Indholdsfortegnelse for October 21, 2021 i Cycling Weekly

Last week’s announcement of the Tour de France Femmes route was another step forward for cycling. I won’t say it’s historic – after all, we used to have a women’s Tour, making this a return to what the sport had before – but it’s without doubt a great addition. And I’m happy because in my head summer just officially got extended by one week. I’ve written before how due to formative childhood memories of watching the Tour, the race has in my head become inextricably linked to the summer holidays. The downside is the day after the sprint on the Champs-Elysées my thoughts turn to autumn and the days getting shorter – even though it’s still July. So thanks to the organisers for extending my summer, it’s much appreciated. It…

ELITE ROAD RACES Men: Ben Swift (Ineos); 2, Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious); 3, Ethan Hayter (Ineos). Women: Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM); 2, Josie Nelson (Coop-Hitec Products); 3, Joscelin Lowden (Drops-LeCol-Tempur). U23 ROAD R ACES Men: Fred Wright; 2, Lewis Askey (Groupama-FDJ); 3, Leo Hayter (Team DSM). Women: Pfeiffer Georgi; Josie Nelson; Anna Shackley (SD Worx). CIRCUIT RACES Men: Ethan Hayter; 2, Harry Tanfield (Qhubeka-NextHash); 3, Lewis Askey. Women: Jo Tindley (Pro Noctis-Redchilli Bikes); 2, Abi Smith (Tibco-Silicon Valley); 3, Corinne Side (Pro Noctis). ELITE TIME TRIALS Men: Ethan Hayter; 2, Dan Bigham (Ribble-Weldtite); 3, James Shaw (Ribble-Weldtite). Women: Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma); 2, Joscelin Lowden; 3, Leah Dixon (Tibco-Silicon Valley). U23 TIME TRIALS Men: Leo Hayter (DSM); 2, Ben Turner (Trinity Racing); 3, Oscar Onley (DSM). Women: Anna Shackley (SD Worx);…

Wed 6 Oct, 19:00 A man in his 20s is pushed from his bike by two men on electric scooters, who then steal his bike. He suffers minor injuries. Thurs 7 Oct 16:01 Alex Richardson is chased and pushed from his bike at speed, dragged along the road and threatened with a machete before four thieves make off with his bike, on two mopeds. He suffers cuts and bruises. Mon 11 Oct 03:30 New junior time trial champion Mattie Dodd has six bikes stolen from his Wimbledon garage by thieves at 3.30am, again mounted on mopeds. Mon 11 Oct 17:00 A man in his 30s is pushed from his bike and threatened with a machete by two men on a moped. His bike is stolen and he is left with…

Human rights campaigner slams UAE women’s team Human rights organisation International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) has expressed its concerns over the recent announcement that UAE Team Emirates are acquiring a UCI women’s team for 2022. The organisation called the move “deeply regrettable” as it is “a regime that systematically discriminates against women in law and in practice”. Phil Lynch, director at ISHR, said that while investment in women’s sport is essential, gaining this investment from the UAE is another attempt from the state to try and “wash its dirty human rights record”. Opi-Omi spectator faces suspended prison sentence The spectator who caused a mass crash at the Tour de France while holding a banner saying “Allez Opi-Omi” faces a four-month suspended sentence. The 31-year-old woman appeared in court on…

Sponsored by When Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme unveiled the route of the 2022 Tour de France in Paris last week, he carried out a little thought experiment. What would Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault do with the route he had created for next summer, he wondered? His answer: attack. They would attack the windy stages that follow the Tour’s most northerly Grand Départ in Denmark, home to an 18km bridge over the Great Belt channel that the race will traverse on stage two. They would attack the lumps and bumps of the Opal Coast in northern France on stage four and the 19.4km of ruinous cobblestones that feature in 11 secteurs on stage five. They would attack on the race’s return to La Planche des Belles Filles, the…

There is precious little research on the issue of homophobia in cycling specifically but the Out on the Fields and OutSport studies in 2015 and 2019 looked at the issue across sports and across nations to give a broader picture. They found that 80% of participants had experienced team-mates or others in their sport using homophobic language. That same report found that around 70% of gay people under 22 kept their sexual orientation secret from those in their sport, though this dropped to around 40% for over-22s.…

A few years ago I decided to give up doing anything particularly fast or competitive on a bicycle any more, much as I enjoyed paying for the privilege of finishing in the mid to low end of a local road race. Long-distance, multi-day touring had captured my interest – an activity much better suited to sub-zone two riding but still literally packed with challenges thanks to the sheer number of hours and days spent loaded up in the saddle. For my initial adventures I’d used off-the-peg endurance bikes which, although they did the job, weren’t really built for strapping on bags. And so I set out to build the ultimate tourer, something that could handle the demands of bikepacking and the varied terrain that comes with it, all without feeling…

As I’ve already mentioned, this bike was built to be a dream tourer, so for now there aren’t a huge amount of changes I would make to the current set-up. I would change the tyres before the next tour. While the S-Works Turbo RapidAir (30mm) are great tubeless tyres and very fast, they aren’t rugged enough for regular touring. I’ve done around 1,500km on these tyres and they don’t look like they would handle another long tour so I would certainly switch to something more hard-wearing like the 32mm Roubaix Pro or the 32mm Bontrager R2 Hard-Case Lite tyres which I was impressed with on a previous trip. For bigger tours I’ll invest in some panniers or a bigger and more stable rear pack, and will finally get the dynamo…

I watched the finish of Paris-Tours last week. It was as exciting a finale as I think I’ve seen this year – an unexpected four-up sprint as two chasers (Arnaud Démare and Jasper Stuyven) caught the end of the break (Franck Bonnamour and Stan Dewulf) in the last kilometre. Less unexpectedly, Démare won it. The rider I found myself watching was Bonnamour, because I reckoned he was the worst sprinter. (He finished second, which shows how much I know.) I always like watching weaker sprinters in that sort of finish, because I feel a kinship with them. I remember watching Rigoberto Urán being beaten so badly in the finish of the 2012 Olympic road race by Alexandre Vinokourov that people suggested he’d thrown the race. I just thought, “Oh, no.…

Ethan Hayter’s first win of the championship week came on Thursday afternoon in the time trial on a 44.7km course based on Tealby, 20 miles from Lincoln. The Ineos Grenadiers rider beat Ribble-Weldtite’s Dan Bigham and James Shaw into second and third by 36 and 49 seconds respectively. It wasn’t the first win of the week for the Hayter family though (neither would it be the last, as Ethan Hayter won the circuit championships the following evening). Hayter’s younger brother Leo had already netted victory in the under-23 men’s race that morning. His win, taken on a 29.6km version of the same course as the elite men, was even more emphatic than his sibling, beating Trinity’s Ben Turner into second place by 52 seconds, and his DSM team-mate Oscar Onley…

National Championship contenders Mary Wilkinson and Tom Bell clinched victories in the iconic Rake hill-climb in Lancashire, which welcomed back the crowds after a year away. Despite wet conditions before the event making the course near Ramsbottom slippery, Wilkinson proved her form by setting a new course record on her way to the women’s victory. The 40-year-old from Yorkshire had finished runner-up twice before on the 947-metre long climb, which has a maximum gradient of 22 per cent. Wilkinson stormed up the ascent in a new course record time of 2.56.7, breaking Fiona Burnie’s previous best of 3.05.9. “I’ve always wanted to win on the Rake as it’s one of my favourite races of the year so this is very satisfying,” said Wilkinson. “The top section was pretty treacherous, to…

Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates), 2021 Tour de France champion “It’s a complete course. From the first stage to the last stage, we have everything: sprints, echelons, cobbles, big climbs, small climbs, time trials. The windy [opening] stages will be tricky. I hope for no wind but it’s hard when you have a 20km bridge.” Mark Cavendish (Deceuninck-Quick Step), 2021 Tour de France green jersey winner “It’s going to be a very hard Tour de France. Those first days after the [opening] time trial could be really hectic. There aren’t as many chances for the fastmen as in the past, so you’ll need to try to make the most out of every opportunity.” Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), Danish former world champion “We will pass about 100 metres from my home in…

Frame: Meteor Works Aesir by Velo Atelier Groupset: SRAM Force eTap AXS, 43/30 chainrings, 10-36 cassette, 175mm crank Brakes: SRAM Force eTap AXS HRD, Paceline Centerlock Rotors 140mm front and rear Wheels: Reserve 32 gravel wheels, DT 350 hubs Tyres: Specialized S-Works Turbo RapidAir Tubeless Ready tyre (30mm) Stem: Zipp Service Course SL, 130mm Seatpost: Zipp Service Course SL, 27.2mm diameter, 20mm offset Handlebar: Velo Atelier Carbon Adventure Handlebar, 42cm Headset: Cane Creek 70 Series Hellbender Bar tape: Fizik Microtex 2mm, black Saddle: Specialized S-Works Power with Mirror Pedals: Look Keo Blade Carbon…

It’s an uncomfortable truth that lower back pain is common among cyclists. But are we really more prone to back issues than people who do other sports and activities? And if so, is it caused directly by our position on the bike, being leant over to varying degrees, or other less obvious factors? In other words, how can we separate the truths from the presumptions, the researched facts from the pseudo-science-spun myths? In doing so, maybe at least some of us can avoid falling victim to back pain in the first place. My interest in this topic piqued very suddenly one Sunday morning a few weeks ago when, having dipped into a squat in my home gym, I began to push up and… Aaargh! A paroxysm of pain shot through…

You didn’t buy your first road bike until 2018, and two years later you were national hill-climb champion. How did you make such fast progress? I think it’s because I literally cycle everywhere: it’s my main mode of transport. I don’t even own a car. I cycle to get my shopping, to take my kids to school, to get to work, every single day: 100-200km every week just getting from A to B. So I didn’t start from zero – cycling for transport had given me a base level of fitness. What initially motivated you to get competitive? After buying my first proper carbonfibre road bike from Pankhurst Cycles [in Reading] – which is also the club I ride for – I started posting my rides on Strava. The first…

I recently read about the parliamentary petition launched by Nick Freeman, a high-profile solicitor (referred to as Mr Loophole) – along with a YouGov poll – supporting cyclists having to wear numbered tabards and having penalty points imposed on their driving licences if they have one. It seems to be a response to urban cyclists who ride on pavements and go through red lights, but of course it would apply to everyone everywhere. Of course there are cyclists who are a pain and ignore rules. But there are times when due to dangerous and busy roads, often in poor repair, disjointed provision of cycle paths, bridleways and other paths, it’s not always safe to obey EVERY rule. With all the emphasis on global warming and emissions, it would seem to…

It looks like just another track pump – albeit an impressively heavy dutylooking one – but the Topeak JoeBlow Tubi 2Stage has a trick at the end of its hose that we think is going to come in very handy for getting tubeless tyres seated with minimum faff and mess. Once it’s pushed onto a tubeless valve, the ‘TubiHead’ can unscrew the valve core and retain it inside the head, allowing the pump to blast in air at high volume through both barrels, seating the bead. That’s on its ‘stage 1’ setting, which Topeak says reaches 30psi with 30 per cent less effort (the big blast). Despite the valve core having been removed, no pressure is lost while the TubiHead is on the valve. Once the bead is seated, flip…

This bike was completed in early 2021 when touring was trickier due to Covid restrictions. Since April I’ve managed to do several smaller bikepacking trips to visit family and a week-long tour to Norfolk, with my longest ride so far a 213km ride from south London to King’s Lynn. On this largely flat first trip the Meteor Works delivered on everything I’d hoped it would. It might not have the sheer speed of bikes I’ve used in the past, but I never felt like it was holding me back, and the added comfort, practicality, versatility are certainly more important on these trips. I’m aiming to travel a bit further afield soon and really put the bike to the test with a tour in the Alps, as well as finally ticking…

Acute lower back pain usually feels worse than it actually is, in terms of structural damage, but what are the signs of serious problems? “The key red flags are severe neurological deficits, bilateral leg pains with bilateral leg weaknesses,” says Meakins. “If you’re finding it difficult to stand up because you feel like your legs are not able to support your weight, or you have loss of sensation, particularly in the genital – or saddle – area, you need urgent assessment. “These serious problems are very rare, but you may have a spinal fracture – more common in people with osteoporosis. Spinal infections may cause low back pain, so if you have a fever or night sweats, that is another red flag. Spinal tumours, again very rare, can cause severe…

In association with HILL-CLIMBS SUNDAY, 17 OCTOBER Welsh Championships (The Tumble, Govilon, 2.64 miles): Men: 1. Dan Evans (ASSOS Speed Club UK) 13:06.4 2. T. Pattinson (Halesowen A&CC) 13:16.1 3. J. Pearce (Solihull CC) 14:18.2 4. D. Griffiths (Towy Riders CC) 14:30.7 5. L. Lermite (Guide Cycling) 14:35.8 6. F. Meredith (Team Backstedt Bike Performance) 15:04.4 Women: 1. Rebecca Richardson (Team Brother UK) 16:25.8 2. J. Evans (ASSOS Speed Club UK) 18:05.5 3. B. Jenkinson (Anglesey Cycling Group) 18:53.9 4. L. Home (AIMS Cycling) 21:33.3 Lancashire Road Club (The Rake, Ramsbottom, Lancs, 947 yards): Men: 1. Tom Bell (High North Performance) 2:18.5 2. A. Nichols (Lifting Gear Products) 2:21.3 3. K. Wynne-Cattanach (Lifting Gear Products) 2:26.5 4. A. Raynard (Lifting Gear Products) 2:28.3 5. J. Aiken (Orwell Velo) 2:29.0 =6.…

A tale of a family man from Yorkshire. A couple of Christmases ago, in a frivolous mood, he decorated his summer bike with lights and tinsel and put it in the hall of the house. His children and partner were totally indifferent to this. For two weeks round Christmas they walked round it without comment. He repeated the exercise last year. Again, total indifference. A few weeks ago, he mentioned that he was going to sell a bike to a friend. “Isn’t that the Christmas bike?” asked his daughter. He said it was. “You can’t sell that!” his partner said. “We all love that bike! It won’t be Christmas without it!” So now he’s stuck with it. For ever.…