Cyclist Magazine

Somewhere behind a bar in Marseille is a jar containing René Vietto’s toe, amputated during the course of the 1947 Tour de France so the Frenchman could stay in the race. Vietto then ordered domestique Apo Lazaridès to cut off his own toe, both in so

In the hyper-refined world of performance bikes, we’re used to seeing incremental gains from one iteration to another, but rarely do new designs come with such a comprehensive list of claimed improvements as the Giant Propel. The affirmations here ar

Q36.5 is the brainchild of ex-Assos R&D director Luigi Bergamo, who set up the apparel label in 2013 with the goal of creating products that help maintain optimal body temperature. Hence the name: Q denotes quaerere, the Latin for ‘research’, and 36.

Exposure’s Boost and Boost R lights are an uprated take on the manufacturer’s ever-popular Trace lights. Their machined aluminium cases have a similarly compact form and weigh just 45g apiece, but the front Boost offers 325 lumens versus the Trace’s

Founded in 2021, Italian brand Udog is one of the newer names in the shoe game but the people behind it are far from inexperienced. Alberto Fonte’s and Antonio Gerolimetto’s CVs include time at Fizik, Pinarello, Kask and Crankbrothers – all big-hitte

Bell’s new XR Spherical helmet takes over from the Z20 Mips at the top of its road and gravel tree and, as you may have guessed by the name, the US brand has integrated Spherical Technology powered by Mips (yep, that really is its full name) into the

Just when you thought your bike couldn’t get any faster, CeramicSpeed brought out its OSPW, the oversized pulley wheel system that reduced frictional drivetrain losses by up to 4 watts. And just when you thought the OSPW couldn’t make you any faster,

100% has made its name producing oversized shield lens-equipped models, so the dual-lens Norvik sunglasses mark something new from the brand. While the textured frosted layer along the bottom edge of each lens may give the impression of enclosed lens

Zipp has used a concept it calls ‘Total System Efficiency’ to govern updates to its road and gravel wheelsets, a concept founded on the principle that four factors – wind resistance, gravity, rolling resistance and vibrational losses – define speed t

Tom Donhou isn’t new to the game. He has been building frames under the Donhou name for more than 12 years now, and winning awards for his work for almost as long. He has been the focus of various features in Cyclist over the years, from an Insider d

The tubeless car tyre was invented in 1952 and three years later was the industry standard, especially for performance vehicles. The tubeless bike tyre was invented in 1999 and three years later… no one was using it. Not in road cycling anyway. Mount

As is often the case in road cycling, research-driven changes at the top drive trends in the amateur ranks, and where once it was enough that socks matched your kit, now socks need to be fast. Aero socks are commonplace at the WorldTour – just check

Race: Tour de France Femmes, 24th July 2022 Photographer: Russ Ellis ‘The first women’s Tour de France of the modern era was really something special, and having Stage 1, the opener, on the iconic Champs Élysées was the perfect curtain raiser. ‘For t

£115, bolle.com What’s the difference between a well-dressed man on a bike and a poorly dressed man on a unicycle? Attire. Also the well-dressed man would be wearing these C-Shifter sunglasses. Eyewear of choice for WorldTour team Groupama-FDJ, the C

Cyclist: Danish cycling is thriving right now. What do you put that down to? Mads Pedersen: The whole support chain we had from a young age, with local clubs who made cycling fun for us when we were kids; the national team who started to work with us

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I don’t know about you, but the Tour de France Femmes was the perfect tonic for my habitual post-Tour blues. Champion elect Jonas Vingegaard was still hours away from being crowned when Lorena Wiebes surged clear on the Champs-Élysées to take the ina

The staff of the velodrome in the Vendée town of La Roche-sur-Yon had been busy since the early hours of the morning. It was Friday, 27th July 1934, and at midday the riders of the 28th edition of the Tour de France were due to contest the climax of

We know we’re supposed to be a cycling magazine, but if you haven’t read it, Christopher McDougall’s Born To Run is a fascinating book about… running. In it McDougall examines the Tarahumara, a secretive Native Mexican tribe possessed of superhuman r

‘Music may be able to distract the intentional focus from body signals to reduce the rating of perceived exertion and improve physical performance.’ This is the central theme explored in a paper entitled ‘The Effects of Preferred Music and Its Timing

Exercise physiologists are especially fond of testing and measuring in their laboratories. Two of their most popular exercise tests involve measuring gas analysis, that is, VO2 (where ‘V’ is for volume and ‘O2’ is oxygen), and blood-lactate concentra

Stories from the people that race bikes, make bikes and love bikes. Listen every fortnight. cyclist.co.uk/cyclistmagazinepodcast ■

How does aerodynamic drag work, and why should we care? ‘Aerodynamics is basically a measure of how much energy it takes to move through the air at a certain speed,’ explains Jamie Lowden, performance engineer at WattShop. ‘In becoming more aero you

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My back wheel starts to slide from under me, my heart racing as time seems to stand still. I brace myself for the inevitable contact between body and ground and the wave of pain that will result. But it doesn’t come. Somehow I manage to wrest control

Mapping powered by Distance 55km Total ascent 1,870m To download this route, go to cyclist.co.uk/131italy or scan the QR code. At 55km this isn’t the longest ride, but it certainly packs a hefty punch with the amount of climbing involved. Since it is

Giuseppe Saronni’s greeting is as warm and restorative as a morning espresso. In his azure cotton shirt and black suit trousers he’d be at home in a plush Italian coffee bar, but the UAE Team Emirates advisor is welcoming Cyclist to the team’s HQ, th

The Canyon Grizl CF CL 8 has long been the German brand’s go-to gravel bike, and at under £3,000 with a carbon frame and full Shimano GRX groupset, it’s easy to see why. That said, to unlock this bike’s full potential I’ve upgraded the wheels from th

Our peak riding season is in the rear view mirror, and while there is much to be said on the subject of climate change and its very real impact, the long stretches of dry weather and a heatwave or two did at least mean opportunity to get out on our b

We have a lot to thank the late Vincenzo Torriani for. An archetypally suave Italian businessman who favoured sharkskin suits and permanently had a cigarette hanging from his bottom lip, Torriani was by anyone’s measure the Godfather of cycling in a

It’s Saturday afternoon and teams pile into the Théâtre Luxembourg; the room is alive with chatter, the gathered throng a mass of excited energy. ‘We’ve been waiting for this for so long,’ says FDJ’s Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, her anticipation visible de

This stunning titanium bike employs a construction method that helps make the finish super-smooth – and the ride is equally lustrous. Now under new ownership, this British brand completes its comeback with an aero racer that juggles some very unusual

It’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to start a bike review like this, but… look at it. Look at it. This is the Reilly Fusion, and it is frankly stunning, as well as being the product of some brilliant innovation. Titanium has upped its game signi

Some years ago British brand Moda had a small presence in the bike market, but was ultimately off the pace compared to many competitors. However, the company changed ownership in 2020 and that shift triggered an overhaul of its entire range. ‘Most of

Dolan has racing pedigree. Ever since Terry Dolan started building bikes in Liverpool after his previous employer, the legendary Harry Quinn Cycles, closed in 1980, speed has been a huge part of what Dolan does. From helping build the career of a you

Poc Octal Mips helmet, £180 pocsports.com SunGod Airas sunglasses, £130 sungod.co Adicta Lab Valent jersey, 189CHF (approx £169) bmc-switzerland.com Adicta Lab Joule bibshorts, 199CHF (approx £175) bmc-switzerland.com Adicta Lab Ichnite socks, 24CHF

Chris Boardman once explained to me how I could make myself faster by the way I shaved my legs. ‘You can shave in a certain way so that you leave your legs rough down the front edge but smooth at the side, creating an aerodynamic effect. Aerodynamics

‘Macho and polluting’ is how Lyon mayor Grégory Doucet chose to describe the Tour when stages 14 and 15 passed through the city in 2020. And there is some truth behind the statement. The Tour de France can be likened to a travelling circus, and one t