No.
Betteridge’s Law deems it so, and I’m not a good enough rider to overcome that. Plus, I crashed. That’s fortunate in a couple of ways: it gives me something to talk about, and it means I can pin my failure on that, rather than my lack of racing fitness. What could have been, eh?* Anyway, here’s the TL;DR in video form:
The Brompton World Champs is a fun event. At its heart it’s a crit race, and indeed it shares the same 1km circuit round Coal Drops Yard (round the back of Kings Cross) that the Via Criterium uses on the same weekend.
There’s a big difference though: you race on a Brompton, obviously, but also it’s a Le-Mans-Style running start to your folded bike, so your ability to unfold your bike quickly has a big impact on your race. Screw it up and you’ll be chasing the better unfolders from the off. And at just five laps for a heat, there’s not a lot of circuit to make that time back. Lycra is banned, so I wore my stupidest shirt. There were some exceptional outfits on display.
I’m not an unfolding expert when it comes to Bromptons, since I don’t own one. But the nice folks at Brompton lent me a fast-looking CHPT3 special edition one, with two whole speeds. I spent a bit of time folding and unfolding it, and got to the point where I could fling it together reasonably quickly. The time came for my heat and the main thing I was thinking was: it’s lucky I have a distinctive Brompton, because they all look very similar…
However, what I didn’t realise was that the only other CHPT3 Brompton I saw ALL DAY was also in my heat, and parked two bikes away. So, naturally, I ran to that bike and started unfolding it, much to the chagrin of its owner. And then I had to find mine. And then I was panicking so I made a meal of unfolding it. And then I managed to get away, and I wasn’t last. But in a heat of 50, with five riders progressing, I was nearer the back than the front.
I picked off about six or seven riders on the first lap, and as I came over the start/finish line for the first time I’d cheered up a bit about my prospects. Maybe I’d do okay after all! Then I took the top hairpin too quickly for the grip limit of Schwalbe Kojak tyres on shiny brick paving, and once again in my short racing career I found myself on the deck with some holes in my clothes and skin. And that, in terms of any chance of qualifying, which was already a huge long shot, was that.
The BWC isn’t just about the podium though. There are some fast riders taking part and it’s quick at the pointy end, but it’s very much a community event: there are best-dressed awards, folding/unfolding competitions, bike mechanics and a great spirit, especially on the hottest day of the year so far. It’s a real joy to be a part of, and it’s fun to parachute into a slightly different cycling culture for a day. I’m not a Brompton nut, or even a Brompton owner, but I never felt any less than fully welcome.
So a big thanks to Brompton for inviting me to take part, and congratulations to Alec Briggs and Honor Elliot for taking the titles inn 2025. I’d love to come back and have another go next year.
*mid table in the heats, not progressing to the final
