The myth of sport as a sanctuary from the real world is dead. Across football, boxing and golf, autocratic regimes have bought their way onto the global stage, leveraging flagship events to launder reputations, mask human rights abuses and project a veneer of progressivism. Cycling is far from immune. In fact, handcuffed to a chronically fragile, sponsor-dependent financial model, the pro peloton is arguably more vulnerable to the shifting tides of geopolitics than any other sport.Lets not be naive: cycling has always been influenced by politics. Today, however, nation states have more influence over the sport than ever before, with teams, race organisations and even the UCI becoming ever more reliant on links with sovereign wealth benefactors. This wave of nation-state wealth entering professional cycling began 20 years ago, when the government of Kazakhstan revived the remnants of the fallen Liberty Seguros team to create the entity now known as XDS-Astana. Teams with links to the states of Bahrain, Israel, Saudi Arabia and most prominently the United Arab Emirates have followed.These nations, all of which have big question marks hanging over their human rights records, have invested hundreds of millions of euros into the sport. Their stated aims have been to develop domestic cycling and to promote tourism, but experts argue that their motivations are, in reality, more political. Should cycling be pushing back? Has its reliance on nation states gone too far?Until this year, cycling had a long, if unofficial, relationship with the state of Israel. Ahead of the 2025 Vuelta a Espaa, the team then known as Israel-Premier Tech (IPT) had represented the nation for a decade. Owned and bankrolled by Israeli-Canadian businessman and self-appointed Israeli ambassador Sylvan Adams, the team was initially called Israel Start-Up Nation and was, in its earlier seasons, part-funded by the Israeli tourist board.As IPT was targeted by mass protests at the Vuelta opposing Israeli military action in Gaza, which Gazas health ministry says has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians the race descended into a logistical and security nightmare. With protestors blocking key sections of the race, organisers were forced to neutralise stage 11s finale into Bilbao, with the final day called off before the race entered the centre of Madrid, where thousands were demonstrating on the finishing circuit. By the end of the race, it was clear that IPT could not continue with an explicitly Israeli identity. Soon after the teams licence changed hands to sport and event company NSN backed by Swiss investment company Stoneweg. It is, however, widely suspected that Adams remains the teams principal funder.Police and pro-Palestinian protesters during the abandoned stage 21 of the 2025 Vuelta (Image credit: Getty Images)The fallout has outlasted the race itself. The Vueltas planned return to the Canary Islands in 2026 was cancelled amid uncertainty over the teams participation, while NSN, citing UCI rules, did not ride this years Itzulia Basque Country.The debacle of the 2025 Vuelta was a consequence of cyclings deep entanglement with nation states, and a stark example of the sports vulnerability to the shifting tides of geopolitics. The closer the sport ties itself to state funding, the greater the blowback whenever those states cross a moral line in the eyes of the public.We shouldnt be surprised when world events start tumbling over into sport, says Brian Cookson, who was president of the UCI between 2013 and 2017. Sponsors shouldnt be surprised if what they are promoting becomes the focus of dissent Sports not separate from wider society, its part of it [and] international sport is not separate from international issues whether its hostility between nation states, between economic models, political models or racial models, or whatever.If La Vuelta revealed the danger posed by nation-state investment, what comes next could cause lasting damage to professional cycling. Yet IPT was small fry compared with UAE Team Emirates-XRG and their affiliated womens team, UAE Team Limad. Human rights groups allege that the UAE is complicit in war crimes in Sudan, supplying arms and deploying mercenaries in support of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which the UN and others estimate are linked to the deaths of between 150,000 and 400,000 Sudanese people.Although the conflict in Sudan does not attract as much attention as hostilities in Gaza, it is currently the worlds worst humanitarian crisis one where the UAE is alleged to be backing paramilitary forces to secure its own regiointerests. Those interests include Sudans gold, its strategic Red Sea ports, and its vast swathes of fertile arable land. With the UAE set to host the UCI Road Worlds in Abu Dhabi in 2028, UCI president David Lappartient has praised the country as a very strong partner.But cyclings financial reliance on the region is inviting quiet but steady scrutiny. While a sudden wave of public protest on the scale of the Vuelta is unlikely, the UAEs worsening geopolitical footprint ensures that the road to Abu Dhabi will be paved with increasingly uncomfortable ethical questions. The UAEs sports investments are part of this broader strategy to use sport as a deliberate tactic to deflect from the reality of abuses. Unfortunately, the cycling team is part of this strategy, says Joey Shea, senior researcher in the UAE and Saudi Arabia for Human Rights Watch. She believes that cycling teams should take responsibility for allowing themselves to be used by nation states to launder their reputations. Shea cites UN guiding principles. What steps, if any, have they identified to mitigate the risk of reputation laundering? These sports teams and individual players have a responsibility to mitigate that risk, she adds.That scrutiny is intensifying. Ahead of the 2026 Tour de France, a coalition of human rights groups wrote to the UCI calling for UAE Team Emirates-XRGs licence to be suspended over the UAEs alleged support for the RSF. The teams response was brief: As a sports team, we dont engage in geopolitical commentary. During the race, Human Rights Watch said it had asked the team whether any contract clauses prevented riders from speaking out about UAE abuses, and that it had received no reply.Saudi Arabia, whose public investment fund (PIF) backs Australian WorldTour teams Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco, is also widely criticised for its human rights record, as is Bahrain, which owns Bahrain Victorious. This influx of Gulf money is a familiar headache for Brian Cookson. As UCI president in 2017, he faced criticism from human rights groups when Bahrain and the UAE first entered the WorldTour. His defence, then as now, hinges on a sense of global pragmatism: if the rest of the world is open for business with these regimes, a sports governing body cannot be expected to act as a moral gatekeeper. If governments are still doing business with those regimes, its very difficult for a sports body to stand up and say, No, we have better moral standards than you and therefore were not going to accept that, Cookson says.State sponsor one-two-three: Antonio Tiberi of Team Bahrain shakes hands with winner Isaac Del Toro of UAE Team Emirates at the UAE Tour 2026, with third-placed Luke Plapp of Team Jayco AlUla (Image credit: Getty Images)Big-money behemothsOn the one hand, nation states backing of teams can establish long-term financial security, better wages and increased performance. On the other, this investment relies on governments whose interest in the sport is principally motivated by reputational return. Saudi Arabia has scaled back its sports investment recently, and the teams sponsored by AlUla reportedly came within days of closure at the end of the 2025 season before last-gasp talks with PIF decision-makers. A year on, the story has repeated itself: Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco missed the UCIs October registration deadline for 2027 amid changes of ownership and sponsorship, with founder Gerry Ryan stepping back to a minority stake.The war involving Iran, which a US-Iran ceasefire agreement signed in June failed to end, is also causing economic uncertainty in the Middle East, with Bahrain Victorious riders and staff having their wages delayed by two weeks in March following Iranian strikes on Bahrains oil refinery complex.The vast sums of money invested by the UAE to create the worlds best team has transformed the mens sport. The teams budget is reported to be surging above 60m per year. Among competitors, even fellow superteams have a 1020% deficit to make up, and must do so through investment by large corporations such as Red Bull, Lidl and Decathlon. The modern reality is that to compete, or perhaps even to survive, WorldTour teams must gain comparable sponsorship to stay in touch. No longer can a team exist on the support of one medium-sized investor, meaning continual hand-to-mouth instability for smaller outfits.A lot of money has been added, especially from the Middle East. As a result, some budgets have exploded, Picnic-PostNL boss Iwan Spekenbrink told Wielerflits earlier this year. It is extreme what some of these young boys are being paid. [Smaller teams] are in effect competing with entire countries, where the financial possibilities sometimes seem endless.Spekenbrinks own team illustrates the point. Picnic-PostNL was the only mens WorldTour squad granted just a one-year licence for 2026, with any extension conditional on meeting financial criteria, and it too missed Octobers registration deadline for 2027.As teams at the top take the spoils from ever-expanding budgets, the others are left with little hope of catching up. A structural gulf has emerged between the types of money flooding the sport. Traditional corporate sponsors invest in cycling to sell products, boost brand awareness and satisfy shareholders. State sponsors, by contrast, are buying geopolitical soft power and diplomatic legitimacy.Tom Pidcock in traditional dress after winning the 2025 AlUla Tour, a race run by the same Saudi region that sponsors Jayco AlUla (Image credit: Getty Images)The road aheadAs cycling leans further into its relationship with nation states, the time is ripe for ethical, reputational and financial reflection on whether this is the path the sport should continue down if it is not already too deeply committed. Severing ties with nation-state investment would remove hundreds of millions of euros in annual financing from the sport. A more practical goal in mitigating nation-state impact may be to objectively assess how political forces are exerting influence on cycling from financial, reputational and ethical standpoints instead of pretending that these forces dont exist and impose limiting measures.Cookson has suggested that the UCI introduce a rule banning the names of nation states from appearing in team names, dampening the reputational benefit of sponsorships and reducing the potential for conflict. Other suggested measures include a budget cap, although this may be unworkable in a sport that straddles the globe, and a fit-and-proper person test, similar to that which is imposed in English football itself awash with Gulf State money. The remaining option is to do nothing. But failure to wrestle with the risks of nation-state influence could result in the further laundering of cyclings image, a wider chasm between state-backed and smaller teams, and yet more instances like the 2025 Vuelta where geopolitics overwhelms our sport.Contracts vs convictionsJust by wearing the flag, thats not in and of itself sportswashing if [riders] are at the same time talking about UAE crimes in Sudan or domestically. But I havent seen any such statements, says Joey Shea, a researcher at Human Rights Watch.One rider who did signal his convictions was Canadian star Derek Gee-West, after he dramatically exited from his Israel-Premier Tech contract at the end of summer 2025. He explained that his decision related to a personal-belief standpoint that weighed heavily on my conscience though he did not explicitly cite the war in Gaza.Speaking to Cycling Weekly, one agent described riders becoming picky over which teams they sign for. For example, one female rider was unwilling to sign for UAE Team ADQ (as it was known then) due to the state of womens rights in the country. Conversely, another agent said that the majority of riders are not thinking about politics. They are bike riders, not political activists.This article was first published in the 18 June 2026 print edition of Cycling Weekly magazine available to buy on the newsstand every Thursday (UK only) while digital versions are available on Apple News and Readly. Subscriptions through Magazine's Direct.

Exposure once again gives their popular lightweight Joystick helmet light a big upgrade this time boosting output to 1600 lumens for its 19th generation. On the gunmetal grey anodized outside, it looks exactly the same as the outgoing model outside of a couple extra cooling fins. But inside, theres a more powerful LED, a slightly larger battery to get the same burn times, and a reshaped lens for improved peripheral vision when night riding.Upgraded 2026 Exposure Joystick mk19 1600lm helmet light(All studio photos/Exposure)Just last fall, Exposures long-running and most-popular helmet light the tiny Joystick got a pretty significant 18th-generation performance upgrade. That one added hands-free TAP tech to be able to switch modes without searching for a tiny button while riding. You can even set it so you just tap your helmet to change modes. Plus, it added an extra 50lm of light output and a 4% bigger battery to keep the same runtime.Now, Exposure have an even bigger update for the Joystick mk19.This time, it gets 400 lumens more, bringing its peak output to 1600lm with an upgraded lens. Typically, the Joystick would often be used as a helmet-mounted light to combine with a bar light for off-road riding. But this big output increase is enough to use it on its own, too on your head or handlebar for less intense night riding like gravel or bikepacking. Thats especially good news, because Ive found Exposure lights to be extremely high-quality and long-lasting, but they arent exactly cheap. Now, one tiny light can double as a helmet light for fast technical mountain bike, but also offer plenty of illumination from your bar for less demanding singletrack or gravel road riding, or even commuting.And its just as small as ever. 112mm long and a max 34mm in diameter at its head. It is again a few grams heavier, now up to 111g to account for a slightly heavier, higher-capacity battery tucked inside.Tech detailscompact mini flashlight-style cycling headlightCNC-machined 6063 alloy housing with integrated heatsink fins1600 lumen max output, up 33% from mk18new single white XHP50 Cree LED for bright, clear illuminationnew dimpled lens design for improved peripheral visibilityvarious helmet, bar, or any GoPro mount compatible with various clip-on holdersAction Clip with screw-on Helmet Mount included (with 2 bolt lengths) allows GoPro mount compatibilitySecurity Leash also includedbar, cleat, out-front, and braze-on mounts available separately1-36 hours of runtime in about a dozen different output modes(6 sets of modes, with individual High, Medium & Low settings)1-button setup & control, with simple 3-color LED indicator on the back of the lightTAP tech hands-free adjustmentUSB-C charging in ~2hrs, can be charged while lighting from most power banksIP67 waterproofing for use in all weather conditions & IK09 impact rating111g claimed weightUK-made in West Sussex, EnglandExposure warranties all lights for 2 years, 3 years if bought direct from their website, LEDs guaranteed for lifedesigned to work for many years, Exposure also services (and can sometimes update) previous-generation lights for much longerExposure Joystick 19 Pricing & availabilityThe new, higher-output Exposure Joystick 19 sells for $215 / 195 / 195. Thats exactly the same price as the Joystick 18, which I personally use on my helmet for nighttime trail riding together with a bar light. my Joystick 18 with the Helmet Mount with Action Camera Clip (Photo/Cory Benson)Im really happy with Exposures move to their new Helmet Mount with Action Camera Clip that allows easy mounting to the top of a helmet, as long as it has a central vent on top. But also the fact that you can take the helmet mount plates off, and bolt it onto any GoPro-style mount, too. I also like the simple rubber band Quick Release Handlebar Mount, which will cost you an extra 15 to quickly clip it onto a round handlebar.(Photo/Cory Benson)Get yours now, directly from Exposures website or their global retailer network.ExposureLights.com

Life Time Grand Prix, the seven-race gravel and mountain bike series in the US, will have its biggest ever prize pot in 2027, putting up a whopping $800,000 in total, split across its top finishers.It's a 36% increase on this year's fund of $590,000, of which women's winner Sofia Gomez Villafane and men's winner Keegan Swenson walked away with the lion's share.The riders will have to work harder for their dollars next year though, as the series will feature seven races as opposed to six, with the addition of the Rad Dirt Fest in the Trinidad mountains of Colorado. This race returns after a three-year hiatus, having featured in 2023-24.Riders will need to ride six races to qualify although they can ride all seven and use their six best results.Life Time GP also features some of the world's most highly regarded off-road races, including Unbound and the Leadville 100.The first $400,000 of next year's prize money will be paid out among the top-10 finishers overall, with the top-three finishers netting $40,000, $30,000 and $24,000. There will also be a $2,500 finisher's bonus for those placing 11th-25th overall.The remaining $400,000 will be allocated among the top-10 finishers of each individual round a deeper spread than in 2026, which saw cash only for the top-five. This, as well as prizes angled more generously towards the lower placings in the overall, is intended to increase season-long competition and support a wider talent pool, says Life Time."If we want professional off-road cycling to grow, we have to get serious about how athletes make a living," said Life Time Grand Prix co-director Michelle Duffy in a statement.She added: "By putting more money into every race and spreading those dollars deeper into the field, we're creating more opportunities for more riders, not just the handful at the very top. That's how we start building a stronger, more sustainable future for the sport."As well as the record prize pot, there will be an additional qualifying element to this year's sixth running of the Life Time Grand Prix, with entry "determined primarily through performance", say organisers.The first 10 riders invited to compete in each category men, women and U23 will be last year's overall top-10 riders. However, the remaining riders will all be decided over two races at the Sea Otter Classic weekend over 15-18 April. This differs considerably from this year, where only the top-five from the previous year were auto-qualified, and wildcards were added as late as Unbound the second round of the series.Weve listened closely to athletes, agents and partners, and one opportunity we identified was creating a clear, performance-driven path into the Life Time Grand Prix, said Life Time's president of events and media, Kimo Seymour. The Grand Prix is about identifying the best all-around off-road racers, and competing across gravel and mountain bike racing reflects that. Establishing the field earlier also gives athletes greater certainty as they plan their seasons and partnerships.Life Time Grand Prix Events and datesThe event list for the Life Time Grand Prix 2027 is as follows:Sea Otter Classic Gravel (15-18 April)Unbound Gravel 200 presented by Shimano (3-6 June)Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik (14 August)Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival (18 September)The Rad Dirt Fest (25 September)Little Sugar MTB (10 October)Big Sugar Gravel presented by Kenetik (10 October)

Team Picnic PostNL faces one of the most important seasons in its recent history in 2027. The Dutch team finished 2026 in 30th place in the UCI team ranking, with just 2,822 points. That is a deeply concerning result for a WorldTour team that needs to make up ground as soon as possible. The problem...

We already spotted METs new Manta 3 aero road helmet on UAE womens and men pro heads in the World Tour this season, from last years World Champ Tadej Pogaar to this years new champ Brandon McNulty. But now you can buy one. And MET has shared all the tech details about what makes their core road racing helmet faster, and safer, than ever.MET Manta 3 aero road racing helmet(All photos/MET)Last week MET unveiled the more affordable no-carbon Trenta 2 version of their airflow-maxed road helmet. But if speed is your priority on the bike, its time to look at the new Manta 3 on the aero road side.The Manta 3 officially broke cover this season at Milan-Sanremo in March, where Pogaar sprinted to that crash-tattered & bloody win ahead of Tom Pidcock. Not a bad first race for the new MET lid. Did a new aero helmet help him win? It likely didnt hurt, if METs wind tunnel claims are right.testing inside METs own Tube wind tunnelThey explain that at the 50km/hr speeds that road racers see, aero drag starts to become a really big obstacle to overcome. So they spent years refining the Manta, and came out saving an extra 6W over the gen 2 helmet with this new design. Plus thanks to the revised three main forward-facing vents design, lower-profile MIPS Air Node system inside, revised internal channeling, and a new F1-inspired pair of Double Deck air deflectors at the back the new Manta 3 promises a 10% improvement in ventilation, as well.Old vs. New aero shapingnew Manta 3 (white) vs. old Manta 2 (red)MET describes the new Manta 3 as being a bit shorter and smoother than the Manta 2. Thats especially evident in the shift of its tail further back and lower, and fewer sharp edges. The obvious move from two to three main front vents is visually distinct, of course. But the most significant change is the loss of the top vent, as weve seen almost every modern aero helmet remove any edges or openings from the top of all their latest designs to reduce drag.Tech detailswind tunnel-optimized aero road helmetMET ranks it as the fastest in benchmark tests in their own Tube wind tunnelin-mold EPS construction with full-wrap 3-piece polycarbonate shellMIPS Air Node lightweight anti-rotation protectionprotection optimized from analysis of 142 real crash-damaged helmets worn by UAE Team Emirates between 2019-2025Coolmax integrated padstwo side vents function as sunglasses portsDouble Deck rear vent air deflectorsdial- & height-adjustable Safe-T Orbital Fit SystemAir Lite straps with adjustable under-ear hardwareVirginia Tech Helmet Lab 5-star safety ratingCE | US | AS-NZ safety certifications3 sizes (S 52-56cm, M 56-58cm & L 58-61cm)250g claimed weight (CE, size M) MET Manta 3 Pricing, options & availabilityThe new redesigned MET Manta 3 aero road bike helmet sells for $375 / 330, including a soft helmet bag for storage. It is available now in six relatively low-key colors. Pick from all-black, all-white, white with black logos and EPS, dark grey, light silver, or a red-to-black fade.MET-hemets.com

Everyone wants a higher FTP. It is the number most riders check first, and for good reason. Raise your threshold and everything gets easier: the club run, the climb, the last hour of a sportive.What is FTP?Functional Threshold Power is roughly the highest power you can hold for about an hour. Most riders estimate it from a test: 95% of a hard 20-minute effort, a ramp test, or Critical Power from a few maximal efforts. Our FTP and Critical Power calculator works yours out and sets your zones.Above FTP, fatigue builds fast. Below it, you can keep going. The higher it sits, the faster you ride before the clock starts ticking.How to increase your FTP1. Ride more, mostly easy. The biggest driver of FTP is consistent aerobic volume. Long, steady rides in zone 2 build the engine that threshold sits on. Boring. Brilliant.2. Train at threshold. Once or twice a week, spend time close to FTP. A classic progression: 3 10 minutes at 95 to 100% of FTP with 5 minutes easy between, building to 2 20 minutes. Sweet spot work at 88 to 94% does a similar job with less fatigue.3. Raise the ceiling. Threshold can only climb so far under your VO2max. Blocks of VO2max intervals, such as 5 4 minutes at 106 to 120% of FTP, lift the roof so threshold has room to rise.4. Recover properly. Fitness arrives during recovery. Sleep, easy days that are actually easy, and a lighter week every three or four weeks.5. Fuel the work. Hard sessions on an empty tank feel awful and adapt less. Eat before, and take carbohydrate on longer rides.6. Get strong. Two short gym sessions a week improve force, efficiency and resilience. Our strength builder puts a session together for you.What holds FTP back?Riding every session at the same moderately hard pace, so nothing is easy enough to recover from or hard enough to adapt to.No recovery weeks, so fatigue hides the fitness.Under-fuelling, especially on long or hard days.Testing too often. Every 6 to 8 weeks is plenty.Want a plan built around it?Raising FTP takes a plan that fits your life and adapts as you go. Monthly coaching builds it into your week, with a weekly 1:1 call, from 140 a month. Not sure where to start? Book a free 30-minute consultation.Keep readingSweet spot training: what it is and when to use itCycling intervals: types, zones and why we use themHow to sprint faster on the bikeHow many carbs per hour when cycling?Saddle up.

Fare increase comes as Government spends 100m per month on fossil fuel subsidies for cars. And as commuters suffer ghost buses, delays and overcrowding, say opposition TDs. Minister claims they will fix ghost buses, overcrowding, delays, and provide new services.The Government has to live in the real world and do not have money up the wazoo to spend on everything, the Minister of State for rural transport, Jerry Buttimer, has said in the Dil in response to a motion not to increase public transport fares in the New Year. Aidan Farrelly, a Social Democrats TD for Kildare North, who put forward a motion to stop the fare increase, said: Simply put, the decision to increase public transport fares makes no sense. It makes no political sense, it makes no policy sense, and from a cost-of-living perspective and from a climate action perspective, the impact of congestion on our mental and physical health perspective fails all the checks. Why on earth would the Government pursue it?During the debate, the motion to halt the fare increase was, as one source put it, amended to mean nothing essentially, before Government TDs voted for it and the opposition voted against it. The Minister of State will undoubtedly tell us about record levels of investment in public transport, record levels of passengers, and that in comparison to our EU neighbours we are not doing too badly. We should all be very clear in this House that the Government is attempting to undo and undermine every positive step achieved regarding public transport policy and the modal shift in recent years, he said.Deputy Farrelly said: This tone deaf decision will impose additional costs on commuters, workers, students and families when people are already struggling to put food on the table or heat their homes.As policymakers, we have not even scratched the surface when it comes to the potential of public transport. We were getting there; it was arguably the finest legacy of the Fine Gael, Fianna Fil and Green Party Government. For some reason, whether it is a shift in political priorities from moving people to moving cars, roads budgets rather than Public Service Obligation budgets, it is different now, he added.Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Sen Canney, said: I think everybody who has spoken and the Government have the same thing in mind, which is to have a public transport system that does not have ghost buses, that is on time, that provides frequency and that gets the nurses and people to school and work and does so efficiently.He said: Every public transport service we put in place is subsidised. There is no public transport service making a profit. I think I heard the work sustainable from Deputy Farrelly. I have listened in this House over the past two years to people criticising the services they have or do not have, such as signage not being right, missing buses and all of that.That is what we intend to correct. I just want to say that, so that everybody will have a public transport service that they can rely on and that they can use and continue to use rather than have to contemplate buying a car. That is my role in all of this, he said.Minister Canney said: I was talking to members of the Cork Chamber of Commerce. Again, they told me there is a problem with overcrowding. There is an overcrowding problem in Galway. We are going to rectify that, but what we have to do is have public transport on a sustainable level from the start. The fare adjustments are necessary to help address the cost of increases experienced across public transport. They will also contribute to the continued delivery and expansion of key transport programmes including BusConnects, Connecting Ireland and Dart+, Minister Canney said. He said that fare revenue contributes to approximately 38% of the public service obligation routes nationally, which is below the European average of 44%, meaning it requires significant Exchequer funding. Despite huge subsidies to private motoring, Canney repeatedly referred to taxpayer-funded public transport as subsidised and at one point, even called it subsidised transport when outlining that the cost of providing services has risen in recent years.Minister Canney added: While maintaining affordable fares remains a key objective for this Government, it is equally important for passengers to ensure that sufficient resources are available to introduce new routes, increase service frequencies, improve reliability, enhance accessibility and connect more communities to public transport.Paul Donnelly, a Sinn Fin TD for Dublin West, said: The mixed messages coming from the Government are infuriating people. On the one hand, the Government talks about developing sustainable public transport systems, investing in active travel and encouraging people out of cars and onto public transport, but here we have an increase in public transport costs. It makes no sense whatsoever.The Government should be using the billions we have in extra taxes to invest in public transport now, specifically more buses, more trains, better active travel and cycling lanes, he said.Deputy Donnelly said: We have a more expensive and deteriorating bus service in Dublin West. People are deeply frustrated with ghost buses, electronic noticeboards that do not work and trains that are rammed. Irish Rail tells us that it is at capacity, and no extra carriages will be available soon.He said the development of 18,000 new homes in Dunsink is planned but that the National Transport Authority tells us that the public transport system it is based on the Luas is years away. The NTA will not even look at its provision until the mid-2030s, while Metro West from Tallaght through Blanchardstown to the airport has been knocked on the head until at least 2042. It has also been downgraded to a Luas line.Ciarn Ahern, a Labour TD for Dublin South West, said: Anyone who knows about and cares about public transport, climate or quality of life is baffled by this decision. The only way that this could possibly make sense, in the context of a cost-of-living crisis, extremely healthy public finances and a climate crisis, is if the Government is actively trying to drive down numbers on public transport because of the massive capacity constraints we are currently seeing on our train and bus routes.This must be seen as an acceptance by this Government of its own failures to add capacity to our public transport routes, he said.He said: There has been a sustained failure over decades to invest in more buses, train carriages, lines and routes. Now, when people want to use public transport, the Government is either unable or unwilling to respond by providing the necessary extra capacity, so it puts the fares up to help to manage the issue.Deputy Ahern added: Government backbenchers have expressed their concern about these fare hikes in committee and on social media. If that concern is genuine, they should put their money where their mouths are and stop the crocodile tears. They have a vote and should use it to support this motion.Mark Ward, a Sinn Fin TD for Dublin Mid West, said: The Government wants to get people out of cars and onto public transport, so one would think that the very first thing it would do is make public transport more accessible. Increasing public transport fares in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis is bonkers.Not only is the Government expecting people to pay more, but it is actually asking them to pay more for less. Services are not being delivered, and ghost buses are becoming the norm. Major public transport projects are years behind schedule. In my area, we have the Clonburris development. There will be over 10,000 homes there, he said.Deputy Ward added: The continual delays to Dart+ South West have had a huge impact on residents. I am frequently contacted by residents who bought homes in a strategic development zone. This was approved and fast-tracked on the promise of sustainable, high-frequency, high-capacity public transport. Instead, homeowners, residents and commuters have been left with an under-resourced rail service that is already failing to cope with the current demand. Peak-hour services are constantly beyond capacity.Sinad Gibney, Social Democrats TD for Dublin Rathdown, said: I am just shocked. Two years into this Governments handling of many different challenges in this society, this one just screams out of touch. It is not just that it is on top of a cost-of-living crisis, soaring rents and house prices, soaring energy prices and people squeezed at every single juncture of their lives. It is that the Government chooses to increase public transport costs.She said: It is genuinely mind-boggling that it has chosen to do it. It is not just that we are in an energy and climate crisis where we are not reaching our targets by any stretch of the imagination, and where the Government has signalled that it is happy to just take the hit on EU fines rather than do the work to invest in a just transition that could benefit our economy, society and the globe.Deputy Gibney added: I take this moment to reiterate what our vision of a social democracy is. It is where you pay your taxes and, in return, you get a suite of public services like transport, healthcare, education, childcare, disability services and climate mitigation. This Government does not seem to get that. It instead seems to see relying on the market, privatisation where it can and lining the pockets of corporate interests that lobby it day by day as the best way to resolve all of the crises we face as a society.Minister of State for rural transport Buttimer said: All of us in the House share a common position. We want to see public transport available and to be accessible, reliable and improved for all people who use public transport.I am not immune or removed from reality. I heard Deputy Gibneys remarks, who I have great respect for, but I live in the real world. I do not need her to tell me about the cost of living. She does not need to tell me about what is happening in my constituency. I am out and about every day. I am an ordinary person; I am a gnthdhuine. I walk around my people. I live among my people, and I know what is happening, he said.Minister Buttimer said: I am not going to have a row, but let us live in the real world. The Government has increased the pot of money for the Department [of Transport]. We do not have money up the wazoo to spend on everything. We have made choices. We are making the choice to improve the electrification of the fleet, connect more people, improve commuter rail, the Luas for Cork and MetroLink.The Minister for State added that he did not hear the opposition talking about the improvements in services in previous years, including Connecting Ireland, which has massively expanded rural bus routes. Although the expansion of services was mainly under the last government and has been largely paused for the last year or so.Deputies have spoken about the cost of living. The Government has intervened repeatedly to support and assist people, as it should. I understand that affordability is a key priority, but we must achieve balance in the terms of the need for service improvement, expanding the network, enhancing reliability and providing the better public transport we all want. I pay tribute to the men and women who work in our public transport system because they do phenomenal work, said Minister Buttimer. Jennifer Whitmore, a Social Democrats TD for Wicklow, said: The Government is currently paying 100 million per month in excise cuts for fossil fuel subsidies for cars. This is 70 million. I ask the Minister of State to change his decision on this.I just want to get something straight. At a time when the UN is warning that we are about to breach 1.5C global warming; when transport emissions in Ireland are stubbornly high, year in and year out; when 70% of all daily trips are made in private cars; and when we are facing 26 billion in fines from the EU for not meeting our climate targets, this is the Governments answer when it comes to public transport, she said.Deputy Whitmore said the move was being made when the M50 is at a standstill every day, when the wars in Ukraine and Iran have hit the most vulnerable people in our communities who are unable to pay for their energy and their fuel. She said the policy is nonsensical, regressive and is not based on any of the evidence.The full transcript of the debate can be read at KildareStreet, and it can currently be viewed here.

At home on the bars or mounted on a helmet, the new Exposure Joystick 19 is a featherweight, ultra-bright light made for cycling on singletrack and gravel roads. Dive into the details here...The post The Exposure Joystick 19 Has 1,600 Lumens appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

I feel like this should start like an infomercial or one of those As Seen on TV things. Are you tired of tubeless tape wrecking your day? (house starts on fire) Are your hands too greasy to get proper adhesion to the rim? (drops expensive wheel and cracks) Are you also fanatical about properly wrapped gifts? Well, boy, do we have a gadget for you!ENVEs new Tubeless Tape Gun is exactly what it sounds like: a dedicated shop tool for installing tubeless rim tape quickly, straight, and with consistent tension. It looks a little like someone crossed a label maker with a caulking gun, and at $125, it costs considerably more than the roll of tape youll be feeding through it.BUT before you judge Ive used it, and its awesome. It works as advertised and looks cool, but that doesnt mean were gonna stop joking around. Because its fun, and ENVE knows how to take a joke. And, annoyingly for anyone hoping this would be easy to make fun of, it works really well.ENVE Tubeless Tape GunInstalling tubeless tape isnt difficult, but doing it cleanly can be a pain. On a new set of wheels, its more of a practice in patience. Dont mess up the customers new wheelset with a big ol crinkle in the tape. Its more of an annoying task on a well-used wheel, mostly because it means something isnt working/sealing correctly. When youre re-tapping a rim, things can get messy, not only from cleaning the used rim, but from the taping process. Youre trying to keep the tape centered while maintaining tension, rotating the wheel, avoiding wrinkles, and making sure you dont wander up the sidewall halfway around the rim.If youve worked in a shop, you can do it easily, but wouldnt it be cool to have a tool for it?The ENVE Tape Gun just makes the process cleaner and more repeatable, especially for first-timers.A shaped roller centers the tape in the rim bed while you push the tool forward and rotate the wheel toward you. Once you finish the lap, a built-in metal cutting blade trims the tape without reaching for scissors or a knife.I like to think of it as one of those fancy wrapping-paper cutters you see around the holidays, except this one is made of aluminum and costs enough that your family may start asking questions.Built Like a Shop ToolThe first thing that stood out when I used it was how solid it feels. This isnt a lightweight plastic tape dispenser.ENVE uses an aluminum skeleton, rubber grip, durable plastic guides, and a metal cutting blade. It feels built to survive a busy service department rather than sit at the bottom of a home toolbox.The Tape Gun works with rolls using a 75mm / 3-inch core and accepts tape widths from 25mm to 40mm, which covers a broad range of road, gravel, and mountain bike rims.Does It Actually Work?Yes, and damn well. The Tape Gun keeps the tape centered, maintains good tension, and makes the entire process feel much more controlled.For a tryout, I retaped my cyclocross wheels that badly needed a refresh. The tubeless tape was starting to dip at the edges (those not-so-flattering images above) and pull up where the tape overlapped. The process was simple: I pulled off the old tape, cleaned the rim, and measured the old tape. It came in at 25mm, so I used the ENVE tape designed for 29mm (fitting rim inner width from 24-26mm)What did I notice? The biggest improvement is consistency; youre not trying to do four things at once, youre just rotating the wheel and steering the tape.When youre taping wheels by hand, the first one usually looks perfect. By wheel number six, you start negotiating with yourself about whether being 2mm off-center really matters. Then you wonder whether to trim with a razor (no) or try again.With the Tape Gun, the process is basically the same every time.Push the tool.Rotate the wheel.Wheelie to cut the tape.Done.For a professional shop, race mechanic, wheel builder, or anyone regularly setting up tubeless wheels, that repeatability is genuinely useful.It also makes the finished job look better, and anyone whos had to troubleshoot a slow tubeless leak knows neat tape installation isnt purely cosmetic.But $125?Heres the problem. Its $125. If you tape two wheels a year in your garage, theres almost no way to make the math work. A thumb still costs considerably less.For a home mechanic, this lands squarely in the category of extremely nice tool that you absolutely do not need.For a shop, though, the argument gets easier. If youre setting up tubeless tires every day, saving a little time and getting more consistent results adds up. The Tape Gun also feels built well enough that Id expect it to survive years of normal shop use. Plus, if youre an ENVE dealer, its a cool tool to have out and chat with customers about.Thats probably where ENVE nailed the product. Its cool-looking and works. It doesnt solve a complicated problem. It just makes a repetitive job faster and cleaner.The Perfect Gift for the Mechanic Who Has Everything?This might also be one of the most oddly appropriate mechanic gifts of the holiday season.You could wrap the Tape Gun, then they can unwrap it and use it to wrap wheels. Theres some nice symmetry there.Jokes aside, the ENVE Tubeless Tape Gun is a genuinely excellent tool. It works exactly as advertised, feels properly shop-grade, and takes some of the annoyance out of one of the least exciting parts of a tubeless setup.Do most riders need one? Absolutely not.Would I happily use one every time I tape a wheel? Yep. Thats the problem with nice tools.

Sweet spot is the zone just under threshold. Hard enough to drive real fitness, easy enough to repeat. For riders short on time, it is one of the most useful tools there is. Used well, it builds FTP fast. Overused, it turns every week into the same grind. Here is how to get it right.What is sweet spot?Sweet spot sits at roughly 88 to 94% of your FTP, just under threshold. It feels like a solid, controlled effort. Breathing is deep but steady, conversation comes in short phrases, and you could hold it for a good while if you had to. On a 1 to 10 scale it is a 6 or 7.The name comes from the idea that it gives you the best return for the effort: a lot of training stimulus without the deep fatigue of riding at or above threshold. Not sure where your zones sit? Use our FTP and zones calculator.Why it worksTime efficientIf you have 6 to 8 hours a week, you cannot ride 15-hour weeks of easy miles. Sweet spot packs a lot of aerobic and threshold work into a short session, which is why it suits riders fitting training around work and family.Builds thresholdLong blocks just under FTP push it upwards. You spend more time close to threshold than you could in a true threshold session, and you recover faster afterwards. See how to increase your FTP.Builds durabilityHolding steady power for long periods is exactly what sportives, time trials and long breakaways ask of you. Sweet spot trains the muscles, the head and the fuelling for it.Classic sweet spot sessionsGetting started: 3 10 minutes at 88 to 94% of FTP, 5 minutes easy between.Building: 3 15 minutes, then 2 20 minutes.Long: 2 30 minutes, or 60 to 90 minutes of total sweet spot in a session as you get fitter.Over-unders: 10-minute blocks alternating 2 minutes at 95 to 105% with 2 minutes at 85 to 90%. Teaches you to recover while still working hard.Outdoors: a steady climb or long, quiet road. Ideal for time trial practice in your TT position.Progress by adding time before adding intensity. Going from 3 10 to 2 20 is real progress, even at the same power.The catchSweet spot is tiring. Not destroyed-tired, but tired enough that doing it four or five times a week adds up. Do too much of it and every week turns into the same moderately hard grind. Easy days stop being easy, hard days stop being hard, and progress stalls. This is one of the most common patterns we see in self-coached riders.Polarised and 80/20 trainingStudies of endurance athletes show that most of their training is genuinely easy, often around 80% of their time, with the rest split between moderate and hard work. That pattern keeps you fresh enough to make the hard work count.Sweet spot fits into that 20%, alongside threshold and harder intervals. It is a tool in the box, not the whole box. Riders with very few hours might do a bit more of it. Riders with more time should lean on easy volume and save sweet spot for one or two key sessions a week.When to use itBase phase: one or two sweet spot sessions a week alongside lots of easy riding. Builds the platform for harder work later.Time-crunched weeks: the most useful single session when you only have an hour.Before long events: sportives, gran fondos and 25-mile TTs reward the ability to hold sustained power. See how to pace a 25.Less useful close to short, punchy races: crits and road races need repeated hard efforts and sprints. Shift towards those as race day approaches.Fuel itA 90-minute sweet spot session burns a lot of carbohydrate. Eat beforehand, take a bottle with carbohydrate in it for anything over an hour, and refuel after. See carbs per hour.Track the progressWatch your heart rate and feel at the same power over a few weeks. If heart rate drops and the effort feels easier, you are getting fitter. Our guide to feel, heart rate and power explains how to read the signs, and power testing shows when to retest.Next stepThe right mix of sweet spot, easy riding and hard work depends on you and your goal. That is what we do with our riders every week. See how coaching works, or book a free call.More like thisHow to increase your FTPCycling intervals: types, zones and why we use themHow to sprint faster on the bikeHow many carbs per hour when cycling?Saddle up.