Innehållsförteckning för February 8, 2018 från Cycling Weekly

For years cyclo-cross has been the poor relation of British Cycling’s all-conquering, multi-million pound medal factory. Without a spot in the Olympic Games, cross hasn’t benefited from the medal-focused lottery funding that has flooded into the sport for the last 20 years. But in recent years things have started to change. It’s still not seeing the investment that track, road and mtb receives, but from more humble beginnings Great Britain’s next golden generation is being bred on the muddy fields and parks up and down the country. Tom Pidcock, who was off the boil last weekend, is already well known and on a path to greatness, Evie Richards is a double world champ at 20 while new champ Ben Tulett follows in the footsteps of his older brother who, despite…

“I’d applauded this result with the kind of patronising affection only a younger sibling can provide. I made it about me” My brother is now the British national points race champion. I hadn’t been keeping track of his brilliance myself but I read somewhere (‘somewhere’ means I read it on Instagram but I’m too embarrassed to cite it as a news source, like when I tell a story about ‘someone I know’ when really it’s another lame story about my boyfriend that I’m trying to disguise) that it’s his best national result since a fourth as an 11-year-old swimmer. The day before becoming the British national points race champion he’d won a bronze medal in the individual pursuit, behind Team KGF’s Charlie Tanfield and Dan Bigham. I’d applauded this result…

STAR LETTER HEDs up The column by Dr Hutch regarding throwing stuff away reminded me of my wheels last spring. As I embarked on a comeback season into time trialling, I set up my bike and carefully prepared my treasured HED wheels, a front Jet and rear Deep. These wheels had carried me to my lifetime personal bests so I had high hopes for a successful comeback! However, as I was fitting the front wheel I noticed that the flange had a large split where a spoke inserted. Bearing in mind that my lay-off was due to severe injuries, I decided that a collapsing front wheel even at my modest speed could be painful and worse still, be embarrassing. Therefore I had no choice but to purchase a new set…

There is one thing I really want to ask Jonathan Dibben when we meet at the Tour Down Under, where he is starting his 2018 season working for Sky team-mates. Determination is a hallmark among athletes but the 23-year-old rider’s willpower is curious. A score on Dibben’s 2017 rookie pro results sheet begs a question, and it’s not the stage six time trial victory at the Tour of California, or Hammer Series Limburg title. Sat in a hotel lobby in Adelaide, I instead ask the aspiring Sky Classics specialist about the ‘OOT’ he recorded at Paris-Roubaix. Race veterans say reaching the velodrome is achievement in itself, so a neo-pro would certainly be forgiven for surrendering at their first attempt. Yet Dibben, in the fastest edition ever raced, persevered to enter…

“Of course it always depends on the type of phone and what applications are running, but bike computers are designed specifically for cycling whereas using cycling apps as your data-recording device does use up your phone’s battery. “For anything more than a two to three-hour ride I would want a dedicated bike computer because most bike computers have 10+ hours of ride time with GPS running. “Wahoo bike computers are designed to withstand the elements and crash scenarios that I would be scared to put my phone through. Smartphones in a case are not designed for cycling specifically, so as well as being more vulnerable there are no aerodynamic advantages. “For anyone doing more than two to three hour rides once a week, or who wants to utilise cycling data…

Lettuce (100g). Kcal: 15. Protein: 1.4. Fats: 0.15. Carbs: 3. Pork loin (chopped, 117g). Kcal: 232. Protein: 23. Fats: 14. Carbs: 0. Beef (tenderloin, 100g raw) Kcal: 274. Protein: 18. Fats: 21. Carbs: 0 Chicken breast (1 breast, 100g raw). Kcal: 130. Protein: 13.70. Fats: 7.90. Carbs: 0.10. Yogurt (50g pot). Kcal: 30. Protein: 1.7. Fats: 1.6. Carbs: 2.3 Pizza (1 slice, 100g). Kcal: 268. Protein: 10. Fats: 10. Carbs: 25. Potato (1 large, 369g raw). Kcal: 284. Protein: 7.56. Fats: 0.33. Carbs: 64.54 Brown rice (1 cup, 185g cooked). Kcal: 679. Protein: 14. Fats: 6. Carbs: 141. Broccoli (1 cup, 44g raw). Kcal: 15. Protein: 1.24. Fats: 0.16. Carbs: 2.92. Apple (1 medium size, 182g). Kcal: 95. Protein: 0.47. Fats: 0.31. Carbs: 25.13. Porridge (1 serving, 74g cooked) Kcal:…

▪ Only eight per cent of patients survive a cardiac arrest, and less than half of bystanders intervene. Rob Burdett was lucky: Mike Chaplin knew CPR and took swift, decisive action. Would you know what to do? The British Heart Foundation lists six life-saving steps: ▪ Shake and shout: gently shake the person’s shoulders, ask “Are you OK?” and shout for help. ▪ Check their breathing. If they’re not breathing, open their airway by tilting their head back and lifting their chin. ▪ Call 999. ▪ Give 30 chest compressions. ▪ Give two rescue breaths. ▪ Repeat until the ambulance arrives. For a fuller explanation, visit: www.bhf.org.uk/heart-health/how-to-save-a-life…

53 MILES 1 A2 coast road from Groomsport to Cloughey Beautiful coastal route with views across the Irish Sea to Scotland. Often taken for granted! 2 Col de Kircubbin A short hill leaving the village of Kircubbin. With about a mile to the coffee stop, this usually sorts out the bragging rights. 3 Bradshaw’s Brae Rising to a “massive” 490ft, this climb looms large at the end of the almost flat club runs around the peninsula. Many opt to avoid it! Favourite cafe Bow Bells Restaurant and Tea Rooms in Donaghadee is a loyal club sponsor and provides a traditional welcome for NDCC midweek cyclists. It offers a wide range of refreshments from delicious tray bakes to more substantial favourites such as rhubarb crumble and custard or poached eggs on…

Chris Froome will start his 2018 season at the Ruta del Sol (February 14-18). His return will prove controversial as figures within the sport have called for him to be suspended from racing pending the outcome of his salbutamol case. The race marks the start of the Team Sky man’s preparation for the Giro d’Italia while lawyers and medical experts continue to work behind the scenes to clear his name. Froome has spent the early part of the year training in South Africa, and travels to Europe to begin his 2018 season in southern Spain, where he took victory in 2015. Team Sky have faced calls from the likes of UCI president David Lappartient to voluntarily suspend Froome while the investigation into his adverse analytical finding at the 2017 Vuelta…

Mason Definition 2 The updated do-it-all bike from Dom Mason’s brand has even more clearance, thru-axles, flat-mount discs and a new ‘element grey’ paintjob but it’s still made in Italy from Dedacciai aluminium. We have the SRAM Rival 1x version. www.masoncycles.cc Price: £2,795 Review: March Favero Assioma DUO This pedal-based dual-sided power meter from Italian company Favero looks set to rival Garmin with its Vector 3 pedal and CycleOps with the PowerTap P1. We’re testing them all in the February 15 issue. www.cycling.favero.com Price: €654.92 (£575.86) Review: February Altura Thermo Elite These winter gloves offer insulation and warmth as well as what Altura calls ‘retroreflectivity’ thanks to its Darkproof technology that bounces back light. There’s a long cuff for keeping out the draughts and a 3D Ergofit to eliminate creasing.…

Lightweight Meilenstein Obermayer £4,969 Considerably more expensive than the Zipp 454 NSWs and weighing just 940g (tubular), the Meilensteins are handmade in Germany and are incredibly stiff for their low weight. The flat spokes are bonded directly into the rim and hub, and line up directly with the angle of the V-shaped rim wall and it’s this that makes them so rigid. However, despite having a 47.5mm deep section rim, aerodynamics is not the Meilenstein Obermayers’ forte. The V-shaped profile means they will not be as effective in crosswinds as the 454 NSW — but in a hill-climb they’re unbeatable. www.vielosports.com ENVE SES 4.5 £3,200 They’re just over £200 cheaper than the Zipp 454 NSWs and lighter at just under £1,400g and although we haven’t tested them against the Zipps,…

The vast majority of sports supplements have no evidence backing their claims. They are at best unnecessary, at worst harmful or illegal. That said, there are a few products that are supported by a peer-reviewed body of research. If you are subject to anti-doping rules, then make sure that your supplements come from a reputable company that provides a certificate to prove it has been batch-tested for banned contaminants by a recognised sports anti-doping lab. Look for the Informed Sport logo on the label and check the batch number on the Informed Sport website. “Once you have eaten a meal, you need to allow at least two hours before riding” VITAMIN D Low levels can result in impaired muscle function, weak bones and depressed immunity. Your GP should be able…

“There were quite a few people already with [Rob] when I arrived on the scene, but they were trying to put him into the recovery position. Although I’m quite a shy kind of person who’d normally sit on the sidelines, in this instance I knew I had to step in. I started doing CPR and carried on for about 10 minutes until the paramedics arrived. “It was a strange journey to the race after that: I didn’t know whether to go home, pull over and cry or just continue. So I think I did a bit of everything, before deciding it was better to carry on than freak out. In the end, the race didn’t go too badly: I finished second. “At about 9pm that evening, the phone rang and…

With the expectation of the world on his young shoulders, Tom Pidcock had a day to forget as thick mud and a possible illness saw him finish outside the top 10 at the World Championships. The junior world champion from last year has seamlessly moved up to the under-23 category, clinching silver at the European Championships and the overall World Cup title. But the Cauberg would prove a step too far for the 18-year-old from Leeds, who didn’t look himself as he struggled in the deep mud and steep banks and finished 15th — almost four minutes behind the winner. Pidcock’s woes began on the opening straight when he pulled his foot out of the pedal — just as he had a week earlier in the final round of the…

doctorhutch_cycling@timeinc.com As you may recall, I’ve taken to adding a bit of running to my cycling. And I’m going to make a horrifying admission — I quite like running. Not as much as cycling, clearly, or as much as eating a Cadbury’s Flake in the bath, but there is something meditative and slightly mindless about it that’s missing from cycling, where there is quite a bit of time tied up in concentrating on not getting yourself all dead. But if you mention running on social media, several hundred people tell you off for it. “Is your bike broken?” “What were you trying to escape from?” and “Cyclo-cross? Et tu Hutch?” are just the printable replies. There is complete unanimity. Cycling is better than running. The question is, why? It might…

Head of service quality and clinical practice at Relate, the relationship counselling service, Ammanda Major believes there are definite advantages for couples who cycle together. “It is about having a bond,” Major told us. “Whether that’s cycling or birdwatching, it is about that fun element of being together even when it is hard work — like cycling uphill — you’ve got that shared endeavour. “You’re doing something healthy which maintains good mental health and contributes to that sense of the two of you getting away from it all and spending time in each other’s company, which is important for a couple. “Being competitive might also enhance the relationship, but the downside is if that becomes blaming. The person who is better needs to make allowances and that should be part…

With Chris himself a big CX fan, it’s no surprise that the Boardman brand has invested considerable R&D into its cyclo-cross line-up. The end result is a range of envelope-pushing machines of which this, the CXR 9.4, represents the pinnacle. The ethos is a serious cross machine combined with enough versatility for road riding and commutes. Frame The frame is made of Boardman’s top-of-the-range proprietary C10 carbon-fibre — the same material Boardman has used to create 850g frames for its SLR road range. There are no mudguard or rack mounts here, but two sets of bottle bosses add a degree of versatility. Wishbone rear seatstays act as shock absorbers, says Boardman, and they’re mated to box-section chainstays for power transfer. Internal cabling keeps things tidy, while the C10 fork features…

How many times have you set out on the bike and found yourself wondering how many calories your ride is going to burn? The thought is usually accompanied by speculations about whether you’ve eaten enough… or too much… and whether you’re earning the right to an extra piece of cake at the halfway cafe stop. Once you get home and begin your recovery routine, thoughts tend to drift towards protein: how much is your body actually able to synthesise, and do you really need a recovery shake as well as a decent meal? What follows is a set of handy numbers and guidelines that every cyclist needs to know in order to maximise their performance on the bike. Of course, nutrition is a complex field, and the right eating plan…

There hadn’t been the faintest warning for Rob Burdett. He was a fit, clean-living 47-year-old out for a routine Sunday ride with his Cranleigh CC club-mates. “Apparently, I was climbing up Ranmore Hill, a mild drag I’d done a 100 times before, and I just went” — “apparently” because he has no memory of the dramatic events of that day in March 2015; the entire ride is a blank. I meet Burdett in a central London cafe — he works nearby as an executive pay consultant — to hear his story as pieced together from witnesses. “The group I was riding with saw me come off my bike, as did a guy driving along behind me in his car. I was lucky he did.” The guy in question was a…

“Why did this area have the highest average speed in the UK on Strava in 2016?” muses Bangor-based North Down CC press secretary David Totten. “Flat roads, no traffic lights and plenty of clubs riding miles as opposed to commuting miles,” is his explanation. But to concentrate on the Strava record alone would be a huge disservice to the club, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2017. “We have club runs five days a week with different speed groups,” Totten continues. “Then there’s the closed-road evening race series, club time trials, open road race, Coastal Challenge charity ride and Majorca training camp.” This raft of events has been successful in attracting and retaining members. Recent joiner Ruth Hamill highlights the many groups as one of the reasons she joined: “I…

There are stories about riding with hangovers. Jacques Anquetil won several Tour de France stages after nights on the booze. The British 12-hour time trial record was once broken by a rider who had single-handedly accounted for two bottles of red wine the night before. Such rides are the stuff of legend. They are not necessarily to be emulated. A hangover leaves you dehydrated, and with increased levels of creatine kinase and lactate in your bloodstream. You’re more likely to suffer cramps and strains and electrolyte imbalances. You may well have low blood glycogen levels, and consequent lack of energy. There are even suggestions that high-intensity exercise with a hangover can be quite dangerous. So really, you shouldn’t do it. On the other hand… it’s a chance to be the…