Lance Armstrong was wrong about pretty much everything, as we know.

In 2000, after just one Tour de France ‘win’, he published an autobiography entitled It’s Not About The Bike. No Lance, in your case it was never about the bike. I felt I needed to add a cycling blog, seeing Pedal2Paris was a cycle ride.

In Plymouth, between our tea and cake departure in Saltash and the final send-off at Stonehouse Creek, I was reminded why I cycle tour. Third or fourth gear accelerate so smoothly with the old Raleigh’s Biopace chain-ring – thanks to the downforce of the panniers behind, you can put power down onto the road with traction that my Audax simply does not allow.

Upon my return I needed to research my bike – Thanks to the Veteran (I am not yet that old!) Cycle Club’s excellent website, the 1988 Raleigh lightweights catalogue tells me that my bike started life as Quadra – a triathlon training bike.

My Uncle Harry added the three-speed front Biopace chain-ring, and rode the London to Brighton on her…[postus interuptus]