Cycling Books

I've become a bit one dimensional in the last year or two in terms of the kind of books I read, they generally have something to do with cycling. The good thing about this is that I've started to build quite a nice collection on the subject.

I've read all of the books listed below (in alphabetical order) and can honestly say every one of them is a very good read, especially for the cycling enthusiast. Particular favourites of mine include, Breaking The Chain, French Revolutions: Cycling The Tour De France, In Search Of Robert Millar, It's Not About The Bike, One More Kilometre And We're In The Showers and The Death Of Marco Pantani.

A Bike Ride: 12,000 Miles Around The World - Anne Mustoe

A Dog In a Hat - Joe Parkin

Breaking The Chain - Willy Voet

Every Second Counts - Sally Jenkins

French Revolutions: Cycling The Tour De France - Tim Moore

In Pursuit Of Glory: The Autobiography - Bradley Wiggins

In Search Of Robert Millar - Richard Moore

It's Not About The Bike - Sally Jenkins

One More Kilometre And We're In The Showers - Tim Hilton

Put Me Back On My Bike: In Search Of Tom Simpson - William Fotheringham

Rough Ride - Paul Kimmage

Sex, Lies And Handlebar Tape: Jacques Anquetil - Paul Howard

The Death Of Marco Pantani: A Biography - Matt Rendel

The Eagle Of The Canavese - Herbie Sykes

The Hour - Michael Hutchinson

The Rider - Tim Krabbe

Anyone for Seconds?

Betty bought this meringue today to be eaten on Sunday for pudding with Greek yogurt and berries. I better make sure I get a ride and a run in Sunday morning/afternoon!!! Looks good though doesn't it?

The City I Ride In

I found these wonderful aerial images of London, taken by Jason Hawkes, on the BBC this morning. I particularly like the first one, below, showing the domed Royal Albert Hall with the Albert Memorial and Hyde Park opposite. I ride through the Park and past both the Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall daily on my way to and from work. It's the favourite part of my commute.

The 4th photo at the bottom features the financial district known as the City, in the east of London. In the middle left of the photo is the Lord Foster designed Gherkin skyscraper. Betty and I live a couple of miles north of this area.

Stefan Schumacher - Guilty Until Proven Innocent

I just read in today's Cyclingnews that Stefan Schumacher may still be granted a racing license for 2009 even though the French Anti Doping Agency (AFLD) announced Schumacher as testing positive for doping with blood booster Erythropoietin CERA over 3 months ago. Despite testing positive Schumacher continues to insist he is innocent and that he entitled to both a racing license and his contract with Quickstep.

Now I don't normally stick my oar in, so to speak, on individual doping cases but I have to say I feel strongly that Schumacher should not be allowed to professionally race until a verdict has been passed on him.

The issue that is delaying and complicating things is although the AFLD have declared Schumacher positive they have yet to formally notify both the International Cycling Union (UCI) or The Bund Deutscher Radfahrer (BDR, the German cycling federation). Without an outcome from the AFLD the BDR may have to hand Schumacher a license.

As far as Quickstep's manager Patrick Lefevere is concerned they will not recognise the deal they signed with Schumacher prior to his positive doping result. Whether or not that decision will stand in court remains to be seen.

Back in 2005 Schumacher was implicated in a doping case when he tested positive for amphetamine. He was cleared of the offence after his mother, a doctor, had prescribed an asthma medication after failing to find it on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances.

Following his 3rd place in the 2007 World Championships in his home town of Stuttgart, Schumacher was arrested for drunk driving. Four months later he revealed that the blood test taken at the time contained traces of amphetamine. He denied he had knowingly taken the drug. Since a rule change in 2004 amphetamines were no longer on the WADA's out-of-competition banned list; as a result the German federation again exonerated him.

In a year when both Riccardo Riccò and Emanuele Sella had their most successful seasons to date and then both failed drugs tests for CERA are we to believe that Schumacher, with his tainted history, had his most successful season to date, winning two stages in the Tour de France and held the leader's yellow jersey, and that his positive test is false?

I don't believe him and hope for the sake of cycling the AFLD can come to a firm decision a soon as possible so that cycling doesn't have to suffer further embarrassment.

Cycling Club Hackney - Weekly Club Night Launch

James, of the frozen bottle fame, emailed a few of us earlier to ask if anyone is interested in watching a big screen showing of Road To Roubaix at the Cycling Club of Hackney's club night. Until then I hadn't been aware of this club.

"The Cycling Club Hackney is a new club dedicated to promoting cycling & cycle sport at all levels, especially to youth. Although based in the Hackney area it is open to all cyclists whatever their level. Club runs meet at the Lea Valley Ice Centre at 10am on Sunday mornings. During the summer key club members may be absent due to racing/coaching commitments..."riders may have to improvise a route for themselves"

As a resident of Hackney I must say this new cycling club sounds very exciting and I'll certainly be heading on with them on a Sunday ride in the near future.

To celebrate the launch of their weekly club night they'll be showing Road to Roubaix. I've mentioned the movie before in one of my previous blogs as one of my top 10 favourite cycling films of all time. If you haven't yet seen it and live in the East London area you may want to get yourself over to this viewing on Wednesday 28th January. Click here for more details.

The Search For A "Black Lance Armstrong"

Click here or on the image for more.

Frozen Bottle

On many Saturday mornings throughout the year I head out on my Wilier with some friends for a 2 to 3 hour bike ride. Typically we head out of East London into Epping Forest and some beautiful Essex country side. Late last week an email went out courtesy of James asking a number of us if we'd be cycling on Saturday. I had a wedding to attend up in Staffordshire on Saturday so couldn't make it but I know for sure James and Julian did go out. I emailed James earlier to ask how the ride went because I knew it was pretty damn cold Saturday morning. He sent me this picture of his water bottle:

As you can see the water inside the bottle is half frozen. I believe the photo was taken on returning home from the ride. James tells me the temperature was hovering around -2 Celsius. He called the ride character building. Now I'm not adverse to heading out of a morning into the cold on my daily commute to work but to go out into the slippery country lanes when you could be tucked up in bed with a hot cup of tea. I know which one I'd choose. Well done lads your braver than I!

His And Hers

This photo was taken back on 07/07/08 on the first day of the Tour De France when the prologue time trial was held in a sunny and hot London. Betty, my fiance, and I cycled over to Hyde Park to watch the riders. We set our bikes down on the grass and settled in front of a big screen showing all the action.

The Cannondale is mine and the LeMond is Betty's. As I've mentioned before the Cannondale is currently in retirement. When I purchased the De Rosa Neo Primato I took most of the bits off the Cannondale and used them on the De Rosa. At some point next year I'm going to convert the Cannondale into a fixie. There is rear hub by White Industries called the Eccentric Eno that can be used on frames with vertical dropouts, like my Cannondale, to convert the frame to a fixed wheel. (Pretty much all road frames come with vertical dropouts these days). Without a special hub like this it isn't possible to convert a frame with vertical dropouts to a fixie because the dropouts don't allow for chain tensioning.

The wheels you see on the Cannondale are Shimano Ultegra from a few years back. I no longer have them because the rims were completely worn out due to all the breaking over the years. I have to say the £300 or so I spent on them was money well spent. I never once had to have them trued. I'd have brought 2 pairs had I known they were going to be as bomb proof.

You might also notice the rear mech on the Cannondale is actually from a moutain bike. I have to admit I had it fitted along with the dinner plate of a cassette to help me haul my ass over Alpe D'Huez and the Col du Galibier. It was the cheapest option for adapting my bike for an assault on these legendary mountains. Without this adaptation I don't think I'd have made it.

Chopper Bikes

I've been on the look out for the most unusual bicycle designs for a while and today I think I may have stumbled across just that. Hailing from New York City, Josh Hadar has created some stunning bicycles (works of art) in his Soho work shop. All of the bikes I have seen on his website draw on the chopper theme. I've never seen chopper bikes done as well as this. Although I don't ride motorcycles I was a big fan of the American Chopper TV series. Some of the bikes featured on the show that the guys at Orange County Choppers fabricated were just awesome. Josh Hadar's work reminds me of those motorcycles. Check out his website here. Badass!!

2008 Running Stats

Click here to see my 2008 running stats. Distance is reported in kilometers.

New Years Day Run With My Fiance

Happy New Year!

Feeling a little jaded after last nights New Year Eve celebrations my fiance and I made the effort to head out for a short run up Klut hill earlier today. Although it was pretty cold again, around minus 3 c, we soon warmed up with the effort of running up the hill. It was so nice to get some fresh air and shake off the cobwebs from the night before. I hope to get back out again tomorrow using the same route before we fly back to London from Hannover in the evening. Below are a few photos of our little run today.