Happy Friday! Let’s recap a busy week at Cyclist. We caught up with Trek-Segafredo’s superstar Shirin van Anrooij as Will got a closer look at Remco Evenepoel’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège-winning Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7. The pro action doesn’t stop there, you can check out our men’s Tour de Romandie guide, with the race already in full flow.

We all have opinions. Do you agree with tech editor Sam that gravel bikes don’t need suspension? And what about tech writer Charlotte, who dived into the world of why bicycle groupset names make no sense.

There’s also the news that the Netflix trailer for the Tour de France docuseries has finally dropped, with more on that below too. So without further ado, let’s get into another edition of In the Drops.

Quoc Gran Tourer XC shoes

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to divert from road riding to more off-road cycling, be it gravel or MTB. I haven’t started yet, but I have been eyeing a trail in Delamere Forest to hire a bike in the summer months and disappear.

The Quoc Gran Tourer XC shoes are designed for off-road adventures and arrive four years after the original Gran Tourer gravel shoes. How nice are these dusty pink ones? Quoc’s upgrade to the dual-dial system makes for a more consistent, hotspot-free fit, the carbon outsole and TPU tread add stiffness and the new rubber toe cap adds protection on the trails. Carried over from the Gran Tourer IIs is the padded heel cushioning and foot-moulding insoles, with three arch inserts now provided for a more customised fit.

Buy the Quoc Gran Tourer XC shoes from Sigma Sports (£240)

Phizz Mango 3-in-1 Hydration, Electrolytes & Vitamins tablets

There’s just something about the taste of mango that I find absolutely brilliant, in all its forms, and that’s before mentioning the nutritional benefits it provides. London-based start-up Phizz has added a new mango flavour to their 3-in-1 range, which the brand says delivers hydration, electrolytes, and vitamins for energy – handy as temperatures begin to creep up… slowly.

The tablets contain 18 vitamins and minerals, including a claimed 375% of your daily dose of vitamin C.

Buy now from Phizz (£7.99)Other options and bundles available from Phizz

Netflix releases Tour de France docuseries trailer

Get. Excited. The full Netflix trailer for the Tour de France docuseries following the 2022 edition of La Grande Boucle has finally dropped. Named ‘Tour de France: Unchained’ (meh), the eight-episode series will be available to watch on the streaming site from 8th June.

Just in time to build excitement – like anyone needs it – for the 2023 Tour de France.

Vitamin Well hydration drinks

When I stand in the meal deal aisle at Sainsbury’s (other supermarkets are available), I always reach for bottles with vitamins to make myself feel better. Also because it’s highly likely I’ll only have had coffee to drink at that point and negated anything kind for my body.

Vitamin Well has launched in the UK and Ireland with four flavours of their vitamin drink. Developed in Sweden as an alternative to sugary drinks, the non-carbonated drinks vary by taste and vitamins provided. All bottles are made out of 100% recycled plastic too, which I love.

The Vitamin Well Elevate tastes of pineapple and strawberry and contains vitamin B12, folic acid, magnesium and zinc to combat fatigue. The Vitamin Well Hydrate option tastes of rhubarb and provides vitamin C, niacin and zinc, while the lemon and lime-flavoured Vitamin Well Reload contains vitamin D and B12. However, the standout for me is the Vitamin Well Recover, purely because I adore the elderberry and peach flavour (moreso in gin perhaps), but also because, like the Elevate, it provides vitamin B12 and folic acid.

To find out where you can buy Vitamin Well, head to vitaminwell.comBuy a 12-pack from Amazon (£23.99)

What we’re into this week: Giannis Antetokounmpo redefining ‘failure’

I may lose some of you here, but I love basketball and follow the New York Knicks. It’s the post-season currently, and players like Steph Curry, LeBron James (obviously) and Jimmy Butler have been mesmerising to watch so far.

Giannis Antetokounmpo plays for the Milwaukee Bucks and it’s not an understatement to say he’s one of the NBA’s most entertaining personalities both on and off the court. Nicknamed the ‘Greek Freak’, the Greek-Nigerian player has won a plethora of awards most could only dream of; he’s a seven-time All-Star and has been captain and coach in All Star Games, was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2019 and 2020 and led his team to the NBA Championship title in 2021.

So it was understandably a surprise when, facing the number eight-seed Miami Heat and an on-fire Jimmy Butler (pun somewhat intended) in the first round of the playoffs, the number one-seed Bucks were eliminated after just five games of the seven-game series. Speaking to the media after the game, Antetokounmpo fielded a question on whether the team’s season was a failure.

Antetokounmp’s answer was two minutes long and included this question back to the reporter, ‘Michael Jordan played 15 years, won six championships. The other nine years were a failure?’

It’s an outlook that will likely end up pasted around LinkedIn and exhausted very quickly, but his redefining of failure for himself was a refreshing way to look at sporting achievements, and how they’re not necessarily just a binary of winning or losing a championship.

See you next time when I’ll be celebrating the Knicks winning it all.

Tags: In the Drops