š„Stage 69: The King is back
and the story of how a gravel bike and kit combination broke the internet
This weekās newsletter goes here, there, and everywhere. We have a gravel icon, a record-breaking triathlon, a fist fight in the middle of a road race and a comparison with football. Training advice comes from a multi-Olympic champion and cyclingās relationship with coffee gets placed under the microscope. Enjoy!
Hi, howās it going?
This weekās newsletter is coming from my rest day in a very sunny Girona. Itās that time of year when the temperature cranks up and it is unpleasantly hot any time after midday, especially when training.
Weāre in that weird pre-Tour de France period in the cycling world. There are still races going on and the all of Europe has their National Championships next week too -for which Iāll be returning to the UK- but itās a bit like the calm before the storm.
The Tour de France always brings the biggest announcements across seemingly all disciplines of the sport, from revolutionary tech to new partnerships, the Tour is the place to launch anything and everything.
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.ć ¤
N+Read š
The return of Sagan
The back-to-back-to-back World Champ and one of cyclingās GOATs is back. Peter Sagan never really went away, but itās fair to say that with the emergence of cyclingās new talent, Sagan has been pushed away from the spotlight.
ā± 2-minute read
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Rocket Espresso and cycling - A beautiful marriage
Rocket Espresso have marked their spot in the cycling world. They are the coffee machine when it comes to cycling, are you even a World Tour pro if you donāt own a Rocket?
ā± 3-minute read
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Sustainable safety
Would you trust a helmet without any adhesives to stick it together? Well, it could be the future. The new POC Myelin is designed with sustainability in mind. Traditionally, helmets arenāt very recyclable, but this new helmet is changing that.
ā± 3-minute read
Embracing heritage
Nathan Haas might not have won Unbound Gravel, but he certainly broke the internet on his way to a Top 20 result in the worldās biggest gravel race. Haas is partnered with two legends of the Italian game, Castelli and Colnago.
We have covered the kit-bike combinations in previous editions, but we didnāt cover the story. After a decade in the World Tour, Haas wanted something different, something cool.
In his own words, this is how the coolest bike of the year was designed.
ā± 6-minute read (and maybe a week's holiday)
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The cycling/football toughness debate
Many of us cyclists are also football (soccer) fans as well. One of our favourite things to say when a footballer rolls around in āpainā is to comment on how we cyclists are tougher.
I mean it is true, and itās not uncommon to hear of cyclists finishing a race with broken bones. The satirical piece dives into the intricacies, and how itās not as black and white as we cyclists would like to think.
ā± 3-minute read
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Unusual advice from a triple Gold medallist
With three consecutive gold medals and the title of āGreatest team pursuit rider of all timeā, Ed Clancy is quite literally the GOAT of his discipline.
ā± 4-minute read
N+Tweet š²
Itās safe to say that these two riders had a bit of an āincidentā during the race. Who knows what took place to cause this reactionā¦
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N+Listen š§
Hailing from California, Ritchey bikes have always been quietly cool. Their frames are timeless and their story is a little different.
In this podcast, Wade Wallace, the founder of CyclingTips, chats with Tom Ritchey himself. The chat doesnāt just tell the business journey but is a reflective talk with the benefit of hindsight and perspective. The pod gives an insight into the inner workings of the industry and isnāt to be missed.
ā± 66-minute listen
N+Watch š
Now, I understand that this is a cycling newsletter, but let me have this one. The recent SUB7/SUB8 project where the best male and female triathletes ripped up the rulebook to go as fast as possible recently took place.
On the menās side, Joe Skipper had the help of an all-star cycling team. From a World Tour pro to Olympians, Skipperās team came together to help him tackle the 180 km bike leg as quickly as possible. This is Alex Dowsettās insight.
ā± 27-minute watch
N+1 Introducing 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¦ Il Magistrale
Specialty coffee and cycling is a match made in heaven. Born in the Netherlands, Il Magistrale were the first European Cycling Coffee brand. They specialise in beans, but be sure to keep an eye out for their 1980s firetruck turned coffee truck too.
Be sure toĀ download our appĀ and browse their products!