Back to Basics again

The single-speed Giant has died - another BB knackered, worn cranks, two holes in the frame, the six year old Marzzochi Bomber has see better days, headset worn, and it's a harsh ride. It's been a good workhorse though, and was instrumental in getting me back on a bike. RIP.
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Time for a replacement. I need stealth - because I don't want it to look too shiny and get stolen. I need basic - because most of my weekday rides while I am away are at night so there is less to go wrong. I need low maintenance - the bike sits on the back of the car for days on end, covered in road spray, grit and mess. I also need cheap - because I am (always) saving for another Yeti.
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On One is a small bike company up north that like to do things differently. They specialize in a mail-order service for cost-effective parts and complete bikes. They are a refreshingly irreverent bunch and their signature bike is the Inbred, complete with the appropriate logo !
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One of their newer bikes is the Whippet. People up north all have Whippet's (small greyhound-like dog) or so people down south believe.
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Enter the new SS with a conservative, sensible, mainly second-hand, entry-level build and all-over stealth appearance.
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They got a good write up on t'Internet and I considered buying the complete bike at £899 but since the review in WMB, One One had stopped doing the 'pick and mix' parts option and, although I could have lived with the rest of the build, I could not have put up with the stock fork.
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So I went for a frame and a new Rockshox SID RLT Dual Air fork. The CARBON frame came with seat post, collar, seat, headset, dropouts for gears and SS, stem and bars - all for £399 ! Result.
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It's an arse-up, balls-out sort of bike, deigned for speed and a 100mm fork. I've compromised the feel slightly by having an extra 20mm up front, but the slacker angles appear to suit me and it has felt pretty good from the off. In the back of my mind, I also wanted the longer fork so it is more compatible with other frames that I either have or secretly covet.
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To complete the build I couldn't resist putting my name on it ..
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The first ride was faultless, with no fettling to do when i got back apart from upping the seat another few mm. The jury is out on the saddle - I've had a face like an Inbred on a few occasions. I've ridden it six times (247km) since the test ride and last night was the first ride where I didn't hate the saddle. Having said that, I was pushing it a bit harder and panting a lot. Most rides so far this Autumn have been 2.5 hour +, zone 2/3 'base training' rides and I have been avoiding big hills on purpose to keep in the zone with the right cadence.
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The only problem with this bike is that, shortly after purchase, the frame became available in bright yellow. I may well have been tempted.
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Ongoing issues with the HRM appear to be caused by the night-light battery. This also sends the rather basic magnet-driven computer into meltdown too, so I will look at the new Garmin Edge 200 to replace the computer and try putting the HRM in my media pocket next to the transmitter and see if that works .... winter training continues.

Rhayader

I like Rhayader a lot.
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Every year, a few of us make the effort to visit and ride off-piste, over proper countryside with real maps and weather that varies from minute to minute. We go to Clives and he sorts out a guide for us (so we don't have to think) and his lovely wife, Francine, feeds us (so we don't have to starve). We stay with Paul at the excellent Horseshoes, who cooks the finest poached eggs in Powys. I love it.
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It all went a bit tits-up this year though and the team disintegrated a month before the visit. Brian and Mick pulled out and Adrian and Andrew had to go to the US on business. Me and John left ... So, at the last minute, I managed to get brother Dick (and his new Yeti) out for the weekend and managed to persuade Molly that she should be riding with us now that the testosterone-fuelled, terribly competitive weekend had been replaced by just 'a ride with your mates'.
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John, Molly, Dick, Alex and me at the lunch stop, day one.
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Clive needs five or six riders to make the cost of a local guide worthwhile, so it was down to me to show everyone around. Molly had ridden here before, but it was the first visit for John and Dick and I knew they would not have ridden terrain like this before, so It wasn't hard to sort out an itinerary that would give them a feel for the area and show Molly some bits she hasn't seen.
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After a fabulous dinner with Clive and Francine on Friday night, two beers, a good night's sleep and Paul's poached eggs, we pulled out of the yard at the Cwmdauddwr Arms and set off up the old railway line which is now part of the National Cycleway, Route 8. The plan was to have a steady spin down the roads towards Llanwrthwl to warm up and then pick up the Wye Valley Walk (Bridleway) and grind our way to the top of Bwlch Coch. This is a good climb on a decent track but I could have sworn the others walked a bit, because I was waiting a while at the top ! We set off again and it's hard work (maybe that hill took a bit out of me) but when John points out my slow puncture, I realise why. Why do you always get a puncture when the tyre is covered in cow $h1t !!!
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A nice spin in the sunshine, followed by a well-earned descent through Talwrn Wood, brought us back to the road and face-to-face with Puke Hill. Turn and gurn time again but at least it's not that long and is all on tarmac - it is, however, quite steep ! From the top it's across the moor again, in the mist, through a few small rivers, up a few more hills ...
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... and down to the dam on the southern arm of Caban Coch resevoir. A gentle spin on tarmac round the resevoir and we meet Clive, Alex and the little-blue-van-full-of-food.
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After lunch, Molly calls it a day and we load her bike into the van. She disappears down the road to get cleaned up and enjoy some retail therapy, Rhayader-style, while John, Dick and I cross the dam, jump back on NCR 8 and follow the shore of Garreg-ddu, heading north. This is a nice, easy stretch and perfect for an after-lunch-warmup, but by this stage it was raining and the cloud had drifted in. We follow Route 8 to the top dam on Craig Goch, visit the public facilities, and set off for the next long'ish climb up Bonk Hill.
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Bonk starts off benign enough. A manageable middle-ring spin up an old pack horse trail that is always firm even in wet weather. It urges you to go just a little faster, but it's probably safer to rein-in and save a bit for the sting. All good climbs have a sting.
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Really good climbs have the sting at the top when you think you've had enough. Funnily enough, after the pack-horse trail, you then have to give up hard-earned contours to drop down and cross the river and then climb up again on wet, spongy grass for a while. Then it dries up, but steepens and, just as you think the worst is over, you turn right and have just another 200 yards up wet grass with small muddy steps. All these little obstacles offer up the risk of a 'dab' and would nulify all the effort made to clean the climb to this point. I love a challenge.

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Somewhere half way up that slope is Dick, having a rest ! It is steeper than it looks.

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It's across a the top, through the bog without too much incident, down past the Roman Camp, through another stream and up to meet the road again. I thought I heard a slight moan when I pointed UP the road, but it was the last climb of the day and, before long we are at the top of the 'Golf Links' and ready to enjoy a 3 mile (mainly) downhill blast back to the outskirts of Rhayader. Dick catches his pedal in a rut about half way down, at speed, and loses contact with the bike. He picks himself up, John dusts him off and there's no permanent damage. Result. 

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Back at base, we clean and lube the bikes, Neil fettles the ASR 5 and the gears change like magic again ready for the morning, the shower feels good, time for a coffee and some rock cake.

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Oh No - another fabulous meal with Clive and Francine. Wine, sleep, poached eggs ... but England lose to France in RWC .. and Wales win ! We decide not to talk too loud when we go out for a beer :-(

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There were a few more aches at the start of day two, but we set off in the rain and against the wind up the 'mountain' road. To be honest you could do without this straight from the off, but it gets the major height gain out of the way for the whole morning. It was with great relief that we left the road, crossed the river at the ford and then clawed our way up the short, but spiteful, climb to the plateau of 'Cefn Rhydoldog'. Visibility was down to fifty yards, the rain continued and the wind got up, so we didn't hang about for too many pictures, but the ride across here is lush in good weather. It's a shame Dick and John didn't see it !

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It's a great descent too - with fast single-track, some tricky rock steps, a nice bog crossing that has been the scene of some great comedy moments over the years, a long flooded section that fills the hubs and bottom brackets with stinking water and, finally, Strettons rock; where Jon (in an attempt to make up ground on someone riding better than he was that day) fell off at great speed, mangled his ankle and had to go home alone. Every time you ride this section, you get another memory to take home. I like it very much.

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Back on roads and tracks for a while and then a most unnecessary push up an overgrown, rutted by-way that is never maintained, presumably to stop us riding up it, and then it's the final section through the Oak wood.

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If anything, this section is far too short. It has some lovely stretches of wooded path, single track, a nice fast smooth descent with some wiggles and the chance of taking a little air near the bottom before you rattle across the roots and try to stop before hitting the gate.

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It's a short section after the wood to the road and back for coffee. A great morning, and the end of great weekend riding.

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Did we enjoy it ? The look on Dick's face says it all.

The Maldives - Vilu Reef

Imagine an island the size of a rugby pitch, where the highest point is three feet above sea level. This describes many of the islands collectively known as the Maldives. This chain of islands is an archipelago located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of a double chain of twenty six atolls oriented roughly north-south which are actually the tops of a vast undersea mountain range.
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With the exception of Male, the capital, many of the islands look like this ...
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.. but with a few palm leaf-roofed huts to house the visitors in some degree of opulence. We've all seen them in the press and, yes, it is bloody lovely.
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The decision to visit should not be taken lightly. It's a reasonable distance and there is little to do except relax, eat, drink and enjoy luxurious spa treatments. Some islands have a gym, (but why would you !) and many provide diving and water sport facilities. It is also rather expensive and it appears to be getting more expensive as time moves on and the islands are, in turn, re-furbished and improved. Oddly, this is the main reason we decided to go now. At this rate, normal folk will find it hard to justify the cost in a few year's time. 
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Home for the next two weeks .. It was a brutal commute to the beach, but we never ran the risk of anyone leaving towels on OUR loungers. 
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Molly has been diving for a while and I started a couple of summers ago. We dived in Egypt last year and both enjoyed it and we came to the Maldives this time looking forward to seeing a greater variety of species and, hopefully, some bigger examples. 
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What a start we had too :-)
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We saw white tip reef sharks-a-plenty right from the off, mostly about 2 metres long and mostly disinterested in us. On our first visit to Thibissa Far Garden, we jumped in and went straight down on top of half a dozen sharks at about 20m. Later in the dive we met a few larger ones, at about 3 metres long. This was the pattern for the whole two weeks when we had sharks in the area - most were about 2 metres long and, perhaps one or two each time that were a bit bigger at about 3 metres.
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About four days in, Molly had a morning off and I went out to do a couple of local dives in the morning with Samooh (one of the local guides) as my buddy. Well, I have seen the odd Napoleon Wrasse before but was in no way prepared for the monster that came past us. A full 2 metres long and drifting by without a care in the world.
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This thing was the size of a Tuc-Tuc and it wasn't until I 'Googled' it that I realised that this is about the maximum size for a male. Less than a week into the holiday and so much going on. Brilliant.
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Diving continued and each one was a great experience for me. I did, however, miss a notable spot the following day. The guys behind Samooh and I saw an Eagle Ray, but by the time they got my attention it was long gone.
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After a few days, Molly suggested I have a look at the Rescue Divers course - she must have thought I was getting bored ! I chatted up the guys at the Sun International Diving School and decided to enrol and do this in my 'spare' time. 
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I can thoroughly recommend these guys if any of you are in the area.
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Patrick (third from left) has a great team out there and we were well looked after by them (and the boat staff) for the whole two weeks. Samooh (second left) and Hiro (third from right) took us out quite a few times and Monz (second right) had the dubious pleasure of running the Rescue Divers course for me. Molly and I can't thank you all enough for making the diving such a memorable experience.
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It wasn't all going on under water though. We had established quite early on that the local Dolphins actually commute ! One way up the deep channel outside the house reef at about 09:00 and the opposite way at about 17:45. We stood on the beach to get a few photos one evening and the lifeguard waved to alert us that they were coming and then, very kindly, picked us up in his boat and we joined them for a mile or so. You cannot believe how many pictures I took just to get one decent one ... what a thrill though.
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It got better. The following day, we were chilling out by the pool and noticed some interest at the jetty. A quick walk later and we were gazing down on eight eagle rays doing some formation swimming round the boats. This was the first time I had seen one and, before this trip, had never heard of them. A quick shuffle back to the room for the camera wasn't swift enough and I missed the chance of an aerial shot of the fantastic markings on these incredible creatures. I did get a pic later of them cruising in the lagoon on their tour of the island.
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The lagoon is also home to a fearsome 'mini' predator, the black tip reef shark. They cruise about all day through the shoals of bait fish and snorkellers and, about the same time as the dolphins come past in the evening, they start to shepherd their dinner into the shallow water. They then gang up and start to harass the bait fish towards the beach and then snap them up as they try and swim back to all their friends.

The largest concentration we witnessed was nine of these hungry little fellas all swirling about and enjoying the feast.
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The day after the eagle rays came by, Siyam and I were diving and bumped into three more eagle rays (one larger one of about a metre across) and one of them kindly swam all around our group just below us and allowed us all a really good look. No camera with me though ...
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During the second week on the way between dives we had a 'Dolphin' day. It appeared that we couldn't look in any direction without a few more appearing. Overtaking us, chasing us, accompanying the boat, everywhere all at once. We saw lots, up to 50 at a time, so lord knows how many were actually out there.  Another hundred photos and two reasonable ones !
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Could it get any better ? Er .. yes it could. Molly had missed the first visit to Thibissa Far Garden and swimming with the bigger sharks, so I made sure she didn't want a lie in on the day we went back. We saw loads, again. Rays, sharks, a big turtle, scorpion fish, a shoal of bat fish playing in the bubbles, blah blah blah .. At the end of this excellent dive we were all hanging about at the safety stop and, luckily the two groups were together. I saw Monz grab his 'shaker' to get our attention and we looked towards the reef. Wow !
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Estimated wingspan of FIVE metres, barely five metres away and three metres deeper than us allowing us a fantastic view. Molly has seen a few, but never one this big. I am unsure that I will ever see the likes of this again. We think it is one of those giant mantas that are non-territorial and roam all over the place. Picture courtesy of Kaori Iwasa.
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I managed twenty dives, Molly did eleven and I passed the Rescue Diver's course and returned a (slightly) better diver. More importantly, I came back a safer diver.
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We also managed to come back from holiday fatter, but no heavier. I blame the food, which was absolutely out of this world. The finest cuisine I have ever had on any holiday ever, ever, ever. Fourteen days and twenty four fish curries of every style you can possibly imagine.  Awesome.
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We arrived home relaxed and slighy tanned and walked into an Indian Summer where the Autumn temperature is hovering around 29 degrees. We barely have enough time to sort ourselves out before we are due to make our annual visit to Clive Powells for a weekend of wild Mountain Biking in one of my favourite places. Hope the weather holds ..

Southern XC Round 5

My debut season on the Cross Country race scene came to a close at the start of September, with the final event at Pippingford Park on Ashdown Forest.

This was the best course of the lot, but what a difference the torrential rain made when it came down half way round the first lap after everyone had started the race on slicks. 

I even managed to get to where the official photographer was located before he packed up and before the monsoon arrived. 

If you think I was gurning by then, you should have seen me at the end !

I didn't win anything, but finished all the races and didn't come last in any of them. I had no mechanicals and really enjoyed it. I have also been consistently competitive over the first few hundred metres at every race. At the end of the season I was seventh in the Grand Veteran Category but only because I completed all the races. 

Bring on next year.

I have a few days to try and get the ARC clean again and then pack the diving gear ready for our summer holiday.

Always time for a ride

Work has calmed down a bit, but I will still be pretty busy until we go on holiday next month. Being in the office means I actually ride less because when I am away I have nothing else to do in the evenings. 

I managed to drop in and see Chris Lamb on the way back from  a visit to Portsmouth and we had a great ride on the Downs. 

The plan was to join the shop ride from Southdown Bikes, but best efforts to meet up with them failed miserably and we went solo for an excellent 20 miles or so on the most perfect summer's evening.

We rode a circuit, from above Storrington on the SDW, to Washington village, across A24, good climb up to Chanctonbury Ring, South to Cissbury, Findon and back round.

A great way to spend an evening and finished off with some quality Java and putting the world to rights. 

What a bonus on a school night ! Cheers Chris.

Southern XC Round 4

Increased wine consumption on holiday, good living, very late flight home, no riding, minor mechanicals and general fatigue contribute to the worst 'performance' of the year at Perham Down. Of course, I could add the fact that I am not very good into the mix, but that's a bit irrelevant, because I knew that when I started.
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What a great course though, a little bit of everything and a great shame I just didn't turn up in the right state. Bizarre that with my worst performance I get the most points - needless to say, a few of the familiar faces were missing. 
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One race left in the series and that is the local one at Pippingford Park at the start of September, so let's make amends and get back on track with my 1% improvement.
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No action pictures (again) - but I did find my right shoulder on the edge of someone else's action shot, taken while he was overtaking me ! 
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Thoughts already turn towards the winter when I need to get the base training in ready for next time. I need to come out of the winter stronger. Then I need to learn how best to be in the right place, mentally and physically, for each race. 

Isle of Skye

It was with great excitement that we threw a few bits into a bag and left for Gatwick to get the flight to Inverness. We picked up the (smallest) car (in the world .. nearly) and headed off towards Skye. As Eilean Donan castle comes into view, you get the first glimpse of the Cuillin (mountains) of Skye if you look straight down the loch - big spiky Black Cuillin on the left and non-quite-so-big, rounded, Red Cuillin on the right.
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Ten minutes later we are are crossing the bridge on to the Island and, time-wise, we are about half way to Glendale where we will spend the next week being spoiled rotten by Jennifer and John, Molly's sister and her husband. We even had to endure this view from their house each morning as the days invariably started sunny and clear.
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The weather is changeable in Skye to say the least; the climate is balmy compared with other places at a similar latitude due to the warming effect the Gulf Stream. The trouble is that the warm air travels several thousand miles across the Atlantic picking up moisture, hits the Cuillin, rises up 3000' in less than a mile, cools and then it pi$$e$ down ! Not every day, but quite often. The summer up there also delivers about eighteen hours of workable daylight and so when the weather is good, it's a double bonus. The weather was supposed to be good for a few days, so we head straight for the hills while we have the chance.
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There are loads of routes to do and most could be described as 'strenuous' on the walking scale. I have climbed quite extensively up there in past years and done a bit of wandering around, so decided to introduce Molly to the Inaccessible Pinnacle.
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The 'In Pin' sits atop the Black Cuillin Ridge and is the highest point of Sgurr Dearg (3235' or 986m). It is the only Munro (Scottish Summit over 3000' or 914m) that involves a rock climb. It's a jaw dropping sight. I climbed it a few times and it's straight-forward as rock climbs go but the 'exposure' is amazing and it's narrow - about 12" wide at the narrowest point. The view from the abseil anchor is not for the faint-hearted on the way down either. An early Victorian description was 'a knife-edged ridge, with an overhanging and infinite drop on one side, and a drop on the other side even steeper and longer'. We didn't climb it that day, but had a good amble round and posed for a few summit shots on Sgurr na Banachdich and the ridge.
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Looking north towards Banachdich, Sgurr a Mhadaidh and Bruach na Frithe ...
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Needless to say after such a full itinerary on the Cuillins, we opted for a few less active days. We both like wildlife and nature in general and are always on the look out for unusual stuff. You go to other areas of the country and certain things are common, but they are a real novelty to those of us that live elsewhere. I got quite excited about the Curlew we saw on the first day ! Wheatear's are quite common too but we never see them down south. It's not unusual to see some passing species either ..
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A good spot from Molly was this minke whale, cruising past Neist Point lighthouse. Excuse the picture, but it was half a mile out to sea and this is maximum zoom on the camera plus an enlargement in Paint Shop Pro.
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We went off seal watching in the drizzle on the third day - the locals must be used to seeing boat loads of visitors because they were happy to pose as we cruised by.
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Not quite so relaxed about our presence were the Sea Eagles. One was off hunting, the chicks were huddled down in the nest sheltering from the wind and rain and the other parent cruised by at Mach 2. The last time I tried to photograph these birds, I missed and got a single picture of two feet and a few tail feathers, so at least I improve - next time i might get a picture of the front !

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All too soon we are on our way back and as the sun sets on another enjoyable holiday we must consider ourselves quite fortunate. We had a great week away and enjoyed the peace, quiet and each other's company more than I can describe. Great hospitality, lovely food and ample red wine from the Commonwealth - what more do you need ? 
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Huge thanks to John and Jennifer for looking after us.
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Sunset over North Uist and Harris from Neist Point.

Where has June gone ?

It has been a manic month. 
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We started off with a lovely night away at Bartley Lodge in the New Forest. This was a freebie from New Forest Hotels after the less-than-acceptable weekend we had at their Beaulieu hotel in January. Very nice it was too and ever so close to Crow Hill for round three of the Southern XC championships. 
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I decided to take the ASR-5 after getting kicked about on the ARC in the last race and hoped this would be a little more forgiving. I think it was, but a bit heavier going in the dry loam sections. I had empty legs at the end (and for a few days after) but managed another 1% improvement in my 'compare with winner's time' calculation. Won't make a podium, EVER, but I will catch some of the other non-podium competitors in another seven races at this rate ! 
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Up north early the next day and I had arranged to meet 'Dynamic' Dave Buchan after work to ride his home patch near Rothbury. Dave and I attended the same TCL course at Cyclewise and will keep in touch.
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Molly suggested I take the SS as I would have the bike on the back of the car all week and it is much less attractive than a Yeti. Good plan .. until I arrived in Rothbury and followed (the fitter) Dave up the road climb for several miles (with his 26 extra gears) before we got to the interesting stuff. A couple of hours in Thrunton wood on secret local trails followed and what a fab place to ride. Another hidden gem tucked away from the riding masses who flock to the nearby Lake District or Kielder Water and don't know this place exists. It was tough on the climbs with one gear and tricky on the descents with no QR on the seat post. I walked some bits, fell off twice going up short steep sections, rode some bits well, rode some bits very carefully and gurned a lot. 
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Many thanks to Dave for the tour. It was great to catch up and I was thoroughly broken, but not beaten, at the end !  
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I always carry the bike when I am away and I have been away most of June. Weekends have been but a brief respite in a hectic schedule and haven't been really long enough to do any relaxing because of the chores and socializing to catch up on.
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I had two days in Scotland and, due to a bizarre work schedule, I drove up there and managed to fit in two more gentle rides in the Forth Valley. One night in Glasgow with friends, one appointment and I am driving to Llanberis in preparation for a presentation in Bangor the following day. I checked in, lubed the chain and went straight up Snowdon :-)
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We have a voluntary bike ban on Snowdon from April and September between 09:00 and 17:00 to 'protect' the walkers. There are hundreds that go up there, on foot and by train. It was busy that evening too and I passed 20-30 walkers and 2 other bikers. The Llanberis path is 'easier' that the others but when riding alone I feel the need to be sensible. Llanberis is by the lake in the picture above. Yes, I did ride all of it to this point except a short rock section after the first railway bridge and YES, I did have gears - lots of them.
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The stretch either side of the second railway bridge is a hike-a-bike section (going up) and then the gradient eases sufficiently to ride one-handed and snap the first tantalising view of the summit .. 
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Just around the corner and The Llanberis path meets the Miners / Pyg track by the standing stone and the views unfold. Looking North East towards Crib Goch and nice to see a Yeti in the mountains where they belong.
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What a great way to spend an evening .. about an hour and a quarter up and fifteen minutes down ! A bag of chips on a wall, two glasses of red wine and I sleep like a baby but probably snore like a pig.
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We squeeze in one more weekend and then I am away for the last week of June too. More miles by car and bike including a good ramble round the moors above Horwich in Lancashire and then a double loop of 'The Dog' on the way to Cheltenham - all on the SS. A year ago I would not have been able to get round the Dog 'clean' once without gears, but this time I got round twice with no falls and no dabs. Felt strong, why don't I feel like this on race days ?
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Monthly statistics 3768 miles driven, 170 miles ridden. 
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Molly and I are on holiday to Skye at the weekend for a week. Can't wait :-)

Golf, Wine, Ride repeat ...

The journey to Alicante was without incident and I arrived in Spain complete with golf clubs and bike. Good job Easy Jet ! A short drive to La Zenia and we were checked in and tucked up by 02:00.
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Looking at the tee times, I was pretty sure I could fit some rides in after the golf and before the wine, but needed to ride Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. So, after five hours sleep and an average round of golf I assembled the bike and set-off south down the coastal path towards San Pedro. Lots of paths and tracks but busy with walkers, holiday makers and dog walkers. Quite a good network of cycle paths, coupled with bike-savvy drivers made for an enjoyable stretch of the legs.  Tuesday I went north, through Torrevieja and enjoyed some good off road sections where the coast has yet to be covered in concrete. Thursday I went in-land to explore an area in-between Villa Martin and San Miguel that I had spotted on the way to (the excellent) Las Colinas golf club the day before. I soon knocked off the road miles to Eagles Nest and had a great hour exploring the trails and tracks off-road. 
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Quite a few walkers out and about but everyone was really courteous and tolerant and it made for an excellent evening out. Three rides, about 100km overall and no punctures / mechanicals - bonus !
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The Golf wasn't quite as good as last year and I finished fourth overall, but won the par-3's and the team competition on the last day, so it wasn't too bad.
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Back in the real world and Dick visits on his way to Florida. Just enough time to squeeze in a tour of Harrison Rocks, Groombridge, R21 with lunch at Java. 
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There is some nice single-track round here if you know where to look.
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Dick left early and we enjoyed a lie in before setting off for the O2 and the long-awaited return of Sade. Awesome performance by one of our favourite singers. I can't believe it's been nearly twenty years. 
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The final day off was filled with chores and a spot of bike fettling to fit the race tyres onto the ASR5. I had a quick 24km spin across the Downs to test out the feel and set-up prior to riding this one in the next Southern XC event at Crow Hill this coming weekend. It's not as light as the ARC, but I'm hoping that the full-suspension will be a bonus as the laps progress ... 

Southern XC - Wasing

The stumble into unchartered territory continues.
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Round 2 of the Southern XC series, at Wasing, was also combined with the Southern Championships so there were a lot of (extra) competitors there. How embarrassing to have my name called out to take a place on the second row of the grid .. only secured because I rode the last race at Checkendon I hasten to add. Second from left and slow off the mark !
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After some advice from friend Sarah (Carter), I had decided on a pre race plan to push (much) harder and see when I ran out of steam. The start was faster and I had seven or eight behind me early on and I overtook two more when they took the chicken run at the steep'ish drop and I just threw the ARC off the edge. 
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[action picture soon ...]
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I was was pleased with lap one and came in a shade under 26 minutes. One guy who had been hanging on behind me came past on the first short fire-road climb and, about the same time, I realised I was losing touch with the guy in front too. Laps two and three were 28:36 and 29:02 and I was overtaken by three of the Elite guys 'bimbling' round on their freakin' warm up lap - I had to smile. I did have a pit stop before lap three to change bottles and grab a gel, so lap 2 actual time was about 28:00, but by this stage I was in no man's land with no one I could catch and no one was going to catch me.
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Even though I am (relatively speaking) slow, I can't help thinking of ways to improve next time. Using 'my finish time compared to my age-group winner' formula I was bit better than last time (only 1% better though). I got there by equal portions of trying harder and failing faster, but that's OK because I really was trying harder. I have missed the quality miles since Checkendon and have some catching up to do in order to register a better improvement next time. Amazing that we can always find a way to justify doing what we want to do !
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A huge thank-you to Molly, my self-proclaimed 'Hydration Consultant', without whom I may have been even slower and who supports me in everything I do - service includes drinks, photo's and regular reality checks.
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I am off to Spain next week for the annual golf pilgrimage. I have two extra bags booked on Easy Jet - one set of golf clubs and one bike for my spare time ! The next race in the series is only three weeks away and I need to get some fast miles in before then. I have miles of undulating coastal path running south from the hotel and the SS will be in action.

In between jobs ..

With the completion of the TCL course, I am back to just riding my bike again.  
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We had a good weekend with my two brothers and managed a couple of rides at Rutland. The first was a 'boys only' trip in order to avoid the Royal Wedding and involved a full circuit but at gentle speed.
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Rest stop at Rutland - me, 'little brother' Paul, Jacko, Stacey and Carl. 
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Jacko and Stacey had a test ride on my ASR5 and loved it. Jacko and Stacey now have ASR5's courtesy of Howard and the guys at Bromley Bike. Welcome to the Tribe dudes !
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We were (all) back there a couple of days later for a social ride with the kids.
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Lucy trying to catch Molly and (other) 'little brother' Dick.
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The following Friday I finally met up with Chris Lamb for a ride on the Downs. We had a great evening out, until just after dusk, exploring Chris's local area around Patcham and Storrington with John Davies, another member of the South Down Cycle Club. 
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Chris, me and John at the Chantry post, above Storrington, before we head home for some Java. I have several Yeti jerseys and need to start wearing some of the other ones for these photographs !
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The next 'race' is in a couple of weeks and, even though I have been out on the bike quite a bit recently, I have spent some of that time practising, some time on very social family rides and very little time pushing it and getting fitter. The venue is Wasing and the event is also the Southern Championships, so I guess there will be a few more people there.

Trail Cycle Leader Assessment

I arrived in Coniston at tea time on Wednesday, booked into the really good Lakeland House (015394 41303) and then went straight out for a final practice session. I had my lesson plans stored away in my head and had been talking to myself for a few weeks whilst practising skills I didn't have and never thought I would need. 

After a nice, but expensive, pub meal in the Black Bull and an obligatory pint of Bluebird, I was in bed early reading my manual. Thursday started with a fry-up at the B+B and I left to go ride - no real plan, no real route, no company, no time-limit and no pressure. What a great day, just riding along with one spare tube, one water bottle, one MP3 player and two snack bars, nodding at the odd other person and talking to no-one. Tired and filthy, I then spent a couple of hours cleaning and checking the bike and assembling the gear for the following day. Big thanks to John & Susan Holland at Lakeland House who couldn't do enough to help during the stay. They were even delivering steaming mugs of latte to the hastily created bike-wash area whilst whisking my gear off to the drying room for me.

Up early, check gear, wolf down a healthy slow-burn breakfast and off to meet up with Rich and the other guys on the course.

The first bit was like an attack of deja-vu .. the kit check. I thought I was back in the Marines ! We had a list of what was expected, so the first 'tick' was easily won. We had a briefing about the day's agenda and weather forecast from Stuart who was leading the first leg and we were off into the morning mist, just like a ride with a set of new mates.

All smiles, all day - me and Yoda.

I took charge of the second leg without mis-adventure, Robin guided us after that and Malcolm led us home. Stuart took us through the non-weight shift drills, I passed on my considerable knowledge about the track stand, Robin coached us on the manual and Malcolm thrashed us round a local car park doing front / rear wheel lifts.

Waiting for the gate, in perfect balance ! The crowd looks on ...

Mucky and a bit tired, we pose for the course photo back at Coniston. L-R Robin, Me, Rich, Stuart and Malcolm.

The de-brief took place in the Bluebird cafe over a coffee and I was delighted to get a 'strong pass'. The basic skills have come on a lot since I started on this road but what i need to do now is keep working at them until they simply appear, as if by magic, every time I need them. 

A massive thank-you to all the guys at Cyclewise. Especially Sue for making it all happen and answering the stupid questions and Rich (again) for putting it all into context. You would have to go a long way to find better ambassadors for our sport.

What's next ? Well, I have some new rules of cycling :

1. I will use my new skills.
2. I will practice every time I ride.
3. I will ride flats unless racing (aka riding with a number on the bike).
4. I will have all the basics dialled (sorted) this summer.
5. I will master the bunny-hop. 
6. I will buy a spoke key and learn to use it.

Then, I will book onto the MBL course.

A bit of everything

What a great weekend. Friday night we attended the final ever Faithless gig at Brixton Academy.

What a fantastic night. Sardined in the mosh pit a few rows from the stage and jigging away for what seamed like hours. Driven ravenous by the second-hand inhalation of everyone else's weed and mostly deafened by the spleen-vibrating noise level. Wouldn't have missed it for the world - I got my hearing back (what's left of it) late on Sunday. If you have never seen them, it's now too late and you have missed the greatest dance band ever. Buy the DVD and enjoy.

Molly and I managed a sneaky few miles in the weekend sunshine.

We had planned a circuit from Bo-Peep, but the hang-gliders had an event on and had commandeered the whole area to take advantage of the updrafts. An unsuccessful attempt to park in Alfriston followed, thanks to the intransigent 'jobsworth' who wouldn't let us use the bus space with our bike rack on - it's like a load of buses are likely to arrive after two in the afternoon ... silly old git!

We abandoned the car by the road and took advantage of some brilliant weather along the SDW towards Eastbourne and then back through Friston forest, along 'Stumpy' with some optional bomb holes and into Exceat farmhouse for some latte and cake. Molly then decided that the easy route back to the car wasn't the 'manly' option and suggested we climb back to the top of the Downs and over Windover hill (again). What a Top Bird she is ...
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A great afternoon ended up with a therapeutic bike-cleaning session and some kit preparation ready for my week away up north and a rather marvellous lamb rogan josh with chilli rice.
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I have three full days work in Liverpool and Preston, followed by a day off in Coniston to explore the local area and make final preparations for the Trail Cycle Leader's assessment on Friday. I have a few bits of kit I need to find, but am pretty much there. Fingers crossed.