This week, we’ve got news of a custom Brompton P Line bike for the Team GB athletes at the Olympics, plus the chance to buy a very special, but rather pricey, Colnago C64 owned by Tadej Pogacar.
Custom saddles are also expensive, but you can keep yours and your derriere in better condition with a new Ass Saver designed for the Posedla Joyseat.
We’ve also got news of a webinar on how to get your ride fueling right as well as inside info on how Tom Pidcock washes his cycling kit.
Ride a Team GB Brompton
Fans and collectors of Brompton's folding bikes will be interested in the brand’s latest offering. It’s collaborated with Team GB to produce a custom P Line Brompton for the Olympics, with a fleet available for the athletes to get around Paris and the Olympic Village.
The main frame has a custom print, which Brompton says represents the spectrum of athletic attributes and disciplines. There’s also a Team GB serial plate on each bike. Oh, and a Union Jack, of course.
The Brompton P Line has a steel front frame, but the rear frame and fork are titanium. The Team GB special edition comes with 12-speed shifting, a Brooks C17 saddle and Continental Contact Urban tires on the brand’s signature 16” wheels.
You can get your hands on a custom Team GB Brompton from Wednesday July 17th, when it will be available to purchase on Brompton’s site.
Get some pro stardust
There’s pro stardust on show from Colnago this week, with the opportunity to get your hands on a rare, pro-owned bike.
You may have spotted that Tadej Pogačar wasn’t riding a bog standard team issue Colnago V4Rs at the team presentations at the Tour de France Grand Départ in Florence, but instead a tasty custom Colnago C68 Road.
Colnago has put the Colnago Fleur-de-Lys No. 001/111 bike up for auction at Sotheby’s. As the numbering suggests, there are just 111 of the bikes made, to match the 111th edition of the Tour, and Colnago has already sold 110 of them, which leaves Pog’s bike for the highest bidder. It alone has an 18k gold Colnago logo and you’ll get Pogačar ‘s name as the first owner in Colnago’s NFC tag.
Cut out splashes through the cutout
Custom printed saddles are the new frontier in ride comfort, with Fizik recently launching a custom 3D printed option for its Adaptive saddles.
But before Fizik, Czech brand Posedla offered a custom 3D printed saddle. Purchase your Joyseat and Posedla sends you its Smiling Butt Kit, for you to make your mark on and asks a load of questions about you and your ride style.
Send your rear end impression back to Posedla and it will 3D print a custom saddle top that sits on one of a range of standard carbon bases, a process that takes about 6 to 8 weeks including shipping.
The Posedia Joyseat is expensive at $490, so you’ll want to keep yours in good nick. Fortunately, the brand has just paired with Ass Savers to launch a customisable rear fender to go with your custom saddle. It’s designed specifically to fit on the Joyseat’s rails and, crucially, blocks the underside of the Joyseat’s large central cut-out. So, no more wet bib shorts for a small additional outlay of €19.
Fuel like a pro
If you’re wondering how the pros eat at the Tour de France, you’ll be interested in a free webinar taking place at 16:00 UK time on Monday 15 July. Entitled Fueling 4 Tour de France Victories: Discover How Champions Eat To Win, it’s a joint presentation by TrainingPeaks and Hexis, a company that develops AI-driven fueling plans for athletes.
Hexis uses data from wearables including Garmin smartwatches and the Whoop Band to break down your energy expenditure into multiple baskets, including your resting and exercise calorie burn and excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC. It uses this to advise you on your energy balance in real time, helping you to manage your food intake.
The webinar features Bob Jungels of Bora-Hansgrohe, along with a panel of PhD former sports nutritionists with British Cycling and Team Sky, who will explain the in-depth nutrition strategies behind stage and overall wins at the world’s premier bike race.
You can sign up to the free webinar here.
Wash your laundry like a pro
More prosaically, you can now buy the laundry washing liquid Tom Pidcock relies on to keep his bibs fresh. Team sponsor Ineos is a petrochemicals company, so it’s got the wherewithal to keep Pidcock’s laundry smelling like a rose.
Buy Pidcock’s favourite laundry liquid – Ineos Hygienics Next-Gen Non-Bio Laundry Liquid – and you’re in with a chance of winning a signed jersey (we’d guess washed) as well as privileged access to the Tour of Britain paddock. Five perfumes are available, not including rose, all priced at £7 a liter.
