Innehållsförteckning för May 27, 2021 från Cycling Weekly

This week sees the return of our results page. While road races are only slowly coming back, time trials – perhaps the ultimate socially distanced sporting event – are now happening across the country. When we lost all racing last year we set up our virtual Wednesday evening club 10 and printed those results instead. And while we’ll continue to run those results – we do enjoy getting to race against readers from all over the world on Zwift – they’ll now run alongside the results from IRL races. IRL meaning ‘in real life’. A phrase I only recently learnt. It was the results pages that were one of the reasons I first started reading the magazine – I know only too well the thrill of seeing your name in…

“He was one of the nicest, most humble guys you could imagine,” said SwiftCarbon boss Paul Lamb. “And he’s dealt with this with bravery and dignity – he was brave on the bike and he was brave with the illness. I’m very, very sad, but I’m more sad for Tim who’s lost his life, and his immediate family,” Lamb said. Lincolnshire-born James began racing cyclo-cross aged 10, moving to the road as a junior. He had joined SwiftCarbon at the start of last season, following a stint in Italy with the Zappi’s racing team. He was only able to ride one race with his new outfit – the early-season Roy Thame Cup – before things were derailed by the pandemic and his illness, for which he received the devastating diagnosis…

“I actively hid my brother’s and dad’s sexuality. Having been to a very bohemian, middle-class school where other kids had gay parents, I’d felt comfortable about it. But when I moved to Manchester [to join the BC Academy], it was my first exposure to kids from diverse backgrounds, and that’s when I began to hear [homophobic] slurs. Even though it was mostly unintentional – most didn’t realise the impact their words were having – it made me feel I needed to hide a portion of my immediate family, which was tough. It was just my mum who would come to cycling events. Where it really hit home for me was in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic Games. Team GB approach all the families to make sure that they are…

David Birchall is the president of Anfield Bicycle Club and also the club historian. The close involvement of his club in getting the memorial off the ground has seen him research it extensively. He told us about his experience of attending the 2014 service at Meriden, where a new inscription – “In memory of all cyclists who fought and died for their country” – was added. “There was a big crowd – a good couple of hundred, maybe 500 – and a brass band playing. It was very atmospheric and it was a lovely day, just like the day of the original unveiling ceremony in 1921. “There were bikes that would have been at the first memorial service – black bikes with single fixed gears. They would have been familiar…

ANDY LEWIS THE WEEKEND WARRIOR In 2013 I became a dad for the first time when our son Jasper was born. He arrived 11 weeks premature and spent five weeks in the neonatal unit, cared for round the clock by amazing nurses and doctors. Once he had grown into a healthy toddler, I wanted to give something back. So in 2017 I bought a Trek Emonda on the Cycle-to-Work Scheme and signed up for RideLondon as a fundraiser. After getting off the bike at the end of that first 100-mile ride, I said to my wife Jenny: “If you ever see me try to do that again, shoot me.” Three days later I’d entered the ballot for the following year’s event. In a nutshell, that’s how I got started in…

doctorhutch_cycling@futurenet.com A downside to having been in cycling for as long as I have is that there is an almost daily need to stop myself slipping into my Old Man of the Long Road routine. That’s where I corner a youngster and tell them how much better or worse things used to be. For the avoidance of doubt, telling someone things were worse is just a passive-aggressive way of telling them that really they were better. (“I remember when we only had eight sprockets,” and similar riffs.) One thing that genuinely was worse, though, was coaching. There was almost none. The handful of extant cycling coaches were of an old-school variety, almost always good at motivation but usually patchy at physiology. Mostly their approach was to shout at lots and…

Ion Izagirre (Astana) Short stage races are arguably what the Spaniard excels at. His team-mate Jakob Fuglsang, who has won here twice before but will be targeting the Tour de Suisse this year, will no doubt be giving Izagirre what advice he can before handing him the reins. The Spaniard is a decent time triallist who will hold his own in the stage-four test, but it is the mountains where he excels. CW rating ★★★★ Nairo Quintana (Arkéa-Samsic) The Colombian began last year – his first with French ProTeam Arkéa – with a run of success, winning three stage races in a row, including Paris-Nice, before Covid overturned He hasn’t quite managed a repeat performance this season, but did win his most recent race, the three-stage Vuelta Asturias. CW rating…

Having seriously followed the sport since 1955, I know that the name of clubman and cycling journalist J.B.W – or, if you prefer, Jock Wadley or even John Brie Wadley – should certainly have been included on the ‘130 People Who Changed Cycling’ list. It was Coureur and later Sporting Cyclist that first brought to the attention of the cycling world many of the names featured on your list and indeed the whole world of pro continental cycling. Also Audax. See page 11 of his book entitled My Nineteenth Tour de France to support my claim. I also congratulate you and your staff in producing Cycling Weekly during this Covid period, a very difficult job indeed.Mike Sinclair Ed – A great suggestion, Mike. Jock Wadley’s writing brought to life the…

A review of the research into LGBTQ+ discrimination and exclusion in sport by academics at Monash University in Australia, published in December, highlighted that as many as 82 per cent of athletes had witnessed homophobic or transphobic language in sport in the past six months. In many cases, these slurs are used by people who claim to hold inclusive attitudes towards gay people, implying a disconnect between belief and behaviour. The effect on participation is stark: young gay males play team sports at half the rate of their peers. This research also found that, among LGBTQ+ youth, victims of sexuality-based discrimination are five times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. LGB youth are four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual counterparts, while trans youth are at six-times…

My previous job as a tech writer meant it used to be rare that I’d actually wear out tech, as I’d always be testing something new. However, a change in the day job last year meant that my review output slumped, my garage emptied and I started burying some serious miles into my own kit. The result is one set of very worn out Specialized S-Works Turbo tyres, to be imminently swapped for some Pirelli rubber. On one very boring day in the first lockdown I decided to make all of my bikes tubeless and my tyres have remained that way since. The bike would certainly look smart with an Enve stem (best bikes aren’t for saving money) but other than that I’ve grown very attached to how it rides.…

To be fair, the big chainring and the small chainring were invented at the same time – although we’re not quite sure by whom or exactly when. Until then there was just the one chainring, with different riders choosing different sizes. Derailleur pioneers Simplex introduced an early version of a front derailleur in 1946, from which point double chainsets started to become standard. The big ring has long been a useful shorthand for the quality of a rider – attacking on a climb in the big ring is historically something only the strong are capable of. Former British pro Sean Yates had the reputation of never having used anything other than the big ring when riding in the UK, on the basis that the UK contained no hill substantial enough…

It’s the eve of the Queen stage and the end of another hard week at the Giro. Tomorrow is shaping up to be one of the most gruesome days of my career. A bit stiff and sore from a crash today and staring down the barrel of 212km, 5,600m climbing, rain all day that will be sleet and then snow on top of the Fedaia, Pordoi and Giau passes. It won’t be pretty. [It was shortened, but still grim - ed] This entire week has hardly been pretty for us unfortunately. The GC position of Remco Evenepoel since the last time of writing has been sliding further and further from the top. The first blow was the sterrato [dirt road] of stage 11. Some nerves and less than ideal positioning…

Hayter makes it two Ethan Hayter continues to forge ahead in his young career at Ineos Grenadiers, coming away from the Vuelta Andalucia stage race in Spain last week with two stage wins. His first came on stage two when he finished ahead of the pack after a lumpy day to La Real, and he picked up another win on the final, fifth stage in an uphill sprint at Pulpí, consolidating his green points jersey. The race was won overall by Movistar’s Miguel Angel López, with Hayter seventh. Happy Birthday Evans Cycles! High street retailer Evans Cycles celebrates its centenary this year. Its original store, F.W. Evans, was opened on London’s Kennington Road in 1921, and while Frederick W. himself died in 1944, the company has continued. It has seen…

The small village of Meriden must have wondered what had hit it when exactly 100 years ago last Friday, it saw what Cycling magazine described as “the greatest assembly of cyclists ever witnessed” – 20,000 cyclists gathering on the village green. They had converged on the West Midlands village for the inauguration service of the National Cyclists’ War Memorial, a 30-foot high obelisk in Cornish grey granite, dedicated to all the cyclists who had fallen in the recent Great War. Located a stone’s throw from Coventry, Meriden already had one claim to fame, having long been viewed as the geographical ‘heart of England’. This made it the perfect location for what would become its second, on May 21, 1921. Bike riders gathered throughout the day, arriving in groups of varying…

Castelli’s new bibshorts represent a reinvention for the Italian brand, featuring a ‘papery feel’ and a goal of providing the ultimate in long ride comfort. The woven fabric, made stretchy with the addition of 35 per cent Lycra, is both thinner and denser than traditional material, and Castelli also says it’s more abrasion resistant though fortunately we haven’t put this to the test against the harshness of the road just yet. It feels notably different – ‘papery’ is certainly an appropriate adjective, conjuring images of the kind of tablecloths which feature at children’s birthday parties, but with more stretch and fewer spills. The shorts comprise of just three panels, compared to around 10 elsewhere. This has been made possible by the use of a stretch woven fabric, with rubberised yarns…

To weigh up whether caffeine might be appropriate for you, it’s important to consider the potential risks and side-effects. Some people hardly notice a difference after several strong coffees, whereas others are highly sensitive to caffeine and feel jittery, anxiousness and restless after just small amounts. This difference in caffeine metabolism is mostly genetic – if you’re in the latter group, then it may be best to stick to lower intakes (under 3mg/kg bodyweight) or eschew caffeine altogether, as those side-effects may offset any improvements in performance and detract from your enjoyment of cycling. Of course, you may be more sensitive to caffeine if you’re less used to consuming it. There’s also some evidence that coffee could increase the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction (heart attack) among those with the…

Fensham Howes - MAS Design Junior Tour of Yorkshire Date: Sat 12 -Sun 13 June Location: Harrogate, Yorkshire Both men and women will do a a short 5km TT, ridden on road bikes and a 44 mile road race in the afternoon (67 miles for the men). The men then also have a second 67-mile road stage near York on a hilly grippy course on the Sunday. Entries close: 28 May East Lancs Road Club Summer road race Date: Sun 27 June Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire This will entail 13 laps of the Norland Road Race Circuit to make a 51-mile Regional A race. Entries close: 11 June Dulwich Paragon CC Crystal Palace Crits Date: Tues 22 June Location: Crystal Palace, London There are races for almost all categories all…

A friend of mine recently stopped to help a rider with a puncture. A bit of glass in the road had ripped through the carcass of the tyre, making repair very difficult, especially since neither of them had anything obvious with to improvise a reinforcing patch with. Eventually, after some experimentation, they managed to use an old cereal bar wrapper to sit inside the gash, with the tyre very gingerly inflated to a minimal get-home-slowly pressure. “Hope you don’t have too far to go,” said my friend. “That’s not really very secure.” “I should be OK,” said the rider. He pointed at a house a couple of doors down the road. “That’s my house there.”…