š„µ Stage 74: How to deal with the heat
the impact COVID-19 has on a pro rider and who's going to win the Tour?
This weekās newsletter has a little bit of everything. An inside look from the worldās biggest bike race, one of the craziest descents weāve ever seen and how COVID impacts a pro rider. There is also the latest tech from Eurobike, budget Gravel bikes and how to deal with this crazy heatwave weāre having in Europe. Enjoy!
Hello from Girona,
Iām writing this from my apartment, as boy oh boy, isnāt it hot outside. It seemingly hasnāt dropped below 30ā this past week, with mid-afternoon temperatures regularly peaking over 40ā. Iām not going to lie, itās difficult training in it.
Iām on a rest day today, I had an easy hour ride, before going for a coffee and now Iāve got my feet up watching Le Tour and working. I happened to bump into Paul, the big boss here at N+1 in the cafe. The cycling world is small, even more so when it seems a majority of it lives in Catalunya!
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.
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Whoās going to win the Tour?
This yearās Tour de France is one of the best in recent history. Every day there seems to be action, and weāve got drama kicking off all over the French countryside. With week two having ended, there are still many questions that need answering.
Can Jumbo-Visma defend against a charging PogaÄar? - Will the Ineos-Grenadiers try something special? - Is Geraint Thomas good enough to win the Tour de France?
ā± 10-minute read and the next week in front of the TV
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Dealing with the heat
There is a European-wide heatwave at the minute. Even the UK is having days above 30ā, thatās when you know itās crazy. Youāve probably noticed that as the mercury rises, cycling feels more difficult.
ā± 5-minute read
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A Eurobike tech round-up
Eurobike is Europeās biggest bike show, so unsurprisingly thereās plenty of tech and cool stuff on offer. Brands use it to showcase new and existing tech, bikes, clothing, accessories, and some weird and wonderful miscellaneous stuff too.
N+1 had a representative too, so watch this spaceā¦š
ā± 2-minute read maybe thousands of Euros spent
Budget gravel bikes
Bike prices seem to be going up and up, so finding a budget option is attractive. While you can ride gravel on a road or mountain bike, itās not quite the same. On a road bike, youāre limited in what you can do. And riding an MTB for gravel is a little overkill.
These are the best budget gravel bikes, with a ceiling of Ā£2000. Will you be getting a new ride?
ā± 6-minute read
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Cycling with COVID-19
What is the effect of racing the Tour de France with COVID? There have been a fair few riders going positive for COVID at this yearās Tour, including the flying Magnus Cort.
One of the main animators of the yearās Tour, the Dane headed home with a positive test. His teamās sponsor, Whoop, put together some data to look at the impact of COVID while racing. It makes for interesting readingā¦
ā± 3-minute read
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Itās not all training
Preparing for a long-distance bike race isnāt as simple as riding your bike more. While actually pedalling is very important, there are many other things that you can do away from riding. From prepping a pacing strategy to having the correct nutrition.
This article gives the Top 10 tips for preparing for a long race, other than fitness.
ā± 7-minute read
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Tom Pidcock descending is a work of art. Strap in and watch this video, itās beautiful and terrifying at the same time.
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N+Listen š§
As I write this, Geraint Thomas is sitting third overall in the Tour de France. The Welshman has been playing third fiddle to Pogacar and Vingegaard, but donāt write him off. The Welshman also has a podcast with a teammate, Luke Rowe. This pod covers everything that has been happening so far in the Tour, and whatās to come - right from the top of the sport.
ā± 40-minute listen
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Thereās no team quite like L39ION of Los Angeles. Started as a brotherhood intent on shaking up the sport and creating meaningful change, theyāre a team packed full of individuality, but united in more ways than one.
ā± 18-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¦ Maison Poulain
Belgian-born and bred, Maison Poulain has everything you want out of a good set of cycling kit. Itās sustainable, durable and high quality, and on top of that, their designs are simple, clean and classy.
Be sure toĀ download our appĀ and browse their products!