Follow Mark's training and racing on Strava.
The Lion roars once again! After a couple of difficult weeks and major disappointments our man is back in the saddle. Can Macca bounce back from the early season set-backs? Don't bet against it...
Well it's been a while. As I'm writing this I'm laid on my bed in a Hotel in Overisje the night before my next race, which is a prelude to the Ardennes Classics: the Brabantse Pijl. It's a punchy 200km jaunt - up, down and round and round some of the finest cycling roads the province of Brabant has to offer.
The last few weeks have been at times a bit rough. I missed the cut for Flanders and Roubaix and instead took part in some smaller races, where the atmosphere somehow wasn't quite the same...as this shot of the crowd from the start of a stage of Circuit Cycliste Sarthe adequately demonstrates...
(c) velo-club.net
Missing out on the Monuments got me down for a while. Eventually I went for a stroll around the town which I now call home, to clear my head and get my mind straight for the next block of racing.
However, after watching Roubaix from a more comfortable seat than I had hoped, I got my mojo back. Sat there watching the race unfold I was torn between who to support; national pride (Ian Stannard) or childhood hero (Tom Boonen). In the end neither came out on top, instead the winner was the wise old man if the race - Matthew Hayman.
After watching the behind the scenes video and listening to what Hayman had to say about the race - the fact you always need to keep riding because in a bike race anything can happen - I had a mini epiphany. Even though I'm no longer a 'spring chicken', and I am still yet to make my Roubaix debut, according to this years winner I still have 11 more years to try.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that in cycling, just as in all other walks of life, there are setbacks, disappointments and hiccups. But no matter what happens, you got to keep the faith and keep plugging away. You just never know when the stars will align and you'll get your chance.
So after a week of sulking from race to race and feeling sorry for myself, I'm determined to keep on plugging away. I know when my chance comes I'll take it. Whether or not that is tomorrow, we'll just have to wait and see...
Also in Blog
New Season, New Team
New for 2023, we will be following the progress of Evie Field, a young female bike racer as she graduate from her club team Liverpool Century, to make her debut season as a Junior with JRC-Interflon Race Team, racing at National level in the UK and on the Continent. In her first regular update she tells us about making the jump from racing as an individual for a club, to joining her first big team and joining their pre-season training camps.
Gift Guide For Book Worms
Laura Fletcher takes a quick look at some of the latest cycling titles to hit the bookshop shelves including books by Ned Boulting, Max Leonard, James Hibbard, Jeremy Wilson, Dan Martin. You can also check out Matthew Bailey's review of Jeremy Wilson's biography of Beryl Burton in Conquista Issue 28.
Most Liveable Place Part 7: Two Years On, But What Has Changed?
It feels to us like Liverpool is a city at a crossroads. The worst pedestrian and cyclist road safety track record in the country. Deprived neighbourhoods with chronic health issues and low car ownership. Offered millions of pounds of central government funding for local transport development, the city has elected to remove an important active travel corridor prior to the publication of a review into its effectiveness. The actions of a local councillor, praised by the City Mayor, could lead to a huge reduction in local transport funding that will set the city back years. We look back at the last two years, the impact of Covid, and ask is this the end of the road for a co-ordinated active travel plan for Liverpool?