Graeme Obree & Jack Thurston - Photo © Anna Gudaniec
Earlier this month, Graeme Obree was at Look Mum No Hands! for the London launch of The Obree Way, a training manual for cyclists.
Obree is a two time individual pursuit world champion, has twice broken the world hour record and is multiple winner of British national time trial championships. He is renowned not just for his athletic prowess but for his technical innovation on the bike and with the bike itself. His autobiography, The Flying Scotsman, was made into a major feature film. At 45 he is still on the bike and currently planning an attempt on the world land speed record for a human powered vehicle.
In a wide ranging conversation with Jack Thurston, presenter of The Bike Show, Obree talks about his own life as an elite athlete, his approach to training and his enduring love of just riding a bike.
“It’s a sport, it’s a pastime and it’s a form of transport. You don’t football down to the shops.”
Graeme Obree, 19 January 2012.
Channel 4 produced an excellent documentary about the rivalry between Graeme Obree and Chris Boardman. It’s on YouTube in four parts.
Why do some people like to race their bicycles? We discuss the world of amateur bicycle racing with Ian Cleverly, deputy editor of Rouleur magazine and Lydia Boylan (pictured, above) of the Look Mum No Hands! race team and current Irish national track sprint champion. We also hear from Dr Jo Corbett of Portsmouth University on his findings about how the competitive impulse can drive people to new heights of athletic performance.
You can check out the Rouleur podcast over here or find it in iTunes music store.
Image credit: Biker Jun
In this week’s show, Jack attempts to feign interest in the European track cycling championships and Jen gets her geography all confused. Patrick Field saves the day with an inspirational talk at the Intelligence Squared cycling festival (view more here). Plus details of the next Friends of the Bike Show ride on Sunday 6 November.
Following on from last week’s documentary feature by Kieron Yates is a studio discussion of Paris-Brest-Paris, the world’s most venerable long distance bicycle race. In the studio are PBP veterans Judith Swallow and Dave Minter, and PBP debutant Pete Kelsey. Chris Ragsdale, one of this year’s stars, clocking in an exceptionally impressive sub-45 hour time, joins us down the line from his native Seattle.
For more information about audax in the UK see the Audax UK ride calendar and the audax pages of Yet Another Cycling Forum.
Image credit: Wig Worland, from Pete Kelsey’s short film Towards the Ocean.
The 1200km Paris-Brest et retour was first raced in 1891 and is the oldest bicycle race still in existence, currently held as a brevet de randonneur every four years. Kieron Yates shares the agony and ecstasy of his second outing in an event that is only for the toughest of the tough.
Next week we’ll be talking about the race with a handful of other riders who will share their experiences and tips for anyone considering taking part.
As Mark Cavendish wins the world championship road race for Britain for the first time since 1965, we’re back in the saddle for a new season. On this week’s show, a trip back in time. Blue Door Bicycles is a new bike shop in south London with a long history. Owner David Hibbs has been documenting a treasure trove of cycle trade artifacts from when the shop was a family business known as Central Cycle and Auto Stores. Listen too for a chance to win tickets to the Bicycle Film Festival. And some momentous news from Bike Show host Jack Thurston.
Picture credit: CentralCycle.co.uk
– Rob Van Der Plas
– Mike Burrows
– Michael Embacher
– Jean Bobet
– Richard Moore
– Amy Walker
– Eben Weiss
– John Foot
– Gerry Moore
– Matt Rendell
– Alistair Humphreys
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