Spin Cycle Magazine - Issue 5 by SPIN CYCLE MAGAZINE

CYCLE MAGAZINE

ISSUE 05

WELCOME BACK ONCE AGAIN. ARE YOU STARTING TO GET WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS NOW THAT THE TOUR IS OVER? Fear not, as the Tour of Britain offers another helping of great racing on our TV screens before we get down in the dumps about swapping our best road bikes for those heavy winter steeds. Thankfully, the North-West gets three doses of Tour of Brit excitement this year, when Stage 2 heads out from Carlisle before taking in Honister Pass and Chestnut Hill in Cumbria on the way to the finish in Kendal. Knowsley Safari Park makes a welcomed return with the Tour’s first-ever 10-mile individual time trial. Lastly, Stage 3 from Stoke-on-Trent to Llanberis heads through Mold, Ruthin, Denbigh and Betws-y-coed. All-in-all, it’s gearing up for three fantastic stages right here in the North West. To get you in the mood, we have a great issue featuring an exclusive chat with Rapha Condor JLT rider Hugh Carthy, who is from Preston. We also have a look at the famous 24-hour National Time Trial Championships, where we caught up with the legendary endurance rider, Andy Wilkinson [obviously, not on the bike, though]. To top things off, we take a look at some of the great clubs in our region in our special feature, Jerseys of Glory. Don’t forget to check out our mini-mag, Spinoff, which not only covers the pro tour but also local grassroots cycling. It’s free to download via our website at spincyclemag.com Enjoy.

Hand built wheels since 1972 Custom hand built wheels for every individual specification Multiple component choice with a wide range of colours Enquiries and orders info@petematthews.com Follow us on Facebook petermatthews.com Twitter @pianniwheels

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MAT T H E W S

James Maloney Editor

Editor James Maloney james@spincyclemag.com Picture Editor Dan Kenyon dan@spincyclemag.com Contributors Paul Francis Cooper Chris Keller-Jackson Orlagh Murphy Chris Rixon Chris Baker Ali Vermilio Nick Howe Design Uniform www.uniform.net Thanks go to: This issue thanks go to: Hugh Carthy, John and Eddie from High on Bikes, Craig Battersby from Team Leapfrog, John ‘The Macster’ McGrath, Andy Wilkinson, Quentin Field-Boden, Manchester Wheelers, Southport Cycling Club, Liverpool Century, Port Sunlight Wheelers and St Helens RC

Follow us on twitter: @SpinCycleMag All information contained in Spin Cycle Magazine is for information purposes only and is, to the best of our knowledge, correct at the time of going to press. Spin Cycle Magazine cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies that occur. Readers are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this magazine. If you submit unsolicited material to us, you automatically grant Spin Cycle Magazine a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in all editions of the magazine, including all licensed editions worldwide and in any physical or digital format throughout the world. Any material you submit is sent at your risk and, although every care is taken, neither Spin Cycle Magazine nor its staff, agents or subcontractors shall be liable for loss or damage. In relation to any medical queries, the advice given is in no way intended to replace professional medical care or attention by a qualified practitioner and we strongly advise all readers with health problems to consult a doctor.

Cover Photo Hugh Carthy by Dan Kenyon WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

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JERSEYS OF GLORY

BRIT OF ALRIGHT

– Get ready for the Tour of Britain to return to the North-West this September.

– Cycling has had its fair share of fashion faux pas, but how do the historic kit designs up in the north compare?

– We often preach the virtues of living life up north compared to those soft southerners down south. Now one former cockney reveals why she chose life in beautiful Yorkshire over ‘that there London’.

– Imagine what it must be like to race non-stop for 24-hours? Can’t? Well, we speak to first time 24-hour time trialist Quentin Field-Boden.

KILLER HILL

COMEBACK HILL –

– Team Leapfrog’s Craig Battersby managed to wrangle a day off work to climb Quernmore in the Trough of Bowland, so we put him through his paces – again-and-again. Horrible, aren’t we?

Racing returns to one the region’s most feared circuits following a 10 year absence, as we welcome back the Clieves Hill Road Race.

Rapha Condor JLT’s Hugh Carthy chats about racing in Korea and John Herety’s choice of in-car music.

There comes a time in every cyclists life when you really have to ‘slather’ on the chamois cream. Expensive stuff, though. Not any longer – we tell you how to make your own ‘posh’ bum cream. Oh yes.

GONE WEST UP NORTH

24 HOURS FROM TOTAL EXHAUSTION

LIVING THE VIDA RAPHA –

LATHER BE THY NAME –

LOST ART OF GROUP–RIDING

Love it or hate it, riding in a pack is all part of cycling. Some do it well, others don’t.

SYKES’ NEW ITALIAN JOB

– Our picture editor Dan Kenyon gushes a wee bit about Herbie Sykes’ updated edition of Maglia Rosa. Okay, okay, it’s fan-tastic. We agree.

SAFARI TIME K

NOWSLEY will host the Tour of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest ever individual time trial when stage three heads to Merseyside on Tuesday, September 17. Riders will face a 10-mile (16km) test against the clock, starting and finishing from Knowsley Safari Park, where Olympic gold medallist Sir Bradley Wiggins, winner of the Tour de France in 2012, is expected to line up at the start as part of his preparations for the World Time Trail Championships. Some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top cyclists will set off from the park before heading along St Helens Road, where they will make an about turn before heading off along Liverpool Road and into Knowsley Lane. After that, they cut through Knowsley Village and Dumbreeze Wood before beginning the journey back via the grounds of Knowsley Park and then ending back up for a fast-paced finish inside Knowsley Safari Park. 6

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CLIEVES HILL MAKES A COMEBACK Words Dan Kenyon Photography James Maloney & Dan Kenyon

NYONE who cycles around Ormskirk knows Clieves Hill. Not only are the gradients of this wellknown hill steep in parts, but they’re also steeped in cycling folklore having hosted some of the most heated races from yesteryear in Lancashire. At the weekend, it is so chocker with cyclists it’s a wonder the bench at the top of Shepherd’s Lane doesn’t have free wi-fi or a coffee machine. The annual Clieves Hill race used to be a bit of a classic on the BC calender, but – like so many races – it had to be dropped years ago following complaints from local residents. However in 2012, local bike components suppliers High On Bikes decided to resurrect the much-loved and historic race. Eddie, from High On Bikes, said: “It’s common sense to try to get the residents on side and discuss their concerns. We leaflet them weeks beforehand via the local postie, so they have plenty of time to discuss the event.” With the growth of all kinds of cycling in the UK, it was inevitable that racing on roads would see a return. Next year, marshals will have the power to stop traffic as a race passes. High On Bikes have shown that conversing with locals in advance, as well as having full and experienced marshalls, is still the key to running safe and successful races on public roads. Eddie added: “As last year’s ran so smoothly, this year we’ve had good support from the locals. The race is limited to 50 riders and, as the circuit is a little technical, we make sure we exceed the numbers of marshals suggested by the safety inspection to cover all side roads and bends. “In addition, some local police officers are keen cyclists and need to gain marshalling experience for larger events, such as the Tour of Britain, so they’ve been keen to help.”

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LIVING THE VIDA RAPHA Words & Photography Dan Kenyon

This young man is an assassin on the road.

ON’T let the happy, baby-faced good looks of Hugh Carthy fool you. This young man is an assassin on the road. Born and brought up in Preston, Hugh was climbing Mount Ventoux as a child. At 16, he was riding for Jewsons and came fifth in the gruelling Classic Time Trial of the Dales – the highest ever overall placing for a 16-year-old. He joined MaxGear soon after and won the junior version of the Tour of Wales, where he snatched the King of the Mountains jersey before adding a stage win to his name in the junior Tour of Ireland. Even before his hat-full of wins in 2012, Hugh had been on Rapha’s radar. Last autumn, he received the call from John Herety, the team’s manager, with an invitation to join Rapha Condor JLT’s new youth development squad for 2013. Aside from Felix English, the squads’ brilliant young Irish-born sprinter, Rapha Condor JLT is a very British affair. The anchor sponsors, Rapha and Condor, have always tried to concentrate on home-grown riders. So it is no surprise that with Herety’s long experience within British Cycling, it was a natural progression to take a leap of faith and produce a squad of youngsters to be mentored by the wise old heads of Kristian House and Ed Clancy. Tom Southam, press officer for Rapha Condor JLT, knows from personal experience how destructive and isolating riding on the continent as a young rider can be. Perhaps that is why RCJ’s ethos is to build British success through the careful nurturing of young British riders. He said: “The cycling world is changing and 26

there isn’t the need to go all the way out to Belgium or France anymore, and put your career in the hands of someone with no real duty of care. There is no doubt that some guys would make it anyway, but this way we are hoping to increase the opportunities that young riders have to make it without the kinds of pressures that they would otherwise be under – which in turn can lead to bad decisions.” With a joint second in the Tour Series and the second squad – consisting entirely of young riders – unexpectedly winning the Tour of Korea last month when Mike Cuming took the final yellow jersey by a mere 12 seconds, the success has been immediate. Hugh climbed off on stage six, but as one of the youngest riders in a young squad, it’s all part of the learning curve to Southam and the management at Rapha Condor JLT. Tom added: “I was really pleased with Hugh in Korea. He was disappointed not to finish, but to be honest, his ride in the TTT and over the first five stages, for a first year senior, was very impressive indeed.” As Southam explains, hopefully the riders experience with Rapha will act as a stepping stone. He said: “We’ve got guys with huge promise, but it’s this team’s job to help move them on. Ultimately, that is what we want to make happen with the guys like Mike and Rich, who are ready to come through the other side, and guys like Hugh will no doubt join them in time” Looking through Hugh’s pictorial life on Facebook gives you some idea of the immense transitions in his life already. From dreaming WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

He looks different to the chiselled, powerful, multi-purpose youth riders you commonly see. More gangly, with delicate good looks and a serious demeanour, backed up by a quiet, soft Lancashire accent. about racing for a living, he’s moved through two great teams to probably the most prestigious race team in the UK. From school prom snaps to back of the team car road trips and race photos from far flung parts of the world. Also throw into the mix professional photo shoots and an awful lot has happened in the last six months to this skinny lad from Preston. There is a telling snap of Hugh with his team mates, Richard Handley and Felix English, by a lake in the rain that looks like any snap of some lads mucking about down the park until you realise that they’re all holding £4,000 Condor Leggero bikes. It was taken on their rest day on a gruelling training trip to Australia in February. “The only day it rained,” according to Hugh. Even on a rest day, you never walk to the café – you ride. I sat down with Hugh on a blisteringly warm afternoon at his parents house on the outskirts of Preston. He was on a rest day after a 100-mile ride over the Dales the day before. Tom Southam had given me Hugh’s details after we met at the team launch in January. Hugh had immediately stood out as an interview subject. He looks different to the chiselled, powerful, multi-purpose youth riders you commonly see. More gangly, with delicate good looks and a serious demeanour, backed up by a quiet, soft Lancashire accent. 28

DK: It’s been a very rapid climb to international competition, but in careful logical steps from Jewson through Maxgear to Rapha. How do you think your teams have helped since you were 16 to cope with the transition intensity? HC: I’d say that I progressed at a pretty natural rate, really. I met Mick Ives, of Jewson, when I was 16 and he gave me some kit to race in for the season ahead. It made me feel part of something, for the first time, and a push in the right direction. During that season as a first year junior, I got some good results and stepped up to Maxgear, where the juniors were the team’s main ambition. Once again, I stepped up a level and achieved some more good results and through that attracted the attention of John Herety.

means. I had to follow lots of attacks most days, but I felt strong throughout the race and I was able to keep the jersey comfortably in the end.

DK: I notice from your previous race successes that you seem to do well in poor weather. Are the cold and wet conditions you feel strong in?

DK: I realise stage racing never really runs to plan, but on the TOW you seemed to be able to target the right stages and avoid losing too much time and energy on others. Has this been tactical or just circumstance?

HC: I wouldn’t say that I feel particularly strong in adverse conditions, but living in Britain it can be hard to get away from the miserable weather. It can get pretty unpleasant – especially in the North West – but it’s a very small negative part of the job that you’ve got to put up with every now and again.

HC: A bit of both, I’d say. I was never going to win the crit or the flat stage. Since I already had the yellow jersey at that point, it was a matter of protecting it and ticking off the stages. On the final stage, I had a tough time chasing a dangerous move back, but on the final climb at the end, I was able to extend my lead a little.

DK: Can you give me some details on your Junior TOW win? I notice that you were almost a minute down after the prologue TT, then went on to win the afternoon stage?

DK: You seem multi-skilled – happy to chase across to breaks as well as attack on climbs. Do you and Rapha see yourself as a good all-rounder and do you train accordingly?

HC: The prologue was never going to be my strongest stage. I’m pretty good at time trialling, but the course was just a little too short for my liking. That afternoon, though, I got in the break and felt confident that I could get to the summit of the climb first and, more importantly, take the yellow jersey. It was an exciting race after that. Junior racing is renowned for being aggressive, so it wasn’t an easy ride to the finish by any

HC: I think that at the level I’m racing at in Britain, you’ve got to be able to be an all-rounder to do well. It’s no good being a pure climber over here because very few races involve a serious amount of climbing. I’m not a very good sprinter at all, so for me to win, I’d have to be on my own. My training is very varied at the moment. Some days, I head out into the hills and other days I head to the flat lands to do some intervals.

DK: There was a nice piece in CW last year about you training on Ventoux with your dad in the support car. What kind of focus made you want to test yourself like that when most kids your age would feel school sports day would be enough? HC: I’ve always been fascinated by the great mountain roads in France and Italy. I grew up as a very small child watching my idols do battle on The Ventoux and Alpe D’huez, so I really wanted to have a go myself and try and give it my all – just like the pros. It felt good to be riding over the same roads as them, reading all the famous names painted on the tarmac by fans like myself. DK: I asked Tom S and John H for your palmares and they said they never checked your CV – you were just recommended to them. I suppose winning the junior TOW was enough!

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HC: I spoke to John earlier in the season last year, through a friend of mine. He said that he would be watching my results and there was a place on the team if my results were good enough. Since I spoke to him, I got a few wins under my belt and sure enough, he offered me a place on his team. DK: On a personal level, how does training work when you’re out of competition? Do you have a staff mentor, as well as a rider mentor? Are you given a training schedule for home time? Is it a bit like school – only better? HC: The team is totally dedicated to developing young riders like myself. John is a really good influence for us because he’s been there and done it. The same goes for Kristian. He’s still able to get big results and show us how it’s done. They’re both very vocal when it comes to teaching us – if we do something wrong, we get told straight away and are expected to learn from our mistakes there and then. It can seem tough at times, but when you get a good result, they’re pleased to see you making progress. In terms of a training schedule, my coach Ken Matheson deals with that. He started coaching me when I joined RCJ. Since then, we’ve developed a good relationship and I feel that I can talk to him about anything to do with how I’m feeling, as well as how I feel my training could be improved. DK: And do you see other RCJ riders as Mike [Cuming] and Rich [Handley] live within a good bike’s ride, don’t they? HC: It’s lone training most of the time. I very rarely see Mike out training, but I see Richard at Cedar Farm café every now and again.

Hugh and his Rapha Condor JLT team-mates in action during the team time trial at the Tour of Korea, where Mike Cuming took the final yellow jersey by a mere 12 seconds Photo courtesy of Sonoko Tanank

DK: Details were pretty scant back here for the Tour of Korea. Can you tell me more about what happened, as it sounds like a real battle? HC: We went into the race with a pretty good idea of how were going to ride it. The first few days were all about covering the moves and making sure no dangerous riders got the slip on us. We did that pretty successfully, with Mike getting fourth on the first stage and Rich not too far behind. I got in the break on the second stage and got 12th. Rich was away in the break for the second half of the race on stage three, but unfortunately got caught at the bottom of the final climb. That left me and Mike to stay up there near the top. I tried to protect Mike up the climb, but lost contact near the summit. Thankfully, he got a top 10 on the stage and held onto his high position overall. Stage four was a bit nondescript – a few climbs in it, but in the end finished as a bunch sprint. Stage five’s TTT was great – I felt really strong and was able to contribute a huge amount to the team’s effort. We lost one of our non-climbers over the climb in the course and made the decision to carry on without him. That left just four of us to share the work on the fast run into the finish. We finished just three seconds off the top spot of the podium and moved Mike up to within reaching distance of the overall lead, so we were naturally pleased. Then Stage six saw the end to my race. DK: Did you just run out of energy? HC: Bad weather and a tough course saw me climb off some way from the finish. I lost my head a bit on a descent. I’m pretty good at bike handling now, but I had a couple of bad corners, me and a few others lost too much time. All part of the learning process. It was disappointing, but I felt happy with my efforts throughout the race up until then. That day, though, Mike took yellow and for the following two days, him and Rich did a fantastic job defending it, all by themselves. WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

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DK: You are surrounded by other talented youth riders, so I suppose training is boosted by wanting to compete with as well as support those around you? HC: There are more and more teams putting money into young riders, so whatever races you ride, there’s always going to be a handful of people my age to race against. It’s good to use them as a gauge of where you’re at fitnesswise, but I always try to watch and learn from the more experienced, older riders during races because they’re usually the ones who end up winning. DK: We met for the team launch in January. Since then, you’ve been in Oz then Korea and also raced in the UK. I was struck by the strange life on the road presented by the film ‘Nowhere To Nowhere’ and all the buzz of racing contrasted with hours waiting in hotel rooms and coaches. How are you coping with the lifestyle of an international rider? HC: I’ve had some special opportunities since joining the team. First, spending most of the winter in Australia, then doing the Mzansi Tour in South Africa and, most recently, the Tour de Korea. It’s been a pretty steep learning curve going abroad like this for so long. It can get boring some times, whiling away the hours in a hotel room, but racing at home and abroad is all I’ve ever wanted to do and deep down, I love every minute of it. It may be because I’m young and new to it all, but I love being at races – the nervous atmosphere before and the satisfaction of getting a good result afterwards. DK: No special pillows for you like Team Sky? HC: [Laughs] Nooooo. We don’t have special pillows or mattresses like Team Sky, but when we’re at a race, we’re well looked after by the staff and usually have nothing at all to complain about. 34

DK: I assume you would want your career to include pro tour teams? HC: Yeah, hopefully. I’ve come into this level of the sport quite young, so hopefully I can develop out of this kind of domestic level. DK: It must be pretty hard right now as it is? HC: Oh yeah. You get a kicking in the Premier Calendar. It’s a tough level. And it’s tough style of racing that doesn’t necessarily suit riders like me. It’s constant attacks in the Premier Calendar. It’s good in a way, as you can’t pigeon hole yourself too much as a specific kind of rider – a sprinter or climber say. DK: I suppose your strengths in time trialling and climbing are the two that are most associated with both GC and support for a GC rider, so you’re OK there. HC: When you look at any British rider that’s gone up to pro level, whether they were a sprinter, climber or time trialler, they’ve had to dominate the British scene. So hopefully in the next two years I can step up a level. DK: Let’s talk style. The Tour is on right now and you’ve clocked the kit. If you could join one of the 22 Tour de France teams for the kit alone, which would it be? Movistar’s kind of cool? HC: It is. Although the sleeves are the aero sleeves, which are a little long and grippy for my taste. I quite like FDJ this year, with the strong blue. It’s classy. Europe cars quite a cool kit as well. DK: And King of the Mountains shorts as sported by Rolland. A good look? HC: Hmmm. Black shorts are better. Maybe they can look OK on the right person, but Rolland hasn’t pulled it off, really.

DK: We’re running a feature on club jerseys – Southport CC, St Helens RC, Liverpool Mercury CC, Liverpool Century CC, Manchester Wheelers and Port Sunlight Wheelers. Which one of those do you favour for style. HC: Out of all of them, I say Manchester Wheelers. Dead classy. Always has been. It does it for me. DK: How can I say this... you have quite an expressive race face under pressure. There’s a lot of open mouth grimacing and rage. Never good in summer. I’ve swallowed five flies so far this year. How about you? HC: Oh God, yes. I swallowed a bee once. Well, I managed to cough it up but my throat was swollen. Luckily, I had some anti-histamine at home and managed to sort it out.

DK: Finally, from Twitter, I can see that John Herety is a big music fan. Is he passing on his musical knowledge to all you young riders as well? HC: [Looks a bit uncomfortable] Err... not really. John plays a lot of country music and something called ‘Americanos’? Banjos and stuff... he likes what he likes. In the car, it’s either John’s music or no music, so we all have to put up with it.

Richard Handley, Hugh and Felix English during a training cap in Australia this February Photo courtesy of Luke Grivell Mellor

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24 HOURS FROM TOTAL EXHAUSTION Words & Photography Paul Francis Cooper

The look on their faces said it all – almost like they didn’t think it possible for someone to keep pedaling for that long

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S THIS a 25-mile time trial?” ask a group of passing cyclists, curious as to what all the hoopla was at the roadside. “No,” comes the response. “It’s a 24-hour time trial – the national 24-hour time trial.” The look on their faces said it all – almost like they didn’t think it possible for someone to keep pedaling for that long, let alone maintaining a fast pace. To those passers-by it was incomprehensible. So, just why, on the Saturday of the third weekend of July, would more than 70 riders – men, women, seniors, veterans and tricyclists – assemble at lunchtime near Farndon Sports and Social Club in West Cheshire, ride off minutes apart and continue to ride through until the Sunday morning, all chasing one, almost bewildering, target – to ride as many miles as possible in 24-hours? Late on the following Sunday morning at Saint Mary the Virgin Church in Bruera was as good a place as any to find out. A small, neat, unimposing 12th century Norman church, it was one of the timekeeper’s stations on the final circuit of the time trial. It was also a stopping point in the Sunday ride of Port Sunlight Wheeler Andy Wilkinson – a legend in ultra-distance cycling and, after securing the 2011 race victory and the standing competition record by covering a staggering 541.17 miles in the timespan of 24-hours, forever to be associated with the British 40

National 24-Hour National Championship. Keen to support the race, the 49-year-old and his triathlete wife, Jill, had made Bruera a key point for their Sunday morning spin. In-between shouts of encouragement to riders nearing the end of their self-inflicted ordeal, Andy took time to answer the question: why? “It’s an adventure,” he explained. “A step into the unknown. Even if you are an accomplished bike racer, you always need another challenge, another level to test your endurance.” Sweeping aside any stereotypes of the ultradistance rider as a lone plodder, steadily clocking up the miles, he described the detail of that challenge. “People ask about sleeping, but – once you have committed to the race – you don’t feel the need for sleep,” explained Andy. “You are riding flat-out, even after 23-hours, and that requires bike-handling skill and concentration. Every facet of your riding is tested to the limit. It’s a massive mental as well as a physical battle. “But, don’t you feel isolated? Isn’t it lonely? Not a bit of it. What people don’t realise is that it’s a team effort. Feeding is vital. You need to

Title image: Stuart Birnie, from Willesden CC, poweringpast St Mary the Virgin Church in Bruera to Win the 2013 Championship Opposite: Port Sunlight Wheeler Andy Wilkinson and his triathlete wife, Jill, offer support to Quentin Field-Boden

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feed every half-hour and your helpers who keep up your supplies are as much a part of the contest as you are.” Persuaded to start training for next year? One rider, who certainly was inspired by Andy to take up the ultra-distance challenge, is Quentin Field-Boden. A longstanding member of Tyneside Vagabonds, he watched him win the club’s annual mountain time trial in Northumberland in 2011. Quentin said: “I vividly remember watching Andy power up one of the hills in the event and this left a lasting impression on me.” He subsequently interviewed Andy about ultradistance cycling and, in 2012, was a member of the support team for Tyneside Vagabond club secretary, Roger Clarke, when he completed the 24 hour event. In search of a new long-term training objective, Quentin decided to enter this year himself. As fate would have it, he completed his 24 hours near Saint Mary the Virgin Church to be met by the man who unwittingly sparked his imagination back in 2011. Giving his view on what it takes to commit to an event like this, Quentin echoed Andy’s perspective on 24 hour time trialling as a step into the unknown. “I think I can only really say that I did it simply to see what I could do,” he said. “Looking at the exploits of others it appeared to be an impossible task. “In the end, I just said to myself that all these people, old and young, have proved themselves capable of completing an event like this, so there really should be no reason why it shouldn’t also be possible for me. “I do have a fairly strong thread running

Previous page: Quentin Field-Boden completes his 24 Hour time trial at 412-miles Opposite: Legendary endurance rider Andy Wilkinson, left, gives Quentin Field-Boden a hand getting off his bike following his 24 hour time trial

through my life, which says that I am perfectly happy to end my life regretting doing things. “What I don’t want to do is to end my life regretting having not done things. I knew I would have regretted not giving the event a go in the future, so I entered.” Clocking up an impressive 412-miles, Quentin also had the unique satisfaction of breaking the Tyneside Vagabond 24 hour record, won back in 1949 by Wilson Stott at 398.25-miles, who also completed his long stint in the saddle at Saint Mary the Virgin Church. Describing his emotions on arriving there at lunchtime on Sunday, July 21, Quentin said: “When I pulled up outside the church the overwhelming emotion I had was one of relief. “I was relieved that I’d made it and I was relieved that, apart from extreme fatigue, I appeared to have suffered no major damage. “Though, I was obviously extremely tired, it was a fabulous feeling to be surrounded by Lorena [his wife] and my support team, who had worked so incredibly hard to make the ride a success and to make it possible for me to break the club record which had stood since 1949. “I just couldn’t believe it when Andy and Jill Wilkinson were also there when I finished. To break a club record that had stood for that length of time, at the age of 55 and on my first attempt at riding one of these events, as well as to be met at the finish by all these people and by the national record holder, is in cycling terms, for me at least, the stuff that dreams are made of.” Maybe, as Shakespeare had it in ‘The Tempest’ and, as Humphrey Bogart said it in the ‘Maltese Falcon’, there’s the explanation why the riders were there at the starting blocks for this grueling event on July 20, and, why, with the exception of wartime, they have been there every year since 1937. Pushing oneself to the absolute limit in chasing and meeting an individual challenge is, and probably always will be, just that – the stuff that dreams are made of.

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Delight and relief at reaching the 24, Lorena embraces her husband, Quentin

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Andy Wilkinson, left, congratulates Quentin Field-Boden on completing his first-ever endurance 24-hour time trial

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LOST ART OF GROUP RIDING Words James Maloney Illustration Orlagh Murphy and Chris Rixon

VERY so often, I miss riding in a large group. There is nothing quite like gliding along, nestled within the safety of a group of cyclists. You have a laugh, share the workload and get a decent build-up for the batter to the final road sign. Two abreast, tight against the curb, nice and steady – that’s what group riding etiquette dictates. There is a certain beauty to how a disciplined group cruises along so effortlessly – like a steam engine slicing through the countryside. People stood by the roadside take a moment to stop to stare. Young children smile as they witness something new and give a friendly wave. Even our arch nemesis, the motorists, can’t help

but admire the way an organised group singles out almost autonomously when their need to overtake arises. Group riding can be poetry in motion, but only when it is done right. There are some clubs who don’t brief newcomers correctly in riding etiquette and the end result can be chaos – riders half-wheeling, others breaking ranks to chase down imaginary opponents up non-existent slopes before disappearing back into the pack never to be seen again until the final sprint. Get it wrong and group riding can be a recipe for disaster. How do you combat this? Well, for starters, there needs to be a chief to lead the Indians. Every large group ride needs WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

Every cyclists has a bad day and the pack has a duty to help everyone get through theirs a captain who is willing to take charge from the start and lay down the rules, etiquette and, more importantly, destination. A chaotic group has no idea of how to ride together. Some will ride three abreast, others will strangely drift towards the line in the middle of the road with enough room to park a bus between them. Then there are those who throw their bike all over the road or grab the brakes constantly, causing panic towards the back. When I was first introduced to riding in a group, the rules were simple – sit at the back and watch. From this vantage point, I was able to observe how the others stayed shoulder-to-shoulder, allowing cars to pass freely while also enabling riders behind the front to enjoy the slipstream. Each pair pulls on the front, sharing the workload with others. When it comes time to peel off, the rider on the right moves to the right, while his counterpart on the left does the same but to the left – again in unison. Both gradually reduce their speed gently to those following directly behind slice through the pair to take up the lead at the front of the peloton. Those who have just finished their turn now nestle at the back enjoying a well-earned rest in the slipstream of the group. Within the group itself, riding two abreast is acceptable – three is not. Whoever is the odd-numbered rider, they must sit at the back. Each rider has his or her turn being alone at the tail-end of the group, where everything must be shared.

NORTHERN ROAD WEAR

Disciplined groups look out for one another like lions looking out for their cubs. They point out obstacles in the road, signal directions and even offer shelter, food and drink to those who are struggling. The strongest rider has a duty to look after the weakest. It’s a case of ‘all for one, one for all’. When a rider is unfortunate to suffer a puncture or mechanical, we must stop and help them with the repair. Every cyclists has a bad day and the pack has a duty to help everyone get through theirs, as bad fortune will undoubtedly be shared equally as much as good. Half-wheeling, the term used to describe a rider who is constantly pushing the pace half a wheel in front of the others, is an insult not a compliment. Nobody appreciates a rider who constantly forces the pace to prove their strength. Group rides are not races – races are races. Save your strength for when it matters. Good riders are in sync with each others’ abilities and the objective of the group. When everyone is ready, the tempo will increase and the group will inevitably splinter – strongest will surge ahead before the pack regroups at a designated point. In essence, group riding should be something that everyone enjoys – not despise. Experiencing an achievement or a good time is better shared. Together, a group can eat through the hours, effortlessly devour countless hills and cut through towns. Of course, there must always be a café stop. After all, if an army marches on its stomach, then a group of cyclists need their caffeine fix.

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JERSEYS OF GLORY Words & Photography Dan Kenyon

Pete Matthews of the Liverpool Mercury wins the Aintree Phoenix CC Road Race. Loggerheads 1963.

was recently chatting to an old racer who told me that back in the early 1960’s Merseyside (as it wasn’t known then) had over 40 racing cycle clubs. By the late 1980’s this number had shrunk to perhaps half a dozen. Killed off by increased road traffic, the reluctance of the Police to allow race events on public roads and the rise of the mountain bike, it wasn’t until after the 2000 Sydney Olympics that the local cycle clubs started to stir again. That was the moment when some of those born in the 1960’s, the last generation who as kids were encourage to cycle out on the roads on their own, started to recall just how wonderful cycling at pace was and began buying ‘racers’ again. The flat lined heart monitors of many a northern club gave a slight beep around 2004 and since then the membership of clubs has rocketed. What are clubs for? Well it’s an invitation to ride with wise heads who appreciate company on long distance rides as much as they appreciate you wearing the club colours for racing. It’s a piece of your life that can belong to something other than work and family. A chance to experience the rush of speed and pain in equal measure in the company of others and forget life’s complications beyond the handlebars. It’s an opportunity to use your body for what it has been designed for – to suffer and scream against competition - or as part of a team, and then recover and build. Every clipin is a exercise in both personal truth and sporting collaboration.

what clubs contribute to the cycle community in the UK.

Of course there are plenty of cyclists who don’t feel the need to join a club. Lone wolves who like to ply the roads solo and even race as individuals. The old racer I mentioned bemoaned the decision made by the BCF in the 1980’s to open up racing to lone riders not affiliated to a club. With respect to the BCF, at the time, opening up racing to all comers was perhaps the only way to keep the pilot light on. Now clubs are growing again and many of the members are giving their time to marshall and organise races it seems polite and proper to race in a club’s colours - as an acknowledgment of

Finally, let’s be honest. A big part of being in a club is the pride in wearing a cool jersey that you can’t get from Wiggle. A club jersey has an integrity that rubs off on the wearer. It tells other riders what you believe in and belong to. Many clubs have kept their traditional colours through low membership and the coming and going of various sponsors. Sponsorship can certainly have it’s place - some venerable clubs were formed by an original sponsor. However, with the recent expansion of pro kit companies into the amateur market, clubs can now easily afford to ditch the

Dave Lloyd of the Manchester Wheelers Courtesy of the Manchester Wheelers archive more egotistical sponsors - smothering their club’s fine history in an attempt to mimic pro clubs - and return to their classic unsponsored jersey designs. Some of them iconic jerseys of the 1950’s and 1960’s are making a welcome comeback. The Liverpool Century recently returned to a classic design from their past and others such as the Manchester Wheelers and Port Sunlight Wheelers have long since ditched sponsors and returned to their original kit. Dave Brailsford recently said when congratulating the Manchester Wheelers on their 130th anniversary that ‘Cycling clubs in this country are the cornerstone of our sport’. He’s right. Club’s

teach skills you cannot teach yourself and they are essential to the good health of cycling in the UK – as precious a part of our history and future as institutions like the W.I. and The Natural History Museum. We’ve chosen six northern clubs as a starting point and it is a story we will return to. The biggest club missing is the mighty Kirkby CC which never survived the death of it’s greatest chairman Ken Matthews. It would be wonderful to feature a new Kirkby CC jersey in yellow and red one day so if you’re reading this and ride in Kirkby it’s up to you. The resurrection of one of Mersey’s finest clubs one day would be glorious indeed. WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

Nº.01

LIVERPOOL_ CENTURY Est. 1916

IVERPOOL Century were formed on January 30, 1916, at the Derby Cafe in Ormskirk. The Century got their name from the fact that all members were expected to be able to ride at least 100 miles in a single day. Thankfully, that’s no longer a requirement and they’re now based at the £16.1m Knowsley Leisure and Culture Park, which boasts an outdoor velodrome. Famous riders who have gone on to make it into the pro ranks in recent years include Mark McNally, Matt Brammeier and Johnny McEvoy. Mark Cavendish also used to train with the Century when he was over from the Isle of Man to race in the North West. This jersey pictured opposite belonged to Geoff Bewley, who was a local legend among members of his life-long club, Liverpool Century. Despite never winning any major honours, Geoff was renowned for his dedicated and coaching skills. Light years ahead of his time, Geoff was the first person in the region to see the benefits of combining weight-training with cycling.

“He used to organise club weight-lifting sessions in his garage when he lived in Aigburth,” revealed fellow Century member, Rob Pleavin. “This was going back to the late 60s or early 70s, when no-one was using weights incorporated with cycling. He also went over to Nigeria to coach its national squad in the 70s and brought a team over to compete in England. That was the type of thing Geoff did, though. “His coaching was a little bit ahead of its time and was the talk of Merseyside. Geoff never got on with another legendary local coach, Ken Matthews. “He thought that Ken was trying to poach his riders. There is one famous story about both of them having bad tickers and ending up in hospital beds next to one another on the same ward. Neither would speak a word to the other even though they were both cycling mad.” For more information visit: www.liverpoolcentury.com WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

Nº.02

LIVERPOOL_ MERCURY Est. 1948

IVERPOOL Mercury were originally founded in 1948 as an amalgamation of the Liverpool Racing Cycling Club and the Mercury Cycle Club, which may have been a legacy of the long defunct Liverpool Mercury newspaper. Back in the days of the Liverpool Racing Cycling Club, the club colours were blue and white, while Mercury riders sported green and red. When the two clubs amalgamated, the green and red were dropped in favour of the blue and white – colours that remain to this day. Renowned in the 1960’s and 1970’s for its fierce racing rivalry with the sadly now disbanded Kirkby CC, the ‘Merc’ produced international riders such as Ken Hill and Pete Matthews during the 1960’s. Years later in the 1980’s, the club carried on its success with Phil Thomas winning

the 1982 Road Race Championship, while his wife, Vicki, rode two editions of the Women’s Tour de France. The ‘RC’ was changed to ‘CC’ in 2000, as ‘racing’ was thought to be ‘too intimidating’ to new members. Based at the £5.5m Litherland Sports Park in Boundary Lane, the Merc’ boasts its own dedicated £300,000 cycling circuit and is slowly building a younger riders to bolster the 100 members already on the books at the Mercury. The club runs both the Frank Morgan Memorial Road Race in March and the Lancashire Lanes/ Kenny Hill Sportive in May. Every Sunday, they host three club runs for varying abilities. For further information visit: www.liverpoolmercury.co.uk

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Nº.03

MANCHESTER WHEELERS _ Est. 1883

HERE do we start with the Wheelers? This year, it celebrates 130 years of racing and is probably the most prestigious club in the North West. The club’s roster of national champs and pro riders over the years is extensive and includes the great Reg Harris, whose statue sits in the Manchester velodrome, Dave Lloyd, Emma Davies – the British track champion, Daryl Webster – the hill climb champion, Malcolm Elliot, John Woodburn – the long-distance rider, and some poor, long-forgotten soul called Chris Boardman. He’s that bloke off the telly, isn’t he? The Wheelers’ iconic red white and blue jersey was proposed in 1947 by Reg Harris and, aside from some subtle sponsorship from Trumans Steel in the 1970’s and 1980’s – possibly the most apt sponsor name ever, the club kit design has remained one of the most stylish club jerseys

in the country. Now based at the new outdoor track at Thameside in Ashton-under-Lyne, the Wheelers’ clubruns extend out from Manchester over North Cheshire, the Dales and West Lancashire. The Wheelers have everything that you could ever want in a club – a healthy, active social and training network, as well as more than 350 members. Then there is the club’s growing women’s membership, which is always a good sign of a modern establishment. Add to that Simon Bridge’s recent 11th in the national TT championships and you’ll be wondering why you haven’t haven’t become a Wheeler already. For further information visit: www.manchesterwheelers.co.uk

Jersey featured belongs to Deno Davie Amateur National Road Race champion 1986 62

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Nº.04

PORT SUNLIGHT WHEELERS _ Est. 1948

ORT Sunlight Wheelers was founded in 1948 as a ‘working man’s club’ for cyclists by a group of soap-workers from the worldfamous Lever Brothers factory in Port Sunlight. The origins of the club’s very classy red, white and black banded jersey aren’t very clear, but from talking with members, they may be linked to the packaging and advertising used by Levers at the time. During the 1950’s, the Wheelers began to make an impression on the local racing scene and, by the next decade, Sunlight riders were gaining national success. At one point, the club held the national team competition record for 30-miles during the heyday of British Time Trialling. Mark Bell was the first foreigner to win the Étoile de Sud Belgium stage race in 1983 and went on to win the professional National Road Race Championship in 1986. With club runs

beginning at the famous Eureka café near Two Mills in Wirral, the Wheelers have spread out to cover North Cheshire, much of North Wales and also your television sets if you’ve looked closely enough during the Alp d’Huez stage of this year’s Tour de France. Every year, a band of Sunlighters take over a corner of one of the big climbs in the Tour and teach the Dutch lads how to really celebrate. Like most of their neighbouring clubs, the Wheelers have built a strong proud history across the racing disciplines and are expanding racing again through new membership. The Land’s End – John O’Groats record is currently held by Andy Wilkinson, one of the best long distance cyclists this country has ever produced and also holder of the UK 12 and 24 hours TT records. For more information visit: www.portsunlightwheelers.com

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Nº.05

SOUTHPORT CYCLING CLUB _ Est. 1932

OUTHPORT Cycling Club, in its present form, was first founded in July 1932 by just 12 members and held its first meeting at Les Hubbard’s home in Birkdale – although there is evidence that a club was unofficially in existence as early as 1927. One of the most successful members of the club has to be Bill Bradley, who we featured in the last issue. Bill dominated road racing during the 1950s and 60s – though he is better remembers for breaking the record on the feared 20km climb of the Gross Glockner Pass, previously held by Tour de France winner Charly Gaull, as well as many, many great wins in the Milk Race. Other notable members include Bob Bird, who was born in the States but remains the club’s most successful time triallist. He won the club BAR on five occasions, as well as both the

NLTTA and LTTA Championships, the latter on two occasions. In recent years, Jim Henderson has achieved success remotely comparable to the Bird and Bradley era with his amazing sequence of 14 top four places in the National Hill Climb Championships. All-in-all, Southport is very friendly club that has a habit of producing talented climbers – a strange trait for a club surrounded by the flatlands of West Lancashire and Merseyside. Southport host a beginners/easy clubrun for new members every Saturday at 9.30am, meeting at the bus stop near the Plough pub in Crossens, Southport. Just look out for their yellow and blue. For further information visit: www.southportcc.co.uk

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Nº.06

ST HELENS RACING CLUB _ Est. 1978

ITH it’s local sponsors and classic jersey style, you’d be forgiven for mistaking St Helen’s Racing Club for a traditional age old Lancashire road club. St Helen’s was actually created in 1978 by Duncan Sparrow and a couple of other riders that left Prescot Eagles to start a club of their own and, as with most clubs in recent years, membership has expanded rapidly from only 35 members in 2008 to more than 100 and rising in 2013. As the name suggests, St Helens takes it’s racing seriously. This year, the club has had more members competing across the many different

disciplines than ever before. Club members include pro riders John Rigby (Maxgear RT), Mike Rawson (Kuota/Spinergy/GSG) and Peter Ware, who has won the LTTCA Middle Distance Championship not once, but twice. With regular trips abroad and meetings down the pub, it’s a very sociable club. Without fail you will always get a wave back from St Helens RC rider on the road. The club seems to attract the nice people. Long may it continue. For further information visit: www.sthelenscrc.co.uk

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SPIN CYCLE MAGAZINE PRESENTS

KILLER HILLS

Nº.05

QUERNMORE _ KILLER HILLS Distance: 1.0 Miles Avg Grade: 8.2% Lowest elevation: 324ft Highest elevation: 752ft Popularity: Ridden 2574 times by 968 people KOM: Tejvan P (00:04:05 – October 7, 2012) QOM: Nikki K (00:07:37 – July 1, 2013)

am not sure Queen Victoria ever rode a bicycle. No, not that ‘Queen Vic’, the original. Anyway, Her Royal Highness owned an adult tricycle, but I’d guess it might have been too vulgar and troublesome to use: all that black crinoline would have been chewed by the chain before she’d been pushed off by servants. Anyway, at the time of her Diamond Jubilee in 1897, Victoria Regina would have been too old to throw her leg over a horse let alone something she’s have to power herself. Apparently, that year was also a busy year for cycling. Cambridge undergraduates burnt an

effigy of a woman riding a bicycle in the main town square as a protest against the twin outrage of women riding bikes and their admission to the university as full members. At the same time, on a windswept lonely hillside near Lancaster, humble peasants were toiling to complete a hill top tower to celebrate the Jubilee. It’s given men and women cyclists a target to aim for ever since. Jubilee Tower sits on the summit of Quernmore Brow, the main route out of the village of Quernmore, over the moor to the ‘Trough’ of the Trough of Bowland itself. Some riders

refer to the climb as ‘Jubilee Tower’ and others ‘Quernmore’ for the village at it’s base. Whatever you want to call it, it’s a bit of a stinker. On the day that we went to shoot it for Killer Hill, the Cumbrian clouds were beginning to mass on the horizon and Craig Battersby, from Team Leapfrog, looked eager to test the theory that he was only 8.5 stone soaking wet. Blimey, Craig was thin. I mean really thin. If he had been wearing a black and white kit, with a yellow helmet, he would look like a Belisha beacon. It was lucky that he had a helmet on, WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

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as in profile, he was difficult to see at all and the camera’s auto focus tended to miss him altogether. As he rode the worst stretches, returned, patiently performed a track-stand and then rode them again, I realised that choosing someone who makes hill climbing look as easy as picking daisies doesn’t necessarily make for the most epic photography. Luckily, coming up behind him, as he darted up and down, were two souls with normal BMI’s on their way from Lancaster to Wigan. They were professional Killer Hill material and making much more of a photogenic meal of the climb. In the past I’ve often approached the climb from the South and, as you arrive at the cross roads in Quernmore, you will need to change down to a very low gear because the road steepens as soon as you turn right to begin the climb. Up through the village, there is a left-hand curve with trees on your right that mask the horror ahead. The route steepens and twists right into a second bend, which takes you immediately up to dry stone wall and sheep territory before another left-hander 300 yards further on. “That wasn’t so bad,” you think, as you turn left. This corner is christened ‘Jesus Christ Corner’, as with already tightening legs, you gaze up a quarter-mile ramp of inconsistently tough gradient with just a tiny weeny cyclist in the far, far distance to give you an idea of the task ahead. On a hot day, this section just goes on and on... and then just on a bit more. The only saving 76

grace is that you rarely get a head wind on the ramp, but it’s no real salve as the gradient just saps your leg strength totally until it levels off. I’ve always found the idea of classifying hills by average gradient pointless, as it’s the maximum gradient, frequency and duration that does all the damage. It’s no use getting all relieved over a hill with an average gradient of six per cent if it’s 20-miles long with sections at 20 per cent. Quernmore may only be 1.8-miles long but the ramp section jabs you three times in the gut with 14 per cent punches along it’s stretch – and one of those is 14.8 per cent. It is not a friendly hill. The good news about the ramp? Once you crest it, that’s the worst part over. Try to get your breathing under control, though, as there are three more steep-ish bends to contend with before a welcome patch of flat. There is even a little descent before hitting the cattle gird and beginning the long but manageable climb to the tower itself. This is all ‘a couple of gears to spare’ climbing. You may even have enough left to showboat the last 400-yards to the tower to give the impression (only to the elderly couple in the Nissan Micra) that the whole thing was a bit of a doddle. Unofficially, the record for Quernmore from the village cross roads to the tower, is just under seven minutes, which is just ‘phenomenal’, as British Olympians tend to say. Strava has a time of 10.53 by “Jack P’ but that’s from further back before the cross roads. WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

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LATHER BE THY NAME Words & Photography Dan Kenyon

‘

RSE cream’, ‘bum wax’, ‘groin grease’ or ‘chamois cream’ – whatever you want to call it, slapping a load of cold and embrocation on your nether regions seems to be a bit of a taboo topic among cyclists. Well, we are talking after all about slapping stuff on our backsides and some of us find the nether regions awkward territory. For instance, I was surprised to learn from a training mate that he never uses chamois cream and from the way he edged away from me bow-legged, I might add – I could tell he didn’t like to discuss it either. Personally, I’ve always followed the advice given to Tim Moore in French Revolutions by Richard Hallet, the technical editor for Cycling Weekly. Apparently, he told Tim in an odd, dreamy voice, “So yeah... really slather it on.” He’s right. There’s nothing worse than getting 60-miles into a 100-mile ride and realising that your bearings are rubbing on their rims, so to 80

speak. Of course, ‘slathering’ costs money. Or that’s what I used to think. A few year’s ago, I bought a very nice winter cycle jersey from a well-known British cycle clothing company that ends in ‘a’ – you know the one. Admittedly, I was disappointed not to get a bag of Haribo with the jersey, but I was perhaps mixing them up with someone else. Instead, there was a freebie packet of chamois crème that I tossed, all curly-lipped, in my bike kit box. ‘Oh, no you don’t’, I thought. ‘You might think you can draw me in, like a sheep at shearing time, with your subtle little marketing game, but I’m the sheep that swerves the gate and I won’t be buying your over-priced grease any time soon’. At this point, I was using Sudacrem. Admittedly, it does the job well, but has an unpleasant odour and is so tacky on the hands you need Swarfega to get it off. In addition, if you have kids, it reminds you of a time when going out on your bike was near impossible. One day I found myself out of Sudacrem and had WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

The cream’s fragrance was of childhood memories of a summer in France, a subtle blend of herbs and nostalgia to dig out that luxury sachet. Ahhhhh, it was like that bit in the film ‘Ratatouille’, when the critic tastes the meal. The cream’s fragrance was of childhood memories of a summer in France, a subtle blend of herbs and nostalgia that also left my shorts smelling if freshly washed even after a gruelling day in the saddle. So, those wicked marketing people had got me after all. Not quite. The voice of thrifty reason – better known as my wife – intervened. After a year of her saying ‘how much? It’s not even as if it’s reducing your wrinkles,’ I finally went cold turkey on the pricey stuff with my own homemade methadone treatment. As far as chamois cream goes, making it is easy. Regardless of trace herbs from the mountains of France, quality chamois crème is basically bog standard chemist shop aqueous cream with a few fancy oils thrown in to make it last longer. Once I’d researched the list of oils off the side of the fancy product, I bought them online and started blending. Almond oil is odourless and so you can add a good slug of that to give the cream a lasting viscosity. After an early mistake of putting in too much Tea tree oil and not enough almond oil, I ended up with a cream that lasted 10-minutes in the saddle and smelt of chlorine. But I soon got into it and my second batch 82

smelt pretty identical to the shop bought cream and worked a treat. What are the savings? Well, the oils average £5 each for 10ml, but bear in mind that you only need a few drips of each essential oil per 500ml tub of aqueous cream and a little extra almond oil, which is pretty darn cheap. Aqueous cream costs approximately £3 for a 500ml tub. As the oils will last for at least two litres worth of cream, the total cost will be less than £40. Two litres of the stuff in fancy jars will set you back £200. Ingredients: Aqueous Cream, Almond oil, Cedarwood oil, Teatree oil, Rosemary Oil, Lavender Oil, Patchouli Oil (for hippies and touring cyclists),Vicks Vapour rub – just a dab per batch though: It’s the menthol smell you’re after – not a burning ring of fire.

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GONE WEST UP NORTH Words Alison Crutchley Illustration Orlagh Murphy

’M A stranger abroad. I grew up cycling around London: daily battles with black cab drivers and double-parked delivery vans and wannabe Hell’s Angels, revving up for the fiftysecond sprint to the next set of lights. There were good bits, too, of course. London’s back streets mean that if you’re not in too much of a hurry, you can sort out a commute that takes you through two parks and past three primary schools and along the canal and back via the all-night Bagel Bake. And if you don’t mind riding for a while first, you can even reach some proper countryside. Then I moved to Manchester and marvelled at being able to ride right across a city. The ‘proper countryside’ was still a lot of ‘A’ roads away, though. I’d put my bike on the train and go from café-to-café in the Hope Valley: reservoirs, heather and rolling hills. Now I’m in West Yorkshire, I’ve finally abandoned my city girl pretensions. I roll out of my front door and

straight into the wilds. Riding round here is different from ‘down south’, though, in more ways than I anticipated. Here are a few: Precipitation: There’s a lot of this. Rain, hail, sleet, snow, all until at least April. Last year’s summer cross season was muddier than the winter one. And the rain gives way to blind fog at the top of Cragg Vale. In the height of summer, riding without knee-warmers may just be acceptable, but you should never leave home without your waterproof, your hi-vis gilet, your overshoes and your lights. Wind: Not content with dousing you in wet stuff, West Yorkshire hurls the weather at you horizontally. It’s not uncommon to go out for a circular ride and have the wind in your face the whole time (sometimes referred to as Eternal Headwind of the Sportless Grind). Getting into an aero tuck may kid you that you’re making progress, but Strava knows the truth.

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Why muck about with all those namby-pamby Euro hairpins? There’s a perfectly good packhorse trail that goes straight up Hills: West Yorkshire’s denizens are known for their directness and this is reflected in their approach to road building. Why muck about with all those namby-pamby Euro hairpins? There’s a perfectly good packhorse trail that goes straight up. Build the road on that. Descents: Wild descents are your prize for grinding up the hills in bottom gear, being overtaken by unnecessarily cheerful hillwalkers. Take care round those blind corners, though, as sheep will suddenly launch themselves at you from surrounding fields. Wildlife: A surprising variety of fauna manages to thrive despite the challenging conditions. Lambs gambol optimistically in the driving gales. Pheasants strut across the grass, presumably hoping their predators are colour-blind. Skylarks warble ever upwards, oblivious to the gathering thunderheads. There is a blissful absence of dogs named Fenton. Other riders: In London, cyclists tolerate each other, at best. They may, if on a Brompton, be unable to resist smoking fully Sky-kitted Madone riders, just because they can. Up here, though, people are downright chummy, as long as you speak Yorkshire. That almost-imperceptible head tilt from a rider going in the opposite direction translates to ‘Top of the morning to you, young 86

lad. Wonderful weather we’re having. Apart from the hurricanes, that is. Haha.’ The rider who passes you effortlessly as you’re trying to time trial along a rare bit of flat chats to you about mileages and mudguards out of sheer friendliness, and not because he likes watching you turn purple as you foolishly prioritise talking over breathing. If you’re in a ‘cross race, he may even comment ‘Nice brakes,’ as he zips past you, his wake dragging you into a hedge. The odd thing is, the above-mentioned features combine into experiences that are terrific. As you line up at the start, focusing on distant wooded peaks and tumbling skies in desperation, cyclocross veterans give you gruff advice on tyre pressure and tell you they thought you did well at Keighley last week. Sinewy girls genially invite you out on rides, coming back down each hill several times to make sure you are still alive. And at the top of that one-in-four climb, you’re rewarded with a view that’ll make even a Yorkshireman clear his throat. Stealth-black skies set off the dayglo green of sunlit fields. The lambs and larks soothe your ragged heart. And as you scrabble around for your waterproof in the inevitable hailstorm, find your camera, too, for the double rainbow.

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SYKES’ NEW ITALIAN JOB Reviewed by Dan Kenyon

RITISH writer Herbie Sykes has lived in Turin for a few years now. He’s absorbed all things Italian and after his excellent ‘The Eagle of Canavese’, about the little known double Giro winner Franco Balmamion, Sykes has been given the task by Rouleur of writing the first full English language history of the Giro d’Italia. It’s an entertaining and intelligent narrative that explores the chronology of the Giro, with it’s winners and loser, but also the national psyche of Italy itself throughout the 20th century and on in to the 21st. Over the years, Le Tour has grown into a marketing tool to project a version of France to the world – a sometimes exciting, but generally carefully controlled exercise in class and grace. In contrast, the Giro has always been most important for the home fans. It’s a celebration of Italy’s passion, tradition, pride, unpredictability and the revolving mirror of honour and what

Italians might call ‘gamesmanship’ but what us Anglo Saxons call ‘chicanery’. Of course, from the very start, the story is that of big characters. The first major star was Guiseppe Gerbi ‘The Red Devil’. Sykes describes him as ‘a destructive, wayward wrong’un... his father handed him a bike to keep him out of trouble’. Judging from his photograph, Gerbi looks like a truly troubling opponent. Even with nails in your back pocket to scatter in your breakaway or bribe money to offer opponents (both ploys of Gerbi), you would need to be tough as, much like the Tour, the Giro’s early format was an exercise in masochism. According to Sykes, 1914 saw ‘the most sadistic giro of all’ with it’s 3,162 kilometres squeezed into just eight stages, with an average stage length of ‘a biblical 396 kilometres’ undertaken, of course, on single speed bikes weighing 15kg. Sixty percent of the riders failed to complete the first stage and stage eight encountered a blizzard so thick that the leading rider, 58 minutes WWW.SPINCYCLEMAG.COM

ahead of the bunch, simply vanished in the whirling snow – only to be discovered three days later sheltering in a barn with a fever. The accompanying photographs are also superb. You will never see more raffish and stylish riders than Beppe Saronni and Felice Gimondi. Style is all important to Italians, as Sykes explained an interview with Podium café in 2011. “Italy, it goes without saying, is a beautiful eclectic country. Though railing endlessly against the state is evidently a national obsession, the Italians, unlike say the English, in general retain a profound attachment to and pride in their Bel Paese, their ‘beautiful land’. “In Italy style – or at least the appearance of style – invariably trumps crude, prosaic substance. YOU must try it. It’s a bit like racing in a club – without the hassle of actually meeting anyone. I’m all over four new segment records this week, including from the post box on our road to the second tree. (Av gradient 2% for 100 metres); That bit that goes past Barnardos on the high street and finishes at the T junction (av gradient 3% for 500 meters) and the epic climb past the library to the second bus stop (av gradient 4.5% for 150 metres). Had a bit of a face off on Saturday night after setting the best time on the classic Col d’ Co-op Corner (ridden 2,324 times by 8 people) only to get a text in the shower saying five people had beaten me in the past hour, including ‘MegaCog, MonkeySpank, The Tandem Granny, Pat Pending and Chamois Kat, who I was not inconsiderably perturbed to discover is a woman. It was after midnight, but I went out and did it again just to retire for my rest day as ‘Segment Leader’. Next day, two people had beaten me again. All sorted now, though. On the way to work, I realised that by getting up to 43kph and riding straight through the hedge on the corner of Tesco’s car park, the segment still looks the same but you can knock three seconds off – as long as nothing gets caught in your wheel...

This overly developed sense of the aesthetic is made manifest not only in the ways Italians dress, present and behave themselves, but in the food they eat, the products they design, in the municipal buildings and cities they inhabit.” The first edition of ‘The Maglia Rosa’ was published in May 2011, as that tragic Giro wended it’s way to it’s embarrassing conclusion. Since then, Sykes has included new closing chapters for the second edition, which discuss where the Giro is now heading. Wild and unpredictable, the Giro d’Italia is the Pyrenees to the Tour de France’s Alps. The Italians need it and it seems that we need it too. Rouleur call Syke’s book the ‘definitive’ guide to the Giro d’Italia. I agree with them.

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