Late September 1985. The Master (school principal) stands in front of a room full of fourth, fifth and sixth class pupils and informs them that a big cycle race is passing nearby and that if they were interested they could all walk down to Keatings cross to watch it pass. A chorus of yesses went…
My friend Anthony is a pretty good bike rider. He has won many races including the National Road race, 25 and 50 mile TT championships all in one year. He has represented Ireland at many International races and is a double Ras stage winner. This alone would be enough to be called a classy bike…
Most kids learn to pedal around the age of 2 and many are off stabilizers by the age of 4 or 5. From then on most people throughout the world are able to cycle a bike. Kids love to cycle and the freedom and independence that it offers them. They always seem to be smiling…
Sometimes we all need a little inspiration ! Barry www.worldwidecycles.com
Well worth checking out this link to a behind the scenes interview with Kelly about this years Paris - Nice. Thanks to Rene van Dam of Visit Nenagh cycling team for recommending it. http://s.nos.nl/swf/embed/nos_video_embed.swf?tcmid=tcm-5-1215399 Barry www.worldwidecycles.com
Rule 1 : The rule of weight .The average family car weighs over 1200kg. The average bike weighs 8kg .Head to head the bike will be squashed like a fly under a doc martin boot when it comes in direct contact with a car. Even if you are totally in the right and the car…
Last weekend I got dressed up in my best gear , headed out with my friends, had a bite to eat drank loads, got hammered and came home legless . We caught up on all the news and gossip, there was plenty of slagging and things went a bit wild towards the end. Before people…
Recently on Facebook there was a link doing the rounds that told the story of a busker playing a violin for 45 minutes in a Washington Metro station .Very few people paid any attention whatsoever to the busker apart from a few kids who had to be dragged away by their parents. In total only…
When the boss of the Phillips Corporation in Eindhoven gave the go ahead for subsidiary company PDM to sponsor a cycling team in the late eighties I wonder if he realised the full extent of just how far the sponsorship deal would reach . For a number of years the PDM cassette and video tapes…
Around 11 this morning Twitter, Facebook and many cycling news websites went on fire with news of Alberto Contadors' 2 year doping suspension. By 1pm RTE were showing a video clip from the 2010 Tour with Contador in yellow crossing the finish line. Obviously I was just as curious as anyone to find out the…
One day I was doing a buckle when a friend strolled in. He is a guy who travels quiet a distance and we always have a good ould chat. As we looked at the wheel spinning in the jig I asked how long he was on the bike now and was surprised by the answer…
Yesterday began like many of my Sundays. Porridge, tea and wholemeal toast for breakfast, get dressed up in bright lycra and at 8.54 I head out to the shed lift my bike down from the rack, pop in the water bottle and fit the Garmin, check the tyre pressure and have a quick look at…
The dreaded puncture is the most frustrating aspect of cycling for many a bike rider . I was asked today if there is anything that can be done to help avoid getting one . The simple answer is , yes there are a number of things any cyclist can do to reduce the chance of…
(Eddy Merckx was fanatical about his equipment) Before the days of twitter , Facebook and the Internet the greatest cyclists in the World were almost supernatural . Fans would spend days recounting any brief glimpse of a Champion in the flesh . Monthly magazines like 'Winning' were torn apart as pictures of Hero cyclists were…
In 1976 Freddy Maertens was in great form early in the season winning races like the Amstel Gold and Gent Wevelgem . He was going well and was looking towards a good Tour de France when his form began to fade . Just weeks before the tour was due to begin he was having trouble…
In 1989 Sean Kelly won one of the biggest races on the World cycling calendar , the Liege Bastogne Liege classic . Whilst the whole cycling world were congratulating him he made a call home and heard the news that a friend of his had also won a race that day . Whilst…
With sporting success comes a certain amount of public recognition . In Ireland a cyclist who competes on National teams representing their country will be recognised locally or sometimes further afield by those with an interest in cycling . A GAA star however , is recognised by every man , woman and child in…
Seventy five-year old Tom 'Chops' Kiely was in the shop recently and as a lifelong cycling fan made a point to Ray that the World Champion cyclist isn't really the World Champion . He said that a one day race isn't any sort of way to decide who should wear the World Champions' rainbow stripes…
Cycling is a great leveler . It doesn't matter if you are a doctor or a dolee on the bike , everyone is just a bike rider
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