Photo Credit to http://italiancyclingjournal.blogspot.co.uk

Perhaps it was inevitable, but I for one was shocked that overnight the Giro lost two of the strongest contenders for the title: Bradley Wiggins and the defending champion Ryder Hesjedal.  Wiggins had looked in a bad way since the weather turned wet and came off on a descent.  He did however manage to keep himself within contention, until stage 12 where a flat stage which shouldn’t have posed any problems saw him lose over three minutes on the peloton.  Ryder Hesjedal suffered a similar fait, haemorrhaging time every time the road turned upwards.  The two now head home to recover from chest infections, here’s hoping they’re back in time for Le Tour.

Mark Cavendish was dominant just as he had been in the first week, being victorious in stages 12 and 13 to reach 100 career victories.  His victory on stage 13 was particularly impressive, when a climb inside the final few kilometres saw attack after attack which broke the peloton into pieces.  But the Omega Pharma Quickstep men kept the pace high and Cavendish climbed with panache to stay in contention for the finish where he never looked in doubt.

The final stage of Act 2 saw a brief excursion into France and a ride up the Col Du Galibier.  Well, that was the plan, but in fact the climb was cut short thanks to the weather conditions at the top.  The route finished at the monument to the late Marco Pantani, the last man to do the Giro-Tour double in the same year.  Nibali finished comfortably in the wheels to hold onto the pink jersey ahead of Cadel Evans.  It now looks like a straight fight between these two, Nibali looking the better of the two, but don’t ever count Evans out.

Standings after stage 15

Vincenzo Nibali                  62:02:34

Cadel Evans                         +01:26

Rigoberto Uran Uran        +2:46

Mauro Santambrogio        +2:47

Michele Scarponi               +3:53

The KHE Evo 0.1 is a great machine, an on loved by riders who are familiar with it. Using a 100% 4130 CrMo frame for torsional stiffness and light weight, this cleverly designed machine – and its brothers the Evo 0.2 through Evo 0.4 – offers superb performance and excellent style at what can only be described as a truly great price. There is a sense of quality and attention to detail in all of these bikes, and the balance is excellent thanks to the perfectly conceived geometry and excellent build quality.

Bike such as the KHE Evo 0.2 offer superb performance at a great price, and that’s helped by the use of such brilliant components as a MidBB sealed bearing bottom bracket, great for smoothness and strength, Prism pegs for those perfect stunts, 100% 4130 CrMo forks and in-house U-brakes for excellent stopping power. As with all KHE products, however, it’s not the individual products that make the difference, it’s the way they all come together as one well thought-out package and produce the sort of ride that you only thought possible with much more expensive models.

The Evo range draws on all of the many years of experience in BMX design and innovation that the company can lay claim to, and the result is a mid-level range of BMX bikes that are of the highest quality and worthy of the name. This is the range one might wish to move onto when, having learned the basics, the more advanced riding beckons. There is something for everything in this cleverly made and superbly effective range of BMX machines, just as there is in the entire KHE range. At the price, we think the likes of the KHE Evo 0.4 and the rest of its ilk hard to beat.

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The race started on a beautiful saturday in Napoli.  A (rather boring) circuit race turned into a fantastic sprint finish within the last few metres.  Cavendish delivered what has to be one of his greatest sprint victories to date.  Despite a lack of team support in the final few kilometres, and a mechanical from his lead out man meaning he had to close down a gap before unleashing his sprint, he was utterly dominant.  The same applied in stage 6, when he won a tailor made pan-flat stage.

Wiggins was the outright favourite going into the race, and seemed to justify this praise when he led his men to a fine victory in the team time trial.  But coming into the latter part of the week Wiggins looked under pressure, and crashed twice during stage 7 on slippery roads.  Crashing has dominated the Giro in the first week, as it always does, but the wet conditions have accentuated this, with riders falling by the wayside at an alarming rate.

Two riders which don’t have any problem staying upright are Cadel Evans, and the man widely regarded as the best descender in the Peloton – Vincenzo Nibali.  Not only was Nibali able to pull away from Wiggins whilst he was “descending like a bit of a girl”, but he was able to hold onto him in saturday’s time trial, losing just 11 seconds to the Olympic champion.  Cadel Evans goes from strength to strength, remaining high on GC, and attacking for stage wins at every opportunity, which moved him into the points jersey after today’s stage.

Wiggins really has looked in a sorry state over the past few days, his cornering and descending resembled someone who has never pedalled a bike in anger before.  David Millar put it best when he said he had “lost his descending mojo”.  I think he’s right, and it’s completely understandable.  Anyone who’s ever come off a bike at speed before will know the feeling, and don’t forget that Wiggins has had his grand tour hopes ended by a bad crash in the past.  Here’s hoping he gets his mojo back quickly and can claw back some of the 1 minutes and 16 seconds which separates him from the Maglia Rosa.

Tomorrow sees the start of Act 2 – the transition into the mountains.  The mountains in the Giro are steeper, higher and colder than in any other race.  This is not Wiggins’ natural stomping ground, and by all account he should have had a comfortable lead coming into tomorrow’s stage if he had any hopes of clinging onto the pink jersey.

Standings after stage 9

Vincenzo Nibali       34:19:31

Cadel Evans               +29

Robert Gesink           +1:15

Bradley Wiggins      +1:16

Michelle Scarponi   +1:24

……

Ryder Hesjedal        +3:11

You might not have heard of DannyShane before, and before I was asked to review this kit I certainly hadn’t either.  It was obvious from the price tag that they are aiming their kit right at the top of the market.  The Rigby jersey comes in at $115, and the Shelby bib shorts at $195.  Translation – that’s around £200 for the full kit, so it better be good!

Taking the DannyShane kit out of the parcel initially, I was very impressed.  Sure, there’s no pretentious packaging like you get from the likes of Rapha, but the kit inside was obviously something special.  The jersey certainly looked the part, it felt soft to the touch, maybe thanks to it’s bamboo white ash material. It had a rear zip pocket, a rubber gripper around the waist and a full length zip for those hot summer days. The Shelby S2 bib shorts looked awesome, with a subtle white section down the left thigh.  They also had the three things I look for in a pair of bib shorts: mesh bib straps for better ventilation, a wide gripper at the bottom of the shorts which won’t dig in, and a fantastically chamois.  The chamois was the bit I was most impressed by, it was both very firm (good for distributing pressure without getting completely compressed) and incredibly smooth, so as not to cause chaffing on long rides.  That was the hope anyway.

On a ride they are equally impressive, and deliver great performance and comfort in the real world.  The kit felt breathable, and super soft.  The shorts deliver over the course of a long day, providing great comfort from the chamois, which never bunched up or caused any chaffing.  The kit really looks the part, the styling is simple and so that both items really work well together.

One criticism I would have for the DannyShane products is their eco credentials.  I certainly don’t think they are necessary to justify the price, the kit stands up well even without them.  However, using such a unique material as bamboo white ash, and claiming it to be eco friendly simply isn’t enough.  The customer needs to know why this is an environmentally friendly product, and I just didn’t get it, if it’s because bamboo is sustainable, then we need to know more about their replanting policy and where the bamboo is being sourced from.

That said, this kit really is something special.  My go-to kit used to be my Assos jersey and my Castelli bib shorts, but now, when I’m heading out for a big ride I find myself reaching for my DannyShane kit instead.  And I don’t think praise gets any higher than that.

The Eastway brand takes its name from the Eastway Cycle Racing Circuit; a monument of the London cycle racing scene that shut its gates in 2006. Eastway bikes draw on the heritage of the name though; made to combat the streets, cycle paths and alleys of towns and cities, whilst doing it in comfort and style.

The R2.0 is the second-tier drop bar road bike in Eastway’s range; which spans from road bikes to single speeds, flat bars and even cyclocross bikes.

The thing that immediately strikes you about the R2.0 is the sculpted carbon frame. Designed to take the hits of tough urban riding, yet also to be stiff, strong and light; the frame is a fantastic piece of engineering. To provide you with the much needed smooth ride on the streets, the frame has narrow seat-stays to flex with the road, couple this with the carbon fork and the frame does a stellar job of reducing road-buzz.

What gives the R2.0 its speed however is the stiffness of the frame; the big bottom bracket, contoured chainstays and oversized triangular downtube means that every ounce of effort is transmitted through the drivechain and translated into forward motion on the road. One thing you can be sure of; this bike will get you from A to B quicker than most forms of urban transport.

The superb frame is complemented by a great set of components. The R2.0 model uses Sram Apex gearing; a groupset that is renowned for its durability and broad range of gears. Certainly, the compact chainset has meant I have had no trouble even on the steepest of climbs.

The wheel set comes from Mavic; the Askium Race is towards the lower end of their range, but it provides a solid, light and reliable set of hoops. The great feature at this price range is the cartridge bearing hubs; providing easy servicing and superb all-weather performance. These wheels will take the bumps and hits of the road, whilst providing a great turn of speed when you put the hammer down.

It’s the finishing touches that really make the R2.0 a great bike; the Eastway velvet bar tape laces the strong shallow drop handlebars, providing a comfortable and strong cockpit. The Kenda tyres that shod the wheels have taken a great amount of abuse without complaint, and their 25c volume absorbs the hits of the road admirably.

The other Eastway componentry is up to the same high standard too. The cut-away section saddle is comfortable and has a good amount of padding; and the alloy seatpost is strong and has a great double-bolt clamp. This really is a package that has every detail addressed, and every component selected to produce a strong, light, reliable and fast carbon machine.
The Eastway R2.0 is a bike then that has road racing heritage flowing through its frame. It provides a ride that is not only comfortable, but stiff, strong and quick. It provides componentry that will give reliable performance mile after mile, and it boasts looks that are both classic and classy. All this is attained at a very competitive price point; making this bike a great value rocket ship for the urban cyclist and the weekend warrior.