by Nick Dey | Dec 12, 2012
The Obree Way
a Training Manual for cyclists
by Graeme Obree.
Edited & Produced by: Maximise Marketing & Event Ltd & obree.com
£30 for A4 hardback
£4.64 for Amazon Kindle Edition (at time of writing)
“Training is bad for you! Training followed by rest and proper nutrition is good for you and will make you better prepared for the event you are training for.” Graeme Obree.
This manual sees the legendary Graeme Obree taking his own unique, and forgive the hyperbole, scientifically holistic, approach to the concept of training, performance and the science within – in all its forms. It is full of deep insights and ideas, the sort you that make sense as soon as you read them. If anyone has the passion, intelligence and focus to both follow this path and to achieve their goals it is Graeme. After all, as the great Robert Millar states ‘he’s got the t-shirt’. Rugby great, John Beattie, sums it up best in his forward when he says, ‘this training manual is different. It makes the complex simple and is for social cyclist as much as the elite. As you read it you hear a great mind at work, thinking the issues through. Issues easily applied to sports other than cycling.’
‘The knowledge here is extraordinary.’ John Beattie, British & Irish Lions.
This is a practical guide for cyclists new and experienced and is well served by thoughtful use of illustrations (by Elliot McIntosh, a student at Dundee University), photographs and quotes. Obree describes the book as his personal modus operandi. As much an attempt to add clarity to the often contradictory advice flooding the sport as an objective manual for the aspiring champion. Obree does offer many opinions, often based purely on his own experiences (sample size of one), but to his credit he states clearly when this is the case and usually offers a deeper insight into the formation of such statements. If only more health & fitness writers took this approach then the seemingly daily bombardment of the anecdotal would be replaced by the evidence based, and we would all be a little clearer in our approach to smoother and faster riding.
‘I hope the advice I’d of use and can make a difference to readers in some small way.’ Graeme Obree.
The books consists of thirteen chapters, fifteen if you count the conclusion and photo gallery and starts with the often overlooked question ‘what is training?‘ Obree focuses on specificity to outcome but with greater thought and flexibility than is usual, with specific focus on recovery recognition – an area I for one have often made big mistakes in! He covers, often with uncomfortable truths thrown in, group rides, solo rides, indoor, outdoor, and what a cyclist needs to think about, recognise in themselves, and to do, in order to adapt and to improve physiologically. The psychological is strongly implied and is a recurring theme throughout – assess your strengths and weaknesses, constantly.
‘… I am, dispensing with commercial sponsorship (not for the first time) and by bringing you the truth as I have analysed it and used to have the success I have had in my career.’ Graeme Obree
The essence of Obree’s message is that training is an activity that once completed, including recovery, makes you better at the activity than before you underwent ‘training’. The rest of the book sets out to help you achieve this lofty goal.
First steps, chapter two, is where Obree describes his fascination with the measurable variables of training alongside the feel of both body and mind. It explains, following a positivist scientific methodology, the need to know your bike/turbo set up and to measure and monitor your performance. Dotted throughout this and all chapters are many little gems of knowledge. The puncture prevention tips are ones I wish I hadn’t had to learn the hard – and costly – way while pulling out thorns on the road from Wigan to Ecclestone!
Chapter three focuses on bike set up; very useful geometry and equipment choices are laid out in terms of your realistic aspirations as a cyclist – reliability and cost… Ok, aerodynamics too!
‘Light, strong, cheap. Choose any two!’ Graeme Obree
Chapter four, The Turbo Session, is Obree’s homage to the equipment, the systematic, the psychological (again) and the preparation needed to perform better than you have before. As ever, there is an almost obsessive focus on on the details of performance setting, analysis and evaluation, but all presented like an affable coffee stop chat, and much better they are for this style too. Dare I say that ‘marginal gains’ may summarise the thinking here? Suddenly the thought of an hour or two on the turbo has new meaning. It has certainly helped me.
Chapter five, Training, is where I clearly felt the gulf between weekend warrior and serious, or elite, rider manifest itself. This is a chapter that is a must read if you want to improve and it certainly ticked a lot of the “I should be doing that” boxes that I have often found floating to the forefront of my thoughts while pootling about the Rhein-Sieg and Eifel (not forgetting the lanes of Essex and Wigan) but, usually, failed to implement with any consistency. I found the his critique of the seven-day training cycle very useful and have, well will (as soon as the snow melts), follow his advice as closely as I can.
“Fundamentally other riders want to talk to you on a two hour ride but the truth is if you can chat then you are wasting you time and [the] opportunity to improve.” Graeme Obree
Obree covers nutrition and hydration: pre, during and post ride, training frequency, intensity and recovery. There is a thought provoking focus on ‘real’ food as opposed to supplementation and training specificity.
Chapter six is is where Obree focus on the ubiquitous psychology of preparation. He emphasises the power of positive thinking and realistic, yet ambitious, goal setting. It is interesting to read about how Obree prepared himself mentally before some of his biggest races. However most of the psychology coved is in full agreement with current performance paradigms, think Dr. Steve Peters and his chimp paradox, but if it helps you then it is a chapter well read. One aspect Obree adds here is routine in thought processes. It’s what worked for him.
Chapter seven, the psychology of racing. As you are now aware the mind is a major player in Obree’s world. No Corinthian he. Prime motives are what are needed and it is the mind that separates the winners from the rest. A chapter for the elite racer lurking inside us all. However, much truth is written here that could benefit each and every reader, rider and racer. Visualisation played a key role in Obree’s own preparations and his rationale is explained in detail. More food for thought.
“A thought is like a thing. Everything you have and do began with a thought.” Graeme Obree
Breathing, chapter eight, is fascinating and presents a novel, at least to me, method of inhalation and exhalation when riding. Obree can be heard explaining this on Resonance FM’s Bike Show podcast from January 31, 2012. (Available via iTunes) I must admit to having had little success here – perhaps I’m always too out of breath to give it an honest go. Here’s the cycle, to give you taster, deep breath now…
– Full breath out (the most important part), Full breath in.
– half breath out, mostly breath back in.
– quarter breath out, breath back in a little.
I rarely get past the second step. Perhaps my nostril and tongue technique – also explained in the chapter – is lacking in finesse. I showed this chapter to a couple of yoga expert friends and both seemed rather impressed by the thinking, process and description. Practice makes prefect I guess… Back to the mat for me!
Chapter nine cover the act, possibly art, of pedalling. A fine chapter – it includes lots of physics so I would say that! The mystery of crank length is covered and then the best techniques to use to turn them, both in and out of the saddle are presented. The aim? To look a classy rider, oh and to improve performance.
Chapter ten is where I really feel somewhat the hypocrite through my own staggering lack of application: Stretching. All is explained from the perspective of specificity and four very useful – even I can, almost, do them – stretches are presented cover all all the major muscles used in cycling. Full colour photographs of Graeme in full stretch accompany the text.
The time trial, the race of truth, is covered, as you would expect, in minute detail in chapter eleven. Who better to learn from? The essence seems to be position, information gathering, set up, equipment selection, and rhythm. Perhaps I’ll try one, one day? They don’t hurt too much do they?
Chapter twelve sees a return to nutrition and diet. It contains a lot of good, solid sense and takes a traditional, real food approach. Obree seems to be no fan of the supplement – as his famous jam sandwich and mouthful marzipan tip will make clear. Cooking your own food from basic, healthy, ingredients is the theme, even down to the baking of your own low-sodium bread. Timing of refuelling is treated with care. Indeed, Obree treats nutrition planning as obsessively as he does training and bike set up. His success lends weight to his argument. You are what you eat.
Illness and other matters conclude the main chapters and includes minimising the chances of illness, when and when not to with and after illness, drinking and eating on the bike safely, hygiene – body and kit (several acquaintances of the road could well do with reading the kit bit!) The message is consistent with all other chapters – learn to listen, feel and respect what your body is telling you. No one would argue with its primary health care message.
The conclusion is best left to Graeme himself. His words neatly summarise the purpose of this novel, useful and, yes, fascinating, book
“Please trust me that this body of honest work is given in the best spirit, I have been the guinea-pig in e quest to refine my training on every level and I can commend it really does work. Knowledge and understanding is a constant quest. This book is not definitive and keeping an open mind on new findings and developments is not only a good thing but essential if you are serious in your search for new and better ways to improve your cycling and athletic performance.
Information is the golden thread throughout this book.
The more information you compile in relation to your preparation for any chosen event then the better prepared for your task you can become and this can make the difference between being a club rider and a world champion. My quest as an athlete was always to go into minute detail in the areas I could influence to affect the outcome to my advantage in terms of my performance. Trust me, if you take care in all aspects of your preparation and performance you will become an improved cyclist and perform better in your chosen discipline, if that is your goal.” Graeme Obree.
I’d give The Obree Way 99% for content, honesty and the fact it’s self-published!
Reviewed by: Nichiless ‘Nicky’ Dey.
Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, Germany
by Anna Magrath | Dec 4, 2012
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Lizzie, Jo & Marianne are greet by the crowd – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
The girls took over the track on Saturday with a combination of World, Olympic and Junior champions in the mix.
We decided to unleash our female writers from the Cycling Shorts office.
I attended along with Heather and new recruit Annie. The dynamic duo concentrated on grabbing riders for interviews including the amazing Marianne Vos (coming soon). Paul Francis Cooper caught up with Lucy Martin (more following next week) while Tom Murray took to the boards fresh from his honeymoon. I asked Tom how he was feeling about the evening as he waited to sign in, “I’m not sure how my form will be tonight after my break, we’ll play it by ear”, he grinned.
This was the second meeting of the 2012 season and it wasn’t short of cycling stars. Lizzie Armistead (AA Drink – Leontien.nl), Jo Rowsell (Matrix Fitness-Prendas), Marianne Vos (riding for Rabobank) and Elinor Barker (Team USN) fresh from her World Cup win representing the best of the elite women’s world track and road cycling talent along with Junior World Champions Lucy Garner and Amy Roberts, and for the boys; Ed Clancy, Alex Dowsett, Steven Burke and Luke Rowe who was sporting a rather splendid moustache.
The evening got underway early with a special race of which we are not allowed to speak according to the announcement Hugh Porter made over the PA just after the race took place, it was almost too late as I was preparing a tweet, but I’m sure word got out somewhere, but we shall behave ourselves and reveal all nearer Christmas.
Elite Flying Lap:
There was a strong field in the men’s events but no one could match Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor Sharp), he took a time of 13.292, he was a fraction slower than the time he set at Revolution 37, Steven Burke riding for IG SigmaSport managed to clinch 2nd with a time of 13.901, a major improvement on his 14.149 in round one of the Revolution Series… Jon Dibben of Rouleur put in a time of 14.063 to take 3rd.
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Marianne Vos battles Lizzie Armistead – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Women’s Omnium – Elimination (Devil Scratch) Race:
Blink and you miss the action, in this format the riders were coming off every lap so keeping up was a nightmare, more so if you’re one of the riders. It was fast paced from the start and the 20 strong field weren’t intimidated by reputations. Jo Rowsell was the 7th rider to be eliminated, but she’s been unwell lately and wasn’t sure if she would be fully recovered in time to participate, it’s not the sort of event she regularly rides so I think she was saving herself for the head to head match later in the evening. The top 10 was full of promising young talent, proving we have depth in British women’s cycling at the moment. Lucy Garner (3rd), Amy Roberts (4th) and Emily Kay (7th) were all in the mix. Eventually it came down to a battle between Armistead and Vos, the fight we’d all been waiting for and Marianne showed her class beating Lizzie in the dying moments.
Click here to read Heather’s interview with Emily Kay from Revolution 38.
Heather & Annie’s interview with Marianne Vos.
DHL Future Stars Girls:
6 Lap Dash – The girls were out to impress with the focus of the night on the ladies, first up was the 6 Lap Dash where Emily Nelson (IG SigmaSport) decided to stamp her mark. Emily is in the hunt for the overall championship win so she really needed to gather some points over her rivals, and improved on her second place result of the first round result. Jessica Roberts [leader after round one] didn’t manage to stay with her only managing a 7th placing, Megan Barker and Sophie Capewell came in second and third respectively.
Points Race – In the Points race Emily Nelson struggled to get near the points in sprint one. The points went to Lucy Shaw (Rudy Project RT), Charlotte Broughton (Team Sky) and her team mate Grace Garner, Megan Barker mopped up the final points. Emily fought back in sprint two followed by Jess Roberts (Raleigh GAC) who seemed to be a little off form on the night, Holden (Maxgear) and Sophie Capewell (WD40). This meant that Shaw needed to win on the line in order to take it from Nelson. Unfortunately Lucy didn’t quite manage it, coming over the line second to Grace Garner (Team Sky), this meant Grace leapfrogged Lucy into 2nd place and Emily took the win. Thrilling race.
Scratch Race – Emily Nelson took control yet again and of the girls competition and won, with the Team Sky duo of Grace Garner and Charlotte Broughton in second and third respectively. This means that Emily Nelson is now leading the girls competition taking the jersey from Jessica Roberts.
Over the evening I noticed that this meet seems to have not only been about the girls but also about siblings, Lucy and Grace Garner both put in great performances in their elite and junior races, and younger siblings of previous DHL Future Stars are now starting to make their mark like Tom Rotherham who’s older brother Matt previously dominated DHL Future Stars races.
Coming soon – Heather’s interview with Emily Nelson & Paige Milward.
DHL Future Stars Boys:
Scratch Race – Stuart Balfour made a valiant attempt to lose the peloton and with a few laps to go it looked like he was going to succeed in staying away, but with two laps remaining he was caught. Tom Rotherham and Tristan Robbins stormed to the line, Tom took the victory by a wheel.
Points Race – In the boys points race Tom Rotherham crossed the finish line first but only took enough points to come 3rd (4 points). Second place went to Levi moody (6pts) and the winner with 8 points was Joe Evans.
6 Lap Dash – In the 6 Lap Dash Levi’s consistent results meant he pulled on the yellow future stars jersey at the end of the evening, taking it from Tristan Robbins who now lies in second place on the same number of points as Levi (138), it’s looking like a real battle for the boys this year with about five riders in the mix for the championship.
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – 1km Madison TT – Robert Bengsch & Marcel Kalz (Rudy Project RT) wind it up – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Elite 1km Madison Time Trial:
The Madison is always a crowd pleaser and the guys from Rudy Project love this race so you know they will always put in a great performance, and they did just that. Six teams came in under one minute and at the halfway point IG SigmaSport duo of Tom Murray and Steven Burke looked like they were going to be the ones to beat with a time of 59.239, Team Sky’s pairing of Alex Dowsett and Luke Rowe had only managed a time of 59.956 but with a couple of big names to come including Rudy Project and Rapha anything was possible. In the end the last three teams to take the board took the top spots. Rouleur (Jon Dibben & Sam Lowe) 3rd with 58.464, second place went to Rudy Project (Marcel Kalz & Robert Bengsch) in a time of 56.660, but the winners by over one second were the Rapha Condor Sharp pairing of Ed Clancy and Andy Tennant.
Elite Women’s Omnium – Scratch Race:
In the scratch race the competition was on from the start, no one was prepared to let the race lull. Emily Kay was on fire and prepared to take on the top riders, in the end she came away with 3rd, which when you look at the names in the peloton you have to admit she’s holding her own. Emily can provide a little turbo boost when she sprints for the line, but she was just beaten by Vos who took second. The race belonged to Katie Colclough (Specialzed-Lululemon) though who made a solo effort early on to take the win with Marianne and Emily gaining ground in the last few laps. Throughout the race Vos had sat on Emily’s wheel, which was amusing as Emily’s plan for the night was to sit on Marianne’s wheel. So I’m sure by the end of the evening they’d become very well acquainted with each other.
Elite Men’s Points Race:
The men returned to the track in the points race, Simon Yates (Maxgear Racing) took the first sprint, followed by Joe Kelly (FACE Partnership), Team Sky’s Alex Dowsett and Russell Downing (NetApp Endura). In sprint two Robert Bengsch (Rudy Project RT) took the top points, his team mate Marcel Kalz was caught in a British sandwich between Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor Sharp) and Luke Rowe (Team Sky) for the remainder. In sprint three Clancy won and that took him to the head of the points leader board, but unfortunately for him Luke Rowe also added to his tally which meant in the race for the line Rowe took the win with 9 points, Clancy pipped to the post with 8 and Simon Yates took 3rd place for Maxgear. Seems like Luke’s Movember Moustaches might be aerodynamic after all.
Women’s Team Pursuit – GB v Netherlands
This event was always going to be a close one and everyone was on the edge of their seats, the GB team consisted of Lizzie Armistead, Jo Rowsell and, Elinor Barker, they were up against the powerful combination of the Netherlands team; Marianne Vos, Amy Pieters and Ellen van Dijk. Opinion was divided in the media area who would be victorious as form was unknown for some riders. The British team seemed to get a better start than the Dutch team, but in the second lap the tenacious Marianne Vos took control of the race again as she got into her stride. It was all to play for in the final lap and GB battled wit their drop handlebar bikes to cross the line in a time of 2:28.216, just beating the Netherlands who came in with a time of 2:28.383.
Elite Elimination (Devil Scratch) Race:
The final two left standing after a thrilling race battled it out. The crowd gasped for a moment when Russ Downing swerved up to use the banking to jump Luke Rowe coming into the final lap, in his usual cheeky style, the move nearly worked culminating in a photo finish, but Luke took it by less than a quarter of a wheel.
Elite Scratch Race:
The scratch race got going and Alex Dowsett and Robert Bengsch lapped the peloton. First to the finishing line was Robert’s team mate Marcel Kalz securing him 3rd place but as the peloton came to the line it was Alex Dowsett who took glory and Bengsch had to settle for 2nd.
The Elite Men’s Team competition is still led by Ed Clancy and Andy Tennant for Rapha Condor Sharp.
Don’t forget to enter our howies Revolution T-Shirt Competition here:
Don’t forget you can catch the highlights show on ITV4 at 20:00hrs on Wednesday 05/12/2012 and afterwards on ITV Player in the UK, for those outside the UK you can watch an edited highlights show on the Revolution Series website and YouTube channel.
You can download the full event results in PDF format by clicking here.
Revolution Series 10, Round 3 is on 5th January at Manchester.
To find out more about the series and to grab one of the few remaining tickets left for the Finale of the season in February at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow. www.cyclingrevolution.com
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Elite Men – Team Rapha Podium – Ed Clancy & Andy Tennant – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Elite Championship Standings after Round 2
1 Rapha Condor Sharp 125
2 Rudy Project RT 100
3 Rouleur 95
4 Sky Procycling 75
5 howies 68
6 Maxgear 68
7 WD40 56
8 IG-Sigma Sport 51
9 FACE 50
10 Sportscover 44
11 NetApp-Endura 40
12 Raleigh-GAC 8
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – DHL Future Stars Podium – Levi Moody & Emily Nelson – ©www.chrismaher.co.uk
1 Ed CLANCY Rapha Condor Sharp 61
2 John DIBBEN Rouleur 50
3 Simon YATES Maxgear Racing 44
4 Andy TENNANT Rapha Condor Sharp 40
5 Owain DOULL Howies 35
6 Christian GRASMANN Rudy Project RT 34
Future Stars Girls After Round 2
1 Emily NELSON IG Sigmasport 149
2 Jessica ROBERTS Raleigh GAC 133
3 Emily HAYCOX Howies 116
4 Ellie COSTER Howies 113
5 Beth HAYWARD Rapha Condor Sharp 108
6 Hannah BLOUNT Rudy Project RT 102
Future Stars Boys After Round 2
1 Levi MOODY Sportscover 138
2 Tristan ROBBINS Howies 138
3 Joe EVANS Rudy Project RT 112
4 Leon GLEDHILL Sportscover 108
5 James SHAW Sky Procycling 101
6 Jack HOYLE Rapha Condor Sharp 95
Race Results Revolution 38
Elite Mens Flying Lap
1 CLANCY Ed Rapha Condor Sharp 13.292
2 BURKE Steven IG Sigmasport 13.901
3 DIBBEN Jon Rouleur 14.063
4 KALZ Marcel Rudy Project RT 14.075
5 LATHAM Chris WD40 14.162
6 WOOD Oliver Sportscover 14.602
Elite Mens 1km Madison Time Trial
1 RAPHA-CONDOR-SHARP Rapha Condor Sharp 55.249
2 Rudy Project RT Rudy Project RT 56.660
3 ROULEUR Rouleur 58.464
4 IG Sigmasport IG Sigmasport 59.239
5 WD40 WD40 59.524
6 TEAM SKY Sky Procycling 59.956
Elite Mens Points Race
1 ROWE Luke Sky Procycling
2 CLANCY Ed Rapha Condor Sharp
3 YATES Simon Maxgear Racing
4 BENGSCH Robert Rudy Project RT
5 TENNANT Andy Rapha Condor Sharp
6 DOULL Owain Howies
Elite Mens Devil Elimination Race
1 ROWE Luke Sky Procycling
2 DOWNING Russell NetApp Endura
3 YATES Simon Maxgear Racing
4 DIBBEN Jon Rouleur
5 TENNANT Andy Rapha Condor Sharp
6 ATKINS George WD40
Elite Mens Scratch Race
1 DOWSETT Alex Sky Procycling
2 BENGSCH Robert Rudy Project R
3 KALZ Marcel Rudy Project RT
4 MOULD Jon Howies
5 TENNANT Andy Rapha Condor Sharp
6 LATHAM Chris WD40
DHL Future Stars Girls
Points Race
1 NELSON Emily IG Sigmasport 6:34.377
2 GARNER Grace Sky Procycling
3 SHAW Lucy Rudy Project RT
4 BLOUNT Hannah Rudy Project RT
5 BROUGHTON Charlotte Sky Procycling
6 DENTUS Abbie FACE Partnership
6 Lap Dash
1 NELSON Emily IG Sigmasport
2 BARKER Megan Raleigh GAC
3 CAPEWELL Sophie WD40
4 DENTUS Abbie FACE Partnership
5 COSTER Ellie Howies
6 HAYWARD Beth Rapha Condor Sharp
Scratch Race
1 NELSON Emily IG Sigmasport
2 GARNER Grace Sky Procycling
3 BROUGHTON Charlotte Sky Procycling
4 HAYWARD Beth Rapha Condor Sharp
5 BARKER Megan Raleigh GAC
6 BLOUNT Hannah Rudy Project RT
DHL Future Stars Boys
Scratch Race
1 ROTHERHAM Tom Maxgear Racing
2 ROBBINS Tristan Howies
3 MOODY Levi Sportscover
4 TANFIELD Charlie Rouleur
5 ESCRITT Jack FACE Partnership
6 WALKER Joey NetApp Endura
6 Lap Dash
1 ROTHERHAM Tom Maxgear Racing
2 HOYLE Jack Rapha Condor Sharp
3 ROBBINS Tristan Howies
4 MOODY Levi Sportscover
5 TANFIELD Charlie Rouleur
6 KELLY Jake Rudy Project RT
Points Race
Boys DHL Future Stars Points Race
1 EVANS Joe Rudy Project RT
2 MOODY Levi Sportscover
3 CULLAIGH Gabriel NetApp Endura
4 ROTHERHAM Tom Maxgear Racing
5 GLEDHILL Leon Sportscover
6 ROBBINS Tristan Howies
Revolution Women’s Omnium
Women’s International Elimination Race
1 VOS Marianne Rabobank
2 ARMITSTEAD Lizzie AA Drink – Leontien.nl
3 GARNER Lucy Node 4 Giordana
4 ROBERTS Amy Team USN
5 COLCLOUGH Katie Team Specialized – Lululemon
6 PIETERS Amy Skil – Argos
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Katie Colclough – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
Women’s International Scratch Race
1 COLCLOUGH Katie Team Specialized – Lululemon
2 VOS Marianne Rabobank
3 KAY Emily Scott Contessa – Epic
4 ROBERTS Amy Team USN
5 ARMITSTEAD Lizzie AA Drink – Leontien.nl
6 HALL Corinne Node 4 Giordana
Women’s Team Pursuit
1 Great Britain (ARMITSTEAD Elizabeth, ROWSELL Joanna, BARKER Elinor) 2:28.216
2 Netherlands (VOS Marianne, PIETERS Amy, van DIJK Ellen) 2:28.383
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Team GB – LtoR: Elinor Barker, Lizzie Armistead & Jo Rowsell – ©www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
by Heather Bamforth | Dec 2, 2012
Revolution Series 10 | Revolution 38 – Emily Kay takes on the Champions LtoR: Any Pieters, Emily Kay, Lizzie Armistead – Image © www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
During Revolution 38, I caught up with Emily Kay, last year’s winner of the DHL Future Stars competition, to find out how she is was finding it mixing it up with the Olympic and Senior World Champions on the track.
Emily on the podium at the beginning of her run as DHL Future Stars Champion – ©2010 Anna Magrath/Cycling Shorts.
DHL Future Stars Process
Emily has been a part of the DHL process right from the start. “I started off with the DHL Sprint School,” she explains, “then moved up to the DHL Future Stars, and now I’m riding with the best riders in the world. So, I suppose that’s proof that the system works. It’s great to get the opportunity to race against the likes of Marianne Vos and Lizzie Armitstead too.”
The Elimination Race
“I usually prefer to ride the elimination race from the front, riding at my own pace, but tonight was totally different. I found it slower than I was expecting, but it meant that I had to try different tactics than I’d use normally. But obviously
Revolution 36 – Emily graduates – final podium as a DHL Future Stars after three years domination – speaking to Hugh Porter – ©2012 Anna Magrath/Cycling Shorts.
this is a good stage to try things out on.”
Her tactics obviously worked, with a seventh in the Elimination Race.
The Scratch Race
Emily had said at the outset of the night that her main aim was to sit on Marianne Vos’s wheel at some point. In actual fact, during the Scratch race, Vos was sat on Emily’s wheel during the scratch race. Katie Colclough went off the front with a few laps to go, and it wasn’t until about two laps to go that Vos tried to close the gap, although Colclough held her off to take the win. Emily Kay stayed with Vos and tried to outsprint her on the line for second, eventually coming a close third to Vos’s second.
The Points Race
I asked Emily how the racing compared to the DHL Future Stars events. “Riding the domestic events, you find that you race against the same people all of the time and you tend to use the same tactics,” she said. “Riding at the Junior World Championships you get to ride with other people who you wouldn’t necessarily get to compete against ordinarily, this is just a step up from that. I’m really enjoying it though”.
Emily stayed with the bunch over the course of the points race, placing in one of the sprints. Ellen Van Dyck was the eventual winner, with Vos third.
by Heather Bamforth | Nov 28, 2012
With the recent announcements that Maxgear RT’s women’s squad (the Maxgearettes) have made recently, I thought it would be a good idea to catch up with the girls to find out what has been happening in their world. The riders for next season are Nicola Soden, Melissa Bury, Lauryn Therin, Frankie White, Eve Dixon and Jo Blakeley, together with the Team Manager, Ian Bury
The Maxgearettes line up has changed slightly ready for next season. Have you changed your targets as a team for next season?
N (@nicolasoden) – As a team, the targets will be broadly similar to last year – National Road Race Series, Team Series, Tour Series and Track Nationals although the way in which they are targeted will change. The team will use a planned approach to each race based on differing courses and rider strengths. Each rider also has personal objectives within each race. There are a couple of stage races some of us would like to ride in Ireland and Jersey (Lauryn’s home turf) and we plan to make a few trips over to Belgium again.
M (@smelissabury) – This year we are aiming to have more of a presence as a team at the national series and team series races. This will hopefully enable us to get to know each other well and get to know each others riding styles so we can work to every ones strengths.
L (@lauryntherin) – From our initial team meetings we have all agreed that our targets for the coming season are to be process focused not outcome focused. A strong team ethic and developing as a group of riders who support one another is an integral part of this process. From this, we see our team developing significantly and it’s something we are all very much looking forward to.
J (@jo_blakeley) – This season we have both team and individual targets which will no doubt develop over the winter and racing season as we learn what each others strengths are and how we can work together. I think its important to allow both focuses to maximise the team potential.
You’ve brought some new riders into the fold, how do you think they will fit within the team’s dynamic?
I (@rugbyleague1) – We are delighted to have both Jo and Lauryn on board, they both bubble enthusiasm and bring new things to the team. Lauryn has an extremely exciting sporting background including world class Bobsleigh and has proved in the National Track Champs this year that she is a particularly good sprinter! Jo is very strong at Time Trial, so both riders will add new strengths to the team which should allow us to target more race types. The new team mates also means that five of our six riders are now based in Manchester within 5miles of each other, which should allow us to socialise and train better as a team, rather than just meeting up at races.
F (@frankiewhite7) – They are fitting in perfectly already! I went out with Jo on the MTB last weekend and we had great fun!
E (@eve_dixon) – We all get on really well and enjoy cycling together rather than cycling as individuals, I also think it is the strongest line up we’ve had in Maxgear in the three years I’ve been on the team!
M – After a couple of team meetings I am very excited about the new riders for next year. It will bring and open up new and different opportunities for races, as each of our riders have different strengths.
L – Being one of the new riders myself, I can see already that each individual brings something exciting to the dynamic of the team. And the best bit is, we haven’t even been out on our bikes yet!
J – I’d like to think I fit quite well into the team dynamic!! We all get on well and work/study in a variety of different areas so we all bring something a little different to the table. We also all want to
ride as a team – which I believe is one of the most important things.
Have you seen any increased level of interest since the Olympics/Paralympics, with people approaching your team for help?
E – no but there has been a rise in interest to join the team
M – We have seen an increased level of interest this year, however many seemed to be seasoned riders, so I am not sure if it was the Olympic/Paralympics that triggered this.
L – From discussions with Ian, I am aware that a number of girls contacted him displaying their interest and this was certainly more than previous years. For this reason, it is all the more important that I work hard to prove to the squad I was the right rider to choose.
How do you expect the season to unfold next year? There are new races on the calendar in the North West, how do you expect this to impact on your team?
N – It is great to see the development of a new women’s league as part of the CDNW series limited to 2/3/4 category women. It is a brilliant step forward in womens cycling in the UK as there is currently only racing available at National Level, sometimes against some of the countries or even worlds best riders. The alternative are short criteriums on closed circuits and not much in between. This new series fills this gap, offering road racing more in line with the mens split E/1/2, 3/4 system. The series will be extremely beneficial to our team as it will allow our riders to practice team tactics, build confidence and try things they may not get chance to in a National level race.
E – All new races are good for the whole of the country I think there will be women prepared to travel if they are well run events rather than just cyclists in the North West.
F – We’re really excited about the CDNW 2W/3W/4W series mainly because it should give us an opportunity to be able to dominate races as a team but also because they are local it means our family and friends can come watch.
M – I am very pleased that there are more races being put on in the North West, as I am at Manchester University so it makes getting to races a lot easier! Also a lot of the team have work commitments, so being able to get to and from a race in a day is a massive help both financially and time wise.
L – As a team we have already planned an idea of what we would like our season to look like. The North West based races is something we will target and we are confident about our team working hard for one another.
J – It’s great there’s some events close by. It’s the nature of women’s racing at the moment that races are few and far apart. To have a set of races that are close to home is great news. I’m looking
forward to them.
How would you like domestic women’s cycling to evolve?
F – Personally I would like to see even greater advancements on those made with the entry level CDNW 2W/3W/4W series this year. When I first had a go at racing 18 months ago there didn’t seem to be a great deal out there for those unable to keep with an elite women’s bunch. Jenny Gretton has done a brilliant job with season starter crits at Tameside and Palatine Circuit, but these don’t last the whole season. Things are obviously changing, though until a hoard more ladies turn up, beginners will only continue to try and hang on to the super speedy for much of the season.
E – I would like it to become more feasible for the women to be the best they can and get a wider range of cycling in Britain rather than just an elitist sport with very few individuals getting the support.
M – As I race in Belgium a lot, I would love to see closed roads in Women’s racing. This seems to increase the quality of racing as the riders don’t have to worry about cars, and closed roads just seem to make the event more impressive.
J – I’d like to see more women taking cycling further and more publicity for womens’ cycling. This has definitely grown recently with the Olympics but there’s still a lot of people who don’t realise about the cycling groups/activities that are available around the corner. I didn’t know until just after I started cycling that there was a grass track at the park which we often went to – there’s so many different types of cycling and not enough people who know about them.
There are a number of new networks that have popped up on facebook for of regional groups for women’s cycling, so this should help massively.
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by Heather Bamforth | Nov 26, 2012
Phil and Anna Weaver of Epic Cycles opened their doors on a sunny Sunday morning to welcome the class of 2013.
Team Scott Contessa Epic formed in 2011 and with 8 junior riders on the squad for the 2012 Road Season and they managed to secure victory in the National Womens Team Series in their first year.
Today (25 November 2012) the team was announced with a 10 strong line up for the 2013 season retaining talented juniors from last year and introducing some exciting riders to add even further strength and depth to the team.
Now in only their 2nd year the team are already planning an assault on the major events for womens bike racing in the UK starting with a defence of the Team Series title.
The team has developed and become more commercially focused for the coming season and as such they have positioned a strong management team to support every aspect. One such position is Directeur Sportif and Scott Contessa Epic have aimed high in securing Alan Gornall, Commonwealth Gold medallist and well respected former professional cyclist.
On accepting the position Alan wasted no time in introducing himself to the team along with his clear and direct ambitions for them.
He went on to say “It is an honour to be involved with some of the best young female cyclists in the UK and having spent the day with the riders I am very excited about next season. My wife Sue and I have been involved with cycling at every level both in the UK and internationally and the future of our sport looks very promising. Scott Contessa Epic was very quickly recognised as the team to be involved in for Womens bike racing and has already played a part in producing a World Champion, European champions and providing 3/5ths of the GB Junior Worlds squad. That is some accolade for a team that is only one year old!”
Phil Weaver of Epic Cycles has tirelessly worked on behalf of the riders ensuring they have world class equipment, clothing and support.
“Both Scott UK and Epic Cycles are very proud to be part of the team and more importantly the development of its riders. 4 girls moved up to the next level of cycling and we are proud to have been part of their development as riders. With 3 girls now full time with the GB academy and 1 focusing on UCI events in Europe I feel we have every right to be proud and we will endeavour to do all we can in supporting the future of women’s cycle racing. I know that the 10 riders we have for the coming season perfectly match the team ethos, which, as we have proven, will ultimately lead to success” he commented.
New appointments to the team are;
Crystal Lane, Paralympic Cyclist and London 2012 Team GB member
Laura Wasley, TT specialist, IoM Commonwealth/Island Games hopeful
Alice Barnes, National MTB Junior Champion GB ODP rider
Kim English, 1st Year Junior former National Champion
Beth Hayward, 1st year Junior and GB OPD Track and Road rider
Amy Gornall, 1st year Junior, Road Race and Hill Climb specialist
Joined from last season by;
Emily Kay, Multi-National track champ, GB OPD and 2012 World RR rider
Rebecca Hunt, 2nd year Junior Track and Road all rounder
Anna Christian, 2nd year Junior Road and TT specialist
Zoe Armstrong, 2nd year Junior Road, Circuit Racing and Cyclo Cross
Scott Contessa Epic line up for 2013 L-R
Emily Kay, Anna Christian, Rececca Hunt, Zoe Armstrong, Laura Wasley, Crystal Lane, Beth Hayward, Amy Gornall, Kim English and Alice Barnes
by Anna Magrath | Nov 18, 2012
Men’s Sprint
GOLD – Germany (BOETTICHER)
SILVER – Germany (FOERSTEMANN)
BRONZE – Rusvelo (DMITRIEV)
An all-Germany final saw Friday night’s Team Sprint gold medallists Robert Foerstemann and Stefan Boetticher go head to head for gold in the Men’s Sprint final. It was Boetticher who got the better of his countryman, winning the first match and taking the second with a stunning sprint in the final 200m that saw him take gold in emphatic style and bring the UCI Track Cycling World Cup to a fitting end.
The bronze medal match was contested by Spain’s Juan Gascon Peralta and Denis Dmitriev of the Rusvelo team who needed only two matches to beat his rival and claim the bronze.
Great Britain’s representation came in the form of Olympic Team Sprint gold medallist Philip Hindes who finished 12th in the competition overall.
Olympic champion Jason Kenny did not feature in the Sprint event after a heavy fall in the Keirin final on Saturday night where his World Cup was cut short with a broken collarbone.
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Women’s Keirin
GOLD – Germany (VOGEL)
SILVER – Petroholding Leningrad (GNIDENKO)
BRONZE – Hong Kong (LEE)
Germany’s in form Kristina Vogel picked up her second gold medal of the week, adding Keirin gold to the Sprint she won on Saturday night. Silver went to Ekaterina Gnidenko, racing for the Petroholding Leningrad team, and bronze went to Hong Kong’s Wai Sze Lee.
Great Britain’s Becky James qualified for the final and was unlucky not to finish on the podium after leading out after the exit of the derny.
Great Britain’s Jess Varnish missed out on the final after finishing 6th in her second round heat. After racing in the Team Sprint, Sprint and 500m TT fatigue was evident in Varnish and she finished 9th overall.
Women’s Omnium
GOLD – Great Britain (TROTT)
SILVER – Australia (ANKUDINOFF)
BRONZE – Russia (BALABOLINA)
Olympic and World Omnium champion Laura Trott won the Women’s Omnium title in dramatic style, beating rival Ashlee Ankudinoff from Australia into silver in the final heat of the sixth event, the 500m Time Trial. Going into the final event Ankudinoff was two points ahead of Trott with Trott needing to beat her rival by two places to secure gold. An aggressive ride in which Trott gave everything she had saw her deliver once again, finishing with the second fastest time behind Russian Tamara Balabolina which was enough to secure gold and bring the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome crowd to their feet. Victory in the 500m Time Trial meant Balabolina did enough to take home bronze for Russia.
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Women’s Omnium
Omnium I – Flying Lap
Rank 1 Australian (ANKUDINOFF) – 14.340
Rank 2 Fullgass.org (OLABERRIA DORRONSORO) – 14.364
Rank 3 Poland (PAWLOWSKA) – 14.524
Omnium II – Points Race 20km
Rank 1 Bulguria (SHARAKOVA)
Rank 2 Lithuania (TREBAITE)
Rank 3 Mexico (ARREOLA NAVARRO)
Omnium III – Elimination Race
Rank 1 Great Britain (TROTT)
Rank 2 Poland (PAWLOWSKA)
Rank 3 Russia (BALABOLINA)
Omnium IV – Individual Pursuit 3Km
Rank 1 Great Britain (TROTT)
Rank 2 Australia (ANKUDINOFF)
Rank 3 Poland (PAWLOWSKA)
Omnium V – Scratch Race 10Km
Rank 1 Russia (BALABOLINA)
Rank 2 Lithuania (TREBAITE)
Rank 3 Mexico (ARREOLA NAVARRO)
Omnium VI – 500m Time Trial
Rank 1 Russia (BALABOLINA)
Rank 2 Great Britain (TROTT)
Rank 3 Poland (PAWLOWSKA)
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