Blog Archives
Rouleur Books – the World’s Finest Cycling Reportage
Team Sport are delighted to announce that Bloomsbury has launched a new cycling imprint with Rouleur – producers of the cult road cycling magazine and of beautiful, high quality cycling books.
Charlotte Croft, Head of the Bloomsbury Team Sport said:
“Rouleur represents the best in cycling publishing—and we are proud to be working in partnership with such a highly distinguished and respected brand to ensure these books reach the widest possible audience.
Stunning photography and gripping accounts mark Rouleur books out from the pack, and they have long been much admired and sought-after purchases for competitive athletes, keen amateur cyclists and armchair observers alike, making Rouleur books a must-have for any cycling fan.”
Rouleur Books – A must for any serious cycling fan
Rouleur Books will be produced and designed by Rouleur founder Guy Andrews and his team, with Bloomsbury providing the sales and marketing. The imprint, dedicated to publishing the best in cycling journalism and photography, will publish approximately six titles each year. The first titles, Coppi by Herbie Sykes, a lavish hardback examining the life of Fausto Coppi, who won the Tour de France in 1949 and 1952, and an updated edition of photography book Le Metier: The Seasons of a Professional Cyclist by Team Sky rider, Michael Barry, will be published in November 2012.
Coppi
As Wired magazine recently commented: ‘Rouleur is to bike magazines what National Geographic is to nature photography. Instead of glossy, well-lit portraits and fancy racing shots, its pages are filled with long, thoughtful photo spreads that drive deep narratives.‘
Real athletes row. Others just play games.
In a moment of madness it seems, in the euphoria of having moved near the river, I decided to join up at my local rowing club on the Thames for a beginners’ ‘Learn to Row‘ course. At just around 5ft 4in, I probably don’t have your typical rower’s physique, but having worked on my fitness beforehand, I’m hoping that I won’t show myself up too much.
The cox who will be taking us out on the river on Sunday for our first water-based session gave us a rundown on safety and general info, which included learning about the tidal Thames which has a twice daily rise and fall. The second half of the session was spent on the ergos with an experienced squad member talking us through the terminology of the parts of the stroke, and the body positions that maximize the power of your muscles in moving the boat.
Set the challenge of rowing 1000m against the clock, we rowed with passion – if not great technique . Times were taken and at the end of our month course we’ll be doing it again to see how much we’ve improved over the course through (hopefully) better technique and fitness. I’ll keep you posted as to how I eventually do. In the meantime though, I’m going to be doing a spot of swatting with the help of The Complete Guide to Indoor Rowing (out May 2012). It’s definitely worth a gander if any of you are in the same boat (pardon the pun).
Sunday approaches and apprehension increases, but as long there’s no capsizing or anti-elitist(!) swimmers to avoid, it should be a cracking day.
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Top 10 Tips for Running
Guest post contributed by Bloomsbury author Graeme Hilditch
Early spring sunshine is famous for kick-starting our cold winter souls back into life after months of shivering in sub-zero temperatures.
Although a range of outdoor activities are either resumed or started, it is running which is notorious for capturing the nation’s interest in the spring, and with so many mass participation 5k and 10k events taking place in the next few months, March and April are by far the best months to get started with a running regime.
So the question is, how do you get started?
There's no better time than spring to put a spring back in your step
If running has always been something you’ve wanted to try but you’ve never had the know-how or courage to give it a go, Bloomsbury’s 5K and 10K: From Start to Finish may be just the ticket.
Just the ticket for starting out.
To give you a taster, here are ten tops tips to get you started:
- Enjoyment is key – When starting out or starting up again after a few months ‘sabbatical’, always set out for a run with one intention and one intention only – enjoyment. If you enjoy yourself, you’re far more likely to want to do it again soon.
- Walk the walk – Combining light jogging and walking is a great way to get started. Just 2 minutes of jogging followed by 3 minutes of walking is perfect for the beginner.
- Buddy up – Jogging with a friend who is also new to jogging is a great way to stay motivated, and to have a good gossip and a laugh with during a training session.
- Nice and easy – Starting out jogging is never easy, so try not to jog too fast and stick to a nice moderate pace which you feel is comfortable – gentle enough to be able to hold a conversation.
- Hydrate – Although the temperature is not quite Mediterranean yet, always make sure you are well hydrated before any run.
- Running shoes – It is really important that when you start running you wear a pair of running shoes which suit your specific running gait. All good running shops will offer this service free of charge so whether you are recommended a pair of Brooks or Nikes, it’s a good idea to get analysed. See here for more information on gait analysis.
- Slip, slop slap – It can warm up nicely in the spring, and with a gentle breeze, it can often be hard to tell if the sun is burning your skin. So it’s a good idea on warm and sunny days to slap on a hat and slop on some factor 15.
- Variety is the spice of life – Try to vary your running route a little to keep the scenery fresh and interesting. As you get fitter, try including a few gentle hills too, which will really tax those leg muscles and make them a lot stronger.
- Sign up for an event – To keep you motivated, why not sign up for an event straight away. This will help to give you a goal, keep you focused and give you a purpose to keep jogging regularly.
- Join a running forum – There are plenty of forums on the internet where you can meet other like-minded people who are also new to running. Forums are great for questions, and they can help to give you peace of mind that whatever anxiety you have about running, you are certainly not alone.
Graeme Hilditch is a top personal trainer with over a decade of experience under his belt. He is the author of 5K and 10K.
Twitter Competition
Want to win a copy of 101 Youth Basketball Drills to help with your ball skills and tactics?
Then check out our Twitter Competition today. All you need to do is retweet and follow us before 9am tomorrow to be in a chance of winning 1 of 4 copies we’re giving away. Go on, you know it makes sense.
Good luck and happy retweeting.
Nick in Nets
Kirsty
Naomi
Sarah
