By Tom Southam • 16th May 2013 • Posted in Misc
The An Post Rás Tailteann, or simply ‘The Rás’, as it is known, is a race to be enjoyed many years after it has been completed, when the pain and suffering of the event has been turned by time into a happy memory of the toughest of times.
The Rás, an eight-day pro-am stage race that takes place in Ireland each May, has been held annually without interruption since 1953, and is considered by many to be Ireland’s most important stage race. The Rás is in many ways unique, its UCI status, and Ireland’s close proximity to the UK, means that the race attracts a number of British and European Continental teams. But its strong Irish heritage also means that the field is made up of a mixture of professional teams and Irish county teams.
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By Joe Hall • 26th March 2013 • Posted in Misc
Tommy Simpson has been canonised in the sport since his tragic death in 1967. His fate on the slopes of Mt. Ventoux during his quest to win the Tour de France perhaps symbolised a dangerous desire to win, but at the same time immortalised him as one of the most iconic riders of a generation. Yet Simpson's dramatic death sometimes overshadows what he achieved as the most successful British racing cyclist of the twentieth century. Part of a pioneering fraternity including Brian Robinson and Barry Hoban, the man from Nottinghamshire opened up the Tour de France and ultimately the sport to a larger, more international audience. A style icon, loved by the French press and fans alike, Simpson won some of the most prestigious titles including the Tour of Flanders in 1961, the World Championship in '65, Milan-Sanremo in '64 and, almost 50 years ago, Bordeaux-Paris in 1963.
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By Guest Author • 20th March 2013 • Posted in Misc
Words by Rigo Zimmerman
Landscapes by Ben Ingham
Your brain can’t remember pain. Of that I am glad. I don’t miss the pain. I’ll tell you what I miss though, I miss the weather.
Did I ever tell you about when I used to train in Italy in the winter? In the mountains the snow would fall for days, and the hillsides would be covered in thick blankets of white, their peaks looking like the hunched shoulders of giant beasts, faces bowed in shame. Those giant f**king mounds of rock were too scared to face me and too cold to move, and so I rode up them, and made heat of my own. I would catch fire; burning in my layers of clothes, cutting through the cold like an electric heater. Sweat would drip from my nose on to the white road, snow tingling as it melted on my exposed skin. The world was frozen, but I was roaring in flames, as if I was driving an open-top-car with the heater on full blast. I was my own nature. I was defiance.
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By Joe Hall • 6th March 2013 • Posted in Misc
Painted on the wings and panels of aircraft to identify them, the Royal Air Force roundel has been in existence since 1915. At the start of WWI anti-aircraft gunners would fire on anything they encountered, enemy or ally, which quickly meant identification was required. The roundel was designed after ground troops found it difficult to distinguish between the Union Flag/ St. George's Cross and the German Iron Cross. Since then there have been many incarnations to suit a variety of tastes but it is the modern standard, called Type D (Ratio 1:2:3), which has been adopted by mods in popular culture and most notably for fans of cycling, Sir Bradley Wiggins.
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By Joe Hall • 23rd January 2013 • Posted in Misc
The idea of style is a hugely subjective thing. From this point of view (my own), the idea is wearing whatever you feel like with confidence, expressing personality, perception, mood and the demands of the environment you inhabit. This of course applies to both man/ woman and their machine and so Survey has become (as my colleagues have already discussed) more about anthropology than simply a nice pair of slacks and well wrapped bar tape. And the bike is an extension of this expression. Everything from the head badge (or lack thereof) to the kind of pedals you use indicates your personal approach to how you carry yourself. Here’s my selection of the best of Survey 2012 and some brief explanations as to why these people ride in style.
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By Joe Hall • 14th December 2012 • Posted in Misc
Heroics aren’t just for race day. There are a number of riders, past and present, who transcend the notion of bad weather and embrace challenging conditions. Training and riding in extremities not only provides you with the physical conditioning others shy away from, it also develops your mental fortitude, honing your discipline, focus and motivation to battle with the elements. Here are some of our favourite winter heroes showing you that even the worst of weather can’t stop a hitter.
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By Leo Tong • 7th December 2012 • Posted in Misc
A time-honoured means of bringing people together, interest in coffee has increased greatly in the last decade or so thanks to burgeoning café cultures in global cities like Portland, San Francisco, Melbourne, London, and Oslo. This latest wave of coffee enthusiasts celebrate coffee-drinking as both a craft and an epicurean pursuit. Beyond the beans, caffeine has obvious benefits for cyclists, not least its status as a legal high under International Olympic Committee rules.
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