Bub Marley

I like that they’ve gotten the likes of Pidcock in and Jackson to create hype but if they’re on holiday then it kinda defeats the purpose. They should probably target the gravel professionals rather than roadies as these guys will most likely take it more seriously. Not sure what other date they could use though. I get the Lifetime guys have basically just wrapped up their long season so perhaps they might be on holiday. If you have it earlier in the year then it conflicts with the lifetime series so most likely no one will come. You cant also have it in Feb / March as that will conflict with the Epic. I think the only way to get more pros to race it more seriously is money. Make it worth their while. Obviously easier said than done.

Don’t think Prize Money is dictated by the amount of training you do. Prize money is sponsor dependant. The reason most mens sport gets paid more is because their sponsors pay more. Now there’s a debate to be had on why that is the case but that’s not really important in this context. If we take cycling as a sport on its own, the mens game runs completely separate to the women’s. The dates are different, the routes are different and the sponsors are different. For the Epic, that’s not the case. Here they run together on the same weekend. It’s one event so I can understand the call for equal prize money but again, that’s all sponsor dependant. Personally, I think the ladies get proper coverage here compared to other races, so from a sponsorship point of view, I don’t feel like the coverage is less so I think it should be the same. If you had to separate the race and have the women race a week later or something, then I don’t think you’d have the same eyes on the ladies race. So having everything in one event is better for the ladies. In terms of the distances, this is just my opinion but physiologically men and women are different. The ladies race should 100% be shorter because they are not strong or as fast as the men. Those are pure facts. A shorter race for the ladies will 100% make it more entertaining. More ladies will try and attack, more breakaways etc. We dont want a situation where they all just ride in a pack, which actually does happen quite often. That’s also why people calling for the ladies Tour de France to be longer don’t understand how this would impact the dynamics of the race. Shorter races are more entertaining. Those are just facts.

Ive got 2 pairs currently bought in 2020. The peeling has just started recently on the one pair after 5 years of abuse through pretty much every condition.

This looks sick. Just needs drop bars now…

I tell myself this whenever I get something new. Make sure you clean them immediately. Unfortunately after a month or so old habits kick in, laziness kicks in. Ahh… no worries, I’ll clean them after work. Then a day a goes by, 2 days before it gets cleaned. But yes, I agree if you actually do look after them properly they will last.

I would need to get it sponsored. Honestly cant justify spending over 50k from my own pocket for a cycling race. Honestly, wouldnt surprise me if most of the entries are gobbled up by corporates in the next few years

Essentially what you’ve done is, let’s say your current lenses had a 20% light transmission, they’re probably 30-40% light transmission now. Meaning that more light will pass through the lens, in other words your tint will be lighter.

Because they look phenomenal. I’ve had a look at Rudy Project, Scicon, 100% and sorry but none of them hold a candle to Oakley in terms of looks. You can wear most of the oakleys off the bike as well. The contrast you get with Prizm lenses is great as well. It definitely enhances the clarity of what you see vs just a darker tint with most other companies. I’ve had multiple Oakleys and yes, that lamination is a problem but only after years of constant use. If you are riding your bike 5 times a week, all that sweat just gets built up, it will sooner or later start to affect the lens. If people are saying this doesn’t happen to other lenses, I disagree. It will happen to any lens. As long as i get my years of use out of it i am fine. I dont also want to wear the same pair of glasses for 10 years. Going for a fresh look every few years, Im fine with that.

I think it’s worth a shot. The worst they can say is no. Technically you’re gonna pay for the entry as well so not like they’re giving a freebie. But it’s another name added in the elite field so cant see why they would say no tbh.

Tell them you’re a professional. Im sure they’ll give you an entry.

That is a proper stacked field.

Okay this race is definitely going places. Anyone wanting to do this probably best to do it soon before the entry price really jumps dramatically.

Pretty sure Skellie has it the wrong way round. He’s gonna have to work for Juan.

Think it’s a win win for everyone. UAE have Del Toro who currently looks to have a better trajectory than Ayuso. So far, Ayuso hasn’t delivered on the big stages yet. Let’s see if he can finally live up to that potential at Trek.

Well Remco’s mechanic has just thrown him under the bus and confirmed his seat height was exactly the same so nothing dropped. Probably doesn’t make any difference but maybe the gap would’ve been closer if he didn’t waste his time whacking the saddle and stopping on the side of the road.

The easy answer is a bigger cassette. However, a bigger cassette means you might need to change your rear derailleur a wall to handle that. I would go for an 11-36 cassette and then upgrade to a medium cage derailleur. The suggestion above about getting an e-bike is sound Advice as well. If you can afford it, it’s definitely something to look into.

Did the saddle drop before the climb?

This looks like an exact replica of the Uswe haha. How is the nozzle functionality? Also the same? Uswe is expensive but honestly, they’ve been such a great investment for me. They’re light, breathable, dont move at all and the nozzle works flawlessly.

Id like to see the Tour de France bring back longer time trials just to make the competition a bit more interesting. It’s the only disclipline where Tadej would really be at a disadvantage and the longer the timetrial the bigger the gap to Remco. Even Jonas has beaten Pog in time trials. This would definitely make the tour much more competitive. However, Remco would still need to up his game in the mountains considerably. Again, he got dropped immediately on Mount Kigali.

Probably? Cmon mate. Remco is going to go down as the greatest ever Timetriallist when he’s retired. He’s in a different league to Tadej. The only time Tadej gets close is during a 3 week Tour or a proper mountain time trial. There is no comparison.

Or Remco is just a better TT specialist than Pog?

Jebel Jais. About an hour out of Dubai.

Yeah, I rode year round as well. You acclimatize quite quickly and just need to play around the times. Also, during Ramadan is almost like a festival. Loads of night activities and races at night to accommodate. Honestly, the UAE is pretty great for cycling.

Also just to add wrt weather. It’s 4 months of brutally hot weather. And then 8 months of the best weather ever. During the hot months, you would need to be done with your ride by 9am for the latest otherwise that sun will start burning you into a crisp. The nice thing about the cycling tracks though are they open 24hours. So during summer many people ride at night to dodge the sun. It is still extremely humid though. Spending 1 minute outdoors during summer will have you completely soaked. So yeah be prepared for that.

I lived in Al Ain for 5 years which is part of the Abu Dhabi Emirate, about an hour out of Dubai. I will summarize as best I can. Dubai: - Loads of purpose made cycling tracks built around the City in different areas. The main one is Al Qudra which is on the outskirts of Dubai and essentially take you deep into the desert. If Im a cyclist living in Dubai, I would get a place close to Al Qudra as its the biggest cycling tracks in the city, over 100km’s to be more specific. - There are other tracks but Al Qudra is the main one. - Do not cycle on the public roads in Dubai. It’s illegal and dangerous, hence me suggesting to be close to the tracks. - Everything is pan flat in Dubai. No elevation at all. Perfect for interval training. It can get very windy though and trust me, wind in the desert is a different kind of wind with the sand blowing across the road into your face etc. Abu Dhabi: - 2 Cycling tracks: Al Wathba and Hudayriat. Al Wathba is a longer track so if you want more distance that is better but a bit out of the city. Hudayriat is a purpose built adventure island with different sports activities. There a is a cycling track there as well. Not the longest but still great for loops / interval training. - Yas Marina Circuit. I think once or twice a week, they open the formula one track in the evening for cycling. This is pretty awesome and I would recommend it. - There is a loop as well that many guys do in Abu Dhabi. Think its around 100km with most on bike path. - Also illegal and dangerous to ride on public roads so yeah, stick to the tracks. - Like Dubai, everything is pan flat here. Al Ain: - Probably biased here, but for a cyclist this is the best area to be mainly because the traffic is much less and you have the mountain so you shake up your training as well. - There is a cycling track here of around 23km in length. - Jebel Hafeet is a 10Km climb at around 7-8%. Its a proper climb that and its what sets al Ain apart from Dubai and Abu Dhabi. From Dubai its a 1;30hr drive but definitely worth it. - It’s technically illegal to ride on the road here but when I lived there, they weren’t very strict about it. Theres also a much wider variety of routes here, SOme which take you deep into desert riding through the dunes etc. - There’s also a 200km out and back ride to the Tropic of Cancer which the guys do every year during the national day holiday period. Also close to Dubai is Jebel Jais which is also an hour drive out towards Ras Al Khaimah. This is a 23km climb at around 4% and the views are pretty spectacular so fully recommend doing it. Cycling is absolutely massive there. The government has thrown an insane amount of money into the sport to develop all the infrastructure. The locals have also taken to the sport. The success of Pogacar and the UAE team have also helped considerably in growing the sport. There are loads of races and lots of money on the line as well. Good luck on your endeavors.