Indholdsfortegnelse for June 2025 i Cycling Plus

I can still recall the last time that I cycled alone beside the River Lea at night. What should have been a magical journey – stars above me, chilly winter wind in my face – was fraught with fear. Well-known for nocturnal attacks though the canal was, the alternative route was a dodgy main road, so I chose the towpath. The likelihood of someone being there at that precise moment that night was, I concluded, low. Also, I could probably ram them with my heavy Dutch bike, given enough momentum. Once on the path, however, my bravado faded with the receding streetlights. Was that bush hiding a group of attackers? Was the approaching cyclist, obscured behind their bike light, a threat? I rode with my keys in one bunched fist,…

Traditional overshoes can be a faff to use, so we’re intrigued by this new twist on the idea. Santini’s Clever ‘undershoes’ are designed to be fitted before you attach your cleats to your soles. These half-covers can then be left in place to protect your footwear and feet from water and debris, ride after ride. Just imagine not having to struggle to get wet, mucky overshoes off, or fight to stretch them over your footwear before setting out… The raw-cut edges fit smoothly around the shoe’s upper, and the elasticated and reinforced toe and heel hold the undershoes in place. They should then provide protection from spray, plus block any perforations, making highly vented shoes a lot more versatile.…

Cannondale’s CAAD framesets were a staple of criterium racers globally looking for a tough, fast bike that could take a few knocks and come back fighting. Prior to 2019, they featured a classic horizontal top tube, full-length seatstays and a short wheelbase, carried over from the earliest days of Cannondale’s pro-level alloy line-up. And they were loved by racers and riders who appreciated their nimble handling and rapid responses. The range reached its apotheosis with the 2016 CAAD12, which won our Bike of the Year test, and carried with it the DNA of legendary Cannondale bikes such as the Saeco-Cannondale CAAD3 and CAAD4 team bikes, resplendent in a beautiful and iconic red/yellow colourway. While the CAAD13 that followed in 2019 was a bike I enjoyed, and gave 4.5 stars, it…

For many cyclists, the once-simple tasks such as replacing headset or bottom bracket bearings, selecting tyres or adjusting your bike fit. Innovations can make bikes better, and we’re not against new tech standards in principle. But all too often, they don’t offer everyday riders any really meaningful performance improvements and only serve to wayside as technology moves all have to pay for progress. But it would be great if manufacturers could more frequently consider whether the benefits of creating a new ‘standard’ outweigh the potential downsides for end users. The time has come, then, to put a stop to it all, and agree on a set of universal standards for road bikes. Here are our picks… 01 Hooked rims • Hookless rims – which lack the tyre-bead hooks used to help…

Serves 6 350ml (1½ cups) espresso or instant coffee75ml (4½ tbsp) Amaretto, optional400g (14oz) silken tofu400g (14oz) raw cashews100g (3½oz) coconut oil, melted125g (4oz) icing sugar1 tbsp vanilla extract18 vegan sponge fingers1 tbsp instant coffee2 tbsp cocoa powder METHOD 01 If you’ve just made the espresso, allow it to cool and then pour it into a deep dish with the Amaretto, if you’re using it. 02 Blend the tofu and cashews together to form a smooth paste. 03 Add the coconut oil, icing sugar and vanilla extract, and blend until it all comes together. Set aside. 04 One at a time, dip the sponge fingers into the coffee and then place in a large, flatish dish or individual dessert glasses. 05 Once you have a layer of sponge fingers, spoon…

Weight 10.21kg (58cm) Frame Carbon fibre, Kingpin suspension Fork Cannondale Lefty Oliver Carbon Groupset SRAM Riva/GX Eagle AXS Transmission (42t, 10-52t) Wheels Reserve 40|44 GR Carbon Tyres WTB Raddler TCS Light, 700c x 44mm Finishing kit Easton EC70 AX Carbon handlebar (44cm), Cannondale C1 Conceal alloy stem (90mm), Cannondale Hollowgram SAVE carbon seatpost, Fizik Terra Argo X5 saddle The new Cannondale Topstone is a bike that’s been refined rather than radically remodelled. I can’t help but think it should have been called the Topstone Evo rather than being unveiled as a wholly new bike, so subtle are some of the changes. First, the tyre clearance has been increased, to 52mm for the frame, 56mm for the rigid fork and 47mm for the brand’s single-sided Lefty Oliver suspension fork (as fitted…

Redshift ShockStop £189.99 Length tested: 90mm Actual weight: 258.7g Effective travel: 20mm Redshift’s comfortboosting stem is made from two aluminium sections, which are joined with a pivot that rotates smoothly on dual cartridge bearings. Two interchangeable elastomers provide both the spring and the damping, giving up to 20mm of travel. While the ShockStop is as simple to fit as a standard stem, tuning it to suit is a little more involved. The two elastomers are housed internally, in twin channels behind the handlebar clamp. Five more are provided in the box, and by swapping these around, you can adjust the spring rate and damping. Redshift’s set-up instructions offer a suggested range of combinations, depending on rider weight, stem length and bar shape. I found that switching the elastomers to suit my…

Our trio of endurance bikes shows how diverse the genre can be. The Surly Midnight Special is a heady mix of modern and retro. Its steel frameset is superbly finished, and it rides with a sprightly feel and a smoothness too. It’d make an epic commuter or tourer, or simply a great big-ride companion all year round. You’ll have to make concessions because of the extra weight a steel frame and fork bring, but if that isn’t a concern, the Surly is a great option. Argon 18’s Equation is a great bike, with a standout frameset that’s cleverly designed, slickly finished and has great road manners. The modest finishing kit and budget tyres quell a bit of the bike’s potential, but the frameset is the star of the show, and…

King of the road Strade Bianche 8 March 2025 ● Slovenian superstar Tadej Pogačar reinforces just how indomitable he is as he forges on to his third victory at the Strade Bianche, even after picking up some nasty road rash in a crash along the way. He still managed his trademark breakaway 20km from the finish line and won the 213km one-day race from Siena, Italy, over a minute ahead of his nearest rivals, later admitting he “went too fast” and slipped on a corner.…

As showcased in last issue’s report on RADL GRVL, Adelaide’s new blockbuster gravel race, there’s a cornucopia of pristine, tightly packed gravel roads awaiting fans of the discipline in this area of South Australia. It’s not a part of the place you’ll have seen in the Tour Down Under (TDU), the professional road race – 25 years old this year – that’s become part of the furniture here during its long run. Cycling in this area runs much deeper. As Adelaide is, by some distance, the smallest of the big five cities of Australia, its cyclists benefit from their proximity to the countryside, most immediately the Adelaide Hills, which loom large over this pan-flat metropolis. From Victoria Square, in the centre of Adelaide, it’s just a 14km ride along its…

Hunt’s Limitless wheels have impressed us on the tarmac, so we can’t wait to try out the West Sussex brand’s new aerodynamic gravel wheels. If they’ve taken the research-and-development lessons learned from the road-focused version and used that knowledge to help create these new off-road specials, there could be some interesting performance gains. Unlike the previous-generation Limitless Gravel wheels, these new ones have different-sized rims front and rear. This is to help them work better with the latest larger rubber, while maintaining optimal performance when used with tyres between 40mm and 45mm wide. The rims share a similar profile, but while the front is 40mm deep, 36mm wide and has a 27mm internal width, the rear is 1mm deeper and narrower, at 41mm, 35mm and 26mm, respectively. Hunt claim these…

Girona, Majorca, the French or Italian Alps… These are all fantastic places for a cycling break abroad. But if you fancy something more unusual, there’s a wide world of riding further out there, offering distinctive cultures, great routes, astounding scenery and experiences with a difference. So, here are 10 of my, and others’, favourite ‘alternative’ countries. All can be visited as part of an organised tour, as a Google search will show. But for the adventurous, these places are doable by yourself with your own bike, or a rented one. Get that atlas out and make a brew… 60.4720° N, 8.4689° E Norway This Scandinavian country tends to be thought of as a tick box for long-distance tourers slogging thousands of lonely miles up the E6, way past the Arctic Circle…

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Endurance bikes are what most of us should be riding unless we’re racing, but what makes them different to a road race or aero bike? Here’s a rundown on the key features to look out for on the most versatile of road genres – and the good news is that many of these details aren’t dramatically different to those found on endurance models costing a lot more. 01 Geometry for big rides It’s all about the ride position. An endurance bike’s geometry is designed to keep you fresher for longer, thanks to a shorter reach and taller stack (compared to a race bike), which help you sit more upright. While neither measurement is quite as generous as on an adventure-orientated gravel bike or tourer, you can still tick off those…

Late-season Alpine sunlight strobes through the tree canopy overhead as my tyres bite into loose gravel and I ride into a sanctuary of cool air, accompanied by the musical tumble of meltwater. The well-kept trail tracks the edge of the narrow, straight stream, known throughout the Swiss Alps as a bisse, carrying glacier water to thirsty grape vines. It’s the final day of August, and the air at 1,500m is sweet with the last scents of summer as I spin down from the ski resort of Crans-Montana on a mixed road and gravel mission, which will take in woodland singletrack, verdant meadows under Swiss giants and a continuous 1,093m climb up switchbacks to the intriguingly named Cave du Sex… Fast through the woods Crans-Montana lies in the Valais region of…

01 WHY DO THE CARB LIMITS FOR RIDERS KEEP GOING UP? It probably hasn’t escaped your attention that top riders are consuming huge amounts of carbohydrate mid ride. “The amount that we consume is night and day different to when I started my career,” says Team Jayco-AlUla’s domestique Luke Durbridge, who’s been a pro for 16 years. “I put that down to why the racing is so much faster now. Riders aren’t running out of fuel. When I started, we were looking at little more than 60g carbs an hour. Now, we’re at 120g and more.” But how are they managing this without the ensuing gastro issues of old? Tighter ratio “We’ve known for years that the addition of fructose to glucose increases how much someone can tolerate during exercise,” says…

The power of Italian sports fandom was on full show at F1’s Italian Grand Prix in Monza last September, with people deliriously celebrating in their thousands trackside as home favourites Ferrari triumphed unexpectedly. It was a demonstration of the power of the Italian sports crowd – the tifosi – that electrifies events in the country. Historically, there haven’t been any crowds to rival the tifosi of professional cycling for their passion and raucousness. That, in no small part, has been both because of Italian dominance of their home tour, the Giro d’Italia – 69 of the 107 races to date have been won by Italian riders – and the openroad nature of pro cycling. Fans, largely unimpeded by barricades, can swarm over the riders, urging on their favourites with unchecked exuberance,…

Starting on North Terrace, at the titular end of the cental business district, this route heads east along Magill Road, climbing gradually. Then, the serious climbing starts as you head up the twisting, turning Norton Summit Road. The summit comes at 457m/1,500ft, but the climb continues for another 76m/250ft as the route joins Lobethal Road. A series of sharp rises and falls follows, all the way to Lobethal at the halfway point, before the gradual descent to Adelaide, down the sinuous Gorge Road, begins. 1 Bike shop Bicycle Express, a big player in Adelaide, has a couple of central stores close to the route – in the suburb of Norwood and on Halifax Street in the CBD. They have a workshop and spare parts for your ride. https://bicycleexpress.com 2 Photo op…

It’s supposed to hurt. But it’s meant to hurt after you’ve given your all. Or during. It should be the kind of strain which, while not welcome, feels familiar and constructive. If it hurts at the beginning, when you’ve barely given your ‘some’, if it feels alien and unproductive, then something is wrong. It’s one of my first track outings of the year, I can’t be pushing 150w, yet it’s like my chest is being stamped on by heavyweight sprinter Harrie Lavreysen. Something is wrong. For all that we let our legs do the talking, on the road or around the track, through the woods or along the trails, it’s the heart that makes the athlete. There’s no organ we rely on more, to pump oxygen to the parts that…

Serves 1 50g (2oz) oats50g (2oz) vegan coconut yoghurt125ml (½ cup) coconut rice milk1 tbsp chia seeds1 tbsp desiccated coconut2 tbsp mango and/or pineapple, diced1 tsp dried mango1 tsp candied pineapple8 cashews, halved1 tsp maple syrup1 tsp chia seeds “The book’s goal was to hit those trigger points of taste, texture and visual appeal” METHOD 01 Mix together the oats, coconut yoghurt, coconut rice milk, chia seeds and desiccated coconut. 02 Either refrigerate overnight or leave at room temperature for 15 minutes. 03 Give the mixture a stir and add extra liquid if required. 04 Top with the fresh and dried fruits, cashews and maple syrup and sprinkle some more chia seeds on top. ALAN ON RECIPE CHOICES: I’ve been wanting to do a plantbased book for a while now.…

Weight 7.4kg (56cm) Frame Carbon fibre Fork 3T Fundi Integrale II Groupset SRAM Red AXS (48/35t, 10-33t) Wheels Zipp 353 NSW Tyres Vittoria Corsa Pro TLR, 700c x 30mm Finishing kit 3T Aeroflux Integrale LTD handlebar (42cm), 3T More stem (110mm), 3T Strada Italia seatpost, Selle San Marco Superleggera saddle With the looks of an aero bike but the geometry of an endurance bike and the tyre clearance for allroad duties, 3T’s Strada Italia has proven once again that the brand aren’t afraid to push the boundaries. The original 2017 Strada was a radical mix of aero bike with a wide (for the time) 30mm tyre clearance plus a 1x drivetrain. It was (and remains) a genre-disrupting design. But it wasn’t without its critics, with that 1x drivetrain proving divisive…

Getting there ● Fly into Geneva from London with SWISS and then catch the SBB train to Sierre. From there, the funicular is an eight-minute walk, and takes you straight into Crans-Montana. (You only need a single SBB ticket for the train and funicular.) Generally, the trains are timed to arrive 10 minutes before the funicular leaves, and they’re usually punctual! Where to eat ● For a lunch with a view, head to Cave du Sex, the Valasian farmhouse-styled restaurant at the top of the long climb past Aminona, which is accessible during the summer months, for Savoire classics including raclette. Where to stay ● The Hotel Olympic is situated centrally in the village of Montana and has a secure bike rack in a locked garage with a maintenance station…

The good news is that simply getting on your bike and turning the pedals will help you shed unwanted kilos. Even at modest speeds – in fact, especially at modest speeds – cycling is one of the most effective ways of losing weight, allowing you to exercise for far longer than other endurance sports while sitting comfortably in fatburning intensities. Whether you’re looking for some simple tips, or wish to disappear down the rabbit hole of fasted rides, low-carb training and HIIT sessions, read on to find out the best ways to lose fat, on and off the bike… 01 CYCLE ANY TIME, ANY WAY First things first – all types of cycling will help you zap calories. Yes, there are different fat-burning adaptations for everything from low-intensity workouts to carb-restricted…