The time has come for Enric Mas to give a blow on the table. We have known the preliminary list of Movistar Team for the Tour de France 2024 and there is no doubt that the Spanish team will put all their eggs on the back of the Majorcan climber. And it's his turn to prove that he deserves the confid...

Bianchis adventure gravel Arcadex gets a major redesign, inheriting fast good looks from their light gravel race bike. But its not just a vain facelift, the new Bianchi Arcadex gets a much-needed fat tire clearance upgrade, plus contemporary full internal cables and new in-frame storage. Now its a proper adventure-ready bikepacking bike, and gives you plenty of options to customize a bike build perfect for your style of riding gravel2024 Bianchi Arcadex carbon adventure gravel bikeAfter their boxy original carbon adventure gravel that was created to share a platform with an ebike sibling, now Bianchi gives the Arcadex its own dedicated carbon frame. The result is a much better-looking bike. And I doubt anyone could argue with that.(Photos by Paolo Penni Martelli/Bianchi)But it isnt just a prettier bike, with looks inspired by Bianchis fast gravel Impulso. The new Arcadex is a much more capable and versatile gravel bike, designed for adventure cycling and bikepacking. And it gets a bunch of functional upgrades to get out there.Whats new?Bianchi says the most obvious is the new internal frame storage. Thats a small glovebox opening in the downtube, under the bottle cage, with a small bag tucked away inside. You arent going to pack much in there. But for bikepackers it might be an easy place to stash your mini-tool, CO2 inflator & tire levers (but not enough room specifically for a tube in the bag) without getting mixed in with the full expedition gear in your packs. And that core repair kit will always be with the bike, even when you take the packs off.Now, the really important update is bigger tire clearance where the previous bike was glaringly lacking. The new bike though features clearance for up to 700 x 50mm tires. (Or Bianchi says 45mm tires with clip-on fenders.) All bikes come specd with fast-rolling 45mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires. But you can go still full knobby if you plan a rough adventure track.New endurance gravel geometryThe core steep-ish angles of the bike havent changed in 5 sizes (XS-XL). But Bianchi rewrote the Stack & Reach figures completely across all sizes, to offer a better and wider range of performance fits. Reach is now at least 1cm longer across all sizes. But Stack is now 21mm lower on the smallest XS, about the same by the L, and up to 15mm higher on the biggest bike.Overall, 5mm longer chainstays and 1-2cm longer wheelbase figures, mean more stable endurance geometry for day-after-day of riding, without erasing reactive handling.Tech detailsThe full carbon Bianchi Arcadex frame and fork now feature full internal cable routing, with mechanical shift & hydraulic lines running through an Acros headset. The Pro spec bikes hide cables fully inside the 2-piece bar & stem, while Comp builds are semi-internal through a cover bolted under the stem.The 1x-only frame features a new UDH for drivetrain/transmission compatibility. It gets a BB86 PressFit bottom bracket, round 27.2mm seatpost with a wedge clamp, and flat mount disc brakes with 12mm thru-axles.The removable thru-axle lever includes a multi-wrench with 4, 5 & 6mm hexes. Its tiny, but when you snap on the outer lever, it should be good to tighten most bolts without over-torqueing.The new adventure bikepacking bike gets two standard sets of cage mounts inside the main triangle, a third cage mount under the downtube, and direct toptube bag mounts. Plus, 3-pack mounts on each leg if you opt for the carbon fork.New bikepacking bags, tooAll the new Arcadex gravel bikes can be configured at your Bianchi dealer with new matching made-in-Italy Bianchi bikepacking bags.Pick from 4 bags. Orma 01 1L bolt-on top tube bag; Orma 03 waterproof 3L partial frame bag; Orma 07 waterproof 7L saddlepack; and Orma 09 waterproof 9L dual-rolltop handlebar pack.2024 Bianchi Arcadex Pricing, options & availabilityBianchi offers the new Arcadex in two versions Pro & Comp each with two drivetrain options.2024 Bianchi Arcadex SRAM Apex+GX AXSBianchi Arcadex Pro Shimano GRXThe Bianchi Arcadex Pro comes specd with 25mm internal Velomann Terbium 30 hooked carbon wheels in Celeste or dark forest green. And you get to pick from either an electronic SRAM Apex+GX Eagle AXS Mullet build from 5100. Or opt for a wide mechanical Shimano GRX 12sp (820/822) from 4200. Bianchi Arcadex Comp SRAM Apex2024 Bianchi Arcadex Comp Shimano GRXBianchi also offer more affordable builds with the Arcadex Comp fitted with 22mm internal alloy Fulcrum Rapid Red wheels, in Celeste or metallic sand gold. Here, drive train options are the mechanical Apex Eagle or a lower spec but still wide GRX 12sp (610/822), each from 3000.All bikes come standard with a full carbon bikepacking fork with 3-pack anything cage mounts. But each can be upgraded to a 30mm travel RockShox Rudy Xplr gravel suspension fork. Drop by your local Bianchi dealer bikeshop now, to configure an Arcadex adventure gravel bike just how you want it.Bianchi.comThe post Bianchi Arcadex Carbon Gravel Bike Goes On Bigger Adventures, Stores Gear Inside appeared first on Bikerumor.

Stage 5 of Critrium du Dauphin was marked by the mass crash of nearly half of the peloton, including some of the big names of the peloton in France. UAE Team Emirates seemed to be, along with Visma | Lease a Bike among the most involved teams, with all but one rider hitting the deck. Luckily, the...

We have wondered whether Visma | Lease a Bike would repeat their dream 2023 campaign but as the old saying goes; hardest fall is from the greatest heights. The team continues to fall even deeper into despair than what seemed like a rock-bottom when Visma lost Jonas Vingegaard and Wout Van Aert for m...

Visma|Lease a Biketeam managerRichard Pluggehas expressed his dissatisfaction on social media about the safety measurements of the organization of the Critrium du Dauphin after a massive crash saw the fifth stage neutralized with many riders badly wounded."Would this happen in F1? Or would th...

Guy Timor (21), one of Israel's most promising cycling talents, tragically lost his life after being hit by a car. Reports indicate that Timor, who was riding his bike on a road about 60 kilometers south of Tel Aviv, was the victim of a reckless driver. Timor was a member of the Israeli national tea...

The Dauphin reaches the Alps and the first of three days with summit finishes.Neutralised: it looked like a sprint finish was on the cards until a crash on a descent before the village of Marennes with 22km to go felled about 50 riders, to grab the brakes was to slide out of control but seeing others sliding meant more grabbed the brakes.The race was neutralised while medics attended to the wounded, a lot of riders with torn clothing and skin abrasions but Dylan van Baarle and Steven Kruijswijk looked worse off and they were among the eight riders not to finish the stage, although some of these had crashed earlier. The race neutralised, the rest of the peloton was escorted the finish and that was that.The Route: a stage in two parts, first plenty of flat and rolling roads, the marked climb out of La Cte-Saint-Andr is real and at KM50 the race tackles the small Col de la Rossatire.With 70km to go the race climbs into the Chartreuse Alps and tackles the Col du Granier via Saint-Pierre-dEntremontier, listed at 5.4% its more like 6-7% most of the time but with a flat section halfway which softens the gradient. The hard part is the descent, the steepest road of the Granier is used.The Finish: the Collet dAllevard is a ski station summit finish meaning a regular, engineered road but its steeper than usual for the French Alps with a selective 8.1%. It was last used in 2011 when Joaquim Purito Rodriguez won.The Contenders: a pinch of salt for all picks with riders wounded. Taking to the start today doesnt mean everyone is 100%, even a bad nights sleep because of raw skin can spoil things for today. Primo Rogli (Bora-hansgrohe) has fallen twice already but hes stoically joking about using up his stock of team kit. Hes in from from the time trial and should be fast for taking the stage.Santiago Buitrago (Bahrain) is an excellent climber and only two minutes down. Thats not much but tells us he did a great time trial so the form is there.Among the breakaway picks Clment Berthet (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale), Tiesj Benoot (Visma-LAB) and Davide Formolo come to mind but all three might prefer tomorrow or the day after.RogliBuitragoCiccone, Rodriguez, KussWeather: 24C but a strong chance of rain.TV: the finish is forecast for 5.10pm CEST.Postcard from the Gorges du GuiersIn between the intermediate sprint in Les Echelles and the Col du Granier is the Gorges du Guiers where the road climbs up a narrow canyon. This is probably the location of a famous photograph.You may have seen this photo of Bernard Hinault before. Theres a lot going on. Hes wearing the yellow jersey and we can tell it is the Tour de France by the Banania sponsor of the jersey. His race number 11 corresponds to the 1985 edition. Hes sporting Rayban glasses, something that became his look in a time when few riders wore sunglasses.Hinaults stopping to urinate, the photo captures things mid-flow which is unusual but typical Hinault machismo. Stopping to pee often marks a tactical moment in the race: when the yellow jersey pauses for a leak the peloton is often expected to ease up. Its not ordained, there has to be some sense and consensus, for example the breakaway has gone and everyone, perhaps reluctantly for some, has sat up. If the yellow jersey can stop, others will take their cue and so we have a tactical moment.But where was it taken? He took the jersey on Stage 8 that year and kept it to Paris. The terrain looks mountainous and the addition of infrastructure with the white fence and the zinc railing below suggest the Alps. As Hinault has stopped its probably early in the stage. By a process of familiarity and elimination its the Gorges du Guiers by the Pas de Frou, note the postcard with the white fencing and the darker railing below.Todays stage wont quite climb past this point as the road has been changed, the old road was literally hanging over the steep cliffs in places and subject to heavy rockfall. A tunnel has been built. The old portion and the white fencing still exist though, theyre just fenced off for motorists.Hinault looks in command, surveying the scene. While Fred Vichot had attacked on the descent his thing the bunch was relatively calm until a hectic finale. With moves flying Hinault was struggling to cover his rivals as Luis Lucho Herrera rode away for the stage win. Hinault got back on terms and coming into the finish, crashed after hitting a sunken inspection cover and tangling with Phil Anderson. Hinault sustained a range of facial injuries, including a nose broken in two places and needed stitches to his face and scalp. Perhaps the metal and glass Raybans made things worse. He pedalled across the line, blood running down his face to make another famous Hinault image.Hinault did not lose time as the crash happened in the final kilometre. A touch of irony here as the finish was in the city of Saint-Etienne and it was here that Eddy Merckx fell while sprinting for the win in 1972. He was given the same time as the group he was with, this incident was part of the origin of the kilometre rule, today now extended to three kilometres.The post Critrium du Dauphin Stage 6 Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

Both Joao Almeida and Adam Yates will have something to prove at Tour de Suisse after a forgettable spring. The Portuguese was struggling with illness and only finished 9th in Catalunya and 11th at Paris-Nice. On the other hand Yates entered spring strongly with Tour of Oman victory, but a concussio...

Its been another barnstorming week for the BikeRadar content factory your favourite website has been hot on all the latest news (and gossip) from the cycling world.In case you missed it, over the weekend we published news of three (thats right, THREE) new and as-yet unreleased bikes spotted by Liam Cahill at the Criterium du Dauphine: the latest Pinarello Dogma, Canyon Aeroad and Trek Madone.If that wasnt enough, it was Unbound Gravel weekend, and we got down and dirty with the coolest new serious gravel tech to appear at the event, including clapping eyes on a new SRAM Red AXS XPLR groupset.While youre at it, dont miss out on contributor Josh Pattersons excellent long read on how it became the most important gravel race in the world and Oscar Huckles dive into the original Unbound (then called Dirty Kanza) race-winning bike.The week then got into full stride (for me, at least) with a behind-the-scenes look at Decathlon brand Van Rysels assembly line and tech facilities, and a first look at Fulcrums new wavy Sharq wheels.Then, yesterday, we published Rachel Bennets latest update to her Orbea Oiz long-term review, and deputy editor Jack Luke couldnt help himself but reminisce over all the weird and wonderful stuff spotted at Unbound.Aside from that, we continued to publish our 2024 Bike of the Year reviews, plus brought you a wealth of coverage over on our YouTube channel and podcast.Phew right, lets dig into the latest cool stuff to land across my desk this week.CeramicSpeed OSPW RSThe CeramicSpeed OSPW RS is new and improved. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaThe latest-generation CeramicSpeed OSPW (oversized pulley wheel) system has seen an update thats said to make it stronger, quieter and better at shedding road debris.Borrowed from the OSPW X for SRAMs Eagle Transmission, the latest OSPW RS can be fitted with the brands Alpha Disc design a filled pulley wheel.The disc section is made of aluminium, while the outer ring and teeth are made using a composite material.CeramicSpeed says the filled alloy section eliminates the potential for objects to get stuck in the device, while adding strength to the overall design.The Alpha Disc features an 'Active Debris Remover' design. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaMeanwhile, the composite teeth are said to run more quietly and be more wear-resistant.The bearings, of course, are ceramic, and are protected by a design CeramicSpeed calls the Active Debris Remover.This takes the form of a pronounced ridge encircling the bearing housing, with a series of grooves cut into the inner face. As the pulley wheel spins, CeramicSpeed says the grooves help mud to shed more easily (reducing the chances of ingress).The outer-cage design has also been tweaked, said to perform the twin job of improving aerodynamics and being stronger in the face of impacts.Each OSPW RS comes with a small bottle of CeramicSpeed's pulley wheel lube. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaThe OSPW RS is compatible with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 and Ultegra Di2 R8100 groupsets, or SRAM Red and Force AXS groupsets, and can be bought with CeramicSpeeds standard five-spoke pulley wheels (in red, black, gold or blue), or the Alpha Disc design as pictured.Branding style can also be selected between the bold pro-team large CeramicSpeed branding, or a more subtle script on the bottom edge of the cage.CeramicSpeed also provides a 15ml bottle of lube for the pulley wheel bearings.My Alpha Disc-equipped sample, compatible with Shimano drivetrains, weighs 101g.CeramicSpeed OSPW RS 5-spoke 470 / $599 / 529CeramicSpeed OSPW RS Alpha Disc 515 / $669 / 579Sweet Protection Ronin, Shinobi and Memento shadesSweet Protection's Shinobi, Ronin and Memento sunglasses are used by Team UNO-X Mobility. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaNorwegian brand Sweet Protection, best known for its range of high-performance helmets as worn by the Uno-X Mobility pro cycling team has sent in its range of sunglasses for our delectation.The range includes the full-framed Memento, half-framed Shinobi and shield-lensed Ronin, with pro riders given the choice of which to use when racing (subject to using team-friendly colours, of course).The Shinobi glasses are said to be the brand's flagship. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaHappily, the paying public have a wide range of colours to choose from the Memento and Shinobi, the latter of which the brand considers its flagship eye protection, are available in 13 options with varying lens tints.The Ronin is usually worn by rider Alexander Kristoff. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaThe brand says the lenses use RIG (Retina Illumination Grading) technology, which is claimed to improve contrast while minimising colour distortion.The Memento sunglasses have a full-frame design. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaAll lenses are replaceable, and all feature hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings, alongside full UV protection.Sweet Protection Ronin from 129 / $150 / 149Sweet Protection Shinobi from 159 / $180 / 179Sweet Protection Memento from 119 / $130 / 129FSA Pro-Wing AGX alloy gravel handlebarThe Pro-Wing AGX features extensions. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaThe Pro-Wing AGX handlebar is designed for gravel riding and racing, according to FSA.The extensions serve a dual purpose a comfortable perch on which to rest in a more aerodynamic position when covering long miles, plus a point on which to hang a handlebar bag.The bar can route cables internally, and is said to have been designed for optimal ergonomics.There's provision for internal cable routing. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaAccording to FSA, for the gravel racing and bikepacking it envisages, this has brought about a 25-degree flare of the drops, a slight backsweep to the tops paired with a flattened profile, and a 'sculpted' hood fitment point.FSA says the bar features a 10mm rise from the 31.8mm clamp site, and a 70mm reach and 100mm drop when the flare is thrown into the mix, the brand says this increases clearance and control for descending more technical terrain.Now I just need to find a gravel bike to fit it to - Scott Windsor / Our MediaThe extension section is also shaped into a U-bend with a flattened top, which is claimed to be more comfortable than a pointed end. This is 170mm long, 150mm wide at the base and 80mm wide at the furthest point.The Pro-Wing AGX handlebar comes in 420, 440 and 460mm width options (centre-to-centre), delivering an effective 470, 490 and 510mm width at the drops, respectively.199.99 / $195 / 179Restrap Race Top Tube Bag ShortThe new small-capacity bag has a 1.2-litre volume. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaRestrap has launched a new, smaller-capacity top tube bag, which it says is ideal for ultra-distance racing and audaxing.With a 1.2-litre volume, it sits beneath the 1.5l and 2l versions Restrap already sold.Thanks to that size, though, the UK-based brand has included bento box holes on the underside, removing the need for the wide central tethering strap to fasten it to the top tube on gravel bikes.The bag has a base and sturdy structure, so it holds its shape. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaThat said, if you dont have top tube mounting points on your bike (like my Fairlight Strael 3.0), you can employ the loops underneath to use supplementary fitting straps in addition to the one provided the brand says its Fast Straps are perfect for this.Otherwise, the bag is anchored by a Hypalon fitting at the front, with a guarding sheath to protect your bikes head tube spacers and stem.Inside, the bag features a semi-rigid foam base and supporting sidewall structure, which is claimed to help it hold its shape.The loops can be used to attach using straps, or to bento box top tube bolts. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaFour internal pockets are included, plus an elasticated tether to hold your bits and pieces in situ.The outer is made of an abrasion-resistant X21 waterproof fabric, and zips together via a YKK Aquaguard zip.Easy-access pockets adorn the sides. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaTwo external storage compartments (one on either side) made of elasticated mesh offer easy access to quick essentials, or a place to stuff empty gel and food wrappers.59.99 / $83.99 / 71.99Continental TPU inner tubesThe ContiTPU tube is said to be made of seven layers. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaAnd finally, Im back with another brands TPU inner tubes. This time, German tyre powerhouse Continental has jumped on the bandwagon.Thermoplastic polyurethane is said to create a tube that's lighter than a standard butyl, while offering lower rolling resistance and a more supple ride quality. It also packs down smaller, much like a latex tube.To recap, weve already shone a spotlight on WTB, Revoloop and Pirelli TPU tubes, and on the face of it, the Continental models are little different.The valves have a slightly conical shape at the base to prevent rattling. - Scott Windsor / Our MediaHowever, the brand says its tubes use a seven-layer construction for improved air retention, while the valve shaft is said to have a slightly conical shape. This is claimed to help it fit better to a wheel rim and minimise the risk of unwanted (and annoying) valve rattle.Continental says every tube is manufactured in Germany, with raw materials also sourced from the country. In theory, for European riders, this should result in a lower carbon footprint.Each tube is supplied with a repair patch, while there are three nominal sizes to choose from: a road-oriented 700x25-35c (35g claimed weight), gravel and MTB-suitable 700x40-60c (45g claimed weight) and a smaller-diameter 650x40-60b (43g claimed weight).All sizes TBC / $34.95 / 29.95

Thierry Gouvenou, the technical director of the ASO races, delivered a few words after this 5th stage of theCritrium du Dauphin. A tough day for the peloton which suffered a big fall around 20 kilometers from the finish. Around fifty riders were involved in this fall. The race direction made the...