Cyclist
In the Drops: Oakley glasses, Maap kit, Chrome pannier, Alan Murchison cookbook, Demon Copperhead
It’s almost here, the Tour de France! But wait, not yet. Because if there is the Tour there must be the Dauphiné first, the warm-up act that will tell you precisely who will win the Tour (well, it’s sometimes right). And here is our brilliant Critérium du Dauphiné guide, by Ewan, telling you all you need to know about the route, where to watch it and why it matters. But the racing doesn’t stop there, as we look ahead to the women’s Tour of Britain 2024, including a rundown of where to watch, and there’s also one of my favourite photo galleries of all time – for the opening shot alone – from the Giro d’Italia 2024, taken by pro snapper Chris Auld.
Then bikes, because we love bikes, and I think I may have just found my new window-nose-pressing favourite, the Enve Fray. It looks like a wicked bike, all-road is the fashion of the time, halfway between the road Enve Melee and the gravel Enve Mog, which I reviewed a few months ago in Cyclist magazine and loved (subscribe here, it’s as if cyclist.co.uk got painted out by Renaissance Masters then written up by a room full of Shakespeares infinitely typing on monkeys).
Then finally, the Cyclist Magazine Podcast, my biased pick of the week (Will and I host it). Our hot-off-the-mic episode 106 features British gravel champ Danni Shrosbree, who finished fourth in the women’s Unbound Gravel 2023, fourth at Traka 2024 in Girona, and this weekend hopes to go even better at Unbound Gravel 2024. Tune in for tales of mud-scraping, mechanicals and race-wrecking storms.
So that’s the week and here comes the weekend, which can only mean one thing: time for In the Drops.
Oakley Sphaera sunglasses
Oakley’s back at it again with its new Sphaera sunnies, which are a kind of one-style-fits-all pair of sunglasses in that they’ve been designed not just for cycling, gravel and mountain biking but also running, track and field, rowing, golf, sailing, possibly even fencing. Point being they are super lightweight – this pair weighs a mere 34g – have the widest field of vision Oakley thinks possible and come in a host of Prizm lens choices designed to augment vision for specific sports.
For example, the Prizm lens boosts the contrast around greys for road cycling and around greens and browns for off-road riding, to better help riders pick out detail at speed. The Sphaera’s will be ubiquitous at this summer’s Olympics in Paris, not least as Oakley personally sent some 3,000 pairs out to competing athletes, whether Oakley-sponsored or not.
I, for one, would appreciate it if either Shreddies, Pip ‘n’ Nut peanut butter or H&M’s white T-shirt department did the same for cycling journalists, sponsored or not. But until such time, all I can say is the Sphaeras deliver on their promise to ‘be forgettable’ on your face, sitting lightly and unobtrusively, and gripping superbly thanks to a ribbed version of Oakley’s patented ‘Unobtainium’ silicone grippers running the full length of the arms, which is said to get grippier when sweating.
The overall effect and comfort reminds me of Oakley Radars from back in the day. Like the Radars, the Sphaera’s aren’t in the ‘absolutely massive lens’ category like so may cycling sunglasses these days, meaning you can wear them without a helmet and not look like Robocop went to the beach.
Chrome Industries Holman pannier bag
This is a 15-litre pannier guaranteed for life, which sounds about Chrome. That is to say expensive but very well made, which it is.
It’s got the classic pannier hallmarks, roll top closure and universal fit, with the latter coming in the form of two Velcro straps and a third clipped tether, which fit basically any pannier rack out there, with struts up to 2″ in diameter.
Inside is a padded laptop/organiser sleeve, a nice addition given it often ends up being impossible to find anything in traditional pannier, aka a bottomless black sack of my crap. There’s also a clip-on shoulder strap for taking the Holman with you and to side pockets for water bottles and extra securing straps.
The Holman pannier is bulletproof (albeit it’s water-resistant, not waterproof), but I do have two gripes. First, I’d prefer the closures to be the snap-on clasp kind as opposed to velcro and fabric, it’s a quicker on/off design and long-term more reliable, I’d wager. Velcro just gets cruddy over time and stops sticking so well, which isn’t the best thing for such critical, repeatedly used straps.
Second, I like the way the bag has structure but is still somewhat pliable, meaning it can be carried comfortably on its shoulder strap (unlike many panniers that have a hard plastic back). But because of this I feel Chrome has missed a trick by not incorporating rucksack straps to turn the Holman into a backpack off the bike.
All in, though, the Chrome Holman is a mighty solid pannier with some useful extra features not found elsewhere.
Maap Team Bib Evo Cargo bib shorts and Evade Pro 2.0 jersey
I’ve long been a fan of Maap’s Team bibs (three iterations on my bum and counting), and this latest incarnation keeps its end up. The Evo Cargo bib shorts are very comfortable, stretchy but compressive with a pad just the ride side of thin, so as to be cosseting but not bulky.
However, now Maap has gone one better by adding cargo pockets to either thigh. It’s not exactly rocket science, sticking pockets to your best bibs, but hey, it works and yet so few brands do it for road gear. And why does it work?
Ever been on a ride where you want to keep taking pics on your phone? Put it in your pocket. Ever sat on your turbo in just bibs with no-where to put your phone? Put it in your pocket. Ever wanted to stash an extra gel, or all the wrappers from the gels you’ve eaten? You get the idea.
Pockets are useful. For what, depends on you, but there’s a reason we invented them.
Rounding off the bibs upstairs is the Evade Pro 2.0 jersey, made from Bluesign-approved fabric, like the bibs. Bluesign is an independent body whose mark means a garment is ‘produced in a resource-saving way’, ie, it goes a long way to designating this Maap kit as sustainable. That fabric does a lovely job of being stretchy, lightweight and breathable – all the things I look for in a summer jersey. As such I’d definitely save the Evade 2.0 jersey for warmer days – Maap recommends anything from 18-35°C – and we’re told those days are coming.
The Cycling Chef On the Go cookbook, by Alan Murchison
The self-styled Performance Chef is back with his third recipe book expressly aimed at cyclists. And if you wonder what gives Alan Murchison the audacity to think he can write cookbooks for riders, Murchison is a former Michelin-starred chef, top-level rider and chef-cum-food coach for all manner of pro riders, including Team GB and Alex Dowsett.
The Cycling Chef On the Go (published by Bloomsbury) focusses on ‘portable’ food for cyclists; that is, food for the jersey pocket, the car, the train, the hotel room without a fridge or the quick what can I eat right now I’m broken rider. It’s sports-science based recipes but done by a Michelin chef, so think healthy, endurance-focussed ingredients brought together with finesse but without being finnicky.
On the Go is also filled with general nutrition tips and some lovely old black and white race pictures, rounding out this easy to engage with, easy to cook from and highly readable cookbook.
Oh, an if you fancy it, we had Alan on episode 70 of the Cyclist Magazine Podcast, and it’s good one, check it out (that’s a browser link but CMP is also on Spotify, Apple and all the usual places).
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What we’re doing this week: Reading Demon Copperhead
Another book, soz. Only I’m not, because I promise promise promise you, Demon Coppperhead by Barbara Kingsolver is amazing.
It’s basically Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, set in the Appalachian Mountains (where Dolly Parton is from) and set to a backdrop of Big Pharma getting the US hooked on pain-killing opioids like oxycontin. What follows is beautifully written, achingly sad tale as Demon tries to navigate death, addiction, foster homes, meth labs, high school and the pressures of being a second-class citizen in America.
As you can see I’m not a literary critic, but Demon Copperhead won the Pulitzer Prize last year so it must be good. Plus I am the world’s slowest reader and this is a tome (like 548 pages or something), but I whizzed through it because it’s just that good. Charlie would be proud.
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