Links
BBC 606 Cycling Page - a message board for enthusiasts.
BikeRadar Forum - a much more lively and wide ranging forum (but it was the BEEB that got me started).
Edinburgh Bicycle - the place I bought my "return to cycling" Marin Larkspur in 1999 and my "Wonderful Wonderful Bike"; the Dawes Super Galaxy that has been the star of so many of the adventures on these pages.
Dales Cycles, Glasgow - seriously well-stocked and helpful place where I was easily seduced into buying the Specialized Roubaix.
the late Sheldon Brown's Pages - no cycling link list is complete without it. A much lamented and fine ambassador for cycling, bicycle maintenance and quirky humour. Check the beard!
Optilabs - simply the best pair of specs I ever bought, made to measure at their Croydon lense grinding facility. If you need prescription specs for cycling, skiing or just to look dapper in, this is the place for you. They are also incredibly cheap, compared to most high street opticians.
Salite c'Europa - now this is utterly marvellous and very useful. Gradient charts for every cycle climb in Europe (even Scotland!). It's in Italian, but there are other languages available. The climbs are graded for difficulty, using a fabulously complex formula. They are also presented in pretty colours. WARNING - you can spend hours on this site and it will make you want to go and climb silly things for recreation.
Foska - bold and loud cycling tops (Marmite, Flags, Skeletons, Irn Bru) but also, really good quality gear. I've been wearing my saltire flag top for years and it is my favourite for comfort, style and design. OK, they are a bit pricey, but well worth the investment. If they produced one with the Tunnocks Caramel Wafer wrapper on it, I'd buy half a dozen!
These are links related to the pilgrimage to Santiago:
The Confraternity of St James’ website is a good starting point for modern day pilgrims. It also has a good links page of its own.
The French confraternity page is also comprehensive.
The Vezelay association take the pilgrimage very seriously indeed to the point of discouraging those who may not have the right attitude (in their opinion). We looked forward to finding out more about this apparently retentive group in Vezelay. When we did meet them, they turned out to be warm, welcoming and enormously encouraging of our plans. Don't be put off, therefore, by the tone of the site: their resources are excellent.
Xacobeo is a very good Galicia-based site with lots of information about the pilgrimage.
Botafumeiro is the great censer of the Cathedral of Santiago, swung with thrilling effect on the feast day of St James (25th July).
Other links:
Ceres is our village and it is perhaps most famous for its annual Highland Games (that, incidentally, predate the foundation of the University of St Andrews by a century). The Games’ website tells the visitor all about the village, including the Ceres Inn, which has been an important inspiration for my cycling renaissance.
Last updated 2nd March 2008