Improved cycling tech means we now know ‘form’ was a myth, but it was a lot more fun when we had no idea what was going on

One of my prouder moments in cycling was the first time I won a race that was big enough to rank a mention in Cycling Weekly print magazine. I can’t remember the name of the race, but I know it was in Essex, and from the report I very clearly remember the phrase, “… was won by in-form Michael Hutchinson”.

I remember it because “in-form” in this context is code. It meant that Graham Snowdon, who wrote the report in question, had no idea who I was. I was an unfamiliar name, I’d beaten the guy who was expected to win, so the only explanation was that I had “good form”. There was the strong implication that as soon as this mercurial blessing from the cycling gods had passed, I’d sink back into obscurity and Graham (a lovely man, by the way) could continue to compile race reports without ever needing to know anything more about me other than that my name was easy to spell.