The real BBC Awards

The BBC Sports personality of the year awards took place recently, there were some amazing candidates this year including Jessica Ennis, (my vote outside of cycling) and Phil Taylor in the SPORT of darts as runners up. The winner though was Ap McCoy following his win at the Grand National on his 15th attempt and over 3000 career wins. A good effort but I'm not a fan of horse racing so I decided to start my own BBC awards (Bradbury's (That's me) best cyclist awards).

There were many contenders including Bradley Wiggins but I have to say Mark Cavendish will take it for me.





After a slow start to the season which was hindered by injury the 'Manx Missile' found his form when it counted with five stage wins in the Tour de France including the win on the final day in Paris. Cavendish followed that up by winning the points jersey at the Tour of Spain in September, becoming the first Briton in 21 years to earn the sprinters' title at a Grand Tour. Once again Cavendish has proved he is the world's greatest sprinter on the road and while the Tour de France green jersey still eludes him, the 25-year-old looks primed for continued success. Cycling is right up there when it comes to commitment, effort and overcoming adversity in the world of sport. I haven't mentioned his Olympic efforts because they didn't take place this year but for me he has been this years superstar. So Mark, please accept this trophy from the BBC awards.... Ade you are the runner up but only because Cavendish stole the win in Paris maybe next year.

Is it Ok to be cruel as long as its funny?

Probably not is the answer we should all give! Unless of course it is only close to cruelty then it may just be OK. Meet Alex. He has watched me on my virtual reality trainer for weeks now and like all youngsters loves the idea of playing on video games, add to that his ability as a cyclist and it has been torture for him being banned from the toy in the garage. Well as the ice continues to make cycling an extreme sport and his break dancing and football conversations driving me nuts I relented. I set him up on a mostly downhill section of the Alps, dropped the saddle on the carbon defy as low as it would go (yes I really do use a carbon on the turbo). Alex put on his cycling shorts and Everton top and.... still couldn't fit, so with a cushion on the cross bar of he went. He complained the whole way of a pain in a specific area but kept going.. just like a real rider in the Tour. Maybe he can give up his football and make me proud. Anyway 22 minutes later he covered 8 miles at a max speed of 33mph and while pushing 241 watts he declared he loved it couldn't wait to go again but boy did it hurt and could I put his bike on the machine. Me... well I watched every painful minute sat on my time trial bike next to him before declaring myself the winner... of course.

Just the thing on a winter evening

Track racing is similar to the sprinting world of runners. The difference for me is its purity and variety. Pure because the riders storm around the track on a bike with one gear and no brakes. The gear is fixed so the speed comes from the riders strength and ability to spin the pedals. The variety comes from the different events put on throughout the session, from the sprint, a combination of speed and tactics to the Australian pursuit, a new event in the revolution series. http://www.cyclingrevolution.com/content/en/default_gb.aspx In this event riders are spaced evenly round the track and sprint for the finish. If you are overtaken you are out. The effort in this event and the future star racing make the revolution series well worth the £14 for the four hours entertainment. Just the thing on a cold evening.
While I was there I bought Roule Britannia by William Fotheringham (He was signing books at the event). William has written a number of cycling books but this was the first one of his I have read. It is a history of Brits competing in the Tour D'France. Really worth the read, just to know what the early pioneers did and put up with to compete in the hardest sporting event in the world. Another past time for the winter days perhaps.

Finally, if you prefer to participate than watch have a look at the velodrome timetable. Friday nights are good with a family session for adults and kids with an improvement hour straight after. Well worth a play if nothing else. Everyone should try this at least once in their cycling career. Have a look on http://www.nationalcyclingcentre.com/

Have you ever drowned a puppy?

I hope your answer like mine, is no. My real question is how do you occupy your time when you ride your bike? In a race there is enough going on to occupy your mind, training in a group can be social and the conversation helps the miles go by. Pick a good route and the scenery helps the hours. This is a favourite of mine, but even when it is stunning scenery when you ride the same route sometimes you want a bit more to occupy the time.
Personally I love to think and remember. It is a great time to solve problems and perhaps come up with new ideas for work. The other thing I love to do is think about some of my favourite memories. My Father had a competitive nature, from his days a cross country runner and hockey player to his darts, snooker  and particularly his love of crown green bowls. When I am struggling on a ride I often think about how he would never give up.
My Mother on the other hand is a story teller. There is no better story than reality. Mum was evacuated to Shropshire in the war and lived on a farm with farmer Jones. My favourite stories include the bull that got into the kitchen and the Rooster that chased the children so good old Farmer Jones chopped off its head and, after it finished running around, threw it into the cooking pot.
The other thing all farmers did in those days was breed sheep dogs. This was a commercial venture, they were there to round up the sheep or sell to other farmers and the public. If a puppy didn't look like it was going to be up to task it was often tied in a bag and thrown in the river to drown. They were  known as the runt of the litter, and as much as I hate that this happened it was life on a farm sixty years ago.
Here is my link to the bike. I was riding my new Talon along the promenade at the weekend. As I was riding along and my mind drifted away from Mum and Dad I realised that the bike is noisy, has high resistance in the tyres and is slow compared to the pedigrees I left back in the stable. It wasn't up to the task I want from my bikes. It is my runt of the litter. But then, I'm not a farmer and I wasn't using it for the purpose it was made for (it was mostly tarmac). The other thing about the runts of the litter is they can be tremendous fun, look good and are extremely loyal. They don't mind going out in the rain or cold weather and they recover well from any damage making them much cheaper to look after. Yes,I have a runt of the litter, but I think we are going to be good friends and enjoy our wanderings along the beach without a thought of throwing it in. Can't wait to go for a run through the fields.

The end of my road. I can ride for thirty miles or more along this, I know how lucky I am!

Wirral Mamils round the globe

Pageviews by Countries

United Kingdom 213 United States 185 India 11 New Zealand 5 Singapore 3 Denmark 2 Ireland 2 Argentina 1 Germany 1 Croatia 1 Thought I would show who is looking at the site. Nearly as many from the USA, in fact more this week. Not sure how I feel about that, quite good I suppose. It will be good when the USA has shown more interest!!!

Can you bonk on a turbo trainer?

For those of you that are wondering, and if you aren't a cyclist you probably are, bonking on a bike is the sudden depletion of the riders energy. Runners call it 'hitting the wall', footballers despite their extensive education tend to use a four letter word to describe their physical condition with a similar colloquial meaning to the cyclist's phrase.

I've had a good week end on the bike. Two outdoor rides, just twenty miles each along the river and a session on the turbo trainer on Saturday. I had to get what I could outdoors before the cold weather comes back.  Tonight though was a twenty mile session on my Tacx trainer. I chose a section of the Amstel Gold Classic. Stunning scenery and mountains hitting a 10% gradient. That is the sort of incline that many family cars hit second gear to get up with the engine screaming in protest. As you push the pedals sweating more and the cadence dropping, looking down in disbelief at the one remaining cog you have left to shift into, then, just when you think you have got over the worst of it bang...another incline hits you. This goes on and on for the whole twenty..so much for taking it easy over the winter.
Tonight, I got half way through the session, which fortunately took place at the back of my garage and not on the real course. Suddenly I just ran out of energy. I was drinking water not an energy drink, not a good decision, I was on my carbon bike for minimum weight up the hill, didn't help!!! Suddenly -nothing, not exhausted, not a heart rate over 220, not even bored I was loving it. Just nothing. The good thing about a turbo trainer though was I could step off half way up the hill, step through two doors into the kitchen, then gorge myself like Belushi in animal house stuffing four Cinnamon cakes, a yogurt and an oatmeal bar into me as I climbed back onto the bike and about five inches of a bottle of coke went down my throat as I climbed the next monster rise on the trip. Energy restored I completed a fantastic session on my machine. Now...this was hardly an athletes diet but it put the carbs I needed back into me in seconds and let me finish my planned session. It just shows the importance of diet and stuffing the back pockets with all the food you need.... a good tip when you can't take the mountain to the kitchen. So to answer my question- you can bonk on a turbo trainer, and its safe bonking if your kitchen is stocked up....

Never trust a doctor

My friends sent this story from the BBC to me about a doctor testing his new carbon bike costing £1000 against his £50 bike and finding the £50 bike was quicker. Well research can be easily distorted. First of all what kind of a carbon bike do you get for £1000? Secondly if you have a nice bike you tend to be a bit more careful with it. That slows you down. Third, and most important, I have timed my carbon compared to my steel and it is faster!!! Those of you that have read my other blogs will be aware that a couple of us are planning to test our time trial bikes against the normal bike and if we need to test carbon v steel more formally we will. Ultimately though you don't buy a Ferrari to do 180mph on the motorway - you will soon get caught- you buy it because it looks good and makes you feel good. A carbon bike is the same just costs a lot less, so the Doctor is wrong and if you want carbon get carbon

 

It's not about the bike

By Philippa Roxby Health reporter, BBC News

More people than ever are cycling to work

It's a no-brainer. Cycling is good for you. It keeps you fit, gets you out in the fresh air and is kind to the environment.

Cycling to work is more popular than ever, because it's an easy way of fitting exercise into the daily routine and it doubles as transport.
According to the government, "regular exercise like cycling halves your chances of suffering from heart disease, and helps to prevent strokes, diabetes, and some kinds of cancer.
"Your blood pressure and resting heart rate will be lower, and you'll feel more awake and less stressed."It's not always about getting there first.”And it can save a fortune. Or can it?
Dr Jeremy Groves, a consultant anaesthetist at Chesterfield Royal Hospital and self-confessed cycling fan, discovered that, "spending a lot of money on a bicycle for commuting is not necessarily going to get you to work more quickly".Dr Groves' set up a trial to test whether his new, lightweight carbon-framed bicycle (which cost £1000) was any faster than his second-hand steel-framed bike bought for £50.
Heavy or light? For six months he tossed a coin each morning to decide which bike to use - and then timed the journey.

Dr Groves compared his commuting times on a heavy and a light bicycle

His study, published in the British Medical Journal, found that there was no measurable difference in commuting time over the 27 miles from Sheffield to his place of work and back.
The average journey time using his heavy, old bike was 1 hour 47 minutes and the average journey for the new, lighter new bike was 1 hour 48 minutes.
"A reduction in the weight of the cyclist rather than that of the bicycle may deliver great benefit at reduced cost," the study says.
Dr Groves declares himself "disappointed" to find out that his financial investment was giving him no extra time in bed and no less time on the road.We are tempted by the fact it's new, so it must be better...”

End Quote Dr Jeremy Groves

"I could have invested that money in better cycle clothing and in tarting up the lights on my bike instead," he said.

Tax break
His findings are also disappointing for those who have used the government's Cycle to Work scheme to buy the bike of their dreams at a discounted price, thanks to tax exemption.
Why invest in a Chris Boardman streamlined two-wheeler and turn into a MAMIL (middle aged man in lycra) - we all know one - if it's not going to save a bit of time and energy?
"It's not always about getting there first," says Philip Ingham from British Cycling.
"Although lighter bikes can go more quickly, their thinner tyres make them more fragile and more vulnerable to punctures. Mountain bikes, in contrast, have big tyres, strong brakes and often feel safer to ride."
If given the choice between riding the heavy or light bike, Dr Groves says he would choose the former.
"I get there just as quickly, and it is more comfortable, better value, and has more character," he confesses.
Sir Chris Hoy would undoubtedly take issue with his choice, but Dr Groves has a theory.
"Evidence-based medicine shows us that brand new medication is often not much different from generic medicine - but we are tempted by the fact it's new, so it must be better.
"The same is true of bicycles," he says.
Dr Groves isn't entirely downcast though.
"Cycling for me is a great hobby. It gets me out in the fresh air, keeps me healthy, is carbon neutral and, provided I don't buy any more bikes, is a cost effective way to travel."

It's kind of like adoption

Have you had a look at the ride to work scheme? They come under all sorts of different names, cycle plus and ride to work being just two of them. The way it works is that your work place buys a bike for you through one of the suppliers. You can also buy clothing or safety equipment. Some of the schemes have a maximum amount of £1000 others its up to you. You then pay it back over twelve months interest free and minus your tax and national insurance. For the higher rate tax payer that means you are paying less than half price for everything! Any company can do it, even if it is your, as long as you pay yourself a salary...So it's kind of like adoption, most of the fun, half the cost and half the pain. Give it a go you have nothing to lose.

This is my one, a talon 2 from Moreton Cycles, picked it up on Thursday for just £375 instead of £750 along with £250 worth of kit for £125 What a bargain!

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-gb/bikes/model/talon.2/7877/45530/



Features

Key Upgrades (from Talon 3):
- RockShox Dart 2 TK, 100mm travel fork
- Shimano Deore 27 speed shifters and SLX rear derailleur
- Shimano Alivio Octalink chainset
- Giant Connect handlebar, stem and seat post
- Sizes: S (16”), M (18”), L (20”), XL (21”)
- Colour: White/Blue/Black



What is the difference between bikes and kids?

I once told my son he made it easy for me to pick my favourite child, now before you tell me what a bad Dad I am, I didn't tell him which end of the scale he was at. He told me I wasn't allowed to do that, I had to love them all the same, and he's right I do and ... I do. Bikes are different. They know that you love them, they know that you love them different though. It depends what you are doing, how well you are doing it and what your favourite cycling sport is. Take the winter hack, we love them a little less than our new carbon even though they were our first arrival. It's a funny thing emotion and out of our control. So don't worry if you miss your bike as much as you miss the kids when you go away it really is natural.

 Just don't tell your partner you have worked out your emotions thanks to my blog, I am not qualified to give this sort of advice

In the picture is my new arrival, the Giant trinity.It's been here a while now but it has been too cold to do the usual male thing with a new arrival. Strip them naked and hold them up to take a picture you can embarrass them with at their 18th birthday party. Well, I'm happy to do that with a child but not with Trinity, (what a name, just like the lady in Matrix, I have my own Trinity - wow). She has stayed in until it was warm enough for me to clean her up and put her together. So, she's now ready, just need the ice to go and more importantly the salt. Still its all set up ready to be unleashed, just need the weather. Meanwhile it is back to the VR turbo, indoor 20 mile ride and some track today. Luxury.

Just one other thought, for those of you who don't think the bikes come from somewhere special take a look at the family resemblance between trinity and my first born 'defy' and tell me they arn't from the same genetic strain.

Cold Case Detectives

I'm told there is a series on TV based on real life 'cold case detectives'. This is a relatively new field of crime detection made possible by advances in DNA technology and a new detective process I will call 'go back and ask them again'. The way it works is like this. Detectives go back to the files and evidence for crimes like murder and rape and work their way through the evidence again. They go to speak to witnesses and ask them again 'do you know who did it'. People move on, relationships end and people fall out. They now take the opportunity to get revenge  on their former loves and tell the police who dunnit. There is a danger here of course. People who are jealous, angry or spurned take the opportunity to name someone who didn't do it just for kicks. So how many people are in gaol having been wrongly accused. Well hopefully none. This is where the DNA kicks in. Having been given a new suspect the police use new DNA technology to link the suspect to the crime. If they can't or the offender doesn't confess all then the crime remains unsolved.
It is an expensive and time consuming method of investigating crime which is why it is reserved for the most serious of offences- murder, rape, torture. The police don't tend to investigate ten year old burglaries. Nor, if I went to tell them about the 18 year old girl that broke my heart 29 years ago smoking cannabis, would they track her down and bust her. Of course not, we wouldn't want our police spending our money like this, it just isn't worth it.
It's different if you are a member of the food and drug administration. You are happy to spend Americans dollars investigating crimes that took place (allegedly) in Europe. I am of course back on the subject of Lance Armstrong. The most tested man on the planet has always come back negative. Technology hasn't changed that much and all they have is Floyd Landis's confession that he used them so Lance must have. Hey - listen- people in my office may have used drugs but I haven't. Is Floyd another jealous, angry individual feeling more of that gravy should have spilled of Lance's plate onto his. There was no evidence then and is there any reason to look for it now. No.. there are better things to spend money on than someone who showed everyone what people are physically capable of. Is it so hard to believe this could have been achieved without the help of illegal substances? Mankind regularly turns out individuals that amaze us all, Gandhi, Churchill, Lincoln, scientists, explorers and - of course - athletes, How many times was Schumacher world champion. Were they all on drugs? Not for a minute do I think so. Well carry on food and drink administration, keep tarnishing the reputation of the greatest athlete your country has ever produced and, perhaps, at the same time you could bring the Livestrong trust crashing down. Shame on you and, my message, let it go; there is nothing to find. And America... stop letting them waste your dollars... It could be they are just enjoying the opportunity to do a tour of Europe at your expense.

Sydney body art Ride -We have to do this in the UK

I came across this site while whittling away the non-cycling hours. Started by Freddy Mercury some decades ago, naked or semi-naked cycling appears to be on the rise. The people in the picture have a small amount of cloth to cover their modesty then turn their bodies into works of art. Inspired by the Tate Art such as a dead cow I can now see how my body could be transformed into a thing of beauty with my wife's left over lipstick and mascara saving valuable pounds to invest in Wiggles on-line cycling shop. So-come on Britain, are we going to let the Aussies beat us. As I write this the Ashes could go either way, they are coming for us on the track and their road racers are held back only by the incredible Cav. So if you are up for it let's prove we can be the most repulsive naked cyclists in the world. E-mail me if you are up for it and I will organise it along with the disguises especially if we go for it in the cold.

Its Winter so it has to be OK



I was thinking about my thoughts on street lighting in yesterdays posting and it got me to thinking about the weather of course..For those of you who are waking from a one week drunken stupor or living abroad in Sunnier climates - I have noticed India, Singapore, Argentina and the USA on the blog- we in England are suffering from our earliest winter in living memory. Temperatures are falling-minus 10 tomorrow I am told and snow is shutting down many of our roads and airports. It amazes me that we just can't clear the stuff or we grind to a halt simply because of the wicked white stuff.

So what do we people whose lives revolve around the two wheeled machines do when riding is impossible? Well first of all respect to those of you out there still riding through the snow (are you sure you should be doing that?). I hope you are keeping upright and I hope you find a way to warm up quickly. There are other options though. First of all the indoor trainer - traditional rollers are fantastic if you love the stress brought about with the fear of flying forward as you come of the edge of the things. Then there is the turbo trainer. The ultimate version being the Tacx virtual reality I have talked about in previous blogs. It's social too you know. You can link over the Internet and even chat with someone in New York while riding through Germany. Or bring your mates round for an evening of track racing in the lounge, You may need to move the furniture into the garage though so the kids can watch TV. Then there are other activities, swimming is great for core strength,the gym for specific muscle development, think about squash, 5 a side football or Morris dancing, after all the competition for the most ridiculous clothing must be won by them or us.

Ultimately though, to beat those winter blues try to fit a few rides in outside, on holiday if you can, wrapped up nice and warm if you can't. Remember the timings will drop. Book your next race or sportive as a goal for early next year and ......do you know something....like the happy chappy in the picture...it's OK to put a few pounds on over the winter. It keeps the cold away and makes you very attractive to ....well possibly just yourself but who cares. Stay safe and be sensible.

Bumping about in the Dark

Now winter is upon us and our day goes dark around 5pm, the subject of daylight and safety are often found in the same sentences uttered by cyclists. Let me start by asking a question. When you get home and it goes dark do you turn off all the lights? If you answered no think again. At some point you must go to bed. Most of us at this point turn off our lights, unless we are a bit scared of the dark. Now my next question- have you ever got up in the middle of the night to go the toilet or get a drink? Have you ever decided not to disturb every one so you leave the lights off? If so I would bet the mortgage (yours not mine) that you have stubbed a toe, walked into a wall or dropped something on the floor with a clatter that wakes every one anyway. Where am I going with this and what does it have to do with cycling? Here we go then. Many councils are thinking of switching street lights off to save money. Many cycling organisations are concerned about the safety of cyclists if this happened. Well, although I love cycling I have to say I think it will risk the safety of everyone.

So what to do.... My opinion..... stick with me again I am going somewhere... when you drive home in the dark at 5pm how many people do you see? 100's? If you drive home at 10pm how many people do you see and how many cars are on the road, down to about 25% of the 5pm rush? What about midnight, or 2am hardly anyone and here is a question, unless you are doing a 24 hour event who rides past midnight? I know some will particularly if you use it for work so feel free to tell me how committed you are or should be!

My point: councils need to save money,so, perhaps they should think about how they can reduce the risk over gain, my suggestion - switch the lights off at midnight and settle on saving half the money and let people get home safely especially with the ice and snow out there.... Take care and cover yourself with lights.