♻️Stage 88: What's gravel racing REALLY like?
upgrading your wheels and Le Tour de France going green
This week’s newsletter covers the Tour de France’s attempts of going green, as well as answering whether sponsoring the event is really worth it. There are stories from racing in the 1950s, a look into what gravel racing is really like and a dive into Africa’s coolest cycling project.
Hi,
Welcome to another N+1 Newsletter. I’m currently mid-travel as I’m heading back to the UK today. I’ll be flying into London, spending a few days there with family before heading to Rouleur Live.
I’ve never been to the event, but I have it on good authority that it is one of the highlights of the cycling calendar. There are talks with pro riders, plenty of tech and random bits of cycling memorabilia around the show.
If you’re going to be at Rouleur, be sure to give me a shout at the email address below and we can meet up for a coffee!
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 🗞
A greener Tour?
The 2023 Tour de France route was announced this past weekend, and one of the biggest takeaways was how it was all mainly focused on one area of France.
⏱ 3-minute read
Paving the Way
Brian Robinson is one of British Cycling’s legends. The Yorkshireman passed away aged 91 last week but leaves a legacy that many Brits can thank him for.
The first Brit to race the Tour de France, and the first to win a stage, Robinson was the first of many in a nation which have arguably become one of our sport’s superpowers. This article just goes a little way into some of his spectacular stories from racing in the 1950s.
⏱ 6-minute read
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Should I sponsor the Tour de France?
The Tour de France Femmes finally made its comeback this year and was headlined and sponsored by Zwift. I’ve long been thinking as to why an online training platform would sponsor the biggest race in the world, and this article goes someway to answering that question.
⏱ 5-minute read
Check your heart!
Sonny Colbrelli gave cycling one of its greatest-ever shows of emotion after he won Paris-Roubaix in 2021. In Spring this year, the Italian collapsed after suffering an unstable cardiac arrhythmia at the Volta a Catalunya.
He hasn’t been able to race since and has just announced his retirement. It’ll be sad to see Colbrelli leave the peloton, but it also serves as a timely reminder to undergo regular checks, no matter your level of cycling!
⏱ 3-minute read
What’s gravel racing really like?
Gravel racing, it’s the biggest thing in the cycling world right now. It seems like the discipline is sprouting off in many different directions, whether that be amateur racing, pro racing, sportive riding or pure vibes.
⏱ 5-minute read
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The four pillars of fitness
Improving fitness can be simple, but a lot of people like to make it very complicated too. In this piece, the four key pillars of fitness are broken down and a training session is applied to each of them. It keeps it simple and easy!
⏱ 4-minute read
N+Tweet 🎲
The Tour de France exhibition race in Singapore is interesting, to say the least. Would it be rude of me to suggest that it was very slightly fixed…
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N+Listen 🎧
The AMANI project brings together initiatives aimed at enhancing inclusivity in cycling and creating opportunities for riders based in Africa. In this podcast, founder Mikel Delagrange talks about the Dutch-African partnership and their big goals to change the face of the cycling industry.
⏱ 55-minute listen
N+Watch 👀
Upgrading your wheels is one of the most expensive upgrades you can make on your bike, but is it worth it?
⏱ 8-minute watch
N+1 Introducing 👋🏻
In this part of the Newsletter, each week we introduce one of the brands we work with at N+1.
This week we are introducing… Suplest
Premium road and MTB shoes from Switzerland, Suplest combine performance, comfort and design in an extraordinary way. They only use the highest quality materials and place special emphasis on the know-how of experienced and technically-skilled partners.
Be sure to download our app and browse their products!