The road less travelled

Posted: November 25, 2012 in cycling
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For over thirty years a training group has left the old ESB offices in Carrick at 9 am every Sunday morning. Some winters that has been put back to 9.30 am in order to allow frosty roads to thaw out. At least 50 out of every 52 Sunday mornings the group heads up the Clonmel road and expands as it picks up riders from Kilsheelan, Clonmel, Fethard, Cashel and Cahir.

Heading down the road this morning I noticed a strong headwind which meant that the group should be slightly ahead of time with the wind on its back. By the time I reached Merck I wondered if someone had punctured. By Dove Hill I knew it must have been one of the 2 out of 52 Sundays that the group had gone in a different direction on a road less travelled and so it was time for me to do the same.

With the wind coming from the east, Waterford was on the cards to provide a tailwind home. The lure of the sea then made its presence felt and I decided that it was a while since I felt the salty sea breeze on my face so the coast beckoned.

Passing the turnoff for Portlaw the red and yellow Comeragh Train came steaming along the road. Plenty of waves and hello’s from the friendly bunch with Ciarán Power collecting tickets at the back beckoning me to join them. I was tempted but the sea was now calling.

Pockets of crisp mist hung over fields along the banks of the Suir as Slivenamon lay like a sleeping giant in the background. It was a lovely morning to be out on the bike, so far.

Going through Kilmeaden I spotted a road that I had not travelled before so swung a right and headed off into the hills. I knew the general direction that I wanted to be pointed but each unsignposted crossroad presented a moments challenge. I wasn’t alone in my meandering as I passed a fellow Lone Ranger in full UCD regalia who was so concentrated on choosing the correct direction that he didn’t even notice my wave and greeting.

Between Kill and Ballyduff the sky turned grey and fell lower and lower. Then just as I hit the two hour mark the rain began to fall, and fall and fall .

On the road to Bonmahon I passed a few more guys out for their Sunday morning training spin on their own and exchanged nods, waves and hellos.

Then came a guy on a flash bike with deep section carbon wheels who was confused about what to do when a fellow cyclist says hello. 15 bike lengths behind was another guy who was less flashy but more friendly.

In Bonmahon itself I felt my rear tyre softening so I stopped to pump it up overlooking about a dozen guys out surfing. I was now almost as wet as they were so didn’t spend long spectating.

On into Kilmacthomas and the rear tyre was really going flat so now I was on the lookout for somewhere sheltered to pull in. Flahavans had already provided me with breakfast and fuel for the spin and now the shelter of their entrance provided a respite from the now bucketing rain.

Out onto the main road at Mahon bridge without a single thought of going up Mahon Falls I turned right and was soon met by one of the Dungarvan groups who were all concentrating hard on the road back home.

Left for Rathgormack and a small stream was now flowing down the hill against me as I now realised that I would be cutting it fine for The wizard of Oz. Time to drive on a bit.

With no one else to talk to for the four hour spin other than the voice in my head thoughts were flying in and out.

One that lasted was the importance of acknowledging fellow cyclists on the road. Passing many lone cyclists today I wondered about reasons why they were not out with clubs or in groups. It can be intimidating for any cyclist to go out for the first time with a club or group. If more experienced cyclists pass fellow cyclists without any recognition it will not encourage new members to take the plunge.

Cycling is a great leveller. On the bike it doesn’t matter if you are a doctor or on the dole. Out on the road everyone is just ‘a cyclist’ and that’s something we’ll worth recognising.

Barry

Www.worldwidecycles.com

Too big for his Bonts !

Posted: November 8, 2012 in bradley wiggins, Team sky cycling
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This evening, just after 6 pm I was cycling home from work and thinking about what had happened 24 hours earlier. It was dark but dry and cool. At the same time last evening as darkness had fallen this years Tour de France victor Bradley Wiggins was knocked off his bike by a lady in a van who was pulling out of a petrol station. There followed a huge outpouring of concern about the welfare of the great champion. Multiple police cars had rushed to the scene along with the fallen heroes wife and children. Most of the cycling world joined the British public on the edge of their keyboards waiting to see how serious the injuries were.

Ribs and wrist broken, was the initial diagnosis given by the Twitter medical department. The Twitter tabloid department then relayed the descriptions of the Tour champion doubled over in anguish having to endure further torrents of acute pain as he hobbled over in his cycling shoes trying to restrain his wife from attacking the unfortunate young lady who was driving the van. Next came relief as the Twitter medical department came back online with the news that it was just bruised ribs and hand with the Olympic champion being held in hospital for observation overnight.

Cycling home this evening I took notice of a few things. Approaching roundabouts, junctions and petrol stations I always try to make eye contact with the driver. If I fail, I take it as given that they don’t see me and act accordingly. If Bradley was doing this last evening he might have been home much sooner. I’m usually lit up like a Christmas Tree with a Light & Motion 400 Lumen light along with a flashing Fibre Flare on front and have 2 Blackburn flashing LED’S and another Fibre Flare on the rear plus a hi-viz jacket. Drivers still sometimes manage not to see me but I expect that so it isn’t a major issue. It would be interesting to see how well lit up Wiggins was last night.

I tried to look ahead of the lights of oncoming traffic and noticed how difficult in poorly lit areas it is to see what is on the road ahead of cars travelling in the opposite direction and wondered if the team car travelling behind Wiggins was lighting the road ahead from his point of view but hiding him from oncoming traffic.

The blanket coverage given to the accident in the media is great as it raises awareness of cyclists in the minds of motorists but one part that I hope is not picked up be mainstream media is the picture of Wiggins as he was driven away from the hospital today.

For a man who proclaims to hate being seen as a celebrity, and someone who constantly talks about how much he wants to be just a normal guy and who shaved of his trade mark sideburns to avoid being recognised he is sometimes a contradiction in terms. A normal guy or a truly professional sportsman would never think of raising his middle finger towards a cameraman as he is being driven home. This is the type of behaviour normally associated with criminals leaving court or boozed up Rock stars on the way down hill. This is not acceptable behaviour for a Sports champion.

Using extreme foul language in a press conference at this years Tour whilst in yellow was extremely disrespectful, especially from someone who constantly effuses his passion for the history of the sport.

As team leader of a cycling team sponsored by a media company it is amazing how unprofessional his media conduct can be, but perhaps this says something about the people at the head of that media company itself too. Some call it refreshing and perhaps they are right, but personally I prefer to watch the antics of someone like Peter Sagan who can be entertaining without being obnoxious.

Winning the Tour and being seen as a clean rider gains a huge amount of Kudos. But to treat a person, a group of fans or a nation of supporters with respect costs nothing but it really does mean a lot. If Bradley Wiggins really does want to be seen as just an ordinary guy on the street he should treat people with the respect any ordinary guy on the street would do.

Barry

http://www.worldwidecycles.com

 

 

Guinness is the answer

Posted: November 6, 2012 in pat mcquaid
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Guinness is the answer but what is the question ? Well the question is what can save cycling ? and the answer really might be as simple as a few pints of Guinness.

Pat McQuaid as president of the UCI is the most powerful man in world cycling. Paul Kimmage is the crusading journalist who has dedicated his lifes work to exposing the cheats within the sport. Both men are from the greater Dublin area. Both grew up in homes obsessed with cycling and both have loved the sport from a young age.

The McQuaid and Kimmage families are probably the two best known cycling families in Ireland. Their fathers raced against each other, Pat being a few years older did not race against Paul but their brothers raced against each other at the highest levels. For many years there was always a Kimmage or a McQuaid on every Irish national cycling team. In 1991 Pauls brother Kevin aka ‘Jacko’ won the Ras and in 1995 Pats brother Paul also won Ireland’s greatest race.

When Paul Kimmage achieved Ireland’s greatest ever placing at the amateur World Championships by finishing 6th in 1985 the Irish team manager on the day was one Pat McQuaid.

From then on their paths diverged.

Kimmage became a pro and was one of the fab four. Kelly, Roche, Early and Kimmage were the heroes of a generation of young Irish cycling fans much like the beatles were to music lovers of the sixties.

What they were achieving on the continent was incredible but it wasn’t until the Nissan Classic showcased their talent on Irish soil that they were fully appreciated in their homeland. The ‘Nissan’ gave young Irish fans access to these new found heroes and a whole generation were inspired to get out on their bikes and try to follow in the wheel tracks of the ‘Fab four’. The main man behind organising the Nissan Classics was again none other than Pat McQuaid.

It wasn’t the only time he managed to bring cyclings’ elite level riders to our shores. He was also responsible for securing the start of the 1998 Tour de France on Irish soil.

For teenagers who were inspired to take up cycling, often they pretended to be one of their heroes. On the road from Carrick to Clonmel you were Kelly in Time trial mode. An imaginary Jimmy McGee was commentating in your ear as Bonnie Tyler sang in the background. Up around the hairpin bend on the mountain road you were Roche coming into view on La Plagne with Phil Liggett getting all excited. At the end of a spin lashing around the corners on the way back into town you were Early taking the final corner on the way to a Tour stage win in Pau. But on Sunday when you were hanging on for dear life on the spin around Ballymac, needing to dig a little deeper and in search of the tenacity to fight to hold the wheel in front you were Kimmage and you always made it back into Carrick in the group.

For a small country Ireland tends to have a disproportionate effect on global affairs. After the great depression they went out and rebuilt America. Right now Aer Lingus planes leaving Shannon bound for New York are full of Irish Carpenters, Electricians, Plumbers and Brickies all ready to get stuck in rebuilding areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The Irish may have a huge role to play in rebuilding cycling after the current turmoil but will have to get over the nations other favourite pass-time of fighting amongst themselves first.

Many Irish pubs have a snug. A small area with access to the bar but separated from the rest of the pub by frosted glass. Many a priest has heard confession in the snug and many a barman has heard a whole lot more. There is no surveillance device known to man that can pick up on conversations that take place in a snug. Perhaps Paul Kimmage and Pat McQuaid should meet up for a few pints in a snug.

With no money grabbing Laywers or hurlers on the ditch around and no clowns like your man from Skins trying to gain exposure from others adversity interfering they might be able to have an open and frank conversation.

Regarding that Skins guy who only began cycling sponsorship in 2008 and is looking for $2 million he might want to look in the mirror and ask why he didn’t turn on his computer and press the keys g.o.o.g.l.e.  followed by c.y.c.l.i.n.g. space,  d.o.p.i.n.g. if he was so concerned about negative effects on his business before entering into any sponsorship agreements. As the famous Spratty once said ‘ Steady Trapper, get of a that wheel Bubba !’

Over the first pint their might be a lot a name calling like f****r and b****cks but by the second they would have that out of their systems and begin to mellow a little. Over the third they might find a mutual acquaintance to take the piss out of and by the fourth they might reminisce about a good shared experience in the past. By the fifth pint a few apologies might be proffered and then there would be a row over each trying to take the blame upon themselves. After the sixth they might have their arms around each other and be singing ‘A Nation once again’ .

Meeting over breakfast the following morning could be the decisive moment. If Pat were to ask Paul to become his vice president at the UCI in charge of anti-doping a whole new era for cycling could begin. Pat, who has made mistakes in the past, has all the connections and handles the political side of cycling but Paul could be the vicious anti doping terrier who would have any cyclist considering doping shaking in their Northwave shoes. It would also be the ultimate way for cycling to regain some credibility with the general public.

Last Sunday out on a 3 hour spin in a group of almost 50  it was noticable how little talk there was of Armstrong or McQuaid or Kimmage. The general cycling public just want to get out and enjoy riding their bikes. When I got home, after a nice dinner that Ciara cooked I threw myself down on the couch only to be assaulted by two kids and a dog, and I was happy out. Then I casually picked up my phone and flicked around various sites reading about claims and counter claims and a thought struck me. Neither Paul Kimmage or Pat McQuaid could have been relaxed and at ease with an easy mind last Sunday.

Back when we were pretending to be our heroes out on the road it made you go faster. Having the right frame of mind pushed you on but there was a reverse side too. I remember one day going up Knocklofty hill I began to think about the 200 lines of ‘I must not fly paper aeroplanes in class’ that I had to do when I got home and I hadn’t even made the bloody thing. Suddenly the power went from my legs and I really struggled to make it to the top of the hill. The BCF and their sports psychiatrist Steve Peters understand all about the effects of how the mind works on producing results in races. If the two main protagonists in cycling are focussing their efforts on trying to bring each other down the whole sport can only suffer as a consequence.

Imagine if Pat McQuaid and Paul Kimmage could settle their differences over a pint of Guinness rather than in a court room, and if they could then go on with clear heads to work together how much could be accomplished by two men who deep down really do love the sport of cycling.

As for David Walsh who has also done huge work in exposing drug cheats in cycling, there are many other sports that really need his passion for exposing the truth to be focussed on them and it would be greedy of cycling to try to hang on to him too.

Barry

http://www.worldwidecycles.com

The good, the bad, the ugly and the pure !

Posted: November 1, 2012 in armstrong, bike pure
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Lance Armstrong has been famous for quiet some time now, but in the past few weeks he has become one of the most infamous people on the planet. On the face of it there have been a few stages on his journey to Global infamy which could be labelled as follows ;

The good :

Leaving aside the way in which he achieved domination in the Worlds greatest bike race over a seven record breaking year period, his tour victories were inspirational for many people. The people who drew most inspiration from his recovery from Cancer and journey to sporting success were his fellow Cancer sufferers. I personally saw two people in a Cancer ward both reading his book ‘It’s not about the bike’. For patients and their families his story gave hope where it was hard to find. For the best part of a decade he was the shining light of inspiration when patients searched for a way to fight the disease.

Whilst a positive attitude cannot cure Cancer what it can do is improve the quality of your life during cancer treatment and beyond. You may be more likely to stay active, maintain ties to family and friends, and continue social activities. In turn, this may enhance your feeling of well-being and help you find the strength to deal with your cancer. Lance Armstrongs’ story helped to give that positive attitude and did help enhance the lives of thousands of very sick people.

Cycling fans throughout the globe enjoyed watching his dominant style and at the time he brought cycling from the back page of newspapers to the front cover. He also brought a whole new audience to the sport. All of this at the time was good.

The Bad :

He lied and cheated his way to the top of the cycling World. As the truth has unfolded he has taken a percentage of hope away from current Cancer patients and their families.  He has also affected the final memories of some whose loved ones have lost the battle.

He bullied and bad mouthed anyone who crossed him. He put other riders in a corner where drug taking was the only option. Whilst he is not the first or last cyclist, or sportsperson for that matter to cheat and take performance enhancing drugs, he did it like a stereotypical Texan, bigger and better than anyone else.

His exposure, along with many others, has led to perception within the general public that all cyclists take drugs and that it is an unhealthy environment for any young athlete. This is a huge disservice to a beautiful sport that can have a massive array of benefits to offer any person who is lucky enough to plonk their ass on a saddle.

The ugly :

The worldwide media today is carrying reports that a 9 meter effigy of Lance Armstrong is to be burned in a bonfire in Edenbridge in Kent with a badge around its’ neck saying ‘Jim fixed it for me’ in reference to the late television presenter Jimmy Saville. Someone who has been accused of widespread child abuse. This is a step too far. There is a gulf of difference in Armstrong’s deeds and those of  Saville and to link the two distracts from the important issues that need to be addressed in sport.

With such a vitriolic attitude towards Armstrong many are focussing on their animosity towards one man rather than putting their thoughts and efforts towards the creation of a clean environment where any talented cyclist or athlete can honestly expect to achieve the success that they are naturally capable of.

The pure : When the sensationalism surrounding Armstrong passes organisations like Bikepure look set to be at the forefront in the creation of a new level of fairness within cycling by highlighting the efforts of riders who have committed to ‘Bike pure’ .There is much to be gained by encouraging athletes to publicly commit to being ‘clean’ and honest rather than just trying to catch the cheats with anti-doping tests. The tests did not catch Armstrong and during his era there were more cheats than honest riders but the tipping point may have now been reached where honesty and integrity are traits the new generation of cyclists want to be role models for.

 

Barry

http://www.worldwidecycles.com

The Dream Machine

Posted: October 28, 2012 in rapparee, worldwidecycles
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Part of what makes life worthwhile is the anticipation of getting something that you really, really want. Whether that be a watch or a car, a house or a pair of shoes, it’s often the case that the looking forward is almost as good as the attainment. For cyclists the item that dominates day dreams and night dreams is often a bicycle and for younger cyclists the dream is all the more vivid.

I can remember sitting down the back of the class in school next to Ray designing and speccing out our dream bikes. We had full lists of campag, mavic and shimano components when we should have been looking at poetry and Peig. Ray had the full design of a Peugeot 531 pro and I had gone for something a little different. Having seen Colm, Alan and Ken Maye along with many other top riders aboard exotic machines bearing the name Rapparee which were  designed and built by their father Des in his workshop in Clonard County Meath, my heart was set on having one.

A summer of milking cows and pulling ragweed set the Rapparee fund in motion. Incessantly regaling my parents with the benefits of a Rapparee for months made way for the top up needed to finish off the fund. Then after speaking to Des on the phone one Saturday morning my Father and I set off to the foreign location of Clonard near Enfield in County Meath. Des took all of my measurements for the bespoke frame set. But then came the really important part.

In the midst of posters of Kelly, Roche, Fignon and LeMond on my bedroom walls always stood a poster of a bright red Ferrari. I could only dream about owning a Ferrari but the Ferrari of bikes was within my grasp and my heart was set on having a Ferrari replica bike.

Hours and hours were spent with an A4 notepad, a pencil and ruler and red,yellow and black markers. I handed the final product of my artistic endeavours over to Des with a small amount of trepidation, wondering if he would be able to share my dream.

A few weeks later the frameset was ready and off we set on the road to County Meath again. I was excited and nervous all at once and was willing my Father on to get there as fast as the Nissan Laurel would go. We got there eventually and when Des handed me the finished product my face must have given my verdict away as I looked up to see both Des and my Father smiling back at me. I couldn’t believe how Des had managed to finish it exactly as I had hoped for but was afraid to build my hopes up to. Even the Rapparee logo resembled Ferraris prancing horse.

I built up the bike with Mavic headset, chainset and gear levers. Campag Veloce brakes and Mavic GP4 rims on Mavic hubs. Cinelli Criterium bars and stem and a Rolls saddle on a Campag record seat post.

The bike served me well and even managed to be first across the line on a number of occasions.

Sadly the dream ended after a few years when other distractions took over from the bike and my racing career came to a halt. Priorities changed and one evening a chat with a friend who was selling a car but looking for a nice bike led to a bit of wheeling and dealing. The dream machine was traded for a Lancia Delta Integrale with fully blacked out windows, a Pioneer cd head unit and a fire extinguisher. I knew someone looking for a fire extinguisher and managed to get £70 for it so that sealed the deal.

Over the years every now and then I would think about my old Rapparee and feel a slight sense of regret at having parted with it. Then one day, not so long ago I was in the shop when a guy I knew from Town walked in. He asked if we took in bikes that people were getting rid of. He was clearing out his shed and needed to dispose of a bike. Actually it was one of my old bikes with my name on the top tube.

We don’t normally just take in old bikes as there is a cost in disposing of them, but when he went out to the car and walked back in with my old Rapparee I was delighted to be reunited with my old steed.

Many of the parts have been changed but now I have a little project for myself to restore the Rapparee back to its former glory and I look forward to taking it back out on the open road again one day.

Barry

http://www.worldwidecycles.com

A cynical day for Rabobank.

Posted: October 19, 2012 in rabobank
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Today Rabobank announced that it was ceasing it’s sponsorship of it’s professional cycling team at the end of this year. The Dutch bank has been the title sponsor of all levels of cycling in Holland since 1996. Their support of cycling was huge and very beneficial but their departure at this moment in time is a cynical manoeuvre that will leave a bitter taste in the mouths of many cycling fans.

Announcing the termination they cited the main reason being last weeks USADA report and their belief that “It is with pain in our heart, but for the bank this is an inevitable decision. We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport,” they said. “We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future.”

If the use of performance enhancing drugs was the real reason that Rabobank was terminating their sponsorship they would have gone during their many previous controversies not least of which was the Michael Rasmussen affair.

The real reason they are leaving is simple economics. Like all banks they are going through a turbulent time. Their advertising budget has been severely curtailed. When was the last time you saw one of their ads on tv with the blue morph suited guys wearing giro aero helmets backwards ? or when was the last time Sean Moncrief was encouraging you to put your money in their safe bank on the radio ?

The 15 million spent each year on the professional cycling team was more than they could justify to shareholders, especially when they were not producing podium results or victories in recent times.

Rather than taking the option to bow out gracefully some bright spark in their marketing department probably suggested that this was the perfect opportunity to capitalise on recent events and gain maximum exposure for their brand .

By announcing their cessation within days of the exposure of the biggest scandal to ever hit cycling they piggybacked on the gluttonous appetite for scandal within global mainstream media. To put the blame on the culture of doping within the sport they were playing to the media, and it worked. RTE have trouble giving the results of the cycling World Championships but every bulletin today carried the news of Rabobanks withdrawal due to the recent USADA report.

Even more cynical is the fact that they are continuing to support the low budget youth cycling team. Just look at how Banks in Ireland go into primary and secondary schools. Their marketing departments know that statistically if they sign up kids to open accounts chances are that they will stay with them into adulthood.

Cycling has turned a huge corner in recent days. It is now the only sport where a promising twenty year old when confronted with the option to cheat will stop and think ‘They are catching the biggest names in the sport who can afford the best doctors, lawyers, etc. so chances are just way too high that I too will be caught and have my life destroyed if I go down that road’

The bio of Rabobanks CEO states that ‘My Father always said if you want to change the World, start with yourself’ . It’s a pity that Piet Moerland didn’t think of this wise advice when it came to changing his own cycling team in order to change the World of cycling, rather than kicking a man when he is down !

Barry

http://www.worldwidecycles.com

Clouds in the Sky

Posted: October 11, 2012 in armstrong, doping
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There are often great days to get out and ride your bike. After a good nights sleep and a healthy breakfast it can be a nice way to start the day. Heading off  out onto a deserted country road, inhaling the crisp morning air, listening to the birds as you feel the cool fresh breeze on your face. Here you are, out getting fit and staying healthy while many are still asleep in their beds. Some days the sun will shine, other days the rain might fall scrubbing clean the air. There are days when the sky is blue and others when the clouds roll in. Today was a day with clouds in the sky for many cycling fans.

Last night I read all 202 pages of the USADA report on Lance Armstrong and found it to be physically easy to read but emotionally sickening. Not that anyone who has been reading sports reports in newspapers and online over the past 15 years with an open mind would have been totally shocked, but to see it all brought together in unquestionable  detail left all hope of journalistic exaggeration flat on the floor.

Mainstream media are having a field day portraying cycling as a more corrupt and crooked pass time than even politics, but when Paul O’Flynn on RTE news last evening finished his dramatic report with the words ‘Cycling is now proven to be rotten to the core’ it struck a nerve.

Whilst Lance Armstrong may have been the most famous and now infamous cyclist, he was and is not the core of the cycling world. Cycling is about anyone who can throw their leg over a saddle and turn the pedals. Cycle racing is just as much about the hard working A3 from Tallaght who heads out for a 2 hour training spin on a dark winters night as it is about an insecure Texan who would go to any length to prove he was better than everyone else.

Festina was a lost opportunity but will this be the same ? There is probably another chapter left to reach the tipping point where the book of doping in cycling will be closed to a point where a genuinely clean rider can hope to be competitive in whatever race he focuses on.

Team Sky have been held up as the 100% clean dream team, but they have had a bad day. Today there were clouds reflecting on the clear Sky team bus .

Dave Brailsford went on BBC Radio 5 and said  ”It is shocking, it’s jaw-dropping and it is very unpleasant, it’s not very palatable and anybody who says it is would be lying wouldn’t they?”

Then his team rider Alex Dowsett gave an interview about the findings, on TV saying ”He is still a legend of the sport – a guy who had cancer came back and won the Tour de France,” Dowsett said. “I think it’s not really important and I really don’t think it matters”

Sean Yates, the team Director Sportif said that he saw nothing whilst both riding with and directing Armstrong. He just went out on his bike in the mornings and drove the team car in the afternoon at the Tour de France and came up with a few tactics.

Bradley Wiggins told Sky News that he never raced against Armstrong conveniently forgetting the 2009 Tour de France where they did race against each other. But perhaps that was the cigarettes affecting his memory.

Sky had first and second overall in this years Tour, a feat even Armstrongs’ teams were never able to achieve.

Whilst Team Sky have may not have been ingesting anything on the current WADA banned list, is it possible that the team with the biggest budget in cycling could have access to products that WADA are not even aware exist yet ?

When that question is answered, no matter what the answer, a totally clean rider like Waterfords’ Ciaran Power and many others like him, will be able to look back in retirement and along with being able to look his son in the eye, know that 5th and 7th on stages of the Giro and 13th in the Olympic games road race were genuinely the best that he could have achieved.

Tomorrow morning on my way to work I will go the long way and cross a new bridge looking at the water cascading below, then I will ride through a park and look up at the big oak tree and back across the river towards the old buildings of the town. I will get to work feeling alive and ready for the day ahead. If it’s fine after work I will spin around the block with my daughters on their bikes. On Sunday morning I will head out with a big gang of friends and do a good hard 100km in 3 hours and feel tired but great afterwards. That pure enjoyment is what cycling a bike is all about and no dope can take that away !

Barry

http://www.worldwidecycles.com

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