Innehållsförteckning för October 10, 2019 från Cycling Weekly

Last week I had the pleasure of being involved in our judging panel to shortlist the candidates for Cycling Weekly’s annual awards. It’s always a fun thing to do, especially when you have excellent and knowledgeable judges like Brian Cookson, Colin Sturgess and Dani Rowe, but this year was different from the previous years I’ve been involved in. Last year we had a heated discussion over who the best male rider was because we had three British Grand Tour winners to choose from. While there was plenty of great riding this year, there weren’t so many achievements that stood head and shoulders above the rest and that meant we all had to look more closely at what these riders, across all categories, had done in the context of their own…

Gran Piemonte (October 10) The last race ahead of ll Lombardia, the 185km journey into the Dolomites finishes with a gradual 10km climb to the city of Biella. The race changes parcours each year, meaning in recent times sprinters like Sonny Colbrelli (2018) have won, emulating climbers like Rigoberto Urán (2012). Paris-Bourges (October 10) The last time a break succeeded here was in 2012, so this is a race likely to end in a sprint. Home riders with a chance of success include Antony Turgis (Direct-Energie) and Arnaud Démare (FDJ) Ronde van Zeeland (October 12) Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) will be the riders to beat in the Netherlands, unless a break can stay away. Paris-Tours (October 13) The historic race always provides drama despite the parcours…

The man behind Mapei, one of cycling’s most remembered teams, has died after battling a serious illness. Giorgio Squinzi was born on October 18, 1943 and died on Wednesday (October 3), leaving behind wife Adriana and children Marco and Veronica. He died in the Milan hospital where he had been for two weeks. In cycling, he is best known for sponsorship of Italian super-team Mapei with his chemicals and flooring company, from 1993 to 2002. They ruled cycling with greats like Johan Museeuw, Franco Ballerini and Paolo Bettini, and launched the careers of Fabian Cancellara and Filippo Pozzato. Giuseppe Saronni, Patrick Lefevere and Luca Guercilena also began their management careers in the team’s ranks. “Condolence to the family Squinzi, the great man,” Lefevere, now the boss at Deceuninck-Quick Step, said.…

LUKE ROWE BC senior academy: 2009-2011 Then: Two wins at ZLM Tour U23 race 2009 and 2011; 1st GP Di Poggiana 2010; 1st, stage 7 Internationale Thüringen-Rundfahrt 2011. Now: Ineos’s key Tour de France road captain and Classics campaigner OWAIN DOULL BC senior academy: 2012-2015 Then: Won points jersey at An Post Rás 2013; 4th, U23 Tour of Flanders 2014. Now: Olympic team pursuit champion and an upcoming Classics rider and domestique on the road. He got his first pro win in January this year. GABRIEL CULLAUGH BC senior academy: 2015-2018 Then: 1st, stage one Course de la Paix U23 2015; 1st, Rutland Cicle Classic 2018 Now: Just signed a deal with Movistar and is set to be a key part of a revised Classics line-up for the Spanish squad.…

The riders heading to the National Hill-climb Championships in a fortnight’s time (October 27, at Haytor Vale, Devon) will have taken all sorts of measures to shave grams from their bikes, from stripping saddle padding and front derailleurs, to sawing the drops off handlebars and even drilling holes in the frame. For those of us without a dedicated bike to perforate, there are a few non-damaging ways to strip weight. Matt Clinton makes some suggestions. “The quick and easy wins are bottles, cages, saddle bag, and a frame pump,” he says. “It’s not a big difficulty to strip the bar tape, though a lot of people don’t like how it feels. After that, it requires a financial outlay — more expensive and lighter wheels and components.” Don’t forget about shaving…

If you’ve set your PBs and decided the time has come to go hunting for KoMs, there are a few steps you can take to put you on the front foot. Firstly, choose a segment that suits you. For example, if you’re a heavier rider with a lot of TT experience, a longer, shallower-gradient segment is best, whereas little whippets are naturally going to do better on steeper climbs. Next, you want to see how feasible it is for you to take your KoM. Be honest with yourself: are you going to better the 90,000-plus efforts that have been made on Box Hill and the 32kph speed required to take glory? Who’s the current KoM holder? Check out his or her stats — how do you stack up? Now you’ve…

ROAD RACING SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6 Roy Hillman Memorial (Benenden, Kent): E, 1, 2, 3: 1. Oliver Robinson (Team Wiggins-Le Col); 2. K. Buckley (Nuun-Sigma Sport); 3. J. Sutton (Richardsons-Trek); 4. B. Foames (TBW23); 5. J. West (TBW23); 6. A. Cox (Flamme Rouge CT); 7. C. McNamara (Nuun-Sigma Sport); 8. D. McDermott (unattached); 9. R. Moore (Nuun-Sigma Sport); 10. A. Paton (Canyon dhb). SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5 Richard Kell Memorial Series round one (Abingdon, Oxfordshire): E, 1, 2, 3: 1. Matt Witts (Bikestrong KTM); 2. J. Hale (WORX Factory Racing); 3. M. Mottram (Vitus Pro Cycling); 4. A. Hutchinson (VC St Raphael); 5. H. James (JAM Cycling); 6. M. Lelliott (Steele Davis Via Roma RT); 7. O. Hutchings (Team Tor 2000); 8. H. McLean (VC St Raphael); 9. R. Mould (Foran CC);…

Lauren Dolan has said that the crash which left her hospitalised 48 hours after earning Great Britain a World Championships medal, was caused by “punishment braking” from a driver. The 20-year-old was riding in Devon days after forming a part of the team that claimed bronze in the inaugural World Championships mixed team time trial relay when the incident occurred. Devon Live reported that police were seeking witnesses following the incident which took place between Teignmouth and Dawlish. On social media Dolan, who was left with a broken collarbone, said: “A lot can change in 48 hours. Sunday 22nd, the best feeling I’ve had so far in my cycling career; 48 hours later, I’m lying in hospital, feeling completely devastated. She said they encountered a frustrated driver who could not…

Lombardia’s star line-up All three 2019 Grand Tour winners are set to line up for the final top-flight one-day race of the season, Il Lombardia. Giro winner Richard Carapaz will be riding one of his final races for Movistar before he moves to Ineos for the 2020 season, where he will be a team-mate of Tour de France winner Egan Bernal, also expected to compete in the Italian Monument. Vuelta victor Primož Roglič will be part of a strong Jumbo-Visma line-up. ■ Pros call for barrier ban Riders have labelled the ‘protruding-feet’ barriers involved in Alvaro Hodeg’s nasty crash over the weekend “dangerous”, calling for them to be banned. The Quick Step rider was left with broken bones when he hit the feet of the barriers. Matteo Trentin (Mitchelton-Scott) was…

While watching the BBC coverage of the under-23 race at the World Championships, one rider emptied his bladder while still riding his bike. This was just after the Cattal bridge with 125km to the finish. Most riders have the decency to stop but he was in full view of the camera. My wife was appalled at his behaviour. As a cyclist myself, I wouldn’t dream of doing it — if I did it would be my luck to be caught and prosecuted. I do think a reprimand is in order. Dave Robertshaw, email Ed – This is actually a fairly common sight in the early stages of a race. Usually the riders are discreet enough to get away from the camera, but I guess at the World Championships with cameras…

Although a lot of my riding is commuting to and from work, I couldn’t bring myself to do that on this mega machine. So I used the Pinarello F12 as a motivator on my lunchtime rides out of our office in Farnborough, Hampshire. During testing I was riding with Tech writer James Bracey, who is a fair bit fitter than me — it took this £10,500 racing machine to help me keep up and try give some back to JB. Unfortunately, the Hampshire lanes aren’t the best and I really did notice that while riding the F12.…

For the all-out effort of a hill-climb or KoM attempt, you need to ensure you’re fully warmed up and ready to go full-beans from the gun. Everyone has a warm-up that suits them best, but the below 25-minute session is a well-recognised protocol used by WorldTour time triallists and national level hill-climbers alike. Complete this routine 10-15 minutes before your race or KoM attempt, giving your body time to recharge but not get cold before you hit ‘go’. ■ 10 minutes easy at Zone 2 power ■ Ramped effort: three minutes at Zone 3, two minutes at Zone 4, one minute at Zone 5 ■ 2 minutes recovery ■ 5 seconds all-out sprint ■ 2 minutes recovery ■ 5 seconds all-out sprint ■ 5 minutes easy cool-off at Zone 2…

Adam Kenway is Britain’s most consistently brilliant male hill-climber of recent years, having appeared on the podium in four of the last five National Championships — including a win in 2016. We asked him how he gets to optimum race weight. “Because I race all year, my weight doesn’t fluctuate very much,” said Kenway. “I’m only a kilo or so heavier at my normal weight, compared to my hill-climb weight. The hardest thing is going from road racing, doing 20 hours a week of training, to hill-climbing and doing only 12 hours a week — decreasing the workload means also having to decrease calories.” Being taller than most hill-climbers, at 6ft 2in, Kenway is heavier too: his weight hovers at around 70kg most of the year. When hill-climb season arrives,…

Having crashed out of my ‘A’ race for the season, the Lewes Crit Series (Fitness Project, CW June 20), my next big target was the Surrey League Handicap Championship on September 17. Everything was shaping up well until two weeks before, when I crashed on a training ride — heavily! I’m not sure what happened, but I’d come to a roundabout and was out of the saddle, about to accelerate away, when I flipped over the bars, landing hard on my chest. I’ve broken ribs before, and this feels similar — sneezing or coughing feels like someone is stabbing a knife into my chest! I was forced to have some time off the bike — not ideal — and was still in pain on the bike during the handicap champs.…

Münsterland Giro (October 3) Just two days before he suffered multiple fractures after colliding into barriers at the Tour de l’Eurometropole, Alvaro Hodeg (Deceuninck-Quick Step) scored his seventh win of the season in Germany, beating home favourite Pascal Ackermann (Bora-Hansgrohe). Giro dell’Emilia (October 5) Vuelta a España winner Primož Roglič proved his one-day credentials, attacking late to solo to win in Italy, recording his maiden success in a single-day race and his 12th victory of the season. The Slovenian crossed the line 15 seconds ahead of EF-Education First’s Michael Woods. GP Bruno Beghelli (October 6) Bahrain-Merida’s Sonny Colbrelli just beat Alejandro Valverde to the line in the near-200km race, the Italian raising his hands in victory after outsprinting the other six riders in his escape group. Colbrelli won the race…

FTP is the one-number valuation of your worth as a human being. It stands for ‘Functional Threshold Power’, and is simply the hardest effort level you can sustain for an hour. It’s often expressed as watts per kilo, which is a wheeze dreamed up by skinny climbers to boost their deservedly minimal self-esteem. The ‘functional’ bit is important. It means it’s not calculated in any objective fashion, but depends on you actually riding as hard as you can for an hour. If you have a fundamentally cowardly nature, you can ride as hard as you can for 20 minutes, and multiply by 0.95. After you’ve done your test ride, add about 10 percent to compensate for the fact you were a bit tired, or had a late night, or hadn’t…

Rod Ellingworth has said he wanted Rohan Dennis to stay at Bahrain-Merida, a week after it was announced the Australian’s contract had been terminated. The British coach took up the place of team principal at Bahrain-Merida at the beginning of the month, and with familiar faces such as Mikel Landa and Wout Poels arriving as new signings, Ellingworth will be looking to turn the team into one of the peloton’s powerhouses. However, Ellingworth counts the double time trial world champion that his team has parted ways with as a big loss, saying Dennis was definitely part of his plans going forward. “One thing I will say is I wanted Rohan to stay,” Ellingworth told the Telegraph. “He was definitely a part of my long-term plans so I’m disappointed at the…

My dad owns a bed shop so I’ve got an inside contact for beds, mattresses and bedroom furniture at cost. By which I mean: at cost for my dad and the business but 100 percent discounted for me. When the bill comes after a family meal out, me and my siblings start patting our pockets pretending one of us is considering pulling out some cash, and I’ve done the same pocket-tap dance after several of my purchases from Archers Sleepcentre. Thanks, Dad. The consequence is I’ve been somewhat overly-casual in collecting beds and furniture. Last year I started renting an unfurnished house with three bedrooms, which I now share with one of my team-mates and a maniac we know called Megan. So I filled the place with beds and furniture…

Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma) left it late to seal his first ever one-day race win at the Giro dell’Emilia, attacking late on and soloing to victory in San Luca, Italy. The Slovenian Vuelta a España winner attacked with less than 1km to go on the final ascent of San Luca, dropping Egan Bernal (Ineos), with only Michael Woods (EF Education First) momentarily holding his wheel. The Canadian took second place while Sergio Higuita (EF Education First) finished third. Movistar’s Alejandro Valverde was fifth while Bernal eventually finished in ninth, 28 seconds down. “The last time I climbed San Luca, I won and today I win again. I think it’s a nice place here,” Roglič said. “The team did a great job today. We controlled the race from the start. On the…

While Ineos boss Dave Brailsford, British Cycling academy founder Rod Ellingworth and former performance director Shane Sutton were the key people in shaping the burgeoning careers of most of Britain’s highest achieving riders of the last decade, Keith Lambert is arguably the individual who has had the biggest impact on British pro riding’s younger generation. When Cycling Weekly asks pros, as we regularly do, “What’s been the best bit of advice you’ve ever been given?” it’s Lambert’s words that very often come up. But as of the Yorkshire World Championships — home roads for the man from Bingley — the former national champion has stepped down, retiring from a sport that’s given him a career, bar a short break, since he turned pro in 1972. So what’s been the best…

This is the latest and lightest helmet made by Lazer, which is owned by Japanese giant Shimano. It weighs in at 189g for a size small and 199g for a medium, using a super lightweight version of Lazer’s exisiting retention system called Advanced Rollsys. Together with the adjustable head basket, the Genesis should retain Lazer’s traditional fit and secure feeling. Lazer hopes to keep your head cool as well by maximising the airflow, saying the channels are more effective at cooling than not wearing a helmet. Also, like the Z1 from Lazer, the Genesis comes with an aero shell that is detachable, which is great for an aero gain, or acts an effective shelter from the elements come winter. Those of you with a keen eye will have seen the…

ONE DOWN If you want much of what the F12 offers but at a more affordable price then the Pinarello Prince might be exactly what you need as it’s nearly a third of the price. You get the highly rated Shimano Ultegra but you do have to settle for fairly basic Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels; it’s also a kilo heavier. TWO DOWN The Gan is Pinarello’s entry-level race bike. You still get a carbon-fibre frameset but the groupset drops down to Shimano 105. Tech tester Simon Smythe is of the opinion that the Gan has captured the magic of the F range but at a far lower price.…

Why do you batter yourself racing up hills when you could be hanging out with mates and having fun? “I just love second-degree fun! It’s knowing I’ve emptied the tank, and being satisfied that I’ve given it my all. I do sometimes think ‘why am I doing this?!’ when I’m collapsed on the floor after a race, but I definitely wouldn’t change it.” What do your friends think of your unusual pastime? “Most of them think I’m kind of nuts. They initially didn’t understand it, and I used to get a lot of jokes about ‘wearing a gimp suit’, for example, but once images of me racing went on social media, they backed off — it’s like they understand it now.” Do you miss laying off the cakes and burgers…

At its most basic, climbing is a simple battle of mass against gravity. The more weight you’re carrying, the more power you’re going to need to produce to get up each climb. If all else is equal, the rider with the best power-to-weight ratio inevitably wins. On flat roads, being a few kilos heavier has a relatively modest cost — provided you have decent aerodynamics and pump out a healthy amount of power. This is why plenty of very good TT racers are relatively heavy — for example, the recently retired multi-record holder Marcin Białobłocki weighed almost 80kg. On the flat, it’s air resistance (and therefore aerodynamics) that matters 50 40 30 20 10 0 60Kg most, accounting for 70-90 percent of total resistance felt when pedalling. On climbs, however,…

Other than the rain, the biggest talking point around the many, many tearooms of Harrogate at the World Championships concerned the UCI and its always entertaining regulations. The issue was in the under-23 road race, where Nils Eekhoff of the Netherlands was disqualified from first place for drafting behind his team car after a crash. This DQ came only after he’d crossed the line with his arms aloft, and after one of those delightful half-hours which the UCI likes so much where no one knew what the hell was happening. Eekhoff said afterwards, “I’ll never forget that 15 minutes where I was world champion.” So we’ll put him down as a glass-half-full kind of a guy. The UCI released the footage the commissaires had based their decision on — and…

During the recent Yorkshire World Champs, I was driving to the race finish. I found myself wondering just what the weather was like for the riders, who were setting out at that very moment. Being a modern kind of a chap, I said, loudly and with exquisite enunciation, “Siri, what’s the weather in Bradford?” Siri said, equally clearly, “Commencing FaceTime with Wiggins, Bradley.” I’d never known that if you ask Siri the weather, she just calls up Wiggo so you can ask him. I’d been wondering what he was doing for a living these days.…