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Published On: May 15, 2007 08:09 PM
Published On: May 15, 2007 08:09 PM
Tue - May 15, 2007
Rat Appreciation... and going offline
a reflection on the ridiculous levels of
sensitivity and political correctness felt to be necessary in our screwed up
society.......?
I can understand, but not necessarily agree with,
the anti-fox hunting lobby. Rats however are a different matter. I suppose it's
a reflection on the ridiculous levels of sensitivity and political correctness
felt to be necessary in our current, somewhat screwed up, society.... What am I
on about..? Well, this evening on the local news there was a small feature on an
organic farm using dogs to hunt and kill the local rat population - a far more
natural, effective and environmentally friendly solution to the problem than
poison or traps. It was felt to be necessary however to issue a warning at the
beginning of the broadcast that the piece contained images that viewers may find
distressing or offensive.... what is the world coming to such that folk can't
handle seeing a Jack Russell legging it after a filthy long tail that would
otherwise be responsible for the spread of disease and destruction of the
farmers livelihood. Please. I guess the next step will be censorship of Barn
Owls and cuddly domestic cats amongst others that happily hunt
vermin.
Cycled to work today. Nothing special about that other than it's the first time I felt up to it in the early morning for 6 months... Naturally it piddled down with rain.
Oh yes, one other thing... this blog is shortly to be archived and locked away. I won't go into detail, there are reasons - not all of them good. I'll be back before very long though and at a new, yet to be disclosed URL... :o)
Cycled to work today. Nothing special about that other than it's the first time I felt up to it in the early morning for 6 months... Naturally it piddled down with rain.
Oh yes, one other thing... this blog is shortly to be archived and locked away. I won't go into detail, there are reasons - not all of them good. I'll be back before very long though and at a new, yet to be disclosed URL... :o)
Posted at 07:59 PM
Mon - May 14, 2007
jes dreamin'
I don't know if it means I have a bunch
of chainsaw-wielding skeletons hiding in my subconscious
closet?
Now, sleeping is not one of my strong points so in an attempt to improve my
skills in that area I invested in a hypnosis/relaxation CD that pretty much
guarantees to send one off to the land of nod with a minimum of fuss. I started
using it on Saturday night and I have to say the results are not quite as
intended…. Dad always said I was an awkward bugger, it would probably work
fine for anyone else. I'll elaborate - the CD has two tracks on it, the first
one is simply to help you relax and subsequently promote the Zzzzzs while the
second one does that plus goes on about guaranteeing pleasant dreaming
experiences that will enable resolution of problems or issues bothering the
subconscious mind….. hmmm. Track 1 is useless to me… I tried to relax in
accordance with the instructions but all I could think about was the really
funny (and slightly annoying) way the guy on the CD pronounced his words, e.g.
"unconscious" became "aaaanghconscious", and the rather funky stereo sound
effects going on in the background.
Track 2 is remarkably effective….. it's content
bearing very significant fruit on the tree of my psyche (what?!)….. just
not quite the flavour of fruit intended….. nasty little poisonous berries
instead of juicy peaches I think. For 'pleasant dreams' in my case read
'terrifying nightmares'. I don't know if it means I have a bunch of
chainsaw-wielding skeletons hiding in my subconscious closet but as an example
last night I happily dropped off around 10pm but by 11.30pm I'd met my body
double in a scary old house, it really was my identical twin except for the
unusually pale skin and the black holes where eyeballs would normally have been.
It was wearing one of those ghostly off-white nightshirt type affairs that you
see in Hammer Horror movies set in the 19th century. Scared the living daylights
out of me, enough such that I woke up in a cold sweat yelling my head off in
terror. Hope the neighbours didn't hear me :o). Didn't sleep a wink the rest of
the night. Saturday night was a similarly exciting time….
So now I have no idea whether to keep on with this CD
thing… give it time to work these demons out of my system (which could
take a long time…..) or bin it now before I wet myself….
:o)
I should probably be concerned about what I have just
revealed of myself to you lot. But lets be honest - it's really rather funny
isn't it?!
Posted at 03:21 PM
Sun - May 13, 2007
feck, that was a wet one....
Maybe I'm slightly unbalanced but the
rain today was fantastic fun......
probably the toughest fixed gear ride I've ever
done..... Sadly though (or not...) I'm not talking about the Dartmoor Classic.
Shamefully I didn't go. Friends and family talked me out of it and then when the
Met Office put a big red splodge on the map with a severe weather warning for
Dartmoor.... it was the final clincher for me. I didn't half beat myself up over
it last night though, so this morning I kind of worked it out of my system
anyway with a 90mile fixed-gear ride over some 3000m worth of hills. In the
rain. There's a big difference in riding in pouring rain and gales on Dartmoor
and doing it locally. I can actually get on and enjoy the wet when I know I can
fall straight into a hot shower followed by a collapse onto a sofa at home right
afterwards... and on the fixie I don't have any big maintenance overhead waiting
for me at the end of the ride. A quick squirt of GT85 to ward off the dreaded
'orange chain syndrome' and then leave it to drip dry in the garage! I also
don't have to drive a 200mile round trip for the privilege. Besides, the folks
are home after 3 months of doodling around in South America so it was a great
excuse to head over that way, say hello, raid the coffee jar and demolish a loaf
of fresh bread for a mid-morning
snack!
Maybe I'm slightly unbalanced but the rain today was fantastic fun, I was almost (almost) disappointed when the sky lifted a little towards lunchtime. The way I see it riding in heavy rain is no different to any other watersport.... you simply dress appropriately (i.e you wouldn't go surfing in a dinner jacket or swimming in a kimono... well, not in winter anyway), go and have some fun and then when it's over have a shower and stick some dry kit on. I did get laughed at a bit though when I stopped in to say hello to the girls down at the beach cafe at Godrevy, but they didn't mind me dripping on the floor, the counter, the chairs.... I also bumped into one of the nurses who looked after me when I was having all that UV treatment a couple of months ago, having a day out with a friend. Quite nice that, she said she always thought I was a bit funny... now she knows for sure. Her friend was quite nice too... ahem. My riding/training routine has been a bit disrupted recently with travel, going back to work, and eczema trouble... I'd kind of missed my security blanket of regular long Sundays so it was nice to spend today going back to basics on my fixie.
As for Dartmoor - well it got so bad the annual Ten Tors expedition was scrubbed just halfway through, they couldn't afford another fatality after that poor girl died during training in similar conditions. Maybe staying home was the right decision..... but I still wish I'd gone I think.
Maybe I'm slightly unbalanced but the rain today was fantastic fun, I was almost (almost) disappointed when the sky lifted a little towards lunchtime. The way I see it riding in heavy rain is no different to any other watersport.... you simply dress appropriately (i.e you wouldn't go surfing in a dinner jacket or swimming in a kimono... well, not in winter anyway), go and have some fun and then when it's over have a shower and stick some dry kit on. I did get laughed at a bit though when I stopped in to say hello to the girls down at the beach cafe at Godrevy, but they didn't mind me dripping on the floor, the counter, the chairs.... I also bumped into one of the nurses who looked after me when I was having all that UV treatment a couple of months ago, having a day out with a friend. Quite nice that, she said she always thought I was a bit funny... now she knows for sure. Her friend was quite nice too... ahem. My riding/training routine has been a bit disrupted recently with travel, going back to work, and eczema trouble... I'd kind of missed my security blanket of regular long Sundays so it was nice to spend today going back to basics on my fixie.
As for Dartmoor - well it got so bad the annual Ten Tors expedition was scrubbed just halfway through, they couldn't afford another fatality after that poor girl died during training in similar conditions. Maybe staying home was the right decision..... but I still wish I'd gone I think.
Posted at 06:03 PM
Sat - May 12, 2007
hmmm, it's going to be a wet one.....
Tomorrow is the Dartmoor Classic.... and
the forecast is simply nasty.
Bugger, here's what the Met Office has to say for
Dartmoor
tomorrow:
Weather
Very heavy rain will persist across Dartmoor throughout the morning, giving nasty conditions. The rain will also be accompanied by a strong wind and extensive hill fog. Up to 50 mm of rain is expected, leading to swollen streams and rivers by the afternoon. Conditions will improve somewhat during the afternoon as brighter, showery weather spreads from the south. However, any passing showers are still likely to be heavy and blustery, with an added risk of hail and lightning
Temp
6 Celsius in the morning rising to 8 Celsius during the afternoon.
Wind
Southeasterly 30-40 mph, changing Southwesterly in the afternoon. Gusts may peak at 50 mph in exposed places.
It's the Dartmoor Classic, a 160km cycling 'jolly' across the most exposed parts of the south west... challenging enough with roughly 3500m of climbing but with that wind as well (and the rain). It'll be worse than the Met Office says, experience has shown them to be somewhat conservative in their forecasting. I suspect there may be somewhat less than the 1000 riders on the start list actually signing on at 7am tomorrow morning.
I must admit, motivation is low - I feel weary in that particular way that not even a heavy shot of caffeine can resolve. A weekend of laying in late and watching movies is very attractive right now. The worst of it though is - I'd only just cleaned and serviced my bike after all that rain in the Pyrenees.
Wish me luck, I'm just about packed and ready to head up there.
Weather
Very heavy rain will persist across Dartmoor throughout the morning, giving nasty conditions. The rain will also be accompanied by a strong wind and extensive hill fog. Up to 50 mm of rain is expected, leading to swollen streams and rivers by the afternoon. Conditions will improve somewhat during the afternoon as brighter, showery weather spreads from the south. However, any passing showers are still likely to be heavy and blustery, with an added risk of hail and lightning
Temp
6 Celsius in the morning rising to 8 Celsius during the afternoon.
Wind
Southeasterly 30-40 mph, changing Southwesterly in the afternoon. Gusts may peak at 50 mph in exposed places.
It's the Dartmoor Classic, a 160km cycling 'jolly' across the most exposed parts of the south west... challenging enough with roughly 3500m of climbing but with that wind as well (and the rain). It'll be worse than the Met Office says, experience has shown them to be somewhat conservative in their forecasting. I suspect there may be somewhat less than the 1000 riders on the start list actually signing on at 7am tomorrow morning.
I must admit, motivation is low - I feel weary in that particular way that not even a heavy shot of caffeine can resolve. A weekend of laying in late and watching movies is very attractive right now. The worst of it though is - I'd only just cleaned and serviced my bike after all that rain in the Pyrenees.
Wish me luck, I'm just about packed and ready to head up there.
Posted at 11:35 AM
Fri - May 11, 2007
Carbon wheels and spacemen
I do remember being with a bunch of
other Lego spacemen of various colours ... however motivated by my recent good
performances in timetrials on the trackie I decided to invest in some proper
go-faster kit....
had the weirdest dream last night.... I've no idea
where it came from but no doubt any shrink would have a field day if I told them
that I was a Lego spaceman (in a white suit) sitting in the passenger seat of an
old Buick that belonged an old-skool style of gangster/fugitive. I can't
remember why or anything like that but I do remember being with a bunch of other
Lego spacemen of various colours in a spacestation
type
environment and then somehow driving through a typically American SouthWest desert landscape with decrepit gas stations and not much else.
Very odd.
Enough of that, back to my other reality... a new go-faster toy for my Condor track bike. Motivated by my recent good performances in timetrials on the trackie I decided to invest in some proper go-faster kit. Here's the first bit... a rather spangly 90mm deep carbon rim built onto a very shiny custom Royce Titanium track hub with 24 bladed spokes. The bearings in the hub are simply unbelievably smooth - it feels like it'll spin forever. Maiden voyage, if all goes to plan, will be next Wednesday.... the only possible spanner in the works of that plan is that everywhere seems to be sold out of decent tubulars... both Vittoria and Veloflex which is a bit of a bummer. Unfortunately a spare length of garden hose just won't cut it... I have a spare Tufo tub hanging in the garage but based on past experience I'd be better off with garden hose. My old Tufos are far more useful as slings for hanging stuff from the garage rafters.
One other thing.... are rainjackets uncool or something? It's absolutely lashing it down as I write - and cold, and the thunder is rumbling around but all the kids on their way home from school are walking with no more protection than the typical polyester school jumper, in some cases just shirt sleeves..... Nuts.
environment and then somehow driving through a typically American SouthWest desert landscape with decrepit gas stations and not much else.
Very odd.
Enough of that, back to my other reality... a new go-faster toy for my Condor track bike. Motivated by my recent good performances in timetrials on the trackie I decided to invest in some proper go-faster kit. Here's the first bit... a rather spangly 90mm deep carbon rim built onto a very shiny custom Royce Titanium track hub with 24 bladed spokes. The bearings in the hub are simply unbelievably smooth - it feels like it'll spin forever. Maiden voyage, if all goes to plan, will be next Wednesday.... the only possible spanner in the works of that plan is that everywhere seems to be sold out of decent tubulars... both Vittoria and Veloflex which is a bit of a bummer. Unfortunately a spare length of garden hose just won't cut it... I have a spare Tufo tub hanging in the garage but based on past experience I'd be better off with garden hose. My old Tufos are far more useful as slings for hanging stuff from the garage rafters.
One other thing.... are rainjackets uncool or something? It's absolutely lashing it down as I write - and cold, and the thunder is rumbling around but all the kids on their way home from school are walking with no more protection than the typical polyester school jumper, in some cases just shirt sleeves..... Nuts.
Posted at 03:41 PM
Sun - May 6, 2007
Not a nice way to come home...
I think I'm suffering post-trip
crash...
an unhappy reminder about being back at home in the
early hours of this morning.... it's normally pretty quiet round here but at 3am
I groggily came around to an argument in the street right outside my front door
that quickly changed into the sound of someone having the living shit kicked out
of them.... fists and boots on flesh, not a nice noise. Coppers called but the
guy doing the beating legged it before anything could be done, leaving one
hopefully merely unconscious figure bleeding all over the road. People suck,
this country sucks. Need some rain to wash away the
reminder.
I think I'm suffering post-trip crash... coming down off the adrenalin, endorphins and caffeine that kept me going for the week. There's a grubby little collection of tubes and parts downstairs that loosely resemble a bike, no damage from SleazyJet I just can't seem to muster the motivation to clean it all up and put it back together!
I think I'm suffering post-trip crash... coming down off the adrenalin, endorphins and caffeine that kept me going for the week. There's a grubby little collection of tubes and parts downstairs that loosely resemble a bike, no damage from SleazyJet I just can't seem to muster the motivation to clean it all up and put it back together!
Posted at 05:21 PM
Sat - May 5, 2007
wish I'd booked an extra week...
it's bound to be sunny next
week.
Gloom, airport, tired, thirsty.... Just another
3hrs to kill... The penalty of a free ride to the airport. I could have had
another hour in bed and caught the train but really couldn't be bothered
wrestling my bike box onto the train again from unfeasibly low platforms... Or
maybe the carriages were just stupidly
high.
Dinner last night was a good one... Much wine was disposed of, the Toulouse Cassoulet was ace, if a little heavy.... and I don't remember much else to be honest!
Sad to leave this morning, it always sucks when you have to leave friends and good company behind - still, we'll meet again - it's inevitable on the cycling merry-go-round, and not surprisingly we all turned out to have mutual friends and associates. It's just a depressing thought going back to face DIY, bills, work and all that crap that goes to make up the charade known as 'normal life'. I really can't be bothered to write much more....
Dinner last night was a good one... Much wine was disposed of, the Toulouse Cassoulet was ace, if a little heavy.... and I don't remember much else to be honest!
Sad to leave this morning, it always sucks when you have to leave friends and good company behind - still, we'll meet again - it's inevitable on the cycling merry-go-round, and not surprisingly we all turned out to have mutual friends and associates. It's just a depressing thought going back to face DIY, bills, work and all that crap that goes to make up the charade known as 'normal life'. I really can't be bothered to write much more....
Posted at 05:45 PM
Fri - May 4, 2007
It's bloody raining again!
what can I say... I needed to wash my
tyres perhaps?
Distance:
62km
Time: 02:00
Ave Spd: 31 km/hr
Cols: none, just lots of sort of draggy uppy and downy bits
10am: Rain. Again. No matter, it's the risk one takes of coming to the mountains this early in the season, and it keeps the countryside very green.
I loosely planned an easy recovery spin for a couple of hours over the Col d'Ares to the pretty village of Aspet for lunch... I have to pack my bike and kit for the trip home later though which will be a mucky job if everything is wet so the recovery spin may turn into a recovery tea and biscuits with a good book session. It really doesn't matter, my legs are tired, I don't want to run myself down before the Dartmoor Classic next weekend, and if i don't ride today then apparently the forecast for the bank holiday at home is ace so I'll do more riding back in Cornwall. I'm quite enjoying doing bugger all - no DIY, no chores, nothing that I feel I should be doing, just enjoying the experience of being a lazy git. It'll make it easier to pack too if my bike and gear are not dripping wet.
More later.......
6:45pm: what can I say... I needed to wash my tyres perhaps? Maybe I should just own up to being a bit stupid? Nearly 40miles in torrential rain, it was a lot of fun. Once I'm so wet that it's not possible to get any wetter it brings out the kid in me, I couldn't stop laughing as I hammered the last 40km on a caffeine and endorphin-fuelled high, watching 50km/hr horizontal streamers of water flying off my fork and handlebars, hands numb with the windchill. It was quite beautiful in the mountains with the low wreaths of cloud caressing the wooded hillsides, the greens of which were intensely saturated in the heavy wetness (how poetic can I make a filthy wet ride sound!). It was good fun, but not the bit afterwards where I've had to pack a grimy wet bike, or rinse half a bucket full of road grit out of my gear (turned the sink into a regular gravel pit) and scrub the dirty grey residue from my lower legs. At my halfway coffee stop - a very handy little patisserie with a vast range of dangerously tempting things - as it's my last day I succumbed to a couple of almond-filled pastry things, and the girl behind the counter gave me a freebie Pain au Chocolat for the road despite the fact I'd left a large puddle of water on her floor, chair, table.... I stuffed it in my jersey back pocket and forgot about it until I found the soggy congealed mass back 'home'.
I timed my return perfectly, walking into the kitchen just as David, Jim, Freddy (John's better half) and John were tucking into fish soup, fresh bread, ham, cheese and apple pie... It would have been rude of me to refuse. They even did my washing up while I was in the shower... how nice!
Of course the sun came out this afternoon......
We're off out to dinner in a mo, but before I forget - Freddy and John are the ace husband and wife team behind Red Planet Bikes in the UK, they're even nuttier about cycling than I am....
Sod it, I'm going for a beer before dinner. I'll finish this at the airport tomorrow. See ya
pic of the day is the front of the farmhouse here in Bertren, lovely building, even nicer inside and with a large garden, bike wash and hot-tub out the back.
Time: 02:00
Ave Spd: 31 km/hr
Cols: none, just lots of sort of draggy uppy and downy bits
10am: Rain. Again. No matter, it's the risk one takes of coming to the mountains this early in the season, and it keeps the countryside very green.
I loosely planned an easy recovery spin for a couple of hours over the Col d'Ares to the pretty village of Aspet for lunch... I have to pack my bike and kit for the trip home later though which will be a mucky job if everything is wet so the recovery spin may turn into a recovery tea and biscuits with a good book session. It really doesn't matter, my legs are tired, I don't want to run myself down before the Dartmoor Classic next weekend, and if i don't ride today then apparently the forecast for the bank holiday at home is ace so I'll do more riding back in Cornwall. I'm quite enjoying doing bugger all - no DIY, no chores, nothing that I feel I should be doing, just enjoying the experience of being a lazy git. It'll make it easier to pack too if my bike and gear are not dripping wet.
More later.......
6:45pm: what can I say... I needed to wash my tyres perhaps? Maybe I should just own up to being a bit stupid? Nearly 40miles in torrential rain, it was a lot of fun. Once I'm so wet that it's not possible to get any wetter it brings out the kid in me, I couldn't stop laughing as I hammered the last 40km on a caffeine and endorphin-fuelled high, watching 50km/hr horizontal streamers of water flying off my fork and handlebars, hands numb with the windchill. It was quite beautiful in the mountains with the low wreaths of cloud caressing the wooded hillsides, the greens of which were intensely saturated in the heavy wetness (how poetic can I make a filthy wet ride sound!). It was good fun, but not the bit afterwards where I've had to pack a grimy wet bike, or rinse half a bucket full of road grit out of my gear (turned the sink into a regular gravel pit) and scrub the dirty grey residue from my lower legs. At my halfway coffee stop - a very handy little patisserie with a vast range of dangerously tempting things - as it's my last day I succumbed to a couple of almond-filled pastry things, and the girl behind the counter gave me a freebie Pain au Chocolat for the road despite the fact I'd left a large puddle of water on her floor, chair, table.... I stuffed it in my jersey back pocket and forgot about it until I found the soggy congealed mass back 'home'.
I timed my return perfectly, walking into the kitchen just as David, Jim, Freddy (John's better half) and John were tucking into fish soup, fresh bread, ham, cheese and apple pie... It would have been rude of me to refuse. They even did my washing up while I was in the shower... how nice!
Of course the sun came out this afternoon......
We're off out to dinner in a mo, but before I forget - Freddy and John are the ace husband and wife team behind Red Planet Bikes in the UK, they're even nuttier about cycling than I am....
Sod it, I'm going for a beer before dinner. I'll finish this at the airport tomorrow. See ya
pic of the day is the front of the farmhouse here in Bertren, lovely building, even nicer inside and with a large garden, bike wash and hot-tub out the back.
Posted at 05:43 PM
Thu - May 3, 2007
more rain... but a good day in the mountains
I did have an awesome sleep, maybe too
good as I have the kind of sleep hangover that sees me stumbling into walls and
frames during failed attempts to actually walk through doors
....
Distance: 145
km
Time: 05:06
Ave Spd: 28.4 km/hr
Cols: Col d'Aspin, Col de Coupe and a bunch of other hilly stuff...
8.30am... Took advantage of an opportunity for an early brekkie today so I don't have to ride on a full stomach so now I have some time to kill (got coffee!) before venturing out into the cold, windy, showery day we seem to be stuck with. My plan is to head over the Col d'Aspin today and drop down to Ste Marie de Campan before returning via the valleys in the foothills, the loop is approx 180-190km from what I can measure on the map....... How good I'll feel on the bike remains to be seen, I did have an awesome sleep, maybe too good as I have the kind of sleep hangover that sees me stumbling into walls and frames during failed attempts to actually walk through doors .... the skin is slightly better though.
The berber omelette I made last night was ace, really chunky and spicy with courgette, tomatoes and chilli. Used a whole half dozen of those Pyrenean eggs, which not surprisingly tasted just the same as the Cornish ones :o)
7:15pm Before I forget I had an unusual dog-meets-cyclist experience on the road today... As always when approaching large dogs in the road I was ready with a well-aimed kick and a sprint but this one I think had a bad experience with a cyclist somewhere in it's past, as soon as it saw me it was gone.... legging off the road and across the neighbouring field... Never had that happen before.
OK, the ride... I guess plans are meant to fall apart. I had woolly legs and a headwind all the way to Arreau so stopped some 5km from the foot of the Aspin for a quick coffee to help me up the climb. It's a lovely climb, this was my 2nd time up it..... Last time it was sunny, this time however the heavens opened as I started the climb. I really don't mind the rain, there's something mesmerising about the steady drip-drip of water off the brow of my helmet, and the cold water did a better job than caffeine at clearing my head - I flew to the top 11km later. No summit photos today though, not much to see in the swirling wet mist. Decision time too - whether i carried on to Ste Marie or backtracked to Arreau it was set to be a freezing cold and slipery descent..... Arreau and it's cafes was closer so I simply plummeted back down into the valley and parked my bike up at the same cafe I stopped at 4 years ago.... The girl in there was really nice, sorted me out with a large coffee and a metre long ham & cheese baguette while I dripped water all over the floor.
I could see clearer skies back down the valley so changed my plans and with muscles wooden from the cold cruised back down the valley into the foothills before heading west into the beautiful valleys beyond the Col de Coupe.... Where it was sunny, yay!
The valley riding is stunningly beautiful but if anything tougher than riding the big cols as there are no opportunities to recover, it's closer to Cornish terrain in that respect. A flattish tailwind blast home at the end of the day felt fantastic, I'd finally found my legs in the warm sunshine only to get wazzed upon by a passing storm with just 500m to go :o(
Not a particularly long ride but a hard one in terms of pace and terrain so the rest of the afternoon was frittered away in horizontal fashion, thunder rumbling away outside, on the sofa with a selection of DVDs and a large pile of snacky things (healthy ones, honest) while waiting for dinner, which was ace as usual and took the form of a few pork chops, brown rice and veg all cooked in a sweet mustard sauce..... yum.
Time: 05:06
Ave Spd: 28.4 km/hr
Cols: Col d'Aspin, Col de Coupe and a bunch of other hilly stuff...
8.30am... Took advantage of an opportunity for an early brekkie today so I don't have to ride on a full stomach so now I have some time to kill (got coffee!) before venturing out into the cold, windy, showery day we seem to be stuck with. My plan is to head over the Col d'Aspin today and drop down to Ste Marie de Campan before returning via the valleys in the foothills, the loop is approx 180-190km from what I can measure on the map....... How good I'll feel on the bike remains to be seen, I did have an awesome sleep, maybe too good as I have the kind of sleep hangover that sees me stumbling into walls and frames during failed attempts to actually walk through doors .... the skin is slightly better though.
The berber omelette I made last night was ace, really chunky and spicy with courgette, tomatoes and chilli. Used a whole half dozen of those Pyrenean eggs, which not surprisingly tasted just the same as the Cornish ones :o)
7:15pm Before I forget I had an unusual dog-meets-cyclist experience on the road today... As always when approaching large dogs in the road I was ready with a well-aimed kick and a sprint but this one I think had a bad experience with a cyclist somewhere in it's past, as soon as it saw me it was gone.... legging off the road and across the neighbouring field... Never had that happen before.
OK, the ride... I guess plans are meant to fall apart. I had woolly legs and a headwind all the way to Arreau so stopped some 5km from the foot of the Aspin for a quick coffee to help me up the climb. It's a lovely climb, this was my 2nd time up it..... Last time it was sunny, this time however the heavens opened as I started the climb. I really don't mind the rain, there's something mesmerising about the steady drip-drip of water off the brow of my helmet, and the cold water did a better job than caffeine at clearing my head - I flew to the top 11km later. No summit photos today though, not much to see in the swirling wet mist. Decision time too - whether i carried on to Ste Marie or backtracked to Arreau it was set to be a freezing cold and slipery descent..... Arreau and it's cafes was closer so I simply plummeted back down into the valley and parked my bike up at the same cafe I stopped at 4 years ago.... The girl in there was really nice, sorted me out with a large coffee and a metre long ham & cheese baguette while I dripped water all over the floor.
I could see clearer skies back down the valley so changed my plans and with muscles wooden from the cold cruised back down the valley into the foothills before heading west into the beautiful valleys beyond the Col de Coupe.... Where it was sunny, yay!
The valley riding is stunningly beautiful but if anything tougher than riding the big cols as there are no opportunities to recover, it's closer to Cornish terrain in that respect. A flattish tailwind blast home at the end of the day felt fantastic, I'd finally found my legs in the warm sunshine only to get wazzed upon by a passing storm with just 500m to go :o(
Not a particularly long ride but a hard one in terms of pace and terrain so the rest of the afternoon was frittered away in horizontal fashion, thunder rumbling away outside, on the sofa with a selection of DVDs and a large pile of snacky things (healthy ones, honest) while waiting for dinner, which was ace as usual and took the form of a few pork chops, brown rice and veg all cooked in a sweet mustard sauce..... yum.
Posted at 05:36 PM
Wed - May 2, 2007
a not so good day in the mountains.....
feeling like dogpoo meant I stuck to the
valleys for a mere 70km
Distance:
71km
Cols: none worth mentioning.
Yep, those two sleepless nights have well and truly messed me up, might as well
go home now... The eczema is a bit nasty today. On the bright side the rain left
off early this morning leaving things just very cold and windy. Loads of snow to
see now the cloud has lifted - the snowline has come down to about 1000m which
would have made the high cols an interesting proposition.... But not for me,
feeling like dogpoo meant I stuck to the valleys for a mere 70km, I shouldn't
even have done that - an afternoon on the sofa with a movie has done little to
restore a vaguely human feeling to my thick head. Buggerance, a couple of rough
nights and the week could be ruined.
I've been really good and charitable all week, happily sharing my stashes of snacky yummy things, teabags, coffee, milk, chocolate etc etc but now I'm going to have my one holiday whinge seeing as I'm in a tired and irritable mood (!) so excuse me while I go ahead, in the meantime you can scroll down a bit to where normal service is resumed.....
Hre we go, the guys staying here are ace with one exception. It's quiet here, a husband and wife team of cycling nuts who run a shop back in the UK and seem to be having adventures 360 days/year - they're great. David the banker-who-lives-in-a-famous-person's-house (Richard Burton's old residence apparently) is also a star... But the other guy whose name has refused to stick in my mind probably because he has no personality is winding me up..... It's little things like every time I brew some fresh coffee, make some tea or open more biccies he's right there... with 'oh, that'd be nice - could I?'... And the milk has been disappearing at a rate of knots. Normally I'll be the first to offer goodies to all and sundry but it's starting to wind me up that he went to the shop yesterday and sorted himself out with some duck pate among other things for lunch yet failed entirely to think about stocking up on basics....
OK, whinge over. I did a very non-roadie thing this afternoon and rode my Merlin the two miles to the supermarket wearing trainers and jeans... Shocking eh, it makes quite the gucci shopping trolley with it's titanium tubes gleaming in the hazy sunshine and expensive tyres humming under the weight of a backpack loaded with good-bad things like dark chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate biscuits... (there's a theme developing here, my folks would be proud, previously scrawny little me eating a chocolate biscuit - whatever next... winegums?!).
Talking of family... They should be back from their wanderings in S America by the time I get home which is great - Mum will be bored stiff and hating every minute of being home so it's just as well I have an entire garden that needs sorting out. I'll never get it done..... it's riding season!
Steve and Brenda are taking a night off from cooking this evening, David and that other bloke (I hid my coffee) are going out to dinner but I want an early night (gawd i'm dull, no wonder I'm single....) so I have a plan for spanish omelette and tagliatelli... A chance to find out what the "oeufs au plein air Pyreneen" from the local hens are like... Does altitude make a difference?
Pic of the day is that omelette during the brief moments before I was demolished by a hungry cyclist....
Cols: none worth mentioning.
Yep, those two sleepless nights have well and truly messed me up, might as well
go home now... The eczema is a bit nasty today. On the bright side the rain left
off early this morning leaving things just very cold and windy. Loads of snow to
see now the cloud has lifted - the snowline has come down to about 1000m which
would have made the high cols an interesting proposition.... But not for me,
feeling like dogpoo meant I stuck to the valleys for a mere 70km, I shouldn't
even have done that - an afternoon on the sofa with a movie has done little to
restore a vaguely human feeling to my thick head. Buggerance, a couple of rough
nights and the week could be ruined.I've been really good and charitable all week, happily sharing my stashes of snacky yummy things, teabags, coffee, milk, chocolate etc etc but now I'm going to have my one holiday whinge seeing as I'm in a tired and irritable mood (!) so excuse me while I go ahead, in the meantime you can scroll down a bit to where normal service is resumed.....
Hre we go, the guys staying here are ace with one exception. It's quiet here, a husband and wife team of cycling nuts who run a shop back in the UK and seem to be having adventures 360 days/year - they're great. David the banker-who-lives-in-a-famous-person's-house (Richard Burton's old residence apparently) is also a star... But the other guy whose name has refused to stick in my mind probably because he has no personality is winding me up..... It's little things like every time I brew some fresh coffee, make some tea or open more biccies he's right there... with 'oh, that'd be nice - could I?'... And the milk has been disappearing at a rate of knots. Normally I'll be the first to offer goodies to all and sundry but it's starting to wind me up that he went to the shop yesterday and sorted himself out with some duck pate among other things for lunch yet failed entirely to think about stocking up on basics....
OK, whinge over. I did a very non-roadie thing this afternoon and rode my Merlin the two miles to the supermarket wearing trainers and jeans... Shocking eh, it makes quite the gucci shopping trolley with it's titanium tubes gleaming in the hazy sunshine and expensive tyres humming under the weight of a backpack loaded with good-bad things like dark chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate biscuits... (there's a theme developing here, my folks would be proud, previously scrawny little me eating a chocolate biscuit - whatever next... winegums?!).
Talking of family... They should be back from their wanderings in S America by the time I get home which is great - Mum will be bored stiff and hating every minute of being home so it's just as well I have an entire garden that needs sorting out. I'll never get it done..... it's riding season!
Steve and Brenda are taking a night off from cooking this evening, David and that other bloke (I hid my coffee) are going out to dinner but I want an early night (gawd i'm dull, no wonder I'm single....) so I have a plan for spanish omelette and tagliatelli... A chance to find out what the "oeufs au plein air Pyreneen" from the local hens are like... Does altitude make a difference?
Pic of the day is that omelette during the brief moments before I was demolished by a hungry cyclist....
Posted at 05:31 PM
Tue - May 1, 2007
Rain. Bah!
There's a reason the Pyrenees are so
green....
Rain.
Lots of rain in fact... It hasn't stopped since it's arrival was announced with
a thunderclap late yesterday afternoon. It's not nice rain either, it's the kind
that comes down in solid rods and is freezing cold with it..... Well, it's
always a risk in the mountains, especially this time of year - I guess the
countryside is as green as it is for a reason..... I'm not too bothered, the
snorers were at it again last night so I'm feeling distinctly ropey today and
rain is the perfect excuse for a day off. I brought my wet weather gear but
staying in and drinking tea is my preferred option
today.
So... Not much to write about today except the epic game of Trivial Pursuit, haven't played for years, but some beers made it sillier than perhaps it should have been once the layer of dust had been scraped off the box.
4pm.... Brain death. It's a public holiday today being the 1st and all that so no point in going anywhere, rural France is graveyard quiet today, the country is shut! I shall see about getting some ZZZzzzzs I think, see ya.
9pm.... Yippee, i have a room to myself so maybe a night of peace and quiet will sort me out, away from the heavy breathing, spluttering and snoring.... I fear though the damage has been done, I might have got away with one sleepless night when riding hard - but not two.
Due to lack of cycling and just to keep you amused, here's a pic of the view from the window... but before the rain! Pretty little village isn't it?!
Lots of rain in fact... It hasn't stopped since it's arrival was announced with
a thunderclap late yesterday afternoon. It's not nice rain either, it's the kind
that comes down in solid rods and is freezing cold with it..... Well, it's
always a risk in the mountains, especially this time of year - I guess the
countryside is as green as it is for a reason..... I'm not too bothered, the
snorers were at it again last night so I'm feeling distinctly ropey today and
rain is the perfect excuse for a day off. I brought my wet weather gear but
staying in and drinking tea is my preferred option
today.So... Not much to write about today except the epic game of Trivial Pursuit, haven't played for years, but some beers made it sillier than perhaps it should have been once the layer of dust had been scraped off the box.
4pm.... Brain death. It's a public holiday today being the 1st and all that so no point in going anywhere, rural France is graveyard quiet today, the country is shut! I shall see about getting some ZZZzzzzs I think, see ya.
9pm.... Yippee, i have a room to myself so maybe a night of peace and quiet will sort me out, away from the heavy breathing, spluttering and snoring.... I fear though the damage has been done, I might have got away with one sleepless night when riding hard - but not two.
Due to lack of cycling and just to keep you amused, here's a pic of the view from the window... but before the rain! Pretty little village isn't it?!
Posted at 05:25 PM
Mon - April 30, 2007
Short and Sweet........
The descent could have been epic, instead
it was merely ace.... I couldn't get past 80km/hr....
Distance:
110km
Time: 03:47
Ave Spd: 29km/hr
Cols: Col de Peyresourde
Short, fast ride today, there was an excess of snoring going on last night so I didn't get an awful lot of sleep so my plan was to be back early, trundle down to the supermarket to stock up on munchies and then put my feet up for the rest of the day. Worked a treat, loads of hot water and I missed the thunderstorm that soaked everyone else :o)
Started the day with a classic bit of biking.... Rolling roads through rural France, perfect surfaces, an absence of cars, light winds and an abundance of sunshine. Had good legs too which was a surprise after last night,
the first 50km or so to Arreau peeled away effortlessly. I thought I might stop for lunch in Arreau, had lunch in a nice cafe on the river there 4 years ago but the flow was so good I couldn't face stopping for any length of time and settled for a baguette from a bakery to chew on while riding up the valley towards the Col de Peyresourde. At the bakery I had a happy reminder of why cycling in France is so good, the girl behind the counter happily took my sticky bottle and refilled it with a smile. The usual reception in the UK is too often simply a look that says "piss off" you lycra-clad twat.
The Col doesn't start properly until about 10km from Arreau, but the approach is a classic bit of 'stealthy big ring' climbing that is barely felt in the legs but rather cunningly means that, when it comes, the true climb is a good few 100m of elevation less than it could be. It's a lovely climb too, not steep at about 8.5% and with terrific views of snow clad peaks to the south. Lots of old paint on the roads from the various races that have passed this way - some of it quite old, I'm sure I saw the name of that doped French prick Virenque.....
The descent could have been epic, instead it was merely ace.... With clear views of the road below it's easy to know there's no cars coming so it's very much an eyeballs out, sphincter-tightened adrenalin rush... It was just a bummer about the headwind coming up, despite best efforts I couldn't get past 80km/hr.... Maybe that was a good thing, the surface was a bit rippled and the Merlin is just a bit too light to be completely surefooted at those kind of speeds. There are a couple of electronic speed checks on the way down to make sure folk behave themselves and stick to the 30km/hr limit through the villages... as you'd expect however I didn't (behave) and tripped the first at 77km/hr and the second at 58 - but that one was on a bend... :o)
The last 30km or so along the valley from Luchon were 'blessed' with a bugger of a headwind but the adrenalin was flowing so I TT'd it and arrived back in plenty of time for a brew before the shops opened again at 3pm. I only felt the lack of sleep once as my eyelids turned to lead on the way up to the Col.... A caffeinated gel solved that little problem. I just hope I get some Z's tonight.
As I write at the kitchen table I'm surrounded by a regular bombsite of empty crisp and biscuit packets, chocolate wrappers and crumbs..... a bunch of guys just left for the airport after a feeding frenzy having come in wet and muddy from an offroad session. Shame they had to go, a nice bunch of guys and gals.
The rumour is that dinner tonight is a classic spag bol followed by fresh strawberries... And less than an hour to go to ..... Magic. Brenda's cooking really is rather good.
Time: 03:47
Ave Spd: 29km/hr
Cols: Col de Peyresourde
Short, fast ride today, there was an excess of snoring going on last night so I didn't get an awful lot of sleep so my plan was to be back early, trundle down to the supermarket to stock up on munchies and then put my feet up for the rest of the day. Worked a treat, loads of hot water and I missed the thunderstorm that soaked everyone else :o)
Started the day with a classic bit of biking.... Rolling roads through rural France, perfect surfaces, an absence of cars, light winds and an abundance of sunshine. Had good legs too which was a surprise after last night,
the first 50km or so to Arreau peeled away effortlessly. I thought I might stop for lunch in Arreau, had lunch in a nice cafe on the river there 4 years ago but the flow was so good I couldn't face stopping for any length of time and settled for a baguette from a bakery to chew on while riding up the valley towards the Col de Peyresourde. At the bakery I had a happy reminder of why cycling in France is so good, the girl behind the counter happily took my sticky bottle and refilled it with a smile. The usual reception in the UK is too often simply a look that says "piss off" you lycra-clad twat.
The Col doesn't start properly until about 10km from Arreau, but the approach is a classic bit of 'stealthy big ring' climbing that is barely felt in the legs but rather cunningly means that, when it comes, the true climb is a good few 100m of elevation less than it could be. It's a lovely climb too, not steep at about 8.5% and with terrific views of snow clad peaks to the south. Lots of old paint on the roads from the various races that have passed this way - some of it quite old, I'm sure I saw the name of that doped French prick Virenque.....
The descent could have been epic, instead it was merely ace.... With clear views of the road below it's easy to know there's no cars coming so it's very much an eyeballs out, sphincter-tightened adrenalin rush... It was just a bummer about the headwind coming up, despite best efforts I couldn't get past 80km/hr.... Maybe that was a good thing, the surface was a bit rippled and the Merlin is just a bit too light to be completely surefooted at those kind of speeds. There are a couple of electronic speed checks on the way down to make sure folk behave themselves and stick to the 30km/hr limit through the villages... as you'd expect however I didn't (behave) and tripped the first at 77km/hr and the second at 58 - but that one was on a bend... :o)
The last 30km or so along the valley from Luchon were 'blessed' with a bugger of a headwind but the adrenalin was flowing so I TT'd it and arrived back in plenty of time for a brew before the shops opened again at 3pm. I only felt the lack of sleep once as my eyelids turned to lead on the way up to the Col.... A caffeinated gel solved that little problem. I just hope I get some Z's tonight.
As I write at the kitchen table I'm surrounded by a regular bombsite of empty crisp and biscuit packets, chocolate wrappers and crumbs..... a bunch of guys just left for the airport after a feeding frenzy having come in wet and muddy from an offroad session. Shame they had to go, a nice bunch of guys and gals.
The rumour is that dinner tonight is a classic spag bol followed by fresh strawberries... And less than an hour to go to ..... Magic. Brenda's cooking really is rather good.
Posted at 05:15 PM
Sun - April 29, 2007
Renewing my acquaintance with the Pyrenees
I'd just about run out of food and had one of those
brief out of body experiences when the head is doing one thing and the legs are
totally detached and doing something else as the blood sugar dropped... I didn't
escape the rain either, it pissed it down as I passed the summit
Distance:
144km
Time: 05:00
Ave: 28km/hr (I was tired from the flight and taking it easy:o)
Cols climbed: Col des Ares (twice, one in each direction), Col de Larrieu, Col de Portet d'Aspet
Plus a couple of other smaller ones whose names escape me.
Cool day, but I'll start at the beginning... I'm sharing a room with a chap from London, turns out he's a banker... Which means well moneyed, has a house on Hampstead Heath with Boy George as a neighbour... I was half expecting him to turn out this morning fully equipped in Rapha head to toe and riding either a Cervelo or a Condor - the stereotype would have been complete... But I completely misjudged him, aside from being a thoroughly decent chappie there wasn't a thread of Rapha in sight and neither was he riding either of the aforementioned machines. Not perfect though... he snores.
Anyway, enough of that - what about the riding? Wicked in a word. Ace to be back riding in the Pyrenees. I was thick in the head for the first hour and tired from the trip yesterday but then the adrenalin and endorphins got the better of me and for the rest of the day the pedals were turning by themselves!
I relived a lot of memories this morning as I headed east to St Girons following the same route as on the Pyrenees coast-coast 4 years ago... Mostly happy memories, just slightly darkened by a particular toerag I had the misfortune to be riding with who simply couldn't deal with the fact I was fitter than him (back then I gave up being nice and diplomatic by day 3 and just rubbed his nose in it on the next big col.)
Weather was ace as far as St Girons, hot and sunny, from there though I was chased by building stormclouds up towards the Col de Portet d'Aspet... Incentive to hammer it up the climb. I'd just about run out of food at this point and had one of those brief out of body experiences when the head is doing one thing and the legs are totally detached and doing something else as the blood sugar dropped... I didn't escape the rain either, it pissed it down as I passed the summit and for the next 20km or so. I was robbed I tell you, robbed of an enjoyable descent by dripping wet hairpins and an excess of gravel. Ho hum.
Found my legs again after a while in the cold, wet air and flew the last 40km home, flat out at 45km/hr into a headwind for the last 10km to try and beat the huge storm moving down from the head of the valley. I won that race but I fear I'll suffer tomorrow from that last gasp effort - my legs are pulp.
The piccy is a particularly nice stretch of road skirting a long just to the north of the proper mountains... look - no potholes, yellow lines, dead badgers or assholes in cars... perfect!
Time: 05:00
Ave: 28km/hr (I was tired from the flight and taking it easy:o)
Cols climbed: Col des Ares (twice, one in each direction), Col de Larrieu, Col de Portet d'Aspet
Plus a couple of other smaller ones whose names escape me.
Cool day, but I'll start at the beginning... I'm sharing a room with a chap from London, turns out he's a banker... Which means well moneyed, has a house on Hampstead Heath with Boy George as a neighbour... I was half expecting him to turn out this morning fully equipped in Rapha head to toe and riding either a Cervelo or a Condor - the stereotype would have been complete... But I completely misjudged him, aside from being a thoroughly decent chappie there wasn't a thread of Rapha in sight and neither was he riding either of the aforementioned machines. Not perfect though... he snores.
Anyway, enough of that - what about the riding? Wicked in a word. Ace to be back riding in the Pyrenees. I was thick in the head for the first hour and tired from the trip yesterday but then the adrenalin and endorphins got the better of me and for the rest of the day the pedals were turning by themselves!
I relived a lot of memories this morning as I headed east to St Girons following the same route as on the Pyrenees coast-coast 4 years ago... Mostly happy memories, just slightly darkened by a particular toerag I had the misfortune to be riding with who simply couldn't deal with the fact I was fitter than him (back then I gave up being nice and diplomatic by day 3 and just rubbed his nose in it on the next big col.)
Weather was ace as far as St Girons, hot and sunny, from there though I was chased by building stormclouds up towards the Col de Portet d'Aspet... Incentive to hammer it up the climb. I'd just about run out of food at this point and had one of those brief out of body experiences when the head is doing one thing and the legs are totally detached and doing something else as the blood sugar dropped... I didn't escape the rain either, it pissed it down as I passed the summit and for the next 20km or so. I was robbed I tell you, robbed of an enjoyable descent by dripping wet hairpins and an excess of gravel. Ho hum.
Found my legs again after a while in the cold, wet air and flew the last 40km home, flat out at 45km/hr into a headwind for the last 10km to try and beat the huge storm moving down from the head of the valley. I won that race but I fear I'll suffer tomorrow from that last gasp effort - my legs are pulp.
The piccy is a particularly nice stretch of road skirting a long just to the north of the proper mountains... look - no potholes, yellow lines, dead badgers or assholes in cars... perfect!
Posted at 05:03 PM
Sat - April 28, 2007
airport slag heap....
massive excitement at the security check
- first they thought the bottles had liquid in 'em (yes, that stupid paranoia
still persists at UK airports) and then, having emptied my bag, couldn't decide
whether the powder was a prohibited substance as well...
gawd I hate airports... it all started to look ugly
when I arrived at check in, bike in tow, as a large gaggle of Welsh fat, sorry -
full-figured tarts resplendent in fake tans, lip gloss and matching t-shirts...
unfortunately all on the same flight as me.
Check in at Easyjet with a bike is normally pretty painless, you pay your bike fee at booking time and then it's usually no problem... Except this time the jobs-worth little twerp behind the desk decided I was 6kg overweight..... my argument that my bodyweight was probably 20kg less than the tart behind me cut no ice at all... In the end he let me get away with paying for 4kg extra and then proceeded to tell me all about riding to work on his bike..... Thing is, if it wasn't for the eczema I'd have been OK, I'm carrying half a bloody pharmacy though the mountains of energy food for the cycling might have had something to do with it.....
Talking of energy food, I have 2 large bottles of drink mix powder stashed in my hand luggage. That caused massive excitement at the security check - first they thought the bottles had liquid in 'em (yes, that stupid paranoia still persists at UK airports) and then, having emptied my bag, couldn't decide whether the powder was a prohibited substance as well... Of course, like everyone else so far today who finds out i'm a cyclist, the chappie then proceeded to tell me that he cycled, he sometimes goes on the Bristol-Bath bike path. Yawn. I haven't been asked yet if I "do that French race", unlike a couple of weeks ago at the cafe.....
I'm writing this at the departures cafe, no cash left for coffee after the baggage charge, and hoping nothing else goes wrong... There's plenty of scope for misadventure, in Toulouse I have a bus then a train to catch... All with that bloody bike in tow. You know, airports are such a rip off... I paid a quid to use the internet terminal downstairs to drop (ooh, pause nice looking girl opposite just got up and left....) my sister a quick email only to find the 'custom' web browser wasn't compatible with Apple's webmail access. Bollocks..
Sorry for that little distraction back there, there's precious little eye-candy around today, just welsh tarts as far as the eye can see, so I couldn't help but be distracted..... :o)
I spotted a book I want in the shop downstairs, they only had one copy but it was in really ropey condition so I said to the girl at the cash "excuse the cheeky question but this is a bit dog-eared, can you cut a deal.." she gave me a look that said "piss off you twat", said simply "no" and took it from me. MIserable cow, my consolation.. Well, you wouldn't have given her a second glance at the zoo... In the hippo enclosure. (apols for the political incorrectness going on here but these are my thoughts and I'm wound up!).
Later.. So here I am at last, arrived at the station in Montrejeau roughly on time at 1800, a feat that would be beyond an english train i think, especially if one tried to travel with a bike. It wasn't all plain sailing though, after 2hrs at the bar in Toulouse Railway station chatting to another cyclist (met on the plane) the platform was announced as 9, train departing at 1640.. So at 1637 I was on the platform with all the other prospective passengers expecting to board the train in front of us, and totally unprepared for the SNCF Comedy last minute platform change... To one half a mile away and up and down a number of flights of stairs. Doh! Negotiating the ensuing scrum would have been bad enough with just a duffel bag.. But with a bike in tow as well..... true comedy, black comedy. Made it though, my bike is fine and now I'm just hanging for dinner!
It's nice to be back in Bertren, it's been almost 4 years since that trans-pyrenean trip, yikes!
Check in at Easyjet with a bike is normally pretty painless, you pay your bike fee at booking time and then it's usually no problem... Except this time the jobs-worth little twerp behind the desk decided I was 6kg overweight..... my argument that my bodyweight was probably 20kg less than the tart behind me cut no ice at all... In the end he let me get away with paying for 4kg extra and then proceeded to tell me all about riding to work on his bike..... Thing is, if it wasn't for the eczema I'd have been OK, I'm carrying half a bloody pharmacy though the mountains of energy food for the cycling might have had something to do with it.....
Talking of energy food, I have 2 large bottles of drink mix powder stashed in my hand luggage. That caused massive excitement at the security check - first they thought the bottles had liquid in 'em (yes, that stupid paranoia still persists at UK airports) and then, having emptied my bag, couldn't decide whether the powder was a prohibited substance as well... Of course, like everyone else so far today who finds out i'm a cyclist, the chappie then proceeded to tell me that he cycled, he sometimes goes on the Bristol-Bath bike path. Yawn. I haven't been asked yet if I "do that French race", unlike a couple of weeks ago at the cafe.....
I'm writing this at the departures cafe, no cash left for coffee after the baggage charge, and hoping nothing else goes wrong... There's plenty of scope for misadventure, in Toulouse I have a bus then a train to catch... All with that bloody bike in tow. You know, airports are such a rip off... I paid a quid to use the internet terminal downstairs to drop (ooh, pause nice looking girl opposite just got up and left....) my sister a quick email only to find the 'custom' web browser wasn't compatible with Apple's webmail access. Bollocks..
Sorry for that little distraction back there, there's precious little eye-candy around today, just welsh tarts as far as the eye can see, so I couldn't help but be distracted..... :o)
I spotted a book I want in the shop downstairs, they only had one copy but it was in really ropey condition so I said to the girl at the cash "excuse the cheeky question but this is a bit dog-eared, can you cut a deal.." she gave me a look that said "piss off you twat", said simply "no" and took it from me. MIserable cow, my consolation.. Well, you wouldn't have given her a second glance at the zoo... In the hippo enclosure. (apols for the political incorrectness going on here but these are my thoughts and I'm wound up!).
Later.. So here I am at last, arrived at the station in Montrejeau roughly on time at 1800, a feat that would be beyond an english train i think, especially if one tried to travel with a bike. It wasn't all plain sailing though, after 2hrs at the bar in Toulouse Railway station chatting to another cyclist (met on the plane) the platform was announced as 9, train departing at 1640.. So at 1637 I was on the platform with all the other prospective passengers expecting to board the train in front of us, and totally unprepared for the SNCF Comedy last minute platform change... To one half a mile away and up and down a number of flights of stairs. Doh! Negotiating the ensuing scrum would have been bad enough with just a duffel bag.. But with a bike in tow as well..... true comedy, black comedy. Made it though, my bike is fine and now I'm just hanging for dinner!
It's nice to be back in Bertren, it's been almost 4 years since that trans-pyrenean trip, yikes!
Posted at 04:49 PM
Mon - April 23, 2007
First it was the furry loo seat...
technology huh!
Just a quick one today... I had to share this. As
the march of technology moves inexorably forward we've seen life-enhancing
innovations such as... the toaster, the electric toothbrush, the furry loo seat
(thankfully they didn't last long)... and now the furry television screen! I kid
you not, check this out.... but that's a bit dry, this article is maybe a bit
'lighter'.
I can't wait to be able to hug my favourite cartoon characters in full-on technicolour furryvision....
I can't wait to be able to hug my favourite cartoon characters in full-on technicolour furryvision....
Posted at 04:23 PM
Sun - April 22, 2007
took me by surprise that's for sure... *** warning: Explicit and uncensored cycling content :o) ***
sorry to say feeling a bit smug this
afternoon.... I suppose (shamefully) my primary enjoyment comes from the
reaction of other riders... my elegant little trackie looked ace today when
parked up between a couple of fully loaded top end carbon spaceships. Wicked
fun!
Hey, I thought I post an update after my post-race
blurb of a week ago (see "SKINSUITS AT
DAWN.... CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON..." below), I'm
having a lot of fun.... and I'm sorry to say feeling a bit smug this afternoon
(but not in a nasty, self-important way - just really chuffed with myself so
please forgive me) as my fixie time-trial adventure continues. Today was the
Penzance Wheelers Open Sporting (a polite way of saying rather hilly) TT notable
for an chronic absence of flat bits and a particularly nasty start at the foot
of a 3km or so climb.... Not ideal terrain for a fixed gear machine... but being
a bit of a silly bugger I thought I'd have a of laugh and turn up on my steel
track bike again, especially after last weekend. As I seem to have good legs at
the moment I was just interested in seeing if I could be competitive on it on
such a hilly course against the more aerodynamic geared machinery of the rest of
the field. I geared at 53x16 and aside from one particularly steep but short
section I was able to ride all the climbs seated and thus in an aero position.
I'm running s-bend bar extensions which allow me to slide back a bit and raise
my body to take advantage of back muscles on the hills without wasting energy by
'honking' out of the saddle. So finally all the hours of back extensions,
crunches, pushups etc etc have paid off I think..... and this with the fixed
gear hilly training over the winter are the only reasons I can think why I seem
to be so strong this spring, I was able to keep my speed above 20mph while
climbing on the aero bars. I'm a shit really 'cos the best bit about that is the
satisfying feeling as one gently 'drifts' past other riders uphill with no
outwardly visible sign of effort. I didn't expect to be competitive against all
the serious TT machinery on display..... however without gutting myself I took
5th.... I was a minute off the pace. I could have done with a 55T chainring on
reflection... Only time lost really from riding fixed was on the steep and
twisty descents, and having to take one very acute turn wide and slow.
So.. where am I going with my rambling... well, it's convinced me to ride all my TT's purely on fixed... and that it's going to be worth throwing a few ££££ at it (I can see Steve over at Cyclelogic rubbing his hands already...:o) so I can be on something of a more level playing field with respect to everyone else.... So first will be set of deep section wheels, the rear will have to be a custom Royce track hub drilled/slotted for 20 spokes with a HED90 deep carbon rim while I can use my deep carbon front wheel off my other bike. I want to be able to convert my Condor back to road use quickly so I'll invest in a second bladed fork cut to precisely the right height that I can leave everything attached to... this way the conversion from TT to road machine will only take 20 minutes. Maybe at a later date I'll treat myself to an super spangly carbon moulded aero bar but to be honest they're not really any quicker than my current Profile setup - they just look nice that's all (pretty important....). I'd also like to go from the 170mm track crank I'm running to 172.5mm which is my usual length - but only sugino and shimano make one that's easy to get in that length.. and they're not cheap - budget won't go that far at the mo... I seem to do OK on 170 tho so maybe I won't bother. It could be interesting to see just how far this thing can go for both hilly and flat races.
If I'm honest with myself... I suppose (shamefully) my primary enjoyment comes from the reaction of other riders... from the "bloody hell, you're not riding that today are you... you're nuts" to the incredulous and sometime miffed reaction from the owners of high end TT machinery after the event. Must admit, my elegant little trackie looked ace today when parked up between a couple of fully loaded top end carbon spaceships. Wicked fun! If it makes you feel better though, there is a 'price' I have to pay for this... the post-race tiredness does the eczema no favours at all... a fair exchange to my mind.
I rode for another 30km after the race to wind my legs down slowly.... it didn't work, my muscles still feel like they're made of wood. I'll have to be careful wobbling my way back down the stairs now for a cold beer.... cheerio!
p.s oh yes, forgot to say... it's Shakespeare's birthday tomorrow, which has absolutely nothing at all to do with anything else, just thought I'd share some 'culture' to show we're not all that dim down here in darkest Cornwall :o)
So.. where am I going with my rambling... well, it's convinced me to ride all my TT's purely on fixed... and that it's going to be worth throwing a few ££££ at it (I can see Steve over at Cyclelogic rubbing his hands already...:o) so I can be on something of a more level playing field with respect to everyone else.... So first will be set of deep section wheels, the rear will have to be a custom Royce track hub drilled/slotted for 20 spokes with a HED90 deep carbon rim while I can use my deep carbon front wheel off my other bike. I want to be able to convert my Condor back to road use quickly so I'll invest in a second bladed fork cut to precisely the right height that I can leave everything attached to... this way the conversion from TT to road machine will only take 20 minutes. Maybe at a later date I'll treat myself to an super spangly carbon moulded aero bar but to be honest they're not really any quicker than my current Profile setup - they just look nice that's all (pretty important....). I'd also like to go from the 170mm track crank I'm running to 172.5mm which is my usual length - but only sugino and shimano make one that's easy to get in that length.. and they're not cheap - budget won't go that far at the mo... I seem to do OK on 170 tho so maybe I won't bother. It could be interesting to see just how far this thing can go for both hilly and flat races.
If I'm honest with myself... I suppose (shamefully) my primary enjoyment comes from the reaction of other riders... from the "bloody hell, you're not riding that today are you... you're nuts" to the incredulous and sometime miffed reaction from the owners of high end TT machinery after the event. Must admit, my elegant little trackie looked ace today when parked up between a couple of fully loaded top end carbon spaceships. Wicked fun! If it makes you feel better though, there is a 'price' I have to pay for this... the post-race tiredness does the eczema no favours at all... a fair exchange to my mind.
I rode for another 30km after the race to wind my legs down slowly.... it didn't work, my muscles still feel like they're made of wood. I'll have to be careful wobbling my way back down the stairs now for a cold beer.... cheerio!
p.s oh yes, forgot to say... it's Shakespeare's birthday tomorrow, which has absolutely nothing at all to do with anything else, just thought I'd share some 'culture' to show we're not all that dim down here in darkest Cornwall :o)
Posted at 04:45 PM
Thu - April 19, 2007
office window musings....
...earthworms do get a rough deal if you
ask me.
I had cause to ponder on the Buddhist concepts of
karma and rebirth today as I gazed longingly out of the office window at a
perfect spring day with it's cloudless sky, light winds and sapphire sky…
There was a jackdaw happily pecking it's way across the cropped grass, in the
sunshine, completely oblivious to interest rates, Iraq, corporate domination and
the degeneration of society…. rather than spend one's life striving to
improve one's karma in the quest to be reborn in a higher life state next time
around… would it really be so bad to be come back as a lower form of life?
Not too low mind you, earthworms do get a rough deal if you ask me.
Posted at 07:23 PM
Wed - April 18, 2007
Management sponsored riding time...
... but not many carbs in a spicy veggie
wrap and pint of tea so I was forced to trundle home feeling decidedly
light-headed….
Today I had the benefit of a gap in my formal
"return to work plan", otherwise known as the company "get that slacker Mike
back behind a desk campaign" so I took full advantage of the wall-to-wall
sunshine, completely guilt free (it's a 'management approved' plan :o) with a
day out on the bike (surprised…? No, me neither) down west, cruising
effortlessly (a handy phenomenon known as a tailwind..) along the empty clifftop
roads with a smile plastered across my face. Stopped at my favourite beach
café, the one with the nice girls serving... hehe, for lunch and sat in the
sun chatting to a couple of war vets and their wives who were having their first
reunion after 40 years. Did my bit for improving the image of cyclists - they
seemed quite surprised that a skinny bloke in lycra and sunnies didn't mind if
they joined the same table. I screwed up with my lunch choice though, not many
carbs in a spicy veggie wrap and pint of tea so I was forced to trundle home
after that feeling decidedly light-headed…. Just as well I didn't have a
beer with my lunch….
Posted at 07:20 PM
Tue - April 17, 2007
work... keeping it fun...
One thing is clear to me already, I'm too
old to go chasing my ideal job of Blue Peter presenter....
So, this week marks the third week of my gradual
re-integration into the ranks of the gainfully (but not necessarily happily)
employed, I can't believe it's been that long already. I've been trying to keep
it fun, or as close to fun as is possible (which probably means occasional
periods of mild amusement at best) in line with my new 'relaxed' approach. The
guys I work with already think I'm slightly eccentric, especially with the
recent adventures with baked goodies. Today I think I did something that perhaps
I shouldn't have - security folk are not noted for their sense of humour but I
needed to have some fun - the eczema is not so fun today so when presented with
a bunch of routine electronic forms to complete (the usual yawn-inducing
security forms etc that go with the nature of the business) and noting a space
on one of them labelled "attach picture
here" (no, not a nice scenic landscape or
similar...) and not having a handy electronic snapshot there was only one thing
to do... a quick trawl of the clipart library for a smiley face followed by a
strategic cut and paste... and job done. Thinking about it now it seems such a
trivial thing but I have a niggling feeling that it will only be viewed with
chronic absence of humour on the receiving end. Ho hum, I'm not in the office
tomorrow so I'll just have to wait and see I
guess.
Yesterday I was presented with an interesting question which forced me to consider my future... chatting with my manager he asked me how I felt about being back in the office... from his point of view it's clear he really wants me to stay as part of the team. I don't know about this, I could have said a) what he wanted to hear, or b) what I really thought or c) just sit on the fence. Being a coward I went for option c I'm afraid and told him it was too soon to say as I'm working on a new program I would have to reserve judgement until I've been at it a good few months. Of course option a) would have meant telling him that every minute that passed I was not in the office was an unhappy minute and there was nowhere else I'd rather be. The truth is b), I'm rational (just) enough to know that at some point it is necessary to earn a crust just to be able to live my life and keep doing the things I like doing, the question is whether I can accept that work is just a thing you do 5 days a week so you can have a life on the weekend, or given that life probably happens but once (I won't get into theological debates here...) then ideally work needs to be an enjoyable, fulfilling activity that sees me happily skipping off to the office every morning. Right now I'd rather be on my bike somewhere on the road between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego, but I can't do that until the medical problems are fixed... if ever, ironically medical problems that can be said with almost 100% certainty to have been caused by too much stress for too long at work. Can't bloody win.
Anyway, no doubt one day I shall experience an epiphany and all will become clear. One thing is clear to me already though, I'm too old to go chasing my ideal job of Blue Peter presenter. Shame, they get to do all sorts of fun things, not just building things with old loo roll, and at least one of the team is invariably a sweetie... :o)
Yesterday I was presented with an interesting question which forced me to consider my future... chatting with my manager he asked me how I felt about being back in the office... from his point of view it's clear he really wants me to stay as part of the team. I don't know about this, I could have said a) what he wanted to hear, or b) what I really thought or c) just sit on the fence. Being a coward I went for option c I'm afraid and told him it was too soon to say as I'm working on a new program I would have to reserve judgement until I've been at it a good few months. Of course option a) would have meant telling him that every minute that passed I was not in the office was an unhappy minute and there was nowhere else I'd rather be. The truth is b), I'm rational (just) enough to know that at some point it is necessary to earn a crust just to be able to live my life and keep doing the things I like doing, the question is whether I can accept that work is just a thing you do 5 days a week so you can have a life on the weekend, or given that life probably happens but once (I won't get into theological debates here...) then ideally work needs to be an enjoyable, fulfilling activity that sees me happily skipping off to the office every morning. Right now I'd rather be on my bike somewhere on the road between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego, but I can't do that until the medical problems are fixed... if ever, ironically medical problems that can be said with almost 100% certainty to have been caused by too much stress for too long at work. Can't bloody win.
Anyway, no doubt one day I shall experience an epiphany and all will become clear. One thing is clear to me already though, I'm too old to go chasing my ideal job of Blue Peter presenter. Shame, they get to do all sorts of fun things, not just building things with old loo roll, and at least one of the team is invariably a sweetie... :o)
Posted at 05:30 PM
Sun - April 15, 2007
skinsuits at dawn.... choose your weapon...
There's something very peculiar about the
British time-trialling scene...
Shortly after dawn on Sunday mornings all across
the nation groups of individuals, moving quietly through the still-sleeping
streets and countryside, converge on specific locations marked only by cryptic
alphanumeric codes meaningless to all but the 'privileged' few. Once at their
destinations these individuals will unashamedly wriggle into lycra skinsuits
that would raise eyebrows at even the most liberal of fetish clubs, don funny
tear-drop shaped hats and compare and admire each others 'equipment' (!) all
prior to lining up in a lonely roadside verge, muscles twitching with excitement
in anticipation of the intense pain to come....... Written like that you'd be
forgiven for thinking I was talking about some bizarre and sinister cult... and
you'd be nearly right, it might be bizarre but how can there be anything
sinister about an activity that requires the ritual sharing of tea and cakes
afterwards? It does seem a very 'British' thing, the sunday morning Open Time
Trial.....
Anyway, this morning I ventured back into the racing scene for the first time in nearly a year. After all the ups and downs of the previous 12 months I decided to keep things simple and fun this summer... so the all-carbon areodynamic 'uber-bike' I was campaigning has been replaced with my simple-as-it gets round-tubed steel fixed gear bike with the only concession to aerodynamics being a set of low-profile bars with s-bend extensions. It's working too, today knowing that I was just going to ride within myself and have a bit of fun I rolled up to the start line feeling more relaxed than I ever have as the clock counted down to zero.... The adrenalin did kick in a bit but I know I rode well within reserves because I had no urge to turn my stomach inside out at the finish line.... Surprised myself too, squeezing into the top 5 and only 20s off a personal best for the course. Not spectacular but as nearly everybody else was riding geared TT-specific machines with carbon disc wheels and streamlined tube profiles I felt pretty pleased with myself. I could have been quicker I think, my gear selection was slightly out so I was under-geared on the return leg, spinning my 53Tx16T gear like an idiot I couldn't quite squeeze the bike past 30mph... It won't happen again, I just ordered a 15T sprocket and 54T chainring.
Gawd, it's great to be 'back'!
Anyway, this morning I ventured back into the racing scene for the first time in nearly a year. After all the ups and downs of the previous 12 months I decided to keep things simple and fun this summer... so the all-carbon areodynamic 'uber-bike' I was campaigning has been replaced with my simple-as-it gets round-tubed steel fixed gear bike with the only concession to aerodynamics being a set of low-profile bars with s-bend extensions. It's working too, today knowing that I was just going to ride within myself and have a bit of fun I rolled up to the start line feeling more relaxed than I ever have as the clock counted down to zero.... The adrenalin did kick in a bit but I know I rode well within reserves because I had no urge to turn my stomach inside out at the finish line.... Surprised myself too, squeezing into the top 5 and only 20s off a personal best for the course. Not spectacular but as nearly everybody else was riding geared TT-specific machines with carbon disc wheels and streamlined tube profiles I felt pretty pleased with myself. I could have been quicker I think, my gear selection was slightly out so I was under-geared on the return leg, spinning my 53Tx16T gear like an idiot I couldn't quite squeeze the bike past 30mph... It won't happen again, I just ordered a 15T sprocket and 54T chainring.
Gawd, it's great to be 'back'!
Posted at 04:46 PM
Mon - April 9, 2007
Cookie Cutter the Sequel...
Now it's usually the case that the
sequel to any great production is not as good as the original.... however in
this case it simply ain't true.
Now it's usually the case that the sequel to any great production is not as good
as the original.... however in this case it simply ain't true.. allow me to
present Easter Biscuit Mk2 incorporating such engineering improvements
as...a) sugar on top
b) a slightly different dough mix for a 'fluffier, lighter' biscuit
c) a larger template (courtesy of an inverted used tuna tin, washed of course...)
d) thicker for greater end-user satisfaction....
(I know, I may be behaving like your granny with my baked goods but I'm still an engineer.....)
Yum. This lot are designed to increase still further my office popularity rating... not that they don't all love me already I hasten to add..... :o)
Posted at 03:24 PM
Sun - April 8, 2007
I'd make a wonderful wifey for someone.....
Ttip of the day: the lid from a jar of
coffee makes an excellent cookie cutter...
No idea what's going on with me... whether I'm getting in touch with my feminine
side (I do like flowers.... :o) or just like eating... as 'tis Easter I have
excelled myself and made.... Easter biscuits. Lots of them. Yum. Granted they're
a bit small but I couldn't find a cookie cutter... but my tip of the day I share
with you guys (!) is that the lid from a jar of coffee does an excellent job,
just without the crinkly edges, not that it matters - there'll only be crumbs
left very shortly..... I might make some more tomorrow to take in to the
office... believe it or not I do have a few select colleagues who'd appreciate
them.... I'd make a lovely wife, don't seem to be much use for anything
else...(mail me if u want a recipe...)
I know really I should be out playing in the sun but the immune suppressant I have to use on my face leaves me rather photo-sensitive so instead I'm twiddling around here.... hate to say it but I might even be slightly bored... (rigorously ignoring the DIY...)
Posted at 03:29 PM
anti-training and the breakfast baguette....
.... this morning after a rough night
and feeling more like dog poo than the dogs bollocks I decided to learn a new
skill, something that shockingly I haven't practiced in years.
I have no idea what's happening to me... is it old
age, is it the few too many glasses of wine imbibed last night, is it lack of
sleep....? Today is Sunday... and it's a gloriously sunny one too, with nary a
breath of wind so as a dedicated athlete(!) I should be out on my bike....
right?
{pause for inspiration.... my mind is sludge..}
The media (both mainstream and cycling) is full of articles on getting fitter, riding faster, training harder which is all well and good I suppose... except I feel I've been living that way for years and where has it got me...? Well, OK - I'm not exactly overweight and I can ride a bike pretty quickly but ... why? There's no answer to that I suppose other than I enjoy it I suppose... and of course it's fun being faster than everybody else but there's more to life than that. So, this morning after a rough night and feeling more like dog poo than the dogs bollocks I decided to learn a new skill, something that shockingly I haven't practiced in years.
Call it Anti-Training, call it being lazy - whatever but today my Sunday morning has consisted of a gentle cruise down to the beach cafe with the sun at my back and an hour or so of feet-up basking in the early morning sun tempered by the icy tentacles of the lingering overnight chill in the air.... nothing new about that you say... ah, but what if I told you that in the sun with me (for a short while before it disappeared!) was a full English breakfast all stuffed inside an enormous toasted ciabatta with lashings of HP sauce...... This is a major milestone for me and bloody 'ell was it good, porridge and fruit will never seem the same again.
I'm home again now (obviously I suppose as witnessed by my bashing away at the keyboard) and it's not even midday. Heck, I have the whole afternoon to do useful stuff like painting the kitchen... or washing the windows. Except I know that I won't....I'll probably wash my bike and then find the sunniest spot in the garden for my lawnchair and...... that's it!
OK, must go - there's time to be a wasted :o)
Happy Easter.
{pause for inspiration.... my mind is sludge..}
The media (both mainstream and cycling) is full of articles on getting fitter, riding faster, training harder which is all well and good I suppose... except I feel I've been living that way for years and where has it got me...? Well, OK - I'm not exactly overweight and I can ride a bike pretty quickly but ... why? There's no answer to that I suppose other than I enjoy it I suppose... and of course it's fun being faster than everybody else but there's more to life than that. So, this morning after a rough night and feeling more like dog poo than the dogs bollocks I decided to learn a new skill, something that shockingly I haven't practiced in years.
Call it Anti-Training, call it being lazy - whatever but today my Sunday morning has consisted of a gentle cruise down to the beach cafe with the sun at my back and an hour or so of feet-up basking in the early morning sun tempered by the icy tentacles of the lingering overnight chill in the air.... nothing new about that you say... ah, but what if I told you that in the sun with me (for a short while before it disappeared!) was a full English breakfast all stuffed inside an enormous toasted ciabatta with lashings of HP sauce...... This is a major milestone for me and bloody 'ell was it good, porridge and fruit will never seem the same again.
I'm home again now (obviously I suppose as witnessed by my bashing away at the keyboard) and it's not even midday. Heck, I have the whole afternoon to do useful stuff like painting the kitchen... or washing the windows. Except I know that I won't....I'll probably wash my bike and then find the sunniest spot in the garden for my lawnchair and...... that's it!
OK, must go - there's time to be a wasted :o)
Happy Easter.
Posted at 11:37 AM
here's an interesting snippet... how good are you?
I can read this, can you, without
thinking about it?
fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid,
too.
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe tuo fo 100 anc.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.
Apparently, and don't quote me on this, If you can read this, your brain is 50% faster than those who can't... in reality that's probably not true but it makes you feel good anyway... !
Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe tuo fo 100 anc.
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.
Apparently, and don't quote me on this, If you can read this, your brain is 50% faster than those who can't... in reality that's probably not true but it makes you feel good anyway... !
Posted at 11:35 AM
Fri - April 6, 2007
positively salivating...
...it always was exciting but since
fitting the new Mavic Cosmic Carbone Pro deep section wheels it needs a
censorship rating...... Once again I have no choice but to ignore all the DIY
that needs doing, and instead put my feet up in the garden with a big mug of
tea...
two reasons I was salivating today... the first was this soda bread I baked
first thing ready for my return from a blast out on the bike... with no yeast
and no rising except that which happens in the oven it's great for a quick and
dirty (or rather 'quick and tasty') loaf with a wonderful crust that is just
magic with organic peanut butter and plum jam...
The other cause for me licking my chops was the thought of a run out on my
CD1.0, it always was exciting but since fitting the new Mavic Cosmic Carbone Pro
deep section wheels it needs a censorship rating...especially when the weather
is perfect as it is today... Cruising effortlessly along at 40km/hr to the faint
rumble of the carbon wheels, the polished razors of the rims gleaming in the sun
and, looking down, the chunky perfection of the Clavicula cranks glinting with
each rotation. The bike has become a bad influence, on days I should be taking
it steady I invariably find myself stomping up the climbs in the big ring and
sprinting past cars on the descents... and, like today, arrive home absolutely
buggered. Once again I have no choice but to ignore all the DIY that needs
doing, and instead put my feet up in the garden with a big mug of tea and the
post-lunch remains of that soda bread... Ho hum. One day the window frames will
be painted, the garden tidied and the hallway tiled... one day! The pic was
taken this morning on my favourite bit of clifftop road down west, quite a nice
contrast there between old and new - a neolithic pile of stones and a 21st
Century pile of carbon...Posted at 03:28 PM