Monthly Archives: February 2009

Spreading the word

This is somserset.co.uk have, as they said, been changing their website. Half way down on the RHS is a “Blogs from mid-Somerset” section.  Click…and you arrive at their blog page.  And down there, at the bottom is….me and mine!  It’s currently an old, slightly squashed looking, photo, from 2007, when I was getting ready to do my first event – one day of the Tour of Wessex – so I think I’ll send them my more recent ones.   Consistency and all that.  It’s quite exciting being linked from other places.  I was even twittered about this weekend!  Hopefully all this will also raise me some funds…which isn’t going so well at the  moment.

Training is, unsurprisingly, not going that well at present.  I’ve been at the gym, but that’s no substitute for the real thing.  I cancelled yesterday’s ACG ride – discretion is the better part of valour – and judging by all the frozen snow around the edges of the road then, it was probably a good thing!  Now the rain is here, and the temperatures are up a bit, hopefully I can get back out there again.  The plan is to go out with M tomorrow morning.  *Fingers crossed*!

Snowed In

I’ve been snowed in all week.  Well, not literally, but there’s been enough of the darned stuff around that cycling has been out of the question.  Which means it’s probably a good time to have come down with the stinkin’ cold that I have.  I’d call that fortuitous, but I’d rather just not have the cold at all!  I’ve had to do all my cycling at the gym which, whilst productive, ain’t as good as the real thing, and is considerably more boring…

I took advantage of the enforced spare time to tweak this website a bit and make all the logos .gifs as recommended by A at Kalaswear.  I think it loads a lot faster now and is easier to use.  I’ve also put a piccie of my face on the front page, and one other on the “about me” page.  So far this month 96 folk have graced this site with their presence, which I think is pretty cool.

I also went to see A at Kalaswear about my custom kit, and we knocked some ideas around.  I’m quite excited about it, and also as I’m a control freak, I’m desperate to get it right…I hope he’s patient enough with me 🙂  I have to get all my logos by the end of this month, which only leaves me 3 weeks to find any commercial sponsors I can…*aaaarghhh*…no pressure there then.  If you, your company, or any company you know of would like to sponsor me – please get in touch.

Photos are up

If you look right —> you’ll see there’s a new link to Photos – and the photos taken by S on our Gower Peninsular cycling trip are now up. Thanks S! And hey, now you know what I look like…

PS – apparently 152 people visited this site in January!  Wow!  Hello everyone! 🙂

Wales is NOT flat!

G’s 40th birthday celebrations took place this weekend, down on the Gower Peninsula.  A large group took over a YHA place down there, and of course, being G, this had to involve some riding.

Early Saturday morning, I opened the curtains to see the trees blowing around mentally, and the surf steaming up the beach.  On a normal day weather like that would be my cue for heading to the gym instead.  Having lugged the bike and kit all the way down there, this really wasn’t an option so an intrepid group of 5 equally mad fools set off at around 9am ish.  S was map reader and troupe leader, G was the advance scout, M was in the middle, and P and I were the rear guard.  This was a ride that was touted as a c.2 hour, 35 miles flatish route…  I really should know better than to listen to S!  I think maybe his map reading skills are flawed…but more likely he just does it on purpose *grin*.

Wales is NOT flat.  Especially when you go DOWN to look at pretty coasty bits.  Because then you have to go UP (and up and up and up) just to get to place where you can go DOWN again! *grin*.  There were what I consider to have been some pretty BIG hills.  Steep ones.   Long ones.  Hairpin bend ones.  And I got up all of them.  Tortoise fashion, slow but sure…to catch up the hares waiting at the top.  Probably VERY good training, so I’m not complaining.

We went from Port Einon, round the coast, to the Mumbles, nearly into Swansea, and back out in loopy fashion.  The cross wind was pretty awe-inspiring – almost nicer to cycle into it than against it, it’s less alarming that way.  Other than that the weather was ok, a tad nippy around the edges, but not wet.  The scenery is great – all rugged coastline and crashing waves.  It was really nice to cycle somewhere different, with someone else in charge.  We had to cut it a bit short as it was taking longer than planned, which makes you less than popular with those left behind with the children…can’t imagine why 😉

Cycling time: 2:46:17
Distance: 34.105 miles
Avs: 12.3 mph
ODO: 8410.3 miles

You can tell what the hills were like from the average speed.  My other half informs me that having started and finished at the same place, that our route around Wales is therefore, on average, flat.  But then he thinks he’s funny too.  *grin*.

S kindly took some photos which I’m hoping to get here somehow/somewhere so you can see us all!