· about 3 minutes · Issue 006
The first 32-inch carbon gravel bike you can buy. Widar wins Guangxi.
Tuesday's brief: the first 32-inch carbon gravel bike you can actually order, Pogačar's lactate drink goes retail, and Jarno Widar closes the WorldTour year.
🔧 Gear
Avona Callis 32: 32-inch wheels for gravel racing (from €5,800)
Bikerumor calls it the first production carbon gravel bike on 32-inch wheels, on sale since 15 Oct. Avona claims the big wheels save 11.7 W in rolling resistance at 35 km/h on rough gravel and cost only 1 to 3 W in aero drag. It's 1x only, clears 55 mm tyres, and comes in M to XL only. Builds run €5,800 (Rival AXS) to €9,000 (Red AXS with power meter).
Source: Bikerumor
Enervit lactate gel mix: the UAE team's drink goes retail ($40 for four)
The lactate fuel UAE Emirates-XRG trialled at the Tour de France is now sold through Enervit and The Feed. Each serving mixes into one bottle with 90 g of carbs plus 10 g of lactate, which is meant to add energy when your gut maxes out on carbs. The science is early, and at about $10 a bottle it costs more than twice a strong carb gel. Work out your hourly carb target first with our ride fueling calculator.
Source: Velo
Ornot Fog Eater: a 280 g rain shell with a hood ($325)
A 3-layer Pertex Shield jacket rated 20k waterproof and 20k breathable, with taped seams and a hood that fits under a helmet. It packs into its own pocket. Claimed weight; nothing tested here. More options in our winter jackets by price guide.
Source: Bikerumor
🏠 Indoor
JOIN x Lanterne Rouge Indoor Series is back on Zwift
Weekly Thursday-evening races and workouts build to a Watopia fondo on Sat 19 Dec. Next up is a race on Makuri 40 this Thursday, 22 Oct. Drop into single events from the Zwift calendar, or follow the full plan in the JOIN app.
Source: Zwift Insider
🏁 Racing
Tour of Guangxi
Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) won Sunday's summit finish at Nongla and took the overall with it, nine seconds ahead of Tom Pidcock, with Louis Barré third. The 20-year-old outlasted Pidcock on the last climb, a tidy way to close the men's WorldTour year.
Biggest races this weekend
- Gravelista, Seymour (Australia), Sun 25 Oct. UCI Gravel World Series qualifier for the 2027 Worlds.
- Alentejo Gravel, Ourique (Portugal), Sun 25 Oct. Same series, same prize. No favourites published for either yet, so we won't invent one.
💰 Deals
Checked on each shop's own page on 19 Oct. Prices move.
- Continental GP5000 AllSeason TR, 700x25C: €64.95 (RRP €113.95) at Rose Bikes, EU. 28 and 30 mm listed too, priced separately. A sensible winter swap.
- Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR, 700x28C: €44.95 (RRP €95.95) at Rose Bikes, EU. Still under half price.
- Hammerhead Karoo 3: €341.95 (RRP €500) at Rose Bikes, EU. Best if you ride SRAM AXS.
- Garmin Edge 840 Solar: €359.90 (Garmin DE €499.99) at Probikeshop, EU. Back up €10 since Friday.
Swapping tyres for winter? Set pressures with our tire pressure calculator.
That's Tuesday. Friday brings the week's tech and indoor kit.
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