September 2011

Garmin Rideout

Sep

GarminRideOUt2

After watching Rapha Condor Sharp finish their Tour of Britain in a blaze of glory, we got up at the crack of dawn to head to the New Forest for the Garmin Rideout. As both a Garmin and Cervelo stockist it was a chance to meet the riders who directly influence the development of the products, and find out what is planned for 2012. It was also a chance to take a look at the new entry-level Edge 200 bike computer and the Vector pedal, a smart little power meter that is compatible with Edge 500 and 800 units.

We had a little one on one time with Roger Hammond. Not that he had a say in the matter, since we were in the middle of the countryside and riding alongside him. All the same he is a nice guy with some envious results to his name.

Things we found out:
1. He has a 140mm stem;
2. When he got 3rd at Paris-Roubaix, the longest training ride he'd done that winter was just two and a half hours;
3. He's not as tall as you think he is;
4. He's not a numbers man: "when the race goes hard, I go hard. When the race goes easy I go easy";
5. It is all about intensity: "anyone can ride a bike slowly for a long time. Short efforts have better gains";
6. He's one of the few cyclists to have an organ named after him;
7. He would like to do a bit of cyclo-cross this winter;
8. The Garmin team bus has nice faux wood panel surface tops, which add a bit of class if you have to spend 150 days living in it.

GarminRideOut

Add Comment (0)

Press Pass

Sep

The press pass at the printers all went swimmingly.

Book (3)

Book (5)

Book (4)

Book (2)

Add Comment (2)

Meet the riders from Rapha Condor Sharp

Sep

LittleBanner

Rapha Condor Sharp's stars will be making their way to Birmingham to join title sponsorand bike manufacturer, Condor, to celebrate a dazzling season, which ended in a blaze of glory on the streets of London at the Tour of Britain just one week ago.

The Tour of Britain was the cherry on top of an already brilliant year for the Rapha Condor Sharp team.

Jon Tiernan-Locke was one of the standout riders of the race, demonstrating his awesome climbing prowess by winning the Skoda King of the Mountains competition, as well as showing enormous stage race potential by finishing as the best domestic British rider overall.

JTL2 _web_show
Image: Cheryl King

Joining him at the Cycle Show stand will be former National Champion, Kristian House, who was once again one of the main protagonists of the Tour of Britain, twice being crowned the race's most aggressive rider. The wily Mr House has had another brilliant season, taking overall victory at the Tour of South Africa, and a stage win at the Vuelta a Leon in Spain.

The team's Tour Series winning criterium specialists will also be represented by fans' favourite, Dean Downing, and National Criterium Champion, Graham Briggs, who will both be meeting and answering questions from the show visitors.

Briggs' special edition all white National Champions bike will be on display, alongside Kristian House's Di2-equipped machine.

Olympic Track racing stars, Ed Clancy and Andrew Tennant, will also be making an appearance on the Condor stand at the show. Ed and Andy have both had an impressive debut season for the Rapha Condor Sharp team, and with both the riders' sights firmly fixed on the London Olympics next year, 2012 should yield some even more impressive results to add to their collections of World and Olympic titles.

Times and Locations

Condor Cycles - Stand No. E11
Cycle Show 29th September - 2nd October, Birmingham NEC

Graham Briggs and Dean Downing will be on the stand between 1-3pm Thursday 29th September and Friday 30th September
Kristian House, Jon Tiernan-Locke, Ed Clancy and Andrew Tennant will be on the stand between 1-2.30pm on Saturday 1st October.
The formidable tactician John Herety will be on the stand on Thursday and Saturday at various times.

For more info on the Cycle Show and to book tickets follow this link

Brigga_web_1

Add Comment (1)

Past Present Future

Sep

Past_present_future

Final proofs arrived yesterday.
We held our breath.
Scrutinised.
Smiled.
Signed.
Sent back.
October.

Proofing_the_Condor_Book

Add Comment (0)

Belinda's Black Forest Raid: part 3

Sep

BlackForestBeer

The plan for the first day in the Alps was to ride the famous four local passes, each in excess of 2100m. But it was very wet and cold, even in Meiringen, so we decided to drive the route instead. Glad we did. It was grim on the Grimsel, there was fog on the Furka and gloom on the Gotthard and it was nasty on the Nufenen. But on a clear day (and it was when we did these on a previous trip), this route is about as good as it gets. Better than the Selle Ronde and the Marmotte, in our opinions. The following day was bright and clear. We were to climb the Grosse Scheidigg, then back via Grindelwald and Interlaken. The Gosse Scheidigg (1961m) is a 17km climb on a steep, narrow road, but there are two or three flattish sections mid way, which does help to relieve the pain of some (15% plus) ramps. The views were spectacular. To our left were the Wetterhorn, Jungfrau, Monch and Eiger. This really is the most beautiful climb and descent imaginable. We had a rather lumpy 12km ride back beside Lake Brienz and then a final flat 16km to finish an 80km loop.

We are already planning a longer stay at the Bierhaeusle next year...

If you're interested in finding out more, please feel free to contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .