CONTENTS FEATURES

VOL. 9, ISSUE 5 36 Pedalling Revolution

in Cuba

36 On the trail of a guerrilla

with a flower behind her ear,
two women find adventure
Cuba and unavoidable activism
The Caribbean island is a beautiful,
but challenging place to ride.
There’s a scarcity of supplies,
rough roads and machismo. These
challenges can be overcome.
by Melanie Chambers

42 Innocent, But…
A win and a drug test from
a junior race continue to
haunt Jack Burke
Five years after being cleared
of an adverse analytical fi nding,
the young rider is still fighting

42
for his reputation. His case
continues to raise questions
about rider responsibility,

Precedent- anti-doping procedures and

what those tests truly reveal.

Setting by Dan Dakin

50 Inspiring Girls to Ride

Case Young women seem to be
drifting away from sport.
But athletes, coaches and
groups are helping girls
discover the fun of cycling.
There are many ways to
encourage girls to ride now
and to foster a lifelong love of
the bike. You can help, too.
by Molly Hurford

6 Editor’s Letter
8 Letters

50 9
10
Contributors
Gallery

Girls Shred 12
13
Vintage Velo
The Calendar
14 News
15 What’s Hot
Photos: Melanie Chambers, Casey B Gibson, Lindsay Donovan

57 Gear
80 Q&A
ON THE COVER
Andrew Romashyna rides a
Colnago C64 (p.58). He wears a
Smith Network MIPS helmet and
Pivlock Arena Max glasses.
He also sports an Art Factory
jersey, Neo Power Art Motion
bib shorts and Course Air Lite II
shoes (p.15), all by Garneau.
Photo: Richard Roth

2 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 Alley F-800

DAYTIME PULSE
A specific mode engineered to
be more visible during daytime
use—displaying unique flash
pattens that demand the
attention of motorists.

PHOTO:
@DANCHABANOV

KRYPTONITELOCK.COM
 CONTENTS
VOL. 9, ISSUE 5

70 74 62

66 32 26

THE SCENE GEAR

16 The Triplets of Belleville 25 Notes from the Gruppetto ROAD
Turns 15 A roadie’s adventures in mud 58 Colnago C64
Looking back at the animated by Bart Egnal
A well-balanced mix of tradition and innovation
cyclists suffering through le Tour 26 48 Hours
by Dan Dakin CITY
The expanding mountain bike
18 Ghost Net Busting networks of Ottawa-Gatineau 59 Trek Dual Sport+
Killer ocean waste becomes by Jeff Bartlett A zippy ride that will make you grin during your commutes
quality cycling gear 30 Nutrition TRAIL
by Terry McKall 4 nutrients cyclists need more of
60 Intense Sniper XC Expert
19 Sew and Tell by Matthew Kadey
Spandex or baggies? Yes.
What a bikepacker learned from 32 Guest Chef
making her own bags Jamie Vrooman's roast chicken IN DEPTH
by Tara Nolan by Matthew Pioro 61 Scott Launches New Enduro Bike
20 Triplo Stelvio The Ransom is resurrected for the rising discipline
TRAINING
Ascending the iconic climb 62 The New Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 Photos: Hiep Vu, Matt Stetson, Sterling Lorence, Matt Stetson, Uncredited, Sterling Lorence
three times in a row 33 Training Tips A little travel goes a long way
by Terry McKall Maintain your CX endurance
64 Giant Defy Relaunch
21 Books & Film by Andrew Randell and Steve Neal
The endurance bike balances performance and comfort
of The Cycling Gym
American Pro; The Comeback;
66 Testing the New Shimano XTR
Afghan Cycles 34 Technique
An impressive reboot of a top mountain bike system
A champion’s top-5 cyclocross tips
22 Cycling Celebrity
by Michael van den Ham RAPID FIRE
Rich Aucoin’s big ride
by David McPherson 35 Maintenance 68 5 for Getting Muddy
Parts every home mechanic Pick a shiny new cyclocross bike to run through the dirt
23 Crankology
should have
The beauty of late-season fitness 69 CX Essentials
by Nick Di Cristofaro
by James “Cranky” Ramsay Gear for before and after the race
24 Canadian Club DESTINATION 70 Cyclocross Tires for All Conditions
Cycledelia Racing’s hard rides on Treads for dry, fast surfaces and the deep muck
74 Mallorca
the windy Prairies 72 Light Up for Shorter Fall Days
An island playground for cyclists
by Rob Sturney
by Matt Stetson Send out some lumens to see and be seen

4 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S
TE A M S I LBE R ON YOU R
CONTI N U E D S UCCE S S .
—THE 11

www.the11inc.com

The Eleven Inc. • 26 Karl Fraser Road, Toronto, ON M3C 0E8 • Shops at Don Mills • 647.345.5611

Take
Your Pick…
Premium
premium tires made for the
highest performance
the latest technologies developed
with the world’s most successful
athletes
handmade by experienced specialists
in Korbach, Germany
the finest materials deliver superior
quality and the ultimate functionality
Performance
performance tires for ambitious
mountain bikers
exceptional value utilizing proprietary
materials and precise craftsmanship
in one economic package
Sport
a balanced mix of price and function
ideal for sport level use
EDITOR’S
LETTER
The Father, the
Daughter and Bikes
Fostering a love of cycling, like riding itself, requires balance
D uring a fantastic period this past spring, my
four-year-old daughter asked to go to Joyride
150, an indoor bike park. There was no prompting
from me, which is often the case. Then we had a fun
day at a local outdoor bike park. She was also riding
her balance bike almost every day to daycare. Oh
man, was I ever pleased. Previously, she had been
ambivalent about her bike, but she was really
enjoying riding. And then, she stopped.
“You want to ride your bike to daycare today?”
“No.”
“Huh. OK,” I would say. I found it perplexing,
maybe even a bit agonizing, but I kept my cool. She
would instead stand on the pedal of my commuter
bike as we’d talk during the walk to daycare,
which I thoroughly enjoyed, but…
Years ago, BMX coach Brendan Arnold advised
me not to push cycling too hard on my kid. It was
something I knew intuitively, but it often helps to
hear such things reinforced by an expert. Arnold –
who gets many kids riding at Stouffville BMX,
about 30 km north of Toronto – appears in Molly
Hurford’s stellar feature, ‘Inspiring Girls to Ride,’
(p.50). It’s a story I read with keen, keen interest.
Hurford was definitely the right writer for a story
about encouraging girls to take to two wheels. I’m
a fan of her novel for young readers, entitled Shred
Girls. An advance copy sits on my shelf as I wait for
my daughter to hit the right age for the story. Also,
Hurford has been featuring real-life shred girls on
her website of the same name for almost two years.
The site is just one of the many projects she has
that can pique a girl’s interest in cycling. As Hurford
writes in these pages, examples of women riding
bikes can help girls to embrace the activity. When
I watch World Cup cyclocross races at home, my
daughter will ask the gender of the riders on the
television. She’s always a little disappointed if it’s
the men’s race. But if it’s the women’s, she’ll ask, “Is
that one Sophie?” or “Is that Sanne?” wondering if
de Boer or Cant is in the race.
At the risk of giving too much away, I’ll tell you
about one point that Hurford makes in her story
that really gave me an “ah-ha” moment. A love of
cycling doesn’t just come from parent/daughter
time. It also comes from riding with friends. I’ve
been so keen to ride with my girl that I didn’t really
consider this part of cycling. I do have some fond
memories of riding with my parents
and sister back when I was a kid.
But, I probably spent more time on
a bike riding with the other kids on
our dead-end street. As a teenager,
I still got around a lot by bike with
my friends, even with fresh driver’s
licences in our pockets.
I remember one ride date my
daughter had with a friend at the local
bike park. They rode the pump track
a bit. Then, they put their bikes down
and collected pine cones. And arranged
pine cones. I think they might have
even made stick houses for the pine
cones. I now consider this off-bike
activity as a four-year-old’s version of
a long mid-ride espresso break.
As I write this, my daughter has
recently started insisting on riding
her pedal bike instead of the balance
bike. If I help her get up to speed, she
can pedal, and you can imagine how
happy that makes me. But getting
the bike going is still a challenge. She
gets frustrated, gets off the bike and
refuses to get back on. (Geez, I wonder
where she gets this stubbornness
from?) I want to say to her, for the
hundredth time, that she just needs
to push down on a pedal and push off
from the ground. But I keep my cool.
I know she’ll come back to the bike,
when she’s ready.
Matthew Pioro
Editor
 The King Series
#getthegrip

Race King Cross King Mountain King Trail King

26/27.5/29 2.0/ 2.2 26/27.5/29 2.2 /2.3 /2.6 26/27.5/29 2.3 /2.6 26/27.5/29 2.2 /2.4 /2.6

www.conti-bicycletIres.com
 LETTERS
Ride carefully and avoid a small stick
We all know that it’s a good idea to
avoid riding over fallen tree branches
on the road – and, for that matter, on
the trail – but what about apparently
insignificant twigs?
A few days after a particularly
intense windstorm in Ontario in
early May, the country roads north of
Newmarket, Ont., were strewn with
tree debris. On a ride, I was aware
of a small twig in my path – around
5" long and less than an inch thick. I
eased my front wheel to the left to
avoid riding over it. In an instant, I
Hail, tornadoes and rooster tails
In May, we were supposed ride an
easy 30-km gravel loop along the
rolling hills of rural Saskatchewan. I
hesitated to commit to riding as my
cyclocross bike was still on the trainer.
I’d have to change the tire on it, and
my road bike, and put my road bike
on the trainer. I got home from work
and quickly prepared my cyclo-
cross bike. I had about 10 minutes to
spare before our 4:30 p.m. departure.
I checked the weather forecast and
saw we might get a good dose of rain.
I sent a text to my riding buddies
asking if they checked the weather.
No response.
We set out of town going south on
passing car. Eventually, we sat under
some maple trees.
We’d been through some severe
weather together before. We could
tough it out. I tried to ride with my
left gloved hand covering my face
and eyes, squinting to see and
trying to hold my line and not get
blown off the road.
Back at my house, I tried to open
my garage door. It went up a foot and
then closed. I repeated it again as
the hail, rain and wind were coming
down. It closed again. I discovered
that my wife had just got home. She
had finished putting the plants inside
and was trying to keep the rain from
coming in. I yelled, “Hey let me in!”

LETTER was on the ground bleeding from my

face and, as determined later in the
a gravel road. After 2 km, my Garmin
started beeping and alerted me to a
OF THE ER, had a broken collar bone, wrist severe thunderstorm warning. We
ISSUE and finger. Season over. agreed to stay close to town as it
My 18-year-old custom steel looked fairly dark to the west and we
(Columbus Foco) frame fared no better with bent and decided to keep going south. Little did
cracked top and down tubes, but with no damage to the we know a landspout funnel had been
front wheel and spokes. So the question is – what caused photographed close to the Mosaic K2
the sudden braking and the resulting bone breaks? mine near Gerald, Sask., earlier in the
I can only conclude that somehow the twig flipped day. As we continued, the rain came
upward and followed the tire to the top of the fork, and then and coated our sunglasses in water.
jammed the wheel. We crossed the next intersection,
Lesson learned – and passed on for the benefit of all and then dime-size hail came down
cyclists – avoid woody debris no matter how small and forcing us off the road. We hunkered
insignificant it may appear. down underneath some caragana
Andrew Darke trees. I tried to take a picture of one
Newmarket, Ont. of the hailstones that fell nearby and
discovered my hands were almost too
wet to operate the cellphone
Once the hail seemed to be dying
down, we took a road with light
traffic. The rooster-tail spray off the
lead rider’s wheel was an incred-
ible sight of grit, sand and water, and
Letter of the Issue made following closely a poor choice.
Andrew Darke’s letter is our letter of the issue, which wins him a The crosswinds picked up to what
pair of Continental 28c Gatorskin tires (valued at $75 each). Send us seemed like 70 to 80 km/h gusts. And
your letters for a chance to win a pair of Continental tires for your then the hail came back and stung
bike. Email your comments to info@cyclingmagazine.ca
our faces like rocks flung up by a
and then the door opened up.
After the ride, I had no marks from
the weather, but one of the guys had
red welts all over his arms from the
hail. I emptied the water out of my
shoes and hung up my clothes and
saw that my bike was clean. It didn’t
need to be washed thanks to the rain.
It was a ride that we won’t forget,
and now we will check the weather
forecast and radar more closely.
Blair Drader
Esterhazy, Sask.
Like a housewarming, but on bikes
On July 1, I was riding alone in my
new home area in southwest Ontario,
when I passed a pack of riders from
the Railway City Cycling Club. I
looked up the club when I got home,
signed up and have since then been
enjoying group rides and other club
events. Cycling is more than a great
way to stay fit; it’s a great way to meet
new people and feel at home after
moving to a new town.
Robert Pearson
Port Stanley, Ont.
(formerly of the Montreal area)

Now on cyclingmagazine.ca
We’re heading to Peterborough, Ont., to cover cyclocross nationals (p.13). Tune Download previous issues of Canadian Cycling Magazine
using our iPad and iPhone apps. Join in the discussion:
in for coverage of the event. If, after reading ‘Inspiring Girls to Ride’ (p.50), you
Facebook facebook.com/cyclingmag
want to encourage someone to get cycling, check out writer Molly Hurford’s Twitter @canadiancycling
#ShredGirl resources. Also, you can read more about the Giant Trance Advanced Instagram @canadiancycling
YouTube Canadian Cycling Magazine
Pro 29 (p.62) and the Giant Defy (p.64).

8 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 CONTRIBUTORS

Editor Matthew Pioro

matthew@cyclingmagazine.ca
Senior Editors
Dan Dakin, Kevin Mackinnon Molly Hurford
Associate Editor Andre Cheuk Inspiring Girls to Ride, p.50
Photo Editor Matt Stetson Molly Hurford is a writer in love with
matt.stetson@gripped.com
all things cycling, running, yoga,
Copy Editor Amy Stupavsky
nutrition and movement-related.
Art Director Warren Wheeler
layout@cyclingmagazine.ca She’s a little obsessed with getting
[Roseander Main, roseandermain.com] more women psyched on adventure
Designer Cristina Bolzon
and being outside, and regularly hosts
Production Artist Warren Hardy
talks and runs clinics for cyclists.
Web Editor Philippe Tremblay
philippe@cyclingmagazine.ca She’s also the author of multiple books
MTB Web Editor Terry McKall on cycling and nutrition and co-hosts
terry@cyclingmagazine.ca The Consummate Athlete Podcast.
Video Producer Maxine Gravina
maxine@gripped.com Her most recent project, Shred Girls,
Web Developer Sean Rasmussen is a young adult fiction series (and
Publisher Sam Cohen website) focused on getting girls
sam@gripped.com excited about bikes.
Editorial Director David Smart
dave@gripped.com
Advertising & Sales Andre Cheuk Michael van den Ham
andre@gripped.com A Champion’s Top-5
Account Managers Cyclocross Tips, p.34
Joel Vosburg
joel@gripped.com, Michael van den Ham is the current
Daniel Walker
dan@gripped.com Canadian cyclocross national cham-
Circulation Manager Elizabeth Miller pion and has represented Canada at
elizabeth@gripped.com five world championships. He splits
SUBSCRIBE his spare time between hiking,
Send $20.95 (1 year) or $38.95 (2 years) to
Canadian Cycling Magazine, cross-country skiing, working for
PO Box 819 Station Main,
Markham, ON, Canada L3P 8L3 Nobl Wheels and coaching with
or call: Cycle-Smart Inc. Born in Brandon,
1.800.567.0444 Man., van den Ham currently lives in
SUBMIT
Manuscripts, photographs and other Abbotsford, B.C., with his wife, Kiera.
correspondence are welcome. Please
contact Canadian Cycling Magazine
for contributors guidelines, or see
them on the web at cyclingmagazine.ca .
Unsolicited material should be accompanied
by return mailing address and postage.
Canadian Cycling Magazine
Tel 416.927.0774 Fax 416.927.1491
cyclingmagazine.ca
Gripped Publishing Inc.
75 Harbord St., Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1G4 Daniel Walker
Copyright 2018 Gripped Publishing Inc.
The contents of this magazine may not be The Giant Defy Relaunches
reproduced in whole or in part without the in the Italian Alps, p.64
express consent of the publisher. The views
included herein are those of the authors, Daniel Walker may live at sea level,
and do not necessarily reflect the opinions but in his dreams, he floats up high
of the publisher, owners and management
of Canadian Cycling Magazine. mountain passes in the Alps and
We occasionally make our list available
to companies of interest to our readers. Pyrenees. When he does encounter
Canadian publication those climbs in reality, he mostly
mail agreement: 40036245 wheezes and weaves his way up. Still,
Printed in Canada the views are worth the struggle.
ISSN 1923–1628 Canadian Cycling Magazine
We acknowledge the [financial] support of
the Government of Canada.

cyclingmagazine.ca 9
 GALLERY

Henry Fitzgerald sends the final drop

in Mont-Sainte-Anne at the UCI DH
World Cup 2018
Matt Stetson

10 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

cyclingmagazine.ca 11
 VINTAGE
VELO

Veltec
Pacer 2000
Bike Computer
R ecently, at the Bicycle Specialties shop, Mike Barry
Sr. held up the Pacer 2000, one of the first bicycle
computers. The unit, which came out in 1981, was made
by company called Veltec. The computer could manage
distance, speed and time. For calculating distance and
speed, it needed a magnet placed on a spoke.
“I rode the Raid Pyrénéen,” Barry said of the randonnée
he and his former business partner, Mike Brown, did in
1981. “It goes from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean along
the length of the Pyrenees. There are 18 cols. You get
100 hours to ride it. We got these guys to sponsor us. Their
computer had just come out.
“It was fine. But halfway through the trip, both computers
started all over again.
Photos: Matt Stetson

“When we came back, we spoke to the Pacer 2000

guys and told them that each computer got to some figure
and zeroed.
“‘Oh, yeah. It would do that,’ they said.’”—MP

12 Canadian Cycling August & September 2018

 THE
CALENDAR
OCTOBER
6 This year, the Elgin Mountain
Bike Marathon features a 40"
bridge and 3-km of new singletrack.
Choose between 120-, 80-, 40- and
20-km routes. The event is a fund-
raiser for the Elgin Eco Association.
8 The Cross on the Rock series has
its fourth race of the season. The
Kona Kup in Bowen Park in Nanaimo,
B.C., bills its course as as very
European with wide pavement running
toward a switchback. There are stairs,
too. “Enjoy” yourselves, riders.
16-21 The second edition of
the Tour of Guanxi
takes WorldTour riders to roads north-
west of Hong Kong. Last year, Tim
Wellens was the race’s first overall
winner. In 2018, Guanxi is set to be
Svein Tuft’s final WorldTour event.
NOVEMBER
3-4 For the fifth year in a row,
the Silver Goose CX flies in
Midland, Ont. This year, the bird seems
to be flying a little higher as it’s also
the Pan American cyclocross cham-
pionships throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, masters compete for
continental honours and elite riders vie
for UCi points in C2-level races. Sunday
features races for the elite riders
who want to become Pan Am champs.
Organizers of the event have a busy
month: next weekend they’re putting
on CX nationals. (See ‘Looking Ahead.’)
Photos: Matt Stetson, Jeremy Allen, Jeremy Allen
21 The final edition in the
welcoming StuporCross series,
the Cannondale Howling Coyote
presented by Dukes, runs near
Shelburne, Ont. Organizers encourage
cyclists to ride or race whatever bikes
they have on the mixed-surface course.
26-28 The velodrome in
Milton, Ont., hosts
the planet’s best riders on the boards
as World Cup track cycling returns to
Canada for a second year.
World Cup
track cycling
in Milton
31 When Halloween falls on a
Wednesday, it’s tricky.
Do you wear a costume to the ’cross
race the weekend before? The
weekend after? Or both? A ghoulish
conundrum for some.
19 Gord Fraser – Silber Pro
Cycling sports director and
Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame
member with three Olympic
appearances, a national road title
and more than 200 wins – turns
the big five-oh today.
25 After races in the U.S.,
Switzerland and the Czech
Republic, the cyclocross World Cup
arrives in Belgium at the sandy dunes
of Koksijde.
Looking
Ahead
November 10, 2018
National Cyclocross Championships
J ohn Hauser is going to have a very busy fall. For the past
five years, he’s been growing the Silver Goose CX race in
Midland, Ont. In 2017, it became a UCI C2-level event. This
year, it’s the Pan Am championships. Then, the weekend
following the Silver Goose, Hauser will migrate much of
his operation from Midland roughly 175 km southeast to
Peterborough, including the double-ramp flyover.
“That’s always been an eye-catching part of the spec-
tator experience in Midland,” Hauser says. “The riders have
always loved it, whether it was young elite guys getting air
off the ramp and gapping the flat section in the middle or a
lot of the Ontario ’cross riders who’ve never ridden such a
flyover. The flyovers we saw at Sherbrooke, which hosted
nationals previously, were stair-to-ramp and the other
Ontario flyovers are stair-to-ramp as well. I think having
ramp-to-ramp is unique and fun.”
Hauser will set up the structure in Nicholls Oval Park,
which is on the Otonabee River. The land next to water-
ways is often great for staking out cyclocross courses;
the banks by the Otonabee will provide intense ride- and
run-ups. The roughly 3.1-km course should be a nice chal-
lenge for both amateurs and elites.
The nationals weekend is more than just races for riders
vying for maple-leaf jerseys. On Friday, the day before
nationals, there’ll be fun, relay-style rides. On Sunday,
there are C2-level races for elite men and women, and
junior men, as well as races for amateurs. Spectators will
find local breweries set up in the expo area and vendors
selling fries with mayo, a very Belgian touch, as well as
more North American sporting-event fare (that is, hot
dogs). Brands such as Shimano, Trek and Wild Rock will be
on-site, too. ( ptbocx.com)—MP
abOve
The ramp-to-ramp
flyover in action at the
Silver Goose CX 2017
cyclingmagazine.ca 13
 NEWS

left Many jersey wearers for

Peter Disera Sunweb at the Giro Rosa
takes the win in
Canmore, Alta., at About three weeks after Leah
the 2018 national Kirchmann wore pink at the Giro
cross country d’Italia Internazionale Femminile,
championships
or Giro Rosa, she was at the Team
below Sunweb house in the Netherlands.
Leah Kirchmann She looked back to the two days in
in pink at the
Giro Rosa July that she led the 10-day stage race,
the biggest event in the women’s
opposite road calendar. She also compared
Alison Jackson,
BC Superweek this year’s Giro Rosa with her one
day in pink in 2016. “Both were really
special because it is such a presti-
gious jersey to wear,” Kirchmann said. “I didn’t know if I’d
ever get another chance after 2016. I won it individually
in a prologue the first time. This time it was special to win
the first day’s team time trial, then pass the jersey around
between four of us. That was a really cool experience, that
we were able to keep it within the team for so long.”
Teammates Ellen van Dijk and Lucinda Brand led the
Giro Rosa after Stages 1 and 2. Kirchmann was in pink
following the third and fourth stages. Ruth Winder was
first overall after Stage 5, before the jersey went to Team
Mitchelton-Scott for the rest of the event. Team Sunweb
also shared the best young rider award. Liane Lippert
wore white after the TTT, while Juliette Labous had it for
three stages. Their strong team time trial only puts one
rider in a jersey, but Kichmann was pleased that almost
everyone was able to get individual recognition.
Confusion for a national cross country champion In the end, Sunweb won the team classification at the
Peter Disera was starting the last lap of the elite men’s cross country champi- Giro Rosa. That honour isn’t associated with a jersey.
onship race when a friend yelled, “He’s got a flat.” Disera’s reaction: “Oh crap.”
In 2017, his race in Canmore had been magical, he said. Everything went
right. But this past July, the defending champion found his legs just weren’t
there. He had gone really hard from the beginning in an effort to simply get
away from everyone. Around the latter part of the second lap, Raphaël Gagné
got a gap on Disera, which then grew and grew. During the sixth and penul-
timate lap, Disera had resigned himself to second. He still had to suffer to the
finish to stay ahead of the riders behind, but it was an effort he could manage.
His “oh crap” moment was partly for Gagné. Disera had some sympathy for
his competitor who got a flat at a terrible time in the race. It was also partly for
himself. Disera would now have to go really hard, again. If Gagné were to catch
back up to Disera, he didn’t know if he could battle for the win. Luckily, Disera
was able to stay ahead and defend his national title.
Almost a week after the win, Disera was home in Barrie, Ont., and confused
about the rest of season. Even though he won the national elite title for the
second time, this was his first year racing in the elite field at UCI World Cups.
He was struggling to gain UCI points, which would give him better starting
Photos: John Gibson, CorVos/Giant Sunweb

positions at events and even entry into the short track races. The long season
had started to wear on his fitness. He needed to decide whether to rest or train.
Should he target the Mont-Sainte-Anne World Cup about two weeks away?
Or should he focus his efforts more on the world championships in early
September? He also had the final semester of his water resources engin-
eering degree at the University of Guelph coming up. He didn’t utter any soft
cuss words, and also unlike at nationals, the tactical decisions he faced were
much more complicated.

14 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018


Learning the roads at
home and abroad
Near the end of July, Alison Jackson
was in Belgium. That upcoming
weekend, she’d race Erpe-Mere, a
UCI 1.2 event. “It has a good finish for
me: a power sprint uphill,” Jackson
said. Before Belgium, she and her
team Tibco – SVB participated in the
RideLondon Classique. And before
that, they were at BC Superweek.
It had been Jackson’s fourth time
at Superweek. In 2014, at her first
appearance, she won the Tour de
White Rock’s hill climb and omnium
competition. In 2016, she won the Tour
de White Rock omnium once again.
This year, she owned White Rock with
wins on both stages and the overall.
Her 2018 successes are partly thanks
to her strong team, even though she
had fewer and fewer teammates
throughout Superweek as they were
shipped off to Europe for La Course. But
the fourth-year pro also attributes
those wins to experience. “When I
first did Superweek, those last races
were tiring and hot,” Jackson says.
“Now, tactically, I’m better. Also, I have
women’s WorldTour strength, so at
the end of 10 days, I can still be quite
strong.” She also knew how to best
time her sprint in the road race, which
she learned from coming in second on
a previous edition.
Back in Europe, despite having
raced on that continent for the past
four years, Jackson is still learning
the routes. “European riders just
know the roads better,” she says.
“The information they get in visually
while they’re racing means more to
them than to me, at this moment.”
Still, Jackson seems to be remem-
Photo: Scott Robarts
bering lessons from the Belgium
roads. When she raced Erpe-Mere in
2015, she was 44th. This past August,
she finished sixth.—MP
WHAT’S HOT
Blackburn
Big Switch
$45; ogc.ca
Blackburn has expanded its Switch, a
tool roll for specific tools. The Big Switch
includes two Torx bits, T25 and T30, a
slot screwdriver and five Allen head bits
it inherits from the basic Switch: 2.5, 3,
4, 5 and 6 mm. The big one, however,
has seven more functions than its little
predecessor: an added 8-mm Allen, a
chain tool, a spoke key for sizes 0, 1 and
2, a disc-pad spreader and a valve-core on your bike. The roll bundles up in a nice
tool. A handle attaches to each of the five compact package you can stash under
multi-bits to give you added control and your saddle or in your pack. Look for the
reach with the tools. Just make sure you Big Switch this winter, so it can ride with
don't over-tighten any of the fasteners you in the spring.
Garneau In 2017, Garneau won a Eurobike award for the X-Comfort
Zone technology, which appears on the 2018 Course Air Lite
Course Air II shoe. X-Comfort Zone is sort of release valve for your foot
at head of the fifth metatarsal (just below your small toe).
Lite II Many riders find this is spot of high friction. The X-Comfort
Zone flexes as much as 4 mm, which relieves pressure. The
$450, garneau.com 2018 model of the shoe has the new Powerzone
that adds a better hold across the top
of the foot. Combine the Powerzone
with Boa dials and the stiff Carbon
Air-Lite outsoles, and you
can push watts into your
pedals in comfort.
Giant
Speedshield
$17, giant-bicycles.com
Some mini fenders slide into your saddle
easily to keep water off of your butt. But,
they also fall out easily, which is a metaphorical
pain in the backside. On damp fall rides, keep your
chamois from swelling up with the Giant Speedshield. It
clips on to your seatpost, so it will be there at the beginning
of the ride, and in the end.—MP
cyclingmagazine.ca 15
 Looking back at the animated cyclists
suffering through le Tour
by Dan Dakin
“W hen you’re born in France, the Tour is a really big
cultural thing,” said Sylvain Chomet, an award-
winning animator and film director. It was this connection
with cycling that led him to write The Triplets of Belleville,
a quirky animated film released 15 years ago that went on
to win multiple awards, including a Genie award for best
motion picture in Canada in 2005.
With very little dialogue, Triplets uses animation and
an incredible soundtrack to tell the story of Champion, a
cyclist who is kidnapped during the Tour de France by
the mafia and brought across the Atlantic to Belleville
(which bears a striking resemblance to New York). It’s up
to his grandmother, her dog and the singing and dancing
Belleville triplets to save him.
The animation is a combination of hand-drawn cells
with 3D computer-generated images that take viewers
through a caricatured world of professional cycling, the
mafia and North American excess. The film is bizarre and
brilliant at the same time. Chomet said he wrote Triplets to
prove what could be done with animation. “I was very frus-
THE TRIPLETS trated with all the jobs I was being offered at the time,” he
THE SCENE
OF BELLEVILLE said. “I tried to take my revenge on this pile of shit anima-
TURNS 15 tion that was out there then and is still true today. I was a
bit rebellious when we made the storyboard, but because
“When I became
an animator
and really
started looking
at how to capture
how people
move, I was
looking at these
cyclists and
thought, they’re
not even made
to walk.”
16 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
it was so full of these different things,
everyone jumped on board.”
One of the things that jumps out
to viewers is the bizarre shape of the
cyclist characters in the film. “I’ve
always been very impressed by the
the shape of cyclists. Their legs are
very strong and their tops are much
thinner. It’s like they’re an exten-
sion of the bike. When I became an
animator and really started looking
at how to capture how people move,
I was looking at these guys and
thought, they’re not even made to
walk,” Chomet said.
Chomet was living in Montreal
when he produced the film, which
led to a largely Canadian production
team highlighted by producer Paul
Cadieux and music composer Benoît
Charest, who received a 2004 Oscar
nomination along with Chomet for
the film’s theme song. The Triplets
of Belleville was also nominated
for a best animated feature at the
Academy Awards that year, where it
lost to Pixar’s Finding Nemo. Triplets
did, however, go on to receive critical
acclaim, along with 40 award nomi-
nations and 19 wins around the world.
While Belleville is a made-up
city name, Chomet laughed one day
when he was driving to Toronto from
Montreal and realized there was a
real Belleville in Ontario. Belleville
(essentially a New York caricature)
is an amalgamation of various big
cities around the world, but Chomet
said the rooftops are modelled after
what can be found on the old build-
ings of Montreal and Quebec City.
Chomet loved living and working
in Montreal because it was a “cheap
place to live that felt like a big
village with lots of things to do, but
a small village because everyone
knew everyone.”
He settled on the early 1960s for
the film’s setting, so the Tour de
France scenes reflect that era with
Jacques Anquetil used as the primary
reference point. “He was the big rider
at the time,” Chomet said.
Chomet hasn’t ruled out a sequel
to the 2003 classic. “I’ve got a project
to do another story, but this one isn’t
with cyclists. It’s another story based
on the triplets, and this time focuses
on their father. It’s very Canadian,”
he said.
Ready to crush some gravel? With its lightweight, endurance-oriented composite frame, generous
tire clearance and smooth ride quality, the all-new Revolt Advanced lets you ride farther and faster
on rough roads, gravel or dirt.

Learn more at giant-bicycles.com/ca/revolt

 “The result is polyester pellets
that have the same quality as
‘new’ polyester.”

chain-to-product system is what Belson calls an ethical production system.

Two years ago, Oceanweave appeared in Axiom’s Seymour line of bags,
which includes panniers, and seat, trunk and handlebar bags. Recently, the
company announced that all its bags would use the eco fabric. “Because our
Monsoon series is 100 per cent waterproof, it took us a bit of time to figure out
how to waterproof the bags fully without incurring any additional environ-
mental costs,” says Derek Kidd, marketing and communications co-ordinator.
“We wanted to stay clear of harsh dyes and volatile organic compounds. But
we’ve done it.”
Axiom’s regenerated polyester is making waves beyond cycling. Polyester
Killer ocean waste becomes is a common base material for many different fabrics. Companies looking to
quality cycling gear green their goods have approached Axiom to use Oceanweave to create their
by Terry McKall own ethically produced materials. You can expect to see materials made via
Axiom’s process appearing in shoes and other outdoor

“I t isn’t going to singlehandedly

solve the ocean’s problems,”
goods soon. Other businesses have also come to Axiom
with their own waste products from their manufacturing
THE SCENE

says Andrew Belson, Axiom product GHOST NET processes to see if those materials could find second lives
manager. It is, however, something
that helps.
BUSTING in cycling gear. “That,” Belson says, “was unexpected.”
Axiom’s ethical production model isn’t just working; it is
When industrial fishing oper- starting to spread.
ations abandon their nets, they drift “Making one environmentally responsible product work is a success,” says
through the seas and trap wildlife, Belson, but Oceanweave’s economic viability is essential to the fabric’s
which die entangled. The environ- Read about sustainability long-term. More companies using Axiom’s regeneration process
mental problem is called ghost how a product improves its viability as an alternative to new materials. More important,
fishing. The ghost nets are made manager’s son making Oceanweave sustainable removes more ghost gear from the oceans.
primarily of polyester, the same helped spur on
material as Axiom’s cycling bags. the develop-
Roughly five years ago, Belson ment of Axiom’s
started researching and developing Oceanweave
Oceanweave, a way to turn ghost
nets into a usable fabric. He and the
Coquitlam, B.C.-based company had
to pioneer a polyester-regeneration
process, and then convince fabric
suppliers to implement that process
just to produce Axiom’s bags.
Today, local fishers in South
Korea retrieve abandoned nets
from the Yellow Sea, where Axiom
is focusing its efforts, and return
them to a recycling plant. The nets
are then broken down, separating
the polyester from other waste prod-
ucts. The result is polyester pellets
that have the same quality as “new”
polyester. It’s a process that is both
environmentally responsible and
economically sustainable. Fishers
have an economic incentive to collect
and return ghost nets. Axiom’s
fabric suppliers can work with the
polyester-regeneration process
with relative ease. The whole supply

18 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 THE SCENE
SEW AND TELL

What a budding bikepacker learned Snacks, a phone, a headlamp, gloves, sunscreen and
from making her own bags a multi-tool were packed in the top-tube bag. The frame
by Tara Nolan bag held a spare tube, some food and camp-kitchen items.
“This is a really solid spot to put heavy items, so they don’t

A fter booking a trip to Jordan this past spring, Heather

Plewes, from Guelph, Ont., needed bikepacking bags. “Using a bounce up and down a lot,” explains Plewes, who modified
her design for a second bag – one that better eliminated
Standard sizes didn’t fit her small Felt DD 70 fat bike.
After a little online research and some colourful inspira-
sewing that movement – for a friend once she got home.
That friend, Nate Lessnick of Sacred Rides, gave her
tion, Plewes was at her parents’ dining table one wintry machine an old company jacket with waterproof zippers to incor-
Saturday sewing her own.
A retail associate at Fabricland recommended sourcing is a lot porate. This time, Plewes used a new heavy-duty Singer
sewing machine, which could better handle the thick
a second-hand raincoat for the lining fabric and zippers.
“I’ve always liked the concept of upcycling,” says Plewes
like layers. When she turned that second bag right-side out,
she thought, I would buy this. Lessnick reminded her that
who found a $10 men’s raincoat with teal fabric and purple riding she named her first bike, a black Giant Trance with a bright
zippers. A Len’s Mill store yielded purple Velcro, pale grey
and teal Cordura fabric, and a neon yellow daisy chain. a bike.” blue handlebar, “Bruiser.” A logo was created, and her
company was born.
Plewes and her mom quickly discovered the instruc- “I love the idea of making things that are unique and not
tions she’d found on a bikepacking site were pretty sparse the usual black bags,” says Plewes. “That’s where the idea
on details. “We kind of worked together to figure out how came to turn it into a small business-y thing.”
best to cut the pieces and to put them together,” she says. Right now you can find the business on Instagram
One important element was to ensure the bag filled up all (@bruiserbags.bikepacking) and Facebook. “Bruiser Bags
the space in her frame, with no gaps in the corners. is another expression of a spirit I’m feeling in my 30s of a
Plewes also sewed a top-tube bag. “That came completely willingness to dive in and try new things that make me
out of my brain,” she says, adding she was surprised by feel happy and fulfilled,” Plewes says.
how quickly the sewing skills her mom had taught her as a
kid returned. “Using a sewing machine is a lot like riding a
bike: you never really forget it once you learn.”
One minor snag had nothing to do with sewing, but with
a new Salsa Beargrease purchase before the trip. “It wasn’t
a perfect fit, but it was close,” Plewes says of attaching the
bags to her new ride.
Photos: Heather Plewes, Uncredited, Paulo F LaBerge

The colourful set weathered seven days riding in Jordan.

After a particularly gruelling 30-km day that was spent
riding mostly uphill, Plewes and her boyfriend, Paulo
LaBerge, stopped to take photos and celebrate. “It was
probably one of the hardest days I’ve had on the bike, but I
had a smile on my face. I was beaming and proud of myself
in this beautiful place,” she says, and later describes
the views as kind of life changing, “and the bags I made
myself are in the pictures.”

cyclingmagazine.ca 19

THE SCENE
TRIPLO
STELVIO
Ascending the iconic climb
three times in a row
by Terry McKall
S unrise is still an hour away, at minimum, when our
ride leader, Andrea Gennari, motions to our group
to turn off our lights. Soon after, we’re climbing Italy’s
legendary Stelvio Pass entirely by moonlight.
We are in the early kilometres of the Triplo Stelvio, an
event challenging riders to climb each of the three sides of
Stelvio Pass in one day. The pre-dawn start has given us
empty roads. Since leaving our hotel in Bormio, we have
been passed by a single car. Aside from the Triplo Stelvio
support van, only one other vehicle will politely glide by
us in the dark before we reach our first summit.
In the cool early-summer morning air, occasional
conversations drift off into periods of quiet as we each
focus on the climbing, pacing, and then taking in the
experience of being alone on this iconic mountain. Our
small group of six, representing four continents, is part
of a larger group of just 25 riders taking part in the Triplo
Stelvio. For now, we have the road to ourselves.
20 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
PASSO DELLO STELVIO
North Approach Prato Allo Stelvio to
Passo dello Stelvio
Details
Length 24.3 km
Average Gradient 7.4 per cent
Maximum 11 per cent
Gradient
Switchbacks 48
Elevation at 2,758 m
Summit
Elevation Gain 1,808 m
HOW TO TACKLE AN
HORS CATEGORY CLIMB
Very few of us have access to a 20-km
climb, at altitude, nearby, so practising for
an extended climb can be difficult. Here are
some tips to help you survive, and thrive,
on a climb that never seems to end.
Pacing
A slow and steady start is key to still
feeling strong as you approach the
summit. Early in the day, our ride leader
motioned several times to eager riders that
they should calm their pace. Each of them
thanked him later.
Enjoy the View
Any road that climbs 1,500 m will end
up somewhere quite scenic. Focusing on
the view helps distract you from the
effort of climbing.
Nutrition
Stay hydrated, and stay fed. It’s not always
easy to eat on a long climb, but it’s important
to keep replacing the calories you’re burning.
Layers
There can be big swings in temperature
between valley floor and a high mountain
pass, and sudden changes in weather.
Being prepared and adjusting to these
changes is key to not being too cold at the
top. Remember, being too warm on the
climb can be a problem when that sweat
starts to cool at the summit.
Stelvio Pass was first included in the Giro
d’Italia in 1953. That stage was won in a solo
move by the legendary Italian cyclist Fausto
Coppi. It has featured in the Italian Grand
Tour 12 times, always the race’s Cima Coppi,
the highest point in that year’s Giro.
In 1967, 1984, 1988 and 2013, the Stelvio
was scheduled to appear, but the route
had to be altered due to the high mountain
pass’s unpredictable weather. (There are
accusations that organizers skipped the
Stelvio in 1984 to help Francesco Moser, a
less-capable climber than Laurent Fignon,
Gennari breaks the silence.
Smiling, he turns to us and points
up the road: “We have rabbits.” Far
up the road ahead of us, we can see
little clusters of red and white lights
zig-zagging steadily through the
dark. It’s another group working its
way back and forth across a series of
steep switchbacks.
The staggered start is planned so
that all 25 of us reach the summit
together at dawn. Triplo Stelvio’s
organizer, Cecilia Mendes, has been
clear since everyone arrived that this
is not a race, but a challenge that we
are all working to accomplish. With
roughly 5,000 m of climbing sched-
uled for the 130-km ride, her warning
that “just to ride is challenge enough”
proves quite accurate.
We have a sense of our common
goal instead of competition. As the
pre-dawn light begins to illuminate
the ridgelines surrounding us, and
as we collect riders into our group,
everyone is supportive and encour-
aging despite the effort of the climb.
The group arrives at the top of the
pass with perfect timing. As we crest
the last pitch, we’re greeted by the
sunrise’s golden light. Triplo Stelvio’s
event staff hand out our jackets and
warm clothes. Espresso waits inside
the small café at the summit.
Layered up and caffeinated,
we start descending the iconic
48 switchbacks of Stelvio’s more
famous approach from the northeast.
Descending the quiet roads in the soft
dawn light is sublime.
We still have two more climbs to
go. Each reveals a distinct person-
ality of the mountain during the
course of the day. For now, though,
the speed is free and all thought of
climbing is pushed aside as we focus
on finding the perfect line through
the next corner.
win the event.) It remains the highest point
ever reached in the Giro and the highest
finish point of any Grand Tour.
Ryder Hesjedal raced up Stelvio’s southern
approach on the penultimate stage of the
2012 Giro. Belgium’s Thomas de Gendt won
on that day, but Hesjedal defended his posi-
Photos: Gustavo Lovalho
tion in the GC well enough to claim his Giro
title in the following day’s time trial.
Stelvio Pass was last visited during the
Giro’s 100th edition in 2017. In honour of the
anniversary, organizers had the riders climb
the Stelvio twice in one day.
American Pro
written by Jamie Smith
published by VeloPress
I ’d call Jamie Smith’s American Pro his third book in a
trilogy even though his works aren’t presented as such.
It starts with Roadie: The Misunderstood World of a Bike
Racer, a humorous, illustrated introduction into the world
of road cycling. It’s followed by Reading the Race, in which
Smith and former pro Chris Horner explore the mechanics
and tactics of racing. With American Pro, Smith chronicles
the birth (in 2012) and death (in 2016) of U.S. continental
team Astellas Pro Cycling. With each book, Smith takes
the reader deeper and deeper into cycling. In his latest,
he shows all the challenges that come with running and
riding in a team that competed mainly in the U.S. and at
Canadian events, such as the Tour de Beauce, Grand Prix
Cycliste de Saguenay and BC Superweek.
Smith profiles the whole team, from founders Matt
Curin and Andrew Frey, who managed sponsorships and
logistics, to the riders, such as Ryan Aitcheson, Stephen
Hyde and Adam Myerson. There are victories and serious
crashes. There are characters like the cool host family who
housed riders at Redlands in 2014 and the sketchy freelance
mechanic who wreaked havoc on the team at the same
race two years later. Smith delves into numbers, including
riders’ salaries, which can be as low as $6,000 per year. It’s
a very honest look at the world of domestic cycling, often
with some wry humour. I enjoyed Smith’s thoughts on the
wisdom of running bike races that have more participants
than spectators. “It’s easy to question why people go to the
trouble of putting on bike races,” Smith writes. “In fact, races
exist because people ignore that question.”
There should be more books like Smith’s. So much in
cycling is ephemeral. A team, such as Astellas, loses its
sponsor, and then it’s gone. It’s important to remember
these projects, which, like a breakaway in a race, have
a slim chance of success, but can build the riders up for
something in the future.
The Comeback
written by Daniel de Visé
published by Grove Atlantic
T he comeback at the heart of Daniel de Visé’s biography
of Greg LeMond is the 1989 Tour de France. In 1986,
LeMond became the first American cyclist to win the Tour.
The following spring, he was hunting turkey with his uncle
and brother-in-law. The brother-in-law, an inexperienced
hunter, accidentally shot LeMond with a shotgun blast. Even
if you’re familiar with this story, de Visé’s account is grip-
ping as it details how close the star cyclist came to dying that
day. In 1989, LeMond returned to the Tour and won, by eight
seconds. He won the Tour again the following year.
De Visé’s book is based on detailed research from many
of his own interviews as well as secondary sources. He
does an excellent job of making all the material flow with
his compelling prose. He delves into many of the chal-
lenges LeMond has faced, from childhood sexual abuse by
a family friend to estrangement from his father.
LeMond’s career saw the rise of carbon-fibre bikes and
EPO, both of which he had to weather. The cyclist worked
with Craig Calfee, whose bikes bore the LeMond name in
the 1991 Tour. But LeMond Bicycles was shut down after
mismanagement by LeMond’s father and his brother-in-
law. (Yes, the same one who fired the shotgun.) In 2016,
LeMond began working with carbon fibre once again with
LeMond Composites.
EPO started becoming more common in the bunch
during LeMond’s later years as a pro. Not long after, some
of the drug’s high-profile users – Lance Armstrong and
Floyd Landis – worked to displace LeMond from the
centre of U.S. cycling. With the fall of Armstrong in 2012,
LeMond, his reputation and his place in cycling all made
a comeback.
THE SCENE
BOOKS
& FILMS
Afghan Cycles
directed by Sarah Menzies
production by Let Media
T he pace and visuals of Sarah Menzies’s documentary
Afghan Cycles almost minimize the danger cyclists face
in Afghanistan. The film follows members of the women’s
national cycling team from 2013 to roughly the beginning of
this year. There are shots of the women riding roads flanked
by a rocky landscape mixed with talking-head interviews.
There are few images of violence, none with any of the
riders, so it can look as if Afghanistan is just an exotic place
to ride. But violence is everywhere. Frozan, the focus of the
documentary, talks about four boys driving up to her near
the end of a ride, two with pistols. They said that whatever
would happen to her if they found her riding again would
be her fault. A member of the Taliban opines about how
women wearing pants in the bazaar should be mowed
down with a machine gun. He equates riding a bicycle with
wearing a hijab improperly. The Taliban member keeps his
face covered the the whole time, remaining anonymous.
The women cyclists keep as covered as possible during
their rides, and often ride in secret, yet they’re still known
to the public, and even garner media coverage.
“We are afraid that if the Taliban comes, the first thing
they will do is kill cycling girls,” says Masoma, Frozan’s
teammate. She adds that even if the Taliban were to capture
and release the women, they’d have to kill themselves. “We
would have neither our respect, nor our honour,” she says of
the condition they’d be in following such events.
So why do they ride? For Masoma, it’s the duty to finish
what she calls a profession. “Some people sacrifice their
lives so others can be comfortable,” she says. “We might
be the first scrificers for cycling in Afghanistan.”
All riders know the sense of freedom that comes
with riding a bike. For these women, cycling was a
fight for freedom.
cyclingmagazine.ca 21

Rich Aucoin
Indie rocker takes ‘musical retreat’
across the U.S. by bike
by David McPherson
THE SCENE
CYCLING
CELEBRITY
F ifteen gigs. Sixty-two days in the saddle. Five thou-
sand kilometres pedalled alone on a Cannondale
Touring 2 equipped with panniers from one coast of
the United States to the other. Sunburns galore. One cat
rescued. Several albums worth of new songs written. It
all happened on an anti-depression cross-country bike
tour called Press On that Canadian musician Rich Aucoin
successfully completed this past spring to promote his
EP, Hold .
The tour began March 23 in Los Angeles with a gig at
Bardot in Hollywood and concluded June 29 in Brooklyn,
N.Y., at The Knitting Factory. From the foothills of the City
of Angels to the Arizona deserts to the mountains, rivers
and lost landmarks in between (such as the statue from
Easy Rider, the Cadillac Graveyard, and the world’s best
preserved meteor crater), Aucoin’s adventures had him
navigating everything from traffic-congested freeways
and angry truckers to pedalling down dusty, deserted
backcountry roads and the historic Route 66 before
reaching the Big Apple.
Aucoin admits he’s not a bike “geek.” If you start talking
tire types, gears and cycling components, you quickly
lose him, but that doesn’t mean the musician is not an
22 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
“Riding a bike is most
people’s first under-
standing of the need to
have balance in your life.”
avid cyclist. When not touring or writing songs, he enjoys
cycling around his hometown of Halifax.
All of this tour’s proceeds went to a pair of mental health
organizations: Mental Health America and the Canadian
Mental Health Association. Why mental health? “I felt
this charity is in a cultural shift at the moment,” Aucoin
explained. “Society is reanalyzing how it views mental
health and the stigmas around it. People also comment
that my shows feel like a natural antidepressant.”
The musician says he’s lucky there is no history of
mental-health issues in his family, but he’s seen many
above
Rich Aucoin of his friends in the artistic community affected. “It feels
performs at the nice to do something for people afflicted, without it being
Truck Stop Concert
personal,” he said.
Series in his
cycling jersey Aucoin’s first cycling memory was riding by his next-
door neighbours and not having to put his feet down
as he passed in front of their house. “I’m sure everyone
remembers that magical feeling,” he said. “We all share
that memory of trying to ride for the first time and loping
to one side or the other before you suddenly understand
the concept of balance.”
“Riding a bike is most people’s first understanding
of the need to have balance in your life,” he added.
Balancing his days between times on his bike, being a
tourist and joining his bandmates in major cities along
the way for nightly gigs, the artist averaged 100 km daily.
He pedalled at a leisurely pace and chronicled his journey
for Paste Magazine.
“I wasn’t in a super rush,” he said. “I treated it like a
musical retreat. I made instrumentals of the songs I’m
currently working on, listened to them on the bike and
sang melody ideas and lyrics over the instrumentals
during the day. Then, I could work on those songs each
night. I would finish biking each day around 6 p.m., so I
could have three hours of work before going to bed around
9:30 or 10 p.m.”
Previously, Aucoin averaged an album release every
four years. After his latest cycling adventures, his ambi-
tion is to make five albums in the next year alone. It seems
cycling is an inspiring sport, on many levels.
Photo: Christopher Edmonstone/Red Truck
FAST FACTS
Rich Aucoin
Hometown Halifax
Profession Musician, songwriter
Bike Cannondale Touring 2,
Brodie Romulus
 The Beauty of Second, it means you can launch sneak attacks on
people who’ve been trash-talking you all summer. It’s the

Late-Season
ultimate form of sand-bagging. If you leave your fitness
until late enough in the season, your rivals will be lulled
into total complacency and will be stunned as you fly past

Fitness
Grandma could have seen this coming
by James “Cranky” Ramsay
“B etter late than never.” This is what my dear departed
grandmother used to say when I presented her each
year in June with a thank-you note for the birthday gift
she had given me the previous October. Her words always
caused a twinge of guilt, but not enough to make my next
thank-you note any more timely.
It’s an age-old saying for a reason, and it applies to
many things. But not all. There are things that would be
better never than late, among them conscription notices,
publishers’ rejection letters, and spirit-crushing attacks
by opponents in bike races.
These days, now that grandma’s dead, “better late than
never” is what my cycling friends say to me, seeing that
it’s fall and I’m finally able to hang on to the Sunday ride
them up the final hill on the weekend ride, or crush them in
a decisive show of power as you sprint for the county line.
Third, it means that by the time you’ve gained sufficient
fitness to feel that you deserve a new bike, you’re in a great
position to negotiate a deal on a close-out at the end of the
season. Not only does this technique get you a new steed at a “But I’ll
discount price, it also means you now have more disposable
income for the additional luxuries that your newly fit self
take a
deserves. What luxuries are these? Well, custom-tailored
compression tights and handmade pasta in the shape of Tour
belly full
de France champions from days of yore, to begin. of candy
So as you can see, leaving it all a bit late is fine – as long
as you make sure you can leave it all on the road while
and a
the road is still dry and clear of snow and ice. As soon as
the winter hits, your moment in the late-season sun will
three-
be over. Before you know it, all that hard-won fitness will hour
evaporate. You’ll be back to where you started last season:
struggling to keep up, feeling a twinge of guilt. If you’re
nap over
like me, the guilt won’t be enough to make your comeback
any more timely next year. If grandma could see me now,
that any
she wouldn’t be surprised. day.”

THE SCENE
without getting dropped. And they’re right – it is better to
have late-season fitness, if the alternative is to not have
fitness at all. CRANKOLOGY
Peaking in late season is something I’m familiar with,
both as it pertains to cycling fitness, and on a macro level,
as it pertains to life itself. It took me half a lifetime to get
to where I am today, but look at me now: I’m a published
writer with a regular column in a national magazine – a
column that people actually read. I know that people
read it because two of them have taken the time to write
letters to the editor in the past five years. Neither one was
complimentary, but that’s OK with me. I’m really only in
this for the money.
But let’s get back to the late-season fitness question.
There’s actually something clever about taking one’s
time to develop strength and endurance. It’s a bit like the
contrarian investor’s approach to making money in the
financial markets, in which the investor seems to do the
opposite of what most are doing. Taking this approach to
cycling training won’t make you rich. (Although if I write
a book about it, it might make me rich.) But this strategy
does allow you to do a number of wonderful things.
First, it means you can relax for most of the winter. We
all know that lying on a couch eating wine gums from
December to March is much more fun than grinding it
out indoors on the trainer. Oh yes, I know that Zwift and
all these other marvelous new technologies have trans-
Photo: Russ Tudor

formed trainer workouts into epic virtual-reality rides

across pixelated alpine passes. But I’ll take a belly full of
candy and a three-hour nap over that any day.

cyclingmagazine.ca 23

THE SCENE
CANADIAN
CLUB
Cycledelia
Racing
Hard rides on the windy Prairies
by Rob Sturney
W hen people imagine road cycling in Saskatchewan,
they might envision straight roads on the flat prairie,
a terrain seemingly perfect for long rides. But Mike Gavelis,
president of the Saskatoon bike club Cycledelia Racing
warns, “You have the flats but there’s the punishing wind
that goes with them.”
Cycledelia is at the centre of Saskatchewan’s competi-
tive road scene, one that is made extra challenging by
the gusts that buffet the wheat fields and the intense
heat of summer. The club describes its ranks as filled
with “like-minded sado-masochists” and its motto “It
never stops hurting, you just go faster” is a variation of
Greg LeMond’s famous maxim “It doesn’t get any easier,
you just get faster.”
24 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
Gavelis, who became president background,” he says. Club members
of the club after only one year of meet on Saturday mornings for
racing in its ranks, claims the winds training rides. Cyclists joining for
are the worst outside the city and first time are cautioned before these
recommends rides within the city. 120-km affairs. “They have a bit
“There are a few short hill circuits less chatting than you’re used to on
to train on with the beauty of the a Saturday morning ride,” Gavelis
South Saskatchewan River as the says of the advice that a new riders
is offered.
Cycledeliacs will want to train for
“They have a the Tuesday night races, which are
fast and furious events contested
bit less chatting by 20–30 riders. “No friends on
Tuesday night,” warns the club’s
than you’re website. Gavelis explains the format:
used to on “Depending on numbers, we will
usually have two or three groups
a Saturday where the newer racers are sent off
first in a head start, and then are
morning ride.” chased down by the big engines to
make for an exciting finish.”
The highlight event of the season
is always Bikes On Broadway, a
three-day, three-stage race in the
latter part of May. While the chrono
and concluding crit take place in
downtown Saskatoon, the road
race is set 90 km north of the city
from the Batoche National Historic
Site. Most of the time trial route
runs along Spadina Crescent East
with the river on the rider’s right.
Once contested by as many as 200
riders, Bikes On Broadway has seen
participation fall to around 100 in
recent editions.
With short Saskatchewan summers,
Cycledelia has focused on growing
interest in cyclocross and gravel
racing recently. “Saskatoon has
a number of great parks that serve
as great cyclocross courses,” says
Gavelis, who started racing with the
club in the mud and grass.
In 2014, the travel website
TravelPulse named Saskatoon one of
PROFILE
the best cities for cycling in the world.
If you’re coming to visit the city and
are looking for something beyond a
Cycledelia Racing
nice, relaxing roll around the city by
City Saskatoon
the river, Gavelis advises that you
Established 1991 head south of town on Highway 219
Members 72 east of the river to the Dakota Dunes
Casino and back. You could also ride
Website cycledelia.ca
Valley Road (Highway 762), to the
west of the river, toward Pike Lake
Photo: Bob Holtsman
Provincial Park. There’s also the ride
north to the town of Aberdeen. On
the way, in Eagle Ridge, you can add
some hill circuits.
 A Roadie’s
Adventures
in Mud
(and Other
Surfaces)
On the joys of racing on gravel
by Bart Egnal
T he race was over. I was standing in a community centre,
having just emerged from a shower where I had cleansed
mud from my entire body. I was carrying a bag filled with
mud, as well as shoes and some kit. On my feet were socks
– but also the kind of hospital slippers you put on over your
shoes – because I was not wearing my shoes. They were
back at the start line of the race. I was also wearing boxer
shorts because I had left my pants back at the start line of
the race. My bike had a broken spoke and about 10 lb. of mud
on it. And I was smiling. So ended my first-ever Paris to
Ancaster “race” experience in southern Ontario.
Not only has gravel changed bike racing in the past
few years, it has had a profound effect on the roadie
community. It has not only sold us disc brakes and encour-
aged us to buy cyclocross bikes or gravel bikes (“Yes
honey, there is a difference and I definitely need both!”),
but has frequently transformed roadies from aggressive,
elitist snobs into good, decent people.
Gravel grows ever more appealing, too, as I age and
grow more tired of chewing on my stem to survive at
45 km/h at the back of the pack for an hour while dudes
from Silber and Toronto Hustle sit comfortably at the front
chatting about the workout they will do later that week to
actually get some VO2 max training.
Consider that no matter what gravel ride or race you do,
the views are better than the soulless business park you
circle clockwise for an hour (apologies to Midweek and
Escape Velocity). When I did the Growling Beaver 200-km
gravel event a few years ago, we spent eight hours in the
wilds of Collingwood, Ont. I had a cottage there as a young
buck but saw more of the beautiful scenery during that
event than I did in the years I went up with the family. The
Ottawa Ride of The Damned takes you to the stunning
Paugan Dam, not a certain hotspot in the afterlife. (You do,
however, go to Hull.)
Gravel events offer varied riding experiences. The P2A
Photos: Jeremy Allen
race featured gravel, but also farmers’ fields, roads and
even mud chutes. While most gravel events have less
mud (a distinction I welcome), there is no question that the
variety of terrain keeps you engaged throughout the event
NOTES
THE SCENE
FROM THE
GRUPPETTO
far more than a monotonous road race
or 1-km circuit criterium. If you check
out photos of this year’s Dirty Kanza
a brewery for gosh-sake. This final
destination is far superior to the finish
of road races where people are often
(an epic 200-mile ride across the yelling at each other for dangerous
wilds of Kansas), you see a couch at racing practices and head butting.
Mile 180 where you could chill and get Now, gravel isn’t perfect, or for
your photo taken. Any race that has a everyone. I can’t say I love mud or dirt.
chaise lounge is good in my books. You also go down more (although at
Then, there’s the vibe at a gravel slower speeds). Your bike will likely
event. It’s way more fun because need repairing after – the number
getting dropped matters far less. At of broken derailleurs I’ve seen is
one road race this year, I was dropped significant. Gravel events don’t have
on the fifth lap. I could have gotten into that magical feeling of sitting in a
my car and driven home because my fast-moving pack where you are just
race was effectively done. In a gravel sucked along by the draft. But those
event, after I broke a spoke 5-km are welcome tradeoffs for a disci-
in and had a minor crash, I just got pline of racing that is inclusive and
back on and kept going (more slowly). engaging. Now I may still be a roadie
The ability to continue on makes the at heart, but gravel is getting into my
event way more accessible for riders veins. See you in the mud.
of all abilities. Weaker athletes no
longer need to worry about the “ride
Above and Below
of shame” home and reporting to the On the dirt of Ontario’s
race commissaire (or facing the indig- Paris to Ancaster
nity of a $20 fine). And teamwork is
a real thing: in many events, groups
work together and stop together for
lunch, making it a collaborative effort.
Finally, the crowds and volunteers
are awesome. Unlike at a road race
where spectators may see the riders
once every 15 minutes, spectators at
gravel events see people for hours as
the riders get strung out and find the
gruppettos they deserve. Volunteers
are ever-present with food, drinks
and often way more candy than you
should eat. It all culminates (almost
always it seems) in a finish line party.
The Growling Beaver even ends at
cyclingmagazine.ca 25
 Capital Singletrack
The expanding mountain bike networks of Ottawa-Gatineau

by Jeff Bartlett

26 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 W hile the Ottawa River separates Gatineau, Que., from
its Ontario neighbour, the country’s capital, the two

THE SCENE
are connected as the National Capital Region (NCR). It’s the

48 HOURS fifth largest metropolitan area in Canada. It celebrates

both our national history and its regional culture with
heritage elements within its boundaries. Along with the
Rideau Canal, which became a UNESCO World Heritage
Site in 2007, there are 24 National Historic Sites of Canada,
a collection of national museums, art galleries and the
Parliament Buildings for visitors to enjoy.
Sitting at the confluence of three major rivers – Ottawa
River, Gatineau River and Rideau River – and lying where
the St. Lawrence Lowlands meet the Canadian Shield, the
NCR’s geography isn’t just visually beautiful; the diverse
landscape lends itself to mountain biking and the region’s
trail networks.
“I live just east of downtown Ottawa,” says Sandra
Beaubien, president of the Ottawa Mountain Bike
Association (omba), “It’s about 30 minutes to three riding
areas. You see a few beginners out on hardtails, but it’s
mostly trail bikes. It’s definitely a baggy-short scene out
here, not the spandex-race scene.”
There are three main mountain bike areas within a
short drive of the city: the Larose Forest, east of Ottawa
along the Trans-Canada Highway; Gatineau Park, north of
the capital in Quebec; and the South March Highlands, in
the west in Kanata.
“Mountain biking has grown quickly in the past few
years,” Beaubien says. “We’ve been on the cusp of more
land access for years and we’re starting to see that happen.”
Profits from active logging operations in and around
the Larose Forest help fund the United Counties of
Prescott and Russell’s mountain bike development plan.
The Larose Forest trail network has already opened
16 km of fresh singletrack to the Ottawa area and more is
set to open throughout 2018 and beyond. “It was the real
missing component to the Ottawa scene,” says Beaubien,
“because it’s the best place for families and beginner to
intermediate riders.”
The trails weave through a thick pine forest with
varying riding surfaces that are primarily smooth and

Left
Camp Fortune in
Gatineau Park

Find out more

about the riding
in the Outaouais Gatineau
Photo: Matt Stetson

region, north of
the Ottawa River Ottawa

cyclingmagazine.ca 27
 “Mountain biking has
grown quickly in the
past few years. We’ve
been on the cusp of more
land access for years
and we’re starting to see
that happen.”

loamy, with plenty of bermed corners mixed in. All the

trails are designated as both multi-directional and multi-
use, so mountain bikers must yield to other user groups.
Gatineau Park is home to the capital region’s biggest
trail network. Today, there are roughly 101 km of trails
that mountain bikers can access. By the spring of 2020,
the park plans to turn 50 km of unofficial trails into
official routes for both riders and hikers. In the winter,
28 km of trails that riders don’t have access to in the
summer are open for fat biking.
“Gatineau Park is a treasure we have right outside of
Ottawa,” Beaubien says. “It’s a fine balance to protect it
and to use it. More unofficial trails are being adopted this
year, but the hope is to diminish the ecological footprint
on the park and lower the overall impact trail users create.”
The long-term plan also includes restoring other areas to
help protect the 90 plant and 50 animal species that are
considered at risk in either Quebec or Ontario, including
the rare eastern red cedars, eastern wolf and some of
Quebec’s only known population of Blanding’s turtle.
Camp Fortune, located in Gatineau Park, is the unques-
tioned mountain bike hub for the entire region. A $8.70
day-pass ($75 season pass) is required to ride at Camp
Fortune, but the trails are well-worth the price of admis-
sion. A welcome centre, open daily, provides washrooms,
snacks and repair kits at Brian’s trailhead parking lot. A
four-person trail crew actively works to keep the trails in
impeccable condition.
“Camp Fortune is one of the steeper areas of the park and
it has the most technical trails, too,” Beaubien says. “There
are lots of rock features and way less soil than the rest of During the winter months, the fat biking access is Above
the park. It’s a great place to train.” vast. Larose Forest is groomed, while snowshoe traffic Camp Fortune

South March Highlands have the oldest roots in
Ottawa’s cycling scene. In 2005, OMBA was founded with
the sole focus of securing continued mountain bike access
in the trail network. The organization succeeded. The fast,
yet technical, trails that are home to a great collection of
rocky features became the first sanctioned trails in the
NCR. They’re still popular, too, especially on weekends.
Beaubien warns, however, that beginner and even inter-
mediate riders can be intimidated.
in both South March Highlands and Gatineau Park keeps
trails open for fat biking. Gatineau has two winter-only
trail networks that run into sections of the park that
are currently closed to cyclists throughout the summer.
Closer to the city, the 15-km machine-groomed Sir John
A. Macdonald Trail along the Ottawa River provides even
more opportunities for riding in the snow.
OMBA, which has grown to include more than
500 members and a social-media reach of more than

28 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018


2,000 regional cyclists, continues to
work to improve cycling opportuni-
ties throughout the region. The latest
project is a bike park that will soon
open in central Ottawa. “The old
Carlington Ski Hill has been unused
for years,” Beaubien says. “Other
Photo: Matt Stetson
groups had applied to develop it, but
the city never saw anything it liked.
We applied and were approved.”
The project is moving forward
thanks to financial grants from the City of Ottawa, MEC
and the Ottawa Community Foundation. Initially, the park
will feature a pump track and skills area built by the
BMXperts and Sentier Borealis teams. The bike park prom-
ises to become a valuable go-to for new riders developing
the skills required to take advantage of the challenging
singletrack that surrounds the capital region.
“All the locals know how good the riding is,” says
Beaubien, “but the word just hasn’t gotten out that much.”
With new trails and riding opportunities opening every
season, it seems the riding won’t stay secret for long.
Details
How to get there
The Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier
International Airport is well-
connected with daily flights to
nearly any Canadian city. It’s also
just a two-hour drive west from
Montreal, via the Trans-Canada
Highway, and a four-hour drive from
Toronto, along Highways 401 and 416.
Mountain bike trailheads aren’t far
from downtown Ottawa. Gatineau
Park is located 19-km north of the
city, along Autoroute 5 N and Larose
Forest is located 45-km east, along
the Trans-Canada Highway.
Where to stay
Visitors on a mountain bike trip
might consider camping. Three
campgrounds are available in
Gatineau Park ($35.60 per site,
ncc- cc n .gc.ca /places-to -v isit /
gatineau-park ) and Camping
Paradis ($38-$50 per site, paradis
camping.ca ) is located beside
Larose Forest. Hotel options in
Ottawa include The Residence Inn by
Marriott Ottawa (161 Laurier Ave. W.,
marriott.com ), Lord Elgin Hotel
(100 Elgin St., lordelginhotel.ca) –
both with secure bike storage –
and the boutique Metcalfe (123
Metcalfe St., themetcalfehotel.com).
Where to eat
Within walking distance of the
three downtown hotels mentioned
above are three top restaurants:
Eggspectation (171 Bank St., break-
fast and lunch only), Nate’s Deli (152
Sparks St., nates.ca) and Dunn’s
Famous Bank Street Deli (2679 Bank
St., dunnsfamousbankst.com). The
latter two are both historic, tracing
their Ottawa roots to 1959 and 1927,
respectively. Bridgehead (bridge
head.ca), a local coffee roaster and
café with locations across the city,
was the first company in Canada to
offer fair-trade coffee.
Where to shop
Both Phat Moose Cycles (98
Hawthorne Ave., phatmoosecycles.
com) and Full Cycle (401 St. Laurent
Blvd., fullcycle.ca) are full-service
bike shops with passionate staff who
are familiar with both their merch-
andise and the best local trails.
cyclingmagazine.ca 29
 4 Nutrients Every
Cyclist Needs
More of
How to get more omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium,
potassium and choline in your diet
THE SCENE
NUTRITION
by Matthew Kadey
W hile most cyclists pay attention to watts, heart rate,
mileage and other training metrics, they often
forget about keeping tabs on their nutrient intake. In doing
so, it can be easy to let certain vital nutrients fall through
the cracks unknowingly and, in turn, risk jeopardizing
health and fitness gains. If your body is a machine, think
of certain nutrients as the gears that let it run smoothly.
Here are a quartet of chronically under-consumed nutri-
ents, plus ways to get them through real food sources
(preferably) rather than pills and potions.
EPA and DHA
The duo of EPa (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHa (docosa-
hexaenoic acid) are two long-chain omega-3 fatty acids
that have proven themselves to be allies in the fight against
various health concerns, including heart disease. A recent
meta-analysis of previous research published in Critical
Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition with a sample size
of 292,657 concluded that there is a link between omega-3
fat intake and bone strength. The mega-healthy fats have
also been shown to help alleviate muscle pain associated
with hard workouts. Both EPa and DHa work their way
into cell membranes allowing them to have such wide-
ranging benefits. But few, and we really mean few, people
are heeding the advice of health experts to eat more of them.
A recent study published in the journal Nutrients deter-
mined that about 98 per cent of people fall well below the
optimum figure of eight per cent on the Omega-3 Index – a
test of omega-3 fatty acids levels in the blood.
Eat more: The best way to get your fill of EPa and DHa is
to reel in fatty fish for your meals at least twice per week.
The main swimmers that are especially rich in omega-3s
include salmon, rainbow trout, sardines, mackerel, sable-
fish (black cod), herring, Arctic char and some tuna. A
shorter-chain form of omega-3 fatty acid, called alpha-
linolenic acid (aLa), is found in certain plant-based foods
and some can be converted into EPa and DHa in the body.
Sources of aLa include walnuts, hemp seeds, flax, chia
and canola oil.
30 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
Magnesium
Consider magnesium the renaissance man of minerals –
it’s a vital part of hundreds of important enzymes that
play a role in everything from nerve to heart to bone
to muscle functioning. So, if you come up short with
magnesium, your body won’t perform at its best. A study
published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic
Association found that vitamin D is not properly metabo-
lized in the body without sufficient magnesium levels.
Owing to the mineral’s role in energy production within
our cells, low levels could contribute to feeling less
than peppy on the saddle. The average person should
consume between 300 and 400 mg of magnesium a day.
Sadly, dietary surveys show that only about half of the
population is reaching its daily quota.
Eat more: Generally, plant-based whole foods are your
best way to load up on magnesium. These include legumes
Magnesium such as beans, whole-grains such as quinoa and brown
rice, nuts, seeds (especially pumpkin seeds), potatoes and
dark greens (spinach and Swiss chard).
Potassium
Our bodies call upon potassium for a host of essential
functions including muscular contraction, regulation of
fluid balance and limiting bone breakdown. When you
Potassium get enough potassium, it helps your body excrete sodium,
which eases tension in the blood-vessel walls to help
lower blood-pressure numbers. Just keep in mind that its
role in muscle cramping during workouts has largely been
overblown. While most people have no trouble eating
plenty of sodium, dietary data suggests that a measly
two per cent of the population meets its daily potassium
recommendation – 4,700 mg each day as suggested by the
Institute of Medicine. Since it seeps out of your pores when
you sweat, you’ll need to eat even more if you spend many
hours sweating buckets in the pain cave.
Eat more: Though most of us associate potassium with
bananas, you should also drop other potassium-rich
EPA and DHA foods in your shopping cart – yogurt, dark leafy greens,
white and sweet potatoes, avocado, winter squash, lentils,
beans, dried fruits, cantaloupe, kiwi, mushrooms and
even fish like salmon and halibut.
Choline
Of this fab four of nutrients, choline is likely the least well-
known. The vitamin-like compound is the main building
block of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in
brain functioning as well as muscular movement. This
Choline largely unsung nutrient also plays an important role
in our metabolism and nervous system. The more you
exercise, the more acetylcholine is used up for the purpose of stimulating
muscular contraction, making it even more vital to eat enough choline. Yet
a report published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition claims
that about 90 per cent of Americans aren’t meeting their recommended daily
intake of choline, 550 and 425 mg each day for men and women, respectively.
Canadians likely aren’t fairing much better.
Eat more: The best way to consume more choline is to crack open an egg – a
single yolk has about 145 mg. Other dietary sources include liver, beef, fish,
chicken, milk, brussels sprouts, broccoli, shiitake mushrooms, soybeans and
peanut butter. What better excuse to eat more PB&J sandwiches?
 Jamie Vrooman’s
Roast
Chicken
THE SCENE
GUEST CHEF
by Matthew Pioro
I n the middle of a July heatwave,
Jamie Vrooman cut a road ride
short and took a train home because
“It’s about collecting diverse skill sets,”
the 40 C temperature was too much.
He called the move “an adult deci-
sion.” When I asked him about more
autumnal pursuits – cyclocross – he
said, “It’s only 46 days away,” like
a kid counting down the days until
Christmas. He did receive a lump of
coal in his stocking a few days later
when he found out the new Toronto
CX was cancelled. His season was
delayed by at least a week.
Vrooman got into bikes while he
was in university in Winnipeg. In fact,
some of his first bike purchases were
with student loans. There was a track
bike because he had plans of getting
“fixie famous.” There was a Marinoni
with a Campagnolo Chorus group
that he bought on eBay. Then, to start
paying off those student loans, he
worked in a kitchen washing dishes.
His culinary knowledge grew from
there. He later moved to Toronto and
worked in various restaurants, some
high-end, some hip (fancy meatloaf
or “lard-core”). He’s found himself
in a butcher shop, a pizza joint and
managing production and purchasing
for three restaurants under one brand.
32 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
Nutritional
Information
For one serving
Saturated 3 g
he said about his resumé.
The challenge for Vrooman is
balancing the long hours that come
with working in the food industry and
cycling. Still, he competed in roughly
14 amateur CX races in 2017 and nine
in 2016. He plans on racing as many
muddy events as he can this fall.
“This roast-chicken recipe is sort of
like gluing tubulars: it’s conceptually
simple but the difference between
good enough and great is in the
details,” Vrooman said of the slightly
sassy directions he’s provided. In the
fine-dining world, he’s given simple
tasks, such as roasting a chicken, to
potential sous-chefs. “You see how
they are going to work. It tests their
attention to detail. You’ll see if they
take the extra steps to make it a
bit nicer, or just do it as quickly as
possible and be done with it.”
I asked him if he is as fastidious
with bike maintenance as he is in
the kitchen. “I try to be,” he said. “But
anyone who raced with me in years
past remembers me rolling tires.”
RiGHt
Jamie Vrooman (No. 319)
puts down the power at
Hardwood Ski and Bike
Directions
Chef Vrooman
1. Bring your chicken to room temper-
ature. Let it sit out for an hour, but
compares less than four.
roasting a 2. Turn your oven on to 475 F. This may
chicken with be hotter than you are comfortable
gluing tubulars. with. Commit.
After you’ve 3. Don’t wash your chicken: rinsing
mastered the poultry splashes the bad stuff all
former, work on over the place.
the latter. 4. Pat the chicken down inside and out
with paper towels. Dry it out. Steam
is the enemy.
5. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside of
the chicken. Don’t pour salt from
the box; make a pinch tin.
6. Truss your chicken. It’s easy: look
it up online. You can omit this step,
but it is pro.
Calories 277 7. Season the outside of the chicken,
back first, then breast, with the
Fat salt and pepper. Use about a table-
Protein 42.2 g
spoon of salt if you’re worried about
measuring.
8. Place the chicken breast-side up
on a rack in a roasting pan. You can
also pop it on any oven-safe pan,
but having it raised is pro.
Ingredients
3.5- to 4.5-lb.
chicken
9. Put the chicken in your hot oven for
25 minutes, then turn the temper-
ature down to 400 F. Let it roast
kosher salt another 40–45 minutes.
black pepper, 10. Don’t flip the bird, baste it, check
fresh ground it, touch it or open the door unless
smoke is pouring out. If smoke is
Equipment pouring out, you should clean your
These aren’t oven more regularly.
entirely necessary, 11. You know the chicken is done when
but they’re pro: an internal temperature of the
roasting pan, thigh is 165 F. If you don’t own an
roasting rack, instant-read thermometer, get one.
butcher’s twine, Otherwise, you’re basically testing
instant-read your tire pressure with your thumb.
thermometer 12. Let your chicken rest on a cutting Photos: Uncredited, Jeremy Allen
board for 15 minutes. Don’t cover it.
This step is critical. Leave it alone.
13. Carve your bird. You can look this
process up online or make it up as
Serves 4 you go.
 How to Maintain Your

TRAINING
Endurance during TRAINING TIPS

Cyclocross Season
While muddy races get your heart rate high, you still “Ride until you
need to keep your base strong
feel good, or
warmed-up, and
by Andrew Randell and Steve Neal of The Cycling Gym then stop”

W hen we think about cyclocross racing, we think

speed, jamming corners, fast races and running up
hills and over barriers with burning calves. The cyclo-
cross season is getting longer and longer, with more races
added to the schedule, often with one on Saturday and
another on Sunday. That makes for a tough go. How then
do we go about maintaining that intensity across a full
cyclocross season?
What will get you through the season is a solid amount
of training at endurance and tempo. It may seem counter-
intuitive: you typically want to make your upper-end
abilities, your intense efforts, as strong as possible, so
that you can jam during the races. Research and experi-
ence, however, have shown that two, maybe three, days of
intensity in a week is the most people can handle without
cracking. Now, let’s look at your week during the cyclo-
cross season. How much intensity are you doing? Is there
a Tuesday-night training race? A Thursday threshold
workout? Is there a race on the weekend? Maybe two?
That’s four days of intensity in a week.
For the first few weeks of the season, this schedule
might feel amazing. The intensity will get you fit
quickly. Unfortunately, the fitness you again won’t stick
around for very long. Instead, you need to find a way to
keep from peaking too early, especially if you have goal
races later in the season, such as the continental cham-
pionships or nationals.
To maintain your fitness, you need to control how much
intensity you do each week. Then to keep your abilities
stable, you need as big an endurance and tempo base as
you can handle without fatiguing. This work is always
done at an easier pace than most riders think. At the gym
we would prescribe endurance work as 60 to 70 per cent of
your maximum heart rate, and tempo as 80 to 83 per cent. the same on Tuesday if you can. Take Wednesday off. This day can be spent on
For a pro rider, we’d recommend a three- to five-hour the couch if you’re totally gassed. You’ll likely feel better, though, if you go for a
endurance ride on the Monday after a weekend of racing. spin of between 20 and 40 minutes maximum. On Thursday, do a wake-up ride
If this rider felt OK on the Tuesday, we’d say do another featuring a few sprints or cadence work. Friday, if you have races on both days
endurance ride of a similar length. If you are a masters of the weekend, try a ride with eight-second sprints every five minutes.
rider with day job, then a two-hour ride at less than 60 to The goal with any racing season is to hit your top fitness at the right moment.
Photo: Jeremy Allen

70 per cent of your maximum heart rate is the way to go on Getting there requires that you don’t overdo your training. Understand that
the Monday. If you’re riding without a heart-rate monitor, there is a limit to how much intensity your body can handle and that training
ride until you feel good, or warmed-up, and then stop. Do easier than you think will have some big benefits.

cyclingmagazine.ca 33

TRAINING
TECHNIQUE
A Champion’s
Top-5
Watch two great
videos with
yoga poses for
Cyclocross Tips
cyclists like you.
One focuses on
your lower back
and hips, which
In fall, you’ll ride and feel better
will help address
if you follow this advice ’cross back.
The other will
limber up your
neck, back and
by Michael van den Ham shoulders.
Above
Here are some tips that will help you perform at your best,
Riding your CX
whether you find yourself racing in mud, grass, sand or, bike on trails
will help your
most likely, all of the above. technical abilities
1. Ride Your Cross Bike, Now
Ride your cyclocross bike, now! Obvious, right?
But when I say ride the bike you are going to race in ’cross
2. Yoga is Your Friend
There is no cycling disci-
pline that involves more twisting
season, I mean ride it in just about every training session and turning, shifting and shaking,
from the beginning of August onward. There are a couple or running and reaching than cyclo-
reasons for hopping on early. The handling on your ’cross cross. Your hips and your back are
bike is not the same as either your mountain or road bike. particularly susceptible to getting
There’s a good chance that your mountain bike and road tight, so much so that the term “cross
position are not the same as your ’cross position, which
has a big effect on how you produce power on the bike.
This advice, however, doesn’t mean that you need to be
back” has come to describe that
sore feeling that so often shows up
30 minutes into a race. For me, the
pedalling around on a grass field for a month and a half; solution is as simple as making time
it means that you should ride your CX bike on every type for 15 to 30 minutes of yoga practice
of terrain. every morning. Your yoga routine
Itching for some singletrack? Riding the CX bike on doesn’t have to be expensive or
the trails is a great test of your handling skills. I’ve fancy (there are a number of YouTube
been known to show up to group rides on mine (at least practices that I frequently use), but
for some trail networks). What about a longer road ride? creating time for a little off-the-bike
Throw some 28c slicks on your ’cross bike and head out self-care will not only make you feel
for an adventure. better in races, but make you a more
functional human being in general.
34 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
“I like to add
15–20 minutes a
couple times per
week onto my
ride to focus
on one or two
cyclocross skills.”
3. Attend a Cross
Camp or Clinic
No one. Not me, not Stephen Hyde,
not Wout van Aert is so good that he
doesn’t need to make improvements
on his cyclocross technique. The best
way to do work on technique is to
attend a cyclocross camp or clinic. If
you attend a good one (I recommend
anything Cycle-Smart, where I’m a
coach), you’ll learn proper methods,
get direct feedback from a coach
and, perhaps just as important, have
ample time to practise on a cyclo-
cross course with people who are of a
similar skill level to you.
4. Practise with Focus
Of course, attending a camp
is useful, but spending time turning
the skills you honed at your camp
or clinic into hard-wired habits
is invaluable. I like to add 15–20
minutes a couple times per week onto
my ride to focus on one or two cyclo-
cross skills. Pick a skill, whether it’s
cornering or a challenging section,
and spend time riding it, breaking
down your technique and repeating.
5. the
Don’t Underestimate
Recovery Time
Once your season has started and
you are in the thick of racing, one of
the most valuable things you can
do is take the recovery just as seri-
ously as the racing. Cyclocross is
something that isn’t a lot of fun if
you aren’t fresh, so don’t be afraid to
swap out training days for recovery
days or days completely off the bike
if you start to feel fatigued in the
middle of the season.
Parts
Every Home
Mechanic
Should Have
If you’re prepared,
you won’t miss a ride
by Nick Di Cristofaro
C hanging tires, and cleaning and lubing components are
standard chores that you should perform regularly to
keep your ride in top condition. To do so, you need to have
the right parts and products on hand. Even for jobs that
you might need your local mechanic to do, it’s a good idea
to have the part yourself. Yes, most shops are well stocked.
But, let’s say you’ve broken a spoke the day before a big
event and aren’t comfortable replacing it. If you have the
right type and length of spoke for your deep-section carbon
wheel, you can at least take everything to a qualified
mechanic for the fix. You avoid the panic of trying to source
a potentially hard-to-find part the day before your event.
To keep your most prized possession running smoothly
and to keep moments of panic at bay, make sure you stock
your home workspace with the following items.
Tubes and tires
Flats are a common problem. If you are running clinchers,
have spare tubes. If you have a tubeless setup, you need
sealant and rim tape. With a tubular tire, you’ll need to
replace it if you get a slash. Get out
the glue and a spare tubular that is
pre-stretched with a valve extension
installed. Actually, you should have
extra valve extensions for your deep
wheels, no matter the tire type. Also,
with tubulars, sometimes a pesky
leak is from a loose or damaged valve
core, so have some backups.
Rear derailleur
OK, maybe having a new rear mech on hand might be exces-
sive for a home mechanic. If the rear derailleur gets damaged,
however, you’ll need it. If you want to save money, your
spare could be a lower-cost model. For example, if you’re
running a Shimano Dura-Ace mech, have a spare 105 part. It
will get you on the road. You can always upgrade later.
Rear derailleur hanger
I can’t stress having a spare derailleur
hanger enough. Derailleur hangers
come in myriad shapes and sizes for
all the different types of frames out
there. Have at least one spare that
you know will work on your bike.
Spokes
Have the right type and length of
spoke for your race wheels. Some
high-end wheels will have propri-
etary spokes. If your hoops have a
low spoke count, one broken spoke
will make a wheel unrideable. It is
also a good idea to have another set
of wheels to get you rolling.
Brake and shift cables, and housing
Replacing cables will restore smooth
brake and shifting action if they’ve
started to fray. They can also break
or become damaged in a crash. Don’t
forget to have some cable end caps
and ferrules as well. Shimano and
SRaM cables are interchangeable.
Campagnolo is not interchangeable
with the two S brands.
If you are running Shimano Di2,
have a few spare wires of correct
length. The most important are the
wires for the rear derailleur and from
the shifters to the junction. These are
exposed and can get damaged in a
crash. Having a spare battery charged
and ready to go is a nice-to-have if
you have SRaM eTap. You can swap
these out easily in an emergency.
TRAINING
MAINTENANCE
Chain
Without a chain, you’re going
nowhere fast. If it snaps or
becomes damaged, it will need to
be replaced. At the very least, have
a quick link or spare connecting
pin. If a couple links are damaged,
you can remove them and recon-
nect if the chain length is sufficient.
Check out these tips for
replacing your chain
Brake pads
Make sure to have the correct pads for
your carbon rims. If you swap in your
aluminum wheels, change the pads,
too. Each wheelset should have its
own dedicated pads. If you have disc
brakes, have one set of pads recom-
mended by the manufacturer for
your calipers and rotors. You should
have a spare rotor as well. You’ll need
two if your bike has different sizes of
rotor at the front and rear.
Other items that are good to have
You can ride your road bike without
handlebar tape or bar-end plugs or
your mountain bike without grips if
they get damaged, but why would
you want to? Bar-end plugs always
seem to go missing. If you can, have
another pair of shoes and cleats. Keep
bolts handly. The most common are
M5 Allen head bolts for stems and
water-bottle cages. Skewer springs
always tend to go flying away. Have a
few of those.
cyclingmagazine.ca 35
 Pedalling

revolution
in
Cu b a
story and photos by Melanie Chambers

W e were two women cycling alone through the

southern tip of Cuba. From the amount of atten-
tion we were getting, we might as well have been dogs
dancing on our hind legs. Shock or surprise? Sometimes
we got support, sometimes it was something else. “What
did he say?” I asked. “You don’t want to know,” she replied.
But I knew anyway what he meant – that machismo is the
same in any language.
I thought it might be different here. After all, I was
drawn to Cuba because of Celia Sánchez, a revolutionary

36 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

ON THE TRAIL OF A GUERRILLA WITH
A FLOWER BEHIND HER EAR AND A
MONOGRAMMED RIFLE, TWO WOMEN FIND
A D V E N T U R E A N D U N AV O I D A B L E A C T I V I S M .

cyclingmagazine.ca 37
 Left
Revolutionary
Celia Sánchez ”She was faking pregnancy to access check-
points and recruiting Cubans to

known for
battle in one of the most punishing
environments on the island, her

wearing giant
home and the headquarters of the
rebels, the Sierra Maestra.
People said I was crazy to ride these

hoop earrings mountains: “You know how steep it is,

right? How hot?” The strategic jungle

and accessories location of the rebels’ headquarters

is also one of the least-visited areas

with her
hero who fought alongside Fidel Castro. After reading of the country. It’s certainly not the
Sánchez’s biography, One Day in December: Celia Sánchez all-inclusive experience of most

fatigues.
and the Cuban Revolution , I became enthralled with the travellers, but this is what I wanted.
woman Cubans say was made of iron and honey. Strong, And, from a bike, I felt more connected
yet compassionate. to the place and, of course, Sánchez.

(No woman
As a lifetime cyclist and traveller, I identify with this. My timing, in February, didn’t
In 1996, when planning my first overseas trip to Europe, I coincide with a Celia Sánchez tour

should have
decided to cycle from Amsterdam to Spain. When friends run by Canadian-owned CanBiCuba,
said a woman on a bike was a target, I scoffed. I could take so I hired one of the company’s
care of myself. I would see Europe the way I wanted to see guides, Airelis Gomez. Our 400-km
Europe: on a bike, alone.
On that trip, I remember sitting in my sweaty bike
to sacrifice route began in Santiago de Cuba, the
country’s second-largest city, where
gear at a café in Vigo, Spain. I stood out. Maria, a local,
recognized this and invited me into her home that night style for Castro announced from a balcony
in the main square the victory of

to stay with her family. She saw, and admired, what I was
slowly discovering: that a woman on a bike can be just as
resilient, strong and independent as a man.
It was never my intention to champion women’s rights
when I became a travel writer. But the more I travelled
with my bike and the more Marias I inspired, the more
I met women who inspired me. I also like to think some
men, those who think this isn’t my place, might see women
differently, but I’ll never know for certain. In this respect, I
unwittingly became a women’s rights advocate from my
saddle, tacitly sending the message that I could do this all
by myself, on my own terms, without anyone’s permission.
function.) “
I wonder if Sánchez felt this way.
She was never just a woman: she
wouldn’t allow herself to be defined
by gender. She was many things.
“The Mother of All Cubans” fought
with aplomb and style, hiding
messages in a butterfly jasmine,
the national flower, behind her ear,
the rebel army over the Fulgencio
Batista-led regime. We’d follow the
Caribbean Sea alongside the south-
west coast of Cuba through towns
such as Media Luna, where Celia
was born, Pico Turquino, the coun-
try’s highest peak and location of the
rebel headquarters, and Pilon, her
childhood home.
I picked up Gomez, 31, in Las Tunas.
Her long, painted nails and thinly
shaped eyebrows epitomized the
look of most Cuban women, espe-
cially Sánchez, known for wearing
giant hoop earrings and accessories
with her fatigues. (No woman should
have to sacrifice style for function.)
Once Gomez got to know me, she
made me promise I would pluck my
scrubby eyebrows.
Growing up in the countryside,
Gomez learned about Sánchez in
school. “Celia. Fidel, Che, Frank,
Camilo – we learned about them all.
She was fighting for the right things
and for putting a woman in a place
beside a man. It’s not every day you
see a woman fighting as she did,”
Gomez said.
Gomez’s father encouraged her to
ride. She won silver in a grade school
level 20-km scratch race three years
in a row. At 15, she was only one of
three women on her school team –
her sister was on the national team.

38 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018


Sánchez’s father was also her mentor; when he first
discovered she was holding secret rebel meetings, he
gave her his monogrammed rifle. Cubans say he raised
his daughter like a man.
For me, my stepfather was the first person to tell me a
woman could do anything a man could do. He also gave
me a book about a Canadian woman who volunteered in
”A cop
Belize to help save jaguars. She cycled every day after
work as riding kept her grounded. Then, while living stopped
us for
there, she conceived of a cycling fundraiser. I remember
thinking, at 20 years old, you can really do that stuff?
crossing
And so, with inspiration from the jaguar lady and others
like her, I wrote my own narrative. Never wanting to be
tied down by a house, or things, I did want to see the world
on a bike. Travel writing by bike became my career.
Gomez was terrified about leading our voyage. It
the road
was her first solo-guiding trip. Getting stopped by the
policia before we even began probably didn’t abate in the
wrong
her anxiety. After we pedalled out of Santiago de
Cuba, through the filthy, gritty black exhaust from pre-
spot. “
revolution Chevys and Fords, a cop stopped us for
crossing the road in the wrong spot.
He asked Gomez for ID, looked her up and down and then
turned his eyes to me. Scanning my legs, bike and face, his
gaze was familiar. Anger started to build inside my chest,
but getting scrappy with a cop wouldn’t have gotten us out
Cuba Cycling Tips
Avoid visiting in hurricane season between
August and October. December to May is best,
but still hot.
Prepare for intense heat. Pack electrolytes and
high Spf sunscreen. Dip into the ocean as often
as possible.
Ride a locally sourced hybrid, or better yet,
bring your own gravel, endurance or hardtail
bike. Rental bikes are poor quality and paved
roads are patchy.
Stay at casas particulares . The inexpensive
family-run accommodations also have some
of the best food in the country. Book ahead
or look for a blue angular symbol on homes.
(casaparticular.com)
Bring your own tools, parts and other special
equipment. Getting bike parts or tools in Cuba
is difficult, if not impossible. When you leave,
donate your used equipment.
Pack enough food and supplies for a day. Shops
are scarce on some routes.
cyclingmagazine.ca 39
 ”People said
I was crazy
to ride these
mountains. “
of that one. So, I did what I know would. I smiled demurely.
At this, I could feel the power shift. He won. He gained
control. Why did it have to happen like that, still?
With a gesture, he let us go. Pedalling until my legs
began to hurt helped to work off the frustration.
As we left the city, the buildings changed to tall golden
grass and stalks of corn and reminders of Sánchez: a
school named after her, followed by billboards. Heroinas
de la Patria y la Revolucion , said one, with enormous faces
of Celia and Vilma, Raul Castro’s wife.
We arrived in Galleons, our first stop on the coast of the
Caribbean Sea. We mentioned to the host, the mother of
the family-run homestay (like a B&B, called casa partic-
ular), that we’re here for Celia. “Uno momento…” she ran
across the street and returned with another woman. The
local librarian carried a picture of Sánchez. In the photo,
Sanchez’s hair was braided and wrapped around her head,
like a Roman goddess. “She introduced women to the
fight,” said Dalvis Reyes Cobas. Iron and honey. For the
rest of the evening, Cobas shared her stories of Sanchez,
and the group of women listened intently.
The same happened again at the casa the next night in
Marea del Portillo, farther along the coast. “Can you tell
me about Celia?” I asked the owner. She too ran inside
her house and grabbed a picture of herself as a teenager
standing next to Castro. She worked at the nearby hotel that
Sanchez helped build for Cuban farmers. “It was meant as a
place for farmers to rest. She fought for the rights of farmers,
labourers, women and children,” she says. Three years
after Celia died, it became a tourist-only resort.
On Day 3, we confronted the Maestra Mountains where
horses and buggies substituted for cars. Our hybrid
bicycles, laden with panniers, bounced over the cracked
pavement and gravel. The road was a dividing line
between two diverse topographies: to our left was a bright
blue sea as wide as the sky, its spray sprinkling our faces;
on our right, a dense and dark jungle emitting heavy
humidity weighed us down.
The heat also emanated up from the black asphalt. No
clouds offered shade as we began our first of many steep
climbs. Legs slowing down to a painful rhythm, I saw the
remains of a rusted ship’s hull protruding out of the water.
Revolution ghosts. Breathing heavy and taking it all in,
despite the heat and pain, I felt it was moments like this
that remind me why I love what I do.
The farther I cycled through Sánchez’s Cuba, the more
40 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
I discovered stories of a similar self-
assured and determined spirit. With
every billboard, painting or other
reminder of Sanchez, I felt like she was
beside me, beckoning me to keep going,
and to not take any crap along the way.
Luring us up each peak was always a
revolutionary plaque or symbol. But
the most revered was a monument in
the town of El Uvero. At 5:15 a.m. on
May 28, 1957, the rebels won their first
military victory. Sánchez was there.
Pedalling on, it was eerily quiet with
the background hush of ocean waves
and revolution ghosts.
On our third day, during our
longest ride of a tough 90 km, we
rested out of the midday sun under
a gazebo at the trailhead to Pico
Turquino – Cuba’s highest peak at
1,975 m. Just before the start of revo-
lution in 1953, Sánchez and her father
hiked 11 km to the summit carrying
a life-size bronze bust of José Martí,
the first national independence war
hero, to commemorate his centen-
ary. Sánchez’s strength motivated
me through the remaining hot and
hilly 40 km.
On our final day, 80 km from
Manzanillo to Las Tunas, the head-
winds were so fierce the farmers
in the rice field walked faster
than us. Watching the tall golden
stalks of sugarcane leaning side-
ways, I thought of all the places,
and cultures, where I faced skepti-
cism as a woman on a bike. “Why
you no married?” asked the Italian
shepherd. “Where’s your husband?”
queried the Peruvian B&B host.
In these contexts, I always felt I had
to justify myself, my unique status,
by riding faster than my usual pace
to ensure I wasn’t the “slow” girl. Or
worse, I wouldn’t have to push away
someone’s wandering hands. Can’t I
be alone and not be lonely or needy?
During our final evening in Las
Tunas, I sipped strong margaritas
at a bar with Gomez. My new skirt,
purchased in the market that after-
noon, fluttered delicately on my
tanned muscular thighs. Wearing
frilly clothes and lipstick, I revelled
in being girly again. Feminine isn’t
weak. That I was feminine and fierce
was glorious. We weren’t dressed up to
pick up. We were dressed up because
we could be. Iron and honey.
cyclingmagazine.ca 41
INNOCENT BUT...

42 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 Five years after
being cleared
of an adverse
analytical
fi nding, Jack
Burke is still
fighting for his
reputation. His
precedent-
setting case
continues to
raise questions
about rider
responsibility,
anti-doping
procedures and
what those tests
truly reveal.

by Dan Dakin

W hen Jack Burke swore he was innocent in 2013 after

being accused by the UCI of failing a drug test, he
wasn’t lying. Let’s get that clear. Burke’s only transgres-
sion was being late to the team bus and filling up his
bottles in a small Quebec town with tainted drinking water.
He didn’t cheat. The Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of
Canada said so. Even the international Court of Arbitration
for Sport said so.
So why, five years down the road, after the biggest win
of his career, is Burke still getting Facebook messages
from random people saying things like, “must be more
special water.”
“That’s the reality of high-level sport,” says Cycling
Canada president John Tolkamp. “You’re going to be under
scrutiny. It’s natural once something like this has come to
light that there’s a level of suspicion. We’ve been burned
too much in professional sports hearing athletes say they
didn’t do anything.”
An adverse analytical finding. aaF. It’s every cyclist’s
nightmare. It typically leads to court hearings, sanc-
tions, disqualified results and a tarnished reputation
Jack Burke (front) that can never be rehabilitated. As of last year, aaF is
at the 2018 a term cycling fans know well because of Chris Froome
Photo: Rob Jones

Tour de Beauce
and the high levels of salbutamol found in his urine

cyclingmagazine.ca 43
 taken during at test at the 2017 Vuelta a España. Froome
won that race, and then the Giro d’Italia in May. The UCI
finally cleared him of any wrongdoing just before the
Tour de France in July. Burke’s AAF from five years ago,
in contrast to Froome’s, has likely had a bigger effect on
the rider’s career.
Perspective is everything in cases such as Burke’s.
Even though he was cleared by the sport’s highest courts,
his story is still being debated on Saturday club rides
and on the starting lines of bike races. “I just don’t like
him,” a cyclist who raced against Burke in his early years,
and wishes to remain anonymous, said recently. “I don’t
believe him. He got a good lawyer who was able to get
him out of it.”
“Getting hate mail from people I don’t know – that hurts
a lot,” says Burke. “But the only people who have ever
criticized or questioned me are either looking for a reason
why they’re not as good as me or they’re ignorant and
don’t want to read the whole story.”
44 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
T he 2013 Tour de l’Abitibi started
off slowly for Burke. He was a
member of Team Canada racing in
the stage race for juniors that had its
50th edition this year. Riders such
as Steve Bauer, Alex Stieda, Laurent
Jalabert and Andy Hampsten have
won the event in northern Quebec.
The 18-year-old Burke finished mid-
pack in the first and second stages, but
grabbed the overall lead on Stage 3
when he won a morning time trial
on July 18 in Rouyn-Noranda. From
there, the Tour headed about 80 km
east to the tiny town of Malartic.
Home to 3,000 residents and the
largest open-pit gold mine in Canada,
the town hosted a circuit race for the
fourth stage, later that same day.
“I JUST DON’T
LIKE HIM. I DON’T
BELIEVE HIM.”
While most of the riders filled
up their water bottles in Rouyn-
Noranda, Burke was running late
and had to fill his in Malartic before
the race started. When he couldn’t
find a suitable option, he asked
someone at a nearby sports complex
to fill them for him. The worker did
so, asking him not to tell any other
riders so that she wouldn’t have to
do the same for them. Burke dashed
back to the starting line.
In Malartic, drinking water comes
from wells deep in the ground. Also
located deep underground is one of
the largest gold deposits in North
America, which is why, in 2010,
nearly 200 buildings were uprooted
and moved a couple of kilometres
north to allow Osisko Mining Corp.
to harvest that gold. Malartic is
also home to a golf course and a
water treatment sludge processing
facility. While mining processes
and golf courses can affect the
local water table negatively, so
can human waste. In Malartic, the
town’s basic water treatment
couldn’t manage pharmaceutical
compounds, pharmaceuticals such
as hydrochlorothiazide.
Of course, Burke didn’t know that
when he filled those bottles. He didn’t
know that when he peed into a cup
for a drug test after the circuit race.
He still didn’t know any of that when
he received an email from the UCI on
Aug. 16, 2013 notifying him of an
adverse analytical finding in his A
sample from that drug test. “I got tested
because of the time trial that morning,”
he says. “Had I been tested in Rouyn-
Noranda right after the time trial, we
never would have had all this.”
That email from the UCI, which was
followed later by the confirmation
that his B sample had also tested
positive for hydrochlorothiazide
(HCTZ), sent Burke’s life into chaos.
Under UCI rules, a first anti-doping
violation comes with a two-year
suspension. For Burke, that easily
could have meant missing two crit-
ical years of his development in the
sport – not to mention the damage to
his reputation that a doping violation
would bring with it.
In cycling, you’re guilty until
proven innocent. The burden of
proof falls squarely on the shoulders
of the cyclist. Unless Burke could
prove the HCTZ entered his body
without him knowing it and that it
wasn’t intended for performance-
enhancing purposes, his career was
all but done.
“It was the absolute worst day of
my life,” he says. “I called my dad,
shaking. There were times going
through this whole process that I
thought my life was over. My whole
life was in cycling, and it was all
coming apart.”
Photos: Scott Robarts
When Rick Lee, head coach
for the National Cycling Centre
Hamilton (NCCH), the team Burke
had ridden for in 2013 found out, he
was flabbergasted. “We were totally
shocked,” Lee says. “After a meeting
with Jack and his father, we were sure
there was a mistake. We knew he
was such a hard worker, and it made
no sense to us at all.”
Burke’s father, Dion, had no doubt
in his mind that his son was telling
the truth. He went to work immedi-
ately researching HCTZ, the town of
Malartic and every supplement and
nutritional item Jack had been using
at the time of the test.
It was Dion who discovered the
connection between HCTZ and
contaminated drinking water.
He started formulating an appeal
to have the two-year suspension
reduced to a reprimand: the best-
case scenario when fighting the
UCI in 2013.
“When my dad first came up with
the idea, it seemed like the craziest
thing,” Burke says. “But when we
started looking at it, we realized I had
the perfect storm.”
opposite
Burke races
the 2016 B.C.
T he World Anti-Doping Agency
oversees the drug testing for the
UCI. The rules are then enforced by
time trial
championships cycling governing bodies around
the world. So even though Burke
above
Burke rides in his was on Team Canada at the Tour de
Jelly Belly kit at l’Abitibi, Cycling Canada would be
the Tour de Delta his opponent when the Sport Dispute
road race, part of
BC Superweek Resolution Centre of Canada heard
in 2018 the case on Sept. 17, 2013.
For the hearing, the Burke family
needed a lawyer, and needed one fast.
Dion desperately called numerous
sport lawyers, but only one called
him back: James Bunting from the
Toronto firm Davies, Ward, Phillips &
Vineberg. He listened to the Burkes
explain what happened and decided
to take the case pro bono.
Bunting’s first-ever sport-related
case was helping a friend get back
onto the national alpine ski team
after he was let go following an injury.
Bunting was still in law school at the
time. Although his career now deals
mostly with class-action lawsuits
and commercial litigation, Bunting
tries to take on a few sport-related
cases each year. Usually at least one
of those is at no cost to the athlete.
“I understand and I’m empathetic
to athletes who find themselves in
a position like Jack did,” Bunting
says. “The conversation with Dion
resonated with me and my first
conversation with Jack resonated
with me. I thought taking the case
was the right thing to do.”
Less than a week after that initial
conversation between Dion and
Bunting, hearing SDRCC 13-0206
between claimant Jack Burke and
respondent Cycling Canada was
before arbitrator Richard McLaren.
Bunting and associate Chantelle
Spagnola represented Burke; Brett
Stewart represented Cycling Canada;
and observing the hearing was
Dominique Leroux, head of legal
anti-doping services for the UCI. This
case had similarities with Alberto
Contador’s case, in which the Tour de
France-winner’s defence argued that
clenbuterol found in urine came from
a tainted steak. His case, and two-
year ban, had only been settled the
year previous. (About a month after
Burke’s hearing, Australian rider
cyclingmagazine.ca 45
 Michael Rogers would have an adverse analytical finding
for clenbuterol and receive a provisional sanction. The UCI
would clear him to race in April, with no further sanctions.)
With Burke’s case, however, there was the possibility for
new precedents as the banned substance wasn’t in food or
a supplement, but in the environment.
McLaren is a Western University law professor who
has investigated some of the biggest international doping
scandals in history. He played a role in the examination
of U.S. track and field doping at the Sydney Olympics
and drug use in Major League Baseball. He was an arbi-
trator on the Floyd Landis doping case. Most recently, he
authored the two-part McLaren Report, which investi-
gated systematic, state-sponsored doping in Russia.
Both sides of the Burke case agreed to let McLaren make
a brief ruling within 24 hours of the hearing. The unusually
tight timeline was to accommodate another complica-
tion in the situation: Burke had been selected to represent
Canada at the 2013 UCI road world championships being
held in Italy. He was to board a plane for Europe on Sept. 18,
the day after the hearing.
MCLAREN SAID
THAT WHILE
BURKE DID
VIOLATE THE
DOPING
REGULATIONS
BY HAVING
TRACE
AMOUNTS OF
HCTZ IN HIS
SYSTEM, HE
DIDN’T DO SO
INTENTIONALLY.
46 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
During a gruelling six and a half hours, Burke, his father,
the head of the WADA-accredited lab in Montreal, a water-
contamination expert and others gave testimony. Burke’s
team argued that he inadvertently ingested HCTZ through
contaminated water, so he should therefore receive the
lightest possible punishment under the UCI’s anti-doping
rules (ADR) – a reprimand. Cycling Canada argued that
“the more likely explanation is that one of the supplements
[Burke] was taking was contaminated with HCTZ.”
The UCI agreed with the contaminated-supplement
theory, calling the contaminated-water cause “unlikely,”
and pointing out that WADA has been “warning athletes for
years about the possibility of contaminated supplements.”
Proving whether or not contaminated water in Malartic
was the cause of the positive test might seem as simple as
testing the water, but in his ruling, McLaren pointed out
that there wasn’t time to test it before the hearing. Even if
there was time, the water would have needed to be drawn
on the same day as Burke provided a urine sample to be
truly accurate. “Analysis of water collected today would
not reflect the same concentration of substances as the
water the athlete ingested in July,” McLaren wrote.
Burke was at Pearson International Airport ready to fly
to Italy for worlds on Sept. 18 when Bunting informed him
of McLaren’s ruling. “You’re good to race,” Bunting said. It
was a whirlwind few days that ended exactly how Burke
had hoped it would.
In McLaren’s decision, he said that while Burke did
violate the doping regulations by having trace amounts
of HCTZ in his system, he didn’t do so intentionally. “I
conclude that on the evidence it is more likely the contam-
inated source was drinking water obtained in Malartic
and not any nutritional supplement,” McLaren said. “The
athlete did not purposely ingest HCTZ and the level of HCTZ
detected in his urine could not have achieved any masking
effect.” Both sides agreed that the level of HCTZ was so low
Above
Burke stands
on the top step
of the podium
at the 2018
Tour de Beauce
after winning
Stage 2 atop
Mont-Mégantic
Left
At the 2017 Tour
of the Gila, Burke
competes in the
time trial with
Aevolo Cycling
that many WADA labs without the most up-to-date testing
equipment wouldn’t have been able to detect it.
As for a punishment, McLaren said a two-year ban would
be “vastly disproportionate to the athlete’s degree of culp-
ability,” adding that it would have a “devastating impact on
his future in the sport.” McLaren said the appropriate sanc-
tion was a reprimand and no suspension. While a victory, it
Photo: Casey B Gibson
still meant Burke would have a first doping infraction on his
record, and that his results in Quebec wouldn’t count. But he
was free to race at worlds and move on with his career.
The UCI, however, wasn’t done with Jack Burke.
 F or the UCI, Burke’s case wasn’t minor. A reprimand
as a result of unintentional ingestion could have
precedent-setting repercussions. “When we got the
results after the hearing, I knew there was the risk the
UCI would want to appeal it because they didn’t want the
precedential value the case set,” Bunting says.
In October 2013, the UCI appealed the SDRCC decision
and sent the case to the international Court of Arbitration
for Sport. After months of procedural back-and-forth
between the UCI and Burke’s lawyers, a hearing date was
set for April 17, 2014 in New York City with Ottawa-based
judge Hugh Fraser serving as the sole arbitrator.
After the SDRCC ruling, Cycling Canada was able to
work alongside Burke. The national governing body first
argued that the appeal shouldn’t have been heard at all,
and then took a supportive role in Burke’s case.
President John Tolkamp says it’s just part of the deli-
cate balance for his organization. “The process around
any of these doping cases is when a rider is found to
have a substance in their systems, we have to treat
Photo: Rob Jones
them as guilty and enforce it. With Jack, we started to
realize what was going on and it was a challenge to
believe that this was someone who was really trying to
proactively cheat,” he says.
“In a lot of cases, we’re enforcing it
and we’re the ones processing them,
but we’re also coaching the athletes
on what the process is and how they
can defend themselves,” Tolkamp
adds with regards to the two roles the
governing body can have in relation
to Canadian riders.
At the CAS, the principal issue being
debated was what punishment should
be appropriate considering Burke’s
confirmed anti-doping violation for
having trace amounts of HCTZ in his
system. The UCI wanted a two-year
ban while Burke said he deserved “at
most, a reprimand.” The UCI cast doubt
on the contaminated-water theory
and questioned Burke’s testimony
that he was the only one to fill bottles
near the start line in Malartic.
“The athlete likely was not the only
rider who had to obtain water in
Malartic, especially since the riders
arrived in Malartic at about 16:30, but
the race did not start until 18:15,” the
UCI wrote in its submission. “Instead,
the UCI submits that the likelihood
that other [numerous] riders drank
water from Malartic is quite high.”
But Fraser disagreed. He ruled that
the Malartic water “was contamin-
ated with HCTZ and therefore, the
athlete bears no fault or negligence.”
That ruling was significant because
the UCI had been arguing that should
the sole arbitrator find the athlete
bore no fault, which Fraser did,
then the punishment should fall
under a different section of the UCI’s
anti-doping rules than McLaren had
used previously.
“While Arbitrator McLaren correctly
found no fault on the part of the
athlete, he mistakenly applied the
sanction regime under Article 295
cyclingmagazine.ca 47
 What is HCTZ?
Hydrochlorothiazide, commonly known as HCTZ,
is a therapeutic diuretic that stimulates the
kidneys and increases the amount of urine the
body excretes. It’s often prescribed in pill form
by physicians to treat fluid retention in patients
with cirrhosis of the liver, kidney disorders and
people with congestive heart failure. It can also be
used to treat high blood pressure. HCTZ is found
on WADA’s Prohibited List because of its ability to
be used as a masking agent to cover up the use of
performance-enhancing substances.
of the UCI ADR when he determined that a first doping
offense occurred,” Fraser ruled. “For the record, it must be
emphasized though that since the athlete bears no fault
or negligence, the anti-doping rule violation shall not be
considered as a violation for the purpose of determining
the period of ineligibility in case of a future violation.”
In other words: Burke had unintentionally competed
in the Tour de l’Abitibi with HCTZ in his system, so results
from that race would have to be disqualified, but since
Burke bears no fault for the infraction, there would be no
official reprimand and no first offence on his record.
It was pretty close to a home run.
“I’m the only athlete in the history of any sport, who
has been found to bear no fault and not even been given a
reprimand,” Burke says. “I don’t know of any athlete who
didn’t even get a first strike. That’s a really important piece
of information for people to understand.”
48 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
“We did better the second time
around than the first because we
had time to get expert evidence
on waste-water contamination,”
Bunting says. “The first win provided
a greater sense of euphoria because
Jack was waiting at the airport
waiting for me to call. The second
time around, the stakes were still
very, very significant, but it didn’t
have the same sense of urgency.”
Burke credits the work of Bunting,
whom he calls a superman. “He went
above and beyond and did so much
for me,” Burke says. “I was too young
to understand most of it at the time,
but the fact he believed in me and was
willing to help is incredible. I owe a lot
of the fact my career is alive to him.”
Bunting’s work and Burke’s case
have since helped another athlete’s
career. On June 7, 2016, U.S. gymnast
Kristen Shaldybin tested positive for
HCTZ. “We were able to prove that she
drank a lot of water the night before
she was tested,” says Paul Greene, a
lawyer with Global Sports Advocates
in Portland, Maine. ”The water source
was Lake Michigan, which showed
very high levels of HCTZ.” Greene
also says that Burke came up in
Shaldybin’s defence. “The Burke
case was the only case that I knew
of at a Court of Sport Arbitration level
that involved contaminated water
and resulted in a no-fault ruling, so
I believe it did set a precedent,” he
says. Burke’s experience played a
part in the no-fault ruling that the
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency gave the
gymnast a little more than a month
after her positive test.
After racing for NCCH and Team
Canada in 2013, 2014 and 2015, Burke
finally got a big career opportunity
when H&R Block Pro Cycling director
Mark Ernsting signed him for 2016. It
was a relief after a lot of cold shoul-
ders from the cycling community
in the two years that followed the
adverse analytical finding. “Amateur
teams wouldn’t take me because
they didn’t know if I was a doper or
not,” Burke says. “I try not to think
about what I missed out on because it
drives me crazy and there’s nothing I
can do about it.”
What he could do was what he had
always done: work extremely hard on
the bike. “Jack is one of the toughest
“WE
ALMOST
ALWAYS
WIN THE
CASES,
BUT IT
IMPOSES
A HUGE
TAX
ON THE
ATHLETE.”
riders NCCH has worked with,” says Lee.
“He has the strongest work ethic that
you could imagine. He would train after
midnight if required, and he has.”
After fighting for the best young
rider title at the 2016 Joe Martin Stage
Race, Tour of the Gila, Tour de Beauce
and Tour of Alberta, Burke was signed
for 2017 to the new under-23-focused
Aevolo Cycling squad. Proving team
director Mike Creed made a good choice
in signing Burke, the rider delivered the
team’s first-ever top-10 result when he
finished eighth in the opening indi-
vidual time trial of the 2017 Joe Martin
Stage Race. He went on to win the best
young rider title at both the Grand Prix
Cycliste de Saguenay in June and at the
Tour of Alberta in September – major
accomplishments that proved Burke’s
career was back on track.
For 2018, Burke took another step
forward, signing with Jelly Belly
Cycling Team, a continental outfit
that raced its 19th season this year.
Burke says he feels like he’s finally
pushing through his past. “Having
guys like Kevin Field from the
Photo: Casey B Gibson
national team and Mike Creed who
are well-respected and understand
my case, I feel like I’m slowly gaining
more people who can vouch for me
 and tell my side of the story,” he says. “A lot of directors don’t bother to read the
whole story. It’s a very difficult case to understand.”
Burke, who turned 23 in June and now lives in Squamish, B.C., knows getting
to the WorldTour will be more difficult for him than other riders of equal talent,
but he has come to accept what happened. “I don’t regret what I went through,”
he says. “It sucks, but everyone has to deal with something insanely adverse.”
He believes the UCI needs to learn from his case. “With hydrochlorothiazide,
there’s no threshold. That makes sense for EPO or testosterone, because you’re
not going to have that in your drinking water,” he says. “But when you’re talking
about a drug that’s readily available to senior citizens and isn’t being filtered out
of drinking water, that’s a flaw in the system.”
Tolkamp says he believes the CAS made the right decision in clearing Burke.
“For us, Jack was found not guilty so we just move on and treat him as someone
who never tested positive,” he says, but adds that there are lessons to be
learned for other riders. “When you’re competing at a high level, you have to
be responsible for what goes into your system. But if mistakes do happen, and
inadvertent products get into your system, this shows that there’s room to
explain it and move beyond it.”
But is it time to update how the UCI handles adverse analytical finding cases,
especially ones involving substances known to be in drinking water? Bunting
thinks so. “I’ve seen too many cases where it’s inadvertent contact, like Jack’s,
where we have to go to a full hearing,” he says. “We almost always win the
cases, but it imposes a huge tax on the athlete personally. It’s a very stressful
process and it always falls right before the Olympic Games or a very important
competitive time for the athlete, so it has a really profound psychological effect
on them, even when you’re successful.”
However, Bunting also realizes the tight rules are there for a reason. “I think
the cards are definitely stacked against the athletes, but that is a necessary
requirement in my view in order to protect clean sport,” he says. “I recognize
Photo: Rob Jones
we need to have these strict rules and there can be no exceptions, otherwise we
might allow cheaters to get away with cheating.”
Although Bunting doesn’t speak with Burke often, in his office is a reminder
Opposite above
Burke takes Burke rides in the
the stage win leader's jersey
at the 2018 Tour during the Stage 3
de Beauce on time trail of the
Mont-Mégantic Tour de Beauce
of the role he played in the young rider’s life. Hanging
prominently on his wall is a framed best young rider jersey
from the Tour of Alberta, which Burke sent to Bunting as a
thank you after winning it in 2017. “It was very cool to get
that jersey and to see that Jack is still pursuing his passion
and doing really well at it,” Bunting says. “I was honoured
to receive it and that he thought of me. But it’s not fair for
Jack to say he is where he is because of me. He’s there
because of his own hard work. I was happy to help him out
along his journey, but he gets full credit for all the success
he’s had in cycling.”
NCCH coaching director Lloyd Fairbairn believes its time
to move on. “It’s quite unfair. Jack was the victim of a situ-
ation not of his making and every time someone repeats
that accusation they unjustly re-victimize him,” he says.
“The best thing to do when wrongly accused is to keep
working hard, move forward, and just accept that others
may never believe the true story. If the comments become
slanderous or harassing, then that is another question for
the authorities to deal with.”
Unfortunately for Burke, he was reminded on a rainy
day in June that complete strangers sometimes have no
interest in moving on. He won the queen stage of the Tour
de Beauce with a remarkable attack on the climb up to
Mont-Mégantic. It was the biggest stage win of his career –
and then he checked his Facebook messages.
cyclingmagazine.ca 49
50 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
 »»»»»»»
SEEM TO BE DRIFTING AWAY
FROM SPORT. BUT THERE
ARE ATHLETES, COACHES
AND GROUPS HELPING GIRLS
DISCOVER JUST HOW MUCH FUN
CYCLING IS. YOU CAN HELP, TOO.

by Molly Hurford

ne of the oft-cited reasons

O that girls don’t ride bikes

is a lack of visibility: you
can’t be what you can’t see. If you
aren’t seeing other girls doing cool
stuff on bikes, you’re less likely to
want to start pedalling. So let’s start
changing that narrative right now,
with a story.
Three boys and one girl are standing
on top of a BMX track at a World Cup
in Zolder, eyeing the massive first
jump. “Three of the guys weren’t
sure about the jump. They looked at
it and decided that they would ‘just
roll it a couple times’ to get a feel for
it,” says BMX NextGen coach Brendan
Arnold. “And then, Daina, one of our
girls, says, ‘Boys, I’m just going to send
it for ya.’ She went off the big hill and
sent this 38-foot monster step-up,
landed it on the backside. Girls are
absolutely capable.”
“In Europe this year, I saw that
a lot of girls are doing jumps that
the guys are doing, and doing them
»» » »

better,” Arnold adds. “Five years ago,

you couldn’t have imagined that
would happen.”
Of course, Canada has a rich
history with successful female Oly-
mpic medallists, world champions
and World Cup overall winners. But
Photo: Lindsay Donovan

while we might have top performers

at the highest level, are we doing
enough to bring more girls to cycling?

cyclingmagazine.ca 51

Unfortunately, we’re probably not doing enough. U.S.-
based PeopleForBikes has found that in the States,
boys and girls from ages three to nine ride at same rate.
Starting at age 10, there’s a significant drop-off for girls –
and we can assume those statistics would be similar in
Canada. That gap continues to grow as the girls get older.
The Canadian Association for the Advancement of
Women in Sport and Physical Activity (CaaWS) recently
released a report showing that 41 per cent of girls age
three to 17 don’t participate in any sport. That percentage
grows to 84 per cent in adult women. Even scarier: if by the
age of 10, a girl has yet to play a sport, the report suggests
“I CAN
ALMOST
GUARANTEE
,
YOU LL
MAKE
FRIENDS
AFTER A
WEEK OF
RIDING”
52 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
that she will only have a 10 per cent
chance of “living a physically active
life” in her adult years.
While some women find their way
back to cycling as they get older, the
peak time to be learning skills is in
those early years, leaving those who
start riding later in life at a disad-
vantage. Furthermore, with rates of
childhood obesity on the rise and
activity for kids at an all-time low,
those preteen years are some of the
most important for staying active.
Don’t panic, though. The cycling
system isn’t broken, and access to
every level of cycling has improved
for girls in recent years. We can get
more girls on bikes.
!!
!
Photos: Lindsay Donovan, Jim Pennucci
!!
!
 » GIRLS WILL belOw
Emily Batty (back)
inspires young

EMBRACE
×
girls to have fun
on and off the bike
at Durham Forest

MORE
TRADITIONALLY
“BOY”
ACTIVITIES,
LIKE CYCLING,
WHEN
PRESENTED
WITH IMAGES
THAT SHOW
OTHER GIRLS ×
ENGAGING
IN THEM.

Studies have shown that girls will embrace more tradi-

tionally “boy” activities, like cycling, when presented
with images that show other girls engaging in them.
Visibility – such as Emily Batty being on the cover of the
previous issue of this magazine – isn’t just a nice thing
for women’s cycling, it’s essential for its growth. National
team coach Dan Proulx adds that for girls, the creation of
a community in the form of a club, weekly group ride or
female-specific program needs to be in place. Then, he
says, girls will come out to ride.
“The people in the bike community are the nicest people
I’ve ever met. I highly recommend just going and winging
it,” says Emma Robbescheuten, a talented 14-year-old
Photos: Adam Morka, Lindsay Donovan

BMX racer. “I can almost guarantee you’ll make friends

after a week of riding, everyone is so friendly and helps
each other.”
abOve aNd left
OppOSite tOp Emma “Mountain biking was always a part of the family activi-
Shred Sisters Robbescheuten ties for me growing up,” says Trek Canada mountain bike
races in
racer Soren Meeuwisse. “But I really started riding for
Napanee, Ont.
myself when I fell in love with the sport when I had an
awesome group of girl friends I would ride with on Team
Hardwood Devo,” she says, acknowledging the influence
of the group in Oro-Medonte, Ont.

cyclingmagazine.ca 53

Most women cite safety as their
sticking point for not wanting to get
out for a ride. Studies have shown
women prefer cycling in controlled
environments, so why not start with
a bike park or easy trails instead of
roads or advanced trails?
Proulx and Audrey Duval, founder
of Shred Sisters, agree that in order
to foster a sense of fun, as well as
community, more trails need to be
designed with beginners in mind.
Bunny hops and more advanced
skills can come later, but instilling a
sense of confidence and enjoyment is
imperative as Step No. 1.
BMX coach Brendan Arnold has
seen a huge influx of girls coming to
BMX for a few reasons. While the big
jumps shown on Red Bull TV might
seem terrifying, just riding around
the beginner jumps and pump
tracks in contained parks avoids
the nerves associated with riding
»
“COACHING
,
DOESN T
HAVE TO BE
PERFORMANCE
mountain bikes, making the barrier
to entry much lower. OR RACE
Simply introducing cycling to
people in the local community who ORIENTED.
might not be exposed to life on two
wheels is important. That’s where
organizations such as Fast and
Female come in. Erin Yungblut, Fast
and Female’s head of media relations,
says that last year, 1,877 girls attended
Champ Chat events, often featuring a
pro mountain biker.
Of the girls who come to Fast
and Female events, 92 per cent say
that they leave feeling more confi-
dent and interested in checking
out new sports. Meeuwisse, a Fast
and Female ambassador, hosted an
event at a Canada Cup race this past
summer and had more than 50 girls
in attendance to see what cycling RIDING
was all about. Events such as these – abOve
and the inner city events hosted Learning BECOMES MORE
by Fast and Female – spread the technical skills

on the road. Also, BMX bikes are cycling message to girls who might
at the Fast and
Female Champ
FUN WHEN
significantly less costly than road or otherwise miss it. ,

*
Chat in Alberta
IT S EASIER,

* WHETHER
THAT MEANS
THE SKILL TO
NAVIGATE A
ROCK GARDEN,
A PUMP TRACK
OR A TIGHT
SWITCHBACK
Photos: Jon Huyer, Lindsay Donovan

ON A STEEP
DOWNHILL ON
THE ROAD.”
54 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
 ×
The CAAWS report that notes declining participation of girl in sport also reports but still showed up for the race to run tOp
Emily Batty
that only 24 per cent of all athletic director positions and 17 per cent of all head around the course to cheer on her
speaks with
coaching spots in U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sports) are held under-23 athlete Emily Unterberger, the Durham
by women. Those percentages don’t waiver much throughout the industry. who had a breakthrough performance Shredders
There is a huge need for female cycling coaches in Canada. Audrey Duval, and finished second.
abOve
founder of Shred Sisters, has 12 female coaches working for her in just the Coaching doesn’t have to be Catharine Pendrel
Calgary area after only a few years in business. performance or race-oriented, either. talks with young
girls about
It’s not just about finding women to be instructors: those coaches often become Riding becomes more fun when it’s
cycling at a Fast
role models and mentors as well. By age 17, more than 50 per cent of girls will have easier, whether that means the skill and Female
quit sports, according to a survey sponsored by Always. Why? Almost seven out of to navigate a rock garden, a pump Champ Chat in
Canmore, Alta.
10 girls surveyed said there are “not enough female role models in sports.” track or a tight switchback on a steep
Female coaches are becoming more common, but cycling certainly needs downhill on the road. So instruction
Photos: Adam Morka, Jon Huyer

more working at all levels, from coaching the most beginner-friendly groups for athletes is not just important at a
to working with Olympians. In particular, Proulx says that more qualified competitive level – it’s important for
coaches at the lower levels are desperately needed. having fun. The coaching can be as
Racers such as Sandra Walter and Catherine Pendrel are lauded for their casual as a single afternoon with a
mentorship and coaching roles in female athlete development. Consider Pendrel, local elite racer offering young girls
who was injured and unable to race at cross country nationals this past summer, in the area a few tips.

cyclingmagazine.ca 55
 **
*
HOW TO RAISE A

If you are a parent reading

this, you might be ready to
drag your daughter out for a
ride immediately. While that
enthusiasm is great, beware
of a few common pitfalls.
Make sure to nurture a love
of riding the right way.

» OFFER VARIETY
Your daughter just might not love
what you love. If you’re a roadie,
your daughter may prefer the pump
track, and vice versa. Make sure she
has the chance to try out different
types of riding.

» ,
DON T JUST MAKE
IT DAUGHTER AND
ME TIME
While parent-daughter time is a
huge part of the equation, your
daughter shouldn’t just be riding
with you. Try to get her friends out
on bikes. Try to find a local program
for young riders, or even just show
up to bike parks that will have other
kids her age hanging out. While
that parent-child time is priceless,
someday she’ll be faster than you and
will need some peers to ride with.

» SNEAK IT IN
If your daughter/niece/little
sister isn’t interested, don’t push
cycling on her. But subtle hints –
such as leaving the Shred-Girls.com
site open in your browser (or buying
If we want to see more girls pedalling around the neigh-
the book when it’s out in Summer
2019!), or leaving your copy of
“IF I HAD bourhood with huge smiles, if we want to have a happier,
Canadian Cycling Magazine open
to an article about Emily Batty on ONE WISH, healthier young generation, and if we want to keep
producing Olympians, getting more girls on bikes is the
the kitchen table – may help foster
an interest in cycling. I WOULD answer. Here’s what we need to do: get more women in
coaching at all levels, create more beginner-friendly trails
» FOCUS ON
SMALL STEPS
HOPE THAT (which is also good for getting boys on bikes, too), create
more publicized opportunities for girls to get out and try
If you’re trying to coach a young
rider, remember to focus on small
ALL GIRLS riding, and present more images of girls on bikes. Once
a girl gets on the bike and has a good time, she’s hooked.
progressions. Keep in mind that
20" wheels won’t be able to do the COULD TRY “If I had one wish, I would hope that all girls could try
same things your 29" wheels can.
Photo: Matt Stetson

riding,” says nine-year-old Tate Proulx, who races BMX,

“The skills of mountain biking aren’t
going to magically appear your
RIDING.”
first day. It takes years of small
progressions,” Meeuwisse says.
mountain bikes and cyclocross. “It’s soooo much fun and
you get to see some amazing forests and wildlife. I feel that
when I am outside and riding my bike, I am free.”

56 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 GEAR

Road
Colnago C64 p.58

City
Trek Dual Sport+ p.59

Trail
Intense Sniper XC Expert p.60

In Depth
Scott Ransom p.61
Giant Trance Advanced Pro 29 p.62
Giant Defy p.64
Shimano XTR p.66

Rapid Fire
5 Cyclocross Bikes p.68
CX Essentials p.69
Cyclocross Tires p.70
Photo: Hiep Vu

Lights for Shorter Days p.72

cyclingmagazine.ca 57
 Colnago C64
A well-balanced mix of tradition
and innovation
reviewed by Matthew Pioro
I first rode the Colnago C64 for a hot minute in January. The
bike had its North American launch in Tucson, Ariz., so by
noon that day, it was nicely warm. By late afternoon, the test
ride was over, which was technically longer than a minute, yes,
but a short ride nonetheless. Months later, the C64 arrived at
my office for some more extensive testing.
Colnago’s C series started in the early ’90s with the C40.
It wasn’t the first bike made from carbon-fibre tubes, but it
featured a frame material that was still novel for the pro peloton.
Giorgio Squinzi, the head of Mapei, worried that the bike wasn’t
strong enough to handle the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix. Franco
Ballerini won in Roubaix in 1995 on the C40. Three more Paris-
Roubaix wins came on the bike in 1996, 1998 and 1999.
Like the C40, the C64 is made in Italy with carbon-fibre
tubes fit into carbon-fibre lugs. It’s a process with more simi-
larities to the way Ernesto Colnago fashioned steel frames
than with the contemporary carbon-fibre production process
that uses moulds. The tubes of the C64 – as with the previous
C model, the C60 – have a fluted, star-shape. On the new
frame, the head-tube lug and fork blades have indents, which
are new weight-saving design elements. In the seat-tube
lug, there’s an alloy seat clamp. You adjust your seatpost by
loosening or tightening a bolt tucked under the seat-tube lug.
This system saves about 15 g. The D shape seatpost comes
ROAD
GEAR
TEST
58 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
from Colnago’s V2-R, while the upper cups at the headset come from the Concept
aero bike. These cups are made with carbon fibre, nylon and elastomers, and help to
dampen road vibrations. My test bike was a rim-brake model, however, there’s also
a disc-brake version available.
While the C series bikes used to be built with Colnago’s traditional geometry –
featuring a horizontal top tube – and sloping geometry, the C64 frame comes in
nine sizes of sloping. Also, there are four high-geometry options that have head
tubes that are 15 mm taller (20 mm in the case of the 56h) than their sloping siblings.
For traditional geometry, you’ll have to took to Colnago’s steel frames. While I
usually ride a Size 54 frame, the 50s C64 fit me perfectly.
I’ve ridden a number of Italian super frames, all of which were, in fact, super.
The C64, however, seems the most balanced. It steers beautifully into and through
corners. It zips forward effortlessly when I press on the pedals. Yet, it’s perfectly
content to cruise along. I had some glorious long rides on this bike. If I felt shat-
tered at the end, it was from going
too hard, not from any harshness in Colnago C64 (as tested)
the frame. I didn’t find any pavé à la Components Campagnolo Super Record,
Roubaix, but about 5-km of gravel was mechanical
my local equivalent. The bike with its Wheels Campagnolo Bora Ultra 50
25c tires was fine on the rocky roads.
Sizes 42s, 45s, 48s, 50s, 52s, 54s,
The frame can accommodate 28c 56s, 58s, 60s, 48h; 50h, 52h,
treads, which handle the bumps better. 54h, 56h
As you might expect, the bike I
Price $7,540 (frame, fork, seatpost
tested came spec’d with Campagnolo and headset)
components. The mechanical Super
Website colnago.com
Record gruppo performed well, its
chain making Campy’s telltale ker-
chunk when it switched to a new cog. If you’d like to spec your C series bike with
Shimano, as Mapei did, you can. With the proper finishing kit, you can have your bike
outfitted with Shimano, Campy or SRAM groupsets, mechanical or electrical.
After that short first ride, and the long wait for a test bike, I had the pleasure of
riding the C64 for months. It’s a bike that had me neglecting my regular ride, without
any feelings of guilt. After all, I knew once the C64 was gone, those few months with
the bike would feel like only a hot minute.
Get a closer
look at the
Colnago C64

Trek Dual Sport+
A fun, zippy ride that will make you grin during your commutes
reviewed by Matthew Pioro
M y co-worker and I were commuting home. He was on
his wicked road bike. I was riding the Trek Dual Sport+.
My co-worker is a much stronger rider than me. Much, much
stronger. So I didn’t hide my glee that followed each stop
light. When it would turn green, I would blast away from my
co-worker, the Shimano Steps motor set to high.
The Trek ebike had arrived at the perfect time. It was
midsummer. I had been taking advantage of the longer days
and good weather. (See also the Colnago C64 review, oppo-
site.) But, like a puppy let loose from a leash, I went full-tilt, or
almost full-tilt, every time. That enthusiasm and the dearth
of easy rides caught up with me. I was feeling cooked during
a midsummer heatwave. I needed to recover, so I was quite
pleased when the Dual Sport+ came in for testing.
I rode the bike to work each day. The Steps motor has
four settings: off, eco, normal and high. With eco, your
pedal strokes get a moderate level of assistance. High, my
preferred setting, gives you the most amount of zip. I could
get to 32 km/h before covering 50 m. After 32 km/h, the
motor doesn’t offer you anymore assistance. You can go
faster, but that’s all on you.
My commute to the CCM office and back is about 12 km. If
I rode five days a week to work (on high, of course) and also
did a few short errands, the battery would be in the low 20 per
cent range by Sunday evening. One weekend, I attached my
daughter’s bike trailer to the Dual Sport+, and loaded her, some
snacks and her aluminum balance bike up. We spent part of a
morning at bike park about 4.5 km away. (I confess: I did take
the ebike on the pump track, with no assist.) The ride home
features a hill with pitches that get into the mid-teens. I was
very happy to have pedal assist for this hill. I only wished I had
more of a charge for the rest of the ride home. The bike is 19 kg.
CITY
GEAR
TEST
“I was feeling
cooked during
a midsummer
heatwave.”
Learn more
about ebike
motors
Trek Dual Sport+
Components Shimano Steps 250-watt, 50-Nm motor; Steps 418 Wh battery; Steps head
unit and 44-tooth crank; Shimano Deore shifters; 10-speed Shimano Deore
Shadow Plus rear derailleur, Shimano M315 hydraulic disc brakes
Suspension SR Suntour NRX with 63 mm of travel
Wheels Bontrager Tubeless Ready disc
Sizes S, M, L, XL
Price $3,500
Website trekbikes.com
And then there was the kid, her trailer and her bike. I was trying to recover, after all.
The other pedal-assist motor I’ve spent time with is one by Bosch. Like the
Shimano Steps system, it’s a mid-drive motor that sits at the bike’s bottom bracket.
This placement keeps the weight more central on the frame, which ensures a good
balance. Both also add power directly to the cranks, giving a more natural, smoother
assistance to your pedal strokes compared with hub-based motors. Where the
Shimano performs better than the Bosch is at low speeds. If you are starting up
slowly from a stop, or are maybe a bit tentative as you check for traffic and hold a
track stand with the hydraulic disc brakes, the Steps motor doesn’t kick in. You don’t
have to hold it back with the brakes. But when it’s time to go, it goes.
A tech editor at another publication sent quite an angry Twitter post out over the
summer. He was exasperated that he still hears ridiculous arguments against ebikes.
He even tied those positions to delicate egos. While I don’t share his same level of
frustration, ebikes are still misunderstood machines. For me, the Trek Dual Sport+ is a
bike. You need to pedal it. The boost the motor gives you is fun. Is it the same type of
fun as riding a road bike for 100 km? No, of course not. The experiences are different.
I appreciate them both. As for frail egos, I admit that I often felt the need to announce
to other commuters when I passed them at 33 or 34 or even 36 km/h that it was all me.
No battery assistance there, buddies. But I’m sure that will pass.
cyclingmagazine.ca 59
 TRAIL
GEAR
TEST
reviewed by Matt Stetson
A lthough I usually see more Intense head badges being
loaded onto a gondola rather than pedalled to the top of
a mountain, I was excited to find out what a cross country race
machine was going to feel like from the brand. When I heard the
100-mm travel Intense Sniper was coming in for test, I reached
for the spandex kit and tore off my helmet visor.
The gear selection may have been a little premature,
however. The geometry spec had me a little confused. With a
67.5 degree head-tube angle and 468-mm reach on my size-
large test bike, I had the spandex in one hand and the baggies
in the other. The bike has foam grips, so definitely spandex for
me. It also has a dropper post, so that had me looking back at
the baggies. But the post only drops 125 mm.
Whether you prefer tight-fitting shorts or loose ones, the
Sniper doesn’t judge. It will help you climb like an XC racer and
descend like a seasoned downhill pro. The Sniper I tested was
the XC Expert version sporting 100 mm of travel front and rear
thanks to the Fox Float 32 Performance Elite fork and Float
dpS Performance Elite rear shock. The pedalling efficiency of
the frame is very good. I experienced very little pedal bob and
felt that most of my energy was being transferred into the rear
wheel. The Sniper was also very good and soaking up bumps
on steep climbs while still maintaining traction. The bike really
inspires you to push hard on climbs thanks to its efficiency
and 73 degree seat-tube angle. I did find the geometry a little
slack for tackling very steep switchback climbs and some
slower-speed technical climbs, where I needed a little more
momentum to keep the bike on its line.
60 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
Intense Sniper XC Expert
Spandex or baggies? Yes.
“Riding the Sniper downhill, I’d
forget I only had 100 mm of travel.”
Intense Sniper XC Expert
Components SRAM GX Eagle drivetrain,
10–50 tooth, 12-speed
cassette, Kindshock Carbon
LEV Ci seatpost with 125 mm
of travel, Shimano XT brakes
Suspension Fox Float 32 Performance
Elite fork with 100 mm
of travel, Fox Float DPS
Performance Elite shock
Wheels DT Swiss XR 1900 Spline
Sizes S, M, L, XL
Price $6,000
Website mec.ca
Riding the Sniper downhill, I’d
forget I only had 100 mm of travel.
The geometry is closer to a trail bike
than a traditional XC race machine and
you can really tell on descents. The
Sniper is truly the downhiller’s XC bike
because the only limiting factor in how
fast you can descend is the amount of
travel. I found myself pushing a bit too
hard on a few occasions and having to
dial back the speed to ensure I didn’t
need to make any trips to the wheel-
truing stand.
After a few rides on the Sniper, I still
wasn’t sure which shorts I should be
wearing. I’m OK with that. The bike can
have two identities. You could take the
Sniper to your local XC race where it
won’t hinder your performance at all. Or,
put some aggressive trail tires on it and
tackle a technical downhill. Although
it may not be the weapon of choice for
purists of a particular mountain bike
discipline because of its XC build and
Photo: Matt Stetson
trail geometry, it is certainly a bike for
riders who like to pedal fast and attack
trails with the precision only a Sniper
can achieve.
 2019 BIKE PREVIEW
Scott Launches
New Enduro Bike
The Ransom is resurrected for the rising discipline
by Matthew Pioro
A t Eurobike this past July, there was a closed room at the back of Scott’s large
booth that I wasn’t supposed to go into. It was for sale reps, not media. But
I’m a trustworthy guy. Also, my contact at Scott Canada vouched for me. We went
through the door. Inside, I saw the new Scott Ransom.
When Scott re-launched its 150-mm-travel Genius in late spring 2018, the
company stressed it wasn’t turning the familiar model into an enduro bike even
though it lacked a machine for those riders pedalling up climbs and having their
descents timed. Also, it dropped the Genius LT, a 170-mm-travel version of the trail/
all-mountain bike. At the end of August, more than a year after the Genius revamp,
Scott announced, officially, its new 170-mm enduro/all-mountain rig with a name
not seen in the company’s lineup for a few years.
Scott says its top-end Ransom, the 900/700 Tuned ($11,000), has the
strongest carbon-fibre frame it has
ever produced. Designers ensured the
Ransom has maximum rigidity from the
head tube along the down tube through IN
GEAR
the bottom bracket and the chainstays
to the rear axle. The main pivot at the
DEPTH
bottom bracket is quite beefy: 63.1 mm wide. In comparison,
the Genius is 54.6 mm at that spot. Since the Ransom will only
be spec’d with 1-by groupsets, any space that might have
been needed for a front derailleur was used to eke out more
width and stiffness in the bottom bracket. The Ransom 910
($8,000) has an alloy swing arm, while the 920/720 ($5,600)
and 930 ($4,400) have full aluminum frames.
Following the cues of the 2017 Scott Spark and recent
Genius, the Ransom gets a trunnion-mount shock. The
component, with its wide mount at the bottom, positions
most of its mass close to the bottom bracket. This shock,
the Fox Nude TR Evol, has a Ramp Adjust lever. You can use
it to choose your preferred type of compression. If you’re
riding a trail with a lot of small bumps or moving through a
technical section, you might prefer compression that is linear,
requiring the same amount of effort to compress the shock
throughout the stroke. If you are facing bigger hits, you might
want a more progressive compression, one that requires
more effort to compress the shock near the end of its stroke,
which can keep you from bottoming out.
The compression adjustment pairs with the suspension’s
Descend mode. If you are familiar with Scott technology,
you’ll recognize this mode as part of the TwinLoc suspen-
sion system. Descend mode allows you to use all the bike’s
travel and benefit from its slack head-tube angle. Hit a
switch and you get Traction Control mode with less sag and
a firmer suspension. Also in this mode, you get a steeper
seat-tube angle, a change in geometry that will help with
the climbs. The third setting is full lockout. This edition of
TwinLoc has an improved lever throw so it’s easier than
before to click into Lockout mode.
Traction Control and Lockout modes aren’t the only
features on the Ransom for helping you to get uphill. Scott
wanted to ensure the bike climbed well, so it worked to keep
weight off of the top tube and seatstays. The company says
the frame, shock and hardware weigh in at 2,650 g.
As with the Genius, the Ransom won’t hold you to one wheel
size. A flip chip in the linkage allows you to set up the bike for
27.5" or 29" wheels. With the smaller wheel size, you can run
tires as wide as 2.8". The 29" hoops can take 2.6"-wide treads.
Finally, the Ransom features the Hixon iC
integrated bar and stem by Scott house-
brand Syncros. This system
first appeared in 2017 with
a 760-mm-wide bar and
50-mm virtual stem length.
Now the Hixon also comes
in a 800-mm width.
There’s also a 40-mm
virtual stem length
available. The bar’s rise
is 20 mm for a slightly
higher position.
After two and a
half months, it’s nice
to be able to write about
the Ransom. The bike will
be out from behind closed
doors and in front of Canadians
in September.
cyclingmagazine.ca 61
 2019 BIKE PREVIEW

The New Giant Trance

nothing but shuttling, but the new
Trance is full of surprises.
Before we get to ride, Giant’s project

Advanced Pro 29
lead for the Trance redesign Kevin Dana
walks us through the new bike, assuring
us it is capable beyond its travel
numbers. Adam Craig, Giant’s lead
A little travel goes a long way
athlete for the Trance project, echoes
Dana’s assurances. “I like a short-travel
bike, a bike I can get on a chairlift with
by Terry McKall with a straight face, and know that I’m
going to have a good time,” Craig says.

T he tires on our Land Rover Defender slip and spin as the doubletrack path pivots
left in an impossibly tight switchback, threading between rock outcroppings and
away, briefly, from the cliff our driver has been traversing. At a 35 per cent grade, the Read more
Could the Trance really be both?
From Forni Glacier, we drop into
rocky, switchback trails that are as
drive is harrowing, but the newfound space from the edge of the road is breathing about the Giant steep and exposed as the route up.
room to relax and collectively exhale. Trance Advanced Originally built for hiking, the trails
Our group is headed from Santa Caterina Valfurva in northern Italy toward Pro 29 0 show little consideration for flow. The
the Forni Glacier. The trailer bouncing behind us is packed with new Giant Trance Trance handles it all with ease, feeling
Advanced Pro 29 0 trail bikes that will carry us right to the glacier’s toe. From there, stable and planted where I expected it
we’ll descend through fields of rock and boulders left behind by the retreating might struggle.
Photos: Sterling Lorence

glacier, back to the small town where our trip began. Part of this impressive performance
Giant’s redesigned Trance line, the seventh generation of its best-selling moun- stems from the Trance’s suspension.
tain bike, sizes up to 29" wheels for 2019. The company also scales the rear travel Giant worked closely with California’s
back to 115 mm. These aren’t numbers that would suggest a press camp involving DVO Suspension throughout roughly

62 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018


“The trails show little
consideration for flow. The
Trance handles it all with
ease, feeling stable and
planted where I expected
it might struggle.”
two years to develop the Topaz 2 T3 shock and Sapphire D1 34
fork specifically for the Trance Advanced Pro frame.
Unlike longer-travel enduro bikes, the Trance continues
to excel when the trail flattens out to rolling, low-grade
descending. Where bigger bikes start to feel slow or wallow,
the short rear travel keeps the bike fun and playful.
IN
GEAR
DEPTH
With 29" carbon wheels and a full
carbon-fibre frame, the Trance climbs
like a trail bike should. It’s not an XC
race hardtail, but it is nimble uphill and
responsive when you push on the pedals.
This is the beauty of the Trance.
Not everyone lives in Whistler, where
gnarly steep descents are available
by the dozen. But everyone wants to
have fun on the local trails, whether the
descents are huge or shorter stretches
connected together.
Giant has employed recent develop-
ments in design – a reduced offset fork
and slacker head angles – to make the
Trance fun on a wide variety of terrain.
My time on the bike is brief. But going
from flowing alpine singletrack into
steep rock chutes, I glimpse many sides
of Giant’s do-it-all trail bike.
Don’t get hung up on travel numbers.
The Trance Advanced Pro 29 isn’t just
a bigger cross country bike. It is a very
capable trail bike hiding in a small
package, with geometry and suspension
designed to maximize enjoyment on
the descents. It remains light and quick
enough to make climbing part of the fun,
not just something to get through.
Four models of Trance are available
this fall: Advanced Pro 29 0 ($8,700),
Advanced Pro 29 1 ($5,650) Advanced
Pro 29 2 ($4,900) and the Trance 29 2
($3,400).
cyclingmagazine.ca 63
 2019 BIKE PREVIEW

The Giant Defy by Daniel Walker

Relaunches in the I t felt as if the cows were mocking

me. It seemed as if they could climb

Italian Alps
The endurance bike balances performance and comfort
the steep grassy slopes beside Passo
Gavia effortlessly. Their bells rang
out clearly in the still mountain air in
contrast to my gasping and wheezing.
It all seemed to say, “Yeah, you prob-
Photo: Sterling Lorence

ably should’ve stayed at sea level.” But

cycling is about pushing yourself. I was
with a group in the Italian Alps testing
the new Giant Defy Advanced Pro 0,

64 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018


“Finding the balance between these two
duelling characteristics can be difficult,
but Giant has nailed it.”
a bike designed to help riders push
themselves and their boundaries but
without sacrificing comfort.
Giant has used the Defy to push new
advancements in bike design. It was the
first road line to use disc brakes exclu-
sively, as well as feature the company’s
D-Fuse seatpost. On this generation
of the Defy, Giant’s most significant
technological advancement is in the
cockpit at the handlebars, migrating the
elements of the D-Fuse seatpost to the
Learn more front of the bike. The seatpost offers
about how the flex fore and aft for added comfort on
Giant Defy bumpy surfaces. With the Contact SLR
performed in the D-Fuse handlebar, the D-like cutouts
Italian Alps beneath the tops allow for 10 per cent
more compliance when your weight is
pushing downward on the component.
As you ride on a potholed road, you can
feel, and see, the bars flex. The bars
have also been designed to offer the
requisite rigidity when subjected to the
forces necessary for a stage, or town-
line sprint, win.
Finding the balance between these
two duelling characteristics – flex and
stiffness – can be difficult, but Giant
has nailed it. The frame is as stiff as
the company’s aero bike, the Propel.
But paired with the D-Fuse technology,
the frame’s rigidity is mellowed. The
top-tube and head-tube length work
for those of us who are less flex-
ible. As I made my way up one of the
Giro d’Italia’s most notorious climbs,
I appreciated that every meagre watt
was being transferred into forward
progress. For an endurance bike, the
Defy felt lively and responsive when it
needed to be and did a remarkable job
of smoothing out potholes and road
IN
GEAR
DEPTH
buzz on the descents and valley roads.
Beyond the bike itself, Giant has
included its own branded power meter
stock on the Advanced Pro 0 model. That
combined with a full Ultegra Di2 build and
Giant’s SL-1 carbon clinchers, and you
have a bike that’s versatile enough to do
pretty much anything short of criterium
racing. At a price of $6,199, it provides
serious good value for your dollar.
It’s not only at the top of the range
that you’ll see updates; the entire Defy
lineup has seen significant changes for
2019. While only the Advanced Pro 0 will
come stock with a power meter, all the
bikes will have the D-Fuse seatpost and
handlebars. Less expensive models will
have alloy versions of this technology.
Six models of Defy – from the
Advanced Pro 0 to the Advanced 3
($2,299) – roll into shops this fall.
cyclingmagazine.ca 65
 IN
GEAR

DEPTH

Shimano XTR M9100

Cross
Country Enduro

Brake $390 $430

System

Testing the New Freehub $240

Rear $340
$430

$340

Shimano XTR in Crested Butte Derailleur

Front $546–$770 $546–$770

The component maker rebooted its performance Chainwheel

Pedals $200 $200

mountain bike system. The results are impressive.

by Matt Stetson

S printing out of the saddle and shifting gears recklessly

at the same time is something that has always been
“It was two groupsets, one for cross country-oriented riding and
one for enduro. During the design process, Shimano called
frowned upon. Most times, your drivetrain will protest. So
when Shimano mountain bike product manager Nick Murdick
great upon some of its top pro riders to help with development
to ensure the end product could perform at the highest
explained that the company designed the new XTR group to to hear levels of racing while also offering advantages to riders not
handle shifts under pedalling load, I was excited to give the
system a try while we were in Crested Butte, Colo.
the chasing podiums.
I rode the cross country group first, which comes with a
When Shimano set out to refresh the XTR group, the
company opted for a full redesign, instead of making
tires 1-by specific XTR crank and 10–51 tooth, 12-speed cassette
mounted to the new XTR Scylence freehub. The hub comes
improvements on the existing parts. The result was actually drifting by its name honestly: it’s quiet. Though I do enjoy a loud buzz

so I from the hub while screaming downhill, you can really hear
your tires on the trail when your bike is silent. As result, you
could can judge traction better. I could see this silence catching
on. It was great to hear the tires drifting so I could correct
correct steering before totally losing grip.

steering Sitting at 2,715 m of elevation, Crested Butte has a lot less

O2 in the air than I’m used to at sea level. As we started to
before climb higher into the mountains, I could tell I was going to
make good use of the 51-tooth cog, and I was going to shift
totally into it while stomping on the pedals.

losing Part Shimano’s XTR redesign is the new Hyperglide+ shift

ramping in the 12-speed cassette. The feature ensures that
Photos: Sterling Lorence

grip.” when you shift gears, the chain moves from one cog to the
next in precise stages. It feels fluid to you, but the chain
always has a secure hold, which means you can actually
shift under pedalling load. The Hyperglide+ was a real

66 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

advantage on steep, technical climbs
that required me to shift into an easier
gear. I didn’t need to adjust my cadence
to get that clutch effect to accommo-
date a shift. Instead, I could focus on
keeping my momentum and choosing
a good line. I could simply click away at
the shift lever without worrying about
skipping or jamming a chain. For racers,
Hyperglide+ will help them as they shift
into harder gears while sprinting, which
could mean the difference between
winning and second place. Don’t forget,
the “R” in XTR is for “race.”
After climbing to the top of Mount
Crested Butte, it was time to scream
through the aspens on the way down
while seeing how the new brakes
would stack up against the previous
generation. I have never been a big fan
of Shimano brake feel. It’s a little too
on/off for my liking. Thanks to athlete
feedback, the new XTR brakes have
great feel and much more modulation
than previous models. The XC brakes
are quite different from their enduro
counterparts. The former use carbon
brake levers and dual-piston calipers,
while the latter have larger aluminum
levers and four-piston calipers. The
enduro brakes also have a tool-less
reach adjustment. On a big backcountry
loop, we encountered some pretty long
descents that really made me a fan of
the new enduro brakes. The slightly
larger lever feels really good with one
finger hooked over it. There’s plenty of
power on offer so it’s easy to control the
speed with minimal effort at the levers. I
didn’t experience much arm pump, even
on extended steep sections. I could see
this system giving enduro racers an
advantage on long stages where arms
may tire from a lot of braking.
Another big difference between
the XC group and the enduro set is
the cassette and derailleur options.
XTR has the wide-range 10–51 tooth
cassette, a 10–45 tooth cassette, as
well as the 11-speed 10–45 tooth
cassette. Shimano’s athletes wanted
more gradual gear steps for enduro-
type racing. Cross country riders
preferred a wider range of gearing. With
an 11-speed cassette, you can run a
shorter chain and the short-cage rear
derailleur to end up with some weight
savings. The short-cage mech will also
help to alleviate chain slap.
Some other notable features
of the group include a lot of cockpit
customization options. You can move
your shifters and/or dropper remote
inboard or outboard more than with
the previous I-Spec lever options. The
shifter can also move the chain down
two gears in one throw of the lever, with
a second click offering more resistance
to help you to avoid overshifting. New,
larger platforms have been added to
the XTR trail pedals. The crank now uses
a direct-mount chainring.
With a 1-by specific, 12-speed drive-
train, new silent freehub and brakes
with loads of power and modulation,
Shimano has really stepped up and
offered a great high-performance group
for high-performance-style riding.
cyclingmagazine.ca 67
 5 for Getting Muddy Whether you’re a seasoned

Pick a shiny new cyclocross bike that cyclocross veteran or newbie, one RAPID

GEAR
you’ll run through the dirt
of these five bikes will be just the
thing for your races this fall.
FIRE

Cannondale With a head-tube angle of 71 degrees (for a Size 54), the

SuperX Di2 SuperX, Cannondale carbon-fibre CX machine is one of
the slackest bikes in this bunch, which, with its 1,020-mm
$6,700 wheelbase gives you excellent stability when the bike is
pointed downward. To make sure the SuperX has some
agility in the corners, it has a fairly high fork offset of 55
mm. The bike comes shod with Vittoria Terreno Mix TNT in
a UCI-legal 33c width. For bumpy, non-sanctioned rides,
you can run tires as wide as 40c. The drivetrain is a mix
of Shimano and Cannondale’s HollowGram parts. A stiff
HollowGram Si crank with 40-tooth SpideRing chainring
sends the chain to an 11-34 tooth, 11-speed Ultegra
cassette and XT Di2 rear derailleur. (cannondale.com)

No. 22 Toronto purveyors of titanium bikes (via the company’s

Broken Johnstown, N.Y. facility) have a beautiful made-to-order
cyclocross frame. The Broken Arrow sports fine esthetic
Arrow details, such as the angular seatstay bridge, and precise
(frame only) construction, which you can really see in the mounts
US$3,199 for the rear flat-mount caliper. The frame features a
44-mm-diameter head tube, which can accommodate a
variety of forks, whatever taper their steering tubes may
have. The bottom bracket uses the T47 standard so you can
thread outboard bearings into the shell. Your crank will be
quiet and easier to service compared with other BB stan-
dards. To bring some extra bling to the ’cross course, have
your frame anodized. (22bicycles.com)

Specialized The CruX Sport E5 by Specialized mixes aluminum and

CruX carbon to give you a fast ride through the mud. The frame
is the company’s E5 Premium Aluminum with the alloy
Sport E5 top tube shaped to make the bike easy to get onto your
$2,559 shoulder before you trudge up a run-up. A carbon fork lets
you steer the Axis Sport Disc wheel with all-round Tracer
Sport tire through the corners. Shimano RS505 hydraulic
disc brakes do an excellent job of scrubbing speed, while
the 105 components will get you rolling again, race after
race. (specialized.com)

Liv Women’s bike brand Liv has a rig that will get you to your
Brava first cyclocross race and serve you as your skills continue to
grow. The Brava’s frame is made from Liv’s high-end ALUXX
SLR SLR process for creating the aluminum tubes. The tubes are
$2,149 20 per cent lighter than the company’s second-tier ALUXX
SL. The fork with carbon blades – set in a head tube at a
fairly slack angle (71 degrees, size medium) – provide good
high-speed control. The bike’s 50-mm fork offset means
you’ll still be able to navigate the corners with confidence.
SRAM’s Apex 1 group takes care of stopping and getting
you up to speed with its 11-speed cassette (11–42 tooth)
and rear derailleur. The SRAM S350 crank with 40-tooth
chainring moves the chain. The Giant D-Fuse seatpost
offers flex and comfort on bumpy riders. (liv-cycling.com)

Ridley Get your feet wet, or muddy or sandy, with cyclocross

X-Ride on the Ridley X-Ride A45. The bike maker is based in the
spiritual heartland of CX, Belgium. SRAM Rival levers,
A45 crank (42-tooth chainring) and derailleur form the base
$1,975 of the drivetrain. A SRAM PG 1130 11-speed cassette
with a solid 11-32 tooth range gives you plenty of gearing
options for the varied terrain you’ll encounter. Ridley’s
house brand, 4ZA, is behind the stem, handlebars,
seatpost and saddle, which all sport the Stratos designation –
solid parts for your entry into ’cross. (mec.ca)— MP

68 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

CX Essentials
Gear for before and after the race
You want to get your tire pressure just
right for the best grip on the course. The
Schwalbe Airmax Pro digital pressure
gauge A ($29, schwalbetires.com) can
give you an accurate reading in seconds
in p.s.i., bar, kPa, or kg/cm2. It’s compat-
ible with Presta and Schrader valves.
The lightweight Castelli Cross Prerace
jacket B ($345, castelli-cycling.com)
keeps the chill away before you get to
the start line. PrimaLoft 60 insulation
at the front keeps heat in, while water-
repellent sleeves and back panels keep
water out. Ahead of race day, you might
want to work on balling this jacket up
and tossing it accurately. The jacket
looks pro, so you want to look pro
GEAR
chucking it to your friend on the other
side of the tape ahead of the start gun.
You have to look after yourself and your
bike before and after a cyclocross race.
Here are a few top items that will
help to make race day a little bit better,
no matter how your legs are feeling.
A
You don’t have to jam a bottle in your
jersey pocket or mount a bottle cage
to stay hydrated during your pre-ride.
The Fabric cageless bottle C ($19,
fabric.cc) comes with two bolts that sit
proud of your down tube. The bottle
slides onto these bolts directly. Once
you’ve finished pre-riding the course,
leave the bottle somewhere safe and
RAPID your bike is ready for you to shoulder
FIRE and carry up any run-up.
While most races have a bike-wash
station, you can avoid the line with the
Mountainwasher D ($199, mec.ca).
Fill up its 15-l reservoir, and then hose
B your bike down with spray gun, shower
head or bush attachment. The washer
runs off of a 12-volt outlet in your
vehicle. The water comes out at 43.5–
130.5 p.s.i., so the spray is safe for the
finish on your frame, and around the
seals and bearings.—MP
cyclingmagazine.ca 69
 Cyclocross Tires for
All Conditions
Treads for dry, fast surfaces and the deep muck
A Break out the file treads for dry, fast
conditions. The Challenge Chicane Pro
($105, gwbicycle.com) has a high thread
count, 300 t.p.i., which makes the tire
more supple than one made with a
lower thread count. This 33c clincher
has an open-tubular design, retaining
much of the ride quality of a tubular, but
easily hooked onto a clincher rim.
70 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
B Introduced in 2017, the Continental
Speed King CX ($70, continental-tires.
com) is the German company’s 32c
clincher for speedy conditions. Instead
of a file-tread pattern in the tire’s
centre, the Speed King CX has a more
scale-like design. The trapezoidal side
knobs ensure you have extra grip in
the corners. Continental’s signature
Black Chili compound offers low rolling
resistance and high durability, while the
128-t.p.i. RaceSport casing also works
to keep punctures at bay.
C The pdX tire may seem familiar, but
the Donnelly brand might not. In August
2017, Donnelly Sports announced
that it would no longer license the
name Clement from Pirelli, which the
Colorado-based company had been
doing since 2010. The treads remain
the same. The Donnelly PDX ($60,
livetoplaysports.com) is a 33c, tube-
less-ready clincher with knobs that
Photos: Hiep Vu
can bite into Cascadian mud, as the
Portland airport code suggests, as well
as sloppy courses across the continent.

D The green silica-based tread on the
FMB Slalom ($150, arg-sports.com) is
visible from a distance – well, visible
until the 33c, tubular tire goes through
the mud. If you look closely at the
knobs, you’ll see they are quite intricate
and precise in their placement. Stealth
bomber-chevrons, circles and hooks
make up the pattern that provides
excellent grip in a variety of course
conditions and weather.
E If you press on the tread of the
Kenda Cholla Pro ($60, bicycle.
kendatire.com) with the CX-dtC set of
compounds, you’ll notice that it’s a bit
softer than the dtC version of the same
tire. The CX-dtC is meant for cold (as in
close to freezing), wet conditions, while
dtC is better where things are drier.
Both models of 33c-wide Cholla use the
same tread pattern for good traction.
RAPID
GEAR
FIRE
F The Maxxis All Terrane ($124,
maxxis.com) debuted two years ago
alongside the Speed Terrane, the
former providing more bite with its
more pronounced knobs, but ramped
for a bit of zip. This 33c tubular model
also does a good job of flicking mud
off of itself so you’ll have good grip
across the next surface you encounter
on the course, which is probably more
mud.—MP
cyclingmagazine.ca 71
 Light Up for
Shorter Days
Fall means less daylight, so send out some
lumens to see and be seen
by Matthew Pioro
When paired with the right Garmin
head unit, the company’s Varia UT800
smart headlight A ($200, garmin.com)
is eerily accurate when it adjusts its
beam according to your speed, and
the light conditions and type of ride.
H
Sure, it’s not technically that eerie as
it is sensors and algorithms working
to choose between high (800 lumens),
medium (400 lumens), low (200
lumens), night flash (100 to 300 lumens)
and day flash (more than 700 lumens),
but it can still feel as if you have a light
from the future. At the back, Garmin has
J a device that is even more high-tech.
The Varia RTL510 B ($400 for tail light
and radar display unit bundle) not only
sends a red light rearward, but also
radar waves. Your compatible head unit
D or radar unit receives these waves, and
then tells you if the coast is clear (green
light), if a vehicle (or multiple vehicles)
is approaching (yellow light) or if some-
thing is coming up quickly (red light), so
proceed with caution.
The Fabric Lumasense front C and
rear lights D ($40, front; $47, rear; fabric.
cc) are a stylish pair. Their good looks
also come with some sharp functions.
The rear light has an accelerometer, so
F when you hit the brakes, the chip-on-
board leds glow more brightly – a brake
light for your bike. The front light, like
the rear, produces 30 lumens and is
easy to attach to your frame.
The compact Light and Motion Imjin
800 E ($239, mec.ca) can strap to your
bars or helmet for illuminating the
trail ahead of you. It’s a versatile and
powerful light with four modes (800,
400 and 200 lumens, the latter comes
72 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
as a steady beam or pulse). If the Imjin
gets wet, it will be fine as it’s built to
withstand getting submerged under
1 m of water. If your ride takes this light
that deep underwater, well, that’s pretty
extreme. The Vis 180 F ($100) can also
take a dunking. This rear light sends 70
lumens of red light out the back and
flashes amber light to the sides to
increase your visibility. With an extra
attachment, you can set this light up on
an aero seatpost or a rear rack.
The Kryptonite Alley F-800 G ($110,
kryptonitelock.com) is now the brightest
light in company’s lineup. But brand
manager Daryl Slater says that setting
this light to its brightest mode isn’t
always the right way to take advantage
of the high-powered Alley. “Don’t use
800 lumens riding around a major city,
if you don’t need to,” he says. Instead,
he advises that you think about how
to maximize battery life. For example,
800 lumens will run the battery down
in 1.5 hours. You have 24 hours of life
with eco mode. A good balance seems
to be the 400-lumens setting, which
can burn for four hours. On your seat-
post, the Avenue R-75 H ($62) features
chip-on-board (COb) leds, which offer a
higher lumen-per-watt ratio than other
types of leds. The front and rear lights
also come as a set ($145).
The Giant Numen+ Tag headlight I and
tail light J ($55/light, giant-bicycles.
com) can attach easily to your bike via
elastic straps. You can also secure
them with their magnetic clip mounts,
Photos: Hiep Vu
which work quite well with the rear light
and your jersey pockets. Each Numen+
Tag puts out a maximum of 40 lumens.
 RAPID

GEAR
FIRE

C L I

The MEC Dazzle K ($8, mec.ca) is a

classic tail light that gets the job done:
keeps you visible out on the road. On A

your commutes, the five leds blink or

hold steady, casting their light roughly B

750 m behind you. The MEC Quattro L

($24) is slightly more “new school”
than the Dazzle with its USb cable for
topping up the battery. (The Dazzle
comes with two aaa batteries.) Still,
the Quattro and its 90 lumens that run
for five hours on flash mode and four on
steady are the perfect complement for
the old school tail light.

G
E

cyclingmagazine.ca 73
 An Island
Playground
for Cyclists
Find out why so many pro and recreational riders
flock to this Mediterranean destination

74 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

 Barcelona
Valencia
Mallorca

story and photos by

Matt Stetson

I had heard about how good the

riding on Mallorca is during group
rides around Peterborough, Ont.
The local shop, Wild Rock Outfitters,
organizes spring training camps on
the Balearic Island, roughly 300 km
off the coast of mainland Spain in
the Mediterranean Sea. Mallorca
sounded like playground for road
cyclists, its infrastructure heavily
supported by tourism, which is
mainly cyclists in the early months
of the year. As a result, almost every-
where on the island caters to people
rolling around on two wheels. When
I got the chance to sign up for one of
Wild Rock’s weeklong trips, I didn’t
hesitate. I was stoked.
My group stayed at Viva Blue
Hotel. It has a bike-storage area that
includes bike-wash stations, tools
and pumps, as well as complimen-
tary water and ride snacks available
all day. These features are pretty
standard for the many sport-focused
hotels on the island. Wild Rock also
hooked me up with a bike for the
week, so I didn’t have to worry about
lugging a bike box around airports.
Our hotel was in the Port d’Alcúdia/
Platja de Muro area at the north end of
Mallorca, not far from the mountains
that run along the northwest of the
island. As we pedalled out of town,
we passed, and were passed, by
several groups in the first 20 minutes
of our ride. The drivers of motor vehi-
cles seem very conscientious with
regard to all the two-wheeled traffic.
Not once was I worried about cars.
Also, many of the main roads have
large shoulders.
On our first day, we rode along the

cyclingmagazine.ca 75
 coastline and through a few small towns in the countryside. The island is
scattered with small communities that have an assortment of shops and
restaurants, all great for breaks or lunch. No matter which direction you travel,
you are not far from food or water. After two hours of riding through some lush
forest and rolling hills, we pulled into the beautiful town of Pollença. It has all
the appeal of an old European city with tight streets and cobbled roads. It made
for a picturesque setting for a coffee stop. Once we were fully caffeinated, it was
time to roll through the narrow streets, back into the countryside.
Most of the road surfaces are quite smooth. Even in more remote areas of
the island, you don’t need to worry about running high-volume tires to stay
comfortable all day. After riding through the rolling hills and soaking in the
beautiful scenery, we stopped for lunch in Campanet. Fuelled and watered, we

YOUR
ULTIMATE
TRAINING
TOOLS WHATEVER YOUR
GOALS IN CYCLING,
The Cyclist’s Training Bible
offers the best way there.
Joe Friel is the most trusted
cycling coach in the world and
his proven cycling training
program has helped hundreds
of thousands find success
in road racing, gravel rides,
criteriums, gran fondos, and
time trials. Design your own
custom plan, improve skills
and fitness, get lean, and
focus your time on the most
effective ways to train.

AVAILABLE in bookstores, bike shops, and online.

SEE WHAT’S NEW at velopress.com/bible and
SAVE $10 on your first order using coupon VPFIRST.

76 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018

began heading back toward our hotel passing some very
impressive estate homes and architecture integrated into
cool rock formations. After covering roughly 80 km, we
pulled up to our hotel. As I was locking up my bike, I couldn’t
help but smile, looking forward to the rest of the week.
We spent the next few days exploring different parts of
the island. Although our hotel was a great starting loca-
tion, Wild Rock did shuttle us to a few different areas farther
away, including Bunyola, about 50 km to the southwest. The
town’s narrow winding pavé took us to forested, switch-
back climbs and fun technical descents. For a small island,
Mallorca has plenty of elevation. Many professional teams
use the Serra de Tramuntana for training in the off-season.
It’s easy to see why. During my weeklong stay, we climbed
up a different set of sweeping and scenic switchbacks each
day. Normally, the thought of super steep and extended
climbs puts fear in my legs. But, as I was dripping with
sweat pedalling in my easiest gear toward possibly the
most picturesque lunch stop ever, I couldn’t help but enjoy
ticking off each hairpin corner and soaking in the expansive
views. At the top of almost every climb, there was respite
waiting for us in the form of a store
or restaurant. You’ll feel completely
comfortable in convenience stores “For my
as you clomp along in your spandex.
Thanks to the abundance of cyclists
final
on the island, that’s a pretty normal
occurrence, compared with here in
day, I
Canada where cyclists can be met traded
with skeptical looks from cashiers as
they watch athletic, tightly clothed
in my
people purchase junk food.
My trip didn’t include a rest day,
spandex
but I almost wish it had. Mallorca for some
has many beaches, bars, restau-
rants and beautiful architecture. If,
baggies
or more likely when, I return, I’d like
to rent a scooter and explore more
and
of the island’s urban areas, as well hit the
as visit a few of the old monasteries.
As I ticked off each day and climb,
trails.”
my week in cycling paradise neared
cyclingmagazine.ca 77

its end. Before I left, there was one box
I couldn’t leave unchecked. For my
final day on Mallorca, I traded in my
spandex for some baggies and hit the
trails. Chainguide Mallorca severed as
our guide for the day, and also hooked
us up with squishy bikes to tackle
the rocky terrain. After a short shuttle
ride out of town, we were pedalling
uphill and trying to avoid running
over all of the roosters in the area.
We climbed for a while through the
forest occasionally popping out of the
woods to take in beautiful views of the
78 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
rolling hills. After close to two hours of climbing, some of it
quite technical, we reached yet another scenic monastery,
Santuari de Lluc, located at the top of a mountain. After a
quick lunch, we were rewarded for our previous climbing
efforts with a super long descent. Most of the trails are
converted hiking paths. Crazy broken-up stone staircases
and giant boulder fields made for a very cool backcountry-
type riding experience.
Bags packed and rental bike returned, I sat waiting for
my shuttle to the airport, already creating a new savings
account on my bank app. I must have climbed 100 switch-
backs, but the island still has 100 waiting for me. I couldn’t
think of a better place to gain some early-season fitness
and take a load off at the same time.
Details
How to get there
To get to Palma, Mallorca’s capital, you’ll
have to fly to a major European hub, such
as Frankfurt or Zurich, and then head to
the Spanish island. From Palma, you can
reach almost anywhere on the island
via car within a maximum of two hours.
Shuttles large enough to accommo-
date bikes and large luggage are readily
available at the Palma Airport.
When to go
With temperatures in the 15–20 C range
in April, the island makes for a great
place to put in some early-season miles.
During the spring, most of Mallorca’s
visitors are cyclists, compared with the
summer months when the island sees
an influx of Europeans enjoying the
beaches and hot summer weather.
Where to stay
Accommodation options on the island
are extensive. The bike-friendly Viva
Blue Hotel (vivabluesports.com) is an
excellent option.
Where to eat
Mallorca has a ton of food options that
range from local flavours, to fine Italian
cuisine to Texas-style steak houses.
Wherever you end up eating, I recom-
mend taking a trip to Palma’s Old City
and strolling the picturesque streets,
sampling all the area has to offer.
How to find your way
If you don’t have Wild Rock Travel guides
(wildrock.rezdy.com) as I did, you can
find hundreds of .gpx files for rides of
various distances and elevation online.
There are also cycling maps available
at most of the island’s bike shops, as
well as online. Check out shops Nano
Bicycles (nanobicycles.com) and Speed
Bike Mallorca (speedbikemallorca.com)
for tips on where to ride.
 MARKETPLACE

British Columbia Trysport Inc – Parry Sound Bike Travel Escapades Bike Tours
Bike Barn 77 Bowes St. Baja California Sur, Mexico. Have Fun – Get Pampered!
300 Westminster Ave. W. Parry Sound, ON One of the last cycling paradises. All Levels – Fully Supported.
Penticton, BC 705 746 8179 Nothing can compare with the Arizona Sonoran Desert, GA/SC
250.492.4140 Trysport Inc – Bracebridge incredible tropical tour that awaits Low Country, Cape Cod, VT/NY Yankee
info@bikebarn.ca 83 Manitoba St. the medium conditioned cyclist. Doddle Toodle, Maine Islands, Hudson
bikebarn.ca Bracebridge, ON bajawheeling.com/cycling.html Valley, Lake Champlain Roundabout,
705.637.0383 Texas Hill Country, Natchez Trace.
sales@ontariotrysport.com Book early to save!
Ontario
ontariotrysport.com 877.880.2453
Racer Sportif – Oakville
The only full-service triathlon escapadesbiketours.com/canada
151 Robinson St.
shop north of Toronto.
Oakville, ON
Holland Bike Tours
905.815.2100
Road bike tours in the Netherlands.
info@racersportif.com
hollandbiketours.com
racersportif.com

Racer Sportif – Toronto

2214 Bloor St. W.
Toronto, ON
416.769.5731
info@racersportif.com
racersportif.com

Bike Tours in Holland

AR

When only the best will do!

E
TE
YE
AN

Excellent road
AR
7 GU

biking in a
cyclist’s paradise!

Prices from $746 delivered to your door.

bikeboxalan.com 01709 365408 (UK) www.hollandbiketours.com

Velovault2 bike box

Latest generation bike box
Roof rack mountable
Safe, secure and easy to pack
Road, TT & MTB bikes including 29ers

5 year
warranty Velovault2.com
cyclingmagazine.ca 79
 Q&A
James Piccoli
The analytical rider embraces
the mysteries of cycling
by Matthew Pioro
B efore the summer of 2017, James Piccoli had
been struggling to make things click as a pro
rider. He was wondering if the sacrifices he had made
were worth it. Then, he got a lucky phone call. In
the following 12 months, the analytical rider says
he developed a more nuanced outlook of the sport,
including an appreciation for the less quantifiable
elements of cycling. He also became the first Canadian
in 10 years to win the Tour de Beauce.
You almost quit cycling close to a year and a half ago.
What kept you in the sport?
I got a call from Paul Abrahams, the boss of Elevate KHS
Pro Cycling. He told me the team was going to do Tour of
Utah and the Colorado Classic, which were bigger races
than I’d ever done. He said he could really use someone on
those hills. And I said, “Yes.”
He called you out of the blue?
Paul was paying attention to how races were going and
wasn’t just looking at race results. He said he’d seen me
race and that he believed in me. He also said that with the
right support, I could do good things in cycling.
Tell me more about Abrahams.
He’s the main director of the team and also does a lot of the
back-office stuff – sponsorships and stuff like that. More
than a year ago, I thought cycling was just about watts
per kilo, as anyone outside of cycling does. But Paul really
showed me the nuances of the sport, on and off the bike.
He’s been the figure I needed, that I was looking for but
never found. I guess by serendipity, he found me.
80 Canadian Cycling October & November 2018
At the this year’s Tour de Beauce,
you were on the national team.
Some of your teammates were pro
continental rider Ben Parry, Elevate
KHS teammate Jordan Cheyne and
Svein Tuft. What was it like having
Tuft, who is the last Canadian to win
Beauce in 2008, on your team?
In 2012, Beauce was the first big, UCI
race I ever did. It was a bit of a shock.
Svein was on the national team then.
I remember thinking, whoa, that’s
Svein Tuft. He rides for a big team.
He’s won a silver medal at worlds.
That’s, like, a real big bike rider right
there. This year I was lucky enough
to have him as a teammate.
What cycling wisdom did
he share with you?
More than wisdom, it was just having
his presence. Having a rider of that
calibre believe in me and the team
and having him believe we could win
was really special. People talk about
having the legs and the watts to win,
but in my experience, having that
self-belief, the mental aspect of the
sport, is probably more important.
Having essentially Canada’s best
rider, a long-established WorldTour
pro, believe in me was a boost.
It’s like he was your yellow jersey.
I’m thinking of the way that jersey
seems to give its wearer extra
strength, what the psychologists
call audience effect.
I totally believe in that. I’ve experi-
enced it several times in different
ways. Just having a support system
that believes in you, like Elevate KHS,
or having people believe in you, just
switches something on mentally and
you have better legs because of all that.
I studied mechanical engineering
in university so I have that quanti-
tative/analytical mind. Calculations
of watts and drag and the formulas
that quantify cycling have always
interested me. But the more I do bike
racing, the more I realize there’s stuff
that can’t be quantified. That’s the
beauty of the sport really.
What about luck?
Behind a result in bike racing, there
are a lot of factors. One of them is luck,
for sure. That’s just the way it works.
Anyone who doesn’t understand the
role that chance plays in professional
cycling, doesn’t understand profes-
sional cycling.
Tell me about your feelings for the
Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal.
It sounds funny, but was always
my dream to do the WorldTour race
in Montreal.
Always your dream?
The race is only nine years old.
It’s nine years old, but before that
there was a women’s race on same
same circuit. The road Camillien
Houde, the climb they use in the race,
it’s the road I’ve done the most in my
life. It sounds strange to say, but I
have a connection to that road, to that
climb. It’s been my sanctuary, a place
I’d go to disconnect from the world
and just ride. Riding a WorldTour
race on that road, is special more
than for just the fact that it’s a
WorldTour race.
STATS
Photos: Danny Munso
Born Sept. 5, 1991
Home Town Montreal
Bikes KHS Flite 900
 SCOTT RANSOM

MAKE
M O U N TA I N S
M OV E
NO SHORTCUTS

The Ransom is the long travel all mountain bike to rule them all.
Modern geometry, 170mm of suspension travel front and rear in
unison with the TwinLoc Suspension System and our strongest
carbon construction to date gives you a mountain bike that
will surely give you plenty of rewards when taking risks.
Make mountains move.

SCOTT-SPORTS.COM
© SCOTT SPORTS SA 2018.19 | Photo: Keno Derelyn
Born to Roll and Roam

Named after a favorite dirt road loop near our headquarters in Connecticut, Topstone is pure gravel
goodness. With its high-volume tires, confident rider position and sporty handling, it is ready to smash out
big miles on the backroads, explore routes less travelled, or smooth out the chop on your morning commute.
MSRP $1,400 - $2,800