Revolution at the Velodrome

This week I left the weekend ride to the professionals!
I have not been to a race at a Velodrome yet, and I thought that the Revolution series was a great excuse to go and see what all the fuss is about riding the boards.
Seeing as it was my birthday, I treated myself to VIP tickets. Basically this gave us access to the track centre, and a few other benefits (including a drinks voucher!)
It was a great night, with some very close racing, and in our VIP position we were treated to a great view.
I also had an opportunity to have a quick chat with Alex Dowsett, who if his racing calendar allows, will be back for the Ten Minutes of hell Time trial in 2013. I did warn him that I was a little quicker that last year! I also spoke to Edd Clancy, and thanked him for putting a link to this blog from his website!

For all the results and details of the series pop over to the Revolution web page
So instead of me blathering on, here are some pictures I snapped during the night.

The BBC Breakfast Crew on a secret mission!

Marianne Voss and Lizzie Armitstead head to head, again

The advantage of VIP tickets, getting close to the riders.

Preparing for the Madison

The Madison Sling 

Sky on the prowl

Three world Champions in a row!

A great spot to watch the racing

I took a small amount of video, just to illustrate how fast the riders are moving round the track. (I think we were stood next to Andy Tennant's Mum or one of his biggest fans!)

Also yesterday was the launch of Spin Cycle magazine. I have added a page link at the top of the blog, The mag is written, edited, photographed and generally created by cyclists for cyclists. Everyone involved has given their input voluntarily, so why not put the kettle on, make a brew and indulge yourself in the best that the North West cycling scene has to offer! 

Onix Bikes Rob Hayles Signature range launch

I went to see the new Onix Rob Hayles Signature Range tonight at the Manchester Velodrome.
It was the first time I had been to the Velodrome, which is very impressive, and as we arrived it felt like going to Wembley for the first time. This is the home of British Cycling, and the stage where many of the current crop of British Pro's have learnt their trade.

Craig's dedication to his brand

We were warmly welcomed by Craig, the owner of Onix and chatted to him about the bikes, how Rob, triple Olympic medalist and former World Champion, had got involved in the testing process, and the decision to make it a signature range. Craig also talked about the exciting opportunities he has had to promote the range, including sending a bike to Monaco for the Channel 5 Gadget show to ride round the GP course.

As you know,all cycling events have to include cake, and as usual Craig used cake as a marketing medium, and they were tasty too, apparently! 

So to the new bikes. I will let you make your own mind up after seeing the pictures. I was lucky enough to see the bike in its raw state at the Twitter ride last year, and I have seen the launch photo's on line, but in the flesh they look even better.

Onix Black RH

Onix Black RH PRO

What I like about Craig's bikes is the attention to detail, not only in his pursuit of engineering excellence, getting all the angles, lengths and rakes right, but also in the finish. The distinctive black frames with only a stripe of colour is stunning. Craig explained how he had to convince the guys who painted the bikes that he wanted stripes without tapered ends and how they thought he was mad, as all stripes have to end in a taper! I think you'll agree they look great.

I also like the use of the Onix O on the top tube in gloss against the matt frame, The internal cable routing on the head tube and the Gloss signature.

Also on hand tonight was Mike, the Onix Mechanic and a real master of his trade. He gave us lots of advice for working on carbon bikes, and a couple of tricks to use to set our bikes up.

A Master Class from Mike

If these pictures have inspired you to think about a new bike, head over to onixbikesonline where you can use the bike builder to choose the components you want to add to the frame set and build your dream bike.

Craig and the Black RH PRO

It would have been rude not to have checked out the track while we were there. I was shocked at how steep the banking is, it definitely doesn't look that steep on TV!

Ade Shaun and Ken who I went with have all ridden the track, Shaun picked up his licence while we were there, and they suggested that I should give it a go. There are two things that may stop me. First, I'm not great at heights, and it certainly looks high on the top of the banking, and secondly, I don't think Mrs Palefish would be happy if I liked it and needed to buy another bike!!