📹 Stage 55: From YouTube to the pro-ranks

Belgian racing is back and the Zwift World Champs

Hi, and welcome to another newsletter.

I’m still in Andorra and really enjoying both the training and lifestyle here. After getting over the nasty stomach bug that I got on my first night, I spent a couple of days recovering before getting back into training. My first rides back have been steady, but long.

The last few days on the bike have gone a little like this: 5 hrs, 5 hrs, 5 hrs. Each of the 5 hr rides has been at a ‘relaxed’ pace, but even a relaxed pace is difficult when you’re riding at over 2,000 m of elevation - it’s like breathing through a straw!

Yesterday, we ventured around the classic Three Nations loop. In this loop, you ride through Andorra, Spain, and France. I don’t know for sure, but I doubt there are too many places in the world where you can do that.

Have a good week pedalling,

Joe

Feel free to email me at joe@nplus1.cc if you have any questions, or feel I’ve missed something that is worth putting in the Newsletter.

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📖 Read

#racing

The cycling season may have officially started a few months ago at the Australian Nationals, but it truly started this weekend in Belgium. “Opening Weekend” is the traditional start to the Classics season, and it didn’t disappoint. Wout van Aert took an unsurprising win, but in a surprising way, and Annemiek van Vleuten did well, what Annemiek van Vleuten does best.

6-minute read

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#racing

It was the E-Racing World Championships this past weekend. Yep, you read that correctly, a Zwift World Champs. In the men’s race, it was the Australians who ran riot with Jay Vine taking the win and Freddy Ovett with the silver. In the women’s race, Loes Adegaast shocked pre-race favorite Ashleigh Moolman Pasio to take the rainbow stripes. What are your thoughts on an online World Champs?

6-minute read

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#YouTuberOrRacer?

Bas Tietema is mainly known for his YouTube videos from the Tour de France. Nicknamed ‘Tour de Tietema’, he films everything from a wheelie challenge to handing out one hundred pizzas to the pros in Paris. But now, he’s racing in the pro-peloton. Tietema has pedigree in the sport, including a podium position at U23 Paris-Roubaix, but his story and journey to the top are very, very different from the rest.

5-minute read

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#culture

I suspect that you’ve seen one of the ‘Backstage Pass’ videos over the years. The docu-series started with the Orica-Greenedge team and quickly grew in popularity thanks to the inside access it gave. The brain (and fun) behind the project, Dan Jones, is a legend of the cycling media world. This is how he made one of the best cycling series on YouTube.

5-minute read

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#tech

Does your frame material matter? No, not really, but lots of cyclists dream about having a carbon bike. Once upon a time “steel was real, titanium was magical, carbon was brittle, and aluminum was harsh”. That’s not necessarily true in 2022, any material can ride well, any material can ride poorly. Design, execution, and details matter more than material. This article is insightful and well worth a read.

4-minute read

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#training

Have you ever found all the cycling jargon a little overwhelming? From heart rate to watts, speed to cadence, there can be a lot to wrap your head around. While they might sound simple, truly understanding each metric can help you to train better, and ultimately get faster! Here are ten cycling metrics to track that will help you get fitter.

4-minute read

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📱Tweet of the week

Cycling out of context @OutOfCycling

Tadej Pogacar is the best cyclist in the world, we’re not sure about his dancing though.

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🎧 Listen

This week’s podcast is a little different, it involves a triathlete. I know, it’s shocking of me to bring triathlon content to a cycling newsletter (this is a joke), but this guy has quite a lot of credibility. Alistair Brownlee is a double Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time World Champ (amongst many other titles). This podcast covers everything from the power of instinct to the importance of preparation. It’s a cracker.

52-minute listen

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👀 Watch

The Good Line is a short film about the intersection of gravel cycling and mental health, particularly for men. Jeremy Kershaw, the founder of Heck of the North Productions, a gravel cycling event business, describes his relationship with the sport and how it contributes to adding balance to his life.

12-minute watch

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👋🏻 Introducing

In this new part of the Newsletter, each week we’re going to introduce one of the brands that we work with at N+1.

Introducing… Temple Project

Born in Indonesia and raised in The Netherlands, Temple Project create passionate endurance sports apparel for the everyday athlete. Their kit offers unique designs, almost resembling ‘modern art’.

Be sure to download our app and browse their collection!