Nice bike, mister

Nick Craig, seen here with On-One supremo Brant Richards and Texas the dog outside the Woodbine Cafe in Hope, Derbyshire yesterday, will be racing the classic Three Peaks cyclocross race this weekend for the first time since 1991.

The legendarily hard race starts at Helwith Bridge near Settle on Sunday 29 September at 9.30am (or 10am for the perfeshniuls) before heading out to Horton-in-Ribblesdale, over Inglebrough (723m), over Whernside (736m), out via Ribblehead, back to Horton, up and down Pen-y-ghent (694m) and then back to Helwith, a total distance of about 60km (38miles).

Nick, whose dad won the Three Peaks in 1963, expects to be back in Helwith Bridge for lunch and a nice cup of tea at around 1pm. He'll be riding the final prototype of On-One's forthcoming titanium 'cross frame, production models of which will be ordered on Monday assuming all goes well at the weekend. Brant says, "They'll be £699 I think, maybe less. And thats a nice new carbon 'cross fork up front too." It certainly looks pimpy...

Rumours that Craig will be racing the 2003 NPS on a singlespeed are as yet unconfirmed. But don't bet against it...