Indholdsfortegnelse for December 12, 2019 i Cycling Weekly

After another year of product tests, bike launches and trade shows, we’ve once again compiled our Editor’s Choice list of the best bikes and kit we’ve ridden in the past 12 months. There were a lot of products to cram into our pages so we’ve condensed down the original reviews (full versions are available on our website) after first looking back over the year and deciding exactly what was good enough to get our approval. The product that took me by surprise this year was an adventure bike. I tested a Boardman in spring after initially being sceptical about this genre. But like several of my colleagues it took just a couple of rides to get excited by the potential of where it could take me next. These are do-it-all…

In Cycling Weekly November 28 issue there was an excellent article on the Warsaw-Berlin-Prague (Peace Race) but it’s a great pity you couldn’t find space to mention Stan Brittain, who was a hero behind the Iron Curtain. He finished third overall in 1955 and won a stage, and finished second overall in 1957, winning two stages. Stan, who is now 88 and still very active, was honoured at the Liverpool Phoenix’s 100th club dinner on November 30. Harry Reynolds, Olympic silver medallist 1956 Ed - Apologies for missing Stan and his incredible achievements out of the recent CW Icons article that featured the Peace Race. There is so much history and incredible stories to be told from that event that we’ll no doubt have to revisit it again some time…

Even until just a few years ago, a bike was only a race bike if it was light enough. It was a race to the bottom to hit the coveted 6.8kg UCI-legal cut-off point, and it didn’t matter what was sacrificed on the way. The trade-off was that the more the weight dropped, the worse the ride quality became. That was why for such a long time lightweight carbon bikes were considered stiff, harsh and uncomfortable. Things couldn’t be more different now. The latest raft of ‘GC’ bikes are all things to all people; 6.8kg is the minimum that these bikes need to be, they also need to be aerodynamic while maintaining a high level of comfort. The engineering know-how employed in the design of today’s bikes is staggering, and…

Donkey rides, a music festival, and my mate’s aunt’s house are the sum total of things that, until this summer, I could name about the Isle of Wight, and it was never a place I’d considered visiting. It wasn’t until I was idly scanning Komoot that I saw a treasure trove of by-ways and bridleways that I thought it might be something a bit different. So, ferry tickets booked, we hotfooted our way down south and across the Solent. Our challenge: to ride from Fishbourne to the iconic Needles via as little tarmac as possible. Heads down, we ticked off the opening few kilometres of tarmac; a salvo of ferry traffic and narrow roads. It was a breath of fresh air when we found ourselves scrabbling up a loose technical…

After getting interested in endurance sport in his 20s, Darrell Bradshaw picked up a knee problem that curtailed his cycling for several years. Later, he switched to running and dabbled in triathlon, until an assignment abroad, working as a project manager installing fibre-optic cable in Russia, obliged a 3.5-year hiatus. However, in 2009 he returned to cycling and, realising his knee was holding up well, began training for sportives and veteran road races. Now 60, he wants to up the ante and get more competitive. How did you first get interested in endurance sport? At school I ran cross country, making the borough team, and continued to run to keep fit up to my early 50s. I always preferred cycling, and in my 20s harboured ideas of joining a club…

Tissot Track World Cup round five: Australia (December 13-15) The third round in as many weekends takes places on the east coast of Australia and in the city of Brisbane. Once again important for all nations as they attempt to secure qualification for the Olympics, the biggest home attraction will see Cameron Meyer partner Sam Welsford in the Madison. Huub-Wattbike are also riding in what is set to be their last World Cup event of the season. The team is bringing some new equipment upgrades so will be hoping for a result. Hotondcross (December 14) Regarded as one of the most spectator-friendly courses due to its high bankings that permit fans to see almost all of the action from one vantage point, Mathieu van der Poel and Marianne Vos won…

With the women’s event set to expand to three riders, we asked Chris Hoy how different physically the roles in the team are. “First lap, first position, it’s all about having that acceleration and torque and being able to accelerate as quickly as possible. It’s about pure explosion, pure strength. “Second lap you need to have the ability to get on, you can’t just focus on your speed and endurance, you have to be able to soak it up at the start and recover and go again. But you need to have somebody who can raise the pace, the second-placed rider would always be the one that can have the highest peak speed. The training reflects that, the effort is almost like a full-on 500m. The third rider is going…

Originally an innovation for going fast in a straight(ish) line, aerodynamic designs sat firmly in the domain of time trialling, until relatively recently when the aero sphere of influence grew to include sprinting. Aerodynamics took off, with tubing shapes, brake location and integrated cabling, with stars like Mark Cavendish gaining signature ranges of aero cockpits. It’s incredible to think how long aerodynamics has taken to reach road sprinting. The green jersey has been in existence since the 1950s, with team leadout trains since the mid-1980s. But the only sort of aero enhancement that Mario Cipollini used was a set of Mavic Cosmic wheels. Aero stalled for several years, and no wonder — most aero designs focused on strong and slippery first, with weight and rideability last. However, more recent research…

The arrival of the Rapha Cargo bibshorts, like anything that doesn’t quite fit with the norm, parted opinion in the Cycling Weekly office quicker than Moses’ staff (reportedly) split the Dead Sea. The reaction in our own micro-climate no doubt mirrored that of the wider cycling community: traditionalists who believe pockets belong in a formation of three along the rear of a jersey and those keen to store a banana or inner tube in a mesh pocket on the outside of their left quad. My early inclination was to join the first group. It seemed that for anyone outside the hardcore multi-day Transcon adventurers (about as common as four leaf clovers), the pocket provision is pretty excessive — unless the true goal of the ride is to enjoy a picnic…

Cycling tech is becoming ever more important, not only for consumers but also for brands as they attempt to win you over with their latest and greatest products. Many bike brands, for example, now include a power meter as standard (albeit on their flagship models) to minimise the need to change anything once purchased. This sweetener makes sense as most, if not all, riders want to record their data in some form. It’s normal that this cycling generation wants to be connected, despite using cycling as a way to disconnect from the rest of the world and find some quiet time away the stresses of everyday life. Each ride needs to be recorded as proof of what you did that day and to show your followers that, no matter the…

MAXXIS HIGH ROAD | £49.99 The High Roads use the brand’s new HYPR compound rubber that offers reduced rolling resistance and increased grip, while a K2 Kevlar strip fends off punctures. All that tech seems to have paid off and they feel supple and grippy even at aggressive lean angles. www.madison.co.uk PANARACER GRAVELKING SK TLC | £40 We were really impressed with the balancing act that the Panaracer Gravelking SK TLC gravel tyre managed to perform. The grip was sufficient for all but the muddiest rides and held up well on greasy rocks and grassy routes. www.zyrofisher.co.uk CONTINENTAL GRAND PRIX 5000 CLINCHER £59.95 With the Continental Grand Prix 5000, the brand has embraced tubeless technology and made the best, better. We’ve yet to flat, so if you’re after a compromise…

OK, it should now be obvious to all riders that a deeper rim profile provides an aerodynamic advantage over a ‘normal’ shallow box-section rim. But barring the very best (read most expensive) deep-section wheels, shallow aluminium wheels always had their advantages: they were lighter, provided better handling, more consistent and reliable braking, and above all were far cheaper to buy. And that’s why for most of us these were the wheels to run. But fast forward to today and for many aftermarket wheel brands’ sales of deeper (40-50mm) carbon wheelsets far outstrip sales of shallow aluminium wheels. Why? Technology of course. With the investment and research into materials and aerodynamics, brands are able to produce aerodynamically proven deep-section wheels that can now outperform even the very best aluminium wheels. Disc…

The Oakley Radar EV looks superb and performs brilliantly, and is arguably the pinnacle of Oakley’s extensive glasses range. Zero distraction is the key here; if we’re able to forget we’re wearing them then the sunglasses are doing their job. The 100% S3 glasses take a different design approach to the Oakleys. With a bigger lens, the field of view feels almost limitless. With increased size comes increased protection and the S3 lens did a great job of keeping out the elements. Happily, despite the extra size, the glasses felt secure on our heads. Bollé’s Phantom glasses follow suit, with larger lenses and increased coverage. Their optical clarity is great too, with a level of contrast that makes obstacles much easier to see ahead. What’s really impressive with the Bollé…

What I would like to see an end of is the snobbery that the road cycling world has for e-bikes. E-bikes are the future, without doubt, whether that is for transport or commuting or exploring places that were out of range before. There is actually an e-bike for everyone and it isn’t until you ride one that you understand why they are so great. The first time I stepped onto an e-bike it instantly put a smile on my face and reminded me of when I first started riding — suddenly it wasn’t a slog! The great thing now is that e-road bikes look like traditional bikes and with systems like Fazua and ebikemotion, they are lighter than ever before, easier to use and even rideable without the motor if…

“GO FOR A HIKE” Lizzie Deignan (Trek–Segafredo): “I love hiking. My husband and I went to the Lake District for a weekend. I just like the ability to be able to walk, because when we’re cycling, we avoid it at all costs. If you’re putting in a bit of effort, it’s good exercise — and less injury risk than running.” “RUN!—BUT TAKE IT SLOWLY” Pavel Sivakov (Team Ineos): “I go for some runs, but you have to be careful and take it very slowly. I got injured years ago when I had just signed with Team Sky. It was a nightmare. I don’t want to put on muscle, so I don’t really go to the gym, only core workouts.” “REST AND PLAY” Giulio Ciccone (Trek–Segafredo): “I like to run, play…

Cycling Ireland-qualified coach Tom has won masters titles on the track and specialises in guiding older riders www.mccm.iwsi.ie Producing a threshold power-to-weight ratio of 3.7W/kg at 60 on less than optimal training, Darrell is starting from a great place. He now needs to find the wherewithal to start getting serious. His current ambitions seem relatively modest; I would encourage him to aim for age-group wins. Of course, FTP is just one part of the physiological, tactical and lifestyle jigsaw that needs to be assembled to become an elite racer. Darrell will also need to be able to sprint at the end of a hard race, requiring strength, power and speed on top of sustained muscular and aerobic endurance. At age 60 it is vital to prioritise snappy, top-end ability. At…

One, three and five-day tours are available from Cycle The Vineyards through 2020 running from June 12-14, July 13-17 and 25, and August 29-31. Bespoke Tours are also offered to suit your dates and ride requirements, the number of days and nights as well as the food and wine you wish to try. Tours are all inclusive and groups are kept to a maximum of 10. Local guides lead the group at an average pace of around 12mph for anything between 30 and 50 miles each day. GPX routes are available and they can help with bike hire, including e-bikes. Each group has a support vehicle which riders can climb into after lunch if they need to. As the bulk of the riding is done before lunch, you won’t be…

Track World Cup round four: New Zealand (Dec 6-8) Host nation New Zealand topped the medal table in Cambridge, winning eight medals including five golds. Switzerland won the men’s team pursuit with an impressive time, while the Australian women were just half-a-second of shy of beating GB’s world record in the same discipline. IKO Essen (December 7) Tom Pidcock almost made the most of Mathieu van der Poel’s absence in Essen, the Brit returning from his own short break to finish third. Quinten Hermans won ahead of Laurens Sweeck, with former world champion Zdenĕk Stybar in 12th. On her first race of the season, Marianne Vos won the women’s event, with Brit Anna Kay in third. Zonhoven (December 8) Annemarie Worst dealt with the sand the best to win the…

There are two sorts of cyclist. There are those who stretch. And there is the other 99 per cent, who say, “Stretch? Why would I do that? It looks stupid, and it doesn’t make my legs hurt, so honestly what’s the point? I could spend the time on my bike instead.” You can move from one group to the other. To move from non-stretching to stretching, hurt yourself, preferably with an overuse injury of some sort. A physiotherapist will then be happy to show you some stretches to fix the issue, and some more to stop it happening again. Experience suggests that physios charge about £20 for each individual stretch. Be warned that physios know an infinite number of stretches, and in practice you’ll only ever have the patience to…

Former team Sky rider Alex Peters, who quit racing after experiencing mental health issues, will make his return to the world of cycling with Canyon dhb-Soreen next year. Peters spent months in hospital coping with depression after suffering a mental breakdown almost three years ago. The Hackney-based cyclist raced for Team Sky in 2016, but a personal battle with anxiety meant that he only raced once for the WorldTour outfit after June. He re-joined his previous team SEG Racing after one season, but soon retired aged just 22. “The racing season was about to get going and I had a breakdown,” Peters told Wiggle, owner of his new team’s title sponsor dhb. “I couldn’t get out on the bike, I couldn’t train, and that’s when I stopped completely. I didn’t…

Former Dimension Data performance director and mentor of Mark Cavendish, Rolf Aldag, has said he won’t miss going to the Tour de France as he takes on the role of sports director at the Canyon-SRAM women’s team. The former rider, who has attended 27 Tours de France, says he’s looking forward to being part of the “rapidly developing” women’s side of the sport. “What tipped it over the line was the people — I’ve known [team owner] Ronny Lauke and [performance director] Lars [Teutenberg] for a very long time; we’ve never lost contact. And, it’s a new challenge.” Aldag added: “I’ve been at the Tour de France 27 times, what difference would a 28th make? Doing it 30 times won’t change my life. Getting additional experience in a new setting,…

Pinot to target the triple? Having been forced to retire from the Tour de France within touching distance of GC success, Thibaut Pinot could come back in style in 2020 by targeting the big three: the Tour, the Olympic road race and the World Championship road race. All three races are laden with climbing and so will suit the 29-year-old Frenchman. “We will talk a little more about it during the off-season,” Groupama-FDJ DS Philippe Mauduit told Cyclism’Actu. Total out of Giro Total Direct Energie have confirmed they will not take their place at the 2020 Giro d’Italia after race organisers asked the French team to decline their invite so more Italian teams could ride. Having topped the 2019 Pro-Conti rankings, Total Direct Energie automatically earned a ride in all…

Last month British sprinter Katy Marchant stood atop the podium after the World Cup keirin in Glasgow. It was a breakthrough moment for the Olympic medallist as she’d yet to win a race at the top level, but her success threw into stark relief the struggles of the British Cycling sprint programme. Marchant’s victory is the first for a British female sprinter at a World Cup, World Championship or Olympics, since Rebecca James won two golds at the World Championships in Minsk in 2013. Then last week Vicky Williamson, a rider who would likely have been one of BC’s best hopes of medals at the Tokyo Olympics, announced she had swapped her sprinting wheels for the runners of a bobsleigh. She has joined the British bobsleigh team, a position that…

The Specialized Evade is claimed to be six seconds faster than the old version, but it hasn’t dropped anything along the way. It’s an incredibly comfortable lid designed for those seeking performance and, aesthetically, it’s still top of our list. The Giro Aether now accommodates its MIPS Spherical technology within the helmet’s liner. It’s a little different and looks like the helmet is attached in the middle by rubber straps which allow 10-15mm of movement that is designed to reduce rotational impacts. Despite the design, however, there’s nothing unusual about the Giro Aether MIPS when you pop it on your head and it has the typical Giro performance and fit.…

Unless you spent the last year meditating on top of a Himalayan peak, you couldn’t help but notice a steady ballooning of road tyre widths. Personally I see this as nothing but a good thing for each and every one of us road cyclists. It wasn’t long ago that 25mm was seen as being ‘pretty wide’ but when tyre giant Continental claimed that a 28mm version of any tyre was even faster, even hardened sceptics surely sat up and took notice. It’s all to do with the shape and size of the contact patch a larger tyre has on the road. This, plus the ability to run tyres at lower pressures, allowing for superior grip on the road. Alas, at the time that this information was being released, most of…

It started with skinsuits, then overshoes and socks and now we’re back to skinsuits. Well, technically speaking, the fabric thereof; and if there’s one thing the Union Cycliste Internationale is a stickler for, it’s being technically correct. The irony is that it appears that all these technical advancements need to be, er… less technical, according to the UCI. Earlier this year, Endura became the latest manufacturer to fall foul of the UCI with its Surface Silicone Topography™ fabric. It was utilised in team kits and Hour records, but unfortunately, as with Team Sky’s Castelli skinsuit, was ultimately banned for being less marginal gains and more unfair advantage. It proved a step too far for Endura, which recently announced a move away from the pro peloton, ending a six-year partnership with…

MAKE TIME FOR YOGA Partake in regular yoga and you’ll feel more relaxed and less tense while sitting at work, reducing aches and pains, and increasing mobility and flexibility — all of which makes you feel better. REFLECT AND REASSESS The same tools you can develop to stick to a hard training regime can easily be extended to other parts of life. Positive self-talk, goal-setting, active reflection on work completed, where it went well and where it didn’t, all of these things apply on and off the bike. ADAPT YOUR HOURS In terms of volume, you never really want to drop below 65 per cent of your average weekly summer volume. If you do 10 hours a week in summer, then to maintain fitness you really need to be doing…

CYCLO-CROSS SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8 East Midlands Regional Championships (Misterton Hall, Lutterworth, Leicestershire): Seniors: 1. Alec Gregory (8point8 Group) 56.50; 2. S. Morris (Loughborough Students CC) +0.04; 3. D. Earth (Steve Poole Plant Hire) +0.14; 4. G. Thompson (Rose Race Team) +0.45; 5. J. Peacock (Spirit Tifosi RT) +1.22; 6. J. Swadling (8point8 Group) +1.57; 7. A. Gascoigne (unattached) +1.47; 8. J. Jackson (Ellmore Factory Racing) +3.05; 9. F. Gregory (Derby Mercury RC); 10. S. Howes (Sleaford Wheelers). Women: 1. Kate Eedy (Team Empella Cyclo-cross.com) 44.48; 2. A. Wayte (RST Cycle Division) +2.00; 3. L. Mansfield (RST Cycle Division) +2.25. Veterans: 1. Daniel Alexander (Zepnat RT) 1:01.36; 2. B. Eedy (Team Empella Cyclo-cross.com) +1.01; 3. N. Halliday (RAM CC) +1.10. South Regional Championships (Foxhill Track, Wilts): Seniors: 1. Sam Allen (Pedal…

Around the year 2001, there was a major turning point in my life. I left the law, my previous job, and became a career bicycle-racer. Maybe it’s because it’s Christmas, or maybe it’s the turn of another decade, but recently I found myself thinking about what my life would have been like had I not made this change. Would I, I wondered, have missed the joy of finding my physical limits? Would I have spent years wondering what I might have achieved had I been brave enough to turn my back on a more ‘normal’ life? And would any of the many concubines on my enormous yacht have understood my pain? There is much that I would have preferred not to learn. Without cycling I’d still think that a perineum…

Word reaches us here at Stupidity HQ of a rider who went to one of the country’s larger sportive events, on partially closed roads with full support. And that final mark of quality, pre-start portaloos. It was into one of these that he retreated a few minutes before his start time. As he sat in contemplation of the ride, he heard a banging against the door. “Hello?” he called. “I’m just leaving it here for a second,” a voice replied. “Strange,” thought our hero. When he tried to open the door, he discovered the owner of the voice had leaned a bike against the other side of it. Unwilling to knock over someone else’s machine, he stayed put. He was still there 20 minutes later when his start time came…