Incycle 28

I S S U E 2 8 | £ 7. 9 5 INSIDE THE WORLD OF ELITE PERFORMANCE CYCLING BROUGHT TO YOU BY SADDLEBACK

GERAINT’S TOUR FROOME MAKES HISTORY TDF 2018’S WINNING BRANDS RIDING ACROSS OMAN C A S T E L L I AW 2 0 1 8

L U C A S H AW HELI-BIKING WITH ENVE R I D I N G AC R O S S O M A N FORT WILLIAM 2018 T L D S TA G E H E L M E T

I S S U E 2 8 | £ 7. 9 5 INSIDE THE WORLD OF ELITE PERFORMANCE CYCLING BROUGHT TO YOU BY SADDLEBACK

I N CYC L E BY SA D D L E BAC K

Whether at work or play, passion for cycling runs through everything we do at Saddleback. During our nine-to-five, we’re lucky enough to work with the world’s best elite performance brands. Meanwhile, mornings, evenings, weekends and lunch hours are devoted to riding for number-crunching performance, stay-fast fitness or just to soak up the exhilarating feeling of the great outdoors.

Incycle magazine is the result of that complete dedication to cycling and our expression of love for the sport. It’s our goal to share content that brings you closer to riding, encapsulating everything that gets our hearts pumping from the exhausted jubilation of conquering a col to the pulserocketing thrill of taming a tough downhill run and everything in between. We hope you enjoy it.

3 T C YC L I N G / A LC H E M Y B I C YC L E CO. / C A S T E L L I C YC L I N G C H R I S K I N G / E N V E / I N T E N S E C YC L E S / S I D I / S I LC A S TA G E S C YC L I N G / T R OY L E E D E S I G N S

CONTRIBUTORS

EDITOR IN CHIEF / DESIGN NICK COX

EDITOR

TOM BALLARD

SENIOR WRITER DANIEL OAKSHOTT

CONTRIBUTORS

TOM BALLARD, NICK COX, KATI CSAK, DECLAN DEEHAN, ROSS GRIMMETT, NICOLA LAZZARI, RICHARD MARDLE, RIC MCLAUGHLIN, GRAEME MURRAY, DANIEL OAKSHOTT, BEN PLENGE, JOSH POERTNER, ALISON REITTER, BENJAMIN SHARP, ALEX TURNER

PHOTOGRAPHERS

BETTINI, NICK COX, STEVE FLEMMING, NEIL GARDINER, JERED GRUBER, MIKE HALL, SVEN MARTIN, IAN MATTESON, GRAEME MURRAY, JOBY SESSIONS, ANTHONY SMITH

PRINTED BY

APPLE COLOUR, BRISTOL UK, ON RECYCLED PAPER

SPECIAL CONTRIBUTORS

RIC McLAUGHLIN

Friend of the pros, MTB journalist Ric travels the world to cover the sport’s biggest races.

BEN PLENGE

Owner of MTBStrength Factory, Ben is our go-to off-road fitness expert.

BEN SHARP

Former Team USA cycling coach, Benjamin’s the man when it comes to training with a power meter.

JOBY SESSIONS

Pro photographer Joby shot Fresh Produce, Style Guide and this month’s recipe.

I N C YC L E .CO. U K | S A D D L E B AC K .CO. U K S A D D L E B A C K L I M I T E D 1 2 A P O L L O P A R K , A R M S T R O N G W AY, YA T E , B R I S T O L B S 3 7 5 A H

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JERED GRUBER

Found on European roads in the search for pictures, stories, roads and his next favorite place.

EDITOR’S WELCOME

I SS UE 28 2 01 8 INSIDE THE WORLD OF ROAD AND MOUNTAIN BIKING BROUGHT TO YOU BY SADDLEBACK

Welcome to issue 28. As I sit here and write this welcome to our in-house magazine, my gaze is distracted by the blue sky and hot sun beating down. My mind wanders to thoughts of long evening excursions and lunchtime ride sweat-fests. It’s hard to be motivated when it seems as if this small, often rainy and cold island we live on has been dragged across the seas to the Caribbean. All anybody wants to do in the office is get out and enjoy the weather before we hit autumn and it all becomes a distant memory, a fairytale.

That’s what Saddleback’s passionate and motivated staff are about and so, therefore, is this magazine. Our desire to ride the latest and best bikes, clothing and components means that not only do we work in this industry but we are it, we consume it, we drive it and we live it.

This love of cycling flows through everything we do here at Saddleback – and incycle magazine is just one of the ways in which we express it. So read on and see what makes us tick, and gets us so excited about this amazing sport we are all consumed by.

As you read through our latest issue keep your eyes peeled for the two icons below. Visit the online version at issuu.com/ saddleback and you will be able to unlock a wealth of extra content to help you satisfy your cravings for all things bike.

N I C K COX E D I TO R - I N - C H I E F / D E S I G N

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GERAINT THOMAS STANDS ATOP THE PODIUM OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE IN PARIS, THE CULMINATION OF AN 11-YEAR ROAD RACING CAREER

CONTENTS

ON THE FRONT COVER

Luca Shaw – Troy Lee Designs athlete Photographer: Sven Martin Lošinj, Croatia Geraint Thomas – Team Sky Photographer: Jered Gruber Tour de France final stage, Paris

08 P O R T F O L I O

42 S T Y L E G U I D E

58 T H O M A S ’ S T O U R

114 S TA F F R I D E

TDF MEMORIES, EWS MOUNTAIN MAGIC, BRANDON SEMENUK BLASTING IT: OUR FAVOURITE RECENT CYCLING IMAGES

WE HIT THE SEASIDE WITH THE LATEST FROM THE 2018 COLLECTIONS

BY CASTELLI AND TROY LEE DESIGNS

OLLIE MALEK, SADDLEBACK’S SERVICE AND WARRANTY TECHNICIAN, SHOWS US HIS NEW NICOLAI ION G15

18 N E W S R O U N D U P

50 T E C H

TOM BALLARD ASSESSES THE KEY MOMENTS DURING WHICH THE WITTY WELSHMAN FINALLY ACHIEVED HIS POTENTIAL ON THE BIGGEST STAGE

3T STRADA GOES 2X, NEW STAGES DASH HEAD UNITS IMMINENT, ENVE

GETTING SET WITH THE TDF-WINNING STAGES POWER LR CRANKSET –

72 YO U N G A M E R I C A N

RICHARD, DECLAN, NICK AND TOM TALK SELF-CONSCIOUS CYCLING NONSENSE

GETS SERIOUS FOR GRAVEL, AND MORE

WE SHOW YOU HOW

20 FRED WHITTON 2018

52 F O O D

DOWNHILL HERO IN THE MAKING. BUT, FINDS RIC MCLAUGHLIN, THE PATH TO GREATNESS ISN’T ALWAYS EASY

THE UK’S TOUGHEST SPORTIVE HAD A VINTAGE YEAR. DECLAN DEEHAN TOOK IN THE AGONY AND ECSTASY

CRISPY SEA BASS WITH AN INDULGENT ACCOMPANIMENT: THE PERFECT TREAT AFTER A LONG EVENING’S RIDE

24 F O R T W I L L I A M 2 0 1 8

54 T R A I N I N G

NICK COX LOOKS BACK AT ROUND TWO OF THE UCI DOWNHILL WORLD CUP AT FORT WILLIAM

HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR NEW STAGES POWER METER. PLUS EXERCISES TO STRENGTHEN YOUR SHOULDERS AGAINST IMPACTS

28 A R D R O C K 2 0 1 8

IN LUCA SHAW, THE US HAS A NEW

80 L E A D I N G L E T O U R TOM BALLARD LOOKS BACK AT HOW SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS FARED AT THIS YEAR’S TOUR DE FRANCE

88 H E L I - B I K I N G I N N Z GRAEME MURRAY TAKES A ROTORPOWERED TRIP INTO THE KIWI BACKCOUNTRY TO GIVE ENVE’S NEW BARS AND STEMS A THRASHING

ROSS GRIMMETT REPORTS FROM UK MOUNTAIN BIKING’S PREMIER MASS PARTICIPATION ENDURO

96 Y E L L O W, R E D , P I N K AS FROOME JOINS MERCKX AND HINAULT IN THE GRAND TOURS GRAND SLAM CLUB, TOM BALLARD REFLECTS ON THE MOMENTS THAT LED TO GLORY

32 F R E S H P R O D U C E HOT, NEW AND BEAUTIFUL BIKES AND GEAR FROM OUR ROAD AND MOUNTAIN BIKING PARTNERS

104 AW E S O M E O M A N

38 T O P F I V E

KATI CSAK TAKES HER 3T EXPLORO AND HEADS TO A JEWEL OF THE MIDDLE EAST TO RIDE SMOOTH ROADS AND HAIR-RAISING GRAVEL DESCENTS

NICOLA LAZZARI, GENERAL MANAGER AT 3T, MAKES EYES AT SOME OF THE BRAND’S MOST GORGEOUS ITEMS

39 AT H L E T E S U C C E S S INJURY UPS AND DOWNS AND PODIUM GLORY WITH INTENSE RACING UK

40 T W E N T Y Q U E S T I O N S ALISON REITTER, ENVE’S ECOMMERCE DIRECTOR, SPILLS THE BEANS

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116 S TA F F C O L U M N S IN THIS ISSUE’S STAFF RAMBLINGS

118 I N S TA G R A M S A SELECTION OF BEAUTIFUL SQUARE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SADDLEBACK’S BRAND PARTNERS

119 F I N A L T H O U G H T THE BICYCLE REMAINS A POWERFUL FORCE FOR CONNECTING PEOPLE, SAYS SILCA’S JOSH POERTNER

120 N E X T I S S U E A QUICK TEASE OF WHAT TO EXPECT IN OUR NEXT ISSUE – OUT IN NOVEMBER

PORT FOLIO

GERAINT THOMAS RIDING TO VICTORY ON THE TDF’S FINAL STAGE PHOTO: JERED GRUBER

PORT FOLIO

BRANDON SEMENUK JUST ONE OF THE MOST STYLISH RIDERS EVER PHOTO: ANTHONY SMITH

PORT FOLIO

THOMAS LAPEYRIE TEAM ORBEA ENVE EWS LA THUILE, ACOSTA VALLEY, ITALY PHOTO: GRAEME MURRAY

PORT FOLIO

GREG VAN AVERMAET STAGE 9 OF THE TOUR DE FRANCE PHOTO: JERED GRUBER

PORT FOLIO

MICHAŁ KWIATKOWSKI HITTING THE COBBLES ON TDF STAGE 9 PHOTO: JERED GRUBER

THE NEWS

NEWSROUNDUP MTB STYLES

TLD FALL COLLECTION

ROAD STYLES

MORE THAN PUMPS

CASTELLI AW 18

SILCA RANGE GROWS

Keep your eyes peeled for the new Castelli autumn-winter collection – including the expanded RoS range – due at Saddleback in now.

3T RIDE-OUT

Silca continues to expand its range beyond pumps with the new Venti multitool and Sicuro bottle cage.

There’s plenty more on the way too.

EXPLORO MEDIA RIDE

Saddleback is putting on an exclusive two-day media ride to continue generating interest in the 3T Exploro and drive customers into stores.

PHOTO: 3T CYCLING

In October, TLD will release its first ever fall collection, giving a new selection of colours and styles ahead of the summer range next year.

JUNE–AUGUST 2018

2X TECH

STRADA GOES 2X WITH DUE FRAMESET The latest addition to 3T’s growing stable of bikes, the Strada Due applies all the wide-tyre-optimised aerodynamics of the original award-winning Strada to a frame that supports 2x electronic drivetrains.

“When people talk to us about the Strada,” says designer Gerard Vroomen, “it is usually the 1x drivetrain that gets the most attention… but as I’ve said from the start, for me the most important feature is actually that it is the first aero road bike optimised for wider tyres.”

By starting with wide tyres and building aerodynamics around them, the Strada offers both speed and comfort that’s now available to suit each rider’s taste: the 1x Strada Team frameset, 1x Strada Pro full build or the 2x Strada Due frameset.

The Strada Due, which saw its professional debut

under Aqua Blue Sport at the Tour of Austria, was always part of the gameplan for 3T. “When we launched the Strada, we said it was our answer to, ‘What will a road bike look like in five years?’” says Vroomen. “Why did we say five years and not today? Because we know that some technologies and people need a bit of time.

“Pro riders find themselves in a very specific situation, often going up mountains in a peloton surrounded by 100 riders with no choice but to ride the exact pace of those around them, not their own pace. In such a situation, where they can’t go their own pace, having that extra gear can be an advantage. It’s interesting to hear a pro say, ‘When I retire, I’ll only ride 1x but right now, there are some races I would still like 2x for’.

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“We started working with Aqua Blue at the start of this season to see how far we could take 1x. It’s fair to say it’s gone further than most expected, even winning a few King of the Mountains competitions – including at the Tour de Suisse.

“In other races, the riders would have preferred an extra gear. Just like 2x isn’t always perfect (ask the guys who lost Tirreno-Adriatico and Abu Dhabi due to 2x drivetrain issues), neither is 1x as we know. As we said from the start, sometimes 1x will be better than 2x, sometimes it won’t matter, and sometimes 2x will be better.”

The choice of one ring or two will soon be available to those looking for the fastest, most comfortable road bike out there, with the Strada Due set to land at Saddleback by the end of September 2018.

PHOTO: STAGES CYCLING

THE NEWS

PHOTO: ENVE

STAGES DASH

THREE NEW STAGES DASH UNITS COMING SOON Announced at Eurobike, Stages Cycling will be updating its line-up of Dash head units this Autumn with three new options that build on the deep functionality of the first Dash, which launched back in 2016.

The new Dash L50 and M50 models share the same functions in different form factors. Both feature Stages’ new EverBrite screen, which offers exceptionally high contrast in all light conditions, but with low power consumption. With the focus remaining firmly on training with power, the new screen means more user-friendly colour infographics during training – a circular on-screen dial is used to illustrate the current effort and bar charts to visualise upcoming intervals.

As well as built-in training sessions and auto-population of training plans from Stages Link, the brand’s online training portal, both units also feature GPS mapping with turn-by-turn navigation based on the OpenStreetmap platform.

The L50 features a 2.7in screen, 18-hour battery life and 85x58mm body. Its smaller sibling has a 2.2in screen, 15-hour battery and a 73x53mm body. A third Dash model, the L10, features a black-and-white screen, with 30-hour battery life, and is based on an enhanced version of the original Dash.

OUT NOW

GRAVEL GETS SERIOUS WITH NEW ENVE G SERIES WHEELSETS ENVE’s all-new G Series wheels are designed to offer serious gravel riders a performance upgrade to improve the off-road drop-bar ride experience. The G23 has a 23mm internal rim width and has been developed for 700c, 35-45mm tyres while the G27 (with a 27mm internal rim width) is the choice for riders running 650b, 2-2.2in tyres.

The G Series wheels are completely new designs, but they do benefit from the developments in anti-pinch technology made by ENVE in its recent M Series range overhaul. The patent-pending Wide Hookless Bead technology features a 4.5mm rim bead diameter with a leading-edge structure. This is designed to absorb and dissipate impact energy to reduce pinch flats by 50 to 60 per cent as well as minimising tyre and rim damage. In fact, in over 2,000 off-road test rides, the ENVE team hasn’t seen a single pinch puncture using the new rims.

The G23 wheelset comes in at 1,300g while a set of G27 wheels weighs just 1,275g – 100-200g less than the competition. Each rim has also been refined for compliance and strength, making the G Series wheels the perfect choice for riders who care about performance, comfort and speed when out on their gravel bike.

HOUSE SHOW

SHAKING UP THE HOUSE SHOW In a first for our annual Saddleback House Show, we will be hosting separate road and MTB days, taking place on 11 and 12 September 2018 respectively. Each day will also feature a new format and plenty of activities to ensure that you, our stockists, get the most from your visit to Saddleback as well as having a great time.

The new discipline-specific days will enable us to tailor the experience to better meet your needs, improving relevant product education and allowing more face-to-face time with staff from both Saddleback and our brands. Our House Show is also about getting to know each other better and having some fun. In addition to tech talks, we’ll also have guided ride-outs, special guests, gourmet food, fresh coffee and British Summer Time-themed games to keep everyone entertained. We will also be hosting an on-site party each evening to thank you for your continued support of Saddleback this year.

If you haven’t done so already, head over to events.saddleback.co.uk in order to sign up for your preferred day.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS HEAD OVER TO WWW.SADDLEBACK.CO.UK

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FRED WHITTON 2018 With a new ascent only adding to its well-earned reputation for toughness, 2018 proved to be another vintage year for one of the UK’s finest sportives WORDS DECLAN DEEHAN PHOTOS STEVE FLEMMING

The Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge began in 1999 as a charitable event organised in honour of the late Fred Whitton, who was a well-loved and respected rider of the Lakes Road Club.

than 5,000 people trying to enter the ballot annually, it has become a must-do on every rider’s list.

Whether it’s to pass a once-in-a-lifetime test or to fulfil a multi-finish suffering addiction, the Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenges attracts people from far and wide. Norway, Spain, Italy, France – the list goes on of the nationalities that come to the Lakes to test themselves against the beautiful, challenging roads of this iconic event.

Such was the admiration for Fred, his love of a challenge and his affection for riding in his Lakeland home that this was never going to be a straightforward event – it quickly became notorious for being one of the toughest sportives in the country. It’s not an event to be taken lightly and that’s exactly the way Fred would have wanted it.

The organisation and sense of international camaraderie are felt instantly, and without that coming together of communities the event wouldn’t be what it is today. Equally crucial of course are the volunteers – from the planning and execution in the run-up to the event, to cheering the riders off at 6am, to welcoming them back all the way through to the late evening hours. Hats off to them and a big thank you from Saddleback.

This event is about supporting a range of amazing causes, and about creating an atmosphere that makes the most inexperienced rider feel they belong just as much as the seasoned sportive seeker. Everyone is welcome at the Fred and that creates a special, uniquely appealing feel. From strangers on a bike working together all day to locals handing out goodies at the aid stations and family members lining the finish to applaud loved ones across the line, the Fred is defined by the contrast between the friendliness of the event and the brutality of the course.

As we mentioned, the Fred Whitton is a mammoth undertaking for even the most experienced riders.

A sense of mutual respect is shared by all who enter and rightly so. The route takes riders over most of the major passes in the Lakes, with the most feared and revered being Hardknott Pass. You know it’s tough when most have a stint off the bike on this climb – and there is no shame in doing so.

Whether it’s a walk to stretch and ease cramping muscles or a chance to calm the heart rate, you

Immersed in beauty There’s also no better way to experience the Lake District’s beauty. This monster of a sportive immerses you in breathtaking landscapes – and is arguably one of the greatest tourism adverts for the area.

Now made up of close to 3,000 riders, with more

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do what is needed to ensure you finish. All in all, the ride takes in 113 miles of some of the most beautiful rolling scenery, almost 4,000m (13,000ft) of climbing and 25 to 30 per cent climbs – making it a test that lives up to its name. A cheeky new ascent was added in for good measure for 2018 – and in true Fred fashion, it comes right at the end.

the opportunity to reward themselves with a selfcongratulatory pat on the back, treating themselves to some new gear. Go on, you’ve earned it!

Among the finishers was Matt Page from Welsh events firm A Cycling, who tackled the Fred aboard 3T’s new 1x aero machine, the Strada – something that created a topic of discussion for many when considering the nature of the ride. Matt’s choice was vindicated in the end though – he finished in six hours 40 minutes, which is a phenomenal effort.

A great buzz Based at the lovely village of Grasmere (you must visit the gingerbread shop), Saturday 12 May saw thousands of riders registering for this year’s event and, for the first time, a chance for those who couldn’t get an entry do a shortened 25-mile recce ride of the main event. Many will use this to see if they still to want to enter for next year.

Fresh looks Every year, a fresh new jersey is designed for the Fred, and this year’s edition went down a storm with riders. Designed by Darren Gumm, Saddleback’s Servizio Corse custom kit artist, and sold by the event partner Human Race, it proved to be a popular option for riding in on the big day.

A substantial event village had been set up for 2018 and it created a great buzz. The riders registered, caught up with old friends and discussed tactics for the next day while convincing each other that some new kit would be well deserved. For 2018 Saddleback joined the event village with a exhibition area for riders to get up close with some our best products from Castelli, Sidi, ENVE, Chris King, 3T and Silca. This worked brilliantly, with local retailer Wheelbase in attendance for retail support and Saddleback getting the chance to talk all things bike face-to-face with real riders.

But it wasn’t just the merchandise that was raking in the takings. For 16 years, Paul Loftus (MBE, and affectionately known as Lord Loftus) has been at the helm of the event, increasing the charitable focus and aiming for bigger donations year on year. For 2018 the aim was to raise £2 million – an astonishing target for a local club event that started with fewer than 100 riders. The strength of the event, and its continued place in the heart of the sportive community is testament to the man who inspired it.

Come the main event and the fastest riders finished in a staggering sub-six hour time, with others pushing on over the 12-hour mark and truly earning their pie and gravy. Some also took

If we’ve whetted your appetite for the Saddleback Fred Whitton Challenge, keep your eye on fredwhittonchallenge.co.uk for 2019’s entry ballot.

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FORT WILLIAM 2018 Motorway cameraderie, secret trails, the promise of youth – and that’s before you even get to the thrills of race day. A trip up to Fort Bill still has it all WORDS NICK COX PHOTOS NICK COX

Fort William continues to be a staple in the UCI DH World Cup calendar. From the years of Peaty holding aloft his Orange or the Athertons sweeping all the prizes, it retains a place of fondness in so many mountain bikers’ hearts.

Thursday is setup day and, with the sun beating down on us, we got sorted in record time. With plenty of free time before heading back to the hotel, we saddled up and rode off into the surrounding forest.

It wasn’t our first rodeo – the ‘secret’ trails from last year were located with minimal effort, and we found ourselves enjoying unusually dry, loose conditions, darting between trees and doing our best to miss the dry branches that catch your arm like whips.

This was our fifth consecutive year of attending the event, sharing the passion and excitement that we have for our products and the athletes using them to beat the clock with the huge bike-hungry crowds.

Friday, meanwhile, becomes busier every year, and seeing so many schools, youth clubs and other groups bringing masses of children to witness the spectacle gives us hope for the riders of tomorrow. It only takes one kid to be inspired to set a youngster’s path towards ruling this world of downhill racing.

We began our pilgrimage as always on the Wednesday before the event – it takes us a whole day to travel the eight hours north to the little town of Fort William. The way is always littered with other brands and distributors on the same long grind, and friendly-sounding horns are the choice greeting. That’s the beauty of this industry – there are no real enemies and little of the cutthroat behaviour you might find elsewhere.

We are all unified under the same love of racing.

Setting the stage With our stand ready to go and all the bells and whistles on it we were soon open for business.

The huge range of ENVE, Troy Lee Designs and

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The new Troy Lee Stage helmet (see page 33) proved a magnet for people on Saturday – you can expect good things from it when it is released later this year. We also had on display ENVE’s new M Series wheels and components (see page 35). In the evergrowing carbon wheel and component market, ENVE’s offering still stands out as the most effective, durable and confidence-inspiring. The guys from ENVE had flown over especially to do some testing on products with the race teams and offer support to us – and, most importantly, to come riding with us!

is a day of getting it done! The customary fight for the gondola up and then skating down the muddy mountain to the bottom as the racers descend has been our routine for years; this time, however, we watched the whole race from the stand at the bottom.

Watching people slowly fill up the arena until not one inch of ground was visible was crazy. The noise level grew and grew as more and more people began squeezing as close to the finish line as possible.

With an amazing finale the racing finished and the hordes moved on, leaving us to slump back to our stand knowing the worst was to come: packdown. Just as we began to dismantle, like a sick joke, the only bit of rain all weekend decided to fall on us. With forced smiles we loaded the vans and headed home, already thinking about next year. We’re forever hooked on this place.

Quiet of anticipation Race day is always a curious mix of excitement and quiet. The anticipation of things to come – whether you’re a racer, team manager or spectator – is palpable. Racers rushing to get to the uplift, spectators looking to get the best views – it really

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ARD ROCK 2018 This is the best of UK mountain biking – a festival of shared riding that’ll inspire enough anecdotes to bend your mates’ ears for the rest of the year WORDS ROSS GRIMMETT PHOTOS ARD ROCK, FAYE STEWART AND ROOTS AND RAIN

Sitting in the M42 services, the quartet of Saddleback staffers heading north to Ard Rock were drinking coffee and trying to ignore the impending horros of the M1 leg of the journey.

The drive up always seems to be the Yin, to which our favourite event of the year is the Yang.

Parking up in the main arena early doors on Friday morning, a vast jump in numbers of attendees and other trade booths was apparent. The makings of a huge festival were well under way. Coffee vendors and eateries had started to put out their wares, and once fed and watered we set to, completing the booth that was to be home for the next few days.

I want to justify the use of favourite here, before I get shot down. Yes. Fort William is astonishing – the best mountain biking spectator event. A World Cup at Fort Bill is special, and is only eclipsed by the ultrarare World Champs at the same site. Way back in 2007, that still makes the hairs on my arms stand up when I think about it – Mr Hill, you absolute legend.

New additions By late Friday afternoon the snakes of cars and camper vans, lined up at the entrances to campsites the Ardrock organisers had set up, were probably visible from space – and certainly to the drones hovering high above the site. As night fell, we had many people come to our booth to hang out on the sofas, talk bikes and kit, admire our ENVE chandelier that was illuminating the place… and to talk about the ‘New Stage’!

But Ard Rock is the finest standalone UK event, in which us regular riders can take part as well as watch.

Coffee finished, it was time to brave the motorways.

It turns out, a large portion of the proceeding journey was a wonderful test of our the vans second gears, and occasionally the first too.

Pulling in to the event village, we were blown away by just how much its footprint had been pushed back, and the increase in number of the skeletal beginnings of all the vendor’s booths already on site.

Last year saw a sixth stage added to the five that had gone before. The newcomer was loved by all, being a mix of singletrack wiggling through open ground, previously quarried spoil heaps and finally through moorland to the finish. This year the course map revealed a seventh stage had been added, and to everyone’s delight it was to be raced blind, standing all riders in equal stead.

By dusk we had the vast majority of our stand constructed, despite the welcome interruptions of the hugs and handshakes of friends from the bike trade. Once we could no longer see properly, we cruised in the van to find our bunk house – avoiding hedgehogs and deer on the way.

Only a few stages could be pre-ridden and practised on Friday, with both recent additions off limits. On the map, the new stage was on the same side of the same hill as that of the year before. Assumptions were bandied around that it must be pretty similar, given it shared a similar loss in elevation too.

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Back on our booth very early Saturday, the organisers were already drumming up momentum over the loudspeakers and beginning to put out the instructions to the riders who would leave the start line first at just before 8am. The fastest guys, and those wishing to compete at the sharpest end of racing were all preparing to leave in the first few waves.

Bouldershaw Lane, which wound its way up above Langthwaite and up to the highest point around. At the summit the start gate for Stage 3 was tucked in behind a pile of debris from the long-closed quarries.

A rocky stage ensued and we all stood around waiting for the last man in our group as he was unusually far behind. A minute or so later we could make him out wheeling his bike, thankfully looking fine, but the body language visible even at that distance was not that of a happy chap. Once he got to down to us, we could see that thanks to sharp rocks, the air was no longer where he had put it earlier, inside his back tyre. Thankfully the organisers had anticipated this, with one of the sponsors, Maxxis, generously helping out riders like our friend from a van parked below the stage finish.

I’d had the foresight to take the Saturday off work so as to race the main event – for us, an annual pilgrimage – along with five friends. The rest of the Saddleback team had our booth under control.

My bunch of mates and I were due to depart a little over 40 minutes behind the first riders – who were in no danger of being caught up by us!

Flying start As soon as we watched the transponders on our wrists light up to show that timing was live, we pedalled out, and immediately one of our group decided he needed the loo again.

With a new tyre installed we cracked on, having eaten our fill of the Haribo and energy bars laid on by the Ard Rock team.

The next stage was familiar to us all, having featured in all previous Ard Rocks, and was as loved as ever. The transition afforded wonderful views, with the huge line of riders making their way up to the Stage 3 start showing just how many people were out on the hills. Participants were leaving the arena every couple of minutes from 8am right through to well after midday.

This is Ard Rock. Mates riding together, without the pressure of national series racing, without tight transitions times, without predetermined gaps between racers on stages. It’s the biggest group ride you can image, on the finest – mostly private – trails around. Only very local riders have a proper heads up as to what they’ll be racing on, and even they can’t ride the vast majority of the Ard Rock route.

Next came Stage 5, the newcomer, and it was indeed related to the previous year’s debutant, tracking the same contours and following similar terrain.

It proved a blast, rewarding those who could stay standing and pedalling hard the longest. Stage 6 meanwhile was unchanged from the previous year, ending in a gully run that conjured up comparisons to bobsleighs and the Star Wars films.

Once our faff was over, we headed off and out to the first road climb, joining the procession of riders winding up a lane called Hard Stiles. No one was left in doubt of the appropriateness of the name.

With the first two stages completed, all of my group managing to stay on their bikes, and the starting order and gaps between riders refined, we pedalled off on the transition up the valley. We passed the small holding called Booze and tracked the low waters of Arkle Beck.

Last but not least, Stage 7 was a favourite to many, and from the start queue offered another cracking view of the festival and the campsites clinging to its perimeter. A temporary town of mountain bikers, there to share incredible trails and experiences with friends they had never met before – inspiring tales to recant in the pub over the next 364 days. Ard Rock, we love you: this is the best of British mountain biking – and a race only if you want it to be.

As we entered the village of High Green, the Red Lion, and the hordes of riders outside, gave us all a cunning plan. Many nourishing crisps and drinks later, we set back to it and started the winch up

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WORDS: DANIEL OAKSHOTT ALL PHOTOS: JOBY SESSIONS

FRESH PRODUCE

CASTELLI ELEMENTO W JACKET/ELEMENTO VEST The Elemento W Jacket is inspired by Puffa jackets, but Castelli has made the cycling equivalent: super warm at minimal weight. The construction is similar to that of an insulated alpine shell, with an insulation layer between the inner and outer layers. It’s slightly air-permeable, helping moisture inside evaporate. The Elemento vest is light, packable and warm, yet prevents overheating. Again, permeable fabrics allow a little air in, while synthetic down insulation keeps your core warm. It feels like a mountaineering jacket but weighs next to nothing.

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FRESH PRODUCE

TROY LEE DESIGNS STAGE HELMET Winner of a Eurobike 2018 Gold Award, the Stage is the lightest full-face helmet on the market, weighing in at only 690g. Built to be light, without sacrificing safety, the extensively vented Stage is kitted out with MIPS technology and an Exoskeleton-reinforced chinbar. The Fidlock magnetic buckle system and a precision safety-fit system enable riders to create their perfect, tailored fit thanks to the three jaw pad sizes, two neck pad sizes and two comfort liners.

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FRESH PRODUCE

SIDI SHOT PRO – LIMITED EDITION The limited edition Pro version of the Shot contains all the bells and whistles seen on the standard Shot road shoe, but offers riders that little dash of pro flair. From the all-black heel cup, to the white and silver upper, the Shot oozes class and was the choice of Chris Froome for 2018 Tour de France. The Double Tecno 3 Push System, centrally positioned on the tongue, means the upper of the shoe hugs the foot from either side for an incredible fit. Meanwhile the Vent Carbon Sole is super stiff for the optimum power transfer the pros need.

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FRESH PRODUCE

ENVE M7 SERIES From the hole count in the rims, to the carbon laminate used to create their structure, every aspect of the M7 series is tuned with enduro riding in mind. The protective strip on the M7 rims offers superior protection against pinch flats and rim damage, as well as allowing for lower pressures for superior traction. The M7 bars come in 10, 25 or 40mm rise options to handle the variety in demand across riders. The M7 stems are zero rise, have no-gap for consistent clamping, come with titanium hardware and include 35, 50 and 65mm options.

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FRESH PRODUCE

3T TORNO CRANK & OVERDRIVE/BAILOUT CASSETTE 3T’s Torno Crank is a weight-weenie’s dream. Fully carbon, single-ring specific and with an integrated carbon axle and spider, it’s all about aerodynamics. Wolf Tooth has a range of custom chainrings for pairing with the Torno. The Overdrive and Bailout 11-speed cassettes, meanwhile, range from nine to 32 teeth, but the spacing varies between the two models. The Overdrive jumps from 11 to 9 at the high end for when you want to put the power down, while the Bailout jumps from 26 to 32 at the low end offering, yep, a bailout on trickier climbs.

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FRESH PRODUCE

SILCA HX & MARATONA First and foremost, Silca’s people are cyclists. That’s why everything they produce is built to be functional, beautiful and to last a lifetime. The Silca HX-Two and HX-Three toolkits are perfect for when you are on the go but need those essential-size hex keys to ensure everything is just-so before and after the ride. For those on their travels, the Maratona gear bag is the perfect blend of style and practicality. It has a wealth of pockets for organising kit, with space to bring the kitchen sink if needed, yet meets carry-on luggage requirements.

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TOP FIVE

TOP FIVE Nicola Lazzari, general manager at 3T Cycling, casts a glad eye over some of the Italian marque’s most beautiful, functional and innovative designs 3

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M U TA N T STEM

One of the first cycling products to win a design award in the late 90s, the Mutant stem got the jury to state: “We don’t understand it, but it’s beautiful”. Later on, they also compared it to a sculpture. Its beauty is in part thanks to a hot-forged process called ‘fibering’, which optimises aluminum crystals according to stress lines. The Mutant is a wonderful expression of aesthetics and innovation – which remain key elements of 3T’s genetic makeup.

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S C AT T O BAR

Having Olympic gold medallists buying your product at full retail price is unusual – but it happens with the Scatto, one of the most consistently appreciated products in 3T’s range. It’s been in our line-up for seven years, during which time we only changed the graphics.

Pretty much every track rider uses it, often covering the 3T logo. Creating the stiffest, most aero track bar wasn’t easy, but finding a better product seems even harder!

Another example of our relentless focus on excellence and performance.

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R E VO AEROBAR

Reinventing aerobars is another difficult task, but a few years back we figured that it was about time to shift the paradigm and combine safety and control with aerodynamics. We achieved that objective with this beauty, which delivers the same aerodynamic drag as the best-performing aerobars while offering a superior level of safety and comfort and unparalleled adjustability. It’s a demonstration of our will to tick all boxes and offer the best with no compromise.

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04

E X P LO R O FRAME

Everyone is jumping onboard the gravel ship, but no one else made the steps 3T did with Exploro. Instead of having just a gravel bike, we offer an all-terrain multipurpose beauty that delivers comfort to go anywhere… fast! That’s because we brought the aero concept to the gravel world, allowing you to save extra watts. It’s one more reason that helps us stand out and be different, with a unique product everyone loves. I’m the proud owner of an Exploro and I love its versatility and performance wherever I am.

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S T R A DA FRAME

At 3T we love to be first; to shock the world with products for connoisseurs who understand how bikes will be in the future.

We think the Strada is the ultimate expression of this commitment to innovation, from its widetyre optimisation to an aerodynamic approach that shapes the frame according to the tyre profile and to the 1x statement. I love it, because it’s great to usher in the future of cycling while getting rid of all the unnecessary stuff.

AT H L E T E S U C C E S S

ATHLETE SUCCESS

RETURNS FROM INJURY, FRESH SPILLS AND PODIUM GLORY – IT’S BEEN A FEW MONTHS OF BREATHLESS UPS AND DOWNS FOR THE INTENSE RACING UK TEAM Needless to say it’s been a hectic few months for all members of the Intense Racing UK team, as race season gets fully into the swing of things. After a long winter off the bike due to a horrific injury – which you may have read about in the last incycle – Joe Breeden came back to round two of the National DH series at Fort William to podium in second place and has since been easing his way up the World Cup field.

Sam Flockhart’s hard work through the winter has also been paying off, with him showing great consistency in the UK Gravity Enduro – which sadly announced it was cancelling its last two rounds due to financial pressures, just as incycle was going to press. Sam took fourth in what proved to be the series’ swansong, at Afan in late June.

Our newest team member, Morgan Tyrrell, had some great pre-season races with team manager Olly Morris, building his speed on the Intense M16 and taking seventh in juniors at the Fort William World Cup in June. He’s since taken a crash, putting him out for six to eight weeks – we’re gutted for him, but it’s all part of learning the art.

At the other end of the spectrum meanwhile, hardened old pro Andrew Titley can’t seem to leave the podium alone, including a run of late spring veteran-category wins at the Nationals in Cwmcarn, the first round of the UKGE at Innerleithen and the Steel City DH. Not bad for a month’s work.

Last but not least, team manager Olly is not confining himself to looking after the stable – he’s back at World Cup events, having raced Croatia and Andorra, and by the time you read this may also have got La Bresse under his belt.

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TWENTY QUESTIONS

ALISON REITTER ENVE’s first-ever ecommerce director discusses climbs that make you want to puke, surviving a neck break, and the beauty of falling autumn leaves 1. Who is Alison Reitter?

I am a free spirit who was raised in central Wisconsin. After school, I moved myself to the mountains to chase that ‘Rocky Mountain High’. I live simply, always try to have a joke handy, and work as hard as I play. In addition to cycling, I’m a yogi, skier, and backpacker.

10. What piece of ENVE kit couldn’t you live without?

My SES 5.6 Disc wheelset is my favourite ENVE item. They’re hella fast, climb well, and even though I’m a petite rider, I don’t get blown around.

11. What’s the fastest you’ve ever been on a bike?

I’m certainly not going to break any land speed records. I tickled 50mph one time on a local Utah descent, and that was about as fast as I ever care to go!

2. How did you find your way into the cycling industry?

When I was in college I wanted to try something new, and joined the UWMadison Cycling Club. I liked talking bikes and started working in bike shops shortly after getting my first real road bike. I worked in sales and as a bike fitter. When I finished up with school, I wanted my professional career to include cycling. I applied to work at ENVE, and the rest is history.

12. What training session do you always look forward to?

Every Wednesday I head down to Salt Lake City and ride something I’ve never ridden before. It’s really more of a ‘scheduled excuse to explore’, but usually contains a killer climb, and a sprint to beat the setting sun.

3. How would you describe yourself as an athlete?

I’m currently on an endurance kick. When I’m out on the bike, pedalling for 5-8 hours is becoming the norm.

13. Who’s your cycling hero/heroine?

Greg Minnaar.

14. Which is your favourite season for cycling?

Fall is my favourite season to ride! The temps cool down, the trees turn bright red, orange, and yellow, and the rain returns to moisten up the trails. My fondest memory was following a friend down a descent. Right before the final drop, he tapped a tree as he passed, and shower of leaves fell as I was riding.

4. What inspires you to ride your bike?

The desire to be present in the moment. The road/trail doesn’t care if I had a good day or a bad day, and it won’t change to suit my mood. That’s a beautiful excuse to let go of everything extraneous, and just focus on the ride.

5. What’s your proudest moment in cycling?

Completing the Park City Point2Point. This is a local mountain endurance race, which I signed up for quite literally on a whim. The race is 75 miles long with more than 12,000ft [3,700m] of climbing. Long story short, it was tough – I thought I was going to puke most of the time – and I now proudly sip beverages from my participation pint glass.

15. What can you do better than anyone else you know?

I build the fire when camping. Tipi, lean-to, log cabin, I can do them all – and usually get it started with one match.

16. Are you a data junkie or do you prefer to ride by feel?

I absolutely ride by feel. I do carry a Garmin to track mileage/elevation for ride testing, but I really only look at that once a month. I have an analogue clock on my mountain bike, but the battery is dead. It died at 5pm, and I left it as a reminder that it’s always five o’clock somewhere.

6. What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you on a bike?

When I crashed and broke my neck. I was working on some doubles, and undershot the last one in a sequence. I was launched off my bike, Supermanned, and broke the fall with my head. I vividly remember coming back to consciousness, and my thoughts came in this order: 1) “I’m alive, oh my mom is going to be so mad” 2) “I can wiggle my toes, alright, I’m not paralysed” 3) “Can I scream? Everything will be OK if I can scream”.

17. What’s your all-time favourite movie?

Spaceballs! It’s the first ‘adult’ movie my parents let me watch. As a result, they have the fond memory of their four-year-old daughter running down the stairs screaming, “We ain’t found s**t!”

7. Where’s your favourite place in the world to ride and why?

Asheville, North Carolina has phenomenal road, gravel, and mountain riding. The views are breathtaking, the climbs are always worth it, and the post-ride beers are oh so tasty.

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I wish I could carry a tune. Singing is one of my favourite ways to pass the time, but I usually keep that lack of talent to myself, or participate at an inaudible level. My singing makes dogs cry.

8. What’s the best thing about your job?

ENVE is still a growing company, and I’m the first person to hold the ecommerce manager position. There’s a lot of room to look at the original processes and to figure out how we can now make them more efficient.

19. What’s your ultimate post-ride meal?

Bottomless grilled cheese with sliced dill pickles and tomato soup. I have dreams about this on long rides.

20. When you’re not on your bike where’s your favourite place to be?

Camping with my pup Veda, preferably by a river. I’ve picked up fly fishing, and Veda’s getting used to water. The combination of my learning to cast, and her jumping in the water, bellyflop-style, is pretty entertaining.

9. What’s your all-time favourite bike?

My Juliana Roubion. She’s such a fun bike to ride – I’m now down to only one mountain bike. And she’s bright yellow!

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PICS JOBY SESSIONS

STYLE GUIDE

As summer lingers on, we take key winter collections from Castelli and TLD to the beach This winter, Castelli is complementing understated tones with bright, geometric fluoros and bold block shades. By contrast, Troy Lee Designs has turned the volume down – on some of its pieces at least – with monochrome and pastels joining those signature loud and proud primary colours.

CASTELLI NEL MEZZO ROS JERSEY £180 / NANOFLEX PRO 2 BIBTIGHT £190 / SIDI SHOT SHOE £350 TLD MENS D3 FIBERLITE HELMET £200 / SPRINT METRIC LS JERSEY £50 / SPRINT METRIC PANT £115 / AIR GLOVE £28.50 TLD WOMENS A2 STAR HELMET £150 / RUCKUS JERSEY £55 / RUCKUS SHORT £95 / AIR GLOVE £35

CASTELLI CIELO JERSEY FS £100 / LW BIBTIGHT £130 / HEAD THINGY £20 TLD MENS A1 MIPS HELMET £120 / CLUTCH SHIRT £25 / CONNECT SHORT £60 TLD WOMENS A2 MIPS HELMET £150 / SKYLINE JERSEY £50 / SKYLINE SHORT £65 / ACE 2.0 GLOVE £28.50

CASTELLI MENS ALPHA ROS LIGHT JACKET £220 / NANOFLEX PRO 2 BIBTIGHT £190 / SIDI SHOT £350 CASTELLI WOMENS ALPHA ROS LIGHT JACKET £210 / CHIC TIGHTS £95 TLD MENS A2 PINSTRIPE HELMET £150 / SKYLINE JERSEY £50 / SKYLINE SHORT £65 / ACE 2.0 GLOVE £28.50 / KNEE SPEED SLEEVES £50

CASTELLI MENS LEFT ALPHA ROS JACKET £275 / NANOFLEX PRO 2 BIBTIGHT £190 / PROSECCO R LS PRINT £69.98 / HEAD THINGY £20 CASTELLI MENS RIGHT GABBA 3 £150/ PREMIO BIBSHORT £185 / GREGGE 15 SOCK £16 / SIDI SHOT SHOE £350 CASTELLI WOMENS ALPHA ROS JACKET £260 / SORPASSO TIGHT £130 / PROSECCO R LS PRINT £65 / HEAD THINGY £20 / SINERGIA 18 SOCK £14

TECH ROSS GRIMMETT | TECHNICAL PRODUCT SPECIALIST

SETTING UP A STAGES LR POWER METER CRANKSET YOU’VE PURCHASED A TOUR DE FRANCE-WINNING PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY. HERE’S HOW TO GET IT WORKING AS IT SHOULD

It has also just helped Team Sky win the Tour de France for the fourth consecutive year. Stages’ own tried-and-tested left-hand power meters,

1 The first thing to do with your new crankset while it’s still factory clean and easy to handle, is to remove the battery isolator tags that are factory-fitted to save battery drain while the unit is shipped to the UK from Colorado. Neither of these tags are the pull-cord types – the battery doors need removing to extract the tags, and pulling on them can damage the electronics’ battery terminals.

4 Next it’s the turn of the drive-side crankset to have its isolator tag removed. This one requires a small crosshead screwdriver to undo the two screws that hold the cover shut. Undo each screw fully and lift the screws out, and set them aside. Once the cover is off, the battery can be lifted out with your nail, and the isolator tag removed. Drop the battery back in, with the writing and ‘+’ symbol facing upwards, then position the cover squarely down over the battery, and reinstall each screw until they snug down firmly – bearing in mind the housing and cover are made from plastic.

built on Shimano cranksets, have been around a few years now, and the housings and firmware have progressed and evolved wonderfully. They were joined earlier this year by the corresponding right-hand crankset, with a familiar pod nestled between the chainrings. Purchasing the complete crankset with rings, if you are upgrading your road bike, makes total sense now that the

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cranksets come with Shimano chainrings too.

I won’t go over the full install guide to fitting a Shimano crankset – Shimano itself covers this wonderfully on its own Tech Docs website (si. shimano.com) What I would like to do is go over some of the key things to get you on your way with a Stages LR crankset, to make the install as painless as possible.

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With the left-hand crank, use your nail to rotate the battery cover’s tab in the direction of the open arrow, and once open lift out the battery and extract the isolator tag. Drop the battery back into its pocket in the same orientation as you found it – writing on the battery facing upwards.

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Make certain the yellow O-ring is sat back down in its groove evenly, drop the battery cover back into its home, with the tab you push with your nail aligned to the open position. Press the door down gently until seated, and use your nail to rotate the door tab round in the opposite direction to the open arrow, to lock it shut.

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Next, put Shimano’s excellent documentation to use and install the crankset into your bike’s bottom bracket, using quality tools and a torque wrench to tighten the bolts to Shimano’s specified values. Gently rotate the installed crank, making sure that the pod on the back of the left hand crank arm clears your bike’s chainstay or possibly under-chainstay mounted brake calliper. If everything is good and the clearance is fine, then install your pedals now, into the greased threads of your new crankset.

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At this point you can pretty much put your tools away, get the kettle on, and wash your hands.

Next up is the part carried out using the Stages app on your mobile device. First of all, search for the free StagesPower app on your chosen app store, and install it.

PHOTOS: MIKE HALL

Stages Power LR is one of the cleanest ways to obtain both left and right power data while maintaining the look of a groupset-matched crankset on your bike.

TECH

7 If you’re adding just the right-hand crank to your existing left-hand Stages crank, you will need to link the two together. Should you have bought an LR setup, it’s worth checking they are linked anyway. Fire up the free app on your mobile, and give the installed cranks a couple of spins to be certain they are ‘awake’.

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Select both the left- and right-hand cranks from the list of items in your ‘discoverable device’ list within the app. Then select ‘connect’. On the main screen of the app, hit the ‘link’ button – this will connect the left- and right-hand electronics.

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Once linked into a complete LR unit, only the left hand arm’s ANT+ ID (find this on the sticker on the pod on the left arm, and on the card in the packaging) will be visible to your chosen head unit. Don’t worry – it may have a single ID, but your head unit will see the data from both left and right arms.

FOOD DECLAN DEEHAN | MARKETING MANAGER & EX-CHEF

PAN FRIED SEA BASS, GRILLED ASPARAGUS, SMOKED HOLLANDAISE

PHOTOS: JOBY SESSIONS

CRISPY-SKINNED FISH MEETS AN INDULGENT ACCOMPANIMENT FOR AN IDEAL POST-RIDE TREAT

INGREDIENTS SEA BASS FILLET, BONED AND SCALED; ASPARAGUS; 2 EGG YOLKS; 3TBSP WHITE WINE VINEGAR; 200G UNSALTED BUTTER; 1 LEMON; SMOKED SEA SALT

One of the great things about a light, healthy fish dish is that you can be a bit naughty with your accompaniments. In this case I have gone with a smoked hollandaise. It’s easier than you think, and you can have what looks like a complicated dish in just 20 minutes – perfect when you’re in late after an evening ride.

THE HOLLANDAISE

This is a great treat once in a while, providing you’ve put in the miles to deserve it, and can be a relatively simple affair. For breaky, or in this case as a great accompaniment for our fish dish, it’s a very versatile sauce.

Let’s keep things simple and go with a foolproof method. Melt 200g of unsalted butter in a microwave. We want it to be warm and fully melted, but not hot. You can skim fats from the butter at this stage then set it aside.

Now take a saucepan, fill one-third full with water and bring to the boil. Take a bowl that fits nicely on top of the pot but doesn’t drop too far into the pan – we don’t want it touching the boiling water; we’re just using the steam underneath to heat it.

To the bowl add the egg yolks and 2tbsp of white wine vinegar. Traditionally, a vinegar reduction

with shallots would be used, but we’re keeping things straightforward. Once you’ve got the method dialled in you can get more creative.

With the bowl over the pot and the gas off, whisk the egg yolks and vinegar until they start to thicken to form an emulsion. Remove the bowl from the top of the pot and start slowly trickling the melted butter in while whisking. If the mix thickens too much before the butter is added, add a teaspoon of hot water from the pan to thin the texture. Continue to add the butter slowly until you have a smooth, velvety sauce.

Season with a good quality smoked sea salt and a touch of pepper.

TOP TIP If you add tarragon at this stage, you would have béarnaise sauce, which is a great accompaniment for steak.

THE SEA BASS

There are a few different ways to achieve crispyskinned goodness on your sea bass. First, use a sharp knife to equally space some incisions all the way along the skin side of your fillet. This will give you the best chance of getting that magical brown flaky finish. Heat a pan up with a little olive oil, place the fillet in it skin side down, and

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using a fish slice hold it down for the first 10 to 15 seconds. This will stop the fish from curling up.

Don’t be tempted to move the fish – leave it in the same spot. Add a little knob of butter and continue to cook for three to four minutes. Using your fish slice, turn the seabass fillet over and place under the grill for a further minute to finish off that beautiful colour and crispy skin.

THE ASPARAGUS

You can simply grill your asparagus, but I like to get as much flavour out of my ingredients as possible. So, when I’m treating myself, I add my asparagus to the pan with the seabass along with the butter and let it finish under the grill.

This gives a slightly charred, crisp outer that’s mouthwateringly perfect.

While plating, use the same pan to char a halved lemon, which will give great balance when accompanied with the smoked hollandaise. You can garnish with some micro herbs and radish to finish the dish.

This is a treat when accompanied with the hollandaise, though you can switch it for healthier options like a tomato salsa. It’s all about balance for the body and mind – and how many calories you’ve burned during your ride. Enjoy!

FOOD

TRAIN BENJAMIN SHARP | STAGES POWER EDUCATION EXPERT

FEELING THE POWER TRAINING WITH POWER CAN BE DAUNTING AT FIRST. HERE WE TALK YOU THROUGH GETTING TO GRIPS WITH THE NEW METRIC, USING STAGES POWER METERS

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE A NEW STAGES POWER METER (WELL, AT LEAST I HOPE YOU DO). THIS ARTICLE IS INTENDED FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE TAKEN THE POWER PLUNGE AND AREN’T QUITE SURE WHERE TO BEGIN.

current power (3s average), lap power average, heart rate, elapsed ride time, lap time, cadence, and ride distance.

Yes, you have a new, super cool, super technical device on your bike but I can assure you that unlike when you install a new pair of ENVE 7.8s, upgrading to a Stages power meter will not make you inherently faster. Rather, a power meter is a tool and like most tools, requires a manual to get the most out of it.

My aim here is to give you some ideas of the first few steps on getting the best from your new power meter.

Before we head out for our first training ride with a new power meter, let’s review what it is we are measuring. Power is a measurement of how much energy is being used. Power is measured in watts and is one joule of energy per second. In simple terms, it is a measure of work being performed over time.

Using accelerometers and strain gauges, Stages power meters measure the rate (cadence) at which force is being applied to crankarms. As a cyclist, this means that changing either cadence or force will result in a change to the measured power. In other words, if riding along a flat, straight stretch of road at 200W, you could hypothetically be in a 52x15 at 90rpm or in your 39x15 at 120rpm.

Changing your cadence or gear combination (or both) will result in the power changing, provided all other factors remain the same (wind, terrain, road surface, body position, and so on).

Stages power meters measure force and position 64 times per second. Those force and position measurements are broadcast four times per second (as power) to your head unit recording device (hopefully one of the Stages Dash line of cycling computers). Once per second, your head unit will record that power value and depending on the settings, will display that value directly.

I recommend using a ‘3s power average’ for displaying power, given that the number tends to jump around a bit less. Despite the 3s average display, recording will still take place once per second.

GETTING STARTED

After carefully installing your Stages Power meter, setting up your Stages Dash (or other compatible head unit) and going through the zero reset procedure, go for a few rides.

SAMPLE POWER FILE WITH POWER (GREEN) HEART RATE (RED) AND ALTITUDE (GREY SHADOW) DISPLAYED

Also, take the time to make some observations about power. You will note that changes in intensity are reflected immediately with power. If you’ve been training with heart rate, you have probably noticed that heart rate can be slow to reflect changes in intensity. With power, we are measuring changes in output.

With heart rate, we are measuring changes in your body. As such, there is a delay in seeing those changes reflected by heart rate.

STEP 2: FUNCTIONAL THRESHOLD POWER (FTP)

Now that you are more comfortable with your power meter and how it works, it’s time for a little testing. At the local coffee shop or café, you’ve probably heard some of your teammates/friends/training partners mention ‘FTP’.

FTP refers to functional threshold power. The simplest way to define FTP is as the amount of work (in average watts) that you can do for an extended period of time – about an hour is the commonly accepted duration. FTP serves to define a physiological attribute through an easy, real-world measurement. For many coaches and training plans, the FTP calculation serves as the cornerstone

Yep, that’s it. No fancy intervals to follow. Rather, the goal is to start to create some context to understand how different power outputs ‘feel’ and to get an understanding of the typical power demands of some of your favourite courses.

Ideally you have a section of road on your favourite loop that you like to smash.

Smash it as per usual but after the fact (or while on your ride), observe the power demand of that section, again in the name of developing context. You can upload your file to the Stages Link website (stages-link.com) for analysis.

You can use these rides as an opportunity for creating and modifying display pages on your head unit. Some of my own favourite metrics to display are:

EXAMPLE RIDE DATA INCLUDING 20 MINUTE FTP TEST

TRAIN

for a variety of metrics, not the least of which is assigning training zones based on a percentage above and below calculated FTP.

(such as perceived exertion, terrain and so on) with previously unknown power and you have tested to find your sustainable or threshold power.

Testing for threshold power in the field is quite simple. Rather than trying to manage a longer test of an hour, or so, the generally agreed-upon protocol is to head out for a ride and get in a good warmup (maybe 20-30 minutes total).

Then, ride 20 minutes, all out, as hard as possible. Ideally this is done on a slight uphill that can be pedaled continuously for the entire 20 minutes. A couple of turns aren’t going to negatively impact the result. However, it is not advised to blow through stop signs.

Now it’s time to figure out what your goals are, and where they lie relative to your strengths and weaknesses, and to train accordingly. Fortunately, Stages Link has a tool for that! When you go to Stages Link you can use the plan generator tool to create a training plan that is custom designed for you and your needs.

Take some time to cool down then upon returning home, upload your file to your Stages Link. Take a look at the file and note what your highest 20-minute average power was for the effort. The number you averaged for that 20 minutes (for our example, let’s say 250W), is then multiplied by .95 in order to estimate what you would be able to manage for a longer duration, probably pretty close to an hour or so.

Under the drop down menu with your name (in the top right corner of any page in Link), choose ‘plans’. From there, you can choose to ‘find or build me a plan’. Simply answer the questions to the best of your ability and your calendar will be populated with a plan to meet your needs!

So the 250W average for 20 minutes would mean we estimate your threshold power to be about 237W. That value then becomes your FTP or estimated threshold power. Based on that value, we can then create training zones for you.

For every coaching philosophy, there is a different method to creating training zones. In Stages Link we break down training zones as shown to the right.

It’s worth noting that training zones below threshold are created based on a percentage below threshold power. Subsequently, training zones above threshold power are set at percentages above threshold power.

This is an important concept because it demonstrates that power is anchored in time. In other words, the shorter the intended duration, the higher the workload you can perform; and vice versa: the longer the duration, the lower the intensity that can be sustained.

STEP 3: TAILORING YOUR TRAINING

This is the fun part! You have now learned the ins and outs of how your power meter works. You have come to associate some known quantities and variables

SAMPLE TRAINING ZONES FOR SOMEONE WITH 237 WATT THRESHOLD POWER

Hopefully we’ve been able to mitigate the daunting task of starting to train with power. For many, it’s a new metric and it can seem intimidating to try to get started. Now you should have a better sense of what training with a power meter entails and you will be more efficient with your training time and able to target and achieve goals using a training plan.

Good luck with your training, and happy riding.

THE NEWS

TRAIN BEN PLENGE | MTB STRENGTH FACTORY

BUILDING ROBUST SHOULDERS COME OFF YOUR BIKE AND IT’S LIKELY YOUR SHOULDERS ARE GOING TO TAKE THE IMPACT HIT. HERE WE WORK THROUGH THREE EXERCISES THAT WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER CHANCE OF EMERGING UNSCATHED MOUNTAIN BIKING CAN BE A PRETTY DANGEROUS SPORT. ALL OF US WILL HAVE HAD THOSE MOMENTS WHERE WE SIMPLY RAN OUT OF TALENT, SWIFTLY EXITING OUT THE FRONT DOOR, DOWN A BANK, ARMS OUTSTRETCHED AND WAITING FOR IMPACT. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT – AND WHETHER OR NOT YOU GET INJURED – IS DOWN TO THREE THINGS: 1. SHOULDER MOBILITY 2. SHOULDER STRENGTH 3. LUCK!

Unfortunately even the strongest riders with the shoulder mobility of an Olympic gymnast can still get injured if the crash is hard or awkward enough. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive to build robust shoulders that can support us on and off

EXERCISES 1. Shoulder dislocates are a great

way to improve your posture and improve your mobility. Take a broom handle or light resistance band and hold it lightly with your hands double shoulder width apart.

Slowly raise the bar with straight arms and take it over your head to your lower back. Keep your stomach tight throughout. Return back to the start position, bringing the bar back over your head. If it is too easy then repeat with narrower hands.

Note: Do not do this if you have a history if shoulder dislocation or have had shoulder surgery.

the bike. Starting with shoulder mobility, that is the ability to move your arms, pain free in all directions and through a full range. For the average office worker who rides on the weekend, their posture is likely to be rounded and shoulders tight, restricting their ability to put their arms over head. This means that in a crash situation, landing on outstretched arms may take them out of their normal range, causing muscle and ligament tears or even more serious injuries like dislocations.

It is all very well, having flexible shoulders that can go in all directions, but if there is no strength in those positions then it is not much use at all. To absorb impacts and protect yourself from injury, you need to be strong in all directions, not just flexible. Flexibility plus strength equals mobility. Mobility equals robustness and less injuries.

Finally if you find a way to improve your levels of luck, then please let me know, but for now, you should try riding with your toes crossed and a lucky rabbit’s foot in your Camelbak.

THE NEWS

TRAIN 2. Dumbbell shoulder presses are

a classic exercise for developing shoulder strength. The dumbbells are less stable than a bar, so they make the stabilising muscles work harder, developing robustness.

Stand tall, with your bum and stomach tight and a flat back. Press the dumbbells up in an arc, so they nearly touch over head. Reverse the movement down to shoulder height.

Start with a light weight for 3x15 reps and as you grow stronger and more confident progress to heavier weights for 3x5-8 reps.

3. The plate halo mixes mobility

with strength work as you ‘roll’ the plate around your head, working your shoulders through a full range of motion. Stand tall, with your bum and stomach tight and a flat back, and take a weight plate and hold it in front of your head. Keeping your head totally still, move the plate around the back of your head and continue until it has done a full circle. Complete 10 clockwise circuits and 10 anti-clockwise, focusing on keeping the plate vertical throughout.

S TA G E 1 From the outset of this year’s Tour, it seemed like Thomas’s bad luck was deflected onto his competition. The day started in innocuous fashion, but a flurry of late crashes meant Richie Porte, Adam Yates and Nairo Quintana all lost time. Meanwhile, Chris Froome was edged out the side of the peloton and lost 51 seconds, adding fuel to the predicted power struggle between the Team Sky teammates.

THOMAS’S TOUR

NINE TOURS IN, GERAINT THOMAS LIVES UP TO THE POTENTIAL HE’S BEEN SHOWING ALL ALONG

WORDS TOM BALLARD PHOTOS JERED GRUBER

There can be no doubt the 2018 edition of the Tour de France had a worthy winner in Geraint Thomas.

Over the last decade, the Welshman has earned many fans thanks to his straight-talking honesty, dry wit and unquestionable talent on the bike.

While his progression to Grand Tour contender has been steady, it’s not been without drama: breaking his pelvis during the 2013 Tour yet riding on to the finish; the slow-motion replay of his head pinging off a telegraph pole at the 2015 Tour; lying broken after the peloton’s collision with a police motorbike at the 2017 Giro; or sitting battered nursing his collarbone on Stage 9 of the Tour later that year.

All this led to an image of the underdog, the unlikely victor – and the perfect rallying point for a British audience that went beyond the cycling obsessed.

Here’s where G’s potential finally came good.

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S TA G E 3 The team time trial on Stage 3 showed Team Sky’s cumulative strength that would be so crucial in the mountains. In a team packed with climbing talent, they were bested only by BMC Racing, meaning Thomas put time into Tom Dumoulin as well as Primož Roglič, who would become a player later in the race, and all his other competitors with the exception of Porte and Froome.

“IT WAS A BIT GUSTY… YOU’RE HAVING TO REALLY CHANGE YOUR TURNS DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE ON THE COURSE. IT CERTAINLY FAVOURS THE TEAMS THAT CAN RIDE WELL TECHNICALLY, AND THAT ARE QUITE EVEN AS WELL”

S TA G E 6 Thomas continued his strong ride on Stage 6. Dumoulin lost one minute 10 seconds with a mechanical and the drafting penalty that went with it while Froome lost another handful of seconds to his teammate. Thomas also took a couple of bonus seconds and by the end of the final climb up the Mûr de Bretagne, he was sitting in second place, two seconds off the lead but without the pressure of yellow.

“I WAS GOING FOR IT BECAUSE I SAW THE OPPORTUNITY. BUT I DON’T THINK ANYONE WILL LET ME GO. I’VE TRIED THREE TIMES NOW”

S TA G E 1 1 The road to La Rosiere gave Thomas the opportunity to test his own strength and that of his rivals. Rising to the challenge with aplomb, he chased down an attack from Dumoulin, distancing the rest of the group. Then, as Froome dropped the remainder of the favourites and found Dumoulin’s wheel, Thomas sprinted up the road to take his first mountain stage on the Tour. With the victory came the yellow jersey, a one minute 25 second lead and the effective leadership of Team Sky, even if Thomas wouldn’t admit that himself.

“FOR ME IT WAS JUST AN AMAZING DAY… WHATEVER HAPPENS NOW IS A BONUS, THIS RACE HAS BEEN AMAZING FOR ME SO FAR. IT WILL BE A SUCCESS WHATEVER HAPPENS NOW”

S TA G E 1 2 Having shown himself as the strongest GC rider the previous day, Thomas underlined the point by winning on what’s arguably the Tour’s most iconic mountain – Alpe d’Huez.

Reacting instantly to attacks from his rivals and even riding for Froome on the climb, the finale saw a sprint finish, which Thomas comfortably won to become the first Briton ever to win on the Alpe.

“HONESTLY I’M SPEECHLESS. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. NOT A CHANCE IN HELL I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO WIN TODAY… THIS IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE, CAN WE JUST GO TO PARIS NOW?”

S TA G E 1 7 For rivals holding on to the hope that Thomas was yet to prove himself over three full weeks of racing, Stage 17 must have proved disappointing. The attacks from Dumoulin and Roglic came on the final ascent of the Col du Portet, but the Welshman looked cool and in control, adding a final insult as he sprinted for the line to add five seconds to his lead plus a bonus four as Froome slipped down the order.

“I DON’T LET MYSELF THINK ABOUT IT. IT’S HONESTLY JUST DAY BY DAY”

S TA G E 1 9 The eve of the individual time trial was the last opportunity for Dumoulin and Roglic to pressure Thomas into crumbling.

When it came down to it, Thomas responded as he had all race – by riding coolly and covering the attacks with apparent ease. While Roglic managed to eke a lead out on the descent, dropping Froome off the podium, Thomas continued to assert himself as the strongest rider in the race, taking a further time bonus at the finish to increase his overall lead to two minutes five seconds.

“IT’S NEVER COMFORTABLE. EVEN TODAY, WE KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE HARD AND IT WAS SUPER HARD. TOMORROW’S GOING TO BE SUPER HARD AS WELL”

S TA G E 2 0 The individual time trial was the final test before Paris and barring catastrophe, Thomas was assured the overall win. It initially looked as if he was gunning for another stage win, setting the fastest time at the first and second checkpoints, before lowering his pace towards the finish. Third on the stage behind Dumoulin and Froome – who moved back to third overall, Thomas beat his chest as he crossed the line, worthy winner of the 2018 Tour de France.

“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. I’M WELLING UP, MAN. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. IT’S JUST... OVERWHELMING. I DIDN’T THINK ABOUT IT ALL RACE, AND NOW SUDDENLY... I WON THE TOUR, MAN!”

L U C A S H AW

THE YOUNG AMERICAN I N L U C A S HAW , T H E U S HA S A N E W D O W N H I L L H E R O IN THE MAKING. BUT AS HE FOUND OUT IN ANDORRA, THE PA T H T O G R E A T N E S S I S N ’ T A LWAY S E A S I L Y N AV I G A T E D WORDS RIC MCLAUGHLIN PICS SVEN MARTIN

At 1,900m above sea level, high in the eastern Pyrenees, the weather rolls in and out like a train.

The added altitude seems to make the sun that shines over Andorra beat down with that little extra intensity, and when it rains it seems to do so with a slightly harder edge. One such high-velocity deluge has just finished, and already the damp stains across the asphalt are receding in the heat.

Luca Shaw slumps his tall frame into a chair in a side room, out of view from the general public, within the Santa Cruz Syndicate pit, a jumbled collection of red easy-ups and team vehicles. The weather, like most things, appears to be of little consequence to Shaw whose work, for today at least, is done.

“I used to think two seconds wasn’t that much, but these days it’s starting to feel like a lot,” he smiles.

The Mercedes-Benz UCI World Cup season has already crested the halfway point and is now picking up pace towards the finals in La Bresse, France, at the end of August. For the first time in what feels like an age (it is in fact only three race weekends), someone has stopped Amaury Pierron’s succession of time sheet topping runs – and that someone was Shaw.

The qualifying session went perfectly for Luca and, for the third time in 2018, he went fastest. Vallnord is a famously unforgiving and unrelentingly steep freefall of a track. Precision and confidence are perhaps more important here than anywhere else. Under the heat of qualifying and the changeable conditions, the kid from Hendersonville, North Carolina stood up to the pressure with what is now becoming trademark ease.

SMILING UNDER PRESSURE There is an element of downhill racing that precipitates among riders a Top Gun-esque need for chestpuffing. Everyone who straps on a number board at a World Cup is there because they genuinely believe themselves to be the fastest in the world. For tonight, that person is Shaw.

But he’s never really been one for chest-puffing. The Luca Shaw who coolly dispatches word-perfect interviews as he alights from the gondola is exactly the same as the one who’ll quietly and evenly deal with post-race questions, usually with a freshly-won bunch of flowers in his hand. He’s polite, affable and just a couple of notches above bashful.

“I think it comes from me just enjoying racing,” he states simply when asked about his propensity for smiling under pressure.

“I enjoy the stress and the nerves that come from it – to me, it’s just exciting,” he adds. “I don’t feel like I need to hype myself up or calm myself down too much. I sort of just go with the flow and kind of use that adrenaline in the right way.

“I try and save all my energy for focusing on that run, not wasting energy worrying about it all day,” Luca goes on. “That approach works for me. It’s really important that I stay consistent and not to be too up or too

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down, just to stay on an even keel. I don’t really think it’d be possible if I wasn’t enjoying racing, maybe if I wasn’t then I’d be much more stressed out – I’m having the time of my life, so it’s pretty easy to stay relaxed!”

UP TO SPEED It’s an approach that is obviously working. One by one, elite-level riders roll by the flapping door and shout their congratulations.

“That was the first run that I really felt up to speed this weekend,” Luca confesses, running a hand through his short-cropped dark brown hair.

“I’ve been hitting sections and feeling good but haven’t really been hitting full runs. I did a timed run yesterday and it felt good, then today it just somehow clicked. I didn’t really make any mistakes and just felt smooth and fast so, yeah, I’m stoked to be first.”

Shaw’s earlier comment about the abnormality of the size of the margin back to second is telling. When sports historians look back at the 2018 season it’ll be perhaps memorable for two things. The first is the shrinking of the already tight time gaps between the top 20 and the second will be the average age of that top 20 – the new generation has finally arrived.

“These days times are so close – everything is marginal now,” Luca shrugs matter of factly. “You look at the line as we’re waiting to drop in to qualis and the amount of guys that I raced as a junior who are in that top 10… it’s pretty cool to be part of that new wave.

“Especially with Amaury [Pierron] killing it, Laurie [Greenland], Loris [Vergier] and I, Thomas (Estaque)… there are so many from my junior year and from before and after me,” he goes on. “It’s genuinely exciting to be part of that and it’s good for the fans too – it’s good to have fresh faces on the podium.”

WAITING TO WIN Out of those listed, Pierron has been the revelation of the year so far. He took his first three career wins in a row from Fort William to Val di Sole and at the time of writing held the UCI World Cup leaders jersey.

Like Shaw he is just 22, and if you were in the business of writing pantomime rivalry scripts it would be hard not to play the two against each other. Where Shaw is reserved yet affable, Pierron has a touch of the extrovert, a certain Gallic flamboyance. Where the American is smooth and controlled, the Frenchman is loose and riotous. Crucially however, Shaw has qualified fastest three times whereas Pierron has won three times. Does it frustrate the young American having to wait his turn?

“It’s not too hard to wait for that first win,” Luca sighs, clearly having either considered it or having been asked about it before.

“I think it’s all positives really. I feel like if things had gone my way a couple of times then I could’ve already have gotten a win this year – but there’s still plenty of racing to come and, honestly, I’m not thinking about it at all. To me it just proves that I’m going about it the right way and that I’m on the right path. I just need to focus on me and on doing what I’m doing, improving and I think that it will come.”

America had to wait a long time for Aaron Gwin. The Californian’s 2011 overall title was, almost unbelievably, the first for the nation hailed as having invented mountain biking. That win started the ball rolling, however, and just as Steve Peat and Tracy Moseley’s success proved for the British scene throughout the early 2000’s, inspiration can be a powerful thing.

“Since I’ve been in the scene and racing World Cups, in terms of Americans, it’s really only been Aaron on the podium and in the top 20 really,” Luca says.

“ I D ON ’ T F E E L L I K E I N E E D TO H Y P E M YSE L F U P OR C A L M M YSE L F D OW N TO O M U C H . I S ORT OF J U ST G O W I T H T H E F L OW A N D U SE T HAT A DR E NA L I N E I N T H E R IG H T WAY ”

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“So it feels like over the last couple of years we’ve been slowly getting better and better – and now this year it’s been good for us,” he observes of the emergence of the new breed of US racers that includes names such as his own and those of Charlie Harrison and Bruce Klein.

“I feel like there’s a couple of good guys who’ve gotten good opportunities on teams, and now it’s really paying off for them,” Luca adds.

REVERED AND RESPECTED Racing for a US-based team is obviously a happy patriotic bonus but the fact that the Santa Cruz Syndicate are among the most revered and respected outfits in the pits no doubt helps even more.

Greg Minnaar, the greatest downhiller of all time, is still right at the sharp end of things and 2009 world champ Steve Peat has been charged with helping to progress both Shaw and his team-mate, Frenchman Loris Vergier.

“I love being on the Syndicate. I mean, it felt like home, last year, straight away, but this year I’m just enjoying myself and being at the races with the team even more,” Luca smiles.

“It’s such a good atmosphere and we all help each other. I have zero complaints – I love it. It’s my place.

Sometimes I have to pinch myself a bit that these two guys are my mentors,” he says.

“I’m super lucky to have their advice and guidance and on top of that I think I’ve become good friends with them and it’s cool to just hang out and talk about stuff other than bike racing.”

“We’re all at a similar level,” he continues. “We’re all going fast and pushing for that top spot, and so that just raises the bar for each of us and, for me, that’s really important.” That sense of competition, he adds, brings “a little more edge and something extra” out of each rider.

The thorny issue of tactics for the following day’s race run are raised and where some riders in his position may make light with a throw away ‘maximum attack’ comment, Luca is, typically for him, more measured.

“I just want to do my best run – whether that’s good enough for the win or the podium I’ll be stoked. It’s just like any other race; just try and have a good, clean, mistake-free run,” he says.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I’d have it in me to beat Pierron after timed training yesterday. He’s been on a tear and he’s just riding so well and so confidently. I don’t know how his run was, maybe he crashed, who knows, but first place is always what you’re striving for!”

ENDURING THE RAIN For the third time in 2018, Luca Shaw would be left frustrated once race day came around. This time, as in Leogang, it was a crash that would spell disaster.

Finn Iles, who started early, was the first to have dipped below his qualifying time. But it was his teammate Loris Vergier who would claim an emotional debut victory with a stellar run.

Downhill racing is a fickle sport – the whole time we had chatted after qualifying, Vergier had been sat in darkness having locked himself in the back of one of the team’s trailers. His qualifier had been a missed opportunity when he knew he had much more to give. Twenty four hours later he was soaked in champagne and tears, almost in equal measure, hugging friends and family.

Luca’s time will come though – of that there is no doubt. He simply needs to endure the rains a few more times before he can make good of the light.

“I T F E LT L I K E HOM E L A ST Y E A R , ST R A IG H T AWAY – BU T T H I S Y E A R I ’ M J U ST E N J OY I N G M YSE L F A N D B E I N G AT T H E R AC E S W I T H T H E T E A M E V E N M OR E”

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SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS SUPPORT THE BIGGEST TEAMS IN THE SPORT – WE TAKE A LOOK AT HOW THEY FARED AT THE TOUR DE FRANCE WORDS TOM BALLARD PICS BETTINI AND JERED GRUBER

THE 2018 TOUR DE FRANCE HAS COME AND GONE – THE SPRINTS, BREAKAWAYS, CRASHES, CLOSE CALLS, TIME TRIALS, SUMMIT FINISHES AND RAPID DESCENTS GIFTING US ALL THE SPECTACULAR RACING ACTION AND DRAMATIC SCENERY WE’VE COME TO EXPECT FROM THE WORLD’S BIGGEST BICYCLE RACE.

Once again, the Tour also provided a showcase of Saddleback’s brands, shown amid the peloton and shared among cycling’s top teams. Here’s the rundown of which Saddleback brands and products helped the peloton wend their way through France this July.

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TEAM SKY SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS: CASTELLI, SIDI, STAGES POWER METERS

Team Sky had another spectacular showing at the Tour this year, with Geraint Thomas providing just the right blend of strength, consistency and strategy to secure yellow – along with a pair of back-to-back wins in the Alps. On top of that, Chris Froome took third – the second time this decade that two British riders have stood together on the Tour de France podium.

Team Sky is known for its detailed planning and numbers-orientated approach, affecting everything the riders do from nutrition intervals to post-ride warmdowns – and the power meter is the most crucial on-the-bike measure riders have. Team Sky once again used Stages Power LR dual-sided power meters to help perfect their race pacing and give support staff all the data they could dream of – helping secure overall victory for the fourth consecutive Tour.

Having joined forces with Castelli in 2017, Team Sky were wearing newly designed kit from the Italian brand including the Aero Race 5.2 jersey. Team Sky’s traditional livery was supplemented by a killer whale graphic on the back – all part of the team’s partnership with Sky Ocean Rescue, a charity seeking to reduce plastic waste in the oceans. Castelli was also doing its bit by eliminating plastic packaging for all the garments worn by the team.

While Chris Froome didn’t top the podium this year, put into context his performance was still astonishing. Four Grand Tours in a row, three victories and one third place show a run of form over the last 12 months that has been spectacular. All those results have been earned with Froome wearing Sidi Shot shoes, the top-end design he debuted in the 2016 edition of La Grande Boucle.

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BMC RACING TEAM SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS: 3T CYCLING

Partnered by 3T, BMC Racing Team had a lot to celebrate at this year’s Tour de France despite the premature departure of team leader Richie Porte from the race for the second year running. On Stage 3’s team time trial, BMC lived up to their billing as the world’s best by taking the win and putting Greg Van Avermaet into the yellow jersey.

yellow still on his back, Van Avermaet managed second in the aftermath of the cobbles that sent his team leader out of the race with a broken collarbone.

Expected to immediately lose time in the mountains, Van Avermaet attacked Stage 10 hard and came away with fourth place and a hugely increased buffer of two minutes 22 seconds. It wasn’t until the next day that the Belgian finally relinquished the jersey, giving him, the team and 3T, eight days leading the world’s biggest race.

The Belgian Classics specialist held firm to the race lead, even extending it with bonus seconds on Stage 5 and again two days later. Heading into Stage 9 with

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TEAM DIMENSION DATA SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS: ENVE COMPOSITES

With Mark Cavendish seeking to improve on his 30 Tour stage wins to date, Team Dimension Data was a highly visible presence during the first week of the 2018 Tour as the sprinters’ teams ratcheted up the speeds in the pitched battle to be first across the line.

making use of ENVE Classic bars and stems, as well as Aero Road bars and the new ENVE Aero Road Stem.

Without perennial stage-win seeker Steve Cummings racing and Mark Cavendish first outflanked by faster legs then unable to make the time cut-off in the mountains, Team Dimension Data’s impact was felt most strongly in breakaways during the latter part of the race, as well as a pair of fourth-place finishes from Edvald Boasson Hagen.

The team’s rides were once again fitted out with ENVE wheels – including SES 3.4 and 4.5 rims that were built around exclusive emerald-green Chris King hubs to match the team colours. Team Dimension Data were also

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TEAM BORA-HANSGROHE SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS: SILCA

Tour Stages might be won on the road, but there would be no chance of victory without the team mechanics who work tirelessly to ensure riders’ bikes are ready to take their riders to finish line first.

In the first week, world champion Peter Sagan took second on Stage 1, then went one better the next day to take his first Tour stage win of 2018 and the yellow jersey to boot.

As official supplier to Bora-Hansgrohe, Silca plays a key role in its success, and can bask in the glory of some fantastic results. While Silca pumps’ performance and accuracy are legendary, they became all the more essential with the inclusion of Stage 9’s cobbles – terrain where bike setup can be make or break.

Sagan backed this up with another win on Stage 5, his ninetieth day in the green jersey, and went on to take another victory on Stage 13. All told, he was in the top five seven times and in making it to Paris despite a bad crash on Stage 17, the Slovakian secured a record-equalling sixth maillot vert.

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TEAM ASTANA SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS: SIDI

Partnered by Sidi, Astana were ever-present during the Tour thanks to an abundance of breakaway moves and a pair of stage victories. Omar Fraile played the long game on Stage 14, working as part of a breakaway group of 32 before counter-attacking Thomas De Gendt and Jasper Stuyven on the final 3km climb to score the win in Mende.

as the remains of the breakaway attacked one another during the final 10km, in search of the stage win. The eight-man group contained two riders apiece from Astana, Bahrain-Merida and Trek-Segafredo – along with Direct Énergie’s Lilian Calmejane and Bora-Hansgrohe’s Rafal Majka.

After a flurry of attacks, Astana’s Michael Valgren helped teammate Cort to make the move that stuck, playing interference as Cort pushed ahead to win the sprint to the line.

The very next day, it proved to be Magnus Cort’s turn during the run into Carcassonne. The close of the stage made for a tactical game of cat-and-mouse

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BAHRAIN–MERIDA PRO CYCLING TEAM SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS: SIDI

While Bahrain–Merida’s Tour campaign was built around 2014 winner Vincenzo Nibali, the team scored several strong results both on the flats and in the mountains.

was forced to abandon with a fractured vertebra after a coming-together with police motorbikes on Alpe d’Huez.

For the rest of the race, it was down to the Izagirre brothers to keep the team’s results sheet topped up. Ion Izagirre took second place on Stage 15 while brother Gorka managed the same feat the following day on the opening Pyrenean stage, taking the team’s second-place finishes up to four during this year’s Tour de France.

Sprinter Sonny Colbrelli took second place on Stage 2 and 5 wearing his Sidi Shots, while Ion Izagirre managed second on Stage 10 to Le Grand-Bornand.

By the end of Stage 11, Nibali was up to fourth place in the GC, but the team’s hopes of a strong overall finish were dashed the next day when the Italian

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TEAM KATUSHA ALPECIN SADDLEBACK’S BRANDS: SIDI

Team Katusha Alpecin arrived at the Tour de France resplendent in their striking burgundy kit and matching Sidi Shot shoes – one of our most popular limited-edition colourways.

A Stage 4 crash put Robert Kišerlovski out of the race while another on Stage 8 sent Tony Martin home – a big loss to Kittel’s lead out. When the GC racing heated up in the Alps, it meant tough stages and tougher time cut-offs for the grupetto. Kittel exited the Tour on Stage 11 with Rick Zabel following next day.

Things started out promisingly with Marcel Kittel taking third on the opening stage, but the German was put out of contention with a flat tyre on Stage 2.

After ninth place on the Stage 3 TTT, keeping Ilnur Zakarin’s GC ambitions alive, the team’s fortunes seemed to fade.

Down to four, the team put in a strong showing on Stage 19 to move Zakarin up into tenth. From here, the Russian put in a stellar time trial on the penultimate day, his seventh place against the clock enough to secure ninth overall in Paris.

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HELI-BIKING IN THE KIWI BACKCOUNTRY

A HELI-POWERED TRIP INTO NEW ZEALAND’S LUSH FORESTS OFFERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO PUT ENVE’S NEW BARS AND STEMS THROUGH THE WRINGER – IN T H E C O M PA N Y O F T H E I N T E N S E F A C T O R Y R A C I N G C R E W WORDS AND PICS GRAEME MURRAY

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TO MANY PEOPLE, NEW ZEALAND IS BEST KNOWN FOR PROVIDING THE DRAMATIC SETTING FOR PETER JACKSON’S LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY. But to the adventuring outdoorsman, skier or mountain biker it’s the southern hemisphere’s Mecca.

Curiously enough, New Zealand sits an equal distance from the equator as many of the best riding regions in the northern hemisphere. While many of us in the north are waiting for the snow to melt, the Kiwis are enjoying the first days of fall, the undisputed best season for riding mountain bikes.

Impressive scenery, epic trails, and a flourishing mountain bike community set the stage for the first stop of the 2018 Crankworx tour, Rotorua, New Zealand.

The magnetic attraction of warmer climes and hero dirt complemented by a persuasive invitation from Wide Open (ENVE’s NZ distribution partner) and the need to carry on some product testing with the boys at Intense Factory Racing all make committing to the adventure a very short deliberation.

UPON ARRIVAL, WE’RE GREETED BY THE WIDE OPEN CREW AND USHERED TO HQ – WHERE WE’RE PRESENTED WITH INTENSE’S LATEST RANGE OF SHRED SLEDS FITTED WITH THE NEW M SERIES WHEELS

Upon arrival, we’re greeted by the Wide Open crew and ushered to HQ – where we’re presented with Intense’s latest range of shred sleds fitted with the new M Series wheels. From there, we began the process of adorning each of the dozen bikes with a selection of our soon-to-be-released M Series handlebars and stems.

While ENVE is best known for wheels, many people’s favourite ENVE products are their RSR (riser) or DH handlebars. There’s a good reason for this: your handlebar is the most important point of contact with your bike, transmitting all inputs and feedback, and setting the tone for your entire ride experience. Suffice it to say, we take the bar and stem very seriously. After getting all the bikes dialled, we’re ready to ride.

MIDDLE OF NOWHERE The original plan is to ride the local redwoods, which are replete with flowing singletrack, but with Crankworx in town, the forest is on lockdown and ‘industry sponsored’ activities are not permitted. The Wide Open guys, being

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the imaginative bunch that they are, soon mention that a friend of theirs flies for Heli-Bike Rotorua. The details aren’t really important beyond that. They had us at ‘heli’.

Heli-Bike Rotorua provides a shuttle service to native backcountry North Island trails where mountain bikers can create a la carte single- or multi-day trips on a trail system supported by huts.

For our excursion, we select the Moerangi Track, a 13km section of trail that starts in the Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park – AKA the middle of nowhere – rain forest. When you think of heli-biking, you probably think of being dropped off on the top of a mountain from where you descend countless thousands of feet to the trail’s end. But with bikes loaded onto the heli’s racks, we’re piloted for 20 minutes over vast expanses of mountainous rainforest to be dropped off… in the middle of the forest.

We’re not on a majestic peak; rather we’re in a small valley surrounded by a stunning forest, where the small but well stocked Moerangi Hut is located and ready to provide shelter to weary hunters, hikers, and mountain bikers. With bikes unloaded our guide informs us that the initial 40 minutes or so will be a climb to the start of the descent. Let the adventure begin.

THE SCENERY IN THE FOREST IS SUCH THAT YOU HARDLY NOTICE THAT YOU’RE CLIMBING STEEP, ROOT-STREWN, AND AT TIMES LOOSE AND SLIPPERY SINGLETRACK

FRISSON OF FEAR The first part of the track is bench cut and follows the river, then you begin the ascent. The scenery in the forest is such that you hardly notice that you’re climbing steep, root-strewn, and at times loose and slippery singletrack. As you get higher, the trail becomes more and more exposed, adding to the feeling of adventure in a remote wilderness.

After a brief lunch at the summit, we begin working our way down the mountain, shooting and filming with Connor MacFarlane and the IFR boys, Dean Lucas and Charlie Harrison. The descent is wild and, for us desert rats in the group, riding wet roots at warp speed through the forest adds a frisson of fear that ratchets the thrill level even higher.

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Everyone makes it off the hill without a scratch, although we do experience a surprise mechanical that highlights the need to be prepared for even the most unlikely of incidents.

Ironically, it’s a flat tyre. All bikes on the trip are equipped with ENVE M730 or M735 wheelsets, which feature our Protective Rim Strips, but this flat is caused by something sharp in the trail piercing the tyre in a way that sealant can’t fix.

We’ve all grown so confident in these wheels’ ability to resist pinch-flats that in our group of 10 we only have two spare tubes and one nearly worthless hand pump. We fix it, remind ourselves to be more prepared, and ride on.

SOMETHING SPECIAL The final section of trail comprises flowing singletrack through redwoods that rival those of Northern California’s famous Redwood National Park.

THE PRODUCT TESTING? WHEN ALL 10 RIDERS ARE WALKING AROUND WITH BIG GRINS AND THROWING AWAY HIGH-FIVES LIKE TRUMP DOES WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS, YOU KNOW YOU’RE WINNING

The trail exits through an archway into a parking lot, signalling the end of an amazing two-wheeled off-road experience. However, unlike most heli-bike experiences, this one requires a second ride in the heli to get you back to base.

Adventure, memories, friendship, and fun; these are some of the reasons we ride bikes and spend most of our moments on the bike imagining ways to improve the experience. While traveling to exotic locations across international waters and datelines isn’t always required, it’s invaluable for us to see how our products are used and how they perform outside the Intermountain West.

And the product testing? When all 10 riders are walking around with big grins and throwing away high-fives like Trump does White House staffers, you know that you’re winning.

The test lab tells us that a product meets and exceeds industry safety standards.

Professional athletes and trusted test riders tell us that new products ride how we want them to. The reaction to the new bars and stems on this ride confirms that we’re on to something special.

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CHRIS FROOME

AS CHRIS FROOME JOINS EDDY MERCKX AND BERNARD HINAULT IN THE EXCLUSIVE GRAND TOUR GRAND SLAM CLUB, WE TAKE A LOOK BACK OVER HOW EACH RACE PLAYED OUT TO PUT THE TEAM SKY LEADER ON TOP OF THE PILE WORDS TOM BALLARD PICTURES BETTINIPHOTO & JERED GRUBER

THE WORD ‘HISTORIC’ IS UNDOUBTEDLY BANDIED AROUND TOO OFTEN IN SPORTS COMMENTARY, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO CHRIS FROOME’S SPECTACULAR JOURNEY TO BECOME SUCCESSIVE TOUR, VUELTA AND GIRO CHAMPION, IT’S CERTAINLY APPOSITE.

Some 10 years later, Hinault achieved the same gargantuan feat. In 1995, the Vuelta moved from the spring to its current late-season slot, making the idea of a GC rider even contending the three consecutive tours unlikely – and the concept of actually winning them quite ridiculous.

By completing his Grand Tour grand slam, Froome has become only the third athlete in the sport’s history to achieve such a feat – joining the rarefied company of bona fide legends Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault.

But with four Tour de France wins already to his name and unfinished business at the Vuelta finally remedied, securing the double only made the idea of going for glory at the Giro even more enticing.

Merckx took his triple with Giro and Tour wins in 1972, following up with the Vuelta the next spring.

Upon the announcement, just weeks after the Vuelta, Froome said: “It’s a unique situation for me, having won the Tour and Vuelta and now having

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the opportunity to go to the Giro and attempt to win a third consecutive Grand Tour.

“It’s exciting to be able to take on a new challenge, to do something perhaps people wouldn’t expect and to mix it up,” he added. “It’s a new motivation for me to see if I can pull off something special…”

When it came to the ups and downs of the Giro, it certainly took something special to secure the maglia rosa by the time the race finished in Rome.

It took a ride of pure class to turn the race in Froome’s favour, one delivered by a true champion and confirmation, if it were needed, of Froome’s position as the best stage racer of his generation.

CHRIS FROOME

“ EACH TIME I’VE WON THE TOUR IT’S BEEN SO UNIQUE. SO DIFFERENT. SUCH A DIFFERENT BATTLE TO GET TO THIS MOMENT. THEY’RE ALL SO SPECIAL IN THEIR OWN WAY ” TOUR DE FRANCE 2017 1 JULY–23 JULY

WITH THREE TOUR DE FRANCE VICTORIES UNDER HIS BELT, TWO OF THEM BACK TO BACK, FROOME LINED UP FOR THE 2017 TOUR IN A STRONG POSITION – BUT WITH TOUGH OPPOSITION DESPERATE TO DETHRONE THE CHAMPION.

After a succession of route changes seemingly designed to put the Briton under pressure, the 2017 route swapped the action of summit finishes with descents to the line and ended up a closely fought match of second-swapping.

The opening time trial put Froome in sixth place and good stead. Wearing a new ultra-aero Castelli speed suit, teammate Geraint Thomas took yellow while the presence of four Team Sky riders in the top 10 signalled the strength-in-depth the British squad had at its disposal.

Spain’s Alejandro Valverde crashed heavily during the TT, putting one of Froome’s rivals out the way.

While Italian star Fabio Aru animated the race when it hit the mountains with his Stage 5 victory on La Planche des Belles Filles – moving up to third – it was Froome who took yellow.

On Stage 9 perhaps Froome’s strongest challenger, Richie Porte, was forced to abandon after a crash, with Geraint Thomas also leaving the race and Dan Martin down but not out. Rigoberto Uran took the stage, reinforcing his strong showing throughout the opening week.

From there, the remaining contenders fought for slight advantages, trading seconds and time bonuses. Stage 12 showed a chink in Froome’s armour as the Brit cracked on the brutally steep finish in Peyragudes, Romain Bardet taking the win and Aru the maillot jaune.

But while a bad day in the mountains can often mean minutes lost, Froome was only six seconds in arrears. That slender disadvantage was soon

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wiped by his surprise attack on the short climb up to Rodez on Stage 14 – sprinting away from Aru to be rewarded with yellow and an 18-second lead.

With the race’s strongest team at his command, Froome negotiated the attacks of the final days in the mountains with an imperious air, distancing Aru on Stage 17 to make the likely podium finishers Froome, Bardet and Uran.

Entering the final TT and penultimate stage with 23 seconds on Bardet, Froome’s third-place finish bumped his buffer up to 54 seconds, Uran and Bardet swapping places to round out the podium.

While it was the narrowest of Froome’s four victories at the Tour de France, Team Sky’s general manager, Sir Dave Brailsford, branded the rider’s fourth win as his best under the toughest conditions yet faced at the race. Only Anquetil, Merckx, Hinault and Indurain now have more Tour titles to their names.

CHRIS FROOME

“ NOT EVEN THE TOUR WAS LIKE THIS. THERE WERE A COUPLE OF TRANSITION DAYS IN THE TOUR WHEN IT WAS MORE RELAXED BUT HERE IT’S JUST FELT LIKE EVERYONE IS ON THAT PHYSICAL LIMIT. EVERY DAY SOMEONE HAS GONE FULL GAS ” VUELTA A ESPAÑA 2017 19 AUGUST–10 SEPTEMBER

UP UNTIL 2017, CHRIS FROOME’S HISTORY AT THE VUELTA A ESPAÑA COULD BE DESCRIBED AS ‘CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR’.

A SURPRISE SECOND BEHIND JUAN JOSÉ COBO WHILE IN THE SERVICES OF BRADLEY WIGGINS IN 2011, FROOME TOOK FOURTH THE FOLLOWING YEAR AFTER SECOND AT THE TOUR.

After crashing out of the 2014 Tour, Froome took second again in the Vuelta – this time to Alberto Contador – while the 2016 race played out in largely the same fashion, except with Nairo Quintana the eventual victor.

After taking his fourth Tour de France title, Froome went into the 2017 Vuelta determined to end his bad luck in the Spanish race. Team Sky took fourth in the opening TTT and by Stage 3, Froome swapped his Castelli jersey for the red of the race leader. By Stage 5, the Briton had extended the lead to his biggest rivals – including Vincenzo Nibali, Esteban Chavez and Alberto Contador – and created more of a buffer with an attack on Stage 8’s last climb, eking out a 15-second advantage on the downhill with only Contador for company.

Froome kept the momentum running in his favour the following day, attacking on the last 500m drag up to the finish in Cumbre del Sol to take his first stage victory in the 2017 race and increase his lead over Chavez to 36 seconds. While Miguel Angel

Lopez might have denied Froome victory on Stage 11, Froome and Nibali still rode clear of the other favourites to help pad their GC ambitions, Froome’s lead up to 1 minute 19 seconds on the Italian.

The following day Nibali capitalised on Froome taking two spills on the road, managing to steal back 20 seconds on the red jersey, but the real tests of the high mountains were still to come.

With one of the toughest summit finishes of the 2017 Vuelta looming at the end of Stage 14, Froome’s composed, defensive riding defused repeated attacks from Contador and Nibali on the 15 per cent slopes of Sierra de La Pandera. Leaving Contador behind, the Italian beat Froome in a sprint to the line, scratching a four-second time bonus from his lead.

The high-mountains battle recommenced the following day on the way up to the 2,510m summit of Alto Hoya de la Mora. Team Sky’s combined strength proved more than equal to Nibali’s attacks, Froome himself holding back an attack of his own in the finale, which added six seconds to his lead.

By the end of the next stage, that effort hardly seemed worth it. Froome’s dominance in the 40.2km time trial gave him his second stage victory and put almost a minute into Nibali, Wilko Kelderman’s second place on the day moving him up into third position on the GC.

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That strength against the clock seemed to take its toll on Stage 17 to Los Machucos. With gradients above 30 per cent on the final 7km climb, Contador hunted for time and a stage victory – gaining the former, missing the latter – while Froome conceded 42 seconds to Nibali, crossing the line in 14th place.

The following day, Froome hit back, attacking in the last 600m to the summit finish at Santo Toribio de Liebana and padding his advantage to one minute 37 seconds over Nibali.

Before reaching Madrid, Froome had one final summit to conquer – the gruelling Alto de Angliru.

In the final 6km, Contador surged away in a bid for the final Vuelta stage win of his career. Meanwhile Froome, with lieutenant Wout Poels at his side, saw off all attacks and cracked Nibali to increase Froome’s lead to two minutes 15 seconds.

While the procession into the Spanish capital played out as expected, the leader and his teammates sipping beer and the odd glass of Cava, the racing that followed didn’t stick to the blueprint.

Instead, Team Sky rode hard in the finale, putting Froome among the sprinters. By taking 11th, he was assured not just the red leader’s jersey and white combined jersey but also the green sprinter’s jersey – edging out Matteo Trentin by two points.

The final result made Froome only the third rider to complete the Tour-Vuelta double in the same year – and the first ever to win both races in that order.

CHRIS FROOME

“ IT HASN’T SUNK IN YET BUT FOR ANY CYCLIST THIS IS THE DREAM: TO HAVE ALL THE LEADER’S JERSEYS WITHIN 10 MONTHS. I’M STILL PINCHING MYSELF – I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S HAPPENING ” GIRO D’ITALIA 2018 4 MAY–27 MAY

AFTER TWO CONSECUTIVE GRAND TOUR WINS, THE ODDS SEEMED STACKED AGAINST FROOME REPEATING THE FEAT IN ITALY. SURELY, AFTER SUCH A RIGOROUS 2017, HE WOULD STRUGGLE TO HOLD ONTO HIS FORM AND FOCUS.

The following day Yates struck out again to take a third stage win, his move coming as the GC group splintered under repeated attacks. Perhaps paying for his Zoncolan efforts, Froome lost the most time of the contenders, finishing one minute 32 seconds off Yates and nearly five minutes down in the GC.

From the off, it seemed that’s how the race might play out. Lining up against defending champion Tom Dumoulin, Spain’s Miguel Angel Lopez and fellow Brit Simon Yates, Froome crashed during practice for the race’s opening time trial. Having come down hard on his right hip, Froome didn’t look himself during the stage and rode gingerly to come in 21st, 37 seconds behind Dumoulin, who pulled on the first Castelli maglia rosa since 1992.

On Stage 16, some of Froome’s TT brilliance came back with a fifth-place finish only 13 seconds off the pace of world champion Dumoulin’s marker. The strong effort against the clock meant fourth place in the GC, three minutes 50 seconds in arrears.

Stage 4’s uphill finish was another blow. Froome was unable to keep with the leaders, losing more time to Dumoulin and Yates. As the latter took pink on Stage 6, Froome trailed by one minute 10 seconds, holding eighth in the GC. He lost more time on stages 9 and 11, dropping out of the top 10.

By the time the Giro reached Monte Zoncolan on Stage 14, Froome seemed gone, sitting 12th with a three minute 20 second deficit. With the Zoncolan being 10.1km and kicking up to 22 per cent, the stage was set for GC action and didn’t disappoint.

Led by Wout Poels, Froome was at the front of the favourites’ group with 5km to go. As his teammate fell away, the Brit put in his first real attack of the race. Yates chased valiantly to buffer his lead against Dumoulin but couldn’t bridge to Froome. A stage victory on the mighty Zoncolan bumped Froome to fifth but only took 10 seconds off his deficit to Yates.

A summit finish on Stage 18 gave another sight of Froome’s improving form. With 2km remaining, Dumoulin attacked. Yates jumped on his wheel and Froome reeled them both in, then the Dutchman went again, distancing Yates while Froome battled back. By the finish line at Prato Nevoso, Froome had put 28 seconds into Yates, the same advantage the younger Briton now held over Dumoulin.

Despite his legs regaining something of their usual power, there were only two racing stages left for Froome before the procession into Rome. It looked like the only realistic goal left was to edge out Domenico Pozzovivo and get onto the bottom step of the podium. That was without factoring in Froome’s often overlooked competitive drive.

Overnight, Team Sky hatched a plan for the toughest stage of the 2018 Giro, which would take a tired peloton over four climbs including the Colle delle Finestre. The high point of the race, this monster climb is 18.5km long with an average 9.2 per cent gradient and 8km of gravel road at the top.

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It also begins with 27 hairpins that make tapping out a steady rhythm hard. This would be the start of Team Sky’s plan – hit the bends hard and pile on the pressure. Yates, who would end the day 40 minutes behind and out of contention, started to lose time and Dumoulin was quickly the virtual race leader.

By the time the leaders reached the gravel, it was a select group indeed. Team Sky’s Kenny Elissonde pushed into the red to set up a daring attack for Froome, 80km from the Jaffereau summit finish.

Team Sky’s leader crested the Finestre with a 38-second lead on Dumoulin and raced the descent while the chasing group failed to organise. At the foot of the Sestriere, Froome had gained nearly two minutes on the virtual leader; by the top he had built a lead of two minutes 43 seconds, led the King of the Mountains competition and was nearly in pink. The gap was three minutes 23 seconds by the time Dumoulin finished; Froome ended the day in the maglia rosa with a 40-second advantage.

On the penultimate day of racing, in the 6km to the Cervinia summit finish, Dumoulin tried everything but couldn’t dislodge Froome, who went on the offensive to cement his dominance with a sixsecond lead over the line and seal overall victory.

From there, it was glass-clinking all the way to Rome where Froome lifted the trophy for the first time. The stunning Stage 19 turnaround wrote him into history as not only the first Briton to win the race and the seventh rider to have won all three Grand Tours, but the first to hold consecutive Tour, Vuelta and Giro victories in that order – a spectacular achievement from a true champion.

RIDING ACROSS OMAN

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‘OH-MAN, THIS PLACE IS AWESOME…’ Jaw-dropping landscapes, rugged gravel tracks, smooth tarmac, majestic mountains, spectacular geological formations, deeply carved wadis, palm tree oases, friendly people… the list of reasons to take your bike to Oman goes on and on WORDS KATI CSAK PHOTOS NEIL GARDINER

My adventure to Oman aboard 3T’s revolutionary Exploro aero gravel bike is supposed to be another girls’ trip with my trusted cycling buddy Kimi, until she injures her knee skiing. Searching for a last-minute replacement, I have to field questions like: “Will you wear a scarf? Will you cover up on the bike? Will we be allowed to share a room if we are not married? Are women allowed to drive?” Thankfully my easy-to-persuade work colleague Neil is keen for a new adventure, and to snap some photos. Back on track again…

The Al Hajar mountains lie to the northeast of the country. Some 70km from the coast, Jebel Shams, which lies within the range, is Oman’s highest mountain, peaking at an imposing 3,000m. The Al Hajar area is popular with Omanis in the summer months, looking to escape the brutal heat of the lowlands. Ideal conditions for cycling, however, fall within the winter months, especially December and January.

Located on the southeastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and civil war-ravaged Yemen as its neighbours, it is perhaps no surprise that the Sultanate of Oman is often overlooked as a travel destination.

Working out the perfect three-day trip that will enable us to travel light, while taking in the highlights and providing maximum variety, proves trickier than anticipated. Though the area features plenty of villages to fill up on water and food, accommodation is seriously limited outside the major business centres and away from the (very few) tourist hubs.

Put aside your preconceptions though, and you will find a tranquil, peaceful country, a true treasure chest of adventure, hospitality and scenery – a jewel of the Middle East. A six-hour direct flight from most major European cities to the capital Muscat makes Oman the perfect winter escape.

Exhaustively researching route options on Google Earth, I begin to feel more like an astronaut than a cyclist – but after several nights’ poring over my PC, we are finally ready to embark on our adventure. “Ground control to Major Tom…. take your protein pills and put your helmet on…”

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DAY 1: MURRI–JEBEL SHAMS Before daybreak, we drive from Muscat to Murri, a tiny village tucked into the mountains just off Route 10 between Rustaq and Ibri, to strategically park the rental car for our return three days later. This is set to be our biggest day, and with somewhat unreliable estimates on just how much climbing and what terrain is to be expected, a dawn start ensures we have a buffer – which turns out to be a good call.

Shortly after rolling out of Murri, the terrain changes to a narrow wadi (dry riverbed or ravine) with lots of short, sharp climbs that didn’t feature on the profile, making for slow progress. Could it be that Google, which notoriously overstates the climbing metres, gave us accurate figures after all?

No sooner have we got used to the smooth riding, making good time, than my cunning Google Earth shortcut turns upwards onto a 4x4 track leading to a loose steep descent. And oh the irony, Neil soon cuts his tyre on a piece of glass between all the sharp rocks – that morning we had decided carrying a spare for three days would be overkill, so it had remained behind in the car. Out comes the tubeless plugging kit instead, which (with some daily replugging) sees us through to the end of the trip.

As the wadi widens and the sun starts peeking over the mountains, we approach a small town and a large tarmac road with almost no traffic, other than a few construction vehicles. Our GPS log cuts a straight line over the former winding track as the road carves through the mountain side – a telling clue as to the rate of development in Oman. The country continues to invest billions of US dollars into road infrastructure – and the rate at which they are going, I recommend that you visit Oman rather sooner than later, if you want to experience gravel roads!

With the light waning and the final 18km and 1,300m ascent up the Jebel Shams Road ahead, we decline a coffee invitation from a friendly local who seems intrigued with our tyre fixing efforts.

Initially disappointed that the first 10km of the climb are have been tarred, we’re soon thanking our lucky stars – this ascent rivals iconic European climbs such as Ventoux and Alpe d’Huez. If not for the final 8km stretch of gravel, it would make for a spectacular hilltop finish at the Tour of Oman – then again, that’s probably just a matter of time.

After plenty of grimacing and zig-zagging across the (thankfully) wide road, we eventually make the summit just before sunset. Wanting to catch the last rays, we ride on to the closest viewing point of the Grand Canyon of Arabia – Wadi Ghul – which drops 1,000m into a stunning abyss.

Travelling along the smooth blacktop, we pass the beehive tombs of Al Ayn, dramatically lined up atop a rocky ridge, with Jebel Misht as the backdrop. The stone structures date back to 2000-3000 BC and the whole area holds UNESCO World Heritage status.

Also dropping dramatically though are the temperatures – and by the time we finally reach our accommodation we feel frozen solid. The incredibly hospitable staff at the Sama Heights Resort can barely believe anyone would actually

“ After plenty of grimacing and zig-zagging across the (thankfully) wide road, we make the summit just before sunset. Wanting to catch the last rays, we ride on to the closest viewing point of the Grand Canyon of Arabia – Wadi Ghul – which drops 1,000m into a stunning abyss ”

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cycle up this mountain – and promptly upgrade our accommodation. A scrumptious buffet dinner in the cosy hotel restaurant, and we’re feeling on top of the world… oh wait, we are – at least on top of Oman.

DAY 2: JEBEL SHAMS–WADI BANI AWF We spent the morning of our second day exploring the magnificent viewpoints along the rim of the canyon. This ‘balcony trail’ is popular with hikers – but do not attempt this on a bike, with luggage, unless you are either Danny MacAskill or suicidal.

Once the sun pushes temperatures back into the double digits, we claim our reward for the previous day’s efforts – the descent towards the town of Al Hamra. There are noises coming from my disc brakes that I’ve never heard before. Neil assures me that the sounds are normal when the brakes run very hot, and that they will go away if I just brake less (huh?). At any rate, we use the slight panic as an excuse to stop for more photos.

Al Hamra is one of Oman’s oldest towns, with wonderfully green palm trees and rows of traditional mud-brick houses. It’s also the perfect spot to refuel before tackling the next climb, from 700m altitude right back up onto the ridge to the Sharafat al Alamayn viewpoint at 2,000m.

The road to the top is tarred and offers a pleasant climb, compared with the previous day’s grind. At the top however, this all changes. Our next section of ‘road’ is graded as a 4WD route only, plummeting

down some scary gradients to the traditional mountain oasis of Hatt and into Wadi Bani Awf. Just as we begin descending, we meet a German cyclist, walking up towards us. Encouraging him with an “Awesome, you almost made it”, we’re soon informed that he has attempted the descent, but turned around after 1km realising his bike isn’t up to the task. Ever the techie, Neil raises his eyebrows as he spies carbon rims, calliper brakes, skinny tyres and laughably inadequate gear ratios.

Even basic research reveals grave warnings about travelling here, even by 4x4. “The route passes through remote, rugged country and you should take the necessary precautions (spare tire, jack, water, warm clothing, walking shoes and basic provisions),” warns the Everything Oman blog. “Check weather conditions before you leave and do not attempt the journey during or after rains.” What was the German thinking?!

In mountain biking I was often told, ‘Get your ass behind your saddle’ when descending steep sections – but that’s not that easy when carrying a saddle pack filled with gear. On the one hand, we just want to blast down, with adrenaline pumping and knuckles white. But this section is an absolute geological wonder, awe-inspiring – we feel like we’re in a scene from Star Wars.

Around every corner lies yet another view that makes us stop (generally after a long skid) to take in this astonishing scenery. For the second

“ The road to the top is tarred and offers a pleasant climb, compared with the previous day’s grind. But at the top this all changes. Our next section of ‘road’ is graded as a 4WD route only, plummeting down scary gradients to the mountain oasis of Hatt and into Wadi Bani Awf ”

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day running we find ourselves rolling into camp with only the last rays of daylight for company.

Nestling deep within the folds of the mountains, Bait Bimah Travel Lodge offers very basic accommodation with shared bathrooms, but it is immaculately clean. Settling into the cosy tea area, we reflect on another magnificent day, savouring this special and remote place, sharing stories with a handful of other travellers, hikers and climbers.

DAY 3: WADI BANI AWF–MURRI The next morning, we backtrack a few kilometres to visit Bilad Sayt – an idyllic village tucked into a side gorge. If you can (all you need to do is cycle faster than us), I’d recommend visiting during the afternoon – because the light should be better for photos.

The final day is meant to be easy – at least according to the gradient profile – so we decide to take another quick side trip to the lower entry into Snake Canyon, with its steep, towering walls. But halfway there, one look at the descent (armed with the knowledge that we’ll have to come up again, which would probably take a good hour and involve walking) we decide it’s wiser to press on with our journey and rejoin our route to Wadi Sahtan.

Just as well. It turns out we have underestimated a ‘little spike’ in the profile – it’s only 2km long, but is brutally steep. We ponder the road sign for Wadi Sahtan (with its variations of spelling – like many places in Oman), as the road points towards heaven while putting us through hell.

Wadi Sahtan itself is everything and more that we could have hoped for. After the previous days’ desert and high mountain riding, we find ourselves in a narrow river bed with flowing water, with Jebel Shams towering right above us.

Popping out of the wadi, we find ourselves back in civilisation, still surrounded by spectacular scenery but on yet another oversized tarred road (for such light traffic). At this point though, we come close to hitting the wall, in more ways than one. Following the road, we miss our usual village shops, telling ourselves ‘there’ll be another one soon’. As fast as these new roads are built, though, neighbourhoods spring up – plots and large houses dot the desert – and our original plotted GPS tracks often indicate a route directly through the middle of someone’s brand-new house, always surrounded by a big wall.

It doesn’t help that in the afternoon almost everything is closed. Between midday and 4pm (when temperatures hit 45C during the summer, at which point nobody sane will be cycling) there’s no one in sight. And before we know it, we’re back on lonesome gravel tracks, skirting the foot of the mountain range – the vast contrasts never cease to amaze.

Given the short daylight hours, we once again find our tired bodies racing the sunset back to our rental car in Murri, to get us back to Muscat for a sumptuous dinner. While guzzling down our well-earned four-course meals, we reflect on what have been (and what surely will remain) three of the most remarkable days of cycling in our lives.

“ Wadi Sahtan itself is everything and more that we could have hoped for. After the previous days of desert and high mountain riding, we find ourselves in a narrow river bed with flowing water, with Jebel Shams, Oman’s highest peak, towering right above us ”

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OLLIE MALEK, SADDLEBACK’S SERVICE & WARRANTY TECHNICIAN, SHOWS US HIS NEW NICOLAI ION G15

I have honestly never enjoyed riding so much. Every time I go out, no matter what the weather, this bike has me grinning like the Cheshire Cat. After a long time spent studying geometry sheets and trying to demo as many bikes as possible, it always boiled down to this one.

Coming off a 650b bike I was, as many people are, a bit scared about how a 29er might feel – too big, too cumbersome or too lifeless. But this machine has turned out to be the complete opposite. Once you’ve learned to ride very slightly further forward, so where you should be anyway, the handling is nothing short of incredible. The super slack head angle and long reach, paired

with a reduced offset fork, mean this machine is ridiculously stable at speed, yet it still allows you to get around the tightest and steepest bends.

The ENVE wheels make the bike so easy to pop in and out of corners and give you free speed thanks to how stiff they are. Paired with the quick engagement of the Chris King hub, getting on the pedals and up to speed couldn’t be easier. Without the deflection of an aluminium rim, they fill you with so much confidence when charging down a rough trail. The extra compliance you notice with the new M7 rims compared with the previous M70s adds grip and doesn’t cause fatigue – making them ideal for all-day enduro rides.

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Likewise, the angles of the ENVE DH bar provide great comfort and support. Combined with its inherent flexibility, this is a bar you struggle to get uncomfortable on – but it’s still incredibly stiff when you need it, for hitting corners and sprinting.

The super subtle Fox suspension, meanwhile, tracks so well, giving you all the grip you’ll ever need to stay in control. With the assistance of the guys at GeoMetron bikes having given me the magic settings for the X2, I don’t think much can compare to the feel – and I can tell that smile is going to be sticking around my face for a long time to come.

FRAME NICOLAI ION G15 LONGER (MEDIUM) HEADSET LOWER – CHRIS KING / UPPER – INTEND STIFFMASTER FORKS FOX 36 FACTORY RC2 170MM 44MM OFFSET SHOCK FOX X2 FACTORY WHEELS/HUBS ENVE M7 30 ON CHRIS KING ISO BOOST SADDLE SPECIALIZED TOUPE EXPERT WITH SWAT BANDIT HANDLEBAR / STEM ENVE DH 770MM / INTEND GRACE EN BRAKES HOPE RACE E4 SEATPOST FOX TRANSFER FACTORY 150MM DRIVETRAIN SHIMANO XT TYRES SPECIALIZED BUTCHER 2.3IN

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S TA F F C O L U M N S

S TA F F C O L U M N S SADDLEBACK STAFF SHARE THEIR THOUGHTS ON TRAVEL, RACES AND RIDES, WORK VS PLAY AND THE ETERNAL QUESTION OF HOW MANY BIKES

DECLAN DEEHAN

NICK COX

RIDES INTENSE CARBINE INTENSE SPIDER

RIDES 3T STRADA CANNONDALE CAAD10

MOST-LISTENED SONG RIGHT NOW PROSPECTOR BREAKS MY HEAD

MOST-LISTENED SONG RIGHT NOW 21 SAVAGE BANK ACCOUNT

MARKETING MANAGER

HEAD OF CREATIVE

E-bikes are a puzzle that a 600-word column can’t solve. I could have another 600, 1,000, even 2,000 words and I still wouldn’t get my full views across.

I left it pretty late this issue to write my column, partly because this summer hasn’t been a great riding one for me. The glorious sun we have enjoyed for much of it has meant most of my time has been taken up with family outings and ice creams. As part of that, a recent holiday to Menorca put into context the summer we were having – it’s constantly hot there but people were still out on their bikes, whereas I definitely heard a few grumblings of “it’s too hot to ride” back home before we flew out.

Leisure e-bikes are a given – these are heavier bikes, used by many kinds of riders for various applications. Meanwhile the fastest growing e-bikes sector is MTB. We’re now even starting to see e-road bike group tests. Their acceptance is growing and there’s no getting away from this. That recognition formed my starting point. I’d heard all the opinions, consumed article after article on the pros and cons, but still I wasn’t sure what to make of the e-bike phenomenon.

It was time to form my own opinion, so I started asking myself some questions.

What is an e-bike? Who are they targeted at? Where should they be used? Are they cheating, as most people say? Are they actually any good?

Granted, I expect a lot of riders had flown in from cooler climates to do some training, but I was still amazed that this little sleepy island seemed to be full of road cyclists hitting it hard. It appears even on holiday I can’t escape the world of bikes! My kids were keen to point out all the ‘scorpions’ on some of the riders’ kit as they rushed by in the hot midday sun.

To answer the first question: what is an e-bike to me? My initial thoughts said an electric-motor assisted bicycle that’s heavier and less agile than your standard steed. Who are they targeted at? From what I’d heard, it would be someone coming back from an injury, an unfit person who can use one to keep up with fitter friends or someone who wants the downs without suffering the ups. Where should they be used? Certainly, on my morning commute, I’ve noticed e-bikes becoming much more popular even when compared with 12 months ago. Was this the best application for them? I could see why they’re all the rage – helping reduce cars on the road as well as saving people money and giving health benefits. But I still felt unsure about taking one to the trail centre.

Back in the UK and in the depths of summer though, one thing has ignited a desire to ride more and eat less ice cream – my 3T Strada (OK, I actually mean a Saddleback demo bike). I’ve ridden and loved the Exploro but had never had a go on the Strada. I’m a great believer in using whatever you market and sell though, so I’ve been tearing about on my Strada for a couple of weeks now. 1x11 is not an alien concept to me being a mountain biker from birth, but I was keen to find out whether the format would actually hold up on a ‘pure’ road bike.

Would doing so be cheating, like everyone said? To answer that, I had to try one for myself. My ride was a full-on e-MTB – suspension front and back, slack, long and low – everything you’d expect from a modern day enduro bike. Now as we all know each bike is different and some climb better than others. If you really wanted to, you could pedal a DH bike to the to the top of a hill – but no one ridicules fellow bikers for using uplifts, yet they’ll give e-bikers a hard time.

Why is it not OK to have assisted pedalling but it is no problem to get in a van?

But are they actually any good? I’d have to say yes. If you’ve tried one, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say you are no less shattered after a ride, you just ride way more. You start hitting flatter corners on the climb much faster; you attempt more technical climbs; you’re fresher for the descents; your body position is a lot more dynamic than normal over a day’s ride, giving you a great workout; and finally, you will be smiling from ear to ear. Guaranteed.

E-bikes, like any new category, are catching up and getting a spec to match their applications. They’re being built with modern geometry, can be run with the best tyres as weight is no issue, and are planted and confidence inspiring. I was left in no doubt, after my trial run, that riding an e-bike will make me a better rider. If the saying ‘practice makes perfect’ holds true, then if I can practise a descent 10 times in a day rather than three, that should speak for itself.

Certainly I’m thinking about things differently now –you could even say I’m converted. Put the scepticism to one side and don’t condemn before experiencing, is my new mantra. So if you hear me on the trail whizzing up behind you, feel free to give me some grief – but save some for the next five times I pass you on the climb with a big grin on my face. E-bikes are awesome.

The guys in the office often joke about my choice of gears when riding, given that I tend to run a sprinting gear most of the time. This could quite easily be a throwback to my mountain biking roots of short sharp bursts descending down a mountain, but it swiftly convinced me that the Strada and I were on the same page. Instantly the wider tyre and gearing ratio just suited me and I felt considerably faster than my normal road bike.

Of course there is definitely a placebo effect when you get a new bike – it almost always feels faster – but I’ve been doing timed runs on the Strada and it really is.

Looking down at the wide rubber I feel like I should be riding through custard dragging a skip but that simply isn’t the case – these tyres are fast-rolling and forgiving. I’m hooked!

Away from pure riding, I’m pleased to report that this summer has also seen Saddleback attend a large number of events and support some great causes. The Fred Whitton Challenge comes to mind – possibly the hardest sportive in the UK, it has been raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support for many years, among other charities, and we have been fortunate enough to support the event.

We all love cycling, but when you can do it for the good of others and that then leads to bringing people together and a focus upon a common goal, it means alot.

Many people this summer have ridden bikes in the name of charity, to help others in need or in memoriam.

It’s something that I think as cyclists we should always consider, using our passion for the benefit of others. So maybe as we begin to see past our summer distractions, have a think about what challenges you can set yourself, and what charity rides or good causes you can ride, for next year. The reward will not only be in the accomplishment but also in the knowledge you’ve helped someone out.

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TOM BALLARD

RICHARD MARDLE

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

BRAND DIRECTOR

RIDES CANNONDALE SLICE, FELT F5, CHARGE PLUG, WHYTE 529

RIDES 3T STRADA, 3T EXPLORO, TREK TOP FUEL, CANNONDALE SUPER SIX EVO

MOST-LISTENED SONG RIGHT NOW TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT BEAST NATION

MOST-LISTENED SONG RIGHT NOW JAMIE XX HOLD TIGHT

While the romance and hardship of a stage race holds sway over many of us, the closest most of us will ever come to emulating the feeling of riding Le Tour is joining the hundreds – and sometimes thousands – of other riders at one of the growing number of multi-day sportive events held around the UK. With the Dragon Ride being one of my favourites and this year featuring an official jersey designed by Saddleback’s Darren Gumm, the three-day Dragon Tour seemed like the perfect first-step into multi-day sportives for Mrs B and me. The event would take in two days of riding based around the Glanusk Estate near Crickhowell before relocating to Margam Park in Port Talbot for the traditional Dragon Ride on day three – a route we’d taken on five times before.

Day one – the Gospel Pass stage – was a superb jaunt through stunning countryside with some steep ascents to test the legs and twisty downhills to test the nerves. Not knowing how the body would hold up to three days in the saddle, we stayed conservative on the 105km course. This went out the window a bit when a downed tree combined with sheep-mentality riding meant a detour of 15km in the wrong direction rather than 400m in the right one. Still, it was a fun ride with a great atmosphere; plus there were hot sausages and mountains of brownies at the feed stations, so that gets a big tick from me.

While the team buses and the now ubiquitous regiment of warm-down turbos seen at the Tour weren’t in evidence after arriving back at the Glanusk Estate, refreshments and free massage were literally on the table. We headed back to our base at a nearby campsite and readied ourselves for the next stage.

Day two was shorter at 85km but took us over The Tumble, an infamous 6km climb used in the Tour of Britain that holds a steady 10 per cent gradient. We loved every minute – straining up through the trees before breaking out onto the exposed hilltop and over the moors. The route then dipped back down into lush countryside and quiet roads to loop back to race HQ. Knowing what was still to come, I was glad of the shorter course and ample recovery time.

An early start got us down to Margam Park with plenty of time to tackle the Medio Fondo of the Dragon Ride, a 153km route taking in the region’s biggest, longest climbs and clocking up 2,200m ascent. It’s amazing how much the Dragon Ride has evolved since we first tackled it a decade ago. There are now thousands of riders and the event, delivered by Human Race, is affiliated with the TdF. What hasn’t changed is how spectacular its first pair of climbs are: the Bwlch and Rhigos mountains are long, gradual ascents that fill you with the joy of cycling. That said, the rest of the route has plenty going for it. There’s fantastic fun to be had zipping along the country lanes, ascending through the Brecon Beacons and of course, taking on the Devil’s Elbow, a timed climb kicking up over 15 per cent. The legs feeling stronger, we pressed on, giving a knowing nod to riders with lower numbers who were also riding the Dragon Tour.

At about 135km, the road tipped gradually downwards, the cue for my usual Dragon Ride ritual – smashing it to the end. Winding up the speed and with Mrs B hugging my back wheel, we picked up a train on the run-in to Margam Park and hit the finish with wobbly, empty legs,s elated to have completed the challenge we’d set ourselves and to have got a taste of multi-stage riding.

What is work, life, play balance?

I should probably start with shuffling that saying around to suit purpose of importance. Life is family – the key reason for life and fulfilment, play keeps you young and, let’s face it, is bloody good fun. Work – would we all choose to work if we had the choice? Maybe not to start with, but I need the discipline it brings and, when your work is also the same thing you choose as the play, well, that’s a win-win, no?

So that leaves me with life, play/work balance.

The cycling trade is going through some big changes, and the same can be said of our business. In my eyes change is good, some might not like it, but it brings a fresh approach, new ways of thinking and keeps people from becoming stale.

Change when done properly means evolution – every growing business goes through this and it tests individuals, helps them grow and sets up things to ensure a path for all to follow. Change also brings with it a lot of work.

When I pick up my bike it’s for balance from that, to help clear my head, to socialise and to compete. I all-out love competition but to compete properly you have to prep hard. Finding that balance has been challenging this year, certain areas of life and work you just can’t cut and that eats into training and rest time, both hugely important to form.

So, what to do? The hardest part is to admit to yourself that it’s just not possible in that moment of time otherwise it brings frustration with it to the other parts of your life. So, I went back looking at what brings fun to cycling, take the serious out and just work on the pure fun factor, and an easy way here is to look back at the off road.

Mountain biking is my past life, something I spent chasing for many years as more than a hobby, but with my friends and colleagues we have been finding time to just ride. The sheer enjoyment of nailing a trail, the speed of single track and just the general banter at each other’s riding.

The thing is, riding a bike – so simple as it might be – can bring a smile to everyone’s face and it still stands for the same basic things, freedom and a sense of feeling alive.

It doesn’t matter what bike you ride, but if you can get the chance to try something new – mountain bike, gravel, road, BMX whatever type it might be – do it with friends and enjoy it! It keeps things fresh.

Speaking of which, don’t forget to join us for our House Show on 11-12 of September, where you’ll get the chance to ride out on the 3T Strada and Exploro as well as get the play balance right with loads of delicious food and our post-show party each evening.

Visit events.saddleback.co.uk to register.

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FINAL THOUGHT

F I NA L T HOU G H T Nearly 15 years ago, Thomas Friedman gave us the book, The World Is Flat – a well-written look at the ways technology, free flowing information and nearly unlimited communication had driven globalisation and changed the world, resulting in a flatter, more even global playing field than ever before.

A decade and a bit on, I find great irony in how we can be so much more connected, yet more separated and insulated from each other than ever. We have the history of human knowledge at our fingertips as well as the ability to communicate around the world in real time.. and what have we done with it?

We argue, we name-call, and we refuse to believe our positions on issues are anything other than perfect. We have flattened the world only to fill it with protective bubbles of our own creation, filled with people who look, think and act like us. Not exactly the idealism that Friedman was postulating.

I believe no machine is as effective as the bicycle at popping those bubbles and connecting people across them. A bicycle creates community, shared understanding and even a shared language – even when little or no actual shared language exists. It has always been amazing to me that I can fly around the world and get on a bike, or visit a shop in a new city and within an hour have some connection to that place through the cycling community.

A group ride in any place at any time can cross cultures, languages, religions, social status – because on that ride, we are all cyclists, all responsible for collective safety, including safe navigation through the course of that ride.

We are responsible for setting and communicating rules such as ‘no drop’ or defining regroup locations, when to ride single file, and so on. We let new folks know when the county-line sprint sign is coming up so they can participate, and we point out potholes and rough surfaces so following riders aren’t hitting them blind. We’re our best selves when riding bikes: happier, healthier, more compassionate, more inclusive, more curious and kind.

A torrent is made of many raindrops, coalescing into a powerful force.

Similarly each ride creates the possibility of creating an insight, a connection, or a friendship. Like the raindrops we can be powerful if we all flow together.

JOS H P O E RTNER

PR E S I D E N T, S I LCA

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“ I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. I’M WELLING UP, MAN. I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. IT’S JUST... OVERWHELMING. I DIDN’T THINK ABOUT IT ALL RACE, AND NOW SUDDENLY...

I WON THE TOUR, MAN! ”

“ YOU LOOK AT THE LINE AS WE’RE WAITING TO DROP IN TO QUALIS AND THE AMOUNT OF GUYS THAT I RACED AS A JUNIOR WHO ARE IN THAT TOP 10… IT’S PRETTY COOL. IT’S COOL TO BE PART OF THAT NEW WAVE”