Riderific - What I am and what I am not

Yes, this is another general cycling blog. No, it has not been thought through and it is not a business - this is a sideline to my hobby. I am not a writer, but I do ride a bike.

I am a relatively recent member of my local cycling club - an old established institution which celebrates its 120th birthday this year. I have two seasons of cyclocross and one and a bit of time trialling under my belt. I am not fast, but I love competing and trying to improve. I have never ridden a Road Race or Crit - a gap that is likely to remain unfilled on my cycling CV, but who knows? Although I have only competed for 2 years, I have ridden a bike, on and off, for as long as I can remember. I am 43.

I also like going on trips - I have done a few, and hope to do a few more. Some might categorise this as "touring" but for me it is purely leisure cycling - riding around the world (not done) or to a local pub with your family (done) are pretty much the same thing - its just that one takes a bit longer and requires a bit more stuff.

I admire people and I admire things. There are lots of both of these to admire in cycling. There is also a lot of rubbish. I am more likley to blog about the things I like than the things I don't although this is not a hard and fast rule. I shy away from the concept of "reviews" - I am not a reviewer but I will pass on my opinions of the things I come into contact with as a cyclist - bikes, accessories, races, events, clothing, food, websites, podcasts, books, magazines, DVDs etc etc.

Keen cyclists consume a huge amount of stuff - if you, like many others are just starting out with "serious" cycling this will cost you a huge amount of money and you will make mistakes. If my opinions help minimise those mistakes, great. Whatever you do, don't just take my word for it - there is a wealth of information out there, and where possible, I will point those sources out.

Cyclists are good at sharing their opinions - sometimes a little too good - but whatever opinion is being shared they are mainly born from a passion for the bike. This is Riderific.