John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
Add new comment
7 comments
Still don't see anything about recumbents in your post....I know about the festival.
The only reason I know about it is though ICE trikes. I won't be going though, because the choice is, go for a ride out or do the recumbent racing, the time schedule doesn't leave time for both.
Even on the flyer, it has EVERY kind of cycling you can think of....except recumbent http://orbitalfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/orbital_flyer3-2.jpg
Hello. Not really into tit for tat but surely 'We're even doing a recumbent race too.' includes recumbent ??????
That flyer was from last September..... Life moves on you know.....
Anyway, we're very close to agreeing on a format for the weekend with ICE Trikes, that will include 2 other recumbent events at Orbital. But you won't be going anyway..... Hopefully lots of other trike riders will be and we can help to get lots more bums of laid back seats, like last year
Where is the mention of the recumbent ride out and racing??
Hello,
See the post above yours.....
AA
Hello,
For serious roadies there will be a 10k TT, a handicap road race with £5k prize pot (Sat PM), the Orbital 4-man Team Treble (TT + Scratch + Relay) and a keirin too. These Orbital events will be released shortly..... And we'll be doing an MTB enduro + MTB / CX Off-road sportive..... And a non-timed 'Meander' along same format as Brompton Marathon.
All race entries include entry into Orbital too (unlike last year). Parking is now free (unlike last year) and camping moved even closer to circuit too....
We're even doing a recumbent race too.
www.orbitalfestival.com - being updated constantly.
AA
this is great news - really enjoyed it last year and hope to go again in 2014
My mate does this. He's a proper roadie mind but this is just so much fun. Maybe I should get a Brompton.....
Rule 12 could be invoked Though a Bromton may well represent "s" in the alternative equation.