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ride britain. simon warren. little brown publishing hardback 254pp illus. £25

ride britain - simon warren

every year, even this one, the velo club meet 'foreign' (ie, not local) cyclists, those who are visiting for a day or so, and graciously join us for the sunday ride. and, considering islay's status as an island, and thus possessed of a fixed number of roads, there is an effective limit to the parcours available for our weekly perambulations. invariably, someone will ask whether we ever become bored with cycling the same roads, week in, week out, to which the standard answer is 'no'.

it's a perfectly honest answer. due to the nature of the hebrides and the wide and frequent changes in the weather, rarely does the same road seem like the same road two weeks in a row. so, despite having lived here for more than thirty years, i'm more than happy to follow the same route week in, week out, because rarely is it ridden in identical conditions. however, when breathing reverts to a conversational level, we usually discover that, despite the wide availability of routes pretty much anywhere on the mainland, we're not the only ones who tend to ride the same course every week.

if nothing else, it likely proves that cyclists are creatures of habit.

unless, of course, your name is simon warren. and even that is something of a subjective statement, given that the man has a disarming habit of riding up steep hills, wherever those steep hills happen to be. and following a series of pocket sized books in his '100 climbs', series, simon has spread his metaphorical wings and explored several favoured nooks and crannies of the british isles, compiled into a stylish coffee table format. admittedly, it's designed to fit a smaller size coffee table than some, but what it lacks in heft, it more than makes up for in impeccable design and compulsive content.

"...I have shaken myself free from the shackles of my pocket guides, and for the first time linked the dots between the hills to present you with 40 awesome routes."

however, essentially, the formula is similar to that of the '100 climbs' series; simon chooses steep and often gruelling ascents across the nation, then rides up them with consummate ease, succeeding, in the process, of making most of us look like slobby couch potatoes. the difference this time, is contained in the above quote from the introduction; these are more than simply a series of hills. this time the grimpeurship is included within often substantial routes; the longest entails 274 kilometres of pedalling. even undertaking "the biggest climb of them all", is built into a 214km ride around a renowned portion of scotland's west coast.

the other huge difference this time, is the phenomenal accompanying photography. though i'd scarcely refer to myself as a photographer, my work brings me into persistent contact with photography, and i like to think i know what's good and what's not. this, in case i've not made myself clear, is good. very good. though simon warren is no slouch when it comes to taking snaps, it requires a special kind of dexterity to ride confidently up hills and press the shutter at the same time. simon has, therefore, recruited the talents of andy jones and phil hall. an excellent decision in my opinion.

as a bit of a home boy, i'd be surprised if i ever undertake any of the rides within the books magnificent 250 + pages, though i do have a hankering to ride the bealach na ba before i'm too ancient to do so. but i can sit back in my leather armchair, wearing my fur-lined slippers, a cup of mint tea on the side table, and peruse the glorious imagery, while imagining i'm every bit as intrepid an adventurer that i'd have you believe i truly am.

ride britain is thematically separated into regional chapters, stretching from south west england, to north west scotland, by way of the south east, the midlands, yorkshire, the north east, scotland (notable for a chapter named after a track on led zeppelin iv), the north west and wales. for lovers of cobbled roads (me, me, me), simon's adherence to a musical meme continues with a chapter entitled 'Rock and Roll', describing the 'Rough and tumble on the cobbles of West Yorkshire'. doubtless the next step is warren cycle travel ltd.

"Think cobbles, think Belgium, think Flanders. Think the Oude Kwaremont, the Paterberg and the Koppenberg: the famus roads that have wreaked havoc beneath cyclists' tyres for generations. Yes? No. Think Yorkshire."

aside from the glorious photography, often colourfully spread across two wide-format pages, each numbered and graded ride is accompanied by a map, a profile that usually resembles the teeth of a tyranosaurus, a summary of the key climbs, the total distance covered and the total vertical distance achieved on completion. not for nothing is the author a graphic designer. but, as simon points out, "As the book is too large to take on rides, by following the map, you can then plot the course on an online route builder to download to your computer, or if you prefer, you can go old school and take paper maps out with you."

however, with scotland currently separated into levels one to three and england in lockdown, your choice of ride is essentially restricted to the routes achievable within current governmental guidelines, offering the perfect excuse to buy a copy and plan for next year, when hopefully all will have returned to something resembling normality.

by which time simon will probably be listening to 'physical graffiti'.

100 climbs

friday 13 november 2020

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