Innehållsförteckning för March 3, 2022 från Cycling Weekly

This week’s fitness feature on getting the most out of a weeklong training camp has got me pining for Spanish roads and long days in the saddle. There’s really nothing like it. The sun on your back, out riding with friends for hours each day, that smell in the air as you ride through the forests, a sprint back to the hotel, tired legs and then overdoing it at the restaurant buffet. Again. It’s been a long time since I went on a training camp; they’re not easy to fit in around everyday life, but they are a coming-of-age experience for a bike rider. You don’t have to be an aspiring racer, just getting away for some riding with friends is great for the soul. One of my favourite training…

Lizzie Deignan expecting Lizzie Deignan is pregnant with a second child, she has revealed. The 33-year-old Trek-Segafredo rider, married to former pro Phil Deignan, will not race again until 2023. She made a successful comeback after giving birth to their first child Orla in 2018, winning the Tour de Suisse and the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes last year. “We’ve always wanted to have a big family and I think the time is right to have another child,” she said. Hayter 10th at Rwanda Leo Hayter finished 10th on GC in the Tour du Rwanda, which finished on Sunday. The Hagens Berman rider was riding as part of a Great Britain team for the eight-stage race, and was a constant presence near the front, finishing sixth in the prologue, and seventh on…

The marshal accreditation course involves an online session which will cover much of the theory, where you’ll be briefed on the powers you have to stop traffic and the processes and practices that have been established to ensure events run well and everyone is safe. Then there is a practical session at a local venue which includes a bit of role-play to help you get used to dealing with difficult members of the public or unexpected situations. You can find the details of your local sessions at: www.britishcycling.org.uk/accreditedmarshal…

PARIS-ROUBAIX CHALLENGE 170km, Busigny, France There isn’t terrain on British soil that can prepare you for the famous cobblestones of northern France, but this memorable day out finishing inside the Roubaix velodrome is something to be cherished forever. FRED WHITTON CHALLENGE 180km, Grasmere, Cumbria Arguably the toughest sportive on the British calendar the Fred always sells out in rapid time. The beauty and challenge of the terrain is epitomised by the tough ascents of Hardknott and Wrynose. MARMOTTE G R AN FON DO ALPS 177km, Bourg d’Oisans, France A bucket list sportive covers four bucket list climbs from Tour de France folklore, with the Col du Glandon, Col du Télégraphe and Col du Galibier all needing to be conquered to reach the finish atop Alpe d’Huez. MAJORCA 312 SPORTIVE 2022…

APRIL 17 Yorkshire Classic (U23 Men’s National Road Series) 30-May 2 Future Tour of Wales (U23 Men’s National Road Series) MAY 2 Tour Series Guisborough 4 Tour Series TBC 6 Tour Series TBC 8 Lincoln Grand Prix (National Road Series) men & women 10 Tour Series Sunderland 17 Tour Series TBC 21 Tour Series TBC JUNE 5 Central region RR TBC (U23 Men’s National Road Series) 6-11 The Women’s Tour 19 Women’s CiCLE Classic (National Road Series) 29 Otley GP (National Circuit Series) men & women JULY 1 Ilkley Cycle Races (National Circuit Series) men & women 3 Stockton Cycling Festival (National Road Series) men & women 8 Barnsley Town Centre Races (National Circuit Series) men & women 17 Lancaster GP (National Road Series) men & women 20 Sheffield GP…

“EVery lap there was a surge of about 30 seconds at plus 800 watts.” It was exactly the type of race – frantic, with repeated maximal efforts – that had suited her best and which just 18 months ago she would have relished. Today, though, it was a very different story. “I was like, ‘OK, that’s not happening’ – I just didn’t have that level anymore.” Emily Bridges is describing to me the sharp shock of taking part in the elite men’s crit at the Loughborough Cycling Festival at the end of May last year. “I was shelled after two laps and lapped four times,” she shakes her head, reliving the unfamiliar feeling of being resigned to defeat. Bridges finished 43rd out of 45. Why was a woman competing in…

In association with TIME TRIALS SUNDAY 27 FEBRUARY North Road CC Hardriders 22 (Brookmans Park, Hertfordshire): Men: 1. Alex Franks (VC Londres) 52.03 2. J. Crow-Stewart (Arctic Aircon RT) 53.38 3. M. Clements (Kuwait Pro Cycling Team) 53.54 4. T. Elwood (CC London) 55.01 5. M. Smith (Team LDN) 55.38 6. B. Thompson (East London Velo) 56.51 Women: 1. Elspeth Grace (Welwyn Wheelers) 1:01.04 2. R. Brown (CC London) 1:03.03 3. L. Neatham (Team Watto) 1:05.12 4. E. Knight (Bishop’s Stortford CC) 1:05.56 5. K. Jones (Verulam-Really Moving) 1:06.00 6. A. Coles (North Road CC) 1:25.34 SATURDAY 26 FEBRUARY Chester Road Club 15.2 (Farndon, Cheshire): Men: Kieran Morris (Oswestry Paragon CC) 31.34 2. J. Thelwell (Tricentral UK) 32.08 3. M. Wales (Fibrax Wrexham RC) 32.35 4. T. Williams (Velotik Racing…

A rider who headed out during Storm Eunice for a spot of Strava KoM bagging has been in touch. To avoid spending any longer riding in the risky conditions than necessary, he drove to the start point and warmed up on a turbo trainer before his attempt, which he made on a full time trial rig. On the first attempt he was blown into the ditch. He cranked his way back upwind for a second go. And next time he was gloriously successful. Hitting an average of 38mph for over two miles, he secured a segment he’d had his heart set on for several seasons. When he got back to the lay-by, he discovered a large branch had fallen on his car, almost completely destroying the roof and windscreen. “Totally…

We spoke to Ross Duncan to hear more about how he completed the CW5000 in one month, as reported in last month’s update. He did his mileage mainly on Zwift, with a few commutes into his office in Edinburgh for good measure. With three days to go he was significantly behind schedule so had a massive weekend to finish, riding 369 miles on the Saturday and 376 on the Sunday before finishing a final 151 miles on Monday and calling it a day at 10 minutes to midnight. To help him rack up the miles he stuck mainly to the flat desert plains route and rode with pace partner Coco Cadence to take advantage of the fast-moving group. Nick Anderson has also completed the challenge. Nick completed it in 2021…

As chair of her club, Reading CC, a timekeeper for time trials and a trainee cyclo-cross commissaire – as well as avid racer – Christina Demetriou Gustafson knows how to keep herself busy. “I don’t know how I have time,” she laughs, “but I try to fit it in.” She says she started volunteering after “getting older and slowing down a bit, and I decided that I’d benefited a lot from grassroots volunteers. It’s a way of saying thank you, but also helping to progress the sport and provide others with opportunities.” Demetriou Gustafson, who is the club’s current female road bike TT champion, says that volunteering can be a great way of keeping a finger on the pulse of the club. “By volunteering, I get to be a part…

While CAMS-Basso and AWOL-O’Shea will be present in domestic peloton, don’t expect to see much of Le Col-Wahoo’s distinctive colours as they target the international scene. Of the national level teams Pro-Noctis-Rotor-Redchilli should go well, especially with national criterium champion Jo Tindley on board. They were the stand-out outfit of 2021 and with a strong squad, including Corinne Side for the hilly races, they will be competitive. Leah Dixon has dropped down from UCI Continental level and will bring strength and experience to Bianchi Dama. Team Brother UK-London might have lost Danni Shrosbree to CAMS-Basso, but will go well with Molly Patch returning from a stint with Spanish UCI team Sopella, and Sian Botteley arriving from Brother-Orientation Marketing. That squad are becoming a feeder for CAMS-Basso and in Grace Lister,…

This is a typical training camp week I would complete seven days before the start of the Tour Series. Refer to it as a template – but remember that every rider should tailor their camp to suit their own fitness levels and racing aims MONDAY: 2-3hr steady endurance Assuming you arrived yesterday, the purpose of today’s session is to just spin the legs out after a day of travelling. This gets the body and mind prepared for a hard week ahead. TUESDAY 3-4hr with on/off blocks The first hour of today’s ride is a warmup. Each of the next three hours should include one 10-minute block of on/off effort – 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. This session gets me race-ready like no other. The ‘on’ part of the effort…

Joanna Harper, a researcher at Loughborough University, is evaluating the effects of transition on the sporting performance of transgender athletes Tell us about your research. We are monitoring the sporting performance of trans athletes before and after hormone therapy, as well as measuring size, strength, speed and stamina of athletes who have already undergone transition, benchmarked against cis-women athletes. There are very few elite-level trans athletes – does this restrict research? It’s a serious limitation, but there will be more studies carried out around the world. This research needs to be conducted in a multi-centre, multinational way. Is British Cycling’s 5nmol/L testosterone rule grounded in solid research or is it a ‘best guess’? A little of both. There have been studies on non-athletes, showing the changes that occur with hormone…

Not long ago a wise observer of the men’s pro scene told me, “There are always fashions in team signings. A few years back you were nothing if you didn’t have an overpriced Colombian. These days you absolutely have to have at least one child on the team.” By that he meant someone signed straight out of the junior ranks, rather than working their way through the under-23s. The outstanding example being Remco Evenepoel, though there are quite a few others – Quinn Simmons, and Ben Tulett, to name two. As recently as 2015 there were no WorldTour men under 20. This season there are seven. There are even juniors signing five-year deals. (The women’s side of the sport works a little differently because of their lack of under-23 category…

Jay Vine (Aus) and Loes Adegeest (Ned) were crowned eSports world champions at the weekend as both timed their final efforts to perfection to take the UCI titles and €8,000 prize money. Both men’s and women’s races took place on the New York Knickerbocker course on Zwift that finishes with a 1.4km climb. Adegeest managed to overcome the advantage held by the US and UK teams, who had strength in numbers in the final 20-rider group, chasing down previous winner Ashleigh Moolman Pasio (RSA), who had put her effort in on the first part of the final climb. Holding around 500 watts Adegeest’s avatar crossed the finish line ahead of Sweden’s Cecilia Hansen and Britain’s Zoe Langham. Bronze medallist Langham was a qualifier for the eSports Worlds and took part…

In his letter (CW 10 Feb) Edward Johnston makes a very valid point. Something that is almost never discussed in the context of being seen by motorists is the very well researched phenomenon of inattentional blindness. This is where in situations of focused attention, such as driving, we see what we expect to see and not that which we don’t. Drivers are expecting to see cars and so will often miss cyclists and motorcycles. Inattentional blindness does not imply that the driver is not paying attention, it is an aspect of cognitive processing. However, it does explain the sort of thing that Edward Johnston experienced, and the driver’s reaction, as well as the “he came out of nowhere” experience, even when hi-vis is worn. For those not familiar with the…

MARCH 12 The Wiltshire Classic, 117km, Salisbury, Wiltshire 12 Beyond Devon Sportive, 114km, Exeter, Devon 20 Mad March Hare, 100km, Longbridge 20 Glorious Gravel: Salisbury Plain Gravel X, 75km, Andover, Hampshire 20 Cotswold Cross, 75km, Cheltenham, Glos 26 The Cambridgeshire Classic, 129km, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire 27 Beyond Sussex Sportive, 164km, Ardingly, West Sussex APRIL 2 Glorious Gravel: Cannock Chase Gravel X, 80km, Rugeley, Staffordshire 3 Glorious Gravel: The Ridgeway Gravel X, 87km, Thatcham, Berkshire 9 The New Forest Classic, 127km, Southampton, Hampshire 9 Glorious Gravel: Dorset Gravel X, 70km, Swanage 9 Glorious Gravel: Peak District Gravel X, 85km, Hope 10 Ride Wessex Downs, 161km, Reading 10 Hardest Hundred: The Dorset Beast, 164km, Swanage 10 Hardest Hundred: Peak District Epic, 159km, Hope 10 Haldon Heroic Cx Sportive, 82km, Exeter, Devon 10 Southwold…

For anyone who has followed time trialling in recent years there is one team name that has stood out – The Independent Pedaler. Their riders have consistently been taking up, sometimes dominating, podium spots – frequently the top one. Any list of riders to watch in 2022 must start with their roster including 10, 50 and 100-mile national champion Chris Fennell, 50-mile champion Joanna Patterson and ace rider Alex Clay. Defending 10 and 25-mile champion Hayley Simmonds will likely be back for more too, as will Ineos Grenadiers aero-ace and past champion Dan Bigham, who is free to ride non-UCI races and has stated his intention to do so. Plus there’s serial winner John Archibald, who finds himself without a pro team – and a bike – so far in…

ONE UP 765 Optimum+ Full Black Mat Glossy £3,799 For an extra £800, you get an upgrade to a full mechanical Ultegra groupset, right down to the cassette and the chain. Other than that, the components essentially stay the same, from the Shimano WH RS 171 wheelset to the Hutchinson Fusion 5 tyres to the aluminium finishing kit. ONE DOWN 765 Gravel RS Frameset £2,399 This frameset is identical to the 765 Optimum+ – and there isn’t a cheaper fully built bike. More mounts have been added to the frame, which increases its versatility. That you get a groupset, wheels and finishing kit for just £600 more makes getting the bike fully built a much better deal.…

This is not meant to be an exhaustive list of destinations – but these are the ones I can vouch for personally If you’re prepared to fly… CALPE Where is it: East coast of Spain, south of Valencia How to get there: Fly to Alicante, then take a bus north along the coast What can I expect? I last visited in February 2019, and have since dreamed about going back. From infamous climbs such as the Col de Rats to the flatlands around Benidorm, the region offers something for everyone. Smooth, fast-rolling roads that wind up into the mountains before you descend back into town. Approximate costs: Flights from London Gatwick to Alicante for the week commencing 21 March are £85 plus £90 to take your bike. Transport from Alicante…

Dr Madeleine Pape is an Australian sociologist and former athlete who developed a special interest in sport, gender and biomedicine after competing against Caster Semenya in the 2009 World Athletics Championships. “We’re seeing more and more scientific and policy engagement with the question of how to decide the terms of participation for trans athletes and women who have natural sex variations. And the more we dig, the more this discussion becomes ever more complex – we have not arrived at a straightforward answer. “It is not possible to impose blanket regulations, as they would not hold up scientifically. The trans population, and sport itself, are too complex and varied for that. And yes, the science does need to be rigorous, not least because of the value of inclusion for trans and…