Dyfi Enduro

The Dyfi Enduro was on May 6th and, as usual, it was awesome. The last outing for my knees before the operation, and there is no better even to ride your mountain bike at.

It’s based in Machynlleth which, in Glyndwr’s day, was once the capital of Wales. Nowadays, it’s the alternative capital of Wales . . . → Read More: Dyfi Enduro

Feet up, arse down

Doctor’s orders… Must be idle this weekend.

The arthroscopy on my knee is done. They didn’t find anything wrong, which is good because it means my knee’s not just going to fail. But it’s kinda bad because it cost a lot of money to get no solid conclusion about what’s wrong. Once the recovery from . . . → Read More: Feet up, arse down

Swimming is my methadone

Can’t go cold turkey from riding without it, so another Friday night spent ploughing up and down in the pool. Next week it’s time to see the doctor and get this knee checked out.

In the meantime, I can sit back and remember happy childhood days where my mum used to take my sister and . . . → Read More: Swimming is my methadone

How much do I miss riding my bike?

Loads.

I don’t recognise the body where muscles are turning to fat. The body that constantly feels tired and wants to be fed junk. I refuse to recognise the listless and apathetic mind that no longer feels uncomfortable, no longer feels challenged. From this beige perspective, the summer feels like a happy dream. The memory . . . → Read More: How much do I miss riding my bike?

Ouch

Crunching knees all the way to work today. Running is the tool of the devil and it seems to have pulped my knees so badly that gnashing swearing pain travelled with me on the morning and evening commute. Who would know that running 10km having not run in years would hurt no matter how much . . . → Read More: Ouch

The Choice

I came across a fragment of this poem in An Evil Cradling by Brian Keenan. The full text speaks (volumes) for itself.

The Choice

The intellect of man is forced to chooseperfection of the life, or of the work,And if it take the second must refuseA heavenly mansion, raging in the dark.When all that . . . → Read More: The Choice

Another infrequent brain-dump

100km races are getting kinda routine now, but the Builth Wells round of the Merida 100 was something else. 30+ degrees C, lots of climbing and a decision to ride more aggressive than I had at Rhyader would have made for a tough day out. As it was the organisers advised that we were only . . . → Read More: Another infrequent brain-dump

Wow… my feet finally touch the ground

It’s gone mountain bike event crazy…

unexpected drafted into a SSMM I ended up doing the 24hr team thing again. I think I prefer the solo rides – there’s something about riding round a field every 2 hours that reminds me of the apocryphal cure for teenage smoking by making them smoke until they’re sick. . . . → Read More: Wow… my feet finally touch the ground

Bikefest and more Linux tweaking

Bristol bikefest – another great small-scale mountain bike event. I rode in the 12hr solo event and it was a hell of thing.

They put together a nice course with loads of singletrack and attracted a perfect number of riders (maybe a 100 soloists… I’m rubbish at esitmating numbers). Even the start was amusingly low-key: . . . → Read More: Bikefest and more Linux tweaking

Too busy to blog

…and that’s surely a good thing.

Singlespeed UK champs were absolutely ace. Hamsterly is a great place to ride and the atmosphere all weekend was like music festivals used to be (except without the music which was, let’s face it, incidental to having a good time). Some tents, some booze and herbal cigarettes and 90s . . . → Read More: Too busy to blog