Table of contents for October 2019 in Cyclist

Come the end of September, the eyes of the world will be on Yorkshire as it hosts the UCI Road World Championships. But what will those eyes see? Will it be the Yorkshire of 2014, when the sun shone on a green and pleasant land while the Tour peloton rolled through crowds of happy, cheering fans? Or will it be the Yorkshire of this year’s Tour de Yorkshire, when the rain lashed down, the hills were obscured in mist and the crowds huddled beneath umbrellas? It matters, because if you’ve spent millions to have the world’s top cyclists race through your back yard, you want the global TV audience (estimated at 300 million) to be thinking, ‘Hey, that looks like a nice place to visit on holiday. I hear Wensleydale…

£1,900, chickencyclekit.co.uk While the Bora name has adorned Campagnolo’s fastest wheels for decades, this latest incarnation is arguably the most deserving of the ‘fastest’ title. The ‘bora’ is a wind that blows over the Adriatic Sea, and these wheels are Campagnolo’s first to be ‘wind-tunnel optimised’ for aerodynamic efficiency, hence the WTO moniker. These 45mm versions weigh 1,520g, with Campagnolo suggesting their competitive weight is down to the quality of the rims’ carbon composite, which is also notable for not requiring any finishing – these rims apparently look this glossy when they come out of the mould. CULT ceramic bearings have been specced with the aim of improving the smoothness of the hubs – Campagnolo claims they are nine times more efficient than steel bearings. Flattened diamond spokes support the…

£499, thm.bike German carbon specialist THM Carbones is renowned for superlight bike parts. At just 157g (350mm) the Mandibula seatpost upholds that ethos, but it boasts another key design element. Its carbon layup aims to create a consistent level of flex regardless of how much post is exposed. THM doesn’t specify how much flex that is, saying simply that the Mandibula offers ‘the right level of comfort without feeling bouncy’, adding that the saddle stays horizontal through the flex path. It can be used on road, gravel, cyclocross or even mountain bikes, with a rider weight limit of 110kg, and it comes in both 350mm and 400mm lengths.…

Cyclist: You were born into a family of keen cyclists. When did you start riding competitively? Mandy Jones: I was very reluctant to ‘get to the start line’, as my dad said. Our club used to have a Wednesday night 10-mile time-trial on one of the local courses but I wouldn’t ride with everyone else. I was too embarrassed. In the end he timed me on a different night to convince me. I think it was more being a teenager and not liking the thought of people watching me riding down the road. Eventually I started doing more TTs and then road races. Then somebody in the club said to my parents that they thought I had a bit of talent and needed to ride more. I was 16…

Cycling is wonderful for introducing you to new places, people and experiences, although often not in quite the way you imagined. During a cycling tour of France in the 1980s, my girlfriend and I followed signs for a campsite down a twisting cart track to the forested banks of a crystal-clear river, only realising too late that Camping Naturisme had a significantly different meaning – and scenery – to what we’d expected. More recently, after watching the Tour de France pass over the summit of the Tourmalet, my wife and I started the long trudge back down to our hotel when we were offered a lift by the glamorous occupants of a luxury motorhome. We gratefully accepted, only to find ourselves stuck in a traffic jam all the way to…

After five months of hard training I’m as fit as I’ve ever been, which is all the sweeter because last year was a write-off and left me completely out of shape. My 40th birthday is now just days away and I feel fantastic. I’ve wasted no time in making it count, either: I recently won a category 1/2 criterium solo having lapped the field and a week later placed seventh in an insanely mountainous gran fondo. I could hardly believe it was me doing it. The fierce Pyrenean climb of Hautacam has served as a barometer of my progress. It’s 10 minutes from my door (yours too if you visit our guesthouse, escapetothepyrenees.com) and nothing demonstrates the combined benefit of weight loss and training as clearly as your best time…

Power meters are, according to many, the scourge of excitement. They are the death knell for professional cycling, the undertaker of panache. Riding by wattage kills spontaneity and makes race winning little more than an exercise in data analysis. Yawn, yawn, yawn. Thankfully there are still riders who race with courage and romance, eschewing sensible tactics in an often futile all-out bid for glory. One of those riders is stage-hunter extraordinaire Thomas De Gendt. ‘In 2018 I spent over 3,000km in breakaways out of around 13,000km racing. You don’t always win but I like to race aggressively’ For a man who measures 1.77m tall and 69kg light, the Belgian’s breakaway performances have towered over the strategically safe peloton for years. The 34-year-old Lotto-Soudal rider has, on numerous occasions, lit up…

Anyone who followed cycling in the 1990s will remember Cannondale’s oversized aluminium CAAD (Cannondale Advanced Aluminium Design) bikes winning races well before carbon rolled into town. The all-conquering Saeco-Cannondale squad and its flamboyant leader, Mario Cipollini, helped make these bikes iconic. That race heritage has remained in place ever since. Cannondale, unlike many brands, has not relegated aluminium bikes to the bottom of the heap as cheaper, entry-level alternatives to carbon. Instead, it has continued to invest in and develop its alloy line-up, consistently updating the design and materials required to keep these bikes on pace with what’s expected of a race bike. New for 2020 comes the 13th generation of CAAD, which promises to prove that aluminium needn’t play second fiddle to the black stuff when it comes to…

£97, upgradebikes.co.uk Because we all know #aeroiseverything, many riders now have truncated kamm-tail frames and deep section wheels, but the humble alloy stem is often overlooked as too small to make a significant difference. Haven’t you heard about #marginalgains? Ritchey clearly has, because its aluminium Chicane stem uses hidden bolts to secure a low-profile hinged faceplate, a slimline magnetic top cap and an internal steerer wedge clamp. The brand says this creates a clean and smooth design that reduces drag but preserves stiffness at a respectable 175g weight. In any case, even if the stem’s innovative features don’t do the job, its aggressive -10° slant will put you in a position so slammed it will be impossible not to be more aero.…

£100, methelmets.co.uk The Met Trenta 3K Carbon helmet was released to celebrate the Italian brand’s 30th anniversary. It boasted an innovative construction method whereby a carbon fibre skeleton was imbedded in the EPS foam liner. That produced some impressive claimed performance – it was designed to reduce weight and bulk while improving safety – but also generated an equally impressive pricetag. The Vinci is Met’s attempt to bring down the cost of the Trenta’s performance. It even bests the Trenta in one area too – it’s the first of Met’s performance road helmets to include the slip-plane safety technology Mips. Carrying over the Trenta’s carbon skeleton wasn’t economically viable but the Vinci still features a low profile and an enviable weight – at 265g it doesn’t cede much more than…

'I found it really annoying that I couldn’t find a bike that did the things I wanted,’ says Tom Skinner. If there was a Columbus tube sticker for every time a framebuilder uttered those words you could easily wallpaper your house. It’s as good a reason as any to start building bikes frames, of course, and its ubiquity only serves to underline how compromising many consider mainstream bikes to be. Before Skinner could build the bike that he wanted, he needed to learn how to do it, so he followed a path taken by many before him – he signed up for a framebuilding course at the Bicycle Academy in Frome. It seems the Bicycle Academy must be doing something right as these days the Bespoked Handmade Bicycle Show is…

1 VELOPAC RIDEPAC £32, velopac.cc Regardless of what happens with Brexit you can be sure of three things. VeloPac will keep turning out its inimitable RidePac – now slimmer, more waterproof and, being made in the UK, more Brexitproof than ever; we will keep riding our bicycles as much as is humanly possible, even across Continental Europe; and Boris Johnson won’t be the messiah, he’ll be a very naughty boy. 2 ACTIV5 ISOMETRIC TRAINER £119.95, activ5.com Activ5 is effectively a pressure sensor that syncs to an app, which in turn provides instructions on various ‘isometric workouts’ that involve squeezing the Activ5 between hands, feet, elbows and knees. It’s ingenious, especially if you need to secretly strengthen your glutes during an important client meeting. 3 SILCA SICURO TITANIUM…

The first thing to consider when talking about knee pain is that we need to look not only at kit, but at you. You’re adaptable; kit is adjustable. So while kit can be adjusted instantly, changing you might be harder – and you might be the problem. The knee is the most commonly injured joint for cyclists. On the plus side, riding a bike doesn’t involve eccentric forces – the ones you get from your feet landing, twisting or turning when running – which cause micro-damage to the tissues and can lead to injury. But knee pain is nonetheless common among cyclists, too. That’s because you’re performing numerous repetitions with constant loading in a fixed position. Your feet, hips and backside are locked in to the shoes and to the…

For 2020 the Cannondale SuperSix has gone all sharp-edged and aero, so this older version is a reminder of just what an elegant bike it once was. With its round tubes and horizontal top tube this SuperSix cuts a traditional silhouette, but the ride feels as modern and nimble as ever. Despite costing less than the paintjob on some top-end bikes, my borrowed SuperSix proved to be a solid performer – the Steven Kruijswijk of bikes, if you will – light on the climbs, predictable in its handling, and with just enough flex to iron out the coarser surfaces. It would have benefitted from a wheel upgrade, but the Shimano 105 groupset worked a treat, and my only quibble was that the biggest model I could get hold of was…

Over the past 10 years, Matthew Sowter has built a glowing reputation for his Saffron custom framebuilding business. His beautiful handmade steel bikes have won dozens of awards and a number of his creations have graced the pages ofCyclist. A glance at the Naked Columbus XCr, with its poetically neat welds and impeccable finish, would suggest another Saffron Frameworks classic, yet this frameset represents a significant departure for Sowter. Before now, every Saffron bike was a one-off, built bespoke to the customer’s requirements. ‘It’s a very difficult way of working and at times not very efficient or economical,’ says Sowter. ‘Plus it takes a certain breed of rider to come to us and order. People think you need to have an understanding of how steel performs and the different construction…

The Best Road In The World Giro Syntax Mips helmet, £99.99 zyrofisher.co.uk Tifosi Amok sunglasses, £69.99 zyrofisher.co.uk Le Col Pro Air Acute jersey, £120 lecol.cc Le Col Pro Heritage bibshorts, £150 lecol.cc Le Col Cycling socks, £14 lecol.cc Dhb Troika shoes, £70 wiggle.co.uk Passo Giau Specialized S-Works Prevail II helmet, £175 specialized.com Oakley Radarlock Path sunglasses, £195 oakley.com Pearl Izumi Pro jersey, £139.99 madison.co.uk Pearl Izumi Pro bibshorts, £189.99 madison.co.uk Pearl Izumi Elite socks, £11.99 madison.co.uk Specialized S-Works 7 shoes, £325 specialized.com Around The Worlds Specialized S-Works Evade II ANGi helmet, £230 specialized.com GripGrab Lightweight Summer cap, €19.95 (approx £18) gripgrab.com GripGrab Lightweight Windproof gilet, €69.95 (approx £63) gripgrab.com GripGrab Signature jersey, €99.95 (approx £90) gripgrab.com GripGrab Light Midseason armwarmers, €29.95 (approx £27) gripgrab.com GripGrab Aerolight Insidegrip mitts, €39.95 (approx…

£224.99, zyrofisher.co.uk Cycling shoe retention systems seem to change fashion more often than British governments. One year it’s all about Boa dials, the next year it’s laces, and now it seems we’re back to Velcro. But Fizik’s Powerstrap is about more than trends. Powerstrap involves a central Velcro strap that wraps around the midfoot, plus a higher strap to secure the instep, which together offer complete control of the fit of the shoe’s upper. The design was originally found on the lower-cost Tempo R5 Powerstrap, but its light weight and improved comfort proved to be a hit with WorldTour pros such as Mikel Landa and Richard Carapaz, so Fizik has now introduced the system to its top-tier R1. That means the shoe includes a stiff unidirectional carbon sole to preserve…

£61 each, specialized.com While we should probably take their opinions with a pinch of salt, several Specialized-sponsored pro riders have been raving about these tubeless tyres. The pros may actually be on to something, though. The RapidAirs have been designed with a supple crown, thicker sidewalls and a casing made from two layers instead of the more typical three. The manufacturer says this means the new tyres corner better, instal easier, seal punctures better (thanks to the addition of a developed-in-house sealant for an additional £8) and have lower rolling resistance than any other tyre their pros have raced. Are they are good enough to prompt the professionals to fully renounce their beloved tubulars? Only time will tell.…

‘Game changer’ is a term you hear bandied around a lot, and mostly it is unwarranted. It should only really apply to innovations that truly alter our perceptions and expectations of the form or function of a product from that day forward. Yet even by the very strictest of standards, Trek’s Domane undeniably fits the bill. When the original Domane launched in 2012, Trek broke with convention by decoupling the seat tube from the top tube using a pivot point system it dubbed IsoSpeed. In doing so it substantially increased the frame’s vertical compliance, taking road bikes into previously unchartered territory. Over the seven years since, the Domane has scooped up plenty of accolades, and some prestigious race wins too. The second generation, which arrived in 2016, took the IsoSpeed…

Tell any keen cyclist that you’re off to ride in Romania and they’ll warn you about the stray dogs. The famed snap and snarl of these unleashed Balkan mutts gained notoriety among the cycling community when the Transcontinental, a self-supported bike race across Europe, passed through in 2017. Riders shared tales of rabid packs foaming at the mouth and gnashing at their heels as they made their way to checkpoint four on the Transfăgărășan Pass. Well, never mind the dogs. I’ve been in Romania for less than half a day and already I’ve seen two bears. Of the estimated 200,000 brown bears worldwide, more than 6,000 (over a third of the European population) are thought to live in Romania. Compare that to the 40-odd bears that are said to roam…

The Passo Giau is not a climb to start from the bottom. I don’t mean that you should start halfway up, but rather that you should start some way from the base of the climb near Selva di Cadore. Give yourself a run at it. Warm the legs, open up the lungs. Don’t do what I did. You see, for most of the climbs in this series, logistics mean that I simply set off at the base. Bang – straight into the gradient. Almost like an intimidating first date: no preamble, no drink at the bar, just, ‘How many children do you envisage having and what’s your salary?’ The twisting nature of the Giau means you can look back down on the hairpins you’ve ascended On climbs such as the…

The crowds cheering the peloton at the 2014 Tour de France were some of the biggest and most enthusiastic the race had ever seen. But it wasn’t the roads of the Alps or Pyrenees that the fans were massed along. It was the moors and lanes of Yorkshire. Five years ago, during what Tour chief Christian Prudhomme proclaimed as ‘the grandest Grand Départ’, Yorkshire showed the world of cycling how to host its biggest event. Since then the Tour de Yorkshire men’s and women’s races have built on that success, establishing themselves at the top of the UK’s racing calendar – to the extent that this year the men’s Tour de Yorkshire was given elite 2.HC status for the first time. There has also been talk of the 2021 Vuelta…

TRAVEL Cyclist travelled by train to Harrogate from London Kings Cross via a change at Leeds, which took three hours. Tickets and bike reservation can be booked in advance – we paid £30 for an advance single ticket. ACCOMMODATION We stayed at the Yorkshire Hotel in Harrogate (the-yorkshire.com), a high-quality hotel in the heart of this historic town that ensured a good night’s rest ahead of a long bike ride. Two nights’ accommodation and a decent pre-ride breakfast at The Yorkshire Hotel set us up perfectly for a day in the saddle. Expect to pay from £80pn for a double room, although prices are higher and availability is limited during the Worlds. THANKS Thanks to Lauren and Nick at Welcome to Yorkshire (yorkshire.com), who made the whole trip come together…

There was a time when racing on a bike that wasn’t custom made simply wasn’t done. You went to your chosen framebuilder and they would determine the best tube lengths and angles to suit your body and riding requirements. Of course, that was in the days of steel and aluminium. When carbon came along, custom geometry was all but sacrificed at the altar of lightness and stiffness. There are some carbon brands, however – brands such as Dublin-based FiftyOne – where custom geometry is still considered a necessity. FiftyOne founder Aidan Duff says, ‘In the 1997 Tour de France, for instance, 100% of the peloton would have been on custom-built machines. The bikes were built specifically for them with every millimetre and angle there for a reason.’ Duff has a…