Innehållsförteckning för January 19, 2023 från Cycling Weekly

Is it just me, or do you also think that it’s a crime against cycling to start the year on a dirty bike? In the weeks before the end of any year my bike might get a cursory once over, but on the whole it’s a bit of a disgrace. It’s the end of the year, I’m not training, I don’t need to worry about it. For much of December the mud and road grime plastered to every tube might even weigh more than the bike itself. I will even admit, one year, when living in a first floor flat, to putting my hand up for a new test bike rather than go to the effort of cleaning my own. But once I hit the first of January that all…

Developed by sports psychologists, these five mental pillars can be useful in helping amateur riders to develop a pro mindset: Belonging: Just as a pro is firmly ensconced within a trade or national team, amateurs need to find ways to engage with the cycling community. Joining a club is usually the first step but there are also forums, club rides, books, websites and magazines that keep us up to date with developments and opportunities. Mastery: Pros have to be hyperaware of their strengths. To identify and develop a super-strength, think of all your strong points across training, racing, lifestyle, recovery, mental skills and physiology. Where are you strongest? Purpose: Consider how cycling helps you maintain a sense of purpose in life. Does it help you inspire others, be a better,…

After putting on a masterclass to take the elite women’s British national cyclo-cross title, Zoe Bäckstedt said she was “full of confidence” ahead of a tilt at the podium of the Cyclo-cross World Championships later this month. Bäckstedt dominated proceedings from the start in Milnthorpe, the Lake District, beating her nearest rival by a matter of minutes and capturing the under-23 title as well in the process. When asked after the race by Cycling Weekly if she could mount a podium challenge at her first Worlds outside the junior ranks (she and her coaches remain unsure if she’ll race with the elites or the U23 riders) in the Netherlands, Bäckstedt said, “Why not?” “I’m absolutely buzzing after that,” Bäckstedt added. “It means I feel full of confidence now after getting…

A NASA-affiliated company set up to develop a new category of tyre could be one small step closer to a giant leap for the future of transportation. The SMART Tire Company was formed with the aim of commercialising an airless alloy tyre called METL (Martensite Elasticized Tubular Loading) that was originally invented for space exploration. SMART is an acronym for Shape Memory Alloy Radial Technology. After seven years of development at the NASA Glenn Laboratory, the company says it is expecting to launch its first METL tyre in Q2 of 2023. “Starting with the extreme capabilities of this Mars-grade technology, we’ve developed new, patented tyres designed for cycling, automotive, trucking and aerospace applications,” the US brand claims. SMART’s approach appears to be the polar opposite of existing puncture-proof tyre manufacturers…

I am a huge fan of Tom Pidcock and have been following his career since he was winning junior races in the UK, but I have to say how disappointed I am that he will not be defending his title at the Cyclo-cross World Championships. I know it’s been reported that he wants to focus on the Classics this spring, but even if his training isn’t perfectly tailored to hitting peak form for a cross race in early February, surely his fitness is good enough for him to give a good showing and show the sport the respect it deserves. He has always said how much he loves cyclo-cross – this would be his chance to show it. I hate to think that we’re now in the era of riders…

INEOS GRENADIERS Dear Dave, First you steal Rod Ellingworth back from us and now this! Orange diamonds were our thing! They speak to the rich history of Bahrain… er… somehow. Whatever you do, don’t go getting eyes for Fred Wright, I know how you like to have all the British riders on the squad. You’ll be hearing from my lawyers. Yours, Milan Eržen, Bahrain Victorious managing director. 5/10 GREEN PROJECT BARDIANI CSF All kits are a fight between commerce and design, but at this longstanding Italian squad it feels less like the commercial bods didn’t just win the battle as much as waterboard the design team with a vat of green Dulux until they surrendered their first born children. The ciclamino shoulders were a last-gasp act of defiance. 4/10 EF…

A good winter jacket is warm but not hot, water resistant but breathable, spacious but not flappy in the wind. It’s a difficult garment to get right, with perfection rarely managed. And with technical fabrics from the likes of Gore and Polartec now in the mix, the lines between the rain jacket – aka hardshell – and the traditional softshell jacket are now being blurred, with winter jackets capable of water resistance that’s not far off waterproofing, along with the expected superb insulation. It’s not just about the materials – brands are getting highly innovative with the design and features of their jackets. As an example, no fewer than three out of six models in this test deploy a dual construction to varying degrees. In the case of the Endura…

When in 2009 UK Sport commissioned the Great British Medallists project team at Bangor University to explore what makes multiple medal winners different from the rest of us, their goal was to help identify the stars of the future. The researchers found that genes play a huge role in sporting potential (up to 80%) – no great surprise there. They also found a number of serendipitous advantages such as being born early in the school year, having a trauma-free childhood and growing up close to sporting facilities. By the time we’re fully grown, the die is cast. However, there is one thing we can change to become more like sport’s top performers, and that’s our minds. Aside from the accidents of birth listed above, there are myriad psychological differences between…

You won both cyclo-cross and XC mtb national junior titles in 2018, which implies you’re an offroad specialist? I also won a national title on the road as an under-16, so I’ve always done both. When I describe myself as new to road racing, my friends laugh and say, ‘Nah, you’ve always done it!’ As a junior I did two or three road races a year, so far fewer than people from a road-only background. You’ve only been racing full-time on the road since 2021 yet already you’re a World-Tour rider. How have you made such fast progress? I had to learn the intricacies of racing on the road, the feel, the sixth sense to make the right decisions at the right time. But physically my capabilities were already quite…

I enjoy watching the Tour Down Under, albeit mainly because in a UK January, it’s nice to see some sun and some people who look happy. But there’s another plus; the Australia in the TDU looks lovely. Winding climbs, smooth roads, some wonderful wide vistas, gentle breezes. But this is where I get confused. I’ve been to Australia several times. I’ve never experienced any of this. For instance, a holiday a few years ago offered the chance to ride round Sydney, where even the suburbs have suburbs. You can ride through suburban Sydney for so long you start to hallucinate that you’re staying still and Sydney is moving below you. You become convinced that if you keep riding for long enough you’ll end up going down the same street you…

Until the mid 2000s there was no requirement from the UCI to wear a protective helmet in time trials or track pursuit races. The old alternative was a head fairing, made of plastic, with a bit of foam to make it fit and nothing more. Head fairings were fragile, and very easy to accidentally crush in a bag or in the boot of a car. You didn’t want that, because they were flimsy, they shared their DNA with a yoghurt pot, but they were weirdly expensive. To avoid such a disaster, a rider I used to race against obtained a polystyrene head from a shopwindow mannequin supplier to keep inside his fairing. It only recently dawned on me that what he’d done all those years ago was buy a head…

As she crossed the line to take a stunning National Championship victory, Zoe Bäckstedt punched the air and was swiftly mobbed by a group of photographers, spectators and general well-wishers all hoping to get an autograph, photo or a brief few words with the 18-year-old star in the making. Being mobbed in such a way could appear daunting to your average 18-year-old sportswoman but Bäckstedt appeared to take it all in her stride in Milnthorpe as she was pulled left, right and centre by spectators and media alike. Many spectators out on the course to support friends and family members in the junior categories stuck around to see Bäckstedt in action. As one parent told me, the chance to see the next big thing race was too good to miss…

Cycling brand Rapha is redesigning Richard Carapaz’s Olympic champion’s kit for the 2023 season, Cycling Weekly understands. As a result, the Ecuadorian is expected to wear a different, although similar, EF Education-EasyPost jersey to the one previously produced for him and released last week. Cycling Weekly questioned whether the initially released jersey was compliant with UCI specifications. According to the governing body’s Jersey Visual Guidelines, the Olympic champion’s jersey must bear a specific gold-coloured piping, which was not present on Carapaz’s original kit. The UCI document outlines that this gold piping “must seamlessly go around the sleeves and collar” of the jersey. In both instances, the height of the piping may differ, with the sleeves set at a height of 5cm and the collar allowed up to a maximum height…

Ewan takes Schwalbe Classic Aussie sprinter Caleb Ewan has sent a shot across the bows of his fellow fastmen by winning the Schwalbe Classic Criterium in Adelaide. It’s a national-level race, but with a WorldTour field, so the Lotto-Dstny rider will take confidence from taking a victory so early on. The women’s race was won by Ally Wollaston (AG Insurance-Soudal-Quick Step). Arabian sights Free-to-use virtual cycling platform MyWhoosh says it has used some of its most realistic graphics to date in creating its new ‘Arabia World’. Riders can explore 100km of routes, including Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, as well as the climb of Jebel Hafeet, which has featured in the UAE Tour. Arabia World joins routes in Australia and Colombia. MyWhoosh is available on iOS, Android and Windows. 20%…

We were highly impressed by all six of these jackets – not one of them got a score of less than four out of five. The Castelli Alpha RoS 2 goes down the dual construction route with its two separate but conjoined layers, each with their own zip, and we loved the design and performance. However, the inner gilet’s zip we found to be a little too small to operate quickly on the fly and with the insulation split, it got slightly chilly across the shoulders – and at £320 it’s very expensive. If stretchy cuffs, a waterproof pocket, a good fit, and great weather protection and insulation are what you want, then the Le Col jacket does the job brilliantly. The only downside for us was a slightly chunky…

CYCLO-CROSS SAT-SUN, 14-15 JANUARY National Championship (Westmorland County Showground, Milnthorpe, Cumbria): Elite Men: 1. Cameron Mason (Trinity Road Racing) 1:04.14; 2. J. Blackmore (Team Inspired) +2.34; 3. T. Mein (Hope Factory Racing) +4.25; 4. T. Barnes (Garden Shed UK-Ribble Verge Sport) +4.42; 5. D. Barnes (Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus) +5.36; 6. J. Young (Garden Shed UK-Ribble) +5.54; 7. G. Ferguson (Hope Factory Racing) +6.36; 8. B. Koerdt (Shibden CC) +1 lap; 9. C. Macleod (ABLOC CT); 10. T. Couzens (Montezuma’s Race Team. Elite Women: 1. Zoe Backstedt (EF Education Tibco-SVB) 52.39; 2. A. Last (Scott Racing) +3.32; 3. E. Maclean-Howell (Hope Factory Racing) +5.47; 4. X. Crees (Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus) +7.31; 5. C. Wiejak (Saint Piran WRT) +7.55; 6. R. James (Hope Factory Racing) +1 lap; 7. K. Eedy…