Brick Lane, in the heart of London’s East End and formerly known as Whitechapel Lane has always been a vibrant melting pot of a place and the earliest known record of its existence was on a woodcut map that was printed sometime during the 16th Century. It has been home to many communities of immigrants throughout its colourful history. Always a staging post to upward mobility. That mobility sometimes being slow, sometimes quite rapid. It has been home to French Huguenots, Ashkenazi Jews, and then Eastern European and Russian Jews in the early 20th century. It has been an epicentre of changing small scale industries centred around the clothing industry. Weaving, Leather making, Exquisite tailoring and the sweatshops of the rag trade. Home to Fagin and Jack The Ripper. It still retains its flavour of an amalgam of the new and tentative amidst wide boy small entrepreneurs. Shops momentarily flourishing displaying “vintage” clothing….aka, overpriced elegantly displayed jumble sales. The earnest Guardian reading fashionistas leaving their tatty chic boutiques to browse scratched vinyl records and other vendors tatty chic furniture. 35mm cameras that will never be used and they buy their fabulous Indian sub continent, Eastern European and Far Eastern street food lunches in cheap and plentiful non eco friendly styrofoam boxes.
The Truman Brewery’s disused premises opened above a now drained well in 1863 are themselves a tatty chic exhibition space in keeping with the area and ideal therefore to house the show “SPIN” devoted to the urban cycling revolution taking place in London, with a nod here and there to the sporting and serious leisure cycling side of things enabling the hipsters their radical touch of the esoteric work of cycling.
Spin was a show for Hipsters. No doubt whatsoever about that. There was the very deliberate wearing of 20,30,50 year old continental race team kit. I saw one guy. Beard long enough to plait and use as a climbing rope in his Gan team kit, hanging on Chris Boardman’s every word and nodding sagely as he munched on his tofu burger before clattering away in an ancient pair of wooden soled track shoes, converted to take the cleats of a set of middle ‘80s Look Classic pedals. Yes, it really was that sort of occasion. The exhibition was a truly enjoyable reflection of Brick lane’s very nature on to the world of cycling. There was a plentiful amount of beautifully crafted clothing, hand built bespoke bicycles (in steel of course) and the feeling that rather like the place 100 yards down Brick Lane that has now ceased attempting to trade in contemporary Vietnamese Folding food, many of them, for all of their skill and genuine innovation would struggle to stay in business much beyond two years or so. That is a great pity, because in the reviews that will follow shortly, I am going to take you on a wander through the best of SPIN and introduce you to some of the start up businesses that are attempting to take root.
If you’d not seen Rollapaluzza before, you might have been forgiven for turning away before you entered the place. They’d set up their usually thriving space and were attracting their usually lengthy queues accompanied by music so loud and a commentary so unintelligible that you have to walk away or give in. We walked away and that was the point at which we recognised the advantage of this very solid old building, step into the next room and the sound that filled the entrance hall was all but eliminated by the purposeful 19th century walls. A moment to reflect on some art work, depicting some of the greats of our sport….up to the 1990s (yes that was the first indicator) Bartolli, Coppi, Simpson, Merckx, Rijs, Anquetil, LeMond, Hinault, Boardman, Obree, Yndurain, Abdujaporov, and my hero (shut up… its my article) the finest climber of all time Marco(Il Pirate) Pantani. None of them were particularly flattering, but at Brick Lane prices I wasn’t going to be hanging one in my shed anyway.
The whole feel of the show was not so much a display of products to do with the world of cycling, but products that were designed to fit lifestyle choices of which cycling is but a part. Cycling fits very nicely into the choices made by the eco friendly….correction, obsessively eco friendly and thats not necessarily a bad thing, but there is a pedantic quirkiness about almost every exhibitor that makes sense to some. Indeed, with the exception of one or two of cycling better known brands. Boardman Elite and Bianchi, most were at the end of the cycling spectrum that says commuter or courier rider that seek form over function. Indeed the more conventional the product on offer the more out of place it looked.
A number of the products quirky or not, really did impress and I shall review them and in some cases road test them too. There was the stuff that did interest me. The bespoke frame builders, some of whom were brazing but joint and brazed steel frames that are becoming popular again amongst some sections of the regular cycling community. Sadly when we were there these craftsmen were not drawing anywhere near as much attention as the stand selling those bloody ridiculous Dura Ace equipped Bamboo framed bikes…… yes, exactly what I thought!
As I say, there was a kind of studied pedantry to the wares on offer. Quill stems, rat trap pedals with old style toe clips barely a modern pedal on view. I fell in love with a gorgeous titanium framed bike… The frame was brand spanking new, but everything on it was a (admittedly beautifully done) restored and refurbished ‘80s item. The entire group and finishing kit was old style 5 speed friction shift Campagnolo record. It gleamed. It stunned….. its price tag made me wince……. no, trust me you don’t want to know.
When it comes to anything approaching regular bike choices these folk are cautious. Yes I want something that says serious cyclist, but I don’t feel comfortable going into my LBS, so I’ll stick my nose in the trough with names I recognise Boardman, Bianchi and Cinelli… We can’t be seen to be going into Halfords or Evans and buying something cheaper and far more appropriate to our needs, it has to say chic. It has to say, “at weekends my other bike is a Porsche and my winters are spent at Cortina or Chamonix”.
Yes it was a Hipsters show and if thats your thing, good on yer. You’re riding a bike and anyone who has read my drivel before, knows that this will always get my vote. I half begged to be given this assignment and I’m glad I went for the few products that were in my jaded opinion worthy of attention and for the wonderful (and well attended) interview and Q&A with my hero of the entire show, Martyn Ashton. Will I go again next year? No. But I love Brick Lane, the street food etc, the tiny record stalls and the markets. I even like the quirky nature of SPIN….it’s just that very little of it was for me.
Graham Briggs solos to a third win for JLT Condor p/b Mavic on the cobbles under the view of Edinburgh Castle.
Going into round three of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series, JLT Condor p/b Mavic lead the way winning in the Isle of Man and Motherwell. They are five points clear as a treat of rain promises to dampen the one-point-six kilometre circuit that takes in the Grass Market and the foot of Edinburgh Castle along the way.
The peloton strung out gingerly as the light faded and the rain began to pour on the first official lap of the circuit.
Pedal Heaven’s Alex Paton lead the field along in the early stages and team-mate Rory Townsend powered over the slippy start-finish-line for the first sprint of the evening.
JLT Condor p/b Mavic’s Graham Briggs opened up a gap going into the second sprint and there was no reaction from the peloton.
With the peloton diminished, a nine man chase began pursuit. But slippy cobbles proved much of a hazard for many of the riders.
No one was able to break-away from the leading group as Briggs soloed to a soggy victory in Edinburgh.
With many teams having their riders pulled off the course in the final laps, Madison Genesis were the only team to finish four qualifying riders and take the Team Classification on the night, clawing back one point on series leaders JTL Condor p/b Mavic.
Individual Round Classification in Edinburgh
Rank – Bib – Name – Team – Race – Time -Laps Completed
1 82 Graham Briggs JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:12:56.039 27
2 29 Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven 1:13:49.892 27
3 87 Chris Lawless JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:13:49.986 27
4 12 Tom Stewart Madison – Genesis 1:13:50.944 27
5 51 Albert Torres Team Raleigh GAC 1:13:51.358 27
6 25 Jack Pullar Pedal Heaven 1:13:52.391 27
7 89 Jon Mould JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:13:53.115 27
8 67 James Lowsley-WilliamsNFTO 1:14:03.417 27
9 155 Matt Nowell Wheelbase Altura MGD 1:14:04.735 27
10 20 Alex Paton Pedal Heaven 1:14:08.533 27
11 9 Gruff Lewis Madison – Genesis 1:14:10.114 27
12 2 Alex Blain Madison – Genesis 1:14:11.931 27
13 3 Matt Cronshaw Madison – Genesis 1:14:14.059 27
14 47 Sebastian Mora Team Raleigh GAC 1:14:17.419 27
15 41 Matthieu Boulo Team Raleigh GAC 1:14:57.195 27
16 104 Sam Harrison Team Wiggins 1:15:09.642 27
17 45 Morgan Kneisky Team Raleigh GAC 1:15:46.966 27
18 40 Evan Oliphant Team Raleigh GAC 1:15:47.042 27
19 23 Will Fox Pedal Heaven 1:05:00.711 23
20 70 Johnny McEvoy NFTO 1:05:01.240 23
Chain Reaction Cycles Points Overall Classification after Round 3
Jon Mould relished the win in Motherwell for JLT Condor p/b Mavic after making the decisive five man break mid way through round two in Motherwell.
As the leaders were eventually reeled to-with-in jumping distance, they were joined by another four riders before the elastic snapped one-more.
Approaching the back-end of the race, rain fell and soaked the course, and the risk to push-on became ever-more dangerous.
The nine leaders maintained a healthy gap with Ian Bibby, NFTO trying hard to chase them down.
Mould had been joined by Olympian ‘teamie’ Ed Clancy, just back in the country from a block of altitude training and they positioned themselves carefully on the front into the final slippy corner, before power-sprinting up-towards the finish-line. It was Mould, Albert Torres, Team Raleigh GAC, then Clancy, one, two, three.
Extending their lead overall, JTL Condor p/b Mavis will wear the leaders Pearl Izumi jerseys as we cross to the eastern side of Scotland and round three of the Tour Series in Edinburgh on Thursday 19th.
1 JLT Condor P/B Mavic 4:37:27 10
2 Team Raleigh GAC 4:37:32 9
3 Pedal Heaven 4:37:34 8
4 Madison – Genesis 4:37:34 7
5 NFTO 4:37:37 6
6 Team Wiggins 5:46:00 0
Team Overall Classification after Round two
1 JLT Condor P/B Mavic 30
2 Madison – Genesis 25
3 Team Raleigh GAC 23
4 Pedal Heaven 21
5 NFTO 21
6 Team Wiggins 0
Chain Reaction Cycles Points Competition
1 51 Albert Torres Team Raleigh GAC 15
2 23 Will Fox Pedal Heaven 14
3 89 Jon Mould JLT Condor P/B Mavic 12
4 12 Tom Stewart Madison – Genesis 6
5 29 Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven 5
Chain Reaction Cycles Points Competition overall after Round two
1 45 Morgan Kneisky Team Raleigh GAC 17
2 29 Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven 17
3 23 Will Fox Pedal Heaven 17
4 51 Albert Torres Team Raleigh GAC 15
5 89 Jon Mould JLT Condor P/B Mavic 12
Round Two Individual Results – Motherwell
1 89 Jon Mould JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:08:57.901 40
2 51 Albert Torres Team Raleigh GAC 1:08:58.398 40
3 80 Ed Clancy JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:08:58.990 40
4 23 Will Fox Pedal Heaven 1:08:59.339 40
5 12 Tom Stewart Madison – Genesis 1:08:59.362 40
6 67 James Lowsley-WilliamsNFTO 1:08:59.568 40
7 41 Matthieu Boulo Team Raleigh GAC 1:08:59.734 40
8 70 Johnny McEvoy NFTO 1:09:00.204 40
9 25 Jack Pullar Pedal Heaven 1:09:00.276 40
10 4 Felix English Madison – Genesis 1:09:02.705 40
11 87 Chris Lawless JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:09:44.155 40
12 2 Alex Blain Madison – Genesis 1:09:45.197 40
13 62 Ian Bibby NFTO 1:09:45.572 40
14 82 Graham Briggs JLT Condor P/B Mavic 1:09:46.284 40
15 47 Sebastian Mora Team Raleigh GAC 1:09:46.772 40
16 29 Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven 1:09:47.042 40
17 9 Gruff Lewis Madison – Genesis 1:09:47.099 40
18 45 Morgan Kneisky Team Raleigh GAC 1:09:47.163 40
19 20 Alex Paton Pedal Heaven 1:09:47.663 40
20 164 Joe Nally Scotland Cycling Team 1:09:49.655 40
Woaw! A Big Deal for Eileen Roe as she seals her first win of 2016 in Round One of the Matrix Fitness GP in Scotland, wining a four-way sprint up-to the finish-line for Lares.
Round one of the Matrix Fitness Grand Prix took place in Motherwell this year. One of six-in-the-series, saw former National Circuit Champion and Scottish local Eileen Roe take the victory in a four-way sprint up-to the finish-line to the cheers of a home crowd.
Now riding for Belgium outfit Lares-Waowdeal on the continent, Eileen had wanted to returned home, feeling a little lonely after a nine-week stint in Europe. Being the only fluent English speaking girl on the squad, rode the first Women’s Lincoln Grand Prix on the weekend before finishing tenth, behind winner Alice Barnes, Drops Cycling Team, and Nikki Juniper, Team Ford Ecoboost who came in seventh.
It was Barnes that initiated the first move in Motherwell after Aprire-HSS Hire, Team WNT and Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa drove the peloton for a couple of laps of the relatively square one-point-two-kilometre-circuit that finished with a long drag from the bottom final corner.
Juniper had counter-attacked and Roe knew which girls she had to look out for. She had seen how well Barnes rode to victory at Lincoln, and decided to go with group, with Annasley Park, Team Breeze joining them as the peloton strung apart, they soon built up a fifteen second lead.
The race was run over forty-five minutes with five final count-down laps to the finish line.
With two laps to go there was a pile up which unfortunately took out Mel Lowther who was later taken to hospital to be checked over.
The four leading riders increased to a twenty-five second gap on the chasing group as they started passing back-markers. An aggressive ride by Barnes also saw her claiming the two sprints and the jersey along the way.
It looked at one point like the main peloton would reel-them-in with Podium Ambitions Gabby Shaw and Lauren Creamer chasing hard, and Jo Tindley and Lydia Boylan, Team WNT taking over, but the impetus went off and the four extended their lead.
With the final laps quickly approaching, the girls started looking across at each-others moves, trying to anticipate who would be their biggest rival.
As the final one-hundred meters marker pasted, it was Eileen that kicked the hardest to win the second visit to the Motherwell round on the Matrix Fitness GP.
Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc catches up with the delightful Eileen Roe after her solo effort at round two of the Matrix Fitness GP in Motherwell.
Talking to Eileen after the race she had said, “There was a rider represented from each team” in their group, and she though if they worked together, they would say away to the end”.
“I guess that they weren’t bothered about myself because the Tour Series is all about the “team” this year. So I think they were happy to have me along with them and contributing to the work”.
She went on to say that she wouldn’t be contesting any more of the Matrix Series as she returning back to her own team duties shortly before starting a big block of European racing on the continent. Firstly a big 1.1 UCI event in Belgium, the Gooik-Geraardsbergen-Gooik on May 29th, from then-on it continues every week, she went on to say. Check out this Testogen review that is one of the most popular fitness products that can really work out for you.
This is Eileen’s first win of the season, finishing third in the recent Dwars door Vlaanderen.
Results:
Team Classification & Overall after Round One
Rank Team Points
1 Drops Cycling Team 98
2 Team Breeze 79
3 Team Ford Ecoboost 78
4 Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa 70
5 Team WNT 52
6 Aprire HSS Hire 25
7 Velo Schils – Interbike RT 23
8 Sunsport Velo 21
Sprint 1
1 100 Alice Barnes Drops Cycling Team 5
2 147 Annasley Park Team Breeze 4
3 256 Eileen Roe Lares Waowdeals 3
4 180 Nikki Juniper Team Ford Ecoboost 2
5 27 Jo Tindley Team WNT 1
Sprint 2
1 100 Alice Barnes Drops Cycling Team 5
2 256 Eileen Roe Lares Waowdeals 4
3 147 Annasley Park Team Breeze 3
4 180 Nikki Juniper Team Ford Ecoboost 2
5 27 Jo Tindley Team WNT 1
Sprints Classification & Overall after Round One
1 100 Alice Barnes Drops Cycling Team 10
2 256 Eileen Roe Lares Waowdeals 7
3 147 Annasley Park Team Breeze 7
4 180 Nikki Juniper Team Ford Ecoboost 4
5 27 Jo Tindley Team WNT 2
Individual Round Classification
Rank – Bib – Name – Team – Race Time – Laps Completed – Points
Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc catches up with the delightful Eileen Roe of team Lares Waowdeals after her solo effort at round two of the Matrix Fitness GP in Motherwell. Click below to listen to the interview.
The 2016 Lincoln Grand prix was another ferociously fought battle with Tom Stewart from Madison Genesis taking the win with a last corner move up the inside of Russell Downing to take the win.
Highlights from the Lincoln Grand Prix, the fifth and final round of the Motorpoint Spring Cup Series. May 15th 2016
Pos No Name Team U23 TIME
1 46 Tom Stewart Madison Genesis 3:52:28
2 31 Russell Downing JLT Condor
3 62 Ian Bibby NFTO @4sec
4 64 Joshua Edmondson NFTO @12sec
5 76 Dexter Gardias Pedal Heaven @14sec
6 39 Alex Blain Madison Genesis @24sec
7 101 Adrià Moreno Sala Raleigh GAC @32sec
8 61 Dale Appleby NFTO @35sec
9 77 James Gullen Pedal Heaven @40sec
10 78 Jack Pullar Pedal Heaven @1:32
11 75 Will Fox Pedal Heaven @1:33
12 35 Alistair Slater JLT Condor
13 120 Jacob Hennessy Spirit Bikes Racing Team U23 @1:35
14 102 Morgan Kiniskey Raleigh GAC @1:38
15 100 Sebastian Mora Vedri Raleigh GAC
16 45 Eric Rowsell Madison Genesis
17 99 Matt Boulo Raleigh GAC @1:41
18 130 Sam Lowe Team Wiggins U23
19 49 Steven Lawley Metaltek Kuota Racing Team @1:45
20 67 Jonathan McEvoy NFTO @1:47
21 11 Owen James Catford CC Equipe/Banks U23 @1:48
22 51 Ryan Perry Metaltek Kuota Racing Team @1:52
23 71 Lawrence Carpenter Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT
24 112 Luke Ryan Richardsons-Trek RT
25 34 Thomas Moses JLT Condor @1:56
26 43 Matthew Holmes Madison Genesis
27 144 David Lines Wheelbase Altura MGD @2:03
28 65 Rhys Lloyd NFTO @2:07
29 14 Bertie Newey Catford CC Equipe/Banks U23 @2:16
30 80 Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven U23 @2:21
31 48 Adam Kenway Metaltek Kuota Racing Team @2:26
32 128 Sam Harrison Team Wiggins U23 @2:33
33 129 Liam Holohan Team Wiggins U23 @2:54
34 40 Matt Cronshaw Madison Genesis @3:00
35 17 Joseph Clark Envelopemaster Giant Sheffield @3:03
36 105 Craig Wallace Raleigh GAC U23 @3:11
37 36 Conor Dunne JLT Condor U23 @3:17
38 68 Liam Stones NFTO @3:26
39 83 Ben Hetherington Planet X – Northside Cycling U23 @4:58
40 149 David Shackleton Wilsons Wheels Race Team @5:05
41 142 Sam Boast Wheelbase Altura MGD @5:59
42 56 Oliver Maxwell Neon-Velo Cycling Team U23 @6:04
43 107 Kieran Brady Richardsons-Trek RT U23
44 162 Thomas Scott-Collins Wellingborough Cycles Race Team
45 22 Jake Tanner Envelopemaster Giant Sheffield
46 147 Stuart Reid Wheelbase Altura MGD
47 111 Jez McCann Richardsons-Trek RT U23 @6:07
48 87 Charlie Tanfield Planet X – Northside Cycling U23
49 146 Alex Orrell-Turner Wheelbase Altura MGD U23
50 21 Connor Swift Envelopemaster Giant Sheffield U23
51 63 George Fowler NFTO
52 29 Daire Freely Irish Talented Athlete Program U23 @6:14
53 4 Philip Trodden Bikehaus by Ridley @6:17
54 136 Liam Walsh VC Equipe – Flix U23 @6:21
55 79 Jake Womersley Pedal Heaven U23 @6:23
56 74 Lloyd Chapman Pedal Heaven @6:24
57 32 Steve Lampier JLT Condor @6:32
58 115 Jonathan Tiernan-Locke Saint Piran
59 82 Daniel Bigham Planet X – Northside Cycling
60 93 Henry Latimer PMR@Toachim House @6:40
61 150 Kit Gilham Private Member @10:44
62 106 Simon Alexander Richardsons-Trek RT
63 135 Elliot Jones VC Equipe – Flix U23
64 137 George Wise VC Equipe – Flix
65 58 Elliott Porter Neon-Velo Cycling Team
66 59 Kieran Simcox Neon-Velo Cycling Team U23
67 16 Matt Boys Envelopemaster Giant Sheffield
68 12 James Jobber Catford CC Equipe/Banks U23
69 95 Joe Sutton PMR@Toachim House
70 41 Joe Evans Madison Genesis U23
71 53 Jeremy Durrin Neon Velo Cycling Team
72 27 Ian Field Hargroves Cycles – Ridley RT
73 26 Ross Lamb Godfrey Bikewear Race Team U23
74 121 Anthony Moye Spirit Bikes Racing Team
75 54 William Bjergfelt Neon-Velo Cycling Team @10:53
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Subscribe for 10% Discount!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest cycling news and updates from our team. Receive 10% off your first order placed in our online shop!
Spin was a show for Hipsters. No doubt whatsoever about that. There was the very deliberate wearing of 20,30,50 year old continental race team kit. I saw one guy. Beard long enough to plait and use as a climbing rope in his Gan team kit, hanging on Chris Boardman’s every word and nodding sagely as he munched on his tofu burger before clattering away in an ancient pair of wooden soled track shoes, converted to take the cleats of a set of middle ‘80s Look Classic pedals. Yes, it really was that sort of occasion. The exhibition was a truly enjoyable reflection of Brick lane’s very nature on to the world of cycling. There was a plentiful amount of beautifully crafted clothing, hand built bespoke bicycles (in steel of course) and the feeling that rather like the place 100 yards down Brick Lane that has now ceased attempting to trade in contemporary Vietnamese Folding food, many of them, for all of their skill and genuine innovation would struggle to stay in business much beyond two years or so. That is a great pity, because in the reviews that will follow shortly, I am going to take you on a wander through the best of SPIN and introduce you to some of the start up businesses that are attempting to take root.
A number of the products quirky or not, really did impress and I shall review them and in some cases road test them too. There was the stuff that did interest me. The bespoke frame builders, some of whom were brazing but joint and brazed steel frames that are becoming popular again amongst some sections of the regular cycling community. Sadly when we were there these craftsmen were not drawing anywhere near as much attention as the stand selling those bloody ridiculous Dura Ace equipped Bamboo framed bikes…… yes, exactly what I thought!
You must be logged in to post a comment.