Worthwhile moments

 

There's nothing we like more than meeting our readers, whether it's on the road for a ride or at an event like the one we attended last night in Brighton.

The kind folk at Magazine Brighton had invited us to give a talk about what goes on behind the scenes at a magazine like Simpson: how we choose our stories, the thinking behind the design of the magazine, and some of the processes involved in turning raw ideas into the final product.

It was a fun session, capped by some good questions from the audience. We hope those who attended enjoyed it as much as we did - and maybe learned something new in the process. Our thanks to Roxy, Martin and the team at Magazine Brighton for making it all possible.

The best bit of the evening for us was when a young design student approached us after the talk and told us about her dad, who sadly fell ill recently. She bought him a copy of Simpson to cheer him up a bit - he'd once been a keen cyclist so she thought he might find it interesting. She told us that he loved the magazine and that reading it had really perked him up and reignited his interest in cycling. 

Hearing stories like that is what it's all about as far as we're concerned. Thank you so much to those who came to the event and to those who support us in other ways - by buying the magazine, following us on social media or joining our rides. We look forward to seeing you in the future at other events.

Early season goals

If we are honest with each other, sometimes motivation is difficult to muster - never more so than when daylight hours and temperatures are at their lowest. 

The obvious alternative - indoor training - may address the need to exercise but it can't be truly classified as cycling. Confined to sheds, garages or spare rooms, the solo cyclist rides to nowhere as their mind and body screams that what they're doing is artificial and wrong. Granted, it's better than not riding at all and it does help maintain your fitness.

Then comes the phone call or email: 'I've signed up for this event. Do you fancy riding it with me?' No sooner have these words registered in your mind than the ever-competitive beast within, the one that has lain dormant through the winter months, suddenly awakes.

Early season goals switch on that generator, the one that enables us to find the willpower to mobilise and ready ourselves for the challenge ahead. For some it's no more than an opportunity to indulge in new kit and bike upgrades, for others it provides the focus they've lacked - the catalyst that ignites the fire.

With this in mind, we've signed up for two early season events, very different from each other but reflective of the scope of rides now available. The first is Windmolen Achtervolgen - a curious concept ride where the objective is to visit (and photograph) as many windmills in Sussex as possible in a day. Described as a 'fundax' it's a cocktail of logistics, navigation and coffee stops and offers the perfect excuse to get out and ride. Details can be found at http://www.rule5bikes.co.uk/shop/ but numbers are limited.

Our second targeted event consists of a very different type of event, a 25 mile TT for single speed (MG72") only. Run by the Diss & District CC on the flat roads of Norfolk, it's going to be an... interesting experience. Why not give yourself an early season target and enter at http://ctt.org.uk/event/20810