Archives | Ashburton Riders Club ARC

Thursday 23rd Nov BRL Coffee Crew

by Travis Bowland | Nov 23, 2017

Looking fit guys

Old Skool Coffee Morning

by Richard Doyle | Nov 17, 2017

Coffee in Camberwell with Phil, Justin, Trevor and Kym

Lack of Medical Records

by Travis Bowland | Nov 16, 2017

In 2012 I was living in London and attended the Tour de France as well as the London Olympics so I might be a bit biased here.

Brad Wiggins was a big deal in the UK, much more than Froome is now, more personality, very British and a likeable down to earth character.

He basically put team Sky on the map.

In 2012 he won the Tour de France and Olympic gold, both the tour that year and the Olympic Time Trial were up there with some of the best sport I’ve ever seen.

Anyway, I was shocked when it was announced he was being investigated for doping. Even after Lance Armstrong, I still couldn’t believe Wiggins was a cheat.

Years have gone on and investigation after investigation has basically ruined Wiggins’ life.

But there are some grey area’s that don’t help him, such as a ‘lack of medical records’

Many journalists have slammed team Sky for their handling and secrecy during this case.

But, as was the case with Lance, and with team Sky’s recent domination, questions have to be raised.

Is Wiggins a cheat?

Was team Sky running a doping program then / now?

Do you trust cycling is clean post Lance?

Is UKAD targeting anyone who is successful to justify their position? (WADA / Essendon similar case)

Is a lack of medical records suspicious or just unfortunate?

I’m not sure what to think anymore…but would love to hear others views that may not be so swept up in ‘Wiggins mania’.

(I added his letter as a picture here but it needs zooming to read, Shaun get onto that by lunchtime today thanks 🙂

So here are the links from today’s announcement:

Ride on, Sir Wiggo.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/cycling/41999310

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/sir-bradley-wiggins-statement-ukad-investigation-news-cycling-a8056836.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cycling/2017/11/15/sir-bradley-wiggins-hits-ukad-putting-living/

I threw in a photo of a much skinnier me for a laugh too.

Riding etiquette 2 – Rotating Angst

by Ray | Nov 13, 2017

Some minor annoyances can be easily removed from our riding in rotation.

Call last wheel!
It helps to know it is your turn, but sometimes the rotation changes for lights or other odd reasons. If you are last, call that as a courtesy to the next cab off the rank! Helps if they have lost attention.

Don’t race the outside rider up The Hill.
Ok,you are strong, great, but the rider behind you has to come past and pull in front to give you a break from the wind. If you forget and start accelerating up The Hill he or she may just let you hang. Best to remember let them past.

If the lead rider calls “single”, then b….y go single file. Usually at pinch points that could be dangerous.
Fold in gracefully, make your intention known, let the other rider in.
Do not overtake the front riders, you just make it unsafe.

Call obstacles. Loud, often.
No one likes hitting crap on the road. Call for everyone.
No one likes being suddenly overtaken by crazies. Let them know you are coming. RIDERS!

All but last one for this episode.
Do not cut in on overtaken riders! Period!
Stay out long enough to allow the rotation tail to pass!
If you pull in too soon, then so will everyone else, and someone mayclip an innocents front wheel!
DONT!

When you mess up, and we all do, “sorry” is not the hardest word!

Hydrofoil Aquabike

by Shaun McKenna | Nov 13, 2017

Looking for the perfect Christmas present.

This summer’s ultimate riding toy.

New Zealand’s Manta5 set to launch advanced hydrofoil e-bike

If the vision of these Kiwi entrepreneurs is realised, then commuting could be about to get a whole lot different – with the upcoming release of the world’s most advanced hydrofoil bike.

Proclaimed as “the next frontier on water”, the Manta5 has an electric motor that you can glide over the water using a pedal assist or simply throttling with no effort at all. The carbon fibre hydrofoils make it impressively lightweight, with the motorised version coming in at 20kg and the manual 14kg. A streamlined profile makes the bike hydro and aerodynamically efficient, and although Manta5 believe it can go faster with more R+D, at the moment it can reach an impressive 20km/h.