Sep
2014

Me for Queen’s cycling inspired album launch

categories: What's On

Me for Queen 'Iron Horse' cycling album

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…)


Sep
2014

Sisters are doing it for themselves: a women’s cycling club

categories: All posts

Inspired by womenToday 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…)


Aug
2014

Let’s go-ride a bike

categories: All posts, Family Cycling

British Cycling Go Ride

The one where Miss OCG tries British Cycling Go-Ride Coaching…

Those who are regular readers over here will remember that my six year old daughter, Miss OCG, learned to ride her bike at the end of May after being inspired by the fantastic Laura Trott, Katie Archibald and Dani King whilst watching the Milk Race live in Nottingham.  Now a few months older and aged seven, she too has the cycling bug. When we went to the Yorkshire Festival of Cycling recently for the Grand Depart of the Tour de France, British Cycling were there with a Go-Ride skills course and she gave it a go. Despite the fact it was raining, she loved it and has wanted to do more ever since. So, she recently went along to her first British Cycling Go-Ride coaching day. (more…)


Aug
2014

Tea, sympathy….and words of motivation

categories: All posts

 

Victoria Mae Designs
‘Keep moving’ – My lovely mug from Victoria Mae Designs

Before getting into cycling I never used to drink tea all that often but my appreciation of tea has changed. There seems to be something quite special about the tea and cake stop – even if I’m out on my own I’ll find a little cafe to recharge my batteries with a cuppa and a flap jack, or my particular favourite, some yummy lemon drizzle cake. (more…)


Jul
2014

UCI Women’s Cycling Week 20-27 July 2014

categories: All posts

UCI-logo1Ahead of this month’s historic La Course by Le Tour de France, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) is joining forces with key partners including Tour de France organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO) and UCI Women Road World Cup sponsor The Sufferfest, to launch the Women’s Cycling Week (WCW), from 20 to 27 July 2014. The goal of the Women’s Cycling Week is to grow the profile of women’s cycling at every level via a series of events that will take place throughout the month of July to get more girls and women riding. (more…)


Jul
2014

Tour de France and the Yorkshire Cycling Festival 2014

categories: All Post

Hooray! We’ve arrived at the Yorkshire Festival of Cycling at Harewood House near Leeds and as they would say here in Yorkshire, ‘by heck it’s windy!

We’re all ready for what promises to be an amazing weekend and we’re ready to watch the Grand Depart leaving from Harewood House tomorrow morning. It all officially kicks off in a matter of minutes at 2.00pm but there’s lots of buzz around the place already. Tents are pitched, caravans are all set and there are so many different types of bikes and riders. My two little one were thrilled by the Pennyfarthing they saw while we sat munching on some lunch. (more…)


Jul
2014

Launch of St John Ambulance First Aid for Cyclists app

categories: All posts, Wellbeing

St John Ambulance First Aid for Cyclists

You may remember that not too long ago I was out cycling with a couple of others when my friend had quite a tumble from her bike on a corner. After flying through the air, she landed on her back and knocked herself unconscious. That sent myself and the other person I was with in to bit of a panic. After all, it’s not every day you’re confronted with an unconscious friend whose eyes are rolling and who’s not responding. It was a hairy moment I can tell you. I wish we’d had the new St John Ambulance First Aid for Cyclists app intended especially for cyclists. (more…)


Jun
2014

Team spirit – that magical thing

categories: All posts

team spiritTeam spirit is a magical thing. Without it, many of us wouldn’t be half the people we are today. The nice thing about being part of a team is that you always have others on your side.

Today myself and my two little ones, I, 7 and S, 3 have been on a family bike ride. It was only a couple of miles around a lake, because at three, and only a month into riding his bike stabiliser-free that’s pretty much all S could manage. The wind started to build and the rain started to fall mid way through our ride and S was all set for giving up. ‘I can’t do it, mummy!” he shouted through tears. I had a huge surge of pride as I heard my daughter shout back to her brother: ‘You can do it! I know you can! I’ll wait right here and I’ll give you a big hug if you can make it a little bit further to me.” That was something very special right there. There was that magical thing. Team spirit. (more…)


Jun
2014

Streetvelodrome

categories: All posts, Track cycling
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Image courtesy of Streevelodrome on Flickr

Hand’s up who’s heard of Streetvelodrome! It’s making a very loud buzz in the cycling world right now and the series is being televised!! I got half an hour to sit down and watch some the other day – it was brilliant!

A couple of months back when I first started this blog I set myself some new challenges for 2014. Whilst I’m not doing too badly at ticking them off, one of those was to ride in a velodrome and do some track cycling – that one, sadly, hasn’t happened yet. Velodrome’s are hard to find in the UK – they’re too spread out! Although, I say that now – when October arrives we will have the new Derby velodrome not too far down the road from me. *let’s out an excited squeal* (more…)


Jun
2014

Why we need more women’s cycling on TV

categories: All posts
Why we need more women's cycling on TV
Image: Chuck Coker via Flickr

I’ve heard a lot of arguments lately about why we need more women’s cycling on mainstream TV. I watched The Women’s Tour and loved it, but it wasn’t accessible to everyone…it wasn’t on any of the main four tv channels and it was on later in the evening than I would have liked to have seen.

My daughter is six. Very nearly seven. Up until just over two weeks ago she couldn’t ride her bike. Regular readers will have grasped my frustration at her apparent lack of interest. We’ve tried to encourage her to learn on a number of occasions –  shiny new bike was delivered for her birthday last year and she just wasn’t all that interested. Fear seemed to set in and she refused to go anywhere near her bike. In recent months, the mere mention of giving it a go has sent her into a trembling mess, which was really sad to see. I was about to give up trying to encourage her altogether and was ready (reluctantly) to accept that maybe cycling wasn’t ever going to be something she would want to do. But then a wonderful thing happened… (more…)