Rolya 02 - 'North by Northwest' by Rolya

Rolya

R c o n t e n t s

02 j u ly 2

A postcard from: Mike Cotty

30 Aerodrome

Dreams of Belgium

Hello Velo

o The Cornish Series

O&A Q&A: Lucy Stewart

Jersey: Chris Opie

KOMs

North by Northwest It seems like a combination best left to a Hitchcock film, planes and bicycles; but at Perranporth Aerodrome, west Cornwall, it is the perfect match. Every Thursday night, instead of the mechanical drone of propellers, the only sound to be heard is the ticking of bicycle hubs, relentlessly spinning as their chieftains push across the circuits formed by the tarmacked runways. This initiative is a direct response to the tragic death of 23-yearold Junior Hefferman during a road race earlier this year; a call for safe training and racing dutifully answered by Cornwall’s passionate cycling community. In this issue you will find detailed reportage on not only this, but the Cornish Series, Cornwall’s most popular airfield-based criterium racing competition. Of course, talking of criteriums, in the past month we witnessed Chris Froome’s epic battle with Alberto Contador to take the Criterium du Dauphine and move in to the favourite spot for the Tour de France... Can the Brits do it again? Samuel Moore Editor, Rolya

“Ride lots” - Eddie Mercx

@RolyaZine issuu.com/rolya rolya@outlook.com facebook.com/rolya

DR E A MS OF BELGI UM

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KOM, James Round, 18.4 mph: 2:31. As reads one of 17-year-old James Round’s many Strava King of the Mountain accolades, just above Steve Lampier, a 29-year-old professional rider for Node4 Giordana. This then is surely an indication as to the emerging talent of this One & All Cycling Youth Academy rider. For this passionate young cyclist, who admirably canonises himself to Peter Sagan – “I can climb with the skinny lads and still sprint at the end” – cycling is everything, and it dominates his life in the best possible way: “I’m so motivated to ride at the minute. I

can’t go more than a couple of days without riding no matter what the weather is and what the conditions are. You’ve just got to go out and ride no matter what anyone says.” Indeed it was Eddy Mercx who said “ride lots”. Clearly, James listened; he trains in the week; he does the club run every Sunday; he races; and he cycles to work every day – a 9-to-5 job at the tills in WHS Smith, Helston. Other than Strava, he talks of how his coaches, his family and his friends are the most inspirational tool for getting him motivated to constantly improve: “The people who tell me that I have the

Dreams of Belgium

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I can climb with the skinny lads and still sprint at the endâ&#x20AC;?

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potential to be good are what drive me. I just want to prove them right and do it for myself – maybe I’ll end up doing it for the rest of my life. I want to go as far is it will take me, if that means the World Tour or a continental team then so be it. Whatever makes me happy I suppose, and if I can progress further then I will keep on progressing and pushing… It’s better than being inside playing Xbox or something like that.”

“It’s better than being inside playing Xbox”

As far as professional racing is concerned, James is surely well on his way, having just placed 6th in the South West Junior Championships, a 44-mile road race in Devon – “to see who is the best in the South West.” He has also been offered a place at a training camp in Spain next year. He regularly rubs shoulders with the local professionals as well, predominantly UK domestic pro and patron of One & All Cycling Steve Lampier. He speaks in detail of their unique relationship, not least because they are both local boys: “I talk to Steve nearly every week because he used to live in Helston, so he is a big help to me and he’s really interested in supporting me going forward. Lately we’ve been working on interval training – you know, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off – so, it’s quite a test to try and keep up with him during his efforts, jumping up from 18mph to about 26mph. “But just to have someone supporting you and speaking to you, and not even necessarily about cycling. When I’ve had other problems I’ve had a chat with Steve. It’s nice to get a message like that from a professional cyclist, to see if you’re okay.”

Dreams of Belgium

Born and raised in Camborne, the opportunity to fly the nest is the next thing on James’ mind – he doesn’t want to be working in WHS Smith for the rest of his life. When viewed like this then, it is the sheer escapism that cycling brings which ultimately fuels his passion for the sport: “Certainly I would like to go to Spain and do the training camp, just to see what it’s like and see a new country. I would also love to travel out to Belgium and try the racing scene out there. The Belgian classics are my dream. Down here it really is only the Cornish Series and the local club time trials. Unless you’ve got a car and you can travel to some of the Ilton races or the road races in Devon or further up-country then it’s a bit difficult to do anything else.” For now however, training in the admittedly beautiful – but at times frustratingly confined – Cornwall, and preparing for this summer’s racing schedule is his main concern. Advancing from a turbo-trainer-fuelled winter to extended training at Perranporth Aerodrome is the next step: “The turbo nights were really good because you were training with all your other team mates and you’re in a structured session with proper coaches. You can really push each other when you hear the turbos going and when you’re with your mates you always want to go one better than them; you want to go faster than them; you want to break a sweat more than them. So it really pushes you and you get a lot from it. “The race training sessions at Perranporth Aerodrome have recently started. They’re really good and I’ve learnt a lot of things to do with riding skills, for example riding in a bunch, throughand-off, and knowing how to protect yourself from the wind to save precious seconds and energy in a race situation.” 17

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“I’ve got a lot of love for it. I just enjoy cycling”

There is something that separates James from other riders of his age, something that is difficult to place but which is everpresent when talking with him. Perhaps it is because he is so young; perhaps it is because he works full-time to pay his way through cycling; or perhaps it is his dedication to show up at a virtually deserted airfield on a Thursday evening in 60mph winds and driving rain; or perhaps it is simply his ability to tear the legs off most adult riders. “I’ve got a lot of love for it. I just enjoy cycling, in Cornwall especially. Enjoying the roads; enjoying the outside instead of being stuck indoors. It’s just nice to go out and feel the wind go past you and go as fast as possible.”

R written by Samuel Moore photography by Joel Hewitt

a erodrome words and photographs Joel Hewitt

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It was back in March of this year when, after 23-year-old Junior Hefferman was tragically killed during a road race in Gloucestershire, the ball got rolling for an off-road training venue in Cornwall. Junior raced for One & All Cycling, and for such a tragedy to occur during what should have been a controlled and safe open-road race was just unfathomable. Richard Pascoe, founder of One & All Cycling, knew that the possibility of something similar happening on Cornish roads during training just could not happen on his watch. Perranporth Aerodrome was the answer. The airfield - which is also used for the Cornish Series (national level circuit races) - was the perfect location for such an event. The idea is simple: to train riders of all levels to cope in large group-riding environments. Much like the Sunday club run, riders separate in to their respective groupings - in this case either ‘sportive’ or ‘race’ - and are set to work. Given Perranporth Aerodrome’s exposed location harbouring the best - or indeed worst - of what the Cornish weatherfronts have to offer, the primary lessons taught by the various Britsh Cycling coaches present is how to deal with cross-winds. This is taken in to a race context and results in what is known as an echelon, whereby riders are contiually using one-another for

Aerodrome

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“If you were to take this form of teamwork to a race in-and-around Devon & Cornwall, you’d smash the field to pieces”

Aerodrome

shelter and peeling off to form a living, breathing conveyor. It is a difficult concept to master, especially for beginners who are challenged simply by the concept of close-quarters group riding. However, with expert tutoring from the likes of Scott Tomkinson (pictured far left) the echelon quickly takes shape with a fluid and hypnotic quality, leaving participants grinning maniacally from ear to ear. “If you were to take this form of teamwork to a race in-and-around Devon & Cornwall, you’d smash the field to pieces,” says Scott (above right). This kind of coaching is the perfect example of why it cannot be taught on the open roads. Taking a peleton of inexperienced group riders on to the often thin and winding roads of Cornwall is

surely likely to end in a disaster akin to what happened earlier this year during the Gloucestershire road race. For those wondering, it isn’t all about the racing aspect. As previously mentioned, a sportive group is available for those who simply want to get an edge over the competition in the many sportives accessible across the South West of England. This offers a slightly less ‘intense’ experience and of course harbours the most important aspect of cycling - having fun. As Cornwall is known for some of the most beautiful scenery in Great Britain, there is no wonder that it also offers some of the country’s most memorable and challenging sportives in which riders country-wide compete.

the echelon quickly takes shape

with a fluid and hypnotic quality

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The night draws to a close with brownies of all things

Aerodrome

The night draws to a close with brownies of all things. It brings the riders together to socialise and chat after a great training workout, discussing what they have learnt throughout the night. With all the flags, marquees and refreshments, this place just feels like a weekly treat for cyclists to enjoy riding together without the worry of anything happening similar to the tragic death of Junior. It just makes sense.

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A postcard from: Mike Cotty

v words Samuel Moore photography Joel Hewitt

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Cornwall seems to be the only place I have ever been where rain has the enterprising ability of falling horizontally... It is typical June weather as I step through the door of Espressini, a cosy and somewhat fashionable coffee house in the centre of Falmouth, its windows condensed to opaque due to the foul weather outside and the warm, coffee-infused air inside. I’m here to soak up some café culture with 22-year-old Lucy Gardner, a cycling fanatic and graduate of Falmouth University’s Performance Sportswear Design course. She has just released a range of cycling clothing as part of her final year assessment. My photographer Joel Hewitt has already arrived, reclining in an antiquated chair, an Americano in-hand. Lucy is here too. She is sipping a hot chocolate. “I’m the worst cyclist in the world: I hate coffee. One time when I had an interview for an internship at Rapha they asked if I wanted a coffee. Not wanting to seem unfashionable, I said yes; I sat there trying to sneak as many sugars in to it as possible without them noticing.” Lucy makes no apologies for who she is, and her bold personality resonates within her designs, which are mostly inspired by a 1960s film about hallucinogenic drugs...

Hello Velo

“I’m the worst cyclist in the world...

... I hate coffee” 35

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hat were your main inspirations when designing this range of clothing?

Well it was actually mainly from the Beatlesinspired film Yellow Submarine that I used to watch with my late uncle Philip. I was way too young to get the subtext, but I just remember it being the weirdest film and it has stayed with me throughout my life. I hadn’t seen it in about ten years before starting this collection, however, but when I re-watched it I found that there was so much texture and colour and variation and style in that film. You know, you go from this drab city-scape scene to this like, mental universe of everything just being completely bonkers. And I just thought that it’s such a nice, happy film, but it’s also quite dark in places, so I thought it was a really interesting point to draw inspiration from.

So what aspects of your clothing are directly drawn from the film? The polka-dots are the main thing really. There’s that scene where they’re walking through this white background but then start walking through these black holes. The colours were a big one too: all the colours in the clothes are taken from the film. I didn’t want it to be too ridiculous, so I did mute it down to an extent, but I wanted to start with something that was almost too much and then bring it down, rather than start with something dull and then end up with something completely boring. It was very important to make sure that it all sat well with cycling culture and wasn’t going to totally cross the boundaries of what people are comfortable with wearing. I also to make it a bit more fun compared to what is mainly marketed. It’s quite a serious sport

cycling, and I didn’t want to take anything away from that, but I also wanted to give it a bit of a sense of humour.

Did you have any overarching objectives when designing the range? Definitely about them being a bit more fun than some of the mainstream brands. I also balanced my collection between 3 men’s and 3 women’s outfits because I think that women are often over-looked – like, I know when I go in to a bike shop I’ll often see clothing that are only available in either black, purple or pink, and I’m just really frustrated with that. I don’t think that looking feminine has to be achieved with just tribal flowers and all that bullshit. It’s weird because you can get a ‘serious’ women’s bike, but when it comes to getting ‘serious’ women’s clothing it’s quite tricky, especially with the bib shorts and bib tights. The ones made for men don’t work for women and I don’t know if you’ve seen the ones made for women but it just looks like you’ve put them on backwards, it’s ridiculous. I also wanted to achieve that feminine aspect without looking over-sexy. Like, I don’t know if you’ve seen Assos and their photo-shoots, when they’ve got women in really tight tights, topless, and in heels! Like, literally six-inch stilettos – what the fuck? I’ve met enough girls that are fucking amazing to know that they don’t need that shit, and it’s not going to get more women in to the sport.

So the female aspect was important to you obviously, even though you’ve done male clothing as well? Yeah, because you can’t ignore the fact

“I don’t think that looking feminine has to be achieved with tribal flowers and all that bullshit”

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that the male demographic is the dominant market. I guess that functionality-wise, men’s cycling clothing is pretty much nailed. There might be a few gripes here and there but usually it’s just up to personal preference. So with the men’s I was mainly focused on aesthetics, but for the women’s I felt there was a whole myriad of problems that needed solving.

So a lot of your designs are from personal experiences as a rider? Definitely. Like I said about the bib tights, and not being able to find ones that are comfortable but don’t also look absolutely ridiculous. So things like that. And also the coat that I designed has a lot of stretch over the shoulders, because I’ve always found that when getting down low on the drops, before you know it something’s pulling up at the back and between your shoulders, so I wanted to sort that out. Having a good layering system was important to me too. I find I pull bits from different brands when choosing what to wear, so I end up with this completely Frankenstein thing of layers that doesn’t really fit together. When designing this range I wanted to make sure that I made a complete outfit. So yeah, it’s all stuff that I would wear definitely. Having said that I had my female model Milena - who isn’t a cyclist - but really enjoyed it, so I thought “well if she feels comfortable in these bib tights…” She doesn’t really get what they are, but if she still finds them comfortable then obviously something’s worked I guess.

Other than what you’ve already mentioned, did you feel that there were any other problems that you were trying to address with your outfits? Yeah. Quite a big one was sustainability. I mean, it’s like a Pandora’s Box; you can’t

Hello Velo

“For the women’s clothing I felt there was a whole myriad of problems that needed solving”

win! You can’t assume that just because you’ve used a bamboo fabric you’ve ticked the box for being ‘eco-friendly’ because a lot of the time, if you’re making something new, you’re doing something wrong. You’re using resources or something’s wrong there. I was quite surprised that there aren’t many cycling brands that address that successfully, and there doesn’t seem to be a large consideration for it. I guess it’s because you get through cycling kit pretty quickly and it does wear out. So I was trying to look at it from the perspective of keeping down air-miles and sourcing as much local fabrics as possible – most of my fabrics are from within Europe. I’d like to think that as British manufacturing gets back on its feet it would be possible to

get things entirely designed and produced in the UK, but at the moment just finding things like seat pads is basically impossible.

What is your favourite design from the collection? Definitely the women’s coat – the silver one with the black stretch panels – because it’s really versatile as it would work with cycling but also running and casual wear; It’s just one of those garments that everyone has said that they loved generally, and I feel that with that there isn’t really an equivalent on the market at the moment, so I think it’s quite unique really. I can’t wait to test it out!

“You can’t assume that just because you’ve used bamboo fabrics you’ve ticked the box for being ‘eco-friendly’”

How important would you say it is for these designs to come from a cyclist and not just a sportswear designer? So important, especially as cyclists are the most pernickety people about clothing ever. I’ve only been into cycling since I was about 15/16, and when I was a kid I remember thinking that my dad looked absolutely hilarious in his 80s jerseys, which he still wears now. They’re considered ‘cool’ again now, but when I was nine I was just like: “what are you doing?” But yeah, within the circle of cycling there seem to be a lot of unwritten rules about clothing: matching just enough so that it goes, but not over-matching so it looks like

you’re trying too hard, for example. So knowing all those little cultural aspects of the sports compared to someone who perhaps hadn’t spent any time with it is really important. I guess you could come at it from a research angle, but I think you really have to understand it. For example, someone said to me: “oh, why didn’t you put headphone feeds in to your jackets?,” And I was like: “because if you ride with headphones in the city then you’re an idiot”. When you get hit by a car it’s not going to hold up in court when you say “oh, I was listening to Arcade Fire in the other ear, sorry.” If you want to do that then that’s fine but I’m not going to facilitate it.

“In this business, there are thousands of people you have to please”

Yeah they were amazing I loved it! It was really good to meet a lot of industry people and it was actually through Lauren at Shutt that I got a bit more of my feminist ideals as she’s really into facilitating women’s racing. I mean I hadn’t really noticed it before, because a lot of girls do ride bikes – you know, they’ll ride them to town or whatever – but for many it tends to stop at the pootling around point. I remember Lauren and I had a quite a long conversation about it and how it is quite difficult for women to get in to it as it is a male-dominated sport. That was definitely a big thing for me and she helped me consolidate all these thoughts I You recently exhibited your work in London, had about women in cycling, and I still don’t think I’ve quite consolidated them all just could you tell us a bit about that? yet. Another thing with Shutt is that they do a Yeah sure. So, along with the rest of my lot of British manufacturing, which I’m all course, I exhibited at Free Range at the old for. I used to find it really frustrating and Truman Brewery in London. We had a sort think: “why don’t people make more stuff of opening party with quite a few industry in the UK?” But after spending time with people there; Adidas, Rapha, Old Navy, them it became apparent that it is totally H&M, Debenhams. It was really quite understandable why businesses often don’t diverse which was great, and I got to speak because it’s so difficult to find manufacturers, to quite a few people about my work which it’s difficult to find suppliers, and it’s difficult was really good. And then of course there to find people who specialise in these specific was anyone who wanted to come in off the areas. So it was quite a reality check for me street that were interested and wanted to take a look. It was a good chance to get into really, but it also made me happy because at the same time Shutt do manage to do a lot of the habit of talking about my own work UK production and I realised that it is in fact as that’s something that I’m not very good possible in a lot of areas. at. Probably the best person I spoke to was Spending time with people who are Graham Raeburn from Rapha and a couple really passionate about cycling and about from a new mountain biking start-up which design was another thing. They gave me a was really interesting. Actually I met Cherie Blair as well [laughs] apparently she’s friends pretty free range to play around with ideas with our lecturer and so came along. She was and I ended up actually designing a lot of wearing some wonderful white kitten heels… clothing for them which will be going in to production, which was very cool. I think that But yeah she was really nice. I didn’t get to when you’re a student you can get stuck a bit talk to her about politics but there you go. about what you would like and what maybe She actually talked about her son a lot and your close friends would like and you forget how he was in to cycling… that in this business there are thousands of people that you have to please. That made Could you tell me about your experience me grow up a bit as a designer because when with Shutt Velo Rapide?

you think “I wouldn’t like it like this, but actually that’s just me”.

What are your plans now that you’ve graduated? [Pauses] Erm. Yeah I’ve just been cold-calling companies really. I mean, it’s obviously difficult when there aren’t actually any vacancies advertised. Probably the most difficult thing is the fact that it’s such a competitive area to work in. But I’m hoping that as I’ve come at it from a specialist area – I definitely want to work within cycling – it’ll 44

help me in getting picked up. I just need to keep being persistent I suppose. But in the mean time I can just go back to my job in the co-op…

If you could work with any cycle clothing designer who would it be and why? Do you know what I think that if someone like Raf Simmons did a cycling range that would be amazing. Obviously with him being a general fashion designer it’s a bit different, but I think there should be more room for cycle-wear companies to collaborate with

Hello Velo

“I think there should be more room for for cyclewear companies to collaborate with fashion designers” the point where you have someone putting their label to something that’s literally just a product and is merchandised. That’s when it starts to get irritating. But Paul Smith is great though. Some of the materials and the films he’s done with Rapha for example are pretty amazing. It’s sold it to me that he’s legitimately interested in the sport. Whereas you get a brand like H&M doing a line of cycle clothing, like: “oh hey, there’s a market for hipsters in London that will buy this stuff”. That to me is a cop-out and it’s just bad, lazy design and I hope people see through that… this interview is going to have killed my career before it’s even started…

fashion designers.

Would you say that after Paul Smith designing this year’s Giro d’Italia leaders’ jerseys, that this could be the way of the future for cycle clothing? Do you know, it’s difficult, because Paul Smith was a semi-pro cyclist himself, and fair enough he is an incredible designer and he knows his shit about the sport. But what really grinds my gears is when it’s like ‘Miley Cyrus’ new fashion line’ and it gets to

Do you think there is a problem with pricing these days? What with the only thing I can afford from Rapha being the socks… It’s hard to say, because I know that they make a lot of their stuff in Portugal and obviously that does come with a cost. Obviously I don’t know about their mark-up or whatever but I imagine that they spend a great deal on marketing. I think there is a fine balance between providence and design. I mean you’ve gotta get it right – you do get what you pay for in cycling.

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Images ÂŠ Malicki Damian and Sam Fitzgerald

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CHRIS

OPIE

Jersey

“some bleddy boy!” We hear this phrase a lot when speaking of Cornwall’s very own pro cyclist Chris Opie. Recently, the entire country has had similar words to say about the man as well. Why? Because of his blistering and awe-inspiring performances throughout the UK’s premier criterium cycling extravaganza: The Pearl Izumi Tour Series. Racing for Team UK Youth, Opie helped the team dominate the Series with a string of individual wins as well as the recordbreaking general classification to receive the team leaders’ red jersey. Luckily, you can go and see the jersey for yourself at Bike Chain Bissoe Bike Hire & Cafe - and if you’re lucky, you may even see the man himself. Stay with us, as in a future edition of Rolya we will be showcasing Mr. Opie with a fully-fledged feature. We can’t wait... Some bleddy boy eh?!

Round 1

Kirkaldy

8th

Round 2

Durham

20th+

Round 3

Stoke-On-Trent

16th

Round 4

Aberystwyth

2nd

Round 5

Torquay

4th

Round 6

Colchester

Rested

Round 7

Redditch

3rd

Round 8

Canary Wharf

1st

Round 9

Woking

- Rested

Round 10

Aylsham

1st

Round 11

Ipswich TTT

Round 11

Ipswich

18th

1st

cornish Series The

photography Emma Roberts and Natalie Cheetham

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The Cornish Series

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an uncharacteristically warm, cloudless, windless, dry day; and everyone is here for the final Cornish Series to be held at RAF Portreath

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Racers and teams from all across Cornwall compete across the categories, utilising Portreathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s various circuits

RRH Portreath is a Remote Radar Head operated by the Royal Air Force. It is situated at Nancekuke Common on the cliff-tops to the north of Portreath Beach and southwest of Porthtowan. Its â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;golf ballâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; radar provides long-range coverage to all the southwestern approaches to the UK

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The base was built during 1940 and opened in March 1941 as an RAF Fighter Command station initially; from October 1941 as a ferry stop-over for aircraft bound to and from North Africa and the Middle East; as a temporary stop-over for USAAF

The Cornish Series

and RCAF units; and then as a Coastal Command station. By the end of the war, it had run down, and in May 1950 was handed back to the government by the RAF

The base reverted to its local name Nancekuke and became an outstation of Chemical Defence Establishment Porton Down. Manufacture of the nerve agent Sarin commenced here in the early 1950s, and Nancekuke became an important factory for stockpiling the UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chemical Defences during the Cold War

Over the past few years it has been home to the Cornish Series, Cornwallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest criterium racing event

The last race to be held at RAF Portreath was on Saturday 25 May 2013 R

O&AQ&A Lucy Stewart sports masseuse

O&A Q&A

What is your background in sport? All the way back to education, jobs - everything Mainly my background is within general massage, gradually becoming more and more involved in sport. I’ve been a qualified masseuse for about 6 years now. I started off doing classical Swedish massage, and then I discovered sports massage - It’s just so much more interesting to me. I worked a few years in the industry and then started to specialise more and more in sports. Ricci has given me great support, and I have been working with the cyclists here [One & All Cycling] for quite a few years now, and with the Academy just over a year ago. Basically I work with the children and youths who are cycling for the club and who gain points in races for the club. It gives them the edge the advantage in what they’re doing. It’s a two way system really: I share my expertise with the cyclists, and in return, I learn more and more about cycling.

Who do you focus on mainly with the treatment? I volunteer a couple of hours a week down here (Bike Chain Bissoe). This year I aim to spend more time focusing on the ones that are cycling most and therefore need the most treatment. That tends to be the older ones. I see to some of the younger ones too however, those doing BMX and who are serious cyclists. But I mainly work with the older road cyclists, such as James Round.

With remedial massage I work on the muscles and then give them homework. So I might be loosening the muscles around the back of the gluteus and then they have to strengthen the muscles at the the front, the adductors.

What do you do when not with One & All Cycling? I have my own clinic where I give massage therapy. It’s such an interesting job because you work with so many different people. Some clients are elite athletes that have won world-class events; I’ve worked with stunt men, lifeguards, triathletes, swimmers and skiers. Even OAPs, who mostly come to me so they can simply move better and keep mobile. When did you start your own business? About five years ago. I just started doing it at evenings and weekends. I then reduced my time working the day-job and switched the massage business to part-time. As of September, I am going to be doing it full-time.

Have you ever worked with any professional athletes? This is something that I would like to get in to next. I have worked with individuals but I would love the opportunity to work with a team. That will then feed back in to my own practice as I’d be learning from them as well.

What is it about sports massaging that you find interesting?

Does seeing the riders perform give you a sense of pride in your work?

It’s just very rewarding. I get people coming up to me with an ache or pain all the time, but it’s not just a case of massaging that particular area. I find it’s more about tracing it back and finding out why they’re hurting there. They could be aching because of their posture; their shoulders could be aching because of the way they’re standing; it could be their foot function causing problems in other areas of their bodies. Someone came to me recently with lower back ache,so we worked through it and found out that they had a hip impingement. Now, because of the work I’ve done with them they don’t actually need an operation anymore. I am doing another course at the minute which will take me up to level 5 in sports and remedial massage, which is the top level within the country at the minute. It’s a top-up course in London and it’s really interesting.

Absolutely. It’s amazing seeing the progress that they make. It gives them a boost, psychologically as well as physically, because it makes it seem like a more professional outfit. They get an excellent programme with One & All Cycling to help them develop, as well as with the support of other people; the likes of South West professionals like Chris Opie, Steve Lampier and Yanto Barker especially. It really ensures the riders are getting the best out of what they can do.

Book an appointement with Lucy online or by coming down to Bike Chain Bissoe on a Sunday morning! www.lucystewartmassage.co.uk 07951487432 The Blue Lotus Therapy Centre, Scorrier, Redruth

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Contributor KOMs

KOMs Editorial Samuel Moore

Joel Hewitt

Most recent KOM: ‘Cresta Run’, Cornwall; 1.5km; 00:01.58; June 23 2013

Most recent KOM: ‘Little Road to Bargate’, Grimsby; 1.9km; 00:02.34; June 30 2013

Issue 02 Contributors Chris Opie

Natalie Cheetham

Most recent KOM: ‘Wittenham to Wittenham’, Dorchester-onThames; 1.6km; 00:02.31; June 27 2013

Most recent QOM: ‘Scartho Rise’, Grimsby; 1.5km; 00:04.08; June 24 2013

James Round Most recent KOM: ‘Perranporth 1.6m Circuit’, Perranporth; 2.6km; 00:04.17; June 13 2013

Rolya editor Samuel Moore artistic director Joel Hewitt Issue 02 contributors Emma Roberts/Natalie Cheetham/ Malicki Damian/Sam Fitzgerald

Merci!