Innehållsförteckning för Issue 59 från Cyclist Australia

As we write this welcome letter, the 2022 UCI Road World Championships are under way in Wollongong – truly a momentous occasion in the story of Australian cycling. Melbourne’s Grace Brown has already given local fans something to cheer about as she claims silver in the Women’s Elite Individual Time Trial, finishing +12.73 behind the Netherlands’ Ellen Van Dijk. In the Men’s Elite and Under 23 races, it’s a Norwegian wave as Tobias Foss and Soren Waerenskjold take out their own respective races. We won’t know the outcomes of the Women’s and Men’s Elite Road Races before this issue fires off to print. We begged our production and distribution team to let us stall as long as possible while still hitting our deadlines, but twice the amount of usual public…

$129.95 (R17), $119.95 (R11), $109.95 (R5), apollobikes.com/accessories/zefal Fitting large saddle bags to a road or gravel bike has become the done thing in terms of cycling adventure as doing so alleviates the need for heavy racks and unsightly rack bosses. Zefal, meanwhile, has a history of making high-quality products at an affordable price – and their Z Adventure bike bag series is no different. The three sizes on offer are the R17, R11 and R5 which, as the names would suggest, hold either 17, 11 or five litres of gear respectively, making them a viable option for overnighters or full-on bike packing holidays. Zefal’s bags are lightweight (the R5 comes in at 400g) and the heat-sealed e construction and clever materials–amix of polyester, thermoplastic polyurethane and hypalon – gives the…

If you’re a cyclist who uses social media, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Hammerhead’s Karoo 2. The Brooklyn-based company has been popping up via my Facebook and Instagram algorithms for a few months now, so when given the opportunity to get my hands on one, I was fascinated to see how it compared to the Wahoo and Garmin devices that currently dominate the market. Maybe it’s just me, but I often find new products like this can be a bit fiddly and can take hours to set up. So, when I discover a new bike computer that’s simple to use, it’s a big tick. And that was my first impression of the Karoo 2. Firstly, it doesn’t require an app. I was amazed when, after I turned on…

Pain de sportif is a brioche baked with dried fruits and nuts, and one most deserving of its name and favour among the cyclists of the Savoie department. Because here is where giants rub shoulders, where Croix de Fer faces off with the Galibier as Iseran looks on, Petit Saint-Bernard at her heel. This part of France requires dense calories, and that’s precisely where any rider looking to tackle this month’s Classic Climb, the Cormet de Roselend, should begin: ordering a slice of pain de sportif from Beaufort’s favourite bakery, Pouilloux Boulangerie. Beaufort, of course, is most famous for its cheese, and though it seems desperately unlikely as you sit on your top tube just shaded by Pouilloux’s red awnings, you’d swear you can detect a pungent bass note to…

1 Factor Ostro VAM p134 Aero all-rounders face the huge task of reconciling aerodynamics and lightness, yet the Ostro VAM makes it look easy. Here’s how Factor did it. 2 Lapierre Xelius SL p138 The French brand’s long-serving race bike has some new tricks on show for the riders at Groupama-FDJ – not that you have to be a pro to enjoy them. 3 Trek FX+ p142 Trek’s lightweight city e-bike caters to the commuter with impressive manoeuvrability and little hassle carrying up and down stairs.…

Cyclist Australia/NZ reviews often feature the most premium bikes on the planet. Bikes for the aesthete, which promise performance benefits or offer greater adventure capabilities. So, why the Trek FX+? Although well-finished, its robust aluminium frame won’t capture the imagination of readers. Its flat handlebars could be fitted to almost any bike priced from about $500 and up. Its nine-speed Altus groupset wouldn’t excite too many, either. And at 18kg, you wouldn’t ask your worst enemy to race it at your local crit circuit. However, I would argue this bike could change the world more than anything else we’ve reviewed – and it could certainly alter your life for the better. E-bikes are now commonplace in urban areas (and on mountain bike tracks) around the world. The concept of Trek’s…

In the hyper-refined world of performance bikes, we’re used to seeing incremental gains from one iteration to another, but rarely do new designs come with such a comprehensive list of claimed improvements as the Giant Propel. The affirmations here are particularly notable given the old design was hardly substandard – it achieved success under multiple WorldTour teams. Yet the last Propel did have its foibles, such as its unsightly and fiddly cockpit and a fairly burly construction. But if the claims are to be believed, the manufacturer has made many more changes than just cleaning up the front end. Giant says when built up with sister brand Cadex’s Ultra 50 Disc wheels and Aero 25mm tyres, the new Propel saves over six watts at 40kmh compared to the old Propel,…

$649.95, brytonsport.com.au At first glance, the Bryton S800 looks to offer similar features to other bike computers. It weighs 106g (claimed), offers more data than you could ever hope to crunch, and has climb-specific features and different bike profiles, as well as maps and navigation. But what makes the S800 stand out are its display and battery life. The new Bryton has a 3.4-inch colour screen and a claimed 36-hour battery life. This might not sound overly impressive, but it is the clever way the two work together to maximise the device’s potential that deserves attention. Bryton uses a technology called ‘memory in pixel’ (MIP) in the screen that lowers power consumption by only refreshing the pixels in the display that need to be changed. This combination promises to give…

$119.99 (for a pair), fesports.com.au Some people swear by tubeless tyres, but not even the more ardent supporter could look you in the eye and say they are problem-proof. However, tubeless inserts are making tubeless tyres even more reliable than tubed ones, giving a rider the option to get home on a flat if they are stranded. Which brings us to the EVO Road from Tubolight. Designed for 28-32c tyres, it gives a rider the safety net of knowing they can ride on a deflated tyre without damaging their rim. The insert sits over and outside the rim bead to help avoid tyre burping, while lateral stability is also improved. Pros love them because they have the benefits of running lower pressures on rough terrain (think Paris-Roubaix) without the dangers…

The Port Douglas Gran Fondo Festival took place on 9-11 September 2022 with over 1,000 riders enjoying picture-perfect conditions in stunning Tropical North Queensland. Here are just a small selection of photos from this fantastic new addition to the Australian cycling calendar, which allows participants to ride along the iconic Great Barrier Reef Drive. Dates for the 2023 event are already locked in, so mark down the weekend of 8-10 September 2023 for the second edition, which will doubtless be even bigger and better.…

When I arrive at Mount Hotham, I’m already feeling exhausted. A quick back-story for you: I’m an event coordinator for Bicycle Network by trade. It’s March 2022, and I’ve just finished up at Peaks Challenge Falls Creek, a long week of sleepless nights and 20,000+ steps a day in steel cap boots to help deliver another epic edition of one of the Victorian High Country’s best events. After seven days of work just over the valley, I’m in desperate need of a hot shower, a good meal and a comfortable bed, because over the next two days, I’m about to push myself even harder – but this time on the bike, tackling two of the high country’s famous 7 Peaks, Mount Hotham and Dinner Plain. I’m really looking forward to…

It’s Saturday afternoon and teams pile into the Théâtre Luxembourg; the room is alive with chatter, the gathered throng a mass of excited energy. ‘We’ve been waiting for this for so long,’ says FDJ’s Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, her anticipation visible despite the Covid mask covering half her face. ‘It’s a dream come true.’ And what a long dream it has been. Tomorrow, 144 riders will line up in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower for the first stage of the Tour de France Femmes, 33 years after women’s cycling last had its own Grand Boucle. Yes, in years past there have been women’s stage races in France, but not since 1989 has there been an official women’s Tour de France – that is, one backed by Tour organiser ASO. ‘I…

‘Well you can run all you like but the rules state you have got to have your bike with you. He hasn’t got his bike.’ ‘Well this I have never, ever seen before.’ ‘Neither have I, but you’ve got to carry your bike, you can’t just go for a hike up the country lanes of Mont Ventoux.’ ‘Well this is bizarre, this Tour de France…’ Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggett can’t believe their eyes: with just two kilometres to go until the Giant’s scree-slope finish, a TV moto unexpectedly braking causes Richie Porte, Chris Froome and Bauke Mollema to pile into the back. Porte is able to wrestle his chain back on while Mollema disentangles himself, but Froome’s bike is finished. And so he runs. And runs. It’s an enduring…

The aero all-rounder category has become the vanguard of most brands’ ranges and the default choice of most pro teams. After all, drag even affects how fast you climb a mountain. But so does weight, and aero bikes tend to be heavier because they have more complex tube shapes. Reconciling lightness and aerodynamics is the big challenge, then, which is where the Factor Ostro VAM comes in. ‘In any new project, we use a ranking system for aero, lightness and comfort,’ says Factor’s owner, Rob Gitelis. ‘The Ostro had a very clear goal – to be the most aero 780g frame. We set the weight budget, then chased aero. Then it had to move forward in other areas, such as fully internal cabling.’ The Ostro’s frame profiles are derived from…

Chris Boardman once explained to me how I could make myself faster by the way I shaved my legs. ‘You can shave in a certain way so that you leave your legs rough down the front edge but smooth at the side, creating an aerodynamic effect. Aerodynamics is really important,’ he said. Human beings are a really crappy shape – a collection of tubes ostensibly – and 90% of the energy you produce on a bike goes towards pushing the air out of the way, so anything you can do to reduce drag has got to be a good thing.’ Personally, I wouldn’t let Boardman anywhere near my razor or any other sharp objects. This is the man who, after being appointed British Cycling’s director of research and development in…

Pre-orders available from $4,999, thule.com/en-au Rooftop tents are perfect for riding adventures outside of the city sprawl. After all, when you’ve spent the better part of the day exploring your latest new destination, who really wants to spend another few hours driving home? Enter Thule and their latest release, the Approach, which will make your next overnight stay in the great outdoors more comfortable and more enjoyable. The Approach comes with a comfortable dual-density mattress and an outward-angled entrance that maximises interior space. Lockable mounting brackets make it easy to install. Our favourite features, though, are the panoramic skylights and windows, which let you look towards the sky while still keeping your protected from the rain – because when you’re in the wilderness, nothing beats gazing up at the stars.…

The tubeless car tyre was invented in 1952 and three years later was the industry standard, especially for performance vehicles. The tubeless bike tyre was invented in 1999 and three years later… no one was using it. Not in road cycling anyway. Mountain biking yes – the Hutchinson-Mavic UST system (Universal Systeme Tubeless) was beginning to catch on, but it was really only last year that tubeless road tyres made headway with the pros – Lizzie Deignan and Sonny Cobrelli won their respective Paris-Roubaix races on tubeless (a feat repeated this year by Elisa Longo Borghini and Dylan van Baarle). And this baffles me, because if you look at it objectively, tubeless tyres are better than clinchers and tubulars. First up, tubeless is faster. According to bicyclerollingresistance.com, the fastest road…

Ben O’Connor Age 26 Born Perth Team AG2R-Citroën Notable results 2022 1st, Tour du Jura 3rd, Critérium du Dauphiné 5th, Tour de Romandie 2021 4th overall, Tour de France, 1st Stage 9 2020 20th overall, Giro d’Italia, 1st Stage 17 Cyclist: Firstly, congratulations on your podium place at the Dauphiné. How are you feeling about your form this season? Ben O’Connor: Thanks. There’s always going to be a gap to Jonas Vingegaard and Primož Roglič, but I didn’t expect to be literally in between them and the next guys. If you’re with the best in the world it’s really cool to know that if you improve you’re going to be fighting for wins. It was a resounding success. Cyc: Is there more to come? BO: I thought last year, after…

Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour because he was the strongest rider, right? Of course he did, but a new study in journal Nature, ‘Frontal neurons driving competitive behaviour and ecology of social groups’, might well show who wins is also down to social hierarchy. The study looked at large groups of mice as they foraged for food, with researchers wirelessly tracking neuronal activities as the mice ‘competed’ for resources. A part of the brain called the anterior cingulate was linked to gathering information about social ranking and information about available food, environment and past success. Further analysis demonstrated how outcome to competition affected social ranking – mice rose up the pecking order if they were successful – and how this ‘perceived’ social ranking affected future outcomes. ‘Using neuromodulation techniques,’ the…

Heat hurts. We don’t mean the pain of sunburn but rather the physiological and psychological pain you can feel from riding in extreme heat. It’s a paradox of cycling. We spend all winter moaning about the cold, only for the weather to leave us feeling like our clothes have been glued on when the sun finally shows its face. Thankfully there are things you can do to perform at your best and recover without melting into a puddle. I just need to drink a lot, right? Hydration is critical – and complex. The idea that we should all be necking two litres of water per day is no longer considered accurate and has been replaced by formulae depending on your sex and weight. For men it’s your bodyweight in kilos…

The intense heat continues to rise across Europe as 159 hardy souls line up at the start line in Briançon. Four hours, 55 minutes and 24 seconds later in the western Alps, the Alpe finds itself a new champion. I follow it all, perched on the back of a motorbike, camera in hand, sweat dripping from my brow, bend after 21 bend. Today’s stage is one of those that gets described as ‘for the ages’. It is glorious. But in a twist of fate I’m not here to follow the day’s action but rather to document it through the eyes of the fans that help make it so special. Playing chicken It’s early in the day and my trusty moto-pilot Phil and I travel the course avant. The riders have…

Lapierre is about as experienced as a bike brand gets, having been building frames in every genre for more than 75 years. The French brand also has one of the longest partnerships at the top level of road cycling, as sponsor of the various incarnations of what is now Groupama-FDJ for 20 years. For more than half that time the Xelius has been one of the team’s chosen race bikes, fulfilling the role of lightweight all-rounder. Indeed, while Lapierre does offer road bikes that fit into each of the three usual categories – endurance, lightweight and aero – its stance is more skewed than its rivals’ in the sense that its endurance Pulsium and aero Aircode bikes occupy specialist niches, whereas the Xelius is the first port of call for…