Roads to Ride: Joux Plane

Joux Plane

This will be the final climb of the 2016 Tour de France. It’s an unusual climb in the French Alps, a true mountain instead of a ski station access road. What’s it like to ride on a normal day?

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Supporter Kit

INRNG socks

You can support this website by purchasing kit. Loyal readers will know there’s no hard sell, just a reminder once every month or two and if many have bought already it’s fine to read without buying. The profit from kit sales are split between the shop and this site and help keep things spinning here.

Given winter is approaching for many it’s probably best to plug the socks, the INRNG supporter socks are good on a summer’s day but work well under overshoes and the black comes in handy for the winter grime. Will they make you go faster? Probably not but you can chip in something if you like the calendar or the idea of some else reading the UCI rule book so you don’t have to.

What you see is what you get, they have a 75mm medium high cuff. They’re made in Italy from Coolmax and Lycra. They’re for sale with UK shop Prendas Ciclismo.

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Book Review: The Racer

David Millar The Racer

The Racer, Life on The Road As a Pro Cyclist by David Millar

British cycling’s rise seems to have included a publishing phenomenon in its slipstream with many riders publishing their biographies. This new audience seems hungry for accounts from inside the peloton and The Racer sets out to explain plenty as David Millar recounts his final season as a pro.

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The Empiricism of New Clothes

Was the past a better place? It certainly wasn’t as comfortable for the racing cyclist with itchy wool clothing that sagged in the rain and winter training meant bulky clothing and millefeuille of layers just to try and stay warm. GPS bike computers, electronic shifting, the widespread use of carbon in frames and rims are all obvious tech advances. But what of clothing? Often overlooked it’s been through several revolutions in recent years and there’s more to come.

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2016 Calendar Analysis

With the UCI calendar for 2016 out, a chance to look at the stats behind it. Which is the busiest month, which countries have the most race days and more.

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Further Thoughts on the Tour Route

Some more thoughts on the Tour de France route and the presentation earlier in the week. Once the presentation’s been digested and the profiles poured over there’s more to think about.

First up this is a route to look forward to and the closer your inspect it, the better it gets.

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Lotto Winners

Andre Greipel Lotto Soudal

Several teams are sponsored by lotteries like FDJ and Lotto-Jumbo but in 2015 it’s Lotto-Soudal who’ve been lucky with the draw. Best team of 2015? Of course not but Lotto-Soudal have beaten expectations and their own records and it’s worth noting. The finish 2015 in third place on the team victory ranking.

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The 2016 Tour de France

Tour de France 2016 map

The 2016 Tour de France route is out and the presentation even managed to spring a surprise with a second time trial that nobody had predicted. It’s a promising route that celebrates the mountains and includes several new climbs. Glance at the map alone and you’ll see it quickly escapes from France’s boring northern half. Here’s a closer look.

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Efficiency Rankings

Alexander Kristoff

Alexander Kristoff finishes the season as the most efficient rider in the peloton, winning close to one in every four races he started: 20 wins for 82 race days. It’s an incredible rate when you consider he’s had a few training races and some mountain stages along the way too. Here’s a look at the win rates of the top riders, why it pays to be a sprinter and a look at those who slid down the rankings this year too.

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2016 Pro Cycling iCal Calendar

Pro cycling’s off season fast approaching arriving but if the racing stops the planning doesn’t. Whether you’re plotting a victorious classics campaign or a trip to Europe you need to know when the pro races are.

Here’s the 2016 pro cycling calendar, subscribe or download an iCal file to import the same calendar into your organiser, phone and computer diary.

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