It’s almost November, it’s dark, the weather’s grim and we’re in the final slog of the year, but wait, what’s that? The light at the end of the tunnel, the hope on the horizon, the excitement pulsing through your veins. That’s right, it’s In the Drops.

Despite the racing season slamming shut and motivation to ride outdoors falling off a cliff, there’s actually been a lot going on on cyclist.co.uk this week.

We got things underway with reaction to last weekend’s National Hill Climb Championships, with our gallery and writer/rider Jack Evans’s plea for you to sign up next year.

There’s been a few bits of big tech news too, including Look’s new Keo pedals with built-in lights, Colnago’s new super-aero track bike and Campagnolo’s Super Record 13 expansion.

And we’ve still been cranking out the pro coverage, with an update to our transfers rundown, predictions for the 2026 Tour de France Femmes, the transfers we’re most excited about and Ewan created a Tour de France route that might just be the only way to stop Tadej Pogačar from winning.

The latest episode of the Cyclist Magazine Podcast dropped too, with James joined by aero expert Dr Xavier Disley, listen to that here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Let’s get to it.

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Truefuels energy gels

How does triathlon legend and former British national champion gravel racer Alistair Brownlee fuel? Using gels from Truefuels, the brand he co-founded.

Truefuels’ gels are neutral flavoured for easy consumption and contain 40g of carbodyhdrates each, with a 1:1 glucose to fructose ratio. There is a choice of 1g of salt, 0.25g of salt or mixed salt, depend on the required electrolytes for your ride, with the higher salt levels recommended for riding in hotter weather to prevent cramping.

Truefuels also has Mint and Watermelon electrolytes that you can buy separately, and you can get trial starter kits of both the gels and electrolytes so you can test Truefuels out before buying a bigger box.

Chrome Industries Urban Ex white backpack

This is a big win for me. Normally new launches by commuting expert Chrome Industries are snapped up for coverage by my good colleague James Spender, so when I noticed he was on annual leave as the email came through about its new Future White Collection, I jumped at the opportunity.

This particular bag is the Urban Ex 20L, which is a waterproof backpack. It’s a rolltop with a magnetic close pre-roll and it’s lightweight, comfortable – thanks to the shoulder straps and back panel, and fits my laptop snugly in the internal sleeve. There’s loads of space inside the main pocket, the device sleeve has a few smaller pockets for easy access too, and there’s a good sized external side pocket too. The little hooks on the back are reflective and have been made to attach things such as a bike lock.

The Future White Collection includes 20L and 30L Urban Ex backpacks and three Kadet messenger bags. They’re all PFAs free and come with a lifetime guarantee.

Pas Normal Studios Balance collection

With the weather and light turning, and race schedules turning to training schedules, Pas Normal Studios has brought out the Balance collection of technical kit for… not cycling.

As many cyclists turn to running for training over the colder and wetter months, it seems sensible for the brand to cover that base. The Balance collection includes tops, shorts, trousers, tights, T-shirts, caps, sports bras and jackets.

Modelled here by a fine young man are the insulated vest and half-zip jacket. The vest features a PrimaLoft Eco Black insulation and a water-repellent finish, to provide warmth and wind protection while still being lightweight. Pas Normal reckons it’s good down to about -5°C.

The Half Zip jacket meanwhile is very lightweight, so only recommended down to freezing, but it offers much more in the way of breathability with a ventilation opening in the back and it’s nicely packable. It also has a water repellent finish and a small zip pocket at the side.

I’ve also been told earth tones are very in at the moment, and this olive colour is easy on the eye.

What we’re into this week: Geese

Whichever way I worded that heading it would’ve looked weird to the untrained eye. The latest album from New York band Geese is called Getting Killed, and I’m not sure I could’ve gotten away with saying I was ‘into’ that.

I digress, this is the hype band in music right now following the release of their fourth album at the end of September. Much like The Dare’s rise was being touted as the return of indie sleaze, Geese are being crowned the saviours of New York rock music, carrying the torch from The Strokes 25ish years ago.

Led by frontman Cameron Winter, who released his own highly praised album in 2024, Geese toe the line of art, rock, pop and weird incredibly well, largely thanks to Winter’s unique vocals and lyrics.

Getting Killed is a fantastic album, albeit possibly a grower, so give it a few goes if you haven’t heard Geese or Cameron Winter’s music before.

I’m going to pop a few of my favourite songs from the album into my latest In the Drops playlist shortly, which I’ll add in below, but I need to figure out the rest of the songs first, though it’ll include new stuff from Dijon, Justin Bieber, Wolf Alice, Divorce and Alex G.

Happy Halloween.