Good Afternoon; this is the switching gears newsletter, your weekly cycling fix. 5-minute read.

In this week’s edition:

• The most extensive study conducted on riding e-bikes yields surprising results

• Unbound Gravel Mud Fest Review

• Is cycling primed for the spotlight? Netflix series launched last week

• Zwift launches cycling video game controllers

• Apple Watch enters the cycling category

 Warm-Up

Largest Study Conducted on E-Bikes

We all know that feeling of climbing up a hill at full gas, working for each breath when out of nowhere, an e-bike rider cruises past, smiling effortlessly and leaving you in the dust. Maybe I am alone in the belief, but it feels like cheating. But I may be wrong in my presumption of our e-bike friends.

The European University Collective conducted one of the most extensive studies (10,000 people) this year on the amount of physical exercise of electric bicycle riders compared to those on conventional bicycles.

The results are surprising. They concluded that e-bike riders registered significantly longer journeys at 9.4km, compared to 4.8km for cyclists, and higher daily averages at 8km and 5.3km.

E-bike riders tend to ride most often and for longer distances. While the perceived exertion of the rides is lower, this increased frequency and time on the bike make up for it.

Racing Roundup

The Unbound Gravel Mud Bath

Unbound Gravel, the premier gravel race in the U.S. since 2006, saw record attendance this year with over 4,000 racers competing across various distances (25, 50, 100, 200, 350mi). Immense rain in the week leading up to the race made for challenging course conditions, with a 4-mile section of "peanut butter mud." The race saw a record number of people who did not finish (over 900), a 550% increase over last year, raising broader questions to event organizers on the right difficulty level for gravel races.

The Global Cycling Network (GCN) has a video of one of their rider's experience on the Unbound 200-mile race. It is worth the 20min to watch.

Main Route

Netflix Releases Tour De France Docuseries

Last week Netflix released a new eight episode Docuseries, ‘Tour De France: Unchained.' The show follows seven teams (AG2R Citroën Team, Alpecin-Fenix, EF Education-EasyPost, Groupama-FDJ, Ineos Grenadiers, Team Jumbo-Visma, and Team Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) across all of the decisive moments of the 2022 Tour de France, capturing the drama, suffering and emotions of the race.

With exclusive access to the race, team buses, and hotel rooms, you get the behind-the-scenes from riders, team directors, and announcers. The production is said to have cost Netflix €8 million, with plans to develop a second season following the 2023 Tour de France.

No spoilers, but you have to check it out! One recommendation, watch it in French with English Subtitles, it captures much more of the suspense throughout.

Breakaway

Zwift Launches Handlebar Controllers

The popular online fitness platform recently launched Zwift Play, a set of controllers that allows users to get a more hands-on virtual ride. Each controller has buttons that act as shortcuts for riders to give ride ons, deploy power-ups, skip workout blocks, teleport to pacer groups, and more (that were previously done through the Companion app or computer keyboard). The controllers are said to be very lightweight and attach with silicon straps.

Zwift is testing new in-game experiences with the controllers over the coming months. Today, the controllers are available for purchase at a discounted price of $99, with plans to MSRP at $149 after a few months of beta testing.

Apple Watch Adds Cycling Features

With the new watchOS 10 update, Apple Watch’s can now “automatically connect to Bluetooth-enabled cycling accessories, such as power meters, speed sensors, and cadence sensors. This enables brand-new metrics, including cycling power (watts) and cadence (RPM), and additional Workout Views, including Power Zones.”

Apple boosts the ability to estimate a riders Functional Threshold Power (FTP) and then develop personalized power zones for effective training. I find this interesting, reducing the barriers to training tech capabilities for many who already have a iPhone + Watch.

Sprint

Quick Links

• Trek recalls 96,000 hydraulic disc brakes after there were 195 reports of the brake house detaching, fortunately no injuries have been reported.

• Santa Barbara Library announces new e-bike check out program. Library card holders can check out one of the 250 e-bikes for one-hour rides at any time.

• Bike Radar gives advice on how to make your cycling kit last longer.

 Cool-down

2023 Best Bike Cities in the United States

In honor of World Bicycle Day on June 3, LawnStarter ranked the best cities to ride a bike in the United States, with San Francisco taking the top spot.

They compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on 27 indicators of a cyclist-friendly lifestyle, such as access to bike trails and bike rentals, the share of bike commuters, the presence of cycling clubs, and the number of bike races and tours.

 Community

Join Us On Strava

I would love to have you join our Strava community. If you are not on Strava today, it is a social fitness app that allows you to track your rides and share with your friends.

Join here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/1148186

With lots of plans to bring more resources (routes, group rides, races) to you, Strava will be a great place to facilitate a lot of these plans, more coming soon!