Innehållsförteckning för February 9, 2023 från Cycling Weekly

There’s something about this time of year that brings out many of my cycling-related idiosyncrasies. I’ve already confessed to having to start the year on a bike clean enough to eat food off, even though in preceding months it will have gone uncleaned and unloved for weeks at a time. Now it’s time to admit to my obsession with sunrise and sunset times. I click onto the timeanddate.com website at least once a day, and then spend a few happy minutes looking for what time the sun is going to set over the next few weeks. I’ve never enjoyed long, dark winter nights (I start worrying about them the day after the summer solstice – daft, I know) and just looking at the sunset time getting a couple of minutes…

Olympic road race champion Anna Kiesenhofer has joined women’s WorldTour outfit Israel-Premier Tech Roland for the 2023 season. The Austrian has been without a professional team since 2017, racing only as a guest for Soltec Team at the Ceratizit Challenge by La Vuelta last year. “I am very happy to join Israel-Premier Tech Roland,” Kiesenhofer said in a press statement last week. “The environment and equipment are ideal for me to perform at my best in some of the most important races of the Women’s WorldTour calendar.” The 31-year-old added that her main target this year will be the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, alongside other “hard stage races”. Team manager Ruben Contreras said it was an “honour” to welcome the Olympic champion to the team. “Anna is extremely…

On my first ride in Madeira this year I was toiling up a long, steep climb when I was joined by a fellow cyclist on an absolutely beautiful bike with matching Intermarché kit. Then I clocked the rainbow bands on the sleeve and asked, “Rui? You’re Rui Costa? World champion in 2013, twice winner of the Tour of Switzerland?” He smiled and gently corrected me: “Well, actually three times winner of the Tour de Suisse.” This elegant and charming rider was happy to ride along chatting with an old boy over twice his age. We parted with a handshake. Cycling has always been the most egalitarian sport and this is as good an example as you’ll find. Ed – Great story Chris, we always love to hear when our readers…

Having scaled back my riding in 2022 for one reason or another, I’m hoping to redress the situation this year by taking on some big rides. Going on past experience, I reckon the best way anyone can give themselves the best shot of actually reaching goals like this is to get stuff marked on the calendar. Equally good is to get others involved. I’ve done both, but with my fitness standing at ground zero and three major rides already planned for the first half of the year, there are large and nagging concerns that my ego’s writing cheques my legs can’t cash: too late now! They’re all gravel rides too: a preview of the Gralloch Trek World Series event; the iconic Dirty Reiver, and a ride around the 200-mile Rebellion…

From the kitchen table sewing machine to Tour of Flanders success in half a decade. From the outside, it seems like it has been a runaway success for the Yorkshire-based Spatzwear. But, behind the scenes with the global economic climate, Covid-19 and ever growing shipping costs, it hasn’t always been a smooth ride for founder and ex-pro Tom Barras. Over the past five years, there has been a new addition to club rides up and down the country. You may have spotted the knee-high neoprene boots that many are choosing to use throughout the winter. Those neoprene boots are overshoes called Spatz, the star product of SpatzWear. The Spatz idea was born in 2006, but was shelved for 10 years as Barras raced professionally across Europe. Ten years later, on…

All of Apple’s current watches can detect Afib, and its top-tier models can record a single lead ECG waveform that can be forwarded to your doctor. Google’s Pixel Watch has similar functionality, via the Fitbit ECG app, as do many Fitbit models. Devices that measure from the wrist are not as reliable as chest strap transmitters. Most wearables require you to be still while recording a trace, but Fourth Frontier’s Frontier X2 chest strap can provide a continuous ECG even while you exercise. The intermittent nature of Paroxysmal Afib makes it frustrating to diagnose – by the time you’ve got to the clinic for an ECG, usually your heart has returned to normal rhythm. The AliveCor Kardia 6L is a tiny six-lead ECG monitor that, via a mobile app, produces…

A suppression in HRV with respect to your normal range highlights that your body may not be ready to absorb any additional stress. Depending on the level at which you’re training, reducing training stress could mean taking an extra day off, going for an easy ride, or reducing the duration of a workout. The intensity of the stimulus here matters more than the duration, and that’s what you should first adjust. Recent research on HRV-guided training suggests that the training plan does not need to be modified as soon as HRV is suppressed. Changes are implemented as and when the baseline HRV (weekly average) is below the normal range. This ensures a less knee-jerk approach, changing training only once two to three days of negative response have been observed. This…

Brit Thomas Gloag emerged as the breakout rider of the Volta a Valenciana last week, winning the young rider classification, placing in the top 10 on GC and very nearly winning a stage. The week had been, in the Londoner’s own words, a “significant step in my learning process”. Classed as a neo-pro though he raced as a stagiaire from last August for Jumbo, there is plenty of excitement around Gloag. Two years ago, he jumped straight to U23 level with Trinity Racing from his club team VC Londres; then, after making his mark with a 2021 win at the Ronde de l’Isard followed by a victory at the Tour de l’Avenir a year later, he refused the overtures of Ineos to sign for Jumbo. “Yesterday was really good fun,”…

Women’s WorldTour branded ‘a mess’ Movistar team boss Sergio Unzue has said the Women’s WorldTour is “a mess”, with the Classics followed by a batch of races in May and June that is ever growing in intensity. “It’s something the UCI needs to work on urgently,” said Unzue. “For 2024 this is one of the most urgent needs [for women’s cycling].” Ineos’s Tour trident Ineos Grenadiers’s assault on the Tour de France overall this year currently looks like it will comprise the all-Spanish-speaking trio of Colombians Egan Bernal, Dani Martínez and Spaniard Carlos Rodríguez. The team, which last won in 2019 with Bernal, has podiumed in the past three editions. £200m Amount released by the government to fund walking and cycling Cycling UK gave the funding a qualified welcome, with…

This year I’m finally planning on crossing the greatest mountain range in the world by bike - that’s the Pyrenees, obviously. I’ll be adding a twist to the traditional Pyrenean Raid, though, by only riding on Spain’s northernmost roads. That means starting just north of San Sebastián and finishing in Portbou on the French border. In between are 885 kilometres, more than 17,000m of elevation, and no fewer than 14 serious climbs. I’m particularly excited about the savage climbs in Navarra and Huesca, while I aim to time it right to be in my old home of the Val d’Aran for a Tuesday pinxto pote. I’m hoping I can persuade a friend to join me for a backpacking odyssey, but if not then I’ll be bribing my dad to come…

‘SPATZ’ OVERSHOES: The original headline maker. Coming to just below the knee, the neoprene overshoes are designed to stop water dripping down your leg and into your shoes. They’re easy to put on and keep your feet dry and warm into deep winter. ‘BASEZ’ BASE LAYER A high neck at one end, and thumb loops at the other to ensure every inch of skin is covered. It’s claimed to be thermal yet lightweight and the most technically advanced base layer you will ever own. ‘THRMOZ’ GLOVES The Spatz gloves reach up the arm to prevent any skin being on show to the elements, and also have an extra wind protection layer that neatly tucks away.…

It was the summer of 2011 and life was good. In anticipation of a late-season cycling trip to the Dolomites, I’d been steadily building fitness since January. One Saturday, bored of my local Cotswold rides, I drove down through Devon to run the spectacularly pretty but brutally hilly 24km Sidmouth to Beer coastal path. Despite the 2,000m of ascent, I remember gliding effortlessly along the cliff-tops that day with just the gulls for company, wheeling above me in a brilliant blue sky. Back in Sidmouth, lounging in a cafe, I became aware of a strange sensation in my chest. It was as if an agitated finch was trapped in my upper ribcage. Still wearing my heart rate monitor, I watched my heart rate yo-yo between 70bpm and 280bpm. I ran…

DES THORPE, 48 What is your cycling background? Road, mtb, racing, cyclo-cross, sportives, duathlons and triathlons. Describe your first Afib episode. Eleven years ago, a week after running the Edinburgh marathon I went into Afib. It returned in 2020, and I’ve had five episodes since. Can you still enjoy cycling? Yes, I still cycle 100-200 miles a week and swim too. What treatment are you on? Drug control. The anticoagulant Apixaban and more recently Flecainide. What advice would you give to other cyclists? Keep going but pull back. BILL CRUM P, 56 What is your cycling background? Both road and mtb – competitive club rides since my 30s. Describe your first Afib episode. I was 44. I started a 70-mile ride but within a few miles my heart rate monitor…

CYCLO-CROSS SUNDAY, 5 FEBRUARY North West League round 11 (Bruntwood Park, Cheadle, Cheshire): Men: 1. William Weatherill (Hope Factory Racing) 54.57; 2. J. Edwards (Cog Set Papyrus RC) +0.27; 3. L. Evans (unattached) +0.44; 4. N. Craig (Scott Racing) +0.47; 5. D. Eastham (Cog Set Papyrus RC) +2.21; 6. A. Worden (360 cycling) +2.40; 7. I. Murray (unattached) +2.53; 8. S. Watson (Hope Factory Racing) +3.54; 9. R. Godden (Hope Factory Racing) +3.58; 10. G. Baker (Barrow Central Wh) +4.23. Women: 1. Alice Colling (Shibden CC) 43.39; 2. R. Preece (Hope Factory Racing) +0.25; 3. E. Wong (Shibden CC) +0.47; 4. L. Bradbrook (Marsh Tracks Racing) +4.02; 5. S. Dillon (unattached) +4.26; 6. N. Read (unattached) +6.02; 7. C. Baggs (unattached) +6.36; 8. K. Robinson (Velobants.cc) +6.43; 9. S. Craig…

A former student bike racer told me recently that when he was his university club’s treasurer, he and the captain embarked on a campaign to find a sponsor. They used every contact at their disposal, and mounted a nagging operation of gargantuan proportions. At last they got a positive reply – a company run by an alumnus offered them several thousand pounds. A few months later the captain said to the treasurer, “When do we get the money?” “I don’t know,” said the treasurer. “What did he say when you replied to him?” “I didn’t. You were going to do that.” “No. You were.” They never did get the money. They agreed they would never mention the incident to anyone in the club.…

In this issue Olympian Stan Butler puts pen to paper to give his advice on “rough stuff riding”. The question is, what is rough stuff riding? When talking about his preparation for a race he talks about riding the course at least twice “before the great day”, which makes it sound like a cyclo-cross race run off on multiple laps. However, ‘cyclo-cross’ isn’t mentioned once in the piece, and neither is there any talk of riding laps. In line with Britain’s time trialling race scene the races were instead defined by distance, Butler being a five-time winner of the “Balham Rough Stuff ‘25’”. However, it’s hard to imagine a 25-mile out-and-back semi off-road course starting and finishing in Balham, just six miles south of central London. At this time cyclo-cross…

A perfectly timed sprint which caught his rival by surprise gave Mathieu van der Poel his fifth elite cyclo-cross world title. The Dutchman was matched throughout by long-time rival Wout van Aert, but after making several attacks the pair came into the finish together in Hoogerheide. Van Aert had expected an attack from his rival over the barriers on the final lap and was left “confused” when van der Poel kept in second position before launching his late dash for the line. “I tried a couple of times, everybody expected me to try something at the barriers, but I wanted to be second when we entered the finish straight,” said van der Poel. “I didn’t think the 10 or 15 metres I would take [on the barriers] would be enough…

MARK CAVENDISH ASTANA-QAZAQSTAN The Tour of Oman was Cavendish’s first race last year, and he took his first win on stage two. With only stage one looking like a nailed-on bunch finish this year, the Manxman will want to get off on the right foot in what will be his first appearance for his new Astana-Qazaqstan team. That said, after a fraught transfer from Quick Step via B&B Hotels, the 37-year-old will surely be happy to simply be racing his bike again. CW Rating ★ ★ ★ DAVIDE FORMOLO UAE TEAM EMIRATES Fresh from a brace of high stage placings at the Saudi Tour, the Italian will be aiming to go one better with a stage win in Oman. There are four punchy finishes to choose from at the Tour…

After we completed our Central European epic last September, cycling from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia and back, our thoughts immediately turned to planning the next trip. For this one, the wish-list was as follows: less rain, new culture, more gravel, similar number of mountains. The only question then was where in the world could we tick all those boxes. Oh, and the month had to be February. The answer wasn’t difficult to find. We were soon reminded of the Atlas Mountain Race, which starts in Marrakech, Morocco (in February) and reaches a high point of 2,500m before looping back around to the city of Essaouira on the coast – so stunning it’s appeared as a set in Game of Thrones. Our route will be 360km looping off to…

After being diagnosed with an inguinal hernia and booked in for surgery to fix it this month, my riding goal for the start of 2023 is simple: just get back on my bike again. I’m expecting to need most of February and March off the bike while I recover. So, the plan is to first of all get back on and ride inside on Zwift with some light sessions when I’m able to, before moving back out onto the road and gradually building from there in the early spring. Once I’m back out on the road, I’ll stick to a light training circuit that I typically use and look to gradually increase the kilometres until I can hit 80-100 kilometres again. The key thing for me will be not to…

ONE DOWN Scott Foil RC Pro £10,499 Whereas SRAM gets to shine with the RC Ultimate model, the RC Pro is the remit of Shimano. You get the latest 12-speed Dura-Ace Di2, although no power meter, as well as the latest Dura-Ace C50 wheels. Vittoria Corsa Cotton TL tyres are the latest model and the finishing kit is all the same. TWO DOWN Scott Foil RC 10 £6,599 Getting on for nearly £10,000 less than the RC Ultimate, you get the same HMX Carbon frame as the two top models and a 12-speed Ultegra Di2 groupset. The wheels are the Syncros Capital 1.0 50 Disc and the tyres are Schwalbe ONE Race-Guard.…

Afib is the most common arrhythmia worldwide but there are others. Atrial flutter, which is initiated in the right atrium, is characterised by a rapid but regular heart rate, in contrast to Afib’s irregular rate. Like Afib, it presents a stroke risk. Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is another common arrhythmia of which there are multiple variants, including Wolff–Parkinson–White syndrome. SVT symptoms include a very rapid heart rate, which can make you feel lightheaded and dizzy. Afib, atrial flutter and SVT all occur in the upper chambers of the heart, are rarely fatal and can be treated. Arrhythmias that originate in the lower chambers, such as ventricular tachycardia (VT), are dangerous and can result in sudden death, which is why it’s so important to have your heart checked out if it’s misbehaving.…

Arider I used to coach used to regularly call me from the roadside. I’d be able to hear traffic in the background as he said something like, “Hi Michael. I’ve done the hour’s warmup, and tried the first of the efforts. I was miles off the power numbers, my pulse wouldn’t go above 140, I feel totally knackered from the last few races, and frankly I’d like to throw the bike into a river and leave it there. What should I do?” The answer, obviously, was, “Go home.” He knew this. That’s why he was calling. He needed someone else to tell him, because that stopped him feeling like he’d failed. I well know how this works, because I used to call my own coach under similar circumstances. “Hi mate,”…