Publisher - What's Cool In Road Cycling

Mark Bell was a British road champion as an amateur and a professional, plus he had an uncountable amount of wins, but there could have been much more in his shortened career. Mark was also taken from us too early at only 48 years of age. Ed Hood spoke to his brother, Tony Bell, to hear more about Mark's life.

The British invented the safety bicycle, but racing in the United Kingdom took its own peculiar course as competing en masse on the open road was forbidden, the Brits circumvented the rules with a focus on the individual time trial. While racing has come out into the open, and British success at the highest level of racing is undoubted, there remains a peculiar holdover from days past: hill climb racing.

The peloton has its characters, but cycling is such a hard sport that having a wild time is not a good idea. On the other hand there are a few riders who have managed to have a good time between racing. Ed Hood has his pick of the 'Peloton Party Animals'.

2020 saw the creation of a new website by a group of writers focused on providing a way of satisfying our need for good literature during the pandemic. Covid-19 continues, but the crew at La Course en Tete has not been idle and the result is their second annual review of the pro racing season: “Racing in the Time of the Super-Teams.”

Following the global disruptions of 2020, the question was whether this year would see some kind of return to normality. If “normal” means the same kind of exciting racing we actually did see last year, then 2021 had plenty to offer and the latest edition of the unique cycling almanac, “The Road Book,” brings those memories back in focus, along with plenty of other entertainment.

The World Hour record is the true test of a champion. Riders have needed to be lifted off their machine at the finish, and the great Eddy Merckx said it shortened his career, but they will never stop trying. Ed Hood takes a look at the top men who failed in the hour race of truth.