Issue 06 by Sportif Magazine

ISSUE

FREE

WA R R I O R C L A S S

The Curadmír Ulster Awaits POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Power Meters for Everyone MCWHOPPING MYTHS

Is Fast Food Good Recovery Food? ON TEST

Trek Domane, 13 Bikes Intuition Beta Carbon Road

E D I TO R RICHARD HALLETT

richard@sportifmagazine.com DEPUTY EDITOR D AV I D H A R M O N

david@sportifmagazine.com

C OV E R CURADMÍR ULSTER PH OTO G R A PH E R R I C H A R D WAT S O N 04

THE SCENE

T H E S H RO P S H I R E DEVIL SPRING CLASSIC

CURADMÍR PREVIEW

RAPHA HELL OF THE N O RT H V I

E D C O M U LT I S YS

13 BIKES INTUITION B E TA C A R B O N ROA D

TREK DOMANE

D R E S S I N G T H E P A RT

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

FA S T F O O D

sales@sportifmagazine.com

HORSE AND VELO

DESIGN PA R E N T

R I D I N G I N G RO U P S

NEWS

ENIGMA MACHINE

• • • • • • •

THE SCENE RIDES KIT PREP R E T RO SKILLS REGIONAL

O P E R AT I O N S D I R E C TO R JOSEPHINE MARSH

josephine@sportifmagazine.com CONTRIBUTORS ALEX BERESFORD SIMON SMYTHE R E A N N E A T H E RT O N PAT R I C K T R A I N O R W AY L A N D A U S T I N PETER MANN T I M L AW S O N PH OTO G R A PH Y SIMON SMYTHE RED KITE EVENTS D AV I D H A R M O N RAPHA R I C H A R D WAT S O N I N D U S T RY I M A G E S WEHHA N I K K I M A H A D E VA N AD SALES

www.madebyparent.com PUBLISHER P RO J E C T 7 R A C I N G LT D @ S P O RT I F M A G U K S P O RT I F M A G A Z I N E S P O RT I F M A G A Z I N E . C O M

The sportive season is in full swing and we can only hope that the balmy spring weather that bathed most of the UK in April will turn into an Indian summer. The calendar is more packed than ever with huge new rides in Wales and the east of England as well as an ever expanding established calendar. Back in the darker days of winter we undertook a survey of sportive riders from around the UK and the results were in turns predictable and enlightening. Did you know more women go abroad to ride sportives than men? We take a closer look at what’s making the sportive market tick in 2015 in The Scene. Whilst the UK market continues to evolve the international sportive scene is now home to the UCI Amateur Road World Championships. We catch up with the man responsible for bringing Gran Fondo together in the UCI World Cycling Tour, Erwin Vervecken. In a glorious piece of juxtaposition we get serious with a look at the ever expanding range of affordable power meters available to the sportiviste, followed by a long hard look at whether eating your favourite burger and fries can help you get over all the effort you’ve just put in, whether you’re using a power meter or not. Finally, and slightly off piste, a huge Sportif Magazine congratulations to Editor, Richard Hallett. When he’s not wielding a pen he’s busy with a brazing torch and at the UK’s handmade bike show, Bespoked 2015 held in Bristol last month, he walked away with the Best Touring Bicycle award. Well done that man. Ride Safe. D AV I D H A R M O N DEPUTY EDITOR

• THE

SCENE

Sportif talks exclusively to Erwin Vervecken As the much heralded Tour of Cambridgeshire hits the roads this summer, a mass participation event with the ambition to become the UK’s ﬁrst qualifying event for the UCI Amateur Road Championships, we caught up with former cyclo-cross super star Erwin Vervecken, the man responsible for the co-ordination and quality of Gran Fondo around the world under the auspices of

UCI World Cycling Tour. Some might say that the UCI was slow to recognise the full impact of the Gran Fondo scene on the sport. Do you agree? No, I don’t think that’s true to be honest. The Gran Fondo scene started really in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s in Italy but it has taken some time to spread and become established globally. We had to wait until the market was healthy and stable enough before drawing together the strings of the World Cycling Tour. The UCI is a world governing body so we’ve had to wait for it to become a worldwide phenomenon. Do you think the fact that the

Amateur World Championships are now based on qualifications in Gran Fondo shows that it’s too important to be ignored? There will always be a focus on the glamour of elite road racing, I think that’s normal, people love to aspire to be like their heroes but we have recognised that it’s the huge Gran Fondo market that drives the industry worldwide now, not just in sales but in participation and that this market is where a lot of the next generation of elite riders might find their first competitive experiences of cycling, so we are determined to give them opportunities to excel at a high level.

Basing a World Championship on Gran Fondo events has been quite a shock to traditionalists, it’s not the road racing world that many of us grew up with is it? No that’s certainly true but this is a lot healthier. There has been a gradual restructuring of road racing over the years, it’s reflected in the U23 and Elite categories but also in the fact Gran Fondo offer some really positive structural advantages to racing. What advantages did the Gran Fondo events offer that the existing formats didn’t? To be honest, the old Masters World Championship format of a single venue, open to all, race was

just not good for the sport, firstly for security and secondly for spectacle. Riders were entering who had little or no racing experience and were either getting dropped in the first kilometer or being involved in accidents, neither of which was good for the sport. Now you have to qualify to race at the World Championships and on some of the toughest and most beautiful cycling landscape on the planet. It’s better all round. You say that the format for an Amateur Road World Championships is more healthy now, what about the riders? Doping has become a big concern in the international Fondo scene. It’s true that we, like the organisers and the fans, are very aware of the potential for doping in Gran Fondo but at the moment it’s hard to say how big the problem is. Logistically it’s a totally different problem than monitoring the professional peloton. The number of riders involved there is very small compared to the thousands of people riding a Fondo at any one time. We have put a range of measures into place that we think are realistic and will be effective against those riders in Gran Fondo who are thinking of cheating. Working alongside organisers, there are doping controls now present at 3 of the qualifying rounds and more will follow. Remember, if you qualify for the World Championships you will have to race under a full licence issued by your national federation and therefore you, like every rider, will be subject to the rules and sanctions that surround doping practices. But surely that’s just what should be expected as a minimum of measures?

Of course, but remember we provide expertise and support for all the organisers and can supply personnel if requested to help out with testing and in fact we are now introducing out of competition testing too. This is a big step forward. We monitor performances and target those riders we feel are exhibiting performances not consistent with their age, experience, previous results etc. What are the plans for the future of the UCI’s involvement with Gran Fondo? We want to make the UCI World Cycling Tour the real benchmark of a great event. We already provide logistical and promotional support to everyone in series and we want to continue making it a truly global series. We are undergoing discussions with potential events in Asia and hope to have an event in Japan next year, we are also working hard on changing the perception of the Gran Fondo in the US where the label is usually associated with charity riding. And what about the UK? Has the Tour of Cambridgeshire ﬁnally begun to change the nature of sportive riding there? I think it has yes. We are really happy with the level of commitment that has been shown by the organisers of the Tour of Cambridgeshire. They have managed to arrange closed roads, private insurance, a really interesting course and they are holding one of the UCI Time Trial qualiﬁers too. We are aware that, as always, there are some issues to deal with, especially with British Cycling, but we are working hard alongside the organisers to get those ironed out. It’s exciting.

• THE

SCENE

Cape Town Cycle Tour forced to use shorter route this year due to fires This year’s Cape Town Cycle Tour was run over a drastically shortened 47km route. Massive brush fires along the original course a few days before the event meant that the iconic coastal section of the “Argus” could not be used. Instead, the ride had to make do with a reduced route essentially out and back along a dual carriageway, nonetheless almost 34,000 riders took part in what was dubbed “the show you care solidarity ride” in support of the fire fighters and residents affected by the fires. The 2016 Cape Town Cycle Tour will take place on Sunday 6th March and will revert to the full 109km route taking in the iconic climbs of Smitswinkel, Chapman’s Peak and Suikerbossie once more. Keep informed of developments on the 2016 Cycle Tour on Facebook www.facebook.com/ cycletour or www.cycletour.co.za

Sportif Survey reveals the pattern of the Industry Back in the dark days of winter we undertook a survey of Britain’s growing band of sportivistes to gauge their riding and buying habits over the past twelve and next twelve months. Among some of the more predictable answers amongst the sample of 1,000 riders, 750 of who called themselves sportive riders, was the ﬁnding that women owned on average nearly as many bicycles as men, an average of 2.5 to be precise compared to 3.0 as the average amongst men. Women are also more likely to buy a machine within the price range of £500 - £999 which ﬁts nicely into the Ride to Work scheme and yet at the very top end of bike purchasing costs, the £2,500 and above bracket women

were not that far behind the men; 15% of men questioned fell into the superbike bracket but so did 12% of the women. Less than 40% of all sportive riders belonged to a cycling club and those that did were largely in the 42-52 age bracket reflecting just how different the sportive demographic is from the traditional racing cyclist. Perhaps the most astonishing finding of the entire survey, hidden amongst statistics for clothing and equipment buying, days and miles ridden and sports nutrition consumed was one showing that more women than men went abroad to ride in 2014. Whilst 45% of the men questioned said they had ridden abroad in the previous 12 months, over 1.5% more women said they had done so. The full data is commercially available from Sportif Magazine to anybody who wants it.

The average sportive rider paid between £500 - £999 for their last bike falling into the brackets of the cycle to work scheme, with men more likely to spend over £1000

Cycling Italy and UK

GRAN FONDO PROSECCO 04/10/2015 Winding through the glorious Prosecco vinyards and hills around Valdobbiadene, why not toast your sportive season in style. Salute!

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StuartHallCycling Mallorca g Training Camps October 2015 Special Offer from £350pp www.stuarthallcycling.co.uk stuart@stuarthallcycling.co.uk +447801 914 929

• THE

SCENE photo: Andy McCandlish

For the days you beat the trafﬁc. The days you clear your head. When you push higher, further, longer. When you won’t settle for average.

Going the Extra Mile

www.chainreactioncycles.com

Because Life is Better Shared The market in social media sharing continues to grow. First it was Strava and then the Rapha Riding Club app and now comes a new and much wider application for sportive riders to sink their teeth into. WeGoDo is an app that helps you pursue your favourite interests with others, it covers sports such as road cycling, mountain biking, hiking, skiing, snowboarding and gives the user

the opportunity to get involved with the local, national and international community who have the same interests and hobbies. Think of it as an activities-based Tinder, it’s bang on trend within the social media app market and as time goes on it’s ever expanding network will enable like-minded individuals to get together to bike, hike or simply walk their dogs together. WeGoDo requests that individuals set their expertise level for each activity to ensure the suggested connections are relevant. If you’re a complete novice at road cycling and need a bit of advice WeGoDo enables you

to ﬁnd someone more experienced to chat to or meet up with through their ‘People Match’ function. The app is completely free and can be accessed either by scanning the QR code on this page or by typing the following link below into a web browser: WWW.INVITE.WEGODO.COM/ SPORTIFMAGAZINE

• KIT JERSEY £89.99

GORE

SHORTS £119.99

Gore Fits the Bill WORDS JOSEPHINE MARSH PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID HARMON

Cycling isn’t cheap, not like running. I’m not suggesting running can’t get expensive, I’ve previously been sucked into compression wear (literally) and fancy trainers but that’s more choice than necessity. With cycling, getting the right bike and kit is paramount to your enjoyment of the sport. As a woman, the choice of gender specific cycling kit has expanded massively in the last couple of years. However, as a woman who is shaped like a woman, the choices are less readily available. As a bit of an experiment, I requested from Gore their Xenon 2.0 Lady Jersey and Shorts in a size medium, the experimental part of it being that I didn’t read the size guide beforehand. As much as I’d like to be what is classed as an XS, I’m really not and I never will be no matter how much I ride thanks to some pesky hip bones, I am firmly a medium. So was very pleasantly surprised when the Gore kit arrived and it fit perfectly. Most brands I’ve come across have a single size chart for their women’s range. Having now watched two seasons of The Great British Sewing Bee I consider

myself a bit of an armchair expert on the way the same fabrics stretch dependent on how they have been cut, and indeed how different fabrics stretch. An item that is made from 15% elastane is going to stretch less than an item that is 25% elastane, and although that may seem obvious it hasn’t been mentioned on any of the size guides that I’ve read. Back to the Gore kit; Gore is a brand I’ve come to trust over the years. My very first rain jacket was a delightful bright pink number that lasted many years and was well worth what seemed like a sky high price tag at the time of £180. The Gore Xenon kit and I have now been out on several rides, all of which were in the rare British sunshine. From the moment I keenly put the kit on an hour before my first ride with it, to the moment it came off afterwards, it was like the kit had been made just for me. The shorts had just the right amount of give not to cut into the stomach area but equally to not sag around the chamois, my only very minor gripe about the shorts is that, in my opinion, they are about an inch too long and have played havoc with my previously crisp tan lines (see Rule #7 - http://www.

velominati.com/the-rules/) but I can forgive them that. At £119.99 a pair they are far from cheap and are up against brands like Sportful, Castelli and Alé. This season’s look is black heavy with bold accent colours and the Xenon fits in perfectly with simple black and white detailing, or a straight black pair is available too. The jersey (RRP £89.99) has a classic full-length zipper and a nice stylish touch is the overlapped white piece of fabric at the bottom of the zip (there is probably a technical term for this which I am not yet privy to). The jersey’s other plus points are that it has been designed to be very flattering, with a tapered black front section that reduces the appearance of broad shoulders and also creates a trimmer looking waist. The sleeve caps are made from a fabric that is so soft it’s almost tempting to touch them whilst riding… For those of you out there who struggle to find kit that fits a shapely figure, that still want to look really good in it, the Xenon range comes highly recommended by me, and I’m sure if you are the whippety lady the small and extra small will tick the boxes too! WWW.GOREAPPAREL.CO.UK

Corrach – 28 milltir, Diafol – 41 milltir, Mynach – 71 milltir, Cawr – 114 milltir. Ceredigion, Cymru.

GORE

Welsh Wild West Sportive 24/5/2015 Entries now open – Cofrestru ar agor

www.abercyclefest.com

THE BEARN CYCL’ ESPOIR SPORTIVE

21st June 2015 Registration bearn-cycl-espoir.com

Two cycling events in the Pyrenees - FRANCE

TOUR DE FRANCE

14th July 2015 10th stage Tarbes la Pierre St Martin

Tourist brochure freely available from accueil@tourisme-oloron.com Or, alternatively, scan the QR code or our web site Come, when you want, and test yourself on the route of champions ! tourisme-oloron.com

• RIDES

Pulling up to the event headquarters for my next cycling escapade, I had good feelings about this one. Looking not too far into the distance I smiled as I took in the view of the forest. This particular wooded area is a sight with which I’m very familiar with. Eastridge Woods holds plenty of emotional memories of the many, many years I have spent training, playing and racing my two wheeled bouncy downhill machine. My

AT FULL SALOP Shropshire Devil Spring Classic

WORDS REANNE ATHERTON PH OTO G R A P H Y RED KITE EVENTS

Dad used to have my bicycle on the back of the car ready for when I got home from college, and we would spend evening after evening pushing to the top and blasting back down. Once I mastered the art of jumping, I would play on the same jump for hours on end until it was too dark to see. If those trees could talk, they would have some stories to tell. They have been around to see me grow up - from racing cross-country to becoming a downhill demon and competing in the National Championships. And it was good to have my Dad here riding the Shropshire Devil too, it was like the old days. Pushing all of those glorious memories aside, I immersed myself in the often predictable registration routine. The usually quiet car park was chocka with cyclists milling around in preparation. The Shropshire Devil Spring Classic, hosted by Red Kite Events is no doubt a tough season icebreaker. From my past experience of doing the long route, I knew that it incorporated a long list of climbs, so instead I rode the shorter 48 mile route as a comparison and to gently ease my adventurist friend, Sam, into her ﬁrst ever sportive. Sam is fully aware that any activities I have in mind usually involve a high level of bravery. Just 5 miles from the Welsh border, it is in a prime spot to reel in some of the most challenging climbs that both Shropshire and Powys have on the menu. For starters there was an appetising climb known as Long Mountain. This is exactly what it says on the tin. A long climb that has a complimentary mixture of a gradual and a sharp hitting kicks followed by a deliciously smooth decent which leaves a slightly smoky after-taste. Usually some

water goes down well with this. Both of the routes cross in and out of the Shropshire and Powys several times, weaving in and out of England to Wales. For a moment as we were well over halfway, I wondered if the feed stop crew had packed up and gone home as I felt 32 miles into the ride was a little too far away for our chance to refuel and have a breather, we were definitely ready for some treats. The food sanctuary was obviously a fairly new building and seemed a bit too clean to accommodate all those perspiring cyclists. The word around town is that two local old ladies had donated £700,000 to the village of Lydbury North for this structure to be built. With the lottery topping it up to £1million the hall was born. A very admirable gesture to give to their local community. Stocked to the brim with energy filled snacks and a warm brew, I was like a kid in a bicycle shop. I held back a little on the desire to scoff as I was being watched by some sort of food security man. I was half expecting him to say ‘put down the mini pasty and step slowly away’. The timing system was one I hadn’t come across before on this type of event. The lanyard with a plastic square object hanging on it that was put around my neck came into play at the feed stop. Holding over a digital box it tracked my position. Pretty smart kit, and I’m sure it would deter those prone to shortcutting. Well recovered from the first mouth-watering devil poke, the final heart pounding delight of a climb was left to the end. Being just over 40 miles into the ride and with only 8 miles to go, this was exactly the kind of climb that you could afford to push hard on. I’m pretty sure during this last powerful

charge that my face was as red as the Devil’s and I was appreciative of the chilly temperatures as I churned my way up to the highest point of the day, which has an elevation of 431 metres. In my mind I was already beaten by this climb. Glancing up to where the road shot up to the sky, I was expecting to get off and be defeated. Passing the 20% gradient sign that smugly loomed above me I had a wave of determination to get up there even if I collapsed at the top. I could hear riders behind me unclipping and the sound of cleats pounding the road made me want to give everything I had. I made it, and the last few miles were an easy roll. After eating at least one of everything on offer at the start/ finish HQ in Minsterley I was impressed to receive a novelty t-shirt. I struggle now to shut my draw crammed full of over-sized event merchandise proudly earned over the years. If a free tee, great food and friendly helpful staff are all part of the package, then I’m going to need a bigger set of drawers!

THE SHROPSHIRE DEVIL

SHROPSHIRE 48 MILES OR 80 MILES

• RIDES

STAGE ONE

ROSTREVOR TO CUSHENDALL 119 MILES 2,330M Climbing Within the ﬁrst 10 miles riders will have 700 metres of ascent under their belt through the mountains of Mourne, going coastal for a section up to Newcastle before returning inland to travel up the country in a near straight line between the coast and Lough Neagh before banking east after Belfast towards Ballyclare, then tracking along the Coast Road from Larne to Cushendall where the event village and a leg massage awaits. STAGE TWO

WARRIOR CLASS Curadmír Ulster Cycle WORDS JOSEPHINE MARSH

PH OTO G R A PH Y R I C H A R D WAT S O N

Curadmír (pronounced ‘kor-ameer’) is named after the combats that took place in Ulster’s ancient Irish history that were fought for the ‘Champion’s Portion’; the warriors who displayed extraordinary courage were awarded the largest cut of meat at the ceremonial feast table and there was no greater prize for a mortal to receive. The Curadmír ride, running from the 11th -13th September is inspired by the accounts of these warriors,

forever immortalised, and the organisers have designed a course that is challenging both physically and mentally, where only the courageous will conquer. At Sportif, we don’t as a rule preview events as, often, there isn’t enough to cover several pages and keep our readers interested, but we believe the Curadmír is diﬀerent. Two of the organisers approached me at the London Bike Show back in February to see if Sportif would

WATERFOOT TO BUNCRANA 126 MILES 2,113M Climbing be interested in riding the event, they didn’t go for the hard sell but when I returned home I watched the promotional film and was instantly intrigued. The promo film raised goose bumps, this is not something I say lightly. Beautifully shot, with a ‘300’ feel to it, it got my heart racing. And there is a feel of the moment about the event too. Gone are the days of the simple ride, this is one of a new breed that ape the world of racing and feed the champions desire for more meat on the bones of an adventure. It’s one of a new wave of multi-day, multi-stage events springing up around the British Isles. Curadmír will be covering 351 miles over three days in Northern Ireland with a dip into the northernmost tip of Eire as well, tough on any long weekend, but throw in 6,600 metres of climbing and it’s a serious affair. Luckily there is a ‘broom wagon’ on hand.

The second day starts oﬀ with almost immediate sharp ascents, the riders will get the beneﬁt of spectacular views from Torr Head followed by the UNESCO World Heritage site that is the Giant’s Causeway, the Causeway is made up of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns following an ancient volcano eruption. The riders will also get to see Duncluce Castle, Royal Portrush and Bushmills Distillery, which makes the famous Bushmills Whiskey. After the sightseeing is over a ferry is required to cross Lough Foyle to get to Greencastle and on to the most northerly point of Ireland and Malin Head. Don’t expect niceties from the weather Gods out here; “this can seem like one of the most rugged and hostile areas on Earth and will put test to riders physical and mental stamina” promises the organisers. Before arriving back at Stage 2’s

CURADMÍR

ULSTER 351 MILES

will be wild, rugged, and mostly untouched. Curadmír liken it to a lunar landscape helped by the barrenness of the peat bogs. The final stretch of the adventure will pass through Killeter Forest and then on to the Fermanagh Lakelands for the final hilltop finish that promises a ‘breathtaking’ view of Lough Erne.

EVENT VILLAGE

event village the riders will face the now infamous Mamore Gap, a place on the Inishowen Peninsula in north Donegal which has a holy well called St. Eigne’s Well at the top which has attracted pilgrims there for centuries. Be warned, Mamore Gap could ﬁnish oﬀ the unprepared with a maximum gradient of 27% on its hairpins and an average gradient of 10% across 2km, be sure to save some beans for it… STAGE THREE

BUNCRANA TO FINN LOUGH 106 MILES 2,161M Climbing At 106 miles, the slightly shorter stage will no doubt be welcomed by most, if not all, of the participants of the Curadmír, although the climbing doesn’t ease up. Stage 3 will pass through the Glenveagh National Park. Glenveagh, meaning ‘glen of the Birches’, is the second largest National Park in Ireland. The Park is home to the largest herd of red deer in Ireland and, excitingly, since its reintroduction in 2000 also houses the Golden Eagle. The landscape that the riders are set to traverse after the Park

Riders will be treated to preassembled king sized tents in the event village after each day in the saddle, with their bag ready and waiting for them. Also in the event village there will be high pressured showers, massage tents, live music and catering marquees. From dinner on the evening of the 11th to breakfast on September 13th all food is included in the package price. This also includes 2 – 3 feed stations per stage which will stock sandwiches, snacks and energy gels/bars.

AFTER THE EVENT Upon arrival back in Finn Lough each rider will have access to the event photography and will be presented with a unique ﬁnisher’s trophy, the organisers also have a hero’s welcome planned which will include a traditional Irish Feast where each rider can claim their deserved share of the Curadmír. Friends and family are invited and should anyone wish to continue the celebration there are discounted places to stay at Finn Lough resort and spa. This could be just the ticket for resting those weary legs. Packages start from £195 WWW.CURADMIR.COM

• RIDES

A SUNDAY IN HELL WORDS WAYLAND AUSTIN

PH OTO G R A P H Y RAPHA

The day dawned cold and crisp with the sun already promising a lovely day. I’d been looking forward to riding the Rapha Hell of the North sportive for weeks. I’d never managed to ride it before as it clashed with family holidays, so this year I made the most of it. Even so I was lucky to even get to ride it as all 300 places were taken in, a frankly amazing, 300 seconds. The concept was worryingly simple; out from North London, clatter around on a mixture of road and unmade track, pay homage to Paris-Roubaix the Queen of the Classics probably better known

as the Hell of the North, with a spin around the outdoor track in Welwyn, Hertfordshire and head back in the same style in time to catch the real race on the television. Usually the worryingly simple ones are the hardest. It was a parky 4 degrees centigrade in south west London and the ﬁrst challenge was to work out what wear. I decided that arm and knee warmers and a thin gilet would do. I didn’t want to carry more than I had to and I had a 20km ride to the start in Highgate to warm up. There had been a lot of

discussion on forums about bicycle and tyre choice for this ride. With a 100km mix of road and oﬀ-road riding, getting it right could be tricky and very weather dependent. Fortunately, and with hindsight, I picked it perfectly. I rode a Specialized Crux Carbon, with hydraulic disc brakes and 33mm knobbly tyres at 60psi. It rolled well on the tarmac, with no appreciable loss of speed and was superb on the oﬀ-road sections, managing to clear every one without me putting a foot down. Perhaps, more importantly, I managed to avoid the punctures that seemed to plague many of those who chose road tyres, albeit even 25mm and 27mm ones. At one stage on the road, I was overtaken rapidly by a group on skinny tyres, only to pass them all mending punctures on the next section of gravel. I didn’t see them again. The parable of the Hare and the Tortoise came to mind. The start line in Highgate was

full of bonhomie and signing-on quick and efficient. Importantly, I remembered to collect my beer and frites tokens and store them safely for later. In the wait for my group to form, unspoken alliances were made, and we were given a final briefing. Just after 9.00am we were off. The route ran north through sleepy Sunday traffic en-route to leafy Barnet. From here it branched off to the first of the 16 sections of what Rapha described as “gravé”. In reality, this was anything from gravel access roads, to full-on mountain bike singletrack and back to bone-dry, washboard like tractor routes proving to be a real test of equipment and riding skills. I was glad I had spent so many years messing about on mountain bikes! The route was signed with the now iconic pink and black Rapha tape, although you still had to keep your eyes out for the turns. Even though it was only put up the day before, the tape and signposts appeared to be sought-after souvenirs for the locals. After about 65km, the route burst onto the outdoor velodrome HELL OF THE NORTH

LONDON 100KM

at Welwyn, home track to Olympic superstar Laura Trott in her youth. A single lap of the track, Roubaix style, was followed by a pull off to enjoy a food stop and great coffee from the Rapha Citroen H Van. The complimentary cakes were all homemade and delicious. I could have stayed there in the sun all afternoon but I had a race to watch. Welwyn was the outer limits of the parcours but we still had 8 sections of gravé left to negotiate on the run back in to the finish. This included one steep, narrow gravel climb that had most people walking, more Ronde van Vlaanderen than Paris-Roubaix. Spirits continued to rise as we headed back south: the thought of beer and frites is always a good motivator and the pace quickened as we re-entered the suburbs of north London, with Sunday drivers giving dust and sweat soaked riders a good, hard sideways look. The last off-tarmac section was short but with a sting in the tail. Water had collected in deep gravel at the bottom of a fast, narrow descent ending in a sharp left hand bend. I grabbed the brakes trying not to lock the front wheel and, glad I was riding discs, squirmed

around the obstruction laughing in relief. I’d got that far after all without a tumble I wasn’t about to start then. Some riders were not as lucky keeping rubber side down but no-one got more than scratches to display at the finish. The last road section was downhill to the finish. After 4 hours and 10 minutes we arrived at a very friendly and welcoming pub, having averaged 24kph on and off road including almost 1,400m of climbing. Bikes safely stored in the beer garden, beer and frites ordered and the stories commenced. Everyone had a smile on their faces as we settled down to watch the pros tackle the pavé of Paris-Roubaix on the big screen, the noise level rising steadily as more of our riders arrived and the pros on the TV got closer to the finish. As you would expect from Rapha, everything was organised superbly. It’s often the little touches that make a difference and Rapha seemed to have most of those covered. It’s a very different sportive experience and one well worth the effort. Would I recommend it? Absolutely, but next year you’d better be quick if you want a place!

• KIT EDCO

OPTIMA FURKA WHEEL SET WITH MULTISYS FREEHUB £1099 - £1149

Totally Compatible WORDS DAVID HARMON

Now here’s a clever thing, a set of wheels that will, without changing the freehub, accept both Shimano and Campagnolo 10 or 11 speed cassettes. Unless you are running the current generation of 11 speed cassettes you will be aware of the incompatibility of Shimano/Sram on the one hand and Campagnolo on the other. Riders have until now been forced to make a choice between groupset manufacturers, and wheel manufacturers have been required to make 2 freehub bodies to accommodate the divide. With the current generation of 11 speed cassettes there has been something of a coming together of the 2 types, largely to satisfy the need of service course mechanics on races. You can indeed now run an 11 speed Shimano cassette with Campagnolo mechs and vice versa, but the spacing between sprockets remains different. So, while you’ll get a change, it won’t be the super slick shifting we have all come to expect. Edco’s Multisys does away with the problem completely. The Swiss firm has created a hub that will accept both Shimano and Campagnolo pattern 10 or 11 speed cassettes. All clever stuff

but it strikes me that is has greater use in rationalizing the company’s range of wheels than it has in the bike shed of your average sportiviste. The fact is that over the last 2 decades riders have bought into either one system or the other due partly to incompatibility. The question is, will the average rider ever need to swap from one to the other? If you’re looking backwards

EDCO HAS LONG BEEN FAMOUS FOR THE QUALITY OF ITS BEARINGS to equipment you already own then the answer is probably not but going forward it does open up the possibility that you can use the same wheels on any machine you buy in the future, not to be sniﬀed at when top end wheels can be a hugely expensive purchase. The 58mm Optima Furka, distributed in the UK by Cambrian

Tyres is constructed as a carbon sandwich clincher with machined alloy braking surfaces and laced to the company’s own SuperG hub. It’s not the lightest wheelset in the world, weighing in at 1949g a pair, and certainly not one for the climbers, but they are a joy to ride. Edco has long been famous for the quality of its bearings – the Edco competition headset was a must have in the 1980’s – and even a simple ‘spin it and see’ test on the workstand results in enough time to go and make a cup of tea and drink it before the wheel comes to a halt. This is a fine rolling set of wheels, more suited to the flat than the hills but stiff, surprisingly comfortable and not overly influenced by cross winds. Each set comes with complimentary Continental Grand Sport Race tyres which, having tested several other tyres on the wheels, I’d say was an excellent touch. All in all a wheel set that adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts. Fast riding, comfortable, excellent free tyres and with the innovative Multisys freehub, if you can live with the weight it’s an impressive package. WWW.EDCO-WHEELS.CO.UK

• KIT

provide the aero brake calipers that are neatly tucked away behind the fount fork and under the chainstays for a clean look. We were impressed with the action of these calipers compared to some aero models which can feel spongy but had no such experiences with these. The FSA Gossamer Compact PF30 Chainset never missed a beat despite some heavy changes and the compact 50/34 rings combined with the 11-28

New Kid on the Block WORDS PATRICK TRAINOR

13 Bikes are an exclusive brand to UK retail giant Halfords. The brand was launched in 2014 and includes road, cyclo cross, mountain and hybrid bikes which have been designed from the ground up by well respected industry veteran Justin Stevenson. The road range has six models starting at £499 up to £1,799 but don’t let the relatively small selection or prices deter you as all models are very well thought out machines. The Intuition Beta Carbon Road is the second model from the top in the road range and when we saw it at the Cycle Show in Birmingham last year we were impressed with the amount of features packed into it for quite a reasonable £1,399, as it looks

much more expensive than this. The full uni-directional carbon fibre aero optimised monocoque semi compact frame is available in four sizes from S to XL (we found the fit larger than expected so if in between sizes we’d recommend going for the smaller size) and comes in below the magic one kilogram mark providing an excellent chassis. A large triangular down tube is mated to a tapered head and top tube while the seat stays join the seat tube several centimetres below the seat clamp, which all combine to give a solid package. The massive bottom bracket area ensures no effort is wasted but thankfully a standard round 27.2 seat post means it isn’t harsh despite the aero and oversize nature.

13 BIKES

INTUITION BETA CARBON ROAD £1,399

The fork is a full uni-directional carbon aero optimised model built for the frame with a 1-1/4” to 1-1/8” tapered steerer providing strength and bump smoothing characteristics which pleasantly surprised us. The fork also comes with 3cm of spacers providing enough adjustment to fine tune the fit. The groupset is a mix and match affair. Shifting is taken care of by Shimano’s latest 11 speed 105 mechs and shifters and they are simply superb. Gears changes are crisp, lever action is smooth and the front mech action on this, as on all of Shimano’s 11 speed mechanical groupsets, is incredibly light. In fact, the gap between 105 and Ultegra is now so small, do you need the higher groupo? TRP

NOT ONLY DID THE BIKE RIDE WELL BUT IT ALSO LOOKS GREAT WITH ITS CLEAN LINES AND SUBTLE COLOUR TOUCHES AGAINST THE MATT BLACK BACKDROP.

cassette oﬀer a low enough gearing to get you over most hills. Wheels can make or break how a bike rides and the own brand 13 RS aero deep section semi carbon 18/24 rims on Shimano compatible 13 hubs were very impressive. Weight is respectable as they are a fairing on an alloy braking surfaced rim and pick up wasn’t slow. Riding at speed they

felt comfortable and lively and also behaved well in cross winds unlike some aero models. We also appreciated the design that incorporated one spoke in each wheel in the same shade of green as the decals on the frame and rims. Finishing kit of 13 own brand alloy seatpost, stem and aero shallow drop bars all performed well and matched the overall matt black look. Having a custom coloured Fi’zi:k Aliante saddle is a real treat as this is such a comfortable, not to mention expensive, saddle. Be careful

with frame sizing however as the branded 13 badge attached to the rear of the post sits proud and restricts how far down you can drop the post. Overall this is an impressive and very well thought out bike. Not only did the bike ride well but it also looks great with its clean lines and subtle colour touches against the matt black backdrop. The frame and fork were comfortable, shifting was a joy and the wheels surprised us; we’d happily ride this bike on any event long or short. WWW.13-BIKES.COM

Moto Mech service motos: full mechanic’s kit & qualified mechanic pilots for events

No, I’m Spartacus! WORDS RICHARD HALLETT

Developed using input from legendary pro racer Fabian Cancellara and introduced in 2012, Trek’s Domane impresses with the sheer ingenuity of its saddle ‘suspension’ and by its effectiveness at preventing lowfrequency vibration from reaching its rider’s posterior. The saddle ‘decoupler’ is one of several antivibration measures that feature in a cycle designed to provide enhanced comfort on ‘endurance’ road rides. It is also designed to be fast and is Cancellara’s preferred mount for cycling’s spring classics season. The decoupler, which goes by the name IsoSpeed, connects the seat tube to the seat stays as they meet the top tube using a pair of cartridge bearings housed in the stays. A bolt passes through the bearings and a moulded lug on the front of the seat tube, which is fixed rigidly to the bottom bracket. The design allows the seatpost to flex backwards around the bearings when downward load is applied to the saddle. The amount of movement is small, but even the shortest of test rides over rough tarmac shows it to be enough to smooth off the edges of the harshest road surface. In

comparison, the front end, despite boasting an all-carbon Domane IsoSpeed fork and Bontrager IsoZone handelbars, is rather less effective at soaking up road bumps. It’s still surprisingly plush thanks to offset dropouts that increase fork blade deflection and to steering geometry based on a relatively shallow head angle. This, in turn, contributes to delightfully light, neutral handling of the sort that asks questions of the sharper steering response found on many performance-orientated road bikes. It works well on highspeed descents while offering reassuring stability on greasy or uncertain road surfaces. With the frame’s exceptional stiffness and power transfer, the Domane makes a truly responsive partner on poor roads and, of course, cobbles… Equipped with 11-speed Shimano Ultegra and rolling on Bontrager Race Tubeless Ready wheels, the 5.2 packs plenty of performance per pound and even features ‘vanishing mudguard mounts’ – little threaded inserts that take screw-in mudguard eyes – but shares with its siblings a basic attribute. With one exception, all Domane models feature Trek’s ‘endurance’ positioning geometry,

which essentially delivers a high, short-reach front end. While ﬁne for a rider who wants or needs high handlebars placed within easy reach, it inevitably limits the bike’s potential audience. We’d like to see the rangier, lower ‘H1’ ﬁt available as an alternative for those who favour a more aero position, not least because the Domane would make a great race bike; why should Fabian have all the fun?

07725 041 946 motomech@mail.com

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• KIT

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• KIT Sportive riders haven’t often been brought up in the chain gang, midweek 10, Sunday club run tradition and actually that’s not a bad thing. There are areas of the nation where, back in the day, club rivalry was fierce, almost tribal and the mark of your tribe was the club jersey. Still, the desire to be part of a group is as strong as ever in the human race, especially those pedaling a bike, so whether you’re a bunch of Gran Fondo mates, a corporate grouping, a charity or just friends, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be dressed as ‘pro’ as anyone. Here we take a peek at three very different offerings from three companies that’ll do you proud and make you stand out from the rest.

BIORACER

PRIMAL

WILDOO

Founded in 1992 and big on the women’s cycling scene as founding sponsors of the YouTube channel Voxwomen, as well as other teams and events around the world.

Founded in 2002, its range not only includes custom clothing but bottles, musettes, casquettes and waterproof phone packs.

Dartmoor Classic, Road.cc, the Army and the RAF Triathlon teams to name a few.

Women’s race teams Mule Bar Girl/ Sigma and Epic Scott WRT as well as a number of other teams and clubs.

Primal offer the full neck to toe service with everything from jerseys to shoe covers.

A full range of men’s and women’s clothing along with custom kid’s bikewear.

Race Cut and Sport Cut and a full kit sample service available.

Race Cut and the slightly more generous Club Cut with both men’s and women’s available.

Large range of performance fabrics including SPF 35, mesh fabrics and chamois upgrades.

A full range of fabrics to suit all pockets right up to premium materials from MITI, Eschler and Carvico.

Included in the price.

Free design service with the client providing the design remit and suitable images.

Minimum first order of 15 pieces, 10 thereafter.

Orders start at 10 pieces.

Includes design and delivery and starts from £41 per jersey.

Jerseys start at £33.60 and shorts at £39.60 for 10 pieces, including delivery.

A 100% assured delivery date service is offered.

Around 5-6 weeks from sign off.

COMPANY Big in Belgium and a top racing pedigree. With 101 World champions and 26 Olympic medalists in their garments, Bioracer has been successful in the world of custom clothing since 1986.

CLIENTS Bioracer provide kit for over 400 clubs in the UK and Ireland, they’ve been involved with the Dragon Ride and produce for the corporate market.

GARMENTS A full range of all year round clothing, hats, casquettes and skinsuits including the ‘speed master suit’ as sported by Tony Martin.

SIZING A full range of sizes covering racing and leisure with PDF reference chart.

FABRICS More fabric choices and chamois upgrades than you can shake a stick at.

DRESSING THE PART WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY DAVID HARMON

DESIGN Design service offered free by UK agents Onimpex. Usually finalized within a week.

MINIMUM No minimum but a surcharge of £45 on orders under £700

COST For 10 sets in the basic Quadri Lycra £35-£70 per jersey and £50 shorts.

TURNAROUND Between 5-8 weeks dependent on season.

• KIT

BIORACER WWW.ONIMPEX.CO.UK

PRIMAL WWW.PRIMALWEAR.COM

• KIT

POWER TO THE PEOPLE There’s a price war going on in the world of power meters and there has never been a better time to get one – here’s our guide to what’s on oﬀer. WILDOO

WORDS ALEX BERESFORD

WWW.WILDOO.CO.UK

In March PowerTap unveiled brand new pedal and crank-based systems. As it was the manufacturer of one of the original power meters this was big news – or at very least a sign of the times. In the old days the choice was a PowerTap hub (expensive) or a SRM crankset (very expensive). Now the power meter market is so chock-full of ever more innovative, ever cheaper solutions that PowerTap has found itself playing catch-up. Its new P1 pedal will compete with the Garmin Vector system while the C1 chainset will take on Quarq, Rotor and old rival SRM. Both look very exciting indeed as well as very competitively priced and, although it’s early days, have the potential to be class leading. Just in the last year we’ve seen

so many new power-measuring devices come onto the market that it’s hard to keep track. What’s more, prices have fallen so far that most systems now cost less than a set of decent wheels. For the ﬁrst time almost everybody who is serious about their cycling is asking themselves whether they need one. If you’re getting more serious about your cycling and want to be able to accurately measure your progress, you need a power meter. If you want to train more eﬃciently a power meter will allow you to accurately establish your training zones and will help you stick to them. Unlike your heart rate, a power meter will not be skewed by how fresh or tired you are, or by how little sleep you had last night. Towards the end of an interval

your heart rate may be rising, but a power meter will tell you whether you’re still actually producing the watts. And of course the power meter records everything you do. If you have a coach there’s nowhere to hide. Finally, wouldn’t it be great to know whether or not you’re going to blow up on that long climb if you keep riding at the pace of the group you’re in? This was exactly the strategy Bradley Wiggins used when he won the Tour de France. Power measurement has been around for a relatively long time. The ﬁrst commercial power meter was produced by German company SRM (Schoberer Rad Messtechnik). Ulrich Schoberer had been working on embedding a series of strain gauges into a crankset since the 1980s and up until very recently the SRM system was the only one accurate, reliable and lightweight enough to be used in professional cycling. The other option was the PowerTap system, which had its strain gauges in an oversized rear hub that weighed around a kilo. The SRM system was very, very expensive and only used by sponsored pros or keen amateurs with deep pockets. The PowerTap was less expensive but still regarded as a luxury rather than a necessity. Now there’s a power meter to measure torque at almost every part of the bike that deﬂects under pedalling force: both or just one of the cranks, the chainring spider, the pedals, the rear hub and even the cleats (Brim Brothers). Not only that. Each one comes in various models with particular features and transmitting protocols. Here’s our guide to the most commonly available systems.

• KIT

PEDALBASED POWER METERS

GARMIN

VECTOR 2 £1,199 It took Garmin a long time to get its power pedals to market. The Polar/Look system was the ﬁrst pedal-based power meter, but Garmin’s was more accessible due to it being compatible with any head unit that used ANT+ to communicate wirelessly. On the downside, like Polar/Look, it can only be used with Look cleats (Shimano is said to be developing its own pedal-based system). The obvious advantage of a pedal-based system is that it can be transferred between bikes, although this isn’t quite as user friendly a process as you’d hope – a torque wrench needs to be used to install it correctly and a special adaptor must be used, which we understand is to be included in the box with the new Vector 2. Garmin’s system includes pods that attach to the crank and communicate the data to the head unit. The Vector 2 features reworked versions of these that have LEDs to help with set-up and maintenance, and that are also less prone to breakage. The other big advantage is that the pedals measure the power from both legs rather than doubling the ﬁgure from one leg, as the single sided systems do.

CMY

ALTERNATIVES

POWERTAP

P1 £999

GARMIN

VECTOR 2S £749

This is the ‘lite’ version of the Vector system and features just one power-measuring pedal (left). It does the same job as its dualmeasuring stablemate and for most riders this is accurate enough. After all, Stages (see next page) as used by Team Sky takes its data from a single crank.

These new power pedals look to be game changers. They don’t use separate pods like the Garmin system, don’t need to be accurately torqued, don’t need to be calibrated and use a AAA battery in each pedal for ease of replacement (most user-changeable power meter batteries are the coin cell type). They use both ANT+ and Bluetooth SMART so that you can use a cycling computer or a smartphone as a head unit.

• KIT

CHAINSETBASED POWER METERS STAGES

£599-£799 Stages power cranks appear to be the commonest if you peer closely at your fellow riders’ bikes at any event at the moment. The Stages unit comes bonded to the inside of the left-hand crank – you have to order from a menu of factory-assembled units, which means that not all types of crank are available. For example, there

are no Campagnolo Stages cranks – due to strain gauges measuring deﬂection in metal rather than carbon crankarms. However, there are 12 types available covering the latest and previous top three Shimano groupsets, SRAM, FSA and Cannondale SI. Stages transmits in ANT+ and Bluetooth SMART simultaneously – a big bonus. It’s not really swappable between bikes unless you don’t mind removing cranks, but the price is coming down so that riders are starting to buy two or more of them for all their bikes. Of course measurement is only taken from one leg, so if you’re after supreme accuracy and powerbalancing data look elsewhere, but expect to pay a lot more.

ALTERNATIVES

POWERTAP

C1 £599

The new kid on the block from one of the oldest hands in the power-measuring game, the C1 chainrings are the cheapest power meter that PowerTap offers, and are as cheap as any in the chainsetbased category – PowerTap claims it’s the cheapest dual-sided power meter at this price point. This is a spider-based unit that fits standard five-bolt 110 BCD (compact) cranks. However, standard 50/34 chainrings are not offered – there’s a choice of 53/39, 52/36 or 50/36. It uses both Bluetooth SMART and ANT+ connectivity and adds about 150g to your bike. It uses a coin cell CR2032 battery that’s user replaceable. QUARQ

ELSA R £979 Quarq, owned by SRAM since 2011, offers eight crankset spiderbased power meters including units especially designed for Cannondale and Specialized. The Quarq SRAM Red power crank is the first groupset-specific power meter.

The ELSA R is probably the one that is most versatile and offers best value for money. It comes in 110 or 130 BCD for compact or racing chainrings, so is compatible with all SRAM and all older Shimano groupsets. For the newest four-bolt Shimano pattern Quarq has the ELSA RS. The ELSA offers power balance – i.e. takes data from both legs. The Quarq RIKEN R (£799) is the budget version that fits the same type of chainrings but doesn’t offer right-left power. The prices for Quarq systems seems to falling daily – with the big online retailers offering the units for even less. ROTOR

INPOWER £499 In April the Spanish company launched a new bottom bracket axle-based system. The cheaper one at £499 buys the left crank only version, while £699 gets the dual-leg Rotor INpower 3D+ crank. This looks like incredibly good value and should oﬀer extra protection from crashes and the elements as the electronics are inside the BB. The existing Rotor Power (strain gauges in both cranks) and Rotor Power LT (left crank only) are to have their prices reduced and will still be sold alongside INpower.

HUB-BASED POWER METERS £699-£2,699 PowerTap has been producing power-measuring hubs since 1998 and now oﬀers many diﬀerent

hubs and built-up wheels. The advantage of a hub-based power meter is that it can be swapped between bikes very easily and is therefore the most versatile power

meter – as long as you use the same wheels for your events as you do to train. As for accuracy, strain gauges at the hub arguably give a truer figure than at other points of the bike because they measure force after the (admittedly small) losses due to inefficient drivetrains, frame/crank flex and so on. A replaceable cap converts PowerTap hubs between ANT+ and Bluetooth SMART but there isn’t simultaneous transmission of the two. PowerTap is the only company to offer hub-based power meters.

• KIT

WHAT IS A WATT? Power meters express the amount of work you’re doing in watts. Energy expended is usually expressed in joules and one watt is equivalent to one joule of energy expended per second. Vincenzo Nibali can ride at just 400-odd watts for 30 minutes. The functional threshold power (FTP – see below) of a good amateur cyclist will be around 100 watts less than that. However, it’s important to understand that watts are not an absolute measure of how fast a cyclist can go. Vincenzo Nibali’s racing weight is 65kg. If the good amateur cyclist weighing 75kg wanted to stay with Nibali on the climb of Hautacam, he would

need to produce about 460 watts. For this reason the power-toweight ratio is a more accurate indication of a cyclist’s capability and is expressed in functional threshold power in watts divided by bodyweight in kilos. The top

pros’ power-to-weight is around 6W/kg. If you can produce half that, you’re not doing too badly. Four or ﬁve watts per kilo and you’ll be winning domestic races. Any more than that, give Dave Brailsford a call.

WORKING OUT WHAT TO DO ONCE YOU’VE BOUGHT YOUR POWER METER IS MORE DIFFICULT THAN ACTUALLY DECIDING WHICH ONE TO BUY

WHERE TO START Working out what to do once you’ve bought your power meter is more difficult than actually deciding which one to buy. Of course you could just use it as a speedometer, but that’s a waste. The first thing to do is to establish your functional threshold power (FTP). ‘Threshold’ refers to lactate threshold – the intensity at which lactate begins to accumulate in the blood, indicating changes in the exercising muscle and forcing you to slow down. For an endurance athlete a high lactate threshold is more valuable than a high VO2 max – the maximal oxygen uptake before exhaustion. Your FTP is the highest number of watts you can sustain for an hour. Once you have a FTP figure,

you will use this as the baseline for all your training zones. Retesting your FTP once a month – and hopefully watching it increase – will reset your zones each time. Hunter Allen is the godfather of training with power meters. His book, Training and Racing with a Power Meter, written with Andrew Coggan, is the thing you should buy immediately after the power meter arrives. Allen’s functional threshold power test protocol is the one adopted by most coaches. He uses a test of 20 minutes and subtracts five per cent to obtain 60-minute power. It is best performed on a turbo trainer so that traffic, traffic lights, headwinds or hills don’t interrupt the 20-minute effort.

He prescribes a 20-minute warmup followed by three one-minute intervals, easy pace at 100rpm with one minute’s recovery. Then five minutes of easy riding, five minutes of all-out effort followed by another 10 minutes of easy riding. Then the 20-minute time trial starts. Allen recommends starting for the first two minutes at slightly less than what you think your FTP is, because if you blow up before the end you won’t get an accurate figure. Once you have the average wattage for the 20-minute test, subtract five per cent for your 60-minute FTP.

INTRODUCING THE NEW SECRET IN SPORTS NUTRITION.

@SECRETRAININGCC

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SECRETRAININGCC

• PREP

FAST FOOD Is ‘fast food’ really as good as sports supplements for recovery after exercise? WORDS TIM LAWSON

You may already have seen headlines like ‘Burgers as good as Sports Supplements for post exercise recovery!’ You can already see people ditching their post recovery shake in favour of a burger bar loyalty card and ordering another triple layer cheeseburger conﬁdent that research in the prestigious International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (IJSM) proves that it works just as well as specialist sports nutrition products. However, like many things where the ‘devil is in the detail’, for those concerned with maximizing their performance (or health), it is probably worth reading beyond the headlines, or even the original scientiﬁc abstract from which many of these popular press articles are drawn. For sure there are better specialist sports nutrition products than others and sports nutrition

products are often designed for a specific purpose or timing relative to exercise. Taken out of context there may well be better products choices, just as there are fast food choices, more suitable for recovery than others. Understanding the composition of the fast foods used in this study may help us choose more optimal ‘fast food’ when we are faced with a burger bar having neglected to bring our sports specific recovery solution. Comparing the exact nutritional composition of the ‘sports specific’ products used in this study may also help us decide if our preferred post exercise nutritional solution is worth the effort and cost relative to fast food. In the popular press this research paper is often reported with a picture of a double cheese burger and chips- but before you order the burger lets look more closely at the nutrition used in the study. Whilst there was a

small hamburger consumed in the second meal 2 hours after exercise, the first meal was a mixture of hotcakes, hash browns and orange juice adding up to roughly 650kcal with 109g of carbohydrate and 18g of fat. So, if you wish to follow the study protocol you will need to wait a while and think about the size of the burger. Whilst a double cheeseburger and small fries from a well know Scottish sounding burger joint adds up to a similar 682kcal the composition would be vastly different, roughly twice as much fat and half as much carbohydrate. Remember too that each gram of fat contributes more than twice the amount of energy as carbohydrate so the difference in terms of energy contribution would be further exaggerated. One of the main factors to consider in post exercise nutrition is ensuring sufficient sodium is consumed to ensure that fluid is

retained rather than resulting in increased urinary output. Typical recommendations are to consume 500mg of sodium with about 1.5 times the mass of ﬂuid lost as dehydration during exercise. In the study 900mg of sodium was consumed in the ﬁrst meal whilst a double cheeseburger and chips would contribute a massive 1000mg! Too much of a good thing perhaps, although in the same issue of the journal researchers from the University of Texas gave nearly 2g of sodium to athletes 2 hours prior to a dehydration ride and performance time trial. They concluded that high sodium consumption prior to exercise resulted in hyper hydration and this improved performance in the heat.

• PREP This perhaps illustrates one weakness of the fast food study. Whilst there was no significant difference in the main macronutrients between the two conditions more than 50% more sodium was consumed in the fast food group than the Sports Supplement group prior to the exercise trial. The potential advantages of hyper hydration are more likely to result in a performance improvement in a hot exercise laboratory than in real world performance in a more temperate environment. This could be especially so for example in an uphill time trial situation in cool conditions where the weight gain due to water retention is likely to hinder performance more than improve it through improved thermoregulation. It may therefore be worth considering the type and timing of exercise challenge YOU are hoping to recover from relative to your post exercise sodium consumption. Consistent with the published studies that suggest chocolate milkshake is better than specific sports nutrition this study did not use a specific post exercise recovery product. In this study, in order to match the high fat content of the fast food they used a strange combination of plain peanut butter and peanut butter and chocolate chip products, energy chews, and different energy drinks from several manufacturers. Whilst the choice of sports products according to the researchers was ‘comparable to products most often advertised as a practical option to optimize glycogen recovery’, I am sure that most supplement manufacturers, including the ones used in the study would suggest a different

product selection to ‘optimize’ recovery post exercise. One of the challenges of sports nutrition is that carbohydrate availability and hydration can have such an impact on performance that, subtle differences, or marginal gains are often overlooked. Someone fuelled and hydrated will always go ‘better’ than someone who is empty almost irrespectively of how they got fuelled up. And what about other popular food culture carb sources? Sure, it’s possible to ‘replace carbohydrate with beer’ but a 2014 study showed, perhaps not surprisingly, that beer impairs reaction time and balance in addition to fluid retention. Given its popularity, it is perhaps unsurprising that researchers have looked at ways of including sodium and potassium with beer in order to improve its rehydrating properties and removed the alcohol to solve another ‘stumbling block’ to exercise performance. Longer term it is often about getting the same ‘recovery’ from less calories in order to favorably effect body composition and enhance adaptation. In the same journal, this time from the University of

Chichester researchers were able to show that 7 days consumption of blackcurrant extract increased performance in a repeated sprint test. Blackcurrants like cherries and other berries are high in anthocyanin antioxidants, which may improve recovery by reducing inflammation and altering endothelial function. It is possible that some sports supplements have been ‘dumbed down’ to little more than tasty convenience food and possibly of little benefit over well chosen fast foods, but there are certainly some choices that should offer additional benefits. Similarly it is possible to make post exercise nutrition from ‘real food’ that is likely to confer a benefit over the fast food used in this recent study. Most importantly if you are concerned about your performance remember ‘fast food’ may be as good as ‘some sports supplements’ for acute recovery, but long term you are likely to be disappointed if you expect your favorite double cheese burger and fries to cut the mustard. The numbers just don’t add up.

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• SKILLS

position themselves. Use eﬀective lights when riding at night or in poor daylight conditions.

HORSE & VELO

BE AWARE

We are not the only riders on the road

Hoof marks or fresh dung are good signs that there could be horses about. Please don’t forget to say ‘thank you’ when courtesy and consideration are shown to you – a smile, nod or brief wave is suﬃcient and means a great deal. Next time it may save a diﬃcult situation when it could be you who needs consideration.

BE VOCAL

As cyclists, things aren’t getting easier for us on the roads. There is an increasing demand by more road users on the same amount of tarmac and while a lot of the focus in the specialist media is on the interaction of motor vehicles and cycles, one group of road users, around for much longer than the motor car or the bicycle, share many of the same issues as we do. Horse riders are as exposed to the dangers of traﬃc as we are, added to which whilst a bicycle is merely an extension of you, a horse is a living, breathing, creature working together with its rider that, if put under pressure, is just as capable of fear and independent action as any cyclist. Most sportivistes are also

motorists, however most sportivistes do not ride a horse on a regular basis so being better informed about how and why a horse reacts in the way it does and what we as cyclists can do to help avoid any on-road issues is vital. There are some key points that we all need to take into consideration: • • • •

Take personal responsibility for your own actions Cycle safely and observe strict etiquette Take your litter home Take into account horses when riding an event

Both groups should have understanding and respect for

the other. A horse is a friend and companion to the person who cares for it – to them it is priceless. However, while a cycle is an inanimate object, it has still cost the owner a great deal of time, eﬀort and money to buy and maintain. Recognising the emotional investment made by both horse and cycle riders goes a long way to helping us all stay safe on the road.

THE HORSE IS A FLIGHT ANIMAL It is important to know that horses can be easily frightened and this should always be taken into consideration when passing them on the road. The speed at which

cyclists can pass, the number of cyclists that are passing, sudden reflection from something shiny like a gel wrapper or bike parts, even a plastic bag flapping in the hedge can all cause problems for some horses, especially those who are young or inexperienced. Horse riders have access to only 22% of the off-road public rights of way network and often have no choice but to ride out on the road in order to reach their nearest bridleway.

BE VISIBLE Wearing ﬂuorescent and reﬂective clothing helps other users see you earlier and gives them more time to plan where best to

A horse is unlikely to see or hear you, especially if you are approaching quietly from behind. Calling out ‘hello’ is important in alerting horses and riders that you are there. Don’t get too close before you call out or you will startle both horse and rider. Ask if it is safe to pass before attempting to go by and call again if they haven’t heard you. If the horse you meet has been frightened by your presence, give the rider a chance to calm the horse and move out of your way before you move oﬀ again. Don’t be annoyed if a horse rider doesn’t appear to acknowledge your kindness and consideration. They do appreciate your help but may be concentrating on controlling and calming their horse to avoid falling oﬀ.

SLOW DOWN If you are taking part in a cycling event, your concern will be to get by as quickly as possible, but pass slowly. A speeding cyclist coming out of the blue may

startle some horses and a group of speeding cyclists is even more likely to do so – take great care and if it is obvious you need to stop then do it. Don’t ignore a horse rider or carriage driver’s request to slow down or stop for the safety of all involved. Equestrians may be attempting to get out of your way into a safe place in order to let you pass – help them to do so by adjusting your speed and keeping a safe distance from them.

PASS WIDE AND ON THE RIGHT Most horses are used to traﬃc passing them on the right so pass them as you would anyone else; don’t cut inside, and allow plenty of room in case the horse is surprised or startled. Like cyclists, horse riders may ride two abreast for safety, particularly when escorting a young or inexperienced horse or rider – give them a chance to sort themselves out before you go by.

PASS IN SMALL GROUPS Large groups of cyclists are very scary for horses. Passing in small groups of no more than four or ﬁve will really help. If you are in a large group, make your presence known so that equestrians can try and ﬁnd somewhere safe to stop, allowing you all to pass at the same time. Give them time to get to a safe spot.

USEFUL WEBSITES www.bhs.org.uk www.horseaccidents.org.uk www.britishcycling.org.uk www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk

• SKILLS

or injury, such as parked cars, gravel on bends and potholes deep enough to pinch ﬂat a tyre or dent a rim. Calling out every tiny bump can be counter-productive, however, since it keeps everybody in a state of heightened anxiety; ideally, the group will ﬂow along with minimal fuss and nil risk to its members, so don’t overdo it.

GROUP RIDING BASICS

RIDING BEHIND Anyone not at the front must concentrate on not touching the wheel ahead and maintain a position that ensures their front wheel does not overlap with the next rider’s rear wheel so they can’t touch if the rider in front has to move sideways.

ROTATION

WORDS RICHARD HALLETT PHOTOGRAPHY INDUSTRY IMAGES

At some point in your next sportive it’s highly likely you will either find yourself in a group or wish you were in one; group riding allows individual riders to benefit from a joint effort by taking turns to share work against the wind and is the most effective way to combat adverse wind conditions. It’s either that, or slow right down. Group riding in a sportive is not the same as riding in a road race peloton; the latter is an amorphous, ever-fluid entity in which few rules apply beyond not endangering others. In a sportive, groups must adhere to the rules of the road and,

in particular, should not ride more than two abreast. Note that many sportive ‘bunches’ comprise one or two strong riders towing a collection of hangers-on hoping to shave some ride time. Invariably short-lived and with little or no work sharing, these groups tend not to require any speciﬁc skills beyond holding a wheel as long as possible… Perhaps the ﬁrst point to remember when riding in a group is that legal responsibility for avoiding a crash lies, as ever on the road, with the following vehicle – or rider. Any responsibility

assumed by the rider or riders on front is one of courtesy, albeit one that road cyclists are generally willing to discharge since, otherwise, group riding would be unacceptably hazardous for most people. Safe cycling in a group relies on its members following a few basic principles. As when simply sitting on a wheel, explored in Issue 4, the safest place to be is obviously at the front. Here, riders can see hazards ahead and have more time and space to avoid them.

AT THE FRONT Riders in front are rarely aﬀected negatively by the actions of those behind while their own actions can cause those behind to fall. Those at the front should, therefore, avoid actions such as braking or swerving suddenly and without warning that might put those behind at risk. They should also be alert to potential hazards and warn of them either by calling out or by indicating. ‘Potential hazards’ means anything that must be avoided to avoid a crash, damage your bike

To get the best out of a group, it should work as a ‘paceline’ formation, rotating the members to ensuring everybody does some work and enjoys a rest while nobody gets a free ride. There will usually be two columns of riders, one (column A) dropping back to let the front rider of the other (column B) move across, taking his or her turn at the head of that line. The rider now at the head of column B moves up alongside, the whole of column B moves up one and the rider at the back of column A moves over to take up the rear of column B. It’s as simple as it sounds and ensures that the group is only ever two-abreast, but does mean each rider eﬀectively takes two turns at the front, one at the head of each column, per rotation. The alternative method sees the lead riders of both columns pull oﬀ

together, each passing down the outside of the pair of columns to rejoin at the rear. This requires room for the rider dropping back down the inside of the group, in theory means riding four-abreast temporarily, and is best used only on very quiet roads. Moving to the head of the group does not mean that you have to up the pace and this is probably the single most common mistake of inexperienced group riders. The object is to maintain a steady pace so riders behind can draft and save energy. If you increase the pace as you come through, you defeat the object and you won’t be popular. How long should you spend at the front of the paceline? Somewhere around a minute works well, but don’t be tempted to stay longer just to impress your companions. If you are strong enough to hammer along at the front for ﬁve minutes at a time, you may decide it is better to save your energy until an opportunity arises to drop the group rather than tow it along. A sportive may not be a race, but the competitive urge should surely be indulged where possible. If, on the other hand, you have joined a group that caught you, chances are you’ll do better to save valuable energy by ‘sitting in’ and avoiding a turn on the front. It’s easy enough to do right at the back of the group, but not so easy once you get caught up in the paceline. There’s nothing wrong with hanging on the back if you are genuinely struggling with the group pace, but remember you are not in a race and that etiquette requires a contribution from those who have the gas.

• NEWS

NEWS

SweetSpot Group announce Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research as oﬃcial charity partner across events Blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research will be the oﬃcial charity partner of the Friends Life Tour Ride Sportive this coming October as well as the Friends Life Women’s Tour in June and the Friends Life Tour of Britain the previous month. The partnership builds upon 2014 when Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research presented the Best British Rider Jersey at the Friends Life Women’s Tour, which was worn by Great Britain’s Lucy Garner. Around 38,000 people are diagnosed with blood cancers and related disorders every year in the UK, with the charity dedicated to improving the lives of patients with all types of blood cancer, including leukaemia, lymphoma

and myeloma. Commenting on the announcement, Olympic Gold medallist Dani King, who is an ambassador for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, said: “Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research leads from the front when it comes to charity cycling events, with its own prestigious London to Paris ride and the London and Birmingham Bikeathons. I work closely with the charity, using my passion for cycling to help raise awareness of blood cancer and the need for new treatments. I can’t wait to be involved again this year.” LEUKAEMIALYMPHOMARESEARCH.ORG.UK

N O RT H

TOUR O’ THE BORDERS 9TH AUGUST A closed roads event starting and finishing in Peebles across 74 miles, for 2015 Tesco Bank are sponsoring the event which the organiser believes has brought about some positive changes, such as an additional timed climb to make the day even more interesting for the riders. The event promises to impress with the ride taking in some of Scotland’s finest scenery including three reservoirs, feed stations with locally produced cake from Big Bear and Forsyth’s macaroni pies - now there’s a local speciality! The results will also be texted to each rider shortly after crossing the finish line and you can also expect all the usual extras such as a mechanical support and first aid provision around the course.

WWW.SWEETSPOTGROUP.CO.UK WWW.TOUROTHEBORDERS.COM

N O RT H

ROOF OF ENGLAND SPORTIVE TO REPLACE NORTH PENNINES ETAPE 30TH AUGUST Just before Christmas last year the North was hit with the news that the IGM Etape, which runs through the North Pennines, would be dropped. Taken aback residents of the hills didn’t want for nothing and set about their own and now ‘The Winking Sheep’, all 90 miles of it, is part of the British Cycling’s national calendar along with the medium distance ‘Durham Dales’ at 50 miles and the aptly named ‘Short Course’ at 30 miles. In taking cycling back to its roots, organiser Cameron Gordon

and his fellow cyclists have set up a three course dish to whet the appetite of cycling aﬁcionados of any level. Through this, cyclists the length and breadth of the country have come out in force to the latest edition. Mr Gordon said: “We feel the route compares to the British and Yorkshire Tours and is worthy of being compared to others as it is of an international standard. As it is open to the entire country to try their hands at, we have Welsh riders, Scottish, South East, North West… an endless list of participants. It isn’t a race but an electronic-timed event which is accessible to anybody.” For one cyclist, Rowland Gill’s

Ken Wynn, it is a challenge he is looking forward to and has already done a test ride of the 90 miler adding: “It’s a very tough course, but in equal measure rewarding. The intensity of climbing increases as the distance wears on, it’s deﬁnitely the showcase challenge we’ve all been waiting for.” The event will look to raise much needed funding for The Great North Air Ambulance Service and Mountain Rescue, both valued services in areas of the calibre, and beauty. Further information and to book your place visit: www.roofofengland.co.uk WORDS PETER MANN

• NEWS

CENTRAL

NSPCC TOUR OF ENGLAND SERIES 4TH - 5TH JULY 18TH -19TH JULY

PHOTOGRAPHY WEHHA

After a successful ﬁrst year, the NSPCC Tour of England series returns with even more to oﬀer, and an increased focus on providing entrants with a comprehensive riding experience that puts them into the shoes of a professional. Two upcoming NSPCC events are the Tour of the Cotswolds 4th – 5th July and the Tour of Mercia 18th – 19th July, both pro-tour style multi-stage events covering 158-160 miles through agreeable countryside. The rides both include a

N O RT H

Á L’ANCIENNE 10TH –12TH JULY Á l’Ancienne is back, with the organisers promising that this year it’ll be even better! The sportive takes place July 12th with four routes, will you opt for Le Loafeur covering 22km or go for Le Coeur covering 60km and 969 metres of climbing taking in Coniston, Hawkshead Hill and some climbs only known to locals. Across the weekend there will be an on-site music venue with live music throughout, a vintage fair including everyone’s favourite: a cycle jumble, access to a special á l’ancienne beer and food a plenty. Accomodation can be found in the form of local hotels or you

can bring your own tent and pitch nearby. Starting from £20, this is a weekend that is sure to please any fans of l’Eroica! WWW.SPORTIVELAKES.CO.UK

N O RT H

WIGGLE YORKSHIRE TOUR 8TH AUGUST With a choice of the Short 37 mile route, the Standard 79 miles or the Epic 101 mile route the Wiggle Yorkshire Tour has something for almost every rider. The Standard and Epic will take in parts of the Grand Depart 2014 Tour de France route where riders will get to see some of the

decorations and road paint that are still there a year on. The Epic route takes the riders over the Swale river twice and past Summer Lodge Moor where there riders will get a glance at some of North Yorkshire’s disused mines, at the top of the moor a beautiful vista awaits before a technical descent into Askrigg, the Epic riders will then pass the stunning Aysgarth Falls (see photo) for the last stretch back into Thirsk. Whichever route you choose, there are sure to be stunning views throughout and we are keeping out ﬁngers crossed that the weather is as nice as it was during the Grand Depart! WWW.UKCYCLINGEVENTS.CO.UK

timed climb, an optional flat TT, and sections of closed or private road during the Cotswold Tour. There will be Moto support and Domestiques on hand, giving it the full feel of a pro event. During the Cotswold Tour the event will include a national hill climb favourite at the NSPCC Tour of the Cotswolds, Dover’s Hill. Prizes will be awarded for the timed ascents and also for the optional flat time trial sections at the Yellow Jersey Dinner held on the Saturday night of each tour. This evening of socialising and refuelling for the coming stage is a great way for riders to get to know one another off the bike and to relax after a hard day in the saddle before getting out and doing it all again the next day.

Over 280 riders of all abilities came together for the two events in 2014 and helped make the series a big success with riders covering routes used in both the 2012 Olympic road race and also the opening stages of this year’s Tour de France. Entry prices are very competitive, with fundraising places at just £29. For self-funded riders entry is £139 and both these prices include a free Tour of England jersey for each rider as well as all nutrition and hydration at the many Hub Stops along the routes. A place at the Yellow Jersey Dinner costs just £29 for self-funded riders and is free for fundraisers. WWW.TOUROFENGLAND.CO.UK

• NEWS

PHOTOGRAPHY NIKKI MAHADEVAN

take advatage of the shuttle bus operating from Weston-superMare back to Bristol, a point to note that this service must be booked in advance.

cracking cheddar, lemon drizzle cake to die for and a slice of quality quiche!”. We all know almost all cyclists are foodies so if that isn’t encouragement enough we’re not sure what is!

WWW.GREATWESTONRIDE.COM WWW.BIKEBATH.CO.UK SOUTH

BIKE BATH 5TH JULY

CENTRAL

LLANDRINDOD WELLS 19TH JULY On July 19th Daisy Chain are running a sportive from Llandrindod Wells as part of the inaugural Llandrindod Wells Cycling Festival (www. llandodcyclefest.co.uk). Daisy Chain have been organising events since 1999 and for 2015 have created two womenonly sportives. The Llandrindod Wells sportive will have a choice of three distances: 24 miles taking in 2,100 feet of climbing, 39 miles with 4,400 feet or 52 miles with a whopping 5,800 feet – be sure to pack your climbing legs if you’re taking on this challenge! The biggest climb will be between the 12 – 14 miles mark, after which your legs should get a chance to relax a little before mile 46 which will provide a surprise last hill before the ﬁnish.

CENTRAL

FAT LAD AT THE BACK THE SPORTIVE 12TH JULY ‘The Sportive’ is Fat Lad at the Back’s inaugural event starting from Shirebrook Academy and taking in sights across Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, including Ogston Reservoir, Morton and Holestone Moor. Fat Lad at the Back, or ‘FLAB’ as it is aﬀectionately known, started life after three mates took on four alpine hills over one long weekend, joking that the fat lad at the back of each day should get a specially printed jersey. FLAB took the idea to Dragon’s Den who, laughing, rejected the idea due to the name. They’re not laughing now as FLAB has gone from strength to strength and have now launched a Fat Lass at the Back range. Make sure to pack your banter for this event! WWW.FATLADATTHEBACK.COM/

WWW.DAISYCHAINBIKEEVENTS.CO.UK

PRODUCT/SPORTIVE/

SOUTH

Now in its 4th year, Bike Bath returns on July 5th with over 1,500 cyclists completing one of the three routes covering 25, 50 or 80 miles, there will be feed stations on all routes which are well known for their enticing selection: “You will not ﬁnd nicer food at a feedstop on any other sportive. FACT. Bike Bath is a treat for cyclists who like their grub… gorge yourself on

THE LAPIERRE WHITE ROADS CLASSIC 12TH JULY Richard, Sportif’s editor, rode the White Roads in back in Issue 03 and gave it a big thumbs up. As an event that takes in a variety of terrains it was no surprise to see a medley of bikes on the 2014 start line; from road to MTB and to the obligatory cyclo-cross. With 15km of white gravel and

chalk roads included in the 115km event, some of which are sections of the 5,000 year old mostly traﬃcfree Ridgeway, those on a MTB might feel a sense of glee travelling past those on their carbon road steed avoiding potholes but only to be passed again on the tarmac. To quote the organiser: “The experience can be considerably enhanced, in terms of both speed and comfort, by a judicious choice of equipment.” Choose wisely and the reward will likely be an excellent day out in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which, if the sun chooses to shine, could even be confused for the Tuscan hills. WWW.CYCLECLASSICS.CO.UK/WHITEROADS-CLASSIC-SPORTIVE

GREAT WESTERN RIDE 19TH JULY In its 6th year the Great Weston Ride is a firm favourite with its riders, drawing many back year after year: “Excellent ride, great atmosphere, superb route - this ride gets better every year.” Starting from Bristol the 56 mile ride takes in North Somerset, following a course through the Mendips and across the Somerset Levels before finishing on the seafront in Weston-super-Mare. The majority of the route is on quiet, clearly marked, country roads that is marshalled with mechanical and medical support throughout. There are official refreshment stops but the more leisurely riders are encouraged to stop and enjoy the West Country hospitality en route. At the end of the ride, those riders who do not have the lovely luxury of family and friends there to ferry them back to the start can

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• R E T RO

ENIGMA MACHINE Jim Walker tells Sportif how it has taken nearly a decade of graft to establish titanium frame-building in the UK WORDS SIMON SMYTHE

PH OTO G R A P H Y SIMON SMYTHE

Jim Walker doesn’t believe in luck. If he did, he wouldn’t have bought unit number 13 on the industrial park just outside Hailsham, East Sussex where his company Enigma Bicycle Works is based. He is a man who has always made his own luck. Walker laughs oﬀ the idea of inverting the big, red number 13 that looms over the doorway to the Enigma factory. He has steadily

built his company since its risky beginnings in 2006, and Enigma’s current level of success is down to careful decision-making and astute investment. Before founding Enigma, Walker, 61, ran a successful distribution business under his own name. “I sold my shares in the old company – then Jim Walker, now iRide, in 2006 but I didn’t really want to retire,” says Walker. “I

wanted to make nice bikes. It just so happened that it was at the time that Omega went bust.” “We started by importing frames originally – we had a little converted cowshed that we worked in in Herstmonceux, After a few years we moved to a factory unit that I bought in Pevensey. We were there for almost ﬁve years. And then we moved back into this building, which was the Jim Walker distribution company’s building, because I own it. And this building gives us room to do lots of diﬀerent things and we’ve got lots of plans for the business.” Walker talks like a businessman, looks like a businessman and has no problem describing himself as one. In a world of custom-made bicycles that is populated by tattooed, bearded ‘artisans’ who work in sheds this is a rarity. The tool closest to Walker’s hands is his oversized calculator – although also scattered about his big desk are a titanium seatpost, a carbon bottle cage on a cushion of bubble wrap, a colour chart, and on the far right a towering in-tray whose vertical compliance is being tested to its very limits. However, as Walker explains, it wouldn’t have been possible to do what Enigma does without proper investment because Enigma build their titanium frames in the UK. Walker’s youngest son Joe, who had no experience at all of framebuilding, taught himself to built Ti frames from scratch. “It was expensive. It took a long time,” says Walker. “If you want to build Ti frames, you’ve got to work in titanium. That meant there was an awful lot of wastage of titanium to start with. But I knew that was going to be the case and I guess that’s why [other] people don’t do it. So I thought it was worth

persevering, that it would give us our USP. And it has. In six years Joe has become world class. It took about two-and-a half years from picking up a torch to making a viable frame. For some years we were still losing money on the stuff we were making here but last year we were very profitable. “People are more and more interested in frames built here in the UK,” continues Walker. ”We’re a British company trying to do what this country has done for years but has now let go. So I think that’s pretty important. Walker has two more framebuilders training to make Ti frames – Max Norrell, who currently does most of the tube mitring for Joe Walker, and Sam Watson, who joined the company last year. “If I could find builders who could do it, I would hire them, but they don’t exist. So we’re unique and that’s why I’m so proud of Joe. He’s done it himself and he’s bloody good.” There’s a great deal of paternal pride when Walker is talking about his son – but Joe isn’t the only other

Walker at Enigma. Jim’s eldest son Matt, who was operations director at the old distribution company, has come over to Enigma and Jim’s wife, Christine, is Enigma’s finance director. And there are others working for the Walkers at Enigma who have almost become family. “We’ve got a great team,” enthuses Walker. “Greg and Jaco here worked with me in the old company. Greg is our technical guru and Jaco is the painter. There are nine people working here.” Jaco Ehlers runs the paint shop – the newest addition to the Enigma works. “We offer lots and lots of finish options and can basically make even the cheapest frame very individual,” explains Walker. Enigma will also now renovate and respray any frame – not just an Enigma one. Enigma is also set to take on custom paint options for a couple of bigger brands. (Walker won’t say who these are.) “So I feel we’ve arrived,” says Walker. “Again, taken longer than it should –

everything does – but the paint shop is going to be good for us.” Along with a new framebuilding academy run by Geoﬀ Roberts, Enigma is adding more and more strings to its bow. Does Walker, at 61, have any plans to retire? “I’m ﬁrst in – I start at seven o’clock and leave at six,” he says. “Saturdays too. It’s hard – people think the bike business is booming and it’s true there are more bikes than there have ever been and everyone is doing brilliantly, but it’s a very, very competitive

WE’RE A BRITISH COMPANY TRYING TO DO WHAT THIS COUNTRY HAS DONE FOR YEARS BUT HAS NOW LET GO business and a tough business to make money in. So I’d like to take a bit more time off but I still feel I need to be driving it all the time. “It’s not been an easy nine years – it’s better now that we’ve settled down and found the right formula, but trying to find that formula has been quite difficult. I feel we’re now in a good place at last.” That number 13 outside the door will have to work hard to hex that sort of determination.

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