Time for another go...

I'm going to try to add a few more posts to this blog, seeing as I've not done so for a year or more... It's been fun trying to find out just how to log back into it as my original Yahoo account turned into a Gmail account and now my computer wants to use that for my Singletrack mail...

Anyway... I'm back and this is for random ramblings that won't appear on STW... My first thought is for the 3Peaks 'cross that I just did. It's five years since the last one, given the usual clash with Interbike. This year though, the dates had changed and I managed to ride it. I won't say 'race' though as I really wasn't prepared for it. My training consisted of a month of trade shows and very, very little riding. As it turned out, I should have tried simply to walk up some steep hills instead, seeing as that's what you spend the majority of your time doing.

I did make it round though, without punctures (100psi kids, it's the only way...) but I'm still walking a little funny from several leg cramps, and my hands are still suffering from hanging onto the brakes so much. I reckon there's something to be said for 'cross bikes with discs. Although you don't need the ultimate stopping power of discs, being able to slow down without needing 20lbs of pressure on the levers would be a real boon.

Anyway, it's 'cross season now, I'm not ready for it and I'm going to miss several great rounds due to work, but I'm looking forward to the ones I can make. I might even have to venture further afield to find some non-Yorkshire rounds...

OK, that's enough!

That's the Tourmalet... I rode up that, I did... I didn't die or anything.

This time last year I had an entry in to a half-marathon, which was enough to scare me into doing some training. I also had (what was then just a potential) six week break booked in which I was going to ride across the Pyrenees.

Well, I did the half marathon (1.37 thank you...) and did ride across the Pyrenees, as documented on these very pages. And it was great. I managed to start the spring fitter than I'd been for a while and built on that so that I didn't die when I rode up the Col de Marie Blanc, my first mountain of the trip.


As a rider, I've unfortunately lacked the 'fire' that people have for riding. I don't 'need' to ride and I'm quite happy to bumble along without riding for a few weeks without it particularly bothering me. I reckon I need a deadline, or some other fearful event to scare/bully me into riding. (Even keen riding partners haven't been able to bully me into riding if I didn't feel like it...)

So I'm going to try to cultivate some fire, borrow some angst and try to get myself back on track. I've found that emotional turmoil is quite good at galvanising some action, so I'll dig some of that out too. I have great riding out the door, I have rollers, I have running shoes. I have few excuses. I'd better get out and start doing something painful, eh?

Retrotec twin road bike.

Retrotec twin road bike.
Originally uploaded by retrotec&ingliscycles

Seeing as I had this blog just sitting there, I thought I'd start using it for more than just my Pyrenean trip... So let's start things (back) up with a plug for Retrotec bikes... How lovely is this? It's not mine, but I have one on my (long) shopping list...

Bike on show!

Just a quick note in case anyone's off to the London Cycle Show this weekend, my Fargo should be on show at the Singletrack booth (assuming the boys remember to pack it in the van) with luggage and all. So if you want a look, then come on down.

I'm hoping to get to the show on the Saturday and Sunday, but I may end up sat at work, finishing the next issue. Ah well, at least I got my summer of bike riding to look back on...

Faithful machine

I think I need to just stop for a moment and say how fantastic, and right for the job, my Salsa Fargo was. Starting at the front, the ride position was great - very upright. With the Carradice bar bag on and bottles, it was a little floppy while stationary, but once riding the steering was super stable - as I realised while scratching my nose at 30mph round a French switchback. The fork-mounted bottle cages work well (though I could see that you could stuff your bottle into the wheel by accident if you're not paying attention.

The Epic Designs bags worked well and I'll detail them in a later blog, but I was able to carry everything I needed and the bags kept everything in place and were reasonably weather resistant (and dry bags helped with the rest). The gears and brakes performed faultlessly and the Conti Top Contact tyres were impressively smooth and grippy, even on the odd broken road.

More of this later.

Just some of the photos...

I've stuck 100 riding shots, plus 30 summit poses up on my Flickr site here

There are 1000 photos, so don't invite me for dinner unless you like slide shows... :-)

Back in the UK

This post comes to you from Chipps in Bristol. After lounging around in Biarritz last night and this morning, having ice cream and wine last night and a great breakfast this morning, I'm now back in the UK. My bike and bags made it back fine and it's going to be a case of slowly getting back to the normal world where you don't have to climb over that big mountain before you can have lunch...

I have 1000 photos from the trip that I'll edit down and post up on Flickr (though, if you're really naughty, I'll come round and give you a slideshow of the whole lot...) and I also have my daily journal that I kept, which, if anyone's interested, I can transcribe and post up here day-by-day and relive the trip all over again.

Thanks for following. I'm now tanned, fitter and not as scared about doing silly trips on bikes - so expect more to come...

Chipps, Bristol. August 13th

We made it!

"We made it sea to sea in 12 days! Now where's the wine and pizza?"

~~~~~~~~~~

Congratulations Laura and Chipps! i've almost felt like i've been along for the ride, and just had very good legs! - jon

From out of nowhere!

"What a slightly epic day! We planned to get near the coast, but once we'd gone into Spain and then north towards Biarritz, we found nowhere to camp. Got to the coast and spent two hours trying every campsite we saw. All full. Even Kirsten, our French connection, called a dozen places without success. Just as we were about to despair, Laura persuaded a full place to squeeze us in. Yay! So we're now pitched close to the beach with 8km to ride tomorrow!"

Full.

"Last full day riding today and we're starting as usual with coffee, croissants and and a ponder of the map. Might nip west into Spain, over pokey 600m pass and then swing north to Saint Pee, no, really!. Then tomorrow is an easy spin to Biarritz to box bike, eat ice cream ans dip toes in Atlantic."