Tim Merlier has been in electric form in 2024 and that continued on stage 2 of the Baloise Belgium Tour as the Soudal - Quick-Step sprinter dominated all rivals to take his 11th victory of the campaign."I felt it was a good moment. There wasn't much speed due to the headwind and I think I had every...

We have Faith in the youth to carry on the traditions, stewardship, and love of riding bikes. Giant Bicycles is renewing that Faith with an all-new, updated youth mountain bike. Its a renewal, as the Giant Faith isnt a new line, but its reimagined for a new generation of kids who want to have fun and shred.The Giant Faith is specifically for developing young riders. The new range features purpose-built (youth-friendly) suspension, updated geometry, and components for smaller, lighter bodies.(All photos: Jordan Villella/Bikerumor)A Return of FaithThe new Faith range is the first of its kind from Giant. Its a collection of high-performance, full-suspension trail bikes that are on par with adult mountain bikes. The difference is that they are specifically dialed for youth use and dimensionsright down to the dropper seatpost.The updated Giant Faith line starts with an aluminum frame with youth-specific geometry. The updated geometry expertly matches Giants all-new proprietary suspension setups, WheelSystems, and ergonomic touchpoints for smaller bodies.The small bike packs a lot of cool tech, so lets start at the base.Giant ALUXX SL FramesetLets start with the frame. The Faiths canvas is a high-performance ALUXX SL aluminum frameset with youth-specific trail geometry. Weight is a big part of the picture here, and Giant wants to keep the Faith as slim and sleek as possible.The frame boasts features like internal cable routing, dropper post compatibility, and a tapered headtube. Its construction looks very beefy and on par with some serious alloy trail bikes. The graphics are cool and understated, with a bit of skate style mixed in. Plus, there is lots of blank space for stickers, and if your kids are like mine the more, the better.TRA WheelSystemsNext up is the wheelset, and that, too, is youth-focused. Giants new youth-specific TRA WheelSystems borrows essential tech from the adult TRA WheelSystem, including nice modern wide rims, performance-level hubs, and extra thought put into the longevity of the build.The rims are slightly overbuilt, with 5mm rim walls that hopefully will keep these kiddos dent-free for a while. The rear wheel boasts a 72-tooth freehub, better than some adult mountain bikes. The hubs are easily serviceable, like most Giant TRA hubs, and should last.Suspension Tuned for Young RidersHow a young rider sees the trail differs significantly from how a 6-foot-tall adult blasts through the single track. Their bikes should be able to tackle those unique demands and try not to hinder their riding growth. Giant feels the best way to overcome this is variable wheel sizes and suspension tuned specifically for kids.The Giant Faith uses the Giant FlexPoint rear suspension system with a Crest FloTrac Lite shock. New Crest Lite suspension forks with FloTune Lite dampers help kids tackle technical terrain with more confidence and control.Two Distinct Giant Faith ModelsThe new Giant Faith range includes two models. The Giant Faith features a new Giant TRA WheelSystem with a 27.5-inch front wheel and 26-inch rear. The wheels borrow vital features and technologies from race-proven adult TRA WheelSystems, including WideGuard technology, to improve rim strength and reduce the risk of flats. The smaller Faith 24 has 24-inch TRA wheels front and rear for lighter weight and easier handling.All Faith models have youth-specific cranks, brake levers, and new Contact Switch AT Lite dropper seat posts. The Contact Switch AT Lite dropper has a lighter action and requires less force/weight to initiate the drop, making it much easier for kids to use. The grips and levers are also youth-focused, with a smaller diameter grip and easier-to-access levers.Super Active FlexPoint Rear SuspensionBoth Faith models feature FlexPoint rear suspension systems with a Crest FloTrac Lite shock. This linkage-driven, single-pivot system creates consistent damping and spring performance throughout the travel. Like larger Giant bikes, it isolates the rear shock to provide small bump sensitivity through the entire wheel path. When you forget your helmet, you wear Dads Photo: Jordan VillellaKids may or may not notice all the subtle nuances of the tech, but they can sure feel if its smooth. My son describes it as having a magic carpet feel.The above result is a smooth, active feel through the shock stroke with no harsh bottom-outs.Crest FloTrac Lite-ShockThe Crest FloTrac Lite-Shock is designed and built in-house to complement Giants suspension platform kinematics for lightweight riders. It receives custom tuning for less force input and lightweight action.Paired with Giants Triple Flow Path technology that stabilizes the shocks motion when active, Crest FloTrac Lite gives smaller riders increased traction and control while descending or climbing.The Crest TR Elite Lite and Crest SL FloTune Lite forks are custom-tuned for light riders. The design boasts low-friction action and the latest Giant FloTune Lite damper.In addition, all Faith models feature Unified Suspension Setup, a guide displayed on the forks indicating optimal air pressure, and damper setting recommendations for both the rear shock and the fork based on rider weight.135mm or 130mm of Real TravelThe Faith series has 135mm of rear Travel, with a 140mm Crest SL FloTune Lite fork, which is explicitly tuned for riders weighing under 62kg. The Faith 24 series has 130mm of rear Travel and is paired with a 140mm Crest TR Elite Lite Fork, which is also explicitly tuned for riders weighing under 46kg.Specd to Climb and Descend Going down the hills is fun, but going up is OK, too, if you have the correct gears. Either Faith model comes with Microshift Advent X G-Series-10-speed, an 1148 cassette paired with a 30T front chain ring. The crankset is a short 155mm (or 140mm on the 24 model), hoping to limit pedal strikes and foster a balance of cadence and power. There is no front derailleur, but there is a very beefy Giant chain guide. Paired with the Advent X G-Series derailleur equals zero dropped chains. Tire-wise, the Faith gets serious, arriving with Maxxis Minion DHR II, 2.4, 60 TPI TLR. Paired with the Tektro hydraulic brakes with 180/160mm rotors, this bike should able to take on mountains! Giant Faith Geometry Giant Faith Full SpecsColors: CopperFrame: ALUXX SL-Grade Aluminum front and rear triangles, 12x148mm thru-axle, 135mm FlexPoint suspensionFork: Crest SL FloTune Lite, FloTune Lite Damper, 140mmShock: Crest FloTrac Lite, 165/45mm, trunnion mountHandlebar: Giant Contact TR, 20mm rise, AL6061 aluminum, 740mmGrips: Giant small-handStem: Giant Contact, 8 degrees, 40mmSeatpost: Contact Switch AT Lite, 100mmSaddle: Giant RomeroPedals: Giant Pinner LiteShifters: MicroSHIFT Advent X Trail trigger shifter SL-M9505-R (with nanowire)Rear Derailleur: Microshift Advent X RD-M6205AMBrakes: Tektro, 180mm/160mmBrake Levers: Tektro HD-J285Cassette: Microshift Advent X G-Series, 10-speed, 1148Crankset: ProWheel Charm, 30t, 155mmBottom Bracket: Press FitRims: Giant TRA WheelSystem, alloy, hollow rim wall construction, hookless, 30mm inner width, 40mm outer width, 21mm height, Wide Guard Technology.Hubs: Front- Giant alloy, DBL, six-bolt. Rear TRA 72t pawl driver, six-boltSpokes: Sapim LaserTires: Maxxis Minion DHR II, 262.4, 60 TPI, foldingExtras: Giant 1x chain guideWhat Size Faith Does My Rider Need?Giant gives some rough outlines of the size guidance.Faith 24: 5-9 years old and features a 64.1 cm (25.2 in) standover height27 pounds with pedals.Faith is 9-13 years old and has a 67.6 cm (26.6 in) standover height29 pounds with pedals.Pricing and AvailabilityFaith $2,500Faith 24 $2,600All Giant Faith models are available at Giant.com or your local Giant retailer, as we suggest dialing in the perfect size.Look for our first impressions shortly! www.giant-bicycles.com/faith-rangeThe post Giant Renews Faith In the Youth Market With Serious Kids Trail Bike appeared first on Bikerumor.

The Baloise Belgium Tour takes place from the 12th to 16th of June and has become one of the most popular preparation races for the Tour de France, specially for the sprinters and classics riders! We preview stage 3.The third stage of the race goes into Flandrien roads which are, as always, tense a...

Minnesotas Salsa Cycles is known for building some iconic adventure race bikes, and the Stormchaser gravel bike is no exception. Bult for adverse conditions, the versatile Stormchaser will be now available in four different flavors. Two singlespeed options, as a frameset, or a geared version that comes with front suspension. Stormchaser Apex Eagle with Suspension, in the new Berry color (Photos/Salsa Cycles)Salsa Cycles says the Stormchasers name comes from the bikes perseverance on weather-wrecked gravel roads. Its a bike designed to reach the end of the ride no matter what, and to do so without being completely ruined on the way. Its no coincidence that many of the biggest gravel races take place in Tornado Alley.Lets touch on the different configurations that are available for the Stormchaser. Stormchaser Single SpeedRetail: $1799Color: Storm GrayHighlights6066-T6 aluminum frameClass 5 VRS (Vibration Reduction System)Gravel race geometryCarbon fiber forkAlternator Flat Mount dropoutExtra mud clearance and abrasion-resistant fork platesRack mounts, Three-Pack mounts, and top-tube and down-tube accessory mountsFender mountsStealth dropper post-routingIncludes 17t and 18t cog installedStormchaser Apex Eagle SusRetail: $3199Color: Berry(Photos/Salsa Cycles)Highlights6066-T6 aluminum frameClass 5 VRS (Vibration Reduction System)Gravel race geometryRockShox Rudy XPLR 40mm travel forkDropper postAlternator Flat Mount dropoutExtra mud clearanceRack mounts, top-tube, and down-tube accessory mountsFender mountsStormchaser FramesetRetail: $1249Color: BlackHighlights6066-T6 aluminum frameClass 5 VRS (Vibration Reduction System)Gravel race geometryCarbon fiber forkAlternator Flat Mount dropoutExtra mud clearance and abrasion-resistant fork platesRack mounts, Three-Pack mounts, and top-tube and down-tube accessory mountsFender mountsStealth dropper post-routingIncludes headset, axles, seatpost collar, and both single-speed and geared dropout platesSalsaCycles.comThe post Salsa Cycles Stormchaser Gravel Race Bike Rolls In with New Specs and Colors appeared first on Bikerumor.

Very few people will have as much knowledge about what it takes to win the Tour de France, as Chris Froome does. A four time winner of the Maillot Jaune, Froome is very excited by the upcoming Tour debut of former Vuelta a Espana winner, Remco Evenepoel.He is a phenomenon.What Remco has achieved...

From the 12th to the 16th of June the peloton will tackle the Tour of Slovenia. This is one of the races that in recent years has grown in popularity due to the country's new stars, and serves as a preparation race for the Tour de France for a few riders. We preview stage 3.Stage 3 ends in Nova Gori...

Impressively light e-road bike is powered by the newest Mahle X30 motor and boasts a top of the range bike comes with Shimano Dura Ace Di2 and tips the scales at 11Kg

CyclistThe people behind a WorldTour team #6: The communicatorSuccess at a Grand Tour is a mixed blessing. Yes, it injects confidence into a team while directing the cycling worlds gaze to sponsor-saturated apparel. And yes, victory equals opportunity. But that opportunity comes at a cost, namely insufficient hours in the digital day.Theres a definite need to have tech breaks, says Julia Dowd, social media co-ordinator at EF Education-EasyPost. There are so many different platforms, so many different outlets, and they can be all-consuming. But thats the job engage the audience and drive awareness.Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok Its all fair game for a social media co-ordinator. Increase your reach, grow the fanbase, lure in potential commercial partners to fund a team where the business model means over 90% of income is through sponsorship. Its a job made easier if the team is successful. Related Posts The people behind a WorldTour team #5: The directeur sportif The people behind a WorldTour team #4: The mechanic The people behind a WorldTour team #3: The soigneur The people behind a WorldTour team #2: The bus driver The people behind a WorldTour team #1: The team chef At the 2023 Giro, for instance, we enjoyed two stage victories [through Ben Healy on Stage 8 and Magnus Cort on Stage 10], says Dowd. Understandably, posts around those victories drew the highest figures with thousands of likes; in fact, were often up there with the highest-ranked social media teams.Right up there. As an Instagram snapshot the most popular platform for pro cycling teams, says Dowd Ineos Grenadiers top the rankings with more than one million followers, followed by Visma Lease-a-Bike at 800,000, Movistar at 733,000 and Soudal QuickStep at 600,000. You then have the likes of UAE Team Emirates, Bora-Hansgrohe and EF hovering around the 500,000 mark.Interestingly, albeit similar to other sports, these figures are dwarfed by those of individual riders, with Colombia and EFs cycling demi-god Rigoberto Urn racking up more than three million Insta disciples. That popularity saw national TV company RCN produce a series, Rigo, that has just aired in Urns homeland and ran for an incredible 98 episodes. Tadej Pogaar, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel form a small chasing group behind at one million plus.ASO/Thomas MaheuxThe fact that fans tend to follow riders rather than teams highlights the need to be creative. This takes many forms, from the squeamish Astana Rap, anyone? to the parodic Chris Froomes clever/disconcerting recreation of the Bentley ASMR advert to the changeout.The changeout is when a team changes kit for a specific race, says Dowd. At last years Giro, EF swapped their Rapha pink kit for a multi-coloured outfit that didnt clash with the race leaders jersey.That was a huge social media project. Id coordinate with our photographer and wed prepare everything for all the social channels for the world to see. From my point of view, that dominated the first couple of days of racing. It was busy, but it always is at a race.Get up, get postingAt a Grand Tour, the communication job starts first thing, especially in the case of last years Giro where Dowd was acting as press officer too.I was the main point of contact for any journalists and TV outlets that wanted to speak with our riders. The interviewer would drop me a text first thing in the morning and Id co-ordinate with the rider about ensuring they spoke to the press in the mixed zone at the stage start. Understandably, the more successful a rider is, the greater in demand they are.At last years Giro it was all about Ben Healy. After a cracking start to the season that saw him finish second at Amstel Gold and fourth at Lige-Bastogne-Lige, the interest ramped up after victory on Stage 8 into Fossombrone. The Irishman is a generous interviewee but, we ask Dowd, does this geniality continue into the third week of a Grand Tour when a rider has more than 2,000km in their legs and fatigue is kicking in?We want to answer all interview requests if we can and riders do know its part of their job but you need to gauge the situation. With Ben doing so well and the fact that this was his first Grand Tour, it meant we had many enquires for his time. He was great but hes also a human being racing 21 stages. That drains you physically and mentally, so it was my role to ensure we struck a balance between accessibility and protecting the rider.And fuelling them. While doubling as press officer, Dowd would also hook up with a soigneur and drive ahead of the riders to the feed zones, assisting in offloading bottles and musettes before heading to the finish line. The stage result would dictate what happened next.When Healy and Cort won, the soigneur would clean them up a little bit before the podium stuff then Id take them through the mixed zones for interviews. Everyone wants a bit of them so its your job that things roll smoothly from one interview to the next. It would then be anti-doping for sample-taking before you get back on the bus and head to the next hotel.During transit Dowd and her team would set to work on the social posts.Wed usually post three or four times in that period, and then more when images come in from photographers on the ground. Wed also do some video edits and Id handle some of that. Occasionally wed have sponsors reach out for something specific, while some of the most popular hits were our daily stage stories where wed curate the photos of the day to tell the story through images.Relating the tale of a three-week tour can be an exhausting business so will Dowd be posting till her thumbs bleed at the 2024 Giro? This year shes decided to give it a miss and instead put her communications skills to good use elsewhere in Italy teaching English as a second language. Although she will be sure to have one eye on her Insta feed at the end of every stage. This article originally appeared in issue 153 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribe Related Posts The people behind a WorldTour team #5: The directeur sportif The people behind a WorldTour team #4: The mechanic The people behind a WorldTour team #3: The soigneur The people behind a WorldTour team #2: The bus driver The people behind a WorldTour team #1: The team chef The post The people behind a WorldTour team #6: The communicator appeared first on Cyclist.

The Tour de Suisse is one of the most important stage-races in the year. It is the final big test before the Tour de France and a few of the Tour's stars race in Switzerland; an eight-day race that features plenty mountains, time-trials and a few days for the classics specialists. The race takes pla...

Whilst Mathieu van der Poel was also a certainty to lead the Dutch national team on the roads of Paris at this summer's Olympic Games, who would join the current Rainbow Jersey was a big question mark. One of those to get the nod, turned out to be Daan Hoole.Gaining selection for both the road race...