One day one photo - 5

Sunday 14th September

Penshurst Off-Road Cycling (PORC) centre was quite busy on Sunday, what with a large charity downhill race taking place as well as round 2 of the London Cyclo cross league. It was great news for Mike, the owner of the site, who will have received bumper takings on the day. It was also nice for us to race somewhere that had a lively atmosphere, thanks to the music, the extra cheering (even if it wasn't always for us!) and the rather entertaining costumes that the downhillers were sporting. From mankinis to Kenny Everett-style comedy breasts anything seemed to go! I'm not sure that we "crossers" would have provided much of a spectacle for the mountainbikers. They probably looked at us rather bemused that we, wearing our conservative shorts, jerseys or skinsuits would want to do a race that involves stuggling up hills and carrying our bikes for fifty minutes, when all they needed to do was to get an effortless gravity-induced adrenaline rush for twenty seconds! I also wondered why I was taking the tougher less travelled road, and was tempted to even join them. (If only my cross bike had a bit of suspension!) Still, I enjoyed my afternoon out. I didn't ride too badly, and it made a nice change to do this race in dry sunny conditions rather than on a chilly afternoon through a muddy mess! If it had been muddy I would have been thankful to have not been attempting downhilling.

One day one photo - 4

Saturday 13th Septemer

As it's London Fashion Week I thought I might give a brief mention to clothing. No, I haven't started a new career as a designer, a model or even a modest pattern cutter. When it comes to cyclewear I still just wear what I can get hold of at the time at reasonable price and quality, and what fits me. I've never really been into what is à la mode! Eighteen months in Milan and four years in Paris seem to have had no effect on my wish to be fashionable, and my contemporaries who take part in cycling activity, male and female are always streets ahead of me in the couture stakes, as well as on the track! Where my activities do have a mini brush with fashion is in my secret shine for crocheting. A lot of  people don't know it, but I crochet in my free time. I might be into sport, and I might like running around playing at being a hack but I do get excited about a bit of yarn. I'll happily show anyone my collection of crochet hooks if they are interested! I started crocheting about three years ago when I wanted to do something with my hands, other than playing Angry Birds on my phone or picking my nails during my downtime. It all started with the odd mug coaster (which Higg certainly found odd!) or beanie hat. But things have moved on, and at weekends I find it quite relaxing to do my new-found hobby when I have a bit of time to spare. I have managed to crochet cuddly toys, shawls, scarves and even a top. You will find a healthy collection of crocheted hats for all seasons in my wardrobe, and gloves are on the way. None of these personal creations will make it onto any catwalk in the near future, but they are good enough to wear when out and about. That more than makes up for the feeling I'd get when wearing a humongously expensive D&G top or Rapha belt. I just get a really warm feeling wearing something that I have made myself, and can't be found anywhere else.

One day one photo - 3

Friday 12th September

Working in Macclesfield, while having a life down in London means I'm often travelling between the northwest and the southeast. It can be tiring, especially recently as I have been to London on flying visits a number of times over the last 3 or 4 weeks. Thankfully, Virgin Trains operate largely reliably on that very important London-Manchester line which transports the likes of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Manchester United and Manchester City football teams, plus masses of BBC staff, and my good self! Normally I just have light luggage and nothing else. When it comes to cycling I have a road bike in Macclesfield and a mountain bike and road bike in London, so I don't need to carry a bike with me every time I make the journey. However, things are a little more complicated now that the cyclo cross season has started. I only have one cyclo cross bike and I plan to race in the leagues in London, the northwest and the Midlands. So I will need to plan my logistics carefully so that my bike is with me, and not, say, in London when I want to race in Manchester! So this will be a familiar sight for me - as was the case this weekend - loading the bike onto the train at Euston or at Macclesfield and hoping that train staff are there to open the special bike carriage for me, and that they are there more importantly, at the other end to open the carriage door when I arrive at my destination. It has been known to happen that you step off the train and then it pulls away with your bike still on it! Hopefully, it won't happen to me any time soon! 

One day one photo - 2

Thursday 11th September

Some of you may recognise this as the Wattbike zone at the Manchester Velodrome. You are absolutely right! This is one of my regular hangouts when it comes to cycle training. Funnily enough I have yet to actually ride on the hallowed boards below - that should happen in the not distant future though. But for now this is where I will go weekly as it becomes a bit cold and dark to ride on the roads, and it's a little bit boring to do turbo training on your own at home. I was at the session on Tuesday with my club, Manchester Wheelers. It was quite fun, having a coach doling out the intervals we had to do, all to the sound of kitsch 80s music. Unfortunately, I didn't get the full benefit of the experience as I had caught a later train from Macclesfield, so got there a bit late. I then had to leave early to get back to Manchester Piccadilly to get my train home again. Still, 40 minutes was as much as I could cope with for my first outing since March. Hopefully these sessions will improve my fitness, especially for the new cyclocross season - and the music will be a bit more trendy!

 

 


 





 
 
 

One Day One Photo - 1

I normally have one month where I put in a photo of what I'm doing over a one month period. I should have started on 1st September, so apologies for the delay. (The missing 10 days will be included as well.)

Wednesday 10th September

So the dates of the Revolution Track Cycling series have been announced and the line-up, at least for the Lee Valley VeloPark London round on 24th/25th October, looks quite appealing. With the likes of Ed Clancy and Adam Blythe, plus my personal favourites, Laura Trott and Marianne Vos competing in this UCI points event it will make for an exciting couple of days of racing. I am particularly pleased to be able to get a media pass for the event. So I plan to do some reporting for Sportsister on-line magazine and any other outlet that wants me to! Media passes don't always come that easily - especially as I am not an employee of any particular media organisation so I always like to make the most of these opportunities. So, with a little luck and creativity I, and the people I interview will have interesting things to say over that weekend!

Interviewing a few good women

Things have been a little different in the last few months so I have not been able to write my blog as usual....

I am slowly getting back into a "normal" cycle but it isn't always easy. I am not sure if I can smile quite as brightly as I used to, or if humour is felt as deeply as before, knowing that someone who was such a bedrock in my life is no longer here.

Thankfully, I have had good support around me, and I have done a few things that have provided moments of pleasantness and positivity.

Among these moments have been the times when I interviewed some of the best female cycle racers in the world.

Photo by Andy Jones (Cycling Weekly)

Last weekend, I spoke to a few heavyweights of women's cycle racing for Cycling Weekly magazine - Britain's Olympic Silver Medallist, Lizzie Armitstead, Current World Road Race Champion, Marianne Vos, whose list of palmares extends as long as your arm, and Giorgia Bronzini, two-time World Road Race Champion.

They were both in London to compete in the Prudential RideLondon women's criterium race on The Mall. Laura Trott was the defending champion of this race, but the tactic was for her and the rest of Wiggle Honda to work for Giorgia Bronzini to get the win. The plan certainly worked, as the feisty Italian spectacularly got past the mighty Vos in the dash for the finish line.

 I think this race was a great advert for women's cycle racing because it was an active race with an exciting finish, all in an iconic location. I hope we can have more such races, and also longer races in Britain (to add to the Women's Tour).

Photo by Andy Jones (Cycling Weekly)

And I must say, both Vos and Bronzini were very amenable, nice girls to talk to. It was a real pleasure to meet them.

On the same weekend I was very pleased to interview Laura Trott - Olympic and Commonwealth champion - for Sportsister magazine. She was down in London for the RideLondon events in her role as Prudential ambassador.

Photo from Prudential RideLondon

I remember Laura Trott racing in a couple of London Women's Cycle Racing league events a few years ago, representing Welwyn Cycling Club. So it was quite surreal seeing her photo splashed on the front of the national papers after clinching gold in the Commonwealth Games.

Also in March, I interviewed another "local" for Sportsister magazine - Olympic, World and Commonwealth track pursuit champion, Joanna Rowsell. (This took place shortly before I was told my mum had fallen seriously ill.)
Joanna was at the Manchester Bike and Tri show fresh from gaining her World Championship title, and was promoting the benefits of training on a Wattbike. It was great to interview someone I had seen as a schoolgirl racing in the same local races as me. Of course, she was always way up at the front where I was at the other end of proceedings!

Photo by Aodan Higgins

That aside, I am very happy to have had the opportunity to interview a few of the most respected women in sport, and look forward to meeting others in future.

Shoot Story - Alderley Edge and Tatton Park

The current issue of Cycling Active includes my ride story, Made in Cheshire. It was the first photo shoots I did for Cycling Active after starting my job in Macclesfield and was in the area known as the golden triangle of Cheshire. This includes places like Wilmslow, Knutsford, Alderley Edge, Mottram St Andrew - some of the most affluent parts of England outside of London and the South East.

And yes, we certainly got that feel about the place while we were there. Our first area for the photo shoot was on the main road through Alderley Edge. That certainly had a Primrose Hill village feeling about it, with independent clothes shops, trendy cafes, and a few beauty salons. Like every high street in the UK there are a few charity shops. The ones in Alderley Edge are decked out like designer fashion shops! Who needs Zara when you've got the Oxfam shop selling the cast-offs of celebrities?

The street was flush with 4x4 Mercedes, BMWs some Land Rovers plus a number of luxury cars. Of course there were ordinary cars - Audis, VWs, BMW saloon cars, etc that are less than 2 years old.
I am not sure we quite fitted in rolling up in our hired 5 year-old Vauxhall Astra van!

We took a pic of me riding past a Bentley parked along the high street. Of course we were careful not to photograph the number plate. Some of the folks were a little bemused at the way I kept riding up and down past the same car. But they were amenable and some cars stopped for us while Aodan finished his shot. People may have been wondering what I was up to going up and down the street on my bike, but I have to say that I was a little bemused when we saw that same Bentley carousing up and down the road to Mottram St Andrew. We couldn't see the driver through the greyed out windows. So we just assumed it to be the chauffeur who just wanted to parade around out of boredom!

The Village Café seemed to be another hangout where people were there "to be seen". This wasn't just your greasy spoon or even Café Nero where you rock up to the joint at random. You needed a reservation to pick up your morning cappuccino. The women were either blonde or had highlights, while the men all seemed to be of a certain age and had that permanent tan to match their silver fox hair style. Some of them looked like actors from some northern based soap opera. It's been ages since I watched Coronation Street or Emmerdale so I wouldn't know who the actors were even if I tripped over them! Maybe they weren't so high profile but they certainly had that ac-tor way of speaking and they spoke in a way that tended towards Stratford-on-Avon rather than Stockport!

Later we were in Tatton Park, which for me was like Richmond Park in London, but with more stately homes and gardens and not as hilly. There were parking restrictions in the park to allow space for the guests of "James and Julia's wedding". We took a few shots outside the mansion anyway, managing to do this before the wedding party emerged, and we tried to snap shots in between the various families that were passing by. Families like this one consisting of George on his scooter, Poppy with her stabilisers, yummy daddy Rupert carrying baby Oliver in his pouch, and mum on her lady's hybrid. The kids looked at us curiously, while their parents hurried them along so that they could get to the Garden Café serving organic food.

Because the mansion was in the shadow and the light was not so bright Aodan told me I had to ride slowly during these shots to stop the photo looking blurred. Of course passers-by didn't understand this, and some kids passed me, giving a look of triumph as they managed to overtake this lady on a racing bike while they were riding their first two-wheeler. Ah well, let them have their day of "glory"!

Later on while in Tatton Park my mum rang me. I hadn't had the chance to talk to her since returning from Milan. (I'd only been back in the UK for a week at that point.) As ever she was surprised to hear where I was, and she was quite excited to hear that I was in Tatton Park. Even though we were in the middle of the shoot I took the time to talk to her because I hadn't spoken to her in a while, so I thought it would be nice to chat. Thankfully, Aodan kept himself busy photographing deer while waiting. She didn't know Tatton and had never been there before so I described it to her and where else we had been that day as the planes into and from Manchester Airport roared up above me. She was quite interested to hear about this plush part of the North-West. "You might even see George Osborne!" (the local Member of Parliament and Chancellor of the Exchequer) she joked.

We took a few more photos in Tatton Park and then called it a day. It had been a fun day with nice weather, and we had enjoyed a very pleasant café stop at the Wizard Café on Alderley Edge.

My mum always liked reading the ride stories and other articles of mine that were published in Cycling Active and Cycling Weekly. I had really been looking forward to showing my mum the finished article on Cheshire in Cycling Active magazine. Sadly, on the day the issue was published my mum was critically ill and under sedation in hospital after a sudden illness. She died the following day, 27th March, aged 64 years. It's incredible how things can change so suddenly.

I dedicate my Cycling Active feature, "Made in Cheshire" to my mum, Esther David.
May she live in eternal peace and happiness in Heaven.
I hope that when I write future articles she will look down and continue to enjoy them.