Innehållsförteckning för May 2, 2024 från Cycling Weekly

Has there ever been a bigger foregone conclusion than the result of this year’s Giro d’Italia? Tadej Pogačar is right now at the height of his powers, and on a completely different level to every other rider on the startlist. He can ride away from a peloton on any parcours and seemingly doesn’t tire. He can win solo or from a small group, climb and sprint. From one-day races on the cobbles to mountainous Grand Tours, his results are beyond compare in the current generation and many of those that went before. There is simply no stopping him. The only rider who has beaten him in a stage race could only do so with the backing of the strongest team in the sport, and he’s not on the start line…

PARIS 85 DAYS TO GO he bike that Team GB’s athletes will hope to ride to glory at this summer’s Paris Olympics was launched on Monday. The latest incarnation of the Hope-Lotus HBT was developed in partnership with Lotus Engineering, Renishaw, and Hope Technology, and made its debut at the Track World Championships in Glasgow last year. However, this was used just once for homologation at last summer’s competition, before its manufacturers set to work in getting a fleet ready for Paris, which is well under 100 days away. It follows on from the success of the Tokyo track bike, also a Hope-Lotus collaboration, which saw GB’s riders win seven medals, including three golds. The new Hope-Lotus design has the same characteristically wide seatstays as the first edition, but now…

Cian Uijtdebroeks is accustomed to the question by now. “Basically every race someone asks me what my name means,” he laughs. For those unaware, the Belgian’s surname translates from Middle Dutch into English as “pull down your pants”. You can see why he’s regularly asked about it. “It’s the fault of my father, eh! Nothing to do with me!” As for the pronunciation? Less comical, but definitely a struggle to say: uurt-de-brooks. And, yes, Cian is an Irish name, pronounced kee-uhn. The provocative name seems to fit the young Visma-Lease a Bike rider, given the titillating intrigue surrounding him. No, he has not been caught with his pants down, even in the metaphorical sense, but his career so far has been nothing if not attentiongrabbing. The wild ride continues this…

NAIRO QUINTANA34 | Movistar | Col It’s 10 years since Quintana became the first Colombian to win the Giro d’Italia, but it will take an almighty effort for him to repeat the feat this time around. This will be his first Grand Tour since he was stripped of his sixth place finish at the 2022 Tour de France after tramadol was found in his blood samples. Upon returning to Movistar in the winter following a year away from the WorldTour, he has struggled for form and crashed out of the Volta a Catalunya. But he’s recovered and has a point to prove. THYMEN ARENSMAN24 | Ineos Grenadiers | Ned Ineos Grenadiers favour a multi-pronged approach in three-week races, and Dutchman Arensman will be sharing leadership duties with Geraint Thomas. Sixth on…

Fizik has expanded its adaptive range to include the Antares. A popular shape for years with amateurs and pros alike, the low-profile saddle has now received the 3D printed treatment. Here the padding is created via digital light synthesis technology, an adaptive manufacturing process that uses programmable liquid resins. The end product is a saddle featuring what the Italian brand calls ‘multiple functional zones’; essentially each of these is designed to deliver different levels of cushioning, such as a softer central area that replaces a traditional cut-out. The result, says Fizik, improves weight distribution and reduces pressure by 60%, making for a more comfortable ride. “THE DESIGN REDUCES PRESSURE BY 60%” While the Antares shape, favoured by the likes of Wout van Aert, remains, the nose is now slightly flatter…

The week: 15-21 April Location: Girona and the Ardennes Training for: Liège-Bastogne-Liège Derek Gee took last year’s Giro d’Italia by the scruff of the neck and overnight – well, over three weeks – became a Grand Tour sensation. An unprecedented run of consistency earned the 26-year-old Canadian no fewer than four second places, as well as two fourths during the Italian stage race – a run of ‘luck’ that elicited one of the quotes of the season: “I think it will be hard to repeat a Giro like this,” said Gee, “but luckily I left myself room to improve by not winning anything.” Will the Israel-Premier Tech rider become a modern-day ‘eternal second’ or can he pick up a WorldTour win this year? Having sustained a broken collarbone at Omloop…

While I may have been a little young to understand the full romance of the Tour de France during the Armstrong era, I never understood the sentiment that it was boring just because of Lance’s dominance. As a teenager I suppose you still love the idea of superheroes rather than cheering on and supporting the underdog. Maybe the years of supporting West Brom has since made me favour the idea of the lower-ranked team or athlete in the hope they pull off the unexpected, or maybe like the rest of the fan base I’ve just become cynical. But right now, as we approach the Giro d’Italia, I don’t see who you can realistically support as a GC underdog in the fight against Tadej Pogačar. His dominance in Strade Bianche and…

I would be surprised if Emma Finucane and Sophie Capewell (Ready For Lift Off, CW 18 April) were allowed to guzzle coffee the way they claim. Most pros try and stop drinking coffee after 4pm and some like Tao Geoghagen-Hart stop consuming after 2pm. I can remember the advice from an elderly senior Belgian pro many years ago who advised that he would only drink coffee on the day of competition when it would give the most benefit, including from a psychological point of view. In any case, what do I know… I think we all would wish every member of the team representing GB the very best of health and fitness. Ed – Maybe they only consume all their caffeine in the morning, which is when our interview with…

Kristof Meul, a journalist for Belgium’s national broadcaster Sporza, describes the Cian Uijtdebroeks he has got to know over many interviews “The first time I met Cian was in May 2021 when I went to the Ardennes to make a TV report about Belgium’s best junior climbers. When I arrived, I was told that Cian wasn’t there yet as he was riding for an extra hour before the group ride. He then rode with the group, but when they returned he went back out for another 30 minutes. “When he eventually finished riding, we wanted to interview him outside but it was raining. I explained to him why, for us, the visuals and audio would be better on the terrace. He listened and said, ‘OK, we go outside’. I had…

TADEJ POGAČAR 25 | UAE | Slo Giro starts: 0 Best GC result: N/A Best stage result: N/A Tadej Pogačar is no stranger to being the favourite for a bike race. At pretty much every event the UAE Team Emirates rider lines up for, he is the one to watch. With a 60% win rate so far in 2024 – 10 opportunities, six wins – you can see why. Heavy is the head that wears the crown, to misquote Shakespeare, but on Pogačar’s head, that crown – or helmet – appears light. The 25-year-old Slovenian simply rides away from everyone else, with apparent ease. It is entirely possible that he will do the same thing at the Giro d’Italia, perhaps even more easily, given the absence of his bête noire…

SWASHBUCKLING STAGE HOPE JULIAN ALAPHILIPPE 31 | Soudal Quick-Step | Fra Making his Giro debut, the former two-time world champion recently revealed that he raced through the spring Classics with a fractured knee. Bludgeoned by public criticism from his Soudal Quick-Step manager Patrick Lefevere, the Frenchman has struggled for race-winning form in the past two seasons, but he has the skillset to at least win a stage. TIME TRIAL ACE FILIPPO GANNA, 27 | Ineos Grenadiers | Ita Remarkably for a man deemed the best time triallist in the world, the Hour record holder has only won one of his past five time trials. He will, however, be the favourite to win stage 14’s TT, and his ever-expanding repertoire of sprinting and breakaway appearances points to him adding to his tally…

The Decathlon D900 Smart Trainer is a new high-end trainer from Decathlon that boasts a serious spec at a laughably low cost. It uses a 5.2kg flywheel to generate electromagnetic resistance of up to 2,000 watts and can simulate up to a 20% incline virtually. It has a claimed accuracy of +/-2%, meaning that at 200 watts it should read between 196 and 204 watts. It comes fitted with a Shimano road 8/9/10/11/12 speed compatible freehub, while a SR AM XDR hub can be purchased separately. It also features adaptors for QR 130-135 x 5 mm and Thru Axle 142-148 x 12 mm, but states that it is not compatible with the Cervelo P5 or the Cube Attain. The total weight is 20.5kg, but there is a carry handle at…

TIME TRIALS SUNDAY, 28 APRIL CTT National Road Bike Championships 22.4 (Glatton, Cambridgeshire): 1. George Fox (George Fox Cycling Solutions) 46.28 2. A. Dowsett (Nopinz) 47.09 3. A. Pickering (Elysium Kalas Race Team) 47.24 4. M. Mottram (Ribble Cycles) 47.39 5. J. Jenkins (Hart Performance Coaching) 47.54 6. P. Burton (Paceline RT) 48.11 Women: 1. Laura Davies (Jadan Vive le Velo) 54.48 2. J. Brewis (Sheffrec CC) 55.32 3. R. Richardson (Team Lifting Gear Products) 55.36 4. M. Denman (Stolen Goat Race Team) 55.39 5. S. Bird (Vanelli-Project GO) 56.52 6. J. Harcourt (Fulfil the Potential Race Team) 57.14 Junior Boys: Benjamin Cousins (Verulam-Really Moving) 54.53 Junior Girls: Maia Howell (Matlock CC) 58.07 Kernow Racing Team 10 (Probus, Cornwall): 1. Tom Scorer (Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA) 21.44 2. O.…

I was recently lucky enough to buy a new bike. This addition to the family did, however, cause a certain amount of domestic strain. I made the rookie error of putting it in the living room for a bit after it arrived so that I could admire it, which made denying its existence harder. “Is that another bloody bike? Really?” said Mrs. Doc. “I haven’t bought a new bike in years,” I replied. “You bought a new bike last June.” “I certainly did not. Don’t be ridiculous.” “Yes, you did. The black one.” “I didn’t buy a black bike. I don’t even own a black bike.” Mrs. Doc led me to the bike store and pointed at an awfully nice, one-year-old, black bike. “Ah, no, that’s a time trial bike.…

Rapha shuts US office Rapha has closed its US office in Arkansas and laid off six out of eight members of staff. The brand cited “strategic realignment and market dynamics”, though one anonymous employee told Velo the terminations were due to ‘non-performance reasons’ and came as a surprise to the office, which had already experienced one round of redundancies. Van Rysel opens store at Surrey Quays Van Rysel has opened its first flagship store, situated within its parent company’s Decathlon outlet at Surrey Quays, London. The brand’s new RCR WorldTour replica machine has taken cycling by storm over the past week with its £9,000 price tag – relatively affordable for a pro-level bike. “This is what we consider a fair price for people to enjoy the thrill of speed,” said…

Cian Uijtdebroeks’s discontent at Bora-Hansgrohe was an open secret last autumn, but no one expected the news that arrived on the morning of Saturday, 9 December, that he had signed a four-year deal with Visma-Lease a Bike. Bora immediately rebutted the announcement, stating that “Cian is and will remain” a member of the team and that he was “contractually bound with us until 31 December, 2024.” Uijtdebroeks’s management, however, had a different version: they claimed that his contract with Bora terminated on 1 December. With court papers being readied and both teams trading contradictory and harsh words, the rigmarole prompted other team managers to criticise the move: in cycling, teams can’t sign riders from each other like they do in other sports, because contracts are fixed and cannot be broken.…

CBD, or cannabidiol, is a non-intoxicating compound found in cannabis plants, marketed widely for its potential therapeutic benefits. It’s reported to have some effervescent-like effects on the body’s endocannabinoid system; that’s the part that regulates various functions including mood, sleep, appetite, and pain. Unlike THC, another compound in cannabis, CBD doesn’t produce a ‘high’. Some research suggests CBD may alleviate anxiety, reduce inflammation, alleviate pain, and help with epilepsy – though much of this is up for debate, as we’ll see. The popularity of cannabidiol has surged in recent years, leading to various CBD-infused products like oils, edibles, and topical gels. But scientific evidence supporting its many claims is still evolving, and regulation of CBD products varies from country to country. What’s in it for cyclists? CBD has been touted…

The men’s side of the Classics this season was dominated by two riders and one tactic. The riders were Tadej Pogačar and Mathieu van der Poel, and the tactic was the boringly long solo break. Don’t misunderstand me – I’m still very impressed by both of them. We’re talking about two of the most effective riders the sport has ever seen, who can win across different terrain, different races, and different disciplines. They can not only deploy a long, boring break under the most unpromising of circumstances, they can win sprints, mountain stages, cross races and probably would have what it takes to win the world cycle-ball championships if only anyone knew the rules. I don’t for a second think it’s easy to be that good. And yes, I feel…