The Cake Olympics

I was inspired to write this article for Patisserie Cyclisme after my holiday in France

http://www.patisseriecyclisme.com/news/the-cake-olympics/

Cycling the New Football?

Cycling is on the up. Thanks to the magnificent efforts of Team Sky and the British Olympic team, it seems the sport can do no wrong. No lesser publication than the Wall Street Journal carried the headline “Britain is all about the bike”. With all this success, the sport’s profile is changing. Our cycling heroes now command front page headlines and are household names. The Sun even provided cut out and stick on sideburns before Brad’s time trial. No doubt about it, cycling is in serious danger of becoming the National Sport.

 

Now all this has to be good doesn’t it? All this positive press has to help build respect from drivers, give us more clout in pushing for improved facilities, encourage more kids to take up the sport. More cyclists on the road, more love for cyclists off it – what’s not to like? Whilst I’m attracted to the sort of Olympic legacy that sees happy smiling drivers waving me through as I cycle unhindered to work, I have to confess to a slight unease. I’ve been somewhere like this before and I’m not sure I like how it all turned out.

 

In the1980s I loved football. To me, there was nothing to beat standing on a windswept, crumbling terrace to watch a group of mostly unknown players knock lumps out of each other as rain dripped down my neck through a hole in the roof. Crowds were small, tickets were cheap, the facilities were primitive and the star player posed in the programme on the bonnet of his Ford Capri. Football and the team I followed were deeply unfashionable. It was brilliant. Players stayed with the club for years (and not just the bad ones on fat contracts), there was a thriving fanzine culture, you felt a bond with the club that made you stick with them through the bad times and in my club’s case, there were a lot of those.

 

Then came the 1990 World Cup, Gazza cried on live TV, Pavarotti sang the theme tune. Football was suddenly mainstream, everyone wanted a piece. Sky TV got involved, the Premier League followed and the Ford Capri’s went to the scrap yard. The money brought improvements. All-seater stadiums were safer, attracting more women and children. The leaky roofs got fixed. An influx of foreign superstars improved playing standards. It wasn’t all good though – the development of player power and big wages saw a virtual end to loyalty. That young player you were previously able to watch develop moved after a season to sit in Stoke’s reserves. Ticket prices went up, the atmosphere got worse, the bond was broken. The sport I loved was not the same. I drifted away and found cycling.

 

There are some similarities with cycling’s current boom. The involvement of Sky is an obvious one and I fear the day that the Tour de France becomes exclusive to Mr Murdoch’s TV channels may not be far off. There is money to be made from the current British interest in the sport and the crowds that flocked to Box Hill despite having to pay for the privilege will not have gone unnoticed. Whilst anyone watching the articulate interviews given by our cyclists during the Olympics might think they little in common with Premiership footballers, there are similarities in their relationship with the transfer market at the end of the season. Ironically, it could be Team Sky that have to accept the consequences of this, if Chris Froome’s amazing summer continues.

 

this article originally appeared on Velobici.cc

Knog Blinder 4V review

Anna Meares might have broken Victoria Pendleton’s heart in the Olympic sprint final, but we won’t hold it against Australia if her compatriots Knog keep banging out great products like the Blinder 4V.

Knog always take an original approach to design, producing distinctive looking products such as the Strongman lock I reviewed in April. As with the lock, the Blinder 4V backs the style with impressive performance.  Released as a companion to the square-shaped Blinder, the 4V is a rear light with 4 super bright LEDs in a straight line. Blinder is an appropriate moniker as with the help of special optics the LEDs pump out 44 lumens. Translated into lay terms, that means the light is visible up to 800 metres away – giving approaching drivers plenty of notice of your presence. There are 5 different flashing patterns available, my favourite being the “organic” mode. A lithium battery is recharged using a clever little USB plug – giving up to 50 hours of use in flashing mode.

The anodised aluminium case combined with industrial grade silicone makes the light 100% waterproof, just as well in some of the conditions we’ve had recently. The integrated strap secures the light to seatposts between 22 and 32mm diameter using a steel watch-strap style catch.

I love this light – it looks absolutely great and performs brilliantly. Expected to retail at about £30, there are cheaper options out there, but not many that match the Blinder 4V’s quality and none that match its good looks.

Leicester Forest CC Time Trial

It was my turn to marshall this week, so I took my camera and got these shots of some of the 43 riders that raced. I think Brad Wiggins may have inspired a few to give it a go!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rouleurblade/sets/72157630991493346/

Cycling in Sydney

I was given chance to speak to Fiona Campbell from Sydney City Council about her plans for the city. I wrote it up for the Guardian Bike Blog.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2012/jun/28/sydney-noncyclists-bikes

Pulse Magazine on Cycling

A piece I wrote for the GP's magazine Pulse:

Have you ever recommended exercise to your patients to help their mental health? A study commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation in 2008 showed that 22% of GPs had suggested exercise for mild depression. But do we practice what we preach? We’re working at a time of huge stress for GPs, struggling to cope with the NHS reforms, patient demand, pensions and changes to services. How many of us recommend exercise to help stressed out patients, then jump in the car and sit in a traffic jam on the way to a home visit? There is a growing body of evidence that exercise can help in depression and anxiety. Perhaps as doctors, we should be tapping into that, setting a good example to our patients and helping to reduce our own stress levels.

Whilst long days at the surgery leave little time to get to the gym, there is a simple solution. How about cycling to work? Jonathon Tomlinson, a GP at the Lawson Practice in Hoxton, East London rides to work every day because it is the easiest and quickest way to get to work and visit patients. But that’s not the only reason.  “Exercise shouldn't be a chore. If you work long hours, the only practical solution is to make it part of your day” he says. It’s a philosophy I can identify with and the reason I started commuting by bike myself. But it’s not just about keeping fit. Riding to work energises me for the day ahead, and riding home helps to de-stress me. It appears I’m not the only one. Dr Nick Cavill is an Independent Public Health Consultant: “Anecdotally many cyclists report benefits to mental health- linked to fresh air, being outdoors and a chance to switch off from other worries.”

After five years of cycling to work, I’m known to many of my patients as the cycling doctor and whilst that initially raised questions as to whether I had been banned from driving or couldn’t afford a car, it now gives me credibility when recommending that patients get more active. Research has shown that doctors’ health practices strongly influence patient behaviour. It isn’t for nothing that they write “Most Doctors Don’t Smoke” on cigarette packets. If I know that cycling helps my stress, I’m more likely to suggest it to my patients and they are more likely to give it a go - patients become more receptive to health promotion counselling from doctors who demonstrate healthy behaviours themselves. Riding a bike to home visits is a highly visible way of showing that I believe in what I say.

Not that it’s always easy – when the rain is pouring down, it’s sometimes tempting to leave the bike in the garage. Even that might represent a missed opportunity. When Patisserie Cyclisme blogger Louise Mullagh was recommended exercise to help with her depression, she took to her bike in all weathers. “It was really good to feel the cold, the rain and to fight against it, it made me be mindful and just exist in that moment. It helped me to lose some of the numbness brought on by the medication.” The message is clear – embrace the British weather, it’s good for you.

Perhaps you have more prosaic reasons for not taking to the saddle. Perhaps you’re worried that the sight of you in Lycra might actually mentally scar your patients rather than help them. What about punctures? Oily chains? Helmet hair? No more excuses! Numerous companies now produce cycling clothing that can be worn without shame in the surgery, puncture-proof tyres keep the flats at bay and bikes are now available with carbon fibre belts instead of the humble chain. Helmet hair might be more difficult, but is a small price to pay for sorting out the rest of your head.

Still not convinced? Whilst cycling improves your psychological well-being, driving actually makes it worse. Research from the University of Sussex showed that commuting by car significantly increased levels of stress, physical tension and blood pressure, especially in congested conditions. That traffic jam again – ever felt frustrated as you sit trapped in your car as a cyclist cruises past in the cycle lane? For the sake of your mental health, you should think about joining them.

Vulpine Cotton High Visibility Gilet

I got to test a Vulpine Gilet - very nice it was too

 

The high visibility gilet. Undoubtedly practical and safe, almost invariably nasty… until now. Vulpine.cc have decided that not only do we need to be seen on a bike, but that we should also want to be seen. The Cotton Visibility Gilet not only catches the eye of drivers, it also will catch the eye of the discerning cyclist.

Quality

Vulpine obviously believe you should enjoy the shopping experience. Not content with a simple polythene bag, the gilet arrives packaged in a matching musette. Matching means lime green - the high visibility part. It’s a bright colour, one that features more subtly in many Vulpine products - doing for green what Rapha has done for pink. The quality of the gilet is instantly obvious, with well finished seams and subtle logos. Constructed from Epic cotton - a fabric made by applying a silicone treatment before weaving, the gilet is water and wind resistant, but highly breathable. The cotton gives the gilet a nice soft feel – this is not a cheap, rustly, plastic mac. The back features a large mesh section to increase the breathability further. There are 3 rear pockets – a practical touch rarely seen on outerwear that certainly beats having to ferret around trying to get things out of the back of a jersey. Scotchlite trims on the pockets, shoulder seams and zip complete the high visibility package.

Extra touches

In use the gilet is very comfortable due to the stretch in the fabric. During a drizzly commute it proved its water resistant credentials and kept my body dry. On a chilly morning ride out to a rural café, it proved to be the perfect extra layer over a jersey combined with arm warmers. The fit is snug, if not skin tight, with a long back suiting taller riders – I would consider sizing down if you want a more sleek appearance. One of the joys of this gilet is the little extra touches that you discover as you use it – I hadn’t noticed the hidden red storm flap folded away at the back, until my riding buddy pointed it out to me. The collar is secured by neat magnetic fixings that can be opened one-handed on the road. The brightness of the green is a bit startling at first (which I suppose is the point) but I soon got used to it and started to appreciate standing out more on my commutes.

Conclusion

To be honest, a high visibility gilet would not have been at the top of my shopping list. However, after receiving this Vulpine offering, I’ve hardly ridden without it – the quality literally shines through. It’s a little bit more bulky when packed down compared to some of the lighter weight options out there, but this gilet is such a pleasure to wear, you probably won’t want to stuff it in a pocket.

Score 4.5/5

For:    

Excellent quality and comfort, looks great.

Does exactly what it says on the tin – very visible!

Against:

Not as light or packable as some.

If you’re not keen on green, it might not be for you.

Price:

£95 including shipping from www.vulpine.cc