After spending most of yesterday blowing away a sheds worth of cobwebs, Ryan Mallons back to keep you entertained and distracted with all the latest cycling news and views on the Tuesday live blog

Keeping our global bikepacking route network accurate, accessible, and up to date is no small task. Today, we're launching an expanded Route Alerts system to help riders navigate changing conditions, identify potential hazards, and help improve and preserve our routes. Learn about the five new alert categories and how you can help keep this community-driven resource rolling smoothly for future bikepackersThe post Introducing Route Alerts: A Call for Route Stewardship appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

It was early winter last year when Taylor Phinney got a strange call from a friend. The 2028 LA Olympics were approaching, the friend told him, and USA Cycling was looking for some power horses to join the mens team pursuit squad. Did he want to be put in touch with the coach? Phinney was stunned. I thought it was a funny joke that somebody would even think that I was still capable of doing that, the 36-year-old now laughs. Yes, he had once been a power horse he won a time trial stage of the Giro dItalia in 2012, took silver in the TT at the Road World Championships the same year, and later came eighth at Paris-Roubaix but he was six years retired from road racing, and hadnt competed on a track for over 15 years, when he won his second individual pursuit world title. As far as Phinney was concerned, his cycling career was over. His track days were long dead and buried. But after he put down the phone to his friend, he says, the idea was planted in my head. Phinneys talking to Cycling Weekly from a hotel on Chongming Island, a leafy, out-of-town district of Shanghai, China. On Wednesday, he will lead the USAs team pursuit quartet off the start line at the UCI Track World Championships, his first in 16 years. The journey there has been rapid and unexpected, driven by an overarching goal: to compete at the LA Olympics in two years. Its an event that holds huge sentimental value for the Phinney family; Taylors mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won gold in the inaugural women's road race at the LA Olympics in 1984. His father, Davis Phinney, won bronze at the same Games in the team time trial. The opportunity to add to that legacy was too good to ignore. Not long after the strange phone call, Phinney went to Gran Canaria on a training camp with his wife, former Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift champion Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney. His legs felt good he had been spending a lot of time in the gym. I was trying to have more of an Arnold Schwarzenegger body, not necessarily a cyclist body, and I just kept thinking about this idea, he says. It felt very cinematic, and it felt like it would close a loop on my career that I never actually closed on the track ever since the individual pursuit was taken out of the Olympic programme. So I thought Id give it a shot. (Image credit: Alex Whitehead/SWPix)Phinneys friend set up a video call with the USAs mens endurance coach, Jono Hailstone. He explained there was a team camp in April, and invited Phinney to come along. I felt like If I was going to do it, then I was going to do it right, Phinney says. On 1 February, he emailed USA Cycling and USADA, the anti-doping authority, to ask to be re-added to the testing pool. It's that moment, Phinney now realises, that marked his coming out of retirement. He then worked closely with the accomplished Australian track coach Tim Decker, and built towards his tryout in the spring. Fittingly, the camp took place in Carson, at Team USAs home velodrome, where the Olympics will be held in two years. Phinney paid his own expenses to get there from his home in Girona, Spain. I didnt have a bike position, didnt have any wind tunnel data, he says.I just showed up to the camp and basically was changing my position in between every single effort to try and find something that was fast. Did it work? Put simply, he says, the tryout went well since then, weve been to the wind tunnel, and Im actually part of the programme now.Phinney officially announced his comeback on Instagram after the camp in April. Never in a million years could I have predicted this, he wrote. The post now has almost 400 comments a scrapbook of encouragement from his friends, fellow riders and fans. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, Phinney says. I wasnt totally sure how it was going to be received because I kind of just ghosted from the professional road racing scene when I did [retire]. Thats what I needed to do at that time, apparently.A post shared by Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney)A photo posted by Phinneys last road result was a DNF at the Japan Cup in October 2019. He had only announced days before what seemed like a snap retirement, aged 29. By then, though, injuries had pushed him to the point he fell out of love with professional cycling. He turned instead to a new life as an artist, trading training logs for oil paints and DJ decks, and signed up for the odd gravel race to keep his hand in. It was to his surprise then, that, come August this year, he was immersed once again in the bubble of elite cycling. Phinney joined the US team for a second camp in Zolder, Belgium, and found that training in velodromes, after only a few months back, had begun to feel quite familiar. It feels like a nice continuation of something that I closed a long time ago, he says. Time is funny, you know. It was a while ago, but it doesnt feel like it was that long ago. Of course, the comeback has not been without sacrifices. The dates of the August camp meant Phinney had to miss this summers Tour de France Femmes, having previously gone every year to support his wife. He also says he doesnt have as much energy to be creative, but Im not so sad about it. I came to the realisation that Ill have my whole life to be creative, and thats a pursuit that I want to always be involved in. But my physical body is only capable of going this fast for a limited amount of time.(Image credit: Doug Martin)That speed was put to the test in late August at the US National Track Championships, an event Phinney hadnt competed at since he was a teenager. He went on to win gold in the team pursuit, though he plays down the achievement. The National Championships is not the most competitive event, he says. I mean, we did like a 4:03, which is so slow. But we went 11 seconds faster than that the other day in training in a race sim[ulation]. The goal now is to go even faster in Shanghai. This weeks World Championships mark an important first step in the qualifying process for the LA Olympics. Nineteen nations are set to compete in the mens team pursuit. Only eight will start in LA. We dont really know what to expect or how were to rank ourselves among our peers, Phinney says. But hes confident in his teammates. Especially with the addition of Ashlin Barry, he says, naming the 19-year-old who just won the under-23 road world title. Were all saying that were jumping on board the Smashlin Express, because hes really carrying the team right now. Barrys so strong, in fact, that Phinney is planning on ceding his own entry in Fridays individual pursuit to the teenager. I think he could win or get a medal, Phinney says, and cites a fun, if sobering, fact: The first World Championship that I won, he was two. (Image credit: Getty Images)Unlike Phinney, Barry was part of the US team that finished fourth at the Worlds last October their best result since they won a bronze medal in 1995. The nation hasnt fielded a mens team pursuit squad at the Olympics since 2000, but if the results roll on like last year, theyll qualify for LA comfortably. Phinney is determined to make it there. Is that what closing the loop looks like to him? For sure there are ideals. You set goals, and the goal is clear: racing in the Olympics, he says. But I think in some way, just being part of the process is enough of closing the circle. As far as I was concerned, until November or December of last year, all of the circles were closed. I was fully retired and wasnt even thinking about racing.Just to be here at the Worlds and to be part of the team and feel like Im actually an elite athlete competing at the highest level with the three or four other best team pursuiters in the country, thats something I would not have predicted for myself even last year in October.A few minutes later, as our call draws to a close, Phinney utters a sentence that he also likely never predicted he'd say: Im going to go do some heat training now, like the youth. It's a simple line, but one that embodies how much his attitude to elite cycling has changed since he took that strange phone call last winter.What does the heat training involve? A turbo session in a hazmat suit? Nah, Im not that crazy yet. Ill be there eventually. Im just going to take an uncomfortably hot bath, he says. If it gets him even a tiny bit closer to LA, it will have been worth it. Mens team pursuit qualifying begins at 12:29pm local time on Wednesday (9:29pm PST Tuesday, 5:29am BST). If the USA qualify in the top eight, theyll also compete in the first round at 7:17pm (4:17am PST, 12:17pm BST).

Group says it never viewed the trial as a given and were not expecting just a rubber stamp. Council official says hed be absolutely stunned if a trial didnt require additional permission, but national guidelines suggest otherwise.A number of Galway City councillors last night moved against a suggestion to trial a public transport priority measure while claiming that they are absolutely not voting against public transport.This follows a decision by the councils Project Development Strategic Policy Committee last month, which unanimously passed a motion to consider trialling a bus gate on the citys Salmon Weir Bridge.If it had been progressed, a bus gate would restrict the bridge to public transport only between 7am and 7pm, testing a measure already included in BusConnects Galways Cross City Link project. The suggestion came from the local sustainable transport advocacy group Galway Commuter Coalition, which presented the idea to the councils committee. After the motion passed by the committee members who were present, the Galway Commuter Coalition issued a press release which said that the proposals could be progressed to the next stage after that vote from councillors.The press release which can still be read online makes it clear that it was not a done deal. In the release, the group said: The proposal will now be brought to the Corporate Policy Group (CPG) of the Council, which consists of the Mayor and the Chairs of each of the other SPCs, before being brought to a full council vote. The Coalition looks forward to presenting once again, and appreciates the insights gained from todays meeting from the political, business and social leaders who voiced their support for the transformative results a Salmon Weir Bus Corridor could provide.But a number of councillors who voted to block the suggestion of a trial at last nights full council meeting were reported by Galway Bay FM as implying or stating that the group had said or implied that it was a sure thing.Cllr Peter Keane (Fianna Fil), a Project Development committee member who was not in attendance for the original vote on the trial concept, was reportedly said to have said that the Galway Commuter Coalitions press release and extensive media coverage had misled people.Galway Bay FM reported that Cllr Keane called it a hare-brained idea before he later softened his language and he stated that it was a well-intended proposal.Cllr Frank Fahy (Fine Gael) reportedly said that the group has every right to make a presentation to the committee but that they had ran to the media like it was gospel.Cllr Mike Cubbard, who is the chair of the committee, reportedly said it was shocked as anyone to see the press release. and said that the passing of the motion was never going to be a rubber stamp.Galway Bay FM reported that many councillors were keen to stress that in voting down the suggestion of trialling a bus priority measure they were absolutely not voting against public transport. Some gave reasons for this, including wanting a more comprehensive plan in place and more buses ready to go first.Wrong messagingIn an interview given to Galway Bay FM and published this morning as part of the Galway Talks with John Morley show recording this morning, Cllr Keane said: Unfortunately the messaging around the motion that was proposed by the Commuter Coalition was de facto that we were going to make a decision around the closure of the Salmon Weir Bridge, even on a pilot basis to see if we could improve mobility around that location.Unfortunately, the messaging around how that process takes place has been such that a lot of the businesses and the residents in the vicinity felt it was not correct, he said.He said the bus gate proposal was also part of the Galway BusConnects project, but that it was a much easier discussion to take place when there were more buses in place and more frequent routes in place by then and, with the help of God, the Galway City Outer bypass would be constructed and in full flow.A permanent bus gate on the Salmon Weir Bridge is planned to be put in place by BusConnects Galways Cross-City Link, which has planning approval but is being judicially appealed.Cllr Keane complained that the pedestrianisation of the Cross Street Lower in recent years restricted one of the four vehicular bridges over the River Corrib, and the suggestion to close off another bridge would be insane.He claimed that the council were willing to look at solutions but said: We cannot have a situation where an impression is given that something requires a quick rubber stamp and itll just be done, he said.There are processes to be followed in here, and the strategic policy committee around transport erred, as in my view this motion should not have been taken; it should have been ruled out of order. It should not have proceeded to the corporate policy group. But today was the day when the legislators for this city make the decision, and that was at a plenary session, and we just had to reject it.Within minutes of calling the suggestion insane, he also said that it was also laudable, but it cannot be done without more bus frequency.Permission for bus gatesGalway Bay FM also reported that an unnamed senior council engineer poured cold water on Galway Commuter Coalitions assertion that trialling the bus gate could cost less than 30k, and would not require any additional permissions.The broadcaster reported that the senior official said absolutely stunned if implementing a trial didnt require additional permissions. However, Section 38 of the Road Traffic Acts allows for bus priority measures and traffic restrictions, including significant restrictions and changes to traffic movements.Section 38 of the Road Traffic Acts allows traffic calming, cycling and bus priority measures to be trialled and even made permanent. The process has been used to provide bus priority by restricting general traffic on Dublins quays from passing OConnell Bridge.Section 38 guidelines issued by the Department of Transport in 2023 outline how the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, exempts works within the existing road which is under a value of 126,000 or which is primarily to enhance public bus services or improve facilities for cyclists from the requirement of obtaining Part 8 or other planning permission as long as the works are within the boundary of a public road or do not trigger full environmental assessments.The Court of Appeal also gave legal backing to the use of Section 38 to trial making Strand Road and Beach Road, a 2.8km section of a regional route, one-way for motorists. However, this has yet to be trialled.Group said it never viewed the trial as a givenIn a statement issued this afternoon, the Galway Commuter Coalition said that it wishes to make a number of clarifications covering the time from before its presentation to the Project Development SPC and last nights decision.Peter Neill, secretary of the Galway Commuter Coalition, said: From the first press releases on the Proposal, the Coalition expressed our gratitude for the opportunity to present to the Council and always proceeded with caution with regards to the next stages of the proposal, and caveated any progress with the fact we were proceeding towards the next step of a process.The Coalition engaged in a discussion with multiple stakeholders at the original SPC, hailing from commercial, environmental, construction and engineering backgrounds, and the subsequent engagement with the media was part of our wider pro-public transportation advocacy which ran alongside our campaign against the increases on bus and train fares, he said. Neill said: The Coalition views the discussions had by mainstream media, social media, and Galway residents both for and against the proposal as being inevitable, by virtue of the proposal being conducted via the City Council. The Coalition made a well-researched and balanced proposal in September, which was received well at the time, and continued that same approach moving forward in all media appearances and debated the merits of the plan when asked by the media in the interest of fair-and-frank discussion about real solutions to Galways transport crisis. He said the group never viewed the trial as a given or a rubber-stamp at any stage and was very grateful for the opportunity to present to the Project Development Strategic Policy Committee.Any narrowing of the facts was not conducted on our part, and we never engaged in any discussion that did not include the work if or could. Any timelines given out were those discussed at the SPC, and were likewise caveated as being points of discussion and hypothetical, said Neill.He added: The Galway Commuter Coalition has committed significant time to researching this case and still believe in the merits of the proposal, and will continue to work in good faith to see how different perspectives on planning policy and costings have been applied to the initial proposal. For those who believe the Salmon Weir Bus Corridor could not stand on its own, we ask that they advocate for the timely funding of the entire BusConnects programme for Galway, as that has been one of the major roadblocks to progress on public transportation in our city.

The new CADEX Sync Aero Extension system arrived just in time for KONA. The system offers three extension lengths, multiple cradle and spacer options, adjustable carbon arm cups, integrated computer mounting, and dedicated between-the-arms hydration hardware.The extensions themselves are UD carbon and weigh a claimed 380g per pair in Medium, while the carbon arm cups add another 182g per pair. CADEX is asking $1,500 / 1,350 / 1,200 / $2,299 AUD for a complete platform-specific fit kit.CADEX built the system around getting the rider into a repeatable aero position, then giving them enough adjustment to keep refining it.(All Photos/CADEX) Three Extension Sizes and 30mm of TrimmingThe Sync Aero Extensions come in Small, Medium, and Large, with an additional 30mm of length adjustment via trimming. That gives a fitter three different starting points before making permanent changes to extension length.From there, the system uses interchangeable 15-degree and 20-degree cradles, plus 2.5-degree and 5-degree angled spacers. You can mix and match these pieces to tune hand height and forearm angle without needing a completely different extension.The arm cups can also move for width and reach.CADEX describes the system as designed around both UCI time trial and Ironman fit requirements, which helps explain why it has so much adjustment. A short, aggressive TT position and something comfortable enough to hold through a long-course triathlon arent necessarily the same thing. High-Sided Carbon Arm CupsThe arm cups are made from UD carbon fiber and use a tall outer wall designed to keep the rider supported in the aero position. Claimed weight is 182g per pair.The shape makes sense given how modern TT and tri positions have changed. Riders increasingly run their hands higher, with forearms angled upward rather than sitting flat across the cockpit.That places more importance on arm support. If your elbows and forearms are constantly moving inside the cups, its harder to stay relaxed through the shoulders and hold the position when the effort gets ugly.CADEX athlete Kristian Blummenfelt summed it up pretty well.A good aero position only works if you can hold it when youre riding fast for a long distance, said Blummenfelt. With Sync Aero I can make small changes to get the position where I want it, and the support from the arm cups helps me stay there when Im full gas.The Hardware Is Aluminum, But Only Where It Makes SenseWhile the extensions and arm cups are carbon, most of the adjustment hardware is aluminum.The extension clamps are CNC-machined 6061-T6 aluminum, as are the clamp cradles, adapter plates, and computer mount. CADEX offers Small and Large extension clamps, while the cradle system provides the 15- and 20-degree starting angles.Both the CADEX Tri and Trinity/Avow setups then use dedicated aluminum adapter plates to connect the Sync system to their respective cockpits. So while the fit concept is shared, this isnt a universal bolt-on system for any TT bike.For now, CADEX is keeping it within the Giant/Liv/CADEX family.CADEX Tri Fit KitThe CADEX Tri Fit Kit includes:Small, Medium, and Large extension barsSmall and Large extension clamps15-degree and 20-degree clamp cradles2.5-degree and 5-degree angle spacersCADEX Tri adapter plateCarbon arm cups and padsExtension bar computer mountCADEX BTA bottle holderAll individual components are also available separately.*The Giant Trinity and Liv Avow kit includes the same adjustment pieces but substitutes the Trinity/Avow adapter plate and omits the BTA bottle holder. Integrated Computer MountThe extensions include an integrated computer mount, so you dont need another bracket strapped between the arms. The mount itself is made from 6061-T6 aluminum. Its a small detail, but computer placement gets surprisingly complicated once extensions start moving upward and inward.Keeping it integrated also cleans up an area that often ends up packed with a computer, bottle, straw, junctions, and a bunch of small aftermarket brackets.CADEX BTA HydrationThe CADEX Tri fit kit includes a dedicated between-the-arms bottle holder, while Trinity and Avow riders can buy a platform-specific version separately. Both use an 80mm base spacer, with an additional 20mm or 40mm spacer to adjust bottle height. CADEX requires you to use the included 80mm spacer.Maximum load is 2.2kg, including bottles, cages, and hardware. The CADEX Tri version weighs a claimed 220g with the maximum spacers installed, while the Trinity/Avow version comes in at 150g in the same configuration.That weight difference comes down to the different mounting architecture each bike requires.Raising the bottle with the extensions should help riders keep the hydration setup tucked between the forearms, rather than leaving the bottle sitting well below the hands after raising the cockpit.What Does the Sync Aero System Weigh?CADEX didnt provide a single claimed weight for an entire assembled fit kit, because it depends heavily on which extensions, cradles, spacers, and hydration pieces you use. Its a custom setup to your fit. CADEX does list weights for several key parts.The Medium extension pair weighs 380g, excluding accessories.The carbon arm cups weigh 182g per pair.The CADEX Tri BTA bottle holder weighs 220g with maximum spacersThe Trinity/Avow version is 150g with maximum spacers.The remaining clamps, cradles, spacers, adapter plate, computer mount, bolts, and pads will obviously push the complete system higher.CADEX isnt presenting Sync as an ultralight cockpit, though. The priority is fit range, support, and integration.$1,500 for the Complete Fit KitThe complete platform-specific Sync Aero Fit Kits are priced at:$1,500 USD, 1,350 EUR, 1,200 GBP, $2,299 AUDCADEX says the new Sync Aero Extension Bars will be available soon in select markets worldwide.Thats serious money for an aerobar setup, but the kit is considerably more than two carbon extensions.Youre getting all three extension sizes, multiple cradle angles, two sets of angled spacers, carbon arm cups, platform-specific mounting hardware, and an integrated computer mount. CADEX Tri owners also get the BTA hydration system.CADEX-Cycling.com

The British sprinter was withdrawn from this weeks world track championships following allegations of discriminatory behaviour

CyclistCompetition: Win a Garmin Fenix 8 smart watch with Engyne HealthIts training season, and Engyne Health is giving Cyclist readers a chance to win a Garmin Fenix 8 smart watch.Engyne Health is the new training platform from ex-pro cyclist and Le Col founder Yanto Barker. It provides personalised training advice and plans using the latest in AI tech, as well as clubs and leagues to compare not just times but also all your other metrics, so you can really see whos the strongest rather than who has the best leadout. Engyne also rewards users for training, with discounts from a massive range of brands including bike companies and high street stores including major supermarkets, plus loyalty points given out for every workout that add up to unlock entries to monthly prize draws.Head to engyne-health.com to start your two-week free trial of the top tier Premium+ planRead more: Meet Engyne Health: Yanto Barkers new do-it-all training appTo get your winter training started, Engyne is offering you the chance to win a Garmin Fenix 8 smart watch. To be in with a chance of winning, write the answer to the question below in the form before 10th November 2026.What do Engyne members get from partner brands?A. Exclusive discounts on kit, nutrition and moreB. A strongly worded emailC. Nothing, theyre just logosPlease write the correct answer in the form below. First Name Last Name Email * Street address*Post Code*Country*Answer*NewsletterSign up to our newsletter to keep up to date with Cyclist magazine Cyclist NewsletterNews, features, offers, competitions and events. Cyclist PartnersOccasional emails from selected third-party sponsors and advertisers. Third-party EmailsOccasional emails sent directly from Cyclist competition partners. Therefore, by ticking this box, your data will be shared with them. T&Cs apply.The post Competition: Win a Garmin Fenix 8 smart watch with Engyne Health appeared first on Cyclist.

Netcompany INEOS has seen both Filippo Ganna and Sam Welsford end their contracts with the team prematurely to leave it, leaving the British team in a chaotic situation towards 2027. On this week's Cycling Market, Giulio Ciccone's departure from Lidl-Trek is also addressed; with two major teams maki...

The German adventure brand Tout Terrain is best known for steel bikes with Pinion gearboxes and belt drives. But recently, Tout released a bicycle that offers two new features that havent been available before from the brand. Tout Terrains new Catalina Select 7.1 is a derailleur-based bikepacking-ready mountain bike for modern drivetrains. It will also be available as a customizable frame kit, in the color of your choice. Two new firsts for the bike maker.Tout Terrain Catalina steel bikepacking 29er MTB hardtail(Photos / Tout Terrain)The new Catalina is a steel bikepacking hardtail, and its Touts first derailleur-based 29er. But its also the first model theyll sell to riders as a frame kit that you can really customize. That means you can pick any color you want, plus a rigid or suspension fork. Also cool.Tout Terrain uses its own Thermocrom heat-treated steel for the new Catalina. The butted Thermocrom tubing uses thinner-walled sections in select areas, cutting weight without hurting the frames durability.The brand also says this steel tubeset performs much like their Dedacciai tubing, but with a lower carbon footprint. It has been used across their recently updated lineup, including the Tanami and Blueridge.Weve Seen it BeforeTeased at this years Sea Otter Classic, the Catalina is pitched as equally happy on after-work trail laps as on big backcountry overnighters. Tout Terrain describes it as fast and fun on flowy trails while still hitting the usual marks of capability, long-distance comfort, and durability.True to the brands touring roots, the powder-coated steel frame has mounting points all over the place. You can load it up for a few days off-the-grid without resorting to zip ties and Voile straps.Bikepacking-ready MTB hardtailWhen the Catalina launches, it will launch as a complete bike, the Select 7.1. Tout builds this complete bike around a RockShox Reba Gold 120mm fork, 2.4 Continental tires on WTB KOM Tough i30 rims, a 150mm OneUp V3 dropper, and a new mechanical Shimano Deore 112 drivetrain.Their idea is that the Catalina will be an approachable entry for first-time bikepackers, but still makes sense for seasoned adventurers. If youd rather build your own, the frame kit is also available, in the color of your choice. Preorders for both the Select 7.1 and frame kit are open now, with shipping expected before the end of the year.Tout Terrain Catalina: Retail & DetailRetail: $1,625 (frameset), $4,099 (Select 7.1 complete)Frame: Tout Terrain Thermocrom steel with Matte Black finishFork: RockShox Reba Gold 120mmGroupset: Shimano Deore 112 drivetrainWheelset: WTB KOM Tough i30 29 with Tout Terrain hubsSeatpost: OneUp V3 150mm dropper postSizes: S, M, L, XLCustom single paint color option for the framesetClick the link below to check out more details. Tout-TerrainBike.com