In the first of a new series, we find out about life at the big races inside EF Education-EasyPost, starting with team chef Owen Blandy Name Owen Blandy Job title Team chef at EF Education-EasyPost Seasons in the job Three Teams worked with EF Education-EasyPost Words GILES BELBIN Photography GETTY I’ll get up around six o’clock, which is two hours before the riders tuck into breakfast,’ says Owen Blandy, who has been team chef at EF Education-EasyPost since 2021, having previously played for Arsenal FC’s academy and studied to become a chartered accountant. He’s talking Cyclist through his ro ..read more

Leg compression, ice baths, protein shakes… there are plenty of suggestions for how to recover quicker from a hard ride. Cyclist’s experts sort the smarts from the duds Words EMMA COLE  Illustration TILL LUKAT ‘In my experience, if I told an athlete that eating bird poo would help them recover quicker, they would do it.’ Such is the desperation for quick recovery methods, according to Dr Jessica Hill, a recovery specialist and an associate professor in Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology at the UK’s St Mary’s University Twickenham. And who wouldn’t try it for a quick fix from the dread ..read more

A new study suggests concentrated weekend riding lowers the risk of heart disease Photo Danny Bird A burst of activity on the weekend could be just as good for you as more regular exercise, according to a recent study. The World Health Organisation recommends 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per week ‘for significant health benefits for hearts, bodies and minds’. MVPA is defined in terms of METs, ‘metabolic equivalent of task’, where one MET is the equivalent energy expended when sat down at rest; MVPA is defined as around 6 METs. A MET is measured in oxygen uptake ..read more

What impact does a break in training have? Photo Danny Bird OK, this study is based on marathon runners but the implications for other endurance sportsters such as cyclists could be significant. In a paper entitled ‘Estimating The Cost Of Training Disruptions On Marathon Performance’ published in the journal Frontiers In Sports And Active Living, researchers used Strava data to analyse more than 15 million activities performed by 292,323 runners who had each completed multiple marathons between 2014 and 2017. Using the accepted wisdom that a marathon requires ‘12-16 weeks of consistent traini ..read more

In 2016, Emily Chappell won the Transcontinental ultra-endurance race, only to find that she still didn’t fit the body image of how a cyclist should look Emily Chappell is a former cycle courier turned ultra-distance cyclist who has taken on a number of epic cycling challenges, including cycling across Asia. In 2016, she was fastest woman at the Transcontinental Race, a self-supported race of 3,800km from Geraardsbergen in Belgium to Çanakkale in Turkey. She is the author of two books: What Goes Around, about life as a cycle courier, and Where There’s A Will, about her experiences at the Trans ..read more

Posedla’s patented lattice structure with stiffness zones is tailored to your parameters Atrypophobe’s* nightmare but a bike nerd’s dream, the Posedla Joyseat is a 3D printed saddle, custom crafted from an imprint of each rider’s behind. While a number of brands use 3D printing technology in their saddles, the Joyseat is unique in its customised approach, which the Czech manufacturer claims provides improved comfort via precise tailoring. ‘By combining 3D printing with customisation, we’re actually making the most of this technology,’ says Posedla co-founder Jiri Duzar. Available in three mode ..read more

This is about as Campagnolo as it gets: a 24-carat gold corkscrew. Yep, for roughly the price of a Giant Defy Advanced 2, you can buy a gold corkscrew with ‘Campagnolo’ emblazoned upon it. Branded as ‘BIG The Corkscrew’, the titanium version of this bad boy featured on these very pages back in issue 49, and one member of the Cyclist team even received one as a wedding gift last year, so don’t get us wrong when we tell you that this run of only 10 gold corkscrews – available in gold and rose gold – is a little fancy for most of our tastes. Still, as Campag becomes more niche, it’s important to ..read more

Words SAM CHALLIS As Factor’s first platform (not counting the bonkers Vis Vires model that CEO Rob Gitelis inherited when he bought the company from bf1systems), it feels right that the latest generation of the Factor O2 VAM sits at the pinnacle of the range. The brand’s line-up may have diversified down the years, but Gitelis has made sure the O2 hasn’t lagged behind in performance terms, for it has been revised every other year since its inception in 2017. This revision feels particularly significant. It uses composite fabrication techniques from the Ostro VAM aero bike to match its bulkie ..read more

An epic week of mountain biking and gravel riding through the remote trail networks dotted along the historic Rail Road towns of Nevada – where no PBs were set, but plenty of PBRs and PB&Js were consumed Words and photography ZOE BINDER I’ve been lucky enough to ride my bike all over Australia since I was young, and more recently a good part of Europe, but the United States has always eluded me. So when the opportunity arose to finally go riding stateside, I knew I couldn’t miss it. Any keen cyclist, especially one who tends towards the knobblier end of the tyre spectrum, is well aware of ..read more

On the back of our recent Big Ride in Nevada, USA (issue 67), we sat down with local Nevada cycling travel expert, Kyle Horvath, to find out more about what makes his state so special Photo: Ryan Warner Interview Jack Lynch Cyclist: Thanks for making the time to chat with us, Kyle. First of all, why should I listen to you about riding in Nevada? Just joking – but tell us about your riding background. Kyle Horvath: I played bikes all my time growing up in Virginia. Nothing competitive, just pedalling with friends and finding things to jump off of until it got dark. I moved to Lake Tahoe after c ..read more