Gather round and gaze into our crystal ball – that's right, we've gone a bit Nostradamus for the New Year and tried to work out what's coming down the tracks this year.
I think you'd be a bit disappointed to open your fortune cookie and get 'bikes might be more affordable', but hey, that's what you're getting in our restaurant. Just know that we will not be held liable should these predictions not pay off...
This is the final piece in a series of pieces where we have compiled thoughts from across the CW staff about 2025, after our riders of the year, moments of the year, our alternative riders of the year, our bike rides of the year, our races of the year, and our favourite places to ride full stop. Please let us know your thoughts!
Pogačar will win Roubaix – Tom Davidson, senior news and features writer
Standing on the artificial grass in the middle of the Roubaix Velodrome this April, there was a feeling that cycling fans had been starved of an all-time finale. Inside 40km, Tadej Pogačar had misjudged a corner on a cobbled sector, and toppled into the dirt at the side of the road. The time it took him to change his bike and remount cost him his shot at a showdown with Mathieu van der Poel, the eventual winner. Who knows what might have happened?
As those of us who watch a lot of bike racing know, Pogačar is a rider who rarely makes mistakes; only his crashes at Roubaix and Strade Bianche this year spring to mind, and he still won the latter. I can’t see him slipping up next spring.
Roubaix is a race he’s so determined to win that he’s spent his off-season in northern France testing the cobbles. How do I think he’ll do it? The same way he always does – riding away from everyone from range. The last Tour champion to win Roubaix was Bernard Hinault in 1981 (Pauline Ferrand-Prévot had not won the Tour when she won Roubaix). Forty five years on, I think that statistic will be reset.
Demi Vollering will win the Tour and return to her unstoppable best – Adam Becket, news editor
Demi Vollering finished top of the Women's WorldTour rankings at the end of 2025, which feels a bit odd, even though the Dutchwoman was clearly the most consistent rider over the season. The second-place at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift for a second year in a row dampened the whole year, even though it shouldn't have.
Vollering had a great 2025 at her new team, FDJ-SUEZ, and I back her and them to deliver even more in 2026. This is the rider who won the Ardennes triple in 2023, and surely has a Tour of Flanders in her, and the Giro d'Italia Women route suits her too. I think there could be a special Vuelta Femenina, Giro and Tour triple up her sleeve...
Phat tyres – Hannah Bussey, tech writer
Tyre sizes on gravel bikes have become a hot topic in the tech team of late. We've been watching the cycling community, in general, becoming more curious about all-terrain Frankenstein bikes that incorporate dropped bars, front suspension, and dropper posts, and wonder if there really is any space for them in an already pretty crowded bike market.
Adding 50mm tyre options (for the bikes that can take them) to the mix has challenged the naysayers even more, with many "just get a hardtail mountain bike" retorts. But given that every bicycle innovation received a similar 'what's the point?' response, it could be a sign that this is one trend that sticks in 2026.
Bold colours – Aaron Borrill, tech writer
Bolder colourways. There was a time when inconspicuous, stealthy paint was de rigueur, but my prediction for 2026 is the rise of bolder colours and brazen graphics. While we’ve seen a few brands trial this in 2025, I foresee more bikes outfitted in wilder graphics and colours come the new year.
More gravel and more bikepacking – James Shrubsall, senior news and features writer
With British Cycling having taken over the British Gravel Championships for next year, I can see gravel racing and riding – and its cousin bikepacking racing – taking another step towards the mainstream. Bikepacking racing in particular is more accessible than many realise, and riders just need to have that demonstrated to them. Oh, and Tadej Pogačar to win a fifth Tour de France.
Tech changes – Andy Carr, tech editor
E-pumps will get less boxy. Tyres will get greener, and browner. Saddle set-back and stem length will be back on the performance handling agenda. And we will lament the loss of the steel spoke in performance cycling. Hell, I might even stop talking about it.
The return of affordable cycling, and someone beating Tadej - Matt Ischt-Barnard, ecomm and tech writer
All the ingredients are in place for more affordable cycling: alloy and steel frames are surging, more affordable groupsets from the likes of Microshift are on the rise, the cost-of-living crisis and tariffs are weighing in, and Chinese bicycle manufacturers are entering the mainstream. I dearly hope that affordable cycling is once again on the horizon.
Finally, just for fun, to counter James: 26 is the year someone figures out how to beat Tadej, I can’t say who, but someone.
