This past weekend I headed to London for the Cyclosport.org end of season party. Wattbike were the main sponsors for the event so I took along a couple of bikes for guests to try and we had a peak power competition running throughout the day
After setting up the two Wattbikes inside the Alexender Pope pub it was time to drink coffee and meet up with some new and plenty of familiar faces. It was great to meet a couple of people who I first met at the Cycle Show where we were offering technique analysis sessions. Everybody received a nice goody bag including gifts from Science in Sport, Purple Harry, Kilo To Go and IG Markets. There were also plenty of people present who had completed the Alpine Challenge which Wattbike sponsored last month and it was great to see the stunning AC2011 kit, by LeMarq, being worn again.
With guests topped up to the brim with caffeine it was time to head out on the social ride, a 40 mile spin from Twickenham to Box Hill and back, taking in sections of the Olympic Road Race course. Split into 3 groups based on how fast we felt like riding, I thankfully chose Group 2 after seeing Group 1 containing the likes of Stephen Roche, Yanto Barker and Tony Gibb head off into the distance.
It was noticeable on the ride that even though it was a busy Saturday morning on the roads, we encountered very little in the way of antagonism from drivers despite being in groups of 30 or more riders, a sure sign that cycling is mainstream and here to stay. The Ride Captains did a fantastic job as always.
We rode as a group throughout the social ride except for Box Hill where we all went as fast as we could (or wanted). This was my first trip up Box Hill and I was surprised at how shallow the gradient was although I suppose come the Olympics the pros will be completing 9 laps and be climbing at a much faster speed.
As canapes were served prior to dinner we had some early interest in the Wattbike Challenge and plenty questions about how the Wattbike could help with winter training. A lovely meal was devoured by all and it was nice to be on the same table as Tony Gibb and find out what he was up to.
A nice addition to the day's proceedings was the Q&A with Stephen Roche, Yanto Barker, Tony Gibb, Brian Smith and Matt Stephens, some interesting views and a lot of positivity about where cycling is and where it's headed in the UK. The sportive industry in particular is on a high right now and the challenge is to captilise on the 'Cav effect' and the Olympics in 2012.
There was also a replica of the bike Stephen Roche rode in his incredible 1997 season where he won the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and World Championship in the same year - only one other rider has achieved that, a certain Eddy Merckx.
The Wattbike Challenge commenced with Yanto Barker who didn't quite manage to beat his peak power in Annecy - this time we bought along some scales to calculate power to weight although it was still Josh Cunningham who has spent the year racing for a Belgian team who took the men's prize while the women's competition saw Hannah from Access Sport and GS Gazzetta rider Theresa post higher and higer scores until Hannah finally put in one last huge effort to take victory. The winners were pleased with their Scalextric Velodrome and jerseys signed by Stephen Roche
As people drifted off home it was time to put the Wattbikes away and settle down for a few hours in the bar to reflect on a great day of making new friends and catching up with old ones. Looking back on the 2011 sportive season it's easy to be self-congratulatory about all of the good things that have happened but it's far more exciting to be looking ahead to what 2012 will bring.
Photos: Sportive Photo and Cyclosport.org