Innehållsförteckning för February 2024 från Cycling Plus

WELCOME… Mastering clipless pedals. Conquering the Fred Whitton. Taming gravel tracks without a visit to the hedge. Whatever your level, pushing your limits to conquer a planned goal is one of the thrills of cycling. And this edition is full of epic challenges to inspire you in 2024, including John Whitney picking the 10 toughest events across Europe (p34). Familiar faces and lesser-known gems are here, but, for me, the Hardest Hundred in the Peak District has the most appeal. It’s the shortest, after all. I’ll pay attention to the elevation stats once I’ve stopped pushing the limits of my elastic waistband over the holidays. Good luck smashing your goals in 2024!…

The number of years Rod Ellingworth had been running Ineos Grenadiers before leaving in November Nairo Quintana has signed a one-year deal with old team Movistar, after a year away from cycling Stage of the 2024 Tour de France that Tom Pidcock has recce’d. It’s a day packed with gravel Breakway specialist Thomas De Gendt is retiring in 2024 after 16 years in the pro peloton Wout van Aert will make his Giro d’Italia debut in 2024, but has downplayed targeting the GC…

Weight 21.21kg Frame Hydroformed aluminium with internal battery Fork Alloy Gears Shimano CS-M7000 (11-42t) 11-Speed Brakes Shimano GRX RX400 Ebike system Yamaha PW Series ST motor, Yamaha 500Wh battery Wheels Yamaha Dual Channel Welded Pin, Rim Width 25mm Finishing kit Yamaha 100mm stem, Yamaha Flare Drop bar, Limotec dropper seatpost, 60mm travel, Yamaha Off-Road Cro-Mo Rail saddle, Maxxis Rambler 700 x 45c TR EXO 120tpi tyres YAMAHA MAY APPEAR NEW TO ebikes, but aside from providing Giant with ebike motors for many years, it actually built the first production ebike 30 years ago and has been making them for the domestic Japanese market ever since. The Wabash RT is a keenly priced sturdy gravel machine with a central mid-motor system. Yamaha’s latest PW Series ST motor, powered by an internal 500Wh…

Weight 7.52kg (inc 2 bottle cages, front mount) Frame Advanced SL-grade composite Fork Advanced SL-grade composite Gears SRAM RED eTap AXS 12-speed (10-36t, 46/36t) Brakes SRAM RED eTap AXS hydraulic Wheels CADEX 36 Disc WheelSystem, 36mm Finishing kit Giant Contact SLR AeroLight, 110mm stem, Giant Contact SLR D-Fuse, 44cm handlebar, Giant Fleet SLR saddle, Giant SLR D-Fuse, composite, -5/+15mm offset seatpost, CADEX Classic tubeless 32c tyres GIANT’S LATEST ITERATION OF ITS award-winning endurance platform, the Defy, has lost weight, is smoother, more aero and has stayed true to its pure-road-bike roots. A lower stack (a racy 596mm on my size Large) and longer reach (393mm) make it sportier, while head and seat angles stay the same. Weight-wise, significant savings have been made in the frame, bringing it down to 785g (M…

Since my very first sportive, the 2005 edition of the legendary La Marmotte in the Alps, I’ve been employing my wellhoned sportive strategy. It’s somewhat rudimentary and goes something like this: start hard, find a group of strong riders, sit in their wheels, race through feed stations like a Formula 1 car negotiating the pits, share the pace, use their legs and wring them dry until something gives, ideally close to the finish line. Pain is temporary, I repeat to myself, but Strava Kudos are permanent. The original and best Marmotte, which tackles four classic Alpine cols including the Galibier and Alpe d’Huez, is a blueprint for all mass-participation cycling events, and one that South Wales’ Dragon Ride comes pretty close to emulating here in the UK. Everything about the…

TO THE NAKED EYE, THE NEW SMITH Persist helmet looks largely unchanged from the 2022 model. Both feature 21 vents, Smith’s AirVac and VaporFit systems – the former a ventilation system designed to fit with Smith sunglasses for fog-free riding, the latter an adjustment dial for it - and MIPS, the industry-leading tech that reduces rotational forces to the head from angled impacts. Dig a little deeper, though, and there’s an additional nod to safety in the shape of the Zonal Koroyd. This is a firm, lightweight material with a honeycomb structure, which sit under the vents on either flank of the helmet and is designed to absorb energy during an impact more effectively than EPS foam, used in the construction of the rest of this helmet. Endura is another…

Shoes Shimano RX6 ● The RX6 (£160), available for men and women, are excellent shoes for gravel riding, rough-stuff touring, day-to-day winter riding and more. They’ve proven comfortable, practical and versatile – and easy to clean after muddy winter rides. The sole’s pattern of TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane – a tough, abrasion-resistant plastic) lugs worked well on a variety of surfaces, including more grip than we expected on mud, yet they remain stiff and supportive enough when cycling. The single BOA dial and a Velcro strap over the forefoot also offer quick and easy on-the-fly adjustability. Jacket Castelli Emergency 2 At £180, it’s an investment but, from the construction to wet-weather performance, Castelli’s Emergency 2 jacket (men’s and women’s versions) oozes quality. It boasts a fully-taped waterproof shell (10,000mm rating) that’s…

01 Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, toes pointed outward at no more than a 45° angle. The kettlebell should be on the floor around 30cm in front of you. 02 Hinge at your hips, bend your knees and reach down and grip the kettlebell handle with both hands as shown. Keep your back flat and engage your core muscles. 03 Swing the kettlebell back through your legs, then drive your hips forward and swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height, engaging your lat (back) muscles. 04 At the top of the swing, squeeze your bottom muscles and tighten your core. Let the kettlebell swing back down between your legs as you reverse your body movement. 05 Ensure you maintain control throughout the movement, keeping your back…

Ride to work on commuters from Genesis, Marin, Ridgeback and more GEAR GROUPTESTS Helmets & jackets rated Find your perfect lid and waterproof shell IN-DEPTH FEATURES Time-trialling masterclass Up your game against the clock Spirit of adventure 10 of the best pilgrimages to do by bike Plan of attack How a training diary will revolutionise your riding Boost your ride The truth about January weightloss and how women can maximise on-bike performance ON SALE 19 January 2024…

I still don’t really know if I like cycling. I hope that in saying this that I have enough credit with the editorial team at Cycling Plus, my long-standing employers to whom I am very grateful, not to be instantly dismissed for going woefully off message with this latest column. But, maybe it is an unacceptable breach of the code, and act of heresy, to admit to ambivalent feelings from time to time vis à vis pedalling a push-bike. The thing is, I still greatly enjoy certain expressions of the bicycle. I very much like to descend off a mountain at the Tour de France on my folding bike, watching on as Pete Kennaugh and David Millar race ahead, letting the elastic go (so to speak) and knowing that I…

Never stop adventuring. That’s always been my approach to training rides. Yes, I might have certain efforts to do in training, but I still want to ride to new places and to see new or interesting things. I really enjoy that sense of exploring. It’s the reason why I fell in love with this sport to start with. When you’re younger, you know you can travel so much further away from home on a bike than if you are just walking. And that feeling of exploration is something I’ve never lost. Trying new routes on my training rides keeps things fresh. And when you’re in your 17th year of racing, you have got to mix it up a bit to stay interested. This is actually how I ride my bike…

Weight 9.06kg Frame CF3 Carbon Fork CF3 Carbon Gears SRAM Force AXS (10-36t, 46/33t) Brakes SRAM Force AXS Wheels Merida Team GR30 Finishing kit FSA SMR ACR stem, Merida expert GRII bar, Merida Team SL seatpost, Prologo Scratch M5 AGX saddle, Continental Terra Speed Protection 35c tyres MERIDA’S SCULTURA ENDURANCE was one of the stars of 2023’s Bike of the Year test, and a finalist for the overall title, a close rival to the winning Vitus Venon Evo. Merida has now taken their Endurance design and given it a gravel makeover, similar to the Venon, which means a change in contact points, wheels and tyres. The frameset is beautifully finished, with aeroshaped seat- and down-tubes plus slender seatstays that give a little vibration-damping flex. Brake hoses are routed through the bar,…

The idea of Cycling Plus creating its own awards night was first floated a year ago. I’ll admit, I took some convincing. How would we stand out from the existing cycling awards? Could we secure enough nominations and votes to make it meaningful? And would anyone show up to the awards or might we be left with 1,000 cans of unopened Wiper and True beer? Although the last scenario wouldn’t have been so bad, my fears were swiftly assuaged when a diverse selection of nominations from the various UK scenes were crafted by our readers. The interest then snowballed, with thousands of votes arriving to establish the winners of our debut Newcomer of the Year (young cyclo-cross star Imogen Wolff), Lifetime Achievement (Cycling UK’s head of campaigns Duncan Dollimore), and…

Getting there ● We flew to Athens International Airport, a 90-minute drive from Epidavros. We rented a car via Budget for £30 per day. There are frequent trains from Athens to Corinth but little public transport from here into the Argolis region, so car hire’s best. When to go ● Springtime, early and late summer, and autumn. Don’t miss ● The Argolis region hogs some of Greece’s biggest historical sites: the Ancient Theatre of Epidavros; the Temple of Apollo; Corinth’s Acropolis; the sunken city at Epidavros; and many more relics. Bustling Athens and its mustsee Parthenon is a 90min drive away. Race ● The inaugural L’Etape Greece made a sell-out debut in 2023 and is set to return to Olympia on 6 April 2024. Where to stay ● We…

Grit your teeth Pure Peak Grit (29 June 2024) is a formidable challenge, linking most of the categorised road climbs in the Peak District: 600km, 13,500m vertical, with a time limit of 48 hours. Entries are limited to 100 purepeakgrit.cc Spot of bother The future of the men’s Tour of Britain is in doubt, with British Cycling terminating its agreement with race promoter SweetSpot because of what they say is a financial dispute over unpaid rights fees The Wright stuff £250,000 was raised for children’s charity Action Medical Research at the annual Champions of CycleSport Dinner in London in November. Fred Wright was among the star guests Capital gains The 2024 Vuelta a España (17 August–8 September) will begin in Portuguese capital Lisbon with a time trial, plus a further…

Slower traffic speeds may have become a political football in the autumn, when Rishi Sunak declared his politically-driven war on safer streets, but that has so far changed very little on the ground. What’s more, despite claims from 10 Downing Street that 20mph speed limits are not in accordance with British values, voters seem to disagree. In September, the Welsh Senedd introduced default 20mph speed limits on formerly 30mph roads: places people walk and cycle the most, and where a substantial proportion of collisions take place. While the move received significant negative media coverage, and sparked a culture war, with the Government inaccurately labelling it a ‘blanket 20mph zone’, we know slower traffic speeds where people walk and cycle are generally popular – and they save lives. Change isn’t easy,…

Reach ● The horizontal distance between the centre of the bottom bracket to the centre of the head-tube. A longer reach lowers your ride position into a racier position, a shorter reach means you sit more upright, which gives more comfort over long distances. Stack ● The vertical distance between the top of the head-tube to the centre of the bottom bracket. Taller stack means a more upright ride position; lower stack means a lower (racier) position. Trail ● The trail figure is derived from a combination of the head-tube angle and the fork offset, and shows how far the tyre’s contact point ‘trails’ behind the steering axis. A small trail makes for a fas-thandling bike; more trail slows down the steering response. Endurance bikes have slightly more trail than…

Weight 8.62kg Frame FACT 10R carbon Fork/Suspension FACT Carbon/Future Shock 3.2 Gears SRAM Rival AXS w/Power, 12-speed, (10-36t, 46/33t) Brakes SRAM Rival Hydraulic Disc Wheels Roval Terra C Finishing kit Future Stem Prom stem, Specialized Hover Expert alloy handlebar, S-Works Pave seatpost, Body Geometry Power Expert saddle, S-Works Mondo 2BR, 700x32c tyres SPECIALIZED’S ROUBAIX SL8 IS now the third incarnation of the Future Shock-equipped endurance design. This model has plenty of aero influence from the SL8 Tarmac plus a toning down of the smoothness that’s been the keystone of the Roubaix since its 2017 reinvention. It gives the Roubaix Expert an imbalanced on-road feel, though it’s still a real smoothy. Specialized hasn’t messed with the Roubaix’s ride position and steering geometry, which is a good thing. The tall 630mm stack…

CHRIS KING, THE LEGENDARY builders of bicycle hubs, now make complete wheelsets, with a welcome ecofriendlier twist. Instead of using a traditional, full carbon fibre rim held together with epoxy resin, the ARD44 rim is made from a novel blend of carbon fibres and nylon, without the epoxy. This means it’s fully recyclable. It also uses less energy to produce, since traditional carbon fibre must be kept refrigerated whereas FusionFiber can be kept at room temperature, and it takes less oven time to cure. But what about performance? Chris King claim that this material has more shock absorbency, is more durable and is better at handling impact than traditional carbon. Thanks to its greater flexibility and resistance to cracking, it can withstand 275% of the UCI’s minimum standard on impact…

Kettlebell Technique is king with a kettlebell (from around £15), offering cardio and muscle building in one workout. Aim to start between 8-12kg and build up to a heavier weight. Suspension system The TRX Home Gym (£149) suspension training system offers huge versatility and can be set up on door frames, trees and many other locations for whole-body fitness and strength gains. Push-up bars Push-up swivel bars (from £15) target your chest, shoulder and back muscles, with the rotation providing a greater range of motion and targeting more muscles, plus they’re easier on the wrists. Skipping rope A weighted skipping rope (from £13) also packs a cardio and strength punch, with the weights adding more intensity to your workout. Foam roller Recovery sessions are key following strength and conditioning workouts,…