The emergence of a new style of cycling ‘magazine’ has caused waves of excitement around the community.  Not just for its content and format, but for the writers behind it. 

2r is a new multi-media magazine about cycling available to download monthly and looks to feature some very interesting and inspiring writers as well as beautiful photo essays and in-depth written articles.

2r is a monthly “magazine” about the hidden side of pro cycling; the untold stories, riders before they were stars, the politics that shape this sport. – 2r

It seems Gerard Vroomen has had quite a bit to play in this ‘magazine’ coming to fruition and recently posted basic details of the release on his blog. So too has the superb blogger @inrng who highlighted the inaugural edition on his page, which sparked a very interesting debate between people with two main issues.

The first being the inclusion of legendary cycling commentator and all round wind-up merchant, Paul Kimmage who is set to dig deeper into the endless drama of cycling every month. I’ve long been a fan of Kimmage and think his knowledge of cycling and the inner workings of teams and of course doping is superb and fully support him sharing this knowledge with the public in order to broaden their minds.

The second major talking point is one I do certainly have a problem with and that’s that currently 2r is only available on iPad running iOS 6. I don’t have an iPad… which meant it was going to make writing this review particularly difficult! I contacted some of the writers and to be honest they seemed as bemused as I did as to why the current target audience was so small. All current reviews of 2r state that they will soon be releasing it for other platforms, but this is still no good for you reading this review! It seems like a wonderful concept for a magazine and I’m really looking forward to reading it and in truth I was seriously annoyed when I realised I couldn’t view it.

However, Mr Vroomen tells us that “In issue 1, Paul interviews LeMond about his relationships with Hinault, Fignon and Armstrong. In the 44(!) page interview, they also cover races being sold, cocaine, and awkward dinners (with the chef of Renault and Lance). Boonen revisits his worst loss, Gesink draws his first bike and Nuyens contemplates retirement. To top it off, Cavendish thinks about what he would do as the UCI president. Plus the most beautiful photos from l’Équipe and Sirotti.”

So if you have already read the new 2r, or have been inspired to go and check it out following this completely flawed review (let’s not sugar coat this!) then please do comment below and let us know what you think.  How do you feel about the concept, the writers, it’s availability etc….and maybe you could write the next review after I get fired!

Stevie

If you’ve read my ramblings for any length of time you’ll know I like a damn good flogging on the turbo trainer from time to time and 2013 is set to be no different.  This month we see the creation of the newest early season tour  - the Tour of Sufferlandria

Straight from the evil mind that brought you such monumentally difficult indoor training videos such as ‘The Hunted’ and ‘The Long Scream’ comes an early season race to rival the humdrum routine of the Tour of Qatar and the Tour Down Under. “Slotting in nicely to the UCI calender of early season races, the Tour of Sufferlandria was created to bring back the drama, agony and misery that the early season peloton deserves. Starting on January 26th, the 9 day event promises to turn even the softest rider into a true Sufferlandrian by the end, on Feb 3rd.”

The Tour of Sufferlandria has been designed by race director Grunter von Agony to be a serious test for those riders who have already been putting in the hard work over the winter and are looking to flourish in the first few months of the new year.

“The course is carefully balanced between agony, misery and despair. So, yes, the Tour of Sufferlandria is a worthwhile target for anybody looking for an early season goal. You really ought to have some solid training behind you before you start it, and you’ll surely go through a roasting in hell during the race. When you come out the other side? With a solid 9 days of effort behind you, you will be able to take an ox, tie him to your bike, drag him up and over Mt. Sufferlandria while he tries to run the other way, and drink a flagon of ale made from the bikes of all those you crushed on your way to a glorious victory. Or the Minions will eat you for lunch. But, whatever.”

- Grunter von Agony

Comprising of 9 stages, starting on January 26th, competitors will take on a different Sufferfest training video each day. And for those thinking that this sounds like a recovery week in the world of The Sufferfest, three of the days cover such a large amount of terrain that you will be required to complete 2 videos! 

Full Schedule:

• Saturday, Jan 26th: Hell Hath No Fury
• Sunday, Jan 27th: The Hunted
• Monday, Jan 28th: Extra Shot + Fight Club
• Tuesday, Jan 29th: A Very Dark Place
• Wednesday, Jan 30th: Angels
• Thursday, Jan 31st: The Wretched + The Long Scream
• Friday, Feb 1st: The Downward Spiral
• Saturday, Feb 2nd: There is No Try + Revolver
• Sunday, Feb 3rd: Local Hero

If you head over to The Sufferfest blog you will find a run down of each individual stage before you slog your way through it, some advice from athletes who have completed previous editions of the race and also some FAQ’s.

As an added incentive, if you sign up to TrainerRoad.com and log your stage numbers via their site you enter yourself into a competition with an absolutely outstanding prize pack…

For those who finish each day: we have three sets of Sufferfest decals to give away every day, as well as a free month of TrainerRoad.

For those who finish the entire Tour on TrainerRoad.com: we will put you into a pool and draw names to win the following prizes…

• The choice of a 32GB iPod Touch or 16 GB iPad mini (provided by the kind gents at TrainerRoad)
• 1 PowerBar Sufferlandrian PowerPack
• 2 sets of Sufferlandrian National Kit (Jersey + Bibs)
• 1 Sufferlandrian National Jersey
• 1 year of free TrainerRoad
• 1 Sufferlandrian Windvest
• 3 flags
• 3 Tour of Sufferlandria posters
• 1 full refund of all 12 videos
• 1 free entry into the TransRockies Challenge Mountain Bike Race in BC, Canada
• 1 x Cyclepassion Calendar 2013
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “The Italian Job – Gran Fondo Recon” – 6 DVD Set
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “Roads to Glory – Alpine Training” – Free download
• 1 x Cyclefilm’s “Roads to Glory – Pyrenean Training” – Free download
• 5x Athlete Audio’s App (Mental Training)

If you can’t sign up on TrainerRoad (I won’t be as my rollers do not plug into my ‘puter) you can join the Facebook group and we can revel in joint misery! Hopefully I’ll make it to the other side and I’ll see you at the finish line!

Stevie

There comes a time in every cyclists’ season when the gluttony of an extra spoon of sugar in the coffee or a cheeky pain au chocolat or three over the winter catches up with them and something snaps. When that happens and the balance of treacle sponge versus training regime swings towards the more energetic activities THESUFFERFEST are always round the corner waiting to pounce give you a darn good seeing to… and this time it’s no different!

THE WRETCHED works on the premise that you’ve had a terrible season, under performed at every race and the team are in desperate need of a win at the Tour de France. Unfortunately the French have gone on strike and in order to get the stage done, the TDF powers that be are going to condense the 7 hour stage into just 35 minutes, something that sounds ridiculous but you never know these days! After a quick warm up powered by the strange but enchanting rock sound of Banstead band Redados you reach the top of Box Hill, which featured in the Olympic Road Race. It was great to see the Box Hill climb in a Sufferfest video as I’ve ridden it many times and is fairly local to me, but it also highlighted the hierarchy of the climbs I’ve ridden in real life as this was merely a warm up!

On to the job at hand and all the Sufferlandrian DS had asked is that you follow every break, take the King of the Mountains competition for the day and win in the final sprint. Now if you’ve never ridden THESUFFERFEST before let me tell you it is very similar to real racing, just without the handlebars bashing into you or the crazy noob in front swerving all over the road. Throughout the video there is the feeling that something is about to go off. When you are not attacking, you know that something is going to happen and begin to beg the riders around you to give you a few more seconds respite before it all goes off again.

The early attacks ping off the front

Some slick new graphics and the great choice of music (as always) make this video one that you will love to hate from the word go. The music, all by bands that I’ve never heard of and frankly probably wouldn’t have done if they weren’t Sufferlandrian national treasures is one of two main driving forces behind this video. Everyone’s had that feeling at some stage where music cuts deep into your soul. A ballad you attribute to the ups and downs of your first love. The rock anthem that swells and makes you feel invincible. Or the fun summer tune that stays in your head for months and makes you dream of beaches and cold beer. This video has them all and with the change of scene comes a change of music and each time you get a new song you thank Merckx as it just fits so beautifully and either soothes those muscles as you briefly recover or drives you on like a lunatic.

10/10, full on, no holds barred

The other noticeable driving force behind The Wretched is the use of such recent Tour de France race footage. Taking officially licensed footage from the 2012 Tour de France makes this video a delight to watch whilst your legs feels like they are about to fall off. As with the on-screen stars of most of THESUFFERFEST videos, over the 35 minutes of pain I grew to hate Cadel Evans who backs you into the pain cave and then sets the wolves on you. Any stage that finishes with a 3 man battle between Tommy Voekler, Michele Scarponi and Jens Voigt has got to have been a tough one and this training video definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Having been an avid ‘Fest lunatic for some time now I’ve done my fair share of roller riding in front of the TV and would definitely say this is up there with the toughest of the videos that have emerged from the depths of THESUFFERFEST pain cave. There is a great range of videos in the series now with editions covering all aspects of racing and something to suit everyone. There will always be the classics, the favourite videos but if you are about to buy your first training video and get on the road to glory make THE WRETCHED your first buy and you won’t be disappointed. You’ll be flogged, abused and left crying in a pile in the corner, but you won’t be left wanting.

Purchase The Wretched or any The Sufferfest video right here.

Another double LovingTheBike thumbs up to THESUFFERFEST team!

Stevie

This year has seen some alarming news stories surrounding cycling and the dark art of doping, some more shocking and unbelievable than others. As we head towards 2013 and an off season that will surely be filled with more finger pointing and name calling, has the future of the professional sport been saved by the mainstream media splashing the men we once called our heroes, over the front page and exposing them to be what they really are?

Many people have heard of the ‘omerta’ of doping in cycling and if you have been interested in professional bike racing to any degree of the last 100 years you cannot escape the fact that performance enhancing drugs (PED’s) have played a part in almost every generation of the sport.  It has always been a sad state of affairs but finally, despite the attempts of some of our most senior-ranking governing body officials, the sport seems to be taking positive steps towards cleaning up its act for the safety and health of its riders as well as the sanctity of sport (although I’m sure similar articles were written following the Festina and Operation Puerto affairs!).

An argument I’ve regularly used to friends who accuse (maybe rightly or wrongly) cycling of being full of cheats is that the sport tests their competitors  much more vigorously than most other sports, resulting in the cheats being found rather than left lurking in the background with no fear of being tested and found out.  I for one, am proud that my sport chooses to be so proactive in the fight against PED’s, even if the hierarchy of the sport and some teams attempt to derail that at times.  The average cyclist/cycling fan knows a considerable amount more about the issues surrounding doping than many other sports fans because we have been slapped in the face with it so many times and have HAD to learn about it or else you lose touch and fall out of the loop.

But what about those friends of mine who once called cycling ‘dirty’ and ‘full of cheats’?  2012 has been a huge year for sport in general but particularly for cycling here in the UK.  Bradley Wiggins’ triumph at Le Tour and a hefty medal haul at the London Olympics for Team GB riders has resulted in cycling going through a British renaissance and thrust it in to the popular culture and consciousness of a much larger proportion of the population (not to mention a carbon road bike is now favoured as the new ‘go to’ toy for middle aged men in a mid-life crisis rather than the Porsche 911!).  All of this publicity has allowed the mainstream media to devote more column inches to cycling and publish the hardest hitting topics including cycling.  To me this can only be a good thing.  The more people who understand the sport and the troubled past we have gone through, the more likely we are to fight against those that want to drag us back down again.

No longer can we turn our backs on doping and pretend it’s not happening.  We owe it to the sport and ourselves to be alert to the pitfalls and rather than hide them like a dirty secret, be open and honest.  Fans of cycling have known for years that there is a strong chance the riders they follow are on the juice purely as a result of the sport being so doped in the past.  But that hasn’t stopped some riders.  When fans follow their every move, Tweet and buy every product they endorse regardless of erroneous medical practices or pathetic excuses why should they change?  Only when an athlete’s livelihood and their endorsement deals are put on the line do they even begin to suggest they have done wrong and try to persuade us they can change.  We need the masses to understand doping, deplore it and then the sponsors of riders who cast a shadow across our sport will eventually take note.

The recent departure of Rabobank from the sponsor line-up of professional road racing was described in their press statement as if it was a step in the right direction and that they could no longer tolerate the fear of doping in the team.  Although their continued support of developments teams on the road and in CX highlights their love of the sport and a desire to keep the Rabobank name clean their departure was not seen to be for such noble reasons by some, most notably David Millar.

Rabobank are not the first and they surely wont be the last sponsor to leave the sport due to concerns about doping.  Whether it is a damage limitation exercise or an altruistic movement, I’ll let you decide.  I believe the louder we shout about doping and the ‘omerta’, the more likely we are to improve our sport and banish professional doping to the history books.

Make a difference today, tell someone about professional cycling’s doping history and be part of a proactive renaissance.

Stevie

Please note, the comments and thoughts expressed here are my own and in no way represent those of LovingTheBike.com, it’s affiliates or sponsors – Stevie

If you keep your ear to the Twitter flavoured ground you will no doubt have heard about the Paul Kimmage Defence Fund;  which has been started and is being championed across the internet. This is not an article about the rights and wrongs of doping, or an attempt to decipher the thousands of pages of writing dedicated to the doping (or potential doping) of athletes. Whatever your thoughts on some of the particular athletes involved in this ‘scandal’ are, I would hope everyone would agree that a fair enquiry should be held and for that, equal resources are necessary.

Essentially, award-winning author and journalist Paul Kimmage is being sued by Pat McQuaid and Hein Verbruggen after his 1990 book, “Rough Ride” detailed a systematic doping culture within the professional peloton as well as Kimmage’s own comments to L’Equipe regarding the positive test of Floyd Landis and the UCI’s alleged cover up of a positive test for Lance Armstrong during the Tour de Suisse in 2001.

The ‘Paul Kimmage Defence Fund’ was started by bloggers Andy Shen of NYVelocity.com and Lesli Cohen of Cyclismas.com and as of Monday the 1st of October had collected over $47,000 from 1477 contributors. There has also been a significant number of journalists who have put their name to a petition in support of Kimmage which was signed at the UCI Road World Championships in Valkenburg last week.

There is a plethora of information and stories about there about this subject and although I have read a great deal of them, I do not profess to be an expert on the matter.  If you head to the nyvelocity.com page dedicated to the fund you will find a huge list of articles on the subject.

I believe there is no smoke without fire, and this is no longer one man’s fight against the UCI. I don’t have all the hidden information and am not pointing the finger at any riders in particular, this is about Paul Kimmage and trying to assure the man has an adequate defence against the McQuaid, Verbruggen and the UCI.  If you wish to, you can make a donation to the defence fund via the nyvelocity.com page.

Stevie

Recent years have seen the sport of cycle racing careering from pillar to post on the subject of doping which have thrown our sport into the mainstream media in all the wrong ways. We have  seen some of the most ‘original’ and ridiculous excuses ever spouted by enhanced humans, ranging from Björn Leukemans’ over-active libido to Floyd Landis’ binge drinking and my personal favourite, Tyler Hamilton claiming his unborn twin made him do it!

Thankfully there are many riders and fans out there who are not only riding clean, but also openly preaching the benefits of clean racing. One of the major contributors to this fight to protect the integrity of cycling and promote clean cyclesport is Bike Pure. Many of you will have heard about Bike Pure already and seen their wristbands on TV and being a big fan of their work, I caught up with one of the founders, Andy Layhe.

Phoenix Rising

StevieDexter: Welcome to #bikeschool, Andy. So who makes up the Bike Pure team?

Andy Layhe: Bike Pure is basically myself and best mate Myles McCorry. Myles came up with the idea and we worked hard together, [we] still do. Myles lives in Ireland and I moved over to Australia from Ireland last November with my wife and kids. We have ambassadors in many countries who help us voluntarily and we wish to thank everyone for their support towards Bike Pure.

SD: I’ve been a big fan of Bike Pure for a while now and regularly have on-the-bike conversations with people fueled by the stickers and spacers I have on my bike. What are the origins of Bike Pure?

AL: Back in 2008 and 2009 we were frustrated at the large amount of positives, especial at the Tour de France. The sports reputation was taking a battering, especially at the Tour de France and we though we would try and inject some much needed integrity into it by forming Bike Pure. We always felt that the voice of the non-dopers was drowned out by the dopers and we wanted to give not only those riders, but normal cycling fans who had been let down, a platform to say they were against it. We’ve moved on a long way from our inception and our growth is testament to the strong feelings out there. Since our inception we have pushed for longer sanctions because it’s clear the current two year ban isn’t working. There need to be deterrents in place that really make riders think twice before doping. We also wish to see the Doctors and team staff punished and banned from the sport for administering illegal substances to young riders.

We’re non-profit and sales from items on our store go back into promotion and the everyday running costs of the organisation. The wristband is fast becoming THE symbol for honesty and integrity.

SD: You mission statement says Bike Pure is ‘for the fans, riders and the trade opposed to doping’. Which of those categories do you fall in to and how does that affect the way you run the organisation?

AL: We fall into all those categories we hope. We see ourselves as part of the Bike Pure family – it is a collection of many people, fans, ambassadors, role models, companies and coaches who support us. We collectively are making change. It’s important that the industry gets behind us because they too have suffered the financial implications of sponsors dropping out of the sport due simply to the negative publicity. We are positive and a forward thinking group – at the end of the day cycle sport is a wonderful thing and we need to promote it as a healthy sport, not one where riders take transfusions and inject themselves with harmful substances.

SD: You have an extensive list of amateur and professional teams who support the cause, how much dialogue do you have between these teams in relation to new testing procedures and methods the teams themselves can use to remove the ugly head of this beast?

AL: We are in contact with the riders who form part of the organisation. The riders alignment is not only with Bike Pure, but also a commitment to their fans, coaches, family and team mates that they ride with integrity and honesty. It is difficult to engage with management of major teams as they have a job to do but we have input. It’s about education and if young riders are aware not only of the illegal implications of doping, but the ethical standards of sport then that will go a long way in the thinking of the new generation of riders coming through. Take the Australian mens team pursuit squad and even Cameron Meyer – they all form part of Bike Pure and their average age is only 19 years of age. We are looking to this generation to make change and be sincere role models in the years to come.

SD: Bike Pure also has an impressive list of professionals who show their support and act as role models including; Team Sky riders Steve Cummings and Russ Downing, Garmin-Cervelo’s Dan Martin and Australian National Road Race Champion Jack Bobridge, who regularly show their support at races all over the world. Have you had to chase and pester these riders for their support or have they approached you as the organisation has grown in size?

AL: In our early days we did contact riders whom we either knew or had heard good things about. We have since stopped approaching riders unless they come on recommendation from a third party. We receive emails from young riders and coaches who really believe in what we’re achieving and its rewarding. I even received an email from a young Australian junior rider recently. She had seen Cameron and others wearing the band and its very rewarding when we have young kids wanting to ‘say no to drugs’ and look to role models they can believe in.

A brave new world

SD: The Cycle Sport 2.0 campaign, which is at the heart of Bike Pure, is described as ‘a blueprint for a new start to cycle racing’. What kind of feedback have you had relating the Cycle Sport 2.0 proposals from the fans, and from the professional organisations which the 12 point program is targeting?

AL: We have a large volume of feedback on the proposals. It was nice to see the recent UCI comments regarding longer bans and they seem to be willing to implement many of the proposals we have been shouting about for the last few years. Of course the UCI won’t credit us but I hope that due to our large following and the structures we have in place that they can see the fans want change.

SD: Who was involved in the evolution of Cycle Sport 2.0? I’m guessing it wasn’t a random wish-list devised over a coffee break!

AL: Haha! Many of the ideas we have are born over a nice coffee! Myles was the instigator behind it and it’s a great idea. Many ideas we have evolve into larger things and it’s testament to our growth and development. We feel that education is the key though, we work with many coaches across many countries who talk to their riders about Bike Pure and if we can get this message across then all well and good. A lot of work we do isn’t always seen at the forefront though, we work with many charities and other groups, teams and organisations to spread our message and help others in any way we can.

SD: If Bike Pure could have the perfect 2011, what would the world of cycle racing look like as we enter 2012?

AL: We really think that the governing bodies need to listen to the fans more. The fans are the backbone of the sport. It’s an overused word but we need more transparency and more vocal noises from riders who are opposed to doping. Fans desire honest champions and I hope that Bike Pure are part of this new change we are seeing. Certainly many performances in the big tours are more believable than recent years but there’s still a mountain to climb. Cycling is a fantastic sport and we’ve seen a resurgence in all ages and abilities getting out on their bikes. It’s important that these people can have a sport to be proud.

SD: And finally, the question on everyone’s mind… why are YOU Loving The Bike?

AL: I’m loving the bike but not able to get out as much as I used to. I raced for 20 years and now it’s time to put something back into the sport that has given me so much. I call my bike rides ‘looking over the hedges’ as my now unfortunate lack of speed allows me to do this, taking in the wonderful Australian scenery that surrounds me! Funnily enough I’m enjoying carrying my additional body weight up steep hills and sampling good coffee.

Thanks to Andy for answering my questions with the detail and accuracy of a real pro!

Visit the Bike Pure store for a vast array of products to help support clean cyclesport and follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Until next time, keep Loving The Bike…

Stevie