Innehållsförteckning för Issue 67 från Cyclist Australia

Atrypophobe’s* nightmare but a bike nerd’s dream, the Posedla Joyseat is a 3D printed saddle, custom crafted from an imprint of each rider’s behind. While a number of brands use 3D printing technology in their saddles, the Joyseat is unique in its customised approach, which the Czech manufacturer claims provides improved comfort via precise tailoring. ‘By combining 3D printing with customisation, we’re actually making the most of this technology,’ says Posedla co-founder Jiri Duzar. Available in three models – one each for road, gravel and MTB – the Joyseat promises variable cushioning from nose to rear, dictated by an in-depth rider questionnaire paired with an at-home imprint kit. ‘We adjust the shape, the padding thickness, the overall stiffness, the curvature, the lot,’ says Duzar. ‘It all depends on your needs…

I’ll get up around six o’clock, which is two hours before the riders tuck into breakfast,’ says Owen Blandy, who has been team chef at EF Education-EasyPost since 2021, having previously played for Arsenal FC’s academy and studied to become a chartered accountant. He’s talking Cyclist through his routine at stage races. ‘I’ll pack up my case for another hotel and pack anything that needs securing in the kitchen truck. It’s then about prepping breakfast. ‘I’ll always cook rice, including risotto rice, milk, cinnamon and sugar. It’s a rice pudding, porridge thing. There are nuts and fresh fruit, and always omelettes, which I’ll cook in the hotel in front of the riders. It’s very much a copy-and-paste routine. Rigo [Rigoberto Urán], for instance, will always have three eggs, ham and…

Last year was the year of the Basque Country. The autonomous region in northern Spain played host to the Grand Départ of the 2023 Tour de France, with the opening stage around Bilbao serving up a thrilling head-to-head battle between British twins Adam and Simon Yates. In the final kilometre, Adam (the younger by five minutes) outpaced his brother on the climb to take the first maillot jaune of the race. Almost as exciting, it was also in the Basque Country that The Cycling Chef, Alan Murchison, was shown how to make a different version of a classic Spanish tortilla using sweet potato and considerably less oil. And here it is. Sweet potatoes are high in fibre, which helps to keep everything running smoothly internally. The orange colour of sweet…

TRAVEL It’s a 7.5-hour drive to Glen Innes from Sydney and you can take either Thunderbolts Way for a real driver’s drive or opt for the New England Highway via Tamworth for a still windy but more relaxed drive. We did one each way and either route has plenty of great rest-stop options. It’s just a 4.5-hour drive from Brisbane down the New England Highway. FOOD AND DRINK Dinner on our first night was hearty pub fare at the Glen Innes District Services Club. We ate the included continental breakfast at the Glen Innes Motel both mornings, as well as excellent coffees, baked treats, and bacon-and-egg rolls from The Local on Grey Street in the centre of Glen Innes. Food options are limited along the route so make sure you…

… being a champion ‘I’m a really big fan of athletes that are champions on and off the bike. Marianne Vos has always been a good example. She made me aware that there is something bigger than winning a medal – and that is how you do it. I was always authentic. I never played a role. I wanted to ride to be myself, but also to be nice to people and to inspire people.’ … the women’s pro peloton ‘I would like to see more women from different nationalities coming up. For example, I see a lack of Spanish women at a high level. But I would like more women from outside Europe too. The minimum salary in the Women’s WorldTour will help. For example, in Colombia women are…

Wheel-on trainer What is it? The user’s bike is secured in a frame and a roller contacts the rear tyre to provide resistance. Pros: Easy to use, inexpensive Cons: Wears out tyre, noisy, inaccurate Direct-drive trainer What is it? The user removes the back wheel of their bike and installs the frame onto a cassette mounted directly to the trainer itself. Pros: Accurate, accessibly priced, many options, quiet (mostly) Cons: Setup can be complex, usually requires purchase of compatible cassette, puts stress on bike frame Smart bike What is it? Advanced version of an exercise bike that features adjustable contact points to recreate a rider’s bike position. Pros: No setup required, easily adjustable, sturdy, quiet Cons: Heavy, requires dedicated space, expensive…

The Argonaut GR3 is the American custom carbon bike manufacturer’s first gravel bike, launched at GiRodeo. It is custom-built for each rider’s specifications – including switching the carbon layup to match stiffness levels to the customer – but Argonaut has a recommended GravelFirst geometry featuring three important measurements that make the GR3 ride like it does. The 68.5° head tube angle is very slack, providing extra stability downhill; the 415mm chainstays are road-bike short for sharper handling; the 75mm bottom bracket drop leaves room for leaning and clearing obstacles. That’s topped off with huge clearance that can accommodate tyres up to 50mm thanks to the chainstays being dropped on both sides. The result is a gravel racing beast that holds its own against the road-adjacent bikes on lighter surfaces and…

The Six Days of Ghent is built on foundations of tradition, nostalgia and an active appreciation for its own history, helping to make it a bucket-list attraction for cycling fans. At the same time, Christophe Impens, general director of the event and head of cycling at Golazo Sports, says that rather than being stuck in the past, ‘as an organiser you have to innovate every year’. He tells Cyclist, ‘After every event we ask ourselves, “What are the five things we would like to change?”’ One example is the switch from single-use plastic to reusable drinks cups: ‘Every evening it used to be a huge garbage pit, half a metre high of plastic beer cups on the inner circle. This year there was no waste at all.’ Other changes include…

TRAVEL I flew out of Sydney with Delta to Las Vegas, with just a 1 hour layover in LAX in each direction. The transfers from Las Vegas to Caliente and Ely, as well as to and from the rides each day were included with the package from Bindlestiff Tours. They also organised bike hire from Las Vegas Cyclery. FOOD AND DRINK All lunches, snacks and ride food (think PB&J) was catered by Bindlestiff tours. I ate breakfast and dinners at local restaurants or diners. My favourite was ‘Racks Bar & Grill’, a sports bar in downtown Ely that served up one of the best (and largest!) burgers I’ve ever had, surrounded by game trophies lining the walls. Perhaps not one for vegetarians. ACCOMMODATION I stayed a night at Virgin Hotels…

Ehime might be most famous for the Shimanami Kaido, but the province, located on Shikoku Island, a one-hour flight from Tokyo, has so much more to offer cyclists than the famous white bridges. Ehime also boasts high alpine mountains, historic castle towns and magnificent river gorges, all of which our group took in over four days of cycling along bike paths, forest ways and quiet roads, with the odd major route thrown in. But first: onsen A small group of Aussie cyclists, we kick off our trip with some team-building – Japanese style. Fresh off the jet, we head to Dogo Onsen, a short drive from Matsuyama airport. Dogo Onsen is said to be the oldest onsen in Japan, with 3,000 years of history, and if you’re an anime fan,…

Each day of riding took us through vastly different terrain and vistas, from smooth coastline to dramatic mountains and cool, leafy gorges. DAY 1 We started at Sunrise Itoyama Cycling Station and completed an out-and-back section of the Shimanami Kaido route, crossing three islands before finishing up the intense climb to the Kirosan Observatory for incredible sunset views. DAY 2 We headed for the hills, riding across the Ishizuchi Mountain route, taking in incredible forest paths and epic valley descents through autumn colours. DAY 3 The group cycled down winding valleys along the Okuiyo Hiji river cycling route, finishing up in the town of Uwajima. DAY 4 We rolled along the historic Uwajima-Shimanto Terrace Fields cycling route, tracing glorious coastline where the mountains meet still bays famous for pearl farming,…

Want to experience everything you’ve seen here for yourself? Australian cycling tour operator Bike Odyssey will be offering two different tours of Japan in 2024 and beyond. The first is a six-day tour of Ehime that includes the exceptional Japanese riding and culture that you’ve seen in this very booklet. You’ll experience the Shimanami Kaido, Mount Ishizuchi, the UFO line and much more. The second is a 25-day odyssey through Japan’s modern and ancient cultures, following ancient kaidōs (historic routes) and epic cycling trails. It starts on revered and unmissable Mount Fuji, traversing Japan, finishing in rural, traditional and hidden Kyushu. Along the way you’ll visit the Japanese Alps, Kyoto, Fukuoka and, of course, Ehime and the Shimanami Kaido. Featuring traditional Ryokan mixed with luxury accommodation, onsen springs to salve…

The popular Lazer Z1 has had a facelift that has made it lighter, more comfortable and more aero than previous iterations. Lazer sells the Z1 KinetiCore by outlining its superior fit and feel when compared to its competitors. Every helmet these days is light enough (the Z1 is 220g in M), aero enough and safe enough, but after hours in the saddle a comfortable helmet truly does make a difference – as does an uncomfortable one. The iconic RollSys thumb wheel adjustment is now ponytail-friendly and allows for vertical and horizontal adjustment to achieve a tailored fit. Fashionistas will appreciate the eyewear docking slots to store your shades when you’re not wearing them, and environmentalists will applaud that the Z1 KinetiCore uses 40 grams fewer plastics than the previous Z1…

A burst of activity on the weekend could be just as good for you as more regular exercise, according to a recent study. The World Health Organisation recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week ‘for significant health benefits for hearts, bodies and minds’. MVPA is defined in terms of METs, ‘metabolic equivalent of task’, where one MET is the equivalent energy expended when sat down at rest; MVPA is defined as around 6 METs. A MET is measured in oxygen uptake per kilo of bodyweight per minute, or ml02/kg/min, which for the average person is around 3.5ml O2, or the equivalent of burning 1kcal per kg of bodyweight per hour. Happily for us, cycling at 20kmh represents around 8 METs while attacking a steep climb…

Distance: 106.75km Total ascent: 1,163m Starting from The Local in Glen Innes, head up Grey Street and take the first left onto Ferguson Street to head west out of town. Ferguson Street becomes the Gwydir Highway for 6km before you detour right onto Beaufort Road and your first section of primo gravel. At the end it’s a left onto sealed Strathbogie Road before a right after 1km onto Hamels Lane and gravel again. This eventually spits you out onto Emmaville Road for a lumpy 18km. At the fork, swing right onto Wycliffe Road and follow the gravel until you hit Wellington Vale Road. It’s a left turn here that takes you into Emmaville where you can refuel at the general store or the pub and browse the mining museum. Backtrack…

‘I still have the memories, but they will not be refreshed with new experiences. That will maybe be hard to deal with’ Annemiek van Vleuten might write a book about her career one day, but perhaps the events would be better captured in a comic strip or a Netflix drama. The Dutch rider was, after all, the mistress of explosive all-action heroics. Her first Road Race World Championships title, in Harrogate in 2019, was the result of an outrageous, era-defining 105km solo breakaway, which she later dubbed ‘crazy’. In 2021 she buried the ghosts of her horror crash at Rio 2016 (‘I thought she was dead,’ recalled her teammate Anna van der Breggen) to claim gold in the Tokyo Olympics time-trial, somehow finishing nearly a full minute clear of her…

Indoor training kit Most clothing brands now offer dedicated indoor kit. It tends to be made from featherweight, highly perforated materials that focus on comfort and ventilation. Summer bibshorts and a base layer should do the job just as well, however. Sweat guard This strip of shaped material stretches the length of your bike’s top tube and over its bars. Compared to a normal towel, it’s a more refined and effective way to protect your bike frame from sweat. Smart fan Designs such as Elite’s Aria and Wahoo’s Kickr Headwind now communicate with your trainer, so they can vary their output to blow harder during big efforts and softer for more chilled periods. Gradient simulators Most big players in indoor training now offer devices that take the place of your…

Travel Starting in London, Cyclist flew to Barcelona-El Prat and took a 1h 20min taxi to Girona, but more budget-friendly direct flights to Girona airport are available too. Accommodation We stayed in an apartment in Girona Old Town through rental company Bravissimo Girona (bravissimo-girona.com). Apartments are available from around $110 per night and all are well located near the centre of town. Thanks Many thanks to The Service Course (theservicecourse.cc) and Enve for having us along and giving us entry to the event, and thanks to Argonaut for providing the bike.…

We flew with ANA airlines from Sydney to Haneda airport then took a domestic flight to Matsuyama airport. While we were shuttled to some of the ride starts, all our overnight locations were bike friendly, with bike lanes and easy-to-follow routes to the start of each day’s riding, so doing this as a bike tour or bike packing trip are completely within reach. The four towns we stayed in all featured unique, bike-friendly accommodation, each with their own taste of different facets of Japanese hospitality, from high tech to historic. IMABARI We stayed at the JR Clement Inn Imabari. This bike-friendly hotel boasts compact rooms with bike stands, pumps on every floor, full buffet breakfast with western options, and sits next to a huge bike station and bike hire/shop with…

This is about as Campagnolo as it gets: a 24-carat gold corkscrew. Yep, for roughly the price of a Giant Defy Advanced 2, you can buy a gold corkscrew with 'Campagnolo' emblazoned upon it. Branded as 'BIG The Corkscrew', the titanium version of this bad boy featured on these very pages back in issue 49, and one member of the Cyclist team even received one as a wedding gift last year, so don't get us wrong when we tell you that this run of only 10 gold corkscrews – available in gold and rose gold – is a little fancy for most of our tastes. Still, as Campag becomes more niche, it’s important to recognise its enormous impact on the cycling industry and its culture. BIG The Corkscrew appeals to…

Met’s Trenta 3K Carbon Mips has a unique construction, which makes it extra strong and hard-wearing. As the name suggests, it embeds a 3K Carbon technology into the shell to improve longevity and, of course, provide greater protection should the rider fall. Further protection is found in the Mips Air system. Mips needs little introduction; ubiquitous in cycling helmets for the better part of a decade, it helps the helmet roll across the rider’s head in a crash, rather than the head roll across tarmac. The Mips Air is more refined than the standard version, allowing for extra comfort and ventilation. Given this is a pro-level race helmet – Team UAE has ridden to victory wearing one on many occasions – ventilation is a priority and with 19 vents and…

The Federation University RoadNats Ballarat is the New Year tradition Aussie cycling fans adore, but in 2024 the event was tinged with sadness. This would be the final time in and around the ‘Rat with a new location still to be determined. The famous Buninyong circuit has hosted Australia’s road championships since 2007, when Darren Lapthorne and Katie Mactier clinched the men’s and women’s titles. The place has launched careers and solidified greatness, with the tough road race around Mount Buninyong providing countless memories. The sadness felt for the Ballarat farewell, however, paled in comparison to the grief the community experienced following the sudden loss of Melissa Hoskins less than a week before the event kicked off. Tributes flowed freely for the beloved Australian cyclist throughout the nationals and there…

You can’t talk about riding in New England High Country without talking about Inverell. Etched into the annals of Australian cycling history as the finish line of the historic Grafton to Inverell Classic, and the birthplace of Heinrich Haussler, the town has plenty to offer whether you’re a seasoned racer or you’re just clipping in for the first time. The 228km Grafton to Inverell Classic runs annually as a men’s and women’s NRS event as well as an open event for anyone up to the challenge (graftontoinverell.com.au). Inverell also boasts a purpose-built criterium track at Lake Inverell with races run by the Inverell Cycling Club. For those who prefer to get dirty, there’s the Inverell MTB Park just south of town, which offers a huge variety of cross-country trails catering…

Certainly the best value climb in Victoria, if not Australia, Mount Buffalo is a road cyclist’s dream. A consistent and relatively gentle average gradient of 5% coupled with over 1,000 metres elevation gain offers a substantial challenge – and the views from the top are out of this world. Colloquially known as the Island in the Sky, Mount Buffalo stands out from the surrounding mountains across Victoria’s High Country, with a unique granitic geology and breathtaking scenery. The road stands out from its alpine neighbours as well – steady and long but without the steeper ramps and exposure of nearby Mount Hotham or Falls Creek. Officially the climb starts at the defunct toll booth – the entrance to the national park – and continues up and across the Buffalo plateau…

2008 Van Vleuten begins racing part-time for pro team Vrienden van het Platteland 2010 Inspired by her progress, she quits her office job, aged 28, to pursue a career in pro cycling with Nederland Bloeit 2011 Bags her breakthrough win at the Tour of Flanders and goes on to claim the Women’s Road World Cup 2014 Wins the Belgium Tour and earns the first of four national time-trial titles 2016 Crashes out of the Rio Olympics road race while leading the field. She recovers to claim her second Belgium Tour a month later 2017 Wins her first Worlds time-trial title in Bergen, as well as La Course by Le Tour de France, the Holland Ladies Tour and the Great Ocean Road Race 2018 Wins the Giro Rosa, her second La…