Hi!
I hope youâre having a good day. Iâm back at you with another weekly newsletter from N+1. If you havenât already, why donât you go ahead and download our app.
Iâm fresh back from Belgium (again!). We had a hectic three-day stage race in Flanders. The race ended up being one for the sprinters, but it was still good fun to get back into some aggressive back racing. Iâve got ten days at home in Girona now before I get on yet another flight to Belgium.
This weekâs newsletter includes one of cyclingâs best-known secrets, Shimanoâs new groupset. It was only released this past week, but it has been rumoured for the past couple of years. Shimanoâs new 12-speed, semi-wireless groupset is pretty much everything youâd expect. The only slight surprise - it only comes in electronic options. What do you think about that?
Catch you next week,
Joe
đ Read
#racing
Primoz Roglic rounded off the Vuelta a EspaĂąa in style by winning his fourth, and the raceâs final stage into Santiago de Compostela. The Olympic Champion convincingly won the race overall too, his third consecutive title. The Slovenian has made the final Grand Tour of the year his own and took this yearâs title by almost five minutes. While Roglic was the best rider of the race, he wasnât the only story. Here are the five biggest talking points from the three-week race.
5-minute read
#tech
The worst kept secret in cycling is out, Shimano have released their new semi-wireless 12-speed groupset. The Dura Ace R9200 series comes in both disc and rim brake options but itâs RIP for mechanical shifting, the top of the range groupset is only available in Di2 options. The Japanese company also released a new Ultegra groupset, but again, dropping mechanical shifting altogether. What do you think about this move - is electronic the way to go, or will you miss mechanical options?
5-minute read
#tech #fun
Gravel tech is going in all directions currently. The discipline is still in its infancy, so developments are happening constantly. The latest piece of tech is from Gravaa, whoâs Kaps wheelset allows you to adjust your tyre pressure on the go. Itâs the perfect system for ever-changing off-road terrain. But it comes at a cost as theyâre just shy of âŹ3,000 a set.
5-minute read
#weeklygravel
Gustav Gullholm, aka Dangerholm, is known in the mountain bike world for building incredibly light bikes, scraping paint off brand new carbon frames with a bush knife, and some truly creative modifications. Heâs now turned his sights to gravel. This custom Scott Addict Gravel is only 7.13 kg, and itâs a thing of beauty. I want one.
2-minute read
#training
The one-piece of human physiology that is completely out of our control is ageing. It happens to everyone. However, getting older doesnât mean you have to get slower. The most important part of trying to out-race our age is acknowledging the changes happening in your body and matching your training accordingly. Here are some top tips to get faster, as you get older.
5-minute read
đąTweet of the week
Last week it was cows in a bike race, this week itâs sheepâŚ
đ§ Listen
Geraint Thomas and Luke Rowe are two of the best riders in the pro peloton. On their Watts Occuring podcast, the two Welsh friends got together to answer listenersâ questions. Listen to two of the most successful and experienced riders of the last decade as they have a laugh, and provide some little nuggets of advice.
40-minute listen
đ Watch
I donât know about you, but Iâve always had a pipe dream of owning a bike shop. It would have all ranges of equipment, as well as a cafe selling the finest coffee. Bike racing would always be on in the background, and it would become a community hub. GCN, one of the biggest YouTube channels in cycling, took on the challenge of taking over a bike shop for the dayâŚ
20-minute watch