Andy Tennant Reviews Exposure Lights

I recently published a written review of Exposure Lights by Rapha-Condor Sharp rider Andy Tennant.  Andy has also produced a short video to accompany the review, which you can view above.

Synchronicity

Synchronicity II.  I know what you're thinking, The Police - 1999.  I'm actually referring to the concept of synchronicity, an event occuring as if it were some massive big picture was at play.  Let me explain.

Today, I rode out from home in Warrington and about six miles from home I pulled up at a very ordinary set of traffic lights, usual stuff - KFC on one side, Subway on the other.  I'd been thinking about the blog I was going to write today and hadn't yet come to a conclusion as to todays subject matter.  

As I was waiting for the lights to change, I hear another rider pull up on my bike wheel, I turn round to say hello, curious to see who was out and where they were going and it's only four time world champion and Olympic Gold medallist Ed Clancy MBE. 

Ed Clancy - Rapha Condor Sharp

Now that is synchronicity, it's 09.15am on a Sunday morning in the middle of Warrington and one of our countries best cyclists suddenly appears with some sort of divine inspiration - result and today's blog is sorted.  Riding a few miles with Ed out towards Knutsford, he happily chatted about the Worlds, travelling and bikes.  Top fella, really down to earth.

Got to say though, my planned base mile ride went to pieces.  Looking down at my heart rate monitor I was in zone 5.6 - basically close to my maximum, "Ed don't let me hold you back, nice to meet you."  He was on his Condor time trial bike and as he shot off into the distance, I set to trying to get my heart rate back under control, it took me about two miles :-)

So much for HRZ2 base miles when Ed Clancy turned up

As I got things back under control, I thought that when I got to Knutsford Costa Coffee, I'd drop Andy Tennant a text to let him know I bumped into Ed, they are great mates both riding for Rapha Condor Sharp aswell as the Team GB pursuit squad.  As I sat down with a double espresso, my blackberry light flashed, believe it or not, it was Andy texting me - what a total co-incidence, Synchonicity II.  It gets better.....

So, we exchange a couple of texts and he tells me he's out riding with his mate.  I set off to finish my 50 mile loop and set off up to Wilmslow, cut through Mobberley and down towards Hale.  It was such a nice day that I decided to cut up towards Tatton Park, do another loop up to Knutsford and drop down through Tatton from the top. 

As I'm riding through Tatton, who should come towards me but Andy Tennant on his ride, I knew it was him as you can spot Rapha kit from a distance - giving him a wave, he turned round and joined me for twenty minutes riding towards home, what base miles?  Andy was riding with Manchester Wheelers members Scott Burns who specialises in time trials, riding a 10m in under 19 minutes - he's quick.  Thankfully, both were very gracious in riding at my speed.

One of the joys of living in Cheshire is that a lot of the track cyclists live locally and do their training on the Cheshire lanes and in the Peak district.  What other sport can you think of where one of the top stars will pull up alongside you as you're out and about?  


It certainly gave me plenty to think about, the term that came front of mind to me was "synchronicity".  One of those days, when you just thought that someone, somewhere was pulling some levers and events just seem to conspire to add up to something co-incidental.  Great fun indeed.

CTT Dinner - Sat 21st Jan 2012

If you're new to road cycling, you may not have heard of the CTT -The National Governing Body for Cycling Time Trials in England & Wales.  They basically oversee the organsing of the hundreds of time-trial events which happen weekly across the UK, you can learn more about them here.   

Last night I attended their annual Champions night where they recognise the best time-triallists, distance cyclists and hill-climbers across multiplie categories and celebrate the best of the best in the sport. 

Around 300 people attended the dinner last night, there wasn't a pointy helmet or skinsuit in sight!  The whole event was masterfully compered by Eurosport commentator - David Harmon, who worked his socks off from the awards ceremony kick off at 5pm, right the way through to the final nightcap at around 3am in the bar!

Graeme Obree

I was invited along as I'd helped to organise Graeme Obree along as their guest speaker on the night, he went down an absolute storm re-counting his past achievements including the two hour records, his traning manual and forthcoming attempt to take the human-powered vehicle land speed record, more about that here.

He bought along one of his bikes (the pink one in the background, made of steel.  It was remarkably light and had a massive front chain-ring on it - Obree style).  You can read my previous interviews with Graeme here and here, only one word for Graeme - legend.

David Harmon interviewing Graeme Obree

Simon Richardson

Also present was Simon Richardson MBE, in his first official function since the horrific collision in 2011 which injured him so badly.  There was tremendous support for Simon amongst all the attendees, the CTT displayed the #SIMONSTRONG bike on a podium in the centre of the stage during dinner.  Simon also addressed the audience during the awards ceremony to thank them for all the messages of support, a very emotional moment.

Graeme Obree generously offered up a signed poster of the Flying Scotsman film for auction, with the proceeds being donated to help Simon buy a new wheelchair.  A very generous bid by David Harmon's wife of over £1000 bagged it, I'm not sure David was expecting that but he dropped the hammer and they became the new owners!  A lovely gesture by all concerned, which will go a long way to helping Simon achieve his aim.

I sat next to Simon over dinner.  Clearly he is still in a great deal of discomfort and it was a big effort for him to undergo the car journey to get there.  Simon is allergic to the bulk of prescribed painkillers, so mostly survives on paracetemol which does nothing to deal with the pain he experiences.  Typical Simon though, he smiled through the discomfort all evening, putting on his face for those present and continuing to be a force of inspiration for those around him and working for his sponsors (see back wheel of the bike!).

Simon Richardson's #SIMONSTRONG themed bike

Now that's quick!

The Champion of Champions awards were dominated by Michael Hutchinson (mens category) for the 25M, 50M, 100M distances, Julia Shaw (womens category) for the 10M, 25M and 50M distances and Ryan Mullen (juniors category) in the 10M and 25M distances.

The Best British all-rounder 2011 was won by Jeff Jones of Chippenham & District Wheelers, if you want to benchmark yourself, here's the times he posted in numerous distances.  50 Miles - 1:39:03, 100 Miles - 3:31:51, 12Hrs - 305.51 miles.  If you think about that for a minute, 100 miles on a bike in just over three and half hours, that's quick, I would cover about 50M in that time!

Signing Off

Graeme Obree was up until the early hours signing copies of his training manual, which was selling like hotcakes.  I'd helped organise a book signing in Manchester that morning and it's amazing how far people will travel to meet Graeme.  One lad cycled over from Sheffield in horrendous conditions, to get a book signed!

Overall it was a terrific evening, a total sell-out, I rolled out the bar around 3am after a really good natter with Graeme Obree's agent.  The CTT celebrates it's 75th anniversary in 2013 and they will no doubt work hard to produce another fantastic evening.  If last night was anything to go by, they'll have their work cut out.

James Cracknell End to End Attempt

Photo courtesy of www.sjjackson.com Twitter @flashjackson

Imagine the hardest longest ride you've ever done.  For me it was the Fred Whitton sportive - 114 miles and just shy of 14,000ft of climbing, in one day - it took me about a week to recover.  Now imagine doing a similar tough day - back to back - about seven times, with no sleep. 

In support of Headway, the brain damage association, James Cracknell and Time Trial specialist Jerone Walters attempted to beat the Road Records Association tandem record for cycling from Land's End to John O'Groats (842 miles in 50hr 14min 25sec).  The fastest ever solo navigation of the route was in 2001 when a chap called Gethin Butler did it in 44hrs 4mins and 20 secs - incredible).

The record had stood since 1966 (45 yrs) and is held by Messrs P M Swinden & W J Withers.  With advances in aerodynamics, wind resistant materials, bike technology, nutrition and training techniques, it seemed inevitable that the record would fall.

Heartbreakingly, the crew chief for the event -Richard Gorman - called time on the attempt, 773 miles into it, 68 miles from John O' Groats.  You can read the release and the reasons why here.  James and Jerone had been in the saddle for around 44 hours at this point and must have been absolutely exhausted.  A tough decision for the crew chief, but that's what he's there for. 

In my view, it's no failure.  I chose to back this attempt as a sponsor in my day job at printer company Brother UK.  We backed it under our 141% initiative, you can read what that means here.  What we backed was the ambition of this attempt.  James Cracknell recovered from a significant cycling injury, after he was hit by a truck wing mirror at 75mph in Arizona.  He's an inspiration for anyone that life post a serious accident goes on.  Read more about his story here.

The tandem was one of the most sophisticated ever built, the support crew drilled, well equipped, social media was slick with an excellent app, the riders well prepared.  The first days cycling saw them go through the hottest October day on record, that can't of been easy.  If you've every cycled in hot conditions, you'll know how energy sapping that can be.  As they headed North into the evening, the weather got cooler and heading into the Lakes, it deteriorated.

To slug it out on a bike for 44 hours at an average speed of around 16.7mph in those conditions, takes a level of physical and mental strength that most people don't possess. What this attempt stands for is about what human beings can achieve with determination, dreams and sheer effort.  A magnificient achievement, regardless of the outcome.

If you think back 45 years, you have to respect those two riders who - without modern day technology, techniques or training - set this distinguished record back in 1966.  I've no doubt Cracknell will be back for this one, call it unfinished business and he'll be be supported by us all again, at the roadside or on our computers, we'll be behind you.  To read his post-ride reflections, click here.

In closing, please take a moment to view this short video that James made encouraging all cyclists to wear a helmet.  I one hundred percent support this, regardless of the distance, conditions or weather, I always wear one, it may be the difference between your life or death.

On Tour with Garmin-Cervelo

Picture the scene, e-mail arrives.  Opening line says "Would you like to join Garmin-Cervelo as a VIP guest at this Years Tour de France."  Let me think for a minute, sorry a second, sorry a nano-second. What then rolled out, was a cyclists dream in terms of a trip.  If I wrote about the whole thing, this blog would be about two thousand words long.  So, let me share the highlights: -

Guest Pass

• Spent the afternoon in a bar in Paris with Richard Gorman and Sven Thiele of Hot Chillee Events, who issued the invite on behalf of the team.  We watched the time trial unfold as members of the cycling industry, journalists, sponsors and others turned up.  It was fascinating to get journalist insight - in real time -as the race unfolded.
• The evening ended late, with Champagne and Oysters in a Paris restaurant starting at 1am.  Getting a lift back to the hotel in the early hours, our lift had David Harmon's Onix bike in the boot of her car.  Funny where you see stuff.
• Following morning, we were up and about for a ride.  Got ushered into a room where there were a collection of top-end Cervelo bikes, didn't take me long to nab one.  Kid in a sweet shop falls to mind.  Got given the a full set of the new Garmin-Cervelo bodypaint Tour de France kit worth around two hundred quid (which getting it home is too small for me - aaagggh).  The bike had Rotor eliptical cranks, which I've never ridden before.  With my hangover, I didn't do them justice!

Cervelo anyone?

• Setting out from the hotel, we headed up the Champs Elysees out to the Bois de Boulogne, did about five laps and then back down the Champs-Elysees and round the circuit.  Awesome to have ridden the cobbles on the day the race was arriving.  Loads of people were already taking their positions and we got plenty of support as we rolled round.

Ready to Set Off on the ride

•  Arriving back, quick shower and change, then onto the American Embassy for a pre-race drinks/canapes reception.  It had an awesome view of the road and was a great place to watch the pre-race procession chunder through.

View from the American Embassy

• With the riders about 20km away, we made our way through to the hospitality stands very close to the finish line.  There was a huge screen opposite for us to watch the approach.  When the riders turned up, there was a tremendous roar, the Tour de France came to life as The Peloton whisked by.  I spent some time with England Rugby Star - Steve Borthwick -  who is a big cycling convert, great bloke (and very big).
• As the race finished, I got tapped on the shoulder.  "An opportunity has come up to sit in the team car as the riders do their procession lap, fancy it?"  - mmmm, let me think (scrambling out of the stands and sprinting towards the team coach).
• Jumped in the car and who should be there - but Mrs Tyler Farrar - had a good natter with her about being a cycling WAG and then just soaked up being driven up and down the Champs (I spotted David Millar having a moment when I had the video on before they rolled out, which you can see here).  

• He handed me his camera as we set out and asked me to take a few photo's - which I was happy to oblige.  Thor handed me some Norwegian cookies that a fan had given him.  It was incredible the reception that Thor got, he is a very popular rider with all the fans.
• Riding up and down the Champs-Elysee was awesome.  Tens of thousands of fans were still there, ready to greet their idols, get autographs, photo's, a kiss, a freebie.
• Getting back to the pits around a quarter past seven, it was straight back to the hotel to get changed, for the post-tour party with the team.  Set in a beautiful contemporary museum in the shadow of the Eiffel tower, all the riders, their families, the team and support crew plus sponsors enjoyed a magnificent dinner, speeches, wine and song - quite a night, as Garmin-Cervelo won the team prize. 

The team posing at the Champs turn

•  Rising the next morning, it was pretty surreal.  I'm reading David Millar's book - "Racing Through The Dark" - at the minute.  I wandered into a park, sat down and read for two hours, just soaking up the sun and the pre-race buzz. 
• As I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport to travel home, I spotted Team Sky Manager - Dave Brailsford - in the lounge and asked him to sign the book, as he did the foreword.  Little did I know that David Millar's sister - Frances - was sat right next to him, she introduced herself.
• Flying home, Frances Millar was in the seat in front of me, Dave Brailsford in the row in front of her.  At that very point, I'd reached the bit about when David Millar was arrested during a dinner with Dave Brailsford in Biarritz, France.  How funny that the two people that dominated that chapter, were sat in front of me.
• Arriving home, I have to say it was a top weekend.  Richard Gorman and Sven Thiele of Hot Chillee, were absolutely brilliant hosts, great mates who gave me a real insight into the sport.  Garmin-Cervelo certainly know how to put a show on.  A huge thank you to Alex Palmer of Slipstream Sports, who worked hard all weekend with all the guests and made this super-special weekend possible.
• I grabbed a stack of pictures, here's some to take a look at.

Liked this beauty

 

Rotor Cranks

Orbea close up crankset

Thor Hushovd rear gear ratio

Thor's World Champion Bike

The DS masterplan in the car

Euskatel boys hang around

Rotor makes you motor

Spotted this on the Euskatel frame - nice touch.

Tyler-Farrar

Liquigas on their to the procession lap

Andy Schleck stops for a chat

Thor's Stealth Bike - Radar Invisible!

David Millar Post-Race Interview

Andy Tennant and Ed Clancy

Got sent a couple of nice shots from Rick Robson - at Cyclesportphotos.com.  Couple of the boys from Rapha Condor Sharp at the Colne Grand Prix Crit which was held last weekend.  Rapha Condor Sharp took all the places on the podium, with Ed Clancy bagging first, with a double from the deans following, Dean Downing (2nd) and Dean Windsor (3rd).

Andy Tennant

Eventual Winner Ed Clancy

National 10M Time Trial Championship

Top photographer Rick Robson of Cyclesport photo's has sent me these photo's over from yesterdays National Time Trial Championship, held in Yorkshire.

Team Sky rider Bradley Wiggins took the title with a time of 19-14, great to see Bradley back time trialling and letting everyone know that he's still the man when it comes to this event.

Chapeau to runner up Dr. Hutch, bringing in a 19-55 to take second place.  Have to say that his bike looks absolutely superb in the photo!!

Overall Winner Bradley Wiggins 19-14

Wiggins giving it Full Gas

Runner Up Michael Hutchinson aka Dr. Hutch 19-55

 British National 10 Championship Results

1. Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) 19-14
2. Michael Hutchinson (In-Gear Quickvit Trainsharp) 19-55
3. Joseph Perrett (Twenty3c-Orbea) 20-26
4. Matt Bottrill (I-Ride.co.uk) 20-39
5. Andrew Griffiths (Twenty3c-Orbea) 20-56
5. Stuart Dodd (www.drag2zero.com) 20-56
7. Richard Simmonds (The Altitude Centre) 20-59
8. Stephen Whitewick (UTAG Yamaha.com) 21-13
9. Tavis H Walker (Adeo Cadence) 21-16
10. Rob Pears (Bath CC) 21-21

Big thanks to Rick Robson at Cyclesport photo's again for the snaps.

Ten Tips from Andy Tennant

Over the last few months I've been fortunate to ride out with Team GB and Rapha-Condor Pro - Andy Tennant.  On one our last runs out, we got talking about kit.  I asked Andy if he'd consider knocking a blog up on his Top 10 tips for us non super-humans on the road.  He's been good to his word, so you want to ride like a Pro?  Read on for some great tips: -

I Have been riding now for 10 years. A relatively short time compared to some people. However in this short period I have been round some of the best riders and ridden the best kit in the World.

Currently I am Ridding for Rapha-Condor-Sharp on the road and Represent GB on the track during the winter months. This means that I have to train all year round so I know how it feels to have cold hands - something I try and avoid at all costs!

Now I could start listing all sorts of wonderful items of kit.  For example; the best track bike is the one I ride, but you'll need a small fortune to go and buy one of these.  My idea for my 10 products are 10 things that are not too expensive, but mainly things that I think will make your ride more enjoyable.  At the end of the day, if you don’t enjoy something you will never keep doing it, so here goes: -

1. Chamois Cream. Saddle sores are not pleasant things. Riders have quit the Tour de France because of it.  You don’t need to suffer from this problem.  The main cause is chaffing, then this getting infected by sweat.   My recommendation is using a product called Aqueous cream, the Boots own brand is the best you can use and apply lots of it. Its inexpensive and a lot cheaper and more effective than many of the Chamois creams out there (Note from Phil.  I used this on the Fred Whitton following Andy's advice and found it to be A1).
2. Get fitted up.  A beautiful carbon bike with carbon wheels are great however you will never get the best out of yourself unless it actually fits.  My second recommendation is a bike fit. My recommendation is to visit Claremont who you can find here.  This will help you enjoy your bike riding more and maybe actually make you go faster.
3. Wool rules.  Friends always used to rave on about wool.  Being a young guy and man of the future, I always thought new technical fabrics would be the best. However, I am now a changed man.  This year I am lucky to be given Rapha kit and one thing they make is Merino wool undervests. They are a modern take on wool not like the 60s jersey - all I can say is amazing. I wear them all the time even off the bike.  I live in them. They're so good a new Pro-Tour team distributed them to their tour riders last year! 
4. Recovery drinks.  People forget them and generally skip this important ritual. They get in off their ride and reach straight for the biscuit tin or whatever sweet sugary food is close to hand. I know because I do the same, however I always make sure I have my recovery drink to get in the carbs and the protein for recovery. At the end of the day its great doing all this training but unless you allow you body to recover you will never get better. So give yourself the best chance possible. everyone has different taste, my advice is try a few until you find one you like, but I like products from Science in Sport. 
5. Tyres.  Lots of people by a brand new bike from the shops and when they do this they are looking at what cranks its got on and what handlebars make they have. No one seems to look at the tyres on the bike. The thing you are relying on the most when cycling.  If they go wrong you either are going to get dirty hands - as you have a puncture - or worse if you lose grip on a corner in the wet and you have a few nights of not great sleep with road rash or worst. So don’t be tight get yourself some good rubber. Continental GP 4000 are great fast reliable and grippy.
6.  Heart rate monitor.  I think these are a great tool.  Don’t become too obsessed with them though, a lot of riders do. It’s a tool, and should be used in a combination with feel. They are really only super useful if you have done sports testing but great for giving you confidence if you are maintaining lower heart rate to get fitter. Or if you feel bad and your heart rate is really low it confirms it time to go home! Don’t think about spending you money on power measuring tools.  In my opinion they're not worth it and they just seem to break all the time!
7.  Helmet. Quite simply it may save your life. If you by a high quality one you will forget you have it on I do I personally choose this one - Giro Aeon.     Great combination of lightweight and well ventilated.
8. Good quality winter cycling kit. For me winter riding is made hard by my hands and feet being cold, I hate it!!  Some good quality gloves and and overshoes are a great start.  If its wet or really cold, try wrapping your feet in cling film and maybe some tinfoil.   For your hands some of those cheap latex gloves, hopefully this will keep you a bit warmer in the winter.
9. Big frame pump.   I hate these little mini pumps.  Yes they look cool but when you're wet in winter and you need to blow your tyre up there is nothing worse than it taking too long than it needs to. Actually the worst is, when your waiting for someone else to pump there tyre up. If you haven’t got a pump, well you should have one.  There lots of makes out there. Just buy a quality one and when you puncture and you pump up easily then you will have a big smile on you face as you see people struggle with their mini pumps.  
10.  Coffee - A cyclists best friend.  Go find yourself a nice coffee shop, preferably with nice cakes. Treat yourself,  go on make your easy ride even more enjoyably by getting a little coffee stop in.  Best thing though is to find a nice independent  shop. Good place to start http://www.beanhunter.com/

Hopefully these 10 recommendations will make your bike riding more enjoyable.

Andy Tennant.

Twitter - @Tennanto

Wouter Weylandt

Our hearts go out to the family, friends and team mates of Team Leopard Trek rider Wouter Weylandt who sadly passed away today following an horrific accident at the Giro d'Italia. 

It's a sad reminder of the risks of professional cycling.  Our thoughts and prayers are with him tonight.

R.I.P. Wouter Weylandt
27 September 1984 – 9 May 2011

Tennanto Rides Again

Today I had the pleasure of spending some more time with Rapha Condor Sharp rider - Andy Tennant who invited me on a recovery ride with him today. 

To be honest, my legs were feeling a little bit heavy after a hillyish sixty miler yesterday, so plan for today was to keep it steady with no major drama!  I planned a pretty flat 50 to keep the pedals turning as I wanted to ask Andy about the Tour of Korea, which he has recently returned from.

I I was interested to hear about how the race unfolded, the different stages, the jet lag, what it's like to race on roads against teams and riders that you don't know.  In typically honest fashion - Tennant gave me the warts and all breakdown of the Tour, which was fascinating to hear.

Returning back to his house after 57 miles on the bike, the legs were certainly letting me know it was time to hang my helmet up today - Andy took it easy on me, our average pace was 17.7mph.   The time flew, as it always does when you're riding, however the last ten miles I put the grimace face on to haul myself back.  Andy knocked me up a wicked flat white, back at his pad, boy's a Barista in the making!

What struck me about the discussion with Andy, is how much on the bike thought has to go on when racing, particularly as there was no race radio.  Riders making snap decisions on whether to chase a group or what tactics to unfold when things don't go to plan.  For me, that supports the whole idea of the radio debate, as it opens up the racing and the riders ability to read a situation.

In the Tour of Korea, there are also a bunch of riders and teams that many of us would never have heard of, a new dynamic for Rapha Condor Sharp too, as they were also learning more about individual riders and teams as the race unfolded.  I guess the winner - Ki Ho Choi who rides out of Hong Kong, says it all.

Tennant was close to a stage win at one point, Ed Clancy secured stage 5 with Tennant leading him out.  Tennant placed fifth on a couple of stages, overall Rapha Condor Sharp came in at second on the general classification, with Andy taking ninth place. 

One of the stand out days for him was when the heavens opened on a 200km stage.  Freezing rain saw 30 riders abandon the race.  It sparked a great conversation about whether people have the "concrete" needed to suffer as a pro-cyclist,.

Andy's going to knock me up a couple of guest blogposts.  I asked him to have a think about two.  So, you want to be a pro? (thought the point above about "concrete" would be a great place to start) and Top 10 products he rates (Andy has an encyclopedia like knowledge of clothing, food, wheels and stuff).  Watch this space for those in the future.

So, April is over.  After a poor start for me, with no cycling atall in the first two weeks of the month, I've managed to haul back 400 miles in the saddle in the second half. Fitness and form definitely feel like they are improving.  Lets' face it, they need to, next weekend is the daddy of all sportives - The Fred Whitton.  Now that, is going to be where I learn the real lessons of suffering, bring it on.

One final thing, hello to Andy's Dad  - Ian, who is a regular reader of the blog.  Keep up the gardening Ian!

Victoria Pendleton - Photo

Here's a cracking photo of our very own World Sprint Champion - Victoria Pendleton.  She's had an amazing set of results in her career so far and is one of the leading role models in womens cycling.  Check out more about her at www.victoriapendleton.co.uk.


Photo courtesy of CycleSportPhoto's.com. 

Geraint Thomas Photo - Dogma 601

I've always loved the Pinarello Dogma 601 in the Team Sky colours. It's such a distinctive bike. Here's a great photo showing Geraint Thomas MBE astride one (I've not given up my hankering to own a bike with this similar colour scheme - watch this space).

For those that didn't know Geraint is running a training camp on the last weekend in September down in Pembrokeshire for £275 per person. Details here. I think the idea behind this is a good one. An opportunity to hear him share a few stories, have a ride out, meet some other cyclists and just generally do bike stuff for a weekend. Might end up going yet, I think tickets are selling fast, so be quick.

Photo courtesy of Rick at CycleSportPhoto's.com.

Sir Chris Hoy Photo

Love this photo of Sir Chris Hoy taken by Rick at CycleSportPhoto's.com. It's a familiar sight, the famous Scot celebrating victory, however some would say that the previously unbeatable Hoy is now fair game.

Beaten to the line by Australian - Shane Perkins - in today's Keirin final at the Track Cycling World Championships, Hoy shouldn't be written off just yet. He's a formidable competitor, working to a plan for London 2012.

You can't fail to be impressed by the progress the Australians are continuing to make on the track, so Team GB will be hard at work when they get back to Manchester, working on those marginal gains.

There's been a lot of talk that the track at Apeldoorn, hasn't suited everyone, particularly Hoy and his riding style, so not too much should be written in to this weeks results. As he said in one of his post race interviews, there are six major cycling events between now and London 2012 and he should expect to show improvement at them all. That's the spirit.

Arriving in London next year on a track he helped design, I'm sure Sir Chris will have his eyes firmly on medals and re-instating himself as the daddy of the Keirin.

Sir Chris Hoy Photo

With the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships well underway in Apeldoorn, we can all dream of what could of been if we only carried on cycling past our teens. Perhaps we were the next Sir Chris Hoy in the making? If only...

Still, if you're starting out on the track and you're wondering what your position on the bike needs to look like, look no further than this photograph of the guvnor himself. Looks easy enough, strap in, crouch down and pedal as fast as you can. This triple gold medal business sounds easy, now where's my bike.....

Photo provided by Rick at CycleSportPhoto's.com.

Geraint Thomas Photo

Here's a full-tidy photo of our boy Geraint Thomas giving it big licks on the track. Photo effects all provided by our man Rick at CycleSportPhoto's.com

Bradley Wiggins

Rick over at Cyclesport photo's sent me this great photo he captured of head Mod in the pro-peloton - Bradley Wiggins. He's one cool dude - Wiggins. I've always liked his outspoken nature and how he's stayed true to his roots, whilst also playing in the big league of the pro-peloton.

Meeting Andrew Tennant

Aswell as being a Pro-cyclist, you may not know that Andrew Tennant is a budding coffee barista!

Knocking me out one of the best looking flat whites I've ever seen before we did a ride out today, Andy is somewhat of a coffee perfectionist, approaching coffee with the same eye for detail as cycling.

An imposing figure, 6-4" inches in his socks with size 47 feet, Tennant looked every inch the Pro-cyclist, dressed head to foot in Rapha Condor clobber with matching bike as we set out on a 47 mile flat loop of Cheshire today.

During a windy, but very pleasant, ride out, Tennant talked to me about life as part of the GB pursuit team and life on the road as part of the Rapha Condor team. Open and honest, he was very courteous in riding at my pace and that allowed us to natter for the three or so hours we were out together.

It's easy to forget he's only twenty-four years old (it was actually his birthday today) as we bimbled along nattering, he's achieved a considerable amount in his cycling career to date, a combination of success on the track and the road. You can check his results here.

It wasn't a golden ticket by any means, he's had to make some opportunities happen in his career, grabbing the bull by the horns and showing some tenacity, which I like in a person.

Describing to me some of the highs and lows - including two years in Italy as part of the Olympic Development Programme which he didn't particularly enjoy - and some personal battles, you couldn't help but feel that those experiences have given Andy a certain resilience and resolve.

Arriving back in the UK from Italy, he joined the newly formed Halfords road race team in 2009 where he said he really felt at home, moving on to Motorpoint in 2010 and then onto his current team - Rapha Condor - this year. Those of you who attended the Tour of Britain this year and the Halfords Tour Series would have seen Andy putting the watts down.

His current ride, the Condor Leggero looked resplendent in a gloss black with pink accents, with a top of the range Shimano Di2 groupset on it. Posh indeed. I took my winter hack out today, which looked like the poor relation when we stopped for a coffee at Costa in Hale! I rode that as i thought it was going to chuck it down. Low point was getting a flat about half way round! Soon sorted though.

Seems Olympic plans are going well, with the four man team participating in the pursuit making good progress. He was positive about the current training programme and we actually passed some of the pursuit lads out and about, necking coffee in Wilmslow. He's been at the track the day before, so today's recovery ride was welcome.

He's just arrived back from the Tour of Sardinia, which he (and others) said was really tough, plenty of suffering going on in the Peloton it seemed. Good training for the season ahead according to Andy.

We had a talk about ability to suffer, a common trait amongst pro-cyclists and Andy recalled his teenage years, where -as one of the heavier juniors - he had to work hard on the road and track, harder than others, which almost meant that every race involved a big effort, so it kind of pre-programmed him for life as a pro.

Arriving back in Wilmslow, the morning seemed to have flown by and the legs felt OK as the ride pace was very amiable. Our large loop tooks us West of Wilmslow, dropping down near Northwich, up to Dunham Massey and then back via New Mills and Knolls Green. Route below. Ignore the average speed as my Garmin counted are 18min stop at Costa, actual average was 16.2mph, which - given the wind today and all our nattering - I thought was OK.

I'll certainly be keeping a closer eye out for Andy on the road and track in the future, here's hoping the team pick up Olympic gold in 2012. You can follow him on Twitter here.

Meeting David Harmon

You may not recognise him in the street, but you'd definitely recognise him if you heard his voice on the radio or TV.

Legendary cycling commentator David Harmon is a walking/talking "en-cycle-opaedia" of all things two-wheels, I had the pleasure of a couple of beers with him the other week. Fantastic opportunity to talk cycling with "the voice".

It's funny, as voices on TV often lead you to conjure up a mental image of what someone looks like in person. I had to google David to find a decent picture to recognise him! Those in the pro-peloton know him well, particularly when the Tour de France is on, he and Sean Kelly motor all over France together.

Taking the opportunity I asked David a few questions about a few issues, I didn't manage to write all the answers down in full, so they look a bit short and sweet, I was too busy listening!

1. PJ - Contador situation? What's your view? DH - Contador was treated differently because he is a big star.
2. PJ - Giro Contenders this year? DH - Basso. Menchov has a good chance too.
3. PJ - TDF? It's between Schleck, Contador or Menchov. All have something to prove.
4. PJ - Best cycling book you've ever read? DH - Kings of the Mountains - Matt Rendell. Great book about three men learning to race.
5. PJ - View on Tour of Qatar. DH - Best race at start of season for windy conditions. Great race for sussing out form of rivals before the classics.
6. PJ - View on race radios? Not necessary, never really liked them. Good compromise would be for a rider to be nominated road captain and only he could communicate with the Directeur Sportif. Would make for more interesting racing.
7. PJ - Noticed on Twitter the other week that you and Bradley Wiggins were at Terry Dolans place at the same time. Co-incidence or is something cooking? DH - Co-incidence. Terry Dolan is the frame builder of our Team Wiggle Tandem. Bradley happened to be there as he was back in the UK and is big mates with Terry.

If you didn't know about Team Wiggle Tandem. It's an ambitious project to break a number of cycling records on a tandem. You can follow there goings on via Twitter here. Legendary rider Magnus Backstedt is one of the most recent people to get involved, taking the role of pilot for an attempt on the RRA 25M Time Trial record.

David sits on the back seat of the tandem and explained to me the subtleties of each position and what their role is. You may not know that David was an accomplished mountain biker racer in his day, before turning to the road and ultimately to commentating, via motor-sport (particularly Le Mans). All I can say is if I was on the back, I'd probably feel motion sick!

There isn't much/or anyone David doesn't know about/in cycling. Teams, riders, commercials, DS's, broadcasters, you name it, he knows it. I think the @spokesmen ID he has on Twitter sums it up about right. It was a fascinating couple of hours in the company of a very interesting, knowledgable and astute chap.

Meeting Simon Richardson MBE

Picture this. It's 2001, you're a regular guy, just got into cycling, an electrician by trade, riding off to meet fellow members on a Sunday club ride.

Bam! A car hits you at 60mph from behind. You're off the bike, in agony. Back broken in two places, leg shattered. Lucky to be alive.

You go from being able bodied to disabled. After a long and torturous recovery, you've lost the ability to control your left leg. What next? What would you do? How would you re-build your life?

Wind the clock forward to 2008. You're 42 years old and on the winners podium at The Paralympic Games in Beijing, collecting the third medal of your games, two of which were gold. You're a holder of two world records and awarded an MBE by the queen.

You'd think this was a fictional story. I had the pleasure today of meeting the incredible, but very modest, man behind this achievement. Simon Richardson MBE has a story, which would make a fantastic Hollywood movie. The story of a lifechanging moment, becoming a life-defining road to success.

Simon can ride faster with one leg, than most of us can ride with two. He can do a 10M time trial quicker than most elite riders, rides some of the most horrific profiles on training rides in the mountains of Wales and can kick the ass of most capable club riders in a crit.

Yet, despite all of that, he's one of the nicest guys you'll meet. Modesty in buckets, regular, grounded and doing more miles over a weekend, than some riders do in a month. Simon asked me if I wanted to join him on a training weekend in readiness for the Dragon ride. 200KM on Saturday, followed by 120KM on the Sunday - woh, serious miles (think I'm busy that weekend). Remember, he's riding with one leg!

To put that in some perspective, jump on your bike or turbo trainer and see how long you can ride with one leg before exhaustion takes over. Could you do 200KM ride or a TT in under 20mins? Phenomenal athlete, phenomenal strength and a resolve as strong as a rock.

Simon's story is inspirational. He wouldn't admit to it. British Cycling needs role models like him and London 2012 needs him too.

I previously blogged about the awesome paint jobs on his bikes. Simon bought the time trial bike with the full dragon paint job to show me today. What a bike! Apparently it took around 100hours to paint. Top marks to painter Performance Race Art for sorting him out. You certainly wouldn't miss him!

Want to follow Simon on Twitter, find him here or read his blog here.

North Cheshire Clarion Annual Dinner

"Sprinters are all vain," proclaimed former track sprinter Denise Hamspson at the North Cheshire Clarion annual dinner last night. Denise, invited as our after dinner speaker, took us through her journey into cycling and kept us amused with anecdotes of why sprinters are different from everyone else.

I've come to know Denise well since she came to talk to my sales team at work in 2010 and knew she would be a big hit and she was. It set us all up for a great (late) night.

The resulting club ride today was expected to be a little light on the numbers. Not so. Eighteen of us turned out to make an impressive chain gang on the roads of Cheshire, swooshing along, easily the biggest group of the day. We were joined to today by the National Secretary of the Clarion cycling club - Ian Clarke who joined our previous nights festivities and gave us a few words on what's happening with the Clarion movement nationally.

It's evident that cycling is on the up all over the country. Clarion membership is increasing, with our own section now having 93 members at the time of writing, good to hear. Judging by the banter and camaraderie at the dinner last night, it's not just the on-bike activity but the off-bike too. Joining a club is a great way to meet new people, that's for sure.

We managed to raise £310 in the raffle too, seems someone with sales experience was drafted in to the job :-)