Soudal Quick-Step rider Dylan van Baarle was injured in a serious incident "involving a car" during a training ride in the Netherlands, which left the 34-year-old Dutchman with a broken wrist and put an abrupt end to his season. Although the road riding calendar has all but come to a close, the timing of the crash is particularly unfortunate, given that van Baarle is due to get married in less than two weeks. However, his fiance, fellow pro rider Pauline Ferrand-Prvot, took to social media to say that that the situation could have been far worse, and thanking Soudal Quick-Step for their actions after the incident. "He took a hard blow to the head, said 2025 Tour de France Femmes winner Ferrand-Prvot. The helmet definitely saved his life He also has a broken arm, and the surgery will take place tomorrow thanks to Soudal Quick-Step for arranging it so quickly." The collision took place on Wednesday, and according to reports, vVn Baarle, a former Paris-Roubaix winner who has endured an injury and accident strewn few years having fractured his hand and scapula in 2023, broken his collarbone twice (in 2024 and 2025), and also busting his hip in 2024 took a "big impact"."Dylan van Baarle was involved in a road traffic accident involving a car, during training today in Tiel, Netherlands," a statement on the Soudal Quick-Step website confirmed. "Following the incident Dylan was taken to hospital where he underwent a CT scan, which has fortunately revealed no damage to his skull and spine. He did however sustain a fracture to his wrist, which will require surgery and mean an end to his season."Van Baarle is due to marry his partner, and former Tour de France Femmes winner, Ferrand-Prvot, who rides for VismaLease a Bike, later this month, and it was the Frenchwoman who broke the news, saying: Dylan was involved in a car accident this morning while he was training. He was taken to the hospital immediately."I'm very, very grateful that it all turned out reasonably well," she continued. "Im going to sleep alone for a few nights, but I think thats part of the tradition leading up to the big wedding day."

Isaac del Toro has revealed that he has been suffering with knee problems as he makes his return following the World Championships. The UAE Team Emirates- XRG rider is at the start of Gran Piemonte on Thursday as he prepares for Saturday's Il Lombardia - which will once again see the world's best ri...

This enigmatic Claud Butler track bike is a period puzzle that only begins to reveal a version of its truth when associated with its likely rider, the colourful Jack Heid. On first inspection, the bike resembles a 1939 Champion Path model, with its period-correct oversized Chater-Lee bottom bracket and cast lugs. However, a closer look reveals a distinctive 1948 Olympic rings head tube badge.(Image credit: Future)Theres no mistaking the livery, which boldly screams USA! as only the Stars and Stripes can. Consider that Claud Butler had a close relationship with talented New Yorker Heid around this period, and pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place. Disenchanted with the East Coast racing scene, Heid flew to London for the 1948 Olympics, where he immediately became obsessed with European competition. Over the next few years, he successfully raced as an amateur across Belgium, France, England, and Scandinavia; unheard of for an American at the time.Despite minor celebrity status the English media dubbed him the Yankee Clipper his existence was, at least initially, hand-to-mouth, surviving on his winnings and the illicit proceeds of smuggling watches and bike parts into England from continental Europe. Did Claud Butler give this bike to a cash-strapped, opportunistic Heid?There are tantalising clues, says current owner Richard Hoddinott of vintage specialists The Velo Pages. The numbering on the BB suggests 1949, then theres the head tube badge and the bold US livery. I believe this is a pre-war frame possibly refurbished in 1949 for the World Championships in Denmark, or a 49 frame thats been built with older parts due to post-war shortages.(Image credit: Future)Heid won bronze in the amateur sprint at the World Championships and continued racing successfully in Europe for several years, eventually earning a comfortable living. He returned to the US with his Belgian wife, Julia, in 1951. He died in 1987 and was inducted in the US Bicycling Hall of Fame two years later.

The 2026 Tour of Guangxi boasts a strong startlist this year as the race runs from October 13th to October 18th. With six stages on offer, featuring sprint finishes, a mountain-top finish and hilly opportunities, Tom Pidcock fronts a startlist filled with WorldTour big names. Download the startlist...

I am nothing if not a resolute contrarianunless you call me a contrarian, in which case I will assert with every fiber of my being that Im not. But yes, ordinarily I will often go out of my way to do the opposite of whatever everybody else is doing. This is why, now that wide tires have taken over completely, Ive swung just as completely the other way and am curating a contest in celebration of road bikes with minimal clearance:[A recent submission. Owner has been riding it for over 30 years, and it only had to be re-glued once!]Still, I will very occasionally defer to peopleor at least to you, my readersand give you what you want. To be sure, doing so goes against the very grain of my being (wait, is my being grainy or fibrous?). But the fact that I will defy my own nature just to please you should make it abundantly clear just how grateful I am for your patronage.So what am I giving you? Well, a lot of you have expressed concerns about this bicycle:Specifically, you have conveyed your dismay, perturbation, and even extreme agitation over the red hoods. At first, thats what I liked best about them, and in fact when I put them on in the first place I did so in the spirit of rabblerousing. But eventually they began to bother even me, and so youll be relieved to learn Ive now corrected the situation:While I was at it, I also replaced the Shimano brakes with a pair of Campagnoli, which Ive officially decided is the plural of Campagnolo:I acquired these in the same shady backroom deal that netted me the seatpost and saddle now on the Fabrman. The idea was to use all of this stuff together for a project, but Ive now decided to go a different direction with that project, and so I am spreading the wealth across my clowder instead. (I find it trite to refer to ones bikes as a fleet or a stable, and so from now on Im going with clowder, which is the collective noun for a bunch of cats.) And no, there was nothing wrong with the Shimanae (plural of Shimano) that were on there, and in fact as a contrarian I relished the offensive Shimanae/Campagnoli admixture, but this frees them up for still another project.Also, Im a sucker for the Campagnolo differential brakes:Whats more Campagnolo than reintroducing the single-pivot brake and pretending its a bold new invention?And whats more cycling industry than foisting disc brakes on us after years of touting weaker brakes as a feature?By the way, Im not impugning the differential brakes in particular or the single-pivot brake in general. And it really is the ideal rear brake. Theres no reason to have a super powerful rear brake, plus you can set the pads further away from the rim (good for climbing), and its self-centering, unlike a dual-pivot brake which will push your rim one way or the other if you dont set it up perfectly.No, its just the whole using-marketing-speak-to-disguise-the-fact-theyre-simply-bringing-something-back-that-worked-well-for-years that amuses methough if the bike industry wants to bring back rim brakes and call them An Outer Circumference Hydraulic-less Caliper System With Integrated Oversized Rotors then thats fine with me.But yes, the Faggin may still be Pepto Pink, but at least everything matches, and riding it is like lying in a bed of the popular carnival confection that shares its hue:And of course all this was made possible by the commenter who goes by the sobriquet Grouchy Doc, who not only sent me the Super (!) Record drivetrain, but also included both red and black hoods. While I may deride electronic drivetrains, as the immediate beneficiary of one rider having given up mechanical drivetrains in favor of them, I encourage more of you to do the same. Selflessly, I stand ready to accept your unwanted mechanical Super Record, Dura-Ace, and other inferior componentry.Hopefully Grouch Doc isnt disappointed that I squandered his largesse on the Faggin, but the fact is the bike has earned it. I acquired the frame almost 20 years ago nowshortly before starting this blog, in factand it began its life with me as my wifes bike. Sadly I have no photos of it from that era, but it was a singlespeed road bike that served her well for transport and rides around Prospect Park.But then we had kids and moved to the mountains of New York City (the Bronx) which called for gears and kiddie hauling capability:Then the kids got bigger and she moved on to something sportier:All that time the Faggin sat tucked away in storage:Until I resurrected it as a city bike:I am very much a proponent of the old-road-bike-as-city bike:It yields a more useful machine than the traditional fixie conversion.But after awhile it began to bother me that in all its time with us the Faggin had never had the chance to live life as its true self, that being a geared road bike with drop bars. So I set it free:Though things soon got out of hand:This called for an entirely new approach:I think weve finally got a handle on things now.

Comment & Analysis: While road deaths and injury collisions involving motorists have spiked this year, there has been a classic moral panic against e-scooters and the winner is not road safety but the Government, which has been allowed to pretend that it is acting on road safety. Im in a better position to say this than most, as Im not exactly a fan of e-scooters. But I still think the undue attention they have received, at a time when road deaths were increasing, shows it was more political pantomime than real road safety action. On face value, as just a road safety measure, its not logical and doesnt make sense. The effectiveness of e-scooter users not wearing bicycle-like helmets and high-vis is questionable, especially when most e-scooters can travel way beyond the speed bicycle helmets are designed for, and the main problem with e-scooters in the first place was the lack of enforcement of widespread use of illegal devices. So, again, that doesnt make sense. But not only have fines for not wearing personal protective equipment been set at 100, the fines for all e-scooter offences have also been increased from 80 to 100.If we care about road safety overall, how does acting on this in isolation make any sense when far more serious offences for motorists have lingered at 60 or 80 (plus penalty points) for years or decades? Dont tell me the points make up for it as if the fines have not decreased in value since they were first introduced; the points were also always there. Again, it does not make any sense. The following are examples of motoring offences that have less than 100 fines:Driving a vehicle on a motorway against the flow of traffic 80 + 2 pointsFailure to obey traffic lights 80 + 3 pointsDriving on a footpath or cycle track 60 + 1 pointFailure to obey traffic rules at railway level crossing 80 + 2 pointsUsing a vehicle with defective or worn tyres 80 + 2 pointsProceeding beyond no entry to vehicles sign 60 + 1 pointParking a vehicle in a dangerous position 80 + 3 pointsFailure to drive on the left-hand side of the road 60 + 2 pointsDangerous overtaking 80 + 3 pointsFailure to yield right of way at a yield sign/yield line 80 + 3 pointsIllegal entry onto a one-way street 60 + 1 pointThe fines for a range of motoring offences have been increased in recent years including speeding and holding a phone but why were they not all increased given inflation alone? So, yeah, if the Governments position is that fines are a deterrent, all of this still doesnt make sense. Even with the data being used to act on e-scooters its based on childrens hospital data, and the number of children in ICU beds due to scooter collisions. Its shocking. But the action of increasing the ban on under 16s to under 18s does not make any sense, as childrens hospitals are for under 16-year-olds (who were already banned from using e-scooters), and the main problem was parents buying them and then a lack of enforcement. I previously ran the headline: Please make it make sense: A 16-year-old will be able to drive a tractor or a 90km/h+ light motorcycle, but not a scooter locked to 20km/h. In response to this, some people said, but they are tested. The problem with this is that 16-year-olds are legally allowed to drive farm vehicles on the road when they have just passed the theory test for a general provisional learner permit. Thats not much of a test to be able to drive something as powerful as a tractor anywhere. Again, you guessed it, it does not make any sense. Then yesterday we had the Irish Independent reporting that the Road Safety Authority (RSA) has said that theres not enough data to justify the introduction of NCT-type tests for tractors and other agricultural vehicles. The newspaper reports this despite RSA data showing that only 20% of tractors pass roadside inspections. Sense has left the building a long time ago.This is the Government which scrapped default (not blanket) 30km/h speed limits in urban areas the very least they could have done is mandated 30km/h at the front of every school, but they did not even do that, and many councils are going a lot of effort to put on a show by putting in tiny town centre 30km/h zones and putting 30km/h limits in front of some schools but not others for no reason that makes any sense. To be clear: Main roads were excluded from the plan before it was watered down to a shadow of what was planned.This is also the Government, which is slowly and silently defunding active travel which includes not just cycle lanes but the bulk of the yearly allocation to projects such as raised zebra crossings and safe routes to schools. And within nearly every active travel project, there are traffic calming measures which make streets and roads safer.The only thing that makes sense here is that the Government is not really interested in road safety. Sean Canney, Minister of State at the Department of Transport with responsibility for road safety and also too many other things to be focused on it, has become a bit of a target in this regard I dont think road safety is advanced by having him in that position, but theres also collective cabinet responsibility. The blame can be shared across Government. Populism ahead of saving lives and limbs seems to make sense to them.

A British police force has been criticised for posting misleading information on the legality of e-bikes.In a now-deleted post on Facebook, the Tewkesbury Neighbourhood Policing team, part of the Gloucestershire Constabulary, wrote that "privately owned e--bikes require road tax, vehicle insurance, and a valid MOT". Appearing to confuse e-bikes, which are pedal-assisted and limited to 15.5mph, with e-motorbikes, which are not, the policing team were appealing for information regarding a report of dangerous riding in Brockworth, Gloucestershire.The post continued: "Anyone breaking the law risks a 300 fixed penalty notice, six points on a driving licence, and your illegal electric bike or scooter being seized and destroyed."Duncan Dollimore, from British cycling advocacy group and charity Cycling UK, said that the police needed to "stop this confusing narrative and understand the difference" between e-bikes and e-motorbikes."The statement from Tewkesbury Neighbourhood Policing team confuses legal e-bikes and e-motorbikes, when in reality they are different means of transport, with different laws applying to them," Dollimore said. "We need the police to stop this confusing narrative and understand the difference, as these misconceptions continue to cause issues to people who are genuine legal e-bike riders. To be considered an e-bike, you need to pedal for the motor to assist, and it needs to cut out at 15.5mph, otherwise its an e-motorbike. E-bikes do not require tax, insurance or an MOT, but e-motorbikes do. "E-bikes can make a huge difference to peoples lives, particularly for older people, those new to cycling or with mobility issues, and police forces across the country need to be better trained to make sure they know the difference. That starts with clear, national procedures for police forces to properly assess whether a bike is an e-bike or an e-motorbike."E-bikes, legally "electrically assisted pedal cycles" are pedal-assisted, limited to 15.5mph, and have a continuous rated power output of no more than 250 watts. If it does not comply with these, the bike is not legally an EAPC and does need to be registered, taxed and insured.A spokesperson for Gloucestershire police said: "In recent days we issued an appeal which included some incorrect information in relation to e-bikes. Once this was brought to our attention, we removed the article from our online sites. "For more information on the rules of riding an electrically assisted pedal cycle, visit: Riding an electric bike: the rules - GOV.UK."

Bruno Armirail left the European Championships with silver and a message for anyone tempted to downplay it. The Frenchman came within just over seven seconds of Primoz Roglic in the elite men's time trial in Slovenia, finishing second after setting the benchmark that only the home favourite was able...

Athlete question: Im feeling ill, too tired, or just didnt sleep well last night how should I modify my training? Weve all been there: theres a session in the training plan, but youre feeling a bit under the weather, your legs are aching, or, you just dont feel in the mood to put yourself through it. Working out when this lack of desire to do the session is something you should listen to, or something to push through, can be difficult. Doing a ride when unwell could result in more time off the bike in the short term, but if the hesitation is merely a lack of motivation, you might just need a little boost to get out the door. How do coaches work out the best course of action? It starts with a tickly throat The most common reason for riders wanting to know if they should train or not is because they feel the onset of illness. There are several considerations at this point.Firstly, if it is viral, then the recommendation is not to ride at all. Training through a virus can have longer-term health implications, and there will be very little gained from riding when fighting off a virus. Additionally, any form of training stress makes it more difficult for your body to fight off illness, so you will recover faster if you rest up properly. Its frustrating, but time off in the short term reduces time off in the long run.If the illness is mild (symptoms above the chest, no aches and chills, doesnt come with excessive fatigue, and no raised temperature), then it can be alright to do shorter, steadier sessions. I generally recommend riding indoors in this scenario as it means session intensity can be more controlled and exposure to cold air is reduced. It also means if you feel off as the ride progresses, you can call an end to it instantly rather than needing to get home.So, you crashed your bike...(Image credit: Getty Images)Injuries are another consideration. If youve had a crash, then the best case scenario is that theres a bit of bruising and road rash. Ignoring the impact this can have on sleep, tissue repair increases your daily metabolic cost significantly. This means youll use more energy at rest, so youll need to consider how your overall energy levels may be down generally. If youve got away with just road rash or bruising, the golden rule is not to do anything that causes significant pain. Secondly, ideally keep the intensity below the second lactate threshold, or Critical Power, while the bruising is more visible or the road rash has yet to start scabbing over. If youre training using more of a Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale, stick to sub 7/10. After that has started to happen, you can introduce more intensity based on how you feel.For broken bones, my recommendation is to rest for the first week or two as the daily metabolic cost can increase by large amounts. Your body is working hard to mend itself, adding training could overload it and impair recovery. After the first two weeks, setting the bike up to accommodate riding in the case of a broken collarbone is key, while anything on the legs, hips, or back and neck needs to be based on medical advice. From experience coaching riders through these sorts of injuries, it can be around six weeks before they start to feel normal on the bike at intensities below the first lactate threshold.Overall fatigueAnother key reason for riders not wanting to ride is general fatigue, and this comes in many different forms.I generally set training in blocks there will be a gradual build, followed by an easier deload week. As a training block progresses, as a coach, I am looking to create a level of fatigue for riders, the goal being functional overreaching. A certain level of stress is needed to create the appropriate stimulus to generate training adaptations, but equally, I don't want too much.If there are no external additions to the fatigue, and we are in the last week of a build, this is where the rider normally needs a little bit of a push to get through the sessions with the promise of a deload period after this week. Breaking efforts and sessions down into manageable segments tends to help. Real world examples(Image credit: Future)Framing efforts in the most suitable way for different mindsets often helps. One rider I work with needed a bit of a boost for some longer threshold efforts. Three 12-minute blocks of just under Critical Power is a tough session, and the final effort always got them psychologically. We started framing the session as everything after six minutes into the second effort meant there was less to go than had been completed. This really helped the rider complete these sessions thereafter.As an opposing story, another rider always found the first ones harder than the last, so a bit more of a push was needed for the first effort, and doing a short mini-threshold effort really helped their legs feel more ready for the session.Other types of fatigue experienced may be external factors. This could be work or life stress, lack of sleep, or underfuelling. Work and life stress adds to the sum of all stresses, and impacts the balance of allostasis, or, overall load. Meanwhile lack of sleep does the same by removing recovery. In this scenario, I generally suggest that we reduce the intensity, the number of efforts, or the volume of the sessions depending on the rider. This is normally a very case by case basis, and for some actually starting the session gets them into the swing of it quite quickly, while others may be better off resting.Fuelling wise, this is why I would prefer to see riders overfuel than underfuel, and making sure they have enough before, during, and after rides is key. You can use apps like Hexis to cover the full day of nutrition. Im also working on an app StemNotes, which is currently in beta testing which provides guidance during the session. If a rider is facing any issues that mean they are in an energy deficit or low energy availability, then a key thing we will do is drop the volume and intensity until they are able to balance it out. Not doing this not only impairs performance, but also recovery and overall training adaptations. Real world examplesI had one rider this year have a very busy work week before a key event, so we did a single one hour ride in the seven days leading up to it, and they had the best power and result at this event they have ever had. Meanwhile another rider had the opportunity to do a fast paced 4 hour group ride the day before a key hill climb they wanted to perform in, and went into it too tired after too much fatigue from the group ride the day before.If an event or race is coming up in the week, I generally suggest to riders that if they feel over tired or under rested, then it is better to rest. It is far too easy to do too much in the week leading up to an event than to do too little.Just not feeling it... (Image credit: Richard Butcher)Another factor is motivation, and this is again a very case-by-case basis. As the weather turns from summer to winter, a lot of riders may be feeling miffed about switching from an aero race bike and carbon wheels with race tyres, to mudguards and training gear which is slower. In this situation, I do try and find specific motivators for those riders to get them out on the bike, it is worth pushing through a bit here. If its very wet and they have limited time to clean bikes, then we may see where we can switch that volume elsewhere in the week, or do a reduced volume indoor ride. Again, this is very case by case.There can also be a bit of fatigue for those racing; starting in March and racing until September is a long season. Often riders start to get demotivated and tired of the process of race weeks and preparation. Sometimes this means we call an end to the season early and ensure they have their off-season break before the winter training season. It is also why I am a fan of a 'mini-off-season' break, in the middle of the suummer, for riders with long calendars. This might be a summer holiday, or a break from racing and structured racing to ensure the love and joy for just riding a bike remains.The bottom lineIts difficult to give specific rules of when to ride and when not, and as a coach I approach it on a case-by-case basis.If motivation to ride is waning and there isnt any joy to be found from riding or completing a session, I think it is important to rest, for a day or several until the desire to ride returns. For the final efforts of a training block, if there are no additional external stressors, then it is a good idea to push through.For injuries, anything broken, or concussion-based needs to be guided by medical professionals. For anything less serious, giving your body time to initially heal by avoiding high intensity is a good idea, and then introducing efforts based on personal comfort. For illness, if its viral, then rest. If its below the throat and perhaps a blocked nose or stuffiness, then riding steady should be fine, but perhaps avoid intensity until its just a bit of a blocked nose.For tiredness, anything that will impact alertness on the road, stay indoors or rest. If its a bit of additional fatigue from external sources, then reducing intensity and then volume if needed is a good way to go.

Illustration by Almirante Reis Lapis (known as karren or karst) are the intricate ribbons of bare rock sculpted by water on limestone. This sculptural, labyrinthine landscapemanifested in expansive fields and []The post Lapias Bikepacking Route appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.