Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Cyclist

Actually, as I recall, I shouted a heartfelt ‘good riddance’ to 2020, a year of perpetual lockdowns, cancelled holidays and postponed events. Which is possibly why 2021 seems to have whizzed past in a blur. It may have had its fair share of restrictions, but by comparison to the previous year it was a riot of freedom and frenzied activity. For starters, we managed to get out of the country again to replenish our dwindling stock of Big Ride features (you have no idea how close we came to presenting the ‘Undiscovered roads within the M25’ Big Ride). While it was wonderful to go abroad again, it meant negotiating the minefield of PCR and rapid antigen tests, differing and constantly shifting rules of border crossings, periods of quarantine and the…

The Wasabi helmet was debuted by Ineos Grenadiers at Strade Bianche in March and is being promoted by Kask as the one helmet for year-round road, gravel and cyclocross action. Its party trick is an adjustable airflow system in the form of a centralised vent that can be opened for more airflow or closed for more warmth and better aerodynamics. According to Kask, closing the vent will provide a 1.5°C increase in internal temperature, while opening it will only lose 1 watt of aerodynamic efficiency while riding at 50kmh (as we all do, all the time). At 290g for a size medium, the Wasabi isn’t the lightest of Kask’s top-end helmets (that would be the Valegro at 180g). Nor is it as aerodynamic as the Utopia or as well ventilated…

Cotton socks in Egyptian pyramids are the earliest examples of knitting that archaeologists have found. A few thousand Christmas jumpers later and that technology has developed into DMT’s KR0 shoes. They have been made with the brand’s 3D Knit construction, meaning they boast a one-piece but multi-layer build that adapts to the shape of the wearer’s foot and varies in thickness to provide body-mapped fit and support. Being knitted means the yarns and weave are naturally breathable, making the KR0s a good summer choice, yet equally knitted shoes can do a decent turn insulating feet in cold weather, provided it’s dry. The colourway also features reflective accents. A new Anatomic Carbon SL outsole claims to enhance comfort and efficiency, while a low-profile toe section aims to eliminate pinch points. Add…

Bikes have always been a form of freedom for Petor Georgallou. From exploring the outdoors as a boy – when his parents would have preferred him to be inside playing video games – to building any bike he could dream up as Dear Susan. Now he’s setting himself free from the workshop to take on a new challenge: running the Bespoked Handmade Bicycle Show. ‘I went to a weird all-boys boarding school in the woods. It was basically hell and incredibly dehumanising. I don’t think I was even a person until I left school,’ he says. ‘Then I had the freedom to do what I wanted and I was like, “What do people do?” So I just rode my bike a lot.’ That encompassed commuting on his fixie 20 miles…

Groupama-FDJ’s David Gaudu weighs 53kg and measures 5ft 8in. But the pocket-sized French rider packs quite a punch, finishing a superb 11th at this year’s Tour de France including the prized combativity award on stage 18. Gaudu’s stature in the peloton is growing and in no small part thanks to his new Lapierre Xelius SL, which the two-time Vuelta a Espana stage winner and his teammates rode in France. The Xelius SL is the latest in a long line of ground-breaking bikes from the acclaimed French brand, that is now celebrating its 75th anniversary, and projecting elite and recreational cyclists ever faster and in more comfort. Here, we chart the highlights of Lapierre’s three-quarters of a century leading the planetary peloton. LIGHTWEIGHT AND AERO The third-generation Xelius SL is a…

If there’s any reason to cycle it’s to eat, and if there’s any reason to travel to Greece it’s to eat well (and cycle) – which is where Pavlos came in. He runs Explore the Outside (exploretheoutside.com), which operates a host of cycling, hiking and sailing trips. But more than an expert tour guide, Pavlos also knows his way around a local menu. ‘You call it Greek, we call it village salad, and it’s best made from vine-ripened tomatoes, wild oregano and sweet, salty slabs of feta. All juices should be mopped up with fresh bread. ‘The fish here is amazing, but seek out atherina, which are similar to whitebait; bakaliaros, which are battered chunks of salt cod; and whole roasted snapper, served simply with lemon. ‘Dolmades are a family…

In some respects, the V3Rs is somewhat less glamorous than its stablemate the C64, made as it is in a mould in the Far East instead of at the hands of an artisan in Italy. However, there’s a good reason that this is the bike ridden by Colnago-sponsored pro racers, including two-time Tour de France winner Tadej Pogačar. It blends light weight with stiffness and aerodynamic shaping to create one fast bike. There are few tougher tests for a bike than this sportive, and the V3Rs passed with flying colours. It was efficient on the climbs, responsive on the descents, and even proved to be pretty comfortable over roads that were less than pristine. It’s not cheap, but also no more expensive than many top-end road bikes these days. In…

When I played rugby as a kid, the pro I idolised most was an Argentinian hooker by the name of Mario Ledesma. Unlike contemporaries such as New Zealand’s Keven Mealamu or South Africa’s Schalk Brits, Ledesma lacked the flair and panache to throw a three-man miss pass or make a 40-yard line break. What he could do, however, was scrummage like an ox, hit endless rucks, make tireless tackles and throw accurate darts at lineout time – things that made him indispensable for both club and country during his illustrious 20-year playing career. Ultimately, Ledesma couldn’t do amazing things on a rugby pitch, but he could do all of the small things well, which made him a great rugby player. My point? Like Ledesma, the Look 765 Gravel RS is…

Shimano’s component brand, Pro, has updated its Stealth Team saddle to make it a bit lighter and give it a more modern aesthetic. Like the original, it’s aimed at racers who like to ride in a low, aggressive position, and it retains the stubby shape that allows for a forward pelvis tilt. This latest version has a new carbon-reinforced polymer base, a 12% larger anatomic area than before and weighs 11g less, at a claimed 161g. It comes in either 142mm or 152mm widths and two different shapes, regular or curved, with the latter aimed at riders who tend to move from side to side while pedalling.…

Imagine, years from now, wandering into your oak-panelled library, browsing along the red line of Road Books and absent-mindedly plucking out the 2021 volume. Ah yes, that was the year Mathieu van der Poel smashed Strade Bianche, Lizzie Deignan won the first Paris-Roubaix Femmes and Mark Cavendish equalled Eddy Merckx’s stage win record at the Tour. Edited by Ned Boulting, theRoad Bookis packed with highly detailed reports from 174 races and 517 individual stages, along with 57 team profiles and essays by professional riders. Start collecting now so you can wallow in nostalgia in the future.…

Dressing for winter rides can be a balancing act. Wrap up too warm and you’ll be overheating at the mere mention of a climb; fail to layer sufficiently and you risk shivering of exposure at every cafe stop. Neither scenario is particularly conducive to an enjoyable day in the saddle, which is why getting your base layer right is so important. ‘A good base layer will elevate the way the rest of your kit performs and plays an important role in regulating body temperature,’ says Sergio Jensen, product manager at Rapha. ‘As your ride gets more or less intense, it will balance your temperature and prevent you from overheating when you’re going hard, but also from getting too cold when you stop.’ Another important function is moisture management. Getting sweaty…

Towards the end of the year, a team’s management will sit down with each rider in the team and discuss the following season’s goals and objectives. We listen to what the rider would ideally like to do and balance that against how the team sees their role. It’s not too prescriptive at this point – the idea is to seek an agreeable solution, although it’s impossible to cater for everyone’s ambitions. After all, only eight riders can go to the Tour de France. Come December, we meet up again for a training camp. This is where new kit and equipment will be issued and we spend time with team sponsors to get all the required photography for showcasing the respective brands. It’s also where a detailed schedule will be released,…

Lapierre is not just synonymous with world-leading road bikes. Since the mid-1980s, the French brand has led the way in mountain biking, too, winning titles galore at every level. That success includes partnering with the off-road legend Nicolas Vouilloz, who won an incredible 10 senior and junior world titles between 1992 and 2002. While racing, Vouilloz worked closely with Lapierre’s acclaimed research-and-development team to create a range of cutting-edge downhill bikes. Vouilloz continues to race to this day and now heads up Lapierre’s EWS-E team aboard the Lapierre Overvolt GLP II, which Vouilloz designed with e-enduro racing in mind. Lapierre’s association with innovative electric products is also long and illustrious, and includes 2012’s ground-breaking e:i shock system – an electronic suspension system that adjusts the level of dampening based on…

1 WARM DOWN When: Before you get off the bike. What: Once you’ve finished your training session, spin easily for five to ten minutes. ‘Most people do similar rides on regular routes, so have a point at which you start once you’ve warmed up and stop to warm down,’ says coach Will Newton. ‘Stop the clock here if you’re obsessed with your speed.’ Why: ‘Ten minutes easy spinning will break down the metabolites – waste products in the blood – that result from exercise,’ says Newton. ‘Muscle damage and fuel use both create waste products, and easy spinning will flush those metabolites out of the muscles.’ 2 STRETCH When: As soon as you get off the bike, but with a caveat. What: Does anything hurt? Focus on that area first. Why:…

To download this route go to cyclist.co.uk/121greece or scan the QR code. From MarBella Elix hotel head north to Perdika, turning at the sign for Parga. Pass Parga beach, climb and head east towards Lichnos. At 27km look for a right turn at the Taverna Babis to Lichnos beach. Return to the main road for 4km until it joins the E55. Turn left then next right, signed Glykis. Follow signs to Acheron Springs, then head north through Glykis, Agora and Paramythia before crossing the E90 at 77km. Look out for a left turn to Agia Mavia. This road goes west, turning to gravel for a time before heading south after Neochori, crossing the E90 again to pass through Gkrika, Vasilikos, then Mazarakia and Karteri. Join the E55 then head west…

TRAVEL It is very possible to get to Greece without flying, taking the Eurostar to France, then training via Paris and Torino to Bari, Italy, where a ferry crosses to Igoumenitsa, which is a 1.5-hour drive from Perdika/the MarBella Elix hotel. Total time is around 30 hours and costs start from around £330. Rome2rio.com is a great resource for planning such journeys. Alternatively, flights go regularly from London Stansted to Perveza airport, and then it’s a 75-minute drive to MarBella Elix. ACCOMMODATION We stayed at the MarBella Elix (marbella.gr), which really lived up to its five-star billing, from the private infinity pools to the funicular to take patrons down to the hotel’s beach. Full board is an option (from £185pn for a standard double, with half board from £100), and…

look back at the Porsche 911s of the 1980s, they were widow-makers and the performance wasn’t there. But look at a ‘If you current generation GT2 and it’s like you can – you shouldn’t, but you can – get the groceries. It’s comfortable every day, and you can potter around town in it. It’s not temperamental when it’s cold in the morning. It just does what it has to do and doesn’t complain. I think that’s where this generation of bikes is now.’ So says Scott Roy, engineering manager at Cervélo and the man ultimately responsible for the latest R5. Is it an everyday superbike? The underlying recipe hasn’t changed. The new model is an explicitly weight-focussed counterpart to the aero-everything S-series and it has already been proven at WorldTour…

1 MUNCHY SEEDS 80p each, munchyseeds.co.uk According to market researcher Mintel, since Cyclist launched in 2012 bike prices have increased by 9,000%. Where once an Ultegra-spec racer was 11 quid with change for the cigarette machine, one now costs nearly £17k. Our antidote? The cheapest thing Cyclist has ever featured: 80p packs of high-protein Munchy Seeds, which are superb on long rides where sweet stuff gets a bit rich. 2 MOON RIGEL LIGHTS From £44.99, raleigh.co.uk Some people say mathematicians don’t matter, but we say every mathematician counts. And it’s the same with bike light lumens. Want something super-svelte to be seen by? Try the Moon Rigel Lite (£44,99), 500 lumens but just 78g. Want something to ward ferries off the rocky coast? Try the Rigel Power (£259.99), 3,600 lumens.…

It has often been said that 40 is the new 30, or that 50 is the new 40, usually by people who would like to believe they’re ten years younger. The reverse trend has been true in cycling in the last couple of seasons. For professional cyclists, 20 is the new 25, and 25 the new 30. ‘Juniors are the new under-23s,’ says Tom Southam, sports director at WorldTour team EF Education-Nippo. ‘It’s getting pretty crazy. The Junior Worlds road race is what the under-23 race used to be. The under-23 race is effectively a pro race now’ Perhaps it started with the 18-year-old Remco Evenepoel, who in 2019 leapfrogged the under-23 category to turn professional with Deceuninck-QuickStep. Jonathan Vaughters, boss of the EF team, was critical of Deceuninck’s recruitment…

By the time the 1940s rolled into the 1950s, a total of 73 Swiss riders had taken to the start line of a Tour de France, with a solitary podium place between them – Léo Amberg finishing third in 1937. If Switzerland hadn’t exactly set the race alight so far, with the 1950s around the corner the country at last looked to have a couple of riders with a genuine shot at the yellow jersey. Ferdinand Kübler made his Tour debut in 1947. Billed as the ‘Tour of the Liberation’, the first race of the post-World War II era saw Kübler win the opening stage into Lille to claim the first yellow jersey. After winning a second stage he was forced to leave the race with Paris still two weeks…

Porridge is literally the oldest one in the book. Analysis of a pestle and mortar-type tool found in the Paglicci Cave in southern Italy shows evidence of ‘thermally treated’ avena, a genus of grass-like plants commonly called oats. And while Quaker cereals was founded in 1877, the Paglicci tool has been carbon dated to around 32,000 years ago. Whether these Early Gravettians (for that is the name of these Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers) turned these processed oats into piping-hot porridge is not known, but since it’s thought we first used fire about 400,000 years ago and there is evidence of us cooking some 120,000 years ago, there’s a case to be made that porridge has long since been on the caveman menu. Yet times change. Some Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers evolved to…

TRY 3ISSUES OF CYCLIST FOR £5 + FREE JUICE LUBES BIKE KIT GREAT REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE ORDER ONLINE TODAY AT dennismags.co.uk/cyclist OR CALL 0330 333 9492 QUOTING THE OFFER CODE D121 Calls to 03 numbers will be charged at your standard local rate. Gifts limited to the first 100 orders only. Please allow 28 days for delivery. UK only offer. Cyclist reserves the right to replace this gift. You will be able to view your subscription details online at ManageMyMags.co.uk. Saving applicable over a year if you take our print and digital subscription package.…

The fifth iteration of the Scultura builds on pro-proven geometry that’s on the longer, lower end of fit but still isn’t going to break your back or, at this price, your wallet. Comparatively. It’s not cheap, but stacked against the competition this is a lot of bike for your buck: 45mm deep tubeless Vision Metron SL wheels weighing a claimed 1,372g; Shimano’s new Dura-Ace 9200 Di2 groupset; integrated everything. The bike feels tight and responsive, from pedal stomps and bar-wrenching sprints to the crisp Shimano shifting, which sweeps through its now 12-speed cassette a claimed 58% faster. The Scultura V has upped its aero game, Merida claiming it saves up to 10 watts of drag at 45kmh over the previous model, and the bike certainly possessed a wicked lick of…

Over the years that Cyclist has been visiting the world’s Classic Climbs, we’ve had one that shares its name with an aperitif (Monte Grappa), one that is a wine appellation (Ventoux) and one that gets within two letters of a fruity Swedish cider (Koppenberg). But this is the first time we have featured a climb that is also a beer. Brewed at the Brouwerij De Brabandere in Bavikhove, 28km away from the foot of the climb, Kwaremont beer is described by its makers, Chris and Jeanine Van Acker, as a ‘full-flavoured blonde with firm head’ that relies upon a ‘smooth, full flavour with a light, pleasant bitterness and a spicy touch’ to achieve a ‘hoppy character’. In other words, it goes down worryingly easily before its 6.6% ABV lands a…

A little voice in my head implores me to get up, and yet, try as I might, every part of my body fights against the need to get off the floor. Again it attempts to cajole me into action. ‘You’re one kilometre from the finish. Get up and start pedalling!’ That I have even made it this far up the final climb, one of the most revered in all of cycling, is a triumph in itself. For the past 50km I have been suffering from severe stomach cramps that have done their best to derail my effort to complete one of Europe’s premier sportives, the Gran Fondo Stelvio Santini. Unable to eat, sustained purely by three cups of cold Coca-Cola, I have slowly been edging my way ever closer to…

Cast your mind back to April 2013. A group of Japanese students has just made the world’s longest roll cake at 130.68m (well someone had to use up those 2,682 eggs); Ant and Dec (aka PJ & Duncan) have finally bagged a Number 1 with the return of their 1994 hit Let’s Get Ready To Rhumble (the ‘h’ was a nod to both wrestling and the rhumba dance), and Cyclist issue 6 has just hit the shelves. And in it? A review of the Sensa Giulia. It had a carbon frame and full Shimano Dura-Ace-9000 groupset, and yet it cost just £2,699. I can remember that day and I can remember wondering how on earth the price could be right – carbon bikes were still far from mainstream back then,…