Author: Sean Leckey

Staged in the stunning Yorkshire Dales National Park, the 3 peaks is the toughest cyclo-cross race of the year

Now in its 57th year, the 3 peaks offers a unique spectacle and is definitely worth a day out to spectate

We have a number of riders taking part in this year’s race including Giles Drake, who finished on the podium last year as he took an impressive third place behind multiple 3 peaks winners Paul Oldham and Rob Jebb. Wheelbase riders David Duggan and Davie Lines will also be taking to the start line in Helwith Bridge.

The 3 peaks is a cyclo-cross race like no other. There’s over 1500m of vertical ascent in the course of 68km as riders summit the peaks of Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-Y-Ghent. In between peaks there are sections of road, unsurfaced bridleways and 6-8km of completely unrideable terrain, where riders will have to shoulder their bikes and walk or run. This is a totally unique event which each year provides a great spectacle. If the distance, terrain and cumulative ascent weren’t enough then throw in some likely inhospitable late-September Yorkshire weather and there’s a recipe for a gruelling but spectacular bike race.

This year’s race takes place this coming Sunday, 15th September. Riders will roll out from Helwith Bridge at 9:30am. More information can be found on the 3 peaks official website

Photography from Cadence Images who will be at the race again this year

The pros came back and the good people of Cumbria, Yorkshire and the North Pennines came out!

Fantastic crowds lined the Queens stage of the 2019 Tour of Britain, starting in Gateshead and finishing in Kendal, the home of Wheelbase Lake District.

Dutch sensation Mathieu van der Poel took victory with a blistering attack on the famed climb of Beast Banks in Kendal town centre. The win and subsequent 10 second time bonus was enough for van der Poel to take the overall lead from Mitchelton Scott rider Matteo Trentin. The Corendon Circus rider is honing his form ahead of this year’s World Championships in Yorkshire where he’ll start as one of the outstanding race favourites.

The riders were treated to some of our best roads as the race passed through Kirkby Stephen, Sedbergh and into Dentdale where they were met with the brutal slopes of the final SKODA King of the mountains climb at Gawthrop. A flurry of attacks went on the steep gradients but nobody was able to make it stick and the peloton all came into Kirkby Lonsdale together before the final stretch into Kendal. As the road rose out of Kirkby British rider James Shaw was one of the protagonists in forming a three-man break which managed to get away until the foot of the final climb of Beast Banks. It was at this point with only 500m remaining that they were caught by the bunch and van der Poel launched the race winning move.

Photography from swpix.com

 

While the British UCI teams honed their form for the upcoming Tour of Britain, the Bourne Classic was one of the last races of the season for our Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli riders and a chance to post a strong result.

Rider report from our U23 rider Tom Martin from Cumbria:

‘On Sunday we headed south for 175km of racing at the Bourne Classic run in association with Bourne cycling, this was the first time the event has taken place.  The race used some of the roads used in the well known Cicle Classic, a race described as the UK’s Paris-Roubaix.

The race had a very strong start last with most of the big British teams having riders in it, some using this as their final preparation for the Tour or Britain.

We had a strong 7 man squad ourselves with:

• Will Turner – u23
• Matt Clarke
• Finn Crockett – u23
• Ben Barlow – u23
• Ben Granger – u23
• Tom Martin – u23
• Frazer Martin

The race was on from the gun with repeated attacks from riders trying to get up the road early, the fast, twist rolling roads favours a breakaway as you are quickly out of sight. We had riders in pretty much every move, as people attacked off the front many were going out the back and with a 100 rider peloton on small lanes being at the front was key.

A group of 3 went away up the road coming into a big country estate that we went through 3 times. With cross winds, a poor road surface and an uphill drag it made for real hard racing through the grounds of the estate and many riders were dropped at this point.

One of the in-form riders being watched was Damien Clayton of Ribble, he attacked over a short climb and I went with him and a few more followed with one of them being fellow Wheelbase rider Finn Crockett. We had a good group of 10 before more joined us including Will Turner and Frazer Martin from Wheelbase, we caught the 3 riders up the road and had a minute gap on the remaining peloton but unfortunately due to the lack of cooperation in the break and Swift Pro Carbon leading the chase behind it came back together again.

As soon as it came back together more attacks went but nothing stuck. Again all of us were trying to go with the moves. I know I cooked myself a bit doing this but I didn’t want miss the move that would stay away.

The race split going through the estate for the 2nd time, about 130km into the race. A group of 10 went clear, we thankfully had Ben Granger in it. Myself, Matt Clarke and Finn Crockett were in the group behind and chased hard to get back on, we got back in contact with the group but unfortunately I cramped 20km to the finish due to dehydration… something I’ve learnt from.

I limited my losses and got to the finish off the back of the front group. We still had Matt, Ben and Finn at the front and it all kicked off going through the estate for the final time with it splintering into small groups before battling to the finish.’

Results:

Matt Clarke 12th

Ben Granger 17th

Finn Crockett 24th

Tom Martin 32nd

Another great race from the Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli lads, holding our own and being active throughout the race.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page for Ex Team Cannondale Super Six bikes coming on sale soon!

The second annual Kendal Cycle Club and Wheels 4 All Family Ride.

This is a great way to keep in the cycling mood after the Tour of Britain comes to town earlier in the week!

The 12 mile route leaves from Mapdec Cycle Works and follows the quiet undulating country lanes to WHEELBASE in Staveley Mill Yard for a feed stop and then returns, with an optional hill climb up Potter Fell Road.

Sign on is from 12.15pm with riders leaving Mapdec at 1pm.

Please note that the Kendal Cycle Club Go Ride annual family bike ride is NOT a lead ride. The route is on quite country roads, but there will be some traffic on the route. There will be signs and friendly marshals along the route, but you are responsible for the safety of your own family and navigating along the route.

Kendal Cycle Club Family Sportive
Sunday 15th Sept 2019, from 12.15pm
12 Miles
Route: https://tinyurl.com/y5dmwxr2

Start: Mapdec Cycle Works – Kendal, Westmorland Business Park, Kendal LA9 6NS
Feed station: Wheelbase Lake district, Staveley LA8 9LR

Cost: Kids £5.00 and accompanying adults free. Sign up on the day. All children need a responsible adult with them. Non members most welcome!

Britain’s biggest bike race is coming back to Cumbria

For the 4th time in the race’s history Kendal will feature as a host venue with stage 4 finishing up the steep climb of Beast Banks.

Stage 4 of the race sets off from Gateshead in the North East, crosses the northern Pennines and winds into Cumbria before finishing on the 500m, 11% average Beast Banks in Kendal town centre. The stage takes place on Tuesday 10th September and will hopefully build on a legacy of Tour of Britain stages taking place in Cumbria. In last year’s ToB, Cumbria hosted two full stages when the peloton traversed the national park from Barrow in the south up to Whinlatter Forest in the north in addition to a team time trial which started in Cockermouth. This year’s stage 4 will undoubtedly be one of the toughest in modern history as it packs in around 3000m during its 171.5km route including an ascent of the Gawthrop climb as the race enters climb along with the final steep ascent of Beast Banks in Kendal.

We’ll be showing the stage live in our Staveley store which is only 5 miles away from the stage finish in Kendal. World Tour teams including Team Ineos, Team Jumbo – Visma and EF Education First will be racing on roads we know well before the week-long race finishes in Manchester on Saturday 14th September.

Photography from SWPIX

The all-new #YetiSB165 has landed in store boasting 180 up front and 165 in the rear this is a go anywhere, ride anything bike.

The slackest in the new 2020 Yeti line up, with the most travel. Coil-shock only. For the steepest. The angriest. And the most vengeful terrain. Bring it on.

With 165mm of suspension in the rear and 180mm FOX Factory Grip 2 damper up front, the SB165 is the slackest sled in Yeti’s line. The progressive geometry features a longer reach, steeper seat angle (77 degrees) and a slacker head angle (63.5 degrees) combined with a shorter offset fork. Tuned for a coil or high-volume air shock, the SB165 is the most progressive bike in their line.

The SB165 T2, Yeti’s most popular kit, is spec’d for steep descents and technical, big consequence riding – 200mm rotors and SRAM Code RSC brakes, custom DT Swiss EX 1700 wheels are stiff and durable, and the OneUp Bash Guide keeps it all together in rough terrain. It has water bottle brackets in the main frame, internal routing and an optional shuttle protector. Optional, because some people might just leave the truck at home from now on.

Yeti SB165 Key Features:

• Switch Infinity patented suspension system.
• High modulus carbon fibre main frame and swing arm.
• Integrated ISCG-05 mounts.
• Tapered integrated headtube (41mm/52mm).
• Custom down tube protector, chain guards, and optional shuttle guard.
• Internally moulded carbon tubes inside of frame for hassle-free cable routing.
• Integrated axle and derailleur hanger system.
• Boost hub spacing, front and rear.
• Clearance for standard sized water bottle inside mainframe.
• Lifetime Warranty.

The SB165 and all 2020 bikes are covered by Yeti’s no-BS Lifetime Warranty and available to order online.

 

Launched ahead of this year’s Tour de France, Cube’s flagship race bike has undergone a serious aero makeover.

Cube’s newest iteration of the Litening is built to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible, it’s a bike designed for racers. The standout features of the new models include an integrated bar and stem, fully internal cable routing and the fact that it’s only available with disc brakes. Like the majority of road bike manufacturers, Cube are of the belief that the rim brake is a thing of the past and have designed the new Litening frame solely around disc brakes.

By utilising their experience from the standard-setting Aerium time trial bike, Cube were able to follow a similar process involving Computer Fluid Dynamics and wind tunnel testing when designing the new Litening. The result is a frame with a 30% reduction in drag and crafted from the next-generation C:68X carbon fibre, Cube even say it’s designed to be minimally affected by crosswinds.

The fully UCI-compliant chassis design integrates frame, fork, stem, handlebar and seat post into a structure that’s as efficient through the air as possible. It’s also highly configurable to suit every race and rider – internal cable routing for Sram and Shimano electronic gears is standard, as is a removable front derailleur mount, and there are multiple bottle positions available and the frame has clearance for up to 28mm tyres.

The Bikes

Cube Litening C:68X SLT

Cube Litening C:68X SL

Cube Litening C:68X Race

Cube Litening C:68X Pro

Go-Anywhere, Do-Anything Workhorse

Ridden by Kona’s Enduro World Series Team riders, the Process is proven on the trickiest tracks in the world. For 2020 Kona have expanded the Process lineup to 14 bikes, adding a shorter travel option to complement the established longer travel models.

The Process 134 represents years of engineering, testing, and industrial design to create the perfect balance of trail, all-mountain, and pure shred machine.

The Lineup

Process 134 CR/DL 29

Topping the range is the CR/DL 29 model with a full carbon frame, 140mm RockShox Pike Ultimate 2 fork and a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate rear shock. Taking a lower/slacker geometry from the Process 111 but retaining the fun-ride feel of a classic Kona, the Process 134 CR/DL 29 represents four years of design iterations, mechanical engineering and real-world testing.

Process 134 CR 29

Featuring a Fox Performance 34 fork and Performance Elite DPX2 rear shock, the 134 CR 29er comes with 140mm of travel up front and 134mm in the rear. This is a do-everything shorter travel bike with a high quality carbon frame and a RockShox Reverb dropper post that makes it ready to rip out of the box.

Process 134 DL 29

Pairing the legendary Process geometry with a SRAM GX/NX Eagle drivetrain makes climbing on this bike a breeze while the combination of a RockShox Pike Select fork and highly tuneable RockShox Deluxe Ultimate trunnion mounted shock keeps the ride plush and playful.

Process 134 29

A super versatile bike at a great price – Fox Performance suspension up front and in the rear smooths out the gnarliest bumps and a SRAM SX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain delivers efficiency on the climbs and the all-new WTB ST i30 TCS rims are strong and light.

Process 134 DL 27.5

The smaller-wheeled sibling to the Process 134 DL 29, this model features all of the same high-end components built around a Kona 6061 aluminium frame.

Process 134 27.5

An affordable build puts the money where it matters – suspension, brakes and drivetrain. This model is the go-to for those preferring a 27.5″ wheel.

 

Light. Fast. Timeless.

For the past four decades, Cannondale have pioneered the way for high performance aluminium frames and the all-new CAAD13 is the most advanced one yet. It’s billed as ‘the speediest, smoothest, best handling, finest performing aluminium race bike on the planet.’

 

• CAAD13 is the ultimate alloy race machine. With exceptional efficiency and superb handling, it out-performs most carbon — at an aluminum price.
• With every new CAAD we design, speed increases. The same can’t be said for weight. Drag-reducing tube shapes and sleek integration keeps the CAAD13 light but make it much, much faster.
• Dropped rear stay configuration and ample room for bigger tires delivers the best possible blend of stiff efficiency and unbeatable comfort in an alloy road racer.

CAAD13 Disc Force eTap AXS

CAAD13 Disc Ultegra

CAAD13 Disc Women’s 105

CAAD13 Ultegra

CAAD13 Disc 105

CAAD13 Women’s 105

CAAD13 105

 

There were some impressive performances from our Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli riders at the inaugural Cycle 360 Manx International Stage Race on the Isle of Man at the weekend.

The four-stage, three-day stage race kicked off on Friday evening with a 35 mile kermesse race before riders faced an uphill time trial on Saturday morning. The racing continued on Saturday afternoon with a 64.5 mile road race before concluding on Sunday with a brutal 133 mile race to determine the overall winner.

The first stage was fast from the gun and finished in a bunch sprint which was won by Ed Clancy OBE of Vitus Pro Cycling. A couple of our lads came home in the second group on the road, only a few seconds down on the winner. The stage two time trial was a 3.8 mile timed hill climb which began to shape the GC before Saturday afternoon’s stage three set things into place for the final road race on Sunday. It was stage three where our riders shone brightest with Scottish hardman Davie Lines making it into a five-man breakaway that was eventually brought back to set up a bunch finish in which our under-23 rider Harry Hardcastle sprinted to third place, an incredible result against the UK’s elite riders.

Next up for the team is the Ryedale Grand Prix in North Yorkshire on Sunday 18th August, the final round in the HSBC UK | National Road Series.

Photography from swpix.com