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The in-depth story of Remco Evenepoel the footballer, as told by teammates and coaches

From CyclingWeekly.com

BY CHRIS MARSHALL-BELL

Remco Evenepoel has won the 2022 Vuelta a España. In this coming Thursday’s Cycling Weekly magazine (Sept 15), we are publishing an in-depth feature exploring untold stories of his final years as a footballer and his first two years as a cyclist. Before he turned pro as a cyclist, he played football in his youth, playing for Belgium’s U15 and U16 teams.

Here is an extended version of an extract from the article, focusing solely on Evenepoel’s years as a footballer.

You can read the Making of Remco in Cycling Weekly, on sale September 15.

There’s one thing you ought to know about Remco Evenepoel the footballer: he was not a world-beater. “I don’t really have a recollection of Remco being a man of the match because he was not the most decisive player,” his longtime coach Stéphane Stassin reveals. “He was technically gifted but not one of the most technically gifted.”

That’s not to say, however, that Evenepoel – a defensive midfielder who could also operate at left-back – was a expendable figure. In fact, it was quite the opposite – he was the first name on the team sheet, whether turning out for the youth teams of RSC Anderlecht, PSV Eindhoven or the Belgian national team from the ages of 5 to 16.

Zorhan Bassong, who was part of the same youth team set-up at Anderlecht as Evenepoel, recalls how, aged 15 or 16, Evenepoel was sidelined with a knee injury. “When he was out, you could see directly that the team weren’t playing as well on the field,” the Canadian, now playing for CF Montréal in the MLS, tells Cycling Weekly.

“That wasn’t because of his talent – he was talented, but there were better guys – but because of the energy he brought to the field, his voice, his leadership. The team was more confident when he was around.

“He wouldn’t shout ‘do this, do that’ to his teammates, but he brought this positive energy. He had this natural confidence of just standing on the pitch and making everyone around him feel secure, more safe. From his body language people would see a naturally confident guy. The whole team knew that when he was there, it would be different.”

Photo by Thomas Serer on Unsplash

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Here are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in September 2022

From Elektrek.co

By Micah Toll

Here at Electrek, we have spent countless hours undertaking detailed hands-on testing of hundreds of electric bikes. Through the thousands of miles at this point, we’ve gotten to know these e-bikes inside and out, top to bottom and front to back. That dedication to real world e-bike testing has helped us find the best electric bicycles on the market for just about any budget.

Below you’ll find some of the top e-bikes we’ve hand-tested for every price range, current as of September 2022. Summer may be coming to an end soon, but many of us still have some riding season ahead of us. One of these electric bikes just might be your next set of wheels to close out some summer fun!

Best electric bikes under $1,000

The sub-$1,000 electric bike category is critical for a few reasons.

First, it’s pretty hard to produce a quality e-bike and sell it for under $1k. Most of the options in this price category make too many sacrifices in quality or longevity to earn a spot on this list as one of “the best”.

Second, many newcomers to the e-bike industry just aren’t prepared to drop several thousand dollars on a brand new concept, making this price range critical for many first time e-bike shoppers.

Fortunately, we’ve found some excellent options for cheap electric bikes that can still save you some serious dough.

Image courtesy of lectricebikes.com

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10 Things I Wish I’d Known When I Started Commuting By Bike

10 years ago our own Simon Richardson got his first proper job in an office, and has since learnt a great deal about cycling to work. He believes it’s the ultimate way to get into the office, and thinks that with a little knowledge it can be very achievable for many commuters! In this video, Si gives you his nuggets of wisdom that he wished he knew when he started commuting by bike.

 

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How to increase the resale value of your bike

From CyclingNews.com

By Joseph Delves

Tips, tricks, and tools to increase the resale value of your bike and ensure you get what it’s really worth when you sell it

For most of us, getting a new bike also means getting rid of the old one, and it’s common sense that if you can maximise the money you receive for flogging your old one, and you’ll have more to spend on the next.

But how do you ensure it’s selling for what it’s really worth? We’ve already gone through the basic explanation of how to sell a used bike, but below we’ve collected tips, tricks and general advice on increasing the resale value of your bike, so that you have more to spend on the next one.

Get the simple things right

Having worked as a bike mechanic, I can tell you that the odds of someone noticing you’ve spent hours rebuilding the internals of some obscure component are minimal. However, everyone notices if you’ve popped some air in the tyres and wiped the frame down.

f you can’t be bothered to do anything else, at least do this. It’ll make any test ride more enjoyable too, and first impressions are key when it comes to the inevitable haggle over price later on.

Invest in tackling key mechanicals

You’ll feel better if you send your bike on in good order, but there’s a balance to be struck. You’re trying to maximise the amount of cash you have available for your next bike, so unless your bike is particularly posh, investing in a full service is unlikely to be economically efficient.

Instead, tackle jobs you can manage yourself. If you’re a competent mechanic, a complete overhaul would be brilliant. Otherwise, make sure everything is safe and works correctly. Our bike maintenance tips will help you cover off what’s needed, but at the very least, ensure there’s life in the brake pads, the chain has been lubricated, and there’s air in the tyres at least.

Photo by Jan Kopřiva on Unsplash

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The Best Gravel Bikes of 2022

From GearPatrol.com

BY

Let’s simplify the booming gravel market to help you find the right bike.

Just like a trip down the cereal aisle at Safeway, searching for the right gravel bike can be overwhelmingly complex. It’s a true paradox of choice — so many options to choose from that you’re liable to give up not long after you start. As a gear tester, I get more notifications about new gravel bikes than skis or puffy jackets, even in the dead of winter. Poke around the interwebs and you’ll see what I mean. But for the uninitiated, the new category in cycling can be both exciting and a little head-scratching: what exactly is a gravel bike?

Photo by Viktor Bystrov on Unsplash

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How To Tune Your Freehub To Be Loud Or Quiet | Maintenance Monday

Noisy freehubs pretty polarising; you either love that zing or hate it’s irritating buzz! However, if you’re not happy with how your freehub sounds you can tune it to make those freehub sound-checks extra spicy! Alex shows you how.

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New to the Adventure Cycling Route Network: Short Routes!

From AdventureCycling.org

Short routes are two- to five-day bicycle routes and itineraries from major metro areas. Crafted with the beginner adventurer in mind, these routes offer fun, accessible ways to shake up the weekend, and experience the surrounding areas at the pace of a pedal stroke.

As a passionate group of bicycle travelers, we are dedicated to making the renewal and accomplishment we feel while touring attainable for everyone. Every day, we gather stories that inspire, produce resources that empower, and provide ways for novices and experts alike to engage with this vibrant community both on and off the road.

Your voice is strong. With a community of voices standing with us, we amplify your strength and put it to work for more miles of improved routes. Our advocacy focuses on four key aspects of bicycle travel: more miles of connected routes, bike-accessible transportation, safer conditions, and bike-friendly services. The aggregate power of our advocacy generates a stronger, more accessible world for all adventurers.

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Shining a Light on the Bicycling Community

From Bicycling.com

By Riley Missel

As the summer evening sky turns from orange to purple to navy, traffic in the Los Angeles bike lanes dwindles until just a few riders remain toodling by, their path unaffected by the surrounding darkness thanks to a single bulb mounted to their forks—a Dynamo light.

This bicycle-mounted beacon is powered by its passenger’s energy to illuminate the road ahead—for the rider and everyone following them. Bike mechanic Jimmy Lizama custom-fits these lights for cyclists out of his Koreatown shop called Relámpago Wheelery, where he builds wheels by hand as well. But according to him, those services just help pay the rent for what he’s really doing there.

“Ultimately, Relámpago is social engagement within the bicycle community,” he said. A Dynamo light of a shop, if you will. Fueled by Lizama’s passion and his surrounding community’s enthusiastic response, Relámpago is illuminating the future of energy use, mobility, and human connection in downtown Los Angeles.

One such way the shop fosters human connection is by hosting mobile karaoke nights. Oh yes, mobile—they hook up a bike trailer to two tandems to serve as the stage, complete with speakers and a microphone. As they tow their singer through the streets of Los Angeles, the audience pedals along behind on their own bikes laughing and singing along. Usually, Relámpago teams up to host these events with other community programs raising awareness for a cause like women’s rights, immigration rights, or water rights. People meet each other, make friends, and find ways they can help each other live better in their community.

Lizama’s goal is to energize his community in the most accessible, sustainable way possible—after a bike. “It amplifies its human’s energy,” he said. His favorite way he sees this concept in motion is on a cargo bike: With simply the power of your legs, you can transport yourself as well as another person, or a bikeload of things.

Photo by Wayne Bishop on Unsplash

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Budget Bike Vs Epic Ultra Gran Fondo | Tour Des Stations

When Ollie finished his ultra gran fondo last year, the first thing that came to Conor’s mind was “if the king of being dropped can finish, it can’t be that hard!”. The Tour des Stations organisers heard about this, and invited Conor along to give it a go, but this time on a budget bike, fully equipped with a Shimano Sora groupset! Will he finish all 8848m of climbing or will Ollie finally have one up on Conor?

 

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Suffering with clunky bike gears? Follow our simple guide to make your shifting smooth again

From CyclingWeekly.com

BY

Smooth and efficient bike gears can make all the difference to the enjoyment and ease of a ride. Although they seem complicated, getting your gears running properly is actually quite simple

Poorly indexed gears can be one of the most frustrating things on a bike, but our step-by-step guide can show you how to adjust your bike gears to get them running smoothly.

Like your brakes, gears on your road bike groupset rely on correct adjustment and the smooth operation of cables to work well.

If you’re buying a second hand bike as your first road bike or dusting off your old steed from the back of the garage, clunky gears are often an issue.

Although they seem complicated, getting your gears running properly is actually quite simple – continue reading to find out how to best go making these adjustments.

Modern gears are indexed — that is to say, as you click the gear lever the front or rear derailleur puts the chain onto the corresponding sprocket or ring. It should do this effortlessly and without any fuss.

It should not go into a different gear position nor should it slip into another gear as you pedal along.

When the gears are working well you cannot shift gear past either the largest or the smallest sprocket or chainring.

Incorrect derailleur adjustment may not sound as dangerous as ineffective brakes, but having a derailleur slip into your spokes, having a chain come off the front chainring, or having your gears slip can potentially result in an accident.

To set-up or adjust your gears you’ll need a small Philips screwdriver and an Allen or Hex key set – the best multi-tools should have you covered if you don’t have a dedicated set of Allen keys.

By Harvey Tan Villarino(opens in a new tab or window) from Pexels

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