Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2023 i Cycling Plus

Cycling Plus|March 2023

Ed’s letter

WELCOME… 2022 saw me survive my maiden cyclo-cross, hill climb and Italian Gran Fondo with just a slightly bruised ego. Only to then injure myself carrying the Christmas tree 100 yards home. It got me thinking about the physiological cycling benefits I hear I could gain from strength & conditioning – and routinely ignore in favour of sausage & chips, the sofa and the 118 movies of Nicolas Cage. That’s all going to change in 2023, of course, as I become a cycling powerhouse with the thighs of Hoy and shoulders of Sagan. I hope your own, possibly less outlandish, cycling dreams arrive in 2023. Let me know how you’re doing. matthew.baird@ourmedia.co.uk Your experts Simon Withers Tech reviewer Ultra-experienced tester Simon Withers casts his expert eye over 2023’s £500 road-bike…

1 min

Cycling Plus|March 2023

Christiania Bikes

Ride past a primary school at rush-hour almost anywhere in Northern Europe and you’ll see plenty of box-bikes, with the saddle occupied by a parent, and the crate at the front full of (usually smiling) children, bags, books and the odd teddy bear. While the Jeeps, Subarus and Range Rovers queue and drivers complain about ‘all the traffic’, the Babboes, Niholas and Bakfietses form a fluid, efficient school run conveyor belt. You might see the odd Christiania Bike, too, perhaps looking a tad unwieldy and old-school: half tricycle, half-wheel barrow. But the Danish brand can claim to have pioneered the whole kid-carrying-cargo-bike thing, over fifty years ago. In 1971, Lars Engstrøm and friends refurbed wartime cargo bikes and knocked together bike trailers to move stuff round Christiania, a former military…

2 min

Cycling Plus|March 2023

Moots Routt RSL

Colorado-based Moots offers several gravel bikes. The Routt 45 is its more endurance-biased machine with geometry aimed at the multi-day bikepacking adventurer. Then there’s the Routt YBB, which shares the same geometry as the 45 but uses a small hydraulic shock and the natural spring of titanium to create a soft-tail gravel bike. The RSL model here is designed for those of a more racing persuasion. 1 What’s in a name? The name Routt comes from the county in Colorado where Moots is based. Routt is renowned for its miles of gravel and rough roads, and the Routt RSL is designed to be both an accomplished gravel machine and a versatile bike that can cope with any road surface. 2 Fancy frame The frame is built from Moots’ custom titanium…

Go figure The month in numbers 51 Age of Davide Rebellin, the recently-retired pro cyclist killed at the end of November 18 February, the date of the UCI Esports Worlds. A new Zwift Scotland world is being created 35 Years since the Tour de France ended with a time trial, by the time it happens in 2024 1 That time trial will take place in Nice, the first time the race has ever ended outside of Paris 20 Riders, including Mark Cavendish, searching for teams after B&B Hotels-KTM collapsed…

1 min

Cycling Plus|March 2023

One Shop Stop

Dave Mellor Cycles Shrewsbury History ● Started by redundant mechanical engineer Dave Mellor in 1985, it moved to its current bigger premises in 1993. Alongside running the shop, among many other major cycling roles, Dave helped restructure British Cycling, and was GB team manager at many Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games. What makes the shop special? ● Its range – from kids, commuters and cargo-bike parents etc to very high-end racers. ‘We embrace anyone who’s a cyclist’, says Dave, ‘and have different specialist departments. We also provide bikes for other stores to get round supply chain problems, and we’ve always had a lot of stuff for women cyclists.’ Big names ● Co-founder Melanie Grivell was an international road racer. Shop manager Erick Rowsell was a noted pro rider through the…

1 min

Cycling Plus|March 2023

Outer Hebrides

Arran may be ‘Scotland in miniature’, but the Outer Hebrides is something else – something other, because this chain of islands off Britain’s far northwest offers the most remote and un-British cycling you can enjoy without needing a passport (the language may be unfamiliar, too: Gaelic is widely spoken). No wonder it was so popular when the pandemic prevented many riders from jaunts abroad. But never mind ‘abroad’: sometimes the Hebrides’ empty singletrack roads picking their way through the treeless wastes – home to some of the world’s oldest masses of rock – can feel more lunar than earthlike. Rather windier than the moon, of course: gales are frequent, and however you structure the ride, you might have all-day headwinds. It’s not all exoplanetary sparseness. Cosy villages and hamlets offer…

THERE ARE PROVEN ways to help every rider come back stronger through rest and active recovery. First, it’s essential that you listen to your body – it’ll tell you when you’re overtired – and give your ego a break. You must respect the importance of time off the bike, because by overtraining you risk causing strains or injuries (as well as burnout), meaning you may have to spend weeks on the sofa. Time then for your recovery refresh… What the experts say… Make sure you include these elements in your recovery repertoire 01 Forge resilience ● Building strength galvanises your body, according to coach and physiotherapist Nick Cutcliffe. “Firstly, undertake strength and conditioning work. This should include core strength, plus work on joints like the hips and shoulders.” Having strong…

3 min

Cycling Plus|March 2023

THE ONLY MAG FOR NOVICE CYCLISTS

1 min

Cycling Plus|March 2023

01 Glute stretch Why do it? Cycling gives you tight hamstrings, which affects the sciatic nerve and can cause tension in the calves and into the plantar fascia (underfoot), increasing the risk of injury in these areas. You need hip extension to pedal a bike (powered by the glutes), but the glutes tire and look to the hamstrings for help. Stretch it out Sit on the floor with your right leg outstretched. Place your left foot flat on the floor outside your right knee. Hug your left knee into your body with your right arm and twist your upper body to the left. Put your left hand on the floor behind you to help you sit up straight. Hold for 30secs; repeat on the other leg. 02 Indian rotation Why…

2 min