Cycling

Tejay van Garderen won the Tour of California to claim his first career stage-race triumph.

I was in Birmingham recently for the excellent Cycle City Expo where hundreds of cycling campaigners, road engineers, and local councils came together to think about really getting Britain cycling. There was a palpable atmosphere that the new age of the bicycle was well on its way, and indeed that "something" will need to be done on our streets to help accommodate it. But just what should be done is still very much up for debate, and this was brought home to me by a conversation I had with an engineer there who was exasperated with cycling campaigners."You cyclists don't know what you want!" the engineer exclaimed. His outburst came as a shock to me. I'd been telling him about the latest design trend for road narrowing schemes that is sweeping our capital. I'd told him that such a scheme had taken place on the Bethnal Green Road and provoked an incredible reaction from people who ride the road everyday, and that in Westminster plans to narrow the carriageway on Haymarket had people who ride that road every day up in arms. I explained my view was that road narrowing puts people on bikes at a disadvantage, cutting their ability to get ahead of stationary traffic, bringing them closer together with heavy moving traffic and leading to dangerous overtakes by drivers who don't realise that cyclists are supposed to take the lane, or worse, just grow reckless and impatient. I told him that I thought plenty of cyclists hated such schemes and would do anything they could to avoid any such future projects being implemented on busy roads and key cycle corridors. Many people have told me they feel intimidated and bullied by motorised traffic when they are brought closer together by road narrowing, and recounted horror stories of road aggression, near misses and uncomfortably close passes. That's when the engineer started to sigh and scratch his head and look at me in an exasperated way. Road narrowing on London's Strand. No room for error here."Don't you see?" he began to explain, "Cyclists have been asking for road narrowing schemes for years. And now they are being built, you are telling me that cyclists hate them. You cyclists don't know what you want!" I couldn't quite believe what I was hearing, so I asked the engineer to explain further. He agreed, on the condition that I kept his identity confidential so as not to prejudice some bicycle-friendly measures he is currently working on with a London council"I've worked on a road narrowing scheme before. The client, the Council, wanted to turn an A-road in to a more people friendly street, most particularly with regards to accommodating all of the cyclists, who in recent years had become the majority of the traffic on this particular stretch. The road is also a bus corridor, and busy with lots of pedestrians. A shopping centre had been built on the road recently and there was a big pot of Section 106 money set aside for streetscape improvements. There was enough space to build really good cycle tracks, and increase the width of the pavements for pedestrians, as well as to accommodate pull-ins for the buses and loading bays for the shops. At first I thought that would be the best option to build; something for everyone. But the local cycling campaigners disagreed."My heart sank at the words "local cycle campaigners"; whilst I know there are hundreds of highly committed individuals up and down the country doing outstanding work, sadly amongst their number there is still a highly vocal minority wedded to some very strange ideologies regarding how best to provide for cyclists."The local cycling campaign drew our attention to the Hierarchy for Provision. It's a Department for Transport standard, you must have heard of it?" quizzed the engineer. Indeed, I had. The "Hierarchy of Provision" can be found in the DfT's briefing LTN 2/08 Cycle Infrastructure Design [PDF] It is also the foundation guide for all of the CTC's approach to campaigning and the basis of their recent

Raleigh have raised their game in the last few years, with their carbon race bikes performing well in the Cycling Plus Bike of the Year tests and a pro team once more bearing the company name. But bikes like this are Raleigh’s bread and butter. It’s a crowded market, though, and they’ll be tussling with Trek, Specialized and Giant among others.The Revenio is designed for long-distance comfort, with a taller head tube and a shortened top tube, but our 56cm was far from short and we were still slightly stretched. You might want to consider going down a size.Its weight is spot on for the price and the ride itself is reassuringly neutral – pretty much ideal for days racking up long miles. The carbon fork – good on a £550 machine – and the flattened and curved seatstays also do a very good job of smoothing out road buzz even with an oversize seatpost. Hit a big bump and, as with any aluminium frame, you’re going to feel it, but for a budget road bike comfort is excellent, aided by a quality seat.The Ponza saddle is quite narrow but has well placed and not overly deep padding, and its black-and-white stripes perfectly echo the top tube. Very neat. Raleigh have put thought into the cabling too, rubber protectors – with Raleigh logos – protecting the head tube. And as with ever more budget bikes, there’s internal brake routing through the top tube. Unfortunately, this level of attention isn’t evident throughout the Revenio, which is suffering a minor identity crisis in places. It’s not serious, but why have eyelets at the rear and then not enough mudguard clearance even with 23mm tyres, and a fork with ample clearance but no eyelets? There are rack mounts, so Raleigh seem to think this is aimed at the all-round recreational rider, and it really would make a good commuter machine.The welds are practical rather than pretty…Brakes are typically average and we had a few issues with the wheels. The rear was okay, but the front spokes weren’t tight enough and the wheel was unevenly tensioned too, which would cause spokes to work loose as you ride. Our workshop manager addressed it – as your own bike shop should before selling it – but it’ll be worth checking.All in all, Raleigh have delivered a good bike with a fine ride and decent kit, and nearly a very good bike, but you do need to get the sizing right to make the most of its taller head tube.This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio.

Bicycle have lots of karma and charm. A collection of gem-like devices, individually clever and, when connected, produce a mechanism that's brilliant. Like a skilled acrobat, its accomplishments seem like tricks. Don't try this at home. Among these devices, I'm partial in the extreme to wheels. Puzzling through the years over this irresistible attraction, I've discovered some clues. The wheel

Team Sky riders still smiling despite the cold conditions of the Alps

Carousel short title: Castelli Nanoflex Armwarmer Price: £30.00 Gallery Image Reference: Castelli Nanoflex Armwarmer These Castelli Nanoflex Armwarmer are no ordinary armwarmers. Castelli use a fabric that is treated with a with tiny silicone nanofilaments on the outside surface that means water beads off and rolls away, meaning they handle short showers and heavy downpours with aplomb, keeping arms dry in this unpredictable spring weather we're currently experiencing. Road.cc verdict: All the benefits of normal armwarmers with added rain resistance makes these ideal for changeable spring weather Road.cc rating: 8 Weight: 76g Contact: www.saddleback.co.uk read more

David Zabriskie, Tejay van Garderen and Levi Leipheimer struggle to stay with Robert Gesink near the summit of Mount Baldy during the 2012 Amgen Tour of California. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.comLevi Leipheimer made it official on Sunday as the 2013 Amgen Tour of California concluded in his hometown of Santa Rosa — he’s no longer a professional cyclist. Leipheimer was a witness in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s case against Lance Armstrong and detailed his use of performance-enhancing drugs in a sworn affidavit and in an op-ed for the website of The Wall Street Journal. Last year, Omega Pharma-Quick Step fired him after he admitted using performance-enhancing drugs and methods while riding for Saturn, U.S. Postal Service, Rabobank, Gerolsteiner and Astana. Leipheimer and four other active riders — George Hincapie, Christian Vande Velde, Dave Zabriskie and Tom Danielson — received six-month suspensions and were stripped of results. Hincapie retired; the others resumed racing this year after serving their time. And Leipheimer hoped to do the same when his suspension ended in March, but could not find a team. On Sunday, he told his hometown newspaper that he had begun “transitioning into the rest of my life.” “I’m retired,” he told The Press Democrat. “It’s just been an unceremoniously retired.” Leipheimer told the newspaper that his focus now is promoting the GranFondo, a mass fund-raising ride that attracts thousands of cyclists. “It’s not about professional cycling, it’s about sharing the love of the bike,” he said. “That’s what it’s always been about.”

Signs a no doping declaration to guide next generation

The anti-thesis of Henry Ford; Wear it in any colour - as long as it's a "T". Above: "Absolutely... For the full photographic glory and the rest of the text, you know where to go. The Original Cycle Chic awaits.

Stage 8 started with a trip over the Golden Gate Bridge. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com