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Researchers say that beyond a certain point energy requirements plateau A recent US study has found that those who undertake moderate levels of activity will typically burn as many calories as those who do significantly more. The researchers concluded that metabolism adapts to the volume of exercise a person does so that effort beyond a certain ‘sweet spot’ does not require additional energy.

Carried out by researchers at the City University of New York and published in the journal Current Biology, the study looked at the daily energy requirements of over 300 men and women in five countries across Africa and North America over the course of a week.

While those who led moderate lifestyles – cycling to work or visiting the gym twice a week – burned 200 calories more than those who were more sedentary, it was found that the number of calories burnt plateaued among those who exercised more.

Lead scientist Dr Herman Pontzer said the main message was for people not to rely on exercise alone when trying to lose weight. “Exercise is really important for your health. That’s the first thing I mention to anyone asking about the implications of this work for exercise. "There is […]

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British Cycling chief executive looking to improve on last year’s 32nd place The 11th Brompton World Championship final will take place on Saturday July 30 as part of Prudential RideLondon. Last year’s event saw 450 riders taking part, including David Millar and Michael Hutchinson among others.

The race begins with a dash to unfold the bikes followed by eight laps of a 1.2 mile circuit around St James’s Park. Sportswear is not permitted with Lycra strictly forbidden.

In 2016, the event will be limited to 575 competitors. Registration is now open (link is external) and will close at 5pm on Friday February 12 or when 1,500 entries have been received. The entry fee is £40 with successful applicants drawn by ballot.

Mark Emsley is the reigning champion, but British Cycling chief executive Ian Drake (link is external) – who finished 32 nd – fancies his chances in 2016 having ridden 4,500 miles on a Brompton last year. “I’m looking forward to this year’s race. The course is nice and flat and I’ve been gearing my early 2016 training towards this. I’ve also been working on my bike unfolding technique as getting this right can gain you valuable seconds at the start […]

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Swiss time trial and classics star Fabian Cancellara solos to victory on the third day of the Challenge Mallorca Fabian Cancellara at Challenge Mallorca (Photo: Dan Gould) Fabian Cancellara secured his first victory of the season on Saturday, winning the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana from a solo move.

The Swiss Trek-Segafredo rider went clear from a sizeable escape group in the final 15 kilometres of the 149.9-kilometre race, building up a lead on the descent of the Puig Major climb.

It’s Cancellara’s first victory in what is his final season before retirement.

Team Sky new recruit Michal Kwiatkowski placed second for the second day in a row, with rising Belgian talent Tiesj Benoot (Lotto Soudal) in third. Both riders were part of a chase group that finished 17 seconds behind Cancellara.

Britain’s top-placed rider was Hugh Carthy (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), who finished in 14th place, 20 seconds adrift of Cancellara.

>>> Cancellara, Kwiatkowski, Valverde: Star-studded top 10 on second day of Challenge Mallorca The final day of the four-day Challenge Mallorca takes place on Sunday: the Trofeo Palma. Although the four one-day races that make up the Challenge Mallorca are treated as separate, there is a prize on offer for the highest-placed rider […]

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Bike of Belgian under-23 rider Femke Van den Driessche ‘detained for further investigation’ by the UCI. Could this be the first case of mechanical doping? Liam Killeen, British cyclo-cross national championships 2016 The Union Cycliste Internationale has detained a bike used in the women’s under-23 cyclo-cross world championship race in Zolder, Belgium, on Saturday as it is suspected of ‘technological fraud’.

UCI inspectors had been examining bikes during the event, and the bike of European under-23 champion, Belgian Femke Van den Driessche was detained after something suspicious was found. Checks were being made to bikes for ‘mechanical doping’ – an electric motor concealed in a bike to aid the rider – among other technical infringements.

A brief statement was issued by the UCI, reading: “The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) confirms that pursuant to the UCI’s Regulations on technological fraud a bike has been detained for further investigation following checks at the Women’s Under 23 race of the 2016 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

“This does not concern any of the riders on the podium. Further details will be shared in due course.”

According to Belgian media outlet Sporza , the Belgian cycling federation confirmed that rider in question was Van den Driessche, who had […]

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Norman Tebbitt will be pleased… well, assuming they pass the cricket test too Hundreds of refurbished bikes are waiting to be handed over to job seekers in Greater Manchester as part of a new scheme. Transport for Greater Manchester’s (TfGM’s) Bike Back to Work scheme seeks to help people who might otherwise struggle to commute to a new job.

Around 400 bikes having already been distributed and TfGM says it can provide them anywhere in Greater Manchester. Suppliers are based in Wigan, Trafford, Bury, Manchester, Oldham and Stockport with applications made via the local JobCentre Plus or a work programme adviser.

Successful applicants will also receive free equipment, including helmets and hi-vis vests, as well as the option to undertake free cycle training.

Connor Stephens from Ashton-under-Lyne was one of the early beneficiaries of the scheme. He now works as a hotel night porter at Ashton Leisure Park where shifts starting in the early hours mean he doesn’t have many commuting options.

“The bike has made a really big difference getting to work. It saves me so much time. It used to take me 30 minutes to walk there, but now it takes about 10 minutes. I’ve already recommended the scheme to […]

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Only one person complained about a cyclist in an area where they are currently banned

Despite a former Mayor of Reading saying he is against the plan to allow cycling along Broad Street, and a fellow councillor has argued that such a move would put people off visiting Reading town centre on foot, Reading Council has revealed that just one person has complained about cyclists there in the past year.

road.cc reader Gareth Luscombe asked the council under the Freedom of Information Act for the number of complaints received about cyclists by location.

The council answered: The Council received a total of six written complaints regarding cyclists between 1st January 2015 and 21st January 2016. Four of the six complaints gave a specific location and two relate to no fixed location in Tilehurst and Reading in general. The specific locations are as follows: Broad Street

Thames Path, between Reading and Caversham Bridge

Church Street, Caversham Milestone Way, Caversham Park Village. Currently, cycling is only allowed at the eastern end of Broad Street from Cross Street, but a formal consultation proposing that cycling is permitted along its full length is to be held soon. Recently we reported how an informal on-line […]

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Safe segregated path will mean closure of some local parking spots for shoppers Campaigners for a cycle path between Roseburn and Leith Walk in Edinburgh have come up against protest from businesses that fear the loss of parking spaces will affect custom.

The council is developing a new cycle route linking the Roseburn path to Leith Walk via George Street which forms part of National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 1.

The route will cost £9 million and include new cycle routes with protected cycle tracks on main roads, and cyclist and pedestrian priority at key junctions to reduce conflict with other traffic.

But hundreds of people have signed a petition to keep the parking spaces from Roseburn to Haymarket, with businesses displaying posters protesting against the route.

Peter Gregson, who is leading the protests, told The Scotsman (link is external) : “Rather than spending £1 million getting a cycle track on the main road, the cash would be better spent fixing the black spots around the city that cause cyclists to be maimed on a regular basis.”

As we reported recently, Peter’s online petition (link is external) has been set up against the proposed cycle route going down the main road. However, […]

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Plans to cycle-proof areas of the city with Sustrans Scotland cash Glasgow is bidding for £12 million to convert the city into a mini-Holland – with the results of the second round of the competition to be revealed next week.

The council has submitted two proposals to Sustrans Scotland’s grants programme – with two, in Woodside and Govanhill, both successful in going into consideration for round three of the bidding process.

The projects will contribute to Scotland’s aim of having 10 per cent of journeys by bike by 2020, and include segregated cycle lanes that integrate Woodlands with the programmed improvements to Sauchiehall Street.

There would also be a major redesign of St George’s Cross with better cycle crossings and secure parking at the subway station.

Councillor Martin McElroy, Glasgow City Council cycling spokesman, told the Evening Times (link is external) : "The plans are a credit to the officers who have led us through the bid process.

"Unfortunately in Glasgow the car is still king. It is going to take a lot of investment in infrastructure to change that."Woodside has become more and more diverse – there are lots of students and lots of young families compared to what there was 10 […]

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This year’s iceBike* is full of UK product debuts It’s now only a few weeks before UK distributor Madison opens its door to the public for its iceBike* show.

iceBike* is primarily a trade event, but also offers members of the public an opportunity to check out the latest bikes and gear from brands such as Shimano , Garmin , Profile Design, Saracen , Lazer and more.

This year marks 10 years of the free-to-enter show, which will take place on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 February. This year, a whole host of exciting products will be making their first ever appearance to the UK public – we check out some of the highlights below. Profile Design

iceBike* attendees will be among the first people in the uk to see the disc brake version of profile design’s 24 series carbon wheels: icebike* attendees will be among the first people in the uk to see the disc brake version of profile design’s 24 series carbon wheels Triathletes and time trialists will likely be won over by the Profile Design stand, which will feature several new aerobars, a fresh side-entry bottle cage and a disc-brake version of the company’s acclaimed 24 series carbon […]

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Giant-Alpecin mechanic Alex Ritze (not pictured) arrived at the 2016 Tour Down Under on a one way ticket. We spoke with him on what’s next Travelling the world and fixing the bikes of the fastest riders would seem like a dream job to many, but for Giant-Alpecin mechanic Alex Ritze, it’s time for something else. Wrenching on the team bikes at the 2016 Tour Down Under, the friendly German mechanic arrived in Australia on a one-way ticket, seeking a fresh start once the racing ended.

That new start awaits in Melbourne, where another lifelong mechanic, Jesse Geisler, will welcome Ritze into his cycle-focused engineering workshop – ‘Bike Bar’. The two first met at last year’s Tour Down Under, where Geisler was working with Drapac Pro Cycling , and have remained in contact since.

Related reading: Day in the life of a pro race mechanic

Geisler’s workshop is a place of frame building (more on that in future); frame tool resharpening; design and manufacture of custom alignment gauges and measurement tools; and high-end bike setup and restoration. Such a setup is certainly not the average bike workshop. Alerx ritze is one of the more friendly mechanics amognst the pro’s: alerx ritze […]

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Pinnacle’s Iroko 3 may not be a high-fashion bike, but it’s a superb advert for alloy hardtails If you flick back through BikeRadar ‘s testing history of Pinnacle bikes you’ll see a very impressive list of wins and recommendations that’s way above the average. Some of our staff have even spent their own hard-earned cash on them.

Despite these facts, watching this deceptively simple alloy hardtail work its magic on our unsuspecting testers was an education in just how well Pinnacle have put this bike together. Alloy ally

We tested the Iroko in the Lake District, alongside steel hardtails that included the Ragley Piglet , Onza Jackpot and Genesis Tarn . The first shock for most of our team was that regardless of the traditional tripe about the magical ‘floated and springy’ ride properties of steel, the Pinnacle was the best conventional bike of the group – by a big margin. A full SRAM GX group delivers crisp, positive shifting As well as triple-butted main tubes, the frame also has big reinforcing gussets to tune ride feel. While the 142x12mm axle dropouts look like something you’d anchor suspension bridge cables in, they’re heavily cutaway on the inside edge. Add […]

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Altura’s Gradient jersey, free with Procycling Subscribe to Procycling magazine now and you’ll save 24% over the regular price, plus receive a bonus Altura Gradient jersey worth £40! High wicking, quick-dry fabric

Three rear pockets

Performance fit

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It’s the authoritative, worldwide voice of international professional road racing, distributed in every country where there are English-speaking fans. With exclusive features and spectacular photography, Procycling brings to life the complexities, rivalries and hardships of the European professional scene.

So why subscribe? Benefits include: Save up to 24% on the cover price, at just £49.49 every 13 issues! Delivery direct to your door for no extra cost Bonus Altura Gradient jersey worth £40 Money-back guarantee – if you’re not completely satisfied we’ll refund all unmailed issues Head over to our online subscription shop and make the most of this great offer!*Offer open to new UK subscribers to the print edition. 24% discount is based on buying six issues at full shop price. Offer ends 27th February 2016.This article was originally published in Procycling magazine, available on Apple Newsstand and Zinio .

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Aqua2Go’s Pro Washer is an effective unit despite limited charge life At this time of year, your bike’s going to get dirty no matter where you ride so if you want it to last you’ll need a regular cleaning regime. Aqua2Go’s Pro washer weighs 5.22kg, stands 48cm tall with a footprint of 28cm x 35cm – not bad considering that includes the 6m hose, spray gun and battery.

Most of its volume is taken up by a 20-litre water tank, which is above average for this type of washer. Filling it up obviously adds considerable weight, and there are a pair of skate wheels on one side and a fold-out handle for pulling it along flat surfaces and a top handle for lifting it up.

Usefully, the mains-chargeable lithium-ion battery doubles as an LED torch when removed from the unit, and can power other devices from its lighter socket or USB port. You can also power the washer from a car’s 12v lighter socket; in this mode you can remove the pump and there’s a hose fitting for using an alternate water source.

A full two-hour battery charge will give around 30 minutes use. You’re advised not to use the unit for […]

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Watch Nikki Harris and Helen Wyman competing in the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Heusden-Zolder, Netherlands We’re set for a lightning fast Cyclocross World Championship race this weekend in Heusden-Zolder if the round of the UCI World Cup on the same course is anything to go by.

British hopes in Saturday’s women’s elite race lie with Helen Wyman and Nikki Harris. Wyman has experience of a World Championships podium having won bronze at the 2014 race in Hoogerheide, Netherlands.

>>> Helen Wyman’s power data shows how hard cyclocross racing really is (video)

Harris is reigning British champion and enters the race in great form having finished third in the European Championships and won her first World Cup race in Namur in December.

The elite men’s race takes place on Sunday, with reigning champion Mathieu van der Poel the man to beat over the Heusden-Zolder course, having won the World Cup event there in December.

There is another live stream for the race on Sunday, which kicks off at 14.00, so make sure to tune in again to catch the men’s race.

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1 / 21 Kona Roadhouse.jpg Brand new for 2016, and just arriving in the road.cc workshop, is the Roadhouse, Kona’s brand new disc-equipped , steel-framed do-everything bike. The Roadhouse is crafted from high-quality, and desirable, Reynolds 853 tubing, with details including a tapered head tube and, drawing on the company’s mountain bike heritage and experience, a Maxle 142-12mm bolt-thru rear axle. The Maxle is a thru-axle system developed by suspension manufacturer RockShox and works very much like an ordinary quick release – flip open the lever and unwind to release. Oh, another nice detail is the chain pip on the rear stay. Immensely useful. – 15 of the best steel road bikes The carbon fibre fork also features a 15mm Maxle thru-axle at the dropouts, making this one of the few disc road bikes with thru-axles at both ends. And in fact, I’m struggling to remember any other steel bikes with bolted axles at both ends. To attach the disc brakes to the frame and fork, Kona has used the latest Flat Mount standard, which gives the bike a cleaner appearance with a tidier caliper design. We’ve got a 56cm in for a test, one of six sizes, and […]

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