September 2020

Cyclist Magazine

The stunning magazine dedicated to the thrill of the ride

Cyclist Magazine1 min read
Cyclist
Editor Pete Muir Deputy Editor James Spender Art Director Rob Milton Production Editor Martin James Website Editor Jack Elton-Walters Web Writer Joseph Robinson Tech Editor Sam Challis Digital Editor Peter Stuart Editor at Large/Off-Road Editor Stu B
Cyclist Magazine3 min read
Mind Blowing
For a comparatively niche brand, Open has been very influential in the gravel scene. Its UP bike ostensibly created the blueprint for the way modern gravel bikes look. Open’s subsequent releases have been no less important, yet they have all had an o
Cyclist Magazine1 min readChemistry
Alé Velocity G+ Graphene Jersey
Graphene – that one-atom thick, crystalline carbon-atom structure – has long been touted as a wonder-material, finding its way into bike tyres and composite components. But now, for the first time, it is being used in a cycling jersey. Using its prop
Cyclist Magazine1 min readChemistry
AbsoluteBlack GraphenLube
We’ve had graphene in jerseys (see previous page) and now the wonder material is being used in a lubricant that claims to be ‘the world’s first hydrocarbon-based water emulsion’ containing ‘high-purity graphene’. As is typical with products said to c
Cyclist Magazine1 min readSports & Recreation
DMT SH1 shoes
Hot on the ergonomically engineered heels of DMT’s KR1 knit shoes (as worn by Elia Viviani to multiple wins last year) comes the Italian marque’s SH1, a ‘hybrid’ in the sense it combines knitted uppers with touches from more traditional models. As su
Cyclist Magazine1 min readScience & Mathematics
Rapha Pro Team sunglasses
The Pro Teams are the raciest in a range of four sunglasses from Rapha that uses its new ROSE lens technology. That stands for ‘Rider Optimised Surface Enhancement’, a jazzed-up way of saying the lens’s base colour attempts to boost contrast so road
Cyclist Magazine1 min readFashion
Beast Ultra bars
Beast is a boutique carbon component fabricator based in Dresden, Germany. All of its products are made in-house and the Ultra bar is the new crown jewels of Beast’s road range. The immaculate finish belies an ergonomic complexity the brand says is h
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
Bontrager Aeolus Pro saddle
Whether it’s a comedy gig or the political spectrum, it matters where you sit, and where bike saddles are concerned the industry seems to be converging on one place: short-nosed saddles. These allow more forward rotation of the pelvis, which in theor
Cyclist Magazine4 min readAutomotive
Living The Dream
What is success? Money? Power? Beating your mates up a climb? It’s different for everyone, but there’s one definition that holds universal – following a dream and realising it. Which is exactly what Hesson Labs’ founder Tom Robinson has done, because
Cyclist Magazine3 min readTechnology & Engineering
All In The Wrist
Once upon a time, time was the only thing a watch could tell. Now, however, they have got smart. Watches have become increasingly capable and versatile to the point where they can accurately track, record and analyse countless metrics. As a result th
Cyclist Magazine2 min read
Pick ’n’ Mix
£26, cafeducycliste.com How does the Moon cut his hair? Eclipse it. And how does the discerning cyclist with a penchant for Gallic flair stow valuables? In Café du Cycliste’s Ride Pack, a waterproof fabric, water-resistant zippered pouch for phones,
Cyclist Magazine3 min read
Behind closed Tours
By the time you read this, Davide Rebellin should have blown off the corona cobwebs from his 48-year-old lockdown legs at the Sibiu Cycling Tour and we all – not least authors of monthly pro racing roundups – will have something to celebrate. Yes, th
Cyclist Magazine4 min read
Q&A Guillaume Martin
Cyclist: You’re at a training camp in the French Alps before the start of the season on 1st August. How different is it from normal because of Covid-19? Guillaume Martin: Before camp we were tested for Covid. We have to wear masks when we go to the r
Cyclist Magazine8 min read
House Rules
There were three months between the last WorldTour race of the 2019 season and the first of the 2020 season – 91 days, to be precise. The season began at the Tour Down Under in Australia in late January with the usual sense of a sport emerging from h
Cyclist Magazine4 min read
A Moment In Time Louison Bobet Seals His Legend
As the peloton prepared for Stage 18 of the 1954 Tour, a ride of 216km from Grenoble to Briançon over the Cold’Izoard, France’s Louison Bobet was in the yellow jersey. He was defending champion, having won the Tour the previous year in 1953, and his
Cyclist Magazine1 min readBiology
The Heat Is On
The basic theory goes like this: haemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells responsible for carrying oxygen and removing carbon dioxide, therefore increase haemoglobin mass and you’ll be a faster rider. Theory is a wonderful thing, but how do you
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
In Sickness And In Health
It’s not just the riders who had a major adjustment to make as racing resumed. Team staff arguably faced an even bigger challenge as they prepared to do their jobs in addition to being responsible for a lot of new health and safety protocols. One Wor
Cyclist Magazine2 min readCooking, Food & Wine
Mythically Delicious
Quinoa is the ultimate grain,’ says The Cycling Chef, Alan Murchison, ‘and this is perfect as a recovery meal or as a lunchtime meal ahead of an evening ride. There is not a cyclist I advise who hasn’t had this meal and loved it.’ Held in reverence b
Cyclist Magazine3 min readPsychology
Train Your Brain To Beat Pain
There isn’t one source of ‘pain’ – although in this case we mean ‘suffering’, not injury – and the sources are interlinked. There’s muscular fatigue; the build-up of lactate; oxygen debt and the signals it sends out, such as high heart rate and breat
Cyclist Magazine4 min read
Knowledge Is Power
What is it? This one is pretty simple to start with – it’s your average power output across a ride, expressed in watts. Why does it matter? Average power (AP) is not actually that useful in itself because it doesn’t take into account your body compos
Cyclist Magazine2 min readChemistry
Fit Kit
Amp Human PR Lotion, £30, amphuman.com For decades, sodium bicarbonate has been used by athletes who need to perform near or above their lactate threshold. Explaining why gets very sciencey very quickly, so is best left to an expert like Patrick Dixo
Cyclist Magazine4 min read
Q&A James Phelps
Cyclist: You’re new to the world of cycling. What do you like most about it? James Phelps: I really enjoy getting out on my own. I tend to like early-morning rides into the countryside. We’re so lucky to live in such a beautiful country. My grandmoth
Cyclist Magazine1 min readTechnology & Engineering
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Cyclist Magazine9 min read
Jewel Of The Med
The shadows are lengthening as we approach the cream-coloured concrete struts of an arched bridge across a dried-up riverbed. Despite being in the middle of nowhere and carrying nothing more significant than a farm track, the bridge is a local landma
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
By The Numbers
Distance of route in kilometres Total height climbed in metres Number of examples of Italian colonial architecture passed Number of ‘10% gradient’ signs How painful metatarsalgia is on a scale of 1 to 10 Times Fabian Cancellara won here Max temperatu
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
How We Did It
At the time of writing, Greece is on the list of countries that can be visited with no quarantine, but check with fco.gov.uk for latest official travel advice. With Rhodes a popular package tour destination there is usually no shortage of direct flig
Cyclist Magazine10 min read
The Invisible Champion
As a youngster in south London, more than anything Maurice Burton wanted a bike to go riding with his cousin Dexter. The son of a Jamaican father and an English mother, ‘My upbringing was quite strict,’ he tells us at his bike shop in south London. ‘
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
Burton On…
‘It was just the two of us left at the end of an elimination race. I’d already beaten him that night so he knew I was very keen. He came alongside me and had a little word in my ear. He said, “Will you let me win this one?” I said, “OK, Eddy.” It was
Cyclist Magazine8 min readAutomotive
Outside The Box
The bicycle is a vehicle with two wheels of equal diameter. The front is steerable, the rear is driven through a system comprising pedals and a chain. So sayeth Article 1, Sub-section 3.007 of the Union Cycliste Internationale’s technical regulations
Cyclist Magazine5 min read
Col D’Aubisque
On a sunny day, with vast green slopes close at hand and picturesque mountainscapes beyond, the Col d’Aubisque is one of the most peaceful and beautiful places in the world. As you climb its steep but stunning final slopes the only blip in the vast c
Cyclist Magazine10 min read
Full Gas
Come Saturday 29th August 2020, 11 weeks after its original start date, the 107th Tour de France sets off from the cycling playground that is Nice on the south coast. Stage 1 is 156km long and contains a few punchy hills scattered along the route, bu
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
Positioned For Victory
Mark Cavendish is the most successful sprinter in the history of the Tour de France, his 30 stage victories only eclipsed in the all-time list by five-time champion Eddy Merckx. If selected by Bahrain-McLaren, he’ll aim for number 31 in Nice. And if
Cyclist Magazine7 min read
My Own Personal Everest
As I near the final few metres of the climb, I give in to temptation and look down at my Wahoo. For the best part of two hours I have been avoiding doing so, but now I simply have to know. I read the only four numbers that matter: 6,652m. A quick cal
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
What is Everesting?
• Climb the equivalent height of Mount Everest: 8,848m.• Any climb will do, but you must repeat the same climb for the whole challenge, and descend that climb each time as well (no loops allowed).• It must be done in one ride. Breaks for food and res
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
The Climb
What Mill Hill Climb Where Brockweir, near Chepstow, Gloucestershire Distance 1.08km Elevation 94m Average gradient 8.5% Max gradient 11.7%
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
The Rider’s Ride
At 90kg I’m a long way from the ideal build for climbing, let alone so much in such a condensed manner, so thank heavens for this dream machine. The Factor O2 VAM is the quintessential climbing bike – its name even comes from the climber’s favourite
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
The Stats
Total ride distance in kilometres Total ascent in metres Number of laps Total time taken Total riding time Average speed in kmh Weighted average power in watts Calories burned ■
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
The Perfect Climb
Since retiring as a pro in 2016, American cyclist Phil Gaimon has established a strong following on social media by targeting Strava KoMs and setting himself riding challenges. In May 2020 Gaimon broke the Everesting world record, only to see his tim
Cyclist Magazine1 min readMathematics
Top Of The World!
7:27:20 7th July 2020, Spain, distance 139.35km, ave gradient 12.9% 7:29:00 20th June 2020, USA, distance 155km, ave gradient 11.1% 7:40:00 15th May 2020, USA, distance 170km, ave gradient 10.6% 7:52:00 11th May 2020, USA, distance 156km, ave gradien
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
Bikes
The brand’s lightweight bike has had an aero makeover to make it even faster for the pros, but it comes at a cost if Grand Tours aren’t your thing A bike that has always dared to be different is now stiffer than ever, and more rapid too. So why is it
Cyclist Magazine4 min readAutomotive
Trek Émonda SLR 9
The message from bike manufacturers has always been fairly clear. If you want to go super-fast, choose our aero bike. If you want a forgiving ride then over here, sir/madam, we have the endurance bike. If you want to go up hills like a startled squir
Cyclist Magazine4 min readAutomotive
Pinarello Grevil+
Let’s play the game What Will £7,000 Buy You?. Perhaps you could opt for a sloping plot with planning permission for three houses in Pembrokeshire, or a gold and enamel portrait snuff box (possibly Jean-Louis Hauchard) circa 1780, or – as I have just
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
Stockists
Specialized S-Works Prevail II helmet, £200 specialized.com 100% Speedcraft sunglasses, £179.99 freewheel.co.uk Le Col by Wiggins Pro jersey, £120 lecol.cc Le Col by Wiggins Pro bibshorts, £150 lecol.cc Le Col by Wiggins socks, £14 lecol.cc Specializ
Cyclist Magazine3 min read
Sex, Bikes And Rock ’n’ Roll
One of the more unlikely champions of urban cycling is rock star and Talking Heads frontman David Byrne: ‘And you may find yourself in a beautiful house/With a beautiful wife/And you may ask yourself/Well, how did I get here?’ For over 30 years he ha
Cyclist Magazine2 min read
Ed’s Letter
For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, Everesting is the challenge whereby you have to accumulate the same height as Mount Everest – 8,848m – in a single ride, on a single climb, by repeating it over and over again. During the coronavirus lockdown p
Cyclist Magazine1 min read
FFWD RYOT 44 wheels
It’s said the Netherlands is so windy it contains yaw angles yet to be discovered, and so flat that rivers run slower than snails. This is perhaps why Dutch brand FFWD has pitched the RYOT 44s (like ‘riot’, geddit?) as ‘conquering flat roads and cros

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