This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Take an adventure into the heart of the French Alps as Outer Range Brewing Colorado’s renowned craft brewery and après hub proudly announces the grand opening of its second location Driven by a passion to evolve as brewers and inspired by the dynamic craft beer scene in Europe Outer Range Brewing takes a monumental leap unveiling its second location in the French Alps \Celebrated for its award-winning mastery and cherished as a favorite in the Rockies Outer Range Brewery is now making waves in France Situated at the base of Mont Blanc in Sallanches the new establishment serves as a mountain brewery catering to the local community and nearby resorts such as Chamonix Embodying the same spirit as its original Frisco location Sallanches is surrounded by iconic mountains and communities deeply rooted in outdoor recreation Outer Range invested in identical brew systems for both the U.S This ensures a harmonious consistency in the beers crafted on both continents The tap list at Outer Range French Alps features a selection of familiar flagship brews and an exciting new lineup inspired by the techniques of European brewers European and American brewers will seamlessly rotate between these two brewing havens to foster a dynamic exchange of techniques and ideas “We envisioned our next brewing frontier as a catalyst for our growth a place that would transform us into an international mountain brewery,” said Lee Cleghorn the visionary Co-Founder and head brewer of Outer Range Brewing ‘Leave the Life Below,’ we sought a location that embodied our values on a grand scale and what better stage than the birthplace of après ski itself—the French Alps Melding European and American brewing expertise we strive to create the very best beer imaginable Let the cross-continental adventure begin!” the French Alps location offers an inviting space with 200 indoor seats and floor-to-ceiling views of Mont Blanc a dedicated Nashville hot chicken restaurant a new coffee roasting endeavor by the group sourcing coffee from conflict regions and eventually reinvesting back into those places Outer Range French Alps is now open to the public at 531 Rue de Capitaine Bulle FR and they will be celebrating the location’s grand opening on April 20 The grand opening of Outer Range Brewing’s Sallanches location marks a significant milestone in the brewery’s expansion promising patrons an immersive experience in the heart of the French Alps For More Information:https://outerrange.com Early Registration Open You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience Be one of the first to try our new activity feed and a reprisal of the iconic Sallanches road circuit to feature in the UCI 2027 combined format 'super world championships.' The UCI revealed Tuesday the detail of a disgustingly hard loop for the road race events of a 2027 combined “super worlds” in the French Haute-Savoie The multi-discipline world championships will be the UCI’s second running of a festival of cycling that brings together road Glasgow hosted a trial of the format in 2023 to wild success ambitious concept is now expected to roll out every fourth year The governing body teased initial information on the 2027 road races in a press launch Tuesday Road world titles will be contested on a savage Sallanches circuit almost exactly the same as that which saw Bernard Hinault become “The Badger in the rainbow bands” in 1980 Beth Heiden earned Team USA the second of its two historical women’s road race world titles on the course that year The 2027 Sallanches loop will focus on the Côte de Domancy The 2.5-kilometer “wall” packs a gruesome 9.4 percent average gradient Elite men will repeat the 13.3km circuit 20 times for a total of 266km and some 5,700m ascent Full stats have not yet been confirmed for the elite women’s race though the same Sallanches circuit will be used Time trials will take place in Annecy on a course similar to that used at the 2009 Tour de France — 2027 UCI Cycling Worlds Haute-Savoie Mont-Blanc (@CyclingWorlds) April 15, 2025 The UCI confirmed Tuesday that 20 championship categories will sprawl across 12 sites and 13 days of rainbow jersey racing in 2027 First ever titles will be awarded in indoor cycle speedway and bike polo Track racing will take place slightly further afield from the mountainous Savoie region in the leading Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines velodrome As with the Glasgow “super worlds,” the French 2027 event will be held earlier than most road world championships Racing will take place August 24-September 5 which may cause some friction with organizers of the late-summer Vuelta a España The 2027 marquee mega-event will mark the first European road worlds since last summer when Tadej Pogačar and Lotte Kopecky won rainbows in Zurich last summer This year’s road world championships will take place in Rwanda Further dates and details of the 2027 event will follow in due course What’s it like to be an American cyclist living in France Watch to get professional road cyclist Joe Dombrowski’s view Road rainbow jerseys at 'Super Worlds' to be decided in Sallanches with 13.3km circuit including the previously used Côte de Domancy Six events and new track categories for juniors have been added to the multi-discipline UCI Cycling World Championships in 2027 the second edition taking place August 24-September 5 in the Haute-Savoie department of France pump track and junior track will be added to the singular Cycling Worlds format Two new specialities will be introduced as well - indoor cycle speedway and bike polo “These combined UCI Cycling World Championships were part of my vision when I was elected UCI President in 2017 This vision became a reality in 2023 in Glasgow and across Scotland and we are now building on what we created in Scotland in an even wider range of cycling specialities," UCI President David Lappartient said in a press release The UCI and the local organising committee announced Tuesday a general programme for the 13 days of competitions which will recognise 281 titles the dates of the different competitions were not confirmed Also revealed was the road race circuit to be used for the Road World Championships in 2027 A 13.3km circuit would be used for all categories U23 and elite riders was not confirmed yet.  The start and finish in Sallanches sees the road race return after five decades last contested in 1980 where Bernard Hinault won the men's world title and Beth Heiden won for the women using a 13km circuit France last hosted the Road World Championships in Plouay in 2000.  Each of the road race laps will include 285 metres of elevation gain including the return of the Côte de Domancy a 2.5km ascent with maximum gradients of 16% the use of a similar circuit "marks a return to tradition and should encourage a record number of spectators to attend the event" Of the 12 different venues for 'Super Worlds' 11 are spread across the Haute-Savoie region stretching from the Grand Massif in the east where mountain bike marathon and enduro champions will be crowned to Rumille where all Para-cycling road competitions will be held.  All track events will be held at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines the same velodrome which hosted the Paris Olympic Games 350km away from the central area of La Roche-sur-Foron Organisers did say that new competitions for Junior track should take place before the official date of the 'Super Worlds' programme The UCI plans to hold the joint championships as a quadrennial event would be in the year preceding the Olympic Games Since the original announcement was made three years ago that Haute-Savoie would host the championships one new event has been included on the schedule: cycle speedway racing oval dirt tracks with riders using short wheel-based single-speed bikes in lap-based competitions among individuals and teams The other introduction for world titles is bike polo which was contested as an exhibition sport at the 1908 London Olympic Games and now holds global competitions on hard-court surfaces with three-rider teams.  The UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships will continue to be held separately typically near the end of the winter season in February a sports marketing and public relations agency which managed projects for Tour de Georgia a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years - from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams She has climbed l'Alpe d'Huez three times (not fast) Her favorite road and gravel rides are around horse farms in north Georgia (USA) and around lavender fields in Provence (France) you will then be prompted to enter your display name Driven by the experiences of its accident and emergency service the hospital at Sallanches has created a new department specialising in emergency mountain medicine Mountain doctors form specialist unit to respond to alpine emergencies As part of the implementation of the “groupements hospitaliers de territoire” all regional health institutions have been required to question and assess their strengths to offer a coherent healthcare provision in a given sector Considering the amount of alpine accidents that Sallanches hospital has to deal with each year it was a no brainer that their speciality would be mountain emergency medicine The project will be lead by Dr Frederic Champly who sees it as a compliment to the existing accident and emergency service which will offer a high level of competence thanks to the experiences of dealing with many mountain situations over the years Having a centre of excellence naturally attracts the most dynamic candidates and Dr Champly’s mailbox is apparently heaving with intern applications from around the world Sallanches hopes that their new facility will lead the world in the development of mountain emergency treatment by carrying out research into altitude They hope to work in partnership with organisations such as the National School of Mountain Sports for research and training purposes The mountain emergency team will consist of 30 doctors as well as 50 carers and an administrative team Hopefully none of us will be requiring their services this winter SeeChamonix.com is a SeeTheWorld destination The mountain sport equipment specialist led by Bruno Cercley has indicated it needs to restructure its winter sport operations and its ski production organisation in particular [ski] equipment specialists have been faced with significant reductions in output volumes owing to the growing popularity of ski renting combined with increasingly irregular snowfall rates in mountain resorts,” said Rossignol in a press release “Business has slumped due to the worldwide health crisis amplifying the market's structural contraction and leading to a drop in volumes of approximately 25% in 2020 and to significant uncertainty about the positive outcome of the next winter season,” added Rossignol.Against this background the group has announced a restructuring drive affecting 92 of its 1,310 employees Two thirds of the jobs in question are based in Sallanches where Rossignol operates a ski production facility that underwent a first streamlining 10 years ago the group announced it will cut 24 jobs at its Saint-Jean-de-Moirans headquarters 7 in Saint Etienne de Saint Geoirs and 61 at the Sallanches factory adding however that the evolution and transformation of its business will lead to the creation of 15 new jobs local media mentioned the possibility that some of the output from the Sallanches factory might be shifted to another Rossignol facility in Spain’s Barcelona region.The group gave further indications about its manufacturing organisation goals: “This project makes it possible to clarify the two sites’ respective roles to ensure that our production facilities are complementary and to give a clear mandate to the Sallanches site,” said Cercley who also confirmed the Rossignol group's firm intention of maintaining industrial operations in France and western Europe because fortunately good products are more common than bad Purchases made after clicking on those links may help support road.cc by earning us a commission but all of our reviews are fully independent named after one of Eddy Merckx's most significant race victories is a competent and finely balanced endurance road bike with enough agility to flatter cyclists who might want to emulate 'The Cannibal' there is plenty of comfort for longer rides and dealing with rough roads The Eddy Merckx name has been appearing on bicycle frames since 1980 but in recent years the company has been naming its bike models after significant victories from Eddy Merckx's hugely impressive career during which he amassed a staggering 525 victories This particular model is named after his victory in the amateur world championships in 1964 in the French town of Sallanches It's a nice touch and smart of the company to make his many race wins an integral element of each model > Find your nearest dealer here the Merckx Sallanches 64 achieves a great balance between that of an outright race bike and a relaxed endurance bike The position is a little less aggressive than a full-on racer the handlebar sitting a bit higher because of the 184mm head tube on this 56cm size bike but it's not so tall that you can't get down low and aero and assume a racy position if travelling fast over distance is your style of riding I've ridden a few Merckx bikes over the years and always been impressed with the handling The Sallanches 64 continues this good form Cornering is one of its fortes – it just feels stable and settled through high-speed bends making it easy to ride descents at speed even when tired towards the end of a long ride with agility in spades when you get feisty behind the handlebar and swing it quickly through the turns and bends The slightly longer wheelbase than you'd get on a race bike contributes to a more planted feel at higher speeds and through the descents; it's just a bit more relaxing to ride than many race bikes which is precisely what you want if you're shopping for an endurance bike Another area where the Sallanches 64 impresses is the smoothness of the ride It's not the silkiest endurance bike I've ever ridden but the combination of the carbon frame with its the skinny seatstays and the 25mm tyres does just enough to remove the harshness that can typically be felt on stiffer race bikes when riding along very poorly surfaced roads while not the lightest in this price range does give you a fighting chance on the climbs and the wide range gearing provided by the compact chainset and 11-28t cassette certainly help scale steeper climbs in relative comfort The frame itself is light (990g according to Merckx) and the Shimano Ultegra groupset isn't exactly heavy so the wheels are a prime future upgrade to look at to shed some weight One thing Merckx bikes tend to do is stand out from the crowd with its angular and aggressive looking frame with just the top tube gently curving from the tapered head tube to the neatly integrated seat clamp This last detail provides more extension for the 27.2mm seatpost to do a bit of deflecting The frame and fork are made from carbon fibre and Merckx has worked to provide a competitive weight coming in at a claimed 990g and 360g respectively There's full internal routing for the gear and brake cables the rear brake routing providing a particularly clean line to the brake calliper as it pops out of the top of the top tube You get barrel adjusters before the gear cables enter the down tube so you can fine-tune the gears on the move The bike on test is the Shimano Ultegra build and costs £2,200 – you can get the same frame with Shimano 105 parts for £1,800 if your budget doesn't quite extend to this model But it's worth saving up (or buying quickly – it's currently discounted by 40% at Wiggle): the quality of shifting with Ultegra is as good as you'd expect of Shimano's second-tier groupset; the shift action at the lever is light and gear changes come swiftly and quietly with nicely shaped hoods and easily reached brake levers The Ultegra brakes are similarly impressive: powerful and quiet and with the aluminium braking surfaces of the RS010 wheels The wheels reveal Merckx's budgetary constraints when putting this bike together The Continental Ultra Sport tyres are 25mm wide and offer decent traction in a range of conditions with the extra width allowing you to drop the pressure and maximise comfort There looks to be space for slightly wider tyres in the frame and fork but I found no reason to go wider when riding the Merckx Deda is an Italian bike parts company and supplies the aluminium stem and the dark logos on the black aluminium surface suits the style of the bike well The handlebar is an ergonomic shape with a short reach There are enough spacers above and below the stem to allow you to adjust the height of the handlebar to suit your fit preference The Sallanches 64 is one of a dwindling number of non-disc-braked endurance bikes; most manufacturers are moving these bikes over to discs. One popular example is the Cannondale Synapse Carbon Ultegra (£2,499) which offers a fast and smooth ride with all the advantages of hydraulic disc brakes > Read our guide to the best bikes for speed, distance and comfort If you don't want disc brakes, another option is the Canyon Endurace CF 9.0 (£1,949) it combines a relaxed carbon fibre frame with a Shimano Ultegra groupset but it gets lighter DT Swiss RR21 Dicut wheels weighing 1,415g Although it's more of a race bike, if you wanted a fast and light option then the Merida Scultura 6000 (£2,300) for another £100 manages to shed 400g and dip below 8kg thanks to a claimed 750g frame But remember the position is going to be racier; it depends on how much you want the higher position of the Sallanches 64 named after one of Eddy Merckx's most notable race victories but you likely won't be trying to replicate his achievement on this bike But if you want to ride longer distances in relative comfort the geometry and smooth ride offered by this endurance focused bike make it an interesting alternative to the more common choices in this category and price point (even more so at its current discounted price) The distinctive looking Merckx certainly stands out that will suit anyone looking for a friendly companion for long days out State the frame and fork material and method of construction List the components used to build up the bike Frame: Eddy Merckx Sallanches64 Carbon Monocoque Rear Derailleur: Shimano Ultegra RD-6800 SS How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike Eddy Merckx became the amateur world champion in Sallanches This marked the start of his extraordinarily successful career as a cyclist The Sallanches 64 is a carbon racing bike that combines compliance with a high level of stiffness This versatile racing machine is the ideal mix of high performance and endurance And this frame has also been given a special internal treatment so that the inside looks just as clean as the outside resulting in a weight of barely 900 grams." Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork High quality frame construction and very good finish Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork the stack height – the vertical distance between the centre of the bottom bracket and the top of the head tube – is 583mm while the reach – the horizontal distance between those points – is 381mm How was the bike in terms of height and reach How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size Tell us how you felt about the ride quality It provided a decently smooth and comfortable ride Did the bike feel stiff in the right places Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible It displayed plenty of gusto when you needed it Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel The Sallanches 64 feels like a tame race bike.. Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort The wheels add quite a bit of weight to the overall package Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness I was impressed with the Deda finishing parts Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency upgrading to lighter wheels would improve the overall package The Sallanches 64 is a very competent and solid package and offers a comfortable and engaging ride I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing please consider subscribing to the site to support us directly As a subscriber you can read road.cc ad-free The revenue from adverts helps to fund our site then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99 Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist Never mind the bike - who makes those tights a bit of Google-fu and I think I found them: Sportful R&D Bib Tights If it's good enough for Wiggins in yesterday's 6 Day race.. versatile and efficient – the welcome update makes this a road bike for all conditions affordable and good-looking – the best-kept secret in pro cycling A showcase of what's achievable in road bike design in terms of weight Great value and with a good drivetrain and brakes – but a firm ride and crying out for better tyres and a wider cassette road.cc's audience Report an advert on road.cc Privacy policy Subscribe All material © Farrelly Atkinson (F-At) Limited, Unit 7b Green Park Station BA11JB. Tel 01225 588855. © 2008–present unless otherwise stated. Terms and conditions of use Colorado – Outer Range Brewing (ORB) Colorado’s Award-winning craft brewery and apres hub announced Saturday that they are taking their quality craft beer and mountain lifestyle concept to the heart of the French Alps the Sallanches brewery will include a Nashville Hot Chicken restaurant a private event space for large parties or weddings and a climbing wall with floor-to-ceiling views of Mont Blanc we knew we had to find a location as aspirational and awe-inspiring as our original location in Frisco,” explained ORB Co-Founder “Our motto is ‘leave the life below,’ so we had to stay true to our values and go big with our next move So why not go to the place where apres was invented?” Co-Founders Lee and Emily Cleghorn travelled to Europe on several occasions to partner with breweries through tap takeovers and collabs experiences that allowed them to develop close friendships with the European beer community and continued to fuel their vision of expanding internationally Sallanches is surrounded by legendary mountains and communities rooted in outdoor recreation “The similarities between Sallanches and Frisco are remarkable,” explained Emily “We were absolutely blown away by the incredible mountainscapes and down-to-earth local community and construction is set to begin this spring they’ve purchased identical brew systems to assure the beer brewed overseas will be of the same quality they’ve become known for in the US The Sallanches tap list will include many of the flagship beers brewed in Frisco but they also look forward to learning new techniques from their European brewers and plan to allow their brewers to work between both locations Emily and Lee will move to Sallanches for at least a year or two to get it going but will continue to travel back and forth between Colorado and France Outer Range Brewing is a community-driven microbrewery in the small mountain town of Frisco Co-founder and Head Brewer Lee Cleghorn’s love of craft beer began when he lived in Belgium as a teenager where the first beers he ever drank were world-class Belgian ales That background has served as inspiration for his IPAs which showcase the ester profile of these traditionally hop-forward beers A graduate of the American Brewers Guild Brewing Science and Engineering school in Vermont Lee runs Outer Range with his wife and co-founder Emily who is the Chief Marketing Officer and leads the brewery’s branding They met while homebrewing beer together ten years ago brew for and with a passionate community who lives at the intersection of craft beer and the outdoor mountain lifestyle For More Information:https://www.outerrange.com The Strasbourg 71 gravel road bike debuted in summer 2015, and we’ve reviewed it here there’s an all-new Aramid reinforced carbon fiber model with additional bottle mounts and very clean stealth fender and rack mounts Inside the frame are carbon fiber tubes to guide the cables giving you quick and easy changes should things get Dirty Kanza nasty Full length internal cable and hose routing keeps it clean looking and shifting smooth Oversized cover plates open up wide to direct the cables into the full length internal channeling Protecting the seat tube’s backside and the bottom of the down tube are external layers of Innegra Aramid fibers The combo of Innegra and carbon fiber is said to be half the weight of just using carbon The protective sections actually extend further down wrapping around the bottom of the BB shell making room for mud or the rack/fender mounts Lower mounts sit flush on the seatstay just above the Syntace X-12 thru axle The front derailleur mount is reinforced to hold up against the powerful new electronic derailleurs remove it and install the cover plate for cleaner 1x builds Below it is an adjustable chain catcher to prevent it from dropping off and damaging your frame Further up the downtube are four sets of water bottle bolts While they’re spaced a bit close for actually putting two bottles on there they do give you flexibility in where you want your bottle or allow for accessories below a bottle Look for three complete build options – Shimano Ultegra DT Swiss R23 Spline wheels and Clement MSO 700×36 tires The Sallanches 64 is their gran fondo race machine The name celebrates Eddy’s win to become the amateur world champion in 1964 it gets extensive tube shaping and angling It’s running flat mount brakes and 12mm thru axles front and rear The EM525 race bike adds an “endurance geometry” model which essentially just swaps in a taller head tube to bump the stack height and decrease the reach putting the rider in a more upright position without adjusting any of the angles: The stack and reach of their bikes progress somewhat linearly across the size range as does the size of the steerer tube’s taper but the length of the taper is longer on the taller frames which creates a stiffer fork for larger frames Note the clever front brake entry point on the front of the head tube EddyMerckx.com Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com where he’s been writing about the latest bikes and cycling technology for almost two decades Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies mostly as an excuse to travel and ride in new places Based in North Carolina, Tyler also loves the Vanlife & family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part and off-grid adventure Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed There’s a lot of cool design work going on with the features on the Strasbourg 71 gravel road bike Will these be available as a frame only option Does it include both Aramid and Innegra or just Innegra Looks like Innegra H which is carbon and Innegra but don’t want to deal with solvents Simpyfast claims their Lube Cube is the easiest way Peak Performance expands on their MTB specific clothing with new pants Apparently that’s an option when you’re designing products for the GOAT We spotted Cofidis racing an all-new prototype wireless 13-speed Campagnolo Super Record 13 WRL SC road groupset Canyon Bicycles is now selling select models directly through Amazon.com Want wireless shifting but don’t want to have to buy a whole new drivetrain Be protected from the sun with the new UV Hooded Trail Shirt… OrNot The new Van Nicholas Astraeus is a beautiful titanium road bike that’s limited to just 50 frames Testing 17km mountain time trial celebrates Hinault's world title Two very hard days in the Alps are still to come but nobody will be saving anything as they go all out on this short 17-kilometre stage Froome: If I was riding for a small team, it would be very different Tour de France: Dan Martin attacks on climb to Finhaut-Emosson 2016 Tour de France stage 18 time trial start times with its flatter start and a downhill section to the finish but stage 18 of the Tour de France will be a much sterner test than anything seen in March flat section of four kilometres before a sharp hairpin bend onto the Cote de Domancy - the first of two climbs This is by far the toughest part of the course and the reason why Porte and many of the general classification competitors will opt to ride their standard road bike with clip-on aero bars Porte expects some to use the full TT set-ups The Domancy averages 9.4 per cent over just 2.5 kilometres but peaks at over 16 per cent With the first time check of the stage at the top of the Domancy we will get our first indications as to who is going well go too fast and you will pay for it as the road keeps climbing Whoever does post the fastest time will get a chance to step up onto the podium at the finish and be awarded the Prix Bernard Hinault by the man himself Today’s stage also celebrates Hinault’s 1980 world road race title when he attacked alone on the Domancy climb to win the rainbow jersey with the Cote des Chozeaux joining on almost seamlessly from the top of the Domancy The road eases out to a much more manageable 1.6 per cent average for a kilometre before gradually nudging up to five per cent The final kilometres of the Chozeaux appear almost like steps on the race profile switching from a testing eight per cent to an almost flat section It’s much less arduous than the Domancy but riders will not be able to settle as the gradient constantly changes there is a two-kilometre descent to the line in Megeve It’s almost entirely straight but with a 90-degree right-hand bend coming in the final metres it appears that Froome has this year’s Tour de France all but wrapped up with three days still to go we know that illness or a crash could turn the race on its head but Froome looks set to go to Paris with yellow The time trial will be a chance for Froome to further stamp his authority on the race and to take a stage win in the yellow jersey something he has done during his last two successful Tours There are few that look strong enough to topple Froome in this stage Tom Dumoulin is gearing up for a tilt at the time trial at the Olympic Games in Rio and has already proved his credentials once with a superb victory in the stage 13 time trial Dumoulin has been riding a tactically astute Tour de France He made sure to save his legs during yesterday’s mountain stage to the Emosson Dam finishing more than half an hour down on the stage winner This means that he should be fresh and ready on the line in Sallanches Froome’s former teammate and right-hand man Richie Porte is on a mission to make the podium and has looked strong in recent days He has been the only rider to successfully attack Froome and draw the yellow jersey out of the bunch The Australian struggled on the previous time trial following his crash on Mont Ventoux He is sure to climb the standings later today Current second place Bauke Mollema is not a serious threat for the stage win or the yellow jersey at this stage but after his time trial performance earlier in the week he should not be too worried about his position in the standings Adam Yates and Nairo Quintana will be looking to lose as little time as possible we can expect to see strong performances from Jerome Coppel (IAM Cycling) and Nelson Oliveira (Movistar) with the temperatures rising to up to 32 degrees Earlier riders could also be subject to some showers after storms rolled through the region on Wednesday night Born in Ireland to a cycling family and later moved to the Isle of Man so there was no surprise when I got into the sport Studied sports journalism at university before going on to do a Masters in sports broadcast After university I spent three months interning at Eurosport before becoming the deputy editor of Procycling Week Eddy Merckx is widely considered to be the greatest cyclist of all time His bike brand caters to all your road bike needs with the Sallanches fulfilling the role of a big-mile endurance machine The name comes from the town in France that hosted the 1964 UCI Road World Championships where Merckx took the amateur title at just 19 10 seconds) is emblazoned on the down-tube The Sallanche 64’s frame is a gorgeous thing that melds organic curves with butch but the endurance bike clues are there – the seatpost is skinny and the seatstays have a pronounced flat section around the brake calliper that should add vertical flex to the rear this is it; the funky proprietary seat clamp sits flush with the top-tube in a way that’s reminiscent of the last generation Orbea Orca while the visual kink in the top-tube is Look-esque Tying it all together Merckx has applied some eye-catching fluorescent orange highlights — it’s a good-looking machine but the Sallanches is built on a frame that’s claimed to come in at a reasonable 990g While the Sallanches could be called a race bike its persona on the road is less that of ‘the cannibal’ Eddy Merckx (a nickname used by the media in his glory days) and more that of a dinner party guest far too polite to feast on human flesh It’s a smooth and composed ride that’s best suited to big miles at a steady pace but that’s not to say it isn’t a fun bike to ride — it’s fairly stiff and its unruffled nature on speedy downhill sections inspires daring behaviour It just doesn’t have the edginess of some of the competition out there and also because the comparatively upright position favours a more relaxed outlook (Our medium bike has a reach [horizontal distance between the centre of the frame’s bottom bracket and head-tube] and stack [vertical distance from the bottom bracket to the middle of the head-tube] of 376mm and 562mm respectively numbers that are very much in the ‘sportive’ ballpark.) Tyre clearances are decent — it’s only meant to take 25s but we’re confident you could squeeze 28mm rubber in for an even plusher ride The Sallanches wouldn’t be our first choice for bagging KOMs There are no real misses on the spec front which includes a Shimano 105 groupset and RS010 wheels with the minor exception of the curious Deda headset top cap which conceals the preload bolt — on our test bike it managed to weld itself in place Finishing kit is basic but attractive and while you could sharpen the ride up with a change of wheels the bike is entirely competent out of the box a then-unknown Eddy Merckx won the amateur world championship in Sallanches Merckx would of course go on to be the most dominant bike racer of all time devouring races and competitors and earning the nickname The Cannibal the Merckx bicycle brand has this Sallanches 64 endurance road machine that offers agile handling in a comfortable layout have short (160mm) head tubes for aggressive body positioning steep (73-degree) seat and head tube angles for quick handling have taller ( 180mm) head tubes for more upright body positioning more relaxed (72-degree) head tubes for sure steering and longer (420mm) chainstays for stability The Sallanches 64 combines elements of both with a taller front end (187mm head tube) but quick handling with a 73-degree head angle and mid-length chainstays (410mm) and overall length for a happy medium of agility and stability If you had to put the Sallanches 64 in a box it would definitely be an endurance road bike — just a peppy one The carbon frame and fork are competitively light Merckx skewed towards compliance over stiffness The internally routed frame comes in five sizes and three build options ranging from the entry-level $1,999 Shimano Tiagra build to the $2,999 Shimano Ultegra bike This Shimano 105 bike shown here is $2,599 Merckx is offering the bikes for between $299 and $449 off The 54cm Merckx Sallanches 64 shown weighs 19.05lb / 8.64kg a Deda Zero cockpit and Continental Ultra Sport II 25mm tires The latest arrival demanding attention here at road.cc is the Eddy Merckx Sallanches64 carbon-fibre road bike – a £2,199 endurance/performance model equipped with a Shimano Ultegra groupset The Sallanches64 – hereafter known as the Sallanches – gets its name from the fact that Eddy Merckx became the amateur world champion in Sallanches rather than the rider – describes the Sallanches as “a carbon racing bike that combines compliance with a high level of stiffness” The idea is that it balances high performance with endurance The frame is a carbon-fibre monocoque with a tapered head tube that’s designed to provide stiffness up front The upper bearing is 1 1/8in while the lower one is a far more chunky 1 1/2in The bottom bracket is Shimano press fit standard while the chainstays are asymmetric the rationale being that the two sides of the bike have to cope with very different forces Eddy Merckx says that the seatstays are designed for compliance and join the seat tube just below a very neat seatpost clamp that sits flush with the frame We have the large sized Sallanches in for review with a 502mm seat tube The stack height – the vertical distance between the centre of the bottom bracket and the top of the head tube – is 583mm while the reach – the horizontal distance between those points – is 381mm Those figures suggest a ride position that’s a little more relaxed than that of an out and out race bike where you’d expect a slightly longer top tube and a shorter head tube The result of the Sallanches’ geometry is that you’ll sit a bit more upright It still looks like quite a performance orientated setup with a 73° head angle and pretty short 410mm chainstays designed to provide sharp handling The frame weight suggests a speed-minded bike too Eddy Merckx claiming that it’s 990g with the carbon monocoque fork coming in at 360g Our complete bike weighed in at 8.3kg (18.3lb) The Sallanches is available in a mid-level Shimano 105 build for £1,799 or built up with a Shimano Ultegra groupset Ultegra is the second tier road lineup from the Japanese component giant That Ultegra chainset is of the compact variety with 50-tooth and 34-tooth chainrings it gives you some fairly small gears for grinding up the climbs although there are bikes out there with smaller Ultegra and 105 both offer cassettes with a maximum sprocket size of 32-tooth You pays your money and you takes your choice on that one What’s right for one person isn’t necessarily right for another The short cage rear derailleur can handle a maximum sprocket size of 28 tooth meaning that you couldn’t just fit a wider ranging cassette if you later found that you needed one make sure the gearing is right for you before spending your money They’re an entry level option with 24mm deep aluminium rims The wheels aren’t especially lightweight – 789g (front) and 1,080g (rear) claimed – but in our experience Shimano wheels tend to be durable and reliable If you could use these for training and have something lighter for special occasions but we’ve always found them reasonably supple and the 25mm width is bang on trend The vast majority of sports-focused road bikes ridden by everyone from complete beginners to Tour de France racers now roll on 25mm tyres for a little more comfort and grip than you get with 23s stem and seatpost are all aluminium choices from Deda while the saddle is from Prologo Of the bikes that we’ve reviewed on road.cc recently, the closest in price to the £2,199 Eddy Merckx Sallanches is the £2,299 Look 765 that we reviewed it has a full Ultegra groupset and an endurance geometry although the ride position is quite a bit more upright which is why we’d always advise you to take a bike for a test ride before you hand over the money The £2,300 Merida Scultura 6000 that we reviewed is a lightweight race bike with a carbon-fibre frameset that we described as ‘truly stunning’ it’s build up with Shimano Ultegra shifters and derailleurs although the brakes and chainset are from other brands that should put the EddyMerckx Sallanches into a bit of context for you Now we need to go and get it out on the road and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions All material © Farrelly Atkinson (F-At) Limited, Unit 7b Green Park Station BA11JB. Tel 01225 588855. © 2008–present unless otherwise stated. Terms and conditions of use We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website and to ensure we show advertising that is relevant to you. By continuing to use our website, you agree to our use of such cookies. You can change this and find out more by following: Cookie Policy or Close