Cycling Plus

Cycling Plus is the manual for the modern road cyclist. Whether you're cycling weekly, an occasional new rider or a Tour de France fan you’ll find everything you need. Each issue is packed with buying advice and tests of essential cycling gear - everything from bikes to bags! Cycling Plus is the place to find training advice, nutrition secrets and practical tips guaranteed to improve your bicycling. It's also full of inspirational rides, real-life cycling stories and entertaining riding-related features.

FROM THE EDITOR…

HIGHLIGHTS…

HUB

THE SPIN FOR BIDON • The UCI loses its bottle after throwing Michael Schär off the Tour of Flanders

LITTYKITTY BICYCLE SPOKE LIGHTS • £40 Hi-vis add-on for commuters

FOUR ESSENTIALS

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE SWINDON • A base to explore the ancient landscape of the south west

LIFE CYCLE FOR THE RECORD • We can all be record breakers, Rob Ainsley reckons. You just have to wait long enough…

CAKE STOP ROUTE 72, NEWCASTLE • Full-bodied coffee and the finest cheese toasties await cyclists at this rural hive of activity

CYCLING PLUS BIKE OF THE YEAR 2021 • The best 21 bikes of 2021. Road and gravel. Performance and endurance. Time to reveal our winners…

All the essential info you need on the world’s biggest bike test

Lest we forget • Our previous Bike of the Year winners listed

Trek Domane AL 5 • £1775 CLASSIC ENDURANCE METAL FROM WISCONSIN, USA

Lapierre Xelius SL 5.0 Disc • £2249 THIS CLIMBER’S BIKE GETS A LIGHTER, MORE COMFORTABLE FRAME

Boardman SLR 9.4 AXS Disc Carbon • £ 2700 ROAD BIKE BRILLIANCE WITH SRAM’S NEW WIRELESS 12 SPEED RIVAL SHIFTING

Orbea Orca M20 • £2932 RACY BIKE WITH AN ENDURANCE BUILD AND CUSTOMISED COMPONENTS

Specialized Roubaix Sport • £2900 IS THIS ROUBAIX A MID RANGE MAGIC CARPET?

Ribble CGR Ti Pro • £4199 LUXURY DO IT ALL MACHINE FROM LONG ESTABLISHED LANCASHIRE OUTFIT

Cannondale SuperSix EVO Carbon Disc Ultegra • £3950 THE REIGNING CHAMP IS BACK BUT IS IT BETTER?

Sensa Giulia GF Ultegra Di2 • £3999 DUTCH BRAND’S ENDURANCE MACHINE WITH A DECIDEDLY RACY FLAVOUR

The grit awards • INTEREST IN GRAVEL BIKES HAS INTENSIFIED EVEN FURTHER THIS YEAR AS HOME-BASED ADVENTURES HAVE REMAINED PREVALENT. HERE ARE FOUR DO-IT-ALL CONTENDERS FOR YOUR OFF-ROADING, ROAD RIDING AND BIKEPACKING DREAMS

Giant TCR Advanced Pro 1 • £4199 FULLY LOADED SPECIFICATION FOR GIANT’S RACING LEGEND

BMC Roadmachine TWO • £4500 SWISS DESIGNED BLACK BEAUTY READY TO TACKLE ANY ROAD

Rondo HVRT CF1 • £4699 OUR 2019 BIKE OF THE YEAR WINNER MAKES A BIG RETURN

BMC Teammachine SLR TWO • £4500 AERO FEATURES ABOUND ON ONE OF 2021’S BEST LOOKING NEW BIKES

ARC8 Escapee DB • 1990 (FRAMESET), COMPLETE BIKE EST. £5754 A NEW AERO ENDURANCE MACHINE

Cervélo Caledonia-5 Ultegra Di2 • £6610 CERVÉLO CREATES A HIGH PERFORMANCE ENDURANCE BIKE

Giant TCR Advanced SL-Disc • £9999 NEXT YEAR’S SUPERBIKE, NOW

Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 Red eTap • £11,500 THE NEWEST, AERO INCARNATION OF SPECIALIZED’S FLAGSHIP RACER

Specialized S-Works Aethos Dura-Ace Di2 • £11,750 AN ULTRA LIGHT RACE BIKE THAT’S NOT FOR RACERS? WHAT’S THE STORY?

Bike of the year 2021 • IT’S TAKEN MONTHS OF TESTING AND PLENTY OF HEATED DEBATE, BUT NOW OUR LIST OF 21 HAS BEEN WHITTLED DOWN TO A FINAL FOUR. BUT WHO FROM BOARDMAN, CANNONDALE, GIANT AND RONDO WILL BECOME OUR ULTIMATE BIKE OF 2021?

Behind the bike • WE LINK UP WITH BOARDMAN HQ TO TALK WITH THE TEAM AND FIND OUT HOW THEY DESIGNED AND BUILT OUR BIKE OF THE YEAR 2021

VERY SUPER STITIOUS • From wet towels to upside-down race numbers, cycling is riddled with ritual and routine....