One of the INEOS Grenadiers most important domestiques, Laurens De Plus has been a bit quiet over the first two weeks of the 2024 Tour de France. On stage 15's queen stage however, the Belgian was bright, getting himself into the breakaway before then dropping back to support team leader Carlos Rodr...

The Tour de France leader's special edition Colnago C68 is up for auction today

POC says new lid is inspired by high performance race cars, promising to deliver its "most ventilated helmet to date" for a price of 360

As the 2024 Tour de France reaches its second rest day, it looks like being an uphill challenge for Team Visma | Lease a Bike leader, Jonas Vingegaard to claim a third successive Maillot Jaune victory. After 15 stages of racing, the Dane trials his great rival Tadej Pogacar by more than three minute...

"Reasons to Ride" takes an intimate look at the fifth edition of the Silk Road Mountain Race, an unsupported 1,880-kilometer bikepacking event in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Find the 15-minute film with an introduction from race director Nelson Trees here...The post Reasons to Ride: A 2023 Silk Road Mountain Race Film appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

Much has been made about a supposed lack of respect within the peloton of the 2024 Tour de France, with the Uno-X Mobility riders coming in for some criticism, especially after Jonas Abrahamsen attempted and attack whilst the Maillot Jaune wearing Tadej Pogacar had pulled over for a nature break.Af...

Paris 2024 is set to start in just under two weeks...will Pidcock be fit to defend his gold in the MTB XCO?Tom Pidcock performs at UCI XCO World Cup in Crans Montana, Switzerland on June 23, 2024 // Bartek Wolinski / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202406230480 // Usage for editorial use only //British cross-country (XCO) Olympics hopeful, and reigning Olympic Champion, Tom Pidcock has had to pull out of the Tour de Continue reading

We are pleased to present a preview of the 11th edition of our biannual publication, The Bikepacking Journal, that was shipped to our Bikepacking Collective members earlier this year. Explore the 11th issue's 160 vibrant pages and learn how to sign up to ensure you never miss an issue here...The post The Bikepacking Journal 11 appeared first on BIKEPACKING.com.

CyclistChinese company XDS to invest in Astana QazaqstanChinese company XDS is to invest in the Astana Qazaqstan pro cycling team. In a press release this morning, the team said that XDS, a carbon fibre company based in south-east China, has finalised its negotiations with Astana Qazaqstan.The future of the Kazakh team has apparently been stabilised by a long-term investment deal from the Chinese company, which claims to be one of the biggest carbon fibre manufacturers in the world, boasting yearly revenue of over $100 million (USD).The new team name is yet to be confirmed, but it will be the first Chinese team on the UCI WorldTour level since the top division of cyclings inception.The entire project will face some significant changesPatrik Lundin/CyclistIt had been widely reported that Astana Qazaqstan were searching for new sponsors. News emerged at the Giro dItalia of potential links to Chinese companies, and at the 2024 Tour de France, XDS and Astana team management began negotiations.As a result [of negotiations], mutual understanding was reached, and a decision to cooperate was made, Astana said in its first official comment about the matter.I am very happy to be part of this project and look to the future with great enthusiasm, says Alexander Vinokourov, the current team director of Astana Qazaqstan. We understand that the team and the entire project as a whole will face some significant changes, but we are ready for this.The significant changes will come in the form of a larger budget, a new Chinese identity and some major technical shakeups according to XDSs CEO and the Astana team staff. News of when these changes will arrive is not currently confirmed, but it is possible that it could begin in 2025. Related Posts Pro bike: Mark Cavendishs record-breaking Wilier Filante SLR Its not romantic: Mark Cavendish on his final Tour de France, #35 and an Astana lifeline Who actually are the Tour de France team sponsors 2024? Astana Qazaqstans new rap video has dropped: The Cyclist review Long-term investmentA.S.O./Thomas MaheuxThere is a clear message that the teams budget will increase and that XDS has invested in the team for a period of at least five years.The draft agreement provides for long-term investment for a period of at least five years and financing at the level of leading WorldTour teams. It has been previously speculated that a Chinese-invested Astana team would seek a budget similar to that of cyclings super-teams such as Visma-Lease a Bike, UAE Team Emirates and Ineos Grenadiers. We have been diligently searching for an investor capable of taking the team to a new level of development, Vinokourov states, hinting at the future plans for super-team status. Astana currently sit deep within the relegation zone of the UCI Rankings and if things dont improve by the end of 2025, the team could face a demotion to the second-tier of professional cycling.XDS is ready for long-term investment, which, among other things, will include technical partnership with a new bicycle brand, Vinokourov confirms.It is likely that X-Lab, the bike manufacturer within XDSs business umbrella, will supply the teams bikes as part of this new deal. X-Lab provided some of the bikes for Chinas mountain biking squad at the last Olympic Games.We will make sure the team has very enough budgetA.S.O./Charly LopezIn response to the news, the CEO of XDS Yancong Tan expressed his satisfaction with the new deal, Since 2022, we started seeking for the opportunity to get involved in the WorldTour, he said. It was very lucky that we met Astana Qazaqstan Team this year in the Shanghai show. During discussions, we were sure that Astana was the team we wanted.For the following seasons, XDS will be the strongest backup for the team. We will make sure the team has very enough budget and the best technical support.What is XDS?XDS Carbon TechXDS stems from the brands original name Xidesheng. Through the years, this has evolved into XDS and XDS Carbon Tech. The company is based in Shenzen, a city in southeast China close to the border with Hong Kong. According to the site that stocks XDSs bikes, the company was founded in 1995.It is one of the largest carbon fibre manufacturers of its kind in the world. The website, which hasnt been updated since 2021, claims that its export earnings will reach more than 100 million US dollars in 2020. In a forecast from 2021, the company claims that it will become the worlds largest carbon fibre bicycle manufacturer in 2022. XDS owns one of the largest bicycle manufacturers in the world, with an annual production capacity of 10 million units, according to the Astana announcement. It is the first professional manufacturer in mainland China that integrates design, research and development, production, and sales of cycling products, it continues. Regardless, the partnership with Astana Qazaqstan will no doubt help elevate the XDS brand outside of the Asia-Pacific market.The new Chinese-Kazakh collaboration may also spell the end of the teams Astana moniker, which has used since 2006. Related Posts Pro bike: Mark Cavendishs record-breaking Wilier Filante SLR Its not romantic: Mark Cavendish on his final Tour de France, #35 and an Astana lifeline Who actually are the Tour de France team sponsors 2024? Astana Qazaqstans new rap video has dropped: The Cyclist review The post Chinese company XDS to invest in Astana Qazaqstan appeared first on Cyclist.

Barring any major disasters or strokes of bad luck, Tadej Pogacar is looking good for a third Maillot Jaune triumph of his career at the 2024 Tour de France. As the Grand Tour reaches its second rest day, the Slovenian is sitting at the top of the general classification, more than three minutes clea...