De Rosa Neo Primato

A few back months back my fiance and I spent the weekend visiting friends in Cambridge. On the Sunday morning we decided to go out for breakfast. On the way to the cafe my friend Danny pointed out a bike shop that was closing down. Near the front of the window was a beautiful steel De Rosa Neo Primato frame and forks, it instantly caught my eye. Although I didn't have any intention of buying the frame I decided to ask the salesman how much he would be prepared to sell it for. Without any negotiation he said he would sell the frame and forks to me for half price. Now although I couldn't really afford it I had noticed this particular frame and fork in a magazine a few months previously and thought how much I would like to buy one. I'm a firm believer in never shopping on an empty stomach so we left the store and joined the girls next door for breakfast. As we ate Danny argued that I should seriously consider buying the frame and forks since I would never get a chance like that again. I took Danny up on his advice went back into the store and bought the frame and forks for a little less than half price, an absolute bloody bargain!

It took a few weeks to have the bike built up by my local mechanic. Using many parts from my Cannondale R800 the bike was completed with a few extra purchases such as a very nice Chris King head set and Deda seat post and stem and a pair of Fulcrum wheels.

So now my new commuting bike is the De Rosa Neo Primato. What a lucky boy I am!

Saeco-Cannondale

Back in the 1990's the Saeco-Cannondale Team conjured up images of a mighty red sprint train packed full of the best lead out men in the business. At the front of that train was Mario Cipollini one of the most gifted sprinters ever to grace the pro peloton. He is often credited with being the first rider with a sprint train dedicated to getting him to within a few hundred metres of the line at which point he would usually blow the opposition away with a massive burst of power. The teams most famous moments came in 1999 when Cipollini won 4 consecutive stage wins in the Tour de France. The tactics he and his team adopted paved the way for the likes of Alessandro Petacchi and more recently the UK's own Mark Cavandish.

The Saeco team also won the Giro d'Italia in 1997 with Ivan Gotti, in 2003 with Gilberto Simoni and in 2004 with Damiano Cunego. All rode Cannondale's to victory.

I thought the Saeco-Cannondale team looked so cool dressed in there red kit and riding their red bikes. These images left a big impression on me, so much so that when it came for me to buy my first road bike, around 2000, I opted for a Cannondale R800. Although blue in colour my Cannondale had the distinctive over sized aluminium down-tubing so typical of Cannondale road bikes right up to the present day.

The bike served me very well over the years covering thousands of miles as both a commuter bike and a bike that has taken me over such legendary climbs as Mont Ventoux, Col du Galibier and Alpe d'Huez. My only critisizm, is the bike was sometimes prone to speed wobble when descending. Other than than it was strong, light and handled well. Sadly, the frame, forks and a few other bits are now sitting on my balcony. I do have plans to turn it into a fixed wheel bike just as soon as I can muster up the money I need to pay for the components. It's glory days may not be over just yet! I'll save that discussion for another posting.

Although not the most fashionable of brands these days Cipollini may have been right when he approached the camera's after one of his wins and announced "Cannondale makes the best bikes!"

My 10 Favourite Cycling Films

Below is a list of my top 10 favourite cycling films of all time. Below the list is a brief description about each of the movies. I've included a clip from A Sunday In Hell since it is arguably the best film ever made about professional cycling.

1. A Sunday In Hell (1976)
2. Something To Aim At (1968)
3. Overcoming (2004)
4. Hell On Wheels (2005)
5. Stars And Watercarriers (1973)
6. La Course En Tete (1974)
7. The Greatest Show On Earth: The Story of the 1974 Giro d'Italia (1974)
8. Road To Roubaix (2008)
9. Belleville Rendezvous (2003)
10. Breaking Away (1979)

A Sunday In Hell
This Danish documentary directed by Jorgen Leth beautifully details the 1976 edition of the grueling Paris-Roubaix from the perspective of participants, organisers and spectators. It's an absolute must see for a pro cycling fans.



Something To Aim At
Written & narrated by Ray Pascoe. Something To Aim at is a film that told the story of Tom Simpson. This documentary takes a closer look at Tom through the eyes of the people who knew him well including Tom's parents. In a 1968 interview, recorded just a few months after his death, they speak of his early days in Harworth, Nottinghamshire, and his determination to succeed.

Overcoming
Danish film maker Tómas Gislason's takes a behind the scenes look at the intense and technical world of pro cycling by following Team CSC as they battle there way through the 2004 edition of the Tour de France.

Hell On Wheels
This German movie directed by Pepe Danquart records the 2003 edition of the Tour de France from the perspective of Germany's now defunkt Team Telekom. Very similar in style to Overcoming in terms of it being a behind the scenes look at a pro team in action.

Stars And Watercarriers
Jorgen Leth's first movie about pro cycling. This movie documents the magic moments of the 1973 Giro d'Italia, featuring such luminaries as Merckx, Gimondi, Battaglin, Fuentes, and a young Francesco Moser.

La Course En Tete
Joel Santoni's Belgian documentary on the life of Eddy Merckx.

The Greatest Show On Earth: The Story Of The 1974 Giro d'Italia
This documentary goes inside the heart and soul of the 1974 Giro d'Italia paying particular attention to the epic battle between Gimondi and Merckx.

Both La Course En Tete and The Great Show On Earth can be bought together on one DVD.

Road To Roubaix
Directors David Deal and Dave Cooper bring you a documentary that celebrates the Queen of the classics, Paris-Roubaix. The film includes interviews with current superstars, legends of the sport, mechanics and fans spliced with footage from the 2007 edition of the race.

Belleville Rendezvous
Also known in the USA as The Triplets of Belleville, this animated movie tells the story of Madame Souza's grandson who is kidnapped during the Tour de France. Madame Souza and her beloved pooch Bruno team up with the Belleville Sisters, an aged song-and-dance team from the days of Fred Astaire to rescue him.

Breaking Away
Directed by Peter Yates this oscar winning movie tells of a small-town teenager obsessed with Italian cycling who vies for the affections of a college girl.

My First Bikes Were Raleigh's

The Raleigh Bicycle Company is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. Starting up in Raleigh Street Nottingham in 1887 the business became one of the biggest manufacturers of bicycles producing iconic bikes such as the Chopper which sold millions of units between 1968 and 1980.

Although I now live in London I'm a born and bred Nottingham lad so it was only natural that my first bike should be a Raleigh. Actually my first 2 bikes were Raleigh's. I think it was at the age of 4, on my birthday that I was lucky enough to be presented with a Raleigh Budgie. The Budgie, or Chipper as I think it may have been called in the USA, was the smallest of the Chopper range with the 'Tomahawk' in the middle. Mine came with stabilizes as it wasn't until I was 4 and a half that I learned to ride without them. The inserted picture is an example of a Budgie with stabilizes fitted to the rear of the frame.

Next up came the Raleigh Grifter. I seem to remember pestering my parents to buy me this bike since the Budgie had become too small and was definitely not cool enough anymore. I must have been 8 or so when the Grifter arrived one Christmas.

To me the Grifter was ahead of it's time, it was pre BMX and post Chopper. In hindsight it had a look about it that BMX would adopt a couple of years later. This time though rather than having the smaller brother in the range, as I had with the Budgie, the Grifter was positioned at the top of a range of 3, including the Striker and the Boxer. Again the inserted picture shows an example of the Grifter, I think mine came in metallic blue.

Alas my ownership of Raleigh bicycles ended with the Grifter at a time when PK Rippers, Redlines and Burners became all the rage. I would have to wait until I was old enough to buy my first mountain bike, a Marin, before I could again enjoy the pleasure of cycling.

As for Raleigh, production of this famous brand ended in Nottingham and Worksop (Nottinghamshire) many years ago and as with many producers of bicycles these days manufacturing has switched mainly to China and Taiwan.

Click here for an excellent summary history of the Raleigh Bicycle Company.

Vintage Six Day Race Photo's

Bicyclist William Anderson reading a letter while biking during a six day bike race in New York 1948.

Winner of the six day bicycle race Angelo DeBacco and Alvaro Giorgetti from Italy in New York 1948.

Charles Yaccino leading the sprint to the finish line at the six day bike race in New York 1948.

A crowd of 8,000 gather in stadium for the last day of the six day bicycle race in New York 1948.

London Time Lapse Video

This time lapse video of London really captures the hectic feel of commuting through London. I cycle daily through many of the locations featured here. Some of the roads are in really bad condition.


London (harder, better, faster, stronger) from David Hubert on Vimeo.

LeMond T-Shirt

About a year back I started finding some really cool cycling design/inspired t-shirts on the Internet. Unfortunately most of them were being sold out of the USA which for people in Europe means paying a tax on the purchase as well as a hefty shipping fee. That was until I stumbled upon a really great website called 'Urban Hunter' based out of Hove, next to Brighton, on the South Coast England. They sell alot of the t-shirts I had noticed Stateside as well as other items of clothing and accessories. One of their latest items is the '1989 LeMond' inspired T (note the Oakley Factory Pilots), by Gage & Desoto which celebrates Lemond's famous Tour victory when with only the time trial to go LeMond managed to claw back 58 seconds on Laurent Fignon, beating him by only 8 seconds, the closest margin of victory in Tour history!

You can buy this t-shirt and many others at 'Urban Hunter'.

I've linked the time trial footage below:

Roberto Heras Makes His Comeback

(Mountain goat, Roberto Heras is the rider in the middle)

I've been meaning to post a blog about Roberto Heras for a while now, ever since the lady on reception at work told me about a bicycle race she attended at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire back on 28th September. Although she knows nothing about bikes her son, who works for Brompton, had invited her to watch the 3rd Brompton World Championships. She told me about some Spanish rider who finished second who everyone was calling a doper. The name came back to her a few minutes later, Roberto Heras. I found this news quite amazing, not that he is now racing Bromptons but that the 3 time Vuelta a Espana winner and faithful lieutenant to Lance Armstrong during 3 of his Tour victories should finish 2nd to an unknown rider from the UK.

Heras was suspended for 2 years from professional racing in 2005 following a positive test for EPO. Although his suspension has now finished he has failed to find a new pro team to sign him. Judging by this performance I'm not surprised.

Winter Miles

Since completing the Berlin marathon just over a month ago I have drastically reduced the number of miles I run. I am also cycling less too. Not only is this the effect of my major sporting goals of the season having passed, it is also due to the dark nights arriving early in the day. Add to this a touch of cold and wet weather plus a niggling injury from my collision with another cyclist and sometimes it can be really hard to get out of the door.

At the moment all this means I'm cycling to work 4 to 5 times per week. That's about 1.5 hours per day on the bike. In addition, I'll run twice per week a distance of around 5 miles or 8/9 km. On top of this I'll either add another ride during the weekend, say a 2 to 3 hour ride with some friends or I'll hit the pool for an easy 45 minute swim. It's all pretty much low to middle intensity stuff designed to keep weight under control and stamina at an averagely fit level. I'll keep this up until just after Christmas. I'll start slowly increasing the hours spent training there after.

Now is a good time to be planning the goals for next year and I've been thinking about what the big rides and runs should be. As far as running goes I'm currently trying to source a 10k race somewhere in London around late Feb 09, that's about as big as my ambitions go for running a race so far. Next year will hopefully be all about cycling with the big ride being 'La Marmotte' but I'll have to see if I can get on and work out a plan B in case I don't, I gather it's a pretty popular event. I've cycled up 3 of the Cols used in the route, over the course of 2 days with my good friend Chris. The Cols are Alpe d'Huez, Col du Telegraphe and the mighty Col du Galibier. The Galibier was bloody hard to get to the top of. In fact I stopped half way at a cafe for fresh supplies of water and a double espresso, very civilized until, that is, I got back on my bike. It was 'grit your teeth stuff' all the way there after. Chris made it to the top a good 30 minutes before me. I remember thinking at the end of the ride as we were packing our bikes away how there was no way I would ever ride 'La Marmotte' having had a taster. Funny how much capacity the brain has for forgetting pain. The profile below shows altitude in metres, on the left, and distance in km's going across.

Registration for this sportive opens in Jan 09. If you too want to join the suffer fest you can find more information here.

State Of My Shoes

As you can see from the mud encrusted state of my Sidi cycling shoes it's been a wet and muddy commute to work over the past week or so here in London. You'd have thought I'd been doing a spot of cyclo-cross looking at them. It's when I ride up the Hyde Park cycle path, that runs parallel to the sand track, used by horses, that the mud really starts to fly. The state of my beautiful red De Rosa frame isn't much better, actually it's probably worse, especially the rear triangle which is building up a thicker layer of crap day by day.

This all brings me on to the question of when to clean the bike during poor weather? I've always been one to give my bike (apart from pub bike) a clean at least twice per month, but in wet autumn weather in hardly seems worth it when the bike is going to get dirty again by the next day. I suppose the main issue here is not so much the cleaning of the frame and wheels as making sure the chain and sprockets are in good condition, clean and well oiled.

Speaking of wet weather, I was out with a couple of my cycling buddies last Saturday morning on our usual Epping Forest/Essex countryside (watch out for boy racers in small cars with big exhausts) route when we must have hit a patch of oil. As we were turning right on a T-junction James who was in front of me slid to the ground then I followed right behind leaving both of us on our backsides in the middle of the road. Simon escaped this humiliation and luckily there were no cars coming either. It reminded me of one of this years Giro finishes where half the peloton slid across the finish line on their ass's.

Although not a bad fall (only my rear mech hanger needed replacing on my carbon steed) it was the second accident I had in the space of the same week (see posting from 29/10 for detail of previous accident). I've been told things tend to come in 3's and that I'm to purposefully 'soft crash' into a grassy verge, or something, in order to complete the 3. I'll probably give it a miss and take my chances.

Six Day Racing

Sadly, the pro road racing season is over in Europe and North America for another year. If you want to get a fix of cycle racing in the Northern hemisphere between now and the Spring Classics you need look no further than 6 day racing.

It's a little known fact that 6 day racing first began, just round the corner from where in live, at the Agricultural Hall in Islington, London in 1878. A fellow by the name of David Stanton bet he could ride 1,000 miles in 6 days. Stanton started at 6am on 25 February and won the bet in 73 hours. Incidentally he made £100 from the bet.

As time passed 6 day racing grew and the format of the racing changed to allow teams, usually made up of 2 riders, 1 raced while the other rested. The 24 hour regime was relaxed and replaced with a more typical 6pm to 2am schedule on indoor tracks (velodromes). The overall winner of these events was the team to complete the most laps. If teams finished with the same number of laps the winner would be the team with the most points won in intermediate competitions.

Typically 6 day events usually consist of motorpaced, intermediate sprint and elimination races. The main event is the madison which derives it's name from Madison Square Gardens in New York where the 2 man chase format originally came from. Both riders will be on the track at the same time and take it in turns to race by hand slinging each other back into the action.

Pre World War II 6 day racing was extremely popular in the Untied States. However, there was a decline in popularity after the early 1900s in line with the rise of the automobile. By 1950 6 day racing had pretty much died out in the USA.

6 day racing is predominantly a European phenomenon these days, especially in Belgium and Germany in cities such as Ghent, Berlin, Bremen and Munich amongst others.

In addition to track racing, spectators may also be entertained by live music and have access to restaurants and bars. Nightclubs are also not uncommon and usually stay open until well after the racing has finished at 2am.

I have to admit I have never been to a 6 day event but will try my hardest to get to one in the early part of next year. I can think of nothing better than watching track racing whilst necking too many delicious Belgium or German brews, sounds like heaven!

New York Marathon

Defending champion Paula Radcliffe won Sunday's New York marathon in a time of 2hrs 23min's 56secs. It was the 3rd time she has won the race making her only the 2nd woman to ever achieve this. Well done to Paula, its nice to see her getting back into winning ways in such a big race.

Of the men, Marilson Gomes Dos Santos of Brazil finished with a time of 2hrs 8min's 43secs. This was Gomes' 2nd victory in this race, having previously won in 2006.

2 high profile retired cyclists also finished the race with respectable times. Stephen Roche finished in a time of 4hrs 21mins 09secs, with Saul Raisin clocking some 6 minute behind in 4hrs 27min's 10secs. Their times certainly make me feel better and since this is my blog I'll big myself up again, my time in the recent Berlin Marathon was 4hrs 2 min's, not bad eh! In defence of Roche and Raisin, Roche is 12 years older than me and Raisin came back from a bike crash that nearly ended his life back in 2006 and did unfortunately end his cycling career so very well done to both of them. Apparently Raisin is now going to start training for an ironman. Rather him than me!