So my latest update on the Dan Patten Blog tells about the run of bad luck which continued through July and into August, including a collision with a car and less than a week later getting taken down by a bidon during the third stage of the Ronde van de Provincie Antwerpen.
'A.R. Engers' the start sheets used to say, 'Alfred Robert' but to us he was 'Alf' or 'The King.' Time trials weren't boring affairs when Alf was on the throne. He was a man on a mission; to take the British 25 mile record through the 30 miles per hour barrier - and more than 30 years after he broke the barrier there are still not many riders who can claim a '49' or faster.
Vic Haines - does the name ring a bell? If you're into time trialling you'll know him as a long-term sponsor in English cycling and a multiple tandem time trial record holder. Closer to home you'll recognise him as the man who organised Graeme Obree's successful Hour Record attempt in Hamar, Norway. But his controversial 'split' with Obree came not long after the Scottish phenomenon had eclipsed Italian legend, Francesco Moser's record - with, according to Haines, the new Ayrshire Hour Record holder due him a lot of money. We thought a chat with the man might be worthwhile...
We pick up our chat with John Mangan after discussing his 'adventure' at the Munich Olympics which involved hiding in the woods, the riders he respected most, how most of his 156 wins came through pure power, and of course, why the 'Rider Mafia' simply had to let him in.
Chris Froome will go down in the record books as Great Britain’s second Tour de France winner.
But whilst the slim man who now lives in Monaco may have GB next to his name in the record book – he’s originally from Kenya by way of South Africa and his win is a huge shot in the arm for cycle sport in the Dark Continent.
But Froome was beaten to the punch as the first African in yellow by a man whose passport still declares ‘Republic of South Africa.’
It was the best event VeloVeritas Reader John Day had ever been in - or would ever be in. It had been full-on for the last 45 of 100 miles, a true classic...