What makes cycling great?

Posted April 18, 2012 in Amy O Halloran, I Cyclist, inspiration, Pro riding, Pro Tour

Everyone on here knows I love cycling. Obviously I do, otherwise I wouldn’t write for a cycling website. But I often wonder exactly why I love it. What is it that makes it so great? I like riding my bike for different reasons than I like watching bike racing. The two are quite separate in my mind; there are two sides to my cycling personality...  Firstly, the crap amateur cyclist Amy who tries to ride fast and does the occasional sufferfest, who goes on the bike when I can and a... read more...

From pro to coach - an Interview with Stephen Gallagher

Posted February 01, 2012 in charity, inspiration, interviews, Pro riding, Rob Orr, training

Elite cyclist Rob Orr interviews pro cyclist turned coach Stephen Gallagher and asks him about his time as a professional rider and the transition to becoming a coach and beyond... Stephen, tell us a little about your early years on the bike. How did you initially get into cycling?  My family were all cyclists, my Father had represented Ireland and also my brother so it was kind of inevitable that I would race, I actually did my first race when I was 7, but this was all fun and I o... read more...

Vive Le Tour

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...

Winter Training – Advice from a Pro-Rider

Posted December 20, 2011 in andy ward, I Cyclist, Pro riding, Pro Tour, training

During the short days and miserable weather of a British December, it can be hard to motivate yourself to get out on your bike. Elite cyclist Rob Orr gives us his tips on how to get the best from your cycling in the winter months and use this time to prepare for the challenges of 2012… Best and Worst Winter training can be one of the best and worst times for riding your bike. It's often cold and can also be wet, but it's also a time when many cyclists ride more sociably as the next ra... read more...

The war of the governing bodies

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, rob ellis

Cycling is a game of bikes, bruises and pain. When compared with other sports it’s hard not to draw some rather stark comparisons. Whilst on the train back to university from a family gathering in Gloucester I stumbled across an article in the sports pages of the Sunday Times about the highly controversial Sepp Blatter, FIFA's long lasting and highly unpopular president. His most recent antics surrounding claims of racism in football have given football pundits and columnists reams of mater... read more...

British Cycling’s Emphatic Season

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

There are very few traditional cycling nations. The main protagonists within the professional peloton can easily be said to be the Italians, the Belgium’s, the French and the Spanish; but as the professional season draws to a close, it’s hard to overlook the advent of another powerhouse nation: Great Britain. The rise of Mark Cavendish since the 2007 season has brought renewed interest in cycling within the UK. Bolstered by incredible performances from both the track and road squads at the ... read more...

A year of great cycling experiences!

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...

The life and times of Cycling Team HTC-Highroad

Posted December 20, 2011 in female cyclists, Pro riding, Pro Tour, rob ellis

The home of such starts as Mark Cavendish, Tony Martin and the Veilits brothers and such personalities as Bernie Eisel and Matthew Goss; the team who have brought new life to the professional peloton will now cease to be active in the cycling world as of the end of the current season after failing to find a replacement sponsor. From the team managers to the headline riders and domestiques, Highroad have always been at the fore of all things cycling. Their dominant women’s team always toppi... read more...

Post Tour Racing

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

Life after the Tour is often never the same for many of the peloton’s unsung hero’s. A stage win in a grand tour can not only change a riders career and standing in the peloton, but also his entire way of life and outlook on racing. Such will be the way for Thomas Voeckler, Riguberto Uran and Jurgen Vaderweert. Similarly the Tour can have exactly the opposite effect for others; well and truly crushing dreams, altering their perception on their own attributes and leading them to re-assess and... read more...

Inspiration, Anticipation and Domestiques

Posted December 20, 2011 in I Cyclist, Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

Now, I’m not going to lie, I’ve been glued to almost every available moment of the Tour de France since stage 1. Even being on holiday in Greece didn’t stop my avid addiction to the frenetic sporting circus which is the Tour. The impressive riding by Thomas Voeckler, Andy Schleck and the stoic determination and loyalty of their domestiques throughout the Tour is well and truly a sight to behold. As someone who is yet to find exactly where my true cycling talents (providing they exist!) lie,... read more...

Team Work Utilisation – The Schleck Brothers

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

Cycling is all about team work. Pro riders make no bones about constantly reminding the press that results don’t just come off the back of a single rider on a single day. Mark Cavendish is perhaps the most noticeable example of this; in every post-race interview he heaps praise on his team mates, from lead-out man Mark Renshaw to his sporting directors and bike sponsors. It’s all these little details that add up together and mesh to result in the win at the highest level of the sport. The ... read more...

Acts of Cycling Bravery

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

Those of you who watched stage 9 of the Tour de France may have seen the shocking incident involving a media car, Team Sky’s Juan Antonio Flecha and Vacansoleil’s Johnny Hoogerland. On a relatively open yet downhill section of road, a car belonging to a French TV company swerved and took out Flecha, stunned by the impact Flecha then swerved, almost taking out Thomas Voeckler, but going into Hoogerland. Both riders were catapulted off the road, Flecha into the ditch, and Hoogerland straight i... read more...

Tour de France 2011 – A quick look back

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

The Tour is now in full swing. Yesterday marked the first rest day of the Tour, a sort of ‘day off’ for the pros with no set parcours or racing to be completed. However, rest days are somewhat of a misleading concept. Rarely do riders actually rest on these days. The body takes time to adapt to constant hard exertions and as such taking a day off would leave riders with heavy legs and make subsequent days racing harder and more arduous. Riders tend to go for an hour or two’s spin on their bi... read more...

Tour de France 2011 Preview – The Contenders

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

We’ve taken a quick look at the route and the possible ways that the race could unfold, now it’s time for Daily Cycle’s Top 10 GC contenders. This list is compiled based on previous results, form shown this year and just a hint of gut instinct. We reckon all of the riders on this list are capable of placing in the top 10 of this years Tour, so let’s take a look at them! Alberto Contador There’s no disputing his talent. Contador is undoubtedly the greatest grand tour rider of a generation, ... read more...

Tour de France Preview – The Route

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

The year has positively flown by and the second of July is fast bearing down upon us. The Tour de France is undoubtedly the biggest race in cycling; 3 weeks of pain, suffering and fun – and don’t we just love it. The Tour de France is a legendary event in the world of sport, one of the toughest sporting challenges to face professional athletes. The whirlwind of the Tour is intriguing, a fast and frenetic sporting spectacle which has captured the imagination and hearts of a loyal fan base ye... read more...

The future’s bright, the future’s Swift

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

British cycling has a record of turning out top riders through its well established academy system; Ben Swift is one such rider to have made the successful transition from U23 Academy to the top level of road cycling. Swift is a northern lad, South Yorkshire born and bred. As someone who’s ridden around the Yorkshire area, I know it’s the perfect anecdote for poor form and this might go some way to explaining Swift’s impressive road cycling pedigree. Joining Team Katusha in 2009 as a neo-pr... read more...

The Clash of the Titans

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

In modern day cycling, such as in other sports, the banker’s role is becoming ever more prominent. The increasingly global nature of the sport and its growing popularity has brought in larger and larger audiences who have made the competition for media coverage increasingly fierce. May sees the clash of two of cycling’s most highly competitive stage races: the Amgen Tour of California and the Giro D’Italia. The 3 week Giro and 8 stage Tour of California present differing challenges to the pr... read more...

The UCI’s suspect list

Posted December 20, 2011 in Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

There are many things in this world which can be interpreted as annoying, stupid or just downright ridiculous; but this week’s revelation that appeared in French newspaper L’Equipe takes the biscuit. As you may have heard, the UCI is alleged to have stored a list of suspects from the 2010 Tour de France. The list gives all riders a rating from 0-10 based on their supposed likelihood to be involved in doping. The list was leaked to L’Equipe from an anonymous source and has caused a noticeable... read more...

Returning cycling to the dark ages

Posted December 20, 2011 in Cycling Gear, cycling gear, Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

There is a rift growing within professional cycling; we’re not talking Doctor Who’s science fiction anomalies here, but the issue of team radios, technological change and racing tactics. The governance of professional cycling is orchestrated by a body known as the UCI – the Union Cycliste Internationale. They are responsible for administering rules, convictions for dopers and issuing licenses for both teams and riders. The UCI is also responsible for issuing new directives and incentives to... read more...

My thoughts on todays horrific accident

Posted December 20, 2011 in I Cyclist, Pro riding, Pro Tour, racing, rob ellis

Today I did something I haven’t done for a long time. I watched cycling live on television. These days I barely have tome to ride my bike let alone watch other people do it on T.V. But today the planets aligned and I was able to watch the Giro d’Italia live in HD. Sounds great right? Well, it was until I witnessed  a man dying live in HD. That man was Wouter Weylandt. Rob has already written a tribute to him after hearing the sad news today. They have pulled the coverage from the netwo... read more...

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