British Cyclo-Cross Championships – Results & Images from Day 1

Words and Images by Craig Zadoroznyj

 

Results and photos from an exciting Day 1 of the British Cyclo-Cross Championships at Hetton Lyons Park.

Day 1 saw a total of five races with seven champions throughout the diffrent age categories.

Maddi Smith of Bolsover & District CC won the womens veterans title, Pete Middleton of Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets took the mens 50+ race, Millie Couzens PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield ERT took victory under-16 girls, Zoe Backstedt of Maindy Flyers Youth CC won the under-14 girls category, Simon Wyllie of Halesowen A&CC takes the victory in the under-16 boys, The under-14 boys victory went to Joshua Tarling of West Wales Cycle Racing Team.

And the final race of the day saw Paul Oldham of Hope Factory Racing claim his first striped champions jersey in the 40-49 category.

 

 

 

 

Full Results from Day 1

1. Paul Oldham Hope Factory Racing MV40
2. Nicholas Craig SCOTT Racing MV45
3. Ian Taylor C and N Cycles RT MV45
4. Stephen James Renvale RT MV40
5. Neil Ellison WDMBC/Specialized Ruislip MV40
6. James Bryan Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets MV45
7. Robert Jebb Hope Factory Racing MV40
8. Daniel Guest Cotswold Veldrijden MV40
9. Darren Atkins Ride Coventry MV45
10. Daniel Alexander Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets MV45
11. Andrew Taylor C and N Cycles RT MV40
12. Andrew Peace Shibden Cycling Club MV45
13. Mike Simpson Beeline Bicycles RT MV45
14. Andrew Parry Forza Cycles Racing Team MV40
15. James Dalton Pedalsport Cycling Club MV40
16. Nicholas Whitley Chester RC MV45
17. Alan Nixon Blumilk.com MV40
18. Adrian Lawrence C and N Cycles RT MV45
19. James Thompson SCOTT Racing MV40
20. Keith Murray SCOTT Racing MV40
21. Paul Mashiter Barrow Central Wheelers MV45
22. Steven Henshall St Helens CRC MV45
23. Crawford Carrick-Anderson Peebles CC MV45
24. Mark Calvert Team Trident MV40
25. Colin Miller Ride Coventry MV40
26. Anthony Turner Cotswold Veldrijden MV45
27. Simon Gibbs Tyneside Vagabonds CC MV40
28. Chris Taylor Shibden Cycling Club MV45
29. Jamie Norfolk Pedalon.co.uk MV40
30. Stefan Macina Aurelius Cycles MV45
31. Richard Edge Nottingham Clarion CC MV40
32. Michael Hardcastle Royal Air Force CA MV45
33. David Whittle Bicester Millennium CC MV45
34. Neil Halliday RAMcc MV40
35. Michael Burdon PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield MV45
36. Steve Wood Geared Up & CN Cycles RT MV40
37. Phil Smith Lakes RC MV45
38. Nigel Wood Kendal Cycle Club MV40
39. Andrew Brindle Horwich CC MV45
40. Richard Noble Tyne & Wear Fire And Rescue MV45
41. James Raw Individual Member MV40
42. Philip Simcock Team JMC MV45
43. Crispin Doyle Hargroves-Ridley-Montezumaís MV40
44. Malcolm Gray Cestria CC MV45
45. Matthew Crouch Fossa Racing MV45
46. Bill Kay MTS Cycle Sport MV45
47. Chris Mather Derwentside CC MV40
48. Alan Collins Portsmouth North End CC MV45
49. Jason Hurt Brother NRG MV45
50. Phillip Craker Individual Member MV45
51. Giles Dumont Aurelius Cycles MV45
52. Raymond Honour MTS Cycle Sport MV45
53. Craig Tabiner Port Sunlight Whls CC MV45
54. Philip Hinchliffe Holmfirth Cycling Club MV45
55. Franco Porco Leslie Bike Shop/Bikers MV45
56. Nick Taylor Red Rose Olympic CC MV40
57. Matthew Livesey Individual Member MV40
58. David Shaw PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield MV40
59. Bryan Holland North Road CC MV45
60. Chris Annable Allen Valley Velo MV40
61. Tony Mills York Cycleworks MV45
62. Mike Young Pedalsport Cycling Club MV45
63. Tim Kershaw Pedalsport Cycling Club MV40
64. Tim Berry Team Empella Cyclo-Cross MV40
65. Phil Cook Cestria CC MV40
66. Henry Aarvold Individual Member MV40
67. Keith Law Lakes RC MV45
68. David Kent Prima Team Racing MV45
69. Matthew Eastwood York Cycleworks MV40
70. Dermot Mckee Pedalsport Cycling Club MV45
71. Simon Pateman www.cyclocrossrider.com MV45
72. Neil Mansfield The MI Racing Academy MV45
73. Chris Glass Hetton Hawks Cycling Club MV40
74. Simon Meadwell Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers MV45
75. Robert Wimble Drogan Racing Team MV45
76. Christian Roberts Allen Valley Velo MV45
77. Craig Donagher Fechan Flyers MV45
78. Warren Drew Rapha Cycling Club MV45
79. Richard Gostick Pedalon.co.uk MV45
80. Paul Maven InfinityCycles-CubeCycling MV45
81. Paul Crapper Abergavenny Road Club MV45
82. Raymond Robinson Army Cycling Union MV40

1 Maddi Smith Bolsover & District CC FV45
2 Kate Eedy Team Empella Cyclo-Cross FV40
3 Helen Pattinson Hargroves-Ridley-Montezumaís FV45
4 Verity Appleyard Brotherton Cycles FV40
5 Lucy Siddle Allen Valley Velo FV40
6 Alison Kinloch PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield FV40
7 Karen Poole Sportstest RT FV40
8 Helen Dussek Nottingham Clarion CC FV45
9 Marie Jackson Paul Milnes Bradford Olympic FV50
10 Nicola Davies Beacon Wheelers FV55
11 Catherine Kilburn Mid Devon CC FV50
12 Sally Reid Team Jewson-M.I.Racing FV55
13 Caroline Harvey Edinburgh RC FV45
14 Elizabeth Clayton Stirling Bike Club FV55
15 Caroline Mansfield The MI Racing Academy FV45
16 Louise Wainwright Bolsover & District CC FV40
17 Melanie Annable Allen Valley Velo FV40
18 Suzanne Young Individual Member FV55
19 Alison Sarmiento Harrogate Nova CC FV45
20 Pamela Glover Derwentside CC FV45
21 Sarah Grimshaw Horwich CC FV40
22 Emma Payne Fossa Racing FV40
23 Nicola Hartle PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield FV45
24 Julie Phelan Here Come The Belgians FV50

1 Pete Middleton Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets MV50 M
2 Timothy Gould Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets MV50 M
3 Timothy Davies CC Abergavenny/JP Signs&Print MV50 M
4 Stephen Knight Team Jewson-Racing-Polypipe MV50 M
5 Philip Roach Team Jewson-Racing-Polypipe MV55 M
6 Roy Chamberlain Team Corley Cycles MV50 M
7 Nigel Gregory Pedal Power Loughborough MV50 M
8 Grant Johnson Sunset Cycles MV55 M
9 Kirby Bennett Team Jewson-Racing-Polypipe MV55 M
10 Mark James Team Jewson-Racing-Polypipe MV50 M
11 Mick Style Manchester Wheelers Club MV50 M
12 Dave McMullen Cotswold Veldrijden MV65 M
13 Ian Knights Prima Team Racing MV50 M
14 Peter Harris Pearce Cycles RT MV60 M
15 Stephen Bottomley Shibden Cycling Club MV50 M
16 Graeme Gow Tyneside Vagabonds CC MV50 M
17 Michael Aspey Northumbria Police CC MV50 M
18 Michael Bowen West Suffolk Wheelers MV50 M
19 Barry Kipling MTS Cycle Sport MV60 M
20 Tim Gill Ilkley Cycling Club MV50 M
21 Robin Delve Mid Devon CC MV55 M
22 Simon Hime Finchley Racing Team MV50 M
23 Richard Atkinson Ashburn Wealth MV50 M
24 Sean Beswick Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets MV50 M
25 John Docker Huddersfield Star Wheelers MV50 M
26 Simon Hale Army Cycling Union MV50 M
27 Brian Johnson Barnesbury CC MV50 M
28 Matt Wilson Mountain Goat Coaching MV50 M
29 Wayne Nicholson York Cycleworks MV50 M
30 Andy Collins Mid Shropshire Wheelers MV50 M
31 Robin Myers Hamsterley Trailblazers MV50 M
32 Chris Wreghitt Second Wind MV55 M
33 James Melville Glasgow United CC MV50 M
34 Charles Warren Harrogate Nova CC MV55 M
35 Noel Clough Fietsen Tempo MV50 M
36 Mark Ferguson High Peak Cycles RT MV55 M
37 Malcolm Cross Velo Club Venta MV60 M
38 Peter Busby Team Jewson-Racing-Polypipe MV55 M
39 Andrew Cracknell Pedalon.co.uk MV50 M
40 John Elwell East Bradford CC MV50 M
41 Thomas Bardgett Beacon Wheelers MV50 M
42 Anthony Dyment North Hampshire RC MV55 M
43 Julian Gould Zepnat.com RT Lazer Helmets MV50 M
44 David Smith Kendal Cycle Club MV50 M
45 Martyn Dymond C and N Cycles RT MV50 M
46 Steve Shepherd Individual Member MV50 M
47 James Sutherland Bolsover & District CC MV60 M
48 Robin Akers Beeline Bicycles RT MV60 M
49 Sean Hoban Velo Club Cumbria MV50 M
50 Andrew Edmond Ferryhill Wheelers CC MV50 M
51 Robert Smith Derwentside CC MV50 M
52 Brian Perks Pedalsport Cycling Club MV60 M
53 Simon Whitham Team Empella Cyclo-Cross MV50 M
54 Edward Sarmiento www.cyclocrossrider.com MV50 M
55 Gary Worton Stockton Wheelers CC MV50 M
56 Stephen Crawford Kinross CC MV50 M
57 Timothy Stowe Team Jewson-Racing-Polypipe MV60 M
58 Clifford Featherstone MTS Cycle Sport MV60 M
59 Peter Payton Individual Member MV60 M
60 Andrew Moss Adept Precision RT/NE MV50 M
61 Michael Scott Holmfirth Cycling Club MV55 M
62 Paul Dalton Matlock CC MV55 M
63 Stephen Clayton RT 23 MV50 M
64 Joseph Rowe Bush Healthcare CRT MV65 M
65 Peter Mooney Rugby Velo MV65 M
66 John Graveling Harrogate Nova CC MV55 M
67 Victor Barnett Welland Valley CC MV65 M
68 Mark Rowson Macclesfield Wheelers MV50 M
69 Steve Whitehouse Kernow Riders MV60 M
70 Colin Murley Derwentside CC MV65 M
71 John Gilling Individual Member MV60 M
72 Andrew Smith Individual Member MV55 M
73 Roger Mitchell VC Veldrijden MV60 M

1 Millie Couzens PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield
2 Anna Flynn Edinburgh RC
3 Eluned King Towy Riders
4 Maddie Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT
5 Josie Nelson Lichfield City CC
6 Lucy Hart Mid Shropshire Wheelers
7 Chloe Hinchliffe Bradford Olympic
8 Amelie Wayte The MI Racing Academy
9 Roisin Lally Derwentside CC
10 Anna Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT
11 Eva Young Pedal Power RT
12 Ella Lawrence Solent Pirates
13 Ellie Dilks Cycle Derby CC
14 Jasmine Kent Pink Jersey Race Team
15 Lotta Mansfield The MI Racing Academy
16 Charlotte-Louise McGreevy LIV AWOL
17 Bethany Barnett Kings Lynn CC
18 Amy Cantelo Solent Pirates
19 Lucy Buckley Cycle Derby CC
20 Molly Peel Bourne Wheelers CC
21 Iona Moir LIV AWOL
22 Freja Smith Racing Metro 15
23 Jasmine Lomas Pedalsport Cycling Club
24 Rebecca Dawes Clifton CC

1 Zoe Backstedt Maindy Flyers Youth CC
2 Ella Maclean-Howell Cardiff J.I.F.
3 Grace Lister Wolverhampton Wheelers
4 Madeleine Osborn Abergavenny Road Club
5 Anoushka Minale Hub VÈlo
6 Libby Bell Leicester Forest CC
7 Amber Brameld Individual Member
8 Grace Castle Mountain Goat Coaching
9 Ella Jamieson Clifton CC
10 Emily Carrick-Anderson Peebles CC
11 Daphne Jones Mid Shropshire Wheelers
12 Amelia Cox Bicester Millennium CC
13 Eilidh Shaw Stirling Bike Club
14 Eleanor Bolton Lee Valley Youth CC
15 Harriet Limb Matlock CC
16 Phoebe Roche Sutton Cycling Club/ C & N
17 Eva Newby Furness Future Flyers
18 Hermione Pickering Paul MilnesBradford Olympic
19 Elizabeth McKinnon Derwentside CC
20 Beatrice Pauley St Ives CC
21 Evie Steed Bolsover & District CC
22 Anna Reid Individual Member
23 Emily Richards Bourne Wheelers CC
24 Lucy Dalgleish Salt Ayre Cog Set
25 Freya Whiteside Ilkley Cycling Club
26 Amy Mourne Huddersfield Star Wheelers
27 Katie Galloway West Lothian Clarion CC
28 Katie Hadnum Hetton Hawks CC
29 Holly Bailey Heanor Clarion CC
30 Sapphire Curtis St Ives CC
31 Phoebe Skinner Derwentside CC
32 Annabel Parker Matlock CC

1 Simon Wyllie Halesowen A & CC
2 Oliver Stockwell Welwyn Wheelers CC
3 Alec Gregory Pedal Power Loughborough
4 Daniel Barnes Lichfield City CC
5 Sam Freeman Solent Pirates
6 Ben Chilton Derby Mercury RC
7 Rory McGuire Leslie Bike Shop/Bikers
8 Adam Bent Nutcracker Altura Racing
9 Finlay Pickering PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield
10 Jamie Johnston Leslie Bike Shop/Bikers
11 Joshua Giddings The MI Racing Academy
12 Joseph Pidcock PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield
13 Matthew Kingston Lichfield City CC
14 Benjamin Bright Marsh Tracks Racing ñ Trek
15 Max Bolton Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club
16 William Truelove Abergavenny Road Club
17 Corran Carrick-Anderson Peebles CC
18 Kieran Riley Langdale Lightweights RT
19 Robert Rowson Macclesfield Wheelers
20 Sam Murray SCOTT Racing
21 Aidan Lawrence C and N Cycles RT
22 Tyler Koch Mossley CRT
23 Emile Alexander Lichfield City CC
24 Joe Thorp Macclesfield Wheelers
25 Sam Bishop Charlotteville CC
26 Edward Woodward The MI Racing Academy
27 Daniel Hepton Paul Milnes ñ Bradford Olympic
28 Jack Brough The MI Racing Academy
29 Michael Newall Cycle Derby CC
30 David Hird Halesowen A & CC
31 Matti Egglestone Beacon Wheelers
32 Bryn Richards Bourne Wheelers CC
33 Ethan Whiteside East Bradford CC
34 Callum Reid Individual Member
35 Joshua Charlton Hetton Hawks Cycling Club
36 Daniel Vincent Eastlands Velo
37 Alexander Ball West Lothian Clarion CC
38 George Freeman West Lothian Clarion CC
39 Arthur Boulton Banjo Cycles
40 Harrison Lee Hetton Hawks Cycling Club
41 Spencer Davies CC Abergavenny/JP SignsPrint
42 Samuel Howes Sleaford Whls CC
43 Jack Ackroyd Shibden Cycling Club
44 Zack Harrop Mossley CRT
45 Matthew Wells Tyneside Vagabonds CC
46 Callum Thornley Peebles CC
47 Samuel McGhee Sutton Cycling Club/ C & N
48 Duncan Pritchard Palmer Park Velo RT
49 Dexter Leeming-Sykes Otley CC
50 Finton Price Carnegie Cyclones
51 Gareth Davies Palmer Park Velo RT
52 Ben Flanagan Tyneside Vagabonds CC
53 Euan Sanderson Cleveland Wheelers CC
54 Andrew Turner West Lothian Clarion CC
55 Gregor Robb Glasgow Riderz
56 Louis Moore Edinburgh RC
57 Ross Birrell Edinburgh RC
58 Alfie Savage Furness Future Flyers
59 William Dykes Salt Ayre Cog Set
60 Tom Lees Salt Ayre Cog Set
61 Jake Edwards Salt Ayre Cog Set
62 Thomas Crapper Abergavenny Road Club
63 Thomas Godber Hetton Hawks Cycling Club
64 Ewan Berry Team Empella Cyclo-Cross
65 Adam Jackson Huddersfield Star Wheelers
66 Leo Law Furness Future Flyers

1 Joshua Tarling West Wales Cycle RT
2 Euan Woodliffe Welwyn Wheelers CC
3 Alex Barker Halesowen A & CC
4 Griff Lewis Ystwyth Cycling Club
5 Riley Blackmore PH-MAS/Paul Milnes/Oldfield
6 Christopher Hilbert Sherwood Pines Cycles- Forme
7 Jude Chamberlain The MI Racing Academy
8 Jamie Gostick Palmer Park Velo RT
9 Sullivan Berry Redditch Road & Path CC
10 Bjoern Koerdt Terrain Cycles Ride In Peace
11 Ben Askey RST Racing Team
12 Caelan Miller Welwyn Wheelers CC
13 Michael Tait Derwentside CC
14 Luke Harris WORX Factory Racing
15 Oliver Akers Holmfirth Cycling Club
16 Tom Scott Holmfirth Cycling Club
17 Archie Ellen Edinburgh RC
18 Scott Fisher Furness Future Flyers
19 Frederick Fuller Edinburgh RC
20 Felix Clacy Solent Pirates
21 Jensen Windsor Alford Wheelers
22 Ben Ramsden East Bradford CC
23 Thomas Wadsworth Beeline Bicycles RT
24 Ben Partridge Hetton Hawks Cycling Club
25 Harry Ellison Pedalsport Cycling Club
26 Jack Hastings Cardiff J.I.F.
27 Alfie Atterton Edinburgh RC
28 Cole Nicholson Hoddom Velo
29 Alex Galpin Bourne Wheelers CC
30 Oliver Coughlan Pedalsport Cycling Club
31 Dominic Switzer Welland Valley CC
32 Ben McMullen Sprockets CycleRT (Scotland)
33 Oliver Peace Bronte Tykes Junior CC
34 William Ryan Solihull CC
35 Joseph Brookes Halesowen A & CC
36 Callum Watson East Bradford CC
37 Dominic Bell Sutton Cycling Club
38 Dylan Edwards Salt Ayre Cog Set
39 Daniel Holmes Tyneside Vagabonds CC
40 Sam Chisholm West Lothian Clarion CC
41 Seb Cliffe Ilkley Cycling Club
42 Arlo Carey Palmer Park Velo RT
43 Harry Owen Herne Hill Youth CC
44 Oliver Griggs Hub VÈlo
45 Harry Jordan Eastlands Velo
46 Harry Purcell Derwentside CC
47 Otto Chilton Derby Mercury RC
48 Benjamin Livesey Salt Ayre Cog Set
49 Corey Whiteford Royal Albert CC
50 Benjamin Mashiter Furness Future Flyers
51 Toby Kershaw Pedalsport Cycling Club
52 Jude Lomas Pedalsport Cycling Club
53 Matthew Brennan Stockton Wheelers CC
54 Finlay Cooper Edinburgh RC
55 Jasper Dilks Cycle Derby CC
56 Ethan Grimshaw Eastlands Velo
57 Spike Elwell East Bradford CC
58 Samuel Morris East Bradford CC
59 Ellis Murray SCOTT Racing
60 Dan Galpin Bourne Wheelers CC

Craig Zadoroznyj

Craig Zadoroznyj

Photographer

Craig Zadoroznyj is a cycling photographer based in East Yorkshire England, specialising in road racing and time trials, from the local grass roots level all the way up-to major British Cycling calendar events. Craig has covered cycling events from local and national level right up to the the Tour de France and Tour de Yorkshire for CyclingShorts.cc.
Website: www.craigzadphotos.co.uk

Nicole Cooke’s Written Evidence to Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee

Written evidence submitted by Nicole Cooke MBE (BDA0012)

Contents

1.0 Summary
2.0 My experience 3.0 Governance
3.1 Examples of the symptoms of this mal-governance
3.2 Conclusions to issues of Governance
4. 0 Issues relating to Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs)
4.1 Background and current status 4.2 Personal experiences
4.3 The international situation
4.4 PEDs removed from exemptions
5.0 Finale

I have been asked to submit evidence to the Culture Media & Sport Select Committee.

I have requested that part of my evidence is written and present this to accompany the question and answer session.

1.0 Summary
I wish to present to you evidence for two problems that you may wish to consider.

The first one relates to the governance of a sport that receives annually significant financial support from the public purse and the fact that such funds are not distributed equitably and in a decent manner for the benefit of the whole of the target population. I summarise that as a sport run by men, for men. I have attempted to achieve redress on a number of occasions but have encountered a governance structure at the National Federation – British Cycling – that is not responsible to anyone other than itself for its own actions. It has an Executive Board, but this exerts minimal control of its executive officers and is filled with a majority who approve of the mal-distribution of public funds. The oversight that should be in place via UK Sport is, at best, token.

The second relates to how measures and schemes put in place to fight the abuse of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) are inadequate and ineffective in planning, management and execution – the so called “war on PEDs”. I summarise that as the wrong people fighting the wrong war, in the wrong way, with the wrong tools.

Since both of these require the support and activity of management involved in the governance of sports, at a variety of levels, there are obviously areas of mutual inclusivity in the problematic areas.

I believe both of these problems have a direct bearing on why an employee, whose salary is paid out of the public purse, is directed by his managers, also paid out of the public purse, to spend several days driving from the south of England to Manchester and back and then catch a plane to fly to France and back, all to urgently deliver a package, the contents of which he claims he is ignorant of. And throughout, the management can direct him to do this with no thought for the responsibilities of his post, as British Women’s Road Team Coach or the work he is paid to do, and all to the benefit of a private organisation, because there is no body to which effective appeal can be made, by those disadvantaged by such actions. The Director of the BC cycling performance program, Sir Dave Brailsford, and the National Coach, Shane Sutton, are both working for Team Sky in management roles as well as their public roles and can misdirect because they know that they have the approval to do so from the two cycling representatives on the Board of the Team Sky holding company, Tour Racing Limited, Ian Drake and Brian Cookson who were respectively CEO of and President of the Executive Board British Cycling throughout this period.

UK Sport, the body that I believe is charged by charter to have ultimate responsibility for the effective distribution of public funds from the Lottery to sporting organisations, provides no oversight and means of censure of this compromised governance structure. My personal experience is that UK Sport actively resist attempts to be made accountable, instead, always directing the athlete back to the governance of the sport. The only time I achieved a measure of satisfaction was when I engaged my MP in a serious matter and he raised it with the Minister for Sport, who in turn took it to the CEO of UK Sport. Such a resolution path is not practicable when asking why the National Coach has refused to allow a camp to be run for the British Women’s Road Team and the National Women’s Coach is instead directed to act as courier for his long term friend and ex professional team mate Bradley Wiggins at Team Sky or spend some weeks riding a moped in front of him as part of a training regimen, directed by the National Coach. These are merely front line symptoms of a management that is not subject to censure.

2.0 My experience

My experience is that of a cyclist actively engaged in the sport and exclusively extracting my livelihood from it for the period 2002 through to 2012. Therefore my account relates to British Cycling (BC) and its relationship with UK Sport, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD), the Union Cycliste International (UCI), World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) and clubs and organisations affiliated to BC. Throughout this time Brian Cookson was President of BC.

3.0 Governance

The fundamental problem appears to be that Sports Governance in the UK has not moved sufficiently from a model that suited small-time amateur club operations with small National Federation (NF) budgets funded out of modest levies on activities by participants, to that of an organisation responsible for the equitable distribution of millions of pounds of public money each year. Methods of oversight and consequent accountability are not effective.

Policies, rules and regulations are based on the NF, in my case BC, being the ultimate arbiter of everything to do with the sport, in particular how officers employed by BC conduct their affairs. The management at BC are able to show discrimination and favouritism for projects and individuals without check or balance; they are answerable only to themselves.

I believe there are a variety of routes for public money to be distributed to BC. These include, funding for hosting major events of both National and International stature, funding for the construction of facilities, funding for support of athletes in preparation for World events, the World

Class Performance Programs (WCPPs) and funding to encourage participation in sport by a wider section of the general population.

I understand that the role of UK Sport in the distribution of Lottery funds to NFs is clearly defined in an over-arching contract that places the responsibility for the fair and proper distribution of that public money with UK Sport.

My personal experience is that during the period 2001 to 2003, UK Sport in the persons of its then Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Callicott and its then Director of WCPPs Liz Nicholl, who is now CEO, resisted this notion entirely. Instead they sought to place ultimate responsibility for how funds and support services purchased with public funds were distributed, entirely with the NFs and stated they had no function of oversight. I, my father, and my solicitor were in much written communication over this very point. We were entirely unsuccessful in achieving a resolution of any form until the matter was referred to my Local MP, Win Griffiths, and he very kindly brought it up with the Minister of Sport, Richard Caborn who then asked Richard Callicott to justify this position. Consequently the BC Director of WCPP Peter Keen resigned and later in that same year Richard Callicott also left office. A further contributory factor to Richard Callicott’s departure was the dispute Callicott had with the then Head of the anti-doping testing program within UK Sport (it was not independent at that time) Michele Verroken. This centred on whether Rio Ferdinand’s failure to attend an Anti-doping test should be treated as a doping infraction or not. Rio Ferdinand had recently been purchased for £30 million by Manchester United, a fee that was a new record. Were he to be banned, his team would not get economic reward against this investment. At this time both FIFA (President Sepp Blatter) and the UCI (President Hein Verbruggen) were resisting all calls for their sports to sign up to the new WADA protocols which clearly defined missed tests as infractions.

My experience is that even though in the case I brought to UK Sport, although I was able to eventually get UK Sport to accept ultimate responsibility for the disbursement of funds and services procured with public funds, UK Sport do not offer effective oversight and do not hold BC to account, in fact the reverse is true with the model mainly being that BC and affiliated projects spend and distribute as they and they alone see fit, and also spend over budget with little fear of censure.

3.1 Examples of the symptoms of this mal-governance

To support this assertion I give a modest selection of examples taken from across my chronological experience.

A WCPP program existed for Juniors (ages 17 & 18) when I was 16. This provided a modest financial support for equipment and travel expenses for athletes of this category. At both 15 and 16 I met the performance criteria for this program. I was denied entry because I was “too young”. At 16 I became the Senior British Road Race champion beating all the senior elite athletes supported by the Senior WCPP, despite my youth. When I turned 17 the program had been cancelled by the Director of WCPP Peter Keen. Keen was personal coach to the senior rider who was second to me in the British Championships the year before. I could not dispute his decision as BC were the arbiters of their actions and Keen was fully supported by BC senior management. When I became senior, another excuse, this time predicated on a false representation of the factual situation, was generated to prevent me having any access to lottery support. At this stage, and with experience, I took things further and in the period 2002/2003 we arrived at the impasse I described with UK Sport.

One of the early excuses UK Sport used for insisting that they could not intervene was that this was solely a dispute between an athlete and a NF and they had no power to intervene. Further, I had not used the BC Appeal procedure – I must follow their due process. My representatives wrote back to

detail the construct of the “Appeal Procedure” BC had written to hold themselves to account. The Appellant had to submit the details of the Appeal and then BC management would request down- payment of financial security to cover all assembly, accommodation, maintenance and administrative costs of the appeal panel, which would be due by the Appellant, should the case not be found in favour of the Appellant. The construct of the Appeals Panel was at the gift of BC. The decision of the Panel would be submitted to the Executive Board and the Appellant had no right to know the nature of it. Then in a final twist, the Executive Board gifted themselves the ability to not be bound by the decision of the Appeals Panel and determine whatever decision they wished. I informed UK Sport I would not use this “Appeal Procedure” and the question was asked of UK Sport if given the nature of the process and the financial commitment required by the Appellant, they would either. No reply was received. When my representatives wrote again asking if UK Sport should be distributing public money to organisations who wrote such clearly un-just policies and should not a requirement be that if a NF wished to present itself as an organ for distribution of public money, it should have to pass some fairly modest threshold of competent governance, I received a reply to the effect that Appeals Policies within individual sports were the responsibility of each NF and not a matter UK Sport should consider.

This inadequate response formed a key point in the case I presented to my MP. I was grateful of the efforts he made that resulted in the resolution of this issue.

Around mid career . c 2006, I received some information to indicate that UK Sport had appointed an Equalities Officer. I asked my representative to contact this person to see if they would engage with two issues that were current. I had asked Director of WCPP Dave Brailsford to facilitate other female riders joining myself on the continent. The Australian Cycling Federation did this by setting up two team houses, one for their male riders and another for females. Various reasons had been given about how this was not possible. Then, a house had been set up for the young male British riders in Italy. I believe this, together with all the support personnel and equipment was fully funded by a grant from Lottery funds approved by UK Sport. I had again urged that a similar facility was set up for female riders. I was told this would not happen. In June 2006 I returned to the UK from Italy to race the British Championships that were being held in Yorkshire. I knew that both the local council and a UK Sport approved major event grant contributed the major part of the event budget. Of the British Road Riders of the time, I was significantly the most high profile and highest attaining. British Male success on the international circuit at that time was non-existent and previous British Winner, David Millar was still serving his ban for doping. The event preparations were as normal. The prize purse for the women’s race was a tiny fraction of that for the men and the pre-race publicity was all about the male race with a token mention of the women’s race. I had just won the Women’s Tour de France, to follow up a win in the Italian Giro of 2004. It was put to the Equalities Officer at UK Sport could this bias be investigated and BC management held to account for such discriminatory action. The response was very clear. Such an investigation was not in the remit of the Equalities Officer at UK Sport and nor would that Officer do anything with the information provided. If I had any issues I should take them up with BC. That I had already done so to no effect, was not his concern. He would do nothing.

Very little was ever done to support female road riders during my career. At times odd riders would be supported for a period, while they were “in favour” but mostly, that support was only ever transient. In 2008 the plans were in place for the male only Team Sky that would use a variety of BC Lottery funded staff in dual roles. Dave Brailsford managed the project with BC CEO Ian Drake and President Brian Cookson on the Board of Tour Racing Limited the holding company set up to “own” it. Once again the designed in “oversight” were the people who approved the initial decision to

progress the project as male only. No successful appeal that it should be a male and female team was possible. This was run exclusively by men, exclusively for men. Other contemporary professional teams even those not connected to National Federations, ran male and female squads on the two circuits. To do so would not have been unusual or different.

It was evident to all that huge resource went into this project from BC, to the extent that in the autumn of 2008 as they all concentrated on this and the World Championships came up, and, as there was no male rider who could effectively challenge for a World title, they downgraded the whole preparation for that event. At those World Championships I found I could not get basic repairs completed for my bicycle by the BC mechanics. After my win at Beijing, British Cycling had bragged that the program of “marginal gains” meant that they had produced a skin suit for me to use whilst most of my competitors rode in shorts and a jersey. I had insisted on this in 2000, against the wishes of the BC management, and now it was trumpeted as an advantage of their thoroughness. However, for late 2008 they had once again “forgotten” to organise one and I was told to ride in shorts and jersey, which they had provided. Expecting this, I had brought to the championships my skin suit from the year before. Dave Brailsford was insistent that I could not wear it as it did not feature the logo of the new Sponsor Sky. Eventually a compromise was reached on the eve of the race, in which Emma Pooley, who had a needle and thread with her, cut out the Sky logo of the jersey and sowed it onto my old skinsuit. I won the World Title and became the first person, male or female to be World and Olympic road race champion in the same year.

In “Project Rainbow” the book by British Male Road Coach, Rod Ellingworth he describes assembling the plan for Mark Cavendish for the World Championships in 2011 and London 2012. This plan is being put together at this same time, late 2008. It is worth quoting verbatim. “….at the end of 2008 I wrote up a four year plan to win the road race in London……………the debacle of Madrid in 2005 summed up where GB was at the time……(that I won a silver medal contesting a sprint with no lead out or support riders in the finale is ignored.)…..At British Cycling there were a few people – Shane Sutton in particular – who were against me doing this. I think Shane felt that if we did all this for the lads, we would have to do it for the women, but I told him that wasn’t my problem”.

The facts are they did nothing for the women. Whilst this deluxe program ran out for the men’s London 2012 bid, Emma Pooley and myself self funded our flights to and accommodation in Australia.

For London 2012 the 2011 Trial Event was for men only, despite the current gold medallist in the road race and silver medallist in the time trial being female, we were again ignored. Staff at BC will point out that this was not their decision, but that of the London Games organisers. The manager of the Cycling events at London 2012 was an ex BC employee and worked in complete co-operation with the staff at BC. If they had wanted to put on a trial event for women they could have done so. That manager is ex professional cyclist Simon Lillistone who has his own “long journey with a bag, the contents of which and purpose of the journey were a complete mystery to him”. In his case he was transporting a “bag” for Lance Armstrong. A decade later it was confirmed the bag contained PEDs, but at the time the story of the “bag for Lance” came out, Simon Lillistone found he could not support the claims of his partner Emma O’Reilly, who stated that they were PEDs for Armstrong’s doping program to win the Tour de France.

3.2 Conclusions to issues of Governance

All of the above are modest symptoms. Cope was doing what he was told to do. Shane Sutton states he approved Cope’s trip with the jiffy bag. Nobody in the organisation anywhere would have asked

the question – hasn’t Cope got another job to do? At fault are those who designed the program in the way they did. “Team Sky” and the simultaneous use of people also receiving a full wage from the public purse at BC, was all about optimising the road team for London 2012 and getting a British rider to win the Tour de France. Of course they really did not mean any British rider because I had already won the Tour twice. They meant a British rider who counts in their eyes and that meant a man. This was an exclusively male program; it was not open to women and would not support women, but resources paid from the public purse to support that tiny fraction of a program that was available to women were stripped out of the women’s program to augment the men’s program by flying out “unknown” jiffy bags or riding mopeds whenever needed.

This un-equitable and discriminatory distribution of resource was only possible due to the failure of UK Sport to hold the senior management of BC to account. Throughout my whole career, BC senior management and the Board could not have made it more clear to those they directed, that men and the actions and achievements of men, were all that mattered. This was obvious to all observers of the sport but UK Sport just stood by, watched and approved.

4. 0 Issues relating to Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs)

4.1 Background and current status

UKAD recently stand accused of not investigating Dr Bonar when evidence was brought to them by Dan Stevens. My total experience as an elite athlete brings me to a condition where I am not surprised that UKAD have done nothing. I have no faith in the actions in support of investigations conducted by UKAD or the testing they conduct, both completed at significant expense to the public purse.

Internationally, the conflicts of interest of so many of those charged with defending clean riders are such that they cannot be trusted to carry out their responsibilities effectively. National and International Federations can not be allowed to have any part in anti-doping activity. They are compromised at so many levels.

I have twice presented personal evidence to the agency in the UK responsible for anti-doping management. In the first case they stated they would not do anything with my evidence. On the second they took no notes during the meeting and informed me I could not be given any information of any sort as to how they might process the evidence I gave them. My belief, based on the lack of action I observed post this event, is that they did nothing at all on that second occasion either. On another occasion I asked them to follow up on the case of a rider who was apparently serving a two year ban and had been stripped of an Olympic medal but was being offered to me some 9 months later as a team mate and had already been back competing for several months and just become Pan American champion! After some initial good support from UKDAD, I was soon left to pursue this case with WADA alone. I found identical reactions at WADA to those at UKAD and when conventional inquiries were ignored, I had to resort to writing recorded delivery letters to Dick Pound in order to elicit responses. Needless to say the outcome was, that with a very dubious evidence trail in which the rider concerned changed her story about what caused the positive test result, several times, those in responsibility accepted her account and gave her medal back. I pursued the case for two years, attempting to elicit from the authorities explanations as to why they took the decisions they did, given the evidence before them. Finally I received an intemperate reply from Mr Oliver Niggli, (who appeared before this committee), on behalf of Dick Pound. It brought little relief that in 2015 that same rider once again tested positive, this time for human growth hormone at the Pan American games and is currently serving a four year ban. She retains her Olympic medal that was

given back to her by those who earn their livelihood with guarding the interests of the clean athletes.

Pertinent to the “jiffy bag” incident is that two of the protagonists are directly involved in the Linda McCartney cycling team. Both Simon Cope and Bradley Wiggins rode for this team. Team Manager Julian Clark and rider Matt DeCanio state that doping was practised within the team. Other BC employees and ex employees involved in the team are current U23 men’s road team manager Keith Lambert, ex team doctor Roger Palfreeman, who was doctor on the team, Max Sciandri and ex Team Sky manager Sean Yates who rode for a number of years on the same team as Lance Armstrong. Apparently UKAD have testimony from three members of the team stating that riders used PEDs. The investigation was started in 2012 when the claims were first made by The Times newspaper. UKAD did advise at the outset patience would be needed before outcomes would be reached. “All valid information that could lead to a prosecution will be followed up.” As recently as June 2016 three of the British members of this team, Sean Yates, Max Sciandri and Matt Stephens, who is a commentator on the sport for Eurosport, all stated that UKAD had made no contact with them. Four years on – how patient do we have to be, or are UKAD doing nothing?

I am not an expert on the legal framework under which UKAD management operate. I can only state from my viewpoint they appear very keen to grasp any excuse not to do anything a clean athlete might view as of merit.

4.2 Personal experiences

In my first full season, 2002 I became fully aware that the use of PEDs was still endemic in the sport and the “new clean era” post the Festina scandal of 1999 was a designed fiction. I note that the President of WADA, Craig Reedie appeared before this committee and was of the view that criminalising doping violations by the athlete was not a good idea and would produce no benefit. To back up this point of view he suggested that only two countries have enacted to criminalise acts in this field, Italy and Germany and only two people have been convicted as a consequence and therefore it is pointless. To counter I would simply ask him to identify just how have the big drug busts been achieved? UKAD have been presented with evidence from whislteblowers in respect of the Linda McCartney team and several years later have not interviewed key witnesses. Undoubtedly they have not done so because there is nothing to be gained, according to their defined terms of conduct of operation and the National Anti-doping Policy. Certainly no criminal offence has been committed. I would ask how could they have gone about gaining confidential information to confirm or disprove the allegations made against Dr Bonar? They had no power to engage in phone taping, video surveillance and the other tools available to criminal investigations. At the age of 19 I was the only Brit on my team in Italy and I was encouraged by two members of the management of my team to dope. Not all were so inclined and another of those engaged in the management of the team specifically warned me about what was likely to happen and to urge me to be on my guard.

If William Dazzani operated in the UK rather than in Italy he would still be running doping rings, producing tragedy and misery in so many around him. As it was the Italian Guardia were empowered by legislation making it a criminal offence to receive and procure PEDs for athletes and were able to conduct an investigation – Operation Bike – using tools of the state to do so. They tapped phones and had recorded conversations of Olivano Locatelli speaking to William Dazzani advising him how athletes could take PEDs and still not test positive at events. They conducted video surveillance and they raided houses and found stashes of PEDs. They arrested the Directeur Sportif William Dazzani. I was ignorant that, during my time with the team, the Italian Police were conducting their investigation and so I took my experiences of Dazanni to the fore-runner of UKAD, I was told there

was nothing they could do. My representative specifically asked the director, John Scott, as they would do nothing, could they at least have the common courtesy of passing the intelligence I provided to the Italian anti-doping authorities. John answered that he would not do so, he and his organisation would do nothing with the information.

As a 19 year old female in a foreign country, I am grateful that Italy viewed the behaviour of Dazanni as criminal.

4.3 The international situation

Similarly it was the Spanish Police who ran Operation Puerto that ensnared Dr Eufemiano Fuentes. Now we can all decry the painful lack of subsequent action of the prosecutors on being presented with such bountiful evidence. Fortunately not all those receiving a very good salary from the public purse to “protecting the right to participate in clean sport” (UKAD), have swords apparently made of chocolate. If UKAD want an example of how to act they should just look at how diligently the Italian authorities pursued Spanish cyclist Valverde in the Puerto case. Valverde was careful not to race in Italy, where doping violations are a criminal offence. However he did not look closely enough at the route map for the Tour de France one year. The Italian authorities bided their time and waited until the Tour de France came to a finish in Italy and Valverde was then within their jurisdiction. They seized him and conducted a test and were able to get a sample of DNA. Later, when a temporary stand in Judge was maintaining the case in Spain, they succeeded in obtaining a sample from one of the blood bags held by the authorities there. As a direct consequence of this action and only because of it, Valverde was banned for two years.

This determined action is leagues beyond the bungling in relation to the case of the rider who was able to win the Pan American Championship, months after starting her two year ban. Her case was a prime example of why NFs cannot be allowed to have any part in the process. She tested positive at Athens and was stripped of her medal and had an automatic two year ban. She then appealed the ban. This appeal was processed by her home nation cycling federation, the same officials who had been celebrating their first ever cycling Olympic medal, when she won, just weeks before. The justification for the appeal was that the Federation doctor stated that he was at fault and had prescribed a medicine the athlete took the day before, that had caused the positive result. The Officers of the Federation decided that the Appeal should be upheld and she started racing again. The Federation then supported her claim to have her Olympic medal returned, seeing as she had now been declared entirely blameless by them. This was achieved, even if the reason presented at the two subsequent hearings was entirely different to that which caused the appeal to be upheld. NFs are responsible for executing anti-doping education, coach education, employing doctors, selecting athletes and promoting their sport. Valverde was a Spanish rider, he remained in their jurisdiction most of the time. The Italian authorities gathered the evidence to convict him, whilst those in Spain failed to act. Is it feasible to pretend that a home federation will act without bias in hearing cases of this kind? I have cited two examples, I could write about others.

If I were to understand Craig Reedie correctly, I believe that if he had his wishes the Italian authorities would not have been empowered to act in this manner. The French Police needed criminal legislation to be able to conduct investigations that blew apart the Festina scandal in 1999. The French Police needed criminal legislation to be able to take in Sir Dave Brailsford and David Millar for questioning and expose Millar as a cheat. After all, Millar had passed all the testing around a World Championship gold winning ride – he must be clean.

4.4 PED’s removed from exemptions

It is this same lack of desire by those at the very top of the sport to engage in the fight that delisted known PEDs for out of competition (OOC) use. Before the committee both David BraiIsford and Bob Howden stated that the number of therapeutic use exemptions (TUEs) issued in the sport of cycling had declined. They quoted the figure of 13. This is somewhat misleading as it represents only those issues by the UCI. There are a variety of other bodies that a cyclist can go to obtain a TUE. I have not seen assembled any figures for all cyclists competing in all cycling Internationally. A further fact is that TUE numbers have declined because a whole series of PEDs had been taken off the list of banned substances if used OOC, or in the case of a range of Asthma medications, thresholds have been adjusted to higher levels so athletes can take drugs that have performance enhancing side effects, in small doses, and not trigger a failure.

In November 2003 I was unable to train or race due to serious career threatening knee injury. Together with the medical team and coaching staff we discussed possible treatments. At that stage the medical advice was not to elect for surgery but try remedial action and have an injection of the steroid triamcinolone. I had a TUE for this treatment receiving the same steroid that Bradley Wiggins used more recently. At the time it could only be used with a TUE, whether in or out of competition. That injection failed to address the medical problems and I continued not to race and ended up having surgery in May 2004. It was June 2004 before I had my first race subsequent to the injection in November the year before. I had a further TUE for the same steroid in September 2007, again it was out of competition and I would not race until five months after the injection. This is a powerful steroid with known PED properties. If the TUE process were to be reliably controlled, then an athlete would not be able to abuse its use OOC to prepare for a big event. In 2006, 12 of the 13 positive test results at the men’s Tour de France were discounted by riders having active TUEs. 105 of the 176 starters were tested, and 60% had TUEs. In 2008, 76 of the 180 riders who started the men’s Tour de France had TUEs. My personal experience is that sometimes I attended anti-doping protocols with other competitors who took in files with many TUEs. Obviously I was not privy to their personal medical records and conditions but it appeared that it would not be lost on many of the unscrupulous that a TUE was a very convenient way to mask a doping program. In 2003/4 I brought up my concerns with UKAD that the TUE approval process was being abused. Once again I was informed that UKAD would do nothing about my concerns to investigate it as in their view “there were a number of very poorly elite athletes competing”. Eventually the authorities have acted to tighten up the issuing process, but current with that is the move that makes usage of these drugs with PED side effects, legal in OOC use. The significant majority of an elite athlete’s time is spent out of competition. One gate was closed but a bigger one opened.

Of concern are the TUEs issued by the Team Sky/British Cycling medical team for this same steroid. Perhaps, the more relevant question, rather than the strange coincident chronology of the ailment, is to ask the BC/Sky medical team how often has this steroid been issued to athletes out of competition. Is it used properly – to help recover from career threatening injuries or has it ever been used to assist athletes losing fat and gaining power in the out of competition preparation for major events?

Undoubtedly the question would not receive an answer even if it could be asked and therefore we are back with those at the top of the sport and their apparent lack of desire to put in place effective rules or change them to be less effective – whereabouts violations slackening from “three missed tests in 18 months”, being eased to the lower threshold of “three in 12 months”; another simple example.

5.0 Finale

I am led to believe that UK Sport apparently gave £100,000 to Craig Reedie to support his presidential bid at WADA. Similarly they gave £78,000 to Brian Cookson to support his bid at the UCI. Does the public get value for money from these bids or is this another example of UK Sport distributing funds to those that request them, with negligible consequent oversight?

With ex BC President Brain Cookson seeking another term in office perhaps it would be well to compare actions with manifesto commitments before committing further public funds to support a subsequent bid. Easily measureable was his commitment that within 12 months of coming into office he would ensure female professional cyclists all received a minimum salary. That he would do so would be astonishing, given his track record in power at British Cycling and on the Board of the holding company of Team Sky. Needless to say this has not happened and three years after his election the prospect of a minimum wage being introduced is even further away than it was at the time of his election. By all means let the UCI run their own elections and if the national representatives view him as the best candidate for the job, well good luck to both him and them, but I would suggest that there are more deserving demands on the public funds available.

January 2017

 

You can download this full statement by clicking the file below.

 

Homeward Bound

gabby1

Photo Credit for top image and link to Neon Velo: Marshall Kappel

Gabby Durrin Press Release (as one door closes another opens)

A lot has been going on this year for me. I have been away from racing for a little while and I have made some big decisions over the past couple months.

I am RETIRING from professional cycling, and I am very happy to be moving on to the next chapter in my life. I have been racing professionally for the past 13 years, and they were the most amazing years of my life. The memories and friendships I’ve made along the way will stay with me forever.

I have written a blog about what I have been going through over the past couple years with depression and losing the spark for racing. I am very proud of what I have accomplished, and am excited to find that spark in the next adventure and chapter in my life.

http://www.team-awesome.cc/neon-velo/closing-a-chapter-and-starting-a-new/

Neon Velo Announcement

We’re pleased to announce that Gabby Durrin has accepted a full time position as brand Marketing Executive for Neon Velo starting 2016. The role comes with a move back to the UK where both Gabby and Jeremy will work closely with Neon Velo brand at their Hertfordshire based headquarters. Gabby will be using her years of experience in the cycling industry to help grow the Neon Velo Brand, it’s Race Team and Products. Jeremy will continue racing for the team on the road and CX primarily in the UK and Europe. Jeremy and the other team riders will also help to further develop the exciting Neon Velo product range through 2016.

-Neon Velo’s Emma Backhouse stated.
“Gabby has such a wealth of knowledge within the industry and the sponsors who have supported her throughout the years really show the level of professionalism she carries with her. She will be a valued asset to the program on multiple levels and we can’t wait to see what the next year brings!”

-Gabby Stated earlier today.
“We are extremely excited about this opportunity for our next step with Neon Velo. I am very happy to have been offered such a great position and it makes the transition from professional cycling seamless and allows me to maximize my 12+ years of industry experience to the full potential. Neon Velo is an exciting brand with big ambitions and we’re looking forward to 2016”

 

Gabby Posted the following statement on Facebook earlier today.

2016 has a whole new exciting opportunity for me.

 

Thank you all for all the great years, and this won’t be the last of me you will see around cycling.

I will update you all soon on what my next adventure is, but it’s definitely exciting!

I will be moving to the UK with Jeremy Durrin after accepting a full time position with Neon Velo as brand marketing executive. Jeremy and I will be based in Hertfordshire close to where the Neon Velo HQ is based.

gabby2

Photo Credit Brad Warren

I am very excited about this huge change in my life. Having over 12+ years experience in the cycling industry I am looking forward to working on the business side. This opportunity will be great in helping me to transition out of professional cycling and into the business world!

Jeremy will still be racing for Neon Velo on the road and in cyclocross primarily in the UK and Europe with an early season USA cyclocross campaign.

2016 is set to be a whole new change and array of opportunities for Jeremy and I. We are both looking forward to the future.

I am very fortunate to have this opportunity and it has come at the perfect time for me. Retiring from professional cycling was a tough thing to do and it is rather scary and unknown, but this move certainly allows me to focus on new challenges and experiences which is really what life is all about!

I now get to write a whole new chapter in my book of life! Follow along…

Happy New Year everyone. May your year be filled with happiness, health and adventure!

On behalf of Cyclingshorts I would like to wish Gabby and Jeremy all the best for the coming year. Remember you can keep up to date with all things cyclocross, sports nutrition, training and cycle holidays at www.cyclingshorts.cc

Sim Parrott


It’s Cyclocross Season – Are you ready to get down and dirty?

It's always good to get out on a bright Autumn day.

It’s always good to get out on a bright Autumn day.

I love this time of year as the Summer turns to Autumn, the leaves begin to turn some of the most amazing colours and winter gradually gets its claws into the land as the frosty mornings start cold and bright. However if I’m really honest I hate the cold dark dank days that also come in late autumn and winter. However on the bright side it is a great time to get out and play in the mud!

As many a great explorer has said “there is no such thing as bad weather just poor preparation” actually I’m not really sure who said that maybe not Scott! But seriously you can ride in any weather if you are wearing the correct clothing or have some of the top tips below to keep feet and hands warm.

So do not be afraid of the weather hug it tight and be a conquering hero of Autumn and Winter riding.

I noticed just this last week that the number of CX Sportives is on the increase and a quick trawl through the events list suggests that they are very popular in the South, come on you guys in the North make sure your events are publicised.

I rode my very first CX Sportive this year, the amazing Adventure X event based around Keswick. What an experience it was, don’t forget to read my review of the event elsewhere on this website.

So if you fancy trying a little bit of cyclocross but don’t have a CX bike, well don’t worry most events are open to wide range of bikes, pretty much anything will do, except perhaps your pride and joy the full carbon road bike!

From my experience riders will turn up on any bike from a full carbon CX bike, hardtail MTB, Full suspension MTB to a flat bar hybrid. The only thing I would recommend is that you check the ride profile and make sure you have a suitable range of gears for the event unless you are riding single speed! I got caught out on the Mini Monster Adventure X in Keswick.

CX Sportive (www.cxsportive.com) has several good rides available this season:

CX Sportives are the fantastic new mixed surface events that are combining the thrills of on  and off-road riding into one awesome experience!

•Sportive style events on fast, mixed surface courses

•Courses from 40-80km

•Full sportive support and infrastructure

•Great for all kinds of bikes: CX, MTB, Hybrid, 29er, Singlespeed & even Road!*

Riding a mix of road and off road is so exhilarating.

Riding a mix of road and off road is so exhilarating.

Big challenge rides tend to come in two flavours; massive road sportives and hardcore MTB enduros. But why not mix it up, take on the best of both and spice up your riding?

CX Sportive is an exciting new ride format. It’s ideal for your cross bike, but equally suitable for your XC MTB or even road winter training bike, tweaked for a little rough stuff!* The course mixes back roads, interwoven with byways and a few short tougher off road links that will certainly bring on the heat!

Your choice of steed will define your ride. Will the versatility of a MTB offer the best performance over mixed terrain? Will the pure speed of your road bike make up for time lost on the short, occasional off road dismounts? Or will the CX bike give you the best return where it counts?

To prove a point (or just let you fly the flag for your tribe), they even include your bike choice in your results listing; so if you insist on tackling the route on your mum’s folding shopper, they’ll credit your lunacy!**

You’ll have a range of time targets to aim for, with age and gender adjustments; including full route marking, RFID timing, top notch catering and first class, friendly organisation and support.

*Not recommended for your beloved, super-light carbon road thoroughbred!

**Disclaimer: Don’t tackle the route on your mum’s folding shopper!

Ride X the Evan CX rides

Ride X the Evan CX rides

The bike supermarket that is Evans have also added CX Sportives to their list of Ride It events this year. They might well be worth checking out if you live in the South (Evans Ride it CX Sportives).

For the Autumn/Winter season they’ve added 4 exciting mixed terrain routes to their existing Sportive offering. As with all of their road sportives, all routes will be fully way-marked with GPX files published pre-event. High5 sponsored feed stations will help you tackle a variety of riding surfaces (tarmac, mud, grass & more!) whilst clocking up some worthy mileage in this new format. The routes are best suited to cyclocross and adventure-road bikes that are up to some off-road exploring.

All rides include: Fully way-marked routes • Well stocked High5 feed stations • Mechanical support • GPS files published pre-event • Free High5 pack worth £10 when you sign up 8 weeks in advance • Free Garmin hire • Times published post-event

 

Cycling Weekly Adventure X Series

Cycling Weekly Adventure X Series

Don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for next years Adventure X series promoted and run by Cycling Weekly with the support of changing sponsors. The event I rode in October was amazing, one of the best challenges I have have ever taken part in (more details can be found in my report on Adventure X Lakeland Monster Miles)

With so much going on on the cyclocross sportive scene surely it must be time for you to ditch the winter rode bike and get yourself a CX bike and rise to the challenge. I did and I haven’t looked back :)

Elite Cyclocross racing to hit The Cycle Show – Equal Prize Pot

FM_Image_Hope_Cyclocross_4
  • Races to take place on Sunday 28th September
  • Prize of £1000 for both men’s and women’s races
  • Raleigh, Condor, Hope, Pivot, Ridley and Kinesis in attendance with latest products
Opening its doors from the 26th-28th September, The Cycle Show returns to the NEC Birmingham, and new for 2014 will be a series of cyclocross races on the Sunday [28th September].
Organised by the Derby Cyclocross team, the races will include categories for elite men and elite women, plus a mixed industry race for staff from bike shops, distributors and cycle media. What makes the stakes even higher is the large £1000 prize pot on offer for both the men’s and women’s elite races.
The course will start and finish inside the show with outdoor sections taking in parts of the woodlands at the NEC. The course will be a suitably tough challenge for top riders and guarantee some great racing to showcase the sport to visitors.
Chris Holman, Event Director at organisers Upper Street Events, said: “It’s really exciting to be hosting cyclocross races at the show and arguably it’s long overdue given the growth in interest in the sport here over the past few years. Hopefully by showcasing cyclocross to a wider cycling audience we’ll help to develop that interest even more.”
Exhibitors including Condor, Hope, Raleigh, Kinesis and Pivot will all be showing their latest cyclocross bikes and kit, as well as having experts on-hand to give advice about the sport in what is set to be an exciting line-up for cyclocross fans and enthusiasts.
Condor will be showcasing their Bivio-X and the championship-winning Terra-X framesets, which have all been tested by the Rapha-Condor JLT pro riders. The frames are hand-built in Italy, disc brake-ready and feature internal cabling and a tapered head tube for easier shoulder carrying. The company provide their expertise in helping customers choose the componentry that makes up the full bike – offering truly bespoke machines for their customers.
Lancashire based Hope Technology is exhibiting at the show with particular focus on their range of disc-brake compatible 700c wheels, all of which feature sealed- cartridge bearing hubs. Keen to show off more of its British innovation, visitors will also see the V-Twin hydraulic disc brake conversion kit that enables riders with cable discs to easily and economically upgrade to hydraulic discs, and their Retainer Ring – a narrow-ride ring – specifically designed for use on cyclocross cranks. The brand will be represented in the Sunday races by a strong team lead by National Series Champion Paul Oldham.
Additionally, famous British marque Raleigh will also have several riders taking part in Sunday’s event, including Jake Poole and Matthieu Boulo. It will be demonstrating all of its 127 years of experience from humble beginnings in Nottingham, with the RX Pro – an aluminium model featuring a lightweight frame, all-carbon 15mm thru-axle fork and SRAM’s powerful Rival 22 HRD hydraulic brake. Alongside that will be the top line RX Team model featuring ‘speed blend’ direct-connect carbon frame and fork, Cole tubular wheels and SRAM’s new cyclocross-specific Force CX1 groupset – which will also be displayed in its own right by Fisher Outdoor.
Kinesis UK are demonstrating the exceptional value and versatility that cyclocross machines can bring to the rider; it believes that its Crosslight Pro6 frameset with cutting edge, disc-ready technology teamed with quality branded components makes for great package of functionality and value. It will also bring the Crosslight FiveT model, which offers superb versatility with clearance for 3 rings, twin bottle mounts, rack and mudguard eyelets making it suitable for touring or commuting.
Ridley pride themselves on being the worldwide leader in the cyclocross market, which is reflected in their large range of cyclocross bikes. The standout model for us this year is the X-Night 20 Disc. This is built around their lightest CX frameset, the X-Night but brought up to date with Ultegra Di2 and the new Shimano R785 hydraulic disc brakes.
American brand Pivot Cycles will also be on-site giving visitors the chance to get up close to their Vault bike, which shares DNA with their LES MTB model. The full carbon frame offers the latest innovative cyclocross geometry with a lower bottom bracket height, slightly shorter chain stays and an overall fit and finish that the brand believe to be the “ultimate cross and gravel crushing design”.
Adult tickets for The Cycle Show are priced at £13 per person when booked in advance – offering attendees a saving of over £3 per ticket – while children aged 14 and under can attend for just £1 each with an accompanying adult. Concession prices are also available to students and those over 65.
To buy tickets or for more information on The Cycle Show 2014 and for more information about the cyclocross racing, please visit www.cycleshow.co.uk

GP Twenty20 Cycling First European Cyclocross Race to give Equal Prize Money

The Koppenbergcross will be the first European cyclocross race to give equal prize money, reported in a press release today. 

In co-operation with Twenty20 Cycling, the Koppenbergcross in Oudenaarde sets a new milestone in the history of cyclocross as they become the first European cyclocross race to provide equal prize money for elite men and women. This brings the Koppenbergcross in line with the World Championships, the only other cyclocross event to offer matched prize money, where previously events have seen a gap as big as €5,000 for men versus women in first category races.

The winner of the GP Twenty20 Cycling on Saturday November 1st 2014 will now be rewarded €1667, exactly the same as the winner of the GP Willy Naessens for men elite, and further matched prize money through the ranks.

Helen Wyman on Koppenberg ©Peloton Photos

Helen Wyman on Koppenberg ©Peloton Photos

British rider, Helen Wyman – European Champion cyclocross, member of the cyclocross committee of the International Cycling Federation, triple winner of the race and resident of Oudenaarde is obviously happy with this step in women’s cross and cycling, quoted saying:
“In my eyes, this is a huge step. It is a very significant moment for women’s cycling. This allows women to make one step up the ladder towards equality. I spend a lot of my free time trying to advance women’s cyclocross and I hope this will lead to a chain reaction of races who do the same, as I know the support is there from sponsors, supporters and riders. To be a part of this development for the sport is fantastic for me.” 

Kristopher Auer, manager of Twenty20 Cycling, is proud to connect the name of his company to the women’s race of the Koppenbergcross, stating “Twenty20 Cycling Co. is a small two-store bicycle shop located in Baltimore and Savage, Maryland in the United States. One of the things that makes our business unique is how it developed from a cyclocross background. Since before we opened our business I have been supporting the growth of cyclocross in America. I was promoting UCI cyclocross races in Baltimore nearly a decade ago when I met my future business partners. Growing the sport has always been on our agenda and I’ve always looked to ensure both women and men can race with equal opportunity.”  

To be part of this landmark event not only for Cyclocross but women’s cycling, make sure to mark your diaries for the GP Twenty20 Cycling women’s race on Saturday November 1st 2014. Who will take the first equal prize? We’ll just have to wait and see!

For more on Helen’s thoughts head over to her blog.

Hayley Davies

Hayley Davies

Writer

Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk

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