It's the engine that wins races not how shiny the bodywork is.

As I have written on previous occasions, races are won and lost over relatively short periods of time, where big efforts are required. The best bike in the world is not going to help if you haven’t got the top end of your performance envelope well polished. That said, I am regularly asked questions about what bike I ride, and whether to buy these wheels or the other wheels, and so on and so forth. To that end this is my current steed:

The frame is a 56cm Black-on-Black (BoB) Pinarello Prince. BoB is basically naked carbon laid up in a way that makes it look all pretty. The 50k carbon that Pinarello uses on the Prince gives a significantly finer weave than cheaper "fatter" carbon. The frame is mainly matt finished, with the stickers being gloss black. This makes them very hard to pick out in anything other than bright sunlight. As with all top racing frames it is very light, very stiff, with aggressive geometry. This can make it skittish in the damp as I found out on several occasions this year, and it's not for those who are not comfortable with the bike moving under them a bit. The flip side of this is that it is extremely responsive when you need it to be. All that said, I am a firm believer that at my level of performance all the top frames are much of a much. Buy what you like based on the look of, or the  colour are probably as good a determinants to which frame is best/better/best for you. Oh, and make sure it fits properly. 

Wheels are the one area where it is worth spending a bit of money. The effect of rotating mass is more noticeable than in any other area of the bike. I ride Zipp 303 tubulars (having replaced my Zipp 404 clinchers towards the end of the year). The 303s are noticeably lighter than the 404s, although marginally less aero. Having slammed them through an enormous pothole in my first race I can confirm that they are massively strong too. Being tubs they are a (expensive) pain if you puncture, but as they are my race wheels I am not overly concerned. These are the first wheels I have owned that are full carbon (including braking surfaces). This necessitated a change to carbon specific pads - Swissstop yellows, which are supposed to be about the best on the market. In the dry braking is ok (by stock Dura Ace callipers since you ask). No better than ok mind you. In the wet it is a bit all or nothing, and they feel very "grabby". In all things slowing down they are inferior to aluminium rims. Nevertheless I love these wheels for the way they spin up and always feel like they are helping you along a bit.

I have used Shimano groupsets since I started riding a bike (with a brief winter affair with Campag levers which ended slightly acrimoniously) and this one is no different. Yes, I get the whole sacrilegious thing of riding Japanese bits on an iconic Italian frame but I've always felt the functionality of Shimano outweighs the aesthetics of Campgnolo. With that out of the way on to the details. I have a compact chainset (cue sharp intake of breath) with a 11-23 on the back. Without wanting to kick off a whole debate, 50-11 is plenty of gear for all the races I have ridden this year one of which included a 53mph descent. Gear changing is taken care of by Dura Ace Di2, and yes it is expensive. To some it's an answer in search of a question. To my mind it removes the issue of changing gear totally from the equation. End of story. Having ridden it, to want to go back to analogue gears is a bit like wistfully reminiscing about all those hours you spent washing up which you sadly miss now that you have bought a dishwasher. 

I have always ridden Shimano pedals and continue to do so with 7950 carbon pedals on my Pina, into which Specialized S-Works Road Shoes are clipped. These are about the lightest road shoes on the market, but more importantly are very comfortable all day long. Not being affiliated to any particular club means I am free to choose my own riding gear. Assos SS13 shorts are ridiculously expensive. No, they're worse than that, they're criminally expensive. I got mine cheap (er) and they remain the most comfortable shorts I've worn. I usually pair these with an SS13 jersey which is also very good. 

For next year I may change the frame, but almost everything else I will carry over. I am lucky enough to be able to ride what I like, and my bike is certainly a lovely thing to behold and to own. But…. the number of times I've seen people turn up on their Dogmas with Lightweight wheels this year only to get shelled on the first climb is evidence enough that "all the gear and no idea" is as applicable in cycling as in all other walks of life.

Like a boxer a sprint is the last thing that you lose - CC Hackney Road Race 3/4 - 21st May 2011

Sprinting is something I have always been able to do. During my formative years as a junior racing cyclist we were lucky enough to have Russ Snowdon in the club. Russ is a fine sprinter of national repute winning more than one British national title. He proved to be a great teacher, and I'm convinced that the know-how of holding position in a bunch sprint that he passed onto me has been of huge benefit. I don't even have to think about it very much, just do it. A lot of sprinting is about being in the right place at the right time. Of course if you have no kick this won't help much, but if you want to win you have got to be in the right place to give yourself the chance to win. 

Lining up for my second race of the year I was nervous again. My objective was simply to finish. If I could avoid getting dropped that would be great. Truth be told that was my aim in a lot of races this year until quite late in the season. If I could stay in the bunch, ride hard, and improve then my £15 entry fee was well spent. The race was held in Sudbury in Essex on a 10 mile circuit with a finishing drag uphill for about 600m out of the final turn. Mark Howard won after escaping in a group of 3 after numerous attempts to do so. He then time trialled away from them to solo victory. 

I can't recall much about the race other than being delighted to complete the first lap. Then the second lap, the third and so on. I began to think I might make the finish, and my thoughts were along the lines of "well I used to be able to sprint...". It seemed to me that you would need to be reasonably near the front coming out of the last corner. The sprint was then a long uphill drag to the line. I was in a half-decent spot when I got swamped coming round the last corner and was perhaps 10th in line. I was slightly surprised to have the legs and without giving it full gas I finished the sprint in 5th place (incidentally the sprint was won by Patrick Schills who so ignominiously lost in October with his hands aloft). 

To be frank the parcours for this race was a lot easier than the previous one. Nevertheless, I had improved from being dropped to getting points. Proper genuine British Cycling points in only my second race back. And it turned out I could still sprint a bit too. More importantly, perhaps, I had finished my first race. Given my next two races were (accidentally) an E/1/2/3 and then a 2/3/4 this was perhaps the most important outcome.