Indholdsfortegnelse for August 10, 2017 i Cycling Weekly

I’ve been lucky enough to ride and race all over Europe, but I’d never thought of going to Norway with my bike. The people behind Haute Route invited me out to Stavanger on Norway’s south-west coast, along with some of their partners and regular customers in order to test a new three-day event out there. Not only is the area eyewateringly beautiful (think the best bits of New Zealand, throw in a little bit of the Lake District and Snowdonia and you’ll be somewhere close), the roads are well made and underused, all of which makes for a near-perfect ride destination. That is until you throw in the weather. It rains in Norway. It rains a lot. On day one we experienced a variety of weather, but on day two…

“It’s just as well I made it onto the Great Britain cycling team where they have mechanics to help us, or I’d be in all sorts of trouble” My favourite bike shop will always be Cyclopedia in Cardiff, just round the corner from where I grew up. It has everything a good local shop needs that online distributors just can’t offer: good chat, tea, a fireplace and, above all, a dog to play with while you wait. The floor space at Cyclopedia is pretty small, there’s only room for about four bikes on show once Frank the dog has spread himself out (which he did most days), so it’s pretty much impossible not to get chatting to the staff or other customers. Convenient then, that the staff are all super…

Team Wiggins are staying upbeat about their season despite failing to qualify for the Tour of Britain in September. The team was one of two domestic outfits, alongside Raleigh-GAC, that failed to gain enough points to make it into the UK’s largest stage race. Bike Channel-Canyon, JLT-Condor, Madison-Genesis and One Pro all made the cut. Wiggins also didn’t get selected to ride the Tour de Yorkshire, which hurt their prospects for selection for the Tour of Britain as there were qualification points on offer that they couldn’t compete for. Wiggins sports director Simon Cope said: “The things that grates with me is that you’re giving out points when all teams can’t ride.” He added: “I was expecting to not ride the Tour of Britain before Christmas. Some British events clashed…

Beet It Sport Pro-Elite shot Beet It’s Sport Pro-Elite claims to allow you to eke out a little extra from your body’s natural aerobic capability. The high nitrate content in beetroot has been shown in some studies to improve cycling performance — it may be a useful performance aid. The problem with the fresh juice form is that it’s not particularly concentrated or powerful. That’s where this handily sized 70ml shot comes in. It contains 400mg of natural dietary nitrate, so is a practical way to get a big dose pre-sport. www.beet-it.com £25 for 15 shots Shellfish If you are looking for a protein source that is light on the stomach and tasty in summer meals, shellfish may be the way to go. Crab meat protein is suitable for maintaining,…

Name: Martin Mikkelsen-Barron Age: 31 Years riding: 10 Club/team: VC Cumbria Location: Cumbria Being a Strava addict is not something that I want to be known for. If I feel good, I go for segments. A real addict or Strava troll would drive to the bottom of a pass, warm up and then attack the climb to get it. I use Strava as my racing when I’m injured from running — it is an outlet for my competitive side. In some ways, I prefer it, as I can struggle with the build-up pressure of racing. I like to keep my KOMs locally [around Keswick]. When the pro race [Tour of Britain 2016] went through, I was watching and waiting, but my KOM wasn’t taken. It’s nice but it doesn’t really…

“When Graham came to visit last autumn, I realised he was going through a period of accelerated sight loss, and I sensed he needed a break from his daily routine, something else to focus on. “During the ride, given his limited training, his resilience was amazing. At no point did he moan. Graham’s ability just to soldier on for 1,600km was absolutely incredible. “Because of his eyesight, he is determined to break through barriers. I think it’s very much a statement to prove to others that despite his disability he can still achieve great things. Pride and sheer bloody-mindedness. I’m also acutely aware that his guide dog Ricky has totally changed his life, so he was intent not to let anyone down in terms of fundraising for the charity.”…

I meet the effervescent Carol Westmorland outside the Crown Inn surrounded by flat farmland on the edge of Carlisle. Westmorland is definitely a product of Border City Wheelers: “My mother met my father at a club dinner when she was 16. I am one of three triplets, they don’t ride so I am the ‘son’ of the group and go racing with my dad.” It seems the club all got the memo about the kit; it’s virtually box fresh with a new design, as “the old one was cartoon style writing,” more appropriate to a comic book. The new one holds the same traditional colours but with stylish writing and new aero design, a good fit for a club famed for its time trialling. Westmorland jokes she “got sacked from…

Tuesday, August 1 Lewis Bulley, a 19-year-old Brit riding in Belgium for Baguet-MIBA Indulek Derito, won his third race of the season when he came out strongest in a bunch sprint in a 112km kermesse in Deerlijk. The highly rated rider had finished seventh in Bambrugge the day before, too. Wednesday, August 2 Ross Lamb (United CT) continued his excellent form by finishing second at the Linden-Lubbeek criterium in Belgium. The 21-year-old Brit, who has had a series of podium finishers in 2017, was in the main break of the day. Saturday, August 5 Mathieu van der Poel (Beobank-Corendon) triumphed at the one-day Dwars door het Hageland-Aarschot race in Belgium, beating Taco van der Hoorn (Roompot-Nederlandse Ltoterij) in a two-up sprint. It is the former world cyclo-cross champion’s fourth win…

James Wilkinson, 20 Vetrapo CT, Leuven, Belgium How’s the training in Belgium? I was living near Ghent but I recently moved and now live in a house with other people. Depending on what sessions I have to do, I can go riding with them. The training’s not bad. It’s more rolling than where I was. How’s the form? The form is decent; I’m pleased compared to last season. I’ve had a second, a 10th, an 11th and a few other consistent results towards the top end of the bunch. I’ve been making the most of the breaks too so I’m pretty happy. I haven’t done any stage races, just kermesses and interclubs. What type of rider are you? I haven’t quite worked that out yet. But I prefer longer races…

STAR LETTER Pip, Pip hooray! I wish to commend you on your short and supportive article (CW July 13) relating to one of Britain’s sporting greats. I think it is fair to say that Philippa York is without doubt a cycling legend and great authority on the sport, and also a brave and welcome light to all others who are struggling with issues within the sport of cycling and the wider society. Looking back now, maybe we can understand the drive and temperament that must have plagued Ms York in her earlier years. It’s time to be more open and a time to be more caring, and with that Peter Cossins wrote a well balanced article that for me struck a chord. In a time of such turmoil and aggression…

One of the biggest races held on these islands was the Isle of Man International, or Manx Trophy. Charles Holland won the inaugural race in 1936, held over a single lap of the famous Isle of Man TT Mountain Circuit. Over the years the race extended to multiple laps of the circuit. A glance down the winners over the years reveals a host of famous names, including 1958 Giro d’Italia champion Ercole Baldini, André Darrigade — winner of 22 Tour de France stages and the 1959 world champion — and Vuelta victor Rudy Altig. Perhaps the most illustrious year was 1965 when Jacques Anquetil won ahead of an Eddy Merckx who was nine months away from his first Monument win. Notable British winners include Tom Simpson, Barry Hoban, Robert Millar…

Lusso Air-17 Climber’s Jersey This lightweight jersey from British brand Lusso is intended for the hottest days. The sleeves and back are made from Italian brand Miti’s Asteria Pro fabric, while the sides and front aim at maximum breathability. Price: £69.99 www.lusso.bike Test report: September Rudy Project Fotonyk glasses The latest performance glasses from Rudy Project not only have interchangeable lenses (including photochromatic) but you can also swap out the ‘bumpers’ — the rubber section that runs along the bottoms of the lenses — that are available in different colours. Price: £79.99 www.yellow-limited.com Test report: August Carney Reflective Sleeves New brand Carney embeds thousands of tiny reflective glass beads into the fabric of its arm-warmers to ensure you’re visible day and night whenever a light shines at you. If you…

Don’t: rely solely on one or two massive gears, and experiment with different techniques. Altering your sprint length and developing different cadence ranges (using a broader range of gears) can be really beneficial. Don’t: overload on volume. If you’re new to sprinting, it may seem tempting to push yourself and do many repeats. But it is important to teach your body to get all its effort out in one go. Allow yourself plenty of recovery time, and periodise sprint training over a six or seven-week block. Do: focus on aerodynamics when sprinting. Controlling your posture and positioning may mean you have to drop your sprint off to 80 per cent of maximum effort, but it’s worth the temporary compromise. Keeping your shoulders low, head forward and being in control of…

Daniel Kogan Age: 28 Years riding: 23 Club/team: Sigma Sport Location: Kingston, Surrey Everything goes on Strava. I’m on it every day for work, as I run Sigma Sport’s Strava club. I did the Majorca 312 one year. I had an old Garmin that couldn’t upload wirelessly. Despite having ridden 312km very hard, I walked several miles into town to upload my ride. I’m not a browser — I don’t look at other people’s rides, it’s purely for me. I use it as a log to see an end-of-year total; it’s good to see a nice big number, it gives me something to aim for. Now I’m not racing, it gives a competitive element to my riding. I can’t compete on KOMs in Surrey, but those down in Dorset or…

44 MILES 1 Crown 10 club TT route A famous local time trial route, a fabulously wide and quiet road heading south from the city of Carlisle into the Cumbrian countryside. The benchmark club 10 in the area. 2 Matterdale End An easier climb from its northern side which offers a cracking decent down to Ullswater. The Fred Whitton sportive climbs the opposite way up Matterdale End in its early stages. 3 Ullswater A beautifully picturesque and undulating road along the shore of the Lake District’s second biggest lake. Favourite cafe The Rooster offers no-nonsense cafe grub, with beans on toast apparently the club dish of choice. For those who enjoy a tipple, glasses of red wine and beer are available to help wash it down. The Rooster, 11 Ullswater…

doctorhutch_cycling@timeinc.com I have a theory about bike riders. I formulated it during the RideLondon 100-mile event the weekend before last. It is this: as a group we are composed of takers, givers, and idiots. These groups have almost no crossover — they are balloons adrift in the Venn diagram. On RideLondon, the first person I saw turned out to be a giver. He was hard to miss, because he was Martin Johnson, whom you will perhaps remember best as the captain of the England rugby team. Johnson set off just ahead of me. Eight feet tall, six feet wide, he sat upright and rode into a block headwind at 40kph with me tucked in neatly behind him. Behind me in turn were another 200-300 people, all being towed out towards…

Snowdon Sports Newly crowned national 25-mile champion Dan Bigham will ride the National 10 in three weeks in an attempt to rack up his eighth national title of the year despite switching his focus to track training ahead of the World Cup Series. Bigham clocked 45.40 to win last Sunday’s National 25 in South Wales by 19 seconds from Tim Cartwright (Newbury RC), while defending champion Ryan Perry had to settle for third. And in the women’s race, Hayley Simmonds (WNT Pro Cycling) made it three in a row with a convincing win. “At the start of the year the National 25 wasn’t on the horizon at all,” said 25-year-old Derbybased Bigham. “But after all the other time trial titles I’ve won this season I wanted to do it, and…

DITCHLING BEACON Length: 1.4km | Average gradient: 9% Maximum gradient: 16% | Vertical gain: 143m After its use in the 1990 and 1991 editions of the Wincanton Classic, the Tour de France used the climb in 1994 on its two-day visit to the south coast. A short, winding climb over the South Downs, the toughest section comes just after halfway. Micha? Kwiatkowski (4.05) is the Strava KOM. HOLME MOSS Length: 4.6km | Average gradient: 7% Maximum gradient: 16% | Vertical gain: 341m A climb that has been used in a number of events since the 1950s, Holme Moss became one of the most popular spots from which to watch the Wincanton Classic during its time in Leeds. After passing through Holme the road twists and turns before straightening to the…

Mario Cipollini’s flamboyant bikes reflect his riding style and his personality: aerodynamic machines made for powerful sprinting with looks and paintjobs that reflect his passion for fashion Frame The Cipollini NK1K is a race machine with geometry that has clearly had the input of a world-class sprinter. The stack is low, 555mm in our 56cm frame, which is about a centimetre lower than that of most 56cm race bikes. A nice feature is a choice of different headset covers that allow you to still achieve the appearance of a slammed stem — we did say style was a big part of this — even if you want to effectively run spacers and raise the stack by a couple of centimetres. Conventional spacers can then be used on top of the…

Rev-out intervals Your classic ‘rev-outs’ are 10-second sprints holding Zone 5 effort at a predetermined cadence. Earlier in the season, while in a conditioning phase, you may prefer to reduce the recovery time to as little as two minutes. As you move into the racing season or closer to a competition, extend the recovery to six to 10 minutes. For four to six weeks, begin at 130rpm. Once comfortable at that cadence, increase to 140 or 150rpm. You can also add speedendurance by stretching the efforts to 15 or 20 seconds.…

Name: Adam Hindle Age: 46 Years riding: 43 Club/team: Garstang Cycling Club Location: Lancashire I target very specific segments: sub-four minutes, often downhill. I’m pretty good on those locally. If someone pinches one off me, I don’t wait more than a couple of days to try to get it back. Ownership of these matters to me. I create commute routes that drop me onto a segment warmed up and at the best time of day to try it. I change gears for a target attempt: I may even put a bigger chainring on. I prefer Strava, in some ways, to racing because you can have multiple goes. One took me nine full-on efforts to get, each one a real making-myself-puke effort. It runs in the same direction as the prevailing…

I first met Graham Drew in 2010 after he agreed to take part in a 5km run I was organising to raise money for the charity RP Fighting Blindness. We shared a personal motivation: we had both been diagnosed with RP — retinitis pigmentosa, an untreatable genetic condition that causes a gradual loss of sight, killing off first peripheral vision (meaning severe night-blindness), before leading, in many cases, to complete blindness. Recalling the day of the run, Graham seemed to be, like me, only mildly affected by the condition, able to run unguided and move around freely without assistance. It came as a shock, then, late last year, to hear that he had become the custodian of a guide dog. My initial, selfish reaction was ‘Thank God my sight isn’t…

1 Manor Road Climbing steeply out of Medbourne, this comes as a bit of a shock. A tiny back lane, it ramps up on the first left-hand bend, hitting 10 per cent before dragging for a mile. 2 Stockerston Road After the village you turn right onto the longest single climb of the day. In the middle a hairpin bend gives the road a slightly exotic feel! 3 Deene Road You’ll have had time to relax before losing momentum on the sharp left-hand turn at the start of this hill. It’s a 12 per cent gradient so dig in. NAIL IT 4 Southwick Hill The beginning of the end comes at Southwick Hill, a steep dig used to finish one of the local road race circuits. Over the top you…

I wouldn’t have thought puncture repair advice necessary, but several recent experiences (not least RideLondon) have suggested otherwise. First find somewhere safe to sort it out. In this context ‘safe’ does not mean the middle of the road on the far side of a blind bend, despite many attempts to prove otherwise. Then take the wheel out of the bike. It’s much easier to keep the bike the right way up for this — but if you’re absolutely desperate to look like you took up cycling 15 minutes ago, you can turn it upside down. This has the bonus that you can scuff the saddle, brake levers and bar tape on the ground. What you do next is important. Looking helpless until someone else changes the tube for you is…