Hi Everyone, this is just a note to say that I’ve got my own webs pace at long last you can now find all the fun, japes and excitement that was here over at www.raouligan.co.uk

Hurrah, the digital camera I ordered from Jessops on Friday night turned up today, what’s more it appears to work really rather quite well and it seems simple enough to understand as well which is great.
It’s only taken me about two years to decide that a Ricoh Caplio R6 would do me nicely, hopefully I’ll now be in a position to get some pictures of bikes and other things, hopefully some of them will be reasonable quality.

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.

Oops I’ve been drinking Jamesons and Stones ginger wine and now I’m really quite drunk it’s really rather pleasant, one can only hope the hangover won’t have me crying into my cup of tea in the morning.

Three days now of cold unyielding greyness, it really sucks the very marrow of your soul, not a hint of colour anywhere just an impenetrable sky of drabness. I’m sure the misery amplifies the lack of warmth and the damp till your bones grow cold and the life leaches from you.  What concerns me is that it’s not even really winter yet, and there’s going to be another three months of this to go at least.

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…

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…

Now being ill and not having to work today may be giving me a biased perspective on this but having been to Northumberland for the weekend I’m feeling like I don’t need to procrastinate about stuff for the first time in ages.
I hope it lasts because I feel great just doing things, well mentally great I’m still choked with cold…..