of Visma back then, he tells Cycling Weekly. But from that day onwards, it definitely made me love them, and they became my favourite team now. So, yeah, it really is like a dream come true.But it hasnt come out of nowhere. In the intervening five years, Graham has been working hard to make his fream come true. A key member of the Yorkshire-based Prologue Cycling Team, he is halfway through a two-year programme with the Manchester Cycling Academy. I'm also a beneficiary of the Braveheart programme in Scotland, he tells me. The fund supports riders with funding for transport and costs, so they can get across to Europe to race, which is a massive help for me.As commentators Ned Boulting and Adam Blythe noted at the time, when they described the encounter as the best moment of the tour thus far, the Scottish youngster showed remarkable pace even as a pre-teen.I rode my bike from being four years old, Xander tells me. I used to do local mountain-bike dirt grits and then from there some cyclocross and a bit of road. From under-14 to under-16, I did every discipline mountain biking, cyclocross, road and track but for this last year, I've fully focused on road riding.And it has paid off. In spring this year, he was made aware of a young talent day being held by JEGG for under-19s. Loads of people applied, but I got through, Xander explains. Then we had to do testing in Belgium. Two or three weeks later I got a message from the head of JEGG, and he invited me to a training camp in Germany. After that he said that there was a space on the team for me. I'll be based at home in Edinburgh, but Ill fly out to races and training camps and stuff like that. I've got a training camp with them later in the year that will be the first time that Ill actually meet up with them.

The Montral World Championships will be one that is best fit for the climbers, although some classics specialists might have the legs to feature in the fight for the win as well. Is Mathieu van der Poel one of the? Rben Silva and Gavin Quinn have debated this question on the CyclingUpToDate Podcas...

Former Ineos Grenadiers boss Millar joined the cycling clothing company in 2024, its eighth consecutive year in the red

Tom Pidcock is ready to battle for what may be his first rainbow jersey in elite road cycling this weekend in Montral. Leading up to it, the Briton has spoken about his career, including his departure from Netcompany INEOS - which he has called the best decision of his career. In early 2021, Pidco...

The best cycling shoes can come with a huge price tag, and keeping them in pristine condition when you ride in all types of weather can be tough.If you commute daily, or as we head into cyclocross season, you'll ride in the worst conditions, which means soaking-wet shoes on the regular; if they aren't dried thoroughly, wet socks and feet are coming on your next ride.A gadget our North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook, discovered and helped solve the wet-shoe conundrum is the DryGuy Force Dry DX Shoe Dryer. Living in the Pacific Northwest, which averages 190 days of rain a year, she frequently rides and tests in wet conditions. Rook discovered the DryGuy many years ago and described it as the most essential gadget in her garage, and something she now can't believe she ever lived without.Right now, during this early Amazon Prime Day deal, you can get the DryGuy Force Dry DX Shoe Dryer for just $78, a 30% discount off the usual $111.99.Force Dry DX Shoe Dryer: was $111.99 now $78.75Save 30%. The Dry Guy is an absolute lifesaver when you return from a wet ride with drenched cycling shoes and soggy kit. Powered by a quiet, forced-air central blower, it features four dedicated drying ports. It also has a customizable Heat/No Heat switch that lets you adjust the temperature based on delicate fabrics and technical materials. Plus, an integrated 3-hour automatic shutoff timer guarantees energy-efficient drying without the risk of over-baking your kit.View DealWith the DryGuy, you can forget about stuffing newspapers into your shoes and hoping for the best. Anne-Marije says it works much better, drying your shoes, gloves, and hats in 1 to 3 hours, with or without heat.And its not just for the rainy season, either. This compact dryer is usable year-round and can keep the smells at bay not only for your sweaty cycling shoes, but for running or hiking shoes too. If you commute, this means you won't be stinking the office out with damp shoes.It also has a minimal footprint barely bigger than a shoebox, so you could easily keep it in the office.The DryGuy Force Dry DX can tackle two pairs of shoes at once, or one pair of shoes and a pair of gloves. It uses quiet, convection-based forced air to dry shoes, boots, gloves, hats, and helmets quickly but gently. Unlike a space heater or radiator, it wont overheat or damage your gear. Its safe on almost any material, and thanks to the heat/no-heat switch and a three-hour timer, you can customise the process based on what material youre drying.Carbon-soled shoes, neoprene boots, helmet padding, knit wool gloves- the DryGuy can handle a wide variety of gear.This deal is for Amazon US, and I've not found a similar discount for UK shoppers. However, a similar DryGuy two-shoe model is currently priced at 40 on Amazon.

Autumnal skies, light winds and a dose of cycling etiquette accompany Callum's live blogging efforts today. Why not join him?

New bike technologies are reliably met with shed loads of scepticism, but here are a few that have managed to establish themselves for better or for worse

At the time trial World Championships, Remco Evenepoel won with almost a minute over Filippo Ganna. The Italian argued he was racing at his best level, and defended his stance after Remco Evenepoel has doubted it. "Numerically we did everything well, I have nothing to complain about," Ganna said fo...

Fran Millar has left Rapha after a two-year tenure as the cycling clothing companys CEO, warning of organisational changes to reduce cost and drive efficiency.In an Instagram post published on Wednesday, Millar said her vision and strategy for Rapha are set in place and the path ahead for the brand is clear.Millar wrote: What remains is delivery. To support that, the business will make significant organisational changes to reduce cost and drive efficiency, and those changes call for a different governance and leadership structure. With that in mind, I proposed to the board that I step down as CEO.Millar joined Rapha as CEO in 2024. Previously, she was the CEO of Belstaff, which she joined in 2020 to turn around from an annual loss of 20 million in 2019. The clothing company broke even in 2024.Her task was similar at Rapha, which had repeatedly made headlines for its financial losses.Last October, BikeRadar reported that Raphas financial results for the period ending January 2025 revealed revenues of 96.2m and a net loss of 15.6m. It was the eighth consecutive year that Rapha posted a net loss.At the time, Millar said she wanted to get Rapha back to the forefront of cycling. Weve got to get back to being brilliant at what we do, she said.Part of this vision prompted Millar to cut ties with EF Pro Cycling after seven years. Millar said: As a customer and fan of the sport, I felt that relationship had gotten tired.Rapha also revealed a partnership with USA Cycling in a bid to broaden the companys reach and customer base.Millar said the decision was possible due to a renewed belief in Rapha from within the company and its financial backers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fran Millar (@franmillar) Last year, Rapha also said it was more concerned with Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation (EBITDA).Raphas chief financial officer, Michelle Woolaghan, told BikeRadar Raphas losses were due to ongoing amortisation, essentially the depreciation of goodwill and tangible assets, following Raphas purchase by the grandsons of the Walmart founder Sam Walton, Steuart and Tom Walton, in 2017.It also wanted to reduce its discounting and promotional sales. We're kind of coming off the discounting drug, I suppose, Woolaghan said.Millar wrote in her Instagram post: I am incredibly proud of the passionate, loyal, committed people who work at Rapha across the world and it has been a joy to lead them for two years.All that remains to say is THANK YOU to our team, our members, our customers and the brand.Rapha has not yet commented on Millars departure.