My back wheel is being held aloft by a giant cow standing up on two legs.
I'm unable to achieve forward momentum and start swaying from side to side, my feet trapped in my pedals and fingers furiously gripping the brake hoods. It seems I'm having that dream again. Only this time I've remembered to wear my bib shorts....
'Go, go, go!' I'm pushed forward by the black and white Friesian, who turns out to be the Smithams Chimney Hill Climb race organiser Mark Jerzak in a cunning disguise, and swiftly become pitched into battle with my Sunday-morning nemesis, a local legend that's been tormenting West Country cyclists for decades. Standing 2km in length and with an average gradient of 7.4%, Smitham Hill in East Harptree, Somerset, might not trouble the Hardknott Pass or Bamford Clough in the battle to become Britain's toughest cycling ascent, but its varied elevation (141m in total) and distance make it a perfect platform for a hill-climb event.
Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
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Denne historien er fra February 2023-utgaven av Cycling Plus UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Air Apparent - Pollution hasn't gone away. It's still there in every lungful, even if we can't see it in the air or on the news. But there are reasons to breathe easier, thanks to pioneering projects using cycling 'citizen scientists'. Rob Ainsley took part in one...
The toxic effects of pollution have been known about for years. 'Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and don't breathe the air!' sang 1960s satirist Tom Lehrer.Over recent decades, though, pollution has dropped down our list of things to worry about, thanks to ominously capitalised concerns such as Climate Change, AI, Global Conflict, Species Collapse, etc. That doesn't, unfortunately, mean the problem has expired. Air quality often exceeds safe limits, with far-reaching and crippling effects on our health.
No limits
Not every adventure needs to be that epic, says bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz
UNBOUND UNLEASHED
Josh Patterson was one of 34 starters for the inaugural edition of Unbound in 2006. Now, with more than 5,000 riders taking part in today's event, he charts the rise of the most important race in gravel
FOREST COMMISSION
Looking for a goal race in 2025 that'll stimulate the synapses and live long in the memory? You'd struggle to do better than ENID CRV in Finland
15 OF THE BEST ADVENTURES
Featuring Yorkshire, the USA, Sri Lanka and more, here are our picks of the world's greatest gravel races and routes
The stuff of dreams
Ned sings the praises of the Paris Olympics road-race course
"I rode 3,000 miles around Britain on a bamboo bike to highlight our climate crisis"
Recordbreaking cyclist and triathlete Kate Strong, 45, took to the road to raise awareness of environmental issues
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE
We venture into the hidden gem of the glorious Creuse, one of France's least populated regions
STAR TREK
New tube shapes and carbon lay-up makes the eighth generation of Trek's legendary Madone an aero and climbing bike all rolled into one
GOLD RUSH
With conflict around the world, Paris 2024 was a ray of light. Here are our highs of a mighty Olympics
