Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2, 2021 i Cycling Weekly

Well dear reader, we tried to delay the onset of winter for as long as possible but we couldn’t hold off any longer. We’ve kept the cold, wintry images and supporting headlines off the cover, but this week there was no avoiding it. It’s not that we don’t like the season, some of my most memorable rides have been long club runs on cold, crisp winter days, but there are several months of winter still to come and we didn’t want to jump in too early. In my head I just have to get through to the end of February. Yes, March can still be wet and cold but it means we’re out the other side, and rather than worry about cold, dark days I can instead worry about not…

How does the league scoring work? Riders score points for their placing in each of two races over the course of the night. For the endurance riders there’s a scratch and elimination race, for the sprinters it’s match sprinting and keirin. Winner gets 20 points, second 17, third 15, all the way down to a single point for 15th place. The maximum points a rider can get across the whole competition is 200. When are the races? Round three London, Fri 3 December 18:30-22:30 Round four London, Sat 4 December 18:45-22:30 Round five Tel Aviv, Sat 11 December 16:30-20:45 Where can I watch it? All races are available on Eurosport and GCN+…

Dr Ruth Anderson is author of The Cycling Mind and CEO of MiND HQ. One of the keys to guiding young riders along the right path is expectation management, she says. “The first thing the rider needs is education on how to manage success and contain expectations of future performances,” says Anderson. “This is an area not thought about, but for riders to be successful in the long term it is critical they understand how to cope with both success and failure.” Guidance is not a one-size-fits-all deal either, she says, and needs to be carefully tailored to the individual. The idea of all young riders being thrusting and confident with the inbuilt ability to let pressure wash over them is misguided, Anderson says – such traits boil down to…

Hannah Bussey, tech writer In a quest to find the right riding terrain for the Specialized S-Works Crux, the bike ended up covering a fair chunk of the Peak District National Park. The only perk of the Beeching rail cuts in the North-West is that it’s gifted a significant amount of disused railway lines, which along with the abundant canal towpaths, are about as close to the terrain requirement you can get in the UK. The bike did tackle a gravel specific loop over in the east of the park, which was well worth the drive over for, but was quite technically demanding.…

Winter comes with its own practical nutrition problems. Multiple layers can result in food being difficult to access – cold hands and thick gloves can make it difficult to open wrappers, and low temperatures may suppress thirst slightly. Here’s how to counteract those issues Take more than you need Outdoor rides are much less predictable in winter. There are inevitably more mechanicals, meaning more time standing at the roadside getting cold. And you won’t be in peak fitness. Energy consumption is usually higher than the equivalent ride in the summer. Always take a spare energy bar or two, as well as an extra layer. Remove wrappers pre-ride We’ve all been there: fumbling around in thick winter gloves in the pouring rain struggling to open the wrapper of an energy bar.…

Team Boompods joint managers, Hannah Farran and Nikki Metcalfe, on their latest signing “We have known Mary for some four years now, not only in the competitive environment but also as a friend. We’ve both followed her career with interest, and in fact this is the second time we have approached Mary with a view to signing her – as she has openly admitted, she should have joined the first time of asking! “Mary’s hill-climbing prowess is more than evident; her skills in the other cycling disciplines are equally of merit, just not as widely known. It’s her performances on the road regionally, which are second-to-none, that the team hopes to exploit nationally, as well as developing her crit racing. “Mary will be an integral part of the team’s plans…

I’m sure your sentiments when you heard that Wout van Aert had sold NFTs of artworks of his three biggest wins for €47,000 were similar to mine. Namely, what’s an NFT and why would someone spend almost the price of a perfectly good pair of Rapha shorts on one? I’ve probably got to this story too late to need to actually explain what an NFT is, I think. Either you know by now or you’re never going to. What I would say is like most things that seem hard to understand, you’re probably just overthinking it. It’s simply buying a digital thing – a picture, an animation, a video clip, even a race power-file. Jack Dorsey, who founded Twitter, sold an autographed tweet as an NFT, so clearly you can…

The former pro had been suffering with mental health issues and alcohol dependency when he committed the crime and was given a 14-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and required to attend alcohol treatment and rehabilitation. The Yorkshire Evening Post reported that Leeds Crown Court heard the girl had been riding home when Edmondson, shirtless, without shoes and covered in blood from a cut on his neck, had told her to get off, pushed her and ridden away. The paper reported his lawyer as saying he had been detained under the Mental Health Act for several days in November and was hospitalised for alcohol treatment just last week. The Post reported that Judge C. Batty said: “You were in a dreadful place and I am really sad to hear,…

Today I completed my 5,000 miles. I’m really pleased after my disaster of a year last year, and busting my hand in a non-cycling accident that resulted in several months off the bike. I have two health conditions that restrict my lung capacity, along with a leg injury resulting in a 66% power deficit, so I also wanted to show that you can still accomplish things if you put your mind to it. My first ride in 2018 was a painful 10 miles at 10mph but I can now churn out 19.8mph on a decent mileage and hope to crack 20mph average next year. My stats are: 5,001 miles by 26 November in 125 days of riding. Longest ride outdoors: 104 miles, longest indoors: 100 miles. Biggest week was 232…

Some things in life are certain: death, taxes, England’s men’s football team falling short of glory. Add to that list Evie Richards smiling. In our two hours with Britain’s queen of the dirt she can barely wipe the grin off her face. It’s not, sadly, our company – we’re reliably informed she’s always like this. Throughout 2021 Richards has had ample reason to smile, celebrating her best year yet. Top of that list of reasons to smile was realising her childhood dream of winning a senior world title. She now has a house full of rainbow jerseys. And we’re not exaggerating. When we visit Richards in her quaint power-pastel Malvern home she’s been sent boxes and boxes of rainbow jerseys to sign for her sponsors to then hand out –…

Trying to prevent technological advancement in any industry is a bit like swimming against a tide of schooling salmon. The UCI sticks its oar in sometimes, but good engineering always finds a way around. If we didn’t allow technology to advance, we’d all be riding around on the boneshaker bikes of 1869 – and we’d probably think the rattling experience was as good as it gets. However, some advancements take time to reach refinement. Case in point, the first SRM power meter launched in the 1980s required a Yellow Pages-sized instruction manual to just get going; early power meter pedals worked best if you sang a lullaby at the ideal pitch while tightening to optimum torque. But now? Anyone can fit a pair of power pedals to any bike and…

ONE DOWN Specialized Crux Pro £7,000 The Crux Pro is where the dream becomes more real. This does sacrifice SRAM Red for Force, without power meter, and a frame constructed using slightly heavier 10R carbon. Much of the finishing kit has been exchanged to meet this price point too, but the good news is that the forks and geometry are exactly the same, promising a very similar ride feel. ONE MORE DOWN Specialized Crux Expert £5,500 Drop down an extra rung to the Crux Expert, and you could get two bikes for almost the same price as one S-Works model! The Expert features the 10R carbon frame. You still enjoy a carbon seatpost, with a SRAM Rival eTap AXS groupset and Roval Terra C wheels. The gearing is a 40T…

MOROCCAN-SPICED CHICKPEA SOUP Per serving (including one wholemeal pitta bread): 489cals, 20g protein, 12g fat (1g saturates), 68g carbs (13g total sugars), 17g fibre Bean says: This simple, protein-packed soup is highly nutritious and easy to make. Chickpeas are high in fibre, particularly a type called oligosaccharides that are fermented by beneficial bacteria in the gut. You will need ■ 1tbsp olive or rapeseed oil■ 1 small onion, finely chopped■ 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped■ 1 celery stick, finely chopped■ ½ tsp ground cumin■ ½ tsp cinnamon■ 1 tsp harissa paste■ 2tbsp tomato purée■ Salt and freshly ground black pepper■ 400ml vegetable stock■ 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed■ Juice of ½ lemon■ 50g baby spinach■ Handful of fresh coriander, chopped■ To serve: Toasted wholemeal pitta bread Method 1)…

Do what you love and love what you do: Sport is so demanding mentally as well as physically, you’ll only achieve what you are capable of if you genuinely enjoy the training and racing. Grasp opportunities: If there is something you want to do or an opportunity arises, take it, because you never know if you will have the chance to do it again. Don’t be afraid of letting go of the past: If something isn’t working or something is dragging you down, commit to a new challenge, make a plan towards it and do it. Find the time: If you want to achieve something and you enjoy the process of getting there, you can always find time to do the work you need to achieve it. There are 24…

Dan Bigham, the British Hour record holder, has said he’s been inundated with tips for how he can beat the World Hour record after he announced last week he’d be making an attempt. In October the 30-year-old set a British record distance of 54.723km in Grenchen, Switzerland, surpassing Bradley Wiggins’s 2015 mark by 197m. Due to his Continental level status with the Ribble-Weldtite team, Bigham is not in the UCI’s athlete testing pool, meaning his ride did not qualify as a full Hour record attempt. The Briton has since accrued more sponsors off the back of his ride and is now set to pay to be registered on the anti-doping system. That will allow him to attempt to better the current outright Hour record, which Victor Campenaerts set in 2019…

Gabs not done yet Gabriel Cullaigh is determined to return to the WorldTour, even if it doesn’t happen in 2022, the British rider has said. His two-year term with Movistar comes to an end this month, but there remains a chance he could sign for Qhubeka-NextHash if the team continues. He also has the option of riding with a British Conti team for 2022, where he would hope to impress WorldTour teams. “I think I should at least try for another year,” he said. MacKenzie LEJOG official It’s official: the Road Records Association has now ratified the new Land’s End to John o’ Groats record set by Christina MacKenzie in July. Her 51hr 5min 27sec took 1hr 39 off the old record, set by Lynne Taylor in 2002. “The dream…

“It’s a weight on your shoulders, because you know you’ve got two years until you’re the same age as someone who’s won the Tour twice.” It’s a thought-provoking view from the ranks offered up by British elite under-23 rider Tom Portsmouth. He’s talking about Tadej Pogačar of course, and more widely the pressure created for riders of his age by seeing their peers win so big, so soon. Referencing another prodigious early twentysomething, 19-year-old Portsmouth adds: “I’m nearly a year and 11 months younger than Remco [Evenepoel]. So my ambition is to try and keep myself in that mindset of trying to achieve the level he’s achieved at his age. “I still believe in myself, I’ve got time,” adds Portsmouth, who rides for the Belgian Carbonbike-Discar Academy team. “But then…

For years British women have been threatening to challenge the international scene with multiple riders, and the 2021 season has seen this promise reaching fruition. Just look at the WorldTour young rider classification, which lists the most consistent U23 women in top-tier races, where GB have more riders in the top 15 than any other country – more even than powerhouse nations Netherlands and Italy. That’s why we at CW decided to do this series of interviews with them. Alongside Richards on the mud, on the road you can expect both Anna Shackley (20) and Elynor Bäckstedt (19) to continue their development at SDWorx and Trek-Segafredo. And the increase in the number of top teams will bring more Brits to the WorldTour, with Jumbo-Visma and EF Education-Tibco-SVB taking Anna Henderson…

The days are getting shorter and the mercury is plummeting. Winter is here. Maintaining a consistent training load during the British winter can be difficult. The cold, dark days envelop us in a battle with both the elements and our motivation. As the weather worsens (yes, sorry, it will) and your training load changes as you embrace winter routines, there is something else to consider beyond keeping warm and dry: should your fuelling habits change too? With fewer races and events on the calendar until spring – unless you’re a fan of cyclo-cross – most cyclists tend to reduce the intensity and focus on building their base. With a switch to base training, nutrition changes too. For endurance rides, the minimum recommended intake of carbohydrate is 40g per hour. It’s…

Mountain runner, hill-climber, road racer, Zwift supremo, scientist, sheep farmer… How does one person have so many talents? CW meets Mary Wilkinson Mary Wilkinson is a natural. Rewind 25 years and a picture emerges of a sporty kid who was good at just about everything. “I was pretty talented in team sports: netball, hockey, football,” she casually reels them off. “I played those to international junior level.” By her late-teens the sporting world was her oyster and she was looking forward to honing her netball at Loughborough University, but then tragedy struck: Wilkinson’s older brother Thomas was killed in a car crash aged just 19. “It left me with a desperate need for control, because other things – my brother’s death – had proved to be outside of my control,”…

In association with CYCLO-CROSS SUNDAY 28 NOVEMBER Eastern Regional Championships (Trinity Park Showground, Ipswich, Suffolk): Men: 1. Joseph Smith (Tofauti Everyone Active) 59.30; 2. C. Laborde (Tofauti Everyone Active) +0.17; 3. C. Hurst (Velo Schils-Interbike) +0.56; 4. J. Jones (ALL IN Racing) +2.00; 5. C. Davies (BIKESTRONG-KTM) +2.08; 6. S. Herrod (ROTOR Race Team) +2.14; 7. J. Madgwick (ALL IN Racing) +2.27; 8. C. Johnson (Fast Test Racing Team) +3.08; 9. N. Dunn (unattached) +3.10; 10. K. Jarvis (Brother UK-Cycle Team OnForm) +3.47. Women: 1. Gemma Melton (XRT-Elmy Cycles) 42.33; 2. B. Barnett (AWOL Worx Galliard) +2.07; 3. K. Simcock (Trek Bicycle Club) +3.01; 4. E. Branch (C6 Bikes) +3.45; 5. C. Hime (AWOL Worx Galliard) +4.35; 6. B. Robertson (unttchd); 7. M. Paddington (Newdales Cycles RT) +5.56; 8. K.…

Word reaches us of a rider on a trans-continental ride a few years ago. Tired, miserable and quite hungry, he bedded down for a few minutes of rest in a park in a small town in the middle of the night. He lay there shivering, wondering what the hell had gone wrong with his life. He woke suddenly, and realised that his bike had gone. In the gloom he could see someone wheeling it away. He was about to leap up and give chase when he had a better idea. “I’ll give him a head start,” he thought. “If I chase him now I might get the damn thing back.” He went back to a peaceful sleep. In the morning he got the train home, with a song in his…