I’ve been lusting after them all year and finally I cracked. In reality it was less a case of cracking and more a case of not being able to turn down a bargain.
Originally I had wanted them in black or white, but why follow the crowd? Yes, the bargain I got in Prologue Bikes played a part but as my girlfriend points out, the blue works well with my club kit.
This means I now have two pairs of shoes: one white, one blue, something to cover every mood and look.
Next on the shopping list: Bont MTB-one shoes for the cyclocross season. It’s either them or a pair of Mavic Furys on the wishlist. Then again, it might be worth just settling for something from Specialized as I know they fit, they’re well-priced and do the job.
Also to sort out: My Cyclescheme purchase which is going to be a Ridley Crossbow.
So first cyclocross race of the season done and dusted. I’d forgotten just how much it hurts and how much fun it is. That’s me on the right, somewhere between complete power failure mid-race and power-slide-gone-wrong fall on the penultimate lap.
It’s all done in sharp contrast to road racing in terms of the sense of enjoyment and general good humour.
On Saturday, at Hillingdon, I rode a 4th category road race where a bunch of men all shouted at each other like a bunch of drunks trying to get served at the bar over every perceived infringement.
There was abundant pointless swearing and shouting rather than communication. Far too much “hold your line” from people who don’t know what the drops are for – I say this in the context of being someone who doesn’t generally do bunch sprints but can take back ten places in a corner by getting on the drops.
On Sunday, at the Gunpowder Park course, the leaders politely called “on your left” or “on your right” as they came bundling past me and almost every rider was looking out for each other and encouraging their fellow competitors.
My race started well, I moved up through traffic until I managed to unclip my left foot on the entrance to the horrid middle section and went backwards to my usual spot.
That middle section remained purgatory for the entire race: grassed-over reclaimed ground that was hard as concrete and as uneven as badly-laid cobbles.
Perhaps my tyre pressures were too high or I’m just rubbish. Either way I could not get going through there and on around lap 5 had a total meltdown, practically grinding to a halt in frustration.
The other sections were plenty of fun and the sort of thing that I really enjoy.
The infield grass and paths around the start/finish were sweeping and fast, allowing me to get up some pace and throw the bike about in the corners. Note to self: long grass makes good alternative to brakes for scrubbing off speed on entrance/exit of corners.
The back section consisted of several off-camber traverses and switchback corners that involved dismounts. I think Luke from Rapha managed to fall off at least three times to my one.
I’m out of practice when it comes to dismounts but my remounts aren’t too bad which allowed me to past a few people who were struggling to get going again.
I did come a cropper on the penultimate lap when I ambitiously tried to powerslide one downhill corner and lost the back end. Knocked my bars out a bit and I seem to have done some minor damage to my left-hand shifter. Mostly dented dignity and bruised hip.
Unlike Rene who managed to break his seatpin bolt before the race and had to borrow one. He still beat me by at least a lap. I finished 2 laps down on the winner which isn’t bad – usually I aim to finish within 3 laps of them, so that counts as good going.
The great thing about cross is that everyone mucks in, there’s plenty of kids events and it doesn’t hurt too much when you fall off. Had next weekend’s not been cancelled, I’d be looking forward to it already. Instead I’ve got to try and keep in shape for two weeks for the next opportunity.
Last week, during the World Championships, Sky News ran the news package below, about the Call For Sexual Equality In Sport, based on the news that the UCI is to insist on parity between men’s and women’s events at London 2012.
More’s the pity that they couldn’t keep Cooke, but it’s not like they’ve gone wanting. A glance at the season’s results has them and Columbia-HTC as placing riders in the front group of almost every race of note this season, be it for stages or overall.
I have to say I feel sorry for Nicole Cooke whose season as World and Olympic champion has been more cursed than most.
Setting up Vision 1 Racing was an ambitious project, more so given the lack of a headline sponsor from the outset. But you don’t do a unique double like hers without pushing outside your comfort zone and being ambitious in your goals.
It clearly seems to have taken its toll on her racing form which hardly seems surprising now. It can’t be easy trying to get a team off the ground with the weight of expectation entirely on your own shoulders?
Increasingly I’ve been questioning the levels of equality in the British side of the sport, especially given the establishment of Team Sky. Here’s what the press release said about its aims:
Team Sky will aim to:
Create the first British winner of the Tour de France, within five years.
Inspire people of all ages and abilities to get on their bikes, through the team’s positive profile, attitude and success.
Add further support to competitive cycling in Great Britain.
OK, aim number one is the shoot for the stars headline, but the other two are the meat of what this about, right?
I don’t see any support for women’s cycle sport in anything announced to date.
Could an Olympic and World Champion not be an inspiration to the roughly 50% of the population who are female? Or the hugely personable Pooley and Armitstead?
Or the countless other young talents who are apparently having to make their own way along the road while their male counterparts can see a clear transition from U23/Espoirs to the seniors, potentially on a British team? where’s that path for the women?
I’m not trying to start a fight here, I just think that this is a really important part of the strategy that is missing. And I’ve yet to hear it properly addressed.
Let’s dispatch a few of the obvious get-outs:
No one else is doing it – you mean apart from Columbia-HTC and Cervelo Test Team. British Cycling managed to come up with a deal to run Halfords Bikehut to ensure Nicole Cooke’s double in 2008.
There’s not the depth of talent there – Italy’s women looked pretty deep on talent, likewise The Netherlands and GB isn’t short either with Cooke/Pooley/Armitstead. And if you’re going to develop the talent, as GB have done, where are they meant to go?
There’s seems to be an increasingly long list of British women coming through with serious talent and no English-speaking team to go into. Rosters aren’t big, 13 seems about average, and the pool is getting big enough to support another team.
They race a busy calendar but at half the size of the men’s team, the costs are lower. Plus economies of scale mean that run in the same setup they can use many of the same resources.
So anyone got any answers, or am I going to have to go out and get them myself?
