What Sunday is for

Stolen bike alert

Given everything that's happened in London over the last two weeks, it seems  in rather poor taste that I say the worst thing that can happen to a cyclist is to have your bike nicked.

But when it happens, it's grim. Scrotes! In the words of Alan Partridge: scum, sub-human scum. 

So, keep your eyes peeled for this machine stolen yesterday from a Chorlton Velo member - it's only a week old too...

Bella in sella with @chorltonvelo

As you might well know, vain Italian cyclists have a saying - bella in sella - which literally translates to 'looking good in the saddle'. Looking good as in striking an attractive figure as opposed to looking comfortable or accomplished as a rider. 

I guess if you said it about somebody else then it wouldn't be so bad - if not a bit weird - but saying it about yourself would leave you open to the criticisms of vanity which I indulged in in the opening line of this blog.


So, with all that in mind, check out the new Chorlton Velo cycling kit which has just arrived from Swedish manufacturer Craft.

If you spend any time noticing cyclists around Manchester, then these colours will become very familiar to you
over the coming months and years. It think you'll agree, it looks superb although I'll look like a bag of spanners in it obviously.

It's been designed by two club members to take the best bits of the original kit and 'jzzuge' it up a bit for the modern rider. It retains a family resemblance to the original but looks a whole lot better.

Maybe one day it'll be as recognisable as the classic Manchester Wheelers colours.

Bella in sella indeed.

@chorltonvelo win at Ashton Crit

Chapeau to @chorltonvelo rider George Robinson who became the first Veloista to take a competitive race win.

George led the field over the line at the weekly criterium around Ashton.

Well done mate.

Building a new @chorltonvelo

While I've not been updating this blog, I've been busy playing a part in refreshing the output of my cycling club: Chorlton Velo - well, it's not actually mine but you know what I mean.
The club's grown quite a bit since in joined in 2011 (I think) and a whole new group of riders have joined - some have left too which is always sad.
Anyhoo, for my part in its Kafkaesque metamorphosis, I've rebuilt the club website.

Home page...

It still needs tinkering with here and there but I'm reasonably happy with it. It's an interesting exercise to look at club websites as they span the full spectrum: from absurd and hilarious to slick and professional.
Hopefully the Chorlton Velo site communicates our passion and love for being on two wheels.
Feedback is encouraged of course.

Manchester's cycling heartland is...

Finally got around to having a butchers at all that ONS 2011 Census data which was released last week.  While the Express got itself into a lather about Polish being third most used language in Britain ( I bet English is either first or second in almost every country in the world), they missed the big story which clearly identified Chorlton as being Manchester's cycling heartland.  And here, courtesy of the Grauniad, is the map to prove it.

Bit of blue in a sea of grey

South Manchester Cycling Reporter

It's amazing how often cycling features in the South Manchester Reporter.
As highlighted in an earlier post, one of the members of Chorlton Velo - Kiwi Chris - recently had his trusty steed stolen from outside of the Tesco on Barlow Moor Road at 8am on Sunday morning.
The South Manchester Reporter has this week given Chris a quarter of a page on his quest to get his bike back.

Chris, his bike and some bananas

Yes, this is a great story for a local newspaper: expensive bike, trusting punter and an element of humour - Chris was in the shop to buy a banana for the club run.
They say that 'there's no such thing as bad publicity' so let's hope it helps Chris get his wheels back.
I have it on good authority that articles about cycling in the South Manchester Reporter and the Manchester Evening news regularly get masses of hits on the website.
Further evidence then that cycling has now moved far beyond a marginal interest activity.
Indeed, our sport is more popular than ever and it is only where it collides with the non-cycling world that it gets too painful.  Apart from riding uphill into a headwind of course.
Ride safe.

South Manchester bike theft

Theft is one of the two things I would consign to room 101 if I had the chance. The other is litter by the way.
The front page of this week's South Manchester Reporter is all about theft, bike theft in particular.
Apparently a spate of bike thefts have been going on in Chorlton, Didsburyshire and Withington as the robbing unmentionables have apparently developed a taste for high-end carbon road bikes.
My first ever new bike, a Cannondale hybrid got nicked from town a few years back and I still look for it to this day.

Bike theft, stiletto attack and a cat 

It's a painful experience having your bike nicked, it really is.
Just last week one of the Chorlton Velo members had his carbon steed lifted while he was in the shop at 8am on a Sunday morning. You can read the outpouring of sympathy and disbelief in the comments section of the 'paper here. 
It's difficult not to go all 'Daily Mail' when thinking what can be about bike theft, let's just hope this publicity has some positive effect.

Autumn cycling beauty

So pleased I managed to get out yesterday rather than waiting for today's club run.
Although its not as wet as feared today, yesterday was an absolute stunner.
A relatively flat 75 miler around the Cheshire lanes including a splendid frangipane cake at Jodrell Bank.
Millions of crisp colourful leaves from a hundred thousand trees lined our route most of which will be like soggy weetabix in a week's time.
Beautiful halcyon days.