Last weekend I rode the excellent Puncheur sportive. It was a cold, blustery day and a challenging course. Whilst the climbs were smaller in stature than those of the previous weekend’s Hell of the Ashdown, they appeared with much greater frequency and the effort required was relentless. I was well psyched for a hard ride, and that’s what I got.

Over the course of the ride I tagged along with a couple of fast groups, and the rest of the time rode on my own, as near to flat out as I could manage. That’s not something I’ve done for a while, and certainly not over a four hour period. I was expecting to blow up at any point, but miraculously escaped that particular ignominy. So, what kept me going? Well, my Puncheur effort was fuelled entirely with a selection of nutritious goodies from Bikefood. Except for a banana at the feedstop, I stuck to orange flavoured Energy Drink, and a selection of Raw Natural Energy Bars.

Now, I’m usually pretty good at refuelling on the move, particularly when I know the going is going to be tough – blowing up is such a bloody nightmare than I’m more than happy to ride with pockets stuffed with bars and gels. I usually use a fairly strong solution of energy drink, and then top up with whatever else seems appropriate to the event – gels being the favourite when exertion levels are going to be constantly high, and bars or bananas when I know I’m going to be able to chew without choking.

The trouble is, the vast majority of the products I’ve tested so far, whilst being efficacious from a carbohydrate delivery point of view, taste almost universally synthetic (which is understandable, seeing as they are) and after a few hours of consumption become harder and harder to stomach. Gels especially suffer from this quality – it’s usually only the recognition that I’m only a short way away from the faltering reserve light of the bonk that allows me to force them down.

Bikefood products on the other hand were a bit of a revelation. The Energy Drink is still based on maltodextrin, but the flavour is quite different to the competition. Much less sweet and sickly, with a more natural tartness that refreshes when other drinks start to cloy. I filled two bottles, and brought another sachet with me that I filled at the halfway feed station. This was perhaps another revelation – on longer rides I often find myself having finished two bottles of drink and this end up riding the final hours with water and solid food. I imagine that it’s the end of the ride when the advantages of liquid-based fuel could be most pronounced.

The Bikefood bars were also tasty in an unconventional way – entirely bereft of sugar, sweeteners or artificial flavours – just varying combinations of fruit and nut, with guarana in one, and raw cacao in another. Even towards the end of the event, when solid food can be a struggle to hold down, the Bikefood bars were still a pleasure to chew on. And that’s possibly the most important point of all – they were pretty much the easiest to chew solid bars I have ever consumed while on the bike. I’ve tried some things in the past which have been so tough and inflexible that the only option is to tear chucks off with your teeth. These bars were entirely the opposite – firm enough to stay in one piece, but very easy to bite and chew.

Of course, my test was not particularly scientific and I might just have been having a good day, with the demons of exhaustion plaguing various other people on the roads of Sussex. But I was nothing but delighted with the Bikefood products, and from now on I will be fuelling my endeavours with their products exclusively.

Bikefood
Puncheur
Hell of the Ashdown

Up until this winter my cold weather riding kit was a bit of a hodgepodge, with jerseys of various thicknesses and arm lengths usually combined in assorted configurations depending on projected temperatures and wind conditions. I must also declare that I spent a couple of winters dressed in the decidedly non-pro Gore paclite jacket / black tights combination which, though at least warm, is possibly about as punter as it gets. Not least because, despite claims concerning breathability, as soon as you hit a hill at pace you rapidly start sweltering. The fact that you also tend to look like a twat, with the billowing jacket blown up like a balloon (either because of the ingress of air or the outward pressure of flab) and skinny black lycra legs poking out underneath like some sort of lolly from hell.

No, looking pro and riding hard in winter is all about softshells and / or decent jerseys. (It’s also about beards too…) My plan for the 2010 / 2011 winter season was to get hold of the much lauded RaphaSoftshell. This elegant, well-tailored offering is about the smartest piece of cycling clothing in production, and certainly the only item of such clothing that appears to excite non-cyclists as much as the dedicated peletonese. It’s the kind of jacket that encourages you to take up cycling just so you can wear it every Sunday…

It’s also very expensive. Which is why I ended up buying something else…

Since discovering Craft a few months back, I’ve been really impressed with their range of kit. Quite a bit more tech looking than Rapha, and as such not quite so easily transferrable to post-ride pub wear, but then again – how often do I end up in the pub after a long winter ride? The quality is really impressive, and the cut is perfect when in the on bike position.

The jacket is warm whilst not being bulky, and decently windproof. Sleeves are long, the fit is slim and it feels a world away from more old school baggier winter jackets. I’ve worn it in the rain, and it took a while for the water to penetrate. I wouldn’t rely on it during a downpour, but I think it would do pretty well during prolonged drizzle, and I would certainly prefer it to a full-on waterproof unless the latter was really necessary. Full marks.

The Craft jacket was delivered in record time by the guys at Always Riding, who also supplied a very smart grey merino wool buff in grey. This has been a welcome addition to most of my recent rides. I’ve marginally overheated when riding at speed – it’s surprising the difference that the buff makes. It functions with the Craft jacket rather like a heat-loss regulator, preventing cold air entering at the neckline. I’ve not transformed it into a balaclava style affair yet – it hasn’t really been cold enough for that recently.

I picked up a new pair of overshoes too, also by Craft. Previous incarnations (Endura, Pearl Izumi and most recently Nike) had fallen apart more quickly that they really should have. The Craft ones though seem to be overbuilt in various areas, with heavy reinforcement around the toe and heel area. They are warm too, and I’m delighted with them so far.

I had intended to invest in a new pair of winter tights, but my trusty Endura ones are still going ok, and despite not featuring the most up-to-date windproofing and water resistance, the think roubaix fabric is still warm and comfortable enough for me.

I’m riding a 200km Audax on Wednesday and the forecast isn’t fantastic – should be a decent test for all the new kit…

Rapha
Craft
Always Riding

I picked up my new Whyte 19CS last week and have only just got around to taking some photographs of what is undeniably a beautiful bicycle. I’ve not had a super light hardtail for years. The last such racy machine I owned (a Marin Indian Fire Trail) got pinched in London at the end of a very tough year that included riding it across France, Spain and half of Morocco, and then some DH racing when I got back. This was 1998 by the way – turning up to a DH race on a fully rigid aluminium hardtail being considered fairly laughable but not completely insane as it probably would be these days. I came second to last (I think), beaten only by a Frenchman with a pink lycra covered helmet and a huge saddlebag. Anyway, I digress…

The Whyte 19CS is the midrange model in the Whyte carbon HT lineup. I was originally keen to go for the uber-spec XX Works version, but the CS ended up seeming the best option, offering as it does a pretty awesome specification at a more sensible price. Gearing is SRAM X0, brakes are Hayes Stroker Carbon, and contact components are FSA SL-K with a Fizik saddle and seatpost.

I want to use the 19 for fast trail riding and racing. Probably with an emphasis on the former, but we shall see. As such, I’ve already made some changes to the spec. Gone are the 100mm SL-K stem and straight bars – instead I’ve swapped in a 80mm stem and SL-K riser bars. I’m not used to a really racy bars over the front wheel setup, and for trail riding I think the bike will handle better with a wider, shorter reach.

I bought a beautiful pair of Point One Racing Podium flat pedals for the bike – I’m a flat pedal man through and through. However, it’s a thoroughbred race machine and I thought it about time I gave clipless pedals another go, so on went a pair of Crank Bros Eggbeaters. They certainly look nice – whether they end up getting relegated to another bike will depend on my ability to stay attached when required and to detach myself when things go wrong.

As far as the gearing is concerned, I am very tempted to swap the two chainrings for one. Probably a 36 or a 38. On my existing bike I probably spend 95% of the time in the middle ring, and I think the sweet spot for general riding as this bike is currently set up is somewhere in between the chainrings. I can see the front shifter flicking backward and forth unnecessarily. Plus moving to a 1×10 system will drop a fair bit of weight in the process.

The bike came fitted with Conti Race King 2.0 tyres which while being an obvious and high quality choice for a carbon rocket of this caliber are not best suited to the British winter. These have since been swapped over to Panaracer Trailraker 2.1s – not a tyre I’m familiar with, but a well-respected mud performer by all accounts. I’m actually not really used to narrow tyres full stop, so I think it’ll take me a while to get used to the smaller carcass feel. Incidentally, the maiden voyage on the 19 ended up with me pulling half a dozen thorns out of the back tyre, most of which had penetrated the tube as well. Not really the fault of the tyre though – after going off course we ended up pushing along the side of a just trimmed hawthorn hedge bordering a farmer’s field, and all the bikes suffered from multiple punctures afterwards.

The Fulcrum Red Metal 3s look like decent enough wheels, but there’re not super light, so I have been debating getting another pair for race duties. Not sure what yet though – maybe Stans ZTR Crests on Hope Pro III hubs. Or something in carbon? The bike has definite potential for a super light build though – the 19C XX Works is reputedly around 19lb, and I reckon mine (minus chainring, shifter, front mech, with light wheels, tyres, light cassette, etc) should be in the same ballpark. 18lb would be something nice to aim for.

I’ll try to get some action pics up soon, plus some comments on how it rides.

Whyte
Point One Racing
Crank Brothers
Panaracer
No Tubes
Hope Technology

A last minute trip to town last week ended very pleasantly with a late dinner at the recently refurbished and re-launched Clapham gastropub The Landor.

Chef Chas Tapaneyasastr previously worked at celebrated meat emporium Hawksmoor and it’s fair to say that, if your predilections are in any way carnivorous then you’ll be in for an extra special treat. The menu runs the whole gastropub gamut from scrumptious bar snacks (including hand cut chips, pork crackling and cheesy garlic bread to stunning puds (White chocolate, lemon and vanilla cheesecake, dark chocolate and fudge brownie, sticky toffee pudding) by way of a profusion of delicious mains, both light and hearty.

The pictures above and below illustrate the lip-smacking deliciousness of the food. Slow roast Kilravok pork belly and crackling (above) is expertly prepared (unlike so many pseudo gastropub attempts) – roasted overnight with beer and honey, and served with a savoury apple tartin, fondant potatoes and buttered greens. 21 day aged Dexter ribeye steak (below) is perfectly cooked to order, with a watercress salad alongside and also Chas’s secret recipe ketchup roasted chips. The Landor Aberdeen Angus burger (also below) is a meaty treat served in a toasted bap with all the trimmings.

Amazingly, especially considering the very reasonable prices, just about everything is made in house, from the ketchup to the ice cream. When so many so-called gastropubs are sourcing their food from the Brakes catalogue, this is pretty inspirational, and the effort that goes into such endeavour is unquestionably evident on the plate and in the eating.

If you’re in the area and hungry and / or thirsty, get yourself down there. You definitely won’t be disappointed…

The Landor
70 Landor Road
London
SW9 9PH
0207 737 3419

Last night I went to Fernandez & Wells for the second time, bringing along a couple of chums to sample the delights of this lovely little food and wine bar. Not unlike Polpo around the corner, the emphasis is on quality produce that doesn’t require too much messing around. The charcuterie board is stunning. We also gulped down two servings of fat little morcilla, two more of raclette, olives, and various other things that I’ve forgotten (but shouldn’t have been forgettable). Really, the thing to do it pop down there and try it out yourself. Everything looks and smells so good that you can’t really go wrong.

(We popped into Polpo afterwards, but as I only had 30 minutes before my train left from Charing Cross, we barely had time to gulp down some Gavi and anchovy / chickpea crostini things before racing off. A proper discussion of this great little place will follow sometime soon.)

Fernandez & Wells
43 Lexington Street
London
W1F 9AL
020 7734 1546