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48 Articles

‘RIDE TO EAT, EAT TO RIDE’

If you’re anything like me, much of the time spent on the bike revolves around thinking about food. I have long lived by the mantra of ‘ride to eat, and eat to ride’. And given the number of cyclists who happily get something ‘a bit extra’ at a post-ride coffee, I’m sure I’m not alone. We’ve got an inside look with some of cycling’s best foodies in this issue, along with great tips about how to fuel your body for the best performance on the bike while not giving up on taste and flavours! I had the opportunity to visit my spiritual home – the Swiss Alps – to ride a route in the Vaud Alps with Alain Rumpf. We talked about cycling, the growth of the sport, exploring tiny…

‘RIDE TO EAT, EAT TO RIDE’

The National Cyclocross series has been buzzing away through winter, and visited the sub-tropical state of Queensland in July. We headed out to watch the fun, with the help of Isuzu who lent us a D-Max for the weekend. Parked next to the beer tent it wasn’t long before the tray became the perfect vantage point for the hecklers from Pro Sick Kent Factory Racing. Cyclocross is hard, cyclocross is fun and cyclocross is quirky. The weekend of racing represented all of these things and more. The courses at Samford, west of Brisbane, challenged riders on rutted terrain on one day, and with mud and a steep run up the next. But as lungs seared and legs burned, the atmosphere at the venue only intensified. No-one in the Australian cyclocross…

Should I shave my legs?

When World Champion and media wunderkind Peter Sagan raced unshaven in 2016, the news made international headlines. Cyclists - male and female - have been shaving their legs for at least 100 years, and while a lot of reasons are bandied about: for massage, to speed healing after a crash, for aerodynamics etc, nobody seems sure exactly why we carry on with it. Leg shaving has been enshrined in Velominati’s famous ‘rules’ of cycling (#33: Shave your guns), but Sagan’s hairy stems didn’t just raise eyebrows in the media: tonnes of pros spoke out about their penchant for going native in the off-season, and themselves questioned why we shave in the first place. So, for the average cyclist, what’s best? WE TAKE A THREE-STEP APPROACH: 1. What looks good? If…

Should I shave my legs?

Adelaide is blessed with a Mediterranean climate - that means amazing wine and produce, but it also means the place really comes alive in Spring. While many make an annual pilgrimage to the home of Aussie cycling for the Santos Tour Down Under in January, the warm air, perfumed breeze, and flowering trees of Spring in the Adelaide Hills will have you cruising up iconic climbs like Corkscrew Road, Mt Lofty, and Wilunga Hill. Adelaide is the perfect base for a ride trip in the area. Close to the beach, it’s just a short roll into the hills, or an easy day trip to wineries, gourmet eats, and natural wonders. Southaustralia.com Top tips in this issue VISITING CAIRNS? WE SHOW YOU THE BEST PLACES TO RIDE IN TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND…

HOW TO FUEL YOUR RIDE

Here’s Bike’s tips for going the distance. NIGHT BEFORE 07:00PM Eat a carb-rich meal - aim for about 50g of carbohydrate, or about 1 ¼ cups of cooked brown rice or spaghetti, or three medium potatoes. Add a small serve of protein from meat, tofu, or eggs, and fill the rest of your plate with veggies or salad. Keep away from alcohol and creamy, heavy sauces and desserts, and don’t forget to drink a couple of glasses of water at least. IN THE MORNING 05:00AM Time for more carbs! Grab a quick meal of fruit and cereal, or a couple of pieces of toast. If you’re not a breakfast person, try to get a fruit smoothie in, or at least a banana. Also try to drink a glass or so…

HOW TO FUEL YOUR RIDE

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

“Before we are cyclists, we are people. And this is a team full of people.” The words of Esteban Chaves perfectly encapsulate the theme of ‘All For One’, a new film celebrating five years since the creation of Australia’s very own Orica-GreenEdge pro team. Yes, it’s a movie about cycling – but more than that it’s a documentary about the real human aspects of the sport. Such as the decision by Simon Gerrans to let team-mate Daryl Impey take over the Tour de France yellow jersey in 2013 so he could become the first ever African rider to lead the famous race. Or the look on Mathew Hayman’s face as he realises he has won the 2016 Paris-Roubaix after slogging his guts out for years on the cobbles and only…

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

ALSO AVAILABLE…

1. Make a date with the couch and settle in: It’s time to watch others suffer. Check out ‘A Sunday in Hell’, a Danish documentary about the 1976 Paris- Roubaix (available in full on YouTube when we went to print). This film gives an incredibly closeup, realistic impression of what it’s like to take part in one of the toughest bike races in the world - the personalities, the attacks, the crashes - and has been praised as the best cycling film ever made. 2. ‘Höllentour’, or Hell on Wheels, records the drama and the pain of the 2004 Tour de France. This German film focuses on Team Telekom’s Eric Zabel, and apart from giving a rare look behind the scenes at the world’s biggest sporting event during some of…

ALSO AVAILABLE…

RACV GREAT VICTORIAN BIKE RIDE

NOVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 3 Gippsland This event has been running since 1984 and well over 100,000 people have since taken part in the multi-day camping/riding adventure. This year there are three options, covering either three, five or nine days – and 211km, 328km and 539km respectively – across the Gippsland countryside. Starting from scenic Tidal River, the route takes in the unspoilt beauty of Ninety Mile Beach, South Gippsland and the foothills of the Great Dividing Range, visiting regional centres such as Foster, Maffra, and Seaspray. General camping each night is including in the cost of the ride, although there is an option to upgrade and stay in local B&Bs and motels. And there’s no need to worry about having your bike weighed down with luggage and equipment on…

RACV GREAT VICTORIAN BIKE RIDE

CYCLE INTO SPRING

“Don’t think twice, just sign up. It’s a great day out for everyone.” That’s the advice from Australian cycling legend Robbie McEwen for anyone thinking about taking part in the Spring Cycle in Sydney on October 15. McEwen will be involved in the event once again this year and knows the big thrill for many riders will be crossing the famous Harbour Bridge free of cars. And with a variety of different routes on offer – from 10km all the way through to 105km – there really is something for everyone in your family to enjoy. Three-time Tour de France green jersey winner McEwen can’t wait to see thousands of people, both young and old, getting out on their bike and perhaps learning something new about the city. “Riding across…

CYCLE INTO SPRING

ROBBIE MCEWEN’S SPRINT TIPS

Train it. Don’t just wait until you’re at the end of the race and then try to go as fast as you can. If you actually do some specific drills, you’ll get much better and much faster Develop leg speed. Practice from a very slow speed, in a low gear and then explosively wind it up until you hit maximum revs. Nail those drills. Mark out a section about 200m at the end of a loop that takes you about 10 minutes to ride. Do six or eight laps with an absolute full-gas sprint over that 200m, rolling round the rest of the loop in recovery mode. Hit the gym. Squat thrusts and leg presses will help strengthen the quads and glutes that do most of the work in a…

RICHIE’S SPEEDO RECOVERY

The Australian cycling star broke his collarbone and his pelvis after smashing into a wall of rock on the descent of Mont du Chat during stage nine of the famous race. Porte then spent almost exactly a month virtually immobile while recuperating from surgery - staying off his feet as much as possible and only walking with use of crutches. But in mid-August he stepped up his fitness programme by getting into the pool as he sets his sights on being back on his bike in time for the UCI Road World Championships in Bergen. Porte, 32, is a big fan of using swimming as a cross-training exercise and is currently supporting Speedo's Make1kWet campaign, which is encouraging people to do 1,000m of water-based activity to get fitter and stronger.…

RICHIE’S SPEEDO RECOVERY

RICHIE PORTE'S GUIDE TO SPEEDO'S MAKE1KWET CHALLENGE

During the season, I think swimming is great for active recovery after those really long hard days on the bike, be it racing or training. In the off -season, it is nice to take a little break from the bike. so when I am back in Tasmania, getting in the pool is a brilliant way for me to maintain a solid cardiovascular fitness level. Swimming is a full body work out it's not easy but if you stay committed to the Make1kWet challenge, you will be surprised at the rate of improvement in your fitness levels. At the beginning, depending on the level you are at, it's important to work at your own capability. However as you start to build the distance up over time, the challenge will become more…

A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS

A picture tells a thousand words, but some images just never get the meaning across. So many of us are taking more and more photos thanks to the prevalence of smart phones and compact, highpowered cameras. Capturing great photos to help you remember your rides should never be easier. But are you tired of looking at your photos and feeling they don’t represent what you saw, or invoke the reaction you want from friends? We asked a pro photographer what his tips are for nailing the perfect shot. Marcus Enno, aka Beardy McBeard, travels the world as a professional cycling photographer. Far from just shooting the pro peloton, Beardy captures the lifestyle, environments and passion that combine to make cycling such a diverse and beautiful sport. Cameras don’t always mix…

A PICTURE TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS

6 THINGS PARAMEDICS WISH YOU KNEW

HEAD You don’t want to mess with a possible concussion or bleeding on the brain. Get checked out if you have a cracked helmet, headache (even if it comes on later), confusion, vision changes, or if you lose consciousness. CHEST If it hurts to breathe deeply, you might have a broken rib and should see a doctor. “Cracked ribs can have sharp edges,” Martin says. “And if it’s an unstable fracture and it shifts, it can puncture a lung.” BELLY Palpate your abdominal area gently. A tender spot could mean internal damage to soft tissue or vital organs. If your belly becomes distended or firm, that’s a sign of possible internal bleeding. Seek medical attention. SPINE Spinal cord injuries need immediate attention. If you have numbness and/or tingling in your…

6 THINGS PARAMEDICS WISH YOU KNEW

Cycling with the kids can be child’s play

If given the option to cycle with your kids daily, would you take it? What would it take to make you swap the car for a bicycle? A recent Melbourne study found that the average distance per car trip is less than 9km. Consequently, there must be ample opportunity in the average household to use a bicycle for some trips. We accept that everyone is different and there is no “average” household. It is very easy to get stuck in a routine - even when it may not be the best option - but by having a positive mindset it is possible to invoke change. An alterative is to do something drastic like selling the car. Our family is unusual so we don’t advocate such an extreme move but we…

Cycling with the kids can be child’s play

YOU SHOULD KNOW

You Can Take the Heat BEFORE YOU ROLL OUT “Drape a tube sock filled with ice around your neck,” says mechanic Joel Nankman. If you’re using sun sleeves (summer-weight arm warmers, which protect you from UV rays as well as or better than sunscreen), wet them for extra cooling powers, says contributing writer Joe Lindsey. And wear light-coloured shoes, he says: “They reflect more sunlight and don’t feel as hot as darker gear.” ON THE GO “Don’t stress about the heat - it’ll make you hotter,” says US online editor Lydia Tanner. “I shoot ice water through the topback vents of my helmet,” says contributing writer Selene Yeager. “It seeps down my neck without running into my eyes.” When all else fails, says staff writer Caitlin Giddings, “Stop for a Slurpee!”…

YOU SHOULD KNOW

3 RIDE SAVING HACKS

1 If you break a spoke midride and cannot remove it, wrap it around its neighbour or buddy-tape it with a rubber band or hair tie. James Hart 2 I once straightened a quick-release centering spring and used it to bind two ends of a broken chain together. Joel Nankman 3 My friend and I flew with our bikes to tour New Zealand’s South Island, and her rear derailleur got bent on the flight. She took off her shoelace and tied it around the derailleur to keep it in place. It somehow held up for two days of touring until we found a bike shop. Caitlin Giddings…

I was born in India, and with the exception of three years in the US, spent my childhood there. My whole family cooked. Some of my earliest memories are of my mother and grandmothers with fresh ginger and garlic on their hands. In India, we had no running water or electricity. Cooking was, literally, you go get some wood, start a fire, get some well water, go kill a chicken and take it apart and cook it. We moved back to the US when I was 10. There, my dad mixed flavours from different cultures when he cooked. To see a man cooking made it okay for me to cook too; boys who don’t see their dads cooking usually don’t get into it until later in life. I started early.…

Anna Brones’s first long bike tour was a 21-day, 1600km affair from her home near Tacoma, Washington, to San Francisco last year that doubled as a promo trip for her book, ‘Hello Bicycle: An Inspired Guide to the Two-Wheeled Life’. The ride was also an experiment in cooking. “When bike touring, challenge yourself to make real food,” says Brones, who founded the FoodieUnderground.com blog and also wrote the book The Culinary Cyclist. “For example, start with a can of chickpeas, drain them, then fry them in a pan with olive oil and fresh garlic - adding even just one fresh ingredient really makes things taste better.” Another trick: Go green. Sautee some kale or spinach, she says. Or add those veggies to a dehydrated meal for a little nutrient and…

Internationally renowned chef Jason Roberts is a passionate cyclist who co-founded Chefs Cycle, a charity ride that raises funds to end childhood hunger in the US, in 2014 with fellow chef Jeff Mahin (see page 48). His new restaurant Poku, in Sydney, specialises in poke bowls: rice topped with seasoned sashimi and vegetables. Here’s why he says you’ve got to try it... Poke originated as a fisherman’s snack in Hawaii. It’s tasty, fresh, gluten-free, and has no processed flour, sugar, or dairy. You won’t need a nap after you eat I opened Poku to provide food that nourishes the body and to build a community of people who want to eat well and exercise. And most of my cycling buddies like poke, so it’s a reason to hang around them…

Lentine Alexis knows from personal experience that you should eat things that make you happy and healthy. In college, Alexis was a powerhouse rower who walked on as a freshman and landed in a varsity boat. But then she started suffering from the female athlete triad, a condition in which undernourished athletes develop energy and bone-mass deficiencies. After college, Alexis transitioned to triathlon and moved to Okinawa, Japan, where her then-husband was stationed with the US Army. Suddenly she couldn’t find any of the packaged bars and gels she’d previously relied on in training. So she started packing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for rides. “The more real food I ate, the stronger I became,” she says. The extra calories and healthy fats helped her performance. Homesickness plagued her too,…

Being a chef and a partner in 10 restaurants almost ruined food for Jeff Mahin. He spent all day tasting bites of delectable dishes. When it was time to sit down for a meal after closing time, nothing ever sounded good. “Often I was just eating because it was time to eat,” he says. Since he wasn’t really hungry, trips to restaurants near Chicago or Santa Monica, California (he splits his time between the two), became less about dinner and more about picking apart his competitors. “It wasn’t enjoyable at all,” he says. But something changed when Mahin started riding four years ago. He saw all the expected benefits: He lost weight, kicked smoking, and curbed his drinking. Most important, he regained his appetite. “When I come back from a…

The morning is clear, uncomfortably hot. A couple of miles before the Lebanese border, at a checkpoint on the Syrian side northwest of Damascus, a bus sits on the shimmering blacktop, its nervous passengers waiting beside it. Syrian border guards are searching the vehicle for contraband - foreign currency, in particular. Nazir Jaser hands his dark-blue passport to an armed man in an olive-green uniform. His stomach churns as the guard leafs through page after page of visas from Italy, Thailand, Russia, Tunisia, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Turkey - a compact and colorful record of the 26-year-old sprinter’s five years as the on-again, off-again captain of the Syrian national cycling team. Jaser has made this trip plenty of times. The airport in Damascus, Syria’s capital, has been mostly closed to civilians…

BEST RIDES: VAUD ALPS, SWITZERLAND

The air is brisk and our breath is visible. The whirring of our chains and the occasional chirp of electronic shifting is all that breaks the silence in the cool Alpine morning. I reach to undo my jacket, as while we are climbing, the workload has me heating up. A reluctant glance to my left shows that my companion, Alain Rumpf, is remarkably comfortable, with his gilet already open and flapping in the breeze. I’m in Vaud, the Swiss canton that boasts everything you associate with Switzerland. From the Lavaux vineyards lining Lac Leman, to the high peaks of the Alps, and chocolate box villages, the dairies making local cheeses, ski resorts and mountain chalets – it is all in Vaud. While many people will venture to France or Italy…

BEST RIDES: VAUD ALPS, SWITZERLAND

EXPANDING THE WORLD OF CYCLING

Rumpf has a long history in cycling. While he’s now the ‘Chief Cycling Officer’ at Grand Tours Project, he previously worked with the UCI from when he finished university. As we tackle the climb, Rumpf explains that working in cycling was an ideal job, given his passion for the sport. “In Switzerland kids are generally very active - especially 30 years ago, but even still today. In 1983 for some reason I started following the Tour de France on French radio. I would listen to French radio every afternoon to the feed from the motorbike and I got totally passionate about cycling. That’s the year that Laurent Fignon won his first Tour.” “And then I started riding around home - I lived near Lake Geneva, near Montreux and really enjoyed…

EXPANDING THE WORLD OF CYCLING

CLIMBING BENEATH THE MASSIF

STRAVA STATS COL DU PILLON Length: 4.5km Altitude gain: 374m Average gradient: 8% KOM/QOM: 14:24/20:25 Short and sweet, the Col du Pillon starts right as you pass through Les Diablerets. It’s low on corners, and mostly grinds up with the expanse of the mountain’s rocky face to your right. We descend, and the feeling of free speed on the 8km downhill is a stark contrast to the past hour plus of pointing our front wheels up hill. I’m riding a BMC Roadmachine 01 and while I’ve quickly put it into the big chain ring and dropped to the 11-tooth, I’ve also quickly spun out on the fast descent. As an endurance road bike it is really stable, handy when I’m riding the descent for the first time! But the road…

CLIMBING BENEATH THE MASSIF

WHAT IS GRAND TOURS PROJECT?

“It was founded by Keith Tuffley who is Australian, who moved with his family to Switzerland in 2008, and the next year the Tour de France visited Verbier,” Rumpf explains. “He was a great allround athlete, so he went to watch and was very impressed and enjoyed it a lot. So his next idea was: ‘Tomorrow, I’m going to ride the stage’. He took his bike and got up early and he rode the Grand St Bernard, the Petit St Bernard, and finished the stage half dead somewhere in France but he did it, and that was the start of a personal challenge for him. “The next year he did part of the Tour de France, that was 2010. In 2011 he did the whole Tour de France the day…

9 LESSONS FROM RIDING IN THE SWISS ALPS

1 Take the other road Cyclists can get so caught up in checking off big mountain passes (or cols), that they miss the magic of the small stuff. On day one, Alain showed up at the Hotel Alpe Fleurie in Villarssur- Ollon with a rented Scott Foil for me, and by pedal stroke number two we were climbing a steep section of the Col de la Croix, a pass that connects Villars-sur-Ollon with neighbouring Les Diablerets. I was tired from my flight and needed to dial in my bike fit, so instead of going up and over the pass, we turned onto a secondary road, as narrow as an alley, that wound through Alpine meadows and skirted a dramatic rock face. As the lane turned to dirt and storm clouds…

SEE THE WORLD BY BIKE

We drop into Gstaad for water at one of the fountains, but we don’t stay too long as we’re heading to the dairy at l’Etivaz for a small lunch. The sun is shining brightly, and our route is ever so slightly downhill. The kilometres click past. We talk about riding, about travel, about places we’ve been and experiences we’ve had. I’m a firm believer that cycling with people is an excellent way to get to know them, and Alain and I continue to swap stories as we make our way towards Chateau d’Oex and the base of the next pass. The ride, so far, has been stunning. “I’ve been fortunate to ride my bike in many different places around the world and they are all fantastic,” Rumpf says. “I’ve been…

SEE THE WORLD BY BIKE

YOU MUST TRY OUR CHEESE

We leave Chateau d’Oex and start the climb towards the Col des Mosses. While it starts in lush green fields below the big mountains, we’re soon on a narrow road sitting high above a gorge. Alain recalls his experience of riding the Transcontinental Race in 2015, where he devised a route that would not just be efficient, but also beautiful. And while the irony of my Swiss cycling companion devising an efficient route isn’t lost on me, the conversation continues to other cycling adventures. The Swiss CrissCross really captures my imagination. Alain and Dan (our patient photographer for the day) traversed the country on their road bikes, riding the most famous passes in Switzerland. At the other end, they swapped their bikes for long-travel mountain bikes, and traversed back, tackling…

YOU MUST TRY OUR CHEESE

To match the Swiss experience, it seemed fitting to take a Swiss bike. BMC are a typically Swiss company, engineering their bikes with a programme that allows rapid development of prototypes, then producing the prototypes in their Impec lab before testing the bikes in their ‘terrain lab’ - the quiet but demanding roads or trails of Switzerland. The new Roadmachine was launched in 2016, with an unmistakable profile thanks to the variety of tube sizes, dropped seat stay height and integration of cables and hoses. With much of the cycling world going adventure bike mad, the Roadmachine takes a suitably Swiss approach, building a highperformance bike for how the majority of us ride. It marries race performance and acceleration with frame design that allows compliance and clearance for fatter tyres.…

RUNAWAY TO THE TROPICS!

Tropical North Queensland is the adventure and tourism playground of Australia. With its pristine coastline and towering hills, on a bike you’ll see more than you would on foot - and travel at the ideal pace to soak in the views and the pristine air of the World Heritage tropics. But it’s not all about nature: cycling gives you the perfect excuse to indulge in local food, wine, and coffee without any risk to your waistline. Bike Australia visited the Tropical North recently to check out some of the best rides the region has to offer, led by Wil Bird, head Cycologist at Cycle FNQ, and a man who’s explored just about every inch of Tropical North Queensland (TNQ) by bike.…

RUNAWAY TO THE TROPICS!

Wil takes us on one of his favourite rides. An Audax rider, he isn’t afraid of doing a few miles, so we plan to take in a bit of everything, starting in Cairns and riding up to the Tablelands and back. We head out of Cairns along the side of the Bruce Highway towards Gordonvale, 25 kilometres away. The road is fairly flat, and while it’s the main road out of Cairns to the south, it’s reasonably quiet in the early hours, or on weekends when most people ride it. Wil explains that until recently, Gordonvale was a tiny town servicing the cane farms cut by the highway, but a bunch of new suburbs springing up in subdivided cane fields have just about joined Gordonvale up with the city. It’s…

7 TIPS FOR RIDING THE TROPICS

▸ The best time to visit is the dry season, between about April and November. ▸ Mornings are still the best time to ride. It can get very warm during the day. ▸ But… it’s cooler on the Tablelands. Pack a jacket if you’re heading up. ▸ If you’re riding in the Tablelands, throw a few spare dollars in your pocket for roadside stalls. There are always avocados, bananas, mangoes, peaches, and nectarines on offer. ▸ Towns are far apart. Always take two bottles and plenty of food. ▸ There are few bike shops on the Tablelands. Don’t forget your spares. ▸ NEVER swim in any waterholes or creeks on the coast unless you know it is safe to do so!…

WHERE DO I STAY IN TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND?

There are three possible bases for anyone wishing to explore the area by bike: Cairns, Port Douglas, and the Atherton Tablelands. It’s possible to hop between all three, but most visitors will make a decision around the type of trip they’re planning in the first place. Getting to the area is easy, with the major airlines operating regular routes to Cairns out of capital cities. Cairns is one of Australia’s tourism hotspots, so there’s always something going on: from the esplanade’s water park to lively eateries, the night markets, pubs and clubs, tours and experiences. Visitors to Cairns can keep busy or kick back as the mood strikes. Consider staying at Lake Placid Tourist Park (close to Smithfield) and Big4 Cairns Crystal Cascades. We also got great service at Bicycle…

TNQ RIDE GUIDE.

FROM CAIRNS For a nice spot of climbing right within Cairns, locals go straight to Copperlode Dam. It’s a 50km return trip from Cairns’ famous esplanade, up a near-deserted dead-end road to the top of Lamb Range overlooking Copperlode Dam from dense and beautiful rainforest. Cairns itself is quite flat, so it also offers plenty for those looking to cruise around with family, or rest the legs. There’s the Crystals Loop, which takes in Crystal Cascades (a popular swimming spot with locals and tourists), totalling 21km with just 188 metres of elevation change. Or Palm Cove, Cairns’ most beautiful beach. A 50km ride from the airport, or about 60km from Cairns central, this is a flat spin suited to anything from TT training to a coffee roll. There are plenty…

TNQ RIDE GUIDE.

STOEMPER TAYLÖR

MADE WITH PURPOSE In the living memory of most bike shop owners, road bikes have moved from bespoke builds on handmade frames to carbon wonder-bikes that come 90 per cent ready to go in a cardboard box. The crazy thing is that new bikes that arrive at bike shops almost ready to ride are so good that it is easy miss the benefits in having a bike that has been purpose made for you. This stunning-looking Stoemper Taylor is not a bike that came pre-built in a box. Our test bike was built up by Wheelhaus Bicycle Boutique in Enmore, Sydney. Building bikes to suit customers is their speciality. Even if that’s starting from a stock bike and customising it to make it what you want – that’s what they…

STOEMPER TAYLÖR

Bike featured an interview with the boys behind Bossi in our last issue, but in case you missed it, the pair are blazing a trail through the Australian bike industry. When they decided to invest in their life-long passion for bikes in March 2016 the two went all-in - designing, manufacturing, and retailing a small range of four bikes and even opening a shop to sell direct to their customers. They focus on the commuter market, so their bikes are unambiguously for getting out and about in our increasingly crowded and choked cities. But dad John-Paul and son James also wanted to bring performance design to an area of cycling that’s often dominated by bitzers and ultra-cheap (ultra-ephemeral) low-budget machines. Bossi Bicycles has a small stable with four models; two…

INTRODUCING THE PILOT According to their website: “The Pilot puts you in the cockpit with complete control over the roads. Whether you are on a daily commute or weekend sprint the race-derived compact frame geometry, with aero-profiled tubing makes Pilot soar over the streets. Carbon forks provide better steering response and feedback whilst reducing weight. Powerful disc brakes give allweather ability and mounting points for racks, mudguards and panniers maintain its functionality and utility in all conditions. Pilot: fast enough to compete, strong enough to commute.” Based upon the above, the Pilot fits neatly into the ‘all-rounder’ category of road bike, sharing the space with the Giant Contend, Norco Valence, Specialized Allez and Merida Scultura (alloy). This bike category has evolved over the years, offering entry-level bikes which combine speed,…

A LOOK OVER THE LINK Bossi’s Link frame is the same double-butted, hydroformed 6061 alloy with neat Ghost Weld technology as the Pilot. But what’s 6061 alloy, I hear you ask? Well, aluminium alloys are given a number according to the other materials they are alloyed with. In 6061’s case, aluminium is combined with magnesium and silicon. 6061 isn’t particularly special in the alloy world – it’s light, fairly strong, and weldable. It’s one of the most commonly-used general-purpose alloys and probably mixed into dozens of things you touch each day, from your car to your can of beer. Hydro-forming, too, is a very common process in metal shaping, where hydraulic fluid is pumped through the metal in a negative mould until it conforms to the mould’s shape. The bike…

CERVELO R5 SWIPE RIGHT

Cervelo is known for popularising the aero road bike, and while the company certainly can build a great one, we’ve liked its light, stiff , and smooth R-series race bikes best. Cervelo recently launched a new R5, and it is available in both rim and disc-brake configurations. We got an exclusive first test of the new rim-brake frameset, which has a long list of claimed improvements over the outgoing model. Cervelo gave the bike more tyre clearance, made it stiffer (by 21 per cent at the head tube and 13 per cent at the bottom bracket), and reduced its aerodynamic drag by 44 grams. Engineers also tweaked the handling - increasing bottom bracket drop by 4mm and stretching the chainstays by 5mm - to improve the bike’s stability. And Cervelo…

CERVELO R5 SWIPE RIGHT

RAPHA SOUPLESSE RANGE

Rapha’s Souplesse clothing collection has been completely engineered for women, and is made of fabrics, designs, and colours all its own. The collection sits at the premium end of the clothing store, with jerseys going for $210 and bibs for $320. Souplesse is French for suppleness or flexibility - and the Souplesse Jersey and Bib Shorts are made of soft, stretchy fabrics that cling to the skin, but also provide a lot of give. The Souplesse Jersey is race cut. This means it is designed to be worn very fitted - tight even - for maximum aerodynamics. It means longer sleeves that finish closer to the elbow than the shoulder. And it means the fabric hugs the torso. The fabric is made of a soft proprietary blend of polyamide and…

RAPHA SOUPLESSE RANGE

RAPHA CLASSIC RANGE

The right bib shorts can make or break you – and your ride. The Rapha Classic Bib Shorts II ($215) combine a soft Lycra with matte finish with a generously padded chamois. Not so bulky to be in the way, but much appreciated on long days in the saddle. The soft Lycra isn’t compressive like other bib shorts in the range, giving untold comfort on extended rides, assisted by the open backed bibs, which sit in place on your shoulders. The Italian-made shorts have a pocket in the small of your back – perfect for anything that needs to be kept safe. Matching the style of the Classic bibs, the Rapha Classic jersey ($140) has a soft feel thanks to the polyester and wool mix. More relaxed than pro in…

RAPHA CLASSIC RANGE

CAFÉ DU CYCLISTE SUMMER COLLECTION

Café Du Cycliste’s collection brings race cut classic French style with numerous modern details to give a well thought out premium kit, suitable for ‘la fournaise’ (or ‘the furnace’) as summer looms. The Fleurette Lightweight Jersey ($180) is optimised specially for those hot, humid summer days. The 130g khaki Fleurette jersey suits long rides throughout the year for much of Australia. Made in Europe from a light, breathable Italian fabric, special care has been made to ensure that the kit still remains versatile. Its race cut, while form fitting, is not overly compressive - lending itself to all-day comfort on and off the bike. The sleeves are missing silicon grippers, but this ties in well with the less restrictive nature of the kit. While many lightweight jerseys are plagued with…

CAFÉ DU CYCLISTE SUMMER COLLECTION

VELOCIO SIGNATURE/ES

Velocio’s range and quality of their of cycling apparel puts them at the high quality end of the diaspora of kit makers. The ES Jersey at $209 and Luxe Bib Shorts for $329 are their premium offering. The ES Jersey is part of a concise range of jerseys. This short-sleeved tunic provides a figure hugging pro fit, made from multiple panels of a soft, breathable fabric. This is finished in a subtle geometric pattern which is something of a hat tip to the plethora of camouflage laden kits on the market. One of the most pleasing aspects of this jersey is the sleeves. Their extended length and lightweight mesh give the jersey real pro feel. The mesh itself is comfortable and extremely breathable. A water resistant pocket is neatly hidden…

VELOCIO SIGNATURE/ES

RRP: $349 WEIGHT 322G I generally don’t have comfort issues with traditional saddles. Then I did back-to-back centuries on pancake-flat ground and trained for Ironman - both of which put me in an aero tuck for hours on end - and gained an appreciation for saddle discomfort being a “thing.” So I was intrigued by the PL 1.0, a noseless saddle popular with triathletes. Developed in Florida, the ISM’s wide back and independent front arms put all your weight on your sit bones and none on your soft tissue. The result, claims ISM: 100 per cent blood flow through a rider’s nether region while in a standard cycling position - no different than if you were just standing around. I can honestly say that after putting the saddle to the…

SCICON AEROCOMFORT ROAD 3.0 TSA BIKE TRAVEL BAG

PROS: - So easy to pack - Ease of transport - Lighter than previous versions CONS: - A larger investment than some bags RRP: $949 FROM: au.sciconbags.com It’s been said before, but the downside of travelling with your bike is often travelling with your bike. But if you have trained for an event, or saved up to ride the grand passes of Europe, or alongside the Tour Down Under – you don’t want the experience tarnished by having to do it on a hire bike. Chances are you want to enjoy the highs and lows of your cycling adventure on your own bike – the one you’ve put the work into, and that has got you ready to set off . And that means transporting your beloved machine. But not…

SCICON AEROCOMFORT ROAD 3.0 TSA BIKE TRAVEL BAG

Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT Smaller and less expensive (by $100) than the Wahoo ELEMNT, the BOLT packs a nearly identical list of functions, including a helpful companion app that makes ride tracking and route creation more intuitive and faster than other GPS cycling computers I’ve tested. A sharp screen, 15-hour battery life, top-notch navigation features, and Bluetooth connectivity cap off this user-friendly package. Price $399 Weight 62g Garmin Edge 520 Launched in 2015, the Edge 520 is now considered ancient by electronics standards, but it has yet to be topped by newer and more expensive Garmin models for its robust build, respectable 15-hour battery life, compact size, and allaround snappy operation. Use it to chase your cycling goals - though this benchmark computer has turn-by-turn settings and navigation, it truly shines…

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