Norwood Junior Bike Ride and Duathlon

10th April 2013 - filed under EVENTS, SPONSORSHIP, STORE NEWS

Giant Radlett are proud to sponsor the Norwood Junior Bike Ride and Duathlon for 2013.

We will again be providing technical support on the day as well as using our team riders as rolling marshals as well as working with Norwood to plan the route and other details of the event.

This years ride takes place on June 9th - click here for more details and entry for the Norwood Junior Bike Ride and Duathlon 2013

The Giant Store Shoreham Help the Fastest Rider in Europe

27th March 2013 - filed under SPONSORSHIP, STORE NEWS

Fastest Bike In Europe

The Giant Store Shoreham is supporting local rider, Simon Atkinson in his bid to become the fastest person to cycle across Europe this summer!

Simon hopes to smash the current Guinness World Record of 39 days on his new Giant TCX 1 when he sets off in July  from the bottom of Europe at Tarifa, Spain with the aim of reaching Nordkapp in Norway about 4000 miles and 28 days later.

The route takes Simon from Spain, through Andorra, France, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Finland and finally Norway. He will be riding unsupported and camping along the way. That’s some summer cycling tour!

“I’m very grateful to Rod, Rob and the guys at Giant Shoreham for their support with clothing, equipment, and donating and preparing the bike,” said Simon. “This is an awfully big adventure and the Giant TCX should prove a good companion.”

Simon will be using his record attempt to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care and you can help by texting ‘gwra74 £1’ and donating £1 – or more.

The Giant Store Shoreham are pleased to be helping an ordinary rider like Simon take on one of the bikes from the store to attempt such an extraordinary feat.

Check back here for updates on Simon's progress!

Giant Store Dublin rider heads to Sicily!

26th March 2013 - filed under SPONSORSHIP, STORE NEWS

Giant Team Enduro rider Daragh Smith jetted off this week to compete in round 1 of The Bluegrass Enduro Tour in Sicily!

All the best from everyone at the Giant Store Dublin and EPICmtb!

From tiny acorns Giants grow

13th March 2013 - filed under SPONSORSHIP, STORE NEWS

Giant Shoreham Manager Phil is pictured handing over some extra-small Giant road and mountain bikes to local youth cycling club VC Jubilee. VC Jubilee are fantastic at encouraging children to improve their skills across all disciplines of cycling from mountain biking, cyclocross, track cycling to road cycling and are happy to loan bikes to members if they are keen to be involved but do not have the bike appropriate for the discipline. 

Club spokesperson, Sheryl Tipton said;

“We really want to thank Giant Shoreham for this donation of bikes as they have recognised what the club does as important for cycling and important for the local community.” 

 Giant Shoreham is the largest independently-owned bike shop in Sussex. Owners Rod and Maria Lambert rediscovered their own love of cycling when their children were growing up and have been keen to help VC Jubilee with their youth cycling ever since they opened Giant Shoreham 18 months ago;

“Cycling is great way for boys and girls to make friends and keep fit,” said Rod. “Much better than being stuck in front of a computer screen for hours on end.”

“I’m so pleased we can offer the club these bikes,” added Maria. “We’ve been pushing for years for bikes in smaller frame sizes and to be able to offer youth mountain bikes and road bikes of this quality means we can encourage new cycling stars at an earlier age than before. VC Jubilee do a great job with the kids in encouraging all cycling disciplines. We love seeing their smiling faces going past the shop windows on their club rides.”

Rod and Maria both agreed;

“Shoreham is a great town, and we’ve been made very welcome since we opened in the autumn of 2011, so it’s nice to be able to give something back.”

ROB PELHAM IS 50 MILE CHAMPION

24th July 2012 - filed under SPONSORSHIP, STORE NEWS

Giant Store Shoreham rider Rob Pelham rode his Giant Trinity Advanced SL to victory in the East Sussex Cycling Association 50 Mile TT Championship.

After narrowly missing out on the title last year by a mere 12 seconds, Rob was determined not to be the bridesmaid again in the 2012 championship.

Speaking of his tactics for the race Rob said;

"The course is basically 2 x the local 25 miler. Starting last I was able to make rough timechecks on the other favourites at around the halfway point. I seemed to be a handful of seconds down but had faith in my pre-race schedule of starting easy & finishing hard."

He continued;

"The last 10 miles to the finish were my quickest despite the crosswinds which had picked up as the race went on. The Giant Trinity Advanced SL seems to relish the windy conditions & simply got faster & faster as I closed in on the finish"

The trust in his strategy of racing a negative split race was well founded as Rob recorded 57:27 for the first 25 & 55.42 for the second with a total race time of 1:53:09 giving him a winning margin of over 1 minute & 30 seconds fom second place.

Congratulations Rob!

FLYING FRENCHMAN STEPS UP TO EXPERT

1st March 2012 - filed under SPONSORSHIP

Giant Store Radlett's Flying Frenchman was recently in action in the first round of the Midlands XC Race Series - stepping up to the Expert category for the first time.

“It was the first time I was going to race in a new category in Expert, as well as racing the new bike that Dan at the Giant Store Radlett sponsored me for the new season. It is the Giant XTC 29er Composite 0.”

Describing his new steed for the 2012 season Franck said;

“The bike is lively and extremely fast – it doesnt take any more effort than a 26” wheel bike to accelerate and it just keeps the speed better. The bottom bracket area is so rigid you can feel all the energy that you are pushing through your legs going straight to the wheels. This is the advantage of the PowerCore bottom bracket.”

He continued;

“The bike feels very direct and not sluggish on tight turns. You can really feel the wheel turning when you are changing direction. It’s also extremely comfortable. I have been running a lower tyre pressure than I am used to, running just 25psi. That gave me great traction and comfort, without sacrificing on the speed.”

“All in all, this is an amazing bike: a great race, trail or just fun bike.”

Now for the race.

“I didn’t really know what to expect. I only expected a much higher pace and only hoped not to finish last. The start was really fast. I mean faster than what I was used to in Sport and it didn’t slow down. I had a pretty good start and quickly a group of half a dozen guys formed. We stayed together for the 1st lap, but I backed down a bit. It is very early in the season and I know that I am not yet fully race ready. I kept a pace that I know I could maintain for the whole race without losing position.”

Forming part of the chase group after the 1^st lap when a lead group of 3 crafted a gap Franck worked hard before backing off for the final lap.

“I finished 7th in my first outing in Expert. I am very happy with that result and it was really unexpected. I didn’t push as hard as possible and I kept a fair bit under my feet. It was a good race. I am now on holidays abroad for 3 weeks, and will come back to race the 1st round of the National Series at Sherwood Pines. I am very excited about it. I will be able to concentrate on my training without thinking about work.”

Congratulations Franck!

RADLETT’S FLYING FRENCHMAN FASTEST MAN IN THE SOUTH!

11th October 2011 - filed under SPONSORSHIP

Southern XC Series Champion, 6^th in overall national rankings

Franck Lebon rode to 5^th place in the final race of the 2011 Southern XC Series recently, meaning he won the overall series in the Sport category! Following a month gap since his last break in which he became a dad, Franck headed to the final round at Pippingford Estate in Sussex knowing that a good result would secure him the series.

“I was so happy to go back on my bike for racing, especially as long as I finished the race in a decent position, I would win the Overall. The weather was overcast, but ok. I went for my reconnaissance lap very happy with the new course design from the SMBC guys.

And then, with 45 minutes to go, all hell broke loose. It poured down and what was a dry perfect course became an ice-rink. Quick change of tyre and we were all on the start line. I had a good start and was at the front for the 1^st half of the lap. All was going well, and then in a now technical descent section, a friend of mine fell in front of me and I couldn’t do anything else but hit his bike. We became tangled and I lost 3 or 4 positions. I got back on the bike, but the damage was done and I never got back to them.”

But 5^th place was enough to secure the overall series – an amazing result for Franck who was competing in a tougher category than the previous season!

After two weeks rest it was time for the start of the Cyclocross series, which Franck is racing on the Giant TCX 1 this season.

“The good thing about CX is there is no category as such. You end up racing guys like Lee Williams, Adrian Lansley, or even Liam Killeen. The bike was amazing; light, but still rigid with helps you stay on the racing line you choose. The 2 sets of brakes on the bars are very helpful: you can put your hands on the top of the bar and don’t need to drop them to brake as you have another set of flat levers, like on a mountain bike.”

Franck started off towards the rear of the pack but worked hard to gradually pick off positions, producing a solid mid-pack finish – a good start to the season.

Following the overall series win at the Southern Series it was time for Franck to race in the final round of the British Mountain Bike Series at Newnham Park in Plymouth.

“I knew that I was in good hands with my Anthem X this year: the climbs at Newnham Park are brutal, but having the extra comfort to speed through the downhill section and the extra grip in the technical uphill climbs was a big advantage.

Again, I had a decent start. But as usual, I ended up (like many riders) on my bum in the off camber that had been made quite slippery by the recent rain. I had to go off the course boundary to pick the bike up and begin racing again! In the process, I broke my front derailleur shifter and was stuck on the small chainring, which to be honest is not really a problem at Newnham Park!

I stuck with it for the rest of the race and finished in 10^th place: my best result in the National Series. I was quite surprised and very happy at the same time!”

Newnham Park was Franck’s last ranking race of the season and he is placed 6^th in the overall rankings which means for 2012 he will be promoted to the Expert category.

“It will be a hard season with a massive step up in speed mainly. I’ll have to work on my technical abilities as well during the winter to improve them. Next year, I’ll be racing the all new XTC Composite 29er and I must say my 1^st impressions riding it are that I might not need too much training to improve my speed. That bike is a rocket!!!”

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GIANT RADLETT WIN HSBC TRIATHLON TEAM RELAY!

30th September 2011 - filed under EVENTS, SPONSORSHIP

The Giant Store Radlett team recently competed in the Team Relay at the HSBC Triathlon at Dorney Lake.

With a 1500m swim, 40 km bike and 10km run completed in relay format by Steph Wheatley, Andy Sanders & Kate Brown who recently won the London Duathlon Ultra Distance category - it was a real chance for the team to put all their hard work into this late season event.

All their hard work paid off - as the team took the win!  Speaking after the event we take a look at the perspectives of all three athletes and how their section contributed to the victory;

Stephanie Wheatley (Swim)

"The format of this event is that this is completed as a team with one person from each team completing a section before handing over the timing chip to the next person.  My section was the swim.

The swim start requires you to ‘tread water’ while waiting for the clock to count down to the ‘off’, which can be quite difficult as everyone battles for the front position before the race has started.  As the starting gun went off everyone launched themselves into their first stroke and the fight commences for your own space in the water.  This continued for quite some time, much longer than in other races that I have competed in and meant a delay in getting into my ideal stroke and breathing pattern.  At one point I lifted my head up to sight and check my position only to receive a foot in the face and a mouthful of water, but this is just something you need to get used to and I readjusted and refocused.

After a while I managed to get some clear water around me and concentrated on my speed and technique.  By this time I had completed 1 lap and was starting my final one.  As I turned the last corner I dug deep and tried to increase my speed. Reaching the ramp at the swim exit I climbed out and ran across the transition area to our cyclist Andrew Sanders, reaching down to take the timing chip off and pass it to him.  Andrew then headed out of the transition area to compete 8 laps on the bike."

Andy Sanders (Cycle)

"Standing in the transition area with the Giant TCR racked up and ready to go out I took the Time chip off the Steph doing the swim leg, grabbed the bike and sprinted out the transition area and onto the course. Quickly I was up to speed and putting the power down to start my 1st lap.  With a 1st lap speed of 26mph the TCR was pushing forward while I was tucked out the air on the Giant SL Carbon aero bars, I felt every bit of my energy going through the back wheel. I kept a constant pace throughout the bike leg to produce the 3rd quickest time of the event and put the team into 2nd position going in to the transition where the timer chip was handed over to Kate brown ready to head out on the final section of the race."

Kate Brown (Run)

"With a very smooth transition between myself and Andy I headed out on to the run section of the course, the sun was shining and with fresh legs I knew I could perform well. I settled into my pace targeting myself against my personal best time over 10k, things were going to plan and with noisy encouragement from the team before I knew it I was entering the finishing chute with the line in sight. I gritted my teeth and pushed over the line to the delight of the team. On checking my time I could not believe it I had beaten my PB…I gathered my breath and we all rushed to check the total times…. yet another 1^st for the Giant Radeltt Team!"

Another amazing victory for the Giant Radlett team, taking advantage of some brilliant athletes, the Giant Store Radlett's bike fitting and training expertise and of course the Giant bicycles and cycling gear!

Dan was once again really impressed with the teams efforts and brilliant result;

“We naturally work hard with any athlete that visits our store but for the work to pay off with 1^st place results for our team we are delighted. We are also looking forward to our flying Frenchman Franck Lebon taking the Southern Series MTB championships in a week or two’s time”

Good luck Franck and keep up the great work everyone!

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RADLETT RIDER WINS LONDON DUATHLON ULTRA!!!

18th September 2011 - filed under SPONSORSHIP

Kate Brown recently rode to victory for Giant Radlett at the London Duathlon in Richmond Park, London, winning the Ultra Distance category (20k run / 80k cycle / 10k run) in 4hrs 42mins & 02seconds!

Speaking after the event Kate said;

"It was my first competitive race for the Giant Radlett team and my first experience at Duathlon so as you can guess I was a little apprehensive as to how the race would pan out. All I had to go on was the timings from the previous year’s race so I used these as a guide. Having spent many years running marathons I knew the 2 runs would not be a problem but linking it all up to the long 80k cycle in the middle was going to be a challenge….just how I like it!

The starting pistol fired and I set off on the first run (20k) being careful not to over stretch it too much on the undulating course. I decided to keep to a moderate race pace preserving energy for the next 2 sections of the race, the run went well and I was pleased with my time as I entered the transition area in a time around 1 hour and 25 mins

I quickly grabbed my Giant Avail Advanced bike and headed out on the course, it was incredibly windy by this time so I got down on to my Giant Connect SL carbon aero bars and powered up to speed and cadence I could maintain. The heavens soon opened which for once I was grateful for as I dropped my bottle on the second lap, fortunately as the rain slowed Dan from the store was able to get a much needed bottle of water in to my hand as I motored passed him on the 6^th lap.   The bike was performing beautifully and the Cycle Fit carried out at the Giant Store Radlett was now coming in to its own allowing me to maximise every pedal stroke. I felt fast and was very pleased as I entered the transition point in a pleasing cycle time of about 2 ½ hours…

As I left for the last run (10k) and also the last leg of the race I was confident that I was in a good position. I got out on to the running track and pushed forward hard towards the end of the race. The sun started shining and I felt good but by this time it was a case of head down and get to the finish. After a short while I could see the finishing line approaching and soon crossed it to the delight of the other team members. I took few moments to gather myself before checking my time, it was 04.42.02 and I was very pleased with that. Shortly after it becomes apparent that I had won, by this time I was delighted with my performance!"

Also racing was Giant Radlett rider Stephanie Wheatley who was unfortunately hampered by injury preventing her from challenging Kate for the win.

Giant Store Radlett Manager Dan Chapman has been offering on going support to a group of riders this season with bike fitting and race support.  He was delighted with the team's performance;

“What a 1^st performance for the Giant Radeltt team at this flagship event, and with Kate beating her next closest rival by 35mins surely she is a robot! powerful stuff!”

Keep up the great work!!

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VERALUM CYCLE CLUB 10 MILE TIME TRIAL

8th September 2011 - filed under SPONSORSHIP

Giant rider Stephanie Wheatley recently participated in the Verulam 10 mile TT, she explains all in her blog below;

"The course used for this race is a different course to the weekly race.  I had ridden around it before to get a ‘feel’ for the course.  It turned out to be much hillier that the normal course but with some fast sections.  A time trial race is difficult as it is an all out effort against the clock.  It is also difficult as you start off at 1 minute intervals so you can never tell what your competition is doing.  You are awarded points which descend depending on your finish position with the winner being given 23 points.

This was the last Verulam Cycle Club 10 mile time trial of the 2011 season.  I was in first place in the league table but needed to win this race to secure the overall title winner or ‘Seabird Trophy’.

As I prepared myself at the start line I was thinking about what I needed to do.  I could hear the starter with his count down 3, 2, 1 go!  As I pushed off I tried to get as much speed up as possible as it has a fairly long straight section to start with.  Once I reached the hills I dug deep and pushed as hard as I could.  With my legs and lungs burning I focussed on keeping my cadence, aero body position and speed up as much as possible.  As I turned the last corner I gave it one last push and sprinted towards the finish line in Mark Cavendish style (although with not as much speed).

I looked down at my bike computer it was my fastest time yet.  The starter gave us our results I had finished in 2^nd place out of the women which wasn’t enough to secure the ‘Seabird Trophy’ (Fastest Time).  However I did win the Women’s Stokes Trophy which is awarded annually to the rider with the best aggregate on standard over their fastest six rides in the Club evening events.

It was a good effort and result bearing in mind it was my first attempt to win the 10 Mile Time Trial League."

Stephanie is now turnign her attention to the remaining races of the 2011 season including the London Duathlon and the HSBC Triathlon later this month.  She will also be working with Athletic Squared gym in Radlett over the winter season to improve her fitness in preparation for 2012.

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