DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME
We can learn a lot from the way pro riders go about their business, but there are certain parts of the job we should think twice about before imitating...
01 EXTREME TECHNIQUE
How could we open this feature with anything other than the inspiration for it –
Chris Froome’s audacious bid for the yellow jersey coming off the Col de Peyresourde at the 2016 Tour de France. Crouching low on the top-tube, and pedalling at a huge cadence, it looked extreme. Whether it was, as Froome claimed, a “spur of the moment thing” or an act of extreme calculation conceived aboard Team Sky’s ‘Death Star’ coach, it was something that even he suggested should be left to the pros. “Please don’t try this at home #safetyfirst,” Froome tweeted, though he swiftly undermined that by retweeting a video of a six-year-old doing just that! done that on a bike? What’s the fuss? Training nowadays, from what I’ve read, everything is in a spreadsheet and you’ve got to tick things off. It stops kids being creative. Peter Sagan never went through a British Cycling skills assessment. He was a mountain biker, where you learn in a dynamic environment how to handle your bike, and he’s learnt these amazing skills because of the environment he grew up with. It’s an important part of the maturation of a cyclist, where you enable play. You can’t learn a skill on a turbo trainer or through an over-subscribed coaching programme. You’ve got to go out and find it yourself.”
Why avoid Transferring your weight to the front of the bike destabilises you and heightens the risks of falling should you hit a pothole or stone. Descending off mountains or steep hills has enough inherent risks without adding more to the pot.
Why try Because it’s an adrenaline rush like no other!
Verdict Never be afraid to have fun on your bike but be aware of the variables that professional riders are able to control. They have the whole road to play with, a high level of confidence that motor vehicles won’t get in the way (not withstanding certain race motorbikes!) and they may well have extensively recced the stretch of road they attempt the risky manoeuvre on.
02 POOR MECHANIC SKILLS
Having the luxury of a mechanic can lead to the stunting of a pro’s skills
in the workshop. While there are plenty who know their way around a bike, there are others who don’t have a clue – we won’t name him but we’ve seen one household name at a loss when trying to take a cassette off his wheel.
“I’ll see riders who don’t know how to shift gear under load, and they’ll bring me mangled-looking chains and twisted derailleurs as a result. Some are unable to install chains, others aren’t good at cleaning,” says the Madison Genesis mechanic Chuck Buckley.
For us being self-sufficient is as crucial as strong legs – it gives you confidence knowing that you can dig yourself out of a hole on the road and can also save heaps in labour costs over time.
“BEING SELF SUFFICIENT IS AS CRUCIAL AS STRONG LEGS. IT GIVES CONFIDENCE ON THE ROAD AND SAVES MONEY”
03 BEING A WEIGHT WEENIE
Saving grams anywhere they can is an obsession for some riders. Take Alberto Contador, who often swapped his bike before the final climb of a stage for a bike with tyres so fine and light that they’d only be used once. Do the pros take it too far? Perhaps, but why they go to such lengths is because they’ve nothing to spare from their bodies. We should ask ourselves the same question when, for example, we pay £50 more for a helmet that’s 10g lighter than an alternative lid.
Ben Wilson, a coach at personalbestcycling.co.uk, says: “People often go for the easy buy rather than take the time to learn the skills that will make their hobby more fun or safer. It’s a shortcut to lose weight from the bike by spending money, rather than lose it from [yourself].”
04 TUBULAR TYRES
‘Tubs’ are the tyre of choice for the pros; they’re a lighter overall package (the tyre rim doesn’t need pressure
retaining sidewalls and an inner tube isn’t required), have a reduced chance of puncturing and they allow cyclists to continue if they do flat. However, given how difficult they are to fit, and the issues that arise when they do puncture, they are tremendously inconvenient to everyday riding, where the benefits pro riders have with team mechanics, vehicles or kindly teammates offering their wheels in the event of a flat don’t exist. Gluing the tyre onto the rim is much a more awkward affair than fitting a clincher tyre. Furthermore, the tubular tyre cannot be repaired easily like a tube. Smaller defects can be repaired with a puncture-protection liquid but, otherwise, the entire tubular tyre must be changed.
“Some clinchers are now on a par with tubular tyres when it comes to rolling resistance. You could argue that this is because clincher road tyres have a shorter product life cycle than tubular tyres, influenced by the continuing availability of newer technologies and production processes, which is forcing manufacturers to try to stay ahead of their competitors by constantly improving and renewing the product.
“If they don’t improve, the consumer will buy a newer, better clincher. It’s a cycle that has been moving faster for clinchers than tubulars, hence the catch-up.”
Why avoid Tricky to fit, even trickier to repair, tubs also depend heavily on the skills of the mechanic fitting them. A bad glue job can lead to a tyre rolling off the rim, with predictably catastrophic results.
Why try The one place tubulars still make sense for amateurs is cyclo-cross, where ultra-low pressures are a competitive advantage, and there’s no risk of getting stranded out in the sticks.
Verdict With the cons heavily outweighing the benefits, tubulars are totally impractical for everyday use. Even pros will train on clinchers and, in time trials at least, some are now using them in competition.
“PEOPLE OFTEN GO FOR THE EASY BUY RATHER THAN LEARN SKILLS THAT WILL MAKE THEIR HOBBY SAFER”
05 PRESSURE WASHING BIKES
A familiar sight at a team’s hotel post-race is one of the mechanics jet-washing bikes,
removing all trace of dirt, readying it for the next day’s racing and making it look shiny for sponsors. Every day of their racing career, a professional will start on an as-good-as-new bike, or at least they should. Be wary, however, of doing the same yourself. It works for them because every nut and cranny is being continuously re-lubed and checked. If you fire up the jet washer at home you run the risk of wrecking your bearings. this would mean you have to strip it down regularly. I’d use a gentle hose, but a soft rag and bucket will do a good job.
“A pressure washer will flush the bearings clean – in the hub, bottom bracket and headset – so if you’re not comfortable taking them apart and putting grease on them, it starts to get expensive with the number of times you’re taking it to be serviced. In my experience of working in bike shops in England, people aren’t washing their bikes nearly enough. I’d get them to use a pressure washer over simply not cleaning the bike at all. The weather is often rubbish in England so a bike will collect dirt on most rides. That will wreck your bike sooner than flushed bearings!”
Why avoid The pressure washer will blast the lube clean off your bearings, while forcing dirt into them. Best to rub it down with a gentle hose or an old-fashioned bucket and sponge along with a cleaner such as Muc-Off’s Nano Tech.
Why try Your bike will look as though you could eat your dinner off it and will also get you more familiar with the bike’s workings when you grease bearings. As long as you do so, of course…
Verdict It might take longer but hand washing, with some gentle hosing, does a better all-round job and brings you up close and personal with your bike, helping you to keep watch on parts that are in need of changing.
06 RISKY ON BIKE KIT CHANGES
Making simple kit changes while in the saddle, such as adding or removing a rain jacket or gilet, is a valuable skill that will save you time and energy, whether you’re riding on your own, on a club run or in a race. But there are times when you should really think about pulling over.
“I remember seeing Mark Cavendish change a broken shoe without stopping,” says former pro rider Dean Downing. “The pros are experts who spend their working lives on their bike and such changes are an occupational hazard that, if they weren’t able to do, would likely mean they weren’t cut out for the job.
“For the simple, essential moves, practise pedalling on a flat, quiet stretch of road with your hands off the bar, keeping your body still. Once you’re comfortable, put on and remove your gilet. It’s the easiest piece because it’s so unrestrictive. Keep your head up and maintain awareness.”
“REMOVING A RAIN JACKET IS A VALUABLE SKILL BUT THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT PULLING OVER”
07 RIDING THROUGH INJURY
In the crazy world of pro racing, where contracts are short and careers
forever on a knife-edge, riding through injury is an occupational hazard. It can almost be excused if the injury happens during a big stage race – see Geraint Thomas’s efforts at the 2013 Tour where, incredibly, he finished despite fracturing his pelvis on the opening stage. But if the rider is going through a season from race to race, with persistent injury, it’s a recipe for disaster.
For professionals, it’s their job. As amateurs, we should give ourselves much more slack. We cycle for enjoyment and, if an injury is impeding that, we need to rest up and come back when we’re fit and healthy. That said, if you’re injured or come down with illness during or just prior to our big season goal, it’s worth testing the water to see if you can continue. If you can’t, fine – you can stop without regret.
08 MOTOR PACING
A popular training technique among amateur and racers, motor pacing involves a cyclist or group of cyclists riding closely to the wheel of a derny or motorcycle. It simulates a race situation by allowing the rider/s to hold wheels at high speeds and get used to the higher leg speed of racing, travelling up to 70kph for lengthy periods, as well as providing the chance to develop race techniques and tactics, including sprint lead-outs. But it has risks and should be thought about by all involved first, with a properly insured and licensed driver who understands what it’s like to be in both saddles. Communication to the cyclist is crucial, using hand signals to warn of road obstacles without changing the motorbike’s pace. tactical or physical component. If you want a hard, race-pace workout it allows for that, hitting corners and speeds you can’t do on your own, and it really heightens the senses. It’s not just the pros that do it – I’ve seen amateurs motor pacing over the years. Again, I was doing it with my dad when I was 15. Motor-pacing sessions on the track are always over-subscribed.
“As part of a balanced training programme, the occasional pacing session, as long as it’s done with safety as your priority, can really add value. You finish a session buzzing. And isn’t that what you want, to feel excited about riding your bike?”
Why avoid Aside from the obvious safety risks involved with riding on the wheel of a motorbike, there’s the issue of finding appropriate roads in Britain.
Why try Make sure your club has British Cycling insurance, which covers the use of pacing motors for training purposes. Motors are limited to engine sizes of 125cc and the pacers themselves must hold a British Cycling Motor Pacing licence. You should also fit a small roller to the back of the scooter, which allows for small contacts between cyclist and pacer and will keep your wheel turning rather than slowing it.
Verdict Unless you’re training to race you’d be mad to try it, but it shouldn’t be considered a ‘pro only’ thing. Younger racers can take a lot from it.
All pros run these, no matter the conditions or
terrain, but think twice. Carbon wheels, depth for depth, are lighter than alloy rims but their braking ability in the wet plummets – and while pros are skilful enough to overcome this, we might not be.
“In events in the mountains, a solid, reliable set of wheels is better than a lightweight set that might not last the duration of your trip,” says Ben Wilson.
Full carbon wheels can also be tricky to maintain, particularly when spokes break, and although the technology has come on in recent years, the heat build-up in the rims from braking can deform the wheel. However, this is only a problem when you use rim brakes – disc brakes are hugely improved performers in the wet. They’ll prolong the life of your wheel, and perhaps do the same for you, too.
“IN EVENTS IN THE MOUNTAINS, A SOLID, RELIABLE SET OF WHEELS IS BETTER THAN A LIGHTWEIGHT SET”