I hate Sundays. As a kid they were always the day of the week we did nothing. They can be the dullest day, but just over a week ago I had the best Sunday ever…spent with two lovely British Cycling coaches learning some new track cycling skills! (more…)
Le Col is a cycling apparel brand established in 2009, for men and women set up by Welsh professional Team Raleigh rider, Yanto Barker. The Sport collection is the most affordable range from Le Col, but it’s certainly not a budget range. You might be forgiven for not being overly familiar with the brand Le Col – it’s not in your face or overtly out there, but it’s definitely a brand you should be checking out.
Le Col say they are ‘committed to delivering the finest products, meaning all their apparel is rigorously tested before being put into production. The personal input and critical eye on all aspects of the brands products and services sets Le Col apart from other cycling brands.’
I personally think it’s a really stylish brand. I love the simple design, the logo and the lettering. And their colours are pretty cool too. This particular top comes in this lovely bright blue, a vivid yellow and a striking red – all contrasting great against the flattering black to provide some visibility on the road.
Le Col isn’t a budget range; the Le Col Sport short sleeve women’s cycling jersey is the cheapest in their range and retails at £80. (more…)
Back in March I read this article in the Guardian about musician and singer, Mary Erskine, and how an evening bike ride in Richmond Park, London, had inspired her to start writing odes to cycling and to set them to music.
Erskine’s band Me for Queen release their debut album Iron Horse this autumn. It’s an album written about the experiences and feeling of riding a bike, with the name itself being the name of Mary’s bike.
According to the Guardian interview with Erskine, musically she has ‘relished the challenge, and the creatively liberating process of writing around a theme’. (more…)
Today I’m feeling inspired by the wonderful women I ride out with. Sometimes, you have to take the bull by the horns and just do it.
Remember when this blog first started and I posted about the 12 Challenges for 2014 (that reminds me that a full update is well over-due on my 12 Challenges)? One challenge I felt particularly passionate about was: #3 ‘getting more women involved in cycling’. Shortly after this post, I was out riding with a friend who was on a not-so-trusty and quite rusty old mountain bike experiencing her first tastes of cycling. I was talking about how much I love cycling. The sense of freedom, the buzz afterwards and being out in the countryside. Up until that point I had been riding out on my own or with my OH. Riding out on your own has it’s place. Riding out with my OH does too – but that is always a huge challenge as he forgets I’m not one of his male cycling buddies and that I simply can’t keep up with him! (more…)