The column: How to hack the off-season

The column: How to hack the off-season

The road year is just about over, but don’t sit around moping this off-season. There’s plenty more two-wheeled action out there, you’ve just got to be… open-minded

6 Day London Cyclocross Il Lombardia Racing Zwift

So it is that with Il Lombardia we arrive at a hard stop on the 2019 cycling season. 


But what about the Tour of Guangxi, some of you may be bellowing. It’s a hidden gem. The hipsters’ choice. You might be right, but we just look at the startlist and find ourselves wondering what all those riders are being punished for. A number of them, we suspect, are being dispatched to China to serve out their sentences… sorry, contracts, before departing for pastures new in 2020.


While the likes of Primoz Roglic, Michael Woods and Egan Bernal have been squeezing every last drop of juice out of the season, others such as Alexander Kristoff, are already boasting about being on their holibobs.


Three whole months without road racing – anyone who says the season starts in January is kidding themselves – might sound tough on paper, but there is salvation, if you’re prepared to be a bit open-minded.

 

Firstly we have the track. Six Days are always excellent entertainment, but with the madison returning to the Olympics next year, they offer an additional level of interest. London, Berlin, Ghent, Copenhagen (and Bremen, apparently) takes us practically a third of the way to next year (if you watch all of them #maths). The Olympics also puts extra emphasis on the other velodrome’s disciplines, as the world’s best board-riders begin building their form in order to first qualify for – and then peak at – the biggest sporting event in the world. 


With a bunch of their best having called it a day since Rio, will the Brits be as dominant as they have been in the past? Are the new class – such as Charlie Tanfield and Ethan Hayter – able to pick up where the likes of Bradley Wiggins left off? Your first hints will come at the World Cup in Glasgow the weekend after the Rouleur Classic.

 

If you prefer your indoor cycling to be of the virtual variety then… have you heard of Zwift? Word on the street (by which we mean the streets of Watopia) is it’s going to be a bit of a big deal. We may not have reached the point of reporting on the races in our pages, yet, but it can only be a matter of time until we’re at least as inclined to tune in to the E-Sports World Championships as we are the Tour Down Under. No offence TDU.

 

If that all sounds a little too much like clean living and you like to get down and dirty ‘cross, as they say, is coming. Actually, it’s come already. Although the appearances of the two biggest stars in all of cycling, Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert, are expected to be somewhat selective this winter, the big (though not in stature) British hope, Tom Pidcock, is looking to make a serious splash. The under-23 World Champion launched his team this week and will hit the slopes of the Telenet Superprestige race in Gieten, this weekend. 


Gallery: 6 Day London by Benedict Campbell


If you can’t decide between them – and there’s no reason why you have to, really – there’s always the weekend of November 17th, when both the cyclocross and the 6 Day land in Flanders.


If none of that does it for you, there are of course, always other sports… Just kidding. Two wheels good. No wheels worse.

 

The post The column: How to hack the off-season appeared first on The world's finest cycling magazine.

6 Day London Cyclocross Il Lombardia Racing Zwift


READ MORE

Clever tactics, brave riding and a dose of good fortune: How Ben O'Connor plans to continue his success in 2025 with Jayco Alula

Clever tactics, brave riding and a dose of good fortune: How Ben O'Connor plans to continue his success in 2025 with Jayco Alula

After a season which saw him fourth in the Giro, second in the Vuelta and second in the world championships, the Australian rider speaks about...

Leggi di più
Giro or Vuelta decision on ice, but Tadej Pogačar certain 'I can improve some more'

Giro or Vuelta decision on ice, but Tadej Pogačar certain 'I can improve some more'

The UAE Team Emirates rider revealed his plans for next season and says things can still get better - the question is: how?

Leggi di più
‘I champion everybody to follow their dreams’ - Shanaze Reade on building a better future for the next generation

‘I champion everybody to follow their dreams’ - Shanaze Reade on building a better future for the next generation

The former multiple BMX and track world champion is focusing on how she can help create opportunities for those less privileged

Leggi di più
Ben Healy’s weakness is his strength: ‘It never makes me indecisive’

Ben Healy’s weakness is his strength: ‘It never makes me indecisive’

The EF Education-EasyPost rider knows where his strength lies, and he is focussing on this in the pursuit of success

Leggi di più
The peloton

Do bigger budgets and salaries in the WorldTour really make cycling better?

With limited income streams and job security for just a select few, how sustainable is the growth of the sport?

Leggi di più
Pidcock's next page: What does his future look like with Q36.5?

Pidcock's next page: What does his future look like with Q36.5?

The British rider officially terminated his contract with Ineos Grenadiers earlier this week, but what next for him at the lower division Q36.5?

Leggi di più

MEMBERSHIP

JOIN ROULEUR TODAY

Independent journalism, award winning content, exclusive perks.

Banner Image