Innehållsförteckning för April 9, 2020 från Cycling Weekly

Over the coming weeks you’ll see a change to what you read in your magazine. While we knew that almost everything we did was dependent on the racing calendar, we were still surprised at just what a profound effect losing the racing would have on what we do. So we’ve come up with a new plan. This week’s issue was an obvious choice – training at home. Something we’ve always covered during winter, we’ve compiled all the best information, tips and advice in one place. There really is no need for your fitness to drop off if you don’t want it to. In the coming weeks, we’ll be looking at Britain’s Olympic heroes past and present, bringing you a comprehensive guide to bicycle design, celebrating Italy and its influence on…

MARY MORGAN I’ve decided to rebrand lockdown as ‘the off-season’ and signed up to the Zwift off-season training plan. Hopefully it will keep me motivated. Spotted Elia Viviani and Enric Mas on my virtual ride today. MIKE TWIGG Crossed 1,000miles. Unfortunately did so on my backside after slipping off on ice. Bike and rider all OK. ELAINE SCOTT I’ve been loving getting in my 176 miles this week so far outside rather than on Zwift. Fingers crossed for more outside miles this weekend. Before anyone says anything, yes I am still working – I am a key worker – and yes I am cycling locally, as well as to and from work. MARK SARGENT The worst thing about being the only cyclist in the family is… not being able to…

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Plan: What better way to fuel inspiration than by researching and planning your next event or adventure? Take a look at some of the hardest or most beautiful foreign sportives; sign up to race a time trial distance that’s longer than you have ever tested yourself against before; awaken the dormant wanderlust within you and plot a tour. Watch: We recommend sitting on the sofa and watching the following: Rising from the Ashes tells the stories of African cycling’s pioneers; Outskirts: Route 66 by Rapha is a compelling documentary about four riders completing America’s famous highway; Stars and Water Carriers is a timeless classic recounting the story of the 1973 Giro d’Italia. Read: These books will keep your nights occupied: Full Gas: How to win a bike race, by Peter…

Dr Tim Rogers knows that social distancing is vital to stop the spread of coronavirus, but he’s also aware that it carries psychological risks. Here, he offers five ways to protect your mental health while time outdoors is limited. Let yourself feel it: Take a moment to pause, step back and notice how you’re feeling during this unprecedented time. If you need support, reach out to a friend or a qualified mental health practitioner. Care in your community: Self-isolation need not mean social isolation. Being connected to others in a supportive community does more than just help us feel better; it buffers the biological effects of stress. Try hard to stay connected. One way is through the digital community: www.bigwhitewall.com Don’t over-rely on your bike: Look outside of cycling. Take…

Having ridden almost every iteration of the Roubaix since 2007 I was keen to jump on the latest ‘everyman’ version. I made sure to choose some brutal roads and surfaces to really see if the new frame and Future Shock suspension was going to cut the mustard – although choosing a couple of days on the rough roads and leg-snapping climbs of the remote west coast of Scotland proved to be a baptism of fire. Luckily the Roubaix handled it with aplomb and my wrists are now thanking me for the bike choice.…

CCC suspend majority of staff for rest of non-racing period CCC have suspended the majority of their support staff for the rest of the non-racing period due to the coronavirus pandemic. Riders’ salaries will also be heavily reduced for the rest of the season, the team say, in order to allow the WorldTour outfit to continue to operate “at a minimum level”. Team president Jim Ochowicz said the decision was due to cash flow issues, with the team hoping to safeguard budget for if racing continues later in the year. Brompton commits to delivering 1,000 bikes to NHS key workers Brompton bikes is looking to expand its hire scheme to deliver over 1,000 new folding bikes to key workers in the NHS. The brand has launched a ‘Wheels for Heroes’…

THE RACE GLASGOW GREEN CC TT This 17.6km TT has a raft of categories, so no matter how powerful you are, you’ll be racing against people of a similar level. Fri April 10, 18:45 THE WORKOUT NTT PRO CYCLING SPRINTS WORKOUT Have the pro team put your top speed through its paces. There will be high torque, high power and pre-loaded efforts, all of which sound painful. Weds April 15, 17:00 THE CAFE RIDE RIDE WITH SIMON CLARKE (EF) Team sponsor Rapha has organised this ride out with Clarke, where you’ll get to ask him all the essential questions, like: what does he really think of that pink kit? Thurs April 9, 19:00…

Professional riders around the world have scaled back their training in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, not knowing when they will next be able to test their form in a race. And so should you. Whether you race on the road, in criteriums, time trials or were simply aiming to make 2020 your fittest year yet, the advice is the same – coaches and pros are unanimous that the circumstances we have all been dealt do not justify heavy training loads between now and when the pandemic is under control. “Being in top form now does not make sense,” Matt Winston, directeur sportif at Team Sunweb, told CW. “We have told our riders to take their foot off the gas and look to peak in summer.” Jack Rees, rider and…

Peter Gascoigne: “I’ve helped Gabz over his off-season by initially talking with him to understand where strength and conditioning can support his training and race performance, targeting training around specific races. Fortunately, he can move very well, his technique is really solid, so he was able to make swift progress. “His winter gym work has been focused on developing his neuromuscular strength, the fast fibres predominantly used in a sprint. This has been done with a combination of high load for getting stronger and high volume work for becoming more fatigue-resistant. We’ve used squat, leg press and other accessory movements such as hip hinge patterns, as well as core work to maintain hip mobility and lower back health. “Gabz has progressed well in the key lifts, his loads going up…

The race calendar has been halted and we have no idea when it will resume. To keep ourselves and others safe, most of us are holed up indoors; the rest are on the frontline working harder than ever to keep the country running. These are unusual times for cyclists and coaches working in an insecure and unprecedented landscape. To come out the other side with our wellbeing intact, we need to look after our mental as well as our physical health. We spoke to Dr Tim Rogers, a medical doctor and consultant sports psychiatrist, who identified three significant issues arising from the crisis for cyclists: 1. the sudden loss of goals; 2. the non-stop media (including social media) coverage creating worry and anxiety; and 3. the loss or undermining of…

I was out for a ride without my good friend Bernard last week. In fact, as if to underline it, as I rode over a local level crossing, he passed me going in the other direction. He muffed the bunny hop, essentially jumping straight into the pothole by the rails, and his back tyre went with a bang. He pretended not to have seen me, and in his position I’d have done the same. My first thought was, “At least he’s not going to do a U-turn, chase me down, and then sit behind me for 10 miles.” My second thought was, “Oh, yes. Global pandemic. He’s not allowed to do that anyway.” I am not usually the sort of person who pokes about in a cloud looking for a…

JULIAN FOLEY, MONTVÉLO CC “We are now in the middle of the hotly debated subject of which is the best biscuit!” Montrose-based Montvélo CC formed in 2017 around a local chaingang and have since grown to 129 members. We asked club secretary Julian Foley for his tips on staying fit and connected while remaining responsible. How are you doing? Things are OK. Around 20 of us from the club were due to fly out to Majorca for a week in late April, a trip we had originally booked with Thomas Cook just before they collapsed. We rebooked thinking that would be our glitch but, as we all know, Covid-19 had other plans. How are you keeping yourself motivated to ride right now? I’d been training for Majorca when our holiday…

1 There is no race this year. When was the last time it didn’t run? 2 What do Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix do? 3 Which two riders have won the race four times? 4 Which of these four former winners had a secteur named after him in January this year? a) Mat Hayman b) Peter Sagan c) Jon Degenkolb, d) Magnus Bäckstedt 5 The famous Trouée d’Arenberg has previously been left out of the race due to subsidence. Why did that occur? 6 In what year did the Mapei team first lock out the podium? 7 Give three nicknames for the race. 8 Who holds the record for the fastest win? 9 What’s the best British result at the race and who was the first person to achieve it? 10…

As a keen cyclist, I am conscious of the need for effective hydration. This interest has taken a bit of a different route in the last week as my son, an A&E doctor, like his colleagues, is working extremely hard in dry and hot conditions to support us with coronavirus care as well as general illnesses. These conditions, especially with the need to wear masks, gloves and other PPE, are obviously very hot and demanding. So I contacted the companies that make hydration supplements with the idea they could collectively work to see if it was possible to support some of the A&E and ICU staff to maximise hydration. I appreciate it’s a tough time commercially, but I thought it worth a try. I have received replies from two of…

The advice from British Cycling on training while social distancing rules are in force has been somewhat mixed. While urging cyclists to ride “well within your ability level” because “this is a time for calm recreation, not for challenging yourself”, the organisation has also set up a race series on Zwift and instructed GB Cycling Team riders to carry on training as prescribed by their coaches. So, are we OK to carry on doing hard sessions or not? Bear in mind, Covid-19 symptoms take up to 12 days to develop and even then can be subtle – you may have it without realising. CW has heard from one medic who strongly believes that all cyclists should carefully moderate their training load until the coronavirus risk has completely passed. Jason Roberts,…

British Cycling series: Two weeks ago, British Cycling launched an eight-week programme of races and group workouts on Zwift. Within days of cancelling all road racing and advising clubs to immediately cease group activities, the governing body had pulled together a series of eight 30-minute road races, eight 10-mile time trials and eight group workouts. Sessions started in the last week of March and run until mid-May. We wouldn’t be surprised if they’re extended after that. The events are listed on zwift.com and the Zwift companion app. They’re free to do, but you have to register with Zwift. You get a seven-day free trial, after which it’s £12.99 a month. Try a ‘virtual three-week Grand Tour’ courtesy of Dig Deep Coaching. Again on Zwift, when you sign up, you’ll get…

CAT MACLEOD, 36 Cat is a long-distance cyclist who lives with her family in Inverness, in the Scottish Highlands. “We are using the time to focus on our health and wellbeing. We are stripping back what we eat and drink to the basics and considering whether it’s the best balance of nutrients as well as being sustainable financially.” The Macleods are also focusing on sleep hygiene to keep themselves well rested. HELEN BRIDGMAN, 40 Last year Helen rode every stage of the Tour de France with the InternationElles team, ahead of the men’s race, so has clearly mastered long-distance riding. However, she was yet to master the mechanical side of her bike. While in isolation with her bike mechanic husband, Helen plans to use this time to steal some of…

A lot has been said about Specialized’s long-standing endurance road bike in the years since it first debuted in 2004. It’s been through many changes in the 16 years since and this latest version has seen the brand push the emphasis back towards the performance end of the market. In fact this new version is supposed to rival even the race-oriented Tarmac and Venge bikes in terms of aerodynamics. We have already tested (and really liked) the top S-Works Roubaix but this Comp version sits at a more affordable price at just over a third of the cost of the S-Works. So does it share the same performance or is anything lost in translation? Frame The Roubaix Comp shares an identical frame design as all other bikes in the range,…

Riding up ordinary hills is easy. It’s just slow. However, occasionally you will be faced with a hill where ‘slow’ starts to fringe into ‘impossible’. For these, there are a number of techniques. You can avoid the problem altogether by riding somewhere else. There is no shame in this. Similarly, you can circumvent the problem by training harder, getting fitter, and being a better rider. There is no shame in this either. If you feel you absolutely must ride up an impossible hill, and you must do it now, then slow down nice and early rather than knacker yourself bouncing up the lower slopes as if you’re Egan Bernal. Get into bottom gear sooner rather than later – there are no points for heroism, and you’ll look a right fool…

Dear Doc, Three or four years ago, I bought a ‘smart’ turbo trainer for £500. I used it once, hated it, and put it in the shed. Four weeks ago, I put it on eBay and sold it for £100. Two weeks after that, I realised there was probably going to be a Covid-19 lockdown, and decided I needed to replace it, pronto. But by then they’d all sold out. So I contacted the guy who bought mine to see if he’d sell it back to me. He said he would. For £400. Desperate, I accepted. The full lockdown hasn’t happened. So I’ve now paid £800 for a £500 trainer that a) I hate and b) I haven’t even used. So if you think turbo training is miserable, spare a…

Campagnolo had enjoyed huge success with its deep-section profiled aluminium wheels in the early to mid-Nineties, but they did carry a weight penalty compared with conventional rims and they could also be a bit twitchy in windy conditions. So for 1998, alongside lighter versions of the existing Shamal, Vento and Scirocco V-section wheels, and a new aluminium/carbon deep-section wheelset called the Bora (Campagnolo liked to name its aero wheels after strong winds, as you may have guessed), it introduced two new, lightweight ‘Climb-Dynamic’ wheelsets – Electron and Proton – which combined the featherweight, smooth and reliable hubs from the Shamal range with low-profile, super-light, hard-anodised aluminium rims. The Electron was the lightest – Campagnolo claimed just 681 grams for the front tubular version, and under 1,600 grams for a pair…