As spring classics burst into life on Belgium’s cobbles, riders are sharpening form and broadcasters are lining up global coverage. Off the road, engineers are rolling out new drivetrains, wheels and suspension while a Colorado retail merger sparks legal fireworks.
🏁 Competitions
Opening Weekend of the Belgian cobbled classics kicks off with Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on Saturday and Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne on Sunday. US viewers can watch via Flo Cycling or fuboTV, Canada via RDS/CBC, and Discovery+/Eurosport hold rights across Europe; Velo lists full worldwide broadcast times. Source
Wout van Aert returns from a late-winter crash to line up alongside Mathieu van der Poel and rising Brit Matthew Brennan in Omloop’s opener, setting the tone for a head-to-head classics campaign. Source
Early-season cross-country and marathon highlights: Victor Koretzky and Nicole Koller won at Banyoles; Anne Terpstra and Luca Schwarzbauer prevailed in Chelva; Max Brandl topped La Nucia; Wout Alleman and Anna Weinbeer claimed the Hero Marathon World Cup Costa Blanca opener; David Valero and Natalia Fischer swept the Scott Mediterranean Epic; and Andreas Seewald with Jakob Hartmann dominated Tankwa Trek. Source
Meanwhile, breakthroughs in drivetrain and frame design are reshaping the product landscape.
🚴 Products
Microshift launched the Advent MX, an 11-speed wide-range drivetrain under $200 featuring 9–52 T cassettes, alloy or steel cranksets and multiple build options. Source
Spanish marque MMR debuted the Adrenaline SL road frame at 700 g (unpainted), built from Toray HM carbon with an in-frame integrated seat-post clamp; team replica builds range from €5,399 to €9,749. Source
Stowe introduced a lockable, waterproof polycarbonate bike trunk for standard rear racks, big enough for groceries or a 15″ laptop, with an MSRP of $250. Source
Specialized revealed the Turbo Levo R, a 140/130 mm “rally” e-MTB with 840 Wh battery, up to 850 W peak power and a 2.27 kg FACT 11 M carbon frame—test rides praise its agility, traction and 32 mi range. Source
Race Face launched the Era e-MTB wheelset—30 mm internal carbon rim paired with composite hubs—for tuned compliance and improved impact resilience. Source
Berd Wheels unveiled the HAWK30 Gold, claiming the lightest 30 mm internal XC rim (270 g) and Talon ESL hubs (333 g pair) to deliver a 1,022 g tubeless-ready 29″ wheelset with Equal Spoke Length tech. Source
RockShox updated the Boxxer 38 with a LinearXL air spring bump-out, stanchion breather holes and ButterWagonTech bushings, plus a Charger 3.2 RC2 damper; the Vivid Coil gains a smaller piggyback, simpler oil paths and 40% lower IFP pressure. Source
SRAM’s new XX DH Transmission brings a 7-speed e-shift Type 4 derailleur, XD Slim cassette, UDH direct mount and 5 mm shorter chainstays for DH frames, priced at €2,271 for the full group. Source
SRAM also rolled out Maven B1—four 18 mm pistons, Gold SwingLink for 50% lower breakaway force and linear lever feel—with backward-compatible lever tuning kits from €32. Source
On the business front, a high-profile retail merger has sparked a court fight in Colorado.
💼 Business
Michael Stone, co-founder of Colorado Multisport, sued ex-partner Russ Chandler alleging breach of their 2021 deal and misappropriation of the CMS trademark after Chandler sold Full Cycle and Colorado Multisport to Mike’s Bikes (Pon.Bike), seeking over $250,000 in damages and brand goodwill. Source
And now, riders are staking their 2026 credentials with early-season moves and strategic comebacks.
👥 Riders
Tadej Pogačar opens his spring campaign intent on delivering a perfect season, eyeing every podium and targeting a historic Giro–Tour double. Source
Wout van Aert makes his season debut back from injury in Belgium’s opener, aiming to reignite his cobbled classics rivalry with Van der Poel and others. Source
Retired World Cup MTB racer Jesse Melamed revealed his one-off extra-small Canyon Strive enduro bike in a new video, underscoring growing demand for scaled-down frames in gravity racing. Source
Between classics tactics, first-look gear and a courtroom showdown, today’s headlines span cycling’s competitive, technical and commercial fronts; tomorrow, expect late-winter training insights and previews of spring race routes.