As a Cycling Weekly writer, it might surprise you to hear that I had – until yesterday –never been on a group ride. I’m an A to B kind of girl. I love the satisfaction of a long ride followed by a camping trip, or a long lunch with friends. For that reason, I tend to ride solo. But, emboldened by the opportunity to go on a lunchtime ride with my colleagues, I took the plunge, and realised that the whole business of group riding is more complicated than I could ever have imagined.

The group ride started long before we mounted our bikes outside the Cycling Weekly office. I changed out of my clothes and into some cycling shorts, a baggy top and a jumper, only to find my colleagues transformed into streamlined cycling creatures, cleats clipping, heart monitors ticking.

Undeterred (slightly deterred) I followed the guys as we trickled out of the office and onto the road. Fellow writers Tom and Adam hung back as I adjusted to the blinding speeds we were clocking up (relative to the constant conversational speed I usually measure my rides by), while Jamie (the face of Cycling Weekly’s video content) and Aaron, our newest tech writer, and semi-pro rider, led out ahead. Eek.

I found a happy middle ground between Adam and Tom, Jamie and Aaron, listening to what trickle of conversation wasn’t whisked away by the wind and roaring cars. Happily eavesdropping, I could concentrate on keeping my speed up, as I pushed full-pelt on the pedals, heart racing.

Adam had, throughout the ride, been hanging his arm off the handlebars at intervals throughout the ride, hand waving slightly to his left. I thought it was a subtle way of showing off his gorgeous blue nails, but it turned out to be a cycling hand signal warning us to watch out for potholes. The message rippled through our small peloton to the rider at the back. This was good news for me, as I continued to operate on half a brain cell as my body fought to keep up with the group.

At 8 kilometres in, I cursed my lack of pockets - without a phone, I had no way to navigate back to the office alone. I was exhausted, and I wanted out. Then came the first downhill, and against all odds, I found my stride.

My breakthrough was aided absolutely by Adam and Tom, who dropped back to keep me company every so often, pointing out a cloud of crows taking flight from the orange field to our left, or to stare lovingly at the hill ahead (someone explain to me this love of hill climbing?), peeling my eyes from the constant drum of the road and into the day.

One horrendous (but fortunately, brief) hill later, and we were back in Reading’s winding roundabouts, on the homeward straight and heading for a delicious lunchtime spread courtesy of our magazine editor, Simon.

It took a while for my body to readjust back to office-pace after our ride, but the gentle endorphin release after an hour of max-capacity riding carried me through the rest of the day. I’m someone who struggles to push past “monkey brain” - that voice in your head saying, chill! Take a break! But riding with Adam and Tom, Aaron and Jamie forced me to push myself, and realise just how capable I am.

It would certainly have been a totally different story had I been riding with people intent on riding fast – I’ve been there before, and it’s horrendous, and indescribably off-putting. But I was made to feel welcome, and celebrated, and capable. I’m now set on finding a riding group local to me, and embracing the art of riding for the sake of it - as long as there's a coffee stop along the way.

The Conwy Valley in northwest Wales proudly boasts the highest concentration of utterly hideous climbs anywhere in the British Isles. That's right - more than the Lakes, more even than the North York Moors. The sheer abundance of absolute killer roads on either side of the small, snaking river between Conwy in the north and Llanrwst in the south make it just about the perfect place for utterly destroying your legs.

The one minor downside is that half of the climbs - the ones on the western flank of the valley - are dead-ends. If, like me, you prefer your rides to be nice, flowing loops with no turning back, the nature of these roads will seriously clash with your route-plotting Feng Shui. Don't let this put you off, though, as the challenges you will face and the stories you will be able to tell later make this a must-ride destination.

Longer route:
Distance: 105km (65.2miles)
Elevation: 2,611m (8,520ft)

Being the longer of our two routes, it might surprise you that this one is only 105km - but trust me, it will rank among the hardest you've ever tackled. Just glance at the profile: like the teeth of an upturned rake. The route eases you in gently from Llandudno, heading west along the bikepath beside the North Wales Expressway into Dwygyfylchi. It may seem an around-the-houses way to start - we're not yet in the Conwy Valley - but believe me, the road you're aiming for justifies every detour needed to reach it. From Dwygyfylchi, you swing east and begin the day's climbing on the glorious Sychnant Pass, whose beautiful, curving inclines provide the perfect warm-up before the far more savage challenges to come.

Dropping south into the valley, you ride to Tal-y-bont and turn right for the first of the day's three max-difficulty climbs: Cwm Eigiau. This utterly unforgiving dead-end road pitches you abruptly into the heart of Snowdonia National Park. Once you've summited, you turn around, drop back into the valley, and steel yourself for Afon Du. Blink and you'll miss its base opposite a small car park - but don't, because what lies ahead borders on madness.

Officially (I measured it myself) it's the second-hardest climb in the UK, narrowly beaten by Bamford Clough. At 700m-long, it averages 22% and ramps up remorselessly. No photos accompany this one - that's because I wasn't willing to risk riding it again, after the last time I did, I snapped a pedal clean in half, which was enough to make me swear I'd never risk my bike or my knees on its evil slopes again.

If you reach the top, descend with extreme care, as it's lethal, before continuing south to Trefriw and the mighty Cowlyd. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, this is one of Britain's great roads: a true giant stitched with hairpins and more 20%-plus ramps than you could dream of (or have nightmares about). An undisputed classic. At the top you may crave a breather in the peace and quiet, or perhaps at a cafe back in Llanrwst, before facing yet another bout of brutality: Melin y Coed begins so unrelentingly steep that you'll question your life choices more than once. Mercifully, only a couple of climbs remain. First, just for good measure, the rise from Llanrwst up and around Pen-Bryn-Ddoged, and then, after the long, uneventful return to Llandudno, a fitting finale: the glorious hairpins of the Great Orme.

10 best climbs in the Conwy Valley

1 Rowan YHA

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/27339622
KOM: Sam Stewart-Ball, 7:42
QOM: Kelly M, 16:32
Length: 1,589m
Elevation: 185m
Average gradient: 11%
Max gradient: 28%

It's just as well there are beds at the top because you may want to check in when you get there. The most northerly of the 'Conwy killers', this dead-end to the youth hostel saves its hardest, 28% ramp for last.

2 Afon Ddu

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/27339644
KOM: Kieran Wynne-Cattanach, 4:55
QOM: Jess E, 8:55
Length: 691m
Elevation: 156m
Average gradient: 22%
Max gradient: 31%

Until Bamford Clough entered the conversation, this little road held the title of the steepest in Britain. Getting up it without stopping takes a Herculean effort, unless you are on a mountain bike with incredibly small gears - which of course is cheating!

3 The Cowlyd

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/19678560
KOM: Ed Laverack, 12:33
QOM: Illi Gardner, 15:26
Length: 2,912m
Elevation: 378m
Average gradient: 12%
Max gradient: 20%

The Cowlyd is the king of the Conwy Valley, the climb that everyone comes to ride. With its stack of hairpins, its utterly relentless 20% gradients and of course the complete solitude of its empty summit, this is a place where you can scream to your heart's content!

4 Bwlch-y-Ddeufaen

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/19678618
KOM: Dan Evans, 17:36
QOM: Illi Gardner, 20:59
Length: 5,459m
Elevation: 400m
Average gradient: 7%
Max gradient: 20%

Of the two climbs that leave Tal-y-bont, this is the easier. How can a 5.5km climb with slopes that touch 20% be easy, you ask? Well, compared to its neighbour the Cwm Eigiau, it's just a puppy.

5 Cwm Eigiau

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/2113971
KOM: Dan Evans, 13:52
QOM: Illi Gardner, 14:58
Length: 3,604m
Elevation: 348m
Average gradient: 9%
Max gradient: 25%

Heading to the lake located at its eventual summit, this road is almost as brutal as the dreaded Cowlyd - almost. Packed with 25% bends, it's all-out war on your legs for well over three kilometres until you can finally relax in the emptiness of the mountains.

6 Grinllwm

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/19678672
KOM: Aiden O'Leary, 5:58
QOM: Illi Gardner, 6:50
Length: 1,391m
Elevation: 160m
Average gradient: 11%
Max gradient: 25%

This little killer out the back of Trefriw packs a solid punch right from the get-go. Be ready in your smallest gear and tighten your shoes as it ramps up to 25% almost immediately before twisting into the tree covered hillside.

7 Nebo Road

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/19678656
KOM: Sam Stewart-Ball, 13:12
QOM: Illi Gardner, 16:13
Length: 5,508m
Elevation: 282m
Average gradient: 5%
Max gradient: 9%

At last, a nice steady climb. The Nebo Road is a delight to ride: five beautiful kilometres of 5% gradient which never breach double figures as the road sedately makes its way out of the valley.

8 Melin y Coed

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/27339739
KOM: Kieran Wynne-Cattanach, 12:32
QOM: Illi Gardner, 16:46
Length: 3,131m
Elevation: 316m
Average gradient: 10%
Max gradient: 20%

No one in their right mind would choose this road over the sedate slopes of the Nebo Road next door. This one is torture: ramp after ramp of 20% leads to brow after brow.

9 Fford Llwyn Du

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/27339634
KOM: Jack Broadley, 7:29
QOM: Jess E, 14:21
Length: 1,624m
Elevation: 186m
Average gradient: 11%
Max gradient: 19%

Yet another climb with a double-digit average, this one hits you with three brutal ramps of stiff gradient - bang, bang, bang! One of a multitude of nasty ascents up the eastern side of the valley, it will keep you trapped in purgatory on its sinuous hedge-lined course from base to summit.

10 Sychnant Pass

Strava segment: strava.com/segments/19678542
KOM: Dan Evans, 5:19
QOM: Illi Gardner, 6:02
Length: 1,840m
Elevation: 147m
Average gradient: 7%
Max gradient: 17%

Not all the climbs in the region can be savage. Thankfully, there are a few like this beautiful twisting ascent, which, although touching 17% in places, is far more manageable than its near neighbours.

Shorter route: Grinllwm and bear it

Distance: 91.2km (56.7miles)
Elevation: 2,120m (6,955ft)

Spreading the killer climbs across two routes, this slightly shorter loop starts from Llandudno and makes a beeline for Rowen, where the truly evil road to the youth hostel awaits. Grind your way up, and when you finally crest the summit-lungs on fire, legs screaming - take a moment to breathe in something other than your own desperation. Then turn tail, swoop back into the valley, and head towards Llanbedr-y-Cennin for your next date with pain: the 5.5km Bwlch-y-Ddeufaen.

Once you've conquered it, it's another about-turn and a welcome cruise back to the valley for a much-needed breather all the way to Trefriw. But respite never lasts long here. A brief diversion from the valley floor sends you ramping skywards on the Grinllwm, before you plummet back to Llanrwst - a perfect pitstop location - and steel yourself for the comparatively forgiving Nebo Road.

This climb carries you to the southernmost tip of the loop, from where a long, satisfying descent swings you back to Llanrwst. But don't be lulled into thinking it's over. The final monster still lies ahead. The infamous Fford Llwyn Du will drain the last of your reserves, but once you've crested it, the suffering is done. All that's left is a triumphant roll back to Llandudno for a well-earned ice cream.

Key Information

Where to stay

Both routes start and finish on the coast in Llandudno, which, as you would expect from one of Wales's most popular seaside resorts, is packed to the gills with hotels and restaurants to suit all budgets.

Accommodation

If you fancy some luxury, check into the four-star Victorian grandeur of the Imperial Hotel on the seafront. If you're on a tighter budget, there is a plethora of bed-and-breakfasts and smaller hotels to choose from.

Food and drink

You'll find something to suit any taste in Llandudno, from fine dining to fast food - and of course classic fish and chips from Chish'n'fips or ice cream from Forte's.

What else to see and do

If you like castles, pencil In a visit to the Impressive Conwy Castle. A UNESCO world heritage site, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the past. For tram enthusiasts, check out the Great Orme Tramway.

The full, original version of this article was published in the 26th June 2025 print edition of Cycling Weekly. Subscribe online and get the magazine delivered direct to your door every week.

Few things rival the quiet joy of spinning along a trail in good company, wheels turning and conversation flowing. Our usual topic? Bikes, naturally. I ride a Canyon Grizl 7, fully immersed in my gravel era, and I’m usually joined by local friends who’ve traded skinny tyres for knobby ones, all drawn to the freedom of mixed terrain. Our conversations meander like the trails: summer bikepacking expeditions, the comfort of tubeless tyres, the merits of flared handlebars, and – of course – which cafe to cortado. Rarely does saddle chatter stray into which rare species we might encounter along the way, the local habitats under threat, or how climate change intersects with our rides – or what we, as cyclists, might do about it.

And yet there’s no reason why not. Cyclists are in a unique position to observe and report on the state of nature from the saddle. Accessing natural landscapes, views, mountains and forests, is a primary appeal of the sport. Could we – or should we – dive deeper into the natural connection cycling affords us, and make advocacy for conserving threatened natural habitats part of our pastime?

Combining the two motivations, cycling for conservation as well as fitness, was a key driver as I was researching and writing my new book To Have or To Hold. I rode whenever possible, unless a named storm lay in my path (which became a mysterious theme). In our cycling, we confront a paradox of environmental responsibility: the duty to leave no trace and protect the countryside through which we ride, but we inevitably purchase consumable kit, drive (or even fly) to desirable cycling locations, and to some extent intrude into nature – all the while hoping it stays wild and beautiful.

Britain stands among the most nature-depleted nations on Earth, with one in seven species now facing extinction. Perhaps more alarming, we rank lowest in Europe for our sense of connection to nature. Nature disconnection is not just a cultural concern – it’s a crisis. With the UK government legally bound to meet its environmental promises under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the urgency to reconnect with and protect the natural world has never been greater. But when we’re sending it down a bridleway accompanied by birdsong, sunshine and epic views, we might be missing some of nature’s most urgent stories.

To demonstrate how cycling gives us access to some of Britain’s most precious natural habitats, I want to take you on a 34-mile ride through some of Devon’s best kept secrets. Anyone who does this ride is rewarded by over 3,000ft of climbing, a view of Britain’s youngest castle, ancient woodlands, rushing rivers, quiet bridleways, sleepy villages and rolling mid-Devon lanes. All of these harbour some of the country’s most endangered species. This ride has fast become my favourite route from the doorstep, to do solo or with friends, and can be adapted to suit your needs and ability on the day. A gravel bike is ideal for this varied terrain, but a mountain bike is also an option, although it may feel laborious on the lanes. My husband Jacob needed no persuading to join me on what was a stunning spring day.

Exe marks the spot

Beginning from home, west of the River Exe in Exeter, the early climbs, out of the city and towards Whitestone, came thick and fast. Within a few miles, approaching Heath Cross, we were already at 250m above sea level, with 180° panoramas from the Exe Estuary and the sea, across to Dartmoor National Park. Primroses pocked the hedgerows, chiff chaffs sung on a breeze perfumed with nectar and blossom. The notorious Six Mile Hill spilled us down into Tedburn St Mary. Actually only 1.5 miles in length, this historic 18th-century landmark of the Exeter Turnpike Trust marks where tolls collected fees from weary travellers on their remaining six miles into Devon’s capital.

Ten miles of epic vistas and rolling hills towards Dartmoor were punctuated by stingy climbs and long pacey stretches. Male skylarks rose victoriously above farmland in their iconic song-flight – singing their way into the breeding season hundreds of metres above us. It was a lovely sound but also a stark reminder that UK skylark numbers have declined by 63% since 1967 (RSPB), victims of intensified farming. Though legally protected, they remain under pressure. The Wildlife Trusts urge one simple act to help prevent a silent spring: keep dogs on leads. As cyclists, we can do our part too – by staying on marked paths and avoiding fields where skylarks nest.

Seeing the windswept moorland of the National Park on the horizon, I thought of the bilberry bumblebee, Britain’s ‘mountain bee’. Thickly furred for warmth, they pollinate a medley of upland flowers. But habitat change and warming springs have driven this high-altitude bee into steep decline. Now nationally scarce, it struggles with low heat tolerance – troubling news given that this spring’s mean temperature of 9.5°C was 1.4°C above the norm, making it the warmest on record. The bumblebee’s presence on Dartmoor is precious. Its future deeply uncertain.

Leaving Cheriton Bishop marked the beginning of the first off-road section, a verdant singletrack through mixed woodland, flanked by braided tributaries of the rivers Creedy, Yeo and Teign. The trees were budding, energy humming with the arrival of spring, the track flowing and forgiving. A gravel state of mind. The air was cool and fresh. We were entering Atlantic salmon territory.

The River Teign, winding through the spectacular gorge, is a vital spawning ground for this vanishing species. Numbers are at record lows, driven by rising water temperatures, invasive species, and the bleak truth that no river in England or Northern Ireland is considered healthy. After years at sea, adult salmon return, guided by Earth’s magnetic field to the very waters where they were born.

“Atlantic salmon were once abundant and one of our most important keystone species, bringing nutrients from the ocean and keeping the forests of Dartmoor healthy,” said Sam Manning, project officer for Southwest Rainforest, part of the Woodland Trust. The salmon’s life cycle links land and sea, each stage returning nutrients to the river, forest, and ocean. Trees near streams with salmon carcasses grow stronger, enriched by nearly 80% more nitrogen. As we cycled deeper inland, it was easy to forget the sea, some 30 miles away in Teignmouth, and the river’s thread to it. Atlantic salmon decline speaks to a deeper disconnection: between land and ocean, between people and the ecosystems that bind them.

The Teign's rainforests

I couldn’t wait to reach Hunter’s Path, a breathtaking singletrack perched high above the River Teign and gorge. Castle Drogo, Britain’s youngest castle, stayed hidden as we climbed from the base. Bike and rider earn the view: a granite fortress commanding the eastern rim at 300m above sea level. Built for businessman Julius Drewe between 1911 and 1930, it’s the last castle ever built in England, now cared for by the National Trust and one of its most popular sites.

Line choice is key here. I wanted to look everywhere, be everywhere, constantly distracted by the distant moors, buzzards on the thermals – and trying to ignore the 200m sheer drop on my right. The Teign rushed like distant surf far below, hidden by the green fuzz of the 825-acre Fingle Woods. Under the canopy lie species that indicate temperate rainforest habitat: ancient, rare deciduous woodland of gnarled oaks, birch, ash, hazel home to unique assemblages of mosses, ferns, liverworts and lichens. Temperate rainforests once carpeted nearly 20% of the British Isles. Today, that figure is less than 1%, severing crucial ties relied upon by species on the brink.

“Salmon populations in Devon are on the edge of collapse, particularly in the Teign,” Manning continued, “but the Woodland Trust is working to re-naturalise and restore our temperate rainforests and rivers, including at Fingle Woods, which will help improve salmon habitat and conditions in the river so that they can one day thrive again.” As cyclists, we can raise the profile of these vital restoration efforts that protect the trails we love by riding responsibly and supporting the work of environmental charities such as the Woodland Trust.

Three thousand years ago, these woods bustled with timber production, tree felling, and hunting. The once-rich deciduous forest was stripped nearly bare, overtaken by dense, light-hungry conifers. But now, thanks to the National Trust and Woodland Trust, the forest is returning to its former glory. On a bike, you are the audience in this verdant theatre, gliding past sweeping vistas like Hunters Tor and Sharp Tor. Hunters Path is gravel-bike bliss – smooth, flowing single-track with the occasional rocky garden that descends through woodland with some fun switchbacks down to Fingle Bridge.

Newly bloomed gorse lit the trail like golden fairy lights, its coconut scent on the breeze. In places like Chudleigh Knighton Nature Reserve on Dartmoor’s southeastern edge, these heathlands are carefully managed for one of Britain’s rarest insects, the narrow-headed ant. These wood ants strengthen ecosystems by cycling nutrients and supporting a web of heathland life from aphids and birds, to microscopic parasites. Yet they survive in just one English stronghold, protected by Devon Wildlife Trust. Elsewhere, only in the Scottish Highlands do a few scattered colonies remain, threatened by land use change and urbanisation.

Gone cuckoo

The picturesque Fingle Inn was a hive of walkers enjoying a riverside pit-stop. The Teign hurried below the 17th-century stone bridge as we crossed and headed downstream towards Clifford Bridge. Now at river level, the sights and scents changed in the dappled light. Wild garlic, ramson, was everywhere. I nibbled some leaves and foraged others, stowing them in my frame bag. You know it’s spring when ramson pesto dollops weeknight dinners.

The next few miles – beyond Clifford Bridge and into Dunsford Woods Nature Reserve – were fast and thrilling. The river raced beside us like a ribbon while, above, the tree canopy shimmered. Glades opened to reveal constellations of bluebells, wood anemones and wild daffodils, explored by luminous Brimstone butterflies. Even a pearl-bordered fritillary – one of Britain’s most threatened species – appeared for a beat, its orange wings flickering like a flame as it darted across the trail.

One of cycling’s quiet triumphs is its relative discreetness. Leaving Dunsford village, we hit the day’s more relentless climbs on silent, forgotten lanes. All we could hear was birdsong and our breathing: chiff chaff, starling, blackbird, great tit. At one point, a bumblebee led the way up a sharp ascent, briefly outpacing us as we rose from the saddle on the paddles, hearts pounding. I listened for a cuckoo, not long back from overwintering in central Africa. For me, this call carries a sting of nostalgia, knowing that cuckoo numbers have fallen by 70% in the last 20 years.

As cyclists, we’re granted a rare privilege: to witness nature in its quiet retreats and courageous recoveries. With every mindful ride, however near or far, we’re not just passing through these landscapes; we’re deepening our role as nature’s advocates. There’s something profound in the rhythm of the ride and the simplicity of riding from the doorstep – how time in the saddle opens us up, draws out a deeper connection not only with the natural world, but with each other. What I hold on to is this fierce belief: nature can recover, but only if we grant it the space and respect it needs.

Nature notes

Atlantic salmon cannot survive in 90% of England’s rivers, owing to habitat fragmentation (2024 Atlantic Salmon Stock Assessment).

Bumblebees fell to their lowest numbers in 2024 since UK records began (Bumblebee Conservation Trust). The high spring rainfall during their most delicate life cycle stage when they emerge from hibernation is thought to be the cause.

Lungwort lichen is a unique species formed by the symbiosis of a fungus and two species of algae. They only grow in ancient-woodland hundreds of years old.

Narrow-headed ants have a symbiotic relationship with aphids. In return for sweet honeydew produced by the aphids, the aphids receive protection from predators.

Ancient woodland now just covers 2.4% of the UK (Woodland Trust). Around 40% of what remains has been felled and replaced with non-native conifers. The Woodland Trust is currently restoring nearly 40,000 hectares of woodland across the UK.

Freshwater health determines how well we can respond to climate change and protect communities and other species from flood and drought. Yet sewage is discharged daily into rivers across the UK and Ireland (The Rivers Trust).

Immerse yourself. Learn to love nature more deeply by identifying your local bird and plant species using helpful apps such as Merlin Bird ID and PlantNet.

The full, original version of this article was published in the 26th June 2025 print edition of Cycling Weekly. Subscribe online and get the magazine delivered direct to your door every week.

Len Double dressed his youngest son Paul, just nine at the time, in a yellow jersey and red helmet, and plonked him on a £100 mountain bike. “We were in Cheddar Gorge and I told him to ride down the hill and then back up,” Len remembers. “I didn’t expect much, but he rode up it like a bloody rocket! I thought, Jesus, if he takes this up, he could be pretty useful.” The ride whetted young Paul’s appetite for cycling. “I felt very early on that if he persevered he could become a stage race rider,” his father continues.

To reach the promised land of WorldTour and Grand Tour racing, Paul – born and raised in Winchester, Hampshire – has taken a winding and unusually long path. Along the way, he has had to scrape by on pay as low as €3,000 a year, making ends meet by chopping wood on the slopes of Mt Etna and sticking foam to his bike to improve his time trialling. It’s been nearly a decade-long journey from novice under-23 rider to Giro d’Italia finisher – a path demanding both patience and perseverance, the very qualities his dad always said he would need. “I said he’d be a slow burner, and that’s what he’s become,” Len says. Finally, though, at 28 – half a decade later than most of his peers – Double has arrived at cycling’s top table, and he’s already started picking up some big wins. “Becoming a pro has always been the dream, the one thing I’ve always aspired to, and it feels like I’ve only just started,” he says.

Sporty upbringing

It was from his dad Len that Double inherited his love and enthusiasm for cycling. In his younger years, Len, who is now 71, was a first-cat racer and a familiar face on the south London road, track and time trial scene. But cycling wasn’t Paul’s first sport. “He played table tennis, swam well, and was a decent runner,” Len recalls. “Then one day, our hairdresser – who coached kayaking – asked if he wanted to give that a go. He did, and took to it quickly, but was entered into an event he wasn’t ready for. He flipped the kayak and took a while to resurface. We didn’t realise at first, but he was actually drowning in front of us. Understandably, he lost interest after that.”

Kayaking’s loss was cycling’s gain – though Double didn’t start racing until after finishing school at 18. In July 2016, he made an impression at the Welsh amateur race Ras De Cymru, winning two stages against far more experienced riders. The performance caught the eye of ex-pro Flavio Zappi, who runs the Italy-based Zappi U23 Cycling Academy. “I saw this very skinny guy smash everyone in the time trial and then again up the Tumble,” Zappi recalls. “I asked if he wanted to come out to Italy, but then realised he was already quite old – 20 at the time.”

Despite his age, Double immediately dropped Zappi’s regulars on the climbs. “He had a lot to learn, but I was convinced he could hold his own,” says Zappi. What convinced him? “He had a petrol engine, not a diesel – meaning he wouldn’t peak right away, but over time, he’d get there.”

Survival money

And so Double’s cycling career began – but there was one major obstacle: he had barely any money to fund his dream of making it to the top. “I did odd jobs – cafés, bars, hotels, helping my dad – just to get by,” he says. “[Rider support fund] Pedal Potential gave me a bit, but it was really just survival money.”

Double’s eldest brother James was doing well in London’s financial sector and stepped in to help. “He could see I was a bit lost, but also that I’d been given a real opportunity. He said I should go for it, and let me borrow money on the understanding I’d pay him back if it all worked out.”

Friends and family chipped in too, offering “coffee money”. “I was very lucky to have so many people supporting me,” Double reflects. Others provided hand-me-downs and spares with which Len modified Paul’s bikes in his garage workshop. “Paul was known as the Bianchi Kid at first because his first bike was a celeste Bianchi,” Len says. “After that, a friend gave us a frame, someone else gave us wheels, another some tri-bars – we cobbled it all together.”

For time-trial training, Len once wrapped upholstery foam on Paul’s handlebars. “People laughed when they saw it, but then Paul went out and smashed them all.” On winter group rides, Paul wore washing-up gloves to keep his hands dry. “He was penny-pinching because we just didn’t have any money,” Len laughs.

Double was profiled by Cycling Weekly in 2018, in a feature contrasting his DIY set-up with the extravagant spending of Essex stockbroker Ian Hope – who, inspired by Double’s commitment, later gave him a one-off financial boost.

All those hard yards and creative methods started to pay off. After riding on the amateur Italian scene for Zappi in 2017 and 2018, Double secured a contract with the third-division Colpack team for 2019. When Covid hit in 2020, he returned to Zappi and sat out the pandemic on the slopes of Mt Etna. “Until I went to Sierra Nevada [in Spain] ahead of this year’s Giro, Etna was as close as I’d got to altitude training,” he says. He and his trapped team-mates turned lockdown into a bootcamp, gathering their own firewood while Double turned house chef and lead entertainer.

“I play the guitar and sing a bit,” he says. “My go-to songs are usually sad and slow, relying on a few chords.” He draws a parallel to his day job. “I’m not very talented [musically], but like my cycling I continue to see progression, so maybe if I keep it up, I’ll end up playing Wembley stadium,” he laughs, promptly adding: “That was a joke!”

Riding with Tadej

Double resumed racing at Continental level in 2021. The following year came a breakthrough: he finished seventh on GC at the Tour of Slovenia, mixing it with Tadej Pogačar in the mountains. “I exceeded expectations that week and people saw I could ride and climb with the top guys,” Double says. UCI ProTeam Human Powered Health immediately hired him, setting in motion a chain that would see him move to Alberto Contador’s Polti Kometa in 2024 and then to Jayco-Alula on a two-year contract at the start of this season.

Aged 28, long after most riders would have given up and fallen back on a different career path, Double, the wily, aggressive climber, had made it to the big time. “Maybe I was delusional, like one of those people on X Factor who’s been told they’re amazing when they’re not,” he says. “But I saw progression every year, so I had reason to be optimistic.”

There’s no trace of arrogance – Double is well aware he’s still learning. “The biggest change at Jayco has been wearing a heart rate monitor. Before, I’d let my power meter die and wouldn’t replace the battery until a team asked for data. I’ve always ridden on emotion and feel, but now I’m embracing the science.”

In April, he won a stage of the Coppi e Bartali, his first ever win as a WorldTour rider. “I’ve always been an overthinker and I’d been doubting myself in the WorldTour, so to win was a relief more than anything.” A few weeks later, at his maiden Giro d’Italia, he was briefly the virtual leader when he found himself in the breakaway on stage seven. “It was super exciting and there were serious thoughts going through my head that if they gave us a load of time this could be a really big day.” It didn’t happen, but Double finished the Giro. “I used to watch these races thinking, ‘how do they do this?’. Now I’m thinking, ‘how do we do this?’. They say a Grand Tour changes you, and I really think it has.”

It’s been a long journey but in just six months Double has earned his place at the WorldTour. “The team have told me that they foresee even more progress from me, which is nice to hear. I won’t be putting massive pressure on myself, but will keep doing what I’ve always done: taking opportunities when they come my way.”

Late developer – longer career?

Paul Double’s late entry into the chaos and stress of professional cycling may ultimately work in his favour, says the former Italian pro who first took a chance on him, Flavio Zappi.

“Many boys start cycling around 10, and by the time they’ve developed the engine, at 18 or 19, they have completely burned out mentally,” Zappi says. “Paul, on the other hand, had the engine from the beginning, but had to learn race craft, how to eat, train, and all the rest.

“Improving as a cyclist has always been important to him, but he’s never been paranoid about it. I’d love to have 100 boys like him every year to train and coach.” Zappi remembers Double’s victory in an Italian amateur race in 2018 – the first ever for his team in eight years. “After he won, he did the most Paul thing: he insisted on driving the team van back home,” Zappi says. “It was what he loved to do, and it was his way of thanking everyone. He’s the best team-mate you can ask for.”

Looking ahead, Zappi is confident Double will continue to justify his place in the WorldTour. “He can win a stage of a Grand Tour,” he says. “He needs time, but he can do it.”

The full, original version of this article was published in the 19th June 2025 print edition of Cycling Weekly as part of our 'Meet the Maker' series. Subscribe online and get the magazine delivered direct to your door every week.

Long before Alex Dowsett was setting Hour record times, winning Grand Tour stages and repeatedly becoming British time trial champion, there was another Dowsett from Essex who was speeding around and breaking records: his father, Phil. Hailing from a motor racing family – Phil’s nephew Oliver runs a successful British touring car team, Napa – the 74-year-old raced single-seater, saloon, sports and touring cars for 22 years.

Though he never accomplished his dream of becoming a Formula One driver, Phil was regarded as one of Britain’s best drivers throughout the 1980s. But it wasn’t how he paid the bills. “I had a job, and that was my biggest downfall because I only had one day a week to prepare and test the car before racing,” he says. In 1989, the year after Alex was born, Phil turned down the opportunity to race in Japan for Toyota Factory, instead beginning an upholstery, carpet and curtain business in London. Phil’s wife Jan gave birth to the couple’s second child, Lois, in 1991.

Alex, who was diagnosed with the blood-clotting disorder haemophilia at 18 months old, began cycle racing at age 13, despite no history of the sport in his family. “My nan on my mother’s side would have swum in the Olympics had it not been for the war, but other than that, neither side of my family was particularly sporty,” Alex says. The father and son have made the Dowsett name synonymous with speed.

Phil’s success was a source of inspiration for Alex from a young age. “I heard these stories as a kid about how good my dad was,” Alex says, “and I thought, How am I going to excel at life to the point where I can tell my own kids similar successful stories?” Phil nods: “He more than achieved that goal – he’s got better stories to tell than I have.”

The son's take

Alex Dowsett
Age: 36
Height: 5ft 10in
Raised: Chelmsford, Essex
Lives: Chelmsford, Essex
Occupation: Performance engineer at XDS Astana
Biggest sporting achievement: Hour record, 52.937km (2015); 2x stage wins, Giro d’Italia (2013, 2020)

Q: What did you know as a child about your dad’s racing success?
I was aware of it because he used to drive fast and his trophy cabinet was in the corner of the dining room. But he wasn’t one to talk about his success. I pieced together the dots when we went to the invite-only British Racing Drivers’ Club and I saw Dad’s name on the board next to 1988 with a silver star denoting that he was that year’s best national driver.

Q: Were you interested in motor racing?
I went to the local go-kart track where, if you got under a certain lap time in a kid’s kart, they let you come back on a Saturday or Sunday morning to drive the adult karts. I was pretty good, but not the fastest.

Q: How did your sporting career start?
I was diagnosed with haemophilia as a baby and doctors told my parents that swimming was really helpful for it. Swimming was my sport and I tried racing but wasn’t very good.

Q: Do you think your cycling talent was learned or inherited?
I find my childhood fascinating: I swam 10,000 hours to master swimming but I was sh*t. I went running and was quite good at a county level but nothing amazing. And then I picked up a bike and within a year I was the best in my age group.

Q: Physically, are you more similar to your dad or your mum?
Dad loves cycling, but you can see that it doesn’t come to him naturally. It’s a useless comparison but my wife Chanel and I took Mum and Dad to New Zealand a few years ago and we did a vineyard tour on tandems. Chanel and Dad were on one bike and me and my Mum were on the other. They wanted to race against us, but they didn’t win a single one! Michael Hutchinson once told me that in most cases the physiology comes from the mother’s side; in my case, I think that’s true.

Q: Did your dad teach you any racing techniques?
Racing lines – on the kart track as a kid. [Ex-pro] Paddy Bevin said to me a couple of years ago that I was one of the only bike riders who took a motor racing line on a push bike.

Q: Do you have a similar mindset to your dad?
Yes, I’d say I got my head from my dad – especially my work ethic.

Q: What about your will to win?
I once had a fascinating conversation with Dad where he said it was outrageous that I was buying a £5,000 skinsuit. I said to him: “Dad, you remortgaged the house to do another year of racing.” But if you ask him, he’ll say he didn’t want it enough – as if remortgaging your house isn’t wanting it enough!

Q: What career advice did you take from your dad?
He always drummed into me the importance of sponsors: “If there’s a logo on a pair of socks you’re being paid to wear, you wear those socks.”

The father's take

Phil Dowsett
Age: 74
Height: 5ft 7in
Raised: Chelmsford, Essex
Lives: Maldon, Essex
Occupation: Retired commercial upholstery business owner
Biggest sporting achievement: 1st – British Formula Atlantic race, Oulton Park (1980)

Q: How much did you train as a motor racing driver?
I ran around London keeping fit, which gave me an advantage over everyone else. Keeping fit was something that very few drivers did back in my day.

Q: Did you want Alex to become a racing driver?
We didn’t have the money for it. You’ve got to be extremely rich nowadays. He’s a good car driver and he’d have loved car racing, but he never approached me about doing it seriously.

Q: Did you give him a love of speed?
Definitely. I used to take him out in my Porsche and he’d enjoy ripping around in it. He had a hunger for speed from an early age, and you saw that in his time trialling.

Q: How did you try to encourage Alex’s cycling?
I used to go mountain biking on Thursday nights, and when he was 13 he asked if he could come along. I said yes as long as he kept up and didn’t fall off. That was the start of it.

Q: When did you know Alex had talent?
When he started racing time trials at Maldon CC, one of the guys said to me: “Phil, Alex is very, very good: his body doesn’t move [around in the saddle] but he delivers power”.

Q: How did you help him as a cyclist?
I didn’t know a thing about the technical side of cycling. I always said to him: “Alex, have a plan B. If things go wrong, you need to be able to execute an alternative plan.” All I could do was get him to where he needed to be, make sure he ate a good meal, had a good night’s sleep.

Q: What was the most important thing Alex inherited from you?
When he was around 15, if he didn’t win, he hated it. That will to win is something that I didn’t teach him, but like me, he had that desire. I think he also grasped early on that when your arse gets kicked, on those bad days, you learn more.

Q: Do you share a similar mentality?
He once told me: “Dad, I’ve learned how I can go quicker.” I was expecting him to go on and say he had new tyres or some new kit, but he said: “I’ve learned how to hurt myself more.” I am not like that on a bike – unlike him, I don’t like putting myself through pain! I push to keep up with my mates, but not to the level where I ruin myself.

The no-conferring round

‘Guess what your dad said when we asked…’

Who’s the best driver today?
Alex: He’d say me.
Phil: He’s better than me now. When you get to my age, you can’t process things as quickly as before.

Could Alex have made it as a racing driver?
Alex: I think I could have been, yeah.
Phil: He’d have been good, but I’m not sure how good.

Could Phil have become a cyclist?
Alex: From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t have the ability.
Phil: No. He’s got the cardiovascular levels and the technique – I don’t have any of that.

What’s one thing Phil can do but Alex can’t?
Alex: He could dismantle an old engine.
Phil: I can windsurf better than him. For now…

What’s one thing Alex can do but Phil can’t?
Alex: I can go under 30 minutes for a 10-mile TT!
Phil: Ride a bike fast! And he’s good at maths.

What’s the tougher sport, rally or cycling?
Alex: He’d have said pro cycling.
Phil: In my era, it was motor racing – it was far more dangerous, but then it became incredibly safe. Cyclists have to be far fitter.

How would Alex describe Phil in three words?
Alex: Humble, loyal and generous. Can I add smart?
Phil: Stubborn old bastard! Impetuous, selfish – to be successful, you have to be. And generous.

How would Phil describe Alex in three words?
Alex: He’d say something about me being focused, and how when I want something I work hard for it.
Phil: Cool, calm and collected.

Who’s more competitive?
Alex: He’ll say himself. He would get pissed off with me if I helped team-mates in time trials.
Phil: I think we’re similar, but I had to be very competitive, as it was often a dog-eat-dog situation.

Who’s more famous?
Alex: Dad tells the story about when his Wikipedia page stopped being about his own achievements and became about being the father of Alex Dowsett.
Phil: Alex, by far.

Specialized can lay claim to the most-winningest bike in the Specialized Tarmac, and numerous other lofty accolades, alongside a level of experience that only arguably the biggest brand in WorldTour cycling can have.

So when it launches a new wheelset, through in-house brand Roval, my ears prick up and perhaps so should yours. The wheels in question are the updated Rapide Sprint CLX, CLX III and CL II.

It’s easy to imagine we’ve reached peak wheel right now. With so many wheel launches recently, it’s difficult to know how to separate them all, or which wheels might be best to buy, with near consensus on minimal weight for the material and shape of the rim; most brands finally moving to Hugi-style ratchets in their freehub hardware, alongside the chase for lighter weight, through the widespread adoption of carbon spokes.

STEEL VS CARBON. Steel still wins in the battle of the spokes

The problem is steel is brilliant at being a spoke. Every wheel company I’ve spoken to agrees, and has also, in private at least, agreed that carbon is a compromise in this component.

Sure, a carbon spoke sheds weight, but steel has properties that carbon doesn’t, and those properties are critically important for a component that uses compression and tension in the spokes, to distribute loads evenly, throughout the structure of a well-built wheel.

In an example where a carbon spoke is used instead, the material is naturally so stiff and static that dynamic loads don’t move into the spoke at all. Leaving energy from impacts to spread through the rim only. Rims have to be strengthened to manage that issue.

You can guess where that ends up in terms of ride quality.

Carbon spokes have a future, we're just not there yet

Does that mean carbon spokes are hopeless, no, of course not. But the engineering solutions that will need to be uncovered to put back that ride quality, are a way off yet. For now, that means we can have our ultralight wheel cake, but eating it will not yet be the tasty and soothing experience we’ve come to expect from a well-built contemporary steel-spoke wheel.

In this latest launch, Roval have gone down the carbon spoke route, but it appears it's made some strides forward, with the Continuous Composite Spokes, designed in conjunction with U.S based Arris Composites. The rim has been reinforced to manage the loads in the rim, but all up weight is still lower than the steel spoked alternative. Further, they claim that the operating tension is on a par with steel spokes, meaning wheel builders don’t need to rewire their brains to build with them.

The final problem, which Specialized claim they’ve overcome is bulk. A DTSwiss Aerolite spoke – the acknowledged benchmark in spoke technology – is steel. Current carbon spokes - whilst undoubtedly lighter than steel equivalents - are far larger than the steel benchmark, creating more drag. A carbon spoke is therefore, generally, slower in that aero context.

Specialized say they’ve overcome this issue too, which to recap, means Roval have:

- Worked out how to manage greater loads, inside the rim.

- Operating tensions are on par with steel alternatives.

- Created a bladed spoke which they claim, although noticeably wider, is shaped in such a way that it performs as well as a DT Swiss Aerolite in aero performance terms.

No mean feat.

You’d think that might be enough for them to leave it at that, but instead they’ve decided to play a strategic card that is arguably unavailable to many others, and build wheels that perform at their best in a sprint.

Play them at the games you know you can win

Through careful analysis of their own empirical data – which objectively is only really available to a brand that’s won in as many sprints as Specialized has – they’ve come up with what, on the face of it, could look like a gimmick, but does make some strategic sense, once you’ve dug into the detail.

Analysis of the data has led them to an ideal depth of a front rim for winning a sprint. That depth they say is 63mm and it has applied it to the Sprint CLX model with that knowledge in hand. For their next trick, they then tested the wheel as part of a system including the rider. The only way they say, an aero wheel test makes sense.

The testing appears to have started from a logical hypothesis that investments in aero are paid in grams added. And that the best investments come at the front of the bike, where frontal area reductions lead to the biggest gains; Roval says that 90% of aero benefits come from the front wheel and grams spent at the back of the bike really don’t do as much. With that finding, they decided to put the 63mm depth at the front, and reduce depth at the rear of the bike, in the case of the Sprint CLX that’s 58mm. The assert that the data also showed that weight savings here, add up to better forward progress from power invested at the pedals, and their final conclusion, put simply… is that if you want to win a sprint, you need a deeper wheel at the front, and less out back.

The answer they’ve come up with, is literally back to front. Conventional wisdom holds that you put the deeper wheel at the back, where it can be aero-most, without getting you into trouble in side winds. The shallower profile, goes up front, where side winds might cause the steering the most problems. Specialized data, it claims, says that’s all wrong if you want to win a sprint.

It’s also applied this thinking to the Rapide CLX III wheelset, which now sees 51mm deep front wheel paired with 48mm deep wheel at the rear.

Will going deeper up front, win them the sprint?

This launch seems to come in a moment where we’ve reached peak wheel performance – a world where even house brands specify wheelsets so capable, the after market for upgrade wheels is becoming less relevant.

In aero terms there’s only so many ways and yaw angles you can be faster than the next product and that often comes down to the way brands test them. In terms of weight targets, we’ve reached the limits of the available materials in terms of what we can reasonably do to remove material from an aero rim (or hub) before it becomes too light to be useful.

That leaves the carbon spoke with which to advance the cause or differentiate, which for the reasons identified, plays havoc with the ride feel and leaves everyone fighting for an ever lower overall weight, which further backs brands into a complex corner, where ride quality, comfort and ultimately control is traded off for grams.

Strategically, instead of seeking new tech in the physical components (there are plenty of improvements there too), Roval appears to have sought an edge from the unique body of data they’ve accumulated from winning sprints. Whilst vendors are falling over themselves to sell carbon spokes and knock a few easy grams out of the wheelset, brands like Specialized and Roval are betting that no one has more data than it has. And that’s not a bad bet.

Or they'll just demonstrate it's all faster next month at the Tour De France, which regardless of how relevant that is to you and I, won't do this new concept any harm at all.

Bespoked is Europe’s largest handmade bike show, highlighting the best custom and independent brands in cycling. It’s where the handmade bike community gathers to share their best work, and showcase it with the public.

I tried to avoid the distractions of the myriad cargo bikes, mountain bikes, and e-bike solutions on display (with some exceptions due to the sheer awesomeness of what I was seeing) and instead focus on a selection of highlights that stood out to me as a big road and gravel bike fan.

Cycling Weekly was also asked to judge the ‘Best Road Bike’ category, requirements of which meant we spent more time with certain bikes.

The show has always been early to the party with experimental paint. Creativity is always high in this area, but this year, as the screws tighten for many, so do the gears in the minds of the never-quit community here. Newer technologies like Cerakote, an advanced ‘military-grade’ ceramic coating is everywhere at this show now, with builders reporting excellent results and time savings thanks to the rapid ease of application and far higher abrasion resistance than 2k or wet paint finishes.

Another apparent theme here, which has been echoed elsewhere in the industry, is the interest in adventure cycling, bikepacking, and the road less traveled. Tyres are getting wider here as elsewhere, but the utility and creative thought going into packing ever more of your life onto your bike starts here. The innovative and well-made luggage solutions from Tailfin and Wizard Works are regulars here too and worth a look.

Petor (and his community) feels like cycling’s answer to the fictitious Hollywood gym owner, Peter LaFleur, defying the odds and triumphing over the wider industry’s villainous rival, White Goodman, in Dodgeball.

Here in Manchester, Bespoked is every-bit a weekend feel-good movie about the underdog triumphing over the corporate megalith. In this little corner of our weird and wonderful cycling world, this still-energetic, welcoming, and open corner of cycling culture is a powerful tonic, and it's not to be missed.

If you’re not doing anything today, you could do a lot worse than skipping the club run to get down to the show to soak up the last-day vibes.

If you’ve missed this weekend, the show continues in Dresden, Germany, in October, where the incredible energy of the local community there, meets the Bespoked Caravan like the Carnival has come to town!

Meteor Works

Meteor Works is just one part of Lee Prescott’s interest in cycling, but perhaps it’s this breadth of experience in the areas that matter most to understand how to make a good bike that makes his work stand out.

He’s an experienced fitter, mechanic, writer, and product designer, and it shows. He designed the geometry of the bikes shown here, fitted them, fabricated them, and even painted them himself. Every aspect is executed to a high degree of technical competency. We singled-out his work for third place in the Best Road Bike category.

Gregario Cycling

Gregario is a team based out of Turin, who are using algorithms and app-based technology to allow you to scan your own body at home, to produce a dataset that feeds straight into the individual mould development of your own custom-made frame.

I was told the frame they were using to showcase the technology is market-ready. While the design and development process, which allows anyone, anywhere in the world to access their services, was clearly the tech they wanted to push, the underlying frame concept is a really standout design, featuring a stem and bar with a negative-degree stem coupled to a riser section on the handlebar. The seat tube wrapped the rear wheel in a more extreme way than I’ve seen before, with setback restored to sensible levels through a ‘lay-forward’ seat post clamp arrangement.

Aero integration at the head tube and into the fork crown looked advanced, although the language barrier prevented me from going into more detail. I’ll look into this one and report in more detail at a later date.

The bike was equipped with Campagnolo’s Super Record Wireless. Of course.

AEIGHT BIKE CO.

Aeight bike co is run by Glen Whittingdon, a UCI-ticketed professional mechanic and racer. If you’ve ever attended a Hot Chillee event, you will likely recognise his friendly, bearded face. He’s also an accomplished bike designer and fabricator.

His AXE ‘Sand Racer’ was an absolute knockout in person. You can find it on Schwalbe’s stand, alongside other strong work. The bike is more mountain bike than gravel bike, but it deserves a mention for the sheer quality of the build and its visual impact. The bike looks like it can go anywhere and wants to.

It was possibly the most aggressive and visually integrated bike on show, so it’s little surprise it picked up an award for Best Finish, awarded by paint and finishing experts Ian Patterson (formerly of Cole Coatings) and Jack Kingston of Kingston Kustoms, who these days is the go-to gun-for-hire for all the best custom builders.

Apocalypse Bike Build Off

Not since TBA’s Hack Bike Derby have we seen framebuilders come together to show what can be done when talented bike builders go ‘Scrap Heap Challenge’.

The result was some of the most ridiculous, smile-inducing, and worrying insights into builders’ minds. Recurring themes were, of course, self-sufficiency delivered through integrated hunter-gatherer, prepare, and cook technology, to more considered integrated lighting, charging, and e-propulsion systems.

If you’re a Specialized die-hard who worries about the length of their socks, this section won’t be for you, but I’d urge anyone attending to spend some time looking really closely at the details on these bikes. Behind the art-school or comic-con styling is significant evidence of considered engineering minds at work here. In some cases.

Mason Cycles

Mason is more bike company than framebuilder, but their bikes continually show up at Bespoked and are a supremely valid and welcome addition, such is the integrity of Dom Mason’s detailed approach to product design.

He’s an expert on both design and fabrication, and the polish in the final product would trick some into thinking this is not an artisan brand at all. Behind the contemporary finishes and sharp styling is always a very well-made frame, fabricated in small batches by his trusted builders – to standards as high as any of the established or truly bespoke builders in the room.

We have a new Mason ISO 2 in for review soon. But for now, you’ll have to make do with a photo of this good-looking gravel build, which immediately put me in mind of a resto-modded classic Defender. Tailfin gear has always impressed Cycling Weekly, and is well designed – well worth a look if you’re considering upgrading your bikepacking setup.

Cotic Cycles

Cy Turner from Cotic is widely regarded as one of the nicest guys in cycling. He’s been quietly working away to build and establish Cotic from his workshop in the Peak District for twenty years.

Today, he produces some of the most accomplished examples of genuinely British design and engineering in the UK cycling industry. He is to his corner of the universe as Simon Mottram of Rapha is to British apparel, or Will Butler-Adams of Brompton is to British manufacturing, just on a much smaller scale.

FEATHER CYCLES

Ten or twelve years ago, the resurgence in handmade bike culture that had come about in the UK was underpinned by a handful of uber-competitive, creative new builders. Established names like Robin Mather, Rourke, or Curtis competed alongside new entrants, Saffron, Donhou, then Hartley, and others.

Feather was a founder member of that Brat Pack, and every year at the handmade events, shots would be fired, and one or the other would go home with armfuls of rosettes, distributed between them as reliably as Trek or Specialized pick up World Tour victories.

Depending on which flavour of "Best Road Bike" the judges prefer, the rosettes still pass around the same heavyweights pretty reliably, and this year was Ricky's year again. He was awarded Best Road Bike for his modern steel racer, in a stunning Tottenham Hotspur-inspired paint design that was so new, the customer hasn't even signed off on it yet.

Ricky Feather has always delivered work on his own terms, and in that spirit, he made a shock announcement earlier this year that he will be stepping down in two years, after just fifty more frames.

If you want one, and think your proposal for a dream build might qualify for a slot, get in touch now, as the window to own a Feather Cycle of your own is closing.

Wizard Works

Harry and Ve of Wizard Works are a joy to meet, work with, or buy from. These people are who they say they are and do what they do, for the love of it. The passion and care they put into their everyday work spills out of every product they make and sell. Their gear is some of the best-looking and most functional available anywhere in the market, and it’s all made by themselves in their own workshop, right here in the UK.

If you don’t see something that does exactly what you need it to, talk to them, and they’ll make it for you. Where else can you find brands like this?

TED JAMES DESIGN (TJD)

If Bespoked is about community, Ted is one of the personalities that glues it together. An ex-pro BMX’er who was there right at the start of fixed culture in the UK, he landed in London when London needed a pirate with an engineering mind. He could make rad bikes that wouldn’t break and could marry a BMX to a petrol lawnmower effectively, on no sleep.

He’s been featured in The Guardian for his penchant for recovering and eating roadkill, and his stories are legendary. Make no mistake, though, Ted James is one of the most accomplished and naturally talented engineers working in European cycling today.

Everything that makes it to his stand each year does so through sheer force. Where others need to rely on sophisticated CAD and drawings, Ted relies on his brain, communicating with his hands with the creativity of an artist and the precision of a CNC lathe. It all comes out of his head. He’s a consummate problem solver and a bicycle engineer of no equal.

Sturdy Cycles

If you’re into nice bikes and have heard of 3D printing, and you haven’t come across Sturdy Cycles, then you must have been living under a rock.

We awarded his Cerakote white titanium road bike second place in this year’s Best Road Bike category. In our opinion, the bike is so considered it was hard for us not to award top honours, but with the classic form of the road bike arguably so clearly defined, the technology and sheer brilliance of what Tom Sturdy is able to achieve, couldn’t quite trump the clean, classic, dazzling cool of the Feather.

If Tom’s bike is Harry Styles, Feather’s was one of Harry’s heroes joining him mid-set to send the crowd wild. Had Feather stayed at home, Tom would have killed it on his own.

We have just tested his SC-G Gravel bike off-the-peg bike. A full review should be out this month. Spoiler: it’s very good.

CICLI BARCO

The Barco family was for years one of Italy’s best-kept framebuilding secrets. Since 1947, the family has been quietly crafting what, for many in the trade, are regarded as the best stainless steel bicycle frames available anywhere in the world.

For some years, the Barco family worked for Scapin before composite manufacturing largely took over Scapin operations and sidelined steel. Alberto and his brother Maurizio saw the opportunity to set up on their own, and Cicli Barco was born.

Today, the family manufactures for a select group of high-end brands who value their expertise in stainless steel, specifically XCR. Their client list is closely guarded, but it proves there is no one more qualified to handle this material than Barco, anywhere.

The Barco gravel bike shown here is a great example of their highly proficient TIG skills, married to their elegant approach to design, finished in a mixture of polished stainless steel and paint, with an integrated front end. The dropout, in the already ultra-clean house style, has been developed to integrate perfectly with a UDH system and was the standout detail of the show for me.

The man behind the show...

This year’s UK event took place in Manchester on the last weekend of April, in the partly restored Victoria Baths, recognised as Britain’s finest historic municipal swimming pool. It’s an unlikely venue to showcase the UK and Europe’s finest handmade bikes.

Petor Georgallou, Bespoked’s owner, has in recent years reshaped the event to broaden its reach and appeal. The choice of venue is just one part of how he is challenging both his community and the wider industry to think differently and come together to meet the myriad challenges the industry faces.

His creativity keeps this show going despite the challenging economic backdrop and once again, the show serves as a safe space for those thriving, surviving, or inspired to start in an industry where the rewards are deeply satisfying but the artistic and commercial struggles are real.

Notably absent are the trappings of a commercial show. Detailed, free-to-attend talks led by industry stalwarts such as Tony Corke, on behalf of the International Bike Fitters Institute (IBFI), are interspersed with inspirational appeals from The Gaza Sunbirds para-cycling team. Incredibly advanced 3D-printed technology and innovative gearboxes are shown alongside a wondrously creative collection of ‘Apocalypse Build Off’ bikes made from off-cuts in someone’s shed.

Big brands do come too, but they leave their corporate stands at home. Schwalbe tyres, a long-term supporter of the show, uses its influence to bring in small builders with outstanding work who might otherwise not have been able to attend.

It is no secret that the world’s bicycle industry runs on skills and products developed in the factories of China and Taiwan, two countries faced with heavy new US trade tariffs as of 5 April.

All countries faced a 10% baseline tariff, an import tax payable on all goods shipped into the U.S., but China and Taiwan – already subject to heavy tariffs set by Trump’s administration during his first term - are set to pay 34% and 32% respectively in additional import taxes. That brings the total tariff for goods imported to the U.S. from China to 54%. China has already clapped back, with heavy new tariffs of their own, and the fluid situation is changing daily.

What is clear is that the repercussions are potentially seismic, with many brands reliant on exports from multiple countries now facing enormous fees. But what does that mean for the bike industry, and its customers?

Giant and Merida, for example, occupy opposite ends of Taiwan, with a plethora of facilities in between; elements of production also take place in Vietnam and elsewhere - a country also facing tariffs and not so heavily discussed in the media. Whilst mainstream brands - those names you see on the downtubes of the vast majority of bikes ridden across the world - are heavily invested in the design process and creation of frame moulds, hardly any own their own factories. Their frames come from the facilities of Giant, Merida, and other lesser known manufacturers.

There are many brands who have their headquarters in the U.S., Specialized and Trek - two of the ‘big three’, alongside Giant in Taiwan - are key examples. However, it’s not just those who call the United States home who will be affected, as the tariffs will be imposed on any brand shipping into the country; UK brands with customers across the pond, will also face new tariffs.

Marketing brands will ‘evaporate’

According to the owner of Time Bicycles, Tony Karklin, the tariffs may see some Chinese firms acquiring more European and US brands, to establish their own distribution entities or assembly operations inside the U.S. border. As well as Time, Karklin owns and runs Cardinal, which operates a substantial operation producing bicycles and components in Portugal and other parts of Europe, including Lithuania.

As Chinese and Taiwanese owned companies seek to keep their large operations busy - with the news from almost all corners that bike brands are pausing their Asian frame orders - Karklin thinks we’re going to see a seismic shift in the structure and ownership of bicycle manufacturing, with more large Asian companies expanding their own brands.

Reflecting on the current state of affairs, he said: “[It is already very] hard to sell in this market; no one is really selling anything at full price yet; retailers are more cautious than ever and we have all these recession fears.”

Karklin refers throughout the conversation to 'sports marketing' brands, saying many of them “will just evaporate”.

“Now we have all these tariffs, brands will stop ordering at the OEM [Original Equipment Manufacturer] level. We’ll then have big factories with excess capacity, they’re going to be looking to buy brands, or launch their own brands, to use that capacity,” he said.

Partly thanks to slowing demand and over-inventory at the big manufacturers - following the well-documented effects of the Covid fueled oversupply - we’re already starting to see the emergence of well-backed, well-funded Asian operations breaking into the U.S and European markets with their own brands. X-Lab by XDS, and their backing of UCI WorldTour team Astana XDS X-Lab, is one such example.

Is a move back to US manufacturing possible?

Trump’s goal, in introducing these tariffs, is to increase manufacturing in the United States. And Karklin believes that’s possible - stating that some U.S. brands still have capacity to produce at home.

Alec White of White Industries, a U.S. brand famous for its high end machined hubs and components, makes all of his product on U.S. soil, but he still needs imports. They use high-quality bearings from Enduro who are a U.S. based company, but manufacture in Singapore, Taiwan and China.

“I am for U.S. jobs and homegrown manufacturing, but, some things make no sense to make here. The labour cost is just higher. My prices will likely have to go up, we’re going to try and mitigate that as much as possible.”

White is also concerned that whilst in his region he has dozens of machine shops that can produce almost anything to a high level, it’s the complexity in some of the humble parts that the U.S. isn’t and can’t be well set up to produce for years.

“A thirty or forty dollar rear hub and free hub for example. That’s a complex part, which when mass produced, has a low unit price, essential to building thousands of reasonably priced bikes. The expertise, process and technology they have in Asia to produce those parts at volume, can’t be replicated here in even a decade, and who’s going to do that? You’d replace 10 jobs there, with 1 job here and a big machine, and have spent years designing the automation, just to catch up to where they are now.”

Tariffs don’t just affect bike sales or pricing of course, and economists agree that the tariffs will mean high inflation in the short to mid-term. That means the things people buy will be going up – across the board – and that’s going to further squeeze household budgets, hitting spending on luxury products such as sports goods hard.

“My worry is that at the entry-level end, no one in the U.S. can hit [the prices made possible with Asian manufacturing], regardless of tariffs. If a kid never gets a bike because the price goes up, and the money is going towards groceries, that kid doesn’t get into cycling, and that worries me for the future of the cycling industry.”

A few smaller, US brands, are looking to capitalise on the situation. Stinner Cycles’ Aaron Stinner is launching an OEM service, Stinner Manufacturing, for brands who want to manufacture in the U.S., he’s already offering capacity for up to 3,000 frames per year and is optimistically cautious: “The current tariffs have implications for anyone running a business, not to mention its impact on consumers, jobs and the economy. For Stinner, the effect is lighter than a brand producing overseas, but we are still feeling it."

“We are seeing a rush as customers purchase our stock bikes now before a potential cost increase to offset rises in the cost of materials,” he said, adding “chaos and reactionary business decisions put the bike industry in a pickle during COVID-19. The fear is that the same mistakes will be made now.”

The impact on UK bike brands

Tariffs for the UK, charged in the U.S. when customers receive goods exported from the UK, are sat at 10%. At the moment, that means the UK is – in the context of these developments – potentially in a good place to be making frames or assembling bicycles for export, but there will be some kickers; if the frame came from say, Vietnam, U.S. customs considers that subject to the Vietnamese tariff, of 46%.

We reached out to Ben Meir of REAP Bikes, who manufacture carbon bicycles in the UK. “There was no cause for panic”, he said, but added, “can we foresee a situation where a product we make – that’s equivalent to a U.S brand bike shipped out of Taiwan – but subject to considerably less tariff than the U.S brand bike? Yes, but it’s too early to tell if that will stick.”

Alternatively, brands may look to Europe, where operations do not match the scale of the Asian countries, but are up and running, with lower tariffs reducing the cost of imports. Parlee has recently begun production in Portugal, where Time Bicycles also produces parts for some of its bikes, for example.

Holding stock on the water

News of brands keeping stock floating on the water between Asia and the U.S. - or racing to get it stateside before tariffs apply - has become a regular topic of conversation amongst industry insiders.

Tern Bicycles, for example, is staring down the barrel of a $1million import duty on product already on its way to the U.S. – if it doesn’t land before the taxes kick in.

North America Manager at Tern, Steve Boyd, had a clear message for consumers (and policy makers): “If you’re in a position to buy a bike, this would be a good time to buy. This is our peak season. I’ve got a few months of stock on hand, and a few months on the way. If this takes 60 days to figure out, we’re going to miss this spot. It’s not going to be a run on inventory like we saw in the pandemic, but we will see a product shortage.”

Looking ahead to the longterm, he felt decisions were being made with a lack of understanding for what’s possible. “Even if we make our bikes here, we still have to source parts elsewhere. The supply chain is global. Replacing that isn’t possible in the short term. People in industry get that, people in Washington don’t.”

He also thinks the unseen impacts will make it harder than ever to complete bikes. “If the guy you buy saddles from doesn’t make it through this, who’s going to replace that stock? You can’t just magic up 5000 saddles, and then you’ve got a ton of incomplete stock you can’t sell. The same issue applies to chains, and hundreds of parts.”

So will brands who sell into the U.S. be forced to move their manufacturing there? Most are saying it’s too early to say, and are “waiting to see how this all shakes out” in the words of Mike Stimola, Enve Composites CEO.

Perhaps then, to sum up, Factor’s Rob Gitelis’s words are much more impactful than mine: “Our products are made in Taiwan, they’ve always been made in Taiwan, we will continue to produce in Taiwan, I live in Taiwan. All we know is that bikes are going to get more expensive.”

Electric bikes are a great option for commuters and no brand has embraced the e-bike experience as strongly as Cube, offering quality specs at very competitive prices.

The German bike brand has been selling electric bikes since 2011 and now has over 100 e-bike models in its e-bike range, from mountain bikes to gravel and cargo bikes. All Cube’s commuter hybrid e-bikes use quality Bosch motor units and are equipped with disc brakes for consistent all-weather stopping power.

Cube doesn’t just sell e-bikes either. Its huge range includes high performance pedal-only bikes and its top spec Litening Aero road bike was powered to the 2024 Tour de France green jersey by Intermarché-Wanty pro rider Biniam Girmay.

Let’s look at a selection of Cube’s electric bikes tailor made for commuters.

Cube Editor Hybrid

The Cube Editor Hybrid is a stylish electric bike with clean lines that will let you zip through city streets. It’s fully featured, with a smooth welded aluminium frame, a carbon fork and internal cable routing.

The 400Wh battery is fully enclosed in the down tube and the compact 55Nm Bosch SX motor is housed in the bottom bracket shell, augmenting the clean looks. The motor control panel is built into the Editor’s top tube and there’s a separate Mini Remote that you can mount where you like on your handlebars. It uses Bluetooth not just to control the motor assistance level, but also to select walk mode and even turn the lights on and off in FE models.

You can choose between the stripped down Editor Hybrid or the Editor Hybrid FE, which adds mudguards, lights, an integrated pannier rack and a kickstand. Cube offers models with Shimano hub gears and a maintenance-free Gates belt drive with 8 or 11 speeds, as well as Shimano Cues 10-speed derailleur gear options.

The Editor Hybrid is well priced for such a quality, stylish e-bike, with six bike specs available and priced from £2,299 to £3,099.

Cube Nulane Hybrid C:62

The Cube Nulane Hybrid is a rugged electric commuter. It’s based on a carbon e-gravel bike frame, but with flat bars instead of drop bars, so it’s better suited to the commute. There’s big tyre clearance, as with all gravel bikes, and a choice of two stripped down models or two FE models with mudguards, lights and a kickstand.

The Nulane Hybrid uses the same Bosch SX motor unit and internal 400Wh battery as the Editor Hybrid. As with the Editor Hybrid, the control unit for the Bosch motor is built into the top tube, with a handlebar Mini Remote. There’s a choice of Shimano Cues 9-speed cable-operated gears or SRAM Apex XPLR AXS wireless electronic 12-speed shifting.

Prices range from £2,699 to £3,699 for the four available specs.

Cube Touring Hybrid

If you’re looking for a more traditional style e-bike, take a look at the Cube Touring Hybrid range. It includes three spec levels each available with a step-through, mixte or top tube frame and in two colours.

All Touring Hybrid bikes have derailleur gearing, a Suntour suspension fork and disc brakes and are equipped with practical details: a rack, mudguards, lights and a kickstand. You can choose between 9-speed or 11-speed Shimano Cues gearing.

They’re powered by a 75Nm Bosch Performance Line Generation 3 motor with a high capacity 500Wh or 625Wh internal battery and sophisticated Bosch Kiox or Purion LED handlebar displays. The Kiox 300 mounts centrally in front of your handlebars, offers turn-by-turn navigation and can be used as a key to unlock your e-bike, while the smart format Purion mounts next to the handlebar grips, providing thumb control of the assist level.

Prices for the Cube Touring Hybrid range from £2,299 up to £2,699.

Cube Supreme Hybrid

Finally, the Cube Supreme Hybrid e-bike offers a step-through frame, lights, mudguards, a rack and a kickstand. Different specs are powered by a range of Bosch motors with integrated batteries, with a choice of hub or derailleur gears and chain or belt drive.

Hub gear options include Shimano stepped gears and Enviolo continuously variable gearing and there’s even a spec equipped with automatic Enviolo gearing and anti-lock brakes.

There are no less than 24 different spec and colour combinations available for the Supreme Hybrid at prices from £2,199 to £4,199.

Bosch power

Cube’s electric bikes have all been powered by Bosch motors since 2014. Bosch motors are reliable and powerful, with quality batteries and sophisticated control units that don’t just provide battery status, but in many models a complete range of navigation and other functions.

The latest Bosch motors pair with the Bosch eBike Flow phone app for over-the-air updates, ride tracking, tamper alerts and more.

Cube’s e-bike range now extends from performance mountain and road bikes through the whole range of bike classes. If you do plan to carry kids, pets or cargo around town, Cube’s electric cargo bikes are well worth a look, with three models and a range of spec levels.

Cube’s pedal-only commuter bikes are affordable and durable, with quality specs and include non-assisted versions of the Editor and Nulane, with prices starting at £700.

If you’ve bought a bike or an electric bike to commute to work, you’ll enjoy the benefits of low cost travel and morning and evening exercise, as well as avoiding the hassle of public transport or commuting by car.

Your bike will come with the basics covered, but there are a few choice upgrades that will make any bike or e-bike more enjoyable to ride. Some can also help keep your bike running more reliably and smoothly; if you’re riding whatever the weather, a few quick maintenance tasks will keep it in tip-top condition.

Here are Cycling Weekly’s recommendations for nine choice upgrades for a smoother commute by bike.

Better grips

One often overlooked aspect of your bike that might not be quite right for you is your handlebar grips, if you’re riding a flat-bar bike. It’s an area where an upgrade can make riding much more comfortable.

Quality handlebar grips will have better shock absorption and are often ergonomically shaped for a more comfortable hand hold. They usually lock onto your bars with a small screw, so they won’t rotate and they will usually have a more grippy surface too.

If you’re riding a drop bar bike, likewise a bar tape upgrade can work wonders, adding extra padding and isolation from road vibration, as well as better grip, both in wet and dry conditions.

Upgraded Insurance

If you’re a commuter, your bike will be very important to you so it may be a sensible idea to take out insurance on your commuting bike. Some homeowners’ policies might not cover bikes away from home or bikes above a certain value. So, if yours doesn’t, check out The Insurance Emporium who offers award-winning Defaqto five-star cycle insurance with an “Excellent” Trustpilot score.

There are three levels of cover to choose from for your bike or e-bike*, all of which include theft, loss or accidental damage for your bike, new for old for life, personal accident, bicycle kit cover and more. Check out The Insurance Emporium’s site for more details.

Upgraded lock

It goes without saying that your commute won’t be reliable if your bike isn’t there when you need it. Because of their higher value, electric bikes are a particular target for theft. Make sure that your lock is fit for purpose and buy a better one if necessary. You can still use your old lock as well – two locks are always better than one.

Fortunately, many locks have a Sold Secure rating, meaning that they’ve been independently tested for the quality of protection they offer. Look for a Sold Secure gold or diamond rated lock for the best protection. There’s a separate rating for e-bikes, which Sold Secure calls powered cycles, which provides an even higher level of anti-theft protection.

There is also a 10% Lock Discount on policies at The Insurance Emporium when using a Sold Secure Approved Diamond Lock.

Better lighting

Lights are a legal necessity if riding at night, but even during the day, it’s a good idea to use them to up your visibility to other road users, particularly if you’re riding in traffic and in built-up areas.

Many e-bikes include lights, but for pedal cycles and e-bikes without lights, it’s worth investing in quality front and rear lights. They’ll be more durable and, even if you don’t need the huge light output that many offer, the larger batteries they’ll have will give an extended runtime between charges. Make sure you can take them with you easily when you park up your bike too!

You might want to consider a commuter helmet with built-in lights to add to your visibility.

Mudguards and mudflaps

Your bike may have come with this one checked off, but we’ll mention it just in case. Although many bikes and e-bikes will be sold with mudguards, there are still a fair few that are sold without them.

Almost all bikes now have the space to fit mudguards and the eyeholes to add full mudguards. A quality set of mudguards will keep you more comfortable and stop you from getting wet and dirty from wheelspray, as well as decreasing your bike’s cleaning and maintenance needs. Even if it’s not actively raining, damp roads will create spray.

You can add extra protection by fitting mudflaps to the end of your mudguards. They’re inexpensive and help even more to keep water off your feet.

All-condition lube

If there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to slow you down, it’s a rusty chain. It only takes one damp ride to wash many bike lubes off the chain and for rust to set in. Purchase a good quality all-condition specialist bike lubricant and keep your chain topped up regularly to keep it running well. Clean your chain regularly too and replace it if it’s worn. A bike shop will be able to check it for stretch and advise you.

New brake pads

While you don’t want a rusty chain to slow you down, you do want your brakes to. If your bike has rim brakes, invest in quality cartridge brake pads. It’s another area where bike makers look to economise and where you can see a dramatic improvement from higher quality brake pads, with little cost. The same may be true if your bike has disc brakes.

New saddle

It’s yet another touchpoint that can cause riders problems. If you’re not happy with your saddle comfort, it can be pretty inexpensive to replace. Brands know that saddles can be a sore point and offer a wide range of saddles to suit different riders. Again, it’s worthwhile talking to your local bike shop and seeing what’s available.

Saddle makers usually have their own fit system for you to decide what’s likely to suit your sitbone anatomy and ride style. Many have try-before-you-buy or money back guarantees or offer saddle loans to make choosing easier.

Better pedals

Again, it’s something that may not be top-notch on a new bike or e-bike, even an expensive one, with plastic pedals often fitted. Consider upgrading to better pedals with metal bodies and quality bearings. If you’re riding in flat soled shoes, choose a pedal with enough support to avoid pressure points.

If you’re confident, you can swap to clipless pedals which make riding more efficient and help spread pedal pressure more evenly over the base of the foot. This will mean purchasing specialist cycling shoes too though and learning how to clip in and clip out safely.

So those are our top ten recommendations for a more comfortable and reliable commute. Head to The Insurance Emporium to learn more about its award-winning cycle and e-bike insurance.

The Insurance Emporium offers a variety of cover levels, so please check the policy cover suits your needs before purchasing. For your protection, please ensure you read the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) and policy wording, for information on policy exclusions and limitations.

*Electric bicycles are covered on the condition that the bicycle must be fitted with pedals capable of propelling it, the maximum continuous rated power of the electric motor must not exceed 250 watts, and the electrical assistant must cut-off when the electric bicycle reaches 15.5 mph.

Lifestyle Policy Limited is an appointed representative of The Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited. The Insurance Emporium is a trading name of The Equine and Livestock Insurance Company Limited (registered in England and Wales no: 294940) which is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority no:202748.

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. We make no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. We will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. We will not be liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from the display or use of this information. This policy is subject to change at any time.

This article has been freshly updated as part of our 'New to Riding' week, running from March 10 to March 17, with a special focus on tips, tricks and inspiration for new riders.

The first thing to remember is that cycling is not a dangerous activity. Statistics from the Department of Transportation show that, per billion miles travelled, more pedestrians are killed than cyclists — and we wouldn't consider walking a dangerous activity.

There’s no question, cycling is good for your health — both physical and mental — and for the environment. It’s a great form of exercise to incorporate into your day; it lowers your risk of cancer, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease among other life-threatening conditions. It also helps prevent obesity and will keep you fit in general. Additionally, as you age cycling will help you retain muscle mass, keep body fat low and your immune system strong.

Your mind will reap the benefits too. Cycling can ease anxiety and depression and will boost general mental well-being. This is not just about doing a hard workout, however, but also about getting some fresh air.

Cycling is also one of the most eco-conscious modes of transport, and with climate change being something we should all care about, getting more people on bikes should be a priority, helping to reduce emissions.

Yet, despite all this, all over the world there are still many barriers to hopping on a bike, be that for commuting or leisure: road safety (and associated lack of infrastructure), bike theft, poor weather, and general hassle (think storage and other facilities at a place of work), to name a few.

Fear of road traffic sits high on the list of deterrents when it comes to cycling but, as per the statistic above, the objective risk is quite low. Key to getting more people on bikes is ensuring they know how to stay safe and, consequently, feel confident while riding.

We've all been there. Speak to almost any seasoned cyclist and they'll likely remember the first time they went cycling on a busy road, and how daunting it was. You've got cars and bigger vehicles whizzing past, often closer than they should, while you're trying to navigate junctions and make sure you position yourself properly and indicate correctly so as not to annoy anyone. All while secretly wishing you could get back on the pavement. Once you overcome this fear though, cycling on the roads will become less scary, enjoyable even.

Let's take a look at how you can make cycling even safer. This list is not exhaustive, and for more information you can check out Cycling UK, the Highway Code and, if you're in the States, NHTSA, among others.

How do you stay safe while cycling?

Road positioning

You shouldn’t ride too close to the kerb, as riding in the gutter puts you at risk from slippery manhole covers and road debris, the latter of which can puncture your tyres. It also leaves you with nowhere to go if a pothole suddenly appears in your path or a car comes too close.

Remember, you are not in the way of the traffic, but part of it, so position yourself as such and be assertive. Think about where the cars are. You can either take the centre of the lane (primary position) or go slightly to the inside of the flow of traffic (secondary position). You'll be more visible to other road users in one of these positions than if you're hugging the curb. Primary position is normally taken if it would be dangerous for a driver to overtake you at that moment. For example, if you’re coming up to a traffic island there wouldn't be space for a driver to safely overtake, so you should take primary position to indicate this.

Hazard perception

For anyone using the roads, it is important to be on the lookout for potential hazards. Identifying these early on gives you time to safely respond to them. Many of these are the same as when driving, such as keeping an eye out for cars pulling out of driveways and when approaching junctions. Others are much more hazardous for cyclists, like potholes, fallen branches, slippery manhole covers and puddles.

If you are cycling in a group, it is helpful to call out — or point to — any hazards you notice. Many eyes are better than just one set, and it will mean any manoeuvres to avoid the hazard can be taken safely by everyone.

Another hazard particularly relevant to cyclists is people opening their car doors into the road. When cycling past parked cars, it is safer to move out a little further into the road so you are out of the range of any doors, should they be suddenly opened.

Junctions

It’s important to make your intentions clear when you want to turn at a junction. First, look behind you to check for any hazards, then signal the direction you wish to turn with one hand. If you’re not confident with either looking behind you while cycling or taking a hand off the handlebars, you can practise these on a traffic-free cycle path.

When turning across a lane of traffic, make sure not to move so far over that motorists will be tempted to undertake you. Moving over to where the outside (driver's side) tyres of a car would be is an appropriate amount. Then, complete the turn when it is safe to do so.

Making eye contact

This is a good way of ensuring you have been seen by other road users, whether it is motorists at a junction or pedestrians on the pavement. If you don't get a reaction from the person, it is best to proceed under the assumption that they haven’t seen you and be ready to steer or brake as necessary.

Filtering through traffic

Filtering is when you move past slow or stationary traffic. This is perfectly legal in the UK and it enables cyclists and motorcyclists to keep moving when other vehicle cannot, improving traffic flow. Contrary to what some people believe, in the UK it is legal to pass vehicles on both the right and left-hand sides. In other, countries, you should check local laws; in the US, the law on filtering is different between states.

Passing on the inside is always riskier because you will be in the driver’s blind spot and if they move over a little — or make a turn — you could be hit. Longer vehicles such as lorries or buses should not be passed on the left unless they are completely stationary and will remain so until after you have passed.

Cycling safety essentials

Pre-ride checks

It's always worth giving your bike a once over before you set off for your ride. The most important part to check is that the brakes are working properly and will bring you to a stop.

Making sure that the tyres are properly inflated and that any loose bolts are tightened up needn’t add much time to the start of your ride, but it will make you safer and less likely to run into any mechanical problems.

Helmets

There is no law that compels you to wear a helmet while cycling in the UK. Some states in the US require cyclists to wear helmets, some only require children to. Other countries, including New Zealand and Australia, have mandatory helmet laws.

Mandatory helmet laws are associated with falls in the number of people cycling — which can be detrimental to cycling safety due to the ‘safety in numbers’ effect. A quick glance across the North Sea to the Netherlands shows how safe and ordinary it is to cycle without a helmet.

However, when mountain biking or road cycling, it is advisable to wear a helmet, and most organised club rides and cycling events will require that you do so.

Lighting

Between sunset and sunrise you are required by law to have a white light on the front and a red light on the rear. This rule applies in both the UK and the USA, but be sure to check locally. Daytime running lights can help to increase your visibility to other road users, although these are by no means a requirement.

When cycling at night, it is a very good idea to have a spare set of lights in case the first set fails. This doesn’t have to be as fancy as your first set - lights can be quite expensive - but any kind of back-up would be a lot better than nothing.

Clothing

As with daytime lights, there is no obligation to wear reflective or hi-viz clothing. Evidence over hi-viz clothing is conflicting, with some studies showing it makes you safer, some showing it makes no difference. Also, it's worth noting that being seen and being safe are (subtly) different things.

It's entirely up to you what you choose to wear, but some people feel safer wearing brighter clothing, particularly during daytime hours, and some kit with reflective details will never be a bad thing for riding after dark.

Stop, wait, come back, please! I know the helmets and cycling debate has been done to death, with helmet-wearing now almost ubiquitous and in some instances obligatory, but what if we haven’t gone far enough? Would wearing a full-face helmet provide even better protection for many of us when commuting or even road riding? How many of you and your cycling friends sport a fetching scar or two on the chin (or worse) which could have prevented?

These thoughts were prompted by The Beam’s range of full-face commuter and kid’s helmets. These are not like the aggressive-looking, motocross-inspired helmets that downhill mountain bikers use; rather they are much friendlier looking and remind me a little bit of Lego helmets. They are full-face helmets designed for everyday use.

First, let's go back a bit and have a quick look at the arguments in general for and against bike helmets. In essence, those in favour of helmets cite the plethora of evidence that helmets reduce the damage caused by certain impacts, whilst those against wearing them (or making them mandatory at least) say that there is evidence showing that helmets (and other safety gear) dehumanise the cyclist. This can mean that motorists show helmet-wearing cyclists less care and that having to wear a helmet can put people off riding in the first place. Indeed, Cycling UK quotes U.S. and Australian studies where mandatory helmet-wearing was shown to reduce bike use significantly.

Chris Boardman, ex-professional cyclist and cycling safety advocate also makes the excellent point that helmets can be seen as a bit of a sticking plaster - it would be far better to take action to prevent accidents from happening in the first place by better driver education and safer infrastructure than to concentrate on protective equipment.

Fortunately, in the UK, helmet wearing is not mandatory so you can make your own decision but it's fair to say that bike helmets have been adopted pretty much wholesale, so it is relatively unusual to see a cyclist without one.

Bike helmets are not as old as you might think. They became readily available in a recognisable form in the early 90s, but weren’t adopted by the UCI until 2003, with the Giro d’Italia being the first race in which they were mandatory. In fact, the riders went on strike at the 1991 Paris-Nice when it was suggested that they should be worn, so it took 12 years for them to be accepted by the professionals. The idea of racing or riding a bike without a helmet on is almost unthinkable for most of us now though, so things can and do change.

The last couple of decades have seen helmets in some form or another adopted by many sports where previously they weren’t worn. Skiing, snowboarding, skateboarding and rock climbing for example. Amusingly, a 2024 paper on the American Association of Neurological Surgeons website also recommends protective headgear for bull riding and pole vaulting amongst their other more obvious suggestions.

So, should we take the next step and add a chin guard to bike helmets for increased protection? The Beam’s products are aimed squarely at commuters, with very little evidence of Lycra or shaved legs in their imagery, and I can see a case for full-face helmets in this scenario. Trees and rocks don’t swerve towards you at 40 miles per hour, yet many mountain bikers are happy to wear full-face helmets, so if the availability of greater protection encourages more people to commute by making them feel a bit safer then that is great. Some of The Beam’s helmets also feature visors, which would provide better weather protection too.

Marco Galli of KASK agrees that a chin guard might be safer, but adds that “it would likely be heavier and less comfortable. Therefore, the risk could be that we see even fewer people wearing commuting helmets….we always aim to ensure a good balance between safety, weight, and comfort, to guarantee a high likelihood of the helmet being worn. This is why the Urban R [KASK’s commuter helmet] does not have a chin guard.”

The Rider Research Hub found an interesting statistic in their research; 51% of riders wear the same helmet no matter what kind of riding they’re doing. So whilst a chin guard on a commuter helmet might be a feasible and desirable option, it might hamstring itself in terms of sales as it would limit when else it could be worn - it's less likely that road riders would be keen to add extra weight and reduced airflow to their heads.

Of the cons of a full-face helmet, the hardest issue to deal with is the dehumanising element. There is already plenty of evidence that any kind of helmet reduces a driver’s perception of a cyclist as being human, resulting in closer passes and other less considerate behaviour. Therefore, it isn’t a big leap to imagine that a full-face helmet would further dehumanise cyclists and reduce driving standards even further.

You have a choice at this point. Try to humanise yourself as much as possible by not wearing cycling clothing or safety gear, and hope that it makes drivers treat you more considerately. Or you could decide that sharing a road with cars is always going to involve a little bit of jeopardy and protect yourself as best you can. If that includes a full-face helmet, then so be it.

I feel like a full-face helmet for my riding (leisure road and gravel) is a step too far at the moment. Part of the joy of cycling for me is a greater connection with nature and the environment; seeing, hearing and smelling the world around me. Locking myself away behind a visor and chin guard would remove some of this feedback. The trade-off between freedom and protection is one I am willing to take currently. However, I am old enough to have started cycling, skiing and rock climbing in the pre-helmet days, but now wouldn’t consider not using one in any of these sports. So, maybe a time will come when riding without a full-face helmet will feel as naked as riding without a normal helmet does now.

I don’t envisage that we are going to see Tadej or Jonas ripping up Alpe d’Huez in MX style helmets anytime soon, but I think that for some riders in certain environments, it makes sense to consider wearing a helmet that offers more protection than an upside-down polystyrene bowl.

With Unbound Gravel taking place this weekend, Cycling Weekly is celebrating all things a-little-bit-gnar with our third annual Gravel Week.

Gravel week is a celebration of all things "gravel", a discipline of riding that has been steadily growing for years, with no signs of slowing down. 

Whether you're looking for your next gravel race, planning go bikepacking this summer or you're in the market for a utilitarian, do-it-all bike, stay tuned for a week's worth of content around the off-road, wide-tyred bike trend that's here to stay. 

We'll be publishing a number of articles about gravel riding this week - each with a 'Gravel Week' roundel, so you can't miss it. Here's what to expect.

What content you’ll be seeing this week

We'll be adding lots of new gravel content this week, as well as bringing to the fore some of the excellent gravel features and advice we already have on the site.

Stay tuned for:

Does gravel need a code of conduct? One of the things most entrants to gravel find most appealing is the ability to explore new, unchartered territory, off-road. However, with many new converts also new recruits to the wilder side of riding, tensions have begun to build between land owners and riders. Here, Sam Jones explores the question of a 'code of conduct' for gravel riders.

Rumour has it: predicting the tech at the front of Unbound in 2024 Unbound is just around the corner. The world-(in)famous 200-mile route has proven itself to be the perfect testing ground for new innovations in tech, and we're sure this year will be no different.

Does my gravel bike need suspension? One of the defining features of gravel bikes is their capacity to accommodate wide tires. However, the wide volume rubber has not been enough for some, with suspension stems, seatposts, and even forks now readily available. Do we need these? Mechanic Glen Whittington is here to offer his thoughts.

Love letter to... my trail dog On a more light-hearted note, Whittington also has a lot to say about the joys of taking to the trails with a canine friend on board. 

Giant Revolt X Looking to invest in your first gravel bike? Thinking of an upgrade? We review the capable Revolt X from Giant and tell you what we really think.

Morocco: gravel's latest up-and-coming travel destination  Under the searing Moroccan sun, a newfound tapestry of cycling routes await, drawing adventurers into a land where the ancient and the contemporary blend seamlessly.  From the ochre walls and  labyrinthine streets of Marrakech to the vast rocky desert and palm oases, Morocco is best seen on two wheels. 

Unbound may not be the best gravel ride in Kansas Gravel Kansas has launched a statewide gravel cycling network of routes. Here are five of the best routes in Kansas, none of which have registration fees or busy start lines. 

Gravel Week Buying Advice

We've tested dozens of gravel bikes, tyres, shoes, shorts and lots, lots more. Here are some of our most popular guides, to help you choose the best kit. 

• If you really want to make the most of your off-road riding then you'll need to be onboard one of the best gravel bikes on the market. Check out our essential guide. We also taken a look at the best budget gravel bikes, and the best electric gravel bikes.
• If you want to start gravel riding you really need to a get grip. So our guide to the best gravel tyres is an absolute must read!
• The best gravel bike shoes have to do several jobs - like road shoes you want them to direct as much power through your pedals as possible. At the same time you'll likely to be spending a lot of time in them - including walking time - so you want comfort. And possible water-proofing.
• Getting kitted up? Check out the best men's gravel bike clothing and the best women's gravel bike clothing

More great gravel guidance

• We realize that not everyone is yet to fall for the charms of gravel riding. If you want to get started in gravel riding, we can't give you a money-back guarantee but we're confident you'll like it!
• It might feel like gravel racing is the hottest new thing right now, but like so many trendy thing it's actually been around a lot longer that you might think. Find out more in our look at the history of gravel racing and the people who have helped shape it.
• Gravel races are a global phenomenon. The USA undoubtedly leads the way but the UK has plenty of great events. And then there's Finland, Spain, Iceland and a whole lot more.
• Looking to find gravel rides near your house? We got you with gravel route planning tips for the roads less traveled.

You'll find all of our Gravel Week articles here, keep checking back, as more will be added daily! 

Brompton has added a new 12- speed option to its range of folding bikes. The increased gear range will be available on the T Line, Electric P Line, P Line, and Electric C Line models. 

In keeping with the compact and innovative design that is the hallmark of the brand, a similarly neat solution has been applied to the addition of more gears. The 12-gears are achieved through the combination of a 3-speed internal hub and a 4-speed derailleur.

The 3-speed Sturmey-Archer hub helps extend the bike’s range while still delivering the weather-proof benefits of a sealed unit. The technology promises owners “years of service with minimal maintenance”.

It’s paired with a 4-speed derailleur that was originally designed for the lightweight titanium T Line model. It weighs just 60 grams and is small enough to tuck out of harm's way when the bike is folded. To utilise the 12 gears, the rider simply uses the right shifter to control the hub gear and the left shifter to control the derailleur.

The increased gear range has been added to offer a Brompton that can compete with road and hybrid bikes while still delivering the convenience of a folding bike. For those who commute over long distances or live in hilly towns and cities, the extra gears should prove appealing. 

Likewise it opens the Brompton up to life beyond the city limits. Press photos of a 12-speed T-Line being ridden up Cheddar Gorge in Somerset, a 4.6km climb with an average gradient of 4.2% and pitches of over 11%, serve to demonstrate its increased versatility.

First ride review

CW Editor Simon Richardson has the 12-speed P Line on hand below are his first impressions.

I’m on my fifth Brompton now, and despite unashamedly identifying as a Lycra clad roadie, nothing makes me happier than unboxing one of these. They are fantastic little bikes, with loads of clever tech all squeezed into a tiny space. Riding them is fun and the fact you can fold them, then pick them, up makes them about the most versatile bikes in existence. 

But they’ve always had a limiting factor - the number of gears. Most come with a Sturmey Archer three speed internal hub gear, although I have tested one with a four speed cassette and double chainring before. The 12 speed variation combines the three speed hub and four speed cassette to make for a more versatile machine. 

The lowest gear was enough to get me up my local one kilometre 20% climb. I wouldn’t say I span up there comfortably, but at no point was I pedalling so slowly that I risked toppling over. On other Bromptons I’d only made it up the same hill by contorting myself around the bike with every slow, grinding pedal stroke. 

The cassette has 11, 13, 15 and 18 teeth sprockets, and it feels like the extra gears come at the lower range, meaning more, smaller gears. This should make the bike more appealing to more people. I’ve always found Bromptons to be a little overgeared for my liking, with the largest gear only really useful at speeds that Bromptons rarely travel at. But I do concede that a) I live on the North Downs so steep hills are a way of life, and b) I like to spin a small gear when riding on the flat.

The Sturmey Archer is controlled by the paddle shift on the right, and although it doesn’t always engage first gear at first attempt - it can be a bit stiff, it’s simple to use and famously maintenance free. The left hand paddle operates the rear mech. This is Brompton’s own product, and made so that it doesn’t get in the way when folding the bike up. Not an easy thing to do. Gear change is reliable although adjusting is a little fiddly if the mech goes out of alignment.

The look, feel and ride is like any Brompton, but with those extra gears you’ll be able to ride it over a greater variety of terrain.

Pricing and weights

T Line Explore 12-speed
From 8.8 kg / 19.4 lbs
$5,850 / £4,725

P Line Explore 12-speed
From 10.5 kg / 23.1 lbs
$3,250 / £2,450

Electric P Line Explore 12-speed
From 16.3 kg / 35.9 lbs with battery
$4,950 / £3,895

Electric C Line Explore 12-speed
From 17.3kg / 38.1 lbs with battery
$4,250 / £3,150

For more information visit www.brompton.com

While I’ve never been one for owning lots of bikes, there was a time when I at least had a few to ‘cover all the bases’. But over the years I stopped commuting. I moved countries and had to downsize. I also became older. 

As I did my priorities changed along with my flexibility. Never a competitive cyclist, or a fast one, I now more than ever enjoyed riding at a touring pace, where comfort and enjoyment trump all. I’d even taken to riding without my Garmin cycling computer in pursuit of a more carefree ride.

Naturally these changes have been reflected in the bikes I ride. And it’s not always been a smooth transition. A road bike was my default setting for decades but as I enter my 50th year it’s been harder to find comfort on the style of bikes I used to ride. To create a suitable riding position, one I could hold for the entirety of a journey without regretting it later, meant having to tweak the bike’s set-up. 

But adding more spacers, inverting the stem and other such sinful behaviour felt like drawing a mustache on the Mona Lisa. These are expensive machines after all, often elegant and designed for a purpose. If I can no longer ride one comfortably then perhaps I should simply ride something else instead? 

The option to buy an out-and-out endurance road bike, alongside attending some yoga classes, was clearly an option. But a new bike is a serious outlay and I continued to procrastinate about how to best fix my aching back. However, the more I rode my gravel bike, the more I realised I’d been sitting on the answer for quite some time.

Gravel bikes have long been touted for their versatility. I’d done the same myself, in person and in copy. But when it came to my own riding my thinking had remained a little more rigid, seeing them as a fun, off-road alternative when time was too short for a road ride. But a spate of riding my gravel bike on the road due to an extended period of foul weather ended up being my eureka moment.

Rather than shell out on a new road bike with more upright geometry and wider tire clearances, why not just ride the bike I was on? The one with upright geometry and wide tire clearance. Archimedes eat your heart out.

But can a gravel bike really ‘double up’ on the road for the long haul, negating the need to splash out on something brand new? Could the best option for you turn out to be N+0 rather than N+1?

Can a gravel bike work on the road?

While perhaps obvious, it’s worth stating up front that this solution won’t make sense for all. If you race at the weekends and train accordingly then you don’t need me to tell you that owning a dedicated road bike is non-negotiable. But if you don’t have the luxury of space, pots of money, or both; or like me find that a modern ‘out-and-out’ road bike is no longer for you it’s worth some serious consideration.

Like road bikes, gravel bikes now cover a wide spectrum; there are models designed for  ‘off-the-grid’ adventures and those created with faster riding or gravel racing in mind. In comparison to a road bike, the adventure bike will have a far longer wheelbase and a significantly slacker headtube angle. The gravel ‘racer’ will likely sport geometry that’s akin to an endurance road bike, with a more generous stack height in play. Clearly bikes at this end of the scale will feel far more at home on the road - they may even be made from carbon and feature fully integrated cables, with only the greater tire clearance the obvious difference.

I found that when it came to my gravel bike’s geometry I didn’t need to play around much at all to find a riding position that worked across road and off-road. I tried a couple of different stem lengths and opted for a 100mm, which I matched to a 42cm wide handlebar that had a little flare at the drops. I also experimented with the stem height; while the higher stack of my gravel bike will make it slower on the road, at the speeds I ride the added drag was never going to be something I noticed. But rolling resistance was.

When I first began to log road miles on my gravel bike it was clear that the comfort I was enjoying from the voluminous tires was perhaps coming at some cost. On rough tarmac it was negligible but when I hit a run of the smooth stuff, the wide knobblies felt cumbersome. They also made quite the noise, which became a soundtrack for my struggles.

Fortunately, there are a myriad of tire options. I’ve done my fair share of experimenting but found that using a single wheelset I was having to swap between two or even three sets of tires, which is far from practical. Slicks work like a dream on the road but are seriously limited off it. I ended up opting for a shallow grid pattern with a central slick line in an attempt to eliminate the tire changes. But it felt like too much of a compromise year-round.

A two wheelset approach

So could you solve this issue with a second wheelset?

The ‘second wheelset’ is used as a selling point by some gravel and all-road bike brands; Vitus even released its Venon EVO in two builds to illustrate the bike’s versatility, one with slick tires and the other with knobblies. Clearly buying another wheelset and setting it up for road use is considerably cheaper than buying another bike. It’s also still practical for those who don’t have much space.

Personally, I’ve done an about turn on the matter. I’ve gone from thinking that swapping out wheels was additional faff I didn’t need, to now committing to the ‘solution’. Given that I’d long been riding 650b wheels on my gravel bike, it ended up making a lot of sense. I can keep this set fitted with 47mm tires, likely alternating traction levels for winter and summer to cover my off-road riding. I can then add a 700c wheelset dedicated to the road, setting it up with narrower slicks. I’m fortunate to have been able to test a few sets of 700c wheels before making my decision, so I was able to assess both the difference in ride quality and the feasibility of swapping between the two. The former was considerable, while the latter ended up being of little issue.

So can the ‘less is more’ approach really work here? While no single bike can take the place of two, three or more options, I’ve been left convinced that with some consideration, and a little compromise, it can do a pretty good job of it. I’ve actually found using one bike pretty liberating, and it certainly helps with space around the house as well saving a considerable amount of money. And while I can’t promise it's a permanent solution - I know there’s many nice bikes on the horizon that will likely turn my head - for now I’m satisfied. And my back’s a little happier, too.

GPS enabled head units have ushered in a new era of navigation for cyclists. Riders can plan routes in advance, and push them to their cycling computers, which offer turn-by-turn navigation. In addition, many units - such as those from Garmin, Hammerhead and Wahoo - also offer ‘A to B’ style navigation, too, much like a car Sat Nav. 

However, judging by the experience of one reader who emailed Cycling Weekly with the subject line ‘Help! My cycling computer is trying to kill me!’, the experience isn’t always as smooth as we’ve come to expect from the apps we use elsewhere in our lives. 

Our reader, who wanted to use mapping for rides across London, said his sense of direction was “appalling” and that he found the city streets “intimidating due to all the cars”. Using Apple Maps, he was able to navigate well, “the directions on Apple Maps are cycling specific and always prioritise the cycling infrastructure,” he said, adding “I’ve been really pleased with the results and I’m now more than happy cycling around in relative safety.”

However, when he tried to navigate from A to B using a cycling computer, things took a turn for the worse. A 3.5 kilometre/2.2mile route from St Pancras to London's Rapha store resulted in a 10.6km/6.5m “scenic tour of London’s best tourist destinations”. Adjusting the settings did allow him to reduce this to 3.7km/2.2m, but with “200 turns”; feeling unsafe on busy roads, he concluded that the route planning didn’t “prioritise cycling infrastructure”. 

It’s impossible for us to say exactly what settings our reader was using to return a 10.6km/6.5m route, and he was equally unimpressed having tested out the same function offered by a range of providers. Whilst the accusation that the computer had grave plans for our reader is somewhat exaggerated, cycling's GPS navigation devices sending users on wild goose chases is not unheard of. 

The email raised an important question: why is ‘A to B’ style navigation often so much better on the likes of mass market apps, like Apple and Google Maps? And, how can we get the most from more cycling specific apps?

How are routes created?

All navigational services start with base map data and the majority use OpenStreetMap (OSM), a free open-source website that’s built and updated by a community of users, with the map then sharing its data to websites and apps. It’s used by cycling specific route planner Komoot, athlete social media and route planning platform Strava, and Apple Maps to name but a few.

Given that OSM relies on regular updates, it’s possible that you might plot a route and then encounter some unseen issues on the journey itself. As Rob Marshall from Komoot told us, when asked how best to plot cycling-specific routes, “firstly, the cycling infrastructure must be added to OSM and tagged correctly”.

Google Maps features a Geo Data Upload tool, which allows government agencies to have their latest bicycle infrastructure incorporated into its route planning. On its website it says that in order to supply the most up-to-date bike routes it uses “a combination of machine learning, complex algorithms and an understanding of real-world conditions based on imagery and data from government authorities and community contributions.”

Real-world data drawn from user contributions and activities is also integral. And, here’s where the distinction is likely to come in. Whilst, for example, Strava has over 100 million athlete users, cycling specific route planning apps are always going to be operating with a smaller base than the likes of Google and Apple Maps. Search results suggest that Google Maps “has over 1 billion active users monthly.” According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the lesser used ‘Waze’ driving app has 151 million monthly active users.

That said, a cycling-specific brand like Hammerhead can rely on its specialist knowledge when creating A to B routes. The makers of the Karoo 2 head unit told us that its navigation feature, calculated on-device, uses a “proprietary routing algorithm developed by Hammerhead's full-time navigation software experts”, with source data pulled from OSM. 

“Cycling infrastructure, such as bike lanes, is weighted over busy roads,” a company spokesperson confirmed. “Hammerhead uses a combination of all the factors that matter to a cyclist, from the presence of dedicated infrastructure, to the size of the roadway, elevation changes and more”. 

So, if you just want to get from A to B and navigate on the fly, there are options. Choosing to rely upon a larger network might end up being your preference. As our reader put it, “buy a posh elastic band for £6.11 from eBay to loosely strap your mobile phone to your handlebars.” We’d probably recommend a cycling specific phone case, but that’s up to you.

You can also choose the A to B navigation provided by the likes of Hammerhead, Wahoo and Garmin. However, the routing is always going to be swayed by the preferences of a user base that, whilst large, is much smaller than that of mainstream apps. Which is where the ability to download and edit routes can really be of benefit.

How can you optimise cycling specific route planning software?

If Google Maps and the like ticked all the boxes for bike riders, then cycling specific entities wouldn’t need to exist. But, they do. So, how can you get the most from them?

The capabilities offered by these apps are best used when planning routes in advance, either for travel or pleasure/training, and then editing them - guided by a combination of in app tools, additional resources, and local knowledge. 

Use customisable settings - Cycling specific platforms have a greater understanding of the needs of different types of cyclists, and different types of rides. They use their data to supply alternative routes, based on your preferences, if you choose to use the settings. 

“Komoot has several different sport-type routers and each uses a different routing planning algorithm to try and ensure the user gets the best suggested route for their chosen sport. Essentially the algorithms add weights/penalties to different data tags, like distance, elevation, surface, waytype, and many many more”, Marshall explains. 

So, for example, if you’re using Komoot’s Road Cycling router, off road paths will receive a high penalty while a flat road will be favorably weighted. As a cyclist using komoot you can also specify touring, gravel and mountain biking and choose your fitness level before you create your route. 

On Strava you can prioritise traffic-free routes or minimise elevation gain, for example. Whichever mapping service you're using, look to add as many ‘data tags’ as you can to help fine-tune the route to your specific needs. 

Use photos and street view options - Strava has recently integrated photos into its routes that allows subscribers to see images of exact locations, and Komoot has been offering this for some time, with most ‘tours’ supported by user uploaded images of the roads and trails you can expect to enjoy. 

These images can provide another layer of detail and help determine whether a route, or section of a route, is right for you. 

Komoot has also layered on Google Street View, Marshall said: “Safety is a high priority for Komoot and this is one of the reasons we added Google Street to the Route Planner, so if users were concerned about road size, they could get a detailed look.”

Similarly, most services offer an option to take in points of interest, or route highlights, drawn from user suggestions. These can range from a stunning view on a particular road to a recommended café stop. Strava has introduced custom waypoints, allowing you to search for a particular landmark, etc. and then add it to your custom route.

Use heatmaps - Strava incorporates a heatmap into its service, which is updated monthly to show public user activity (using their GPS location) in any chosen area. In essence it demonstrates the popularity of a route. 

Putting theory to the test

I decided to plot the reader’s route from London’s St. Pancras Station to the Rapha on various mapping services. On Komoot I first used the Touring option, with the route described as: ‘Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels.’ 

Time, distance, uphill and downhill are all clearly shown as is a more detailed breakdown of the route using both waytypes and road surfaces. On this 2.18 mile ride it said I’d encounter a range of roads including singletrack, cycle path and street, with cobblestones present alongside the paved and asphalt surfaces. It also pointed out that there were steps involved and that I'd likely need to carry my bike for 19 yards. 

Switching to the Road riding option lengthened the journey a tad but shortened the estimated time it would take me. This is worth highlighting as it demonstrates the ability to ‘customise’ a route to best suit your needs. While many of us might prefer to avoid cars where possible, for confident road cyclists, sharing a multi use path with pedestrians could be frustrating. Equally, keeping speedy roadies off these paths could also be beneficial to everyone's safety, so the ‘road’ algorithm sensibly avoids these shared-access paths.

Further engaging with the route and the route insights allows you to explore in more detail and then change the journey accordingly. Don’t fancy the cobbles? Spotted a route warning? Want to take in a suggested ‘highlight’? By dragging the tour line I was able to further customise the route with relative ease. 

Putting the same start and end point into Google maps, and using the cycling mode option, creates a similar looking journey, albeit with three options offered. Again, the ability to customise the route is there, done in a similar ‘drag the line’ fashion, as well as to add the previously mentioned ‘layers’ to the route map.

Interestingly Strava serves up a far more straightforward route but one that used ‘main’ roads. Because I’d chosen to plot the route using the ‘most popular’ function it could indicate a bias on Strava’s heat maps towards ‘fast’ roads ridden by experienced or confident riders. 

We say

We’re all for the continued improvement of route planning, especially when it comes to incorporating cycling infrastructure. However, as we’ve highlighted, any route offered by a service is essentially only as good as the data available. Fortunately, the open-source nature of OpenStreetMaps, and the community element of many navigational websites and apps, means there’s always an opportunity for continued updates and improvements. 

In the meantime? The best way to ensure that your route is likely to live up to expectations is to explore your chosen navigational service and use the custom features available to fine tune the route as best you can, especially if you have specific needs. 

We’d also encourage you to use the breadth of services on offer, allowing you to cross-reference one route against another. Not only does it give you better insight to the route, but it also allows you to counterbalance the strengths and weaknesses of the various route planners.

Every so often a team becomes totally dominant within their sport. We’ve seen it with the All Blacks in rugby union, Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in Formula One, and Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United over the first two decades of the English Premier League. Now, having ridden off with the big three jerseys at the 2022 edition of the Tour de France, the riders of Team Jumbo-Visma may be about to cement their place as the racing outfit to beat this year – and beyond.

With the season already underway and iconic races like the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix taking place in early April, all eyes will be on the increasingly influential Dutch team. And if you want to follow Jumbo-Visma and their rivals as they take on Monuments, stage races and the Grand Tours, GCN+ is the place to be. As well as giving you the best roadside views of the action as it unfolds, GCN+ provides the finest expert analysis in the business, to put you right at the heart of the peloton. 

In one form or another, Team Jumbo-Visma have been a fixture on the pro-cycling circuit since the mid-’80s – over the years they’ve been known by numerous names including Belkin and, most famously, Rabobank – but their ascent to the pinnacle of the sport has been relatively recent.

The 2019 arrival of superstar signing Wout van Aert signalled the team’s intent to shift their focus towards the Classics. Over the last two years, Team Jumbo-Visma have bolstered their ranks with experienced Classics riders such as Tiesj Benoot and Dylan van Baarle, who became one of the biggest signings of the most recent off-season when he joined from INEOS Grenadiers. These high-profile arrivals have added fire power and unrivalled strength in depth to the already formidable men in black and yellow, and they’ll once again be a force to be reckoned in the Classics this spring. 

But ability in the saddle will only get you so far. For all the undoubted talent of their riders, Jumbo-Visma’s success is also built on their mastery of tactics on the road. The ability to get your key riders in the right place at the right time is always important in cycling but never more so than in the Classics.

These races are long, stressful and often fraught with danger. The courses can be narrow, and the riders have to weave their way through towns and villages packed with roundabouts, speed bumps and other potentially challenging road furniture. The Paris-Roubaix (aka the Hell of the North) also takes competitors over miles of infamously gruelling cobbles, while the route of the Tour of Flanders features numerous punishing climbs. Throw in the threat of bad weather – notably some vicious cross winds – and you’re looking at events capable of pushing pro cyclists to their limits. With only one shot at victory, bad luck, bad positioning or a crash can end a rider’s dreams of glory in a flash, so having a powerful team around you is particularly imperative in the Classics.

Jumbo-Visma’s strength-in-depth means they can set an aggressive pace in races to tire out potential opponents, and ensure they have multiple riders in breakaways. This gives them plenty of options for that all-important dash to the finish line. A strong team can also shepherd a lead rider into prime position to push for a win and shield them from inclement weather. GCN+’s unrivalled expert analysis shows how these different scenarios play out on the road, giving you a better understanding of the many intricacies of Classics racing.

2022 was something of an annus mirabilis for Team Jumbo-Visma. Not only did they ride away from the Tour de France with the yellow, green and polka-dot jerseys (for Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and Vingegaard, respectively), but they also picked up impressive victories at Classics like the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and E3 Saxo Bank Classic (both for Wout van Aert), and famous stage races such as the Paris-Nice and the Critérium du Dauphiné (both for Primož Roglič). 

This year has started in similarly ominous fashion for Jumbo-Visma’s rivals. The team owned the opening weekend of the Classics season, with Jumbo-Visma newcomer and reigning Paris-Roubaix champion Dylan van Baarle winning the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, simply riding away from his rivals with a stunning display of strength. Tiesj Benoot topped the podium at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne the very next day, with teammate Nathan van Hooydonck in third.

Jumbo-Visma then went on to dominate Gent-Wevelgem, with a victory for Christophe Laporte ahead of van Aert. This second place, along with van Aert’s win at this year’s E3 Saxo Bank Classic suggests that a season of cyclocross has done little to diminish his pace on the road. 

There was a brief glimmer of hope for the rest of the field when a tactical misunderstanding between Atilla Valter and Benoot arguably cost the team a victory at the 2023 edition of the Strade Bianche. Indeed, as competition hots up with big-name rivals like Tadej Pogačar, Julian Alaphilippe and Mathieu van de Poel, it’ll be intriguing to see how Team Jumbo-Visma react to having a target on their backs. How will they deal with opponents who take the race to them rather than simply try to mark van Aert out of contention before a big sprint? Will the pressure of being top dogs play with the riders’ minds?

By subscribing to GCN+, you can make sure you don’t miss a pedal stroke of the exciting 2023 season. The service features live and uninterrupted coverage of the biggest races on the cycling calendar (including road, cross, track and MTB). You also get unrivalled expert analysis to give you the lowdown on the riders and the intriguing team tactics that’ll be crucial to Classics success. 

You can watch at any time, on any screen, and take advantage of on-demand replays and highlights packages to fit around your schedule – long, short or, if you’re really pushed for time, just the final kilometres. You also get GCN+’s exclusive weekly round-up show, World of Cycling, and access to over 150 exclusive cycling films.

A monthly subscription costs just £6.99 a month in the UK, though you can save loads by signing up for an annual package that’ll set you back just £39.99. In the US, you’ll pay $8.99 a month (plus taxes), or $49.99 a year. 

You can watch the Tour of Flanders on April 2 and Paris-Roubaix on April 9 on GCN+. Check out the unmissable cycling racing you can watch this week on GCN+ at globalcyclingnetwork.com. 

Cyber Monday is here, which means there are a number of power meter deals available. While the price reductions aren't huge, there are some decent bargains to be had on what is, after all, an expensive item - which means a 10, 15 or 20% drop in price can sometimes equate to a triple digit saving.

If you're considering a power meter for the first time, there's no doubt that structured training using power can help you to make significant fitness gains, especially if you're gearing up for the racing season ahead. Likewise, power meters really help you to get the most out of your Zwift experience, even if you're an experienced indoor cyclist. Either way, now is a good time to snap up a deal.

If you're after more information, check out our full guide to the best power meters on the market and all our reviews. For the best deals in the US and UK ahead of Cyber Monday, read on - and don't forget to check out our main Cyber Monday bike deals hub page where you'll find more bargains, from cycling tech to clothing.

US Quick deals

• Competitive Cyclist: Up to 20% off power meters 
• Wiggle: Savings on 4iiii, Stages and more
• Mike's Bikes: 20% off SRAM Quarq power meters

Best US power meters deals

There are many, many options for power meters. The cheapest tend to be ones that simply replace the non-driveside arm of your current crankset. Alternatively, you can have the whole crankset replaced and benefit from the increased accuracy of having your left and right legs measured independently. 

Power meter pedals are generally more expensive than power meter cranks but on the other hand, they do provide you the option of easily swapping your power meter between bikes. 

Like with cranks, you can save a bit of money by buying a set of pedals where only the left side reads power. All the brands listed here provide the option to upgrade the right side pedal to a power meter version, should you want dual reading down the line

UK deals

UK quick deals

• Wiggle: Deals on 4iiii, Favero and Stages power meters
• Tredz: Big savings on Garmin and Stages power meters
• ProBikeKit: Save on Shimano and SRAM power meter chainsets

Best UK power meter deals

Reliable brakes are essential on any bike. Having the ability to stop when you need to is a prerequisite for any safe ride - especially on your journey to and from work when weaving through traffic.

Here we'll guide you through what brakes to look for in a bike for commuting, whether you're buying new and you've got your eye on one of the best commuter bikes, hunting out the best deal for you and your riding needs when buying a used bike, or considering upgrading the brakes on your current commuter.

Brake styles

Rim brakes

Rim brakes work by using your wheel’s rim as the braking surface. There are a number of different caliper styles available but all use brake pads, that attach to the caliper.

The caliper connects to the brake lever via a cable. Pull the lever and the tension added to the cable will pull the caliper arms towards each other, eventually ensuring that the pads meet the rim. If set up correctly your bike should slow down and come to a stop. 

Modern road bikes specced with rim brakes use a dual pivot caliper. A hybrid bike with rim brakes will instead use linear pull brakes, better known as V-brakes. Unlike road calipers that mount centrally to the frame, V-brakes mount to the forks and the seat stays. Similarly cantilever brakes mount in the same way and are common on cyclocross bikes and touring bikes of a certain vintage.

Disc brakes

Disc brakes are becoming almost ubiquitous on all modern bikes. In simple terms, disc brakes move the braking surface from the wheel rim to a specially-designed disc or rotor attached to the hub of each wheel.

The calipers mount on the fork and on the chainstay. Actuating the brake moves a piston in the caliper that pushes the pad or pads onto the rotor. Disc brakes can be both cable-actuated, like rim brakes, or hydraulic in their operation. There are a range of brake pads from different brands and we've got a comprehensive review of the best brake pads here.

Framing your limitations

If you want to upgrade your current commuter bike’s brakes you’ll need to take into consideration a couple of points.

Your bike frame is designed around a particular style of brakes. Thus, a switch to another style might not be possible. How the brake calipers mount to the frame depends on the style of brake. 

V-brakes require a frame with special mounts or ‘bosses’ on the fork and seat stays. Likewise a road bike frame using dual pivot calipers has specially drilled holes in the fork crown and in the seat stay bridge to allow them to be mounted correctly. This set up indicates that the road bike's frame won’t have the necessary mounts for a V-brake caliper and vice versa.

Disc brake standards

Disc brakes also require a compatible frame, and how the calipers mount to the frame and forks has evolved over the years. Rather than one ‘standard’ disc brakes fall into three categories: I.S mount, post mount and flat mount: 

• I.S mount: Standing for International Standard, this mount attaches the caliper to the frame and forks with two bolts that are 51mm apart. Ironically, it is no longer standard;
• Post mount calipers fit onto threaded ‘post’ mounts on the frame and fork. The bolts run through the caliper, allowing for easier adjustment when setting up your disc brakes;
• Flat mount is the newer standard and the one you’ll most likely see on the latest disc road and gravel bikes. Here, the front caliper mounts to an adapter and then bolts to two threaded inserts on the fork. The rear caliper eschews the adapter and instead uses two bolts that run through a ‘flat’ surface on the frame before threading into the caliper body.

Fortunately there are adapters available to allow you to fit some post mount calipers on flat mount frames. The reverse isn’t generally possible.

Is the rim brake dead?

No, not just yet. Rim brakes have worked, and continue to work, really well across a range of uses. There's a reason why they have been the mainstay of recreational and professional cycling, powering the likes of Eddy Merckx, Greg Lemond and Chris Froome safely down wet alpine passes at death-defying speeds, and a 9-5 worker safely home from work.

But disc brakes are an undeniably more effective way of braking. More importantly they’re more reliable in adverse weather conditions. This is where, as a commuter, you may see a real advantage. Unless you only ride to work when the sun is shining, you’ll benefit from the confidence that disc brakes give you in the wet. 

So who might still benefit from rim brakes?

If you are that fair weather communuter then v-brakes on a flat bar hybrid could still work really well for you. Add in the fact that you like to do your own maintenance and the relative ease of setting up a v-brake, replacing the brake cable and installing new rim brake pads might tip the scales. 

If you’re already riding a bike fitted with rim brakes to work, a little maintenance goes a long way. You should regularly check the pads for wear (most pads have a wear line) as well for any sharp items that may have become embedded in the pad.

You also need to check regularly that the brake cables are running smoothly and with as little friction as possible. Finally, check the wheel rim for wear. Remember this is the braking surface and it won’t last forever. If your rim feels concave to the touch, then it’s time to replace it. 

Sold on discs?

If you’re shopping for a new commuter and you’ve decided on disc brakes, you'll need to make another choice: cable or hydraulic. 

As we touched on earlier, cable-operated or 'mechanical' disc brakes use a standard brake lever and cable in the same way a rim brake does. The majority of cable disc brakes use a fixed pad and moving pad to stop the rotor. In short, the moving pad flexes and then traps the rotor between the two pads. However, the popular TRP Spyre disc calipers move both pads in unison, exactly how hydraulic disc brakes also work.

Hydros use fluid that is stored in a reservoir in the brake lever instead of a cable. Pull the lever and the fluid is transferred to the caliper via the brake hose. The fluid then pushes the pistons out simultaneously, moving the attached brake pads against the rotor.

Typically, cable disc brakes for road bikes are easier to look after and are significantly cheaper to buy.

But which works best?

On pure braking alone control, hydraulic disc brakes are unbeatable. They deliver better brake feel at the lever end and with far less effort. This superior brake modulation has won many a convert and will continue to do so.

Another benefit of hydros is that they are self-adjusting. Unlike cable disc brakes, where you will need to compensate for pad wear by adjusting cable attention, hydraulic brakes do this automatically.

Mechanical disc brakes rely on a cable, and thus are susceptible to the same braking issues as rim brakes - namely, the build up of friction in the cable, happening gradually over time. The dirt from your wet commutes will also contribute and eventually the brake will feel spongy, not something that you want from any brake, especially a disc brake.

Of course, this can be mitigated somewhat by regular maintenance, and you can even fit compressionless brake housing. But ultimately it's hard for a cable disc brake to match the feel that a hydro delivers.

So why would I consider cable-operated disc brakes?

If this doesn't seem like a fair fight, we're about to re-address the balance. At least a little.

In the same way that we suggested v-brakes to those who like to do a little of their own bike maintenance, cable discs offer this option, too.

Like v-brakes, they are straightforward to troubleshoot. Once you've figured out the issue, they are also pretty easy to adjust and maintain. Replacing the pads and the cable is something that almost anyone can do with a little practice.

Follow the set-up instructions and dialing them in isn't so hard, either. If your commute is long and you like the idea of being self-sufficient, then cable disc brakes put you in charge. Select a robust, hand-machined caliper like the easily serviceable Paul Components Klamper and with the proper care you might just have a brake set for life.

On the contrary, hydros require far less general maintenance. It's a sealed system, which makes it less likely to suffer from contamination. But this also means that when there is an issue it's harder to fix without the help of a bike shop.

Not everyone wants to tackle bleeding their brakes at home. And if your brakes stop working on your ride to the office, you can't just whip out a spare cable to solve the issue.

Some disc brake TLC

Frequent commuting can be hard on your disc brakes so check them often and respond to a perceptible change in your bike's braking.

Regardless of whether you opt for cable or hydro disc brakes, you'll need to keep the rotors free from oil and other contaminants. Likewise, disc pads also need to be kept clean. If they are beyond help, it's best to replace them. Worn? Swap them.

It's worth remembering that new pads require a little bedding in. This is a process of transference of material from brake pad to rotor that greatly improves the quality of the brake.

Once you've picked up your new commuter bike, or have just replaced the pads on your existing ride, ensure to take time to bed-in the pads. Experiencing vibration and brake squeal? That will be the pads.

To bed-in your disc brakes build up a bit of speed and then apply the brakes. Make sure you don't skid or come to halt - you just want to slow the bike to a walking pace. Then, release the brakes while you're still rolling and repeat. Do this around 10-20 times and you should notice improvement with each repetition.

Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard is set to come out of his extended break from racing and finish his season with the CRO Race and Il Lombardia, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The 25-year-old Dane has not raced since winning the Tour in July, following a hard-fought scrap with Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Team Emirates), who was second.

Vingegaard missed his home stage race — the Tour of Denmark — in August, and neither has he put himself forward for Worlds selection, to the bafflement of Denmark's national coaches. Jumbo-Visma is citing team commitments, but then again, Vingegaard has not raced in the World Championships since 2018, when he was 64th in the Under-23 road race.

"He has been having a tough time since the Tour," his Jumbo-Visma DS Frans Maassen told Danish media outlet Ekstra Bladet last month. "We have to understand that it was difficult to win the Tour de France, what with everything that comes with it."

Another Jumbo DS, Grischa Niermann, insisted it was normal that Vingegaard needed to take some time out: "He worked towards the Tour for months and then he won it. It came with a lot of pressure, with a lot of demands from the fans, from our sponsors, from the Danish public, from the media, and now he needed a little break," Niermann said.

"I don’t think there is a problem or that he had a hard time; I think it’s normal that you need a little bit of a mental and physical break."

The six-stage CRO Race begins on 27 September in Osijek, Croatia and runs until 2 October. It will give Vingegaard to find his racing legs again before Italy's Il Lombardia, which is the final Monument and one of the final races of the season. With Queen-stage levels of climbing involved, the 'Race of the Falling Leaves' always proves a happy hunting ground for Grand Tour contenders — indeed Pogacar is the defending champion. 

Vingegaard was 14th in the event last year; this time round, having been out of play for so long he'll have fresh legs at least. Whether he can put them to successful use will depend on whether he is also fresh mentally, and is currently training hard.

Tom Pidcock moved to within three seconds of the overall lead in the Tour of Britain after a flying third place behind bunch sprint winner Jordi Meeus of Bora-Hansgrohe on stage five.

Ineos Grenadiers rider Pidcock pipped friend and fellow Yorkshireman Sam Watson (Great Britain) into fourth, with Stanisław Aniołkowski (Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces-WB) finishing second on the 186.8km outing from West Bridgford to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire.

They had all been dealt a bonus card in the last 500 metres when some of the bunch, including top sprinter Cees Bol, unwittingly took the long way round a junction and effectively took themselves out of contention. 

Compared to the relentless and very hilly previous day across the North York Moors, today was considerably more straightforward. There were only a pair of cat-three climbs to deal with and the weather was dull but mostly fairly dry.

How it happened

In contrast to yesterday's 35km of attacking and counter-attacking before Magnus Sheffield finally made it stick, Ribble-Weldtite rider Zeb Kyffin was away just two kilometres from the start at West Bridgford today. Although his teammates Charlie and Harry Tanfield had been a prominent feature of the breakaway on stage two, Ribble have yet to take a stage or pull on a classification jersey and Kyffin, undoubtedly, was out to rectify that. 

Londoner Kyffin, who has won stages of the Manx International and the Peaks Two-Day this year, was quickly joined by three more riders: Alessandro Iacchi (Team Qhubeka), Matthew Teggart (Wiv-Sungod) and Spain's Joel Nicolau (Caja Rural-Seguros). Of the four, Iacchi was most keenly poised for the GC, lying in 13th place at 28 seconds; as a result the bunch were never likely to give the quartet too much rope.

All the same, 90 kilometres later the escapees still had a three-minute advantage. They had been over the first classified climb and the first sprint, with Teggart taking both and strengthening his lead in the intermediate sprints competition.

The break maintained a two-minute lead through the 50km to go mark, but shortly afterwards things went slightly awry with Teggart and Iacchi apparently falling out with each other over the points at the second sprint in Retford.

Clearly not keen for his work to be undone by intra-break squabbling, Kyffin took advantage of the situation to put in a ferocious attack, immediately gaining ground. While Teggart and Iacchi marked each other out behind, Nicolau bridged across to the Ribble rider and then it was two.

While the pair worked well together, the bunch clearly had designs on the finish, and between 20 and 10 kilometres to go, as the weather became decidedly moist, the gap tumbled down to zero with some hard riding behind.

With Kyffin and Nicolau caught, Team DSM, Ineos Grenadiers and Great Britain swiftly began marshalling their lead-outs going through Mansfield Woodhouse as the finish fast approached. With an exceptionally strong looking Ineos Grenadiers lining the race out through the final kilometre in service of Pidcock, and DSM suddenly and irrevocably marooning themselves the wrong side of a central reservation, the way was paved for Meeus, Aniołkowski and their two Yorkshire rivals to unleash the watts to the line. Kyffin too, despite being caught, did not go unrewarded for his efforts and was given the Combativity award for the day.

RESULTS: TOUR OF BRITAIN 2022 STAGE FIVE, WEST BRIDGFORD TO MANSFIELD

1. Jordi Meeus (Bel) Bora-Hansgrohe in 4-22-28
2. Stanisław Aniołkowski (Pol) Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces-WB
3. Tom Pidcock (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Sam Watson (GBR) Great Britain
5. Aaron Van Poucke (Bel) Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise
6. Nicolo Parisinì (Ita) Team Qhubeka
7. Martin Marcellusi (Ita) Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè
8. Filippo Fiorelli (Ita) Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè
9. Corbin Strong (NZl) Israel-PremierTech
10. Jim Brown (GBR) Wiv-Sungod

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE FIVE

1. Gonzalo Serrano (Spa) Movistar in 20-53-01
2. Tom Pidcock (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers
3. Oscar Fraile (Spa) Ineos Grenadiers
4. Ben Perry (Can) Wiv-Sungod
5. Dylan Teuns (Bel) Israel-PremierTech
6. Corbin Strong (NZl) Israel-PremierTech
7. Mathijs Paasschens (Ned) Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces-WB
8. Jake Stewart (GBR) Great Britain
9. Alessandro Iacchi (Ita) Team Qhubeka
10. Magnus Sheffield (USA) Ineos Grenadiers  

EF-Easy Post ultra cycling aficionado Lachlan Morton is currently halfway through a 530-mile (853km) loop of the Colorado Trail, in memory of his friend and fellow gravel grinder Sule Kangangi, who died 10 days ago in a racing accident.

Morton had already planned the ride when he heard of Kangangi's death, and he is now dedicated it to the Kenyan and will be using the ride to help raise funds to support Kangangi's wife and children.

Since starting later afternoon on Tuesday, the 30-year-old Aussie rider has ridden just over 264 miles (425km) of the trail, which runs from Denver in the north to Durango in the south of the US state. The trail features an eye-watering and leg-busting 75,000 feet (22,800 metres) of climbing, taking in several mountain passes.

Waved off by his wife Rachel and EF team boss Jonathan Vaughters, Morton set out in 100 degree heat, riding a full-suspension Cannondale Scalpel mountain bike laden down with bikepacking gear, including a bivvy bag for catching some sleep on the trail when necessary.

Any sleep will be kept to a minimum though — for Morton is famed for his long stints in the saddle with no shuteye.

Earlier this year, for example, he rode from Munich in Germany to Korkzowa-Krakovets on the Polish-Ukrainian border in one go — 660 miles (1,064km) in 42 hours — raising $250,000 for Ukrainian refugees. Last July he rode his 5,500km 'Alt Tour' for World Bicycle Relief — every stage of the Tour de France unsupported, plus transfers, beating the pros to Paris by six days and raising $700,000.

In comparison, you might think the Colorado Trail will be easy, but Morton has ridden it once before and would beg to differ.

“It was everything I could do to finish it. I’ve thought about it at least every week since then, how much it kicked my butt,” he said on the EF-Easy Post website.

EF, Morton, and Cannondale have teamed up with the Kangangi Memorial Go Fund Me organisers to offer a prize package to encourage donations. 

You can win a Cannondale bike, POC helmet and a signed jersey. For more details, click here.

In 1891 three pioneering young cyclists launched a new magazine that would change the face of the sport. Cycling - An Illustrated Weekly first went on sale on January 24, 1891 and was a breath of fresh air for the sport that, thanks to the invention of the Safety Bicycle, was experiencing levels of growth and transformation never seen before.

The magazine, led by Edmund ‘Sally’ Dangerfield focused on the burgeoning club scene across the country that was taking to time trialling and new found levels of freedom. 

Thirteen decades on and Cycling Weekly is still a central part of the British cycling scene, a trusted source on news, riding, fitness and tech, topics that have featured on the pages of the magazine throughout its history. It's this history that we're celebrating with our heritage kit.

>>>>Own a piece of cycling history - order your heritage kit here

We teamed up with Milltag to design the kit. As a nod to the magazine's and the sports history, the kit is designed to be refined and elegant, harking back to days of simple patterns with rich colours that were beautiful in their simplicity. The heart of the jersey is the C logo, taken from the old title of magazines from the first half of the 20th century. 

Snug in all the right places to stop any unwanted flapping but relaxed enough to be comfortable for any riding you’ve got in mind. Our Pro Bib Shorts feature a great compression fit along with our top of the line pad to provide maximum support for journeys long or short. To top it off, there is of course a classic cycling cap. The cherry on the icing of any cycling outfit. 

Although the price of new bikes has shot up in recent years, it is still possible to find high-quality options at reasonable prices – if you know where to look.

Whether it's keeping an eye on the best bike deals or choosing from one of the best cheap road bikes or best road bikes under £1000 on the market, there are plenty of ways to go about it.

But there are still pitfalls that can be run into, and it is easy to waste your money by spending in the wrong areas. Whether your budget is large or small, you are going to want to maximise what you are getting for your money.

Tips for buying a bike on a budget

Have a clear idea of its application

Most fundamental to ensuring you won't want to upgrade the bike a couple of months after you've bought it is ensuring that you're getting the right bike for the kind of riding that you want to do.

If you want a bike to commute to work on - no matter the weather - a dedicated road bike with narrow clearances and no frame mounts is likely to cause frustrations. Going for a bike that can fit wider tyres, mudguards and even the option for a pannier rack will be more likely to fulfil your needs - you'll find these traits in the best commuter bikes. 

Or if you’re dipping your toes into road cycling for the first time, opting for a bike with drop handlebars rather than a straight bar will put you in a far more efficient position for covering miles.

Or if you’re looking to enter a few road races, really making sure you’re getting a bike with the right road bike geometry for fast steering and a low position will save any feelings of buyer’s regret a couple of months down the line.

Focus on the frame

The nice thing about bikes is that there is always room for upgrades. You can buy a bike now and over time build it up into your dream steed. But with this, there is always the conundrum: whether to buy a bike with a good frame but worse components, or a bike with a worse frame and better components.

In the overwhelming majority of cases, you should go for the better frame and take a hit on the components. There are a couple of reasons for this, the first being that buying a frame on its own is surprisingly expensive, often not costing much more than a complete bike.

The second is that if you try and upgrade your frame later, you may well find that many of the components that are already on your bike are not cross compatible meaning you’ll have to replace them too.

Your band-on front mech might need to be changed to a braze on mount. QR wheels may need to be changed to ones with thru axles. Your long drop rim brake calipers might need to be replaced with short drop ones... the list goes on.

If you buy a good frame and upgrade the equipment that it came with down the line, there are no issues with cross compatibility as you can get the right model of each component.

Good aluminium is better than cheap carbon

Your next road bike needn't be carbon - aluminium could be a better choice. Yes, carbon components can be made very light, very aerodynamic and dampen vibrations well. But these properties aren’t intrinsic to the material; they come from an extensive research and development along with a complex manufacturing process.

More material is placed where the frame needs to be stiff, while less is used where the frame should be allowed to flex and provide greater comfort.

Cheap carbon bikes cut corners here, so you can end up with a bike that doesn’t save weight and has a harsh ride quality. Aluminium is a cheaper material to work with, so for the same price you can get greater workmanship.

For instance, tubes which vary in thickness down their length and are an appropriate diameter for their purpose. These combine to produce a bike that is light, stiff and comfortable.

To give an idea of the price and weight difference, the Trek Émonda ALR frame weighs a claimed 1,112g in a size 56 with an RRP of £1,150, while the carbon Ribble Endurance SL frame comes in at 1,150g and costs £1,399.

Something else to consider in addition to weight and comfort is the frame’s tolerances. Tight quality control costs money and is another of the things sacrificed for cheap frames.

An area where the results of this often show up is in a creaking bottom bracket. This happens when a carbon frame doesn’t exactly fit its PressFit bottom bracket, or alternatively, if the threaded aluminium sleeve isn’t bonded into the frame completely straight.

Check out 'in-house' brands

You can be sure that you are getting a good quality bike if you buy it from any of the big bike brands, such as Giant, Specialized or Cannondale, as they have their reputations to uphold. But, as these brands have such a degree of name recognition, you are paying for their name on the downtube as well.

Halford and Decathlon have their own in-house bike brands and can match the Specializeds and Treks of the world pretty closely for economics of scale, but without the added price of brand name cachet. Although significantly cheaper, many of these bikes are still really high quality, and their bikes have often impressed us when we’ve had them on review.

Boardman's SLR 8.9 carbon road bike (for just £1,150) was awarded Cycling Weekly's Editor's Choice last year, for example. 

Wait for the sales

It's an age-old trick covering all sectors, but its use cannot be underplayed: you really can grab a bargain in the sales.

A complete frame redesign takes a lot of time and investment from a bike brand and can’t be done every year. When a brand launches its next year bike, most of the time it will just be a new colour scheme and maybe a few component changes - essentially the same bike as the previous year, but now at a higher price.

Holding off buying your bike until the sales start is an effective way of maximising what you can get for your budget. Brands tend to start releasing new models in September, so that is a good time to on the lookout for bargains.

If you can’t wait for the sales then scouring the discount code websites is a fairly reliable way to save money on your bike. MyVoucherCodes, for example, was offering 10% off at both Tredz Bikes and ProBikeKit, at the time of writing. Registering for email newsletters is also a great hack for getting money-off bike retailers - most of the big brands offer a saving for first time customers, all year round.

Buy second-hand

It’s possible to pick up some real bargains when buying a used bike second hand, but there’s also the risk of being ripped off. If you know your way around a bike - or have a friend who does - this can be a great way to get the most out of your budget.

Here's Cycling Weekly's guide on how to buy a bike second hand, with all the advice you’ll need to get the best deal.

Go for a bike fit

Fancy wheels and a top tier groupset are of little benefit if you get a bike that feels awful to ride because it’s the wrong size. When retailers put on large discounts to clear the last of their stock, it’s easy to be tempted to pick up an XXL for an incredible price. Likewise, for people who are at the extremes of the height spectrum, when trying to buy a second-hand bike it can feel like you have to compromise on the fit.

But this really is a false economy as you’ll soon be wishing you had a bike that properly fits and will likely have to buy again. Your position on the bike is a lot more fundamental to your riding than any of the components, as if it isn't set up correctly it could cause - or be contributing towards - neck pain, wrist pain, knee pain and lower back pain, and so finding a bike that fits you should really be your top priorities.

Here's our guide to road bike sizes to help you find a frame that fits.

A fresh bike fit is also very important as your optimium riding position changes over time according to age, weight and flexibility - here's what you can expect at a bike fit and some fitters we recommend in the UK. 

What gears to go for

It’s easy to get sucked into a 'higher numbers = better' mentality. But it helps to think objectively about what your requirements and whether the extra gear will actually help you, or if it’s an area where you can save some money.

An 11-speed cassette doesn’t make you 10% faster than a 10-speed cassette would. There are two benefits an extra gear can bring, the first is that you can have more closely spaced gears for the same gearing range. That means your top gear and bottom gear remain the same, but the jumps between gears are slightly smaller, and thus you are less likely to find yourself stuck between one that’s too hard and one that’s too easy.

Alternatively, you could use that extra gear to increase your gearing range and keep with the same gaps between the gears. This means you can have an easier bottom gear or a harder top gear, but the jumps between the gears will therefore remain the same.

If you’re fussy about large jumps between gears but don’t require a large range, or if you want a large range but aren’t fazed by slightly bigger jumps between gears, a 10 speed groupset could be all you need. Opting for a lower tier groupset can free up some more of your budget for getting a better frameset or wheels which can make a far larger impact on your rides.

Save some money for accessories

If you’re on a strict budget, make sure to factor in some money for the necessary accessories. If you have £1,000 to spend and get a bike for £999, you’re not going to have as good an experience as someone who saved some cash for proper cycling kit and tools.

Kit-wise, you’ll want at the very least a set of cycling specific shorts and a jersey along with a helmet. Getting some arm and leg warmers along with a rain jacket will greatly increase the range of conditions you’ll find it comfortable to cycle in.

The bare necessities when it comes to tools are a set of Allen keys, puncture repair kit, tyre levers, pump and spare inner tubes. Although getting a proper tool set might be a little large of an initial outlay, being able to repair your bike yourself will save you a lot of money in the long run over taking it to a bike shop.

Here are some other ways of implementing cycling-related money-saving practices into your life.

Whether you’re watching the Tour de France or getting into the saddle for yourself, there’s an elegant simplicity to riding a bike on the road – it’s that perfect fusion of human and machine combining for maximum speed on the tarmac.

If you’ve dismissed road cycling’s trail-based cousin as something other people do, however, it may be time to think again. Taking up mountain biking can develop plenty of skills that you can apply to your road bike to make you a better all-round cyclist.

We’ve teamed up with top UK freerider and Lapierre ambassador Grant Fielder - who goes by the nicknames of Chopper or Chop - to get expert advice on how spending time riding MTBs can help you improve on the road.

Here are six ways hitting the trails can be good for you…

1. It’s great for your technique

Tarmac is consistent to ride on, but by heading off-road you open yourself up to exciting new challenges. Faced with unpredictable terrain and loose surfaces, for example, you need to think more about how you corner and how you brake – and that experience of making last-minute decisions on the trails can help if you encounter an unexpected pothole in the road.

“On the road you have a lot of time to decide when to brake,” says Chop. “With mountain biking you’ve got a tree right [ahead of you], you’ve got endless amounts of corners, so it’s non-stop split-second decisions, and you need to brake a lot. But the more you learn about braking, the better your riding becomes.”

2. It’s a different environment

Roads can be busy – especially at rush hour – but by taking your bike out into the countryside, you can escape the noise and get some much-needed time to yourself. “The whole reason why I’m into mountain biking in general is because no matter if I’ve had a good day or a bad day, if I go out on my bike,” explains Chop. “I’m going to have fun, and I'm going to clear my mind. You’ve got to worry about absolutely nothing apart from your bike handling skills.”

3. It can help you power up

Yes, a lot of mountain-biking routes can be found on the side of hills where gravity does lots of the hard work for you, but in order to get to the start, you’ll often need to pedal uphill. A lot of courses also involve climbs, but these can only be a good thing when you translate the experience to tarmac.

“There’s lots of trails where you will need to go uphill every now and again,” Chop says, “and you will need to get up there pretty quick. You have to get [your thighs] beefed up as well. The benefit of this is explosive power which you can then replicate on the road. Say, for example, you’re at the traffic lights and you want to get up to speed as quickly as possible, you can use that technique.”

4. It can improve your anticipation

Chop points out that when you’re riding on the road, you can take things for granted and “find yourself just being a robot”. On rapidly changing mountain bike courses, however, complacency is not an option. In fact, being ready for whatever’s heading your way can make you a much better cyclist – whether you’re anticipating obstacles or getting your bike in the right gear.

“With mountain biking, you need to take in every small detail,” he says. “I’m talking about the weather, I’m talking about the ground, I’m talking about the trees, your bike set-up. What line did I choose before? Is that still going to be available? It’s forever changing.”

5. There’s more variety

Okay, we admit it. When we’re out on the road, we often stick to the same old tried-and-tested routes, where expecting the expected comes as standard. But with mountain biking there are plenty of different disciplines to play around with – from slopestyle to free-riding, enduro to gravel and beyond – and many of them can be found here in the UK. “There’s lots of things that you can try,” says Chop. “There’s bike parks all around the world, especially in the UK. You can go with your mates, enjoy yourself and push yourself, because if don’t push yourself, you don’t learn those extra ‘I almost crashed’ skills. And that’s what I thrive on – living on the edge.”

6. It’ll help with your core strength

When you head out on the road, most of the work is being done by your legs. When you hit the trails, loads of other muscle groups come into play as you manoeuvre your bike over bumps, jumps and tree roots. “When I look at a road rider, they’re shaped like a Dorito,” Chop explains, “so huge legs, small torso. However, with mountain biking, it’s the opposite, so bigger shoulders and a stronger core. And the reason why mountain bikers have a stronger core is because of the amount of pulling and pushing and manhandling the bike they have to do. These skills you can use on the road, so having to hop up a curb in a split second is much easier to do.”

If we’ve convinced you that your next bike should be a mountain bike, head over to Lapierre Bikes for more information.

Learning how to maintain your bike is time well spent. The rewards are two-fold. Not only will your bicycle run smoothly but you’re likely to save money too. Even just keeping it clean can extend the life of the parts, such as the chain, cassette and tyre, by months.

How involved you get is up to you. Completing overhauling your bike will require specialised tools and plenty of practise too. A job like installing a new press fit bottom bracket is probably best left to a professional, as there’s potential to damage the frame in the process. Given that you’re unlikely to be swapping out bottom brackets on a regular basis also means the cost of the tools might seem like an unnecessary outlay.

However, there are a number of bike maintenance tasks that you can learn to do yourself and don’t require a host of expensive tools. A bucket, a sponge and some old rags are a must-have. But there are few other dedicated bike tools that every home mechanic should have.

Here’s our list of recommended purchases, all which should pay for themselves many times over by extending the life-span of your bike and its components.

1. Brush set

A clean bike works better, especially when it comes to the moving parts. Imagine how many thousands of times your chain comes in to contact with the cassette during a two hour ride. 

Now chuck a bit of grit in there and think how quickly that can wear those parts out. The rising cost of today's 10, 11 and 12-speed chains and cassettes should be all the incentive you need to try and keep your drivetrain clean to help prolong its life.

A rub with a rag and some WD40/GT85 will get a lot of muck off the chain and disperse water, but it won't clean between the links where the grit can gather. A dedicated brush will. The bigger brushes are also perfect for getting in between the brake callipers, behind the front mech, and in to the jockey wheel cages. 

If you're looking to keep your spending down, an old toothbrush (as long as the bristles aren't too worn) can work well on those dirty jockey wheels.

Why? - Extends life of chain, cassette and other moving parts. Gets to places that a sponge doesn't.

Don't - Use them in front of a nice white wall. They will flick mud a grease around

2. Cleaning products

Cleaning your bike regularly can save you money in the long run, and it will also be safer to ride. There are various cleaning products on the market many of which will work perfectly with a sponge and old rag. Degreasers, water repellents, silicon sprays and more are available but not all are needed. 

You can do a lot with water and a sponge, especially if you clean your bike immediately after a ride, but these products will do a more thorough job and sometimes make cleaning your bike a bit quicker. Perhaps the two most important item are a water repellent type spray (like WD40 or GT85) and a chain lube. 

The former is used to spray on your chain, cassette and derailleurs after cleaning. This will stop rust forming on those parts. Be sure to take off any excess before applying your chosen lube.

We've got an explainer on how to clean your bike here.

Why? - A clean bike rides better and lasts longer.

Don't - Let your bike (especially the chain and cassette) sit around unloved after a wet, dirty ride. It will massively reduce the lifespan of some parts. Don't use a pressure hose either, it can damage bearings by thinning out the grease.

3. Chain checker

A worn chain is often referred to as having 'stretched'. This is because a worn chain will get longer as a result of the bushings wearing with the chain pins. The chain's pitch - the spacing between the pins - increases as result.

Because there is no standard for how a chain will wear, there are no exact guidelines for when to check or change it. You can check if a chain is worn by putting it on the big ring, and then pulling it directly away from the teeth. A general rule of thumb is if you can see daylight between the chain and the teeth of the chainring it's time to replace. 

However, a chain checker is a simple and affordable tool that will take the guess work away from the process. If you replace your chain before it gets too worn you might get away with running the new chain on the old cassette. Let it get too worn and you'll have to replace both (see numbers 6, 7 and 8).

Why? - A worn chain will wear a cassette down quicker and gear changes won't be as slick

Don't - Ride on an overly worn chain, it can be dangerous if it jumps or slips when you put pressure on the pedals. 

4. Allen key set

A quick look over your bike will reveal a number of bolts that require an Allen, or hex, key to adjust them. Stem, thru-axles, seat post collar, disc brake caliper. The list goes on. Which means a good set of Allen keys is a must have. Traditionally a 5mm and 4mm where the most common sizes, and while this is still largely the case, you likely to need a few smaller ones, for bottle cages bosses for example, and larger ones, perhaps for those thru-axles or crank bolt.

It's best to invest two sets. One for home use and one to carry in jersey for mid-ride adjustments and mechanicals. Because you're not carrying them on your bike, the set you'll use at home can be longer in length for improved leverage; look for 'L' shaped keys, with the shorter end applying more torque and the long end offering improved reach. 

They can even have a plastic handle for better grip and ergonomics. It's advisable to spend as much you can afford on a set, they'll last far longer than a cheap set and, due to the quality of the steel used, shouldn't round off any bolts if used correctly.

It's also worth seeing if your bike uses any Torx head bolts. If it does, you'll need the matching Torx keys. A contemporary multi-tool is likely to have one or two T-keys.

Why? - A bike is built with bolts that have Allen key heads. You WILL need Allen keys at some point.

Don't - Round off bolt heads. Always ensure an Allen key is properly inserted in to the bolt head. Keep it perpendicular to the bolt when turning and apply a little downward (on to the bolt) pressure when turning.

5. Chain tool, 6. chain whip and 7. cassette tool

Other than tyres and inner tubes, the chain and cassette are the parts likely to need changing with most frequency. You've checked the chain and found it to be worn, therefore you need to replace it. Chances are you'll need to replace the cassette too. These two parts wear together. 

As the chain 'stretches' it wears down the teeth on the cassette so the two continue to mesh together. Just putting a new chain on doesn't work as it won't now mesh with the old cassette. As well as performing poorly it will also wear down your cassette at an alarming rate.

Chances are you'll need to replace both. For that you'll need these three tools. the chain tool breaks the chain, and then puts the new one on (you could also use super links that come with SRAM chains). The chain whip holds the cassette in place while the cassette tool (held by an adjustable spanner) undoes the lock ring. The lock ring unscrews in the same direction the freewheel rotates, which is why you need the chain whip to hold the cassette and stop it from turning.

When buying these tools, you need to make sure they'll work with your chosen components. If you're using one of the latest 12-speed groupsets you'll need to make sure that both the chain tool and the chain whip work with these narrow chains. 

As for the cassette tool, you'll need to buy one that matches your groupset, and thus your cassette lock ring - Campagnolo and Shimano have different spline patterns and won't work with on each other's lock ring.

Why? - It's a simple job that you don't need to pay a mechanic to do.

Don't - Destroy the lock ring. Make sure the cassette tool is fully inserted so it doesn't slip out and churn up the slots in the locking.

8. Torque wrench

If you've splashed out on a bike with lots of carbon parts (stem, handlebars, saddle rails etc.) you need to protect them. One of the easiest ways to damage these parts is to over-tighten a bolt that clamps another part to them. Most parts will come with recommended maximum tightening levels (in Newton metres) and the only way to stick to them is with one of the best torque wrenches for bikes. Using this will prevent you from giving a bolt 'just one more turn' that might end up crushing your carbon.

You can buy preset torque wrenches, usually for 4 and 5Nm, which covers the recommended values of most stem and seat collar bolts or example. However, an adjustable wrench is more practical, allowing you to work across the bike with confidence.

Why? - It will protect your expensive carbon parts

Don't - Take it out and put an Allen key in to give it 'one more turn'.

9. Pedal spanner

Often you can use a six or eight mm Allen key to remove your pedals. However, A dedicated, long handled 15mm pedal spanner really does make the job far easier, especially if the pedals are proving a stubborn to move. When attaching pedals to the crank be sure not to over-tighten them. 

There's no need. It's also worth checking the thread is clean of grit. Remember the threads are different too. The right hand thread will be standard (tightens by turning clockwise), the left-hand pedal will tighten the opposite way (untightens by turning clockwise).

Why? - Because pedals have a habit of getting stuck firmly in the crank.

Don't - Turn the wrong way and accidentally tighten the pedal further.

10. Cable cutters

Learning to replace your brake and gear cables is not only satisfying but a great way to save money too. It's fairly labour intensive, which can mean that's its pretty expensive if you're paying a bike shop to do it.

If your bike has internally routed cables you may still wish to get your local bike shop to do the job. Depending on the bike it can be fiddly, as you're essentially having to route the cables 'blind'. However, if you have externally routed cables it's a far easy task and one that  can drastically improve the performance of your brakes and gears. 

A stretched cable, maybe with some grit in between that and the protective outer cable, can make brakes feel spongy and gears miss-fire. Cables should last several thousand miles, but this does depend on the conditions. Long wet rides will see them wear out more quickly. 

Fitting cables is worthy of a whole new article (at least for those not familiar with the process), but whatever you do, don't try and cut them with a blade on an old set of pliers, it will fray the cable. One clean cut with these will keep the cable end neat so a cable stop can be slotted on before being squeezed on to the cable. Sharp, powerful cable cutters will also cut through an outer cable without compromising it.

Why? - A frayed cable will have to be replaced, if left, you're bound to stab your hand with it at some point. Like a paper cut, this is disproportionately painful.

Don't - Try and make do with an old set of pliers 

11. Track pump

Okay, this isn't really about maintaining your bike, but it will make your ride safer and more enjoyable. You'd be amazed how quickly your inner-tube valves leak air. We're willing to bet that if you went and checked your tyre pressure right now it would be considerably lower than you think. 

Tyres work best when inflated to the recommended levels shown on the side wall. However, you'll want to experiment and adjust based on your weight and your riding conditions. Properly inflated tyres will ride better, corner with more assurance and help - in a little way - to prevent punctures. Get in to the habit of pumping up your tyres every time before heading out on a long ride.

If you're running tubeless tyres you'll still need to pay attention to the pressure and ensure its dialled in for your ride. 

Why? - Improves ride quality and performance of tyres.

Don't - Let your tyres go more than a week without pumping them up.

If you’re clicking on Cycling Weekly, chances are you love getting in the saddle. You can put your miles on the road to good use by taking part in The Bike Project’s Refugee Routes challenge, helping refugees to get a bike of their own.

This "build-your-own" cycling challenge is versatile enough to fit around your own fitness level and ability. Your objective is simple – ride a distance equivalent to journeys made by refugees on a common migration routes, and fundraise as you go. All proceeds will help more refugees and asylum seekers get newly refurbished bikes.

A challenge that fits around you

There are five distances to choose from, all based on routes frequently travelled by refugees around the world: 51 miles from Calais and Dover, 160 miles from Izmir to Athens, 301 miles from Zarzis to Pozzalo, 918 miles from Damascus to Izmir, or 1996 miles from Mariupol to London. Alternatively, you can choose to set your own distance.

Whether you want to build up the miles gradually or complete a single epic bike ride is entirely up to you – you can even add to your total distance on your daily commute, or on a stationary bike at the gym. You can also choose between taking on the challenge solo, or as part of a team, whether it’s friends, family, work colleagues or people you train with at the gym.

As you clock up miles on the road in solidarity with refugees, you’ll get email updates in your inbox telling you about a refugee’s journey on the equivalent, real-life route.

“Participating in Refugee Routes does good for others, as well as for oneself,” says Refugee Routes fundraiser Vanessa. “It’s a win-win.”

How The Bike Project helps refugees

How do your cycling exploits on the Refugee Routes challenge convert into bikes for refugees? As this mission statement explains, The Bike Project collects unwanted bikes, refurbishes them in their workshops, and then delivers them to refugees and asylum seekers in London and Birmingham. 

The charity also runs important community programmes: Pedal Power, for example, provides free one-to-one cycling lessons for women (led by women cycling instructors), while Bike Buddies matches refugees with volunteer cycling partners –  TV presenter Clare Balding and actor David Morrissey have both taken part in the scheme.

Every £100 raised on the challenge gets a bike to another refugee on The Bike Project’s waiting list, and that’s more important now than ever. While The Bike Project has given almost 10,000 bikes to refugees and asylum seekers across the UK, the waiting list is getting longer, a situation exacerbated by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

It’s impossible to overstate how important a bike can be for a refugee trying to make a home in the UK. Asylum seekers are prohibited from working, and have to live on just £39.63 a week while their applications are being processed. But in a country where the cost of living is as high as it is in the UK, there isn’t much left over to cover bus fares once food and other essentials are taken care of.

That’s where The Bike Project comes in. Giving an asylum seeker their own two wheels provides easier access to food banks, healthcare, education, legal advice and much more. And if they’re lucky enough to be given official refugee status, they can then use their bike to help them find employment.

As Naomi, another Refugee Routes fundraiser, explains, “The Bike Project is a simple idea that can transform refugees’ lives by giving them affordable transport at a time when they have no spare money for day-to-day travel expenses.”

Sign up now!

Whether you want to assemble an elite team of cycling buddies or hit the road alone, you can sign up now to take part in Refugee Routes. You’ll receive a fundraising pack, support, and advice from The Bike Project’s fundraising team. You can also expect inspiration from the wider Refugee Routes community.

As an added bonus, every Cycling Weekly sign-up will receive a free The Bike Project cycling cap – simply email fundraising@thebikeproject.co.uk to redeem.

And remember, this is a challenge with the flexibility to fit around you. As well as helping refugees find a home in the UK – take a look at the impact Refugee Routes is making – supporting Refugee Routes also brings plenty of benefits to you, whether it’s improving your fitness or having fun with friends and family.

“Cycling is a really affordable and fun way to get to know where you live better,” says Refugee Routes fundraiser Felicity. “Doing something for a great cause? Why not?”

Sign up to Refugee Routes and start your challenge. 

On the heels of another 'epic' Unbound Gravel race weekend, Cycling Weekly is going to keep the gravel content going with our second annual Gravel Week. 

Gravel Week is a celebration of all things "gravel" from the latest gravel bikes, tires and gear to the events we're excited about to the tips and tricks on how to get started yourself. 

Whether you're looking for your next gravel race, planning go bikepacking this summer or you're in the market for a utilitarian, do-it-all bike, stay tuned for a week's worth of content around the off-road, wide-tired bike trend that's here to stay. 

We'll be publishing a number of articles about gravel riding this week - not least we'll be revealing our 2023 Gravel Bike of the Year award winners.

Gravel, Roubaix, Groad, Adventuring…what’s the fuss all about?

At the heart, gravel is about adventure and exploration. It’s our modern day bike touring or the millennial generation’s call of the wild. 

It’s less about getting from point A and B as quickly as possible —though in racing or setting FKTs it certainly is—, and more about the journey in itself. It’s about building a different relationship with the bike and seeing where it and your own two legs can take you. It’s about the freedom to roam, being  away from cars, going into nature and relying on your own abilities. 

In racing there’s always the element of who crosses the finish line first, but at the time there is also a certain unity if having conquered the same course at the same time. In that way, everyone wins and everyone is celebrated. 

But don’t let me tell you what gravel is. Part of the beauty lies in the fact that it’s so many things. It’s for you to define and for you to make it your own. 

What content you’ll be seeing this week

We'll be adding lots of new gravel content this week but we also think this is the perfect opportunity to reacquaint you with some of the brilliant gravelly content we've already got all over Cycling Weekly!

Gravel Bike of the Year

We've put nine of the best off-road, drop-barred bikes - from brands including Giant, BMC, Specialized and Canyon, through their paces to find Cycling Weekly's 2023 Gravel Bike of the Year. 

Gravel Week Buying Advice

We've tested dozens of gravel bikes, tyres, shoes, shorts and lots, lots more. We'll be adding new guides and reviews as the week progresses

• If you really want to make the most of your off-road riding then you'll need to be onboard one of the best gravel bikes on the market. Check out our essential guide
• If you want to start gravel riding you really need to a get grip. So our guide to the best gravel tyres is an absolute must read!
• The best gravel bike shoes have to do several jobs - like road shoes you want them to direct as much power through your pedals as possible. At the same time you'lll likely to be spending a lot of time in them - including walking time - so you want comfort. And possible water-proofing.

Unbound Gravel 2023

Unbound Gravel is the world's biggest gravel place, and took place over the first weekend in June in Emporia, Kansas. We were there so ICYMI here's what we found.

• US editor Anne-Marije Rook took on the biggest of the world's biggest gravel races - Unbound XL is 352-miles of type 2 fun!
• To complete an event as serious as Unbound Gravel you need serious equipment - we round up the best bikes of Unbound 2023.
• If you Anne-Marije Rook's piece above didn't convince you that Unbound can break both riders and machines then this report on how the conditions wrecked both bikes and bodies will.
• What kind of bike and gear do you need to complete an epic ride? This kind of bike and gear!

More great gravel guidance

• We realize that not everyone is yet to fall for the charms of gravel riding. If you want to get started in gravel riding, we can't give you a money back guarantee but we're confident you'll like it!
• It might feel like gravel racing is the hottest new thing right now, but like so many trendy thing it's actually been around a lot longer that you might think. Find out more in our look at the history of gravel racing.
• Gravel races are a global phenomenon. The USA undoubtedly leads the way but the UK has plenty of great events. And then there's Finland, Spain, Iceland and a whole lot more.
• Looking to find gravel rides near your house? We got you with gravel route planning tips for the roads less traveled.

You'll find all of our Gravel Week articles here, keep checking back, as more will be added daily! 

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Zwift is a great platform for training and racing, enabling you to execute precision training plans for hitting your fitness goals – as well as the ability to connect with cyclists across the globe in group rides and races.

There are many different ways of getting set up riding on Zwift, which on the one hand is great, as it means there are configurations which'll work for every type of budget. But on the other hand, it does mean it can be a little confusing working out what would be the best setup for you.

To boil things down, there are three main ways of achieving a setup which will allow you to ride the virtual roads of Zwift. They are:

1. A ‘dumb’ turbo trainer with a speed/cadence sensor
2. A ‘dumb’ turbo trainer with a power meter
3. A smart turbo trainer with an integrated power meter

We’ll go through the pros and cons relevant to each setup and our recommendations of the best products – which balance both price and performance – for each of these. Further down, we cover compatible devices for running the Zwift application, with options for the best – and the cheapest – Zwift experience.

The cheapest option for riding on Zwift is using a standard turbo trainer paired with a speed and cadence sensor that connects to Zwift via ANT+ or bluetooth.

When using a standard turbo trainer that doesn't transmit data with a speed and cadence sensor, your in-game effort is generated by virtual watts called zPower. Zwift translates the speed from the turbo trainer into watts using a estimated power curve. The company has tested a range of turbo trainers to calculate the watts required on each trainer for speed-based power.

Although not as accurate as power meters, you will be able to train in the virtual world and take part in group workouts with zPower. However some races will DQ you in the final results on Zwift Power if you race with zPower. So if you are investing in Zwift for its racing opportunities read past this section to the power meter options.

This is among the cheapest setups to get you rolling on the virtual roads of Zwift. Using your speed and cadence data, Zwift can estimate the power you're putting out and therefore how fast you should be going. It's not as accurate as using a power meter, but you'll still be able to ride around with your friends and get a hard workout in.

With its magnetic resistance and progressive power curve, the LifeLine TT-01 turbo trainer uses a tried and tested technology that's designed to simulate real riding dynamics. 

You may already have a wheel-on turbo trainer similar to this tucked away somewhere in your garage or loft – if so, then all you need is to dig that out, attach a set of speed and cadence sensors to your bike and away you go. If this is the first wheel-on trainer you'll own, just check whether your bike has quick release or thru-axles at the rear end – if it's the latter, you'll need to pick up a thru-axle adaptor to get your bike to fit. 

There are cheaper speed and cadence sensor on the market, but we would recommend going with Wahoo’s offering here. The increase in price isn’t so large and we think its worth it for their reliability and customer care.

Alternatively, if you’d prefer to pay a little more for the simplicity of an all-in-one purchase, Tacx offers a bundle of its Boost wheel-on trainer model with the speed and cadence sensors you need to get set up on Zwift. 

Plus, as the Boost is a supported trainer on Zwift, the power approximation derived from the speed and cadence sensor will be a little more accurate than with an unsupported trainer. 

When we had the Tacx Boost on review, we were impressed by the range of resistance levels and the compact size it folds up to. Although it does get a bit noisy at higher power levels, it's not out of line with other wheel-on turbos and its respectably quite at medium to low wattages.

Like the LifeLine TT-01, the Tacx Boost isn’t compatible with thru-axles from the off. But, again like the LifeLine TT-01, there is an adapter kit that’s available to be purchased separately. 

If you already own a classic (non-smart) turbo trainer, investing in an external power meter is a an ideal option for a more accurate method for obtaining power data than speed/cadence sensors alone.

It saves replacing your current turbo for a more expensive smart version – although you do miss out on course gradient simulation that a smart trainer offers.

Obviously, there's a significant price hike relative to purchasing only speed and cadence sensors – but you do gain a significant upgrade to your bike, enabling you to keep track of your numbers on every ride, both at home and out on the road.

Even at full price, 4iiii’s left-side power crank represents a bargain compared to other power meters – when you can take advantage of a discount, it really is a must. For less than half the price of a smart turbo trainer, 4iiii’s Precision Power Meter equips you with accurate power data that you can use for training and racing on Zwift, as well as outdoors.

We’ve been roundly impressed by the accuracy and durability of 4iiii power meters here at CW. The low cost means if you have more than one bike, it can actually work out cheaper to buy a couple of these than it is to swap one set of power pedals between bikes – It’s also much less of a faff.

With this model, only the power from your left leg is recorded. So if you do have a significant strength imbalance, this won’t be picked up in the way that a dual-sided power meter or smart turbo trainer would.

If dual sided power readings are what you are after, then the FSA Powerbox power meter is one of the most cost effective ways of achieving that. 

On test, we found the power meter to deliver reliable and consistent numbers, breaking down the split between the right and left leg. Other power meters do offer accuracy down to ±1%, but we found the ±2% of the FSA Powerbox to be perfectly sufficient for targeted and effective training.

Its claimed weight is 738g means is not one of the lightest power meters out there, but for indoor riding this is inconsequential. That said, if you're not just looking for the cheapest Zwift set up at home, you can always invest in the higher priced hollow carbon-crank version. 

Compatible with Shimano, Zipp and Campagnolo drivetrains, and different sized chainrings and length cranks available makes it pretty versatile option. 

Smart turbo trainers are interactive which means apps, such as Zwift, can control the trainer's resistance to replicate hills and drafting behind other riders' avatars, inside the virtual world giving it an arcade game like feel.

When you select ERG mode on Zwift, a smart trainer will automatically adjust the resistance to keep you at the required power in a power-based interval workout. This ensures you are regularly hitting your training targets and means you no longer have to stare endlessly at the screen to check you are riding at the right numbers.

With one of the best smart turbo trainers you feel more directly connected to the lumps of the virtual world, which will ensure you have a much more engaging, if possibly tougher, training session.

If you don't already own a standard turbo trainer and only wish to have power readings for efforts indoors, a smart turbo could be the way to go. Expect to pay a more than a non-smart one, but it's a worth investment keep home training stimulating. 

Smart turbo trainers can be direct drive, or wheel on - direct drive trainers will be heavier and allow you to really sprint out the saddle, but wheel on models are cheaper. 

The Wahoo Kickr Snap might not feel as smooth as the top end direct drive options, but it still packs a punch at a much lower price point, perfect for those looking to create a cheap Zwift set up at home. 

On test we found it true to it's offering a max power output of 1500 watts before the resistance wavered, and good for it's 12 per cent inclines, both of which are plenty for most riders.

With a versatile rear wheel width and clamp design, it's a versatile unit, capable of taking all wheels between 24 inches up to 29er mountain bikes, although we would recommend getting a turbo trainer specific trainer tyre it is worth getting a trainer tyre, designed to minimise overheating, slippage and wear which will be limited in size options. Do note, the trainer tyre is not suitable for outdoor cycling.

The Wahoo Kickr Snap borrows many features from it's more expensive sibling the direct drive Wahoo Kickr smart turbo trainer , including the Wahoo app, compatible with Apple and Android and same open software interface, which is compatible with third parties, e.g. Zwift, and power meters to vary the unit's resistant automatically. 

Naturally there will be some data inconsistencies, as there's no auto calibration  to take account of tyre pressure changes, and or even tyre wear, which can also create slippage when putting out higher numbers. 

But anyone looking at a money saving option, than the Wahoo Kickr Snap is a great option. 

The Zumo Elite smart turbo trainer is not only the brand's most affordable direct drive turbo, but probably the best on the market at the price point.  

On test we were able to certify Elite's 'plug and play' claim, with a box to riding time of around ten minutes. 

Giving it a through Zwift shake down, we found that, while not exactly replicating the same pedalling sensation as on the open road, or higher priced smart turbo trainers, it was very natural and came a preference over a pair of rollers. 

The margin of error number wise is about  +/- 2.5 per cent, which isn't insignificant for riders really focused on performance data and results of races, but when compaired to a Quarq DZero power meter out on the road, efforts were always comparable.

The 1900w and 15% incline replication are just about right for most riders on most Zwift courses and the Zumo performs above adequately on these, enough to question why you would want to spend extra on a more expensive direct drive smart turbo trainer. 

The Elite Zumo Smart Turbo Trainer, which can be tricky to track down in the States, but is available from Halfords in the UK is an even more affordable model to help build your cheap Zwift setup at home. However, you will find when sprinting the maximum amount of power you can exert is capped at around 1,100 watts, and there's only a 12% incline. For stronger riders this could prove a problem and dropping over 1,100 watts is not an unachievable goal for many amateur racers. The 12% incline will limit some Zwift course replications. 

Should I also buy a fan for Zwift?

Whichever of the setups you decide is best for your riding needs and budget, a fan is a big plus to help make indoor riding more bearable.

Overheating can easily cause a reduction in power, as well as making the whole experience a lot less enjoyable, and even with windows and doors open, your body temperature can quickly build up. 

A cheap desktop fan such as this one from Amazon coupled with a standard hand towel will help keep you cool and soak up the sweat, but isn't specifically designed to do the job, so you might find you're always compromising on the position.  Wahoo's Kickr Headwind, however is designed specifically for turbo training.

Technically this is scope creep when it comes to cheap Zwift setups at home, as there is a sense of indulgence with a turbo specific fan. 

That said, if it makes the difference of you actually wanting to use Zwift at all, then it's probably a good investment. 

The cleaver thing with the Wahoo KICKR Headwind Bluetooth Fan is it's 'smart' functionality, with the ability to pair with a huge array of sensors and smart turbo trainers beyond the Wahoo range.  

Capable of being paired with your heart rate monitor, speed sensor or turbo trainer, the fan provides optimised cooling based on the intensity of your workout. Essentially, the harder you push yourself, the more it will help cool you down. It also replicates head wind, blowing more when riding at pace and less when hill climbing, or there are four manual fan speeds to choose from, which can be done via the Wahoo App (iOS and Android compatible).  

Wahoo say it's targeted airflow is designed to mirror the shape of a rider, making it a much more targeted air flow over a conventional fan. 

We've not yet reviewed one, but anyone who has says they wish they'd made the plunge sooner and are more include to jump on their home bike because of it. If lacking motivation to overheat is something you suffer from, the Wahoo Kickr Headwind Fan could be what your missing. 

Zwift compatible device

You can download and run the Zwift platform on most modern devices including smartphones, tablets and desktops. But there are some minimum system requirements you need to be aware of for your device to be able to run the virtual platform without hiccups.

For laptops and computers:

• Operating system: Microsoft® Windows 7 64bit or higher, or macOS® 10.10 or higher
• CPU: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo or better
• RAM: 4GB
• Graphics: 1GB dedicated GPU, or embedded Intel® HD 4000 or AMD R5
• Hard Drive: 4GB of free space

For smartphones, tablets and streaming devices:

• Android: Android 7.0 or higher
• iPhone: iPhone SE/iPhone5S or higher. iOS9.0 or higher
• iPad/iPod: iPad Air or higher, iPad® Pro, iPad mini® 2 or higher, or
• iPod 6. iOS® 9.0 or higher
• Apple TV: 4th generation or higher

A reliable internet connection will also ensure the other cycling avatars around you don't disappear from the virtual roads. If your paincave setup is located in the garage, a WiFi booster may be worth considering if you have a weak signal.

Why Zwift?

Zwift is a great online platform for training and racing from the comfort of your home on a turbo trainer.

It can take the boredom out of indoor riding and you can challenge yourself on Zwift without entering a race by building up to more demanding routes in Zwift's set of worlds and hunting out the in-game segments up climbs like the Alpe du Zwift.

If you're wondering where to start with riding at home, you might find it helpful to follow one of our cycling training plans. If you do decide to race, be warned it can be quite addictive. We learnt lessons on how to get the best out of racing the hard way, so learn by our errors on our 11 things you only know if you race on Zwift page.  

There are many events you can join in with at all times of the day, including group workout sessions, races and Cycling Weekly's very own weekly time trial, which will make cycling indoors fun whatever your other outside commitments.

Other platforms to use when training indoors

It is worth noting these indoor setups that we guide you through will also have you covered for using other indoor cycling platforms, such as Wahoo Systm, Rouvy and Road Grand Tour (RGT)—so you are not restricted to just Zwift.

We have a helpful guide on indoor training apps for cycling compared: which is best for you? This will give you an example of each app and the differences between them to make sure fully committing to Zwift is the best option for you. 

It's also worth mentioning here that, once you have the basics, you don't just have to stick to Zwift. You might find specific training sessions could really help both your indoor and out door cycling performance. If you're stuck for ideas, then you might fond our page dedicated to four of the best indoor cycling sessions for turbo training great inspiration. 

With so many choices of bike footwear on the market, it can be a tough job finding the best women's cycling shoes for you. Designed around a female 'foot last', with the ultimate goal of providing a comfortable and effective base from which to power the pedal stroke, a women's specific option could be the perfect option for you.

It's well documented that opting to use a pair of the best clipless pedal system will allow you to maximise the cycling strength you have available, improving pedal stroke pattern and making climbs significantly easier as the lower leg muscles are more able to engage.

If you're totally new to the concept of being attached to your bike, then head over to our page on how to cycle in clipless pedals for some great hints and tips for how to transition to a pair and get confident to use them on every ride.

The choice of what makes a good cycling shoe really varies for each individual rider. Each style, will come at a range of different price points - the overall cost being most affected by weight, sole material, and fastening system (which in turn affects weight).

Below are some of our favourite cycling shoes on the market for both outdoor riding and indoor workouts - read on after the product picks for more advice on what to look for...

Best women's cycling shoes - Road

We have loved just about every iteration of the Giro W Empire, finding them the one of the best Giro cycling shoes in the entire range. This version takes all the best bits of the ACC that we reviewed and spruces them up with a low 6.5mm stack, but doesn't scarifice comfort for out and out performance, making these a great option for all sorts of road riding.

The major advantage with lace up shoes is the ability to adjust them to the perfect fit, making them more like a regular trainer for riders who like a perfected fit.

The Empire shoes from Giro feature a female specific design with a narrow ankle, carbon sole and adjustable arch support. There's plenty of ventilation in the upper, and maintenance is easy with a wipe clean surface.

Having levelled up, we're now at Specialized S-Works 7 cycling shoes. The outgoing S-Works 6 shoes impressed us no end and these claim to be even stiffer. So stiff in fact, that it's probably too stiff for a lot of riders, as there is absolutely no give in the sole what so ever.

This does make it an awesome performance shoe, and when you're revving up for the finishing line, you can be assured that not only every millimetre of power is being used for forward propulsion, but also although there is zero risk of your foot getting pulled out

Two precision fit Alloy Boa® S3-Snap dials create a perfect fit and Specialized uses its Body Geometry foot bed which aims to increase efficiency and decrease injury. This is a racing shoe that creates a notably stiff and speedy-feeling power transfer.

Unlike previous models (including the S-Works 6's) these come only in a 'unisex fit'. In the past Specialized based its women's shoes on a female foot last, now they've done a 180 and say it's not necessary. These are available from a size 36 though, which is a UK 3.5.

If you hadn't guessed by now, we're big fans of all Giro shoes, they really do seem to keep nailing the best women's cycling shoes, so there's no apologies for this buyers guide looking a lot like a Giro shoe guide!

The Giro Regime Women's Road Cycling Shoes fill the gap between stiff high end performance shoes (think sprinters) and the more comfortable all day foot wear (think Audax). The stiff snappy sole provides a great foot to bike connection, but while a pair such as the Specialized S-Work 7 performance pair let you know it's all about performance, the Giro Regime's rebalance the comfort with an interchangeable foot bed.

This means that they are a great option for anyone wanting to perform over a long distance, especially if there is any climbing involved - with every single pedal revolution gaining you forward momentum. Just ensure you team with lightweight socks if you're out on a hot day, as these aren't the most breathable shoe on the market.

The Specialized Torch 3.0 or the Shimano SH-RC7 are probably on a par price wise, but don't get quite as high finish with the solid sole or the higher grade Boa® L6 dials closure system, making this a great pair of women's specific shoes.

Giro's "race capable mid-level carbon soled shoe,” these kicks come with an Easton E70 carbon sole, and Boa dial combined with velcro at the toes. The sole of the Giro Espada Boa cycling shoes means they're more than ready to race, but there's some nods to comfort you won't find in top end models, such as extra padding around the ankles. Mesh sections will dispel heat, too.

These have been around for a while now, and are becoming overshadowed by new comers to the beloved women's cycling shoe range from the brand, but while the Giro Espada are on the market - there's no reason not to include them, especially if you can get a good deal.

Full price though, and they're not cheap, with the Giro Regime pair coming in a little cheaper and to be honest, better value.

On test we found that the slight flex in the carbon/fibreglass sole of the Bontrager Meraj Women's cycling shoes actually added to their comfort, rather than taking away pedal propulsion. Teamed with a BOA® IP1 dial that works alongside Velcro closure at the toes, made for a pair of great women's cycling shoes, which were comfortable, yet secure, although probably better for the all day, long distant rides over a flat out crit race.

The ventilation is pretty high, so a great option for a hot day, but the down side is that we felt that the mesh panelling on the upper of the the Meraj shoes did take away from a high-end race shoe in the looks department.

On test we found the dhb Dorica Carbon cycling shoes to provide great value for money performance, thanks to the stiff carbon sole. Taking inspiration from the Giro W Empire women's cycling shoes with it's laces closure, also allows these to be tightened to perfection.

However, like the Specialized S-Works 7 cycling shoes , the dhb is a unisex shoe, but it does limit the smallest size to just an size EU39, which might be too big compared to rest of the best women's specific cycling shoes.

If the sizes do work for you, then we highly recommend these a brilliant pair of cycling shoes.

Best women's cycling shoes - indoor

Cycling indoors has been a popular pass time for years, but until recently, never really taken that seriously.

While many of us have just donned our road shoes for the hour max turbo time, specific shoes for indoor haven't really existed, with spin instructors often selecting mtb shoes with the stiffest soles.

With the advent of smart turbo trainers and on line racing, owning a pair of specific indoor cycling shoes is making much more sense. Suddenly finding ourselves in pools of sweat, the quest for highly breathable options is suddenly on.

Indoor shoes for spin class or on an exercise at the gym will still need to be compatible with two-hole SPD cleats to fit the pedals that come on these bikes, but even these have stepped up a gear.

Shimano's IC5 indoor cycling shoe is designed specifically for spin and indoor cycling with it's maximum breathability and reinforced plate in the sole of the shoe for stable power transfer during intense efforts.

The SPD compatible indoor shoe has a breathable, comfortable sock mesh upper to stay fresh during hard workouts and this brings the shoe's weight to a mere 292g (size 40).

A BOA dial delivers tightening ease and will ensure your foot stays firmly in place whatever the effort.

It's recessed cleat channel also makes these performance shoes easy to walk about in—which makes them practical for using on the spin and exercise bikes at the gym.

What's different about women's cycling shoes?

The best Women's cycling shoes are not drastically different to 'men's cycling shoes' or 'unisex cycling shoes'. The biggest differences are in the size. Some brands build a shoe on a women's specific 'last', which is generally slightly narrower,

The 'last' is the structure that shoes are built around. Typically, a woman's last is narrower at the ankle, and lower in volume - resulting in a shoe more likely to fit the average woman's foot comfortably.

In a cycling shoe, fit at the ankle is crucial - you want to feel the heel cup hug the back of your foot, so that it feels secure - but not squashed.

Women typically have smaller feet than men, too - so for many the biggest difference is that they come in much smaller sizes, a bit like the best women's road bikes, this means that you are getting the best women's cycling shoe to fit you.

Bear in mind that a women's specific 'last' is based on averages - so if you've always found that a pair of the best cycling shoes come from the men's or unisex range there's no reason to change your status quo.

If you are thinking of swopping over from not quite right men's cycling shoes, to a better fitting women's version, it's worth bearing in mind that the sizing is not as identical as you may have believed.

A bit like a pair of the best women's cycling shorts, the small will be fundamentally different to a men's pair.

As an example, for one brand, a women's UK 5 is a Euro 38, which measures 23.5cm. A men's UK 5 is a Euro 37.5, measuring 24cm. Baffling, we know. But at the end of the day, sizing varies between brands can require a trial and error approach, so a bit like shorts, or when purchasing one of the best women's cycling jerseys, always check the size guide before you purchase of you can't try before you buy.

Final point on how to find the best women's cycling shoe, make sure you invest in a pair of the best cycling socks at the same time. A pair specifically designed for teaming with cycling shoes will add significant comfort to your ride, with all the right padding and support in the right places.

The best women's cycling shoes: what to look for

There are several other elements to consider when buying cycling shoes, each one having an effect on the price tag...

Cycling shoes: soles

The sole of a cycling shoe is integral to... the soul of a cycling shoe.

The best women's cycling shoes at the top end will feature carbon soles. Carbon provides a stiff base for optimum power transfer. It's pretty rigid, and the grade of carbon used will determine how much so. At a mid-level, you'll find composites, often reinforced with carbon, whilst cheaper cycling shoes will feature nylon or fibre glass soles.

If you plan to spend a notable amount of time off-bike in the shoes, then those that use softer materials, ideally with rubber grips, may well be a better option. Otherwise, it comes down to how much you're willing to spend.

Cycling shoes: closure system

The cheapest cycling shoes will use a Velcro fastening system - though you'll also notice some very light 'climbing specific' cycling shoes utilise Velcro for its low weight. Velcro boasts a firm grip, but doesn't always offer the closest fit; and when the top section doesn't envelop the lower layer, you do sometimes end up with a protruding piece of naked material, prone to turning fluffy or attracting insects.

If you want cheaper options, but without the performance sacrifice, then it's worth heading over to our cycling shoe deals page, where there are often great price deductions on some of the best women's cycling shoes on the market.

At the mid-level, ratchets are common. This provide incremental tightening and are quick to undo with one level 'snap' off action in most cases.

Top end shoes usually use Boa dials. The clearest benefit here is that they're very easy to adjust on the bike, should conditions (rain or shine) cause the volume of your foot or the tightness of the fabric to increase or decrease.

Across the spectrum, you'll also find laces. These are thought to be the most aerodynamic option, and with so many points of adjustment, they can also be very comfortable (as well as carrying a certain vintage charm). The downside: laces can stretch in the wet, and of course they're impossible to adjust on the fly.

Cycling shoes: cleat style

Most road cyclists will opt for a three-bolt road cycling cleat from one of the major brands: Look, Shimano or Speedplay. A three-bolt cleat will help you deliver optimum power through the cranks.

If you need help in getting the right fit, then our video: how to set up cleats on cycling shoes is a must watch.

A two-bolt, SPD style means the cleat is recessed into the sole of the shoe, making these ideal for commuters and people who want to walk around without waddling like a duck. Also, exercise bikes at the gym tend to have pedals that only work with two-bolt SPD cleats.

Cycling shoes: fit

Well fitting cycling shoes are essential. As with any style of shoe, brands vary in their distribution of volume. It's best to try cycling shoes on before you buy them, ideally wearing socks about the same thickness as those you tend to wear on the bike.

As a rule of thumb, Specialized, Giro and Fizik tend to offer shoes that fit those with narrow feet well, whilst Bont are well known for accommodating wider feet and Sidi create shoes in varying widths.

The best Cyber Monday bike deals  are here - and we've just got the lowdown from Wiggle and Chain Reaction with all cycling related discounts to make some great savings.

Garmin remains ever popular, and even more so when you spot a nice 30% off the original price. Wiggle's Garmin Black Friday range has big discounts on Edge computers and Forerunner GPS watches.

• Go to Wiggle's Garmin Black Friday range now

You can also save  up to 40% off Castelli clothing, making it an idea time to purchase that scorpion outfit ready for the coldest season of the year, or treat yourself with some summer motivation by making a great saving on the famous Italian brand's jerseys and bib shorts for a box fresh set of garms when it warms up again. Winter miles = summer smiles, and in this case brand new kit

• Go to Wiggle's Castelli Cyber Monday range now

There are also mega deals on training tech from Tacx, Elite and Hammerhead - but you'd better hurry with these because they're hot products and a lot of people are looking at them!

• Go to Wiggle's Cyber Monday training tech range now

Keep scrolling to discover the best deals from Wiggle and Chain Reaction for biking bargain hunters in the USA and the UK.

Best Cyber Monday Wiggle and Chain Reaction deals 2021 for US shoppers

• Wiggle Cyber Monday deals home page
• Chain Reaction Cycles Cyber Monday deals home page
• Hammerhead Karoo 2 Custom Color Kit Bundle: was $629.99, now $455
• High5 Berry bundle (energy drinks, bars, gels, hydration tabs): was $127.99, now $63
• Oakley Radar EV Prizm Dual Lens Sunglasses: was $263, now $165
• dhb Merino Long Sleeve Base Layer: was $60, now $40
• Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses: was $282.00, now $178.00
• Vittoria Zaffiro Pro folding clincher tyre: was $32.99, now $12
• Elite Direto Smart Turbo Trainer: was $929.95, now $572.99
• dhb Aeron FLT Roubaix Bib Tight 2.0
  • Men's: was $125.00, now $78.50
  • Women's: was $125.00, now $78.50
• dhb Aeron All Winter Softshell Jacket
  • Men's: was $165.00, now $110.00
  • Women's: was $170, now $113.00

Best Cyber Monday Wiggle and Chain Reaction deals 2021 for UK shoppers

• Wiggle Cyber Monday deals home page
• Chain Reaction Cycles Cyber Monday deals home page
• Garmin Forerunner 645 GPS watch: was £349.99, now £185
• Garmin Edge 830: was £349.99, now £279.99
• Garmin Edge 530: was £259.99, now £199.99
• Garmin Vector 3 Pedal Power Meter: was £789.99, now £499.99
• Hammerhead Karoo 2 Custom Colour Kit Bundle: was £459.99, now £349.99
• Elite Direto Smart Turbo Trainer: was £769.99, now £499.99
• Castelli Velocissimo Elite jacket: was £190, now £113.99
• Tacx Neo 2 Special Edition Smart Turbo Trainer: was £1,199.99, now £799.99
• Gaerne Carbon G.Tornado road shoes: was £179.99, now £89.99
• Kask Valegro road helmet: was £169, now £84.99
• High5 Berry bundle (energy drinks, bars, gels, hydration tabs): was £102.84, now £49.99
• Oakley Radar EV Prizm Dual Lens Sunglasses: was £215, now £129.99
• dhb Merino Long Sleeve Base Layer: was £45, now £30
• Oakley Jawbreaker Sunglasses: was £185.00, now £129.50
• dhb Aeron FLT Roubaix Bib Tight 2.0
  • Men's: was £95, now £60.00
  • Women's: was £95, now £60.00
• dhb Aeron All Winter Softshell Jacket
  • Men's: was £120.00, now £80.00
  • Women's: was £120, now £80.00

Best US Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cyber Monday deals

Best UK Wiggle and Chain Reaction Black Friday deals

More Cyber Monday bike deals

• Best Cyber Monday bike deals 2021
• Best Cyber Monday Castelli deals
• Best Cyber Monday Rapha deals
• Best Cyber Monday turbo trainer deals
• Best Cyber Monday Jenson USA deals
• Best Cyber Monday Amazon deals
• Best Black Friday Sigma Sports deals
• Best Cyber Monday kids and balance bike deals
• Best Cyber Monday Garmin Deals
• Best Cyber Monday Competitive Cyclist deals
• Best Cyber Monday REI deals
• Best Cyber Monday cycling shoe deals
• Best Cyber Monday e-bike deals
• Best Black Friday Halfords deals
• Best Cyber Monday power meter deals
• Best Cyber Monday lights deals

What is Cyber Monday?

For consumers and retailers in the UK, Black Friday is a recent phenomenon, and Cyber Monday hasn't really landed yet, but it has been going strong the United States for a reasonably long time.

While Black Friday is the first Friday after Thanksgiving (which in 2021 is November 26), Cyber Monday is the first Mondy. It's traditionally seen as the start of the Christmas shopping season, with high street retailers opening their doors at the crack of dawn and offering big discounts for shoppers who have set their alarm clocks.

The big event goes on for nearly a month, and Cyber Monday is the crescendo, with final big money off deals and last chance to buy offers landing all the time.  

Outside riding can seem pretty unappealing in the winter months, especially if your restricted to only riding after work in the dark, or the snow and ice had plagued your weekends. Training at home is a great way to get the miles and structured riding whatever the weather. 

Even if you still have tolerable riding conditions, as soon as the first consecutive freezing days arrive, there will be a rush on turbo trainers, leaving you empty handed. The deals available mean, not only is there stick to building your perfect cheap Zwift set up but also you save a lot of money in the process. 

For more information on the best turbo trainers, you can find our full guide and reviews over there. 

Turbo trainer deals quick links

USA quick links

• Wiggle save up to 45% on turbo trainers
• ProBikeKit save up to $300 on Elite turbo trainers
• Amazon shop turbo trainer deals on Amazon
• Tacx NEO 2T Smart Trainer: $1,400.00 $1,199.99 at REI Save $200.01
• Saris H3 Smart Trainer: $1025.49 $833.99 at ProBikeKit Save $191.50
• Tacx FLUX 2 Smart Trainer: $900.00 $799.99 at REI Save $200.01
• LifeLine TT-01 Turbo Trainer: $147.99 $79.99 at Wiggle Save $68

UK quick links

• Wiggle save up to 50% on turbo trainers
• Tredz save up to £400 Tacx trainers
• Amazon shop turbo trainer deals on Amazon
• Saris H3 Smart Trainer: £750.00 £640 at ProBikeKit Save £110.00
• Tacx FLUX 2 Smart Trainer: £699.99 £549.99 at Wiggle Save £150.00
• LifeLine TT-01 Turbo Trainer: £99.99 £49.99 at Wiggle Save £50 
• Tacx Boost Trainer: £249.99 £179.99 at Amazon

Turbo trainer deals USA

High-end turbo trainers

Mid range turbo trainers

Entry level turbo trainers

Cyber Monday turbo trainer deals UK

High-end turbo trainers 

Mid-range turbo trainers

Entry level turbo trainers

• Best Cyber Monday bike deals 2021
• Best Cyber Monday Castelli deals
• Best Cyber Monday Rapha deals
• Best Cyber Monday Jenson USA deals
• Best Cyber Monday Amazon deals
• Best Black Friday Sigma Sports deals
• Best Cyber Monday kids and balance bike deals
• Best Cyber Monday Wiggle and Chain Reaction deals
• Best Cyber Monday Garmin Deals
• Best Cyber Monday Competitive Cyclist deals
• Best Cyber Monday REI deals
• Best Cyber Monday cycling shoe deals
• Best Cyber Monday e-bike deals
• Best Cyber Monday Halfords deals
• Best Cyber Monday power meter deals
• Best Cyber Monday lights deals

That's all for now, keep checking back for more deals

In many ways, e-racing has been our saviour during the pandemic. Having a competitive outlet to replace all the cancelled outdoor events has kept us sane, fit and distracted from lockdown monotony. 

But anyone who’s developed an e-racing habit will attest that it comes with a certain level of doubt and distrust: are the avatars ahead of mine really putting out more power and deserving their place ahead of me in the results? 

>>>> Subscribe to Cycling Weekly magazine and save up to 59%

We decided to conduct a survey to find out how CW readers feel about the state of fair play in the virtual realm. Of the more than 800 who responded, 96 per cent said they doubted e-racing was a level playing field.

This was deemed to be no big deal by the 45 per cent who race indoors purely as a fun way to test themselves, but for those more serious about e-racing who want to rate themselves against others, fairness matters. It was time to find out why e-racing is so plagued with dubious performances, and whether anything can be done to make the results as realistic as the virtual parcours.

Is your trainer telling the truth? 

The chief limitation on e-racing fairness is the accuracy of equipment being used –  currently a very mixed bag. In community racing, Zwift – understandably wanting to keep the platform as accessible as possible – allows riders to compete using anything from the most advanced smart-trainer to a basic wheel-on ‘dumb’ trainer combined with a speed sensor.

In the latter case, Zwift estimates power based on wheel speed – a method with a relatively low degree of accuracy. Using a power meter provides greater accuracy, but even then, there are discrepancies between different types and brands, as we will see. The greatest assurance of accuracy comes from using a direct-drive smart-trainer or smart-bike.

In our survey, 61 per cent said they use this type of equipment for their e-racing. Less than five per cent said they relied on a speed sensor and estimated power. No surprise, then, that three-quarters of those surveyed told us they believe their e-racing power is accurate – they’ve invested in serious equipment and are doing their best to play fair. But what about the far wider pool of riders we’re going up against

This isn’t primarily a question of deliberate cheating. Most instances of inaccurate power measurement in e-racing are inadvertent, resulting from faulty or uncalibrated equipment. Even among the most sophisticated smart-trainers and power meters, accuracy (or ‘trueness’) varies from one device to the next. 

Beat Mueller from the Swiss Federal Office for Sport disclosed to me that he and his team had recently tested 350 power meters from 14 different companies as they sought to establish a level playing field for the Swiss E-racing National Championships. He agreed to share the results with me, albeit in anonymised form. They reveal a scattergun distribution of power readings, with wide divergence from the true figure across almost all the brands – typically by two or three per cent, but by as much as 10 per cent in the worst cases. Such was the inconsistency that the Swiss opted for outdoor testing via an ‘Engine Check’ analysis app for their e-racing qualification. 

Keen to better understand the apparently haphazard accuracy of trainers and power meters, I’m turning to track ace and self-confessed power geek Dan Bigham. “First, it’s worth explaining exactly what power is, so as to understand what all these different units are trying to achieve,” says Bigham. “This can be broken down into two components, torque and speed. Speed is easy to measure and so is not the problem. The big problem comes from torque measurement, which every power meter on the market is trying to do – but in multiple different ways.” The different forms, Bigham explains, are strain gauges, piezoelectric, transducers and, in smart-trainers, electric motors.

“Each method has various issues, with various ways of controlling or correcting them. Some manufacturers do really well and calibrate well at the factory, others don’t.” And even a power meter that is accurate when fresh from the factory may not stay that way. “How well the end user treats it, how well they fit it, whether they calibrate or zero-offset it, whether they use it in changing temperatures – all these factors create loads of issues.”

Bigham explains that just a few degrees of temperature change is enough to throw out your power measurement, and he clarifies that calibration is not the same as zero offset, even though the terms are often (wrongly) used interchangeably. If using a power meter, it should be zero offset before every ride; this is basically a reset, similar to zeroing a scale. Calibration (or ‘slope’) involves hanging a known weight off the crank – but not all power meters allow this procedure.

Speaking of cranks, some power meters measure from just one side, presenting further accuracy issues. “Let’s say you’re using a single-sided power meter that over-reads by five per cent,” says Bigham, “and, added to that, you push harder with that leg because you have a 55/45 imbalance. Suddenly, you’re doubling down and now you’re dealing with a huge error source.”

What about the different ways in which power meters produce resistance, is that another area of significant divergence and potential unfairness? “Yes, and it’s something nobody really reports on,” says Bigham. “What you’re talking about here is torque distribution or inertia.” He explains that, in the real world, if you’re riding uphill at a slow pace, there is little kinetic energy “stored in the system” meaning that if you stop pedalling, you stop moving almost immediately, whereas if you’re pelting along on the flat you’re carrying lots of forward momentum (inertia) and you can coast along for a very long way. According to Bigham, it matters a great deal how a trainer replicates these pedalling dynamics because it massively alters the demands on the rider’s muscles. “No power measurement system makers talk about inertia and torque distribution, but there is a huge difference across the market.”

In just a few minutes talking to Bigham, I’m overwhelmed by the almost countless variables, each power meter and smart-trainer measuring in a different way, each with its own fallibility. And that’s before you consider the susceptibility to manipulation (see rider comments opposite). In an ideal world, all these variables and hacks would be continually checked and controlled, with continuous calibration. But like most ideals, this one ain’t gonna happen any time soon!

Most power meters and smart-trainers seem to be marketed with a claimed accuracy figure, typically +/- one per cent – doesn’t this offer some solid reassurance? Not according to Bigham, who believes this figure is vague and largely unhelpful. “It’s something that annoys me,” he says. “They should be reporting precision and accuracy in all the different torque ranges, cadence ranges, temperature ranges, etc. But none of them are doing that.”

Fliers and sand-baggers

It doesn’t matter how accurate your own set-up is if others in the race are failing, deliberately or accidentally, to play by the rules. Even if these riders don’t cheat you out of your rightful position, they may interfere with the racing and alter the dynamics. As a case in point, in the second race of the CW Winter Lockdown RR Series, a C-category rider on faulty equipment rode off the front, averaging over 500 watts while seriously interfering with how the race played out behind him. Such riders are branded ‘fliers’.

Another problem is riders entering the wrong category, either by mistake or deliberately because they want an easier race – these are known as sandbaggers. Thankfully ZwiftPower does a good job of filtering out riders who have raced under the wrong category or exceeded power limits for their category. Any serious Zwifter knows to pay attention only to post-filtered results on ZwiftPower. Even so, the system of categorisation is something of a blunt instrument and can itself seem unfair. For example, a low-end A rider who enters a hard, high-calibre A race may stand no chance of even holding a wheel, yet is effectively barred from dropping down a level. 

How can Zwift address these issues to help everyone compete at the level that’s right for them? “Machine learning is something we have been looking at,” says Zwift marketing manager Chris Snook. “This would help us, from community racing all the way up to the pro level, allowing us to build up a digital passport on riders.” The company is also working to overhaul ZwiftPower, which started life as a third-party community site, to improve its integration with the platform, but it’s a big job that will take some time to complete.

Weight and height doping

In virtual racing just as in real life, rider weight is a key determinant of performance – even more so on Zwift, in fact, because height and weight determine your simulated aerodynamic drag as well as the virtual gravitational effect. Unlike in real life, your e-racing weight and height are whatever figure you punch into Zwift. Fair play relies on rider honesty.

In our survey, 84 per cent told us their e-racing weight is accurate to within 1kg, while 15 per cent confessed to a degree of uncertainty or mild massaging of the figures. Of course, the accuracy of your bathroom scales plays a role here too. Personally I try to keep my weight accurate on Zwift, but I don’t step on the scales more than once every couple of months – not least because I’m aware that obsessive weight-checking is an unhealthy habit. Compelling riders to focus on their weight more than they ordinarily would is not without risks. For the same reason, I’m uncomfortable with the very skinny avatar physique I’ve noticed on Zwift. “Avatars are currently limited to three different shapes – small, medium and large,” says Zwift’s Chris Snook. “Those are based on BMI... Ultimately we want to increase the level of avatar customisation, to allow riders to tweak their avatar to look more like [their actual body shape].”

The extent to which ‘weight doping’ matters depends on your point of view. In community racing, which is meant to be ‘just for fun’, those who lie about their weight are only really cheating themselves. At higher levels of e-racing, weight verification is required.

Performance verification at the top level

While the “it doesn’t matter, it’s just for fun” attitude may cut a certain amount of mustard in community racing, at the top end of the sport, e-racing is becoming serious, with highly competitive leagues, invitation-only events and swelling prize pots. At the top level, data accuracy certainly does matter – and the growth of e-racing as a serious discipline depends on adequate performance verification and transparency.

All riders in the Zwift Racing League Premier Division have to be approved by Zwift Accuracy and Data Analysis (ZADA) – effectively, Zwift’s in-house anti-doping body. Approval means submitting pre-race data: riders must film themselves completing the ‘Three Sisters’ course on Zwift, including four ‘best effort’ tests. This gives ZADA benchmarks by which to assess the legitimacy of future performances. In addition, riders must submit a weight verification video, first showing that their scales are working accurately, within 24 hours before each race. Height must be verified in a similar way.

In all races subject to ZADA rules, riders must also dual-record their performance, i.e. record with two power sources, the primary smart-trainer as well as a power meter. If there is deemed too big a difference between the two power traces submitted, a rider may be disqualified. In Premier League races, ZADA claims to conduct a detailed check of the performance data of the top three finishers and two randomly selected riders. Even with all these controls in place, there is no guarantee that every competitor’s power is spot-on accurate.

“There will never be a level playing field,” says Rhys Howell, manager of e-racing team Canyon ZCC, “until there’s standardisation as to how watts are measured and/or everyone’s using the same equipment. All the other measures aimed at achieving fairness are basically Polyfilla.” Short of having all the riders in one place on the same, verified equipment – arena-based contests may be the solution for top-level e-racing post-coronavirus – what would standardisation look like? “Zwift would need to reduce the amount of equipment that is allowed,” says Howell, “but that would require a lot of testing.”

On the subject of testing, there is nothing to prevent competitors and teams from doing their own experimentation to ascertain which combination or primary and secondary power source produces the highest power figures while being consistent enough to satisfy dual-recording rules. Howell is phlegmatic about such practices. “I see it as legitimate hacking,” he says. “You’re taking the rules right up to the limit, it’s very Team Ineos.”

At the top level of e-racing, competitors have to upload the data from their secondary power source after each race so that Zwift can, if necessary, check that it corroborates the data from the primary power source. There are currently four riders serving suspensions for Zwift racing infringements. All of them have been deemed guilty of the same category of offence, namely “fabrication or modification of data”.

The implication is that these riders deliberately edited files in order to ensure that the power from the secondary source was sufficiently close to the primary recording. All of the riders have protested their innocence. Without going into the minute details, these cases raise several head-scratcher questions; not least, why would a rider try to cheat in such a clumsy and blatant way? It’s at least theoretically possible that a rider could alter a file by mistake, or do so carelessly, not intending to cheat, and end up sanctioned. While it’s good to see ZADA taking a zero-tolerance approach, the technical complexity of dual-recording carries a risk of wrongful bans.

E-quipment inequality 

Just like in the real world, there is a huge range of virtual bikes, wheels and kit available on Zwift, each with different performance characteristics – available to those who can afford it in virtual credit. Zwift is meritocratic in the sense that experience (XP) points and drops (Zwift’s virtual currency), with which to access better tech, are earned through distance ridden and calories burned – Zwift rewards time on the platform. According to zwiftinsider.com, the fastest road bike/wheelset combo on Zwift is about a minute faster over a flat 40km flat course compared to the entry-level (free) kit – a meaningful but not unrealistic advantage. Whether or not you approve of ‘material’ advantages extending into the virtual world probably depends on your point of view.

More straightforwardly unfair is riders accessing the best kit through foul means rather than earning the right to it – such as when, in 2019, Cameron Jeffers tricked the platform into granting him the Tron bike, which he then used to win the inaugural British eRacing Championships, before getting caught and banned. This type of ‘kit doping’ skulduggery is going to be difficult for Zwift to completely eradicate but it’s probably not a major concern, in the scheme of things, for most of us.

So what's the state of play? 

As we have seen, e-racing has a long way to go before the virtual playing field is anything like level. While Zwift is making progress at the top level of racing, the verification processes used require riders and teams to invest significant amounts of time and money, and it would be unrealistic to expect these controls to drip down to grassroots ‘community’ e-racing. So, we’re going to have to continue to take certain performances with a pinch of salt, accept a margin of error and trust our rivals for the foreseeable future – until someone invents an unfailingly accurate, tamper-proof smart-trainer that doubles as an incorruptible set of scales... and that’s a big ask.

‘Power manipulation is rife’: Elite Zwift racer speaks out

A top-level US e-racer contacted CW via our survey to express his concern that some riders are exploiting tech weaknesses to make dubious gains. He offered the following list of potential illicit gains:

Sticky watts: “This is a communication glitch between power source and Zwift, where power gets ‘stuck’ at an artificially high level for a few seconds at a time. My concern is that some riders are exploiting this glitch to their advantage. A direct wired connection from trainer to computer would probably solve this problem.”

Trainer miscalibration: “Many flywheel trainers can be manipulated to give an extra 20-50 watts, which can’t be detected without taking a deep dive into the FIT files. I believe this is a very common hack. In my view, Zwift needs to insist on continuous calibration (as available in the Wahoo Kickr V5).”

Crank length adjustment: “If a rider sets a (dishonest) longer crank length for their secondary power source, they can increase the reported wattage. It’s a cheat that shows up in the FIT file, so could be detected.”

Adjusting the slope: “Misadjusting the slope of the secondary source (power meter) can give a steeper power curve, conferring greater advantage as the watts increase. Again, continuous calibration would rule this out.”

This feature was originally published in the 25 March 2021 print edition of Cycling Weekly magazine. Subscribe online and get the magazine delivered to your door every week.  

Join other CW5000 riders and CW editor Simon Richardson for a lunchtime ride around one of the Zwift worlds on the last Friday of each month.

With so many CW5000'ers logging miles on Zwift we've decided to start a monthly event. The private rides will take place on the last Friday of every month. We'll change the world in which we ride each month, but always keep to relatively flat routes, and a pace of around 2.5 w/kg.

Where possible we'll tie the rides in to a monthly challenge, but in the main it's a chance to ride with others from the group, catch up on each others progress toward the total mileage and see how people are getting on with the monthly challenges. You'll be allowed to join late, and of course you can leave the ride any time you need to.

Next CW5000 group ride

>>>> SIGN UP TO THE MAY RIDE HERE
What: CW5000 May ride-out
When: Friday, May 28. 12.30pm (UK time)
Where: Zwift, France 
Route: Douce France
Leader: Simon Richardson
Time: 1.30hr
Pace: 2.5 w/kg

About the CW5000 May route

The May ride will be in France, on the Douce France route, and anti-clockwise ride around the upper section of Zwift's France map. The 0.4km Aqueduc KOM is the only climb of note on the predominantly flat route. There are three sprints in Douce France, the Ballon, Pavé and Marina sprints, spread out across the 24.1km route. Over that distance there is just 108m of elevation

>>> Sign up to the CW5000 and get inspired to ride throughout 2021

Future CW5000 monthly group rides 

Click the links to sign up to the rides

May 28: France, Douce France
June 25: London, Greater London flats
July 30: Watopia, Beach Island loop
August 27: Yorkshire, Harrogate circuit reverse
September 24: France, Casse-Pattes
October 29: Japan, Three village loop
November 26: London, Greater London loop
December 31: Watopia, Tour of Fire and Ice

Although these are private CW5000 events (it won't appear on the Zwift companion app) you are welcome to invite any friends along to join the ride. If you don't currently have a Zwift account check their website as they often offer a 14-day free trial. This is what equipment you'll need to get set up.

We’re well into spring and we hope your fitness is now in a good place, your mileage on track and you're in place to try something a little harder. 

Your two challenges this month both have a different focus. One a distance challenge, the other testing your climbing ability and seeing if you can improve it within a month.

>>>> Sign up to the CW5000 challenge and get inspired to ride

Completing the climbing challenge might not directly result in big mileage, but by improving your climbing you’ll be improving your top end fitness, meaning you’ll be in better shape to tackle your usual routes. 

Remember to let us know when you’ve completed either or both of the challenges. We’d love to hear about the hill you choose for challenge number one, and how you went about taking on the challenge. 

Send details cycling@futurenet.com so we can include your story in our monthly round up. Best of luck!

1. Improve your time on a local climb

Taking the emphasis off miles, we want you to work on your hill climbing. This will naturally improve your fitness. Or, coming at it from another angle, if your fitness is improving you should be able to improve your climbing. Pick a climb you know well and ride up it as hard as you can. Time yourself by lapping your gps head unit or create a segment on Strava and let it capture your time.

Then, later in the month do the same again and try to improve your time. If you want to do some specific training for this simply train yourself over the time it takes you to do the climb. If it’s a three minute climb, work on that length of effort in your training. No matter how long the climb try not to go too hard too soon. The best way to set a pb is to maintain a constant power all the way up. Although this isn’t easy to do. You can ride the climb as many times as you want in order to improve your time.

2. Ride 150 miles in a week

This is a big week of riding, but with more daylight hours and warmer weather it should be achievable for most people, especially if you can get in one big ride in over a weekend. We’ll accept the distance being covered over a consecutive seven day period, it doesn’t have to be Monday to Sunday. Virtual miles can be counted towards this challenge.

Although Catherine only signed up to the CW5000 challenge after she'd seen others reach the 5,000 mile target, she was actually the first to complete it in 2021. Here's how she did it.

If you’ve ever spent any time on Zwift Power - the site that lists all event results from the virtual platform - you might have come across the distance table at the bottom of the main events page. 

The table lists 50 riders and their kilometres ridden on Zwift. At the top is Australia’s Tim Searle who has now ridden an incredible 208,166km on the platform. Scroll down just few places and you’ll come across Cat Allen, the first Brit (one of only two in the top 50) with 120,926km against her name. 

>>> Sign up to the CW5000 and be inspired to ride further than before

Allen rides for the Race3R team and signed up to the CW5000 after seeing her teammate Ross Duncan become the first rider to hit 5,000 miles on March 14. Allen however had already hit 5,000 miles, on March 9. Meaning of all the people signed up to the challenge she was the first to cover the distance. 

Like Duncan, and the other two early finishers Baz Morris and Giles Cudmore, Allen largely relies on Zwift to get her riding in. No surprise considering her place in the mileage table. “Monday to Thursday I’m up at 4:15am and on Zwift around 4:30. Every day my alarm goes off and it doesn’t cross my mind not to get up. I try and do 100km a day. It’s pretty much all done indoors. The only time I get to go out is in my lunch break.”

Allen was a runner - she still runs occasionally - with a 3:26 hour marathon to her name, but a bout of severe tendonitis a fews years back meant she had to get her exercise fix elsewhere. “I want to exercise, I always have. 20 years ago it was all about aesthetics, over time it’s become a mental strategy to cope with a tough job.” She explained.

>>> From Anchorage to Miami - 5,000 virtual miles across America

Her running started when she emigrated to Australia in 2000 and discovered an outdoor lifestyle. “I’d always disliked myself physically.” She admits. “Exercise has made me love myself way more than anything else could. When I discovered running I gave up smoking and lost a bit of weight.” But the weight loss continued and when she hit 46kg she realised she wasn’t very well. “I was on a path to an eating disorder.” She says.

Having spotted the danger she stopped dieting. “I’d tried every diet in the world, and the only thing that works is not dieting. I’d get to a stage where I’d be utterly starving and all it would take is one weak moment, or one glass of wine and that's it. It’s done. I’d eat everything in the house and put all the weight back on.” Now at a healthy weight she steps on the scales once every few weeks and finds her weight is fairly consistent. 

Part of the beauty of indoor riding is that Allen finds she can do as much as she wants and doesn’t get broken. “I’ve not had any injuries” she says. 

She’s part of the Race3R team, started by a group of friends in Yorkshire it’s now one of the biggest on Zwift with several hundred members from all over the world. “I can’t do evening racing. I finish work at six o’clock and at five past I’m a chef.” 

“But the club is amazing actually. It’s got strict rules about being in it. You have to have a smart turbo and if you want to be in the eRacing team that does the premier races you have to have one of our listed turbos and dual record.” 

“Even though I can’t do evening racing I’m part of the admin team and I’m a group ride leader." Each week Catherine leads a ride for her teammates, issuing instructions via a steam deck that, once programmed, allows you the user to hit a button and send messages to the group.

This makes it easier to talk to the group than trying to type messages out on a computer or phone. Especially when the paces goes up. It's all very organised, and is now filtering out to the real world with IRL meet-ups being arranged. Look out for their jerseys in local races this year.

So how many miles could she reach by the end of 2021? “I’ll try and beat last year's distance, 42,000 kilomtes and to keep my ftp where it is, around 4.2 - 4.3 w/kg which is about 220 watts.

In a sport hung up on rules and details, it’s easy to feel you’re falling short of the mark and failing to fit in. Dr Josephine Perry goes to work on imposter syndrome

We tend to think of cycling as brilliantly accessible. It takes us on adventures, provides the backbone of our social life and, if you commute by bike, saves thousands on motoring expenses. But cycling is not always as accessible as we like to think, and newcomers often feel shut out.

From the obscure ‘rules’ that we only know exist when we’re mocked for having broken them, to the ‘secret squirrel’ developments in technology, to the multitude of acronyms and arcane language combining French, Italian and English words referencing a history that it takes years to learn. Hardly surprisingly, then, that cycling can be rather intimidating – and none of us is immune from occasionally feeling like an outsider. 

>>> Subscribe to Cycling Weekly magazine for more great features designed to help your riding

This has an impact, often a very painful one, which as a sports psychologist I encounter regularly in the people who call me for support. Typically they tell me they love cycling and believe they are competent riders, but then add the caveat: “But I’m not a real cyclist”. This inability to regard oneself as a ‘real cyclist’ – despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary – is the result of imposter syndrome.

By any objective measure, you’re a successful rider and part of the cycling community, but self-doubt persists and you constantly feel as though you’re about to be exposed as a fraud. If you feel this way, you are not alone – a meta-analysis involving 14,000 participants found as many as 82 per cent of cyclists have experienced these feelings.

“Imposter Syndrome can mean a rider underperforms and takes the safer option,” says Gary McKeegan, a physiologist and coach based in Northern Ireland. “They may avoid certain events or scenarios that they feel have the potential to expose them as imposters.” No one wins races sitting safely in the peloton – great riders need to be able to take risks.

These riders also tend to attribute success to luck, and assume compliments they’re paid are mere politeness, while their achievements are chalked up as flukes. They feel constantly intimidated and insecure, in a permanent state of threat – and with such negative thoughts occupying their headspace, their riding is compromised and they’re liable to become mentally exhausted. 

Where does this imposter syndrome come from and how can we get a better handle on it? In this feature, I will examine four key causes and identify some tried and tested ways to boost cycling confidence so you can fully own your place in the sport.

Read the full feature in the April 29 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine, on sale in shops now and available to buy online. If you want great fitness features each week to help you improve your riding, why not take out a subscription? You'll save on the cover price and have the magazine delivered direct to your door each week.

The Mach Loop in north Wales is used to hosting the top pilots of the RAF on low flying training, Vern Pitt find out how it fares on two wheels.

As my back wheel skitters across the tarmac on some gravel following some over enthusiastic braking I think to myself, “There aren’t many ways in which I’m like Tom Cruise, but we do both do all our own stunts.”

The diminutive Hollywood star is front and centre of Cycling Weekly’s mind because we’ve come to this western part of Snowdonia in search of a little Maverick inspiration. The release of a long-awaited sequel to the 80s classic movie Top Gun is due in cinemas in just a few months, and while we can’t get in on the fighter jet action ourselves we thought we might come as close as possible on a bike, here in Wales.

>>> Subscribe to Cycling Weekly magazine to get more great ride features

The roads we’re riding sit at the bottom of three valleys that form the Mach Loop, it’s one of only a few places in the world that you can see planes from above while still having your feet firmly on the ground (the other is Star Wars canyon in the California but sadly CW’s production budget vetoed that). The RAF use this area for low-level flight training and fighter jets and other aircraft can regularly be seen carving through the valleys here.

Feeling the need for speed, we thought we’d see if the roads held the same appeal.

It’s with that in mind that I roll out of Machynlleth on a misty morning and head straight into the lanes. Riding north up the valley the road slowly climbs a bit so I’m looking down on the mist as it clings to the River Dyfi. The gentle undulations are the perfect way to warm up the jets. 

>>> If you're into riding big miles why not sign up to the CW5000 and join a community of like minded people

As I gently climb we come to the turning into the forest. The trees engulf me and it’s here I start to gain a little altitude. Gently at first before it dips down again bringing me to the bottom of the climb proper, the fearsome Cwmllecoediog. The road pulls up at what feels like  vertical straight from the off there’s no finding your rhythm on a climb like this it’s mostly trying not to blow to bits keeping yourself just on the edge of the danger zone until you know it’s safe to dive in.

If you want to read the rest of this feature you can purchase the April 29 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine. It's available in the shops or online. To get the magazine delivered to your home each week you can take out a subscription and save on the cover price. 

Our CW5000 blogger Peter White reacquaints himself with the art of road-side puncture repairs.

When I raced as a Junior I remember going through a phase of having a run of punctures, race after race. I was riding on tubular tyres so I got quite good at using a needle and thread with all the repairs I was having to do. I don’t ever recall having a  puncture on a training ride, just whilst racing. 

I had my first ‘on the road’ puncture recently due to hitting a large pothole. Whilst changing the inner tube on a grass verge in rush hour on a busy road just outside Brighton, I managed to cut my knuckles somehow and had blood literally pouring from my hand.

>>>> Peter is raising money for ARUK as he rides the CW5000 - you can donate here

I inflated the tyre and then thought I could see something still stuck in the tread. I had run my fingers around the inside to check but guessed I had missed something. So the tyre came off again for another check but nothing was there.

It was just caused by the damage from the impact of hitting the pothole. After putting the tyre back on I realised I had no way of inflating it as I had used the CO2 canister. Luckily I was sat opposite a Halfords so I wheeled my bike into the store with blood still dripping from my hand, to ask to borrow a pump.

They couldn’t have been more helpful and thought I had been in an accident. They took me out the back of the store to the staff rest room, let me clean myself up and handed me a first aid box to dress my wounds. 

I don’t recall the roads being in such bad shape when I used to ride in the 80’s. I am constantly looking 20 feet in front of me when riding, looking out for any holes. It puts me off going out at certain times of the day as having to swerve a hole in the road at the last minute it can be really hazardous when the roads are busy.

I know where most of the bad ones are now on my regular routes but still have to be on my toes. We even managed to write off our car a couple of years ago after hitting a pothole at 30mph. I sometimes shudder to think what could happen If I hit one of these holes at speed on my bike. 

>>>> Sign up to the CW5000 and see how many miles you can ride

Aside from the threat from potholes, the past few weeks of riding has been great with the change in the weather. The extra hours of daylight now the clocks have changed means I can get extra miles in at the end of the day. Being self-employed and running my own business means I’ve had to work pretty much all through the lockdowns so I’ve not had the luxury to ride whenever I  wanted.

I had my best week recently, clocking up just over 200 miles and completing this month's challenge. I should reach 2000 miles for the year by the end of the month. 

I can really start to feel the difference in my fitness levels now, and think I will be competing in my first time trial in 35 years at the beginning of May. The last time I remember recording for a 10 mile time trial was 23 minutes. I’ll be happy with 28 or less right now as I’m turning 52 years old this weekend.

No other cycling family has a trophy cabinet so chock-full of precious metal. But how much of the James sisters’ prolific winning is down to gold-plated genes, asks Chris Marshall-Bell

How similar are you to your brother or sister? If you’re lucky enough to have siblings, it’s a question you’ve probably been asked countless times. While it’s not uncommon for siblings to share certain sporting traits or for a younger sibling to follow in their old brother or sister’s footsteps, it is extraordinary for five siblings to all become high-achievers in the same sport. But that’s precisely the story of the James family.

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Hailing from the Monmouthshire town of Abergavenny in Wales, the James household counts 69 national medals across three disciplines of cycling between four sisters, Rachel, Becky, Ffion and Megan.

Twenty-nine-year-old Becky, the quiet and reserved sister, won two Olympic silver medals at Rio 2016, four years after she won national team sprint gold with Rachel – the energetic eldest, now 32. Rachel went on to win two golds piloting Sophie Thornhill at the 2014 Para-cycling Track World Championships.

Equally energetic Ffion, 23, fits in her training around studying natural sciences at Cambridge University. The only sister still competing today, Ffion won the cyclocross National Trophy series in 2019.

The fearless and happy-go-lucky Megan, who quit cycling in 2017 aged 17 and is now studying geography at King’s College London, won two rounds of the 2017 junior mountain bike downhill World Cup. There is a fifth sister, Bethan, aged 24, who has been severely disabled since birth and requires round-the-clock care. 

The James sisters’ mother Christine is a committed and strong local racer for Abergavenny RC and a former Welsh veteran cyclocross champion. Their father Dai is a former rugby player, while their brother Gareth, 31, raced the Youth Tour of Assen for Wales. 

We sat down (virtually) with Rachel, Becky, Ffion and Megan for the third instalment of CW’s ‘In the Genes’ series, to explore together how much of their shared talent for cycling is down to their genetic inheritance and the extent to which they’ve been shaped by their shared environment.

You can read the rest of this fitness feature in the April 22 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine, on sale now. If you're not going to the shops you can order individual issues of CW online. If you want to make the most of our weekly fitness content then you can subscribe and get the magazine delivered to your door and save on the cover price.

Having made a name for himself on the track and in the UK time trialling scene John Archibald signed for Alberto Contador’s ProTeam Eolo-Kometa for 2021. He tells Vern Pitt about the suffering and lessons of his first few months in the pro ranks.

Through the rain you could still make out the imposing yellow and black gilet on the back of Wout Van Aert in full flight. The Belgian was straining every sinew, pushing the limits of traction on the treacherously slippery Italian roads to hunt down his nemesis Mathieu Van Der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) and Tour de France Champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE-Emirates). The TV camera moto sticks resolutely close to him, they know you’ll want to see this.

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But further back down the road the chase is not for glory, it’s just to stay in the race. And it’s no less urgent. An crucially no less painful. “You just thought how long can this go on?” marvels John Archibald, new signing for UCI ProTeam Eolo-Komete riding his first WorldTour race at Tirreno Adriatico.

“You’d there must be other people feeling like I did but that just didn't seem to be the case. Van Aert spent three laps chasing down [Tadej] Pogacar and Van der Poel off the front, after four days of racing, and you're just looking and going, where's he finding that from? I'm doing the same thing chasing the grupetto.”

The Scotsman, a champion time trialist on these shores and holder of one of the ten best individual pursuit times ever ridden, admits that that week in Italy was “a shock to the system”.

Archibald signed for Alberto Contador’s Eolo-Kometa team over the winter. Helped into the English-speaking set-up by Sean Yates who was well aware of the then Ribble-Weldtite rider’s prestigious skills against the watch. The learning curve he’s been on in his first few races has been steep, partly a product of a distinct lack of bunch racing at domestic level in 2020.

When Archibald eventually pulled on the team’s sky blue kit in anger at the ProTour ranked Clasica de Almeria he’d not been in a bunch race for nearly two years. It’s fair to say he’d had better days.

You can read the full interview with John Archibald in the April 22 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine, on sale in shops and online. If you want your weekly cycling fix delivered to your door and save on the cover price, why not take out a subscription? 

Despite two years passing since the last running of Amstel Gold Race, the day is easy to remember. Yes, there was Mathieu van der Poel’s breathless, draw dropping victory, but a couple of hours earlier Kasia Niewiadoma had set the Cauberg alight with a stunning, tense win.

Having tested the water the previous lap, Niewiadoma dropped Marianne Vos the last time up the Dutch race’s signature climb, before the most nail-biting final kilometre.  Behind the Canyon-SRAM rider Annemiek van Vleuten was closing in, metre by agonising metre with each revolution of a massive gear.

But Niewiadoma gritted her teeth. With 25m to go, she looked around for the first time, raised her arms, and won by the slimmest of margins and with the biggest of smiles.

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That finish was a physical manifestation of how she describes her attitude to racing to Cycling Weekly. “There’s no mercy, there’s no giving anything away or trying to be polite, it’s about achieving something you really want,” she says.

The Polish rider has good memories from the hills of Limburg. She finished 11th on the same finish during the final stage of the 2013 Boels Ladies Tour, where she was 10th on GC and best young rider. At 18 years old riding as a trainee for Rabobank-Liv Giant, she placed in the top 25 in each of the six stages, ahead of many more experienced competitors.

“You could see she had some good qualities but needed to work on her skills on the bike,” says then team manager Koos Moerenhout, who worked with Niewiadoma until the end of 2016. “She was a very good addition to the team, she was enthusiastic, willing to learn, and on the climbs you could tell she had something exceptional.

“She was a bit like an iron lady, if you told her to run through a concrete wall she would do it, she would never give in. That was her strength.”

Katarzyna Niewiadoma grew up in a small village near Limanowa in the mountains of southern Poland, half way between Kraków and the Slovak border.

“As a young person you always want to go exploring the world and meeting people whose world is completely different to yours,” she tells us. Though she wanted to ride with her dad and older brother, as a child she has no clue cycling would allow her to explore the world. However, when she and her dad finally convinced her mother the sport was safe there was no going back.

Read the full interview with Kasia Niewiadoma in the April 22 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine. On sale in the shops and online if you're staying in. If you want to read pro interview, race previews, fitness features and product reviews each week you can subscribe to the magazine and save on the cover price.

After a steady march over the last five years British climber Hugh Carthy reached his first Grand Tour podium at the Vuelta a España. Vern Pitt finds out how the 26-year-old got there, conquered the fearsome Alto de l’Angliru and why thin bar tape is a must.

Hugh Carthy is giving a sermon on pastry. “Sometimes people try and compensate for the filling of a pie by just putting more pastry in. It’s like a Yorkshire pudding on a Sunday dinner they’re putting in pastry to make up for what they lack in everything else,” he tells CW. Having previously heard Carthy wax lyrical about butter pies, the potato and pastry delicacy of his home town Preston, we’ve idly asked him if he has a strong view on whether a pie needs to be contained within pastry or if a puff top on a hotpot-style filling will do?

It is self-evidently a daft question but Carthy is giving it some serious thought, “Just a pie with the topping is good enough for me,” he says. Then a pause. “With a Pork pie though having the pastry underneath is helpful so you can pick it up with your hands. But I wouldn’t get my knickers in a twist about it.” 

It’s highly entertaining watching the gears of his brain tick over this topic, as they will do on many other things in the course of our conversation, working out in real time where he stands on this crucial baked-good conundrum, tongue firmly in his cheek at all times.

Eventually CW interjects: “I do probably need to ask you some questions about cycling, Hugh.” 

“I think I’d rather to talk about pies to be honest,” he deadpans.

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We’d not quite been primed to expect this from the 26-year-old Vuelta podium finisher.  Carthy has a reputation as a tough person to get talking. Witness one of his post stage TV interviews and you’ll see a young man who appears completely disinterested in the process. Carthy’s former team boss at JLT Condor, John Herety, warmly describes his curt on-camera grunts as “like a teenager”.

But none of that is apparent on Zoom on a weekday afternoon in February as Carthy speaks from his Andorra apartment. Perhaps being away from the pressure cooker of the race makes the difference. Or perhaps it’s simply not being confronted with the necessary (for the press) but tedious (for the riders) requests to recount the events of the last 45 minutes to someone you know has just watched them on TV while you’re still catching your breath.

Instead he’s considered, insightful and grounded. But above all there’s an arid sense of humour never far away. It’s that which led teammate Tejay Van Garderen to tell CW last year: “I love hanging out with him. He definitely is a stereotypical Brit.”

You can read the full interview in the April 22 issue of Cycling Weekly, on sale now. If you can't get to the shops you can have the issue delivered, or take out a subscription to have the magazine delivered each week and take advantage of a reduced introductory rate.

Winners at WorldTour level are truly exceptional, but what makes them so? Chris Sidwells investigates what sets apart the best cyclists from the merely excellent ones

Three hundred and eighty-nine watts for four hours and 45 minutes, rising to an average 439 watts over the final 60km. And he had plenty left for the finish, smashing out 738 watts for a full 60 seconds, and even then enough pop in his long legs to blast out 1,004 watts for 20 seconds in his final uphill gallop into Sienna, winning Strade Bianche 2021. We’re talking about Mathieu van der Poel, but you knew that already – who else could produce those numbers? 

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Make no mistake, all the men and women competing at WorldTour level are extremely talented, very dedicated and hardworking. But even in their exalted company, some riders – van der Poel a glittering example – stand out above the rest. They are best of the best, bike racers who can make world-class athletes look like amateurs. Such superstars have been a feature of pro cycling since its earliest days. In this feature, I want to pinpoint exactly what makes these people stand out in an already exceptional cohort.

To begin, we need a baseline to compare with: our ground zero is the level of performance it takes to be an elite cyclist. Many scientific studies have looked at different aspects, capacities or abilities of elite cyclists, and for the purpose of this article, I’d like to call these things ‘markers of excellence’.   

A scientific review by Kathryn E. Phillips and William G. Hopkins, published last year, looked at more than 50 studies on the various markers determining cycling excellence. These included obvious physical and physiological factors like peak and functional power output, cardiovascular and pulmonary performance, economy of effort, among others. But it also looked at personality traits, cognitive function and sociological factors. It’s a great place to start, because it establishes markers found in all elite racing cyclists.

I want to add one more marker, something highlighted by David Epstein in his excellent book The Sports Gene: trainability. Epstein suggests that individual adaptability and response to training is a crucial determinant of a person’s sports potential. This resonates with my own experience of being around pro cyclists and coaches – so much so, I think it’s the best place to start.

You can read the full article in the April 8 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine, on sale in shops and online. You can also subscribe to the magazine and get it delivered to your home every Thursday so you never miss an issue.

Iconic Brit Pop artist and former cyclist Sir Peter Blake teams up with Milltag for a new kit collection

Clothing manufacturer Milltag have launched a limited edition kit with British artist Sir Peter Blake. Blake is best known for co-creating the iconic album cover of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, famed for its use of cut-outs and often mimicked.

Blake also worked on the art work for Do They Know It's Christmas among many others singles and albums. His work in general marks him down as one of the best known British pop artists and was knighted in 2002 for his services to art. He was also a cyclists, having raced in his youth.

London clothing company Milltag is gradually making a name for itself with a growing list of collaborations - many of which you wouldn't necessarily link to cycling - and creating some eye-catching kits. They currently have a TfL collection and have recently kits honouring the Pixies and Motorhead as well as US TV show Twin Peaks.

They are also the brand we worked with to produce our Heritage cycling kit celebrating our 130 year anniversary in 2021.

Founder of Milltag Ed Cowburn said; "Peter is an icon of modern British art. The chance to take his bold graphics and create a collection is an honour and one that I think is up there with anything Milltag has produced."

"Blake said: My racing days are long gone, but I still keep up with cycling, watching it on the sidelines. I used some of my Dazzle imagery on these pieces and think they have worked well."

The Peter Blake capsule collection comes as a complete kit which includes jersey, bib shorts, cap and snood. Available to buy from Milltag.cc.

A reason to get your first big ride of the year done (if you haven't already) and give your favourite cycling café a shout out.

Spring has well and truly sprung and for people in the UK restrictions are finally lifting. As of March 29 group rides of up to 15 people were allowed, as are training sessions with coaches, and some organised events. Please do check the restrictions where you live as there are likely to be some variations on what is allowed. There is also no ‘staying local’ advice so long rides are back on for those who weren’t doing them already and we can start making the most of our hard earned fitness. As ever, stay safe and remember social distancing rules are still in place should you stop anywhere.

>>>>Sign up to the CW5000 challenge and join a community of riders keeping each other motivated through 2021

Once you've completed either or both challenges send proof and details to cycling@futurnet.com so we can include them in our next update.

Take a picture of yourself at a cycling cafe

As restrictions lift cycling cafés should be re-opening for take away drinks at least. To help your favourite café get the crowds back in (all socially distanced, of course) take a picture of yourself outside and let us know about it. Where is it, why is it popular with cyclists and, of course, what’s their best cake? Even if they’re not open yet, let us know about them and we’ll give them a plug in our next update.

Complete a four hour ride

Now the days are longer - and hopefully warmer in a few weeks time - the bigger rides can start in earnest, if they've haven't already. If it's your first long ride of 2021 remember to take plenty of provisions with you and a face mask in case you need to stop for refills. For those still facing some kind of restrictions we will accept indoor rides on a virtual platform, but for everyone else we’d encourage you to get out and enjoy the spring sunshine. Or rain.

Don't forget our April CW5000 Zwift meet up takes place on Friday 30th. We'll post more details on the CW5000 Facebook page and include them in our April update. The ride will start at 12:30pm UK time and you'll be able to join if you arrive late. You don't have to do the full ride, just join in for 30 minutes if that's all you can do. The ride leader will sustain an average of 2.5 w/kg and we'll do our best to keep the group together.

Leicester based rider Mark Weaver gets creative to help inspire his riding through 2021 and heads off on a virtual trip across North America

For most of us, riding 5,000 miles will consist of regular routes, known hills, perhaps a commute to work and a fair bit of time on turbo trainers - especially during the early part of 2021. But one CW5000 rider decided to make it into more of a journey. 

Mark Weaver is turning his Leicestershire rides into a 5,000 route across the US from Anchorage in Alaska to Miami. With the help of Google maps he’s imagining riding diagonally down across north America in a bid to hit the total this year. 

>>>>Sign up to the CW5000 challenge and get inspired to ride in 2021

“It was just for a bit of fun, really. I only rode 500 miles last year and this was a good way to motivate myself.” He said when we contacted him in March. “I like looking at Google maps, and I’ve always liked the great outdoors nature of places like Alaska, not that I’ve been.” 

“I picked Anchorage and thought, I wonder how far it is to Miami. I put it in to Google maps and it was within a few miles.”

Ask Google for riding directions between the two points and it will give a distance of 5,105 miles (to be done in 421hrs of consecutive riding), ask it for a driving route and the blue line across the screen moves a little and comes up with a distance of 4,957 miles. “It was strange how on my first go it was almost bang on 5,000 miles.” Mark said.

Picture courtesy Google maps

“As I go along I look at some of the places where I’d be. I’m heading through the Yukon valley at the moment and it’s all wilderness. All the towns are little backwaters. I’ve not seen any moose yet, or been chased by bears.”

“I was ashamed of the mileage I did last year. I’m definitely going to crack it this year, and this has definitely helped. Rather than just think ‘I need to do this many miles by this point,’ I’m thinking ‘I need to make this border by this point.’ I’ve also been putting in on Facebook so my friends have seen it.”

“I printed it out on the map as well, to show the kids what kind of distance I'm doing. They’re bored of it already!”

Mark has also been using the route to do a little holiday planning for the future. “When I’m looking through details of the places it’s giving me ideas for holidays we might have when things get back to normal. I’m more of a rural, outback kind of guy, so it’s great it goes across so many barren states.”

Having spent more time fiddling with bikes in 2020 than actually riding them Mark was already at 850 miles when we spoke to him in mid March. “Given the fact we’ve had the worst months I’m pleased with what I've done. We live in a rural bit of Leicestershire so I’m straight out the door and on to really quiet roads.”

Mark will be posting his progress on the CW5000 Facebook group. Sign up to the challenge and join the group to see if he makes it all the way to Miami this year.