Innehållsförteckning för November 12, 2020 från Cycling Weekly

He is one of the hardest, grittiest riders there is,” said Ineos Grenadiers team principal Dave Brailsford last week as he paid tribute to former British champion Ian Stannard, as he was forced to retire. Just how gritty wasn’t apparent to the public but Stannard has been training and racing with the great pain of rheumatoid arthritis for more than a year. “I did Paris-Roubaix last year and after that my wrists were super-sore, which is kind of normal but it just never really got better,” the Ineos Grenadier told CW last week. “I changed bikes thinking maybe my position wasn’t right, I just need to get to the end of the season. My wrists just got sorer and sorer and were swollen. I kind of ignored it to the…

OWAIN DOULL Stannard is definitely someone to look up to With the news coming last week of Ian Stannard’s retirement from professional cycling, it got me thinking about some of my fondest memories of racing with him – one instantly stands out. It was my first year racing with Team Sky in 2017 and I was on the start line of E3 Harelbeke, the big warm-up race before the Tour of Flanders and my first cobbled Classic as a newly minted WorldTour pro. I was nervous but really excited to learn and to be involved with this group of amazing riders. On the bus before the race our DS highlighted a key moment where it was imperative for the whole team to be in the front entering a narrow section…

There are too many races to mention, however for me, the outstanding ones are 2012 and 2015, particularly Omloop Het Nieuwsblad against Niki Terpstra, Tom Boonen and Stijn Vandenbergh. Hope you stay within the sport Ian, we need you. Cass Witt Watched him winning a crit race in London where he lapped everyone about three times to win by a huge margin. I think he’d not long signed up for Sky. An exceptionally strong cyclist. Mostyn Reynolds That sucks. He is a great cyclist who sits on the front ripping others’ legs apart. Dirk Fowler When one member of the peloton turns to another, with his lungs screaming, hanging on for dear life, hardly able to force the words out and asks, “Why are we going so fast?” The answer…

In a year where the classic cycling timetables have been thrown out the window, Wilier has launched its new Filante SLR race bike in November. Described as an aero bicycle with the weight and characteristics of a lightweight machine, the new Filante SLR Disc is certainly on trend for 2020. Filante meets Cento meets Zer0 Fans of Wilier’s range will already be aware of the Wilier Cento10 Pro, a topend, out-and-out aero racing bike. Wilier updated its Cento range this summer with the Cento10 SL, a bike that sat one level below the top-end Pro model. The Pro model has now quietly slipped away, replaced by the Filante SLR with the Cento10 SL sat beneath it. If you take a look at both the Cento and the Filante, the two…

The virtual world of Zwift has offered a much-needed outlet to cyclists stuck in their homes during this year’s lockdowns. It has filled the gap, providing opportunities to ride, train and race with others around the world. Provided you have a turbo-trainer, all you need to do is sign up to the service, log in and select your event. Whereas the vast majority of real-life races have been cancelled, the action on Zwift never ceases – easily fitted into your schedule. Hardly surprising, then, that this form of cycling has provided the impetus to stay fit. But, given the high intensity of most Zwift races, are we inadvertently pushing too hard when we should be backing off and building a base? Unlike real-life racing, Zwift competition happens throughout the day…

CW AUTUMN CHASE SERIES Danish rider Troels Nakel takes the honours in the first event in CW’s new five-race, Saturday morning handicap race series RACE 1: 7 NOV Six races over six weeks at 10.30am each Saturday, 7 Nov – 12 Dec Top 15 places score points (1st=15pts, 2nd=14pts, etc) Your best three scores count towards your total at the series end You must be registered on Zwift Power (ZP) You must wear a heart rate monitor Enter the correct category; start times are staggered - the slowest set off first, the fastest last You must not exceed your category w/kg limit (Cat A: above 4.0w/kg; Cat B: 3.2-4.0w/kg; Cat C: 2.5-3.1w/kg; Cat D: below 2.5w/kg) SERIES CALENDAR Nov 14 – London loop with Box Hill finish Nov 21 –…

Peston-born climber Hugh Carthy has cemented his place among the pantheon of Grand Tour contenders with a magnificent podium place at the Vuelta a Espana, further proving there is a strong upcoming generation of three-week racers from the UK. Just weeks after British cycling fans celebrated the Giro d’Italia victory of Tao Geoghegan Hart, 26-year-old Carthy has emerged as the next stage race sensation from the British scene with a relentlessly attacking performance. He eventually finished 1.15 off the winner Primož Roglič (Jumbo-Visma), in third place. After he put himself in a podium spot with his win atop the Alto de l’Angliru at the end of the race’s second week, Carthy made certain of his place with an impressive time trial performance, finishing fourth on the stage and putting 24…

National Championship road race, 2012 Takes a solo win in a race that Sky dominated with four riders in the top five. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 2014 The Sky rider confirms his billing as a Classics force in the making, taking his biggest win to that point by outsprinting Greg Van Avermaet. Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 2015 Stannard outfoxes three Ettixx-Quick Step riders, including Classics legend Tom Boonen, to win in convincing fashion. Paris-Roubaix, 2016 Equalling the best finish by a Brit in this race, he comes third in the famous Roubaix velodrome as Mat Hayman sprints to victory.…

One morning in spring, Ryan Owens found himself pondering where the most sub-optimal place for squat training would be. Outside, with the chance of crashing through the rickety decking with a fully loaded barbell on his shoulders? Or pushing aside the furniture and risking the ire of his girlfriend who was conducting speech therapy sessions and would be, understandably, put off by the sound of his popping knees? As part of the team that took silver in February’s 2020 UCI Track Cycling World Championships team sprint in Berlin, Owens was right on track to be selected for the Tokyo Olympics. Everything was seemingly going well, but the conundrum of where to do his gym work was making him realise that he had been fighting a serious mental malaise. Track sprinters’…

Indoor cycling pays huge dividends in fitness gains, but the sweaty at-home activity is also renowned for the havoc it wreaks on everything from headsets to headphones. Rapha has stepped in to help cyclists keep the beats blasting. The premium cycling kit brand has paired up with electronics and audio experts Bang & Olufsen to create a unique set of wireless headphones designed with indoor cyclists in mind. Each set of headphones comes in its own wireless charging case. Made from a textured silicone, with aluminum details, the headphones come with IP57-certified waterproofing. “THEY COME WITH IP57-CERTIFIED WATERPROOFING” A variety of ear tips are included, helping riders to tune the fit to their own body, ensuring they don’t fall out and remain comfortable. In a unique touch, the connection tone…

Thousands of spectators in their Sunday best file into the grounds of Herne Hill Velodrome for the annual Good Friday meeting. This scene, looking west along Burbage Road in Dulwich, comes from March 1932, but crowds like this were common for decades. The meeting was first promoted in 1903 and ran on the 550m outdoor track through to 2017. This scene will be recognisable to anyone who has been to the famous South London track. Those curved walls at the entrance still stand, while the houses remain, modernised and a lot more expensive, along with the trees. Former organiser of the Good Friday meeting Garry Beckett remembers crowds similar to this in the early 1960s. “I have this vague memory from when I was three or four of holding on…

Tao Geoghegan Hart (Ineos Grenadiers) 25 While his victory at the Giro d’Italia puts him in the category of Grand Tour winners rather than up-and-comers, there are few that expect his success to peak with last month’s result. Much like Carthy he’s a talent that’s been steadily building to the point he’s reached now and there’s good reason to believe his potent mix of climbing ability and time trialling will be even better in the years ahead. Tom Pidcock (Trinity Racing) 21 A multiple world champion in junior and U23 ranks across a raft of disciplines it’s easy to think his attacking style and CX background would make him well suited to the Classics. But he has a slim build and underrated climbing ability. He won the Baby Giro this…

Former British 24-hour time trial champion Jonathan Shubert smashed the 100-mile record last week, taking it under three hours for the first time. Shubert set a time of 2:57.59, riding from Milton Keynes to Norwich. The record was still being verified by the Road Records Association (RRA) at the time of going to press. It was more than 10 minutes off the previous record of 3:08.15 he’d set less than two weeks earlier in wet conditions. That attempt hadn’t exactly gone according to plan. The hoped-for tailwind had “fizzled out” but riding his Giant Trinity with his own design of aero bars he was still confident he could best the ‘100’ record of 3:11.11 set by Ian Cammish in 1993, given the advancements in aerodynamics since then. “My route disappeared…

■ I’ve asked for donations toward a smart turbo. Going to get on Zwift and see what all the fuss is about this winter. Seems like everyone else is on there so I figured it’s better late than never. Jason Harding ■ My two front teeth! Felicity Leadsome ■ A return to normality so I can go out riding with all my friends. Going to be tough to get through winter without the club run. Ben Dyson ■ Brand new Pinarello Dogma with Campag Super Record EPS and Bora wheels. And that’s just for my stocking – haven’t decided on my main present yet. Rakesh Agarwal ■ Hasn’t Christmas been cancelled this year? Don McBraith ■ The bike that I ordered back in May would be nice. Georgia Warren ■…

A couple of weeks ago, having braved the Saturday morning shops to buy trainers for my eldest, I popped into the local bike store. It’s become a bit of a ritual – perusing rows of new bikes is chicken soup for the Sports Directaddled soul. Or at least it might have been had there been any. The displays were not exactly bare, but it looked like a panicbuying situation that reminded me of trying to buy flour in Sainsbury’s early in the pandemic — I was looking at the bicycle equivalent of a few random packets of speciality bread mix. Not that this should have been a surprise. A shortage of bicycles and associated kit has become as much a feature of the pandemic as clapping on the doorstep and…

The SuperSix Evo has always been a race bike, and there’s no chance of that changing. However, with Cannondale’s launch of the SystemSix aero model, it has taken on a slightly more ‘all-round’ position. The SuperSix Evo family is split into standard and Hi-Mod models. The difference is the carbon used: Hi-Mod is stiffer and lighter (also more expensive). By comparison, the standard carbon on the model we have on test here is heavier; don’t write it off though, because that comes with more compliance. The frame shape of the entire SuperSix Evo family was dramatically altered with the launch of the 2020 models, and this 2021 SuperSix Evo is built around an identical chassis. Gone are the high and slender seatstays and traditional round tubes that the SuperSix was…

Alan Murchison’s VEGAN THAI REDCURRY Murchison says: This Thai red curry is simple to prepare and great for batch cooking and freezing, meaning you’ll have an easy option ready when you get home hungry – nice and warming after a nippy November training ride. The protein comes from lentils and veg, so it’s suitable for our vegan friends, too. Method 1) Dice all the veg into medium-sized chunks. This is what takes up the most time. If you’re pushed for time, buy pre-diced. 2) In a large pan, heat the olive oil, add the veg and cook over a medium to high heat for 4 to 5min, stirring occasionally. 3) Add the curry paste and cook for further 2min. 4) Add the lentils, coconut milk and stock, and simmer for…

Eight pages of news from the British Track Champs led this issue as a host of familiar names took the various titles. Sponsored by Breitling there was at least no mention of the rain that often blighted big events on the UK’s outdoor tracks. Strong winds, however, had led to slow times in the pursuits where Dave Lloyd won the pro event and Ian Hallam the amateur. Other titles went to Malcolm Hill (amateur sprint), Roy Cox (motorpaced), Archer RC (team pursuit), Mike Tanks (sprint), Faith Murray (women’s sprint) and, of course, Beryl Burton (women’s pursuit). But there was as much interest in the potential of young riders coming through the ranks and the coaches as there was the winners. “Don’t Let Young Talent go to Waste” was the call…