-
3 weeks ago | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
There's a naiveté to Puck Pieterse and the way she races a road bike. The 22-year-old is still fresh in this particular discipline, still learning, but unquestionably powerful. She trusts her instincts more than any race radio, she has said before, and estimates risk in real time with a calculator that isn't perfectly tuned just yet.
-
3 weeks ago | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
The ink was barely dry on President Trump's sweeping new tariff announcement before some of the biggest names in the American bike industry began adjusting course. This week, just over two weeks after the White House unveiled its "Liberation Day" tariff order, which slapped new import taxes on everything from European e-bikes to Vietnamese tires, Trek and Specialized became the first major bike brands to publicly signal how they'll respond. The bottom line?
-
1 month ago | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
-
2 months ago | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
Race organizer RCS Sport revealed the route for the revived Milan-San Remo Women on Wednesday, confirming that both the Cipressa and Poggio will feature in the finale. The event, set for Saturday, March 22, will start in Genoa and cover 156 km along the Ligurian coast before finishing on the Via Roma in San Remo. The final 60 km follow the classic approach to San Remo.
-
Feb 13, 2025 | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
After three seasons of Tour de France: Unchained, Netflix's behind-the-scenes docuseries on cycling's biggest race appears to be coming to an end. According to journalist Daniel Benson, reporting via X, the series is not expected to return for a fourth installment. French newspaper Le Parisien previously hinted at the show's uncertain future, noting that teams involved in past seasons had yet to be approached for filming - an unusual delay given previous production timelines.
-
Dec 9, 2024 | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
A minor mystery has been solved: Tom Pidcock will continue to ride Pinarello bikes when or if he enters cyclocross, mountain bike, or gravel races, despite his move to the Scott-sponsored Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. He will race on Scott bikes on the road with Q36.5. Such a race bike ménage à trois is unusual. Pidcock riding both Pinarello and Scott in 2025 will be one of the very few instances of a modern, top-tier pro slinging a leg over multiple bike brands in a single season.
-
Dec 6, 2024 | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
Editor's Note: We left the big guy for last; this closes out our annual Favourite Things series. We've got 12 months to ride, tinker, putter and ponder about the gear that will stand out to us most next year, but for now you can read all the other entries in this series here, and please share your thoughts in the comments.
-
Oct 31, 2024 | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
Race organizer RCS has postponed the planned November 12th route announcement for the Giro d'Italia and Giro d'Italia Women without further explanation and with no new date announced. RCS made the announcement via social media on Thursday. Italian media has a theory: In recent weeks, political tempers flared between the planned hosts of the men's grande partenza, Albania and the Italian government over the deportation of migrants to the Balkan country, putting the Albanian start in jeopardy.
-
Oct 30, 2024 | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
Bike racing's biggest event is a rite of passage. Bucket list stuff. Every cycling fan should go see the Tour de France in person at least once. Is this your year? This story is all about how to be a tourist at the 2025 Tour de France. I'm your concierge. My name is Caley Fretz and I've covered 14 Tours as a journalist, visited something like 200 French towns and cities, and lived for two years on the edge of the Alps. I have a deep love and also a healthy disdain for France and the French.
-
Oct 16, 2024 | 
escapecollective.com | Caley Fretz
Tom Pidcock is close to finalizing a move to the Swiss ProTeam Q36.5, bringing an end to a tumultuous relationship with the Ineos Grenadiers. Tensions came to a head last weekend with Pidcock's last-hour removal from the team's Lombardia squad. The move is not final but is progressing well this week.
