A great day at the Aldersley track in Wolverhampton on 26th August. The GB Transplant Cycling team came down for a training session and were joined by the Wolverhampton Wheelers youth. It was a real treat for the Tx team to spend time riding with them. Their bike handling ability is honed with hours of practice under the guidance of coach Craig Ansell and there is no better bunch of riders to practice group riding with. 

Race skills – following a wheel, riding safely in very close proximity to other riders and making your way through a bunch of riders rather than around is critical for the team. You can learn this the hard way - through hours of racing or you can hurry the process along a little and spend time practicing on tight circuits with plenty of steep corners. You get a feel for the technical aspects of racing under the watchful eye of an experienced coach. I know which I’d rather do!

The Tx Cycling team, all of whom, like me, have had life supporting organ transplants came from Luton, Sheffield and Manchester and picked up a huge amount of useful experience yesterday – experience you can’t buy.   

Thank you to all involved, particularly Craig for giving up his (holiday) time to help us out. We hope you’ll let us come down for another session before too long.

Rich

That got your attention didn't it?
Ahhh...the humble track pump (I hope you're not disappointed already) a vital piece of equipment for any cyclist wanting to get more than 40 psi in their tyres. Pretty much all of us then. I've had my Topeak Joe Blow Sport for, I think, over 10 years now. It can with me to Japan in 2001 and France in 2003 when I was competing in the World Transplant Games. Bearing in mind lugaggae allowances it was very sort after!
I rolled her out on Sunday, attached the chuck and...pfffffffff....nothing. Some air went into the tyre and straight back out again. I stripped it down and, after a bit of fettling with a tiny hex wrench, I pulled out a corroded and broken spring. 'Where the hell am I going to get a replacement one of those?' I thunk. I had a search on the internet and found the Topeak distributors in the UK, Extra Ltd and dropped them a email on Sunday night.
They responded first thing Monday morning and had one in the post to me first class, free of charge the same day. It got it this morning and was installed in a minute - even by a clutts like me.
Top customer service, top piece of kit for doing 10 yrs work AND being repairable. Top err Topeak. Thanks.
If you have any of your own 'pumping' stories - prolly best you keep them to yourself eh? :)