Canadian Cycling Magazine

get comfortable, rider

I showed up to the cyclocross practice in green work pants, rolled up well above my ankles to keep the legs away from the cranks and chainring. I was wearing those pants not to inject a bit of courier fashion into CX. No, I was just new to ’cross and racing in general. My bike was so new that I hadn’t yet gone down with it. (That would soon change.) At the time, those trousers seemed like the best choice I had: they were durable and warm enough for the evening practice in late fall. No one said anything, at least nothing I can recall so many years later. A few weeks after my “debut,” I showed up in basic tights. A more seasoned rider said, “Those should be a lot…

vol. 12, issue 4

Editor Matthew Pioro matthew@cyclingmagazine.ca Senior Editors Dan Dakin, Kevin Mackinnon, Dean Campbell Associate Editor Andre Cheuk Photo Editor Matt Stetson matt.stetson@gripped.com Copy Editors Amy Stupavsky, Rebecca Tucker Art Director Warren Wheeler layout@cyclingmagazine.ca [Roseander Main, roseandermain.com] Production Artist Warren Hardy MTB Web Editor Terry McKall terry@cyclingmagazine.ca Web Editor Lily Hansen-Gillis lily@cyclingmagazine.ca Podcast Producer Adam Killick Web Developer Sean Rasmussen Digital Operations Dmitry Beniaminov Publisher Sam Cohen sam@gripped.com Editorial Director David Smart dave@gripped.com Advertising & Sales Andre Cheuk andre@gripped.com Account Managers Joel Vosburg joel@gripped.com, Lorena Jones lorena@gripped.com Circulation Manager Robyn Milburn robyn@gripped.com Social Media Nikita van Dijk nikita@gripped.com SUBSCRIBE Send $20.95 (1 year) or $38.95 (2 years) to: Canadian Cycling Magazine, PO Box 819 Station Main, Markham, ON, Canada L3P 8L3 or call: 1.800.567.0444 SUBMIT Manuscripts, photographs and other correspondence are welcome. Please contact Canadian Cycling Magazine for contributors guidelines, or see them on the web at cyclingmagazine.ca. Unsolicited material should be accompanied by return mailing address and postage. Canadian Cycling Magazine Tel 416.927.0774 Fax 416.927.1491 cyclingmagazine.ca Gripped Publishing Inc. 75 Harbord St., Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1G4 Copyright 2021 Gripped Publishing Inc. The contents of this…

news

The Giro d’Italia provides some answers for Antoine Duchesne, and leaves some questions After the Giro d’Italia, Antoine Duchesne didn’t stop riding. He was tired, really tired. His first Giro and fourth Grand Tour of his career had come to an end. “I didn’t remember about that general fatigue that comes at Stage 13 or 14,” he said. “Then, some days are better than others, but you don’t know why.” Still, he kept riding back at his home in eastern France, not far from Geneva. “If you stop completely right after a Grand Tour, it’s hard to come back into form,” he said. About a week after the Giro, he said he was feeling normal, ready for the one-day Mont Ventoux Challenge and then a real break. Initially, as Duchesne looked back…

racing goggles

Think of these goggles as the original gravel-grinder eyewear. Such eye protection was common in the peloton from roughly the 1920s to the end of the ’40s. Remember, road cyclists in those days often faced routes that weren’t paved. A pair of goggles was necessary to keep dust and debris out of the eyes. This pair, with clear lenses, has tinted plastic “awnings” that shield a rider somewhat from the sun’s rays. “They really seal your eyes,” says Michael Barry of Mariposa Bicycles. “They aren’t uncomfortable. They just don’t work as they should anymore because the elastic band and the rubber seals have deteriorated.” Barry notes that even though there are small holes in the frame for ventilation, these goggles would be hot against a rider’s face. As roads got better in…

a registered nurse and former race photographer looks out from the emergency room toward the return of north american racing and to shooting the pros

The cheers and applause echoed among the downtown high rises. It was a familiar sound that I have heard many times before, on the nearby streets of Gastown, the historic city walls of Quebec, elevated alpine passes or the pavé of northern Europe. But in the spring of 2020, the cheering sounded different. It was as passionate, but without joy. The time was 7 p.m. I was about to start my night shift in the emergency department of a Vancouver hospital. When a pandemic was declared on March 11, 2020, I knew that my skills as a race photographer were of little useful contribution. It was my skills as an emergency nurse that would be called into service. With the name Kelly, it wasn’t hard to find an Irish cycling King to…

jim cuddy

Ask Jim Cuddy to pick just one place to cycle for the rest of his life and the answer comes easily: Tuscany. The region in central Italy is the songwriter’s go-to destination for its scenery, its bike culture and the warm welcome locals give you in every town. As a touring artist for the past four decades (mostly with Blue Rodeo), Cuddy has seen the world as a musician does. But he has also ridden in Cape Town, South Africa, Mallorca, Spain and in the Andes mountains surrounding Bogota, Colombia. Cuddy’s livelihood as a touring musician halted when COVID-19 hit North America in March 2020. He participated in some virtual shows, but with no gigs, he had extra time at home to write, reflect and ride. What the songwriter loves most about…