⚜️ Stage 105: Gravel tech goes too far
⚜️ Stage 105: Gravel tech goes too far
The golden chainring and a descending masterclass from Tom Pidcock
A bling bling golden chainring, a silly “cargo helmet” and another lesson in how to be cool by Tom Pidcock. We also have an interview with ex-world champ Elisa Balsamo too!
Hello,
Welcome to an N+1 Newsletter from North-East England. I’m currently on a train from Lancaster to Manchester Airpot to catch a flight back to Barcelona. I’ve had a flying 36 hour trip to come and pick up my new sponsored bikes, meet some of the team and get a tour of their HQ. If all goes to plan, that’ll be announced this week.
I travelled over with an empty bike bag, and let me tell you it was bliss. Bike bags are hell normally, empty bike bags are easy. I just had a single backpack with a change of clothes and my laptop, not too bad at all!
I’m looking forward to getting these built up and riding them. N+1 is always a good day, N+2 is a great day.
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.
N+Read 🗞
Opening Weekend
Cycling fans around the world rejoiced this past weekend as bike racing returned to Belgium for the traditional “Opening Weekend”. Jumbo Visma men and SD-Worx women were the only winners, cleaning up on both days.
⏱ 4-minute read
Gravel tech goes too far
Is it April 1st yet? POC just revealed their new “Omne Ultra” helmet which is apparently gravel specific. How you define a helmet as gravel specific is beyond me. In POC’s eyes, it means using an olive green colour and adding a bungee strap to the side. It’s bizarre, it’s gravel.
⏱ 3-minute read
The MTB-er teaching road pros how to descend
Oscar Saiz, a name you proabably haven’t heard, but you’ll have seen his work if you watch the pro peloton. Just because pros are gifted physically, it doesn’t mean that they are gifted technically. This is where Saiz comes in.
Could your descending do with some work? Check out this article!
⏱ 3-minute read
From racer to director
Twenty-five-year-old Megan Chard is the youngest sports director in the World Tour, and tackling a career path that few women of her age ever have. After stopping racing in 2020, Chard began to help direct some smaller teams, before moving up to the Women’s World Tour this year.
More support, more backing and more jobs for women in cycling ? We’re here for it.
⏱ 4-minute read
The Golden Chainring
If you’re looking for the ultimate bike bling, we’ve got the product for you. Aerocoach have just released the road version of their Aten chainring. Costing £237.50, significanty cheaper than the near thousand-pound track version, it has a carbon backplate and an undulating profile tooth design. It’s bling. I want it.
⏱ 5-minute read
From fourth cat to World Tour… in a year
Alex Morrice was a fourth category racer in the UK this time last year, now she’s racing in the Women’s World Tour for Canyon//SRAM. After winning the Zwift Academy, she was thrust into a World Tour set-up, not bad for someone who didn’t start cycling until two years ago.
⏱ 4-minute read
N+Tweet 🎲
Even the pros struggle to climb the Belgian cobbled classics sometimes!
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N+Listen 🎧
Elisa Balsamo won the World Championships in 2021, and the Tour of Flanders in 2022. It’s safe to say that she’s pretty handy on a bike. In this podcast, the reigning Italian Road Champ sits down with the Lanterne Rouge podcast to talk all things women’s racing.
⏱ 88-minute listen
N+Watch 👀
Tom Pidcock will always do something cool enough to feature in this newsletter every week. This is perhaps the best bit of descending I’ve seen since Tom Pidcock’s Galibier descent in last year’s Tour de France. Sit back, and enjoy this. It’s a thing of beauty.