Sir Cav will hope his new Wilier Filante SLR brings him his 35th win, Bora teams up with Red Bull for a tour-edition SL8, Israel PremierTech attempts to win over the home crowd and Lidl-Trek race on FSC-certified rubber

It had recently been reported that Thymen Arensman could be on his way out from INEOS Grenadiers but that couldn't be further from the truth. Whilst some of his teammates don't have the same guarantees, the Dutchman has signed a new contract all the way into 2027.I am really happy to extend with I...

France may be on the verge of a political crisis but the anticipated four-way battle between Tadej Pogaar, Jonas Vingegaard, Primo Rogli and Remco Evenepoel is on. The cards have been shuffled this season by fate but theyre all here.If you want all the route details and more from points scales to time cuts to prize pots and more, see inrng.com/tour.The expected scenario has been turned upside down. Tadej Pogaars decision to ride the Giro dItalia could be read at the time as a concession to Jonas Vingegaards superiority in the Tour, the plan was to win the Giro with its softened route and then come with a top-heavy UAE squad to see what was possible in July, to brandish the Trofeo Senza Fine as a triumph and, just in case, a consolatory excuse. Only after a pink passeggiata Pogaar is almost everyones pick and the bookmakers have him odds on. If he lacked rivals in May and comparisons were being made with the likes of Eddy Merckx there were also signs that he has progressed in areas, such as time trials, too.Can the double cost him? Yes. Racing is different today with riders aware that if they can take on enough carbohydrates then things dont fall apart like they used to. He wont be hitting his peak numbers come the third week, nobody does, but he ought to be more stale than most and this years route save the hardest for last. He announced yesterday hes just had Covid too, the virus is doing the rounds and while the general public isnt worried its establishing itself as an added, persistent risk factor alongside crashes and punctures. This isnt reassuring for his form but he sounds confident.UAE are a more imposing team, finally built to match the ambitions of their leader. Adam Yates made the podium a year ago and has just won the Tour de Suisse ahead of team mate Joo Almeida who makes his Tour debut, as do Juan Ayuso and Pavel Sivakov and all could lead other teams. Everyone will be looking in case one starts to hint at this and how management prevents hubris. The backroom seems to have sharpened up but theyre still the team that thought a bike change was right for last years Combloux time trial.Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease A Bike) has the public profile of a nuclear submarine, as in he seems to surface once every few months. Normally he would have appeared in June but the heavy crash in the Tour of the Basque Country changed everything, a litany of musculoskeletal injuries. So instead of riding away with the Critrium du Dauphin and starting here as everyones pick hes much more of an unknown quantity. His team did not share his rehab much and hes said very little too. Hes a private guy and thats fine, but as a communications exercise it means rivals, the media and spectators are left guessing as to his form. The opening days will be an obvious fitness test culminating in the Galibier on Tuesday but potentially stressful skills test for someone who has not raced in the bunch for months.The team have long said they would only bring him if he was 100%. Pick your percentage as to his form today but if hes in top shape then hes not just a challenger to Pogaar, hes the two time Tour winner and so hes not in Firenze ifor the Michelangelo and Botticelli. Even if not at his best, his employers might need him anyway after a torrid season so far where you wonder if the music on the team bus is the blues If it wasnt for bad luck, I wouldnt have no luck at all and coming after an off-season where they staved off a rescue merger because of a sponsorship crisis.Fortunes and form can change, see the Vuelta last year when he came in undercooked but got better and better so if hes down in the coming days hes far from out and can hold on for the third week. Unlike UAE, the team is not composed of first picks but still very strong and should be a force in the race, particularly if they can get to defend the yellow jersey. Matteo Jorgenson has been excellent and consistent this season and so has a crucial role but in the teams word he is a protected rider but not here to win.Primo Rogli is back to winning ways having won the Critrium du Dauphin. If the headline was a win, the subheading was he was dropped on the final mountain stage and saved the overall by seconds aided by time bonuses; but if you want to read an article itd have to mention that he was climbing very fast despite being sore from a crash.Hes been so good at picking off stage wins and the time bonuses but can he hang with the likes of Pogaar and Vingegaard and pick them off for the stage win? Hes done it before but hes 34 and to win outright would make him the oldest winner post-war winner of the race, surpassing Cadel Evans by a few months.His Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe team to use the full name which wont last long are very solid with Aleksandr Vlasov and Jai Hindley as lead support in the mountains. If he was a trump card then hed win with uphill sprint but tendency to crash would be his weak point although this years race should be much less stressful after just a couple of days and this added space might help. Would he sign for a podium today? Probably not, the stoic Slovenian has done it before but the paradox is that his best shot at winning is probably not gambling but hoping he can get past a tiring Pogaar and a faltering Vingegaard.Remco Evenepoel (Soudal-Quickstep) rides his first Tour de France aged 24. Its been a long time coming, a spaceship trajectory where he has been around the orbit of the Vuelta and then Giro in order to pick up the momentum needed for this mission to France. Belgium expects, but at the same time ought to know that finding a way past both Pogaar and Vingegaard is a tall order. He has said a top-5 is the goal as a way to anchor expectations.For all the long-term planning hes had short-term hiccups. A faller in the Basque Country too, his rehab has seen him back racing in the Dauphin where he took a time trial win but when the race went to the Alps he was dropped day. Look closely though and he did not implode. His team manager has said out loud what others could see in that he had weight to lose and if hes managed to address this he can be right in the mix. Only since then hes been ill and missed the Belgian championships.Hell like the two time trials but the first is only 25km, shorter than the Dauphin stage he won recently, and so he cant pull out a big lead. The team are all in behind him, no room for lightning legs Tim Merlier but theyre unlikely to get the peloton under their yoke, the test is whether they can be there in the mountains if he is dropped.One definition of a catalyst is any substance that increases the rate of a reaction without itself being consumed and this brings us to Ineos. Several times this season theyve ridden in their line formation during a mountain stage and brought back the breakaway, but without a leader capable of winning theyve acted as agents for the likes of UAE and others who have won after their work. We might well see the same again as they aim to place Carlos Rodrguez on the podium. Fourth overall last year until he crashed on the final mountain stage, hes improved since although repeating is no easy task. The form is improving, the Spaniard won the final stage of the Dauphin and if this was possibly part of a deal, he had to be up the road with Jorgenson to negotiate.Egan Bernal continues to make his way back after crashing two and half years ago now and can ride to a high finish as well but also roll up his sleeves to help the team. A year ago the story was Tom Pidcock was learning valuable lessons about riding for GC but interviews and Netflix appearance since have suggested biding his time with controlled efforts was against his nature so were more likely to see him on the move for stage wins, starting with Saturday. Geraint Thomas is also doing the Giro-Tour double but in his own words hes there for the team but he is dependable.Simon Yates (Jayco-Al Ula) was fourth last year and is back for more. Hes on a team with sprint and stage-hunting abilities but hes not resource-intensive, often happy to fend for himself. But how to win? Unlikely but he can be up with the best and eye the third spot on the podium.Richard Carapaz (EF Education-Easypost) has stood on the podium and even been a contender for the overall win. Now hes likely to be stage hunting. Still the course suits for a high GC finish for the Ecuadorian who can be a tricky customer to bring back if he can slip away. Short term form is an issue after exiting the Tour de Suisse after a crash.So much for teenagers bursting on the scene, just short of turning 27 Ottawan ornithologist Derek Gee (IPT) makes his Tour debut. He was the revelation of the Dauphin with a stage win, sixth in the time trial and no worse than fifth on the three Alpine stages on his way to a podium finish. Now what? The Gee-Cee for as long as he can but the teams big goal is a stage win. He is getting comparisons to fellow G as in Thomas as the ex-track rider now turning to grand tour racing but hes a little more heavyset and this could cost him with the repeat climbs, especially if its hot.Kvin Vauquelin (Arka-Samsic) is also worth watching as a prospect for the future, he makes his Tour debut aged 23 and his also a little reminiscent of Thomas. His team say hes here as an apprentice with no concern for the GC and with carte blanche for some stages so adjust your fantasy team accordingly or not.Eighth last year and the winner of the Col de la Loze Courchevel stage, can Felix Gall prolong Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiales annus mirabilis with a better GC finish? Thats a tough ask with the competition and the two time trials. Indeed landing a mountain stage win wont be easy either as he doesnt pack much of a sprint, itll require a reculer pour mieux sauter moment where he loses a bit of time to get more space.Jack Haig and Santiago Buitrago (pictured) offer two different styles of racing, Haig as a smooth diesel and Buitrago as a darting climber who is a Tour novice but with two Giro stages to his name. Bahrain come with a strong team but are stage-hunting too.Enric Mas (Movistar) crashed out on the opening day last year and in recent years the Tour has looked like a warm-up for the Vuelta. At his best he can be a punchy rider but its hard to see how he gets ahead of everyone.Alexey Lutsenko (Astana) can supply his team with a second story. It was only the Giro dAbruzzo but outrode the UAE team that day and hes been top-10 twice here before. That looks harder now, especially as Abruzzo aside hes not finished Paris-Nice, Romandie, the Giro and was a discreet 65th in Suisse.Two podium finishes in his career but Romain Bardet (DSM Firmenich-PostNL) is after different things these days in his valedictory Tour but is out to race rather than wave goodbye.Finishing second to Pogaar and ahead of Vingegaard on the road to Nice? David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) has done it before but this was Paris-Nice in 2023 of course. Fourth in the Tour in 2022 too, but how to repeat? Theres an article to be written about whether hes really a GC contender and hes arguably best on shorter 10-20 minute climbs, his challenge is longer climbs and in the heat. Enfant terrible Lenny Martinez starts and he can do a decent time trial for his build but probably he and the team would sign for a stage win above a top-10.Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) can appear on the GC thanks to his snakes-and-ladders racing, losing time in a direct contest with the GC contenders in a summit finish or time trial but climbing back up via the breakaways but with two time trials cracking the top-10 is a tough mission.Oscar Onley (DSM Firmenich-PostNL) makes his Tour debut aged 21 and hes shown he can climb with the best at times, as a 19 year old he made a name for himself giving Vingegaard a hard time in the late season Tour of Croatia but the Tour is more than a step up, its a rockface to scale so if hes just finished a creditable eighth in the Tour de Suisse in a denser field and across three weeks cracking the top-10 is a big ask.Tadej PogaarJonas VingegaardRogli, EvenepoelC Rodriguez, A YatesThe post Tour de France Preview first appeared on The Inner Ring.

Announcing their acquisition of the longstanding Derby-based brand, which ceased trading last month, the new owners also confirmed that the companys craftsmen will be retained

The 2024 Tour de France will be a special edition, with the Grand Depart in Florence and Emilia-Romagna in Italy and, for the first time in many years, a finish far from Paris, with the cyclists heading to Nice for the end of the race. The race will take place from June 29 to July 21 and will see th...

Is it worth it? Be honest, how many times have you asked yourself this question? Or been asked, only to receive unsolicited advice: Why all the effort? Be reasonable! Bullshit: Reason is for cowards!While working on this issue, we were inundated with questions like: Do you really want to go to Paris for this? Youre going to too much effort!You want to fetch the Mona Lisa from the Louvre on a cargo bike? Forget it.Why should DOWNTOWN readers be interested in a London sex club? And a perfume story certainly isnt for everyone. Do you really want to turn one of Germanys best furniture stores on its head for a single shoot? You could just photograph the bike mounts at home or in the office1 plus 1 need not always equal 2. Most of lifes calculations dont work out the same for everyone. This is not a glitch in the matrix, but rather makes it your responsibility to do what seems important and right to you. We did just that and we couldnt be more proud of this motley issue, full of bold articles that motivate, excite, and inspire.The latest DOWNTOWN issue is available now in our free magazine app. If you havent installed our app yet, nows your chance to download it for free App Store (iPhone / iPad) or the Play Store (Android smartphones & tablets).As Charles Eames rightfully said: The details are not the details, they make the design. Of course, you can do everything with the 80/20 rule, but you shouldnt underestimate the importance of seemingly peripheral things. Whether its a kind remark, a small gesture, or honest praise: we never know how much that can mean to others. The same applies to our daily routines and unconscious behaviours because they dont just define who we are now, but also what we (can) become. This applies equally to the work we produce, and its reflected in the content of DOWNTOWN Mag.DOWNTOWN is no longer just an urban bike mag, but has evolved into a full-blown lifestyle magazine, portraying a lifestyle that we want to live: full of adventure, variety, curiosity, enthusiasm, and inspiration. DOWNTOWN is here to get you unstuck out of your daily routines; a magazine for all the exciting things you could experience.The title of issue #007 is Escape the Ordinary. Not because the ordinary is bad, but because there is so much untapped and unlived potential to be discovered outside. And that doesnt always take big aha! moments. Big changes can also occur in silence: the only way we experience this world is through our own perception. So what happens when we sharpen our perception, honing it with new ideas and expanded horizons? Therefore, this issue is packed with food for thought, looking at everyday life from new perspectives, and simply doing the same thing differently.Paris? Paris! Why? Because, Paris! Not everything needs a logical explanation: we simply felt like conducting our big cargo group test in Paris and went through with it. And so we pulled into Paris with 12 cargo bikes in tow, painting the French capital red for a week. It was a huge effort, but also a ton of fun! And since our night-time visit to the Louvre, weve had the Mona Lisa hanging in our office but thats a different story. If you want to know which is the best cargo bike, and which ones to steer clear of, then check out this in-depth buyers guide!We also put two EVs through their paces for this issue: the Volvo EX30 and the KODA ENYAQ iV. We tested one of them in rainy Hamburg, and the other in Paris, with some surprises and disappointments in store. Why couldnt the latter deliver? Youll have to read the review to find out! What does Tokyo smell like? What about Gdansk, Naples, or Abu Dhabi? Our interview with Gallivant founder Nick Steward delves into the world of perfumes. We talked about prejudices, sexiness, and beauty, as well as typical mistakes when buying perfume, and added a valuable term to our English vocabulary while we were at it. Not the perfume wearing type? Be warned, this story could change that!Speaking of travel, what does it mean to do so? Is it really just to satisfy a longing to see strange places? Or is it more about discovering new things in familiar environments and everyday life? DT author Konstantin Arnold asked himself this question, taking us on a very personal journey through his adopted hometown of Lisbon.You dont have to talk about everything but its a good idea to talk about sex! Thats why we travelled to London to attend one of Juliane Mueller and Conor Creggs Sex Club classes. Spoiler: Its about so much more than sex, and plays an incredibly big role in personal development, making it one of the best investments you can make in yourself. Whether youre single, lovers, or a married couple, and whether youre having lots of sex, little sex, or no sex at all. But read for yourself we can only recommend it. Especially for the boys! Its not just our visit to Londons Sex Club that was about transparency and creativity, but also our article looking at the music of the future, how AI is changing art and culture, and which AI tools artists are allowed to use, and which not. We discussed the future of music with lead singer and producer Rosi from Circuit Minds a band that doesnt even exist. Inevitably, we also talked about how we define art and reality when theyre shaped by algorithms, and where to draw the line between the creative process and a lie. Would you rather have a real Banksy or your bike hanging on the wall? What do design classics from the likes of Vitra, Knoll, and USM have to do with bikes? And why should every stylish apartment have at least one bike as part of the decor? We hijacked one of Germanys finest furniture stores, arranged some of its most expensive furniture, and drilled holes in every other wall. Have fun with our ultimate guide on how to properly keep a bike!Now that you have somewhere stylish to store your bike, youll need something suitably stylish to ride: My brother Max and dad Manne visited Taiwan and met up with the folks behind bike brand Momentum. Read their report to find out how people live urban mobility on the other side of the world, and why urban bikes still have a hard time in Taichung, the centre of the international bike industry.Is it worth it? Its not just others that posed this question while we were producing DOWNTOWN issue #007. We did too, wondering what we got ourselves into. Will it turn out the way we hoped? The future cannot be predicted and even less so can life, especially if youre breaking new ground like we did in this issue. But one things for sure: you always come away from new experiences smarter than you were before. Not trying something because it might not work out is about as foolish as believing that everything in life always goes according to plan. Courage and risk are part and parcel of daring to try something new. Its the only way to grow and develop, and thats precisely what makes it so much fun!So what are you waiting for? Escape the ordinary, be brave, and dare to try something new!These (and many more) stories are just a few clicks away. If you have already installed our free app, you can download the latest DOWNTOWN issue directly there. If not, first install the app from the App Store (iPhone / iPad) or the Play Store and then load the latest issue within the app. Then you can sit back and enjoy the new issue (ideal with a cold beer or delicious coffee)!Robin Schmitt,Editor-in-chief and founder of DOWNTOWNDer Beitrag Escape the Ordinary the new issue #007 of our sister magazine DOWNTOWN is here! erschien zuerst auf GRAN FONDO Cycling Magazine.

The highly anticipated annual Concours de Machines bike show is happening in France this week, and all of the stunning bikes on display this year were purpose-built to tackle a self-supported bikepacking trip through the rugged Pyrenees. We sent French photographer Nicolas Joly to the show, and his first report features a roundup of six of his favorite custom bikes. Explore the gallery here... The post Brilliant Bikes of Concours de Machines 2024 (Part One) appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

How about that debate last night, huh? Lets talk about it!Just kidding.No, as a cantankerous old fusspot Ive been preoccupied with one thing and one thing only, and thats the release of the new Rivendell singlespeed:[Photo: Rivendell]Though the cycling media is far more interested its exact opposite, the new Trek Madone, which is the most Madoniest Madone that Trek has ever Madoned:How much more Madoney is it? EIGHTY FUCKING PERCENT, thats how much!So if youre riding an old, obsolete Madoneor, heaven help you, a bike thats not a Madone at allyoure no doubt feeling extremely anxious right now:But theres good news! After thoroughly skimming the review, Ive learned something mind-blowing, which is that the real reason the new Madone is faster is basically just the water bottles:Yes, thats right, just put the new bottles on the old bike and the old bike is faster:And yes, the new bottle is UCI-legal:This is because it passed the UCIs notoriously stringent impact test:Just imagine how much more accurately Cipollini could have thrown those bottles if only hed had access to Treks cutting-edge technology.Anyway, you might think Trek is going to be in trouble when Freds figure out that they dont need the new Madone and can get the same effect with just a new set of water bottles. Hardly! In fact, this is a stroke of marketing genius on their part, because not only have the figured out how to charge $100 for a single water bottle and cage:But theyll probably sell so many of them that even if they dont move a single new Madone theyll still come out ahead. If youve ever spent any time in a bike shop, you know it takes hours, days, or even weeks of pandering to fickle roadies in order to get them to buy a bike. However, it takes about nine seconds to sell a water bottle. So it wouldnt surprise me in the least if Trek has designed the new Madone entirely as a showcase for the new bottle and considers any sales of the actual bike to be merely a bonus.This is great news for the consumer, too, because for just the price of a pair of Treks new water bottles you can also get an entire used Trek to put them on, and itll probably be just as fast as the new Madone:I wonder how fast the Roaduno would be with the new Trek bottles.I may have to book some time in the wind tunnel:Who says you cant get sofa-like ride qualities along with aerodynamics?

Joo Almeida has recently ridden to a brilliant second place at the Tour de Suisse only behind his own teammate Adam Yates where both shown terrific form into the Tour de France; but within UAE Team Emirates, despite this, there seems to be consensus that the team is going to protect Tadej Pogacar a...

Just as a national team, of Irish juniors, was commencing the Ghent International Track Meeting in Belgium, Cycling Ireland has confirmed the seven-rider selection to represent Ireland at the European U23 and Junior Track Championships. Those European title races take place the week after next in Cottbus, Germany; starting next Tuesday, July 9th, and running []The post Seven-rider Irish team picked for European U23 & Junior Track Champs appeared first on Sticky Bottle.