Cycling Plus October 2021

Politics, greed and corruption. Elite sport can be a murky business. But at its best – when the athletes rise above the background noise – there are no better mediums for creating unforgettable entertainment. This summer had already given us the Danish football team’s emotional Euros journey before Mark Cavendish produced the greatest comeback in cycling history at the Tour de France, a story that could’ve been lifted from Hollywood. From page 52, Mark Bailey tells the tale of Cav’s sporting rebirth, with plenty of inspirational nuggets we can all use to further our own cycling dreams. SUBSCRIBE! NEW SUBSCRIBERS TO CYCLING PLUS CAN GET A LEZYNE MOUNT WORTH £25! ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? Get access to exclusive content, competitions and offers. Turn to p108 SUBSCRIBE TODAY FOR ACCESS TO EXCLUSIVE OFFERS & COMPETITIONS AS PART OF…

BREAKING THE NORM I’m sure I’m not alone, but Norman Lazarus’ column is one of the first pages I turn to. This month, Norman offers existential questions to a 1500-year-old tree. He even quotes my hero Neil Young. It’s better to burn out than fade away, indeed… p116 WIGHT MOVE The wrong pedals meant I cycled 100km unclipped but joining writer James Witts on his tour of the Isle of Wight swiftly became one of my favourite days on a bike (image above). Smooth roads, no potholes and few cars. I’ll see you there. p128 GET IN TOUCH… If you’ve anything you want to say you can chat with us via @cyclingplus on Twitter, CyclingPlusMagazine on Facebook and cyclingplus on Instagram. And, of course, you can always email us at cyclingplus@immediate.co.uk. And don’t forget to…

THE BIG PICTURE OUT OF SIGHT…

As predictable as day following night, Great Britain - or Team GB to give them their self-styled moniker - topped the Tokyo Olympic cycling medal table. This dominance began in Beijing in 2008 and has continued through the subsequent three editions of the world’s great sporting jamboree. There’s just one problem with this: it wasn’t really that predictable this time around. While there’s clearly a developed pattern of success here, Great Britain’s topping of the medal table in 2021 (or 2020, as the impossible-to-alter branding would have you believe) was far from the foregone conclusion it was in previous outings. In the past three editions - 2008, 2012 and 2016 - GB didn’t just ride every other nation off their wheel, but lapped them. In 2008 and 2012, for instance, they won…

Torq’s wide-ranging energy, recovery and nutrition products have gained a well-earned reputation for working well, tasting great and being made from the right stuff. Torq’s research team has now looked into applying the same benefits to help keep your body in tip-top cold- and flu-fighting condition, resulting in these two new Immune System Support products. The first, dFND, is a one-a-day tablet that contains vitamin D3 and zinc. Vitamin D3 supports your bone health and muscle function, and it’s well known that your body’s vitamin D levels are lower during autumn and winter. Zinc helps you to maintain healthy skin, hair and nails, and some vegetarian and vegan diets can result in a zinc deficiency. Should you fall prey to an infection, Torq recommends using its other Immune System Support product – the…

01 LEYZNE AERO ENERGY CADDY £36 You can mount Lezyne’s bag using its Velcro straps or, if your bike has bento box mounts, you can bolt it on directly. The Aero Caddy’s 0.7l volume is enough for a few energy bars and gels, phone and wallet. There’s also an internal key pocket and an external litter pocket. 02 WOLF TOOTH 8-BIT PACK PLIERS £68 Wolf Tooth’s multitool packs in the features but weighs only 70.2g. The ends of the pliers work as a chaintool for master links and a locknut wrench for valve stems, socket tools for 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 8mm hex keys, plus T10 and T25 Torx keys and a #2 Phillips and #3.5 flathead driver. A spoke key/ valve core tool rounds out a comprehensive package. 03 BATSEAL…