Three verified GoFundMe campaigns have been launched to support the families of the Milligan University cyclists killed or injured when a car driver struck the team during a training ride last week.

Sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers were killed in the 19 August collision; seven other students were injured and taken to hospital.

Two of the fundraisers will help Engdahl’s and Rogers’ families cover funeral and memorial expenses. The third will help the injured cyclists and their families with medical bills, recovery costs and other urgent needs.

The three campaigns had collectively raised more than $72,000 at the time of publication.

Haylan Engdahl, 19, was a graduate of Christian Life High School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The fundraiser remembers him as smart, funny and kind, with a deep passion for mountain biking, cyclocross and criterium racing. "Never without a smile, Haylan had a presence that was impossible not to notice," the campaign reads.

The Support Haylan Engdahl’s Family campaign was organised to help Engdahl’s mother, father and brother with funeral expenses, memorial costs and time to grieve.

Similarly, the Funeral Support for Brayden Rogers campaign aims to "ease some of the financial burden during this incredibly painful time."

Rogers was a graduate of Buckhorn High School in New Market, Alabama. He was 19.

"This heartbreaking loss has left Brayden’s family, friends and community grieving and trying to process an unimaginable tragedy,” the campaign reads.

A third fundraiser, Support Milligan University Cyclists, was organised for the seven injured riders and their families, some of whom remain in hospital.

"Donations will help offset medical expenses, recovery costs, and other urgent needs as these students work to rebuild after such a devastating event," the fundraiser reads. "Just as importantly, this fundraiser is a way to surround them with love, compassion, and support during one of the hardest moments of their lives."

On the morning of 19 August, 11 members of the Milligan University cycling team were riding on Highway 19E in Carter County, Tennessee, when they were struck by a car driver.

The driver, John Benfield, 69, of North Carolina, was taken into custody following the crash. He has been charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle. Benfield was released after posting a $300,000 bond and is due back in court on 31 August. The investigation remains ongoing, with the National Transportation Safety Board now involved.

If it were up to my wife, I would leave on every ride lit up like the proverbial Christmas tree. Neon jersey, reflective everything, all the lights - and perhaps a small rotating beacon strapped to my helmet for good measure.

I don’t blame her. A few years ago I was T-boned by a car driver because he "hadn’t seen me." Never mind that I had a green traffic light, was in the designated bicycle infrastructure, and had my bike lights flashing even though the sun wouldn’t set for another hour. After some days on the hospital trauma ward, I went home with a long list of injuries. It took nearly a year to recover, and frankly, I’ve never been quite right again.

It wasn’t the first time a driver had taken me out either, and experiences like these change the way you ride. You become more protective of your space on the road and wary of other road users. It also changes for the people who love you. You may be the one leaving to go for a ride, but your loved ones are left behind fearing you won’t come home. No matter how careful you are.

Before we continue, let me get one thing very, very clear: I do not believe cyclists should have to dress like flashing hazard signs to earn the right to use the road. No amount of neon colours or lights can compensate for a driver who isn’t looking, who’s on their phone, driving impaired or making reckless decisions.

Yet, I am also not willing to stop road cycling altogether. So if there are things I can do to make myself more seen, be proactive and aware of the road users around me, I’m interested. At the same time, I also want my gear to perform, be comfortable, look good, and generally be unobtrusive to my cycling experience. If I don’t feel good in it or it requires some cumbersome mounting or charging process, I know myself well enough to admit that I probably won’t use it consistently. And safety equipment left at home is no use to anyone.

The following is by no means an exhaustive list; they’re just a few items that have become personal staples in helping me feel a little more seen without sacrificing performance or style.

Brightly coloured jersey I actually want to wear

If visibility is the goal, clothing seems like the most logical place to start. It is already on your body, requires no batteries and covers one of the largest visible surfaces on any cyclist aside from the bike itself.

The difficulty is finding something bright that doesn’t scream, “I bought this in a desperate hope that a driver texting ‘OMW’ or scrolling TikTok won’t run me over.”

Castelli’s Espresso collection is my happy compromise.

I first tested the original Espresso kit in 2024, and it immediately felt like a different side of Castelli. Made for riding rather than racing, the Espresso range is softer, more forgiving in its sizing and light on the graphics. In short, it feels and looks good with a range of solid colours well beyond the standard black, navy and dark green palette that has dominated apparel for the past decade.

The Espresso 2 W Long Sleeve Jersey in purple has become a genuine favourite. It’s a summer-weight long-sleeve jersey in a purple that’s bright enough to stand out without feeling like Barney on two wheels.

The fit is flattering without being aggressively race-tight, and the Air_O stretch fabric is soft, breathable and comfortable for all-day adventures in the saddle. Castelli has refined the fit for this second generation, with a shorter front (less zipper bunching), a collar that sits slightly lower, and the rear pockets are more structured to reduce sagging.

Raw-cut sleeve endings keep things smooth and comfortable, while three rear pockets and a fourth zippered valuables pocket supply the expected practicalities.

Sizing remains worth discussing with Castelli. For a brand that’s known for its snugger-fitting size charts, the Espresso line is much more forgiving. In fact, you may even need to size down, so consult the size chart before purchasing.

Weather protection aside, the long sleeves are a visibility bonus. More sleeve means more colour, and therefore more of me for a driver to see.

For the warmest days (of which we’ve all had plenty this summer), I also like the short-sleeved Espresso 2 W Jersey in Giro pink. It is a girlier departure from my usual style, but the colour is done well: it's cheerful, highly visible and unmistakably 'cycling' without being fluorescent.

Are these safety jerseys? No. They are performance jerseys that happen to come in colours less likely to blend into the background. I am not wearing them as penance for riding a bicycle on public roads. I wear them because they are comfortable, stylish and genuinely good. The fact that purple and pink are more noticeable than black is simply a very welcome advantage.

Look put lights in its pedals—and I wish it were a standard feature on all pedals

I have been a career-long Speedplay user on the road. Pedal preferences are deeply personal, and after enough years, clipping into a particular system becomes so instinctive that changing feels a little like deciding to write with the other hand. But then Look put lights in its pedals.

I saw Redshift do it first with its ArcLight commuter platform and was genuinely excited to see Look integrate lights into a performance clipless platform: the Keo Blade Ceramic Vision.

It's one of those ideas that's so obvious in hindsight. A traditional rear light sits in a fixed position. Your feet, meanwhile, are constantly moving. Two red lights tracing the pedalling motion immediately signal that the object ahead is not a mailbox or a traffic cone but a human being riding a bicycle.

Look calls this use of recognisable human movement "biomotion," and claims that the dual moving lights make a cyclist 5.5 times more visible than a standard seatpost light. It can also be seen from up to a kilometre away.

Anecdotally, I do get comments on them quite frequently, which means they are indeed being noticed.

The lights can be clipped on and off the road pedal easily without having to take your pedals off the bike. They offer four steady or flashing modes, 180 degrees of visibility and a claimed battery life of up to 40 hours. And the lights add a mere 20 grams to a set of pedals compared to the non-lighted version.

Importantly, Look has integrated them into a proper high-performance pedal.

The Keo Blade Ceramic Vision has a carbon body, ceramic bearings and a broad contact area. And if you already use compatible Keo Blade V4 pedals, Look offers the lights as a retrofit kit, which is neat.

For me, the visibility element was enough to convince me to not only switch over from Speedplay, at least part of the time, but to learn how to clip in on a single-sided pedal as well.

Now I'm just waiting for someone to make an SPD-compatible light-up gravel pedal...

Lights, lights and more light

We test all sorts of bike lights at Cycling Weekly, including some powerful enough to turn night into day. But the ones I use day in, day out are less dramatic. Their greatest feature is not extraordinary output or clever software. It is that they are so unobtrusive that they're always on my bike.

Knog Plus rear light

I've had this tiny Knog Plus light for years. It's about the size of a pack of Wrigley's gum, weighs a mere 18 grams and can be charged by sticking it directly into a USB port.

With a 20-lumen output, I treat it as a supplementary rear light. Paired with the Look light-up pedals, a more powerful light or as a backup, it's always there in case I go through a tunnel, it's rainy or just to have another flashy light on my bike or person.

The Plus light clips onto a jersey pocket, bag or the supplied magnetic bike mount, so it can follow me between bikes without demanding another permanent bracket.

The light offers five modes, a claimed runtime of up to 40 hours and enough water resistance to have survived seven winters in the Pacific Northwest.

The cleverest feature is its integrated USB-A plug. Pull the light from its mount and plug the whole thing directly into a USB port. No cables needed.

Magicshine HORI 900S

Now that most new bikes come with a semi- or fully integrated cockpit, I like to keep the handlebar clutter at a minimum. I've long been using a GoPro attachment on the bottom of an out-front computer mount to attach various lights, but this compact light negates the need for even that.

The dual-mount Magicshine HORI 900S clips directly into an out-front computer mount – either sandwiched between the mount and your head unit or on the bottom side of the mount. It doesn't require a separate mount, it keeps my bars clear and my bar bag accessible should I choose to use one. And, with a mount on either side of the light unit, you can continue using your action cameras.

The 900-lumen output is bright enough to do more than flash politely during the day, while the cut-off beam is designed to put light on the road rather than into the eyes of oncoming riders and drivers. It also has a separate daytime running light, and a claimed runtime of up to 40 hours.

At 107 grams, this isn’t the smallest light, nor would it be my first choice for off-road riding at night. But for road riding, commuting and the inevitable occasion when a daytime ride runs later than planned, it strikes a good balance.

Mostly, I like that it requires very little thought. Mount it beneath the computer, charge it occasionally and switch it on. If you're taking the bike, you're taking the light.

Live tracking features

One safety feature I use without fail, and without even thinking about it, is Garmin LiveTrack. The moment I hit start on my Edge cycling computer, my pre-selected contact (in my case, my wife) receives an email with a tracking link. The link opens a browser-based map, so your designated worrier does not need a Garmin account or app to follow along. On compatible Edge units, they can even send messages that pop up on the screen. My wife no longer needs to ask where I am, although she may still ask why my two-hour ride is taking four.

Wahoo Live Track provides much the same peace of mind across its ELEMNT bike computers. Once enabled in the companion app, it creates a link you can share with family or friends. Like Garmin, Wahoo also offers auto-sharing, removing one more thing to remember as you get ready to ride.

Hammerhead has live tracking on the Karoo as well. Enable it on the computer and the Karoo Companion App can automatically share a unique link showing the unit’s live location. It is a more straightforward implementation than Garmin’s broader collection of LiveTrack, incident-detection and group-riding features, but it covers the essential requirement: allowing someone at home to see where you are.

You do not necessarily need a bike computer, either. Strava Beacon can share your live location with up to three safety contacts when recording through the Strava phone app. Beacon is free when used directly in the app, while using it through certain connected devices may require a Strava subscription. Apple’s Find My and Google Maps offer less cycling-specific alternatives, but they still provide the most important piece of information: where you are.

There is one substantial asterisk attached to nearly all these features: connectivity. Lose mobile coverage and the dot may stop moving until the connection returns. For genuinely remote rides, I rely on my Garmin inReach to communicate and share my whereabouts. It can share tracking information, exchange messages and summon assistance beyond cellular coverage. It does, however, add another device, another subscription and another battery to manage.

Oakley Meta Vanguard: for when things get hairy

Now for the controversial one.

I have already argued that the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses would be better without Meta and its always-on AI assistant. I have privacy concerns. And yet, I keep reaching for them when I ride on the road.

Underneath all the technology is a very good pair of sports sunglasses. Oakley’s Prizm lenses offer the contrast and road definition I expect from the brand. I also love the speakers built into the arms as they are surprisingly clear and automatically adjust to wind noise. The glasses can also pair with a Garmin, supply workout information and respond to voice commands.

Frankly, much of that is clever technology I could live without. It’s the camera (and the open-ear speakers if I’m being truly honest) that keep bringing me back.

Positioned between the eyes, the 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera records up to 3K video from my point of view. If I see something worth capturing, I can take a photo or begin recording using a quick physical control or voice command if I can't remove my hands from the bars.

That is fun when the thing in front of me is a beautiful view, a friend getting shreddy or an animal beside the trail. It feels rather more consequential when the thing in front of me is an angry driver.

The easily accessible camera gives me an odd sense of reassurance in traffic. If an interaction starts getting hairy, I know I may be able to capture it almost immediately. There is comfort in the idea that, if things go sideways, some record could exist beyond my recollection of the event.

I know this reassurance has limits. A camera will not prevent a driver from hitting me. It cannot de-escalate a confrontation or guarantee that a license plate will be legible. Depending on what happens, I may not have time to activate it at all. Still, it makes me feel slightly more protected when the post-collision questioning tips borders on victim blaming: What were you doing? What were you wearing?

Of course, a conventional action camera can provide the same evidence without being connected to Meta’s ecosystem. Some can even record continuously, removing the need to anticipate an incident. But since I already have these sunglasses, it’s what I use - even if recommending them comes with a significant asterisk.

Perhaps that is the point of this whole exercise. None of these products offers perfect protection or an entirely compromise-free experience. They are simply the things I am willing to wear, charge and use because each makes riding on the road feel marginally less vulnerable.

My wife would still prefer the Christmas tree or traffic cone look.

Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike) sprinted to an assured second stage victory in Roquetes Terres de l'Ebre, on stage five of the Vuelta a España.

The Briton, riding his first Grand Tour, said he hoped there would be more to come after winning stage three at the weekend, and he got his wish. With a strong leadout train including Wout van Aert and Christophe Laporte, there was little stopping Brennan, who romped home well ahead of second placed Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe).

GC leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) finished comfortably in the bunch, and retained his red jersey, with a 3:21 lead over second-placed Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). The entire GC top-10, in fact, remained static.

Speaking afterwards, Brennan said: "It's not a bad one. Better than a normal day job. It's fantastic. Second one in the bag, first Grand Tour."

The team had gone all-in for him all day, he said, adding, "I'm very thankful to finish it off again, and I think the boys are also quite relieved."

Asked about his leadout deluxe from Van Aert and Laporte, he said: "It was pretty spot-on to be fair. Wout and Christophe are the best guys you can have in the world for this type of thing, and they supported me all the way into the final. Last corner I lost my wheel a bit – the paint was a little bit slippery. But thankfully I stayed safe. Christophe also felt that a little bit, and managed it really well. So, glad we could finish with the arms in the air.

"I wouldn't say I'm a sprinter," he continued, "but I can climb a little bit and I think on this type of terrain it works really nicely with the support that I have here. Even Stevie [Kruijswijk] and Bruno [Armirail], these guys are just so strong. And when you've got these guys with you, it really gives you the confidence to try and achieve more."

Following a chaotic first few days, with major transfers and an abandoned third stage, the riders entered Spain for the first time today, with this 173.3km outing from Falset Costa Daurada to Roquetes Terres de l'Ebre in southern Catalonia.

Largely flat with a series of hills in the last third and a 20km flat run-in to the finish, a sprint finish was predicted, with many eyes on the imperious-looking Brennan.

An early five-man move included Fredrik Lavik Dversnes (Uno-X Mobility), Walter Calzoni (Pinarello-Q36.5), Mattia Gaffuria (Picnic PostNL) and Diego Uriarte (Kern Pharma), and for a short while Stefan Küng (Tudor Pro Cycling), but it was brought to heel with 100km still to ride.

It was then the turn of solo escapee Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), who has been caretaking the green points jersey for Pogačar since the start of the race in Monaco. He earned himself the day's combativity prize after 23km mid-stage break, with the bunch bringing him back as the hills appeared on the horizon.

Assertive riding from Visma-Lease a Bike with Brennan in mind ensured that no other significant gaps were opened. It was clear at that point that the Brit was on a good day, and he proved as much at the stage finish.

Vuelta a España 2026, stage five: Falset Costa Daurada > Roquetes Terres de l'Ebre, 173.3km

1. Matthew Brennan (Gbr) Visma-Lease a Bike, in 3:47:02
2. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe
3. Vincenzo Albanese (Ita) EF Education-EasyPost
4. Alessandro Romele (Ita) XDS-Astana
5. Axel Laurence (Fra) Netcompany-Ineos
6. Orluis Aular (Ven) Movistar
7. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike
8. Alberto Dainese (Ita) Soudal Quick-Step
9. Vito Braet (Bel) Lotto Intermarché
10. David González (Spa) Pinarello-Q36.5

General Classification after stage five

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, in 11:26:01
2. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, +3:21
3. Enric Mas (Spa) Movistar, +3:32
4. Sepp Kuss (USA) Visma-Lease a Bike, +3:44
5. Oscar Onley (Gbr) Netcompany-Ineos, +3:45
6. Richard Carapaz (Ecu) EF Education-EasyPost, +3:50
7. Felix Gall (Aut) Decathlon CMA CGM, +3:57
8. Mattias Skejlmose (Den) Lidl-Trek, +4:06
9. Jarno Widar (Bel) Lotto Intermarché, at s.t.
10. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Team Emirates-XRG, +4:11

Folding bike manufacturer Brompton has hidden three golden tickets across London, with free bike hire in the city on Thursday 27 August.

The tickets gain the lucky winner free entry to the Brompton World Championship this September, which take place at the Lee Valley VeloPark in London.

In order to take part, riders will have to follow clues to discover a bespoke, factory-etched Brompton part hidden inside its Bike Hire lockers in the capital. Usually £5 to hire a Brompton for 24-hours, on 27 August, and also on the day of the World Championship, Saturday 5 September, it is free. There are 35 lockers in London, all with Bromptons waiting to make getting around the city easier.

The competition will be launched on Thursday morning with the help of Johno Verity, the popular Instagram cyclist, who will be giving out clues on how to find the golden tickets, on his regular dawn ride.

The promotion runs from 25-28 August, with tickets found outside this window void, and only one prize is allowed per person. Each ticket must be claimed by emailing press@brompton.co.uk by 29 August sharing a photo of the unique prize. The prize is one free entry to the Brompton World Championship, plus race number and rider pack.

The Brompton World Championship will take place on Saturday 5 September. The big race begins with a Le Mans-style start, with competitors sprinting to their folded Brompton bikes before unfolding them and racing onto the circuit, with riders competing across ten qualifying heats before the fastest men and women progress to the championship finals.

Alongside the race, there will also be Brompton demonstrations and test rides, folding competitions, workshops, exclusive merchandise, as well as hospitality in the form of food and drink and entertainment.

In 2025, riders from over 25 countries contested the BWC in Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross, but this year's event will see 650 competitors compete for the coveted crowns on the fast-paced circuit at Lee Valley VeloPark, which hosted the track cycling events during the 2012 Olympics.

New for this year are a four-person relay race, where fast-paced change overs should inject some jeopardy and entertainment into the mix for onlookers, and the Hydro Scrap Lap, a crowd-pleaser of a contest that celebrates the most creative and memorable rider of the day. Tickets and entry spots are available now.

Thirty million pounds is needed in order to deliver a lasting legacy from the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes' British Grands Départs next year, a group of cycling and civic leaders has said.

In an open letter to the UK prime minister, Andy Burnham, sent on Wednesday, the leaders of British Cycling, Grand Départ GB 2027, Scottish Cycling, Beicio Cymru, and representatives of key start and finishes for the Grand Départs have called for £30 million of government funding to seize the opportunity created by the Tours starting in Britain.

They write: "We are calling for targeted capital investment in communities that need it most – places where demand is high but market failure has prevented provision. A £30 million government investment would create safe, accessible places to ride, helping people improve their health, build confidence on a bike, connect with others in their community, and access an affordable form of transport at a time when many households continue to face cost-of-living pressures.

"The investment would also turbocharge our wider legacy plans, extending their reach, accelerating their impact and ensuring benefits are felt for generations to come."

The men’s and women’s Tours de France will visit 10 host towns and cities across Britain in 2027, as the two races start in the same country outside of France for the first time. The men’s race will start in Edinburgh on 2 July, with a finish on stage one in Carlisle. It will then go from Keswick to Liverpool on stage two, and Welshpool to Cardiff on stage three.

The women’s race will open on 30 July in Leeds. Manchester will host the finish of stage one, as well as the start of stage two, which will run across the Peak District to Sheffield. Stage three will be held entirely in London, and will bring the race’s first-ever team time trial.

The open letter reads: "We have a pipeline of investable projects ready to deliver, many linked to Tour de France host cities and regions, in areas of high deprivation, ensuring a meaningful and visible legacy from this major event. We are also confident that Government investment would unlock significant match funding.

"Manchester City Council, host of the Tour de France Femmes, and Edinburgh City Council, host of the Tour de France, have already ringfenced capital funding that could be deployed alongside Government support. This would create tangible benefits quickly, with the Tour de France Grand Départs 2027 providing an unparalleled platform to showcase these success stories to audiences across the UK and around the world."

British Cycling aims to build on the original Places to Ride programme, which was supported by £15 million of government funding between 2019 and 2024. It supported more than 150 projects across England, generating almost £268 million in social value and an estimated £32.9 million in NHS savings, according to the organisation.

"We know the demand is there, and the opportunity is significant," the letter reads. "We would like to request a meeting with you and your team to present our business case at the earliest convenience, and explore how, together, we can capitalise on this unique opportunity."

Lee Gibbons, the interim CEO of British Cycling, said: "The Tour de France Grand Départs in 2027 represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to inspire millions of people and showcase Britain to the world.

"We want to ensure the legacy extends far beyond the race itself. Investment in safe and accessible places to ride would help more people enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits of cycling while creating healthier and more connected communities."

After being forced to stay home during the Tour de France thanks to a shoulder injury back in July, GC hope Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) is making the most of being let off the leash at the Vuelta a España.

He rode himself into the young rider's white jersey on yesterday's stage to Andorra La Vella, finishing in a creditable fourth place behind winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and at the same time as second and third-placed finishers Jarno Widar (Lotto Intermarché) and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM).

The ride left him sitting fifth on GC, just 24 seconds off Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) in second place, and 3:45 behind race leader Pogačar, who looks as though he will be difficult to topple over the coming two-and-a-half weeks.

Onley's white jersey grab was perhaps all the more impressive given he had apparently been ill with a stomach issue that had kept him up throughout the previous night.

“Before the stage, I half expected to lose my overall classification standing entirely, so it was nice to be able to compete in the group behind Tadej,” said Onley after the stage.

"I actually got sick late last night and spent the whole night in the bathroom," he said. "I'm relieved. I actually felt pretty OK. I surprised myself a little. Luckily, I was able to eat this morning and had a normal meal last night too, so I don't think it's such a big deal."

The Scot said he had circled stage four, a 104.8km outing that started and finished in Andorra La Vella, as an important one for the GC, adding: "With the descent and the short climbs, I actually expected it to turn out this way, with a small group crossing the finish line.”

Asked about his plans to retain the white jersey, the 23-year-old called it "a great goal".

"So far, so good," he said. "The white jersey matches the shorts, which is always nice. It's a great goal. Given my ambitions, I hope the white jersey will be a nice bonus. Jarno Widar is, of course, very strong. That final sprint he had... The upcoming stages will be pretty tough, so it’s certainly not over yet.”

With today's fifth stage to Roquetes Terre d l'Ebre likely to favour the sprinters, Thursday's stage six looks like the next GC appointment, with the riders cresting the cat-one Castello de la Plana climb 20km before the finish.

“Hang on, things might get a bit noisy in a minute,” Nathan* told me over a phone call. He was training on Zwift in his apartment in Kyiv (Ukraine). He had just received an alert via Telegram, the platform used to provide real-time war updates, air-raid alerts and official government broadcasts.

Right on cue, the air raid sirens started.

“These happen so often that people tend to ignore it during the day, or they've got a good idea of what's going on [due to the Telegram texts] and make a conscious choice not to respond to it,” he tells me, once again starting to spin up the power on his Wahoo Kickr turbo trainer.

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022. Reports list the death toll as close to 500,000 Russian soldiers, 55,000 Ukrainian soldiers and over 16,000 Ukrainian civilians. But, life goes on. And training continues for cyclists like Nathan – who moved to Ukraine in early July this year, and did not want to share his real name – not only inside, but out on the open road, too.

“Most cities have parks. Kyiv is more like a city in a park,” Nathan told me, speaking on the podcast I host, Going Long.

“You’re never more than five minutes away from woodland. Last week I went out and went down to the national park in Holisiivskyi Kyiv, and you could have been in the New Forest. Absolutely peaceful, nobody around. And that’s probably 20 minutes by bike from central Kyiv.”

So how safe – or not – does it feel to ride in Kyiv during a period in which Russian attacks on the capital appear to be escalating?

“Because I ride mostly in the woodland and it’s not targeted, I feel perfectly safe – all I see is people out having a good time, sitting on the beach, having a beer by the riverfront,” he says of a population trying to acknowledge its circumstances rather than letting it define them.

“If I went out in a different direction, and went up to some of the squares in town, you would see a lot of devastation. There have been times when sirens would sound as I’ve ridden back into the city, so you head to the metro or to the nearest shelter. Under the law here, you cannot be denied access to a shelter, even if there’s no immediate threat,” Nathan tells me.

Picking the right route, then, is of great importance to cyclists in Kyiv. But rides aren’t restricted to forests and woodland.

“There’s a very active Audax-affiliated cycling club here in Kyiv ” Nathan continues, “I want to pick up a 200 [mile ride], a 400, 600, and there’s a 1,200 or a 1,000 as a qualifier for Paris-Brest-Paris next year.”

Audaxes – long-distance and mass-participation challenge rides – are invariably ridden on the road; does Ukraine have the cycling infrastructure to support such events?

“Every big dual carriageway has a very wide bicycle lane next to it, and a pedestrian path, sometimes combined. It’s segregated from the road, set back from the road, either by bollards or really deep kerbs or whatever.

“When you cross an intersection, there’s a big red lane laid out across the road, and cars actually stop for you. It’s bizarre because coming from the UK, you think everybody’s trying to kill you, so you stop and let the car go. Here, they will stop and wave you on. Car drivers here are incredibly courteous and polite,” Nathan comments.

The club’s next outing takes place on Sunday August 30th, with distances of 50km and 100km available. The event website states that the slogan for 2026 is “keep your balance”, adding, “balance is an important component of cycling. You need to keep your balance, balance your strength and pace. Life in Ukraine is also a balance: peace and anxiety, work and rest, support for family and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.”

Peace doesn’t appear to be on the Russian president’s agenda, and sadly, Ukraine remains as deeply ensnared in battle as it did on 24 February 2022 when Vladimir Putin announced the start of his ‘special military operation’.

Cycling has allowed Nathan to move beyond the immediate reality of the conflict and see Kyiv as its inhabitants do: not just as a city under bombardment, but as a place where people still ride, socialise and carry on with their lives.

“We had an absolutely massive strike last week, like the biggest they’d ever had. It killed quite a few people,” Nathan states, referring to an attack on the city on August 5 which saw 17 people die and a further 44 injured.

“The mood in the office was pretty grim, but then I went out on the bike that night, cycled down the river, and there’s people sitting in the cafes, drinking beer and chatting, and young girls doing selfies, and all the stuff that normal people do in a normal life.”

The cyclists of Ukraine ride on, they continue to balance.

The Mountain Bike World Championships begin this week in Val di Sole, Italy, taking place from August 26 to August 30, 2026.

Twenty-one events take place across five days with five disciplines featured from Cross-Country Olympic (XCO), Cross-Country Relay (XCR), Cross-Country Short Track (XCC), E-Mountain Bike (E-MTB) and Downhill (DHI).

The biggest attraction is undoubtedly the arrival of cross-format stars such as Tom Pidcock and Mathieu van der Poel. Van der Poel will be particularly keen to win the XCO, with the MTB rainbow jersey still absent from his palmarès. Alan Hatherly, Charlie Aldridge and Adrien Boichis will also be among the main contenders, making for a seriously strong men's field.

The downhill will also be a huge feature thanks to Val di Sole's infamous Black Snake. Vali Höll goes after a fifth consecutive elite women's world title, but she faces the likes of Gracey Hemstreet, as well as Myriam Nicole, who beat Höll to the world title on this track in 2021. Lisa Baumann, Sacha Earnest and Marine Cabirou will also be worth watching.

The men's downhill promises just as much as well, with defending champion Jackson Goldstone looking to retain his title on a course where he has an outstanding record. Jordan Williams, Finn Iles, Amaury Pierron and Loïc Bruni will all have something to say about that, though, making it another race that could go right down to the final run.

Below, Cycling Weekly has put together all the key information on broadcasters and live streams so you can watch the Mountain Bike World Championships 2026 wherever you are.

Quick guide to watching the Mountain Bike World Championships 2026

• UK: TNT Sports / HBO Max (£30.99/mon)
• US: FloBikes ($39.99/mon)
• Canada: FloBikes ($49.99/mon)
• Australia: Stan Sport ($29.99/mon)
• Free Stream: UCI YouTube (select countries) / VRT, RTBF (Belgium) / RaiPlay (Italy) / L'Equipe (France)
• Anywhere: Watch your local stream from anywhere with NordVPN

Can I watch the Mountain Bike World Championships 2026 for free?

The Mountain Bike World Championships are free to watch this week in select countries without a broadcaster on the UCI YouTube Channel.

As well as this you will find free streams in European countries on VRT and RTBF in Belgium, RaiPlay in Italy and L'Equipe in France.

Coverage is geo-restricted, so if you're not in any of these countries right now then you'll need a VPN — more on that below.

How to watch Mountain Bike World Championships 2026 while abroad

Most streaming platforms have geo-restrictions these days, which means they only work in certain countries. But being locked out of the races is a thing of the past thanks to a VPN.

A Virtual Private Network is a piece of internet security software that can alter your device's location, so you can unblock your usual streaming services, even when you're abroad.

Want to know more? We have an explainer on the benefits, costs, and considerations of using a VPN...
– Should I use a VPN to watch cycling?

How to watch Mountain Bike World Championships in the UK

In the UK, the Mountain Bike World Championships will be shown on TNT Sports which is available to live stream via HBO Max. Check the schedule here.

The will also be available online and on mobile devices on HBO Max with a package price of £25.99 a month for a year's term.

How to watch Mountain Bike World Championships in the US and Canada

For North American viewers, you will need FloBikes to stream the Mountain Bike World Championships.

In the US, FloBikes costs $39.99 a month. In Canada, a FloBikes subscription cost CA$49.99 a month, with big savings for long-term plans.

How to watch Mountain Bike World Championships in Australia

In Australia, Stan Sport will be showing the Mountain Bike World Championships.

Prices for Stan start at A$9.99/month with the Sport add-on a further A$20/month.

▶︎ Read More: How to watch cycling for free in 2026

Mountain Bike World Championships 2026 - Schedule

Wednesday, 26 August

9am – Women’s Elite E-MTB Cross-Country
10.30am – Men’s Elite E-MTB Cross-Country
4pm – Mixed Team Relay

Thursday, August 27

8.30am – Women’s Junior Cross-Country Olympic
10am – Men’s Junior Cross-Country Olympic
2.30pm – Women’s U23 Cross-Country Short Track
3.30pm – Men’s U23 Cross-Country Short Track
4.45pm – Women’s Elite Cross-Country Short Track
5.30pm – Men’s Elite Cross-Country Short Track

Friday, August 28

9:30am – Women’s Junior Downhill qualification
Followed by Men’s Junior Downhill qualification
2.30pm – Women’s Elite Downhill qualification
Followed by Men’s Elite Downhill qualification

Saturday, August 29

8.15am – Women’s Junior Downhill
9am – Men’s Junior Downhill
12.20pm – Women’s Elite Downhill
2pm – Men’s Elite Downhill

Sunday, August 30

8am – Women’s U23 Cross-Country Olympic
10am – Men’s U23 Cross-Country Olympic
12pm – Women’s Elite Cross-Country Olympic
2.15pm – Men’s Elite Cross-Country Olympic

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

French manufacturer Lapierre Cycles has found hope for the future following a court hearing in Dijon that opened the company's receivership.

It comes after Accell Group, which owns the company as well as Raleigh, was declared bankrupt earlier this month.

Lapierre's directeur general William Perrier wrote about the court hearing in a post on LinkedIn on Tuesday afternoon, saying: "It doesn't mean everything is settled, nor that Lapierre is saved. It means that we have obtained the right and the time to fight."

The 20 days since insolvency proceedings began against Accell had been used as "preparation", managing customers, cash flow and suppliers, wrote Perrier.

Now, he said, a new phase would start that involved, among other things, securing a new investor.

"A new stage begins: to make the company run properly and to bring in a long-term industrial or financial investor," he wrote. "These two projects will move forward together.

"I want to salute the women and men of Lapierre once again," he continued. "Every order processed, every delivery kept, every customer and supplier reassured builds our credibility with investors. They are the ones who make the value of this company. We've got an opportunity. It's up to us to transform it into a future."

Lapierre has been a standard fixture in the men's pro peloton for more than 20 years, with French stars Thibaut Pinot and Arnaud Démare winning major races aboard its bikes. Both men's and women's Picnic PostNL teams currently ride the machines, although to limited success so far this year.

Accell Group's Dutch arm was declared bankrupt two weeks ago. Other cycling-related brands in its portfolio include Batavus, Sparta, Koga, Haibike, Winora, Ghost, Babboe and XLC – as well as the iconic Raleigh, a brand that is freighted with nostalgia for British bike riders of a certain age.

Accell Group said at the time that every "realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored", but in the end there had been no "viable solution" for it to be able to continue operating "in its current form".

A potential life line seemed to have been thrown out from an Irish-based investment firm, Quanta Capital, which has expressed interest in buying the entire group. As a sponsor of the Junior Tour of Ireland, Quanta has links to bike racing. In a statement acquired by Irish site Sticky Bottle, Quanta's chief executive Mel Sutcliffe said: “Our main objective will be to put the group onto a more stable footing as it has endured quite a tumultuous period of trading.

“We have made contact with Accell and its administrators to formalise our interest in purchasing the group.”

If that purchase does come off, it could secure a future not only for Lapierre and Raleigh, but for all their fellow stablemates.

When Specialized launched the S-Works Tarmac SL9 ahead of the Tour de France, it proclaimed it “the fastest road bike ever made.” While Remco Evenepoel couldn’t prevent Tadej Pogačar from securing his fifth win at the race, his second-place showing, achieved largely aboard the SL9, did no harm to the US brand’s bold claims.

And now it’s time for the Tarmac SL9 S-Level, a more affordable version of the WorldTour-proven machine with an equally persuasive moniker: "the second fastest bike ever made".

Unsurprisingly, then, the S-Level SL9 shares much in common with the more expensive S-Works model. Essentially, the bikes’ DNA is a match. That means the S-Level is shaped by the same aerodynamic blueprint that informed much of the S-Works version's development.

Here’s a quick 101 in case you missed the details at launch. In creating its ‘Time to Finish’ metric, the Specialized engineers used the kind of computational race simulation data (inputs include aerodynamics, weight, rolling resistance, surface roughness, environmental conditions, and rider power) that pro teams typically rely on to fine-tune bike set-ups and race tactics to help them design a faster bike. Using a moving-legs mannequin in the wind tunnel, they were able to better understand how a cyclist in motion impacts airflow across the bike. From here, they redesigned tube shapes accordingly.

Like the S-Works Tarmac SL9, the S-Level version features the redesigned Speed Sniffer headtube, seatpost and WinFin, the reconfigured seat tube and rear triangle junction. A quick recap on these design details. The headtube is now slimmer than its predecessor the SL8, made possible by a combination of rerouting the rear brake hose and an offset steerer tube. The result is a refined hourglass shape that reduces the bike’s frontal area by 10%.

Similarly, the new seatpost is more streamlined, with a thinner, deeper design to improve airflow from the rider’s legs into the space between the legs and the frame before it hits the seatpost.

As for the WinFin, it’s a product of Specialized’s analysis of racing behaviour. In this case, breakaway riders ditching a water bottle. By losing the second bottle, airflow around the seat tube and rear triangle changes, so Specialized re‑engineered the rear of the bike around this real‑race configuration. It says the change saves 0.5 watts compared to the SL8. A marginal gain for sure, but if true, a gain nonetheless.

So if the similarities are plentiful, what are the differences? In short, material, weight, and price. The most impactful of those is likely price. To bring “world‑tour‑level performance to more riders than ever,” Specialized needed to reduce the cost. While an S-Works SL9 with SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 will set you back £11,999 or $14,000/ $13,500 in the US, an S-Level with the same groupsets retails at £8,799/ $10,500. It’s a significant chunk of change, achieved in no small part by the first two measurables mentioned above: material and weight.

While the S-Works model uses Spesh’s top-of-the-line Fact 12r carbon across the frameset, the S-Level adopts Fact 10r for the frame and 12r for the forks. It’s a recipe that comes with a weight penalty, but not as great as you might imagine given the price differential. The claimed frame weight of the S-Works SL9 is 687 grams. The S-Level version tips the scales at 882g. With less than 200 grams between them, complete builds for the cheaper bike are still suitably svelte, with options as light as 7.13kg.

Lower price. Competitive weight. It makes the Tarmac SL9 S-Level a compelling new entry in the second-tier race bike category. It also raises the question of why anyone who pays for their kit might choose the S-Works over the S-Level? For amateur racers, a few hundred grams is negligible and can be made up with a bit of componentry switcheroo, especially when you have £3,200 more cash in your pocket; the S-Level complete builds come equipped with Roval CL III and a Power Pro Mirror saddle, while the S-Works uses CLX III wheels and the S-Works version of the saddle. Both share the same integrated Roval Rapide carbon cockpit.

Yes, the S-Works marque carries a certain cachet, and for the finely tuned athlete, there might also be a discernible difference in performance between the two models. But for many cyclists this won’t be the case, and the design attributes that are likely to positively impact your performance are those shared by the S-Works and S-Level.

If your purse strings are tighter still, the Expert and Comp versions of the Tarmac SL9 are available, starting at £3,999/ $4,500, and rising to £5,999/ $7,000 for an Expert model (built using Fact 10r carbon) with SRAM Force AXS, Roval C38 wheels and a two-piece Specialized cockpit.

Specialized Tarmac SL9 S-Level specs

• Price: £8,799/ $10,500/ $10,000
• Frame: Fact 10r carbon
• Forks: Fact 12r carbon
• Wheels: Roval Rapide CL III
• Saddle: Specialized Power Pro w/Mirror Saddle
• Bars/stem: Roval Rapide Cockpit
• Groupset: SRAM Red AXS or Shimano Dura-Ace Di2

The likelihood of Tadej Pogačar leading this year’s Vuelta a España from start to finish grew stronger on Tuesday, when he won stage four with a 50.3km solo attack, and extended his overall lead to 3 minutes and 21 seconds.

The world champion launched his stage-winning move on the second of four climbs, the category-one Collada de Beixalis, and immediately drew out a gap over the peloton.

He went on to claim the stage – the fifth of his career at the Vuelta, including stage one’s 9.4km time trial – by two minutes and 39 seconds in Andorra la Vella.

Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) placed second and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) third. Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe), seventh across the line, finished on the same time as Widar and Gall, and is now second overall.

Reflecting on his victory, Pogačar said in his post-race interview that he "didn't have to" attack from so far out.

"The pace was super-high already on the first climb, then on the second climb, we were basically going all out from the bottom," the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider said.

"When Jay [Vine] let me pass on the wheel of Decathlon, then I knew, ‘Ok, I don’t want to be isolated against all the GC riders, because they will all play against me.’

"I tried with an attack on the climb and then just hoped I could survive until the finish when I saw that I could open the gap. I did it. It was pretty tough, but a beautiful day out there.”

The victory marked the seventh longest solo of Pogačar's career, and his longest ever at a Grand Tour.

Now bolstered by a more than three-minute GC advantage, he said he can be "calm and confident" across the next 17 days of racing. "Any gap is more than enough, but it’s super-good," Pogačar said. "It will be a little bit less stressful, for sure."

The Slovenian also faces the possibility of holding the leader's jersey from start to finish, a feat that hasn't been achieved at a Grand Tour since Tony Rominger at the 1994 Vuelta a España.

"You never know, but now it’s a good gap," Pogačar said of the challenge. "We give our best to control it every day. But if it’s uncontrollable, you cannot control, then we’ll have to fight. It’s going to be tough, but we have a really strong team here, so we are ready.”

How it happened

After stage three’s abandonment due to a hailstorm, the peloton set out under clear skies in Andorra la Vella, the capital of Andorra, for the shortest road stage of this year’s race, but certainly not the easiest.

The day’s 104.8km route counted more than 3,000m of elevation gain over four categorised climbs – three category ones and a category three. The riders began climbing from the gun, immediately onto the 23.2km Port d’Envalira, where a breakaway group went in search of KOM points.

Lorenzo Fortunato (XDS Astana) earned full honours at the summit. The peloton came back together on the descent and into the second climb.

There, Decathlon CMA CGM accelerated at the front, and looked to be setting up a move for their GC leader, Felix Gall.

Before the Austrian could strike, however, Pogačar charged ahead. Gall tried to follow, but within a few hundred metres, the gap grew to a handful of seconds. A few hundred metres more, it was 20 seconds, and the stage win looked destined to bear the Slovenian's name.

Reflecting on that moment after the race, Netcompany-Ineos rider Oscar Onley said he wasn't surprised to see Pogačar go solo. "We just let him do his thing," Onley said, "and then we race between ourselves."

The Scot was part of a GC cluster that formed behind Pogačar on the road. Alongside him were Widar, Gall, Roglič, Enric Mas (Movistar), Sepp Kuss (Visma-Lease a bike), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) – a group that swung between co-operating and trying to drop each other.

In the end, the only riders to lose time from the chasing group were Carapaz and Skjelmose, who finished another 18 and 38 seconds down respectively.

Pogačar was already on his way to the podium by the time they crossed the line. The world champion spent an hour and 20 minutes alone up the road, and his stage win never looked in doubt.

Tying up the victory, Pogačar also marked a full-circle moment for his career: his first Grand Tour stage win came in Andorra at the Vuelta, back on his race debut in 2019.

"Not for second did I think I would ride like this ever," he said, thinking of his younger self. "I have such beautiful memories from the first time in Andorra. It’s one of my favourite moments of my career.”

Fast forward to today: he's now a two-time world champion, five-time Tour de France champion, former Giro d'Italia winner, with a Vuelta title in waiting.

Until yesterday afternoon, the Igesa Village Club was just another Pyrenean hotel, welcoming a variety of guests for winter and summer sports.

But stage three of the Vuelta a España changed all that, bringing both winter and summer – and a whole load of bedraggled bike riders – through the doors of this ornate building. These were not holidaymakers, far from it. Instead they were sheltering from a hailstorm of biblical proportions that ultimately led to the abandonment of the stage.

But the incident thrust the hotel, situated around 15 kilometres from the intended stage finish near Font Romeu, into the global sporting spotlight. It's newfound fame has been accompanied by a host of affectionate and spoof reviews, many praising it for sheltering the riders or simply joking about their presence.

One reviewer suggested it ought to earn the combativity prize, saying, "Vuelta combativity award for this hotel! It must not be easy to accommodate 183 cyclists+ staff without prior notice."

Another simply listed the benefits of staying here as: "Warm hospitality - Cycling Friendly - Free towels on arrival," alluding to the towels offered to the riders to dry the freezing hail.

More than one review referenced the Vuelta's much-maligned social media influencer Erola Jons, who bemused a raft of riders with her questions, and called Tadej Pogačar as 'Pogacita': "Met a guy named “Pogichitar” he started hyperventilating for some reason," wrote the reviewer, while another wrote: "Undeniably good experience. However, the weather was not too friendly and some amateur cyclists were in the first floor. I even got to meet a kid who was in red, I think his name was pogachita. Anyways, excellent service."

Other 'reviewers' joked about the presence of so many cyclists during their stays, with one writing: "Great hospitality and great service, but it has a serious problem with cyclists," and another saying, "Bad weather but great service! The janitors cleaned a bunch of wet men in leotards. The view was nice."

For many of the riders, yesterday's stage ended at the hotel with hail coating the roads outside. There was no result recorded for the stage, which took riders 174km from Gruissan to Font Romeu, with the general classification remaining as it was after stage two, with Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) still wearing the leader's red jersey.

Today's stage is held within the Pyrenean country of Andorra, with a 104km mountainous outing based on Andorra La Vella.

Ida Krickau danced to the chorus of Jason Derulo's 'Ridin' Solo' as she walked onto the team presentation podium on the final day of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women.

She waved to the fans, who clapped harder for her than anyone else, and laughed at the DJ's song choice. The previous day, when the Dane still had one team-mate by her side, she did the same when the speakers played 'Just the Two of Us'.

But after all five of her O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes companions abandoned, Krickau was left to fend for herself on Sunday in Leamington Spa.

“It’s weird, but I’ve got plenty of staff now to look after me,” the 20-year-old told Cycling Weekly ahead of the final stage. “All of my team-mates are supporting me. Even though I’m standing here alone, I’ve got plenty of people behind me.”

Krickau set out on stage five with the aim to “represent the jersey in the best possible way”.

She went on to finish the race 69th overall, almost 32 minutes down on the winner Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal).

"I was really looking forward to being here with my team, and the whole experience. But in the end, it's been a good race, and I take it as it is," Krickau smiled.

O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes were one of four British Continental teams competing at last week's Tour of Britain Women, alongside DAS-Hutchinson, Handsling Alba Development and Smurfit Westrock.

Last autumn, all four outfits feared they would no longer be allowed to take part in their home race, after the UCI revised its rules to limit WorldTour events to WorldTour and ProTour squads. They were later invited to start due to unfulfilled team slots.

"We're making the most out of it," said Krickau, who was racing her first multi-day WorldTour event.

Half of the 24 riders on British Continental teams that began the race in Cockermouth on Wednesday went on to finish Sunday's stage in Leamington Spa.

One team manager put the abandons down to the gulf between the WorldTour and Continental teams, which continues to swell as budgets at the top of the sport grow.

Still, marquee races like the Tour of Britain Women provide a crucial platform for third-tier riders to gain race experience, and for teams to show off their sponsors.

That's why, when Krickau took the start line alone in Leamington Spa, she did so with the determination to prove that teams like hers "belong in this race".

Her solo ride may not have won her any medals, but it showed heart and tenacity, and gained her a host of new fans.

Stage three of the Vuelta a España was neutralised and then cancelled on Monday after a hailstorm meant racing was impossible on the final climb.

Race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) was seen telling riders in the peloton to slow down with around 15km to go on the climb to Font Romeu, after they had topped the Col de Mont-Louis.

Riders were shown on TV sheltering in a hotel on the roadside atop the Col de Mont-Louis, with team staff handing out wet weather gear. While there was initially hope that the stage would be restarted, moments later the day was cancelled.

There are no results for today's stage, and the general classification remains as it was after yesterday, with Pogačar in pole position ahead of Wout van Aert (Visma-Lease a Bike).

The day had been largely warm and sunny, but as riders began the final third of the stage, which took them into the Pyrenees, the weather turned. At first it was simply wet and unpleasant, but this soon morphed into a torrential hailstorm with stones so big the riders had little choice but to shelter.

TV images showed riders sheltering at the roadside, before a race announcement urged them to take shelter if needed. This was followed a short while later that the stage had been abandoned.

The stage, which took riders 174km from Gruissan to Font Romeu, was widely expected to bear witness to Pogačar underlining his overall lead with another stage victory. Indeed, his UAE Team Emirates-XRG team had spent much of the day on the front, keeping the early breakaway in check.

The five-rider escape included stage one's nearly-man Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step), Magnus Cort (Uno-X Mobility), Mats Wenzel (Kern-Pharma) Timo Roosen (Picnic PostNL) and Olivier Le Gac (Groupama-FDJ United).

While Hayter, Le Gac and Roosen were caught with 28km to go, Wenzel and Cort pushed on up the penultimate climb of the Mont Louis, but the race was paused before either had the chance to register the mountains points at the top.

General Classification after stage 3

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates-XRG in 4:58:40
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike +9s
3. Matthew Brennan (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike +10s
4. Léo Bisiaux (Fra) Decathlon-CMA CGM, +12s
5. Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +14s
6. Stefan Küng (Sui) Tudor Pro Cycling, +18s
7. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates-XRG, at same time
8. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek, +20s
9. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +26s
10. Jordan Labrosse (Fra) Decalthon CMA CGM, +27s

Sixteen years after his last track competition, Taylor Phinney returned to the velodrome on Sunday afternoon and won the team pursuit at the US National Track Championships.

The quartet of Phinney, Anders Johnson, Colby Lange and David Domonoske qualified first in the 4km event with a time of 4:03.688 in Carson, California. They then went on to win the final after only five of the 16 laps, having caught their rivals with just over a minute on the clock.

“Honored to rep the jersey once more,” Phinney posted on Instagram.

Prior to Sunday, the last time the 36-year-old competed on the track was at the UCI World Championships in 2010, when he won the individual pursuit world title and placed third in the omnium.

He announced his comeback this April, with his sights on making the US track squad for the LA Olympics in 2028.

“What started as a return to gravel racing has delicately snowballed into a full on Olympic dream,” he wrote on Instagram at the time.

“The track was where I first found love and success in this sport, it was even the first discipline to break my heart when my specialty event, the individual pursuit, was removed from the Olympic program, which prompted me to swiftly abandon the track and go all in on the road.

“Recently the USA boys have been making huge strides in the Team Pursuit, and I couldn’t be more stoked to be joining them in the chase for the Olympic Dream.”

After dropping track cycling in 2010, Phinney stepped up to the WorldTour in his road career, first joining BMC Racing, and then EF Education First. He retired from road racing in 2019, aged 29, but has competed in gravel events in recent years.

The Olympics in LA carry sentimental value for the Phinney family; Taylor's mother, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, won gold in the inaugural women's road race at the LA Olympics in 1984. His father, Davis Phinney, won bronze in the individual time trial.

“Regardless of whether I make the official team for LA28 or not, I'm honored to be in the running and will look forward to making some World Cup teams to elevate the team to its highest potential and Olympic qualifying position,” he wrote in April.

A full list of the winners at last week’s US National Track Championships is below.

US National Track Championships 2026 winners

Men’s

Team pursuit – Anders Johnson, Taylor Phinney, Colby Lange, David Domonoske
Individual pursuit – Anders Johnson
Omnium – Colby Lange
Scratch race – Aaron Beebe
Elimination race – Colby Lange
Points race – Aaron Beebe
Team sprint – Joshua Hartman, Dalton Walters, Sterling Reneau
Sprint – Dalton Walters
Keirin – Dalton Walters
Kilometre time trial – Dalton Walters

Women’s

Team pursuit – Bethany Ingram, Anna Hicks, Olivia Cummins, Ella Sabo
Individual pursuit – Anna Hicks
Omnium – Anna Hicks
Scratch race – Kimberly Zubris
Elimination race – Chloe Patrick
Points race – Anna Hicks
Team sprint – Emily Hayes, Kayla Hankins, Hayley Yoslov
Sprint – McKenna McKee
Keirin – McKenna McKee
Kilometre time trial – Mandy Marquardt

Fans at the Vuelta a España have been asked to "take every possible precaution" to protect and preserve the environment, in light of devastating wildfires in recent months.

The race heads into the Pyrenees on Monday, with stage three finishing in Font-Romeu, before it continues into Andorra and Spain. In a press release on Monday morning, the race's organisers, Unipublic, called on those watching the race to act to prevent further incidents by not creating sparks or throwing cigarette butts.

Last month, 300,000 people were evacuated in France and Spain as wildfires spread, with record-breaking temperatures causing blazes in especially dry areas. Scientists have said that the ongoing climate crisis is creating situations which have fuelled fires. At the Tour de France, fans were prevented from going to stage three in the Pyrenees due to ongoing wildfires, while stage 21 was shortened due to policing resources being redirected to tackle other conflagrations. Fans were also stopped from watching part of stage seven of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift due to fire risks.

The Vuelta's statement reads: "La Vuelta 26 travels through Monaco, France, Andorra and Spain, crossing some of the most spectacular landscapes and natural areas in our territory. Along the route, the race will also visit places that, unfortunately, have been affected by wildfires in recent years, reminding us of the importance of protecting and preserving an environment that is part of the very essence of La Vuelta and which serves as our great open-air stadium.

"For this reason, La Vuelta is calling on all fans following the race from the roadside to take every possible precaution and help prevent fires throughout the 21 stages.

"Small gestures are essential to protecting our surroundings: do not throw cigarette butts or matches on the ground, do not light fires, avoid any activity that could generate sparks, and always collect your waste before leaving the area. In addition, it is essential to respect at all times the instructions and restrictions established by the local authorities.

"Let’s enjoy La Vuelta responsibly. Taking care of our surroundings means protecting the open-air stadium that makes our sport possible."

For decades, cycling apparel has operated on a strict, binary clock: summer ends, and short-sleeved cycling jerseys are packed away, and heavy winter thermal gear takes over. But as global weather patterns blur the lines between seasons, Castelli says it has dismantled that traditional dual-season model with its appropriately named new product lineup – Transition.

The Transition range responds directly to unpredictable shoulder seasons - specifically autumn and spring - when crisp mornings lead into mild afternoons and traditional winter riding gear can quickly become overkill.

Castelli states that Transition is designed as an adaptable foundation to any cycling wardrobe. With multiple mix-and-match core pieces, which they claim will be a range of products that riders will genuinely reach for during these transition months.

The first products in the all-new range are the Corretto LS jerseys for men and women. These sit at one end of the Transition range, and Castelli has a host of new garments joining the Corretto jerseys, including lightweight bib tights, thermal bib shorts, packable insulation, and lightweight protective layers.

Castelli claims Transition is the future of cycling apparel, which isn't simply better summer and winter kit but creating high-performance clothing for all the conditions in between – gradually prioritising insulation and protection from the elements, and bridging the widening gap between traditional summer and winter kit.

Castelli Product Line Manager Andrew Montgomery explained the Castelli ethos behind the range: “The old way of riding was simple: summer gear in summer, winter gear in winter. Today, due to factors like climate change, cycling moves at a different pace. Seasons don’t hit like a switch; they transition gradually over a more prolonged period, giving us an expanded window of riding."

Andrew continued by adding, “That realisation led us to define what we call Transition: a period between summer and winter that has become increasingly important for cyclists, yet remains largely underserved. While the wider industry is still complying with a rigid, dual-season calendar, we’d rather tailor our range to the real-world conditions people are actually riding in."

Castelli says the Corretto LS jersey stands at the forefront of its technical excellence and premium design, which they call an ideal solution for when summer heat begins to wane.

It offers more coverage than the Corretto short-sleeve sibling, featuring the same lightweight, breathable and aerodynamic fabrics which allow riders to adapt smoothly without overheating.

Standout detailing includes a claimed weight of just 194g in the men’s and 170g in the women’s. The tailored fit includes an elastic silicone waist gripper to keep the jersey in place, a full-length YKK Vislon zipper with an easy-use pull, and is complemented by three back pockets plus a fourth zippered security pocket.

The men's jersey is available in two new colourways: Steel Fade/Chestnut-Vivid and Night Shade/Elmwood-Rosa Giro. The women's jersey is available in Paprika/Winter Sky.

Sizes are XS-3XL for the men's version and XXS-XL for the women’s version.

The Castelli Corretto LS Jerseys are priced at £175/ $210/ €170 for both men's and women's versions, and further information can be found at Castelli.

The Flanders-born brand unveils a sub-900g frame and aerodynamic drag-reduction features for its new flagship gravel racing platform, the RCR-G.

Designed for the demands of elite gravel racing, the new platform marks a shift from multi-purpose gravel geometries to a pure competition setup.

The launch of the Van Rysel RCR-G marks a new chapter for the brand in gravel, making it a notable addition to its existing line-up and positioning it to compete with the best gravel bikes already at the start line.

Speaking to me ahead of the launch, Van Rysel RCR-G project manager Jeremy Debeuf said development of the all-new gravel bike focused on four key performance metrics: high average speeds, mixed-surface efficiency, quick acceleration, and precise handling on technical terrain.

Building on the engineering layout of the Van Rysel RCR-R road bike, which is currently being ridden by the likes of Paul Seixas and the rest of the Decathlon CAM CGM.

Debeuf says the team used Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, virtual prototyping, and wind tunnel testing to adapt the road frame's architecture for gravel use.

One major departure was the decision not to use the same top-level carbon layup: "This would be too stiff for a gravel bike," confirmed Debeuf, and would create a very uncomfortable ride feel.

Built for speed

While the core of the RCR-G is still a high-modulus carbon frame. Van Rysel's Race Bike Engineer, Alexis Grosecorge, who also worked on the road and cross platforms, explains how the carbon mix just needed to be 'toned down'.

He explained that this was initially challenging as the target weight for the whole bike, in a size medium, was set at 7.8kg; "we actually achieved 7.7kg, with a SRAM Red AXS build," he told me, clearly delighted with the outcome, although caveating that the 885g carbon frame and 415g fork are at the unpainted weight.

To also help keep the overall weight low, top models feature an integrated monocoque carbon cockpit, lightweight thru-axles, and, curiously, a 27.2mm round carbon seatpost.

This regular seatpost setup may seem like a compromise on proprietary frame tech, but asking Grosecorge about it in more detail, he assured me that the seatpost specification was chosen specifically to help filter out high-frequency vibrations and reduce rider fatigue during long-distance races.

Despite its focus on low weight and aerodynamics, the RCR-G still has off-road-ready clearances, with room for tyres up to 50mm wide, although it comes as standard with 45mm Continental Terra Comp TLR tyres on the VR 50 Carbon wheelset.

Another uncommon choice on a performance-focused bike is drivetrain compatibility: it supports a maximum 50T chainring in one-by configuration and a 52T when set up as a two-by arrangement.

It's a helpful safety net for riders planning to tackle crazy, hilly events and need fail-safe gearing options. It's Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) compatible and will also open up more cassette options, but a braze-on is a pretty rare sight in this day and age, and I can't work out if it's the future or living in the past.

Peer pressure

Looking at the big gravel bike rivals and doing a quick back-of-the-envelope cross-check, the RCR-G most closely resembles the Factor Ostro Gravel, with nearly identical stack and reach (RCR-G: 554mm stack and 391mm reach vs 555mm stack and 394mm reach on the Ostro, both size medium).

It also closely mimics the snappy handling of the Ostro, with its 72- vs 72.2-degree head angle. That said, the chainstay is 6mm longer at 426mm.

Compared with the Specialized Crux, with a 560mm stack and 388mm reach, the Van Rysel RCR-G could be considered 'racier' in its lower, longer position.

Double new bike day: the Van Rysel EDR-G gravel bike

The EDR-G was the second bike launched by Van Rysel today, and is the more adventurous ultra-long-distance twin of the RCR-G, favouring total comfort and practicality for multi-day riding.

Carrying the 'don't endure terrain, outplay it' strap line, the woman behind the bike, Product Manager Rachel Gassier, also worked on Van Rysel's EDR-CF Ultra and EDR-CF endurance bike range and spent two years on the design, capturing 25,000km of ride data from more than 30 testers.

The EDR-G has a longer wheelbase (1,033.7 mm vs 1,019mm in size M) and a slacker head tube angle (71 degrees in size M) than the race-oriented RCR-G, aiming to deliver a more stable ride at high speeds and smoother, less "twitchy" steering on technical trails.

An even more vibration-damping carbon lay-up was chosen for the frame, which, along with the forks, has 15 luggage mounting points and an integrated toolbox as standard.

The top-end EDR-G uses a RockShox Rudy XPLR fork with 40mm of travel, a Deda Gera cockpit with 24-degree flare, and a VR32 carbon wheelset, capable of running up to 50mm tyres.

Van Rysel RCR-G – First ride impressions

So far, I've only spent a day on each model, at a pre-launch press event in the Var region of southern France, just east of Marseille, and in the lesser-known Massif des Maures, a mountain range considered part of the pre-Alps.

A 70km hilly route included tough techy gravel, leaving all riders grateful for the respite provided by stretches of paved road. Despite the rocky, loose-stone, hilly terrain, I was impressed by how agile and responsive the RCR-G was. I was far more fluid than on the previous day's ride on the EDR-G, finding the bike easier to maneouvre over and around the pretty gnarly trails.

A mix of drops, rock gardens, and rain-slick climbs with little flat ground meant I struggled with the wide bar flare and barely used the drops, not wanting to risk putting more weight on the front wheel. I've tried to unpick this and concluded that the longer wheelbase and flared bars meant I didn't have the strength to overcome the bike's turning moment and lift the front end at all.

On the RCR-G, however, I was significantly more graceful. I had initially left the 35psi in the Continental Terra Comp TLR 45mm tyres, knowing that it would be a few kilometres on tarmac to the trailhead, But on dropping into the first off-road section, I was immediately dealing with too much bounce back from rocks and stones. A quick pressure drop—measured unscientifically by a thumb and forefinger squeeze—changed everything.

I went from hanging on to feeling far more harmonious with the bike. It felt way more comfortable than the two new models, despite having a much stiffer frame and fork and more road-like handlebars.

It was still a brutal ride, and one that could have used more vibration-damping tech. Despite wearing gloves, my hands were blistered, like the pros' at the end of Paris-Roubaix, and the five kilometres of black tarmac had never looked so inviting.

I'm looking forward to getting a longer term test with the RCR-G. I've turned down the ECR-G for now, as I can't see how, for the riding that I do, the RCR-G can be beaten, even if I'm not looking for podiums, or rapid full gass rides, it just rides so much better than it's adventure going sibling that I would be more confident at coming back in one piece, perhaps minius small patches of skin on my palms.

Model range

There are three Van Rysel RCR-G models.

The top-end Red AXS uses SRAM Red XPLR AXS (46T, 10-44T), a VR50 carbon wheelset, and the integrated Combo RCR-R carbon cockpit used on the RCR-R Pro bike from the Decathlon CMA CGM pro team. It weighs a claimed 7.8kg (size M), comes in XS to XL, and costs £6,500/ $10,999.

Next is the RCR-G Force AXS, which moves to SRAM Force XPLR (46T, 10-42T), an aluminium/carbon stem-and-bar combo, and VR35 carbon wheels. Weight rises to a claimed 8.2kg, while the price drops to £4,000/ $7,399.

Finally, the RCR-G Rival AXS uses SRAM Rival XPLR (46T, 10-40T), an aluminium bar and stem, and VR30 AL wheels. It weighs a claimed 8.6kg, costs £3,000/ $5,299, and is also available in XXS to XL.

The Van Rysel EDR-G also has three models. The top model, the EDR-G Force XPLR, uses a carbon frame and fork, SRAM Force groupset (46T, 10-40T), Deda Gera Alloy stem and handlebars, VR32 carbon wheels, Schwalbe G-One R Pro 45mm tyres, and comes in sizes XS-XL. It weighs more than the race version, with a claimed 8.85kg for a medium. Unfortunately, it’s currently unavailable in the UK, but retails in the US for $6,299.

The EDR-G Suspended fork is reserved for the UK and has a retail price of £3,500. The spec is the same, but the carbon fork has been replaced with a RockShox Rudy XPLR with 40mm of travel. While I’d have loved this extra suspension on the routes we rode, it adds about a kilo, bringing the medium to 9.7kg.

The final model, the £2,100 EDR-G GRX, is also not heading to the States. It keeps its 1x setup, but drops to 12-speed (40T, 10-51T). It comes with DT Swiss G1800 wheels and Schwalbe G-One R Pro 45mm tyres. It comes without suspension and weighs 8.75kg.

Images published by sister site Cyclingnews, show what appears to be a new Shimano Dura-Ace groupset being ridden at the Vuelta a España. The new groupset features a 13-cog cassette, integrated satellite-hood shifters, and possibly a new freehub. But it still appears to be semi-wireless.

Given these sightings follow the official launch of the Dura-Ace R9370 wheels and months of online leaks and speculation, we imagine this is the R9300 version of Shimano's flagship road groupset.

12 to 13-speed

The Japanese brand appears to have added a cog to the currently 12-speed Dura-Ace cassette, joining Campagnolo in offering a 13-speed road groupset (SRAM only has a 13-speed gravel groupset, XPLR AXS).

A 13-cog cassette reduces jumps between gears and increases range in a two-bydrivetrain. It is even more beneficial in a 1x setup. This could indicate Shimano is going to make single chainrings for the new Dura-Ace. Until now, the Shimano-equipped pro teams have resorted to aftermarket chainrings to run one-by, while SRAM and Campagnolo supply single rings dedicated to road use.

A new freehub?

The move to a 13-speed cassette may require a new Shimano freehub, as the leaked listing of a DT Swiss freehub body suggested, especially if it has a 10T smallest cog. Shimano looks set to decrease this from 11T to close the gear-range gap with SRAM. This would force users of wheels fitted with Shimano's current road standard, HG for 11-speed and 12-speed drivetrains, to convert their freehubs to use the new Dura-Ace.

When SRAM introduced a 13th sprocket to its XPLR cassettes, it maintained the same spacing as its 12-speed road groupsets so they both could use XDR freehubs. Meanwhile, Campagnolo's 13-speed N3W freehub is backward-compatible with older 9-, 10-, and 11-speed cassettes. But because Shimano has already found space for an extra cog on its HG freehubs with the current Dura-Ace Di2 12-speed, it may be difficult to repeat the trick.

A new rear derailleur but still wired

The new Dura-Ace rear derailleur spotted on the bikes of riders from Team Picnic PostNL and Alpecin-Premier Tech appears to have a slimmer profile and diagonal cut-outs near the charging port, suggesting it could be lighter than before.

From what we can see, there is nowhere for an external, removable battery to go, like on SRAM's AXS derailleurs. The absence of a battery and the presence of a cable running from the drive-side chainstay suggest that Shimano has retained the Dura-Ace R9200's semi-wireless design. This allows the shifters to communicate wirelessly with the derailleurs, which are connected to a battery stored in the frame.

Because Shimano's latest electronic gravel and mountain bike rear derailleurs are wireless and it has filed a patent for a wireless 13-speed road groupset, it seemed a done deal that the new Dura-Ace would be free of wires.

So why doesn't that seem to be the case? It's handy to be able to charge SRAM's removable derailleur batteries off the bike, but their runtime is shorter than that of the single battery currently used in Shimano's Di2 electronic groupsets. In addition, the external battery makes SRAM derailleurs bulkier than Shimano's, and possibly less aerodynamic as a result.

In-built satellite shifters

Shimano appears to have integrated satellite shifters into the inside of the new Dura-Ace Di2 shifters. As well as the paddles and hidden buttons on top of the hoods, these now appear to have a small lever on the inward-facing side of the pommel. It remains to be seen whether these miniature paddles will replace the hidden buttons on top of the hoods featured in the current groupset, or exist alongside them.

Both SRAM and Campagnolo have their own versions of these bonus shift buttons, which help riders seamlessly change gear when climbing out of the saddle on the hoods or when adopting the aero-hoods position.

New power meter and cranks?

We can't deduce much from the pictures of the cranksets on these bikes, which are fitted with other seemingly new Dura-Ace parts. Cyclingnews reported that the black cranks, which look similar to the existing version, are attached to off-brand chainrings on Alpecin–Premier Tech's bikes. The cranks themselves could still be prototypes like the unreleased SPD-SL pedals that have been raced this season.

We do, however, understand that Team Picnic–PostNL is using an updated Dura-Ace power meter. Shimano will have tried to improve the doubtful accuracy of the current generation.

What is Shimano saying?

A Shimano spokesman said: "Shimano is constantly developing new products, but does not comment on rumours, speculation, or unannounced products.”

British sprinter Matthew Brennan won his first ever grand tour stage at his first attempt at a sprint in the three week race.

On the second day of racing at the Vuelta a España the Visma-Lease a Bike sprinter left the entire field in his wake with an explosive acceleration.

Brennan was ideally placed in the final in Manosque after other teams were forced to chase his team-mate Wout van Aert who had attacked on a short climb 1.8km from the line.

The 21 year-old put clear air between himself and a field that included decorated sprinters such as Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek), who finished fourth.

However, with race leader Tadej Pogačar (UAE Emirates XRG) in third place on the day Brennan’s win was not enough to bag him the points jersey.

Regardless, today’s victory is the biggest of the young rider's career, which has already seen him rack up 20 wins, the highest profile of which was Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne this spring.

Speaking at the finish Brennan said: “We started off with the ambition of Wout trying to get in the red jersey today. We said there’s a nice opportunity to attack in the final and Wout was keen to do that.

“I was always going to be in the background to do the sprint in case the guys [out front] sat up and that’s exactly what happened. The guys sat up in the front and Christophe [Laporte] was able to guide me through all the hectic-ness of that.”

Asked how he felt about his first win in a grand tour he said: “Hopefully it’s not the last one, it’s nice. The boys worked all day really well and gave it 100%. They believed in both of us so we could achieve something successful today.”

There was less good fortune for Brennan’s compatriot Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step) who had also staged a bid to snatch the red jersey.

Hayter had been one of four riders in the early breakaway alongside Koen Bouwman (Jayco AlUla), Sinuhé Fernández (Burgos Burpellet BH) and Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma), but had set off on his own with 50km to race.

He picked up six bonus seconds at the intermediate sprint putting him into the virtual red jersey.

That left the Brit, who started the day just nine hundredths of a second off Pogačar, with just the task of finishing in the same time as Van Aert and Pogačar to likely claim the red jersey – assuming Pogačar didn’t win the stage.

However, when splits emerged in the peloton in the finale Hayter was several groups back from the front of the race allowing the Slovenian to preserve his place at the top of the general classification.

Brennan’s next best chance for a stage will be stage 8 to Xeraco, which is fairly flat.

Result

Vuelta a España, stage 2: Monaco > Manosque (202km)

1. Matthew Brennan (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike in 4:47:47
2. Pau Miquel (Esp) Bahrain-Victorious
3. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirate-XRG
4. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek
5. Hugo Hofstetter (Fra) NSN Cycling Team
6. Tobias Johannessen (Den) Uno-X Mobility
7. Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe
8. Axel Laurence (Fra) Netcompany Ineos
9. Oscar Onley (GBr) Netcompany Ineos
10. Orluis Aular (Col) Movistar, all at same time

General classification after stage 2

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Emirates-XRG in 4:58:40
2. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike +9s
3. Matthew Brennan (GBr) Visma-Lease a Bike +10s
4. Léo Bisiaux (Fra) Decathlon-CMA CGM, +12s
5. Finn Fisher-Black (NZl) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +14s
6. Stefan Küng (Sui) Tudor Pro Cycling, +18s
7. Jay Vine (Aus) UAE Emirates-XRG, at same time
8. Mads Pedersen (Den) Lidl-Trek, +20s
9. Primož Roglič (Slo) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +26s
10. Jordan Labrosse (Fra) Decalthon CMA CGM, +27s

Lorena Wiebes won her fourth stage of the Tour of Britain Women as Kim le Court- Pienaar wrapped up the overall title.

On a twisty finish the SD Worx-Protime sprinter benefited from a slick and dedicated lead-out from her team to enter the finishing straight in prime position.

As she launched out of the final corner Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) came off her team-mate Zoe Bäckstedt’s tried to contest the win but couldn’t come close to Wiebes and ended up being pipped by Lara Gilespie (UAE Team L’Imad) for second.

The Dutchwoman, who has dominated any stage that didn’t finish up a climb in this year’s race, produced another vintage performance to cement her place as the best sprinter in the race, if not the world.

Further back in the pack Le Court- Pienaar finished safely to preserve the green leader's jersey, which she snatched with an attacking ride on stage three’s finish up The Great Orme.

Wiebes’s win also had the effect of lifting her up the GC into second place, knocking Liane Lippert (Movistar) down to third. Unsurprisingly she claimed the red points jersey too.

Wiebes is putting together another blistering season with 19 wins in just 37 race days so far. That includes two stage wins at the Tour de France, which provided the foundation for her green points jersey win.

It’s possible she could yet eclipse her most winning season, which was last year, in which she won 25 races.

It was not certain Wiebes would get a chance to contest the win as the break held on until just under the flamme rouge.

A trio of Alice Towers (Great Britain), Eva van Agt (FDJ-United Suez) and Sara Martín (Movistar) had gone off the front in the early kilometres outside Royal Leamington Spa and built a lead of over two minutes.

That lead held until after the race’s final climb up Burton Dassett. Following that climb Wiebes’s SD Worx-Protime team came to the front of the peloton and set about reducing the gap.

With 20km left to race the gap had dropped to 1.30 and the three out-front were starting to show signs of fatigue.

However, they fought valiantly and had a gap of over a minute at the 10km to go mark.

With more teams including Human Powered Health putting riders to work on the chase the break’s chances were dwindling and they were eventually caught just as the race reached its final kilometre.

From there, Bäckstedt swiftly hit the front to set up Canyon-SRAM’s sprinter but as soon as the sprint opened there was no matching Wiebes.

Result

Tour of Britain Women, stage 5: Royal Leamington Spa > Royal Leamington Spa (123km)

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 3:02:29
2. Lara Gilespie (Irl) UAE Team L’Imad
3. Chiara Consonnni (Ita) Canyon-SRAM
4. Zoe Bäckstedt (GBr) Canyon-SRAM
5. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) Picnic-PostNL
6. Nienke Veenhoven (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
7. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picni-PostNL
8. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco
9. Millie Couzens (GBr) Fenix-Premier Tech
10. Maggie Coles-Lyster (Can) Human Powered Health

General classification

1. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal, in 17:02:04
2. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +19s
3. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar, +24s
4. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco, +39s.
5. Femke De Vries (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +44s
6. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad, +46s
7. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
8. Cecile Uttrup Ludwid (Den) Canyon-SRAM, both s.t.
9. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picnic-PostNL, +56s
10. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Lidl-Trek, +1:06

I took my fixed-gear bike out for a ride recently. The bike I’ve been using since autumn had finally hit the point where it was too dirty to be seen with in public. And I didn’t want to use my summer bike because my indecisiveness about tubeless versus tubed means it won’t have tyres on it anytime in the foreseeable future.

When my gaze fell on my fixed bike (you may call it a “fixie” if you prefer, but know that I’m judging you), I thought, why not? The fashion for riding them round London with no brakes and claiming, “It makes you feel at one with the city,” is long enough passed that it felt like time to reclaim fixed for decent citizens.

Fixed bikes used to be so important. They were how old cyclists – by which I mean dyed-in-the-wool, hewn-from-tradition riders not just literal old people – demonstrated their superiority. There was nothing as gloriously passive-aggressive towards anyone on a carbon superbike as dropping them on something that looked like it had been in a ditch since 1956.

You could talk about gear ratios. And you could talk about them in gear inches, so that no one who wasn’t in your club of passive-aggressive inverted snobs had a clue what you were talking about. You could advocate for increasing the gear two inches when the clocks went forwards and all sorts of similar nonsense. No one understood a word, but it sounded brilliant.

You could also talk about “souplesse”. “Souplesse” is an indefinable smoothness of pedal stroke that comes from having your feet spun around at high speed on every descent whether you like it or not, and from wrenching your way back up the far side of the valley with a cadence in single figures. How do these things add up to make souplesse? If that’s the sort of question you asked, you were not welcome in fixed-gear club.

Anyway. It was to hark back to this older and generally much worse time that I headed out on my old bike. And it was nice. After the first mile or two of muttering, “Don’t stop pedalling,” like it’s a mantra, the simplicity of it starts to appeal.

In some ways it’s like riding a theodolite – you find gradients you’ve never noticed before, because every change arrives directly at your pedals. You have to remember to be modest with your cornering. If you get it wrong and ground a pedal, it hits the floor with enough momentum to put you into a low-Earth orbit.

Going up a hill is slow and uncomfortable. Going down is fast and uncomfortable, because however sane and rational you think you are, you still feel that it’s a matter of pride to stick with it and not use the front brake to scrub off some speed and make it all more manageable. Headwinds are horrible, but tailwinds are just amazing.

Geared bikes are certainly quicker and more comfortable. But then cycling is about more than just whatever is “best”, or the notoriously-terrible-at-stopping-you Campagnolo Delta brakeset would not be a hugely expensive collectors’ item.

In fact, as I contemplated this, I wondered if it’s not time that fixed had an upswing. It has so many things about it that we like – it’s inconvenient, baffling to an outsider, and a good excuse to buy another bike. That’s nearly the full set.

And then last week, someone sent me a report about the training benefits of riding up hills while wildly overgeared.

Next time you see Tadej Pogačar in training, guess what he’ll be riding

0.09 seconds was all that separated reigning Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar with British champion Ethan Hayter in the opening time-trial of the Vuelta a España.

On a 9.4km course that took in parts of the Monaco Formula One street circuit, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG man laid down an early marker to his General Classification rivals.

Pogačar was three seconds down on Soudal-QuickStep's Hayter at the intermediate check, but pegged back the 27-year-old to deny him a maiden Grand Tour stage win by the narrowest of margins, finishing with a time of 10:57. Joshua Tarling (Netcompany-Ineos), racing just over a week after the death of his brother, Finlay, finished in third place.

A third British rider, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe's Callum Thornley, enjoyed a breakthrough performance in fourth place, just five seconds behind Pogačar.

Pogačar is racing the Vuelta a España for the first time since his Grand Tour debut in 2019, when he finished third. He is looking to complete his Grand Tour set, with the Spanish race being the only three-weeker he is yet to win. Pogačar will wear the leader's red jersey on stage two.

Pogačar's closest overall rival after the opener is his team-mate João Almeida, who sits in 18th, 18 seconds down. Netcompany-Ineos' Carlos Rodriguez is among the next contenders 27 seconds back, while Oscar Onley struggled 50 seconds in arrears. Four-time Vuelta champion Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) finished 22 seconds behind Pogačar, while Giro d'Italia podium finisher Felix Gall (Decathlon-CMA CGM) is 46 seconds down.

"It's a weird feeling to win the time trial on the first stage and by such a small margin. I was not expecting it. I'm really happy. This red is a really nice colour," Pogačar told the media afterwards.

"That 0.09 happened when I passed my apartment because that was the most technical part, and I walk and cycle there every day. Even though it is completely different in the race, still, you race on your home roads, and you know it super well, so that helped me today."

Pogačar is not expecting to hold the race lead from beginning to end, with opportunities in the first week for riders to steal bonus seconds. "Tomorrow, I think, there are some guys who are close in time and can do a breakaway or sprint for bonus seconds, so it's going to be a fight for the red jersey and we can see some shuffle in the GC tomorrow."

How it Happened

On the opening stage of the Vuelta a España, the riders set off from the steps of the world-famous Casino de Monte-Carlo, and it was Tadej Pogačar who had the best hand.

Matthew Brennan (Visma-Leasea Bike) set the early benchmark on a technical course which wound its way past Monaco's yachts and through the Festival International de Monte-Carlo.

Brennan was overcome by a brace of Decathlon-CMA CGM riders before another emerging Briton took to the hot-seat. Callum Thornley of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe completed the 9.4km course in 11:02, the man from Peebles in the Scottish Borders putting in his most impressive time-trial performance to date.

Shortly after, it was the turn of Josh Tarling, racing the Vuelta just over a week after the passing of his brother Finlay Tarling. The Netcompany-Ineos rider finished a second ahead of Thornley in 11:01, with 25 riders still to finish.

Just before the biggest names got underway, another Brit made an impact: national time-trial champion Ethan Hayter. The Soudal-QuickStep rider made it a provisional British 1-2-3 as he became the first man under 11 minutes.

Visma-Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert was the fourth-from-final finisher, but the Belgian was down on the lead at the intermediate split. He finished nine seconds down on Hayter, but may have a chance to move into the red jersey over the coming stages.

Penultimate finisher Tadej Pogačar, the heavy favourite for the overall title, was three seconds behind Hayter at the time split after 5.7km. In the end, he beat Hayter by just a whisker to make the perfect start to his Vuelta challenge.

Four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič was the final rider on the course. The Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider finished in a decent time in 24th on the stage, 22 seconds behind Pogačar.

The Vuelta continues on Sunday with a 214km stage starting in Monaco and finishing in Manosque.

Results

Vuelta a España 2026, stage 1: Monaco > Monaco, 138.3km

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG in 10:57
2. Ethan Hayter (GBr) Soudal-QuickStep, +0.09s
3. Joshua Tarling (GBr) Netcompany-Ineos, +4s
4. Callum Thornley (GBr) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +5s
5. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike, +6s
6. Léo Bisiaux (Fra) Decathlon-CMA CGM, +8s
7. Oscar Chamberlain (Aus) Decathlon CMA-CGM, +9s
8. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike, +9s
9. Finn Fisher-Black (NZe) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +10s
10. Arthur Kluckers (Lux) Tudor, +11s

General Classification after stage 1

1. Tadej Pogačar (Slo) UAE Team Emirates-XRG in 10:57
2. Ethan Hayter (GBr) Soudal-QuickStep, +0.09s
3. Joshua Tarling (GBr) Netcompany-Ineos, +4s
4. Callum Thornley (GBr) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +5s
5. Christophe Laporte (Fra) Visma-Lease a Bike, +6s
6. Léo Bisiaux (Fra) Decathlon-CMA CGM, +8s
7. Oscar Chamberlain (Aus) Decathlon CMA-CGM, +9s
8. Wout van Aert (Bel) Visma-Lease a Bike, +9s
9. Finn Fisher-Black (NZe) Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, +10s
10. Arthur Kluckers (Lux) Tudor, +11s

Two-thirds up the penultimate climb of stage four of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women FDJ United-SUEZ were taking the race to the rest of the field, looking to set up British leader Lauren Dickson. However an unusual uphill crash put an end to the French team’s assault.

It was reigning Tour of Britain Women champion Ally Wollaston who invested the initial work at the foot of the 2.7km Hengoed climb, unleashing an electric pace to stretch out the bunch on the shallow lower slopes.

As things got steeper, the much-talked-about Kate Courtney took over, making her WorldTour debut following her switch to road racing from the mountain bike.

The American champion thinned the group further. However, as the road pitched-up Courtney stood out of the saddle, moving to the left. As she did so, Dickson, on Courtney’s wheel, moved slightly to the right.

The pair made contact and Dickson, sitting ninth coming into the stage and leading the Queen of the Mountains competition, came down alongside several others. Race leader Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) was among more than a dozen held up.

Dickson and the rest who were delayed in the crash made it back to the leaders quickly ahead of the final climb of the stage, Clyro Hill. An attack from Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Le Court-Pienaar had Dickson in trouble.

Chasing back on the descent, Dickson crashed hard on a right-hand bend. Appearing in some pain, the 26-year-old decided to give up the pursuit and dropped out of contention for the General Classification top-10. She finished the stage in 50th place, 3:06 down on the victor Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime), who secured her third win of the race.

Thanks to her aggressive racing in the first three stages, Dickson retains the lead in the Queen of the Mountains competition ahead of the final stage.

“We’d executed the plan perfectly, the girls had led me out into the climb, and we were just about to make contact with the breakaway when there was an unfortunate touch of wheels and we came down," Dickson said after the stage.

“It’s frustrating and slightly sore, but that happens sometimes. Over the last climb we were in a good position, I came down into one of the corners and there was gravel on the exit, and I hit it without seeing it and came straight off.”

“That kind of thing happens but it’s pretty disappointing after the work we’d put in.”

Dickson’s FDJ United SUEZ team-mate Courtney did make it into the front group in Hay-on-Wye. The American sprinted to an impressive fourth place behind winner Wiebes, Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Le Court-Pienaar.

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women concludes on Sunday with a 123.8km stage starting and finishing in Royal Leamington Spa.

No other rider has been able to match Lorena Wiebes in the bunch sprints for some time, but the SD Worx-ProTime rider had to work for her third stage win of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women.

On an aggressive, undulating stage through central Wales, Wiebes did just enough to stay in contention, infiltrating a leading group of seven on the final run-in to Hay-on-Wye which also included race leader Kim Le Court-Pienaar.

As the group swelled in the concluding kilometres, Wiebes fended off the challenge of the AG Insurance-Soudal rider in the sprint as she once again won with clear air between herself and her rivals.

Movistar's Liane Lippert came through for second place with Le Court-Pienaar in third. With a 24-second lead over Lippert, the Mauritian champion looks to have all-but-secured her first WorldTour stage race victory, becoming just the third African rider in history achieve that feat.

The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will conclude on Sunday with a sprint stage in Leamington Spa, an opportunity for Wiebes to add to her win tally.

Stage four was characterised by two categorised climbs in the final 30km, which were targeted as launchpads for attacks. However, the most decisive split happened due to a crash, as FDJ United-SUEZ Lauren Dickson came down after crossing wheels with team-mate Kate Courtney.

The incident meant that around 20 riders were held up, including Le Court-Pienaar. A furious chase and further attacks followed, but in the end it all finished just as Wiebes would have wanted, allowing the Dutchwoman to use her unrivalled sprint to take her 136th career victory.

“The win is out of sight for the GC but we keep on fighting and try to build for another stage victory tomorrow," Wiebes said after the stage.

“It’s already a successful Tour of Britain for us with three stage wins. We of course aim for the GC podium now. I gained four seconds today, so I need to fight for six more.”

How it happened

The 138km fourth stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women between Llanidloes and Hay-on-Wye was among the toughest of the race, with a constantly undulating course through central Wales.

Starting the day with five riders within 1:30 of Le Court-Pienaar’s lead, Lidl-Trek were keen to use their numbers, sending white jersey Fleur Moors on the attack early on. She was caught by Dilyxine Miermont (Picnic-PostNL) and Alessia Vigilia (Uno-X Mobility) with 42km left on an aggressive day of racing.

Going into the final pair of climbs which would provide the decisive test of the stage, the gap to the leaders was down under a minute. FDJ United-SUEZ drilled the pace from the bottom of the climb of Hendoed through reigning champion Ally Wollaston, before American champion Kate Courtney took over in support of Lauren Dickson.

With the peloton stretched out and under pressure there was a crash in the final 500 metres as Dickson crossed wheels with Courtney, holding up Le Court-Pienaar among more than a dozen others. The incident caused a split in the bunch which Le Court-Pienaar quickly closed, but several key riders, including Dickson, Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team l’Imad) and Mischa Bredewold (SD Worx-ProTime), were caught behind.

After a furious chase, the group came back together with 26km and one final climb to go. Attacks flew over the following kilometres, but Le Court-Pienaar appeared serene, effortlessly closing gaps by herself without team-mates to support her.

On the final climb of Clyro Hill, Movistar led out Liane Lippert for an attack, with the race leader in her wheel. Bredewold chased behind for Wiebes to keep the gap honest. Over the top, the chase group had splintered, with a group of five joining the leading pair on the flat run to Hay-on-Wye. Behind, QoM leader Dickson crashed again and gave up the chase in some pain, dropping out of the top-10 overall.

The front seven were working well together but were caught by a pursuing quintet with 5km to go. Another group came back in the final kilometre, making a large front group at the finish.

Wiebes launched her sprint from the front and was initially challenged by Le Court-Pienaar, but there was no stopping the Dutchwoman, who once again proved herself to be the fastest.

Results

Tour of Britain Women 2026, stage 4: Llanidloes > Hay-on-Wye, 138.3km

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime in 3:41:13
2. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar
3. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal
4. Kate Courtney (USA) FDJ United-SUEZ
5. Pfeiffer Georgi (GBr) Picnic-PostNL
6. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad
7. Femke De Vries (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
8. Millie Couzens (GBr) Fenix-Premier Tech
9. Fleur Moors (Bel) Lidl-Trek
10. Josie Talbot (Aus) Liv-AlUla-Jayco, all same time

General Classification after stage 4

1. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal, in 13:59:35
2. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar, +24s
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +29s
4. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco, +39s.
5. Femke De Vries (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +44s
6. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad, +46s
7. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
8. Cecile Uttrup Ludwid (Den) Canyon-SRAM, both s.t.
9. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picnic-PostNL, +56s
10. Riejanne Markus (Ned) Lidl-Trek, +1:06

The Vuelta a España 2026 begins on Saturday, 22 August in Monaco, and will run for three weeks to finish on Sunday, 13 September in Granada, Spain.

The final Grand Tour of the year, it represents the last chance for big name contenders who have so far missed out to redeem their seasons – but the Spanish race has its own character and challenges for fans to enjoy too.

Today, we finally arrive in Spain for a stage which will likely be a battle between the sprinters and breakaway specialists. Heading from Falset, Costa Daurada, to Roquetes, Terres de l’Ebre, the stage is characterised by a few steep climbs, with some incredibly flat sections in between.

The biggest name on the start list is five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who will be looking to complete his set of Grand Tour titles. He is not alone on the start list, however, with Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) among the big GC names taking part.

This year's route is concentrated mostly in eastern and southern Spain, with a denouement in the Sierra Nevada in the final week.

Below, Cycling Weekly has put together all the key information on broadcasters and live streams so you can watch the Vuelta a España wherever you are.

Quick guide to watching the Vuelta a España

• UK: TNT Sports / HBO Max (£30.99/mon) - free highlights on 5
• US: Peacock ($12.99/mon)
• Canada: Flobikes ($49.99/mon)
• Australia: SBS (Free)
• Free live streams: SBS (Australia), RTVE (Spain), VRT (Belgium)
• Anywhere: Watch your local stream from anywhere with NordVPN

Can I watch the Vuelta a España 2026 for free?

Fans across the world from Australia to northern Europe will be happy to learn that there are numerous free streams of the Vuelta a España available this year, thanks to broadcasters in their regions.

In Australia, the race is being shown on TV and online by SBS, the country's public service broadcaster. Streaming is available at SBS On Demand.

In Spain, which is of course the Vuelta's host nation, the race will be free to air on state-owned broadcaster RTVE.

The Vuelta is also free to watch in Belgium, with Flemish-language coverage on VRT and the Sporza website and French coverage on RTBF.

Coverage is geo-restricted, so if you're not in any of these countries right now then you'll need a VPN — more on that below.

How to watch the Vuelta a España while abroad

Most streaming platforms have geo-restrictions these days, which means they only work in certain countries. But being locked out of the races is a thing of the past thanks to a VPN.

A Virtual Private Network is a piece of internet security software that can alter your device's location, so you can unblock your usual streaming services, even when you're abroad.

Want to know more? We have an explainer on the benefits, costs, and considerations of using a VPN...
– Should I use a VPN to watch cycling?

How to watch the Vuelta a España 2026 in the UK

In the UK, the race will be shown live across TNT Sports, Warner Bros. Discovery's premium sports channels, with it being on TNT Sports 1 and 3 depending on the day and the time. Check the schedule here.

The will also be available online and on mobile devices on HBO Max with a package price of £30.99 a month.

There will also be free-to-air Vuelta a España highlights on 5 in the UK during the race, broadcast nightly from 7-8pm.

How to watch the Vuelta a España 2026 in the US and Canada

For North American viewers, this year's coverage of the Vuelta a España is divided across Peacock for those in the US and FloBikes for those in Canada.

Peacock is part of NBC Sports, which comes at $12.99 per month and includes programming from NBC and Bravo.

In Canada, Flobikes is in charge of broadcasting the Vuelta a España 2026. Subscriptions cost CA$49.99 a month, with big savings for long-term plans. The Flobikes TV app is available on Roku, Fire TV, Chromecast and Apple TV, as well as on iOS and Android.

How to watch the Vuelta a España 2026 in Australia

Those in Australia can catch the full Vuelta a España for free on SBS with streaming available via SBS On Demand.

You will need an account with an Australian postcode (e.g. 2026).

What to expect at the Vuelta a España

The Vuelta a España is the final three-week race of the year, following the Giro d'Italia in May and the Tour de France in July. It wasn't always this way round – for the first 60 years of its history the Spanish race was the first Grand Tour on the calendar, before being moved in 1995 with the aim of attracting bigger name riders.

Despite this, it continues to exist in the shadow of its siblings to some extent, but can still feature an impressive start list. This year's is none too shabby, featuring Tadej Pogačar as favourite no less, supported by a very capable team including João Almedia and Jay Vine.

He might be the overwhelming favourite, but there are others to contend with, including Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek).

Also riding are Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos), the Visma-Lease a Bike pair of Wout van Aert and Matthew Brennan, Tour green jersey Mads Pedersen (Lidl-Trek) and KOM in France Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost).

The relentless parcours means the GC contenders will rarely be far from the action from start to finish.

▶︎ Read More: How to watch cycling for free in 2026

2026 Vuelta a España stage start and finish times

2026 Vuelta a España - General Classification

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The Vuelta a España is upon us. The third Grand Tour of the year, it often struggles for the limelight but not this time. The presence of new five-time Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar guarantees a certain amount of attention, despite the fact that it also means the race might be more predictable than it sometimes can be.

Whether the Slovenian romps to victory or not, there is plenty more to look out for in what could be a thrilling three weeks. From the Monaco time trial, to the incessantly hilly-to-mountainous parcours that should keep the entire top-10 on a vigorous simmer, there is unlikely to be much shortage of action.

Pogačar may have enjoyed the most column inches so far, but it's a stacked field featuring some of the biggest stars of the sport. Read on for more, and enjoy the next three weeks.

1. Tadej Pogačar (who else?)

For some time the smart money has been on Tadej Pogačar riding the Vuelta this year, for the first time since 2019. That was only confirmed a few weeks ago, in the wake of his historic fifth Tour de France win.

Having the UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider on board will no doubt offer a huge visibility boost for the race, which often struggles against its Italian and French Grand Tour siblings. The presence of the all-conquering Slovenian could be a mixed blessing for fans though, who are often left both awed by his talent and bored by the predictability of his wins.

If he wins here it would complete the full Grand Tour set for him – just as Jonas Vingegaard's Giro d'Italia win earlier this year did for the Dane. It is an 'if' though. Despite appearances to the contrary, Pogačar is only human. He'll be carrying fatigue from the Tour and remains susceptible to illness, bad days and, unfortunately, crashes.

2. The 'other' GC battle

While much of the talk this coming three weeks is likely to be centred around Pogačar, let's not forget that there is a host of talent lining up behind him. The secondary GC battle, if we can presume to call it that, could be one of the most exciting facets of the race.

Four-time winner Primož Roglič will be present, riding for Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe, but he is still recovering from being hit by a car in training and is unlikely to be at his best.

Likely to be lining up to take on Pogačar alongside Roglič (or even above him) will be Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos), Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM). Brit Onley in particular will be raring to make up for his Tour de France non-selection due to injury, while Tour King of the Mountains winner Carapaz, and Gall who was second on GC at the Giro d'Italia, will both be looking for podium places at least. It should be a good battle, even if it takes place in the wake of Pogačar.

3. Monaco and the Gran Partida

You may be no big fan of motorsports, but there's a good chance you'll be aware of the Monaco Grand Prix – the most iconic event on the Formula One calendar. The principality's streets echo annually to the roar of V6 engines as they circle the city centre course.

The Vuelta's first stage, a 9.4km time trial, will see the riders racing on parts of the famous F1 circuit, including the Mirabeau hairpin overlooking the marina. Ultra-technical and replete with hard turns, the stage is likely to reward skill as much as raw power and should be a treat to watch.

The Vuelta does not enter the host country until stage five. This Gran Partida is a bit different though; after a second stage from Monaco to Manosque in France, the riders make a sizeable transfer across to western France for stage three, from Gruissan to Font Romeo in the Pyrenees. There is then an Andorran stage before the riders finally enter Spain on stage five.

4. The Pandera and more mountain madness

The Sierra de la Pandera, to give it its full name, is a climb that pops up now and then in the Vuelta a España. Notable for its consistently steep slopes, riders including Rafał Majka and, last time out in 2022 Richard Carapaz, have won there.

This year it's the finishing climb for stage 14, and dwarves the rest of the smaller lumps along the 154km parcours. Topping out at 1,820m, its 11.8km, 7.2% stats only tell half the story, for much of its distance is well into double figures in terms of gradient. It should prove a fascinating arena, but it is only one of six mountain-top finishes.

Perhaps the most brutal of these will be the Collado del Alguacil on the penultimate stage. This HC climb measures 8.4km at an eye-watering 9.4% – it's the last climb of the race and comes on a day featuring four other cat-one climbs. Race organisers are clearly hoping that it will host the denouement of the GC. Tadej Pogačar may have other ideas.

5. Wout van Aert's 'unfinished business'

The popular Paris-Roubaix champion is clearly keen to make up for lost time, following the crash that ultimately saw him retire from the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in June.

He finally began racing again at the 2.Pro Tour of Denmark, which he won at a canter, ticking off three out of five stage wins and the points classification along the way.

However, he will be looking forward to testing himself on the big stage, and his fans will be eager to see him do so. The Visma-Lease a Bike rider described the race as "unfinished business" – last time he rode he crashed out on stage 16 after three stage wins. He has even said that he could try for an early spell in the leader's red jersey, although the final GC is unlikely to be on his radar.

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Free-to-air highlights of the Vuelta a España will be shown on 5 in the UK from Saturday, following on from the same practice at this year's Tour de France.

This is the second Grand Tour to be shown on the terrestrial channel formerly known as Channel 5, as part of a deal signed until 2028. Produced by TNT Sports, and hosted by Rebecca Charlton, the first highlights will be shown at 7:30pm on Saturday 22 August, before they are regularly at 7pm each evening for the rest of the race.

Fellow free-to-air channel ITV previously showed Vuelta a España highlights, along with its live Tour coverage, but those rights were not continued. Live coverage in the UK will remain on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with contracts costing £30.99 a month, although it can be purchased for £25.99 a month on a 12-month contract.

When the Tour highlights were announced, Charlton said: "It’s an absolute dream to have the opportunity to bring the racing to life for all of the cycling fans out there as well as guiding some new viewers along for the ride. We’ll be bringing highlights of all of the action as well as telling the stories around the racing and I for one, cannot wait!"

TNT Sports will show every stage live, from start to finish, with the regular The Breakaway show alongside it, hosted by Orla Chennaoui, with Adam Blythe and Matt Stephens as pundits.

In the UK, for the Tour, TNT Sports grew its television audience by +58% year-on-year in its first year of live exclusivity, according to Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).

"After a record-breaking Tour de France that reached and engaged more fans than ever across our platforms, we are proud to bring a monumental Grand Tour season to a fitting conclusion with complete live coverage of La Vuelta a España followed by the UCI Road World Championships," Scott Young, at WBD EVP Sports Europe, said.

"Covering every brutal climb in the battle for the red jersey in Spain, to every sprint in the race for the iconic rainbow jerseys in Montréal, our passionate on-screen expertise, local storytelling and innovative streaming features on HBO Max will give fans across Europe the most comprehensive way to follow the riders, teams and defining moments as another landmark cycling season reaches its climax."

The Vuelta begins on Saturday with a 9.4km individual time trial in Monaco, and ends on Sunday 13 September in Granada.

Former South African road champion S’annara Grove left the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women on Friday after she was provisionally suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA).

The 32-year-old did not start stage three of the Women's WorldTour race after she was handed an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for Ipamorelin, a peptide, by the ITA.

The test was conducted during the Commonwealth Games, where Grove represented South Africa on the track. She was racing this week's Tour of Britain for Smurfit Westrock, a British Continental squad.

The statement from the ITA reads: "The ITA reports that a sample collected during an out-of-competition testing mission conducted by the Commonwealth Sport on 28 July 2026 from S’annara Grove, a rider from South Africa, has returned an AAF for ipamorelin. The test was carried out in the scope of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August 2026.

"Ipamorelin is prohibited under the 2026 WADA Prohibited List as S2. Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics. It is prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) and is a non-specified substance. Ipamorelin is a synthetic peptide used to stimulate the body’s natural production of growth hormone.

"The rider has been informed of the case and, in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and Article 6.2.1 of the UCI Regulations for Results Management, a mandatory provisional suspension has been imposed on the rider. The rider has the right to challenge the provisional suspension and ask for its lifting.

"Given that the case is underway, there will be no further comments made."

Smurfit Westrock team manager Rick Lister shared a statement with Cycling Weekly confirming that Grove was notified of an adverse analytical finding from during her time with her national team.

"As a result, S’annara has been suspended from the team with immediate effect pending the outcome of the relevant testing and appeals process," the statement read.

"The team operates a strict anti-doping policy and is fully committed to promoting clean sport.

"As this is an ongoing process, we are unable comment further at this stage."

The stage that Grove did not start was won by Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) atop the Great Orme on Friday, which moved the Mauritian champion into the race lead.

An untouchable attack on the Great Orme by Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) netted her the stage victory and the GC lead on stage three of the Tour of Britain Women.

Erstwhile leader Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) was unable to live with the pace and slipped backwards on the steepest part of the climb. Second place went to Liane Lippert (Movistar) at 13 seconds, and Caroline Andersson (Liv AlUla Jayco) came in third, another seven seconds back.

Wiebes, who finished 10th, 37 seconds back, is now in third place, though retains her green points jersey.

"It was hard. I wasn't expecting to come so fast into it, we almost had to brake around the corners," said Le Court-Pienaar after the race. "But yeah, it was the plan to go from the bottom and I got a perfect leadout from my teammate Letizia [Borghesi], so I'm really thankful she was here.

"I rode my heart for Gladys [Verhulst-Wild] my teammate, because she crashed out from the race, which was really sad. We came to this race together to redeem ourselves – we crashed out last year together. She's my roommate. I'm very sad she's not here – today was for her.

Asked whether she was confident she could defend her lead over the final two stages, Le Court replied:

"I think you can never be too confident. Last year I had the leader's jersey on day one and day two I crashed out, so I think we have to keep our head on our shoulders, keep positive and keep fighting till the end."

Le Court mounted her attack at the foot of the 2.5km climb, coming out of a severe hairpin that led straight into some of its steepest slopes. It was clearly a pre-planned move, and one which nobody could come close to matching.

Velon stats post-race revealed that Le Court had averaged an impressive 390 watts for the 5:48 duration of her attack. She also averaged 24.2kph on the 6% slopes and posted a maximum power of 820 watts.

Tomorrow's stage four sees the race tackle a meandering, 138km route through mid-Wales, from Llanidloes to Hay-on-Wye. While the final six kilometre run-in is flat, the rest of the day is incessantly lumpy, and Le Court will have to stay on her toes throughout.

Tour of Britain Women 2026, stage 3: Mold > The Great Orme, 104.7km

1. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal, in 2:46:10
2. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar, +13s
3. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco, +20s
4. Femke De Vries (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +21s
5. Cecile Uttrup Ludwid (Den) Canyon-SRAM, +23s
6. Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-SUEZ), +26s
7. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +28s
8. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad, at s.t.
9. Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE L'Imad), +32s
10. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +37s

General Classification after stage 3

1. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal, in 10:18:26
2. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar, +26s
3. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +35s
4. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco, at s.t.
5. Femke De Vries (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike, +40s
6. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad, +42s
7. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
8. Cecile Uttrup Ludwid (Den) Canyon-SRAM, both s.t.
9. Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-SUEZ), +45s
10. Eleonora Gasparrini (UAE L'Imad), +51s

If you were compiling a list of cycling events that could be readily marked down as 'endangered', there's a reasonable chance you'd include 12-hour time trialling in the UK. While it isn't quite in the one-event-per year bracket with its big sibling the '24', events are relatively few and far between.

Sprawling, unwieldy courses, onerous marshal requirements and limited numbers of riders up for the challenge are the most obvious issues that mean event numbers are stuck at around three per season – around half what it was 10 years ago.

However, the multiple new records that came out of last weekend's RTTC National Championships events and, perhaps more importantly the numbers of young riders present, suggest that while it might be a small scene, it's one that continues to thrive.

The provisional results – still being ratified – include competition records for both men's and women's events from the new open and female champions Jake Sargent (Team Bottrill) and Naomi De Pennington (Drag2Zero), both of whom recorded their third consecutive titles and rode to 333.54 and 291.04 miles respectively. There was also a record road bike distance of 303.72 miles from Casper Von Folsach who, impressively, was also second overall. It's the Dane's third such mark of the year, having already set new times for 25 and 100 miles.

As well as the new distances, 10 riders of the 37 finishers were under 40, and 10 were female – one of whom, Helen Stevenson, was a junior. While there's certainly room for improvement, it feels like there's enough interest from women and younger riders to suggest a future.

"I've always said that it's the best event on the calendar," new open champion Sargent told Cycling Weekly, still nursing a 12-hour weary body. "You just don't fully realise it until you've done one. You've got to go through it all and get to the other side… that's something special. That's what I've always said to people. I'd be very sad to see it go."

As with the '24' and other ultra-distance time trials, the community aspect of the '12' was key, Sargent said, made up by not just the riders but groups of helpers too.

"I'd say finishing it is half the story," he said. "It's always more of a community event I find, because everybody – with the exception of the people who do it self-supported, which I think is crazy, the dedication and organisation they must have – but everyone's usually got a little team of two or three or four helpers, and it's it's so much more of an event than some of the shorter distances.

He continued: "In the last hour of 12, when there's people in dinosaur suits on the side of the road screaming your name and cheering you on… you don't get that at the National 10. The difference is quite remarkable in how many people come out to see the last few stragglers finish."

Sargent himself is just 26, and new female champ De Pennington said she was encouraged by the numbers of younger riders taking part.

"We're definitely starting to see some younger people riding the 12. Obviously, I discount myself from that because I'm 49. But there's a few younger women who seem to be getting going with it, which I think is really encouraging."

The smaller size of the field was to be expected to some degree, said De Pennington, who only realised she'd beaten the record after the event when she transposed the kilometres she'd ridden (her favoured metric) to miles.

"Even 10 years ago 12-hour events were accustomed to similar numbers of finishers, except perhaps in the Nationals. But she did allude to the difficulty in finding sufficient marshals, particularly for an event of such duration.

"You know, it's always a struggle for any time trials now to find marshals," she said. "It's the same with our local 10, and people only have to hang out for 25 minutes. So [the 12] requires a lot of people to give up a hell of a lot of their time."

Chair of Cycling Time Trials Tim Smith ostensibly rescued last year's National 24hr Championships from extinction when he took on the organisation. Both the 24-hour and the 'half-day', as it is often called, offer unique challenges, he told Cycling Weekly. In his estimation the '12' would continue to thrive.

"I think the 12-hour is in a really good place at the moment," he said. "Last weekend was a great demonstration of that, with records being set and some really impressive performances across the events. It shows that there is still a real appetite for ultra-distance time trialling and, importantly, that riders are continuing to see what they can achieve over the longer distances.

"I’m very positive about the future of ultra events," he continued. "There’s something quite unique about the challenge of riding for 12 or 24 hours, and I think we’ll continue to see riders pushing the boundaries of what is possible. From the CTT’s perspective, we want to support that and make sure there is a strong platform for these events to develop."

Josh Tarling is to ride the Vuelta a España "in honour of his brother Fin", who died last week in an accident at the Volta a Portugal.

Finlay Tarling died on stage eight of the Portuguese race last Friday, after he was hit by a non-race driver. Just over a week later, his elder brother Josh will start the Vuelta in Monaco on Saturday, having been included on Netcompany-Ineos's roster for the Spanish Grand Tour.

In a press release on Thursday, Ineos director of racing Geraint Thomas said: "It also goes without saying that, as a team, we all fully support Josh in his decision to take part in the race."

Hours later, Tarling's parents, Dawn and Michael, posted on Instagram that he does so with their support too.

"On Saturday Joshua will be riding the Vuelta," they wrote.

"He has chosen to do so in honour of his brother Fin, with the full support of his family, surrounded by a team who have been incredibly supportive of whatever decision he made.

"I could not have wished for two boys who were closer growing up and into adulthood we have watched with pride as Joshua has been the most loving and supportive big brother to Fin. Following this devastating news he has been an incredible strength for us all.

"Finlay was so incredibly proud of his big brother, and would be watching nose to the TV and shouting as he competed.

"So it is right that Josh honours that love."

Josh Tarling will be targeting the Vuelta's two individual time trials, the first of which comes on Saturday, a 9.4km test against the clock in Monaco, and the second of which isn't until stage 18. However, if he gets through the race, he will be among the favourites for the flat 32.1km TT in Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia.

The former European and British time trial champion is yet to win individually on the road in 2026, but has Grand Tour victory experience, taking stage two of last year's Giro d'Italia in Tirana.

A GoFundMe page created in memory of Finlay Tarling, aiming to raise money to support young Welsh riders in the future, has raised over £70,000 in less than a week.

With a peace sign gesture across the line, Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) toasted her second victory in as many days at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women on Thursday.

Stage two from Clitheroe to Blackpool was neutralised for an hour after just 35km of racing due to a road traffic accident further up the route. It restarted with 66km to go, and finished in a bunch sprint on the seafront.

Wiebes opened her winning kick with 250m to go, lashing into a headwind. She held off Maggie Coles-Lyster (Human Powered Health) and Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) to extend her lead in the general classification.

The Dutchwoman, who also won the opening two stages of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift earlier this month, now carries a 14-second advantage over Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) and Le Court-Pienaar into stage three's uphill finish on the Great Orme.

How it happened

A blockage on the route out of Clitheroe meant the riders faced a half-hour delay in the rain at the start of stage two. The first 7.7km were then neutralised, as the peloton followed alternative roads, before rejoining the original course at around 20km, ahead of the 3.3km-long categorised climb of Waddington Fell.

In search of QOM points, Alberte Greve (Uno-X Mobility) and Marta Jaskulska (Human Powered Health) dared to attack the bunch early. The pair were eventually swallowed up just short of the summit, where SD Worx-Protime’s Steffi Häberlin took full honours.

Greve’s team-mate Katrine Aalerud then went solo on the approach to the second categorised climb, Nick o’ Pendle. Nearing the top, however, the Norwegian was met with a red flag, as the stage was halted due to a road traffic accident further up the route.

The stoppage lasted half an hour, during which time the riders waited on the road in the rain, wearing jackets given to them by their team staff.

The stage restarted under an escort from the lead race vehicle, with both the QOM on Nick o’ Pendle, and the intermediate sprint in Whalley neutralised.

An hour on from the initial stoppage, Aalerud was then allowed to restore her 50-second lead, and racing got underway again with 66km to go.

The Uno-X rider continued on her own for another 23km. As the race barrelled towards the coast, she was reeled in by the peloton, and attacks began flying; blows came courtesy of Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL), Alice Towers (Great Britain) and Alessia Vigilia (Uno-X Mobility), until 19-year-old Oda Aune Gissinger (Hitec Products-Fluid Control) managed to strike hard enough to distance the bunch in the pouring rain.

Drawing on the time trial prowess that earned her a bronze medal at the Junior Road World Championships last year, Gissinger grew her gap out to 50 seconds with 10km to go. The sprint trains then accelerated along the Lancashire coast, and halved the Norwegian’s advantage in 4km.

Inside 5km from the line, Gissinger was swept up by the bunch, and the sprint finale began.

Consonni's Canyon-SRAM, Lara Gillespie's UAE Team L'IMAD, and Clara Copponi's Lidl-Trek all tried to force their way to the front for their sprinters, but no team could match the well-drilled finish of SD Worx-Protime, who towed Wiebes away to claim her 17th victory of the season.

Results

Lloyds Tour of Britain Women, stage two: Clitheroe > Blackpool (110km)

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, in 3:29:26
2. Maggie Coles-Lyster (Can) Human Powered Health
3. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mus) AG Insurance-Soudal
4. Nienke Veenhoven (Ned) Visma-Lease a Bike
5. Lara Gillespie (Irl) UAE Team L'IMAD
6. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon-Sram
7. Clara Copponi (Fra) Lidl-Trek
8. Teuntje Beekhuis (Ned) Uno-X Mobility
9. Ally Wollaston (NZl) FDJ United-Suez
10. Juliana Londoño (Col) Picnic PostNL, all at same time

General classification after stage two

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, in 7:32:15
2. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon-Sram, +14s
3. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mus) AG Insurance-Soudal, at same time
4. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'IMAD, +15s
5. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picnic PostNL, +16s

For a professional cyclist, signing a new equipment sponsor is hardly unusual. For Dylan Johnson, signing with a tyre sponsor is different.

The professional gravel racer, coach and YouTuber has spent his career purposefully unattached to any one tyre brand, preferring the freedom to test, scrutinise and race whatever he believed was fastest.

"I purposefully have not had a tyre sponsor for my entire career because I think that tyres are probably the most important equipment choice that gravel cyclists make," Johnson told Cycling Weekly. "And I didn't want to compromise by being beholden to one brand."

That changes now.

Johnson has signed his first tyre sponsorship with Silca as the Indianapolis-based company launches Protocol, its first-ever collection of road and gravel tyres. The contract runs for the remainder of this season and the following two years, Johnson says. But his involvement with the project dates back to 2024 when the brand first approached him.

Johnson is well aware of how the move might look coming from someone whose brand agnosticism has been central to both his racing and his reputation.

"To make this switch, hopefully my audience won't be like, ‘Oh, Dylan finally sold out,’ because I had quite a hand in the development process of these tyres," Johnson said.

"I wouldn't be signing to a tyre company if I didn't think it was the best tyre on the market, genuinely."

It also wasn't a case of Johnson simply being handed a finished product along with a sponsorship contract. He says he was involved from the project’s early stages, testing prototypes and providing feedback on everything from tyre volume and casing construction to ride feel and tread patterns.

That distinction matters for a rider who has built a considerable following by obsessing over equipment choices.

When we interviewed Johnson in early 2025, he described himself as an "optimiser", interested in finding the lightest, most aerodynamic and most efficient set-up possible. And his willingness to question conventional gravel equipment put him at the forefront of the gravel discipline's move toward much larger tyres.

After his own real-world and wind-tunnel experiments, Johnson turned to large-volume, thin-casing cross-country mountain bike tyres for gravel racing long before it became trendy. He argued that, counterintuitively, those tyres could roll faster over rough gravel while offering better puncture protection than many conventional gravel tyres.

Johnson remembers 2024 as the season when the wider trend took hold.

"2024 was the year when U.S. gravel racers made the switch from 45s to mountain bike tyres," he said. At Mid South early that season, he recalls only a handful of racers making the choice. By Big Sugar that fall, "it seemed like nearly everybody that could fit mountain bike tyres on their gravel bike was on mountain bike tyres."

The bike industry has quickly caught up. Tyre clearance has continued to grow across recent gravel launches, with most 2026 releases easily accommodating mountain-bike-sized rubber. Specialized’s latest Diverge and Crux clear a 55mm tyre, for example, while Factor’s new Sarana goes to 57mm and the new Open W.I.D.E clears a gargantuan 66mm.

For Johnson, being sponsor-free had been central to his experimentation, and his tyre choices changed according to the course: a Continental Race King for rougher events, a Schwalbe Thunder Burt for courses where lower rolling resistance took priority, and a narrower gravel tyre only when a course contained enough pavement to alter the equation.

So when Silca approached him for input back in 2024, Johnson says his demands of a gravel tyre were clear. He wanted significant volume combined with a thinner casing, essentially retaining the lessons that had drawn him towards XC tyres in the first place.

"It needs to be wide, probably 55 millimetres, and it needs to be a thinner casing than most of these gravel tyres are," Johnson recalls telling Silca. The response, he says, was that this was already exactly the direction the company was pursuing.

Meet SILCA's Protocol line of tyres

Rather than starting with a traditional road-tyre construction and adding more material and volume for gravel, Silca says it worked from the principles of cross-country mountain bike tyres towards a high-efficiency gravel platform. The company calls it an "inverse proportional" design approach: pairing larger tyre volumes with thinner, high-density 120 TPI casings.

At modern, lower inflation pressures, Silca claims the construction allows the casing to deflect around impacts more effectively, with the aim of reducing rolling resistance and weight without compromising puncture protection.

"For years, the industry approached gravel tyres by just slapping thick, heavy rubber onto traditional road tyre carcasses," said Silca CEO Joshua Poertner.

"By optimising casing ply angles, tread profiles, and material science together, we've created a tyre platform that is faster, lighter, and more supple without sacrificing durability."

Silca's entry into the tyre market consists of three gravel models and one road tyre.

• Protocol RCG-1 for fast hardpack and mixed-surface gravel
• Protocol RCG-3 for all-around rough-terrain gravel
• Protocol RCG-4 for adventure, mud and loose trail
• Protocol RCR for high-volume road

Silca positions the Protocol RCG-1 as its fastest gravel option, intended for smoother hardpack and mixed-surface courses. It pairs a low, ramped directional centre tread with taller side knobs intended to add bite as the bike leans into a corner.

The RCG-3 moves towards rougher gravel, with tightly spaced centre knobs that increase in size towards the shoulder and additional puncture protection beneath the tread. Silca positions it for demanding, rougher courses such as Unbound and Big Sugar.

For mud, sand, loose rock and more adventure-oriented riding, the RCG-4 gets considerably more aggressive, widely spaced lugs, along with bead-to-bead puncture protection.

Finally, there is the Protocol RCR, a high-volume road tyre. Silca says the RCR similarly uses increased air volume for impact absorption rather than relying on additional layers of rubber. The 29mm version is optimised around modern 25mm-internal hookless rims, while the 38mm model maximises volume within UCI regulations.

Across the Protocol range, Silca uses its new Pulsar rubber compound, carbon-fibre beads and size-specific rim compatibility. The company says its casing geometry and asymmetric tread designs are intended to minimise energy losses while improving stability, braking and cornering grip.

For Johnson, however, the spec sheet alone wasn’t enough.

He says Silca has put the tyres through both rolling-resistance and puncture-resistance testing, the two factors he personally considers most important for gravel, using both indoor and outdoor methods.

"They did drum testing and then John Karrasch, who does all the outdoor testing, he has done outdoor testing," Johnson said. "So it's been tested indoors and outdoors."

Karrasch’s testing provides an increasingly popular counterpoint to traditional laboratory drum tests. His outdoor work uses the Chung, or Virtual Elevation, method to calculate rolling resistance on pavement and several grades of actual gravel. Some tyres that perform quickly on a drum remain fast on real-world, off-road conditions, while others do not.

During the past year-and-a-half, Johnson has also experienced the less glamorous side of product development, riding prototypes through multiple iterations – some better than others. The final versions, he says, have resolved any issues he encountered along the way.

"I think the tyres feel great," he said, describing the handling as predictable and the traction in line with what he would expect from the tread designs.

The RCG-1 and RCG-3 have now effectively replaced Johnson’s previous two favourite race options. The Schwalbe Thunder Burt had been replaced with the RCG-1. And for chunkier terrain, higher puncture risk and races where cornering traction matters more, the RCG-3 takes over from the Continental Race King.

There is, inevitably, reputational risk in that declaration.

"I do realise the risk of signing a tyre deal after I've been Mr Tire Agnostic Guy for so long," he said. "I hope my audience can recognise this."

His own involvement aside, Johnson's confidence comes partly from watching Silca enter product categories in which it previously had little experience, pointing specifically to the company’s chain wax and tubeless sealant. That track record, he says, made him more comfortable racing on a first-generation tyre from a company that had never previously made one.

Ultimately, though, his argument is simpler: no sponsorship cheque is worth using equipment that he believes could cost him a result.

"It's not worth a paycheck to be on an inferior product to me," Johnson said. "For me personally, it's not worth a paycheck to be on a product that's gonna cost me race results down the line."

To that end, he left us with one final endorsement:

“I've not punctured a Silca tyre yet."

The Silca Protocol range is priced at $99 USD / £99 / €119 / $149 CAD / $159.95 AUD and is now available from Silca’s website and select retailers.

The Hunt Summer Sale is currently running, and the UK brand is offering some of its biggest savings yet, slashing prices by up to 40%. Huge discounts span across the majority of the Hunt lineup, from the best road bike wheels to top-rated gravel options.

Shop the Hunt Summer Sale and save up to 40%.

Our expert testers have put the majority of Hunt wheels to the test and have always rated them highly. Many have also ridden away with Editors' Choice awards.

Hunt has arguably improved its range by advancing aerodynamic engineering, introducing recyclable materials, and refining front- and rear-specific designs for better durability and compliance.

Below you'll find all the highlighted deals from the Hunt road-and-gravel wheel sale. Hunt has also dropped an extra 10% off on selected wheels, which is applied at checkout. If you're looking for a hassle-free setup, you can purchase some of the best road and gravel tyres when buying your wheels, and they also have up to 40% off.

Hunt will even ship them set up tubeless and good to go for an additional fee.

With some marked as limited stock and the sale ending soon, we'd suggest that if you have your eye on a wheelset, you pull the trigger fast.

Hunt Summer Sale - Road Wheelset Deals

Hunt Summer Sale - Gravel Wheelset Deals

The highlighted deals are from the UK Hunt Summer Sale, but for those in the US, the Hunt Summer Sale has plenty of equally appealing discounts. Hunt also utilises a dedicated domestic US warehouse, so shipping times are fast, and items do not face customs or high import fees.

To sweeten the deals further, Hunt also has a 60-day Ride and Return policy. It means you can ride your wheels for up to 60 days from the date of receipt and return them for a full refund or product swap (see Terms for more details).

Below you'll also find the best prices on Hunt wheels from other retailers, relevant to your currency and location.

Stage two of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women was neutralised for an hour on Thursday due to a road traffic accident further up the race route.

The stage was stopped with 73.5km to go, as the riders approached the summit of the second climb of the day, Nick o' Pendle, where Uno-X Mobility's Katrine Aalerud led solo with a 50-second advantage.

The Norwegian rider was shown a red flag on the road by a member of the race organisation, and ground to a halt. The same message then reached the chasing bunch, allowing the peloton to come back together so riders could receive jackets from their team cars.

After half an hour waiting in the rain, the stage continued under an escort from the lead race vehicle. It was announced that both the QOM on Nick o' Pendle and the intermediate sprint that followed would be neutralised, with no points given.

The race restarted with 66km to go, on the line of the intermediate sprint in Whalley, an hour after the initial stoppage. Aalerud was allowed to leave ahead of the peloton to restore her 50-second lead.

In a statement published on social media, the Lloyds Tour of Britain said: "A road traffic accident which happened ahead of the convoy has led to the race [being] neutralised. As a result, the second Queen of the Mountain climb has been cancelled.

"Organisers would like to thank the teams, riders, police and local authorities for their assistance and cooperation during the disruption to the race."

Rolling road closures are in place at the Tour of Britain Women, meaning police motorcyclists secure the route for the convoy to pass through. No riders were affected by the road traffic accident, which occurred on an open stretch of the route ahead of the race.

The start of Thursday's stage two was also delayed half an hour due to a "blockage" on the race route. The riders took a diversion out of Clitheroe, before rejoining the original course around 20km in.

Stage two is now due to finish in Blackpool around 4pm.

Australian rider Maeve Plouffe said she was “nearly hit” by a non-race car driver on Wednesday’s opening stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women.

The 27-year-old, who rides for British Continental team O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes, said the incident happened as she was chasing back to the peloton after she was dropped following a puncture.

She wrote on Instagram that she was less than two minutes adrift of the race convoy when non-race vehicles started “coming at me from all directions, including one that nearly hit me on a roundabout”.

Plouffe’s comments come less than a week after 19-year-old British rider Finlay Tarling was killed at the Volta a Portugal when he was struck by a non-race vehicle driver that had entered the course.

Tarling was one of three riders at the back of the race when the collision happened on a downhill bend. The circumstances of his death triggered widespread outcry, with the riders’ union, the CPA, saying they were “furious that even today it is still not possible to prevent such serious accidents”.

Plouffe did not finish stage one of the Tour of Britain Women, and has now had to withdraw from the race. Her post on Instagram stories read: “A badly timed puncture ended up becoming a 30+ minute chase. I fought and I fought really, really hard, but you can only do so much alone on a course like that.

“On a side note, while the race convoy was still in sight, and I was less than two minutes down, there were cars from the general public coming at me from all directions, including one that nearly hit me on a roundabout.

“Later on, the moto escort was wonderful and I felt much safer. But considering the recent devastating events in our cycling community, it’s scary to see situations like this, when we know that this can have horrific consequences, especially so soon after suffering such a tragedy.”

Like most UCI-sanctioned road races, the Tour of Britain Women operates rolling road closures, whereby a police escort is meant to secure the route until all riders and race cars have passed through.

In a statement provided to Cycling Weekly, Jonathan Day, events director of British Cycling Ventures, said: "We note Maeve Plouffe's comments about her experience during yesterday's race, and we're taking these extremely seriously.

"Rider safety is paramount and will always be treated as a priority in our planning and how we operate any race. We're reviewing what happened with Maeve and her team O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes with the seriousness and empathy these comments demand.

"We recognise this comes at an especially difficult time for the cycling community, so we want to reassure all riders, teams and fans of the sport at this time of how serious we are treating these comments."

There have been several instances of public car drivers entering courses in recent years, notably at the 2023 Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées and last year’s Étoile de Bessèges, at both of which teams pulled out due to safety concerns.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly ahead of stage one of the Tour of Britain Women, and therefore before the incident Plouffe cited, race director Alice Wood said rider safety was at the forefront of the organisers minds following Tarling’s death.

“The safety of the riders is what's really important and we need to make sure that we're keeping the back of the race safe as well,” Wood said.

“When I was racing it was something that I was always thinking about. I was dropped too many times, so I was one of those riders that was distanced… Unless we are the Tour de France, where you can shut down roads and have full road closure, you can't cover every road, every junction, every farm track, every driveway. It's really difficult to do.”

Cycling Weekly has contacted British Cycling, the organisers of the Tour of Britain Women, for a response to Plouffe’s comments.

The five-day Tour of Britain Women continues on Thursday with a 110km stage to Blackpool. Wednesday's opening stage was won by Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime), who currently leads the race.

It’s not unusual to see footage of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani cycling around the mean streets of the Big Apple, decked out in his dapper suit and tie, while wearing his trademark winning smile, but one thing has been notably missing: a bike helmet.

And, as you can imagine, critics have been quick to take to social media to point out that the 34-year-old politician – a renowned master communicator and pin-up member of the influencer generation – is setting a very bad example by riding around without proper head protection.

“Where is your helmet Mr Mayor?” yells a typical commentator.

Just like in the UK, in New York it’s not a legal requirement for recreational or commuting cyclists to wear a helmet – unless they’re under the age of 14 or working as a delivery rider – but instead of ignoring the criticism or going on the defensive, Mamdani has listened to it, taken the advice on board, and very publicly purchased himself a lid.

In a video posted on Instagram, he responds to the chastising comments by saying: “You’re right. I’ve got to do better.” He is then shown unboxing a brand new bike helmet, putting it on his head and saying: “Safety first, New York. See you out there”

So rare is it for a politician to be seen to admit their mistakes, that the post has gone viral and has likely done more to encourage helmet wearing than any public safety campaign could possibly have hoped to have done.

In cycling circles, both in Britain and the United States, the helmet debate rages on. Those in favour point to evidence demonstrating that head protection drastically reduces the risk of serious injury or death in the event of a crash or a collision with a car. On the otherhand, people who are against making helmets mandatory - incuding Chris Boardman – say such laws discourage cycling (especially when it comes to city bike-share programs) and argue that helmets can dehumanise cyclists and even make drivers behave less cautiously.

Our resident riding guru Dr Hutch takes a liberal approach to the issue, but with reasonably decent helmets being available at an affordable price, it makes sense to protect your head as much as possible.

After the death of 19-year-old British rider Finlay Tarling at the Volta a Portugal last week, sports directors and race organisers at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women have called for improved safety standards across the UCI calendar.

Sports directors Lars Boom and Magnus Bäckstedt, along with the Tour's race director Alice Wood, spoke to Cycling Weekly at the beginning of the 2026 edition, where a minute’s reflection and applause was held before the start of stage one in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth.

Each called for greater safety while recognising the complexity of regulating elite road racing across the globe.

“More can always be done in terms of safety, that's always going to be the case, we can always push more and do more to improve the safety of the bike race,” said Human Powered Health sports director Bäckstedt. His daughters Zoe and Elynor – both in WorldTour teams and competing at the Tour of Britain Women – raced alongside Finlay Tarling and and his older brother Josh (Netcompany-Ineos) as youngsters in Wales.

“I think we're in a position where we're never going to be able to do things fast enough, and when tragedies happen we always go, ‘We should have thought of that, we could have done that.’ It's always a what if, and I think definitely more can be done and should be done, but it's how we do that.

“Ultimately, road racing, we're always going to deal with traffic, we're always going to deal with the road conditions, speeds are always going to be high, that's just the reality of the sport and unfortunately with all those combined, very unfortunate accidents do happen.

“But it shouldn't take our focus away from pushing to improve the safety and improve the courses and make sure that we have the safest courses possible available. We don't always need to go up the steepest climbs and down the steepest descents. The road: is it wide enough to put 160 bike riders on it? All these questions. We can always do more.

“Unfortunately, accidents do happen and it's a tragedy when they do.”

A former rider’s turned race director's perspective

Former WorldTour racer Alice Wood has taken on race director responsibility for the Tour of Britain Women this year, having retired from professional racing in 2024.

She says that she has been able to bring a rider’s perspective to the race organisation, with a particular focus on protecting dropped riders, having experienced the danger of traffic on the course during her career. British Cycling has increased its investment in marshalling and safety vehicles this year for both the women's and men's Tours of Britain.

“The safety of the riders is what's really important and we need to make sure that we're keeping the back of the race safe as well, obviously with what happened last week with Fin Tarling,” Wood told Cycling Weekly before the start of stage one.

“When I was racing it was something that I was always thinking about. I was dropped too many times, so I was one of those riders that was distanced… Unless we are the Tour de France, where you can shut down roads and have full road closure, you can't cover every road, every junction, every farm track, every driveway. It's really difficult to do.

“We have more resources than we've ever had on the race and that will have to improve year on year because there's more that's coming into play. There's more traffic furniture, there's more drivers, there's also unfortunately more ignorant drivers as well, so we just need to make sure that the riders are also aware.

“When I took up this role that was something I was thinking about the most... It's something that we'll never stop talking about.”

Consistency

Each nation where racing takes place has its own style of road, differing road furniture and changing attitudes towards bike racing.

A major challenge for the UCI to tackle as it looks to address road racing safety concerns is to enforce its regulations across these varying contexts says FDJ United-SUEZ sports director Lars Boom.

“I think in some countries we are, in some countries we aren't. And I think that's the whole point,” told Cycling Weekly when asked whether enough is being done to improve safety standards.

“I think you see many countries and many organisations try to do everything to make it really, really safe. They block the road with volunteers and stuff like that. Also, in some races that sometimes doesn't happen.”

“Also [there are] some moments that things happen, that there's a car coming on the road…You can say a lot about it, but it's really, really terrible that it happened, of course, [but] it always can happen. It's difficult.”

Two members of the Milligan University collegiate cycling team were killed while on a training ride in Hampton, Tennessee, on the morning of 19 August.

Eleven of the team's riders were out on a morning training ride when a car driver struck them. The incident occurred around 8 a.m. on Highway 19E, just east of Johnson City.

In a video message to the public, Milligan University president Stephen Waers shared that Sophomores Haylan Engdahl and Brayden Rogers were killed; seven other students were injured and taken to hospital. Four remained in critical condition.

The investigation is ongoing, but it's been reported that the driver, John Benfield, 69, of North Carolina, was taken into custody and charged with two counts of vehicular homicide by recklessness and five counts of aggravated assault by vehicle.

Milligan's collegiate cycling team won the men’s team time trial national championship at the U.S.A. Cycling Collegiate Road Nationals in Madison, Wisconsin, this past May.

"We are profoundly shocked and saddened to share that members of our cycling team were in an accident involving a vehicle this morning while cycling in Hampton, TN," the University said in a statement.

"There are no words to adequately describe this level of loss. Our prayers are with all those impacted by this tragedy. Please keep the Milligan community in your prayers."

Milligan University alumnus and multi-time national champion, Ama Nsek, took to Instagram to express his sadness and frustration.

"When's it going to end?" he asked in a tearful message. "Two cyclists killed. Two kids killed, and five in the hospital. It's so sad that we live in a world where we can't just ride our bikes in peace. I've seen so many cyclists get killed or heavily injured by negligent drivers, and it's just really sad. It's really frustrating."

Handsling Alba Development Road rider Arabella Blackburn’s first ever Lloyds Tour of Britain Women stage was an eventful affair.

On the 158.9km stage starting and finishing in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, the 18-year-old made it into the breakaway alongside Picnic PostNL’s Audrey de Keersmaeker before being stung by a wasp and dropping back to the peloton.

The Scot eventually finished the race down in 96th place, 12 minutes behind winner Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime).

“I'm just cycling along and suddenly get a really sharp pain in my leg and I was like: that's quite unpleasant,” Blackburn told Cycling Weekly while warming down after the stage.

“I looked down, there's this thing just stinging me,” she continued. “I had to flick it off and it must have left a sting in me or something because it just kept throbbing and throbbing and throbbing. I did ask for some antihistamine, but I never got that. So, I just kind of bit my lip and kept going, but it's quite painful.”

Blackburn continued with De Keersmaeker for a while longer, before being dropped by the rider who went on to claim the Queen of the Mountains classification for the day.

Racing for more than four hours, the opening day of the race was Blackburn’s longest in her career. Recently second place in the Curlew Cup, Blackburn only turns 19 in December.

“It was quite painful. I was just kind of suffering quite a bit… It's my longest race, so it's just been a really hard day out on the bike… I think I might have been stung once before, but I've never had it that painful before. So yeah, first time for everything,” she added.

The teenager is one of Great Britain’s brightest young talents and shone at last year’s Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.

While this is the biggest and hardest race of her career to date, Blackburn is keen to show her face at the front of the peloton in the rest of the race.

“I think I'd like to get in some more breakaways this week,” Blackburn said. “I think that's a nice way to approach the race and I don't just want to sit in the bunch and roll around. I'd rather actually go and do some racing.”

“It was really nice to be off the front and all the crowds were amazing when I was out there.”

The two pre-eminent mountain bike racers in men's road racing are about to be reunited on fat tyres for the first time since 2023.

Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Premier Tech) are set to ride the Whoop UCI MTB World Cup round at Les Gets in France this weekend, with the XCO taking place on Sunday. It will be the first time the pair have raced mountain bikes against each other since the test event for the Paris Olympic Games in September 2023. On that occasion neither rider placed highly, with Van der Poel 28th and Pidcock 36th.

The Mountain Bike World Championships will be held the following weekend at Val di Sole, Italy, with both riders expected to race there too.

Of the two, only Pidcock, the two-time MTB Olympic champion, has raced MTB already this year. He won the Nové Město round of the World Cup in the Czech Republic back in May, as well as coming second in the short-track event there. Pidcock is a former world champion.

The Dutchman, on the other hand, has not raced on knobblies this year. His last race was the World Championships last September. On that occasion he finished well down the pack after a promising start, afterwards he blamed illness, saying: "I haven't been feeling well for a while."

Away from the mountain bike, Van der Poel has enjoyed a successful season this year, kicking it off with victory in the Cyclo-Cross World Championships in Hulst, Netherlands. He also netted a brace of Tour de France stage wins in July, including on the final day in Paris, when he escaped with overall winner Tadej Pogačar and held off the chasing field by a whisker. It was, he said afterwards, "something you wouldn't even write in a story book".

Pidcock, too, has enjoyed his high points this season, if in a less flamboyant manner. After taking a somewhat ad hoc approach to his Tour de France, he recorded a personal best ninth on GC in Paris, as well as taking two third places on stages. Away from the Tour, he took second place in Milan-San Remo, a whisker behind Pogačar, and won a handful of smaller races, Milan-Torino the most prestigious.

In light of the upcoming Worlds, whether they will leave everything on the trail this weekend remains to be seen, but it will be a treat to see these MTB masters racing against each other again.

Lorena Wiebes sprinted to victory at the end of a tough Lloyds Tour of Britain Women stage one in Cockermouth after a chaotic finale.

Her SD Worx-Protime team were active throughout Wednesday's opening stage, ensuring that their star woman was in the right place to win at the end. It was not the enormous margin of victory that Wiebes is normally used to, but it was still a dominant victory ahead of Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) and Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL).

Multiple attacks in the last 40km of the day briefly looked to break what was left of the peloton up, but nothing stuck, with Wiebes being present at the end to take her eighth Tour of Britain stage. SD Worx were in control, with five riders in the bunch of 32 which made it to the line.

Having won the stage, Wiebes went into the green leader's jersey, four seconds ahead of Consonni, thanks to bonus seconds, with Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team L'IMAD) in third, a second further back, due to bonus seconds picked up earlier in the day.

"Lotte [Kopecky] brought Mischa [Bredewold] and me perfectly into the final corner with around 500 metres to go," Wiebes said post-race. "Mischa then kept the speed high, and with 200 metres remaining I was able to launch my sprint. It was executed really well.

"It’s a really nice way to start the Tour of Britain, especially compared to last year. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going over the next few days."

Her sports director Christian Kos said: "Perfect teamwork today, and we’re very happy with the result. A great start to the Tour of Britain."

How it happened

A flurry of attacks kickstarted the day, but the bunch was kept together for the early intermediate sprint, where bonus seconds were taken by Karlijn Swinkels and Lara Gillespie (UAE Team L’IMAD) and Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal).

An attack from Handsling Alba Development’s Arabella Rosalie Blackburn was followed by Audrey De Keersmaeker (Picnic PostNL) to establish the day’s break. Blackburn was caught with 56km to go, while De Keersmaeker remained out front.

With 36km to go on Parsonby Brow, the peloton approached De Keersmaeker but the group was strung out, potentially distancing some. The last rider in the breakaway was caught just over the top of the climb. Le Court-Pienaar was a regular presence at the front of the race, but Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) still refused to be dropped.

The attacks did not stop coming in the final 16km, with Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL) and Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-Zuez) trading blows in an attempt to break the race up. Next was Kate Courtney (FDJ United SUEZ), but there was not quite enough in the course to cause defined selections.

A group of four escaped with 13km to go, formed of the SD Worx-Protime duo of Mischa Bredewold and Steffi Häberlin, with Aude Biannic (Movistar) and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek). However, this was quickly shut down, with Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Le Court-Pienaar starting the next move. A group of around 10 briefly separated off the front but what was left of the peloton reeled them in once again, with 9.4km to go.

With 2km to go, what was left of the bunch was all together, read for a mass sprint in Cockermouth, with SD Worx in control on the descent into the town. Georgi was present to help her teammate Josie Nelson, but nothing could stop the SD Worx surge, with Wiebes predictably prevailing.

Results

Lloyds Tour of Britain Women 2026 stage one: Cockermouth > Cockermouth

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, in 4:03:09
2. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon-SRAM
3. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picnic PostNL
4. Quinty Ton (Ned) Liv AlUla Jayco
5. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco
6. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) AG Insurance-Soudal
7. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad
8. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar
9. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
10. Fleur Moors (Bel) Lidl-Trek, all at same time

General classification after stage one

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, in 4:02:59
2. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon-SRAM, +4s
3. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad, +5s
4. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picnic PostNL, +6s
5. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +7s
6. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal, +8s
7. Quinty Ton (Ned) Liv AlUla Jayco, +10s
8. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco
9. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) AG Insurance-Soudal
10. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar, all at same time

With the Tour de France still recent enough that it can still be glimpsed in the rear-view mirror, it's time for the third and final men's Grand Tour of the season – the Vuelta a España.

While it so often plays a subordinate role to its French and Italian counterparts, this year it finds itself in the limelight thanks to the participation of recent Tour winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). It's only his second participation, and the first since 2019, when he was still a mere mortal, albeit one for whom the future looked starry.

Victory here would mean he has won every Grand Tour – a feat achieved by his closest rival Jonas Vingegaard earlier this season. Visma-Lease a Bike's Vingegaard will not be challenging the Slovenian at the Vuelta, but he will face opposition from other quarters.

Four-time Vuelta winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) leads the challengers, who also boast Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos), Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost) in their ranks.

Against Pogačar they know they have a dizzying task, but he is human like the everyone else on the start list, and carrying the mental and physical fatigue of a recent Tour de France victory. Anything could happen.

Read on for the full startlist, with all teams confirmed. There are 23 teams with 184 riders at the race, so eight per squad.

Tour de France 2026 start list

Alpecin-Premier Tech
Ramses Debruyne (Bel, 23)
Kaden Groves (Aus, 27)
Michael Gogl (Aut, 31)
Francesco Busatto (Ita, 23)
Sente Sentjens (Bel, 20)
Lindsay De Vylder (Bel, 31)
Gal Glivar (Svn, 24)
Hugo Houle (Can, 35)

Bahrain Victorious
Pello Bilbao (Esp, 36)
Santiago Buitrago (Col, 26)
Roman Ermakov (Svn, 21)
Pau Miquel (Esp, 25)
Matevž Govekar (Svn, 26)
Jakob Omrzel (Svn, 20)
Mathijs Paasschens (Ned, 30)
Attila Valter (Hun, 28)

Decathlon CMA CGM
Léo Bisiaux (Fra, 21)
Oscar Chamberlain (Aus, 21)
Sander De Pestel (Bel, 27)
Felix Gall (Aut, 28)
Jordan Labrosse (Fra, 23)
Gregor Mühlberger (Aut, 32)
Matthew Riccitello (USA, 24)
Callum Scotson (Aus, 30)

EF Education-EasyPost
Richard Carapaz (Ecu, 33)
James Shaw (Gbr, 30)
Vincenzo Albanese (Ita, 29)
Markel Beloki (Esp, 21)
Alastair Mackellar (Aus, 25)
Darren Rafferty (Irl, 23)
Georg Steinhauser (Ger, 25)
Juan Felipe Rodriguez (Col, 25)

Groupama-FDJ United
Guillaume Martin (Fra, 33)
Olivier Le Gac (Fra, 33)
Rudy Molard (Fra, 36)
Clément Berthet (Fra, 29)
Bastien Tronchon (Fra, 24)
Enzo Paleni (Fra, 23)
Valentin Madouas (Fra, 29)
Rémy Rochas (Fra, 30)

Jayco-AlUla
Paul Double (Gbr, 30)
Finlay Pickering (Gbr, 22)
Alessandro Covi (Ita, 27)
Asbjørn Hellemose (Den, 27)
Jasha Sütterlin (Ger, 33)
Hamish McKenzie (Nzl, 21)
Koen Bouwman (Ned, 32)
Rudy Porter (Aus, 25)

Lidl-Trek
Mattias Skjelmose (Den, 25)
Mads Pedersen (Den, 30)
Thibau Nys (Bel, 23)
Julien Bernard (Fra, 34)
Lennard Kämna (Ger, 29)
Patrick Konrad (Aut, 34)
Jacopo Mosca (Ita, 33)
Mathias Norsgaard (Den, 29)

Lotto-Intermarché
Jarno Widar (Bel, 20)
Lars Craps (Bel, 23)
Luca Van Boven (Bel, 26)
Vito Braet (Bel, 25)
Steffen De Schuyteneer (Bel, 21)
Lorenzo Rota (Ita, 31)
Roel Van Sintmaartensdijk (Ned, 25)
Reuben Thompson (Nzl, 25)

Movistar
Orluis Aular (Ven, 29)
Enric Mas (Esp, 31)
Cian Uijtdebroeks (Bel, 23)
Iván Romeo (Esp, 23)
Carlos Canal (Esp, 25)
Jorge Arcas (Esp, 34)
Raúl García Pierna (Esp, 25)
Pablo Castrillo (Esp, 25)

Netcompany-Ineos
Jack Haig (Aus, 32)
Lucas Hamilton (Aus, 30)
Axel Laurance (Fra, 25)
Oscar Onley (Gbr, 23)
Carlos Rodríguez (Esp, 25)
Embret Svestad-Bardseng (Nor, 23)
Josh Tarling (GBr, 22)
Ben Turner (GBr, 27)

NSN Cycling
George Bennett (Nzl, 36)
Jan Hirt (Cze, 35)
Hugo Hofstetter (Fra, 32)
Moritz Kretschy (Ger, 23)
Alexey Lutsenko (Kaz, 33)
Pau Martí (Esp, 21)
Nick Schultz (Aus, 32)
Floris Van Tricht (Bel, 25)

Picnic PostNL
Guillermo Juan Martinez (Col, 21)
Mattia Gaffuri (Ita, 27)
Chris Hamilton (Aus, 31)
Henri-François Renard-Haquin (Fra, 23)
Timo De Jong (Ned, 27)
Gijs Leemreize (Ned, 26)
Oliver Peace (Gbr, 21)
Timo Roosen (Ned, 33)

Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe
Primož Roglič (Slo, 36)
Gianni Vermeersch (Bel, 33)
Luke Tuckwell (Aus, 21)
Finn Fisher-Black (Nzl, 24)
Jordi Meeus (Bel, 27)
Gianni Moscon (Ita, 32)
Callum Thornley (Gbr, 24)
Frederik Wandahl (Den, 24)

Soudal Quick-Step
Fabio Van Den Bossche (Bel, 25)
Steff Cras (Bel, 30)
Alberto Dainese (Ita, 28)
Gianmarco Garofoli (Ita, 23)
Ethan Hayter (Gbr, 27)
Filippo Zana (Ita, 27)
Mikel Landa (Esp, 36)
Valentin Paret-Peintre (Fra, 25)

UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Tadej Pogačar (Slo, 27)
João Almeida (Por, 28)
Jay Vine (Aus, 30)
Pavel Sivakov (Fra, 29)
Pablo Torres (Esp, 20)
Kevin Vermaerke (USA, 25)
Ivo Oliveira (Por, 29)
Domen Novak (Slo, 31)

Uno-X Mobility
Tobias Halland Johannessen (Nor, 26)
Andreas Kron (Den, 28)
Fredrik Dversnes (Nor, 29)
Rasmus Tiller (Nor, 30)
Magnus Cort (Den, 33)
Simon Dalby (Den, 25)
Martin Tjøtta (Nor, 25)
Andreas Leknessund (Nor, 27)

Visma-Lease a Bike
Wout Van Aert (Bel, 31)
Matthew Brennan (Gbr, 21)
Jørgen Nordhagen (Nor, 21)
Ben Tulett (Gbr, 24)
Steven Kruijswijk (Ned, 39)
Christophe Laporte (Fra, 33)
Bruno Armirail (Fra, 32)
Sepp Kuss (USA, 31)

XDS-Astana
Henok Mulubrhan (Eri, 26)
Harold Tejada (Col, 29)
Cristián Rodríguez (Esp, 31)
Lorenzo Fortunato (Ita, 30)
Victor Langellotti (Mco, 31)
Darren Van Bekkum (Ned, 24)
Yevgeniy Fedorov (Kaz, 26)
Alessandro Romele (Ita, 22)

Cofidis
Bryan Coquard (Fra, 34)
Emanuel Buchmann (Ger, 33)
Alexis Renard (Fra, 27)
Alex Kirsch (Lux, 34)
Sylvain Moniquet (Bel, 28)
Paul Ourselin (Fra, 32)
Louis Rouland (Fra, 23)
Sergio Samitier (Esp, 30)

Burgos Burpellet
Jesús Herrada (Esp, 36)
José Manuel Díaz (Esp, 31)
Sergio Geovani Chumil (Gua, 25)
José Luis Faura (Esp, 25)
Mario Aparicio (Esp, 26)
Sinuhé Fernández (Esp, 26)
Clément Alleno (Fra, 25)
César Macías (Mex, 27)

Kern Pharma
Iván Cobo (Esp, 25)
Urko Berrade (Esp, 31)
Marc Brustenga (Esp, 27)
Iñigo Elosegui (Esp, 27)
Ibon Ruiz (Esp, 30)
Iván Ramiro Sosa (Col, 28)
Diego Uriarte (Esp, 23)
Mats Wenzel (Lux, 23)

Pinarello Q36.5
Xabier Mikel Azparren (Esp, 27)
Walter Calzoni (Ita, 25)
Marcel Camprubí (Esp, 24)
David de la Cruz (Esp, 37)
Eddie Dunbar (Ire, 29)
Tom Gloag (GBr, 24)
David González (Esp, 30)
Milan Vader (Ned, 30)

Tudor Pro Cycling
Marco Brenner (Deu, 23)
Stefan Küng (Che, 32)
Will Barta (USA, 30)
Arthur Kluckers (Lux, 26)
Roland Thalmann (Che, 33)
Larry Warbasse (USA, 36)
Fabian Weiss (Che, 24)
Hannes Wilksch (Deu, 24)

Yesterday, we wrote that the supporting ecosystem around 32-inch wheels is beginning to catch up. Today, there’s another fairly significant piece to add to the puzzle: an actual bike you can order.

Mosaic has unveiled the GT i55 32, a handmade titanium gravel bike designed around 32-inch wheels. And the Boulder, Colorado, brand is making its intentions pretty clear: this is, in its words, "not a concept bike."

Thirty-two-inch wheels are quickly becoming the bike industry's biggest new trend. We saw a host of bikes, wheels and tyres at Sea Otter, followed by perhaps the highest-profile example yet at Unbound Gravel, where defending champion Cam Jones and ultra-endurance racer Robin Gemperle raced Scott’s RC Gravel 32-inch prototype. But Scott made it clear that its bike was a "pure prototype," stating that it "will never be released on the market."

Mosaic, meanwhile, is going the other way. The GT i55 32 will debut at this weekend’s MADE bike show in Portland, Oregon.

Mosaic isn’t the first brand to move beyond the prototype stage, nor is it the only 32-inch bike headed for consumers. Stinner has already shown its Refugio 32 with pricing attached, BTCHN’ has been preparing its Bandito for production, and Salsa has said 32-inch Fargo framesets will go on sale this summer, with complete bikes to follow later in the year. Mosaic stands out in that its made-to-order platform is available from launch. A Batch Built option will be added later.x

"The new GT i55 32 platform wasn’t simply designed to generate conversation around a new wheel size. It’s not a prototype destined to disappear after a trade show," Mosaic insists. "Instead, it represents Mosaic’s commitment to 32-inch wheels as a legitimate performance platform."

More than simply squeezing bigger wheels into a gravel bike

Larger wheels bring some compelling theoretical advantages. Compared with a 700c wheel running an equivalent-width tyre, the shallower angle of attack should help it roll over rocks, holes and generally rough terrain more easily, while the larger wheel size is also claimed to carry momentum more efficiently.

But there are compromises. Bigger wheels increase stack and wheelbase, stretch chainstays and can create toe-overlap headaches – particularly as frame sizes get smaller. They’re concerns Cycling Weekly has looked at in depth in previous coverage.

"...A new wheel standard only matters if its benefits aren’t limited to the tallest riders in the field," Mosaic states and tackled the aforementioned limitation as "an engineering problem rather than an unavoidable consequence of the wheel size."

For starters, the brand's designers decided to design an entirely new platform from teh groun up rather than modifying one of its existing gravel bikes.

The frame uses a bent seat tube and relatively compact 440-445mm chainstays to tuck the rear wheel beneath the rider. A 3D-printed titanium yoke creates clearance for tyres up to 55mm (2.2"), while still accommodating a standard gravel chainline and chainrings up to 46 teeth.

The axle standards do move into mountain bike territory, with a 148x12mm rear and 110x15mm front.

And then there’s the fork

Mosaic says one of its biggest headaches was finding a fork that would allow the geometry it wanted without pushing the front of the bike too high.

So it made its own.

The result is a new 32-inch gravel fork under Mosaic’s new Zero Components name, with a 445mm axle-to-crown measurement and 60mm offset. The former is intended to keep the front end down, while the latter helps Mosaic achieve its desired steering geometry while creating more toe clearance.

Mosaic says the combination of its shorter fork, increased offset, compact rear triangle and offset seat tube helps make the platform work across a wider range of rider sizes.

And because these bikes are being offered through Mosaic’s custom programme, geometry can also be tailored to the individual rider.

You can actually buy this one

Mosaic is rolling out the GT-1 i55 32 in two initial versions:

• Fully integrated: The high-end option gets fully internal brake routing, a T47 bottom bracket and a choice of Mosaic’s standard paint layouts, with pricing starting at $8,250.
• Semi-integrated: The second option offers semi-integrated brake routing via Cane Creek HCR, a T68 bottom bracket and Mosaic’s Titanium Ghost finish, and starts at $5,000.

Both come with rider-specific custom geometry.

More information can be found at mosaiccycles.com.

Finlay Tarling’s tragic death at the Volta a Portugal last week caused an outpouring of grief and tributes flooded in for the 19-year-old. The young British rider was hit by a non-race vehicle on stage eight of the race on Friday, and died due to his injuries.

Tarling was a promising young cyclist, who grew up on the British racing scene that is Cycling Weekly’s bread and butter, which makes this loss feel even more personal; he was interviewed by my colleagues, featured in the magazine, and would have competed against many of our readers in the time trials he regularly took part in. The news was heartbreaking, as it is every time we have to report on something like this, and it is always difficult to know what to say or do.

It is too early to talk of a legacy, but over £50,000 has already been raised through GoFundMe for a project supporting young Welsh riders, showing the love that the sport and the world of cycling had for Tarling. However, the legacy of tragedy should also be ensuring that something like this never happens again.

Tarling is not the first rider to die while racing, but he should be one of the last. As Jacob Whitehead reported in The Athletic, eight riders have died in crashes since 2023 in elite or development races, more than the previous 13 years combined. Yet everything feels the same. I won’t list them all, but Gino Mäder's death at the 2023 Tour de Suisse felt like it should have been the watershed moment, as did Muriel Furrer’s death at the 2024 Road World Championships in Zürich, but they were not. This accident must become that moment.

There has been righteous anger, with a statement from the riders’ union, the CPA, saying: “It is not right that a young athlete’s life should end this way, and we are furious that even today it is still not possible to prevent such serious accidents.”

It should never have happened. This was not a racing incident like a touch of wheels, a poor piece of course design, or a dangerous section. This was caused by a driver being present on the course, heading the opposite way. There is a police investigation going on now to determine what happened and why, but it feels obvious that this was an avoidable situation.

The driver was going against the race route and hit Tarling as he descended, trying to catch up with the peloton at the UCI 2.1 race after being distanced. Like other smaller races, the roads used are not fully locked down, but instead subject to a rolling road closure. The driver of the vehicle which hit Tarling reportedly drove onto the course after the bunch had passed, but not the full convoy.

There have been warnings about cars getting on to the course at other races. Nine teams left the Étoile de Bessèges in France early last year after multiple cars were driven onto the course, while in 2023, the CIC-Tour Féminin International des Pyrénées ended early after repeated problems with vehicles entering the race bubble. With the sheer amount of cars around, and with the race constantly on the move, it is clearly tricky to lock down areas, but closed roads are a necessity for safe racing. Fixing this should be a priority. It is not enough to hope for the best; preventing dangerous situations from occurring in the first place is a must.

The SafeR initiative was set up by the UCI following Mäder’s death, but concrete changes to our sport remain lacking. So far, the UCI has acted on the width of handlebars and the screen size of GPS head units. While money from the initiative’s budget has been ring-fenced to fight a legal battle with SRAM over gear sizes, as Cyclingnews reported in February, serious accidents and deaths continue in cycling. This time around, there has been a message of condolence from cycling’s governing body, but no communication over what will happen next, to stop tragedies like last week’s happening again.

Clear communication and action is needed, before another needless death occurs. There is inherent risk in cycling, but any additional danger can be reduced. A non-race vehicle should never be let onto the course. That feels like a good place to start.

This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.

If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.

The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women starts in the Lake District this Wednesday, with it’s move from May to August making it the last WorldTour stage race in Europe each year. Not only does this put the race slap bang in the middle of holiday season – which should encourage more people out to the road-side – it makes it a perfect block of racing ahead of the world championships in September.

It is also an opportunity for riders to save their season with a final result. This should ensure the riders arrive in the Lake District ready to race. Starting ten days after the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift also means there’s enough recovery time for those coming out of the biggest race on the calendar.

While we look forward to Tour contenders compete in the UK, British fans can breathe a sigh of relief that four domestic teams will get to pit themselves against the world’s best following a UCI rule amendment that could have prevented them from riding.

The 2025 update meant Continental teams would only get an invite if WorldTour and ProTeams couldn’t fill the spaces on offer. DAS-Hutchinson, Handsling Abla, O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes and Smurfit Westrock will all be at the start in the North-West.

The five stages take the race from the top of the Lake District down the coast to North Wales, through mid-Wales and back into England for a finish in Leamington Spa. Stage one to four all have an interesting parcours which organisers have designed to will encourage aggressive racing over the early climbs as well as toward the finish of the stage. Our full guide to the stages and riders to watch continues over the next nine pages.

Stage 1: Cockermouth > Cockermouth
Wednesday, 19 August
Distance: 158.9km | Elevation: 1,1913m
Terrain: Hilly

This year’s race kicks off with its longest stage, and potentially the most scenic. As tough an introduction as it is, the riders will probably be grateful that the organisers haven’t set them off on a 100 mile route directly through the Lake District, as today they skirt the north west edge of the mountain range.

But there are still plenty of undulations with non-stop rolling roads in the first 25 miles just the warm up. A flat run up the coast takes them to Silloth where they turn inland for the second half of the stage which features all the major climbs. The key section comes as they leave Wigton after 57 miles and head south east, back towards the mountains and the race’s highpoint of the day at 285m above sea level.

If the pressure goes on from the WorldTour squads, the bunch will break up here and those caught out could lose a lot of time. Once back to Cockermouth they start a finishing circuit just north of Bassenthwaite Lake that climbs for the first half, then descends to the finish.

Stage 2: Clitheroe > Blackpool
Thursday, 20 August
Distance: 110.5km | Elevation 1,392m
Terrain: Flat

Starting in Clitheroe, in the Ribble Valley the riders take on a punchy little loop into the Forest of Bowland to warm their legs up. The first climb of the day, Waddington Fell is also the stage’s highpoint at 354m. From there the peloton drops back down into Clitheroe - blink and you’ll miss them, before heading out the other side of the valley up the Nick O’ Pendle.

While the first third of today’s stage looks tough with those two climbs, the sprinters and their teams have enough road in which to regain the front of the race if they do get dropped. The experienced GC riders will know this, and therefore probably won’t go all out over the two climbs. The second half of the stage is flat, or even slightly downhill all the way to the coast at Lytham, then a sprint finish on the seafront in the shadow of the Blackpool Tower.

Sprinters will like the look of the fast run-in, with the last corner coming at nine kilometres to go. From there, there is just a gentle left-right with 400m to go, but the road should be wide enough to ensure there’s no need to come off the pedals at this crucial point.

Stage 3: Mold > The Great Orme
Friday, 21 August
Distance: 104.7km | Elevation: 1,927m
Terrain: Hilly

Starting in Flintshire, day three sees the race head into the vertiginous terrain of North Wales and towards the Irish Sea, where a sting in the tail awaits, with a steep and stage-defining climb to a dramatic finish atop the towering limestone headland of The Great Orme.

Stage three has a sawtooth profile, with the course crossing the Clwydian Range. After Henllan, the peloton will tackle a stiff ascent to the saddle between Moel Fodiar and Moel Tywysog, and the route reaches its highest point of 386 metres on the western shoulder of Moel Maelogen, after 64km. Approaching Llandudno, however, riders will be confronted with a challenging final climb to The Great Orme, with the last 2.5km featuring an average gradient of 6.1%, with sections hitting 15%.

One of the Tour’s most exciting days, climbers will be looking to collect KOM points and the strongest riders will look to break the race up into smaller groups as the fatigue builds as the final climb might not be enough to gain a race-winning margin.

Stage 4: Llanidloes > Hay-on-Wye
Saturday, 22 August
Distance: 138km | Elevation: 2,227m
Terrain: Hilly

Riding through the centre of Wales to the famous border town of Hay-on-Wye is going to be a testing day, even if there isn’t one climb that will define the stage. The biggest climb takes the riders out of Rhayadar but is too early to shape the stage. The rest of the parcours – which has the most elevation gain of any stage – means that riders are going to have to stay attentive all day as splits could form or moves could go at any point.

The most obvious stress point of the day is the three climbs that come in quick succession at the midway point around Knighton. Lose contact there and it’s a tough chase to the finish as the route continues to undulate for another 30km. Those chasing GC know this is their last chance to gain time, so expect the pressure to be on.

Stage 5: Royal Leamington Spa > Royal Leamington Spa
Sunday, 23 August
Distance: 123.8km | Elevation: 1,386m
Terrain: Flat

The final stage of this year’s race has bunch sprint written all over it as the 1,386 metres of elevation and lack of any major climbs means the top sprinters won’t have any trouble making it back to Royal Leamington Spa. The only climb of any significance is a short bump out of Middle Tysoe after 86km, but gaining just under 100 metres means only the riders struggling after four days of back-to-back racing will be in danger of getting dropped, and that’s only if someone goes to the front and decides to put the pressure on.

But none of that means it’s a day off for the bunch. The team holding the GC lead will have a tough day policing the race while others with nothing to show for their efforts, and knowing that the racing is about to end, will be keen to try and get something out of the stage. The final run-in isn’t without it’s challenges either as two right-hand corners and a left in the final two kilometres will catch out riders in a poor position.

Lorena Wiebes (27, Ned)
SD Worx-Protime
UCI ranking: 4
2026 wins: 15

Never has there been so dominant a sprinter as Lorena Wiebes. The Dutchwoman wins pretty much every bunch sprint she’s involved in, as long as she doesn’t get disqualified, as happened at the Giro d’Italia Women in May, when her bike was deemed to be too light. Wiebes has an enviable record at the Tour of Britain Women, winning seven stages and the points classification twice over four editions; in fact, she has never not won when she has raced.

Wiebes is more than just a flat track bully, as she has proved in the Classics over the years, but bunch finishes on stage two, four and five will see her enter them as favourite. There’s nothing to stop her from being a GC contender, either, if she can stick with the punchier riders on stage one and three. On her form at the Tour de France Femmes, this is a distinct possibility. Last year she crossed a century of wins, and there is very little holding her back from reaching 150 sooner than later.

Lotte Kopecky (30, Bel)
SD Worx-Protime
UCI ranking: 7
2026 wins: 3

The former world champion might only have won three times in 2026, but when one of those was Milan-San Remo, and another a stage of the Vuelta España Femenina, the Belgian still has it. At the Tour of Britain Women, expect her to target stage wins on the punchier finishes, such as Llandudno's Great Orme on stage three or the Hay-on-Wye finish on stage four rather than pure sprints, while also supporting Wiebes. She is, of course, a former winner overall, on the one occasion she deigned to ride the race, winning two out of the four stages in 2024 en route to victory.

Kopecky did win in Llandudno on that occasion, so will be looking to keep her 100% record up. At the Tour de France Femmes the Belgian came close to victory on stage three, spending 95km in front of the peloton, while also being a deluxe leadout for Wiebes. Expect her to dovetail these roles in Britain, too.

Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney (31, Pol)
Canyon-SRAM
UCI ranking: 5
2026 wins: 1

Somehow still only 31, Niewiadoma-Phinney first raced what was then the Women’s Tour back in 2017, winning her first ever stage and taking overall victory in London. She also finished second in 2019, winning a stage then as well, but has not been back to the race since 2022, when she finished third overall.

So often the nearly-woman of cycling, Niewiadoma is yet to win in 2026, although she finished second at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Strade Bianche, and the Amstel Gold Race, and finished second overall at the Tour de France Femmes last week.

While the course this year is not necessarily tough enough for one of the world’s top climbers to make a difference, little will stop her trying, especially on stages one and three. She might also make an excellent foil for British champion Zoe Bäckstedt, paying back the support she received at the Tour.

Paula Blasi (23, Esp)
UAE Team L’IMAD
UCI ranking: 2
2026 wins: 7

The breakout rider of 2026 so far is undoubtedly Paula Blasi, who in her first full season as a Women’s WorldTour rider, slowly grew into a star. Third overall at the Tour Down Under was followed by a stunning solo victory at the Amstel Gold Race, but it was at her home Grand Tour, the Vuelta España Femenina that Blasi soared. The 23-year-old was second after stage six, but a stellar performance on the Angliru on the final day saw her become the first Spanish winner of the Spanish race.

She went on to win the Tour Féminin des Pyrénées and the Volta a Catalunya, proving that her form was not temporary.

Like Niewiadoma, the hilly rather than mountainous Tour of Britain will not perfectly suit her attributes, but expect her to be visible. It might also be one of her last races for UAE, if reports about her impending transfer are correct. The former runner has never raced in Britain.

Kim Le Court-Pienaar (30, Mau)
AG Insurance-Soudal
UCI ranking: 39
2026 wins: 3

Distinctive in her Mauritian champion’s jersey of green, yellow, blue and orange, Kim Le Court-Pienaar seems a rider perfectly suited to the punchy course of the Tour of Britain.

This was proved last year, when she won stage one to Redcar, escaping with Olympic champion Kristen Faulkner (EF Education-Oatly). However, she was forced to abandon on stage three, ending her race early.

The 30-year-old has not had quite the same success in 2026 as last year, when she won Liège-Bastogne-Liège and a stage of the Tour de France Femmes in a golden year. This is mainly due to an injury-disrupted spring, as she fractured her wrist at the Tour of Flanders, but she now seems to be back to her best, second on stage one of this year’s Tour, and then winning stage six in Tournon-sur-Rhône.

A win on the Great Orme is not out of the question, and if she wins there, it might mean a first general classification victory for Le Court.

Zoe Bäckstedt (21, GBr)
Canyon-SRAM
UCI ranking: 34
2026 wins: 7

British national road champion for the first time, adding to her double national time trial title success, Bäckstedt will be keen to show off her stripes to home crowds across the week.

There might not be a time trial for the Welshwoman to show her specific skills, but she has proved that she is more than just a one-dimensional rider on the road, winning her first Women’s WorldTour road stage this season at the Tour de Suisse. She has also proved herself adept at winning smaller stage races, triumphing at the Baloise Ladies Tour for two seasons in a row, and could challenge over the punchy Tour of Britain Women.

Last year, she was 26th overall at the end of the week, but with a Tour de France Femmes in her legs this time around, things might be very different. Expect some attacking brio, especially on Welsh roads, if nothing else.

Others to watch

With many teams putting selection decisions on hold until after the Tour de France Femmes, many line-ups were unconfirmed at the time of writing. Last year’s winner Ally Wollaston (FDJ United-Suez) is set to defend her title however. But having not raced since the Tour of Catalunya in mid-June her form remains unknown. The French team will want to bring Lauren Dickson back to her home race after a highly impressive first season in the pro ranks, but this will be dependent on her recovery from a broken collarbone suffered in a crash on stage three of the Tour de Suisse.

British fans will also be hoping to see a return to action for Movistar’s Cat Ferguson. The 20-year-old suffered a double fracture in her ankle when she crashed on the opening stage of the women’s Giro and hasn’t raced since. Three weeks on crutches through June means her return to racing will be low-key.

UAE L’Imad’s Irish champion Lara Gillespie is expected to ride after missing out on selection for the Tour de France Femmes. A solid classics campaign and third place at the Tour of Poland could see her lead the team should Blasi or Elisa Longo-Borghini not ride.

Several of the stages look like they’d suit Lidl-Trek’s sprinter Elisa Balsamo who didn’t take a win at the Tour de France Femmes this year. Likewise EF’s Noemi Rüegg who has been consistent all season but missed a big chunk of racing through June and July after fracturing her arm at the Vuelta.

Home hopes

Fears of Continental teams being prevented from riding WorldTour races under new UCI rules thankfully didn’t come to fruition this year, and four British teams will be lining up for the Tour of Britain Women. A lack of stage racing at this level will not help their riders over the course of the race, but the home advantage might.

Coming late to cycling, Anna Morris is making up for it by hoovering up national and world titles on the track, as well as world records, at an amazing rate. Her results have translated to the domestic road scene too, as she has only once finished a day's racing outside of the top five this year. She’ll be joined by Jess Roberts in the GB team, who, despite her track focus, has a wealth of experience in stage racing.

Winner of the Rapha Super-League standings Morven Yoeman (DAS-Hutchinson) will look to continue her progression. Since winning the Lincoln Grand Prix, the 22-year-old has enjoyed a steady set of results on the domestic scene as well as a solid ride at the Vuelta a Burgos. A lack of stage racing this season might hold her back a little. Keep an eye out for her teammates Katie Scott and Noemie Thomson too

Handsling Alba will be led by Kate Richardson who has been consistent in both domestic and European racing this year. Last year’s Tour of Britain was her first and only taste of WorldTour racing although she only finished stage one. Another year of experience should see her ready to test herself against the world’s best.

Continental's flagship race Aero 111 is now available in widths of 32mm width, adding to the 26 and 29mm versions already on the market.

A 32mm aero tyre would have been unthinkable a few years ago when it was thought that “narrow and hard” was the only way to achieve speed. But times have changed, and there’s now plenty of empirical data showing that wider and softer can also be fast under the right conditions. A bigger tyre volume and lower pressure result in a broader contact patch, less bouncing and better power transfer to the road – the result of which improves speed.

Another key contributor to the demand for wider aero tyres is the speeds at which riders are travelling. Faster frames, clothing, and helmets have increased average speeds across the spectrum, with riders seeking ways to boost comfort and ride quality.

What's new on the Continental Aero 111?

Aside from the new width, the latest Aero 111 remains unchanged. The 32mm Aero 111 uses the patented tread pattern developed by Continental and Swiss Side. The tread features “48 precision cavities that act as vortex generators,” which claim to improve aerodynamics by reducing drag and enhancing the sailing effect. Continental’s data shows a six-watt saving at 30km/h and 18 watts at 45km/h when compared to the regular GP5000 S TR tyre.

Continental’s Black Chilli compound and Vectran puncture protection are once again present, designed to balance weight and grip in both wet and dry conditions.

Continental’s rubber compound recipe is such a closely guarded secret it’s impossible to provide any empirical evidence to support the company’s claims. And despite spending a whole day looking round the R&D facilities at Continental’s Hannover Centre on a recent press trip, I’ve come out none the wiser (and as we weren’t allowed to share most of what we saw, I can tell you even less).

What we do know is that the rubber compound is the same as used on the flagship Grand Prix 5000 series, a tyre constantly seen as the standard to beat in terms of road performance.

On the subject of the GP5000, Continental recommends running the Aero 111 as a front tyre paired with a GP5000 S TR on the rear, as seen employed across the pro peloton, including none other than Tadej Pogačar.

Compatibility, weight and pricing

Before upgrading to 32mm tyres, it’s worth considering the potential downsides.

First up, there’s rim compatibility. In terms of ETRTO standards, you can safely run the Aero 111 on internal rim widths of 16-25mm for both 29mm and 32mm width tyres. However, given the overall ranges, we would expect that the 32mm tyre would be better suited – and so achieve an optimum fit – on rims at the mid- to wider end of this range and the 29mm at the narrower end. Conversely, the tyre profile and fitted width of the 32 mm tyre may not be optimal on a rim at the smaller end of the width range. This is something we’ll look at as part of our full test.

Secondly, there’s a 30g or 10% weight increase between the 29- (280g) and 32mm (310g) widths.

And finally, there’s the price. At £113.95/ $140.94/ €128.95, the Aero 111 represents quite an outlay for a niche product. We’re awaiting confirmation from Continental on whether this price applies to all three widths or only to the new 32mm offering.

Oh, and sadly, despite Continental offering the previous widths of the Aero 111 in tan wall as well as black during this year’s Tour de France, they’ve not made it into the new line-up, so we’re stuck with black on black.

Welsh cyclist and pedalling polymath Anna Morris has won the first iteration of the North Yorkshire Grand Prix at Ampleforth Abbey since the event was renamed, sprinting to victory ahead of Melanie Rowe (camsmajaco) and Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning).

Morris only began cycling seriously relatively late in life, when she took up the sport while studying medicine at the University of Southampton. Since then she has thrice broken a world record and become a world champion track cyclist.

Now 31, Morris works as a medical doctor when she’s not riding and most recently won two golds and a bronze medal for Wales at the Commonwealth Games just two weeks ago. Later this week she will start the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women as part of the Great Britain team, but over the weekend just gone, she had a grand prix to win.

Formerly known as the Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix, the historic race was held at Ampleforth Abbey, and this year it was contested in treacherous conditions, with torrential rain poured down on the 57-rider peloton while it negotiated the infamously lumpy course. After months of dry, hot weather, the deluge meant the roads were very slippery.

Stakes were doubly high for Lily Martin, who was vying with Morven Yeoman (DAS-Hutchinson) for the prestigious National Road Series title in the final race of the season. The Lightning rider made repeated attacks, and leaving the abbey grounds at the beginning of the second long circuit lap she finally managed to get away. But she didn’t escape Morris, who successfully went with her.

Melanie Rowe, who is just 17 years old, also joined them, and the front three soon established a lead of almost 90 seconds over the 10-strong chasing pack. By the third lap, their advantage had blown right out to five minutes, and with an unassailable lead, all that remained during the last circuit was for the trio to battle over podium spots.

With 150 metres to go, Morris made her move, taking victory a year after she missed out on winning the Rapha Super-League by five points. After a hugely impressive ride, Rowe secured second place, beating Martin into third spot. The youngster, who placed third in this year’s junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège, finished fifth overall in the National Road Series, and is clearly one to watch in the future.