Ipswich SkyRide weekend

The roads you ride as a kid always stick with you as some of your first cycling memories. When we were invited by both Ipswich Borough Council and British Cycling to participate in their SkyRide weekend, it was an ideal opportunity to introduce ourselves to Suffolk's growing population of cyclists.

Saturday saw us down at the Waterfront, a recently regenerated docklands area, for both the sign on and finish of the UCS Ipswich and Coastal Giro d'Espresso, a 71 mile sportive taking in some of our favourite roads in the area. Although the sun was out, a strong coastal headwind for the final 21 miles saw riders in groups triumph over solo efforts.

At the heart of Ipswich sits Cornhill, a paved area that encompasses the Town Hall, Old Post Office and a street market most days. Based next to the SkyRide start area and the British Cycling café, we had a great day meeting cyclists and the public. As a bonus to an already excellent weekend, we were interviewed by a film crew putting together footage of the event for the Council website.

Dusk till dawn

When you mention to someone that you've just got back from reporting on a stage of this year's Vuelta in Spain, you can almost hear people thinking 'What a great life you lead!'. The reality is far from this vision. It can be very stressful, frustrating and demanding - never helped by the constant language barrier either.

Obviously you'll have to wait to read the full report in the next edition of the magazine but for now let us assure you that the same degree of pain, commitment and sacrifice found in cycling, is called upon when covering any kind of event at home or abroad. For all the toiling and efforts there has to be some redeeming factors as well. We got to see some amazing scenery, meet some great people especially the guys from www.lavereita.es. and the sun shone on us for the entire trip.

Balance, control and skill

With the third and last of this year's grand tours starting this weekend we are looking forward to launching our Vuelta edition t-shirt. The processes involved in it's production are, be it on a much smaller scale, as intricate as putting together of any major race or event. We draw inspiration from a wide spectrum of sources, anything from market stall fruit wrappers through to film culture.

We have a collection of t-shirts that we think work, both for their design and appearance. Every stage of the creative process is considered in minute detail. Colours are precisely matched to replicate an intended look and feel. If you pardon the pun, it's much like riding a bike, it's all to do with balance, control and skill.

Roads, destinations and skies that go on forever

Summer is the time of year that every cyclist dreams about. It's what we focus on through the dark bleakness of the winter months. Nothing can better the warmth of the sun on your face, back, arms and legs as you ride.

Apologies to city dwellers nationwide but summer cannot be fully savoured anywhere other than in the countryside or by the sea. The roads you ride all year round are totally transformed by the appearance of brilliant sunlight and blue skies.

RideLondon calling

This past weekend saw RideLondon fever hit the capital. We went along to Excel in London's Docklands to witness the masses as they signed on! It was great to see such a well organised event and more importantly just how popular cycling has become. We also couldn't resist the opportunity of a seat on Sir Bradley's throne!

With the allure of closed roads, riding last years Olympic Men's Road Race route, taking in both Leith and Box Hill and literally racing against the pros - how could the event not be a success! On the downside we were sorry to hear about Olympic gold medalist Joanna Rowsell crashing out of Saturdays Women's Grand Prix race, especially after meeting her on the Wiggle stand earlier on in the day - see for yourselves, visit the link!

http://blog.wiggle.com/2013/08/07/ride-london-2013-in-pictures-part-one-wiggle-honda-team-in-the-grand-prix/