In the world of professional cycling everyone’s after an edge. Traditionally riders have gained this edge by taking drugs and transfusing their own blood back into their bodies to boost their ability to work harder for longer. You’ve probably noticed that the latest thing – if you believe the accusations – is to fit a small motor into the downtube of the bike so that it links in with a gear mechanism in the bottom bracket and allows a cyclist to power their way along with a motor assisting them. In this video the entire theory is explained. You can make up your own mind about whether you think it’s true, and Cancellara’s team have strongly denied it. It does seem a little unlikely to me – especially as, as far as I’m aware the bikes are checked thoroughly by the UCI in order to ensure that less obvious ways of cheating the system (like making the bike lighter) are avoided. Still, if it’s possible then you can find a whole new way to excuse that girl on a Dutch bike overtaking you on the hill on your way home. Clearly she has gone for exactly the same system and it’s not that you’re far less fit than you imagined.
Talking of professional racing, the city centres of Britain are, once again, seeing “gladiatorial team racing” on their streets as the Halfords Tour Series is in full swing. Apparently this relies on getting as many people from your team as highly placed as possible, while also securing individual wins, which does seem somewhat similar to any tour series of bike races, but I’m sure the unique, gladiatorial aspect is clear to the organisers. You can see whether it seems that different for yourself on various nights on ITV4 if you can’t make it to the cities involved.
One place the Tour Series will not be welcome is Black Hawk in Colorado. There they have banned all bikes from the roads in a move that seems somewhat contrary to the mood of the entire rest of the world. While everyone else is encouraging bike use to save the planet and make us all fitter, Black Hawk have decided it’s wrong, dangerous, and – possibly - evil.
Finally bad news for those of you who enjoy the sight of nude people, you’ve just missed the London Naked Bike Ride. It was last weekend and you could so easily have joined the throngs of naked people and even bigger throngs of somewhat suspect photographers along the route through central London. Next year we’ll try and remind you in time. For one day people were able to set aside the idea of cycling tribes defined by what you wear and all ride as one naked cycling family (although a slightly odd family that you’d be embarrassed to spend Christmas with). I’m pretty sure that’s the reason behind it. Oh and something about oil.
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