Cycling Weekly

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After another year of product tests, bike launches and trade shows, we’ve once again compiled our Editor’s Choice list of the best bikes and kit we’ve ridden in the past 12 months. There were a lot of products to cram into our pages so we’ve condensed down the original reviews (full versions are available on our website) after first looking back over the year and deciding exactly what was good enough to get our approval. The product that took me by surprise this year was an adventure bike. I tested a Boardman in spring after initially being sceptical about this genre. But like several of my colleagues it took just a couple of rides to get excited by the potential of where it could take me next. These are do-it-all bikes that ride…

ineos sign time trial champ dennis

Team Ineos has signed time trial world champion Rohan Dennis, ending months of speculation about his future following a turbulent year. Dennis won the Worlds time trial after leaving the Tour de France mid-race in mysterious circumstances. During the road race a few days later he rode his old BMC bike — while he was still riding, Bahrain-Merida announced his contract had been terminated a year early. Since the Tour, CCC, Movistar and Ineos have all been linked with Dennis. The Australian said: “This has been a dream of mine since turning professional. “Watching on from afar, I’ve always been a huge fan of the team — ever since the early years. It’s always been a goal of mine to ride for this team, so to finally fulfil that dream is a brilliant feeling…

former sky rider returns to racing

Former team Sky rider Alex Peters, who quit racing after experiencing mental health issues, will make his return to the world of cycling with Canyon dhb-Soreen next year. Peters spent months in hospital coping with depression after suffering a mental breakdown almost three years ago. The Hackney-based cyclist raced for Team Sky in 2016, but a personal battle with anxiety meant that he only raced once for the WorldTour outfit after June. He re-joined his previous team SEG Racing after one season, but soon retired aged just 22. “The racing season was about to get going and I had a breakdown,” Peters told Wiggle, owner of his new team’s title sponsor dhb. “I couldn’t get out on the bike, I couldn’t train, and that’s when I stopped completely. I didn’t leave the house at…

ineos to let hayter target olympics

Team GB star Ethan Hayter will place his considerable talent in the employ of Team Ineos as from 2020, having signed a three-year contract with Sir Dave Brailsford’s Grand Tour maestros. “It’s exciting. I’m in a good place to start my professional road career for the next three years,” the 21-year-old Londoner told Cycling Weekly. The signing had looked on the cards, with Hayter having spent time as a stagiaire for the team, both this year and last. At the end of this season Hayter rode for the team in a week of low-key Italian races. “It was really good, they were slightly lower level so it was easy to get stuck into,” he said. “It went well in terms of the races, and it set me up well for the Worlds too,…

bahrain-mclaren unveil le col kit

In a move that seemed to further cement its British connections Bahrain-McLaren announced it will be using Le Col kit for the 2020 season. British brand Le Col, founded by Yanto Barker, is making its first foray into the WorldTour and will make bespoke kit for each Grand Tour. Le Col plans to contribute to the team’s integrated design process and continuous improvement. “We were struck from the outset by Le Col’s relentless desire to continuously innovate,” said Rod Ellingworth, Bahrain-McLaren team principal, speaking at the team launch in Woking. “The culture fit with McLaren was natural and immediate; we scoured the cycling landscape with the aim of finding a brand that could deliver the best-performing kit in the WorldTour.” According to McLaren, Le Col’s current race collection has proven to be…

cav’s mentor joins canyon-sram

Former Dimension Data performance director and mentor of Mark Cavendish, Rolf Aldag, has said he won’t miss going to the Tour de France as he takes on the role of sports director at the Canyon-SRAM women’s team. The former rider, who has attended 27 Tours de France, says he’s looking forward to being part of the “rapidly developing” women’s side of the sport. “What tipped it over the line was the people — I’ve known [team owner] Ronny Lauke and [performance director] Lars [Teutenberg] for a very long time; we’ve never lost contact. And, it’s a new challenge.” Aldag added: “I’ve been at the Tour de France 27 times, what difference would a 28th make? Doing it 30 times won’t change my life. Getting additional experience in a new setting, giving some more…