Hello!
How are you doing? Just another reminder, we’re supporting Temple Project’s pop-up in Barcelona this week. From the 6th-13th October we’ll be at Eroica Cafe, let us know if you want any more details.
What an incredible week it has been. Whether you’re a fan of road racing or not, Paris-Roubaix was spectacular. It was the first EVER women’s edition of the race - better late than never. And then in the men’s race, it rained and it poured - the cobbles became a mud-bath and it was crazy. I lost my whole weekend to Eurosport, but it was worth it. If you missed the race, we have some links to the galleries below.
On a personal note, I’m heading back to Belgium (again) this week. I fly into Brussels in a couple of days, before driving over to France for a four-day stage race. Once I have finished that, I’m jumping on another plane and heading to the UK for my national championships. These are my last two events of the season. I’m looking forward to getting them done, but I’m also looking forward to the holiday I’m having soon as well.
Have a good week pedalling,
Joe
📖 Read
#racing
Paris-Roubaix was historic this weekend. We witnessed the first-ever women’s race, with Lizzie Deignan attacking from 80 km out, by herself, to take the win. Then in the men’s race, we had one of the wettest and muddiest editions we’ve ever seen. It was one for the ages, and I lost my entire weekend watching it. They say a picture paints a thousand words, so here is the men’s gallery, and here is the women’s gallery. It was epic.
10-minute read
#strange
Strava art is strange but fun. It involves completely sacrificing your ride for a cool photo at the end. I can’t say I’ve ever done it myself, but every time one pops up on social media, I smile. Check this one out from Australia, a homage to the classic Nirvana album cover.
5-minute read
#tech #backtothefuture
Why change something that isn’t broken? Peter Sagan is one of the most successful cyclists of the past decade. He’s won pretty much everything over his career. He is also Specialized’s golden boy, so it was a slight surprise to see him riding older, mechanical Di2 in Paris-Roubaix. Why? It’s more durable on the cobbles, and easier to fix when the race is on. Maybe something to think about for those long gravel adventures too.
3-minute read
#weeklygravel
Girona is my playground. It’s where I live, and it’s where I train. I’m lucky that my Pinarello race bike is versatile enough to do some of the gravel trails too, so I go off-road every now and then. For ex-pro David Millar, a long-time Girona resident, Gravel is his new playground. Take a look at this article to find out more, and if you fancy a trip to Girona, hit me up for some extra recommendations too.
4-minute read
#training #nutrition
There has been a lot in the press recently about the Keto diet. The Keto diet essentially involves reducing carbohydrate intake and increasing fat consumption. For some reason, it has become popular with athletes too. Supporters will argue that this diet is based on science, the reality is that it doesn’t give athletes the nutrition they need to perform their best. Here’s what you need to know.
5-minute read
📱Tweet of the week
Disc brakes, or rim brakes? We’ll take the old-fashioned foot on the back wheel brake, thanks very much.
🎧 Listen
If you follow cycling in any way, shape or form, you’ll have seen an image from the Grubers. Ashley and Jared Gruber are husband and wife, and are some of the greatest photographers in the sport. Ex-pro Ted King had them on his podcast to cover: their genesis through the sport, the business model of photography, and the philosophy of how their work fits into the bigger picture of cycling.
Check out Gruber’s Instagram here and here.
60-minute listen
👀 Watch
Have you ever debated changing your car for a bike? ‘It’s inconvenient, I hear you cry! ‘How am I supposed to collect the kids from school, or go to the garden center?’. I stumbled across this video on YouTube last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It got me thinking, how many trips could we replace with a bike. E-Bikes are expensive, but they’re a lot more convenient than you think.
17-minute watch