Vive Le Tour

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted January 11, 2012 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, I Cyclist, inspiration, Pro riding, Pro Tour

I know it’s a bit of a weird time to be writing about Le Tour de France but as I’m in the process of booking our 2012 trip, I thought it would be nice to relive last year’s experiences. I went with my best friend Katie and my son Ben and we stayed in a Keycamp resort in Perpignan. We managed to catch two stages, the first being Stage 14 which finished up Plateau de Beille. After speaking to Ned Boulting at the Nationals, we were advised to set off at 3am to avoid traffic and road closu... read more...

The controversy of helmet use - #saveacyclist

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, cycling gear, Cycling Gear, I Cyclist

Helmet use is subject to a lot of varied opinions in the UK. Some people are undoubtedly for the use of helmets, some are against and whether to encourage helmet use or not is always a hot topic between cyclists. On nearly every road safety related news article I read on cycling websites, there is always a comment about how everyone should wear a helmet along with a reply that completely disputes that wearing one is beneficial to safety. As the creator of the Save a Cyclist campaign, I am ... read more...

My first proper crash

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, I Cyclist, racing

I used to hate mountain biking, I would ride down the hills at a snails pace usually screaming my head off. I didn’t enjoy it and therefore I haven’t been off road for about 2 years. Then a few weeks ago, a friend of mine told me about Rapha supercross in Huddersfield. At the time I thought, “Oh that sounds good, I might give it a go”. I was ready to let go of my off road demons. So the day of my first cross race drew ever nearer and I realised I was actually going to have to do it. I hadn’... read more...

A year of great cycling experiences!

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, I Cyclist, Pro riding, Pro Tour

I’ve loved cycling for a long time now and when I started out I used to get my thrills from going to watch the British races. I’ve always been quite a confident person and not scared to make a bit of a fool of myself, so I would just go and talk to the riders if I wanted to – hence how I met my boyfriend Rob Partridge! (Although if I am totally honest, I did just happen to go over to have my photo taken with his team mate Ian Wilkinson!!!). Rob has had some great results, last year he was 8... read more...

Riding on the right

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, City Cycling, city cycling, female cyclists, I Cyclist

I have always been a cautious cyclist, mainly due to the fact that I have a child and don’t want to take unnecessary risks on the bike. As I became more experienced, my confidence grew and I found I could do things such as descend fast without panicking and keep my foot clipped in until the last minute without fear of falling over when I stopped. There is one thing, however, that I have tried to embrace but ultimately I have called it quits and will never do again; riding down the right hand... read more...

A beginner’s guide to bike racing

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, I Cyclist, racing

Ever since I got into cycling I have aspired to be fit enough to race and after 2 years I finally bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago. Needless to say, I was very nervous and didn’t have a clue what to expect. It turned out that I only lasted 10 minutes in my first one, but last week I managed to stay in for the full race. I feel that it is now my duty to pass on my experiences to those of you who quite fancy racing but were in the same position as me; not knowing what to expect. Here’s a ... read more...

The importance of cross training and building strong bones

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, training, triathlon

photo featured in the Daily Cycle Flickr Group – added by sharonnord I am a keen runner and a cyclist and I try to do as much of both as possible. It often leaves me wondering, however, whether doing one complements the other or not. Obviously, any form of aerobic exercise is going to help overall fitness and running is a brilliant way to build fitness with relatively short workouts. Unfortunately, the truth is that running and cycling use muscles in completely different ways and therefore i... read more...

The Pro’s and Con’s of being a cycling WAG

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, I Cyclist

Now with a little help from my wonderful lady friends on twitter, I have compiled a list of pro’s and con’s about living with a cyclist. The list is also based on my experiences with my boyfriend Rob Partridge, who is a pro-cyclist with Endura Racing (hope he doesn’t read this). Now gentleman, you can see your cycling obsession through your wife/girlfriend’s eyes... PRO’S Shaven legs – Not only can we share shaving tips and products (like Veet), we can also admire a nice muscular toned leg ... read more...

Feed Zone Frenzy

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, I Cyclist, racing

This weekend is the East Midlands Cicle Classic in Rutland. It describes itself as the UK’s answer to the Belgian classics with multiple off road sectors. This race is of significance to me because last year, this was the first race I ever helped out at. I drove 2 hours down to the start, wished the Endura Racing riders luck and hopped in the car to the feed zone. Now we spent a good couple of hours waiting for the riders to pass for the first time. We had a little debate about whether the ... read more...

The Nationals Weekend

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, female cyclists, training

I think for me and any other cyclist that can't get out as much as they like to, entering a sportive is a good goal to set yourself. I wish I was already fully comfortable going out and doing a 63 mile hilly ride but if truth be told - I'm not! The sportive I have entered is the middle distance Northern Rock Cyclone on June 25th, the day before the national road race champs. Now it's gonna be a cracker of a weekend because there is Leazes crit in Newcastle city centre on Friday night, the sp... read more...

The physiology of stretching

Share this post Twitter Facebook Tumblr Email Posted December 20, 2011 in Amy O Halloran, I Cyclist, racing, training

As I am a student of Osteopathy and as this is my first proper article for Daily Cycle, I thought I would go with my instincts and do something science/health related. By coincidence, I was stretching the other day and I found out I could put my head on my legs. I have no doubt that my flexibility has been directly affected by yoga which I have been doing for the last 4 months. The problems caused by cycling Cycling is very good for building strength and endurance in certain muscles and mus... read more...

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