Racing

Track Bike – Team GB

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I was fortunate enough to stumble upon one of the Team GB track bike frames used in the Rio Olympics at a recent motorsport engineering show that I was attending for work. Having recently read Chris Boardman’s book and learnt about the “Secret Squirrel” program developing the equipment for the next Olympics and the Team GB medal factory. It was fascinating to see the latest creation, the product of wind tunnel testing and computer based aerodynamic modelling simulations. At this point in time it’s probably the most aerodynamic bike frame in the world, until the next Olympics that is. With aerodynamics being one of the most important factors in performance cycling and the general public having no more insight into the drag coefficients than the sales brochures; it’s fascinating to see the pinnacle of the current development if only as a visual reference point. I wanted to share this as I find not just the engineering, but also the process interesting. Continue reading →

Book Review – The Rider by Tim Krabbé

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rider

I first became aware of this book when I was reading Bert Wagendorp’s Ventoux. As the main character describes how his cycling obsession began “The urge to sit on a racing bike again came back later. That was after I had read The Rider by Tim Krabbé. I was 15, read it at one sitting, and knew instantly what I had to do.” With both books being originally written in Dutch I suppose it was inevitable that the later would mention the original Dutch cycling classic. Continue reading →

Castelli 24 Ore (Hour) Race – Feltre, Italy

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“Do you fancy doing a 24 hour race in Italy?” Just sounded like a better experience than “are you doing the crit on Tuesday night? looks like it might rain”. Not that I had to choose between one or the other, but I personally needed something a bit more exotic to inspire me to keep cycling/training through the depths of the British winter. The Castelli 24 Ore (hour) race in Feltre, Italy; on the edge of the Dolomites national park, is a criterium race run on a 1.9km circuit in the centre of the city. The race runs for 24 hours and can be ridden either solo or as part of a team (8 – 12 people).   Continue reading →

British Cycling Coaching Session

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I must admit that it’s been a while since I’ve really pushed a bike to its limits. As I do most of my riding on public roads the greasy damp tarmac and diesel spills have caught me out far too many times. The result of which has left my confidence in cornering traction, more often than not, on the cautious side. So I jumped at the chance to improve these now rusty skills by attending a British Cycling coached road racing skills session. I’d forgotten how good it feels to be more in tune with the bike, feeling the way the bike reacts as tyres grip firmly on the fresh clean tarmac.  Continue reading →