Rolya 04: Pursuits of Happiness by Rolya

Rolya

Rolya 04

rolya04 pursuits of happiness spring 2014

This month’s issue, intentionally or not, is all about the pursuit of that which cannot be described in simple terms alone, but instead is borne of cycling’s ability to inspire. These ‘pursuits’ have to be coded and split into distinct categories before they can be deciphered. It could be the pursuit of something tangible; a group of attacking riders, for example, as seen in our coverage of this year’s Springtime Pursuits series. It could be the pursuit of discovery and learning astride your favourite old bicycle; this issue’s featured portfolio is from photographer Samuel Glazebrook, who toured the Cornish coastline in order to produce a photographic documentation of the landscape and its population.

It could be the pursuit of an ambition; to provide local kids with something as simple as a dirt track to ride, feeding young minds with boundless potential. Or it could be the pursuit of something more nuanced; the ignition of a creative mind as the very mechanical precision of a bicycle’s components sparks inspiration and artistry. Whatever form of inspiration or ambition cycling pursues, there is always an outlet as well as a foreseeable goal. How we reach that goal is up to us and the paths we ride. Samuel Moore Editor-in-Chief

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contributors Samuel Moore, Joel Hewitt, Natalie Cheetham, Emma Roberts, Tristan Holden, Steve Donohue, Sam Adams

thanks Yanto Barker, Bike Chain Bissoe Bike Hire, Nicholas Lumb, Halwill Village Hall, British Cycling National Escort Group, Will Evans, Derek Heelis, Carrick Riders, Falmouth Four Cross, Samuel Glazebrook, Bike Chain Ricci

editorial Samuel Moore, Editor-in-Chief Joel Hewitt, Art Editor

staff photographers Natalie Cheetham, Emma Roberts

cover photograph â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Beaworthy Post Officeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Natalie Cheetham

rolya@outlook.com @RolyaZine

springtime pursuits | 08

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features

Springtime Pursuits

Watch the Gate

76 Yanto

columns

the super component Steve Donohue

a baptism of fire Sam Adams

portfolio

60 Arvor

Samuel Glazebrook

watch the gate | 30

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SPRINGTIME PURSUITS words samuel moore photographs emma roberts & natalie cheetham

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t is anything but springtime as riders gather in a frigid village hall car park in West Devon, here for the first round of the Springtime Pursuits series. The sun is veiled and the clouds threaten rain as a shrill wind whips about the ankles of the few who brave three-quarter leggings or even shorts. Perhaps they know something others do not. Or perhaps it is tactics; the race, after all, begins in the car park. For many the Mid Devon CC-hosted event is the first race of the season and, keen to show how ready they are after a hard winters training or perhaps a trip or two to Mallorca, begin that pre-race ritual of stalking the car park to see who has the leanest and most tanned legs. It is a spectacle that could well be narrated by Sir David Attenborough. The atmosphere is edgy; this year the three part series is being held on a new course in Halwill Junction due to road maintenance at the previous circuit. Even the more experienced riders are unsure and immediately begin to reccy the course, testing the corners, seeing where

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any hazardous potholes might lurk, perhaps even scouting the best places to attack. Others simply sit on the rollers in silent contemplation, eying nothing but the ground. It has finally begun to rain, so inside the modest village hall things get cramped as people take shelter whilst sign-on is in full swing. Chief commissaire Nicholas Lumb sits at a row of trestle tables, receiving and checking race licenses, in return giving numbers to riders ranging from elite to categories one to three. It is his first race of the year too, along with his entourage of assistant commissaires, road marshals and motorbike escorts. For them it can be just as stressful, after all they

are ultimately responsible for proceedings going ahead smoothly and safely: “Everyone’s always a bit rusty on the first race of the year. As Head Commissaire I’m here to represent British Cycling, to make sure rider conduct is good, that the standard of the race is met, that the rules are adhered to, and that everything runs efficiently.” If the Springtime Pursuits are anything they are efficient. Far from the often rough-and-ready airfield crit races, this series runs as smoothly as a wellrehearsed stage play, with no room for error from the marshals and no tolerance for negligent riders. After the race numbers have been allocated participants are staunchly called in to the hall for briefing by event organiser Kenneth Robertson, an elderly gentleman whose weathered features tells of much experience and garners even more respect. Riders are advised to attend the briefing under penalty of disqualification; some unfortunate souls do not make the cut and are stripped of their opportunity to appear in the final performance. “Nice to see you all here again,” begins the head commissaire over the stomping of heels and clickclack of shoe cleats. The next seven and a half minutes are spent describing the new route, warning of bollards, potholed stretches of road, surface water and debris after what has been the

wettest winter on record with winds to boot. The riders are told not to stray off the edge of the road if the peloton should start echeloning: “It’s waterlogged, its bad,” is enough to put any thoughts of that safely to bed. “I will be at the back of the race,” continues Nicholas, his voice loftily filling the room from atop a rangy body, “if I pass you, you are outside of the race. The jurisdiction of the race is between the lead car and me and up to the white line in the middle of the road. Anybody crossing that white line will be looked at very closely. If the fourth cats can do it then so can you. Best behaviour please and put on a good show.” With that the motorcycle escorts mount

“

Everyone’s always a bit rusty on the first race of the year

”

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their steeds, as do the competitors, all making their way up towards the race start at the entrance to a cul-de-sac. As the perhaps meteorologically-ambitious name suggests the race is in the form of a handicapped pursuit, with five groups of riders disembarking at 90 second intervals which are predetermined by their category and experience. Last to be let loose are the elite riders, which this year includes the famed local Marcin Bialoblocki, a Polish brute riding for VelosureGiordana RT. After the groups have departed the atmosphere becomes noticeably subdued. The initial pandemonium disappears to be replaced by anticipation as spectators wait for the riders to whiz by in a blur of wheels, cranks and grunts once every 30 minutes or so. The peaks and troughs in action give the spectators and marshals time to reflect on their thoughts about road racing in Britain. Head static marshal and safety officer Paul Parsons is a British Cycling volunteer who has been overseeing races for over a decade: “That’s just a fancy figurehead really,” he explains in an amiable West Country accent, “I make sure that all the marshals get to their designated points and that they have all the equipment they need. I like to give my bit back to the establishment because my son races, he’s racing today in fact.”

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marcin bialoblocki. velosure-giordana rt

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Before anyone can say otherwise Paul continues on the subject of road safety, with those around him listening in, content to oblige the man who clearly has experience in the matter. In the future he would like to see more accredited marshals with the power to close roads and stop vehicles in order to make amateur road racing a safer event. To illustrate his point he recounts a story involving an angry farmer and his tractor: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The best we could do was to simply note his registration and report him to the police.â&#x20AC;? The third and final stage of the Springtime Pursuits eventually lives up to its namesake. It is sunny, warm even, with barely a breath of wind on what is the meteorological beginning of spring. As the riders partake in their usual pre-race rituals so do the marshals. A handful of motorcycle escorts huddle around their petrol-powered pride and joys, swapping jokes and relaxing in the afternoon sunshine. They are part of the National Escort Group (NEG), the mounted escorts affiliated with British Cycling which, along with the marshals and commissaires, act as the stage hands in this mobile production. Long-time motorcycle enthusiast Kevin Bolt proudly

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gestures toward his NEG badge: “We cover events ranging from local and amateur races like this right through to the national races like the Tour of Britain. Whereas the commissaires manage the race and control the breaks from their cars, what we do is act like a safety net around the event. These pursuitstyle races are quite tricky as obviously you have many groups leaving at different times. In a normal race we would just be covering the race at the front to warn traffic coming our way. That and animals like horses.” All of the escorts – or NEGs as they are more commonly known – are advanced motorcyclists who train for this specific role,

much like the commissaires. With day jobs ranging from construction to filming television documentaries, the NEGs are volunteers who do it for the love of both motorcycling and its pedalpowered cousin. “Anything that we can do to perhaps support the next Cavendish, Wiggins or Froome then all the better,” says Kevin proudly. And it is not just the cyclists who appreciate their comforting presence; a passing assistant commissaire resolutely declares the fact that the race wouldn’t be able to go ahead without them. No pressure. As the riders prepare for the third act, behind closed doors there is a gathering. Those who are responsible for the race’s success or demise assemble in the village hall’s adjacent preschool facility. Whimsical hand-written signs float above the marshals’ heads, suspended from the ceiling by blu-tac and string; the room is divided in to ‘paint zone’s, ‘play zone’s and ‘quiet zone’s. A mountainous stack of toys and miniature chairs dominate the back of the room, ready and waiting come Monday morning. The somewhat comic environment is disregarded by Nicholas as he dives straight in to his marshals’ briefing: “Right then,” he begins, “this is the last time we get to do this this year,” an eclectic mix of unsure cheers and disappointed groans is followed by collective laughter. Everyone is here

voluntarily, but everyone loves what they do. Nicholas runs through the course and its varying roster of hazards whilst listing off who will be where and at what time. In-jokes about who will take what corners and playful jests about an irate local earlier in the day punctuate the briefing whilst Nicholas forthrightly steers the agenda. Excluding a minority of incidents the residents of Halwill Junction have welcomed the race moving to their area - “particularly the corner shop owner” - testament to the slick coordination of Nicholas and his stage hands. “I think we’ll get maximum enjoyment out of this one guys,” he concludes on a positive note, “I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who has given up their time. We’ve learnt a few things and now we’re back in to the swing of it for the rest of the season.”

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“Anything that we can do

to perhaps support the next Cavendish, Wiggins or Froome then all the better” Queue round of applause – lift curtains. Behind the closed door of the head commissaire’s vehicle it is a different world altogether. The cacophony of enthused spectators, spinning rear-wheel hubs and carbon rims are muted and replaced by the soft thrum of a petrol engine. The muffled sanctuary is rudely punctuated every so often by the crackling chatter of the race radio as Nicholas follows the scratch group, the elite and first category riders whose skill and hard work are rewarded with a 7-anda-half-minute handicap. They are tapping out a steady 40mph pace early on – “these guys aren’t hanging around,” he says as a sweeping downhill section tests his driving ability. Cars do not corner so well as bikes do. Along for the ride is a Mid-Devon CC junior, keen to experience what it is like inside the chief’s wagon. He keeps time checks and takes note as a rider drops out early in the first lap with a mechanical. It is only now that the sheer amount of communication involved in even an amateur road race becomes clear. Nicholas is in constant communication with his assistant commissaires and NEGs, noting time gaps and the distances between the groups. It

Rolya 04 is 11 minutes in to the race and the scratch is already within 300 metres of the group in front, working together in a steady and ruthlessly-efficient through-and-off formation. Suddenly a white van pulls out between the groups. “You’re joking,” exclaims Nicholas as he radios ahead to warn the other vehicles. Thankfully the driver notices his mistake and continues up the road away from the eagerly chasing peloton and disgruntled marshals. The roads are now empty of spectators save a handful of dedicated individuals; one man follows avidly on a yellow mountain bike, switching from viewpoint to viewpoint in order to catch the riders form every possible angle as they speed through the Devon countryside. Over the radio the first group of riders cross the finish line ahead of the scratch, which has just merged with the group in front, increasing its size by 7 strong elite riders who begrudgingly begin to pull the bunch along for the ride. On the second lap a smattering of racers begin to lose their legs and are spat out of the back; the site of the passing commissaire’s vehicle is met with faces of pain and dejection. They are officially outside of the race now and are simply marked off as ‘dropped’ - only the presence of a broom wagon would make matters worse for them now. Suddenly a rider strays too far to the side of the road and is snagged by a wayward hedgerow, sending him spectacularly to the ground. Nicholas slows only to check the situation, take the riders number and the time of the race, leaving the medical vehicle behind to pick up the pieces. A few seconds down the road he radios back, asking after the condition of the downed rider and when the car might be able to re-join the race. He is not badly hurt and the medics will complete the lap before dropping him back at the race HQ.

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The remaining second lap passes without a hitch other than one impatient orange sports car. The story of the third lap is quite different. As Nicholas crests a rise in the road it becomes apparent that the race has entirely merged, strung out along the valley below. A smile creeps across the wise commissaire’s face, perhaps reminiscing of bygone years racing: “That’s a classic sight that is.” He is right; the 60-strong peloton is snaking its way through the valley as the sun, still hung-over from a winter of drudgery, begins to cast its death throes across the riders who are surrounded by miles of mottled green countryside and rolling hills. Nicholas assesses what he sees in front of him: “One of two things will happen now. Either A: The race will slow down and they’ll wait for a bunch sprint, or B: There’ll be a group of stronger riders who will want to press on and break away. Some of these riders are at their physical limit now... Have you spoken to the tea lady by the way? She’s such an angel.” The head of the peloton is out of sight

One rider is later diagnosed with a broken collar bone, the hallmark of a racer

now and as the road begins to meander again one of the NEGs radios in, advising that an approaching red car is making its way slowly up the main road ahead. Thinking nothing of it the final lap continues. Nicholas unwinds the window, thanking passing static marshals for their help on what has been yet another successful race. As the commissaire’s car rounds a corner, however, it becomes apparent that something has gone drastically wrong. Riders, bikes, and splintered carbon fibre are scattered all over the road ahead. To the right is the red car, its wing mirror smashed to pieces. “Number of riders down,” is all the information required to illustrate the scene in front. A distressed-looking family sit inside their vehicle as around them support and medical cars pull up and begin helping riders back on to their feet. One rider isn’t moving at all and is later diagnosed with a broken collar bone, the hallmark of a racer. Nicholas stops the car, rushes out to assess the situation and immediately dials for an ambulance and hands the phone over to the junior passenger who has certainly got more than he bargained for. Radio contact between the assistant commissaire, medics and the NEGs is now constant; all are instinctively doing the roles for which they have been trained. Aware that the rest of the field is still racing the remaining five miles to the finish, Nicholas has absolute confidence in the

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people on the scene and catches up to the remaining riders. The rest of the lap is a desperate battle between paying attention to the road, directing the emergency services to the crash site, providing updates on the race radio and a battered old road map. The level of multi-tasking is impressive as Nicholas dutifully resumes his role. Every moral fibre would be screaming to go back, to help the injured riders and console the family. But he has trust and confidence in the ability of his team to do the right thing; he has a job to do and he sees it through to the end. Immediately after the field has crossed the finish line he unloads his passengers, collects two additional medics and returns to the scene of the accident. The rest of the day is somewhat overshadowed by the crash. News has quickly spread amongst the riders and spectators, with worried faces scanning the area for friends and family who might not yet have crossed the finish line. The remaining competitors are ushered in to the pre-school facility as locals arrive for the next booking of their village hall, eyeing the spectacle of mass cyclists with alarm. Those who were not so badly injured have returned from the crash site sporting torn lycra and skin. The grim remains of a bike frame are wheeled past the village hall entrance, fork snapped cleanly in two, its owner heartbroken. There is no podium today, only the arrival of the local police asking for witnesses, and the angel of the tea lady handing out cakes to those injured or had friends caught in the crossfire. A stressed-looking Nicholas returns and declares that an air ambulance has taken those who needed it to the nearest hospital and that race licenses can now be given back. All of a sudden the words of head safety officer Paul

Parsons from the first race come to mind, urging for road closures. This is not the first time this has happened and it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be the last. Sadly that is the truth of amateur road racing, and even the slick organisation of the Springtime Pursuits cannot change that. The crowds dissipate and the riders return home, some visibly limping. The show is over - drop curtains for another year.

R A C E O N E – 15 F E B 2 01 4

R A C E T W O – 2 2 F E B 2 01 4

R A C E T H R E E – 1 M A R C H 2 01 4

1. W il l i a m H a rris on, Team Planet Bike

1. Noa h Godm a n, Bristol RC

1. M a rcin Bi a l obl ock i, Velosure-Giordana RT

2. Jo sep h W ilt shir e, NFTO

2. Martin Lewis, Cyclelogic

2 . P e t e V i n c e n t, Bikeshed-UEX

3. Marcin Bialoblocki, Velosure-Giordana RT

3. Stephane Pang, Onit Sports

3. Kris Jasper, Falco Racing 29

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watch the gate words samuel moore photographs joel hewitt emma roberts & natalie cheetham

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“North Cornwall has its BMX, so we wanted Four Cross” 32

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ule number one in Cornwall: Never trust a SatNav. For 30 minutes now we have been traveling in the opposite direction of our intended destination, Pennance Mill Farm, Maenporth. What should have been a straight-forward drive from the centre of Falmouth has descended into myriad robotic ‘turn left’s, ‘turn right’s, and eventually the dreaded ‘make a U-turn where possible.’ We guess our way to the waypoint which is frustratingly close to where we began this journey. Pennance Mill Farm plays host to a typically-English chalet and camping park and at first glance it seems we have yet to find where we need to be; there is neither a sign nor bike in sight which would suggest the presence of one of the country’s best and newest Four Cross tracks. Farm animals and curtain-twitching holiday makers take stock of our arrival as we puzzle the situation and search for clues of this mystery cycling haven. We eventually find solace in a triangular strip of plastic with a faded-to-near-incomprehension ‘4X’ putting our fears to rest and inviting us up a potholed dirt track. How very Cornish.

Rolya 04 As we ascend the farm road the rising and falling shapes of cyclists appear, silhouetted against a low but unusually-warm February sun. Then the track comes in to view, an oscillating ribbon of dirt sculpted from the hillside, slithering its way to the bottom like a giant brown snake made of jumps, drop-offs and banked corners. It is a beautiful sight to behold and the charged atmosphere is palpable as the practising riders make their undulating way to the bottom with whoops and hollers ubiquitous to extreme sports. Never heard of Four Cross? Neither had we, which being a group of clear outsiders with dainty film cameras in-hand meant that we felt as out of place as a troupe of ballet dancers at a rugby match. Nevertheless, the welcome was warm. Four Cross (4X for short) is a relatively new style of mountain bike racing in which, not surprisingly, four riders make their way down a prepared BMXstyle dirt track, all vying to be the first to reach the bottom. Sounds simple; it’s anything but. This course is littered with tight turns, step-downs and bone-shaking ‘rock gardens’, all requiring a certain amount of skill

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“by approaching local businesses great and small to sponsor each corner of the track We raised over £10,000”

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and bravery – or as West Coast Mountain Biking put it: ‘testicular fortitude’. This is not a gender-exclusive sport, however, and at the lower ranks boys race against girls with equal aplomb. There are three races, or ‘motos’, before the finals, with points given in ascending order of placement: one point for fourth place, two for third, three for second, and four for first. The points are then accumulated and the top 16 riders will go through to the quarter finals, with first and second place ascending to semi finals, and likewise to the final. The local mountain bike club Carrick Riders host the races, instigating the project in response to a lack of downhill courses in South Cornwall. Club chairman and owner of Falmouth Cycles Derek Heelis explained: “There’s nobody doing Four Cross properly around here so we decided to do it ourselves. All my shops have looked to develop the cycling infrastructure around them. A while ago I began talking to some landowners about the potential of building a Four Cross track, which is ideal as it takes up a relatively small amount of space. North Cornwall has its BMX,

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so we wanted Four Cross.” The plot of land is a seven-acre slope occupying real estate in the rolling south coast countryside just outside of Maenporth beach. The story of the Falmouth Four Cross track is one of local solidarity and faith in sporting projects. Having received planning permission from the landowner and council, Derek began the search for funding, approaching local businesses great and small to sponsor each corner of the track. It would make for unglamorous TV commentary, with ‘Asda corner’ and ‘Gear and Clutch Centre corner’ to name two, but it is a charming take on what is a truly local resource. “We rose over £10,000 in that way,” continues Derek as riders scream past the track behind us. Being a perhaps lesser-known cycling discipline, the question of whether it was under-represented in Cornwall was undisputed: “Down in Cornwall there are very few off-road facilities by definition. It’s very

“we felt a venue like this could attract interest from younger people who want to race bikes”

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strong with the road, but these roads are very tight and narrow and reasonably dangerous, so we felt a venue like this could attract interest from younger people who want to race bikes.” And race bikes they do. Over the next few hours race after race is thrown from the starting traps and hurtle down the track which can barely hold two-abreast. Bar-to-bar altercations are frequent and crashes numerous. At one point a rider appeared to be flying down the hill as he left his bike behind on a particularly nasty drop-off; bandaged and strapped ten minutes later he continued unabashed. There are some easier options, however, with a choice of a ‘pro line’ or a less challenging alternative. Indeed the accessibility of the track was something which Elite rider and course designer Will Evans kept in-mind: “The nonpro line is certainly

“We’re fortunate enough to be hosting a round of the National Championships in august”

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not easy but it means you can roll through that particular section with less risk of injury and without leaving the ground. Ultimately the pro line is shorter and faster which gives an obvious advantage. We’re fortunate enough to be hosting a round of the National Championships in August which we’re really stoked for so it needs to test all disciplines.” Will represented Britain at the World Four Cross Championships in Austria last year, and having grown up in the Falmouth area the track is something of a gift to his childhood stomping grounds. Determined to make this one of the best, he spent the best part of a month on the muddy hillside with a digger, meticulously sculpting and shaping the track to his liking: “You have to make the most of the hill. It would be very easy just to make one straight, steep track, but it would be very short. In my opinion, for this type of racing, the more corners you have that are greater than 90 degrees the better as it offers many different variables in speed. That was my

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primary objective with this location. We have 11 corners, some of which are banked, what we call berms, and some flat, making them quite drifty with room for skill… and error of course. It’s great to watch.” “Some say it’s akin to the old days of BMX racing,” says Alan Humphreys, chief marshal and British Cycling commissaire, “so it tends to be more popular with the riders who progress from BMX. I’ve been to other Four Cross courses, but this is awesome. When they had the opening event last year some of the pro riders who attended said it was just fantastic. It’s what the UK needs.” After the preliminary motos and a break for lunch the finals get going. By this time it is left to the more experienced riders to battle it out within the junior and senior ranks. The racing is fast with not much room for error, often leaving one clear-cut winner. Once it is done, a raised section of the course serves as a make-shift podium; a modest crowd of locals gather to congratulate the winners. Suddenly the fact that such a top class track is plonked on a muddy hillside in south Cornwall is resolutely thrust back in to mind. It will soon play host to a round of the National Championships, and after such skillful riding it is easy to forget that this was built purely to improve the cycling infrastructure for the local community of young, emerging riders. It is testament to the determination of all those involved in the construction, and the pride wells up in Derek as the competitors are encouraged to ‘claim’ their medals, fists thrust skyward: “The beauty of this place is that it appeals to a cross-section of ages and skill levels. It’s priceless.” Of course in reality these things do come at a price, but it

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is all part of Derek’s master plan for Falmouth to become Cornwall’s ‘cycling hub’. Plans for an on-site pump track for young children are already underway, and thinking long-term, replacement of disused common spaces with a BMX jump site as well as segregated road infrastructure for locals and Falmouth University students alike would give an ultimatum to what is a very European ideal. All things considered, this is a damn good start.

“Some say it’s akin to the old days of BMX racing”

words samuel moore photographs joel hewitt, natalie cheetham & emma roberts

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the super component

campagnolo record I first started doing these drawings on Headset Press to illustrate features I wrote on tools and bicycle parts. It just seemed to be right the right thing to do, it’s not like we have a cupboard full of this stuff to photograph, so illustration was the way to go. We didn’t want everything to be photography-based either and needed illustration to break things up and make it more interesting for our readers. Over the years I’ve worked in design, marketing and advertising, but I’ve always loved drawing and have spent huge amounts of time doing it. I don’t draw to be good or impress, I just draw for the comfort of it; it’s fun and something I can do anywhere. On twitter I have the handle of @cantstopdrawing with a pencil-shaped logo to express my creativity. I do two types of drawing; offline/analog with a pen only and online/ digtial using both a pen and Photoshop, it’s the latter you see here. The online drawings are really fun to do and seem to suit drawing bicycle parts and tools. I won’t go through all the technicals, but I basically cheat. I use a photograph to start the process before tracing, scanning and finishing in Photoshop. It’s the total opposite of my offline work which is all freehand ink drawings. I’m inspired by all cycling art and there seems to be a real boon in it presently, but my real inspiration comes

Steve Donohue | Headset Press from an illustrator called Daniel Rebour, who worked in France during the 1960s and ‘70s. It’s not that my style is like his (he is way better than me), but that he spent most of his life drawing bicycles, components and associated paraphernalia. This was before printing had fully grasped the sufficient technology to reproduce photographic images easily or quickly, so illustrators were heavily employed to draw things quickly and often of a technical nature. I’m in awe of the work he produced, what is incredible is how good it was given his tight deadlines. I still thought about drawing more bicycle parts but, didn’t really have any purpose for them on the Headset Press website. I just continue to get better at it. Eventually I will use them on the site when I have enough to start talking about certain parts, some components are really iconic hence them being called The Super Component (as a collection). Things like the Time Atac pedal or an early Campagnolo Record derailleur. So over time I will produce enough to talk about groups of specific components, that’s the plan anyway. Either way, I’m happy to show them here in Rolya, which being Cornish, like me, and about cycling, it gets my support.

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suntour superbe

the super component

early deore xt

sram xx1

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sram force 22

deore xt m785

campagnolo c record delta

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;80s dura ace

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galli gold

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look keo

the super component

egg beater

time atac

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arvor 60

photographs samuel glazebrook 61

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nce again we are at our favourite coffee haunt in Falmouth, Espressini, and once again it is raining, hard. This time we are here for a Q&A session with 23-year-old Samuel Glazebrook, a graduate of Falmouth University’s Press & Editorial Photography course. Soaked to the skin, Glazebrook arrives on his trusty Cannondale, a flash of orange on one of Cornwall’s specialty monotone days. In 2012 Glazebrook conducted his seminal final year project ‘Arvor’ via said bicycle, traversing the entire coastline of Cornwall in an attempt to capture what it means to be Cornish. Along for the ride was an artist and together they compiled a photographic and textural documentation of England’s wildest and arguably most spectacular county. Although the project is comprised of poetic landscapes and portraits of the Cornish population, the project was borne of the freedom that the bicycle provides. In the following interview Glazebrook describes the joy of touring by bicycle.

botalick mine

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geever mine

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Rolya: Could you tell our readers what your project is all about? Samuel Glazebrook: It kind of materialised from a massive failure. At the time I was really in to the Alec Soth thing: I wanted to take large format portraits of people I met traveling around. So I grabbed a large format camera from the university and started wandering around Cornwall; I was just really practising approaching people and talking to them and asking them if I could take their pictures, which can be scary. It’s quite an unusual thing and most people in the street don’t expect to go out on their daily shop and get approached by someone asking them to take their portrait with a giant camera. So that was interesting but it just had no ‘meat’, no reason. Like I said I put it down as practise to get an idea of how to approach people with a camera and how they react to it. So I shot that over a couple of months and ended up with a series of OK pictures, but as I said they didn’t really mean or say anything. It was almost as if I was shooting large format for the sake of it. There was no need and I was spending loads of

“

We grabbed a tent, wacked some panniers racks on our bikes, and off we went

”

money in the process. So I took a step back and said to myself: ‘Right, this is the final year of my degree what does this mean, what is this work?’ Then I got hit by this big wanderlust thing and I came to the conclusion that I wanted to travel. I needed to do a journey, and what I was doing already wasn’t a journey but more meandering. I was quite in to the idea of cycling the circumference of places and photographing what and who I find on the way. So then I thought: ‘Why not Cornwall?’ At this point I was also in discussion with a friend doing a fine art course who said that he had wanted to do a similar thing but with art instead of photography. He does line drawings of landscapes. So I approached him and was like: ‘Dude I’m going to cycle around Cornwall in a month photographing, do you want to come with me?’ and he was like: ‘Alright’. We grabbed a tent, whacked some panniers racks on our bikes and off we went. I ended up ditching the large format camera as it was too heavy to carry around.

phil bartlett. lifeguard, polzeath

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boscastle lobster pots

Arvor

R: What is the work trying to capture? SG: The work is about a sense of place, deciphering what it means to be living in Cornwall. I really wanted to capture the mood of the inhabitants I was photographing. Cornwall is a place of such diversity in terms of landscape and weather, and so I found that often reflects in the mood of the people. It’s people within their own landscape and environment. We mainly stuck to the coastal roads. We obviously couldn’t take the trails or paths as we were on road bikes, so we just took the most logical route around the circumference of Cornwall via roads that followed the coastline. It was a really beautiful ride. I felt like I would be cheating myself if we returned back to Falmouth then did another stretch of coast another day, so we just took 3 weeks off and did it all in one go, nice and slow. I spent 3 weeks living off noodles and couscous and slept in a small tent with another man…

R: Did you feel the need for it to be on a grander scale? SG: Yeah I did. I definitely think it’s been the most concise and well-rounded body of work that I’ve done since I started shooting when I was about 16. I spent entire days processing film and entire days contact printing, doing enlargements, and then digitising it all. The whole process was very slow but very rewarding. R: So why go via bicycle? SG: The bike was a no-brainer. I cycle everywhere anyway so it made sense. On a bike there’s nothing containing you, we just had this constant panoramic view of the coastline which meant we could take in the landscape as a whole. You’re a lot more approachable too. You can stop and chat without barriers and windscreens, just humbly travelling. I suppose walking would have brought something similar but it would have just taken ages and I hate walking. Although the project isn’t about cycling, the idea of cycling is completely

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“

Without cycling this project would not have existed. It was a necessity

”

relevant within it. Without cycling the project wouldn’t exist – it was a necessity. R: Can you talk us through the man in the camper van? SG: That was a lucky one. I’m a Christian so I go to church every week. There’s this really cool place in Polzeath called The Tube Station – it’s like a kind of ‘surf church’. We happened to be passing on a Sunday so we went in and chatted to some of the guys and I ended up playing the drums during service which was fun. But then there was this old dude playing harmonica in the band. And that was him, Badger. A woman had said to me that I should interview him as apparently he lived on a bus and had plenty of stories to tell – about as Cornish as it gets really. But as I found out he isn’t originally from Cornwall but South East London, but he’d been living in Cornwall on and off for the past 30 years. At the time he was pretty down because his dog had died the week prior to our meeting but he was so open and transparent. He took me up to his bus and showed me around what was essentially his home. He virtually told me his life story, which was quite amazing. And that’s it really: if you’re willing to sit and listen people will tell you anything really.

badger. Polzeath

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Arvor

previous: par harbour office left: connie. mousehole

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above: john breeze (breezy). padstow right: bill arnold. last lighthouse keeper at pendeen

R: What was the best part about doing it by bike? SG: Erm… the best thing about being on the bike was, quite obviously, the views and the ease of being able to approach people. Also I love cycling anyway so the opportunity to get out and ride 3 weeks solid was such a nice escape. I’ve never really done ‘touring’ in that way before, I started cycling when I was 14 or 15, and have never cycled competitively. This isn’t the first time I’ve done long rides though. Before I came to Falmouth University I rode along the entire North coast of France, that was pretty intense covering like 100 miles a day and pushing myself. After that I got hooked and got myself a proper road bike, which unfortunately ended up getting stolen when I returned to London. But I digress: I just really love cycling. All images © Samuel Glazebrook cargocollective.com/samuelglazebrook

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YANTO 76

words samuel moore photographs joel hewitt & tristan holden

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YANTO

anto Barker: professional cyclist, entrepreneur. The days that he visits the home of One and All Cycling in Cornwall are special days indeed. As an ambassador for the club and its burgeoning youth academy, Yanto represents something which cyclists young and old can aspire to be. A dedicated athlete as well as the founder of the highly-successful cycle clothing range Le Col. He is a competitor and a businessman who had seemingly been there, done that, and made the t-shirt before he had reached the age of 30. During his relatively short career Barker has experienced what most cyclists of an older vintage have yet to; he has raced the continent, raced in Britain, retired, made a come-back and sponsored a pro cycling team. Last year he was Britain’s top ranking rider with Team UK Youth, which folded after the 2013 season ended. Although he has seen much success, Barker’s cycling journey began late in his adolescent years, joining Mid-Devon CC at the grand age of 15. Only two years later he was racing for the Great Britain squad and being paid by the age of 18. Then came the time to taste European racing, as any talented young rider wants. Barker cites many reasons for this, mainly the financial incentive - back then British Cycling was not the well-oiled, well-funded Brailsford machine it is today. Naturally, moving away from home to a foreign country meant he had to grow up fast, which perhaps attests to his experiencebeyond-his-years persona now: “I learnt so much about how to read a race when in France,” Barker explains post-ride in the club-house cafe, “mainly due to the fact that back then we were using radios, which are banned at our level now. I had a good Directeur Sportif who would give a constant dialogue of what was happening in the race, how it’s happening, what’s going to happen next, where we should be to make the most of it, where we shouldn’t be.”

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Continental racing saw him riding as “an amateur at pro level” with CC Etupes. As a UCI-registered team they took part in all the major Division 1 races, including the Mavic Cup. However, having learnt all he could but never signing to a major French team, he moved back to England to ride for Team DFL. Then came 25 March 2006: Retirement number one. “I remember that date because it was the day after the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. I was coming to terms with the fact that I hadn’t reached the World Tour level that I had aimed for as a junior. I had to come to terms with the fact that it was looking less likely that that was going to happen. I either had to change what I was doing or change my ambitions and goals as they were becoming a bit dated. I felt that for someone who had spent so long focusing on these goals that I needed a bit of time to give myself the opportunity to

“I DIDN’T HAVE ANY INTENTION TO EVER RETURN TO THE SPORT OR HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT”

come to terms with all the changes and implications of where I wanted to be which was not where I was. At the time I didn’t have any intention to ever return to the sport or have anything to do with it.” Sounds pretty conclusive, but it wasn’t long before Barker realised that, after everything cycling had given him, going cold-turkey wasn’t the answer. The answer was something that had been with him his entire life: “[Fastidiousness] is a characteristic that has been alive and well in my personality for a long time, so all that I really did was direct that toward what cycling clothing should be like.. I wanted quality control, details, features and continuity. The main reasons for launching Le Col were: One, I wanted to do something as a job that used as much of the experience that I had gained in my cycling career up to that point; and two, I believed it was possible to improve

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YANTO

“YOU NEED TO BE COMFORTABLE WHILST YOU’RE SUFFERING” on a lot with the products we could design and manufacture. Cycling for me is very much a social activity – the racing is purely for me to have an outlet for my competitive nature. The reason I go training is quite often to socialise. I balance why I ride half-and-half between enjoying it and socialising and being able to put myself in the position to be able to race competitively at the top level. So Le Col embodies that philosophy in that it delivers technically what you need to wear and be comfortable whilst you’re suffering.” Today he is in his old Team UK Youth kit due to sponsorship contracts, however he has signed to Team Raleigh for the 2014 season along with ex-teammate Ian Wilkinson. It was touch-and-

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go, however, with Le Col’s sponsorship of Team UK Youth throwing contractual spanners in the works. It is the only time when running a business has potentially mitigated his racing career. But, ever the optimist, Barker turned a negative in to a positive: “In lots of ways that helped, because it made me realise I have something other than cycling, I don’t have all my eggs in one basket. Obviously I didn’t want to retire and I’m very happy to have signed for Raleigh, but at the same time I was a lot more relaxed about it than I would have been if being a cyclist was all I had. There is a large amount of discipline involved in stopping the two responsibilities merging and negatively affecting each other, and that’s something I’m keen to make sure of because I don’t want to ride my bike knowing I’m giving something away and not performing as well as I could do just because I wasn’t managing it properly.” Every decision Barker makes is for a reason; everything calculated and with a foreseeable outcome, balancing his life to achieve a sort of cycling zen. He also constantly feels the need to be doing something productive. It is a thoroughbred racing and business mentality and is perhaps why the two incredibly demanding careers work so well for him. After all, you’d have to be mad to attempt such a feat, wouldn’t you? He takes the quip with a grin, sips his coffee, and sets about explaining his routine: “They’re both very challenging in completely different ways, which is what makes doing them together quite a nice balanced environment I’ve built for myself. Cycling is obviously hugely demanding physically, it takes a lot of discipline, motivation and a lack of acceptance for anything below what is right. “Business on the other hand is very intellectually demanding. I think the biggest difference between the two is that with cycling you wouldn’t really think more than two or three months ahead. You might have an overview for the season, but you always work to your first objective and break it down step-by-step. Whereas with business I start thinking ahead at 18 months, and I keep thinking three or even five years ahead, and that’s something you just wouldn’t do in cycling.

“I HAVE SOMETHING OTHER THAN CYCLING. I DON’T HAVE ALL MY EGGS IN ONE BASKET”

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“I LIKE TO LET THE KIDS KNOW THAT IT ISN’T ALL FOR NOTHING”

Yanto “To me, being on Facebook or watching TV is just frivolous interaction in most cases. Having something to do that’s productive, that engages my mind and builds my experiences, is a much better place to be now as a 33-year-old adult. I’ll always go out on my bike in the morning. Afternoons are always for business. I’ve had lunch and a bit of a nap perhaps, and by 2pm I’m ready to work, and I’ll work until whatever time is required to ensure what needs to be done gets done.” Being borne out of racing, Barker would like to see Le Col return to pro team sponsorship. For him racing epitomises all that the company embodies and it wouldn’t be doing it justice if it were not involved with a bike team, be it at any level of cycling. He supplies clothing to the One and All Cycling Academy and Bike Chain Ricci, the local bike shop, in a bid to invest his time and energy into youth cycling at grassroots level. That and the fact he does not want the kids to be riding in kit as bad as he used to wear. “I have a personal philosophy: as soon as you’ve got more than enough, then you should be sharing it with people that either don’t have enough or could use that kind of experience and expertise. We supply kit because I remember wearing some awful kit as a young cyclist and there’s no need for that. “I can definitely associate myself with every level of the sport of cycling. If you’re a beginner, I know what it’s like to be a beginner. If you’re more experienced I know what phase you’re in and probably what you’re thinking about. Every experience that someone’s had on a bike I’ve been there and felt it, I’ve hurt like everyone’s hurt, so I like to come here and share that to make sure the kids know that it isn’t all for nothing.” Looking ahead to the 2014 season and Barker has the same ambition which saw him place as top British rider as team leader for UK Youth. Although not being given the captain’s armband for this season as such, Raleigh would be mad not to exploit such a wealth of leadership experience:

“A team will either under-perform or over-perform depending on how well they gel. People will make an assessment of the roster with the team names on the paper and they’ll say ‘they’re capable of about that’. And if they then do better it means they’ve gelled and worked more cohesively; they bond off the bike and did things right. I want to positively influence that factor in the team. That’s what my responsibility was with Team UK Youth, and Nigel Mansell’s values, which I learnt a huge amount from, included learning what works, what matters and how to engage people who haven’t necessarily thought about it yet. So whatever team I’m in I don’t want to be a passive rider who just looks after myself. “One of my highlights of last year was helping Ian Wilkinson win the Rutland. We didn’t speak to each other the whole race, but he did exactly as I thought he should of done and I did exactly what he thought I should have at every stage of the race. That’s something that literally makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. I love it. I love being part of that. I’ll train so hard just to be around when that’s happening.”

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Sam Adams | of Bristol RC, was too quick in the final sprint, Junior Rider with Martyn Lewis just two metres back.

A BAPTISM OF FIRE

It would be fair to say that the Springtime Pursuits are not of the calibre of the Severn Bridges or Cadence road races, nor of the Tour of Mendips. However this year it would be hard to say they couldn’t be. This year’s series convinced many that, once again, these races are not the cobweb-blowers they once were, but are instead a real challenge full of racing class. Racing them for the first time this year, I can really see why. Being a first year junior and, despite a few Cornish Series races last year, a first year cyclist, these races were a baptism of fire. Forgetting my inability to hold wheels, my first attempt saw around one minute of racing before the inevitable and painful drop out of the back of the first group. My internal weeping aside, the race for many was a blinder. High pace and strong winds were never going to make the race any easier, yet first group rider Will Harrison made short work of it. With a surprise win comes no shortage of questions, with many thinking that the organisers had been inaccurate at best with their time gaps. To me that sounded more like excuses than anything else, with the big boys weaker than perhaps they should be; perhaps their winter training was off the mark after all. The second week wasn’t dissimilar in terms of the result or my ability to stay with the lead group. Multiplying my berth time by five and you wouldn’t be too far off the mark, with five minutes of my race being spent with my new best friends from the previous race, all 50 seconds off it. On a more serious note, group three was a far friendlier place, with myself managing to spend a whole ten minutes with them, during which I actually began to enjoy myself. The lead group were showing off, though, with eight finishing in the top ten; blushes were shared amongst those in the “stronger” groups. Was this going to be a weak boy whitewash? The winner, Noah Goodman

By the third week I was feeling optimistic that I may actually have warmed up to these road races, which are something as new to me as ladders are to carpet fitters. After a solid warm up and the highly-interesting briefing we set up to some desirable weather, the sun being something I had forgotten existed come the end of February. It became clear some two minutes in that this may be the day I stayed with group one for a respectable amount of time. Participating in what seemed like a pace line and leading a tired bunch up the opening climb my confidence was soaring, and as we reached the main road I was reasonably comfortable. It could never last forever; my longer, arrogant turns at the front cost me and I was dropped at the top of the longest climb. Needless to say that with this performance , when compared to my opening two races, there was a smile on my face. Perhaps not surprisingly it wasn’t this effort that grabbed the headlines - although to me it felt like the whole field should have known it - but instead the startling pace set by an impatient scratch. There was certainly no messing about as they ate the groups up. Marcin Bialoblocki of Velosure-Giordana RT made sure that the back groups didn’t miss out completely, winning by 38 seconds over Mid Devon CC’s Peter Vincent. Arguably the most exciting race of the three, and certainly the fastest, it was a showing of strength that many would have expected to see at the start of the series. But better late than never as they say (unless you’re in the front group, when never would be the preferred option). So a success would be the most accurate term to describe the 2014 Spring Pursuits. Unpredictable, exciting and dangerous races bringing about deserved winners and creating quite an early season spectacle for those without the willpower to sail to Belgium or the money to fly to Australia, although on that last point I am willing to be overruled.

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