Book Review - Vin Denson 'The Full Cycle'

The Full Cycle is the autobiography of British cyclist Vin Denson and it is one of the most charming cycling books I've ever read. It overflows with youthfulness, innocence and old-world determination. Vin Denson isn't famous but he was certainly an excellent cyclist, possibly even great. Amongst others, he won stages of the Giro and the Dunkirk 4-Days race and the overall in the 1965 Tour of Luxembourg. He was also the super-domestique for riders such as Rik Van Looy, Jacques Anquetil and Tom Simpson.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday to...? No, not Alain Prost silly. Not George Thorogood. The Weekly Cycle! That's right, this very blog turns 1 today! Happy Birthday! While this blog hasn't yet fulfilled its purpose (to make me rich), it has been lots of fun and a great way to keep in touch with the many and varied components of the bicycle world, including bicycle components themselves!

The blog affords me the opportunity to share all the things that I love about bicycles. Its steadily growing readership shows me that others enjoy what I have to say, which is nothing if not nice. I plan for many more birthdays to come.

I thought a look back to some of the more popular posts would be a good way to celebrate. Newer readers might find something new, while older readers can reminisce.

Mad skillz on a girl's bike

What do you get when you jump off a wall on an old girl's bike? A broken girl's bike. Then you weld it and do it again.

Check out Frenchie Mickael DuPont shredding it on a girl's bike. Not a poor tradesman in any sense of the word.

Missing the point

Cycling is a hot topic at the moment. In Melbourne we have a city divided. Just like women identifying themselves (or being identified) as either Jackie or Marylin, most Melbournians can now be labelled either Warnie or pedal-pushing hippy. Which one are you?

Of course, as with most labelling systems that offer a grand total of two choices, you're probably neither one nor the other completely. But everyone seems to have a pretty strong view on the matter. The Age and Herald Sun comments sections run hot every time a cycling issue is mentioned, which now seems a quotidian occurrence. Read them, and if you are someone who has even an ounce of common sense, you will probably weep.

Otway Odyssey

While it's too late to fit a training schedule in for this year's Otway Odyssey, I thought this post, which I wrote after the 2011 edition, might provide some useful advice for riders taking part in next weekend's race.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it this year as I'm in Cambodia. Good luck to all; it's bloody awful and equally satisfying.

So without further ado, here's last year's post (the first ever on this blog);

The man who lived on his bike

Below is a really cute film by a Canadian chap named Guillaume Blanchet. Shot on the streets of Montreal, it's perhaps the cinematic version of this photo;

Hitler Bicycle Rant

Well, I know these are far from original but I thought I'd give the Hitler rant video a go. With talk of bicycle registration, Shane Warne and a recent degradation of cyclist-driver relations, this is what came to me...

Bicycles of Siem Reap and Battambang

I've just come back from a few days in Siem Reap and Battambang. While there I made sure to get a few photos of bicycles in action. Bicycle use seems healthy in these parts, particularly among the youth.

Around many parts of the Tonlé Sap lake there is no electricity. This boy is taking a charged battery home to take care of that problem.