“I can confirm European cyclists are built different”: American rider clings on for dear life at Spanish Gran Fondo… and leaves wondering “why are these people so fit?”; Shimano gets Pogačar’s Roubaix neutral service bike back + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"I can confirm European cyclists are built different": American rider clings on for dear life at Spanish Gran Fondo... and leaves wondering "why are these people so fit?"
View on Threads
A bit of a shock for this US rider over in Europe who rocked up at the start of a Gran Fondo and quickly found the pace to be essentially a race. Some locals may well take issue with the assessment that the sportive just outside of Girona was in Spain but, politics and regional identity aside, one thing was clear… the pace was hot.
Many events on the continent, even just a local one like this, attract many a rider not far off pro level. The front of these events is almost always more race than sportive, but probably more so given this one started near one of Europe’s cycling capitals, Girona.
“This was a local one, just outside of Girona called ‘La Barroca’,” our US rider explained. “I recommend it if you’re ever in the area when it’s happening. There’s two routes, I did the shorter one which is 90km and 1,230m (of climbing). We finished in 2hr 40 min, 33 kph avg. I never drove pace, just tried to survive… these cyclists are built different!
“This is me simply surviving in the front group of a GRAN FONDO in Spain. Why are these people so fit?”
As someone who had their head kicked in at a similar event in the Canary Islands last autumn, I can certainly relate to that last question. The continental Gran Fondo scene is more aero socks and attacks than the often (but not always) more sedate sportives I’m accustomed to over here in the UK.
Someone else on the thread summed it all up quite nicely: “Incredibly fast and technical as the speed increases. It’s maximising ever corner and watt to create gaps. Goes beyond fitness and into the realm of competing with caution thrown to the wind. Loved the video and comments that accompanied it. You were riding super strong.”
Bike-stealing thief attempts to evade police by riding on race course… and gets caught after overtaking peloton
Shimano neutral service bike was like riding "a wheelbarrow" at Paris-Roubaix, claims Tadej Pogačar
Shimano mechanics will be hosing the neutral service bike as we speak, the brand’s excitement to get its Tadej Pogačar-ridden ride returned after Paris-Roubaix possibly now tainted by the Slovenian’s review… that it was like riding a wheelbarrow.
PUNCTURE FOR POGACAR 😱
The world champion is off the back and riding a Shimano neutral service bike! pic.twitter.com/Gyd84WXAlt
— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) April 12, 2026
The world champion reportedly told the Slovenian press that was his assessment of the bike, which Het Laatste Nieuws has suggested looks remarkably like an unbranded Canyon model.
“It felt very uncomfortable,” Pogačar is quoted as saying. “I got a ‘karjolo’ [wheelbarrow].
“I was able to start my chase, but it had been a long time since I’d ridden a Shimano bike. The saddle height wasn’t right. And the wheels weren’t suitable for the terrain either. So I had to switch again.”
And to think this morning Shimano were buzzing to tell us how they’d got the bike in question back and wouldn’t be washing it for a while…
Engineers begin work on new cycle bridge as part of HS2 construction
A new cycle bridge will soon link Offchurch Greenway in Warwickshire and Route 41 of the National Cycle Network. Engineers are currently installing the bridge as part of wider HS2 construction works, with the active travel infrastructure expected to be completed by September.
Vicki Lee, HS2 Ltd senior project manager, said the bridge would “improve safety and connectivity” for cyclists. Warwickshire County Council has also called it a “key link” and one that will “benefit many generations to come”.
Paris-Roubaix... on a folding bike
View this post on Instagram
That 28kph average speed is mighty impressive, get that rider over to a Spanish Gran Fondo ASAP…
“Just a bloody annoyance”: Ex-BBC journalist told Met Police won’t investigate his stolen bike, despite deliberately parking under a CCTV camera
Excuse me?
View this post on Instagram
All your top adventure-related pieces in one place
It’s Adventure Week on road.cc, here are some of the best guides and features out on the site so far…
> How to plan and follow the perfect cycle route on your bike computer
> Learn from my mistakes with these top tips for beginner bikepackers
> How to plan an epic one day cycling trip from your front door
Spanish pro cyclist Jaume Guardeño remains in intensive care two weeks on from training crash
View this post on Instagram
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA have released a follow-up statement about Jaume Guardeño, the pro rider who was airlifted to hospital following a training crash two weeks ago.
The team said Guardeño remains in the intensive care unit and is “critical but stable”. Guardeño is due to undergo “further procedures” in the coming days.
Climber Guardeño finished 29th at the Volta a Catalunya and 14th at the Vuelta last season, the 23-year-old rushed to Tauli Hospital in Sabadell following a crash at the end of March.
Spanish media reports suggest Guardeño lost control when he hit a rock in the road, before then colliding with a car being driven on the same route. There is no suggestion at this stage that the crash was caused by anything other than the rider hitting the rock.
A Caja Rural-Seguros RGA spokesperson said: “We continue to send all our strength and affection to Jaume, as well as to his family and friends at this time.”
"The old horse still has some kick": Taylor Phinney eyes track cycling comeback ahead of LA 2028 Olympics
View this post on Instagram
Two-time individual pursuit world champion Taylor Phinney is making a comeback. In his own words: “The old horse still has some kick”.
Phinney, who retired from pro cycling back in 2019 at the end of a career which saw him win a Giro d’Italia stage and three US national time trial championships, admitted he’d “never in a million years” have predicted he’d be returning to the sport… “but here we are”.
“What started as a return to gravel racing has delicately snowballed into a full on Olympic dream,” he said, revealing his comeback will be on the track with an eye to the 2028 home Games. “It’s been super fun and rewarding to find the love for training and ripping high speeds again over the past few months.
“I laughed it off at first, but with encouragement from wifey (Kasia Niewiadoma) the seed started to grow and before I knew it all I could think of was closing this final loop in my cycling career.
“The track was where I first found love and success in this sport, it was even the first discipline to break my heart when my specialty event, the individual pursuit, was removed from the Olympic programme, which prompted me to swiftly abandon the track and go all in on the road.
“Recently the USA boys have been making huge strides in the Team Pursuit, and I couldn’t be more stoked to be joining them in the chase for the Olympic dream.
“I have a lot of work to do in the gym and refining the position, but after my first camp with them (and first time in a TT position in probably 7 years…) I must say, it’s awesome to be back in a team environment. I’m happy with how I slotted into the group considering I’ve only been ‘back’ training since November, and I look forward to stepping up over the course of the next two years. The energy and vibe of the squad is top notch.
“Regardless of whether I make the official team for LA28 or not, I’m honoured to be in the running and will look forward to making some World Cup teams to elevate the team to its highest potential and Olympic qualifying position.”
"Well... that's one we're never washing again": Shimano gets its Tadej Pogačar-ridden Paris-Roubaix neutral service bike back... and fans want an eBay auction
“Well… that’s one bike we’re never washing again…”
Shimano has shared the footage of it getting its bike back post-Paris Roubaix, the neutral service ride having had probably the most exciting afternoon of its life when Tadej Pogačar took it for a spin after a puncture at 120km to go.
The components giant even suggested the bike would be kept in its raced condition for the foreseeable… “Straight from the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix back to the Neutral Service car. After a ride from Tadej Pogačar, this one might stay like this for a bit. Some bikes get cleaned. Some you leave… just for now.”
We reckon it might be headed for a display at HQ or Shimano’s Experience Center in the Netherlands (although hopefully it won’t suffer the same fate as the “irreplaceable” bikes ridden to extraordinary performances by names such as Peter Sagan, Mathieu van der Poel, Julian Alaphilippe and Egan Bernal, which were stolen during an overnight burglary back in 2024).
Some fans urged Shimano to get the bike listed on eBay, although, considering his ripped Milan-San Remo jersey went for €95,100, god knows how much the neutral service ride would reach…
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
5 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
“People who are wearing body armour get used to being shot at, when it’s the getting shot at that’s the problem.” People who are wearing body armour get used to being shot at because they survive. People not wearing it die the first time they are shot. So they don't really have much chance to get used to being shot at, do they? But seriously if you don't want to wear a helmet and you're an adult, no-one should have the right to make you wear one.
@lawrence18uk Occasionally I see tradies travelling with some tools on the train, compact tool bags, rucksacks and wheelie luggage, often carrying long spirit levels separately, but on a couple of occasions collapsible ladders.
Finally some proper Gravel for the UCI World Championships! …no dates in the article. Racing starts today 10/11 Oct. Watch it free on SBS. … Go well Matt…
@Aluminium can - as an alternative to vans, yes cargo bikes (plenty in Cambridge), and I've been wondering whether supplies could be delivered from retailers - using delivery robots. and it's possible I suppose that ladders could fall in the same category - you could, instead of just hiring a bicycle, hire a ladder and it would arrive of its own accord.
... and we still had apostrophe rationing.
@Rendel Harris There was a bit in the bicycle hating Guardian, a nice little read, part of his justification was to acclimatise to the heat and humidity, which if he was in a better car might have been worth it. Good luck to him, chapeau.
@SecretSam That's not really fair, in fact not fair at all. It wasn't his fault that the last two mountain stages were shortened and on the first one he had dropped everyone and was a minute clear as he summitted the Iseran when the stage was neutralised, and on the second he stayed with or dropped all the other GC contenders. You seem to have forgotten his Giro win as well as Paris Nice and the Tour de Suisse. Only the fourth rider to have won the Tour and Giro before the age of twenty-five. Yes he probably couldn't have stayed with Pogacar even if he hadn't had the awful crash, and probably nor could any other rider in history except perhaps Merckx.
@lesterama Bernal has had two whammys. His crash, which he has probably never fully recovered from and Ineos taking a nosedive. They have no focus and no identity.
@Zermattjohn Read the comment I posted about my experience
I bought some Challenge Strada tyres. After a while the sidewalls began to detach from the tyre and the tread became rippled making them unsafe to use. The shop I bought them from asked me to drop them in and he would show the Challenge rep as he was due in the following week. The rep bizarrely firstly claimed that the tyres had failed because they may have been punctured (they hadn’t), then immediately claimed that they had failed because the rear tyre was more worn than the front! I emailed pictures to Challenge and was told they had failed because they had been fitted incorrectly. The black strip they had introduced to stop the issue I had was supposed to be above the rim. Which it clearly was shown to be correct on the pictures I sent to them which proved that the tyres were correctly fitted. This seems to be the norm now in the cycle industry, if there is an issue with a product, the company automatically blames the end user rather than look to address the issue, thereby pissing the customer off. A pissed off customer rarely returns.
5 thoughts on ““I can confirm European cyclists are built different”: American rider clings on for dear life at Spanish Gran Fondo… and leaves wondering “why are these people so fit?”; Shimano gets Pogačar’s Roubaix neutral service bike back + more on the live blog”
“What do you mean my bike’s not UCI approved? I was told this was a cat 1 race.”
90km at 33kmh average is a typical Sunday morning club run for some
With 1230m climb? That would need about a 300W average for a 70kg rider, that would be pretty good going over 2.6 hours.
“The saddle height wasn’t right” says Pog on the shimano bike. That’s what the dropper post is for! Could it be this roadie has never touched a mountain bike before? Alas we may never know.
It’s a quick release, not a dropper.