Toms Skujiņš’ Tenacious Fight for Second at Strade Bianche Is a Lesson to Every Racer

When watching a bike race, there are moments when you think it is safe to look away briefly, be it for a coffee refill, bathroom break, or a knock at the door. When Tadej Pogačaris involved, no moment is safe, even with 80km to go.

I returned to my TV with a fresh cup of coffee to see a UAE rider moving forward and taking a good pull with Pogačar on the wheel, a smart play for position given they were about to enter into the very hard Santa Maria sector 8. It quickly became more than that.

The road steepened, Tadej danced on the pedals for a brief second, sat down, and suddenly rode Sepp Kuss and the rest of the remaining riders off the wheel.

He is just putting in a short dig as there is a long way to go, right? Nope! He gone!

Read the full story from VeloNews here.

Homesickness, solo parenting and changed perspectives - the experience of fatherhood as a professional cyclist

How do you cope with being away from the baby? What’s it like to be a professional athlete and a parent? How do you balance it all?

These are all questions frequently posed to the mothers of the professional peloton, of whom there are more and more in recent years, with maternity leave provisions making life easier for those who want to take it. Whilst conversations around maternity, motherhood and children are - rightly and belatedly - becoming a norm in women’s sport, it’s a topic the many fathers in the professional peloton are rarely invited to speak about.

Of course, parenthood for female and male athletes are two very different things. As a woman, having a child more than likely means a nine-month pregnancy, post-birth recovery, and possibly several months of breastfeeding and otherwise close care of a newborn. The physical demands almost entirely fall on the mother, and therefore the sporting impact is much greater compared to a father welcoming a new child.

Outside of the obvious physical differences, though, balancing parenthood and a job that requires a lot of time away from home and a very focused lifestyle is a challenge that mothers and fathers alike must face. So what is it like for the cyclists who are fathers too?

Read the full story from Tilda Price and GCN here.

Tiffany Cromwell and Toms Skujiņš win inaugural FNLD GRVL

On Saturday, Tiffany Cromwell and Toms Skujiņš might have been two of the happiest people in the happiest country on earth. The WorldTour pros won the inaugural edition of FNLD GRVL.

Cromwell, along with F1 driver Valtteri Bottas and SBT GRVL’s Amy Charity, is a co-producer of the event. A week ago, the Canyon-SRAM rider won Unbound Gravel 100 and returned to Finland on Monday ahead of the new gravel race.

Skujiņš is two weeks post-Giro d’Italia. It was the Trek Segafredo rider’s first gravel race.

Read the full story on VeloNews here.

Analysis: Lidl-Trek are the best team in the Classics right now

Mathieu van der Poel scripted his own downfall at Gent-Wevelgem. After his extraordinary solo victory at the E3 Saxo Classic on Friday, the world champion was asked if anyone had impressed him. “Trek,” he snapped back instantly. “They showed that when you take the whole team and go to the front, you can really make a difference.”

On Sunday, Lidl-Trek, to give them their full name, gladly obliged, and were richly rewarded. The man who had been widely described as unbeatable on Sunday morning had been made to sit down in the sprint with Mads Pedersen, made to look human again.

Read the full story from GCN here.

'I've actually got to win one' - Skujins again close from Giro d'Italia breakaway

Toms Skujinš has been one of the most aggressive riders at the Giro d’Italia through 12 days of the race, and the Latvian only confirmed his form with his latest breakaway excursion during the race across Piemonte to Rivoli on Thursday…

Read the full story from Cycling News here.

Toms Skujiņš: ‘Some teams I’d never sign for because of their baggage’

Signing a contract at WorldTour level is never a straightforward process but having a set of principles always helps when it comes to guiding a rider’s decision-making process. For Toms Skujiņš that’s an important element in factoring which team to race for, and it’s part of the reason he’s raced on Trek-Segafredofor the last five years.

The 30-year-old endured an injury and illness-affected spring campaign but bounced back with a strong ride on stage 2 of the Tour de Romandie. He was in the day-long break and was only reeled in with around 20km to go. It’s a contract year for the Latvian all-rounder, and his initial desire is to remain with Trek but he’s also sure about some of the possible destinations that he wouldn’t consider.

Read the whole story from VeloNews here.

Gluten Free Carrot Cake

• 230gr sunflower oil

• 4 eggs

• 70gr nuts (mix to taste)

• 1 spoonfuls vanilla

• 230 gr Brown sugar

• 200gr grated carrots

• 230gr gluten free flour

• 13gr baking powder

• 1 tsp baking soda

• Canela, gingerpowder, nutmeg,… to your own taste

• Pinch of salt

Start with eggs and sugar, mix it by hand, not machine. 

Than add oil, mix until absorbed by the eggs.

Add all the rest of the ingredients except the carrots and flour

Mix in the flour with a whisk or spatula. Make sure you don’t have lumps, so take the time do do this properly. 

Finally add the carrots. Pour into a pre-oiled or buttered baking dish and pop in the oven at 170C for 35-40 mins.

Instead of frosting try topping with mascarpone, yogurt, or whipped cream.

Orange juice sabayon “cremeux” with red fruit, topped with mirengue Italienne

For the sabayon:

• 4 egg yolks (keep the white clean, and separated in a clean bowl)

• 5 oranges juiced (squeeze it fresh) (if it’s too much enjoy it in the morning with breakfast!)

• 4 tbs sugar

• 2 vegetarian gelatine leaves

• 250 ml white yoghurt

• 100 ml fat cream

• Selection of red fruit, to taste. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries,… (use frozen ones if fresh are unavailable, but defrost and hang up in a sift before, no extra juice wanted here)

1. Start by putting the gelatine in cold water, make that enough water.

2. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and juice until the volume is 3-4 times. Best done with a stand mixer but you can also do it by hand.

3. If using a stand mixer swap to a pot. Start whisking in figure 8 motion, or try to do so, the point is to stay on the bottom and take all edges to the sides of the pot. You’ll want a lot of air whisked in here.

4. After 1-2 minutes “cold whisking” put the pot on a medium fire and continue figure 8 motion, bringing in the air. Your mixture should start to get firm (takes about 3-5 minutes full gas 8 whisking). You are done when the stripes of your whisk stay in the mixture.

5. Pour mixture back into the bowl and whisk until “cold”.

6. Heat 1/4 of the cream and squeeze the water out of the gelatine. Add gelatine to the warm cream and stir until dissolved.

7. Mix in yoghurt.

8. Whisk the 3/4 remaining cream until mixture thickens and add to the egg yolk mixture, don’t whisk longer than 1 minute now. We don’t want the cream to become butter.

9. Now add the amount of red fruit wanted and pour the “cremeux” in glasses, half full.

10. Cremeux done.

For the mirengue italienne:

• 35ml water

• 140gr sugar

• 100gr eggwhite (clean. Use the ones from the sabayon)

• 60gr sugar

1. Heat the water and 140gr sugar to 121*C (watch it, this is hot! And sugar burns easily)

2. Whisk the egg whites and add the 60gr sugar in 3 parts. Breaking it up makes the absorption easier.

3. When nice and firm, add the 121*C sugar/water in 1 smooth motion. Keep whisking until more or less room temperature. (Use a stand mixer again, or get a free workout, pre kcal intake from this dessert)

4. Place the meringue in a piping bag and pipe swirls on top of the sabayon. Or just dollop it out with a spoon.

Throw on chopped, roasted almonds or pistaches or some more red fruit and mint if wanted.

Bonne appetit!

Chatting with Ted King!

Sweet Potato Bars! FTW

ingredients:

coconut oil for the pan.

1tbs chia seeds

1 egg

1 sweet potato average sized (steamed or baked)

1 cup oats blended into fine flour

3 cups oats

bit of salt

cinnamon to taste

vanilla to taste

1/2 cup of oat milk

2 tbs baking soda

How to make:

Soak 1 tbs of chia seeds in 2.5 tbs of water for at least 5min. Mix together the blended oats, normal oats, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda. In a separate bowl whisk the egg, add chia seeds, mushed sweet potato and 1/2cup of oat milk Mix both bowls together. and if too dry add a little bit of milk. Bake at 180C for 20min then check to see if you prefer to bake longer or not. Enjoy.

Some really great news!

Toms' amped about 2019 Amgen Tour of California

The Latvian champ used to edging the World’s top sprinters is looking for more with a fifth participation in the Amgen Tour of California.

“How do I do it? That’s a good question.” Toms Skujins (Trek - Segafredo) is all smiles as he gets ready for his fifth participation in a row in the Amgen Tour of California (12-18 May) - another opportunity for him to shine on American roads and for cycling enthusiasts to try and understand how the Latvian champ does “it”, make the most of tricky stages to snatch successes away from the world’s top sprinters. 

Since he first attended America’s biggest cycling event, in 2015, Toms Skujins hasn’t missed a single edition of the Amgen Tour of California. And he hasn’t missed on many opportunities to establish himself as the man to watch when attackers derail the race with long-range moves: four participations, a handful of breakaway attempts and three stage wins. “I have the best memories from there”, Toms Skujins must say. “It’s worked out better for me in California than elsewhere. And it’s always a great experience.”

…

You can read more on the Amgen Tour of California website! Link below.

Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, With Pros.

CyclingTips at the Tour de France