Table of contents for July 2020 in Cycling Plus

FEATURES EDITOR The longtime Cycling Plus staffer offers his take on all the comments and controversy on the frontline of the cycling scene Sport may have largely gone into hibernation through the Covid-19 crisis, but nobody told certain sections of the British media, who have continued to indulge in a muchloved pastime: cyclist bashing. “Cyclists ignore UK coronavirus lockdown rules as they ride together in the sun,” shrieked Mirror Online. The Scottish Sun was at it too, with the frankly lazily similar “Cyclists ignore coronavirus lockdown to go for a ride in sun.” YouTube cycling vlogger Francis Cade challenged his appearance in a photo in The Times that said he’d “flouted” distancing rules by showing the powers of a telephoto lens in warping perspective. What was a line of strung-out…

Welcome to extreme Britain! Strenuous hills, wild coasts, secluded coves, quiet lanes – all with a not-quite-England feel. They make south-west Cornwall a challenging but rewarding place to explore by bike. Cathedral town Truro is our base, with options for hill lovers and flatness fans. ROUTE ONE GRAND TOUR 61 MILES CORNWALL SHOWCASE Epic back-lane circuit of hills, coasts, views, quaint villages – and short steep climbs aplenty. Ferry over the Fal and the weird ex-mining scenery round St Austell. Then from Foxhole’s high point down to Newquay (cafes, beach) and little lanes back to Truro. GET THE ROUTE: tinyurl.com/LKCornwallLong ROUTE TWO ESTUARY EXPLORER 42 MILES COASTS, PORTS AND FERRIES Three exciting ferries – King Harry over the Fal, the glorious St Mawes–Falmouth (a few steps), and Helford (Apr-Oct only)…

£120; £140 Sartorially funky Italian gravel wear WE SAY… High-quality Italian gear designed for both road and trail adventures Alé’s take on gravel wear stays true to the lightweight performance ethics behind the brand’s race clothing but adds in practical features. The jersey blends a lightweight, highly breathable front panel with a full-length zip. The sleeves are capped with bicep-gripping cuffs and the shoulders feature anti-abrasion inserts for protection if you’re wearing a backpack. Around the back there are two large shoulder-to-waist panels of breathable mesh and a central spine to hold shape. The tail is dropped more than most jerseys and features three structured pockets onto which a zipped valuables pocket is integrated on the right side, with two light meshed pockets built onto the remaining pockets – ideal…

ICON SHORT-SLEEVE JERSEY £54.99 SIZES S-XL COLOURS Large variety of colours and patterns The Icon is a good-value, bright and colourful jersey with 360-degree reflectivity and a forgiving fit that's ideal for those who need more room. Altura uses a smooth Lycra fabric on the front and rear panels along with wide mesh side/under-arm panels to help with breathability when you’re working hard. There’s a full-length front zip with flap that helps with comfort, but it doesn’t have any garages top or bottom. That said, we didn’t get any neck irritation during testing. Three well-located pockets, along with zipped valuables pocket, provide ample storage for your essentials. We did get some sagging with heavier loads though. The rear drop tail features a silicone grip hem that does a good job…

HORS CATEGORIE JERSEY £100 SIZES XS-XXXL COLOURS Dark Grey, Dark Steel Blue, Red, Vortex Grey, Yellow Designed for hard, hot days in the saddle the Hors Categorie uses Castelli’s Velocity Rev3 fabric on the main panels with a cool mesh on the rear and wider mesh side panels. The result is a cool jersey that performs in warm weather. The front zip with neck garage provides further temperature control. The arms are cut long without any fancy cuffs or raw ends, but ride comfortably and help with longevity. A drop tail with silicone detail helps the Hors Categorie to sit pretty. The overall cut is fitted and most will need to size up. The three well-supported rear pockets are perfectly located and easy to access on the fly. There’s a…

EQUIPE RS AERO SS JERSEY £145 SIZES S-XXL COLOURS Black, Black/White/Red, Black/White/Green, White/Black The Equipe RS is designed for aero efficiency, hugging the body like a second skin. This minimalist jersey feels perfect in the riding position but sizing is small so most will need to size up. At the front a soft-to-touch, three-dimensional dimpled knit fabric increases the surface area to push up evaporation rates and help with aerodynamic airflow. On the rear a wider gauge mesh fabric increases breathability. This has limited vertical stretch and along with a silicone-lined hem keeps everything in place. The smooth-fabric, raw-end sleeves are bonded to help with longevity, while the lower zip garage protects your shorts. Even as a minimalist jersey there are three decent-sized, easy-access pockets. Assos has combined maximum efficiency…

OFF SEASON “I try to get out a good few times a week as it’s important for the head as well as the legs. The Kent hills such as Ide Hill and Toys Hill are amazing as a playground for training. Out of the UK, hands down, it’s Calpe – I spend the winter there.” ROAD TO HELL “In Calpe there’s a route that goes up Vall de Gallinera and through the hills to a stretch named Hell Road; it’s off the back of Toudons and it’s a real leg-burning session. After that it’s fast and a slight downhill for 50km back to Calpe. It hurts but I’m guaranteed to finish smiling.” AERO CHANGES “My Cannondale SystemSix is a dream. Despite not being super-light it’s still fast to climb on.…

1 HIGH MINDED Elite cyclists were found to “verbalise more performance-relevant thoughts” during studies in which subjects wore gazetracking eyewear and were asked to ‘think aloud’ while riding. (Psychology in Sport & Exercise) 2 DUMP THE JUNK While plant-based diets have been found to help reduce cardiovascular risk, it’s only in those who also cut out sweets, refined grains and sweetened soft drinks too. (University of Athens/American College of Cardiology) 3 NIGHT CAP Leeks, artichokes, onions or whole grains are all rich in fibrous prebiotics, which, a University of Colorado study reveals, naturally induce a bacteria that helps rest the brain when you want to sleep. 4 PINCH OF SALT Electrolyte supplements can’t be trusted to regulate essential sodium levels say researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “They’ve…

Due to a sudden and marked increase in my intake of vegetables and pulses lately, I have, for a variety of reasons, given some thought to the curiously named and recently retired Dutch cyclist Maarten Tjallingii. A much-valued domestique on the Lotto Jumbo team (as was), Tjallingii hung up his cleats in 2016, after a very successful Giro d’Italia. I’ll come on to that, but perhaps I should first explain the connection between the cyclist and the high-fibre, very sustainable diet I have been enduring. Sorry, that should have read ‘been enjoying’. During this period of self-isolation, my family has (reluctantly) re-assembled including some young adults who have gone out into the world and forged their own paths. In the case of one of them, this includes, quite laudably, veganism.…

ATTITUDE Adventure isn’t all about rowing oceans or climbing mountains. Adventure is a way of thinking. And to start any adventure you need the right attitude. Remember, if there is no risk of failure or peril, then it’s not an adventure, it’s just a holiday. BLISTERS Whether these be on your feet, hands or backside, make sure you tend to them ASAP. When I swam the length of Britain I got the smallest blister on day one and didn’t take any notice of it. Within a week it was a gaping wound that took over two months to heal. I even gave it a name: Stuart. Stuart the Scab. I still have the scar to this day. CAMPING Most of my adventures are solo where I need to camp wild,…

£127 Stowaway tools for emergency repairs There’s only one thing worse than having a mechanical when out riding and that’s realising that your essential multi-tool isn’t in your pocket, it’s in another jacket, on the sideboard, in your garage… Well, Wolf Tooth’s latest innovation means you’ll never leave home without the necessary tools for the job again because the Bar Kit features twin multitools within bar-end plugs. The bar-end plugs have 125mm-long rubber sleeves attached (which can be cut to length) into which slides a CNCmachined set of tools. One side has a multi-tool handle topped with a swivel head that doubles as an 8mm hex key. Into this slot myriad tools consisting of spoke wrench, valve core wrench, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5 and 6mm hex keys, T10, T25…

WRITER & JOURNALIST Rob wrote the Bluffer’s Guide to Cycling and 50 Quirky Bike Rides. He’s collecting international End to Ends yorkshireridings. blogspot.com. AFRIEND CAME A cropper while out gravel riding last year. His co-rider called 999 and gave an OS map grid reference as the location. “No, I need a road name or postcode,” insisted the operator. “Er, we’re miles from a road in some barley fields,” he replied. He tried 999 again, reaching a different operator, with similar results. It was third time lucky that this dispatcher understood the grid reference, an air ambulance was sent, and all ended well. It raises the question of how to specify your remote location in an emergency. For instance, another friend took a tumble in the North York Moors recently. Fortunately,…

£199.99 A good-value GPS with issues WE SAY… A decent GPS that could be a great one with some glitches ironed out Set-up is easy using Bryton’s Active app (iOS and Android). It’s a simple case of turning on, pairing to the app and your phone, establishing links to any software you want to use the unit with, and then pairing to sensors (BLE and Ant+). Set-up is best on WiFi; you can do it without, but navigating using the buttons on the unit is clumsy and time consuming. The Aero 60 has more than 78 functions, most are bike/nav centred but it does have additional functions too, such as notifications from your phone displayed on the screen. Routing with the planner in Bryton’s app is intuitive – you can…

TRIBAN RC 100 WARM WEATHER JERSEY £17.99 SIZES S-XXL COLOURS Black, Navy, Red/Black, Turquoise, White It’s hard not to be impressed by the RC-100’s low price tag and user-friendly features. It has a forgiving cut but isn’t overly flappy. It’s designed specifically for warm-weather riding using recycled fibres and it breathes well. Temperature control is further enhanced by under-arm mesh panels and a front zip. This features a garage at the bottom to preserve your shorts; there isn’t one on the neck, but we didn’t experience any irritation. Adjustment is made easier by the addition of simple tags. While a little crude, they work fine. The rear is dropped, featuring a mesh panel with inner silicone to hold it in place. There’s ample storage with three decent-sized pockets, a zipped…

PRO SL LITE JERSEY £79.99 SIZES XS-XXL COLOURS Concrete Grey, Sunrise The new Pro SL is the evolution of working with pro teams and is cut using lightweight fabrics specifically for warm days. It fits like a second skin without feeling tight. Fine mesh front and side panels are cool, wick well and help with aerodynamics, while the grid patterned rear does a top job of shifting sweat. The smooth fabric arms are not as long as some and feature raw ends with silicone bands that hold them in place. All critical seams are bonded, keeping weight and bulk down. The low-cut neck sits well and does away with the need for a zip garage. The simple three-pocket setup is in keeping with the minimalist design, but they do sit…

PRR GREEN ROAD JERSEY £125 SIZES S-XXXL COLOURS Black, Burgundy, Blue, Turquoise, Yellow The Green Road uses over 90 per cent recycled materials in this race jersey that’s cut on the skinny side. It’s body hugging without feeling restrictive, which makes it good in windy conditions and helps with wicking. Alé uses a horizontal mesh on the front and a wider mesh on the rear and under the arms for breathability. The smooth, raw-end sleeves have plenty of length and sit well, while the front zip offers further ventilation. A bottom garage protects your shorts but there’s no need for one on the low-cut neck. Three regular-sized pockets take care of storage but sit a little higher than some. There’s also a useful nutrition pocket on the right side. This…

L1 PINSTRIPE X JERSEY £142 SIZES XS-XXL COLOURS Black Grey, Orange, Purple, Navy Q36.5 was started by former Assos designer Luigi Bergamo, so it has a great pedigree, and the L1 is all about modern materials and tech. The three-dimensional fabric increases the surface area to aid wicking, while the striped silver thread’s high-thermal conductivity is said to increase breathability and help reduce odours. It’s also claimed to minimise electrostatic allowing muscles to operate more effectively but it's hard to quantify on the road. It has a race cut and features longer raw-end sleeves, a low neck and full-length zip with a short-protecting lower garage. Storage is good and the ‘hidden’ pockets are not only easy to access but in keeping with the minimalist design. Beautifully made and quick drying,…

IF the worldwide lockdown we’re currently living through has offered anything positive, it’s that it’s given us time to catch up on the things on our ‘to do’ list that have languished there for many years. Catch up on the mustwatch boxset that has always passed you by (hello, The Sopranos), or, for the more ambitious, to learn a new language. One of the first things I wanted to scrub off my list while being confined to my flat was to finally read the classic cycling novel The Rider, by Dutch author Tim Krabbé. First published in Krabbé’s native language in 1978, and in English for the first time in 2002, The Rider is the fictional account, based heavily on the author’s own experiences as an amateur racer, of our…

Turkey is an incredible source of protein. We’ve spoken about eggs and milk being the two foods highest on the protein availability and digestibility score, but turkey is one of the foods with the highest leucine content. WHAT IS LEUCINE? Leucine is an essential amino acid and the primary driver of stimulating the fabled muscle protein synthesis. Muscle protein synthesis is the action we need to drive the process of muscle and cell recovery. Whether that’s gaining and building new tissue, preserving muscle in a calorie deficit or just optimising your recovery from a session, this is the action that does that. Turkey breast mince is also incredibly low in fat meaning calories for this particular meal are going to be on the lower side and give you the option…

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ADVENTURE In this time of home confinement, the idea of adventures on the bike – of packing your bags and taking to the road or wilderness for a day, weekend or indeterminate length of time – feels like a pipe dream. Dreams are important right now, though, and that’s what we hope this guide to adventure can do: help you dream by equipping you with knowledge and inspiration for when that next escapade comes. Because it will. Adventurer Jenny Tough shows you how to plan your first cycling adventure; we head to Ireland’s Ring of Kerry for a bikepacking trip; we look at what, exactly, an adventure bike can be; and discover record-breaking cyclist Sean Conway’s A-Z of adventure.…

WARREN ROSSITER SENIOR TECHNICAL EDITOR For this issue I’ve been spending my time riding our cover star bike. Orro’s British-born aero offering is the impressively fast Venturi. Not only is it quick and good-looking it’s very well priced with it. SIMON WITHERS TECHNICAL WRITER This month you’ll see the results of my months of labour trying to decide on the best £1000 bike in 2020. The judging was tough as the 10 bikes all deserve their place. You’ll get plenty of grand days out for your cash these days. ROBIN WILMOTT TECHNICAL WRITER In this issue, I report on Canadian brand T-Lab – the greatest titanium bike builder you’ve never heard of – and its technically innovative, smart designs. T-Lab is a bike builder to watch as it has some incredible…

01 ORBEA VINTAGE TOTE £13 We should all be using a bag for life when shopping so why not choose something a bit cooler than your average Sainsbury’s or Asda bag. Orbea’s vintage advertising archive features some wonderful designs and they now offer them printed onto 100 per cent cotton tote bags. Perfect for picking up a post-ride feast. 02 TORQ ENERGY BARS £1.95 Torq’s energy bars are one of our favourites, and now they’ve added three new flavour options with Zesty Orange, Zingy Apple and Sundried Banana. All are veganfriendly and Soil Association-certified organic and the soft-chewy consistency makes them as easy to eat as they are tasty. With a single bar delivering 650kJ of energy and 34g of carbs with just 0.8g of fat they provide a great…

While Cycling Plus’ testing guv’nor, Warren Rossiter, spent his winter testing superbikes and other more expensive machines, I was getting in the hard miles on bikes costing up to £1000, or thereabouts. These are the bikes that most of us buy as a first road bike, an upgrade from an entry-level bike having caught the cycling bug, or perhaps as a training bike. In some cases these are bikes that we reviewed in 2019 and have revisited, others are on test for the first time – and all of them are absolute belters. They’re ordered from 10 to one but doing that has been incredibly difficult and I’d happily recommend each and every one of them – that’s why they’re here. In some cases it’s like tryng to choose your…

£1149.95 Top performance WE SAY… Well - built, light wheels with modern aerodynamics and tubeless compatibility There’s change afoot in the world of aerodynamic carbon wheels. We’ve become used to every new carbon-rimmed wheelset boasting advances in performance usually backed up by (often selective) wind tunnel data. Prices of good carbon wheels from the biggest names haven’t been that affordable but Vision’s new SC55 wheelset might be a welcome downwards trend. For £1149.95 you can select the SC55 in either rim-brake or disc-brake versions, and our rimbrake pair came with specific brake pads, quickrelease skewers, wheel bags and standard rim tapes. With the rim tapes installed the wheels weigh a competitive 1566g, (front 699g, rear 867g) and the skewers another 116g. The new SC55s and their SC40 alternative’s rims have…

£179.99 Premium short saddle for endurance riders WE SAY… Clever short-saddle design and comfort for endurance rider Fizik’s new Argo line of short saddles is aimed squarely at the endurance rider. The Tempo differs from the Vento (reviewed in issue 361) by having a short nose in its 260mm length, the idea being that an endurance rider will spend less time up on the nose, or ‘on the rivet’ in old-school roadie speak. It also has a much larger and wider relief channel because the theory is that you’ll be sitting slightly more upright and therefore putting a bit more pressure on sensitive areas. The relief channel also informed the padding and Fizik has chosen to use its Type 2: a dense, memory-foam-like material with a firm, yet elastic, feel…

Claire Tyrrell, 33 “Cycling has always allowed me to connect with an abundance of like-minded individuals, and although I’ve switched my riding indoors during the pandemic this ability has not changed. Through web applications including Zwift and Discord I can engage in the same social rides I was doing before, albeit virtually. Having a physical outlet has always been important for me and even more so during this crisis. The fact I can jump on my KICKR during my lunch break or after work and immerse myself in a fun training environment has done wonders for my mental health.” Nicholas Frank, 50 “For many of us, our most vivid memories in life are when our backs are against the wall. Everything seems sharper and our senses are heightened. While life…

AERON SHORT SLEEVE JERSEY £55 SIZES XS-XXL COLOURS Black, Blue, Orange, Purple, Red, Turquoise The Italian-made Aeron is a well thought-out summer jersey with many top design characteristics. It’s good looking, fits true to size and delivers a forgiving yet comfortable ride. dhb uses a lightweight yet durable dimpled mesh fabric that helps to keep you cool and dry when temperatures rise. The centre back panel features wider mesh to increase breathability. It also features UPF40+ treatment for sun protection and an anti-bacterial treatment to stop it stinking. The neck is comfortable despite the lack of garage. Laser-cut arm grippers do their job well and provide an air of class. Three decent-sized pockets and a zip pocket provide ample carrying capacity but sit higher than some. A silicone hem helps…

MONOCROM JERSEY £90 SIZES S-XXXL COLOURS Anthracite, Black, Blue Atomic, Coconut, Dry Green, Sea Moss We love the simplicity yet high function of this lightweight jersey. Sportful achieves the unique colour finish by creating a white jersey before dipping it into different colour dyes to achieve the final shade. As a consequence, every jersey is a one-off with all the component parts taking the dye differently. This gives it a neat, aged finish for a less race-inspired look. The high-stretch mesh panels wick well and fit true to size, offering a more forgiving fit than some of Sportful’s race kit. We liked the overall cut, with long sleeves with wide, raw-finish arm ends, low neck and wide silicone-lined hem that deliver a comfy ride. The three rear pockets are perfectly…

INTERVAL JERSEY £124.99 SIZES XS-XXL COLOURS Pine/Atomic Red Transform, Navy/White Beval, White/Wet Weather Triad The Interval is a minimalist, high-performance and neat-looking race jersey. It has a next-to-skin fit with a silky feel inside and out thanks to the Italian knit Elite Transfer fabric that breathes well. This mesh material has lots of stretch for a good fit and is relatively robust compared to some minimalist jerseys. There’s a Coldblack treatment to reflect heat on warm days. The rear hem has a silicone liner to keep it in place and three well-located pockets sit above this. These have bonded tops and inner support patches on the high stress points, but there’s no zip pocket in keeping with the sleek design. The overall cut on this low-neck jersey is fitted but…

When the Olympic kit was dropped off with Team GB at the pre-Games camp – usually in Newport – and we headed to the velodrome, the times were always fast. Is that because the kit was fast, or because the riders believed the kit would be fast? In mine and some others’ opinions, the placebo effect must have played some part. Undeniably, some of the kit interventions at past Olympics have had a considerable effect on the lift seen in performances, but the returns on such ‘marginal gains’ have been diminishing in size in subsequent Olympic cycles. Nevertheless, the effect of new kit seems to maintain the same level of magnitude in performance improvement – so one has to consider that the placebo effect as an important factor. During my…

“WHEN APPROACHING RACE SEASON IT’S GOOD TO DO OTHER EXERCISES ON YOUR BIKE” Most cyclists know that a regular sprinkle of strength exercises and core workouts will improve their strength, speed and resilience on the bike. But for some riders, the idea of walking into a stuffy gym leaves them wincing and gurning like legendary French climber Thomas Voeckler on a 19 per cent Alpine ramp. The good news is that with an intelligent approach to your training you can turn your bike into a moving gym and build core stability, muscle strength and leg power while you’re pedalling. These exercises relate to riding outdoors but they can all be replicated on a turbo while we all live under lockdown conditions. “When you’re approaching race season you want to spend…

Hydration testing is something you can do throughout the year at different points as the weather changes. It’s a great way to stay on top of how much you should be drinking in order to avoid dehydration and hyponatraemia and it’s also perfect to do while in isolation and we have a bit of spare time. It’s recommended that we avoid water loss exceeding two per cent of our body weight. So, if you weigh 70kg, that would be the loss of 1.4kg of water. TAKING THE TEST • Take a standard session you might do – a onehour turbo session is ideal – and weigh yourself before (naked). • Drink a controlled amount of water over the session, let’s say one 500ml bidon – and ensure you drink all…