š®Stage 53: Custom gravel bikes & bulls
training myths and the life of a pro-cycling photographer
Hi, howāre you doing?
Weāre back in Girona for this weekās newsletter. I flew back from Pisa late last night and Iāve spent today building the new BMC and unpacking all of our fresh new kit. Iām tired, we had a very big week on training camp and completed just shy of 1000 km in seven days.
There are a few easy days coming up on the cards where Iāll be catching up on writing work and spending some time drinking good coffee here. Next week, Iāll be heading up to Andorra for a 15-day training camp so my focus is very much on recovery right now.
From custom gravel kit to former Tour de France winners questioning whether it should be in pro-cycling whatsoever, our podcast this week has a bit of everything. Check out the Tweet of the Week too, itās painful.
Enjoy your week,
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.
š Read
#racing
ClĆ”sica JaĆ©n is a place where road racing meets gravel. Alexey Lutsenko used his power and aggression to dominate the inaugural edition of the ClĆ”sica JaĆ©n ParaĆsoa a new Spanish one-day race that included 40 km of gravel country roads through the olive groves of Andalucia. What do you think, should there be more gravel racing in the pro ranks?
5-minute read
#racing
Chris Froome is certainly not shy of making headlines. This week, the four-time Tour de France winner questioned whether gravel, cobbles, and TTs have a place in stage racing. There has been a lot of debate recently after the crash of Egan Bernal, and the controversial gravel finishes at Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana. What are your thoughts? As a fan, I say they should stay, as a racer, I hold a slightly different opinion!
5-minute read
#culture
As the first Emirati rider in the Womenās WorldTour and the sole national representative on UAE Team ADQ, Safiya Al Sayegh is feeling both the pressures and the privileges of her position going into 2022. Al Sayegh previously raced with Dubai Police Cycling Team and is now heading across to Europe to race in the big leagues.
5-minute read
#photography #behindthescenes
Have you ever wondered what itās like to be a pro-cycling photographer? Motorbike crashes, frenzied crowds, equipment failures, exhaustionā¦ it has it all. Pauline Ballet has been a professional sports photographer since 2013, these are the stories behind some of her favourite shots.
6-minute read
#customgravel
Nathan Haas recently made the jump from full-time roadie to gravel pro. Iāve been lucky enough to see his custom Colnago up close and personal, unfortunately, youāll have to make do with just the photos. Itās even better than it seems.
3-minute read
#training
There are countless myths about cycling. Some old-schools of training will tell you that it is only productive if youāre riding hard, otherwise, it is ājunkā miles. This article aims to bust some of those myths and put the record straight.
4-minute read
š±Tweet of the week
What would you do if you came across this on your bike ride?
š§ Listen
A champion mountain biker, a Tour de France winner, and a road World Champion: Cadel Evans is a cycling legend. In this podcast with Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt, they reveal the intimate story behind winning the yellow jersey, and how he won the World Champs against all odds.
59-minute listen
š Watch
A video with Matt Stephens always guarantees fun, especially when itās off-road. Check out his introduction to gravel here.
15-minute watch
šš» Introducing
In this new part of the Newsletter, each week weāre going to introduce one of the brands that we work with at N+1.
Introducingā¦ The General Classification
The General Classification was born in London during a globalĀ pandemic in the summer of 2020. With a passion forĀ road cycling and a reverence for the race, they aim to create exceptional, 'casual kit for the fanatics on the side of the road'.Ā Ā
Be sure to download our app and browse their collection!