Cycling Plus1 min read
Trail tamers
Merida Silex 7000 £3,000 GT Grade Carbon Pro LE £3,600 Orbea Terra M41E Team Ix MyO £4,518 Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 £4,799 Santa Cruz Stigmata Force-1x AXS RSV £6,999 THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR
Cycling Plus1 min read
Training Zone
Boost your ride The Science of the Tour de France author explains why you may struggle to sleep Boost your ride Soft-tissue therapist Anna finds out how our nutritional needs change as we age Nutrition Try rustling up Cycling Chef Alan’s tasty and nu
Cycling Plus7 min read
The final Five
The Caban Coch Dam stands before us. Its 35,530 megalitre reservoir is full to capacity and produces a waterfall that flows down to the Elan Valley visitor centre café where we’ve just demolished the remnants of today’s Bara brith fruit cake. For the
Cycling Plus1 min read
24 Bikes On Test
Vitus Razor Disc VR ………………………………….£800 Pinnacle Laterite 2 …………………………………….£800 Specialized Allez E5 …………………………….. £1,000 Trek Domane AL 2 Gen 4 …………………….£1,050 Cube Attain Pro ………………………………………£1,099 Cannondale Compact Neo ………………£2,000 Ridgeback Arcus
Cycling Plus1 min read
The Route
Starting at the Quinta do Lago Resort, this 109km road ride heads north into the hills above Faro. Once you get beyond the suburbs of Loulé, you’ll have the roads to yourself, with the majority of the climbing coming in the second half of the clockwi
Cycling Plus4 min read
Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 Di2
Weight 8.5kg (L) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano GRX Di2 RX815 2x11 (48/31t, 11-34t) Brakes Shimano GRX RX815 Gravel, 160mm rotors Wheels DT Swiss GRC1400 Spline Finishing kit Canyon SP0072 carbon seatpost, Fizik Vento Argo X3 saddle, Canyon C
Cycling Plus4 min readDiet & Nutrition
02 how Do Nutritional Needs Change As We Age?
As we age and transition through different life stages, we naturally experience changing metabolic, hormonal and growth needs that affect performance. Throw in lifestyle factors such as work and family, plus health risks and stresses that occur natur
Cycling Plus3 min read
Cruel Intentions
Each cycling season is a like a thumbprint, or a snowflake; unique. Although, by and large, the structure of the programme, at least for the men, has remained unchanged for generations (the women’s calendar is still a work in progress), no two years
Cycling Plus4 min read
Lauf Úthald Race Wireless
Weight 8.08kg (XL) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears SRAM Force AXS D2, wireless 12-speed (10-36t, 35/48t) Brakes SRAM Force D2 hydraulic disc Wheels Zipp 303S carbon Finishing kit FSA SL-K carbon seatpost, Fizik Aliante R5 saddle, FSA Omega-Pro stem, R
Cycling Plus4 min read
Boost Your Ride
Wake up feeling lethargic and grumpy? It looks like you’re not getting enough sleep – more specifically, deep sleep. Dr Sarah Gilchrist has a doctorate in sleep and athletic performance, and formerly worked with GB Olympic rowers. She now works with
Cycling Plus1 min read
Ridden & Rated
Senior technical editor Warren’s been testing bikes and kit for 20 years, rating over 2,500 bikes along the way Technical writer Oscar has close to a decade of cycling-industry experience under his tyres Editor Matt is CP’s editor and has been testin
Cycling Plus2 min read
JERSEYS & BIBS
The most sodden of springs has finally been replaced by sunshine on skin and dry Sundays spent in the saddle (at the time of press, anyway). This summertime happiness on the bike, however, will also place fresh demands on your cycling apparel, with U
Cycling Plus1 min read
04 how Do I Train My Knees For Smoother Cycling?
Poor ‘knee tracking’ – when your knees don’t move in a fluid or evenly balanced motion as you pedal – is usually caused by an asymmetry between either your medial (hip and thigh) or lateral (outer lower leg) muscles. “This leads to the knee dropping
Cycling Plus4 min read
Santa Cruz Stigmata Force-1x AXS RSV
Weight 9.61kg (XL) Frame Carbon CC Fork RockShox Rudy Ultimate XPLR, 40mm travel Gears SRAM Force XPLR AXS, 12-speed (40t, 10-44t) Brakes SRAM Force XPLR, 160mm rotors Wheels Reserve 25|GR 700c on DT Swiss 350 hubs Finishing kit RockShox Reverb AXS X
Cycling Plus7 min read
Long-distance Relationship
Cycling has always had a masochistic relationship with distance. For as long as there have been bikes, people have looked to push themselves and the human-powered mode of transport to its limits – from the non-stop, six-day penny farthing races that
Cycling Plus1 min read
Reverse Fly With Split Squat
01 Begin with your right leg. Place the band under your foot while holding onto the other end with your left hand. 02 Step forward with your right foot, as shown, then put all of your weight through it. Position your left leg behind you so that there
Cycling Plus1 min read
Bike Of The Year
Once again, our annual Bike of the Year mega test has proven a mighty task. First to whittle the long list of bikes down to a mere 24, then to pick category champions and finally an overall winner. In 2024, we’ve seen a bumper display of bikes across
Cycling Plus1 min read
Itzulia Basque Country, stage 4 Fall to Earth
Racing comes to a standstill after a heavy crash on a steep descent forced a litany of abandonments with serious injuries. Among them were three of the big contenders for the Tour de France: Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič. Roglič
Cycling Plus1 min readChemistry
Food Fight
Margarine can contain trans fats, so if you like marg, try to choose one free of these harmful fats. When it comes to macronutrients, butter’s richer in vitamin B12, B3 and folate, while margarine is higher in vitamins A, C and E and K. Both are calo
Cycling Plus5 min read
Bib Shorts
£85 Sizes S-2XL Colours Black Women’s version? No The Icons sit at the second-tier of Altura’s range, below the Endurance Bib Shorts (£95). The Elastic Interface Icon pad made for these shorts is rated for up to six-hour rides and designed for good b
Cycling Plus1 min read
6 Issues From £9.99
Subscriptions from £9.99 for 6 issues Continue to make great savings after your trial period Enjoy easy and convenient delivery direct to your door Never miss an issue of your favourite magazine Visit ourmediashop.com/SP24HA Call 0330 053 8660† quote
Cycling Plus1 min read
The fast Show
Canyon Ultimate CF SL 8 Aero £4,799 Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift £6,499.99 Focus Izalco Max 9.8 £6,599 Specialized Tarmac SL8 Pro £8,000 THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR
Cycling Plus1 min read
Going The Distance
Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2 £3,499 Cinelli Pressure ADR 105 Di2 Ksyrium30 £3,799 Lauf Úthald Race Wireless £4,458.05 Canyon Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 £4,999 Specialized Roubaix SL8 Comp £5,000 THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR
Cycling Plus2 min read
03 how Do I Avoid Overtraining?
Overtraining syndrome (OTS) occurs in around 10 to 20% of elite endurance athletes – and affects up to 65% of long-distance cyclists at some point in their careers. It can be present in a wide variety of forms, ranging from fatigue or a drop in motiv
Cycling Plus1 min read
Next Issue
We head off road with bikes from Cervélo, Riverside and more 88 pages on the men’s and women’s races What it takes to win at the Tour de France We chat to the track pioneer about his new book We do battle with its gruesome cobbles We go behind-the-sc
Cycling Plus3 min read
Handsling A1R0evo Classified Powershift
Weight 7.98kg (56cm) Frame Handsling A1R0evo Fork Handsling A1R0evo Gears Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100 with Classified Powershift rear hub (11-34t, 52t) Brakes Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8170 Wheels Parcours Strade Finishing kit Handsling A1R0evo carbon seatp
Cycling Plus3 min read
On-bike Bites
It’s easy to forget to keep fuelling during an event, or you may just not feel like eating, but it’s vital you consume enough to avoid running out of gas. “Up to 90% of riders – casual, club or pro – don’t eat enough on the bike,” says chef Alan Murc
Cycling Plus1 min read
Welcome…
Eyeing up a new bike? Like reading about shiny carbon designs? Then you’ve come to the right place, as it’s time for part two of Cycling Plus’ annual tech behemoth, Bike of the Year. For 2024, we have a numerically-sound 24 bikes shortlisted for the
Cycling Plus4 min read
GT Grade Carbon Pro LE
Weight 9.22kg (L) Frame Grade Carbon Fork Grade Carbon Gears Shimano GRX RX820 1x12-Speed (10-45t, 40t) Brakes Shimano GRX RX820, 160mm Rotors Wheels WTB ST i23 TCS 2.0 Finishing kit GT 3D Forged SL Alloy 31.8 stem, GT DropTune Super Light Double But
Cycling Plus4 min read
Merida Silex 7000
Weight 10.22kg (L) Frame Carbon Fork Carbon Gears Shimano GRX RX820 12-speed (10-51t, 42t) Brakes Shimano GRX RX820, 160mm rotors Wheels Easton EA70 AX Finishing kit Merida Expert CC seatpost, Merida Expert SL saddle, Merida Expert GRII bar, Merida T
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