The quest to seek more rural and isolated ride locations in the past 12 months have made gravel riding even more seductive and in issue 377 we test four metal machines, from Ragley, Vitus, Felt and Bivibikes, to find out whether they’re ready for the cut and thrust of British gravel riding.
We’ve also got first rides of the Wilier Cento10 SL, Merida Silex 6000 gravel bike and Canyon Precede:ON CF 9 ebike, a long-term test update of Russell Burton’s Santa Cruz Stigmata, and a then-and-now test of a Raleigh racer from 1980 and a modern equivalent from Lapierre. There are also Upgrade tests from Hiplok, Selle Italia, Rudy Project, Lake, Gore and a Pirelli and Zipp tyre head-to-head, plus a commuter bag grouptest.
In Features, we separate the training facts from the widely believed fiction, show you how to build a cycling club from those who’ve done it and show you how to reboot your riding for a big summer of riding. In Big Ride, we keep our route within a 7-mile radius of Bristol, inspired by Boris Johnson’s controversial bike ride in the Olympic Park, seven miles away from Number 10.
In The Spin, John Whitney ponders his fantasy summer cycling schedule, we deliver three fantastic routes on the stunning Scottish island of Arran and look at Halo’s wheels that will also help light your way.
On top of all that, we’ve got a 28-page guide to the Spring Classics pro races, which for many are the highlight of the entire cycling season. The guide features exclusive interviews with stars of the races, past and present, including Fabian Cancellara and Lizzie Deignan, who talk about their love for races such as the Tour of Flanders and Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
To subscribe to Cycling Plus and take advantage of the new subscriber offer, which includes a Cateye Padrone computer, click here. Current subscribers can enter a competition to win a pair of Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres - see the issue for more details.
