Sommaire pour October 2016 de Cycling Plus

SPECIFICATION WEIGHT 8.2kg (L) FRAME Titanium FORK Easton EC90XD GEARS SRAM Red 22 Hydro, 50/34, 11-26 BRAKES SRAM RED HRD, 160mm (F), 140mm (R) WHEELS Stan’s Iron Cross FINISHING KIT PRO PLT alloy stem, PRO Vibe 7s alloy bar, Syntace P6 31.8mm alloy seatpost, Selle Italia X Cross saddle, 32mm IRC Serac CX tubeless tyres It’s made of titanium UK custom titanium design specialist, Superavi uses Grade 9 3Al-2.5V titanium tubing with straight, round tubes for the main triangle and seatstays, and a hydroformed, tapered head-tube. Chainstays are ovalised vertically at the threaded bottom bracket shell, and become round while curving out to the cut-out plate dropouts. Our large Endurance (E), with down-tube cable adjusters, weighs 1668g. Its geometry and handling With a 72-degree head angle and an Easton fork…

1 Light work The Soundlite USB features three 0.2W LEDs that provide 70 lumens of light output. A !ash mode provides great day riding visibility too. 2 In charge It charges from any USB power source using the included micro-USB to USB cable. A full charge of the internal lithium ion battery takes four-"ve hours so it can be easily charged at your desk between commutes. 3 Keep on running Run times are four hours on constant and 30 hours in !ashing mode, and you can change modes using the switch on the main unit. The quick-release clamp comes with standard and oversized clamp pieces, and you can adjust the clamp side-to-side so as not to dazzle oncoming tra#c. 4 Sound & vision The Soundlite includes a horn capable of…

Campagnolo’s allnew groupset is intended to take on Ultegra, and typically weighs 2.3kg. Trickledown designs from Record and above are created in aluminium, but maintain identical shift functionality, with improved lever ergonomics. There are five cassette options that include the wide-ranging 11-32, three chainset ratios and standard or long cage rear derailleurs. ON THE RADAR BIKE TECH OF THE NEAR FUTURE INFLITE ENTERTAINMENT Canyon has updated its Inflite cyclo-cross range. All the bikes come with Canyon’s VCLS (Vertical Comfort Lateral Stiffness) seatpost, with the new asymmetric seatstays now also given the VCLS label. LIGHTWEIGHT AX German lightweight guru AX-Lightness has created a gravel bike that weighs just 6.7kg. Designed for 1x drivetrains and built to accept either 700c or 27.5in wheels, the frame weighs between 800 and 900g. BACK TO…

‘Life is like riding a bike. You have to keep moving to stay balanced’ One hundred years ago, Albert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity showed the speed of light is constant, the universe is bent, and time is relative. For example, 20 minutes cycling up Hardknott Pass feels like two hours, but two hours in the pub after feels like 20 minutes. Granted, that explanation may oversimplify the physics (which is full of things like ‘the metric tensor is not Minkowskian, but pseudo-Riemannian’). But Einstein was fond of everyday explanations of complex notions if they made a memorable soundbite. He’s often quoted as saying of relativity that “I thought of that while riding my bike”. It’s a tempting thought: there he was riding a singlespeed to work, fiddling with his…

It holds on to its speed impressively and on steep ascents it always felt fantastically punchy SPECIFICATION Weight 8.1kg (59cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Ultegra Di2, 50/34, 11-28 Brakes Shimano Ultegra Wheels Fulcrum Racing 5 LG Finishing kit Reparto Corse stem, bar and carbon seatpost, Selle San Marco Era saddle, 25mm Vittoria Zaffiro Pro Slick tyres The classic Italian marque’s Intenso forgoes Campagnolo for a complete raft of Shimano Ultegra Di2. This model sits below Bianchi’s latest frames that feature the company’s unique and effective vibration-nulling Countervail technology. But it still has one hightech trick up its sleeve, infusing its carbon fibre with layers of Kevlar, which is designed to reduce the amount of vibration that reaches your hands and hindquarters. As with some of the other bikes…

The bike’s agility helped Raleigh Militisriding pros to 110 podium places last season SPECIFICATION Weight 6.82kg (57cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears SRAM Red eTap 11-26, 53/39 Brakes SRAM Red Wheels Zipp 202 Finishing kit Zipp SL Sprint carbon stem, SL70 carbon aero bar, SL Speed carbon post, Fizik Arione saddle, 25mm Schwalbe Pro One tyres Our final offering is perhaps the biggest surprise here. The frame is made in the Far East, but the bike is assembled in the UK with SRAM’s cutting-edge wireless eTap. It has brought bike assembly back to Raleigh’s Nottingham home after a 14-year hiatus and will be available as a special order. It’s a small step, but one we hope leads to more assembly work returning to Britain. The Militis is spearheading Raleigh’s continued…

WE SAY Of the myriad Look Keo-pattern pedals around, these are among the best HT’S PK-01S ARE one of the many pedals that use Look’s classic Keo shape. They’re designed to be a lightweight race model and take Look’s H5/H7/Keo cleat system as their base. The main body is constructed using injection-moulded carbon fibre, which not only keeps the weight down to an impressive 204g per pair (a negligible few grams more than the claimed 199g) but also makes for a tough and stiff platform. The surface of the injected carbon body has a fine texture, but still feels waxy to the touch, which provides little resistance to a cleat, making it very easy to locate and clip in every time. The PK-01’s design has the added benefit of allowing…

WE SAY The plush feel and supportive fit make them one of our favourites for long rides THE SHUT UP LEGS SHOES are part of Bontrager’s range of clothing celebrating the career of uber-domestique Jens Voigt. As a pro he was one of the most popular in the peloton, finishing his career by setting a new standard for the hour record – 51.110km (it’s since been beaten, but he remains seventh on the all-time list, and at 43 the oldest to ever hold the record). The shoe’s chrome finish requires confidence to wear, but the reflective nature will get you seen. Under that glossy skin is a very good shoe, with a robustly built upper. Width-wise these are very much the middle ground and were well suited to our tester’s…

15 Stefan Barden The June 2016 announcement of the Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles merger to become WiggleCRC – a single retail brand with an estimated _253 million revenue – is the latest string to the bow of Wiggle CEO Stefan Barden. Operating in up to 120 countries, the firm reported a 16.7 per cent jump in full-year profits in June 2016 and an 11.5 per cent lift in sales to £179m. UK sales of bikes, accessories and apparel such as dhb still account for around half of Wiggle’s revenue. “We were in the right place at the right time and have been caught in the cycling zeitgeist, ” Barden tells us. “I recall back in 2001 discussing ways the internet could supply products to customers but the technology, bandwidth…

Since its launch, back in 2004, the Roubaix has been one of Specialized’s most important bikes. In fact, you could argue that it has been one of the most significant bikes this century, the originator of the whole ‘endurance road bike’ idea that has also given us Trek’s Domane and the Cannondale Synapse, among many, many others. The Roubaix originally aimed to offer all the benefits of a racing machine, with all the stiffness, low weight and high pedalling efficiency that modern carbon fibre construction could deliver. The big difference was that this was combined with a more endurancebiased geometry. We’d seen audax-style or in American-speak ‘Century’ bike geometries before, where elongated head-tubes and short top-tubes met shorter angled-up stems for a very upright, more relaxed riding style. But Specialized’s…

THE BENEFITS You probably know that salmon’s high in protein, which has a profound influence on being able to stimulate the creation of new muscle fibres. It also aids recovery, prevents the loss of lean tissue and helps you feel fuller for longer so you’re not reaching out for biscuits! It’s also high in omega-3 essential fatty acids. Omega-3 often gets shouted about for ‘being good for you’ – it reduces cardiovascular disease, improves insulin sensitivity (great news for type 2 diabetics), improves cognitive (brain) development and acts as an anti-inflammatory. Recent studies have also shown that having omega-3s, with adequate amino acid intake, increases muscle protein synthesis or the creation of new muscle, which is great for recovery and building lean tissue. TAKING IT ON BOARD !Try to have…

I also run ultramarathons and have been cycling for my training Heaviest: 114.3kg (18st) Now: 74.4kg (11st 10lb) WHAT WAS YOUR LIFESTYLE LIKE BEFORE? “I was a ‘chunky teenager’ but started to address my weight a few years ago. Changing my diet and exercise were the keys to my weight loss.” HOW HAS CYCLING CHANGED YOUR LIFE? “I was looking for a new challenge to test myself and help keep the weight off. I have a few cycling-mad friends who were taking part in the London Revolution (a 185-mile loop of the city), so I thought I would take the leap and give it a go. It’s been a tough induction to cycling -especially for the legs. I also run ultramarathons and have been cycling for my training. I’m doing…

I’ve just got back from the Arctic Race of Norway. It started and finished in a little port called Bodø, a few hundred kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, and a place of such delicate wonder that I can scarcely believe it actually exists, and that I visited it. It’s encircled by volcanic peaks like children’s drawings of mountains, and by a terrifyingly cold and endless ocean to the west. In the summer, the days are gloriously long and the sun scuds along the horizon, casting watery light and long shadows across a prehistoric landscape. In the winter, it is notable by its total absence. Even the name of the place is improbable, and involves such a nuanced understanding of the soft vowels of Norwegian, that for 99 per cent…

1 BOOST YOUR PACE A benefit of dialling in your race pace intensity is that you’ll know exactly what it feels like, even if you have to put in some higher-end efforts come race day. Mentally, if you can hold the pace with sprints, you know that it will be comparatively easy to hold that pace consistently through the event. Plus, you’ll have the confidence to attack lumps and bumps and sprint out of bends. This is a great workout for raising your Functional Threshold Power (FTP – the highest average power or pace you can maintain for one hour), and by including the sprints, you’ll develop your ability to recover from hard efforts while still maintaining a relatively high overall pace. See page 9 for FTP zone info. 2…

For the latest nutrition and training advice visit us online bikeradar.com So, you’ve got your breakfast, lunch and dinner sorted, what do you need for a boost when on the bike? Depending on your culinary prowess, you can create something to keep you fuelled for most ride/recovery situations - jam sandwich, anyone? A banana will cost even less, and maybe taste better too. However, the harder and further you push yourself, the more likely it is that something more scientific can do you bigger favours. More convenient and more robust to ride with, if well designed, energy bars are able to deliver a specific nutritional payload without the excess fat, calories or bulk that trying to take in the same ingredients ‘naturally’ would likely include. TORQ BAR £23.20 for 15…

419 Chris Froome’s sustained power (in watts), or what he could maintain between 20 and 40 minutes, as recorded during lab tests last summer. It correlates to 6.3W/kg at his race weight of 67kg. 8 The number of Olympic medals Sir Bradley Wiggins has won, which makes him the most decorated British athlete of all time. Alongside a Tour de France win, the Hour record, a knighthood and his own team, he’s one of the most powerful figures in world cycling. 3.66 The sort of power (in watts per kg) it takes to complete the final mountain stage of a Tour de France. This figure was recorded by Tinkoff’s Michael Valgren during the 146km stage from Megève to Morzine Avoriaz this summer, and published on the Trainingpeaks website. FOUR The…

I missed having a mission. Since having to retire from my sport in 2012 cycling has come to my rescue Reality TV got me back on the bike. I was asked to cycle in L’Etape du Tour 2016 with a group of celebrities for a TV show [Tour de Celeb, Channel 5] – it was the spur I needed after a long lay-off. I missed having a mission. Since having to retire from my sport in 2012 cycling has come to my rescue. I’ve suffered from knee injuries and had a lot of surgery. Yoga’s helped me stay supple, but cycling has kept me fit and given me motivation. The skeleton left me broken. After retiring I had some extensive surgery, but as I was recovering I signed up to…

The Emitter is impressive, with its taut handling and sharpness at the limit most welcome SPECIFICATION Weight 7.56kg (58cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Ultegra Di2, 52/36, 11-28 Brakes Shimano Ultegra Wheels Mavic Ksyrium Finishing kit Ritchey WCS 4-Axis stem, WCS Logic bar, WCS carbon seatpost, Fizik Aliante Kium saddle, 25mm Continental Ultra Sport tyres Eastway is a brand that joined the Wiggle empire recently, taking over from Verenti as the name adorning the online giant’s higher-end bikes, with Verenti becoming its more budget-friendly brand. We’ve already tested the entry-level Emitter R4, which impressed us thanks to a very decent carbon fibre frame decked out with some kit that really shone – and all for less than a grand. The R1 Emitter shares the same circa-1kg frame based around…

When the roads roughen up, the Idol goes about its business ruthlessly and efficiently SPECIFICATION Weight 8.32kg (59cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Campagnolo Chorus EPS 52/36, 12-25 Brakes Campagnolo Chrorus Wheels Fulcrum Racing Quattro LG Finishing kit 3T Arx 2 stem, 3T Ergonova bar, FSA SLK carbon stem, Prologo Kappa Evo saddle, 25mm Vittoria Rubino tyres There are times it seems that Shimano Di2 has become synonymous with electronic shifting – but it’s not the only player. In 2011 Campagnolo unveiled its EPS – Electronic Power Shift – though the Italian outfit had been working on electronic shifting as far back as 1992. This is a long gestation period by any standards, and one that let Shimano steal a serious march. But EPS is out there and it makes…

ENDURA URBAN JEAN £79.99 With their mix of cotton and Cordura, there’s plenty of stretch to make the slim leg-hugging cut comfortable, although they can be tight behind the knee. A seam-free crotch, raised rear and reflective tape offer practicality and visibility, while the hidden D-lock loop and five pockets maintain a conventional denim look. SWRVE BLK LABEL £135 These LA-made jeans use slightly stretchy denim that’s cut for cycling with shaped knees, a low front and higher back. The diamond-shaped crotch panel is seamless, there are conventional pockets, two toughened belt loops and a wide reflective panel inside the right leg. They’re a slim fit, but in spite of this move very well. FOX WILSON HEATH JEANS £89.99 If you like to rock a turn-up, these UK-made jeans could…

WE SAY Track pumps come and go, but there will always be the SKS SO MUCH OF the world we live in has changed since 1966. The England football team has never looked like repeating its only World Cup win, man has landed on the moon, found the Titanic, and cars can now drive themselves. In cycling terms, bikes still have two pneumatic tyres, but frames have gone from steel to aluminium to carbon fibre, and now occasionally back to steel and aluminium again. Throughout five decades of human upheaval and progression, the SKS Rennkompressor has been a constant presence. Many a bike shop, shed or car park has been populated by the sound of the daddy of all track pumps, and for many years it was one of the…

1 TILT TIME Check your pelvic position every 30 minutes in the saddle, to ensure you’re not posteriorly tilted – slouching with a rounded lower back – which can cause stress to the lumbar ligaments and discs. Check you’re not sliding forwards on the saddle, which often happens if your bike frame is too big, or if your reach to the handlebar is too far. This can lead to an overly flexed lower back. 2 HAND OVER Pain often results from the wrist being in an extended position (bent backwards) with your upper body weight going through it. To reduce the strain through the ligaments and joints around the carpal (wrist) bones when your hands are on the brake hoods or drop bars, aim to keep the knuckle of your…

Most foot pain that occurs during cycling is temporary. Things like hot spots and numbness are usually related to problems with your shoes, but if symptoms persist off the bike, plantar fasciitis might be to blame. This presents as pain around 4cm in front of the heel, which is generally worse in the morning. It’s caused by repeated small injuries to the ligament that runs along the sole of the foot. Pain around the ball of the foot (metatarsalgia) can be caused by bunions, foot deformities or Morton’s neuroma (a problem with one of the nerves of the foot). ASSESSMENT Persistent numbness, heat or cold can be caused by illnesses such as diabetes or circulatory problems and should be checked by a doctor. Plantar fasciitis can be confirmed by examining…

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE NEAREST STATION Stratford International WHERE TO STAY There’s a wide selection of hotels within walking distance of the Olympic Park. Be warned they can be very expensive, especially during major events. FOOD AND DRINK You can choose from a bunch of cafes and restaurants, in and around the Olympic Park. You can find a list of them here: tinyurl.com/cpetapelondon EVENT WEBSITE letapelondon.co.uk 1 ALL ÉTAPE-D UP After years in France, where it grew to become the world’s biggest sportive, ASO’s l’Étape brand has spread around the globe. Since 2015, ASO has partnered with Human Race to stage an event in London. 2 GOING THE DISTANCE The legacy of the 2014 Tour de France is reflected and continued by L’Étape London’s replication of much of its stage 3 route,…

Power: the magic ingredient for cycling success – whether you want to ride faster, higher, further or even just easier, upping your available power is what will deliver the right results. But there are many ways to get stronger, and many ways to measure that strength, so in this guide we will deconstruct the mystery of power and help you become a better rider. We look at what to eat, how to train, and what kit to use to translate all your power to the bike. We also look in detail at how power meters work and suggest some of the best. And if all that fails, we check out ‘mechanical doping’ and Giant’s brand new road E-bike, the Road-E+.…

Over the coming months there will be days when a glance out of the window makes you want to bin the training ride. Thankfully, there are indoor alternatives if you’re determined to keep a competitive edge – turbo trainers or rollers, spinning classes, exercise bikes, swimming… There’s one weather-proof workout that endurance athletes regularly avoid – strength training. If you want to stay fit, and improve, head for the gym or invest in some basic home exercise kit. Like it or not, weights are just what you need to keep your training on track during poor weather months. Strength-based circuit training is fantastic for cyclists – it will boost your strength, power and explosive precision. It also works muscles that cycling doesn’t – those in your upper body. Strong abdominal…

SPECIFICATION Weight 9.98kg (L) Frame 6061 aluminium Fork Carbon, alloy steerer Gears Shimano Sora 50/39/30, 11-30 Brakes Promax RC-481 Wheels Mach 1 CFX rims, Shimano Claris hubs Finishing kit Lapierre stem, bar and 31.6mm seatpost, Selle Italia X1 saddle, 25mm Michelin Dynamic Sport tyres Like cattle egrets in Britain, triple chainsets are rare visitors to Cycling Plus, and we think they may have been airbrushed out of cycling history a little too early. Yes, they add a little weight, but in return they offer a bailout bottom gear and a great overall range with smallish jumps. They are ideal for the less experienced rider, which is why Lapierre specs triples on its two least expensive drop-barred ‘sport’ bikes. Though nominally 25mm, the Michelins come up narrower than they actually are.…

TOP OF THE WORLD It may have suffered a hitch this year when the race was halted for 20 minutes because of a backlog in the sportive, but it hasn’t stopped the Prudential RideLondon-Classic from being awarded WorldTour status from next season. BRITAIN BUSTING Deloitte Ride Across Britain, the sportive from Land’s End to John O’Groats, has launched a five-day ‘Ultra’ version. It will accommodate just 50 riders over its 969-mile distance, while the usual nine-day event is also being run. ROCK HARD Colorado will host the first Haute Route event outside Europe. Haute Route Rockies will see up to 600 people riding from Boulder to Colorado Springs over seven stages. IT TAKES TWO Tough times for nations such as Austria, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand, each of which…

Norfolk-based August picked up a couple of awards for its bikes at this year’s Bespoked show in Bristol. The Beige’s frame is made of Columbus Zona steel, with the fork, stem and rack 4130 aircraft grade chromoly. All high wear points are made from stainless steel to prevent rust if any of the ‘NHS Hearing Aid’ beige and orange paint is chipped. The frame is designed around 650b x 42mm tyres for comfort, with an eccentric bottom bracket for easy rear wheel removal. As specced, with Shimano XT kit, SON lighting, Velocity Blunt SS rims and Grand Bois tyres, it costs £3950.…

The Ribble Endurance simply swallowed up bumps and nulled vibrations SPECIFICATION Weight 8.39kg (58cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, 50/34, 11-28 Brakes Shimano BR RS785 hydraulic disc Wheels Shimano RX31 Finishing kit Deda Zero100 stem, bar and seatpost, Selle Italia SLR saddle, 25mm Schwalbe Durano Double Defense tyres This bike really is all about endurance, but being from Ribble it also comes with a very large side order of value. We had this built to our own specification, and it was such a success that it’s now available from Ribble as a special order – and its combination of kit and price is also pretty special. It comes with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and Dura-Ace-level hydraulic brakes, with no obvious component compromises elsewhere. Though endurance is very much…

You can feel how slippery the Primo is through the air, but its stiffness doesn’t translate into harshness SPECIFICATION Weight 7.41kg (58cm) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano Dura-Ace Di2, 11-28, 50/34 Brakes Shimano Dura-Ace Wheels Saturae C50 carbon clinchers Finishing kit Saturae stem, bar and aero carbon seatpost, Selle San Marco Era Dynamic saddle, 23mm Michelin Pro Comp tyres Mekk is another newish kid on the block but its founders – Mike Edwards and Ken Knight – have more experience of the British cycling market than they’d probably care to remember. Its present road bike range is topped off by the Primo 8.0, an aero road bike with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 and deep-section Saturae wheels. Most of the components are also from Saturae, which is effectively the Mekk house…

WE SAY The SuperFlow is a top choice if you’re desperate for pressure relief ‘down there’ MOST WANTED SELLE ITALIA NOVUS SUPERFLOW L £134.99 › A road saddle with proper pressure relief HIGHS Huge cut-out, quality construction LOWS Unremarkable weight SELLE ITALIA FIRST LAUNCHED THE Novus in 1994, the result of a collaboration with Ferrari. With a nose that dips downwards near its tip, its side profile was somewhat reminiscent of a Formula One car, likely no coincidence. It was a groundbreaking design, incorporating carbon composite in its construction and offering pressure relief with a channel down the middle, a feature since offered on many of our favourite saddles. The Novus was relaunched last year and when we reviewed the Flow version in issue 307 we liked it very much;…

WE SAY The ability to instantly control the tint level is more than just a gimmick UVEX’S LATEST, RANGE-TOPPING glasses take the light-sensitive lens into a new arena. Instead of using a standard photochromic lens, Uvex has partnered with AlphaMicron, in order to use its e-Tint, which electro-chromatically alters the level of tint. In automatic mode, the Variotronics work exactly as you’d expect top quality, light-sensitive glasses to, which you may think negates the extra expense. However, where they come into their own is in instantly changeable light conditions, such as when riding from bright sunshine into a tunnel, or into a heavily wooden section. If you’ve experienced riding from bright sunshine into a tunnel on an alpine descent, or vice versa, then that moment of blindness as both glasses…

Borrowing the technical design and materials of the Madison Genesis team’s race jersey but without the branding, this is a jersey for riders who want pro rider kit but don’t want to fall foul of number 17 of Velominati’s The Rules (team kit is for the team). The jersey has a close fit, on both torso and silicone grip-boosted arms, and the absence of material bunching in the chest enhances its racing credentials. Mesh panels on the underarms, sides and down the back keep things cool, while the three rear pockets are complemented by a zipped pocket. The patterned design won’t be to everyone’s tastes but there are three other colours options. Our favourite was the orange and white, which restricts the pattern to the collar. SCICON RACE RAIN BAG…

KNOCKED KNEES While more repetitive motion-based aches – such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, originating from contact of the back of the kneecap and femur – require a series of remedies that can include a full bike fit, dinging your knee on the handlebar is easy to treat. Get some ice wrapped in a towel on it as soon as possible – do this a couple of times a day for five minutes. FIRST LEGS Repetitive crank turns and a build-up of lactic acid leave many cyclists with a sore pair of shanks at the end of a long session. This is perfectly normal, of course, but some lower cadence and easier pedalling for the last 30 minutes of a training ride is a good cool down drill that will lower…

1 QUALITY QUADS WORK The quads work hard when you cycle, so this is often one of the most painful exercises but it’s also one of the most beneficial. Start in a plank position, with the roller below your upper thigh. Place weight on one side of your body, then roll slowly towards the knee. Try to keep the movement steady. Roll back, and repeat six times. Repeat on the other leg. 2 GO TO THE GLUTES The glutes are a key source of power and control for cyclists though the ligaments can become tense and tired easily. Sit on the roller and rest one foot on the opposite knee. Place your weight on to the side with the resting foot, and roll back and forth. To get further into…

STOP RIDING We don’t really mean that, of course, but try to leave a decent amount of time between finishing your training and hitting the hay. Exercise raises the body’s temperature, which lessens the amount of sleep-inducing melatonin it produces. Four hours is said to be optimal, but busy lives mean evening training is a staple for many of us, so aim for a couple at least. Overtraining can have a similar and longer-lasting effect, so build recovery into your plan. AVOID STIMULANTS It hardly comes as a surprise that taking caffeine close to bedtime can disrupt sleep, but the drug actually stays in the body for eight-to-10 hours after ingestion, so even an afternoon coffee can have an impact on your night’s sleep. Going without an afternoon cuppa sounds…

Is that a mole? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in the flesh, and certainly not one dashing across the road in broad daylight. My eyes could be playing tricks on me as I speed past, descending the 1875m Passo Campolongo on a misty Sunday morning. Surrounded by hundreds of other cyclists as we rush towards Passo Pordoi, the second climb (2239m) of the Maratona dles Dolomites, I find myself fretting that the creature may not have made it to the other side of the road. I’ll be repeating this descent in a few hours, so I’ll be able to check whether the little fella made it. This is what happens to me on long rides, and at 138km with over 4000m of climbing the Maratona definitely qualifies, the…

Plyometrics can help you to exercise more efficiently, enhance your muscular power and athletic performance, and reduce your chance of injury IT’S DIFFICULT ENOUGH fitting in training hours but add in any strength and conditioning, physio, rehab, stretching and foam roller work and it’s beginning to look like a full-time job. So, when people suggest extra sessions, it’s important to know all the facts. Most crucially, you want to know that any additions will have a positive impact on your performance. Plyometric training is one such addition. What is plyometric training? Plyometric exercise is a type of sports-specific training that’s used to enhance muscular power, explosiveness and, as a result, performance. Plyometrics are defined as any activity that enables a muscle to reach maximal force in the shortest amount of…

Power – that ever sought-after entity with legs like tree trunks and Hermes, god of speed-like pace – is the desire of many cyclists. From working with top-level athletes, I know that it is imperative to understand the aims of each training session so you know how and what to eat before, during and after that session. If you’re looking at power, highintensity and high-watt sessions mean you need to be fuelled appropriately. Going into a hard session on low muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrate) will impair your performance and reduce the potential gains and adaptions you would get. Nutrition-wise, if you want to increase power in your cycling, carbohydrates are king. How you should eat can be split into three categories – timing, type and total... TIMING THIS IS MASSIVELY…

CERVÉLO S5 £3199 (frameset) Mark Cavendish’s return to the top of the sprinting tree at this summer’s Tour de France aboard the S5 was as good a validation as Cervélo could have hoped for. Super stiffness allied to Cervélo’s famed aerodynamics produced a willing accomplice for the Manx Missile’s recordbusting exploits. PRO VIBE SPRINT £179.99 Endorsed by Mark Cavendish, this stiff carbon stem is built for riders who generate power by pulling on the handlebar. The oversized design has a -5 degree angle for a low cockpit position, is available in 105, 120 and 135mm lengths and weighs a claimed 195g. LOOK KEO BLADE 2 TI £249.99 With a carbon blade design and titanium spindles, these pedals have power and aerodynamics at their heart. They weigh a claimed 90g per…