Rider of the Month - Rob Pidgeon
Every month I’ll be interviewing a rider, each with a different background, ability, experience, interest and plans for the future. The people interviewed will represent a spectrum of links to the cycling world; some will be racers, some supporters, some mentors or coaches, some new to cycling and some with a long history with the sport.
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF?
Firstly, I am probably not the type of rider you’d expect to find on the SPSC team: I am 72 years old, I no longer race, and my cycling is now all about enjoyment, not speed! However, the fact that I am demonstrates the inclusivity of the team and the ethos that “cycling is for everyone’.
My first experience of club cycling was in the late 1960’s/early 1970‘s with Mid Cornwall CC. This was when the club was based in Camborne and Truro and revolved around 10 mile Tuesday evening TT’s on the Praze course, 25 mile Sunday morning TT’s to Penzance and back, and numerous club runs! One of the club’s leading lights was a certain Len Pascoe - I have many fond memories of learning from him and of making the acquaintance of a very young Ricci Pascoe!
Like many, I dropped out of cycling for several years (young male distractions, work, rugby, squash and running took over) but I got back into it around 2010 via the dog-related sports of canicross and bikejor (ask me about it!).
In 2019 I met up with Ricci again and started supporting Saint Piran. This really rekindled my love of cycling and I now cycle pretty much daily – either on Zwift indoors, or outside riding road and gravel Sportives, and solo rides around Suffolk, where I now live.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RIDE?
My favourite ride is usually the last one I did! I love riding around the lanes and villages of East Anglia (it’s not as flat as you think!) – so much history, the coast, the forests and the picturesque villages and towns.
Having said all that, I think my favourite ride is the Etape Loch Ness which I did in 2024 to celebrate my 70th birthday. As well as the obvious challenge of ‘that’ climb, and the incredible views, what made it stand out was that 13 Zwift friends changed from ‘virtual’ to ‘real’ riders and came to share my special day.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE, OR ‘HERO’ KIT?
I love Rapha kit – the quality and fit are outstanding.
However, my favourites are my Cargo Bib Shorts from RedWhite Apparel. These are my go-to bibshorts for all long rides. Yes – they have side pockets as do all cargo shorts, and they also have 2 rear pockets which are ideal for spare kit such as a gilet, rain jacket, arm/leg warmers (as long as you don’t mind looking like Quasimodo!). But the main reason why I like these is that they don’t have the inside leg seam which you find on most (all?) other bibshorts/tights. It might be a personal thing but this makes a huge difference to the comfort of long rides!
AND FINALLY, TELL US ABOUT YOUR FAVOURITE BIKE
During COVID, I bought a 1968 Hetchins Vade Mecum 1 frame which I then restored back to being rideable, whilst maintaining its original looks (for example the wheels have original 1970’s Campag Nuovo Record large flange hubs, but modern Pacenti alloy rims with tubeless tyres). This bike only ventures out on sunny days and for special events - please don’t tell my wife what I have spent getting it back to being a cherished bike.
More recently, I let Ricci persuade me to buy a lovely titanium Enigma Escape which I use for both gravel and shorter road rides.
However, my favourite bike must be my Colnago e64. In 2019, arthritic knees were beginning to slow me down, so I let Ricci sell me a wonderful Colnago e64 e-road bike which kept me cycling up to and since a knee replacement operation. I still use this e-bike regularly for my longer rides - I use minimal e-bike assistance, meaning I easily get a range of 210 km with a range extender battery.
As well as the obvious attractions of the e-bike assistance and the ‘feel’ of its Colnago C64 heritage, it is set it up for comfort on longer rides – it has a Red Shift suspension stem and shallow Red Shift gravel handlebars. And of course a Brooks B17 Carved saddle (as do all my bikes).
So yes – my favourite bike is an e-bike, but it keeps me smiling before, during and after my rides – and at 72, that means I can look forward to many more years of doing so!