Indholdsfortegnelse for October 15, 2020 i Cycling Weekly

Hearing Mark Cavendish say that last Sunday’s Ghent-Wevelgem could be his final race came as a bit of a shock. There’s a chance that he might get a new deal, but judging by his emotional state after the race he clearly isn’t confident of that. And confidence is something Cavendish has never been short of. No bunch sprinters are. I first started covering Cav and his race winning exploits back in 2003 (just a few years after I started at CW) when Rod Ellingworth (now in charge of Bahrain-McLaren) set up British Cycling’s Olympic Academy. I don’t mind saying that things will seem a little strange without him winning races. Even through the last few barren seasons I always assumed he still had a few more race wins in him.…

We’re here at last, the first rest day, and after a pretty brutal stage nine, we can enjoy a day off today. More importantly, we’ve got here with the pink jersey still within the team on the shoulders of João Almeida. Since then our focus has been clear: to protect the jersey. It’s a job I’ve done before, but it’s something extra leading a Grand Tour, and of course the first time in my career. It’s not as simple as it sounds. There are a few things that probably aren’t so clear from the TV coverage. Starting every day in front, the team acts as a unit to follow and to block until the right move has gone. This takes as much skill as it does legs, and thankfully we’ve…

CHRIS FROOME 35, Ineos Grenadiers, GBr Vuelta participations: 6 Best GC result: 1st (2011,17) Best stage result: 5 wins (2011,16,17) While most of the peloton have had their season disrupted by coronavirus, Chris Froome can claim bragging rights on just about all of them – his crash last June has meant he’s leapt more hurdles than most just to be on the startline. Judging by witness accounts of that Critérium du Dauphiné crash, the first hurdle was staying alive, followed by being able to make a full recovery; then being able to cycle at a high level again; and lastly, being able to challenge for victory in a Grand Tour. Each of those steps is a significant jump. It’s a huge chasm between steps one and four. We’ve been so…

MARK DONOVAN (SUNWEB) Not the WorldTour debut that the 21-year-old Cumbrian had hoped for no doubt, but he has a three-year contract with Sunweb and the next two years ought to be plain sailing in comparison to pandemic-hit 2020. The climbing ability that drew Sunweb’s attention should come in handy for his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta, as will having the recent Critérium du Dauphiné and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in his legs. ALEJANDRO VALVERDE (MOVISTAR) He’s 40-and-a-half years old, and the way he’s going, it won’t be long before you can substitute ‘dad’ for ‘grandad’. Age, after all, doesn’t seem to have blunted his ability – take his recent 12th place at the Tour for example. Don’t be surprised to see him go even better in his home tour, which has…

The Sub Zero range from NoPinz is designed to help prevent riders from overheating on the turbo trainer. The range is made up of bibshorts (£139.99), race suits (£189.99), jerseys (£79.99) and sweat bands to be worn on the wrists and arms (£29.99). Each garment comes with a holder for FreezePockets: replaceable frozen gel pads that can be placed in the freezer ahead of a training session. The gel packs range from £4.99 to £8.99. As well as housing the ice bricks, the kit is made from breathable mesh fabric. The packs are stored within pockets that we assume are thick enough to prevent chill burns, though we’ve got some gear en route to Cycling Weekly to put through its paces. To complement the launch, Nopinz will partner with World…

So I’ve just finished my final 10-mile time trial of the year with a decent ride, but a slightly disappointing result. Following an abortive start to the season in March and more cancelled events than I can count, I’m ready for an off-season to reflect on my six races, one podium, one high-speed crash, and an unlikely ride in the National Championships – now seems a good time to look back on the lessons I learned the hard way this season, from the importance of listening to your body, to the best way to prepare for racing. Rest is best This year marked a turning point in my riding, as I joined up with a coach for the first time (another huge thanks to George Fox Cycling Solutions for training…

I’ve been thinking about water bottles quite a bit lately. This is unusual in itself, since other than the “sticky” variety, I don’t know that I’ve given bottles/bidons and associated cages a second thought since somewhere around the invention of WiFi. It’s because of Geraint Thomas’s crash at the Giro, obviously. If you watch the videos on social media there is a horrible inevitability about it. You can see the innocent bottle bounding across the road. You can see Thomas bowling casually along without a care in the world other than his plans for ruthless domination. You can see what’s about to happen. And then it happens. It’s like watching a meteorite heading for a grazing stegosaurus. In general, if you never think about something, it is an indication of…

Simon Yates (Michelton-Scott) became the second Brit to have to withdraw from the Giro d’Italia after he tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday. As Cycling Weekly went to press the Bury-born rider was still only experiencing mild symptoms of the illness. Yates was isolated in his room before being taken off the race. Mitchelton-Scott doctor Matteo Beltemacchi said: “All other riders and staff have returned negative results and have been cleared to continue the race, but as a precautionary measure we will monitor the situation closely and undergo further testing in the coming days.” Meanwhile, the pink jersey wearer João Almeida (Deceuninck-Quick Step) spent the week putting in a solid defence of his position in the standings. Although the Portugese rider lost a small handful of seconds to Wilco Kelderman…

The issue of safety seems to keep cropping up at this Giro. First there were the issues in the opening time trial, then in the last week we’ve had two more incidents. The first involved the advertising barriers on stage four moving and taking out Luca Wackermann and Etienne van Empel – both from the Vini Zabù-Brado-KTM team – which their team manager alleged was caused by a low-flying helicopter. Then the banner with 45km to go on stage seven was placed in the road, abruptly narrowing each side by a metre, and just the minimum of barriers to taper in. With the race approaching it at 60+kph in crosswinds, it’s like dodging a parked car. It caused carnage. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly why these things…

Pedersen and D’Hoore claim Ghent-Wevelgem titles Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) and Jolien D’Hoore (Boels-Dolmans) won their respective Ghent-Wevelgem races. Pedersen beat Florian Sénéchal (Deceuninck-Quick Step), Matteo Trentin (CCC Team), and Alberto Bettiol (EF Pro Cycling) in a four-man sprint for the line while D’Hoore won the sprint from an 11-woman group. Men’s race favourites Wout van Aert (Jumbo-Visma) and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) effectively marked each other out. Paris-Roubaix cancelled The 2020 edition of Paris-Roubaix was cancelled after the Lille Metropolitan area was placed on maximum coronavirus alert. The race had already been postponed from its usual springtime slot. Mathieu van der Poel, who was due to make his debut at the race, said: “Due to this cancellation, the importance of the upcoming races, with Ghent-Wevelgem and the Tour of…

I’d love to know how many riders have completed your 5,000-mile challenge so far this year. My total is slowly ticking up to 4,000 miles and on my current trajectory the maths suggest I’ll hit the target. However, I know my current trajectory is now tailing off. I always struggle for motivation at this time of year and I know it’s going to be hard to hit the target, even with the monthly challenges that have been keeping my going. Even if I don’t hit the target I’ll be signing up again next year as it’s been great fun taking part. Even if I don’t get a medal at the end of it. Kevin Saunders CW - Glad to hear you’ve been enjoying the challenge so far Kevin, and that…

At the time of going to press, it looked like Bora-Hansgrohe’s Pascal Ackermann would be sharing most of the sprinting spoils with young Belgian Jasper Philipsen (UAE-Team Emirates), although there are likely to be more sprinters announced. Ackermann may not be a household name, but is one of the winningest sprinters right now – he won the points competition at Tirreno-Adriatico and two stages. He also knows his way around a Grand Tour, having won a stage and the points jersey at last year’s Giro d’Italia. Philipsen will be no walkover, despite his tender years. The 22-year-old, who steps down to the ProTeam ranks next year, joining Mathieu van der Poel at Alpecin-Fenix, has won twice post-lockdown and comes complete with a Classics-ready engine that will be useful in the…

If you get paid to ride your bike, or your sole motivation for cycling is bagging Strava bragging rights, stop reading now. The brand new Specialized Aethos – the world’s lightest ever production disc brake road bike frame – is probably not for you. If you ride a bike for the sheer enjoyment, because it makes your soul sing, then read on. Round tubes are back, my friends. A number of cycling’s favourite GC bikes have had an aero facelift this year as engineers have figured out how to make a bike cheat the wind while hitting the UCI weight limit of 6.8kg. From a purely technical persective, you can’t argue with the premise: low weight minus drag equals speed. However, in my opinion, many have carried a theme: maximised…

All the tests we’ve discussed are worth considering, especially if something doesn’t look or feel quite right. But as cardiologist Mark Dayer pointed out in relation to cardiac testing, it’s easy to worry too much about your health, imagining problems where none exist. Bear in mind, the best thing you can do to safeguard your health is regular exercise, so you’re already on the right track. Competitive cyclists benefit greatly from regular tests, but each test requires professional interpretation. Paying for regular blood analysis is an investment in yourself, and working with a well-qualified nutritionist or sports medic to rectify imbalances, can help improve your performance by mitigating against deficiencies and reducing performance anxiety.…

■ Use smaller races to get in the right mindset, ready for the big goals ■ Reward yourself with rest – plan to take time off the bike ■ Mix up your riding – switching up disciplines helps keep things fun ■ Set big and small goals – you don’t want to achieve everything in a few weeks, but make sure you can check off some smaller goals along the way ■ If you need a boost, look back at previous years – you might just find a reminder that you’re better than you’ve ever been ■ Don’t be intimidated by others – pro riders are taught to forget about their rivals to focus on what they can control. People aren’t always as fast as they look ■ It’s all…

Alan Murchison’s PASTA PUTTANESCA Serves 2 YOU WILL NEED: ■ 100-125g spaghetti■ 500g passata or tinned chopped tomatoes■ 3 cloves of garlic, chopped garlic (or 1 tbsp lazy garlic)■ 1 small red chilli■ 75g chopped salted anchovies■ 200g good quality pitted black olives■ 2 tbsp chopped capers■ 2 tbsp olive oil■ Small bunch of fresh basil■ Parmesan, optional Murchison says: “This is my ‘Performance Chef’ take on a simple classic. It’s wholesome and carb-rich, ideal the evening before a heavy training day. Better still, it can be cooked in less than 10 minutes. As a veggie alternative, simply remove the anchovies and use vegetarian parmesan.” Method 1) Gently cook garlic, chilli, anchovies in the olive oil. 2) Add the passata, olives and capers and simmer gently for 10 minutes. 3)…

Cyclists love nostalgia. As soon as the chain-driven safety bike was invented in 1885, riders started harking back fondly to the days of the penny-farthing, when men were men right up to the point where they died in a horrible, if predictable, accident with a low railway bridge. So, to be a real bike rider, you need to be able to do nostalgia. Happily it is not difficult. Just start a sentence with, “I think xxxx has really spoiled racing. It’s all so predictable now.” The “xxxx” can be anything, from power meters to helicopters, Team Ineos Grenadiers to team cars that don’t overheat every time they have to go up a mountain. In terms of actual knowledge, really all you need to know about is Tom Simpson. In the…

Mark Cavendish’s emotional declaration that “that was perhaps my last race” after Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday sparked an outpouring of warmth towards a rider who has long been a national treasure for British bike racing fans. Many took to social media with messages of support for the Bahrain-McLaren rider, reflecting on how much he meant to them, and with hopes that he would be able to continue racing that were echoed by some of the sport’s biggest commentators. “It was upsetting to see, first and foremost, nobody likes to see my grand champion in tears like that,” said former team manager and commentator Brian Smith. “This was a year that he wanted to get back to the top of cycling, and he hasn’t been able to do that. I think he…

Alex Dowsett had barely given a second thought to winning stage eight of the Giro d’Italia until that morning when he would go on to claim an emotional solo win in Vieste. Dowsett said he hadn’t considered the stage a prospect for a win when looking at the route before the Giro started. “I go into these races as a leadout man and for the time trials where I can go for myself,” he said. “I see these kind of days as more days to recover and get through, just to fill the gaps between mountains and time trials. Even in the morning I saw it as that.” However, he said the team identified in the morning meeting that there would be few teams with a strong reason to chase…

Great Britain team pursuit member Katie Archibald showed her post-lockdown form by making a winning return to competitive action in the Closed-Circuit Time Trial National Championships in Hampshire. It was a day to remember for the Archibald family, with Katie’s older brother John winning the men’s title. Katie continued her preparations for the track racing calendar clocking a time of 24-06 over 11.7 miles on the Thruxton circuit. “It was a chance to put down a test over 25 minutes,” said Archibald. “It was four team pursuits in a row, I’m used to being in that position, just not so familiar with my time trial bike. “With it being my first race post lockdown I’m glad to get it under my belt.” Archibald, riding for Dooleys RT, finished 25 seconds…

You may well have already clocked that the main contenders for the Vuelta this year include a number of riders who had hoped to ride well at the Tour de France, but came up short. Chris Froome (Ineos Grenadiers) is at the top of the list, and then of course there’s Dan Martin (Israel Start-Up Nation), Thibaut Pinot (Groupama-FDJ), Enric Mas (Movistar) and Emanuel Buchmann (Bora-Hansgrohe). But that isn’t where the Tour’s story of woe ends. Riding in support of Jumbo-Visma team-mate Tom Dumoulin will be perhaps the most desolate rider of all, Primož Roglič – himself a former Vuelta winner. Then there’s Guillaume Martin (Cofidis). He spent half the Tour hovering around the podium places, before slipping in the big mountains to finish just outside the top 10. This…

Specialized has initially announced only two price point options: the Founders (£13,000) and S-Works (£10,750). The Founders model comes with the Alpenist handlebar (£450) unveiled earlier this year, dressed in a Dura-Ace spec. The S-Works model comes with Dura Ace Di2 or SRAM Red eTap. Both use the Alpenist 33mm-deep wheels and lightweight Alpenist seatpost. I can’t help but point out that you could go fully custom and still have change left over. However, Aethos is a model family – we can expect these to land in the not too distant future.…

Everything about the Daccordi carried me off in my mind to beautiful Tuscany, where it was made by hand. The club run skirting the Surrey Hills to Petworth was transformed into a wondrous voyage through the Apennines to Pisa, with just the usual English potholes jolting me out of my reverie. OK, that’s a bit cheesy, but I wasn’t expecting the Noah with its big carbon tubes to be able to capture that classic Italian feel. I loved the personality of its ride, and knowing its provenance just made it even better.…

We spoke to Dr Rob Childs, a nutritionist who’s worked with several WorldTour teams. For cyclists who want to optimise their performance, Childs recommends investing in regular blood tests: “The results need expert interpretation and you have to balance results with background information. But I’m surprised more don’t do it. Many cyclists seem happy to pay a fortune for a titanium cassette to make their bike lighter, while being reluctant to invest in themselves. It’s a shame because rectifying a mineral deficiency, for example, can give a big performance gain. “Iron deficiency is the obvious one – put that right and you get a big boost. You can have excess iron too, which needs careful handling to reduce levels, as excess iron is toxic. Low selenium levels are also something…

It has been great to get back into a ‘new normal’ cycling routine over the past month, which included an organised event. In mid-September I took part in the New Forest Sportive, and it was fantastic – even though it was quite strange with all the social distancing safeguards in place. We were set off in groups of six, at 10-minute intervals, so the atmosphere was quieter than in a sportive during normal times, but it was great nonetheless, and buzzing at the finish. I rode with my brother-in-law; we did the standard route, 58 miles, and just smashed it round really. As mentioned last month, I marked the end of summer with a little crash, but I’m fully recovered now, and my energy levels are back to normal following…

A chat with an old cycling mate (old as in age, rather than the length of time I’ve known him) produced the recollection of a time in the 1970s when there was a spate of bike-thefts from outside local cafes during club runs. The local police sent a constable to advise. “You need to immobilise your bikes,” said the constable. He went on, “Not necessarily lock them, just make sure someone can’t jump on and ride off.” “How would we do that?” a club member asked. “Well,” said the constable, “the easy way to do it would probably be to remove the spark plug, or something like that.”…