At the moment there's only three cycling podcasts that I listen to with any regularity: The Bike Show from Resonance FM, Real Peloton and Velocast.

I spend my working day listening to some of the best speech broadcasters currently available in the UK, so my listening time outside work is valuable to me. These podcasts are recommended entirely on their merits as "a worthwhile listen".

First up, The Bike Show from Resonance FM. I've appeared on the show a couple of times and can testify that Jack Thurston knows his ways around a studio and the fine art of constructing an interview.

But the real joy of the Bike Show is its catholicism. It's from the Bike Show that I learned about Major Taylor and countless other parts of the church of cycling that are otherwise neglected by the mainstream. It's a beautiful reminder of the simple pleasure of just riding your bike for no other reason than because it's fun.

It was one of the first bike podcasts I discovered and has stayed in my subscription list while several others have come and gone. It retains a freshness of subject and delivery that makes it stand out from the crowd.

Jack is also one of the most watchful eyes on cycling issues as they affect London cyclists like myself.

Velocast is a more recent discovery. Initially I'd shied away from it on grounds of duration. When you spend eight to ten hours a day listening to speech radio, another hour out of the day is a big commitment for me. I've now addressed my commitment issues and I'm thoroughly enjoying a well made podcast that has its own distinct character.

It covers racing, bike geekery, components and riding in general with a wit and humour that is derived from its presenting duo, John and Scott. There's good analysis of issues and a no nonsense approach to discussing thorny subjects.

I've only been listening for a few editions but it's definitely a grower and broad enough to hold the attention of a wider audience.

Finally, Real Peloton which is Matt Rendell and Ned Boulting putting together a very fine half hour or so of banter, discourse and intelligent comment on professional cycling.

You'd expect that from two experienced broadcasters, but what they've done well is avoided letting their gobs run unfettered in the final product. You get a bit of philosophy, you get a bit of opinion and you get decent interviews with people with something useful to say.

You never feel short-changed on something useful with Real Peloton. The shame is that podcasts are difficult to monetise as this would be a proper breadwinner if it were to be sold in the same way that it would be as a built programme to a traditional broadcaster.

And the one's that I don't listen to?

Anything that is too long, too boring, too uninformative. It's a bloody long list and there's some names on there that really should have a look at themselves. I'm not going to link to them because they don't merit it.

Here's a couple that I think deserve special criticism.

Cyclingnews: Yes podcasts are meant to be a bit off-the-cuff but this is the equivalent of wearing a short-sleeved shirt under a suit. No big interviews, no big insight? Fail.

Guardian: You know all those reasons people give for disliking "cyclists"? They've managed to put almost all of them into podcast form. How do they manage to take all the fun out of riding a bike?

I'm not sure where I clicked on to stumble upon this beautiful photo essay containing pictures by Capa, Cartier-Bresson and others. It is a stunning piece, notable as well for the Joergen Leth commentary.

What Magnum reflect well is the role of the spectators in the event and how the story of the race can be traced through narratives which aren't purely about the competition.

I'm always interested to see Auvergne feature in essays about Le Tour as it's frequently overlooked in favour of the Alps or Pyrenees. The couple of images by Raymond Depardon capture so well the toughness of the terrain and it's distinct beauty.

Having spent some time there in the past and climbed the Puy-de-Dome, I'd recomend anyone who can take a ride through the area, the home turf of Raphael Geminiani.

Leth's commentary invokes the unpredicatability of events and the constant state of expectation that the race demands of the fans.

Sit back and enjoy.

A Classic Rivalry, originally uploaded by cosmocatalano.

You can read the full explanation of how it came to be on Cyclocosm which is a must-add for your reading list/feeds

Great video of the race, see if you can spot me. Blink and you'll miss me. In fact it's probably not worth the effort trying not to blink.

Enjoy instead how much fun cyclocross is. Despite suffering like a beaten dog in every race, attacking the furthest depths of the finishing order and generally not being very good, every race has been fun.

My back flared up again this week and I had to take my usual mid-race pause until the pain subsided and my lungs started working again. It cost me a good few places and I must stop putting off seeing a specialist about it.

But I really enjoyed what was one of the toughest courses of the year. It had everything: fast twisty woodland, strength-sapping uphills, nerve-jangling descents and DEEP MUD.

Not quite as insane and testing as Hog Hill was but definitely more tricksy than the brake-abusing Penshurst filthfest.

There were a couple of heavy crashes on the descent which were apparently quite nasty and resulted in the air ambulance being called out. Hope it's a speedy recovery for the injured parties.

The organisers were great in dealing with it all and making sure they got the assistance they needed.

It's been a great season and once again, it's a testament to the efforts of the countless organisers that it happens and so many people take part. Thank you all deeply.

The former has come on the form of snow, torrential rain and freezing gales. The latter in the form of crashes and riders who don't always do as they are instructed.

OK, that's me filibustering to avoid having to write about getting dropped. Shouldn't have happened, simple as that. I left myself out in the strong headwind for too long and paid the price.

Nor should me ambling off the front at a gentle pace for the first lap. All I did was roll off the start and down the righthander. Looked around and nobody had come with me.

Got to the final 90 degree corner before the bunch reappeared just as I hit the block headwind. Weird experience racing with no one for company. Note to self: avoid individual time trials.

Back to getting dropped. It was one of those slow but predictable affairs, like watching a child's 99 slide off the cone on a hot day. I slid through the group, clung on a bit then the engine room went for a tea break and I was off the back and hurting (pride more than legs).

I got back on when I was eventually lapped and had no problem staying in. I even offered to drag Lance Woodman up to the front towards the end for want of some excitement before sitting out the sprint.

Why do I do it given my ridiculously mediocre record? Because it's fun and it keeps me motivated to ride. Martin Porter sums it up when he says

"I may never get a point but it is nonetheless rewarding"

In fact his post is a really good read about why the winter series is good to do and should be supported.

I'd like to offer a massive thank you to Doug, Lucy and the rest of the Collins gang who put themselves through the misery of having to deal with riders who just want to race. Organising something like the Winter Series is a massive commitment which few in cycling have the energy to do well. Those few should always be appreciated and celebrated.

Obviously my first response is to make a list of the things I want.

The lightweight jersey in light blue would be nice if I'm doing the Etape this year (of course this means the moment I get one it'll be hellish weather).

It's got something of a classic Bianchi team jersey vibe going on and not being white gives it a bit more usability in my book.

I need a new gilet and I'm quite tempted by the new white one. Although I do really like the contrast stripe of the old one which feels a little bolder than the piping.

The full preview shows plenty of things that I WANT and expansion in the range that look interesting.

The city riding stuff is nice enough but doesn't turn my cranks. Perhaps I'm a bit binary about having bike mode and town mode. I like what they're doing but it doesn't grab me for riding around town. That said the pocket t-shirt may turn out to be an opportune purchase at some point.

Would love to hear what you guys think of the new stuff. Any standout items, any duffers?

On the women's stuff, I'd really love to hear what women who cycle think of it. Grit & Glimmer have got a first look with an American perspective I guess, but what about women cycling in the UK?

For me the three items are the core of any good cycling collection and the decision to go with normal shorts, not bibs is well thought out given the likely audience and type of event they'll be riding.

It's one of the pinnacles of Shoegazer pop for me, from a time when it felt like there was a bridge between electronic/dance and guitar/indie music.

At eight minutes long it's a good way to fill out the time it takes to do a little under half a lap of Richmond Park. I checked this yesterday, although my speed probably means it was closer to a third of a lap.

With the little breaks and shifts in the mood of the song it fits well with the rolling and expansive landscape of the Park.

Wheels turning around
Into alien grounds
Pass through different times
Leave them all behind

Just to see
We've got so far to go
Until we get there
Just let it flow

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I was reading Richard Moore's latest piece on Team Sky in The Guardian Bradley Wiggins dismisses claim that pro cycling hates Team Sky.

It was this section about Marc Madiot's annoyance that infuriated:

"Other criticisms, such as those made this week by Marc Madiot, team manager of Française des Jeux, seem to owe more to the fact that Team Sky, through Facebook and Twitter are communicating with fans using all the means at their disposal. It irritated Madiot that Sky ­publicised work in a wind tunnel. 'We also put riders in wind tunnels,' said the former double winner of Paris‑Roubaix, 'but we don't put out a press release about it.'"

Well perhaps if you did put out a few more press releases then perhaps your team might be a bit more visible. Or perhaps if you paid attention you'd see one of your riders gaining a cult reputation on Facebook after the Tour Down Under: Arthur Vichot.

Cycling needs to sort out its PR, not just on the doping front but on the fan front. The most successful of the new teams in the last few years have realised that a few autographs by the team bus just doesn't cut it these days.

A successful online presence doesn't take much more than internet access, a copy of wordpress and a five quid a month hosting deal to get started. Yes that seems to be beyond the abilities of a lot of top flight teams.

Sky got their online media presence right by investing the same time, effort and thought that they claim in their race preparation. There's plenty that Madiot could learn from them off the road instead of playing the humpy French team card.

I'll set aside the issue of someone who is employed to write for the team site writing about the team. I'm not the only person out there who thinks there's something odd about the issues of conflict of interest when it comes to Sky's reporting on the Team. Moore is a great writer and journalism but he writes for their official website and so I'm also a bit uncomfortable with his reporting on the Team.

(Photo by British Cycling on Flickr)

So the 4ths set off with a big field. That usually this guarantees a bunch sprint and a slightly twitchy atmosphere as everyone sits in and saves themself for the final three laps.

I've been on antibiotics all week which has somewhat limited my training. Sadly I can only use that as a stand-in for "not having done anything about improving my fitness" temporarily.

But I did get in one attack which was nearly the death of me. Cold air is heavy air and hitting the front hurt like standing on a plug: avoidable and stupid, as well as darned painful.

The only regular variable in the 4th Cat race is how much effort people put in before the cavalry charge. This weekend there was plenty so the race clipped along at a fast but not brutal pace with little attacks getting away now and again until a dangerous one looked like sticking late on as legs tired.

Tired legs usually means tired minds and that always heightens the risk of a crash in a finale. Or as Lance Woodman puts it

"The trouble often happens late when tiredness impairs judgment and ambition outstrips common sense ('I can win from the middle of the bunch')."

(Lance is currently sporting a magnificent beard which meant he was all but invisible to me in the bunch. Funny how you learn to recognise your fellow riders solely on the basis of the lower half of their face as you can see it out the corner of your eye.)

Sure enough with one lap to go there was a touch of wheels and a scattering of the pack as several riders went down hard. One chap was wheeled off to hospital with a suspected collarbone fracture. Speedy recoveries all round I hope.

As ever, I was behind the crash but managed to get round it unscathed. My teammate Rich was just ahead of it and had his back wheel clipped but not by enough to bring him down or stop him storming to 5th.

Richard Gearing's perspective on finishing in the points

And there's usually someone who gets a puncture. This week it was the Cycling Silk, Martin Porter:

Martin Porter gets a puncture but still finishes well

Some tunes fall into the category of CHOON! and recur on playlists and preferences at certain times of the year.

Waterfall is inextricably a Spring song.

It's the guitars that make it one. That swirling chorus effect that underpins the crispness of the riff, played through what sounds like a Vox AC30 amp (Perry help me out here).

The hushed, unforced vocals and harmonies are for me the audio equivalent of enjoying the sight of your breath condensing in front of you.

The precise interlocking of the rhythmic bass pulse and metronomic high hat has pushed me up the hills and along the lanes for many years now.

• Download from Amazon.co.uk (£0.89)
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• Listen on Last.fm
• Listen on Spotify (12" mix)

There I am, another futile attack, this time trying to go after the mid-race prime. Went too early in pursuit of my friend James Curry (on the right of shot), both of us reaching our limits well before the line and were swamped by the field.

So I've no idea what the prize was. I'm now determined to find out before the end of the series. It seems like a reasonable alternative to trying to score points. Priorities? Yes, I know.

The rest of the race consisted of throwing a couple of digs in and trying to work on keeping myself positioned in the middle to front third of the bunch which always feels like the least safe place to be in a 4th Cat race.

The back third is of course where the real trouble and on the last lap someone had "a moment" in the middle of the bunch and squirted off across the U-bend at the start of the lap. Cue scattering riders heading onto the grass and hauling on brakes in desperation.

Yes I was behind it, no it didn't affect the likelihood of me scoring points. I rolled across the line in the stragglers. Next week, there is always next week.

His ability to sacrifice his own interests in working for Alejandro Valverde over the last few years will have been a characteristic that appealed greatly to Contador. This isn't a guy who is going to give him grief or take off in search of a stage win while the real battle is happening behind.

That's pretty vital to a guy who has lost his trusty domestique Sergio Paulinho to Radioshack. Contador still faces having to ride on someone else's team with the return of Alexandre Vinokourov to "his" Astana team.

What is so brilliant about signing Pereiro is that it's a very astute political move given the situation.

We can assume that ASO are going to be asking questions about Astana's inclusion on the basis of Vinokourov's presence. They've not forgiven him for his actions in 2007 which essentially amounted to kicking them in the balls while they were out cold after the Floyd Landis debacle.

Now name the only team in cycling with two Tour de France winners on their roster.

The answer is Astana with Alberto Contador and Oscar Pereiro.

The former is the defending champion who was unable to defend his title in 2008 because of the repercussions for Astana of Vinokourov's ban.

The latter is the rider robbed of his moment of glory on the podium in Paris as a result of Floyd Landis' ban.

In pure political terms the weight of their achievements/history combined may be the necessary counter to Vinokourov's disgrace, which still drags like ten tonnes of shit behind Astana.

We know that being defending champion in 2008 wasn't enough on its own to swing the balance in Contador's favour, albeit the politics then included Johan Bruyneel on the scales.

Given the passing of time and their record, the two riders may be enough to convince ASO not to exclude Astana this year.

See that rain? I've not ridden in anything quite so torrential in ages. Or so cold.

On the plus side my white Mavic Razors are not as muddy as they were and look almost white. It's not that I'm too lazy to clean them at home, it's just I've not found a way of doing it without making the sort of mess that gets small children sent to bed without their supper.

The conditions presented an attire question: Wear a rain jacket, gilet or no waterproof? In the end I went with none of the above and stuck with a baselayer and midweight jersey.

I've come to the conclusion that I'm the sort of rider who heats up a lot and sweats it out so when racing in winter I need to find a balance so I don't end up soggy and cold. But mainly the issue is ending up cold.

The baselayer is one of the best I have found anywhere. It's by Falke and has been good enough to keep me feeling comfortable down to -20 in at Kicking Horse. I think it's their Athletic Warm long sleeve.

Men, ask your most trusted female friends and they'll probably roll their eyes in despair that you've only just discovered Falke. I got mine in TK Maxx (Hammersmith and High Street Kensington) ridiculously cheap. Good fortune as I've found them harder to track down elsewhere.

I've never felt damp or overheated in the baselayer and the fit is such that I barely notice it. Not feeling the garment when you're wearing it is always a hallmark of good quality gear for me.

Back to the race.

On the right day I quite like racing in the rain. I can handle my bike pretty well by my reckoning and so cornering in the wet doesn't terrify me. Plus there's a bit more respite when it's wet.

The key tip for riding well in the wet is tyre pressure. I ran my Vittoria Open Pav´e; s at between 85 and 95 PSI which sounds low but gives a very smooth and predictable ride, the latter being key in the wet. The Open Pav´e; just looks right on a bike in the wet which is equally important.

I've been riding my Ridley Crossbow all winter and I've been using it for everything. It copes pretty well with racing as it does cyclocross and commuting. I like that in a winter bike. Biggest gear is 46/12 and at no point at Hillingdon did I feel undergeared for the level.

I spent most of the race trying to sit in the middle of the bunch and I think I did so better than my previous race. Still need to concentrate on not drifting backwards too easily.

There were a few digs but nothing that ever looked like sticking, so it was more a case of staying out of trouble and avoiding the splits that occur in the wet when riders aren't confident through corners.

I stayed up near the front when it started to get a bit lively in the final few laps. Still a few places too far back to be useful and wasted too much energy trying to move up for the sprint.

When it came I was about 15 back but already on my limit so sat up down the back straight. There's no point in burying yourself when you're badly positioned and in no danger of getting a point.

For a different perspective on the race try James Curry or The Cycling Lawyer, Martin Porter, both of whom I race with fairly regularly at the moment and who were in the bunch as well.

This occurred to me while reading something Mark at iBikeLondon has written about Boris Johnson's consultation with the bike industry: City's cyclists should have their say (and Mayor Boris should listen)

In it he says:

"I firmly believe that we need to take the 'other' out of cycling and rehabilitate it as an everyday and ordinary activity in people's lives again. If you want mass cycling rates, the masses need to be able to associate with cycling. I'd probably start with the inequality in cycling rates between men and women and be asking why aren't more women cycling?"

The final point about rates of women cycling is a huge issue. British Cycling are running a survey about it: Have Your Say- Why are fewer women cycling? If you are a woman who has a view on why you or your friends don't cycle I urge you to complete this survey.

He goes on to cite Carlton Reid's article Forget blokes, it's women we want to get on bikes:

"... not all cycling women want to be Audrey Hepburn with a basket-on-the-front, pearlised-pink Dutch bike. But there's no escaping that this sector is the one that produces the best photographs for promoting cycling to a mainstream audience. Forget helmets, Lycra and speed; non-cyclists find all that a big turn-off. "

In that perspective it's no surprise that the Tweed Ride movement is gaining momentum. The estimable Tweed CC should be your first port of call for all such matters.

The important thing to remember is not the dressing up bit but that the ethos is about wearing what were once considered everyday materials and clothes to ride your bike. The notion that you should be able to ride your bike to work without needing to transport your wardrobe with you should be celebrated and embraced as far as possible.

I admit to wearing specialist shoes on my ride to work but that's largely because normal shoes would be uncomfortable on my SPD pedals. I probably don't need to wear them and it's habit as much as anything.

I also wear my Rapha Classic Softshell most days but would much rather wear something I can go to lunch in as well as ride to work in. It's not the worst looking jacket but it's still clearly a cycling one.

I've had it about four years now, picked it up in one of the early sample sales at Velorution, can't imagine that happening these days. Velorution probably have as good a selection of clothing for cycling that isn't cycling clothing as anywhere in London.

I probably would like some of the stuff that Swrve (US)/Swrve (UK) (same company it seems, just different UK/US setups) or Outlier do. But from the outside they still have the look of "cycle-specific" clothing, or rather everyday clothing sold as cycling specific.

What's wrong with riding your bike in whatever you happen to be wearing?

It seems to be good enough for our European friends, even when riding the Tour of Flanders sportive. I saw more than a few people in their everyday garb. I even got passed by a bloke in a trenchcoat on a town bike on one stretch of cobbles. Yes, you read that right.

See, even such hallowed terrain can be ridden as if you're off to get the papers and a pint of milk. Come to think of it, he probably was.

This should tell the predominately male cycling population something. Sadly, far too many choose to ignore a simple truth: black is the most stylish of colours.

Rapha understand this, that's why their classic jersey is black. So did Henry Ford.

For nearly a hundred years cycling seems to have survived with shorts only really available in black. Some would argue this was out of necessity and lack of other viable options in the fabrics available. I'd argue that it was because it works and looks good.

You think Eddy Merckx and Jacques Anquetil wore black shorts for no good reason?

Or Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi?

The latter had jerseys handmade from silk for him by Castelli. If he'd wanted shorts other than black he would have had them.

Take any cycling jersey you own and pair it with any shorts you like. It will always look better with a plain black short.

The World Champion's jersey has always looked better with black shorts. That's not a matter of opinion, that's a matter of fact.

And the same goes for any of the famous jerseys. The trend for shorts matching leaders jerseys started in the 1990s and has never been as cool as some riders and fans would have you believe.

For every Mario Cippolini resplendent in head-to-toe white and rainbow, there's a multitude of Michael Rasmussen looking like a jaundiced famine victim at Le Tour...

(Note Alberto Contador sensibly opting out of white shorts with the Best Young Rider jersey. Remember: you win the jersey not the shorts and matching socks.)

Or like a smallpox outbreak on a bike...

So to recap: If you are serious about looking good on the bike, get some black shorts.

You may also be interested in reading Roadcycling UK's Cycling Style Guidance Notes by Richard Hallett