🧨Stage 97: Epic Crash

a beginners training plan and bikepacking time travel

The Big 3 making the headlines this winter.

This week’s newsletter covers some of the most exciting off-road racing we’ve seen in years, as well as one of the most random crashes we’ve ever seen. There’s an interview with Jonathan Vaughters, the boss of thee coolest team in cycling, too. Enjoy!

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Hello,

Welcome to the N+1 Newsletter. It’s all systems go in Girona for me. I’m training for my first races after a little illness over the holidays and also trying to put together a group of sponsors to allow me to race a Gravel calendar too.

It’s funny, this is my first year in what seems like forever that I don’t have my full year planned out in front of me. I’m building my own calendar, trying to put my own sponsor portfolio together. It’s both scary and exciting.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions for 2023?

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 🗞

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The Big Three in CX

We’re not usually massive cyclocross fans here at N+1, but when you have three of the best cyclists in the world taking the rivalry across all disciplines then you just have to watch.

Pidcock, Van Aert and Van der Poel are all going head to head on a regular basis currently, and it’s fascinating to watch. They’re always on their limit, both physically and technically.

⏱ 4-minute read

The 2023 storylines

The cycling season will be with us in no time with the Tour Down Under just on the horizon. With that being said, it’s time to have a look at some of the storylines we expect to unfold over the next 12 months in the men’s World Tour.

Who will win Le Tour? Will Bernal make a comeback? What will Pidcock target next?

⏱ 3-minute read

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Bikepacking through time

Bikepacking may only just be gaining popularity, but in reality it has been around for decades. After discovering a box from her late grandfather’s childhood, Laura Guillet was inspired.

Pedalling her way through France to discover key locations and better understand her grandfather’s life, this is a great story.

⏱ 5-minute read

New Gravel Rules

Unbound Gravel, arguably the biggest race in the world has adapted it’s rules. The elite men’s and women’s race will start 10 minutes before the amateurs and they will also ban aero bars for the pros too.

For amateurs, the rules are largely staying the same and controlled by the “spirit of gravel”.

⏱ 3-minute read

An ode to the cycling fan

It’s hard work being a cycling fan. You hike up to a random point on a mountain, spend hours waiting and within seconds the action has passed by.

In this article, veteran racer Michael Hutchinson pokes fun at the spectator side of the sport, and questions what we can to do make it more fun.

⏱ 2-minute read

The beginners cycling plan

If you’re just getting going with cycling in 2023, or want to return to a previous level of fitness then this is the article for you. This plan is focussed around riders who are relatively new to cycling, and don’t necessarily have previous experience.

This ten-week plan will build your aerobic fitness with the aim of riding at a moderate speed for three hours by the end. Are you up for the challenge?

⏱ 4-minute read

N+Tweet 🎲

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Cyclocross Social @Cyclocrosss

Fan video of the Pidcock crash sent to us by a follower. You can clearly see he lands in a very deep rut, which launches him into the banners

Even Pidcock gets it wrong from time to time.

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N+Listen 🎧

Jonathan Vaughters is an ex-pro cyclist and the CEO of EF Pro Cycling, one of the most popular pro teams in the world.

In this pod, “JV” talks through what it as like racing at the top level in pro-cycling’s doping era, and what it’s like to now run the coolest team in the sport.

⏱ 54-minute listen

N+Watch 👀

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Have you ever wondered how pro cyclists actually train? In this video, ex-pro Richard Lang breaks down the training myths and brings you inside the world of professional cycling.

⏱ 7-minute watch

N+1 Introducing 👋🏻

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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… LESS

Braking performance is rarely the first thing on your mind when it comes to bicycle performance, but it’s arguably one of the most important factors. LESS BRAKES manufactures brake pads that are compatible with all major brands on the market. Choose Less, and you choose quality.

Be sure to download our app and browse their products!