Tag: baroudeur
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Don’t call it a Comeback
After all, Taylor Phinney’s been here for years. And doing very well at that. Taylor caught our eyes several years ago now. It wasn’t just his cycling heritage – both his parents were very successful pro-cyclitsts, which can at times cast a shadow over a child’s own journey; instead, it continues to be Taylor’s quirky personality, fun-loving…
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Becks ‘Staffie’ Martin
Name: Becks Martin Do you have a cycling name? If so, who gave it to you and why? The Staffie – because I own a beautiful one, and was born there. What do you do when you’re not riding a bike? I run as much as I can, and care for the health of animals.…
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Velotoze – Rubbers for your feet
Snap! It’s December 2015 and it’s absolutely freezing. It’s so cold, that everyone is layered-up to the nines, and if you’re not wearing overshoes, then you’re seriously ‘shoe-doping’ (and the only reason you’re not shivering is because you’re quite possibly keeping your toes toasty with electric-inserts) Cool, but not like you know it Najib…
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Debbie “Valkyrie”
All the days like these Cycling name? Valkyrie. Why do you ride your bike? To keep fit and have fun. Favourite place to ride? Richmond Park, but nothing beats the Alps. Up or down mountains? Down. Favourite climb? My stairs at the end of a ride – knowing I’ve had a great day out and…
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Red Hook Crit
https://youtu.be/1gpO0IL-_iA It takes two to make a thing go right I first met Paffo and Fabio on a Sunday ride to Windsor and back. Then later on that week for laps in the local park. Not at all astonishing till you realise they’re both riding bare-knuckle-bikes – fixies without brakes! Paffo and Fabio ride for the Back-To-Back…
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Foux du fa fa
We’ve always had plenty of motivation to help us look forward to summer riding and the big 3-week races of the Grand Tour. And the Conchords never fail to get us in the right mood… (click on the youtube link on the right, to access video – sorry folks, but it’s worth it) “Come on. It will…
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The Rebel in Red
The Belgian Swagger The Stage The 2015 Giro will be remembered for Bertie Contador’s opening bid for the GT Double (if not triple – Giro | Le Tour | La Veulta). There’s no doubting that even when isolated, the dancing Spaniard is a formidable sportsman. However, for me the Giro will be remembered for it’s audacious…
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Going Through Hell
Getting to the other side A mere four months after sitting anxiously in front of three laptops and a tablet waiting for the clock to strike 10:00:01am… the day had arrived. It was ‘H-Day’! A Quiet Sunday At The Track While it was not my first trip to the Lee Valley Velodrome, something…
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Echappee
One of the most celebrated giants of the ‘echappee’ – the art of breaking-away, is Eddy Merckx. As a professional, he was unmistakably brilliant, yet brutal at his job. They called him The Cannibal. Image posted by Blacksheep Cycling The Man. The Legend. The Cannibal. Eddy Merckx recently turned 70 and the widespread recognition of his…
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Head Start
Cycling in London? That’s the question we are being asked by a local borough, seeking to help us make the most of the summer, and getting us back on our bikes! We applaud initiatives that creatively encourage bravery and the fun in cycling. Royally Designed The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have been making the most…
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Bertie in Pink
Image by BennitoPhoto We often look forwards to the months of July and August for the summer cycling action, but we would go amiss without the one in June, the Giro d’Italia. And if the Classics hadn’t stirred you already, then this was the Grand-Tour (GT) to rally the fans. It’s true; the outcome may…
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Race against the wind
He tells us he’s grimacing, but we all know he’s laughing Straight outta Oz All day I’ve been thinking about tonight. Focused on what I was doing at the time, but with an awareness that I had a date with something both frightening, yet exhilarating later on. After a ghastly wet morning, followed by crazy windy weather, I…
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Bear Aero
Let’s do this again! What’s in a name? Take the term ‘aero’ for instance. For those of you who remember the Rowntree commercials, of perfectly formed chocolate bubbles rising deliciously, you’ll recall happy days. In cycling terms, the phrase ‘aero’ can throw up a lot more weightier elements. The Truth With Alex Dowsett set to take on the celebrated ‘hour record’ before Sir Bradley Wiggins,…
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Faster! Faster!
How can I get faster? This is a general topic for discussion whenever a group of cyclists get together, and this is true of any conversation held on our club rides out to the countryside. Various topics are discussed first, like circling the drain, with an inevitable ending point – how can I get faster?…
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LBL and still chilling
A Brigther? London – Brighton – London I can’t for the life of me comprehend why one would want to ride to Brighton and back. That was until, riding to Brighton one sunny morning and making the unwise decision to return by coach; I saw the all too familiar sight of cyclists weaving through the Sunday traffic and getting…
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Pure Gold
World Champion, Michal Kwiatkowski – can he win at Amstel Gold in Rainbow Colours on Sunday? Image credit to Michal Kwiatkowski Episode 2 of the Spring classics kicks off this Sunday in the form of the Dutch Classic, the Amstel Gold. We were all witnesses to the incredible scenes of Episode 1. At the start…
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The Rescue Plan
The Rescue Project – a woman’s plan to rescue our best friends (images via The Rescue Project) Athletes with a love for animals I don’t know if you’ve ever been lucky enough to be brought up with, or around animals. From my earliest memories, we had dogs, cats, chickens, and goats as companions. Not your usual…
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3 Reasons why DEGE rules the Classics
DEGE has an excellent diet… DEGE’s too cool for hats, he wears cycling caps… DEGE knows that bicycles are almost as good as guitars for meeting girls Congratulations, DEGE. You rule the Classics 🙂 NB. DEGE has won a Classic or two, just like a famous Irish Cycling icon. *All images via John ‘DEGE’…
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What makes a Classic, a Classic?
The Family Baroudeur at Roubaix – images by Rob ‘Crazy Legs’ and Denis ‘The Gunner’ It’s that time of year again! The Monuments are rolling by this spring. E3, done, Gent-Wevelgem, completed, Sanremo, sorted. Flanders, fulfilled. What could possibly wrap up the Classics Season in style? Pars-Roubaix, naturally. Last week I was asked why did I…
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Ronde Van Vlaanderen Ride Report
Will ‘The Red Baron’ on RVV 2015 “We begin in Oudennarde…” …I tell my brother and his three less experienced cyclist friends that it’ll be fine. We are after all only riding the last 80 or so miles of the course. Surrounded by pretty much every Western European nationality, Belgians, Germans, French, Dutch, Spaniards and…