Innehållsförteckning för April 1, 2021 från Cycling Weekly

■ Not going as well as I’d hoped, been struggling with finding the will on cold, dark and wet days… Still just limping past 1,500 miles. Mike Latchem ■ Will be up around 850. Ride for fitness at 65 years old. Severe problems with cold feet and hands (despite investing significantly in cold weather gear for hands and feet), so I ride my spin bike in cold or wet weather days. My miles will pick up to around 600 per month in the warm weather. Ken Maddock ■ 2,509 miles as of today. All on the road, 67 years old, and no problems to speak of, TG. Hoping for 10k miles plus as per last year! Alastair Flood ■ Closing in on 800 miles, so running a little behind what’s…

Garmin has unveiled a new power meter pedal family, giving consumers the opportunity to swap the spindle between Look, Shimano SPD-SL and Shimano SPD cleat-compatible pedals. The Garmin ‘Rally’ pedal range is split between RK (Look Keo), RS (Shimano SPD-SL) and XC (Shimano SPD) style options, with a transferable spindle containing the strain gauge which can be moved between pedal bodies. Cross-compatibility exists between the Vector 3 pedals, too. In this new Rally family, Garmin drops the ‘Vector’ name. The Vector 3 pedals got 5/10 from CW in a long-term review. They were subject to several updates and ‘fixes’; a new battery door was eventually released to avoid problems with power spikes and drop-outs. In our online review, we speculated that a lot of the issues were caused by cross-threading…

Weight 265g Size 44 Shimano says the RC3 is for “finding that sweet spot between comfort for bigger rides and efficient power transfer.” Based on a last design (Dynalast) that derives from Shimano’s pro-level S-Phyre RC9 series shoes, comfort is good, but compared to the others in this test, performance doesn’t quite measure up mainly due to the glass-fibre-reinforced nylon sole. We found it was the most flexible of the five. Shimano rates the RC3’s sole stiffness at six out of a possible 12 on its own index: we would say it’s not enough for efficient power transfer. The insole is fairly basic, as you’d expect at this price, but support at the arch from the shape of the sole and upper is actually pretty good. The RC3 has a…

Weight 239g Size 40 Like the others in this test, Bontrager has made its entry-level shoes slightly roomier than the fit at the top end but has a name for it: inForm Race. Comfort is the name of the game here. The PowerTruss sole is made from 85 per cent nylon and 15 per cent glass-fibre. It aims to increase stiffness while keeping weight low via a design that resembles a suspension bridge. On Bontrager’s stiffness scale, the sole comes in at 7/14. Comparing them to the Giro Stylus and Shimano RC3 shoes the sole offered less flex under pressure: it was quite similar to the Specialized Torch 1.0.but not as stiff as the dhb’s carbon sole. The upper is made from just under 59 per cent PU, 11 per…

Eddy Merckx sporting the classic Molteni kit leads fellow Belgian Roger De Vlaeminck on one of the sections between the cobbles at Paris-Roubaix. You can see the bandage on De Vlaeminck’s arm covering a gash sustained at Ghent-Wevelgem just a few days before. The two Belgian powerhouses found themselves off the front together with 55km to go in the race. Merckx, who had two victories at the Queen of the Classics on his palmarès at this point, would end up doing most of the work on the front as De Vlaeminck complained he was too spent to take a turn. The Cannibal believed him but accelerated away anyway to win the race while De Vlaeminck fell back into the clutch of the chasing groups. He would eventually finish the day…

Vos is boss again The indefatigable Marianne Vos sprints to her first win of the year at Ghent-Wevelgem alongside a new-look set of plastic barriers debuted by organiser Flanders Classics at the race. Barriers have been a hot topic of discussion since Fabio Jakobsen’s horrific crash at the Tour of Poland last year, where the barriers failed to stop him from catapulting over the top and hitting a concrete post. The UCI announced a revised set of barrier standards in December last year.…

Jumbo-Visma had a dream outing at Ghent-Wevelgem on Sunday with both the men and women claiming victory at the cobbled Classic. First up was a win for Wout van Aert. The Belgian had made it into the front group after windy conditions caused echelons to form on the road. The peloton chased in vain as the large leading group went the distance. It was slowly whittled down until van Aert proved the strongest of the fastmen left to contest the win, beating Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka-ASSOS), Matteo Trentin (UAE Team Emirates) and Michael Matthews (BikeExchange). Sam Bennett was the only Deceuninck-Quick Step rider to make the front echelon, but was distanced when stomach issues caused by overeating led to him being sick. After the finish van Aert said: “This means a…

Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling had our first team training camp last weekend. Quite the opposite of the normal team training camp in sunny Spain, we instead went to Northumberland, so far north that Brighton-based rider Olly Moors packed his passport and snow axe just to be safe. We could have used the axe to climb out of the craters the team almost fell into; I can see a real appeal for gravel bikes on roads that look to have been hit by the Blitz. The group riding was a real shock to the system. After 12 months without racing, the unexpected surges on climbs or when Dan Bigham hit the front – and decided his steady riding was 100W higher than anyone else’s – really stung the legs. Even though…

He’s over the hump. Time for new talent to step in. This shouldn’t diminish his stellar performances though. Noah Koppenhaver If he achieves nothing else then he’ll still finish a great champion. Yes, he had a great team that rode people into submission, but it’s a fantastic palmares in the modern day. Chris Murphy Heart says yes although it’s looking increasingly like the head and legs are saying no. Keith Cartwright Froome and Cavendish should retire as the champions they are. Our greatest Tour rider and our greatest stage winner. Bryan Ives Can’t see him beating the new guys on the block, they’re on another level. I would say even if he hadn’t crashed and got injured he’d have a hard time beating them. Murray Craig Typically always has a…

They headed down and waited a day for the weather. The local press had come out and there was a minor frisson of excitement, dispelled slightly by a very low-key departure. “I just rolled out to ride for two days,” soon-to-be End to End record holder Pauline Strong recalls. Cornwall was a static line of holiday traffic in and out of the county. Support cars were stuck in unending queues. It left Strong riding up the outside of a 13-mile line of cars, fearful of car doors, and having to deal with what seems like the customary End to End snarl-up between Bridgwater and Bristol. She saw local legend Gerry McGarr out with a bugle. “He had signs up, a big bell, and was stood on the island with his…

See.Sense launched its BEAM adaptive headlight via a Kickstarter campaign and it is now available for general sale, with a test unit arriving at CW’s HQ ready for a longer-term review. The BEAM omits a maximum of 1,000 lumens, but the light’s true party trick is that it adapts to riding conditions – for example, becoming brighter as a cyclist’s speed increases on a descent, while backing the beam back down when riding in lit areas and therefore reducing unnecessary battery usage. The light also pulses stronger and faster when cyclists reach areas where they need high visibility. A battery power level of 20 per cent prompts an hour-long ‘Get Me Home Mode’. The light charges via USB and comes with an action camera-style mount as well as a handlebar…

Weight 242g Size 40 The Torch 1.0 shoes look strikingly similar to the S-Works 7, and they do benefit from trickle-down technology. Of course there are differences, as those paying £370 will be relieved to hear, but the aesthetic is shared. The Torch 1.0 uses a Body Geometry sole, with footbeds designed to offer support, though they’re very flexible compared with Specialized’s more structured footbeds. The sole is predominantly nylon, and on Specialized’s own stiffness scale it gets a six (the S-Works is a 15). While it’s not as sturdy a platform to sprint from, we found it was up to the job for endurance rides and training sessions. Flexing the sole between the hands it moved less than the Giro Stylus, a lot less than the Shimano RC3 and…

Insta360 GO 2 £294.99 Weight 26g The Insta360 GO 2 is a camera that is simple to carry and makes it easy to grab clips of the sights and events of your rides. Editing the files later is quite simple, using the included software. You could get super-creative if you wanted, but you could also use it in a very basic way. It’s waterproof up to 13ft (four metres) and reasonably rugged due to its light weight and lack of moving parts. Resolution can be set to either 1440p or 1080p while the choice of frame rate is either 30fps or 50fps, allowing you to pick your own balance of video quality and file size. There is a slow-motion mode available too, taking footage at 120fps and at 1080p. The…

Whether it’s on Instagram, TikTok or TV, we’re constantly bombarded with images of perfect bodies. And it’s particularly relentless for us cyclists. ThThe ideal body for us, we’re led to believe, is super-lean, if not super-skinny. ThThis body image is reinforced by the pro peloton. Riders are pushing their body composition like never before, and it’s glorified on social media with images of vein-bulging, ripped legs beneath tiny torsos. Of course, this is what top-level cycling physiology looks like, but it has a dark side too. There are an estimated 1.25 million people with eating disorders in the UK. That’s around one in 50. And the prevalence among endurance athletes is far worse, estimated at around 10 per cent of men and as many as one-quarter of women. From my…

This week’s Racers Racing pages were dominated by track racing, with just a few mentions of time trials. A very aerodynamic-looking H. D. Buck of the Anerley BC had just won the one-mile title at the British Empire Championships in Gosforth, Newcastle. Whether or not this was the cycling-only event that would later become part of the Commonwealth Games is unclear. Much of the rest of the racing seemed to take place on the track at Crystal Palace. Meanwhile Major Taylor, the biggest name in track cycling, was keeping everyone guessing over his appearance in Europe this year. Some reports said he had set sail for Europe; others claimed he was still at home in Worcester. Despite a fair bit of photography and news on the racing, the cover was…

Propelled by most of their expected Tour de France team, Ineos Grenadiers fired a warning shot to the rest of the peloton of their strength in depth and ability to dominate a stage race as Adam Yates headed an all-Ineos podium at Volta a Catalunya. The Briton, in just his second race for the team after finishing runner-up at the UAE Tour, won the Catalan race by 45 seconds from team-mate Richie Porte with Geraint Thomas in third. It was the first time since 1960 that a team had occupied each spot on the race’s podium. Yates’s win was secured thanks to making gains in the 18.6km individual time trial – won by his colleague Rohan Dennis – and then winning atop Vallter 2000, the race’s first summit finish. “I…

In the midst of the Wout van Aert versus Mathieu van der Poel fever, the cycling world could be accused of having forgotten about yesterday’s golden boy Peter Sagan. The former world champion has steadily been putting together a case that he might be the one to break the cobbles dominance of the triumvirate of van Aert, van der Poel and most of Deceuninck-Quick Step. Having spent most of his belated early season getting up to speed after being quarantined in Gran Canaria he won stage six of Vuelta a Catalunya last week. “After today I have to be optimistic,” he said. “When I finish this race it’s about recovering and we will see in the Tour of Flanders how I feel.” That came hot on the heels of fourth…

The top cycling shoes are incredibly expensive – around £350 is what you can expect to pay for a pro-level flagship model. However, the good news is that trickle-down works for shoes just as it does for groupsets. For example, you’ll Specialized’s Body Geometry fitting science applied to the Torch 1.0 just as it is to the S-Works 7. Additionally, many manufacturers use the same last for all their shoes, whether high end or entry level, since a last is very expensive to produce. So what are the differences between a £350 shoe and a £100 shoe? Shoes at the £100 level have soles made from fibreglass-reinforced nylon rather than carbon-fibre. They’re not as stiff, but are certainly more forgiving and therefore could be a better option for beginning cyclists…

We noticed that all the shoes in this test without exception had a more ‘generous’ fit than the flagship shoes from the same brands. Why is that? A representative from Bontrager told us: “Our shoes are all designed around the same last. Fit then changes depending on use. The lower end shoes are less about performance and more about comfort which means a looser fit with more padding.” This looser fit will be comfortable for a rider completing more endurance-based rides. The shoe will feel more familiar compared with other sports footwear, such as trainers. If the rider begins to look for greater power transfer, the looser fit may become a hindrance. Biomechanical podiatrist to the cycling elite, Mick Habgood (mik.fit), uses the example of ski boots, “If you’re going…

Weight 249g Size 40 Giro’s entry-level shoe aims to provide cyclists with a sole that is stiff enough to offer good power transfer at a price point that represents a huge saving over the top-flight creations. Giro has also opted for a nylon and glass-fibre composite, promising stiffness that won’t match more expensive carbon but will be a little less jarring over long rides. This sole was stiffer than the Shimano RC3’s, which could be visibly bent by hand, but seemed to flex more than the Bontrager Starvos and Specialized Torch 1.0. The Stylus uses Giro’s premium Synchwire single-layer upper which the brand says conforms to the foot and provides “phenomenal structural support and ventilation.” Closure comes from three hook and loop Velcro straps. The metal hooks sit on the…

Weight 255g 144mm The Santini Colore longs-leeved jersey is a comfortable, stretchy, fleece-lined garment that despite the ‘winter’ designation is actually ideal for spring or autumn riding. Its temperature range is quoted as being 8-15°C and I have to agree that within these bounds, it’s perfect for hard riding without getting sweatlogged. It also dries very quickly and doesn’t hold onto moisture. As a consequence of performing so well for breathability, the Colore isn’t waterproof or windproof, so in wetter or chillier conditions it would need a shell over the top. But under a hardshell jacket I found it extremely insulating. As long as wind can’t get through it, the fleece-backed fabric does a great job of trapping warm air. Santini has got the cut and the fit spot on,…

Grant says: “Leftover rice is the greatest gift – not only to your wallet and time but also to your carb-loading. These pancakes are a great source of carbs pre-training, or work wonders as a recovery meal straight after you get back.” Method 1) In a large mixing bowl, combine the rice, eggs, mashed banana, coconut flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir until well combined. 2) In a large nonstick pan, warm the oil over medium heat. Spoon three small portions of the pancake batter into the skillet and cook for four minutes on each side, until golden. 3) Remove to a plate and cover with foil. 4) Repeat until all of the batter has been used. 5) In a small mixing bowl, combine the yogurt and the vanilla seeds. Stir…