Innehållsförteckning för April 2022 från Cyclist

Two years. That’s how long it has been since the message circulated around Cyclist Towers saying that we should all work from home while we ride out this new virus thingy. ‘See you in a couple of weeks!’ Off we trotted, innocently unaware of what was about to unfold. The weeks turned into months, which turned into years, until now our pre-pandemic lifestyles seem like something from a strange, alien world. Do you remember we used to go into an office five days a week? Unthinkable! And can you believe that people used to squash together in trains, buses and bars, unmasked, breathing their foul fumes over each other? Urgh! We’ve all become used to a new way of living. But now that restrictions are slowly being lifted, the question…

£599.99, garmin.com Garmin has taken its already highly advanced Fenix 6 smartwatch, popped the hood and stuffed in even more goodies to create the Fenix 7. The most obvious change is the addition of a touchscreen, but for cyclists perhaps the most interesting upgrade is that the Fenix 7 can now track different cycling disciplines, so the watch will distinguish between gravel, road, commuting, cyclocross, e-biking and MTB. The stamina tracker is another noteworthy addition, allowing the rider to track and monitor exertion while exercising. GPS accuracy is also said to be improved, with the watch now supporting multi-band GNSS tracking for better location services, which Garmin says makes its mapping richer and easier to use. Battery life has been boosted, with the manufacturer claiming up to 18 days between…

£3,950, brompton.com Brompton’s new T Line looks like a Brompton and folds like a Brompton, yet according to the manufacturer could not be further from the Bromptons that have come before it. ‘The only thing that has been carried over from our classic model is the brake system,’ says the company’s chief design and engineering officer, Will Carleysmith. ‘Everything else has been finessed, pared back and upgraded. We have gone over the entire bike looking for every gram we can find to save on weight.’ In total, says Carleysmith, 150 parts have been altered to create the T Line, which at 7.45kg is around 2kg lighter than Brompton’s P Line and 4kg lighter than its C Line bikes. The spec list has helped – even the inner tubes are Tubolito’s…

‘It’s just a bike that has been flipped upside down,’ says paraathlete Mel Nicholls of her distinctive-looking handcycle. ‘The frame is made specially to be a handcycle, but the components are standard. I use the same as whatever works on any other bike. ‘I haven’t had many issues in finding bike mechanics to work on it,’ she adds. ‘It just takes someone who has an open mind and can work outside the box a little bit – although it can be quite interesting getting the gearing lined up because the chain and derailleur are upside down.’ Nicholls has been using her hands to propel herself around ever since a series of strokes, the most recent in 2008, left her unable to walk without a crutch or use much of her…

By this point of the year we’ve usually been treated to a few bushtucker sprints and a Richie Porte victory on Willunga Hill. But the Tour Down Under being reduced to a domestic race for a second straight year has left us with slim pickings for early-season racing on TV. What has aired at the time of writing – the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana – looked to have been filmed on a phone half a kilometre ahead of the peloton. A pile-up on the home straight was a mere blur, meaning we couldn’t see the bright new logo on the chest of winner Giovanni Lonardi’s jersey – the distinctive red and yellow emblem of… Burger King. For yes, the fast-food giant has made an unlikely foray into the world of pro…

Much anticipation gripped the towns and villages of France in the early summer of 1947. It had been eight years since the Tour de France had taken to the nation’s roads and the return of cycling’s greatest race was a hugely significant event in post-war Europe. As the start date neared, French journalists wrote of the importance of the race in the fabric of French life, recalling fond childhood memories of seeing the race pass their homes for the first time, and journals ran pictures from previous races – riders eating with their teams at long tables and crowding over benches laden with fruit – enthusing that these are the ‘pictures we will see again soon’. Twelve months earlier two five-stage races had been organised by rival publications. L’Auto, which…

I’ll undress for anything over 15°C, and my pores are cheerfully sweating away in line with that policy and the upswing in gradient Andrea’s legs look like someone spilt Ronseal on a map of Croydon. Long venal bypasses traverse miniature valleys that lay between boundaries of deeply brown quadriceps. The vastus medialis, those most highly prized of cycling muscles that extend above the knee, bulge. He is clearly ten years younger than me, 15kg lighter and four inches taller. I stare at these legs, which are the same colour as the crema of my espresso. Less sun-blessed, more sunordained. I vow to write that down if I make it back to the hotel with my dignity. Fast start Arabba is a quintessential mountain village in summer. The snow has retired…

In a sea of well-mannered conformity, Basso sails close to the wind with its geometry. Its bikes are short of rear end and wheelbase, and aggressive in angles. This latest Diamante is no stranger to that playbook, albeit Basso has toned down its aggressive rider position by raising the front end 30mm over its forebear and losing nearly 10mm in reach. But this size 56cm still commands a stout set of 406mm chainstays and 985mm wheelbase such that it can swivel on a centime, and the SV bit – super veloce – means the tube shapes are aero tuned, if not actually wind-tunnel tested. The result is a highly reactive bike that’s thoroughly engaging to ride, displaying superb cornering and descending abilities down the Dolomites’ steep slopes. An added bonus…

Can change be a good thing? Romain Bardet leans back in his rickety, village hall style metal chair, his face brushed by the autumn sun while he muses over the question. His lips purse as he takes a small sip of pale ale. Before it returns to the ‘Drink Responsibly’ beer mat resting on the table, he offers his reply. ‘Yes, I think it is.’ He pauses to think some more and takes another short swig as if the golden liquid contains the answer he is looking for. ‘You have to change for a reason, but when you spend a long time with the same team, the same people, the same environment, you may forget to continue challenging yourself.’ At the beginning of 2021, Bardet made the biggest change in…

‘It’s good when you’re in the centre of a city like London and you can still find places like this,’ Bardet says. ‘It’s quite a thing to see – a place for locals. It’s good. The years pass by, but the pub remains the same. ‘In France it’s more like bistros selling shit beers. At home I’m always looking for good wine because I’m pretty interested in natural wine, unfiltered with less process. Ninety-five per cent of the places you visit will not have this stuff. Beyond that, we have the classics like Burgundy and Bordeaux, but for me I really like Beaujolais. It’s highly drinkable. I never visit a restaurant in France without having a glass of wine. In the UK, however, I’ll have a beer.’…

‘I just like riding my bike,’ says Fiona Kolbinger, 26-year-old German ultra-racer and surgeon in training. Cyclist is asking her about her training plan, but it turns out there isn’t one. She doesn’t follow any specific programme, let alone ride with a power meter, calculate her watts per kilo, or have a strict diet. She simply understands what does and doesn’t work for her. ‘It’s all about knowing yourself, your body and what you are doing,’ she says. ‘Long-distance cycling and being a surgeon have many things in common. You need to be able to work long hours, concentrate and make reliable decisions on not much sleep. You need to be able to go without food for a while and then be able to eat large amounts in one go.…

Heart Of The Dolomites p54 Lazer Genesis helmet, £209.99 freewheel.co.uk Roka GP Series sunglasses, £210 roka.com Rapha Pro Team Lightweight Gore-Tex jacket, £220 rapha.cc Rapha Custom Pro Team jersey, £120 rapha.cc Rapha Custom Pro Team bibshorts, £195 rapha.cc Rapha Pro Team socks, £15 rapha.cc Sidi Wire 2 shoes, £385 saddleback.co.uk How The West Was Won p104 Lazer Genesis Mips helmet, £229.99 freewheel.co.uk Dhb Upsilon sunglasses, £50 dhbsport.com Rapha Women’s Pro Team Flyweight jersey, £130 rapha.cc Pactimo Summit Classic bibshorts, £165 pactimo.co.uk Rapha Pro Team socks, £15 rapha.cc Shimano S-Phyre RC9W shoes, £319.99 freewheel.co.uk Bealach na Bà p86 Endura FS260-Pro helmet, £89.99 endurasport.com 100% x Maap S3 sunglasses, £160 maap.cc Dhb Aeron short sleeve jersey, £60 dhbsport.com Dhb Aeron bibshorts, £80 dhbsport.com Dhb Aeron Tall socks, £10 dhbsport.com Specialized S-Works 6…

The emergence of gravel riding has brought with it the argument of whether a 1x or 2x drivetrain setup is best, and that debate has spilled over onto the road. There are pros and cons for each: 2x can offer greater range and closer gear progression; 1x is simpler, lighter and could be more aero too, yet is largely out of favour in the pro peloton, with its use restricted mainly to time-trials. However, increasing cassette sizes mean the issue is by no means settled, and the 1x setup has a cult-like – and growing – following in the amateur ranks. But what if there was a system that offered the best of both worlds? In August 2020, Classified Cycling emerged from seven years in development in Belgium to launch…

€240 (approx £205), pocsports.com These are Poc’s lightest ever sunglasses, coming in at a claimed 23g. That’s less than four average-sized grapes, or a third of a kiwi fruit, or three Jacob’s Cream Crackers, or… you get the idea. Poc says truss-structured arms help carve out weight without impacting on the glasses’ performance. The large shield lens features Poc’s Ri-Pel water and oil-repellent coating and an anti-scratch treatment, plus the brand’s light-filtering Clarity technology for better, well, clarity.…

£3,399.99, ison-distribution.com The unconventional rim profiles of Princeton CarbonWorks’ wheels have been making waves in the WorldTour for the past two years on the bikes of Ineos Grenadiers. The Peak 4550 wheelset is one of the brand’s latest designs and aims to fill the lightweight all rounder niche in the lineup. Princeton provocatively dubs it the ‘Meilenstein Killer’ owing to a weight not dissimilar to Lightweight’s renowned wheels (Lightweight, interestingly, is another sponsor-incorrect manufacturer once used by Ineos). Thus, in tubular form, the Peak 4550’s weigh a claimed 1,071g, which is 94g lighter than the equivalent Meilensteins. This infinitely more practical disc-brake clincher version is still no heavyweight at a claimed 1,348g, and Princeton says the wheelset’s secret lies in the rims’ undrilled tyre bed. That makes it naturally tubeless-compatible,…

In a perfect world, a cyclist flying abroad would be able to wheel their bike directly onto the plane, sitting next to it while enjoying a movie and a comically small can of lager. Instead we’re forced to consign our pride and joy to the belly of the beast, leaving it in the merciless hands of physics, fate and woefully underpaid baggage handlers. In an attempt to protect their bikes from the travails of air travel, many plucky cyclists make do with a cardboard box and bubble wrap, but Christian Pearce, global brand manager for Scicon Sports, explains why a purpose-built bike case is a better option. ‘Bike travel cases are equipped with a hard shell, and bike travel bags with a rugged, padded outer shell that will protect your…

The Long Goodbye is a 1970s Hollywood crime thriller, but the phrase could also be used to describe three of the greatest ever British cyclists and their protracted farewells. Two final bows seem likely to come at the end of this season, with the third expected to follow 12 months later. The first two are Mark Cavendish and Chris Froome, while the third is Geraint Thomas, who, after months of uncertainty, signed a new two-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers at the end of 2021. It will surely be Thomas’s last as a pro cyclist, just as Cavendish’s similarly late one-year extension with QuickStep is likely to be his final contract. Beyond this year, Cavendish has said that he would like to stay with the team as a member of the…

Mapping powered by To download this route go to cyclist.co.uk/124dolomites or scan the QR code (opposite page). From Arabba, head southeast on the SR48, looking out for a hard right after 9km, signed Alleghe. Descend the switchbacks to Saviner di Laste and at the junction at the end of the descent bear right, signed Passo Fedaia. Ride through Sottoguda, continue under a gallery marked Malga Ciapela and follow the road right. Make the 5km climb to the top, then descend along the side of the Lago di Fedaia, with Marmolada to your left. Follow the natural road for 13km until Canazei. Take the first exit signed Passo Sella/Passo Pordoi, then follow signs to the Passo Sella’s crest. About-turn and descend 5km to the juntion signed Passo Pordoi, left. Once on…

The Lake District is one of the most beautiful places in Britain – a fairytale landscape of mountains, rivers, lakes and pretty villages. But turn up on a sunny day in summer and the thing you are most likely to see is the exhaust pipe of the car in front. As anyone who decided to staycation in the Lakes during the period of Covid travel restrictions will attest, the National Park can get very busy at peak times. It is still possible to escape the crowds, however, if you know where to look. If you ask me – and you should, because I’m a local – the western parts of the Lake District are the most scenic and wild. The roads are typically quieter here than over in the touristy…

Liv is Giant’s sister brand, and the Langma is the women’s equivalent of the Giant TCR. It’s an out-and-out race bike, and of the 11 models in the Langma range the top of the tree is this Advanced SL Disc, as ridden by the WorldTour-level Liv Racing Xstra team. This is no shrinked-and-pinked version of the men’s bike – it has geometry designed for women, with a slightly higher stack and shorter reach than the men’s TCR, plus it has narrower bars and shorter cranks. Components are top drawer, including a Sram Red eTap AXS groupset and Cadex 36 Disc wheels. Made for climbing, the Langma is stiff and light – 6.65kg in size small – but also comfortable enough for long days in the saddle. It’s pricy, but also…

‘The colt had achieved next to nothing in his only previous race, barely beating the ambulance to the finishing line,’ wrote Chris Cook in The Guardian in August 2020. The colt in question was He Knows No Fear, ridden to glory at a low-profile meeting at Leopardstown, Ireland. And the odds? A record breaking 300-1. Oh to be the punter in Dublin who laid €100 each way, netting €36,000. That’s enough to buy the Sarto Seta Plus (p120), with change for a bodyguard to follow you when you ride it. Or – and here’s a hot tip for you – for not very much money (well, not as much) you can back another outsider, this Basso Diamante Disc. At £4,699 this bike is a comparative steal, but you’ll want to…

£119.99, selleitalia.com If you’re heading off-road, it makes sense to have a saddle that will offer a bit of extra cushioning to protect your backside over the bumps. Selle Italia’s X-Bow saddle isn’t the lightest going, weighing a claimed 274g, but the brand says what it cedes in weight it more than makes up for in comfort thanks to a clever design. By fixing the rails as far back on the shell as possible, Selle Italia says the X-Bow takes pressure off sensitive areas, and additional comfort is provided by including shock-absorbing inserts in the junctions between the rails and shell.…

1 INEOS HYGIENICS SPORT SPRAYS From £1.99, ineoshygienics.com Our email password was hacked again. That’s the third time we’ve had to rename the dog. But what, really, is in a name? If you’re Ineos it seems you can be whatever you want, and now it’s also a hygiene company with the launch of Ineos Hygienics, which is literally on hand for all your anti-bacterial wiping and surface-sanitising needs. 2 KNIPEX PLIERS WRENCH XS £55.16, knipex.com How do you stop bacon from curling in the frying pan? Take away the little brooms. And how do you stop having to scrabble around in the bottom of the toolbox for the right spanner? You get one of these tiny adjustable pliers, which are just 100mm long but will clamp onto nuts up to…

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This area of the Dolomites could well have coined the term ‘a cyclist’s playground’. It is strewn with peaks and passes above 2,000m, and if you base yourself in a village such as Arabba for a week you can do them all (bearing in mind roads can get snowbound between November and March). If time is not on your side, though, just come for the first weekend of July for the annual Maratona dles Dolomites. This gran fondo is a mere 138km, but over that distance riders amass 4,320m of ascent, making the Maratona even steeper than the infamous Tour du Mont Blanc (338km, 8,500m). The course climbs over 2,000m six times, ticking off Passos Campolongo, Pordoi, Sella, Gardena, Giau, Falzarego and Valparola as it goes. The Maratona is a…

‘This is it: the Holy Grail, the toughest and wildest climb in Britain.’ Not our words; the words of Simon Warren, hill climb aficionado and author of 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs. In the book, subtitled ‘A road cyclist’s guide to Britain’s hills’, the Bealach na Bà is unique. Other leg-shredders such as the Hardknott Pass and Rosedale Chimney get the maximum 10/10 score, but only the Bealach na Bà gets the full Spinal Tap treatment. This one goes to 11. Road to nowhere Just getting to the Bealach na Bà is a challenge in itself. It is hidden away on the Applecross Peninsula, which lies on the northwest coast of Scotland at approximately the same latitude as Inverness. The nearest village is Lochcarron – a single street of houses with…

To download this route go to cyclist.co.uk/124lakes or scan the QR code. From Keswick, head west over the Whinlatter Pass on the B5292. After the descent, take the sign to Hopebeck and continue until High Lorton. Turn left at the junction in the village and ride to the B5289 and turn left. Go through Loweswater and along the road through Lamplugh until the turnoff for Croasdale takes you to Ennerdale Bridge. Continue south to Calder Bridge, turn left onto the A595 to Gosforth and then Santon Bridge, where you turn left up to Wast Water. Ride alongside the lake until a left turn takes you back towards Gosforth. Turn right onto the A595 and retrace your steps to Ennerdale Bridge, only this time stay on the road through Kirkland. Head…

1 Basso Diamante Disc p116 An Italian bike with an aggressive intent, easily enhanced by changing aspects of the build – swap out the wheels and it’s a whole other bike 2 Sarto Seta Plus Tri-Composite p120 This pioneering bike features copper filaments woven into the carbon fibre in a bid to improve ride quality and impact resistance. Does it work? 3 Campagnolo Ekar p124 Completing this month’s Italian lineup is not a bike, but a hugely impressive gravel groupset from a usually very traditional manufacturer…

Just when you thought you were safe… bang. The cafe doors crash open and a man in weirdly tight clothes clacks in like a deer in high heels. He’s pushing a bicycle; he insists on having it inside with him because, just like the bicycle he brought in last month, this one is waaay too expensive to leave outside. Or to ever leave anywhere except tucked up in bed with a hot mug of epoxy resin and a story about The Little Carbon Frame That Could. Yes, may I introduce the Sarto Seta, which like last month’s Spoon Customs Vars costs £13,000 (OK, the Spoon was £100 cheaper, but if you’re looking at a bike at this sort of price, who’s counting?). Smooth operator So how does this bike justify…

Over the last couple of decades Campagnolo has made a point of being the first of the three main groupset manufacturers to add an extra sprocket to its cassettes. It was the first to 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12-speed, and with the release of Ekar in 2020, it was the first to 13-speed. Ekar is something of a double-whammy of firsts because it is also the Italian brand’s first gravel-specific groupset. Apart from a brief foray into a then-emerging mountain bike scene 30 years ago, Campagnolo groupsets have stuck exclusively to road shifting duties. As a result it has been at risk of losing territory to the ever-increasing scale of Shimano and the innovation of Sram, which makes Ekar an important launch for the brand on several levels. Aside…