Clip in as we take a look at our pick of the upcoming cycling events this week.
Date: 21st – 28th Sept
Location: Ponferrada, Spain
We already mentioned the world championships last week and they continue apace this week with the individual time trials and road races.
Following on from our look at what a sportive is, we look at the bikes you might ride in a sportive. It doesn’t really matter what kind of bike you use to ride a sportive but certain types of bike may make it easier than others. Different bikes have differing characteristics and are optimised for different purposes.
A sportive bike is just road bikes with a focus on comfort over all out speed. That’s not to say that sportive bikes are slow but any compromises made lean towards comfort. Sometimes they are called endurance bikes.
In the first of a series of articles about sportives, we’ll explain what exactly a sportive is, for those of you who are unsure.
Riders participating in a sportive
Sportives are non-competitive cycling events with hundreds or thousands of riders. They are not races, although the riders are often timed over the course.
Date: 21st – 28th Sept
Location: Ponferrada, Spain
The World Championships start on Sunday and continue on through into the next week. Can Bradley Wiggins finally win the Time Trial?
The Tour of Britain came to a climax in our capital city of London, with a split stage day. A time trial in the morning of 8.8KM, which was likely to be the final deciding part of the race. Followed by a criterium in the afternoon around the same course of 88.8KM.
As it was just down the road from us, we went down to catch the end of the time trial and take in the criterium.
View onto the course
Clip in as we have our first weekly(ish) round-up of upcoming cycling events around the UK.
Date: 7th – 11th Sept
Location: Various
The big news, at least in terms of domestic road racing for spectators (and some elite cyclists) is the start of the Tour of Britain. This will be a chance to catch Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and a whole host of other professionals battling it out throughout the UK.
Find out more about the Tour of Britain at the official website.
Now that Autumn is approaching and the nights are starting to get darker, it’s time to start packing your lights. Depending on the weather, you may feel the need for lights during your commute already. If you commute later in the evening or partake in midweek training rides you probably need lights, at least for the latter parts. I’ve tried different lights over the years and here are some thoughts on a few options.
Commuting Bike Lights
View from Buttertubs Pass
As I write this in the aftermath of ex-Hurricane Bertha (as if the ex made any difference to the drenchings I’ve received), I can’t help but think back to the glorious weather and brilliant show put on by Britain, and particular Yorkshire, during the Grand Depart.
Yorkshire was not only dressed in yellow but, unusually, bathed yellow too. This was to be in stark contrast to the following days in France, which served to decimate the field.