GCN Show: What will 2024 bring to the world of cycling?

In this week’s GCN Show, Si Richardson and Dan Lloyd are in the studio to reflect on 2023, and look ahead to what 2024 is going to bring in the world of cycling.

From key racing moments and our presenters’ trials and tribulations through the year, to the sad closure of GCN+ and the state of the bike industry, Si and Dan reflect on all the biggest talking points of the year just gone.

One of the biggest storylines from 2023 - in both racing terms and for recreational cyclists - was gravel. The discipline is on a rapid upwards trajectory, and looks set to continue growing even more in 2024, with world champion Matej Mohorič already stating his intentions to ride Unbound next year. The pair also give us a sneak peak into GCN’s plans and ambitions in the gravel world in 2024.

• Read more: Gravel bikes, riding, racing and events: Everything you need to know about the sport in 2024

As well as gravel, the news - good and bad - coming out of various parts of the bike industry has continued over the festive period, leading Si and Dan to discuss where the industry stands as we head into a new year.

Plus, it may only be December, but attention is already on the biggest race of next year, the Tour de France. Can Jonas Vingegaard tick off a third straight yellow jersey win? Or could Tadej Pogačar’s plan of racing the Giro d’Italia and the Tour pay off? In the women’s race, it’s less a question of who can win, but who can beat Demi Vollering? We’ll be talking about the Tour for months to come.

Make sure to watch the full video to hear all of Si and Dan’s thoughts, feelings and questions about the year to come.

GCN’s 30 in 30 challenge

Here at GCN, our 2024 is going to kick off with another instalment of our 30 in 30 challenge, in collaboration with Zwift. A full video will be live on the channel and the website on Saturday to explain more, but the challenge is simple: starting from 1 January, you ride or exercise for 30 minutes each day for 30 days.

Riding can be outdoors or indoors, or you can do whichever other activity you choose, and our presenters will be hosting Zwift rides twice a day throughout the month (we'll share the schedule with you soon!). The idea is to just get yourself moving and connect with the community to get the year off to a strong start.

• Read more: GCN's ultimate guide to indoor cycling

Will you be getting involved in 30 in 30 this year? What’s your exercise of choice? Let us know in the comments, and watch Saturday’s video to find out more about what we have planned!

Cycling shorts

• In the first of some festive tales of heartwarming generosity, 90-year-old Alice Watts, a long-time community organiser in Los Angeles, will be donating bikes, blankets and other necessities to children in her hometown of Watts. She’s been doing this for over 40 years!
• In Maui, the Maui Bicycling League have been busy providing bikes for 80 children, whilst in south Florida the Rick Case Automotive group have continued their annual tradition of providing free bikes to kids. Tune into the show for more stories of bike goodwill from around the world this Christmas
• Cyclists in the United States may have to pay more to buy their bikes, with the import threshold set to be reduced in an effort to prevent low-quality e-bikes and batteries from coming into the country.
• Police in Japan have come up with an ingenious solution to distinguish whether cyclists are wearing noise-cancelling headphones or normal ones. The solution? Shouting at them to see if they hear. Well, if it works…
• Various cities in North America are putting plans and money in place to make streets safer for cyclists.

Hack/bodge

The GCN App may have closed, but that will never stop your hacks and bodges! To upload your entries, you’ll just need to head to our new uploader tool to have a chance of being featured on the show.

This week, Si and Dan take a look at a quick release toilet roll holder, some chain artwork, an aerodynamic kids’ bike, and more. See the hacks and bodges in all their glory by watching the show up above.

On the channels this week:

• Wednesday: New year’s resolutions that cyclists shouldn’t make
• Thursday: Seven bits of advice new cyclists should ignore
• Friday: Ollie and Hank try to survive a pro cyclist’s training session
• Saturday: Launching the 30 in 30 challenge
• Sunday: Mitch Docker’s Gent Six Day experience

Thanks for all your support in 2023! The GCN Show will be back for more in 2024. Make sure to watch the video above, and get involved in the comments below.