Canadian Cycling Magazine

naive in a good way

I loved reading Coburn and Doug Brown’s tale of cycling across the country on a tandem (p.44). They have practical advice for any pair who’d like to attempt the same adventure, but they deliver their wisdom with fantastic humour. One thing that you’ll notice when you read the story is their naiveté. Their big trip started with a “hey, how hard can it be?” attitude. A 14-year-old Coburn didn’t think about what spending all day in the saddle would actually entail. Doug often planned the route by heading toward towns with interesting names. “Youthful exuberance, determination and perseverance can overcome poor preparation and inexperience,” writes Doug, who was 48 years old at the time. And I agree with him, mostly.I think any first big adventure starts with you underestimating…

letter of the issue

Diane Robb, left, and Yvonne Shoemaker Sexagenarian Cycling Wisdom Three years ago, I registered for the Bluewater International Gran Fondo. After crossing the finish line in the 50-km ride, my partner, Diane, said, “I am going to do that next year.” To some, this is not a big deal, but for Diane, it was. She has dealt with old injuries, such as a broken back, ankle replacement and was in line for new hardware on the ankle. She had also been told she was a candidate for a knee replacement.She did finish the 50-km ride in 2017. After dealing with some discomfort, she finished the same ride again in 2018. The ride was a hot one this year: 32 C and the humidity was brutal. Not…

letter of the issue

Yvonne Shoemaker’s letter is our letter of the issue, which wins her a pair of Continental 28c Gatorskin tires (valued at $75 each). Send us your letters for a chance to win a pair of Continental tires for your bike. Email your comments to info@cyclingmagazine.ca ■…

now on cyclingmagazine.ca

Check out the Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast. If you are wondering how to structure your training for the year ahead, listen to coach Peter Glassford’s advice in a recent episode. In our online gear section, read more about the Opus Horizon 1 after you check out the review on p.58. On Canadian MTB, read about mountain biker Félix Burke’s adventurous off-season. Also, Jenn Jackson (p.12) has some top training wisdom for you. Download previous issues of Canadian Cycling Magazine using our iPad and iPhone apps. Join in the discussion: Facebook @CyclingMag + @CanadianMTB Twitter @CanadianCycling + @CanadianMTB Instagram @CanadianCycling + @Canadian.MTB YouTube Canadian Cycling Magazine Podcast cyclingmagazine.ca/category/cycling-magazine-podcast ■…

contributors

Buck Miller Fat Bike Expedition Preparation, p.16Buck Miller is a former pro road cyclist turned all-season adventurer. He’s organizing and leading the James Bay Descent, a 600-km fat bike expedition in February 2019 with Eric Batty, Ryan Atkins and Ted King starting in Attawapiskat First Nation. Follow along with the trip on Instagram@jamesbaydescent. John Gibson Local Gnar-ledge, p.36; Fat Bike Expedition Preparation, p.16John Gibson began his career as a mountain bike photographer when he shot the 1994 world championships in Vail, Colo. At the time, he was a newspaper and wire-service photographer in Calgary, but was starting to look at the young sport of mountain biking as something different to focus his camera on. Today, he shoots for editorial and corporate clients in the cycling…

cinelli spinaci bars

In the early ’90s, Cinelli released its Spinaci bars. They were quite versatile: they attached to a regular set of road bars allowing the rider to get into a more aerodynamic position. “Every professional rider started using them because they were a lot faster,” remembers Michael Barry, former pro cyclist. “The speeds went up in the pro peloton. Mario Cipollini’s lead-out train would all be on their Spinaci bars coming into the finishes of Tour stages. The bars basically turned a road bike into a time trial bike.” Steve Bauer, centre, and Michael Barry, right, ride with Spinaci bars on their road bikes during the ’96 Olympics in Atlanta “A year later, the UCI moved to ban them.‘They were deemed dangerous, which they were.’” Barry himself…