November 2018

Jon was lucky enough to go behind the scenes at the Saitama Criterium by Le Tour de France to check out the racing and all the other activities that go along with it. This included baseball, Japanese game shows and loads others - watch the full video to learn more...


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Many top riders made their way to Japan for the Saitama Criterium including Geraint Thomas, Alejandro Valverde and Marcel Kittel. It wasn't just the racing that the riders took part in, they also learnt traditional drums, tried on native clothes and even took part in a TV game show! 

We hope you enjoyed our behind the scenes look into professional criterium racing. Have you ever been to one of these crits or do you want to go? Let us know in the comments. 👇

If you enjoyed this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and share it with your friends. 👍

If you'd like to contribute captions and video info in your language, here's the link - 

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Japanese Keirin Racing 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
ES_Elevated State Of Mind 1 - Gavin Luke.mp3
ES_Gone & Found - Sum Wave.mp3
ES_Grounded High 4 - Gunnar Johnsén.mp3
ES_Happy Chiptune 2 - Josef Habib.mp3
ES_Leaveya - Lonov .mp3
ES_Sunbeam Memories 3 - Gunnar Johnsén.mp3

Photos: © Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images & © Bettiniphoto / 

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Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside cycling

The World Of Pro Cycling Criteriums | Behind The Scenes At Saitama

Ollie and James are on hand this week to answer your cycling related questions. This week they answer what the pros do during the off season to keep fit, how to train for a short time trial and how to get monster quads like Chris Opie!

The guys cover loads more this week, including questions on chain lube and if a waxed chain is worth it, if you can damage a bike on the turbo trainer, what training to do to raise your 5-minute power, plus lots more...

Remember to get your questions in for next week's edition of Ask GCN. Use #torqueback or #AskGCNTraining for your chance to win a 3-month free Zwift subscription.👇

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Oman Epic Ride 📹 

What Do Pro Cyclists Do In The Off Season? | Ask GCN Anything

Want to watch all of the most unforgettable moments of 2018 but only have a few minutes to spare? Well, keep watching... 2018 has been a season of highs and lows and we have our top ones for you.

Chris Froome Giro Attack
We had all been watching Simon Yates take the race to everything, watching Chris Froome slowly slip away from contention for the overall, we had to wait until stage 19 for the 4 times Tour de France winner to show his cards, but when he did, he dealt such a blow to his competitors that there was no stopping him. 

Peter Sagan Paris-Roubaix
After phenomenally strong spring campaigns over the last few years, Peter Sagan became the first world champion to win on the famous Roubaix Velodrome since Bernard Hinault in 1981!

Strade Bianche
What an epic race Strade Bianche is proving to be, a relatively new race compared to any other of the big spring classics, but it certainly delivers a worthy victor each year! The weather played such a part in this years edition, both for the men and women, but for me the standout moment was watching cyclocross super talent Wout van Aert on the final climb, having not only raced an entire CX season, won the World Championship again but now he was up against Romain Bardet and Tiesj Benoot at the end of a hilly hard race.  Cramping up almost in sight of the finish line but still holding on to an impressive third place, it was one of the clear indicators the form he was carrying into the northern classics!

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Worst Fan Moments Of 2018 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound & Cue
Who's Molly? - Fire In My Soul (Instrumental)
Staffan Carlén - If Only I Was A Poet (Instrumental)
Eden Maze - Do Right By You (Instrumental)

10 Standout Cycling Moments Of 2018

Welcome to the GCN Tech Show - this week we look at products that could be banned due to a revised UCI regulation, we look into carbon filament winding, plus your upgrades, bike of the week and the bike vault. Plus, this week the buzzer is back - possibly for one week only!

According to revised UCI regulation 1.3.006 from 2019, there is set to be a shakeup that could affect tech. Equipment being used must be publicly available and advertised with pricing and delivered within 120 days of placing your order. No pressure on the brands then! 

Last week we asked what had happened to graphene, and you got involved in the comments! We take a look through the best responses we had there...

Hunt has a new carbon spoked wheelset that hits the scales at just 1290g a pair! While the low weight and carbon spokes are exciting what is really cool here is the manufacturing process of the rim.  Hunt is using a process called filament winding. This has been around a while, other wheel brands are starting to use it too and it has big implications for carbon wheels. Traditionally carbon wheels have been made by laying up pre-preg carbon by hand around formers and placing it into moulds - similar to the process we showed for frames in the look factory video. 

Watch more on GCN Tech...
Koers Museum Tour 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Tipsy Hunter - Daniel Gunnarsson.mp3
I Play Colors - 


Peaceful Heartbreak 2 - Per-Anders Nilsson.mp3
Speak EZ - Matt 


Car Crash - SFX Producer
Impact Punch Face 6 - SFX Producer
Slide Whistle 1 - SFX Producer
Super Hero 3 - Johannes Bornlöf

Brought to you by the world’s biggest cycling channel, the Global Cycling Network (GCN), GCN Tech goes deeper into the bikes, kit and technology stories that matter.

GCN Tech is utterly obsessed with seeking out and showcasing the best in bikes, tech, products and upgrades. Everywhere. Every week. From news and rumours, first ride exclusives, how-tos, the weekly GCN Tech Show, pro bikes, set-up tips and more, we geek out over the tiny details that can make the big differences to you. 

With years of racing and industry expertise, we also bring you instructive maintenance videos to hone your mechanical skills, as well as behind the scenes factory tours and in-depth analysis of kit chosen by the pro peloton to keep your finger on the pulse of cycling’s latest technological innovations.

Engage with us every week on the channel and across social media – we’re here to answer every question you’ve got on cycling tech.

Why Equipment Will Be Banned In 2019 | GCN Tech Show Ep. 48

Jon is back in the GCN Tech Clinic answering your tech-related cycling questions. This week he covers travelling with your bike and specifically wheels, using tubeless tyres or latex tubes and more questions around the 1X conversion.

Jon answers loads more this week too, including if there's a different way to change an inner tube in carbon vs aluminium wheels, why your freehub might be quieter than normal, if clamping the seat tube on your bike to a work stand is ok and lots more too...

Remember to keep your questions coming in using #askgcntech. 👇

Watch more on GCN Tech...
Get A Perfectly Clean Cassette 📹 

Bike Bags, Tubeless Tyres & 1X Conversions | GCN Tech Clinic

We've been lucky enough to go on some awesome bikepacking trips this year to both Morocco and Iceland. Si takes on board what he's learnt from these rides to give you his guide to planning your next cycling adventure...

Inspiration
One of the best bits of planning is getting inspired. Research, daydreaming. The whole of the world is at your fingertips and you can explore anywhere with the click of a mouse. We're not sure we can tell you how to get inspired, but videos, Instagram, websites are a good place to start.

Budget
The next thing to think about is budget.  When bikepacking, the good news is that a trip can be pretty cheap. If you plan on setting out from home then all you really need is a bike and some luggage but Head further afield then you will need to factor in actually getting there too. However the cost of living at your destination of choice might be different too so Perhaps you’ll spend more on flights, but save on food and accommodation.  

Route
So you’ve got the time, you’ve got the money, now the really exciting bit, route planning. Google maps is a good place to start, particularly if Google street view is available. It’s an option in a surprising number of places and it will give you a flavour of what to expect. Traffic levels, scenery, even climate. 

Do you have any cycling adventures lined up? If so, let us know what you've got planned. 👇

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Iceland Bikepacking Epic 📹 

Map tiles by Stamen Design, under CC BY 3.0. Data by OpenStreetMap, under CC BY SA
©OpenStreetMap contributors
© 2018 Microsoft Corporation, Earthstar Geographics  SIO
‘PowerGlobe by 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Car Talks - DJ DENZ The Rooster
Motel Los Hermanos 1 - Martin Landh
Rain Quail - Dust Follows

How To Plan Your Next Cycling Adventure | GCN's Bikepacking Tips

Welcome to the GCN Show - this week Si gets almost naked and rides across London for charity, we've got extreme bikepacking, your weekly inspiration and a cyclist vs a giant lizard! 

Metallic Edition Ends Midnight Tomorrow! 


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Last year Si and Matt said that they would ride across central London wearing only speedos if we raised a certain amount of money for World Bicycle Relief. You donated a staggering $170000. Time has passed, but I have not forgotten. Here we are, in Trafalgar Square, ready for action. Prepare for Si's ride across London...

With that money, World Bicycle Relief was able to buy 1203 Buffalo bikes. Bikes that literally changed people’s lives by giving them the ability to further, faster, and more safely, to open up opportunities as basic and fundamental as going to school or fetching water. 

Andrea Tafi, the 52-year-old former winner of Paris Roubaix might well have got himself a world tour team for next year to give himself another crack at his favourite race, 20 years since he last won it. According to the UCI President, David Lappartient, it might be with team Dimension Data. No idea why he’s leaking that to the press, but there you go. Tafi’s Roubaix dream is getting closer. 

Watch more on GCN...
GCN Epic Ride Oman 📹 

Music: 
Cue:
Viper Creek Club - Because I Know (Instrumental)
Epidemic:
Jonas Elander - Afternoon Swing 3
Rannar Sillard - Cinematic Drums 7
Martin Landh - Racing Hearts 3

Si Rides Across London In Speedos! | The GCN Show Ep. 307

Welcome to the GCN Racing News Show - this week, the best event that you’ve never heard of?  We take a look at the amazing Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen, we’ve also got the latest cyclocross world cup from Koksijde, and a scintillating attack from our very own Si Richardson in the GCN Zwift Tuesday night race.

Pittsburgh Dirty Dozen - The organisers found the 13 steepest and toughest climbs in the area, and squeezed them into a 50-mile ride. The race is neutralised between the climbs, and then you just go hell for leather up each one - it’s like the ultimate KOM competition, with points scored at the top of each one. This year was the 36th running of the event, organised by local legend Danny Chew, and it was as brutal as ever.  Made even more brutal, in fact, by the atrocious weather conditions.  37% gradients in the dry?  Horrible. 37% gradient in the cold and wet - next level torture.  

Sunday saw the 5th round of the World Cup take place on the sand dunes of Koksijde in Belgium.  In the women’s race, a strong group forged clear in the first third of the race, including World Champion Sanne Cant, Brammeier, Worst, Del Carmen Alvarado and Compton. However, it was Denise Betsema of Marlux Bingoal that caused the big surprise on the day.  Having started well down the grid, the 25 year old had a lot of work to do just to get herself on terms, but having done that, she showed everybody a clean pair of sandy wheels to take her 2nd win of the weekend, and her first ever World Cup win - which more than qualifies her to be this week’s GCN Rider Of The Week.  Brammeier took her best result of the season taking 2nd, just ahead of European Champion Worst.

In the men’s race, it was possibly the most dominant performance yet by European Champion Mathieu Van Der Poel, who already had a 16 second lead by the end of just one lap of racing, and the only people who ever saw him again were the spectators. Behind, World Champion Van Aert recovered from a poor start to eventually finish 2nd, 25 seconds behind Van Der Poel, with World Cup leader Toon Aerts rounding out the podium  And retaining his series lead.

Music: Epidemic Sound
Kathmandu 15 - Niklas Ahlström
Record Scratch 3 - SFX Producer

The Best Cycling Race You’ve Never Heard Of | The Cycling Race News Show

Particularly during the colder and wetter seasons, our bikes can get filthy and the back wheel often suffers the most - in particular the cassette and rear hub. Let’s look at how to clean your cassette really well, with the bonus of not having to remove it.

With the back wheel removed from the bike, grab a length of t-shirt and simply slot it in between two sprockets, and work the t-shirt back and forth. The freehub mechanism should allow the cassette to rotate a whole revolution backwards and make the job really easy. 

Something to be aware of here. If your freehub is filthy, bits of oily crud are likely to pop out onto the floor, so pay really close attention to these. I know someone who once upon a time, stood on those bits and then you could trace where they’d been on the carpet of their parents home…

Once you feel its suitably clean, move onto the next gap between the sprockets and repeat. Once that is done, get your pipe-cleaners out repeat the process, you will most likely get some more oil and grime off. The pipe cleaners are great too as you can get them in between the cutouts of these sprockets too and give them a good clean. 

Let us know in the comments how you clean your bike's cassette. Do you use any of Jon's techniques? 👇

Watch more on GCN Tech...
5 More Free Speed Hacks 📹 

How To Get A Perfectly Clean Cassette - GCN Tech's Top Tips For Cleaning Your Drivetrain

Ahead of the inaugural Haute Route Oman, Emma and Chris have been invited out to explore the Al Hajar Mountain Range - and where better for a GCN Epic Ride?! Time for plenty of coffee, spectacular landscapes, and a 54km climb...

In association with Haute Route Oman. With thanks to The Shangri La Hotel.

It's not just the great roads and epic climbs in Oman that we were excited to discover. Our 135km route took us through the Al Hajar Mountains at 1000 metres and even started with a decent and ended with the mighty Jebel Akhdar climb, which translates as Green Mountain. And then there's the coffee, local delicacies, historical sights and so much more... 

Would you love to ride in Oman? Let us know in the comments. 👇

Watch more on GCN...
6 Ways To Help Your Mates 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Aspects Of Documentary 03 - Björn Skogsberg
Blue Dispair 2 (Instrumental Version) - Bo Järpehag
Calmly - Dye O
Divergent - Ooyy
Indie A Go Go 5 - David Björk
Lucid Dreaming (Instrumental Version)
My Final Abode - Cora Zea
O Genki De - Mandala Dreams
Ode To The Moon - Joseph Beg
Olympus 2 - Johannes Bornlöf
ORANGE - Siny
Parallax - Luwaks
Waltzer - Dye O
Winter Blossom - Cora Zea
Calm Ocean 4
Mostly Percussive 2 - Rannar Sillard
Olympus 1 - Johannes Bornlöf
Percussive Madness - Martin Baekkevold
Arabian Nights 13 - Magnus Ringblom
British Indie 8 - Victor Olsson
Calmly - Dye O
Frozen Tears - Calm Shores
O Genki De - Mandala Dreams
Ode To The Moon - Joseph Beg
The Memory Of Strangers - Yonder Dale (1)
Waltzer - Dye O

GCN Explores - Oman Epic Ride

We're back with another awesome GCN Tech unboxing, this time taking a look at the new Giro Aether MIPS customisable helmet.

As with every GCN Tech Unboxing, you could be lucky enough to get your hands on one as we're giving away a total of three custom helmets. The Aether is the first helmet of its kind to incorporate the new MIPS technology where the system is in between two layers of the helmet rather than directly onto the head. The Aether is also completely customisable through Giro's new scheme, there's a total of 805 million possible combinations meaning you can get super creative with your new lid!

Let us know what you think of the new Aether MIPS from Giro. Would you like to get your hands on one? 👇 

Watch more on GCN Tech...
Japanese Keirin Racing 📹 

GCN Tech Unboxing: Giro Aether MIPS Custom Helmet

A fan favourite which has now been blessed with a makeover, Si takes an in-depth look at how Shimano have updated their ever-popular 105 groupsets, featuring several new options to ensure every rider is equipped for whatever the challenge at hand might be. 

Having spent a long time teasing as to an updated version, we are fortunate enough to be able to offer you this overview of a trusted cycling great.

Have you been a 105 fan for a long time? Enjoyed some of your best moments on the bike with this groupset? Then simply share your stories with us in the comments below.

Watch more on GCN...
Shimano Ultegra VS Dura-Ace 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Written In The Stars (Instrumental Version) - Gloria Tells
Subway Dreams 1 - Niclas Gustavsson
Bright Oceans - Smartface

November 2018

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