The Cycling Brief

[SUNDAY] New study: carbs do not just stop the bonk 05.07.2026 6min

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, Johnson KO, et al. Graded Carbohydrate Ingestion up to 120 g/h Attenuates the Reduction in Critical Powe...

[GT] Tour 2026 — Who Wins? The Bus Briefing 04.07.2026 12min

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 question nobody can answer yet: has Ving-uh-gore's Giro victory actually closed the gap? The Cycling Deb...

[TECH] The XTR Di2 Wait Is Over. Was It Worth It? 03.07.2026 8min

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 platform expands: Record 13 launches at ~€2,100, bringing the full Super Record architecture to a wider pri...

[BRIEF] Why Peak Power Is Cycling's Most Overrated Number 03.07.2026 6min

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 from SEMIPRO CYCLING, produced with AI-assisted research, scripting, and synthetic voice.

[TECH] The Garmin Beta That Finally Stops Random Resets 02.07.2026 5min

Replacement Tech Brief: cycling tech that matters today, with the repeated TrainingPeaks story removed. Garmin Vivoactive 6 / Venu 4 Beta 18.12: Voice Wake Word, Dozens of Reset Fixes, and Workout UX Overhaul — Beta participants: install and test — the reset-fix sweep is substantial. On stable? Hold at v17.33 and monitor for the stable graduation of this build.EDITORIAL FLAG — Item 151 (v1.33.1 / 'Garmin' / EMTB Forums): Metadata Mislabel, Story Cannot Be Verified — Do not air — re-route to e...

[BRIEF] Lotto's Tour Implosion Started Before the Start Line 02.07.2026 7min

Get 20% off your first custom blend at: https://truenutrition.com/CYCLING Use code: CYCLING This episode is supported by True Nutrition. Build your own custom protein blend with the ingredients, flavour, and sweetener you want. --- Lotto-Intermarché's chief performance officer Aike Visbeek has departed days before the Tour de France. We break down why the timing reveals deeper structural problems at mid-table WorldTour teams, and what it means for Lotto's three weeks in July.Daily cycling...

[TECH] The TrainingPeaks Dashboard Hiding Your Fitness Numbers 01.07.2026 7min

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. TrainingPeaks Launches Athlete Home: A Single-Screen Daily Training Dashboard for Premium Users — If you're a Premium subscriber, check your updated Athlete Home for the new Fitness/Form/Fatigue trend view — it's worth a few minutes to customise the layout to match your training priorities.Zwift Events Fail to Load for Some Users — Platform-Side Issue Under Investigation — If your ev...

[BRIEF] Zipp's 404 S Is a Market Bomb, Not Just a Wheel 01.07.2026 6min

We build durable cyclists. New performance videos every week on YouTube: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/9ky6d2 --- Zipp's new 404 S wheelset costs just €1,100 — and that's a bigger deal than the spec sheet suggests. We break down why this launch threatens the entire mid-tier carbon wheel market and predict which brands are about to get squeezed out.Daily cycling intelligence from SEMIPRO CYCLING, produced with AI-assisted research, scripting, and synthetic voice.

[TECH] The Zwift Crash Windows Won't Let You Fix 30.06.2026 6min

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Zwift PC app fails to launch after update — crashes on startup with error code 0xc0000005 — Hold off on forced reinstalls — they pull the same broken build. Monitor the official Known Issues thread for a confirmed fix before troubleshooting further.Bravur x Zwift mechanical watch: 100-piece luxury collab at $1,195 — no GPS, no sensors, no apology — This is a collector's object, not a...

[BRIEF] Shimano's CUES Problem: Wrong Groupset, Wrong Bike 30.06.2026 7min

Get 20% off your first custom blend at: https://truenutrition.com/CYCLING Use code: CYCLING This episode is supported by True Nutrition. Build your own custom protein blend with the ingredients, flavour, and sweetener you want. --- Shimano CUES is thriving on gravel bikes and failing on road bikes — and that split reveals a strategic identity crisis at cycling's biggest component maker. We break down why Shimano is accidentally ceding the mid-range road market and what they'll have to do ...

[BRIEF] Moots' Secret Menu and the Sneakerification of Bikes 30.06.2026 6min

Get 20% off your first custom blend at: https://truenutrition.com/CYCLING Use code: CYCLING This episode is supported by True Nutrition. Build your own custom protein blend with the ingredients, flavour, and sweetener you want. --- Moots launches a limited-edition drop program for titanium frames, and it reveals where the premium bike market is actually headed. Why scarcity, not specs, is becoming the real differentiator for high-end builders in a post-pandemic industry hangover.Daily cyc...

[TECH] The Wilier Zwift Never Had (Until Now) 29.06.2026 6min

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Zwift 1.116 drops four new bikes and four new wheelsets into the Drop Shop — including the platform's first-ever Wilier — Update now — the new frames are live in the Drop Shop and early speed tests suggest the Cervelo S5 and revised Cannondale SuperSix are worth your Drops.TrainingPeaks launches 'We Speak Peak' — a multi-team Tour de France Q&A series spotlighting how WorldTour p...

[BRIEF] Nationals Weekend: The Absences That Matter Most 29.06.2026 6min

Get 20% off your first custom blend at: https://truenutrition.com/CYCLING Use code: CYCLING This episode is supported by True Nutrition. Build your own custom protein blend with the ingredients, flavour, and sweetener you want. --- National championships weekend delivered surprises across Europe, but the real story is who wasn't racing. We break down what Pogačar, Evenepoel, and Van Aert's absence from their national races tells us about Tour de France readiness — and make a prediction ab...

[SUNDAY] What a new durability study just proved 28.06.2026 5min

Your FTP is measured fresh. You race tired. A new study shows the tired version of you predicts race performance far better, and that the fade under fatigue is what separates stronger riders from weaker ones. Here is what it means for how you test and train, plus a thought on why a plateau in your routine comes before a plateau in your fitness. This week's study: Inoue A, Mateo-March M, Protzen G, et al. Durability Predicts Performance in Olympic Cross-Country Mountain Biking: Evidence From I...

[DEBRIEF] Tour Injury Chaos, Pogačar's Suisse Statement, Seixas Bidding War 27.06.2026 11min

We build durable cyclists. New performance videos every week on YouTube: 👉 https://go.semiprocycling.com/go/t34abp --- The Saturday debrief tackles the Tour de France injury crisis — with Onley, Bilbao, and Van Aert all confirmed out — Pogačar's dominant 6.5-minute Tour de Suisse win, and the escalating transfer war for 19-year-old Paul Seixas. Plus hot takes on INEOS's fragile Tour project and predictions for the opening week.Daily cycling intelligence from SEMIPRO CYCLING, produced with A...

[TECH] The Ridstar Front Wheel That Leaves Without Warning 26.06.2026 8min

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters today — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. CPSC issues second Ridstar warning in three months — this time front wheels are detaching mid-ride — If you own any Ridstar Q20, Q20 Lite, or Q20 Pro: stop riding immediately, remove and safely dispose of the battery, and do not sell or give the bike away.Cube recalls all 2026 hybrid e-bikes with ACID Carbon Hybrid cranks — aluminium pedal inserts can suddenly detach — Stop riding yo...

[BRIEF] Power Data as Anti-Doping Tool: Promise or Pandora's Box? 26.06.2026 7min

Get 20% off your first custom blend at: https://truenutrition.com/CYCLING Use code: CYCLING This episode is supported by True Nutrition. Build your own custom protein blend with the ingredients, flavour, and sweetener you want. --- The ITA has launched a pilot study to use rider power data in anti-doping intelligence, with three WorldTour teams volunteering their files. We break down why the science might work but the politics almost certainly won't — and what this means for the future of...

[BRIEF] Gravel's 55mm Problem: When a Tyre Kills a Category 25.06.2026 8min

Get 20% off your first custom blend at: https://truenutrition.com/CYCLING Use code: CYCLING This episode is supported by True Nutrition. Build your own custom protein blend with the ingredients, flavour, and sweetener you want. --- Vittoria's new 50 and 55mm gravel tyres aren't just wider rubber — they're a signal that gravel is eating into mountain bike territory. We break down why this product expansion reveals a looming category crisis for the entire cycling industry.Daily cycling inte...

[TECH] The Wahoo Biometric Sensors Nobody Can Afford Yet 24.06.2026 8min

The Cycling Tech Brief: the cycling tech that actually matters this week — and whether to update, wait, or ignore. Wahoo ELEMNT V3 firmware WG77-302533 (June 16) adds live CORE, FLOWBIO, hDrop, and Tymewear biometric data fields — Monitor: the firmware itself is stable and worth updating, but hold off on buying the sensors until independent accuracy testing accumulates on actual Wahoo hardware in field conditions.Strava v467.0.0 drops hiking-first overhaul: offline nav, Apple Watch route-foll...

[BRIEF] Doping's Real Problem Isn't the Cheats It Catches 24.06.2026 6min

Get 20% off your first custom blend at: https://truenutrition.com/CYCLING Use code: CYCLING This episode is supported by True Nutrition. Build your own custom protein blend with the ingredients, flavour, and sweetener you want. --- Colombian rider Germán Darío Gómez is provisionally suspended after a positive test at ProTeam level. We dig into why cycling's anti-doping system keeps catching small fish — and what the structural economics of second-tier teams have to do with it.Daily cyclin...