Well I went out today as I was just under 100 for the week so decided to make sure that I got the century in, after yesterdays exertions I’d just like to say that active recovery is really code for masochistic self abuse. Still I managed thirteen miles but despite the sunshine and relative warmth it was just grim suffering, I didn’t even make it to Epping still the tonne is up so I’m happy, and even more tired now, certainly to clean bikes although I’ve pressed my King Rastaset into my Chameleon, it’s the shiznit ;0)

Well that was fantastic, a whole day of riding glorious singletrack on the Surrey Hills, freestyling back down Leith Hill, racing the light back to the car park at Holmbury.
Bikes on the car and a quick drive to the  Volunteer for beer and birthday cake (thanks Nicky) then to Dorking and the train back to London.
I’m not sure rides or birthdays get much better than that…

Looks like we’re due due at least three sunny if not warm days so I’ll be able to get loads of riding in over the course of the next three days. Early morning spin on Hackney Marshes I think, then sit at work tired, 8 hours of monotony then the North Down’s on Saturday with a bunch of friends and Epping Forest by myself on Sunday. I’m really properly excited just hope the sore throat that seems to be lurking goes away.
My day was made even better by the fact that Sainsburyss had a special offer on Theakstons beer and sausages, get in.

Well that was truly quite horrid getting wet pretty much the entirety of my commute today. What I really hate about wet days is the increased amount of traffic and the way that wet weather seems to inhibit the average motorists ability to see cyclists, it would seem that two rear lights and reflective material still make me nearly invisible to those in cars.
I’m just hoping that it’s drier tomorrow…

Well what a great day out that was riding round Berkhamstead and the Ridgeway with Sam from Singular Cycles and load of other friends old and new on a combination of back roads cheekytrails and bridleways lots of fun indeed.
What it did make me realise was how much I love my Voodoo Limba, if I was ever forced to just have one bike it would have to be a nice light cross bike possibly without gears like the Limba is as it’s just fantastic to ride. We managed a couple of beer stops on the ride as well which was fun and it’s put my mileage total over 200 for the month which I’m pretty happy about, the lurgy I’ve had seems to be properly on it’s way out too.
All in all this week had got a lot better as it’s gone on which is ace.

Well I’ve been away riding with friends and they’ve been telling me about all the rides they’ve been doing, particularly Simon and Steve. Well anyway I’ve been talking about getting in extra miles in the morning or the evening for about three months now and procrastination and laziness have kept me inside. Today was different my Mojo had been kicked into life so I got out for a ride not all that far only ten miles or so but it all counts. I think the key to it was getting everything ready the night before and well the effort to get out the flat was well worth it.
Beautifully crisp trails all frosty with big frosty puddles and black ice that made some pf the bridges a bit tricky, enhanced by that week  red winter sun as it comes up and  a light water fog on the river Lea and the Regents canal. Even canary wharf looked peaceful and quite beautiful through the trees of Hackney Marsh. Lots of wildlife as well a Heron most impressively and a fox as well and in good shape not a mangey urban thing, a really good looking animal, and most happily of all only one rat encounter. A full hour of just enjoying the morning then home for a quick shower beans on toast and the commute into the office, the contrast an hour and five miles make is really quite astonishing. No pictures sadly although my resolve to purchase a digital camera has been fortified significantly.
Roll on tomorrow for more of the same…

Back to work today after being ill, I still felt a bit pants this morning but everyone I seem to chat with online seems to have been sick as well and at work I wouldn’t be able to sit and wallow with them. The ride in was horrendous despite huge quantities of drugs I was suffering horribly, not daring to risk overtaking in my usual places, having to wait in traffic and being passed by the people I routinely race and beat. After a few hours I felt a bit better and going for a walk at lunchtime gave an added fillet to my condition which was nice. Getting into my Lycra I thought the ride home would really hurt but actually it was fine, I wasn’t fast by any stretch of the imagination but held my own things were getting better.  Then I needed to go to Brick Lane bikes where ten minutes and a fiver later they’d removed a freewheel that hadn’t been greased when I put it on and had abandoned for over a year, I left the chain I bought in the shop, on the counter they ran after which really was rather good.
I got home to fit my 20 tooth white industries freewheel ready for a cross ride at the weekend, now is there enough room in the sliding dropouts on my Voodoo Limba, did I think about this kind of thing when I built the bike up……?
Turns out I did five minutes later new freewheel is fitted wheel is flipped  and the chain is tensioned, another five minutes and both brakes are fettled ready for a ride at the weekend, magic. Swiftly followed by Tesco’s turning up with my shopping early and with chilled bottles of Badger and Black Sheep ale, great…

Rawked, big thanks to everyone who came, but there’s some special thankyou’s to be made as well.

Tim and B at Northumberland Bike Breaks for putting us all up, it really is a fantastic place to stay I really can’t recomend it enough and the local riding is fantastic as well, fabulous trails and fantastic views, with big skies thrown in as well for good meaure.

Tim and Nicky for driving me there, thanks guys especially for not complaining when my inane nattering meant we ended up pretty much slap bang in the middle of Leeds.

Hopefully we’ll get to do something like it again soon…

Well after a few weeks of not being a total disaster my Bontrager seatpost is not working again it really is pretty shonky. It used to me the case that you could spend £15 on a massively long seatpost which woud hardly be light but you did’nt have the fear of having your botty reamed evry time you went for a ride. I think I paid £70 or thereabouts for the current post and it just won’t hold a saddle.

So Bontrager Race XLite don’t bother, and I think the same clamp is used on their expensive posts as well as on Maverick Speedballs so I’d avoid those as well……

Well finally I put Cross tyres on my Voodoo Limba and it’s now even better it’s the best Cross bike I’ve ever owned, so I guess it’s third time lucky, anyway it’s draggy heavier and harder to ride with the 37c Continental Twisters, however the fun factor has increased ten fold….

I’m hopping up and down kerbs with ease and not noticing cobbles or dodgy road surfacing, I even rode down a set of three shallow steps this evening which has convince me that I need to run it with a freewheel for proper off road use.

I’m off to Sam’s in ten days time to ride it all weekend I really can’t wait, I’ll put a 20T freewheel on and a new chain and it’ll be ready to rock.

So I guess it’s a huge thank you again to Tim at Sideways for sorting it out for me in the first place.