We have a new addition to our
family who is stylish, sleek and sporty. I’m very excited as she is my first
brand new bike since the mint green mountain bike I bought when I was 18 and
that I still have, looking sad and neglected in the barn.
I give you the Pendleton Initial
ladies road bike from
Halfords, funnily enough, the same store I bought my
mountain bike from twenty-five years ago.
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| Pendleton Initial Ladies Road Bike |
Cycling has always been important
in our French life and even when Ed was only four he was happily riding five km
routes with us on the farm tracks, having learned to ride without stabilizers
shortly after we moved here. In 2011 we became a family of road bike cyclists,
a totally new experience for me. We all started off with second hand bikes and
I fell in love with Bluebelle, my 1980’s Mercier bike. Together she and I
covered about 2000km a year cycling the back roads of rural France and having
fun. We’ve seen fields of all colours, storks, deer, monuments, churches,
abbeys, chateaux, forgotten villages, rivers, the Atlantic and more. We even
took part in a local event with real cyclists, see
here. The decision to
upgrade was not an easy one, especially as, until I found the Pendleton nothing
had stirred my heart like my old Bluebelle, but for the sake of comfort the time is right
to move on. I really hope I have found my forever replacement. I won’t be
getting rid of Bluebelle but I think she has earned a quiet retirement.
I have ridden my first couple of
hundred kilometres on my new bike and so far, so good. The handlebars are much
more comfortable and changing gear is more straightforward, slicker and
smoother. Her small frame is just right for my small frame. Ade reckons I have increased my
average cruising speed by a couple of kilometres an hour, but I will never be
speedy like the real
Victoria Pendleton. For me cycling is more about the
journey than personal bests.
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| With my new Pendleton Initial |
This post is not sponsored by
Halfords, but I spoke to them about their new Pendleton range and Victoria’s
input in its design, and they gave me the following information:
"The Pendleton Initial
road bike is the first road bike to be added to the Pendleton Collection. The
specification, geometry, and design have all been chosen to perfectly suit the
female cyclist. The smaller frame sizes were chosen so that the model caters
for younger riders too, but the bike has been aimed at any female cyclist who
is looking to get into road cycling, or to further their love for the sport.
Victoria played an integral
part in the design process; right from the very first meeting her experience as
a female cyclist has influenced every decision. As a result, everyone involved
is extremely pleased with the final product, and we all hope that the new model
inspires more women to start, and to continue, cycling."
I have to admit that although the
white saddle it came with is beautiful, I have decided to keep the saddle I
bought earlier in the year, see
here. I have also taken the big step to
progress to cycling shoes that attach to the pedals; something Bluebelle was
too old to be compatible with. So far, I have managed not to fall off, but I’m
sure that won’t last forever.
I will certainly be putting her
through her paces this summer, including lots of cycling in Poitou-Charentes and short
breaks in Normandy and the Pyrenees, where I hope her compact gear will help me
glide effortlessly up the hills of the Basque Country. She is my little bit of
British heritage who, like me, is very much at home cruising in France.
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| Pendleton Initial Road Bike in France |
One of my reads this summer has
been Victoria’s autobiography, Between the Lines. I was instantly hit by the
drive, determination and emotion flowing through the book that left me gripped
and page turning. I also learned a lot about the world of track cycling and
what it takes to be a champion and my head was awash with emotions and adrenalin
after reading this book.
