Carrera Virtuoso 2012/2013 review

Back in June 2011, I wrote a review of what seemed to me to be the cheapest "proper" road bike money could buy. That bike was the Carrera Virtuoso, retailing in your local Halford's for the princely sum of £379.99 - and I was pleasantly surprised, because it proved to be a considerably better machine than I'd believed it could possibly be. In fact, apart from a few cheapo components here and there, the only bad thing I could really say about it was that it was ugly; which I still stand by because it was.

The other day, when I locked my old shopper bike up outside the local purveyor of ferret food, rather a nice-looking white and ice-blue aluminium bike happened to catch my eye. "Wossat?" I thought, before moving in for a closer look. Lo and behold, it turned out to be a 2012 Virtuoso - and it really is a far prettier beast than the 2011 model. In its older guise with black and blue paintwork the Virtuoso looked rather old-fashioned, reminding me of a budget racer from the early 1990s, which wasn't a real issue, of course, and may even have been a selling point for some people. After all, some people have no taste: I saw someone wearing those hideous denim-effect cycling shorts last week. The 2012 model, however, looks as up-to-date as next year's summer fashions - the glossy white and blue gives the impression of a considerably pricier bike, but it's still only £379.99 You can tell a lot about the quality of the paintwork by close examination of the lower end of the down tube, where stones flicked up by the front wheel tend to make contact with the frame - as I knelt down to have a look, I became aware of a hulking presence leaning over me.

The bike's owner. Who, one glance told me, was a lot harder than me (as are five-year-olds, and the majority of sparrows). Fortunately, he only looked like a thug and was equipped with a fully-functioning brain; as such he had realised that I was looking at his bike rather than nicking it and thus with-held from killing me pending an explanation. When I told him I'd reviewed an earlier model he seemed quite impressed, possibly because I failed to mention the review was for a blog rather than for a magazine, and once I'd handed over anything of worth as a deposit (wallet and contents, value not much; half a packet of Polos, value about twice that of my wallet and its contents) he agreed I could have a go round the car park on it.

The 2011 Virtuoso's frame was made of 7005 aluminium alloy, which they advertised as light-weight - the real reason it was chosen is more likely to be the relative ease with which it can be welded in Carrera-manufacturer Merida's Taiwanese factories, thus keeping production costs low. The 2012 frame has been upgraded: your money now gets you 6061, which has a lower density and is lighter as a result - yet the claimed weight of the 2012 bike is 700g greater than that of the 2011 bike at 11.2kg, which I suspect is due to the replacement of the older machine's Kalloy components with unbranded versions. However, nobody's going to enter an official race on a Virtuoso and 700g isn't really a problem; what matters more is that the new model is stiffer, meaning that it can hold its own in an unofficial traffic light drag race against the 125cc scooters - probably the only sort of race the bike will see. This has been achieved partly by the addition of an internal headet (the 2011 bike had an external headset) and largely by a much better fork - the curved 2011 version has been replaced with a more up-to-date straight-bladed effort. It's cromoly (you didn't think it'd be carbon at this price, surely?), but again the weight compared to carbon won't be an issue for most riders. The frame geometry has received some little tweaks here and there, too: Halfords called the 2011 Virtuoso semi-compact, this one is compact. All in all, it works - this bike is a genuine pleasure to ride, mimicking more costly machines in its responsiveness and ability to track through a tight corner, and not as sluggishly as you'd expect.

Some of the components have been upgraded, too. Gone is the old Pro Wheel Gloria Compact chainset, in its place is a square taper FSA Tempo with 50/34 rings, just like you get on a Giant Defy 4 and several other bikes that cost £200 more than this one does. Last year, Halfords were keeping quiet about the mechs; this year you've got a Shimano FD-2300 up at a front while a Sora handles the chain at the back. The brake and gear levers are STI 2300 - many riders find these make it difficult to change gear when riding on the drops, but it's something most people can learn to live with. On a bike as new as the test subject - a month, the owner told me - everything was working crisply, but as tends to be the way with budget groupsets the mechs and shifters are going to need looking after. Halfords offer a free service after six weeks; if you're new to cycling ask the shop mechanic if he or she will show you how to adjust the cable tension and derailleurs, then you should be able to keep everything working smoothly without any problems. The brakes are workable Tektro jobs and do what they're supposed to do; the 8-speed cassette is 12-26 and should be capable of getting you up any hill you put in front of the bike for a year or so, which is perfectly acceptable for a budget component.

As with the older models, the cheap plastic pedals and toe clips are a let-down. However, most Virtuosos are likely to be purchased by people new to road cycling and the one thing you'll hear again and again from people in that category is that they were surprised they needed to fork out for a pair of pedals when first buying a bike. Also, many new-comers are put off by clipless pedals; Halfords have therefore stuck these ones on in the full knowledge that serious riders will probably upgrade them to clipless before too long. The saddle - Carrera-branded - is cheap and a little too flexible but comfortable enough - some riders will swap for a fatter seat, mistakenly believing it will offer greater comfort, while those with a bit of nous will swap for their preferred racing/touring model. With that in mind the fact that it's cheap becomes an advantage -  it won't break your heart if you decide to get rid of it. Since many quality wheelsets cost more than this bike the wheels are unbranded and heavy as you'd expect, but they feel as though they'll do their job unless you hit a pothole at high speed. Cheap replacements would be my second upgrade and doing so might well make the bike lighter than the 2011 model. First upgrade for me after the pedals would have to be the tyres: Kenda make some top-quality rubber, but these are far from their finest offering - they look to be the same as those on the 2011 bike, which some riders complained rolled off the rims.

Summing up: the 2012 Carrera Virtuoso will never hold its own when pitted against exotica and it would be unfair to expect it to do so - after all, the complete bike costs less than some derailleurs - but for £380 it's a very good buy indeed. Many people dislike Halfords, but if they can build a bike like this at this price then they're doing something right. Upgrade the components when necessary and, so long as you can out up with stupid people telling you your bike's rubbish, the Virtuoso isn't a bad bike at all. Taking the price into consideration, I'll give it eight out of ten.

Buy this bike if: you watched Wiggo win the Tour and fancy giving this cycling lark a go but aren't certain you'll stick with it for long (hey, if you decide it's for you you can always buy a more expensive bike later); you want a cheap, fast, light commuter that'll get you to work with far less effort than a cheap MTB and be up for some leisurely jaunts if the sun's out on the way home; you want a cheap and cheerful winter bike - there's plenty of room between the fork blades and stays for a 25mm tyre, but be prepared to carry out regular services on the brakes and gears in bad weather.

Evening Cycling News 11.05.12

Latest - Velonation: "After weeks of deliberation, @LeviLeipheimer will take start of @AmgenTourofCali. Official announcement later today."


Giro Stage 6 - Tour of Chongming Island Stage 3 - Halfords Tour and Johnson HealthTech GP - Ex-Astana boss: "Alberto rode the 2010 Tour de France clean" - Armstrong interview can be interpreted however you want - Lincoln Festival of Cycling - Box Hill graffiti - Other news - Cyclists angered as bike locks cut in Cambridge - Glos. police seek help in cyclist assault case - The news you might have missed - Tweets

Racing

Miguel  Ángel Rubiano

Giro d'Italia Stage 6
Stage 6 was the 2012 Giro's first medium mountain stage, the three Category 3s and single Cat 2 meaning that while the stage looked likely to end with a sprint, the climbers got their first chance to demonstrate form. The parcours began in Urbino, a remarkable walled city on a hilltop, then moved on to the first climb 26km to the south-east - an uncategorised ascent to 433m, followed by a series of smaller hills. Another uncategorised climb of similar height waited at 78km, then the first Cat 3 began at 89km as the race reached Cingoli. The Cat 2 started at 110km - at 772m, it was much smaller than those still to come but, known as the Passo dello Cappella, it was officially the first col of this year's race and saw a crash for Mark Cavendish, who was fortunately unhurt and continued with the race. After passing through Treia, the rider tackled Cat 3 Montelupone (251m) at 152km, then two more uncategorised hills leading to the final Cat 3, Montegranaro (241m), at 170km. There were two final uncategorised climbs in the 29km after Montegranaro, then with 11km to go the race reaches a slightly downhill section into Porto Sant'Elpidio (where Cipolini won Stage 4 on the 28th of May in 1992, suggesting a sprint finish may be on the cards) and the finish line.

Fifteen riders broke away 29km into the stage and managed to get a lead of 8'35" before the Cappella took its toll, leaving Miguel Ángel Rubiano (Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela) on his own at the front of the race until another seven riders joined him. Despite his hard work, he remained the strongest on Monteluppone and took the King of the Mountain points.

Thor Hushovd was Stage 6's highest-profile victim

Cav was lucky to come out of his crash unharmed, but several others were not as fortunate when the stage turned out to be much harder than it looked on paper. Thor Hushovd (BMC) abandoned the race after 84km, much to the consternation of fans as this sort of parcours usually suits him well. A BMC spokesperson said that she had no details other than that the rider had reported feeling exhausted and that he had been concerned about his current form - after a disappointing Classics season, it looks like the Norwegian is going to need to do a lot of preparation over the coming seven weeks in order to be ready for the Tour de France. Romain Feillu (Vacansoleil-DCM) also abandoned, apparently for similar reasons. Pablo Lastras (Movistar) crashed and looked to have damaged his collarbone after trying to take a corner too fast. Jack Bauer (Garmin-Barracuda) also crashed and seemed in some pain, but fortunately escaped more serious injury; then his team mate Tyler Farrar went down and out later in the stage with an injured hand while Ramūnas Navardauskas was dropped and ended up riding alone.

Rubiano, still at the front, became the first Colombian to win a stage since Luis Felipe Laverde in 2007 when he crossed the line alone to record a time of 5h38'30". He also earned twenty bonification seconds and now leads the King of the Mountains, while Adriano Malori, in second place, picked up a 12" bonus that sees him take the maglia rosa from Navardauskas after escaping and riding solo over the last 30km.

Meanwhile, Cav's luck very nearly ran out as the climbs drained the strength from his legs. He - along with Theo Bos, Graeme Brown and Dennis van Winden (all Rabobank), Taylor Phinney (BMC), Jeremy Hunt (Sky), Sebastien Rosseler (Garmin-Barracuda) - finished the stage 33'12" behind Rubiano, dangerously close to the 33'51" limit that would have seen him disqualified.

Top Ten
  1.  Miguel Angel Chavez Rubiano Androni Giocattoli-Venezuela 5h38'30"
  2.  Adriano Malori Lampre-ISD +1'10"
  3.  Michal Golas Omega Pharma-QuickStep ST
  4.  Alexandr Dyachenko Astana ST
  5.  Cesare Benedetti Team NetApp ST
  6.  Daryl Impey Orica-GreenEDGE +1'51"
  7.  Filippo Pozzato Farnese Vini-Selle Italia ST
  8.  Fabio Sabatini Liquigas-Cannondale ST
  9.  Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi Movistar ST
 10.  Michal Kwiatkowski Omega Pharma-QuickStep ST
(Full stage result and GC)

Holly Blades ‏ @lifeofhollyToday's virtual Pink Jersey Adriano Malori was the Lantern Rouge in the 2010 Tour de France.

Stage 7

Stage 7 (are we really a week into the Giro already?) extends over 205km between Recanati and Rocca di Cambio (the highest village in the Apennines, where evidence of an earthquake in 2009 can still be seen despite the wealth the Campo Felice ski resort has brought). Like Stage 6, it's rated as a medium mountain stage, but the Cat 3 and Cat 2 along the way are far more like proper mountains than Friday's hills - the Cat 3 rises to 1,190m and the Cat 2 to 1,392m (British fans should remember that this "medium mountain" is 48m higher than Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles). Recanati was established as a city in 1150CE, growing up from villages that formed around three castles and became an independent republic 140 years later, but two necropolises dating from Neolithic times are evidence that the region was inhabited long before that. After a short downhill section over the first 5km, most of the first half of the race heads upwards with five hills leading to Cat 2 Col Galluccio beginning at 96.1km. A fast descent leads into a long climb up an uncategorised mountain topping out at 1,152m 142km into the parcours, then it's downhill for the next 46km to a little hill that comes just before the 800m climb to the final few kilometres. The final 3km of this stage is difficult and makes a sprint finish extremely unlikely: the first 1.38km descends around 70m, then the remainder swings steeply upward and climbs 92m in a little over 1.6km and hits a gradient of 10% over one 100m section 0.5km from the finish line. (Profile, final 3km)

The weather for Stage 7 will be very warm at around 25C with light winds of around 7kph. There's is very little chance of rain anywhere along the parcours and even at altitude the temperature will drop no lower than 15C in the late afternoon.

Tour of Chongming Island Stage 3

Melissa Hoskins

Friday's Stage 3 consisted of eleven laps of a 7.2km urban parcours at Shanghai East Beach, a tricky parcours with a number of tight corners including two leading up to the finish line. Melissa Hoskins won two of the three intermediate sprints, then also won the stage to take back the General Classification lead from Monia Baccaille (MCipollini-Giambenini-Gauss) thanks to first-rate team work by Orica-GreenEDGE who dominated the race from start to end, only allowing Baccaille to take the third intermediate sprint in order to prepare for stage victory when it became apparent that Hoskins needed to win it if she was to win the GC. With 10km to go, they took full control of the peloton and got Hoskins precisely where she needed to be to beat Baccaille, Liebet de Vocht (Rabobank), Shelley Olds (AA Drink-Leontien.nl) and others to the line. After bonification, she wins overall by one second and will now go into Sunday's Chongming World Cup round as a favourite.


Stage 3 Top Ten

  1.  Melissa Hoskins Orica-GreenEDGE 1h58'212

  2.  Monia Baccaille MCipollini-Giambenini-Gauss ST

  3.  Liesbet De Vocht Rabobank ST

  4.  Shelley Olds AA Drink-Leontien.nl ST

  5.  Rochelle Gilmore Faren-Honda ST

  6.  Jessie Maclean Orica-GreenEDGE ST

Chongming World Cup

  7.  Jutatip Maneephan ST

  8.  Xin Liu China Chongming-Giant Pro Cycling ST

  9.  Romy Kasper RusVelo ST

  10.  Emilie Moberg Hitec Products-Mistral Home ST

(Full stage results)

Overall General Classification Top Ten

  1.  Melissa Hoskins Orica-GreenEDGE 6h44'49"
  2.  Monia Baccaille MCipollini-Giambenini-Gauss +1"
  3.  Liesbet De Vocht Rabobank +26"
  4.  Shelley Olds AA Drink-Leontien.nl +27"
  5.  Rochelle Gilmore Faren-Honda +30"
  6.  Jutatip Maneephan +36"
  7.  Emilie Moberg Hitec Products-Mistral Home ST
  8.  Xin Liu China Chongming-Giant Pro Cycling ST
  9.  Romy Kasper RusVelo ST
  10.  Jessie Maclean Orica-GreenEDGE ST
(Full GC results)



Halfords Tour and Johnson HealthTech GP
The third Halfords Tour Series gets underway next week, once again bringing exciting short-course criterium cycling into the heart of several British cities. The format is simple: set out a tight, fast urban parcours and then have the ten teams (CyclePremier-Kovert Racing, Endura Racing, Herbalife-Leisure Lakes, Hope Factory Racing, IG-Sigma Sport, Metaltek-Scott, Node4-Giordana, Raleigh-GAC, Rapha-Condor-Sharp and UK Youth, guest teams to be announced) battle it out and declare the team with the lowest cumulative score for their first three riders over the finish line the winner. That this works is made evident by the fact that not only has the series has been extended from eight races last year to twelve for 2012, television coverage proved popular last year with an average of almost a quarter of a million viewers for each race; which has encouraged ITV4 to provide a one-hour highlights programme for each meet this year.

Halfords Tour Series
1. Tuesday, May 15 - Kirkcaldy (ITV4 May 16 10pm)
2. Thursday, May 17 - Durham (ITV4 May 18 8pm)
3. Tuesday, May 22 - Oxford (ITV4 May 23 8pm)
4. Thursday, May 24 - Redditch (ITV4 May 25 8pm)
5. Friday, May 25 - Aberystwyth (ITV4 May 28 8pm)
6. Tuesday, May 29 - Peterborough (ITV4 May 30 8pm)
7. Thursday, May 31 - Canary Wharf, London (ITV4 June 1 8pm)
8. Tuesday, June 5 - Torquay (ITV4 June 6 8pm)
9. Thursday, June 7 - Colchester (ITV4 June 8 8pm)
10. Tuesday, June 12 - Woking (ITV4 June 13 8pm)
11. Thursday, June 14 - Stoke-on-Trent team time trial (ITV4 June 15 10pm)
12. Thursday, June 14 - Stoke-on-Trent (ITV4 June 15 10pm)


In 2011, the four-round Johnson HealthTech Women's GP Series was run alongside the Halfords Tour, using the same infrastructure and parcours. It too proved enormously successful and has been extended to five rounds this year as a result. Helped enormously by TV coverage (again provided as part of ITV4's Halfords Tour programmes for 2012), the series has done an excellent job of raising the profile of women's racing and the athletes who took part, so much so that Johnson HealthTech managing director Jon Johnston is proudly able to claim that the series encouraged the formation of several new teams. So there we go - proof that if men's and women's races work together, everyone wins. Get to it, Tour of Britain.


A full list of teams competing in the GP has yet to be published, thus far For Viored, Node4-Giordana and Matrix Fitness-Prendas are confirmed.


Johnson HealthTech GP Series
1. Tuesday, May 22 - Oxford
2. Tuesday, May 29 - Peterborough
3. Thursday, June 7 - Colchester
4. Tuesday, June 12 - Woking
5. Thursday, June 14 - Stoke-on-Trent


Ex-Astana boss: "Alberto rode the 2010 Tour de France clean"

Ex-Astana manager Yvon Sanquer, who left the Kazakh-registered team in 2010 at the same time as Alberto Contador left for SaxoBank, is convinced that the Spanish rider did not dope at the Tour de France that year.

"I had paid a lot of attention to the doping issue at Astana," he told Cycling News. "Alberto rode the 2010 Tour de France clean. From where we started in October 2009 until the win in July, a lot of good work was done.

Lance Armstrong: "In my mind, I’m truly done. You can interpret that however you want."
In an interview with Men's Journal, seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong says that he will not fight any future doping investigations - which has inspired at least one website, Velonation, to ask in a roundabout way if this could be indication that the Texan is tired of lying.

Far be it from this blog to defend Armstrong - who, while I happen to dislike the man, has never been proved to have doped and is therefore in my opinion innocent unless anyone ever produces reliable evidence to suggest otherwise - but, as is almost invariably the case, reading between the lines reveals nothing blank space into which can be inserted any sort of meaning that takes the reader's fancy. When asked, for example,  how he would feel were he to be stripped of his seventh Tour victory, he answers: "I wouldn't be unhappy." Does that mean he knows he doesn't deserve it? Not necessarily - it can also be read as simply meaning that he's tired of fighting (as he says, "I’m done fighting. I’ve moved on") and would be content with a place in history as a six-time Tour winner.

"We all want to be loved, we all want to be respected, we all want to be thought of as fair and ethical and admirable men," he adds. "But very few people are unimpeachable. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there are always going to be questions."

These sound more like the words of a man who can no longer be bothered with the battle rather than one about to make a confession.

Lincoln Festival of Cycling
818 riders have already signed up to take part in Lincoln's Grand Prix Sportive, with more expected to join on the day - not bad going, considering last year's edition was the first time the event had ever been held.

The sportive is followed on Sunday by the Grand Prix race, now in its 57th year, in which riders complete thirteen laps of a circuit beginning at Yarborough Sports Centre and ending 164km later by the cathedral at the top of the cobbled Michaelgate climb, which rivals the climbs of the Flanders Classics with its maximum gradient of 16.2%. (More sportive details and entry forms)

Box Hill hit by graffiti "artist"
Shock! Horror! Some ne'er-do-well crept up Box Hill last night with a can of white paint and painted a big - er - male reproductive organ on the road! The crudely depicted genitalia appears to be about six metres in length, probably in an attempt to make it unmistakable for the helicopters filming the Olympic road race. Police say they have no idea who the culprit may have been, but confirm that having had a look at the crime scene they've ruled absolutely anyone with any artistic talent out of the investigation.

British cycling fans, well-used to seeing the sort of things that those uncouth Continental types scrawl over the roads at the Grand Tours, are not particulary offended - in fact, most are more surprised that it doesn't seem to have been done using LOCOG-approved graffiti paint (available from official suppliers throughout Britain for only ten times the price of any other sort of paint*).

Of course, it might also be a comment on the recent announcement that anyone wishing to see the race from the best spots on the hill will have to pay. Tickets priced at £10-£15 are, not unexpectedly, available from LOCOG - the money-grabbing cocks.

(Related: "Surrey Police warning over London 2012 cycle race tickets" BBC / "Cycling is free. Someone forgot to tell the Olympic organisers" The Guardian)

*Thanks, @redster73 ;-)

Other News
"Bedford 2-Day round up" (On The Drops)

"Cycling Derby calls for urgent help to save city's planned velodrome" (road.cc)

"Welcome to the Hope Show" (Kathryn Bertine, ESPNW)

"Geox to return to cycling?" (Cycling News)

"John-Lee Augustyn takes indefinite break from pro career" (Velonation)

"Howe and Atkins dispute events after Speed Week crash, USA Cycling to investigate alleged deliberate take down" (Cycling News)

"Cyclists call for 250-metre track" (NationNews, Barbados)

"Cycling: Shepley cyclist Leon Gledhill wins gold in London Schools Games" (Huddersfield Examiner)

Cycling
Bike locks cut at Cambridge station
Cambridge's train station has been crying out for new bike park facilities for years - the sheer number of bikes used daily in the city means that very often all the spaces are filled with riders having to search out lamp-posts on nearby streets, blocking paths and creating friction with pedestrians - so the news that things would be improved with the multi-million pound CB1 redevelopment of the area was very welcome indeed. Therefore, the recent installation of new bike racks - including two-tier models, which vastly increase capacity - was not before time.  However, the installation of the new racks, which was carried out by Cambridgeshire County Council on behalf of rail operator Greater Anglia, has been called into question by several cyclists who returned to where their bikes had been left and discovered that their locks had been cut and their machines placed into storage. Among them was Cambridge's Liberal Democrat MP, keen cyclist Dr. Julian Huppert.

"My bike was left in the section of racks to be removed, although of course I had no idea of this, as there were no signs facing the direction of the bike racks," Dr. Huppert told the Cambridge News. "I came back to see the new racks being put together. I then went to get my bike – and realised that where I’d left it was no longer a bike rack. I did get my bike back, but had to buy a new lock."

"Advance publicity was provided at the station to warn rail passengers of the installation of the new racks and we also consulted with local stakeholders to inform them of the work," a spokesperson for Greater Anglia said - anyone who has ever had to use the city's currently woefully inadequate station (CB1 includes its biggest revamp since 1845) during peak times will be well aware that it becomes so crowded that any sort of publicity could easily be missed. "Any customer who has encountered any problems regarding this matter should contact the station manager at Cambridge, who will be happy to help."

Dr. Huppert: "I am very pleased that the new bike racks are being installed – we desperately need the extra capacity, and I have been working to push this scheme ahead for some time – however, it is a great shame that because not enough signs were put up, people did not realise what would happen, and so needlessly locks had to be cut."

Were you affected and had to buy a new lock? You can contact Greater Anglia via this webpage - make sure you request that they phone you (rather than you phoning National Rail Enquries' rip-off... er... revenue-sharing 0845 customer services number) - and you might just be able to get them to buy you a replacement.

Glos. Police appeal for help in cyclist assault case
Gloucestershire Police are trying to trace a woman who reported on the 28th of January that she had been assaulted by a cyclist who was holding traffic, but didn't leave a name. Seems straightforward so far, doesn't it? The investigation started to get strange when they discovered footage on Youtube, which they believe shows the incident - and reveals that in actual fact, the woman appears to have first assaulted the cyclist, chasing him and trying to push him off his bike and then kicking him after he retaliates.

The incident is thought to have occurred at 12.25pm on the B4425 at Ampney Coln near Bibury. If you recognise the woman or believe you know who may have filmed the incident, Gloucestershire police would like to hear from you - you can contact them by dialing 101 or speak to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Newswire - what you might have missed
Britain
"Your Pictures - Cycling" (BBC)

"Staff and pupils at Crombie, Elrick and Westhill primary schools are celebrating after receiving a national award in recognition of their commitment to cycling" (Donside Piper)

Worldwide
"Local cyclist’s death prompts call for release of provincial cycling strategy" (The Record, Canada)

"Bike thefts feed a vicious cycle" (The Gazette, Canada)

"Aichi school's 'cyclist's license' keeping kids safe" (Japan Times)

Tweets

Hannah Walker ‏ @spannawalkerVery nearly just got wiped out by some tw*t driver. When I got to her at the lights, her excuse was because I dont pay roadtax! #ButIDoIdiot

Not Pat McQuaid ‏ @UCI_OverlordFINALLY. @markcavendish begins the backwards trek to the pastry wagon. I thought we were going to see MountainCav hang with the peloton.

Josh Owen Morris ‏ @JoshOwenMorrisSrsly, Geox's marketing types need a proper slap. Canning so many people's jobs then waltzing back in with another lover a year later?

Marianne Vos ‏ @marianne_vosHow to end up offroad in a road training, part 3874... Note to self: don't take roads not on the map. Note to self 2: watch out for goats;-)

Maxifuel partners Tour of Britain

Maxifuel - "the UK’s preferred endurance brand from sport nutrition experts Maxinutrition," according to the official press release (I rely on tea and cakes personally, but there you have it*) - has announced that it will be the new sports nutrition partner to the Tour of Britain and the Halfords Tour Series. Financial details have not been revealed, but the manufacturer "will provide amateur riders with individually-tailored nutritional support to complement their lifestyle, training and racing schedules as well as support professional participants and race enthusiasts through sampling opportunities at the various events."

"I’d like to welcome Maxifuel to The Tour family of events, and we look forward to working together in what is a very important year for British sport," says Tour director Mick Bennet. "I am sure spectators and our Tour Ride participants will be looking forward to exploring Maxifuel’s range of products with the aim of helping them to improve their performance."

*I also don't win very many races.

Cycling news from around the world 19.04.12

Ricco receives 12-year ban - Martin back on the bike, Leipheimer still off - Prijs stad Roeselare attracts stellar line-up - Halfords Tour to end in Stoke with a tribute to Tommy Godwin - Meersman and Van de Walle out of La Doyenne - Will Holczer "walk away" from Katusha? - Cycling in the News

Ricco receives 12-year ban
Ricardo Ricco, the Italian rider who was thrown out of the 2008 Tour de France and banned for 20 months  after testing positive for EPO derivative CERA, then sacked by Vacansoleil-DCM in February 2011 when a self-administered  transfusion using blood more than three weeks old left him close to death, has been handed a twelve-year ban by the Italian National Anti-Doping Tribunal at the request of the National Olympic Committee. Now aged 28, the ban virtually guarantees the end of his career. (More from Velonation)

See also: UCI and WADA explain recent decisions, bans and rule changes

Tony Martin's been for a ride

Martin back in the saddle, Leipheimer still out
Omega Pharma-QuickStep's Tony Martin has ridden his bike for the first time since an accident last week that left him, in his own words, with his face "totally smashed," but he's quick to point out that he's a long way from returning to full training. Hit by a car during a training ride, the German sustained fractures to his cheekbone, eye socket and lower mandible.

"I pedalled for 30 minutes yesterday on a bike path near home and today I went out again riding my bike for about an hour," says the 26-year-old current World Time Trial Champion. "Obviously, these aren't training sessions, but just some pedalling to get used to the bicycle and the road again. I am trying to listen to my body and I'm pedalling without taking any type of risk. It's a very pleasant feeling, especially thinking about the fact that a week ago I was lying in a hospital bed. Right now I am focusing on my body and I am only thinking about recovering fully. I will start more intense training sessions only when I feel like I'm ready for it and the team's medical staff will say it is ok to do so."

Things aren't going so well for Levi Leipheimer

Meanwhile, team mate Levi Leipheimer has been unable to get on his bike since an accident on the 1st of April in which he too was hit by a car. Now aged 38, Leipheimer turned professional fufteen years ago and is one of the oldest riders in the Pro Tour peloton - his slow recovery will almost inevitably lead some to wonder if his retirement may be imminent.

"The situation isn't pleasant at all," Leipheimer explained. "Ever since the day of the accident I haven't managed to get back on my bike out on the road, and I honestly don't know when that will be possible. Recovery is slower than we expected. I still have pain in my leg and I'm having trouble walking. I also have pain in my ribs and hips due to the fall, this is limiting my movement. The Tour of California was one of the objectives for my season - I wanted to be competitive in order to win a fourth overall title. At this point, merely participating will be a success. I will put in my best effort to manage to be on the starting line, even though it won't be easy."

Omega Pharma-QuickStep will provide further updates on both riders' health nest week.

Prijs stad Roeselare attracts perhaps the finest line-up so far this year
La Doywhat? If you want to see a selection of world-class cyclists gathered together in one place, then Roeselare in West Flanders (hometown of Jean-Pierre "Jempi" Monseré) is the place to be this Sunday. Point your camera in any direction you like and you'll have a reasonably high chance of getting at least one of the world's finest professional cyclists in the frame, because this year's edition of the Prijs stad Roeselare has attracted what may be the most illustrious start list seen thus far this season.

Want to see the best bikers in the business? Look to
Flanders this weekend

Among them: Amber Neben, Ina-Yoko Teutenberg, Chloe Hosking, Clara Hughes, Eleonora van Dijk, Ashleigh Moolman, Megan Guarnier, Nicole Cooke, Rochelle Gilmore, Pia Pensaari, Monique van de Ree, Adrie Visser, Evelyn Arys, Emma Trott, Laura Trott, Sharon Laws, Marijn de Vries, Shelly Olds, Kirsten Wild, Lizzie Armitstead, Loes Gunnewijk, Amanda Spratt, Shara Gillows, Emma Johansson, World Champion Giorgia Bronzini, Annemiek van Vleuten, Iris Slappendel, Sarah Duster, Liebeth de Vocht and Marianne Vos. There could not be a more cast iron guarantee of first-rate bike racing than that. (Full provisional start list here)

The parcours is 129.5km in length and features a number of challenging climbs after an initial flatter section including Kemmelberg, the hill that hits a gradient of 15% and familiar from Gent-Wevelgem, Scherpenberg (max. 17%) , Schomminkelberg (max. 13%), Rodeberg (max. 16%) and several others before riders complete three laps of an 8.9km circuit.

The legendary Tommy Godwin

Halfords Tour to end in Stoke-on-Trent with a TT in honour of Tommy Godwin
Stoke-on-Trent has been selected to host the final of this year's Halfords Tour on the 14th of June, the already-legendary urban race series that pits riders against one another on short, tight city circuits that allow fans - and, crucially, TV cameras - to see the peloton pass by several times, thus negating the age old "two hours of waiting for ten seconds of excitement" problem.

Equally legendary is Tommy Godwin, who was born in Stoke in 1912. Godwin's cycling achievements are remarkable - he won his first race, a 40km time trial, at the age of 14 on a heavy delivery bike he'd modified by hacksawing off the metal luggage racks. In 1939, he cycled 120,805km in 365 days. Almost seven-and-a-half decades later in the present day, that record remains unbroken. A time trial named in his honour will form part of the event, followed by the final of the Johnson HealthTech women's series won last year by Helen Wyman (who, as six-time National CX Champion, is also something of a legend).

Meersman and Van de Walle to miss La Doyenne
Lotto-Belisol's Gianni Meersman has been found to have an accumulation of fluid in his knee, an indication that the joint has been overworked and forcing the team to pull him from their  Liège-Bastogne-Liège selection. If he doesn't recover in time, he also won't be able to start the Tour de Romandie, which would leave him unprepared for the upcoming Giro d'Italia. Jurgen van de Walle, who badly bruised his ribs in a crash at La Flèche Wallonne, is also out for the time being; leaving Lotto's La Doyenne line-up looking at present to be Jurgen Van den Broeck, Jelle Vanendert, Dennis Vanendert, Gaëtan Bille, Brian Bulgaç, Bart De Clercq, Francis De Greef and Gert Dockx.

Newswire
Cycling News says that at Katusha manager Hans-Michael Holczer told them in January that if the team were to be hit by two or three doping scandals it would be "time to walk away." With Denis Galimzyanov's recent confession, the magazine contacted Holczer to ask if he'd be leaving... (More from Cycling News)

"Neenan Travel and their Tour Operating Division Breakaway.ie today announced their sponsorship of Cycling Ireland’s Girls Talent Team 2020, the newly formed high performance squad which is ultimately aimed at preparing Irish female youth cyclists for the 2020 Olympic Games..." (Irish Cycling)

"Nicole Cooke's bid to stake a claim for leadership of the British cycling road race team at the London Olympics suffered a blow yesterday when she failed to finish the latest round of the women’s World Cup..." (Wales Online)


"A total of 120 cyclists comprising 20 teams including a Sabah team have confirmed to compete in Sabah's first international cycling road race, the Tour of Borneo 2012 to commence from April 27 to May 1..." (Daily Express of East Malaysia)

"The Coventry Sports Trust is to lay on more indoor cycling classes to cope with soaring demand..." (Coventry Telegraph)

Review: Carrera Virtuoso

Want a review of the latest 2012/2013 Virtuoso? Click here.

Like a lot of cycling websites and magazines, we've been guilty of concentrating on the expensive bikes and ignoring the affordable ones that are the only bikes many people can afford or are willing to buy. However, we have an advantage here - this blog has only been in existence for a fortnight so we can put it right at an early enough stage to redress the balance a little. That's why we're going to have a look at the Carrera Virtuoso. We've owned a few Carreras over the years and been quite impressed overall (the same is not true of the Apollo range, which are dreadful even for what they cost), but have noticed a lot of variation in the quality of Halford's mechanics - some of them are excellent, others are dire and so it's definitely worthwhile getting someone who knows bikes to give your Virtuoso a quick once-over if you're new to the sport and not talented with the spanners.

Carrera bikes are produced by Merida, an enormous company (Taiwan's 15th largest) who have been making bikes since 1972. Originally concentrating on low-end, cheap products, they've recently begun moving into the high-end  bikes, including Boardman Bikes since buying the company established by Olympic gold winner Chris Boardman (who continues producing bikes under the Boardman Elite brand) and own 19% of Specialized, an acquisition which has allowed them access to technology developed by one of the top bike companies in the world. The Carrera range is priced between Boardman Bikes and Halford's budget Apollo range, at an equal point to many of the Kona and GT bikes they also stock.

The first thing to spring to mind when we went to have a look at the Virtuoso in our local Halfords BikeHut is that it's really not a very attractive bike. There's something distinctly shoddy-looking about the top tube/seat tube/chain stays cluster, the forks look like they come from a bike 30 years ago (and being hi-tensile steel is going to be heavy too) and the paint scheme is nothing short of hideous. However, with a price of just £299.99 online - expect to pay more in the store, up to £379.99 - you're not going to get hand-crafted carbon loveliness and would be an idiot to expect as much. The frame is knocked up out of 7005 aluminium/magnesium/zinc alloy, which Halfords describe as lightweight - however, the primary reason behind 7005's composition is to make an aluminium alloy that can be easily welded rather than one that's light, thus allowing the production of welded aluminium products at a lower cost and hence retail price. This doesn't mean it's going to be heavy - it's still aluminium, after all - but the chief reason for choosing the alloy was to bring the bike in at a set manufacturing cost rather than a set weight. Whatever - 10.5kg ain't bad and whilst it might feel heavy to anyone used to a more expensive bike (in other words, the sort of people who won't be buying this one) it'll feel nimble to the noobs and positively anorexic to anyone giving road bikes a go after riding supermarket mountain bike-alikes. The short stays, described by Halfords as "semi-compact," ought to create a stiff and nippy bike which in the hands of a reasonably fit rider will be able to keep up with the rest, even if doing so requires a bit more effort. Fairly slack geometry will make it comfortable ride, highly suited to the first-timers who don't want to have to think about their feet getting in the way of the front wheel.

Kit-wise, everything is much as it should be for under three hundred quid. Dual pivot Tektro 510A brakes at both ends look the part and will do the business provided the Halfords greasemonkey shows the owner how to keep them in tune when the free six week service comes around. Surprisingly, the rest of the bits aren't unbranded or in-house items - most of it's made by Kalloy who produce perfectly serviceable gear - including the seat pillar (which taller riders will need to change: the length isn't given, but it's a recurring point in Halfords' user reviews. Friendlier Halfords bods might be happy to do that at point of sale if you ask nicely) and the handlebars. The stem is Kalloy too, but the 1.125" headset appears to be a no-namer.

The gear shifters are, of course, Shimano; coming in the form of the budget 2200 range which look alright from a distance but are a bit plasticky up close. The Big S don't make any crap gear shifters these days though, so provided the owner keeps the cables taut and the derailleurs adjusted they ought to keep working more or less as well as when new. Halfords don't say what the derailleurs are, but we'd be pretty confident in guessing the rear one'll be be Shimano RD-2200 and the front one a bottom-of-the-Shimano range model. An in-house saddle will be fine for short rides, but if you want to use this bike for 60km+ runs you'll be wanting to upgrade as soon as possible. If you don't need a longer seat pillar, try your luck in getting Halfords to give you one. There's no harm in asking.

The chainset is something called a Pro Wheel Gloria Compact. We have no idea who Pro Wheel are (nor who Gloria is, for that matter), but the 50-36 combinations will be sufficient for the sorts of stuff this bike will get up to. The bottom bracket isn't listed, but once again we'll guess a low-cost Shimano of some variety. A Shimano 8 speed block and freehub will do what nature intended for a year or so and can then be upgraded if desired. The wheelset, 36-spoked double-wall alloy jobs, should be strong enough for most riders but won't do the bike any favours in the green light drag race - they probably account for a fair old chunk of the total weight.

There's just two places where the Virtuoso lets itself down, and these are the pedals and the tyres. Of course, most expensive bikes don't come with pedals at all and the ones bolted to this one are probably just some cheapos that had been knocking about in the warehouse for a bit because those not in the know would be put off were no pedals fitted. Whatever they are, they're horrible resin ones and spinning them on the shop display bike revealed some dirt-cheap clunky bearings. The toe clips and straps are horrible too. Some riders will swap them for clipless, but most will probably just pull off the straps, break off the plastic clips and use them as flats. The tyres are just as bad, being weighty Innova models - the one good thing about these is they'll probably wear fairly quickly and since the bike's pretty good overall, the owner will go and buy some better ones instead of leaving it in the shed and forgetting about it. One owner review says the front tyre "came loose," which suggests low quality and rubbish beads.

On the whole, owner reviews are positive with most stating it's a fast bike - those who've upgraded to clipless pedals are especially impressed and only one reviewer - who says he's used his for triathlon, a purpose for which this bike is definitely not intended - says he wouldn't recommend it to a friend.

Conclusion: you can't really give the Virtuoso a mark out of ten if you compare it to the expensive top-end bikes because it's not one - it's always going to be a £300 budget bike. However, you're getting something damn good for that amount of money. Most of them will be bought by new-comers to road cycling and there's no doubt at all that they're going to get the road biking bug as a result, which will see them start looking for a better, pricier bike in a year or two and pass this one on to the next in line. Mission accomplished, it seems, so we're giving it 7.5/10. If they sorted the pedals, fork and tyres it'd be an easy 9. If you want one, you might even find it's a bit cheaper when you go to buy yours - it's been around for three years now and Halfords will be wanting to clear them out ready for a replacement sooner or later.