The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun. Monty had found this out one weekend on the estate of Major Wilfred “Plug” Basham, when he’d had his rear end puckered by shot when he was hiding from Aunt Agatha up a tree.
So it was that that the pair of us took up the new fangled pastime of riding a bicycle. Same kit required: plus fours, shooting jacket and a tie. I’d asked Jeeves if a tie mattered to be told in no uncertain terms: “There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter.”
Read MoreA good pair of cycling shoes are a must for any serious cyclist. They should be stiff, comfortable, light and stylish. Many professional cyclists (who are often superstitious) value their favourite shoes so highly that they won’t let them out of their sight in between races. But there are times when you’ll want something a little different from the flashy, garish, ultra light and Velcro-strapped footwear that we see in the pro peloton.
Read MoreWith political turmoil and the sad death of some of the greats of the music, art and entertainment world, 2016 seemed a bit bleak at times. But, as HG Wells once said, “Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair of the future of the human race.” So, while the year had its tricky moments, we were lucky enough at Ride Velo to see plenty of adults (and children) on bikes as well as ride a few ourselves. Here are some of our highlights of the year.
Read MoreVintage cycling events have become massively popular in the last few years. The Tweed Run has been going for eight years and tickets for this year's London event sold out in just 30 seconds! The Eroica Britannia festival had its second outing last year and attracted 50,000 guests as well as winning the UK Festival Awards prize for the best non-music festival. This year, 4,500 are set to ride around the glorious Derbyshire countryside on pre 1987 vintage steeds, including Ride Velo and lots of our friends. If, like us, this is your first time, we're here to help you look the part!
Read MoreLuckily, my old chum Bunty knew a chap and sourced a ticket on this year’s spiffing Tweed Run for yours truly. It’s the 8th edition and rumour has it they sold out in 30 seconds flat! Higgins worked like a Trojan to prepare the velocipede, dusted down the Tweeds and packed a damn fine hamper to boot. Good old Higgins.
Read MoreThe Tweed Run fast approaches. We’ve been bidding and been outbid on eBay for tweed jackets, plus fours and paisley ties for weeks as we desperately try to coordinate our retro outfits for that uniquely British event. For spring not only heralds those serious, brutal, gritty Classics like Milan-San Remo, Paris-Roubaix, the snow and hail of Liege-Baston-Liege, there are more sedate affairs to be contested here.
Read More
