By the end of next week it will be March, which – by some measures, at least – is spring. We did it. Congrats everyone.
We’ve been quite busy at Cyclist doing our best to enjoy the penultimate throes of this wet winter. We gave our homepage a shake-up (hopefully you like it), welcomed the new Cannondale SuperSix with an in-depth news story and first ride review, and enjoyed the UAE Tour and Volta ao Algarve.
We also assessed the goings on at Visma-Lease a Bike, had a look at who might have the faintest chance to win a big Classic and is not named Tadej or Mathieu, questioned Remco Evenepoel’s GC potential and asked if Paul Seixas’s Decathlon-CMA CGM are the next great superteam.
And finally, the latest episode of the podcast is a lovely interview with bike designer Pieter Potters, who works on Ridley and Eddy Merckx bikes.
Let’s get to it.
Truflo Electron mini pump
Electric mini pumps are taking over, and Truflo has recently joined the party with this, the Electron.
It’s compact, has a big digital screen, pumps to 120psi with a claimed +/-1psi accuracy and is said to be able to seat tubeless tyres. Truflo says on a test with 700x38c tyres one full charge provided approximately three inflations to 50psi from flat.
It comes with a hose included for cleaner inflation as well as a needle for pumping balls if you’re that way inclined. Truflo says it weighs 118g.
Lizard Skins DSP Ultra bar tape
As my erstwhile colleague Matthew Loveridge noted in his review of the Van Rysel RCR-F, handlebars and bar tape are the most undervalued parts of any bike build. Never underestimate the power of good bar tape, like Lizard Skins’ new DSP Ultra.
It’s for both road and gravel – an easy indicator that it should be comfy – and features the ‘next generation’ DuraSoft polymer construction, which is claimed to help with both vibration damping and durability – hence the ‘Ultra’ label.
It also has an extra-grippy texture and reliable adhesive to prevent slipping no matter how wet or sweaty it might be. It comes in thicknesses of 1.9mm, 2.7mm or 3.5mm and loads of colour options, but this one is clearly the best.
Tadej Pogačar: Unstoppable by Andy McGrath
Tadej Pogačar is seemingly unstoppable, hence why occasional Cyclist writer Andy McGrath’s new book is called just that.
It’s claimed to be the first biography of the greatest cyclist of all time, tracking his life from his upbringing in Slovenia and getting the inside scoop from those closest to him as well as his rivals.
Nomio shots
Buckle up, because the latest performance secret to be unlocked by science is… broccoli.
Yes, the Swedish boffins at Nomio have produced a drink made with mostly broccoli sprout extracts (the other 20% is lemon and sugar) that’s claimed to help reduce lactate, handle high training loads and quicken recovery thanks to chemicals called ITC (isothiocyanates).
Nomio says ITC is known to activate the body’s stress regulator, which essentially helps the body to handle hard exercise. Be sure to visit Nomio’s website below for the actual, more scientific description of how it’s meant to work.
To bring it back to cycling specifically, Mads Pedersen is big into it.
What we’re into this week: Post-radio music discovery
Say what you like about TikTok and co, but you can’t deny that it’s been a good thing for music. Yes there are annoying TikTok songs, but on the whole, it’s bringing a massive range of actually good music to younger audiences. Fleetwood Mac got back in the charts, Djo took over the world, and Labi Siffre got so viral he’s releasing a new album at 80 years old. Gone are the days when the only music people heard was whatever was playing on Capital FM or Radio 1. Thank the lord.
I’ll also give some reluctant credit to the algorithm in saying that Spotify’s ‘made for you’ playlists have put me on to some new favourites. My go-to at the moment is the ‘Cottagecore Mix’, which currently includes Labi Siffre as well as Connie Converse. If you don’t know, Converse was a folk singer-songwriter active in the 1950s who didn’t break through at the time but after old recordings were published she’s gained plenty of fans 70 years too late. She was certainly ahead of her time, I highly recommend having a listen and then looking up her crazy story.
I previously included playlists of new music I like in this section but have gone off the boil, so I’m going to start a new one that I’ll keep going with my current rotation of songs I’m enjoying rather than exclusively new discoveries. You can find that here, it’s not got loads in at the moment but I’ll keep adding and removing.
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Two paths. One philosophy. Built to ride hard!
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