Innehållsförteckning för August 24, 2023 från Cycling Weekly

As new data has been published revealing a worrying lack of young people coming into the UK TT scene, Ineos Grenadiers time trialling star Josh Tarling has been singing its praises. “I always loved it, and my dad used to do it… I think it’s such an advantage that you can get from the UK,” he said just days after claiming a bronze medal in the World Championship time trial behind Remco Evenepoel and Filippo Ganna. “There aren’t many places where you can pull on a skinsuit on a Wednesday night and just hurt yourself,” he added, “so it’d be rude not to use it.” His comments come as time trialling results platform Spindata released data showing the showing the median average age across all time trial participations has increased…

Virtual racing company Zwift has expressed its disappointment in losing the hosting duties of the Esports World Championships to competitor MyWhoosh. On Thursday, the UCI announced that it had awarded a three-year contract to the Abu Dhabi-based company to hold the Championships from 2024 through to 2026. The event, which was first held in 2020, has until now taken place exclusively on Zwift, with rainbow jerseys awarded to the best male and female riders. A spokesperson for Zwift told Cycling Weekly: “Naturally, we are disappointed by this outcome but we are extremely proud of the three great World Championships we have delivered with the UCI to date. “Our commitment to grow the sport of cycling esports from community racing upwards and to further our elite racing product remains unchanged. We will continue…

Vuelta organiser RCS looks to be involved in a game of ‘anything you can do, we can do better’ with Tour organiser ASO this year. “Two lumpy stages to start this year’s Tour? Then we’ll hit the mountains on stage three. “You’re starting in San Sebastián? Well, we’re going to have a stage finish atop the Tourmalet, your most iconic mountain. And as for your finish lines placed at the bottom of descents… Pah! Nine summit finishes for us.” The race route oneupmanship has produced a tough parcours and attracted one of the strongest GC line-ups in recent memory. Remco Evenepoel is back to defend his title, while the winners of this year’s Tour and Giro are also here. Throw in an Ineos-backed Geraint Thomas and a much fancied Juan…

As a member of the Bahrain Victorious WorldTour team, Fred Wright has the choice of two Merida race bikes: the Scultura and the Reacto. For the elite men’s road race the Englishman opted for the latter, a dedicated aero bike with a few interesting tweaks that reveal themselves upon close inspection. At first glance, it looks to be a pretty standard affair. Wright does position his Shimano Dura-Ace shifters a little inwards to help promote a narrow, tucked-in position on the hoods but it’s far from extreme. The Vision Metron cockpit is fully integrated, while the tube shapes take advantage of the relaxing of UCI regulations, adding depth for aerodynamic gains. While there’s a certain homogenous quality to today’s aero race bikes, the Reacto’s seatstays do give it a little…

There’s nothing particularly out of the ordinary about the 22-year-old German’s Cervélo S5 set-up – albeit in proportions befitting his 6ft 3in frame. And that’s just the point. Gone are the days when under-23s rode distinctly different bikes from their WorldTour counterparts. For his first participation in the elite men’s road race he opted for the distinctive S5 aero bars and stem, as well as an adaptive Fizik saddle and Reserve 44mm wheels shod with 28mm tubeless Vittoria Corsa Pro tyres, while his SRAM Red groupset featured a 54/41t chainset. In a season of firsts, the man from Münster also completed his maiden Grand Tour as part of the Jumbo-Visma team that helped Primož Roglič to win the Giro win back in May.…

When it comes to carb intake, cyclists have three main options: first, ‘fuel for the work required’ (FFTWR) – matching carb intake to the energy you intend to burn. Second, ‘low carb, high fat’ (LCHF) – eating few carbs and instead getting most of your energy from dietary fat. Finally, high-carb fuelling (HC) means feeding the body the maximum amount it can absorb while exercising vigorously – upwards of 90g per hour. The benefit of consuming plentiful carbs is obvious: you won’t run out of fuel. But why would you deliberately restrict carb intake, and is it worth the risk? Low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) Where did the idea come from? The idea of consuming a diet low in carbohydrate has been around for a long time. Ancient Greek Olympic athletes are…

Istarted out in rowing in 2012 and tested well indoors but never fully committed to the training. Someone convinced me to sign up to an Ironman, and over the next few years I built up my confidence on the bike, but most of my early riding was done on Zwift. In fact, I did so much indoor racing that in 2019 I was invited to do my first elite race on Zwift, leading to my selection for the UCI eSports World Champs this year. On the strength of my one to fiveminute power from Zwift racing, I am now also road racing with Wahoo-Le Col. To prove myself on the road, I spent much of last year hunting QOMs in the Surrey Hills, and most of them are now mine.…

British Cycling is considering taking legal action over potential patent infringements from the new bikes of the Japanese and French cycling teams. The potential infringements are in relation to the ultra-wide fork and seat stays that British Cycling first used on the Hope x Lotus bikes unveiled ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. At the 2023 Glasgow World Championships, French and Japanese track riders were seen using bikes with similar characteristics. British Cycling told Cycling Weekly that they are aware of potential patent infringements. When asked if legal action is likely to be taken, head of performance Stephen Park said: “There might well be.” Crucially, the homologation deadline for new equipment to be used in competition ahead of Paris 2024 has now passed, which means any successful legal challenge could see the…

The organiser of the Tour of Britain has said it is now “very unlikely” the race will find a title sponsor for the 2023 edition. The event, which begins on 3 September, has already had most of its branding printed, with plans in place to go ahead without a sponsor. Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Peter Hodges of organiser SweetSpot explained he had not “given up hope” of finding last-minute commercial partners. “There’s not a point where you go, ‘It’s not possible,’” he said. “But realistically there comes a cut off where things get printed and so forth. We have to produce event branding, you know, the gantry, the podium artwork, the podium backdrop. Earlier in the year, you’re producing posters and leaflets, so I suppose there’s a diminishing time frame…

Welshman Stevie Williams showed patience and timing to take victory in the Arctic Race of Norway at the weekend. The 27-year-old put himself into the lead of the four-stage race on stage three when he held off launching his sprint on the punishing uphill finish to Havøysund until just 75 metres to go. In the slow-motion sprint into a headwind he came round everyone to narrowly take the win, collect a 10-second time bonus and leave him and his Israel-Premier Tech team the job of defending the jersey on the final day. Speaking after his stage win Williams said: “It was horrible weather conditions out there again for the last hour or two, so the main thing was trying to stay warm and trying to make sure we did all…

With less than a year to go until the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, the British cycling team is riding a wave of confidence following their substantial medal haul at the Glasgow Worlds. Great Britain topped both the para and non-para medal tables at the first multi-disciplinary Worlds, collecting 100 medals in total, of which 47 were gold. They were significantly clear – in both gold medal and overall medal count – of Germany and France, who occupied second and third place respectively. A number of the team’s victories crucially came in Olympic events, with notable success in BMX, mountain bike and the women’s track programme. The only major mishap was in the men’s team pursuit, when the quartet crashed out in qualifying. “The women’s team sprint progression is huge” Addressing…

Clubs like 360cycling are doing a great job helping riders to experience time trialling. Having coaches and mentors who are encouraging and facilitating participation (and pinning on a number themselves) is what’s going to bring the medals in this discipline in years to come. They must have brought a dozen or so U18 riders to club TTs this week alone. Rob Doyle I rode them from 1986 until 2010. Can’t ride on roads now. The hostility and hatred from drivers, most of whom are checking social media notifications while driving, is too much for me. I stay off-road now and wish I had done it years ago. Andy Loomer We had two 11-year-olds, one 14-year-old and one 16-year-old at the regional time trials this past weekend, all on road bikes.…

The two-time Australian road race champion and Ineos Grenadier Luke Plapp has a pretty special custom Pinarello Dogma F. A dazzling white frame is complemented by sleek yellow and green lines on the fork, a subtle nod to Plapp’s success back in his home country. The frameset isn’t the lightest, at a claimed 996 grams for a size 56, but its all-rounder credentials match those of Plapp. To further aid the bike’s aero properties the 22-year-old has opted for a long stem and narrow handlebars – a 140mm stem and 360mm wide bars to be precise. The groupset duties are handled by Shimano, and just like the rest of his Ineos Grenadiers team-mates, he is riding the full complement of Shimano Dura-Ace R9270. For the elite men’s road race Plapp…

The best multi-tools are designed to keep you rolling if your bike needs adjusting during a ride. They can also double up for home workshop use too, negating the need for lots of individual tools. But given the growing complexity of today’s road and gravel bikes, coupled with the range of bolt sizes used, means that finding a tool that has you covered for most eventualities isn’t always that straightforward. From hex to Torx heads, chainbreakers to spoke keys, the list of required tools can grow quickly. The adoption of tubeless tyres means that tubeless repair is now a consideration for many. Do you carry a separate tool for the job or look for a multi-tool that features a plugger? Naturally the more complex the tool, the larger and heavier it…

Showing experience beyond her years, Millie Couzens timed her sprint to perfection from a leading group to win the women’s Ryedale Grand Prix. The 19-year-old has spent most of her season in Europe with the Fenix-Deceuninck team and showed her talent to win a first National Series event. Coming up against large domestic teams, lone rider Couzens rode cleverly to make a winning group of 10 riders which went clear in the closing stages. Couzens followed the experienced Mary Wilkinson coming into the finish at Ampleforth Abbey before launching her sprint, with Tiffany Keep taking second and Wilkinson third. “I didn’t know what to expect coming into this so I’m happy,” said Couzens. “It means a lot. Being on my own, it’s always harder and I have to play it…

If there was an award for the most abstract-looking track bike at the 2023 World Championships, the Japanese Track Cycling Federation would have stolen the show. The V-IZU TCM, named after the Tokyo 2020 Izu Velodrome, is the third bike to take a leaf out of British Cycling’s book, with ultrawide fork legs and seatstays. The V-IZU TCM follows a similar aerodynamic notion to both the Hope x Lotus and Look P24 (see news, page 6), which we covered last week. The wide fork legs, it’s understood, are designed to sit in line with a rider’s lower leg which can aid in smoothing airflow around this part of the rider. Still unreleased, no details have been divulged on the V-IZU TCM, but on the Hope x Lotus bike, these savings…

The latest edition of the Propel Advanced SL is in many ways the quintessential modern aero race bike. Both stiff and light, it features deep-section head and down tubes, dropped stays and fully integrated cabling throughout. Even the bottle cages are designed to fit seamlessly with the bike to reduce drag. But Matthews has added a few personal touches that take his machine from off-the-peg to a little more bespoke. The Aussie favours a two-piece cockpit for extra stiffness. He matches 38mm wide Giant Contact aero bars with a 140mm long stem to encourage a long and tucked position. It’s accentuated further by the extreme inward angle of the hoods of his 12-speed Dura-Ace shifters. Matthews was an early adopter of Cadex’s newest saddle, the Amp, which he rode to…

All the tools featured had their merits. We should also preface the results with some specific requirements, such as tubeless repair or low weight, would rule out some options. The lowest scoring tool was Park’s IB-3 which, although really well-made, wasn’t overly comfortable in the hand. Next up is Crankbrothers M20. It’s a great option for those needing the inclusion of a tubeless repair tool, but a tad hefty. Just missing a spot on the podium is the Blackburn Wayside, which is both comprehensive and, as a result, weighty but gained extra marks for the removable hex keys, which made it easier to use than many of the other tools. The first couple of spots on the podium are taken by two multi-tools that sit at opposite ends of the spectrum…

Arace between delivery boys all carrying newspapers sounds like it ought to be a lot of fun. However, the organisers of this event, held in Paris in 1953, had clearly taken a leaf out of the book of notoriously hard taskmaster Henri Desgrange, founder and organiser of the first Tours de France. The delivery boys (most of whom look well out of boyhood) rode bikes that were surely no lightweights to begin with, but in addition they were made to carry a 30lb (13.6kg) stack of newspapers throughout the event. The race went on to finish at the top of the steep hill at Montmartre, which would have been challenge enough for a fit rider on a lightweight bike. Desgrange, who had died 13 years previously, would have nodded approvingly,…

Mike Burrows, who died last year, is best known as the British engineer behind the iconic 1992 Olympic pursuit-winning Lotus 108. Less well known is the story of how he took his genius to Taiwan with his Giant MCR. Burrows, having fallen out with Lotus who he claimed had blocked further production of the 108 while retaining the patent, signed a contract with Giant in 1994. At the same time he publicly accused Raleigh, Britain’s largest bike manufacturer, of ignoring him. He told the Guardian: “If I can give Giant the technological edge there’ll be no stopping them. Raleigh won’t be there in five years.” And his verdict on Lotus? “You need to feel sorry for them.” Perhaps even more insultingly, he might have copied a Lotus design for the…