Two days in Paris

Paris. The city of Love, they say. So what does a single girl on a solocation do on a 2 day trip to Paris?

Now, I love sport. And now I love to travel too (although still not that well travelled yet). What's that got to do with Paris? I hear you say. I did hear it. Honest. Well, let me tell you...

I love most sports, with a keen eye on cycling, and ever since ITV started televising every, single, day of the Tour De France a hundred years ago, I've always said I'd like to see the final stage live on Champs Élysées. This year it is finally going to happen. A free flight and a lovely little hotel booking near the Louvre means that on that final day I will be standing there on a sunny (please weather gods!) street in Paris watching the sport I've come to love in the city of love. #Dreamy

But what else can I squeeze into a few short 48 hours? Let me know. Where should I eat? Must-see attractions - without many queues? Little cafes? Favourite views? Cake shops? Bridges to wander over? Galleries to marvel at? Hidden gems?

Let me know in the comments below, dear internet.

Angela x

British National Road Race Championships: NRRC

Last Sunday I enjoyed my first ever cycling road race event in Glasgow. It was the National Road Race Championships. There had been time trials in the preceding days but I was only there to catch the men's road race. However I did arrive in time to see the end of the women's race.

When I arrived I was surprised at there being so few people out to watch. But perhaps they'd drifted off as I caught the last lap of that race only.

I opted to stay around the city centre area to watch. First up was a spot at the top of the Buchanan Street section. Right outside the Apple store. It was a nasty left hand turn and with the spots of rain that started it made the first few laps a bit tricksy there. Thankfully I only saw one faller and he was as quickly up and away on his as he was when he fell off.

To say it was utterly exciting to see people such as David Miller, Ben Swift, Mark Cavendish and more on the roads was a massive understatement. I was starstruck. It was brilliant. I kept snapping pictures and videos then had just about enough time to rush into the Apple store to recharge the phone up some more.

Around lap 6 I decided to head up St Vincent Street as there was a bit of an incline, and how would they fare on this. It's not of Alpine proportions but a little bit of a punt up there no doubt. The pavements were fairly quieter up there. Plenty of room to catch a great view of the leading train. Well, there were 2 leaders for a long time then the Cavendish, Miller, Kennaugh and Swift group for a good few laps. Towards the end that lead group was down to 4. They were flying. It was great to actually see this in person having watched the grand tours for most of my adult life on TV. I can only imagine what it's like on a stage of the TdF. The whooshing of the wheels, the clicking of the gears, the chatter... Magic.

By the last lap I'd made my way around to the George Square side and got a quiet spot on the pavement to have a wee seat. I watched for the last time as the leaders flew past at an visibly more increased rate. Wowsers. It was time for my train home and since I was nowhere near the start/finish line I'd watch it all unfold on Twitter from my comfy train seat.

Mark Cavendish won. You wouldn't really bet against him in a spring finish now would you. Brilliant racing from everyone who took part. And good organisation from everyone involved. Scottish Cycling; British Cycling; Glasgow City Council and the volunteers and event staff who were on hand all day to shepherd you across the route and give a little whistle to let you know the riders were on their way.

All in all a great day out in Glasgow, Miles Better! ;)

Angela x

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UCI Track World Cup, Glasgow

I'd waited on this weekend to arrive for months. Only a few months mind, but it felt like longer. This weekend I attended the UCI Track World Cup cycling event at the new Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow's east end. Oh man i was sooooo excited for it.

Sunrise from the railway bridge in Stirling

I headed on the train early to catch the very handy free shuttle bus from Buchanan Street bus station to the venue. I haven't done this journey so wasn't sure how long it would take. Turns out it was only about 15-20 minutes as there was some traffic. On arriving in the area I remembered it well. It's been a couple of years since I've been to the football at Celtic Park. The velodrome sits directly across the London Road from Celtic Park. Together they are a formidable sight. The Emirates Arena houses the velodrome incidentally.

I leaped off the bus and headed up the staircase where we were greeted by cheery 'gamesmaker' types at the front door in nice pink jackets. A welcome surprise on this sunny but chilly morning.

Once inside the foyer area it wasn't that big for a venue that will see thousands come through it's door at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. But hey it was was fairly quiet. In the middle there was a refreshment concession that served drinks, pizza, hot dogs, popcorn(?) and crisps. Thankfully Golden Wonder (good choice). It wasn't too badly priced either i thought. £1.20 for a 500ml bottle of Cola, £1 for a small tea/coffee. Pretty decent. The hot dogs however were £4.50 - i don't eat them so wasn't sure if this was expensive or not. they were pretty huge though.

I headed into the velodrome and wow... First thing that struck me was how small it was.  I mean, I'm not sure what I expected but the track was small to me. Perhaps it was because the cyclists were flying around it at speed that made it seem small.

iPhone Panorama of the venue

I found my seat (a great seat on the start finish straight) about 4 rows from the front. The place started to fill up, which made it seem hotter than it's 26 degrees. There were a variety of spectators gathered. Mums, dads, kids, babies, boys, girls. The people I was sat beside were pretty friendly too, bonus. A few Twitter exchanges and I managed to spy @Pyllon busy doing some work in the track centre.

The action was happening at a pace. Not too long to wait between races. Good stuff. The daytime session was the qualifying for later rounds. Men's, Women's sprints, keirin, omnium and lots of different nationalities.

The noise rose when a Team GB rider appeared. It was amazing to see competitive cycling up close like this. And Olympic and World champions among them to boot! Wonderful.

Behind my seating zone was the BBC commentary position hosting Chris Boardman and Hugh Porter - the cycling commentary voices I've grown up with. High up to the right hand side of the start straight was the BBC TV commentary position. It's not all glamorous. Scaffolding! In the seat was Jonathan Edwards and Craig McLean.

On track Laura Trott was going through rounds of her Omnium. She's currently the World Champion at that. Jason Kenny was safely through his round of the men's keirin which was see him race later at night. Can't wait.

In the middle - track centre - i spied the GB area. They were all there. The riders, the coaches and the guys who work behind the scenes fixing the bikes, going through each step with precision. I needed a toilet break so headed up the back and there i spied David Brailsford himself. I'm not that bold as to ask for a picture with them so instead, what you have here is the back of his distinctive head! :)

He really is a legend, not only masterminding several Olympic champions but also, this year, Britain's Tour De France winning Team Sky. Wowsers.

Back to the action and i couldn't stop taking pictures all the while conscious of the fact the Instagram really runs your iPhone battery down low. I had to ration it's use. The racing for the daytime finished around 4.30pm so i headed back on the bus into Glasgow to grab a bit to eat and charge my phone. Thankfully i found myself in Eat which had both a plug and a panini to see me through.

Back to the evening session. I had chosen different seats. The back straight this time. Right in the middle and in the front row. AMAZING. I kid you not, you could feel the backdraft whooshing past when the men's scratch race was taking place. The phone and camera took a battering too!

whoosh!

I even caught the aftermath of Jason Kenny's fall, which he tweeted later on!! Thanks Jason!

Ouch. Jason Kenny after his fall in the Keirin heats

I'd decided i didn't want to hang around Glasgow on a dark November Saturday night so i left the venue around 9.40pm to get the bus back in time for the 10.18pm train. I'd be home around 11.15pm. Sorted. Or rather it was until the Stagecoach bus driver got us lost so much we almost ended up on the M8 motorway going east. Thankfully a passenger put him right and I found myself jumping off the bus and sprinting down North Hanover Street to catch the train. It was 10.16pm, and a long shot but i tried. I got to the station and missed the train by 2 minutes. I could've cried, real tears too. Grrrrrrr to the stupid driver. I had a half hour wait on the next one. Driving home the stars and planets in the sky were so clear. Driving into the village I caught my very first shooting star. It was bright and cheered me up again. I was so knackered when i got home that I fell asleep in anticipation of the next day.

Sunday saw me rise earlier, and drive to Glasgow this time. I got there dead on 9am and parked in Buchanan Galleries, £3 all day on a Sunday, and I wouldn't need to worry about catching a train later. The bus took us to the venue in short time as there was less traffic. Caught the bus and headed into the track. This time it was a little empty. Only to be expected. But the action was just beginning and it was the heats of the women's keirin and men's sprints. The big guns. Sadly Jason Kenny wasn't racing due to last nights crash but young Philip Hindes was. As were Jess Varnish, Becky James and Laura Trott.

Philip Hindes after a little meeting with the boards - ouch, again.

The omnium time trial (women's) saw Laura Trott do a superb ride and immediately after she got off her bike, she almost threw up over in the waiting area. After a wee lie down for 10 minutes she was back up and on a col down/warm up for the final race that would come later. What a champ!

A little check on Twitter and the @TrackWorldCup account told me that the man himself was in the building. Sir Chris Hoy of course! He was interviewed in the track centre by Dougie Vipond but not before they played a film of all of his Olympic and Commonwealth medals over the years. It was really emotional but great to be reminded of them. And he looked so young in 2004!

Sir Chris and the Deacon Blue drummer...

As each race passed the atmosphere grew as the velodrome filled up. We were now on the afternoon (and sadly the final) session of an amazing weekend. I snapped away photo after photo and soaked it all in. then came the final race in the women's omnium. Could Laura Trott snatch victory from the Australian girl Ankudinoff? You bet she could! Brilliant rider she is.

Trott, before her final race of the weekend. So tiny, but so strong!

Laura Trott receives her Gold medal.

Next up was the men's sprint. Germany V Germany. who would win? Would it be he of the gigantic thighs, Robert Foerstemann or would it be Stefan Boetticher?.... It was Boetticher, surprisingly! I ventured around to the bend to try to catch a few pics on the ramp. Man it was steep. This picture kind of shows it...

Foerstemann in front, Boetticher behind

Now it was time for me to head home after a thoroughly brilliant weekend. I was on cloud nine after my first live cycling event. I'll be back. But I won't go before telling you who else was there, at the end of my row... Redbull trickster himself, Danny Macaskill. I didn't have the guts to go and ask for a photo but plenty of kids did. He was very accommodating too. Nice to see. He seemed really quite shy at one point when Dougie Vipond was over hassling him for a wee interview. Head in hands and beetroot red face at one point. Wee shame.

Danny Macaskill, with Sir Chris Hoy in the background in the BBC commentary position

If I had to choose I'd pick rows D to H of any of the zones. Front row was great but the metal railing around the barrier got in the way when snapping away.

Between each race and the riders coming to the start, a musical soundtrack was played. Good pumping tunes. My only complaint was that it could've been a little bit louder to get the crowd going more. Nonetheless the atmosphere all weekend was great.

I had the best weekend. The volunteers were nice and helpful. The venue was really great. The racing was fab. And I can only imagine what the atmosphere will be like at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. I for one cannot wait. Thanks to everyone involved in that weekend. And to the @TrackWorldCup tweeter, great tweets. And to British Cycling for my heavily male orientated members goodie bag! Anyone want some Adidas mens shower gel?!... haha.

Angela x

Spin class - what goes on

So what goes on at a spin bike class? i hear you say. Actually, I don't hear you say that but I'm going to tell you anyway. Because there are a few things that goes through my mind when I'm there.

First of all, spin bike classes take place at my local sports centre. There's a room set up with about 40 static bikes. These are bikes that have no wheels and are stationary. They have 'gears' on them which is basically resistance. The higher the resistance the harder you are working, depending on the speed you are going of course. There's an instructor and very loud music. Most of it's pretty decent and is fab loud. In our classes they always put the lights out but there are some coloured lights the trove with the music so that's ok, plus light from out in the atrium shines in too. So it's not completely dark.

Most of the classes I go to are called Velocity classes. Apparently some guy has trademarked the word 'spin class' and no one else can use it. Some gyms call them vibe cycle classes too. Velocity classes can vary depending on who's teaching it. My Monday class is by Claire and has a range of fast and slow paced tracks. She has kinda chilled out Ibiza type music. She's really motivating and i do like her classes.

On a Wednesday night I do two classes back to back. It's not as bad as it sounds and you feel so great afterwards. First class is Velocity with Julie - again more fast and slow paced tracks. Julie is a fantastic instructor. She's really smiley and has a fun personality. This helps towards the end of a class. I always find this one flys by. Second class is RPM Biking with Tim. Now, RPM Biking is from the Les Mills range of classes. These are classes which have set routines that change every 10 weeks or so. But more or less every class is the same, including the same music, which can get a bit tedious if I'm honest. Hence the reason i only go to one of those per week. But Tim's class is good. Plenty of fast paced tracks in here. Fast and push it hard i.e. up your gears as high as you can put them. It's a killer. Fantastic feeling afterwards though.

My favourite class is my Friday night hour long velocity class with Ross. A nice guy whose class is more slow paced but higher gears. It's over a year since i started going to this class and he's changed it up and around at a steady pace. We're now doing long slow and heavy hill climbs. In my head we're heading up the Col du Tourmalet! It's really good. By the end I'm totally dripping with sweat, as i am with all of these classes. I know, what a picture to paint eh.

So that's a little bit of an explanation about what happens at spin bike classes. You should try one. It's not for everyone by any means but for me it's a way for me to keep fit without aggravating my knees. Long time regular readers will know that my knees ache when i run, so cycling is better, for me.

Whilst I've been on holiday I've been going to daytime classes which are less busy. Friday night Ross has been doing these classes, which for me is great. Not one of the classes have been exactly the same, he changes it about every day. Today was a killer. Longer higher up through hills we went. Fab.

I actually love the classes. Granted, there are days when i so cannot be bothered going but once I'm actually there and have completed then, i feel great.

I go to The Peak in Stirling. Classes are £5 on a drop in basis but i pay monthly membership so can attend as many as i like, as well as having access to the gym and swimming pool. Pop along to your local sports centre and try one out.

Angela x

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Team GB!

A brief interlude from the trek/training/fundraising talk to take my hat off and bow down to Team GB 2008!

First at the Laoshan Velodrome (because those that know me know that I just love, love, love, the cycling!). What an achievement from the big man himself, Mr (or should that be) 'Sir' Chris Hoy. No but seriously the precedent has been set with Steve Redgrave and Kelly Holmes, surely GB has to mark this achievement? 3 Gold medals at these games! Awesome big guy.

It was bad luck but good effort to Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish in the Madison race. They were being watched very closely from the outset. Oh well, Wiggins has already got some pretty shiny medals in his locker and Cav won quite a few stages at this years Tour De France so all was not lost. They will win more, I'm sure of it.

The ladies weren't to be outdone. Victoria Pendleton was strong in the individual sprint. So fast. Gold. Well done. Rebecca Romero: Well considering she only got on a bike (in competition) 2 years ago, this is an awesome feat. Gold. A previous Olympic silver medal winning rower, she certainly has shown the GB athletes over at the Birds Nest stadium what hard work, dedication and a 'what you can do when you put your mind to it' attitude is all about.

Not forgetting the other valuable members of Team GB cycling: Jamie Staff, Ross Edgar, Jason Kenny, Paul Manning, Geraint Thomas, Ed Clancy, Wendy Houvenaghel, Nicole Cook, Emma Pooley, Steven Burke, Chris Newton, Roger Hammond, Ben Swift, Sharon Laws, Jonny Bellis, Steve Cummings plus all the coaching and backroom staff. Sorry if I've missed anyone out.

Still to come in the early hours of tomorrow morning is Shanaze Reade and Liam Phillips in the BMX - fingers crossed for you! Then there's the mountain biking with Liam Killeen and Oliver Beckingsale.

Next I have to mention the sailing over at Qingdao. Congratluations to Ben Ainslie on winning his third Olympic Gold medal on the trot. I'm running out of words other than Awesome. Ok, tremendous effort!

Then at the swimming, not as successful as some may have thought but still a great effort by all. Rebecca Addlington with her 2 Gold medals was fantastic and all she wanted was new shoes! - ah a girl after my own heart.

I'm well aware this post could become very long if i were to mention the whole of Team GB, especially for those who are not that into sport. So I won't go into any more details or name the full GB squad but these links give details of Team GB and the medals won - so far!!

http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/92A/GBR_T.shtml
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics/team_gb/7094118.stm


I've realised that I'm quite passionate about sport (quite a few different sports too), even if i don't take part in any myself. I think i may have missed the boat on becoming an Olympic athlete but these guys certainly do inspire me and make me even more determined to complete my challenge as best I can.

Some of my memorable Olympic moments so far: The men's 100m sprint final on Saturday was truly a sight to behold. Usain Bolt of Jamaica winning at a jog in a world record time and with his left lace undone!!! It must be great to be sooooo good. Then there's Michael Phelps. Bullied when he was young for having big ears (true story, i heard his mum talk on the radio about it!), and now he's arguably one of the best Olympians - EVER. He's still only 23 too, gee whizz. I do feel sorry for Andy Murray, gets to number 6 in the world and still people keep on criticising him because he never got a medal. What has he to do? Never mind Andy, when you win Wimbledon then they might sit up and take note. The poor wee diver, Tom Daley, i think the pressure got too much for him at only 13, no wonder! Never mind he probably will medal in London. Now this wasn't an event, it was Saturday morning on BBC news 24 and the reporter (she was Scottish too - duh!) was interviewing a guy who trains alongside the mens coxless 4 rowing guys and asked how he thought the 'c*$%less' (you get the drift eh!) 4 would do in the race! It was all he could do to keep a straight face. Ha ha what an dafty she was! I'm sure it will be replayed over again on one of those blooper programmes that seems to be filling the tv schedule more and more these days. Gymnastics - good to watch but the scoring system stinks big time. Sort it out people.

Now Paula Radcliffe ...we were being told a few months ago about how this was her time and then she fractured her leg but still we were kind of assured she'd been doing all this training and she'd be fine. She was going backwards at one point in the marathon and the commentator said that this Olympics wasn't about winning it was about if she could finish or not! now that's not what we were being told a few weeks ago, was it?! Don't get me wrong I actually quite like Paula and think she is an amazing athlete, what I don't like is that the media (sorry but it seems to be the English media) build these people up and make them better than they actually are at the time and then knock them down or make excuses for them when it goes wrong. Remember David Beckham during the World Cup in 1998. He had to flee to America to tour with the Spice Girls as the press were crucifying him and effigies were being burned in the streets. Then a few years later he was the darling of the press (and I'm sure he works hard so he could become this). It just seems like the press build pictures of people into Gods and when it goes wrong they're like well they weren't that good anyway. Give these people a break, take a truthful and objective look at them beforehand and then judge them on what they achieve.

Another thing i don't get is this athletics. Example: track runners - surely they know the times that their fellow competitors are putting in well in advance and know then what they have to aim for and achieve to medal. Obviously, as in every sport, things can happen differently on the day and the best may be disqualified or something so they have to take their chances then. Also, why did the young boxer not make the weight for his fight and then be sent home?? I cannot understand that. Yes, he was taking on extra water because of the heat etc etc but surely the team of coaches, nutritionists and various advisors etc factored that into his regime?!? It's common sense is it not? Or is my thinking too simple and some other things come into play. Not sure but what I think is that it shouldn't have happened. I do have sympathy for the boxers as they are the only Olympic sport that is truly amateur now and their funding isn't as great as the athletics/rowing/swimming etc. Heck the guy Jeffries was selling burgers from a van at Sunderland FC only 2 years ago! Anyway rant over.

Now after all of that i have to say i think London 2012 will be quite exciting for Team GB and we should get behind them all! Here's a question, what do you think of a GB football team? I quite like that idea....

Then ... after that we'll have Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games to look forward to. There's still time for a new Chris Hoy to be found and trained by then - hopefully. So take all the Wii's, playstations, Xboxes, PSP's, Gameboys (or is that too old school) Nintendo DS, anyway take all of this nonsense away and get the kids out playing sport, any sport, just get them active and interested and you never know what may happen, a new hero may be being produced as we speak and we just don't know it.

word of the day - PROUD
much love,
Ange xoxo