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No regrets on not winning 2011 Vuelta says Wiggins … on day Froome gets red jersey for that race; Giro champ Carapaz out of Vuelta; BMX icon the Raleigh Super Tuff Burner is back; Boardman shows lessons we can learn from Utrecht + more on the live blog

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
22 August 2019, 19:39
No regrets on not winning 2011 Vuelta, says Wiggins … on day Froome receives winner’s jersey

Sir Bradley Wiggins has said he has no regrets on not winning the 2011 Vuelta – on a day when former team-mate Chris Froome was officially awarded the race winner’s red jersey for that edition.

“I’m pleased to have been on the podium once at the Vuelta,” Wiggins told Eurosport, where he is now a pundit and has a podcast. “I don’t lose any sleep at night because I didn’t win the World Tour, for sure.”

The 2011 race sowed the seeds of a feud between the Team Sky duo that would explode during the following year’s Tour de France, won by Wiggins with Froome runner-up, and which has simmered along ever since.

Froome won the Stage 10 individual time trial in Salamanca to take the overall lead, but under team orders on the following stage was made to work for Wiggins, who moved into the red jersey.

Wiggins lost the lead on the Stage 15 ascent of the Angliru to Geox-TMC rider Juan Jose Cobo, with Froome emerging as the stronger of the two Team Sky riders in the third week, finishing runner-up to the Spaniard, with his team-mate third.

Cobo was stripped of his title in June due to irregularities in his biological passport, with the victory now awarded to Froome – making him Great Britain’s first Grand Tour winner – and Wiggins moving up to second place overall.

22 August 2019, 15:55
Movistar confirm that Giro winner Richard Carapaz WILL miss the Vuelta

Further to the news earlier today that the Ecuadorian was in doubt for the Spanish Grand Tour after he crashed att the weekend, Movistar have confirmed that Richard Carapaz will defintely miss the race.

22 August 2019, 14:37
22 August 2019, 14:36
1980s icon the Raleigh Super Tuff Burner is back – but numbers are limited!

One of the iconic 1980s BMX bikes, the Raleigh Super Tuff Burner is back, and available to pre-order now – but if you want to get your mitts on one, you’d best be quick because it’s a limited edition.

Raleigh Burner wheelie

Three and a half decades after the original launch, the bike retains its gold super chrome finish and black skyway mag wheels. Costing £600, it is available to customers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland to pre-order from now until 31 August, with a limit of one bike per order and delivery guaranteed a week before it goes on general sale on 24 October.

Brand manager Tabitha Morrell said: “Over the years we’ve released the Aero Pro Burner, and the Team Aero Pro Burner, which takes us to our latest release – the Super Tuff Burner – completing the trilogy of our classic bike range.

“The Super Tuff Burner is such an iconic bike for children of the 80s, and for those who enjoyed the bike in its prime, adults are now able to buy it for their own kids to enjoy today.”

22 August 2019, 14:04
Unlikely celeb cycling fans: Ariana Grande

The popstar posted this footage as part of the latest story on her Instagram account, in which she was reportedly cycling around Amsterdam at 2am this morning with pals. 

22 August 2019, 13:44
Dieser Sex steht in Flammen...

More Beefeater Bend madness from the Tour, this time a Europop spin on a Kings of Leon classic. We understand they will be making roadside appearances at the World Championships, so watch this space if you're heading up to Yorkshire next month!

22 August 2019, 12:47
Video: Chris Boardman on cycling in Utrecht

It's not a new video, but this short film by Chris Boardman about cycling in Utrecht is well worth a few minutes of your time. The city's been in the news this week after the official opening of the world's biggest cycle parking facility there.

22 August 2019, 12:32
John Degenkolb signs for Lotto-Soudal

There's a few big names who will be racing in new colours next season - and the latest is 2015 Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix winner John Degenkolb, with the German today confirmed as having signed a two-year contract with Lotto-Soudal.

He joins from Trek-Segafredo, with whom he starts the Vuelta on Saturday, a race in which he already has 10 stage wins to his name from his five previous participations.

22 August 2019, 12:27
22 August 2019, 12:25
Giro champ Carapaz in Vuelta doubt after crash

Just 48 hours before the start of the Vuelta, Movistar have revealed that Giro d'Italia champion Richard Carapaz is in doubt for the race following a crash at the weekend.

22 August 2019, 11:01
Tour de l'Avenir post footage of Pidcock's crash

Pidcock slid out in a wet corner on the descent approaching the finish of yesterday's stage. He hit the barriers at speed, taking a rather hefty knock to the face. 

22 August 2019, 10:14
Chris Froome officially accepts red jersey from 2011 Vuelta victory

Froome became the retrospective winner after Juan José Cobo was stripped of the title due to irregularities in his biological passport from the time. As he formally accepted the red jersey, Froome said:"That race was incredibly special for me, it was the race that I first started to believe in myself as a Grand Tour contender."

Of course that means he's now officially the first British Grand Tour winner, with his then-teammate Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France in 2012. 

22 August 2019, 09:56
Not me.
22 August 2019, 08:17
James Hayden escapes attempted robbery by horseback would-be thieves

Hayden's twitter account broke the news this morning that he managed to escape an attempted robbery on the Silk Road Mountain Race route in Kyrgyzstan, and was forced to ride back the way he came to escape two horse back riders with dogs who were reportedly about to attempt a robbery. 

A second tweet said: "James was eventually able to get away from the two horse riders by descending back the way he came. The incident has left James a bit shaken, he will take some time to consider next steps. This is sadly an isolated incident in what is a wonderful country.”

It would be a sad way for Hayden's race to end, and the live tracker shows that he has now lost the lead with Lael Wilcox and Jakub Sliacan both almost 100km ahead - we'll update if and when we get more news. 

22 August 2019, 08:07
Tao Geoghegan Hart reveals intricate arsenal of coffee-making equipment he takes on the road

In the opening paragraph of his blog article, Geoghegan Hart of Team Ineos does say "I’m no self-professed coffee snob"; however this appears to be quite a bit more than just taking a few teabags with you on holiday to get a guaranteed caffeine fix. 

On every trip he will take coffee beans, paper filters, some Hario scales, a grinder, travel mug, an aero press, a dripper, a travel kettle and then a mug for best. Geoghegan Hart describes this routine as "recognition of the importance of a few minutes of precision and control in an otherwise often chaotic day" when he's on the road. 

22 August 2019, 07:45
Richmond will get a free open air cinema to celebrate Cycling World Championships
2014_Richmond_Market_Place

The Northern Echo reports that locals will be able to choose which films will be screened at the event following the world championship racing on Thursday 26th September, with films  being shown at 4.30pm and 7.30pm. It's free, you just need to bring your own chair. 

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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22 comments

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

I did buy a Freds Mr T, but it made bad tea.

Crazy Fool.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to ktache | 4 years ago
0 likes
ktache wrote:

I did buy a Freds Mr T, but it made bad tea.

Crazy Fool.

I pity the tool that doesn't have enough room for the leaves to infuse.

 

Avatar
ktache | 4 years ago
1 like

I have lived pretty much next to a Costa, I can see it from my bedroom, and I have never purchased anything from them.  I did go in there once in an attempt to warn a gentleman that his bicycle was not actually locked up.  I like TEA.  (Though I will occasionally buy a coffee when properly out as very few places can make good cup of tea)

Yorkshire Gold Loose Leaf Tea too, which is getting increasingly difficult to find.

So I'm going to list my tea making devices, as we've been doing the flash coffee thing.

My at work tea pot is the Bodum Assam-

https://www.bodum.com/gb/en/1812-01-assam?gclid=CjwKCAjwnf7qBRAtEiwAseBO...

Mine is a slightly older version.

And I use the Elite Deboyo insulated stainless steel bottle as my teacup, as I take it filled on my commute.

I do have the Eva Solo Tea Maker-

https://www.evasolo.com/en/on-the-table/coffee-and-tea/tea-maker/tea-mak...

which makes a lovely cup of tea, and looks the part, but I was given a Sage Heston Blumenthal Tea Maker as a leaving present from work-

https://www.sageappliances.com/uk/en/products/tea/btm800.html

Which makes a beautiful pot of tea with no effort, every time, and keeps it hot for an hour.  It can make 1.2l of great tea.

I would never have got one for myself, but when I eventually break it, or it breaks, I will have to buy another, it really is that good.

Avatar
Organon | 4 years ago
0 likes

Did Froome go back in time to 2011 to record that video?

Avatar
brooksby replied to Organon | 4 years ago
2 likes
Organon wrote:

Did Froome go back in time to 2011 to record that video?

Yes - but you have to be a real pro to ride at 88mph! (*edit:) and a helluva dynamo! 

Avatar
ChrisB200SX | 4 years ago
3 likes

Love those bodum insulating cups, I've got a few that I never use... also love the nerding out about coffee  4

Avatar
Simon E | 4 years ago
0 likes

Nice to see a young person who can string a decent sentence together without a bunch of grammar howlers. Or did he plagiarise it off the internet?  3 It will be interesting to see how he gets on in the Vuelta, it's a pretty hilly parcours.

Surprised that the great 'marginal gains' team don't have the coffee sufficiently dialled in that he has to take his own setup everywhere. Not sure my coffee devotion is ready for an £85 grinder but thanks @hawkinspeter and Tao, I've bookmarked the Knock. Would like to try an aeropress one day but am not unhappy with preground coffee and a cafetiere* or, when I can be bothered, the little stovetop pot.

* is this akin to an alloy framed 9-speed bike with flat pedals and cheap OE wheels? would my home coffee drinking experience be worth upgrading to the equivalent of carbon and some deep sections?

Avatar
RobD replied to Simon E | 4 years ago
0 likes
Simon E wrote:

Not sure my coffee devotion is ready for an £85 grinder but thanks @hawkinspeter and Tao, I've bookmarked the Knock. Would like to try an aeropress one day but am not unhappy with preground coffee and a cafetiere* or, when I can be bothered, the little stovetop pot.

Depends on if you buy much takeaway coffee that you could make yourself. For me, getting a bean grinder has meant that I never buy takeaway coffee while at work, and I'll take it with me if I go away for a few days somewhere. If it cuts out £2.50 a day from just buying one takeaway coffee then it pays for itself very quickly. However if you never buy coffee to go then it might be a little bit spendy, but the taste is probably worth it.

Avatar
Simon E replied to RobD | 4 years ago
0 likes
RobD wrote:
Simon E wrote:

Not sure my coffee devotion is ready for an £85 grinder but thanks @hawkinspeter and Tao, I've bookmarked the Knock. Would like to try an aeropress one day but am not unhappy with preground coffee and a cafetiere* or, when I can be bothered, the little stovetop pot.

Depends on if you buy much takeaway coffee that you could make yourself. For me, getting a bean grinder has meant that I never buy takeaway coffee while at work, and I'll take it with me if I go away for a few days somewhere. If it cuts out £2.50 a day from just buying one takeaway coffee then it pays for itself very quickly. However if you never buy coffee to go then it might be a little bit spendy, but the taste is probably worth it.

I don't buy takeaway coffee. The few times I've had were always disappointing - overpriced, piss-weak muddy water. And drinking from a cardboard cup is for kids, a McD-level of yuck. Drinking coffee on the go is for people who don't care that it's muddy water as they're usually driving, walking down the street or distracted in some way, the taste is not important. 

I have preground cafetiere coffee at work and at home (mostly CafeDirect or Co-Op branded omniground). Is grinding your own really worth the expense and hassle?

Avatar
RobD replied to Simon E | 4 years ago
1 like
Simon E wrote:
RobD wrote:
Simon E wrote:

Not sure my coffee devotion is ready for an £85 grinder but thanks @hawkinspeter and Tao, I've bookmarked the Knock. Would like to try an aeropress one day but am not unhappy with preground coffee and a cafetiere* or, when I can be bothered, the little stovetop pot.

Depends on if you buy much takeaway coffee that you could make yourself. For me, getting a bean grinder has meant that I never buy takeaway coffee while at work, and I'll take it with me if I go away for a few days somewhere. If it cuts out £2.50 a day from just buying one takeaway coffee then it pays for itself very quickly. However if you never buy coffee to go then it might be a little bit spendy, but the taste is probably worth it.

I don't buy takeaway coffee. The few times I've had were always disappointing - overpriced, piss-weak muddy water. And drinking from a cardboard cup is for kids, a McD-level of yuck. Drinking coffee on the go is for people who don't care that it's muddy water as they're usually driving, walking down the street or distracted in some way, the taste is not important. 

I have preground cafetiere coffee at work and at home (mostly CafeDirect or Co-Op branded omniground). Is grinding your own really worth the expense and hassle?

Personally I notice a difference, is it enough to justify £85+ on a tool to do that job, I don't know, but having the option to buy a variety of whole beans, plus the fact that they don't go stale as quickly as ready ground would justify it for me. And I agree about the muddy water taste of most takeaway coffee available.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Simon E | 4 years ago
0 likes
Simon E wrote:

I have preground cafetiere coffee at work and at home (mostly CafeDirect or Co-Op branded omniground). Is grinding your own really worth the expense and hassle?

It depends on how much you like your coffee.

Personally, I think there's a huge difference between buying pre-ground coffee and whole beans. Once you grind coffee, it starts to lose its freshness quite quickly (much greater surface area) and though supermarkets use fancy bags (filled with nitrogen, maybe?) I always find that pre-ground tastes old and stale to me.

The big problem with grinding your own beans is that good grinders are expensive. Don't bother with the cheap "blade" grinders as they produce a big range of particle sizes which is rubbish for making decent coffee - you have to use a "burr" grinder to get good results. The hand-held Porlex grinders are pretty good and there's a lot of cheaper imitations that do a similar job but probably won't last as long. However, using a hand-held grinder can be a chore, so most people would use them just for camping etc. though I don't mind putting in a bit of effort (it's like cycling for the arms).

My adivce would be to buy a cheap thermometer before buying a grinder - water temperature can be very important. If you use boiling water to make cafetiere coffee, then you're doing it wrong - aim for about 90-95 degrees and see if you notice the difference.

@ktache - I do enjoy the occasional cup of tea. My current favourite is Russian Earl Grey loose leaf tea which I brew in the cup (!) using a Tuffy steeper:

 

Avatar
xerxes | 4 years ago
0 likes

"Try a Wacaco Nanopresso"

I am seriously tempted.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to xerxes | 4 years ago
2 likes
xerxes wrote:

"Try a Wacaco Nanopresso"

I am seriously tempted.

Here's a snap of one that I just brewed at work using a kettle, Aldi beans, the Knock Feldgrind and the Nanopresso with the extra barista kit that allows you to make double espressos.

@Simon E - an Aeropress isn't too expensive (~£25) and is definitely a worthwhile investment.

 

 

Avatar
CygnusX1 replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
5 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:
xerxes wrote:

"Try a Wacaco Nanopresso"

I am seriously tempted.

Here's a snap of one that I just brewed at work using a kettle, Aldi beans, the Knock Feldgrind and the Nanopresso with the extra barista kit that allows you to make double espressos.

 

Hope the WD40 and the bottle of lube are for your bike and not the coffee.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to CygnusX1 | 4 years ago
6 likes
CygnusX1 wrote:
hawkinspeter wrote:
xerxes wrote:

"Try a Wacaco Nanopresso"

I am seriously tempted.

Here's a snap of one that I just brewed at work using a kettle, Aldi beans, the Knock Feldgrind and the Nanopresso with the extra barista kit that allows you to make double espressos.

Hope the WD40 and the bottle of lube are for your bike and not the coffee.

It's the next logical step on from Bulletproof coffee - just a spray or two of WD-40 sets you up for the day.

Avatar
brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
1 like
hawkinspeter wrote:
xerxes wrote:

"Try a Wacaco Nanopresso"

I am seriously tempted.

Here's a snap of one that I just brewed at work using a kettle, Aldi beans, the Knock Feldgrind and the Nanopresso with the extra barista kit that allows you to make double espressos.

 

Mmmm...  Espresso...

 

Avatar
Pushing50 replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
0 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:
xerxes wrote:

"Try a Wacaco Nanopresso"

I am seriously tempted.

Here's a snap of one that I just brewed at work using a kettle, Aldi beans, the Knock Feldgrind and the Nanopresso with the extra barista kit that allows you to make double espressos.

 

Is that the full nutty flavoured Aldi beans?

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Pushing50 | 4 years ago
0 likes
Pushing50 wrote:
hawkinspeter wrote:
xerxes wrote:

"Try a Wacaco Nanopresso"

I am seriously tempted.

Here's a snap of one that I just brewed at work using a kettle, Aldi beans, the Knock Feldgrind and the Nanopresso with the extra barista kit that allows you to make double espressos.

 

Is that the full nutty flavoured Aldi beans?

Alcafe Colombian (or was it Italian?) beans - I buy cheap coffee for use at work.

I get the fancy single estate beans (from Hasbean) to drink at home where I've got a "cheap" Baratza grinder and I do my own roasting using an old Behmor home roasting machine. I used to roast beans using an old popcorn maker, but that involved a lot more supervision to prevent fires and didn't give much control over the temperature. The big advantage of home roasting is that green coffee beans can be stored for months with virtually no degradation.

Avatar
PRSboy | 4 years ago
0 likes

+ 1 for the Aeropress, its brilliant! (if you didn't already know, designed by the same fella who designed the Aerobie, the extraordinary flying disc which seems to go effortlessly for miles, a mini aerodynamic masterpiece...)

I like the idea of a ritual like that before a race, calm the mind and focus.

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
2 likes

Noice! You don't often hear of Knock grinders, but they are fantastic. I bought a Feldgrind and was really impressed with it, but then found out that they'd made a slightly smaller one that fits inside the Aeropress for an especially compact travel solution so I ended up getting one of them as well: http://www.madebyknock.com/store/p39/Aergrind.html

I'm not sure what mess he made by using a metal filter with an Aeropress - I've been using metal filters for years and I think there's less mess than using a paper filter (it does taste slightly different as metal filters allow through more of the oils).

Gus T wrote:

But the Aeropress is the next best thing to a professional expresso maker, can't beat one when your away.

No it isn't, though Aeropress makes outstanding coffee, it isn't an espresso.

Try a Wacaco Nanopresso if you want proper espresso on the move: https://www.wacaco.com/pages/nanopresso

Avatar
brooksby | 4 years ago
2 likes
Quote:

Tao Geoghegan Hart reveals intricate arsenal of coffee-making equipment

He must have to have some sort of bikepacking bag just for his barista equipment! 

Avatar
Gus T replied to brooksby | 4 years ago
1 like
brooksby wrote:
Quote:

Tao Geoghegan Hart reveals intricate arsenal of coffee-making equipment

He must have to have some sort of bikepacking bag just for his barista equipment! 

But the Aeropress is the next best thing to a professional expresso maker, can't beat one when your away.

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