Innehållsförteckning för November 21, 2024 från Cycling Weekly

British Continental team Saint Piran insisted that riders trying to join the squad pay £500 for their data to be analysed by an external coaching provider, and have asked riders to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before joining. New riders are being asked to purchase what is described as a “performance test review” via the Saint Piran Service Course section of the team’s website, the online arm of general manager Richard Pascoe’s Cornwall-based bike shop. Third-party disavowal The initial listing said that the service was provided by Holohan Coaching. However, the company told Cycling Weekly that, while it had previously carried out data analysis work for Saint Piran, it was no longer involved with the team. Saint Piran are currently under UCI investigation after CW revealed that the team had…

Continuing his build into the cyclo-cross season, Thomas Mein stamped his authority of the National Trophy series at Torbay Velo Park in Paignton. Mein is unbeaten on the domestic scene this season, having won rounds one and two of the series. The North-East based Hope Factory Racing rider travelled to the opposite end of the country for the series’ third round. Mein met a quartet of Spectra Racing p/b DAS riders who were determined to test the former national champion. Jenson Young attacked on the opening lap and team-mates Toby and Daniel Barnes allowed the gap to grow. However, Mein paced himself back across to the lone leader before taking the front. As Young faded from his earlier effort, Toby Barnes kept the pressure on the leader and matched his…

1 How can a cyclist make their riding more sustainable? It’s great we’re discussing transportation’s environmental impact, where emissions are still rising. For cyclists, avoiding car ownership is a key step, as the embodied emissions from manufacturing a car are significant. An e-bike can often replace a second car, helping reduce our carbon footprint. In our household, we use one car and rely on an e-bike for much of our transportation, which has significantly lowered our environmental impact. 2 Electric cars are often hailed as the solution to environmental issues, but you disagree? While electric cars reduce operational emissions, they don’t address the underlying issues with our car-dominated society. They still require substantial resources to produce, and they don’t tackle the problems of traffic, road safety, or the space cars…

Riders haul their bikes up a snowy hillside above Sunderland, in a 1986 new year’s cyclo-cross race. Those same riders might have stood a chance of staying on their bikes with today’s lower gears and improved tyres, but with the technology of the time, carrying the bike was the only way to the top. Such luxurious coatings of the white stuff are also becoming less common, even up in Sunderland. But anyone ancient enough to remember the Eighties (cough..) will recall that thick snow was a regular occurrence in winter, wherever in the UK you happened to live. The exact location in the photo isn’t clear (suggestions on a postcard, please), although it has been suggested that it could be Hetton Lyons Park – a popular cyclo-cross venue that hosted…

Little Tub You can see how small the track at the Kuipke in Ghent is, with the crowd and adverts all crammed in on the final day of the ever-popular Six Day. The 166m track was rebuilt after a fire in the 1960s. Duck duck go Fans wear beanies in the colour of cyclo-cross competition sponsors X2O while Zoe Bäckstedt of Canyon-SRAM powers her way along a narrow section at the Flandriencross in Hamme last weekend. Powering on Lewis King of the ROTOR Race Team leans in on his way to victory in the 50-59 veteran category at round 9.5 of the Central Cyclo-Cross League at the Buckingham Railway Centre last Sunday. Head first Bob Shebest of Point Positive Coaching loses control through a muddy section at round six of…

It took just a threeminute conversation for Pete Kennaugh to seal his new job at Astana-Qazaqstan, who he will join as a sports director next season. “It was around the last week of the Tour de France,” he told Cycling Weekly. “I met Vino [Alexandre Vinokourov, team manager] on the second rest day. I briefly met him for three minutes, which Vasilis [Anastopoulos], the head of performance at Astana, set up. I was obviously working on the Tour, I’d just finished the [ITV] highlights show, and just ran to the Astana bus as quickly as I could.” That rushed meeting was the culmination of a plan hatched months before. A two-time road race national champion, Kennaugh has spent the last three years as a sports director with British Continental team…

There’s an assumption among cyclists that riding a bike is as green as a gardener’s thumb. And it’s true, to an extent. Environmentally speaking, bikes are significantly more sustainable than cars, trains or planes, both in the way they’re manufactured and the way we use them. But let’s not be fooled into thinking our pedalpowered companions come without a carbon footprint of their own. From the moment the materials are extracted from the earth, to the final time we swing our leg over the saddle, our bikes come with an environmental cost. To find out how to minimise that, CW spoke to three experts, all involved in cycling, and all passionate about our planet’s future. Here are the steps they urge all of us to take to leave as little…

Cycling has long been regarded as the exemplar of a non-polluting, efficient mode of transport. But the manufacture of carbon-fibre race bikes is no more friendly to our climate than any other energy-intensive production process. High curing temperatures that demand tremendous energy use, large manufacturing facilities, and a lack of recycling, are all to blame. Thankfully, though, the latter is starting to change. The likes of Fusion fibre, Hunt, and others have started to move into the world of recyclable carbon fibre. The jackpot, of course, would be to make a fully recycled carbon-fibre frame, but due to the limitations of the recycling process, it’s unclear whether this will ever be possible. Traditional carbon fibre is generally non-recyclable due to the resin being too difficult to break down once it…

We all want to do our bit to combat the climate crisis, and choosing greener foods is one small step that can make a significant difference. Eating sustainably is key to mitigating global warming and averting climate change, since one third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the food system. Of all the freshwater used by humans, 70% goes to agriculture. Food production is also the leading cause of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and soil and water pollution. There are ever more mouths to feed – according to the UN, food production may struggle to meet the demands of the global population by 2050. As cyclists, we have big appetites, and that’s even more reason to slow our consumption of the earth’s resources. The good news is that small changes…

Ride Revolution Coaching celebrated a one-two in the latest round of the Central Cyclo-Cross League in Buckinghamshire, with Matthew Wilson taking the win in the senior men’s race, 29 seconds clear of team-mate Jake Hales. Meanwhile, in the women’s race, Team Empella veteran Gemma Felstead was over two minutes clear of Ellen Bennett (Brother UK-Team OnForm). Weaver Valley CC staged round eight of the North West League at the Cheshire Showground, where espoir duo Joe Thorpe and Henry Hunter dominated. Ribble-rechrg rider Thorpe crossed the line just 2.8 seconds ahead of Kendal CC’s Hunter, while in the women’s race the promoting club’s Louise Mainwaring was over a minute and a half clear of Holly Bradbrook (Team Enable). Matthew Ellis stormed to victory at round eight of the Lincolnshire League staged…

Frank Carpenter began building frames some time in the 1920s, working out of a shop in North London with his father, Henry, before moving to Surrey towards the end of World War II. Here he remained, making handbuilt lightweights until his retirement. The Olympic Pursuit frameset seems to date back to the late 1950s or early ’60s; there’s reference to both the Olympic Pursuit and Olympic M.S (Mass Start) in an advertisement from 1961 and it features in catalogues from this period, which promote the model as being “used in World Championships and Olympic Games” and as “a classic example of the master craftsman”. The artistry here is clear. Built using Reynolds 531 tubing, it features a 73° parallel design. A 54cm seat tube, and 56cm top tube, place the…

We hear all too often that cycling, and more specifically road racing, is in ‘crisis’ in the UK. The warning lights are definitely on, with races and organisers disappearing off the calendar, and factors like 20mph speed limits making it harder to put on events. In August, cycling’s governing body in Wales, Beicio Cymru, said that road racing is in an “unsustainable” situation in the country. British Cycling is yet to say similar, but something clearly has to be done. However, despite this, there are green shoots for the sport across the country. Cyclo-cross is booming, often with too many riders rather than too few being the issue, and there are organisers and races that are doing interesting things. As such, we thought it was the right time to take…

Spectra Racing p/b DAS rode the perfect race as Anna Flynn clinched a solo victory in Paignton. Mountain bike specialist Flynn was looking to improve on her third place in the previous National Trophy round at South Shields and used the flowing course to her advantage as she rode clear. Series leader Alderney Baker had won the first two rounds of the series but was well aware of the threat Spectra Racing p/b DAS posed at Torbay Velo Park. Buoyed from finishing runner-up in the previous round, Xan Crees (Spectra Racing p/b DAS) led from the start and looked to gap her rivals in the early stages. Flynn and Alice Colling followed (Shibden Cycling Club), with Baker further back in the leading pack. “IT’S MY FIRST ELITE NATIONAL CX WIN……

Poor roads and lack of cycling infrastructure, plus inconsiderate vehicle drivers, are a large part of the problem. I’ve been cycling all my life and now find it hard to recommend to people. Bill Ord Perhaps they, and other retailers, are pricing themselves out of the market? Not everyone can afford to pay thousands for a bike, nor do they need top-spec carbon frames and electric gears. They are looking at the secondhand market instead. Rob Loasby Halfords aren’t all bad. They have some decent brands (Voodoo and Boardman with good components) that provide well-priced bikes. I’ve used their mechanics on occasions and they’ve been fine. They also price-match, so I’m not jumping in on the hate. Will Scale Perhaps it’s because when you do manage to find someone working…

As a means of transport, cycling has a low environmental impact, but the same can’t be said for mass cycling events. While studying sustainability at university, I heard professional road racing described as “a traffic jam with a bunch of cyclists in the middle”, which set me thinking about my own road racing. Although an amateur race generates nowhere near the emissions of a WorldTour race, the hundreds of events nationwide each year do have a cost on the environment. So what can we do to reduce our emissions? Assessing the environmental impact of sport is the world I live and breathe. I’m the sustainability officer at Exeter City Football Club and an MSc student in Exeter University’s flagship Global Sustainability Solutions programme. I’ve been a competitive road cyclist for…

The fourth Cannondale Supersix Evo platform is nearing its second birthday, yet it remains one of the top competitors in the race bike space, and for good reason. The Supersix franchise has built a reputation for offering nimble handling, and class-leading ride quality. The last two iterations saw the slim tubes from the Peter Sagan era traded out for a more aerodynamically oriented race bike, which the likes of Ben Healey (EF Education) have used to great effect over the last 12 months. But this isn’t the pro spec Lab 71 edition, instead we have the standard Evo 3, which has plenty of trickle-down tech from the brand’s much more expensive options, and therefore seeks to offer better value over outright performance. CONSTRUCTION The Cannondale SuperSix Evo 3, positioned as…

You will need: 75g oats75g mixture of sunflower and pumpkin seeds10 pitted Medjool or soft dates (180g)1 ½ tbsp cacao or cocoa powder1 tbsp honey or maple syrup1 tbsp peanut butter75g dark chocolate chips (or chopped dark chocolate)3 tbsp water Method: • Place the oats in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until finely ground. • Add the seeds, dates, cacao powder, honey and peanut butter and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together. Add the water and chocolate chips and pulse again. • Turn the mixture out and press or roll between two sheets of baking paper to 1cm thickness. Cut into eight bars. Alternatively, roll into bitesize balls. Store in the fridge for up to five days. • To take on a…