Casquette Spring by Casquette

STYLE

THE HOTTEST KIT PICKS

ICONS

KATHRYN BERTINE & ROCHELLE GILMORE

FLAVOURS

BRILLIANT BRUNCH & CAFÃ&#x2030; IDEAS

KNOW-HOW

THE TRUTH ABOUT SADDLESORE

S P R I N G 2 017

What are you waiting for? 7 KICK-ASS WOMEN IN CYCLING ON WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS GO FOR IT

INTEGRATED USB FITS AERO 3 DISTINCT LED VARIATIONS

KNOG.C OM. AU

Contributors EDITOR’S LETTER

“How can it be right for the champion of the most prestigious multi-stage female cycling race to be awarded €525 when the winner of the Tour de France pockets €450,000?” his issue our theme is 'Pass It On,' with the magazine rounding up indispensable advice on team work, saddlesore, self belief, quick-pee bib shorts, whistle blowing and much more. More than that, the issue is a rallying cry. With more and more of us getting on our bikes, the future looks brighter than it has for a long while, but there’s still a baffling amount of work that needs to be done if we want to stop the sexism and inequality that pervades the pro world. To quote four-time Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington: “How can it be right for the champion of the most prestigious multistage female cycling race, the 10-day Giro Rosa, to be awarded €525 when the winner of the Tour de France pockets €450,000?” Women’s cycling needs us to work together to create a lasting legacy for future generations and it needs to start from the top. We chat to pro cyclist Kathryn Bertine about how she's made a difference and continues to do so on page 36. Sarah Connolly tells us what we can all do to help make the change on page 40. And Michelle McGagh (page 42) investigates why thinking differently could be the answer. Raising awareness of what needs to change is an important part of the job, so tell your friends about the facts and quote Chrissie above. There's never any argument, just incredulity. Pass It On – and let's all push for change.

Danielle Welton, Editor-in-Chief danielle.welton@casquette.co.uk, @EditorWelton

ASHLEY G RUBER CYCLE PHOTOG R APHER Ashley is a nomadic cycle photographer who can often be spotted up trees in pursuit of magical shots that tell bigger stories. One great example is her shot of Lizzie Deignan page 34. Coffee: Black Follow: Insta @ashleygruber

LORNA NORTH WRITER AND BLOGG ER Lorna stepped into the breach (and the bushes) to discover the best quick-release bib shorts. She surprised herself (and us) by extricating herself from one pair in four seconds! Coffee: Double shot Follow: queenofthemile.com EMILY CHAPPELL WRITER AND R ACER Emily was the first female finisher in the 2016 Transcontinental Race, spending up to 24 hours in her saddle at any one go. This makes her supremely well placed to talk about saddlesore on page 53. Coffee: Flat white Follow me: @emilychappell

JULIET ELLIOT T MULTI-DISCIPLINE R ACER AND WRITER Juliet rides all sorts of bikes in all sorts of places. She gives us a glimpse of her honeymoon by bike in Japan on page 58. She also tells us how to nail nerves on page 32. Coffee: I am an avid tea drinker. Yorkshire Tea, decaf Follow me: @_julietelliott TIM HEMING SPORTS JOURNALIST Tim writes a lot about triathlon, a sport that prides itself on gender equality. Having spoken to Kathryn Bertine (page 36) for this issue, he thinks cycling might have a way to go. We hope he's wrong. Coffee: Latte (sorry!) Follow: @timheming HOLLY SEE AR PT AND CYCLING COACH Holly tells us how to push our training in small ways that will make a big difference on page 52. Coffee: Black, no sugar Follow me: Insta @holly_seear

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 03

THE REAL DEAL The stars of our Monochrome fashion shoot (page 18) are Casquette readers

Spring 2017

casquette.co.uk

Sprint

Style

09 Just One Thing The one bike fix you need for summer cycling

Style Spy Why the French nail effortlessly chic cycle style

Entrepreneur Blaze founder, Emily Brooke

Fashion Shoot Mad about monochrome!

Cycle Sartorialist Style spots from the streets of East London

24 Commuter Style Smart. Stylish. Sorted for nine to five

Perspective Michelle McGagh's No Spend Year

26 Most Wanted! The Gore jacket you need in your cycle life

Pit Stop Where to go for coffee, eggs and bike stuff...

Innovation How Isla Rowntree is looking to revolutionise the future of bike production

Caps Not Hats The history of our cycling cap obsession

49 Fit tracker or slacker The science behind tracking devices 50 Road Test The ultimate bib shorts for pacey pit stops 52 The Knowlege Your training questions nailed 53 Saddle Lore The truth about saddlesore no-one dares utter 56 Bike reviews The anatomy of a pro's ride, plus three belters

60 Brunch recipes You need these in your life! (L-R) Emily wears: Paria Defect mono chrome Jersey, £79, and Bibshorts £79 - paria.cc. STYLE

Bike: Specialized Ruby Comp, £2,650 specialized.com/gb

ICONS

OLYMPIC LEGEND NICOLE COOKE

FLAVOURS

BRILLIANT AVOCADO AND BRUNCH IDEAS

FREEDOM FRANCE AND ITALY BY BIKE

L AU NC H I SS U E | A U T U M N 2 01 6

SHORTLISTED Best New Media Initiative WOMEN'S SPORT TRUST

#BEAGAMECHANGER AWARDS 2017

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Back Yourself! EMILY CHAPPELL: HOW TO LOOK FEAR IN THE FACE AND WIN

}

06 Lust list The hottest sartorial picks this issue

Features

28 If I Could Tell You One Thing... Words of wisdom from a few of our favourite ladies 34 Big Picture One awesome photo that tells a bigger tale 36 Kathryn Bertine Making change happen for pro cycling 42 Think Piece Is it time for a different way of thinking?

58 Passport to Ride Juliet Elliot gives one picture-postcard reason to ride overseas

THE HOTTEST INDEPENDENT BRANDS

Regulars

62 Final Thought Inside the mind of Ayesha McGowan

Know-how

Nara wears: Paria Bleka bleach Jersey, £79, and Bibshorts £79 - paria.cc.

Sunshine Styles Beautiful colour pops from Velovixen

44 Dream Team Behind the scenes with the Wiggle High5 team

THE TEAM Editor-in-Chief/Co-founder Danielle Welton, danielle.welton@ casquette.co.uk Co-founder Tan Doan, tan.doan@casquette. co.uk Sub Editors Roxanne Ridge, Sarah Wolfe Design Giles Arbery, Russell Moorcroft, Jo Pearson, Paul Richards Style/ Reviews Editor Hannah James Health Editor Amy Bonifas Pro Cycling Editor Hannah Troop Business Development Steph Pomphery WITH EXTRA SPECIAL THANKS TO: Claire Mason; Claire Pepper; Ria Osborne, Suze Clemitson; Zoë Gower-Jones; Dominie Bunten; Ola Konarzewska; Thomas Owen; Michelle McGagh; Nic McCarthy; William Watt; Nara Martins Ishikawa; Emily Pointer. Casquette, Unit 4, 11 Deal Street, London, E1 5AH e info@casquette.co.uk w casquette.co.uk t @casquettecc in casquettecc fb casquettecc

Printed by Park Communications. © CASQUETTE MAGAZINE 2017 Casquette takes no responsibility for the content of advertisements placed in Casquette Magazine Reproduction in whole or any part of any content of Casquette magazine without prior permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. All details correct at the time of going to press.

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 05

S lim s had y

Bag it up

S ock i t to them

Sp ot on

Say no to Steven Seagal styling and yes to classic good looks with these pinktinted Rapha Classic Glasses. Perfect for sundowners and rolling around. £195, rapha.cc

Available in two colours, the slim and super-slick Piccadilly Knapsack is a timeless good looker that adds class to any city cycling wardrobe. £240, brooksengland.com

Ten Speed Hero are the daddies of playful design, with the Pink Sprinkle Socks adding a big dollop of childish fun to your cycling get-up. $15, store.tenspeedhero.com

Be a leader of the style pack with this Tour-de-Franceinspired Morvélo Chasseur De Cols Cap. Like sweat science? Also features anti-bacterial trim! £15, velovixen.com

Wat er s por t Dehydration is your enemy, so sip in style with Omnium’s banging bidon. With a soft pulling spout and squeezy body, what’s not to love? £10, weareomnium.cc

Lust list THE HOTTEST SARTORIAL PICKS CHOSE N BY US, J U S T FO R YO U

Fa s t a n d fur i ous The 2017 Amira Comp is awesome. The carbon frame is lightweight yet surprisingly stiff, it’s responsive and agile and looks amazing. £2,300 Specializedconceptstore.co.uk

R ais in g t he b a r

Pri nt s ch a rm i ng

Mi r ror, mi r ror

Li g ht fa nta s ti c

What happens when Apidura, the ambassadors of adventure, have too many flat whites with Rapha, the queen of mod style? This awesome handlebar bag. £93.50, apidura.com

With its jazzy print and super-cool shoulder patches, Le Col’s Pro C2 jacket is deliciously different and packed with performance features. £220, lecol.net

Keep one eye on what’s going on behind you with these bar-end mirrors. Great for commuters, they easily attach to both drop and flat bars. £11.69 cateye.com

Whether you’re capturing moonlit tricks or stunning night rides, the Qudos Action Video Light is the perfect Gopro attachment to make it happen. £54, customriders.com

06 | C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K

STYLE ROUND-UP

E D I TO R’ S CHOICE

Th e r ight s t r ip e s

St i t ch u p

Who’s tha t tr i p p i n’...

Sp eed d emon

Beautifully soft, impressively warm and chic as hell, who doesn’t want an excuse to wear more Merino and Breton stripes? And that cuff detail, sublime! £100, rapha.cc

Go the extra style mile by pimping your D-Lock with the eye-catching Leather Gropes D-lock Cover. Available in black, honey or yellow. £18, nonusual.com

With a mantra to ‘work less, adventure more,’ we’re all aboard the good ship Stolen Goat and love its Little Fluffy Clouds cycling jersey. £75, stolengoat.com

The specs on the Fizik R4B Donna shoes are unreal. As a taster, how about crazy things like an injected carbon fibre outsole to aid aerodynamics? £157, fizik.com/eu_en

Mellow yellow

R a i n b ow re p a i r s

Na tura l hi g h

Sta y on tra ck

The Bradley Bike Bag by Hill & Ellis was designed in unashamed yellow to celebrate that bloke’s famous Tour de France victory. £195, hillandellis.com

When fixing your bike at home, a full-length allen key set makes things much easier. This Rainbow Allen Key set adds colour to even dull jobs. £18.99, bricklanebikes.co.uk

Hate sugary sports gels but still want an energy fix on a ride? Try Ella’s Kitchen’s 100% natural fruit pouches. Good enough for kids and you. £0.90, ellaskitchen.com

Like its Garmin Fenix brethren, the 5S tracks all the important things, but the sleeker and more compact design makes it better for smaller wrists. £500, garmin.com

Nat u ral s elec t i o n

Get l o s t

Gi ve us a b el l

Hea d f i r s t

Cool, creamy and made from all natural products, Assos’ new women-specific chamois crème is just the thing for friction restriction. £10, assos.com

The latest Lost Lanes features beautiful Welsh bike rides, plus essential details like where to rest your head and find a refreshing pint. £14.99, wildthingspublishing.com

The Knog ‘Oi’ Bike Bell is like the Vivaldi of bells, an angel on a glockenspiel, Charlotte Church at her height. And it looks pretty spesh too, £14.99, tredz.co.uk

We love the shape of Poc’s Octal skid lid and extras like Coolbest padding to reduce the temperature where your head and helmet meet. £162, canyon.com

V I S I T C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K F O R R E G U L A R S T Y L E R O U N D - U P S | 07

BE SEEN IN R A PH A From 25% off with Cyclescheme RAPHA LONDON 85 BREWER ST, SOHO LONDON, W1F 9ZN

RAPHA.CC

RAPHA MANCHESTER 5 ST ANNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PASSAGE MANCHESTER, M2 6AD

OUR RAPID ROUND-UP OF CYCLING INSPIRATION ➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔

➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔

Just one thing Jenni Gwiazdowski, founder of London Bike Kitchen, shares her beautiful pearls of bikemaintenance wisdom... Californian Jenni Gwiazdowski started up London Bike Kitchen to encourage people to fix their own bikes. Based on an American concept, you can drop in to an open workshop and fix your own bike, with friendly mechanics on hand to guide you through. Here, she shares the one fix we need for a summer of riding. Summer is winking at us over spring’s horizon. What’s the one bike maintenance essential everyone should do at this time of the year? Clean your chain! If you rode through a cold winter and wet spring, it’s probably gone through hell. And if it’s not caked in mud, it’s probably all dried out.

PHOTOG RA PHY: RIA O SB ORNE

“Face them next to each other until they’re kissing…”

SING OUT SISTER! As well as being a mechanical maestro, Jenni invented bikeoke: karaoke on a bike! She does a mean Whitney

Stupid question, but how do you clean your chain? There are a few ways. One is to use a dedicated chain cleaner contraption, which will come with loads of brushes. Or, you can get crafty and use two old toothbrushes. Face them next to each other until they’re kissing and put a rubber band around the handles. Then spray some chain cleaner on there and scrub, scrub, scrub, with one toothbrush on top and one on the bottom. Do you put any fairy liquid or anything on it? There’s lots of controversy over what damage that could do, so I try to avoid it and use a Muc-Off chain cleaner or the Agent Apple chain cleaner from Green Oil. They tend to be biodegradable, so safe to use outside. Any other ways? If you can get your chain off (it’s best if you’ve got a quick link that you can take on and off), you can put it in a litre bottle with some Coca-Cola. That gets your chain sparkling over night. You can only imagine what it’s doing to your stomach or teeth! Any last pearls of wisdom? When you oil your chain, let it sink in for about five minutes, then wipe off as much as you can. That is one of the most important things to remember. If you don’t, it will attract all the dirt and grit from the road and turn into a sandpaper paste on your chain. People think they’re doing their chain a favour by lubing it up, but they actually making it worse. It’s probably better to have a dry chain than an uber-lubed one. www.lbk.org.uk

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 09

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

ENTREPRENEUR

Blazin’ a trail Emily Brooke is on a mission to solve the problems facing cyclists one brilliant innovation at a time… Emily Brooke founded Blaze after developing her iconic Laserlight product in her final year studying product design at Brighton University. Working with driving psychologists and transport specialists, Emily discovered that 79% of cyclists are hit by cars that fail to spot them in their blind spots. It was this problem that led her to design, build and then create the Blaze Laserlight – an innovative light that projects the image of a bicycle six metres ahead to blind spots where you’re otherwise unseen. It’s so successful that the Laserlight has been integrated into Transport for London’s Santander bikes and is also being trialled by the New York city bike share scheme. Emily isn’t going to stop there, with the Blaze team looking at ways to address other problems cyclists face. “There are some big ones,” says Emily. “Locks and bike security, helmets, air quality – these are all problems we’re looking at, but

we haven’t got all the solutions just yet.” The team at Casquette Towers would love Emily to apply her ingenuity to a solution for saddle sore – see page 53. Wouldn’t Blazin’ Saddles be a brilliant invention? BLAZE ON TEST Like the iPhone and Tangle Teezer, the Laserlight is up there as one of those truly modern marvels you can’t believe hasn’t been invented before. It looks the business and the design features are carefully considered. Importantly, with the main light on full-flash mode and that brilliant projection of a bike out front, we felt confident we could be seen by the growling buses, twitchy cabs and gridlocked traffic. Yes, it’s expensive at £125, but if you do a lot of city commuting, we’d definitely recommend it for its quality and ability to help you stand out in busy traffic. Find out more at blaze.cc and read the full review at Casquette Online

YOU SAY The one piece of advice you wish someone had told you before you started this cycling malarkey… “Riding commando is the done thing!” @melfarmerswife

“One should learn to master the art, aim and etiquette of the snot rocket!”

“Wear padded shorts - my first 100km without them made the next week tricky.”

@boaboaboa

@wearethreo

“One bike is not enough.” @bikefreedom247

“You’ll need a house with a very big garage!” @Cat_Sutherland

“Bonking isn’t as fun as it sounds. On the bike it’s if you haven’t eaten enough. Eat and drink!” @lauracwinter

10 | C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K

SOCK IT TO ME

Get ready for a chorus of ‘strong sock game’ compliments!

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Cycle sartorialist Style spots from the streets of East London

}

TIZIANA from Italy says she gets her best ideas on her Vintage Lady bike

Sku l l can dy These Attaquer socks boast a whole bucketload of attitude, plus a stylish silver-infused yarn. £14.95, attaquercycling.eu

FLO on a brand new bike. How did she christen it? A road bike adventure out to West Sussex

Wave h el l o Hill Repeat socks from Victory Chimp that almost make hill repeats fun. £10, victorychimp.cc

JAMIE from Australia picking up pastries en route to a picnic

Mi x an d match La Cubiste mismatched socks from The Athletic. $10, theathleticcommunity.com

KRISTINA is obsessed with her Tokyo Bike. It’s her pride and joy. We can see why

Ti c, ti c , bo o m Spots and stripes. Enough said. £13.95, this-is-cambridge.com

ALICE in Broadway Market picking up a pizza. She was going for a Margarita - in case you were wondering

V I S I T C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K F O R R E G U L A R S A RTO R I A L S P OT S | 11

SPRINT

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

SPRINT

“Giving up money freed me from consumerism, but cycling led to a life of saying yes”

PURSE STRINGS

My no spend year When Michelle Mcgagh decided to give up spending for a whole year, her bike saved her bacon and changed her perspective. Here’s how… n Black Friday 2015 I started on a year that changed my life. I'd decided to give up spending money on anything other than essential bills, basic food and toiletries to get a handle on my finances and work out what was really important. As part of my No Spend Year I had cut my transport budget to zero, meaning I’d have to walk or cycle if I wanted to maintain some

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semblance of a life. With my characteristic lack of foresight, I’d failed to get my old LeMond Reno up to scratch before the challenge started, which meant I started the challenge with what I had in my backpack – two inner tubes, six puncture repair patches, some tools, a lock, rechargeable LED lights and half a bottle of bike oil. This, along with some already knackered bike kit, took me 6,500 miles over the course of the year. I’m not a brilliant cyclist – more akin to an inelegant, sweaty spider riding a bike – but

MY SALVATION Cycling saved me. It became the way I stayed fit, saw friends and family, went on holiday, travelled to work. It also became a fantastic way to socialise and make new friends. If I hadn’t taken on the challenge and ridden my bike as much as I did, I wouldn’t have met lots of wonderful new people or seen the beautiful places I saw. I wouldn’t know how kind strangers are and then been inspired to be kinder. Take the case of my brake pads, which needed replacing about seven months in. I didn’t have budget to buy replacements, but a shout-out on Twitter offering to swap my time or limited skills for brake pads led to a woman in Glasgow sending me some with an order to ‘pay it forwards’ rather than receiving payment. Kindness begets kindness and I paid it forward. Similarly, I wouldn’t have met Jenni from London Bike Kitchen (page 9) who kindly helped me sort out my rear derailleur and taught me some new skills in the process. My bike was integral to my life over that year and being a ‘cyclist’ became integral to my identity. Giving up money freed me from consumerism, but cycling freed me from my comfort zone and propelled me into a life of saying ‘yes.’ Find out more in Michelle’s book, The No Spend Year: How I Spent Less and Lived More, £12.99

IMAG E: ZOË GOWER-JO NES

EXPERI-MENTAL? Michelle gave up spending money on anything other than essentials.

I’m pretty stubborn. So stubborn, in fact, that I rode my bike 120 miles away from my home in London to attend a wedding, I'd regularly meet up with friends in Brighton, visit family 40-odd miles away and even had a holiday by bike. It wasn’t a traditional holiday. There were no hotels or sightseeing checklists. Instead, my husband and I did a 370-mile round trip from London, out to Suffolk and around the coast to Norfolk, sleeping on beaches and eating tinned potatoes. That holiday kicked me far from my comfort zone and ignited adventure in me. It wouldn’t have happened without my bicycle.

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

TIME OUT

Pit stop Where Look Mum No Hands!’s social media maven Alexandra Davis goes for life’s important things: coffee, pizza and eggs benedict Get your fix...

LOOK MUM NO HANDS!

49 Old Street, London EC1V 9HX

Look, I know it’s my gaff, but you can’t argue with superior Square Mile coffee and a rotating smorgasbord of exciting guest espressos from independent roasters. I’m here day and night, but I still want to eat here, with my post-work fix being a can of Beavertown Brewery’s Gamma Ray Pale Ale (joyous for the name alone) and a Sriracha chicken burger. For a post-ride reward, you can't beat a flat white and chocolate avocado cake. A winning combo! www.lookmumnohands.com

PROFILE Alexandra Davis is community manager at trailblazing cycle cafe and bike workshop, Look Mum No Hands! She spends most of her free time planning computer character Burlesque shows. We love her because she shares her avocado chocolate cake. Follow Alex on Instagram... @singyamatokun

Get it fixed…

LONDON BIKE KITCHEN

28 Whitmore Rd, London N1 5QA

Knowledge is power when it comes to bikes and you can’t get more knowledgeable than Jenni at London Bike Kitchen (page 9). Her "do-it-together" workshop is all about teaching people how to fix their own bike through all kinds of classes for all kinds of people and all sorts of budgets. www.lbk.org.uk

Different gear...

Rehydrate...

Refuel...

Arch 216, 27a Ponsford Street, London E9 6JU

25 West Ham Lane, London E15 4PH

Victoria Park, Old Ford Rd, London E9 7DE

Dark Arts Coffee is an ace roastery with a mission to use "alchemy to combine fire, water and magic beans into a divine elixir". At the weekends, the doors open as a cafe and they serve oversized plates of killer grub to match the killer coffee. The vegan chorizo and avocado with home-made beans on sourdough is a saviour. Instagram: @Iwillkillagain

I love computer games, so you’ll often find me "rehydrating" at Stratford’s latest gaming bar, Secret Weapon. With a selection of feisty game-inspired tipples to help facilitate hand/ eye coordination, it's well worth checking out. Notable mentions go to The G&T Virus or Skyrum tipples. https://loading.bar/stratford

Victoria Park is my favourite place to cycle in London and luckily I commute through there daily. On a free weekend, I gawk at the Pagoda, spin around the old drinking fountain and treat myself at Pavilion Café. It does quite possibly the best eggs Benny in London and I love the Sri Lankan dahl and hoppers. Instagram: @pavilionbakery

I WILL KILL AGAIN SECRET WEAPON

PAVILION CAFÉ

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❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

SPRINT

ISLA

IMAGINE THAT Isla Rowntree is developing sustainable kids' bikes

FUTURE THINK

Generation game... Brilliant and innovative, Isla Rowntree is changing the way bicycles will be made and supplied in the future... hen Isla Rowntree retired from her career as one of Britain’s greatest cyclocross riders, she turned her attention to children’s bikes, producing the first Islabike in 2005. Lightweight, beautifully built and with components specially sized for smaller bodies, Islabikes changed the way we think about kids' bicycles. Now she's innovating again with the Imagine Project, a total rethink of the way bicycles will be made and supplied in the future. By designing and developing a range of sustainable bikes, manufactured in the UK and available on a rental basis (the bikes will be returned to the factory for refurbishment when their rider outgrows them), Islabikes is throwing open high-quality bike ownership to everyone and addressing the issue of sustainability while it does it. “Future raw material scarcity can seem like a distant threat. Then you consider that over the past 50 years the world’s population has increased by over 50 per

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cent, but our resource utilisation over the same period has increased by over 1,000 per cent,” says Isla. “We reckon it will take us three-to-five years to solve the technical and practical challenges in order to offer a workable circular rental model for bicycles. And we need to get on with it before it is too late.” DOING IT FOR THE KIDS Isla has long been concerned with the consumption and wastage of raw materials. But what motivated the decision to set up the Imagine Project now? “It was the thought that new bicycles made from virgin raw materials may become too expensive for most families to afford,” she explains. “That would mean children can’t cycle and would miss out on the diverse range of benefits cycling offers.” Isla has long been a passionate advocate for children’s cycling, driving change in the way we think about children’s bicycles. But surely there’s a concern parents will now choose to rent rather than buy an Islabike?

“It is a risk, but we are doing something we believe must be done. Someone has to take the plunge” “It is a long-term investment commitment for us,” Isla tells us. “Even if we manage to make a success of it, it will be a long time before we see any financial benefit. It is a risk, but we are doing something we believe must be done. Someone has to take the plunge.” Get more at islabikes.co.uk

SPRINT

C YC L E - O L O G Y

Caps not hats Why are cyclists obsessed with caps? We uncover the history behind cycling’s fashion catnip... The simple, short-brimmed cotton cap is inextricably linked to the history of cycling, with virtually every vintage race photograph featuring one being modelled by sport’s greatest names – typically in plain white or a sweat-stained beige. Back then, the cap was a utilitarian object used to shield eyes from the sun, divert rain from the face and – as an old Tour legend goes – as a substitute for toilet paper, dutifully handed over to one’s team leader if caught short. Mercifully, today’s cycling cap is so much more than a bit of back-up bog roll. It’s a badge that says ‘I am a part of this weird sub-culture,’ and it’s a way to express individualism, livening up even the blandest Lycra ensemble. Agonising over whether to wear your cap brim up or down? Honestly, it doesn’t matter, although brim up is ever so slightly more hip and will give you the chance to show off the slogan on its underside. The big no-no, according to Velominati's Rule #22, is that cycling caps should never be worn "when not riding, no matter how hip you think you look. The only time it is acceptable to wear a cycling cap is while directly engaged in cycling activities. This includes... cafe appearances for pre-ride espressi and post-ride pub appearances for body-refueling ales." So, pretty much all the time then.

CAPSOLUTELY FABULOUS The Casquette magazine rule on caps? There are no rules – except that caps rule!

#CAPSNOTHATS Wondering where the #capsnothats hashtag came from? It’s not just a cyclist’s mantra, but a response to a growing trend for pro cyclists to discard their cycling caps in favour of team-branded baseball hats. Why? Because they offer a greater amount of visible surface area on which to daub a sponsor’s logo while on the podium. While some modern riders have pushed back against this, it seems ‘podium hats’ are here to stay in the pro ranks. For the rest of us, more is most definitely more when it comes to cycling caps. Oh, and did we mention that the French for cycling cap is ‘casquette’? Like this cap? See: tenspeedhero.com

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 15

WOMENâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CYCLING APPAREL INSPIRED BY THE MOUNTAINS #KEEPCLIMBING QUEENOFTHEMOUNTAINS.CC

YOUR ESSENTIAL ROUND-UP OF FASHION AND BEAUTY LUST-HAVES ➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔

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STYLE SPY

French dressing The French seem to have a knack for effortless style and it's the same with cyclewear... When it comes to cycle gear, Côte d’Azur-based cycling brand Café du Cycliste seems to have bottled those seemingly mysterious qualities that make French style so covetable... 1. Think in a neutral palette. For the most part, French women dress in a grown-up neutral palette of black, white and beige, then add a pop of colour with accessories. It’s the same with Cafe du Cycliste. Their colour palette is ohso classic, with the flourishes coming through in subtle spot or stripe detail. All of which makes mixing and matching from within your CDC wardrobe effortless. 2. Embrace the Breton stripe A French woman in a Breton stripe is a bit of a stereotype, but with good reason. Nothing looks as effortlessly cool. It’s the same on a bike, so it’s no surprise to see tons of gorgeous striped jerseys in the Café du Cycliste collection. 3. Keep it simple Parisian fashionistas develop a signature look and stick with it. They might update their wardrobe with a few trends, but they always stick to a similar aesthetic. In the same spirit, Café du Cycliste update their range every season, but they never veer too far from that signature, elegant look. For more style inspiration visit cafeducycliste.com

OOH LA LA! Café du Cycliste was born in a traditional French café

If the world’s most-stylish woman did cycling kit today, you can guarantee she’d be mad about monochrome. Here we channel Coco Chanel with our curation of cycling lust haves... PHOTOGRAPHY CLAIRE PEPPER HAIR & MAKE UP PHOEBE WALTERS MODELLED BY NARA ISHIKAWA & EMILY POINTER

FA S H I O N

(L-R) Nara wears: Soulor Jersey Pattern Mix, £49.99 and Soulor Bibshorts in Black/ White Polka, £79.99 – both chapeau.cc. Fingerscrossed Socks £13 – weareomnium.cc. Climber’s Shoes, £280 – rapha.cc Emily wears: Madeline Jersey Tile Print, £69.99, and Soulor Bibshorts in Black/White Polka £79.99 – both chapeau. cc. Fingerscrossed Mountain Socks, £13 – weareomnium.cc. GT shoes, £300 – rapha.cc

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 19

“I INVENTED SPORT SUITS FOR ME… I LIBERATED THE BODY. I CREATED A NEW SILHOUETTE” COCO CHANEL

FA S H I O N

THIS PAGE Twin Six The Standard V2 Jersey, £90 – omnium.cc. Rapha Souplesse Base Layer, £45. Rapha Core Bib shorts £100.00; FingersCrossed Ride Like Thunder socks, £13 – omnium.cc OPPOSITE: Morvelo Gator Cap, £15. Assos SS.JerseyLaalaLaiEVO, £135. Morvelo Women’s Emblem Stormshield Undershorts £55. Morvelo Series Emblem White Socks, £10

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 21

FA S H I O N

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FA S H I O N

THIS PAGE (L-R) Emily wears: Primal PolkaLine Women’s Cycling Jersey, £50 – primaleurope.com. Twin Six Thermal Women’s 3/4 Bib Shorts, £85, Omnium.cc. Primal Electric Shock Socks, £8 Nara wears: Dots Women’s Gilet, £75, omnium.cc, Dots Women’s bib shorts £100, omnium.cc

OPPOSITE Emily wears: God and Famous Dig Deep Cap £18. God and Famous Paincave Unisex Base Layer, £32 omnium.cc

C O M M U T E R FA S H I O N

DESIGN H E RO

Pa l m re a ch The weather might be hotting up, but you still need to protect your precious palms. With just the right amount of Wes Anderson kook, do it in style with these white fingerless leather gloves from Hackney St Cloud in collaboration with Veeka. Also features suede-reinforced palms. £20, thecyclingstore.cc

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

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BIKING NINE TO FIVE THE CYCLING STORE'S NAOMI MAHENDRAN CURATES THIS ISSUE'S COMMUTER STYLE SPOTS

Me et i n g n ot e s 1 Coral bike stand, £45, WAO 2 Gold cycling helmet, £95, Thousand 3 Silk & wool scarf

in pink, £45, Hackney St Cloud x Veeka 4 Waterproof roadster windbreaker, £116, As Bold As 5 Reflective vest, £45, As Bold As 6 Reflective cycling shoes, £165, Tracey Neuls 7 Rain Poncho, £88, Otto London 8 Drench coat, £148, As Bold As All available at thecyclingstore.cc

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H E R O WO R S H I P

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

A BIG FISH

You need this in your life! With its awesome ability to repel the elements (and fish tanks), this is the best waterproof jacket on the market... When we first discovered the Gore-Tex Shakedry, it was submerged in a fish tank as part of a display at a swanky London trade show. The fish tank was looking sorry for itself – leaking and only half full. But the jacket was unfazed: hanging proud, looking fly, with water beading beautifully on its surface. That MOST pretty much sums it up. When all around C OV E T E D is failing, this jacket keeps delivering. It’s so light that when you lift it out of the packaging it feels like tissue paper. For those who get off on the stats, it weighs a mere 133g (the same as a pack of Kallo Smoked Paprika Rice & Corn Cakes from Sainsbury’s to be precise). When taken out of the fish tank and on to the road, it's incredibly breathable, so there’s no boil in a bag when your temperature starts to rise. But the thing that really makes the Shakedry stand out from the crowd is its waterproof brilliance. Even when it was absolutely chucking it down, the Gore kept us perfectly dry and the rain simply beaded on the surface. Then there's the fun bit: when you stop for a rain-dodging coffee, simply do the sheepdog shake and watch the jacket shed its droplets. Yes, it’s jolly expensive at £220, but when you calculate the cost and compliments per wear over a good five years of riding, say, we think it’s worth it. Just don’t put it in a fish tank because we know who’ll win! Find out more at: Goreapparel.co.uk

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V E L OV I X E N ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

C A S Q U E T T E X V E LOV I X E N

HERE COMES THE SUN LIZ BINGHAM, THE STYLE MAGPIE BEHIND AWARD-WINNING CYCLE EMPORIUM VELOVIXEN ROUNDS UP HER HOT PICKS FOR A SUMMER OF CYCLING

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1. Svelte Sunset Combo Jersey + Arm Warmer Bundle £97.50 Add some punch to your cycle style with this awesome Club Svelte jersey – a winner for performance, colour pop and compliments per wear. 2. VEL Race Bottles & Cages £8-12 each The devil is in the detail, even when it comes to

your rehydration strategy, so get your hands on a stylish VEL race bottle and matching cage. 3. Castelli Caribbean Combo £12-95 Blending yellow fleuro with sea-breeze blue, Castelli’s Caribbean range brings a whiff of warm sea breezes. All with that famous Italian styling and more generous sizing than before.

4. Café du Cycliste Fleurette Jersey in Cerise £109 The 2017 version of Café du Cycliste’s flagship summer jersey comes in a rockin' red hue with stylish spots and extra-sartorial touches like reversible sleeves. Wham! 5. Primal Cycling Socks £8 a pair Getting an unfair advantage through funky sock

choice is a scientific fact, and Primal are at the vanguard with truly eye-popping designs. 6. Cycling Caps from £12 each Caps make summer riding styles even more fun, so indulge your obsession with one for every day of the riding week.

Get more at velovixen.com

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PA S S I T O N

If I C o u l d Te l l Yo u

ONE TH I N G … Cycling is packed with remarkable women taking on incredible feats, striving against adversity and challenging their own self doubts. Here, a few of our favourites share the most valuable piece of wisdom they have ever received… WORDS: SUZE CLEMITSON ILLUSTRATION: JAMES CAREY

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arijn de Vries is a journalist, cyclist and undisputed queen of the She-pee on a bike. Feisty and always funny, Marijn took up cycling when working as a sports reporter and documented her efforts to turn pro at 30 after meeting some male riders in a pub as part of a radio documentary. Here, she reveals the best advice she ever received, which was from Dutch cycling superstar and four-time Olympic gold medallist, Leontien van Moorsel. “When I started cycling and considered racing, I interviewed Leontien. I was 30 years old and had just started my experiment to discover the answer to the question: ‘Can you still become a pro athlete, even if you’re in your thirties?’ “She said: ‘If your heart tells you to do this now, you should really go for it. Otherwise you will regret it later in your life.

“If your heart tells you to do this now, you should go for it. Otherwise you’ll regret it later in your life” Better to try and not succeed, than to not try at all.’ This was the last push to really throw myself into it. I don’t know if she remembers telling me this, but I will forever. “One year later, after my first season in the peloton for a club team, she asked me to join her UCI-team and that’s where the adventure really started. It was not just her saying to me to follow my heart, but also her having faith in me. Without Leontien, I wouldn’t have had the cycling career I had. I’m still very thankful to her.”

“It sounds simple, but you need a place you can call home. It gives you a solid foundation, which is critical in the roller-coaster life of a professional athlete”

iven that Sharon Laws has been British National Time Trial and Road Race Champion and Beijing Olympic team mate to gold medal winner Nicole Cooke, she must have spent a lifetime in the world of cycling, right? Wrong. The Gloucestershire pedaller only turned professional at the age of 33, proving it’s rarely too late to throw your all into your passion. Hospitalised in 2013 after a horrific crash, she returned to racing before announcing her retirement in 2016, when she also revealed the shock news that she has treatable but incurable cervical cancer. Now an impassioned campaigner for women to take regular smear tests, as well as showing raw honesty in her public updates as she fights the condition, Sharon still finds time between chemotherapy to get out on her bike and take a spin round the Cotswolds. So, what’s the piece of wisdom that has been most valuable to her? “When I raced with Nicole Cooke on the national team in 2009, she said it helped her cycling career to find a permanent base to live – in her case, in Switzerland,” Sharon says. “After spending my first two years living out of a bag, I decided to rent a flat in Girona in 2011. I thought it was going to be temporary, so I bought the cheapest IKEA furniture, but ended up loving it and living there for the rest of my cycling career. “It sounds simple, but you need a place you can call home. It gives you a solid foundation, which is critical in the roller-coaster life of a professional athlete. There was nothing I liked more after racing than returning to my tiny flat and sleeping in my own bed with my things around me.”

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PA S S I T O N

“We can only control so much of our own destiny. Take ownership of that and do it well, but if you can’t change what’s happening to you, move on. Adapt”

s one of four women behind the Voxwomen Cycling Show, Laura Winter is a presenter for the world’s first women’s cycling TV show, broadcast on eight channels worldwide including Eurosport. She’s also the race announcer and commentator at Strade Bianche, the Dubai Tour and Tour de Yorkshire and worked for NBC sport on the Tour of California and ATV as commentator for the 947 Cycle Challenge in South Africa. Whether she’s presenting cyclo-cross for Eurosport, working on the British Track Cycling Championships or writing untold stories of women’s sport for the Women’s Sports Trust, Laura’s is a voice we want to hear more of – so we asked her the best advice she’d ever been given.

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“‘If it won’t matter in five years, don’t waste five minutes thinking about it.’ I can’t remember who told me this, but the words have stuck with me. I remember reading it just before Christmas, almost two years after I turned freelance and began this crazy ride to becoming a sports presenter. It’s a dream career choice, but from time to time there are crippling bouts of selfdoubt and insecurity. “This nugget of advice reminds me to put my doubts in perspective. Think big, think ahead, remain focused. In five years, will it matter that Tom from production didn’t answer my email? Will it matter that among an inbox of ‘yes’ replies, one client chose a different presenter for an event? And, away from work, will it matter that I got dropped in the last 10 miles on the Saturday morning club ride? “Instead of wasting energy worrying about the mundane details of everyday life – did my hair look OK in that shot? Have they noticed I’ve put on 1.5kg? – redirect your resources to achieving your goals. Make lists, make bullet points, set bitesize, achievable aims and brainstorm. “Work out what truly matters to you and what will be important in five years. If your worry really does matter, work at it and change it as best you can. If it suddenly appears small and insignificant, let it go. Shake it off. “I set high standards for myself – in life, in work, in my chosen sport and in my relationships with friends and family – so this is easier said than done. But this piece of advice reminds me to take a healthy step back and control the controllables. “We can only control so much of our own destiny. Take ownership of that and do it well, but if you can’t change what is happening to you, move on. Adapt.”

elen Wyman is a genuine cycling bad ass, having proved her mettle in grass-track, road racing, mountain biking and more. But it was the brutal and beautiful sport of cyclo-cross that won her heart and led to nine National and two European championships, plus a bronze medal at the Worlds. Married to Matrix Cycling top dog Stefan Wyman, she splits her time between road racing and cyclo-cross, and her life between St Albans in Hertfordshire, where she was born, and Belgium, where she won three cobblestones to mark her success in the super-tough Koppenberg Cross race. “When I first started racing cyclo-cross, Louise Robinson was one of the best cross racers. She got a silver medal in the first ever women’s World Cross Championships in 2000. She was a legend on the bike and very approachable, friendly and funny off it. I was 18 and trying cross out. I was quite good, but a long way off Louise and three-time British cyclo-cross champion Isla Rowntree. “The one piece of advice that she gave me was that: ‘Cyclo-cross is an apprenticeship. You will be learning for such a long time, then finally one year it will all come together and you’ll just be good’. I took from this that patience and perseverance will pay off, so if you want it, stick with it. “When I won my first nationals in 2006, I beat Louise in a straight battle. At the finish she came over to me and said: ‘Congratulations, I know how to peak and you beat me fair and square.’ I went on to finish fifth in the worlds that year, but I knew I still hadn’t worked my apprenticeship, and it wasn’t until the 2013-14 season [when Helen took third in the cyclo-cross world championships] that I truly shone. “I am very proud of what I’ve achieved in my career, but there have been times where I have wanted more success sooner. When I did, I just remembered what Louise said. For anyone wanting to achieve something tough, I would say that life isn’t always rosy. There are hard times and amazing times, but when you finally achieve that thing you have been striving for, you’ll think, ‘Wow, this is awesome. I did this!’ Working really hard for something actually makes it even more rewarding!”

“When you get up in the morning you’ve always got to be able to look at yourself in the mirror

est known as the woman who blew the whistle on Lance Armstrong, Emma O’Reilly was one of the pioneer women soigneurs, or carers, in the men’s peloton with Armstrong’s team US Postal, and some of her experiences form the basis for Freya North’s much-loved cycling novel, Cat. O’Reilly always made it clear that her job as a “swannie” didn’t involve doping, yet as becomes obvious in her excellent book The Race To Truth - Blowing The Whistle On Lance Armstrong And Cycling’s Doping Culture, she and Armstrong did bond when he joined the US Postal team in 1998. They both enjoyed the craic, and she was proud of what her boys were accomplishing... until riders like José María Jiménez and Italian Tour de France champion Marco Pantani all died in drugrelated incidents. O’Reilly couldn’t ignore the problem of doping any longer: “I woke up knowing in my guts there was only one thing to do. Omertà or no omertà, the senseless, tragic deaths of talented riders was all I needed for the final kick. “There’s one piece of advice that I live by and it comes from my Dad: ‘When you get up in the morning, you’ve always got to be able to look at yourself in the mirror. Always go to bed knowing you can get up in the morning and look at yourself.’”

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PA S S I T O N

he sleepy south west might seem a little pedestrian for an Italian Vogue cover star whose day jobs have included adrenalinefuelled descents of the Alps and playing in a heavy metal band. But former professional snowboarder and model Juliet Elliot isn’t slowing down, with her career now mixing coaching, racing and writing about all things cycling. “The best piece of advice I was ever given concerns competition and nerves. I used to be a professional snowboarder and suffered so badly with nerves that I quit. I used to get full-blown panic attacks before competition and that ruined things for me. “I never really intended to cycle competitively, but I really wanted to have a go at the Red Hook Crit in Milan, so I entered my first one a couple of years ago. My husband and I were over at my friend Kye Forte’s house. Kye is a professional BMX and mountain bike rider and I told him I’d entered this race and was freaking out with nerves! Kye said: ‘When you’re on the startline, remember why you’re there: because you enjoy riding your bike. Are you going to allow nerves to ruin something you want to be amazing and that you’ve worked really hard towards?’ “It’s about a shift in attitude. I realised I was allowing nerves to rule my life, and that the process of being at an event is supposed to be fun. I was doing it for enjoyment, and allowing anything to detract from that defeated the whole purpose of me being there. “For me, the good thing about racing is the 45 minutes I’m on the course, and if I’m allowing anything to take away from that then it’s pointless. It’s about achieving a change in the way you think about things.”

“Are you going to allow nerves to ruin something you want to be amazing and that you’ve worked really hard towards?”

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ne of the Matrix Cycling team’s “Yorkshire Roses,” Amira Mellor comes from solid cycling stock. With her mother a coach and multiple distance record holder and her sister a triathlete, Amira started cycling at eight years old and was already a fearsome competitor by

10. A multiple champion at both winter and summer cyclo-cross by the time she hit her teens, Amira now rides for the Matrix Cycling team. “One piece of advice I try to use in everyday life came from my parents. They always taught me that: ‘You should follow your dreams, no matter how big or small, and no matter what anyone else thinks of them.’ Clichéd as it sounds, it’s the best lesson I have ever received and one I choose to live by every day in whatever I do. It’s one of the reasons I decided to try to pursue a cycling career. So many people make you believe dreams should only be dreams, but my parents taught me I could make them a reality.

“It’s hard sometimes when people think the career you’re pursuing isn’t valid, that you’ll never succeed, but I guess that’s part of what drives me. When things get tough and I question why I’m doing this, I remember that I could be sat in an office every day rather than riding my bike in the sunshine, and I know what I’d rather be doing! “I think many women think trying to pursue a career as a cyclist isn’t realistic, but if you work hard enough and want it enough, you can do it. Sometimes you just need someone to believe in you. You never know until you try and the memories you make along the way make it worth it.”

“Follow your dreams, no mat ter how big or small, and no mat ter what anyone else thinks of them”

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It’s like chess on wheels. Imagine your energy as a big block of sugar. You can only chip away at it a couple of times and you need to use that energy at the right time. If you have the instinct and logic to attack 20km into a race, it might look like a strange move to somebody else, but if it pays off there is nothing better

LIZZIE, GUARDIAN, APRIL 2017

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

CREATIVE SPACE

THE BIG PICTURE

Blood, sweat and gears The story behind the image by photographer Ashley Gruber

“This image of Lizzie is really special. It was one of those rare moments as a photographer that I really got the chance to watch the move happening and shoot the whole thing. Her getting out of the saddle, powering away, then holding that lead. “I’m not normally on a race motorbike, but I was that day, sat twisted on the back with my 70-200 bouncing up and down as she did her thing. For some reason most of the other photographers and TV crew were up the road so they didn’t capture the break, the exertion, the pressure and pain. “This photo was taken on the final cobbled section, ‘The Lange Munte.’ Lizzie kept pushing and pushing until the end and I can only imagine the white hot pain her legs must have been feeling.” NEED TO KNOW The Omloop (pictured) is a one-day race in Belgium, which starts and finishes in Ghent, Flanders. It’s highly regarded in the racing calendar as it marks the opening event of the women’s cycling season in Europe and is a tough 122km, featuring eight climbs and six sections of cobbles. This is Lizzie Deignan winning the 2016 event. See more from Ashley at gruberimages.pro

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TOUR DE FORCE

The inequality Kathryn Bertine encountered when she fell into pro cycling pissed her off so much that it has become a cause that has dominated her life. Tim Heming discovers what drives her and how she’s lobbying for change for the next generation of pro cyclists PHOTOGRAPHY: CHRIS HINKLE

icture the ChampsÉlysées a decade from now. Standing room only on a Parisian summer’s evening as the sans pareil of women’s cycling whip past on the final lap of eight, elbows sharpened, grip on the handlebars locked as they jostle for position in the sprint for glory. This final stage of the Tour de France will see a woman step on the podium with the headline writers affording her as much kudos as the man in the yellow jersey. Somewhere in the crowd, the trailblazer who made this possible will be looking on… If anyone can make this fanciful notion a reality, it’s Kathryn Bertine. Her experience as a pro cyclist riled her so much that she wrote, directed and co-produced a documentary to highlight the issues. She lobbied hard for a women’s race at the Tour de France, which resulted in La Course in 2014, a one-day event preceding the final stage of the Tour de France. And, in her latest project, she’s creating a support network for developing professional athletes

who can’t survive on the women’s pro salary. Even as she pieces her body together after a horrific bike crash, it’s clear she’s not finished yet, and it’s this infectious passion to redress the inequalities in women’s cycling that makes you believe that “women will have a three-week Tour de France in the future.” LEGENDARY BACK STORY Growing up an ice-skater in New York, Kathryn turned to rowing, running and triathlon, became a writer and found an editor at ESPN madcap enough to set her the challenge of qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The challenge was simple. Kathryn could pick her sport, ESPN would pick up the expenses, she just had to get there. The quest led her to bike racing and the potential back door entry of representing St Kitts and Nevis – a decision that would have far-reaching consequences for both her and women’s cycling. While she started to collate qualifying points in races in the USA and her diaries

made for a riveting read in her book, As Good As Gold, there would be no trip to China. She had, though, learnt a few valuable lessons. First, she had developed a strong endurance base and shown enough talent to be part of a fledgling women’s professional bike racing team (whatever the term ‘professional’ meant). Second, she’d landed in a sport mired in such inequality that it became a cause that would dominate her life, providing enough material and provocation to write three books and direct a movie: Half the Road: The Passion, Pitfalls & Power of Women’s Professional Cycling. PACE MAKER Now officially retired from riding, the 41-year-old is undeterred in her quest to improve the lot of professional women bike riders and continues to battle with the UCI – the governing body of world cycling – in an effort to effect change. And to do so at pace. Kathryn wants the issues of paltry prize money, disparate racing

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“In 2013, thenUCI president Pat McQuaid said women don’t deserve a base salary”

YOU COULDN’T MAKE IT UP! Kathryn’s sporting milestones

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With cyclists Emma Pooley and Marianne Vos, and four-time world Ironman champion Chrissie Wellington, Kathryn formed a fearsome and fearless foursome, collecting 100,000 signatures of support within a few weeks. They were rewarded with the inaugural “La Course” in 2014, a one-day event preceding the final stage of the Tour de France. Change? Yes. Satisfied? Not by a long chalk. Three years on, the women will move to the mountains for 2017, but it is still just one day of competition compared to three weeks for their counterparts. MONEY TALKS “It’s very much time for growth,” Kathryn argues. “There are plenty of week-long stage races for women already and that is the business model. That’s what we believed when we started and that’s what we are

pushing for now. We hope that ASO [the race organisers] and UCI see it as entirely beneficial, both morally and financially.” The latter holds the key. For all the progression towards gender equality, it is money that talks, and the entrenched belief that cycling is the fiefdom of males is one Kathryn is keen to address. “Whether the obstacle is logistics or sponsorship, we will focus on finding the solution,” she continues. “In the US, for example, more women than men buy tickets and merchandise for giant ‘men’s’ sports like football and baseball. If cycling marketed more toward women they would see growth on both sides. “I want young girls to receive a bicycle for Christmas and see the opportunities that exist. Look at Holland, where men and women have been racing bikes for so long

PHO TOGRAPHS: L-R, LOGAN BURTCH-BUUS, TUCSON LOCAL MEDIA

schedules and podium girls addressed at the speed of a racing peloton, not a Boris Bike in gridlocked London. In failing to reply to a request for comment from the UCI for this article, we sense they could use a little of her vitality. “I fully believe change has to come from the top down,” she says. “When you are valued from the top, the rest of the journey will fall into place, which is so much better than women having to prove they are equal and all the energy that goes into fighting for awareness.” There has already been progress. In advocating root and branch change, Kathryn’s immediate attention was fixed on the jewel of the racing calendar, the Tour de France, with a very public campaign in 2013 to ensure that a women’s event should run concurrently with the men’s.

YOU BET! When Kathryn was challenged to get to the Olympics any way she could, she took up cycling and it changed her life forever

AGE 11

AGE 18

AGE 23

2006

Kathryn begins her athletic career as a figure skater. Each morning at 5am she wakes up her dad to drive her to the ice rink in Yonkers, New York.

Kathryn is recruited by Colgate University as a cross-country runner before switching to rowing. She develops the sort of awesome leg-power that stood her in good stead for the next 20 years as a cyclist.

Graduates from university, but narrowly misses out on joining professional ice skating troupe, the Ice Capades, after the organisation folds. Tours Europe and South America with Hollywood On Ice instead.

Working for ESPN as a writer, she accepts a challenge to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in “any sport.” Doesn’t get selected for US, but arranges to represent St Kitts and Nevis in cycling. Narrowly misses Olympic qualification.

BREAKING THE CYCLE As of May 2017, the Homestretch Foundation has assisted 17 female pro/elite cyclists from seven countries

together. From there we have the amazing Marianne Vos winning races – and she’s been into cycling since she was six. “We have to make sure the UCI aren’t putting off these changes. There are so many races where there is either no women’s field or it’s shortened without any media coverage, or the prize money is so different it’s a token gesture. I believe women will have a three-week Tour de France in the future.” CLOSER TO HOME If Kathryn is used to lobbying higher powers to make decisions, her latest project could hardly be more of a contrast. The Homestretch Foundation is a support network for developing professional athletes – a grassroots venture in Arizona where her energies can be channelled with complete autonomy. It will begin as a 12-berth residence in Tucson, with the favourable climate making it a desirable location for athletes to train during the off-season. The concept was borne out of Kathryn’s own disillusionment of entering the world of professional women’s cycling. “Once I got to that level I naively assumed I’d made it,” she explains. “Not

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ALL IN A DAY’S WORK Homestretch residents Lauren Hall, Brad Huff and Emma Grant

“I saw first-hand how much fire she has in her belly to truly deliver change, and that fight came to the fore again after her horrific crash” that I was a millionaire, but that I could at least earn enough to compensate what I was doing for a living. It was mind-blowing to realise I had to carry a couple of part-time jobs to make ends meet when the men on a World Tour team have a base salary of around 37,000 Euros.” “I got my first contract in 2012 and it was so low that I thought it was just a rookie thing and next year it’d be fine. But it wasn’t. In 2013, then-UCI president Pat McQuaid said women don’t deserve a base salary.” Almost four years on, little has changed, and it’s no surprise that the Homestretch property is already fully booked. “Word of mouth has helped to get the business off the ground,” Kathryn says. “It can’t just be a Band-aid. We are working behind the scenes to eradicate this kind of salary inequity. It starts with the world of cycling, but I’m hoping that other areas of life will

follow. It’s about changing the overview for the whole world.” The funding comes from either taxdeductible donations or from rent received when the property is privately let from June to December. For the first six months of the year, accepted athletes can customise their stay. “The more we can fundraise, the more we can supplement their income by providing stipends for bills or groceries,” Kathryn says. “We’re not just receiving applications from pro cyclists, but those looking to turn professional. I got one application from a triathlete who keeps just missing the podium and says it’s hard to gain sponsorship and recognition. I want to be able to help people across the board.” It is not merely about the calibre of the performers. “We also want to know what they’re passionate about away

2012

2013

2014

2017

After five years of amateur bike racing, Kathryn signs her first professional contract with Colavita Pro Cycling at age 36.

Forms lobbying group Le Tour Entier with Emma Pooley, Marianne Vos and Chrissie Wellington. They petition for greater parity between men and women riders and a women’s Tour de France.

Competes in La Course by Le Tour de France as a member of the Wiggle-High5 professional cycling team – a race her work with Le Tour Entier helped create.

Retires from pro-cycling and creates the Homestretch Foundation in Tucson, Arizona. The Foundation combats salary inequity and helps female professional athletes with housing.

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I N S P I R AT I O N

from their sport. Each athlete gives up two hours a week for one of our charity partners. They work with kids or the elderly or whatever they are passionate about. It ties into the bigger picture of ‘Hey, we’re not just a bunch of people riding around on bicycles.’” Kathryn wants to use the example to educate the UCI into effecting change, and time will tell whether the governing body complies. “I really want to be hands-on,” she says. “How amazing would it be a few years from now if the Homestretch Foundation didn’t have to worry about salary equity but could help juniors become professionals? There are so many areas we can grow. It’s not about helping women cyclists because it’s right, but because it brings organisations a better return on investment.” It’s evident the passion is brimming over, but being a social activist has come at a price. Her marriage of four years broke down in 2014 and she began questioning everything – her focus, her priorities and her own worth. It would lead to thoughts of suicide, and it was the news of the death of Robin Williams, the actor who was also a keen cyclist, and the outpouring of grief that followed, that provided the jolt to make her choose a different course. She returned to her father and asked for help. POSITIVE FOCUS “I will readily admit it has been a much more difficult journey than I understood or expected,” she says. “I feel so lucky that Homestretch gives me something positive to focus on. It was hard. Bicycling magazine came out with an article about just how hard it has been, culminating in a low point in 2014. I feel much better now. Last week I was on a yoga vacation that had nothing to do with cycling and I am trying to make sure I have a little time for myself, especially since the accident. That put a lot into perspective.” The accident to which she refers was a life-threatening bike crash in a UCI race in Mexico earlier this year. “A woman in front crashed,” she says. “I don’t remember the accident, but I hit her and I landed on my head. I broke two bones in my skull and my clavicle. One thing I will always be grateful to the UCI for is its mandatory requirement to have doctors at races. “He saved my life in the road by administering something to stop the seizures in enough time before my brain shut down completely. The next two-and-a-half-weeks I was in intensive care in three hospitals from Mexico to Arizona. It’s easy to talk about, as I don’t remember a whole lot.”

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KEEPING WATCH Kathryn is never one to rest on her laurels, so we can’t wait to see what’s next

“She’s such a fighter,” Chrissie Wellington says, when we ask what it was like teaming up with Kathryn to push for La Course. “I saw first-hand how much fire she has in her belly to truly deliver change, and that fight came to the fore again after her horrific crash. Down but never out, she came back from horrendous injuries to get back on the saddle. Even as she hangs up her racing Lycra, I know the next stage of her life will be devoted to leaving a lasting legacy for generations of female athletes.” LIFE LESSON “Eight months on I appreciate life more,” Kathryn reflects. “A random accident could happen to any of us, whether we’re riding a bike or walking down the street. It was the most beautiful thing in the world to see how many people cared. In some ways it took the most difficult situation for me to understand.” Get more from Kathryn at: www.homestretchfoundation.org

5 BIG THINGS THAT NEED TO CHANGE... AND ONE THING YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW! Women’s cycling is starting to get the recognition it deserves, but there is still a long way to go. Cycling aficionado Sarah Connolly rounds up the things that need to change and how you can play a part...

Televise women’s races Every time people get the opportunity to watch live women’s cycling, they love it. Perversely, because their races are limited in distance, there’s more attacking and the shorter time means it’s more TV-friendly than the long men’s

listen to women. The struggles of European sprint champion Jess Varnish within British Cycling to have her sexism claims taken seriously is not an isolated case. Although not all female professionals have had a bad experience, the sport needs to do more to promote inclusivity and weed out the institutional sexism that leads to lack of support and opportunity. Close the pay gap There’s still the issue of minimum wages for cyclists. The UCI president was elected on a manifesto that set out plans for a minimum wage for female cyclists. It’s not happened yet and he was elected four years ago. Even the UCI Women’s Commission has failed to push the issue forward, saying the cost benefits didn’t add up. Then there’s Cookson, who said that forcing cycling teams to pay women a minimum wage could be counter-productive to women’s cycling. The only thing we think is counterproductive is his attitude.

races. The Olympic Games proved the huge crowds, and cyclo-cross has definitely shown that “if you build it, they will come,” with Belgian TV station Sporza loving the viewing figures. Almost all the women’s races are filmed in full already and races with very small budgets – like WorldTour Ronde van Drenthe and Healthy Ageing Tour – have found innovative ways to stream live within the Netherlands. We just need media in the UK to take a chance and everyone benefits. Equal prize money When a cycle race is offering equal pay to women and men, it’s something to shout about – and that shouldn’t be the case. Women and men competing in the UCI World Championship road events now receive equal prize money under a new UCI Code of Ethics, but that doesn’t mean everything is rosy. The news that the female winner of the 1,472-mile R3GB endurance race around Britain was to be paid £15,000 and the

male winner £50,000 is a case in point. The excuse given is that women’s races should have smaller prizes because their races are shorter – but they still have to train just as hard for them. No one would suggest that a 1,500m runner should be paid more than a 100m sprinter in athletics, so why does it count in cycling? And, with the UCI limiting how long women can race for to 150km, it’s not something we have any control over. Listen to women There’s plenty of positive chat about getting more women involved in cycling, but the powers that be also need to

Role models Cycling is often described as “pale, male and stale,” due to the lack of representation of women and minority groups, but it doesn’t have to be this way. To be fair to British Cycling, it has announced former Football Association director Julie Harrington as its new chief executive... Obviously putting women in positions of power isn’t a cure-all for the ills of cycling, but by making women more visible it marks a step towards equality.

What you can do If you have been roused or riled by anything you have read on these pages, there is one simple thing you can do to help support change, and that’s to watch a women’s cycle race. Tune in online or on TV (whatever is made available) or show your support in person to prove there’s an appetite for women’s pro cycling. JESS IS MORE Jess Varnish stayed strong in her quest to get her sexism claims taken seriously

For more from Sarah Connolly, visit Prowomenscycling.com

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PHOT OGRAPH: KRIS HANNING

“I know the next stage of her life will be devoted to leaving a lasting legacy for generations of female athletes”

THINK PIECE

Think about it! Michelle McGagh asks if the traditional approach to achieving success in business and cycling has had its day… ILLUSTRATION: LAURENCE DENMARK

hink back to 1985s Rocky IV movie and you may remember Rocky Balboa training for his fight against Russian peroxide blond Ivan Drago. Sweat, rippling muscles, brute force, log-lifting and cart-pulling, all set against an epic ‘80s rock-synth soundtrack. Because that’s what makes a winner, right? Being more aggressive, more dominant and more single-minded than your competitors. Well, maybe not entirely. Lee Craigie – former British Mountain Bike Champion, Commonwealth athlete and cofounder of the Adventure Syndicate – believes attributes such as collaboration, creative problem solving and patience haven’t always been obvious in athletic training programmes. She reveals: “I was trained by male coaches using one model, which did work for a lot of athletes, but it didn’t always fit. The model was that if something was holding you back, you kick against it and use aggression, but it was one dimensional. That’s not the only way and there are lots of other systems we can draw on.”

THINK LIKE A GIRL Sally Helgesen, expert on women’s leadership and author of the best-selling book The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways Of Leadership, says women get greater satisfaction from achieving goals they set for themselves, rather than beating others. She explores this theory in her latest book, The Female Vision, which looks at difference and similarities in how “men and women define,

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perceive and pursue satisfaction at work.” “We found many similarities, but one of the two major differences had to do with women and men’s attitudes toward competition,” says Helgeson. “Women reported greater satisfaction from meeting their own benchmarks, whereas men reported greater satisfaction from beating their competition, winning and coming out on top.” Both the male and female approach to competition have their benefits. Those who benchmark against themselves are “inner directed, more collegial, more likely to produce collaboration and are better for leading and being part of team,” says Helgesen. However, she adds the male competitive benchmark produces “greater investment in outcomes and they’re more likely to embrace risk. This can be positive but it can also have downsides,” she says. These downsides have become evident in British Cycling with allegations of bullying made against ex-British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton. Central to the accusations was former European team sprint champion Jess Varnish, who Sutton allegedly told to “go and have a baby” and that her “bum was too big.” Helgesen adds: “The less directly competitive approach is becoming more common in workplaces broadly. In part, this is because of the emphasis on work being done in teams and the increased emphasis on collaboration, with women’s increasing success and visibility as leaders helping to foster this different approach.”

“Women report greater satisfaction from meeting their own benchmarks, whereas men report greater satisfaction from coming out on top”

CAUSE COLLAB The women’s cycling collaborations making a difference

THE BUSINESS CASE The proportion of women in leadership roles will continue to increase, with the government putting in place legislation to enforce female representation. By 2020, it wants a third of board members to be female. Women currently represent just 18 per cent of board members in Britain’s 250 biggest companies. Then, of course, there’s the business case for adopting a more balanced gender distribution in companies. A report by consultants McKinsey found that companies with the most women on their boards, regardless of sector, consistently and significantly outperformed those with no female representation. And operating results were 56 per cent higher in companies with women on the board than without. In other words, these companies made more money. Back to British Cycling, the recent appointment of a female chief executive in Julie Harrington (former Football Association group operations director) gives an indication that the organisation may finally be starting to think differently, too. Get more from Michelle @mmcgagh

ADVENTURE SYNDICATE The Adventure Syndicate is made up of eight female cyclists who have racked up thousands of miles between them and hold a variety of medals and records. The group – including Transcontinental winner Emily Chappell, 24-hour mountain bike champion Lee Craigie and round-the-world cyclist Laura Moss – was founded to inspire and encourage others to identify their ambitions, overcome obstacles and get out on their bikes. To meet this ambition, they run talks and events and lead bike rides in the UK and abroad. Their website is also full of inspiring stories of women getting on their bikes and getting on with it. www.theadventure syndicate.com

STRONGHER Bringing together professional cyclists, weekend warriors and complete beginners from around the world, Strongher is an initiative driven by multiple World Champion winner Marianne Vos that aims to create communities of women who ride together. Women’s cycling is gaining in popularity but it still doesn’t garner the same media attention as men’s cycling. Through Strongher, Vos wants to close the gap, encourage more women into the sport and help develop the sport further. As well as practical blogs and videos to help women pick through the jargon of cycling, Strongher organises sportives, rides and races for all abilities, plus women can connect with other riders around the world through the Strongher app, which allows you to create rides, invite friends and chat with other cyclists.

BREEZE Set up in 2011 by British Cycling, Sport England and Sky, Breeze was started as a way to get more women cycling, regardless of age, fitness or Lycra preferences – with British Cycling’s ultimate goal to encourage one million women on to their bikes by 2020. The rides are social and aim to encourage healthy living, as well as being a place to make new friends, and the organisation spreads the love by training women to become ‘Breeze champions’ so that they’re empowered to organise social bike rides in their local area. www.letsride.co.uk

www.strongher.cc

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 43

Rochelle Gilmore and Donna Rae-Szalinski share their advice for building a winning team WORDS: SUZE CLEMITSON

HOLA! The team took on the hills of Alcudia, Mallorca, for this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s training camp

DREAM TEAM

“If you only focus on winning a race, you don’t focus on creating an environment where people are willing to do that extra bit, have a go and excel”

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 45

DREAM TEAM

TEAM PLAYER Donna RaeSzalinski

ochelle Gilmore believes that the ability to make good decisions is the basis for achieving results and success in all aspects of life. “When I made the transition into business, I found decisionmaking quite difficult because my decisions no longer only affected me,” she tells us. “They now affected a number of other people whose careers and quality of life was in my hands.” It was her step-father David Dicker who gave her the key to handling the big decisions involved in setting up the Wiggle High5 team back in 2013: “Take the emotion out of it.” By making calculated decisions and blocking out the emotions associated with making the ‘right’ decision, Gilmore believes she has achieved success for her team.

Changing focus As a rider, Gilmore followed the advice, “when you think you’ve done enough, do a little bit more,” and she’s carried that strength and determination into her managerial career. Currently the number one ranked team in the world, with the number one ranked rider in Italian Elisa Longo Borghini, Gilmore admits that she has faced some tough choices in building her talented British-registered squad. “The right decision for my team, company and organisation was not always necessarily the best decision for all involved,” she says. “I learnt to weigh up the calculated positives versus negatives and make the right decision without letting emotions persuade me to make a decision I wasn’t confident in, which is easy to do when you’re influenced by emotions,” she says. For all her steel as a businesswoman, Gilmore still feels the tug of the road. In sport

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PATATAS BRAVAS Reaching for tapas at the front of the pack

you win or lose, she has said, but she misses that sense of clear cut success in business. The start of the 2017 season has seen some missed opportunities for results as the team refocuses after the Olympic year, but with a team to manage, a business to run and a commentating career, there’s no time for regrets. So, how does she handle adversity? “Look forward, analyse the positives and negatives and act without letting the negatives of the decision overwhelm you.” Team ethic Another ingredient for Wiggle High5’s continued success this season will be Donna Rae-Szalinski, who has experience coaching Gilmore’s High5 Dream Team and the Australian National Team. Szalinski believes that, “when a team is in a good place and people are happy, they generally perform better.” For Donna, the welfare of the riders is as important as results. “If the riders aren’t

“The team has a mantra of ‘having each other’s backs’” healthy and happy they don’t perform,” Donna says. “Collectively we have to create an environment where they’re enjoying what they’re doing and feeling valued. When they feel part of a team, results will come.” The bigger picture Donna tells us that behind the effortless performances of the Wiggle High5 team lies a proficient staff team who perform at the same level as the riders and a team mantra of ‘having each other’s backs’: “I want the riders to trust their team mates, to know they have each other’s backs, and it’s the same with the staff.”

LEGEND Rochelle: excited about evening cerveza

NO SWEAT Amy Cure listens to her guilty pleasure workout track, Bon Jovi. Shhhhh!

Donna tells us she has very clear expectations about the need to focus on process. “If you only focus on winning a race, you don’t focus on what you need to do to win a race, and on creating an environment where people are willing to do that extra bit, to have a go and excel. “That collaborative environment is essential, so that all 15 riders feel valued for

what they give to the team. Otherwise we’re not achieving the balance of lifestyle and productivity. We’re trying to shape the environment so riders feel valued and get opportunities to race for a result themselves.” It’s clear that such a supportive environment is addictive – Georgia Bronzini, due to retire at the end of last year, will

instead ride another season. “I told her to tell me what she wanted and I’d give it to her,” Gilmore candidly told the media at the time. With Wiggle High5 at the top of the Women’s World Tour tree, it’s also clear that a culture of having people’s backs is one that cultivates success. Find out more at wigglehighfive.com

MEET THE TEAM Back row left to right: Claudia Lichtenberg, Elisa Longo Borghini, Emma, Johansson, Emilia Fahlin, Lucy Garner, Amy Roberts, Mayuko Hagiwara Front row left to right: Grace Garner, Julie Leth, Jolien D’hoore, Annette Edmondson, Rochelle Gilmore, Audrey Cordon-Ragot, Giorgia Bronzini, Anna Sanchis, Amy Cure

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TASTY TITBITS ON NUTRITION, TRAINING AND GEAR ➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔➔

FIT BITS

Wristy business PHOTOG RA PHY: PIXELEYES

Will a fitness tracker actually help you get fit? We take a look into the science… A study published in The Lancet at the end of last year showed that on average, people who wore fitness trackers increased their physical activity by a mere 16 minutes a week. The point being that just because you've strapped a tracker to your wrist, it doesn't mean you're automatically

going to get super fit. By far the best motivator is to hook your device up to a social cycling app like Strava so you can follow the progress of friends and they, in turn, can give you kudos when you nail a ride. Strava segments can be another great motivator, particularly when you see

yourself smashing those personal bests, but that's just one element of Strava. The site also runs regular challenges that last from a single day up to a month. They normally involve riding a certain distance or climbing a certain height. Whatever the challenge, it can be the difference between taking a long weekend lie-in

or getting out and putting in some miles – all recorded by your tracker. Clockwise from top: Polar v800 GPS sportswatch £389 polar.com, Apple watch Nike+ £399 apple.com/uk, Garmin Forerunner® 735XT £399.99 buy.garmin.com

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R OA D T E S T

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

One, Two, Weeeeeeeee THE DREAM FOR BIB SHORTS IS FOR THEM TO PROTECT YOUR UNDERCARRIAGE AND FIT SO WELL YOU FORGET YOU’RE WEARING THEM. BUT BIB SHORT NIRVANA IS FOR THEM TO DO ALL THIS WHILE ENABLING PACEY PEE STOPS... WITHOUT A STRIPTEASE IN THE BUSHES. LORNA NORTH GOES WILD WITH FIVE QUICK-RELEASE PAIRS...

Huez * Bia Bibs

FIT QUICK-RELEASE FACTOR LOOKS STRIP AGAINST THE CLOCK* 1:01 MINS

With its first foray into women’s cycling kit, London-based brand Huez has quickly caught on to the virtues of quick-release bib shorts. A seamless brace connects the back and front and secures comfortably at the waist with an easy buckle, so you can click out with swanlike grace. Those with flexible arms may be able to do the bibs back up without removing any layers. If not, you can simply slip one arm out and hook the brace back over your head. As an added bonus, the Bia Bibs include a little 'radio pocket' for pro cyclists (also known as the 'Jelly Baby stash' to non-pros).

£165, huez.co.uk

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dhb Ae ron Wo m e n's Ha lt e r n e ck B i b Sh o r t s

dhb Aero n Wo m en's Clip Bib S ho r ts

FIT

QUICK-RELEASE FACTOR

LOOKS

STRIP AGAINST THE CLOCK* 4 SECS

STRIP AGAINST THE CLOCK* 1:20 SECS

The Aeron bibs are lighter on the wallet than most, yet still deliver a comfortable ride. It's the awesomely faff-free toilet technique that really makes them stand out from the crowd, though, with the super-simple design meaning you can whip them down and back up again quicker than you can shout "dog walker!" The secret to that supreme speed? A halter-neck that is made of a fabric that stretches far enough over your derrière to enable you to spend a penny without any clips or delayering. Simply pull down and away you go!

Just like the Huez bibs, a front-fastening magnetic clip means you can unclip and whip the strap over your head with a simple flick. Once again, you might need to de-robe an arm to shimmy the strap back in place afterwards, but it’s still a lot quicker than traditional over-theshoulder bibs. These shorts came up a little tight, so I would consider going up a size, but for half the price of many other brands, they make a good all-round purchase with a particularly comfy chamois pad.

£70, wiggle.co.uk

£56, wiggle.co.uk

Spe cialize d Wo me n's S L Pro Bib S ho r ts

Asso s Laalalai S ho r ts

FIT

QUICK-RELEASE FACTOR

LOOKS

STRIP AGAINST THE CLOCK* 1:02 SECS

STRIP AGAINST THE CLOCK* 1:03 SECS

With a bright, bold print, Specialized’s shorts look cracking on, the only downside being that the extra design detail could make them easier to spot when you go for a wild one. The quick release is enabled with a magnetic clip that secures a central brace at the back. This can be a bit fiddly at first, but once you get the knack you’ll shave off valuable seconds in the privy. On the road, they're cool and comfortable, making them an excellent summer ride choice.

The Assos Laalalai shorts sit on your body like a second skin to leave you feeling amazingly comfortable in the saddle. When the contents of your bidon start to journey south, a magnetic clip at the front of the central brace can be whipped over the head to ensure a quick transition in the ladies. You’ll almost certainly need to remove at least one arm of your jersey to get the strap back over your head, but those seconds are worth sparing in return for this level of comfort and performance.

£110, specialized conceptstore.co.uk

*Time is determined by how long it takes to pull the bib shorts down and then back up again.

£190, assos.com

E D I TO R’ S CHOICE

Thanks to the price point and incredible time-slashing halter design, a notable mention has to go to the dhb Aeron Halterneck Bib Shorts. But it's the Assos Laalalai Bib Shorts that made the biggest impression. At £190, they’re certainly an investment purchase, but if you plan on spending a lot of time in the saddle, they'll keep you supremely comfortable and save you much frustration and time on toilet stops.

TRAINING

❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱ ❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰❰ ❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱❱

Push it!

British Cycling coach Holly Seear shares three pieces of advice that will improve your cycling this summer INTERVIEW: AMY BONIFAS ILLUSTRATION: KATIE TOMLINSON

A popular theory in cycle training is that by making small improvements in a number of areas across your cycling training, the cumulative gains are hugely significant. “From using antibacterial gel to cut down on infections to redesigning the team bus to improve comfort and recuperation, this was seen in evidence by the British team at the last Olympics and Tour de France,” says British Cycling coach, Holly. So, what can the rest of us do to see our cycling performance ramp up as the days get longer? Holly reveals all…

KNOW YOUR OVERLOAD In order to get stronger, the body needs to be subjected to a greater training load than it’s used to – this is called overload. You can increase your training load by increasing the frequency (how often you train), duration (how long you train for) and intensity (how hard you train). Some riders do the same things every week, so don’t overload and eventually stop improving. I also find that keen riders increase all of the variables at once, which results in fatigue. Finding the right balance is all up to the individual, so I’d suggest carefully managing your training with gradual progressions in one area at a time.

TEST YOURSELF Enter shorter events as "test" events that lead up to a bigger goal event. This way, you can try out your kit, equipment, and fuelling strategies and build invaluable confidence by achieving these mini milestones along the way.

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“The body needs to be subjected to a greater training load than it’s used to” This also gives you a chance to forward-plan for any potential issues that might come up. If you’re worried about changing a puncture, for instance, practice at home until you’re confident you can do it quickly on the roadside. This will save you time, stress and make you a more competent cyclist.

REST Rest is training! When we rest and recover we allow our bodies to absorb the training and come back stronger. We all want to do more as we love seeing the

READ ON BLACK BOX THINKING BY MATTHEW SYED (£9.99, Hodder)

This book is like a manual for high performance, with inspiring case studies of surprising successes and creative breakthroughs as a result of a limitless curiosity for marginal gains. From sports teams to hospitals and airlines, it shows us how we can all apply the art of "black box thinking" for personal growth and selfimprovement.

improvement in our speed, strength and power, but if you train past the point of fatigue, your body will stop improving and it may result in chronic fatigue and you needing weeks off the bike. I’d recommend one complete rest day a week. I also work on a four-week cycle with the cyclists I’m training, so three weeks of building fitness, upping the effort each week, then reduce the volume and intensity at week four. It’s about quality over quantity sometimes. Get more from Holly at springcycle coaching.co.uk

SCIENCE STUFF

Saddle lore Want the truth about saddlesore? Well, it’s probably a clit or labia thing. But no one seems comfortable saying it out loud. Emily Chappell isn’t afraid… IMAGE: THE BUNKER

C A S Q U E T T E .C O U K | 53

SCIENCE STUFF

I’m going to start with a content warning,” announces Isla Rowntree at the beginning of her ‘Science of Saddlesore’ workshop in Oxford. “This is going to be quite explicit and graphic, and if anyone has a problem with that, they might want to leave the room now.” Fifty bottoms stay firmly parked on 50 chairs, their owners intrigued – and, in some cases, desperate – to find out how they might sit comfortably in their saddles. A study carried out by British Cycling after the London Olympics found that 100 per cent of the female athletes they interviewed had ongoing problems with saddlesore, but felt too embarrassed to mention it to their male doctors, coaches and physiotherapists. That’s probably not surprising. Where most other experts would only go so far as to mutter something vague about “soft tissue,” Isla’s workshop is one of the few discussions of women’s saddlesore that dares to point out that modern bicycle geometry puts an uncomfortable amount of pressure on the clitoris and labia. “Imagine a bicycle design where the main point of contact was the end of a man’s penis!” Her audience roars with laughter, but they see her point. Women’s anatomy does seem to be ill-suited to many of the saddles currently on the market. The design challenge is mind-boggling. Not only does each woman have a unique arrangement of sit bones, hip sockets, inner and outer labia, clitoris, body fat and muscle, there’s also the seemingly insurmountable challenge of deriving some sort of rational measurement from all this.

the issue of women’s saddle comfort back in 1995, beginning with his wife Ginger, and extending the study to his female customers. He quickly discovered that – surprise surprise – this was more complicated than he’d thought. Cobb eventually came up with the question: “Are you an ‘innie’ or an ‘outie’?” As he explains, women who are considered “outie” have much more pronounced and exposed labia, and often a more prominent clitoris, meaning there is far more delicate flesh exposed to the front of the saddle. This can often lead to the dreaded “flap mash.” Innies have far less exposed soft tissue and, Cobb found, tend to prefer a saddle with a narrower nose. Jasmijn Muller used a Cobb saddle when she broke the Zwift Distance Record, but still ended up giving in to saddlesore after 1,828km. “One large saddlesore in my groin had become badly infected and swollen,” ARE YOU AN INNIE? she recalls. “It went 10cm into my upper Cyclists can now visit a Specialized Concept leg and was red, oozing and painful.” Store and sit on a special pad to measure Jasmijn is looking into a number of the width of their sit bones. (This, apparently, strategies to avoid similar issues when she has no correlation with the attempts to set a new overall width of the pelvis, Land’s End to John so an extremely petite O’Groats record in woman will sometimes September 2017, and is end up on the widest currently experimenting Emily Chappell was the first saddle available.) But, as with an Infinity saddle, female finisher in the 2016 far as we can tell, no one’s a startlingly unique Transcontinental Race, come up with a system design from Dr Vince spending up to 24 hours in for measuring the size, Marcel. her saddle at prominence and position With the any one go. of women’s labia. biggest cutThis makes out I’ve ever Perhaps the person her supremely seen (see ‘Six who’s come the closest well placed of the Best’ is saddle designer John to talk about box right), the Cobb, who confronted

ABOUT EMILY

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Infinity looks like a clever solution to flap mash. Dr Vince – a chiropractor by background – tells me that the respite comes from the Infinity reducing pressure by spreading the rider’s weight over a larger area, plus the framework of the saddle flexing with the movement of the rider to reduce chafing. Kajsa Tylen, who holds the Guinness World Record for furthest distance cycled by a woman in a year, confides that using an Infinity saddle helped rid her of the painful boils that plagued her for months of her attempt. RELEASE THE PRESSURE Of course, your style of riding plays just as crucial a part in your comfort as the shape and angle of your saddle. Those who ride in a more aggressive position, like time triallers, road racers and track cyclists, tend to set their bars lower in relation to their saddle, meaning they’re more likely to put undue pressure on their labia and clitoris. Tourers, commuters and endurance riders might favour a more upright position on the bike, yet they’re more prone to developing pressure sores on their lower buttocks, where the sit bones make contact with the saddle. We’re all different, with different bodies, bikes and styles of riding, and that’s what makes it tricky to pair each woman with her ideal saddle. It’s not so much about knowing what works, it’s knowing why it works. Maria Olsson, a designer for Rapha, tells me that the company actually uses the same size pad in all of their women’s shorts, from XXS to XL. What is more crucial, she reveals, is the fit of the shorts and the precise placement of the pad. Women often buy shorts a size too big, which means the chamois can move as they

“No one’s come up with a system for measuring the size, prominence and position of women’s labia” ride, causing irritation and soreness. Because of this, the design team has put a lot of work into ensuring the pad sits in exactly the same place across their entire range of shorts, no matter what size or style. Rapha’s shorts are wear tested for up to two years before they’re made available to the public, and appear to prove that where the chamois is concerned, size is less important than shape and fit. A good bike fit can work wonders for your comfort in the saddle, and Isla Rowntree’s workshop offers a lot of advice on seatpost angle, crank length and saddle angle. LIP SERVICE Molly Hurford, author of Saddle, Sore, believes that what many bikefitters would diagnose as a “leg length discrepancy” may be more

SIX OF THE BEST

about labia asymmetry, with the larger lip being constantly pinched or chafed by the saddle. Journalist and cyclo-cross racer Molly spoke to everyone from gynaecologists to nutritionists when researching her book, which she ended up writing in response to countless women who approached her online, in person, and even during races, to seek her advice on their saddle issues. “No joke, I’ve had multiple women pull down their pants, and be like: ‘Is this a saddlesore?’” British Cycling, never a stranger to controversy, recommends its athletes leave their pubic hair exactly as it is, citing research that shows hair can help reduce friction and wick sweat away from the body. But, according to a gynaecologist Molly consulted, what you do with your hair is far less important than keeping your

genital area clean, changing out of your shorts the moment you get off the bike and avoiding chamois cream if you do keep your hair. Speaking to Molly, listening to Isla and watching Dr Vince’s demonstration of how his saddles correspond to the bones in the human pelvis, I feel both enlightened and bewildered. There’s far more to learn about saddlesore than I ever thought possible, but there’s also a veritable arms race among clothing companies, all eager to offer us the very sleekest, softest, comfiest chamois. And who knows? In a few years’ time, the Saturday boy in your local bike shop might be able to help you with a solution to your flap mash. Now, there’s a thought. Get more from Emily: @emilychappell

Saddles with something extra

SELLE ROYAL TA+TOO

CHARGE LADLE

After producing excellent leather saddles for over a century, Brooks has finally catered to the vegan market with this rubber/canvas model, which features a cutout to reduce pressure on the pubic area.

We think this might be the world’s first customisable saddle, with a removable top layer to safeguard from bad weather, theft and vandalism, and an almost infinite choice of colours and designs.

Based on the design of the popular Charge Spoon, the Ladle features a slightly wider geometry, plus a groove for pressure relief. Possibly more suited to innies than outies!

£175

£120

€79.90

£24.99

specialized.com

brooksengland.com

selleroyal.com

chargebikes.com

INFINITY N-SERIES SEAT

FABRIC LINE

SPECIALIZED POWER PRO

It might look like a thing from outer space, but this superlightweight saddle takes the pressure off your sit bones and pubic area, and has taken the endurance world by storm as a result.

The Line features a central relief channel to reduce pressure and avoid chafing your sensitive bits. It’s available in two widths and you have the option to upgrade to titanium or carbon rails.

Conceived for riders who prefer a more aggressive position, the short-nosed Power Pro comes in three different widths and has been designed with blood flow and pressure mapping in mind.

$170

£49.99

infinitybikeseat.com

fabric.cc

BROOKS CAMBIUM C17 CARVED

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B I K E R E V I E WS

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FRAME ACADEMY

The frame is carefully designed by analysing loads of data to create the ideal geometry for female riders and is made from delicious high-performance carbon fibre.

JAWS

Like a fin slicing through water, even the seatpost has been designed with aerodynamism in mind.

GEEK CHIC

The fully integrated, removable transmitter sends wheel speed and cadence information to any ANT+ compatible computer. Rad! TUNNEL VISION

Data compiled from Computational Fluid Dynamics and windtunnel tests was used to optimise the shape. Translation: banging aerodynamics.

SPECS APPEAL

The anatomy of a pro’s ride Ever wondered what it would be like to take a spin on a pro’s bike? Wonder no more as we examine the commercial version of the Envie Advanced Pro ridden by Team Sunweb IN A NUTSHELL The Envie Advanced Pro is eye-catchingly sleek with an elegant finish, but it’s also one seriously speedy weapon, with its ultra-lightweight build meaning it gets downright punchy on climbs. The specs are awe-inspiring and the attention to aero-dynamism and fit for the female frame is particularly tasty. £5,775, www.liv-cycling.com

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The fab three

Monika Zamojska is the woman behind awesome events and workshops at Brixton Cycles. Here she shares her pick of the bike bunch… 1

WINDY KILLER

Even the position of the brakes – tucked behind the frame – has been considered to ensure amazing aerodynamism.

FIRST LOVE

THE GENESIS EQUILIBRIUM £999 The Genesis Equilibrium was my first ever road bike – it’s a perfect all-year round steed and has been serving me well for more than four years. Its lightweight Reynolds 725 steel frame and carbon forks mean you can comfortably tackle long rides, but you definitely won’t get left behind on the climbs! Add plenty of tyre clearance to allow you to fit full mudguards in the winter or wider gravel tyres to nip out on an off-road adventure and it’s a brilliant all-rounder! genesisbikes.co.uk

GET SHORTIE

SOMETHING GOT ME STARTED…

THE SURLY STRAGGLER

THE TREK LEXA 2

£1,349.99

£625

The disc-brake version of Surly’s all-time favourite Cross-Check bike makes an excellent cyclo-cross, road, touring and commuter bike. It will last you decades. It can accommodate single speed or geared drivetrain and the frameset starts at 38cm for shorter ladies. surlybikes.com

The Trek Lexa is a brilliant entry-level road bike to kick-start your road-cycling journey! It’s good enough to go on a Sunday club run, train on and get you to work. And… when you end up falling in love with road cycling, you can easily upgrade the wheels and groupset. A perfect choice for newbies. trekbikes.com

C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K | 57

PHOT OGRAPH: W OU TER ROOSENBOOM | TEAM SUN WEB

STEER CLEAR

The system’s oversized headset bearings and tapered steerer tube work in harmony to provide supreme steering stiffness.

TRAVEL

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Passport to ride Juliet Elliott shares one picturepostcard reason to take your bike overseas IMAGE: JNTO/DAVE NOAKES WORDS: JULIET ELLIOTT

WHERE? Shimanami Kaido, Japan WHAT WE DID… My husband and I chose to take our honeymoon before we got married as we wanted to visit Japan in May. It’s the best month for cycle touring as the weather is warm but not yet wet and it avoids the busiest times – Golden Week and cherry blossom season. After cycling from Tokyo to Kyoto we caught a train to Onomichi to ride the Shimanami Kaido, a 70km cycle route that crosses the six islands of the Seto Inland Sea. WHY RIDE THERE? Strung high above the sea, this user-friendly, largely traffic free route connects Honshu to Shikoku via a series of vertigo-inducing bridges. Once I’d got a grip on my nerves, I was blown away by the beauty of the trail, its tranquillity and dreamy ocean views. With campsites and golden beaches galore, plus fishing villages and bamboo groves to explore, this part of Japan is unmissable. Take me back! HIGHLIGHTS After spending 10 days whizzing through Japan, Dave and I stopped for a couple of idyllic days by the sea on Hakata. We pedalled to the gas station for beer and ramen and settled down with a smile at the most picturesque campsite in the world. As the sea rose and fell, we watched fishing boats navigate the current in front of our own private paradise and had the entire place to ourselves. Unforgettable. Read more from Juliet on her site: bikes-n-stuff.com 58 | C A S Q U E T T E .C O.U K

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Juliet taking a break with a beer and some ramen

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Ride, eat, repeat! There’s nothing better than a delicious, indulgent brunch after an epic ride. Here, Aussie brunch baron Stuart McKenzie shares two recipes that taste as good as they look...

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Corn and courgette/ zucchini fritters SERVES 4 • 4 fresh corn cobs • Olive oil • 2 zucchini (courgettes), grated • 1 red onion, finely diced • Half a bunch of coriander leaves picked and roughly chopped • 2 free-range eggs • 150g self-raising flour • 4 free-range eggs • 2 firm, ripe avocados, halved, stones removed • Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 200ml Kasundi (Indian-spiced ketchup) • 4tbsp sour cream • Pea shoots or micro herbs, to garnish • Smoked salmon or fried bacon, to serve (optional) Preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan 350°F/Gas mark 4. Place the cobs on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and roast for 45 minutes. Allow to cool, then use a sharp knife to remove the corn kernels.

Place the corn, zucchini, onion and coriander in a large bowl. Add the two eggs and flour and mix well. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Heat 200ml of olive oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a high heat. Using an ice-cream scoop, scoop balls of the fritter mixture and add to the hot oil. Gently press the fritters down with the back of the scoop to flatten them slightly. Take care, as the oil can spit.

Cook the fritters for 2 minutes on one side, then turn them over and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through. You should have enough batter to make 12 fritters.

Poach the eggs for 2-4 minutes in a pan of simmering water. Meanwhile, spoon the avocado flesh into

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GOOD EATS

G e t m o re b a n g i n’ b r unc h i nsp i r ati o n a t c a sq ue tte . co .uk

FRIT CLUB! No yolk! These delicious fritters will be the carrot for your long ride stick

a small mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Crush everything together with a fork and set aside. To serve, spread 2 heaped tbsps of Kasundi over each plate, then top with three corn fritters. Top with some avocado, a poached egg and some sour cream and garnish with pea shoots. Serve with a side of smoked salmon or fried bacon if the troops are hungry.

MAKE A TOAST So good you’ll ‘almost’ forget to Instagram first

French toast with balsamic strawberries and macadamia crumble

Read me If, like us, your social feed is full of styled-up brunches and flat white milk art, you need this book in your life. From rainbow salads to photogenic porridge, this book will show you how to achieve the art of delicious, colourful café-style brunches and lunches in your own kitchen at home. Your friends might never leave. All Day Cafe by Stuart McKenzie (Murdoch Books, £16.99)

SERVES 4 For the macadamia crumble • 35g plain all-purpose flour • 2 tbsp caster sugar • 50g chilled unsalted butter, chopped • 40g shredded coconut • 40g crushed macadamia nuts For the balsamic strawberries • 55g caster superfine sugar • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar • 300g strawberries, hulled For the French toast • 4 free-range eggs • 80ml milk • 80ml single pouring cream • 30g unsalted butter • 1 brioche loaf, about 400g, cut into 8 slices, about 2cm thick Start this recipe the day before so your crumble and strawberries are ready to go. Then, all that needs to be done in the morning is to cook the French toast. We often

serve this with ice cream, even for breakfast, so look for the best vanilla ice cream you can find. Alternatively, serve with vanilla yoghurt or mascarpone. To make the crumble, preheat the oven to 180°C/ fan 350°F/Gas mark 4. Place the flour and sugar in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the butter, then use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour mixture. Stir in the coconut and macadamias.

Spread on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, or until the crumble is golden and crisp. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. The crumble can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Meanwhile, to make the balsamic strawberries, place the sugar, balsamic vinegar and 2 tbsp cold

water in a small pan. Stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the strawberries and increase the heat to high. Bring to the boil and cook for 3 minutes. Set aside to cool, then refrigerate until needed. To make the French toast, whisk together the eggs, milk and cream in a wide bowl.

Melt half the butter in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Dip four slices of bread, one at a time, in the egg mixture until soaked, then drain off the excess.

Fry the bread for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and keep warm while you cook the remainder of the slices. Serve topped with the strawberries and crumble.

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FINAL THOUGHT

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HEAD CASE

Inside the mind of… Ayesha McGowan is a woman on a mission to become the first African-American pro road cyclist. Here we go inside her brain to find out what drives her PHOTOGRAPHY: DAMIEN MALONEY

nown as the “quick brown fox” thanks to an effortless pedalling style that helps her fly, Ayesha McGowan is seriously fast and furious on a bike and – despite being a relative latecomer to the sport at 26 – she started her racing career with a bang, winning a state championship at her first attempt. Ayesha’s goal is bigger than awesome finish times, though. “I’m going be the pro I couldn’t find in this sport,” she says. “I owe it to all the little girls who look like me and have the potential to become great.” Here, we take a look inside her mind to see what makes her tick.

What takes up the majority of your brain space? So many things: my family, bikes, music, travel plans, transportation advocacy, my podcast, the list goes on...

FEELING FRUITY XXXXXXXXXX Ayesha has laser xxxxxxxxxxxxxx focus… on getting xxxxxxxxxxxx her five-a-day

How does riding make you feel? Like everything is as it is supposed to be. What do you tell yourself when you’re having a tough day on the bike? C’est la vie!

MY MIND MAP

Can you remember your last dream? Nope, but my brain gets pretty creative when I’m sleeping.

And what about whatever is left? I love podcasts and fruit!

55%

What drives you to do what you do? A lack of doubt that I can.

25%

What helps you along the way? I have an amazing tiny group of friends, some really good music and FRUIT (really, fruit is the best).

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What keeps you awake at night? Nothing. I sleep like a rock.

20%

What makes you different? There’s only one me. How do you smash through the barriers? I keep showing up. What’s your dream ride and who would you ride it with? If my dad were still alive, I’d love

“I’m going be the pro I couldn’t find in this sport. I owe it to the girls who look like me who have the potential to be great…” to ride bikes with him. Pretty much anywhere. A nice quiet bike trail would be great. With foliage. Maybe something in New England! What do you want your legacy to be? I want folks to know they can do anything they really set their minds on. Get more inspiration from Ayesha at aquickbrownfox.com

The desire to go back is always there. Back to the place where you are truly comfortable - free to be yourself, speak your mind, invite people in, or simply close the door to it all. You live here.

THEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NO PLACE LIKE HOME