Welcome to Daily News, your roundup of news items from across the world of cycling. We keep this post updated throughout the week so that you can stay informed on all things bike racing, tech, industry, culture, advocacy, and more.
Here is what is making the headlines this week …
Sunday, April 6, 2025
- Montmartre laps confirmed for Tour de France finale
- Lotto races Tour of Flanders in special-edition kit
- Lotto enters deal with Toon Aerts and his CX team
- Winner’s Circle: World champions power to victory at Tour of Flanders
Montmartre laps confirmed for Tour de France finale
It has been confirmed that the 2025 Tour de France’s final stage will include three laps of the Montmartre climb that was a key feature of the Olympic Games road races, before returning to the iconic traditional finish on the Champs-Élysées.
According to Le Parisien, political pressure led by President Emmanuel Macron helped secure approval from the local prefecture, which had been considered a significant hurdle after rumours that this might be sought early this year – read Dane Cash's analysis of the prospect here at Escape Collective. [Le Parisien]
Lotto races Tour of Flanders in special-edition kit
Making a splash in Bruges at the team presentation was the Lotto team lineup in their multi-coloured special-edition jersey. The unique kit – plus custom bikes for each rider – celebrates 40 years of the National Lottery’s presence in the peloton.
The jersey includes nods to various different eras, including the pink of Predictor-Lotto, the fluoro of Lotto-Super Club, the flame of Lotto-Adecco, and the stars of the first Lotto-Eddy Merckx collaboration in 1985. Both men’s and women’s teams raced the Tour of Flanders in the special kit, and the women will also wear the multi-coloured jersey at the upcoming Vuelta a España Femenina. [Lotto Cycling Team]
Lotto enters deal with Toon Aerts and his CX team
ProTeam Lotto has reportedly signed a deal with Belgian cyclocross team Deschacht–Hens–FSP, whose 31-year-old Toon Aerts is expected to be integrated into the road team imminently, along with 22-year-old teammate Victor Vandeputte.
Like a lot of prolific CX pros, Aerts has a fair amount of experience in road racing, which has included good results at relatively high-profile races in Belgium and the Netherlands, such as the Baloise Belgium Tour and ZLM Tour where he raced to top-10 GC finishes in the late 2010s, and more recently scored ninth at the 2024 Ronde van Limburg. Aerts was a solid performer among the top cyclocross names until he served a two-year suspension that ended in February 2024. He then made a strong comeback this past CX season with the small Belgian squad Deschacht-Hens-FSP.
At this stage, Aerts’ road programme in Lotto colours has yet to be formally confirmed, but final discussions are expected to take place next week, at which point Aerts’ road debut should be decided. [Nieuwsblad]
Winner’s Circle: World champions power to victory at Tour of Flanders
It was a particularly thrilling men’s Tour of Flanders, with action from almost the first berg of the day. A number of the second-tier favourites – all but two riders – and their teams brought huge motivation into the cobbled Monument, but nothing could stop the top favourites from having their fun, and Tadej Pogačar was the fresher man in the end, attacking on the last ascent of the Oude Kwaremont to leave behind Mathieu van der Poel and the remainder of the elite selection.
The women’s edition was similarly thrilling, though it played out rather differently, with four riders coming to the finish together after an aggressive last 40 km. The quartet comprised Lotte Kopecky, Kasia Niewiadoma, Liane Lippert and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, but though they all tried, the world champion was unshakable on the climbs and unbeatable in the sprint, where she scored a record-breaking third women’s Tour of Flanders victory.
Read the full stories for men's and women's Tours of Flanders here at Escape Collective.
Elsewhere, the Tour of Hellas wrapped up with a second stage win for Matteo Moschetti (Q36.5) to book-end the Italian’s week, as Harold Martín López sealed the overall, and secured a pile of UCI points for his XDS Astana team in their quest to avoid relegation.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
- Kern Pharma ‘profoundly disappointed’ by Vuelta exclusion
- Driver who struck and killed Magnus White found guilty
- Tragedy at the Tour of Flanders sportive
- Paul Magnier extends with Soudal-QuickStep through 2027
- Winner’s circle: Thibau Nys wins in his first race of the road season
Kern Pharma ‘profoundly disappointed’ by Vuelta exclusion
A flurry of Grand Tour wild cards have been announced this week, with the last coming from the Vuelta a España organisers who extended invitations to Caja Rural-Seguros RGA, Burgos-Burpellet-BH and Q36.5 Pro Cycling – Tom Pidcock’s team also got the nod from the Giro d’Italia, which will be the team’s first Grand Tour.
This meant that a few notable Spanish teams were left out, including Equipo Kern Pharma which famously won three stages at the 2024 Vuelta, two for Pablo Castrillo – before then transferring to WorldTeam Movistar – and one for Urko Berrade, who is one of two who has already chalked up a win this season, putting them way ahead of their 2024 performance by this point. The team promptly tweeted their profound disappointment, and team director Juan José Oroz has since put out a statement via Radio MARCA.
“We are disappointed and concerned about the message that is being left,” Oroz said. “Let's try to digest this. We won three stages in the 2024 edition … What message are we conveying to the young people if after that we don't go to the next Vuelta a España?” [Marca]
Driver who struck and killed Magnus White found guilty
At the close of a five-day trial in Boulder County, Colorado, the jury found 24-year-old Yeva Smilianska guilty of reckless vehicular homicide that resulted in the death of Magnus White in July 2023.
White was a 17-year-old junior rider with accomplishments across a number of disciplines including cyclocross, mountain bike and road. White had been training for the Glasgow Cycling World Championships when Smilianska struck and killed White in his hometown.
Sentencing is set for June 13, where the penalty can be two to six years in prison, plus a fine up to $500,000.
Tragedy at the Tour of Flanders sportive
Approximately 15,000 amateur cyclists took to the course of the Tour of Flanders on Saturday in warm and sunny conditions, but while most enjoyed the bergs and cobbles that the pros will race over on Sunday, tragedy struck a small number.
The event organisers reported that two participants died on the route despite resuscitation attempts from emergency services, one on the Taaienberg and the second on the Kwaremont, while several others were taken to hospital with fractures and one other described as a medical emergency.
Paul Magnier extends with Soudal-QuickStep through 2027
Soudal-QuickStep have managed to hold on to their latest hot talent, with young French sprinter Paul Magnier extending his existing contract until the end of 2027. While other WorldTeams make a habit of tying down their key riders for several years at a time, this has been a fairly rare move for the Belgian squad, but perhaps that’s changing with the change in administration.
“It’s a landmark moment for us to be able to announce that Paul will stay with us for two more years,” said CEO Jurgen Foré who took over from Patrick Lefevere this winter. “I have personally expressed my belief our best policy going forwards is to invest in young riders, and in the future for our team, and Paul is one of the very best young riders around.” [Soudal-QuickStep]
Winner’s circle: Thibau Nys wins in his first race of the road season
After a busy winter of cyclocross, Lidl-Trek’s Thibau Nys made a late road racing debut at Saturday’s Gran Premio Miguel Indurain, and wasted no time in soaring to victory several seconds ahead of Alex Molenaar (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA) and Lidl-Trek teammate Andrea Bagioli following an aggressive finale over the hilly terrain of Navarre, northern Spain.
Saturday’s other winners included Dion Smith (Intermarché-Wanty) and SD Worx-Protime’s Femke Gerritse racing for the Netherlands at the Dutch Volta NXT Classic, while at the Tour of the Hellas in Greece, racing resumed after stage 3’s weather-related cancellation with another victory for the Unibet Tietema Rockets, this time through Frenchman Adrien Maire.
Friday, April 4, 2025
- Flanders promoter sounds warning on fan misbehavior
- Unibike and Cardinal team up for US bike assembly plant
- Vuelta a España wild cards snub Spanish teams
- Three WorldTeams headline Maryland Cycling Classic lineup
Flanders promoter sounds warning on fan misbehavior
Ahead of Sunday's Tour of Flanders, the race promoter is publicly warning fans it will be on the lookout for bad behavior and that future access could be affected. The warning comes on the heels of an incident at last week's E3 where a fan reportedly spat at Mathieu van der Poel during his winning solo breakaway. Van der Poel has been the target of repeated fan abuse in recent years, including at cyclocross races and last year's Paris-Roubaix where a fan threw a hat at his front wheel.
Flanders Classics told NU.nl that it will not tolerate repeat incidents. "There will be a strong focus on crowd control and crowd management again this year," the promoter said, citing partnerships with local authorities and 130 course marshals who will also be on the lookout for bad behavior. But Flanders Classics isn't relying solely on that. If fans can't control themselves, the promoter may limit roadside access for future editions. "If safety can no longer be guaranteed during the course, this could lead to the closure of certain zones," they said. [NU.nl]
Unibike and Cardinal team up for US bike assembly plant
Portugal’s Unibike is partnering with Cardinal Cycling Group (the owner of the Time bicycle brand) to open a new bike assembly and painting facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina later this year, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News reports. The project, named Unibike America, aims to offer contract assembly to multiple bike brands – similar to the model used in Taiwan.
Cardinal CEO Tony Karklins said that newly announced US tariffs make this the right moment, and added that “Everybody needs this service, and we are going to be the first player here.” Although frames and parts will still be subject to entry duties, Karklins said the plant will allow brands to paint and assemble bikes domestically, reducing tariff impact and offering faster delivery. [Bicycle Retailer]
Vuelta a España wild cards snub Spanish teams
Tom Pidcock is going to be a busy man this year. Just days after his Q36.5 team was awarded a wild card spot to the Giro d'Italia, which will be the team's first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España also extended an invitation. "I haven't looked at all the stages yet, but I do know that there is a stage finish in Andorra," he said in a team press release. "That's where I live, so it's definitely something to look forward to."
Q36.5 will join Caja Rural-Seguros RGA and Burgos-Burpellet-BH as wild card entries, but with automatic qualifiers Israel-Premier Tech and Lotto taking the other two ProTeam slots, that means Spanish-registered squads Euskaltel-Euskadi and Equipo Kern Pharma will miss out. Kern Pharma in particular will be sore, as the team won three stages last year, including two from breakout performer Pablo Castrillo (who then signed with Movistar for 2025).
Three WorldTeams headline Maryland Cycling Classic lineup
The highest-ranked American race on the UCI calendar announced its initial team lineup for the 2025 edition. Lidl-Trek, EF Education-EasyPost and Jayco-AlUla will headline the September 6 one-day race in Baltimore. The event will feature a women's race for the first time. While all three WorldTour teams have women's squads, the lineup for the women's race is yet to be announced.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
- Life Time Grand Prix will ban cross-category drafting
- RockShox introduces new Reverb AXS dropper post
- Kona redesigns the Libre gravel bike
- Tour de France Femmes wild card teams announced
- Dwars disappointment nothing a flat white and a ride won't fix
Life Time Grand Prix will ban cross-category drafting
After several years of debate, promoters of the Life Time Grand Prix series plan to introduce rules on drafting for the 2025 series. The primary focus – ending drafting outside of a rider's own category – appears to address pro women drafting off male riders. Speaking on a Wednesday call with media, Life Time Events president Kimo Seymour said, "We're going to see a no-drafting rule for women. In fact, we're going to announce [it] in the next couple of days."
According to Velo, entrants were sent an e-mail briefly outlining the shift. Specifics are yet to come. Drafting across categories, in particular how the practice affects tactics for pro women, has been a hot topic in gravel racing for several years. Life Time has addressed the issue with separated start times of varying length, but this is the first time the promoters have tackled drafting directly through the rules.
Seymour nodded to the difficulty of enforcement and fairness, noting that long courses with remote sections staffed by few marshals are a challenge. The 2025 Grand Prix starts next Thursday at the Sea Otter Classic and, crucially, the first round of the six-race series shifts from the former Fuego XL mountain bike event (where drafting would be far less a concern) to a gravel event. While the rules change is abrupt, Seymour indicated that part of Life Time's rationale for starting at Sea Otter is "an opportunity to work through some of the kinks on enforcement" before the next round, May's Unbound Gravel.
RockShox introduces new Reverb AXS dropper post
Hardly hidden over the past few months, the new Reverb AXS wireless dropper post from RockShox/SRAM is now official. It's a complete overhaul, now with air-only internals while the battery and actuator move to the top of the fixed part of the post – just like the Fox Transfer Neo and a visual change that’ll take some time to get used to. The new post is said to require less frequent servicing and be far more rebuildable with spare options when that time comes.
RockShox has greatly increased the travel options, now ranging from 100-250 mm (!), in 25 mm increments. It’s available in 30.9, 31.6, and 34.9 mm diameters. The price has also come down, now at US$549 / €600 / £535 / AU$945, not including the required AXS remote controller. Expect a full review on this one in the near future. [RockShox]
Kona redesigns the Libre gravel bike
The overhauled Kona Libre gravel bike takes on a more race-oriented form for 2025. With clearance for 700x45 mm tires (with fenders), its updated geometry includes shorter chainstays, slightly steeper seat angle, less stack, and more reach than the previous version. And on trend with other new carbon frames, the Libre has guided internal cable and hose routing with UDH-compatible dropouts and PF86 bottom bracket. Offered in two colors and six sizes, the Libre is available as a frameset for US$1,950 or complete for US$3,600. It's one of the first new releases from Kona since founders Jake Heilbron and Dan Gerhard purchased the brand back last year. [Kona]
Tour de France Femmes wild card teams announced
The full 22-team lineup for the Tour de France Femmes is out and there's a strong French flavor. Promoter ASO announced that five women's ProTeams: Arkéa-B&B Hotels, Cofidis, Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi, Saint Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 and Winspace-Orange Seal will join the 15 Women's WorldTeams and automatic qualifiers EF-Oatly-Cannondale and Volkerwessels on the start line in Vannes on July 26.
Four of the five wild card picks are French teams. The introduction of a ProTeam tier for women's racing eliminates the possibility of a repeat of last year's controversial inclusion of an obviously out-of-depth Continental team like Tashkent City. It also means Lotto Ladies will miss the start. The Belgian team lost leader Thalita De Jong in the offseason and sports director Grace Verbeke said that the team consciously chose to focus on other, more achievable event goals. [TdFF]
Dwars disappointment nothing a flat white and a ride won't fix
On the heels of yesterday's stunning defeat at Dwars door Vlaanderen, Wout van Aert battled the hangover in classic fashion: he went for a ride. Van Aert took a chill 60 km coffee spin with teammates Tiesj Benoot and Edoardo Affini and seems to be taking Wednesday's disappointment in stride. He even referenced it in his Strava ride title: "Things don't always go the way you want ... but a flat white and a peanut butter brownie can make up for a lot."
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- Van Aert says he was "selfish" at Dwars
- Cane Creek updates eeWings titanium cranks
- Illness hampers Flanders leadup for Vos
- No decision on Interbike return says promoter
Van Aert says he was selfish at Dwars
Ahead of Sunday's Tour of Flanders, Visma-Lease a Bike leader Wout van Aert is criticizing his ride at Wednesday's Dwars door Vlaanderen after he lost a four-up sprint – in which he had two teammates – to EF Education-EasyPost's Neilson Powless.
"I was too selfish," he said after the race, taking full responsibility for the stunning outcome. "It's not the fault of the team management. I was so convinced of my sprint that they went along with my story. After all the criticism and bad luck of the past few months, I thought of myself. It's a huge mistake. This is not who I am and I am extremely disappointed in myself." We have more on Powless' stunning win here.
Cane Creek updates eeWings titanium cranks
Cane Creek announced a revised version of its titanium eeWings crankset, with a new design language and updated compatibility. The cranks now have an 8-bolt direct mount chainring interface which will work with SRAM's Transmission chainrings and direct power meters. Options for Shimano's new 8-bolt crank are on the way. Additionally, the crank arm shape has been redesigned, now with a more slender profile. Lastly, the crank fixing bolt has been changed to a more common 8 mm hex over the original 14 mm size. The cranks are sold in two spindle widths – one for gravel and road and another for mountain Q-factors – with three crank arm lengths available for each. eeWings weigh 398 g in the 165 mm length and cost US$1,200. [Cane Creek]
Illness hampers Flanders leadup for Vos
Defending women's Dwars door Vlaanderen champ Marianne Vos (Visma-Lease a Bike) did not start the weekday WorldTour race due to an unspecified illness. "Unfortunately, Marianne is not fit enough to start today in Dwars door Vlaanderen," the team wrote in a social media post announcing the change. "We wish you a speedy recovery, Marianne!”
Vos is still slated to start Sunday's Tour of Flanders. In 12 entries, Vos has six top-5 finishes, four of the podiums, with one win in 2013. Prior to this week Vos had been in vintage form, only narrowly losing Milan-San Remo to sprinter supreme Lorena Wiebes.
No decision on Interbike return says promoter
Despite persistent rumor of the possible return of the Interbike trade show, owner Emerald Expositions said that no decision has been made. Speaking to Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, Emerald vice president Aracely Santos Ferraresi said that "we haven’t made any kind of formal decision about it; we are still gathering a lot of information.”
For the past year, Emerald has explored the possibility of reviving what was once among the biggest bike shows in the world, canvassing the industry for its views. Interbike was last held in Reno, Nevada in 2018. Without it, the US currently does not have a flagship industry-only show, although there are numerous industry/public events like Sea Otter, Philly Bike Show, and MADE. The earliest date for a possible Interbike show would be 2026, and Ferraresi said a decision would be communicated no less than a year in advance. [BR&IN]
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
- Tom Pidcock and Q36.5 headline Giro wild cards
- Lotto bosses blast De Lie
- Yamaha buys Brose e-bike division
- Stinner debuts Carrizo and Refugio titanium Podium series
- Paul Components brings back square-taper cranks
- Quick Hits
Tom Pidcock and Q36.5 headline Giro wild cards
With just 40 days to the Grande Partenza in Albania, Giro d'Italia promoter RCS announced its four wild card teams for the first Grand Tour of the season (Lotto, guaranteed an invite as a top ProTeam, declined its spot). Tom Pidcock and Q36.5 headline, with Tudor, VF-Bardiani-Faizane and Polti-Visit Malta rounding out the startlist.
The invite marks the first time Q36.5 will race a Grand Tour, which means Pidcock's offseason transfer is already paying dividends for the second-division outfit. The Brit will race the Ardennes Classics before lining up in Durres, Albania for his first Giro. Tudor also received an invite to the Tour de France (its first) and while it hasn't announced rider programs, its press release on the wild card awards indicated that marquee offseason signings Marc Hirschi and Julian Alaphilippe would likely target the French Grand Tour.
Lotto bosses blast De Lie
The Arnaud De Lie saga continues. After the Belgian sprinter and Classics specialist DNF'd out of Sunday's Gent-Wevelgem and was struck from Lotto's startlist for races through the Tour of Flanders, he's come under intense criticism from director Kurt van de Wouwer, who questioned his commitment to racing.
"Arnaud has done everything in terms of training, but cycling is more than just training," Van de Wouwer told Het Nieuwsblad. "It is not enough to only live for your sport at 90 percent. Cycling now requires 110 percent." The team also reportedly cut De Lie's ties with his coach. Lotto, which is said to be struggling financially, saw a significant exodus of talent last offseason, losing Maxim Van Gils, Victor Campanaerts, Florian Vermeersch, and Andreas Kron, among others. Team boss Stephane Heulot also fiercely criticized sprinter Caleb Ewan in 2023, leading to his departure at the end of the season. [Het Nieuwsblad]
Yamaha buys Brose e-bike division
Yamaha Motors has agreed to acquire the e-bike drive division of Brose. The acquisition, which is expected to close in June, would likely mean a re-entry to the US market, which Yamaha exited last year. Brose has a relatively small market share in the e-bike world compared to leaders like Bosch and Shimano. But the acquisition is perhaps most important in terms of the brand's relationship with Specialized; many Specialized e-bikes use custom, Specialized-branded drive systems manufactured by Brose.
Stinner debuts Carrizo and Refugio titanium Podium series
Santa Barbara, CA bikemaker Stinner Frameworks expands its stock frame program with two new models offered in titanium. Each will be made with straight-gauge tubing, available in six stock sizes, and with a bead-blasted finish. Refugio is an adventure/gravel platform with clearance for 700 x 50 mm tires and utilizes Stinner-designed UDH dropouts with 160 mm flat-mount brake rotor compatibility. Carrizo is an all-road model that clears up to 700 x 40 mm tires with the same UDH dropouts as the Refugio, yet retains a more sporty geometry. Both are available as frame+fork for $2,895 or complete builds starting at US$5,695.[Stinner Frameworks]
Paul Components brings back square-taper cranks
No, this is not an April Fool's Day joke. Paul Component Engineering is bringing back the 100% Pure cranks, which are compatible with square-taper bottom brackets. The updated design, which is machined in-house, features a 3-bolt direct mount chainring spline (3-bolt SRAM chainrings) and self-extracting crank bolts. As the brand notes, square-taper allows riders to tune Q-factor, chainstay clearance, and chain line via bottom bracket spindle length, something not available with most modern cranksets. 100% Pure cranks are available in six sizes from 155 mm to 180 mm, four anodized colors, and weigh 516 g (pair of 180 mm including chainring bolts, crankbolts, and extractor caps). Retail is US$308. [Paul Component Engineering]
Quick Hits
Start lists for Wednesday's men's and women's Dwars door Vlaanderen are out ... Congrats to US tool, part and accessory brand Wheels Manufacturing for the only good April Fool's joke we've seen, touting a "Random Derailleur Hanger of the Month Club." From the clearly labelled joke context to some choice lines like "no guarantee it fits anything you own," Wheels was the rare outfit to get the vibe right ... Ekoi's unusual PW8 pedal and shoe system has finally launched ... The CIC Mont Ventoux one-day race has been cancelled for 2025 after promoters ran into financial difficulty ... Geraint Thomas posted on social media that the Vuelta a España will be his final pro race before he retires. We're operating under the assumption that the April 1 post date aside, this is real.
Monday, March 31, 2025
- Grand Tours get an additional wild card team
- Tour de France wild cards announced
- De Lie is out of Flanders
- Patrick Lefevere is not a fan of gear restrictions
- 32" mountain bike wheels are coming
Grand Tours get an additional wild card team
The UCI management committee voted Monday to approve the addition of a 23rd team for each of the three men's Grand Tours. Previously, Grand Tour startlists included the 18 WorldTeams, the two highest-ranked ProTeams in the previous season's standings, and two wild cards awarded at the promoters' discretion. The expansion gives promoters an additional spot to award.
Competition for those spots is typically fierce for ProTeams with strong regional identities; there are four Spanish ProTeams and three Italian ones, meaning that under the old rules at least two and one, respectively, would miss out on their home country's tour.
The management committee kept team sizes at eight riders, meaning fields at the Grand Tours will increase to 184. The provision – which was advanced to the management committee by the Pro Cycling Council – was reportedly contentious. Race organizers and ProTeams were said to be in favor, with WorldTeams almost uniformly opposed, largely on safety grounds. [UCI]
Tour de France wild cards announced
Straight on the heels of the UCI announcement, Tour de France promoters ASO announced wild card entries for the biggest race in the world. Tudor, TotalEnergies, and Uno-X Mobility will join the 18 WorldTeams and top ProTeams Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech on the start line on July 5 in Lille. [TdF]
De Lie is out of Flanders
Lotto announced that Arnaud De Lie will not race Dwars door Vlaanderen this week or Sunday's Tour of Flanders. The Belgian sprinter and classics specialist started the season with promising form and a stage win at Etoile des Besseges, but has gone the wrong direction recently, with a back-of-the-field finish at Brugge-De Panne and a DNF in Sunday's Gent-Wevelgem.
"He will take time for a reset in the coming days and will therefore also miss Dwars door Vlaanderen and the Tour of Flanders," the team said in a statement. His next scheduled race is Paris-Roubaix, April 13.
Patrick Lefevere is not a fan of gear restrictions
Soudal-Quick Step team founder Patrick Lefevere has come out in opposition to the UCI's emerging plan to test gear-ratio restrictions at a race later this season. Writing in his Het Nieuwsblad column, Lefevere said many in the sport – including his own chosen successor as Soudal CEO, Jurgen Foré – are lobbying for the change, but "I do not agree. Why should we go back to my time of a 53x12?" he wrote.
The sport today is different, he noted, with fitter athletes and better equipment. Lefevere – who stepped back from the CEO role in December but remains on the team's board of directors – does think the sport's dangerousness is a problem and even wrote that a sponsor told him that large companies didn't want to be involved in a sport with so many injuries. So how to fix it? There is no "magic formula," Lefevere wrote, "But let's start with the courses," calling out the recent Brugge-De Panne, which had a final that went from three lanes to one, as a particularly egregious example. [Het Nieuwsblad]
32-inch mountain bike wheels are coming
The recently wrapped Taipei Cycle Show is always a place to get an advance view of trends in the sport. And there's a big one, literally: Maxxis was among the companies showing 32" mountain bike tires, and had what looked to be finished final prototype or even production models on display. Small builders have experimented with the size for years, but Maxxis' entry suggests growing interest from the industry. Several World Cup XC teams are reportedly testing the larger wheel size.
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