Table of contents for April 16, 2026 in Cycling Weekly

I was gripped by the racing at Paris-Roubaix this weekend, in a way I haven’t been for a long time. All a bike race really needs to make it entertaining is to have its result decided in the final kilometres, or preferably, final metres. Both the men’s and women’s races delivered on this. Punctures played a huge part, especially in the men’s race, as all the favourites suffered at some point. The energy they used riding back to the front of the race following a wheel or bike change maintained the excitement, and is likely what prevented any of them from making a race-winning move from far out. I wouldn’t go so far as to blame tubeless technology for this, but the number of flats – and the number of…

It wasn’t to be for British hopes at Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, with the best results coming just outside the top 10 in both the men’s and women’s editions: NSN Cycling’s Lewis Askey 13th, 3.46 behind Wout van Aert, and Canyon-SRAM Zondacrypto’s Zoe Bäckstedt 12th, 2.20 behind Franziska Koch (see page 12). It was, however, the British pair’s best elite Roubaix placing to date. “Not my best day, but my best result,” Bäckstedt told CW post-race. “I’ll come back for more, and I’ll be hungry for it.” “I actually did everything right, I was in a good position,” Askey explained in the velodrome, after recovering on the ground. “I just didn’t have the legs to follow on the Arenberg, and that meant I was just in a group behind that was…

Over 16 minutes after Franziska Koch had won the sprint for first at Paris-Roubaix, Picnic PostNL’s Robyn Clay finished, just nine seconds within the time limit. Given the news by CW on the ground, the 22-year-old was more than a little pleased; in her first season at WorldTour level, with little experience of Classics racing to go on, just finishing was a result. After DNFs at In Flanders Fields and the Tour of Flanders, Clay managed to finish the toughest race of them all. “It was really, really hard, I’m actually a little bit lost for words,” she explained, having had a brief time of recovery on the astroturf of the Roubaix track centre. “I expected it to be really hard. The support on the side of the roads was…

Rating The QUOC M Pro Lace shoes are a WorldTour-spec racing shoe built on the same carbon-fibre sole used across the M3 Pro and Air models. This laced version features unidirectional carbon-fibre, a toe-guard, a replaceable heel pad, a three-bolt cleat pattern, and two small vent holes. The laces are nonstretch in material, but the weave offers some give. There are 14 eyelets, with two at the top for a secure fit. A neat feature is a fabric tab with a pull section at the top to tuck away any excess lace, preventing it from flapping. The heel features a reinforced cup design for greater retention, avoiding slip during high-power efforts. The same vibrationdampening insole from the non-laced versions is used. It is fairly rigid but aims to reduce road…

Cycling 2000 Spring Show Where: Burton Staffordshire When: 17 May The retailer is organising a demo day featuring many of the brands it stocks, including Scott, Trek and Orbea bikes, as well as Lake shoes and Orca Sportswear. Check out and try some of the new 2026 kit on offer. Classic Bike Rally Where: Oundle, Northamptonshire When: 16 May Part of Oundles Vintage Festival. Show off your vintage (pre-2010) bike and take part in one of three rides from 7.4km to 49km. The £10 fee will be donated to a local community fund. Includes a vintage parts cycle jumble. Bespoked London Where: Peckham, South London When: 24-26 April The handmade bikes and parts show is in London this month for a three-day event in Copeland Park. The exhibition is open…

I took my fixed-gear bike out for a ride recently. The bike I’ve been using since autumn had finally hit the point where it was too dirty to be seen with in public. And I didn’t want to use my summer bike because my indecisiveness about tubeless versus tubed means it won’t have tyres on it anytime in the foreseeable future. When my gaze fell on my fixed bike (you may call it a “fixie” if you prefer, but know that I’m judging you) I thought, why not? The fashion for riding them round London with no brakes and claiming, “It makes you feel at one with the city,” is long enough passed that it felt like time to reclaim fixed for decent citizens. Fixed bikes used to be so…

It wasn’t quite with the same threatening baritone of the Terminator, but Tadej Pogačar vowed he’ll be back to try and win Paris-Roubaix after another sore second place – though he might give the race a miss next year. Half a second separated the world champion from Visma-Lease a Bike’s Wout van Aert inside the concrete velodrome. That same half a second also stopped him from becoming the first rider since Roger De Vlaeminck in 1977 to tick off all five Monuments – Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and Il Lombardia – and ended his bid to be the first ever to hold them all at once. “Right now, so close after the race, I think I did my best,” said Pogačar in his press conference, wearyeyed…

Being invited to race Japanese keirin has been a dream of mine for a very long time. At the end of March, I arrived alongside five other international riders for a 10-day stint at keirin school. It’s an immersion in every sense: racing, equipment, etiquette and culture. From the moment the licensing process began, it became clear that keirin here isn’t just a sport, it’s a discipline shaped by ritual, respect and a rigorous attention to detail. We all compete on identical equipment, stripping the sport back to its rawest form: rider versus rider. Most days are spent on the track, learning the limits of both the bike and ourselves. The focus isn’t just speed, but positioning, understanding movement, anticipating decisions and adapting to the constantly shifting dynamics of a…

Surrey-based wheel company Parcours has turned its thoughts to sustainability, although not for purely environmental reasons. It claims to have found performance benefits from the use of reclaimed fibre, delivered in a new rim, made in partnership with a UK recycled composites expert. The new material is called AFFT and is incorporated into a layer within the spoke bed region of the layup, accounting for 12-15% of the rim’s total material, with the balance of the wheel manufactured from conventional continuous carbon-fibre. The company says it hopes to incorporate the vibration-dampening technology in all of its wheels. “The Strade GT is the first in our new GT Series. Given our strong background in triathlon and gravel, we’re already exploring how VibraCore can be applied across those categories. Each application needs…

Illustrations David Lyttleton n any club ride or start line, and at any cafe stop, there’s a good chance someone in the group is neurodivergent – even if it’s never discussed openly. Neurodiversity is an umbrella term used to describe natural differences in how human brains process information, learn and interact with the world. Among the most common conditions are ADHD, autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia. A whole swathe of the population is affected: around one in seven people in the UK – roughly 15% – are thought to be neurodivergent. “Neurodiversity is simply the natural variation in how people think and how their brains function,” says Mikey Mottram, a former elite cyclist. “If someone is neurodivergent, it just means they sit outside the statistical norm.” These differences shape how a…

Short on time but want to ride stronger mentally? These highly effective, lowmaintenance habits will help you to improve focus and stay calm under pressure – on and off the bike: 1. A two-minute pre-ride mental routine Pick any three: ● One visualisation ● A self-talk phrase ● A breathing reset ● A clear intention: “Today, I will practise steady pacing.” 2. Post-ride reflection (2-3 sentences) Ask: ● What went well? ● What challenged me? ● What did I learn? Reflection builds confidence and resilience faster than volume alone. 3. Micro-mindfulness during the day Thirty seconds of breathing or body awareness. This work increases your capacity to stay calm and focused when fatigue hits on the bike.…

Dear Doc – I’m a GP. A couple of months ago one of my patients had a TIA – a transient ischemic attack, which is a sort of mini stroke. For several hours he had trouble speaking and walking, so was admitted to A&E. I signed him off work for a month and told him he needed to take things easy. When he came back a month later, he had about him a very cheerful air. I suggested it was time he went back to work. “God, please no, doctor. I’ve been doing 400 miles a week, it’s the fittest I’ve been for years.” I pointed out I’d told him to take it easy. “Yes, I wanted to ask about that. Would it be OK to introduce some sprint training?”…

As Wout van Aert and Tadej Pogačar thundered into the velodrome at the end of an engrossing edition of Paris-Roubaix, it was clear who the crowd wanted to see win. Forget any talk of history-making by Pogačar, on the brink of becoming the first rider to hold all five Monuments at the same time, this was a pro-Van Aert crowd. The pair had just 750 metres to go of a 258km race, but their circumnavigation of the track felt like an eternity, with UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s Pogačar, in the rainbow bands, leading, and Visma-Lease a Bike’s Van Aert stuck to his wheel, as he had been for almost 50km. Then, as the pair went into the final 250m, the Belgian finally launched his sprint, fans roared, and glory seemed inevitable.…

The reduction in TV broadcast time for this year’s Paris-Roubaix Femmes has been described as a “massive affront to women’s cycling”. The sixth edition of the women’s race took place on the same day as the men’s race for the first time. As a result of the clash, TV coverage of the women’s race began at 16:00 UK time – after the finish of the men’s race – with less than an hour and a half of the event, or the final 50km, expected to be broadcast. Last year, the women’s race had almost double the TV broadcast time. The men’s race was shown on Sunday in its five-and-ahalf-hour entirety. In comments shared with Cycling Weekly, Deena Blacking, the managing director of The Cyclists’ Alliance, an independent body that represents…

Del Toro injured at Itzulia UAE Team Emirates-XRG rider Isaac del Toro abandoned Itzulia Basque Country after a crash on last Wednesday’s third stage. It was later announced that the Mexican had suffered a “right thigh muscle tear” in the incident which happened with about 83km to go on that day. Paris-Roubaix Femmes on Instagram Stars of the future take on the cobbles at Paris-Roubaix 35mm The size of Tadej Pogačar’s front tyre at Paris-Roubaix, which only just fit through the front forks of his Colnago Y1RS. The back tyre was 32mm, with the wheels being different depths too, giving his bike a mismatched look. Alpecin’s prototype pedals Three riders from Alpecin-Premier Tech were using new Shimano pedals at Roubaix, which is why Mathieu van der Poel couldn’t use Jasper…

Brixton, South London, March 2026. A place that was once considered a hotbed of crime and social problems has undergone real changes for the better. On the surface, gentrification speaks the loudest. Boutique boulangeries and swanky coffee houses. Joggers in Brockwell Park. Hipsters on single-speed bicycles bisecting avenues of newly refurbished townhouses. It’s a new and pretty picture – an idyll of innercity living. However, while crime is down from its peak of 20-30 years ago, this urban renewal doesn’t quite cover the entire area. Away from the hip cafés and their sourdough cinnamon swirls, deep-seated social and economic challenges persist, shaped by inequality. It is this instability that the cycling charity Upcycle Ldn is working to address. Around 40% of children in Brixton currently live in poverty; that’s two…

Creating a more inclusive cycling club doesn’t require wholesale change, but rather greater awareness and small, thoughtful adjustments, such as: Communicate clearly: share ride details in advance, including pace, route, terrain and expectations. This reduces uncertainty and helps riders feel prepared. Offer different ride formats: not everyone thrives in large, fast-moving groups, so consider smaller groups, steady-paced rides or one-to-one options. Consistency also matters: regular routes, timings and leaders can provide reassuring structure. Be mindful of social dynamics: avoid relying on unspoken rules, and instead explain etiquette openly, encouraging a supportive, non-judgemental atmosphere. Be flexible: some riders may prefer written instructions, others verbal briefings. Be open to both. Create space for conversation: riders shouldn’t feel pressured to disclose anything, but knowing they can express needs without stigma makes a huge…