Tag: racing
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The Kwiatek Affect
Rainbows are funny things. Making rainy days more exciting, they often ignite fuzzy feelings, which if you’re like me, can only be shared with people you feel ‘safe’ with. After all, the rainbow brings back childhood memories of nursery school art classes, and isn’t usually favoured around grown-up sporting circles. There is one significant exception, and that’s the reserve for champions…
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Unfinished Business
It’s Business Time It was a quiet and sunny September evening when Ben found his way to the track. This in itself was a success. Nestled in the Olympic Park, not far from the trendy bars of Hoxton, is Lee Valley race crit. As one of London’s latest race venues, the Baroudeurs had to…
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William ‘Baron’ Harrison
Hello there! Cycling Name? The Baron. This is something that Lowell came up with. Possibly some sort of reference to ‘The Red Baron’ due to the fact I ride a red bike in the winter. It may also be some sort of reference to my sometimes random, and usually fruitless attacks when out on the…
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Niall ‘Ram’ Slater
Name? Niall (pronounced Neil) Slater Do you have a cycling name and if so, what is it and why? They call me ‘The Ram!’ What do you do when you’re not riding a bike? Eating enough pasta to shock Tony Soprano. Thinking about what to eat next. Resting, and lots of it. “If you don’t have to…
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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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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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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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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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Cobbles to that!
We love you really, Roubaix *None of this would be possible without the belief and tireless understanding of the Baroudeur Family. Thank you!
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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…
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Fla-Fla-Flanders
Time Travel is possible in Flanders – Image, courtesy of ‘CyclinginFlanders’ 19 Climbs on Cobbles. 264KM and it loops back! Lost in the thrill of it all; one can easily get carried away with arguably the most popular/greatest one day race of them all, ‘The Tour of Flanders’. Better known in the region and amongst hardy…