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The Alpha brings innovation to winter jackets, and plenty of style. Stretchy Windstopper 150 fabric creates the windproof, water resistant shell but, rather than a conventional softshell material, Castelli has detached the insulation, and only added it where necessary. The back has a mesh panel and ventilation flap and most of the sleeves have a warm waffle pattern fabric, as does the zip-up waistcoat that insulates the chest. It’s fixed at both sides, but if you overheat, the Alpha allows you to open the main zip to expel moisture without chilling your core. All the insulation moves independently of the shell, giving great freedom, and Castelli’s raw edge cuffs and waistband seal perfectly, lying totally flat for excellent glove-like fit and no draughts. Even the articulated collar is super snug. Practicalities are taken care of by three drop pockets and two zipped, one rear and one on the waist. This article was originally published on BikeRadar and in Cycling Plus magazine. Sweet, take me to the Alpha products, click here >>

Heading south from The Dalles, Oregon, the sky becomes increasingly immense. Over the widening expanse of bare hills, the riders become nearly-indiscriminate specks traveling the thin dirt roads of the backcountry. Abandoned farmhouses and infrequent fencelines are the only real signposts, rough indicators of distance traveled. Late in the morning, the riders summit a ridgeline in a freezing fog that clings in icy patterns on prairie grass. So little movement in the light wind. Passing ranchers must wonder what these riders are doing so far from more-civilized roads, but they have come out to preview the important gravel sections that define the Gorge Roubaix. The second day of the race begins on paved roads but soon abandons them about 15 miles outside of town for the more adventurous gravel terrain that riders are eager for. To not know what these gravel sections hold is to be at a significant disadvantage during the race. In the group of four riders previewing these 30 miles of gravel, there are three flats. A simple reminder of what can quickly put you out of the race. The nature of the varying landscapes, from rocky bluffs to desolate farmroads, makes the Gorge Roubaix a beautiful two-day event, while ...

New York City. A busy metropolis of towering buildings and its millions of people rushing to grab a bite to eat, to hail a cab, or to catch a subway train as it pulls up to the platform. A blur of traffic and anonymous crowds. Always hurrying. Never enough time. Enough of a challenge if you weren’t trying to be an elite triathlete. Always looking for any possible way to fit training hours into a crazy life schedule. But you find a way. It’s a life balance with an emphasis on sacrifice. You dream of Kona.

This week’s Dubai Tour (February 4-7) is drawing big names, including Vincenzo Nibali, reigning Tour de France champion; Mark Cavendish, winner of 43 Grand Tour stages; Alejandro Valverde, winner of the 2014 UCI WorldTour ranking; Tony Martin, three times UCI Time Trial World Champion; Joaquim Rodríguez, two times winner of Il Lombardia; Philippe Gilbert, former UCI Road World Champion and John Degenkolb, 10-time winner of Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España stages. The four road stages, totalling 663 kilometres, will kick-off Wednesday with a flat stage concluding with four laps of an 8.2km circuit and finish at the Union House Flag.     Stage two is a similar fare, with a finish on the iconic palm island for what is likely to be another bunch sprint. The big showdown will take place on stage three when Nibali, Valverde, Rodriguez and Gilbert will go wheel-to-wheel. The organisers consider it a ‘medium mountain stage’, the riders are sent back and forth in the rugged Hajar Mountains, resulting in two climbs at 10% and one climb at 7%, while the finale is a short ascent with a steepest section of 17%. The GC riders will need to rid themselves of the sprinters on the final climb as time bonuses could otherwise come into play ...

MTN-Qhubeka’s Steve Cummings takes the second race of the Challenge Mallorca, beating Alejandro Valverde on the final climb Stephen Cummings got his career as an MTN-Qhubeka rider off to the perfect start when the Brit won his first race in his new Castelli colors, the Trofeo Andratx which was the second race of the Challenge Mallorca race series. “I’m really happy with today’s victory,” Cummings said. “I knew I had done a lot of good work over the winter so I’d like to thank the team for the amazing work they did and chance they gave me to focus on today’s race.” Cummings’ teammate Johann van Zyl spent over 145 kilometers in the day’s main breakaway. The escape started out with 10 riders, but on the lower slopes of the first-category Puig Major climb, the 23-year-old South African, along with José Goncalves (Caja-Rural) and Dylan van Baarle (Cannondale-Garmin), rode clear from the rest of break. With 38 kilometers to go, van Zyl tried a brief solo attack but was soon caught by Goncalves and van Baarle. With three kilometers to go, the MTN-Qhubeka rider went again. He was eventually the last rider caught, at 1.5km to go. Soon after, Cummings attacked ...