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Standing on a corner watching all the cyclists go by
We wait. There are bikes leant against road signs and telegraph poles. The sun is low and shadows long. On the inside of the corner I’m fiddling with ISO and aperture settings. Across the corner a huddle of men in club jerseys and hi-vis clutch red flags and chat. There’s a handful of spectators, probably…
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The Longest Day
I have places names and road numbers scribbled on bits of paper in my pocket. Today is going to be the longest ride of the year so far. Looking at the forecast it’s probably the warmest too. Gilet and arm warmers are stripped off by the time I get to Lewes. It’s a long steady…
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Diary of a Novice Randonneur, pt.2 – Isle of Wight Randonnee
Well then, it was turning out to be a pretty rubbish start to the year of randonneuring. I failed to make the start line of a local audax in February, and then in April due to various reasons I didn’t even manage to get to the same county as my next planned audax. However I…
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The first (proper) century of the year
Sometime last year a guy called Justin commented on a photo I’d posted to Instagram. Something along the lines of “You ride so much! You need to contribute something to the website.” That statement is partially true. I do ride a fair bit but really I just take an inordinate amount of photographs. The website…
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Diary of a Novice Randonneur, pt.1
It didn’t go so well… The first audax planned for the year was the “Mad Jack’s – John Seviour Memorial”, a 125km audax with roughly 2500m of climbing in mid February. The ride is in “Mad Jack” country in the High Weald of Sussex around Brightling and Battle. Even though in my home county this…
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2013 Rapha Festive 500 [part 4]
Day 6 Another (slow) century, a proper one, not a metric one. Not the ideal recovery spin after yesterday’s ultracross adventures. However completing 100 miles is in the head more than the legs I think. So here goes… http://www.strava.com/activities/102576759 http://www.strava.com/activities/102634220
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2013 Rapha Festive 500 [part 3]
Day 5 When I was a kid there were days when I’d go out on my bike all day, bombing around the streets collecting friends, then head up the woods to simply hack about for hours until we got hungry and went home. Jumping over tree roots, skidding round corners, flying down hills ever so…
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2013 Rapha Festive 500 [part 2]
Day 3 – A tale of two rides As is tradition it’s time for the Boxing Day Century (imperial, not metric). I say tradition, but what I mean is I did it last year and I’m doing it again this year. Except last year I don’t think I quite managed 100 miles. Anyway, I’m up…
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2013 Rapha Festive 500 [part 1]
Pre The weather forecast for the next week looks well iffy so I’m in two minds whether to even start a Festive 500 attempt. I did also vow last year I wouldn’t do it again. However I really like the badge this year. The sensible way to do it would be to try and do…
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Tourist Trophy 2013 // Stage 12 // December // The same, but different
For the final official Tourist Trophy ride of the year I came up with the idea to go “home” to Frimley and ride the hometown streets I bombed around on rattly-can sprayed single speeds, ‘racers’, and BMXs as a kid, and then the local Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire roads that were my playground when I…
the man from icon 