To each their own view of the mysterious cloud’s innumerable, shifting shades. For some it’s a brief distraction – snap, swipe, share – for others an excuse to party, a nuisance, an evil portent or an act of international terrorism. For an exclusive few the fog is an opportunity, a moment of enchantment and a chance to change. Continue reading “Polychrome People”
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| Ridden to death |
Ever been through one of those bicycle maintenance episodes that leaves you wishing you hadn’t bothered/had just bought a new bike/had taken up jogging instead of cycling? Continue reading “Riding Through The Death Rattle”
Cycling the Mountains of the Tour de France
Click here to buy the book at Amazon.
At some point in their life every amateur cyclist dreams of riding the high roads of the Tour de France, discovering first-hand what it’s like to tackle Alpe D’Huez or the Tourmalet.
Not many cyclists ever get round to turning that notion into reality. Author Rolf Rae-Hansen and his best friend did just that, and to Alpe D and the Tourmalet they added another 33 of cycling’s most feared and revered mountain passes.
Just days into their adventure it became clear that these two distinctly amateur cyclists had bitten off more mountain than they could comfortably chew. As they ticked off the climbs one by one, their friendship was tested to, and then beyond, destruction. Continue reading “The Breakaway – Cycling the Mountains of the Tour de France”
The Rider is the English translation of Tim Krabbé’s 1978 Dutch book, DeRenner. It’s long been a cult classic, but I was late to the party, despite having known of the tome for ages.
The 148 pages tell the story of the author’s experience in racing the Tour de Mont Aigoual. His commentary of the 150km event is littered with various cycling-related anecdotes and others detailing his own journey to becoming an amateur racing cyclist. Continue reading “The Rider by Tim Krabbé – a Nano Review”
I’ve long been particularly susceptible to cold hands. Even a short ride to work on a not particularly cold day can leave me in a decent amount of discomfort. Last weekend’s ride was a new (temperature) low for my poor icy paws, and it sent me in search of a solution.
The last couple of winters I’ve been riding with Sealskin’s Extra Cold Winter Gloves (see my review here). With these and a liner glove I’ve been just about okay on most days.
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| Andy Hampsten recreating my ride |
Stumbled upon this Facebook group yesterday, UK MTB Golden Era 1989-99 appreciation group, and have wasted a great deal of time down memory lane.
It’s dedicated to the golden age of UK mountain biking and is full of pics and reminiscences about really ‘cool’ things like this:
Ventoux is a coming of (middle) age tale by Bert Wagendorp, the Dutch journalist and author.
The story is Narrated by Bart Hoffman, one of a group of 40-something men who take a nostalgic trip to Provence, 20 years after their first visit. Their purpose there is to confront the ghosts of their past and, most importantly, to see if they still have what it takes to ride up the Mountain of Death. Continue reading “Ventoux by Bert Wagendorp – A Nano Book Review”
It may just be the writer in me (or that I am full of awesome ideas) but I really think more emphasis should be placed on the titling of Strava rides.
When you save an activity, Strava allows you to change the post’s title. Morning Ride, Afternoon Ride, Evening Ride (and, I’m assuming, Middle of the Night Ride, for the shift-workers) are perfectly perfunctory but they don’t tell the poster or their Strava followers anything of use.
Continue reading “Morning Blog – The Importance of a Good Strava Title”
Rolf Rae-Hansen 