Just a race between the lights

You know what it's like, you're cycling along and spot another cyclist ahead of you, from that moment they become your target - the thing you have to beat. It's the same philosophy, in our opinion, as having a number pinned on your back, it changes the mind's chemistry, you become a competitor! With the rise in popularity of the logging/mapping app Strava, the competitive stakes now have a new champion. If you commute to work you cannot help but notice a) the rise in the number of cyclists out on the roads at rush hour and b) the increase in more performance style cycles sporting expensive, specialised equipment like deep section aero wheels, tri-bars and kit that's more at home on a club time trial than a ride to work. Although cycling is a multi-faceted discipline, it's the interjection of human nature that pushes things to these levels. The need to beat another cyclist takes over the primary function of morning/evening cycling. Ride and let ride but keep it safe for all on two (and four) wheels - remember we all get tarred by the same brush!

Pencil, paper and print

The volume of ideas, images and stories contained in issue 3 has meant the magazine has had to 'upsize' by 8 pages to accommodate all the content. Why 8 pages? Well the way in which publications are printed means additional pages can only be added in units of 4 or 8 page sections. Without getting too technical, if you were to take a sheet of A4 paper and fold it horizontally across the longest edge, then fold it in the middle and then fold it again, you would create your own 8-page section. Sure, it seems old school but this is how paper and print work and we love it! In order to establish a logical, harmonious flow (also known as pace) of content, making sure the magazines articles, features, regulars and single pages all sit comfortably together we rely upon a flatplan. This gives us a birds eye view of the running order of pages and how they work with next to one another. We expect a flatplan to change several times during the production of each issue especially when more pages are added - we're now on version 5. These planning stages go on behind the scenes remaining hidden from the reader but without them you would have a very different looking magazine but shhhhh, keep it a secret though!

The hottest ticket in town

It's not everyday you get invited to a book launch, let alone one at Paul Smith's Covent Garden store in London, but when it's a book celebrating Sir Bradley Wiggins' historic TdF win in 2012 - you've just got to go! When we arrived the store was abuzz with people, it even had 'minders' at the door. Once in, we were greeted with the news that our colleague/associate (who shall remain nameless) had had a slight accident with a waiter carrying a tray of beer which had resulted in a bottle being partially spilt over Sir Brad's tassled loafers - not the best of starts to an evening!

There were few opportunities to chat to Wiggo, as he himself wanted to be called, in-between doing a photoshoot downstairs and speaking about '101', a book of photographs taken by Sky photographer Scott Mitchell, documenting his three week Tour win, both on and off the bike. He came across as a genuine, down to earth kind of guy, a bit annoyed by the media attention that fame had earned him but still his own man.

For us the evening was about savouring the occasion. We had a few photographs taken with the star of the show but didn't go hunting for autographs, we just respected the man for who he was. One of the highlights was Simpson Magazine being recognised by a couple of our readers and to talk frankly about who we are, our aims, our plans for the future and what they as readers liked about the magazine.

Wiggins: A true champion

One of the plus points of being at home having to recover is the ability to watch events live on TV, to savour the moment as it unfolds, not having to worry about finding out the result before having witnessed it for yourself. I was privileged to watch a man, not only race against the clock but exorcise a demon that had threatened to ruin a season or even a career.

Having just won the Tour of Britain, Bradley Wiggins arrived in Florence, Italy, ready, literally to take on the world. Pitched against the top two giants of individual time trialling, Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara, Wiggins rode his own race - listening to his body rather than the time gap reports. He rode with his heart, defying conventional logic and produced a ride that typified the fire and underlying passion that makes a true champion.

Former World Time Trial champion Chris Boardman's commentary always kept the Wiggin's dream alive. 'He'll have to do something special now' were his words as Wiggin's time dropped to +25 seconds behind. What happened next was truly astounding; the stuff of legend. The deficit began to drop, and drop, to eventually end up at -0.01. It was enough for second place overall, an amazing result that will be remembered for many years to come.

Sometimes it's not the bike that goes wrong

Amid the excitement generated this week by the start of the Tour of Britain, the Bike Show at the NEC and numerous other events going on this weekend and next, our creative department has been grounded from any form of riding for eight weeks. This comes as a massive blow but, by taking positives from this situation, drawing from the experiences of the greats of the past, has proved inspiring. The focus now is about getting fit and back on the bike, setting targets for the new year, having something to aim at.

We strangely forget that bikes don't move of their own accord, they don't go anywhere without someone to propel them. If, for whatever reason, this energy source goes wrong, bikes become static objects.