Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2016 i Cyclist

‘There’s a great picture of Fabian Cancellara at the start line Giro looking puzzled as he cannot work out where the Di2 box is hidden!’ There is this great photo of Fabian Cancellara on the start line at the Giro d’Italia, looking under the handlebars of Pippo Pozzato’s bike,’ says Claudio Salomoni, Wilier’s international sales manager. ‘I love this picture, because Cancellara is so puzzled with the bike. He cannot work out where the Di2 box is hidden!’ The bike in question was this, the Wilier Cento 10 Air – or chen-toe deetchae as the Italians say. It’s the sixth addition to the burgeoning Cento family, which until this summer was led by the Cento 1 Air (see Cyclist issue 21). Like the 1 Air, the Cento 10 takes its…

1 COCOPRO PROTEIN COCONUT WATER £2.75 each, drinkcocopro.com According to The New York Times’ Jonathan Corum, the average velocity of an unladen European swallow is 38kmh, and Monty Python was right – a coconut is far too heavy for a swallow to carry. But, thanks to globalisation CocoPro now imports the nuts’ quenching juices and blends them with a deliciously healthy 20g of protein per serve. 2 VELOPAC RIDEPAC 1.1 £28, velopac.cc In 1567, Hans Steininger, owner of the world’s longest beard, broke his neck and died when he tripped over his prized 1.4m-long chin-curtain. Make sure you don’t succumb to similarly preventable calamities by keeping your own most precious things safely tucked away in the RidePac, which neatly accommodates cards, money, keys and mobile phone in a neat weather-proof,…

‘Sean Kelly stays with us six weeks of the year. He’s always happy to stick to the pace of the group, but let me tell you he’s still got legs on him’ The scenery is a mix of fields and hillocks that reminds me of the Yorkshire Dales The Mallorcans call the Cap de Formentor the meeting point of the four winds. Sitting on the most northerly tip of the biggest of the Balearic Islands, the winds that blow from the Spanish mainland, the European Alps, the Atlantic Ocean and North Africa meet here, and each seems to have left an impression on this tiny outpost. With alpine-esque hairpins overlooking a crystal blue Mediterranean Sea, beating against a shore of jagged limestone rock, it’s no wonder that the road…

Although not quite at the top of the TCR pile – that would be the Advanced SL 0 – you’d be hard pressed to notice. The Advanced Pro 0 shares the same blueprints as its more expensive sibling, differing only by a few extra grams in the frame due to slightly lower-modulus carbon fibres and a traditional seatpost compared to the SL 0’s integrated seatmast. For strictly practical reasons I’d therefore take this TCR over the seatmast option, as a removable seatpost makes it that much easier to pack, and at 6.65kg for a medium it’s light enough already. That means when you get to where you’re riding you’ll have an adept climbing machine offering plenty of comfort for long days in the saddle. I used Hunt 4Season Aero wheels…

Bontrager’s direct mount brakes bring more than just ample stopping power to the new Domane SLR 9. A key benefit of the design is that Bontrager’s engineers have considered tyre clearance too and as such I was able to comfortably fit a 30mm tyre for some of my testing. When I say, ‘comfortably’, it was a little close in terms of clearance, and 30mm would definitely be the absolute widest you could go (bearing in mind Trek recommends 28mm), but the difference those extra few millimetres made in terms of the bike’s capabilities was significant. With the wider tyre I felt completely at ease taking the Domane off the beaten track, and the additional grip and comfort from being able to run a bigger air volume at a lower pressure…

THE SPEC Model Cube Agree C:62 Race Disc Groupset Shimano Ultegra 6800 Deviations Shimano BR-RS805 hydraulic flat-mount disc brakes Wheels DT Swiss Spline R32 db Finishing kit Cube Wing Race Carbon bar, Cube Performance stem and seatpost, Selle Italia X1 saddle Weight 8.06kg (56cm) Price £2,199 Contact cube.eu Cube has always excelled at what all German bike brands seem to do very well: simplifying the supply chain (usually by cutting out at least one link) to give you a lot of bike for however much or little you’re spending. However, the disc brake era throws up a few challenges that complicate things on that front for this model, the Agree. So far, disc-brake bikes have proved a strong prospect at the entry level, and equally in the very top tier,…

If you took a superficial view of things, you could say that Chris Froome had been a dead cert to win this year’s Tour de France, and that the race had merely ‘gone to form’. But that would fail to do justice to the scale of the effort expended by Froome to win his third Tour and the panache with which he achieved it. Indeed, there was a Merckx-like quality about Froome’s ferocious pursuit of victory in all circumstances: testing the testers, setting an unassailable tempo for the pure climbers, and even contesting a two-up sprint against the formidable maillot vert, World Champion Peter Sagan, after first breaking free of the peloton in a tactical masterstroke amid the crosswinds. Despite his all-round supremacy, however, there were identifiable moments of brilliance…

Dear Frank I’m off on summer holiday with the family, where I intend to spend the week on a beach in a pair of Speedos. What grooming tips do you suggest for ensuring an acceptable balance of hairy and smooth skin? Dan, by email First of all, I’m very glad to hear you are Rule #33 compliant (Shave your guns). I’m also glad you’re concerned about these sorts of matters – important stuff. But I have to say I’m somewhat concerned to hear you use the word “Speedos” to describe your beachwear. This Continental fascination with tiny male swimsuits is quite the contrast to beach attire in America, which appears to have transferred directly from basketball court to ocean, where high-top sneakers are swapped for flip-flops. I actually don’t know…

To download the full route, go to cyclist.co.uk/52mallorca. Starting in Port de Pollença, ride along the Ma2220 south, before taking a right onto Cami de Llenaire towards Pollença. Join the Ma220 down towards Sa Pobla, turning off onto the Cami Veil de Campanet to Campanet. Here, head north towards Caimari, watching out for a sharp turn that leads up into the Col de sa Batalla. Head up into the mountains along the Ma2130, taking a right turn for Pollença at the summit. Follow the descent along the Col de Femenia and into Pollença. Track back towards the coast and into Port de Pollença. From there the Ma220, parallel to the coast, leads straight into Formentor. Ride to the end of the road, and the lighthouse, and then turn about-face and…

We ride past a small inlet, on whose slipway often stands a local resident in nought but an undone dressing gown The south west of Ireland is a place like no other. On some days it must make for very bleak living indeed – a battered stretch of coast wholly at the mercy of ambivalent seas and capricious weather. But on other days it’s a haven of tranquillity, where even the cows seem to drift atop pastures in dreamlike states. Today, on the tip of the Beara Peninsula, is one such day. A hazy sky muffles a sun that’s doing its best to turn the plate-glass waters of Coulagh Bay a silvery blue. The air hangs so still that when ride partner Robert and I stop, all we can hear…

Cyclist would like to invite you to come with us and discover the stunning roads and sweeping landscapes of one of Spain’s best kept cycling secrets, Almeria. Over the course of four days we’ll explore a cycling paradise like no other, where mountains quite literally meet the sea. We’ll stay at the luxury five-star Real Agua Amarga Villas, nestled between the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean and the wild interior of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park. Each morning we’ll begin with a relaxed poolside breakfast before heading out onto rolling roads, testing climbs and rip-roaring descents. The rides will be fully supported and led by experienced guides, who’ll expertly navigate us around an area famed for its natural beauty, quiet charm and ambient late summer sun. Each evening we’ll…

As I emerge bleary eyed from the hotel the streets are awash with light and sound There can be few events where the chances of spotting a penguin are pretty high. I’ve been told to look out for them as we pass Boulders Beach in Simon’s Town on the False Bay Coast, just south of Cape Town. However, it seems that they’re hiding, which is disappointing but understandable given that I’m one of a 400-strong group of riders that’s passing their colony at 40kmh, and that another 30,000 cyclists are set to roll past during the day. The Cape Cycle Tour has been on my agenda for several years, and this is my second attempt at it. In 2015 severe bushfires broke out along the city’s south peninsula and, fanned…

Shakespeare seemed to think it didn’t matter, but what is in a name? Two of our three bikes this month channel powerful cycling icons in their titles – new titanium specialist J.Guillem alludes to the Formentor, a spectacular road in Mallorca, while Trek’s Domane is a deliberate anagram of Madone, famously Lance Armstrong’s favourite training climb, near Monaco. Cube, on the other hand, prefers a more Germanic expression of positive reinforcement – simply ‘Agree’. Read on to discover whether these bikes are befitting of their monikers.…

THE SPEC Model J.Guillem Formentor Groupset Shimano Ultegra 6800 Deviations None Wheels Edco Umbrial carbon clinchers Finishing kit J.Guillem compact road drop handlebar, alloy stem, titanium seatpost, J.Guillem Race saddle Weight 8.21kg (56cm) Price €2,499 frame only (approx £2,130), €4,499 as tested (approx £3,835) Contact jguillem.com For those unfamiliar, as indeed I was, a Formentor isn’t a hovering skeleton that preys upon magical bespectacled children, but rather it’s a road in Mallorca built by the same fellow who brought us the Sa Calobra (see p54). It’s also the name of the flagship bike from new brand J.Guillem, founded by the same fellow who brought us the renowned titanium specialist Van Nicholas. He goes by the delightfully Christmasy name of Jan-Willem Sintnicolaas, and unsurprisingly he now lives in Mallorca. ‘I started…

Cube has designed the rear end with stiffness in mind, with a gigantic junction at the bottom bracket feeding back into beefy chainstays. Cube claims its ATM (Advanced Twin Mold) technique and high-modulus carbon fibre has further stiffened the bottom bracket. One of the concessions seen across disc brake frames is a lengthening of the chainstays (to preserve chainline with a wider spaced rear end), which tends to slightly reduce stiffness of the rear end – sacrificing both handling sharpness and power transfer. The Agree C:62 has only a mild variation between disc and rim versions – the disc brake bike has 412mm chainstays while the rim brake version has 405mm chainstays – so the effects of adding disc brakes is lessened in terms of ride quality.…

Specialized Prevail 2.0 helmet £160, specialized.com Specialized used this year’s Tour de France as a launchpad for an ‘update’ to its popular Prevail helmet, although perhaps ‘overhaul’ would be a more appropriate word, as the Prevail 2.0 is markedly different from its predecessor. Immediately noticeable is the change in aesthetics, primarily a substantial reduction in volume. ‘We wanted to bring it lower on the rider’s head,’ says Specialized’s David Alexander. ‘Its aerodynamics are much improved – it’s six seconds faster per 40km than our previous Prevail.’ The reshaping obviously couldn’t compromise safety, so Specialized has employed an ‘aramidreinforced skeleton’, essentially a high-strength polymer structure, within the outer shell that covers the dual-density EPS to ensure the helmet is both strong and light (our size small weighed just 195g). The retention…

Reversing isn’t easy on a bike – we know, we just tried it and landed with a hefty thump – but there is one thing that can go backwards if you don’t ride regularly: your fitness. It’s a process called reversibility, or detraining. It’s not something to worry about if you go for three days without riding (in fact you will possibly get fitter, as that rest allows your muscles time to recover and grow, and for the glycogen stores that your muscles use as fuel to replenish), but if you complete a gruelling race or sportive and decide you can’t face even looking at a bike for three months, it’s a different matter. You probably spent the previous three months training like a beast, so you may be interested…

A week in Mallorca was the perfect test for the Ritchey Break-Away, a carbon frame that can be split in half for easy travel, with cunning joins in the seat tube and down tube. Travelling with the bike was a dream, as it fits into a normal-sized suitcase and was thus cheaper to transport by plane. It was also easier to fit in trains, cars and hotel rooms, greatly easing the logistics of travelling. When it came to the ride, it was light enough to do me good service on Mallorca’s toughest inclines, and sharp enough to push my limits on the descents. The build came in at a respectable 7.35kg, which was suitably feathery for the steepest hairpins of Col de Sa Batalla. It lacked a little stiffness on…

To download this route, go to cyclist.co.uk/52beara . Take the R575 out of Cahirkeem Cross and head west along the coast, then south towards Allihies. Stick with the R575 to Cluin, and if you so wish, to the Allihies Cooper Mining Museum, just past the brightly painted row of pubs. Head south, then swing eastwards along the R575, following signs to Castletownbere/R572. Hug the coast to Adrigole, then towards Glengariff. At the graveyard in Glengariff, take the left onto the N71 north to the Cork-Kerry border. Double back to Adrigole then head north on the R574 to the Healy Pass. After the 6km descent take the R571 west back past Eyeries until it rejoins with the R575 in Cahirkeem Cross.…

‘If it sounds like I’m in pain, it’s because I am,’ says the wincing voice of Dan McLay between sharp, pursed-lipped inhalations of breath. He’s not, as it might sound, dragging himself up some fearsome Alpine Col, but is on the massage table after Stage 11 of the 2016 Tour de France. It’s McLay’s first Tour, which he’s riding with modest French Pro-Continental team Fortuneo-Vital Concept as its designated sprinter, and his masseuse, Elodie, is trying her best to help the 24-year-old’s legs recover from the exertions of the day’s stage, not to mention the previous 10. We can of course grant the Leicestershire rider’s muscles a reason to be feeling the pinch after an exceptional opening week that included performances a Grand Tour veteran would have been proud of,…

The S series of bikes started life 16 years ago with the Cervélo Soloist, which lays claim to being the world’s first true aero road bike. In the following years, Cervélo spent a lot of time locked in a wind-tunnel and the result is the current S5, which in my opinion is in a league of its own. Cervélo claims its attention to aero detail will save you an extra five watts of power at 40kmh. I can’t confirm that, but the ride is stable and intuitive, cornering is a dream and the bike is very, very fast. There’s a small price to pay in terms of comfort. British potholes can shudder your bones on the S5, but on the smooth tarmac of Cape Town this bike was perfect. I…

THE SPEC Model Trek Domane SLR 9 eTap Groupset Sram Red eTap Deviations Bontrager Speed Stop direct mount brakes Wheels Bontrager Aelous 3 D3 Tubeless Ready Finishing kit Bontrager Pro Isocore bar, Bontrager XXX OCLV carbon stem, Bontrager Affinity Pro Carbon saddle Weight 7.07kg (56cm) Price £7,600 Contact trekbikes.com Remember twanging rulers on desks at school? The shatterproof plastic ones were best. You could create some great comedy noises, altering the pitch by how far along you held it and even sliding it mid-twang for a different kind of sound altogether. Why, you might ask, am I wittering on about schoolboy classroom antics? Well, oddly that’s what comes to mind when I think of describing the way Trek has designed the seat tube of its new Domane in order to…

While not exactly in the same league as arguing over Brexit, the Great Seatpost Debate still quietly engages the industry, and the Formentor is an excellent talking point. At 31.6mm and titanium, the seatpost presents a solid perch for seated cornering, an action driven by the hips such that too much sideways flex can be destabilising. But given the frame’s leaning towards the harsher end of the spectrum, I can’t help thinking a carbon post – specifically a skinnier 27.2mm diameter – would have helped the ride quality no end. Experience shows a good carbon post flexes better and absorbs more road buzz, making for a more comfortable ride. The trade off, though, is looks. As it stands the Formentor’s stays/ seat tube/seatpost and collar ensemble, all in titanium, looks…

THE DETAILS Weight 1,585g (720g front, 865g rear) Rim width External: 25mm Internal: 18mm Spoke count 16 front, 20 rear Price £1,999.98 Contact madison.co.uk You could easily argue that a frame is more than the sum of its parts, as there are just so many variables that affect the overall outcome. Wheels, however, are very much the sum of their parts, those parts being the rim, the spokes and the hub. DT Swiss has been making spokes since 1994, and its hubs are legendary, but carbon rims are a whole new ball game for the brand, so I was intrigued if it could apply its usual excellence to the new RRC65s. Team players DT Swiss says it designed the RRC65s specifically to give its IAM Cycling pro team riders a…