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Tips for beginner road cyclists

For those just starting to get into road cycling, these are a few tips from my own experience of riding a bike for past 20 years. Buying a bike The first place to start is with buying a road bike. You don’t have to spend a fortune. For an entry level road bike, I would […]

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Why cyclists don’t pay road tax in UK

I was interested to read about a recent ‘I Pay Road Tax Campaign‘ (I have talked about this before – Should cyclists pay road tax?) Here are some more thoughts on the issue. The original road tax was abolished in 1937, but the name has stuck around. Most adults with a car have to pay […]

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Cycle deaths / casualties in the UK

I find it a bit harder to write about this kind of topic. Part of me is a very keen cycling advocate. Despite the dangers of cycling – I feel the health benefits far outweigh the alternative of a sedentary lifestyle. In life, everything has a risk, including sitting on a sofa and stuffing yourself […]

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Tour De France Questions

The tour is one of the biggest sporting spectacles in the world. No matter how many scandals and tearful confessions on Oprah , we can’t resist the allure of watching the Tour. The tour has everything, beautiful scenery, drama, excitement, raw passion and the opportunity for endless hours of Sean Kelly say ‘erm, well, I […]

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10 Reasons to Take Up Cycling

If your reading this, chances are you already cycle or have an interest in cycling. But, nevertheless since it is National Bike week here in the UK, these are 10 powerful reasons to take up cycling. 1. Freedom. Cycling gives a sense of freedom that sitting in a car can never give. Descending a hill […]

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Cycling doesn’t have to be expensive

Cycling can seem an expensive hobby. Only last week I reviewed a time trial helmet which cost just shy of £300, with an extra visor, a feintly ridiculous £80. Whatever branch of cycling you take up, it seems there is no limit to the amount of money you can spend. However, here’s a short reminder […]

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Changing attitudes to road fatalities.

Reading a book – the History of Time trialling by Peter Whitfield I was struck by some statistics about the level of road fatalities, during the 1930s and 1940s. Despite road traffic being only 10% of today’s levels. Road deaths reached nearly 10,000 a year. There were up to 1,000 road fatalities a year of […]

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Cycling C to B with Jon Schubert

At local time trials, I’ve raced quite a few times against Jon Schubert of High Wycombe CC. Earlier this year I was intrigued to hear him talking about an expedition to cycle 13,000 miles across Europe and Asia to raise money for charity and to have the experience of a lifetime. It sounds a great […]

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The Rules of Cycling – Velominati Review

I haven’t reviewed many  products this year, but I was pleased to receive through the post an advanced copy of ‘The Rules – The way of the cycling disciple‘ by Velominati. It gave me a lot of food for thought. I enjoyed reading it, and I also enjoyed critiquing it.  The problem is that a […]

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Watching the Classics on Eurosport

As a Yorkshireman, I have an inbuilt resistance to paying an extra £7 a month, just to get one paltry tv channel. For years I’ve resisted on principle. But, this year, I finally spent £7 a month to upgrade my BT package to include Eurosport. Actually, I didn’t just get Eurosport, but about 30 other […]

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The opposite of a float day

Sometimes, in cycling we just  hit that ‘float day‘ – everything  seems to combine to make cycling an effortless joy. In zero wind, and perfect conditions, we seem to hit that cycling sweet spot. We can ride fast and still feel good. Even hills don’t dent the sense of forward movement. You can just float […]

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