Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 38 i Cyclist Australia

If you're a regular reader of Cyclist, you'll know Byron Bay has long held a place in our hearts – it just took a while before all the pieces came together to feature the destination. But after an overwhelming response to our issue #37 Big Ride, we've decided to partner up with Lifecycles once again. This time, however, you're invited along for the ride. Coffee shop starts, perfect hinterland riding, afternoons strolling through town or by the beach, and evenings spent at some of the area's best eateries sounds almost too good to be true, right? But there's more. For southerners, it also comes during the depths of winter, when many of us are dreaming of warmer-free rides. So, really, there's no excuse not to join us for what we're…

With the days getting steadily shorter and the morning rides darker, it seems an appropriate time to introduce Garmin’s Varia UT800 headlight. It can provide a steady beam of 800 lumens for up to an hour and a half, which Garmin says is visible from up to almost 2km away. But the UT800 also has brains to back its brawn: it can pair with a Garmin Edge computer, allowing it to automatically adjust to both your speed and ambient light conditions. Aside from extending the light’s run time, it also means the only thing that will unintentionally dazzle passers-by will be the proficiency of your riding.…

With the increase in popularity of all-road, bike packing and gravel riding comes a new line of Discover equipment from PRO (Shimano’s component and accessories brand). Featuring a waterproof rating of 5,000mm+, each item in the four-piece ensemble is highly resistant against the elements while tidy details like waterproof zippers, cable ports and soft touch velcro straps make this the perfect kit for any rider with a spirit for adventure. With up to 15L of carry capacity in the saddle bag and another 5.5L under your top tube, the neat top tube bag can be saved for that essential scroggin mix along with valuables. And if your top tube allows it, the behind stem bag can also be permanently mounted to the frame via two specifically drilled holes.…

The ANGi Crash Sensor from Specialized calls for help when you need it most. Fitted to Specialized helmets (and also compatible with other brands), the ANGi pairs to the Specialized Ride App for iOS or Android devices. If it detects an incident, it commences a countdown to give you time to check yourself. If you’re okay, you have time to stop it and continue the ride. If ANGi determines you’re in need of help, it sends an alert to your chosen contacts with your last known GPS coordinates and a message that you’re in need of assistance. Out of range? Not a worry; ANGi has a plan. Simply set your estimated ride time before you depart and when you know you’ll be out of service. All you need is an…

Both Tam and Alex rode the 2019 Specialized Tarmac Disc Expert. The value-packed build spec on this rig is impressive, featuring Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, Roval C 38 Disc carbon fibre wheels, and crisp Shimano Ultegra mechanical shifting. With equal attention paid to both frame weight and stiffness/compliance, the new-gen Specialized Tarmac is a great all-day bike. For the variable road conditions, the S-Works Turbo 26mm tyres were pumped to around 80psi, a pressure that balanced the need for speed on the smooth(er) sealed roads with the demands of the reasonably well-graded (but at times, rutted) gravel sections. And while both paintjobs looked amazing, we were particularly impressed by the luminescent, glittery finish on the Chameleon Green/Cast Blue/Tarmac Black/Team Yellow option, which appropriately changed its colour depending on the angle…

It’s ironic that something so like jelly is designed to stop your legs from turning into just that when your energy levels drop. Yet wobbly legs are precisely what Chris Froome had when he found himself out of gas on Stage 18 of the 2013 Tour de France – and it cost him. With 4km to go on the second ascent of Alpe d’Huez, Froome’s blood sugar levels had dropped so low he could barely stay on the bike. Then team-mate Richie Porte collected an energy gel for him from the team car and the Brit made it to the end of the stage, but incurred a 20-second time penalty because taking provisions from the team is banned in the final 20km of a stage. In the end, of course,…

‘There was a power struggle, so riders have had to go through a character rehabilitation’ At the Hilltop Hotel in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, there’s one name on everyone’s lips: Didier Munyaneza. The 20-year-old is a rising star in a country where cycling is booming both as a participation and spectator sport. ‘Didier never looks as if he’s even struggling,’ enthuses Sean Belfast, Massachusetts-born head mechanic for the national squad, Team Rwanda. ‘He’s hands down the best athlete in Rwanda,’ agrees Sterling Magnell, the team’s Californiaborn director. ‘He has no idea how good he is. He’s just having fun winning races. You would think all the success he’s having would go to his head, but not one iota. He’s stoked 24/7.’ Nation race It’s August 4, 2018 and the…

I couldn’t have asked for a smoother ride than the Rivet Titanium custom build – classic brushed titanium frame equipped with Roval CLX 32 carbon wheels and full Dura Ace. The ceramic bearings carried me over the short hills. Whether sitting in or getting out of the saddle, the bike felt responsive, agile when cornering, and added confidence for riding with no hands – necessary for getting ‘the shot’! It featured Specialized Turbo Cotton 26C tyres, just below 90PSI for my weight, in combination with the characteristics of the shock-absorbing titanium frame. There aren’t many downsides; it’s the perfect weapon for long endurance rides when you’re looking for some extra comfort. Yes, there are lighter bikes out there, but 7.5kg is remarkably good for a titanium build. One downer might…

To download this route, go to strava.com/routes/17645103. From Transacqua head east on the SS347, over the Passo Cereda to Gosaldo. Turn left on the SS347 towards Villa Sant Andrea, Forcella Aurine and Agordo. Before crossing the river into Agordo, turn left at Brugnach and follow the quieter roads and bike paths along the river before joining the SR203 north at Taibon. At Listolade, turn left before the tunnel and take the safer path, before rejoining the SR203 and heading to Cencenighe Agordino. Go west on the SP346 to Falcade Alto, then north to Passo San Pellegrino. Ride back down and join the SP81 west up the Passo Valles. Continue down until the turn off to Paneveggio, then take the SS50 south over the Passo Rolle and back to Transacqua.…

Remember when Steve Cummings stole the Bastille Day stage at the 2015 Tour de France from under the noses of two Frenchmen? Or the hatful of sprint wins that Mark Cavendish took at the following year’s Tour? Those race highlights came courtesy of the second-generation Cervélo S5. But even a bike of that calibre needs to undergo an update sooner or later. ‘The second-gen S5 was released before the mass uptake of larger rim and tyre sizing, disc brakes and, to a certain degree, it was constrained by some UCI design regulations,’ says Cervélo product manager Phil Spearman. ‘We were confident we could address all that to find extra performance in this third-generation S5.’ He claims the new S5 is 5.5 watts faster than the old one. That’s one of…

After 18 years living in Sydney, it was hard to believe I was packing my belongings into the back of the car in preparation for the 1,600km journey to my new home in Hobart, Tasmania. The uneasy feeling in my stomach was compounded by the endless quizzing: why had I decided to move from (the usually) sunny Sydney to this isolated little island hit with deep, dark winters? I'm no stranger to Tassie; I’ve made countless visits on account of it being the location of my wife's family home. And it didn’t take me long to discover it was a cycling paradise – one where you could be sipping a coffee in a hip cafe in north Hobart before riding into true wilderness just kilometres away. It's safe to say…

When you think of the King Valley, you probably don’t think of bike riding; if you’re anything like me, words like ‘cellar door’, ‘wine’ and ‘food’ probably spring to mind first. And as it turned out, our trip to the hugely picturesque, deliciously gourmet region kicked off with a little from column A, a little more from column B, and plenty from column C – before any contact was made between tyre and tarmac. Located around three hours north-east of Melbourne, the King Valley – despite the best efforts of the Sam Miranda NRS race and Gran Fondo – is understandably overshadowed by more famous cycling destinations like Bright, Beechworth and Mansfield in its nearby vicinity. A brief look on Strava revealed fairly low representation on many of the segments…

The Volare 931 is an elegant, head-turning steel bike with clean lines and excellent all-weather durability. Although I was initially nervous about riding a steel bike in steep mountains, this model has been shaped by the company’s experience racing in the pro peloton so it is no ponderous cruiser. My version came with Dura-Ace components, Shimano RS700 wheels and a Pro Vibe alloy stem, seatpost and handlebars, and although the Volare isn’t in the same weight category as top-end carbon race bikes I never felt at a disadvantage on the climbs. The beefy bottom bracket and ovalised down tube add stiffness, and the slender seatstays help reduce road-rattle for a smoother ride. At the first sight of rain, I appreciated the 28mm tyres and, above all, the disc brakes, which…

We’ve never had it so good. Recent road bikes launched for 2019 really do feel like they have taken giant strides forward. Disc brakes have revolutionised stopping power, and are no longer a hindrance to aerodynamics and weight. Just look at the likes of the new Specialized S-Works Venge and the Cannondale SystemSix. I’ve tested both bikes recently, and they’re both incredibly fast, light and relatively comfortable to ride – at least as far as super-stiff aero road bikes are concerned. Trek may not be happy with me mentioning two of its biggest rivals in a review of its own new flagship race bike, the Madone, but it’s necessary in order to put it in context. My point is, the Venge and the SystemSix have set the bar very high,…

The list of bike brands that can boast even half the heritage of Bianchi would be very short indeed. The company is 133 years old, making it the longest-surviving bike manufacturer in the world, and for the majority of that time it has had a presence in the top ranks of the pro sport. There are several different tales of how the colour celeste (pronounced che-lest-ay) came to be Bianchi’s trademark pastel shade, the most fanciful of which relates to it mimicking the eye colour of a former queen of Italy, for whom Eduardo Bianchi once made a custom bicycle. The more believable and far less romantic tale is that it was the colour that resulted from a mixture of surplus military paint. Either way, the colour is synonymous with…

It wasn't too long ago that premium-level shoes included a buckle and Velcro to secure our feet. Somewhere along the way, however, we left behind this effective design in place of more contemporary systems. Renowned for premium-level construction, disruptive design and WorldTour-level performance, the all-new Riot brings back the trusty retention system with an offering to appease the masses while continuing to embrace Bont Cycling's dedication to anatomical efficiency. Costing less than a third of the top-level Bont models, the Riot delivers competition-level fit, a micro-adjustable buckle and Velcro retention system wrapped around a mircrofibre upper and fibreglass sole for maximum power transfer. Further enhanced with a heat-moldable chassis, the all-new Riot is all punch at just 295g per shoe (size 42) without the credit crunch.…

Finish Line launched its ‘FiberLink’ sealant with some initial bold claims that it would never dry out. Since then, it has dialled things back with a more reasonable promise: the sealant will quite likely last the lifetime of the tyre, but certain rubber and environment characteristics mean you might need to top it up every now and then. This is because the formula doesn’t use latex so CO2 canisters won’t affect it, and rather than gumming up into a hard-to-remove residue, the sealant washes off rim beds easily with water. It uses Kevlar fibres to plug any nicks in the tyre, so forget puncture-proof – this stuff might just make your tyres bulletproof.…

Fabian Cancellara Age: 38 Nationality: Swiss Honours Time-Trial World Championships 1st, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010 Olympic Games Time-Trial 1st, 2008, 2016 Paris-Roubaix 1st, 2006, 2010, 2013 Tour of Flanders 1st, 2010, 2013, 2014 Tour de France 8 stage wins, 2004-2012 Vuelta a España 4 stage wins, 2009, 2011, 2013 Cyclist: Some pros like to escape from cycling in retirement. You’ve stayed with it. What motivates you to get up in the morning now? Fabian Cancellara: I’m sort of in cycling and not in cycling. I’ve definitely moved on from the professional side of the sport, but the two-wheeled world is my world. All my past is connected with that. What motivates me now is to be involved in projects that will inspire people to get on two wheels. I have…

To call Eiji Konishi a good framebuilder is a bit like saying Yo-Yo Ma knows his way around a cello. Because while gifted individuals exist in any field, few make it to the realm of virtuoso. That might sound a little overblown – we are, after all, only talking about making a bike, right? And although this bike cuts a pleasing and slightly different silhouette, like most road bikes it’s a relatively simple design. But scratch the surface and this titanium creation reveals a framebuilder who is master of his craft – so much so that he’s been nationally recognised as one of the greatest metal fabricators in his country. Monster in the machine Konishi lives in Yosana Town, in the Kyoto prefecture in Japan. He comes from artisanal stock…

TRAVEL To reach the King Valley, we left Sydney at the crack of dawn and pointed it straight down the Hume. The whole drive took just over seven hours, including a coffee stop at the Coffee Pedaler in Gundagai. There’s no two ways about it: it’s a long drive, but if you can divide the driving duties between a few people (as we did), it needn’t be a painful one. Melbourne-based readers are more conveniently placed; the drive shouldn’t take much longer than three hours. ACCOMMODATION We stayed at the sleek Lusso KV, a self-contained property in Whitfield that sleeps eight, with three king-size bedrooms and communal areas set over two levels. There’s plenty of room for the bikes, a kitted-out kitchen, air-con in every room, and even a firepit…

An hour after our first genuine Japanese sushi experience in Matsuyama, a slightly uncomfortable tension went through my gut. I’d left my small shoulder bag with wallet, credit cards and passport on the chair. One call from Yuji Aboshi, our tour guide, and my bag was returned to me. Yes, Japan is very safe. That first adrenaline hit of the trip, before I’d even straddled my bike, delivered a wave of focus and left me well-prepared for what lay ahead: the Cycling Shimanami sportive. One call from Yuji Aboshi, our guide, and my bag was returned. Yes, Japan is very safe It’s now 4am. Bleary eyed and barely fuelled by the 7-Eleven ‘breakfast’ we pre-emptively purchased the night before, we’re politely hustled into the hotel shuttle bus headed to the…

Cyclists who explore the Pale di San Martino – the most secluded and southern range in the Italian Dolomites – owe a debt of gratitude to the Victorian writer Amelia Edwards. A fiercely independent novelist, journalist, traveller and Egyptologist, Edwards ventured here when the mountains were still terra incognita to all but the local villagers and a few pioneering mountaineers. Travelling sidesaddle on a mule, wrapped in a long dress and lunching on hard-boiled eggs, the Englishwoman recorded her journey in Untrodden Peaks And Infrequent Valleys in 1873. Entranced by the ‘shattered walls of Dolomite, all grey and sulphur-streaked, and touched with rusty red’ and the serrated peaks like ‘sheafs of splintered arrowheads’, she declared, ‘I doubt if a more lonely, desolate and tremendous scene is to be found this…

TRAVEL Qantas, Emirates and Qatar operate out of Sydney to Venice with one stop. Starting at around $1,800 return you'll need to hire a car for the two-hour. ACCOMMODATION We stayed at the Hotel Castel Pietra (hotelcastelpietra.it/en) in Transacqua, where prices range from $80-$150 per night. The hotel is run by a cyclist so offers secure bike storage, hearty breakfast buffets, laundry services and a spa for post-ride recovery and massages. INFORMATION Cyclist was supported by San Martino tourism (sanmartino.com), whose website has lots of info on bike hotels that offer services such as secure storage, pressure washers, ride itineraries and toolboxes. The site also lists bike tours in the region, including details on distances, times, elevation and directions, as well as more general info on the region’s sights, cuisine…

The year 2018 finally brought a beautiful winter with lots of snow to Europe. Winter sports regions enjoyed record sales thanks to the magnificent white stuff, which created perfect skiing conditions well into late spring. It also impacted the Gotthard region. The Gotthard massif separates the southern, Italian-speaking part of Switzerland from the German-speaking north. Whereas the north can remain cold and wet through until March and April, you can already cycle in shorts in the canton of Ticino as early as February. Those fleeing the cold northern spring for the sunny south have to cross the Gotthard massif. The single-lane, 16.9km-long Gotthard Road Tunnel is Switzerland’s longest road tunnel, and during peak travel times it can cause huge traffic jams. You can avoid the traffic jams in the warmer…