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Destinations, athlete stories, and field reports from every corner of the globe.
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Some Things Stay
The legacy of a sculptor, the soul of a cyclist, and the journey that turned Miguel Solís into a voice for safer roads.
By ZealZag Team
Chasing Challenges, Facing Fears
the mountains of Montana, Anne Cegelski has always chosen the more difficult path
By ZealZag Team
The Long Way Up
From World Cups to the limestone walls Julia Fišer discovered that the greatest climbs are not always the ones that take you higher
By ZealZag TeamRace the Route: Stage 8 of the 2026 Tour — Périgueux to Bergerac Through the Dordogne
Today's Stage 8 is a flat 180.4 km run from Périgueux to Bergerac through the Dordogne. Here's how to ride the same terrain the peloton races — and turn it into your own endurance session.
By ZealZag TeamRaglan In, J-Bay Out: Surfing's 2026 Championship Tour Heads to a New Left
The World Surf League has swapped the iconic right of Jeffreys Bay for the long lefts of Raglan, New Zealand, on the 2026 Championship Tour — a new proving ground, and a new destination for traveling surfers.
By ZealZag TeamRace the Route: Riding the Col du Tourmalet Like the 2026 Tour
The 2026 Tour's first hors catégorie climb is a bucket-list ascent for any cyclist. Here's how to ride the Col du Tourmalet yourself — the numbers, the two approaches, and why you should do it with a local.
By ZealZag TeamTour de France 2026: The Tourmalet Awaits as Træen Defends Yellow Into the Pyrenees
A surprise leader in yellow, the favourites lying in wait, and the fabled Col du Tourmalet looming as the 2026 Tour's first hors catégorie test — the race for the mountains starts now.
By ZealZag Team
Running in Purple
A Law Student’s Journey Beyond the Finish Line.
By ZealZag TeamCycling Barcelona: Montjuïc, the Seafront Stage 1 Route, and the Sitges Coast
A practical guide to riding the roads at the centre of the Tour de France's Grand Départ — Montjuïc's switchbacks, the seafront TTT course, and the 40-kilometre coastal run to Sitges that Stage 2 traces along the Costa Daurada.
By ZealZag TeamGrand Départ Barcelona: The Tour Opens with Its First Team Time Trial Since 1971
Twenty-two squads rolled off the Parc del Fòrum ramp and pointed at Montjuïc on Saturday as the Tour de France opened its 2026 edition with a team time trial through the streets of Barcelona — a format not seen at a Tour Grand Départ since 1971, and one carrying an individual GC twist that made every second count.
By ZealZag TeamKrakow for Climbers: Polish Jura Limestone, Tatra Granite, and a UNESCO Old Town Base
Poland's best base city for outdoor climbing sits 25 kilometres from the limestone crags of the Jura and two hours from the granite of the Tatra Mountains — and its Old Town is one of Central Europe's best rest-day destinations.
By ZealZag TeamKrakow 2026: Hunt and Watson Make History as Speed Mixed Relay Debuts at World Climbing Series
Emma Hunt and Samuel Watson set the first Speed Mixed Relay world record in history — 11.22 seconds — as the World Climbing Series opened its Krakow speed event with two discipline firsts: the Speed 4 format's World Cup debut and the inaugural Mixed Relay qualification on the world stage.
By ZealZag TeamThe Bec des Rosses and the Thirty-Year Competition That Changed Freeride Skiing
In 1996, a small group of skiers dropped off the Bec des Rosses — a 55-degree face above Verbier — in what became the first edition of the Verbier Xtreme. Three decades later, that same face is the closing venue of a global competitive series. The route from sidecountry dare to world championship is not a straight line.
By ZealZag TeamYour First Multi-Day MTB Stage Race: What the Training Actually Looks Like
Stage racing on a mountain bike is a different discipline from a single hard event. The training is different, the equipment choices are different, and the in-race decisions that determine whether you finish comfortably or blow up on day three are different. Here is the framework that experienced stage racers actually use.
By ZealZag TeamLa Thuile and the Aosta Valley: Riding Italy's Alpine Crossroads
The Aosta Valley is Italy's smallest region and one of its least-visited — hemmed in by Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn, and Gran Paradiso, with a UCI World Cup venue at its western end and a Roman city at its base. A practical guide for mountain bikers coming for the race or planning the trip.
By ZealZag TeamBlunk and Boichis Take Short-Track Glory in the Alps at La Thuile XCC
Savilia Blunk and Adrien Boichis emerged from bar-to-bar chaos to win the Elite XCC Short Track at Round 7 of the WHOOP UCI Mountain Bike World Series — the only event on the calendar that gathers all four disciplines in one Alpine hub.
By ZealZag TeamVal d'Aran VDA 163K 2026: Europe's Biggest Mountain Ultra Is Running Now
The HOKA Val d'Aran by UTMB's flagship 163K race — Europe's biggest trail ultra and a direct qualifier to UTMB Mont-Blanc 2027 — departed Vielha at dawn this morning with 7,500 runners from 91 countries.
By ZealZag TeamMirosław's Last Race Is in Krakow — and the Whole World Is Watching
The World Climbing Series returns to Krakow's UNESCO Main Market Square with a new format and an unmissable storyline: Aleksandra Mirosław, Olympic champion and world record holder, racing in her home city in what she has said will be her final competitive season.
By ZealZag TeamRoad Running Shoes: What the Categories Actually Mean and How to Choose Between Them
The road running shoe market has fractured into distinct categories over the last decade, driven largely by carbon plate technology. Understanding what each category is built to do — and what it is not — prevents expensive mistakes and, more importantly, prevents buying race-day performance at the expense of training health.
By ZealZag TeamFrom Pool to Ocean: Developing the Skills That Open Water Swimming Actually Demands
Pool swimming builds fitness. Open water swimming demands something different — navigational awareness, physical composure in crowds, and adaptations to temperature, chop, and current that no lane session can prepare you for. The gap between the two environments is closeable with deliberate practice, but it requires specific work.
By ZealZag TeamTarifa: The Strait Wind Capital That Makes and Breaks Kitesurfers
At the southernmost tip of continental Europe, where the Atlantic forces itself through the Strait of Gibraltar to meet the Mediterranean, Tarifa has been the default kitesurf destination for European athletes since the sport found commercial footing in the late 1990s. The wind is the reason. The town, the culture, and the logistics are worth understanding before you commit to your first trip.
By ZealZag TeamHow to Watch the Tour de France 2026 in Person: Barcelona to Alpe d'Huez
A practical guide for destination-athletes joining the Tour de France roadside — the stages worth travelling for, where to stand on Alpe d'Huez and in the Pyrenees, how to time a trip around the race's three-week geography, and what the experience actually delivers.
By ZealZag TeamGaudí's Avenue Belongs to the Tour: 80,000 Fill Barcelona for the Team Presentation
With 80,000 spectators lining Avinguda de Gaudí between the Sant Pau Art Nouveau Site and the Sagrada Família, and Castellers building human towers while Sílvia Pérez Cruz sang, Barcelona staged the most architecturally striking team presentation in Tour de France history — two days before the race begins.
By ZealZag TeamClimbing Southern Poland: Jura Limestone and Tatry Granite
Two climbing landscapes within two hours of each other: the Jurassic limestone crags of the Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska, stretching 190km north of Krakow, and the granite walls of the High Tatry — Poland's answer to Finale Ligure, without the crowds.
By ZealZag Team