Table of contents for March 2021 in Cyclist

It’s all rather pleasant in a family bonding sort of way, and I will miss it when the lockdown is finally lifted and the girls find better things to do with their evenings than hang out with the parents. But their choice of movie is often unnervingly reflective of the situation we find ourselves in. This includes The Matrix (mankind is decimated by its own hubris and humans are forced to live in a virtual dream-state to shield them from the horrors of reality); The Shining (man trapped in isolation with his family goes slowly mad); and of course Groundhog Day (man wakes to discover every day is the exactly the same and he is unable to move on with his life). The only real difference is that instead of…

Every now and then we get a letter from a reader. A fair few question our occasional coverage of e-bikes, which have been variously described as ‘abominations’, ‘bête noires’ and ‘violations of the velocipede’ (never let it be said Cyclist readers have anything less than extensive vocabularies), but every now and again something more intriguing comes along. So it was with an email from a gentleman by the name of Mark Groves, subject line ‘Me and my bike’ and containing these words: ‘I started framebuilding in 2013. I have attached some of my builds but it’s probably best to go through Instagram for more content, @grovescycles.’ We did as instructed and there, from elaborate pannier racks to gorgeous head badges made up of four brazedtogether parts, it was apparent Mr…

The view from inside the peloton Remember the good old days of Bjarne’s boot camp? You’d be enjoying your Christmas holidays, wondering what the pros had been up to since Lombardia, then you’d stumble across an online story with images of ‘General’ Riis in camo gear putting his CSC Saxo boys through a savage 48-hour survival test in the dank, dark woods of Denmark. Tucking into a turkey sandwich, you’d wince on reading how landlubber superstar Ivan Basso had been thrown overboard a kilometre from the shore of the Baltic Sea, his teammates forced to tow their non-swimming captain safely to shore. You’d see some burly Danish squaddie submit this gaggle of spindly cyclists to various attack-and-hostage scenarios, or night-navigation ops in severe conditions. A team of paratroopers would throw…

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To download this route go to cyclist.co.uk/110france or scan the QR code. From Ugine head northwest on the D1508 for 4km until a right turn signposted to Col de l’Arpettaz. Follow this road up and over the Arpettaz to join the D1212. Turn left and ride 4km to Flumet, then turn left onto the D909 to La Giettaz and the Col des Aravis. At Les Étages turn left towards Manigod and the Col de la Croix Fry. When you arrive in Les Clefs turn left towards Faverges and stay on the D12 for 17km, crossing over the D1508 highway at Faverges and about 500m later turning left onto the narrow cycleway that will take you back to Ugine.…

Outside Belgium, an interest in cyclocross often used to be seen as a weird and potentially unhealthy trait in a developing rider. If you wanted to be a successful road rider you raced and trained on the road, full stop. But with cyclocross-obsessive Wout van Aert currently negotiating the largest contract in the business, and rival Mathieu van der Poel winning the 2020 Tour of Flanders, that has all changed. Just behind them, Ineos Grenadiers’ latest signing, 21-year-old Tom Pidcock, not only built his career in the discipline but had the option to continue in the sport written into his contract. Marianne Vos has long dominated both styles year-round, while Julian Alaphilippe and Peter Sagan also got a start in the muddy winter discipline. A sort of steeplechase with bicycles,…

To download this route go to cyclist.co.uk/110isleofwight. From Ryde Pier, head southeast through Nettlestone to St Helens and Bembridge. At Brading head inland to Whiteley Bank before turning back towards the coast at Shanklin. Tackle Cowleaze Hill and descend to Ventnor, before tracing the coast all the way (bar a slight detour via Yafford) to Yarmouth in the northwest. After lunch at Off The Rails, head southeast on Broad Lane before wiggling through Newbridge, Brighstone and Shorwell, then join the Newport-Sandown cycle track to the Pedallers Cafe. The climb of Lime Kiln Shute rises over the Island’s main downland ridge before dropping back down towards Ryde.…

Plenty of people predicted that a Slovenian would win last year’s Tour de France and a Brit would win the Giro. But – be honest now – how many of us thought the winners would be Primo� Roglič and Geraint Thomas and not first-timers Tadej Pogačar and Tao Geoghegan Hart? Attempting to predict the 2020 season proved to be a mug’s game as a new generation of young stars tore up the rulebook and put the old guard to the sword. Will that shift continue into 2021 or will we see a return of the usual suspects in the major races? Who better to peer into their crystal balls than a crack core of seasoned sportscasters and industry insiders? The 10-strong Cyclist panel includes a triple Tour winner, a king…

Canyon claims its new Aeroad is now the benchmark for aero race bikes. Of course it would say that, but it backs up its claim with numbers, suggesting this latest version will save 5.4 watts at 45kmh with a rider on board and bottles installed compared to the already-pretty-damned-fast previous version. Canyon also points to its collaboration with aerodynamics experts SwissSide, which it partnered with for the first time on this project. Personally I was prepared to accept Canyon’s claims based on the bike’s looks alone. Pretty much every tube is deeper than on the previous Aeroad, yet head-on it is as skinny as an old steel racer. My test period with the bike did nothing to dispel the claim either. At high speeds I felt like I was floating…

Legend has it that Swiss-French rider Pierre Brambilla lay his bike on his bed and slept on the floor every time he’d had a bad race during his post-War career. ‘That no doubt didn’t improve his physical fitness, but his mental health came out of it restored,’ writes Paul Fournel in his collection of philosophical essays, Need For The Bike. ‘Certain racers couldn’t care less about their machines so long as it goes. They don’t even know which gears they set out with in the morning. They delegate the love of their bike to their mechanics.’ I’m definitely in this camp. I resent having to even clean my bike, so there’s no chance of it ever getting a night under my duvet. It’s not that I hate it, I just…

The Kinekt suspension stem aims to reduce discomfort and fatigue over long rides and rough surfaces. Cirrus says the stem’s 20mm of travel will ‘effectively isolate your body from surface bumps and vibrations to improve comfort, control and traction’. It has three interchangeable springs for soft to firm terrain and the brand insists control and steering are uncompromised. At 500g the stem is unlikely to be adopted on the WorldTour, but for the rest of us the weight penalty could be worth the promise of extra comfort.…

Since its return to the cycling tyre market in 2017, Pirelli has produced some well-regarded race clinchers and some pretty decent tubeless tyres. As a next step the brand has combined elements from both lines to create this tubeless race tyre. It comes with a rubber compound dubbed SmartEvo because it uses a blend of smart polymers, which are said to help adapt tread compound to environmental changes in moisture or heat, bonded to a TechWall+ 120tpi casing. That combination promises the usual balance of high grip, low rolling resistance, light weight and puncture protection. Crucially the tyres are ETRTO-compliant for wide, modern hookless rims, which means installation should be a cinch with any wheel choice.…

The oversize pulley wheel (OSPW) system was pioneered by engineer Wolfgang Berner, and it set internet forums ablaze when it was first spotted on the Sram Red rear derailleurs of Fabian Cancellara, the Schleck brothers and Lance Armstrong during the 2010 season. ‘What is this rear derailleur thingy?’ was the topic headline of countless threads, accompanied by a grainy screenshot of Spartacus at his imperious best in one of the two time-trials at that year’s Tour de France (he won both). Andy Schleck won the 2010 Tour (admittedly only after the original victor, Alberto Contador, was disqualified after testing positive for clenbuterol that he claimed came from contaminated steak), which added fuel to the discussion surrounding the benefits of the design. Berner is no longer a name in the OSPW…

Cyclist: You’re a multiple cyclocross World Champion and a professional rider for Alpecin-Fenix, but arguably your greatest achievement to date is holding the Q10/27 Bexley 10-mile time-trial record with a time of 21:09. Would you agree? Ben Tulett: Ha, of course! I set that record back in 2018. It’s such a good 10: straight up for five miles and down for five miles. It’s so savage, especially on the way out, where you have to climb all the way up to the roundabout at the five-mile mark. I really enjoy giving that a good crack on a Wednesday evening. It’s competitive, but everyone’s just enjoying themselves. It’s 20 minutes of sheer pain and agony and you just know you have to go really hard at the beginning if you want…

What gives an Alpine climb legendary status? Stats alone are not enough. A climb only becomes the stuff of legend once it has witnessed epic Grand Tour battles being played out on its slopes. It’s why Alpe d’Huez is arguably the most iconic of them all, and riders flock there to pitch themselves against it in an attempt to feel what the pros may have felt in those moments scribed in the history books. It’s so easy to get lost in the romanticism of a classic climb that we often fail to realise that it is not always particularly pleasant to ride one. Alpe d’Huez is a case in point. It is usually quite busy and riding it means brushing shoulders with numerous other cyclists as well as the cars,…

The Émonda SLR 7 Disc was created for exactly this kind of mountainous ride. Trek’s lightest ever road disc frame paired with a Sram eTap AXS HRD groupset and Zipp 202 Firecrest wheels helps to bring the whole build in at just 7.11kg – pretty impressive for a disc brake bike. Those tubes may look skinny but they are unrelentingly stiff to ensure minimal wasted energy, and this pays noticeable dividends on the climbs, yet the Émonda never felt too flighty or unstable on the fast and sinuous descents. It’s not just a climber’s bike, it’s a superb all-rounder with ample comfort afforded by the highly flexible seatmast that takes the sting out of the road buzz – so you don’t need to be a pro with a butt of…

Sense of place is a strange thing. When you feel like you belong somewhere the emotional response can be powerful, and it’s a sensation that washes over me as I pedal out onto the pristine tarmac roads of the Isle of Wight. I live in London these days, but for me the Isle of Wight will always be home. I was brought up here, and seeing the island’s cliffs and beaches again brings memories flooding back of days spent riding the lanes when I was younger. I may now live on the mainland, but in my heart I remain a Caulkhead (as we Islanders are known) and my flag is shades of blue interspersed with white. For me today’s ride is not so much about exploring somewhere new as reacquainting…

I really couldn’t have asked for a more suitable bike for this ride than the Canyon Ultimate CF SL Disc 8.0 Di2 Aero – and the reason is explained in that ridiculously long name. The Ultimate is Canyon’s go-to race bike, meaning it is every bit as stiff and responsive as you might hope for, which is handy on the short, steep climbs around this route. The ‘CF SL’ bit refers to ‘carbon fibre super light’, which the bike certainly is, and the ‘Disc 8.0 Di2’ bit relates to the spec, which is impeccable for the price (midway between the top-spec 9.0 and lower-spec 7.0), including a Shimano Ultegra Di2 Disc groupset and light, fast DT Swiss ARC 1400 Dicut wheels. Finally, the ‘Aero’ part refers to those 50mm deep…

How do you keep up with a cyclist on a tough climb while carrying two cameras and thinking about where to get the best shot from? By riding a Ribble CGR AL e-bike. Our photographer, Gavin, found the ride so smooth he was able to shoot while on the move at times. Equally it had the added power assistance to let him scoot ahead and get in position for the perfect picture. The hub-based motor provides three simple-to-use power levels that can either push you over a tough summit or provide a gentle hand on your back on the flats, and Ribble reckons it will keep going for up to 100km on a single charge over variable terrain. The battery and motor are so neatly integrated that it’s hard to…

Vitus was among the first brands to introduce carbon frames back in the 1980s and it was well ahead of its time with bikes such as the ZX-1, a futuristic carbon monocoque design that in 1991 looked like it came straight from the pages of a comic book. But despite this pioneering spirit and an abundance of pro wins with Irish legend Sean Kelly, Vitus hasn’t been particularly visible in the top tier in recent years. During the first decade of the 21st century the company changed hands a number of times and slipped into decline, but Vitus was relaunched in 2009 and renewed investment has seen it slowly returning to prominence. This, the new Vitesse Evo, is its latest race bike, launched at the tail end of 2020, and…

Adidas has heritage in the sport of cycling, having historically been the riding clog of choice for the likes of Rudi Altig, Jan Ullrich and, of course, Eddy Merckx. Yet for the past 15 years the brand has been in the cycling wilderness, notably absent from the feet of the professional peloton. Thankfully, in the biggest comeback since Take That released ‘Patience’ in 2006, the triple stripes are returning to their rightful home in the cycling game with a brand new shoe, candidly named The Road Cycling Shoes. Classic in design, modern in performance, Adidas says it has opted to use its recycled Primegreen jacquard woven fabric in the shoe’s upper to create a malleable ‘sock-like’ fit. That is balanced against a nylon/glass fibre composite sole ‘for optimal power transfer’.…

1 ROCKAY IGNITE SOCKS £15.50, rockay.com Blacksmiths’ dogs, always making a bolt for the door. And cycling socks, always acting like they’re better than other socks. Yet these Ignites are entitled to feel superior, being anti-microbial, seamless, reflective and made from recycled material. ‘We remove 13 plastic bottles from the ocean for every pair of socks,’ says Rockay. Why socks want plastic bottles we don’t know, but that’s presumably good for the environment. 2 B&O BEOPLAY E8 3RD GEN EARPHONES £300, bang-olufsen.com They said I’d never be any good at poetry because I’m dyslexic, but I’ve already made three jugs and a vase. They also said cycling with headphones is dangerous unless you’re on a turbo, which is where B&O’s E8 wireless earphones excel. Both regular and Sport editions feature…

When Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas were left out of the Ineos Grenadiers lineup for the 2020 Tour de France, it seemed to be a moment of symbolic importance. Perhaps even a pivotol one for the British team. Only one British rider, Luke Rowe, was in the eight-man squad, and he is a domestique. For the first time in 11 Tour starts, the team would be led not by a British rider but by two South Americans, defending champion Egan Bernal of Colombia and Richard Carapaz of Ecuador. The omission of Froome and Thomas, with five Tour wins between them, was interpreted by some as the end of an era, and not just for Ineos. The period of British dominance – six Tour de France wins by three different riders…

For a different perspective on this picturesque region of southern France, bring a gravel bike to open up a plethora of new routes. The off-road trails can take you right into the heart of the Aravis mountains, offering views arguably more impressive than those available from the road. One of the best sections of gravel can be found at the summit of the Col de l’Arpettaz. It is 14.5km long and wends its way along the line of the impressive Aravis mountain peaks, eventually connecting with the summit of the Col des Aravis. It’s used in the La Resistance sportive (laresistance.cc), a multi-surface event with 130km and 90km route options, held (Covid allowing) in September. Alternatively the climb from Le Marteray (just south of Flumet on the D1212) turns to…

TRAVEL Cyclist flew with Swiss airline from London Heathrow to Geneva. Expect to pay £90-£130 each way. Swiss is one of the few airlines that still provides complimentary drinks and snacks (plus Swiss chocolate) on board, and Geneva is one of the best-served airports in the world so there’s an abundant choice of airlines and flight times. Ugine is around a 1.5-hour drive by car. ACCOMMODATION We stayed at the superb, cyclist-friendly Hôtel les Chalets in Brides-les-Bains (brideslesbains.com). There’s a secure garage with workshop facilities for bikes and a breakfast that caters for hungry riders. THANKS Huge thanks to Adrian and Shelley of Alp Cycles (alpcycles.com) for helping to organise this ride, and especially Adrian for looking like he was suffering on climbs when really he had plenty left in…

TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION Cyclist caught the Wightlink Car Ferry (wightlink.co.uk) from Portsmouth to Fishbourne, about 5km from the start point of our ride on Ryde Pier. Ferry prices start from around £15 for a foot passenger with a bicycle and go up to over £100 for a return trip with car during peak season. There is also a Wightlink Fast Cat that doesn’t take cars but docks right at the end of Ryde Pier, so makes an excellent option for a day trip. The Fast Cat crossing takes just over 20 minutes compared to 45 minutes for the Fishbourne ferry. Other ferry options include Southampton to Cowes or East Cowes and Lymington to Yarmouth. Once on the island there is a wealth of hotels, B&Bs and campsites to choose from,…

You’re brave,’ says the grey-haired man behind the counter, gesturing to the bleak scene on the other side of the shop window. ‘Brave or stupid,’ I reply, water rapidly pooling at my feet as I stand shivering, waiting for my change. ‘Well, that was my first thought,’ he says, ‘only I didn’t want to offend you.’ With that he passes me the washing up gloves and wishes me luck. I pause at the door, reluctant to leave the warmth of the shop behind but ultimately knowing I have little choice but to brave the storm once again. At least now my hands will be dry, I tell myself as I pull on the bright yellow Marigolds, laughing at the absurdity of the situation. It’s not quite how I had imagined…

When I was eight all I wanted were trainers with lights in the heel. When I was 11 all I wanted was replica Peter Schmeichel goalie gloves. When I was 14 all I wanted was a Moots. Twenty-two years later and I still don’t have a pair of Cica trainers (remember them? Seekah, si-kah, whatever!). But I have a Moots, it is a gravel Moots and it is a joy to behold. We all make mistakes This is the redesigned Routt RSL, which now boasts tyre clearance for up to 700c x 45mm tyres, with the RSL designating this is Moots’ lightest, raciest Routt. It sits alongside the Routt YBB, which has 20mm of rear suspension, and the Routt 45, which somewhat confusingly takes 50mm tyres. And to begin with…

Escape To Arpettaz p52 Giro Synthe Mips helmet, £209.99 zyrofisher.co.uk Bollé Shifter sunglasses, £170 bolle.com Stolen Goat Orkaan Everyday jersey, £125 stolengoat.com Stolen Goat Orkaan bibshorts, £115 stolengoat.com Stolen Goat Coolmax socks, £9.99 stolentgoat.com Giro Imperial shoes, £379.99 zyrofisher.co.uk Wight Gold p76 Specialized S-Works Evade II Mips helmet, £240 specialized.com Pearl Izumi Zephrr Barrier gilet, £89.99 freewheel.co.uk Pearl Izumi Pro Air jersey, £199.99 freewheel.co.uk Pearl Izumi Pro Gel gloves, £44.99 freewheel.co.uk Pearl Izumi Pro Air bibshorts, £249.99 freewheel.co.uk Pearl Izumi Attack Tall socks, £24.99 freewheel.co.uk Specialized S-Works 7 shoes, £360 specialized.com Days Like These p102 Giro Aether Spherical helmet, £259.99 zyrofisher.co.uk Castelli Idro 2 jacket, £260 saddleback.co.uk Marigold gloves, £2.50 marigold.co.uk Castelli Free Aero Race 4 bibshorts, £150 saddleback.co.uk Castelli Giro 13 socks, £17 saddleback.co.uk Specialized S-Works Recon shoes, £350…