2016 Tour de France - Stage 2
If football is a gentlemans sport played by hooligans, road cycling is a sport for hipsters thats practised only by the brave. So forget about Vardy et al and get stuck into this years Tour de France Allez! Allez! Allez which got under way on Saturday with Froome and the rest of Team Sky getting on their bikes at Mont-Saint-Michel. As is customary at this time of year, Londoners are pulling on the padded shorts and gearing up for their own bike-filled summer. There have never been more opportunities for cyclists in town, whether youre a pedalling pro or barely free from stabilisers.
Where to trainChris Froome has adjusted his training to peak in the final week of the Tour, so dont worry if youre starting a little late in the year. If youre inspired but havent straddled a saddle since school, its worth getting in the zone at a spin class. Power up those thighs ready for a bunch sprint when its all about strength not stamina, win a few stages and then pull a Mario Cipollini and retire before you hit the Pyrenees. Try Psycle, with studios in Canary Wharf and Fitzrovia, or pedal to the metal at BOOM Cycle.
The VeloPark in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has facilities for pretty much anything you can do on two wheels, from BMX to mountain biking to laps of the velodrome for perfecting your individual time-trial skills.
Athlete Lab, near Monument, might be an inside gym but the bikes it uses to train arent your average wobbly exercise machines. Instead it uses Adjustabikes, designed to replicate road bikes and ensure your riding position is the same as it would be pedalling through the great outdoors.
And if you fancy yourself as King of the Mountains, take in a birds-eye view of London at BOOM Cycles pop-up events at Tower Bridge (July 20) and The Roof Gardens (August 4).
The best routes in LondonTeam Sky is all about data research and marginal gains to stay on top. Keep track of your statistics with Strava, the app obsession of every cyclist, which analyses your rides, recommends routes, pits you against fellow riders and pinpoints handy stop-off cafs. This years tour ends with four punishing climbs in the penultimate stage, so channel Colombian climber Nairo Quintana and hit the popular 85.6-mile London to Box Hill route (which also has six cafs, including Rapha and Grind, to help you refuel), or head through the stunning countryside to Hertford and back (47.2 miles).
If youre concerned about coming up as the Lanterne Rouge (the rider in last place), there are always Londons parks: Regents and Richmond are particular cycling havens. AndThames is made for riverside riding: head north-east to Lee Valley or south to the Wandle Route, which runs from Croydon to Wandsworth.
Cycling caps - in pictures Stay in the pelotonThe safest place to be to make it to the finish line in one piece is the main group. So set the pace at female-led Queen of the Mountains club, which was set up after recognising that women want to be on two wheels but not necessarily alongside middle-aged men in Lycra zooming along in a testosterone-fuelled pack. Men are welcome to join, but its the women who control the speed.
Then theres Rapha, the super-cool Piccadilly cycle shop, with globally affiliated club attached: annual RCC Summits give the chance for members to go on tour internationally. Its hosting themed rides throughout the Tour (look out for The Giant of Provence Ride, celebrating the great Mont Ventoux) and will keep you up to date with race results through in-house newspaper The Doppio.
Stop by the team carIts fair to say most of us dont have a mechanic riding behind us at all times but Micycle in Islington comes close. It not only sells bikes, it has a bike ambulance for stranded broken wheels. Then theres Machine in Borough, which sells every bike gadget you can think of, including crocheted seat-covers and pizza- cutters, and also runs a bicycle- recycling scheme. A little further south, theres the wonderful Brixton Cycles, which also runs a cycling club instantly recognisable thanks to its AC/DC-style branding whose neon-yellow front doors conceal a much-loved 30-year-old co-operative of bike-lovers.
Fuel upIf youre out on your bike in London I would recommend Look Mum No Hands! in Clerkenwell for a coffee stop, says Olympic gold medallist Dani King. Ive only been a few times but each time was great food and lots going on. That great food includes some excellent burgers and giant slices of cake (much better than a caffeinated energy gel), as well as Square Mile coffee and a healthy selection of craft beer to be slurped while watching the race every afternoon on its big screens. Or take your domestiques down to The Spoke in Archway, whose bacon sarnies are favoured by Boom Cycle studio founder Hilary Gilbert, or Pearson in East Sheen, which offers chiropractice, physiotherapy and sports massage alongside its coffee.
Lead-out menChris Froome is obviously the one to watch his right-hand man Richie Porte defected to the American team BMC but Froomes still got good support from replacement Geraint Thomas, who won the Portuguese Volta ao Algarve race in February and the Paris-Nice in March. His main competitor is pocket-rocket Quintana, who came close to nicking the Maillot Jaune last year, but never write off Alberto Contador. The Spaniard famous for giving snarky trash-talk in his post-race interviews is always a threat in the mountains and you do not want him in your slipstream.
Keep eyes peeled for smokin-hot bad boy biker Peter The Terminator Sagan, who rides for Tinkoff. While his team-mates pedal with purpose, Sagan cracks out wheelies, photobombs other riders during post-stage interviews and still managed to win the green jersey last year. Hes pretty low-key: his medieval-themed wedding last year involved him riding a pennyfarthing bike across a tightrope.
BreakawayIf a mere four hours of Lycra-covered bums per day isnt enough for you, head to the O2 on Saturday for Rockstars Red Hook Crit. Although not if youre a sensitive sort: riders use brakeless, fixed- gear bikes, resulting in a spectacular number of crashes on average, only 20 or so of the 85 participants even make it across the finishing line. Dani King is taking part this year; go and support (and wince). And cheer on the hardcore Ride 24ers taking part in the London to Paris ride July 16-18 after all, they may soon need visas to do it.
Follow Frankie McCoy on Twitter:@franklymccoy
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