The 2010 Singlespeed World Champs

This guy is a professional factory mountainbike racer

Yeah, I know this site is all about utility-cycling but this Labour weekend I raced in an event where the only shaved-legs were on the females. Of course half the male competitors were dressed as females, but leather thongs and viking costumes made a welcome change from the sack-of-potatoes-stuffed-in-Lycra that you usually get with bicycle racing.

We had 900 competitors from 30 countries and a Rotorua local won. A great result when you’re up against professional racers from the USA and some pretty serious amateurs from all over the world.

It was a reminder that riding bikes is a fun activity and you can be competitive if you choose to without taking yourself too seriously.

Julian Dean - Three podiums at this year's Tour de France

If you can get away with it...

40kms with no gears in full camo - Respect.

Last year's female winner (the one in the middle)

Horizontal Bungy: Team-Ireland winning the right to host next year's World Champs

Every Superhero & Cartoon Character was representing. I counted five Supermen

My race-weapon. (If you could call a 17kg singlespeed a weapon)

As in our New Zealand Singlespeed Champs “If you don’t want the tattoo, don’t win”. The first placed male and female riders received their winners tattoos immediately after the finish!