Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 51 i Cyclist Australia

Back in May, I attended my cousin’s wedding. It was her third attempt in a little over 12 months. The first was scheduled for April 2020; that, of course, had to be cancelled due to the original COVID-19 lockdown. They rescheduled for mid-January, only for an outbreak on Sydney’s Northern Beaches to bring about new restrictions and, frustratingly, another cancellation. Finally, she booked a new date in May, crossed her fingers and hoped for the best. And although a brief BBQrelated outbreak in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs made for some tense moments, the wedding went ahead, the dance floor was full, and she and the new hubby finally got to celebrate their love with friends and family. No doubt most of us know someone who has a similar story over the…

If you have Campagnolo on your bike, you need these wheels. The Bora model has been Campag’s flagship wheel since 1994 and, in recent years, the WTO (wind tunnel optimised) takes the suite to the next level. Like every new wheel, these are stiffer, lighter and more aero than their forebears. Campagnolo supports these claims with the fact they’re made from proprietary carbon (stiffer, lighter), sport the WTO acronym and have internal nipples (aero). It’s worth mentioning that the internal nipples can be adjusted without so much as removing the tyre. Campagnolo has come up with a tool that slides into the rim from the spoke-side. Unusual, different and excellent! The nipples also have a fibreglass reinforced polymer between the rim and nipple to drastically reduce the chance of corrosion.…

‘Many riders are choosing to ride more challenging terrain on their road bikes, and managing the chain’s motion improves ride quality for nearly all road riders’ ‘The rougher the surface, the more difference it makes. More than two-thirds of US roads are unpaved, and our paved infrastructure is deteriorating, which I’m sure you have to deal with [in Australia] too,’ says Medaglia. ‘Many riders are choosing to ride more challenging terrain on their road bikes too, and managing the chain’s motion improves ride quality for nearly all road riders.’ Shimano and Campagnolo are more reserved in their opinions, suggesting clutches aren’t all that necessary for the comparative smoothness of road riding and may actually come with performance drawbacks. ‘Road riding is still predominantly 2x, and in that case a front…

The first time many people can remember seeing the ‘super-tuck’ position was at the World Championships in Florence in 2013. The 19-year-old Slovenian, Matej Mohori?, announced himself not only by winning the U23 road race one year after winning the junior title, but also by contorting his body on descents in a way most had never seen. While previous extreme descending positions had seen riders place their hands in the centre of the bars and their nose almost on the stem, or slide off the back of the saddle and hover over the rear wheel – think Marco Pantanti in the 1990s – Mohori? went the other way. Sliding forward to sit on the top tube, and with his hands gripping the tops of the handlebars and his elbows bent…

Settling down for pizza and a beer the night before our ride, there’s a weird sense of ‘home’ at Beechworth’s Bridge Road Brewers. At the time of writing I live in Richmond, Melbourne. About 200m from Bridge Road. The Richmond one. I had no idea why this brewery – whose name is familiar to many in Victoria, including myself – is named so. And while I did since discover that the company began brewing on Bridge Road (the Beechworth one) Ben Kraus, founder and owner, does admit, ‘Yeah, you’re not the first person from that part of town to wonder if that was where I started.’ Ben is many things (master brewer among them), but to me, what he really encapsulates is the bones of what Beechworth feels grounded in:…

Greg LeMond has possibly the most complete CV in cycling. Three-time Tour de France champion, two-time road race World Champion. The only American to have won the yellow jersey (officially), the first non-European Tour winner and the only man to have won the Tour after having been shot. Winner of the closest and most exciting Tour of all time. He was the first rider to race the Tour on a full carbon fibre bike, the man who introduced Oakley sunglasses into the peloton and the rider who brought Giro helmets into the mainstream. He was the first cyclist to sign a million-dollar contract. He is a bike manufacturer and brand owner who has produced indoor, direct-drive trainers and exercise bikes. He is a vocal opponent of performance-enhancing drugs in cycling…

The geometry is dialled, hewn over a lifetime of Ernesto Colnago making custom bikes for pro racers The details Model Colnago C64 Current WorldTour team UAE Team Emirates Weight as pictured 7.12kg Contact colnago.com There’s a part of me that thinks he does this kind of thing for everybody. He’s well into his eighties, with a noticeable stoop and even more pronounced comb-over, but this is a man who wrenched for Eddy Merckx, partnered with Ferrari, presented gold-plated bikes to Popes and won multiple Hour records. Ernesto Colnago is not above a bit of showmanship, and right now that extends to the sudden ‘back of a beer coaster’ sketch he is scribbling then pushing into my hands like the Eucharist. The sketch explains the workings of Colnago’s very own crimped…

The road is the kind of grey a wet school jumper goes, with the lack of central markings indicating how narrow it is Comeglians sits like a button on a Chesterfield sofa, pinned to the valley floor as if tethering the mountains rising biliously at its sides. There are quite a lot of towns like Comeglians in the Carnic Alps, little more than footnotes to the provincial highways yet still somehow containing everything one could need: a restaurant, a supermarket, a post office, a bank, a hotel. As we ride I check them off in that order. By the time we pass the fountain – renaissance nymph draining into stone trough – we’ve hit the town limits and we’re on our first climb. This is how Italy’s northern mountains work.…

There’s something about a FiftyOne that always makes me think that, for the right customer, it will prove a brilliant investment. First, because it is fully bespoke it fits like the proverbial glove, but second, because it is round-tubed it won’t date, yet custom paint means it will be forever unique. It looks classily current now; it will look the same in 10 years’ time (and if you spread the cost over 10 years it will only set you back about $5.89 a day). And then there’s the ride. I’ve ridden both rim and disc brake FiftyOnes, and both hit that precise sweet-spot of focused handling paired with exceptional balance, specifically in terms of stiffness, where the frame reacts and flexes as it negotiates turns yet smashes powerfully out of…

Merida’s eSilex is a bit like your mate who is the perfect multi-day backpacking companion. The one who’s always up for an adventure and will even take on some of the weight from your pack when you get a stitch – and who always remembers to pack the whisky for camp cocktails. The brand’s first assisted multi-surface gravel bike, the eSilex isn’t based around a snappy race bike, nor is it a singletrack basher designed to crush berms and drops. It’s a bike you’d take out for a big ride, maybe an overnighter, and enjoy the scenery in no particular hurry. There’s more room for luggage on this bike than a 747, bosses on both fork legs and all over the mainframe. It’s this ‘see what’s on the other side…

All the stuff that makes you glad to be a cyclist It’s one of the world’s most instantly recognisable album covers. The Clash’s London Calling shows bassist Paul Simonon about to smash his guitar during a gig at The Palladium in New York. The photo has been voted the best rock ’n’ roll image of all time – and it’s the inspiration for the new Cinelli Pressure aero bike. ‘We always like to try to create an emotional connection with the customer,’ says Cinelli vice-president Fabrizio Aghito. ‘This is because Antonio Columbo, our company president, loves art. He has an art gallery and wants to use bikes as cultural vehicles rather than just something only used physically. So every bike we make blends art and popular culture into its design.…

Northwave’s Extreme GT2 shoes bring the XFrame 2 construction of the Italian brand’s top-tier Extreme Pro shoes to a more accessible price point. The upper is entwined with precisely placed fabric tape, criss-crossing the shoe like a spider’s web to provide anchor points for the brand’s SLW2 closure system. The cables are made from Dyneema fibre instead of steel and follow a particularly sinuous routing pattern, which Northwave says helps the shoe better conform to a rider’s foot. While the top is all about comfort, the bottom is all about stiffness thanks to the Anatomical Arch Support carbon sole, which Northwave says is one of the stiffest it makes.…

If there’s one thing Bontrager does well it’s… well, everything. Your knicks and jerseys, your handlebars, your stem, your lights, your helmet and shoes, your pump, your tools, your saddle, your tyres, your tubes and your wheels can all carry the Bontrager label (along with 1,000 other products). There is almost nothing Trek’s parts and apparel brand won’t do. Popular consensus is that whether it’s a 20” Schrader valve tube or a top-tier carbon wheelset, Bontrager delivers value for money, durability and best-in-class quality. One look at the Aeolus RSL 62 wheels and it’s clear why Bontrager has such a reputation. RSL in Trek-speak is ‘Race Shop Limited’, which in cycling terms means ‘WorldTour tested’, which to a layperson means ‘what the pros use’. Sixty-two means the rim is 62mm…

The view from inside the peloton In the men’s Ronde – and many other races besides – didn’t the Danes do well? Last year, Slovenia joined Colombia and Great Britain as a new world cycling powerhouse, but they were all partially eclipsed in the past two months by a Scandinavian country with a population of less than six million. Mads Pedersen had already proven that his 2019 Worlds win was no fluke, but since his Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne victory in late February his compatriots have really upped the ante. At the E3 Saxo Bank Classic, Deceuninck-QuickStep time-trialled up the Taaienberg to shred the field before the red jersey of Danish champion Kasper Asgreen went clear with 5km remaining. On the same day, compatriot Jonas Vingegaard (the latest hot prospect on the Jumbo-Visma…

If you think about becoming a better cyclist you might have a wish list that includes a featherweight bike, an aero helmet or a power meter. But the humble foam roller is one far less glamorous piece of kit that can help prevent injury and so help you ride further, faster and for longer. Foam rolling is a massage technique that enables a process called myofascial release. ‘It’s a fancy name for improving the quality of movement of the muscles and their connective tissues,’ says coach Will Newton (limitlessfitness.com). ‘It’s not about flexibility – it’s about what you’d expect a massage therapist to do for you in releasing sore spots, or trigger points. Tissue shouldn’t hurt when you apply pressure to it, so if you find a painful spot that’s…

Baggies are the name of the game in this terrain, and it came as a pleasant surprise that Endura has options – good options – in the gravel apparel space. I’ve admired their cutting-edge skinsuits for years; basically the polar opposite of this type of riding, so hats off to the brand for pivoting to off-road with gear that’s not only functional, but actually looks like normal casualwear. I wore the SingleTrack shorts again (sans chamois, that press studs out to be easily washed - genius) later that weekend. Looked completely fine. Big tick also to the BaaBaa Merino socks. I have poor circulation; my feet hate cold mornings. These socks were warm without feeling like you had three pairs on. More than a few brands make their socks ‘winter’…

Almost the elephant in the room, all this talk of how the price branding of the bike doesn’t matter when it comes to having a great time on gravel (it really doesn’t) only for me to be rocking a custom Baum Cycles Orbis X, SRAM Force AXS groupset and Zipp 303 wheels. And while this is not exactly an attainable model, don’t let that fool you into believing Baum are out of reach. Their titanium Code model is the plain gauge tubing version of the Orbis and much more attainable. Especially when you consider cracking a downtube, courtesy of a kicked up-rock, is never a concern. Nor is handling. Custom geometry coupled with (Darren) Baum’s magic in shaping the handling of his bikes: this machine rides like a dream. The…

The bike is now in its fourth iteration and every time BMC has been able to add without taking away The BMC Teammachine gets my vote because in a particularly refined and competitive category the brand has shown it can not only pioneer the blueprint of a modern all-round race bike, but also consistently improve on it. The Teammachine is now in its fourth iteration and every time BMC has been able to add without taking away. By definition all-rounders are an exercise in compromise, so for BMC to keep mixing ingredients into the Teammachine dish without spoiling its already delicious flavour gets ever more impressive with each update. Released 10 years ago, the Teammachine quickly built a reputation for its light weight, sharp handling and stiffness. It also did…

Before we continue, let’s take a moment to recognise again the incredible Pinarello Dogma. Its first Tour de France victory was less than auspicious – Oscar Pereiro was awarded the 2006 title after Floyd Landis was retrospectively stripped – but since then it has notched up 11 Grand Tours and counting. Save for 2014, that’s at least one every year since 2011. But yet that’s not quite enough to steal another win here. For one thing, the other bikes here have laudable palmares themselves. Cadel Evans propelled a Teammachine to glory on the Champs-Elysees in 2011; Mark Cavendish notched up multiple wins and a green jersey with Columbia/HTC between 2008 and 2012, while Simon Yates gave the Scott Addict a red jersey at the Vuelta in 2018. Then Colnago won…

Taking the road less travelled To download this route go to komoot.com/tour/343287349 or scan the QR code. Starting in Comeglians, head out of town through the cobbled tunnel, signed at its entrance Monte Crostis. These are recurring signs for cyclists so follow them for 15km through Mieli and Tualis and on to the panoramic road. At the summit a stop at Refugio Chidinas is recommended for views and fuel. The descent is a single road that after 20km joins with the SS465. Head east on the SS465 to Sutrio and south to Priola, turning right when you see the black-and-white sign announcing ‘Priola’. Follow the road through town to the playground at the top, then bear right towards the mountains. Around kilometre 49 this old road joins the SP123 to…

TRAVEL Venice Marco Polo is the best airport to access the region. From there it’s a two-hour drive to Arta Terme via the faster toll roads – expect to pay around €15 ($23) each way – but we’d recommend going cross-country for a more scenic passage. ACCOMMODATION The Grand Hotel Gortani is a classically Italian hotel in Arta Terme, with spacious rooms, spa, swimming pool and well-kept gardens. Double rooms start at around $125. See gortani.it for more details. THANKS Big thanks to Marco Cantagallo, who planned our route and guided us enthusiastically, his father Emiliano for lending us Marco (he is usually a bike guide) and Mauricio, who drove our photographer and dished up an impromptu picnic. Emiliano and Marco run Pendenze Periclose bike tours (pendenzepericolose.it). Thanks also to…

Pearl Izumi says the Air jersey is the ‘lightest, most breathable’ jersey it has ever produced. The key feature underpinning that claim is the jersey’s thermo-welded seams. Pearl says that conventional seams can chafe in hot conditions as well as hold moisture so, to address that, the only stitching on the entire jersey is to separate the three rear pockets. The front of the jersey is made from a stretch weave fabric to let air in while the back uses a knit mesh to let heat out, and both areas use a Coldblack treatment to maximise heat reflectivity. The theme of minimal seams is carried through into the bibshorts, which are constructed from only seven cleverly shaped panels in an attempt to create a second skin-like fit. The bibs are…

Sceptics were quick to say wireless electronic shifting would never be reliable when Sram first launched eTap back in August 2015, but any misgivings over its dependability have long since been put to bed. The platform has proven itself beyond doubt, such that Sram introduced two updated 12-speed eTap AXS groupsets at both its flagship Red and second-tier Force level in 2019. Now this recently released third-tier Rival eTap AXS offering means that wireless electronic shifting is no longer the preserve of superbikes and pros. We could see this technology on carbon road bikes costing as little as $5,000. Sram is also releasing a low-cost, low-weight (40g) Quarq crank spindle-based option as part of the Rival product line-up. Crucially, Sram has retained many key features of the higher tiers. Rival…

Cyclist: As you know, we’re big fans of Partington at Cyclist for myriad reasons. What do you think makes your wheels stand out? Jon Partington: Right now, from a quantitative point of view, we are confident that the R-Series wheelset has the highest stiffness to weight ratio compared to what’s currently available in the market today. You can get other wheelsets that are lighter, but they will be nowhere near as laterally stiff. We also believe that they are the most versatile and high-performing road wheels in terms of stiffness, strength, durability, and its ability to manage cross winds. Beyond that, we’re a little biased in that we think they’re the best-looking wheelset. The understated finish, matched with high-quality engineering and craftsmanship puts us in a class of our own.…

The great sport of cycling has a history of adopting technology from one genre and applying it to another, and in recent years the trend in road cycling has been to look to mountain bikes for developmental inspiration. Rim brakes are being superseded by discs, suspension systems are being introduced to a small degree and now we’re seeing clutches on rear derailleurs make the leap too. ‘A clutch is a device that damps a rear derailleur’s cage motion and thus checks the chain’s motion,’ says Anthony Medaglia, Sram’s chief system engineer for road drivetrains. ‘It essentially creates friction to absorb the energy of the rotating cage, but only in one direction. This can be achieved via a mechanical device, commonly referred to as a clutch but more appropriately described as…

It has been a massive couple of months of European racing, as cycling’s traditional calendar returned after the chaos that was 2020. The only major omission from routine was the Paris-Roubaix, which the men will hopefully contest on 3 October. The women will hit the Hell of the North’s cobbles for the first time on 2 October after the inaugural race was cancelled in 2020 and postponed in April 2021. Australian sports fans are always hungry for success, so could be forgiven for being a little frustrated at a string of podium finishes recently. A combination of tight racing, close finishes and a bunch of Vans winning everything has made victories tough to come by (van Aert, van der Poel, van der Breggen and van Vleuten, for those playing at…

Henri Desgrange, the founder of the Tour de France, was not known for sympathising with the travails of those who rode his race. This was a man who famously decried the invention of the derailleur, describing it as something for the elderly and not allowing its unrestricted use in his race until 1937. Desgrange started stages in the dark and cold hours before dawn but levied penalties for anyone who dared discard a jersey as the sun rose. His draconian rules meant 1921 winner Leon Scieur had to strap a broken wheel to his back and carry it 300km to prove to officials it had broken and its replacement was therefore legal. But the conditions the peloton faced during the 326km stage from Bayonne to Luchon in 1926 were so…

What was the first road bike you ever owned? Turn over the page and we’ve given you a space to draw it and five lines underneath to describe it. Ask a responsible adult to cut out the page and send it in a stamped self-addressed envelope to Cyclist Magazine, PO Box… Only joking – although drawing bikes is a very nice way of passing the time, something to which our high school teachers will grudgingly attest. And closing one’s eyes and remembering that first road bike does seem to bring into question the idea of ‘all-rounder’, because at some point we all had our first road bike, which by definition meant it was at the time our only road bike and so, de facto, was an all-rounder because it did…

There are three ways up Monte Zoncolan. The ‘classic’ ascent averages 11.5% over 10.5km from Ovaro to the west, and is usually how the climb appears in the Giro d’Italia. However this year’s peloton approached from Sutrio to the east, a longer 13.5km climb but less steep at 8.9%. Both still feature lengthy stretches in the high teens though. Our Big Ride ascent is the shortest of all – 8.9km from Priola – but it averages 12.8% with multiple spikes up to 22% from the off (the other two routes steepen as they go). But whichever way you approach the Zoncolan, know that it is tough with a capital T. And yet there is an even tougher climb just down the road. A few clicks west of Ovaro lies the…

Lapierre’s new Aircode DRS doesn’t look like a typical aero bike. Its 7.6kg is not considered featherweight by modern standards, and where are the hugely extended tube depths we’re used to? The lack of a sleek proprietary cockpit assembly is notable, and that head tube and fork crown combination looks like it presents a comparatively blunt frontal area to the wind. Things get stranger still – the seatstays meet the top tube for goodness sake. That’s miles away from their more conventional ‘aero’ location of attaching halfway down the seat tube. And yet, Lapierre has pedigree in producing idiosyncratic bikes that perform superbly, and from my time with the Aircode I can confirm that this is one rapid bike. So how does it do it? Settle in – I’m going…

Ugo De Rosa once built Eddy Merckx more than 50 frames in a year, including five in one week as The Cannibal prepared for Paris-Roubaix. Famously fastidious, Merckx obsessed over every tiny detail of his bikes, and it was De Rosa he trusted for the bulk of his career to wield the brazing torch and make his race bikes. Two at a time, of course, so he would have a spare for the team car. Moser, Motta, Van Looy, Argentin, Berzin, Gonchar, Vainšteins, Casagrande, Baldato, Pellizotti… the list of cycling stars who have won on frames built by De Rosa is a long one indeed. De Rosa claims that in the 1974 Giro d’Italia 80% of the frames being ridden were his, although obviously many were hidden behind a paint…