AX lightness saddle

In the quest for marginal gains on the hill climb bike, AX lightness products are always reassuringly expensive. It is a bit of specialist market, and unless you have a good reason to save 20-30grams, you might find a better way to spend your money on bicycle equipment ( or even, dare I suggest, spending money on things not bicycle related…)

The AX Lightness sprint saddle was the lightest saddle I could find. It also looks great. I’ve been riding the sprint version for the past couple of weeks. Mostly hill climb training, but also some longer endurance riding (3 hours plus).

AX Lightness – Sprint Saddle

saddle

AX lightness saddle on Trek Emonda hill climb bike

ax-lightness-saddle
another view of the AX lightness. I know you don’t buy a saddle for aesthetics, but it does look good. If you want a bit of bling – this is as good as it gets in the saddle department.

The Sprint Saddle has a very low weight at 69 grams. I haven’t seen a lighter saddle. The Tune Concorde comes close at 73 grams, but it is more awkward to fit. A few years ago, I had to send mine back because I couldn’t attach it to my bike.

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Zipp SL + SLC Handlebars

I’ve been looking into handlebars for the hill climb bike. I need to buy another pair because I want to chop the ends off (I won’t be using drops in upcoming hill climbs). It’s not the most efficient way to save 50 grams, but it might be easier to pull on the hoods as well.

I looked at the Zipp handlebars, as usual there is a confusing array of names Zipp SL, Zipp Contour SL, and Zipp SLC. There’s not a huge variation in each. Zipp SL the lightest. Zipp SLC the most rigid. Also, be careful – Zipp sizes are centre to centre. A 42cm ZIpp (Centre to centre) is a 44cm in most other brands.

 

Zipp SL

zipp-sl-main

Zipp SL is the lighest handlebar it is 31.8 only in the middle of the bars allowing a more aerodynamic profile away from the centre.It means that you can put clip on aerobars on them. Zipp specificially say you can’t – it isn’t built with suitable clamping point. This is more of a climbers bar, with focus on lightweight, but they are still reasonably stiff.
Features:
• Weight (SS 42 cm): 170g
• Clamp Diameter: 31.8
• Clamp Width: 48mm
• Short-Shallow Bend: Yes
• Clip Compatible: No
• Max Brake Lever Torque: 8NM
• Max Torque Clamping to Bar: 8NM
• Drop style: SS

RRP €313 – Zipp at Zipp.com

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Specialized Allez – Review

I bought a Specialized Allez in New York from Bellitte bike shop, Jamaica Avenue in New York. I was looking for a good value entry level training bike. My only specification was something that would replicate size and basic performance of my road bike home. The Specialized Allez is in a very different price bracket to my top of the range Dura Ace, Trek Madone – so it’s interesting to be riding a bike at the other end of the spectrum.

I was a little surprised at how good this relatively cheap road bike was. It was an eye opener to the fact you can pay a lot of money for a top of the range road bike, but the improvement in quality is not as much as you might expect for the higher cost. Or looking at it the other way, you can get a pretty good road bike for close to £500.

specialized-allez

The Specialized Allez replaced a very old 1980 steel Trek I had been riding in New York. It’s was a big step up from that so I was really happy in that sense. It replicates the ride of my road bike back home reasonably well. For the money ($820), I’m very happy. It is an excellent value road bike.

It looks good and I like the smooth lines and integration of frame, fork and other components. Specialized certainly do smooth well – I real bonus on a £500 bike. No internal cable routing, but you can’t expect that for this price. It looks like it might pass for a much more expensive bike.

specialized

When I went into the shop, I was determined to buy the cheapest road bike. The cheapest road bike was $500, but I really didn’t like it. You could just tell by looking at it, that it wasn’t going to lastThe Specialized Allez was standing out and looked like a proper road bike. That’s the one I wanted to get. I ended up spending $820 (in UK RRP is £550). If you’re lucky you may get the 2014 model for under £500.

I definitely I’m glad I spent that extra $300 (even if my  bank manager isn’t). There is probably as much difference in ride quality  between a a £300 road bike and a £550 road bike – and the difference between a £500 and £5,000 road bike. I don’t know if that makes sense. But, the absolute cheapest road bike didn’t feel good at all.

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Garmin Premium heart rate monitor

I bought a Polar heart rate monitor a few years ago (Polar FT1). I didn’t use it very much because:

  • The strap tended to slip down. You would tighten up the strap, but during the ride it would become loose and slip down
  • It took a long time for the heart rate to get detected. Also I often got randomly high heart rates, especially at the start of the ride, this may have been due to some kind of electrical interference
  • I didn’t make much use of heart rate numbers. Obviously when you try hard, your heart rate goes up – with a bit of a lag. But, I never really looked and never thought to make too much use of heart rate numbers. I never looked at it after a ride, and wouldn’t have really known what to have made of a heart rate file after a ride. I got out of the habit of wearing it, and it just sat in a cupboard.
  • I did use it on the rollers in the winter as a rough guide to effort when I didn’t have a power meter, but it often took 15 minutes for the heart rate to get going, and by then I was looking forward to finishing my rollers session.

I’ve been using a Garmin 500 for a few years, but have never thought to make use of the heart rate feature. When I bought, I just bought the Garmin, thinking I wouldn’t use the HR anyway.

For this hill climb season, I’m getting some coaching from Gordon Wright. He is keen on the science of sport and says looking at heart rate can be helpful. I decided to buy a Garmin compatible strap so that I would have power, speed and heart rate all on one file.

A quick look at reviews suggested the Garmin Premium was better and not much more expensive, so I bought that.

garmin-premium-heart-rate-monitor

Wearing strap

It is comfortable for a heart rate monitor. I’ve not had it slip down chest. It is a little complicated to adjust, but once adjusted it seems more sturdy than the Polar. It seems to be made of pretty good material and has a feeling of durability and comfort. Once adjusted it will stay. Once fitted, it was quite easy to forget it was there; I haven’t had any chaffing or problems.

There is a garmin connector which just clips on to the front of the heart rate strap. To wash the heart rate strap, you can just un clip the device

Setting up

It was easy to set up. Just press and hold Menu on Garmin 500,

go to:  Settings – Bike Settings – Heart Rate – ANT+Heart rate. Select Yes and rescan. (Garmin 500 manual)
It recognised heart rate straight away.

So far I have not had any problems with heart rate interference. It seems accurate and quick to get going.

Note: I’m comparing a Polar – bought about three or four years ago. The model may have improved since then.

Using Heart Rate

One thing with heart rate is to check resting heart rate first thing in the morning. An elevated heart rate is one of potential signs of over-training. My resting heart rate this morning was around 45.

I doubt I will be looking at the heart rate whilst training or cycling. But, it may be an indication of something. I may even get to learn more about the benefits of using a heart rate monitor.

Overall

The Garmin Premium heart rate monitor strap is a nice piece of equipment. It fits well and has easy integration with a Garmin device like a Garmin 500.

12 Champions of UK cycling

12 Champions by Peter Whitfield offers twelve different chapters on the great British cyclists of the post war period. It focuses on the domestic stars of both time trialling and road racing.

I really enjoyed reading it, and is one of my favourite cycling books.

It captures the best of British cycling during the post war period. It is a time when British cyclists rarely achieved much on a global or continental stage, but there was much more interest in purely domestic racing in those days. You get a feel for the times when huge crowds were drawn to watch a record attempt or even just see the stars of the road. As Roger Bannister noted when he presented the BAR awards in 1970s saying words to the effect – ‘Such enthusiasm I have never seen for any amateur sport’.  Of course, we can look back on ‘the golden age’ with misty eyes as if everything was perfect. It wasn’t. There were absurd implementation of rules such as amateur vs professionals; there was still that ridiculous secrecy about racing. Yet, there were many things which really were great about this period. For example, there is a note that huge crowds turned up to see Eileen Sheridan break a record in the 1950s. The sad thing is the record was disallowed because the huge crowds were a sign that there had been ‘advance publicity’ something against RRA rules. But, it’s great that so many people got excited about the challenge of seeing whether the great champions could break a record. Sadly, traffic conditions have made these records of London-York, London-Edinburgh obsolete. But, in that era, these road race records were very high profile.

Whitfield captures the essence of what made these diverse champions. Each rider is mostly given a sympathetic and lively portrait.  Yes, the champions had their rivalries, their failings, but this is mainly a celebration of what they achieved. It is not hagiography, the results and achievements speak for themselves, and in the case of Beryl Burton – questions about the cost of dominating the sport for so long.

Overall, I got a lot of inspiration from the book. It raises many interesting questions and gives a lot of inspiration for those who like the sport.

It is a glimpse the Olympic spirit. The ideals of sport as they should be. An era not tainted by drugs (even if it did mean the Russians always seemed to put  10 minutes into the British team time trial squad)

The 12 great champions include:
eileen-sheridan

Eileen Sheridan during a 12 hour time trial, but still with her trademark smile

eileen-sheriden3-400

Eileen Sheridan. The smiling record breaker. After dominating the domestic scene, Sheridan became a professional and proceeded to beat all the great road record associations. With her great talent and personality she was one of first women to make a good living from the sport.


 

John Arnold and Albert Crimes
Arnold-crimes

John Arnold and Albert Crimes – ‘two men, three wheels and a dozen records’. The record breaking tandem trike duo! What fascinated me about this chapter was the fact for the 1950 Land’s End to John o Groats record there were 500 people involved in the record attempt along the way. All organised the attempt using public phone boxes and telegrams. The expensive aluminium bottles even had their addresses on to be returned by post.

Ray Booty

ray booty

Ray Booty was the first sub 4 hour 100 mile. As Whitfield notes, this is one of the most iconic cycling records – more so than the first sub 1 hour 25 and first sub 2 hours 50. Booty was already a legend of the domestic time trialling scene. His ride on the Bath Road 100, smashed the record and it stayed unbeaten from many years. In many ways, Booty’s ride came from the golden era of timetrialling. The days before heavy traffic and the days when the great time triallists really were the stars of the domestic season.

Frank Colden

frank-colden

Frank Colden. ‘The Great Experiment’ Frank Colden’s story is the most inspiring, enigmatic and puzzling of all the 12 champions. Coming from nowhere, Cobden, in secret, rode 400 miles a week during a cold winter. He came out of this winter block with supreme form and smashed national records and in 1962 swept the floor of the national championships. His record breaking season was even more enigmatic because it co-coincided with the onset of an illness which meant he disappeared from the scene. Even now, the achievements of Colden in that 1962 season spark debate.

Les West
WEST-Leslie

Les West – Casual genius. Great all rounder

Martyn Roach

martyn-roach
martyn Roach

Martyn Roach – An outspoken traditionalist, who excelled in both road racing and timetrialling. A keen advocate of national championships and critical of the ultra-fast BBAR courses.

Phil Griffiths

eddie-adkins-phil-griffths
Eddie Adkins Phil Griffths

Phil Griffiths. ‘Bringing showbiz to cycling’. The great talent who was at ease in both time trialling and road racing.

Sid Barras

barras_sid

Sid Barras. A star of 1970s British road racing, he won over 200 races, making himself a well paid star. Even showed signs he could have mixed with the European greats.

Alf Engers

alf-engers
alf-engers

Alf Engers.  ‘ The King’ Engers name pops up in timetrialling circles with great regularity. The ‘bad boy’ of timetrialling, Engers had frequent run ins with the RTTC officials, but he also lit up the time trialling scene with epic performances at 25 miles. Engers really gave some glamour to the ‘blue ribband’ of domestic time trialling and finally posted the first sub 50 minute 25 mile TT.

Ian Cammish

ian-cammish-rd

Ian Cammish. Another legendary star of timetrialling. Cammish took the 100 mile and 50 mile records and put them on the shelf – until the revolution of aerobars e.t.c. Cammish trained 3 or 4 times a day, short intense rides – which gave him tremendous speed at 100 and 50 miles. Ian Cammish won the BBAR throughout the 1980s. He still races today, though not as frequently.

Beryl Burton

Beryl Burton start with crowds
Beryl Burton start with crowds

What can you say about a female athlete who won 25 consecutive Best British All rounder titles – and was the only female athlete to once hold a record that beat the fastest time of men (her legendary 12 hour ride of 197 where she rode 277 miles)

Some riders I had already heard about, but I was glad to fill in the many gaps. Some I barely knew (Sheridan, Cobden) but I was glad to be acquainted.

The only thing about 12 champions is I would have loved for the book to be bigger. More champions like Webster, Lloyd, and the recent stars like Hutchinson, Dangerfield, Obree, Boardman and Andy Wilkinson.

Price £25 including Post & Packing

Order from:

Peter Whitfield, Tachbrook House, Park Street,

Charlbury, Oxfordshire OX7 3PS

Call 01608 810837 Email: peterwychwood@hotmail.co.uk

Related

Best recovery drinks

Recovery drinks are useful for after a long ride or race. If it is a fairly easy training ride, I probably won’t bother – just rely on water and normal food. But, when you’ve really exerted yourself, a recovery drink can be helpful for rehydrating and taking on energy and protein. Many studies have suggested that just after exercise is the best time to take on nutrition. It is at this time, when the body is empty, that the body is most receptive to nutrition. Recovery drinks can play a role in maximising recovery. It might sound obvious to take on water and nutrition after big effort, but if you’re a bit disorganised you can struggle to find the right food and drink. Recovery drinks can make it easier.

There are quite a few different recovery drinks to choose from. They will all have some combination of carbohydrate / protein. The most common recovery drinks are based on carb (maltodextrin/ fructose) and whey protein. There are also soy recovery drinks. The most important thing is not so much choosing the ‘right’ brand, but just making sure you take something in the right quantity.

recovery-drinks-mix
Some of the recovery drinks in the house.

High 5 Recovery

The High 5 Recovery sachets are pretty handy. Often I take a recovery drink after a race. Having a few sachets in your bag, makes it easy to make a drink without carrying a large carton or recovery powder.

It is very easy to mix. Just put some powder in, give a little stir, and it’s ready to go. It tastes very pleasant and is easy on the palate. Often I find recovery drinks hard work, but this is very easy to drink. The taste is fairly neutral and not-sweet, just easy to take down. The nutrition is the most common combination of carb (maltodextrin and fructose) and whey isolate protein. They say whey protein is better protein than beef, so it makes a good recovery drink. Some sports drinks can be acidic. But, High 5 recovery mixed with milk is neutral, which makes it welcoming post hard ride. It is similar to High 5 4:1, but has a higher protein content. It has roughly a 2:1 ratio of carbs to protein. It is probably my preferred recovery drink.

The High 5 4:1, you could use as a recovery drink. I sometimes use as last bottle on a long ride, to help start the recovery.

 

Milk

Skimmed milk is an excellent recovery drink – and also cheap!

Milk contains a blend of casein and whey, which have amino acids in a pattern similar to muscle protein. Milk is quite a dilute recovery drink, in that 100ml provides just 1.7g of protein and 4.5 of carbohydrate. But, the advantage is that (skimmed milk)  makes it easy on the stomach making it less likely to cause stomach bloating or stress. (benefits of milk at Bike Radar) Milk also has many micro-nutrients that are helpful.

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Genesis Equilibrium Review

In the shop, the Genesis Equilibrium looked stunning. You could perhaps describe as understated retro, it looks everything a classic road bike should. It will definitely get a few admiring glances on a club ride and help to stand out from the Aluminium / Carbon fibre crowd. I particularly liked the shiny silver and red colour combination. Nearly everything about the bike looks very impressive. Though perhaps a brooks saddle rather than white Madison saddle, would have completed the ‘retro / classic’ look.

12-genesis-equilibrium

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Best time trial bike

A time trial bike will be significantly faster than a road bike. If you want to get faster times in a time trial, then a time trial bike becomes essential.

The best time trial bike to buy depends on your budget. But, bear in mind, an entry level £700 time trial bike will still be much faster than a £6,000 road bike. To go faster you don’t necessarily have to spend a fortune.

Generally with bikes – as you pay more, you get better performance, but the gains become increasingly small. The difference between a £500 bike a £1,000 bike is quite noticeable. But, the difference between £4,000 and £6,000 (to say get Dura Ace Di2 vs Ultegra Di2) is very small.

General principles on buying time trial bike

  • A bike only accounts for 10% of the surface area which hits the wind. 90% is you. Getting a better position will offer bigger gains than getting a more expensive frame / groupset.
  • Always remember, you don’t have to spend a fortune to go faster.
  • Weight is important in time trials, but in flat time trials, aerodynamics counts for much more. You don’t have to get super-lightweight to go fast. If you do mainly flat time trials, weight isn’t so significant. You will notice time trial bikes tend to be heavier than road bikes. This is because often the frame is thicker and wider. A bigger surface area can give aero benefits, though the cost is extra weight. I guess one day they will make TT bike which meets UCI limit of 6.8kg, but you’re doing quite well if you get a TT bike below 8.0 kg.
  • If you’re buying a time trial bike, don’t blow all your budget on the bike, you can get bigger returns from buying accessories, such as: skinsuit, helmet, overshoes, aero bottle. See: Ways to improve aerodynamics for time trials.
  • When I bought a Project One time trial bike, I chose cheap clincher wheels to use as training wheels. I later upgraded and bought a disc wheel and deep section front wheel. Don’t worry too much about the wheels, if there’s a chance you’ll want to upgrade later.
  • Do you need to upgrade to Di2 (electronic)? Unsurprisingly I find the time trial community equally split. The consensus seems to be it gives some advantage, but it’s fairly minimal. It’s only on hilly and technical courses that electronic shifting becomes more beneficial. I’ve been riding mechanical for years and I don’t feel it’s been a handicap. However, I dug deep and ordered it with the new bike.
  • Position and comfort are important. One of the most difficult things I found when buying a TT bike was trying to find out whether tribars could be lifted upwards in ‘praying mantis’ position. This is non-UCI legal, but for me was faster in wind-tunnel. Some bikes have limited adjust ability in tribars. It means if you do want to adjust you will have to buy separate tribar unit later, which is a bit of a pain.
  • It is really quite hard to decipher all the rival claims of manufacturers. They all say that their bikes have been in a wind tunnel and it’s the most aero, e.t.c. To be honest, I don’t feel there is a big difference between the bikes, if there is a difference it is quite hard working out what it is. It’s not like if you buy a certain brand you are going to be noticeably faster. There’s something to be said for going to good shop that you like, and see what they have, what fits, and what meets the criteria you need.
  • A lot of my advice is – be wary of spending extra money for little performance gain. But, I’m the worst offender and spent silly money on a new TT bike. But, I do get close to National championship medals and I know I’m going to use it a lot. So that’s how I try justify it to myself.
  • UCI legal or non UCI legal? UCI rules are quite strict about what they allow (e.g 3:1 aspect ratio). It keeps the bike looking more like a traditional bike and less exotic. A big pain for domestic time triallist is do you get a UCI legal bike for possibly riding one race a year – the UCI British Time trial championship? I missed out this year because my bike was non-UCI legal. In my new bike I’ve gone for a compromise in choosing a UCI legal frame and illegal forks. If I do ride BTTC next year, I’ll still have find some legal forks. For most people doing triathlons / domestic TT, you don’t have to worry about UCI rules. Then you can choose non-UCI versions of Cervelo P5, Specialized Shiv.
  • Names of bikes can be a real pain and somewhat confusing. For example the Specialized S-Works Shiv frameset is completely different to Specialized S-Works Shiv Triathlon version.

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Inside Team Sky – David Walsh – Review

Book CoverInside Team Sky is written by Sunday Times sports writer, David Walsh. It covers a year spent with the team, during Froome’s first 2013 Tour de France victory. David Walsh is the author of ‘Seven Deadly Sins‘ which is a summary of his exposure of doping by L. Armstrong and US Postal. The book gives an inside look at how Team Sky prepare for races and an insight into some of the characters in the team. But, the strong overtone of the whole book is whether Team Sky are riding clean.

David Walsh is considered one of the most persistent investigators into the doping of Lance Armstrong. For many years, Walsh dug around finding evidence to support his initial gut feeling that Armstrong was doped. If you read the USADA report on US postal, published in 2012, a lot of that information (apart from rider testimonies) had been uncovered years earlier by David Walsh and published in L.A. Confidential.

It’s easy to jump on the Armstrong /doping bandwagon these days. But, back in cycling’s dark ages of the early 2000s, it was a brave man who went against Team Armstrong and his army of lawyers. I never liked Armstrong and always believed his connection to Ferrari was evidence he was doping. But, when I look back at articles I wrote, I noticed how careful I was to say anything outright. I was very conscious of being sued. (I did once got threatened to be sued by a ‘friend’ of Boris Johnson for a biography I once wrote, but that’s a long story I’m not going to repeat here.) Anyway, to investigate Armstrong was no easy task.

The 2012 USADA report was so damning, so overwhelming – it blew the lid once and for all on the doping legacy of cycling. Although painful, it felt like one of the best things to happen to procycling – it was an important moment when even the UCI kicked Armstrong out of the sport.

But, the problem with exposing the depth of doping in the peleton and the extent to which people could lie to get away with – left a  strong feeling of bitterness, cynicism and mistrust amongst cycling fans.

There are 100 reasons to not take drugs. But, I think the worst thing about the decades of drug taking is how it affects the rest of the world, making people more cynical, bitter and meaning clean athletes have to deal with this mistrust and suspicion – that is by far the worst legacy of the doping decades, and ironically those who doped don’t have to face the music, but usually ended up with quite lucrative book deals.

Anyway, Inside Team Sky

I enjoyed the book because it is an interesting insight into the workings and people who make up Team Sky. Dave Brailsford is quite a character, so is Froome, but it was also interesting to read about the less well know characters – the doctors, soigneurs. There was one Italian guy (I’ll check his name) who used to be a pro cyclist in the late 1990s – he gave up because he couldn’t compete, but he wasn’t going to dope to keep his dream of being a procyclist alive. He’s overjoyed to work at Team Sky and throws his heart and soul into the team. It’s good that the quiet guys of the sport get their moment of recognition.

Doping

David Walsh is clearly on a mission to sniff around for any evidence of doping. If you didn’t know the history of the sport, you would think it overly intrusive.  Yet, it is necessary because of the state of the sport. When Walsh investigated Armstrong, evidence fell into his lap like leaves falling from a tree. In Team Sky he comes to the conclusion the Team is built around the premise of being clean and not doping.

Doping is boring

One thing is that you can get tired of books on doping, even investigative books. But, this has enough humour, interest and inside information to make it an interesting cycling book. I always judge a cycling book on whether it has something new to offer, and not regurgitate something old. There is an interesting glimpse into the workings of Team Sky

Not cynical enough?

I instinctively support the underdog. I don’t like Murdoch papers, there’s nothing about Team Sky I would normally warm to. But, they do seem a very easy target for those who want to be suspicious about cycling. It is a little strange when you consider there are many riders / director sportives with a clear doping past. Yet, if you portray yourself as a clean team, it seems to attract a level of scrutiny rarely seen in any sport, at any time.

I like Walsh because he was willing to go out on a limb and say US Postal were doping. But, equally he is happy to go out on a limb and say Team Sky are clean. This happens to agree with my viewpoint. Some will say, you should sit on the fence and retain a shed load of cynicism. But, being overly cynical and suspicious is as damaging as ignoring the bullying and lies of Armstrong.

It does seem there are some people who would secretly be quite happy to see evidence that Sky are doping. Because this book doesn’t find any evidence which supports their prejudgement so they don’t like it.

TUEs and Ethics

Ironically I received Inside Team Sky on the day David Walsh wrote a piece in the Sunday Times criticising Chris Froome’s use of TUE (Therapeutic use exemption) before the Tour of Romandie. I didn’t read the piece in the Sunday Times, only a snippet in Cycling News, (which I treat with a degree of caution – always best to read an author directly not through someone else’s filter)  I don’t believe Chris Froome was taking a TUE for performance enhancement. But, it leaves you wondering, don’t Team Sky understand the history of abuse of TUE’s in the sport?

Froome and Paul Kimmage

On a side note. I was very happy to see Chris Froome getting interviewed by Paul Kimmage at the Sunday Independent – In the Eye of the Storm’. – relating to the TUE issue. Kimmage is a fierce anti-doping advocate. Perhaps sometimes too fierce, but it is good he spent several hours with Froome. It’s also good to hear direct from Chris Froome.

US Postal and Team Sky Comparison

Often we get the lazy comparison that Team Sky are like US postal because they want to win at all costs. I  don’t accept that, and I’m glad Walsh is willing to say that. Last night I watched – Stop at nothing, The Lance Armstrong Story – still available on BBC iPlayer.  It’s 90 minutes of grim retelling of the wasted Armstrong decade. It was a reminder of how bad things were. To me, Armstrong and Froome and like night and day. I can’t see any meaningful comparison with the systematic US Postal doping and Team Sky.

Overall

I recommend the book. I’ve read many of Walsh’s books on Armstrong, and it is a relief to read a book on cycling, which paints a different picture, and offers hope the sport is moving on.

Perhaps, my review is also coloured by the fact I  feel a strange kind of empathy for Froome (some have kindly said I make  Chris Froome look fat – which I think is kind of a complement in cycling circles, I’m not sure. ) I often put myself in the position of what is like to be a pro cyclist and ride clean, but face a barrage of questions that he has to deal with? To be honest, I’m often glad I took the amateur route.

When I review books, I often like them because I generally only want to read books I think I will like. For example in Waterstones, next to Inside Team Sky – I see George Hincapie’s Loyal Lieutenant. – I will never read that book because it will just make me mad. Essentially, do I want to read book on a guy who took drugs and cheated for several years, but still would like us to believe he is a good guy and brave cyclist? No thanks.

Book Cover Inside Team Sky at Amazon.co.UK

 

Book Cover Inside Team Sky at Amazon.com

Vittoria Corsa Evo CX – Review

vittoria-corsa-evo-cx

One of the top end road tubs, the Vittoria Corsa Evo CX is a good all round tubular, which is a popular choice for road racing and time trials. It is my second most used tubular after Continental Competition, and has been pretty hardy so far.

vittoria-corsa-evo-cx
vittoria-corsa-evo-cx on a Zipp 404

It has a tpi of 320. This high thread count helps offer smooth ride with low rolling resistance. The puncture resistance is helped by a PRB 2.0 puncture resistant belting. At 245 g it is not the lightest tub on the market. It’s ideal performance would be on a tough road surface. If you are riding on pancake flat tarmac, you might get away with a thinner tyre – like the Vittoria Chrono or Veloflex Record.

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