My First Audax

Posted April 27, 2012 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, sportive, training

Unlike Antony Lazarus, my first Audax experience was not in the lush heat of Bali. It was also considerably shorter than his epic 400km – but in my defence, it was entirely vertical. What is an Audax, I hear you cry! It’s like a sportive, only cheaper. It’s the No-Frills version of a cycling event. And, like value brands, you don’t get the added extras. No signposts, no marshals, and definitely no massage at the end. They tend to be longer than sportives, and the emp... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Youth Hostels

Posted April 27, 2012 in autumn barlow, I Cyclist, touring

So you decided wildcamping wasn’t for you. Good. More space for me. So what are the other options? Bed and breakfasts, guesthouses, attended campsites… and the wonderful, wonderful Youth Hostel Association. We’re back in ginger-beer-and-baggy-shorts territory. I will declare my partiality here. I finished my art degree in 1998 with no direction. I made some random and unsuccessful job applications (MI5, Guardian newspaper, tax inspector, IT manager at Trebor-Bassett). I ended up at... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Wildcamping

Posted April 18, 2012 in autumn barlow, I Cyclist, touring

Big scary legal disclaimer: technically, wildcamping is illegal. Do not do it. In Scotland you can camp above a certain altitude, but generally it is not encouraged. In practice? If you pitch at nightfall, are gone by dawn, leave no trace and make no disturbance, you will be fine. Stay out of sight, away from roads and out of the way of livestock. Damage nothing. If you see a farmer, ask. You are more likely to be seen and ignored, to be honest. Don’t roam in gangs, either. On... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Trains

Posted April 04, 2012 in autumn barlow, I Cyclist, touring, training

It’s the ideal scenario – train and bike, a glorious combination of public transport and self-propelled non-polluting green smugness. It’s all 1930’s Britain with friendly conductors, steel bicycles, scrubbed young men with baggy shorts, and probably lashings of ginger beer. In reality? Well, I scoff at Ironman triathletes. I’ve endured far, far worse. I’ve endured the modern British railway system. There are two types of train. The local lines, which seem to stop every t... read more...

Cycle touring basics: Packing and Panniers

Posted March 30, 2012 in autumn barlow, Cycling Gear, female cyclists, I Cyclist, inspiration, LEJOG, touring

Cycle touring is basically going on holiday by bike. For some, this might mean trains and cycling – others just cycle. You might take a tent, or you might stop in B&Bs or youth hostels. You might have a plan, or you might wish to horrify your family by having no fixed itinerary at all. But whatever you’re doing, you will need to carry your stuff. “Credit Card Touring” – going from place to place with no more than your Visa card, socks stiff with sweat, and a banana in your pocket – i... read more...

My Facebook log of how I got into cycling

Posted March 06, 2012 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, I Cyclist, inspiration, training

How I got into cycling…as told through the medium of my facebook updates.... 7 Oct 09: aarghhhh car is expensively poorly 7 Oct 09, later: who wants to buy a crappy Matiz with broken alternator, a zillion miles on the clock, and an arse-dent in the boot? Bidding starts at £1.70. 8 Oct 09: now have no car...  9 Oct 09: am sweating in places I didn't know I could, and now understand the wrath of a cyclist finding a car parked in the cycle lane. And I'm really hungry. 10 Oct ... read more...

Osteoporosis and Osteopenia - Women! Know Your Weakness!

Posted February 14, 2012 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, health, I Cyclist, training

A Facebook friend commented she was off for a bone density scan recently. It sent me into a flashback of when I was 25, lying on my side in a private nursing home in York, with a foam triangle wedged between my thighs. Not my favourite leisure pursuit, I have to admit. But ladies: this is important. Simply because of our gender, we’re more at risk of lowered bone density. We’ve all heard of osteoporosis, right? It happens to old ladies, right? But we’re cyclists, we’re all sporty and fant... read more...

The Psychology of Hills

Posted February 05, 2012 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, Hill Climb, I Cyclist, inspiration, training

I live halfway up a 12% hill. This is an excuse I always like to get in early to a conversation. Hills, you see. I would be faster, but…well, you know. Hills. My average speed around these parts (Rossendale, an entirely vertical part of Lancashire) is 12 mph. Why do I need to make excuses for myself? I can slog away at that speed for hours. When I “got into” cycling, I went on an obsessive binge to read everything, everywhere, about it. However I lacked the expe... read more...

Using training diaries for logging progress - online vs paper

Posted January 31, 2012 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, I Cyclist, inspiration, training, winter

When I made that transition from “cycling because I have to get to work” to “cycling to see how far and fast and hard I can go” with occasional “cycling just for the hell of it” moments, I started to log my times and speeds. I signed up to the free part of Map My Ride and became obsessed with numbers. If a weekly distance didn’t match or exceed the previous week’s, I was annoyed. More miles! More miles! From August to December I got steadily better and better. If “better” means I could g... read more...

Learning Mountain Biking Skills via Sacred Rider

Posted January 18, 2012 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, mountain biking, training

This article is going to take a long, long time to type. Who do I blame for my almost-immobile shoulders and stiff, sore arms? Possibly Steve, of Sacredrider.com, who runs mountain biking skills courses in the North West. Or possibly Joy, a local Breeze network champion who organised the day of tuition. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. A bit of background Facebook is brilliant. Not only can you link up with Daily Cycle, there are loads of cycling groups there and it f... read more...

Dropped Tubes and Raised Bottoms!

Posted December 20, 2011 in autumn barlow, female cyclists, I Cyclist

It started when I found I could not fit two water bottles to my bike, because of the dropped top tube. “Why do women’s bikes still have this kind of frame?” I asked. I kept getting told that it was so I could wear a skirt. Now, I didn’t buy a chunky hybrid so that I could pootle about town like a Little Britain Laydeee. It made no sense. I decided it was just another way cycling hadn’t moved on. My conclusion was wrong! I had started to link “cycling” and “restrictive to women”, “historical... read more...

The Tyranny Of Numbers

Posted December 20, 2011 in autumn barlow, female cyclists

Some time ago, I rather foolishly and publicly declared that I was not interested in cycling fast. I was merely content to use my bike as a leisure tool, pootling easily from town to town. I would leave the competitive comparisons of speed and mileage to serious cyclists. Utter tosh, of course. Who am I kidding? Much is made of targeting women, encouraging them into sport – including cycling – by offering “non-threatening” and “non-competitive” events. Are women less competitive? Many of my... read more...

Women

Posted December 20, 2011 in autumn barlow, Cycling Gear, cycling gear, female cyclists, I Cyclist

My recent review of the jerseys at Summit Different focussed on the quality and choice, but I did mention the contrast to other websites where the range offered for women is smaller. It was pointed out to me that women just don’t cycle as much. And yes, market forces dictate that there is little point having a heap of stuff with no-one to buy it. (I’m still simmering about what choice there is being mainly pink, though!). Women’s professional cycling is overlooked, though it is improving – I... read more...

Tales of Tendonitis

Posted December 20, 2011 in autumn barlow, duathlon, training

The recent post about duathlons got me thinking about my recent decision (whim) to have a go. Mixing up my cycling with a bit of running is appealing. Unfortunately, the idea of running is tainted by a lot of bad memories. Yes, all the usual school nightmares. But there’s more. In the early spring of this year, while I was living in Morecambe, I decided to start running. I was cycling to work on the pootling little shopper that I had at the time, and it wasn’t enough. Suddenly my body starte... read more...

Something Different From Summit Different

Posted December 20, 2011 in autumn barlow, Cycling Gear, cycling gear, female cyclists

  Any Colour You Like…As Long As It’s Pink Pink. Here’s a historical factoid for you: it used to be considered a man’s colour. Pale blue was more suitable for girls, being gentle and calming. Pink was seen as aggressive and in-your-face, and would therefore inflame the delicate sensibilities of us meek little women. I know this. Now you know this. It still doesn’t make me wild to wear the usual black-and-pink or grey-and-pink sportswear commonly on offer for women. I suppose I could op... read more...

Pimping my ride

Posted December 20, 2011 in autumn barlow, Cycling Gear, cycling gear, female cyclists, I Cyclist

Road cyclists understand the importance of weight. Every ounce counts. It’s a difficult choice between a short-sleeved jersey and a long-sleeved one; I know this. Your bikes are made of unicorn bones, held together with the tears of kittens. For this reason, I would ask you, for your own good, to look away now. This article will cause you real, physical pain. Because I have been pimping my ride. Let me attempt to defend my actions. I was bought this bike by a sympathetic mother-in-law who s... read more...

All I need now is the beard

Posted December 20, 2011 in autumn barlow, Cycling Gear, cycling gear, female cyclists, I Cyclist

The following is a guest post by Autumn Barlow. Autumn is a professional writer as well as an avid cyclist. If you’re remotely interested in writing, go check out her blog. I particularly like her piece on cycling etiquette. All I need now is the beard. Which is a problem, being a young woman. Still, if the genetic evidence of my older female relatives holds true, a beard is a future possibility. Hardcore Cyclists (capital C) will be shuddering into their energy gel at the thought of... read more...

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