Through the streets of your town

Over the past few days Britain has made yet more cycling history by staging the first women's Tour of Britain. It's another clear indication of the unstoppable rise in popularity of women's cycling. But women's cycling is nothing new of course, as anyone who remembers champions such as Beryl Burton and Eileen Sheridan will know. Their achievements are still rightly seen as extraordinary even by today's standards – especially in light of the crude, heavy equipment they had to use. Back in the first edition of Simpson (pages 50-63) we spoke of the wonderfully surreal experience of seeing world-class cyclists riding on roads familiar from our Sunday rides. The same euphoric feeling overcame us again when the cream of women's international cycling sped through Kesgrave on stage one of the Women’s Tour, including Olympic road race champion Marianne Vos and runner up Lizzie Armistead, Laura Trott, Danni King, Emma Pooley and European cyclo-cross champion Helen Wyman. After many years on the fringes, the sport of cycling has now been embraced by the masses. Most people can now name a pro cyclist and we’re delighted that this now applies to women cyclists too. We witnessed many young autograph hunters keen to obtain the signatures of their heroines. Look out for a full account of the Women's Tour in our next edition.

All in a week's work

It's always flattering when people say nice things about you – all the more so when it's a leading national newspaper. On Sunday we featured in a major article by Rowan Moore in The Observer about the state of cycling in Britain. Simpson was listed among 'Three of the best cycling mags', an accolade we're very proud of. While we’re talking about national exposure, we’ve teamed up with leading US cycling title Peloton and will be appearing bagged together at selected UK airports and mainline train stations. Rather like going on a ride with unfamiliar riders, we're always keen to explore new avenues, discover new adventures and see where we end up. Rest assured on one thing though: Simpson will always remain entirely independent.

Yorkshire roads to whet the appetite

Simpson took to the beautiful countryside of South Yorkshire over the Easter weekend to sample some of the roads that the Tour de France will race on in just a few weeks’ time. Many of them have been resurfaced, which is just as well because some of those that haven’t are in a truly shocking state. But the new tarmac is silky smooth and some of the routes it follows truly take the breath away (as do some of the hills...this is most definitely not a flat part of the world). We saw several potentially excellent vantage points for would-be Tour spectators but if you’re planning to catch the action we would recommend planning ahead – with more than a million people expected for the Grand Depart, this isn’t the kind of event you can expect to decide to attend on the day. We joined Sheffield’s La Squadra (http://lasquadra.co.uk/) riders for our Yorkshire recce and a finer bunch of chaps you couldn’t hope to meet. We will be meeting up with some of them again for the Eroica Britannia at the end of June and we can’t wait. Meanwhile, our best wishes go to Dan Kilby, one of the La Squadra team, who ended this weekend’s ride in the back of an ambulance after getting into a disagreement with some Sheffield tram lines while very generously escorting Simpson back to base. Get well soon Dan!

In foreign fields

Cycling provides many adventures – whether you’re on or off the bike. As a spectator sport it has no equal. No other sport offers such close access to its stars, free on public roads. We travelled to Flanders to witness first hand a Spring Classic and fell in love again with the glory and beauty of Tour cycling. The noise of the crowds cheering on their heroes, entire families all out together focused on their favourite riders. Kids scream out for the free race 'gifts' being handed out while parents and grandparents look on in anticipation of the race, remembering the classic races and legendary riders of their day. We were fortunate enough to be in Flanders with a group of club riders taking part in the official sportive the day before the actual race. This year we were there to cover the event for the next issue of the magazine. Who knows? Next year we may even enter ourselves… Apart from the race itself it was a full-on weekend of driving, navigating and avoiding the crowds to get the best vantage points. With the ‘Queen of the Classics', Paris-Roubaix, coming next we have another Monument of a weekend ahead!

Simpson goes for a Spin

All forms of cycling life are to be found at Spin London this weekend at the Old Truman Brewery in London’s East End, where a wonderfully eclectic set of bike and cycling-related brands are competing for the attention of lots of people who, in the main, look as though their riding mostly involves single speed fixies on urban streets. At the heart of the huge display area there’s a fenced off rectangle devoted to bike polo games and BMX trick riding displays, both of which clearly require incredible bike handling skills – much more advanced than we would ever claim to possess. Around the hall can be found artists, cycling clothing makers – including our friends Victor & Liberty and PedalEd – purveyors of every imaginable kind of cycling componentry and accessories, food and drink stalls and, of course, bike makers and retailers showing off a glorious variety of machines ranging from esoteric high end carbon track bikes to stylish steel city cruisers. Spin London comes together thanks to a wonderfully rich and varied collection of people who share a love of cycling and a reluctance to follow the herd – there are no major brands here. We felt right at home. The event’s success is a wonderful indicator of the British cycling scene’s rude health. Long may it continue!