Foldable Bikes Party: January 2017

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Dubai Tour: Kittel takes stage 1 sprint

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Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) opened his account on stage 1 of the Dubai Tour with a comprehensive victory over his sprint rivals.

The German was delivered perfectly to the line by his teammates and opened his sprint with 150 meters to go. Dylan Groenewegen (Lotto Jumbo NL) was on Kittel’s rear wheel but was unable to come around, while Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data) was forced to settle for third after a late puncture.

Kittel, who won the overall title in Dubai last year, leads the race with four more stages remaining.

The pan-flat course was always designed with the world’s best sprinters in mind and, with Kittel, Cavendish, John Degenkolb and Elia Viviani all on the start list, there was little chance in a break succeeding.

Nevertheless, a five-man move steamed clear in the opening kilometres with Daniel Pearson (Aqua Blue Sport), Nicola Boem (Bardiani), Silvan Dillier (BMC), Thomas Stewart (One Pro Cycling) and Matteo Bono (UAE Abu Dhabi) building up a lead of close to five minutes after 50 kilometres of racing.

For the majority of the peloton this was their first race of the season and there was little appetite to chase in the opening hours of action. Dimension Data, Quick-Step Floors and Team Sky posted men at the front in order to keep the break in check, but when Boem sat up the peloton’s duties became even easier.

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2017 Etoile des Bessèges start list

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Marcel Kittel's custom Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS disc – Gallery

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Marcel Kittel has confirmed he will use disc brakes at the Dubai Tour, convinced that disc brakes offer a "very strong improvement" compared to traditional rim brakes. He does not seem concerned by the weight of the bike, which is close to 8kg, but no doubt enjoys the aerodynamics of the frame despite the disc reducing part of the gains.

Tom Boonen used a Specialized Venge ViAS disc brake bike last week in the Vuelta a San Juan and Peter Sagan went training on a similar bike before the Tour Down Under in Australia. Specialized seems keen for their big-name sponsored riders to use disc brake bikes, while rival brands have so far held off supplying their professional teams and riders with disc brake bikes.

Boonen described the disc brake bike to Cyclingnews as "the biggest improvement I've seen in my career on bikes," adding "it would be stupid not to use it."

Kittel described the switch to disc brakes from rim brakes as an improvement when he confirmed he would use the bike in this week's Dubai Tour, even if he reservations about a mixed peloton in more extreme weather conditions.

"What I can say from all the training sessions I did already in training camps now is that it's a very strong improvement. It improves a lot of your steering of your bike; you can handle it really well – so I think it's a good choice," he said.

We got a closer look at Kittel's bike as the Quick-Step Floors mechanics carried out the final touch to the team bikes the evening before the start of the Dubai Tour.

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Dubai Tour: Groenewegen gains ground against Goliath lead-out trains

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Dylan Groenewegen claimed (LottoNL-Jumbo) the white jersey as the best young rider on the opening day of the Dubai Tour. After finishing as runner-up to a superior Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) and his powerful lead-out train, the Dutch national champion was a bit disappointed as he waited behind the podium area to go on stage, but he also saw the positive aspects of taking second in a hotly contested and high-speed sprint.

"Yeah, the sprint was just a little bit too long for me. I went with 200 metres to go and Kittel was also a little bit too strong. I only think Quick-Step Floors did a good job today. Second place was the most that was possible today," he said.

Groenewegen has his own lead-out train in the Dubai Tour but the more experienced, more powerful lead-out trains of Quick-Step Floors and Dimension Data left him fighting for position and a little too far back in the final kilometre.

"The final was very hectic, I was in Tom Leezer's wheel, but we were just too far behind. So at 500 meters from the finish, I decided to move up. I got on Cavendish's wheel and then with 300 metres before the finish, I started sprinting. Kittel went, and I tried to take him on but I could only hold his wheel."

Groenewegen is known for his aggressive sprinting. He beat Wouter Wippert to win the Dutch title last summer and got the better of Dan McLay and Ben Swift to take a stage of the Tour of Britain to in Builth Wells. He opted to take the line up the side of the barriers and squeezed his way past Cavendish at the Dubai Tour, who let him through as he fought to control his bike after suffering a late flat tyre. Groenewegen said he was far too focused on getting Kittel's wheel to identify the riders around him.

"I didn't actually see Cavendish up there. I was focused on Kittel's wheel but he was just too strong. It's a pity but this sprint is good for my confidence. I'm looking forward to the next sprint now."

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Dubai Tour: Kittel savours his first win on disc brakes

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Marcel Kittel kicked off his 2017 season with a victory on the opening stage of the Dubai Tour, celebrating a repeat of his successful season debut in last year's race.

The powerful German finished off the excellent work of his Quick-Step Floors lead-out train on the edge of the Palm Jumeirah as he did last year. This first win of the new season, however, was different to 2016.

Kittel was not looking for redemption this time, with his problems at Giant-Alpecin already buried firmly in the past. This time he also won using a disc brake-equipped bike, becoming only the second rider in history to win on the new road technology, after his teammate Tom Boonen's victory in the Vuelta a San Juan.

"There's obviously one more year between them, but also one extra year of racing for me," Kittel explained in his winner's press conference.

"I see it as a process. When I came to Etixx last year, the Dubai Tour was like the world Championships to me. I wanted to come back and prove myself in the team. That's still the same motivation this season, but it's a different feeling. Now I know everyone in the team. Now we've won races together in 2016, we've had good and hard times, too. Having a full season in my legs gives me a different start to 2017."

Kittel rightly praised his teammates for their textbook lead-out. Dimension Data had dragged the peloton along for the final five kilometres, but Quick-Step Floors came late and came fast, taking Kittel up to the front and lining out the peloton in the final kilometre. Kittel's rivals could only follow in his slipstream when he opened up his sprint in sight of the line. Kittel win by more than bike length and had plenty of time to celebrate his first win of 2017.

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2017 Tour of California routes announced

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Organisers of the Amgen Tour of California and the Breakaway from Heart Disease Women's Race today announced route details from the two events, which start on May 11 for the women and on May 14 for the men.

Mt. Hamilton will join previously announced Mt. Baldy as one of the main obstacles on the men's 927km route, while the women's 413km race will likely be animated by the two opening stages in South Lake Tahoe.

Establishing the GC pecking order early

After the inaugural Tour of California WorldTour race starts with an opening stage in Sacramento on a flat course that will lend itself to a field sprint, the men will tackle a second stage that could provide the general classification contenders with their first opportunity to show off their form.

The men will tackle Mt. Hamilton during the race's second stage, which uses the same finish as the 2015 stage won by Hincapie rider Toms Skujins after a daring, long-range solo move. Peter Sagan won the field sprint on the final uphill grind.

Stage 2 will throw five categorised climbs at the peloton before the finish at the Santa Clara Motorcycle Park. The climb Del Puerto Canyon will start the barrage of ascents, with three additional KOMs coming in succession before hors category climb up and over Mt. Hamilton. A technical descent down Quimby Road provides a chance to collect any escapees before the final ascent to the finish.

The 186.5km third stage starts in Pismo Beach and ends in Morro Bay, where the sprinters will face a 0.5km climb to the finish if they've managed to sweep up any breakaways.

Tahoe routes likely to decide women’s race

2017 Amgen Tour of California, May 14-20

2017 Amgen Breakaway from Heart Disease Women's Race empowered with SRAM, May 11-14

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Cavendish satisfied with third place in Dubai Tour sprint after late flat

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Mark Cavendish is rarely satisfied with third place in a sprint and occasionally vents his anger on whoever is near him after when he crosses the finish. However after taking third behind Marcel Kittel (Quick Step Team) and Dylan Groenewegen (LottoNL-Jumbo) on the edge of the Palm Jumeirah, Cavendish was keen to point out the reason behind his placing in the Dubai Tour.

He lifted his bike with disappointment, pushing his flat tubular against the carbon fibre rim with his finger.

“I hit a pot hole. I went ‘bang’ in the hole. What am I supposed to do in a sprint like that…” he asked gradually finding consolation in his result. “Third is not bad though. I just couldn’t pass, I couldn’t do anything. Shit happens, doesn’t it?” he added.

“I’ve had a late flat a few times in sprints. I was second in the last stage of the Vuelta in 2010, with my wheel touching the frame. Even on this stage I’ve finished with a flat tyre in the past. It’s part of bike racing. It’s just what happens.”

Cavendish gradually came round to seeing the positive side to his day. His Dimension Data teammates produced an excellent lead out train and Cavendish was perfectly placed on Kittel’s wheel in the final three hundred metres.

“It’s the best result I’ve ever had on this stage,” he pointed out after suffering in previous editions of the same finish.

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Dubai Tour: Stage 1 Highlights - Video

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Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors) surged to victory on the opening stage of the Dubai Tour, backing up a commanding performance by his team in the final kilometres. The win was Kittel’s first of the season but the seventh for his Belgian team after they started so well in Argentina earlier this month.

Kittel held off a challenge from LottoNL-Jumbo rider Dylan Groenewegen and Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), who had a puncture after hitting a pothole in the closing kilometres.

A five-man break got away early on, but the chance that they would make it to the line was minimal with the top sprinters’ teams keen to test their trains early in the season.

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Fernando Gaviria: I want to make my own mark

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Fernando Gaviria lost his bracelet at training camp in December. Not a big deal on the face of it, but it was a gift from his girlfriend – "the woman who gets me out of bed in the morning to train". He would raise his right arm and kiss it every time he won a race, which ended up being quite often in 2016.

The loss of the bracelet has not been followed by a loss of fortune, however, and the Colombian has already racked up two victories – having to kiss a bare wrist – in the first week of racing of his 2017 season at the Vuelta a San Juan. His meteoric rise to the top of the sport shows no sign of abating.

Gaviria burst into the mainstream cycling conscience at the Tour de San Luis two years ago when, racing for a Colombian national team, he beat none other than Mark Cavendish on two occasions. Quick-Step were so impressed they gave him a stagiaire deal later that year – during which he won a stage at the Tour of Britain – and then handed him his first pro contract.

He did not disappoint, with his 2016 being one of the most staggering neo-pro campaigns in recent memory. There were no fewer than seven wins, three of which came at WorldTour level and one of which featured one of the most memorable feats of the year as he did a smash and grab job in the final kilometre of Paris-Tours.

All that while focusing enough on the track to become world champion again in the Omnium and finish 4th in the Olympics.

"I believe in Colombia there's the mindset that you have to have an adaption period when you go to Europe. But that doesn't seem to good to me because if we want to win we have to do it from the first season we arrive in Europe," says Gaviria, sitting down with Cyclingnews and a small group of Spanish journalists at the Vuelta a San Juan.

It's no secret I want to wear the pink jersey

Leaving a mark

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Adam Blythe to get stuck in at Dubai Tour

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Adam Blythe’s British national champion colours mean that he stands out from his Aqua Blue Sport teammates in their dark blue and gold colours at the Dubai Tour. However, the Yorkshire man was relaxed about making his debut with the new Irish Professional Continental team but stressed that he is ready to take his chances in the expected sprint finishes.

“There’s really no expectation apart from what we expect from ourselves. We want to gel, work well and get the best result possible. I’ll go for the sprints and see what happens. It’s just about getting stuck in,” he told Cyclingnews before the start of stage 1.

“I’ve raced in other desert races, but I’ve not done the Dubai Tour before. It should be fast but fun. I’m feeling good, the training has been going well but it’s all a bit of an unknown until you start racing. We’ll find out shortly.”

Blythe likes his bling and so there was no doubt about matching white shorts with his white British national champion’s jersey decorated with wide red and blue bands.

“New kit, all white. It’s got to be done,” he said with pride. “Everyone is all in favour of black shorts, claiming its a retro-classic look but so is a typewriter and nobody uses them anymore. I like it. It looks good.”

Taking on the big lead out trains

Blythe and Aqua Blue Sport will try to take advantage of the powerful lead out trains of the big-name sprinters at the Dubai Tour. Mark Cavendish (Dimension Data), Marcel Kittel (Quick-Step Floors), John Degenkolb (Trek-Segafredo), Elia Viviani (Team Sky) all have powerful lead out trains riding for them this week and are expected to land an early season win. Other sprinters such as Sacha Modolo (UAE Abu Dhabi), Jakub Mareczko (Wilier-Selle Italia) and Sonny Colbrelli (Bahrain-Merida) will also be in the mix in what are expected to be high-speed sprint finishes at the end of four of the five stages.

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Without a Fluimucil paper trail Team Sky face serious questions, says MP

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The Chairman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee of British Parliament has told Cyclingnews that unless a paper trail is provided that proves a medical package administered to Bradley Wiggins at the Dauphine in 2011 contained Fluimucil, then Team Sky will have serious questions to face over both their ethics and their claim to be the 'cleanest team in cycling'.

Damian Collins MP, Chair of the Committee looking into doping in sport, has told Cyclingnews that, "if it's not possible to determine absolutely what it was [ed. the package] then that raises concerns about the way in which the ethics, the actual doping laws are enforced.

"I think people's faith will be challenged if there's no records," Collins said. "For what comes out of this whole affair is how do you know you're running the cleanest team in cycling if you don't have records to show what the doctors are giving the cyclists? That's not about whether the rules have been broken. They themselves set the standard, so to do that, you need to keep a close eye on what's going on. Even though admittedly over an event that took place a few years ago, but involving their lead rider, if they don't have those records, then that would be a concern."

The Committee has so far called several witnesses, including Dave Brailsford, Shane Sutton and British Cycling head Bob Howden. Last week Nicole Cooke gave evidence, and on Monday Collins confirmed that Dr Freeman, the head of UK Anti-Doping and Simon Cope have all been asked to appear on February 22. However, British Cycling have not been able to provide a paper trail to back up the claim that the contents - which came from their medical store in Manchester – were indeed Fluimucil.

At present the only individual to state that the package contained the decongestant is Dave Brailsford, who told the committee in December that the information came to him via Dr Freeman. However, Brailsford's role in the story, which has lead to UKAD launching a full investigation into potential wrongdoing between Team Sky and British Cycling, has been muddled at best.

When asked if Brailsford's position had become untenable in light of the ongoing investigation, Collins would not be drawn on the risk surrounding the Team Sky boss's reputation specifically, but was clear in his view that it will be crucial for Sky to demonstrate that they kept appropriate records of all medication administered.

"At this moment I don't want to determine what the result of the investigation will be, but I think it posses very difficult questions for the team if they're not able to show any records to determine what was in the package. If they don't keep those records as a matter of course, then how do they police the rules that they set themselves?"

Cope calling

Brailsford under siege

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Froome confident in Herald Sun Tour defence

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Compared to 2016, Chris Froome will have two race days in his legs before lining out at the five day Jayco Herald Sun Tour in Victoria, Australia. The three-time Tour de France champion won the queen stage of last year's race to secure the overall victory and ensure a winning start the season that was highlighted by the defence of title at the French Grand Tour in July. Froome is back Down Under, aiming to replicate his February success and build the platform for a fourth Tour title later this year.

"Thrilled to be back. It definitely worked for me starting off the season down here. I find it easy to get the miles in, I find it a great atmosphere out on the roads and a really competitive level of racing as well," Froome told reporters a day out from the race on the banks of the Yarra River.

Since 2013, the Team Sky rider has started his season with a stage race and emerged victorious at the Tour of Oman and Ruta del Sol prior to his Australian success last year. While there is familiarity to Froome's season start Down Under, the fact the race immediately heads to the Victorian Alps after the short 2km prologue meant the 31-year-old wanted an early hit out at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. He finished 49th but regularly animated the race.

"We'll find out. It kicks off pretty quickly up Falls Creek on stage 1 so that is certainly going to kick things off pretty quickly for the GC guys," he said of the early climbing test. "I rode in Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race last weekend and that was a good test to blow out the cobwebs and hopefully put me in better shape for this week ahead.

"Personally I would have liked to have seen another two laps," he added of the one day race which featured three finishing circuits around Geelong with sprinter Nikias Arndt claiming the win. "I felt like I was getting better and better the more laps we were doing. I felt like people were starting to slow down and I was keeping the same speed. The training is there, I still have a long way to go for sure until I am in Tour de France shape but feelings are good and that is the main thing at this point."

While his Tour de France form still "two or three months" away, Froome is still promising to give it his all despite being a man down due to Owain Doull's appendicitis.

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Strong UnitedHealthcare GC squad for Herald Sun Tour - News shorts

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Jonny Clarke and Lachlan Norris with UnitedHealthcare for Herald Sun Tour

Having come Down Under for the Herald Sun Tour with a squad better suited to the sprints, UnitedHealthcare are chasing the general classification in 2017 with Colombian Janier Acevedo to be joined by Victorian duo Jonny Clarke and recent signing Lachlan Norris. Clarke and Norris have both finished top-ten overall at the race before while Acevado will make his debut at the Sun Tour this week.

"It was time in my career for a change and to join such a strong team with big goals has helped me to set some good objectives for the season. Going into nationals as an individual gave me freedom to enjoy the racing, without the pressure and I hope to capitalise on that form, with the team at the next few races," said 30-year-old Norris who was top-ten in the road race and time trial at the Australian nationals earlier in the month.

"I'm very much looking forward to this years tour, I think it will present more opportunities for me," added Norris. "I believe we will have a strong team and expect to do well, between our fast guys and Janier, Jonny and myself in the mountains."

With Travis McCabe, Tanner Putt and Greg Henderson also headed down under, director sportif Hendrik Redant is aiming high with his squad in 2017.

"We had high ambitions last year and we were able to back this up with the good results we achieved," he said in reference to John Murphy's stage win. "Seeing the much harder race course for the 2017-edition, we knew we would have to take an even stronger team to this race to achieve good results.

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Orica-Scott confirm Herald Sun Tour squad built around Chaves and Gerrans

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Australian WorldTour team Orica-Scott have announced its seven-man team for the 64th edition of the Herald Sun Tour, confirming Esteban Chaves and Simon Gerrans as its two leaders. The team has twice won the race, in 2014 and 2015 with Simon Clarke and Cam Meyer, and with Damien Howson was third to Chris Froome in 2016.

Across the 'summer of cycling', Orica-Scott has enjoyed stage wins at the Tour Down Under and Bay Cycling Classic but is yet to claim a big scalp. Gerrans was runner-up at the Australian nationals and Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, while Chaves was second to Richie Porte at the Tour Down Under. At the Herald Sun Tour, the team is aiming to take out the victory with director sportif Matt Wilson explaining he believes the race will be decided on stage 1 to Falls Creek.

"The Falls Creek climb should be spectacular finish to stage one. It's clear that Chris Froome and Team Sky are the ones to watch in the general classification battle and they have a number of guys who can play a role, but we would be naïve not to consider other contenders too," said Wilson.

"The 2017 Jayco Herald Sun Tour is definitely one of the tougher courses we have seen here for a while and we obviously hope to finish our Australian season strongly."

For Chaves, the race and Falls Creek climb will be an important early-season test against Froome who he could be battling on the French roads in July at the Tour.

"I am really looking forward to the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, particularly the second day. I was at Falls Creek in my first trip to Australia, when I couldn't speak a word of English, and I remember this climb," Chaves said. "The climb is much longer than the short, punchy climbs we have raced in the Tour Down Under and Cadel's race, and it is more like the climbs we have in Colombia so should be a little better for me.

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Loren Rowney announces retirement - Women's News Shorts

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Australian Loren Rowney has announced her retirement from cycling at the age of 28 after five years in the women's professional peloton. Rowney extended her contract with the Australian Orica-Scott team for another year at the end of 2016 but did not compete in any of the races on home soil over the 'summer of cycling'.

Rowney detailed her battles with mental health last year but managed to ride 48 race days in the season and enjoyed a stage victory at the Tour de Feminin.

"The decision to call it quits meant I no longer had a nice sponsored bike living in my livingroom or garage, the envy of most at the cafe. A huge chapter of my life has just come to a close, and I’m feeling rather empty and directionless. I know it will take some time to process, and I haven’t had the greatest closure," wrote Rowney on the Peloton Brief. "Falling into a depressive state is a high risk based on my prior history with mental health. I recognise this, I acknowledge the facts about myself, but I am adamant this was the right decision for me, however sudden it might appear to some.

"And to the naysayers, no, I am not throwing an opportunity most would kill for. I took the opportunity when it was presented all those years ago, I ran with it, I learned and grew from it, but now it’s time to close this chapter. My only regret was perhaps not recognising that I had been kidding myself for some time."

Turning professional in 2012 with Specialized-lululemon, Rowney enjoyed stage wins at Women's Tour Of New Zealand, La Route de France, Gracia Orlova, Tour Languedoc Roussillon and La Route de France. Rowney described that while there is uncertainty for what her future holds, she is committed to finishing an environmental science degree and spend more time mountain biking.

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Dubai Tour: Sprinters relaxed before first clash - Gallery

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The big-name sprinters gathered for the traditional pre-race Dubai Tour press conference on Monday afternoon. Yet while boxing weigh-ins before a prize fight are often tense, with the odd punch flying, Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel, John Degenkolb and Elia Viviani were far more passive than aggressive, seemingly uninterested in whipping up a rivalry on the first sprint showdown of the 2017 season.

Earlier the four sprinters posed for photos overlooking the Palm Jumeirah and in front of a chess set. Hopefully Tuesday’s first sprint finish on the edge of the Palm Jumeirah will spark more action.

Cavendish has been in the in the UAE for a week and his sunburnt cheeks highlighted his slim face. Nobody can accuse the Manxman of being out of shape this year. Cavendish has had just two and half weeks off during the winter after racing deep into November. As a consequence, he claimed he does not know how he will perform in the sprints.

“I’ve been here a week, I love it out here in UAE. There are more and more spectators now and with the start in the Marina, it’s a race riders want to comeback to. I know I do,” he said genuinely enthusiastic about his season debut.

“This year we’ll see how it goes. I didn’t finish the season until the end of November, I’m usually in training for the new season by then, so we need to see where I am. We’ve got a good Dimension Data team here and we’ll try to do as well as we can.”

Team Sky target the sprints and overall success

Elia Viviani looked fresh but had flown in from Argentina via Italy after making his season debut in the Vuelta a San Juan as part of an Italian national squad. He quit the race on Friday due to stomach problems after collecting three second places in sprints. He is hoping to step up here and use his form from Argentina to surprise his rivals who are making their season debut in Dubai.

“I think I had a really good winter and I’m really happy with my condition. I tested it last week in Argentina and we’re ready for Dubai,” he said, for once seeming more bullish than Cavendish.

“I want to win. I got three second places in San Juan and I hope to take my first win here. It’s a good way to start season with Team Sky, there’s one day more of racing, the stages are longer and the weather is good. I’m sure well have a good week.”

Viviani revealed that Team Sky also have plans for overall victory in the five day race.

“We're here for the sprints, and for the GC we’ve got Gianni Moscon. The hardest stage to Hatta Dam is not a real sprinter’s finish but he could do well. We’ll be focused on the leadouts and the GC.”

Degenkolb back to his best

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Kittel to use disc brakes at the Dubai Tour

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Marcel Kittel has confirmed he will use disc brakes at the Dubai Tour that begins on Tuesday, convinced that disc brakes offer a "very strong improvement" compared to traditional rim brakes.

Tom Boonen used a Specialized disc brake bike last week in the Vuelta a San Juan, and Kittel will also race on a S-Works Venge ViAS disc bike fitted with Dura Ace disc brakes.

"Using disc brakes now is a good moment because you can see how it is in a race," Kittel said when asked by Cyclingnews about discs.

Boonen was the only rider using disc brakes in Argentina and Kittel is expected to be the only rider on them in Dubai.

Kittel has been outspoken in defence of rider safety and is concerned about riders using different kinds of brakes in extreme race conditions. He called on the UCI to make a clear decision for everyone's safety.

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Mark Cavendish: Briton third in first 2017 race despite late puncture

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Briton Mark Cavendish overcomes a late puncture to finish third on the opening stage of the Dubai Tour - his first race of 2017.

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Zwift online trainer videogame review

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With a good internet connection, a trainer and smartphone, tablet or computer, riders across the world can ride with and even race each other inside the Zwift videogame. Your pedal power propels your customized avatar around various courses, from replicas like London and Richmond to fantasy Zwift island. If you have a smart trainer, the game will control the resistance — hit a climb and it gets harder. With Workouts, you can pick specific training sessions instead of chasing avatar packs around.

Updated January 2017

While the graphics are far and away the best of any multiplayer cycling videogame (compared with the other online options such as Bkool), the primary hook is the interaction with other riders. Speed is based on watts per kilo (enter your weight honestly!), and the game's algorithm allows for drafting. When you start a session, you can choose to ride near other riders and at any point you can jump in with a group. Zwift's Facebook page has a healthy list of group rides and races, too, delineated by the approximate w/kg to give riders a sense of how hard the session will be. When you log in you see a menu of upcoming events that you can join with a click.

For comparison, Bkool, the Spanish simulation software, has scores of courses that you can ride solo or with others. The graphics aren’t as good, but the options are much more plentiful. CompuTrainer arguably pioneered this head-to-head format years ago, but within its own hardware and software ecosystem. The new style multiplayer games, like Zwift, only require conformity to the ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart wireless protocols.

Like a good modern videogame, Zwift has numerous options for setting up how your avatar looks (skin tone, gender, socks or no socks, helmet or no helmet and so on). The more you ride, the more options you get for bikes or jerseys. To get a BikeRadar kit, press "P" after you sign in and enter the code "BIKERADAR".

There are ‘boosts’ that pop up periodically as you close various markers. A feather icon represents a climbing boost, which effectively boosts your power-to-weight ratio

Zwift Workouts

Mobile app

Bottom line — Zwift is a great winter tool

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BikeRadar Bargains: last-chance January sales deals

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Hooray, it's payday! (Or it's about to be, or just was, depending on how it works at your place of employment). January has felt like a long, long month, so why not celebrate it's departure with a little purchase? And what could be better than a new bike that will help fulfil those New Years resolutions of a fitter, faster, happier year? A new bike with a bundle of cash off the price, that's what.

So here is our pick of the best bike-based bargains to be found at the end of the sales. Don't forget, if you're in the market for other gear, many sites also have additional money off to help shift the last of that 2016 stock before the shiny new products arrive, so there are plenty of bargains to be found so long as you don't mind having last year's kit.

Trek Crockett 7 2016 Cyclocross Bike - was £1,400.00, now £925.00

Another option for the 'cross rider out there, or just someone who wants a sturdy bike with grippier tyres than the average road-focussed offering. The Trek Crockett 7 has an aluminium frame, carbon forks and steerer, SRAM Force 11spd groupset and is still available in a good range of sizes.

Available with a 33% discount from Evans Cycles

Trek Emonda SLR 10 2016 Road Bike - was £9,000.00, now £6,000.00

Orbea Orca M35SE 2016 - was £1,999.00, now £1,099.00

2016 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert Carbon 650b Mountain Bike - was £4,500.00, now £3,375.00

Specialized Stumpjumper review on BikeRadar

Trek Cali S Disc Womens Hardtail Mountain Bike 2016 - was £550.00, now £399.99

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From folding e-bikes to dozens of MTBs - here's what we've been riding

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Here at BikeRadar we like to welcome the arrival of a shiny new week by celebrating everything that was good about the previous one, namely all the bike riding we did in it. Over the past seven days we've covered the full spectrum of riding, with everything from folding electric commuters to getting knee deep in the dirt.

Jamie Beach – Deputy Editor

This week I'm swinging my leg over something new and a little bit naughty – an ~~electric motorbike~~ electric folding bike. I'll be adopting the new Tern Vektron for my daily commute to see how it gets on with rush-hour traffic and packed trains. You can read all about it soon.

Joe Norledge – Videographer

With the weather looking pretty grim over the weekend, Reuben and I decided to hit the roads and head for the hills. All our usual South Bristol favourites were ticked off, with plenty of half wheeling and making each other suffer throughout the ride. Sunday was really grim, but we still managed some productive KMs and even stumbled across a motorbike trial. As ever no ride is complete without a trip to Parsons bakery, and this weekend was no different.

Ben Delaney - US Editor in Chief

I spent a few days in California at Road Press Camp, test riding FSA's electronic K-Force WE group, the new Ridley Helium SLX and other new goodies. Where stuff is made was a hot topic, with talk of US and UK protectionist taxes in the news.

Jon Woodhouse – Technical Editor

It's that time of the year when all of our print titles go into overdrive for their massive Bike of the Year tests, so it's been all hands on deck to get as many bikes ridden as possible. I headed out to the Forest of Dean with the What Mountain Bike crew as they did their best to get some serious testing time on the 20 bikes they've shortlisted for the test.

We even managed to coax reclusive Northern tester-man Guy Kesteven out to play 'dahn sarf', though he insisted on wearing camouflage in order to keep a low profile. After a load of laps over two days, more swapping than one of 'those' parties, almost endless setup tweaking and light arguing, we'd managed to thin the herd out to a top ten that'll be taken to the far flung shores of Spain for the final shootout.

Matthew Allen – Senior Technical Writer

I spent two days in deepest, darkest Wales with Rob Moxon of Cycling Plus magazine, trying to find out if an e-road bike can coexist with a regular one. (Conclusion: yes and no, watch this space...) We were riding around Llyn Brianne reservoir and although it was hideously cold, the views were stunning – it's like a miniature version of the Alps in places, with a side order of Canadian forest.

Russell Eich - Technical Writer

I went to the second annual Fat Bike Worlds in Crested Butte, Colorado. It was a very unofficial Worlds event with no licensing, lots of beer, and few rules other than racers must be on at least a 3.5-inch tire and roll pressures under 10 psi. Despite brutally cold temps (-27 C / -18 F) in the morning, riders and racers had fun trying out all sorts of fat bikes. I raced both the short track on Thursday and the unofficial Worlds event on Saturday, and am pleased to report that I wasn't the guy who rode off the groomed track and fell in the creek.

Josh Patterson - US Tech Editor

Getting hassled by salespeople isn’t something I usually look forward to, but like everything else in life, there are exceptions.

On Sunday I returned home from a long road ride to find an army of neighborhood Girl Scouts standing guard outside my house. They were armed with cookies for sale and ready to strike.

What our readers have been up to

So that's what we've been doing, how about you? Let us know in the comments below.

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Orange launches Stage 5 and Stage 6 enduro-focused 29ers

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Orange has launched a pair of 29er mountain bikes to join the British firm’s full suspension line-up for 2017. The Stage 5 and 6 models offer 135mm and 150mm of rear travel respectively, taking a shot at both the trail and enduro markets.

Orange says that the new models are aimed at "more experienced riders looking for race-winning performance” with its first ‘launch edition’ bikes expected to land in March.

Orange Stage 5

With 135mm of travel at its rear wheel, the Stage 5 is a direct assault on the 29er trail bike market. It’s very much a gnarlier proposition than Orange’s steeper, 120mm 29er, the Segment.

As you’d expect, there’s a single pivot rear end and the frame’s shapes and swingarm also look similar to parts fitted to several existing Orange bikes. The geometry is predictably long, slack and low, too – with the recommended 140mm fork up front there’s a 66.5 degree head angle. Boost spacing and internal cable routing comes as standard.

Early adopters of the Stage 5 will have to fork out £5,500 for a build list that includes a Fox 36 and Float X2 suspension combo, Shimano XT 1x drivetrain and plenty of highlights from Hope.

Orange Stage 6

As the name suggests, the Stage 6 takes what the Stage 5 does and adds a little extra – 15mm to be precise, bringing rear wheel travel to 6 inches. With 160mm of travel up front the Stage 6 takes a full degree from the head angle of the Stage 5. The capabilities of longer travel 29ers such as this are no longer in doubt, something that Orange sums up nicely with its word of warning on this model: “This is a lot of bike that rewards skill and confidence, and that’s why guides and racers love it.”

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