The Dreadful Duo

These chaps are Simon and Tim, two of my favourite coaches. The Great Britain Cycling Team has a habit of employing the best people for the job and this pair are no different. They look after the development of younger riders and do so wonderfully. Both are born entertainers who understand how to coach the technicalities of cycling.

It's many years since I got into cycling and it's so exciting to see how the sport developed in the UK since Boardman and Obree. I'm of a generation that learnt to ride a bike the old skool way, using the HOIYC principle......hang on if you can. Things have changed now, helped by the success of Chris Hoy et al. and lottery funding. However, coaches like Tim and Simon are also making a huge contribution by helping youngsters learn decent technique and race craft. This is resulting in more than a few riders progressing to the top level each year rather than a few each decade. Every stage of rider development is important but only those at the top end tend to receive the plaudits. This is understandable but it's also good to stand back and recognise the unsung heroes.

Anyway, to my day! It started off with me getting a bulbous bike tyre. The kevlar belt must have torn and a wee bit of the tyre inflated like a balloon. I was about 3km away from home when it happened and there was no way it would get me to work. I ran home, swapped bikes and got to work about 15 minutes late. I chased my tail for the rest of the day. A bonus was that I got to take loads of piccies (including my blip) in the velodrome and could have used about 20 of them as a blip! I just liked this one, even though focus isn't perfect.

I hope it goes better tomorrow, even though my home made lentil curry has cheered me up!