tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35646691471462172892024-03-20T14:45:26.732-07:00Ben SpurrierBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-39306525930343595712014-05-07T09:24:00.000-07:002014-05-07T09:44:13.711-07:00May Bank Hols: La Cantonale, Ixworth crits, Crystal Palace.<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">La Cantonale, Aix En Issart, France, all Categories, 135km.</span><br />
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Bonkers I tell you, bonkers. Totally not my thing but entered for shits and giggles and the opportunity to race on closed roads, with no expectations, just a plan to soak up the atmos and try and have fun.<br />
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ViCiOUS Paul and I both managed 1hr before getting detached from the bunch at 50km on the 3rd climb of the day. I was pretty happy with that, and we were allowed to continue on round the opening 90km loop, on the still closed roads.<br />
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Extreme, high speed, massive bunch racing, entirely worth it for the single moment that the peloton flowed either side of a roundabout -SO PRO!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Ixworth Crits</span><br />
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Nice personalised numbers.</div>
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Guy in front of me fudged his start and I had to unclip, put a foot down and scoot past him. Chase, chase, chase, go into the red, get on, get pumped. Fun 1min circuit round picturesque Ixworth. I completed the race by way of a '2-up' with Ross Tricker.<br />
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Who knew Rigoberto Uran Uran was a 3rd Cat now.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Crystal Palace Crits No.1</span><br />
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The pace was reasonably hot from the gun, with plenty of riders getting dispatched in the first few laps. I felt remarkably good and was well positioned until the 4th or 5th time up the climb when all of a sudden, my legs froze solid and wouldn't go round. I realized I couldn't feel my fingers which had all gone white as blood drained from them to go elsewhere. Early bath for me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markgoldstein/14127382671" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Crystal Palace Crits #1 by Mark Goldstein, on Flickr"><img alt="Crystal Palace Crits #1" height="212" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7428/14127382671_9b6a0949aa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Cousin Will and I early on. <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/markgoldstein/14127382671/in/set-72157644563793594">More here.</a></span></div>
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Will went on to finish 2nd but would easily have won if had not been for the mass carnage everywhere which allowed a lone rider to slip away without anyone noticing.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-28385885174870555592014-03-20T09:44:00.000-07:002014-05-07T09:45:29.346-07:00Battle On The Beach 2014<br />
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I initially pencilled <a href="http://www.battleonthebeach.co.uk/">Battle On The Beach</a> into my diary as something to aim for through January and February to furnish myself with some motivation to keep riding. Also, I'm a sucker for anything a little, well, left of the field.<br />
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The rules stated you could ride any off road bike, but with no one having done one before, no one could say for sure whether cx, MTB or fat bike would be best. The ViCiOUS posse went fully cx.<br />
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The race itself incorporated the inaugural UK Fat Bike Champs as well as playing host to the Koga MTB team from Belgium along with the Wacky racers beach race specialists. The Belgian beach race bikes were pretty cool; the prefect scenario seeming to be a rigid or short travel hard tail 700c/29er - one guy even had a full tri bar set up.<br />
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This Belgian weapon was rolling on what appear to be Campag Bora's, shod with 50mm Dugast file treads.<br />
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On race day, the venue had a nice buzz to it. The sun was out and people were genuinely excited to be taking part in something so new, with no one really knowing what to expect or how the rest of the morning was going to play out.<br />
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We were neutralised behind organiser Matt Page on a quad bike for about 1.5km from the start to the beach where the one thing we did know, was that all hell would break loose. In the first 4 or 5 minutes experience of Paris Roubaix VTT, 3 Peaks starts, Cape Epic and plenty of crit racing experience all took over and by the time we hit the sand, I was about 12th wheel.<br />
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Somehow I managed to ride the soft sand transition on my skinny tyres but made it to the hard stuff fully in the red. After about 1km of stem-chewing and out of the saddle efforts, I managed to bridge across and straight into the middle of the lead group of about 20riders.<br />
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I was amazed by the speed and strength of the 2 leading fat bikers, who seemed to be rumbling quite happily along with the bunch. As the exit from the beach loomed into view, attacks came thick and fast as riders vied for the holeshot. Again, I got up there in a decent position but it was agonisingly tough to get up the ramp as we scrambled up the steep, deep sand.<br />
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From here, it was really a question of damage limitation on a cross bike. The course had a mixture of flowing, fun singletrack, military roads, 4x4 tracks and puddles. Serious puddles.<br />
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Sometime into the 2nd lap, I caught my pedal on a stump and my foot came out of my pedal. I managed to damage a cleat bolt in the process and the cleat came loose, causing me to have to stop to exact a repair. Time and places were lost here, and again when I hit a section of flowing tail to hot and got bucked from my bike -miraculously landing on my feet, but having to straighten bars and saddle.<br />
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As the laps wore on, the conditions and racing really started to take their toll on the bikes. Cross bikes especially as they were put through their paces a bit more on the singletrack. By the end, everything was sounding pretty unhealthy -one 'puddle' created a bow wave that was definitely headset height.<br />
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ViCiOUS Paul suffered a puncture while closing down 5th place, and ultimately slipped to 15th overall. <a href="http://www.igetcross.blogspot.com/">Boom </a>was 3rd lady -the lead lady passed me at the end of the first lap, while Melanie Alexander, riding for Scott UK was able to maintain a strong 2nd place.<br />
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I was 22nd overall, out of 300, and 15th in category. A top 10 would have been nice, and definitely achievable next year, knowing what I know now. It was an awesome event, so much fun, Matt Page and his crew did a great job of getting the UK's first ever beach race off the ground and March 22nd 2015 is already in the diary.<br />
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Images from <a href="http://www.anthonypeasephotography.co.uk/battle-beach/nggallery/page/1/">Anthony Pease Photography</a>
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These pics from Ben Putland sum it up quite nicely.<br />
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I was 41st in the end -nothing to write home about, but easily my best race of the season. Owing to the UCI 80% rule I was pulled as Ian came round for his bell lap. I thought I might make it to the finish unlapped (a first for me), but we'll never know. Curiously, it was more enjoyable than it looks. I seem to revel conditions like that.</div>
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Interesting from an equipment point of view was running a direct comparison between Challenge Limus and Dugast Rhinos. 2 identical bikes, with identical wheels but different tubs. The Limus' had more grip in the horrific mud, but felt noticeably slower.</div>
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ViCiOUS Po did well to finish 35th, Boom was 11th in the women's race, Kev was 22nd in an 85 strong Vets race and James Flury was 10th bihind first time winner Thomas Craig in the Junior race. ViCiOUS Velo also placed 5th in the team rankings, which is nice.</div>
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-21864216727478638582014-01-07T08:23:00.001-08:002014-01-15T02:53:53.375-08:00London League Betlem<a href="http://www.moranphotography.co.uk/londonxleaguerd13/e3c891005"><img alt="Moran Photography: LondonXLeague - Rd 13 &emdash; " height="640" src="http://www.moranphotography.co.uk/img/s9/v93/p1015615493-2.jpg" width="427" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.moranphotography.co.uk/londonxleaguerd13/e18a1e1a9"><img alt="Moran Photography: LondonXLeague - Rd 13 &emdash; " height="266" src="http://www.moranphotography.co.uk/img/s9/v91/p413262249-2.jpg" title="" width="427" /></a><br />
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Photos by <a href="http://www.moranphotography.co.uk/londonxleaguerd13">Phil Moran</a><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="500" mozallowfullscreen="" msallowfullscreen="" nbsp="" oallowfullscreen="" src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/irl2010/11784887696/player/a4884789bd" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="427"></iframe>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-37559265073584023892013-12-16T09:16:00.001-08:002013-12-16T09:27:09.014-08:00Bradford National Trophy 2013<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/11391837084/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2878/11391837084_bd4c09fb19.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/11391837084/">nat_trop_5_bradford_seniors-40</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/">britishcycling.org.uk photos</a>.</span></div>
Andy Whitehouse's image from British Cycling.<br />
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Stupid, miserable, shit day out all in all. I'd been looking forward to Bradford, as I always do. It's where I got my first okay result at Trophy level, the year of the infamous mud-chute. This has since been vastly scaled back and rarely garners the interest of more than a couple of spectators. Basically, the less challenging the course, the faster the race and the greater my disadvantage.<br />
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This wasn't helped by some weird brake jamming incident whereby my front wheel seemed to have shifted in warmup. I didn't notice anything untoward riding up and down the Tarmac but from the a certain point on the first lap, everyone else proceeded to leave me for dust. I'd had a good few weeks and felt alright, but all of a sudden, I was ploughing everything I had into the pedals and watching everybody else sail off into the distance. The guys in the pits said my front wheel wouldn't turn when they went to jet-wash it.<br />
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Then the water pump failed in the car 25 miles south and we got home 8 hours later on the back of a recovery truck. Big up to the RAC and Daryl the recovery driver though, top service all round.<br />
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-41588778349019718192013-11-18T07:18:00.002-08:002013-12-03T01:44:52.514-08:00Moran Photography London League rd.8<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moranphotography.co.uk/p686980281/e124679b8" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Moran Photography: LondonXLeague - Rd 8 &emdash; " height="267" src="http://moranphotography.co.uk/img/s5/v121/p306608568-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://moranphotography.co.uk/">http://moranphotography.co.uk</a>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-63183445948124601712013-08-20T09:54:00.000-07:002013-08-20T09:55:00.001-07:00Summer Series Rd.6 by Phil Moran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moranphotography.co.uk/ssroundsix/e63250a97" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="SUMMERSERIES-6026"><img alt="Moran Photography: Round Six &emdash; SUMMERSERIES-6026" height="640" src="http://moranphotography.co.uk/img/s10/v113/p1663371927-2.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://moranphotography.co.uk/">http://moranphotography.co.uk</a><br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-42703424391110786892013-08-13T03:29:00.000-07:002013-08-20T09:55:28.884-07:00London Cyclocross Summer Series by Phil Moran<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://moranphotography.co.uk/p919130760/e625e1396" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="SUMMERSERIES-5804"><img alt="Moran Photography: Round Five &emdash; SUMMERSERIES-5804" height="640" src="http://moranphotography.co.uk/img/s9/v89/p1650332566-2.jpg" width="427" /></a></div>
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Click the image to go to Phil's siteBenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-57794345768347651892013-07-12T09:05:00.004-07:002013-07-12T09:05:38.670-07:00Core strength, you need core strength.I've had a 'bad' back for as long as I can remember. At least the last 20yrs. I recently had a bunch of MRI scans to try and establish the root cause of my otherwise ambiguous pain.<br />
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The scans showed that my bottom-most (L5) disc is almost completely deteriorated, the result of which is that the two vertebrae which would otherwise have been nicely spaced by a protective gel bumper, are now effectively resting directly on top of each other.<br />
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No-one can say how or why this happened. It may be genetic, it may because as a race, we humans have altered the way we go about our lives or in my case it could be the long term result of one of four life-threatening impacts i.e. through trauma you rupture a disc and some of the gel leaks out. Normally this will heal itself in a few weeks. Whatever, it's all gone -literally dry as a bone.<br />
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People have been crapping on at me about core strength for some time. As cyclists, core strength can easily fall by the wayside while we plug away, building up further muscle imbalances. However, no one ever really put into simple terms, why you need a strong core or how it helps. People just said it would. Don't get me wrong, it does help -hugely. but it took an orthopaedic surgeon last week to put it into terms I could really get my head around.<br />
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As you stand or sit upright, your spine compresses as it holds you in place. In my case, those two vertebrae resting/grinding against each other. IF you can activate, strengthen and build your core, it will act like a scaffold for your spine and support your weight, thus easing the downward pressure through your spine.<br />
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This year, I subbed out bike training in place of a core strength programme. Then I got a referral to a physio. Brilliant, and on the NHS. This further complimented what I had been doing, and after 6 or 7 months I can genuinely say things are better than they have been for years. The root cause, the mechanical problem hasn't and won't go away, but all the side affects are lessening or becoming easier to deal with i.e. I can sleep through the night without it waking me up and I'm not in pain whenever I move.<br />
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Pilates. I haven't started yet, but I plan to as my brother, who recently ran his first marathon in sub 4hrs raves about it for core strength. As a runner he was experiencing IT Band discomfort at the knee. Did loads of googling and reading about possible causes and solutions but a few Pilates classes later and the resulting core strength eliminated any and all issues.<br />
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Aside from that, basic advice from physios and surgeons alike was "keep active". I kept a diary in the early part of this year in a bid to narrow down what made things worse. Not riding my bike definitely makes it worse! As I start to get fitter -not race fit, but on my way, it has got better as well. It's easier to move my own weight around -constant pain becomes a bit tiring after a while.<br />
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With regards my racing, it's been a bit frustrating not being fit enough to kick it with the roadies on a Tuesday night, but more important is the bigger picture. I hope to have built a stronger platform for race form to work off, come the autumn. I imagine it like stripping down a battered old Land Rover and then galvanising the chassis prior to a rebuild.<br />
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I wanted to share my epiphany and I hope this puts things into a bit of perspective or simply makes it easier to get your head around the reasons why people go on about it. Don't underestimate it, don't ignore it. <br />
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-57932037754177469972013-07-02T02:23:00.001-07:002013-07-05T06:40:10.212-07:00Ride + DesignIn June I presented a talk at the <a href="http://wedesignforum.co.uk/">West of England Design Forum</a> <a href="http://ridedesign.org/speakers/">'Ride + Design'</a> event. This was a full day at Bristol's Arnolfini venue which saw keynote speeches from James Fairbank of Rapha and Will Butler-Adams of Brompton. Also talking were Vulpine CC, The Bicycle Academy, Artcrank, Charge Bikes, Genesis Bikes and AnaNichoola.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pixillion.com/blog/2013/ridedesign-review.html">Here's</a> a brief review of the day.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAdEKudLQm0m5N1JG4f7xIVtuQRBlqoeJgIaHcSvChnqwcHI51ToBU1g9_BAPPH6wdhlqkiCdaHkGAGsIb8_JL7T8UdUbhoL6HYLabm-R6G2Pr2WMULEdPMc3JGh_yMmXG-Gf3sc0XuZV/s952/Avatar_2013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFAdEKudLQm0m5N1JG4f7xIVtuQRBlqoeJgIaHcSvChnqwcHI51ToBU1g9_BAPPH6wdhlqkiCdaHkGAGsIb8_JL7T8UdUbhoL6HYLabm-R6G2Pr2WMULEdPMc3JGh_yMmXG-Gf3sc0XuZV/s400/Avatar_2013.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: <a href="http://www.thisisjust.co.uk/">Adrian Barclay</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Some of the above already had design and bicycle design covered so I had to slot into the Design and Culture section of the morning. I've never really delved too deeply into the topic of cycling culture and certainly never to the extent of finding something to talk about for 25 minutes. Below is a transcript of what I thought in the end, people might find interesting: </span><br />
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I want to explore
briefly why cycling is captivating the imagination and interest of so many
people right now. And whether this boom in cycling is simply a fashion trend or
whether cycling culture is making a lasting indent on society at large?</span></span><br />
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm going to begin by just
presenting some of my own experiences from the last couple of years, to
illustrate the extent that I think cycling has penetrated society. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As a London based
cyclist and designer, working for Condor Cycles I’m fortunate enough to be in a
position to observe all elements of cycling culture as it evolves around me,
from people travelling to the Alpes to ride stages of the tour; to racing,
commuting and even a resurgence of bicycle polo. I have to remind myself almost
daily that what I see, is really happening; that this growth really is taking
place, without seeing any logical reason for it to stop. Obviously our weather doesn’t
help, but as most clothing companies will agree, there is no such thing as bad
weather, just inappropriate clothing! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, the bicycles we
ride haven’t changed that much in the last 20yrs and it hasn’t suddenly become much
quicker to commute by bike, so why the change in attitude now? True that our cities
are becoming ever more crowded, and speed equals popularity, so people will
always gravitate towards the quickest, if not always the easiest mode of
transport. Perhaps a combination of that, mixed with affordability and safety
in numbers is breaking down barriers that previously deterred the nation’s
workforce from taking to two wheels. Or, maybe it just one or two of the cooler
kids to catch on to what I was telling them all along…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That in itself is not
entirely unfounded, as I spent much of my younger life not mentioning cycling within
any social setting –very much NOT COOL! And yet now, 20yrs down the line I
can’t venture out without friends and their friends wanting to engage with me
all night about bikes and cycling; not that I’m complaining of course.<span style="color: #bfbfbf; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 191;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">My friends and family now
all seem to know about cycle sport as well! As well as our exploits at the Tour
De France and the Olympics, in recent years we’ve seen a vast increase in input
from multi million dollar brands such as Red Bull inserting their typical flair
into grassroots events such as their minidrome competitions or the Hill
Chasers; the first of which took place here in Bristol, up Park Street. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The point is that not
since the 70’s have we seen city center cycle racing attracting crowds of
spectators. We at Condor co-own Rapha Condor JLT, one of the UK’s only
Pro-Continental cycling teams and if you want to see the epitome of everything
that is cool in cycle sport today, look no further. And at this time of year you
don’t have to hunt far through the TV listings to see them in action in coverage
of events such as The Cycling Tour Series or The Tour Of Britain. For the first
time in decades we are shutting down town centers up and down the length of the
UK to hold and televise town center cycle racing. Suddenly cycle sport is being
channeled to mainstream appeal.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Outside of the sport, the
design industry is turning its focus to cycling and its culture, to the extent
that last month I was asked to help judge the Design and Art Direction student
awards –the Product Design brief set for the 2<sup>nd</sup> year running by
Oakley, centered on cycle related products. Suddenly I found myself surrounded
by some of the real heavyweights of the design industry, and judging student
submissions from all over the world. It’s becoming impossible to ignore the
widespread impact of design-led brands within cycling. As I was sitting on this
panel of judges, at least half of the table was wearing an item of Rapha
clothing, and I don’t think many of them had cycled there. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another nice example of
how far the effect has spread, is that a friend’s mother recently took the time
to inform me of just how good the orange juice was at the cycling café Look Mum
No Hands.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is all just
anecdotal evidence and only suggests that really, it’s just fashionable to
cycle at the moment. As such, anyone could argue that it may all disappear
overnight as fashions change, leaving cycling to return to niche status. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For me, the linchpin of
wider cultural acceptance will come not from bicycle design or cycle sport but
through a more fundamental approach to the basic functionality of the way our
cities are traversed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The establishment of
long-term or permanent infrastructures ought, by definition to out-live any
social trends, so regardless of whether it remains fashionable to ride a
bicycle in 5 years time or not, the UK has already begun addressing factors
that will hopefully make cycling a more attractive option, be it as transport
or as a leisure activity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The redesigning of
towns and cities, to reroute cyclists away from motor vehicles is a serious
undertaking which will have a dramatic impact on all road users, be they on a bike,
in a car or on foot. Dutch-style roundabouts, with their own partitioned cycle
lanes, are being developed and refined with a view to being installed in London
in the next 12 months.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Studies are being
undertaken to investigate and research how best to adapt and redesign the way
we behave in our urban environmental. For example, in Copenhagen they
reprioritized their traffic lights along major arteries so that if you cycle at
certain average speed, you only hit green lights on your way in to town.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most cities evolve and
grow organically with very few designed and built from scratch, so it’s testament
to the emphasis being placed on cycling, that we’re willing to tear up our
roads and pavements and fundamentally alter way in which we move from place to
place. On the outskirts of London, over a £100m has been allotted to the
redesigning of 4 boroughs to align them with cycling cities like Amsterdam.<b><span style="mso-effects-reflection-align: bottomleft; mso-effects-reflection-angdirection: 5400000; mso-effects-reflection-angfadedirection: 5400000; mso-effects-reflection-anglekx: 0; mso-effects-reflection-angleky: 0; mso-effects-reflection-dpidistance: .079pt; mso-effects-reflection-dpiradius: 1.0pt; mso-effects-reflection-pctalphaend: 0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctalphastart: 28.0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctendpos: 45.0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctstartpos: 0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctsx: 100.0%; mso-effects-reflection-pctsy: -100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-angle: 5400000; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shade-linearshade-fscaled: no; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-shadetype: linear; mso-style-textfill-fill-gradientfill-stoplist: "0 \#381563 7 100000 shade=20000 satm=245000\,43000 \#7B34D2 7 100000 satm=255000\,48000 \#7230C3 7 100000 shade=85000 satm=255000\,100000 \#381563 7 100000 shade=20000 satm=245000"; mso-style-textfill-type: gradient; mso-style-textoutline-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textoutline-fill-color: #5C437A; mso-style-textoutline-fill-colortransforms: "shade=50000 satm=120000"; mso-style-textoutline-fill-themecolor: accent4; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-align: center; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-compound: simple; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dash: solid; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-dpiwidth: .709pt; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-join: round; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-linecap: flat; mso-style-textoutline-outlinestyle-pctmiterlimit: 0%; mso-style-textoutline-type: solid; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In London, Barclays
Bikes are now an integral part of people’s daily commute. No longer just
dipping into the scheme on an occasional basis but now structuring their
journeys and commutes to work around the system. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This in itself has led
to a marked increase not just in the number of cyclists on the road but also….smiles.
London’s hardly renowned for the joyful smileyness of it’s commuters, but barely
a day goes by now where I don’t see someone riding a Boris Bike down the road,
grinning to themselves, as if they just discovered part of their psyche they
hadn’t visited since they were a child. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And perhaps that’s also
the key. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In times of gloom and austerity
I would challenge anyone to bring me one single object capable of providing it’s
owner with such a broad scope of capacity for joy and fulfillment. You might
haul a bike from a skip and for little or no money create your own sustainable,
pollution free transport, cutting costs, improving your own wellbeing, health
and happiness. That same bike could take you on your own adventures away from the
city, into the countryside. Or it might see you achieving personal goals, slicing
down your time into work or scaling and descending mountain tops. The
satisfaction of reaching an alpine peak, after toiling and sweating for an hour
and a half is unparalleled –not to mention descending down the other side.
Suddenly a whole new world opens itself up to you and all you had to do was
rescue someone else’s knackered old machine. –Obviously, this is a slightly romantic
notion, the likelihood of that all happening at once is a touch unrealistic BUT
there is no reason why it shouldn’t all happen, just over a longer timespan. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While people revert the
old ‘make do and mend’ philosophy and take to refurbishing and restoring old
machines it is not wholly surprising to see a change in consumer attitude.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In today’s age of
online purchasing and home delivery, mass manufacture with built-in obsolescence,
previously high-value products now saturate the affordable end of the market
across all industries. I’m a firm believer that everything has it’s place and
if you do want cheap, then, for the most part you simply have to be prepared
for it to break sooner rather than later. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Legendary bike builder
and designer Keith Bontrager said of the bike industry “Cheap, Light, Strong;
pick two.” <span style="color: #d9d9d9; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 217;"> </span>and at a time where we’re
seeing a global resurgence of bicycle frame builders, never was this adage more
relevant than now. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For at least the last
10 years the artisan industry has felt the pinch of larger corporations as they
strive to develop and evolve technologies to create faster, lighter bikes, often
priced well beyond the means of your average wage earner. More recently though,
they in turn have been undercut by the availability of cheap and light
‘open-mould’ carbon frames from the far east, allowing virtually anyone to
create their own brand at the drop of a hat. Pushing these generic imitations, out
on the market in a mail order fashion, also added to the pressure on the man
turning out one frame a week whilst trying to cover all his overheads. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Manufacturing in the UK
has been in steady decline for many years but, it is my opinion that a change
in consumerism is mirroring the beginning of a full circle turn from British
manufacturing. As we slowly, painstakingly drag ourselves from recession,
consumerism is gradually shifting to align itself with an age where things were
built to last. People enjoy hand built, the touch of a craftsman, the idea that
your bike is not the same as everybody elses, that it was lovingly crafted for
you and you only, by someone took the time to discuss with you at length, your
wants and needs. The idea that your hard earned cash is being invested in
something which may not be superlight, but can be repaired if damaged and that
represents longevity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Only a month or two ago
we came back to exhibit at Bespoked Bristol, the UK’s only handmade bicycle
show, and what used to be the niche corner of the market saw something like 10
thousand visitors. On display was the broadest range of manufacturing that I’ve
seen for some time. From out and out plain functionality to the most ornate of
hand worked details. There were bicycles for children, there were bicycles for
bike-packing there were bikes made from Ply wood, Bamboo and even cardboard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">So, the future really
is bright for cycling. At the same time that our nation as a whole is
reconsidering the very way in which it goes about its daily business, both supply
and demand are slowly but surely increasing on parallel planes as the consumer
market embraces its burgeoning industry and I for one will be doing my utmost
to keep designing and creating products that people want to buy, that make
people happy and help ensure that cycling and its culture make a lasting impact
on the world that we live in.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<!--EndFragment-->Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-35949887154107824302013-06-07T08:12:00.002-07:002013-06-07T08:12:41.045-07:00Palace CritsThe one bonus of getting pumped from the lead group is the increased photo opportunities. I really like Tom Simpson's shots from Tuesday. See more <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/95560729@N05/sets/72157633951831942/with/8961504298/">here</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/95560729@N05/8961504298/" title="Crystal Palace Crit-9981 by tomsimpsonphoto45, on Flickr"><img alt="Crystal Palace Crit-9981" height="332" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/8961504298_d8cb76f899.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-12961555491396149972013-04-04T07:23:00.001-07:002013-05-17T09:35:55.741-07:00Rapha Condor Sharp team car<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Rapha Condor Sharp team car, 2010 - 2012.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwGJKz5Z-Ainl6UZcb4SScU5CqYCnSrAVVhLBf06XJsFndSPOLbEoIdo0RCnAW52Egqu53qsXlt3NL7D9crXfwo94n-QiMuYlHTPJTEGR1MRF1BdxTJHeIbehBXLtCMO-_vPP0x0KQGO0/s1600/Team_Car_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjwGJKz5Z-Ainl6UZcb4SScU5CqYCnSrAVVhLBf06XJsFndSPOLbEoIdo0RCnAW52Egqu53qsXlt3NL7D9crXfwo94n-QiMuYlHTPJTEGR1MRF1BdxTJHeIbehBXLtCMO-_vPP0x0KQGO0/s400/Team_Car_2010.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"> Charter Mason Drapac Development Team team car, 2013.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCjkm-RPqxJ5l_2l88BkSg1f_8u3sihSSIa8j1th3-CQpEkI0mlofpbGzXejvO04SKCYMNymBtL09lVs8YEK75OC5YVBtQtFgnkzUYofLRP9K3PqCqOSxJXcIgEpFPlNchMf9_WGUg8Bl/s1600/Drapac_development_team_Car.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCjkm-RPqxJ5l_2l88BkSg1f_8u3sihSSIa8j1th3-CQpEkI0mlofpbGzXejvO04SKCYMNymBtL09lVs8YEK75OC5YVBtQtFgnkzUYofLRP9K3PqCqOSxJXcIgEpFPlNchMf9_WGUg8Bl/s1600/Drapac_development_team_Car.png" /></a></div>
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Nice -right down to the wing mirror detail.</div>
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-88944598838469297522013-01-08T03:55:00.001-08:002013-05-17T09:39:29.110-07:00National Trophy Shrewsbury<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/8354603677/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" height="354" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8354603677_805572bece.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/8354603677/">national_trophy_6_seniors_u_23-22</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/">britishcycling.org.uk photos</a>.</span></div>
Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-74869863419229623402013-01-08T01:36:00.001-08:002013-05-17T09:39:04.646-07:00National Trophy Shrewsbury<div style="padding: 3px; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/8354614939/" title="photo sharing"><img alt="" height="426" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8351/8354614939_451866c699.jpg" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" width="640" /></a><br />
<span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/8354614939/">national_trophy_6_seniors_u_23-62</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/">britishcycling.org.uk photos</a>.</span></div>
Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-54521489027004265642012-12-12T03:24:00.005-08:002012-12-12T03:24:47.881-08:00ViCIOUS VELO Doublecross 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAG5nmjgNhcR1FgI3BiRHBP1oCU5x3-R4VrZbSPgamBGF5yC3Eq7ryGec_PEswmeL65SVUXSEbmmApCmCcz6rHAJVgBtrehUjGH0LEmRNm5O0CjBQ-qTupykX0td-bRSPURjkDZhMMaXJ/s1600/double+X+poster_v3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYAG5nmjgNhcR1FgI3BiRHBP1oCU5x3-R4VrZbSPgamBGF5yC3Eq7ryGec_PEswmeL65SVUXSEbmmApCmCcz6rHAJVgBtrehUjGH0LEmRNm5O0CjBQ-qTupykX0td-bRSPURjkDZhMMaXJ/s640/double+X+poster_v3.jpg" width="452" /></a></div>
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For 2012, we're trying something new, a bit different to normal. 2 events, over 2 days, both on the same course, but reversed-out for the second day.<br />
<br />
The ViCiOUS event is a non league, stand-alone event. This allows us the flexibility to break up the racing a bit; something other leagues do already, which should ease congestion in the race itself. Vets, Women and Juniors will all race together for 40mins and then Seniors will race on their own for 60mins. On Sunday, Velo Club Londres are hosting Round 11 of the London League which will run to the same traditional format. There will be an overall, points-based competition for anyone racing on both the Saturday and the Sunday.<br />
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Geoff Waugh will once again be in situ with his drum kit to spur riders through the technical sections. Look Mum No Hands are bringing their army trailer to keep everyone refreshed with Tea, Coffee, Soups and Stews. We will also be selling ViCiOUS-themed cakes again.<br />
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As usual, expect ViCiOUS badges, chocolate hand-ups and don't forget to wrap up warm...it's going to be a wintery one!Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-5426176139737790332012-12-11T06:12:00.003-08:002012-12-11T06:12:52.511-08:00Happy 25th birthday, GIF Here's one I made earlier...enjoy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukIfbjS1l8-MF8Ctg3fE9XRFL01cvAJpNOERg7MyOWuBFWXWsJesvE9naAqtIbndrTBWH71Ak93-cP_Mnffvmu0gCyWOXxDartKWhJzczukoqRL6EJE1qth0AzrXOv7_f6BNHugJ5hkkT/s1600/Money-Shot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="572" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhukIfbjS1l8-MF8Ctg3fE9XRFL01cvAJpNOERg7MyOWuBFWXWsJesvE9naAqtIbndrTBWH71Ak93-cP_Mnffvmu0gCyWOXxDartKWhJzczukoqRL6EJE1qth0AzrXOv7_f6BNHugJ5hkkT/s640/Money-Shot.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-72820052840972182372012-12-03T06:47:00.002-08:002013-05-17T09:41:11.672-07:00London League PenshurstA little personal victory for me yesterday -following 6wks of doing bashing my head against the turbo twice a week, I finally cracked my way back into the top 10 in a League race. No great shakes really; a few seasons ago I was rarely outside of the top 10, but over the last few seasons various factors have conspired to keep me languishing in the teens, at best.<br />
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One of these factors involved the buying of a house. But now I have a shed, and all the cross bikes can go in it, so, suddenly jumping on the turbo has never been easier -though I'm a little way off having some form of permanent set-up, but it's a start.<br />
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I first went to Penshurst Off Road Club on my Raleigh Lizard when I was 12 or 13, when it was nothing more than a sprawling mass of forestry and Rhododendron bushes. As it is still predominately a DH venue, the format for Addiscombe CC's race rarely changes from year to year, it is mostly a question of heading down one of the descents and then winding your way back up again. I've always enjoyed racing there as it can be pretty tricky and although the race is never won on the descents, it can (as it was for many yesterday) easily be lost.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwfEdm8OmHigA5P79gzPATaT3hROAto1U_yWhUVN9q63b_Cxogc_LyI8-Q3HgQGM6PXazHS7jZWlzWbQuH1FDItktIOb5g1txlCm0tYogmTeE6s_u5Z3kr6e1T6ERE8g5jnvEe7V4MTUS/s1600/PORC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJwfEdm8OmHigA5P79gzPATaT3hROAto1U_yWhUVN9q63b_Cxogc_LyI8-Q3HgQGM6PXazHS7jZWlzWbQuH1FDItktIOb5g1txlCm0tYogmTeE6s_u5Z3kr6e1T6ERE8g5jnvEe7V4MTUS/s640/PORC.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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The sky was blue and the ground was frosty and boggy. Everything felt to just be working a bit better and I rode mostly on my own from the first lap. I came home in 10th place, at the back of a line of usual suspects, also beating a few riders who I haven't been close to for a while.<br />
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pic by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151170039446868.449626.565591867&type=1">Aoden Higgins</a></div>
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Interesting that there were lots of MTBs which should have been at an advantage on the descents, but were clearly out-gunned on the climbs. Think I've only done about 6 races this season but a reflection of this season's conditions are that I already need to replace a headset and BB from all the bike washing.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">1 Sylvain Garde Addiscombe</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">2 Darren Barclay Arctic SRAM at 1 56</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">3 Matt Holmes Arctic SRAM 1t 1.57</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">4 Chris Dick London Phoenix at 2.29</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">5 Jules Birch VC Londres at 2.53</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">6 Jack Finch PM Racing at 3.47</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">7 Mark Smith Crawley Wheelers at 3.48</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">8 Phil Glowinski VC Londres at 4.03</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">9 Phil Lenney Active</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">10 Ben Spurrier Vicious Velo</span></b></span>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-10586898739176932982012-11-14T05:34:00.003-08:002013-05-17T09:47:00.857-07:00L'Eroica 2012Someone once said my dad had been born in the wrong century and should have been around in a time where he would have gone galloping from castle to castle on horseback.<br />
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Occasionally I feel the same thing, just less about the horseback and castles; more Bentleys and Bugattis. Maybe it's just a reflection of our consumerism today and the proliferation of cheap far eastern products with their built-in obselescense that we no longer expect our products to last, to stand the tests of time. Or perhaps we're no longer willing to pay for it<br />
<br />
I learnt to drive in a 1952 Series 1 Land Rover and what little auto mechanical knowledge I have is borne from that vehicle's constant need for TLC.<span style="font-family: Noteworthy-Light; font-size: 15px;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I like old bikes, old cars, old stuff in general. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">I like things which are designed and built now, like they were then, when things were built to last. I like to pick up old parts where you can see the marks of manufacture, created by a human hand...</span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This year I was lucky enough to be invited to to take part in L'Eroica in Tuscany, Italy.</span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">By all accounts, you cannot buy vintage bike parts in Italy between June and October; safe in the knowledge that come L'Eroica, pedallers of old bits and bobs will be able to safely hike the prices of their wares to sell to those who have made the trip to Chiante hoping to find that one component to complete their look, or bike.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On the Saturday, Giaole in Chiante transforms into a sprawling vintage bike fest. There were vintage cars, motorbikes, and more bikes than I’ve ever seen in one place. The Saturday night in Giaole is a raucous affair. Guests of the ride itself are all shoehorned into a vast marquee and plied with huge amounts of Chiante and pork. This year, Francesco Moser was in attendance, as was his somewhat vocal fan club who added a 'musical' soundtrack to the evening.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Angel and I rode the 75km route. He on a 'curly' Hetchins and me on an original 50’s Paris Galibier with 1961 Simplex Jui 4spd. It turns out my smallest gear was a 51x20t which made the climbs harder and harder to get up as the day progressed. It turns out Tuscany is hardly flat either…<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There were 4 feed stops on our route -one unofficial. Once you have broken the back of the first section of the ride, the stops come nice and frequently. Instead of being piled with cola and energy food, there was bread in olive oil, bread in red wine, grapes, water or chiante. We were lucky enough to arrive at one stop at the same time as the old-timer who wears No.1 who chatted to us briefly. His bike is from 1905, it’s a fixed wheel and has a front (tyre) brake only. He was 69 and worryingly for us, arrived at the next stop only about 5mins after we got there.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I wore Ray Ban Aviators, a cloth casquete, a woollen jersey and original woolen Condor Mackeson/Britanica shorts and leather Quoc Pham shoes. It was also my first time fully on board a Brooks saddle which was simply amazing. Quoc Pham hooked me up with a pair of the new Touring shoes which have a chunkier sole. I figured there'd be more than a bit of walking involved so I opted for something which could stand up to that level of abuse. By the time we got back to the finish, my box-fresh shoes were well and truly broken in and had taken on a lovely dusty, used appearance. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Both our bikes were absolutely superb. We initially scoffed at our larger tyres when we were in London, but the moment they touched Tuscan soil it was as though they sensed they were in their spiritual home. Out of our group of 20 or so, we had a total of 3 punctures and 1 snapped chainring(!)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It turns out, the Italians will let you do the ride if your steed doesn’t meet the regulations –it was seemingly unpoliced. But when you come to get your card stamped at the end, if they don’t like what they see, you don’t get the stamp. This happened to two people I knew.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A few snaps from my time in Tuscany. My thanks obviously to Claude Kearley for the loan of the bikes, Quoc Pham for the shoes and Brooks for the hospitality. </span></span><br />
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<!--EndFragment-->Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-33301438645706621232012-11-07T02:05:00.003-08:002013-05-17T09:47:35.111-07:00National Trophy 2 Ipswich<span style="font-family: inherit;">Right now, Wednesday, I'm right on the brink still. Teetering the fine line between recovery and illness. I can feel a cold trying to worm its way in and while I feel motivated and excited to train, I am massively aware of the demon cold that's breathing down my neck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sunday was a real rip-snorting cold-catcher of a day. Before going to bed I had gone outside and checked the weather and it was clear and dry. We left the house at 7 and drove through the pissing rain up to Ipswich where the rain continued to pound us.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIb1n-FSB3FKhbeh3YG40J_8YovHP3aDw-XzoA7LbO9Og3qlGYeTRkcdHHC97VeOx9bzzd1dRVp13-W31-1KximGoVjffagmtI2vEVpse2fmk-9KbMdvLVMQNaO_acBeHq743589pKMxn/s1600/IMG_1752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKIb1n-FSB3FKhbeh3YG40J_8YovHP3aDw-XzoA7LbO9Og3qlGYeTRkcdHHC97VeOx9bzzd1dRVp13-W31-1KximGoVjffagmtI2vEVpse2fmk-9KbMdvLVMQNaO_acBeHq743589pKMxn/s640/IMG_1752.JPG" width="640" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I had largely 'normal' outdoor clothes -boots, Rapha tweed softshell and normal trousers -note to self: buy waterproof all-in-one. I pitted for Kev in the Vet's race, then Boom in the Women's race, all through the still pissing rain. By the time they had finished I was soaked through, which wouldn't have mattered so much if it had been above 5 degrees C.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I could have got in the car and gone home at that point. I was seriously worried about having dry clothes to drive home in so my warm up mainly consisted of cranking the heating up in the car while trying to dry some kit. </span><br />
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I got on the turbo under the open boot of the car and tried to warm-up. Gridding at these races makes little or no difference to me. I can make my way into the bunch from the back reasonably easily, from where I am quickly pumped. So, on Sunday, when I had a whole row to myself at the back of the bunch. I wasn't too stressed.</span><br />
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There was a crash at the start as people tried to muscle their way along the start straight -I suppose this is reason enough to want to be further up the field, meh. By the time we were round the first corner and working our way up the filthy muddy incline, the back of the field was splintering apart. It was very quickly a war of attrition for those of us vying for the Lanterne Rouge.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/8155580670/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="ipswich_elite-7 by britishcycling.org.uk photos, on Flickr"><img alt="ipswich_elite-7" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8340/8155580670_8383bc89b9.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I slogged away and didn't blow. In an improvement from the first Trophy, I was far from last and managed to hold off the leaders until they had half a lap to go. So they lapped me on their way to the chequered flag, meaning I rode the full 60mins. There were a number of handy Belgians left over from Saturday's Euro Champs, including <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Peter Ghyllebert of Ampost who won the sprints jersey in the TOB last year, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Van Tichelt of Sunweb-Revo</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"> and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Kevin Eeckhout of Coolens Cycling Team, along with Hargroves Cycles' new Belgian signing, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Tom Van Den Bosch. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishcyclingphotos/8155591588/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="ipswich_elite-52 by britishcycling.org.uk photos, on Flickr"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="ipswich_elite-52" height="271" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8208/8155591588_4ba053a9fe.jpg" width="500" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">As always, my goal is to finish on the same lap as the leaders but as ever, I'm coming largely from zero fitness at this time of year, so am working my way into the season. My target this season is to do my best ever ride at the National Championships, this year at Bradford where I had one of my best results last year. And this time, it is a couple of weeks after New Year -even better.</span></span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elite Men:</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Kevin Eeckhout Coolens Cycling Team Belgium Elite 59 48</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 Tom Van Den Bosch Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant Elite @ 0 25</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 Oli Beckingsale Endura MTB Racing Elite @ 0 36</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">4 Steven James Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant Under 23 @ 0 56</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">5 Yorben Van Tichelt Sunweb-Revor Under 23 @ 1 1</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">6 Paul Oldham Team Hope Factory Racing Elite @ 1 6</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">7 Peter Ghyllebert Ampost - Belgium Elite @ 1 13</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">8 David Fletcher Orange Monkey/Cannondale Elite @ 1 17</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">9 Jody Crawforth Hargroves Cycles/Specialized/Trant Elite @ 1 34</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">10 Nick Craig Team Scott UK Elite @ 3 2</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">Women:</span></strong></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1 Louise Robinson (V) Islabikes Woman 36 7</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2 Adela Carter Team Hope Factory Racing Woman @ 0 43</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0.5em; padding: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3 Diane Lee www.Zepnat.com RT/Kuota/GSG Woman @ 1 49</span></div>
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Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-34625761829931121772012-10-30T10:01:00.000-07:002012-10-30T10:01:36.068-07:00Mavic Crossmax SLR 29 + Clement Crusade PDX ClinchersAsk anyone what the ultimate CX tyre round Herne Hill Velodrome is and you get a lot of huffing and puffing. The ground is full of rubble and you don't even want to risk running a nice tubular round there. Further to that, you probably don't want to run any tubulars round there -a punctured tub is still a punctured tub. <div>
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Pop on a clincher I hear you say... Well, with only 33mm or so to play with, you have to inflate them so hard, that you rattle your brains out. Otherwise you risk what happened to me in the summer series where some piece of concrete caught the sidewall of my Challenge Fango and that was it, game over.</div>
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However, I think I may have inadvertently stumbled upon the ultimate combo... Clement Crusade PDX 33mm. Now that 33mm is an understatement and although I haven't measured them, they come up massive. They have an aggressive Rhino-esque mud tread and will probably be a touch slow elsewhere, but round the rough environs of the velodrome, I was grateful of their bulky carcass. At the Supercross the next day, I lost out a bit as their centrally-aligned tread pattern lacked the forward drive, especially as I had to run them a bit harder than tubs.</div>
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The hoops are Mavic Crosmax SLR 29ers and are phenomenal. I've been running Shimano XT 29ers for training (1 set of tubs and 1 set of clinchers on the disc bike). However, the Crossmax wheelset is over 200g lighter and is plenty stiffer too boot. There isn't much more you could ask for from a wheel other than lightness and stiffness -comfort isn't an issue as a.I have a massive 35mm tyre on it and b.who cares anyway... They are also UST-ready and this is an area I am really keen to investigate. I may start by attempting a bastardised conversion using the Clements first. Watch this space... </div>
Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-27249741621995119642012-10-30T09:37:00.002-07:002012-10-30T09:37:54.918-07:00Knog Muddy Hell 2012<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://aephotos.co.uk/muddyhell2012-sen/e491527fa" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Seniors"><img alt="AEphotos: Seniors Seniors" height="427" src="http://aephotos.co.uk/img/s4/v62/p1226123258-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Well, it was muddy and at times it was also hellish....what more could you ask for? As I left the house to drive down, the heavens opened and it absolutely lashed it down. It had been damp all day so the venue quickly turned into a WW1 style quagmire. Luckily though the weather didn't deter the crowds though.<br />
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I was Harrison the Head off of the Mighty Boosh, which obviously got some good cheering action. I tried to keep the costume lightweight and up high, but obviously everything still got pretty heavily waterlogged. I only caught it on a bush once.<br />
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Airing off the jump was super tricky due all the mud and lack of speed.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_TauIG7KNJM" width="560"></iframe><br />
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No idea where I finished, and don't really care to be honest. Muddy Hell ain't about results, unless you're in the money -in which case, you're up against Nick Craig anyway soooo. Ed McPartland had a cracking evening having trekked down from up north and went away £250 better-off. Shame he couldn't get a ride on Sunday though. Chris Metcalf was pulling off some heroic Supercross/Muddy Hell/Supercross action but also went on a do pretty well in both events -good skills.<br />
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<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-18489894423147501152012-09-13T05:35:00.003-07:002012-09-13T05:35:49.407-07:00Bike Vs Design.
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Last week I took part in an evening-long
bike themed extravaganza at the Design Museum in Shad Thames. From a personal
point of view it was a huge honour. I’ve been trekking up to the Design Museum
since I was at school, pouring over different exhibitions, being made to sketch
things.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9x4tt3yMj50Alit4mEoqqv2wWR7eo2M89y2CuoN2WqNiCUZ2rpaXGeyWjm7EhnqQO0tBY7bnnpgHtfDL8I7dbGbWczPAYa5Wg0ZD8vJKaTI2yYQ7oiPgB8HLcNpcQSNJewjgAWd5MXmx/s1600/Talk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv9x4tt3yMj50Alit4mEoqqv2wWR7eo2M89y2CuoN2WqNiCUZ2rpaXGeyWjm7EhnqQO0tBY7bnnpgHtfDL8I7dbGbWczPAYa5Wg0ZD8vJKaTI2yYQ7oiPgB8HLcNpcQSNJewjgAWd5MXmx/s320/Talk.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If even 5years ago, someone had told me I
would not only be giving a little talk in the Design Museum, let alone one on
bikes, I’d have laughed in their face! I suppose it’s testament to how much
cycling has boomed (in London at least) in the last few years. The Designed to
Win exhibit is a summer-long installation, sponsored by Oakley glasses and if
you haven’t been along I would urge you to take a look. Obviously it was all
put in before the Olympics kicked off, but with that in mind it is fascinating
to get up close to a variety of different objects such as the Wheelchair Rugby
chairs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejJlGf6Ijg5lrB5yvrp5-FhosfqnMjZfHNQ9ZeaXhdX-uOoY3xe9CYDwPbItGI2HMIpJg4nVAEJ1pWNz9rY-uMGUNh2vo4cqE5PJO_PGFqUz0lJiQxwtyvlymMgbbzmWuEOnZe2GqN1Ck/s1600/photo-2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiejJlGf6Ijg5lrB5yvrp5-FhosfqnMjZfHNQ9ZeaXhdX-uOoY3xe9CYDwPbItGI2HMIpJg4nVAEJ1pWNz9rY-uMGUNh2vo4cqE5PJO_PGFqUz0lJiQxwtyvlymMgbbzmWuEOnZe2GqN1Ck/s320/photo-2.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My talk was 15 minutes long and was meant
to be about your bike, but I chose to talk about the Super Acciaio, why we had
made it, how we went about developing it and the design process. That’s quite a
lot to squeeze into 15 minutes once you get on a roll.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecncp7Z-2sGpdZr52XnU5KDWJfscBWCOlY203GBIt9y0urMR2-GS6vIA6mY8o7g3ayFrkptNXjVBC89kInfGVhPtI-53olHrUwTfB29vnC9QG6GX79deqMs90hHpe1fpfABwG-kyiUT6h/s1600/Talk+_Bike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecncp7Z-2sGpdZr52XnU5KDWJfscBWCOlY203GBIt9y0urMR2-GS6vIA6mY8o7g3ayFrkptNXjVBC89kInfGVhPtI-53olHrUwTfB29vnC9QG6GX79deqMs90hHpe1fpfABwG-kyiUT6h/s320/Talk+_Bike.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The first time, I read my notes word for
word in front of an alarmingly large crowd. They were highly appreciative
though I felt my own delivery was a bit klunky and although I got everything
across that I wanted, some questiona afterwards made me realize I needed a bit
of a rearrange. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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So for my second talk, I kept my notes in
my pocket and freestyled it. A quick
reshuffle to incorporate the points I wanted to get across meant I left out a
couple but then, a couple of questions
at the end handily afforded me the opportunity to refer back to those points.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-10336406302208565392012-09-12T02:47:00.000-07:002012-09-12T02:47:31.808-07:00Condor for LotusTwo British companies, both started in 1948 and both with a strong racing heritage. Lotus approached us initially about a long-term partnership. Neither of us were sure where it would go in the long run but it seemed we had much in common.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
It seems likely that in the long run we will look to try benefit from Lotus' engineering expertise in some respect, but initially they asked us to simply design them a bike for the opening of their first flagship retail store on Regents St in central London. We used a Condor Baracchi.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ObYklxd0Pkw-BSfJNg5wFSotARGpMdUdD7-zB3pTD1yKT8BBcOXZcdZ4SBWHVLtT-DcnXgliIRTazhqnpBSkBKaiC6rmS2uUjW1Gh8_z9r2d03JMIEmm1GU5KK9k5IlDQKk0KiGyqf1G/s1600/Concept1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ObYklxd0Pkw-BSfJNg5wFSotARGpMdUdD7-zB3pTD1yKT8BBcOXZcdZ4SBWHVLtT-DcnXgliIRTazhqnpBSkBKaiC6rmS2uUjW1Gh8_z9r2d03JMIEmm1GU5KK9k5IlDQKk0KiGyqf1G/s320/Concept1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
We threw together lots of ideas using some of Lotus' previous racing colours. Lots to work with here as you can imagine. In the end, they settled on using the black and gold colour scheme favoured by the John Player Special cars of the 80's.<br />
<br />
The design is all about understated class and detail. What you won't notice from afar is that inside the gold line, the frame is painted gloss black while outside the gold, the frame is raw carbon. The frame is further embellished with some little details such as the rondals celebrating Lotus' multiple motorsport victories.<br />
<br />
<br />Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-44454566082286137462012-09-12T02:24:00.000-07:002012-09-12T02:24:16.305-07:00Graveyard Apologies for the graveyard that the blog has become of late. It's just the time of year, where there's zero 'cross but lots of work.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Will amend on both counts shortly...</div>
Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3564669147146217289.post-81787686175046003332012-05-22T09:27:00.000-07:002012-05-22T09:27:01.527-07:00Bugatti L'or Blanc<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4KGAgJHoFMc" width="560"></iframe>Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06994036681854386610noreply@blogger.com0