Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i Cyclist

Hang on a second, what happened to summer? The nights are drawing in, the kids are heading back to school, the pro racing season is nearing its end, and yet I’m still waiting to see the sun. Combined with the continuing Covid saga, the gloomy summer has hardly provided the ideal conditions for getting away to seek out new roads in far-flung places, but still we have prevailed. In our never-ending quest to bring you the best rides, not even quarantine or extreme weather could stop Cyclist from heading to Italy to hunt down a climb that came to prominence when it received its debut outing at this year’s Giro d’Italia. The Passo dello Spluga may have an ugly name, but it is certainly a beautiful climb, and I felt…

£155, sciconsports.com Considering they’re one of the first things to cut through the air when you’re on your bike, surprisingly few sunglasses claim to be aerodynamically efficient. As the name suggests, though, the lenses of the Aerowing Lamons are slitted on the outside edges – mimicking wings – to ensure air exits the sides smoothly. Scicon claims this both helps reduce drag and brings extra air behind the lens to avoid fogging. The lenses are shaped to offer a wide field of vision and are impact-resistant. They’re also eco-friendly, as Scicon says the frames are made from a bio-based material that helps reduce its carbon footprint. And if all that isn’t enough for you, these are the glasses that young Tadej Pogačar wore to victory in this year’s Tour de…

£160, adidas.co.uk Ahiker, a five-a-side footballer and a boxer walk into a room and decide to design a pair of shoes for cycling off-road. And the punchline? It’s these awkwardly named Adidas The Gravel Cycling Shoes. The high, sock-like ankle cuff is there to keep out dust and gravel, and looks to have taken design inspiration from Adidas’s popular Box Hog boxing shoes as used by Team GB in Tokyo. The grippy thermoplastic polyurethane ‘walking pods’ on the outsole offer traction on steep, slippery trails, a bit like a pair of Adidas Predator moulded trainers on a 3G football pitch. And then there’s the reinforced heel cup, toe box and looped heel tab, which bear striking resemblance to the brand’s sturdy Terrex hiking shoes. It all combines to make a…

Petrichor is the name given to the sweet smell of rain as it bounces off dry earth. It derives from Greek with the word petra meaning stone or rock, and ichor roughly translating as the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods. So intoxicating is the scent, it seems fitting that its origins are so divine. Right now it’s mixing with the clean, Alpine fragrance emanating from the high trees and the earthy moss of the lower foliage to create a kind of natural Vicks Vaporub that I just want to inhale deep into my lungs. The crisp air has turned my once-golden cheeks red, giving me the kind of complexion even little Prince George would envy. The freezing rain stings my hands and plunges them into tingling…

What better bike for an Italian Alpine adventure than one from an Italian dynasty? This is the latest iteration of the legendary Specialissima race bike and, released in late 2020, represents Bianchi’s big leap into modernity. Out go the skinny, round tubes and classic styling; in come aero tube shapes, fully integrated cabling, clearance for 28mm tyres and disc brakes. The new Specialissima is your quintessential all-rounder, mixing comfort, speed and light weight. This particular build – with Shimano Ultegra Di2, FSA bar, stem and seatpost, Fizik saddle, Fulcrum 418 carbon wheels and Vittoria Corsa 25mm tyres – weighs just over 7.5kg (size 57). The highlight, however, remains the Countervail system, a viscoelastic material in the layup that reduces vibrations from the road without compromising on lateral stiffness. It’s the…

The map Teide Location Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain Start Güímar Finish Teide Roads TF-525, TF-523, TF-24, TF-21 To say that Teide is on the island of Tenerife is perhaps a misnomer. Teide is the island of Tenerife – a massive volcano that rose out of the sea a few million years ago, and which is still active today. With a summit at 3,715m it’s the highest point in Spain, and no matter where you stand on Tenerife, if you face inland you’ll be looking up at the third-highest volcano in the world (measured from the ocean floor, as they are). That’s assuming you can see the mountain at all. Being so big, Teide generates its own climate so is often obscured by a ring of cloud. For the tourists enjoying…

For the Forager, Darron Coppin hooked up with rustic TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (of River Cottage fame) to create the ideal foraging partner. The bike, which now belongs to Eden Project founder Sir Tim Smit, was influenced by the classic Land Rover and includes a dynamo hub to power lights and a USB charger, and a Brooks leather-sprung saddle for added comfort. It comes with baskets, a porteur rack, bottle holders, rear panniers and three Restrap frame bags. The standout feature might be the small front wheel by Loop Wheels that provides easier handling and smooth riding over rough tracks. You may also notice an extra pair of tubes that wrap around the frame to link the head tube to the bottom of the seatstays, providing improved stability and space…

Gravel is such an established discipline these days that, inevitably, subsectors are springing up within it. In fact two distinct niches have formed, with equally distinct cultures around them. First there is ‘adventure’ gravel. The bikes are rugged and relaxed, built for long days over rough terrain, and the riders wear things like flannel shirts – left open to flap in the breeze, naturally – and neckerchiefs. They probably have beards too. Then there is ‘race’ gravel. The bikes are just as much at home on tarmac as they are on hardpack, and their riders wear Lycra and worry about functional threshold power. The original V+1 leant towards the race side of things and, if anything, with this second generation the manufacturer has doubled down on the V+1’s aggressive credentials.…

I’m swimming in the North Sea at the foot of soaring sandstone cliffs when the haar – that sepulchral scourge of Scotland’s east coast – starts rolling in. With me, on what is rapidly turning into a doomed quest to spot some puffins, is a new arrival to my village. And we are in danger of becoming lost at sea because I didn’t want to go for a bike ride with him. Let me explain… Iain is a road cyclist who recently bought a holiday home near me. We got chatting and it wasn’t long before hints about going for rides together were being dropped like chains on a cobbled climb. I was confronted by an awkward dilemma: how do you explain to someone who shares the same passion as…

When Flanders was named host region of this year’s UCI World Road Championships it wasn’t hard to imagine what might happen. As soon as UCI president David Lappartient announced ‘2021 – Flanders’ it all came into sharp focus: fans lining narrow cobbled climbs; a sea of yellow flags sporting the black lion of Flanders; mountains of frites; a route featuring famous towns such as Oudenaarde, Geraardsbergen, Kortrijk and Ghent, each hosting their own festivals of Flanders cycling. That’s not quite what will unfold from 19th to 26th September. Lappartient was speaking in Innsbruck, scene of the 2018 Worlds, more than a year before any of us had heard the word ‘Covid’. Yet the pandemic is just one reason for this year’s event not exactly corresponding to most people’s imagined versions…

Four days before the start of the 1978 Tour de France, Bernard Hinault was in Sarrebourg in eastern France for the French national championships road race. The Breton was in his fourth year as a professional, having signed for Gitane in 1975. Results had been good for Hinault from the off. He finished second in the GP Antibes and 7th in Paris-Nice within two months of turning pro, and by the time he arrived in Sarrebourg he had won Gent-Wevelgem, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, Dauphiné Libéré and GP des Nations (all 1977) along with the Vuelta a España, which he had dominated a few weeks earlier. Hinault’s previous best in France’s national road race had been 10th in 1976. In Sarrebourg he set about changing all that. ‘The circuit was not difficult enough…

‘For me to control my hallucinations I don’t look around because, if I do, everything will turn into something, right? So, I’ll just see the hallucinations on the ground and they’re normally stable. That’s how I control them.’ Those are the words of 52-year-old Leah Goldstein, who in June became the first woman to win the Race Across America, cycling 4,800km in just over 11 days. The Canadian’s victory came off the back of riding for 40 hours straight with no sleep, followed by three hours every day before cutting to just 90 minutes. Goldstein is an extreme example of insufficient sleep leading to toxic delirium, but lack of shut-eye is a 21st century epidemic and, seen through a cycling lens, will put the brakes on improved performance. ‘Not enough…

TRAVEL Cyclist flew from Heathrow to Milan Malpensa with British Airways, which cost around £150 return. We then took the express train to Milan Centrale then a connecting train to Tirano, getting off at Varenna. From there it’s a walk to the docks and a foot ferry over to Bellagio, where BikeItBellagio is based. Alternatively the train continues on to Chiavenna. ACCOMMODATION We stayed at Marco’s petrol station next door to BikeItBellagio. Marco is a local legend who converted the flats above his garage into accommodation for cyclists. His petrol station doubles as a bar and cafe, and as a former baker his pizza, focaccia and croissants are worth the stay alone. THANKS To Casey and Luca at BikeItBellagio for hosting us, our driver Grande Mario, who despite his lack…

The doubts roll around my mind like a bag of spilt marbles. For the first time in close to 2,500 kilometres I am having serious doubts about my ability to reach Land’s End. Over the past few weeks I have ridden a rollercoaster of emotions in conquering some of the steepest and toughest climbs Britain has to offer, and yet here I am, a few hundred kilometres from my final destination wondering if I have the mental or physical wherewithal to carry on. Admittedly the 30% gradient sign my bike is leaning against isn’t helping my state of mind, not least because I hadn’t for one moment imagined today to be so relentlessly tough. False hopes On another occasion – one where I wasn’t so fatigued from riding the best…

Riding from one end of Britain to the other is a major undertaking, and Cyclist had help from a number of sources. Firstly, thanks to komoot (komoot.com) for help with creating a route that takes in many of the best parts of the country for riding a bike. The ride took place during the period just after the first Covid-19 lockdown so we couldn’t use hotels or B&Bs, so many thanks to Bailey of Bristol (baileyofbristol.co.uk) for the loan of an Autograph 74-4 motorhome, which proved to be an ideal moving base. Thanks also to Mercedes (mercedes-benz.co.uk) for the loan of a Marco Polo campervan, as used by our photographer for the duration of the ride. Good kit choices are vital to avoid unnecessary stops, and I couldn’t have asked…

Aluminium has always seemed to me the perfect construction material for a gravel bike. A gravel bike needs to be lighter and racier than you can create using steel, but be able to take a hit better than some lightweight carbon frames, plus not be too eye-wateringly expensive to replace should the worst actually happen. That said, there are aluminium frames and there are aluminium frames. Fixing a few tubes of the stuff together doesn’t guarantee an appropriate blend of attributes will be created. There is a real risk that the result will be as heavy as steel but as skittishly uncomfortable as an extreme carbon climber’s bike. Thankfully that isn’t the case here. Felt’s Breed 20 gravel bike is as well-executed as aluminium gravel bikes come. Mixed materials Having…

£555, cycling.favero.com Assioma is the Italian word for axiom, meaning something that’s accepted to be true. The accepted truth in this case is that Garmin has competition. The Assioma Duo-Shi is a dualsided power meter designed to pop into your standard Shimano pedal bodies. Compatible with the PD-R8000, 7000, 6800, 550 and 540 pedals, it allows riders to access a wealth of data for significantly fewer pounds than Garmin’s Rally pedals. Its Instantaneous Angular Velocity-based (IAV) metrics mean that, alongside providing classic power data, the Duo-Shis give access to left/right balance, torque effectiveness, pedal smoothness and more, allowing analysis of pedal technique and positioning on the bike. According to Favero, IAV data is unaffected by problems brought about by irregular pedalling and oval chainrings, while being accurate to within 1%.…

1 WIZARD WORKS GO-GO TOP TUBE BAG From £60, wizard.works It’s said hippie polygamists count their wives ‘One, Mrs Hippie, two Mrs Hippie’, that Pavlov’s soft hair is all from conditioning, and that Wizard Works isn’t run by actual wizards but rather skilled designers, who here have created a robust and weather-resistant top tube bag. Available in a range of colours and two sizes, short (£60) or long (£70, pictured). 2 SIS BETA FUEL From £2, scienceinsport.com What’s a Brummie chef’s favourite rice? The Tour de France. And what’s a Tour rider’s favourite sports supplements? Well if you’re Ineos Grenadiers it’s those made by SiS, a company that has been putting the science in sport since 1992 and which has most recently developed Beta Fuel, which it claims can ‘increase…

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Cyclist: Lee, you’re a keen cyclist, but cycling to you means more than just fitness and miles. Can you explain why? Lee Stephenson: I’ve been a police officer for nearly 22 years and was recently diagnosed with complex PTSD, OCD, depression and anxiety. This is why I want to talk about it now, because cycling has helped me so much. I’m hoping that people can relate to or take something from my story. Cyc: Where does the story begin? LS: I was five years on the beat from 2001, then I progressed to the specialist ops – the firearms department, which deals with the more violent incidents, not just gun crime. One minute you could be dealing with somebody for speeding, the next you’ve received a call that somebody’s brandishing…

‘Pretty sure the year was ’74… Monterey Butterfly Criterium, with Olympians Smilin’ George Mount and Ron Skarin in the rear view mirror… he nipped me at the line for the win… said I was the only rider that year that beat him at the Tour of the Central Coast.’ We’re looking at a black and white image of a chasing pack, bikes being flung side to side in pursuit of a rider charging up the kind of steep, pylon-lined street the Californian Bay Area is famous for. The rider in question, broad shouldered, tanned, wearing a leather hairnet, is Tom Ritchey – in the early 1970s a talented junior with professional road race aspirations; in 2021 a man who has revolutionised the bike industry. Mountain bikes, lightweight components and 650b…

‘A lot of the time people are trying to reinvent the bicycle when it was pretty well sorted in the early 20th century,’ says Darron Coppin, founder and owner of Sven Cycles. Sven only does classic. If you take a look at past builds on the company’s website, or peek inside its Weymouth workshop, or talk to the man behind the operation, it’s clear where the inspiration comes from. And for a custom builder, identity is essential. ‘Not everyone needs an F1 car,’ Coppin says. ‘I’ll build anything but my real passion is utilitarian touring and gravel bikes. That’s where my roots are and I’ve stuck to my guns.’ That choice has paid off. Since he started Sven 12 years ago, tastes have shifted very much in his favour. He…

The fabled Bianchi Specialissima is back. I say ‘fabled’ because the Specialissima was first released in 1958 – an evolution of the Campione del Mondo, as ridden by Fausto Coppi in the 1950s – and by the mid-1960s the Specialissima was dominating the Giro d’Italia with Felice Gimondi and his Salvarini team. For years the bike waved the Bianchi flag, until the 1990s saw aluminium knock steel from its perch in the pro ranks. (Top factoid: the last time Bianchi won a Tour de France was 1998 when Marco Pantani was pedalling an aluminium Mega Pro XL). Thus the Specialissima dynasty sat mothballed until 2015 saw Bianchi resurrect it in the name of carbon fibre, producing a superlight bike whose frame weighed a claimed 780g. Good going even now. I…

The Giro’s New Star p62 Kask Valegro helmet, £185 velobrands.co.uk 100% Glendale sunglasses, £139.99 freewheel.co.uk Universal Colours Spectrum gilet, £100 universalcolours.com Universal Colours Mono jersey, £110 universalcolours.com Universal Colours Mono bibshorts, £120 universalcolours.com Universal Colours Mono Summer socks, £18 universalcolours.com Rapha Classic shoes, £180 rapha.cc So Near, But So Far p110 Giro Aether Spherical helmet, £269.99 giro.co.uk SunGod Vulcans TF sunglasses, £125 sungod.co Castelli Perfetto RoS vest, £130 saddleback.co.uk Castelli Climber’s 3.0 jersey, £90 saddleback.co.uk Castelli Free Aero Race 4 bibshorts, £150 saddleback.co.uk Castelli Giro 13 socks, £18 saddleback.co.uk Specialized S-Works Recon shoes, £350 specialized.com Bikes p123 BIANCHI Lazer Genesis helmet, £179.99 freewheel.co.uk Oakley Sutro sunglasses, £140 oakley.com Rapha Custom Pro Team jersey, £120 rapha.cc Rapha Custom Pro Team bibshorts, £195 rapha.cc DeFeet Cyclist socks, £12 shop.cyclist.co.uk Suplest Edge+ Pro…