Using a gravel race as the final event for a Grand Tour build-up is unusual, to say the least - but that's exactly what Wout van Aert will be doing this Sunday.

Soon to take part in the Vuelta a España for three weeks - an event he has ridden once, back in 2024, where spectacular initial success was poleaxed by a terrible crash and injuries - for three hours this Sunday Van Aert will be heading off-road for his debut in the Belgian Gravel Championships.

For those looking for a reason why he'd do that so close to a Grand Tour, it turns out there are four: firstly the Gravel Championships used to held in May, but is now in August, a period when there's less racing, secondly this particular event is very close to his home town of Herentals, and thirdly - unlike other years when he would have raced - he's not riding anywhere on the road this weekend.

The fourth is maybe the most important: Van Aert likes off-road racing. If his past in cyclo-cross didn't make that clear enough, not to mention the occasional dabble in gravel racing and his longstanding series of participations in Strade Bianche (and win on the same roads in the Giro d'Italia a year last May), his victory in Paris-Roubaix this spring is the latest reminder of that.

“In August, the big advantage is that the top road riders are all available," Belgian Gravel Championships organisation member Erwin Vervecken told Wielerflits. "Quite a few riders are coming off the Tour or preparing for the autumn. In May, you had no chance with those guys. So this is ideal."

Then there's the location, Grobbendonk, barely seven kilometres as the crow flies (or the gravel racer rides) from Van Aert's village of Herentals, whilst one of Van Aert's training partners, Daan Soete (Ridley Racing), who will be taking part on Sunday, actually comes from Grobbendonk. Nor does Van Aert have any road racing obligations this weekend, unlike in 2025 when he took part in the Hamburg one-day WorldTour race, now known as the ADAC Cyclassics. (For the record, he finished tenth.)

As for the main reason, Vervecken confirmed to Wielerflits, "It's because he enjoys it. It fits into his training for the Vuelta, and he gets to ride competitively on the roads where he does a lot of gravel anyway.

“He can arrive at the start of that race without stress. If he manages to secure the title in his home region, that’s a nice bonus. If not, he won’t lose any sleep over it either. Ultimately, the real goals for him come much later in the season."

As for the course itself, Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblad sent one of their reporters to ride the entire route, which centres on Grobbendonk - home to Herman Vanspringel, aka Monsieur Bordeaux-Paris after the long-defunct marathon race he won seven times, until his death in 2022 - and the neighbouring town of Bouwel, with bridges being built specially in the woods inbetween.

The toughest part of the course, according to Nieuwsblad, for the more than 1,300 participants on Sunday - including Van Aert, Tim Merlier (Soudal-QuickStep), Lotte Claes (Fenix-Premier Tech) and her teammate, elite women's defending champion Marthe Truyen - will be a disused railway maintenance track, which has been cleared of weeds over the summer specially for the occasion.

"In their place, we see an endless stretch of nearly 700 meters of loose, flaky sand, where we have to put our feet down after just five turns of the pedals, simply to avoid falling," the Nieuwsblad's article read. Residents reportedly claimed that this key section, 15 kilometres from the finish in Grobbendonk, would be where Van Aert would attack to win.

Should Van Aert fail, though, he'll have another opportunity to take a gravel victory (of sorts) in the very near future. Stage 6 of the Vuelta a España features the first-ever full gravel section of the race, a 3.5-kilometre sector close to the summit of the Cat. 1 Puerto del Bartolo.

Quite apart from its own appeal, Sunday's Belgian Gravel Championships, then, will provide a good chance to practice for that, too. Live streaming for the majority of the elite races will be provided online by Pickx.

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After a respite of two and a half months in the Life Time Grand Prix series calendar, Leadville Trail 100 MTB will kickstart the competition with its high-elevation 102-mile battle on August 15, a chance to reshuffle the tight overall standings and for other top stars to grab glory at the 'race across the sky'.

The Colorado event marks a shift in the series back to the flat bars – with Chequamegon MTB Festival and Little Sugar MTB next on the agenda in September and October. This mountain bike endurance race can throw a spanner in the works with nearly 10,000 feet of climbing, and altitude adaptation is rigorously tested across even a modified course, with the start in Leadville at 10,152 feet above sea level.

The changes to the route due to wildfire damage may cut out more than 4,000 feet of climbing from the original route, but the remaining elevation gain, including the traditional climb, and tricky descent, to Columbine Mine at 12,424 feet above sea level will push riders to the limit.

The prize purse had been doubled to $60,000, with race winners, regardless of affiliation of the Life Time Grand Prix, taking home $10,000 each. The closely-packed ranks of the Grand Prix competition deliver another incentive, as the series hits a third round of six.

In the men's competition Specialized Off-road teammates Matthew Beers and Keegan Swenson are currently on top of the leaderboard, each with 54 points, while Alexey Vermeulen is third with 46 points while Brendan Johnston, with 42 points, and Cobe Freeburn, sitting on 40 points, rounds out the top five.

Sofia Gomez Villafañe heads the women's leaderboard with 60 points and then it's Cecily Decker in second on 48, with Rosa Klöser, Hayley Preen, Lauren Stephens and Paige Onweller all within seven points of Decker. As Villafañe said in a recent episode of The Cooldown podcast "we're in for a proper battle at Leadville".

Read on for a list of riders that are expected to be vying for the top spots as that 'proper battle' unfolds.

Women's Elite

Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective)

With last year's winner Kate Courtney not on the start line, the person who naturally steps into the limelight as a key rider to watch is 2024 winner Melisa Rollins, particularly as she was also second to Courtney last year. However, it hasn't exactly been an easy season for Rollins after going second at RADL GRVL in South Australia. In March, whilst in the midst of training for a tilt at the Cape Epic with Courtney as her partner, a broken left elbow and injured right wrist derailed her plans, then there was a torn triceps, and finally, when she got back on the bike again, she was sideswiped by a car.

However, she'd had a tough start to 2025 as well – crashing and breaking her wrist in Otway Odyssey in late February – but still was delivering podium form by the time Leadville came around. What's more, she's already proven she's firing despite the brutal run, returning at SBT GRVL in late June and delivering at the US XCM National Championships. That means Rollins will be stepping onto the start line at Leadville with the extra boost of doing it not just as a former winner, but also in the jersey of a national champion.

Lauren Stephens (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment)

If you look at the results of Leadville in 2025 you will not see Lauren Stephens sitting near the top of the results list, even though she crossed the line with the third-best time, nor did she get to step up to the podium. That's because after the race was run Stephens was disqualified for mistakenly taking aid outside a designated crew location. Therefore, while on the results sheet it may not have looked like much of a debut at the event, what she delivered with her legs is a clear indicator of her potential to be a fierce competitor at the event.

In fact, the events of last year may even add a little more fuel to the fire, which is clearly burning brightly anyway this season. The US Gravel champion has also come second on the road in the battle for the national title the past two years, plus she has delivered a strong run of other results so far this season. That includes overall victory at both the Redlands Bicycle Classic and Tour of the Gila Women as well as second at Sea Otter Classic Gravel and third at SBT GRVL. It's a path to Leadville that bodes well for 2026, particularly as she's bound to have studied the tech guide in meticulous detail this time.

Sofia Gomez Villafañe (Specialized Off-road)

It would be the height of foolishness not to have Sofia Gomez Villafañe near the top of any contenders list, given her run of results across the years and particularly this season where she is yet to deviate from the top step. Right from Santa Vall in Spain in February through to UCI Gravel World Series event Castellon Gravel, The Mid South, Sea Otter Classic, The Traka 200, Unbound Gravel 200 and SBT GRVL, Villafañe has reigned supreme. The question now is will she carry all that gravel prowess through to Leadville.

The mountain bike events haven't exactly been the three time Life time Grand Prix winner's strong suit in previous years but you'd be really pushing it to call that discipline a weakness. Villafañe is after all a two-time Cape Epic and did win at Leadville in 2023. Plus last year the Specialized rider was fourth and was second in 2024, so has never been far from the front, it just that sometimes she hasn't been right at the very front. That, however, could well change in 2026, after all she has won everything else.

Cecily Decker (PAS Racing)

Last year Cecily Decker proved her ability to perform at the top of Leadville as, after finishing last in the pro women's category in 2024, in 2025 she'd gone all out to target the race which didn't suit her. The former US Ski Team racer, who last year finished second to Villafañe at the Life Time Grand Prix, has now proven she's got what it takes to target the top spots.

It's been another strong year so far for Decker, with an early -season podium at The Mid South and the rider is once again sitting second in the LTGP between her eighth at Sea Otter and powerful third overall at Unbound at the end of May. After stepping onto the podium for a second year running at the brutal test in Kansas, there was a patch of illness. However, she was back racing late June and stepped straight back to the podium at Big Horn Gravel, and this time it was the top step.

After a solid fifth at SBT GRVL, she also then went on to claim the Leadville stage race in late July. Decker has been out doing a recon of the fire-modified Leadville 100 MTB course this week and, given her current form, and what she achieved last year, it's clear she'll be heading into this edition as one of the key riders to watch.

Others to watch

It's also hard to look past Sarah Lange as a possible contender. Firstly, she has finished fifth at the event the past two years, and Lange was also clearly building some strong form at SBT Gravel, when she came second after being caught by Villafañe. Then there is also Haley Preen, not only the South African gravel champion but also wearing the national marathon mountain bike jersey as well.

Paige Onweller, who was in the top 10 at Leadville last year, has also been putting some flying form clearly on display in recent months. After her fourth at Unbound Gravel 200 she then swapped to the road for the USPro National Championships and was third in the time trial and then, even after being caught following a long solo effort, she still managed to hold on for sixth in the road race.

Another rider to watch is Rosa Klöser, as it will be fascinating to see how the gravel and road rider adapts to another discipline when she takes on her first Leadville. The German 2024 Unbound 200 winner has proven time and time again she is not afraid of a challenge but this is unquestionably a big one, not least of all because she is coming straight from an arduous effort on the road at the Tour de France Femmes, where she also became unwell.

Men's elite

Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road)

If Keegan Swenson wasn't a marked rider before, he's even more so in 2026 - going for a record-tying sixth consecutive victory in Colorado and doing so this time with the marathon mountain bike World Champion's rainbow stripes for team Specialized Off-road. But he isn't really concerned about the other elite riders, it's all about a self-admitted 'obsession' with winning Leadville and going faster.

"Leadville, it's one of the most iconic mountain bike races in the world. It was always one of those races that I really wanted to win, and then it kind of became an obsession of how fast I could go and how hard I could push myself. So every year I'm trying to find ways to push a little harder, whether it's fitness, or equipment, or tactics. It's a lot of work, it's never easy. You've just got to be stubborn," he said with a laugh in the ROAD iD YouTube film, Unseen Miles.

The 32-year-old suffered a hip injury in February which disrupted his early season, then cranked up the engine for a podium at Sea Otter Classic, an epic fifth place at Unbound Gravel 200, and a fourth win at SBT GRVL. He'll have one Specialized teammate along for company in Leadville, Matt Beers, the duo tied in first place on the Life Time Grand Prix men's leaderboard. Look for the twosome to set a wicked pace, the larger frame of Beers doing some major miles to slingshot Swenson to a sixth win.

Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek)

Just four days before Saturday's early-morning race start, an unexpected entry by WorldTour rider Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) spiced up the elite men's start list. However, it's not as big a surprise as the first time the Colorado native competed in Leadville was in 2019, and that time as an unproven 18-year-old he outsprinted Lachlan Morton and Peter Stetina to take second place.

Simmons now returns as a three-time USPro road race champion, and fresh off his fourth Tour de France, winning a Best Teammate special prize for a second time as selected by a race jury. He was often in breakaways at this year's Tour, landing second place on stage 4 and helping Lidl-Trek teammate Mads Pedersen secure the points classification title. Look for Simmons to go on the attack, often, and treat this mountain bike challenge as a hilly one-day Classic.

John Gaston (STRAFE-Specialized)

Last year's runner-up to Swenson was mountain bike specialist John Gaston, who was 15 minutes behind the race leader though just 51 seconds away from going under the 6-hour mark. He was four minutes faster than 2024, when he also went solo for second place. In fact, he has been on the podium each of the last four years, so it would be no surprise to find the 39-year-old back in the hunt.

Winter has been the main focus for the 39-year-old from Aspen, Colorado, who has competed most often with 12,000 vertical feet in ski mountaineering for more than a decade and most recently won the US Skimo Nationals. He mixes some mountain biking in summer, and comes in fresh to Leadville again, as he does not compete in any off-road cycling series.

Brendan Johnston (Giant)

Brendan Johnston had a "devastating" DNF at Leadville last year, thanks to a huge rock that destroyed his rear wheel just 20km in on the Powerline descent. This summer 's US campaign finds him firing on all cylinders again, with a fourth-place finish at a muddy Unbound Gravel 200, which was one spot better than 2025 but "significantly more savage". That effort boosted him to fourth position in the Life Time Grand Prix headed into Leadville.

He has settled into a lead role in the Life Time Grand Prix, finishing in the top 10 for three seasons, saying in an Australian Gravel interview, "Now that I'm established, it feels like a home away from home" to be in the US often for the races.

Racing on Australian soil on two separate trips, he won both UCI Gravel World Series races, extending his streak in that collection of events to six consecutive victories. In the US, he has a road podium in The Growler at Levi's Grand Fondo, a gravel win at the Salty Lizard in Utah, and two weeks' acclimation in Colorado ahead of Leadville. The six-time Australian cross-country marathon MTB champion is back with confidence on a new Anthem full-suspension bike with new Giant mountain bike wheels, and among the Grand Prix riders behind Swenson looks to make a move at this long-distance Colorado race.

Others to watch

Among the elite men in the Life Time Grand Prix, there are a large number of riders who can survive the altitude, power across Columbine and overcome encroaching fatigue to kick pavement at the finish. Tops among this group is versatile Simon Pellaud (Cervelo-Assos-Maxxis), who is seventh overall in the Grand Prix with eight points separating him from four other riders.

The Swiss-born rider who has lived in Colombia for many years was third in his Leadville debut last year. An early season knee issue has been resolved and he comes in with a solid base of road racing, fifth overall at a UCI stage race in South Korea and eighth at Swiss road nationals. Just a week ago he had a dominant win at the UCI Gravel World Series race in Colombia.

The US duo of Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE) and Cobe Freeburn (Trek Driftless) are two of the riders being chased by Pellaud, Vermeulen in third overall and Freeburn fifth. While they both finished in the top 15 last year in Leadville, it was Freeburn's debut after going third at SBT GRVL. He's from Durango and started out racing mountain bikes, though he focused on the shorter cross-country races and not the six-hour endurance events.

Vermeulen has the experience at Leadville, going second in 2023, outsprinting Gaston that time, and going fourth in 2022. This year he was third at Sea Otter Gravel and second at SBT GRVL.

Big moves are needed by Andrew l'Esperance (3T Bike-Maxxis-Pearl Izumi) and Toby Røed (Trek Driftless) to crack the Grand Prix top 10, the Canadian rider in 11th and the Norwegian living in Colorado in 17th. L'Esperance has his racing roots on the mountain bike and can improve from sixth place last year. He most recently had a solid ride at The Rift with fourth place. Røed had a late start to his season, missing Sea Otter Classic, but he comes in as the new Norwegian gravel champion. Based on his fourth and eighth place finishes the last two years at Leadville, he's looking for an even better finish and grab Grand Prix points as well.

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It is set to be a fiercely contested fourth edition of the Belgian Gravel National Championships, with a mix of gravel regulars and road riders joining the fray for the race from Grobbendonk on Sunday August 16.

Wout van Aert will be among those lining up, with the Visma-Lease a Bike racer venturing into gravel again after winning the UCI Gravel World Series race Marly Gravel in May. His focus will soon be on the road again, though, at the upcoming Vuelta a España.

Van Aert will have plenty of competition in the national title chase as among those set to line up in the elite men's field are defending champion Niels Vandeputte (Alpecin-Premier Tech Development Team), Tim Merlier (Soudal QuickStep), who was third at the event last year, along with gravel regulars Greg van Avermaet and Daan Soete (Ridley Racing) who is fresh from winning Heathland Gravel on Sunday.

Elite women's defending champion Marthe Truyen (Fenix-Premier Tech) will be back, as will last year's runner- up and teammate Lotte Claes, who in June claimed the national time trial title. The 2024 gravel champion Alana Castrique (AG Insurance-Soudal) will also be on the start line, as will road and cyclocross racer Julie Brouwers.

The men's elite race will be run over 163.2km, three laps of the course that starts and finishes in Grobbendonk while the elite women's race takes in two laps for 108.8km.

The national title holders also qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships, to be held in Nannup, Western Australia on October 10 and 11. Before that, however, is the European Gravel Championships on August 30, which will be in Houffalize.

The Belgian Championships are among the growing number of nations to hold a national title race for gravel with Jasper Stuyven and Truyen claiming the first titles in 2023. Then in 2024 Castrique was joined by Gianni Vermeersch – the first gravel world champion in 2022.

A livestream of this year's race will also be available on Pickx.

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Scope has risen in prevalence over the last few years, with WorldTour teams opting to use its fish scale inspired Artech wheels ahead of sponsor correct equipment, and Netcompany-Ineos partnering with them for the 2026 season. The Artech 6.A wheels even tested fastest in our 2024 round of wind tunnel wheelset testing.

The Scope R4.G represents the more wallet friendly option in the brand's gravel wheel line-up, which includes this, and the Artech 4.G.

It uses similar technologies and profiles to the Artech, but at a weight cost. A modern, wide internal and external hookless rim is used, making it comparable with several other carbon gravel wheelsets in this price bracket.

Additionally, sealed bearings, a reinforced rim, and no weight limit sets the wheels up nicely to be resilient across rugged gravel terrain, and my impressions from testing them has supported that. The weight is highly competitive with others in this bracket, while the aero performance with 45mm tyres results in very little speed loss versus a road wheelset on tarmac.

My only gripes are the rotors being a nightmare to fit and remove, and the freehub wailing like a banshee, making me feel self-conscious when riding down the residential street at unsociable hours.

But overall, these are a superb set of gravel wheels that offer fantastic value, and truly deserve a place in our buying guide to the best gravel bike wheels. What's more, they would be brilliantly paired with any of the best gravel race bikes, especially better value offerings.

Design and specifications

The Scope R4.G wheels are built using what Scope calls Algorithm Enhanced Aerodynamics (AEA), the same process used to develop the Artech rims. This process runs through different rim profile designs at different wind speeds and angles to devise the fastest solution. Although no fish scale rim profiles are present in the R4.G, many of the technologies from the very fast Artech wheels are applied.

The rim uses a 45mm tall rim with hookless beads, with an internal width of 28mm and external width of 38mm (albeit 27.08mm and 37.04mm measured though on my calipers).

This does place them among the wider offerings on the market and is designed to work best with tyres at 40mm and wider (35-60mm is the claimed width that these wheels can be used with).

The rim has also been specifically reinforced around the spoke holes, adding strength where needed without excessive carbon where it is not required.

Spoke lacing is a 2:1 two-cross at the front on the rotor side, radial on the drive side with 21 spokes total, while the rear is a 2:1 two-cross pattern on the drive side and one-cross on the rotor side, with 24 Sapim CX-ray alloy spokes.

This asymmetric spoke lacing, cross pattern, and number is aimed to balance the wheel against the forces of both braking and also drivetrain torque.

The hubs are Scope’s own R-Series hubs, and use a labyrinth system which essentially aims to block dirt from entering the hubs and bearings thus increasing longevity.

Internally a 36 tooth Diamond Ratchet SL is used. This 10 degree engagement is a bit higher (and thus slower) than some, but there are claims that fewer teeth results in greater ratchet longevity, and when keeping pressure on the pedals it has little impact on performance compared to higher counts.

The diamond carbon like coating is designed to prevent cassette bite into the free-hub body, while also reducing the weight. Claimed weight is 1,436g without tape or valves, while actual weight on my scales was 1,444g with tape and valves, so lighter than claimed.

Two decal options are available, with black or white options. Hub options range across Shimano and Shimano Microspline, SRAM XDR, Campagnolo, and Campagnolo N3W. Tubeless valves and rim tape are provided, but not lock-rings.

Performance

Fitting the tyres to the Scope R4.G was a nicel and simple affair. The 45mm Panaracer GravelKing ZX I use for gravel wheel tests can be a little tough to fit, but in this situation were able to be fitted without the need for levers. Given the wide and hookless rim, this was easier than I have found on similar gravel rims, while the tyres seated easily enough as well.

One area worth highlighting however was that the rotors are a pain to fit. The same system is used as on the Artech wheels, a lighter weight spline for the rotors, but it almost appeared slightly misaligned making them harder to fit than would be considered normal.

Getting out on the wheels, there are two things that are apparent pretty quickly when riding them; the ratchet engagement is a little sluggish by comparison to high tooth competitors, and the freehub is the loudest one I have ever used.

The ratchet uses a 36-tooth engagement, meaning it takes at most 10° of pedalling to engage the freehub. Hunt for example uses a 54-tooth ratchet, which means faster engagement. It’s only really noticeable when riding in scenarios where you are on and off the power regularly, so more techy terrain with lots of non-pedalling corners. Once rolling at speed, it makes little difference, and the Diamond Star ratchet Scope uses is extremely solid. I have tested a lot of Scope wheels, and the ratchet has never displayed any form of slip, and has proven to be very resilient.

The freehub noise is an interesting point. For early morning rides as I approach the end of my street, I found myself choosing to pedal while braking to avoid waking the entire street.

On the flip side, when riding shared trails with pedestrians, the freehub works better than any bell at alerting people to my presence. Coast for a few seconds and pedestrians a good 100m ahead turn around wondering why an angry hoard of hornets is approaching them.

I know some people enjoy a loud freehub, but this is a bit beyond my personal preference. I much prefer the almost silent running of the Campagnolo freehubs, but credit where credit is due, it acts as a fantastic alert when riding the trails. People will not miss you coming.

In terms of performance though, I am thoroughly impressed with these wheels. Scope might have gained more fame through the Artech wheels with fish scales and top level aero performance, but the R range of wheels are less than half the price and have most of the same performance.

I’ve even bought several pairs over the years, so can attest to putting my money where my mouth is. With the 45mm tyres fitted, measuring a shade under that width, and a 37mm external width, the wheels roll superbly and hold speed well. Going on the tarmac to head to the trails, the speed between these wheels and standard road wheels fitted is not massively different.

I’d say for most gravel this 40-45mm depth range is a very good balance for light enough to accelerate quickly and climb quickly, but deep enough to have some meaningful aero performance at speed.

At 1,444g for a 45mm depth, these are competitively lightweight wheels, and this does show when riding. The thing with gravel is that generally the climbs are tackled slower than tarmac for the same gradient, and gradients can ramp up quickly. This means lower wheel inertia, and weight requires more effort to accelerate up to speed.

Add heavier wider gravel tyres into the mix, and having a lighter rim can make more of a difference off-road than on tarmac. I’ve found the Scope R4.G climb very well, and the strong lateral stiffness also helps maintain a connected feel especially when mashing the pedals on more loose and rocky climbs. This lateral stiffness is most noticeable on the road, as cushioned low PSI wide tyres on gravel always take away an element of reactiveness of the wheels.

Although hookless, and me being a long term hookless sceptic, for gravel wheels with low pressures the system does work well. The tyres have maintained pressure, and going over some horrendously rough terrain and root infested trails, there have been no signs of tyre burps or pinches, and the rim has held up very well.

Value

At a penny under £1,500, these are not cheap wheels, but for a deep carbon wheelset they are in the bracket that I would term as good value. They sit alongside the likes of the Hunt Limitless CGR 40, and Reserve 44/40 G wheelsets. The Parcours FKT undercut them a bit at £1,249, and are deeper at 47mm and a fraction wider internally and externally, but also hookless and a touch heavier.

It’s a very competitive bracket for performance gravel wheels, and at this point they all have rather similar performance features, with just small differences separating them. If you want a quieter freehub, then the Scopes are not the wheels to go for, unless you get the brand’s special Silence Grease to reduce the known buzz of the Diamond Ratchet system. If you want to run wider tyres, maybe the Parcours are best with the 40mm external width.

If you want a pretty bombproof option with more heavily reinforced hub seals, no weight limit, and something that can tackle pretty much any form of terrain you throw at them, the Scope R4.G are certainly worth considering. Having used Scope R-line wheels across the last few winters, the hubs have held up exceptionally, and some truly heinous potholes have not led to any rim failures even when tyres have blown out spectacularly.

My best way to substantiate the value I see in these wheels, is that I have personally purchased sets of the road going version myself. Value is always subjective, but these are something I would, and indeed have, spent my own money on. I would suggest for most people that these wheels offer most of the performance of the likes of the Scope Artech 4.G, but for £2000 less.

Verdict

There's a much more expensive model in the range, but in my opinion, the Scope R4.G wheelset is the best gravel wheelset that Scope offers. Although the Artech model is lighter and potentially a little more aero, the cost is huge by comparison and there are some concerns about the delicateness of the hubs for off-road use.

The R4.G represent much better value in the carbon gravel wheelset market overall and based on previous experience with Scope R-line wheels the longevity should be impressive too.

The hub is intrusively loud though, and the rotors are a bit tough to fit and remove, but overall these are a highly impressive wheelset and a sensible investment for those who want a fast, lightweight, and resilient set of gravel wheels.

The Rad Dirt Festival is back in the Life Time Grand Prix series in 2027, returning the off-road competition to a seven-race event, and there will also be an adjusted athlete selection process for the year ahead.

The September event in Trinidad, Colorado was last included as part of the series in 2024, and there have been six events in the season the past three years following the cancellation of the Crusher in the Tushar race due to wildfires two seasons ago.

For the year ahead, riders in the series must start a minimum of six of the seven events, which in 2027 will be Sea Otter Classic Gravel, Unbound Gravel 200, Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Chequamegon Mountain Bike Festival, Rad Dirt Fest, Little Sugar MTB and Big Sugar Gravel.

The process for deciding the 25 athletes in the men's and women's competition is also changing in 2027, with the aim being to "create a performance-driven-path" that also improves the abilities of athletes to plan for what's ahead.

"The Grand Prix is about identifying the best all-around off-road racers, and competing across gravel and mountain bike racing reflects that," said Kimo Seymour, President of Events and Media at Life Time. "Establishing the field earlier also gives athletes greater certainty as they plan their seasons and partnerships.”

Automatic selection for this season only applied to the top five and the top overall Under 23 rider from 2025. Then there were 16 selected athletes, and three wild card entries – with more added in the case of selected athletes dropping out. Places were confirmed after the second event, Unbound, in late May.

For 2027, the rules will be adjusted so the top ten athletes from 2026 gain automatic selection, along with the top U23 rider. The remaining 14 spots will then be decided based on the results from among the Pro category at the mid-April Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Sea Otter Classic Fuego XL.

“Our goal is to continue raising the competitive standard of the Grand Prix while creating a clear pathway into the Series for athletes to pursue,” said Seymour.

“The top athletes from this season will earn their opportunity to return, the next group will have the chance to race their way in at Sea Otter, and from there we’ll have 25 women and 25 men taking on seven of the most demanding off-road races in the country.”

The leaning toward performance-based, rather than discretionary, selection, is also not where the changes end. A new Pro category vetting procedure is also set to be introduced for 2027. Riders will have to apply for access to race in the Pro category at Life Time events, as part of a process which will be introduced in September.

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Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek) has big plans for his first race after the Tour de France, lining up for Leadville Trail 100 MTB on Saturday.

It has been seven years since he last competed at the 100-mile mountain bike endurance race in his home state of Colorado, when at 18 years of age he finished second to three-time winner Howard Grotts. That race was eventful, as Simmons started well back in the field, overcame a flat tyre and crossed the finish line ahead of then-WorldTour riders Lachlan Morton (EF Education) and Peter Stetina (Trek-Segafredo).

Prior to the 2019 debut at Leadville, Simmons had won the US time trial title and was the first US rider to win the Junior Gent-Wevelgem, riding for the Lux Cycling development programme. He would go on to win the men's junior road race at Road Worlds in Harrogate to signal his arrival on the global stage.

On Saturday, Simmons will again face Morton, as well as recent WorldTour competitors Michael Woods and Chad Haga, who have transitioned to off-road and alternative endurance racing.

The rider to mark will be Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road), who targets a sixth consecutive Leadville victory, which would tie the mark held by David Wiens.

Simmons last climbed on a podium at the Tour de France, where he was part of the Lidl-Trek squad that won Best Team honours at the Grand Tour. He was also recognised for the second year in a row as Best Teammate of the Tour by the race jury.

During the three weeks, he exhibited his characteristic aggressive riding style, getting into several breakaways and going runner-up on stage 4 into Foix.

That aggressive style that is a trademark for the three-time USPro road race national champion was on full display at his Leadville debut seven years ago. He was in a lead group of elite men after the Powerline descent early in the race, but then flatted and had to ride his rim to an aid station.

At the Twin Lakes area before the Columbine climb, Simmons was more than 10 minutes behind the leaders. He clipped away three minutes on the climb and then another two on the return trip.

“To be honest, down at Columbine when I was about 10 minutes behind, I was about to pull out and call it a day," he told The Durango Herald after the race.

He would reconnect with a group of contenders once on the return on the Powerline climb, with its 26% gradient on the lower section, and fight in the sprint for second. Grotts was uncatchable with his third win, more than three minutes ahead, in a time of 6 hours, 19 minutes and 18 seconds.

This year's out-and-back course has been reconfigured due to recent wildfires, and the Powerline outbound descent and inbound climb had to be diverted. The climb for the turnaround of the 102-mile race remains at Columbine, but the often-decisive finishing climb at Powerline, as well as rough roads over Hagerman Pass Road and Sugarloaf Mountain, will not come into play.

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Nicole Frain (Factor Racing-RCC) and Daan Soete (Ridley Racing) won on debut at Heathland Gravel on Sunday. It was the third edition of the Belgian gravel race, which serves as the only European qualifier for Unbound Gravel.

The 160km of dusty trails twisted from Maasmechelen on the west side through Flanders and featured 10 timed sections. Both Frain and Soete used similar tactics to begin with fast times and then settle in for the final segments.

Frain won with an accumulated time of 3:40:33, 11:50 faster than Hanne Van Loock (Reverb Cycling) and more than 14 minutes on third-placed Nathalie Bex (Serso Gravel Team).

Soete won with a combined time of 3:24:57. Kevin Panhuyzen (Storms Cycling Team-Ridley) finished second by just 26 seconds. Adne Koster (Seka-Reynolds), who has twice finished runner-up, took third 48 seconds off the best time.

The first tick of the clock came after the opening climb in the first 5km, the first segment technical with sandy tracks. Next came across segments 2-4, going back-to-back-to-back for 57.6km, and then a long stretch of sand arrived at section 5 with a climb at the end and marking the half-way point of the race. Sections 7 and 8 also included most of the back-half climbing for a relatively flat final pair of timed sections.

Frain never faltered, setting the top times in all 10 segments. The Oceania Gravel Champion earned her seventh race win of the season, which began with RADL GRVL in January that also gave her the Continental title, and has included four wins in the UCI Gravel World Series in Europe.

"I went full gas from the start and just see where it sort of ended up. Those first couple of sectors were quite technical, so I thought there's a good opportunity," Frain told organisers.

"I'm pretty buggered, yeah tired. It's a challenging parcours. For me, the conditions were good. I'm more used to heat and I prefer the heat."

Conditions were mild and dry for all starts, but the thermometer moved to 30°C for the final hours. Soete said the early moves were fruitful so that when the heat arrived it was manageable.

"It was a hard day. I think the course is quite technical, a lot of corners. It was good we started in the morning, the weather was hot, the last two hours it was getting very warm," he told organisers at the finish for his first gravel win of the year.

Soete and Panhuyzen grabbed the best times on the first section, then Koster went to work on the middle sections. Soete began to close a gap from seventh place to third place and made up a final deficit on the final 9.5km section.

"If you have advantage in the beginning [in the sand], you know the situation for sure. And if you keep up with the others then for the rest of the race, you know you are going to be close on the podium. So that was one of my plans," the accomplished cyclo-cross racer said.

"It's a special concept with the timed segments. It's the first time for me, so a little bit technical in the beginning. Then halfway through the race, we had a little bit advantage, Kevin Panhuyzen and myself. It's always unclear how much seconds you have, so you need to keep riding and keeping in the front."

There were a thousand starters on the line in Maasmechelen, with 50 of the riders from the 160km event in the running to secure one of the 50 places up for grabs at the 2027 edition of Unbound Gravel. Half of the slots were awarded based on performance and the other half through an official lottery.

The demand for spots in the world's most revered gravel event far outweighs the number of positions available, and while the spot lottery opens on November 1 there are also a number of events in North America where you can secure an early entry to the June 5 event. Crusher in the Tushar was the first in July, but this race was cancelled due to wildfires, so now the options are The Rad Dirt on September 26 and Big Sugar Gravel on October 17.

Freddy Ovett sets FKT on Icelandic Divide

Australian Freddy Ovett took on the remote territory of Iceland to set a new Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the 376.7-kilometre trek across the Nordic island country. He completed Icelandic Divide in 16 hours, 30 minutes, 39 seconds, averaging 24.1 kph with 4,066 metres of elevation accumulated.

The record, from north to south, was established by Payson McElveen (Allied Cycle Works-Red Bull) in 2021, becoming the first athlete to complete the ride in under 24 hours, and he did it in 19 hours, 45 minutes. Ovett broke that mark by over three hours, and instead of riding in daylight hours he began at 6 p.m. local time in Akureyri to ride in 'unending dusk' into Vik.

"Doing something more than just racing each season is something I’ve been thinking about for a while now but doing exactly what and how isn’t easy to come up with. Speaking with COROS at the end of last season I mentioned this to them and within months they come up with the idea to attack the Iceland Crossing record. It was a perfect distance and route in terms of management for my first FKT experience and I readily accepted the challenge," he said in a press statement.

"It means quite a bit to me because as much as I love racing, I love even more the idea of challenging myself on my own terms in my own way and this ride is exactly that. I loved every part of the experience not just the ride itself but the entire team involved and the time we all had together in Iceland."

Ovett encountered more than a dozen water crossings, with tricky descents that followed for his very first FKT attempt. He plans to share the effort with a video.

He raced for seven seasons on the road, last with L39ION of Los Angeles in 2021-2022 and then transitioned to gravel in 2023. He has had several top 10s since, including Crushar in the Tushar and The Gralloch, and this year going 13th at RADL GRVL and 12th at Wish One Millau Grands Causses.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our gravel cycling coverage in 2026. We'll be on the ground at the biggest races of the season, bringing you breaking news, expert analysis, in-depth features, and much more. Find out more.

Gravel Weekend delivered a tight battle for the top spots with Marjolein van't Geloof (Laboral Kutxa-Fundacion Euskadi) claiming the top spot in the women's elite race in a tight four-way sprint while it was a two-way battle for men's elite winner Eddy Le Huitouze (The Grip) in Tukums.

It was an early break for Le Huitouze in the Latvian round of the UCI Gravel World Series, settling in for a 110km effort out front with Linus Østdal (PAS Racing) who came second after the sprint decider. Magnus Bak Klaris (PAS Racing) was third, 36 seconds back.

It was a group of four out front in the women's elite race, with Van't Geloof getting the better of series leader Wendy Oosterwoud (PAS Racing) while Axelle Dubau-Prévot (EF Education-Oatly) came third in the sprint. Lithuanian mountain biker Katazinsa Sosna-Pinele (Torpado Factory) just missed out on the podium.

The races played out on a 140km course, with rolling terrain and a mix of roads, from wide to short single-track sections. It was the first year the race was on the calendar as a UCI Gravel World Series qualifier.

The top 25% of each category, and complete podium, will earn a place at the UCI Gravel World Championships, which is being held in Nannup, Western Australia on October 10 and 11.

An updated course for this year's Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetic was revealed today by event owners and organisers Life Time, with most of the route intact and coming in at 102.1 miles, just two miles shorter than previous editions.

The show will go on as the third stop in the Life Time Grand Prix off-road series, elite riders beginning at 6:00 a.m. MDT on Saturday, August 15.

The reroute bypasses the 'Powerline' section of the course used for four decades, this area damaged by a massive wildfire in late June and was under a 'red zone' evacuation. The US Forest Service noted this area would be closed from July 7 to September 30, 2026, "for the protection of public health and safety".

The main trails at Hagerman Pass Road and Sugarloaf Mountain next to Turquoise Lake were impacted, as well as the signature 'Powerline' section where riders had a final chance to make moves to the finish.

The adjusted route "closely follows the traditional course", organisers stated in a press release. The distance is just two miles shorter than previous editions and the total elevation gain comes in at 9,916 feet, which is close to 4,500 fewer feet of climbing than before. That difference comes from the omission of Hagerman Pass Road and Sugarloaf Mountain, ridden before in the opening and closing 23 miles on an out-and-back course.

Still prominent on the course is the climb and descent of Columbine, with eight miles in each direction of technical singletrack, washouts and consistent gradients of 8%-15%. This is the section where moves are made, last year Keegan Swenson (Specialized Off-road) winning a fifth consecutive time. Kate Courtney (She Sends Racing) won the women's race in record time, while the top Life Time competitor was runner-up Melisa Rollins (Liv Racing Collective), who won Leadville in 2024.

"Athletes will head west from Harrison Ave as normal, first taking on St. Kevin's climb before heading back east around Turquoise Lake to avoid the areas affected by the Willow Fire," a press release from Life Time read.

"Athletes will rejoin the original course at the bottom of the Powerline Descent, before heading into the Outward Bound aid station at mile 22.7. Riders will then ascend the iconic Columbine climb before heading back to town on the famous out-and-back course."

As of August 2, the Willow Fire had burned 7,196 acres and was 67% contained, according to the official fire information Facebook page managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The wildfire is now being managed locally by the Lake County Office of Emergency Management.

In mid-July, organisers announced they had a 'green light' to continue with plans to hold the Leadville endurance mountain bike race for a 32nd edition. They have spent several weeks securing permits to reroute the course, and also secure official aid stations for elite riders, as well as age-group divisions, those details to be announced next week.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our gravel and off-road cycling coverage in 2026. We'll be on the ground at the biggest races of the season, bringing you breaking news, expert analysis, in-depth features, and much more. Find out more.

The best pressure washers can make easy work of cleaning your bike, but if you're away from home, they are pretty much redundant if there's no access to power and, of course, water. Meaning filthy bike meets clean car or van.

High-pressure, mains-powered washers can also strip paint and blast water past critical seals and bearings – potentially wrecking your bike and tanking its resale value when it's time for an upgrade – we are always thinking of an upgrade, right?

I recently discovered the Kärcher OC3 pressure washer, which ticks all the boxes for convenience; it's low pressure, superbly portable, and battery-operated, meaning you can use it anywhere.

It's also at a best-ever price as the Kärcher OC3 pressure washer is discounted to £92.99 on Amazon, a massive 32% off its usual £139.99.

In our Kärcher OC3 pressure washer review, it received a glowing 4.5-star rating with Will Jones saying, "it's so useful I now can’t imagine life without it".

I have to agree with Will; I own the foldable version, which keeps my car interior spotless by blasting crud off my gravel bike right after a ride. It doesn't replace a deep clean, but the 15 minutes of run time and 4-litre water tank (8-litres on the foldable) are more than enough for a quick once-over.

Both models produce the same low-pressure output of 5 bar (72 psi), which is more than enough for bike-related cleaning. The original OC3 is cheaper, but the OC3 Foldable is the newer model, and it has a few key upgrades that, in my opinion, make it better. It has a larger capacity tank and USB-C charging, meaning you can charge it off a power bank or car charger.

It's also collapsible, meaning it takes up even less space for those on the go. Battery run time is the same on both, and the OC3 Foldable can draw water directly from external sources.

Saying that, I use it more at home than my Muc-Off Mobile Pressure Washer, as it's just easier to fill and carry. It comes highly recommended for anyone seeking that convenient, quick bike clean.

These Kärcher deals apply to UK shoppers only, and I've not found any OC3 models on sale at Amazon.

The Muc-Off Mobile Pressure Washer Starter bundle is also a recommended bike-friendly cleaner (although it's not particularly mobile); it's still a great option. The Starter Bundle is discounted to $374.10 on Amazon, in a limited-time deal.

Below are the best Kärcher deals from other retailers, relevant to your location and currency.

Just a year ago, while still a teenager, Kylee Hanel was learning the ropes for road racing at kermesses in Belgium and stage races in the US. She proved to be a fast learner.

She competed in competitions at the Tucson Bicycle Classic and the Redlands Bicycle Classic with a club team based near her home in Oregon, showing consistent top-20 results. Then she moved to Aegis Cycling, founded by former USPro road champion Lauren Stephens, for her first UCI races at the Tour of the Gila and the Tour de Bloom, with consistent results on climbing stages and in time trials.

At the one-day Zottegem-Strijpen, Hanel finished in the lead group of six, which was won by Sandrine Tas, who is now with Lotto-Intermarché. She may have been sixth out of the six, but it showed she belonged.

It was in one-day races on home soil, be it dirt or tarmac, that summer where Hanel's name became more familiar to her competitors, as well as future sponsors and racing fans. She finished 10th in the U23 women's road race at USPro Road Nationals, her first appearance at a championships event. Her next championship event was four months later, and she went eighth on the elite stage at US Gravel Nationals.

Now 20 years old, Hanel earned a roster spot with Stephen's road team for 2026, Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment, and jumped into a gravel privateer path with Cervélo. How's her breakout year going, you ask? Perhaps better than planned.

Hanel is leading the women's U23 standings in the Life Time Grand Prix, taking top points at both the Sea Otter Classic Gravel and Unbound Gravel 100. On the road, she was the best rider on the Gila Monster queen stage and finished fourth on GC at Tour of the Gila, with Stephens winning the overall. She capped her first half of the season with the gold medal at the USPro U23 time trial, and took seventh at the U23 road race for good measure.

It's a fast upward trajectory on multiple surfaces for Hanel, but she still speaks with a bit of caution in her voice. She told Cyclingnews ahead of her debut at Leadville Trail 100 MTB about her interest in cycling, what she has learned so far and where she would like her career on a bike to lead.

Cyclingnews: Tell us about growing up in Portland, Oregon. How did you get involved in cycling?

Kylee Hanel: Growing up in Portland honestly gave me a lot of opportunities. There's a huge cycling culture here, and even though it's more commuter-style riding, it's still a cycling culture. I grew up going on short rides with my mom Shelley, dad Chris, and sister Caelyn, but when I was 13 I started riding with just my dad. We would do really short rides, like a three-mile ride that would take 25 minutes. But I loved it because I wanted to spend time with him.

For high school, I went to Central Catholic in Northeast Portland, and now I go to Oregon State University, and I'm part of their eCampus program. I am majoring in business with a minor in sports management. I actually decided to do online school because of cycling.

CN: Road racing and some cyclocross in the Pacific Northwest is where you raced the most, but in the past three years you've added gravel racing, so which is your favourite discipline?

KH: If you asked me to choose between gravel and road, I honestly could not tell you which one I prefer more. They are both very different, yet similar. I really like the team aspect of road, but I like the long, gruelling races of gravel.

CN: On the road, you ride now for AEGIS x LOE. How did you connect with her and what have you learned from this experience so far?

KH: I race for Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment right now, and I race under Lauren Stephens. She's definitely a leader, but she's also a teammate. I have learned so much from her. I've not only learned positioning, bike handling skills, and teamwork from her, but the most important thing I learned from her is humility. She knows it's a blessing to be racing and is appreciative of the fact that she gets to go out and race. She doesn't look at the world like it owes her something, which I admire a lot about her.

CN: For gravel, you have a different setup for equipment and your team. Tell us about that.

KH: On the gravel side, I am a privateer. I ride for Cervélo. I got introduced to them through Michael Engleman, who is one of my greatest mentors and my current coach and friend. I didn't have a whole lot of results last year, so Cervélo just saw my power numbers and decided to take a chance on me, which I could not be more grateful for.

Pretty much this year I have just been supported by equipment, which makes sense considering that I really didn't have much of a name for myself until this year. But next year I'm learning about signing contracts where I'll get bonuses and be salaried.

This year Cervélo have provided me with bikes, while PEARL iZUMi is sponsoring me with clothing and shoes, Giro is sponsoring me with helmets, Oakley with glasses, LOOK gave me pedals, Prologo gave me saddles, Reserves and Maxxis are supporting me with tires/wheels.

CN: In 2025 you finished 12th among elite women at SBT GRVL and in the top 10 at US Gravel Nationals, won a third time by Stephens. Did you feel these races proved you were an 'elite' rider off-road?

KH: No, I really didn't feel like an elite road or off-road rider last year. My dad is always telling me that I need to have more confidence in myself, and I am learning that when I line up and race, I have to know that I deserve to be there and that I can win because a lot of cycling is mental. While it was super cool to be racing with what I like to call the "big kids", I would usually assume that if I beat them, it was just because they had a bad race. Now that I'm actually racing with them and performing well alongside them, I still think I view it differently than they view each other, just because I am 10 years younger than most of them. I admire them and look up to them in a way that a middle schooler would look up to somebody in college.

CN: So far in 2026 you've won some big races, including Unbound Gravel 100 and USPro U23 ITT national championship. Tell us what made each of those events special and challenging.

KH: Unbound Gravel 100 and the ITT National Championships were surprisingly similar in terms of mindset. Unbound was such a hard year because of the mud. It was my first year doing it, so I really didn't have any expectations, but from what I've heard from people who have been doing it for two decades, it was a very difficult year. I had to be mentally strong for both. The only difference was that the TT was shorter, and obviously they were on different bikes.

CN: You are at the top of the leaderboard in the women's U23 competition of the Life Time Grand Prix. Which event remaining on the schedule in the LTGP suits you best?

KH: Going into this year, I had no idea and no expectations of what the Life Time Grand Prix U23 was going to be. I have been pleasantly surprised by these events and the amazing people who run them. It is an awesome culture, and I really love being able to race with people who care about racing as much as I do.

I also really like the structure. It's nice because if you have a bad race, you still have other chances to prove that you can perform and be the best. It was an honour to be chosen to be part of the Life Time U23 field, and I hope to race in the elite field next year. The next race that I think will suit me best is probably the last gravel race of the series, Big Sugar. I haven't mountain biked a whole lot, but I started out mountain biking, so I have some high hopes for doing well there, too.

CN: Speaking of mountain biking, next on the calendar in the LTGP series is Leadville Trail 100 MTB. What do you see as most challenging for this event, and what part of the race are you eager to take on?

KH: No, I have not done Leadville yet. This will be my first year. I think the most challenging part of it will be the elevation. I live at sea level, so I'm going two and a half weeks early to train and get used to the elevation, so hopefully there are no major problems while racing. I think I'm most eager to take on this long, seven-plus-hour course because one thing I know about myself is that I persevere.

CN: Living in Oregon, are you able to train with any of the other U23 riders, or elite riders? Who do you tend to train with, or do you just ride solo?

KH: I have become friends with some of the U23 riders in the LTGP series. If I lived in Colorado, I'd probably train with Lauren Aggeler, but we are hours and hours apart. So I train with my friends in Portland, and I train a lot with my dad, who is the one who got me into cycling. I am just now finally able to beat him, haha. However, I do really like to train solo and listen to podcasts and music.

CN: In the next few years, what are the top races you look forward to racing the most? And where would you just like to travel?

KH: I think the race I'm most looking forward to next year is Road Nationals again because I'm always wanting to do better than I did the previous year, and the course stays the same [in Charleston, West Virginia], so it's a good chance for me to see my progress. I also really want to travel to Switzerland and Italy just because of how pretty I've heard the riding is.

CN: Name a few racing goals you would like to achieve this year, and in the coming years.

KH: This year I would really like to do well at the TT and Road World Championships and win the Life Time Grand Prix U23 series. I also really want to place well among the elite LTGP field in the coming years. By the time I am 25, I hope to be living in Europe.

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Nicole Frain (Factor Racing) returned to the top step of the UCI Gravel World Series at Gravel Tour Hlinsko, claiming her fourth series win of the season as she crossed the line solo in the women's elite race. In the men's competition, it was another repeat victor with 3Rides winner Jonas Lindberg (Willing Able Racing) also claiming victory in Czechia.

Lindberg crossed the line of the 131km race with a gap of +2:06 to Joel Suter (Tudor Pro Cycling) while home nation racer Petr Vakoč (Factor Racing) snared the final spot on the podium at the first UCI Gravel World Series race ever held in Czechia.

"The course was perfectly organised and proved to be more demanding than I originally thought," said Vakoč in a post on social media. "Just up and down all day, some smooth gravel, some rougher parts and forest roads and barely any asphalt.

"Left there absolutely everything, together with Joel Suter rode away from big chase group with 40km to go to chase back super strong [Jonas Lindberg] ahead who attacked just after the halfway point of the race. We managed to bring the gap down to thirty seconds inside the last 20km but could not get any closer."

Frain took the women's win at the race in Hlinsko, set on the edge of the Pardubice region, with a gap of 3:28 to Kristýna Zemanová (VIF Cycling) while current series leader, Wendy Oosterwoud (PAS Racing), was third at 6:23 back.

The event in Hlinsko was one of three UCI Gravel World Series races run across the weekend, with Around the Pot in South Africa won by Lisa Bone and Matt Beers while Simon Pellaud and Natalia Franco claimed victory at the high-elevation Bogotá Gravel.

Simon Pellaud (Cervelo-Assos-Maxxis) and Natalia Franco (ENVE) soloed to victories at the inaugural Gravel Bogotá in the Colombian Andes. The freshly minted gravel race in South America was one of three GravelKing UCI Gravel World Series events held this past weekend, spread across three continents.

A former WorldTour rider from Switzerland, Pellaud has lived in Colombia for the past decade. He had scouted the roads for the 127km route and used an early attack to ride away from the field, finishing in 3:44:37. The final podium spots were decided in a sprint between Colombians Camilo Gómez and Carlos Julián Quinteros nine-and-a half minutes back, Gómez surging to the line in second.

The route featured 1,886 metres of elevation gain, with the start in Chía at 2,564 metres above sea level. Most of the climbing was featured on three ascents in the opening 45km, which Pellaud called "the toughest part". Two smaller climbs broke up a long valley section surrounded by towering sandstone canyon walls on the northernmost section and then a return through Tocancipa connected with a shorter route for the finish on grass in Chía.

"People want to get off the busy roads and explore more remote areas—to experience nature and enjoy a quieter ride. That’s why gravel is such a great mix of road and unpaved routes; it strikes a perfect balance. I think it’s a discipline that’s really booming right now, so it’s great to take advantage of it," Pellaud told organisers.

His gravel season was delayed by a knee injury in February, and he has made steady improvement with 15th at Unbound Gravel and then second at the UCI Gravel World Series race in Germany at Hegau Gravel. He returns to the US this month for Leadville Trail 100 MTB, as he is seventh overall in the elite men's leaderboard of the Life Time Grand Prix.

Franco, who is in the women's wildcard field of this year's Life Time Grand Prix series, scored her first victory of the season at her home gravel race Sunday. She finished in 4:37:58, more than an hour ahead of the next elite woman, compatriot Valentina Ovalle.

The UCI Gravel World Series offers one competition next weekend, on August 8 heading to Gravel Weekend in Latvia. The top 25% of riders in age-group and pro divisions at each series event qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships in Western Australia, October 10-11, 2026.

Results

The Gravel Earth Series continued in Lithuania on Saturday, with Marjolein van’t Geloof and Rait Arm (Energus) claiming the victories in the tightly contentested finishes at Megre Gravel.

The Dutch rider, who races for Laboral Kutxa–Fundación Euskadi on the road, charged over the line to win the pro women's race with a two second margin to French gravel champion Axelle Dubau-Prévôt (EF Education-Oatly). Swedish privateer Nathalie Eklund took third, just a further six seconds back in the 150km race over fast gravel roads and through the forest of Anykščiai, which also had a seperate women's start an hour ahead of other groupd.

It was a three-way sprint to decide the men's race, with Arm edging out Jordy Bouts (The Grip), who took second ahead of 2025 Gravel Earth champion Magnus Bak Klaris (PAS Racing/Factor).

The eleven event Gravel Earth Series is now into its final events of the season, wrapping up with The River by the Traka in Bouillon, Belgium on September 6.

The last rankings update heading into Megre Gravel had Dubau-Prévôt at the top of the women's series standings and Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Racing) leading the men's category.

It was a tight sprint win for Matthew Beers (Specialized Racing) at Around the Pot on Saturday, while Lisa Bone (Cycle Nation) delivered a clear cut solo victory at the second South African round of the 2026 UCI Gravel World Series.

The 100 mile (161km) race, with 1,760 metres of elevation gain, was a new introduction to the calendar as it started and finished in Swellendam and played out on a course which delivered more than 90% gravel.

It was a tight battle for Beers in the elite men's race as he headed to the line with his teammate from the latest winning effort at Cape Epic, Tristan Nortje (Toyota Specialized Imbuko). Beers won the sprint while African gravel champion Alexander Miller took third just over three minutes later.

In the women's elite race Bone was in a league of her own, carving out a gap of more than 15 minutes as she rode across the line ahead of second-placed Chloe Bishop and Catherine Kruger, who crossed the line with Bishop.

Around the Pot was one of three qualifying events for the UCI Gravel World Championships taking place over the weekend, with the Gravel Tour Hlinsko in Czechia also on Saturday and Gravel Bogota in Colombia on Sunday. The top 25% of finishers and podium placers in each category qualify for the UCI Gravel World Championships on October 10 and 11.

A VPN is essential for streaming the biggest UCI WorldTour events across the globe. You may think the cycling season is winding down after the Tour de France, its thrilling climax on the Champs-Élysées, and Tadej Pogačar securing his fifth yellow jersey.

Check out the best VPN deals at NordVPN.

However, plenty more is to come, including the Tour de France Femmes (1-9 August), Vuelta a España (22 August-13 September), and the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, Canada. (20-27 September) A VPN ensures you won't miss a single turn of a wheel.

But why should you get a VPN to watch the live cycling? And which are the best VPNs for streaming? Cyclingnews is here to offer some guidance.

First, you might be asking: what exactly is a VPN? It stands for Virtual Private Network, a type of software you can install on your computer, phone, or even a smart TV to help keep your online activity secure.

It works by hiding your real location, encrypting your internet connection (there’s more going on behind the scenes, but that’s the basic idea), and allowing you to enjoy your cycling streaming subscriptions from anywhere as if you were at home.

Luckily, our tech wizard experts at TechRadar and Tom's Guide know everything there is to know about VPNs. They’ve tested hundreds of them, and we’ll be leaning on their expert opinions as we take a look at some of the key benefits of VPNs when it comes to streaming cycling or any other of your favourite sports online.

Benefits of a VPN for streaming cycling

Use a VPN to watch your usual cycling streams from anywhere

The biggest advantage of a VPN for those looking to stream TV is that it allows you to do so from anywhere.

What if you’d been on holiday or on a work trip during the Tour de France and missed out on what was one of the most exciting finales ever seen at the Tour?

A VPN will allow you to access your usual streaming coverage from another country, so you never have to miss a moment like Mathieu van der Poel holding off the peloton to take the win in Paris.

Pretty much all streaming platforms these days are geo-restricted – in other words, they work only in the host country. For example, Peacock TV, which holds the exclusive live streaming rights to the Tour de France in the United States through to 2029, only works in the US. If you try to watch from abroad, you’ll find yourself geo-blocked.

A VPN gets around this by re-routing your connection through a remote server, which replaces your device’s IP address (a sort of unique digital passport). The best VPN providers will have server options in pretty much every country in the world – often multiple servers – so when you connect through one of them, it will appear that you are in that country.

Heading on holiday or spending time away from your home country doesn’t mean you have to be locked out of the services you subscribe to and pay for. It’s a good way to make sure you’re getting full value out of your subscriptions.

Use a VPN to improve picture quality

Another advantage of a VPN is improved streaming quality for live events like cycling or football.

Your internet provider may advertise high speeds, but in reality, performance is often reduced by throttling, especially during peak times or when streaming in high definition.

A VPN masks your activity by routing your connection through its servers, making it harder for your ISP to throttle your speed based on what you are doing.

Use a VPN to stay safe while streaming

While unblocking region-locked content is a huge perk of a VPN, ironclad digital privacy remains its true superpower. Let's face it: in today's hyper-connected landscape, cyber anxiety is real. Plenty of tools can disguise your location, but a quality VPN acts as your primary digital shield, locking your personal data against hackers and data brokers.

By wrapping your internet traffic in heavy-duty encryption, a VPN renders your online activity totally unreadable to outside eyes. Sensitive information like passwords, banking details, and credit cards stay strictly off-limits, which is critical the moment you connect to unsecured airport, cafe, or public Wi-Fi networks.

Best VPNs for watching cycling

TechRadar and Tom's Guide both recommend NordVPN as the best VPN. It's one of the most affordable and ranks among the top VPN's for unblocking streaming services. There are plenty to choose from, and below you'll find the top-rated services from our tech-savvy colleagues, showing the current deals and recommended packages from each provider.

These are some of the best VPN offers currently available, and perfect for uninterrupted live cycling viewing in 2026 and securing your VPN service for 2027 and beyond. So you can subscribe now knowing you've secured a great VPN deal.

Below you'll also find all the best VPN deals from other providers with pricing relevant to your location.

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.

The Wahoo Kickr V6 easily dominates as one of the market's best smart trainers. Wahoo's flagship trainer is our top choice for Zwift racing and narrowly missed out on being the best overall indoor trainer, with its sibling, the cheaper Kickr Core 2, getting the nod there.

The Kickr Core 2 ticks all the boxes as the best budget-friendly smart trainer. Perfect for the more casual indoor rider, or anyone getting into indoor riding and Zwift for the first time.

However, the Kickr V6 is the smart trainer of choice for riders seeking maximum performance and lightning-fast race-day connectivity.

That performance usually comes with a substantial price tag, but right now at Amazon, the Wahoo Kickr V6 is discounted by $200, down to just $849.99. If you're looking to invest or upgrade, we think the V6 warrants serious consideration at this price.

Wahoo is also running the exact deal on the Kickr V6, and elsewhere in its Summer Sale, the Kickr Core 2 is reduced to just $399.99 from $549.99.

Our choice as one of the best bike computers, the Wahoo Elemnt Roam 3 is discounted to $419.99, along with Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar's unit of choice, the Element Bolt 3, down to just $299.99.

The Wahoo Sale runs until Sunday, August 9, and the limited-time promotion sees discounts across the Wahoo ecosystem, from smart trainers and indoor bikes to bike computers and power meter pedals. Amazon prices reflect the discounts at Wahoo, so we'd expect those to return to full price come August 9.

The Kickr V6 still claimed a perfect 5-out-of-5-star review from Cycling News' Associate Editor, Josh Croxton. At the time of testing, Josh was torn between the Elite Justo 2 and the Kickr V6 as his top choice, and both are excellent top-of-the-line smart trainers.

The Elite Justo has a slightly better max power (2,300 watts vs 2,200 watts) and higher max simulated grade (24% vs 20%). I'd still opt for the Wahoo, as I love Wahoo products, and especially at this discounted price. The Elite Justo 2 is currently discounted by 5% on Amazon, but still costs $1,049, for anyone interested in checking out an alternative brand.

The Wahoo Kickr V6 deal applies to US shoppers only, and there are no reductions on Amazon or the UK version of the Wahoo Summer Sale. There are reductions on the Kickr Core 2 and the Zwift Ride with Kickr Core 2, down to £899.99, from £1,099.99, which matches the best price from back in January this year.

Below are the best Wahoo deals, from other retailers, relevant to your location and currency.

"What bike is that? It looks unreal!"

This was generally the kind of Instagram message I received whenever I shared a photo of the Argon 18 Anti-Matter during my test period. People were, at the very least, definitely on board with the aesthetics of the Canadian’s brand's new gravel race bike.

According to the Department of Energy, 'Antimatter is the twin of almost all the subatomic particles that make up our universe'. The scientists at CERN make Anti Matter to test; has Argon 18 meddled with the very fabric of the universe to bring us this new bike?

Bad science jokes aside, the Anti-Matter was spotted at the Traka at the start of May this year, and officially released later that month. It slotted in as Argon’s fastest gravel race bike and, in the brand’s words, is "built for the fastest gravel races on the planet."

Competitive gravel races are fast now. Very fast. In fact, for any rider, a gravel race is generally an exercise in putting out the most power you can for prolonged periods of time. As a result, the bikes are getting more specific and more speed-focused to try and bring those power requirements down.

The Anti Matter was developed from the ground up to be aerodynamic as a system. The brand claims over 800 hours of CFD (computational fluid dynamics) and 45 hours of wind tunnel testing went into its development. One line that stuck out to me from the press material was "achieving road bike level efficiency on gravel terrain."

This Anti Matter and the Nitrogen Pro road models could be a matching pair; you can see a lot of the same design language across both bikes.

If nothing else, that tells us something regarding what the Anti Matter is about. It’s also produced in a pretty mean-looking bike, which always helps.

The Anti Matter is available as a frameset, and in three SRAM XPLR builds in Rival, Force and Red. I tested the middle-spec Force-equipped bike out this summer after we took it to the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub wind tunnel to see if it was as fast as it looked.

Design and aesthetics

The Anti Matter appeals immediately. The narrow headtube, chunky fork crown, big down tube and dropped, angular chainstays all work together to produce an aggressive and aesthetically pleasing frame silhouette.

Pair that frame with a pair of deep, wide wheels in the form of the Zipp 303 XPLR S, aero chainring and that eye-catching black and blue fade paint with lurid neon decals, and you have a fantastic-looking package.

The neon on the ‘sea foam/neon’ paint scheme is an inspired choice. It’s the pick of the paintjob bunch for me and really brings the whole look together.

There are small flourishes dotted across the frameset, from the chequered flag-type logos on the forks and chainstays to the little easter egg behind the fork crown, which is the equation for the power needed to overcome aero drag and road vibration.

Argon 18 has used its ‘pro-level carbon’ for the Anti Matter layup; it keeps the exact type to itself, though. In terms of design, the bike possesses the features a top-end race bike needs.

At launch, the brand claimed a 14.5 watt saving over the Dark Matter model at 45km/h (+/-15degree yaw); based on that, if you are racing and are focusing on performance and speed, this is the model to choose.

First up, the clearance number: the Anti Matter has 55mm tyre clearance, not quite class-leading now but still very healthy. The 1X-only, all-SRAM build options give it away, but the frame is UDH-friendly and is designed around a threaded T47 bottom bracket standard; there's also a 1 1/8in round steerer tube, aero bottle cages and a total of 12 mounting points, but no frame storage hatch; remember this is a race machine.

The frame mounts are less 'attach your bikepacking bags' and more 'stick your Co2 canister here', or 'stick your aero top tube bag there'.

Altogether, there are two mounts on the top tube, some spaced for single items. Two under the top tube, four on the down tube, another two on the seat tube and a final two under the down tube. The mounts on the down tube can also be used to mount a specific WolfTooth 1x chain-guide, which is available separately.

A frame bag has been designed for the frame, and it comes included with all three models and the frameset; rejoice! It’s a collaboration between Apidura and ATTEN; Argon 18’s special projects arm dedicated to top-end components and products. It’s a sleek-looking thing, and fits neatly under the top tube; fitting it can be a slightly fiddly job so don’t leave it 10 minutes before your gravel race to whack it on.

Argon 18 has also made some strong spec choices that in some cases feature on all three Anti Matter models and help strengthen the build. All three models have CeramicSpeed SLT headset bearings, and come with Schwalbe G-One RS Pro tyres in a 45mm size. The Force and Red-equipped bikes come with CeramicSpeed T47 BB Alpha units, the brand's top-spec bottom bracket.

The Force XPLR version arrives with 170mm crank arms, with a left-hand Quarq power meter and 1x 44-tooth aero chainring (you can fit up to a size 52T). There’s a 10-46T cassette and 160mm rotors fitted to the Zipp 303 XPLR S wheels.

The top-spec bike gains the XPLR SW wheels, which share the same dimensions but get an upgraded hub, and some surface texturing. On the wheels, there is a healthy-sized approved tyre list, which is worth checking so you know what you can run.

The finishing kit is Argon 18’s own; there’s an integrated ATTEN CHB-01 handlebar, the same one that can be found on the Nitrogen Pro aero race bike. Available in 12 sizes, my 38cm / 100mm stem version measured 43cm at the drops, and has a reach of 75mm and a drop of 125mm.

Proprietary side-load bottle cages integrate seamlessly with the frame tube profiles, and the bar tape deserves a mention; it’s from Ciclovation and was both thin and grippy. I loved it. At the back, a 20mm setback aero seatpost, paired with a Repente Quasar 2.0 saddle, completed the build.

I tested a size medium bike, which is given a ‘54-56’ label, quite the span. For me, this bike is closer to a 54 than it is a 56; check if you will need a size M or L if you are a taller rider.

Stack for an M is 555mm, whilst the reach is 392mm.

Compared to the brand's Dark Matter bike, it's clear this is a racier model; the chainstays and overall wheelbase are shorter. Whilst the seat tube angle is almost the same, the Anti Matter's head tube angle has been steepened up.

Compared to a Crux 5? The two bikes have very similar geometry; an M Anti Matter and a 54cm Crux 5 have the same chainstay length, fork rake and bottom bracket drop numbers of 425mm, 51mm and 78mm respectively.

The head tube angles are within 0.2 of a degree of each other, whilst the Anti Matter has a half-degree slacker seat tube angle; it has a shorter overall wheelbase too.

My test machine arrived slammed, with the bars sat directly on top of the bearing top cover. Well done Argon 18 for not leaving a huge stack of headset spacers in place on a bike like this.

I was sceptical of the layback seatpost before I rode the Anti Matter. I’m a big fan of inline seatposts and think they contribute to more comfortable modern positions as well as racier ones.

The brand told me the geo had been designed around a layback post, though you can get hold of an inline should you desire.

There aren't any hidden surprises regarding the geometry; the bike may start to feel a little slower with a big long stem up front, but that's never an issue for me. It's a fast, performance-focused setup without going completely nuts.

I was pleasantly surprised on my opening ride to find the bike didn’t feel how I thought it would. I felt locked in and comfortable, not too stretched out as I feared. The 73.5 degree seat tube angle, 100mm stem and 51mm fork rake all help to put you in the right place.

Handling-wise, I feel the 100mm stem helped keep things nippy. I rarely need a stem over 100mm, and on a bike like this, I think it aided the steering. This is still a gravel bike, and things didn't feel too long or cumbersome; I could swing the bike into turns and still have fun.

Performance

The Anti Matter feels absolutely rocket-ship fast, particularly in faster gravel or off-road sections. Even on my first ride, I mouthed to myself ‘this is rapid’ on a fast and flowy dirt section that requires a quick shimmy as it traces an S through my local woods.

Why does it feel fast? The bike picks up speed instantly, and if the surface is smooth, that combination of the stiff bar and frame, 44-tooth chainring, aero Zipp wheels and the fast Schwalbe tyres means it does indeed feel road bike fast off-road.

This feeling of speed, and the bike urging you to press on, is a key theme of the Anti Matter. It’s one of those bikes that makes you want to drop the hammer, and it feels great to do so.

I value a gravel bike that can handle itself down a rough descent. On rough terrain, I felt some harshness from the bike and felt quite a lot of feedback via the ATTEN integrated handlebar. The bike is a good descender, and handled my technical test descents well, but it is a harsher experience.

The ability to hammer rough, rocky descents probably wasn’t a key aim during the Anti Matter design process, but if this is something you enjoy in your own gravel riding, the Dark Matter would probably be a better bike to go for.

SRAM’s XPLR groupsets rule the roost when it comes to gravel equipment, and Force is excellent; it’s slightly heavier than Red, but the brakes are just as powerful. That 44-tooth ring worked for me, and the bike's fairly low overall weight of 8.3kg helped when climbing (the Red-equipped model will be lighter still), but it would be easy enough to purchase a few alternate rings to suit your racing or riding. The groupset hasn’t missed a beat, and is a fantastic choice for any gravel bike right now.

The Zipp 303 XPLR S wheels with their 32mm internal width are at their best on faster, smoother terrain; get the bike moving on road sections or gravel, and it really flies. They aren't a magic bullet, though; their 32mm inner rim profile and skinny rim sidewalls can be susceptible to rock smashes, especially when running narrower tyres at low pressures.

They are all-rounders with the right tyres, but in my experience they are at their very best on faster, smoother terrain and with 45mm + rubber fitted.

Rattling down rocky, rough trails is at the harsher end of the spectrum, but everywhere else the Anti Matter feels racey, stiff and exciting. There is balance there; however, the steering isn't so sensitive that it's frantic, and it wasn't so stiff that it left me wanting to stop.

Wind tunnel testing

Thanks to our recent gravel bike wind tunnel test session, we have a set of aero data for the Anti Matter, helping to paint a clearer picture regarding its aero credentials.

We tested the same bike I’ve tested here, and it performed very strongly against a crop of the latest and most popular racy gravel bikes.

We carried out bike-only testing, as well as test runs with a rider. After all, you never see a bike racing on its own, do you?

Our test runs were all completed at 35 km/h, and across seven yaw angles from -15° to +15° in 5° increments.

Long-time followers of Cyclingnews' wind tunnel testing should by now be familiar with our trusty Trek Emonda baseline test bike; we use this as the baseline for all of our tests, so that we have a reference point for how fast every bike we test is.

Included below are two new graphs showing how the gravel bikes in our test group performed against the baseline so we can compare them.

In the bike-only stock build test, the Anti Matter topped the test group. For the full breakdown of the test day, head to our in-depth gravel bike aero test.

We tested with a rider too; CN Associate Editor Josh Croxton rode each bike and held a standard 'in the drops' position for each capture in the tunnel.

The Crux 5 took the top spot with a rider, followed by the Wilier Rave SLR, and then the Anti Matter. However, our error margin meant those bikes, along with the Reap and Dogma GR, could also claim the top spot; there was only a couple of watts in it.

We also tested the bike with the frame bag fitted and found a 0.75w saving (tested as bike only). So although the difference is small, you're probably better off using it, even if it's empty.

Our own testing showed the Anti Matter is a highly competitive gravel machine and that its aero frame design backs itself up in testing.

In the real world, the individual rider, their position on the bike and tyre choice and pressures need to be optimised to make potentially huge gains, but it’s clear that the Anti Matter is putting you in a competitive place straight away.

Maintenance

There shouldn’t be any nasty surprises when it comes to living with the Anti Matter. In fact, the stock headset and bottom bracket choices should help boost longevity.

The CeramicSpeed SLT headset bearings and Alpha BB both have lifetime warranties and have long service intervals. The SLT headset bearings were designed as a response to integrated front ends creating headset issues.

CeramicSpeed lists a service interval of 8,000–13,000 km (5,000–8,000 miles) for its BB Alpha, and a once-per-year service for headset bearings. CeramicSpeed recommends using specific products on them; make sure your shop doesn't fill your $300 BB with any old grease. Look after them properly, and they should look after you.

Elsewhere it's business as usual. Threaded bottom bracket, easy to service Zipp hubs, and you will need to periodically remove and regrease the frame hardware, seatpost, etc.

One point I really liked was the thru axles having the thread pitch specs written on them. It can be difficult to find the right thru axle in a bind, and it's a useful touch for the future.

Value

In this spec, the Anti Matter Force costs $8,999 / £7,900 / €8,995.

In context, things could be worse. I'd say the pricing is in line with plenty of other Force-equipped performance gravel machines in this price bracket, and if you are shopping, there's plenty to choose from.

I'll compare it to its nearest two competitors in our wind tunnel test for a start. One thing I will say now is I suspect that this will be a popular bike; it's been well received, and though we all have different tastes, I see riders wanting one.

A top-level S-Works SRAM Red Crux 5 comes in at $14,000; that's another price bracket.

The Anti Matter Force sits between the new S-Level Crux 5 (2nd tier frame but Red XPLR spec), and the Expert model (2nd tier frame, SRAM Force XPLR spec). The Crux 5 Expert sits at $6,995, but it has a two-piece bar and stem, and arguably less exciting Roval Terra C III wheels. It's also about the same weight.

A Wilier Rave SLR iD2 with Force XPLR comes in at $9,200 or $7,200 (no power meter), depending on the spec, with Miche carbon wheels. I see no weak spots in the spec of the Anti Matter; Force XPLR is great, the BB and headset bearings have been upgraded, and the bike comes with the frame bag. Things could be worse.

Verdict

The Anti Matter is a great-looking gravel race bike that feels absolutely rapid to ride. It has backed the on-bike, real-world experience up with a very competitive performance in our own wind tunnel testing.

Its focus is speed, and it’s best when you're pressing on smoother, faster gravel surfaces. I found it started to get a bit chattery and harsh when hitting rougher stuff at speed, but for everything else, it’s a rocket ship.

I could get aero, but the geometry let me find a comfortable position, which let me have fun in the rough stuff and hook into the drops for the techy stuff.

For me, it looks great, and rides brilliantly without being a one-trick pony that's only capable of being pointed in a straight line.

The mad scientists at Argon 18 have created their own form of Anti-Matter that is guaranteed to convert all of your energy into forward momentum.

Two-time mountain bike world champion Henrique da Silva Avancini was confirmed for the elite men's start list at the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships in Nannup, Australia. He won the inaugural Brazilian Gravel Championships two weeks ago and qualified for Worlds by winning the UCI Gravel World Series race Gravel Brazil in March.

The 36-year-old won his first marathon mountain bike world title in 2018 and a second five years later, then retiring from MTB competitions. He has moved into gravel and road racing, finding success this year in both disciplines, winning the GC at the Tour of the Gila in the spring and then two medals at his home road nationals, including the gold medal in the time trial.

Organisers for the UCI Gravel Worlds in Western Australia have begun to announce on social media posts some of the elite riders and country rosters. Petr Vakoč of Czechia and Paul Voss of Germany were also noted as heading to Western Australia for the elite men's battle in two months.

Australians Tiffany Cromwell and Nicole Frain are among the early confirmations to battle for the elite women's rainbow stripes alongside Tessa Neefjes of the Netherlands and Haley Smith of Canada.

Elite women will race 125km on Saturday, October 10, with elite men taking on 143km on Sunday, October 11. Age group categories will also use the medium or short courses with the same start/finish, departing 20 minutes after the elites each day.

On the spectator side, camping registrations are now open, which will be the closest overnight accommodations to the courses. The Nannup Recreation Centre Precinct is less than one kilometre from the start/finish line, with direct access to the training course via the Munda Biddi Trail.

Tent/Car or Caravan/Car options are available for three-night, four-night and five-night stays, with the campground opening Wednesday, October 5 for first arrivals.

For those new to Western Australia, the Busselton Margaret River Airport is the closest airport for domestic flights, located 35 minutes from Nannup. International flights are based at the Perth Airport, which is a three-and-a-half-hour drive by car or bus.

Lauren Stephens wins third consecutive FoCo Fondo while breakaway men's winner disqualified

Lauren Stephens (Aegis x LOE) won a third consecutive FoCo Fondo gravel race on Sunday, using a late attack to pull away and ride solo across the line in Fort Collins, Colorado.

The elite men's race was not so straightforward, with Caleb Bottcher (ENVE/Shimano/Neversecond) sprinting just ahead of Matthew Saldana (Cyclesport.com) for second and third places. However, they moved up one step each after breakaway rider Kade Kreikemeier (Meridian Racing), who crossed the finish nearly a minute ahead, was disqualified.

The 21-year-old Colorado racer won the USPro U23 men's time trial last month in West Virginia, and used those time trial skills to make up a three-minute gap to early leaders Michael Garrison (SpeedStudio p/b Basso) and Connor Pulvidente. He then rode solo for more than 75 miles at the front that carried him across the line with no one in sight.

However, during Kreikemeier's march, he encountered problems securing water bottles as the temperature soared to 95°F (35°C). A livestream race moto operator following Kreikemeier, with the camera rolling, offered the rider a bottle, which was accepted. Organisers acknowledged this was a rules violation for a rider to accept outside aid, so when Kreikemeier completed the ride, he was told he was DQ'd.

Bottcher's time of 5:26:46 landed him in first place, with Saldana runner-up by one second and Benjamin Perry (Guava x Castelli S.O.G.) third a minute later, and 7:40 ahead of former WorldTour pro Gavin Mannion.

Stephens made it into the lead group of five riders as they made a separation 20 miles into the 118-mile race. The US gravel champion opened a gap on the first big climb over Alexis Skarda (Scott Bicycles/Q36.5/Shimano), Courtney Sherwell (Santa Cruz SRAM Kenda Tires), Cecile Lejeune (Trek Driftless), Charlotte Clarke (Ventum, NZL) and Hannah Shell (Goodlife Brands, Pirelli). Then Skarda clawed her way back, and the two rode together until Stephens gave it a big kick with under 15 miles to go.

Stephens crossed the line first in 6:11:43, with Lejeune going second five minutes later and Shell in third. Skarda finished fourth, and Sherwell rounded out the top five.

Defending nin-binary/gender expansive champion Robin Cummings (Nine Lives Cycling Collective) finished in 6:30:35 for another victory.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our gravel cycling coverage in 2026. We'll be on the ground at the biggest races of the season, bringing you breaking news, expert analysis, in-depth features, and much more. Find out more.

In a course distance not coincidentally called 'The Abyss', Chase Wark (Lunchbox Racing) and Maddy Nutt (Lauf Cycles) claimed victories in the new 330km trial at The Rift Gravel Race in Iceland, which the British rider outlined in no uncertain terms was 'not fun' but 'suffering'.

The 200km elite challenge, now in a seventh season, was also a big test with 2,600 metres of elevation gain, rather than the 4,600 metres of the longer test, and many riders facing race-ruining mechanicals. Anton Stensby (FARA) prevailed to win the elite men's race in 6:16:51 while Haley Smith (Factor Racing) fought back after a crash to claim the elite women's race in 7:25:50.

Both courses were mostly gravel, and crossed rough volcanic plains, exposed ridgelines and remote rocky roads, with lava fields and multiple river crossings plus a climb on the Hekla volcano. The Abyss then threw riders even deeper into what organisers described as Iceland's 'raw interior'. Plus, it all started in the dark with the race setting off at midnight.

The scale of the challenge was certainly felt by women's winner Nutt, who also claimed the Traka 560 on debut this year and was second at the 350-mile Unbound XL. She also noted she had to cope with a less-than-ideal equipment scenario.

"Bit grumpy after riding a rocking saddle for 240km," said Nutt in an Instagram story. "Tried a new seatpost rather than my Lauf one and it was a bad move, as the seat clamp couldn't handle the bumps. Had to ride mostly out of the saddle or very carefully on the saddle and keep whacking it into position.

"I did cry, and I did almost quit multiple times, but I was winning the race and thought that despite the discomfort and annoyance I should do my best to get to the finish."

Nutt crossed the line after 17:08:03, 20 minutes ahead of Anuchi Gago (Factor Racing) and more than one hour and 20 minutes ahead of Kae Takeshita (Lauf).

The men's long-range course was likened to the landscape of the moon by USA's Wark, who raced for 14:06:26 to claim victory in Hvolsvöllur. He won with a gap of nearly 10 minutes to second-placed Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette (The Unscented Company\Cannon). Nils Correvon was third, more than an hour back.

Numbers were limited for the brutal 330km race, though it was a solid talent-packed field for the 200km event, with riders including retired mountain biker Nino Schurter, who came 10th, to road pro turned gravel racer Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ), the European and Italian gravel champion.

It was a tight battle for the top three spots in the men's elite race with Stensby finishing in 6:16:51 and Rasmus Bøgh Wallin (PAS Racing) just 20 seconds back in second. It was just another 19 seconds to third-placed Adne Koster (Seka Gravel). Andrew L'Esperance (Forward Racing) out-sprinted Julien Gagne (Lunchbox Racing) for fourth, 4:35 back.

In the women's race, Smith fought back after a heavy crash before coming over the line to claim victory after 7:25:50, with Magnaldi one minute and one second behind. It was then Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) who was less than five minutes back in third.

The Canadian winner, who crashed twice, described The Rift as "the toughest experience of my life. It was absolutely brutal", and referred to her second crash as "one of the hardest crashes I’ve had in 15 years".

"Had to fix a few resulting mechanical issues, and then settled into a steady grind of a chase. Finally linked up with Morgan Aguirre and Erica Magnaldi 4 hours in, and we caught a crash-beleaguered Rosa Klöser an hour later," she wrote on Instagram.

"Then it became a battle of 3. I used the descents and technical to my advantage and went clear with 40km to go. What a relief to cross the finish line."

After the trio passed Klöser (Canyon-SRAM), she would post a DNF and not be able to defend her victory from last year.

Nele Laing (Germany / Canyon DTSwiss ATR) and Jonas Lindberg (WILLING ABLE Racing) crossed the line in Winterberg to claim victory in the elite races at 3Rides Gravel.

Laing took the elite women's win with a time of 4:35:44, finishing the second German round of the UCI Gravel World Series this month three minutes ahead of Elena Hartmann (Domat/Ems) while Nicole Frain (Factor Racing RCC) took third.

In the elite men's race, Lindberg covered the 129km route in 3:55:00, with Kevin Panhuyzen (Tessenderlo) taking second place and Hannes Riegger (Radwelt Main-Tauber Racing Team) third.

The race, which is in its fifth year, introduced a new format for 2026, delivering three days of racing in the highlands of Sauerland.

That started with a time trial on Friday – won by Frain and Kevin Kuhn (Team Heizomat-Cube) – and then moved on to a gravel race Saturday, where Laing and Toby Perry (Girona) took the wins.

Sunday then concluded proceedings with a UCI Gravel World Series-ranked race, which contributed to the overall standings but also stood alone as a UCI event. Laing's wins on Saturday and Sunday secured her the overall victory, whilst in the men's field, though Lindberg took the UCI victory, it was Kuhn who secured the overall title.

The top 25% of the field on Sunday have qualified for the UCI Gravel World Championships on October 10-11 in Nannup, Western Australia.

Results

A massive wildfire actively burning west of Leadville, Colorado, for three weeks has cast doubt on whether the Leadville Trail 100 MTB presented by Kenetik could take place as scheduled on August 15. The race serves as the third of six races in the Life Time Grand Prix.

On Thursday, a 'green light' for planning to continue was confirmed by event owners and managers, Life Time, as containment of the wildfire had improved to 37% and smoke had been lifting.

However, a course change was needed as several Lake County roads and trails used on the 104-mile course were closed by the Leadville Ranger District of the US Forest Service, including County roads 30 and 10 in the 'Powerline' area.

A significant portion of the out-and-back course, between Turquoise Lake and Twin Lakes, which is at the base of the decisive Columbine climb, is currently part of a mandatory evacuation area, as noted by the Lake County Office of Emergency Management.

"The time has arrived, and we are excited to share, barring any further developments, that we have the green light to move ahead with our 2026 race season," read a statement from Life Time on social media July 16.

"The smoke is lifting and the hundreds of personnel on the Willow Fire are bringing containment more into reach every day. We thank all of our first responders who have spent countless hours over the last 16 + days reducing the impact and ensuring the safety of our community.

"While the courses will look different, the same call for grit, guts and determination is woven deep into the trail ahead.

"Over the next few days and weeks, our teams will also dig deep and work diligently to bring all critical/updated course and crew information to you. Most of all, we look forward to welcoming you home to Leadville and the start line of the upcoming events."

Organisers noted that the 'green light' status could change at any time, with Air Quality Index and "any threatening changes in fire status" among the factors monitored across the next month.

An update to the Leadville 100 MTB course was underway, but no information was provided. Any reroute will have to address an order from the US Forest Service which listed the Willow Fire Area Closure as being "closed for the protection of public health and safety" from July 7 to September 30, 2026.

The Willow Fire started on June 28 and rapidly spread across Lake County, consuming nearly 6,877 acres, according to the most recent update on the US Forest Service's Willow Fire hotline.

In addition to Leadville Trail 100 MTB, Life Time owns and operates three other events hosted at the Colorado mountain town - Leadville MTB Stage Race presented by Kenetik, Leadville Trail 10K presented by La Sportiva and Leadville Trail 100 Run presented by La Sportiva.

Earlier in July, the Leadville Race Series Silver Rush 50, events for runners and mountain bike riders, was cancelled due to the Willow Fire. For Leadville Trail 100 MTB, organisers noted they would use emails for registered riders and support crews for updates.

Leadville Trail 100 MTB has been a fixture in the US for more than 40 years, renowned for its high altitude that begins on the start line in Leadville at 9,200 feet above sea level and rising to 12,516 feet at the crest of the 10.7-mile Columbine climb.

Last year Keegan Swenson won a fifth consecutive Leadville Trail 100 MTB, while the women's race was won on a debut appearance by Kate Courtney. Swenson is expected to compete again as he is part of the Life Time Grand Prix invitation-only field. Courtney signed a pro road contract to race for FDJ United-SUEZ, and her schedule for August was not confirmed.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our gravel cycling and Life Time Grand Prix coverage in 2026. We'll be on the ground at the biggest races of the season, bringing you breaking news, expert analysis, in-depth features, and much more. Find out more.

Geerike Schreurs (Specialized-Off road) led from start to finish in the women's overall at the five-stage Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder while Cameron Jones (Scott Sports USA) unseated Ian Boswell (Wahoo Specialized) from the top men's spot on the final stage for the men's title.

This was the seventh edition of the US gravel stage race, which is part of the Gravel Earth Series for elite riders, who stacked up 334 miles (537km) and 31,200 feet (9,500m) of climbing across five days in the Cascade mountains. The race features completely different terrain on each stage, including volcanic landscapes in the Pacific north-west of the United States.

Oregon Trail was the second victory of the Gravel Earth Series for Schreurs, who won Gravel Desert and finished third at The Traka 360. She won four of the five days of racing in Oregon, setting the tone on the 82.3-mile opening stage. Karolina Migoń (PAS Racing) then moved into first place overall with the win on the 73-mile stage 2. Schreurs returned to the top on the middle stage, with the best time on the 10-mile timed climb on the 27-mile route.

Schreurs' total time of 17:04:24 was 20 minutes, 10 seconds faster than Migoń. Third overall was secured by USA's Jen Tavé (SpeedBlock-Terun), the only other rider to complete the event in under 18 hours, 45:31 behind Schreurs.

"I’m proud of how I raced, but mostly on my positive mindset and belief throughout the week. Karolina Migoń challenged me from the first day on and she definitely got the best out of me," Schreurs posted to Instagram in her race recap.

All three riders came in, a race elites call 'gravel camp', with recent success - Schreurs going second at Unbound Gravel 200, Migoń winning Grand Tour 3 Cime Lavaredo, part of the UCI Gravel World Series, and Tavé winning Truckee Tahoe Gravel.

Oceania gravel champion Jones opened the men's competition with a decisive stage 1 solo victory before a parade of different stage winners kept the GC open until Sunday. Boswell responded on day two with the win, and then Hayden Christian (Trek-MAAP), the recent BWR Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel series winner, took the victory in the stage 3 time trial.

Boswell moved into the overall lead by winning the queen stage, 84.5 miles across 10,890 feet of climbing from Oakridge to Gilchrist, but it was only a seven-second advantage to Jones. The New Zealander would take his second consecutive overall title riding in the five-rider front group, Tobias Mørch Kongstad (PAS Racing) winning the stage 5 sprint back to Bend after 66.5 miles.

Jones' accumulated GC time was 14:56:23. The men's GC podium had Boswell in second, 6:55 back, and Peter Stetina (Canyon), who won Oregon Trail in 2021, in third, 14:17 back. Piotr Havik (Colnago x Castelli SOG), last year's runner-up in the Gravel Earth Series, finished 10th overall in Oregon.

August features two events for Gravel Earth Series, with Megre Gravel in Lithuania on the first Saturday of the month and CORE4 in Iowa two weeks later.

Results

In a surprise move, FDJ United-SUEZ announced the addition of multi-discipline US rider Kate Courtney to their Women's WorldTour squad. The reigning MTB World Champion in cross-country marathon will join the squad this week, with the 30-month contract effective immediately and running through the end of 2028.

"So freaking excited about this," Courtney confirmed to Cyclingnews.

Courtney's last victory came on a surprising start in the road race at USA Cycling Pro Road Nationals, where she outsprinted former USPro road champion Lauren Stephens (Aegis x Leaders of Enchantment) for her own first USPro road title.

The California native will make her WorldTour road debut as the USPro champion at La Périgord Ladies on July 18. She has committed to line up with her new WoldTour road team at Tour of Britain Women, August 19-23, which begins just four days following Leadville Trail 100 MTB, a race she won last year, and it was not confirmed if she would defend her off-road title in Colorado.

"It is hard to put into words what this opportunity means to me. I never expected to be able to make the jump to the WorldTour level so quickly and I am so motivated to rise to this huge challenge and really find out what I am capable of as an athlete and person in this final chapter of my career," Courtney said in a press release on Monday.

A stranger to road racing

Seven years before she won the XCM world championship last summer, Courtney earned her first rainbow jersey at MTB Worlds in the cross-country discipline. She followed that in 2019 by winning the overall UCI Cross-country World Cup title.

The 30-year-old caught added attention in May with a surprise start at Tour de Feminin in the Czech Republic for Team USA, her first road race since the age of 16, and won stage 4. Riding a second season with She Sends Racing as an off-road privateer, Courtney finished fifth at the Life Time Sea Otter Classic gravel and then third at Levi's GrandFondo The Growler in April.

"Kate is a magnificent athlete whose profile shows great potential on short to mid-range climbs and demanding efforts. We are excited to support her as she discovers European road racing," said Stephen Delcourt, general manager of FDJ United-SUEZ.

"FDJ UNITED-SUEZ has always embraced athletes who have thrived in disciplines beyond road cycling. This diversity of backgrounds and cultures will continue to elevate our team as we pursue the highest levels of performance in women's sport."

The day she won her first US road championship, Courtney noted on social media that it marked one year that she rode a bike outdoors for the first time since fracturing the scaphoid bone in her wrist at a short track MTB World Cup round in Nové Město. Shortly thereafter, she raced and won in her debut at Leadville Trail 100 MTB.

The return to form last summer led to freedom to ride for her new non-profit, She Sends Racing, which led her to Switzerland for MTB Worlds, then South Africa for Cape Epic and eventually USPro Road Nationals.

"It’s crazy to think how much has changed in a year," she noted on Instagram recently. "That injury somehow gave me the mental freedom to reimagine what racing could look like. In the process I’ve found that extra little bit that was missing for so long."

The Red Bull connection and a new direction

Courtney was eager to jump into the European road scene on the weekend with her new team, one common thread being a connection with Red Bull.

"I am so grateful to Stephen and the entire team for seeing the potential and giving me this chance to chase a huge dream.

"It is not hard to see from the outside that FDJ UNITED-SUEZ is building something really special. The way the team races - aggressively, fearlessly and with complete belief in one another - has been inspiring to me as a fan. And now it is even more inspiring to me as a rider.

"It feels like the team environment I have been searching for my entire career - and I could not be more excited to start learning and chasing one of the biggest and most challenging goals I have ever spoken out loud.”

Experience the 2026 cycling season with a Cyclingnews subscription that offers you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. Our global team will be on the ground at all the major races to bring you breaking news, in-depth features, exclusive interviews and member-exclusive content. Find out more.

Swiss riders Joel Roth (BIXS Race Team) and Elena Hartmann (RMV Chur) won the climbing-heavy Majestics Gravel race on home soil on Sunday, both using the main 26.5km ascent into the Vaud Alps on the back half of the race as the launching point of solo victories in the Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series event.

Roth launched his effort on the long climb from a reduced front group and rode 40km alone to finish in 3:35:28. Great Britain's Toby Perry (Reverb Cycling-3T) trailed 26 seconds later for second, pushing eight seconds ahead of Belgian Floris De Tier (Swatt Club). Swiss rider Kevin Kuhn (EF Education Nippo Development) was another 17 seconds back for fourth.

"I’m really happy that it finally all came together after coming so close to victory a few times," Roth said after the race to his team, having ridden to three recent top 10s, including fifth at Ranxo Gravel.

"This win gives me a lot of confidence for the second half of the season and is a huge confirmation that all the hard work over the past months has paid off."

Unlike a week ago when her legs cramped and she finished off the podium at Hegau Gravel, Hartmann powered away from Olivia Hottinger (SCOTT Offroad Racing) to win in 4:15:22, nearly six minutes to her compatriot. Clara Koppenburg (Tudor Pro Cycling) of Germany was another 45 seconds back for the final spot on the women's podium.

Hartmann, a three-time Swiss time trial national champion, put the power down in time trial form on the final climb, moving away from Hottinger, who came in with a recent victory at Octopus Gravel. It was her first victory of a full season on gravel, having finished with four top 5s across UCI Gravel World Series and Gravel Earth Series events, including fifth at The Traka 200.

It was a third season for Majestics Gravel (formerly Gravel Suisse), which used a 106km route for elite riders, called the Summit, from Aigle to Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland. The first half crossed the Rhône Valley with 60 fast and flat kilometres. The second half added most of the 2,500 metres of elevation gain with long gravel ascents and cresting the highest point at 1,800 metres. This region in the Vaudois Alps is slated to host the 2029 UCI Gravel World Championships.

The top 25% of riders in this year's edition of the UCI Gravel World Series event will qualify for this year's World Championships in Nannup, Western Australia, which is being held October 10-11. Riders can also qualify through continental and national championships.

Results

Filippo Agostinacchio (Biesse Carrera Premac) and Erica Magnaldi (UAE Team ADQ) were crowned the new Italian national gravel champions at the GP Enzo Cainero in Gemona del Friuli on Saturday.

Magnaldi, who races at WorldTour level on the road, is already the European gravel champion and now adds the Italian jersey to her collection. She won ahead of defending champion Carlotta Borello (Cingolani-Specialized) after the pair were together for the majority of the race, but Magnaldi managed to kick away on the final climb and win.

Debora Piana (Fol Racing Team) took third, nearly four minutes down on the winning pair, whilst Romina Costantini (Aromitalia Vaiano) finished fourth and, with that, took the U23 women's title.

"The course didn't really suit my characteristics. It was a short race, only 80 kilometres, with no long climbs and just 600 metres of elevation gain, so there weren't many opportunities to make the difference. That's why I decided to attack from kilometre zero and try to split the race on every short climb," Magnaldi said in a post-race interview.

"The decisive moment came on the final ascent, about five kilometres from the finish, where I finally managed to open a gap. When I reached the top, I looked back and couldn't see anyone behind me, so I just kept pushing all the way to the finish. I'm really happy to have won this jersey and the Italian title. It's a great personal achievement for me."

The men's race was very tight and came down to an eight-man battle in the final kilometre, but Agostinacchio got the jump and the speed to cross the line ahead of WorldTour rider Pietro Mattio (Visma-Lease a Bike).

Nine seconds back, six riders battled it out in a sprint for the final place on the podium, with Kevin Pezzo Rosola (General Store-Essegibi_F.Lli Curia) just claiming third.

Filippo Agostinacchio, brother of Mattia, mixes off-road and road racing at the Continental level, and during the winters he races cyclo-cross for EF Education-EasyPost, in a team with his brother.

Results

The three days of gravel racing at The Traka next year will have a clearer focus and purposeful intent, as organisers Klassmark announced sweeping changes for the 2027 Girona event. Only three race distances will be contested from April 30 to May 2, with The Traka 300 the only event for pro categories.

At this time, there are no plans to hold the longest distance, The Traka 560, which has been run twice before as The Traka Adventure with riders traversing the equivalent of 350 miles, similar to the popular Unbound Gravel XL race held in Kansas.

"The Traka 2027 will be a bigger, better-prepared and better-organised edition," organisers stated in a press release this week.

"The new structure will reinforce the identity of each distance, concentrate professional competition in The Traka 300 and offer an even more powerful experience to the entire community."

The simple math equates to races with 100km, 200km and 300km distances, with The Traka 200 leading the way on Friday, April 30. The Traka 300 will be held on Saturday, and The Traka 100 will complete the trifecta of Girona gravel events, with other ancillary activities in the historic city of north-eastern Spain.

Last year, many athletes scrutinised the dilution of pro fields across two races, with some pros racing The Traka 200 while others took on The Traka 360, which is opposite of other top races that have one main distance for elite riders. There was also negative feedback about amateur fields starting ahead of the elite women in The Traka 360, causing chaos later in the race.

While age groups will be permitted in a new Traka 300, that distance will be the only race to include a pro category, which will be limited to 200 participants between men and women, "with the aim of building a more selective, competitive and safe field".

This means that elite winners from last year, across two different races, would compete together, most likely giving advantages to strong teams like Specialized Off-road, where Traka 200 winner Sofía Gómez Villafañe would not join forces with teammate Geerike Schreurs, who was third in The Traka 360.

'Priority access' for The Traka's 200 and 100 distances next year will open on July 14 at 12:00 CEST, 48 hours before general registration. Individuals who are eligible for the early registration must have participated in the 'large' distances at Gravel Desert or Ranxo Gravel. Also providing 'priority access' will be individuals with advance registration confirmed for upcoming races the River on September 6 (220km or 160km distances) or Santa Vall 2027.

Registration for The Traka 300 will open on July 16, with no priority signups. Organisers will implement a selection process for any athletes who want to be part of the pro category.

Organisers have outlined all conditions for priority access and general registration on their website, noting that "priority access does not imply a reserved place or an automatic registration".

In addition, Klassmark was looking to expand branding opportunities in Girona, at the venue used for start/finish, the expo, and the general programme over three days. The sports agency planned to name a new manager for the event as well.

"The Traka 2027 will also feature a renewal of the race direction. The name of the person who will take on this responsibility will be announced soon as part of the process of strengthening the sporting and organisational structure," the press release said.

"All these developments are part of a global effort to improve planning, safety, participant care, services and the overall operations of the event."

The Traka 200 and Traka 360 have been anchor events in the Gravel Earth Series, also managed by Klassmark.

Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our gravel cycling coverage in 2026. We'll be on the ground at the biggest races of the season, bringing you breaking news, expert analysis, in-depth features, and much more. Find out more.

The Scott Addict RC is the lightweight climbing machine of the NSN Cycling Team, and our choice as the best lightweight road bike.

For stage 6 of the Tour de France, climbing specialist George Bennett and team leader Biniam Girmay will test the Addict’s climbing reputation on the brutal Col d'Aspin and legendary Col du Tourmalet.

If the ongoing Tour has you feeling inspired, I've found an incredible deal on the Scott Addict RC Pro.

Competitive Cyclist has the Scott Addict RC Pro discounted by $1,350 to $7,649, which is a rarely seen 15% off its usual $8,999 price.

We awarded the Scott Addict RC a stellar 4.5 out of 5 stars in our review. Tester Will Jones praised the bike, saying, "The Addict RC stands alongside the very best road bikes on the market, combining a phenomenally low weight with impeccable handling and a flawless build."

Scott says the Addict RC represents the absolute pinnacle of the brand's road racing lineup. Featuring the Addict RC HMX carbon frame, engineered to be exceptionally light and stiff.

In our review, Will tested the Addict RC in its Ultimate guise, which weighed in at just 6.4kg. The Pro version on offer here has a claimed weight of 6.5kg.

For comparison, two of our favourite lightweight options with the same Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 build are the Cannondale SuperSix Evo, weighing in at around 6.6kg, and the Factor O2 VAM Disc, which is roughly 6.4kg.

Both these bikes, of course, are some of the best road bikes you could ever wish to own. Priced at over $10,000, they don't come close to the Scott Addict RC Pro deal price at Competitive Cyclist, and we think the Scott represents incredible value for money.

Will summed up his testing by saying, "If you love riding bikes, you’ll adore the Scott Addict RC, and while I haven’t tested the lower-tier models, the geometry will be consistent, and so I am pretty confident in saying that probably applies throughout the range." and concluded, "The Addict RC is absolutely one of the best road bikes you can buy today."

Unfortunately, this specific deal applies to US shoppers only. If you are reading this in the UK, I've found the Scott Addict RC Pro in Carbon Black discounted by 24% to £6,550.00 from £8,599. Check out our guide to the best road bikes for excellent alternatives available near you.

The 108km SchwörerHaus Hegau Gravel Race in Singen came down to a tight battle in both the elite men's and women's categories on Sunday, with Petr Vakoč (Factor Racing) and Nele Laing (Canyon DTSwiss ATR) claiming the wins at the German round of the Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series.

It came down to a sprint for Vakoč with the Czech rider, who has so often been on the podium this year, claiming his first UCI series top step of the season with a two-second gap in the elite men's race on Simon Pellaud (Li Ning Star). Jordy Bouts (The Grip) then claimed third in a group sprint, 1:55 after Vakoč had crossed the line with a time of 3:09:29.

"I knew I need to survive the hardest climb with 25km to go be in contention for the win. It was just me and Simon after the top," said Vakoč in an Instagram post.

"We worked well and kept building the gap. Some 5km to go, on the last steep climb I went all out and build a small gap but Simon stayed within few seconds and caught me inside last 2km," he said of the circumstances which set up the sprint finish.

In the elite women's category it was a first UCI Gravel World Series win ever for Laing as the rider who has been one of the rising stars of the season crossed the line after 3:37:01 with a four-second gap to her Canyon DTSwiss ATR teammate Larissa Hartog. Eisen Malou (Volker Wessels Wielerteam), who was third on the road last month at the Lotto Thüringen women's cycling challenge, was also third on the gravel as she crossed the line 3:35 back.

The race that played out on the trails that were home to the 2017 MTB Marathon World Championships is the only German qualifier for the UCI Gravel World Championships, which this year will be held on October 10-11 in Nannup, Western Australia.

US cycling fans can catch every moment of live Tour de France 2026 coverage on Peacock TV. The 113th edition of the Tour has already served up plenty of excitement, and we are only on Stage 6. The drama will only intensify as Tadej Pogačar fights to defend his yellow jersey against his peloton rivals.

The popular streaming service Peacock will be following all the action as this year's race unfolds. It's also currently offering a 12-month subscription for the price of 10.

That means you can lock down an entire year of live cycling coverage for just $109.99, reduced from $131.88, or $9.16 a month – the lowest price we've seen since Black Friday last year.

Save 17% when you sign up for a 12-month plan at Peacock TV.

The Peacock Premium plan is the most popular option, and as well as exclusive live coverage of the Tour, you can watch TV series, hit movies, and a load of other sports. It does include ads, and if you want to enjoy ad-free streaming, the Premium Plus plan is available for $169.99 with the same '12 months for the price of 10' deal.

If you're travelling abroad over the summer, you'll most likely find your Peacock TV viewing blocked by geo-restrictions.

The best way to continue your regular viewing as if you're at home and ensure you don't miss any of the action from the Tour is to use a VPN. NordVPN has discounted its highly rated VPN plans by as much as 75%, with a bonus of three free months on top.

Save up to $192 when you sign up for a NordVPN two-year plan at NordVPN.

The Complete Plan is the most popular option from Nord, and it works out at just $4.49 a month or $372.60 over the two-year period, when you take into account the extra three months.

NordVPV is a recommended choice when it comes to the best VPN services. Our expert colleagues at TechRadar have rigorously tested and independently verified all the major VPN services, and Norton scored a 4.5-star rating, praised for being one of the easiest and fastest VPN services, and the best overall choice.

If you're new to a VPN (Virtual Private Network), then this handy piece of internet tech simply allows your devices to appear as if they're located in your usual location. So wherever you are in the world, you can access your usual streaming services, allowing uninterrupted coverage of your favourite sports and TV shows.

A VPN also come with a host of privacy and protection benefits for your internet usage, which are very useful when travelling abroad and offer benefits that include additional safety when using public Wi-Fi, protecting privacy for remote work and financial transactions.

This is one of the best VPN offers currently available, and perfect for uninterrupted live cycling viewing in 2026.

Below you'll find all the best Peacock TV and NordVPN deals with pricing relevant to your location.

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.

Former US professional cyclist Tyler Hamilton will cover the Tour de France this month for Denmark's national television network, TV2. It is a second consecutive year the former CSC rider has provided post-race analysis.

Hamilton is recognised by Danish sports viewers for his two years at the CSC team, led by Bjarne Riis, and his overall victory at Tour of Denmark in 1999.

"Denmark has a special place in my heart. It was super special for me last year," he said to Sports.tv2.dk, which will air his reports.

Hamilton, now 55 and living in Missoula, Montana, began his race career in 1994 and went on to win stages at the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France, as well as finishing third overall at the Giro in 2002. He raced all three Grand Tours, last competing at an eighth Tour de France in 2004.

His career was derailed when he failed doping tests in 2004 from the Olympic Games and the Vuelta a Espana, resulting in a two-year suspension. He returned to racing from 2007 to 2009, and was subsequently retired a final time when he failed another test for banned substances.

"His past is well known and should not be ignored. At the same time, he is one of the former riders who has chosen to come forward and speak openly about that period," said Kristian Bech Josefsen, editor-in-chief at TV 2 Sport.

"He has experienced both the sport's greatest triumphs and its most controversial chapters. This gives him a unique experience and insight into the Tour de France. Our job is to gather the strongest voices, and he adds another dimension to our coverage – as we saw last year."

Crusher in the Tushar cancelled due to concerns related to ravaging Utah fires

July 11 would have been the 15th edition of the climbing-heavy 69.9-mile gravel race, starting and ending in Beaver, Utah. Instead, event owners and operators, Life Time, cancelled the event two weeks prior to race weekend over safety concerns and limited resources related to a large wildfire in that region of southern Utah.

The Cottonwood Fire had destroyed more than 70,000 acres at the time of the cancellation, and by July 1 had grown to be the state's largest wildfire with only 5% containment, according to local media reports, including ABC4 in Utah.

"After closely monitoring the Cottonwood Fire and its impact on Beaver, Eagle Point, local emergency resources, and the surrounding community, we have made the difficult decision that Crusher in the Tushar will not take place as planned this year," organisers posted to Instagram on June 25.

"This is not the outcome any of us wanted, but given the ongoing impact of the fire, the strain on local resources and emergency response, and the safety considerations for athletes, volunteers, staff, partners, and the Beaver community, we are confident this is the right decision."

Two years ago Crusher in the Tushar was cancelled because of a similar situation, two wildfires situated across Piute County where the race course passed. The race had been part of the Life Time Grand Prix from 2022-2024.

Organisers were communicating with registered athletes via email. Days after the announcement, the event web site provided a link to an online fundraising campaign, created by the Chamber of Commerce serving Beaver, Iron and Garfield counties, to provide assistance to families and businesses impacted by the disaster.

Comp Edge Racing line up for first-ever international UCI stage race appearance at Sibiu Cycling Tour

Comp Edge Racing makes its first-ever international UCI stage race appearance at the 2026 Sibiu Cycling Tour, July 4-7. The Continental team will be led by Marcis Shelton, silver medalist in the U23 road race at USPro Road Nationals.

The six-rider roster will be filled by US riders Ryan Drummond, Andrew Frank, Luke Walter and Dylan Zakrajsek plus Bermuda's dual road champion Nic Narroway.

Among the competition are two WorldTour squads - UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe - as well as five ProTeams, 13 other Continental teams and national teams representing Hungary and Romania.

Modern Adventure Pro Cycling brings a lineup with Canadian Riley Pickrell, who won stage 1 last year at the stage race with Israel-Premier Tech, and Briton Leo Hayter, while Continental-level APS Pro Cycling by Team Cadence Cycling features US riders Ethan Dunham and Patrick Welch.

The four-day race across Romania includes five stages, with Saturday's double billing starting in the centre of the country in Sibiu with a 110.5km road stage followed by a 32.km individual time trial.

Experience the 2026 cycling season with a Cyclingnews subscription that offers you unlimited access to our unrivalled coverage. Our global team will be on the ground at all the major races to bring you breaking news, in-depth features, exclusive interviews and member-exclusive content. Find out more.

Factor launched its Sarana ultra gravel race bike at the start of May, and the Sarana now sits alongside the brand's Ostro gravel and Aluto machines. In the brand’s words, the bike was “built specifically for ultra-distance racing, and riders pushing the limit of modern gravel racing.”

There are some seriously challenging gravel events on the calendar now, and they only seem to be growing in popularity. Take the Traka 360 for instance; the Sarana is a bike that has been designed for riders trying to go as fast as they can for hours on end.

Factor’s range is three models strong, and there’s a fourth mystery hyper aero machine floating around that is as yet unreleased. Factor places the Sarana in the middle of the range with a ‘race endurance’ tag.

Factor released a new pair of Black Inc. Forty Six gravel wheels along with the bike, which are available to buy separately. My test machine came with them, and I’ve been using them too.

It’s worth making the point that not every cyclist is tackling 300km+ ultra races on the weekend. The amateur riders I know do all kinds of general gravel riding with the odd big race or event planned into their calendars.

Factor bikes sit in the premium end of the market, and the Sarana carries an RRP of $8,499 / £8,299 / €10,199. It's undoubtedly a pricey machine; here's how it measured up after testing it out on a wide variety of surfaces and ride durations.

Design and aesthetics

Rob Britton is a name that crops up regularly if you are researching the Sarana. The ex-road pro and now ultra-focused gravel racer had a big hand in the development of this bike, and his super long rides and feedback apparantly informed a lot of the bike's design. He has, along with other Factor athletes like Victor Bossoni, the Traka 560 and Tour Divide winner, been riding and racing on the Sarana since launch. It’s probably a stretch to say this bike was designed specifically for Britton, but my impression from Factor was that he certainly played a big part in its creation.

We’ll get into the details, but Factor has blended and balanced here; this isn’t an all-out, blood and thunder, speed-at-any-cost race bike, and probably won’t be the right bike if you are looking for one. The frame has been put together to provide a balance between speed, comfort and capability, and up front, if you choose to spec one, a suspension fork takes care of the obvious. Throw in 29x2.1 Continental Race King tyres, and you have a bike that can go fast, yet can also be hammered down rough terrain without leaving you feeling beaten up.

There are adventure-focused gravel bikes that are all about comfort, and ones that still address the need for speed. For me, the integrated Black Inc handlebar the Sarana comes with is a perfect example of this kind of bike and the kind of setup you see regularly at gravel races now.

A two-piece, more adjustable unit could have been fitted, but the handlebar provides an aero advantage and a lighter, narrower, stiffer and slightly more aggressive front end. That handlebar, coupled with the big tyres and suspension fork, perfectly sums up the blend of themes at play with the Sarana and what it’s all about.

To the frame, the Sarana is constructed from a mix of Toray, Nippon graphite and Pan-based (polyacrylonitrile) fibres and has clearance for up to 57mm tyres; there's a T47a bb standard, it's 1x only and UDH-friendly.

The front half of the bike looks pretty traditional; the headtube hints at some aero consideration and the fairly thin top tube looks elegant; the rear end of the frame gets a little funkier. Factor has gone for heavily dropped seat stays, which it says act as a leaf spring and an offset, curved seat tube, which are all designed to build compliance into the platform. The chainstays are also dropped to help with that 57mm tyre clearance figure.

The bike can be run with a suspension or rigid fork, as well as a dropper post if you really want to go for it; this is the reason for the round 30.9mm seatpost and external clamp.

There's downtube storage and a set of four mounting points on the underside of the top tube for bags/bottles. A pair of mounts on the top tube and another two under the downtube. Factor includes the downtube, frame and top tube packs with the bike, which is nice.

Factor has talked a lot about nailing the Sarana geometry. I was slightly in between sizes and went for a 52 over a 54, which would generally be my usual size. The 52 was the right call, and I'm glad I went for it, and I'd possibly advise sizing down if you end up in a similar scenario.

Let's look at some numbers; the full geo chart can be seen below, but the Sarana in a 52 has a stack and reach of 558 and 388mm.

Wheelbase for the bike is 1018mm, and the seat tube angle for the 52 and 54-sized machines is 74.5, whilst head tube angle is 71.5 degrees.

BB drop is 82, trail is 65 and chainstay length is set at 425mm for every size.

Two suspension-equipped gravel bikes I have tested are the Lauf Seigla and the Canyon Grail RIFT. Compared to the size medium Seigla and small Grail RIFT I rode, the Sarana has the same chainstay length of 425.

Build-wise, in this spec the Sarana comes with a SRAM Force XPLR groupset; always an excellent option in my view. The hooked Black Inc. 46 wheels are 46mm deep and have a 27mm internal width. They are fitted with Continental RaceKing tyres, which have now been succeeded by the Continental Dubnital. Factor told me it designed around the Race King, but overall it is a similar (if not basically identical) tyre to the Dubnital.

The Factor Black Inc. HB05 integrated handlebar comes fitted; it's a pleasingly ergonomic unit with a reach of 75mm, drop of 116mm and a 17.4 degree flare. I've gotten on well with it and tested a 100mm stem and a 360 bar. You can also choose between an 80-130mm stem and 360-400mm bars; good work, Factor.

You can also choose between 165,170 and 172.5mm cranks at checkout, as well as add on a CeramicSpeed OSPW for a cool $600 off dollars.

Performance

I feel it right to mention I haven’t been able to tackle a monster ride or event on the Sarana, which seemed in keeping with what it's about. I had hoped to find the right event to really put it and myself to the test, but nothing materialised that worked in the time I had with the bike. Instead, I have ridden it at home on varied terrain that I test every gravel bike I review on.

I'll talk about what I see as what may be the key strength of the Sarana first: its capability when things get rough and technical. The bike has felt very composed and stable on technical descents and rougher terrain. I have an mtb descent that regularly makes me nervous and that I’ve even had a couple of small crashes on when I've gotten it wrong. I take every gravel bike down it. The top is narrow, fast, rocky and rutted, and the Sarana just danced down it. I've had great fun in these kinds of sections, and the bike let me carry speed and remain composed.

This composure in the rough stuff has been a standout strength. The Rudy fork up front and big tyres do a lot of the heavy lifting, but the bike’s geometry, wheelbase and overall frame angles all help when tackling technical terrain and pushing it.

If rougher terrain and testing yourself off-road is something you go after in your gravel riding, the Sarana will have you covered, and I’d imagine if you're 10+ hours into a ride and are faced with technical terrain when you're in a bit of a state, it should look after you more than a rigid bike.

A topic that needs mentioning when it comes to the Sarana is the bike's overall weight; on my own scales, my test machine (pictured) came out at 9.87kg for a size 52; that’s heavy for a gravel bike, and I have noticed the weight of the bike at times.

It feels sluggish on steeper climbs, and when accelerating at slower speeds, a heavier overall weight will also affect rolling resistance, a more pressing matter when riding gravel.

In these departments, a little less heft would be desirable. That 44 tooth front ring also means I’m grinding a bit on the steep stuff at times, and coupled with the weight, contributes to things feeling a little slower.

On that 44 tooth chainring, it’s going to depend on the rider and course, but I would want a 42 or even a 40 if I was taking on a big, tough ride with a lot of climbing. If I was on my knees and facing a wall, an easier gear would help. Changing chainrings for the demands of a course is nothing new. It might be worth considering some chainring options if you do invest.

I asked Factor about overall weights for bikes as there aren't any published numbers to be found for the Sarana. The brand told me 'the general goal is 1200g for the mid-range sizes' and that 'a more robust, lower modulus layup' was used to add protection in certain areas. So I think from that it's safe to say you can look at around the 1200 gram mark for a mid-sized frame.

The uncut rigid Sarana fork weighs 550 grams according to Factor, and the RockShox Rudy Ultimate fork (with starnut) fitted on my test bike comes in at 1.26kg on my scales.

On a side note, dropping the fork out of the bike to weigh it put a smile on my face; due to the external front brake hose, it was so easy, taking mere minutes, and made for a refreshing change from fully integrated front ends.

We're looking at a 476-gram weight saving if you were to swap to a rigid fork (not factoring the fork expander bung and cutting it to length); It's also worth noting, whilst I'm in weight weenie mode, that the SRAM Red XPLR-equipped bike will save a few hundred grams over the Force model.

By my maths, that still leaves us with a bike weighing over nine kilos, and whilst weight certainly isn't everything, it may be a consideration for some riders.

When I haven't been throwing it downhill or pointing it upward, the Sarana has ridden beautifully; the bike is comfortable to ride, and that 44-tooth ring does allow you to get up to speed and barrel along on flatter, smoother gravel terrain and on the road too.

The handling isn't race bike sharp, but some of that comes from the big front tyre. It's engaging, smooth and confidence-inspiring, and I always feel confident cornering and turning on the bike.

The more I've ridden the Sarana, the more I've begun to feel that it's quite a specific machine, and one that does seem to align with what Factor say it's been designed for.

If you want an all-out racer, it's not the fastest option, and I can't say it feels race bike fast. I will add here that Factor hasn't shared any hard wind tunnel or testing data on the bike, and we haven't tested it here at Cyclingnews, so I can't say for sure how competitive it is aerodynamically.

If you are a racer that's about to tackle a horrifyingly long, tough ride, and need more comfort and capability, it would very likely be a good choice, particularly, I feel, on rougher, more challenging terrain where it really seems to shine for me.

Weight is more of a factor for gravel bikes, and one concern I do have is that even with a rigid fork specced, the Sarana is still a little on the heavy side; based on my numbers from weighing, a rigid-forked model will still be knocking on for 9kg.

The medium Lauf Seigla I tested (with SRAM Red) came in at 8.59kg, and the small Canyon Grail RIFT at 9.64kg with a GRX double chainset, for context.

Racers generally want speed, and a bike that feels fast; the event and terrain would have to be testing enough to warrant you picking the Sarana. I think racers are often robust (or foolhardy) enough to make a faster, possibly harsher racer bike work for them, unless conditions really are testing.

On this topic, I spoke with an ultra rider who has ridden events like the Tour Divide. They made the case that if you are riding that kind of event on a bike like this, you may end up with it weighing north of 20kg, depending on what you are carrying, further negating overall bike weight for ultra events.

We also discussed the fact that fitter or pro riders have the legs to make an on paper slightly slower bike work on the flat, with something like a suspension fork fitted before reaping the rewards off-road and potentially saving even more time. It was a more nuanced point, but it was good to discuss things like this with someone who had ridden a bike for 2 weeks straight, for example.

I'm not racing a full gravel calendar, but I would ultimately like the Sarana to feel and move a bit faster on certain climbs before I could batter it back down the descent on the other side.

In my testing period, the Sarana has performed perfectly in mechanical terms, plus no flats or other major issues. I've had some rattle at times from the downtube storage bag on rough ground; that's about it and was in part down to what I had in there and how I packed it.

It's been a positive test period, and I've always felt the Sarana has had my back.

Maintenance and servicing

When it comes to working on and maintaining the Sarana, there are some key points to bear in mind:

Starting at the front, if you choose the suspension-equipped version, like a lot of its other forks, RockShox recommends a 50-hour lower leg service interval and a 200-hour damper and air spring service for the Rudy XPLR. So you will need to factor this into maintenance of the bike. Lower leg services are generally fairly low cost, with the bigger 200-hour service costing more. At the very least, try to keep the stanchions as clean and dirt-free as you can.

The suspension fork means an external brake hose, which means you can remove the forks in minutes as mentioned and easily service the bike's headset, a plus point after hours off-road.

The threaded BB is also an easy one to stay on top of, as is the external, standard seatpost clamp, which means no corroded or hard-to-reach internal clamp assemblies to worry about.

Wheel-wise, the Black Inc 46 wheels use a three-pawl freehub body which pulls off easily for cleaning and re-greasing at the least, and the wheels are built with brass nipples which eliminate the corrosion issues that can come with aluminium ones.

Value

The Sarana is an expensive machine, and most of us probably expect a premium price tag when we think of the Factor bike range.

I think if you're gravel bike shopping, there are better value buys out there that will do a lot of the same things the Sarana can, and possibly with a lower overall weight.

Decide whether you really want the suspension fork (and additional associated servicing costs), as it costs several hundred dollars more to spec one, and does add weight. If you think your riding is rough enough to regularly need one, or you like the added smoothing, it will work for you.

If you're invested in the brand and love the design, that paintwork is also very nice; for instance, I'm sure you will be very happy. It's a lovely bike to ride.

Verdict

I've had a great time riding the Sarana; as mentioned, it has performed faultlessly, and I've really enjoyed what it has brought to the table in rough, technical sections.

If you are just shopping for a capable gravel bike to do all sorts of things on, it will be a worthwhile purchase; just switch that 44 ring out for a smaller one if you live somewhere rough AND hilly.

For me, it's also a very attractive bike to look at, and that's always important when you're bike shopping.

The ride quality is good; I have no doubt the platform would provide a comfortable place to spend hours on end during a big ride.

That heavier weight does lead to some sluggishness on steep climbs, a black mark in the bike's ultra-endurance USP and my least favourite thing about it.

I agree with Factor in that it's quite a specific bike all told; I feel unless it meets your gravel bike requirements to a T, there may be more suitable bikes out there available for less cash.

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Sofia Gomez Villafañe and Keegan Swenson (both Specialized Off-road) returned to the top step at SBT GRVL on Sunday in Colorado, both launching solo attacks on the later segments of a refreshed 108-mile 'black' course. It was Swenson's fourth elite men's title while Villafañe won the elite women's race for a second time.

This year's Steamboat Springs long 'black' course featured one single-loop circuit through Routt County, with an out-and-back, washed-out gravel road, Cow Creek, featured as the first climb after the start from Yampa Street and again as a decisive technical descent in the final 12 miles.

Three elite men exited the Cow Creek climb at the front of the race - Nathan Spratt (Ventum + Voler), Adam Roberge (Felt UN1TD) and John Borstelmann (Ventum) - and set a marker of four minutes. Across the next 24 miles, two-thirds of that the longest ascent of the day with uneven pitches reaching 7%-9%, the leaders were caught by six riders - Swenson, Henry Nelson (Lunchbox Racing), Cobe Freeburn (Trek Driftless), Alexey Vermeulen (ENVE), Pete Stetina (Canyon) and John Keller.

By the mid-point of the race, Swenson was part of the new lead group as Freeburn, Roberge and Nelson, with Spratt, Vermeulen, Stetina and Keller giving chase, and Borstelmann dropping off the pace.

A long paved descent led to the second longest climb on the route, approximately nine miles of gravel, passing to the south of Hayden and from the crest leaving 35.5 miles for a return to Steamboat Springs. On the descent from this climb, Swenson launched his attack on a paved section and by the time he hit the return ascent to Cow Creek had a two-and-a-half minute gap.

Swenson completed his ride in 4:36:20, with Vermeulen second and Freeburn third in a four-rider chase who were five minutes back. Nelson finished fourth and Roberge fifth. Stetina had worked with Keller for a second chase group, Keller going one second better than the Canyon veteran at the line, just 47 and 48 seconds behind Vermeulen

Swenson finished second last year, outsprinting Freeburn and Vermeulen. This year Vermeulen's runner-up spot was his third podium at SBT GRVL, having gone third to Swenson in 2024 and 2023.

"The king reigns on here at SBT GRVL," Vermeulen said about his rival Swenson. "Got dropped, but managed to finagle my way back into the sprint for second by the end thanks to a great chase group with John Keller and Peter Stetina."

The elite women started five minutes after the men, with the field staying mainly compact for the opening 15 miles. On the 17-mile dirt ascent known as Wahooligan Pass, Sarah Lange (Velocio-Kenda Bicycle) set the tempo with Cecily Decker (PAS Racing) and 2023 winner Villafañe.

The trio were joined on the descent by Danni Shrosbree (Rapha-Argon 18), Kylee Hanel (Cervélo-Maxxis), Paige Onweller (Trek Driftless), two-time winner Lauren De Crescenzo (The Feed-Argonaut-Castelli-Maxxis) and 2024 winner Lauren Stephens (Aegis x LOE), which created the decisive split of the race.

The riders traded attacks, but none took hold until Lange broke away on a gravel descent south of Hayden at mile 80. She carried her momentum into the technical section at Cow Creek, where Villafañe began to close the gap, and Stephens trailed 30 seconds behind with Onweller another 30 seconds back.

"I tried to attack a few times earlier in the race but nothing stuck and our group of 8 kept coming back together. So when I found myself off the front during a lull with 25-30 miles to go, I went for it," Lange said on Instagram.

"When I exited Cow Creek and had 7 miles of pavement back into town, I was told Sofia was solo 30 seconds back. I kept pushing but knew she was gaining on me. I heard someone yell her name and knew I was caught with about 2 miles to go."

Villafañe caught and passed Lange on the tarmac just outside Steamboat Springs and cranked out a six-second gap to ride across the line uncontested in 5:25:01. Stephens finished 42 seconds behind Lange for third, her fifth time on the podium spot at SBT GRVL.

"The last 45 minutes of the race was spicy as we worked hard to chase down Sarah Lange who was on a ripper of a day. I pushed HARD on cow creek, separated myself from the chasers and made contact in the last two miles of the race," the new two-time winner said on her Instagram account.

Women’s defending champ Melisa Rollins, who has been away from racing for several months due to arm and wrist injuries, finished 20th. 2025 men’s winner Brendan Wertz did not line up as he was still recovering from a crash at Lost & Found gravel in California two weeks ago.

Last year SBT GRVL had separate race days for elites and amateurs, with the elite fields starting and finishing in Hayden. All race routes returned to downtown Steamboat Springs this year, featuring safety enclosures for elite categories and a black course team support and nutrition aid station at mile 63 at the Hayden Gun Range, which also served as a spectator zone.

Results

Gabby Traxler (GURU Energy-Basso Bikes) and Carter Nieuwesteeg (Giant Bicycle Canada) won elite titles at Ghost of the Gravel in Water Valley, Alberta, punching their tickets in the 26th qualifier event for the 2026 UCI Gravel World Championships.

Traxler launched a solo attack from a front group of five riders after the opening 48km to finish in 4:34:42. Hanna Johansson of Sweden was 2:46 back in second and Francesca Seal another 2-plus minutes back for third.

Canadian Sidney McGill, the 2024 Pan-American Cyclo-cross champion, had been part of the lead group but faded to seventh place, just over 36 minutes behind her compatriot.

"I pushed hard and went solo for the last 70km. After third and second the past two years, I was very happy to finally get the win," Traxler wrote on Instagram, the Alberta native scoring her first gravel win of the season on home soil.

The 118 kilometres at Ghost of the Gravel featured 90% dirt roads across the foothills near Calgary, with 2,073 metres of elevation gain found on a large clockwise circuit. Early rain made for a wet surface, and Nieuwesteeg called it "the gnarliest conditions I’ve seen to date" on a course used the past two years for the Canadian Gravel Championships.

Nieuwesteeg, who was third overall at BC Bike Race, held off Oskar Stack-Michasiw in a two-up sprint for the elite men's victory, both riders finishing in 3:49:00. Finn Borstmayer then won the sprint for third against Wyatt Gaulke, 11:21 later, for an all-Canadian men's podium.

The men's race saw 12 riders grouped at the front for the first 35 kilometres, which was mainly climbing. Then on a technical descent, splits formed and the podium quartet set off together. Nieuwesteeg and Stack-Michasiw set off together with 40km to go.

"A full day keeping it throttled with Oskar Stack-Michasiw. Pretty sweet to get the win at a UCI World Series event, definitely did not have that in the cards as mentally I’ve been fully in FGG [Fernie Gravel Grind] planning mode for the last couple weeks," Nieuwesteeg wrote on social media. "I guess Gravel World Champs in Australia is now calling."

Gravelking UCI Gravel World Series was the second stop for the series in Canada, taking place on back-to-back weekends with OG Classique in Quebec. The next round of the series will be July 5 in Germany for Hegau Gravel Festival.

Results

Eurobike is back. Though not as I or many others remember it.

At one point, it looked like the show might not go ahead at all, but in the end, it has returned, albeit in a much smaller capacity, and there was still plenty of new tech on display to check out.

The event now uses only three halls and even these were far from full, compared to seven or more in previous years. As someone who has attended the show on and off for fifteen years, I found this rather melancholic. It's an event that everyone likes to complain about, but it was always a great chance to meet up with the rest of the industry from around the world in one place. Alas, times change, but despite this, there was still some great stuff on show.

Having roamed the halls, here are my top five highlights.

1. New Canyon Aeroad CFR

Canyon wasn't shy about its latest race bike, the Aerroad CFR. "The fastest Tour de France bike you can buy." That's a line touted by many an aero bike builder, but this one is at least backed by test results from Tour magazine that put it under the elusive 200W barrier, and putting it ahead of everything else currently in the pro peloton. Time will tell how well it fares in our own testing, though; keep your eyes peeled.

Calling it a new bike feels a bit of a stretch, though, as all of the changes and improvements come from using a different handlebar. It now features UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger) compatibility, and more seatpost options are available, too, making it much easier to get your ideal fit.

The handlebar has been used by Mathieu van der Poel and his teammates all season and is available aftermarket at £598, should you want to upgrade your existing Aerroad.

The catchily titled CP0053 is said to be 120g lighter than the outgoing version and to save two watts, with a forward-sweeping design and flared drops. Canyon make some lofty claims on how much this new bar saves with the rider, claiming the longer lower position could save up to 24 watts (assuming, of course, the lower position works for you and you can stay in it, which is no mean feat for most of us).

2. Ridley's unnamed gravel racer

The prototype for this was first spotted at the Traka by our own Will Jones back in April, and it now looks much closer to production-ready, proudly on display on the Ridley stand. We assume it'll be the new Kanzo, but it doesn't yet have an official name.

It's a striking-looking beast, and ticks all of the current gravel racers' want lists. Aero, wide tyre clearance (up to 58mm apparently), frame storage and an aggressive position similar to top-end road bikes. The display bike featured SRAM Force 1x13 (does anyone still run a double chainring in gravel?) and had a neat Wolf Tooth chain guide as well as a sharp-looking Forza one-piece cockpit with narrow lever position and flared drops. The wheels look like something new, too, with deep rims and 27mm internal rim bed, CeramicSpeed-equipped hubs, and carbon spokes. They're named the Forza Sikonros and could be a good, fast option with wider rubber.

3. Eddy Merckx 525R

On the same stand was the Eddy Merckx 525R, which takes a thoroughly different approach to going fast. It has a lot of the things you'd expect, like a nine-watt saving over the original, tyre clearance for 34mm and a sub-kilo frame weight. But what makes this interesting is its approach to fit geometry.

By steepening the seat angle and raising the stack, they've created an aero bike that still lets the rider get in an aero position, but one that's far more comfortable for us mere mortals to hold. There is some clever geometry manipulation going on here, and good use of the revised UCI regulations, too, which means they have moved the saddle position further forward to open up the hip angle, which is becoming an increasingly common way to get faster on the bike.

Elsewhere, you'll see aero features common on lots of other bikes, like a deep head tube and aero tube shapes throughout, but combined with its fresh take on fit geometry, this could be one of the surprises of all of the latest generation of aero bikes.

4. Megamo Upon

Avinox, the e-bike arm of DJi, drew plenty of attention this year with its new concept motor, combining an E-bike motor and gearbox, but it was the use of its current 2nd-series motor on the Megamo Upon that caught my eye.

Most E-road bikes approach the motor in the same way, trying to hide it as much as possible. Both in terms of looks and function, but the Upon is different. Looks-wise, Megamo has done a very good job of packaging the full power motor and 600Wh battery. You can still tell it's an e-bike at first glance, but it's far from the early monstrosities the Eurobike was often full of.

Power is where it differs greatly, though. Normally, bike brands will spec either a lighter-spec version with less torque or a specific motor designed to give a softer feel on drop-bar E-bikes. The idea being that you don't really notice the motor and still feel like it's your effort propelling you forward, more of a gentle assist than you would find on a full-power e-MTB, for instance. But not here. This uses the same high-powered motor as their MTB line, offering up to 1500 watts of peak power.

I'd say watch out Jasper Philipsen, but his is limited to 25 km/h in Europe, so don't expect to be dominating any sprints on it. It should make light work of steep climbs, though. It's an interesting approach, and one to keep an eye on.

5. Gusto's new GTG gravel prototype

And finally, a bike from a brand you might not have heard of, but one ridden by someone in his younger years, you certainly will know.

Gusto are a Taiwanese brand that offers great value road bikes, but unlike many others, has been involved in the European race scene for some time, sponsoring a certain Tadej Pogačar when he first joined the peloton. In fact, he now personally sponsors the second division team that still runs the Gusto bikes.

The brand had a new gravel bike on display outside in the sweltering heat. Details were a bit scarce, but it looked like it follows many of the aesthetics and details found on its current road bike, the GTR and added all the features you'd expect of a gravel bike; plenty of tyre clearance, a one-piece cockpit and a suitably aggressive position, and some new gravel-specific wheels too.

The brand says it expects to launch the bike fully later this year, but if its road range is anything to go by, I'd expect it to be sharp-handling and extremely well priced.

Led by 20-year-old Kenyan Ivan Kipruto, the Black Mambas Development Squad swept the men's podium at this year's Migration Gravel Race, while Swedish gravel national champion Nathalie Eklund won the women's division.

The four-day stage race, June 16-19, was the seventh stop of the Gravel Earth Series. Migration Gravel Race covered 650 kilometres of rugged, red clay roads and paths in the Maasai Mara wilderness of Kenya, with more than 8,000 metres of elevation gain.

Kipruto rocketed into the GC hunt on the queen stage, then secured a surprising overall victory on the fourth and final day, jumping past fellow Kenyan teammates Stanley Ngugi and Peterson Kamau, who finished second and third, respectively.

It was a coming-out party for riders on the Team Amani development team, and first major gravel race victory for Kipruto, who earned a podium at the recent Safari Gravel Race.

"Stage 4 brought one final battle across the Maasai Mara, capping off an unforgettable week of racing on home roads. Throughout the race, the Black Mamba Development Squad animated the action," the Black Mambas team wrote on social media.

"The Black Mamba Development Squad completed a remarkable sweep of the men's overall podium—a testament to the talent, hard work, and belief that continues to drive the program forward. This race has always been about more than results. It's about creating opportunities, inspiring the next generation, and showing that East African riders can compete with anyone in the world."

Eklund, who started the year with the overall win at Sahara Desert in February, battled against Team Amani rider Claudette Nyirarukundo all four days on the rugged terrain. Just three days before the stage race, the 23-year-old Rwandan earned a career-defining victory at Safari Gravel Race, earning a berth at the UCI Gravel World Championships.

Theresa Rindler-Bachl of Austria completed the podium for the pro women. On the men's side, Francisco Moreira of Portugal was the first non-African rider in the men’s ranking, finishing seventh.

Axelle Dubau-Prevot (EF Education-Oatly) continues to command the women's GES leaderboard with five top 10s from the first half of the season. Morgan Aguirre (PAS Racing) is second and Sophie Wright (Ribble Outliers) is third.

With a four-race sweep of wins, Mads Würtz Schmidt (Specialized Off-road) holds the men's overall GES lead. Hugo Drechou (Gravel Nation) is second and Petr Vokoč (Factor Racing) sits third.

Results

Hayden Christian (Trek-MAAP Pro.Fwd) carved his way around the two decisive singletrack turns to win Belgian Waffle Ride Montana, proving the fastest among a group of five elite men on the final half mile of the 115-mile (185km) course into Bozeman.

Stella Hobbs (MAAP-ENVE-Tailwind) won her second consecutive elite women's victory at BWR Montana, this year going solo in the elite women's division with a time of 5:07:39.

Cécile Lejeune (Trek Driftless) finished seven minutes behind Hobbs for second, which confirmed her position as overall winner in the Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel. Lejeune opened her BWR account with a third place in Arizona and then sealed the overall with back-to-back wins at BWR California and BWR Utah. Hannah Shell finished second overall, just 8 points ahead of Holly Breck.

Hobbs got away from Lejeuen with 30 miles to go, and both finished with an average speed of more than 21 mph.

"It's how riding goes here - nothing's that long and nothing's that steep. So if you can capitalise on every little bit that there is, you can really move through this course fast. We were hauling," Hobbs said at the finish to organisers.

The men's Quad-Tripel Crown was decided at Saturday's sprint, Christian earning the title by just eight points over Lance Haidet (Colnago-SRAM-Velocio), who finished third in the final race. Christian progressed up the leaderboard at all four stops of the series, starting with 11th place at Arizona, then fifth at California and third at Utah, which put him two points behind Haidet going into the final race.

Christian and Haidet rode in the decisive lead group with Elliot Thornblade (Forward Endurance Coaching), Matthew Saldana (Cyclesport.com) and Ryker Brand (ALLIED-Formula 369). Thornblade made a late pass of Christian with a shoulder bump on the final dirt section, but Christian swooped inside Thornblade with another body barge 100 yards later to take the lead for the final 50 metres to the line, winning in 4:45:32. Haidet grabbed the final podium ahead of Saldana while Brand was distanced in fifth.

It was the second edition of BWR Montana, which moved to a new start/finish at Glen Lake Park in Bozeman. The long route skirted the Blacktail mountain range in south-west Montana but still amassed 7,500 feet of climbing across 70% of 'unroad' on a new course.

Results

Series standings