Innehållsförteckning för September 3, 2020 från Cycling Weekly

For all the talk of how the global pandemic would affect the Tour de France, you’d have to look carefully to see any sign of it on TV. While the pre and post-race interviews are conducted through masks at a distance, once the race is rolling, it’s near impossible to tell – you need to squint at the crowds in the pictures to see the face-covering signs of the times. That is a welcome escape and further proof the world’s biggest annual sporting event is a big beast that’s difficult to bring down. What’s more, the racing on the opening weekend was as good as any you’re likely to see. The highlight for me was watching Lizzie Deignan and Elisa Longo Borghini land an expertly timed one-two punch on Marianne…

Lizzie Deignan leapt to the top of the WorldTour rankings with two victories in five days, the Yorkshirewoman first winning the GP de Plouay and following that up by edging out Marianne Vos in a gripping finish to La Course. “It’s been quite an extraordinary few days for me and the Trek-Segafredo team,” Deignan told Cycling Weekly. The Trek team was put together at the start of last season and, although they did enjoy some significant successes during 2019, Deignan believes the squad has gelled much more this year. “I think we all feel more comfortable together, we’ve improved massively and I feel lucky to be part of this team. I’ve struck up a really good understanding with Elisa Longo Borghini. We can see what we need to do even…

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the good weather lasts through September so we can all keep racking up the miles. While nearly 200 of our readers have now completed the challenge, there are many more still chasing the target. Two staffers from the Cycling Weekly office have joined the finishers club: Tech editor and first-cat racer Michelle Arthurs-Brennan was the first, with web editor Richard Windsor reaching the target two weeks later. He hit 5,000 miles when on a bike-packing holiday in Scotland. Everyone who has completed the challenge can now pre-order their finisher’s medal. They’ll be sent out as soon as they arrive with us next month. Order via this link to the CW website – bit.ly/3j8wN2X 1. Ride 200 miles in one week The last weekly mileage…

It was great to see Adam Yates taking the race on, on Sunday. It’s interesting that, listening to the interviews pre-race, he was talking about just going for stages. That’s exactly the way Julian Alaphillippe went about the race last year, and it was a super-successful Tour for him in the end. If you’re racing for GC you’re always holding something back. When you say you’re just going for stages it’s a way of getting rid of pressure. You can work it in your favour like that. My success came at the end of my career. So I was a pretty rounded person by then and I honestly didn’t ever really feel any pressure. But I am aware how it is. I’ve seen riders crumble and just not be happy…

GOING TO FRANCE TUES, 25 AUGUST I had Manchester Airport to myself. The security guy was telling me how things had been starting to pick back up again then as soon as the new quarantine measures came in, it had just gone dead. I arrived in Nice that night and had another Covid-19 test. That was terrible. I’ve had a few and I’ve never had one like it. It made my eyes water and my nose was stinging for about an hour after. I’m not looking forward to those on the rest days; the French like to get the swabs right up there. TEAM PRESENTATION THURS, 27 AUGUST At the team presentation we got to watch a film on all the previous editions which was pretty cool. Obviously I imagine…

Michael Woods (Can), 33 The EF Education First rider has a long history with team owner Sylvan Adams. The Canadian-Israeli was one of his backers when Woods was making the transition from mountain biking. He has been on great form since coming back from his crash and will be Froome’s right hand man in the mountains next year. Daryl Impey (RSA), 35 A fierce competitor in the breakaways and sprints, he’s also a great person to help manoeuvre Froome through the bunch, a role he’s spent the last few years doing for the Yates brothers at Mitchelton-Scott.…

Selle San Marco has released a complete new range of saddles that feature an ultra-modern shortened profile. The new saddles fall under the Shortfit name and sit alongside Selle San Marco’s Openfit and Fullfit ranges to cover all bases. Comprising eight models including female-specific versions, there is a Shortfit saddle to suit all budgets. The ergonomic waved shape of this new saddle aids pelvic rotation and the shorter length can allow riders to adopt a more aggressive position. The generous rear section offers a good level of support and the front section optimises pressure distribution to boost comfort. The wide nose and shape also makes for a comfortable and lightweight time trial saddle. THE ERGONOMIC SHAPE AIDS PELVIC ROTATION The Shortfit Dynamic saddle is the entry point into the range…

Way back in January, before the cycling world was taken over by Zwift, social distancing and spectator-free races, there was a shock announcement from the management of Italian team Vini Zabù-KTM. The team banned its riders from using power meters or heart-rate monitors during races. According to the team’s manager Luca Scinto, some of his riders had become obsessed with the numbers and it was holding them back. He wanted his team to race on feeling and judgment, rather than becoming – as team leader Giovanni Visconti called them – “robots” on autopilot. But is it true? Are power meters really holding us back by making us over-reliant on an external measure of effort? Don’t they simply allow us to be accurate, objective and, therefore, controlled in our riding? A…

CALLUM MCQUEEN Full-time rider & aspiring pro Project goal: Win some races, earn a pro contract This month’s goal: Reinvent myself as a TT racer @cmcmcqueen018 callum_mcqueen It’s my final double-page Fitness Project update already – I can’t quite believe how quickly the time has flown by! Across the cycling world, with WorldTour racing resuming, things are looking bright, almost like normality. Since my last update, I’ve shifted my focus to time trialling, and it seems that most UK road racers have followed suit. For the foreseeable future, TTs are the most feasible form of socially-distanced racing as we await the return of road races. Without any prior experience in this field – other than the CW virtual Club ‘10’ – I’ve managed to get myself ready to race again.…

ALEX BALLINGER CW writer & PB-chasing TT racer Project goal: Go sub-20min for 10-mile TT This month’s goal: This month’s goal: Perform to my absolute best in National 10 @alexballi_ @alexballi_ I guess it was inevitable, but in August my motivation finally started to falter. After starting my season preparation in February – with the intention of hitting good form in May – I’d been training consistently for seven months without a race in sight and my ambition was undimmed. But unexpectedly my willingness to train came to an almost grinding halt in the midst of my first post-lockdown events – less than ideal when I had just two opportunities to set a time fast enough to qualify for the National Championships. To counter the failing determination, I decided to…

The Tour de France started life as a heroic event. It was designed to break bike riders by asking them to do something that most people thought was impossible; to ride a lap of France, on rough roads, with no help, with basic equipment. Henri Desgrange is rightly feted as the race’s inventor, and in his reign as its tyrannical director became renowned as a man who prized the entertainment value of human misery above almost all else. He was always a bit less willing to admit that back in 1903 he didn’t even go to the start of the first event because he was so sure it was going to be a disaster that would sink both him and his sponsors. I have to say that this year’s race…

winner of the world title in 2015, Lizzie Deignan is hoping to make the most of her current form at the Giro d’Italia, which starts on 11 September, but is also closely following news of a new venue for the World Championships, after Swiss authorities forced their cancellation in Aigle-Martigny. “It’s normal for me to try to peak at this time in the season and I seem to be following that same sort of pattern,” she said. “Obviously it would be great to have the World Championships but everything has to be safe and guaranteed to be safe. In the meantime, I’d like to try to pay back Elisa Longo Borghini back for the amazing work she’s done for me.” After news emerged that the UCI and French federation had…

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It is sad that we’re coming to the end of an era with Chris Froome leaving Ineos. That team is now at least 50 per cent a South American squad, which I don’t blame them for doing, but the future for British riders doesn’t look great. We’ve been used to being at the forefront of races for nearly a decade now and while there are many more pros from the UK than there used to be, it looks increasingly likely that this nation’s golden era on the road is at an end, too. I hope this doesn’t lead to fewer people racing or getting on their bikes, because the sport at grassroots needs all the riders it can get. Emily Daventry, email…

This was the question that everyone was asking at the Grand Départ in Nice. When it was put to Ineos Grenadiers boss Dave Brailsford, he responded in the only way that anyone could: “I don’t know, the truth is no one knows. But we’ll all try to do our best to make this happen.” What could be said for sure in Nice was that ASO and the city’s authorities could hardly have done any more to safeguard the race from Covid-19. The team presentation, for instance, took place in front of a scattering of fans. It was completely devoid of atmosphere, but the restrictions on access meant that the current 5,000-person limit on gatherings in France was never likely to be reached. Yet a far bigger test will come when…

The press seem to get fixated on the Dauphiné every year – they take so much from that race for the Tour de France as if it is a given almost. Actually, the Dauphiné is a completely separate race from the Tour, and especially the way the calendar is at the moment, a lot can change. I think it was a bit early for people to call. You see guys like Adam Yates, obviously in impeccable condition at the moment; he just didn’t really scratch the surface of the Dauphiné. And it’s the same with Julian Alaphilippe. He wasn’t given much say in the build-up to the Tour, and I really don’t know why – you saw the way he rode last year. I just think he’s always got this…

The 26-year-old from Misgav in Israel is very much a product of the Israel Cycling Academy, having ridden for its development team until 2017 when he joined the then Continental squad. In 2018, when the Giro d’Italia started in Israel, he was on the Cycling Academy team that rode, but got sick and abandoned before the first rest day. Last year, he returned to the Giro, making it to the finish in 113th place. “He is a tough kid, he accepts every challenge,” his father said about him before that Giro. He’ll have a big chance to prove that in the coming weeks.…

Jamie Pringle is head of science and technical development at Boardman Bikes, and has previously headed up physiology for the English Institute of Sport. He has coached riders to over 80 national titles and multiple British records. “Those wanting to ban power meters [Tour de France director Christian Prudhomme proposed removing them from the 2019 race] wanted races to be more pure and enjoyable. And they can be a risk to your performance when you get fixated on them. “You take your eyes off what matters. You stop enjoying the race. You might even be looking down and get dropped. “I understand what they were trying to do, but, personally, I think they are misguided. The motivation for their idea was coming from an idea that riders were looking down…

Having known Callum for a long time, I was aware of his strengths as an endurance athlete as well as a few areas where he could improve. TT events are a relatively new challenge for Callum and he would first need the best bike for the job. Luckily for him, I had a Canyon Speedmax CF SLX ready to go to a new home. Callum and I share a near-identical bike set-up, so it was a no-brainer for him to take the bike off my hands. A few minor adjustments and he was dialled in and ready to stick some hours in to adapt his body to the aero tuck position. As TT events have become more popular and specialist, aero equipment has become more accessible, so it is crucial…

A familiar face at the top of the results board, this was Gavin Lancaster’s third win out of three rides in the Cycling Weekly Club 10.Lancaster, who rides for Swindon club Steele Davis Via Roma, recorded 20.42 for the 10 miles and also set a new power record of 432 watts for the 10 miles on the flat Tick Tock course. “Not bad for an old bloke!” said Lancaster, who added that having to work from home, combined with a training plan from his coach Simon Kessler, has “helped enormously. A little extra training and more rest. It’s not rocket science,” he added, “but it’s difficult to achieve with a young family and a busy job under normal circumstances.” Second place went to Kelvin Hatch with 21.05. Riding his second…

In the days leading up to the Grand Départ in Nice, the teams applied significant pressure on the UCI and the ASO to relax the newly applied regulation relating to Covid-19 and specifically the stipulation that any team that had two positive tests for the virus among its 30-person staff within a seven-day period would be forced to leave the race. There was a concerted push from teams to have the rule adjusted to specify that it would need “two riders” to get the virus before a team could be excluded. “The measure is going to be softened,” UCI president David Lappartient told L’Équipe three days before the Tour got under way. It duly was, leaving teams relieved. Yet, close to midnight on the eve of the Grand Départ, it…

Rainbow white By finishing second on stage one of the Tour de France, Trek-Segafredo’s Mads Pedersen became the first world champion to wear the white jersey of best young rider since Lance Armstrong in 1994. The easy Pyrenees The Tour’s second weekend will see the riders tackle consecutive stages in the central Pyrenees, the home patch of Ineos-Grenadiers’s Pavel Sivakov. Asked by CW, the Franco-Russian said he doesn’t expect the two stages to have a big impact on the GC battle. “They’re both hard but I think the final downhill section on each of them makes them more likely to go the way of a strong breakaway,” said Sivakov. “I think the GC will be quite settled and there shouldn’t be significant gaps between the favourites.” Slippery gossip Soon after…

The first day at school is enough to make anyone nervous. The routines are new, the places unfamiliar and the faces unknown. Do you belong here? How will you fit in? So spare a thought for Guy Niv, the first ever Israeli rider to ride the Tour de France. He lined up in Nice last weekend and is, as you read this, speeding his way across southern France. He’ll have experienced riders around him in André Greipel and Dan Martin. No one is expecting him to deliver results beyond helping those leaders with their respective goals, but it marks a crowning achievement for him, and indeed for Israel Start-Up Nation. “I have goosebumps just thinking about it,” said Niv ahead of the Grand Départ. “It’s huge. It’s something I’ve always…

There’s no denying that gravel riding has taken the bike world by storm. It’s what everyone is talking about. From humble beginnings on the endless unpaved roads in North America – or arguably half a century ago in northern England with the Rough Stuff Fellowship – gravel riding (its trendy 21st century name) is more popular than ever. In the UK at least, it can seem that the term ‘gravel’ is rather misleading. Sure, there certainly are gravel roads here but they’re much less common than the expansive gravel road networks in the US. What we do have, however, is a vast network of bridleways, byways, tracks, common land and open countryside, all which can be linked up with sections of tarmac. “A gravel bike is a drop-bar machine with…

If you saved money by not buying a power meter, what could you spend it on instead? A quick call-out on Twitter as to what cyclists would spend the £700 on got nearly 300 responses. As well as the requests for 350 bags of Percy Pigs, the numerous calls for liposuction and some contributions towards new wheels, by far the most popular items on the shopping list were services rather than pieces of kit: coaches, nutritionists and bike-fitters. Here is what you could get for £700. Coaching support: James Spragg works with professional and amateur athletes. He offers coaching packages working from a physiological profile and needs analysis with an individualised coaching plan. A six-month package costs £765. You can find him at spraggcyclecoaching.com Nutrition advice: Will Girling is the…

ALICIA THOMPSON Finance exec & new mum on postnatal fitness-rebuilding adventure Project goal: Reset fitness and weight to pre-pregnancy optimum This month’s goal: Freshen up with a summer holiday Alicia__Thompson Since my last update (CW, 30 July), I’ve enjoyed a fantastic two-week holiday in Greece with my husband Mark and our baby son Oscar. We’d planned to go on a road trip through France, but with the quarantine rules changing plus the arduous logistics of travelling with a child, we opted for the infinitely easier option: an all-inclusive hotel. My cycling highlight before we went away was getting the chance to try out Pearson’s latest gravel bikes around the stunning grounds of Denbies vineyard near Dorking, Surrey, which was great fun – I’m really starting to understand the appeal of…

My fitness has plateaued so how can I get faster without any more power increases? Aerodynamics in time trials is your best friend! The majority of power from the rider in a TT is used to overcome aerodynamic drag, so the more aerodynamic you can become the faster you will go. There are plenty of ways to do this. Firstly your body is 80-85 per cent of the overall drag created in a time trial position so really focusing on your position when it comes to going fast should always be your priority! Changing things like skinsuits, helmets and tyres can all be areas to do some research on to find some of those extra watts savings. How do you know which courses to aim for to get the fastest…

A recent conversation with an old friend reminded me of the time he saw Linford Christie, the 100m sprinter, training while towing a large tyre along behind him on a rope around his waist. My mate decided that he could achieve better results in the local junior races with a similar approach. He got a car tyre and tied it to his seatpost, and then did sprints up a local hill. Disaster struck when he and his tyre were riding home one evening. Passing a neighbour’s house, he waved a friendly greeting to a friend of his mother’s, who attempted to cross the road behind him, put a foot into the tyre, and was felled like a skittle. He reminded me that he also got thrown from his bike and…