The Cycling Brief

Need roads that match the session? Plan the ride with Workout Roads: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/8a323a --- Tim Merlier wins in Bordeaux with a moment of pure sprint chess — finding space on the left at 200 metres while Alpecin's textbook lead-out crumbled around him. Van der Poel released Philipsen too early into a headwind, and Philipsen faded to fifth for the second sprint stage in...

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Karoo Build 1.640.2470 brings color-coded trail difficulty maps to all Karoo devices — Update now — Trail Maps is a genuine feature unlock for any gravel or MTB rider, and the Target Power fix is a quiet but real win for structured-workout users. Oura Ring 5: world's smallest smart r...

Need roads that match the session? Plan the ride with Workout Roads: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/wx6ven --- Tadej Pogačar rode forty-three kilometres alone to Gavarnie-Gèdre and left Jonas Vingegaard 2:42 behind after a single afternoon — a gap built on the Tourmalet ramps, extended on the descent, and deepened on the very gradient that should have suited his rival most. Alex and Sam break...

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. KICKR v6 Zwift Power-Drop Bug Tied to Firmware 5.6.13 — Community Push for a Fix Builds — Check your KICKR v6 firmware version in the Wahoo app now — if you're on 5.6.13 and Zwifting, verify whether a newer build has been pushed to your device automatically; if ghost-watts persist po...

Need roads that match the session? Plan the ride with Workout Roads: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/f6akxm --- A crash inside the final 3km on a supposed sprint day put yellow jersey Torstein Træen and Jonas Vingegaard on the tarmac the night before the Tourmalet — and while race officials neutralised the time gaps, road rash and shaken confidence aren't so easily wiped from the standing...

We build durable cyclists. New performance videos every week on YouTube: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/6cvgc9 --- Silca's new Mattone Web saddle bag costs just $36 — a fraction of their typical pricing. Why this tiny product reveals a major strategic shift in the cycling accessories market, and what it tells us about where the industry is heading. Daily cycling intelligence from SEMIPRO...

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Shimano XTR M9200 Di2: Verdict Moves to 'Wait' as Long-Term Ride Data and Full Ecosystem Picture Come Into Focus — Wait — groupset is real and early impressions are solid, but supply is still normalising and the full competitive picture (SRAM response, OEM availability) isn&apos...

Need roads that match the session? Plan the ride with Workout Roads: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/pe4j3t --- Pogačar didn't lose the yellow jersey on Stage 4 — he surrendered it, deliberately, in a heatwave, letting a breakaway go thirteen minutes up the road while UAE held the handbrake and banked recovery. Mads Pedersen wins for Lidl-Trek in a perfectly executed sprint, Torstein Træe...

We build durable cyclists. New performance videos every week on YouTube: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/jbfcv3 --- A tweet about beers at the Tour de France reveals cycling's biggest structural problem: the sport creates billions in economic value, but the teams capture almost none of it. Why the "tour de beer" crowd might be cycling's most important untapped market. Daily...

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Shimano Hollowtech II crankset settlement: cash claims close August 4 — four weeks left — Check your crankset model and production code at ShimanoCranksetSettlement.com now — the August 4 deadline is firm and there are no extensions expected. Bosch eBike Flow app 1.36 drops: customisable...

Need roads that match the session? Plan the ride with Workout Roads: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/2e7fw9 --- Isaac del Toro played lead-out man on a 6.5% climb to deliver Tadej Pogačar the stage win at Les Angles — and the two seconds Jonas Vingegaard conceded across the line barely captures how thoroughly UAE dominated. The dual-leader question at UAE just got more complicated, INEOS have...

Need roads that match the session? Plan the ride with Workout Roads: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/nfgyzk --- Isaac del Toro won Stage 2 into Barcelona after chasing back from a mechanical — twenty years old, UAE one-two with Pogačar, and a performance that raises serious questions about who UAE's actual leader is at this Tour. The GC top five are separated by just nineteen seconds with...

We build durable cyclists. New performance videos every week on YouTube: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/nw56ur --- A vague social media post from coach Mikel Zabala goes viral during the Tour de France. We break down why cycling's culture of coded implications is engagement farming, not whistleblowing — and why it poisons the discourse around performance at the worst possible time. Daily...

Need roads that match the session? Plan the ride with Workout Roads: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/tgapuq --- Jonas Vingegaard takes yellow after Visma's flawless team time trial in Barcelona, but the story of Stage 1 is Tadej Pogačar attacking his own teammate Juan Ayuso on the final Montjuïc ramp to steal third place — four seconds of manufactured chaos inside his own team before the...

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Shimano Hollowtech II crankset settlement: August 4 claim deadline is 29 days away — If you own or owned a pre-July-2019 Hollowtech II Dura-Ace or Ultegra crankset, check your production code now and file at ShimanoCranksetSettlement.com before August 4 — the extended warranty is automati...

We build durable cyclists. New performance videos every week on YouTube: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/etpvag --- Johan Bruyneel accuses the UCI of double standards over Oier Lazkano's suspension, drawing comparisons to Chris Froome's salbutamol case. We examine why the UCI's real problem isn't doping — it's the perception of unequal enforcement, and why that matters...

Most riders treat fuelling as bonk insurance. A new study says your bottle is doing something bigger: protecting how hard you can go late in a ride. Carbohydrate preserved critical power at hour three in a clear dose-dependent way, though it did nothing for your sprint. Plus a rethink on VLamax, the gym, and what actually raises your glycolytic power. This week's study: Norte BR, Slinn MM, Jo...

Not sure which part of your cycling training is actually working? Start with the SEMIPRO Training X-Ray: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/fqhpza --- The 2026 Tour de France begins in Barcelona — the most southerly Grand Départ in Tour history — with a 19.6km team time trial that's anything but a formality. UAE and Pog-a-char are the TTT favourites, but the real story is the three-week ques...

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Shimano XTR M9200 Di2 enters real-world circulation — a year of waiting, now in shops and on trails — Monitor — early impressions are compelling and it's now in stock, but let a full season of racing and user data accumulate before committing at this price. Campagnolo's 13-speed...

We build durable cyclists. New performance videos every week on YouTube: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/544n96 --- New sprint physiology research reveals that peak power is a poor predictor of elite sprint success. We break down why the shape of a rider's power curve matters far more than the number — and what it means for road sprinting at the Tour de France. Daily cycling intelligence...