Innehållsförteckning för November 9, 2023 från Cycling Weekly

I read recently that Surrey, the county where I live and do most of my riding, topped the list of most dangerous places to ride in the UK. Sadly this came as absolutely no surprise. The BBC ran a story in October that said officials in Surrey have vowed to improve safety for cyclists. This, unfortunately, is not true. They have no interest whatsoever in making their roads safe for cyclists and unsurprisingly listed a few vague plans to improve things. The reason I know this isn’t just because I do 90% of my riding in Surrey, but because I’m regularly emailing the council highlighting dangers, pointing out opportunities and reminding them that their own transport plan says priority should be given to those using active travel. I’m not someone…

The Dutchman sped around the track at an average speed of 64.943km/h to set a new record of 55.433 seconds, taking almost a second off the existing record, 56.303 seconds, held by France’s François Pervis since 2013. Speaking after setting the new world record at altitude at Aguascalientes in Mexico, Hoogland called it a “crowning achievement” of his career. He is reigning Olympic champion in the team sprint, and a nine-time world champion in the team sprint and the kilometre TT. Prior to Tuesday, the 30-year-old was the only person to break the 58-second barrier, doing so twice at sea level; once at the European Championships and then again at the UCI Worlds. He has now broken the 56-second barrier. “It’s a wonderful start towards the 2024 Olympic Games in…

British cycling clothing brand Rapha has recorded financial losses for the sixth year in a row. In the latest accounts, held under Carpegna Ltd and covering the year to 29 January 2023, the company posted a pre-tax loss of £12 million. This represents a deepening of the loss from the 2022 accounts, when the figure was £10.5 million. In the years prior, pretax losses were £7 million (2021), £23.5 million (2020), £32 million (2019) and £19.8 million (2018). Carpegna Ltd was incorporated in August 2017 and acts as the holding company for Rapha and its subsidiaries. The last time Rapha posted a pre-tax profit was in January 2017, when the accounts revealed gains of £1.4 million. In a statement shared with Cycling Weekly, Rapha CEO Francois Concervey said: “Our financial…

Net closing in on Cav robbery suspect Essex police have said that ‘the net is closing in’ on George Goddard, the final suspect wanted in connection with the armed raid on Mark Cavendish’s home in November 2021. So far three men have been jailed for their part in the violent attack in which two high value watches worth £700,000 were stolen. Cavendish was also threatened with a knife in front of his wife, Peta, and their children. Hessman facing ban Jumbo-Visma rider Michel Hessman looks likely to be banned for violating anti-doping rules, after his B-sample from an anti-doping positive has confirmed the results of his A sample, taken in June, for the presence of a banned diuretic. Unless he can offer a satisfactory explanation for the substance, he will…

It’s 50 years since Dura-Ace’s debut but 2023 will not be a year on which Shimano looks back with undiluted pleasure, to paraphrase the Queen’s 1992 annus horribilis speech. Instead of unveiling a gold-festooned, limited-edition commemorative Dura-Ace groupset to the great and good of cycling, the Japanese component giant has made the humiliating admission that almost three million cranksets made between 2012 and 2019 could be affected by a manufacturing flaw that has caused over 4,000 breakages. However, in the grand scheme – and the Grand Tours – of the last 50 years there have been many more hits than misses. Although Shimano has wisely limited its celebrations to paintings on the roads of each Grand Tour plus a discreet ‘50th Anniversary’ logo on its website while it prioritises the…

Why are bones, especially in cyclists, prone to losing density? Bone density is a reflection of how much mineral is in the bone, primarily calcium. We experience a loss of bone mineral with ageing but we also know that there is a relationship with physical activity – cycling is one such activity associated with reduced bone density. What is going on in the bone when this happens? Partly it is to do with impeded bone renewal; bone is a structural material unique in how it can remodel and replace damaged areas. But certain activities or hormonal changes can disrupt this process. Bone tends to remodel to withstand the force it is experiencing, so if you only do activities with very low loading forces, the bone adapts to become a weaker structure.…

Winter is here. And as the rest of us fade into the darker months, my friend Bernard has his winter glow. He’s a man made for winter. He rides with gusto, he is more engaged in his surroundings. For instance, last week on a ride we passed one of the newer local clubs, or ‘clubs’ as I’m sure he would punctuate it. It’s not a traditional club, simply a nonaffiliated group loosely based around a local tech start-up hub. The sight of them made Bernard very happy, which is to say, very cross. Bernard does not like their bikes, which are universally very nice. “They don’t know what they’re doing,” he says. “They’re not running a tight pace line, they’re not splitting the work, they’re riding 10 feet apart and…

Zoe Bäckstedt crushed all competition last weekend to land the women’s under-23 title at the European Cyclocross Championships in France. The 19-year-old’s latest accolade was the crowning glory in a weekend of success for the Great Britain cycling team. As well as Bäckstedt’s gold, Cameron Mason took the runner-up spot in the elite men’s race and rising star Cat Ferguson sealed silver in the women’s junior race. Plus, the squad took silver in the team relay. In the U23 women’s race, once Bäckstedt got going she was simply unstoppable and finished 34 seconds ahead of her nearest challenger. Twelve months previously she finished fifth in the same competition but no one could go with her this time when she launched her race-winning move. Originally part of a four rider-strong move,…

After two dominant seasons, time trial specialist Kate Allan is considering a break from national competition next season to focus on her health. The 39-year-old has won seven national crowns in the last 16 months during the best spell of her career. However, a tyre blowout while leading July’s 50-Mile National Championships resulted in a heavy crash. Despite recovering enough to win the 10, 25-mile and Closed Circuit National Championships, in recent months the crash has had a significant impact on the Team Bottrill rider. “I’m tentatively not racing next year as this year has been so intense,” said Allan, who was back racing just six weeks after her crash at the 50-Mile National Championship and went on to record personal best times over both 10 and 25 miles in…

Cycling Time Trials will be tackling the thorny issue of body fairings at its upcoming AGM, after they were seen in significant numbers at this year’s 10-mile National Championship. The fairings ranged from bidons and drinking bladders down the front of jerseys to calf and tricep extensions. The resulting barrel-chested, bionic-rider look has raised plenty of eyebrows on the time trial scene. Now the South District Council has put forward a proposal to outlaw the use of body fairings, which will be discussed and voted on at the CTT’s AGM in early December. The proposal is the brainchild of Dr Bryce Dyer, a committee member on South DC and deputy head of department of design and engineering at Bournemouth University, and who also sits on one of CTT’s working groups.…

When Shimano presented Dura-Ace 7300 AX in 1980, the future of cycling looked to have arrived along with the new decade. At the Cologne show the radical new groupset adorned the bicycle of a silverskinsuited mannequin wearing a visored aero helmet. It was a striking image that featured on the cover of the 11 October issue of Cycling. “The Japanese company has taken a long look at aerodynamics, putting bicycles, mounted and unmounted, through wind-tunnel tests,” we wrote. “A new range of components has been produced which is said to have reduced the air resistance of the bicycle by 20.6 per cent.” Every AX component had been designed with smooth airflow in mind, down to the handlebar caps that fitted condom-like over the bar ends. The ‘Parapull’ brake calipers were the…

Protect your bones in 15 minutes, twice a week, with these exercises. PLANK Hold a standard plank for at least one minute. Repeat twice. SIDE PLANK Hold a side plank for at least 30 seconds, twice on each side. BACK EXTENSION Lie on your front, arms by your sides, palms upwards. Raise your upper body and arms off the ground, and raise legs to hover just off the floor. Hold for count of three, lower, then raise/hold again. Repeat six times. FRONT-LOADING ON SWISS BALL Lie on your front with legs on a Swiss ball. Draw legs in and out for a period of 30 seconds. Repeat twice. MOUNTAIN CLIMBER If you don’t have a Swiss ball, assume the press-up position and move legs as though climbing on the spot…

Former world mountain bike crosscountry champion Evie Richards led a one-two for Trek Factory Racing at round eight of the West Midlands Cyclo-Cross League in Worcestershire on Sunday. Making her first appearance in cyclo-cross this season, the 26-year-old from Malvern crossed the line 1.17 ahead of team-mate and fellow GB rider Harriet Harnden at the Cob House Countryside Park to the west of Worcester. And in the men’s event there, Team Spectra’s Simon Wyllie won his fourth consecutive round by 15 seconds from junior Spencer Corder (ROTOR Race Team). In Norfolk, Callum Laborde (Wheelbase CabTech) was victorious at round six of the Eastern League at Old Buckenham Country Park near Attleborough, while Katy Simcock (Trek BC) was first female over the line. However, with Laborde not being affiliated, second spot…

For the past few years my off-seasons have been between three and four weeks. Usually after a month with no bike I get the itch to get fit again. This year it was slightly different as with my collarbone broken, I trained into my off-season with no final race to cap things off. I think that’s why my itch to train again during off-season has been a bit stronger. I’m excited to get things ready for next season. I got myself some running shoes and thought I’d join my girlfriend for a bit of running – it looks like everyone’s doing it on Strava. One kilometre into the first run I felt confident I could do a marathon one day. Four kilometres later, I wasn’t so sure. The cycling legs…

Hanging from an LED-illuminated stand at Rouleur Live last week, the new 136 overshadowed the iconic Lotus 108 that Chris Boardman powered to a famous Olympic gold at the Barcelona Games. The original 108 was in a stand on the floor next to the 136 and during the time I was there only received a few admiring glances. I hope interest grew through the evening, as this is the bike that helped transform British Cycling from a cycling minnow to a superpower. It is also one of the most recognisable bikes ever made. The genealogy of the 136 stretches back through the 108 to 1985 and the pragmatically named Mk.1a monocoque bike that Mike Burrows built. A 16-year-old Chris Boardman test rode it round the track at Bassano Del Grappa…

I read with interest the issue with its focus on indoor ‘smart’ trainers (CW, 26 October). Riding indoors using the FulGaz app has transformed my training, and riding for pleasure, which has become a necessity for me. My wife was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer 12 months ago, and being her carer and driver, I made the promise that I would not put myself at risk by riding on the roads. This was quite a commitment as we live in the Yorkshire Dales where the temptation is to be out enjoying the area. I have now ridden hundreds of miles all over the world on routes from flat and lumpy, to downright challenging, and my fitness has shown a huge improvement. The real-time filming is very professionally put together…

The cut-throat business that is top-level cycling revealed itself in all its glory to Alex Dowsett during his second year on the British Cycling Senior Academy. Flat-sharing in Manchester with fellow Academy riders, he returned home having been out on a date to find his room trashed, his washbag urinated on and obscenities about his mum written on the whiteboard. It’s one of many eye-opening tales he recounts in his new book, Bloody Minded – the title of which could scarcely be more appropriate. Not just as a nod to the haemophilia that has dogged him and shaped him since childhood, but also to the sheer tenacity Dowsett has had to call on throughout his career. Having his room trashed by those who were, on the face of it, allies,…

ONE DOWN Factor Ostro VAM Ultegra Di2 £8,700 For those who want a slightly more all-round race bike, the Ostro might be more up your street. Factor’s aero bike weighs a little over 100 grams more than the Factor O2 VAM, so with the right components, you can still build a super lightweight race machine. For an aero bike 32mm tyre clearance is pretty healthy, making the Ostro VAM a comfortable choice for UK roads. TWO DOWN Factor O2 Ultegra Di2 £7,500 If you love the look and feel of a true old-school climbing bike, but don’t want to shell out on Factor’s latest lightweight machine, you can still get hold of the standard O2. As an owner of this bike, I can vouch for its superb geometry and handling,…

Let’s assume you are already training as hard and as often as you possibly can given your ability and available time. What else can you do to support your performance and become a better cyclist? First and foremost, you could upgrade your bike and hire a coach – the two quickest and easiest options. Provided you have a healthy bank balance, a well-qualified coach and a speedy steed are just a few clicks away. But in doing so, would you be focusing on the right things and getting maximum bang for your buck? Josie Knight, current world champion in the team pursuit, is clear where her priorities would lie. “I always joke that my psychologist and physio are the two most important people in my career. You can train as…

Before the era of online bike shops, it was not uncommon to have to ride some distance to a decent shop. A friend recently told me about riding home from a shop 40 miles away, with his new custom frame strapped across his backpack. “I was nearly home,” he said, “and just got to a pedestrian/bike bridge over the A14. I’d ridden over it dozens of times – there were two tall bollards on the entrance that were barely wider than the bars. And the most horrifying moment of my life was the nanosecond after I zipped through that gap at a decent lick and then remembered the frame, which was a) my entire savings and b) wider than my bars. “It cleared the bollards. When I went back to…