Innehållsförteckning för September 12, 2024 från Cycling Weekly

British Cycling CEO Jon Dutton praised the team behind this year’s Tour of Britain, who he said worked around the clock in order to ensure the race was held. The national federation took control of the event in February after the collapse of its previous organiser. With only months to prepare, British Cycling quickly formed an in-house team who guaranteed the race and its women’s equivalent, which took place in June. Speaking to CW, Dutton said the sight of thousands of spectators along the roadside, Olympic-medal-winning riders on the startline, and the willingness of local authorities to host stages, showed an appetite for the race on home soil. “It was quite astonishing really, what we had to go through to put this race on,” he said. “But we believed in…

The Tour de France Femmes is the most highly anticipated race of the year, and with this year’s Grand Départ taking place in the Netherlands, with not one, but two sprint stages, it warranted an even bigger red cross on our calendar. As a Dutch team with a new Dutch sponsor, PostNL, and an incredibly fast Dutchie in the shape of Charlotte Kool, the yellow jersey was always a massive goal. We came into the race as slight underdogs, with Lorena Wiebes being the out and out favourite, meaning we could relinquish responsibility and didn’t have to control the race or chase any breaks during the day. It was just a case of staying fresh, staying out of trouble and delivering Charlotte into a position to sprint. Charlotte, Rachele [Barbieri]…

Dan’s the man at Red Bull Dan Bigham is the new head of engineering at Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe. The aerodynamics guru and recent team pursuit silver medallist will work with the team’s partners towards “optimising all aspects of performance and the integration of new and innovative technologies into cycling”. Elisa Balsamo on Instagram Elisa Balsamo’s brief stint in the yellow jersey at the Tour de Romandie on Friday was something of a Top Trumps of value supermarkets as the Italian found herself in her Lidl jersey in front of an Aldi backdrop. 400 The number of kilometres that Aussie ultra-cyclist Lachlan Morton plans to ride every day to set a new ‘lap record’ for his homeland. On that schedule, it will take him five weeks to complete. “You can’t really…

At the foot of a very steep hill in the middle of the Forest of Bowland is the church of St Michael’s, where an archive of black-and-white photographs records the work of former parish priest Thomas Brangwin Reid. His name may not trip of the tongue like Sir Bradley Wiggins or Hugh Carthy but, like them, this country parson spent many hours cycling in this beautiful and lumpy patch of Lancashire. Whereas Wiggins did his winter training here on the way to his historic victory in the 2012 Tour, and a teenage Carthy honed his climber’s physique on the local hills before joining the professional peloton, the Reverend ‘Tommy’ often cycled up to 60 miles a week, battling winter weather and steep gradients on the way to the remote, rural…

John Archibald is a rider who came to prominence as part of the HUUB Wattbike Test Team. With aerodynamics paramount on the track, it should come as no surprise that five years on, Archibald’s road time trial bike showcases incredible attention to detail and, of course, some of the fastest aero technology. The Scot’s time trial weapon of choice is a custom build, the heart of which is a Cervélo P5 frameset. It’s not the bang-up-to-date model released at this year’s Tour de France, but it’s still an undeniably fast frameset. Frame, fork, seatpost, and basebar all come from the Canadian outfit, but from there on in, it’s custom gear. The front of a TT bike is by far and away the most important part of the bike to get…

We all know that cycling is a ticket to better health, no matter your age. Whether you’re a young racer chasing glory or a seasoned rider whose racing days are behind you, the bike is a boon mentally and physically. But for those of us still pushing the limits – whether in races or just long rides with our mates – there’s no escaping the truth: age eventually catches up with us. What are the changes taking place inside our bodies as the years roll by, and how do they affect our cycling performance? Let’s explore what ageing really means for a cyclist and how to keep striving to stay at our best no matter how many candles on the birthday cake. The phrase ‘age is just a number’ is…

If you wanted to aptly convey the appeal of classic road bikes to the uninitiated, then the Colnago Super would be the ideal model on which to argue your point. The bike, in production from 1968 until the late 1980s, possesses all the necessary characteristics. Aesthetically pleasing, it boasts both a groundbreaking frame design and a serious racing pedigree with a wonderful back story. Certainly the Super is one of the most influential race bikes in history. Ernesto Colnago wanted to create a cutting-edge machine for serious racers. To achieve this he blended super-light Columbus SL tubing with a compact design that was noticeably different to other race bikes of this era; the lower head tube made for a more aggressive riding position, while the shorter chainstays helped to create…

All spread out The bunch sprint is as wide as the road at La Choralis Fourmies Féminine, as Silvia Zanardi (Human Powered Health) triumphs. Behind her, on the right of the photo, is Britain’s Cat Ferguson (Movistar), second on her pro debut. The end of summer The breakaway on stage 18 of the Vuelta a España passes by fields of dead sunflowers in the Basque Country. Despite reaching their full height, these sunflowers have not been picked. Next year, maybe. Double trouble Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy, piloted by Linda Kelly, battles GB’s Sophie Unwin, piloted by Jenny Holl, in the women’s B road race at the Paralympics. The latter pair would go on to win by three seconds. Imposing bricks Vufflens Castle stands out in its brick magnificence as the peloton…

Momentum is crucial in cycling. Whatever someone’s skill, form or results, once it starts to swing one way, it is hard to stop. Harder to reverse it. Yet it is impossible to quantify. At this year’s Vuelta a España, it was clear which way the impetus was moving. There was an inevitability about Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) overhauling Ben O’Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale). It was always coming. At the start of the final week, the latter had 1:03 over the former. On stage 16 that had been whittled down to five seconds, but it took until stage 19 to Alto de Moncalvillo for Roglič to finally take back the red jersey which he had effectively lent to O’Connor on stage six. The Slovenian then held on to Madrid, extending his…

The only thing carbon is the best at is making aerodynamic tube shapes. It probably does beat steel if you need maximum stiffness and lightweight, but that’s really only something pros will benefit from. Brann MacFinnchad I’ve got carbon, stainless steel and alloy bikes. My last lightweight alloy bike was probably the nicest I’ve ridden. The steel is different, but not as comfortable. Titanium for me next. Stephen Malaney I have an old-fashioned steel bike, a modern steel bike, a carbon bike, an aluminum bike and a titanium bike. The aluminum bike is light but not a comfortable ride. The steel bike has the sweetest, most comfortable ride, but it is flexy. The modern steel and titanium bikes are very similar - both in weight and in feel. But with…

Kieran Wynne-Cattanach secured victory in the Buxton CC climb of Bunsall Cob in Derbyshire on Saturday, his first outing of the hill-climb season. Riding for Team Lifting Gear Products, he covered the one-mile course in 4-26 to leave in-form Andy Cunningham (Ilkley CC) in second spot by six seconds, while the promoting club’s Elizabeth Batt was fastest female. With five hill-climb wins to his name prior to Saturday’s event, Cunningham returned to winning ways on Sunday at the Border City Wheelers climb of Hartside Pass, proving 1.2 seconds quicker than reigning national champion Andrew Feather (HuntBikeWheels.com) who was making his first appearance of the season. After finishing second seven times, Marcus Cram (Muckle CC) finally took a victory at the North Tyneside Riders climb on Winter’s Gibbet in Northumberland on…

Philip Mitchell’s 1994 team De Rosa in Columbus SLX has had steady upgrades over the years and now features Campagnolo Super Record. Wheels are original Mavic Ksyriums with Vittoria CX 23mm tubulars, plus Cinelli stem and Spinacci tri-bars. It is a beautifully balanced ride, he says, adding: “It got me up Mont Ventoux some years ago.” Want us to feature your race bike? Send a pic and information to cycling@futurenet.com…

The first roundabout was built in Bath in 1768. Unfortunately it was 100 years too early for a time trial to use it as a turn. Deprived of its true purpose, it was little more than an architectural curiosity. The next roundabout was the Place de l’Etoile in Paris, built 12 years later in 1780. This is one of those magnificent 18th Century constructions with no modern equal, allowing 15 time triallists to round it in line abreast. Sadly, the Tour de France only uses it as part of a bunch race circuit once a year. Modern roundabouts started to appear in the UK in the 1960s, when it became clear that having time trials turn around a marshal standing in the middle of a main road was unacceptably reducing…

The medals continued to flow for Great Britain’s Paralympic cyclists as the Games action switched to the road last week. It was the women who led the way, with Dame Sarah Storey claiming gold and tandem crew Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl adding to their track success from last week. The road events, held at Clichy-sous-Bois just east of Paris, were not without controversy. Storey was left less than happy with the short, 14.2km course for the women’s C4-5 time trial. That was the first event of the week and, as well as the meagre distance, saw the women begin as early as 8am local time. Storey could not complain about the result, which saw the 46-year-old cover the course in 20:22.15 to take the 18th Paralympic gold medal of…

If there’s one surefire way to make your road bike both faster, and also look subjectively better, it’s a set of deep carbon wheels. Aero offers a bigger power saving than cutting weight when riding at a consistent pace on almost all terrain. As wheels are the first part of the bike to hit the air, and the last for the air to leave, their aerodynamic qualities are vital to overall performance. However, equally important is their ability to climb, accelerate and corner while providing a comfortable ride. The trend for wider tyres, of course, offers new opportunities to improve aerodynamics, rolling resistance and comfort, provided the wheels are optimised to take advantage of these growing widths. KEY CONSIDERATIONS The profile of a deep carbon rim needs to complement the…

1 Should I get a bike-fit when fitting a new saddle? Yes. The saddle is the centre of the fit universe. If you change your saddle, you have to check your saddle height and fore-aft reach because how you sit on that new saddle is going to affect all those things. Even if you replace a saddle with what you think is an identical model, it might have different foam, cover, shape, etc – all of these factors mean you should reassess your bike-fit after changing a saddle. 2 What factors should I consider when choosing a saddle? Your riding style is an important factor. The more upright you are, the more pressure you’ll feel on your sit bones. As you lean forward, more of the pressure shifts to the…

Location: Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire Web: www.ashbyivanhoe.cycling.co.uk Story of the jersey When Ashby Ivanhoe RC formed, only last year, the jersey design was started from a completely blank canvas. The chief aim was to be visible, says chairman Jonny Robinson, adding: “The jersey was actually designed by my uncle John Hoggarth, who is a graphic designer by trade.” The jersey features a few themes, including using the road from the club logo for the main pattern, while sponsor Adam Broadhurst & Son Building Contractors is incorporated into the orange line across the chest. The kit is being supplied by Shutt Velo in 2024, which has helped with some minor tweaks, says Robinson. Story of the club The club formed last January with members enjoying circuit racing, social club rides,…

John Atkins clambers over an obstacle at the British Amateur Cyclo-Cross National Championship at Crystal Palace, on 3 February 1968. While riders are often seen bunnyhopping over boards like this in modern cyclo-cross, that would have been impossible with this particular obstacle, which is far bigger than it might look at first glance. As suggested by the heads of spectators in the background, it is actually five boards high and necessitated quite a leap over the near side. A cyclo-cross race, even a national one, being sponsored by a broadsheet newspaper seems an unlikely scenario these days, but the Telegraph did so on numerous occasions, with the accoutrements stretching to a finishing gantry and another for the prize ceremony. But what is perhaps more remarkable about this event is that…