Katie Archibald column: My voyage of musical discovery in a cheap Icelandic 4x4
Non-cycling friends are great for doing non-cycling things... like going to see Hamilton
Olympic and world champion, Katie Archibald got into cycling after winning handicap races on a Highland Games grass track. She writes a column for Cycling Weekly each week
I’m on my way to see my friend Fiona. You’ve met her in this column previously, where she has been both celebrated and shamed for having no bikes. Celebrated because my attachment to her means there’s a segment in my Pie Chart of Life that isn’t to do with cycling. Shamed because this is a cycling magazine and we must convert all whom we can.
Tonight we’re not just catching up about our favourite podcasts (Fiona’s is Invisibilia and mine Freakonomics) and cute stuff we saw on Instagram. Tonight is far bigger than that. Tonight, we are going to see Hamilton!
One person reading this is squealing with envy and wondering how we got tickets.
If that’s not you, I’ll let Wikipedia explain: Hamilton “is a sung-and rapped-through musical about the life of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton… incorporating hip-hop, rhythm and blues, pop music, soul music [and] traditional-style show tunes.” It’s quite simply wonderful.
We both began our Hamilton obsession in the summer of 2016. For a month after the Rio Olympics I didn’t ride a bike. What with Fiona as committed to not riding a bike that month as she ever had been, we spent much of it not riding bikes together. We also drove around Iceland in a Suzuki Jimny.
It was the cheapest 4x4 you can hire on Iceland and a joy of a car. There was, however, one flaw. No Aux port! The same reader that squealed before is now gasping in horror. It could have been a disaster, you’ll agree, and driving round a whole country, the news made me nauseous.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Luckily, I’d been lent some musical soundtrack (“You ever heard of Alexander Hamilton? Nah, me neither.”) just before we left and so in my suitcase was a double disc CD. I suggested we give it a crack — 47 tracks in total, 142 minutes, and we listened to nothing else for 10 days.
>>> Katie Archibald column: Going the extra mile (albeit inadvertently) is a family tradition
Deep-rooted infatuation took hold on our third listen through, and from that point until now we’ve been dreaming about seeing it live.
The day has come! I’m off to London and I’m going to have a fabulous time. Don’t wait up.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.
-
Marianne Vos rides self-inflating tire system to UCI Gravel World Championship victory
Vos used a €3.898,00 wheelset with a kinetic compressor to win her first mixed surface rainbow jersey
By Joe Baker Published
-
Marianne Vos edges Lotte Kopecky in two-up sprint to seal first Gravel World Championships title
World road champion and multi-discipline star jumped clear with 50km to race in Flemish Brabant, setting up two-horse race for rainbow
By Flo Clifford Published
-
Katie Archibald out of Paris Olympics after tripping in garden and breaking lower leg
Team GB's star rider breaks two bones in fall, out of games
By Adam Becket Published
-
Katie Archibald to miss European Championships in key Olympic year
Scot will focus on Nations Cup events ahead of Paris Olympics in August
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Katie Archibald: Track Champions League 'super important' for Olympics preparation
Olympic Madison champion looking to hone racecraft this autumn, but says she still gets nervous
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'Like being trotted out for slaughter' - Katie Archibald opens up about World Championships anxiety
The 29-year-old said she made 'mistake after mistake' in Wednesday's Omnium, in which she came fourth
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Mountain biker Rab Wardell dies two days after winning Scottish title
Wardell won elite men’s title at the Scottish MTB XC Championships in Dumfries and Galloway last weekend
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Tweets of the Week: Mark Cavendish's meme, cycling Supermarket Sweep and Katie Archibald's throwback
After a big week in the cycling world, here's a selection of our favourite social media moments
By Alex Ballinger Published
-
Katie Archibald column: It's been a blast...but Tokyo beckons
In her last column (for now) Katie Archibald says goodbye as the Olympic Games loom ahead
By Cycling Weekly Published
-
Katie Archibald column: Rumours has it...
'The first time I called, I got put on hold and I loved it. Their hold music was 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac'
By Jonny Long Published