Grid of Posts 3×2

  • Dead Souls (long-distance cycling is not a death cult)

    I experienced the death of Diana Spencer in a rather bizarre manner: in a taxi to catch a plane to a new life before most had heard the news, the black-bordered rush newspapers in the airport shops, and then in the series of bizarre and intimate condolence emails I received due to my name (which… Read more

  • It’s not you it’s me…

    It’s not you it’s me…

    Another North West Passage 200 completed (#4), and with it the realisation that I’ve fallen out of love with Audax. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of randonneuring, but as with many ideas, a collision with reality is never far away. The weather was the best it has been for four years, just… Read more

  • What’s in the package, Dave? Thinking outside the box…

    I spent an hour and a half yesterday listening to Lionel Birnie and Richard Moore interviewing Dave Brailsford. The two main topics were TUEs/Corticosteroids/Tramadol (related to Fancy Bear(s) and the JTL accusations) and the contents of the medical package delivered by hand to Wiggins at the end of the 2011 Dauphiné Libéré by Simon Cope. Here… Read more

  • Oh dear what can the matter be?

    Oh dear what can the matter be?

    ​ There was a time when throwing up in the middle of the night in a Northern town might have involved drink and drugs. These days I’m better prepared (bivvy bag) but it’s cycling that drives me past the point of physical no return. Two rides in a row now have ended in physical and… Read more

  • A tale of two rides: riding for love versus riding for glory…

    I’ve had a mixed experience riding long distances, mostly AUK randonneur events – which are a beautiful thing. I had a few inklings last year, on the way to my second Super Randonneur series that all was not well. At time I put that down to poor sleep hygiene before events and the added pressure… Read more

  • Transcontinental Race: a paradox of mediation

    You ever seen a happier face than @philipp_tcr‘s at CP4 upon the arrival of his food? Us neither. #TCRNo4 #Apidura pic.twitter.com/vgtXnQuwVC — APIDURA (@apidura) August 8, 2016 Here’s the paradox. Professional road cycling offers easy access to a wealth of direct experience: you can touch the riders if you want on the climbs, and catch… Read more