Be careful Bradley

[doodab]

He starts at 3:07
Chris Froome goes at 3:00

Good luck guys.

[fullyautomatix]

Cant miss this one. Go wiggo go !! He is my favourite sportsman at the moment and deserves a gold.

[Malcolm Buggeridge]

He is a mod. That leaves a bit if a nasty taste in the mouth for an old rocker like yours truly.

There was an incredibly pretentious article written by Robert Elms on the BBC the other day talking about what it means to be a mod and how Wiggins fits that mould. "There has always been a cycling crossover in the mod scene" - What the hell? When did you last see a cyclist in a parka?

[Mich the Tester]

He is a mod. That leaves a bit if a nasty taste in the mouth for an old rocker like yours truly.

There was an incredibly pretentious article written by Robert Elms on the BBC the other day talking about what it means to be a mod and how Wiggins fits that mould. "There has always been a cycling crossover in the mod scene" - What the hell? When did you last see a cyclist in a parka?

Was he referring to this ?

[Malcolm Buggeridge]

Was he referring to this ?

Yes, that's the only connection I could think of.

[Mich the Tester]

Yes, that's the only connection I could think of.

Well, as an old rugby player and indeed an old rocker who's just entered the bike racing scene (track sprints and time trials) I've noticed a few things that would indeed suggest to me that there's a mod connection, like these; bicycle racers seem very concerned about their clothing and appearance during training and racing. Immaculately combed hair and shaved legs (which is partly practical), colour coordinated gear, immaculate white socks pulled up to exactly the same height on each leg, etc, etc. Some get a bit grumpy when I turn up with the first two socks I pulled out of the washing machine, or indeed no socks. Real disapproval was shown when I wore a rugby shirt (modern tight version) instead of a cycling shirt. One commented before last week's ride that my glasses didn't match the colour of my shirt.

At a sprint training where we basically blasted up one side of a road bridge a number of times, someone made remarks about my 'riding style', which is exactly what you'd expect from a back row forward; sweat, hard work, power, strength, stick in in the highest gear I've got and demonstrate no interest whatsoever in what it looks like; by the way, I was faster up that slope than most of them, which is perhaps to be expected as I'm physically more of a sprinter than an endurance athlete.

At the track, one of the coaches seemed positively offended when I stopped 20cm beyond the point he wanted us to stop, having had to slow my nearly 16 stones of weight down from about 40 mph. Yes, it takes longer for me to stop than others who weigh 5 stones less.

So I certainly see an emphasis on 'style' and appearance, but on the up side there are some members of the club who seem to appreciate my no-nonsense approach to the whole thing and I'm enjoying it all.

[TheBigD]

14:15. He must be pretty good if he thinks it's a doddle to win an Olympic gold medal and has won the Tour de France 2012, but is this enough that we can disregard his sideburns? Surely this is always something to be suspicious about.

It's OK - I read somewhere he greases his sideburns for races so as to reduce aerodynamic drag.

[Malcolm Buggeridge]

Well, as an old rugby player and indeed an old rocker who's just entered the bike racing scene (track sprints and time trials) I've noticed a few things that would indeed suggest to me that there's a mod connection, like these; bicycle racers seem very concerned about their clothing and appearance during training and racing. Immaculately combed hair and shaved legs (which is partly practical), colour coordinated gear, immaculate white socks pulled up to exactly the same height on each leg, etc, etc. Some get a bit grumpy when I turn up with the first two socks I pulled out of the washing machine, or indeed no socks. Real disapproval was shown when I wore a rugby shirt (modern tight version) instead of a cycling shirt. One commented before last week's ride that my glasses didn't match the colour of my shirt.

At a sprint training where we basically blasted up one side of a road bridge a number of times, someone made remarks about my 'riding style', which is exactly what you'd expect from a back row forward; sweat, hard work, power, strength, stick in in the highest gear I've got and demonstrate no interest whatsoever in what it looks like; by the way, I was faster up that slope than most of them, which is perhaps to be expected as I'm physically more of a sprinter than an endurance athlete.

At the track, one of the coaches seemed positively offended when I stopped 20cm beyond the point he wanted us to stop, having had to slow my nearly 16 stones of weight down from about 40 mph. Yes, it takes longer for me to stop than others who weigh 5 stones less.

So I certainly see an emphasis on 'style' and appearance, but on the up side there are some members of the club who seem to appreciate my no-nonsense approach to the whole thing and I'm enjoying it all.

It sounds like DA's golf club all over again!

Seriously though, that just sounds fastidious.

[fullyautomatix]

It sounds like DA's golf club all over again!

Seriously though, that just sounds fastidious.

I think you are on the wrong thread. This is a serious thread talking about men cycling.