First Published: Sep 25, 2010
New cleats, new studs, wind shifted just in time to blow from the north bringing clear skies and a proper chill air of autumn. The first cyclo-cross race of my season tomorrow, bottle-cage and saddle-bag removed from the bike, legs shaved. Cowbells found.
Genuinely excited, slightly scared and gently embrocated.
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Personally, I think the belkin one was a vast improvement over pretty much all the rabobank offerings - blue and orange - bleuch! Although the blanco kit was much better than either of them (or the subsequent visma ones).
Why do these medical professionals never mention shit driving or infrastructure? And why do they never say anything about all the other activities that helmets might also help with e.g. Driving or being a pedestrian.
I have the current generation of 4iiii heart-rate monitor. It's very good . Will I , when the current one eventually fails , buy this new 4iiii , no. Why you may ask . Well it looks like a proprietary fastener . We all know about proprietary standards and the absolute hassle of sourcing replacements and the associated costs.
I like castorama and Astana kits pictured here.
Much as I agree with your comment and opinion, I don't think he's actually having a go at you, rather the article author, given that you didn't say anything about the Grenadier and the author did. If we could have back the previous reply facility, where it was obvious if somebody was making a standalone comment or replying to someone else, it would eliminate these misunderstandings.
Do you work for INEOS by any chance? Each to their own but the INEOS kit has been widely derided, on cycling forums opinion is 90% against at least. No idea why you think Steve's kit in the profile picture is so bad, it's a perfectly neutral black and grey top with a yellow band, you could say it was boring but that's about it. The Grenadier is a foul machine that shouldn't be allowed on sale for numerous reasons, including its disgraceful fuel consumption (15-20 mpg for the petrol version) and its extreme size and weight that puts other road users, particularly cyclists, in danger. Oh and it is totally a Land Rover wannabe, when Jaguar Land Rover announced that they were ceasing production of Land Rovers at their Solihull plant Jim Ratcliffe asked if he could buy the tooling and carry on producing them, when he was told to get lost he started planning to build his own, so that comment is perfectly justifiable.
I am entitled to express my opinion. I don't like the idea of the INEOS association with cycling or the way Ratcliffe and INEOS treat their staff and do all they can do avoid taxation in the UK. I think my comment is very relevant.
Burt actually said above (somewhat to my surprise, I admit) that helmets "probably do" protect against injury, but not death. Something with which I agree.
I actually like the INEOS kit this year. They stand out in the peloton and orange is just an awesome color overall. Light grey is a much better alternative to white, and makes for one of the best kits in the pro peloton this year to my eye. I think the worst kit I’ve seen recently is the one the author, Steve Thomas is wearing in his author profile picture. It basically removes all credibility for him making any fashion or design related statements. Also, maybe learn a little about the Grenadier before making uninformed, derogatory comments that aren’t really necessary or applicable to the subject at hand.
Looking at the casualty statistics it's far more likely that you will suffer death or serious injury riding to Tesco's than participating in racing, primarily because of the presence of cars. If you don't think helmets offer any protection then fine, don't wear one; if you believe they do offer some protection you're probably more likely to experience the benefit if you wear one for everyday commuting and leisure riding and leave it off for racing than vice versa. Certainly if I was offered a choice when riding to my local Herne Hill velodrome of wearing one to ride through traffic to get there but taking it off to ride round the track or vice versa I would choose the first option.
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
8 thoughts on “New Cleats And Fresh Breeze”
Where do you race – around
Where do you race – around Bristol/Bath area ? Was thinking about trying cross racing but seems very serious round here unlike London/SE which looks more “fun”. Also my cross bike is a heap (but works ok) – worried I would be laughed at!
Dave,
Jo(usually) races a bit
Dave,
Jo(usually) races a bit more SEish. He pops over now and again to grind me into the Cotswold dirt :/
I ride the Western League – Bristol/Glos (don’t think there are any Bath rounds this season)and it’s as serious as you want it to be.
Sure there are lots of bling bikes and riders with attitude (some who can carry it off and some who have plainly confused ability with ambition) but generally I find it a good crowd.
Like that Armstrong fella said, it’s not about the bike, you don’t need to have the latest kit, just good legs and lungs.
Turn up and have a go, that’s the way to make up your mind.
It’s Stroud this weekend coming – a fun course.
stroud’s gotta be more fun
stroud’s gotta be more fun than Purdown was :-S
wouldn’t worry about your bike, yesterday there was everything from hybrids and mtbs to bling titanium and carbon. i rode my kinesis hardtail with speedcitys on it, no one seemed to mind 🙂
hullo daveherb13,
as
hullo daveherb13,
as mentioned i race mostly around the south-east as i’m based in Brighton, driving any distance for a hour’s race doesn’t seem to make much sense
i’d say that ‘cross racing is the easiest and most friendly way to get into any kind of cycle racing whatever part of the country you’re in, it may seem daunting and there will always be ‘serious’ types hanging around, but everyone’s always really helpful and friendly and it doesn’t matter if you’re not in the top 10, you’ll always end up racing someone, they might be on a bike that’s worth ten times more than yours, or on an old 50’s tourer, it makes no difference, you’ll still share a cup of tea with them at the finish talking about ‘your’ race
for what it’s worth, in the race above i ended up battling the whole hour with a friend who had never done a CX race before on a bike he picked up two days previously (the Kinesis FiveT we tested here actually), beat someone who i used get hammered by and got beaten by someone else who i usually can just about stay ahead of, we all had a good laugh about it at the end
it hurt as much as usual 🙂
Purdown not good then Dave?
I
Purdown not good then Dave?
I was oop North, getting my ass handed to me by the Lincs League regulars at RAF Cranwell.
Proper filthy fun!
If you know Purdown you’ll
If you know Purdown you’ll know the climb at the start of the lap, and what it would be like after, say, an inch of rain overnight 😐
It was fun. i finished in my usual position of somewhere nearer the back than the front, but I did beat the bloke on the green bike who i was battling with for five of my eight laps 🙂
@Dave A – yep, I know what
@Dave A – yep, I know what you mean, ideal for mud wrestling, no so good for bike riding.
Hey ho – MetCheck says sunshine for this coming Sunday.
Dave – I have only just
Dave – I have only just started cyclo cross and am a complete novice when it comes to racing. I rode Stroud at the weekend and finished near the back but it was very friendly and a real mix of abilities. Although it hurt I will be back for more.
Apparently Hengrove this weekend is a far flatter course than Stroud or Purdown. Worth a go I reckon.