Well that’s what I feel like a total fraud, somebody who can race and ride bikes should have had my Solo entry for the Bristol Bikefest twelve hour.
Two sorry laps in the wet left me bored and fed up, granted it was drying but my spirit had been crushed I wasn’t even really hungover, I’d eaten breakfast too.
That’s it for racing now, I might nip down to Brighton and do one lap at the Big Dog on their cale lap option, racing no. I’ll never be quick enough or determined enough to warrant taking a place from someone who cares, in the words of Phil the Horse on the Hecklerphone “I am worthless and week”.
On a brighter note it was ace to see lots of old friends and meet ace new people, events are ace, racing is daft….

Well I’ve just been to the William at Bakers Arms which is technically Leyton, but a very good local boozer indeed. What makes it even better is that they have a micro brewery on site which produces the fabulous Brodies Beer, a truly fabulous pint and at the moment only £1.99, mental…

Well that was fantastic a full week of commuting, but I knew it was Bluebell season, so I kitted up and left the house bright and early into the predicted showers. The rain got worse as I got to Hackney, not very heavy so I persisted by Old Streetthe sky’s were blue the signs were good.

Arrival in Dorking to slightly foreboding skies and a chill in the air, arm warmers were hastily donned and I set off, I decide on a bit of Ranmore action for a change up the big climb, cleaned it on the IF, minced down the side of Abba Zabba and then down the road and over the fields towards Abinger Hammer, the first bit of trail brought what I knew I’d see a dense patch of Blue.

Cue much giggling and turning Dubfire up to Max a couple of piccy’s and then onto what I call the Tube, it’s an ace tiny bit of trail.

As I was ringing the changes it was the James and Raluca climb out of Holmbury up to Barry Knows Best which I passed people on, well it was Trailquest day ;0)
Tea and a sandwich and up onto Pitch Trail One was all repaired a bit puddley so I decided not to bother with Winterfold the old tech descent of Trail Two was open, but I swept past it to Graveyard Shift.
Deer Trail and a slog to Leith Tower saw me on the fab descent all the way back to Dorking almost, and on a train at three thirty.
A jaunt across town that I was dreading but I felt strong and even better got stopped by a lovely couple on fixies who were in love with my IF, ace.
A fab day out finished off with beer right now, every penny I scrimped and saved for to get the IF was worth it, it’s just awesome, I’d do it again in a shot,every time I look at it I feel butterflies as it’s such a beautiful bike and now it’s building memories. Words can’t express how grateful I am to Sideways cycles and IF.

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Well as soon as I’d fallen in love with the Condor I fell out of love it felt like riding through glue today and some how I ended up in Romford, can I just say now that anywhere with Ford in it in East London is a dump see Stratford, Ilford, Romford and Dagenham, these places should be wiped off the face of the earth. Still fourty five miles in good weather, not much wind and the first two thirds on mostly pleasant roads. I got home to realise that I had thirty psi in each tyre rather than one hundred and ten. I suspect that’s why the bike felt horrid, Richmond Park tomorrow, three laps and home. I’m seeing that alcoholics are going to have to have rehab or have benefits taken off of them, I’m sure we’d benefit more as a nation by just not allowing fat people to eat junk food. Ohand whilst I’m on a rant seeing a couple walk out of the antenatal clinic doctors this morning and both spark up fags just left me despairing of society…
Still I’m off work and riding bikes is all I really have to do!

Well after a fabulous Peaks weekend despite the efforts of East Midlands Trains, I’ve been off work for just shy of a week and have ridden a fat 18 miles, that was today round Epping, I’ve needed to rest and relax and I have. Road ride after my yearly Asthma check up in the morning I think.

Can spin a canny selection of chunes, the Fabric mix I have is ace, old skool beepy with just that required bit of groovy fun.

It’s the sort of thing that on a solo MTB ride would have me off and having a groove in the woods, actually it may already have had that effect in Epping…

Ace ride on Saturday in the sunshine and on dusty trails with Nicky on the Surrey Hills, chilled pace but not a bad distance all in really just over a half century including my jaunts across town.
The IF is fabulous it’s super comfortable even with rigid forks I didn’t feel at all battered or bruised by a long day out. I could have eaten and stretched and gone out again by the time I got home. This bodes well for the Bristol Bikefest my first solo attempt at a twelve hour enduro. I reckon I just need to keep plugging and eat and stretch and drink and I’ll do a reasonable ride.
Massive thanks to Tim and Ag for sorting the IF for me they really now what they’re doing and it works flawlessly. I cleaned it today and polished it and it’s ready for more fun whenever I am.

Ok I got some road shoe for my road bike, I decided I couyldn’t afford Sidi and Specialized don’t really fit me so it was time to scour the internet. After a while of searching I fould Mavic shoes. I went into Cycle Surgery and tried a pair on in direct comparison with a pair of Sidi that were £40 more. The Mavic’s felt great and were a chunk cheaper and white so I went with them.
So today was my first ride in them and guess what? They’re just like shies, very comfortable, and after nearly seventy miles my feet had no hot spots or pain, which is good news, but also no sweating and more importantly my feet had felt really comfortable the whole time in fat they felt like just like my dead but well worn Sidi MTB shoes. So bargaintastic and super comfortable, need road shoes want to spend less than Sidi give Mavic a whirl, particularly if you have svelte feet like mine. Now I just need to work out how to stop my legs hurting after seventy miles…

Start Slide Show with PicLens Lite

Just shy of seventy miles for my first proper ride of the year, I’m very hungry and very tired, and whilst going out into Essex is fun it means riding into the wind on the way home…