The UK and Ireland are in for a real treat this year for cycling fans with the two most iconic races of the calendar hosting their first stages on our shores. The perhaps better known Tour de France is starting in Yorkshire this July (see the climbs of stage 1 and stage 2 parts one and two!) but the arguably more glamorous and exciting Grand Tour will be travelling around the beautiful countryside of Northern Ireland and down to Dublin. The first stage is a 22km team time trial where each 9-man squad will attempt to make a choreographed blur of carbon and lycra through the streets of Belfast with the time being taken on the 5th rider across the line, but as always, it’s the hills which interest me the most as it is the key aspect of professional cycling that is open for all of us to easily try for ourselves on the roads used by the professionals themselves. Continue reading
Month: April 2014
Velobici Spring Classics Challenge – The Prizes!
I’m sure you lot don’t need any more motivation to clock up the miles for the Velobici Spring Classics Challenge with, as I type this, 132(!) of you already having completed the full distance and 3 of you having done double the distance! Well, with 10 days still to go here is a quick reminder of the prizes up for grabs from our partners on this challenge. Remember, the more Classics you cover off, the more chances you’ll have of winning as you’ll be in the draw for prizes for all the Classics you have completed. So what are you doing still reading this when you could be out on the bike!