Keeping track of time

Sign up for this suckers! Ripped off from the PNP site:

Don’t forget to sign up for our Track Racing Judging Workshop on August 11 at Sport Wellington. We’ll explain the different types of races, what the riders are doing and how to judge and time keep them. We’ll have videos of races to practice on, and it’s all FREE!

Track racing is fun, exciting, fast and safe but not always easy to understand, which is why we’re holding a workshop on August 11, 2012 at Sport Wellington for potential helpers of junior and senior track racers and anyone else interested.

This workshop is THE place to begin getting to know cycling as a sport. Please send an RSVP to Peter Moore at track@pnp.org.nz, or contact Peter for more information.

Rule Britannia!

I’m not usually prone to overwhelming feelings of national pride, but being a pom and seeing Mark Cavendish win on the Champs Elysees after being led out by fellow Brit and yellow jersey wearer Bradley Wiggins brought a tear to my eye.

I and many others never thought we’d see the day when a Brit won the Tour de France. To see them do it in such dominating fashion was just incredible, it’s as if I woke up on Monday in another era.

Any cyclist in Britain will have some idea of what they’ve achieved. This was an awesome week to be a cyclist.

Enough blah blah, a Portuguese friend texted me this after the final stage:

Rui Costa 18th, Sergio Paulinho 50th, we are the best cycling nation in the world! Now for some Olympic glory!

Random Tour de France notes part 1

1. Since when was the person who holds up the chalk board giving breakaways time gap information a hot chick? She seems to wear a slightly worried face, as though she may topple off that back at any time.

2. Some slightly odd leadouts occurred over the first week when rival teams pitted their trains against each other. At times there were three lines of riders in different teams competing to set the pace – is this the ultimate in half-wheeling?

3. At last someone makes the joke that Edvald Boasson-Hagen’s name sounds a little bit like the mysterious Higgs Boson particle that scientists at CERN in Switzerland have been trying to find. Congratulations to Ned Boulting on the ITV podcast for that gag.

Caped Crusader cheers up Wellington

I love this story, it’s just one of those cool things that someone has decided to do that makes a city great. Last week someone in an orange suit with silver cape was spotted riding into Wellington on a matching orange bike. It didn’t take too long for the local rag to figure out who it was.

Captain Electric is actually Karen O’Leary who works at a early learning centre. Her motivation is only “to bring some cheer” to the miserable commuters on the motorway, and I think it’s safe to say she’s done just that.

Turns out she also scored the orange cycle from Pedago Electric Bikes. Wins all round for Captain Electric!

Potato Guy Racing

There’s some great winter racing to be had out on the Kapiti Coast in the next few weeks, sponsored by The Potato Guy – who, legend has it, is a former Michelin chef. Understandably, his potatoes are pretty amazing.

Spud reviews and race reports welcome, email news@cycle-wire.com.

Awful

Stink news from Newtown following this accident. According to the report the cyclist suffered moderate injuries, but after speaking to someone who knows the bloke, he’s broken both collarbones, most of his vertebrae and a leg. Sounds pretty f@#king serious to me.

A driver apparently slammed straight into him from a side road, will be interesting to see if there’s any prosecution to follow.