Innehållsförteckning för June 4, 2020 från Cycling Weekly

We’re all looking for new reasons to ride. With racing, mass participation events, holidays and charity rides all on hold we’re having to rethink our riding. During lockdown turbo training took on a new meaning for me. Sessions on Zwift burnt off energy and worked wonders for my fitness, while gravel rides in the spring sunshine put a smile back on my face. But now what? Our riding is once again unlimited, and while I’m enjoying that I still need some sort of goal. Recently I spotted a friend taking some Strava KOMs near me on the North Downs. It turns out he’s been using his hard-earned fitness (and his competitive nature) to earn a few KOMs – he’s now up to about 250. Sadly they’re all out of my…

Tom Dumoulin wants to ride Paris-Roubaix ‘like Wiggins’ Dutchman Tom Dumoulin has never ridden the Hell of the North, but has revealed that he would like to before he retires. In an interview with cycling website Wielerflits, Dumoulin said: “Paris-Roubaix is on my bucket list. I want to ride it once, but with thorough preparation.” He added: “I really like how Bradley Wiggins handled it. For years he focused on winning a Grand Tour and on long time trials. Then he shifted that focus in the last two years of his career and became a Classics rider. I really liked that. I would like to do it that way.” Van Aert and Terpstra complete 320km alternative Dirty Kanza Wout van Aert and Niki Terpstra were among a number of pro…

It was another world when I first tried my hand at tile hunting. My colleague James had been writing a piece speaking to those who took the practice of trying to get as many mile square sections of the world map on VeloViewer to the extreme and I had agreed to give it a go myself. It was, as I wrote in the 2 April issue, a revelation. Turns out there’s a whole network of roads that I’ve never ridden and some of them are great. So with no real pressing reason to train, I’ve taken to hunting out some more of these tiles near me. It’s so far resulted in one brand new and thoroughly enjoyable little climb, another equally fun descent, and one wooded climb whose status as…

“Among all my many images of Sean Kelly, the ones that stand out the most are where he’s covered in mud, which usually means Paris-Roubaix. This shot of the 1985 edition, which was an absolute epic race, is one of the best. “Maybe it’s because of his farming background in County Tipperary, or just that he was the toughest of the tough, but images of Kelly covered in mud always seemed to show the extra-special nature of the great man. It somehow magnified his ruggedness and ferocity in equal amounts. “Kelly’s gritted teeth were always a feature of his determination, but put a mask of mud on his face and those pearly whites shone out even more. He could even have been laughing at the weather conditions! “I took this…

Nestled alongside the Mediterranean on the Côte d’Azur, between Saint-Raphaël and Sainte-Maxime, lies the resort of Les Issambres. It was here that by 1955 the professional rider Apo Lazaridès had established a bar among the villas. In order to keep business brisk in winter, Lazaridès hit on the idea of organising out-of-season rentals for fellow pros to use as bases for pre-season training camps. So it was that in early 1955 the Brits from Hercules arrived in Les Issambres, taking up residence in a pink villa, set on readying themselves for racing in France. The group soon made an impression on the inhabitants of Les Issambres, riding the roads of the Var with Michelin maps in their pockets. Next door were the Bobet brothers, Louison and Jean. Jean later wrote:…

Like you, we’re adjusting to a new way of life right now, working our way through as best we can. But one thing that will remain part of our lives is riding our bikes. There may be no racing for a while, and our riding is limited, but we’re still cyclists and always will be. Our content will now be focused on helping you through the months ahead with inspiring stories and advice on how to cope in a rapidly changing world. When it’s all over, we look forward to getting out and riding with you once again. Cycling is more than a sport, it’s a way of life xhtml:a charset="article44" rel="page_45" rev="replica-location" type="0.0380997177798683,0.697138019062769,0.380560408547238,0.955498826215797"/>Cycling Weekly will be there to help you through the months ahead Subscribe NOW for as litt…

1 Remind yourself of your original motivation to ride a bike: You might not be able to fully enact it right now, but you can put in place a plan for how to get back into it once wider movement is allowed. 2 Manipulate your motivation: Once you’ve captured your original motivation to ride, think about how it shapes your current cycling values and purpose. Having gone back to basics, you can pick the training that you most enjoy, design your future goals and choose routes that keep you happy and fulfilled – essentially holding dear the cycling objectives that really matter to you. 3 Skill-up: If you know you lack a particular skill, it’s prone to drag down your motivation. Who wants to make a fool of themselves? If you know you…

I have struggled with disordered eating for the past few years, but am now getting back on track. I’m concerned that prolonged under-fuelling may have harmed my bone health. What should I do? It’s great you’re getting to grips with more consistent fuelling. If you are a female cyclist, an indicator that you are getting sufficient energy is having regular menstrual cycles. The hormones produced during the menstrual cycle are key for bone health. For male and female cyclists, as well as fuelling, it’s important to do load-bearing exercises off the bike – for performance and bone health (see CW feature ‘Who Bears Wins’ from 4 July 2019). In terms of quantifying bone heath, this is possible with DXA (dual X-ray absorptiometry), available via NHS or around £65 privately. Periodically,…

Last week, out for a ride, I realised there was a north-easterly breeze, which is a little unusual around here. It seemed a nice opportunity to have a go at a longish Strava KoM. I knew more or less where it began and finished, so wound myself up into a proper effort for four miles of downwind glory. I felt confident that I’d shown the current incumbent a thing or two. “Ha!” I muttered. “Take that, whoever you are.” When I uploaded it, I had missed the KoM by a few seconds. Very irritated, I checked to see who held it. It was me. From a day three years ago. When there was an unusual, north-easterly breeze.…

Editions of the magazine from the early 90s were packed with familiar names. Looking at the cover shot of a 24-year-old Chris Boardman in yellow at the Tour of Lancs, it’s hard to believe that little more than a year later he’d be wearing the yellow jersey of the Tour de France, having won the prologue in Lille. At this point Boardman was already Olympic champion, having shot to fame on the – oft-called ‘space age’ – Lotus bike in Barcelona the previous summer. By comparison, the beautiful yellow and red steel Cougar ridden by the North Wirral Velo riders looks a little low tech. Boardman was still riding as an amateur at this point, using a domestic calendar of time trials (he’d recently ridden a 50.24, the fastest 25…

ELAINE SCOTT Elaine Scott became the third person to hit the 5,000-mile target during a ride on 10 May. The Hawick CC member has been racking up the miles in the Scottish Borders all year and taking part in the club’s informal lockdown time trials, where riders cover a predetermined route and upload their ride. “It’s my first experience of taking part in time trials and I’m totally loving it especially as they have been hilly routes,” she says. “I started cycling about two years ago after watching a time trial in which women my age were taking part and felt inspired. “I suffered from anorexia in my twenties and thirties along with depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Cycling has given me the strength and confidence to finally overcome this…

THE RACE GLASGOW GREEN CC TT A little Friday evening time trial action through the Tempus Fugit part of Watopia. There are categories for all level of riders to compete on this 17.6km course. Fri 5 June, 19:15 THE WORKOUT ZWIFT FONDO 2020 Choose from 97km, 72km or 52km on this giant group ride. OK, it’s technically not a workout but we’re pretty sure you can ride it as hard or as steady as you like. Fri 5 June, 21:00 THE CAFE RIDE ADIDAS #HOMETEAMHERO-CHALLENGE The German sportswear giant will donate $1 to the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 fund (up to $1m) for every hour people spend on this challenge, so it’s a no-brainer really. Fri 5 June, 8:00…

I read with interest the comments from fellow cyclists in the recent article regarding Strava charging for the use of certain features. I’ve always subscribed to Strava in the five years that I’ve been a member. Paying a pound a week to subscribe to something that they have had the privilege of using for free up to now is not a huge cost. Cycling can be as cheap or expensive a pastime as you want it to be. Maybe people should appreciate what they have had free use of, and if they want extra features, pay for them as subscribers like I have been doing for some years. I do so because I see a value in what I get. I’ve never complained that subscribers have partially propped up Strava…

We’ve all been there. You’re halfway through a gruelling 176km training ride in hilly terrain, and, as you come up the hill, there are cars lining both sides of the road. As you get closer, you see the people standing at the road side. They see you and start clapping, banging pans, waving flags. They’re screaming your name and you’re the only person they’ve come out to see. While that might just be a motivational trick of the mind for most of us, for former national champion Connor Swift it was the reality as he completed the entire Tour de Yorkshire route solo last month. “It’s pretty mental the number of people that came out,” says Swift. “There was just more and more each day. I had quite a lot…

As if the lines between gravel and mountain biking weren’t blurred enough, Cannondale has announced a new ‘full suspension’ Topstone Carbon Lefty and Topstone Carbon Neo Lefty e-bike. Promising the best of all worlds, the new bikes look to push gravel into murkier waters still. Buckle up for what could become a bumpy ride! We’ll start with the analog version, which is the Cannondale Topstone Carbon Lefty. The original Topstone was launched featuring ‘KingPin suspension’ – in essence, a thru-axle pivot that sits at the seat tube/seatstay junction that allows 30mm of flex through the frame. This is now partnered to a Lefty Oliver fork at the front end, allowing Cannondale to proudly term the bike a full-suspension rig – albeit one with a lot less travel than the full-sus…

Michell Arthurs-Brennan: tech editor I tested this bike from February through to late March, totting up – in the end – well in excess of 1,000 kilometres. From the first ride it blew me away, resulting in a personal best on my home climb on day one. I travelled with it to a training camp in Denia, Spain (pre-lockdown) – so it’s been my partner both on smooth Spanish roads as well as Surrey’s flooded winter lanes. A few criticisms kept the Ultimate Evo from achieving a 10/10, but I can’t see anyone buying this bike and being disappointed with their new steed.…

Your debut WorldTour season has been kiboshed by Covid-19, but you did get in quite a bit of racing in January and February – how did it go? The start in Australia [Tour Down Under] was eye-opening – the level of racing and the pressure. Every day was full-on, and beyond the first day, I was uncomfortable all day, but it was a great learning experience. The Tour of Provence was even more eye-opening – the level of the climbing was pretty mad; all I could do was try to hang on for as long as possible! Taking the step up, what’s the most striking change? The level of performance. If you’re not at your best, you’re on the back foot and suffering. For example, [Nairo] Quintana in Provence was…

I honestly never thought I’d look at the world in all its variety and think, “What this place needs is more bike mechanics.” But anyone who has tried booking a bike in for work at a bike shop lately will tell you that, at the moment, you can have a new kidney installed faster than you can have a fresh chain put on. “Hire more mechanics!” you might think. You would be overestimating the speed with which the Swiss finishing schools can polish them up and shovel them out. So, with waiting times running into several weeks for slots, your only options are to a) stop riding, b) fix it yourself, or c) put up with that deeply worrying creaking noise that probably, but not definitely, isn’t the bottom bracket…

The return to ‘work’ for BC’s riders and staff is no standard day at work. Everyone attending the velodrome will find they currently have to: Fill out an online wellbeing form before arrival Fill out an online ‘informed consent’ form before every arrival Have their temperature checked on arrival Have a Q&A with a medical officer Keep socially distanced at all times Observe a one-way system around the Centre, following signs and tape on the floor Use their own pen track centre Use a no-contact drop-off point track centre for any mechanical issues And while training in small groups will start again soon, it’s likely that many of these measures will be in place for a while. As Stephen Park said: “We could be operating in a socially distanced manner…

TOBY WILSON, RUTLAND CC “To avoid crowds and cars, I’ve been doing more gravel riding” How are you doing? It’s not been easy; I work from home supporting schools so it’s been quieter than usual, which has allowed me to support my own kids with their work. The situation is hard but we have been very lucky with the weather during the lockdown so have been able to get out for evening walks and rides with the family, which has helped everyone. How are you keeping yourself motivated to ride right now? Exercising, especially riding, has been essential to my mental wellbeing. It would have been much worse if it was a dark, cold and damp time of year. How did you get into riding? I’ve been riding bikes pretty…

The night before the final stage of the 1955 Tour de France, Britain’s Brian Robinson and Tony Hoar couldn’t sleep. Behind them were 4,247km of tough racing, crashes and punctures; three weeks of cobblestones, mountains and desperate chases. Now, ahead lay only 229km more, from Tours to Paris and a final sprint on the famous Parc des Princes track. Robinson and Hoar tossed and turned all night. Earlier that day both had raced into Tours at the end of a 68.6km time trial from Châtellerault, Hoar besting Robinson by 1min 22sec. But it was Robinson who held the advantage overall, lying some 40 places higher up the general classification. Whether it was adrenaline from a day spent racing against the clock, or a nervous sense of anticipation at becoming the…

How Danish all-rounder Jakob Fuglsang (Astana) maintained his motivation during his country’s lockdown: By virtual racing: “I took part in the Giro Virtual. It was fun, but also quite intense. It was good training for me, as you can never relax on a trainer. I will definitely include this in my training schedule.” By having good equipment: “When I was training on our Tacx rollers inside, it was quite easy to stay motivated, as we had our Tacx software, where we were riding with our fans during some parts of races.” By enjoying family time: “I got a lot of extra quality time with my family, which I wouldn’t have had without this period. Our daughter is almost three, and she grows up so fast, so I enjoyed spending this…

There’s no change at the top of the men’s or women’s leaderboards this week, with Nick Cooper and Kim Baptista both hanging on to their virtual sprinter’s jerseys for the full seven days. But there were fireworks only slightly lower down the pecking order. Among the men, a new entry from Jack Hartley, with peak power of 24w/kg, went straight into second place – just a whisker behind Cooper. There was also a top-three change for the women, as third place was taken by Fleur Stoops, who entered with 1,006 watts (so far the highest outright maximum). The veteran leaders remain Melissa Scrivin, 44, with 14.35w/kg, and – profiled below – 45-year-old Jason Taylor from St Albans, with 21.41w/kg. VETERAN MEN’S LEADER JASON TAYLOR What’s your cycling background? About seven…

With travel still very restricted, many riders will be missing a spring or early summer cycling trip. Luckily, it is easy to replicate most of the elements of the classic cycling holiday at home. Start by dismantling your bike and packing it into a bag or box. As soon as you’ve done this, find the single most important tool needed to put it back together, and go and hurl it away as far as you can over the garden fence, or lob it into a passing skip lorry. Then, drop the bike box out of a first floor window a couple of times. If it survives that, unpack it, and reassemble it without the tool you now no longer have. If it doesn’t survive, go and stand in a gloomy…