π² Stage 109: Can you make 3,619 km in a week?
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π² Stage 109: Can you make 3,619 km in a week?
computer vs watch and what a pro's gravel bike looks like after a year of racing
This week we have a new groupset from Shimano, a proβs gravel bike and a stupid UCI road race rule. Thereβs also a guide on giving away a race win from Wout van Aert, and a cool wheelie from the classics
Hello,
Welcome to another edition of the N+1 Newsletter from sunny Girona.
I cannot believe how lovely the weather is here. Weβre riding around in shorts and Iβm getting a lovely tan. I mean, it beats riding in the Belgian rain and snow!
Itβs nice to be back home and getting training again. Iβve been spending a lot of time on the gravel bike recently, and let me tell you, Iβve unlocked a whole new world. The road riding around Girona is great, the gravel could be even better. I cannot wait to get exploring some more.
I just booked my flights for my gravel block in America too, I suppose itβs time to prepare for a ten-hour race!
Happy Pedalling,
Joe
Feel free to emailΒ meΒ at joe@nplus1.cc if you have any questions, or feel Iβve missed something that is worth putting in the Newsletter.
N+Read π
Giving away a victory
This past weekend at Gent-Wevelgem, a major race in the classics season, Wout van Aert gave away his win. It wasnβt a fix, or anything untoward.
Van Aert is the bigger name and a Belgian to boot. Attacking with his teammate, Christophe Laporte, they rode to the line in style. With 50 m to go, Wout sat up and let his French teammate win.
Why would Wout not win himself? This explains all.
β± 5-minute read
Stupid, stupid race rules
I know we donβt like to talk about the intricacies of road racing too much here, but please allow me a brief moan about UCI. Wout van Aert won E3 in some style this past week, yet he should have been DQβd.
β± 3-minute read
A gamified racing approach
Criterium racing is fun and itβs fast. The latest league based out of the states is new and itβs VERY different. Itβs going to be a new points-based system and itβs going to be fan-first rather than athlete-first.
The best thing, itβll be live on GCN too. Check this out.
β± 6-minute read
Shimano jump on the bandwagon
The patent drawing shows a clamp design with the derailleur fitting directly onto the rear dropout, removing the need for a derailleur hanger, and held in place by the thru-axle.
β± 5-minute read
How to organise the biggest race in the world
Tour of Flanders is perhaps the biggest one-day race in the world. Well, if you ask a Belgian, it definitely is. Tomas Van Den Spiegel is the head of Flanders Classics who organises a whole host of races in the heartland of the sport.
How do you organise a race of this magnitude? Find out here.
β± 4-minute read
Computer vs watch
Tracking your training is important, but what should you be using? There has long been a debate between GPS head units, but what about a watch? βWearablesβ are becoming more and more popular. But, can we trust them?
This article looks at the data versus chest-based HRMs.
β± 4-minute read
N+Tweet π²
What do you do when youβre dropped from one of the biggest bike races in the world? Pop a wheelie of course.
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N+Listen π§
How Framebuilder are changing bikes
What are the trends in bike design? Of course, it seems as if most of the industry is moving to gravel, but how does that really look? While this podcast is from almost three years ago, I found it interesting to go back and listen to how we got to the point we are today.
A lot has changed in bikes in the past five years!
β± 9-minute listen
N+Watch π
How broken is a gravel proβs bike after a year of racing? In this video, Kiel Reijnen walks us through. I wonder what the state of my gravel bike will be in a year!
N+Introducing π
In this part of the Newsletter, each week we introduce one of the brands we work with at N+1.
This week we are introducingβ¦Β Ass Magic
ASS MAGIC, an anti-chafe chamois cream, created by cyclists and used by all athletes. With superior anti-chafe and anti-bacterial properties.