Daily Brief – May 28, 2026

As spring racing buzzes around Europe and North American trail seasons ignite, today’s news bridges epic stage races with grassroots adventures and a rush of next-gen kit. From Boonville to Boise, brands and riders are redefining both competition and community on two wheels.

🏁 Competitions

Crank the Shield returned to Sault Ste. Marie with a three-day stage race over Northern Ontario’s rugged terrain, including a 25 km climb of Batchewana Mountain and epic singletrack descents at Hiawatha Highlands, attracting a two-thirds return field keen on both challenge and camaraderie. Source

The 20th anniversary of Unbound Gravel highlighted the evolution of gravel racing as Dan Hughes revisited his original 2006 champion bike, showcasing the barely recognizable prototype that launched one of the sport’s marquee events. Source

Meanwhile, product innovation continues to shape the industry.

🚴 Products

Lazer introduced the Blade KinetiCore, a $99 mid-range road/gravel helmet featuring integrated KinetiCore crumple zones, TurnSys fit adjustment with eyewear docking and LED compatibility, weighing just 245 g in medium. Source

Faction Bike Studio and gravel pro Andrew L’Esperance unveiled a hands-free, electronic chain-lubrication system with a handlebar remote and 100 g seat-tube reservoir, dripper and tubing to dispense metered lubricant at the push of a button during races like Unbound Gravel. Source

At the Nové Město XC World Cup, DT Swiss displayed its first production 32″ XR 1700 Spline alloy XC wheels on a prototype Superior XR GR gravel bike and a matching prototype 32″ suspension fork, hinting at a major move into extra-large wheel standards. Source

Mavic launched the Comete 50, a 1 315 g tubeless-ready carbon wheelset with 50 mm rim depth, 23 mm internal width and Ceramique bearings, claimed to save up to 12 s over 50 km versus its Cosmic SLR 45 predecessor. Source

Manitou’s second-generation Mezzer 2.0 forks split into two platforms: a 140–170 mm travel “Pro” 2 030 g chassis tuned for racing and a 150–190 mm “LT” 2 220 g chassis for gravity and enduro, both with patented Active Spring Piston, dual-cartridge damping, hydraulic bottom-out and Micromanager bushing alignment. Source

Taken Cycles debuted the Encounter, an all-mountain/enduro frame built in Boise with Chris Canfield’s patented CBF suspension and integrated I-Track cable routing, direct-to-consumer from June 2026. Source

On the business front, several brands are strengthening partnerships.

💼 Business

Weldtite created Weldtite USA to expand its UK-based bike chemicals distribution in North America, marking the brand’s first direct presence in the U.S. market. Source

Rocket Espresso partnered with Zwift to release the limited-edition Mozzafiato Fast espresso machine (200 units at €2 750), featuring wind-inspired orange accents and Zwift’s “Big Zee” logos, designed to brew barista-quality shots between virtual rides. Source

FFWD Bikes strengthened its Zwolle headquarters team by hiring former tester and wheel expert Lieuwe Schipper as wheel-development engineer to advance its carbon rim and hub programs. Source

And beyond boardrooms, riders continue to make headlines.

👥 Riders

Gravel legend Yuri Hauswald will start Unbound Gravel 200 from the very last position, using the “Chase the Race” fundraiser to match per-rider-overtaken donations toward a new bike skills park in Emporia, aiming to raise $50 000. Source

Finn Iles teased high-speed laps on the Old Andorra World Cup downhill track in a new Cycle-Jobs video, showcasing velvet-smooth flow on concrete berms ahead of the Loudenvielle World Cup. Source

Jayden Fleming celebrated his passion for “riding all kinds of bikes” in a video that highlights trail, pump track and gravel spins, underscoring the joy of exploration over pure performance. Source