Stefan Küng was able to take an impressive and positive, podium finish at Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2024. It's fair to say though, that this race will mostly be remembered for a mass crash that took out most of the pre-race favourites.Kung himself was able to avoid the incident but was aware of the seve...

A new transport strategy focused on reducing congestion, called Moving Together, has been published on the Department of Transport’s website with public consultation to start next month, but most of the central measures within it will fall to the next Government to implement. The Government accepts that cars will remain a “vital” for many people, “particularly in rural or isolated areas, they will continue to be critical” according to transport and environment Minister Eamon Ryan as he launched a draft policy which includes the option of congestion charges in cities. It includes demand management measures which were already included in the Five Cities study report, but the new strategy mainly makes commitments for further reviews and most of the implementation is likely to be outside the lifetime of this Government. The next General Election has to take place in March 2025 at the latest. The wide-ranging strategy includes developing the legal mechanisms for councils to implement “congestion charging/urban road-user charging/ Low Emissions Zones/Clean Air Zones” — such measures would be up to councils to implement and councillors to approve. The strategy envisions legislative proposals for these measures are to be brought to Government by Q2 2025 and for the piloting of a Low Emissions Zone in the same quarter. Despite the legal provisions being in place for a parking levy, the draft document only includes another commitment to “Review and examine options for implementation of parking levy”. The action proposed is to “Review the provisions in the Finance Act, provide an update in context of objectives of this Strategy and bring forward recommendations as part of the budgetary process.” This is dated Q1 2025, which would mean it would fall to the next Government’s first budget. It also includes a review “including considering removing the BIK exemption or requiring a cash alternative”. The strategy also includes reviewing vehicle taxes, communications and working with sporting organisations. Minister Ryan said: “Ireland, like many countries, embraced the car, particularly over the past four decades, as our main way to get around our country. The number of licenced vehicles in the country increased by 215% from 1985 to 2021, with a massive increase of over 1.5 million private cars over that time frame. To accommodate this, we systematically re-allocated space to the car through our urban planning and road-building programmes.” “But, instead of giving us freedom and saving us time, too many cars on the road has brought about the very opposite effect. Instead of giving us reliability and getting to our destinations quickly, we are wasting hours sitting in traffic,” said Minister Ryan. “Congestion is not working for anyone. It’s not working for car users. It’s not working for people reliant on public transport. It’s not working for people who want to walk or cycle. It’s not working for the environment.” Minister Ryan added: “This strategy is a critical piece in the decarbonising jigsaw for transport, but its benefits are much wider than climate. It is about re-imagining and re-allocating our use of space, and about putting people, rather than cars, at the centre of our urban and transport planning, ensuring better and more liveable towns and cities. This does not mean that cars will not continue to be a vital part of our transport mix – for many people, particularly in rural or isolated areas, they will continue to be critical. However, what this strategy is about is finding new approaches to making travel, by whatever means, more efficient and pleasant for everybody.” MORE: Draft strategy on Gov.ie

We'll meet again, indoor cycling, but summer is for the outdoors

Team Visma | Lease a Bike were ultimately successful at Dwars Door Vlaanderen 2024 as Matteo Jorgenson powered to victory after a late attack. After the very nasty crash of their leader, Wout van Aert however, celebrations were notably muted.Mick van Dijke was right next to van Aert when the crash h...

Small enough to fit in your pockets, it inflates to 100psi with a 200-second usage per charge

The race's organiser called it a "real joy" to see Cav "showing no airs or graces and just slotting back into his club cycling roots"

Biniam Girmay was one of a number of pre-race favourites to crash out of the 2024 Dwars Door Vlaanderen in as brutal, mass crash.Whilst both Wout van Aert and Jasper Stuyven have been diagnosed with broken collarbones after leaving the race in the back of an ambulance, Girmay, who also was rushed to...

Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike) suffered a very heavy crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen and looked like he was left with injuries that may impact his spring campaign. Van Aert was among a number of favourites, including Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek) and Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), who crashed in the front group of the race […] The post Van Aert wiped out in big crash at Dwars door Vlaanderen | Video appeared first on Sticky Bottle.

A quiet bike is a joy to ride, so here's how to banish unwanted noises - what to check for, how to fix it and why you shouldn't ignore what your bike is telling you

Cyclist CamelBak Podium Steel: Water bottles have never been cooler It’s impossible to be a cyclist without having had a plastic bidon or six. They’ve become synonymous with cycling, chucked out willy-nilly at races and given away like they’re going out of fashion by brands and event sponsors. And, as it turns out, they are going out of fashion. Amid sustainability drives and technological innovations, American water bottle and hydration pack specialist CamelBak has developed the Podium Steel bottle, a vacuum-insulated stainless steel bottle that’s easy to drink from and keeps liquid cold for 14 hours. Insulated bottles aren’t new but for years it was a choice between either true insulation or easy drinking. Insulated plastic bottles slowed down the warming process but definitely couldn’t last a ride, while properly insulated metal solutions were just like drinking from a cup – not easy to do mid-ride. The CamelBak Podium Steel is the best of both worlds. It features double-wall vacuum insulation, which is what all the popular metal flasks use to keep drinks hot or cold. This consists of two layers of metal, with the gap between them removed of air to prevent the convection process that would usually warm or cool the liquid inside. CamelBak says that will keep water ice-cold for 14 hours, more than enough for most rides. Camelbak Obviously you can’t squeeze a metal bottle, but the Podium Steel provides the flow you’re used to from a bike bottle without the need to squeeze. The lid, which has CamelBak’s classic open and close cap to stop leaking, is engineered with a straw-like system that helps the drink flow out sufficiently with only a light sip rather than a heavy suck. Being metal, each sip is deliciously crisp, free of the ‘plastic taste’ that eventually befalls plastic bottles. Then, when even the best plastic bottles have reached the end of their life cycle, the Podium Steel will still be working like new, bringing cool hydration salvation on the hottest days. What’s more, it’s much easier to properly clean a metal bottle than a plastic one and, being almost near enough the same dimensions as regular plastic bottles, it will fit pretty much any bottle cage. For the marginal gains-obsessed that may worry about the performance side of a steel bottle, CamelBak has also created the Podium Titanium. It has all the same benefits and functions of the steel bottle but is made with ultra-light titanium, so weight is kept to the absolute minimum at 240g, which is 60g less than the same-size Podium Steel. The CamelBak Podium Steel is available in 530ml or 650ml and comes in a range of colours. The Podium Titanium comes in 530ml and just one colour, because you want everyone to know you have a titanium bottle. • Find out more at camelbak.co.uk The post CamelBak Podium Steel: Water bottles have never been cooler appeared first on Cyclist.