We Noticed: Knibb Wins US TT Nationals Again, Canyon’s Prototype Predict, Pogačar’s New Ride, Olympic Qualifying and More

Taylor Knibb won the US Time Trial Championships in 2024, which qualified her for the US squad at the Paris Olympics – she competed as both a cyclist and triathlete at those Games. Three crashes in the time trial (the conditions were so slippery that the team mechanic even slipped trying to get Knibb a spare bike) would eventually lead to a 19th-place finish on the bike in Paris. Knibb would take 19th in the individual triathlon race before sprinting past Potter in the mixed relay to give the USA the silver medal.

Earlier this week Knibb was back to her time-trial winning ways as she took her second national TT title by 45.16 seconds over defending champion Emily Ehrlich. Knibb trailed through the halfway point of the race, but powered through the second half of the race to finish the 33.4 km course in 42.37.30 seconds. Paige Onweller rounded out the podium.

Canyon will debut a unique prototype bike at Eurobike next week – the Predict – which, according to the company, is “a cutting-edge concept designed to radically improve rider safety and pack-riding performance. As cars have become safer, Canyon’s engineers reflected on the fact that bicycles haven’t become any safer, and Canyon’s head of design, Fedja Delic, says “riding a bike on the road has become arguably more dangerous than ever before.”

The Predict uses cameras, radar signals and Edge AI to communicate with the bike’s on-board computer to predict hazards in real time.

According to Canyon:

Through the fusion of data from various on-bike sensors and integration of rider dynamics such as speed, steering, and stability, the system builds a situational model that goes beyond surrounding traffic. 

It combines 360° multi-modal sensing (camera + radar + distributed sensors including a multi-dimensional motion sensor in the DT Swiss wheel hub) with on-device AI processing to eliminate blind spots and remove internet dependency, enabling instant, privacy-preserving decision-making.

The bike doesn’t just give yo ua heads up to swerve or hit the brakes – adaptive hardware even allows the rider to drop the seat post to lower the centre of gravity to improve stability and improve control.

The overall goal of the system is to transform bicycle safety from reactive to predictive by enhancing the rider’s awareness of the complete environment, significantly reducing reaction time to potential hazards, and providing intelligent, context-aware insights rather than simple alerts. 

By integrating real-time perception with rider dynamics such as speed, steering angle, and stability, the system also aims to improve control in critical situations, while ultimately minimizing both the likelihood and severity of accidents through timely guidance and interventions.

The Predict bike also connects to Canyon’s Stinger Smart Helmet that has a drop-down visor and data visualization screen. The prototype will no-doubt be a hit at the Canyon booth at Eurobike later this month.

Colnago Launches New TT2

While prototypes of the new bike were used at the Tour de Romandie, tomorrow’s time trial at the Tour de Suisse will serve as the first official appearance of the new Colnago TT2 as Tadej Pogačar and the rest of his UAE Team Emirates-XRG crew ride use the new platform. The new bike improves on both the aerodynamics, handling and especially the weight of the TT1 model.

“At the heart of the TT2 project was a clear objective: create a bicycle capable of responding to the changing nature of modern time trial competition,” the company wrote in the press release on the new bike. The biggest change comes with the weight of the new bike – it checks in about 550 g lighter than the TT1 without compromising stiffness, strength or aero efficiency. A narrower profile leads to about two watts of aerodynamic savings, while improved aerodynamic tube profiles have also improved handling in crosswinds. There’s also a new Aero Bottle System with a Fidlock magnetic fastening system that is designed to work with the frame to improve aero performance and ease of use. (The UAT Team won’t be using that this year due to sponsorship commitments with Elite.)

The bike comes in four sizes – XS to L – and features a new integrated cockpit that also allows for lots of adjustability. That new front end is simplified to allow for a conventional headset set up and a completely redesigned fork. That will make life easier for mechanics and athletes and improves serviceability and also reduced some weight. The tire clearance for the new bike is up to 30-622.

This speedy new frame will set you back US$7,500 – that gets you the frame, fork, seat post, baseballs and aero bottle system.

We don’t see a lot of Colnago TT bikes in transition areas – it truly is the classic example of how a TT bike isn’t always the best option for triathletes who are looking for lots of storage to take care of hydration and nutrition needs. We’ll definitely keep our eyes out for any Colnago TT2 frames we see in transition, though.

Olympic Qualifying

The qualification window for the LA 2028 Olympic triathlon opened on May 18. Athletes’ 12 best scores count (it’s a bit more complicated because you can only have a maximum of seven scores from each annual period), with a maximum of 55 men and women qualifying. The maximum number of athletes per country is three, but that’s only if there are three athletes ranked in the top 30 from that nation.

Athletes can qualify both as individuals or through the mixed relay – there are 16 mixed relay ranking places per gender – and this weekend’s World Triathlon Championship Series race in Quiberon, France features the first opportunity for countries to earn points for the mixed relay.

The individual sprint races start at 10 am local time (4 am EDT) for the men, and 12 pm local time (6 am EDT) for the women. You can watch the racing live at TriathlonLive.TV.

As we mentioned earlier this week in our story on super-runners Cassandre Beaugrand and Alex Yee, those two will be in the field for tomorrow’s race, but will face some stiff competition.

Series leader Vasco Vilaça (POR) will be looking for another win after taking WTCS Samarkand and Alghero, while Brazil’s Miguel Hidalgo will be keen to move up a step on the podium after runner-up finishes at WTCS Yokohama and Alghero. Add to the mix Germany’s Henry Graf, France’s Dorian Coninx and Spain’s David Cantero Del Campo and you have more than a few speedsters ready to vie for the podium.

Series leader Beth Potter (GBR) isn’t in the field tomorrow, but Beaugrand has lots of high-powered competition. Luxembourg’s Jeanne Lehair is currently second in the series, while France’s Leonie Periault, Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) and American Taylor Spivey (fresh off a French Club win in Albi last weekend ahead of Lehair, who was third) are all in great form and likely to be in the hunt for the win and/ or a podium finish.

Sunday’s Mixed Relay race will feature 17 teams and goes at 5 pm local time 11 am EDT.

Matthews and Van Riel Highlight Elsinore Field

The next stop in the IRONMAN Pro Series takes place in Elsinore and features the return to racing for Kat Matthews after that tough day of flats at IRONMAN Texas. The Brit will arrive as the prohibitive favourite, but look for the likes of home-country favourite Katrine Christensen, Lotte Wilms (NED), Aussie Natalie Van Coevorden and Spain’s Marta Sanchez to keep Matthews honest.

While Belgium’s Marten Van Riel arrives as the men’s favourite, another home-country hero – Kristian Høgenhaug – will have lots of support out on the course. Add to the competitive mix athletes like South Africa’s Jamie Riddle and Kiwi Kyle Smith and there should be a competitive bunch ready to provide some exciting racing.

The racing gets started at 7 am local time, which will be 1 am EDT. There’s U$50,000 up for grabs along with there men’s and women’s pro slots for The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice. You can watch the racing here.

Women’s Professional Field

Men’s Professional Field

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