š“ Stage 78: Gravel Packing Tips
F1 vs cycling fun and Tom Pidcock clips from before he was famous
This week we have the final Grand Tour of the season getting underway and an Hour Record tumbling. On the gravel side, we have a new event in Finland with an F1 twist as well as some top tips for gravel packing. N+Watch covers some outrageous Tom Pidcock videos that youāve probably never seen and our Introducing section comes from the heart of Catalonia.
Hi,
Welcome to the latest newsletter, coming at you from the Brussels Airport Van der Valk hotel. Iām in Belgium for Druivenkoers Overijse, a UCI race in Flanders. Itās quite the race too, with a certain Mr Mathieu van der Poel on the start list. Wish me luck, Iāll need it.
We had an early flight into Belgium this morning and then a gentle spin on the bike before coming back to the hotel. Iām now chilling watching La Vuelta, about to get our pre-race massage and then itās dinner. A pretty standard pre-race day.
Tomorrowās race is 190 km long with lots of small cobbled roads, an absolute nightmare of a race to predict. Straight after the race, Iāll be heading back to the UK for the first time in what feels like forever, and then racing the National 10 Mile TT Championships this weekend.
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.
N+Read š
La Vuelta a EspaƱa
The seasonās third and final Grand Tour has kicked off for the men. La Vuelta a EspaƱa started in Utrecht for the first three stages before finally making its way back across to Spain. Dare I say that it hasnāt been the most exciting of Grand Tours to date?
ā± 5-minute readć ¤
Hour record tech
Dan Bigham, all-round aero nerd and Ineos Grenadierās race engineer broke the World Hour record this past week, covering 55.548 km. Technically not a pro rider, Bigham has become known for his knowledge of aerodynamics and for revolutionising the equipment involved in the sport.
ā± 2-minute read
ć ¤
Gravel-packing
Straddling the French-Italian border, tackling countless mountains and fuelling on croissants. Going on a gravel road adventure from Torino to Nice sounds like a whole lot of fun, and thatās exactly what Betsy Welch of VeloNews did for her summer vacation this year.
ā± 5-minute read
FNLD GRVL
Gravel events seem to be popping up in every corner of the world, and weāre not disappointed about that! The latest gravel event to come to prominence is F1 driver Valtteri Bottasā FNLD GRVL. In partnership with the highly popular SBT GRVL in the US, the Finnish event is based out of Lahti.
Attending gravel events across the world could be a new way of exploring new countries and cultures, all while riding your bike. Where will be next?
ā± 4-minute read
ć ¤
Pidcock does it again
Yes, I know weāre not really an MTB newsletter but they do have two wheels. So, when Tom Pidcock did another amazing thing, I thought I should tell you about it. The reigning Olympic Champion and Tour de France stage winner continues to prove countless people wrong by jumping between disciplines.
This time, it was at the MTB European Championships overcoming an early crash to take the win. Interesting side note, Pidcock never uses a Pinarello-branded bike for his MTB races, and it looks suspiciously like a BMCā¦
ā± 3-minute read
ć ¤
How to get started again
Whether it be a couple of weeks, months or years since we last exercised, weāve all had that feeling that we should get started again soon. Whatever the circumstance, returning to a fitness journey can be daunting and itās often hard to know where to start.
ā± 4-minute read
N+Tweet š²
A Wout van Aert x Red Bull F1 collaboration is not something I had on my bingo card for this week, but Iām glad itās here!
ć
¤
N+Listen š§
Ryan Mullen is an Irish pro-cyclist with one of the most important roles in the sprinting world, guiding Sam Bennett to the finish line. In this podcast, Mullen talks about how getting married and having a baby have changed his outlook on life, as well as the harsh realities of being a professional cyclist.
ā± 43-minute listen
N+Watch š
Tom Pidcock is quickly becoming one of cyclingās greats at the humble age of 23. There doesnāt seem to be anything that the cross-discipline Brit canāt take on, but what about before he was famous? Before Pidcock was ripping up the world scene, he was making a name for himself on the British race scene. This video takes us back to the early days.
ā± 7-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¦ FUEL +
Made by athletes, for athletes, FUEL+ is a carbohydrate and electrolyte drink for endurance athletes with a 2:1 Glucose and Fructose ratio, contains 79 g of carbohydrates and 320 Kcal. I can vouch for this product and have used it many times, dating back to when it was in the early prototype days. Check it out.
Be sure toĀ download our appĀ and browse their products!