Folks, marginal gains are no longer marginal. While they used to operate solely in the margins, they have begun to dominate and corrode the very heart of cycling.

Call me crazy, or nostalgic, or maybe just a loser, but back when I was growing up, despite existing outside of the mainstream media — or maybe because of it — pro cycling was cool. It was badass, it was fucking hardcore. Nowadays, with all these marginal gains, it’s a sport full of weight weenies, power dorks, and flesh-and-blood robots. How did we get to where we are today? Marginal gains, folks.

In a sport where the stadium can have a playing field with 20% grades, it’s all about being as light and aerodynamic as possible. How does one save weight when all the top equipment companies are already working day and night on this very problem?

Here are a few suggestions — and yes, all of these methods have been employed in the pro peloton. Not by everyone, and not all the time, but these are all real marginal gains (pains) that have worked their way into the cycling world.

• Get a haircut
  Cut it short, as short as you can. While you are at the barbershop, ask them to shave your arms, and the tops of your feet as well.
• Cut the toes off your socks
  What is better than cutting needless weight? Cutting needless rotational weight, of course.
• Partially charge your Garmin
  Simple physics explains that energy and mass are essentially one and the same. A lower charge equals less energy, less energy equals less mass. How much less? Maybe a millionth of a gram. Mass is mass, bro. It all adds up.
• Functional dehydration
  Do you think you have been drinking enough all day? Have you been sweating at all? You are probably dehydrated well beyond the point of being optimally functional. (Keep drinking out there, people. This is not just Trump #fakenews, it is real #fakenews.)
• Glycerin suppositories**
  Helps squeak out that last little bit of weight right before the stage.
• Coffee enemas
  The Hollywood detox and cleansing trick has been known to find its way into pro cycling from time to time. Do yourself a favor and keep coffee heading down the top spout.
  **Should the UCI create a “nothing up the ass” rule to accompany its no-needle policy? And before you start commenting below; no, I am not speaking from personal experience here!
  

The only thing more important than cutting weight is cutting drag. Here are a few tricks I’ve seen some pros attempt:

• Top-tube pedaling
  I’m still waiting for someone to pop a testicle doing this one.
• Sand paper on the saddle
  While Tony Martin’s sandpaper saddle may result in a marginal performance gain, it also results in marginal skin loss, on the butt cheek.

Tony Martin is a badass, but this? Come on.

Remember, light and aero mean nothing if you don’t have the right fuel for the engine. This is how ridiculous things have gotten:

• Nutella ban
  In an effort to keep their riders lean, many teams have banned Nutella. Interestingly enough, some allow it if the temperature drops below 10 degrees Celsius. Why? It’s a known fact that Nutella can’t make you fat if you’re cold. #fakescience
• Pickle juice
  The delicious nectar has found a new purpose as cramp prevention. Nothing better than some hot dill spillage during hour four of a steamy race.

Ok, another question: what's the best marginal loss? I.e. Best 5 watts you've ever spent? I'm thinking croakies and a beer.

— alex howes (@alex_howes) February 2, 2017

On-the-bike marginal gains are nothing if the rider is not healthy from the get-go. These marginal gains search for gains in the off-the-bike margins.

• Hand sanitizer
  Sure, there is a time and a place for everything. Just fell into a community pit toilet in the slums of Mumbai? You might want some hand sanitizer in addition to a hot, high-pressure hose down. Just opened your hotel room door? Might not need that hand sanitizer just yet. In many ways, the habitual abuse of hand sanitizer in the pro peloton not only epitomizes pro cycling’s downward spiral into weeniedom, it is also most likely leading to the development of the world’s most perfect super virus.
• Organic coffee to avoid pesticides
  Pesticides are a known health hazard, but is it worth flying around the world with four kilos of coffee in one’s suitcase?
• Avoiding underwear to increase testosterone
  God intended for the boys to swing in order to stay at the ideal temperature. But did the omni-powerful and all-knowing foresee skid marks?
• Brushing teeth before stage
  I personally am famous for this one. After years of watching riders carefully polish their shoes for that pro look I was amused with the irony as those same cyclists regaled me with war stories from their double root canals and other dentistry epics. If dodging double root canals is not enough of an incentive what else do you have to gain from a quick mouth scrub? Simple, look good, feel good, race fast. How much faster? Well, it’s marginal.

Silly, eh? Yes, but also dead serious. What I’m getting at here is cycling has been reaching too far into the margins. How can we fix this?

For starters, you’re already doing your part by reading CyclingTips, an outlet that highlights and promotes the simple joys of riding in cool places. And I think bike companies are doing a good job by producing fun bikes that allow us to explore those delicious, rarely touched dirt roads.

Check out Fausto Coppi: Now that dude was cool.

But what do we do to make professional racing cool again?

Shorter, more exciting stages might be a start. Smaller team sizes for less-controlled racing could set off some fireworks. Or perhaps we could institute a mandatory post-race beer before all interviews. Maybe Chris Froome should have to race a cyclocross race or Roubaix each year. What if all riders were required to look as rad as Jacques Anquetil and Fausto Coppi looked back in the day?

I don’t really know. But I do know that none of those things really hit the heart of the matter that cycling is radding down with all these marginal losses in radness, and it really bums me out. Cycling is cool and deserves to stay cool.

If you agree and you think you might have some ideas related to radness or you just care about pro cycling, head to manualforspeed.com and fill out their “road to rad” survey. In addition, let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Together, you and I are going to crank up the cool factor in cycling.

Into the mist. Big miles. Big effort. Much struggle. ?by #musclesbeach @walkert_rowdy #ontheupandup #californiaadventure #tigerstrong

A post shared by Alex Howes (@alex_howes) on Feb 5, 2017 at 6:23pm PST

The post Alex Howes diary: Marginal pains appeared first on Cycling Tips.

In today’s edition of the CyclingTips Daily News Digest: 25 teams selected for Paris-Roubaix; Valverde reflects on achieving 100 career victories; Barry questioned use of Tramadol with team management during time riding at Sky; Contador to ride in support of Mollema at Abu Dhabi Tour; Van Garderen to lead BMC Racing Team at Abu Dhabi Tour; Bahrain-Merida with Bonifazio for sprints, Nibali for GC at Abu Dhabi Tour; Brisbane cyclist killed by 21-year-old motorist with provisional license; The man who lived on his bike, until his bike was stolen.

The post Your Tuesday Daily News Digest appeared first on Cycling Tips.

With Omloop het Nieuwblad kicking off the UCI season in Europe this weekend, and a successful Summer of Cycling completed in Australia, the 2017 road season is officially here!

For the young riders in the peloton this means new opportunities to take a step forward in their careers, maybe have a breakout performance, possibly even win a race or two. Looking at the season ahead, we think these 10 young riders will likely make their mark in 2017.

Two names you’ll miss here are Amalie Dideriksen (Boels-Dolmans) and Kasia Niewiadoma (WM3 Pro Cycling), because they were already featured in our “Top 10 female riders to watch for in 2017” article.

10 young female pros to watch this season:

1. Lotte Kopecky (Lotto-Soudal)
Twitter: @LotteKopecky
Instagram: @lottekopecky

Despite being the youngest participant in the event, Belgian’s Lotte Kopecky (Lotto-Soudal) was the first rider to launch a successful attack in the Rio Olympic road race, and impressed with her long solo attack on a hot and hilly circuit. Kopecky combines her road career with track cycling, where she is the current European champion in the madison, together with Jolien D’Hoore.

In 2016, Kopecky won the Trofee Maarten Wynants, took the youngster jersey in the Lotto Belgium Tour and won two silver medals at the Belgian championships, earning the U23 national titles along the way. After D’Hoore left Lotto-Soudal in 2015, and Claudia Lichtenberg and Sofie De Vuyst have joined a different team this year, Kopecky is set the task of leading the team in 2017 together with Jessie Daams. We’re pretty sure we will be seeing much of her this year, so keep an eye out for this youngster.

| Related: Faces of the Future: Lotte Kopecky

2. Elisa Balsamo (Valcar-PBM)
Instagram: @elisa.balsamo

While she won the junior World Road Race Championships in Qatar, we won’t be seeing Elisa Balsamo (Valcar-PBM) in the rainbow stripes, as she’ll be entering the U23 category this year. Valcar-PBM, the amateur team she raced for previously, has gotten its UCI licence in 2017, so Balsamo stays with her team but still takes that step to becoming a UCI rider. She will lead the completely Italian team in its first year at the UCI level.

| Related: Faces of the Future: Elisa Balsamo

3. Jip van den Bos (Boels-Dolmans)
Twitter: @jipvandenbos
Instagram: @jipvandenbos

At only 20 years old, Jip van den Bos already has two years worth of experience in a UCI team, having been part of the Dutch Parkhotel Valkenburg team for two years. She was picked up by Boels-Dolmans late last year after a stellar 2016 season. She won the young rider classification in both the Tour of Chongming Island, a sprinter’s race, and in the Spanish stage race Emakumeen Bira, surprising herself when it comes to mountainous stage races. It has given her a confidence boost and she will most definitely develop even further in years to come.

Van den Bos gets a chance to learn from big name riders like Lizzie Deignan, Megan Guarnier and of course compatriots Anna van der Breggen and Chantal Blaak with Boels-Dolmans, and will go for many more youngster classifications. And who knows, after coming eighth in Tour of Chongming Island stage 2 and a top ten finish in the Omloop het Hageland-Tielt Winge last year, she may even win a bike race this season.

4. Chloé Dygert Owen
Twitter: @chloedygert30
Instagram: @chloedygert

After winning both the junior world title in the road race and the individual time trial in 2015, we haven’t seen too much of Dygert Owen on the road as she’s been focusing on the track. She won the Amgen women’s Tour of California team time trial with Team Twenty16-RideBiker, and took the young rider jersey in the overall. At the Rio Olympics, Dygert was part of the US team pursuit on the track and took silver together with Sarah Hammer, Kelly Catlin and Jennifer Valentine.

Renamed to Sho-Air Twenty20, her team participated in the Santos women’s Tour Down Under last month, in which Dygert Owen came away with three top 10 finishes. She added another ninth place in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race some 10 days later.

5. Alice Barnes (Drops Cycling)
Twitter: @BarnesAlice
Instagram: @alice_barnes123

The younger sister of Canyon-SRAM rider Hannah Barnes, Alice Barnes is the British U23 road race champion. During the race, both Alice and Hannah won national titles after coming first and second, taking out both the elite and U23 titles.

Barnes has also started her season in Australia this year and finished top 10 in three stages of the Santos women’s Tour Down Under, only nearly missing out on the podium in stage 2. Her ninth place in the GC must be giving her a boost for the rest of the season. She was the second best youngster in the Thüringen Rundfahrt and the Tour de Feminin – O cenu Ceskeho Svycarska, probably going after some jersey to take home this year.

| Related: Faces of the Future: Alice Barnes 

6. Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Cervélo-Bigla)

Amalie Dideriksen’s (Boels-Dolmans) Danish teammates Julie Leth (Team Hitec) and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (BMS Birn) proudly singing along with the Danish anthem at the 2016 world road championships in Qatar.

One of the three rider Denmark squad for the World Road Championships in Qatar, Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (Cervélo-Bigla) was instrumental in getting Amalie Dideriksen (Boels-Dolmans) the world championship title. Riding for BMS Birn in 2016, Uttrup Ludwig interned with Cervélo-Bigla at the end of the season. She signed with the Swiss team for 2017, where she will be joined by former team mate and compatriot Marie Villman.

Her most prominent results of 2016 include the Danish national ITT title, the mountain classification in the Gracia Orlova and the overall in the Tour de Feminin – O cenu Ceskeho Svycarska. It shows her diverse qualities, which she’ll show in 2017 again no doubt.

7. Skylar Schneider (Team Illuminate)
Twitter: @skylar_mars24
Instagram: @sky_schneider_

Skylar Schneider is on the roster of the new American UCI team Team Illuminate this year, where she joins up with older sister Samantha Schneider. As our Ella’s Faces of the Future article of November points out, both sisters are crit crushing cyclists. But Skylar Schneider has many more qualities, which her results as a junior show.

| Related: Skylar Schnieder, the younger half of the crit crushing Schneider sisters

After a history in BMX racing, cyclocross and track cycling, Schneider now focuses on road racing mainly. Last year, she sprinted to second place in the World Road Championships in Qatar, coming fourth in the ITT. She also participated in several UCI stage races even though still being a junior. Her podium spot in stage 4 of the Joe Martin stage race p/b Nature Valley and her seventh place finishes in the Tour de Feminin – O cenu Ceskeho Svycarska and BeNe Ladies Tour are most noteworthy. If she can do that at only 17 years of age, we’re very curious to see how she’ll develop.

8. Floortje Mackaij (Team Sunweb)
Twitter: @floortjemackaij
Instagram: @floortjemackaij

Floortje Mackaij (Liv-Plantur) pictured before stage 4 in the 2015 Energiewacht Tour.

Team Sunweb’s Floortje Mackaij is not new to the scene, winning Gent-Wevelgem and a stage in the Festival Elsy Jacobs in 2015, finishing on the podium in the women’s Tour of Yorkshire in 2016 and taking the very first Women’s WorldTour young rider jersey home last year. You’d almost forget that she is only 21 years old. She should therefore not be omitted in a list like this.

Although she has acquired a certain status within the team, some things will change with Ellen van Dijk, Lucinda Brand and Coryn Rivera joining Team Sunweb this year. They are all strong riders who Mackaij will share team leadership with. But it’s probably a good thing, the pressure being taken off a little bit and Mackaij getting the opportunity to also learn from those experienced riders. But you can bet to see Mackaij at the front of the race and in some leader’s jersey again this year.

| Related: Faces of the Future: Floortje Mackaij

9. Ariana Fidanza
Twitter: @AriFidanza

In 2017 Ariana Fidanza will be riding with the Italian-Kazakh Astana Women’s Team for a second year. Although her name might not ring a bell with you, that’s definitely not due to a lack of results. In 2016, she finished third in the Giro della Liberazione PINK, took a fourth place finish in the GP Bruno Beghelli behind Chloe Hosking (Alé Cipollini), Marianne Vos (WM3 Pro Cycling) and Barbara Guarischi (Canyon-SRAM) and she won the first stage in the Tour of Zhoushan Island.

In addition, she set some great results in lesser known races, like the Vuelta Feminil Internacional where she finished second in the GC. She also briefly wore the World Cup young rider jersey in 2015, showing a consistency in her strong form. The Astana Women’s Team is once again part of the top 20 UCI teams and will therefore get automatic invites to one day Women’s WorldTour races. If Astana accepts these invites, watch out for this young Italian in light blue.

10. Grace Garner (Wiggle-High5)
Twitter: @graceygarner
Instagram: @graceygarner

After one year with Podium Ambition, Grace Garner joined her older sister in the team of DS Rochelle Gilmore, Wiggle-High5. It was her bunch sprint win in stage 1 of the Tour de Bretagne Feminin (getting her to sixth place) and the top 25 finish in the Prudential RideLondon that got her noticed by other teams.

That she’s worth her spot in the team showed her top 5 finish in the final stage of this year’s Santos women’s Tour Down Under. At only 19 years old, Garner is ready to fight for her place in the pro peloton.

Who are you most looking forward to see compete this year?

The post 10 young female pros that will make their mark in 2017 appeared first on Cycling Tips.

Speaking to Giacomo Nizzolo, one thing in particular comes across from the double Giro d’Italia points winner. Namely, his ability to deflect pressure.

Consider this quote. When asked how important it is for him to win a stage in the Giro d’Italia – having been second nine times in the past – his answer speaks volumes.

“It is important, but it is even more important to do 100 percent to win,” he tells CyclingTips. “When you know you have done 100 percent to win, you are relaxed. You can’t ask for more than you can do. That is the way.

“With so many placings [ie near-misses – ed.] I have got, probably I could react in a different way. But I am still here, trying to win…I think I manage pressure well. That I can say. My best quality is that I never give up.”

That’s just as well, because the past couple of months have been a vexing time for him.

At the Trek-Segafredo training camp in December Nizzolo was in good shape, mentally and physically. He was looking forward to the new season and to showing what he could do. His plan then was to get his racing year underway in the Tour de San Juan in Argentina, then go to the Tour of Qatar.

Soon after that the second of those races was cancelled, but this proved to be a moot point. In the final days of 2016 Nizzolo’s right knee started giving him hassle. Tendonitis was diagnosed and he spent the team camp in Mallorca in January undergoing physical therapy rather than riding his bike.

For a competitive athlete, it was a frustrating time.

“I am honestly getting pissed with this situation,” he wrote in his personal blog on January 11.

On January 23 he wrote that he was still encountering problems and while he was able to ride gently on the bike, things were still not close to being resolved.

Now, almost a month later, he’s still far from where he wants to be.

“The situation of my knee is still not completely clear,” he told CyclingTips. “I can start training very easily but I still have to be very careful not to put too much pressure on my knee.

“I have gotten intense treatment and I hope I can now start building my way back. It will take some time to get back to my top level, after such a long break, but I am confident I will make it back to where I was before.”

At this point in time, his return to racing is uncertain. Neither he nor his team know which event that will be. However it is hoped that riding the Giro d’Italia in good shape will still be possible.

Like all sprinters, he is a fighter by nature. He’ll keep working with those who are helping him recover and, once the problem eases, will do all he can to be ready for his favourite event.

In the red jersey of points leader at the 2016 Giro d’Italia.

“The Giro is always a big objective”

As a young rider in Italy, Nizzolo grew up steeped in the sport. The country is passionate about cycling and he already knew what kind of cyclist he was most likely to be. That’s reflected in the competitors he followed.

“I was really focussed on sprinters, of course, and Classics riders,” he tells CyclingTips. “Let’s say Boonen, those guys, and Cancellara. Those kind of riders.

“When I watched the big Tours, I was more focussed on the sprints. I liked McEwen, Cipollini a lot. And Petacchi too. There were a lot of guys.”

Nizzolo developed well and at 21 years of age, he finished ninth in the Gran Premio della Liberazione under 23 race. That result plus second on a stage of the 2.2-ranked Giro Ciclisto d’Italia helped attract the attention of the Leopard Trek WorldTour team and it duly brought him on board.

He made an immediate impression, netting fifth and ninth in the season-opening Mallorca Challenge races and then taking fourth on a stage of the Ruta del Sol. Subsequent top-three finishes on stages of the Volta a Catalunya, the 4 Jours de Dunkerque and in both the Rund um Koln and the Prorace Berlin were followed by his first pro victory, a stage in the Bayern-Rundfahrt.

Encouraged by that debut, the team selected him to ride his first Giro d’Italia the following season. Nizzolo settled in well and was third on stage eight. The following year he came back and was second on stage 13. That tally of runner-up slots increased in 2014 when he was second on four stages, as well as second to Nacer Bouhanni in the final points classification.

He liked the race, the race suited him and he kept chasing the win.

In 2015 he continued that consistency. While he had to be content with another two runner-up placings on stages, he took over the red points jersey on stage 17 and held it until the end. Last season he grabbed it on stage 13 and again brought it to the finish of the race.

Even if clocking up another couple of runner-up slots was hard, taking one of the race’s most important prizes is ample compensation.

“You know, the Giro is always a big objective of the season,” he says, weighing things up. “To finish the Giro, that is the first thing. And to get the red jersey….that is always a big goal for a sprinter. To get it twice is a nice feeling.

“Sometimes I look more at the performance than the results. Giving 100 percent. We can say 2016 was the best season since I became a professional rider, although I did good performances also in the years before. If I’ve to single out a specific result that stands out for me… maybe the victory in the national championship. That made me very proud. If I have to choose one, I say this.”

The Italian maglia tricolore is one of the most iconic in the sport. That’s partly because of those who have worn it in the past. Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Francesco Moser, Moreno Argentin, Gianni Bugno and Paolo Bettini are amongst those who have been Italian champion, and becoming part of that group underlines a rider’s quality.

But there’s more to it than that. The distinctive red, white and green coloration is also one of the most readily-identifiable in the peloton. It’s also arguably the most attractive of the national champions’ jerseys.

It’s no coincidence that Nizzolo beams when the latter point is made to him. “Thank you, thank you very much,” he replies with a broad smile. “I really appreciate it.”

He’s clearly very happy to have won the event.

“Wearing this jersey is a good feeling,” he continues. “It makes me proud, it makes me extra motivated. I also received many complements from other riders. It is a good feeling. And that can only help you in races.”

Looking at the big picture

Nizzolo may be laid up at present, limping through his training routines, but he’ll keep focussed on the future. He knows that every rider has times during his career when things don’t go to plan. Keeping calm at this point in time and working hard on whatever physical therapists tell him to do is the best course of action.

Sooner or later he’ll be back in the bunch, and he’ll channel the pent-up frustration into trying to top the podium again.

Even if he’s taken nine runner-up slots on stages of the Giro d’Italia, he’s very much a winner. His career palmares includes victories in a wide number of events, ranging from single-day success in events such as Gran Piemonte, Coppa Bernocchi and the GP du canton d’Argovie to stages in the Eneco Tour, the Abu Dhabi Tour, Bayern Rundfarht, the Volta ao Algarve, the Tour de San Luis and the Tour of Croatia. He’s also taken the overall classification in the Tour de Wallonie.

He’ll be back soon, and he’ll be winning again.

This season the Trek-Segafredo team has seen the addition of a number of riders, including Alberto Contador and John Degenkolb.

Nizzolo doesn’t feel threatened in any way by the changes: on the contrary, he’s certain that it will raise the overall level and bring increased success to all within the squad.

“If you stayed with us a few days, you’d realise then that we are a really good group,” he says. “New riders, new members, but this is already really feeling like a team who is together for a long time.

“This is a great move. I think this is the most important thing is now to get the results.”

The departure of Fabian Cancellara should in theory have given him more chances for the Classics, but that gap has in part been filled by Degenkolb.

Nizzolo again sees this as a plus, not a minus. Even if he may end up riding for Degenkolb in certain situations, he’s fine to do so.

“You can always learn from everybody, but especially from a guy who won as much as he did,” he reasons.

One of the races Degenkolb has taken is Milan-San Remo. He triumphed there in 2015 and, all going well, will be a contender again this season.

Nizzolo’s injury and disrupted buildup means that he will likely miss the race this time around, but it is one which is an important target for the future.

“San Remo for me is special because I am Italian. I was born in Milan, where the race starts. That is a good combination,” he says.

“To win it would be a dream. Taking a big Classic is a big goal for me, and that is the one I like best.”

Nizzolo recently turned 28 and should have his best years ahead. Classic riders tend to come into their prime around their late 20s or early 30s, and so time is on his side.

Even if he’s not the type of sprinter to make big pronouncements, to declare he will win this or that, he’ll keep working away on his objectives.

He’s clear what he would like to have achieved by the end of his career.

“A big Classic. As many races as possible,” he says. “A stage in a Grand Tour.

“But I will ask, as I said before, to have given 100 percent.” Once again, returning to that method of managing pressure.

“In the end,” he says, “that is the only thing that counts.”

The post ‘My best quality is I never give up;’ Injured Italian champ Nizzolo keeps eyes on big picture appeared first on Cycling Tips.

In today’s edition of the CyclingTips Daily News Digest: Wellens takes final stage of Ruta del Sol as Valverde lands 100th career victory; Roglic clocks up overall victory in Volta ao Algarve, Antunes lands final stage; Hermans seals Tour of Oman success as Kristoff nets third stage win; Vichot takes Tour du Haut Var, Simon wins final stage; De Riter claims final stage of the Tour of East Gippsland, Lobigs takes overall; Valverde celebrates career milestone but keeps eyes on next objective; Roglic targeting more stage race wins; Cyclist shot multiple times in chest, head in Everton; Andy Schleck ties the knot; Stream wipes out bunch in Tour of Oman; Emirates Team New Zealand mixing sailing and cycling

The post Your Monday Daily News Digest appeared first on Cycling Tips.