Have you tried Club Ladder racing? Last week, I jumped into my first Ladder race in almost two years. The concept is simple: two teams battle head-to-head, 5v5. Riders earn points based on finishing position, and the team with the most points wins. moving up the ranking “ladder.”

It’s such a strategic and engaging format; a tactical Zwift race experience that’s wholly different from what ZRL, ZRacing, or any Zwift scratch race. Read this post to learn more about Club Ladder racing, or visit the Club Ladder website (in particular the Rule Book) to learn all the nitty-gritty details.

This would be my first race with a new Ladder squad, Coalition’s Taraxyl. We were racing the new London Uprising route, with a custom finish near the bottom of the Fox Hill descent over climbing Box Hill. Interesting. Let’s go!

Race Prep

Heading into the race, we were doing what Ladder racers do: chatting on Discord to formulate a plan! Looking at power numbers, we thought we would have the advantage on the climbs, while our opponents (Coalition Nezerium, aka “Nez”) would have the pure watts to do well on flats and descents. So our plan was to make them work hard on Fox Hill, without breaking the race apart. We could then stay together for the descent and flats that followed, then go hard on Box Hill to (hopefully) drop some opponents.

The Club Ladder site produces lots of cool charts to help you plan your race. Here’s the data for this match:

On the morning of the race, one of our riders had to call in sick. Without a sub on hand, our captain reached out to the Nez squad to ask if we could make it a 4v4 race, and they agreed to do so (#sporting).

With that, our squad of four was finalized:

• Louise Deak
• Ed H
• Claire Martin
• Eric Schlange

We would be racing these Nez riders:

• Mike
• Martin
• Matt
• Tom

The Start: Fox Hill

Sitting in the London start pens, my team chatted on Discord as we spun our legs to stay warm. One of the Nez riders was wearing the wrong jersey (our jersey), and we messaged a request for him to change to his team’s kit… but that never happened. (This may seem like a small thing, but in a Ladder Race especially, wearing the right kit is important. Those visuals help you make split-second decisions and, in fact, this would cause issues later in the race.)

With DS Beccah in our ears, we headed out of the pens and turned left to cross Tower Bridge, go through The Underground tunnel, then start climbing Fox Hill.

The pace was easy until we hit Fox Hill, then it picked up predictably. Our group strung out into a single-file line, but I was able to stay in the wheels where I wanted to be, in that “comfortably suffering” place bike racers know so well.

Five minutes into the climb, we were nearing the top. Nez’s Mike was clearly struggling near the back, and Martin seemed to be hanging back to assist him. With those two dangling off the back, things felt like they were going our way.

Then suddenly, everything exploded!

I went from being well-positioned to being gapped in the span of a few seconds as Nez’s Matt (wearing our team kit) sprinted me off his wheel. By the time I realized what was happening, a sizeable gap had opened, and Claire was on my wheel, and DS Beccah was telling us not to drop Claire!

So I made the split-second decision to ease a bit to make sure Claire stayed on my wheel, because we didn’t want her in a 1v2 matchup against two bigger guys heading into the descent and flats. I figured we’d catch the group of 4 up the road on the Box Hill descent.

But I was wrong.

At the start of the descent, we were just 4 seconds behind the front group. But the two Nez riders in that group (Matt and Tom) wisely began pushing to keep their speeds high descending Box Hill, and even though we put in some digs, we weren’t able to close down the gap. In fact, it grew to 10 seconds by the bottom! Fox Hill had taken too much out of my legs, and I just didn’t have the gas in the tank to pull us back.

The Middle: Flat and Chill

With our teammates not pushing the pace in the 2v2 front group, and the Nez riders in our group not working to bridge up, Claire and I tried to keep our speed steady and high enough to chase back to the front on the flat Classique section that followed. But the Nez riders in front weren’t having it, putting in strong pulls that kept pushing that gap out. Smart.

Eventually, Claire and I pulled the plug on the chase. The race would be two groups of 2v2.

Claire and I tried a little attack on the Classique hairpin (where riders are slowed), but Mike and Martin clearly had the pure watts to hold our wheels on flat roads, and we didn’t want to burn out our legs heading into Box Hill.

With a small number of riders in our group, and no chance to bridge up to the group ahead, strategic decisions crystallized. We were confident Claire had the w/kg to drop the two Nez riders with us. And I figured I could at least drop Mike, based on how he struggled up Fox Hill. My only question was, had Martin hung back with Mike just to help, or because Martin was struggling, too?

We would know soon enough. My plan was to let Claire attack first and get a gap while I sat back and made the Nez riders chase. Then, closer to the top, if I felt up to it, I would attack and try to drop both Nez riders as well.

The Final Climb: Box Hill

Each team’s final strategies would be put to work on Box Hill. Up the road, Ed and Louise were playing chess with Nez riders Matt and Tom, each team trying to figure out how tired the other riders were, who should follow who on attacks, etc.

My group started the Box Hill KOM together, then as we turned right and began the steepest part of the climb, Claire ramped up to 4.5-5 W/kg. Martin was trying to chase, but he was slowly losing her wheel. I was sitting on his wheel, benefiting slightly from his draft while he was forced to work a little extra if he wanted to close the gap to Claire.

After a minute or so, Martin gave up the chase. We hit the hard left turn and the road flattened a bit, so I activated my draft powerup, grabbing just a bit of recovery and steeling myself mentally for my planned attack.

We turned the next hairpin, and as the road ramped back up to 5%, I attacked hard from Martin’s slipstream, with Claire 35 seconds up the road. I quickly opened up a gap of 10, 15, 20 meters. It was working! I gritted my teeth, trying to keep my power steady and high to the top.

Beccah was in my ear, cheering on the effort and letting me know I had to beat both Martin and Mike for us to win. Ed chimed in, “You’ve broken them Eric, keep going.” I could see the gap growing behind me, and I kept pushing, wanting at least 10 seconds once I hit the flats so they wouldn’t have time to work together and pull me back.

The Finish

Through the Box Hill banner, I was now 30+ seconds ahead of Mike and Martin, who seemed to have given up the chase. Up the road, teammate Louise was facing off with Tom to see who would take 1st on the fast downhill finish, while Nez’s Matt was solo in the 3rd slot, and Ed and Claire were working together in the 4th and 5th slots.

In Discord, I heard the action as Louise executed a perfectly-timed sprint to take the win. Chapeau!

I hammered up the little kicker after Box Hill, keeping the power up until I could stop pedaling and supertuck. All that was left was to coast across the line near the bottom of Fox Hill…

(As it turns out, my “overmuscled cyclist” physique and masterful (lazy) supertucking served me well, and I flew past Ed and Claire just before the finish, landing 4th overall.)

See final result on the Club Ladder site >
See my ride on Strava >

Watch the Video

Takeaways

It may seem counterintuitive, but these Ladder races with 2 teams and only 8-10 riders often feel like they have a lot more action than a typical Zwift race with 50+ riders. I think it’s because you’re noticing more of what’s going on, and every rider’s actions have real implications for the race. It’s a super engaging format, both mentally and physically.

While I kicked myself a bit for being inattentive and getting gapped near the top of Fox Hill, it turned out to be a mistake that worked in our favor. (Or at least, didn’t hurt us.) Apart from that little snafu, this race had everything that makes bike racing fun for me:

• hard efforts that put me on the rivet
• teamwork
• a successful attack
• a team win

I think this is my first time riding in a mixed-gender Ladder squad, too, and that was a cool experience as well. Claire and Louise are both significantly lighter riders than the six guys in the race, and that really changes how you approach things strategically.

The Club Ladder website delivers cool post-race charts as well:

And here are the final placings and points:

Lastly, of course, we have the traditional team shot!

Your Thoughts

Have you tried Club Ladder racing? Share your thoughts and questions below!

As mentioned in our Big Spin 2026 post, Zwift has rolled out a sort of treasure hunt to add a bit of fun to this year’s Big Spin! They’ve placed “Mystery Spinners” at the end of key Watopia segments, and those spinners unlock 26 different prizes from past Big Spin events.

These spinners went live on Friday, February 27, and will be in Watopia until the end of Big Spin 2026.

Where are these spinners located, what are the prizes, and how do they work? Read on for details, including a Rebel Route that takes you to every Mystery Spinner in Watopia!

Mystery Spinner Locations

Eight Mystery Spinners have been placed at the end of particular segments in Watopia, with roadside “?” markers nearby. Here they are on a map:

And are the precise segments linked to each spinner:

• Alpe du Zwift
• Epic KOM
• Radio Tower KOM
• Volcano KOM
• Hilly KOM
• Jarvis KOM
• Volcano Circuit
• Stoneway Sprint Reverse

Mystery Spinner Prizes

Mystery Spinners unlock Big Spin “vault” prizes from The Big Spin 2024 and 2025. The more difficult the segment, the cooler the prizes. Zwift has organized the Mystery Spinners into four tiers based on segment difficulty, and each tier has its own set of prizes.

Tier 1 (Bikes and Wheels)

• Alpe du Zwift (12.2km, 1036m)
• Epic KOM (9.5km, 415m)

(Not pictured: the Lightweight Meilenstein wheels are also in the tier 1 prize spinners.)

Tier 2 (Footwear, Helmets, and Headphones)

• Radio Tower KOM (1.16km, 150m)
• Volcano KOM (3.8km, 128m)

Tier 3 (Stage-Specific Kits)

• Hilly KOM (0.9km, 50m)
• Jarvis KOM (1.8km, 38m)

Tier 4 (Funky Headwear)

• Volcano Circuit (4.1km, 20m)
• Stoneway Sprint Reverse (0.4km, 4m)

Farming Drops

If you land on a prize you already own, you’ll get a healthy Drops bonus instead. The bigger the prize, the bigger the bonus! Examples: the bikes and wheels for tier 1 give you a 25k Drops bonus, while the glasses and hats in tier 4 give you a 10k bonus. Here’s our test bot activating the Volcano Circuit Mystery Spinner and landing on a prize we’ve already got:

Stoneway Sprint is clearly the shortest segment with a spinner. I was able to do a full “rep” in 1 minute, 40 seconds, without a lot of effort. 10k Drops every 100 seconds=360k per hour (and 72 U-turns)! Grab another 18k+ hourly by using an upgraded basic road bike, which gives you a 5% bonus on all Drops earned.

Triggering a Mystery Spin

To trigger a Mystery Spinner, you have to complete one of the designated segments listed above. This can be done in any sort of ride: free rides, workouts, and events.

If you’re trying to unlock a particular prize, your best bet is to ride repeats of a segment that features said prize. This is easy to do for lower-tier items (repeats of Tier 4’s Volcano Circuit or Stoneway Sprint Reverse don’t take much effort), but much more difficult for higher tiers. Epic KOM or Alpe du Zwift repeats, anyone?

Mystery Spinner Rebel Route

Want to hit every Mystery Spinner in one ride? We’ve put together a Rebel Route which does just that. It’s 76.1km long, with just over 2000 meters of elevation gain. (It ends atop Alpe du Zwift, though, so you get another ~12.5km of “free” downhill once you’ve finished the ride.)

Route details:
Distance: 76.1km (47.3 miles)
Elevation Gain: 2,006m (6,583′)
Strava Segment
See on ZwiftMap.com

We’ll publish a post with turn-by-turn directions soon, but you’ll have to follow along via ZwiftMaps or Strava until then!

Questions or comments?

Share below!

Jayco-AlUla rider, Amaury Capiot, miraculously avoided injury despite ending up with a rear wheel in tatters thanks to the cobbled roads in yesterday’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Although it’s not clear exactly what caused the failure, Capiot was spotted by photographer, Tim de Waele, walking along the race course with his Cadex rear wheel in tatters, trying to reach a team car for a spare bike.

Not only was Capiot’s tyre completely separated from the rim, but the entire rim and all of the spokes were separated from the hub – which remained fixed in the rear dropouts of his Giant Propel Advanced SL via the thru-axle.

Despite the state of his rear wheel, Capiot thankfully appeared unhurt by the failure and went on to finish the race almost ten minutes behind race winner Mathieu van der Poel.

What we know so far

Capiot’s rear wheel failure is the latest in a string of high-profile incidents in pro cycling involving tyres separating from rims.

Unfortunately, the inciting incident appears to have happened off the race’s video feed, meaning we’re unable to analyse exactly what happened to cause such a complete failure.

According to Cyclingnews, a team spokesperson claimed the failure occurred as “the result of riding for too long on the cobbles with a flat tyre after puncturing”.

Zooming in on the photos, we can indeed see the rim is broken, which would help explain why Capiot’s Cadex Aero Cotton tyre and Vittoria Air-Liner tyre inserts have dismounted the Cadex Ultra 50 rim.

This doesn’t provide a full explanation of why the rim and spokes have separated from the hub, however.

Although we can’t be certain, it appears a number of the wheel’s carbon spokes have failed – as there seems to be some missing from the lower half of the wheel.

Perhaps as a result of these failures, the rest of the intact spokes may have lost tension and were therefore no longer securely held in the hub.

Many of the remaining spokes appear intact, so it doens’t seem to be the case that all of the carbon spokes have simply shorn off the hub.

Are hookless rims to blame?

In recent years we’ve seen a number of professional cyclists crashing or standing by the side of the road because of tubeless tyres dismounting rims.

Thomas De Gendt suffered a high-speed crash at the 2024 UAE Tour as a result of a rock strike that damaged his Zipp rim and caused the tyre to dismount.

More recently, Fabio Jackobsen suffered a similar fate at this year’s UAE Tour, and we’ve seen a number of examples of wheel failures at Paris-Roubaix – the toughest cobbled classic on the pro cycling calendar.

Many have pointed the finger of blame at ‘hookless’ or ‘Tubeless Straight Side’ rims, claiming their lack of tyre bead hooks (that traditional ‘Tubeless Crochet’ rims have) increases the chances of tyre blow-offs.

The brands involved dispute this, however. Following De Gent’s 2024 crash, both Zipp and Vittoria (De Gendt’s wheel and tyre sponsors) claimed the failure was due to his rim breaking due to a rock strike, and was “unrelated” to the fact the rims were hookless.

De Gendt was also using 28mm Vittoria tyres on a Zipp 303 NSW rim with a 25mm internal width. This was a combination approved by both Vittoria and Zipp at the time, but wasn’t according to the latest ISO standards, which stated that 29mm was the minimum tyre size for 25mm-wide rims.

In Jakobsen’s case, he was riding so-called ‘mini-hook’ rims from Picnic PostNL’s team sponsor, Ursus.

Despite ‘mini-hook’ having gained prominence as a marketing term in recent years, it isn’t actually a new rim standard, as defined by the European Tyre and Rim Technical Organisation (ETRTO) or the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

Instead, these are Tubeless Crochet, or ‘hooked’ rims that meet or go just beyond the minimum requirements for that standard – meaning they must have tyre bead hooks at least 0.5mm in depth.

In that case, then, hookless rims were not to blame.

In Capiot’s case, his Cadex Ultra 50 rims were hookless, but as far as we can tell his setup fell well within the approved standards. Giant and Cadex have also previously detailed that their hookless testing goes above and beyond the required standards.

Given Omloop is a race featuring many cobbled sectors, it’s easy to imagine him striking a particularly sharp cobble at high speed, and catastrophically damaging his rim and some of the spokes.

It may be possible Capiot’s tyre would have dismounted the rim under such duress even if he’d been on hooked / Tubeless Crochet rims.

As mentioned earlier, though, this doesn’t explain why the rest of the undamaged spokes were able to completely detach from the hub.

Does Cadex’s Ultra 50 hub design simply not have sufficient ‘redundancy’ built in to guard against this type of failure?

We’ve contacted Giant / Cadex and will update this article when we receive a response.

Mathieu van der Poel romped to victory in the 2026 Omloop het Nieuwsblad using what appears to be an unreleased set of Shimano Dura-Ace C50 wheels with carbon spokes.

The Dutchman broke clear of the peloton with UCI Gravel World Champion, Florian Vermeesch, on the Molenberg with just under 30km to the finish – after narrowly avoiding a Tudor Pro Cycling Team rider who had slipped and crashed on the slippery cobbled climb.

After joining the remnants of the day’s main breakaway, van der Poel attacked again on the final ascent of the iconic Muur van Geraardsbergen and soloed to victory.

Prior to the race start in Ghent, we got a close look at his bike and spotted the unbadged wheelset aboard both his race bike and his spare bike on a team car.

Let’s take a look at what we can glean from our photographs, and what other tech choices van der Poel made for the first race of the Flemish Opening Weekend.

Dura-Ace hubs and carbon spokes

Although the carbon rims lack any branding, van der Poel’s wheelset was built up with Dura-Ace-branded hubs.

The most obvious difference between the wheels on van der Poel’s bike and existing Dura-Ace wheels is the carbon spokes, plus the hidden nipples at the rim.

On Shimano’s current range of Dura-Ace wheels, including the C60 wheelset his bike was equipped with at last year’s Tour de France, all options use steel spokes with external spoke nipples.

Carbon spokes have become increasingly popular on high-end road bike wheelsets in recent years, as a means of cutting weight and improving stiffness, without impacting aerodynamic performance.

Hidden spoke nipples should also confer another small aerodynamic advantage. The trade off is that the wheel’s tyre and rim tape must be removed in order to true the wheel, but that’s of little concern for a top professional like van der Poel (who has a team of dedicated mechanics to service his bikes).

Zooming in on one of our photos we can also see rim stickers that denotes the rim has dimensions of 622 x 23TC.

This means the rims are 700c and have a 622mm diameter, with a 23mm internal rim width and are ‘Tubeless Crochet’ – or ‘hooked’, as opposed to ‘hookless’ or Tubeless Straight Side (TSS).

In contrast, the existing Dura-Ace WH-R9270-C50-TL wheels feature a 21mm internal width.

Another sticker indicates the maximum permitted tyre pressures with various sizes, denoting the rims are designed for tyres between 28 and 45mm-wide.

Stop me if you’ve seen these wheels before

Although it’s hard to be certain, as we only had a few grainy race photos to ogle last time, these appear to be the same, or at least a very similar wheelset to the one van der Poel trialled last spring.

Certainly, the unbranded rims, hidden nipples and hubs appear very similar.

If that’s the case, these wheels could be set to launch in the near future – perhaps as part of the next generation of Dura-Ace, R9300.

Cycling’s governing body, the UCI, requires brands make prototype equipment commercially available within 12 months of their first use in competition, after all.

Manufacturers can request an extension to this “based on relevant justified grounds” (as per article 1.3.006 of the UCI’s technical regulations), but this can only be requested once and equipment must be available for sale by the time the extension expires.

Big chainrings, small cassette

Beyond the wheelset, van der Poel’s race setup was only subtly different to what he was using when he last saw his bike up close in Lille, last July.

He was using the same 30c P Zero Race TLR RS tyres, for example, and was on his favoured Canyon road frameset – the Aeroad CFR.

As at last year’s Tour, van der Poel is still using the Aeroad’s ‘classic drops’ rather than the interchangeable ‘aero drops’.

Canyon introduced the flared ‘aero’ drops as an alternative option to the straight ‘classic’ drops, with the launch of the current Aeroad CFR platform in 2024.

The narrower brake hoods and extra reach provided by the aero drops is claimed to offer a potential performance advantage of “up to 14 watts”, according to Canyon’s lead design engineers, Lukas Birr.

It seems van der Poel is content to leave such potential gains on the table in favour of his preferred setup, however.

One thing that has changed since Lille is van der Poel’s big chainring. His Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 R9200 groupset featured a 54-tooth big chainring in France, but he had a 55t on his bikes in Ghent. This was paired with a tight, 11-30t cassette out back, despite the day’s challenging parcours.

Up top, van der Poel continues with his favoured Selle Italia Flite SLR saddle, which is customised white – a rare sight amongst the sea of black saddles in today’s pro peloton.

Today Zwift announced the third edition of their popular Big Spin, a prize-filled group ride series kicking off March 16!

This year’s theme is “Adventure is Calling”, with each week’s ride and prize spinner themed after a different Watopian biome. Read on for details…

Mystery Spinners

Zwift has rolled out a fun new Easter egg this year: Mystery Spinners placed at the end of some Watopia segments! These spinners just went live today and will be in Watopia until the end of Big Spin 2026.

Where are the Mystery Spinners?

We’ll be publishing a post on Monday with more info on Mystery Spinners, including (if possible) a Rebel Route that hits every spinner in one go. Until then, here’s a map of their locations:

What do they unlock?

Mystery Spinners unlock Big Spin “vault” prizes – items from past Zwift Big Spins in 2024 and 2025. That’s a big list of prizes which includes the BMX Bandit from 2025, the Atomic Cruiser from 2024, various pieces of footwear and headwear, and eight different kits.

Schedule + Routes

Big Spin events are scheduled hourly at the half-hour mark.

• Stage 1 (Desert Discovery): March 16-22
  • Route: Flat Out Fast (22.3km, 49m)
• Stage 2 (Hidden Temple): March 23-29
  • Route: Mayan San Remo (21.3km, 219m)
• Stage 3 (Lost Coast Adventure): March 30-April 5
  • Route: Southern Coast Cruise (26.3km, 147m)
• Stage 4 (Titans Grove): April 6-12
  • Route: Sand and Sequoias (22.4km, 181m)
• Make-Up Week: April 13-19

See upcoming events at zwift.com/the-zwift-big-spin >

On-Demand Stages

Need more spins so you can unlock that sweet MX Rider, or perhaps you’re looking to ride a different Big Spin route than Zwift has scheduled for the week? You can complete Big Spin stages on-demand, meaning you ride the route on your own schedule, not in the official Zwift events.

(You can also organize Meetups, Club Rides, or do the route during a workout. Just make sure you finish the route in order to get credit and a spin.)

Completing a stage on demand will still get you a prize spin, and you can complete the same stage as many times as you’d like, whenever you’d like.

Prize Spinner

The Big Spin prize spinner we’ve come to love will make an appearance at the end of each Big Spin route (here’s a shot from last year’s Big Spin):

Each time you complete a Zwift Big Spin route (in an event or on demand), the spinner will pop up to give you a prize. If it lands on a prize you’ve already won, you’ll get a healthy Drops bonus (landing on the MX Rider twice gives you a 40,000 Drops bonus, for example)!

The prize spinner has 6 slots, each with a different probability. One slot, the lowest probability, is reserved for the coveted MX Rider. Three more slots are for the Big Spin Tri-Spoke, Big Spin Limeade Helmet, and Jungle Phones.

The other two slots’ prizes change on each stage (see images below), giving us a total of 12 possible prizes throughout the series. These prizes won’t be available in the Drop Shop any time soon (probably never), so this may be your only known chance to unlock them.

Stage-Specific Unlocks

Fuego Flats (Stage 1)

Mayan Jungle (Stage 2)

Southern Coast (Stage 3)

Titans Grove (Stage 4)

Full Spinner Prize List:

• Stage 1 
  • Rhinestone Rider Kit
  • Rhinestone Rider Hat
• Stage 2
  • Mayan Camo Kit
  • Paisley Bandana 
• Stage 3
  • Lumberjack Chic Kit
  • Lumberjack Chic Beanie
• Stage 4
  • Dino-mite Kit
  • Dino-mite Hard Hat
• Always On 
  • MX Rider
  • Big Spin Tri-Spoke
  • Big Spin Limeade Helmet
  • Jungle Phones

Are these races?

Officially, no. Zwift Big Spin events are group rides without a stated pace. That means some riders will treat them as races, and the front of these rides will certainly be “spicy.”

Others will just spin their legs for a prize-laden recovery effort. You do you… just have fun!

Questions or comments?

Share below!

The Zwift Big Spin is back for 2026, with the opportunity to spin on completion of a stage and virtual prizes on offer. You can ride each stage as often as you like, with Zwift suggesting you try to amass every available prize.

The Zwift Big Spin event runs from 16 March to 6 April and is spread across four stages in the Watopia virtual world:

• Stage 1: Desert Discovery, 21.4km, 46m elevation gain
• Stage 2: Hidden Temple, 21km, 219m elevation gain
• Stage 3: Lost Coast Adventure, 26.3km, 147m elevation gain
• Stage 4: Sand and Sequoias 20.1km, 175m elevation gain

When you complete any of the stages, you’re entitled to a spin to win a prize. In addition, there are eight new ‘Mystery Spinners’ hidden in Watopia and marked by treasure chests.

• Read more: Zwift – your complete guide to the world’s most popular indoor training app

You can choose to ride any of the stages at a time of your own choosing. Alternatively, you can join one of the hourly group rides if you want some company.

There’s a range of prizes on offer, including an array of hats, a bandana, ‘Jungle Headphones’, the Big Spin Tri-Spoke wheel and a new MX Rider bike.  

The Big Spin is one of a number of initiatives announced by Zwift to spice up riding on the platform this spring. Finishing on 29 March, the Zwift Games offer six stages of online racing, with virtual prizes. There’s a ‘make-up week’ that runs into April and gives you the opportunity to improve your times or complete any stages you’ve missed.

Other promotions from the indoor cycling app include a £100 discount on the Wahoo Kickr Core 2 trainer with Zwift Cog and Click.

Meanwhile Zwift’s main challenger, Rouvy, has recently added routes in Sri Lanka and elsewhere as well as its own version of Strava segments. For the last year, you’ve also been able to use Zwift Cog and Click with Rouvy’s software.

Core bike is the annual kick-off for the UK bike-industry calendar, a chance for brands and distributors to show off their latest gear for the first time.

We were on hand at the show in Northamptonshire and have already shown you plenty of great new bikes and kit.

Here’s my round-up of five of the coolest things I saw at the show and should be on your radar.

A coffee-coloured gravel bike

First up, it’s a tweaked and refined version of an old favourite – Kinesis’ affordable, do-it-all Tripster AT gravel bike.

The 2026 Tripster AT aluminium frame and carbon fork have had a geometry update to bring it in line with the range-topping titanium ATR. Kinesis has also added more sizes, with the range expanded from 48cm up to 62cm.

Cable routing has also been improved, and Kinesis has added top tube pack mounts. What stood out for me, however, were the new colourways – subtle two-tone matt ‘Matcha Green’ and this stunning matt coffee colourway called ‘Cortado’.

The all-carbon Columbus Futura Cross+ fork is colour-matched to the frame, making this £900 frameset look so much more premium.

Here, the AT is built up in a custom show build by Kinesis owner Upgrade.

It has Shimano GRX 1x mechanical and Sector GCa alloy gravel wheels wrapped in handmade Challenge Gravine tyres. It gets a Thomson Elite seatpost and stem, and the wild-looking Farr alloy Aero Gravel bar.

The price for a build such as this would be approximately £2,700.

Big-volume, user-friendly and super-secure bar bag

Next up is an unreleased new bar bag and mount system from Old Man Mountain. While not officially launching for another month or two, hence details are thin on the ground, the bag and mount look to be among the most secure and user-friendly I’ve seen.

The substantial twin-spar mount holds a supporting cradle that the bag hooks onto. This provides support and stability when bikepacking.

Cleverly, the compression straps loop through the bag and into the cradle. That means one-handed adjustment without having to fumble around holding the bag.

The fully waterproof bag has an air-release valve built in, so you can really pack down the volume, too.

The bag incorporates a T-bar on top to fit lights, a GPS or an action camera, with the twin spars offering multi-mount points, too. Old Man Mountain also told us it is looking at more accessories for the bag system, including bolt-on aero bars for marathon adventure racers.

New one-piece carbon aero cockpit

Reserve is known for aero road wheels and tough carbon mountain bike hoops, but now – much like rivals Zipp and ENVE – it has branched out into carbon cockpits.

The new RD1 cockpit is wind-tunnel developed. Its one-piece design features a top section with an inset surface so that, once taped, the shape is more in unison and stops you from taping the key aero-advantage gaining mid-section.

The bars is available in 36, 38, 40 and 42cm widths and stem lengths from 80 to 120mm for a total of 12 configurations. Weights vary between 301g and 341g, making the RD1 impressively light.

The shape has a 75mm centre-to-centre reach and a 125mm drop with a subtle 6-degree flare. The stem has an effective -6-degree angle.

The RD1 comes with no weight limit and a lifetime warranty. The bar is accompanied by a spacer kit and headset cover optimised for Acros ICR systems (52mm upper bearing). It also includes an integrated out-front computer mount. It’s priced at £499 / $549 / €549 / CA$769.

I’d expect to see the premium RD1 becoming original equipment on high-end offerings from affiliated brands under the Pon.Bike banner, such as Cervélo and Cannondale.

Topeak bikepacking solutions

Topeak has expanded its bikepacking offerings further with a new, very adaptable rear rack system and a mini-bar mounting rack.

The new Zi:Rak looks similar to thru-axle systems from the likes of Tailfin and Restrap, but it comes in a multitude of options and is compatible with Topeak’s existing rack and bag ecosystem.

You can choose between thru-axle, traditional rack mounts or quick-fix straps to attach the Zi:Rak.

It can be specified with a lightweight bar top and make use of Topeak’s new curved U-Shell accessory. This enables you to carry oversized wrap packs including Topeak’s new U-shell 10-litre dry bag.

Alternatively, you could opt for a Topeak MTX Quicktrack top, making it compatible with the wide range of top-mounting Topeak rack packs.

The vertical supports have inserts to make them compatible with traditional panniers, too. It’s all very typically Topeak, with bundles of options and accessories so you can tune the rack to your needs.

Prices are keen, ranging between £89.99 and £109.99 (approximately $110–$140). The Zi:Rak has a 25kg capacity.

Next up is Topeak’s funky handlebar rack, made from slender aluminium tubing and coming with a clever anti-droop mounting-support system. It has clamps compatible with 25.4/28.6/31.8mm-diameter bars and is compatible with most stems up to 52mm wide. It has a 4.5kg payload.

The rack weighs 320g and the elasticated cord adds another 55g. It’s priced at £49.99 / $77.95.

Hope’s new 4-pot caliper brings enduro power to road and gravel bikes

When it comes to upgrading brakes on gravel and road bikes, options have been thin on the ground. Stepping up the groupset hierarchy has usually been the only option.

While Hope has had a road-compatible option in its range for many years, the RX2’s minimal size and myriad colours are enough for me to want this upgrade.

When it comes to the more extreme end of gravel, I’ve often wondered about shifting to MTB-style 4-pot brakes (with four brake cylinders instead of two). The downside is the size of said brakes. Especially since the trend for road and gravel frame design has shifted away from the traditional double-diamond shape and moved to compact dropped-stay rear triangles.

With the RX4+ SL, Hope has designed a new narrower bore cap, similar to that seen on the GR4 and TR4 brakes. That’s enabled it to reduce the overall caliper width, making for a much wider range of frame compatibility.

The latest bleed nipple design has been brought over from the RX2, making for a much simpler and cleaner bleed process. Plus it reduces the all-important bulk.

Why upgrade?

Hope’s RX4+ SL is the only four-pot brake caliper for road bikes. It offers more power, improved heat management and improved modulation. Hence, these brakes are usually found as offerings for downhill and enduro mountain bike use.

Both the RX4+ and RX2 are precision CNC-machined in a single piece from high-grade aluminium billet. This monobloc design is claimed to creates a stiffer caliper, improving lever feel and eliminating brake rub.  

The new RX4+ SL and RX2 are available in both mineral oil and DOT fluid versions. This makes them compatible across the board with Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo groupsets. They come in an array of colours, too: Black, Blue, Orange, Purple, Red, Silver and Smoke.

The RX4+ SL brakes will be available from March, priced at £115 / $160 / €144.50.

Gravel bike pioneer Open’s latest incarnation of the ground-breaking UP, the UP.PER 2.0 builds on the original striking design. The Swiss brand claims the new bike brings crisper handling alongside increased tyre clearance of 46mm.

The UP.PER 2.0 is described as the ideal bike for fast group rides on- and off-road, alongside gravel racing and bikepacking.

For riders looking for more clearance, Open offers the WI.DE frameset, or if you want a more all-road oriented lightweight design, there’s the CONCE.PT, which we first saw at the COREbike show in 2025.

• Read more: Open unveils beautiful raw carbon U.P.PER. CONCE.PT gravel bike

Open UP.PER 2.0 details

Open promises improved aerodynamics and frame compliance from the UP.PER 2.0 – the two factors that combine to enable faster and further rides.

As ever with Open, the details are everything, with the frame and fork having size-specific dimensions across all five sizes.

The size-specific fork crown is an industry first, ensuring the all-important handling is the same from the smallest to largest bike sizes.

Open is also offering two fork choices – a mount-less, deep-bladed aero option and an anything-mounts equipped, narrower adventure variant.

The made-in-Portugal frames come with a UDH-compatible rear dropout, T47 threaded bottom bracket shell and full internal routing.

Combined with the frame and fork is Open’s own one-piece aero cockpit, called the B.A.R. (available in 10 sizes from 60 to 130mm reach and 380mm to 440mm width).

All the cockpits feature a unique reach adjustment for the stem section. A second bolt sitting ahead of the usual compression bolt adjusts a slider system that can alter the reach by up to 15mm in 5mm increments.

The improved compliance comes from details such as the super-thin seatstays (named wire-stays). These have a bowed shape, which Open says is ‘pre-set’ to allow vibration-absorbing flex.

On the new frame design, the flex has been rotated 90 degrees so the stays bow out sideways under load instead of downwards as on previous incarnations.

While Open pioneered the original dropped-stay design to improve tyre clearance, the UP.PER 2.0 has much more aesthetically pleasing straight chainstays, yet maintains a 46mm tyre clearance.

Sensibly, Open has opted for a 27.2mm-diameter round post rather than a proprietary design. That means a wide range of suspension and dropper-post compatibility.

Price and weight details

The UP.PER 2.0 has a claimed frame weight of 880g, with the fork adding 375g.

The frameset (including the fork and bar system) is priced at £4,999 / $5,300 / €4,200.

Ready-to-paint custom

Alongside a wide range of standard colours, all of Open’s frames are available in RRTP (raw-ready-to-paint). As the name suggests, a finished frame is left raw and ready to be finished by a painter of your choice or one of Open’s partners.

The custom-paint option here is one of two, from the brand’s partner in Italy, Tony Spray.

The build is a custom specification from UK Open distributor Silverfish, based around a SRAM Force XPLR drivetrain, running Easton EC90 AX gravel wheels and Michelin Power Gravel tyres, inflated with Peaty’s new fast-flow tubeless valves.  

It featurs an SDG Bel Air V3 Overland carbon saddle, sitting atop an Easton EC90 AX post. The brake rotors are Galfer’s lightweight Wave rotors.

A build like this would retail for between £9,000 and £10,000 before adding the custom paint finish.

The International Testing Agency (ITA) has fired back at criticisms of its power-data monitoring trial, telling BikeRadar that “a majority of the comments and ‘unanswered questions’ surrounding the project have actually been addressed from the start”.

The scheme, which was announced by cycling’s international governing body, the UCI, last year, was revealed to be in progress by the president of the professional riders’ union, Adam Hansen, in an interview with Domestique in January.

Speaking on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, Hansen said that while the trial was being conducted on a voluntary basis, there were a number of outstanding concerns surrounding how the data would be interpreted, and what would happen in instances where riders were unable to submit their data for analysis.

According to the ITA, however, the trial “aims at finding out whether the power data can be used as a potential indicator for doping or not”, and that “these tools would only be used if they prove to be reliable”.

Why monitor power data?

Concerns around feasibility aside, a core tenet of Hansen’s argument against the collection and monitoring of rider’s power data was that it would represent an additional stress on athletes who are already subject to a number of anti-doping tools (such as post-race controls, the Whereabouts system and the athlete biological passport).

The ITA, however, says “power data is at the core of professional road cycling”, and is already “scrutinised” by riders and teams to monitor and improve riders’ performance.

It says the power data of professional riders is discussed routinely by riders themselves, their teams, the media and fans of the sport, but that “paradoxically, the ITA does not have access to it”.

The trial, the ITA says, is therefore designed to study the feasibility of collecting and analysing rider data as “a supplementary tool to help identify potential indicators of doping”.

Counter to Hansen’s claim that irregularities in a rider’s power data could one day lead to them being sanctioned for a doping violation, the ITA says the power-profiling scheme is intended to act as “a supplementary anti-doping tool only.”

The ITA said riders “would not be sanctioned for potential anti-doping rule violations through an unexpected excess performance as determined by the modelling”.

How would the ITA’s power-data passport work?

To make a power passport that would work, the ITA says it is working with the University of Kent and University College London on a “2-year feasibility and pilot study” for the scheme, with a view to using it to “inform anti-doping strategies as a supplementary intelligence tool”.

Before it is implemented as a mandatory scheme for all professional cycling teams, though, the ITA says the trial must clear the following hurdles:

• Establishing typical levels of variability within training and race data, taking into account power-meter systematic and random error.
• Understanding the relationship between training data and race performance.
• Developing longitudinal training and race profiles for riders within UCI Professional Road Cycling Teams.
• Development of a plausible approach for the implementation of performance monitoring in professional road cycling using power data, built on the concept of excess performance that is informed by longitudinal analysis of training data, past race history and relative race performance.

The ITA says it’s important to collect data from both training and racing, in order to “define what constitutes “normal variation” and identify typical rates of progression throughout a rider’s career in comparison to age matched counterparts“.

It says race data alone may not fully represent a rider’s capabilities, if tactical considerations “limit their maximal effort”.

Nevertheless, the ITA says “longitudinal profiles will be built on race performance, not training data considering its reliability”.

Training data will instead be used to “help estimate each rider’s likely maximal performance capacity” and “to review suspicious profiles that present unexpected excess performance”.

What happens when riders can’t submit data?

Directly addressing Hansen’s claim that it was unclear what would happen if a rider’s power meter ran out of battery mid-ride, or if they lost their bike computer, the ITA told BikeRadar that this is “exactly why the feasibility study is being conducted”.

The trial aims to establish “what level of performance change can be systematically detected, and how did this relate to actual race performances?” the ITA says.

“The focus is on changes over time, not the impact of individual training sessions.”

As for factors that may affect a rider’s power output on a day-to-day basis, such as sleep quality, fatigue, their training plan and so on, the ITA says simply “If a rider’s performance changes, whether positively or negatively, we are concerned only with the outcome, the change in performance itself. It does not matter to us how the change came about, because we do not have the data to explain the underlying cause”.

“The analysis is simply intended to highlight performance progressions or gains that fall outside the statistically expected “normal” range for that rider and compared with their peers.”

The ITA says that if a rider were “flagged” by the system, it would “follow up by reviewing additional data (e.g. training calendar, whereabouts) to determine whether there is an obvious explanation, such as an altitude camp or other influencing factors.”

Nevertheless, it says the tool would be used “only to inform and refine the testing strategy”, and that the system flagging a rider for further analysis “does not imply wrongdoing” because “there may be entirely legitimate reasons for their performance change”.

“In such cases, even if they are tested, they would not be expected to produce an adverse analytical finding (AAF),” the ITA adds.

On power-meter accuracy and variability 

One potential issue we raised with the ITA is the potential for errors due to issues with the power meters used by professional cyclists.

Shimano’s current Dura-Ace FC-R9200-P power meter crankset, which is used by several professional teams, is widely believed to suffer from accuracy issues, with one respected tester labelling it “astonishingly inaccurate” in 2023.

On this point, the ITA said: “There is no doubt that the inter- and intra-device precision and reliability of commercially used power meters, calibration methods and standards is variable across manufacturers.

“We need to understand the accuracy of power meters and the reliability of devices used by professional cyclists to capture data, and variables that can affect these things.”

Nevertheless, it says these issues are “precisely the reason why we are conducting the feasibility study and results will be shared at the end of the study – to see whether implementing power monitoring is feasible given these, and other challenges”.

Voluntary, for now

The ITA confirmed Hansen’s claim that four pro teams are involved with the trial, and said “around 50 riders have signed up with the project and consented to share their historical power data”.

It said that riders were given “information notice explaining the purpose and legal basis of the project, data collection and processing methods, data sharing protocols and rights of the riders”, before they consented to participate in the study.

Nevertheless, it did also say that “Depending on the development and outcomes of the feasibility study, it is anticipated that the sharing of power data will be integrated into UCI regulations. Therefore, data collection will shift from voluntary consent to a regulatory mandate.”

This week, two popular community series are wrapping up, so we’re featuring those events along with a new series kickoff, a popular beginner-friendly group ride, and a memorial fondo to raise awareness for an important health issue. See details below!

CTT Winter Series on Zwift

WKG Progression Riders

Pretzels, Epics and Afterparties p/b Velos

Kris Yip Memorial Fondo | Zwift Ride

Vatternrundan Group Ride Series #8

How We Make Our Picks

We choose each weekend’s Notable Events based on a variety of factors including:

• Is the event unique/innovative in some way?
• Are celebrities (pro riders, etc) attending/leading?
• Are signup counts already high, meaning the event is extra-popular?
• Does the ride include desirable unlocks or prizes?
• Does the event appeal to ladies on Zwift? (We like to support this under-represented group!)
• Is it for a good cause?
• Is it just plain crazy (extra long races, world record attempts, etc)?
• Is it a long-running, popular weekly event with a dedicated leader who deserves a shout out?

In the end, we want to call attention to events that are extra-special and therefore extra-appealing to Zwifters. If you think your event qualifies, comment below with a link/details and we may just include it in an upcoming post!

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad signifies the Flemish Opening Weekend, marking the start of the Spring Classics and being the first UCI WorldTour race on European soil.

It’s the first time we’ll see the peloton take on the cobbles of Flanders, with the men’s and women’s races taking place this Saturday, 28 February, starting in Ghent and ending in Ninove.

Last year, the men’s race was won by Norwegian Søren Wærenskjold, who took victory by pipping Paul Magnier to the line.

Lotte Claes won the women’s race, surviving the breakaway and out-sprinting Aurela Nerlo to victory.

The men’s race is 207.6km this year, and starts at ​​11.05am CET, with the riders expected to reach the finish at approximately 3.52pm CET.

The women will take on a 137.6km course, starting at 1.35pm CET, with an expected finish at 5.17pm CET.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how you can watch the season opener from around the world.

How can I watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 live in the UK?

TNT Sports/Discovery+ will show the race live and, as usual, there’s an on-demand option. Coverage times are to be confirmed.

A TNT Sports/Discovery+ subscription costs £25.49 per month when billed annually. It’s available on a range of platforms, including tablets, mobile, TV with Chromecast, or AirPlay, Android TV or Apple TV.

How can I watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 outside the UK?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that enables you to change your device’s IP address, making it appear as though you’re accessing the internet from another country.

As long as you adhere to your broadcaster’s terms and conditions, a VPN enables you to unblock your usual streaming services, no matter your location. Additionally, a VPN can improve playback speeds and significantly enhance your overall internet security.

There are many VPN options available, but we recommend NordVPN as the best choice. It offers strong streaming capabilities, robust security features and excellent value for money.

• Subscribe to NordVPN

*At BikeRadar (published by Our Media Limited), we review VPN services to help you access online content and services securely while you’re on the go. This includes activities such as streaming your favourite TV shows, live web content or using apps from different countries (provided it’s okay with the service provider’s terms and conditions). It’s important to note: BikeRadar does not endorse or support the use of VPN services for illegal or malicious activities

How can I watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 live in the US?

For those in the US, FlowBikes will be covering the men’s race live from 12.40pm GMT, and the women’s race from 3.10pm GMT.

The subscription costs $29.99 per month or $150 per year.

How can I watch Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2026 live in Australia?

There don’t appear to be any outlets showing the race live in Australia this year, so you may need to consider a VPN should you want to watch the action live.

See zwiftinsider.com/tiny for current Tiny Race details.

Cadex has announced its latest-generation Aero tyres and Max 50 wheels, promising low drag and weight in a single package.

According to the brand, the new Cadex Aero tyre features a new 240 TPI (threads per inch) casing that cuts rolling resistance by 2.8 watts per tyre, while a ’64 micro-groove shoulder tread’ cuts drag by 0.76 watts per wheel (at an unspecified speed).

A size 700x28c Cadex Aero tyre is also claimed to weigh only 220g – around 60g less than a 28c Continental GP5000 S TR.

The Cadex Aero tyre was designed in tandem with the new Max 50 wheelset, which cuts a claimed 2.18 watts of aero drag and 99g of weight from Cadex’s previous Ultra 50 wheelset.

As the name implies, the Max 50 wheels feature 50mm-deep carbon rims and have a claimed weight of 1,250g without tubeless tape or valves (or 1,290g with those things).

The Cadex Aero tyre is available in 700×28 and 30c sizes, and costs £69.99 / €77.50 per tyre.

The Max 50 wheels cost £1,499.99 / €1,650 for the front wheel and £1,999.99 / €2,300 for the rear.

Micro-groove tread

The new Aero tyre isn’t the first wind-tunnel optimised tyre Cadex has produced. It launched the previous, 25c version in 2022, alongside the Ultra 50 wheelset, and we spotted an Aero Cotton version at last year’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

This latest model uses a new tread design, which shares a notable similarity to Continental’s Aero 111 tyre – which was developed in partnership with aero-specialist Swiss Side.

According to Swiss Side, the notches in the Conti tyres work in a similar manner to the dimples on a golf ball, by ‘tripping’ the airflow from laminar to turbulent. This is said to create a turbulent boundary layer of airflow that helps it stay attached to the rim for longer, reducing drag and improving handling at higher wind angles.

Cadex’s press materials don’t go into the same level of detail, but we imagine the intended effects are similar.

The brand says these gains are supplemented by a new 240 TPI ’Supple Race Casing’ design – up from 170 TPI on the previous Aero 25 tyre – that reduces weight by “up to 55g per tyre” and cuts rolling resistance from 13.7 watts to 10.9 watts per tyre.

30c versions of the Aero tyre carry a claimed weight of 280g per tyre. Both sizes are compatible with hookless rims and include a puncture protection belt underneath the tread to help prevent flats.

System-level design

According to Cadex, the gains over the previous-generation Ultra 50 wheels came from designing the Max 50 rims, spokes and hubs as a single system, rather than distinct parts.

The Max 50 rims use a 50mm-deep, 30mm-wide rim, with a 22.4mm internal width.

Jeff Schneider, head of product and marketing at Cadex, previously told BikeRadar, Cadex is “committed to hookless rim technology for both road and gravel applications”, so it’s no surprise to see the Max 50 wheels using a hookless design.

The brand says it opts for hookless because it creates a more durable rim, and helps to optimise tyre shape for better aerodynamics and handling, without compromising on weight.

• Read more: Pro riders want hookless rims banned – do they have a future in road cycling?

The rims are connected to aero-optimised hubs via deep bladed carbon spokes and hidden titanium spoke nipples.

Despite the drop in weight from the Ultra 50, Cadex claims the Max 50 wheels have improved lateral and transmission stiffness-to-weight ratios, by 3.2 and 14.3 per cent, respectively.

In plain English, this simply means they’re less flexible under pedalling and handling loads, which Cadex says translates to improved handling and efficiency while riding.

The Max 50 wheels appear to use the same construction techniques as the brand’s existing Max 40 wheels, which were praised by BikeRadar’s tester, Warren Rossiter, for their “hugely impressive” ride feel.

In terms of aerodynamics, Cadex claims the Max 50 wheels save 2.18 watts of drag compared to the Ultra 50 wheels at an unspecified speed (when both wheelsets are fitted with the new Aero 28c tyres).

If you’ve ever searched for a bike maintenance video on YouTube, you’ll have run into Calvin Jones. Park Tool’s director of education has been with the tool brand since 1997, but is best-known for his extensive contributions to the brand’s YouTube channel. Boasting 900,000 subscribers and 13 million annual views, Jones has also contributed to nearly 200 detailed guides on Park Tool’s website.

Before Park Tool, Jones’ bike maintenance career, which started in 1973, included a spell as a mechanics instructor at the US Olympic Training Centre.

Ahead of his recently announced retirement from Park Tool, we caught up with Jones to tap into his expertise and get his top tips for budding home or professional bike mechanics.

BikeRadar: What is the number one mistake that mechanics make?

Calvin Jones: Probably being over-confident. You should know your limits and remember that the right to repair is also the right to fail. That mistake that you made is learning.

BikeRadar: What is the best way for people to improve as bike mechanics?

Calvin Jones: Shop mechanics, it happens anyway; home mechanics should start repairing your friends’ bikes. 

Shop mechanics are repairing other people’s bikes – that’s a big responsibility. But you get to work on a lot of different bikes, and that should make the professional better.

BikeRadar: What is the best way to prevent long-term costs?

Calvin Jones: Preventive maintenance, as boring as it sounds, is the way. Chains are probably the least expensive part of the drivetrain. Maintain it as you go.

Does it mean washing your bike every time you ride? Maybe not. Keep it clean, but don’t go too far. With too much scrubbing, water ingress can carry stuff with it.

BikeRadar: What is the one job you cannot stand?

Calvin Jones: It’s all fun. Being under pressure when changing wheels for the mountain bike World Cup, when the downhill starts in 10 minutes and you’ve got to swap wheels out to change from mud tyres because the course has dried out. That’s probably the least favourite.

BikeRadar: What is the tool you shouldn’t skimp on?

Calvin Jones: I wouldn’t skimp on the repair stand. That doesn’t mean you need our electric lift stand, but get a really nice consumer stand. If you get the stand, you’re going to all of a sudden have friends. You’ll get a lot of life out of that stand – don’t skimp on it.

BikeRadar: Bikes have changed a lot; what are the effects of design trends for riders?

Calvin Jones: We’re still running with two wheels, mostly. There’s still a handlebar and you’re turning your feet around. That’s all the same.

It’s always been an arms race, but I think that’s ramped up more now. That’s a little unfortunate, as it can stop people from getting out there and riding. I want you to go out there with what you have.

We used to ride our steel bikes on gravel, when they were called ‘bikes’. I think we’re starting to lose that, which is unfortunate. Don’t let the tech get in the way, just ride what you’ve got.

BikeRadar: What are the challenges for the cycling industry and cycling uptake?

Calvin Jones: Getting people on bikes. Not just kids, anybody that’s willing to ride should be able to ride. We want to make people as comfortable and safe as possible. 

Politicians may not listen to consumers, but they’re more likely to act on what business owners say and maybe improve the cycling infrastructure in their cities.

BikeRadar: And what are the opportunities for the cycling industry?

Calvin Jones: We’ve gotten through a storm that we’ve kind of created a bit ourselves. We pretend it’s gone away, but it’s the same challenges. The internet has changed how people shop, so you have to be competent there, you have to offer them value. How can the retailer do that and be part of that? That’s the challenge.

BikeRadar: So, what’s next for you now you’re retiring?

Calvin Jones: It’s going to be more of the same. I’m going to do bike stuff, just differently. I want to ride my bike more. More teaching. Curriculum for schools, training kids and mechanics.

We’re sure all the cyclists who’ve turned to Calvin Jones for help over the years join BikeRadar in wishing him all the best for his retirement from Park Tool and his future riding. 

Team Not Pogi just announced TNP’s London–Watopia, a five-stage race across five different Zwift worlds from March 11-15, 2026. Each stage features a distinctive route, ranging from flat to punchy to pure climbing.

This is not a one-night effort. There are no rest days.

This is stage racing.

What Makes It Special

While there are hundreds of races on Zwift each week, true multi-day stage racing remains rare. TNP’s London–Watopia rewards resilience, tactical awareness, and the ability to perform under pressure across five distinct racing environments.

The Format

• 5 stages
• 5 consecutive days
• One different Zwift world per stage
• Mass category starts

Zwift Racing Score Categories:

• A: 850+
• B: 650–840
• C: 450–640
• D: 250–440
• E: 0–240

Classifications and Results

With multiple classifications, every second matters. Every stage counts.

• GC – Cumulative Time
• Points Classification
• KOM Classification
• Team Classification

For results, head to team-not-pogi-hub.vercel.app/results

Route and Schedule Details

Races are held at two times daily:

• 11am UTC/6am ET/3am PT
• 7pm UTC/2pm ET/11am PT

From flat city circuits to rolling Yorkshire roads and a decisive alpine queen stage in Innsbruck, the terrain shifts daily. Sprinters will look to London. Punchy riders may target Yorkshire. Climbers will circle Stage 3. And by the time Watopia arrives, GC gaps could be razor-thin.

• Stage 1 – Wednesday, March 11 – London
  • Greater London Flat (2 laps)
  • 29km, 104m
• Stage 2 – Thursday, March 12 – Yorkshire
  • Royal Pump Room 8
  • 27.5km, 490m
• Stage 3 – Friday, March 13 – Innsbruck
  • Lutscher (Queen Stage)
  • 24.6km, 828m
• Stage 4 – Saturday, March 14 – Makuri Islands
  • Countryside Tour
  • 16.2km, 185m
• Stage 5 – Sunday, March 15 – Watopia
  • Figure 8 Reverse
  • 29.9km, 254m

Sign up at zwift.com/events/tag/tnptour >

Following the US Supreme Court’s ruling that Trump’s ‘liberation day’ tariffs are unlawful, a growing number of bike brands are joining major US corporations including retailer Costco to recover tariffs they’ve paid over the past year.

Headline cycling industry names filing suits with the Court for International Trade include Shimano, Specialized and Trek. They join outdoor brands including GoPro, Patagonia and retailer REI, and major corporations such as FedEx, Toyota and Goodyear in filing suits.

In fact, so many companies have now sued the US administration for return of monies paid, with interest, that the court has stopped accepting new suits. Instead, it’s keeping a list of plaintiffs for settlement once a final ruling had been made. It’s been suggested that companies that have filed a suit may be at the front of the queue for any eventual refunds, however.

According to Dr Totis Kotsonis of international law firm Pinsent Masons: “The immediate question that this ruling poses for businesses in the process of importing goods is what rate of tariff will they now have to pay at the US border.”

Bike industry impacted

Trump’s tariffs have already had a marked effect on the cycling industry. Before they were struck down, effective tariff rates on bicycles manufactured in China fluctuated to as high as 66%, with US cycle industry trade association PeopleForBikes publishing an open letter to the US president claiming the tariffs would be devastating for the US cycle industry.

The levies on aluminium and steel, major elements of bicycle parts, would also raise prices. SRAM has issued a statement and sought to galvanise cycle retailers to protest against the tariffs.

Last year, both Trek and Specialized raised their US prices in response to the tariffs, while other cycling brands have decided to limit imports to the US or cancelled shipments.

On Friday, Trump responded to the striking down of his tariff authority by announcing a 10% blanket tariff under different legislation. The next morning, he raised this to 15%, but the rate implemented on Tuesday 24 February was 10%.

Legal experts suggest these tariffs may also be unlawful and need to be repealed and refunded, adding to business uncertainty. 

Brompton tilts towards China

While US companies are suing for the return of the tariffs they’ve paid, the uncertainty over the tariffs is causing some bike brands to adjust their longer-term plans.

According to UK business magazine Business Matters, London-based folding bike maker Brompton has already closed its branded stores in New York and Washington. 

Speaking to The Telegraph last April, Brompton’s managing director, Will Butler-Adams, said the company had also paused plans for stores in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and was likely to raise US prices by between 5% and 10%. 

Instead, Brompton is tilting its bricks-and-mortar presence to China, opening a store in Shenzhen and doubling the size of its Shanghai store. 

Butler-Adams said the decision was a direct response to US policy unpredictability, making long-term commitment to the US market difficult.

He said Brompton would continue to invest in the US, but would be more cautious. But China, where Brompton has been selling its bikes for 17 years, is now more important to the company than the US. 

Business Matters quotes Butler-Adams as saying: “It’s our largest market and we know where we stand.” 

The brand has three of its own stores in China, as well as 14 franchised outlets, according to Business Matters.

Tariffs have already hit Brompton’s bottom line, with Butler-Adams citing global economic uncertainty as a factor when he recently reported a £2 million loss for Brompton in 2025.

Rapha, too, is lowering its physical presence in the US, with four of five of its clubhouses slated for closure located in the country. At the same time, though, it has left the door open to the US market, partnering with USA Cycling as it looks to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 to offer a showcase for the brand. 

British bikepacking specialist Restrap has been developing the Switch rack for more than two years and it’s finally out in the wild.

The thru-axle mounting rack system isn’t new, with brands such as Tailfin and Topeak offering similar solutions.

However, Restrap’s new rack has a generous 30kg capacity that incorporates the Switch mount system, a collaboration with UK bike security specialist Hiplok.

That means a wide range of accessories and bags from Restrap is already available, with more to come. The range includes the new 10-litre Switch Panniers and a Switch rack cage.

As well as bikepacking trips, you can use the Switch-compatible panniers for commuting and one of the Switch mounts to secure a Switch-compatible Hiplok folding lock.

The rack cage can be mounted on the sides or the top bar. Sitting on the top of the rack, it provides flexibility for fitting a dry bag, extra water, camping mat, tent or other bikepacking gear.

Alongside being compatible with any Switch multi-mount product, the rack can also be used with any 64mm-spaced mounting accessories, such as bottle cages.

• Read more: Bikepacking bags explained | Everything you need to know about handlebar bags, frame bags and more

Switch rack key features

• Price: £124.99 / $189.99 / €149.99
• 64mm-spaced bolting on the rack legs for cages, Restrap Switch Panniers or other compatible accessories
• Top bar compatible with new Restrap Switch products
• Made from 7075-T6 aluminium
• 12mm-diameter axles in 1mm, 1.5mm and 1.75mm thread-pitch options
• Spare axles available separately (High Grade 7075-T6 aluminium axles in 1mm, 1.5mm and 1.75mm thread pitch)
• 25mm Velcro strap to fit all seatpost sizes and shapes
• Quick-flip system provides maximum wheel clearance across all bike sizes
• ISO tested up to 30kg load
• Weight 395g (without axle and bolts)

Fitting the rack simply requires replacing your existing thru-axle with a compatible thread-pitch Restrap option, then sliding the rack supports over the axle ends and securing with an M5 bolt. Finally, use the Velcro strap mount to attach the rack to your seatpost.

The Switch rack has a clever quick-flip system that enables you to flip the top bar to increase wheel clearance and provide a range of seatpost or frame-mounting points.

Restrap says that gives the rack a wide range of compatibility across road, gravel and mountain bike frames.

An adaptor is available for bikes with a SRAM Universal Derailleur Hanger, and an adaptor for SRAM Full-Mount derailleurs is coming in April according to Restrap.

Continental has announced the Terra Competition, an aero-optimised all-road tyre that “blurs the lines between road and gravel”.

Claimed to be the brand’s new fastest off-road tyre, the Terra Competition uses a design optimised for low weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag.

Compared to the brand’s previous fastest gravel tyre, the Terra Speed, Continental claims the new Terra Competition is up to 16 per cent lighter and rolls up to 17 per cent faster (depending on size and pressure).

Available now with Continental’s Race or Trail casing, prices for the Terra Competition start from £59.30 / $76.26 / €68.95.

Going against current trends for ever wider gravel bike tyres, however, the Continental Terra Competition is available in 700×35, 40 and 45c sizes. This leaves a hole in the brand’s line-up for a ‘larger than 45c’ (but smaller than 2.2in) gravel race tyre, which suggests the brand may not believe wider is always faster when it comes to mixed surface riding.

Conti’s first aero off-road tyre

With XC mountain bike tyres being one of gravel’s hottest trends, concerns about the aerodynamic drag of gravel tyres have taken a back seat in recent years.

According to Continental, however, the new Terra Competition uses a “light-knobbed” tread pattern designed to reduce drag, as well as to provide grip on rough roads and “light gravel”.

This isn’t the first time Continental has launched a tyre with an aero tread pattern, of course. Continental’s Aero 111 road tyre is claimed to significantly reduce drag compared to a standard GP5000 S TR.

The tread has a distinctive V-shape, with an semi-slick central portion transitioning to slightly taller knobs towards the tyre’s shoulders.

Although it also includes notches for “soil interaction” and “drainage”, Continental notes the tyre is best suited to “dry to moist conditions” – and the tyre’s looks appear to confirm this, as the tread is minimal compared to most gravel tyres.

At the time of writing, Continental hasn’t published any figures for how much energy you can expect to save thanks to this aero-optimisation, and it declined to do so when asked.

Nevertheless, it claims to have found “savings in aerodynamic drag for all tested velocities for yaw angles from -20 to +20 degrees [of yaw]”, compared to the Terra Speed.

Faster and lighter

We do have figures for the claimed reductions in weight and rolling resistance, though.

The new Terra Competitions are 16 per cent lighter compared to Terra Speeds – although this is highly dependent on which size you opt for:

As for rolling resistance (Crr), the headline figure is a reduction of 17 per cent, for a 35c Terra Competition (Race casing) compared to an equivalent Terra Speed. According to Continental, that’s worth 4.52 watts.

This was tested on a smooth steel drum with a 50kg load.

It’s worth noting the 17 per cent improvement in Crr was measured at a relatively high tyre pressure of 5 bar / 72.5 psi, and that the improvement drops in line with tyre pressure:

Casings and puncture protection

All models of the Terra Competition use a 3×330 TPI (Threads Per Inch) construction, but Continental is offering it in two casing types – Race and Trail.

As the names suggest, the Race casing is designed for low weight and rolling resistance, while the trail casing uses a slightly more robust, but slower, construction.

Both casings feature a puncture protection belt beneath the tread, although the one on the trail casing spans a greater width of the tyre.

Both types of casing are tubeless-ready and compatible with hookless rims.

Where does the Terra Competition fit with modern gravel trends?

When news of the new Terra Competition dropped into my inbox, and as a wannabe go-fast gravel rider, I was excited that Continental might finally be about to catch up with gravel’s hottest trend.

What constitutes a suitable ‘gravel tyre’ for racing has been evolving faster than Keegan Swenson’s setup at Leadville in recent years.

Thanks to influential riders like Dylan Johnson, average tyre sizes have ballooned at key races such as the Traka or Unbound, with many turning to cross-country mountain bike tyres in the vacuum created by a lack of gravel-specific options over 45mm wide.

• Read more: The evolution of gravel race tech from 2006 to 2025: early adventure adaptations to gravel-specific everything

With Schwalbe refreshing its G-One Pro range in late 2024, adding 50 and 55c sizes, I assumed it would only be a matter of time before Conti followed suit.

I’d imagined an updated Terra Speed in 50 and 55c sizes, with the new and improved compound and casings, plus variants with more aggressive tread patterns to better suit different conditions.

The launch of the Terra Adventure last March, which comes in 45 to 55c sizes, only added fuel to that fire.

Instead, Continental seems not to have the same faith in the whole ‘wider is faster’ mantra as everyone else, at least for now.

Conceptually, the new Terra Competition – with its low profile, aero-optimised tread and limited size range – feels akin to Merida’s latest Mission gravel bike, which controversially tops out at ‘just’ 40mm of tyre clearance.

That didn’t stop former world champion, Matej Mohorič, from securing a podium aboard the Mission on the (mostly) dry and dusty UCI gravel world’s course in Limburg last October, of course, and those are likely the kinds of races and conditions Continental is targeting here.

In fairness to Continental, it does also pitch the Terra Competition as more of an all-road tyre, than a pure gravel tyre. And perhaps it’s simply happy to keep ‘gravel racing’ at 35 to 45c, and let anyone in search of something wider opt for XC tyres like its popular Race King.

But with that tyre is only available in a 2.2in / 55mm size with the fastest ‘ProTection’ casing, though, Continental is left with something of a hole in its range, and the appearance that it may have missed the boat on this trend.

Struggling to stay consistent through the winter? In this week’s top video, hear from one Zwifter as he discusses how he trains consistently during the long winter months.

We’ve also included videos about using an AI bike fit app for the Zwift Ride, a guide to Zwift’s trainer difficulty, a long-term review of the Cycplus T7, and a race commentary.

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Santini’s commitment to sustainability has previously seen it switch to recycled materials and compostable packing. But now it’s taking a step into the future with a fabric that is made from CO2 emissions.

The new Santini Aero Race cycling jersey, which will officially launch in April, features Polartec’s new Power Dry Carbon fabric. This uses carbon capture technology to compress CO2 emissions from steel mills into polyester fibres.

Explaining the tech at the COREBike trade show, Santini’s Jonathan Sangan said the process was a “miracle of science”, and that the fabric’s credentials extend beyond being good for the environment.

“That [process] creates an extremely lightweight fabric, but also an extremely breathable fabric with a lot of UV protection”, Sangan said. 

Official details about the Polartec fabric have not been released yet. But the name suggests it will be a version of the company’s Power Dry base layer material, which is said to quickly wick moisture away and to be comfortable against the skin.

Polartec is not the first to use carbon capture to create polyester materials. Companies such as Fairbrics, Craghoppers and LanzaTech are already using the technology to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

LanzaTech has worked with brands such as LuLuLemon and On, which released its first collection using the technology in 2023. 

Santini uses Polartec’s Power Dry Carbon fabric for the new jersey’s front and rear panels, while it uses a ribbed aero fabric for the sleeves and across the upper back.

The jersey will cost £160, putting it at the premium end of the market. But Sangan says the fabric should trickle down to lower price point kit in the coming years.

Alongside the standard Aero Race, there will be a limited edition Mads Pedersen version as part of Santini’s forthcoming collaboration with the Lidl–Trek rider.

The collaboration will also launch in April and is said to have an aesthetic that expresses Pedersen’s “grit and distinctive style”.

This is the most recent example of cycling products using more environmentally friendly materials from Polartec. 

In 2024, Santini released the Magic rain jacket which uses Polartec’s PFAS-free and waterproof Power Shield RPM fabric. 

Last year, Castelli released the new Perfetto jacket which uses Polartec Aircore – another PFAS-free fabric which is said to be lightweight, breathable, windproof and water repellant.  

Santini’s Mads Pedersen collection is set to launch at the end of April and is said to be “dedicated to aerodynamics and speed”. The Italian clothing company is the official apparel supplier to Lidl–Trek, Pedersen’s cycling team.

More from COREBike 

• Hope reveals HB.912 trail bike with launch set for later this year
• Udog has made a dial-closure alternative to my favourite gravel shoe
• Prologo’s new Pressure Map system clips onto your saddle and provides real-time fit data