A look at the evidence, for Singletrack Magazine. Article here.
Inside the Ladies’ Association of British Barbershop Singers’ convention
What barbershop is, why barbershoppers are fanatical about their hobby, and what makes the Leeds-based chorus, the White Rosettes, champions at their art. For the Guardian music blog. Article here.
App review: Peter and the Wolf in Hollywood
Review of a classical music iPad app for children, updating Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf to a modern-day setting. For Sinfini Music. Article here.
What’s English for ‘Lake Pub’? The art of subtitling The Returned, Spiral and The Killing
Voice And Script International subtitled some of the biggest recent foreign-language TV imports, including Spiral, The Bridge, Witnesses, Borgen and The Returned. I visited them to find out about consistency, teamwork, on-screen limitations, and the challenges of translating swears. Article for the Guardian TV blog.
Women: would you work in a bike shop?
Bike shops have a reputation for being boys’ clubs. Is it all beards and banter? Women who’ve bucked the trend tell me their stories. For BikeRadar. Article here.
Nine things you should never say to a woman in a bike shop
Article for BikeRadar on the hair-raising things said to women who work in bike shops.
The linguistics of French slang in TV drama Spiral
The hit TV import Spiral (Engrenages) is well-known for its colourful language. For the Guardian Mind Your Language blog, I detailed some of the linguistic processes at work in the French slang used by Laure, Gilou, Tintin et al. Article here.
Oh, la vache! Test your French slang with a Spiral quiz
Humorous French slang-based quiz for the Guardian TV blog, with examples drawn from the hit TV series Spiral (Engrenages). This piece had 7000+ shares. Article here.
Phablets and fauxhawks: the linguistic secrets of a good blended word
For the Guardian Science blog, I dismembered some current portmanteau words and looked at what makes the good ones work, and the bad ones horrible. Article here.
Dear Training Tsarina
My regular column for Women’s Cycling magazine dispensed dubious training tips and fairly unreliable bike-related advice for the modern woman.
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Cycling horoscopes
A humorous series for Women’s Cycling magazine, which covered cycling style, potential bike-related job opportunities and harmonious riding relationships for each star sign. With illustrations by Jo Burt.
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3 crucial team time trial tips
Make the most of team time trial training with pro rider Iris Slappendel’s tips. For BikeRadar. Article here.
Milltag teams with Iris Slappendel on clothing line
I get the first look at Iris Slappendel’s new women’s clothing range for Milltag, and talk to the pro rider about her aims and her inspiration. For BikeRadar. Article here.
Diary of a cyclocross newbie
Set of articles on cyclocross for Total Women’s Cycling. Includes a ‘demystifier’ and blogposts detailing my not-very-successful newbie CX racing season.
Passive-aggressive Christmas gift guide for cyclists
How to select a gift that will convey your lingering resentment for your partner’s hobby, while you retain the ability to look them in the eye and say, ‘But I thought you’d like it!’. More humour for grit.cx magazine. Article here.
Six ways cyclists can survive Christmas
A humorous look at the compulsion to keep training over the holiday period, for grit.cx magazine. Article here.
Alison Crutchley 