Cycling
April 2017| 1
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2 | Cycling World
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CONT 6 | Cycling World
NEWS 12
UK’s Largest Bike Show Returns
to London
16 2Magpies
REGULARS 19 99 104
From the Workshop:
Change Your Disc Brake Pads
134
The Bicycle Diaries: Turkey to Lebanon
Tech Review Ask Anita: Universal Challenge
MOUNTAIN BIKING 25 Mountain Biking Servey 28 JoBerg2c 36 Top Mountain Bike Brands of 2016
UK 48 72
Ride Across Britain Northumberland: A Cycling Gem
HEALTHY RIDING 86 95
Buying the Right Bike for You
Feel the Buzz Words
96
Recipe: Hannah Barnes
Training and Nutrition:
CYCLING FOR THE DIFFERENTLY-ABLED 110
Stumps & Cranks:
A Guide to Amputee Cycling
114
London Recumbents:
Mobility Solutions and a Lot of Fun
117 120
Book Review: Stumps & Cranks Cycle Xperience with Action4Youth
OVERSEAS 126
Mallorca Stephen Roche Style
ENTS April 2017| 7
April 2017
8 | Cycling World
17th - 23rd April 2017 • Daily Guided Rides • Fully Supported • Training Seminars • Skills Sessions • Food & Accomm. • £640 (All inclusive)
www.Dartmoor.biz
Discover Dartmoor National Park - Devon
Sportive
20th May 2017 • Wellington: 111 miles • Dakota: 70 miles • Spitfire: 34 miles
25th March 2017 www.HaldonHeroic.co.uk
Chip Timing + Medals www.TauntonFyler.com www.JustEvents.co.uk
2nd September 2017
Routes: 37 - 67 - 112 miles www.moor2sea.co.uk
April 2017| 9
April 2017
ED's LETTER I Iove being a member of a cycling club. I am very lucky to be part of a particularly fine club, Thanet Road Club in East Kent. The club is special for a number of reasons: its 200 plus membership are very active; it has young blood flowing through its veins with a British Cycling Go-Ride section. It also has history; formed in 1947 it is celebrating its 70th anniversary this year. Three of its founding members are still alive today, one still riding, which stimulated me to take on the role of the club’s Heritage Officer.
Securing Heritage Lottery Funding I have spent the last eighteen months running a heritage project, meeting club veterans, scanning old photos and newspaper cuttings and drooling over vintage steel bikes. I have recently framed our first ever race jersey of 1953, knitted in mohair wool, together with the knit pattern from Cycling, the then persona of Cycling Weekly.
David Robert
The most exciting part of the project has been making a fifteen-minute documentary called Thanet Club: Cycling for Generations. In it we meet the founding members recalling a teenage exodus from CTC because they “wanted something racier.” It revives moving memorial trophies remembering those lost on the road. Exuberant young riders steer the way for the next 70 years. The film is going viral, spurred on by an enthusiastic cycling community who like to share positivity with fellow riders. The following feedback dropped in my inbox recently: “Thanks David, this is a lovely video, Best TEAM SKY.” I do like to think of it being shown on the team bus and getting whoops and cheers from Stannard and Rowe. Do take the time to enjoy the film yourself, share with others, and let me know what you think: www.thanetrc.org/70th
"Thanet Road Club has no pitch, no square, no stadium, no clubhouse. We meet at bus stops, slip roads, car parks, rented tracks. But we are all over Thanet and beyond in East Kent- on the A roads, B roads, minor roads, tracks and paths. Our history is tucked away in photo albums under beds, scrapbooks at the bottom of sideboards, boxes of trophies stuffed away in garages, medals packed away in the loft. There is a risk it all ends up getting thrown away.” David Robert, film director, in a note to the production company, 5.7.15.
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PUBLISHED BY Cycling World Limited Myrtle Oast Kemsdale Road, Fostall Faversham, Kent
PRODUCTION Editor David Robert editor@cyclingworldmag.co.uk Graphic Designer Matthew Head working alongside BrightSky.uk
ME13 9JL Tel: 01227 750153 Publisher Colin Woolley colin@cyclingworldmag.co.uk
ADVERTISING Sales Manager Simon White simon@cyclingworldmagazine.com Sales Executive Alice Allwright alice@cplmedia.net Sales Executive Declan Wale
DISTRIBUTED BY COMAG Tavistock Road, West Drayton Middlesex UB7 7QE
CONTRIBUTORS
Marcus Pereda, Scot Christian, Jim Dickson, Martial Prévalet, Rebecca Lowe, Anita Powell, Iain Marshall, Simon Postgate, Amanda O’Hare, Martin Bailey, David Robert, Tim Ramsden, Mike Wells, Professor Robert Thomas, Wendy Johnson, Kajsa Tylen
Cycling World
dec@cplmedia.media Sales Executive Ryan Graves ryan@cplmedia.net Sales Executive Tom Thorman tom@cplmedia.net
FRONT COVER DETAILS:
Van Imp and Zoetemelk -summit of Puy-de-Dome, courtesy Offside/ L’Equipe from The Great Bike Race, Velodrome Publishing
@CyclingWorlduk
@CyclingWorld_uk
www.cyclingworldmag.co.uk
Although every effort is made to ensure the content of features in Cycling World is accurate and correct, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributors, manufacturers or advertisers. No guarantees can be made upon the safe return of any unsolicited copy of photographic images. Thepublisher reserves the right to alter or amend any submitted material that is printed in Cycling World. All material in Cycling World is the copyright of the publisher and any reproduction of said material would require written permission from the publisher. ©Cycling World Limited 2015 ISSN: 0143-0238
April 2017| 11
12 | Cycling World
2Magpies
take Ventoux on a national tour in Spring 2017 Performed by Tom Barnes (Marco Pantani) and Alexander Gatehouse (Lance Armstrong) Directed by Matt Wilks Technical Manager Corrie Lynch Lighting Design by Chris Flux Video by Mad Adam Films Publicity Design Peter Duffy
N
ottingham-based theatre company, 2Magpies Theatre, are touring their critically acclaimed show, Ventoux, between March and May 2017. Ventoux re-stages the 2000 Tour de France stage 12 on Mont Ventoux, and the now infamous race between Lance Armstrong and Marco Pantani, but with the benefit of knowing everything that we now know about the two great cyclists downfall.
and Summer. At the Edinburgh Fringe and on tour we were able to test the show on a really diverse audience from cycling novices, to the real super fans. For the cycling fans there’s a good dose of something new – at the very least it’ll make them consider Armstrong and Pantani’s parallel careers in a new way. Doping, and more recently TUE’s, are very much on the cycling agenda so Ventoux still has a massive resonance today.”
The play is performed on two road bikes, and combines real race commentary set against stunning film footage captured by the company on Mont Ventoux in September 2014. The show lasts 60 minutes; the same length of time it took Armstrong and Pantani to ascend Mont Ventoux in 2000.
The 2017 tour will take Ventoux to most regions of England, including shows in the North East, North West, South East and South West. The show is touring to many venues who would not normally programme this style of performance.
Ventoux was initially performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015 to sell out audiences at Summerhall, attracting acclaim from both cycling fans and noncycling fans. The show was also critically acclaimed, receiving multiple 4 star reviews. Ventoux then went on to tour to 26 venues nationwide in Spring 2016, including in London, Belfast, Salford, Leeds, Bristol and many more. Ventoux sold out 75% of the run, with an average of 45% new bookers to venues. Tom Barnes from 2Magpies said “We’re thrilled to be taking the show on tour again next Spring
Barnes said “Ventoux is a bit different from what people might expect theatre to be. It’s an hour long (the time it took Pantani and Armstrong to ascend Ventoux in 2000) and at times some unusual things happen on stage. It’s really a show of storytelling with visual images. It proved to be really accessible and engaging for nontheatre goers, which is exactly what we wanted to achieve. It’s been great to see people turning up on their bikes, in their lycra, and trying something different – this show really is for them” The show will visit around 40 venues across the UK, with the tour dates to be confirmed midNovember.
★ ★ ★ ★ ½ “The performance is a true Tour de Force” The Public Reviews ★ ★ ★ ★ "a devastating study" Broadway Baby ★ ★ ★ ★ "You must see this show" Fringe Guru ★ ★ ★ ★ “touching and elegantly controlled" The Scotsman
April 2017| 13
14 | Cycling World
The next generation of tubeless tyres. 70 g lighter. Faster. Safer. Revolutionary new MicroSkin design. Tubeless Easy. Patent Pending. 23-622 (235g), 25-622 (255g), 28-622 (275g) www.schwalbe.com/pro-one
February 2017| 15
T
Tech Review
his special package is most suited to those who need reliable on going power whilst off grid or travelling. The 12w (or optional 15w ) fold out solar panel, easily fits in a rucksack and is robust and water resistant.
included the excellent Aqua Trek 6600mAh (Yellow in the picture) as a standard waterproof power bank, with the option to upgrade to 9000mAh or the larger 18000mAh Aqua Trek + (rectangle Green).
The IP65 6600/9000mAh Aqua Trek waterproof power banks are very robust, fit in the pocket and will give a phone 3-5 + charges, the IP67 Aqua Trek + 18000Mah will store 8 + charges. Apart from Travel and Camping, they can also be used in everyday life, on their own and recharged via USB. They both have an inbuilt Led torch with SOS facility. Also included in the package is our MSC 2600mAh Power Stick (£12.95), high power USB Torch (£9.95) and LED Light.
This waterproof (IP65) portable rechargeable battery is uniquely suited to outdoor activities. It has a bright LED torch with an SOS facility, should the need arise, a potentially crucial piece of safety equipment, particularly in a marine environment.
Our high output solar panel charger will fold to the size of a magazine when not in use and is easily transportable. It has 5 attachment points for hanging on a boat, tent, tree or rucksack whilst charging 2 devices simultaneously. The 2A (same power as mains phone charging) dual USB solar regulator will automatically control the charging current to give a constant charge. The zip pocket in the back secures any device to charge whilst on the move. Light, flexible and very robust. The 15w panel can separate and be placed 1m away from the USB charging pocket, i.e. in a tent or vehicle. This unit normally retails for £34.95. The 15w panel retails for £44.95. Check the links above to decide the most suitable for your needs. For personal power, to keep your phones, GPS, Tablet going whilst you are out and about, we have
Mobile Solar Charger
12w/15w Solar Panel and waterproof 6600/9000/ or 18000mAh power bank, Torch, Light, special package 12w/15w Solar Panel Charger
The premium grade 'A' Sanyo batteries hold a full charge for up to a year and have a very little loss on DC transfer, giving the maximum number of charges for a given capacity.
• 12w/15w Monocrystalline flexible solar panel
They easily fit in a rucksack or pocket, are shock proof and dust proof and can have a carabiner to attach to clothing.
• Size Folded: 165 x 260 x 14 mm
This superb 6600mAh power bank normally retails for £34.95, the 9000mAh at £44.95 and the Aqua Trek + at £59.95 when bought separately. To complete the package we have added the compact Power Stick, High power USB detachable torch (£9.95 ) and a 13 x led USB light (£2.95), both compatible with any USB socket or Power Bank. Both the LED light and high power USB torch can be used as work lights and will run off any USB outlet, i.e. Laptop, USB power bank or vehicle. In common with all our portable batteries and solar chargers, although they might have been bought for a specific purpose, once you are used to having reserve power at hand, they will prove most useful in everyday life.
• Dual Usb auto-start solar controller • Output: 5v/2000mAh • Size Open: 440 x 260 x 7 mm • Weight: 395/950g • 1 year warranty • 5 attachment points for hanging
Aqua Trek 6600/9000/18000mAh Power Bank • Samsung high-performance 6600/9000mAh or 18000mAh battery capacity • Aqua Trek: Input DC 5v / 1A, Output DC 5v / 2A • Aqua Trek +: Input DC 5v / 2A Output: USB 1: 5v 1.5A, USB 2: 5v 2.4A • Cycle life > 500 full charge/discharges • Charge time via mains 3/5/10 hours • Weight: 220/350/470g
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Bike Review Rally
April 2017| 17
Bike Review Rally
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April 2017| 19
Touring France With Le Grand Départ in Normandy, we’re inspiring you to explore the region and enjoy all the wonderful destinations that impress you during the TV coverage. We’re also looking at iconic mountain stages, how to ride stages and top TdeF books and art. So “Allez” and enjoy the Tour!
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Tour de France Grand Départ Normandy
H
aving started in Yorkshire in 2014 and in Utrecht in Holland in 2015, the Tour de France 2016 Grand Départ returns to France, with three stages taking place in La Manche, Normandy. Each Grand Départ makes a great impression, launching the start of the best-known cycle race in the world, which lasts three weeks every year. In 2016, La Manche and Normandy will be in the spotlight over three days at the start of July, benefitting from the broadcasting in 190 countries around the globe, 60 of which will be covering events live. The Tour’s riders will crisscross the whole region of La Manche, from the three stage towns, then crossing 137 communes (French parishes or municipalities) to reach two finish towns, with some magnificent panoramas to enjoy along the way, covering 435km in all, a record distance for a Grand Départ! The county’s range of landscape and heritage has made it an incredibly popular tourist destination. Its unspoilt coastline of over 350km stretches between picturesque bays, islands, capes, havens, creeks and long, sandy beaches. Inland is a mix of marshlands and pasturelands, the latter separated by ancient hedges, known as le bocage. La Manche also boasts the largest network of county roads in France – ideal for cycling!
ENJOY THE SIGHTS OF THE GRAND DÉPART STAGE 1 SATURDAY 2 JULY 2016 MONTSAINT- MICHEL > UTAH BEACH 188 km THE BAY OF MONT-SAINT-MICHEL - LISTED “WORLD HERITAGE” BY UNESCO Dominating the fortified village and its charming lanes, the Abbey of the Mont-Saint-Michel bears testament to the architectural mastery of its medieval builders. It consists of over 20 chambers, among them a pre-Romanesque chapel, Romanesque religious buildings, a Gothic wing known as ‘the Marvel’ and the Flamboyant Gothic choir end to the Abbey church. The Bay of the Mont-Saint-Michel boasts one of the largest tidal ranges in the world (the Bay of Fundy in Canada has the biggest range), allowing you to enjoy the extraordinary spectacle of high tides marked by exceptionally high waters. Once the high tide reaches a certain height, seawater isolates the Mount from the mainland twice a day. Legend has it that the sea here advances at the speed of a galloping horse.
UTAH BEACH AND SAINTE-MÈRE-EGLISE On 6th June 1944 and during the following weeks, Normandy was the theatre of a decisive phase of the Second World War: the D-Day Landings. In La Manche, many museums are dedicated to the story of American parachute drops around SainteMère-Église, the landings on Utah Beach, military architecture and the lives of the soldiers and the inhabitants of the region. Created in 1962, where American troops landed on 6th June 1944, the Landings Museum in Utah Beach offers a large collection of objects and testimonies devoted to D-Day. The Airborne Museum stands in the heart of Sainte-Mère-Église, opposite the bell tower from which US paratrooper John Steele famously remained dangling by his parachute for some time during the night preceding D-Day. The museum is the largest in Europe dedicated to American paratroopers, specifically those of the 82nd and 101st Divisions, who played such a vital role at the outset of the 1944 Normandy landings.
STAGE 2 / SUNDAY 3 JULY 2016 – SAINTLÔ > CHERBOURG-EN-COTENTIN 182 km SAINT-LÔ EQUESTRIAN AND NATIONAL STUD CENTRE Saint-Lô’s National Stud Centre (the Haras National de Saint-Lô) forms a glorious architectural ensemble, dating from the 19th century, set around a magnificent courtyard. Cradle of the Selle Français breed, a sport horse par excellence, the stud also takes in stallions of other breeds.
CHERBOURG, GATEWAY TO AMERICA\
City of Art and Heritage, Cherbourg is dominated by the “Roule Mountain” (117 m). Protected by the largest artificial harbour in the world, Cherbourg is a sailing resort of international repute, welcoming cruise ships and hosting major nautical events. The port of Cherbourg is also home to the Cité de la Mer, offering the discovery of the underwater world. Situated on Cherbourg’s seafront it is one of Normandy’s unmissable family attractions, dedicated to mankind’s adventures under the oceans. You can also board Le Redoutable, the largest submarine open to visitors in the world, and admire the seventeen tanks making up the Pôle Océan area, packed 1,200 colourful fish. In the Espace Titanic, learn how the magnificent, ill-fated ocean liner made its French stop in Cherbourg in 1912, shortly before its sinking by an iceberg. Relive the events from its stop here until the tragic accident
April 2017| 21
22 | Cycling World the largest submarine open to visitors in the world, and admire the seventeen tanks making up the Pôle Océan area, packed 1,200 colourful fish. In the Espace Titanic, learn how the magnificent, ill-fated ocean liner made its French stop in Cherbourg in 1912, shortly before its sinking by an iceberg. Relive the events from its stop here until the tragic accident Just reopened in June, the Quasar and theThomas Henry Museum has enjoyed a four-year makeover. The museum’s works of art can be enjoyed in new rooms with a fun and educational trail allowing families to discover the secrets and particularities of each exhibit. There is also an app describing 30 selected works of art, and tactile tablets available free of charge at the museum entrance.
STAGE 3: MONDAY 4 JULY 2016 – GRANVILLE > ANGERS 222 km GRANVILLE The sea-facing town of Granville with its delightful old town, surrounded by ramparts, retains many traces of an eventful past, marked by the presence of privateers and “terre-neuvas” (fishing boats that sailed to Newfoundland in the 16th Century.) The fashion designer Christian Dior holds an important place in this town, his birthplace. The lively resort of Granville offers cultural, leisure and sporting activities and departures by boats to the islands of Chausey and Jersey. It is also well-known for its local delicacies, particularly seafood, whelks and clams.
CYCLING IN LA MANCHE Cyclists and mountain bikers can explore the natural treasures of La Manche and discover local heritage with the numerous bike routes of the region. From leisurely rides to more advanced routes, the riches of La Manche are revealed with each stroke of the pedal. In western Normandy, the county of La Manche boasts portions of three themed, national cycle routes that are accessible to a whole range of cyclists. Certain sections of the national trails may not be entirely completed yet, but these cycle routes are all easy to follow through La Manche, allowing cyclists to enjoy the beauty of the county’s landscapes and the richness of its Norman heritage at their own pace. - La Véloscénic, is a 434 km long route linking Paris to the Mont-Saint-Michel, via Chartres and Normandy. The route includes 166 km of “voies vertes”. www.veloscenic.com - The “D-Day Beaches / Mont Saint-Michel” route is 230 km long and combines “voies vertes” (130km) and country lanes. www.debarquementmontsaintmichel-avelo.com - The “Tour of la Manche” (European project “CycleWest”) links Normandy and Brittany to the South West of England with 1,200 km of cycle routes. en.tourdemanche.com
Key sites on the routes: - The Vire Valley – the Rocks of Ham: the ride is a little steep and off route but the views over the countryside and the river from the top of the cliff (105 m high) are well worth the detour. - Mortain and the waterfalls. Leave your bike behind to enjoy a little walk to a splendid waterfall. Steps lead visitors down the deep green and shaded gorge. As for the great waterfall, it is very impressive with its fast flowing
water, 25 metre drop and remarkable rocky environment. - The arrival at the Mont-Saint-Michel from the track along the river Couesnon.
ACCUEIL VÉLO ACCREDITED ACCOMMODATION Running hotels, chambres d’hôtes (B&Bs), campsites, and holiday lets (gîtes): 57 accommodation providers in La Manche have been accredited with the Accueil Vélo label. An Accueil Vélo establishment guarantees that cycling tourists will find accommodation less than 5km from an official cycle route that: • Provide facilities suitable for cyclists, such as a bicycle shelter and maintenance facilities • Offer a warm welcome, hosts providing useful information and advice for cyclists (for example on local cycle routes and the weather) • Offer, in certain cases, additional services of use to cyclists such as: luggage transfer, facilities for washing and drying clothes, bike hire/accessories hire, or bike wash facilities. For further information: www.manchetourisme.com
April 2017| 23
(if not the World)
One of the Greatest Climbs in France
M
ount Ventoux is legendary for being one of the most gruelling climbs in the Tour de France. The mountain, known as the Géant (Giant) of Provence is the largest in the region and is 15km north east of Carpentras in the Vaucluse. Geologically Mt Ventoux is part of the Alps but stands alone to the west of the Luberon valley and to the east of the Dentelles de Montmirail, which form the foothills of Mt Ventoux. Cyclist come from all over the world to make the climb which can be achieved by three separate routes. The most famous, and difficult, ascent being the road from Bédoin, south of the summit (22km over 1610m). The second is the road from Malaucène to the east (21km over 1570m), which is less exposed, and the last and easiest route from Sault to the west (26km over 1220m). Ride all three routes in a day and you qualify for membership to the legendary Club des Cinglés, a remarkable achievement of some 137kms and a total altitude of 4,400m. The best months to make the climb are April, May, June and September, and if you like speed the downhill returns are exhilarating. It is also possible to drive up and on a clear day the view from the top is breathtaking. However Mt Ventoux is not just about reaching the summit, the area abounds in wonderful well documented
road routes well suited to all riding abilities and also numerous mountain-biking trails in the surrounding hills providing magnificent scenery and thrilling rides. The perfect cycling base to experience all of this is Bedoin, the small village at the foot of the mountain. The architecture is typical of Provence with tree lined streets, the famous Monday market and more than a dozen restaurants. There is also an excellent cycle rental shop. For accommodation the perfect solution can be found only 1.5kms from the centre of the village. Surrounded by fields and truffle woods, two stylish houses stand side by side, with long views north to Mt Ventoux and south towards the Luberon. The Flop House is a lovely 19th-century farmhouse sleeping ten while La Maison de Lune, which is smaller and sleeps six is reached via its own lane. Both houses are perfect for families and are spread over two levels, with delightful en-suite bedrooms, and if you a cyclist who likes laid-back luxury, you’ll find it all here. Each house it’s own ‘salt water’ pool the smaller of which is also heated in the Spring and Autumn. Wicker chairs and seagrass matting, American fridges and each house has it’s own garden with Lavender, rosemary, wisteria, fruit trees and lawns.
www.summerinprovence.co.uk
24 | Cycling World
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April 2017| 25 L’ÉTAPE GRAND DÉPART: RIDE LIKE A PRO Sunday 26 June: RIDE LE MONT-SAINT-MICHEL > UTAH BEACH This year, Amaury Sport Organisation (or A.S.O., organizer of the Tour de France), in conjunction with the Association du Grand Départ and the regional and county cycling associations are offering an exceptional bike ride that is open to all. Entitled L’Étape Grand Départ, it enables amateur cyclists from around the world to try out the opening stage of the 2016 Tour de France a few days before the professional race sets off. The route follows the legendary stage Le Mont-Saint-Michel > Utah. Participants can opt from three different levels of length and difficulty, choosing the route to suit their abilities.
The 3 route options:
• Grand Parcours (Grand route): 190km (Mont-Saint-Michel – Utah Beach - Carentan) • Parcours Intermédiaire (Intermediate route): 85km (Lessay – Utah Beach – Carentan) • Petit Parcours (Short route): 48km (Montebourg – Utah Beach – Carentan) L’Étape du Grand Départ will lead the participating cyclists along roads also used by motorised traffic. To ensure the smooth running of this event, 300 volunteers will help signal the way and ensure safety along the whole route. L’Étape du Grand Départ Village will be set up in Carentan, on Place du Grand Valnoble square. Here, participants will find car parks, secure bicycle parking facilities, shuttle buses, and registration.
PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
26 | Cycling World
epic climbs spectacular scenery
S
ituated an hour’s drive east of Grenoble, La Grave and Villar d’Arène offer calm and beautiful surroundings at the foot of the mythical mountain passes col du Lautaret and col du Galibier, classics on the Tour de France program. This year the Col du Galibier (altitude 8678 feet) concludes the 17th stage of the Tour on the 19th of July. Thanks to its magnificent setting and authentic atmosphere, La Grave is counted among the most beautiful villages in France. The majestic peak La Meije (13068 feet) dominates the picture. At its feet the valley opens up on a breathtaking scenery with high peaks and glaciers on one side, and on the other, lush green hillsides and stone-built hamlets surrounded by terraced fields filled with alpine flowers. And in the middle, the winding road leading up to the cols. After a warm up run on the panoramic road to the hamlets above La Grave, it is time to challenge yourself on the Tour classics and the route of the legendary road cycling sportive La Marmotte. The quiet villages of La Grave and Villar d’Arène are perfect for a break with a view after an unforgettable climb. You will find several bike-friendly hotels and guest houses that provide storage, advice and other services, as well as sports shops where you can rent a bike or an e-bike, or get yours repaired. The Tourist Office of La Grave La Meije and Villar d’Arène. Contact us on 00 33 (0)4 76 79 90 05 or ot@lagrave-lameije.com.
lagrave-lameije.com
otlagrave
@otlagrave
April 2017| 27
Book Review
Le Tour Race Log Author Claire Beaumont Publisher Laurence King Date 2/5/16 Format Paperback Pages 128 ISBN 9781856699860 Price £12.95 Review by Richard Peploe
A
lot of books about the Tour de France have been coming out this year, but first out of the blocks by a long way was this one: Le Tour Race Log devotes a few pages to every stage, covering the main results, the jersey wearers, the weather conditions, and any relevant incidents. The catch is of course that none of these stages has been completed yet, because as a log (or journal) the purpose of the book is to help you to record the events of the day in an orderly manner as the race unfolds. If you are diligent you should end up with a nicely presented summary of the race in your own fair hand: it won’t tell you anything that a few minutes on the internet could not do equally well, but that is to miss the point of the book. There are a few pages of explanation about the race, but this is not going to be your race guide book: it won’t tell you about the teams, the riders, the dates, or even the race route. There will be many other publications that will give that information closer to the time, and you will still need one of those by your side. In fact, the book has so little information that is specific to the 2016 event that it could be used for any year, guess that’s the idea from a sales point of view– although the ‘rest day’ pages might not be in quite the right place. We did enjoy the illustrations by Neil Stevens. This book will probably appeal to a limited audience, but in the right hands it could add a new dimension for anyone following the race obsessively.
28 | Cycling World
Book Review
Tour de France Legendary Climbs
April 2017| 29
30 | Cycling World
Author: Richard Abraham Published: Carlton Books, June 2016 Price: £25, Hardback ISBN: 9781780977904 Reviewer: David Robert
I
t takes something special to stand out when every year sees a peloton of Tour de France books. This one makes a successful break away by doing something original. It uses satellite imagery created by Goole Earth to highlight the paths to the twenty key summits featured. The imagery is quite stunning and brings these climbs, well-known by name, to dramatic life. Beyond this it is brimming with over 220 stunning photos, from the golden era to the modern day, mainly from Offside Sports Photography. The selection is varied, capturing the fans’ passion, the riders’ efforts, the media’s and team support’s diligence. Above all the magnificence of the landscape is ever-looming. It’s more than just a “livre de table basse” (table de café is too literal) as the text makes good reading. Richard Abraham is a cyclist, author and journalist who has covered the Tour for Cycling Weekly and Cycle Sport. He recounts tales of historic landmarks, the heroes of past Tours and the famous towns and villages on the hallowed climbs. Like the toughest of the climbs which rank as “hors categorie,” the book is also “beyond classification.” A history book, a tourist guide, a photographic volume. Certainly a good read.
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32 | Cycling World
MAD FOR
BALD MOUNTAIN:
Ventoux by Iain Marshall
I
'm one of those cyclists fortunate enough to have a photo of myself with a large metal pole 'growing' directly out of the top of my head. I say this is lucky because the signpost in question is the summit marker for Mont Ventoux in Provence. It means I have had the privilege of climbing this - I hesitate to use the phrase - 'iconic' mountain, but I will. The arguably over-used adjective actually fits the bill in this case. The Giant of Provence is one of those legendary Tour de France locations worthy of mention in the same trembling breath as, 'Alpe d'Huez, the Tourmalet, the Galibier, the Aubisque and the Izoard' – to name just some of the most celebrated and feared. It's a brute to climb, "a God of evil" according to cycling fan and French philosopher, Roland Barthes. And it’s making its sixteenth 1912 metre appearance in the 2016 Grand Boucle. Armstrong and Pantani famously battled it out on the 'bald mountain' in 2000. Sir Bradley Wiggins revelled in his new-found climbing form on the Ventoux's bleached slopes in 2009 with the yet-to-be disgraced Texan again in attendance. Another British great, Tom Simpson, met with a tragic end on the road to the summit. In 1967 he finally tumbled off his bike while fighting to stay in contention in that year's Tour. Simpson died on the hot dusty mountainside of extreme exhaustion and dehydration. He also had amphetamines and alcohol in his system. Anyone who's been to Ventoux, or has merely taken a passing interest in it, will know about the Tom Simpson memorial, perched by the roadside with the summit tantalisingly close. Many stop to walk up the steps to the granite stone and leave all sorts
of cycling momentos in tribute to the fallen rider. These range from cycling caps to water bottles, to photographs and inner tubes.
stamps with which they will oblige. Even the pizza joint I had lunch in in Bédoin after my first ascent of the day was able to mark my card.
My brush with Mont Ventoux, whose treeless, upper reaches, look perpetually covered in snow by virtue of the stark white rocks scattered around, was quite literally inspired by a moment of madness. I had long held the ambition to pedal up the mountain via all three possible routes in a single day. Achieving this feat grants riders entry into the select Club des Cinglés du Mont-Ventoux (Club of the Madmen/women of Ventoux).
If you’re going to conquer the mythical beast three times, an early start is essential. And, as dragonslaying is such hungry work, I fortified myself, lingeringly, with a croissantheavy breakfast in Malaucène. That was mistake number one.
The day we arrived in Provence, the dreaded mistral wind was threatening to uproot trees, vines and even the very farm buildings surrounding our rented gite on the edge of Mazan. The severe weather did not bode well for my attempt to join the Ventoux's very own 'crazy gang' the next day. But rescheduling was not an option because I'd pre-booked a rental bike for the specific day of my ride. Many people think the 'vent' in Ventoux is a reference to the wind. However, some also believe the name is actually an ancient term which means snowy peak. And according to a Rapha cc blog the Gauls named it Vintur after a god thought to reside on the summit. Whatever the true definition the ferocious wind which can disdainfully toss a rider off his or her bike and hurl them down the slope is very real. The weather on the mountain can swing from searing heat to freezing cold in just a few moments. It is not for the faint hearted. To prove you have completed the punishing Cinglés task you must get a brevet card stamped at each of the three starting points, Bédoin, Sault and Malaucène - and at the summit. Most shops in the three towns have
When I could put off the inevitable no longer I wheeled my rented Cervello S2 out of Ventoux Bikes and started heading up the daunting D974. Immediately conscious of how much lighter the S2 was compared to my aluminiumframed bicycles at home, I made decent progress at first - trying to stay in the big ring for as long as possible. This didn't last. But once in the small ring, I vowed to avoid hitting the 'granny gear' until absolutely necessary. This resolve too petered out after about two hundred metres. The regular, road-side markers were useful not least because they gave the gradient you were fighting at that particular point. I soon realised that 7% wasn't so bad but anything above that and my thighs started overheating. With some surprise I found myself on top of Ventoux for the first time - relatively unscathed. I got my brevet card stamped in the gift shop after buying an over-priced Mont Ventoux souvenir pen. I persuaded a perspiring, thickset Dutch cyclist who'd just ridden up from Sault to take my picture in front of the 1912 metres sign. He got it spot on with the pole shooting upwards out of the middle of my cranium." Are you doing more?" I asked him. "No way," he grunted with a wan smile. "I died three times on the way up."
March 2017| 33
34 | Cycling World With the number three also on my mind, I descended to Bédoin swiftly, noting the steep sections I'd have to tackle after lunch on my way back up. My wife, Jackie, was poised with camera in hand at ‘Kilometre Zero’ on the outskirts of the small town. Phil's Pizza provided sustenance in abundance and again I lingered over my repast. This was mistake number two. After obtaining that second imprint on my Cinglés card I set off on my return ascent through the forest from Bédoin. I at once recalibrated my longheld opinion that the Malaucène climb was the harshest. Bédoin was steep and unrelentingly so - and therefore definitely the harder climb after all. The Bédoin ascent is the public face of Ventoux. Famous for the dramatic backdrop it has so often given the Tour de France. And famous too, for the tragic death of Tom Simpson. There's no doubt it looks impressive, especially the last six kilometres after Chalet Reynard, where you're out of the trees, pedalling for the most part, in a straight line with the summit and its weather station prodding upwards like a cold-war-era Soviet rocket on the launch pad, always visible ahead of you. The last section of the Malaucène route however, with it's breathtaking hairpins, is equally stunning to look at. My coffee stop at Chalet Reynard was surreal. It is a tiny ski station in the winter and with the temperature cooling outside it was easy to believe I was in skiing mode inside the café with its distinctly alpine feel. The punters however were decked out in Lycra shorts and cleated shoes rather than ski boots. The road from Chalet Reynard to the top is the part of the ride which gives Ventoux its much-vaunted 'iconic' status - the unforgiving, treeless, section of the mountain where the mistral takes no prisoners. People started stripping the mountain of timber in the 12th century, rendering it permanently ‘bald’on top. On the long haul up from Bédoin through the forest, some wag had painted a massive snail on the road on a particularly steep bend. Another wit had daubed the word 'fixie', writ large, across the carriageway. I take my hat off to anyone with the guts and muscle power to tackle Ventoux on a single speed bike - just like the early Tour de France competitors used to ride. But it's not something I'll be trying in a hurry. The weather was closing in with cloud covering the road ahead and sweeping off down the slopes to my left. At times visibility was reduced to just a few metres. I became aware of bells clanging off the road and saw a couple of shepherds up
April 2017| 35
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36 | Cycling World
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April 2017| 37 on the hill. They were directing a number of sheep dogs to push their flocks along. One group of these not so dumb animals congregated around a drinking fountain at the roadside and noisily slurped the eau potable on offer. I made a stop at the Simpson memorial. The words on the plaques there, from his widow and daughters, and the simple tokens left by fellow cyclists speak eloquently. It's a bleak, tragic and truly evocative spot. The final turn up to the weather station kicks up cruelly but briefly and once you've put a spurt on to get round it, you're at the top. I'd felt really good on the section of the climb after Chalet Reynard. It was not as steep as the forested part of the ride and I was spared the ravages of Ventoux's worst weather. But I calculated that to get back down to Sault and up again for ascent number three would push me into late evening. With no desire to make my final descent in the dark, I decided to abandon plans to do all three routes. I flew down to Malaucène, tugging on the brake levers most of the time - worrying that the brake blocks would work loose or spontaneously burst into flames - it felt I was going so fast! That's not to say I wasn't overtaken by several riders who’d metaphorically cut their cables. Cyclists talk in doom-laden terms about their fear of tackling the steep climbs in the Alps and Pyrenees. What really fills me with dread is the prospect of descending these mountains, with feet like blocks of ice and unresponsive fingers trying to get a meaningful grip on the brake levers. Give me an uphill slog any time. The bike computer informed me that I'd hit a top speed of 66.5 kilometres per hour on the descent. That may be crawling along by Tour standards but it’s quite fast enough for me. I hadn't done all three routes as planned but two out of three ain’t bad. The full monty really requires an earlier start than 10am (and definitely a shorter lunch break without the – ahem - accompanying glasses of beer). But we vowed to return for that piece of unfinished business on the bald mountain. We’d be mad not too.
38 | Cycling World
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40 | Cycling World
AMATEURS TACKLE THE
Tour de France
I
can hear them coming before they arrive over the Col de la Croix de Fer - a group of panting, swearing, occasionally laughing, always-bantering cyclists. About to pull into their second roadside feed stop of the day, they’re looking forward to climbing off the bikes for a stretch, some much-needed calories and the inevitable pee. Today, they’ve got lucky. The sun is out but they’re not being fried to a crisp like they were in the lowlands of France. Up here in the high mountains, it can all be so different. We’ve had riders near hypothermia in the Alps in previous years, and others suffering heat exhaustion in the Pyrenees. Cycling here isn’t for the faint-hearted, but the rewards are immense. Today, there are cows nearby with their bells musically contributing to this scene of mountain beauty. The views stretch into the distance like something out of Lord of the Rings. It’s peaceful, it’s quiet. Today is a very good day to be on a bike – it doesn’t get better than this. We’re 80km into a 138km day on one of the Alpine stages of the 2015 Tour de France route. They’ve been riding since 8am, but were up at 5.30am for breakfast, then a coach transfer from the end of the previous stage to the start of this one. We’re now around two and a half weeks into this epic Tour de France route as part of the Tour de Force cycling event and the days are merging into each other as the cyclists eat, ride, rest, repeat. 40 cyclists (called ‘Lifers’) are taking on all 21 stages of the Tour de France route, one week ahead of the pros and they’re now just two days short of Paris. Others have joined us ‘just’ for the Alpine stages, while others are riding the final ten stages of the tour (‘half Lifers’). All in all, we have around 170 riders with us on tour – some taking on a ‘Tour Taster’ in the Pyrenees, others tackling the earliest, flatter stages from Utrecht down into Northern France where you could fry an egg on the tarmac it was so hot. Every stage has presented its own challenges, with the weather being just one of them. Each rider has worked hard to be on this tour, whether they’re cycling two, or 21 stages. They’ve juggled work and family commitments through a long cold winter of training. They’ve forced themselves onto turbo trainers when the British weather has defeated them. They’ve got up early to squeeze in training rides before work and they’ve negotiated full days and weekends away on the bike in order to clock up the mileage necessary to be able to ride multiple stages of the Tour de France route and still have enough energy left to look up and enjoy the view.
“It was worth everything: every single training session, every filthy day on the bike through the winter. Everything has been worth it” - Lifer Chris Bird Now fast forward to late March 2016 and I’m on a Spring training ride with the new recruits for the Tour de Force 2016. With just
March April 2017| 41
42 | Cycling World three months to go, the riders are eager to see how their fitness compares to their fellow riders’. They’re nervously checking out each other’s bikes, discussing kit and debating the value of body weight loss over carbon for those big mountain climbs in the Pyrenees and Alps. It’s my first chance to ride with any of them and a chance to hear some of their stories and how they came to sign up to this challenge. Paul is a heavily tattooed, lean and keen roadie. He looks tough, but he’s a sweetheart really. Nevertheless, he should have ‘commitment’ tattooed somewhere because this guy is seriously focused on the job in hand. He’s been training hard all winter, come rain or shine and will be riding all 21 stages. He’s clearly well-prepared, but he still has a healthy dose of nervous anticipation. He’s still not sure he’ll make it to Paris injury-free. Just like the pros – it’s never a done deal. “The opportunity to push my mind and body against cycling's ultimate challenge is too good to miss, and to have this adventure with like-minded people will make it even more rewarding. I feel mainly excited, but also apprehensive because I know for sure I’ll be heading towards emotional extremes from euphoria to complete emptiness … Bring It On!" By contrast, Denzil has none of the road-biking experience of Paul, but he’s humble and keen to learn as much as he can before heading to the Pyrenees for five of the toughest days of cycling on the tour this year. I predict emotions will be running high on the top of the Tourmalet, let alone the peak of Mont Ventoux, where he finishes. Denzil will be tested to the limits of his abilities and fitness, but I don’t doubt for one second that he’s got the grit to complete it. Like Paul, he’s absolutely committed to this challenge. “I have always loved the Tour De France but didn’t ride a bike. I needed a massive challenge in my life and up popped ‘Tour De Force’. It is true, I have my doubters, but I have my will power and I have my sponsors - failure is not an option” Annabel is a taking on the first half of the tour and although she’s ridden lots of long distance cycling holidays, the Tour de Force is probably going to be her biggest challenge yet. Riding from the Grand Depart at Mont St Michel to Andorra, she’ll be clocking up 1756km over just nine days of cycling. Based in Scotland, training through the winter has been really tough. Hours spent in spinning sessions and a big winter sun training camp have helped her get in shape but she’ll be working hard right up until her departure on tour. She’s a cheerful, fun person and what she lacks in endurance she’ll make up for in positive mental attitude. “I love a challenge and I love riding my bike. For me it’s partly about testing myself physically, but it’s also about enjoying the freedom of cycling in beautiful scenery with some fun, like-minded people.” Paul, Denzil and Annabel are just three of 170 or so riders taking part in the Tour de Force 2016, riding the route of the Tour de France, one week ahead of the pros. If you wish you were joining them, contact info@tourdeforce.org. uk to grab one of the last available places for 2016. Sales for the 2017 tour open on Wednesday 20th July for the first 100 places. The Tour de Force is a fundraiser for the William Wates Memorial Trust. The Trust gives grants to charities that work with the UK’s most disadvantaged youth by engaging with them through sports, music and education. The Trust has raised over £2.5 million through the Tour de Force. Riders commit to a minimum fundraising target dependent on the number of days they are cycling.
April 2017| 43
Family owned, our aim is to offer you and your family a relaxing and fun holiday in beautiful peaceful country surroundings. Ideally located for exploring this little known area of South East Cornwall and the stunning Rame Peninsula and Whitsand Bay, with the lovely fishing village of Looe just 20 minutes by car from the park. Dolbeare Park is just 5 miles from the Devon border. We are a dog friendly park and love well behaved dogs on leads. On site we have a small dog walk and there are miles and miles of country lanes and footpaths to explore from the park. The nearest beaches are all dog friendly too; with Seaton, Portwrinkle and all the beaches of Whitsand Bay (photo) all dog friendly all year. For caravans and motorhomes, we have large hardstanding pitches with 16amp electric and are also suitable for awnings. For tents, we have spacious grass pitches with or without electric, for tents up to 7.5m including guy ropes. We also have extra large grass pitches for giant tents. Some campers prefer to have an allweather pitch which is also available.
You can also hire our Eurotent and luxury Lotus Belle (yurt) tent Summer on the park finds us playing rounders, cricket, footy, chess, having BBQ’s, cheese and wine evenings, enjoying cream teas and you can try our freshly made to order delicious pizza’s. For breakfast, we can bake croissants, choc au pain’s, fresh bread as well as bacon and sausage baguettes and fresh bean coffee is always available with seating outside Reception. We have an award winning amenity block with family rooms, disabled room, large washing-up area, laundry, shop with offlicence, essentials, ice creams, sweets, free fridge and freezer. Being a small park, you can always be assured of a warm and friendly welcome.
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44 | Cycling World
Scotland: MTB in Glasgow With the Tour of Britain starting in Glasgow on Sunday 4 September we feature the Glasgow MTB Waterways Loop, courtesy of a New Cicerone Guide
Start/Finish
Boer War Memorial, Kelvingrove Park NS 572 665
Distance
54km (33ó miles); variant: 50.5km (31ó miles)
On road
8km (5 miles); variant: 6.5km (4 miles)
Off road
46km (28ó miles); variant: 44km (27ó miles)
Ascent
748m (2455ft); variant: 686m (2250ft)
Grade
Medium
Time
3ó–4óhrs
Maps
OS Explorer 342 Glasgow, 348 Campsie Fells;
OS
Landranger 64 Glasgow
Pub
Blane Valley Inn, Blanefield
Café
Cafe Barga, Lennoxtown
T
he NCR 756 follows the Kelvin Walkway northwest from Glasgow city centre alongside the eponymous river, winding its way between wooded embankments to cross the A81 by the West of Scotland Science Park. The Kelvin is rejoined on the edge of a housing estate, although it soon gains a more rural feel. The Kelvin is left behind and after a brief road section the Allander Walkway is followed into Milngavie. The route then heads north along the WHW through Mugdock Country Park and past Carbeth before descending into Strath Blane. From here the route turns east beneath the mighty escarpment of the Campsie Fells to Strathblane. (An alternative, shorter route between Carbeth and Strathblane is also described.) The Strathkelvin Railway Path is followed from Strathblane to Lennoxtown alongside the Pow Burn and the Glazert Water before the route strikes out across country, climbing over Blairskaith Muir on narrow lanes. A long descent along metalled tracks, rugged paths, winding lanes and surfaced trails delivers you to Cadder on the Forth and Clyde Canal for the ride back into Glasgow to rejoin the Kelvin Walkway by Maryhill Locks, where the outward route is rejoined.
Directions
1
. Follow the Kelvin Walkway as it wiggles its way alongside the River Kelvin, following signs for Milngavie. After 5km the walkway climbs towards the Maryhill Road, but turn sharp left on a tarmacked track through woods. Follow the track for 500m to arrive at a road then turn right to follow it through the West of Scotland Science Park. At a T-junction turn right, exit the Science Park and continue straight over the roundabout on the A81 Maryhill Road. Take the RH fork at a mini-roundabout to continue along Acre Road. Keep straight onto a tarmacked footpath then turn left after 300m onto a small path (no signpost), which leads back to the Kelvin.
2
. Follow the riverbank NE on a singletrack path (sometimes muddy and/or overgrown), soon emerging from the trees as the river winds its way through open countryside. After 2km the path reaches the A879. Leave the riverside path as the next section is largely unrideable. Turn left and stick to the pavement along the roadside for 1.25km, turning first left off a roundabout (stay on the grass verge) before crossing with care where a road bridge crosses the Allander Water.
April 2017| 45
3
. Continue along the pavement for 150m then turn right around a gate and continue along an embankment a short way. Go through a gate and turn left to continue along the Allander Walkway riverside path. Cross a footbridge to the opposite bank before crossing back and continuing until the A81 is reached on the outskirts of Milngavie. Turn left under the railway bridge then cross the road and follow the path uphill (Allander Way signpost) and continue to traffic lights at a junction. Turn right onto the B8030 and continue for 500m to another set of traffic lights at a junction. Turn left onto Ellangowan Road and follow it round to a paved area on the left with a WHW sign; leave the road here to join the WHW.
4
. Follow signs for Mugdock and the WHW, keep SA at a path junction, pass under a footbridge and keep straight on where a path bears left to the library. The path continues through woods then emerges by a bridge over the Allander Water right; bear and continue alongside the burn (watch out for dog walkers), soon looking out for a signpost on the right where the WHW climbs suddenly and steeply away from the river. At the top of the climb turn left at a T-junction, following the WHW. The path broadens and continues through Mugdock Wood.
5
. Pass around a metal barrier onto a road; turn left then jink right again on the WHW. Continue along the metalled track, skirting Scroggy Hill and soon passing to the left of Craigallian Loch. At a fork bear right, descending then climbing a little past a collection of the Carbeth Huts (wood cabins used as weekend retreats).
6
. Go through another gate, descend a short way then turn left at a path junction, continuing past the west side of the wooded knoll of Dumgoyach. The path descends, swings right then climbs to a gate. Go through and follow a track to the right of the path. Cross the Blane Water and keep straight on (leaving the WHW) to a T-junction. Turn right along the A81 or 1km before turning left onto an unsignposted farm road. Head towards the farm at Craigbrock, turn sharp left and follow the winding road up to a junction with the ‘Pipe Track’ running beneath the escarpment of the Campsie Fells. Turn right, continue around to Cantywheery, then follow the track straight on for 2km to reach the A81 at Blanefield. Turn left and follow the road for 700m into Strathblane.
7
. Turn left off the mini-roundabout onto the A891 (signposted Campsie Glen, Lennoxtown), then after 150m turn right off the road onto a narrow lane
(signposted Strathkelvin Railway Path: 755). Continue along the lane and cross a bridge to join the surfaced path alongside the Pow Burn. After 5km, jink right at a path junction (signposted Strathkelvin Railway Path: 755), cross a footbridge and arrive at a road. Turn left a short way then cross over (755 sign) to continue by the river on a surfaced path through woods. At a path junction, turn left then right to follow the Strathkelvin Railway Path alongside Glazert Water. Pass under a road bridge, re-cross the river on a footbridge and arrive at a road 300m further on.
8
. Turn right (signposted Lennox Forest, Balmore) along the track road then fork right after 600m onto a loose stone track climbing through Finniescroft Wood. At the T-junction with South Brae Road, turn left (signposted Balmore) and continue, soon climbing steeply. The gradient eventually levels and enters Lennox Forest. The public road runs out at a parking area near a communications tower. Keep straight on (signposted Balmore 3.) around a barrier onto a forestry road. After 400m turn left and descend along a forestry track; where it swings left keep straight on onto a path (this I easy to miss), which soon leaves the forestry via a stile, swings right and contours around to another stile. Go over and descend steeply on the Mealybrae Road – a narrow, bouldery path, which makes an entertaining descent. Keep straight on downhill and the track soon rejoins tarmac.
9
. Keep straight on at a junction then straight on (right) at a fork and follow the winding road down to Balmore, continuing through the village to a junction with the A807. Jink left then right onto residential Old Balmore Road, then after 250m turn right onto a surfaced track between fields (signposted Canal, Bishopbriggs). Turn left then right to cross the River Kelvin on a footbridge and continue right (signposted Canal, Bishopbriggs) along a wooded path between golf courses then a track road. Pass the church at Cadder and swing right on the road alongside the Forth and Clyde Canal.
1
0. Continue on the NR754 cycle route along the towpath for 6km before taking a RH fork down off the embankment onto Lochburn Road (signposted Clydebank, Bowling). Go through the tunnel then turn immediately left to climb the path to the embankment. Turn left and continue along the embankment (signposted Clydebank, Bowling), soon passing Maryhill Locks. Look out for a Kelvin Walkway sign and turn left to follow the path in a series of zig-zags down to the river, bearing left to follow the outward route back to the start in Kelvingrove Park.
46 | Cycling World
Glasgowopolis Gordon Cairns takes a futuristic ride along the Clyde to the heat of Glasgow
T
he precinct of Glasgow's media hub could have been created by a cartoonist from the fifties imagining a futuristic metropolis. This unusual cityscape with its rocket-shaped Science Tower across the river and assorted oddly shaped buildings is our starting point to cycle along the banks of the River Clyde, taking us into the city's industrial past. Even reaching it is slightly futuristic, as we cycle through a massive corrugated orange tube which takes us up and over the Exhibition Centre train station then spits us out at the city's newest music venue, the Hydro. Another curious aspect of the architecture here are the close proximity of the bridges, two footbridges straddle the river within pebble skimming distance of each other and a road bridge just a few hundred metres away. In fact, twenty two bridges cross the river and act as distance markers on the trip I am taking with my 10-year-old son Noah. There are also a couple of tunnels under the river. Does this say something about the citizens of Glasgow, I wonder, never happy with the side of the river they are on. We head out of the car park of the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre on what feels like the first sunny day of the year towards the largest remaining artefact of the city's industrial age, the Finnieston Crane, a 175-ton colossus which was built to load steam engines onto ships to be exported across the world. Now standing out-with its industrial context, it is like a giant toy abandoned by a bored child. We navigate over the 'Squinty Bridge', so called for the angle it crosses the river and drop back down to the riverside passing the long disused Anderston Quay, now converted into flats, with the Kingston Bridge, the main motorway artery taking traffic south west, looming above. On the other side of the bridge is a section skirting the financial district of the city which has been landscaped in recent years into a wide, ramped section ideal for cycling through stone benches and bollards. Here is another remnant of Glasgow’s past as a starting off point for sea voyages from the city that once built more than half of the World's ships. We pass a group of cycling's illegitimate offspring, a bunch of baggy kids doing stunts on their tiny BMX bikes. Meanwhile, on the water sits the creaking Renfrew Ferry, a nightclub and live music venue with a carpet of river debris connecting it to the shore. We soon have to dismount and carry our bikes up a set of stairs to get under the George the Fifth Road Bridge which sits alongside the second Caledonian Railway Bridge, an impressive Victorian structure which carries thirteen tracks into Glasgow's Central station and at one point was the widest railway bridge over a river in the country. The next bridge we pass is my favourite; a Victorian suspension bridge which gently vibrates as you cross
April 2017| 47
TRAINS The bike path can be joined from the west at either the Partick or Exhibition Centre train stations although both can be awkward manhandling bikes! Cost from Glasgow's Central or Queen Street stations are £1.90 return to Partick and £1.60 to the Exhibition Centre. The closest station at the east end of the route is Cambuslang, which can be reached from Central Station. A return costs £3.10.
ROUTE INFO From Partick station turn right and go through the gap between the shopping arcade and the station. Cross Beith Road at the traffic lights, where you will see a signpost marking National Cycle Network Route 7. Turn left, heading towards the city centre. From the Exhibition Centre station, turn right and immediately right again to go through the covered walkway, which crosses the track and Clydeside Expressway. Then, head down towards the waterfront to the find the cycle path. From Cambuslang train station, exit the station onto Main Street and cross the road onto Bridge Street, which leads down to the footbridge crossing the River Clyde onto its north bank. Turn left to cycle back into the city.
48 | Cycling World and was used in the film 'An Englishman Abroad' to replicate Cold War Moscow. On our left hand side is a massive mural of a tiger painted onto a wall: as striking as the black and orange image is, we can't come up with a possible reason how it got there. We are now not far from ex-professional Billy Bilslands' Cycling shop, and it is worth the slight detour alone to see Robert Millar's polka-dot King of the Mountain's jersey hanging on the wall. Millar gave the jersey he won at the Tour de France in 1984 to his first trainer Bilsland. During last year's Commonwealth Games in the city, this small shop became known across the globe for giving the Malawian cycling team a couple of time trialling bikes after putting their own, less roadworthy, frames into the shop to be repaired. The shop sits on the edge of Glasgow Green, a beautiful sprawling park made famous by revolutionary Glaswegians over the centuries. It is also the base for the Glasgow Rowing Club, and for a stretch we pedal alongside a cox on his bike calling out strokes through a megaphone to the rowers skimming through the peaceful river. This stretch of river in the east of the city has benefitted from the Commonwealth Games immensely, from the Hockey Centre in the park, the Athlete's Village which has been turned into a mixture of social housing, and the Chris Hoy Arena, Glasgow's first velodrome. I must admit to initially feeling cynical about the games organisers claims that watching world class athletes in their home city would inspire Glaswegians to take up a sport and get fit. After all, we are voracious sporting spectators here in a city full of football stadiums, but are still known as the sick man of Europe. Perhaps because we associate watching sport with either the traditional pie and Bovril or the more modern crisps and hot dogs, not to mention the after-match beer. And yet, the large number of cyclists, joggers and walkers on this newly opened stretch of path through the east of the city show that actually, there has been a very positive legacy effect. Once past the Commonwealth Games village, the landscape becomes surprisingly rural as the river bank which was previously used by industry is allowed to grow wild. Trees and bushes fringe the path which has been resurfaced. And although I am riding a road bike, I find the ride smooth apart from a few bumps where tree roots have tried to push through. Below us the river bends back on itself. The path rises up just as it goes under the new M74 motorway bridge as the river rushes across rocks way below us. There are only a few more bridges to go under before the path finally peters out. We eat our sandwiches sitting at what looks like a disused pumping station covered in graffiti on the edge of the suburb of Carmyle before turning back to the city. With twelve miles in his legs, my son is beginning to feel tired, perhaps because the carrot of the double-chocolate cookie has now been eaten, so we cycle back arm in arm as I try to sling shot him home. We trundle back through the centre of the city, passing a statue commemorating Spanish Civil War heroine La Passionara and the British members of the International Brigade who went to Spain to fight. However, her inspirational words carved below the memorial: 'Better to die on your feet than live forever on your knees.' Are not enough to keep him going, and so we curtail our journey at seventeen miles, and instead get a train from the nearby Central Station home.
April 2017| 49
Top of 2016
50 | Cycling World
Mountain Bike Brands
We asked the experts at Formby Cycles about what bikes performed well in 2016. It should inform our purchases for 2017…
Giant
For the last few years Giant have been at the top of their game; for entry-level mountain bikers or seasoned pros, there’s something for everyone. The Stance 27.5 has a lightweight ALUXXGrade aluminium frame and full 120mm suspension making it an ideal gateway bike into the world of trail riding that offers great value for money. Much like the Stance, Giant’s Trance features an ALUZZ-Grade frame but benefits from an OverDrive steer tube and Power Core bottom bracket for greater steering precision and pedalling stiffness suited to enduro rides. Skilled gravity enduro riders loved Giant’s Reign. With full, 160mm suspension, the Reign has 6.3 inches of travel and a slacker, 65-degree head angle for reliable, precision, downhill riding.
Giant Stance
Giant Reign
Specialized The Stumpjumper FSR 650 Fattie brought three new components to this trail bike in 2016: a new 650b wheel system with 3.0” tyres for top-notch traction, flotation and control; a 9m carbon-fibre FACT frame that’s strong, stiff and lightweight; and a SWAT door in the downtube for stowing a spare tube, tool and pump. Some downhill bikes simply cannot be improved. Don’t believe us? Try the World Cup winning Specialized Demo 8. The asymmetrical FACT frame and 650b wheels are paired with 200mm FSR suspension and S3 GH geometry for superb traction, manoeuvrability and responsive rider control. With bikes that take care of the terrain, you need accessories that take care of you. Specialized Dissident full-face helmets are ventilated, lightweight and feature the most advanced carbon fibre protection available, plus they’re compatible with speakers, helmet EJECT™ and Leatt™ brace systems. Specialized MTB
April 2017| 51
Whyte Entry-level mountain bikers found the T-130 offered great value for money. With 130mm travel on 650b wheels and a Shimano SLX/XT 20 Speed Drivetrain, this bike is available in extra small to large frame sizes so any rider can get on board and get biking. Improving on the award-winning 905, the 905 RS features a SRAM 1x11 Groupset, RockShox Yari Fork and KS Dropper Post to make it one awesome Hardtail trail bike that’s perfect for taking on the British terrain. Ridden by Whyte’s own gravity enduro race team, the G-160 Works mountain bike has it all. Featuring a SRAM XX1, 1x11 Drivetrain and Boost 148mm rear and 110mm front hubs that are matched with the RockShox Pike Fork and Monarch Air Shocks DebonAir air can, this bike has stiffer wheels and superior suspension for unbeatable enduro and cross country riding. Whyte T130
Santa Cruz Revised, refined and ready for riding, the infamous, award-winning V10 featuring a full carbon frame with C and CC options, adjustable geometry, VPP suspension system and 27.5” wheels, is one of the best DH bikes there is. Also refined for 2016 was the Bronson C. Now featuring the new VPP Suspension link system which improves lateral stiffness, the RockShox Pike RCT3 150 Solo Air Forksteeper for greater sensitivity, and newly enhanced seat and slacker head tube positioning, this is the bike for riders who want rally-ready geometry and incredible handling. The Chameleon also saw some refinements made with upgrades that include RockShox Stealth Reverb routing, 142mm rear axle spacing and 27.5” wheels which improve performance without compromising its impressive hardtail geometry.
Santa Cruz MTB
Cannondale Love Enduro and XC riding? Then you need the Cannondale Trigger. With the lightweight LEFTY fork for control and precision and DYAD RT2 Attitude Adjust shocks, you can switch from shorttravel elevate mode to long-travel flow in an instant, making this the ultimate OverMountain bike. With an alloy frame and 27+ wheels, the new Beast of the East MTB is designed to make any ride first and foremost, fun. Featuring a slack angle head, short chainstays and Lefty 2.0 fork for improved suspension and shock absorption, this bike makes it possible to take on the most challenging terrains and nail them. Cannondale Trigger
Addicted to mountain biking? Then you need a Habit! With lightweight carbon shock links, zero-pivot seatstays for more responsive suspension and lateral stiffness, 760mm bars and shorty stems this do-it-all trailbike is available in three frame options: the full BallisTec carbon, the full Smart Formed Alloy, or the combined BallisTec Carbon front and Smart Formed rear.
52 | Cycling World
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February April2016 2017| | 53
T
O
P
MTB T I P S
from David Kinjah
David Kinjah is an MTB race organizer and trainer in Kenya. He trained Tour de France Champion Chris Froome. He tells us “cycling in Kenya is growing fast. Both on and off-road, cycling is gaining in popularity, and my advice is to opt for mountain biking as this offers an opportunity for the riders to truly connect with nature.” Here are his top five tips, using the Mount Kenya Epic as an example: Chris Froome’s champion trainer shares his top five tips for MTB racing
1
Break long days down into sections
As well as physical fitness, it’s a mental game too. Take each day as it comes and then break each day down further into sections, providing a collection of mini challenges. Working your way through each of these challenges will build momentum. Cycling in Kenya takes place both in the low lands and highlands, often at altitudes of above 2000 metres.
2
Take in the scenery and engage with the communities
Make sure you take in the scenery while en-route to distract from the physical challenges you are putting your body through. The Mt Kenya Epik challenge in particular offers stunning views across Kenya and the majestic Mt Kenya. Take time to engage with the local communities as you cycle through and beware
of domestic animals; dogs, donkeys, chickens and goats crossing your path – in Africa, expect anything.
3
Get the right gear
Simple preparation to ensure suitable clothing can make a huge impact on your race results. Too many layers will make you prone to sweat more, requiring significantly more replenishing stops, slowing you down; or if you go without a waterproof coat when there is rain scheduled, clothes will be heavier making the journey even more challenging.
4
Breakfast of winners
Ensure you are eating high energy foods and carbohydrates before the race. Throughout, aim to consume energy drinks, bananas and honey, then once the race is completed, replenish your body with plenty of recovering
drinks/gels and water to rebuild muscle damage. Carefully choosing the right food before, during and after your cycling trip can increase your appetite for the race. Cycling requires you to use high levels of energy which your body won’t be used to, and fuel levels need to be constantly topped up.
5
Communication is key
Cycling with someone else or a group can give you additional support as well as push you into territories you might otherwise be afraid to do on your own. The Mt Kenya Epik race requires you to be part of a two-person mountain bike stage race so it’s hugely important to choose your partner wisely, to act as encouragement for each other. Strong communication is needed all the way through to ensure you both reach your optimum level without overworking yourselves.
54 | Cycling World
RAB Bike Review
Light Blue Robinson £1400 Did I appreciate a steel bike! Maybe I wasn’t the fastest up the hills, but as the week went on I was enjoying comfort while others were complaining of lower back pain
C
omfort is what you want with nine long days in the saddle and the Robinson offers just that. In various sizes, I rode a bike to fit me and the combination of Reynolds Steel 731 and sports geometry created the perfect mix of liveliness and long-haul body wellbeing. The geometry includes a sloping top tube design permitting more seat post and thus more comfort. Sprightliness is also designed in, the custom Bi-Oval down tube reduces lateral flex in the bottom bracket therefore allowing better power transmission. I really noticed this when riding in groups where everyone else was on carbon; I kept my place and by the end of the week I was one of the stronger climbers with a more-nurtured lower back. On the subject of group riding, I often found myself at the front, the best place to be when you are one of the few with mudguards. Although it didn’t rain, we often started on wet roads, and why people ride without mudguards during an event that is all about teamwork is a mystery to me. The Robinson offers ample clearance and multiple mudguard mount bosses to allow various fitting options. The frame also gives clearance for wider tyres. I happily used 28c, the right choice for a route that sometimes included bridleways, fire roads and gravel tracks, not to mention the neglected trunk roads of Scotland. It was not only wider tyres that contributed to the reassuring feeling of stability, necessary when often riding completely exhausted. It’s the first time I’ve used disc brakes on a road bike; certainly welcomed on gravely descents when riding in large groups. Lightweight butted Cr-Mo highly stable D section straight fork blades allow for disc brakes, which come as standard, though it can be built with caliper brakes. Build options include a variety of Shimano and SRAM varieties; I plumped for Shimano 105. As my own bikes are a few years old, I find myself so impressed by the quality of the current Shimano 105 group set, it just gets better every year. My compact front and 11-28 rear served me well through the most challenging of climbs; it made Cheddar Gorge a piece of cake (sounds like a well-deserved high tea!) Interestingly, the switchable alloy dropouts allow geared or single speed set ups. Additionally, rear hub spacing also gives options; 130 or 135mm and 142mm if Thru Axle is required. The Robinson is attractive and well thought-out. Neatness is considered with bolt-in under top-tube cable guides and down-tube shifter bosses. The bike keeps up its fine appearance with corrosion resistant black ED coated base finish. When riding in such style, it’s got to sound good too: a reliable 1 1/8” threadless headset and creak free 68mm BSA threaded bottom bracket contribute to the symphony of silence. The Robinson is the perfect partner for multiday riding, especially for the rider that likes to take care of him/herself. With threaded M5 rack mounts on seat stays, it’s also ideal for light touring.
April 2017| 55
56 | Cycling World
Build Options:
* Robinson 22RD Shimano 105 5800 * Robinson 22RD SRAM Rival * Robinson D Shimano Sora * Robinson D SRAM Apex * Robinson D 1x Rival
Robinson Spec-Shimano 105 Frame Tig welded Reynolds 731 Steel Cassette Shimano 105 5800 11spd (11-28) Chainset Shimano 105 5800 (50/34) Wheels Halo Devaura D 700c 24 Tyres Schwalbe Durano 28c Handlebars Genetic Flare Stem Genetic SLR Groupset Shimano 105 5800 Brakes Avid BB7 Disc Brakes Saddle Gusset Black Jack Seatpost Genetic Syngenic Mudguards Full length Light Blue specific Colours Volcano Orange or Airforce Blue Weight 10.35kg/22.77 lbs (56cm) Sizes 50/53/56/59/62cm
March April 2017| 57
58 | Cycling World
Good Friday
Track Cycling’s Iconic Event
T
he Good Friday Meeting, one of the most iconic track cycling competitions in the calendar, returns to the Lee Valley VeloPark on Friday 25th March 2016.
With over 100 years of history, The Good Friday meeting is the oldest track cycling event in Britain and pre-dates the Tour de France. The world famous meeting was conceived in January 1903 when a small group of enthusiasts persuaded their sceptical colleagues of the Southern Counties Cycling Union that they should promote a meeting at Herne Hill on the coming Good Friday. A guarantee fund was set up but with the meeting turning out an unqualified success this was not required, in fact a useful profit was made. The track was booked for following year and the almost unbroken series of meetings has continued to the present day. Up until last year, The Good Friday Meeting has been held at the Herne Hill Velodrome, one of the oldest cycling tracks in the world having been built in 1891; however, it was decided in 2015 that an indoor arena was acquired for this prestigious event to prevent the meeting from being weather permitted. Thus, the famous Lee Valley VeloPark, home of the record breaking track cycling team that conquered the 2012 Olympics is now the its new venue. The meeting attracts some of the world’s best riders and will be one the few opportunities to see Team GB riders in action on home soil ahead of this year’s Olympics. As the only Open event within British track cycling, The Good Friday meeting enables fans, amateurs, professionals and legends of cycling to compete together for one day only. Legends of cycling have plied their trade at The Good Friday meeting for decades; it is an icon within British Cycling History. In the past it has seen the likes of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Jody Cundy, Andy Tennant and Ed Clancy compete, and with the Olympics looming only months away from the event, be sure to find some of the best British talent riding and perhaps even a few Olympic names. For further information visit: www.thegoodfridaymeeting.co.uk
April 2017| 59
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60 | Cycling World
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March April 2017| 61
Chasing the Sunrise
- A Snapshot of the World
I
n March 2016 a team of two mountain bikers are embarking on the Chasing the Sunrise expedition. Gavin and Shaun, both skilled cyclists, mountaineers and passionate photographers, are setting out on an incredible Seven Summits journey, possibly a world first, by pedal power and unsupported. The pair are setting out to document first-hand the landscape and culture across the planet whilst journeying to attempt seven major summits along the way. A bespoke journey of over 38,000miles, taking them through some of the most remote and least visited parts of the globe, hopes to raise awareness of conservation and climate change. Taking in many of the planets highest mountains, the duo will be travelling across the globe where they will be leaving the asphalt behind. With the skills and tools to access and document life far into the wilderness, the expedition aims to educate and inspire both along the way and back home in the developed world.
Through careful and thoughtful use, the camera offers a valuable tool for educating and raising awareness. In the mountains and from the saddle, viewpoints far beyond what others are able to appreciate, Gavin and Shaun, with a mutual love of mountains and cycling, and with the skills to go far beyond the comfort of the developed countries, are taking the challenge of carefully recording a passionate and genuine image of the world along the way. Chasing The Sunrise is setting out to promote the awareness of conservation and climate change, whilst supporting education across the world. Back home the expedition is raising money to support the conservation work of the WWF with a notable target of ÂŁ100,000 of fundraising. The expedition is online at www.ChasingTheSunrise.org or follow their journey to see the world @chasingthesunrise on Instagram, Flickr, Twitter and Facebook.
62 | Cycling World
London UCI Track Cycling World Championships London is gearing up to host what will be the biggest UCI Track Cycling World Championships in the modern era. Organisers have revealed over 50,000 tickets have been sold for the event taking place between 2-6 March at the Lee Valley VeloPark, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Founded in 1893, the prestigious competition has been the annual pinnacle for competitive track cyclists from all over the globe. Now returning to the UK for the first time in eight years, the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships will see the world’s best cyclists descend on the capital as they compete for the coveted world champion rainbow jerseys.
Spectators at Lee Valley VeloPark can expect five days of exciting racing with UCI World Champions being crowned in seven of the twelve sessions. Some of the highlights include: • Wednesday 2nd: The men’s and women’s team sprints plus the women’s individual pursuit, in which Joanna Rowsell Shand won gold in 2014.
• Saturday 5th: The prize fighters of the men’s team sprint clash with fans hoping to see Jason Kenny win his first rainbow jersey since 2013.
• Thursday 3rd: Four world titles will be up for grabs, with Sir Bradley Wiggins expected to ride in the men’s team pursuit.
• Sunday 6th: Laura Trott will be aiming to win her second world title in the women’s omnium, while the Madison, won by Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish the last time the UCI World Championships were in Britain, will round off an amazing week’s racing.
• Friday 4th: Four more golds to be decided with Britain’s women’s team pursuiters looking to hit back at the world-record breaking Australians.
April 2017| 63
Having won silver in the women’s team pursuit and omnium at the 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, Laura Trott will be hoping to go one better and match her performance at Melbourne 2012 when she claimed rainbow jerseys in both events. Trott said: “This year’s UCI Track Cycling World Championships will be spectacular. It would be amazing to compete in my home city and with the backing of so many fans. “I’m 100% focussed on making the team and winning gold in the omnium and women’s pursuit. It would be the perfect way to start what is hopefully going to be a fantastic year.”
Legacy Programme Announced
The organisers of the event have announced a £200,000 legacy programme to bring cycling to local schools and hard-to-reach communities and get East London pedalling towards improved fitness. The inclusive programme, which is funded by Sport England through the Major Events Engagement Fund and provided by Lee Valley Regional Park Authority in conjunction with British Cycling, London Sport and London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC), aims to encourage people of all ages to take the first steps towards an active, healthier lifestyle. The legacy programme rides on the back of the world championships and aims to maximise the opportunity that this major sporting event provides for increasing activity in cycling. The sport will be made more accessible to disability groups, young people, older residents and community groups in the Boroughs of Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest. Key components include: • A targeted approach to increasing the number of young people in the sport with the Cycling Ambassador Programme. • Development of the next generation of track stars with the appointment of a qualified British Cycling Go-Ride coach. • Partnerships with local health providers and a wide range of activities aimed at improving general fitness via Cycling for Health. • Investment in adapted cycles and sessions at Lee Valley VeloPark for people with disabilities. • Tickets for the 2016 UCI Track Cycling World Championships provided for participants in the legacy programmes. Research has shown that communities around the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park are some of the least active in London with 46.8% of adults inactive, compared with 43.9% for London. The inspiration and focus of a world-
class cycling event in the heart of East London will be harnessed with a programme that aims to leave a lasting legacy of sports participation and improved health to those residents. Jonny Clay, Cycle Sport and Membership Director at British Cycling said, “We are sure that the legacy programme will be a tremendous success and a valuable source of advice and knowledge for the growing numbers of people who want to take part in the sport.
“Ensuring a participation legacy is a key part of British Cycling’s major events strategy. That is to say, we judge the value of events on their capacity to inspire people to get more active by getting on their bikes more often.” Cycling is an excellent activity for improving general fitness and for providing a focus for social activity. Many people are set to benefit from the inclusive programme with targeted recruitment through community groups, GPs and primary care as the start of the pathway into cycling. In partnership with Bikeworks and Lee Valley VeloPark, residents of all ages and abilities will be able to access a wide range of bicycles including recumbent, tricycles and traditional two wheelers. The thrill of cycling is fully accessible at the Lee Valley VeloPark with a pool of specially adapted bikes for those with disabilities, part of their ‘disability cycling hub’.
64 | Cycling World
Film Review
FAST FRIDAY Director David Rowe Produced 2008 Duration 42 mins Certificate No certificate. Suggested 10+ Available at: fastfridaymovie.com Free to view, DVD with bonus features $US 10
April 2017| 65
F
ast Friday is a documentary about track bikes in the city of Seattle and the culture that has grown up around them. The director gives an insight into his motivation behind the film: “In November 2006 I quit my job as a bellman to begin shooting a documentary I wanted to do on the Seattle hip hop scene. Then a friend of mine told me about a monthly event called “Fast Friday,” he suggested I bring my camera and shoot it. I showed up, lights and camera in hand, not knowing what to expect or for what purpose this footage would be used. A year and 10 “Fast Fridays” later, I’m in Tokyo to attend the premiere screening of my documentary at the Bicycle Film Festival. "I shot three "Fast Fridays" before I decide to make the documentary, I was running out of money and needed to make a decision between moving to LA or getting another job in Seattle and completing the movie, obviously I chose the latter. Since I already had three “Fast Fridays” in the can I decided to continue filming in the same manner for the rest of them, as a participant. I wanted the viewer to feel as if they were sharing the experience with the riders on screen.” Outdoor track cycling on fixed wheel bikes was first introduced underground in San Francisco, California in 2006 and Dustin Klein, a bike messenger and protagonist, took the idea to Seattle together with his idea for urban cycle clothing. This film is possibly a precursor to films produced by British riders such as Martyn Ashton and Danny Macaskill who showcase their incredible riding skills on a road bike and a trials bike. The documentary is a testament to the riders’ abilities. The opening scene interviews some of the key ompetitors in the film’s culminating Fast Friday race, some with track backgrounds and many of whom have travelled from all over the country. Interestingly, we are introduced to riders, the tricks they can perform and their pleasure in riding bikes with fixed gears and no brakes. It is all about pushing their skills but at the same time having fun. One of the key events is the Cadence Classic where in January the competition is a trackstand, in February it’s a quick stop competition and the main race – an alley cat race takes place in March. One particular guy Keo is interviewed as the winner of the Cadence Classic and he explains that riding bikes has saved him from a life of guns and shootings. There is joyous sense of community throughout, encouraging people to ride fixed wheel bikes for commuting and not just racing. There is a feeling that it binds everybody together through winter. Coupled with a certain degree of madness these guys are like the skateboarders of the 70s with their gung-ho and fearless attitude. It left me with the reassuring feeling that anything is possible on a bike.
PEAK DISTRICT FEATURE
by Sarah Roe
Peaks and Troughs
March 2017| 67
T
he challenging gradients, bleak moorlands and fast roads of the Peak District are often associated with the world of competitive cycling. Tea rooms in villages throughout the region cashed in on the crowds lining the streets for last year’s Aviva Tour of Britain and the Tour of Yorkshire in 2014, while gaggles of lycra-clad warriors are a common sight toiling up the dizzying heights of Winnat’s Pass from picturesque Edale, or relaxing in Hathersage or Castleton after a rapid moorland descent. But the county has gentler charms too. The striking landscape was once a thriving network of train and tram lines serving mills, quarries mines, most of which now lie as dormant museum relics of railway heritage, fading and crumbling back amongst the wildflowers, rocks and native woodlands. Several former railway lines have been resurrected as walking and cycle tracks, which at weekends buzz with throngs of families and daytrippers, gliding along linear, surfaced pathways. In 2015 two of these trails were voted by the charity Sustrans’ supporters as their favourite routes. The Monsal Trail for the best path under 30 miles and the Transpennine Trail (which includes a former railway track in the Peak District) for top long distance route. While most people arrive at these traffic-free paths by car, both trails are close to railway lines between Manchester and Buxton or Manchester and Sheffield, so there are some great opportunities to make linear journeys by bicycle, and get a lift home at the end.
MONSAL TRAIL
On a quiet day there is something Tolkienesque and mystical about the Monsal Trail. Imposing limestone cliffs seem to glow in the sunlight, there are sweeping views, colourful wildflowers and monolithic remnants of a bygone industry. The railway caused outrage when it was first built in 1863 as part of the Midland Railway line to London. The Duke of Devonshire objected to this new-fangled transport method which would have gone through his grounds, which meant the route was redirected through the Wye Valley. His neighbour, the Duke of Rutland, demanded that the line went through a tunnel so his view was intact. The railway closed in 1968 and slowly went back to nature. Tunnels through the hills became derelict and four of them were closed to the public. But in 2011 they opened up as part of the route and a new tourist gateway to Bakewell was born. From Miller’s Dale car park near Bixton the eight and a half mile path follows the river Wye and then sweeps up to the old railway at the start of the Monsal Trail. The surfaced path makes for an easy ride, so there’s plenty of scope for relaxing and taking in the view. In spring the trail is peppered with wildflowers including orchids and wild thyme and sunlight shimmers through native trees on the hillside. A towering old limekiln on the side of the track sprouts grasses and flowers and now acts as a home for birds and bats, and the string of tunnels along the trail are a constant reminder of its industrial past. Chee Tor, Rusher Cutting, Litton, Cressbrook, Headstone: their names echo the epic task for Victorian railroad engineers hacking through the hillside. Now eerily quiet they are home to various species of bats, which roost amongst cracks of the brickwork. Each of the tunnels are around 400 metres long and have lights activated by sensors which operate during daylight hours. If you're travelling in the afternoon take some lights in case you get caught out. There’s a tea and coffee stall, toilets, and an overgrown platform halfway at the disused Millers Dale station, while the elegant old building that was once Hassop station is now a bustling cafe and bookstore dedicated to the needs of hungry cyclists and walkers. You will need to be a confident road
To Tideswell
MILLERS DALE
To Buxton
0 A527 Pennine Way Bridleway
Lime Kilns
Blackwell Turn
Litton Mill
Cressbrook
CL 9
ale eD Che
TIDESWELL DALE
B6 04
WYEDALE Blackwell Mill
Lime Kilns SED CLO EL N TUN
OS ED
TU N
NE L
Cressbrook Mill Upperdale
Little Longstone
Great Longstone
Monsal Dale A6 To Taddington
MONSAL HEAD
CLO S TUN ED NEL B6
TRAIL FOOTPATH ROAD PARKING TOILET INFORMATION CENTRE INFORMATION BOARD
WHITE LODGE
46
Riv
er Wy e
0
02
5
A6
Hassop
19
A6
Ashford in the Water
A6 BAKEWELL STATION Bakewell
1 KILOMETRE To Matlock
Coombs Road Viaduct
68 | Cycling World
LONGDENDALE Route Map
cyclist to brave the four miles on the hairy A6 from Buxton station to the start of the trail at Millers Dale. Families tend to bring their bikes in the car or take a taxi from the station and hire bikes at Blackwell Bike Hire, a mile’s walk from the car park. www.peakdistrict.gov.uk
LONGDENDALE TRAIL
On the morning of the Tour de Yorkshire this busy former railway track between Manchester and Sheffield buzzed with the whirr of tyres on tarmac as thousands of spectators rushed to Holme Moss to get a prime viewing spot on the moor. The sevenmile Longdendale Trail to the Woodhead Tunnels is a peaceful traffic-free section of the Transpennine Trail linked by road to another off-road path from Dunford Bridge to Penistone, and popular as part of a daytrip to Sheffield. The start of the Longdendale Trail is conveniently located close to Hadfield station, so you can take the whole family along a ride on the train from Manchester without getting out the car, though you will need to turn round and go back again. You’ll cruise past a string of reservoirs and wild open moorland, with magnificent views of the Nine Holes Bridge and Torside reservoir, which once powered cotton and paper mills and now supplies much of Greater Manchester’s water. The surfaced path is an easy, mainly flat cycle to the Woodhead tunnels, with a crossing at the B6105 Glossop road. Three parallel tunnels, which are closed to the public, are each three miles long and now carry electricity via cables. Famous as the location for filming of ‘League of Gentlemen’ the traditional mill town of Hadfield has shops, toilets, a cafe and bike hire (Longdendale cycles). Real ale fans may want to make a detour to larger Glossop, where Music pub The Globe serves up a fine selection of beers, and is also, unusually, a destination throughout Greater Manchester for vegan food. www. transpenninetrail.org.uk
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70 | Cycling World
PEAK DISTRICT FEATURE
Family Cycling and Motorhoming in The Peaks The Peak District is a gem in the English landscape, offering invigorating cycling. Easy to get to and with a wealth of places to stay, including Caravan Club sites, Cycling World Editor takes the family there for a cycling holiday.
April 2017| 71
T
he upland area known as The Peak District offers a patchwork of English culture as it spans across numerous regions: mainly situated in northern Derbyshire it also includes parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. This makes a cycling holiday rather appealing from the outset; all those café stops each offering local cakes- we’re packing the I-Spy Book of Cakes. The National Park was opened in 1951 and with its proximity to the cities of Manchester and Sheffield and easy access by road and rail, it attracts millions of visitors every year. It’s an area of great diversity, split into the northern Dark Peak, where most of the moorland is found and whose geology is gritstone, and the southern White Peak, where most of the population lives and whose geology is mainly limestone. Booking is recommended at holiday times and weekends throughout the year. Our trip promised a slice of luxury with the loan of a motorhome from The Caravan Club. The sheer size of it installed trepidation; the six-berth for mere three would have taken up four places in the local carpark so had to be dropped off a mile up the coast. But there’s nothing like a giant Wendy house on wheels to get the kids excited about going away, especially those who have spent many a trip catching droplets of rain from flysheets into saucepans. The Caravan Club website provides a comprehensive list motorhome rental outlets. Our destination is Chatsworth Park Caravan Club Site, Bakewell, Derbyshire. It’s set in the old walled garden on the picturesque Chatsworth Estate, established by the Duchess of Devonshire in 1977. The site caters for the younger visitor with a farmyard and adventure playground. The village of Baslow is a fifteen-minute walk with a couple of good pubs, including the refurbished Devonshire Arms. Bakewell market on Mondays is recommended. One of the first visits should be to the Estate, which includes the grandiose house, where you can escape on one the inevitable rainy days, wandering around the beautifully decorated rooms. There are also the formal gardens, farm shop and café. Scenic strolls and cycling on tarmac roads are a must in the 1,000-acre park laid out by Capability Brown. 2016 is the year to enjoy the landscape designer who changed our countryside and created a style which has shaped people’s picture of quintessentially rural England. This year marks the 300th anniversary of the birth of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown with a lottery-funded festival, the first ever celebration of Brown’s extensive works, bringing together a huge range of events, openings and exhibitions. From traffic-free, disused railway lines to climbs that feature in ‘yet another collection of great cycling climbs’, there’s something for everyone when cycling in the Peaks.
TOUR OF THE SOUTHERN PEAK DISTRICT ON THE TISSINGTON TRAIL
Sustrans’ National Cycle Network routes on the old Cromford and High Peak, and Ashbourne and Buxton railways lines provide accessible family routes. Following the route of the former Buxton to Ashbourne railway line, the Tissington Trail runs from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay passing through the picturesque village of Tissington and the beautiful countryside of the Derbyshire Dales.
ROUTE DETAILS
From - to Station Road, Ashbourne to Mapleton Road, Parsley Hay Distance 13 miles Terrain Traffic-free with some easy gradients. Dust surface National Cycle Network National Route 68
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
The route follows the former Buxton to Ashbourne railway line from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay passing through the village of Tissington. It nears Dovedale, a dramatic limestone ravine with stunning scenery, wildlife, and famous stepping stones which cross the River Dove. Built as part of the London and North Western Railway, the Buxton to Ashbourne railway line opened in 1899 and closed in 1967. Once the track was removed, the route was transformed into a recreational trail and opened to the public in 1971. The traffic-free trail is ideal for walkers, cyclists and horse riders and is mostly flat apart from a relatively steep incline at Mappleton. Ashbourne, where the route starts, is a historic market town, well established in Saxon times and listed in the Domesday survey, where it's called `Esseburne'. Ashbourne's legacy of more than 200 listed buildings, fine coaching inns and mellow-bricked town houses combine to create the town's appealing atmosphere. It’s a steady climb from Ashbourne into the heart of the National Park. Arriving in Tissington, Tissington Hall is worth a visit but is only open to the public for 28 days each year so check their website before heading over. If you fancy a spot of lunch on route, The Old Coach House in Tissington is a busy tearoom with outdoor seating. At Parsley Hay, the trail links with the High Peak Trail which runs south east towards Cromford, from High Peak Junction via Middleton Top and Parsley Hay
72 | Cycling World
We have 40 cottages available all year in three great cycling locations in Cornwall CAMEL TRAIL Chapel Barn has direct access onto the famous Camel Trail. BISSOE TRAIL Creek View is easy cycling to the famous Bissoe Trail. CRANTOCK Cottages sleeping 2 to 10, ideal for families and cycling enthusiasts.
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March April 2017| 73
to Sparklow. When the wind is low the trail is ideal for novices as it was originally engineered in the 1820s to canal standards, so mainly runs level through a high limestone landscape. So you get spectacular long views with little climbing. The High Peak Trail is 17.5 miles long and offers the chance to see the old winding engine at Middleton To, a working beam engine built in 1829 using steam to raise and lower wagons on the Middleton incline. Also worth a visit is the nearby National Stone Centre.
THE MONSAL TRAIL
The Monsal Trail is traffic free route running along the former railway line through some of the Peak District’s most spectacular limestone dales. It stretches for 8.5 miles between Blackwell Mill in Chee Dale, three miles south of Buxton, and Coombs Road in Bakewell. The trail is accessible to cyclists, walkers, horse riders and wheelchair users. Most of the route was opened to the public in 1981 but four former railway tunnels closed in 1968 had to remain closed due to safety reasons, with public footpaths people around them. On 25 May 2011 the four railway tunnels – Headstone Tunnel, Cressbrook Tunnel, Litton Tunnel, Chee Tor Tunnel –opened for trail users as part of a major project led by The Peak District National Park Authority. Each tunnel is about 400 metres long and are lit during normal daylight hours. Two shorter tunnels - Chee Tor No.2 and Rusher Cutting – already formed part of the Monsal Trail. It is the first time the public have been able to go through the tunnels since the former Midland Railway Line closed in 1968, seeing breathtaking views at places like Water-cum-Jolly Dale that have remained hidden since the railway closed. www.peakdistrict.gov.uk
CHALLENGING TOUR ROUTES
If desired there are undulating routes with a mixture of long ascents and descents and short, sharp climbs. The landscape is so testing that The Peak District will host this year’s Aviva Women’s Tour. The Tour (June 15-19) is the toughest edition in its three-year history and hits The Peaks on stage three between Ashbourne and Chesterfield. The
74 | Cycling World Caravan Club Site, Stafford Poolsbrook Country Park.Tissington Trail by www. greatbritishbikerides.net The Caravan Club has teamed with up Sustrans to develop 35 cycling routes which can be accessed right on the doorstep of many Caravan Club sites. Each route is highlighted with advice on the surfaces, amount of traffic, suitability for children, level of hills, where to stop for refreshments, directions and optional extensions making it simply to plan a trip. For more information on cycling please visit www. caravanclub.co.uk/uk-holidays/beinspired/cycling
CYCLING EVENT
On 29 May 2016, Experience Freedom from The Caravan Club, in partnership with caravan manufacturer Adria, is encouraging cyclists to join Kilotogo, a weekend of activities based at Weston Park stately home in Shropshire. Cyclists can take on the challenge of one of three routes, 56, 80, 100 miles around the local area, enjoy fun activities and there is also the chance to see a selection of motorhomes and caravans at the start and finish line. www.kilotogo.com
To Pennine Bridlewa y
stage packs 2,000 metres of climbing Hurdlow into just over 112 kilometres of racing, which is sure to make the day action-packed. Heading from Ashbourne riders will head for a number of tricky climbs in the region. After reaching Buxton the peloton then head east via Youlgreave and Matlock and out of the Peaks as they make their way to the finish line in Chesterfield. 1.5
A5
HIGH PEAK & TISSINGTON R o u t e M a p
To Bakew ell
5
05
Monyash
15 A5 2
Parsley Hay Newhaven Tunnel 2.5
2
Hartington Station Friden
A6 to Matlock
Newhaven
CARAVAN CLUB SITES IN AND AROUND THE PEAK DISTRICT
548
A6
Biggin
W inster
A5012
2.5
Minninglow
Cromford High Peak Wharf Junction
5
A5
B 6.5
6
hP ea
Brassington 547
B5 05
i
3
Bradbourne
Hopton Sheepwash 1
A51
2
5
5
1.5
2
2.5 Distances shown in miles
between black circles
A shbourne
0.25
To Derb y
k Tra il
B5
0
35
Carsington W ater 2
4
2
1.5
Black Rocks
1
Hopton Tunnel
Cromford Canal
A6
Middleton Top Countryside Centre
g Hi
ss Ti
Chatsworth Park Caravan Club Site, Bakewell. A caravan pitch costs from Alsop Parwich ÂŁ20.72 based on two adults and two children ng to n T per pitch, per night Trail ra il National cycle route number Blackshaw Moor 547 Caravan Site, near Routes using minor roads Tissington Leek Buxton Caravan Tunnel Steep descent Club Site Carsington Very steep descent To Thorpe Water Caravan Club Car park with picnic site Ilam Site, Ashbourne Toilet Information point Castleton Caravan Tunnel Cycle hire Club Site High Onn Mapleton Lane
2
01
6
5 50
Matlock Bath
B5023
To Buxton (6 miles)
B5035 W irksworth
A6 to Amber gate & Derby
April 2017| 75
76 | Cycling World
PEDAL TO PARIS 24 HOURS Set yourself the ultimate challenge and cycle from London to Paris in just 24 Hours!
P level.
edal to Paris 24 Hours is The Royal British Legion’s brand new cycling event, taking our prestigious, classic four-day Pedal to Paris to the next
This new event is for cycling enthusiasts who are really looking to push themselves. Picture this, rolling road closures, stunning countryside with a grand finish rolling down the Champs de Elyse. You’ll finish with a victorious and moving ceremony on the Arc de Triomophe. Our Pedal to Paris events are the only events, apart from the Tour de France that the Arc de Triomphe closes for. You’ll have a great time as an individual everyone will be working together to get across that finish line. Why not dare your friends or colleagues to take the challenge and train together for this incredible opportunity. There are very limited spaces on this ride so sign up soon so you don’t miss out.
ITINERARY
Day 1-2: London - Newhaven - Dieppe Paris (385km)
WHAT'S INCLUDED • Transport – includes ferry crossing to France and Eurostar from Paris to London • One night of accommodation in Paris • All meals • Catered pit stops • Bike transport back to London after the ride • Support vehicles carrying cyclists’ luggage • Celebration dinner on the final night • Fully signposted route in England and motorbike convoy with rolling road closures in France • Downloadable GPS map (GPX file) • Medical support • Mechanical support • Motorbike support marshals • Full support prior to the ride including training advice, equipment checklist and information on the ride • An exclusive discount code for one week of free training with British Military Fitness • An official Royal British Legion Pedal to Paris cycle jersey • Fundraising pack
Leave the capital and set off through the outskirts of London on to quiet roads. Ride through the picturesque countryside before arriving in Newhaven to stop for an evening meal and board the ferry to Dieppe. After arrival in Dieppe, set off into the night through small villages in the French countryside. After an early breakfast stop, continue through the early morning hours, getting closer to Paris.
Have lunch in the French countryside before heading into Paris where the distinct Eiffel Tower will come into view. Follow the River Seine into the centre where the Arc de Triomphe awaits your arrival. To celebrate, enjoy drinks and a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe and a gala dinner in the evening at a Paris Hotel.
Day 3: Paris - London
After breakfast, you are free to explore Paris until the return to London on the Eurostar in the afternoon.
Get £50 off the Registration Fee and use the code CYCLINGWORLD50 For more information visit our website RBL.ORG/PEDALTOPARIS24HOURS
April 2017| 77
Products/On Ride
78 | Cycling World
Biomaxa Chamois Creams RaceAqua Hi-Vis is a lightweight, waterproof and The chamois creams have been scientifically formulated from key natural ingredients to lubricate, soothe, and assist in the repair of skin, on any length of ride.Mix of Lanolin, Manuka Oil and UMF 15+ Manuka honey Assists in prevention of chafing & saddle sores Helps protect against infection & irritation Ultra-Ride is for regular use and active conditioning of the skin for all purpose riding (<4hrs) Pro-Ride is for the competition cyclist or professional rider that needs premium performance (>4hrs
Rocktape Kinesiology Rocktape Rocktape Kinesiology tape is an innovative type of therapeutic tape designed to treat common sports injuries and enhance performance. Rocktape H2O uses an extra strong adhesive which is water resistant so it will not let you down in the pool or during water sports. The tape is weaved specifically to stretch and move in a certain way to lift the skin away from the soft tissue beneath, therefore increasing bloodflow and assisting drainage to an area. This improves the efficiency of the muscles and tendons beneath the surface, and accelerates healing if the area is injured. Rocktape can also help athletes delay fatigue through better bloodflow and improved form. www.FirstAid4Sport.co.uk
April 2017| 79
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80 | Cycling World
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100
R
ide London is one of the biggest and best open cycling events in the UK. If you like the idea of cycling through London’s and Surrey’s closed roads with an electric atmosphere of crowds and cheerers seeing you through why not do it for a charity that supports families during their darkest times.
What does Rainbow Trust do?
Rainbow Trust supports families who have a child aged 0-18 years of age with a life threatening or terminal illness and need bespoke support. Today there are an estimated 49,000 children and young people in the UK living with a life limiting or life threatening condition who may require palliative care (University of Leeds, 2011). Many of these children and their families are able to cope or are not in a ‘crisis situation’. However, thousands of families have to face the very real possibility that their child may die and struggle to cope on a day to day basis. Rainbow Trust Family Support Workers provide a life line to these families and children. They support the whole family including parents, carers, the unwell child, brothers, sisters and grandparents. They bring support and help to families who so desperately need it at home, in hospital and in the community. Any family can receive support from the moment of their child or young person’s diagnosis. Whether you have a ballot place or are looking for a charity place, ride for #TeamRainbowTrust and you’ll benefit from: • • • •
Dedicated fundraising and training advice Team training days, including those challenging hills A bright, technical cycling jersey Support from three loud cheer points along the route.
Thousands of cyclists will gather for the famous 100-mile challenge, from the Olympic Park, through Surrey and back to the capital - all on closed roads. Rainbow Trust work incredibly hard to ensure all their riders have a memorable experience - you’ll be supported all the way to the finish line! See their support in action here at the London Marathon. “It was one of the best days of my life. The support from Rainbow Trust was absolutely superb.” Michael,
RideLondon finish
You will need to pay a registration fee of £50 and raise £600 for Rainbow Trust, to help them continue to provide bespoke support to families across the country who have a child with a life threatening or terminal illness. “Not all stories that Rainbow Trust has to share have a happy ending. Iris died at home in October 2010. She was two and a half. The support that we had from Rainbow Trust went beyond the practical. They were, and are family. Our Family Support Workers, Mary and Mandy were with us until, and beyond the end, and for that humanity and care I am forever grateful.” By running for Rainbow Trust you will be allowing them to reach more families in their darkest times. Sign up here. For more information email on events@rainbowtrust.org.uk or call directly on 01372 220031.
April 2017| 81
Royal Oak Yattendon is a beautiful country pub with rooms nestled in the picturesque countryside of West Berkshire, where the pace of life is just that little bit slower.
Michelin rated food, award winning real ales and a beautiful walled beer garden await, all within reach of the M4/A34.
0 B452
82 | Cycling World
SUSTRANS'
70 A4
BR ECON
TRAFFIC-FREE CYCLE RIDE
8 BR ECO N CAST L E & CAT H E DRAL B4601
70
A40
A4
L L ECH FA
8
A 40
T HE AT R B RYC HE I NI O G
8
MONMOUTHSHIRE AND BRECON CANAL
49
LLANFRYNACH
PE N CE L L
(ABERGAVENNY TO BRECON)
B R E C O N B E A C O N S Ta ly Rese
www.sustrans.org.uk/CyclingWorld Distance: 22 miles
TEXT BY WENDY JOHNSON
Start: Llanfoist Village Hall, near Abergavenny
Pentwyn Reser vo ir
Finish: Theatr Brycheiniog, Brecon NCN route number: 46 at the start only 8
70 A4
Train stations: Abergavenny. No train station at Brecon but a Bike Bus with capacity for around 20 bikes operates between Brecon and Cardiff on Sundays and Bank Holidays from May to September
Po ntsticill Reser vo ir
PO N T ST ICIL L
Grade: Moderate
Cycling World 34
This long and meandering ride follows one of Britain’s prettiest towpath routes through the rural Vale of Usk, with remarkable mountainous scenery across the Brecon Beacons National Park. Start at the little wooded nature reserve at Llanfoist on the edge of Abergavenny before zig-zagging sharply upwards to join the banks of the canal. The dramatic scenery across The Black Mountains in the opening miles is impressive, with the giants of Skirrid and Sugar Loaf visible on the distant horizon. Within a few miles you’ll be near the little villages of Llangattock and Crickhowell, where the limestone cliffs of Llangattock Escarpment dominate the hillside to the left and the distinctive flat top of Crug Hywel ‘Table Mountain’ can be seen to the right. Thick woodland covers the slopes of the valley in parts so look out for red kites soaring over the treetops and for the impressive red country house of Gliffaes and its
A 406 0
B4 27 6
54 40
ROUTE DESCRIPTION
70 A4
Mostly flat with a climb up to the towpath at the start and gentle climbing in the route’s second half. Tarmac path and stony trail, narrow and rugged in parts. Some gates and small road crossings with a short, quiet on-road section around Ashford Tunnel. Take care passing under low bridges running close to the water’s edge.
A465 Italian-inspired bell tower poking out from between the 05 trees at Myarth Hill. Locks are in noticeably short supply 4 throughout this ride, which makes the five Llangynidr Locks a bit of a rare treat. They appear at Aaround the 4102 halfway point and make a pretty spot for a mid-ride picnic while taking in the views. Alternatively, The Coach and A Horses pub near the bottom lock has a scenic waterside beer garden. A4
TERRAIN, GRADIENTS AND ACCESS
After the Llangynidr Locks, watch boats disappearing into the long, dark Ashford Tunnel, before climbing up to join the short and quiet road that will take you around it. Back on the towpath, the pretty village of Talybont-on-Usk in the Central Beacons appears, where there are lovely traditional pubs in the village, or Talybont Stores and Canal Side Café for supplies and snacks. There’s also an opportunity here to leave the canal behind and head for the attractive Talybont Reservoir along a section of the renowned Taff Trail. In the final miles, cross the gushing River Usk on Brynich Aqueduct. Brecon is close now and the towpath is often busier with walkers and cyclists around here. End at Theatr Brycheiniog at Brecon Basin or follow the short road into the narrow streets of Brecon centre. The cathedral and the ruins of Brecon Castle overlooking the Rivers Usk and Honddu are both worth a visit.
9 47
A470
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79 9 A4 A47
560 60 B4 B45
AE N
AEN
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LLANGORS LLANGORS
9
L l a ng o rs L l aLnagke o rs L a ke 0 0 A4 A4
CWM D U
TA LY BO N TTAOLY N TN -BO U SK O N - UBWLCH SK
A40 A40
L L A N GAT TO C K
60 60 B 4 5B 4 5
L L MA YN NG Y YD N DI D R
CR IC KHOWELL CRIC KHOWELL A40 A40 77 A40 77 G I LW E R N
L LMAYNNGYADTDW G
TR E F I L
A
G I LW E R N
A4 A4 65 6 5
46 46
49 49
L L A N FO I ST
46
466 466
B4 24 8
465 465
B4 492 24 8 492
ABERGAV ENNY 46 ABER GAV ENNY4246 A407 7 A407 7
L L A NFO I ST L L A NFO I ST
6
CA R PA R K I N C HU R C H CA R PA R K L A NE I N C HU R C H 49 L A NE
0
0
A40A443043
7467 A46A
69 69 A4 A4
8 04 048 A4 A4
42 42 A4 A4
72 5 7 54 B42B
6
B4233 B4233
46 Abergavenny 46
49
LOOPS, LINKS AND LONGER RIDE
2 5 follow NCN 46 Clydach Gorge, an eight-mile traffic-free From Llanfoist B4 5 2 trail from BLlanfosit to Brynmawr. At Talybont-on-Usk follow NCN 8 Taff 4 Trail alongside Talybont Reservoir then loop back on a quiet road along the opposite side of the reservoir. NCN 8 Lôn Las Cymru is a longdistance challenge ride across Wales from Holyhead to Chepstow or Cardiff following a mix of traffic-free and on-road route.
42
Abergavenny
8 8 59 59 B4 B4
5 A46 7 46 04 4 A 7 04 A4
86 6 B44B448 A4 0A4460 4 6 478 78 B4 B44
467 467
B RYNM AW R B RYNM AW R L L A N FOI ST
42 42
A40
L L A N GAT WG
E B BW EVA B BW LE VA46LE 5
FO R EST COA L P I T FO R EST COA L P I T
L L A NBE D R
M YN YD D
LLANGYNID R
TREFIL
42 42
A4 A 65 46 5
49 49
L L A N GAT TO C K
MYNYD D
K K I N S I N S
L L A NBE D R
e i r ilr e l s h snha a t h tCha a n o u onu n C m m co o o n ne e c M MBor B r & &
STAY
The Star Inn, Talybont-on-Usk (01874) 676635 www.starinntalybont.co.uk
EAT AND DRINK
The Coach and Horses is canalside at Llangynidr. At Talybont-on-Usk try The Star Inn, The White Hart, The Usk Inn and Talybont Stores and Canalside Café. The Three Horseshoes near Brynich Aqueduct is popular or try Tipple ‘n’ Tiffin at Theatr Brycheiniog at the route’s end. Venture into Brecon town centre where The Café on High Street is lovely and Tower Café at St Mary’s Church is very friendly with a pretty tea garden.
CYCLE HIRE
Hopyard Cycles, Abergavenny (01873) 830219 www.hopyardcycles.co.uk or Bikes and Hikes, Brecon (01874) 610071 www.bikesandhikes.co.uk
August 2016
8
L L A NT HO NY L L A NT HO NY
B45B4 21 52 1
G L I F FA ES CO UN T RY H OUS E G L I F FA ES CO UN T RY H OUS E
L L A N GY N I D R LL A N GY N I DR
E E C C A A
79 79 A4 A4
560 60 B4 B45
R i vR i v
BWLCH
er Usk er Usk
ybo nt er bovo nti r r vo i r 8
CWM D U
H H A A T T
B42B4 46 246
LI LI
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84 | Cycling World
Buying the Right Bike for You Dean Taylor, a Chartered Physiotherapist at www.fit-me-up.com, advises on making sure you buy the most appropriate bike
April 2017| 85 With the multitude of bike options available to the modern cyclist, buying the right bike can become a little overwhelming and more in depth than just getting the right size and enjoying riding your new bike. Thankfully most local bike shops will do a good job of selling the right size bike to their customers, but to help find the right bike, the cyclist will ideally have an idea of what they need.
S
ome choices are simple, for example full suspension mountain bike versus time trial specific bike aero speed machine. The former would not be that outright fast on flat tarmac and the latter would be downright dangerous on an off road descent. For ease of example, considering ‘just’ the drop handlebar road bike, there are more and more options available to buy after deciding on the size of the bike and this is where I see most of the problems occurring. Thankfully, I see only a few cyclists that have purchased the wrong size bike, but I do see many more that have the wrong bike for them. These are the cyclists who are injured or unable to get comfortable on their bikes. Those that are just not having fun. With the recent increase in cycling participation manufacturers have increasing offered different sub-genres of bike. Well this is all very interesting, but how does this relate to me? Before buying a new drop handlebar road bike, answering a few simple questions about what you want from your bike and what your body has to offer the bike will potentially save a lot of discomfort and expense, helping to get an idea of how to shorten the list of options and at worst prevent a new shiny bike being condemned to the rear of the garden shed. So, questions you might ask yourself include: What is more important to you, out and out speed or comfort; personally I go a lot faster for longer if I am comfortable? How long do you intend to ride the bike for at any one time; can you carry all that may be required for your journeys in pockets and a small saddle bag or will I need to have some form of rack attachments? Will you be locking your bike up and leaving it, as this will have an impact on the ease of removal of components?
How flexible is my body?
The first three questions perhaps too vague and simplistic to be greatly helpful, the fourth however is very important. If it is difficult for a cyclist to bend forward from the middle comfortably, reaching past the knees without any discomfort then a ‘racy’ bike with a low front end is going to be less than comfortable. By having to reach too far forward the cyclist will place stresses through the body that will make riding the new bike less than enjoyable and potentially lead to injury. When a cyclist is in a position that requires too great a reach in order to grasp handlebars which are too low and too far away from the rider, these are just some of the problems I have seen;
86 | Cycling World
Cyclist Recipe
Hannah Barnesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Hot Chicken F a j i t a s
H
annah had an impressive 2016 road racing season. Riding for top womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s team Canyon-SRAM, she won the National Road Race Championships and was part of the silver medal winning team time trial squad at the World Championships
Benefits: Post exercise refuelling
Hannah Barnes wins National Road Championships 2016 by Allan McKenzie SWpix.com
Nutritional facts Per Serving 336 Kcal Pro 8g Carbs 39g Fat 16g
Ingredients Serves four
2 large chicken breasts 2 peppers 2 red onions 2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1.5 teaspoon ground cumin 4 limes 8 wholegrain flour tortillas Extra virgin olive oil (one spray) Black pepper 300 g fat-free natural yoghurt 100 g cheddar cheese Salsa: 1-2 red chilies 6 tomatoes 1 lime Olive oil Salt & Pepper Guacamole: Cherry tomatoes (small handful) 1-2 red chilies Fresh coriander 1 large avocado (ripe) 1 lime
Directions
April 2017| 87
Wash, de-seed and cut the peppers into strips.
SALSA Finely chop the chillies.
Slice the onion into strips.
Roughly chop the tomatoes and coriander (including the stalks).
Slice the chicken lengthways into strips that are a similar length to the peppers. Put the peppers, onions and chicken into a bowl and season with the paprika, cumin and pepper. Squeeze the juice of a lime over the ingredients. Leave to marinade for 5 minutes while you prepare the salsa. FAJITAS Fry up the chicken and vegetables for 6-8 minutes on a high heat until the chicken is cooked through. While the chicken is cooking, warm the wraps in the microwave or a dry frying pan.
Put the chilli and tomatoes in a bowl with salt, pepper and juice of 2 limes then stir in the coriander. GUACAMOLE Finely chop the cherry tomatoes, coriander and chilli - mix together. Half and de-stone the avocado and remove the flesh from the skin. Chop it very small chunks and squeeze lime juice over it before mixing together in a bowl with the tomatoes, coriander and chillies.
Serve with low fat natural yoghurt, cheddar, salsa and guacamole.
The Food Champions project is a collaboration between The National Lottery and the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top sports nutritionists from the English Institute of Sport. National Lottery players raise ÂŁ36m each week for projects and sports funding allows 1,300 elite athletes to train full-time and benefit from world-class facilities, coaching and leading medical and scientific advice through organisations like the EIS.
88 | Cycling World
Join team Bowel & Cancer Research and Ride London on 30th July Your fundraising will support the best UK science into bowel cancer and other bowel diseases and our next generation of research experts.
ad
Min fundraising req. £500 For more information and to register contact our fundraising team on fundraising@ bowelcancerresearch.org Or call us on 020 7882 8749 Registered charity no. 1119105
Tearoom, Gallery and Giftshop
A blast of the whistle and the hiss of steam and you’re away! Sit back, relax and let us take you on a nostalgic journey through some of Wales’ most spectacular scenery.
Next to the historic ruins of Sweetheart Abbey in the pretty village of New Abbey, between Mabie and Dalbeattie 7 Stanes. Ideal place to stop off on your Solway Coast ride. Home-made soups, speciality teas, and a selection of delicious home baking. Larger parties, please just get in touch to make a reservation. Open Wed-Sun from Feb half-term until 31 March Then 7 days a week for coffees, light lunches and teas
@AbbeyCottage
26 Main Street | New Abbey | Dumfries | DG2 8BY
01387 850377 | www.abbeycottagetearoom.com
Abbey Cottage Tearoom
www.rheidolrailway.co.uk
April April2017| 2017|89 89
Ask Anita
Universal Challenge Anita loves discovering new places by bike, having explored many miles of the National Cycle Network, and taken her trusty Ridgeback to roughly twenty countries so far. She does the occasional sportive, commutes by bike in London and Surrey and dabbles in triathlons, mountain biking and visiting cycling cafes. She currently works for the charity Sustrans as a project officer. Anita’s main area of expertise is surrounding herself with experts, whose knowledge she will extract to answer all of your everyday cycling questions…
Dear Anita;
I
I've been getting into cycling during last year and managed to complete my first sprint triathlon which has given me a wonderful sense of achievement. As spring approaches, I would like to set out some new cycling challenges and goals and wondered if you could give inspiration?
Dear Reader;
Well done on your triathlon! Three sports in one day is really very impressive. The problem is that you’ll be itching to find challenges and goals in all three disciplines now and you may find yourself having a very busy summer! Having challenges to aim for and inspire gives purpose and adds excitement to your life, so this is an excellent question, and here are some general suggestions for the cycling side of things.
Sportives
An obvious starting point is Sportives. Varying in length from about 30 kilometres to over a hundred, they are timed but aren’t races, so they give you that challenge and goal but without the pressure and with a friendly, supportive atmosphere. Riding through beautiful areas with hundreds of other riders, sometimes with roads closed is an amazing atmosphere. Some have the extra challenge of lots and lots of brutal hills, so do your research before booking on! A sportive challenge I aspire to complete one day is the Vatternrundan in Sweden – the world’s largest recreational ride with 25,000 riders doing a 300km ride!
Long-distance challenges Whether for charity, or just for your own sense of achievement,
completing an iconic long-distance ride can be really fulfilling. Depending on how much time you have available can determine your route. The LEJOG or End to End is often talked about – Land’s End to John O’Groats – but as you need a couple of weeks to do this, everyday things like work, children and pets may get in the way. Sticking to the UK, the C2C (Coast to Coast or Sea to Sea) or Way of the Roses are short, satisfying alternatives. Reading Cycling World should give you some inspiration for these types of route! Further afield (but not too far), London to Paris is a classic or you could look at cycling part of the North Sea Cycle Route – or along the Rhone, or around Ireland, or….the list is endless!
The Vatternrundan by sportograf
Everyday goals
Sometimes it’s good to have more everyday goals, rather than aiming at events. Cycling to work once a week perhaps, or to visit friends at the weekend, or joining a club and going out on some evening and Sunday rides. I know someone who has set himself a challenge of completing a certain number of cycle commuting miles for a year – working out how much money he’s saving, the calories he’s burning and the emissions reduced is really helping him to focus and his fitness is increasing hugely. Challenges, adventures, and having fun achieving goals are such an exciting part of cycling, and even more so if you can share them with others. One of the things that makes me the happiest is the friendships I’ve built through cycling, and these have been formed by sharing challenges and goals as much as by sitting with pints/pies/cakes/cups of tea after lovely rides. CW editor completes LEJOG
Cycling
90 | Cycling World
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92 | Cycling World
From the Workshop
Change Your Disc Pads
To be sure of getting the correct pads, buy the ones made by the manufacturer of the brakes
First remove the wheel
Sometimes youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have to remove the axis which holds the pads in the caliper. This axis is threaded and held by a circlip
The tiny circlip is removed with a screwdriver. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t lose it
Now unscrew the axis which holds the pads in the caliper
The manufacturer also supplies a new spring with the new pads
April 2017| 93 by Martial Prévalet - Martial is a mechanical engineer who has produced articles for car and bike magazines, including Le Sport Vélo, Bike Magazine and Cyclosport
Disk brakes can be found on MTB and now on road and CycloX bikes. Here’s how to replace the pads There is little maintenance and set-up but you’ll need to regularly replace the pads. Make sure you get the right pads
The new pad is thicker. Push the caliper pistons with a screwdriver to make space
Replace both brake pads
Align the padshole of the caliper with hole of the pad
You can use such a tool to help adjustment
Replace the axis and the circlip
94 | Total Cycling Cycling WorldHolidays
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April 2017| 95
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96 | Cycling World
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February 2017| 97
Cycle Xperience with Action4Youth
A new opportunity has been developed by charity Action4Youth to enable children and young adults with additional needs to get out and enjoy cycling
C
hildren and young adults with additional needs in the Milton Keynes can now enjoy cycling around Caldecotte Lake. Charity Action4Youth, with support from Milton Keynes Council, have launched Cycle Xperience. Based at The Caldecotte Xperience, an outdoor learning and education centre, opportunities have been created for children and young people with additional needs to get on a bike and cycle with their friends and family around the lakes and paths. A range of amazing, fully-adapted bikes are available for hire for families and friends of children and young people with mobility or learning issues which may make a typical cycling trip either difficult or even impossible. With the launch of Cycle Xperience the cycle paths around the pretty village of Simpson, and all around Caldecotte Lake, will open up a new world of opportunity for cyclists. If not everyone in the family fancies a ride around the lake there is an opportunity for family members to book into one of the Caldecotte Xperience club sessions and try their hand at climbing, abseiling or sailing or one of the other range of adventure activities on offer at the centre.
The beautiful location of Caldecotte Lake, on the edge of Milton Keynes, offers the opportunity to explore over 5kms of cycle pathway around the shore of lake surrounded by trees and parkland with stunning viewpoints, nature areas for birdwatching and wildlife and tranquil corners to relax in as well. There are various suggested routes where you can stop to watch sailing, canoeing or just observe the wildlife. There is even a pub to enjoy. Caldecotte Xperience instructors will provide help and advice to ensure the suitability of the bike for the user. Safety equipment is available together with the bike. There is a range of bikes available to suit a variety of needs, for example wheelchair users can be transported on the front of a wheel chair bike. Tandem or side-by-side bikes are also available, as are bikes with supportive torso strapping Cycle Xperience is fun and affordable, providing positive, often transformational cycling experiences and activities that inspire children and young people. www.caldecottexperience.org
98 | Cycling World
A GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign has been launched to support a young sports enthusiast raise enough money to buy a new prosthetic arm, so he can fulfil his lifelong ambition of becoming a Paralympic cyclist.
School friend of Olympic Cyclist Laura Trott starts GoFundMe appeal to raise funds for a new prosthetic racing arm
2
4-year-old, Personal Trainer, Drew Walker from Cheshunt, Hertfordshire (who was born with one arm) first got the cycling bug when he was encouraged by his classmate Laura Trott who, of course, has since gone on to become a Four-time Olympic gold medallist. Inspired by his friend’s success, Drew visited the Manchester velodrome in December 2015 when another school pal gave him a free ticket to meet some professional cyclists and has never looked back. Drew says: “I was only cycling recreationally at the time but when I got on the track I realised this is what I wanted to do. On the day we were taken around by Craig Maclean (Olympic and Paralympic cyclist) who was completely inspiring. Craig told me afterwards that he could see some potential in me. “As a result, I received an email from the British Cycling team in January (this year 2016) saying they wanted to meet me - I was over the moon! This lead to
April 2017| 99
me being tested in February and as a result I was given a coach who I now work with on a one-to-one basis once a fortnight. “In June this year I was also invited on a four day training camp run by British Cycling which also went really well and lead to more testing and another invitation to a training camp at the end of October (this month). “This has happened very quickly and has meant that I've needed to adapt a lot. My lifestyle, my work, and even my bike needed to change. I have been very lucky so far and was fortunate enough to be sponsored by Kieran Trippier (Tottenham Hotspur Footballer) who kindly brought me an amazing new track bike but now I’m fundraising for something even more crucial– my new arm!!! “I was born with one arm but nothing has ever stopped me from doing what I wanted to do. In fact, when I was at secondary school, I used to be the school goalkeeper. I've always been into sports from a young age, and my dad taught me how to ride a bike without a prosthetic. “My mum and dad have given me the mind-set of if you fall over, you get back up and try again. Obviously, when learning to ride a bike, you fall, but you just have to get back up. When I was in secondary school I went to school with Laura Trott and she used to tell me that I should get into para cycling, but at the time I was competing in national standard shot putt and was being pushed to get to international standard, but my heart wasn't in it, I always wanted to do cycling.
“At the time I couldn't afford to get myself a flash bike, but now I'm a strong believer in fate, and how everything has fallen into place and given me an amazing opportunity to aim for the next Paralympics is just amazing. “The reason I have set up this GoFundMe page is so I can get to the next level of cycling and potentially reach my long term goal of competing in a Paralympic event. Without the right equipment it will be pretty difficult to do this but without a new prosthetic arm it will be pretty impossible. “The prosthetic arm I need is specific to track cycling. When you do a standing start, there's a lot of force that you output when you pull on the bars, the prosthetic which I have at the moment doesn't enable me to output the full force, as when I do, my arm comes off and won't go back onto the bars. The prosthetic needs to be able to change from 2 positions quickly so I can get into an aerodynamic position. The specially adapted arm will cost approximately £3,500 but I will also need to attend training camps next year at an additional cost of £4,000. So I am raising money for both. Kelsea Little, spokesperson for GoFundMe.com, said: "We are touched by Drew’s campaign and we hope the community continues to support this cause." To support the appeal, please visit: www.gofundme.com/drewwalker
100 | Cycling World
Sa Calobra, a Mecca for cyclists
March 2017| 101
Mallorca S T E P H E N
R O C H E
Roger Stillman, photographer and journalist, rides with his cycling legend and learns the benefits of an organized cycling camp as he tours the island
S
S T Y L E
tephen Roche is my cycling hero. It was his heroics on La Plagne on stage 21 of the 1987 Tour de France that captivated the fifteen-year-old me, glued to Channel 4’s coverage as Roche emerged from the low cloud to cross the summit just behind his main rival, Pedro Delgado, when it was assumed he was way back losing precious time. It was this incredible effort that ultimately secured the yellow jersey in Paris four days later. 1987 was his imperious year when he claimed the triple crown of the Giro, Tour de France and World Champion. So, when the opportunity arises to travel to Mallorca for a three-day training camp with his cycle tour company ‘Stephen Roche Cycling’, I jump at the chance.
102 | Cycling World Stephen Roche gliding up the Puig Major
Goodbye saddlebag and stuffed pockets, hello support car
DAY 1
It’s an early start but it’s a real pleasure to stroll out of the hotel post-breakfast into the awaiting minibus, with the bikes loaded in the attached trailer. At the rendezvous point is the official support car, looking the business with spare bikes and wheels on the roof rack, the boot crammed with energy drinks, snacks and spare parts. There are three groups available to ride in: fast, medium and leisurely, differing in average speed and distance. With fresh legs, I’ve opted for a fast group today and booked into the optional Sa Calobra ride - one of the island’s most renowned climbs, famously used by Team Sky as a training ground before Bradley Wiggins’ triumphant 2012 Tour de France. Our ride captain, Andreu, has lived in Mallorca all his life and knows these roads intricately. It’s an easy 25km spin on flat roads to warm up and we ease through the sleepy villages and farmland in the warmth.
It’s late October and both my bike and mindset have long since converted to UK winter mode: mudguards, fourseason tyres, winter clothing and cold dark mornings. Arriving to a bright and warm Mallorca after a short flight from London Stansted is a pleasant jolt to the system; I can’t wait to get out on the bike. As a fairly frequent traveller to Southern France with my bike in tow, I find it hard to shake the anxiety of ‘will my bike be carbon dust by the time I re-open the case.’ No such worries here, a bike is included in the price. On arriving at the hotel, I’m directed to the dedicated mechanics garage, where my ride awaits. It’s a very decent Pinarello Razha, carbon monocoque frame with geometry designed for long-distance riding. I’d already emailed my current bike set up measurements which have all been carefully dialled in so I just hand over my pedals and I’m good to go. The cycling camp operates from the four-star Ponent Mar Hotel in Palmanova, just a twenty-minute drive from Palma airport. The package includes half-board and there is a dedicated eating area set up for all the cyclists. On the first evening we gather for dinner, the group are a mixture of young and old, male and female; a very amiable bunch. It’s a good opportunity to meet and chat about the upcoming rides. We’re joined by the man himself, Stephen Roche pops down to say hello and give us insights into the climbs; he will be riding with us too. The fifteen-yearold me is very excited at sharing the road with the cycling legend, as is the 40year old M.A.M.I.L! (M.A.M.I.L stands for ‘Middle-Aged Man in Lycra’ for those lucky enough not to be familiar with the term.)
Gradually the landscape changes and towering granite outcrops begin to appear on the horizon. It’s not long before we begin the first climb of the day, the Coll de Soller. Andreu tells us it’s his favourite climb in the area. It’s a manageable average gradient of 6% through pine forest with 61 hairpins to negotiate. I settle into a steady rhythm, keeping the heart rate in a ‘still able to chat’ zone. There’s a fast descent back to sea level before the next climb, Puig Major. At 854m it's the highest climb on the island. It’s fairly long at 8km but averaging 6% means it’s possible to spin up. I’m grateful for the compact chainset and 32t largest cog the bike comes fitted with.
Approaching Puig Major
April 2017| 103 At the summit the views back down to Soller are breathtaking and give a real sense of conquering a coll. As we speed along the ultra smooth rolling roads, Stephen Roche rides up alongside me, so I grab the chance while I can - to chat with him about, among other things, the TT at Futuroscope, his travails with the tifosi during the ’87 Giro and how equipment has changed and improved over the years. Stephen chats away and it’s fascinating, there’s so much more I want to ask. However, the roads kick up and a glance at my Garmin tells me my heart rate is 185bpm. I manage to mutter that I’m cooked. So with a pat on the back, Roche sails off up the hill to chat with other, fitter riders. It’s very impressive and I notice the effortless acceleration and stylish efficiency of the way he spins the pedals, a riding style he was famed for in his pro days. That cheeky little ascent has brought us to the beginning of today’s main event: Sa Calobra is the resort at the base of the Coll des Reis and there’s no other road out so it’s a question of down then back up, meaning you get to understand how much you’re going to be suffering in half an hour’s time. The descent is exhilarating: steep, plunging hairpins and fast wide sweeps left and right, fingers constantly poised on the brake levers. I ride down with Andreu and try to follow his experienced line through the corners. By the time we reach the bottom my fingers are aching from pulling on the brakes but the adrenalin is rushing and I’m eager to climb back up. The sign at the base says 9.5KM at 7% but this is far from an easy climb. There are devilishly steep sections upsetting any notions of spinning up at a constant pace. After begging my way up steep 12% sections the summit is in sight but not before a leg stinging final push. At the awaiting support car, I replenish my bottles for the blast back to the café, the C’an Gallet, where fast finishers are already tucking in at a huge table laden with local cheeses, meats and cakes. Then it’s into the minibus back to the hotel for much-needed rest.
The Sa Calobra is an amazing feat of engineering
DAY 2
With my legs still feeling the exertions of yesterday’s efforts it’s some relief to look at today’s route and note the gentle elevation profile. The only slight issue is the forecast for rain. Sure enough, the moment we set off, rain starts to fall. I packed for all weathers as only a pessimistic northern European can and am decked in rain jacket, legwarmers and cap under the helmet. The ride is named ‘The Cake Route’ as our mid-point coffee destination is Celler Sa Sini in Santa Maria del Cani. Today’s ride captains speak in reverent tones of the delights that await us. After 40km of riding in the wet we arrive at the café and are warmly greeted by the patron who is standing by a wall of cakes of every description. There are healthy options of granola or flapjacks but an ostentatious gateau is winking at me, decision made, coffee in hand we move outside to the sheltered terrace. The beauty of riding in a group is the humour that pervades when the elements are unfavourable. Eating delicious cakes helps morale of course but there is a shared experience of effort and the camaraderie of a group of people who love cycling whatever the weather. With the rain getting heavier and visibility an issue, the ride captains decide to cut the rest of the route short. So, it’s a team time trial back to the hotel with only a four km at an average of 3% to blast over. I arrive back soaked to the skin, exhausted but happy.
Nearly at the summit in time for coffee and cake
104 | Cycling World
DAY 3
My third and final full day is an 85 km loop up to the north of the island taking in the Corniche roads. The consensus at breakfast is to take this ride at a leisurely pace to appreciate the views on offer. I’m all for a slower pace today, not least because there’s 1500m of climbing to negotiate. With warm skies above, we’re soon zipping along quiet, undulating country lanes heading east then swinging north. After a pretty challenging 50kms, the need for caffeine and carbs is strong. We pull in en masse to the café Vall-Hermos in Estellencs. Relaxing on a large sunny terrace with stunning views, the winter back home is far from my mind. Then it’s back in the saddle for the final 35km. It's a sharp climb immediately out of the café, but any discomfort is soon tempered by the sweeping views of the Mediterranean. What goes up must come down, and it’s a thrill to attack the descents on these wide roads, my Garmin nudging 45 mph as we zip down to the valley and repeat the process. All too soon today’s excursion is over as we ride back into Palmanova and hand over the bikes to the mechanics in the garage. The team are busy preparing for the upcoming Lighthouse Challenge, a five-day guided ride of Mallorca covering 450 km and 7000 metres of climbing. There is sangria laid on in the bar to welcome the influx of new riders and a chance to clink a glass and say goodbye to those departing. It has been a huge thrill to meet and ride with a cycling legend and a real eye-opener to the benefits of an organized cycling camp. At Stephen Roche Cycling they say, “The most important thing for us is that you go home happy; that you’ve had the best cycling holiday of your life; and you want to come back!” Three out of three isn’t bad, now to organize my return trip…
Taking in the stunning views on the Corniche ride
April 2017| 105
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106 | Cycling World
February 2017 Stage
Gaziantep, Turkey – Tripoli, Lebanon (22 – 30 Dec)
Total miles cycled: 3,528 (5,678km)
July 20
15 - Jan
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Bicycle Diaries
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February 2017April 2017| 107 Stage
T
he main problem with carrying a satellite tracker is that everyone knows where you are. This is generally “A Good Thing”, as my mother has beaten into me on regular occasions. But when you're desperately trying to convince people that you're not planning to become an ISIS bride or join the fight for the caliphate and then you're seen wending your way inexorably towards the Syrian border, it can start to feel a little bothersome. Yet contrary to popular belief, the TurkeySyria border has far more going for it than just suicide bombers and marriage opportunities with theocratic maniacs. It also has mind-blowing baklava. This is not my opinion; it's objective fact. Both UNESCO and the EU have endowed Gaziantep's pistachio nuts with protected status, giving each one its own armed sentinel and hotline to the president. Considering all this fuss, leaving without having a taste seems churlish to say the least. I arrive in Gaziantep – or Antep to its friends – three days before Christmas. My Couchsurfing hosts are two male cousins aged 29 and 40, H and E, who live in a brand new, predictably beige apartment downtown. H works for an NGO that helps Syrian refugees, while E owns a local construction company. Neither are fans of Erdogan, unsurprisingly. But E clearly isn't interested in talking politics. He just wants everyone to love each other. Soon after I arrive, he whips out his guitar for a sing-a-long, before realising he's too stoned to remember how to play – thank god. Genocidal jihadists I can take, but baked beatnik crooners on a bonding mission are a step too far. The former are a slight concern, however. The border, controlled by ISIS, is just 30 miles away, and terrorist sleeper cells are known to operate in the city. During the week of my stay, Syrian journalist and vocal ISIS critic Naji Jerf is shot dead in broad daylight, and a police raid uncovers a large cache of explosives in an apartment. While most people reassure me I am safe, rumours abound that ISIS operatives stalk foreigners, and I am advised – as a conspicuous western, female cyclist – to be on guard.
Efficient trolley loading
On the surface, the city emits a bland sterility that I find unsettling, with endless half-built high rises doused in milkywhite sunlight extending as far as the eye can see. This veneer is thin, however,
and easily cracked like paint. Below, I am aware of a latent, throbbing pulse; the muffled creak of fault lines under pressure. Turks, Syrians, Kurds, diplomats, activists, refugees, spies, sex workers, terrorists and traffickers: all walk in shadows here, in cagey co-existence.
There are over 500,000 Syrians in the city, and – once I've finished eating as much as I possibly can – I set about meeting some of them. My connection is a young American woman, E, who works for the Center for Civil Society and Democracy (CCSD), a Syrian NGO. When we meet, she gives her take on the neighbouring war. While ISIS are 'brutal murderers', she says, Assad is 'far worse'. Statistics from the pro-opposition Syrian Network for Human Rights seem to support this: of the 16,000 civilian deaths in 2015, 75% were reportedly at the hands of the regime. E introduces me to the head of CCSD, R, who projects a maternal steeliness. She tells me about the vast network of civilians working with them inside Syria, and the voice of the moderate opposition that has been 'silenced, but not killed'. 'The vast majority of people are still calling for freedom, justice and co-existence,' she tells me. 'The revolution remains alive.' Through R, I meet a 37-year-old woman, N, from Zabadani, a Syrian town currently under siege by the regime. Before fleeing in June 2014, she and a group of women helped to broker a ceasefire between the regime and opposition. They also managed to negotiate the release of female detainees and the removal of women from checkpoint blacklists – all while maintaining the education of their children. Many of these women remain in the region now, I am told, along with 22,000 other civilians. They are completely cut off from food and aid by the regime and Hezbollah. A kilo of rice costs $110. Milk costs $250. Babies are surviving on cornflour, while adults eat grass and steamed apricot leaves. Just yesterday, six men were killed by mines trying to escape: all members of N's family. During our talk, N calls her friend in Zabadani. 'People are devastated,' the friend says. 'But we know we have to go on. When you help a child to eat, to study, you know you are building the base for the future of Syria.'
12
108 | Cycling World
February 2017 Stage
Gaziantep, Turkey – Tripoli, Lebanon (12 – 22 Dec)
Total miles cycled: 3,528 (5,678km)
The strengthening role of women, and civil society as a whole, is one of the 'great untold stories of the conflict', I am told by another female Syrian activist, who works for an NGO called Ihsan. 'Before the revolution there were no NGOs in Syria,' she says. 'Now there are hundreds. We are seeing a cultural revolution.' That evening I walk home alone and get lost. It's dark and creepily silent, and suddenly I'm petrified. I see a black Mercedes with tinted windows twice in ten minutes and am convinced it's some Baghdadi henchman at the wheel. I walk quickly and determinedly, hoping to look like someone with a concealed Kalashnikov rather than someone who dropped their rape alarm into the toilet a week ago. By the time I finally distinguish my tower block from the millions of identical ones, I am sweating and tense to the core. I'm being foolishly paranoid, I know. But if I'm beheaded by ISIS, I'll never live it down with my mother. I spend Christmas Eve with a female CCSD activist, W, her family, R and a few others. We eat hummus, drink red wine from their Syrian village and listen to Arabic singers: Kadhim Al-Saher from Iraq; Fairuz from Lebanon; Dalida from Egypt. W's husband defected from the Syrian army and is now in Holland, I learn, and she hopes to join him there shortly. N, a Kurd from Aleppo, is scathing about both sides of the conflict. 'The FSA came to “liberate” Aleppo,' she tells me. 'But they just gave the army an excuse to destroy it.' At 2am on Christmas morning I find myself walking the streets of Gaziantep with W's brother-in-law, my chaperone home – which makes a change from the past 34 years, when I'd be prematurely raiding my stocking for satsumas and Dairy Milk Buttons around this time. He used to work for the US Embassy here, he tells me, but quit because he was frustrated by their obsession with ISIS. 'Daesh Daesh Daesh, that's all they cared about,' he says. 'They didn't care about the Syrian people.' I awake a few hours later feeling tired and a little empty. It's my first Christmas away from my family and I suddenly realise how much I miss them, along with my boyfriend and friends. Fortunately, there's one thing I love more than all of the above, however, which E treats me to at lunchtime to help me through my gloom: a festive lamb shish. What a legend! Final Turkish sunset before leaving for my 12-hour voyage to Lebanon
April 2017| 109
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110 | Cycling World
The London Triathlon Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd July 2017 Victoria Docks, London
London Tri is the largest triathlon in the world. Set in London the race attracts over 13,000 participants and 30,000 spectators each year and has become a must do in the sporting calendar.
R
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February 2017April 2017| 111 Stage In the evening I'm invited to a CCSD party. The group are more like family than colleagues, and clearly care deeply for each other. Most have lost homes and loved ones, but the occasion is a happy (if frustratingly sober) one, filled with food, chain-smoking and communal singing and dancing. As a conga forms on the dance-floor, one young woman tells me about her escape from Syria. 'I hid in the car boot of a sheikh who was secretly helping the opposition,' she says. 'He was taking a huge risk. Assad has killed all the opposition sheikhs.' Later, to my horror, I am requested to sing an English song, and perplexingly find myself belting out that well-known Christian psalm 'I Will Survive'. Looking back, I'm still not entirely sure how this came about – suffice to say that I, and the entire Syrian community, are unlikely to let it happen again anytime soon. I'm here to build cultural bridges, I remind myself, not blow Gloria Gaynor-shaped holes in them. Gaziantep proves so fascinating that I stay an extra two days and am forced to get a bus to Mersin, 300km away, in order to catch my ferry. Here, I stay with a half-German, 50-something, divorced food technology professor, N, whose current energies are heavily focused on creating purple dye from black carrots. She is dismayed by the rise in social conservatism among her students, she tells me. 'Women are more covered and the teaching is more religious than before. There's no mention at all of evolution.' Since her divorce, N says she's experienced constant problems with men, who think she's 'fair game'. She's also had trouble with society more generally. 'Turks love visitors, but if you live here you have to fit in. As an atheist with lots of random cyclist guests, I don't fit the mould.' It's a reminder that, as a mere passing hobo, my level of social insight will always be limited. I dip in and dip out, with no threat to custom or conformism. I cut deeper than the average Thomas Cook rubbernecker, perhaps, yet I'm aware that much of what I see is performance; a cloak of civility, where the ruts and rough edges are concealed. On Dec 29, I cycle 100km along the coast to Tasuçu – an easy, pleasant ride – where I pick up my ferry ticket to Tripoli, Lebanon. After enjoying a heartfelt valedictory kebab to say goodbye to a country I've grown enormously fond of, I join about 30 people and their Kilamanjaro of luggage at the ferry office. We're then taken by truck to the dock, where we're herded through security into a series of prison-style compounds. My bike and panniers are waved through without checks (terrorists take note), and then my passport is confiscated by a guard. This to prevent those going to Syria from absconding in Lebanon, I learn. Instead, they will be driven directly to the border. Lebanon! Just eight hours later than scheduled
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112 | Cycling World
February 2017 Stage
Sivrihisar – Gaziantep, Turkey (12 – 22 Dec)
Total miles cycled: 3,250 (5,230km)
We finally leave five hours late, at 1am. I discover I can't afford the food on board, so instead go exploring. With just 30 passengers, nearly all Syrian, most cabins and decks are empty. Through one porthole, I spy a sink full of swampy water; through another, a group of crew members smoking. Not quite the QE2 – but at least I won't have to queue for the loo, I think cheerily. I hope to get some sleep in one of the downstairs cabins, but am awoken at 3am by my female companion, who takes it upon herself to launch into a medley of rousing Arabic songs. Worried I might have some kind of Pavlonian Gloria Gaynor moment, I decide to up sticks and snooze elsewhere – but instead get talking to a man from Damascus, M, who is on his way to see his elderly mother in Atmeh refugee camp in Syria. Conditions there are desperate, he tells me. Everyone lives in flimsy, makeshift tents, in freezing temperatures. There's no electricity or running water, and deliveries of food frequently go missing due to robberies by mafia groups. M, a Sunni Muslim, left Syria for Sweden several years ago, but returned in August 2011 for Ramadan. After he arrived, he says he was arrested as a foreign spy, hung from the wrists in prison and beaten with sticks. He never confessed, however, and after a month he was released. How does he think it will end in Syria, I ask him? 'It won't,' he says upliftingly. 'When the groups stop fighting Assad, they will fight each other.' By the time we disembark in Tripoli, it's 3pm and we are seven hours late. This is normal, apparently, and nobody seems overly concerned. No wonder services never improve if everyone just accepts them, I think frustratedly – channelling my mother, as I seem to do more and more frequently these days. One woman is clearly upset they are being taken directly to the Syrian border, however. 'I have no money!' she wails hysterically. The guards simply ignore her. And then, suddenly, I'm alone in the growing twilight. To me, the city is a nebulous lair of unknowns, and I feel tired and tense. It was only recently that Tripoli was suffused in sectarian conflict between Sunni and Alawite jihadist groups: old rivalries exacerbated by the Syrian war. The fighting has now reportedly been brought under control – but has it really? As Maud and I wind tentatively through the chaotic glut of flatulently honking traffic, attracting stares and comments, I feel myself bristle with wary caution. I don't know my place here yet. I can't gauge the risk. It strikes me, as it has before, how intimidating it can be to arrive on your own in a completely alien place. I often find it tough – and I’m a white, middle-class English speaker with a huge support network. And I’m here by choice. What it must be like for those with no help or way out, it's tough to imagine. You must need phenomenal strength. Follow Rebecca's journey on her website at thebicyclediaries.co.uk, Twitter at reo_lowe, Instagram at bexio8 or Facebook at facebook.com/bexbicyclediaries. Rebecca is sponsored by Kona, Lightwave, Garmin, Arkel, Berghaus, Lenovo and Pedros.
Christmas Day with my new Syrian friends, none of whom were happy to be identified
April 2017| 113
Welcome to the
North York Moors National Park general@northyorkmoors.org.uk
www.northyorkmoors.org.uk
114 | Cycling World
WANT TO RIDE
Alpine Cols? Cycling World meets Marvin Faure, the MD at tour operator Alpine Cols
CW: Why should a cyclist want to come to the Alps? If you’re a road cyclist and have any interest in the Tour de France, you just have to come, at least once! Tour de France history just keeps being made here. Cycling is a unique sport as you can ride the same roads as the pros: imagine playing football at Wembley Stadium! The scenery is magnificent, the roads are quiet and in excellent condition and the sense of achievement when you reach the summit of a famous climb is incredible. CW: Where is the best place to go? Everybody talks about Alpe d’Huez, as it is a must-do climb. There are many far more attractive climbs too, and all lie a bit nearer to the airport. We use a wonderful 4* hotel, deep in the mountains but just an hour’s scenic drive from Geneva airport. The great advantage of La Clusaz (described by the Daily Mail as France’s best kept secret) is that it’s a crossroads of five majestic routes. In one direction you head to the Col de la Colombière, another to the Col des Aravis, a third to the Col de la Croix Fry and the fourth and fifth routes are down to beautiful Lake Annecy or through the stunning Gorges du Bourne. From here we can ride directly to 27
different climbs (the Forclaz, the Saisies, Joux Plane…) and with the help of a minibus we can easily manage Alpe d’Huez and others like the Glandon and the Madeleine. CW: The TdeF never misses your area so features in 2017. Will you be taking people to cycle the Tour climbs and watch the race? Yes, of course! We had a wonderful time in 2016, being close enough to touch Froomey, and we’ll do the same in 2017, on stages 9 and 17. Stage 17 is on July 19th, during our special Tour de France week. We’ll climb the Cols du Télégraphe and Galibier during the week, and on the day itself we’ll climb the Col de la Croix de Fer via the Glandon to see the riders come up and over the summit. CW: All these tough climbs can seem pretty daunting. How do you cater for people that have never been to the mountains? Our team of coaches are very patient and love sharing their experience with first timers. We start with the easier climbs and focus on getting the technique right before tackling the bigger climbs at the end of the week. The support car is always there, but we rarely need to use it! www.alpinecols.com
April 2017| 115
Alpine Cols ad
116 | Cycling World
CLASSIFIED
April 2017| 117
118 | Cycling World
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