Innehållsförteckning för June 23, 2022 från Cycling Weekly

I have a theory that most cyclists are closet cartographers. It’s the only way I can explain our obsession with maps. We look at them before a ride, we load them up to Strava to tell everyone where we went and we pore over the details of race parcours as we look ahead to what might happen. Maps are integral to our sport. Outside of cycling, they’re simply wonderful things. They help us make sense of the world, open up undiscovered places, provide endless numbers to satisfy those with a mathematical bent, and can also be things of beauty, good enough to hang on walls. My obsession has gone up a notch as I continue to discover new routes to ride my gravel bike on. I start with an OS…

There were five stages at the Tour of Slovenia, and Tadej Pogačar won two of them on his way to the overall. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however. His team-mate Rafał Majka won two stages too, one after winning a game of rock, paper, scissors with Pogačar. The young Slovenian finished third, 17th, and second on the stages that he didn’t win. The UAE Team Emirates rider might have won the GC by just 12 seconds, but that was over his team-mate Majka; the pair had well over two minutes on the person in third place, Domen Novak of Bahrain Victorious. It is safe to say that Pogačar and UAE dominated his home race. Stage one saw Pogačar attack 59km from the finish, on the climb of Zadlog, dragging…

Defending champion Chris Fennell took a second national title of 2022, winning the Open Circuit National Championship in Buckinghamshire on Sunday to add to the National 25 crown secured a week earlier. Meanwhile, his team-mate at The Independent Pedaler-Nopinz Jennifer George stepped up from third at the National 25 to take victory in the Circuit Championship on a 28-mile three-lap circuit near Mentmore which doubled up as the final round of the Merlin Cycles Classic Series. Just as at the National 25, Fennell’s margin of victory was narrow, with runner-up Ollie Hucks (Saint Piran) finishing just five seconds back after having been faster over the first lap. Nevertheless Fennell prevailed and remains on track for a haul of national titles in 2022 with this weekend’s National 50 his next target…

Hayter and Kenny lead Games selection Ethan Hayter, Connor Swift, Alice Barnes and Dame Laura Kenny are just some of the riders that will be representing Team England at this year’s Commonwealth Games. Hayter, who has enjoyed a very solid season so far, will be one of the favourites for the road race and time trial. A total of 35 English riders have made the selection for the Games, which kick off in Birmingham on 28 July. Road Nationals on TV This weekend’s National Championships road and circuit races in Dumfries and Galloway will be broadcast live on GCN+, Eurosport Player and YouTube, with further highlights to be shown on ITV4 on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6pm. The time trials will get Tuesday highlights, as well as updates on British…

While it’s not Amsterdam, Ljubljana is certainly a cycling city. Bikes line the walls of cafes, are parked outside of shops and office buildings by the dozen, and the more hip cyclists often rush by on old Yugoslav-era beaters, ringing their bells on the city’s narrow, twisting streets. But one of the newer sights these days are enthusiasts atop slick racing bikes, seeking a path to freer roads, often donning a Jumbo-Visma, Bahrain Victorious, or a UAE Team Emirates replica kit. Up until recently, Slovenia was mostly known internationally as a nation gifted in winter sports, among them ski jumping and alpine skiing. But now, driven by the success of Primož Roglič and Tadej Pogačar, cycling gives those pastimes some stiff competition in terms of popularity, attention and media coverage.…

The Bolt’s mapping has new features – which are familiar to Roam users – such as rerouting, retracing, and routing to a new location on device. It will also – as you’d expect with its new functionality – take you to the start of a route. I rode with Strava routes that I ‘starred’ so that they would sync with the Bolt. I also created my own on Strava. And I’ve used the ‘take me to’ feature that works just like a car sat-nav – you can do this via the app (preferable) or on the Bolt itself. You can ride with your main data in front of you and whenever a turn is approaching, the cue appears in a green band and there are audible alerts (bleeps) too. I…

A recent study of 69 pros and 30 sub-elite racers found significant differences in heart structure. We asked one of the study’s authors, Dr Ben Brown, to help us interpret the findings Your paper shows that one  third of the pro cyclists studied had a larger than normal left ventricle without equivalent thickening of the heart wall. Was this as expected? Not entirely. We saw a percentage increase in chamber size far greater relative to heart wall thickening, whereas we’d expect to see a more balanced increase. To understand this, think of it like a water balloon: the higher blood volume in elite athletes stretches the chamber. Was this adaptation apparent in the amateur cyclists too? Yes, but at a much lower level. They still showed a significant increase in chamber…

It’s a scary business being the parent of a road racer. We asked Guy Townsend what it was like witnessing his son pull through life-threatening injuries not once but twice: “For the first two hours after Tom’s first crash, we were told to expect the worst. I remember running from my office thinking ‘let me at least get there’. Mercifully by the time I arrived the doctors were confident he was going to survive. It’s pure fluke that he escaped without lasting effects from the brain injury. After 10 days, he walked out of hospital and two days later was back on the Wattbike. That seemed quick but, being aware of the risk of depression following concussion, I was above all relieved that he was back in his happy place…

The warm-up was originally limited to track events and, on the road, time trials. On the track it was normally on rollers in the track centre, and on the road it usually took the form of going for a random ride in the local area before the start, principally for the rider to check their gears were working. This had the added bonus that once in a while they’d get lost and miss the race altogether. Stephen Roche famously used this method to torpedo his Tour de France hopes in 1991, when he was eliminated from the race on stage two after arriving late for his start. In the 1990s, the time trial warm-up shifted to the static trainer. This had the very desirable feature that you could line all…

It was this issue that covered the tragic death of Dave Rayner. Aged just 27, Rayner was celebrating the end of the season with friends when an unprovoked incident in a Bradford nightclub saw him rushed to hospital and placed on a life-support machine. Two days later it was turned off. One of the nightclub bouncers was charged with his murder. Rayner’s death shocked the cycling scene. An immensely popular, fun-loving rider, the headline of the article looking back on his career was ‘Everyone’s Best Friend’. It was full of anecdotes from the likes of former team-mate Jonny Clay and team manager Keith Lambert. The article’s introduction helped paint a picture of his character. “After a hellfor-leather descent in the 1991 Dauphiné Libéré, where he took fourth in the bunch…

How did Slovenia become so successful at cycling? Partly it has been luck that two of the best riders in the world have arrived at the same time, but there is also an infrastructure that has been built over years. Prior to the country’s independence, Slovenian races were local and amateur with names like the Balkan Cup, the Tour of Yugoslavia, and Alpe Adria, which would serve as the foundation of the Tour of Slovenia. Slowly things began to be built upon an infrastructure established by the three major Continental teams which were founded at mid-century and still exist today. These were Kranj-based KK Kranj (formerly Sava Kranj, former home of Matej Mohorič), Novo Mestobased Adria Mobil (formerly Krka, the old team of Primož Roglič), and Ljubljana Gusto Santic (a…

Today’s cycling computers are pretty complex, with head units now including a host of performance and training features alongside the usual metrics and navigation. If you yearn for simpler times then Beeline’s Velo 2 computer might just be a good fit. Supported by a Kickstarter campaign and focused on “fundamental navigation”, the Velo 2 is an update of the UK brand’s original model. Beeline says it now includes a “brand new navigation interface, a larger display screen and an enhanced app-based route planner”. The circular unit is created to deliver what Beeline calls “fuss-free navigation”: type in your destination and the Velo 2 will give you three options: a fast route, a quiet route or a blend of the two. You can also choose your own route, using the computer’s…

Heart rhythm issues may seem to be very common among cyclists, but it’s not as simple as cause and effect. “In some cases of arrhythmia, such as with AVNRT [atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia], people are born with the underlying defect and exercise simply triggers the abnormal rhythm,” says consultant cardiologist Dr Mark Dayer. “With atrial fibrillation (AF), on the other hand, there seems to be a link between the volume of exercise you do and your risk of developing it. A high-volume cyclist is more likely to get AF later in life.” A large Scandinavian study involving 50,000 cross-country skiers found a five-fold increase in the risk of developing AF among older endurance athletes than non-athletes. Unfortunately, there is no clearly defined ‘safe’ volume of cycling. One research paper suggests…

In association with TIME TRIALS SUN, 19 JUNE National Circuit Champs/Merlin Cycles Classic Series Round six (Mentmore, Bucks, 28 miles): Men: 1. Christopher Fennell (The Independent Pedaler – Nopinz) 58.28 2. O. Hucks (Saint Piran) 58.33 3. R. Walker (Ward WheelZ) 58.54 4. G. Fox (George Fox Cycling Solutions) 59.57 5. R. Oakes (Team Ohten Aveas) 1:00.34 6. J. Witstok (Cambridge University CC) 1:01.29 Women: 1. Jennifer George (The Independent Pedaler – Nopinz) 1:06.12 2. L. Davies (Orwell Velo) 1:08.37 3. E. Coleman (AWOL O’Shea Worx) 1:09.35 4. L. Chant (Southampton University) 1:10.41 5. S. Marsh (Team Boompods) 1:11.46 6. K. Phillips (Veloccino Squadra Donne) 1:14.54 Velouse Flyers 25 (Great Bircham, Norfolk): Men: 1. Angus Toms (Tri Anglia Tri Club) 57.35 2. C. Holmes (VC Norwich) 57.49 3. D. Bennett…

In the 1970s a friend of a friend did an experiment where they rode an unofficial time trial breathing pure oxygen from a tank on their back. For a very long time afterwards they told everyone they met about the awesome effect this had on them – the speed, the effortlessness, and so on. “They should ban it before the pros start using it. Better than doping for sure,” they said. But it was only when they mentioned it again at the scuba shop that had provided the tank of oxygen that a terrible truth was revealed. “Wasn’t oxygen, mate. It was just compressed air,” said the man who’d loaned them the tank. Still. It’s always nice to hear of solid research into the placebo effect.…

Thirty-six is obviously not old. Not in real-world terms or even in cycling terms, where Alejandro Valverde is still going strong at 42, and Annemiek van Vleuten is the favourite for the Tour de France Femmes at 39. And yet, in his 37th year, in his 11th attempt at the Tour de France, this could be Geraint Thomas’s last best chance at challenging for the yellow jersey. Things have already gone in his favour, with misfortune for his team-mates allowing him to rise up the roster at Ineos Grenadiers. First was Egan Bernal’s horror crash earlier this year, which ruled the Colombian out of this season, probably, throwing Ineos’s Tour plans up in the air. Then, last week Adam Yates tested positive for Covid; he might be back in time…

Josie Nelson won the CiCLE Classic in a bunch sprint on Sunday, emulating the victory of her older sister Emily Nelson, who won in similar circumstances in 2019. She said she was happy to have the title in the family again. Her win was a product of some on-the-fly planning: “The lap before the finish, there was a special sprint on the finish line,” said Nelson. “So I had a shot at that and rolled over third. But it was a bit of an eye-opener, to sort out my tactics for the sprint the following lap.” She added that her cyclo-cross background meant the CiCLE Classic’s off-road sections suited her well. Nelson, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, is set to represent England in the Commonwealth Games this summer.…

I thought I would share some good news, having been saved from a long walk home by the incredible generosity of a passing motorist. I was about five miles into a ride toward the Pennines when I hit a deep pothole and blew out my rear tyre. Annoyingly, I had attached my mountain bike saddle bag, so only had tubes to fit much bigger tyres. Cursing my stupidity, I started to walk back home along the fast country road, which had no verge and was busy with rush-hour traffic. After 200 metres, a woman pulled over to check that I was OK. Reassured by me, she drove on. Shortly after, a driving instructor, going the opposite way, pulled over, turned round and insisted on giving me a lift. It turns…

In recent years, the power meter has become the primary means of measuring performance for cyclists, even at the amateur level. This has meant that benchmarking fitness – FTP, watts per kilo, training zones, etc – is easily accomplished and no longer requires an expensive trip to the science lab. But is this widespread devotion to power distracting us from the importance of an older form of fitness measurement, the humble heart rate monitor? In this feature, I want to assess the ongoing relevance and usefulness of monitoring beats per minute. What insights into our performance are picked up in our heart rate traces while not registering on our power meters? Could keeping an eye on heart rate help us, for instance, in spotting underlying problems before it’s too late?…

In 2018, his last year at school, Tom Townsend added 80 watts to his threshold power and only A-levels stood in the way of his making a serious tilt at bike racing. By summer 2019, school was finally out and he was free to unscrew the lid on his teenage ardour. “That season I went from fourth-cat to second-cat and raced a few National Bs,” says the 22-year-old, speaking to me by video call from his living room in High Wycombe. “But then the first crash wiped me out.” The last thing Townsend remembers is riding along near Henley an hour before the crash; his next memory is waking up in hospital two days later. “I had a neck brace on, and I remember thinking, ‘What on earth is going…

There are many dangers to negotiate for Tour de France riders. But one that is hardly ever mentioned is the risk of celebrating a victory that isn’t. You never, never want to cross the line with your arms in the air if you’re not going to follow it up by standing on the top of a podium. To do so is to join a club that is exactly big enough that we all know it exists, and exactly small enough that we’ll all remember you’re in it. No matter your celebration, if it’s misplaced it’s very hard to style it out as a stretch, waving to your mother, or celebrating the qualities of the rider that beat you. No, we know the “I’ve won! I’ve won! I’ve… I’ve what now?”…

Stage 1 //Friday, 1 July Copenhagen > Copenhagen //13.2km //ITT The Tour de France begins its most northerly start in its 119-year history with a 13-kilometre time trial in Copenhagen. The start ramp on Nørre Farimagsgade near the Ørsted park leads into an initial 600-metre straight after which riders turn left and cross the Queen Louise Bridge. Following another long straight, the route crosses back over the water and runs along Øster Søgade and into a sweeping left turn to begin a triangular section of the course. Then follows a more technical section on narrower roads circling the historic Citadel of Copenhagen to reach the harbourside, passing the famous Little Mermaid statue. The final straight is on H.C. Andersens Boulevard, adjacent to the Tivoli Gardens. What to expect There are…