Cycling Plus

Cycling Plus is the manual for the modern road cyclist. Whether you're cycling weekly, an occasional new rider or a Tour de France fan you’ll find everything you need. Each issue is packed with buying advice and tests of essential cycling gear - everything from bikes to bags! Cycling Plus is the place to find training advice, nutrition secrets and practical tips guaranteed to improve your bicycling. It's also full of inspirational rides, real-life cycling stories and entertaining riding-related features.

Ed’s letter • Issue 431 June 2025

The Big Picture

The Big Picture

The Big Picture

The tifosi • The Italian superfans whose passion infuses the atmosphere at home events such as the Giro

PEDAL-O-METER • WHAT’S SPINNING ALONG AT SPEED AND WHAT’S CRASHING OUT THIS MONTH?

Angels and demons • What drives pro cycling’s unrivalled skill to self-mythologise?

Mondraker Arid Carbon RR • £5,799 A mountain bike-inspired gravel bike with clearance for 50mm tyres

The right path • Cycle routes are pointless if women don’t feel safe using them at night, says Laura

Adelaide

The route

Santini Clever undershoes • £47 A smart take on wet-weather protection

Hunt Limitless 40 Gravel Aero wheels • £1,849 (with unidirectional carbon spokes) Superlight deep-section hoops built for speed

Come on, Cannondale! • Warren Rossiter is fed up with waiting for a new CAAD bike, so he’s designed his own

Why CAAD matters

ROADS LESS TRAVELLED • Some less-celebrated nations offer world-class cycling experiences. Rob Ainsley, who’s pedalled in 40-odd countries, picks some globetrotting riders’ favourites

WHAT BECOMES OF THE Broken hearted? • AFTER HIS OWN HEART ISSUES KEPT HIM OFF HIS BIKE, NICK CHRISTIAN SETS OUT TO EXAMINE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF SIMILAR LIFE-CHANGING DIAGNOSES

STANDARD BEARERS • Dear bike industry, let’s stick with the following for road bikes please…

MBUK 6 ISSUES FOR JUST £9.99 6 ISSUES FOR JUST £9.99

PLANT-POWERED PERFORMANCE • For the latest book in his The Cycling Chef series, Alan Murchison turns his attention to vegan food. Here, he offers recipes that will keep you fuelled for riding and satisfy your senses too

MANGO AND COCONUT BREAKFAST BOWL • This reinvents a traditional bircher muesli and has plenty of taste, texture and visual appeal

TAHINI BANANA BREAD MUFFINS • These sticky, gooey muffins are a winner. They’re pretty robust once cooked, which means they can also be used as ride food

PEARL BARLEY RISOTTO WITH KALE AND PINE NUT PESTO • A very different, but delicious, take on a risotto, which delivers a highcarb hit, and you can freeze leftovers

MOROCCAN-STYLE SWEET POTATO AND APRICOT CASSEROLE • This low-fat, high-carb, high-protein dish has a North African vibe. It keeps well, and is great the next day

CASHEW TIRAMISU • You can either serve this lovely rich dessert in one big dish for sharing or in individual portions

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Ridden & Rated • The UK’s best tests for over 30 years

Cannondale Topstone Carbon 1 Lefty AXS • £6,350 Subtle improvements for full-suspension gravel bike

Try 3 issues for only £6 *

3T Strada Italia (Red E1 AXS) • £11,462 Lombard brand’s striking ‘aero-comfort’ bike

Gravel suspension stems • We see which one better takes the edge off rough surfaces

THREE GRAND DAYS OUT • We test a trio of sub-£3k endurance bikes to see what you get for your money

Need to know • The £2,500 price point is where endurance bikes start to get serious. Senior technical editor Warren Rossiter puts three all-new contenders to the test

Bike tech explained...