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Cycling Lake Garda: The Alpine Lake That Trains Champions
Lake Garda sits 15 kilometres from Ala, the starting town for today's Giro Donne sprint stage — a practical guide to the lake that WorldTour teams use as a winter base, built around the climbs, the loops, and the thermal winds that make the northern shore one of Europe's best cycling destinations.
By ZealZag TeamInto the Po Plain: Stage 6 Brings a Sprinters' Reckoning to Brescello
The Giro Donne drops from the Dolomites to the Po plain today — 159 kilometres from Ala in the Adige valley to Brescello on the river, nearly flat, sprint finish expected. Van der Breggen sits in; Balsamo, already a two-stage winner this week, hunts a third.
By ZealZag Team
Running Western States 100: The Sierra Nevada to Auburn Trail Guide
Olympic Valley to Auburn: 100.2 miles, 18,000 ft of climb, 23,000 ft of descent through the Sierra Nevada. Everything an endurance athlete needs to know before attempting the Western States 100 course.
By ZealZag Team
Western States 100 2026: Deepest Elite Field in Race History Set for June 27
Jim Walmsley ends his Western States sabbatical. Kilian Jornet returns to avenge 2025's near-miss. Courtney Dauwalter defends her course record. The 2026 Western States 100 elite start list is the most stacked in the race's history.
By ZealZag Team
Cycling the Dauphiné: Grand Colombier, Solaison, and the Aravis in Haute-Savoie
The Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes sends the peloton over the Grand Colombier HC and Plateau de Solaison HC — two of the hardest and least touristed climbs in the French Alps. Here's how to ride them, when to go, and where to base yourself.
By ZealZag Team
Critérium du Dauphiné 2026: Seixas, Del Toro and Van Aert Battle for Solaison
Paul Seixas leads the next generation into the renamed Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (June 7–14) — a wide-open GC battle over the Grand Colombier and Plateau de Solaison that will crown a Tour de France contender.
By ZealZag TeamCzech Sandstone: Climbing Bohemian Switzerland and the Bohemian Paradise
Prague hosts the World Climbing Series this week. The Czech Republic's outdoor climbing scene — two distinct sandstone regions within two hours of the city — makes the trip worth extending before or after the competition.
By ZealZag TeamWorld Climbing Series Prague Opens at Štvanice Island — Ondra Returns Home in Lead
Boulder qualifications opened the 2026 World Climbing Series Prague on Wednesday morning at Štvanice Island — the first Prague event to combine both bouldering and lead climbing, and the competition that brings Adam Ondra back to a Czech home crowd in his stronger discipline.
By ZealZag TeamCycling the Cadore: Dolomite Passes from Cortina to the Comelico Valley
The road from Longarone to Santo Stefano di Cadore traces some of the Dolomites' most striking cycling terrain — Passo Tre Croci above Cortina d'Ampezzo, the Passo Sant'Antonio, and the Comelico valley finishing climbs that define today's Giro d'Italia Women Stage 5.
By ZealZag TeamInto the Cadore: Van der Breggen Defends Pink on Stage 5's Triple Dolomite Test
Anna van der Breggen carries a 1:04 lead over Marlen Reusser into today's 146-kilometre Dolomite road stage from Longarone to Santo Stefano di Cadore — the Giro Donne's first day of full alpine climbing, with the Tre Croci, Sant'Antonio, and a double Costalissoio circuit stacked into the final 90 kilometres.
By ZealZag Team
Chapman's Peak Drive: The Cape Peninsula Loop Every Visiting Cyclist Wants to Ride
Chapman's Peak Drive is a nine-kilometre cliff road carved between Hout Bay and Noordhoek above the Atlantic. Linked with Cape Point and Boyes Drive, it forms the standard Cape Town cycling pilgrimage — a 100-kilometre loop that defines a visit to the city.
By ZealZag Team
Stellenbosch: Why European Pros Spend Their Winter in South Africa's Wine Country
Stellenbosch sits in the Cape Winelands an hour east of Cape Town. From December through February, European pro teams use it as their southern hemisphere training base. The reason is the same combination of geography, climate, and infrastructure that built Girona.
By ZealZag Team
Cape Town Cycle Tour: Inside the World's Biggest Individually-Timed Bike Race
The Cape Town Cycle Tour is the largest individually-timed mass-participation cycling event on the planet — roughly 35,000 riders, 109 kilometres around the Cape Peninsula every March. Here is what makes it the spiritual centre of South African cycling.
By ZealZag Team
Why World Tour Pros Live in Girona: The Infrastructure Behind the Cycling Capital
Girona has somewhere between 100 and 200 professional cyclists living in or around it during the season. EF Education–EasyPost, Lidl–Trek, Israel–Premier Tech and others all have substantial staff and rider presence. The reason is not the climate — it is the infrastructure built around a decade of pro residency.
By ZealZag Team
Rocacorba: The 12.8 km Climb Every Pro in Girona Knows by Heart
Rocacorba is the climb that turned Girona into a measuring stick. 12.8 kilometres, an average of 7.4%, ramps over 15%, and a paved goat track that ends at a radio mast above Lake Banyoles. Here's what makes the most-ticked climb in southern Europe worth the suffering.
By ZealZag Team
The Costa Brava Corniche: Sant Feliu to Tossa to Lloret on Two Wheels
The 30-kilometre stretch of two-lane corniche from Sant Feliu de Guíxols through Tossa de Mar to Lloret de Mar is one of the most photographed sections of road in Spain — and one of the most rewarding to ride. Here's what the route asks of you, and when to be on it.
By ZealZag TeamBikepacking vs Gravel Racing: When Each One Actually Fits the Trip
The disciplines look similar from outside — drop-bar bikes, mixed terrain, multi-day routes. The trip you should plan depends on what you want from the riding, what kind of suffering you respond to, and how much pre-trip logistics you'll tolerate. Here's the honest comparison.
By ZealZag TeamOpen Water Sighting and Drift Currents: How Triathletes Lose 90 Seconds Without Knowing
The fastest swimmer in the field can still lose two minutes in a triathlon swim by sighting badly or failing to read the current. Sighting and current management are the two most underrated technical skills in open water — and they are learnable in a single weekend of focused practice.
By ZealZag TeamRace-Week Taper for 50K+ Ultras: What the Data Actually Says About Volume Cuts
The marathon taper literature is extensive. The ultra-distance taper literature is much thinner — and the lessons that transfer from marathon work do not all transfer cleanly to 50K and longer. Here's what the available evidence actually supports for ultra-distance race-week preparation.
By ZealZag TeamTrail Running Shoe Rotation: Why Two Pairs Outperform One
Most trail runners buy one shoe and run everything in it. Rotating two pairs with different geometry isn't a gear upsell — it produces measurable changes in foot tissue load, mileage durability per pair, and injury rate over a season. Here's how to set up a simple two-shoe rotation.
By ZealZag TeamFirst Hydration Pack: Vest Fit, Bladder vs Flask, and Why Most Runners Over-Buy
The hydration vest you actually need is rarely the one runners buy first. Capacity, fit, and the bladder-vs-flask choice all interact in ways that matter once you're out for 4+ hours — and the wrong choice produces back chafe, sloshing weight, and a vest that lives in a cupboard. Here's the framework.
By ZealZag TeamHeat Acclimation Blocks: A 10-Day Protocol for Summer Race Prep
Heat is the single most common reason endurance athletes underperform at summer races. Heat acclimation works — but only if the protocol is specific enough to trigger the physiological adaptations. Here's a 10-day block that does.
By ZealZag TeamBike Fit Fundamentals: Saddle Height, Fore-Aft, and Cleat — The Three Numbers Worth Measuring
A bike fit doesn't have to be expensive or complicated to be useful. Three measurements — saddle height, saddle fore-aft, and cleat position — account for most of the comfort and efficiency gains a rider can achieve without a studio appointment. Here's how to set them up yourself.
By ZealZag TeamClimbing Finger Pulley Health: A Hangboard Protocol That Prevents A2 Ruptures
A2 pulley rupture is the most common serious finger injury in sport climbing. The injury is largely preventable through specific finger conditioning — but the standard hangboard advice climbers absorb online doesn't actually load the structures that need adaptation. Here's the protocol that does.
By ZealZag Team