September 2018

Welcome to the GCN Racing News Show.  This week, the rainbow jerseys get handed out in Innsbruck, we go through the winners and losers from the past week, plus we’ve got round 2 of the Cyclo-Cross World Cup from Iowa City.

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The new road World Champions have now all been crowned - for the next 12 months, they will have the honour of wearing the rainbow jersey in the discipline in which they won the event - except for the team time trial world champions! 

The most dominant display of the week came on Saturday in the women’s Elite race.  Pre-race favourite Anna Van Der Breggen of the Netherlands attacked with over 40km’s to go, and was never seen again.  She caught and dropped Amanda Spratt, and although she held on for 2nd, the Australian was a full 3 minutes and 42 seconds behind.  For Van Der Breggen, it erased the one blemish in her palmares - she’s won almost all there is to win in road cycling, but this was the one that was missing.  That also means the Boels Dolmans have had the World Champion in their ranks for four years in a row.

Almost as dominant was Remco Evenepoel.  The Belgian was the hot favourite in the junior men’s road race, having won the time trial, plus pretty much every other junior race of note this year.  Things didn’t initially go according to plan - he was involved in a mass pile-up which meant that he had to close a minute and a half’s gap to the front.  Which he did, with relative ease, and it wasn’t long before he’d regained contact that he’d gone on the attack, eventually going solo and winning by a minute and a half.

It spelt the end of Julian Alaphilippe’s chances, and by the end of it, three riders were locked together.  Romain Bardet, Mike Woods, and Alejandro Valverde.  Tom Dumoulin made it 4 with a couple of kilometres to go, but with nobody able to spring a surprise attack, it came down to a sprint, and there was only ever going to be one winner.  

15 years after picking up his first medal at the Elite World’s, an emotional and elated Alejandro Valverde finally won the Gold medal and the Rainbow jersey.  A lot has happened in those 15 years - Valverde has picked up 4 Bronze medals, 2 silver, 4 Liege Bastogne Liege, 5 Fleche Wallone’s, 11 stages and the overall at the Vuelta, and a 2-year ban for blood doping.

Let us know in the comments what you think of Valverde’s win.

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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GCN Zwift Race 📹 

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

The Global Cycling Network puts you in the centre of the action: from the iconic climbs of Alpe D’Huez and Mont Ventoux to the cobbles of Flanders, everywhere there is road or pavé, world-class racing and pro riders, we will be there bringing you action, analysis and unparalleled access every week, every month, and every year. We show you how to be a better cyclist with our bike maintenance videos, tips for improving your cycling, cycling top tens, and not forgetting the weekly GCN Show. Join us on YouTube’s biggest and best cycling channel to get closer to the action and improve your riding!

Welcome to the Global Cycling Network | Inside cycling

World Championships Round-Up - The Past, The Present & The Future | The Cycling Race News Show

Once in a while, you may be lucky enough to find a hidden gem while walking along the street. This happened for Jon on his commute when someone was giving away a vintage bike. In this tutorial, Jon shows you how to restore a bike you found in the trash!
 
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What to check:
Frame Inspection
First up we need to inspect the frame to make sure that it’s not out of shape, as if it is, it’s probably quite likely you will want to put it back in the trash unless it’s an old Colnago Master Olympic or something as fancy.

Components
Check out the rest of the components too. So the wheels, give them a spin to make sure they are running smooth and true, anything that is really rough or buckled, is going to require some attention. As well as checking for any broken spokes or worn rims, check rim wear with a flat edge. Don’t forget the tyres too.

The bottom bracket and headset. These are two areas known to be a bit problematic. So hold the cranks and try and rock them laterally, so side to side, check for any movement there. And with your headset, give the front brake a hold and try and rock the bike from front to back, seeing if there is any movement or knocking.

What would you check on a bike you found? Let us know below. 👇

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Cup & Cone Bearings 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Next To Me (Young Community Remix) (Instrumental Version) - Lvly
Ecstatic (Instrumental Version) - Wildson
Swimmingly - Dylan Sitts

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.

Trash To Treasure | How To Fix Up An Old Bike

We’ve all got a local climb that’s really important to us. It might not be Alpe d’Huez or the Angliru, but that doesn’t matter. Si set out to reclaim his old record on Belmont Hill, just outside of Bristol.

A few years on from his previous personal best, Si was going to need all the help he could get. He set out to see just how fast we could make his already very speedy Canyon Aeroad. For this, we were lucky enough to have the help of our friends at CeramicSpeed, to see how many free watts they could give Si. The bike was heavily modified and Simon chose the fastest possible equipment for his big attempt. Was 550W for over 3 minutes enough for Si to take the record? Watch the full feature to find out!

What’s your favourite local climb? Let us know in the comments. 

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Si’s Hill Climb Canyon Aeroad 📹 

Music: Descend 2 - Peter Sandberg
Bright Oceans - Smartface
Frostbite - Yellowbase
Tei - Ooyy

Beyond A Super Bike | Si’s Hyper Bike KOM Challenge

We're back again with another great GCN Tech Unboxing! This time, Si talks you through the new Wahoo KICKR and KICKR CLIMB, coming together to create the ideal indoor training set up. As usual, one of you lucky viewers can get your hands on one.

Some new features on the Wahoo KICKR include:
Increased the flywheel size. This gives a more realistic ride feel, the increased inertia of the larger flywheel makes the Kickr ‘roll’ like a normal bike on the road.
The KICKR can now give resistance up to 2200 watts. 
Finally, thanks to the new V-shaped teeth on the belt drive, the new KICKR is almost completely silent! 

The KICKR CLIMB is designed to make indoor cycling even more realistic. It's able to simulate gradients of up to 20%, meaning that you can have a super tough climbing session in the comfort of your own home!

Remember to enter via the link at the top of the description.

GCN Tech Unboxing: NEW Wahoo KICKR & KICKR CLIMB

Si talks you through his custom Canyon Aeroad, fully kitted out to take on his KOM challenge. Full Zipp, CeramicSpeed and SRAM Red eTap set-up, Nice or Super Nice?

Here's a rundown of Si's custom Canyon Aeroad:
CeramicSpeed OSPW and bearings
Zipp 808 Wheels
SRAM Red eTap groupset
Continental 23mm GP4000 clincher tyres
Fizik Arione Saddle
Canyon carbon frame, integrated bar/stem and seatpost

In order to attain the optimum drivetrain efficiency, the chain line must be correct. As such, Si has adapted his cassette to move the higher gears down the block. Have you ever seen that before? it was definitely the first time we had all seen it done!

Let us know what you think of this bike in the comments below. 👇

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Tech Show Ep. 39 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Neopolitin - Guustavv

Si's Custom Canyon Aeroad Hill Climb Bike

Emma is back in the gym to talk you through six core stability exercises that can help you ride faster and avoid injury. All you will need for this workout is some clear floor space and an exercise ball.

Emma runs you through six of her favourite and super straightforward core stability exercises. These include the bridge, Superman pose, boat pose, the plank, the side plank and finally the exercise ball hamstring curl. Core strength is super important for cyclists to make you a better all-round rider and reduce any chance of injury. Core strength is especially important when riding out of the saddle, a key skill for every cyclist.

Let us know if you give this core workout a go. 👇

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Emma's Training Series 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Sunday Spelunking - Frook

Emma's 6 Core Stability Exercises For Cyclists | Beginner Core Workout

Welcome back to another Ask GCN Anything with James and Dan. This week they answer your questions about how many kits the pros get and whether they get to keep all their equipment, a training question around returning from injury/time off and whether you should buy a power meter or smart trainer.

There are loads more covered this week too, including a question about why pro cyclists don't have their names printed on the back of their jerseys, whether you should upgrade your training bike and if you should get a bike fit on your commuter bike. 

Remember to keep your questions coming in using #torqueback and #AskGCNTraining. 👇

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World Champs Preview Show 📹 

What Training Should I Do After An Injury Or Time Off? | Ask GCN Anything

The rainbow jersey is the most coveted in the sport of cycling and each year the world’s best cyclists compete to have the honour of wearing it, but some of the world’s best cyclists never do! Coming up, we have the seven greatest rider’s never to have won the World Championships Road Race.

From Miguel Indurain and Jacques Anquetil to modern day riders including Alejandro Valverde, here we have our list of the best riders to never wear the rainbow jersey. The final two could well no longer make this list after this weekend in Innsbruck so we will have to see!

Who's your call for the races this weekend? Let us know in the comments. 👇

7 Best Riders To Have Never Won The World Championships Road Race

Welcome to the GCN Tech Show - this week we discuss four bits of tech that were better back in the day, we’ve also got new shoes, a new hub, your bikes, your upgrades and a whole heap more. 

A new all-round or all-road bike has been released by Orbea. The Terra H. Following in the footsteps of its older sibling the carbon Terra. The big news about this bike is that it’s made from aluminium along with a carbon fork and the goal behind it is that you can ride all terrains so gravel, road, cross etc as the position is more relaxed and upright compared to a road race bike.

Tech that was better back in the day. We discuss four bits of tech that was better in the past, including threaded bottom brackets, mechanical components, latex inner tubes and old tubular tyres and finally steel frames, because of course, steel is real!

Fizik Tempo Powerstrap R5’s have just been launched and have an interesting look to them thanks to the criss-cross style velcro that the first strap does, and then a standard one at the top.

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Vuelta Tech - Pit Walk 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Guitars De France 2 - Stefan Netsman
I Play Colors - Justnormal
Feriado - Martin Landh
Speak EZ - Matt Large
Hymns For The Broken Hearted 4 - Peter Sandberg

Brilliant Old & Retro Tech We Still Want | GCN Tech Show Ep. 39

The race everyone is talking about, the world champs, are taking place this week in Innsbruck, Austria. In this preview show, we talk through the different races/courses covering both the time trials and road races. We also discuss the riders to watch at this year’s race and of course, give our dreaded predictions!

Pre-Order your Casual Winter Jackets Now! 

It’s time for the world’s best road riders to swap out their trade team kit for their national colours - this year’s UCI World Road Championships takes place in Innsbruck, Austria, on the toughest circuit that we’ve seen for decades.

Let’s face it, though, it’s the road races that the majority of us are most looking forward to.  They take place over the weekend, with the women’s on Saturday and the men’s Sunday. The former covers 156.2km and 2413m of climbing, while the men’s race covers 258.2km and climbs 4670m.

As with the TT, in the women’s road race, it sort of feels like a case of ‘which Dutch rider will win’. Anna Van der Breggen and Annemiek Van Vleuten have utterly dominated the women’s scene this year, and the harder the race the further ahead they are from the rest of the field.  Given the severity of the course, it’s hard to see beyond those two.

On the men’s side, there are two clear favourites: Julian Alaphilippe and Alejandro Valverde.  For the Frenchman, this must feel like a great opportunity - he’s been flying this year, 2 stage wins and the mountains jersey at the Tour, and then more recently the overall classifications at the Tour of Britain and Okolo Slovenska.  At 26, it feels like the time is right - and if he pulled it off, he’d be the first French World Champion since Laurent Brochard, 21 years ago. He’d be the first Frenchman without a mullet since Leblanc in ‘94. 

Who’s your prediction for this year’s races? Let us know in the comments. 👇

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Zwift Innsbruck First Ride 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Johannes Börnlof - Epic Trailer 4

GCN’s 2018 UCI World Championships Preview Show

We're back with another GCN Tech Clinic with Jon answering your tech-related comments. This week he discusses crank lengths, replacing a bottom bracket and a few different questions on gear ratios.

Jon covers lots more in the Clinic this week including questions around cleaning and regreasing headset/BB bearings, using non-round chainrings and their shifting performance and also changing from a 23mm to a 25mm tyre.

We hope you managed to learn some valuable tech knowledge this week and remember to keep your questions coming in for Jon using #askgcntech. 👇

Watch more on GCN Tech...
GCN Tech Show Ep. 38 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
Lampshades - Guustavv

Crank Lengths, Replacing Your Bottom Bracket & Gear Ratios | GCN Tech Clinic

Welcome to week two of our Emma Does Cyclo-Cross series, where Emma builds up to her first ever cross race. This week Si is teaching the basics of getting on and off a moving bike. He runs through the dismount, remount and also running while carrying your cross bike.

Emma is learning fast and after this week's lesson, she can now safely dismount and remount her cyclocross bike. Emma is still wearing her knee and elbow pads but we're sure they'll soon be ditched! This is a far more advanced skill than last week and can take time to master. Even the very quick learner Emma had a couple of tumbles while perfecting the technique. Watch the full video to see how she goes.

Are you following along with this series? Let us know if you are in the comments. 👇

Watch more on GCN...
Emma Does Cross Ep.1 📹 

Music: Epidemic Sound
A Mental Breakdown 
Revelations Of A New Man 3 - Gavin Luke 
If Only I Was a Poet (Instrumental Version)

September 2018

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