Great Manchester Cycle

Following the resounding success of last year’s sell-out event, The Great Manchester Cycle returns on Sunday 30th June with 8,000 riders expected to take part. With just two weeks to go, the 52-mile distance is now full… places are still available for the 13 and 26-mile routes…. but they are going fast, so grab yours now!

Starting and finishing at Etihad Campus, the home of Manchester City FC, the 13-mile circuit offers riders the opportunity to pedal through the closed roads of Manchester city centre and take in the sights from a whole new perspective. The route includes landmarks such as Old Trafford, plus a stretch of the iconic Mancunian Way – a section of motorway normally off-limits to cyclists.

Jo Rowsell

Jo Rowsell

The ride caters for all abilities, from club cyclists to families wishing to take on the challenge together. Olympic Gold medallist, Joanna Rowsell, will be lining up with those taking on the 52-mile route to join what will be the UK’s biggest timed cycling event:

“Having spent a number of years living and training in Manchester, it’s great to see the Great Manchester Cycle returning for a second year as it’s such a fantastic event.” She continued: “Manchester is one of the best cities for sport and cycling in the UK, so to be able to explore roads on the safety of 13 miles of closed roads will be a really unique experience.

With an event village hosting cycle industry exhibitors, charity partners, entertainment and food concessions, the Great Manchester Cycle is set to be a great day out in one of the UK’s most passionate sporting cities.

Entry for each route will cost just £20 for adults and £5 for kids. Children aged 3-7 can take part in the 13-mile route for free, but will need to use either a tag-a-long bike or children’s bike trailer/seat.

For further information on the route, event details and how to enter please visit: www.greatcycle.org/.

MacAskill’s Imaginate : Time to Ride – Ep 4

MacAskill’s Imaginate : Time to Ride – Ep 4
With the clock ticking down to the first day of filming it’s time for Danny to step up his riding. But with the full scale of the project starting to dawn on him, Danny finds himself feeling the pressure. As the warehouse goes into lockdown and the cameras start to roll will he be able to take his riding to new levels?

To view all of Danny’s Imaginate episodes and the finished film click here.

Giro D’Italia Rest Day

 
To coincide with the early mountain stages, Multipower Sportsfood, the sports nutrition partner of the Giro d’Italia, have provided Cycling Shorts with a series of  four technical, nutritional and physiological infographics depicting the challenges undertaken when competing in the mountains.
This is the forth and final in the series of four.
 

Multipower Rest Day InfographicRest days have been a part of the Giro since its inaugural edition in 1909. Back then, riders would ride one stage and then have two, sometimes three, days between the next stage. It’s not hard to see why: in 1909, the average length of the eight stages was 306 kilometres, as opposed to 162 kilometres across 21 stages in 2013.

This year’s Giro will have two rest days – the first after stage nine, the second follows stage 15. Two rest days have been customary in the race since 2002, although as recently as 1998, the Giro was held without a single day off across the three weeks.

Although riders will not be racing on the rest days, they will still ride their bikes for one or two hours. This prevents muscle stiffness and will help flesh out metabolic waste from the previous day’s stage. In recent years, some teams have opted to ride on their turbo trainers as opposed to heading out onto the road.

Riders will continue to eat foods high in carbohydrates and proteins on rest days, although some teams in the past have been known to give their riders a treat if the final rest day falls after the last decisive stage on the general classification. Burger and chips is a favourite within the Garmin-Sharp team.

 

Throughout the three weeks of competition (3-26 May) Multipower Sportsfood, is also offering cycle fans the chance to get their hands on a variety of prizes in an easy to enter daily prediction competition. Prizes include signed race jerseys, Giro d’Italia drinks bottles and the ultimate prize of a Cannondale Pro Cycling Super Six EVO Team Edition professional race bike worth £6,499.
To take part in the competition entrants simply need to visit the Multipower website, www.multipower.com/uk/giro , and vote for their stage favourite before the 10km to go marker.
 
 
 

Individual Time Trial Stages of the Giro D’Italia

 
To coincide with the early mountain stages, Multipower Sportsfood, the sports nutrition partner of the Giro d’Italia, have provided Cycling Shorts with a series of  four technical, nutritional and physiological infographics depicting the challenges undertaken when competing in the mountains.
This is the third in the series of four.
 

Multipower Time Trial InfographicThe last five editions of the Giro have ended with a final day time trial, although only in 2012 did the race leadership change hands, as Ryder Hesjedal took the maglia rosa away from Joaquim Rodriguez to become the first Canadian Grand Tour winner. The 2013 Giro breaks away from the recent tradition and will end with a road stage from Riese Pio X to the old Roman city of Brescia.

The 2013 Giro features 75.4 kilometres of individual time trialling, which is more than the 2011 and 2012 races combined. 2008 was the last time the race included more kilometres against the clock (80.7km).

Five-time Giro champion Alfredo Binda was the winner of the first time trial in the Giro in 1933. The Italian won the 62-kilometre stage from Bologna to Ferrara en route to the last of his overall wins in the race.

Ever wondered why some riders have energy gels hanging out of their shorts during time trials? Because of the intensity of time trials, the top riders will not have time to take any food from their team cars during the stage. Also, the skinsuits they wear for improved aerodynamic performance will not have any pockets, so putting them under their lyrca is the most convenient place.

 

Throughout the three weeks of competition (3-26 May) Multipower Sportsfood, is also offering cycle fans the chance to get their hands on a variety of prizes in an easy to enter daily prediction competition. Prizes include signed race jerseys, Giro d’Italia drinks bottles and the ultimate prize of a Cannondale Pro Cycling Super Six EVO Team Edition professional race bike worth £6,499.
To take part in the competition entrants simply need to visit the Multipower website, www.multipower.com/uk/giro , and vote for their stage favourite before the 10km to go marker.
 
 
 

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