There is, of course, something great about adventurers who strike out, often to the ends of the earth for long periods of time. Heroic as such adventures are, they should not put the day to day journeys on the ‘home front’ in the shade. In my years of living in London I have taken many… Continue Reading
Latest in: cyclesport
-
-
I have been ignoring my YouTube channel for a while now ever since Facebook made posting video much easier and allowed good access to friends etc. Now I have renamed my YouTube channel Velo Klubhaus to reflect this (my) website. I shot my first video on November 13, 2011 at Stanmer Park, Brighton for a… Continue Reading
-
It soon became apparent that when going through pictures for a recent feature on the Smithfield Nocturne held in 2007 I could not find one picture of a woman racer. This got me thinking about the creation of the ‘London Women’s Cycle Racing’ league. The London Women’s Cycle Racing was formed in 2010 to offer… Continue Reading
-
The first edition of the Smithfield Nocturne was held in June 2007 at the central London Smithfield meat market and a place of execution of ‘heretics’ in the 16th century. The event has now moved deeper into the City of London and has been relabelled as the ‘London Nocturne’. This event in 2007 marked for… Continue Reading
-
The 6. IhmeCross der RSG Hannover 2018 promoted by Radsportgemeinschaft Hannover e.V. and flanked by the Ihme River in Germany. Around the globe cyclo cross events have almost the same elements, of course a different spoken language stands out, but the general building blocks remain much the same. I bitterly wished I had seen the… Continue Reading
-
Cyclo Cross lends itself to the introduction of whimsy and cycle racing like many other sports can be enhanced in look and feel by racing in the dark under lights, an added nuance is that beer and food can add to a great evening out. For many, cyclo cross races at night offer a carnival… Continue Reading
-
Crawley Wheelers led by Doug Fox first promoted a London and South East Cyclo Cross League event at the Sussex Showground during the 2015/16 season. The venue soon became a favourite with its wide expanse of land, large car parks, great facilities, the commitment of a wonderful cycling club and a friendly host owner, we… Continue Reading
-
The second round of the ‘Kinesis UK London and South East Cyclo Cross League’ of the 2018/19 season was held at Crystal Palace, south London organised by London Phoenix on September 16. Crystal Palace had been a ‘Lost Cyclo Cross Course’ since the mid 1980’s and therefore it was a very welcome return because the… Continue Reading
-
Cyclo cross has a deep, deep programme of events at a local, regional, national and world level. Each one of these races can often attract 500 or more riders, plus huge numbers of fans at some and below is a calendar of UCI registered races. The UCI ranks each race in status with CMM (World… Continue Reading
-
Cycling is healthy and good for the environment, especially when compared to motor vehicles, but we cyclists shouldn’t be complacent or too smug as we do have a carbon footprint. We are all part of a consumer society that is gobbling up resources and disposing of them often thoughtlessly when worn out. I considered this… Continue Reading
-
Finsbury Park to Alexandra Palace gravel cycle ride and a gem in London. In an effort to optimise the sales value of the cluster of luxury high rise towers in Vauxhall and Battersea, rebranded as ‘Nine Elms on the Southbank’, there was much hype about a new linear park to link Vauxhall with Battersea Park… Continue Reading
-
When I first came to London there were two cycle co-operatives trading, one was Mosquito Bikes and the other Brixton Cycles, whilst Mosquito forsake being a co-op in favour of a partnership many years ago and is now part of the Velorution chain, Brixton Cycles remains. Despite being in the south of London Brixton Cycles… Continue Reading
-
Riding out from London and over the North Downs and into the Mole Valley has been part of my staple cycling diet, sadly the last time I rode here was in the late summer of 2017. Today, June 26, 2018 I rode into the valley again. Combining the stresses and strains of the North Downs… Continue Reading
-
I trained not to win races, although that would have been nice, but rather to be strong enough to ride and compete whilst having a ‘normal life’. And when I say ‘normal’ I mean being able to go out racing or riding without having to spend the rest of the time with my head slumped… Continue Reading
-
Epping Forest is a Mecca for London cyclists and an area where access to the ‘people’s forest’ is seen as a birth-right. Well, it is now, but only after a fight. At the end of the 19th Century Epping Forest like other common lands, forests or heaths was in danger of being swallowed by London’s… Continue Reading
-
‘If you can race at Palace you can race anywhere’ – I was told that when I first got involved in cycle sport in London. Crystal Palace is a park in the south London borough of Bromley which was once the home of the Crystal Palace, the star of the Great Exhibition held during 1851… Continue Reading
-
The River Thames towpath gravel cycle ride from Putney to Hampton court is just under 26 kilometres long and can be completed in a hour and a bit (plus the time taken to get to Putney or Hampton Court) making it a convenient London ride for when time poor. I often combine it with the… Continue Reading
-
The 2012 Olympic Games cycle road races featured nine ascents of the Zig Zag road, better known as Box Hill, for the men and two for the women. It was intended that this North Downs climb would smash the race apart. Sadly, for the British team working for Mark Cavendish and despite setting the pace… Continue Reading
-
Germany has a strong cycle race scene covering the same territory as the UK with the addition of a good following for cycle football and artistic cycling. For us in the UK the idea that something is a ‘hobby’ is a bit like being told that something is ‘nice’, such words can be construed as… Continue Reading
-
The North Downs are a long line of green high ground to the south of London. The Downs have become a place of pilgrimage for cyclists on and off road and here you can find sunken roads, great views plus killer climbs – not a place for the pious rather a place for any cycling… Continue Reading
Velo Klubhaus 