Spring is in the air. About time too.
Our favourite sport, Hard Man Road Racing of the Belgian Kind, starring Tom Boonen, Sep Vanmarcke, Johann Vansummeren, and featuring a whole cast of gutsy riders and 2-wheeled panache aplenty is back on Eurosport. The riders don’t have to be Belgian, but our very favourite races most definitely are. Except for the one that starts in Compiegne and ends in Roubaix. And that one sponsored by Amstel Bier.
This week at the SIC Speed Shop we were delighted to welcome Dani Christmas
@Dani-Christmas and Alan Denman of the Project 51 race and development team. We first met Dani at the London Bike Show and were intrigued by her decision to cross over to cycling from her previous career in elite level international athletics. We quickly decided to see how we could support her 2014 race program with some SIC race equipment. Watch out for news about this here soon. In the meantime Dani won her first race of the season, fresh out of the blocks at the San Fairy Ann crits. Chapeau Dani!
Next week we’ll be mostly busy getting ready for the next two Speed Shop Live events. First up we’re up to the G-Mex Centre in Manchester this weekend for the Bike and Triathlon Show, March 8-9. Then its down to the historic Truman Brewery in London’s happening Brick Lane for Spin LDN, March 28-30. We hope to see you at one or other of these events.
Thanks to Chris Opie of Rapha Condor for alerting us to this a great video compilation from last year’s Pearl Izumi Tour Series. Casquette tip
@SpeedyOpie
We won’t be fielding our own men’s team at this year’s Tour Series, but we’re proud to have been a part of it in 2013, having our own team of gnarly underdogs fight every round of last year’s Series, with SIC supplying the bike, wheels and title sponsorship for the original #peoplesteam Spin Rotor Primal.
As many aficionados of the Tour Series will already know, our team probably stole the show last season, with all the most spectacular crashes, many of which made it into the edit!
But we suspect that not a lot of people know that Roxanne Fourier of France finished a close runner up to the all conquering Hannah Barnes on both occasions that she rode as a guest of the Women’s Tour, all without the help of any team mates or other support. No support that is other than having a pair of SIC K2 Carbone race wheels at her disposal. Hand built for her at the SIC Speed Shop, Roxanne rode them to great effect and everyone else (Hannah excepted) into the ground. If you’re eagle eyed you can spot her in the video above.