Table of contents for May 2017 in Cycling Plus

WORTH £24.99! FREE AIRWAVE STORM TRACK PUMP when you subscribe to Cycling Plus See p100 In March 2000 a young chap made his first appearance in Cycling Plus describing a favourite loop around Wiltshire. Seventeen years on and not much appears to have changed for Warren Rossiter – he’s still riding around the West Country! Things are different of course. For starters, Woz was art editor at the turn of the century. A few years ago, he moved to his current role as senior technical editor in charge of our testing, and his riding became even more serious. Not least over the winter when he puts thousands of miles on bikes as we search for our Bike of the Year. While many of us retreat to our turbos to avoid…

There’s a greater variety of bikes than ever in this year’s Bike of the Year test, from full-on race bikes, to endurance-biased machines – featuring built-in compliance or suspension – taking in aero road bikes on the way. Some come with rim brakes, many have hydraulic discs. Forget the pro peloton, disc brakes really are proving popular among the British bike-buying public. Our months and thousands of miles of testing have shown that road bikes have never been more sophisticated or offered better comfort, though we should also mention that during testing the price of seven of our 25 bikes increased, some considerably, thanks to the falling value of the pound. Others could change after we go to press. But there are still great bikes to be had and bargains…

ORBEA AVANT M20 TEAM D £2637 SPECIFICATION Weight 8.45kg (57cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Ultegra 50/34, 11-28 Brakes Shimano BR-RS805, 160/140mm Ice-Tech rotors Wheels Mavic Aksium Disc Finishing kit FSA carbon stem, carbon bar and carbon seatpost, Prologo Scratch 2 saddle, 25mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres Not that long ago dropbarred bikes were pretty much either tourers or ‘race’ bikes. Then, early this century, Specialized launched its Roubaix and the ‘endurance’ road bike boom burst into life. Specialized took a high-end race bike, reduced the head-tube angle and heightened it, lengthened the rear end, added in some comfortinducing elements and voilà: a road bike with a more comfortable, less extreme riding position, and one not hampered by excess weight. With the growth of sportive culture in Britain the…

Double track world champion Rob Hayles has numerous happy memories of riding the Manchester velodrome. “I once did a naked flying lap at the end of a training session here,” he tells me. “I whipped off my skinsuit, got up to the barrier and launched myself. The joke is that it was captured on CCTV, and Diane the receptionist took the tape home with her. It’s never been seen since.” We’ve met at the National Cycling Centre for the start of today’s ride. As we discuss the route, a succession of lean, young riders wearing Team GB tracksuits and backpacks arrives for a day’s training at ‘The Medal Factory’. “I don’t think it’s like it was in my day,” says Rob, who joined Great Britain’s juniors back in 1989 when…

The words of Paul McCartney provide the drive for a fabulous trip along the Kintyre Way Mull of Kintyre, oh mist rolling in from the sea.” Cough. Wipe sweat dribbling down eyebrows. “My desire is always to be here…” Panting the words out in time with my cranks I look up at Sean’s wheel tantalisingly out of reach, pinging stones across the track as the drizzle closes in on the hill. Water drips steadily from my helmet. “Oh Mull of Kintyre.” No matter how hard I try I can’t get the Paul McCartney song out of my head, and it is starting to wear thin. Particularly as that first verse is the only one I can remember, relentlessly looping as my legs reach their burning capacity. Admittedly it is very…

A playground for roadies, mountain bikers and, perhaps even to a greater extent, whisky lovers, the Cairngorms National Park covers a vast, mountainous area in northern Scotland, just south of Inverness. Its extreme topography poses a challenge for roadies: there’s no road cutting through the park east to west, so those looking to plot a circular route - and, be honest, that’s the only kind - taking in the choicest cuts of the park have little alternative but to go big. This seems appropriate for a region that boasts one of the biggest, most spectacular climbs in Britain - The Lecht. The joy/misery (delete as appropriate) begins in the town of Cock Bridge, in the northeast of the park, ascending to the ski station by seemingly the shortest and steepest…

We’ve crossed borders and hopped on ferries to visit Sustrans National Cycle Network’s most northerly point Lying 400 miles south of the Arctic Circle on the same latitude as Alaska, Greenland and St Petersburg, and reached via a 225-mile ferry crossing – about the same distance away Norway lies to the east and the Faroe Islands to the north-west – Shetland doesn’t sound like part of Britain. Its quiet and immaculately surfaced roads make it sound even less so. But thanks to King Christian I of Denmark and Norway – who when his daughter married James III of Scotland in 1468 pawned Shetland to Scotland because he didn’t have the money to pay her dowry – and North Sea oil – a small percentage of the money from which gets…

Look out for our Best On Test award. We only give this to gear that really deserves your attention BEST ON TEST HIGHLY COMMENDED BEST VALUE Here at Cycling Plus we take our testing seriously and have been putting road cycling products through their paces for 23 years. Our test team, led by senior technical editor Warren Rossiter, is the best in the business. They’ve got decades of cycling experience between them and know what makes a good – and bad – bike, accessory, gadget or garment. That means you can trust us to bring you honest assessments of every product we feature. If it gets our seal of approval then you can be sure that you’ll be bagging a great buy! FIRST RIDE First Ride sees our test team…

CUBE LITENING C:62 DISC £2499 SPECIFICATION Weight 8.05kg (56cm) Frame C:62 carbon Fork C:68 carbon tapered Gears Shimano Ultegra 50/34, 11-28 Brakes Shimano BR-RS805 Wheels Mavic Aksium Disc Finishing kit Cube Performance Pro stem, Wing Race carbon bar, carbon post, Selle Italia for Cube X1 saddle, 25mm Schwalbe One tyres When you get towards the top end of this year’s Bike of the Year price range, you’re getting some impressive bikes. While disc brakes – for the second year running – are still proving controversial in the pro ranks, the rest of the cycling population is buying them in droves, without the worries of a high-speed peloton pile-up to concern us more modest riders. These two carbon-framed road bikes hail from the racier end of the spectrum and either side…

Making it into our top five is no small achievement, and with prices changing right up to the time of going to press, we’ve discussed and deliberated long and hard over which bikes should be here. From bikes that represent arguably the longest-running model in modern road bike history, to those from brands that have made it big over the last decade, read on to find out more about our fab five. Giant strides Giant’s TCR dates back to 1998, with the company’s first compact sloping top-tube design harking back to 1995. In the 19-plus years of development, the TCR has gone from aluminium to carbon and now the TCR Advanced 1 Disc debuts that most forwardthinking feature, disc brakes. At £1999, the Advanced 1 is, on paper, a great…

WE SAY The X-Sync is the most accomplished and reliable single ring out there SRAM FORCE 1 X-SYNC £71 The technology SRAM called on its mountain bike experience to create the road 1x single chainring system. Called X-Sync, each ring shares the same precisionmachined, alternating wide/ narrow tooth design, only differing in material used, with Force 1 at the top of the tree. Dimension data A 6mm aluminium plate is machined to create a 4mm thick ring whose outer face curves towards the teeth, which are offset inboard to better align with the cassette’s centre. They’re 7mm tall with an asymmetric profile, the narrow teeth have 0.7x3.5mm screwdriver-like tips, whereas the wide teeth add side buttresses to make an elongated cross-shaped tip of 3.5x2.2mm, widening to a square 3.5mm with…

JOCKEYS 1 Two clip-on guides are provided for the lower orange gauge, for standard or longer toothed 11-tooth jockey wheels APPY DAYS 2 Otto’s app is very userfriendly with clear, repeatable verbal and visual instructions that are easy to follow GOOD TO GO 3 Ensure the drivetrain and cables are clean before fitting gauges. The blue one sits between the frame and cassette £36.99 › Make your gears ’appy IF YOU FIND gear adjustment on a par with witchcraft and nuclear physics, Otto’s Tuning System could be for you. At the time of writing, it’s compatible with most Shimano and SRAM 9-11-speed drivetrains. It won’t work with Campagnolo, Android phones or clutch rear derailleurs on current single ring systems. The plastic gauges have 12 rearfacing targets, whose positions are scanned…

Some ideas are just so good that you wonder why they took quite so long to hit the public consciousness. Take bikepacking, while we’ve all known for years that holidays with bikes are the best, this souped-up version of cycle touring has only recently fully hit its stride. In a climate that has seen ‘adventure,’ the outdoors and camping gain new enthusiastic followers keen on documenting and sharing their escapades via blogs and social media, a desire to get off the beaten track has inspired cyclists to reimagine the self-supported, point-to-point ride. Races such as the Transcontinental [self-supported, ultra-distance race across Europe, transcontinental.cc] have gripped our imagination, while showcasing the improved agility, performance and handling of bikes fitted with a new breed of lightweight equipment. Whereas once, cycle touring was…

CHOCOLATE RICE CAKES Tasty, high-energy cakes to make before a big ride. You’ll need: 500g Arborio rice, 1 litre of water, 2tbsp granulated sugar, 3tbsp coconut oil, 100g honey and 250g chocolate cream cheese. Cook the rice with the water and sugar for 20mins. Leave to rest for 5mins. Mix in the coconut oil, cream cheese and honey then spread on a cling film-covered tray. Fold the cling film over the rice to create a parcel. Refrigerate overnight. Cut into energy bar-sized chunks. PROTEIN BALLS Easy to eat, they’ll provide energy and aid recovery. You’ll need: 60g chocolate whey protein powder, 60g flax seeds/ ground nuts, 30g chopped nuts, 200g smooth peanut butter, 2tbsp honey, 35g of 75 per cent or above dark chocolate, desiccated coconut for rolling (optional). Mix…

From being a sofa surfer two years ago I now regularly do road time trials Heaviest: 15st (95kg) 24 per cent body fat Now: 12st 5lb (78kg) 9 per cent body fat HOW HAS CYCLING CHANGED YOUR LIFE? “Two years ago I was in bad shape and although I was trying to lose weight via the gym it wasn’t really working. Then I made friends with a group of triathletes who did a local Parkrun. One of them lent me a bike to “have a go on” and I first rode out on Boxing Day with a group. I just loved it.” WHAT PARTICULAR CHANGES DID YOU MAKE? “It starts with your diet and lifestyle – crack this and you find a new thirst for life and want to do…

Base yourself on the tiny, but stunning, tidal island of Lindisfarne on your trip to the northeast corner of England and you won’t go far wrong - just keep an eye on the tide and sky or your access to and from the island via its often submerged causeway might be in jeopardy. The Lindisfarne Inn (see Local Knowledge panel) is owned by cyclists, with bed and board tailored to the needs of riders. The island’s 1000 acres barely constitute an hors d’oeuvre but on the mainland there’s a banquet of riding to be devoured. Mile upon mile of textbook British B-roads, carved into English countryside, with just enough bends and undulations to hold your interest, tumble out in all directions. Largely free from traffic, they make for essential riding,…

With its wild and rugged landscape, stunning coastal scenery and plenty of sheep, Pembrokeshire proves the perfect destination for a tough and beautiful ride We only ride 100m before I want to stop and enjoy the view. Rolling out onto a narrow, open pontoon of tarmac, we’re crossing a wide, reed-covered riverbed. To our left a broad sky stretches out over marshy grassland that has tried but failed to keep the river from flowing into the Irish Sea just beyond. To our right I catch a glimpse of tall, stooped birds huddling in the sparkling ripples of the shallows. Herons, I assume, but there’s no time to stop and twitch, as I have to keep pedalling to keep up with my guide for the day, Tour of Pembrokeshire sportive organiser…

British Cycling’s (BC) miserable run of bad press was temporarily halted in February with the announcement that Jason and Laura Kenny were expecting a child. Of course, Kenny Junior won’t be the first BC Baby. Paralympic star Dame Sarah Storey and her husband Barney, the former tandem pilot, have a young daughter, while Sir Bradley Wiggins and his wife Cath, who met as junior cyclists in the ’90s, have two kids. There are few examples in sport where the child has overtaken successful parents Romance has blossomed at the National Cycling Centre; it’s less ‘Medal factory,’ more baby-making factory. The inevitable question everyone was asking was whether we can expect a next generation star? Combine Jason’s supercharged sprint and Laura’s endurance and racecraft, and you have, as one Twitter user…

Ever since the Middle Ages, people have been visiting Buxton for relaxation and health. The Georgians, with their craze for funny-tasting water, built the fine town we see now. Tastes change, though, and today Buxton is less crowded than nearby Bakewell, making it a good base for exploring the hills and dales. There’s always plenty going on, so you won’t be stuck for entertainment. ROUTE ONE Peak Glutton 69 miles 7200ft of climbing should be enough for the hardest Cycling Plus riders Right from the start, this is a demanding ride as you leave Buxton via Axe Edge. Other tough challenges include Larkstone Lane near Grindon, the haul from Hartington to the A515 and the gradient out of Ashford-in-the- Water. There are options to trim the ride if you’re fading…

I ride around three times a week with my family and my local club in Sutton, Surrey, where we’ll do routes including climbs like Box Hill. I’ve always been into bikes, riding regularly since I was about four. I’d ridden with my dad in France two years ago and rode up Mont Ventoux. Both my parents have ridden Les Cingles – completing the three different ascents of the mountain in one day – and I was determined to do it too. My mum was initially going to ride with me, but she had to look after my little sister so she drove alongside, spurring me on and reminding me to eat. Most of my fuelling came from dried apricots and a pizza in Sault before the last climb This challenge…

couple of grand is a lot of money for a bike. But spend wisely and you can get a lightweight carbon bike specced with quality kit and seriously good wheels. Yes, prices have edged up since last year, thanks to the fall in the pound, which has added 300 quid to the Eastway’s original price – but these are still two of the best bikes around when it comes to the maximum bangs for your buck. Its high-end hoops help to make the BTwin Ultra 720 CF the lightest bike on test, and the Eastway Emitter R2 isn’t that far behind… The reason these two bikes can hit the heights of value is that neither BTwin nor Eastway have the traditional bike shop model. Eastway is part of online retailer…

£2650 › The shock of the new It’s not just about the technology; the 2017 Roubaix is just as much about the ride Specialized’s front suspension system was so new when we first tested it that it didn’t have a name. Well, it does now – the somewhat science fictionsounding ‘Future Shock’. And while cycling’s tendency towards hyperbole means the word ‘revolutionary’ is overused, in the case of Specialized’s Future Shock it’s justified. Specialized’s boffins have re-written the rule book when it comes to road bike suspension. Yes, other companies have been building ‘compliance’ into their bikes for years, most notably Trek’s IsoSpeedequipped Domane machines, but Future Shock’s suspension works differently – up and down in a vertical path, much as a mountain bike would. However, telescopic legs would be…

WE SAY On the road, shifting is as quick as standard eTap £745 › 11-32 option for SRAM’s wireless marvel WE’RE STILL HUGELY impressed by the simplicity and fuss-free operation of SRAM’s electronic wireless group, eTap. Our only criticism had been the lack of a wider cassette and midlength mech to cope with the extra teeth, and no sooner had we voiced that small criticism than SRAM announced this WiFli option. The differences between the standard mech and this one are the extra length of the cage, which ups the weight to 219g (just 6g more) not including the 24g battery plus a couple of extra links from the chain, and the 11-32 196g cassette (14g heavier than the 11-28 option). Once the mech has been replaced it can be…

1 HANDLES Handles can make a huge difference to transporting your bike. One handle might work well for pulling your bike along while others make lifting easier. It’s a small addition that can make a big difference. 2 HARD CASES These are made from tough plastic or aluminium. They are the most robust, offering good protection. The trade-off is that they’re usually heavier and more cumbersome than soft cases. 3 SOFT BAGS These are made from soft hardwearing fabric and usually feature added padding and hard bases for extra protection. They are lighter, which makes it easier to hit airline weight limits. 4 PORTABILITY When you have a week’s worth of luggage, your bike bag/box needs to be as portable as possible. Wheels are a must and having at least…

INSTANT EXPERT Maintain your focus but be aware of crosswinds as you change direction 1 WORK WITH THE WIND “If the headwind occurs during a training ride, on a long flat stretch riders should increase their cadence to keep the pace high,” says former One Pro Cycling rider Yanto Barker, ambassador for cycle clothing brand Le Col (lecol.net). Doing this means the headwind won’t stop you in your tracks when it hits. Also riding in a big gear can make it easier to power on pushing through it. “Where possible ride on the drops, get your back flat and tuck in low to the bar.” 2 FIND YOUR SPOT “In a race, hide yourself near the front behind the first two rows of riders ahead of you,” says Barker. “If…

The Lake District’s Fred Whitton Challenge might just be the UK’s toughest sportive. Senior staff writer John Whitney rode it for the first time in 2011 and is still to get the chastening experience out of his system... The time ticks over the eight-hour mark of the most gruelling cycling event of my life. With just 12 miles left I’m on course to finish inside my target time of nine hours, but for the fourth time today I’m at a standstill. Yet another puncture has wrecked my momentum, and this time I’m close to breaking point. My pre-ride decision to trade my trusted winter tyres for something more racy has delivered another hammer blow and I contemplate surrender. I badly misjudged the final corner on the descent of Hardknott Pass…

Yorkshire’s foray into the razzmatazz of Tour de France Grand Departs directly begat the Tour de Yorkshire race and sportive, an annual showpiece that wanders around Britain’s largest county. The second edition, in 2016, culminated in a bruising stage through the North York Moors and ended in Scarborough. That town played host to the accompanying Tour de Yorkshire Ride, the sportive that to some extent shares roads with its racy relation (a download to the long route can be found opposite). Tests of form can be found on the savagely steep Reasty Road and series of climbs around Langdale End. So too the hairpin-potted road as you turn into Dalby Forest, though it’s mixed in with rolling green pastures. Further into the Moors are classic climbs such as Rosedale Chimney,…