Innehållsförteckning för February 20, 2020 från Cycling Weekly

Two weeks ago I took the plunge and joined the virtual riding world of Zwift. I’m a bit late to the party here, I know, but my indoor riding has always been limited, and when I did do it I opted for rollers — the concentration needed to stay upright kept me interested enough to see a good session through. I hadn’t ridden on a turbo for over a decade, but as I fell further and further behind in my bid to ride 5,000 miles in 2020 I knew I needed an added dimension to my riding as the bad weather continued to hit the UK. I was dubious when signing up. Several of my colleagues have been bitten by the Zwift bug but having watched the first round of…

With high-quality videos from the most famous roads in the world, the Tacx app can take you to places you only dreamed of riding. Sign up and you can enjoy the mountain scenery around Alpe d’Huez and experience the feeling of riding the Flanders bergs. Every road sees its actual gradient simulated through the Flux while the app will show your previous best self on the map, giving you all the motivation you need to push on. You can use the software to simulate a route you want to train on. Upload a GPX file and it will mimic the gradients you’d experience on the road, allowing you to follow your progress in a 3D map on the screen. Perfect for specific training on an upcoming event. There are five-week…

With Tom Simpson-like stoicism, one of the first questions Chris Froome asked following the terrible crash last June that nearly ended his career was “will I be OK for the Tour de France?” The answer at the time was a resounding “no” but, seven months on, it looks like the four-time winner has a very good chance of being on the start line in Nice on June 27 — although a fifth win could prove more problematic. On Sunday (Feb 23) the Team Ineos rider will take to the start line of his first race since the crash — the WorldTour-level UAE Tour. “I’m really excited about getting back to racing,” Froome has said. “I’ve come off a good block of training in Gran Canaria and look forward to taking…

Direct-drive smart turbo trainers continue to be the ‘must have’ accessory for winter training, but thankfully the initially quite prohibitive prices are beginning to fall. The Suito from Elite could never be described as cheap, but it at least comes in a little cheaper than the brand’s Drivo II (£1,199) — and being able to mimic climbs of 15 per cent and withstand up to 1,900 watts, it should tick the boxes for most users. Power readings are accurate to 2.5 per cent — which is less than the +/-0.5 per cent of the Drivo II but certainly won’t leave you scratching your head at the numbers on screen. The trainer is compatible with the likes of Zwift, The Sufferfest and Trainer Road, with Ant+ and Bluetooth connectivity. You also…

Training Peaks, the coaching software used by the vast majority of coaches, which introduced now familiar terminology such as Training Stress Score, Normalized Power and Intensity Factor, defines periodisation as: “The process of dividing an annual training plan into specific time blocks, where each block has a particular goal and provides your body with different types of stress. “Periodisation also helps you develop different physiological abilities during various phases of training. For instance, during base training, you focus on the development of aerobic and muscular endurance. During the intensity phase, this focus switches to lactate threshold and aerobic capacity (i.e. VO2 max), and as you enter the competition phase, greater emphasis is placed on boosting anaerobic capacity and neuromuscular power.”…

Matt Bottrill, the former national time trial champion who now runs Matt Bottrill Performance Coaching, has been working with Lotto-Soudal this winter. He suggests that traditional winter training is becoming redundant as coaches and riders use smarter training tools to achieve the same gains. Bottrill also favours an individualised approach, looking at an athlete’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their target events, and building a training programme that makes best use of their training time. “In the first phase, after the season has ended, we do go back and do some base miles, but in the first week we’re starting to introduce tempo blocks, strength work, hill reps. We’ll be building intensity and threshold. After six weeks, we’ll go into much shorter intervals — 30/30s or 20/40s — short…

Vuelta Murcia (Feb 14-15) This mountainous two-dayer in south-eastern Spain was won by Circus-Wanty Gobert rider Xandro Meurisse, who held onto the lead after winning the first stage. There was controversy over stage one, with Matteo Trentin calling for the UCI to do more safety checks, calling the finish “an absolute joke” and the descent “far from safe”. Trofeo Laigueglia (Feb 16) Trek’s Giulio Ciccone is so far enjoying a 100 per cent record in 2020, having won his first race, this hilly outing in Liguria, Italy. Ciccone broke away from a small group with 10km to go, as they negotiated the last of four passes of the Colla Micheri to win by 32 seconds over Biniyam Ghirmay (Nippo Delka-One Provence). Clasica de Almeria (Feb 16) After two close passes…

CW news writer Teams associated with Rapha have enjoyed success in the Lincoln GP throughout the past decade-and-a-half. Dean Downing won the race for Rapha-Condor in 2007, with company founder Simon Mottram describing it as one of his proudest moments. The partnership, then, is perhaps no surprise. In the last month I have spoken with a number of race organisers, coaches and riders about the financial problems besetting domestic cycling, with a generalised conclusion from most being one of despair. An investigation by CW in a future edition will lay bare the issues facing the sport in this country, but this partnership feels like the most notable step in carving out a more sustainable and positive future. “HOPEFULLY THE WIDER SPORT WILL PROFIT FROM THIS LINK-UP” The clothing company has…

Mathew Glaetzer, Aus Arguably the best sprinter in the world, Glaetzer was recovering from cancer earlier this season, but given his relentless pursuit of Olympic gold we would be surprised if he was anything less than his best here, and that’s usually enough to win. CW rating ★★★★★ Filippo Ganna, Ita It’s not a case of when Ganna will break the four-minute barrier in the individual pursuit, just a case of when and will he be the first. If that happens here, or he even gets close, expect him to be unstoppable. CW rating ★★★★★ Ryan Owens, GBr Riding at postion one, Owens has ridden the fastest opening lap in the team sprint all year. He could break the world record for that lap, but will that be enough to…

Tadej Pogačar (UAE-Emirates) Slo The 21-year-old has already established himself every inch the winner, with stage victories at the Vuelta a España at the back end of last year. CW rating ★★★★★ Mark Cavendish (Bahrain-Mclaren) GBr While no one expects fireworks, it’ll be fascinating to watch him answer the question of whether he’ll go for wins himself or settle into more of a team role as he did in the recent Saudi Tour. CW rating ★★ Sam Bennett (Deceuninck–Quick Step) Ire Having left the Tour Down Under with a lone win he’ll want to try and up his momentum here where there are several stages for the fastmen. CW rating ★★★ Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Soudal) Aus He’s twice picked up wins racing in the Middle East and two wins at the…

Poggio reopened for San Remo The Poggio climb will be ridden as normal during this year’s Milan-San Remo, despite earlier fears damage to the surface wouldn’t be repaired in time. In December, concerns were raised over the condition of the road following landslides on the climb. But the road has been made accessible again, with Philippe Gilbert (Deceuninck-Quick Step) and Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe) having both vouched for the smoothness of the surface after riding it in training. New UCI rules on gravel With gravel sections popping up across a variety of high-profile races, the UCI has taken steps to regulate their use. Organisers must ensure the course can be ridden in all weathers, that it’s stable and safe, and that drivers of race vehicles have the skills to tackle the…

I’ve just seen the recent report on the Lotus-Hope bike (CW, Jan 9). It looks sensational. However, apart from working to fine tolerances and with the latest carbon materials and techniques and the strange-looking forks, I would have to disagree with the comment: “This machine is a 100 per cent redesign of what’s come before.” It’s not a redesign at all. It looks basically very similar in design to the Rover Safety Cycle of 1887. It has more or less the same diamond-shape frame and wheels of the same size front and back and is ridden in the same way. However, the bicycle that preceded the Rover, the Ordinary or Penny Farthing did make the Rover Safety ‘revolutionary’. The frame of the Rover was completely different from the Ordinary and…

Bryan Skippy Ward: “He’s recovered from his horrific injuries, so five months is long enough for him to get into the right shape to win his fifth Tour. Watch him set the road on fire…” Bob Kroner: “He’ll start well and fade. He just won’t have any pop and can’t hide behind the team.” John Camp: “No, he won’t even be first choice.” Shaun Kirby: “He is fit enough to race, after those injuries. Just pleased for him, anything else a massive bonus.” Julio Gaviria: “The crown now belongs to Egan. Froome is the one who would need to take it.” David Casserly: “I’d like to see him take the title again but, with the riders coming up and his injuries in his crash still pretty much fresh, I’d doubt…

Kevin Poulton oversees the Zwift Academy programme and famously coached Mat Hayman to victory at Paris-Roubaix in 2016 using Zwift. The Australian rider had broken his arm six weeks before the race. “With an increasing number of athletes turning to indoor training for their early-season base training, there has definitely been an increase in the interest and implementation of reverse periodisation. This has largely come about because of the style of riding that indoor training encourages. “It is much easier to motivate the athlete during their early season base training with some structured sessions, along with a mix of group rides and racing indoors. Reverse periodisation also suits riders who compete more regularly.” But does reverse periodisation yield the same end result? “Reverse periodisation implements shorter, more intense training during…

The week: January 13-19, 2020 Location: Manchester Training for: Return to road racing In 2013 Emily Nelson was part of the junior women’s team pursuit outfit that broke the senior world record (at the new 4km distance). In the six-and-a-half years since then, Nelson has reaffirmed her talent many times over, winning an array of titles and medals including Madison gold at the 2018 Worlds and scratch race gold at last year’s European Champs. It may come as a surprise, then, to learn that the 23-year-old has been dropped from British Cycling’s Olympic programme and had her funding cut off — so she is switching back to the road in the hope of attracting sponsors and earning a pro contract. How did you first get into cycling? I started out…

Allow me to outline for you the biggest advantage to doing your bike racing online. You can’t fall off. I’m not joking. I’d say that in an average race 60 per cent of my brain is concerned with nothing more sophisticated than not riding into someone else and hitting the tarmac. That’s for bunch races. For time trials, all 100 per cent of my brain is just going, “durrr, durrr, durrr…” I tend to assume that spectacular murmurations of starlings swirling around the wintry skies are much the same. It must be all desperate braking manoeuvres, swerves, apologies and squawks of abuse at fourth-cat birds. A few weeks ago there were news reports that a large group of starlings had been found dead in a field, after failing to pull…

Word reaches us of the world’s least successful part-time bike-shop boy. Tasked, on his first day, with sorting out the empty cardboard boxes in the basement and putting them out to be collected for recycling, he set to work with zeal. Most of us tasked with such a job would consider the possibility that a box that felt empty might actually contain, amid the packaging, a very lightweight carbon bike frame. Our hero did not waste his time with such speculation. And so it was that three very expensive Cannondale road frames ended up vanishing into a bin lorry, never to be seen again.…

Nairo Quintana heralded “a new era” for Arkéa-Samsic as he began his time at the French team in winning style at the Tour de la Provence last week. It’s certainly a new era for the Colombian, who left his team of eight years, Movistar, to join the newly-promoted WorldTour outfit, and took his first GC victory since Tirreno-Adriatico in 2017. “We have worked hard to obtain this performance and the fact of having achieved it opens a new era for the entire Arkéa-Samsic team,” Quintana said. He sealed overall victory in the four-stage race with a memorable win on Mont Ventoux on the third stage following what has been estimated as the fastest ascent to Chalet Reynard ever. Using TV footage backed up with Strava data, French blogger amattipyöräily timed…

Four years ago, the launch of the original Tacx Flux changed the turbo training experience forever. The trainer was an instant hit, offering a more realistic road simulation for riders and building on Tacx’s legacy as the innovators of the indoor training market. As bike and ride software design continues to change, the Flux 2 has had some updates that have maintained its feature-rich versatility and user-friendly experience and kept it ahead of the competition in its price bracket. At £699 the Flux 2 is fully compatible with all training apps and software, and with both Bluetooth and Ant+ connectivity, its smart features match the more expensive trainers on the market. Hit the virtual hills and the Flux will simulate gradients up to 16 per cent, while the larger, heavier…

CW editor Tom Pidcock continues to defy convention, not just with performances that belie his years, but with a seeming lack of worry about a big contract career on the road. Or concern at not having a team in which to ride the race programme you might think he needs in order to develop. I can’t remember many talented young riders who weren’t dreaming of the Tour de France long before they got anywhere near the pro ranks. Yet here is 20-year-old Pidcock, winner of junior and under-23 world titles on and off road (among many other big races) suggesting he’ll stick with his knobbly tyres until the summer, essentially writing off a road programme for the first six months of 2020. Most 20-year-olds with his palmarès would have already…

While Chris Froome looks ahead at the hard work and the potential disappointments he could face during the next few months as he builds up for the Tour de France, he may wish to take heart from another high-profile cycling comeback which turned out rather well. After crashing at high speed in the Olympic Games road race in Rio four years ago, Annemiek van Vleuten broke her back and suffered facial injuries and a severe concussion. Her injuries were by no means as serious as Froome’s (thankfully, it’s not easy to find a bike rider who can match him for that, or much else, for that matter), but they were no laughing matter. But in typical ‘hard-as-nails cyclist’ fashion, the very next day she tweeted from her hospital bed: “I…

10-SECOND SURGES Complete session as a free-ride using a flat/rolling course. ■ Warm up well for 15min. Then, two sets of: ■ 7 × 10sec hard acceleration every 3min (10sec on/2m 50sec off) Total for set: 21min. ■ Aim for high cadence in 10sec efforts. ■ 20min Zone 1 between sets. ■ Cool down for 5min. 30/30 Complete session as a free-ride using a flat/rolling course. ■ Warm up well for 15min. Then, two sets of: ■ 8 × 30sec @Zone 5 with 30sec recovery. ■ Aim for high cadence in 30sec efforts. ■ 20min Zone 1 between sets. ■ Cool down for 5min.…

ROAD RACING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 Velo29 Winter Series round four (Croft circuit, North Yorkshire): E, 1, 2, 3: 1. Mark Jagger (Lifting Gear Prod); 2. S. Auld (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling); 3. J. Clark (Liverpool Mercury CC); 4. H. Robson (TS Racing); 5. T. Denwood (Harrogate Nova CC); 6. R. Turner (PM Racing UK); 7. R. Bickley (Border City Wheelers); 8. S. Robinson (Fietsen Tempo); 9. M. Cockerill (Clifton CC); 10. L. Cuthbert (unattached). Fourth Cat: 1. Scott Caul (unattached); 2. W. Allen (Cycle Supreme CC); 3. A. Keeler (Valley Striders CC); 4. R. Watt (unattached); 5. P. Flook (Edinburgh RC); 6. I. Clark (unattached); 7. P. While (unattached); 8. P. Gunn (unattached); 9. J. McKenna (York Cycleworks); 10. A. Byrom (unattached). Women: 1. Megan Thomson (York Cycleworks); 2. L.…

In the late 19th century, the British Army decided that the bicycle might be just what they were missing on the battlefield. During the Boer War, cyclists had proved adept at spying missions, and more reliable for delivering messages than pigeons. By 1914, the Army had developed several interesting ideas. There was a bicycle infantry, who had a drill manual based closely on the use of the pike from the middle of the previous century. There was a bicycle artillery, equipped with pedal-powered quadricycles that had substantial artillery pieces mounted on them. There was even a tandem bicycle with a machine gun for the stoker to use. None of these were the slightest use in the deep mud of Flanders. World War Two had fewer bikes. There were a few…