York Rouleurs Cycling Club

In June this year I went to York cycle rally and was given a flyer for York Rouleurs Cycling Club.

Having already been involved with my own club in East Yorkshire for 15 yrs I felt quite treacherous as I discreetly placed it into my pocket.

Although York was some distance from where I lived (26 miles) I have a affinity for the city.

My brother Andy is the Co Owner of Cycle Heaven which is where York Rouleurs assemble.

The following Sunday I arrived outside 'Cycle Heaven' in York at about 08:30 giving myself enough time to be ready for the 09:00 start.

I felt quite anxious as if I was about to commence some sort of illicit relationship with another club.

As the departure time came closer cyclists started appearing from all directions and provided an instant idea for what lay ahead.

There were young, old, and older still. 

People who looked looked like cyclists on the TV, but even more who looked like me.

A cycling enthusiast who enjoyed the coffee and cake as much as the cycling. 

There were female riders, lots of them! More than I had ever seen at a club or outside a breeze group/sportive. 

In previous clubs I have been involved with I have been disappointed to see that lack of inclusivity where female members might leave or be put off joining because of the egos or chauvinist/sexist behaviour of a minority.

Their attendance in so many numbers was a good barometer of prospective attitudes. 

Turning my attention to the bikes the diversity came in mechanical forms.

Of course there were many beautiful, aerodynamic racing machines. Its what I expected. 

But there were just as many that were different. Ebikes, Gravel bikes, urban bikes and even some sit up dutch style bikes. 

I chuckled to myself..................... I immediately felt at home.

Before 9am the gathering had swelled to over a hundred and I was starting to think how do they organise the ride(s) ?

At that moment one of the committee members jumped up onto a low wall and started directing the gathering with the skill of an Orchestral conductor.

I soon found out that The Rouleurs offer something for everyone. 30,40,50 and 60 mile rides at 4 different Speeds with 20 mile fun rides in the summer months for beginners.

The Pace groups all begin with the letter 'S' with the obvious word 'slow' not making an appearance.

There was Super Social 12.5-14.5 mph, Social 16-16mph, Steady 16-18mph and Sweaty  18mph +

 

I opted for the Social 40 mile ride and as we set off through the city centre I was struck by the road craft that all the riders seemed to possess. The Rouleurs have a saying 'Rouleurs ride together and it was clear that this ethos was engrained. Everyone was considered and the speed was regularly tempered to adjust to the the group as a whole.

Some of the longer rides incorporate a Cafe Stop but in this instance we delayed that to the end to take advantage of 'The Cyclist' an amazing cafe inside Cycle Heaven.

.

Over the proceeding months I continued to ride with them meeting new people and making friends.

My illicit dalliance turns into a full blow affair!

The routes were so well planned and varied covering all points of the compass from York.

They use a great App called SPOND which allows you to see all of the rides  published every Thursday evening before the weekend rides.

This allows you to indicate if you are riding and which route/pace.

There is absolutely no obligation to commit to the ride! it just helps the organisers.

So if you have a hangover and not feeling it or your full of beans -  you can change you ride on the day, or stay in bed. 

The club has over 270 members and is still expanding.

As well as road rides they offer so much more!

Trips away at home and abroad, Coaching, Zwift, Spin Classes, Conditioning, Track, Gravel and Mtb.

I have had taken advantage of regular Wednesdays nights on the outdoor track at York Sports Village. It has been such great fun and a complimentary disciple to really increase your aerobic capacity.

As if ride was not enough the Club involves itself within the community and local charities and has regular social events to bring riders together off the bikes. 

Having been used to speaking with people wearing helmets I have to apologise to them with the lack of recognition off the bike.

York Rouleurs is just an amazing club, warm, friendly, welcoming and totally inclusive. I feel so pleased I took that flyer. 

Fast forward to November I am now honoured to be able to serve the York Rouleurs CC  on their committee. One of my roles is to help promote the club so I hope to start writing again as I move into a new Chapter of my Cycling Journey.

Safe Cycling - Rouleurs Ride Together

F***ing cyclist should not be on the road

This morning I was reading a posting on social Media about Cheshire Police successfully prosecuting drivers for dangerous driving in relation to cycles.
Whilst I applauded such action I was extremely troubled by some of the reactive comments from motorists to it.

Some were apoplectic, expressing such bile and vitriol that hinted at temporary pshycosis and clearly warranted some serious intervention.
It was certainly clear that they never went to Sunday school.
I usually avoid such debates as most of the commentators are so polarised that you are only inviting personal abuse.
The lack of reaction on my part, despite being angered took patience and consideration, qualities that are at the crux of these type of debates

Driving your car is not dissimilar to being in your lounge at home watching Television.
You are comfortably sat in your own private world.
You are cocooned and detached.
You can control your temperature and internal environment at the touch of a button.
You can make and receive calls anywhere in the world.
You can eat and drink and if you're really daring update your social media status or apply your lipstick.
You are in control
I repeat - you are in control
The steering wheel is like your TV remote.

Suddenly a driver cuts you up, the lights turn red or god forbid you are slowed down by a group of cyclists.

Metaphorically somebody has just snatched the TV remote from you.
They have taken away your control, invaded your life...........how dare they!!!!!!

You slam the wheel with your hands, sound the horn, rev your engine shout and swear.

All the things that you might do in the privacy of your own home if something moves or angers you.
Why shouldn't you?

Would you act like in your local, supermarket or workplace?

Continuing your journey there might be a small child playing by the kerbside.
It's the equivalent of the baby monitor going off.

Even the most cynical and irresponsible drivers would react, especially those with children themselves.
The paternal DNA within all of us naturally triggers an alarm inside us.
Without a thought we might change our speed or course until we have passed.

Once that child grows up, buys a bike and rides on the road the danger may be similar - but attitude is different.

Using a different scenario - Your daughter and her friends have gone out for a cycle ride and you are meeting her at a country pub for lunch. As you wind down the country roads you come across a group of cyclist ahead of you.
Suspecting or believing that it might be your daughter or one of her friends you instinctively slow down become patient and use consideration.
As you pass you realise its not your daughter but the group smile at your consideration and you exchange the wave of a hand.

Although we are still in our cocoon we have opened our window to the outside world.

We rarely know who that cyclists is ahead of us and may never know unless we knock them over, kill or injure them.
When we find out that they are our colleagues mother or daughters friend.
 They are no longer a faceless object by the side of the road who are trying to snatch your TV remote.

They are just wanting to ride home to get cosy in front of the TV

Bealach-na-Ba - Tour of NW Scotland Day 2

I have a good friend that I cycle with called Manuel. He is a GP and originally from Barcelona. 

Like his Faulty Towers namesake, Manuel sometimes struggles with certain English words. 

He actually speaks and understands English far better than most people I know, but is linguistically ambitious, always looking to enhance his vocabulary. 

One day we were out cycling when I became detached from the main group. We were climbing some lung busting accent that I had never encountered before. Manuel, sensing I was in trouble dropped back to join me and asked if I was ok. 

I told him not to worry that I was 'pacing' myself because I did not know what lay ahead of us.

'Peeeeeeecing' he said 'I like that idea'.

A few weeks later we were out again climbing out of one of the valleys in the East Yorkshire wolds. I had adopted my usual 'Lantern Rouge' position now joined by my new able domestique from Barcelona. As we rode, we were caught up by two female cyclists with whom we passed the time of day with.

Manuel urged them to pass, exclaiming that he and I, were currently engaged in the art of 'Peeeeeeecing'. Scornfully they accepted Manuel invitation and rode on - not daring to look back. Before they got out of sight I shouted 'Don't worry....he's from Barcelona'.

Whenever I encounter a new vertical challenge 'Peeeeecing' is always my default position, which was something that I had in mind when I looked at the second day of our Scottish Tour.

Starting from sea level at Tornapress, we headed along the northern shore of Loch Kishorn. The single track road ascended steadily, like a strand of Spaghetti randomly dropped from the plate of some Celtic deity - Epona perhaps who liked to protect her equine creatures.....especially Mules.

 Not unlike the previous day, the weather was perfect with warm spring sunshine and little wind. 

The visibility was clear.......Horribly so!

There was nothing hidden or masked in anyway, no subtlety at all - you could see everything.

To the south west over the shimmering waters of Loch Carron and into the inners seas. There was Scalpay, Raasay and the mountains on the Isle of Skye.

To the north west there was Bealach-na-Ba.

I have to point out that I am always a bit suspicious about the use of hypons.

People sometimes use them in their surnames to create an image of someone greater, more important or of a different class. 

Bealach-Na-Ba had two hypons, but needs no introduction. It's identity has been confirmed by many  a distressed cyclists over the years.

Everything around us was dwarfed by this huge cliff face.
I decided that this was definitely a climb for 'Peeeeecing'!!!!!!

Simon Warren who put together Britains 100 greatest climbs described it as:- 'The Holy Grail, the toughest and wildest climb in Britain'

He goes on to say 'Anything you have read or been told about this amazing road is likely to be true. For once you can believe the hype'.

Being in this isolated, barren landscape it is intimidating enough before you even  turn your pedals.
The nearest emergency Hospital is hours away and if the weather turns, the same could be said about the nearest shelter.

Unlike any other British climb that I have encountered the scale of this beast is in a different league.
It is the third highest road in Scotland, and its 9.27 km takes you way out of your comfort zone for what seems an eternity.
Although shorter than your average Alpine climbs, what is given up in length, is made up for in gradient. Climbing 626 meters (2,054ft) in one go, it has an average of 9.9% which tops out at 24.7%.

The narrow, twisty road is uncompromising. There is little room for cars to overtake and you have to negotiate the use the infrequent passing places to ensure progress. If you don't judge it right and have to unclip - you have got problems.

The road is far too narrow to traverse and mostly too steep to re-engage your pedals.
I thought that SPD cleats might be a good option for greater flexibility. I'll try and remember  for next time.

At one point I had three cars behind me. I felt anxious at their proximity, intimidated by their impatience and nauseous at their burning clutches.

Unable to slip in and out the short piece of tarmac before they had passed, I was forced to unclip.  The only way I got going again was to descend to the previous passing place, and execute a U turn.
With a rock face on one side and a 30 foot drop the other, it was a bit perilous.
A much better option than going back to the bottom, I recklessly thought.

The further up the climb, it became more demanding. 

The road narrowed, its surface became more weathered, and it ramped up. 

An unholy trinity of challenges, conspiring to maximise my suffering. 

Whoever I cycle with must be reassured to know they will always be able to get a rest at the top of every climb. I am always last up and have perfected the art of 'Peeeeecing' so much, that I no longer think - 'I won't make it' 

Usually I am more concerned about things like 'will all the cake have been eaten at the cafe' or 'will the pub be closed' - Things that I consider to be equally important on all cycling adventures. 

On this particular day I was rest assured that there was no pub or cafe at the summit so I was more concerned that my companions might have fallen asleep or got bored waiting.

With no crowds of supporters handing out sheets of of L'Equipe to shove down my Jersey, I elected for a Gilet on the cool descent down into Applecross. There we found an oasis within a walled garden and some fine fare on offer.

Believing I had completed most of the hard work, I allowed myself a much larger than normal lunch, washed down with some local Skye Gold. The sun was now reaching its Zenith and providing some extra warmth within this enclosure. 

All was right with the world I thought as I tugged on my bottle of straw coloured ale.

On leaving the lunch stop we spied an old rickshaw discarded in the grass. 

I would have been happy to do the same if I had been allowed. 

Instead we pressed on staying close to the sea around the peninsular. 

It usually takes me about half an hour to get going again after a cafe/lunch stop but after 50 minutes I was somewhat perplexed. It suddenly dawned on me that my listless legs were not 'Cafe legs' but ones engaged in real industrial action. 

Our nominated navigator Tony reassured me that there was only 3 more climbs left at Camas-an-Eillean, Applecross Forrest and Loch Shielding.

I did not particularly enjoy the previous climb with the 'double hyphened' name, so I doubted that the next one would fill me with joy. 

By now I was struggling to keep up with my fellow adventurers who had not yet acquainted themselves with the joys of 'Peeeeeecing'. 

Although the surrounding countryside and coast were spectacular in every sense, my head was dropping and my focus was becoming increasingly one dimensional  - upon the road ahead.

Thankfully with my wits about me, I was still able to keep track of our progress.

After about another 10 weary miles, I worked out that I must have been summiting the final climb at Loch Shielding.

 I only spotted one of our group yawning as I stopped at the top to congratulate myself, at closing the ride out. I smiled and reached out my hand to the others.

Tony looked at me quizzically asking what I meant.

When he explained that we had not even done the first of the remaining climbs I was close to tears.....really I was. 

I was also way past any extreme form of turrets, with a tirade of expletives erupting from me

'What the xxxx have we been cycling on then for the past ten miles! They are hardly xxxxxxx speed bumps. If they are not xxxxxxx significant climbs what the xxxx are they going to be like when we xxxxxxx get to them.'

Tony tried to reassure me that the first climb was at the bottom of this next descent and that they pretty much followed one after another. 

'For  xxxx sake'  the turrets continued 

Suddenly I was no longer in the Scottish wilderness but with my head on a block during the French revolution. The executioner was telling me that I should not worry as they had just changed the blade  on the guillotine.

 'At least the pain will all come together' I thought.

The next hour was probably the hardest time I have ever had on a bike. I was in an acute state of melancholia. I kept on telling the guys to ride on and leave me, that I would either see them at the finish or that they could visit me in the morgue.

I asked them to each choose one of my bikes for themselves and to consider arranging a commemorative Sportive for over weight cyclists after my passing.
They laughed, not realising that I was being serious.

When the final summit did come there was a long shallow descent and a wind assisted flat for about 8 miles back to Tornapress. By the time we hit the flat, I was re-engaging with the surroundings again and smiling. It wasn't so bad after all. Is it ever?

That night we spoke of the days ride and of the following day on the Isle of Skye. We smiled heartily  and made various toasts as the Scotch ignited  our own spirits.

I raised my glass in special toast 'Let the Peeeeecers of the world unite'

The Old Vauxhall Diva

In the heyday of socialist government and post war Britain, working class people only ever voted labour.

It was something that came with their blue collars, dirty fingernails and their trusted cycles that took them to the pit, factory, or to build the road network for those who could afford to buy a car.

Towns with a strong maufactoring base were swamped with cyclists commuting to and from work.

Places where large cycle sheds reduced the need for sprawling car parks.

Cycling was the norm.......and a preference to walking.

These were the only choices for most.

It was a time of great leaders where most politicians from both sides of the house appeared honourable and their views were rarely tainted by personal prejudice.

Ever since Tony Blair threw away the mandate for representing the working class, the Labour Party have sadly struggled to reclaim some of their old values.

I say sadly because I believe any government needs the competition of a viable alternative and this current opposition party are as far out of touch with the people as the present government are.

It does not help when their MPs try to speak about things that they no nothing about.

Seemingly inflicted by some semi-dormant road rage virus, the honorable representative for Vauxhall had a bit of a diva moment and illustrated just how out of touch she is with her own parties roots.

Peter Walker from the Guardian reports:

Kate Hoey: the MP who thinks cyclists should be registered (and pay road tax)

The London MP, recently the target of cyclists' ire, wants to see more bikes on the roads but has some curious ideas about how this should happen

Kate Hoey MP. Photograph: Frank Baron/The Guardian

Within the motley collection of Twitter streams and blogs sometimes passed off as the cycling “community” there was a definite collective chortle recently: Kate Hoey, the independent-minded and opinionated Labour MP who once damned cyclists as endemic law-breakers and, oh yes, “Lycra louts”, had herself been punished for jumping a red light in her car.

The representative for Vauxhall, just across the Thames from parliament, was it seemed no better than those she would seek to lambast. I must confess to enjoying a slight chuckle myself.

Hoey's notoriety among some cyclists is mainly based on a 2003 comment she penned for the Mail on Sunday. Re-reading the piece, it does run through most of the cliches of the genre (it even begins: “I have nothing against cycling”) and is at times both a bit odd – the now infamous notion that cyclists cause cattle stampedes – and alarming, when she talks about sounding her horn at riders “holding up the traffic”, as if bikes are not themselves traffic and merit being frightened out of their skins.

The piece ends with the recommendation that cyclists who use the road “pay something for its upkeep”, not the sort of lack of knowledge you expect from an MP.

So in the light of Hoey's own brush with the law I decided to ask if she had amended her views over the following decade, or indeed had learned that road tax doesn't exist. It was a fascinating chat but the conclusion, it's fair to say, is mixed.

Hoey says she received a lot of abuse and/or gloating via email and Twitter in the wake of her £240 fine. She replied politely to the former and ignored the latter.

As for her views on cycling, Hoey says her Mail article came across as more extreme than she'd like, in retrospect, and supports Boris Johnson's plans to provide a network of segregated cycle lane

'I would love to see cycling separated, because I think it would help everybody. If it means more people cycling, great, especially if it makes it easier for me on the road. You're never going to get it everywhere, but it's going to have to happen because there's so many more people cycling'

Hoey is well-known for being one of Westminster's more free-thinking MPs, for example as an outspoken opponent of the hunting ban introduced by her own party. She's also engaging, open and thoughtful, and happy to be challenged. There's no reason why she should like cycling, but it's fair to say her wider views on those using bikes remain a bit sceptical, particularly given that she represents an area with one of the lowest levels of car ownership in the country.

Quite early in our conversation Hoey argued that cyclists should be subject to some sort of mandatory registration, with number plates.

'What I do genuinely think,and the cycling lobby argue for it too,is that everyone who rides a bicycle,particularly as a form of transport to work,should be registered,so their bike has a registration number.At the moment if someone does knock down an old lady and ride off no one can trace that person'

It's an idea intermittently suggested by some, but rejected by more or less every government anywhere. There's various aguments against it (I went through some of them here), not least because it would be expected to instantly slash the number of people who use bikes, with the attendant problems this brings. It’s also notable that a sizeable contingent of bikes carrying easy-to-read ID numbers already exist in London – the blue cycle hire machines – and there’s not been a rush of reports to the police.

Hoey also said she could not understand why young people on mopeds had to be registered when cyclists did not. The big difference, I’d argue, is that even small mopeds are much more potentially deadly. Me riding a 90kg moped at 30mph carries about eight times the kinetic energy than when I am doing 15mph on a10kg bike. That’s a big difference.

Her worry about cyclists is that misbehaviour among the two-wheeled isn’t properly challenged, either by other riders or by the law:

'I can see why cyclists feel they have to stand up against people. But I never see cyclists criticising themselves. Cyclists don't seem to see to do anything about'

This is a common argument and one which, in some ways, has merit (even if the cyclists I occasionally chase down and chastise for jumping lights might see things differently). But, as I pointed out to Hoey, there are two points to consider. First, there is a lot of law-breaking by car drivers, but much of it is less obviously visible and almost normalised – for example doing 37mph in a 30 zone, or nipping through lights a second or two after they change, as she did in her Mini. Second, while I’d call light-jumping by cyclists anti-social, even intimidating for pedestrians, unlike speeding in a car it’s very, very rarely lethal.

Hoey disagreed with this idea:

But that is a sort of cop out, isn' it? It's like me saying, I'm only driving this little old Mini, why can't just slip through a light as well if there's nothing coming?

I’d refer Hoey back to the handy kinetic energy calculator: her Mini doing 30mph now carries 40 times the force of my hypothetical bike.

While two of her parliamentary staff cycle to work, Hoey is adamant she is not going to give up her cherished Mini (an old-style one), although she did sound intrigued at the idea of an e-bike (“That sounds more useful for me”). She does stress, however, that she rode to and from school every day from the age of four to 11, admittedly in rural Northern Ireland.

But then we got to the end of the chat, and the section which struck me the most:

'I would love to see cycling separated, because I think it would help everybody. If it means more people cycling, great, especially if it makes it easier for me on the road. You're never going to get it everywhere, but it's going to have to happen because there's so many more people cycling.

But if we're going to do that don't you think they should have to pay something, as a road tax? Why should I pay a hundred and whatever pounds for my little Mini and they don't?

I pointed out, at length, the distinction between “road tax” (which doesn’t exist) and VED (which does), and I hope she got it.

She did later email a partial clarification about her views:

'By the way I do know that VED is based on size etc of car but the  is that surely everyone using the road should be licenced and insured'

I'll happily accept that's the case, though it doesn't entirely tie in with the earlier quote. Either way, I don’t think Hoey has any genuine malice towards cyclists, and in many ways she means well. But she has, to my mind, some curious notions.

It seems pretty anomalous for any MP, let alone one representing so many cycling constituents, to say cyclists should "have to pay something" to use the roads. If there’s something good which could come from her brush with the motoring law, perhaps it’s that she realises cyclists have an equal right to be out there, whether "holding up" her Mini or whizzing past it (if not at red lights). She could do worse than start by giving this page a good read.

Penny (Thieving) Farthing

This weekend the clocks went back, which signalled the start of what I would call true winter.
It is a time when everything to do with cycling become more arduous and less pleasurable.
A time when even the pros have some time off before moving to the Southern Hemisphere for the start of next season.

As a velo commuter, cycling at this time of year it is even worse.
The weather at 5.30 am is often very different from that at 3.00 pm which is no more contrasting than with temperature.
When leaving work people sarcastically ask 'If I am going to be warm enough' when the only flesh I have exposed to the elements is the part of my face used for seeing and communicating.

You need to become an expert in logistics and grasp a full understanding of  meteorology.
Learning to read the body language of the weather forecaster is also useful.
Experience has told me the more they smile, the more likely they are to be lying or something bad  is on the way.
They don't like the mundane, the more dramatic the weather is the happier they are.




Cycling with the added weight of multiple layers, cycle boots, wet roads and my winter bike, getting any 'Personal Records' on Strava is a pipe dream, something that I cant even consider until blossoms forms on the 2014 trees.
The notable exception may come with Northerly Gales.
With my coat unzipped and held out like a fluorescent spinnaker and standing high on the pedals there is always an outside chance.

Its ironic that during the Summer I am totally focused about pedaling as fast as I can.
All of my attention is on the ride.
Now winter is here, my commuting is just about getting to work.
The ride is rarely enjoyable, but a means to an end.
It does however give me the opportunity to think

This year there are far more winter cyclists with grim faces - partially hidden by wool and gortex
I ask myself why? Is it any wonder!

With the government doing there very best to ensure that the fuel companies get every penny they can from us - the recession still bites.
It provides many with a feeling of financial oppression and discrimination.
A feeling that your very soul is up for grabs.

Household fuel and petrol prices cripple household budgets.
Rents rents remain significantly higher than mortgages and now rise further in line with property inflation.
This is heralded as the start of 'our' financial recovery.
Recovery for who......shareholders, bankers and landlords who are seemingly the new power brokers.

Our next generation remain ignored, in a perpetual sense of despair with no hope of ever owning their own home.
Whilst the rich employee tax avoidance specialists pushing any revenue possibilities into the 'Too hard to do tray' the Treasury is forced to look elsewhere to try and balance the books.
To follow the route of least resistance and hammer the rest of us.

Thankfully pedal power is non taxable.
I like many other victims of government cut backs and pay freezes am forced to ask the same question each morning 'Is there any good reason why I cant cycle'
With free travel and the availability of a free hot shower at work its hard to argue against.

The act, when completed feels like a double bonus, like I am redressing the balance in some way.

I remind myself that winter miles count double and try not to think that the world is conspiring against me. Its not always easy.

On Friday in a rare commute by car, I got caught up in evening Traffic.........Literally.
Whilst stationary, and contemplating the pros and cons of a triple or compact chain set,
I got smashed from behind ending my relationship with four wheels and stopping my winter training.

Today, In order to exact a further squeeze on me I was called by a government official who suggested that my blog 'Travels with my Mule' might be considered as a source of revenue to seize.

Frankly Its quite pitiful

Hopefully Cycling, like the freedom of Speech, and Expression will continue to be Free.
Where two wheeled anarchists can continue to write and pedal.
Leaving their trail of literary commissions scattered in the wind.

I did write a poem recently and welcome any offers to provide me with some additional revenue for interested parties.

Ode to Winter Cycling

Double layers, boots and raincoat,
Goodbye to that lovely summer,
Wet roads, wind and darkness greets,
And that ice cold puddle enema....

150 days and counting
Of chill brains on my toes
Of recharging my illuminations
And drying my sodden clothes

I wish I was in Texas
With the sun still on my back
Riding in bib shorts all year round
And the option of a cowboy hat

 

The Next Generation

Picture: (left to right) Ciara Horne, Elinor Barker and Amy Roberts

Apart from the Mule Tales I believe it is important to feature all new aspects to cycling. Just as Victoria Pendalton is polishing up her Dance moves the next generation of Velo princess are already on the production line.
Here is a short Interview with the most promising of New Riders

Amy Roberts

18 year old Amy Roberts is fast making a name for herself in the world of cycling. Having started training for triathlons at the age of 14, within a year she had become the Under-16 Welsh National Cyclo-cross Champions, which also earned her a place on the Olympic Development Programme. Now signed to the Welsh Cycling backed Team USN, she has become part of the team that most recently scooped up the Bronze medal in the Women’s Team Pursuit at the UCI Track World Cup in Mexico.
2012 was Amy’s most successful year to date, seeing her become Junior European Champion in the Team Pursuit and winning her first medal at an elite World Cup; Team USN triumphed with a silver medal.

Elinor Barker

Elinor Barker, also 18 and currently studying for her A-levels, took up cycling aged 10 to get out of swimming classes.
Fast forward several years, and she is the reigning junior world time trial champion – a title she claimed in 2012. Due to this, she was subsequently crowned Carwyn James Junior Sportswoman of the Year at the BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year awards in 2012.
Currently riding on the track for Team USN, she is also in the British Cycling's Olympic Academy Programme, but remains based at home until she has completed her studies.
At the end of February 2013, she became a senior world champion for the first time as a member of the Great Britain Team Pursuit squad at the UCI Track World Championships.


Ciara Horne

23 year old Ciara Horne, a successful cyclist at international level, rides on the track for Team USN.
Horne began her sporting life at the age of 7 as a swimmer and competed at national level until the age of 16 when she suffered a serious shoulder injury. This prompted her to switch to triathlons, getting onto the world class start programme and competing at Salford Junior world cup where she finished 8th. However, plagued by injuries, Horne found that the majority of her training would be in the form of cycling and her love for the sport was born.
Juggling her physiotherapy degree studies at the University of Birmingham with her rigorous training regime makes Team USN’s achievements, including a Bronze medal in the Team Pursuit at the Mexico Track Cycling World Cup 2013, all the more rewarding.

Q Hi girls, what has been your greatest career achievement in your mind so far?

AR: I haven't got one greatest achievement; as a junior, I was happy to get two individual bronze medals in the Junior World Track Championships and also win the Junior European Team Pursuit title. In my first year as a senior track cyclist, to get a silver and a bronze in the Team Pursuit at the UCI Track World Cups was a major achievement.

CH: Same, getting silver and bronze at Cali and Mexico World Cup plus finishing second overall in the World Cup series for the team pursuit was amazing.

EB: Mine is definitely winning the world title in the Team Pursuit recently in Minsk, Belarus. It just blows everything else out of the water!

Q Elinor, were you prepared to come home to Wales with such a prestigious title?

EB: Not at all! I was concentrating on the process of the event. I wanted to ride a really good Team Pursuit event, which is what I was thinking about that rather than what I would come home with!

Q Now that the track season has come to an end, what are your goals for the summer?

EB: I will be on the road for the summer. I would like to do well in the Omloop van Borsele time trial in the Netherlands, and hopefully get a ride in the Team Time Trial at the World Road Race Championships in Italy in September. It is really close to the start of the 2013/2014 winter track season so not sure if it will be realistic. There are also a lot of good international riders in my road team, such as Emily Collins from New Zealand and Georgia Bronzini from Italy, so there will be a lot of competition before the competition itself!

AR: My main aim for this season is to gain experience and learn from being part of a professional road team (Wiggle-Honda) which has such talented international riders. I will want to help out as much as I can to get results for the team and then maybe later in the season get a result for myself, and do well in the National Road Race and Time Trial.

CH: I have a list of goals for the season, but would particularly like to perform well at the UCI time trials and the British Time Trial championships in June. I'm also keen to retain all my British University Championship titles as it's my final year at the University of Birmingham and I’d like to leave on a high! Looking ahead to the end of the road season I’d like to perform well at the British Track championships.

Q How do you train in order to retain your extreme range of endurance and power?

EB: I alternate between track and road cycling. At different times of the year I prioritise either track or road, where both have different types of training. I have just finished my track season for this winter, so I train at the velodrome 3-4 times throughout the week, and then I try and get a long road ride in at the weekend.

AR: I have had a winter on the track, so I have been mainly training on the track with recovery rides out on the road. To get the endurance for what I will need this season on the road, I have had to get in the longer rides since completing the track season. In a way, I will treat these first few big races as training to improve my fitness as well as gaining experience and helping my road team in any way possible. A lot of the power I need I have gained from the track, so that will help a bit throughout the year.

CH: It's a combination of road and track training (with additional gym sessions) with specific sessions according to the race season (track or road). For example, during the winter season when we were preparing for World Cups on the track, a typical day may entail specific sessions looking at our starts (and the power and strength element achieved through repeated start efforts using bigger gears) with a road ride in the morning or afternoon too to maintain a good level of endurance.

Q Can you tell us about your diet on a regular training day? Do you conform to the high carb endurance approach or have you trialled higher protein or fat diets?

AR: I don’t really have a specific diet plan. I try and get a range of everything to cover what I need for when training a lot, and supplement my recovery with USN shakes and protein bars. I try to keep away from eating a lot of foods high in sugar and fats, like takeaways, but you have to treat yourself every once in a while!

EB: I have high carb diet because I’m so busy with training and school work that I

need to eat all the time! I try and eat little and often rather than having everything in one big go; it just keeps me going. When I am cycling full time, after my A Levels this summer, I will have more time to think about my diet and specific requirements to improve my performance. I try not to eat too many carbs so that I don’t put on weight though!

I haven’t tried a high fat diet and I intake most of my protein in one meal a day. I have USN recovery shakes after every session or I mix it up with a USN Pure Protein bar - they are so nice!

CH: I think it’s very important to have a balanced diet and I try to do so by having a good balance of carbohydrate and protein. On long training rides I will use products from USN’s endurance range and post training a personal favourite of mine is the Protein Fuel 32 RTD (in particular the chocolate flavour!).

Q What kind of snacks and drinks do you find work well for you?

CH: I love fruit and yogurts. Also homemade mixed berry smoothies are amazing!

EB: After a track session I need something really salty to replace the salts I have lost through sweat. I generally like to have some salt and vinegar rice cake. I just tend to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables throughout the day to snack on!

AR: I have only just started to use energy drinks at races, like USN Epic Pro All-in-One - in the past I’ve stuck to squash! It’s definitely good in hard races to have USN Vooma Gels to hand as well; they give you a bit more energy when you really need it! A big factor for me is the taste of the products, if they give me energy and taste good, they’re perfect!

Q How has being a part of the Olympic Development Programme helped your performance?

EB: Massively! Going to things like Junior European Track Championships, which is tied in with the Under 23 Competition, is really good as you see how the older athletes prepare and perform. The first time I went to Junior Euros, Philip Hindes was there as an Under 23 and just over a year later he won Olympic gold in London! So it’s good to see how riders like that prepare for competition. It was a great opportunity to share experiences and learn from all the other riders and coaching team.

AR: I have learnt so much from going to different races abroad and have the opportunity to experience major events such as World and European Championships. The training camps on the programme are also good as they push your body, so you get a hard work out from them but you also familiarise yourself with the environment and the sort of lifestyle that you could have as a professional bike rider – including everything from how to ride your bike and read a race, to how to recover in preparation for the next event.

Q What’s next for you all?

AR: I want to represent Great Britain at the European Track Championships in the summer!

EB: I’m having a bit of time where cycling isn’t my priority until about June. I’m going to focus on my A -levels and learn how to drive; just generally have a bit of a normal life! But I will still be training, hopefully six days a week and doing some races in Europe as well.

CH: Above everything, I’d like to just carry on being consistent with my training and continue to learn and develop as a cyclist.

Their success as a team continues into 2013, with every event providing them with invaluable experience in preparation for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.