This weekās newsletter brings a review of the Giro dāItalia (and Italyās wines), and a look forward to the biggest Gravel race of the year, Unbound. From new paint jobs to proās advice, weāre on a Gravel heavy issue. Donāt miss this weekās Tweet of the Week either, featuring one of the coolest wheelies of the year.
Hola,
Welcome to this weekās newsletter, this week coming at you from Girona. Yep, Iām back after four long weeks in the UK, itās good to be home. Iām currently sitting on my front balcony writing this. Itās warm enough to just be sitting here in shorts, and the breeze coming up the cobbled streets is appreciated.
Iāve got the picturesque Girona Cathedral in my eye-line ahead, and the bells have just rung out to tell me itās a quarter past the hour. Itās the little things you miss.
This morning brought a variation of a Girona classic, the Coast Loop. Instead of heading up Els Angels first, we went around it, before going through all of the back roads to the beach. A quick stop at the Cake Shop in Platja dāAro, before climbing Sant Grau, the most picturesque climb youāve never heard of, and back into Girona.
Enjoy this weekās newsletter and happy pedalling,
Joe
Feel free to emailĀ meĀ at joe@nplus1.cc if you have any questions, or feel Iāve missed something that is worth putting in the Newsletter.
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N+Read š
Giro dāItalia
The Giro has finished for another year, and we were treated to the most incredible finale. The Australian, Jai Hindley, embarked on a heist in the final kilometers of the last mountain on the penultimate stage. After three weeks of racing, less than 10 seconds separated Hindley from the win, after his final heist, he had a 90-second buffer going into the final TT and held on to take his first Maglia Rosa.
Here are five defining moments from the past three weeks, donāt you just love bike racing?
ā± 6-minute read
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The coolest paint job ever
Nathan Haas is a former World Tour pro and has taken a step over to the dark side, Gravel. Supported by Colnago, Haas will be competing for the win at Unbound, one of the biggest events on the calendar. His bike is a custom Colnago beauty. A throwback paint job, itās not a bicycle, itās art.
ā± 3-minute read
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Riding 11,000 km
In 2015, journalist and author Rebecca Lowe set out on an epic trip. Despite only really using her bike to get to work, never having used a touring bike before, and with a packing list that included real books, a ukulele, and an inflatable chair.
11,000 km from the United Kingdom to Iran is quite a bike ride. Punctures and dehydration were just some of the trials she had to overcome while crossing Europe and the Middle East. Itās a story quite like no other, enjoy this article and a book all about it too!
ā± 6-minute read
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Bike racing meets wine
Is there a better combination than cycling and wine? I mean, not together, thatās probably dangerous. But choosing your wine by following the route of your favourite bike race, thatās cool. Italy has a long list of wine-producing regions, and conveniently, a long list of bike races.
This article is all about wine inspired by the regions that this yearās Giro visited. Enjoy.
ā± 5-minute read (and countless glasses of vino)
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Gravel tips
With Unbound Gravel taking place this weekend, there are plenty of tips and tricks hanging around on the internet to help you make your gravel race faster and more enjoyable. From tire pressure to nutrition to the body, this article gets the proās advice on it all.
ā± 5-minute read
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Stop stressing about weight
Hey you, yeah you. Quit stressing about your weight. Weight is something that people across the sport seem to stress about, but does it stop you thinking about the most important thing: enjoyment? Stressing about weight can also cause cyclists to under-fuel for their rides, i.e., not eat as much as they should on a ride, and in turn, feel even worse.
I know itās a minefield, but this article goes into a little more detail on the taboo subject.
ā± 7-minute read
N+Tweet š²
Mathieu van der Poel finishes the Giro in pure Mathieu-van-der-Poel style. I hope he had a wheelie good time.
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N+Listen š§
Itās rare that you think about whatās on your head when cycling until it saves your life. The humble helmet is packed full of tech, and if youāre familiar with cycling tech then youāve probably heard of MIPS technology. This podcast between the co-founder of MIPS technology, Peter Haldin and CyclingTips covers all things helmets.
What is the next step in cycling safety and what is Working Group 11? Find out all in this podcast.
ā± 43-minute listen
N+Watch š
How would you feel to be racing Peter Sagan? Sagan is one of the GOATs, there is no doubt about it, that the man has won back-to-back-to-back World Championships. Heās now taking on Unbound Gravel in the States, and an all-round good guy and YouTuber Francis Cade is too. This video takes you a little bit behind the scenes of the prep for a big gravel race.
ā± 8-minute watch
N+1 New Brand šš»
In this part of the Newsletter, each week we introduce one of the brands we work with at N+1.
This week we are introducingā¦ Raad
Anti-conformist cycling apparel designed in Zurich and made in Italy, whatās not to like? Seriously, Swiss and Italian heritage in a product, thatās the best of both worlds. They produce ra(a)d designs in limited batches so youāll always feel unique.
Be sure toĀ download our appĀ and browse their products!