Cycling thread

Pootsy · October 10, 2022

Really wish I'd seen this picture yesterday. Spent FAR too long removing and tightening the valve core using the cut-out on a tyre lever when upgrading my MTB setup to tubeless. The dust cap IS the tool.

Bruce Wayne · October 17, 2022

Turns out riding up a mountain into a 60kmh headwind is hard work. Absolutely ucked.

Pootsy · October 17, 2022

But if you went up, you had to come back down again. Well Done!

This is where the Electric Bike (eMTB) comes into its own. Us older fellas can get up to the top of a trail and back down but to do it repeatedly an electric bike is the best.

Bruce Wayne · October 17, 2022

Didn't help that the missus had an e-bike and kept reminding me that it was on the lowest power setting as she was still in that uncomfortable "taking me out of the comfort zone to keep up" place.

Bruce Wayne · October 17, 2022

Pootsy said:
But if you went up, you had to come back down again. Well Done!

This is where the Electric Bike (eMTB) comes into its own. Us older fellas can get up to the top of a trail and back down but to do it repeatedly an electric bike is the best.

Oh yeah, the descent was bloody cold. From around about 2,200m having been pretty cold and wet.

thirdmantackle · October 20, 2022

Picked up the new bike in Bristol at the weekend.
Great ales and pubs too

spectateur · October 27, 2022

The death of Brian Robinson at the age of 91 has been announced.
Robinson, the pioneer of brits riding in the continental Pro races in the 1950s.
First ever British winner of a stage of the TdF.

Black Belt Jones · November 20, 2022

Tom Pidcock returned to the cross this weekend in the rainbow stripes - steady top ten on his first race yesterday, and then second in today's world cup in an awesome battle with Michael Vanthourenhout.
Very hard technical course, Pidcock was easy the strongest but an embarrassing error on the start line left him stationary - he was dead last and must have been 30 secs down on the leaders. He then raged it through the field and took over with only MV able to hang, but a heavy crash on pavement put him behind and broke his shoe. He still pulled time back but had to settle for second. MV kept his head brilliantly tbf - probably the best full time cross rider at the moment on difficult courses.

WvA and MvdP return in the next couple of weeks - a mixed blessing imho. A bit like watching championship football and being totally engrossed in the finely balanced, back and forth games. Then discovering your side has to play Man City every Saturday for the next 8 weeks.

Black Belt Jones · December 4, 2022

Clash of the titans in about an hour - Wout van Aert returns to take on MvdP in cyclocross at Antwerp.
Unfortunately vdP had a heavy crash yesterday, twatting his knee on the cobbles in a race Tom Pidcock won. He seemed to ride it off ok so hopefully can race hard today.

Pidcock is looking very good himself, doing the rainbow stripes justice. But today's course (flat, with sand sections) not up his street.

Black Belt Jones · January 1, 2023

Pidcock had a wild crash today in the cross, bit of air on a jump and caught a rut. Was cruising to victory but banged up after that, came third.

Been an exceptional season, some of the best racing for years and years with vdp, WvA and TP very close.

thirdmantackle · January 21, 2023

1000km done already in January.
Admittedly a lot of time on the turbo but my training plan is going well.

Bruce Wayne · January 21, 2023

thirdmantackle said:
1000km done already in January.
Admittedly a lot of time on the turbo but my training plan is going well.

Mine has been pretty disrupted by the constant colds going around. Picked up another bad cough in the past 24 hours.

FrenchDarrenBent · January 21, 2023

Bruce Wayne said:
Mine has been pretty disrupted by the constant colds going around. Picked up another bad cough in the past 24 hours.

Should've gone 'flandrien' and returned from Belgium by bike and ferry!

Interesting Cx season this year. Wva, VDP and, to a lesser extent, Pidcock all looking great. Van Aert especially.

Black Belt Jones · January 22, 2023

Belter of a race today - fastest cross track you will see in a WC event (in Benidorm), Wout v vdP going absolutely hammer and tongs last lap - millimetres in it. World Champs in two weeks and that is it.

Congrats to Laurens Sweeck for winning the overall standing - he's been strong all season, and looked v good today placing fourth. It's a strange sort of dynamic for him and the others who ride full time cross, having three guys who are next level just parachute in as and when they feel like.