I did a short post on the great VC Moulin jersey design, a club that specialises in cyclocross, and got some good feedback. Then I noticed the jersey had been picked up by WTFKits, an American blogs that celebrates ‘bad kits and bad-ass kits’. VCM comes into the latter category.
Image Trina Ritchie
Continue reading
That British Cycling may table a bid to host the World Road Championships is not a surprise- British cycling (with a small ‘c’) is booming and with the Olympics in 2012 there will be the experience and enthusiasm of a major event to draw on.
British Cycling president Brian Cookson spoke about this to various media in October 2011, including the BBC and VeloUK- each piece was largley the same. But I heard a quote on the Velo Club Don Logan podcast that caught my attention and I found it in writing in a Cycling Weekly piece:
Cookson, who was recently made head of the UCI Road Commission, mentioned Wales, Scotland and London as potential places.
‘Tis the season for ‘Top 10′ style lists, so here’s a brief rundown of some of my highlights of 2011 where Scottish racing is concerned. I certainly haven’t watched everything closely- these are just the things that stand out, off the top of my head. Please contribute your own ideas in the comments.
in no particular order
Arthur Doyle’s 19:45
Arthur is pretty much the best time triallist around, particularly in 10s and 25s and this blistering time at Westferry at the end of August was brilliant. Check out this discussion on Braveheart which looks at other 19 minute rides.
It’s still cyclocross season, and I thought I’d post this short, stylised promo video shot and edited by Corinne Walder. It’s just an intro to the sport, so nothing groundbreaking for diehards, but it does feature some soundbites from two fresh-faced Scots on the British Cycling academy, Kenta Gallagher and Grant Ferguson.
More Road Cycling Videos
PRODUCED BY CORINNE WALDER. MUSIC : NIRVANA – BLEW
corinnewalder.com
flickr photos
twitter
29. Water bottles shall preferably be freebies from sportive rides or found at the side of the road when watching pro races. Under no circumstances should they be discarded until completely spent, even when not matching bike or clothing colours.
The aspiring Euro cyclist is instructed not to leave his water bottles on the bike while transporting bikes via bike rack- this is an obvious faux pas for the the Scottish cyclist, as they would simply fall off due to the bumpy Scottish Roads.
Nicked from the Inner Ring, the idea of theming food around cycling and a region is one I will stretch a little further to breaking point in this post.
Tunnocks- a great Scottish brand, which has the requisite energy to sustain a cyclist for an hour. It’s something I have packed into my pocket on occasion but not routinely.
But the real question is: Teacake or Wafer? I’d go for a wafer, but not in summer, where it would certainly melt.
www.thecyclejersey.com
via ilike
Scottish Cycling foods II: Irn Bru
Scottish Cycling foods I: Oatcakes
I’m rediscovering my mojo for blogging a bit by getting back to short pieces. It’s not hard to be inspired with designs like these around.
Bathgate Alps – by Matt Ball/West Lothian Clarion
A nice minimal design, with some nice typefaces and a list of the many West Lothian climbs. There’s a map on the WLC website.
The Robert T Shirt – by Rich Mitchelson/Rouleur
I blogged this one before, but it’s worth doing again- again, I like Rich’s minimal 2D style. Also available as a mug.
Ronde Van Vlaanderen – by Scott O’Raw/Velocast
OK, so the Tour of Flanders isn’t anything to do with Scotland, but this T is designed by Scott from the Velocast, of which I am a big fan. Check out this and other designs and support the show.
I’ve got other ideas for Scottish Cycling T Shirts but unfortunately not the creative flair, time or knowhow to see them through. If you have any suggestions for things I’ve missed, post in the comments or send me a message.
On a tangent- some other design work from this year that I really liked was for the Tro Bro Leon race – a ‘mini Paris Roubaix’ held in Brittany. It’s held in mid-April and was raced by Endura last season. There’s a sportive too, which I’d love to try.
I’m not much of a designer myself, but I loved the illustrated style, which nods to the graphic novels (or ‘BDs’ – Bandes Dessinées) that are highly popular in France. The theme was integrated throughout the event website and would be cool on a T Shirt. I’m not sure who the designer was so unfortunately can’t credit.
VC Moulin encompass all cycling disciplines (I believe) but they are known for cyclocross. There’s something great about their jersey with its nod to the Belgian national colours and the powerful logo.
Pic by Brian McArdle on flickr.
We’re almost at the end of the cross season in Scotland and there has been lots going on, some great races, but alas I have too been strapped for time to do the scene justice. The final two races at Mull are coming up next weekend.
Check out Dave Hamill and John McComisky’s Dig In Mate series of videos for a typically Scottish, light-hearted (and sometimes rude) look at some of the races. These also really deserve a separate post… they are great.
In 1897 the World Cycling Championships were held on a track around Celtic Park.
Cycling and football have grown a long way apart in the past 114 years.
Cuilt Brae is the B821, a 2 mile stretch of road from pictureque, well-heeled Strathblane to Carbeth, to the North of Glasgow.
It seems to have several names- coming out of Strathblane/Blanefield, it is signed for Stockiemuir. I have heard people refer to it both as ‘Cuilt Brae’ and ‘Stockiemuir’. The top is at Carbeth, where there is an Inn.
The Glasgow Nightingale and Ivy cycling clubs both use it for their club hill climb championships.
In the photo above, behind the idling riders you can see the road climbing up.
It has steep but steady gradient and a couple of nice hairpins, where the gradient rises to 15%.
click for larger map
Turning right at the top will take you towards Drymen Hill, another good climb that I will have to cover another time. Turning left takes you back along the Stockiemuir Road towards Glasgow, and taking another left after passing the Hilton Park Golf Club, you will find an unclassified road that is known as the “Khyber Pass”. Another short sharp climb beloved (or hated) amongst Glasgow cyclists that is also on my list to look at.
If you ride the Khyber Pass, you’ll pass Mugdock Park, which plays host to a Scottish Cyclocross series race. Back down into Strathblane, you have the option to go east to tackle the Crow Road or the Tak-Me-Doon. North of Glasgow certainly has a great deal of climbs to offer.
This climb on Google maps.
photos by Jamie Forbes Glasgow Ivy(Ivy gallery)
Glasgow Ivy CC website
