Sit back, relax and ENJOY this video series of cycling across Australia from Perth to Melbourne. You can see the ride information in this lovely collection over on Komoot:
Part 1:
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Part 14
Part 15
Part 16
Part 17
Part 18
Part 19
Part 20
Part 21
Part 22
A step-by-step guide to proper application of Wend chain wax with Jam Cycling MD and self-proclaimed 'best Wend Waxer in the UK' George Galbraith.
"Bought the stuff on your Black Friday sale and don't know why I have never used it before - best stuff ever. No more noisy and dirty chain. Highly recommend!"
"Great stuff. After applying - which is really easy - I noticed a smoother quieter ride within seconds of jumping in the saddle. Highly recommended."
"A product that does exactly what it says on the tin. Life changing."
Try Wend Wax now, available from HERE: https://www.jam-cycling.com/collections/wend
Here we look at ways to maintain and clean your Wend Waxed chain. George shows some easy tips and hacks to making sure your bike is riding smooth and efficient.
Try Wend Wax now, available from HERE: https://www.jam-cycling.com/collections/wend
So I’ve taken the text from Attacus as those legends explain it much better than me:
At Attacus, we’ve always believed that the key to any good piece of cycling clothing is one that feels as comfortable and practical after 24 hours as it does after just one.
It’s an integral part of our design philosophy, and something reflected in all of the products we create.
You’ll often find clothing made for racing doesn’t quite follow this philosophy. The pursuit of speed and aerodynamics supersedes that of comfort and practicality.
To be fair, it’s usually because they’re designed for races that (if you’re good) are over relatively quickly.
But what about if you want to go fast and long distance?
That’s where Chris Hall comes in. Our first foray into skinsuits began three years ago, when Chris came to us and said he needed something to race in for the National 24-Hour Time Trial Championships.
Having worked with ultra-endurance cyclist Chris as an ambassador pretty much since Attacus’ inception, we were well aware of the demands of his epic riding challenges. But this was the first time he’d come to us with a competitive, speed-focus event in mind.
So we began working and developing - each year presenting Chris with a new, improved suit to race the event in. Each year getting that one step closer to a garment we believed truly combated the unique challenges of a race of this scale.
This year, we reckon we’ve nailed it.
A skinsuit that’s aerodynamic excellence is backed by multiple rounds of velodrome aero testing and wind-tunnel testing, designed with innovative endurance-focused features.
We're calling it the Flare.
Why? At first glance dark and stealthy, this year’s skinsuit is engineered with our new reflective fabric to offer Chris greater visibility during the night section of his race.
The fabric stretches, breathes and performs just like regular lycra, but when a beam of light hits it… BAM, an instant glare from all angles.
The upper body of this suit takes on a more ‘traditional’ construction, using top end aero fabrics tailored and aero tested to make sure it’s greasy-fast.
Inside we’ve made sure it’s built for comfort by using our signature chamois, the same one that’s in all of our bib shorts. It’s then finished with two back pockets to help Chris carry the extra nutrition needed to get through his epic endurance feat.
This year will be Chris’ third consecutive year at the 24-hour TT Champs, and we’re super stoked to see him rocking this skinsuit.
We’ll be at the race in Liverpool on July 20-21 supporting Chris during the event and documenting his journey. So watch this space.
AS ALWAYS, a MASSIVE thank you has to go out to Jimmi and Emily for their continual support. BIG LOVE
Another year, another crack at the National 24 hour Time Trial held in Wrexham. 2019 is my third consecutive year of competing in this race and I went into it feeling better than previous intentions of the race. My target this year was, to simply go further than my previous attempts.
We changed the strategy quite a lot this year, attempting to minimise the stoppage time down as much as possible with the hope that would help with the quest of attaining a further distance.
So some things to mention that have changed from previous attempts:
THE KIT
Every year, Emily and Jimmi at Attacus have designed an incredible skinsuit, this year’s kit, quite simply is by far the best yet.
DEVELOPED FOR SPEED, MADE FOR ENDURANCE: INTRODUCING THE FLARE SKINSUIT
A skinsuit that’s aerodynamic excellence is backed by multiple rounds of velodrome aero testing and wind-tunnel testing, designed with innovative endurance-focused features. It’s called the Flare.
At first glance dark and stealthy, this year’s skinsuit is engineered with our new reflective fabric to offer me greater visibility during the night section of his race.
The fabric stretches, breathes and performs just like regular lycra, but when a beam of light hits it… BAM, an instant glare from all angles.
The upper body of this suit takes on a more ‘traditional’ construction, using top end aero fabrics tailored and aero tested to make sure it’s greasy-fast.
Inside they made sure it’s built for comfort by using their signature chamois, the same one that’s in all of their bib shorts. It’s then finished with two back pockets to help me carry the extra nutrition needed to get through his epic endurance feat.
As always a massive THANK YOU to Attacus for their continual support.
THE BIKE
This bike is bonkers. That’s a fact. My Giant Trinity has been given a unique and bold freshen up by the legends at WM Paintworks, the paint studio of WyndyMilla. The bike is fitted out with Dura Ace Di2, and Parcours Chrono and Disc wheels. A Verve Infocrank (165mm) fitted out with Aerocoach 58/48 chainrings, a wend waxed chain, Kogel ceramic BB and SLF Motion oversized pulley system means everything spins super easy and works hyper efficiently.
The RACE
Quite simply the best thing to do is watch these awesome videos from Francis Cade:
SO The final scores on the doors:
760km
1st under 30 by 160km
13th overall
Averaged 205 watts then blew up in the last 4 hours
50km further than last year
Normalised power ended at 185 watts
717 TSS
Just short of 30,000 calories burnt
Consensus: F**KED
A few days off were needed as I was having trouble with my knee and groin during the race. Much was eaten. Little was done.
Strava below:
Sometimes you meet people and just click. I’m incredibly proud to be able to tell you that WyndyMilla will be supporting me this year! The kings of custom performance creating made to measure beautiful bicycles; we have been chatting for a while and are developing a few exciting new bikes measured for me and I’m letting their paint studio, WM Paintworks turn one of my TT bikes into a piece of art. I can’t wait to be able to show you more as we progress with each project. Let the love affair begin
DAY 1
Nervous laughter in the morning with friends old and new, we all rolled out of town around 9am (slightly delayed due to a late police escort. The group rode together for a long time and started to split on the first climb. One thing that blew us away is the hospitality of the locals. Everyone waves at the side of the roads and kids regularly come and ride with you for a bit.
It was pretty hot so we had to refill our water bottles a few times. As we climbed higher and higher up Kegety Pass both Rob and I suffered somewhat with the altitude. The climb itself goes up to close to 4000 meters and our original goal was to climb it over the first day but unfortunately we became a bit unstuck. A thunderstorm and hailstorm (which lower down the mountain was a full on blizzard) meant we pitched up camp at around 3000 meters of altitude to try and get some rest for the night. Our options were, pitch up or push through.
With safety in our minds and not knowing how unpredictable the weather could be we didn’t want to be stuck much higher up the climb. Food in the belly and with the weather starting to improve, (minus high winds) we both managed to get a few hours rest. We had hoped that camping at altitude would help us acclimatise a bit and help us for the final push over Kegety the next day.
DAY 2
Day 2, we woke up early after the storm of the previous night to finish the climb up to 4000 meters. This was literally like being on top of the world, in the clouds with lots of walking and stops with the bike. The lack of oxygen clearly felt. Upon reaching the top we walked a big part of the descent.
The surface was simply too rough to ride. Rob suffering bad from the altitude and my first mechanical issue happening on this descent meaning I wasn’t too keen to be travelling fast. As we got lower into the valley the effects of the altitude started to wear off and we began to feel more human, although, in reality we were still over 2000 meters above sea level!
We decided to Push hard for this day and make up for the time lost previously and get to the first resupply point, roughly 250km into the race. There were lots of long straight gravel trails where we could finally get some speed up and one road that felt like riding on a washboard for about 5km before getting into the town. Upon arrival, late at night we were thrilled to see the shop open still and purchased pretty much everything. The shopkeepers took pity on us and kindly offered us a warm room to sleep in. Something priceless after one tough day on the bike. What a day.
DAY 3
This was a tough one. We woke up early from our night with the family at the resupply point feeling energised and ready to go. Spirits were high. The family offered us ‘Chai’ which we obviously said yes to. A cup of tea always goes down well to start the day. What we didn’t realise was that this was a full on 2 hour breakfast. Needless to say the hospitality of the locals is something I’ll never forget and I’m truly honoured to have had that experience with Rob.
Eventually we got on our way. Today, on paper didn’t look too bad. Some downhill then one big climb close to 2000 meters and then downhill with a few bumps in it.
Little did we know what was in store for us. The first hour or so we made great progress, nailing it along the gravel trails to the base of the climb. It was still pretty early in the morning and the temperature was already over 30 degrees. We were hoping to be over the major climb before lunch, as the sun started to get much hotter.
The scenery had completely changed by this point, starting to feel much more like a desert than the rocky alpine scenes we had previously experienced. Slowly we started to realise why, as temperatures crept up to 45 degrees.
That’s when things started to go a bit wrong. Rob started to suffer from heatstroke and descending Pereval Kensu pass, on a sharp right hand turn, snap, my front brake failed. The heat had caused the oil to overheat and explode out the piston, causing the brake to fail. I managed to swerve the bike away from what could have been a very bad roll off the side of the cliff and shout to Rob. Clearly a bit shaken, from nearly hurtling off down the side of a mountain I stopped and Rob rolled back to me in disbelief. Hydraulic brakes don’t really fail, it’s maybe one in a million. I just got unlucky. We had been having a few issues before the race which we thought were solved but unfortunately not.
Rob, ever the problem solver filed down the cable guides and pulled out the rear brake so at least we could mount this to the front. Down to 1 brake with about 180km until the next town and some serious descending, now was the time to be careful.
The first picture. This cricket sat on my shoe for ages. Eventually he was on my handlebar bag. Made me chuckle. Like a story later. From the moment the brake failed I had to work out what would be the best thing to do. Carry on, scratch, get to the first checkpoint, call the SOS button. Rob and I sat at the side of the mountain for a while in the 45 degree heat trying to come up with a plan. We chose to push on for the day and sleep on it.
The heat baking, it meant that any descent was broken into three parts. Start on the bike slowly, panic on the corners, nearly crash or shit myself getting close to. Stop. Try again. Then about half way down any descent walk a while to let my one brake cool down. Once it was cooler, jump back on and try again. The descents seemed to be slower than the climbs. They’re supposed to be the part we enjoy. The pay off for the climb but in all honesty I’d have rather kept going up.
With most of the slow descending done for the day and thirsty, we stopped by a stream with a goat to fill up our water bottles. This is where the post that Jimmi put up on my account was taken, with the goat. I still have no idea why we had 3G signal at that point. Rob called up his partner and I just sort of sat on a rock still battling out a plan of action and what the hell to do. Messaging Jimmi and asking him to let my friends know what was going on.
We were both completely cooked from the heat (literally) so we gave ourselves some time to cool down before the next climb, a pretty short one, maybe 8km.
It was starting to get dark and Rob started to really struggle from the heat exhaustion so we turned up a dried river and set up camp. I sat Rob down and got some pepper food into him ASAP to try and revitalise him a bit before we properly got the tarp and bivvy bags out.
Eventually we both camped up and got ready for a hot night under the most stunning night sky. It was at that point Rob started panicking shouting at me to grab a torch. Eventually he got one. Panicking that something was going to attack us and sitting on the end of his foot, was a frog 🐸
DAY 4
After what was a pretty restless night for me deciding what to do and for Rob, with the fear of frogs installed into him; we packed up early and got climbing the remainder of the climb. It was about 6am and already hot. Rob and I had chatted whilst packing up. By this point I had accepted I needed to scratch the race. To continue would have been too dangerous, an unnecessary risk. Rob, however was still undecided.
We nailed the climb and started carefully rolling down descents. How slow and steady I had to take them confirmed in my mind it was the right choice but that I may have to re-think the goal of checkpoint one. Chayek looked more likely the end destination. Eventually we came to what felt like our first junction in years, a building site of what would be a new motorway. Currently gravel occasionally broken up by pristine new tarmac. Lorries wizzing past. It was an opportunity it’s to have a bit of fun rolling into town. Eventually we decided on elevensies by the river. Rob, admirably decided to scratch too. We started as a team, we finished as one. That was always our goal.
We cooked all our camping meals in some kind of celebration and took the rest of the day much more relaxed. Rob even finally got to ride the bike he made for me! Rolling into Chayek we caught up with old friends and making new friends, sharing stories from the road. Beer was drunk. (Yes even by me.) We celebrated what we had done and commiserated on the unfortunate situations and bad luck that forced us to scratch. It was just that, bad luck. These things happen in bike racing where you’re testing yourself and your equipment to it’s possible limit.
Time trialling for 24 hours straight. Sounds grim, right?
There are so many things to think about in a race like this. Battling fatigue and lack of sleep to try and rack up as much mileage as possible in a single day. It's definitely no easy feat.
Last year I went to tackle the National 24s in what was a biblical bad turn of weather unfortunately leading to me pulling out of the race. You can watch a bit of the afterthoughts of it here:
Some of the failures of last year were:
Fitness (mental and physical)
I went into the race not fit enough, physically or mentally. It was a struggle to get the legs going and they never seemed to start. When the weather made a real turn for the worse, my head simply wasn't in the race any more.
Bike
In 2017 I used my old Planet X Exocet 2 time trial bike. This was my first ever TT bike which was great value for money and specced up with Shimano Dura Ace 10 speed. The bike, however was not fit for purpose of racing on for 24 hours. It was way too aggressive and after around 300km I started to really suffer.
Sometimes it's hard to accept failure but ultimately it can make you stronger.
It became a bug that sat on my shoulders over most of winter and into the start of 2018 and I knew, I needed to go back, settle some dust and give it another crack. I knew that there were a lot of changes that needed to be made, in my own fitness, my mindset and also importantly my bike.
I caught up with Jimmi and Emily to talk a bit about the National 24s and how I was feeling going into the race here:
For me these big changes that needed to happen, like mentioned above were:
Fitness:
I already train and work incredibly hard with my coach, Ken Buckley but to help support Ken, I met Will Girling, the nutritionalist for One Pro who has helped me to drop around 12kg to help with my fitness in the race. Essentially being lighter meant that I could be faster. Will has a great website which syncs up with My Fitness Pal meaning calories and macros can be tracked. I've found being strict and tracking everything has really helped.
Mindset:
I'm known to be an emotional guy. I cycle massively with my heart on my sleeve and I do often find it hard to tackle demons and concerns in life. Needless to say I have spent a lot of time focusing on number one over the last year and doing what is right for me. The lead up to the race has definitely not been ideal with illnesses and injuries, it did mean I wasn't sure I would make the start line but I knew my head was going into the race in a much better place and effectively what will be will be.
Bike:
This was a biggie. I promptly decided to sell my car because, quite frankly I never used it and decided to use the funds to build up something pretty special.
My Giant Trinity
Here is the spec below:
Kit
I think it's well known that the legends at Attacus have been supporting me for a few years now. Emily and Jimmi obviously wanted to be part of it. With that in mind they developed a super speedy skinsuit thats not only quick but comfortable due to the chamois pad that Attacus have been testing and using for a long time.
The Race
I was, understandably nervous going into this one, especially after last years failures but I knew what would be would be. Jimmi, Francis and myself drove up to the start on Saturday morning early and met Will there. First rider off, it's seen as quite an honour to be the first rider to start, but in reality I signed up late as it was touch and go weather I would make it to the start line due to another injury.
You don't really warm up for a race like this. You just warm up into it if that makes sense? It's 24 hours and survival is pretty key.
You can see part one of Francis Cade's videos here:
In the race itself you ride on a series of different routes, starting at the clubhouse in Wrexham. From here you ride down to a central roundabout where all of the routes connect on to. From here during different hours of the day, marshals move you onto the appropriate routes. Some are out and back routes (Prees to Battlefield) whilst others are circles (Quina Brook Circuit) that all pass through this central roundabout. This roundabout is where your support teams are based. Conveniently there is a cafe, fish and chip shop, convenience store and petrol station in the area which can become very useful.
Fueling
With the help of Will, I've been practising my fuel strategy for this race in preparation for the big day. It really is mad when you start to understand how much work and effort goes on behind the scene to keep the body functioning and performing over the 24 hours. What we have practised is this:
Every 4 hours consume:
Every 4 hours I would stop for some proper food. The meals were:
Will definitely looked after me and kept me fuelled up during the race (as well as provided cuddles.
All simple to digest, easy to prepare and most importantly, something that I could look forward to in the race.
The Rough Parts
There is always a low point in a race, especially of this magnitude. Like I have previously mentioned, I've been struggling with a knee injury leading up to the race and it was not certain I would be fit to race. I, maybe stubbornly decided to continue and go into the race somewhat not at 100%. We as a team all knew, if my knee held out, I could do relatively well even with the lost training in the lead up to the race. In the early hours of the morning, unfortunately there was a snap.
I know what happened, I was pushing hard to make sure I was making some good distance in the race. My aim was to ride the whole thing in my Z2 and make sure I stayed on the rails as much as possible. It was pitch black, in the hours I struggle the most (3-4:30am ish). Thats where the pain started. It slowed me right down and meant that the next stop we needed to get the painkillers out to try and keep my hopes of finishing alive. I'm stubborn and I knew that was the aim, to finish the race. After a few arguments with myself in my head and a firm word from defending champion and recent LEJOG record breaker, Michael Broadwith, it gave me the kick up the ass I needed to push through it. Mike said to me:
'everyone is hurting now. Make them hurt more and push through it. You've got this.'
When some one of that calibre rides next to you and says that to you. It makes a massive difference, so thank you Mike.
Watch Part 2 of Francis Cade's Vlog here:
So we were through the night time, I always struggle in the early hours of the morning but the sun was coming up and, after my little battle in my head and the kick up the arse I was feeling good (so to speak) again.
At 9am you are moved to what is called the finishers circuit. It's roughly a 45km cycle from the circuits most of the race is done on and back towards the start, the Wrexham clubhouse. I came in for my last refill of supplies, eager to get on the road as quick as possible. It was 5 minutes to 9 and I thought I could squeeze in one more lap of the early morning circuit, known as the Quina Brook circuit. I managed to plug on out for one more of these (just) before then being sent up to the finishing circuit.
The ride to the finishing circuit is challenging enough as it is. It's surprisingly hilly, with continual rolling up and down until you join onto the finishers circuit. It's quite tough especially after riding all night.
Grit your teeth and finish strong
For me the finishers circuit was about gritting my teeth, digging in deep and going all out. Time was limited, the faster I could go now the more places I could make up. I think, leading up to the finishers circuit I was maybe sitting in 12th place. Each lap clocked past and I kept trying to push a little more. Francis, Jimmi and Will, each time surprised by how I was flying past the start finish. Most other riders by this point were pretty broken but I have always known I'm good at emptying myself, so lets do that for a few hours and deal with the consequences after.
On the circuit itself, there are fore commissaires based on the corners. (the circuit is kind of a square). As you pass them, they record your number. Once your time has run out (for me 13:01) ou roll onto the next commissaire and your distance is taken from that point. The more times you can pass them, the further you'll be going obviously. After one of the commissaire points, the circuit has one climb on it, which, once you are over the top, you descend along a very fast A road until the next commissaire point. I got to the commissaires before the climb with 5 minutes to spare and basically knew I wanted to be to the next one before 13:01. People at the side of the road obviously know your time is running out so going up the climb I was greeted with cheers and people shouting 'SPRINT' so I did. I got to the next point with 1 minute to spare. I knew there was no way I'd make it to the next one (just after the start finish) in a minute so rolled towards them.
I was spent. It was about 30 degrees and I definitely could feel the heat.
Now when I say I gave it my all, how can I explain that to you? I came in, ate something, drank something and tried to chill out a bit, out of the sun and in the shade of the van. I was dizzy, dehydrated but relatively ok. I knew I just wanted to get back to London at this point and most importantly sleep.
I opted to go and get changed into some normal clothes so headed to the changing rooms. Upon where I fainted. Stark bollock naked in the cubicle. About 15 minutes later I came round and got dressed again. I was dripping in sweat and Jimmi, obviously realising something was up came to find me and escort me back to the van.
Thats what I call spent
Watch the last part of Francis Cade's Video here:
For me this race was massively about battling some demons from 2017, conquering something I previously hadn't been able to and to become a much needed confidence booster. It was a huge success. I came away with 8th and as one of the youngest in the race, a huge result not to be sniffed at.
Bring on 2019.
Photos from Attacus and Francis Cade. Thank you so much to the organisers and most importantly my support crew:
Jimmi Nicholls, Francis Cade & Will Girling. This wouldn't have happened without you
Route below:
Day 1:
It was a bit of a last minute panic getting the bike ready for the trip but it was sorted. Thank you as always to the legends at SBC Cycles for helping out. I opted to take my Quirk fully loaded now with Shimano Ultegra/ Dura Ace Hydro mix and a set of custom built carbon Parcours Wheels with a SON Dynamo hub. The bike has a huge range of gears with the 11-52 casette which works in conjunction with the Shimano Ultegra RX mech. The RX mech has a built in clutch system which keeps the chain tight. Perfect for off road!
Anyway back to the riding. The goal was to get to Manchester, off road, by the evening. Using Komoot I planned a route mainly taking in gravel trails all the way up. 320 odd kilometres was going to be a big ask but a fun one. The first leg, London to Market Harborough for lunch. It seemed logical to me to stop around the 150km mark to re-fuel when riding fully loaded on a bike. Getting out of London can always be a bit tricky. But opting to take a path less travelled (so to speak) meant it was surprisingly quicker than I expected. Running along canal paths and footpaths in no time.
The Second Leg- Market Harborough to Manchester
Fed and watered, it was time to start part 2 of the day, Market Harborough to Manchester. This was going to be the tougher part of the day's ride, much more climbing plus the morning in the legs already. Hitting along old train lines, the route was pretty darn quiet with views left, right and centre. One of the parts that I loved was cycling through the old railway tunnels. These are completely pitch black so lights on, shades off going through these!
The route would climb over the Peak District, an area known for its natural beauty and also some incredible gravel trails. Climbing up the Peaks was slow and steady but once up high, the views were spectacular. Parts of the route I created followed the Eroica route which was taking place over the weekend. Doing some of those trails on vintage bikes.. Not too sure I would be wanting to do that one with skinny tyres and crazy gearings! Finally one last climb up and then with the sun setting the long descent into Manchester was coming. My legs needed the rest rolling into the city, some food and some well earned rest.
Day 2: Manchester to The Lakes
Up bright and early for a more casual day than yesterday. Mainly on roads but with a chunk of climbing. The lakes isn't flat after all. My aim was to get to Kirkby Lonsdale to then cycle around a loop to meet my friends who maybe took the more sensible idea of getting a train or driving up. For me avoiding the M6 was always the aim and trains are relatively dull after all. Today I mainly chose to keep to roads after yesterday's off road fun. Rolling through Blackburn I came across what looked like a good bike shop ti grab a bit more food and some supplies.
The chaps at Ewood cycles were incredibly welcoming. I was offered a cup of coffee and a cheese toastie befire I jumped back on the road, suddenly feeling refreshed and content by the kind hospitality I had been shown. I also managed to get some waterproof overshoes... Saturday was looking like it may be a wet one... Once again thanks so much to the chaps at Ewood!
Leaving the Northern cities it started to feel all the more familiar, the Lakes were coming! I finally rolled into Kirkby Lonsdale, feeling pretty empty but also with a few hours to kill before my friends in 10000kmcc would be rolling around. I found a cafe and proceesed to eat my way through their menu.
Finding Friends
I've been honoured to ride with the chaps from 10000kmcc for a fair few years now. What Richard has done with that is really create an amazing community of friends that are so special to everyone involved. I thoroughly look forward to our weekends away and the stories that come from it. This weekend in the Lakes we had 17 of us staying in a farm house and riding together. I chose to ride the Friday evening route the opposite way to everyone else to catch them. My tired legs definitely looking forward to seeing some familiar faces. We were then staying in a huge farm house for the rest of the weekend and the bags would be able to be removed from the bike. Chip shop dinner and laughs in the evening
Day 3: The Lakes (In torrential weather)
Theres two different sides to the Lake District, a bit like Jekyll and Hyde. The stunning summery days in contrast with the very cold and very wet days. Both are equally beautiful but also equally challenging. We all woke up in the morning ready to get going, rain already starting. The overshoes were on that I bought on the cycle up and all the layers were on.
My aim was simple. Survive to Lunch. Lunch was Chesters, a stunning little streamside cafe with amazing food options, locally roasted coffee and everything locally sourced. My legs were tired from the last few days. I knew riding in the cold rain was going to take it out on me and I also knew a few people would be stopping at lunch. That was my aim, then to Stay in Chesters for a while and warm up/ dry up and eat. From there I called it for the day. A few brave souls carried on hitting The Struggle.
Day 4: Dales Day
Dales Day! Today we were heading further East to tackle some of the roads in the Yorkshire Dales. The Coal Road being one I've been really excited to cycle up for some time. I've heard such good things from it and I wasn't let down at all. Another long day in the saddle with great company meant for some tired legs and cattle hearding towards the latter end of the ride. Eventually rolling back into the farm house ready to devour all the ice cream we had. Time to pack and get the train back to London. What an amazing weekend of adventures. Now to rest the legs..
Thanks for an amazing weekend 10000kmcc and Cold Dark North. Photos by Ele Suggett, Richard Frazier, Ashley Bard and Toby Cummins
The Dirty Reiver. An event that has long been on my radar of rides that I need to do sooner rather than later and when Ben and Erik Shimano offered me the opportunity to ride the event with them and I learnt that my pals from G!RO would be heading up. It was a no brainer.
Firstly the name. What does Dirty Reiver mean? It's something I have been asked a few times and here is my take on it. In the UK, boarder reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish boarder from the 13th century to the 17th century. They were both Scottish and English and raided the boarder without regard to victims. The dirty reiver is a ride that runs along this boarder basically. Sounds intense right? It was.
Our journey started on Friday morning. Bike packed and cycling across from my home in East London to G!RO to load up the van before we headed up to Kielder Lake, a real area of outstanding beauty. So a casual 35km fully loaded on the Quirk to warm up. Or something like that.
We finally arrived at our destination with 5 minutes to spare before sign on. Thankfully we were allowed to all sign on on the Friday evening, making for a bit less stressful start to Saturday. Then, we slept.
What an idiot.
Shoes left in the wrong car...
An early stat on Saturday with the ride starting at 7:30 sharp. My morning plans had already been scuppered by leaving my shoes with the G!RO chaps I was meeting at the start. No signal and relying on hopefully catching them at the start meant the possibility of doing 200km in sliders, which became upgraded to a pair of trainers by Ben. Luckily I caught them at the start and managed to be the LAST person to start Dirty Reiver 2018. I'll take that as a small win.
The first 50 odd KM were Rapid. Ben and I were on the hunt to catch back on to everyone who we had originally agreed to ride with. Technical sections, winding switchbacks, loose and compact gravel trails. To put it simply smashing about on gravel is crazy fun. You are kept on your toes, but there is nothing quite so exciting and rewarding! We got to the first stop and managed to catch the chaps from G!RO, fill up our water bottles and wait for the people we dropped. The sun was scorching and the atmosphere was electric.
The next 50km were much of the same of the first. Fast paced, technical with sweeping trails switching through forests, across open hillsides and dropping into valleys. Many of the climbs were gravelled meaning you simply would keep the legs spinning and eventually, the top would be found. What I quickly learnt that descending on gravel, you have to hit it hard, fast and furious. That way you almost glide over it. Next food stop ticked off. Music glaring Good vibes all around.
Now we were about 100km deep on the route which was just short of 200km. Looking at the elevation most of the steeper more technical climbs were in this section, along with some interesting descends. Myself, Ben, Matt, Paolo and Jon opted to ride the last 100km together. Often spreading out a bit on the climbs and descends then re gathering on many of the flatter sections. Legs were starting to feel it by this point but the weather and continual views made it easy to continue.
A sharp descent and one last drag up hill left Ben hitting a large stone and forcing his Di2 into crash mode. An easy solve to just simply reset the system. Just short of 130km we came to the point where you decide weather you go big or go home. Jon, unfortunately by this point was suffering with his knee and opted best to take the shorter route, along with Erik. We were welcomed by a chicken and a Banana Man jeering us on to try and persuade us to go a certain way. We teased both of them many times before finally committing to the 200km route. About 70km to go from here. We knew what was coming. More gravelled climbs and more descents.
We reached the last feed stop. This was almost like heaven. Greeted by filter coffee, watermelon and potatoes in cheese. Perfect way to fuel up as the sun was starting to get ready for it's evening. Filling up here we realised we were now a party of three. Paolo, Matt and myself. Ben's bike unfortunately came off much worse than we first thought when it hit the large stone so he regretfully left.
The cheesy potato king
He was our saviour.
Paolo, Matt and I ploughed on, munching the miles and admiring the continual views we were greeted by. At points it felt like we were in North America, sometimes Spain, sometimes Scotland.
Finally the home stretch. Riding around the perimeter of the stunning Keilder Lake. Trails made it feel like a go kart circuit as we pumped over climbs rolled descends, pumped up over again. The legs definitely tired by this point but happy tired. Lastly you jump back onto the circuit where we had started what seemed like an age ago to start to hear cheers, jeers, whistles and clapping at the base of the hill up to the castle. We all sprinted up the climb and through the finish. Complete. Beer in hand, smiles all round.
What an experience. I have to be honest I wasn't too sure on what to expect of this weekend. It is a long drive or train to get there but it is 107% worth it. I'll be back. Have a look below for the ride on my Komoot account.
Bike Check
I've had a few people ask about my Quirk and what was the set up I used for Reiver. So here is is below:
My custom build Quirk Cycles
What would I change on this set up?
There is, obviously a few things I have learnt and would consider changing on this set up and a few things to note:
What a trip. Get it into your diary for 2019!
Spending the day with Cyclefit’s Phil Cavell dialling in ambassador Fiona-May Aylward. Here I recounts on bike fitting and how Phil helped Fiona with her troublesome back.
I have always been a massive advocate of a bike fit. For me as some one who has experienced the pain of not having one and then seeing the difference it makes really had me sold on the idea of it. I used to suffer badly with knee and back pains until my first fit a few years back. Since then I have regularly been getting my fit tweaked and tested, just to make sure.
With that in mind step front and centre our ambassador Fiona. She has often struggled with back pain on the bike which has massively limited her functionality and ability to push as hard as she would like. Fiona, no stranger to racing and big miles has some serious goals for 2018 and we at Jam thought it would be appropriate to support her with these as best we can.
After some initial conversations with Fiona, we decided that Cyclefit and Phil Cavell, who has worked with Andy Schleck, Elinor Barker and Fabian Cancellara to name a few riders he has helped dial in. Sharing front-line Cyclefitting duties with Julian and Jimmy, Phil's significant other string is the developing and propagating the intelligence of fitting. Phil heads up the lecturing and teaching duties at Cyclefit. Phil suffered a life-changing spine injury in 2011 and has subsequently had two rounds of fusion surgery. As a consequence Phil is never happier than when he is helping a client who is suffering from back pain on the bike. We thought the perfect ‘fit’ for Fiona.
So we got to it. First of all Phil looked at Fiona’s existing position. For me as a non fitter, I could straight away see some problems. Fiona was very stretched out and slammed. A huge long stem on the bike (following the whole aesthetics that many of the pro teams have which usually isn’t good for most people.) and a saddle set right back on the rails. To me it looked as though she may have been trying to do a bit of a superman.
Flexibility was the next point that was addressed. As Fiona is a very active person, we knew she would be flexible with her previous background in running and currently taking up yoga and bouldering, Phil had no concerns that she would be able to ride a more aggressive position.
Contact points are super important on the bike. What I mean by contact points are the points where your bike touches you. So saddle, handlebars, shoes (cleats) Most people tend to have too wide handlebars and need some form of cleat alignment. Fiona was no stranger to this with her current bars 380 (centre to centre) and her fit proving she was much more comfortable on 360 (centre to centre). One of the things that Cyclefit spend a lot of time on is foot bed correction, providing Fiona with custom insoles and adding a wedge inside each shoe and 3mm of stack to her left shoe. All of this sounds like a lot of work but it helps with repositioning Fiona level on the bike, resulting in more stability and comfort. Kind of the key thing in a bike fit.
Being on the jig at Cyclefit means it was easy for Phil to test and try little tweaks to her position, so we played with her reach and saddle position in comparison to her current fit, finally settling on something efficient, comfortable and hopefully less back pain.
My first race of the year post shingles, The March Hare Spring Classic. A firm favourite with the London Cycling scene held at Lee Valley VeloPark.
50 mins of racing around the road circuit with 5 laps. A field of 60 (too many for the circuit in my opinion) with a mix of racers of varying backgrounds and skills. It was going to be a tricky one..
My tactic with racing has always been the same, leave it out on the road. Have fun and make it hard for everyone else. Results are great but it's more about me pushing myself as hard as I can. I have bigger and better goals than this.
On my new crit bike that I built up specifically for races like this I felt in a good place. The bike, a Cannondale CAAD10 equipped with a mix of Shimano Dura Ace and Ultegra Di2 with a Verve InfoCrank power meter was, in my mind, perfect for this kind of thing. So from the gun I positioned myself towards the front of the peloton and began making my way around attacking as to be expected.
Attack after attack, eventually breaking away solo for a fair few laps. I decided to sit up and get caught to save some energy for a sprint. I don't have much of a sprint on me but for once, fancied my chances out there.
The group all came back together in the last few laps and I was well placed for the sprint. As always, everyone gets a bit twitchy at these moments. I think a lot of that comes down to inexperience sadly.
The aftermath. I’m definitely not having the best luck the last few months... Last lap I’m in a great position and, for once I fancied my chance in the sprint so rolled back into the peloton. Last corner sitting in the top 5 wheels. Bang a huge pile up and all of us at the front were taken out unfortunately.. I think caused by a rider coming off the circuit and swerving back on.
A few taken away in ambulances. I only really remember getting up and lifting 3 or 4 bikes off me. Quite battered and bruised at the moment. But I managed to cycle home. Some weren’t so lucky. Times like this make me think there needs to be some race training for new racers. I’m more than happy to help anyone out there and I’m sure there’s many others who will help too. Thanks for the support from my mates and the people watching checking in that I was alright. Heal up fast everyone else involved. Live to fight another day. Now time for pizza.
Photos from Jimmi Nicholls
Strava link file below:
After visiting the North Pennines with Attacus recently and refreshing my memory of how the hell to cycle in the snow. I thought it may be useful, considering current conditions in the UK to share some thoughts.
Maximise your contact points with the road
It's pretty self explanatory this one. Fit the widest tyres on your bike that you possibly can and run a lower pressure. If you know you're going to be riding in snow, then a treaded tyre or even a lightly knobbed mountain bike or cyclocross tyre will give extra grip.
Hook up with a stud
If you can, I would definitely recommend studded tyres. Even the best tyres out there won't grip on sheet ice so the extra spike does really help! If you think you're going to encounter proper black ice — which has a nasty habit of lurking at the bottoms of hills on minor lanes and anywhere water runs off fields, it is worth the investment. These tyres are often CX or MTB only so check your clearances.
Go Tubeless
Not only is it great for racing on (lower rolling resistance as you have removed an element which causes it) tubeless is also brilliant for the winter. You are able to run super low tyre pressures comfortably I use Hunt Wheels for pretty much everything. Racing, CX, commuting. Another big bonus is the reduced risk of punctures which, honestly, are horrible to fix at the side of the road when you are freezing your tits off.
Loosen the tension on your pedals or go MTB
You may be loosening some pedal efficiency here but it's much more of a safety thing. In the winter, I pretty much only run MTB pedals and shoes. You can still clip in but it's much easier to use that get out of jail free card if you start sliding all over the place. loosening the tension in your pedals (normally a little alan key which dictates how easy or hard it is to clip in or out) may also really help.
Electronic gearing
Shimano's Di2 groupsets are absolutely fantastic in the winter months. They shift faultlessly and are much easier to maintain. We may all love using old school cable groupsets but I think electronic really is the way forward here.
Fixed Gear or Single Speed?
When the weather is bad, I often resort to my single speed CX bike. It is quite an old school way of thinking, to ride fixed in the winter months. You can also slow a fixed bike down on ice without using the brakes and while maintaining traction and power to the back wheel. That's a very good thing when it's slippery. Having less 'fuss' on the bike also helps. There is less to go wrong. Less to cause a problem on a ride and a much more simple set up, making it easier to maintain.
Lower your saddle
Now I am by NO means a bike fitter, so take this one carefully. Lowering your saddle slightly can help lower your centre of gravity and allow you to get more weight over the rear wheel. I drop mine VERY slightly and tend to sit further back to make sure I have a lot of weight on the rear of the bike. It means it can stop you sliding out.
Layer up!
Look, quite frankly it's jeffing freezing out there. Layer up and keep warm. Pay special attention to your extremities, hands and feet as these are the places that will really feel it. No one wants a finger to drop off after all. Attacus do some awesome winter bits and I am a big fan of the GripGrab gloves and shoe covers.
Choose your roads
Now what I mean here is stay away from un-gritted country lanes. We love them in the summer but honestly in the winter months they can become incredibly dangerous. More heavy traffic roads that have been gritted should be your friend. I often do a ride from London to Windsor and back. The infamous 'cake run'. The roads are generally pretty quiet and are wide and always gritted. It's a solid 140km
Give yourself space
Make sure you are not too close to the curve. This is where there will be melted snow which turns into ice and a lot of crud left over which can easily puncture your tyres. Moving out a little bit also means you have some room to manoeuvre left and right should you so need to. Obviously be aware of other road users and ride safe.
Leading on from this you need to allow yourself longer breaking times. It takes longer to stop safely or even to slow down on icy surfaces. You've probably experienced it a bit when it's wet, but that stoppage time will be even more delayed if it's icy.
Choose your line and be prepared to have to move about on the road. Keep alert and aware of icy patches. Point these out to other cyclists if you are in a group.
DISC BRAKES FOR THE ABSOLUTE WIN
I don't need to say too much here other than they are bloody brilliant in winter months. If you're setting up a specific winter bike, then the extra stopping power and control of disc brakes makes them a no-brainer, and they're less affected by the wet than rim brakes. Wheels last longer, you only have to change the rotor when it wears out with is a hell of a lot cheaper. Hydraulic brakes are great but you can get some very good cable modulated disc brakes as well if you are on more of a budget. My Quirk is set up cable discs and honestly I think they are pretty close to hydraulic.
How to ride on ice
Most important thing to say is that riding out in the snow can be great fun if you know what you are doing and how to prepare for it!
Enjoy it whilst we have it!
(amazing photos courtisy of Attacus CC)
At Jam Cycling, we are working closely with a new technology clothing brand called Métier.
Métier is:
The most technical, hydrophobic fabric available, constructed with longevity in mind.
Dry and warm. Always.
Increased personal visibility with zero compromise on style.
Athletic fit, suitable for everything from commuting to racing.
70 hours of ultra-high brightness LEDs.
Métier want to light the way in cycling innovation and performance by developing revolutionary garments that ensure you are always prepared to ride. Their mission is to elevate personal visibility to make it an integral part of every ride. There are no compromises on quality, detail or design - only an unrelenting desire to celebrate and support the freedom of cycling and cyclists everywhere.
Many people live and train in the city, but their hearts and minds are in the mountains
Métier, a British based company, has developed the world’s first high performance road cycling garments with integrated wearable technology. The Ultra High Brightness and Ultra High Intensity LEDs on the front and rear are seamlessly bonded into the ‘ProTech’, fully water repellent, breathable, aero-fit performance fabric, to provide true three season versatility. Taking advantage of rider BioMotion (the human ability to perceive object movement by connecting a few small, individual stimuli) the Beacon collection’s LEDs mean that you’re always more visible on your bike.
Chunky zip pulls designed for ease of use, even when wearing gloves, and three rear cargo pockets and a zipped side pocket provide ample storage. Drill/laser-cut holes at the bottom of each pocket allow rainwater to roll straight out. Graphic detailing printed in special reflective ink not only looks good, but keeps you visible in low light.
Métier rebalances the dynamic of visibility and style. The jacket and gilet offer a great look without compromising on safety. With a clean black silhouette, the garments are as at home in the Italian Alps as they are in Soho.
Designed to be seen, the products transcend environments with ground-breaking technology.
Paul, the co-founder of Métier and I went for a ride and recorded this
So time for part 2 of building up the ultimate crit bike. A massive thank you to the legends at SBC Cycles, as always for helping building the beast up. SBC Cycles, a shop based in East London are an independent (metal lovers) bike shop who offer some of the best custom builds and servicing I have ever received. They also happen to be right behind my flat.
I thought it would be right to run through the spec of the bike below. For the crit bike, I have opted to build up a Cannondale CAAD10 Black Inc frameset with some of the latest Shimano components.
FRAME: Cannondale CAAD10 Black Inc
STEM: Fi'zi:k Cryano R1 110mm
HANDLEBARS: PRO Vibe Alloy Handlebar (with Di2 bar end junction box)
FRONT BRAKE: Shimano Ultegra R8000
REAR BRAKE: Shimano Ultegra R8000
FRONT DERAILLEUR: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8050
REAR DERAILLEUR: Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8050
SHIFTERS: Shimano Dura Ace Di2 R9150 (with sprint shifters)
CASSETTE: Shimano Ultegra R8000 11/28
CRANKSET: Shimano Dura Ace R9100 53/39
FRONT WHEEL: Shimano Dura Ace R9100 C60
REAR WHEEL: Shimano Dura Ace R9100 C60
FRONT TYRE: Continental GP4000 25
REAR TYRE: Continental GP4000 25
SADDLE: fi'zi:k Antares R1 Carbon Rails
SEATPOST: Fi'zi:k Cyrano R1
Looking forward to getting some races in on this!
The PACE Centre, a charity I support for children with motor disorders such as cerebral palsy host a sportive once a year. Dubbed the BIG cycle, Jimmi and Emily from clothing brand Attacus and myself went along to see what it was all about and ride the longer (107km) route. See what happened in the video below:
Image from a Kent League cyclocross race by Sean Hardy
I thought I would write a few tips down for racing, riding and training I have learnt over the last year or so. So relax, enjoy and eat something or make a cuppa.
The National 24 hour TT
The end of Revolve24. The friendships forged with the G!RO cafe team made the challenge do-able. Photo by Paolo Mariani
The start from Revolve24. Photo by Paolo Mariani
My Focus Izalco Max which is fitted with a Verve InfoCrank and a Wahoo ELEMNT
Read a race correctly and you never know what may happen
Keep happy, positive and trust in the people around you. They will make you stronger
The new Shimano Dura Ace 9100 crankset.
As I have started getting back into criterium racing towards the end of 2017 and going into 2018 I thought it would be a wise idea to build something up specifically for it.
My criteria was simple. Lightweight aluminium frame, deep section wheelset, electronic groupset. The reasons for each of these I will explain below:
Lightweight aluminium frame
Take centre stage this:
A Cannondale CAAD10 Black Inc Di2 specific frameset
So I started hunting around online for something that I thought would work as a great frame. I instantly knew what I was after. The key component here being aluminium. I wanted to use an aluminium frame as the technology now days making these frame sets means that they are often as light and stiffer then carbon frames. Aluminium also dents, it doesn't tend to crack like carbon would, something which in London's criterium racing scene could be vital as crashes are a regular occurrence.
I found this frame online for a steal of a price (thank you Howard). It is the Cannondale CAAD10 Black Inc edition which is specifically a Di2 frameset. Perfect. The CAAD10 is well known and highly regarded as one of the all time best aluminium frames you can buy, the Black Inc edition is black (obviously) and gold, a nod to the Cannondale black lightning released in 1989 (my birth year which made a nod to getting this frame)
Cannondale Black Lightning 1989
Deep section wheelset
To be honest, this is pretty simple. It's all to do with AERO GAINZZZZ. Deeper wheels are more aerodynamic meaning you can cut through the wind more efficiently. For me having an aluminium break surface was pretty important, it means that there is much better stopping during wet and rainy conditions. Step in the Shimano Dura Ace R9100 C60 Carbon Clincher Wheelset.
These wheels feature a wider rim to increase ride stability, provide increased cornering ability, on wider tyres, and greater aerodynamic properties. The Shimano Dura-Ace C60 Carbon Clincher Wheelset's wider rim is 50 mm deep with an alloy braking surface to create an incredibly fast, straight line, wheelset with trusted braking power.
The Shimano Dura-Ace C60 Carbon Clincher Wheelset uses stainless steel butted straight pull bladed spokes with aluminium hub shell and oversized 7075 alloy axle to improve the rigidity on previous years. The increased ridgity in the wheel makes for a more responsive ride. Combine the improved rigidity with the titanium freehub, which engages every 10 degrees, the Shimano Dura-Ace C60 Carbon Clincher Wheelset produces instant, explosive acceleration, and straight line speed.
Electronic Groupset
In 2008, Dura-Ace 7900 was launched, which was a radical redesign and new aesthetic direction over the previous version, gunmetal grey replacing polished metal. A year later Shimano went electronic, introducing its first Di2 (Digital Integrated Intelligence) groupset with Dura- Ace 7970.
Met with initial scepticism by some more traditional cyclists, it nethertheless went on to mark a new chapter in the history of the groupset. Now, almost every pro team on Shimano uses Di2. 15 of the 18 World Tour teams use Shimano Di2 and every stage and every jersey of the 2017 TdF was won with Shimano (Dura Ace) Di2 components. Shimano's bold decision creating Di2 created much hype at it's launch and has simply dominated the cycling component market.
Jump forward to the present day. Shimano has now created 3 generations of Di2, which the current and previous generations have been compatible with both rim brake and disc brake bikes meaning it has truly captured the market.
Shimano bills the latest Dura-Ace as "the most advanced system of road cycling components in Shimano's 95-year history," which is certainly bold talk.
It's still an 11-speed groupset but introduced a number of new features and refinements. Synchronised shifting is now available with Di2, which lets the system control both derailleurs.
For me electronic shifting is a no brainer for a crit bike. It shifts flawlessly, never missing a beat, plus the addition of sprint shifters means that you can keep racing on the drops and flick through the gears.
So the line up of the bike is the following:
Come back to see the progress on the build!
Image from http://www.granfondoguide.com/
Donald Trump is a person spoken highly in social media. The general consensus of the man in the UK is that he’s not the most popular of people. Simple things like his much younger wife mimicking Michelle Obama’s speech is a tiny thing in a long list of things that easily rub you the wrong (or right) way.
A personal favourite of mine is the Trump Donald website: http://trumpdonald.org/ a great way for us to remember his strange hairstyle and the way that it moves so elegantly in the wind (or from a full blown trumpet blow). One thing is for certain, you can’t deny that the man gets the press and publicity, continually in the public eye in both a good and bad way.
In the late 80s and early 90s Donald Trump became the main sponsor for what was called the Tour de Trump in the US. Something that was aimed to be of a similar elk to Le Tour De France, a discussion on a flight home from watching the Grand tour by CBS reporter John Tesh with the aim of producing something similar. It was won by the likes of Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong during its short iteration of the Tour de Trump before the name change and sponsor change to Tour DuPont.
With Trump, you gain money, with money comes power. Trump's lawyers sent a "cease and desist" letter to the organisers of a Tour de Rump bike race held in Aspen, Colorado. The letter stated: "You are using the name and mark Tour de Rump in connection with an 'inaugural' cycling event. Your use of that name and mark is likely to cause confusion and constitutes trademark infringement, unfair competition and false designation of origin, all in violation of applicable federal and state laws” The organiser Ron Krajian's lawyer responded by arguing that his race was a local and non-commercial event. No response was received from Trump's lawyers, and the Tour de Rump went ahead. Things like this show the power that he has to cause things to change and happen.
The total prize money on offer for the first event in 1989 was US$250,000, including $50,000 for the winner of the general classification. This, together with the race's place in the international calendar between the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, made it attractive to high-profile riders and teams, but the event did not attract large crowds.
The question now raises; What if Donald Trump sponsored a big stage race today? Say for example the Tour of California. What would be the pros and cons? One of the major pros would be funding. At a time where money is tight enough in cycling with multi million dollar deals for teams needed to support them. We have seen that without Oleg Tinkov, we notice the demise of Tinkoff Saxo, a team with the current world champion, british champion and a multi tour de france winner in it no longer being able to spin the pedals without the funding of one man. Similarly to IAM Cycling, hanging up the helmets for the last time at the end of the season. You could argue that this option, may be something that would appeal to Donald Trump in a first occasion before sponsoring a full multi-stage event in its own, even with the ironic name of Trump as a cycling team.
A pro and a con would be press, Trump, in his own character would bring exposure in both a negative and positive way to cycling through his name, character and personality. It may or may not expose many new viewers to a world of cycling through TV deals, merchandise and the exposure that the man himself seems to gain so easily. Trump's personality and celebrity, as well as the scandals surrounding Trump's marriage and business affairs, could deter from the event and annoyed in its previous iteration it annoyed European riders in the race, something that could easily happen again considering some of the personalities and teams in the Pro Peloton.
Often enough concerns with sponsors can often deter teams from wanting to race and potentially cause some of the ‘big boys’ to not turn up and compete; when in reality it is these guys that the viewers want to see racing, time after time, day after day in a multi stage race. It seems that in the days of the Tour De Trump, when he stepped down as the main sponsor, it caused a greater interest from European riders and teams, these are the ones that the American fans want to see more than any other out there and are, after all the teams that make up a large proportion of the teams racing in Le Tour De France.
Back to the main question, is he just too offensive/ridiculous, or is it a case of all publicity is good publicity? As a cyclist I veer to the angle of him being too offensive/ ridiculous. Cycling is the best individual team sport and a beautiful sport in it’s own right. With all the issues tainted its blood so to speak in the past; bringing along additional offencive and extremist characters could, bring the sport spiraling back down as opposed to continually moving upwards in the positive direction it needs to.
The chaps at Attacus Cycling produced the F**K TRUMP socks, which you can see below.
Attacus F**K Trump Socks
Trump's crackdown on everything from refugees to health care is set to impact Americans, vulnerable people around the world, and the organisations that work to support them.
That's why they donated £4 from every pair of F*CK TRUMP socks to two important charities. Half to UNHCR - the UN Refugee Agency - and half to Planned Parenthood.
A fantastic initiative if you ask me.
Attacus F**K Trump Socks
Image from a Kent League cyclocross race by Sean Hardy
I thought I would write a few tips down for racing, riding and training I have learnt over the last year or so. So relax, enjoy and eat something or make a cuppa.
The National 24 hour TT
The end of Revolve24. The friendships forged with the G!RO cafe team made the challenge do-able. Photo by Paolo Mariani
The start from Revolve24. Photo by Paolo Mariani
My Focus Izalco Max which is fitted with a Verve InfoCrank and a Wahoo ELEMNT
Read a race correctly and you never know what may happen
Keep happy, positive and trust in the people around you. They will make you stronger
