Jebel Hafeet Descent

Old bloke with dodgy camera descends big hill on a bike:

Mountain bike ride to Embsay Crag, North Yorkshire, England

Sub-zero but sunny morning; Claire and I had a baby sitter so the perfect opportunity to explore some local trails.  I'd scoped a local route and today was perfect to ride it because all the bogs were frozen solid and easily rideable rather than the usual muddy slog.  The first 2 miles were on road before heading up a farm track then joining the trail.  Steep uphill grassy climb, across a little stone bridge and over a little frozen stream running across the trail.

Through one of the many gates that dot the countryside to keep the sheep where they're meant to be and onto the bogland.  I find one of the few patches of unfrozen mud to put my feet into while trying to show off my gnarly mtb skills to Claire.  This amuses her as she picks her way through daintily, keeping her feet dry.  Then the rocky climb to the summit where we sit soaking in the silence and the view.

And then a fun little ride back down with a stop in Downtown Skipton for coffee and cheesecake.

Here's a picture of my new mtb, a Boardman Pro.  Bought from Halfords (for Canadian viewers, imagine a slightly upmarket Crappy Tire which is making an effort to sell decent bikes), it is a superb bike with unbelievably good components at a very reasonable price.  IMO, this is what a mountain bike should look like - basically, a road bike with fat tyres...

Old Git rant

Here's a magnificent Old Git rant from Australia posted on Fyxomatosis:

PBK
Words by The Ghost.

Its official – the bikes are full of wankers these days and I fear there is no going back.
They’re killing our sport – literally. For those who have witnessed the carnage that is C grade club racing at Carnegie these last few weeks there’s a need to have a good hard look at what’s going on here. Who are these renegades that now inhabit our bunches wreaking havoc? Of course this new breed wouldn’t call them bunches - but Pelotons – being so au fait with the European aesthetic of their new found “hobby”. I’ve pondered from whence they came - wondered what was in their heads - and tonight it was all revealed. It’s Probikekit.
I was taking the long way home – around Kew Boulevard and then I came up behind them. Let’s call them Tosspot and Ponce. Both head to toe in Assos. Ponce on a Look 595 dripping in carbon everything. Tosspot on a Trek Madone and wearing silver time trial aero shoe covers. No change out of $30,000. “Hi fellas” - They turned to look at the old bloke on his 30kg frankenbike with his backpack and faded old jersey on and you could BREATHE the contempt. I contemplated just coming through but then these guys always take this as some sort of challenge - so there I sat on the wheels listening to them warble on about the only conversation subject that these guys and their contemporaries appear capable of engaging in these days - Bike Gear from Probikekit.
Ponce “Got new shoes mate?”
Tosspot “Yeh Sidi Ergo Twos - $369 on Probikekit. I got two pairs – black coz they look pretty cool and a white pair for the hot days coz the black ones heat up” (I thought he said they were cool??).
Ponce “Nice. Seen my new Garmin? Dakota 20. Preloaded 3D maps, elevations and barometrics. $357 on Probikekit. You get a free pair of sunglasses but they’re crap. I’m getting new Oakley Jawbones – but there not on Probikekit yet”
Tosspot “You racing on the Zipps or the Reynolds on Saturday?”
At this point we hit a rise and as my brain explodes with bike tech overload I come through and pull away from them. True to form Ponce jumps across and it’s on. What kudos there might be in taking on a 47 year old bloke on the cycling equivalent of a ’92 Camry with a boot full of rocks I don’t know – but I think these are the same sort of guys that pull wings off flies and beat up on the fat kid at school. They come through and they’re back in their rightful place on the front smirking. The only plus is that the effort seems to have taken away some of their capacity to talk quite as much sh1t – but Ponce still manages to blurt out “Hey mate what wattage were you putting out there?” Tosspot consults the Garmin.
We come to the final rise – my blood is boiling now. I hit ‘em VERY hard and power up the hill. I drop them. As we roll to the bottom I yell across – “see if they sell some of that on Probikekit”
They looked more bemused than offended. Like blokes with pegs on their noses who’ve farted in an elevator they can’t even understand why someone might find them offensive. What’s so irksome is that you know that these guys will be racing C and D grade. It’s as good as they are ever gonna get and for us old blokes falling back through the grades - if you race – you’ll be racing with them. That means there’s a real chance that you will wind up like Bob Quirk. Taken wide in a corner at Glenvale last Sunday by one of these dickheads and now having facial reconstruction surgery in the Alfred. Pain. Time off work. Most likely a Mrs on his case about how he should give it away coz he’s too old and it’s too dangerous and he should spend more time with the kids.
When he does get home - Out in the shed looking at a wrecked bike that he’s actually worked hard to own. A bike he probably put together himself. A bike that he’s always done his own maintenance on. A bike that he actually had some emotional investment in. A bike he didn’t buy off Probikekit but from a mate – who like a chump – runs the local bike shop and is trying to scratch out a living competing with the likes of Probikekit.
Bob might contemplate like I do about the time before the Cafe Bunches and Cadel and the endless Carbon, Carbon, Carbon when part of the appeal of the training ride (Remember them?) was talking about something other than bike parts. Politics, religion, art, economics, nature and music were all on the agenda as you rolled back from an honest effort in the hills. People who rabbited on about bike bits forever were seen as being a bit touched – social lepers – now they’re the patrons of the Peloton.
No one wants to learn how to ride a bike now. Unfortunately for the rest of us who are racing these turds you can’t buy supplesse or tempo or grunt or cornering skills on Probikekit. I recall that when I had the privilege of riding with the old pros I did three things. Firstly I shut my mouth – you were usually so on the rivet holding the wheels that you couldn’t speak anyway – and then I looked and I listened. Like dogs at a barbecue us kids were completely focussed on getting any scrap of wisdom from these guys that we could. We sat on the back in total respect. We listened to how they breathed. We watched every pedal stroke – every gear change. How does he get through that corner so fast? Did he touch the brakes? Does he drop his heels when climbing? And we took their taunts like the miserable rank amateurs that we were.
Then there was track racing. You weren’t even considered a bike rider until you’d done a few seasons on the track - Gone to the country carnivals sleeping on someone’s floor and eating tin rice cream hoping that if you and your mates got a few places there’d be enough cash between you to go and get a counter meal and put petrol in the car to get home. At Carnegie track racing was still segregated when I started. The Pros raced their races and us amateurs ours. In between the Pros sat in the middle of the track cooking in the sun – amateurs on the outside under a tree – soft. But to these new guys a track bike is “A Fixie” - something you ride in tight jeans to a fringe film festival or boutique brewery. I imagine you can buy them on Probikekit.
Sure as kids we coveted the pro’s bikes but back then it was understood that you had to earn the right to ride a Campag equipped Colnago. If we’d have dared to show up on a bike like that then we were expected to have the goods in the legs – otherwise you were just a blowhard. “All show and no go” they would say. A pretender.
I don’t know what the solution is and I’m not sure I know what the genesis of this plague has been. Obviously the sport’s profile and popularity has risen immeasurably but that doesn’t explain the over confident I’m the centre of the universe mindset of this new generation of riders. Obviously it is something broader – something societal. We view technology as the panacea to all ills. Got no friends? Facebook. Not placing in the races? Carbon bottle cages should fix that. I know that I’m starting to come across now as the archetypal grumpy old b@stard. Jaded, bitter. Bemoaning the younger generation’s lack of respect. And then I contemplated that maybe it’s always been this way.. Maybe back in the day to the older guys- I too seemed the same as these kids seem to me. Young and full of myself.
Once as we approached the mountains - we kids were giggling and dicking about. One of the older guys fell back pointed to the hills and said “Do you know who lives there?
The eternal smart arse I replied “I dunno – The Beverley Hillbillies?” Laughs all round.
He asked again in a tone that made us all go quiet.
“Do you know who lives there? Pain lives there. We’ll see who’s still laughing at the top. I think it’s time to shut up now and let the legs do the talking”
One kid put very much back in his little box.
Maybe Ponce and Tosspot are back in theirs - even if only for a minute or two.

Now that I’ve got that off my chest I need to get on Probikekit and have a look at these shoes

---

Martin's Hawaii ride

Martin just sent this so I thought I'd post it - awesome.  Click on the picture to see it more clearly.  Hopefully he'll write a full account of the ride soon.

The Noob Ride

Winter is finally here in the United Arab Emirates, which means beautiful riding weather at last. Riding here in the summer is best compared to setting up your bike on a turbo in a steam room, and to be honest that, combined with work commitments, have kept me indoors since April. In fact, the last time I went on a long Friday ride (Friday being our Sunday here) is nearly a year ago. Questions were beginning to be asked by my triathlon relay team. Questions such as "why are you so bloody slow this year you old git?" So that, combined with successful entry into next year's Etape du Tour, meant it was time to take action. The alarm was set for 4 a.m., and a suitably secluded road near the Abu Dhabi - Dubai border selected.



This isn't quite the world's longest straight road, but after riding 50 km without a single bend you wouldn't know it, or care. No matter, perfect to burn off some calories and get the miles in, with a few short, gentle 7% climbs over the dunes. Time for a nice gentle 100 km ride, home in time for breakfast and an afternoon kip. It was a beautiful morning, 15-20 degrees and not a breath of wind.


Then, 70 km into my planned 100 km ride, I noticed something very strange. A gaggle (peloton is too orderly a description) of cyclists joining from a road on my left. Yes, I'd inadvertently stumbled upon the notorious Dubai noob ride. If you are a noob yourself, you might want to stop reading now. If you're not sure, or if you just want to avoid noobs (recommended), here's a heads up:

• Noobs always wear helmets with a peak. I can think of no logical reason why a helmet was ever designed with a peak. I guess it's a tribal thing like roadies' shaved legs, or mountain bikers' body piercings. Noobs wear peaked helmets because other noobs wear peaked helmets and that's just the way of it.
• Noobs always wear Camelbaks with as many pipe type thingys as possible hanging out the side.
  
• Noobs always form as many small groups as possible rather than riding in a peloton. The aim of each of these groups appears to be to take up as much road space as possible, thus causing maximum inconvenience to other, faster road traffic. Specifically me in this case.
• Noobs' bikes of choice are either a) Scott, b) Trek, or c) anything outrageously expensive, such as the Colnago Ferrari I saw being pushed up one of the aforementioned 7% rises.
• Noobs always ride Shimano. Peasants.
• Tri bars are always to be fitted on a noob ride, but only used when riding in close proximity to others, never when riding on your own.
  
• Noobs are generally at least 30 kg overweight, which they compensate for by saving weight on things like food, inner tubes, or a pump. And if another one of them ever flags me down again to borrow my pump I'll insert it somewhere Mr Silca never designed it for.
• Noobs are generally MAMILs (middle aged men in lycra). And fat (did I mention that already?)
• A shoulder mounted mp3 player is de rigeur on a noob ride. Which explains the helmet, cos they're going to need it.
• Noob-ettes always wear floral pink sleeveless cycling tops, then complain loudly about gender stereotyping to anyone who isn't listening to their shoulder mounted mp3 player.
• Noob rides are always either 'sponsored' rides, usually 'against cancer' (please, someone tell me - how do you 'ride against cancer'?) or 'practice' for a sponsored ride. As far as I can tell, this just means you pay for the privilege of riding your bike on the open road.
  

In short, these people are a plague, and here I was, 70 km into my 100 km ride, trying my best to pass a gaggle of hundreds of the things.

And this is when the true horror of my situation struck me.

Since they were on a 'sponsored' ride, they were following a set course of - gasp - 80 kms. Which meant their turnaround point was another 40 kms along nearly-the world's-longest-straight-road. To complete my already over ambitious 100 km ride, I had planned to turn around in another 10 km - but that would make me 'the guy who took the shortcut' - a shame I could not live with. Not only that, if I turned at their turnaround point to avoid being 'the guy who took the shortcut', I would a) end up doing a leg breaking 160 km, and b) probably TURN INTO A NOOB MYSELF AS I RODE THE SAME COURSE! A lifetime of peaked helmets, camelbaks, and Shimano equipped Scott bikes seemed to stretch out ahead of me.

So there was really only one thing to do - ride past their turnaround point to demonstrate my unquestionable athletic superiority, turn around and ride/crawl/hitch-hike back, resulting in an ill advised 180 km ride.

Fortunately I survived this near death brush with the noobs, and eventually made it home with very sore legs to find an invite for a meltdown eat all you can Thanksgiving lunch. And someone learnt to never, ever invite a man who's ridden 180 kms to 'eat all you can'.

Toy Ride

Here are a few pictures of my Saturday Ride, November 20th. It was to be a Toy Ride that Escape Velocity Cycle Club puts on every year. Mother nature had other ideas. I decided to head out any way. It was a short ride, about 30k. There was about 2 inches of snow. Just enough to make it a little slick. Still it was nice to get out. The first picture is the Burrard Street Bridge looking South. Still a little slushy in the bike lane. The second picture is Jerico Park where the ride was to start. The third picture is my Redline R760. This is my winter bike. Seems to be collecting a lot of snow in the front fender. The last picture is the Lions Gate Bridge looking North to the North Shore. There was still at least 2 inches of snow on the sidewalk. I took it real slow on the down side. There was a city worker with a snow blower clearing the snow of the sidewalk. The City of Vancouver works crews were also out cleaning all the bike lanes. It was good to see all the snow being removed from the bike lanes as the temperature has dropped down to minis 9 with a wind chill of minis 17. Very cold but dry. Still see a few commuters battling the cold. Unseasonably cold for Vancouver.

Southern Ontario CX

Greetings world cyclists, the CX season is upon us and for some in N america it is almost over regrettably.
This will be my third season racing road and CX and I'm starting to notice the progress. I started racing CX in Vancouver in 2008 and for my first race in Brighton park on the Eclipse, a touring bike sold to me be a friend made of what felt like turn of the century aluminum. I remember enduring the sweet pain and laughing as negotiated the course. I felt like I was 9 yrs old, front derailleur jamming, getting caught at the base of hills in big ring, crashing and working much too hard. I finished the race with a small tingling in my stomach. I was in love.
Since then I have gone to Portland,OR. twice to compete in the USGP, not to crush anyone but to be a part of the the CX embrace. A bosom so comforting one toys with the idea of dropping road. We love the road but we wish it was rid of it's staunchiness, wattmeters and weight weenies. Oh and rid of it's shaky riders as well. CX doesn't have this to any degree. I think it was Jeremy Powers I once heard say " CX isn't fun, screwing my girlfriend is fun. CX is about pain". I prefer to elaborate and suggest CX is about pain and beer.
I moved back to Ontariario last year and the CX scene here is fantastic and getting fantasticker. We have approx 15 races in S Ontario and a whole bunch more in E Ontario as well. There's a lot of CX here and the courses are truly fantastic. Where BC has the mountains their CX courses are relatively flat. Here in Ontario we don't have them mountains but we make up for it in CX.
CX season will be coming to an end in 2 weeks and I'm sad to see a good friend go. I did invest in an excellent set of rollers this year, but there's nothing like grass under the tubulars. I will be getting the road bike painted which is exciting and I' collecting a full DA 7400 series groupo for a build I have in mind. I'm thinking of a De Rosa Neo Primato.

Christie pits, Toronto
My cx skills have noticeably improved as I am working very hard on them and searching for the 'ballerina' within. Some great successes have occurred when I concentrate on being smooth and graceful combined with powering hard out of the corners. But when you try to stomp on the course, the course will stomp on you. I'm riding steel, made in Canada, and loving it.

November Bike to Work Week Vancouver B.C.

The Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition puts on a bike to work week twice a year. Once in May and then in November. They put up commuter stations around Vancouver in strategic locations for promotional reasons and to give commuters a little break. They offer hot and cold drinks. They also have lots of snacks. They usually have some bike mechanics on hand to help with any little problems.

Well the bike to work to week started out with the usual Vancouver weather. Lots of rain. I think it was a record day of rain in Vancouver. My commute is from Surrey to North Vancouver about 37k. I stopped at one of the commuter stations dotted around Vancouver. This station just happened to be on my commute in, located under the Iron Workers Bridge. By the time i got there i was ready for some of there complementary coffee and snacks. I was 30k into my 37k commute. Considering the rain everybody at the station was in great spirits. Nice to see lots of people out considering all the rain. I was told later that about 70 commuters went through that station. The commute home was a lot better. No RAIN, just a great ride.

Tuesdays commute was a lot nicer. Clear skies and dry roads. There were a lot more commuters on the road today. There is nothing better than passing traffic well maybe another cyclist. There are a lot of very fit commuters out there. I learned very quickly that i can't catch every commuter on the road. Lots of fun trying. This makes for exciting ride in. Lots of great personalities out there. I met a commuter that commutes from Surrey to Annacis Island. His round trip is 36k. He has been doing this for 12 years. He said he has logged just over a 100,000k on his commute. He is also on his third bike. He commutes every work day in all weather. As usual there was a station on the Lions Gate Bridge and i made a pit stop there. It takes me about one and a half hours to get from Surrey to the Lions Gate Bridge, about 37k. As of 7:40am about 100 commuters have crossed the bridge. Oh Lisa said to say HI SEAN. I try to get off work a little early so i can ride home in day light. Its a drag riding both ways in the dark.

Thursday i left a little later. This put me on the Iron Workers Bridge at sun up. Wow what a view. Its nice to stop every once and a while to check out the view. Another great day for commuting. Lots of commuters coming over the bridge. It won't be much longer and we will be into rush hour for cyclists.

Friday i left early. My whole commute home was in day light. I decided to take the Central Valley Green Way home. This is an off road route that covers about one third of my commute. It is partially paved and the rest is hard pact gravel. It runs alone a river, lots of trees and a couple of fisher man. Its very quite. Kind of like riding through the forest but still in the city. This was best route of the week.

To sum up my bike to work week. I biked a total of three days. About 220k. I was hoping to make the whole week. My best bike to work week yet has been just over 300k. It has been a while since i have been on my bike. Bike to work week always gets me back on track. It was great to see so many commuters on the road. I think i heard that the commuter stations registered a 123% increase in commuters this year. The best part about bike commuting is no stress in rush hour traffic.

Cervelo P3 TT

Well I don't know if this is my favourite bike, and it's probably the ugliest bike I've ever owned, but it certainly makes me smile more than any other bike I've ever owned.

Since there's very little in the way of time trialling in the UAE, most of my races are relay triathlons (hey, what's the point being crap at 3 sports when one will do quite nicely), and if there's one thing UAE expat triathletes love more than racing, it's being seen racing. Every race is a steady procession of bike porn. I'm afraid to put my bike next to some of the machines in the transition zone in case I scratch them and have to remortgage my house to pay for the damage.

Being notoriously cheap and permanently skint, I couldn't justify such expenditure to the accounts department (and she already has a problem understanding why I would need a 5th bike anyway), so had to resort to ebay to fulfill my time trial bike requirements. The result was this original 2001 Cervelo P3 bought for a mere $450. Prize money paid for the extravagantly expensive wheels, apart from that it's all spare parts except for the forks. My good friends at the VW workshop in Abu Dhabi looked after the respray in return for a box of dates, and the replacement stickers were another $25 from ebay. The result? A very unaerodynamic ear to ear grin and an audible 'kerching' every time this beast overtakes one of its more expensive bretheren. And what's the best sound on the time trial course? Your disc wheel? No, it's the sound of the disc wheels you overtake.

Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra Team 7-11

Here she is - my Eddy Merckx resprayed and built up.  I've had her since about 1993 when I bought her off a friend who'd raced her for a couple of years.  She became my good training/second race bike, equipped with a mix of Campag and Mavic parts.  But the years took their toll on her as she became more of a training bike and eventually a winter bike - and as we all know, General Winter destroys bikes.  The last straw was when I lent her to someone who had had his bike stolen and he treated her with contempt. When I eventually managed to get her back, she had huge scratches all over, a dent in the top tube and the seatpost rammed all the way down.  But it is such a classy frame that I couldn't face binning her so I took her to local framebuilder Ellis Briggs who did a beautiful (if pricey) and almost spot-on new paint job in her original 7-11 team colours - this was the team bike of the early 90s 7-11 American pro team, as ridden in all the great European races by Sean Yates, Andy Hampsten, Steve Bauer etc.

She's now put together with a mix of old and new bits.  Frame is Columbus SLX, the main rival to Reynolds 753 in its day.  It's meant to have spiral internal ribs like rifling that make it stiffer.  Wheels are Open Pro on Record hubs, circa 2004.  Brakes are Record from about 1998, and rear mech Record Titanium 9 speed from 2000ish.  It just says 'Campagnolo' on the brakes, no mention of Record.  Campag never used to put the gruppo name on components, way too vulgar.  You had to know the subtle difference between components to identify groupset - for example, the brakes have hidden bolts.  Front mech is Chorus, I think, the last remaining component from my first real race bike, my Brian Rourke 653 from 1988.  The mech still works (sort of).  The chainset is Record too, although mid 2000s vintage - if you know your onions, you can tell this from the distance by the the hidden bolt in the crank arm (although they started to do this with late model Chorus cranks too).  The seatpost is mid-90s - no name but it has the very distinctive Record neck.  Headset Record 2010.  Stem is Cinelli (new? I think Cinelli have quietly started making quill stems again to compete with the thriving NOS market) and bars Deda - good old fashioned 1" quill stem, 26mm diameter bars - not an oversized tube in sight.  Levers are early 2000s Veloce, not a top groupset, but at the risk of sounding like an old git, I think they built stuff better then - they're solid quality.  The saddle is a San Marco Concor Lite, a classic saddle that San Marco have started making again as it is the saddle of choice of Mr Armstrong.  The ride is supreme steel, jingly and tingly and with Merckx rail-like handling.  However, it has built up a lot lighter than it used to be, because of the newer, lighter components; I bet it's under 20lbs.  You could race this bike any day of the week and it would not be a liability.

Another 3 Peaks video

This one is worth watching for the first few minutes. It shows the first climb up Simon's Fell.  Unbelievable how far ahead the 7-times winner Rob Jebb already is.  He's actually running on some of it!  My legs appear at about 2.10.

http://3pcx.blogspot.com/2010/09/another-video-great-movie-from-andy.html

Hellvelyn by Mountain Bike 1987

Reading Sean's account of his 82nd successful attempt at the 3 Peaks Cyclo Cross happened to coincide with me scanning in a load of old photos to clear out a bookcase, at which point I came across the attached classic. Which set me thinking about a truly epic ride (not to mention looking for an excuse to embarrass him by uploading it).
Sean and I had somehow washed up in the Lake District on a particularly dark and dreary September day, having discovered that there was a bike shop in a local town renting out (the then new fangled) mountain bikes to complete halfwits like us. Unperturbed by a complete lack of experience, footwear and ideas, we decided the best, no the only possible, thing to do would be to ride up Hellvelyn. After all, we were roughy toughy road bikers, Hellvelyn was a mountain (by English standards anyway), and we had mountain bikes, ergo it just had to be done, end of story. We did manage to ride about 100 metres to the start of the track, then found we couldn't actually ride the things up a mountain, so cheerfully carried them up to the summit cyclo cross style. And pushed them muppet style too.
Now, as any hill walker will tell you, going up is the easy part - you just point, well, uphill, and walk. So we weren't unduly worried by the descending mist and gloom as we just had to keep heading up and we would reach the top, which was, after all, the aim of the exercise, and was duly accomplished. The problem on reaching the top was that each one of the 360 surrounding degrees was 'down', and visibility was also down to about 5 metres, so where the hell should we go? At this point, things got decidedly hairy. We'd stopped climbing (obviously), were sweaty and getting very cold very quickly. Sean was also discovering that Hush Puppies dissolve in Lake District rain. We were also very, very lost, and continued that way for what seemed like several hours. We had wisely ridden totally off the well marked track and there was nobody about. At some point, Sean said he recognised a rock. I think I said, "bol****s, Sean". But he was right, and within minutes we were descending like madmen, and falling off lots too in my case, towards the car. There followed a very beery celebration, at the end of which this picture of a very beery looking Sean was taken.
So I'm glad to see, Sean, that you've learned your lesson and no longer take to the hills on totally unsuitable equipment in shitty weather, well, except for the last Sunday in September every year anyway. Congratulations on another epic ride!

My first proper mountain bike - Claire, Skipton

My first mountain bike was stolen from outside our flat in East Dulwich, London, as Sean was attaching a little computer so I could tell how fast I was going, or slow! My second, Sean bought from a friend who was leaving for the states, I really liked this bike it was a Sunn (French) and had slick tyres so I could commute to work fast, anyway it was stolen too, at work! Bloody South London!

As of yesterday I have my first proper mountain bike, purple and black with Rocket Rons and Rockshok forks, all good stuff my mechanic assures me.

My very first ride was out of our house and up to Skipton moor! The up was steep, impossible to ride when you're not fit, so we walked, all the way to the top! My bike walks well!

So at the top we're off, and I cannot believe how easy this feels, not the terrain that's rocky and very slippy but the fact that I'm out of the house riding my bike! It's almost unbelievable that I'm on the dale in no time, with no traffic or roundabouts to navigate!

The ride is fab, the view is amazing and it's just me and the sheep. I have to concentrate and cheer myself on (out loud) especially when trying to avoid nice little wheel made paths where I tended to get stuck and nearly fall off to the side, my bike handling skills are something that I am proud of! My bike feels great it really bounced off everything, funny as I'm used to off- roading on my road bike with my mechanic who thinks he's found a great route. I have always had issues with my hands and the fact thats it's hard to reach the brakes plus bumpy road equals really sore hands, even with mitts and gloves. This bike is really surprising, its recovery when I think I'm going into a ditch is great, it just bounces out the other side.

A few things to remember; do not cycle through water when you cannot see the bottom! Although my bike just made a funny noise for a while, the puddle was up to my knees. Avoid bogs, my front wheel got stuck but fortunately it rained so much today that the bog lost it's suckiness so I got out with shoes intact!

Fun Fun Fun!

Good blog by Taylor Phinney

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/taylor-phinney/ups-and-downs-at-the-tour-de-lavenir

It doesn't matter what level you're riding at, packing a race hurts.

3 Peaks. Ouch.

Damn, that was hard.  I'd say it was purgatory but it wasn't, it was hell.  It is the most unbelievably painful and uncomfortable event imaginable.  Anyway, I finished, but I wanted to pack about 20 times.  Managed my slowest time ever - 4:46, 30 minutes slower than the last time I rode.

I held my position well on the first road section.  They've changed the format now and send the whole race off together (vets, juniors and women used to go off half an hour before the main field).  So you have 500+ riders fighting for position.  Felt okay when we turned off the road into the farm.  But as soon as it started getting steep, I started going backwards.  That's the problem with being overweight - the power to weight equation kills you once you hit a certain gradient.  I felt fine on the road sections though.  And this is the first year all of my gears have worked throughout the event.  The other two climbs were equally tough and I got the hunger knock at the bottom of Pen-Y-Ghent and ate three energy gels, which helped.  It's so hard to eat and drink during the event.  As a staunch roadie I've always resisted it but I think a Camelbak is the only option.  You can't have bottle cages on the bike because they get in the way when you carry it and it's really awkward to get to a bottle out of your jersey pocket.

Anyway, that's the 3 Peaks - no hiding place if you're fat and unfit... I'll be back next year though, 20lbs lighter, you mark my words.

A huge thanks to the support crew - Claire, Matilda and Betty.  They handed up food and offered moral support when I was at my weakest, as well as cheering on all the other Dulwich Paragon and friends.  Thanks for hanging around for over 6 hours in the middle of nowhere without a word of complaint.

UPDATE: Here is a video of yesterday's event.  I appear at 6:40, on Pen-Y-Ghent.  I am walking like I shat myself.  Willpower is the only thing keeping me going.

3 Peaks motivational video

I've just watched this report about the 2006 3 Peaks to get me fired up.  I appear at the end, during the podium presentation (6.40).  I'm not on the podium, obviously, more of an extra...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoHBRZJRtfM&NR=1&feature=fvwp

Mount Baker, April 2010 - Sean McKibben

Here are some photos of my farewell ride up Baker.  Generally, people don't ride it until August as it holds the world record for the most snowfall in a winter and the road to the top doesn't clear until August.  But I was leaving so me, Chuck and Robert had to do it.  It was chilly on the way down...

Mount Baker - Washington State, USA

Here's a report from Chuck of a ride up Mount Baker that happened in August.  This is a ride the Vancouver crew do a lot.  160km total distance there and back, from the Canadian border up a volcano in Washington state, climbs to 1,500m and rolls from start to finish.  This one sounds like it was an epic burn-up...I'll let Chuck take up the story.

Well the Baker ride took on a life of its own this year. I put the
idea to Robert and he made it happen. Some word of mouth, alot of
emails and a lot of follow up. There were some other people with the
same idea also. There were alot of riders at the border on Saturday.

Once we were all through the border the ride started out really fast.
There were a couple of guys from the Daryle Evens Club that were off
at in and around 40+ ks. This started to string out the ride right
away. It turned out this was alot more work than alot of people
expected. Most likely not the best way to start a Baker ride. The
group split at the South Pass Road, some went straight on. We
hammered it down South Pass Road and caught the others in Glacier.
Some of the group were pretty beat up already. Like i said before not
the best way to start a Baker Ride.

It didn't take long for the entire group to split after leaving
Glacier. Lots of little groups and lots of singles. A few people
turned around before the top. I will speak for myself. That was a
tough ride up. In the words Warren uses, i left quite a few matches
on the road to the bottom of the climb. I was talking with Robert and
he said it was his hardest Baker Ride yet. Robert liked the Baker
Ride we did last year. All seven us stayed together and the pace was
a little lighter. I agree much more enjoyable. Robert was saying
this ride felt like a race. After looking back on Saturday, i will
agree with Robert. Robert was saying the next time up we should slow
down a bit and stay together and enjoy the scenery. What can i say,
sounds like a great plan to me. I liked last year's ride alot to.
Pretty well a double pace line all day. This was a tough ride this
year. 

What can i say about Martin. As Robert was saying probably the most
improved rider. Martin has lost almost two stone. Looks like a new
man. Rides like the wind and climbs like a home sick angel. Martin
was taking some long pulls up front into the head wind. Martin didn't have any problem staying with the first group. He was up the mountain at least half an hour before me. I was on my race bike and Martin was on a cross bike with disk brakes and a broken rear spoke.  After we left Glacier on the way home i just started to ride in a zone. I was thinking about last year when you and me were riding that leg home. You were working me over pretty good. Martin was with me every
step of the way. He is a real diesel. I knew Robert wasn't a hundred
percent but i didn't know he was really suffering that bad. Talking to
him the morning after i found out he could have used some help on the
way home. I think i am going to have to work on my group riding
skills. To Robert, sorry about that buddy...

1st CX race of the season - Jeff Ker, Toronto, Canada

Greetings guys, believe it or not I have struggled to find the time to do this and I don't have much time this AM.
Alright.
Last weekend was the 2nd official CX race in Ontario South. I missed the first one with Kelly and I going to Chicago. But the 2nd one came and I had just completed building my first set of wheel, tubulars at that. I spent the money and I have to say without question it is so rewarding to ride on wheels you built. Good tubulars, Challenge Fangos, are an incredible ride, They are lofty and grabby and improved my abilities ten fold. They did make me faster even.
The course was incredible with good flat sections of twisty grass and gravel patches, significant hills to climb, Run ups to toss your BF and deep/steep sandy descents. I was so thrilled to be doing cross again I think I did the whole race with an ear to ear grin.
By the 2nd last lap my legs in the run up were about to seize which I knew would be the end. My chain was fighting me to move up to the big ring and I was loosing ground on the fellow I was chasing. I slowly picked off one rider at a time( for the sole reason that the fast guys didn't show up and I have been training for this religiously for weeks) and Kelly was stationed at all the most demanding spots to cheer me on. I find it particularly handy to coach your cheering section beforehand lest they say things like"go Jeff" and c'mon Jeff". This does nothing for me when I'm scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

The tires held like gun metal magnets through the turns. I find it ironic that Ontario has these crazy long hills to ride whereas BC don't do much of that. There were more barriers out in BC. But I think Sean might experience the long hills in the 3 peaks.
I managed to hold on and didn't go into my natural CX state of hyperventilation. Finished 2nd, though none of the fast guys were present as I said earlier.
This weekend coming will tell the truth.

There is a race in Guelph about 1 hr from Toronto and It was a blast last year. I just can't get this excited from road racing.

So I'm happy to lend any advice on wheelbuilding and I highly recommend it. Stay tuned for my next post on my 220km ride up to Wiarton Ontario on my Ira Ryan Randonneuse.

The weekend's work is done - Sean McKibben, Skipton

Joined the Aire Valley Racing Team for their regular Saturday burn-up yesterday.  20+ riders out, of mixed ages and sizes.  Started out nice and civilized until we passed Skipton and hit the first hills, when the screw started to tighten, and I was screwed.  It is easy to kid oneself about one's level of fitness until one joins a proper road ride with hills, at which point one's self-delusion is exposed.  Anyway, out the back I went, so joined up with a posse of other fatties and oldsters.  The route we took was unbelievably hilly and twisty and I was thinking, this must be a helluva chaingang - there'll be two riders left at the end!  Then another rider told me only the tailenders took this route - the chaingang takes flatter roads.  Thank cripes for that, maybe I can hang in there one day.  Had an interesting moment descending a steep lane.  Around the corner at the bottom appeared a big fat Mercedes.  The rider in front squeezed through but the Merc kept going and the gap kept closing between the Merc and a drystone wall.  Then both my wheels locked up on a patch of mud and I started going sideways.  I unclipped a foot instinctively and this is where the absolute belief that I wasn't going to crash kept me upright - suddenly my tyres gripped and I sneaked through the gap.  The old boy behind me said 'You did well', which was nice.  If you're going to have a talent on the bike, not crashing is quite a good one I suppose.


Today I went out in the pishing Vancouver-style rain on my cross bike.  I'd worked out a pretty amazing route on the map taking in bridleways across the moors that finished up on the hill at the top of my road, maybe 20 miles total.  It was fabulous, bouncing over ancient trails, back down through Bolton Abbey, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire (vive la revolution!).  I've painstakingly recreated the route on Map My Ride.  A piddling 500m of climbing, but most of it offroad.


http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/skipton/176128494070269376 


It would have been more fun on a hardtail mountainbike; it's a bit too bouncy on a cross bike and you can never really relax.  You don't have low enough gears either.  But it brought back memories of the crazy rides me and Martin did on the North Shore of Vancouver.  Good prep for next week (did I mention I'm doing the 3 Peaks?).


And what have you been up to?

Bronte Wheelers cyclocross training, Keighley, W Yorkshire - Sean McKibben

My first time at the Bronte Wheeler's cross training (the club named because they are based near Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters).  Intervals around a football pitch, then twisty mini races around cones and then pursuits around a little oval.  Blimey, cross hurts.  If I keep this up, I'll get fit.  My bike handling skills are comical but they improved in the space of a couple of hours.  There were about 20 riders there and the coach was none other than Chris Young!  For those who don't know, he is a UK cyclocross and mountainbike legend.  He must be in his late 40s now but he's still going strong.  His 15 year old son was there too, fit as a butcher's dog.  It's real bike racing heartland around here.

I thought I'd take this opportunity to present a new feature, provisionally entitled 'Real Bikes'.  While it's nice looking at the latest carbon superbike, frankly I've become a bit bored of it - there's so much BS hype associated with it all now.  To be honest, I prefer to look at the handmade bike show pictures.  Old git, I know.  Anyway, I also love to look at proper bikes that people ride.  Nothing better than a bike race HQ, scoping out the trick but scuffed race bikes - or even the pictures of the pros' bikes, which are usually well-used and a bit idiosyncratic.  So to start us off, I present my Fort cross bike.  Bought in 2003 from Pearsons in Sutton, where it had been sitting for a year until I made them an offer they couldn't refuse.  Columbus Foco steel frame, 9 speed Ultegra gruppo.  It's had a hard life, four 3 Peaks then in Vancouver became part-time winter bike, part-time mountainbike surrogate on the North Shore mountains, and was thrashed around the Pacific Northwest cross circuit for a while by Jeff, who complained constantly that nothing on it worked properly.  Now almost everything works and I am taking it tomorrow to get its seized BB out.  Just got some new wheels, tough if heavy Fulcrum Racing 7s.  An indication of the punishment the Fort has received is that these are the 5th set of wheels it has had - a pair of Ambrosio Evolutions, a pair of Mavic Cosmos and two pairs of Bontragers preceded the Fulcrums.

Let's see your steeds.

Getting obsessed, staying obsessed and being inspired to reach your goals.

I love cycling all kinds of cycling, actually I like outdoor stuff and most importantly of all I like the people I meet. I’ve always been at the back of the pack and its never bugged me, I am a big guy carrying some extra weight which in the land of skinny wippet shaven legged cyclist puts me at a disadvantage especially hill climbing.  

I was watching a cheesy American TV show called the Biggest Looser where really fat people get skinny really fast, and I though I have never really really tried to loose weight, now I have exercised but I never tried to control my eating habits so I thought I would not just try but I would get obsessed and stay obsessed I would loose 10% of my body weight and keep it off for a year.

So I started calorie counting using an iPhone App called ‘Lose It’ you get credit for exercise and a daily calorie budget in my case about 1890 Calories a day before exercise.  What an eye opener I was shocked and horrified at how many calories I consumed and how easy it was to blow my budget no more nachos and cheese,  spooning peanut butter directly into my mouth or eating a package of digestive biscuits in one sitting and we will not even talk about beer.  

So I exercised my nuts of for 4 months often went to bed hungry lost heart several times and binged but I lost the 10% and more and I am not done yet.

But to stay on track I need to keep obsessed and I do that by looking at the results and setting new goals I wanted to share a few with you:

Last year I rode the Mt Baker ride 166km and lots of up in 6:30 rolling time this year 6:00 I felt great took more turns at the front and felt so good on the big climb that I question wether I was delirious, 

At the start of this season I climbing Mt Seymour in 1:05 last week I did it in 0:55.

In November I am going to Maui, where there is a vary large Volcano and I am going o ride it.

I will leave you with this link which is making me want to be very fit indeed http://www.waze.com/blog/the-19-most-complex-and-dangerous-roads-in-the-world/

All the best

Martin (should have been a rugby player) Eskes

We were young and carefree - Sean McKibben

I've just finished reading Laurent Fignon's autobiography of his racing days.  It is very good, very French.  "Cycling is a way for men to find themselves and show what they are worth.  It exposes their weaknesses and their hidden value and it allows huge appetites to be indulged. It is nothing to do with glory: it's more a matter of fulfilment.  Cycling allows us to mine the deepest recesses of our soul".  When I first got into cycling in 1986, Fignon was seen as a has-been who had won two tours then disappeared.  But then he made his comeback in 1989, won the Giro and lost the Tour to Lemond by 8 seconds.  I remember like it was yesterday being glued to the TV as Fignon desperately tried not to lose the Tour on the last day timetrial, Lemond's delight at winning and Fignon's despair.  I remember my Dad watching with me and him being seriously concerned that someone could kill themselves by trying that hard.  Fignon died a couple of weeks ago from cancer, aged 50.  Although he knew about the cancer when he was writing the book, he makes not one mention of it; it's all about the bike.

For the avoidance of doubt - Sean McKibben

It makes my heart sing to read these accounts of rides from across the world.  But let me be clear; this blog is not just for accounts of epic rides and monumental feats of distance and speed.  Of course, we want to hear about those,  But we also want to hear about your ride into work, how you spent 20 minutes chasing someone down only to find when you caught them they had an electric motor on their bike (Chuck); or how for some inexplicable reason the big form has arrived and you can ride up the local climb in the big ring; or you feel like crap and you're glued to the road and did you imagine the fact you ever enjoyed riding a bike?  The aim is to share that experience, and you can do it in a sentence, or an essay - all welcome.  Let's hear about the detail of the local burn-up, whether the Ace Ride or the Donut Ride, and whether you've had a run in with someone because they keep squeezing your arse (me - being squeezed, not squeezing).  The fun is in the detail - and so is the glory.

Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit - Tom Smith

Well, we're not exactly spoilt for choice for 'Great Bike Rides' here in Abu Dhabi, so don't expect very many from me.  However, we're lucky enough to have use of the Abu Dhabi formula 1 circuit once a week.  I TT-ed this in the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon in March this year, but was so fried (35 degree heat and an aero helmet is an unwise combination) that I can hardly remember anything about it.  We can now get in and ride, after signing a waiver, every Tuesday evening.  Last week it was still 35 degrees at 8:30 pm.  It's flat.  It's about 5.5 kms.  There are the required quota of turns/chicanes etc., and that's about all you can say about it.  Around 100 riders show up, of whom about half seem to be confused by the concept of 'keep right' which all adds to the fun.  My big mistake was thinking that 'if Jenson Button can take this hairpin at 50 k/h, then I won't need to braaaaa - aaaaaargh!'  Yes, those turns are sharper than they look on telly.  Hoping for podium girls and champagne tomorrow.  Dream on.

Aire Valley Racing Team - Sean McKibben, Skipton

Met up with this crew today.  What a lovely bunch of chaps.  Usual northern humour.  I turned up at the meeting place and asked if I could join them.  "No, bugger off" was the response from the rider I asked.  Then he said "Are you any good?".  No, I'm rubbish I said.  Okay, then you can join us, he says.  We headed out over some beautiful roads, up and down between limestone walls, cafe stop and some good chat.  Managed to hold my own - the commute is paying off.  It's a great club.  They have a Saturday morning ride/race that is legendary for its toughness.  They actually keep score of who wins the sprints - you can check the results on their website.  Last month, Jeremy Hunt of Cervelo turned up on the ride.  He was staying with Tom Barras, young pro and son of the legendary hardman Sid Barras, who also rides regularly.  Can't wait to give it a go... I was chatting a lot with Lloyd, obviously a seriously good rider now in semi retirement but still climbs like a homesick angel.  He's ridden the 3 Peaks once, just to say he's done it and has also run the running race over the same climbs.  He doesn't plan to do it again.  I know I keep going on about this race but, seriously, it is savage.  Check out the link below to see a photo of Simon's Fell, up Ingleborough, the first climb.  The race starts from Helwith Bridge and has a 3 mile 'neutralised' section.  Except there is a Land Rover at the front of the race 'controlling' the pace, driving at 30mph with a crazy Yorkshireman shouting incomprehensible things over a loudspeaker at you as you fly along tiny roads and over narrow stone bridges.  Then you turn left over a cattle grid, churn through a farmyard and then hit the lower slopes of the mountain, where the choice whether to ride or push your bike is immaterial - both are as horrible as the other. And so it continues for the next 4+ hours (sub 4 hours is the holy grail).  It's terrible.  You should do it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eddieallenbc/3961514057/in/set-72157622346982373/

Cyclocross training - only one faceplant

SEAN MCKIBBEN, SKIPTON, N YORKS, ENGLAND - went for a little cross training on the moors.  First part is very steep and rocky so have to carry the bike in the approved cross manner, bike on the right shoulder, arm under downtube holding the left side drop.  It's actually quite comfortable, until you have to do it for four hours, after which you have a deep bruise on your shoulder, plus one in the small of your back where the pedal is poking you.  After the climb, it's a rocky bridleway, all rideable but needs concentration.  Then across a field full of curious cows, and curious cow poo, then got a bit lost.  Came back the way I went and was rattling along when I was confronted with an unexpected deep trench with a hole at the end.  Tried to work out my options in a split second and the only viable one seemed to be to fall off, so I did.  I find that as soon as you are convinced you are going to crash, you do - I'm sure if I'd kept the faith I could have ridden through the hole.  Anyway, damage not too bad, scraped hip, elbow and thumb and a sizeable blood blister on the end of my thumb.  Good training for the 3 Peaks, where you frequently end up using your face as a brake.  Aiming to go out with the Airedale Valley Racing Club tomorrow; they have a reputation for being quick.

Commute - flat or otherwise

BY SEAN MCKIBBEN, SKIPTON, NORTH YORKSHIRE.  Since returning from our holiday in Europe where I started my rehabilitation from a fat middle-aged slob by riding up as many mountains as I could (the plan being to become a slightly thinner middle-aged slob before the last weekend in September when the 3 Peaks cyclocross takes place) I've tried to keep the momentum going by commuting to work as much as possible.  I have two choices of route - the flat, fast, incredibly busy valley route, which I usually take in the morning when I'm running late; and the amazing route over the moors which takes me up to 400 metres with grades of 20%.  It really is beautiful around here and I've attached some photos of the ride.  Then tonight it was running up onto the moors above the house as training for the 3 Peaks, which is more running than cycling, and more hiking than running.  Blimey, running uphill is hard work and very slow; give me wheels any day.