The theme of this site is now several years old — the year specific archive headers would indicate it was originally written in 2004 — and also several steps behind the functionality now available in WordPress itself.
For a few days we’ll be using an out of the box theme while I tinker behind the scenes with stylesheets.
One immediate change is the addition of reCaptcha on the comments form and relaxing of some of my commenting restrictions.
Fuck it.
I can’t be arsed setting myself targets and totals for a year or a month. WHich is a good thing too as January has been a pitiful month from a riding point of view. Any intentions of getting out this weekend – and I had scheduled other items to make sure I had riding time – were scuppered by illness of emetic proportions.
Still, there’s always next weekend, and some local cheek worth exploring.
I suppose I also ought to decide whether to enter the 24 Hours of Exposure.
In September 1991 I walked into Warlands Cycles in Blackburn with most of my September pay packet and walked out with a discounted 1991 GT Karakoram. A bike that weighed 30lbs in stock form, six of which were frame alone.
Rather frighteningly this shopping experience dates the bar ends currently on Kirsty’s Spot as they were the first upgrade. Closely followed by SPDs. Shamefully copying Jason Shackleton I painted them to match the frame. Next came Onza Racing Porcupines, and then three months without beer to save up for the big upgrade…
Early adopter
Look at the SPDs. Actually, don’t
Yep, those are Hope mechanical disc brakes. Batch two. Freshly fitted at the factory, which was still at Hope Mill on Skelton Street in Colne, and full of odd parts like custom mini gearboxes.
It didn’t stop there and I ended up with Pro Circuit front forks, Flite saddle and a Royce titanium bottom bracket (which still runs smoothly today in my Dave Yates) to try and make up for all the weight I was adding. Rapidfire pods gave way to thumbshifters running cack-handed under the bars, that one was Brants fault, before finally settling on Gripshift. To whom I have stayed loyal since; at least where gears are concerned.
Potteries Classic, Trentham, 1993*
By 1994 I fooled myself that I was good enough to go custom and I bought a Dave Yates and the GT languished before eventually being donated to a student to take to college.
Warlands cycles closed down in 2009. It was no longer my LBS, and many of the forumtards these days are only after the cheapest deal they can get from an online retailer. Thank you Mr Warland for starting me on a cycling journey that I am still travelling.
* Even not so young readers may remember this as the original venue of SITS. Damn those monkeys.
Taking the train into and out of London I noticed how many men wearing Levis are advertising (or at least giving away) that they have gone “oversquare”. That is, their waist measurement has surpassed their inside leg measurement. I can, after many years of struggling, now claim to be square. Comfortably so. One of the reasons I have had to wear oversquare jeans for many years has been the difficulty of fitting my cycling thighs into normal cut jeans.
Then, while reading an article on Chinese cyberwarfare in the Washington Time I spotted an article in their sidebar on Steroids in Hollywood. Really?
The article went on to discuss a new phenomenon suffered by teenage and growing lads in the States, called bigorexia. I can see why. Pictures of Zac Effron skateboarding with his top off in magazines like Heat probably don’t help these impressionable youth. But I, fat boy that I am, am immune. I don’t get hung up about these steroid and workout freaks. Because have you seen Zac Effrons legs?. He’s got the physique of a lollipop. He might have a six pack where I have a Watneys Party Seven, but his scrawny stick thin legs look out of all proportion. The man is a spindly legged freak. Bigorexia? Take a look at the malformed proportions of these so-called hunks and get over it boys.
Suck it in fat boy
As it happens it turns out I have the BMI of a hollywood star, just distributed rather differently.
Bike: Hunter
Distance: 3 hours, plus overnight stop
As I alluded to previously i plan to make my way to SSUK 2011 under my own power. That, plus some public transport to get me across London.
I’ve already had a ride out with all my kit, but tonight I got a chance to ride out and stay out.
No spork
Turns out I had almost all my kit, but it’s OK. You can eat pasta with a Leatherman.
I only got an hour and a half away from home because I had to be back early to help my sister-in-law schooling a horse at MK EC. I got a great nights sleep, overslept, and had to ride back full tilt with no breakfast to meet her this morning.
I’ve dug out my spork, and made sure it’s now in the Viscacha.
After a night in the woods on minimal rations, then a missed breakfast, I was pretty hungry this evening. My sister-in-law needed a break from cooking while she recovered from the riding lesson, and my (future) brother-in-law has been hard at work. With so many appetites on the go it seemed right to try dR j0ns Seafood and pork Étoufée for everyone as supper tonight.
It was a palpable hit.
Hope you never need it
Driving home from a trip to Duxford the other day we saw a car stopped by the side of the road with hazards on. We stopped to help. It turns out that he’d seen a feret crossing the road and sure enough there she was, looking up at us all. She let herself be caught and that’s when we realised why. She was pitifuly thin and covered in ticks.
I’ve always enjoyed seeing the deer on my rides, but I was reminded by this poor little blighter of the dangers they pose.
That evening, using medical tweezers, I removed over thirty ticks from the little ferrets head. Sadly it was too little too late, and she died, probably from blood loss, on the way to the vets.
That night I ordered an O’Tom Tick Twister from BADA-UK to carry in my rash kit.
Average speeds in the Tour De France over the last few years have consistently increased. Must be the drugs rights?
In which case the drugs must also have caused the race distance to decrease…
More people need to take statistics classes.
Oh look. Dave’s going bivvying again and he wants us all to know
My reckon of the month. It will have yet another article by Dave Anderson on bivvying.
There’s supposed to be a difference between writing for a paying public and a vanity blog. More thought and originality required please.
Bike: Hunter
Distance: 1.5 hours
Playlist: Unplayed in ages
Broken chains: 1
After Mayhem it’s always time to put the bike to one side and have some R&R in the form of a weeks surfing in Cornwall. A lesson from King Surf in getting out back was well worth it. Especially when you’re always worried about losing contact lenses duck diving. Scoob also pointed out some flaws in my position during the catch and then my pop-up which made a big difference to the number of waves I caught later in the week. Kirsty tried out a demo board from Fluid Juice, and is now getting the “oooh, new board” thrills as she promptly placed an order. Which suits me as I was getting on fine coming down from my 7’6″ mini-mal to her 7’2″ board.
Then last Sundays ride was cancelled in order to go and see Motörhead at Sonisphere. Well, it has to be done.
Morvelo Panda
Anyway, it was time to get back on the bike tonight, especially as Sleepless In The Saddle is only a few weeks away. The ride was delayed slightly when I applied a bit of post-Mayhem TLC and discovered that one of the link plates on my SRAM chain had broken. Don’t know how long it was like that. It was OK at the start of Mayhem, but I never applied lube or checked the chain during the race. Says something about either the strength of SRAM chains, or the lack of power I was producing during the race.