9

Cycle Season Has Started!

Hello everyone. The cycle season has officially started! The days of taking the first race steady and easing yourself gently into the season are behind us it appears. Many of the pro tour teams fielded strong squads in the season opening Tour Down Under. Caisse D’Epargne were virtually at full strength and their top riders were not hiding. The Spanish outfit were looking for the win with Luis Leon-Shanchez and he was being ably assisted by his team leader Valverde.

The battle over Woolunga Hill with World Champion and local favourite Cadel Evans was the highlight of the weeklong tour for me. British based Team Sky had a largely impressive debut. Greg Henderson and Chris Sutton were always in the mix for stage wins in the sprints. They were thwarted on most occasions by Columbia’s ultra impressive Andrei Greipel who took a hat full of stage wins and the overall. It was Evans’ performance for his new BMC team that I was most impressed with.

I have often been critical of the Australian in the past. I believe that he has often failed to grasp every opportunity to attack and has suffered because of it. However credit is deserved for his attacking style in his “home” race. Ironically I would not have criticised him for “keeping his powder dry” in January given that his main goals will be 3 week stage races in May and July but he gave it his very best shot and was not far away from securing an unexpected victory.

Next stop for the pro tour will be Qatar. This is bound to be a sprint fest, with only the nasty winds likely to break the peloton up. Cavendish will be out with a dental issue, but there will be plenty of fast finishers queuing up to take advantage of his absence.

My own progress continues to improve. My now regular track and specific turbo sessions are now being complemented with some longer rides in the New Forest. I’m starting to get to grips with the track. My Focus Pista is contributing hugely to my enjoyment indoor training.

I’m starting to master the art of holding a tight line around the bottom of the track and my confidence is growing with each visit. I’m lucky enough to have been able to join in the “Wiggle Sessions” at Calshot and “TrackyMalc” has really been putting everyone through their paces.

Back on the road thankfully the snow and ice have thawed. Only just in February there will always be a chance that we will experience another cold snap or two, but fingers crossed it will stay away long enough for me to build a solid base. I’m lucky enough to be able to get onto the New Forest within minutes.

The roads are quiet, but the terrain is not very challenging. In the next few weeks I hope to get across to the Meon Valley where there are more undulating routes to test yourself on. Who knows? I may even pop into Wiggle Towers. See if I can blag myself a cup of tea!

For February, Wiggle are pleased to celebrate the Best of British brands on site and are offering our customers the chance to win a superb British bike and dhb kit.

To be in with a chance of winning, simply buy something Best of British at Wiggle.co.uk before Midnight Sunday 28th February?

Cooper Bikes, the bicycle division of Cooper Car Company, launch their new range of bikes at the Earls Court Cycle Show on the 6th October 2009. Utilising the engineering and technical know how that has been synonymous with the British company for 50 years, and with a nod to their racing heritage, the first models code name T100 will be called “Monza” and “Sebring”, after the circuits which saw the company’s F1 Championship victory in 1959. Mike Cooper commented: ”

The Cooper Car Company has always had a passion for bicycles and we have been thinking about diversifying the business for a while. We wanted to turn our engineering know how to making bicycles that offer the best possible components for the best possible price.”

These iconic British branded hand-built road bikes will only be available from selected dealers worldwide.

The prize

The winner may choose between:

• Cooper T100 Sebring
• Cooper T100 Monza

We will also provide the winner with over £300’s worth of dhb kit including:

• Finchdean Bib Shorts
• Short Sleeve Jersey
• Long Sleeve Jersey
• Droxford Waterproof Jacket
• R1 or M1 Shoes

How To Enter.

Simply buy anything Best of British for the month of February and you will automatically be entered into this fabulous competition.

For full terms & conditions please view here

Wiggle.co.uk recently teamed up with Cycleops to provide a superb competition which meant customers who purchased any Cyleops Turbo Trainer during January 1st to 31st 2010 were entered into a prize draw to win 1 of 3 fantastic prizes!!

The competition has now closed and we have picked three lucky winners.

1st prize: CycleOps Powertap SL Plus Hub System worth £1249.99!
Winner: Mr Phil Crowley

2nd Prize:All 4 Real rides DVD’s & CTS Training with Power DVD worth £135!
Winner: Mr Rich Turner

3rd Prize: Real Rides: Power, Force & Speed DVD’s worth £80!
Winner: Mr Nigel Dinning

Congratulations to all!

The official launch party for Team Wiggle Tandem took place on Thursday 21st January 2010. The announcement for their series of World Record attempts was released to numerous sponsors and cycling press during a two hour press release at the Charlotte Street Hotel in London. We have an exclusive video report of the presentation for you to watch.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Follow Team Wiggle Tandem on the Wiggle Athlete‟s Diary www.wiggleblog.com, or at the team‟s website, www.teamwiggletandem.com alternatively find the team on Facebook and Twitter

Tech Brief – Look at Lance’s new pedals
by Zack Vestal Velo News February 03, 2010.

Famously resistant (like many riders) to changing particular contact points on his bike like the pedals, saddle, and handlebar, Armstrong has been persuaded to make the jump. For as long as most of us can remember, he’s been on Shimano pedals of one type or another, and just last year he was the lone holdout on Shimano Dura-Ace 7810 pedals while the rest of his Astana team spun Look Kéo and Kéo 2 Max pedals.

Long history with Shimano

Wayne Stetina of Shimano gave us a timeline of Armstrong’s long history with Shimano pedals. His chronology, created with help from Shimano’s Shimpei Okajima, who was in charge of pedal development at the time, pegged Armstrong’s start on Shimano pedals in 1992.

After Look introduced their original PP 65 in 1985, Shimano released the PD-7401 in 1988 with a Look-compatible cleat and a design licensed from Look. Stetina says that Armstrong used this original Shimano pedal for a ten-year span from 1992 through 2002, interrupted only by a short stretch in 1993, when he used Shimano’s SPD-R for his first full year in the pro ranks.

If you remember, SPD-R pedals used a metal cleat and clasp not unlike Shimano’s SPD mountain bike pedals, and featured a much lower shoe/pedal height than the PD-7401.

“Lance did use SPD-R during his first full year as a pro, including his first world road race victory back in ‘93. Then he went back to the Look/PD-7401 until 2002,”

said Stetina.

But Stetina added,

“Although Okajima started Lance’s history with PD-7401 in 1992, an Olympic year in which Lance also turned pro, I suspect Lance was actually racing PD-7401 soon after it was introduced. At minimum 1-2 years before 1992, including all his time with Subaru-Montgomery.”

He also noted,

“I actually began sponsoring Lance with Shimano components when he was a 14-year old triathlete back in 1985 …”

Since 2002 Armstrong has used Shimano SPD-SL pedals, what we would recognize today as the company’s flagship road pedals.

“SPD-SL pedals use Look 3-bolt cleat mounting, and combine the cleat/pedal stability of the original Look/Shimano PD-7401 with the much lower shoe/pedal height of SPD-R (PD-7700),”

said Stetina.

In August of 2003 Shimano introduced the PD-7800, which updated the original SPD-SL pedals with a larger contact area nylon top plate for improved durability. Then in 2007, Shimano introduced the current PD-7810 with a stainless steel top plate. Stetina noted that Armstrong had retired before this model came out, but confirmed this was the pedal he used last year for the comeback season.

Making the change

This year, Look sponsors the entire RadioShack team, and Armstrong made the transition alongside those of his teammates that likewise might be new to Look.

“The primary concern with Lance and his pedal choice is if something were to go wrong with a bike, or a flat tire, or something during a critical moment in the Tour, or any other race for that matter,”

explained Ben Coates, Trek technical liaison to team Radio Shack.

“It doesn’t happen that often but it has happened where a race leader has needed to take another rider’s bike.”

“It’s a very, very narrow instance, but it’s a risk,”

said Coates,

“So with the goal of eliminating all risks, that was the major motivation to try the pedals out, to make the switch.”

Armstrong’s team carefully tweaked his position for the new pedals.

“The process of making the switch was basically back-to-back fits on the same bike, but with two different pairs of shoes,”

said Coates. One pair of shoes had Armstrong’s customized Dura-Ace cleats, and the other was fitted with new Kéo cleats. By starting with the Dura-Ace pedals and cleats, measuring Armstrong’s position, then duplicating it with Kéo pedals and cleats, the correct biomechanics were established.

“That was at team camp in December,” said Coates. “He’s been riding them with no issues up to this point, and it looks like he’s going to stick with them.”

Levi lends a good word for Look

According to Coates, teammate Levi Leipheimer was riding the Kéo Blade pedals at team camp and put in a good work for Look’s new pedals.

“Lance’s concern with pedals is that they’re locked in,”

said Coates.

“He rides with a zero-float pedal, wants zero gap in the interface, and wants to have the best power transfer possible. And Levi attested that they were a tight fit with a good interface,”

Coates related. Along with some coaxing from the team staff, the case was made, and the pedals with carbon fiber blades for retention springs got the green light.

Speaking of light, at about 93 grams each, the new Kéo Blades are feathery, but shaving grams was not a big factor in the decision to switch.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt, but his bikes are at the (UCI) weight limit, so it’s not as big of a factor as one might think,”

said Coates. But all in all, the transition has been smooth.

“So far, so good,”

added Coates.

49

A Busy Few Weeks

The last few weeks have been fairly busy, although I’ve not had any races my training has been improving and various other events have kept me occupied. The majority of the snow dumped around Christmas finally thawed out mid-January which meant I could finally get back on the road bike and start getting some serious training done. Up until the thaw all I was able to do was get on the Raven MTB with Schwalbe snow stud tyres and ride around the back roads. I wasn’t able to add any structure to the training which was very frustrating.

After such a long spell off the road bike I was seriously motivated and have put in a couple of big training weeks. One of the major benefits of the Powertap hub I am using is that you can keep a very close check on effort and the intensity of rides, which helps with future training plans and also should help prevent any possible over-training which is very possible as such an early point in the year.

We moved house (again!) and the change has been very positive. We have moved to a great house in a superb location, although not that far from where we were before. The Mountain Biking is not quite as close as before, but just 2 miles along the road gets me to the best local riding and much more on offer to create longer rides. The road riding however is the real gem, with quiet rural roads heading out in every direction offering plenty of harder and easier routes.

To allow us to complete the house move and also to get a big training week in I took a week off work and kept my fingers firmly crossed that the weather would hold out. Thankfully the weather played ball, and although it was cold all week it stayed dry on all but one day. I’ve not ridden many rides further than 40-50 miles recently, so I was keen to prove to myself that I still have the endurance to stay in the saddle for long periods. I planned my week to include 3 separate 100+ mile rides, which would hopefully be a big boost for both my fitness and my confidence. With the week now complete I am really pleased to have completed all 3 rides, each with over 2000m of climbing. The final ride was on a really windy day and really took it out of me, but I am very pleased with how it all went.

On Wednesday I attended the Carmarthenshire Sports Awards, as I was one of 3 people who had been short-listed in the Sports Personality award. I was very honoured to be nominated, especially against such prolific athletes: David Greene, International 400m hurdler and Mike Phillips, Wales and British Lions Rugby player. I didn’t win the award, but had a great night and enjoyed the experience.

To end a very busy week I travelled to Cannock on the weekend to meet and ride with DH legend Steve Peat, as the final part of the prize for winning the Garmin Academy competition way back at BikeRadar Live last May. Steve himself was a true gent and every bit as nice as people have said. He spent all day with us, doing some riding and a bit of technical coaching. I had a great weekend riding and came away a better rider.

Moving into the next few weeks I am hoping to mix a few more longer rides while also starting some more intensive sessions done. But as I am writing this we have a fresh dump of the white stuff which may cause a few more problems!

Introduction to Lights – Front

If you’re not currently making use of the dark winter nights to keep up your saddle time, you’re seriously limiting your bike time. Time and technology have moved on from the dark and flickering lights of yesteryear. Modern bike lights are lightweight and longer running, thanks to great advances in battery technology, brighter, thanks to clearer lenses and more finely focused reflectors. Sooner or later every bike rider is going to need a set quality bicycle lights weather lightweight units just for the odd early/late commute, right up to the latest high tech super bright lights designed for those who like to get out during the night for a more sporting ride.

Front lights vary in price greatly, ranging from lights to be seen with in city traffic to ones that will light up the trail for off road riding at night, so choosing the right light for your needs is important. LED’s are the common choice for cycle lights now and have many benefits, longer run times and life being the two most important. Just try to choose the correct light for your needs, the following guide should help you with some of the most common features and terms used on today’s lights.

Considerations before you buy

Before buying, it would be worth considering the following:
Where will you be riding? Will it be on well lit roads, country lanes or off road? There is a light for you to fulfill all these needs. If you will be riding on well lit roads a compact styled LED light is the best option, their bright nature means other road users can see them (and you) over duller lights, they are especially effective when used in there flashing mode.

If you are riding on unlit roads, such as country lanes, you will need a light which gives off a beam that you can see with, again LED’s are commonly used, lights intended for this purpose will feature specific lens technology to spread the beam across the riding surface.

Off road lighting

If riding off road you really should be looking at a rechargeable light set, the more you spend, the better you get with regards to lens and battery technology. More sophisticated lenses offer improved light spread which means you can ride quickly, safely, see obstacles more clearly and ride with confidence. Battery technology improves run times, especially in cooler conditions, which can reduce run times in Lead Acid and NiCad battery powered systems. When viewing lights look for run times, brightness levels/type and features such as battery warning indicators for off-road use, if one of these is not featured it can cut short an evening ride and leave you in the dark (always take a backup light for emergencies, compact LED’s are ideal due to their long battery run times).

Rechargeable Battery Types

Batteries have a huge impact on the light, the more you spend the better the battery should be, higher quality batteries will provide longer run times and more versatility with regards to charge cycles. The four main battery types which are used in rechargeable lights are as follows, Lead Acid is the most basic, followed by NiCad (Nickel Cadmium), then NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) and finally the superior Li-Ion (Lithium Ion). Battery run times are dependent on a few factors, temperature, bulb output mode and time. Flashing and low output levels will increase the run time, but you cannot ride off road in these modes. Each battery type has different care requirements, which means slightly different techniques for storage and recharging, these must be followed to maximize battery life and avoid damage.

Lead acid and NiCad (Nickel-Cadnium)

are the cheapest, they are low in technology and heavier than the more sophisticated Ni-MH and Li-Ion. NiCad batteries need to be fully discharged (but not over-discharged) before recharging to prevent damage to the battery. This means you cannot do small top up charges (which could damage the battery). Always refer to the manufacturers guidelines when charging and discharging a battery. Lead acid and NiCad are also sensitive to cold weather and run times will be reduced, so do not rely on the maximum run times and always keep a backup light with you in case of being caught away from home, a compact LED is ideal as it can be used to get you to and from your off road or unlit section of the ride.

Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride)

are a popular choice of battery as they are easier to maintain than the Lead acid and Ni-Cad battery types, they also do not require a full discharge before recharging, you also have the benefit of twice the capacity of a NiCad, which means increased run times and more versatility.

Li-Ion (Lithium-Ion)

are the most sophisticated of all the battery types and are used in mobile phones and cameras, they offer low weights and superior run times to all other types, but they do cost more than the other three types. But when you consider their low weight, longer run times and ease of maintenance they are often the most cost effective choice in the long term.

Entry Level Lights

Generally the entry level is dominated by commuting lights which use standard off-the-shelf alkaline batteries. It is extremely rare to find filament bulbs as most modern lights now use some form of LED bulbs for durability, long life and better battery performance. Look out for water resistant housings, low battery indicators, quick release mounting brackets.

Intermediate Level Lights

You’re now starting to get serious about front lights and many at this level will be offered with integrated battery packs or chargers which plug directly into the light units themselves. This means lights can be used and recharged at home or office using chargers supplied with the lights. Some will have helmet mount options too, so check the spec if that’s a feature you think you’d like.

Performance Level Lights

The prices of the top of the range bicycle lights can make you wince, but not as much as their incredible ability to light up the night can. Again most are using LED bulbs but with a variety of lightweight high discharge Lithium based battery types which can give burn times that will have you riding most of the night if you wish to do so.

NiteRider MiNewt Mini USB Front Light

• USB Rechargeable Li-ion Battery Pack
• O-ring mount with easy release tab (fit any bar)
• Only 175 grams!
• 110+ Lumens
• 3:00 HR Run Time
• System Contains: Battery, Smart charger, Bar mount
• First bike light to feature a Li-ion battery capable of being charged from the USB port of your PC or wall outlet
• Full-featured, yet even more miniature sized, lighting system
• Minewt Mini is suitable for both on and off road use
• MiNewt Mini-USB utilises a glass fibre reinforced plastic casing that is tough as nails
• Light is captured and focused using a specially developed reflector
• Low-loss borofloat glass lens to ensure it produces over 110 lumens of bright usable light
• MiNewt Mini-USB now features a battery charging indicator
• Switching from red to green when the battery is fully charged

Wiggle price £79.99 (More HERE)

Exposure Strada Front Light

Wiggle price £219.49 (More HERE)

Light And Motion Seca LED 900 Ultra Rechargeable Front

• New leader of the pack for when you need maximum output and maximum run time!
• High output 6 LED lightset
• Custom engineered reflector provides an optimised beam pattern which gives a broad coverage and long line-of-sight
• A tight top cut off; no wasted light into the sky, concentrated centre for a long line of sight
• Reflectors are the best way to control beam pattern, whereas lenses filter light and can dramatically reduce output
• Multiple power settings with programmable cruise or race modes
• Cast aluminium heat sink and cooling fins
• Stainless steel posi-click on/off button
• Includes multi-chem smart charger with short 3.30 hour recharge time
• 9-cell 11.1v Li-Ion battery weighs only 486 g
• Low battery warning and auto shut-off to prevent damage
• Universal, tool-free bar and helmet mounts included!
• Multi-sport head strap compatible
• Lumens / run time, High: 900 / 3.30 hours, Medium: 450 / 7 hours, Low: 225 / 14 hours, Flash: n/a / 100+ hours
• Includes hard storage case with internal dividers for storing lights when not in use
• System weight: 686 grams

Wiggle price £524.49 (More HERE)

So I have been out on the gold coast now for 2 weeks and instead of the usually “Balls in the wheelie bin” sessions it feels like its been a balls in the wheelie in non stop! Things have really been ramped up this winter which is exactly what I need to step my performance up this year.

Even though I am not running, swimming and cycling super fast at the minute I am loving training out here. I mean how can you not when the sun is shinning and your doing what you love for a living.

I am doing my training with Stuart Hayes in the swimming pool and running which is great to have an athlete that pushes as hard as you in every session. Stu really drives me through the sessions when I am hurting its great to have someone there going through the pain with you as well but what makes the sessions even better is having the coach on the side lines that knows how each session feels and really understands and gives you the motivation to get through it.

Michelle is not only getting me through the hard swim and run session but in the bike session she is training herself which is great for me as I not only have Stuarts skinny ass to chase but hers also. She is training for the national road race championships and is going very strong.

We did a session around a place called Nerang and it’s a two and a half minute circuit with half of it up hill. when I had to go hard I had Michelle next to me shouting at me to dig in making me push that little bit more. It just shows how strong she is when she is still shouting at you when were both cycling up the hill! But I love it.

I had a quick look at my diary today and notice it was only 8 weeks till Mooloolaba World cup so I best keep working hard.

All the best guys
xxx

49

Back In The Sun

So I have 3 months in OZ which is a little shorter than previous years but loving every second out here. Last year I feel I spent too much time in the sun and slightly over trained. I found my first week here very hard because of the time change and the massive increase in the temperature but I will never complain as I know how bad the weather has been back in the UK.

My first big session was the bike criterium to run which I quite surprised about. I actually felt pretty good on the bike considering I was only sitting on the turbo back in the UK. This goes to show what a great tool the turbo actually is & how fitness how much fitness you can actually maintain.

The run was an other story as I was really struggling here to hold a good pace after the bike session. It was pure pain at 20 kph & when I finished my legs gave way and Michelle (coach) just looked over and laughed then said welcome back. :-)

A big thing for me this year is getting my nutrition right during the big sets so lots of gels, electro drink and plenty of protein after all sessions. I have even started running with a fuel belt for my long runs and I have found it makes such a difference to my performance towards the end of the run.

There is rain forecast over the next couple of days but it will still be in the high 20s. When the rain comes all the big groups of cyclist disappear around here. They have no idea how tough you guys are in the UK.

Train hard win easy.