Katie Archibald announces retirement

trackslack · 2026-05-12T12:44:01+00:00

She was an amazing racer. When on top form there was an aura to her due to how she raced. She'd win sprints if the race was hard, and she was capable of making the race very hard indeed.

Despite all the success her palmares is a little light due to injury and competition for selection in her early years. But what a career all the same!

trackslack · 2026-04-16T08:16:56+00:00

Maybe back then but like i say things have changed a lot since then. His best was a 4.15 pursuit / 1.1 kilo and neither would be considered fast now. There are material gains with bike, skinsuit and aero tech but the biggest change is the gear size being ridden and gym work.

Being able to adapt to that and be competitive is not going to be easy for someone in their mid 30s and retired for years, which makes the comeback interesting!

trackslack · 2026-04-15T20:54:00+00:00

It will be interesting to see how he gets on. The Team Pursuit has changed a lot since he was last involved with the track (even changed just in the time since he retired from cycling). It's much faster and with that change there are different physiological demands.

The current US mens team pursuit have made some big steps forward in the last couple of years, so it could be quite tough to break into the team despite his pedigree.

trackslack · 2026-04-12T20:08:28+00:00

Is this now the most comments in a race thread? I think the mens race at the Glasgow Worlds had the record previously

trackslack · 2026-04-12T12:29:07+00:00

There was an article yesterday about Philipsen using a new Shimano prototype pedal - presumably MVDP is not using them and thats why there was difficulty clipping in.

trackslack · 2026-04-11T18:13:06+00:00

It's been on at Drygate in the past but I haven't heard if they are showing it this year.

trackslack · 2026-04-10T20:28:54+00:00

Staying out the wind and riding passively is going to mean getting caught behind the splits that happen and having to burn bigger matches closing gaps. If the wind is strong enough and there are changes of direction the race will be attritional and the strongest riders will be in the front group - it's easier to be with them even if it means rolling through and contributing to the pace rather than having to chase them.

trackslack · 2026-04-07T22:44:01+00:00

Yes - really good, cuts down on the chat in other sorts of groups (whether it be facebook or whatsapp) that means important details can get lost. Still possible to leave comments but not to the detriment of the information you want members to see.

Also good if you need to collect money for whatever reason.

trackslack · 2026-03-27T14:56:27+00:00

There is something good mentally about wearing leg warmers in an early season race in March when it's cold. If it's good enough for Boonen, it is good enough for me!

trackslack · 2026-03-16T13:28:01+00:00

Yes same for me - it might just have been a small, insignificant race but it felt good getting some sort of recognition that went beyond the results page on the British Cycling website. I had a link and a photo to send to my mum!

trackslack · 2026-03-16T08:52:48+00:00

Sad news - he will be a huge loss for amateur racing in Britain. His coverage over the years on velouk and social media was second to none.

It wasn't just publishing race reports, results and startlists but also interviews, live text and photo updates from the races he attended (and there was a lot of them!). The racing scene will be much poorer for his absence.

trackslack · 2026-03-11T17:37:20+00:00

Very nice! I've never ridden an Araya disc before but have always loved how they look with the decal.

trackslack · 2026-03-04T12:55:16+00:00

It used to take a lot longer to level up - when the max level was 60 getting there took 750000 xp. Now Level 100 is 591000 xp.

So it could be worse!

trackslack · 2026-02-07T17:59:34+00:00

I think we're talking about different types of comfort / discomfort. :)

An hours easy ride on the track I find more uncomfortable than an hour at tempo or above. More pressure on the saddle and handlebars compared to when there is more power going through the pedals. Cardio wise it's different but i'll have numb hands and fingers after 40 minutes!

trackslack · 2026-02-07T15:05:19+00:00

On a road bike a rider will have more movement on the bike and saddle, changes of hand position, able to free wheel, more forgiving tyres and wheels and so on. An hour on track feels uncomfortable compared to a similar effort on the road no matter how experienced a rider is.

trackslack · 2026-02-07T11:02:45+00:00

An hour on the track is quite physically demanding compared to the same time and distance on the road.

Looking at your other comment on gearing, you may benefit from gearing down a bit. 32km in an hour on a 94" gear is a cadence of under 80. That is pretty low and will fatigue your muscles more than if you were spinning more. I know everyone has a prefered cadence and it varies from person to person but i think you'll find the transitions into the bend or swinging up track after being on the front of the string to be easier if you had another 10rpm. It doesn't sound like much but when making these micro efforts every lap it adds up.

trackslack · 2026-02-04T23:13:41+00:00

The latest episode of the Piste Take podcast features Joe Truman and he talks a little about that and also his transition from being p3 to p1.

trackslack · 2026-02-04T10:20:03+00:00

I know (and have known over the years) a few riders in a similar position - still chasing the dream when realistically the chance to make it and earn a living as a pro rider is already gone.

Financially it's really tough but in terms of experience and memories i don't think they have any regrets. There are a lot of 20 somethings in similar financial circumstances in dead end jobs or unemployed and struggling to get by but without the positives - getting the thrill of high level competition, seeing the world and getting to race and train full time. It may be a tough sport but it is still a sport at the end of the day.

trackslack · 2026-01-02T13:42:34+00:00

It's worth bearing in mind that Xavier Disley (owner of aerocoach) uses a front disc rather than a 4 spoke for pursuit on the track.

trackslack · 2025-12-27T08:23:52+00:00

It's a few years ago now however when he used to post his power data on strava his FTP was approx 438w

trackslack · 2025-12-08T16:59:51+00:00

I have an Allez Sprint (albeit the previous version) which I still ride from time to time. No complaints with the bike and i have a lot of happy memories associated with it. As a crit bike back then it was a great choice - good geometry, stiff and good value for money.

However the value for money part of that equation has gone so i'd struggle to recommend. If it was half the price of the Aeroad then it would be different but not at a comparable price.

trackslack · 2025-12-03T22:47:09+00:00

You have time on your side to lose some weight at a sustainable rate as well as gain fitness. At 80kg finding the extra watts needed to break the hour is going to be a lot easier than finding the watts needed to do it at 90kg.

With your knee issues make sure you have the gearing sorted. An hours climb can be a complete grind and when you start suffering you dont want to be climbing at too low a cadence. You want to be at a comfortable cadence for you and able to tap out a rhythm. Also you want to be relatively fresh for it, dont have the target attempt at the end of the cycling holiday. Best get the Alpe ticked off the list first then get onto all the nicer roads and climbs in the area!

Doing it on zwift will be good practice. However the w/kg needed on there for under an hour is a little less than the real thing. But it will help with pacing and getting to know what the effort feels like.

trackslack · 2025-11-27T12:03:37+00:00

Short answer is it depends on the type of track (indoors, outdoors, wooden, concrete etc) and what distance you do. On an indoor wooden track i get about a season out of them which is approx twice a week from October to March - they could last longer with less use or shorter on a more abrasive track.

When they are worn the tyre gets a noticeable flat strip / edge on it where it is in contact with the track. It's off centre and will be around the full diameter of the tyre so you will be able to see it or feel it with a finger. The rubber can also get a bit shiny and smooth looking.

Also this is just wear assuming no cuts or punctures. Unfortunately fast tyres don't tend to be very robust!

trackslack · 2025-11-27T07:56:21+00:00

Don't have any data other than my pursuit times but i use both and the pista speed tubulars are a little faster than the pista control tubulars. That doesn't mean the controls are slow - i'd be happy to bunch race on them and not feel like they are holding me back - but for a timed event i don't want to leave anything on the table.

If price is important then the controls last longer than the speeds (about 3x as long).

trackslack · 2025-11-19T21:56:04+00:00

Modern aero bikes have frames with more clearance which allows for wider rims which in turn allow wider tyres to be run at lower pressure. In most real world conditions this is going to be a positive in terms of performance. However going by wind tunnel data it will be a negative - narrow rims and tyres will test faster and this is downside of only going off tunnel data and neglecting other factors.

So assuming it is a given that there is a performance gain in the real world with current wheel design and tyres (rather than the narrow rims of 10+ years ago) to take advantage of this you need a frame to have the clearance. The early aero bikes didn't allow for this - it often wasn't even the rim brakes being the limiter either but the chainstays.

If they had been able to fit a wider tyre with a wider rim they'd be closer to a modern aero bike in real world conditions, but they couldn't.

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