Innehållsförteckning för January 9, 2020 från Cycling Weekly

In 2002 I was sent to Manchester Velodrome to take a look at GB’s brand new UKSI bike. It was in Peter Keen’s office and, in all honesty, was a bit underwhelming. It went on to be one of the most successful bikes ever made. So when the new Hope bike launched in November I knew we had to go see it. Read more from page 24. Having covered UCI tech reg updates since they came into being (with equal excitement and befuddlement) I’m fairly certain this bike will be banned post-Tokyo 2020. It fits all the regs now, but has committed one sin. One of the key facets of the UCI’s 1996 Lugano charter (a brief statement of intent that led to the extensive tech regs) is the bicycle’s…

Chris Froome has suffered a setback in his return from injury, having left an Ineos training camp early with one of his sports directors saying he doesn’t know if the four-time Tour de France champion will recover in time for the race in July. Reporting on what has been printed in Italian cycling magazine Bicisport this month, website SpazioCiclismo says Froome left his team’s Spanish training camp after two days, with the 34-year-old’s recovery being described as “slow”. Dario Cioni, the sports director in question, said: “After two days of training in Spain, Froome, who aspires to win a fifth yellow jersey, returns home. He is not well and who knows if he will recover?” Froome’s recovery was thought to be going well — he was back riding on the…

Tom Pidcock (Trinity Racing) The reigning champion and best UK cyclo-cross racer for a generation, Pidcock will start the race in Shrewsbury as the undisputed favourite. This has been Pidcock’s first season at elite level and a win would see the 20-year-old crowned both under-23 and elite champion and set him up well for the World Championships in Dübendorf. CW rating ★★★★★ Anna Kay (Experza Pro CX) The top-ranked British female rider this season, Anna Kay has been this year’s breakout star. Of course, the signs were obvious after her silver medal in last year’s National Championships in Gravesend, but Kay has gone from strength to strength this year with impressive results on the Continent in the Superprestige series and UEC Championships. CW rating ★★★★★ Thomas Mein (Tarteletto-Isorex) A podium…

Basso and Contador bike launch Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso have been ramping up the anticipation among punters, launching a new bike brand on Friday which so far they are only calling ‘A bikes’. The tag line seems to be ‘passion, emotion, dedication’ and, if reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport are true, riders on the Alberto Contador Foundation development teams will be racing the bikes this season. An Instagram post shows a zebra striped disc brake bike with lightweight wheels and kit, and Contador himself has put the weight at less than 6.5kg and calls it (perhaps unsurprisingly) the best bike he’s ever ridden. Aussie race still on Tour Down Under organisers have been closely monitoring the bushfire crisis in South Australia, and are hoping to run the race…

Congratulations! The 10-year review was the best element in an exceptionally good issue (CW, December 19). What it illustrated in a succinct way was that some riders have — at the highest level — perhaps just one moment of glory while others can sustain success and win again and again and again. The piece did explain why some ‘shock’ victories happened as part of what was essentially an article focused on data and the ‘record book’ but I wondered if there is an accompanying discussion piece to be commissioned debating why there can be an Fabio Aru but there also was a Fabian Cancellara. More interesting to me than another bike review anyway! Graham Breeze, email Ed – Glad you enjoyed the magazine, Graham. Trying to condense a decade of…

Our Cycling Weekly survey attracted responses from 868 riders, with 858 responses deemed usable. Two thirds (580) were from men, and one third (273) from women. Ages ranged from 15 to 76, with the average 42 years of age. Responses came from 51 nationalities, 64 per cent of which were British. Average FTP was 237 watts. Dr Nicky Keay and mathematician Gavin Francis analysed the results using an algorithm based on the symptoms of RED-S to separate riders into two camps: healthy, or displaying symptoms of RED-S, i.e. ‘suboptimal health’. Key markers were weight, freshness, sleep, gut health, mental attitudes to weight and training, menstruation (or lack of) for women and the number of morning erections per week for men, reflecting testosterone levels. While the good news is that the…

■ The endocrine system is important in developing and maintaining bone health. ■ Those with a hormone imbalance are at a greater risk of fractures, particularly around the spine and hips. ■ Bone health is particularly critical in youngsters, whose skeletal system is still developing. ■ If fuelling is insufficient before bones are fully formed, by around age 20, fracture risk is greatly increased in later life. ■ Older riders also need to be aware, as hormones and bone density naturally fall after middle age. ■ Weight-bearing exercise helps to build bone strength, and strength and conditioning is recommended. ■ In menopausal women, provided there are no medical contra-indications, Keay is an advocate of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). “If you’re an athlete, and want to maintain quality of life and…

CYCLO-CROSS SUNDAY, JANUARY 5 Yorkshire Points Series round 8 (Peel Park, Bradford): Seniors: 1. Jenson Young (Graden Shed UK/Scott RT) 56.14; 2. L. Craven (Wheelbase) +1.32; 3. J. Coukham (Shibden CC) +2.09; 4. R. Jebb (Hope Factory Racing) +2.59; 5. J. Womersley (Shibden CC) +4.34; 6. B. Houlihan (Paul Milnes – Bradford Olympic) +5.03; 7. J. Williams (unattached) +5.43; 8. W. Weatherall (Hope Factory Racing) +5.51; 9. E. Whiteside (East Bradford RT) +1 lap; 10. R. Middleton (J’s Cycle Shack) same time. Women: 1. Sophie Thackray (Scott Racing) 46.11; 2. A. Mellor (Albion Cycles) +0.56; 3. L. Young (PH Mas Paul Milnes) +3.09. Veterans: 1. Lewis Craven (Wheelbase) 57.46; 2. R. Jebb (Hope Factory Racing) +1.27; 3. D. Morris (Harrogate Nova) +1 lap. North East League round 11 (Hedley West…

Six Days Bremen (Jan 9-14) Dating back to 1910, but held as a regular event since the 1960s, the racing across six days takes place on a temporary 160-metre track, the tightest circuit on the scene and with some bankings as steep as 49 degrees. Nils Politt and Kenny De Ketele are among the riders competing. Cyclocross Otegem (Jan 13) Recently crowned national champions will get the chance to wear their stripes once again or for the first time. Multi-talented Mathieu van der Poel predictably won the Belgian race 12 months ago, while Denise Betsema was victorious in the women’s race. New Zealand Cycle Classic (Jan 15-19) The first stage race of the year gets under way in New Zealand, but unlike previous years, there will be no British contingent.…

My life on two wheels started in the competitive world, becoming mtb and cyclo-cross national champion as a teenager. As I’ve grown older, my passion has turned to ride leading events in Europe and most recently multi-week bikepacking rides. The BMC was a real treat after spending my summer aboard the very capable ‘do it all’ Open Cycles U.P. After putting many miles on the Timemachine across London and the Surrey Hills, including the infamous Redbull Timelaps, I really didn’t want to give it back.…

Spotting the symptoms of RED-S can be easier for women — if your periods have stopped or become irregular and all other medical reasons have been ruled out, it’s likely you need to address your fuelling. Gastric issues are another common symptom, and it’s worth noting that, according to Dr Keay, RED-S can look a bit like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) on an ultrasound, so do ask questions of your GP. In men, low testosterone may manifest as reduced morning erections and libido. Dr Keay and Gavin Francis also noted that there was a clear correlation between freshness and those with RED-S symptoms, as well as concern over weight. If you weigh yourself regularly, know your weight affects your mental wellbeing and thus your eating patterns on a daily basis.…

Gemma Germains is a customer experience manager for German bike brand Canyon, so it’s her professional responsibility to keep in good shape and complete inspiring rides — with a particular emphasis on setting a positive example to women. Travelling between the UK and Germany on a weekly basis, the 38-year-old has a hectic schedule and sometimes struggles to fit everything in. She contacted CW for help in making her schedule as time-efficient as it can possibly be. What’s your cycling background? I’ve been riding on the road for about six years, having started out with a basic steel bike before upgrading to carbon. After two years, I started tackling longer sportives. I’ve always ridden with guys — and I’ve always been able to hold my own. In 2017 I really…

GP Sven Nys (Jan 2) Tom Pidcock began the year with a podium place, the Brit finishing third in the race dedicated to the Belgian cyclo-cross legend. Ahead of Pidcock was Eli Iserbyt in second and Mathieu van der Poel in first. Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado was victorious in the women’s race. Gullegem (Jan 5) Seventeen-year-old Shirin van Anrooij finished an excellent third in the women’s race, as del Carmen Alvarado won again, this time just edging her fellow Dutchwoman Yara Kastelijn. Van der Poel added another win to his record. Brussels Universities (Jan 6) Del Carmen Alvarado ended a dominating Christmas period by winning on the grounds of the Belgian capital’s university. In doing so she is in pole position to win the DVV Verzekeringen Trofee series with a…

The physio treating Stephen Williams has said that the injury is one of the most unusual he has ever known. Dan Grimstead is part of a small team at Sport Wales, Welsh Cycling and Bahrain-Merida who started assessing Williams’s injury last May. They found three or four potential causes of the problem, before settling on the need for surgery. “It’s very uncommon,” Welsh Cycling’s lead physio told CW. “Neither myself nor any of my colleagues have ever come across it and only one doctor that I know has seen it before. It’s incredibly rare.” Grimstead says that Williams’s pain is unlikely to subside quickly because of its chronic nature. Nevertheless, during his rehabilitation he has been loading weights onto his quadriceps, glutes and trunk, and gently onto his hamstrings and…

Coming in a peg or two below Elite’s all singing, all dancing Drivo II model, the Zumo still offers top training potential for a fraction of the price. It simulates slopes of up to 12% with a +/-3% power accuracy, which is a shade less accurate than most top-end models. However, to accommodate this the Elite Zumo makes use of a Power Meter Link tool (PML). Once activated in the device’s companion app, the PML allows you to use the meter already on your bicycle as the power source, meaning your data stays the same both inside and out. The trainer is compatible with your standard array of apps, software and devices via both ANT+ and Bluetooth and will manage resistance levels automatically via workout on Zwift, Trainer Road, The…

A Cycling Weekly survey has shown that under-fuellng in cycling has reached epidemic proportions. In a survey of 850 riders, one in five indicated that they are putting their health at risk by failing to properly replenish energy. Are you among them? The likelihood is higher than you might think. My own experience of under-fuelling began almost a decade ago when my periods stopped in my early 20s. I asked a coach if I should be worried. “Not at all,” she responded. “When I was a pro, no one had periods.” My GP was equally dismissive: “Not having periods is quite normal in exercising women,” she told me, wrongly. “It’ll all even out when you stop training.” I went back three times during my 20s. Each GP sent me for…

Though most male riders answered “no” when asked if they’d sought medical help for health issues related to under-fuelling, many women reported speaking to a GP — but in many cases without a satisfactory outcome. Many were told that amenorrhea (lack or periods) and oligomenorrhea (less than nine periods per year) were ‘normal’ in exercising women, or that the best cure was to exercise less. And others were put on the pill in order to restore a monthly bleed — an intervention that merely masks the problem, according to Dr Keay. “Based on the comments provided in the survey,” says Keay, “the women respondents, with a few exceptions, have not been given very good medical advice.” Of course, we all know that the NHS is not abundantly financed — and…

Co-owner of Dig Deep Coaching, Stephen is a former winner of the An Post Ras and Tour of Taiwan digdeepcoaching.com It is important for Gemma to focus on the demands of her goals in 2020 and start to build a pattern of work and technique sessions that will allow her to replicate the demands of those goals. Looking at the Flanders and Etape sportives, there are some similar and a few different demands. Building resilience to cadence changes will allow Gemma to improve her muscular strength for those steep Flandrian climbs while helping with pace changes on longer climbs in the Etape. Working on endurance by building FTP using some longer sub-threshold work, 10-15min in length, will help Gemma deal with those longer events, and ‘criss-cross’ efforts will help her…

Last week in this column I revealed that after almost a decade of dodging the issue, I was planning to do some proper training. I didn’t make this announcement in order to generate popular acclaim, still less in the hope of stimulating a clamour for my return to international competition. As it turns out, this was just as well. When I explained my exciting plans to my good friend and erstwhile training partner, Bernard, his response was simply, “Oh, Christ, please don’t start training properly. I don’t think I could take it.” This was not what I’d hoped for. He continued: “I’ve already spent enough of my life listening to you yacking on and on about this interval session versus that interval session, whether you’d be better spending next Thursday…

My CW colleague Michelle tells me of a ‘friend’ of hers. The ‘friend’ had just had a nose piercing done. Not long afterwards, she headed out on her bike for a crisp winter ride. As you might expect, the cold weather required a certain amount of nostril-clearing mid ride, which in addition to blowing some snot out of the way as planned, took with it the new nose stud. Anxious to avoid the new piercing healing over, she took emergency action and put an earring through her nose. A dangly earring, according to reports. Michelle says the staff at the cafe she stopped at were polite enough to pretend not to notice. Or, at least, almost polite enough.…