Hello!
I’m coming at you from a very wet Girona. I arrived back home on Monday afternoon after spending the last two weeks at the Tour of Rhodes and then I’m off again tomorrow to a stage race in Belgium. Time really does get away from you when there are back-to-back races like this.
I unpacked my suitcase yesterday, put it all in the washing machine, and then placed it straight back into the same suitcase, just with a couple of additions of winter kit thanks to Belgian weather.
The last couple of weeks in Greece were good. It’s a great place to start the season with a relatively relaxed atmosphere in the peloton and racing that suits me. I had a couple of good results and was fighting for a good overall position until an ill-timed mechanical on the last day put me out of contention. The highs and lows of bike racing!
This week’s newsletter includes a monumental shift in world cycling, new gravel tech, and a football-cycling collaboration.
Happy 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.
📖 Read
#racing
This past weekend witnessed what may be a turning point in world cycling. Biniam Girmay of Eritrea won Gent-Wevelgem, the Belgian classic, is one of the biggest races in world cycling. It was the first time an African rider has taken a Belgian classic, and the 21-year-old Girmay has helped to ignite a fire in the under-represented continent.
5-minute read
#cyclingmeetsfootball
Cycling and football are my two favorite sports, so when you put them together it’s simply a match made in heaven. Inter Milan are one of Italy’s greatest football teams, and Cinelli are an iconic Italian cycling brand. Featuring the traditional Inter Milan blue and the classy Cinelli style, this bike and kit collaboration are the thing of dreams.
2-minute read
#gravel
The thing that makes gravel so popular is the inclusive atmosphere that surrounds the events. From amateur to pro, everyone races in the same event, and there is something about that makes racing the loose terrain a unique experience. Gravel is trying to be the discipline for everyone, and organisers are trying to reflect that in their new events.
5-minute read
#adventure #gravel
We all know that I’m a sucker for anything that combines Girona and cycling. Girona is the city that I call home, and cycling is my whole life. I take any opportunity that I get to share it with the rest of the world. When I stumbled across this article of the best gravel routes in Girona, I knew I had to share it with you guys. I really need to buy a gravel bike…
5-minute read
#tech
Last week, we covered the new Specialized Allez but neglected to mention its most controversial feature - the welds. The new Allez is an ‘aluminum super bike’, and people have contrasting opinions. The welds look quite ‘industrial’ but personally, I’m a fan, especially in the perfect world of seemingly perfect carbon bikes. What are your thoughts?
3-minute read
#training
Training and human physiology are complicated. It’s not an exact science and there are plenty of places where you can go wrong. From always riding too hard, to not listening to your body, here are five ways you can sabotage your training. If you recognise yourself doing one of these, maybe try to change it!
4-minute read
📱Tweet of the week
Have you ever wondered what it’s like descending in the pro-peloton? You have closed roads, and are following some of the most confident cyclists in the world. This video gives a little insight.
🎧 Listen
Sports psychology is always an interesting topic. While it is the body that powers the bicycle, it is the brain that controls the body. Sports psychology uses psychological knowledge and skills to address the optimal performance and well-being of athletes. This podcast is with former pro-roadie (and now gravel extraordinaire) Ian Boswell, and sports-psych Julie Emmerman, who happens to be an elite road cyclist herself.
44-minute listen
👀 Watch
Nothing is more important to your bike’s performance than where the rubber meets the road. It’s all about the tires. Foam tire inserts are already very popular in MTB, but they arguably have more benefit for gravel, where there’s even less traction and way less air volume to play with, and fewer downsides in terms of weight or installation headaches. Will you be installing them?
7-minute watch
👋🏻 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… Pelotan
Born in the UK, Peloton is a sport-specific sunscreen. It’s clear, lightweight and breathable and it smells amazing. It is trusted by World Champions across all disciplines of cycling.
Be sure to download our app and browse their collection!