Blogs


A celebration of cycling in Peterborough

Intriguing in the first word that springs to mind when thinking about tonights event in Peterborough.

For too many years the Peterborough and Fenland Clarion cycling clubs have operated in parallel coming together a couple of times a year to promote an early season time trial and end of season hill climb.

The Bicycle Academy: day two

Second day, first injury. Although to be fair to The Bicycle Academy it's not their fault if I go down the local bike shop in the lunch hour to get some replacement brake blocks and then stick some scissors in my finger trying to cut the zip ties holding them to the backboard. Hey ho.

The Bicycle Academy: day one

Day one of four at The Bicycle Academy and a step into the unknown.

The magic of the cycling club dinner...

There is always a sense of anticipation and excitement in the days before the club dinner.
Even if you have won nothing in the whole season it’s too good an opportunity to meet up with mate for one last time before the winter properly bites.
Fenland Clarion Cycling Club held its dinner the weekend before last at historic local hotel “The Bell” in Stilton. Vein leaden cheese was of course on the menu as was a question and answer session with Russell Downing, our guest of honour.

2013 Uk Domestic teams taking shape

Not since the late 1980's and the epic duels of the ANC, Ever Ready and Banana teams has the UK domestic cycling scene shown such promise and strength in depth.

This preview takes in the big three of Rapha/Condor/Sharp, UK Youth and newcomers Madison/Genesis, but we could talk about Raleigh, Knights of Old and so on. We have some big teams now competing on our shores. Of course with Endura stepping up there has been a bit of movement in the transfer market as some of their riders are not going on their European adventure.

Cyclo-cross... it's what autumn was designed for

Rushing through the decaying leaves littering the trail. Shafts of sunlight beaming through the tree cover. The coldness of the air and the sting of the winter wind held back by the firm embrace of warmth generated by the sheer effort of shoving a cyclo-cross bike along a muddy trail.

Winter Project - Part 2

A bike must be built up in the correct fashion. If the frame does not come with a fork then the fork must be the next thing on the list, it needs its skeleton. It’s the rules.

Diary of a cyclo-cross racer: Richard Mitchelson's fourth race of the season...

As soon as the entries opened online I was there, typing in my details like a loon. Last year's Rapha Supercross was one of the hardest races of the calendar but the most awesome at the same time. The course is tough but the amount of people that turn out to cheer us on and the festival atmosphere lifts you and makes it really worth the kicking you get. A couple of days after racing I'm still sore but every ache and pain brings back memories of the cheering/jeering people and the fun that was had.

Binning it is never nice

Coming off the bike is never nice.

I never crashed a bike when I was 20 stone so I wonder if the extra “padding” I had would've helped cushion the fall?  It's all irrelevant now, the fact is that skin, bone and muscle take a bash when you fall off, asphalt is very unyielding and lycra is about as protective as your mum's best doiley. 

“A cyclist is always between crashes.”

Observations on the 2013 Tour de France route from a man who will ride it…

The 100th Tour de France looks like one of the toughest routes yet devised. Phil Deeker is a man who knows the roads of France better than most. That's because he organises events like the Cent Cols Challenge, a 10-day sportive in the Alps and Pyrenees, and the Tour de Force, a chance for anyone to ride multiple stages of the Grand Tour a week before the pros rocket around it.

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