Presents for rigger

Just back from cooksons....

...now just need time to go and ride!

Becomming a roadie!

My blog has been very quite as I have just seemed to run out of time! I was looking at my stats for this month and it has been a poor month for mountain biking - about 80miles. But loads of road miles riding to work and then the last weekend for a course in Wilmslow. The good thing is it was the personal trainer course and I was loving it. Not looking forward to the having to find clients, but once I do its going to be fun!

Anyway I will try and do better and I might as well admit now, no century for me again this month!

Pic of me on a climb!

Trio25
Originally uploaded by qwertyphoto

Rich got loads of pictures, so check them out. He Kindly got my at the top of a climb, I am smiling honestly!

Mountain Mayhem 2009

This seemed to arrive quickly! My week wasn't ideal preparation, riding every day and managing 199miles before heading to Mayhem! The plan had been to go down friday, but me not getting packed and then Ali not managing it before I finished on friday meant we went down early saturday. Left here at 5am and there was no traffic, it worked well actually! It seemed like no time in the morning till it was time to start. This year was a little different to last as we were there as a team with the aim to podium. Julie did our first lap being the only one of us who can run! She came back in 4th place in our category, a good start! I headed out with the aim to pull us up to third, so powered up the first hill where I caught the girl who had headed out second - their first girl must have been a strong runner! I then got the next placed girl. On the other side of the course I had to run half the kenda climb as she was right on my tail and riding it failed halfway up! After that I was enjoying the lap and was suprised to pass the girl from KMB on one of the climbs, every 24hour race I have done they have won!

Keen to keep it up as we were now in first I was shouting Ros before I even got to transition! We managed to mantain our lead from then on, slowly building but never really getting away. Ali even got a picture of me at the top of the kenda climb, I can't believe I am smiling! That was my weakness on the course as I ended up walking every lap (I got back on here for the camera!)

Ros finished our last lap and as the other teams didn't get back from their 22nd lap before 2 o'clock we actually finished a lap ahead.

The podium was fun as we struggled not to fall off!

It was a fun weekend, and an odd feeling being so competitive, its not that long ago I was the slow link in any team!

Oh yes and I did enjoy singlespeeding it!

What a day!

Today was meant to be an easy day! I was at the Dr's first thing, then off to Warrington for an afternoon session. I had a text in the morning offering me a lift home so I was happy that my legs would be reasonably happy! Doctors went fine, then time to eat and I was off. It was a 25mile trip so I had left myself a good 2 hours to get there. When I arrived the school said I wasn't expected, I checked my phone and yes I had missed a call, only I had already been on my way and in the wind and rain I hadn't heard it! Rang the office and yes it was cancelled and I was told to go home, so I got to ride another 25miles. Lucky me!

A friday night on the moors

After my last two bivvy rides Ali was asking when she got to go on an adventure, apparently she was missing her trio adventures. So since we weren't able to go away this weekend the plan was hatched. Once we were both home from work on friday we were to head up into the hills. We packed the bivvy bundles on thursday and as I was meant to be home first I would get the clothes and food together. I got in the door to a voice asking where had I been. She was so excited she had finished work early! We were out the door and on our way at 6pm. The route out was well know to me, but there were some new bits for Ali.

After lots of climbing - the route out seemed to be mainly uphill. But with all the baby sheep around Ali was really happy!

We found a perfect spot for our mats and started on dinner. I had carried all the ingredients for camp stew - three tins so Ali got started. First in the steak, easy it had a ring-pull opening. Then the veg, I had brought the camp tin-opener that Jon had given me. First Ali tried and got some holes, but that didn't help much. So I started, after bending the tin opener, I got half the tin open so that was enough. Onto the Potatoes, here it got harder. After an age I still had only got a gap of 2cm. So we decided that we might not be having potatoes! Just as the other food was ready I managed to get enough of a gap to get the potatoes out so we started eating from the pot and added potatoes. Eventually it was all eaten! Yummy!

After learning from my first bivvy trip, I didn't bring small bottles of bubbles, just a nice big one for us to share!

Just as we finished dinner the rain started so Ali got in her bivvy bag, it seemed to confuse her a little!!!

We both slept fine, waking up a few times. I think Ali was ready to get up at 4am but I certainly wasn't! At 6am we had breakfast, cereal and midges!!! Yummy there were loads!

Then we got all packed up and headed towards home.

The sun even came out to play!

Then it was the end :o(

Time to plan the next adventure.

Thanks Jumbly for lending Ali your bivvy bag.

Locks and Hill repeats

Yesterday I went out to my bike when I finished work and thought I hadn't locked it up correctly. Then I realised it was the end of the cable lock that didn't lock that had come loose. No idea how and seeing as my bike was still there I didn't dwell on it. So I stopped at cooksons on the way home and picked up another one. I borrowed the park scales from the workshop and weighed them all to help with my decision. I now have a U-lock so hopefully my bike will be secure!

Recently I was talking to Ollie and he has decided to do transwales again. He was talking about training and I realised I haven't really done any. A couple of races should have helped a bit so today I headed out to do hill repeats, on rigger! I used a new hill that is closer than the ones I used last year. So I had 2.5miles to warm my legs up (since I had done 35miles with riding to and from work that was plenty). Then it was time to push as hard as I could. I soon remember that it hurts to ride hard up hills, but the way back down was fun! Only four repeats this time, thought that was plenty after not doing anything like it for nearly a year.



Lap 1: 6'17"
Lap 2: 6'27"
Lap 3: 6'33"
Lap 4: 6'21"

An adventure on the way home

Today I was working in Altrincham I rode there on the road but had planned a route back that looked like it was mainly sustrans trails. Cain decided to join me and we headed off, I got us a little lost by forgetting to look at my gps, but soon had us back on track. Only then Cain's front tyre went down due to a drawing pin he must have picked up on the trail. It gave us time to see two baby swans being taken for a swim by their parents. Continuing on the trail Cain thought he knew where he was so we jumped on the road. Only we weren't where he thought we were. Soon though after some random cycling we found Walkden, so it was an easy ride back to Bolton.

41.3 miles

419m ascent

SSUK09

Back from a fun weekend away. Somehow although it rained the whole way there, Dalby was dry all weekend. We missed the big ride out after Ali decided not to bring her bike - halfway there she was wishing she had it! Next year we are bringing her a singlespeed to ride!

Saturday evening was dominated by the Rollapaluza which Ali won in fine style, I don't seem to be able to get my legs to move fast enough!

Sunday morning and it was time to leave our bikes in the woods for them to be moved around. I already knew I wasn't up for much, riding the length of the camping field felt hard! So I was out for a fun ride. Ali got to help moving the bikes around so she was happy.

After a jog across a field I found my bike up a tree, Ali had made sure she had moved it! At least she left it so I could reach it!

The course was great, some technical bits. Only one down I walked both laps, the rest I rode. Lots of screaming though!

The second lap I stopped for a while at the beer stop, I found I am not great at riding after beer, but it was a nice course so I enjoyed myself. Ali not so much she was in the woods getting eaten alive waiting to take my photo, only I was sat drinking beer so she had to wait a long time!

A great weekend, Ali has about 500 photos so will hopefully get them online later.

Feeling better

First things first and a new present was put on rigger, my old one had died so it seemed silly not to get pink!

In other news I got out on the bike and went to cooksons today. After a week of feeling ill it was great. I took the cross bike and the trails were lovely and dusty. I dropped Ali's brake off so should have her bike sorted soon!

May Roundup

Somehow this month I have not done a century. I just never got round to planning one. Not sure how that happened! This century a month is hard! I have covered more mileage than any other month so far though! I've also used my bivvy bag for the first time on two adventures. One which was very wet! I loved it though! I also feel like I've started to get back into running, although still not managed every week. Oh and I did my first ever Cross-country races and got a couple of cool trophies!

The figures:

18.25 miles running
277.69 miles moutain biking (262.64 singlespeed)
57.50 miles cyclo-cross
395.54 mile road

16944m of ascent


Progress on targets:

1. Run at least once a week Failed in March :o(
2. Run 300miles in the year 37% complete
3. Cycle an imperial century a month Failed in March :o(
4. Cycle 8000miles in the year 41% complete

Last brownbacks race

I woke up yesterday feeling terrible, I had spent the night burning up and just wasn't right. First thought was I would do the race on gears instead of the singlespeed but after struggling through breakfast I knew racing was out of the question. Lots of paracetamol later - very unusual for me - I headed up to watch. I had talked my friend Odile into riding so wanted to see how she got on. She hasn't been riding long but has survived a couple of trio adventures. The day was so hot and I found the walk up to the quarry hard! But it was fun to watch the racing - some of the trails looked a lot scarier than when I was riding them!
Odile finished 1st female in the 'Have a go hero' womens category and picked up a spot prize as well.

Three singlespeeders turned out today, here Mr Sparkle (who finished 2nd) leads trev up one of the climbs!

That's the end of series one, but series two is on the way in August. Definetly recommended!