SWRC May Flyer Cyclosportive

07/11/2025

Good advice for us “ youngsters” 😂

Some days you feel like crushing a 100K ride. Other days, getting out for 20 minutes feels like a win. And that’s okay.

Eddy Merckx, one of the greatest cyclists of all time, said it best: “Ride as much or as little, as long or as short as you feel. But ride.”

This quote isn't just for cyclists. It’s a mindset every runner, every athlete, and honestly, every human should carry.
Perfectionism kills progress.
Waiting for the “perfect time” or “ideal energy” or “the right gear” often leaves us doing nothing at all.
But momentum doesn’t need to start with a sprint. Sometimes it begins with just putting on your shoes and stepping out the door.

There’s value in consistency, even when the effort feels small.
A slow jog on tired legs.
A walk to clear your mind.
A short ride between meetings.
They all count.
Because what matters most isn’t how far or how fast you go it’s that you go.

Movement is medicine.
It’s therapy.
It’s momentum.
And every small session adds up to something bigger over time.

So if today’s a 5-minute ride or a 50K loop, honor it.
Show up in whatever way you can.
You never regret the ride.
But you’ll always remember the day you stopped showing up.

08/01/2025

Incredible that his career record has never been beaten or equaled by another Brit. Chapeau Tom. RIP

This year is the 60th anniversary of Tom Simpson’s ground-breaking 1965 victory in the men’s elite road race world championships.

Sir Mark Cavendish is the only other British cyclist to win that title, so it was astonishing victory, although not unexpected.

Tom had already won two monuments, Tour of Flanders (1961) and Milan-San Remo (1964). He’d been the first British cyclist to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France (1962) and won many other races.

Within weeks of winning his world title he became the second rider in history at that time to win Il Lombardia, his third monument, while wearing the rainbow jersey. To this day Tom Simpson has a better record in the classics than any other British male cyclist.

We have a number of events and initiatives that will celebrate and re-tell Tom’s story this year.

We have republished our illustrated book about Tom’s life, as told by members his family, friends, rivals and team mates. It’s called Cycling Legends 01 Tom Simpson, and is available to buy now from the Cycling Legends website.

The book’s author, Chris Sidwells will be doing a number of talks about Tom at various venues during the year as well.

The under-23 women’s elite cycling team we work with, Nouvelles Cycling is called Simpson-Nouvelles for 2025. The team does what Tom did, races in Europe so its riders can learn from the best and become successful professionals.

Then there’s the 2025 Tom Simpson Retro Cycling Festival in Harworth running from 12th to 14th September. The Festival will be in its fifth year, and will bigger and better than ever. Lots more about that event in The Simpson Retro launch in a few weeks’ time.

Tom’s story is amazing and should never be forgotten. We’re really excited about retelling it in this 60th anniversary year. Hope to see as many of you as possible at some point along the way.

📸Cycling Legends Collection

14/09/2024

The SWRC - South Western Road Club group 4 enjoying a fab ride in the late summer sunshine to Elstead.

16/08/2024

🚴🏽‍♀️🇮🇹 Buona fortuna and chapeau to our very own .townsend.50 who, today, started one of the longest audaxes in Europe - the

Jackie is one of 465 riders from 47 nations tackling this historic challenge -

1️⃣6️⃣1️⃣0️⃣ km
1️⃣6️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ meters of climbing
1️⃣3️⃣4️⃣ hours to complete.

We wish her the very, very best of luck and are keeping everything crossed for her🤞💫