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So, its been an interesting time of late wuth one thing or another, a few negatives but lots of positives. NOTSSUK came and went, we had a lovely day out in the hills riding bikes, we had coffee and beer and cake. This pic sums up the day for me.

And then I had a weekend away with my friends from work, the plan was to do some high level walks, which they all did but I wanted some time to my self so I took my Salsa Fargo out into the hils to explore a bit, and of course I got lost !

We had a grand time, the house we stayed at just outside Betws Y Coed was fantastic and we ate and drank well and enjoyed each others company. And then we (Jan and I) had the great pleasure to be invited to an old friends 'not wedding' at Fforest just outside Cardigan in West Wales, a beautiful location, great company and bizzare meeting of mutual friends, lots of great food and drink once again. This pic sums up the weekend.

And now back to reality, riding to work dodging the showers, but enjoying the last few rays of glorious autumn colours.

Trying to stay clean and alcohol free, especially trying not to make plans as I still dont know when I'll be free to live my dreams, enjoying spinning circles, contemplating getting involved with people, contemplating trying to run again

Been riding lots Had a rough week Had a good week Got older again

Been hot Been cold Been wet

Things are generally on the up

Back in the saddle again

I've had a few months off the bike to concentrate on my drinking, I got pretty good at that but now I'm ready to start riding again. For a change, I'm not making any plans, I've a few ideas spinning around in my head but they depend on a few things that are mostly outside of my control coming together so at this point they are staying private. This last week I've been out riding most days and apart from the aches and pains and saddle soreness I've been loving it, been fortunate that the weather has been reasonable as well, that always helps. 190 odd miles is probably daft when I've done not much of late, but its just been to good to miss. Big bonus this coming weekend is a day in the peaks with friends, can't underestimate how important this is to me, friends who don't mind when I'm out of the loop but are still happy to invite me along, I'm a lucky man to have these (and indeed lots of other) great friends who just accept each other for what we are and with all of our respective foibles. The bad things of this last year (which were partially part of my decision to go underground for a while) should serve to remind us (me) to take the time to preserve and cherish our (my) friends. It shouldn't need saying really, should it.

Nowt to say

as per title hopefully normal service will resume soon oh yeah non riding photos are now being posted here http://simpleydaytoday.blogspot.co.uk/

A metric ton

I've always sneered at kilometres, it seemed to me that its a soft way to get to a 100, and in the past I've always been able to knock a 100 miles out with not much effort

However, things change

its now over 2 years since my last proper century, and don't my legs know it, after last weeks start to riding again I decided to do a long ride at the weekend, a few enquiries around friends didnt reveal anything of any distance so I decided to do one of my favourite rides to see the sea.



Choosng the semi fat so that I could indulge myself in some coastal riding when I got there.



Which I did, exploring the mud flats of the estuary and then finding some lovely singletrack trails which took me back to Hale village.



From here I retraced my steps back along the trans penine trail to Sale Water Park.



Spinning along in the warm sunshine, purely to get the clock to tick over 100 kilometres :-)

It ended up at 102 kms, and to be honest I was happy with that, fat tyres, dusty trails, a nagging headwind on the way out, 2 Cornish pasties, 2 cans of DrPepper and 3 litres of nuun was not enough, one day I will learn to drink and eat properly !

A couple more of these and I'll be back to full on sneering mode again.


Maybe...

Back Riding

After a weekend spent talking bikes it was time to start riding them again, Monday was a non starter due to having incredibly sore achilles tendons, so sore that I was struggling to walk, a weekend of standing up all day and drinking heavily at nigh will do that, some stretching sorted that out and I was ready for an early start on Tuesday.

Amazing light, but still cold, arm warmers would have been a good idea in hindsight !





Only 6 miles on the way to work but it restored something inside.

Heading back out in the sunshine after work, I just wanted to keep going, spring has arrived for sure.





Another 25 dusty miles knocked off, okay it was only the trans penine trail but so what, my legs were finally moving.

Today I got up early and headed off, superb light, combined with arm warmers and a gillet, took the slightly longer route along the canal, the sun really stirring things up now, 8 miles.



and again, after work, another 18 miles in sunshine, gotta make the most of this weather window ;-)

Hopefully 3 rides tomorrow, work, back and Delamere night ride.

March 18th - brief catch up

So, I finally got to a Delamere night ride with Nick, Tim, Ian and Rob, we span around for just over an hour, it was bloody warm, and suddenly we were there amongst them, frogs and toads, hundreds if not thousands of them, its obviously that time of year again :-)



Did a few commutes, nothing longer than about 10 miles each way, my neck was still sore and prone to jarring, also of note was a couple of cold chilly mornings, this winter has been a bit of a let down with regard to snow after the last two years, my Mukluk will only see sand this year I reckon.



I took a few days off work to ride, but best laid plans and all that..., I did manage to get to Delamere for one afternoon, decided to ride the Hospital Trail as I'd heard that it was being cut up in preparation for a new venture, 80 log cabins are goin to be built in this part of the wood, its a real shame as this is a truly great little trail but I guess things change...



I did finally manage to get a ride with Dave and Sharon, 1st this year I think ?, or at least a long while, too long....

We were riding at Gisburn Forest, specifically looking at the trails with a view towards the race that Dave is promoting later in the year, I think it'll be perfect, about 8 miles per lap, 3 laps, should take the fast boys and girls about 2 hours, nothing too technical until you hit warp speed ;-).



Just one ride of any note last week, along one from work to home, still not feeling quite right, I think a visit to the docs is on the cards :-(.

But, we did get a great social ride in yesterday, just 14 miles in the white peak, lots of laughs, a few stops for tea and cake, great fun all in all.



And then today, another 24 miles on local trails, trails that on Friday were starting to turn to dust but were once again a quagmire, still good for the soul though :-)

Wednesday 29th Feb 2012

Rode to work.

Rode home from work.

Sore neck, the off road bumps didn't help.

Rebuilt the boys Fat Karate Monkey with 9 gears.

10 miles in total.

238 total for Feb.

362 short of my target, oh well....

Tuesday 28th Feb

Didn't ride at all in the last week, I had a stff neck for most of last week, I did actually set of for a ride on Saturday but turned around immediatley, it was just too painful.

Bob's funeral today, I was dreading it, but it turned out to be fine, a very positive occasion all in all.


I have approx 30 hours left in which to ride 372 miles, I dont think I'm going to make it !

Back to the bike tomorrow.

228

21st Feb 2012

9 miles

228

19th Feb 2012

I lost my way somewhat

An old friend died, a friends brother died, these things bother me, probably more than they should.

Anyway, the result was that I didnt ride at all during the week, and I was rthinking about bailing on a weekend with two other old friends, soon got a grip of that though, another minor issue conspired but this was put to bed and off I went.

Great to catch up, we did manage a short ride of all of 6 miles, it didnt matter, it was fun, we had a laugh and we had a dog with us, a chocolate lab called Toby, it really is only a matter of time now before we get a dog.

Headed home early this morning, no traffic issues at all, and a cold sunny afternoon meant I couldn't resist, another 30 miles on the cross bike at a snails pace.

36 for the weekend.

219

12th Feb 2012

Representin the cake !

Could'nt face the mud today so the Croix de Fer was brought up from the cellar, flash and flare fitted and off I set into the greyness, actually a lot foggier than I was expecting, and colder as well, pretty soon my vision was deformed due to the moisture o my glasses, this did not bode well, a freshly dead badger at the side of the road seemed like some sort of omen, glad I had fitted the flash and flare, the room that cars were giving me was noticeable.




The roads were mostly just wet, occasional ice but nowt to worry on.



The biggets concern was that every farmer in Cheshire has decided to cut their hedges, bizzarely this time I got away with no punctures, however I decided not to risk this bridleway ;-)



The last dirt trail before home.

45 miles today, longest ride of the year so far.

3 Buzzards stoically sat in trees, 1 Heron gliding gracefully at shoulder height about 50 yards to my right, 1 dead badger, 1 dead squirrel.

183.

Feb 9th and 11th 2012

2 days to report on...

Thursday 9th Feb

3 miles in the peaks, on foot, took nearly 3 hours :-)



unfamilar muscles called into play trying to keep up with Jenn

one particular off piste contour movement showed me just how unfit I've become, digging into 10 inches of snow for 30 minutes does that !



she glowed, I sweated, the dog ran about 10 miles


it was ace, even missing the train wasn't too dissapointing due to the pub being open :-)

Friday was a day of rest, mostly down to my calves being made of tungsten steel i:e there was no movement !

3 miles in total

Saturday 11th Feb

Decided on the fat bike today but a delayed start due to finding yet another thorn in the front tyre meant I didnt get out till 1130.

A cold day meant starting on ice, chose the fat bike to see how it would cope, needn't have worried, it just calmly dealt with whatever was presnted to it, not quite as inspiring as the ice spikers but good enough, so I headed west hoping to get to the coast, once again foiled by the weather. Within 30 minutes of starting the ride the ice started to melt to leave the trails porridge like, that combined with the oppresive grey sky meant I turned back at Latchford Locks. By now the return journey was just a slog, hard work, and the knowledge that each pedal stroke is costing a penny in drive train components did nothing to lighten my mood. In fact just about the only good thing to say was that dads garden hose had unfroze which meant I was able to wash the bike down at the end of the ride. The Genesis that I last rode on Tuesday night in the same conditions had pretty much solidiefied with the grey sandy mud from the same trail, 30 mins of poking with a stiff brush, liberal amounts of 3 in 1 and the drive train on that is now at least moving :-(

On a positive note I did get some photo's of abandoned stuff :-)





And a cat on a post



Tomorrows ride will be on the road bike.

25 miles in total

138

Feb 7th 2012

Icy trails, all the way to work, not a care in the world though, Ice Spikers rule !




Fantastic early morning sunlight



Mist rising from the river



Clear cold skies



Virgin puddles

13 miles


Molten trails on the way home, bloody miserable

12 miles

25 for the day

110.

Feb 5th 2012

Didn't bother yesterday, my legs were heavy, and it snowed later on, only an inch or so, however within an hour it was sleeting and turning icy.



Got up today and looked out the window, icy ruts on the road, didnt look appealing at all, but I'd gone to the trouble of fitting the ice spiker tyres (that I bought last winter and didnt use) onto the Genesis Latitude, so ater a big mug of tea and eggs on toast I set off, very gingerly I must say.



The roads were unpredictable but I made it to the trail without incident, once on dirt and sheet ice the tyres hooked up really well, quite inspiring really, it was only ruts that were causing a loss of grip, but then the tyre hooked up and corrected itself.



Not many folk out today, normally awash with runners and dog walkers here.




Odd the things that you see as you ride along !

It was of course hard work, I'd thought about heading up beyond jodphurs today, into the foothills of the peaks but after taking just short of two hours to get the pyramid I changed plan and headed back (its normally an hour and a quarter) just as the temperature started to rise. Now I was riding in slush, just as hard, as the icy snow but even less predictable.



An amazing wildlife day today, 12 Gooseanders (including a pack of six), 1 Kingfisher hovering about 15 feet above the river, lots of grey wagtails, lots of long tailed tits, 3 Cormorants, obviously they were all hungry so less concerned with being under cover.



At the cut off point I chose the short cut home, loosing 2 miles but to be honest I was pretty shot, a ride that normally takes me two and a half hours had taken 4.

I could have done with a sit down here !



The tyres were a success, got home with no falls, and as a bonus, when on tarmac they sound like a bowl of rice crispies, snap crackle and pop :-)

25 miles today.

95