The Wolf Pack immortalized in film, LeMond gets another medal and Happy Holidays

For all its traditional sleepiness, December has gifted the cycling world with much to discuss in recent weeks. Among the notable news drops have been team name changes (Sunweb to DSM), big-signings (Cav heading back to Quickstep after one not-so-good year with Bahrain McLaren), ISN naming the first female sports director for a men’s WorldTour team and the release of new road bars from Dutch aero specialist, Speeco. The tension mounts for a COVID-less 2021 pro season, indeed.

In other news, the release of a slow-moving yet still insightful bit of cinema about Quickstep’s emotions, pain, joy, and the dejection experienced during the biggest bike race on the planet has been released on Endurance SportsTV. It picks up where the Netflix Movistar doc left off, serving up insider access to pro team dynamics, but instead following the team in a compressed space of only three weeks.

While lacking in polish and energy at times, Alaphilippe and Bennett fans will enjoy watching, perhaps during a winter Zwift, as both grapple with a cut-throat peloton in which winning becomes an increasingly complex patchwork they both try to figure out. Subscribe and watch it here.

Separately, TDF champ Greg LeMond can now add "Congressional Gold Medal Recipient" to his palmeres. Late last week, POTUS signed a bill awarding LeMond the Congressional Gold Medal, making him only the 10th American athlete to be so honoured.

LeMond (ever the tech pioneer) recently re-launched his eponymous bike brand with two models of lightweight carbon fibre eBikes. He remains America’s foremost bike racer, taking the Tour in 1986, and made a dramatic comeback with his 1989 win following a long recovery from a hunting accident. For decades, he has pushed new technology and innovation, from his early adoption of aerodynamic tech during the height of his career to his current ventures with LeMond Bikes and LeMond Carbon, working to bring new rapid carbon manufacturing technology to market and manufacturing to the US.

Lastly - while we still have a couple bits of content to publish later in 2020, I want to thank everyone still reading this for visiting the site in the last 52 weeks.

The cycling community - including companies like Giro, Rapha, Ridley, Shimano, Absolute Black, Vitti Cycling, Ortlieb, Restrap, Silca, Specialized, Scott, 100%, 7mesh, Castelli, Q36.5 and so many others - have supported HNH with product, commentary and most importantly, their time. All of it is massively appreciated, as is the spikes in traffic we’ve seen throughout this most strange year.

More Hairpins ahead in 2021. Enjoy the festive 500, be that inside or out, and see you in the New Year.

Kings of the commute: 2020’s best kit for the daily grind

This Autumn has been punctuated by three things: pro racing; the literal fog the clung to central Europe for weeks (picture above); the continued shift in cities everywhere towards commuting by bike. (Googles for bikes and parts are up 425% according to Leisure Lake Bikes, a UK biz). With the latter in mind, here’s a list of gear that’s trickled through the office specific to commuting that’s made riding in inclement conditions much more tenable and pleasant. We’ve dubbed it, “Kings of the Commute” — but “awesome essentials that will make the daily grind that much less so” also works.

KNOG Blinder X Twin Pack

Blinder X lights from KNOG produce a punchy 200 lumens on the front and 100 lumens on the rear. They also pack a serious battery life - 60 hours when using eco flash mode (seen here after repeated use during a 300km week). They are lightweight, charge quickly and are the perfect antidote to dwindling Autumn daylight and serious fog. These are so awesome actually that I’ve taken to using them in broad daylight and dark conditions just to be sure passersby realize they need to share the road. Both have quickly become every ride essentials.

LOOK Trail Grip Pedals

I’ve ridden LOOKS for years but never on the commuter and was genuinely surprised by how much of an upgrade these pedals actually were, adding loads of stability and style to town rides. LOOK invented the clipless design, so that the French co. is breaking away from its heritage with flat pedals is in itself unique. These come customizable with rubber treads and are an excellent way to add more feel to your daily ride.

RAPHA Merino T Shirt and Commuter Jacket

I tried taking my own image of the new 2020 Rapha Commuter when in use, but this is by far a better one. In a rich chocolate brown (the one we tried out) the updated commuter comes with slightly longer reflective back, cuffed neoprene sleeves and a stretch poly fabric that sits beautifully on and off the bike. This is a well considered piece of commuter kit and by far a more stylish and well engineered one than most other alternatives. A very stylish reflective fabric keeps the hood stowed when not in use. A beautiful and subtle detail. Size Medium, 185 cm, 73 kgs.

Merino is mesmerizing AF, no? Day in, day out. You can ride it 200kms, commute casually to the office in it all week and in either case, it doesn’t stink. Like not one bit. Shower with it on, hang dry and it’s good to go. Or simply leave it in a pile and wear repeatedly, and it’s road ready. I’ve had several merino T’s from Rapha over the years; this one, with high-vis cuffs and enhanced fit makes it one of the best. Size up if planned for city use. Size L 185 cm, 73 kgs.

Cascada Merino Socks

Cascada is an interesting company, straddling the pivot points of outdoor adventure and sport that cycling and mountains both offer. Their merino socks are an excellent iteration of what’s come before it - cut slightly thinner to more comfortably fit inside road shoes, yet equally at home with your feet up in front of the fire or hiking in the backcountry. A perfect length for fall riding and able to wear repeatedly without wash if required.

Ortlieb 21 L Commuter Backpack in Pepper

For years I held the Brooks roll top bags up to the highest standard, at once balancing the pressures of form and function for a city commuter so elegantly. This Ortlieb Commuter however has unseated that throne, boasting more modern and structured carrying capacity and definitely a more secure road feel when in the drops riding. The loops for rear light has been appreciated in a months use more than once, as has the secure fitting laptop sleeve and removable internal storage pack. Once flights become real again, I could see this doubling as the perfect overnighter, too. I’m a massive fan of Ortlieb products. This bag is a continuance of the quality they consistently create.

KNOG Oi Lux

There are bells and there are bells. This Oi Lux from Knog is most certainly the latter, worthy of space on your road bike and or your commuter to be heard from hundreds of metres out. Effective uses: getting people and dogs to give you space and telling cars you’re in the bike lane. One of the loudest/smallest bells you’ll find and beautifully designed in stainless steel.

Review: Restrap bike bags change rides

Restrap’s canister bag straddles the desire for ample storage on multi-day bikepacking trips and long, all-day road rides. It is structureless, hand-sewn in Yorkshire, UK, and holds about a litre and a half worth of kit. While you may abhor its use on road bikes, its utility is undeniable (as is its quality); it is a near perfect carry-all in just about any scenario.

In the last few months, Restrap is one of many in the cycling industry experiencing an unprecedented surge in demand for their product. We connected with Jon Hicken from the company in early Autumn to get more details about how Restrap is coping and what it and others are doing to ride cycling’s surge of interest.

The canister bag at work along the Swiss French border. The bag’s two mesh pockets were the ideal stash for in-ride snack; the orange lined interior took phones, wallet, jacket and more, attaching and detaching easily from road bars.

How did Restrap get started? Since the business started in 2010, Restrap has moved from a back bedroom, where our founder Nathan originally made pedal straps and we have since moved onto 3 different workshops over the years, doubling in size each time. The brand originally started off in the fixed gear cycling community in Leeds, making pedal straps out of reclaimed seatbelt - hence the name Re-Strap (recycled straps). Since then, we've moved into more of an outdoor market, making luggage and accessories for the cycle touring market. Over the past 5 years especially, there's been a huge growth within that specific sector of cycling (now named bikepacking), and we've been at the forefront with our products.

What was it like operating during the pandemic? Initially, it was a stressful time - nobody knew what the pandemic would mean and how it would affect the cycling industry and manufacturing in the UK. We knew initially how important it was for our customers and our staff to keep our doors open and make sure we are producing our products in a safe, and healthy environment. Since that initial phase of the pandemic, we've found things started to swing upwards, and cycling really has taken off in a big way. The idea of the 'staycation' is that little bit more enticing, and bikepacking is an ideal way to do it, and it's had a big effect on the industry.

The bike industry is seeing loads of demand at the minute - how are you managing demand spikes for Restrap bags? We've seen a huge amount of demand from quite early on in the year. Throughout April and May we started to see a big increase in demand, especially compared to spring the previous year, so we anticipated quite early on that the pandemic may end up causing somewhat of a boom in the bike industry. Over the course of the next few months we started to see a real increase in sales through our store, and also a huge amount of demand from our distributors. Since the start of the pandemic we've hired an additional 20 members of staff and we've been running at max capacity to cope. We're currently running to extended timescales at the moment, to cope with the high demand over summer, and we're in the process of bringing these down at the moment.

More road riders are looking at canister bags for longer rides - why are they choosing the canister bag?It's hard to say really! Canister Bags have really taken off across the industry when it comes to bike bags. I think the main draw behind a Canister Bag is just how easy it is. They effectively fit any bike, from Bromptons, mountain bikes, up to race bikes with a slammed stem. It's mainly the accessibility factor from that sense, but let's be honest - a Canister Bag just looks cool. It's a really neat way to carry all your kit within arms reach, and lets you free up your jersey pockets or carry extra things like snacks or even a camera.

In your opinion, how do bike bags change rides? It really changes what kind of ride you might go on. Even if you're out on a casual Sunday ride with your mates, you might want to mix it up by carrying a few extra snacks, or simply throwing everything you would normally carry in your jersey pockets in the bags. We've even seen people carrying a full aeropress and coffee kit and enjoying a great coffee outdoor coffee on the go, which is great! We know from personal experience that once you have the right equipment different types of cycling adventures suddenly becomes accessible. We love the idea that people are discovering this for themselves, and people who may not have had gravel riding or bike touring on their radar might think "That's pretty cool, I might give that a go!". It's almost contagious in that sense, even with one day or weekend adventures and we love being involved in this new movement. We hope it continues, and we aim to make the best products we can to enable people to have those adventures.

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Over a long weekend ride into France, we set out to push the canister bag to its limits, stuffing it full of food and ride essentials to catch stage 20 of the TdF. It is undeniably handsome — a bag that elicits a response from others, some who recognize its quality, others who admire its utility, and others still who think they have little place on a race machine with a slammed stem.

What is was clear while using the canister bag is how immediately transformative it is to the ride. As I’ve written about before, having a bike bag changes even simply efforts, infusing a sense of adventure into them by abandoning a traditional jersey and should one choose, being able to swap it out for a simple shirt and push further and adapt more comfortably to changing ride conditions. There is very little to find fault with this bag — the YKK zipper is taped to keep out moisture; the two outside mesh pockets are the perfect food caddie; the straps are durable and attach easily to multiple bar types; it is very lightweight and tidy at 116 grams with a carrying capacity of 1.5 litres. The bag moves laterally slightly when climbing - - otherwise it is perfect design, good for day and multi-day efforts.

Restrap is not a massive company; when I connected with Jon for this content, he was humble, almost apologetic that the company couldn’t fill the product request sooner. They were simply flat out with demand and even their modestly sized bags were weeks from being shipped. For me, this is all the more reason to invest in their product - each is hand-sewn by what is still a family-run business. For its size you will want a larger bag if taking on longer, harder multi-day jogs but for most, for the everyday, this should be deemed a near essential.

Q36.5 redefines the meaning of gravel riding with their 4-day Dolomite camps

The company presents an extreme version of cycling kit. Their gravel camps are no different.

We are high in the Dolomites outside Bolzano - a spider’s web of alpine rock, mountain passes, rugged towns, single-track, steep pavement and the occasional gravel road (as they are more conventionally defined). Within hours of our arrival at a members-only gravel event, I wonder why I’m not on a trail bike - a curiosity I share with one or two others. I focus on sending descents and staying upright. As the warm-up ride progresses, we head deeper into the mountains. Roads worsen, turning from rock to loose rock to forested single-track. I am so far out of my depth and I know it. And I’m on a gravel bike. The only thing to do is to try and hang on.

This is gravel riding with Q36.5 in South Tyrol - a company so intentionally extreme it is written in their vision statement. In seven years since it was created, it has built a reputation for this exceptionalism, tailoring kit not for the masses, but only for the very serious enthusiast. Days one through four at this event — one of three they currently host every year — mirrors this ethos. The routes are hard and led by several ex professionals - roadies with an expanded playground courtesy of all-road bikes (or basically road frames spec’d with knobby tires) who love to show it off.

By Friday’s 58 kilometre loop to the Passo Oclini (with roots, rocks and plenty of hike-a-bike), my definition of “gravel” ride is obliterated. Save for several blissful stretches of tunnelled forest road (built to transport supplies into the mountains during the First World War), I unclip over and over as said ex-pros make terrain appear flat. We stare at one another perplexed — me at them confused, them at me equally so.

Bikes of the bunch: Grevil’s from Pinarello on offer to several riders at the weekend camp.

We are the only people on these roads without mountain bikes. Q36.5 camp chief and retired pro Mario Kummer shrugs off the suggestion that this is anything but normal. I think about this repeatedly staring down 21 percent drops over rock, not road, white-knuckling my gravel bars for reassurance. “This is just a matter of confidence and ability acquired over time,” he says to me over conversation later in the hotel matter of factly. “Perhaps,” I reply, but as I descend on foot, lamenting my 11 x 32 cassette once more, so dramatically under geared, I hardly find the thought reassuring.

Being under-geared however is the least of my problems, I tell myself, pushing my Cinelli uphill yet again on another stretch of playing catch-up. There is nothing democratic about Q36.5 - the kit and the camps - and I get the impression they like it that way.

An Adventure Collection suited to its environment There is no better place to develop kit for adventure rides than in the Dolomites. The region is rich with terrain, weather, language and culture - each ride is so different it tells its own story. To get through the four days of riding in weather and at altitude, participants got their hands on several pieces from Q36.5‘s 2020 adventure collection: a lightly insulated gilet, a pair of Gregarious cargo salopettes (bibs) and several other accessories. Tipping the scales at 115 grams, the gilet proves invaluable on strudel stops (of which there are several). It packs very small in the palm of our hand and stows away beautifully in jersey pockets (though it had two pockets of its own). Overtop the three-season long sleeve we wore most of the trip, it cuts wind and adds warmth to temperatures that dropped when over 2000m. I have already deemed it essential for cool weather; a piece I will use to layer in winter, too.

Similarly nothing is missed with the Gregarious cargo bibs. Two tightly woven mesh pockets store plenty of bananas (old joke), keys, phones and other items while keeping everything safely stowed. Every bit as comfortable as several other Q bibs we’ve worn: equally compressive, form fitting and featuring the company’s signature chamois (which is durable and wears incredibly well over time). Both the bibs and gilet feature in signature black with neon green accents - technical bits of kit developed purely by necessity. They make the riding no less hard, but mentally, they help. A little.

Hike-a-bike anyone? This last 500 meters of ascent was one of many sections that might have been better climbed on a trail bike.

Merciless ascents over loose rock I’m not sure what my expectations were about four days billed as a “gravel experience” were. With no routes or GPX files shared prior to the start of camp, I guess there weren’t any - just steep Dolomite climbs as per their reputation and a previous trip to the area for the Maratona. In the moment, when you’re struggling to put descents together, expectation is washed away, however, replaced by a desire to find your line, keep pedalling and to apply the capabilities of your machine and the rider to its given environment. Being constantly at the limit of perceived capability is an entirely new experience to most - myself included - and it was one I was forced to embrace just about every minute of riding around Kaltern with Q. Nothing made sense at the time, while hindsight, as usual, is making things only slightly more clear.

By joining the Veloce Club, anyone can join the Q36.5 events, try new kit and ride roads and routes you might not find independently. As mentioned and similar to the RCC, Q36.5 has plans to run several of these road and gravel camps every year, expanding them based on demand. Everything — from accommodations to meals to bike maintenance to massage — is looked after, operating like a pro camp for several days of riding in the mountains. A prepped bike awaits you in the morning, having been washed and greased the night before, for example, and all one must do is swing a leg over and embrace the chaos.

As it sits in one of Italy’s most productive regions for wine and agriculture, this is undeniably as spectacular a location for riding as you’ll find anywhere in the Alps. The devil is in the details however; a full suspension XC or trail bike might be the addition needed for some to make the riding more accessible. For others, it is perhaps just time and experience, as suggested. In any case, the camp is distinctly run by one of (if not the) best apparel maker in cycling that continues to up its game. Pushing experienced riders to re-examine definitions of what’s possible on a gravel bike is perhaps just another manifestation of a desire to explore the boundaries of a sport bent on convention. Whatever the case, I’m already plotting a return in 2021.

Special thanks to Q36.5 for having HNH at their autumn gravel experience and for Haus am Hang for hosting and serving outstanding food and wine throughout our stay.

Tour de France Stage 20: Lure to La Planche des Belles Filles

The 2020 Tour de France Stage 20: Lure to Planche des Belles Filles from 6km to go. Nervous bike changes featured prominently. The atmosphere was electric and ultimately decided the race. A stage we’ll never forget.