Innehållsförteckning för September 22, 2022 från Cycling Weekly

I’m riding a ‘25’ this weekend. It’s my first one in over 25 years and as such I’m moderately hopeful of a PB. Not because I’m fitter but because in 1997 I rode my first ‘25’ on a steel road bike that was slightly too big for me, in a flappy, second-hand club jersey and standard helmet. I took a wrong turn, and after miscalculating the number of roundabouts I had to go over before the final turn, sat up to look around to try and work out if I was still on course. All this led to a time of about 1:04. It was something around that. I banished the experience to the deepest recesses of my mind, so I can’t be sure. This weekend I’ll be riding a…

But while Ethan Hayter’s hopes in the World Championship elite time trial were scuppered by a mechanical and he finished fourth, his younger brother Leo managed to go one better and get on the U23 TT podium 24 hours later. Hayter junior took the hot seat after posting the fastest times at all three checks along the city-based course, but it wasn’t to be, as Norway’s late starter Søren Wærenskjold finished fast to knock Hayter off his perch and take gold. Hayter was also bested by first-year senior Alec Segaert of Belgium, who took silver. The Londoner took home the bronze and seemed pleased with his performance. Hayter said: “I’ve struggled with sickness for the past few months, so I came and did what I could do and have come…

This week’s column comes in the form of a short story; a cautionary tale on the importance of well-fitting cycling kit, and of keeping honest company. I was lucky to be able to train almost until I went into labour, but not without a few hitches. When I was around seven months’ pregnant, my biggest problem was finding winter cycling kit that lasted for more than two rides before I outgrew it. My second problem was the gymnastics involved in shimmying out of said winter layers roughly every five minutes to keep up with my new unrelenting peeing schedule. When my 2022 team kit arrived in January, I thought all my problems might have been solved by one clever little pair of bibtights. They had a zip running from the…

Yates moves on Adam Yates has signed a three-year deal with UAE Emirates, bringing to an end his time with Ineos Grenadiers. There he will join Tadej Pogačar, the rider he was often up against in week-long stages races, as the Slovenian looks to take back his Tour de France title in 2023. “I feel I’m entering my peak years and the team will help me get the best out of me,” Yates said. Ganna goes for it Filippo Ganna has earmarked 8 October for his attempt on the Hour record, it was announced by his Ineos Grenadiers team on Friday morning. The Italian two-time time trial world champion will attempt to break the 55.548km distance set by Dan Bigham at the Tissot Velodrome in Grenchen, Switzerland, at 8pm local…

For my money, the greatest watching-through-your-fingers moment of the 2022 season (so far) was the finish of the Vuelta a España’s 16th stage. That’s the one where Primož Roglič switched from one side of the road to the other, apparently for no other purpose than to get tangled up with Fred Wright, crash, and put himself out of the race. On repeated viewing it was still hard to understand. If he was expecting that a decent shove would get Wright off the wheel of Danny van Poppel there was nowhere for Wright to go. In the end it looked most likely that the Jumbo-Visma rider was so focused on the finish line he’d simply not noticed Wright was there. It was almost impossible to believe a rider of Roglič’s experience…

A report of a cyclist who turned up for an appointment at a hairdressers on his bike. The hairdresser refused to give him a haircut. “No point in giving cyclists haircuts. The first thing they do is put a helmet on it. Even if they don’t, it gets all wind blown. Why would I want to see my work ruined?” “What about the £20 as a motivation?” said the cyclist, pointing at the price list. “I don’t see what I do as being about money. It’s more about the satisfaction of making people look their best.” He went home and sent his non-cycling sister round for what, by all logic, seemed certain to be a free haircut.…

“It feels incredible, I really wanted this one, it means a lot. I’m so happy I could pull it off” Tuesday was a golden day for Great Britain at the World Championships in Wollongong, Australia, as both Zoe Bäckstedt and Josh Tarling stormed to their respective junior time trials. It was not just a victorious day for GB, but for Wales, with the two riders both hailing from the western side of the Severn Bridge. The junior women came first, with Bäckstedt last on the start sheet for the 14.1km race. Unsurprisingly considering her recent results, she dominated affairs with a time of 18-27, meaning an average speed of 46.854kph. Her pace was such that she beat Justyna Czapla (Germany) into second, by 1-36, with Febe Jooris (Belgium) another 13…

The week: 11-17 July 2022 Location: Livigno, Italy Training for: Tour de France Femmes A latecomer to cycling who didn’t compete in her first race until she was 25, Marlen Reusser has quickly made a name for herself in the women’s peloton as one of the strongest time triallists. The 30-year-old Swiss rider defended her European TT title in August, and is also a three-time national champion against the clock, while she took silver in last year’s Olympics. A qualified medical doctor, Reusser is a woman of many talents – she won the gravel stage at July’s Tour de France Femmes, has 14 UCI wins to her name and has twice triumphed at the Swiss road race championships. Here she tells us about her training before the TdFF. What was…

It’s essentially a passport for goods, with ATA standing for Admission Temporaire, and is likely to set you back hundreds (but not thousands) of pounds, with the exact cost varying depending on the circumstances. Carnets are generally used when items surpass the duty-free limit, which for taking goods to Spain is €300 or €430 by air. The Gov.uk website’s official advice is: “If you’re taking goods to another country temporarily for business reasons and you think you’ll be over the duty-free limit, you can usually get an ATA Carnet to avoid paying duty. This includes… personal effects and sports goods.” This feels like cut and dried advice for either individuals taking bikes on holiday in their car (no carnet needed), or an exporter taking bikes abroad for strictly business reasons…

ANDREW FEATHER (HUNT BIKE WHEELS) Perhaps the biggest pretender to Bell’s national hill-climb crown is two-time British title holder Andrew Feather. A lawyer by trade, Feather has shown himself to be one of the finest hill-climbers on the circuit, boasting a prolific record with victories in every event he entered back in 2020.  CW rating ★★★★★ ED LAVERACK (BACKPEDAL) Few will be as motivated to win this year’s Nationals as Ed Laverack. The Welshman recently finished second to Feather on Peak Hill in Devon, but will take extra strength on home turf next month. Laverack’s forte lies in his ability to sustain longer efforts, as proven in his successful KOM bid on Majorca’s iconic 9.4km-long Sa Calobra earlier this year. CW rating ★★★ ILLI GARDNER (WAHOO ENDURANCE ZONE P/B LE…

I have been greatly heartened over the past few months to read some refreshingly frank articles relating to cycling and climate change in Cycling Weekly. I urge the editorial team to continue and extend this line of reporting, not to shy from the facts that the cycling industry must face up to, cut through the greenwash (both inside and outside the industry), and champion the opportunity that cycling has to be at the forefront of sustainable transport, wellbeing, and sport. Ed – Thanks Christopher, it’s good to hear you’ve enjoyed reading those pieces. Look out for our special issue focused on cycling and sustainability on 6 October where we’ll be taking an honest look at the sport and ourselves, and also letting readers know how they can make small but…

There are some things that are reasonably easy to get hold of at the moment, despite variable lead times on all sorts of products. Richard Mardle from Saddleback explains: “Sub-£1,500 bikes are something that at the moment brands have a lot of; anything above that, brands don’t have enough stock right now. Low-end consumers are not spending at the same rate.” So if you are someone looking to purchase your first bike, or get a relatively cheap model, you should be alright, and you might even find some deals on offer, as retailers try to get rid of stock brought in when demand was still exceedingly high. “The market has really dropped away now, retailers are giving huge discounts, and people are going to fight for their customers, even if…

“From back in our Zappi’s days [Double was teammates with Jack Billyard in 2017/18] we were always told how important sleep is for recovery. This year, living on my own, I thought this is a very easy thing to make sure I get right – and it doesn’t cost me a penny. Being a full-time cyclist, there’s no shortage of time either. “I try to get nine to 10 hours at night, then a solid nap after lunch in the afternoon, although this inevitably drops in the summer when I get out early to train. I can’t categorically say it’s made me a better bike rider, but the times I haven’t slept so well, training is always harder. And if I’m not performing in training it will likely be harder…

TIME TRIALS SUNDAY, 18 SEPT Stretford Wheelers 25 (Byley, Cheshire): Men: 1. Sam Taylor (Weaver Valley CC) 54.53 2. M. Lovatt (Congleton CC) 55.24 3. S. Dooley (Seamons CC) 57.03 4. A. Chorley (Seamons CC) 57.22 5. M. Parsons (Team ASL-Bolton) 57.36 6. M. Stephenson (Congleton CC) 58.12 Women: 1. Emily Martin (Weaver Valley CC) 59.57 2. L. Astles (Congleton CC) 1:05.29 3. M. Fairclough (Salford CC) 1:08.03 4. L. Oldroyd (Knutsford Tri Club) 1:09.07 5. A. Stephenson (Congleton CC) 1:14.43 6. J. Wyles (Total Tri Training) 1:15.44 SATURDAY, 17 SEPT Eastern Counties CA 25 (Six Mile Bottom, Cambridgeshire): Men: 1. Paul Pardoe (Peterborough CC) 53.15 2. R. Harrison (DRAG2ZERO) 56.24 3. R. Watson (Cambridge CC) 58.16 4. J. Manlow (Ely & District CC) 59.12 5. A. Grant (Cambridge CC)…

In the early days of club-run rides, hazards on the road, like potholes, rocks, ruts and yokels, were drawn to the attention of riders down the line by a simple system. The club captain would tell his bugler about it, and the bugler would sound the ‘big old pothole’ call. This is why so many early cyclists have an ear for pitch; the tone deaf ones were eliminated from the gene pool. Over time, most of the club buglers disappeared (or, more likely, ‘were made to disappear’), and hand gestures took over. This is still the current method. You warn of a pothole by pointing at it and shouting, “Hole!” You warn riders behind of a manhole cover by pointing at it and shouting, “Hole!” You warn of a stray…