Indholdsfortegnelse for January 17, 2019 i Cycling Weekly

This week’s big ride feature is all about a hill I know well — as will many (on and off-road) riders from London and the South-East. Leith Hill is the highest point in Surrey and offers an amazing variety of riding on and around it. And there really are eight different ways up. One of those is permanently etched into my memory. Keith Butler, of Surrey League fame, was known for his vicious hilltop finishes. In 1998 he finished day two of the Surrey League Easter three-day at the top of Leith Hill, taking us up the steep, narrow, twisty Tanhurst Lane. This came at the end of 80 miles in freezing rain. I remember being stuck in the wrong gear because my fingers were frozen solid and I couldn’t…

I was out on one of my worst rides of all time last week. Nothing disastrous happened. For the bulk of it I rolled along by myself listening to a podcast. Did you know that before trees existed the Earth was covered in mushrooms, some of them up to 24 feet high? I learned that during that ride. That isn’t what I was meant to be doing. I was meant to be riding in Zone 3. Not that taxing, not that grand an ask, not a session made for heroes. But I couldn’t do it. At various points I pulled over and stood by the side of the road, contemplating the fact that I simply wasn’t trying hard. I thought if I found the right song I’d also find my…

How was your last race? It was the team pursuit at the London Track World Cup. I’d give it a six [Italy finished fourth]. I’m not in good shape. You had a great 2018; is there now more pressure in 2019? Yeah, sure, because we had such an amazing year. I’m not worried about this year, though; I know the level I can reach if I do the work. How does working toward Milan-San Remo change your winter training? It’s a unique race because it’s close to 300km and it looks easy but for a sprinter it’s not, because while the Capi, Cipressa and Poggio are not difficult climbs, they are after 260-270km; after the Capi it’s up and down without recovery. In the winter I’ve been trying to do…

The original Gore-Tex fabric was thick and heavy; the latest Shakedry evolution is incredibly light, incredibly waterproof and incredibly breathable. The Gore ONE 1985 Shakedry rain jacket that featured in our 2017 Editor’s Choice weighed just 98g and packed down smaller than a PowerBar. Now Gore has combined its class-leading Shakedry fabric with an insulating lining. It gets a layer of Polartec Alpha to keep the waterproof outer from touching your skin directly. This is a fleecy synthetic material that was originally invented for US Special Forces and, according to its manufacturer, was “engineered for the extreme temperature variations and the start-stop conditions of combat.” It is very light, with a high warmth-to-weight ratio. We’ve criticised Gore in the past for only offering Shakedry fabric in black: the new insulated…

′In the lead-up to the Europeanage-group duathlon championships, I hurt my leg,” says 53-year-old Doug Bentall, recalling his 2016 season. “I thought I’d pulled a muscle, and somehow got round the race with the injury.” Bentall, a PR man from Tonbridge, Kent, had returned to cycling in his late 40s, having raced as a younger man, and made solid progress to a sub-23min 10-mile time trial. He decided to give duathlon a try after his wife Bridget pointed to her collection of rosettes from equestrian events and jokingly challenged him: “When are you going to win something?” Duathlon seemed to provide his best chance of levelling up the matrimonial palmarès. “It turned out I was a much better runner then I am cyclist,” he says. “In duathlon, you can make…

Week: December 10-16, 2018 Location: Xàbia, Spain & Sheffield, Yorkshire Training for: Pre-season Rising star Joey Walker has left Team Wiggins to join a very strong Madison-Genesis for the upcoming season. A former European junior points race champion, the 21-year-old from Sheffield has focused his attention on the road in the last three years and has had some good showings, despite mainly working for other team members. Most notably, he finished fifth at the Beaumont Trophy in 2017. This year Walker is aiming to build more consistency and secure selection in major UCI races. During his off-season, the young rider headed to the warmer climes of Spain for 10 days before returning to Yorkshire to further hone his fitness going into the new year. “There’s nothing better than a winter…

1 Canals and rivers For a gentler pace, the River Trent intersects with two major canals and a marina; you can walk (or ride) for miles along the banks and the cafe is pretty good too. 2 Abbots Bromley The village itself is world famous for its annual Horn Dance, dating back to medieval times — it’s also been named best place to live in the Midlands too on a couple of occasions. Bring your pennies though as that title means the properties are a tad expensive — very attractive though. 3 Cannock Chase Long-time favourite for cyclists as it caters so well for both on-road and off-road riding — miles of ground to explore and a few great cafes for top-ups. Favourite cafe Set in an old farmyard and…

Down Under Classic (January 13) In an hour-long criterium around the city park in Adelaide, Caleb Ewan won by a bike’s length from Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe). Ewan, racing in Lotto-Soudal colours for the first time, avoided a late crash that thwarted the chances of many other sprinters. Team Sky’s Owain Doull finished sixth. Belgian National Cyclo-Cross Championships (Jan 12-13) Toon Aerts shocked even himself to win his maiden national jersey, combatting rain, wind and muddy conditions to beat world champion Wout van Aert by 52 seconds. In the women’s race Sanne Cant won for an incredible 10th successive season. Dutch National Cyclo-Cross Championships (Jan 12-13) It was a fifth consecutive national championship victory for Mathieu van der Poel, who dominated in Huijbergen, winning by 44 seconds from Lars van der…

The government’s attempt to practise having a traffic jam at Dover a couple of weeks ago reminded me of my best friend when I was about nine. We were both playing around on our bikes when he suggested we should practise falling off them, so that when we fell off by accident we’d be better able to avoid hurting ourselves. I think he’d read about this idea somewhere. I told him it was an excellent plan, and that he should go first. He did so. He broke his elbow, first time, no problems at all. He decided he didn’t need any more practice. V.F. Mackenzie, email…

Track World Cup New Zealand (Jan 18-20) The fifth round of the season heads to the Southern Hemisphere. Great Britain’s national team has performed superbly so far, Laura Kenny and Emily Nelson winning Madison gold in Berlin a particular highlight. With qualification points already in the bag for all events other than the women’s team sprint, only Lauren Bate and Katy Marchant will travel to New Zealand. New Zealand Cycle Classic (Jan 23-27) New Zealand’s premier stage race has seen British success in recent years, none more so than in 2018 when Ian Bibby won a stage, finished second overall, and his JLT-Condor team-mate Matt Gibson claimed stage three. There’s no British involvement in this year’s race, as Hayden McCormick attempts to defend his win. Cyclo-Cross World Cup Pont-Château (Jan…

Rapha returns to WorldTour with garish EF kit Upmarket cycling brand Rapha has marked its return to the WorldTour peloton with a very loud pink kit for EF Education First. Rapha chief executive Simon Mottram said: “With this new kit design, we hope to bring more excitement to racing and encourage more fans to follow the greatest sport in the world.” Wanty and Cofidis score Tour slots Tour de France organiser ASO has confirmed Wanty-Groupe Gobert and Cofidis will receive two of the four wild-card entries to the race this July. Cofidis are Tour de France stalwarts while Wanty impressed ASO on their debut in 2017 and were invited back last year. The remaining two teams to be invited to the startline alongside the 18 WorldTour squads will be announced…

One of my Christmas presents this year was a turbo trainer. I am 72 and was out on my bike every day until October 12 when riding on a cycle path in Wrexham I collided with a car. I suffered quite a bit of damage as I was hit at speed, the worst injury being four fractured vertebrae in my neck and three fractured vertebrae in my middle back. I was treated at Wrexham Maelor and Stoke Royal — both hospitals are amazing. I have now been discharged and I am on the mend. I can drive my car, ride my motorbikes but not my pushbike. Not for another six months. So I have my spare bike fixed to my Lifeline magnetic trainer. It took less than five minutes to…

Where to stay Dorking is the nearest town and is right next to Leith Hill. There’s a variety of accommodation — just up the road is a Box Hill Burford Bridge Hotel which is bike friendly. Cafe stop Dorking has the Musette Cycle Caffe, which is a logical choice. Or if your legs will carry you a bit further down the A25 to the quaint village of Shere, there are a host of cafes popular with local cyclists. We recommend the teacakes in the Dabbling Duck. Bike shop Head for the Hills in Dorking is probably you best bet for spare tubes or emergency repairs.…

An adventure bike (also known as a gravel bike) is an American import aimed at those who want to go and explore and will carry you virtually anywhere a bike is allowed. They have on and off-road features and space for a bit of well-packed luggage if you want to be away for a few days. While I didn’t get to load up this bike, I did ride it to new places, turned down paths I’ve barely given a second glance and surprised myself by linking roads I didn’t know were linked. And all this was within just a few miles of my house. The ride position is higher with less reach than a standard road bike. While this doesn’t make it particularly fast, it does make it very comfortable…

Why did you get involved? I had a DEXA [bone] scan done as part of a university study in 2013. I saw the results were a bit weak but didn’t think much more about it at the time. After getting quite thin in 2015, I got re-tested in early 2016, and my bone density had dropped off quite steeply. Did you lose weight deliberately? Yeah, I thought I was too fat, but I learnt that when you’re bigger, you can run at 90 to 95 per cent [form] every day all season, whereas when you are lighter you really fluctuate between a good day and a really empty day. I’ve since put on three kilos, spend most of the year at 79 to 80 kilos, and I’m much better. Why…

If I’m staying with my parents, as I was over Christmas, I try to get out on the bike every day. Anyone with a family will understand. When I get back, I can absolutely rely on my mother to say, “Did you have a nice ride?” And she can absolutely rely on me to give her a scowl and say, “It was fine.” “Humph,” she’ll say. “Humph,” I’ll reply. It is my life at ages 13 through 16 in perfectly scaled microcosm. It happens like this because my mother and I have no common language with which to discuss cycling. She thinks I’m doing it because I enjoy it. And, as you know, none of us are operating at quite that level of simpleton. Cycling is a sophisticated pleasure, which…

Corran Carrick-Anderson (Peebles CC) produced the shock of the day after taking gold in the under-16 boys’ category. The 15-year-old made the step up after taking the under-14 crown last year, and managed to find an extra gear on the last lap to overtake Finlay Pickering (Vive Le Velo), who had led for much of the race. “I took myself by surprise!” he said. “It’s amazing to win — I wasn’t expecting it. I’m really excited to wear those stripes into next season.” Helen Pattinson (Hargroves-Montezuma’s) captured the first race of the weekend in the women’s veterans race, despite a lack of sleep. “It’s great when you get three or four laps in and see your nearest competition on the other side of the course,” she said. “I knew I…

A perfect storm of folding teams and contracting WorldTour squads has led to a number of quality British riders, including Jon Dibben and Scott Thwaites, still searching for contracts in January. Dibben, who rode for Sky last year, is understood to be considering a return to track racing — he was points race world champion in 2016 and has ridden six-day events over the winter — alongside several road options. Yorkshireman Scott Thwaites, who spent the last two seasons at Dimension Data, told the Yorkshire Post last year he was considering retiring from racing to pursue other opportunities but is now understood to be focused on landing a ride for 2019. “The budget in the Conti scene in the UK is probably less than it was” The other former WorldTour…

Four-time Olympic medallist Ed Clancy will be spending the coming season imparting his considerable knowledge to the young guns on his new team, Vitus Pro Cycling powered by Brother, as he heads towards what he hopes will be one last Olympic Games in Tokyo. We asked him to share some of that racing wisdom with us, and take a look back at some of the standout rides of his career. Best ride “My best performance ever would be the team pursuit in [London] 2012. It was a home Olympics, I was 27 years old, the run-in was just silky smooth — everything went right. I did feel the pressure at times but when you dissect the ride and you look at the numbers, what I contributed to that ride, I’m…

WHAT A base layer, as the name indicates, is the first layer of clothing next to your skin. In cold weather it’s all about insulation, so a winter base layer will have long sleeves, a higher neck and will be made of a fabric that traps the air as well as letting sweat through for higher-intensity riding. Merino wool has become a popular choice for the winter base layer since it is both insulating and breathable, is soft against the skin and doesn’t get smelly as quickly as manmade materials. However, merino is more expensive than polyester. A close fit avoids bunching, rubbing, lumpiness and potential cold spots. WHY A warm, comfortable winter base layer is essential if you want to enjoy your winter miles. For much of the winter,…

Do you ride more than six hours (in total) per week? Do you do fasted or low-carb rides more than once a week? Has your weight changed or fluctuated by more than 2kg over the past six months? Do you sometimes go without food/recovery drink for more than 30min after getting home from a long ride? Do you exclude or restrict any food groups (such as carbs or dairy) from your diet? Are you vegetarian or vegan? Do you sometimes go without food/energy drink during rides of longer than 90min? Are you consciously trying to lose weight or reduce your body fat? Do you sometimes feel anxious around food or worry about overeating? If you answer yes to three or more of these questions, you are at enhanced risk of…

CW: What made you join Stafford Road Club? MW: I’d never considered cycling of any type until about two years ago. My neighbour was a keen cyclist and he let me borrow his father-in-law’s old bike, so I could get out with him. So, my first road bike was a Fausto Coppi! We’ve still to find out whether it is worth anything or when and by whom it was made. After a couple of short rides I was hooked, realised the benefits to my health and all-round wellbeing, and that’s when I came across Stafford RC. CW: What’s your role at the club? MW: I’m on the committee and look after the social media and the website for the club. Over the last year we’ve focused efforts on using social…

CYCLO-CROSS SAT-SUN, JANUARY 12-13 National Championships (CycloPark, Gravesend, Kent): Elite men: 1. Tom Pidcock (TP Racing) 1:04.44; 2. B. Turner (Corendon-Circus) +1.27; 3. T. Mein (Tarteletto – Isorex) +2.02; 4. I. Field (Neon-Velo Cycling Team) +2.35; 5. D. Tulett (TP Racing) +2.44; 6. C. Mason (Endura-Pedal Power) +3.29; 7. T. Barnes (Lichfield City CC) +4.36; 8. I. Mundy (Swiftcarbon Pro Cyling) +5.02; 9. G. Thompson (Sleaford Wheelers CC) +5.07; 10. P. Oldham (Hope Factory Racing) +5.11. Elite women: 1. Nikki Brammeier (Mudiiita) 43.43; 2. A. Kay (Experza-Footlogix) +0.46; 3. H. Wyman (Xypex-Verge Sport) +0.53; 4. B. Crumpton (Storey Racing) +1.40; 5. F. James (Storey Racing) +1.50; 6. S. Thackray (PH-MAS/Paul Milnes) +3.12; 7. A. Simpson (Hope Factory Racing) +4.32; 8. F. Turnbull (YDRP) +4.48; 9. X. Crees (Team EmpellaCycloCross.com) +5.14; 10.…