The 2016 BB200 (& 2015)

On Saturday I set off to vanquish the demons of the past, about 12 months earlier a fitter / leaner / faster version of myself set off on the 2015 BB200.

It was my first go at it proper (previous years I'd just been in charge of parking) and I was a bit scared by it but I got my head down and kicked on, and by all accounts was doing pretty well, well on for a decent time and Top10 finish, that was until 180km @ 3am. I was cold, it was dark, I was on my own and my arse hurt. This also coincided with crossing a road that I knew went downhill back to the start. My head went, I wimped out and I've been jolly cross with myself for 12 months...

.....Jolly cross indeed,

But not cross enough with myself to train or get fitter.

So 2016 came and a stone and a bit heavier with about half the mileage under my belt I set off on the BB200.

It was ace!

Set off on my own but I bet I only rode 10km alone, got to Knighton quicker than I thought, watched the sun go down from the top of hills. The cafe and its soup and full fat Coke cans at 140km was a godsend. Onto Hafren and then left at Staylittle, I knew it would be hard from here but after last year  just making myself turn left and not rolling down the road was all I needed to do.

Came in just over 21 hours, the route was good and the conversations along the way made it.

Foggy Bit

Fast bit

No helmet death bit

Sunset bit

Leek & spud soup bit

1kg of stuff I carried 200km for a laugh bit

(nb Sunglasses useless, refer to foggy bit photo)

Poo-ey Bike

Future Calf Tattoo just annoy Iron Mans* 

(*not Tony Stark)

Dream Bike Time

My mantra has always been "I'll swap my bike when it becomes the limiting factor" this is mainly aimed at the fact that I'm a slow fat biffer on the bike. Not the slowest, or the least capable, but I'm certainly not "a racing snake" and the fact is, the bike isn't the thing that's slowing me down...

....and to be fair to my Scandal it's a bloody great bike. It's done soooo many many miles now including 4 Welsh Rides, 4 Winter Bivies, ridden from London to Wales and many trips and local blasts in-between. Every year people turn up on new bikes but my Scandal has stayed true to the cause. In 2011 at the start of the WRT you probably could have counted the 29ers on one hand. Last year my 26er Scandal was in a minority.

but..... and it's a fairly common but.. every so often my mind turns to my next bike (once I've earn't it, I know what my goal is) and when I do the Scandal will be retired and new bike will take it's place.
I know what I want, I want to take all the good bits about my Scandal and put bigger wheels on it, in fact if I could swap it for the original 29er version Scandal I would in a heartbeat but seen as On-One don't make this anymore and added silly 1.5" headsets on the later ones, it's off the list.

I like the simple things and I want to re-use a lot of the bits I like on my current bike. The 1/18th Headset, Normal BB, Gears, QR dropouts.

I think I'm going to risk rigid forks on my next bike. So many times have I set off with my forks locked out and promptly forgotten, then rode with them locked out for an entire ride without really noticing. Bearing this in mind, adding bigger wheels and a bit of a springy steel frame I think it's worth the risk and in my mind my super light current frame and heavy bouncy forks should weigh the same as a rigid steel? (just guessing)

A frameset that has caught my eye in the Genesis Longitude and I think this could be 'the one'. It will take all on my existing stuff (hopefully my Wildcat bag as-well, cable guides and bosses may be in the wrong place but I reckon I can get this on 'Warranty') so all I'll just need to buy is Frameset, Wheels and Tyres.

Right, best get on with my target then....

A couple of Winter Bivi recipes

Well the 'Winter Bivi' was massive this year (I counted 18) and the usual good fun

Usual malarky

• Pub, cafe breakfast, coffee, etc
• Ride bikes (not far)
• Push Bikes (not far)
• Bit of Banter
• Get Wet, rained on, sleeted on, hailed on, snowed on. (~0.00001mm of snow)
• Get Muddy
• Sleep Out
• COOK OFF!

So in prep for the COOK OFF! Two new recipes that can be prepared and eaten on a hillside, under a tarp, in a barn.

Baked Camembert (On a Meths Stove) - Serves 2 (or 1 fatty)

I tested this on an Alpkit MyTiMug and a Snowpeak Mini Solo (but any similar sized pot should work)
Ingredients
1 Small sized Camembert (Just small enough to fit in the pot in it's wooden box)
Pinch of Sea Salt & Pepper
Pinch of Paprika
Crackers or Bread for dipping.

Prep (done at home)
Take Camembert out of it's packaging, dispose of anything plasticy that could melt.
Cut a X in the top of the Cheese
Sprinkle on the Salt, Pepper, Paprika
Wrap the Cheese in Tin Foil (just enough to cover it
Then wrap the cheese in a bit of baking paper
Put it back in it's little wooden box

Cooking
Put about an small amount of water in your pot, about 20-30mm
Using a some tin foil make a little cradle so that you can suspend the cheese in very top of the pot, just low enough so that you can get the lid on but there should be a decent air gap between the water and the cheese.
Then stick the pot on the heat.

10mins later, lift out a perfectly baked Camembert, best eaten with bread to dip straight out of the box.

Hillside Chocolate Mousse

Quite easy this one and made cold and sets quickly without a fridge and it's amazing!

Ingredients
1 Packet of Angel Delight (or cheap alternative, I used Sainsbury's 20p stuff)
1 TBL Spoon of Powered Milk
1 Small Tin of Thick Evaporated Milk 170ml (Carnation ones have the ring pull lid which means no tin opener needed, supermarket version didn't)
150ml cold water

Method
Put all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until all of the lumps are gone, will thicken as you stir, no need to stand it or wait. Add grated chocolate, or smashed up biscuits.

Welsh Ride Thing '14

Well I'm back and I'm proper cream crackered. My eyes are sore and I must look bad as people at work are asking me to shout "Adrian!" in a Rocky voice.

All I can say is this year was Epic! (Please don't sue me Specialized)

But rather than some long write up (too tired)

• 3 Days 
• Lots of Hill
• 2 Nights out both cold but dry (An Abbey and Hafren)
• 1 Amazing downhill
• About 85miles
• 1 Knackered granny ring :-(
• Many pints (4 different pubs)
• 1 Pot noodle
• 2 Porridge
• Great banter
• 1 dead sheep
• Lots of dead moles
• 1 Sore Kidney (Stupid fall)

Loved it, Type 1 fun this time (most of the time)

Elfsteden - hurdy gurdy - sore bum Tocht

Instead of the Welsh Ride Thing this year I am in Holland (well The Netherlands really) for the 100th Elf & a bit of a family holiday.

The 'Elf' is a bike ride that goes through 11 cities in the province of Friesland. It's 240km long (about 150 miles) and around 15000 cyclists on all manner of bikes do it. This will be my 4th time. We do the ride because Sarah's Dad has been doing it for a while now (it's Duncan's 18th time and we think he's the most entered Brit) but the main reason we came this time was because it was his friend Danny's 10th time which is considered quite a milestone (well 1500 milestones). It's a fun ride and this year is the 100th year so was set to be a bit more fun that your average 150 miles in day on a bike affair.

As you ride through the towns and villages, bunting is up, little stalls appear, bands play, people get dressed up and sit out of the front of their houses and cheer you on. (Most are drinking beer even at 6am, it's a Dutch bank holiday) all this to watch the 1000s of bikes go by. It makes for a superb atmosphere and Dutch are all a bit mental and they are united by their love of bikes.

So then what of our ride? Well we started at 5:30, 4 of us on highly efficient carbon miles munchers (Duncan, Clayton, Danny & Me) and 2 on a hired Dutch cast iron tandem that had seen better days (Ian & Nina)

The first 50 miles went by in a alright way, not quick enough but alright, I was enjoying it but not quite in the groove yet. For the first few checkpoints we stuck with Ian & Nina on the Tandem but their pace was just too slow and I feared that I might not complete if I stuck with them.

At 9am we reached the first psychological milestone of Dokkum, 60 miles done! (I know 60 miles before 9am!) We fanny'ed around for too long here and didn't leave until nearly 9:30. Next major stop was Bolsward for lunch. I got to Bolswsrd about 11am and had lost Duncan & Clayton. I hung around for a bit and the wondered up to where Sarah and the girls where meeting us. I didn't expect them to be there but they were and it was so nice to see them. I had a bit of lunch but I struggled with it and I was eager to set off again. We heard at this point the tandem & Danny who had stuck with them was over an hour and a half behind us already.

Time to kick on for the second half (the course is a big figure of eight Bolsward Start - North loop - Bolsward Lunch - South loop - Bolsward Finish). I prefer the second half, the towns are smaller & prettier, they are more frequent and after lunch most of the supporters are proper pissed so the shouts and cheers are louder. By now I was in the groove and really enjoying the ride, my legs felt good, my saddle was comfy and I was so pleased that I was feeling good despite a distinct lack of training and it just made me feel even better. 100 miles flew by and by the time we hit the notorious dyke section. Holland may be flat but it does have some killer headwinds and the dyke has really exposed double killer headwinds! Even so I was still feeling good and comfortable to push 17mph into to the wind. Clayton and Duncan didn't look happy but took turns on the front grumbling. I turned round to see that about 200 other riders had latched on and we were towing them along the dyke. Soon enough we went through the last few checkpoints and cycled into the finish. Sarah and the girls were waiting with flowers and it was time to pick up our medals.

150 miles, 11 hours 35 mins.

Of Mice and Men, a bit of Tolkien, A five mile push, loneliness, darkness and the worlds loudest snoring man.

30th December 2011.

The best laid schemes of mice and men,
often go awry,
and leave us nought but grief an' pain

I suppose I kinda instigated the idea of a last trip of 2011. After missing the BB200, the Winter Bivi and knowing I'll miss the Mach 'n' Back in Jan I was feeling a bit miffed and it seemed like a chance for me to get one last trip in before 2012.

So it was set an overnight trip to the Moel Prysgau Bothy in mid Wales. I packed accordingly and left my tarp at home. (I also in the rush left my map & Aquapak at home as well)

As I was travelling in from a couple of 4 star luxury spa nights away so I said I'd make my own way up to the Bothy and meet the others there.

I set off up the Elan Valley in the rain, past the spectacular reservoirs, at times it hammered down so hard it made me feel like I was directly under them! (it should be noted that for some reason I had put shorts on.) As I followed the tarmac all was well, moist but well. Once the tarmac road had ended my route was to follow a simple bridleway along the side of a nice looking stream for about 6-7 miles, it would take me to the front door of the bothy. 6-7 miles on a bike? 30mins, maybe an hour tops. I reckoned that I'd be first at the bothy, lighting the fire and welcoming the others as they arrived with hot coffee and hugs. Things however, did not go to plan.

Dead marshes
As I left the tarmac I couldn't make out where the bridleway started, no obvious tracks or way-marking, I was a little more confused than my normal state of perpetual confusion, no matter I had a copy of the map on my phone, the only problem was keeping it dry whilst looking at it in monsoon conditions. It showed the Bridleway following the stream and looked simple enough. Basically follow the stream for about 5 miles to the forest, how hard could that be? After 10 mins of faff I was off, not on a track but following a general direction and doing okay. Then it all went wrong, very very, wrong!

"Dreary and wearisome. Cold, clammy winter still held sway in this forsaken country. The only green was the scum of livid weed on the dark greasy surfaces of the sullen waters. Dead grasses and rotting reeds loomed up in the mists like ragged shadows of long forgotten summers."

I soon could not ride, in fact I could barely push, it turns out that the bridleway I had chosen goes through a fucking massive swamp! 2 foot tall clumps of grassy reedy stuff covered the ground and the babbling brook of a stream as indicated on the map was an angry raging torrent branching off in multiple directions. The bike was heavy with all the gear on and the only real way to make forward progress was to carry it on my back. Occasionally I'd find and push along some sheep engineered tracks which whilst lifting my spirits usually only lasted  no more than a few yards.

Every other step I was sinking to my thighs in saturated ground, at one point my leg came out of the mud dark reddy brown and I wondered if I'd just stepped through a rotting sheep. On I went trying to pick out the clumps of grass to prevent sinking and failing miserably (I went over more than a few times). I was constantly referring to my (getting wetter and wetter) iPhone praying Apple had designed some moisture redundancy into my only map source. I had to cross dozens of streams and ford the raging torrent (which went over my waist) twice!

Once again I had ignored the fact that bridleways in remote Wales are generally complete shit and totally un-rideable on a bike! (I may have also been told this, but as usual, I applied pig ignorance to advice offered)

As I carried on each step toying with the fact this is far too hard  and too slow and that maybe I should head back, hit the tarmac and get safe. Light would fade soon and rather than being first there I now had to face up to the fact that I would be lucky to make it at all. The ground around looked bleak with no natural shelters, no tarp, no map and no where dry to lie down either. I pushed on determined to make the tree line before dark though.

2 miles in, 3 to go to the forest, 2 back to the road,
3 up, 2 to go,3 back,
4 up and oh it's dark but at least I can a faint outline of trees through the dark and the mist.

At no point was I really worried, honest!, I had a big warm sleeping bag, a waterproof bivi bag, fuel and food, I could use my Thermarest bed as a sort of boat come floatation device on the sodden ground, never was it a proper problem, it just would have been a long long night. (A tarp would have been nice though.)

It's dark at four
The light went completely at about 4:30pm but I'd just managed to reach the edge of the forest. The Bothy was about 1.5km away now as the crow flies but I was proper knackered and drenched to the skin. If I stopped I'd get cold fast. It was at this point, exhausted, I started doing dumb stuff.

Dumb stuff #1
I'd lost the non existent bridleway but found the forest. So eager to get to the tress I climbed the fence and thought I'll just walk straight through until I hit a fire road. In the forest it was pitch black now and rather than bog it was bog, puddles, branches and roots. I must have gone 300m into the forest when a better more sensible voice told me I could get lost pretty quickly dong this and that I should stop, turn back, go back to the fence and follow it. Even non existent Bridleways have gates. This I did, found the gate and just as before no obvious bridleway presented itself on the other side of the gate just a boggy gap through the trees.

I once again toyed with my options, I could hunker down here for the night, the trees offer a bit of shelter but still no dry ground was apparent. I could bin the bike and walk, the bike had been a complete hindrance since I left tarmac. In the end bloody mindedness saw through and I pushed on through the boggy gap until I hit a fire road.

Dumb stuff #2

So happy to be on fire road I just set off loving the fact I could make quick progress on my bike, I zipped along in the dark with a second wind. Sensible voice then kicked in! Best check your direction it said, so I did and I'd cycled about 2k the wrong way! Pillock! .

Lights a hoy!
Once in the forest and checking my wet phone I had to wind around some fire road and then use a short cut through to get to the bothy. I wound my way round the tracks and eventually saw car lights across the valley I then saw the window lit up of a building. Anyway after a bit I found the way through to the Bothy (well Memory Map on my iPhone did).

As wet as an otters pocket but oh so happy to be there and so very very relieved. Stuart came out to meet me after taking bets on whether I'd land or not, I don't know who won?

The fire was going, the snug was warm, the bothy was in good nick and it's amazing how a bit rehydrated food, coffee and good company can make it all worth while.

That night I was so exhausted I could have slept through an earthquake (This I've done before when I was in San Francisco) but for some reason I didn't sleep that well?

Things I leant:
Don't rely on electronic GPS (a second map source should be carried as a backup)
If you leave a bit of kit at home you'll end up really needing it
The bridleway from Elan valley to Moel Prysgau Bothy is spectacularly bleak and unridealbe
Taylor's mate snores very loud
Always listen to Ian when it comes to routes in Wales
Moel Prysgau Bothy is very nice and the MBA do good work
Homemade custard based dehydrated desserts don't really work
Somebody somewhere makes Titanium hip flasks
Stuart is retired
iPhones can get surprisingly wet and still work
MemoryMap is expensive but very good

Wildcat Gear review

Custom Frame bag (Leopard)
Handlebar harness (Mountain Lion)

Until I met Ian & Taylor on a Singletrack Winter Bivi all of my bike packing had been done with cheap generic bags strapped to my bike and rucksacks. I had used beam racks, eBay cheapo frame bags and dry bags strapped to the handlebars with (spot them a mile off) Gelert Rainbow straps.

I had always fancied some of the Revelate gear but lead times, import duty and the pure faff of buying from the States put me off.

Anyway as we sipped Whisky at -2c (not -10 as some claim) the Welsh Ride Thing was mentioned and as soon as I set my mind on that I knew that some proper gear would be needed (although a trailer can be used). Ian's wife Beth had made him (and Taylor) a rather nifty framebag and as more Whisky was consumed we talked about a name for a fledgling company. Despite my marketing background and far superior suggestions it seems Wildcat was chosen.

I ordered my Framebag straight away, I made a cardboard template of the inside of my Scandal frame marked up with cable guides, bottle mounts, etc. Sent it to Wales and one week later a perfectly fitting frame bag arrived.

I'm no seamstress but the bag is so well made and so well thought out. The inside is yellow so you can see your stuff inside. None of the seams are left, they all have a nice bit sewn over them. It's made out of some super lightweight material. The zips are waterproof and it has a little hood thing to park it in.

I've now done several trips with my frame bag, it's had a tough life, it's been covered in mud, submerged in water (with me and the bike), carried bike packing gear and used for the odd emergency shop (beer). It just works really well and is well made by some very nice people who know bikes and carrying stuff on them. If you want a custom frame bag I can't see how you can beat it.

As I was so impressed with my frame bag as soon as I heard that a handlebar harness mount type thing was being prototyped I got my order in. As before it arrived quickly and although it took me a few minutes to work it out (excellent pictorial instructions helped) the faff of fitting it was worthwhile. The Mountain Lion is a work of genius! It holds a dry bag onto your bars away from the head tube with enough room for cables. Once fitted you can clip your dry bag in and out in seconds and when you're piling down some rocky descent that's enough to eject a £40 travel tap from a bottle cage your Mountain Lion held drybag doesn't move an inch. There is a surprisingly useful bit of elastic on the top for gloves and once again it's super well made and nice and light.

I've been really impressed by both of my Wildcat purchases, well made, really well thought out and made in sunny Wales, can't wait to get my hands on the next bit of kit they come up with?
www.wildcatgear.co.uk

Past glories

Here's a write up of my SDW ride from 2 years ago...


The day started at 3:30am with the alarm going off and me feeling like I’d only just put my head on the pillow. With Sarah’s dad, Duncan, doing the support for the day after a quick bowl of porridge and a cup of tea we loaded the bike up and set off for Winchester at 4am. We got to Winchester at 5am and got lost briefly but managed to follow some other cars to the start point.

At the start the gravity of the ride hit me as lines of race-bred whippet-types in full lycra lined up next to full carbon bikes. A quick briefing and liberal application of chamois cream and by 5:45 we were on the trail.

The first climb flew by out of Chilcomb and up to Cheesefoot Head; it was really raining at this point and it was very wet - I was glad of my jacket as I looked around at the saturated people travelling light.

Next it was up Beacon hill and I was averaging well over 10mph (my target for the whole ride was 7.5mph). Once again the climb was easy and my training was paying off. I was sticking with the groups that looked much faster than me and enjoying knowing the route. A quick munch on a power bar and drink from the Camelbak. Powerbars were in a small bag behind the stem on the bike meaning I could munch and cycle. The first push of the bike was up past the vineyards - and then back on at the top.

The route continued with the climb up to the top of HMS Mercury, where on a sunny day you can see the Spinnaker at Portsmouth; however with the rain and mist seeing more that 50 yards would have been good, so views were at the top were disappointing. After Mercury it’s fast downhill on the road where I got my max speed of the day - 41.7mph.

On the road up to Butser Hill and down the long grass downhill - why oh why is there a gate in the middle?. Rolled into Queen Elizabeth Park with 20 miles under my belt to the checkpoint, put a couple of litres into the Camelbak and carried on without dawdling as I was aware this would kill my time. For the next stretch I was on my own for quite a few miles and was going well, still keeping the average above 10mph and eating and drinking little and often.

As I was now on my own and with nobody to mither me it was time to fire up the iPod and power up Hartling and Cocking Down to the sounds of Muse and the Foo Fighters. At the second checkpoint, I had a quick stop to eat some bara brith that Sarah had made me especially for the ride and restock my Gels and Powerbar supply from the rucksack to the small bag on the bike. At this checkpoint I was in the first 20 to go through. Another refill of the Camelbak at the farm across the road and on up to the top. Still feeling pretty good although my average speed had just nudged down into the 9mph bracket.

The top of Heyshot Down to Littleton Down is a nice run and you stay above 200m for 2-3 miles, from the top of the field you can see the masts in the distance. A few riders had caught me by now and I was slowing but it’s fast downhill to the road. My plan from the start was to roll on the bits where gravity would take me and spin my way up the hills, keeping a close eye on my heart rate monitor.

The next bit at Littleton Farm is a hill I really don’t like. It’s a rutted chalky farm track that was wet and messy. On the way up I past some of the faster chaps who had succumbed to punctures and then another small group with the same problem. Riding on your own means you don’t wait for others and time after time people would shoot past only for me to slowly grind past them later as they all waited for one of their group to fix a puncture. Very hare and tortoise. At the top of top of Burton Down was a guy with a Carbon Scott punctured. Stopped for a quick chat and then I went on my way. He was to point out at Devils Dyke as he passed me that he had done so 3 times already today only to puncture and for me to grind past. After Devils Dyke I never saw him again though, so maybe he had better luck.

Nice roll down to the A29, nearly slipping on the chalk and on the way down my rear brakes started to squeak. This squeak would annoy me for the next 60 miles but changing the pads would have taken too long and at least on the downhills walkers could hear me coming as my bike screamed like a banshee. Another checkpoint at the bottom, 40 and a bit miles in and feeling quite tired. Not many had gone through before me though.

A chap in an ambulance gave me the thumbs up to cross the road (I thought he was checking to make sure I wasn’t about to die).

Down to Amberley and across the river, knowing that when you cross a river you are back at the bottom of the hill and the only way is back up - and so it was. A few people had some support at the top and said only fifteen riders had been through before me, although my average speed was dropping through the 9mphs.
At the top of the road was it was another short push and I saw 2 guys (one with a green Genesis and the other with a Boardman) that I would keep bumping into all the way to the last hill. (thanks for the gates). Another case of they were quicker but had 3 or 4 punctures.

Up over Amberley Mount and along a stretch I quite like, going through what looks like a hole in the trees from a distance marks 50miles and I’m technically half way!

Over the tops and a nice long roll down. Due to the rear brake making so much noise I favoured the front one, however on the slippy, greasy wet tarmac my front wheel locked up and nearly went from under me. I narrowly avoided hitting a cyclist coming back up. At the tap at Washington, I stopped for 10mins to eat some more bara brith and a few jelly babies and fill my water bottle. I called Duncan to update on my progress - it was just before midday with 53miles done in just over 6hrs - the pace was good. However, getting back on the bike after the stop I suddenly didn’t feel as good as before and I can’t really recall much from here but it was starting to get hard.

After this it was over the road and up towards Truleigh Hill, which I was slowly working my way up in my lowest gear until somebody in front of me got off and pushed - my brain then figured it was okay to push a bit. At the top I was rescued as I set off on the wrong bridleway until some heroic Scottish chap who doing a support stint shouted at me to come back. I then stayed with them for a while to the YHA where they stopped for water and I pushed on.

On and over to Devils Dyke and a checkpoint, at this point I was knackered and had a sit down, a bottle of water and a banana - even though I knew I was meeting Duncan at Ditchling Beacon for some lunch in only 5 miles.

I hauled myself off the grass and back onto the bike feeling a bit sore and stiff and got to Ditchling Beacon at about 2:45pm. I was slowing down quite a lot by now and I stopped here for about 15-20 mins and had some jam sarnies, a few jelly babies and more bara brith! Seeing as it was Ditchling, I ditched some of the extra weight. The bladder from my Camelbak had to go and the bottle on my bike would suffice, I ditched my waterproof jacket and few extra food bits. I also got rid of my baggy shorts and put on an extra pair of Lycra cycling shorts in the hope two pairs would somehow ease the soreness.

The next 10 miles flew by and I cracked 80 miles by 4pm and was having a second wind, iPod on and cranks turning well. Met the guys with the Genesis and the Boardman again at the temporary bridge and then stopped at the level crossing for a couple of mins for a train, a breather and water at the checkpoint - 16 miles to go we’re told.

So only a couple more hills and 16 miles, which is a normal Sunday night ride. My second wind, however, was running out and my legs were getting heavy. I made it up the hill at Alfriston okay but on the last hill at Jevington at 94 miles I hit the wall. About half way up I saw a stile at seat-level and sat down for 5 mins, took on my last Gel with caffeine boost and a mixed handful of Jelly Babies, Tangfastic and chocolate coated peanuts. While I was there two racing whippets in matching lycra and one other chap passed me. Thinking that I couldn’t be doing that badly if I was in front of them I jumped on the bike to give chase - 50 yards round the corner the racing whippets were fixing a puncture!

I could see the other chap and gave chase - with a combination of Gel, jelly babies and seeing Eastbourne suddenly my legs were new and I was powering through. I caught the chap up and passed him on the downhill into Eastbourne, arriving a couple of minutes ahead of him.

Tired, knackered, Job Done!

Bike
Ride was done on my Boardman Team Full Suss
Saddlebag with multitool, 2 spare tubes, leatherman, zip ties, patches etc.
Fuel tank for gels & ipod

Clothes
Endura Singletrack shorts with 6 panel liner, binned at 70 miles for extra pair of Lycra
Paramo Wind stopper
Endura Humvee Top

Camelbak HAWG
3 litre bladder (never had more than 2 litres in it)
Mini first aid kit
More gels, powerbars
Jelly babies
Chocolate Peanuts
Tangfastics
Map
Phone
Money

Statistics. (going from Cateye and Polar HRM)
Miles 97.82
Max speed 41.7mph
Average Speed 8.3mph
Time spent cycling 11h:44m
Calories 13,353
Wake up time 3:30am
Start time 5:45am
Total time 13hours
Gels 4
Bara brith 6 slices (with butter)
Powerbars 3
Water 10 litres approx
Punctures 0
Mechanical Failures 1 (saddlebag fell off and had to be zip tied back on)
Wees 5 or 6 (Good sign of hydration)
Falls 1 (into Nettles)

One day on and my body is still stiff but I'm really glad I did it. Raised over £850 for a good cause.

How could I forget? Just the tonic.....

I've been a bit rubbish recently, well not a bit rubbish but completely crap. I've been feeling pretty bad, the house is hard work with no running water downstairs and we've been sleeping on an airbed in the front room. Work is mega busy and weekends are always full.

On Saturday we were due to go to Oxford and meet up with some of Sarah's uni friends all very well and good but they don't like dogs and as it was going to be a hot day so my original plan of having him in the car and walking him every so often wasn't going to work. Fortunately Mark agreed to look after him for the day and also suggested a Sunday morning bike ride, short on excuses I agreed.

I woke early discovered my bike wasn't a pile of rusting parts and got ready, I felt ill and wanted to cancel and go back to bed (well air bed). I didn't cancel I went.

Swinley was dry and fast the day was beautiful. We rode up onto Watson's wander, down through Mordor, Seagul (the right way ending at 5 star post), and onto Stickler with a new bit I've not ridden before, Tank Traps, Jump Gulley and lovely meander round the pond, up the wall (didn't make it) and down the Labyrinth.

14 miles all in and a couple of hours and guess what, I loved it, I can't really work out why I haven't ridden that much this year because after 2 hours out I had a huge smile and felt much better.

Boris Bikes saved the day

I'm busy at work, not just a little busy but mega busy. I'm so busy that I haven't even looked at Singletrack for about 2 weeks. (Not even Fresh Goods Friday)

Yesterday to combat this whirlwind of 'stuff'¹ to do I thought I'd get into the office early. Just after 8am was my aim; This has a number of advantages:

1. Free Breakfast if you get there before 9am (it's not the greatest but it's free)
2. It's a marketing company so nobody is there before 9:30 and it's nice and quiet (hence the free breakfast)
3. My brain is 25675538355 times quicker in the morning
4. I had loads of 'stuff' to do before a 9:30 meeting

So caught the 7:12, got to Vauxhall station, jumped on the Victoria line for a daily dose of being squashed up against other soulless commuters who don't move the down the carriage².

And then the train decides it's going to break down. Oh the joy, but the worst thing about a tube train breaking down is not the train itself it's pointlessly whining people tutting and moaning to themselves like it's the end of the world. It's not the end of the world it's just a faulty train that might make us all a bit late.

So about a billion sheep like commuters are exited onto the platform at Victoria station to await the next train, it took about 5 mins but the next train duly arrived. A quick glance through the windows showed that this train was very full and the only way you were going to get on it was if you were an anorexic circus dwarf related to Houdini.

Being that I'm pretty rotund at the moment and tall enough to ride the corkscrew at Alton Towers I gave up all hope and stood back to watch everybody else. As predictable as people standing up on aeroplanes as soon as they stop moving everybody quickly jostled to the train doors hoping the people inside were all about to apperate only to 'tut' some more when it finally dawns on them that even with the best will in the world and no matter how much they peer round the doors they ain't gonna fit.

So It's now 8:30 and my hopes of getting to work early are gone. All I've got to do now is make sure I get to my 9:30 meeting.

Plan B - Walk, a mini adventure walking through bits of London I didn't know. Plan B was going well until I walked up to a row of blue bikes standing there like King Dicky 3's horse. I'd been fancying ago on the Boris bikes for a while and this seemed like the perfect excuse. A bit of touch screen frustration³ and £1 later I'd got myself possibly the coolest and most uncool bike ever.

I didn't really know the way but knew if I headed NE I'd be okay and could always aim for the BT tower. My morning had gone from horrid tube to massive smiles⁴ as I mingled through the London traffic, down the back of Buck Palace, up to and through Hyde park with a quick attempt at a Danger Panda.

9:15 and I'm in the office⁵ with 15 mins to prep for my 9:30 meeting and the day is saved.

From now on I'm with Boris all the way and will be changing my commute from tube to bike.

¹ stuff are thing that are really important and need to be done now! yesterday! but in reality it's just 'stuff' - Quotes / Presentations / emails /Budget forecasts

² Sometimes I really want to tell people to move down but people who do shout "can you move down please" are of course correct but always end up looking like knobs, I just live in hope people will see squished people realise they are blocking the way and do it of their own accord.

³ I'm pretty IT savvy but the lack of instructions had me baffled for a while.

⁴ I look grumpy in the photo but that's my natural disposition I am in fact having the best commute ever!

⁵ A bit sweatier than normal.

Tarp tastic..but as Julia Roberts said in Pretty Woman

Slippery little buggers.......

Just been into the big smoke for a meeting and only to be greeted by a brown package upon returning to my desk

Last week I ordered a new tarp. My old DD 3x3 tarp is good but it's massive and for my week of cycling from London to Wales I wanted something a touch more bijou.

After ripping open the packet like a six year old on Christmas morning I was greeted by a tiny packed stuff sack, much smaller than I had thought. It also has more scope for squishing. The bag it comes in is far too big for it. A bit of squishing and it will be a decent orange sort of size.

So here it is, my new integral SilTarp 1 (£45 from George Fisher Outdoors*)

But my word it's slippery..

I'll add my Alpkit Ti Pin as pegs, some guy lines and have a test and report back.

*It got here quick so thumbs up George Fisher and a great (relatively for a piece of cloth) price

EDC = WTF!!!!

I was searching for a new Leatherman as I've lost mine. Any way I'm going to order a Squirt PS4. They are nice and small and light and will do everything I need to do when out on the bike.

So I searched Youtube for a review and a slow Friday and few click led me to this video.


This guy for his trip to Disneyland takes ...

2 knives Rambo would be proud to own
a hidden knife,
a police baton,
a punching you in the face thing,
a 'tactical' pen
and 2 torches

to go to DisneyLand.......

He must be very scared of Dwarves!!

For more of the same search Youtube for EDC (Every day carry) and prepared to be scared....

Rome wasn't built in a day

and neither will my extension which started today.

Colin the enigmatic builder turned up and said nothing, just turned up and started. So 5 months of dirt and mess to go from 3 to 4 bedrooms and massive kitchen which will be perfect for bike servicing. It will even have a plumbed in parts washer (as long as I remember to take the dishes out first)

Food of the gods

I like Wales, it's hilly, I got married there, my wedding ring is made from Welsh gold (like Royalty don't you know) and I spend a lot of time there. It's also the place where I ride my bike the most. I like it because it reminds me of the Yorkshire and where I grew up at the foot of the Dales.

Now I've heard it argued that Flapjack is the ultimate riding food but I'm afraid the people who band this opinion around tend to be misguided at best or just plain wrong. Flapjack, it's just too dry, too heavy to be a great cycling food.

Jelly Babies are brilliant but I like home made stuff that doesn't contain ingredients banned in New Zealand.

There is one food out there that will power you past the bonk. Cover it in butter (as you're meant to) and I reckon you've got all you main food groups in one slice. It's got everything in it. Complex Carbs, Simple Sugars, Fruit, Dairy, Saturated Fats and best of all it includes an in built Cup of Tea.

It's also dead easy to make, even men can do it it's all based around cups. (Use a Alpkit 450ml Titanium cup for extra style)

So prised from the mother in law* and updated a touch here's the recipe for Bara Brith (with added Yorkshire).

*It should be noted this is not the dry bread 'real' Bara Brith type stuff peddled by shops, it's secret familly recipe that is much better.

Here's the recipe – Welsh (Yorkshire) Bara Brith.

Ingredients
• 1 cup sultanas ('real' bara brith uses mixed fruit)
• 1 cup boiling water
• Butter 1/5 to 1/4 of a normal block
• 1 teabag (Use Yorkshire tea - 1 bag makes 2 cups so makes the taste stronger or if your a heathen just use 2 PG Tips or other crap teabags and ruin it)
• 2 cups of self raising flour
• 1 cup soft brown sugar (real bara brith uses dark brown sugar)
• 1 egg

Method
• Put the sultanas, butter and teabag in a bowl and pour on the boiling water. Leave till cool (or at least luke-warm)
• Put the flour in a separate bowl, add the sugar and egg and stir well. It will be very floury. Add the liquid from the fruit mix bit by bit, mixing in until it is a wet mixture.
• Add the fruit (remove the teabag). Mix round and put into a lined loaf tin.
• Bake for 45 mins at gas mark 4 (or slightly under) then 45 mins at gas mark 3 (or slightly under). I like mine just about cooked but still very soft so it makes a gooey loaf rather than a dry one so I tend to undercook slightly. Stick a skewer in and if there is still wet cake mixture on it cook for a bit longer - if it's just about coming up dry then it's fine.
• Leave to stand, cut and spread with lots of butter.

A massive errection

 

Last weekend we thought we'd try out the tent, bit of dry run so to speak(apart from the fact it pissed it down).

With the car packed to the rafters (tent, travel cot, bedding, large black dog) we set off. We chose a nice little campsite somewhere near Stone Henge (or Stone Hedge as Lottie called it). We were staying just one night to see what camping with a 1 year old, a 5 year old, a Labrador and a hairdryer less wife might be like.

We bought a Vango Icarus 600 a bit ago as we thought this year for our family holiday we'd like to camp in France. So this summer it will be in the back of the car and heading for France to be used in anger. I'd had the tent up in the garden to test it, as you do, but the real test is not the tent it's the ability for the family to cope in it. (I was a bit sceptical).

I'd bought a few 'soft furnishings' to compliment the tent, fitted carpet and inflatable arm chairs.

Well quite surprisingly, it went well, very well in fact the girls loved camping. Lottie helped/hindered putting the tent up hammering pegs wonky and tripping over guy ropes. Amelia crawled around in the wet grass investigating things. Tired out they collapsed into bed at 8pm and slept in 'till 6am (not too bad). All in all we had a great couple of days of camping, adventure playground, mini trains and mud.

But what of the gear?... Well the tent worked well and it's certainly proven itself on the weather front. It kept the (almost biblical) rain off and the wasn't too flappy in the wind. The bedrooms are a good size for us as a family of four. The carpet made it a bit nicer inside too. The Tesco £7.50 blow up armchairs were great. The AlpKit Bulbs were great.

So all in all a success but as ever gear can be honed and improved and there are a couple of things we will need to change before an extended stay:

For all that I didn't want a massive 'lunar module' type tent as it stands the tent just isn't quite big enough for an extended stay with small children, especially if it's wet so an awning is on order. The awning should add that bit of extra space. If it's wet or windy outside the awning can be cooked in, it will keep the sun/rain off, we can leave shoes outside the main tent in the dry. I also found the Icarus 600 has a bit of a design flaw. Although it kept the rain at bay if you open the front door all the rain that has beaded on the door drips into the tent as the tent has no porch. An awning will fix this though and it should turn a good tent into a great tent.

We also need a fridge of some sort, quite fancy a posh Engel that can go in the Land Rover also but at £600 they are a lot of money to leave in a tent.

We only took a single ring stove this time and it didn't really work, I had my bivvy (divvy) head on and thought it would be okay. Cooking pasta, potatoes etc on a single ring in a single pan for a family meal is much harder than just boiling water and rehydrating each course. I think we'll just get a second stove like the one we have rather than a double ring affair. For about £10 I think they are brilliant.

Some kind of high chair would be handy, didn't think about babies and camping.

A wind break would also be good, as much for privacy and separation from other pitches as anything.

We need to have a think about bedding, I was cold under(ish) a household duvet. (should have brought my Xero 250 sleeping bag in anticipation of Sarah stealing all of the covers).

So there we have it, can't wait to get another weekend in soon. Hopefully we'll get two nights and take the bikes next time but already looking for spare weekends and campsites.

Hey, I put some new shoes on, And suddenly everything is right......

So as far as shoes go I'm fairly simple and as my Granddad once said. (in a thick Yorkshire accent)

"Spend your money on your shoes and your bed lad, 'cos if you not in one you in t'other"

Old Shoes!!

With that in mind I tend to have just one pair of shoes on the go that I live in, day in day out. For the past year my feet have been sporting a pair of North Face Hedgehog GTX II's. I go to work in them (just about smart enough), mow the lawn, go camping, walk the dog, do outdoors'y stuff etc. When I bought them I was slightly sceptical as NF always feels like a bit of a high street brand but bought them I did and I've loved them.




A year on and they look a bit tatty now, smell a bit bad, the soles are worn, the laces are all frayed but they are still holding together pretty well and much better than any other shoe I've ever owned. They are also superbly comfortable.

New Shoes!!

So I've just treated myself to another pair, same colour and everything, but now they are the III model. Hopefully just as good. Best price was £76 delivered from Webtogs and for a pair of shoes that will last a year of everyday wear that's a bargain!

Half the year gone

So 50% of the year has gone and although I am a damn site healthier than this time last year I am still overweight.

So it start here, today, now, no more excuses.

I'm gonna "run and cycle" myself fitter and "eat less" myself thinner.

Aim: 1hr 45mins time on the Windsor Half Marathon

How: "Eat less and move more"

I'm gonna have to run, and run a fair bit. My aim will be 3 times a week at first and at least 30 mins each run.

I'm also gonna have to eat less so I'll try to eat only 1,400 cals per day, cut out the carbs etc..

So Day 1, Week 1
Todays stats: 15st 0lbs

14 weeks to WHM

Run #1

Well last night the training started. For the past three times I've done the Windsor Half Marathon I've not trained for it and relied on my cycling base fitness to get me round.

This worked but it hurt and I was slow.

This year a few people from work are doing it as well and being of a slightly competitive ilk a 2 hour time isn't going to be good enough.

So 1 lap of Virginia Water with Murphy the dog

6.81 km in 45 mins

Current Set Up

This is my current set up (plus a rucksac), it was it's first real test on the Welsh Ride Thing and it worked really well but as ever I want to make a couple of minor changes.

The gear was split by the following:

On the Bars:
Lomo 12L dry bag and a WildCat handlebar harness
Sleeping Bag in own 5l eVent dry bag
Thermarest NeoAir Reg
Exped Pillow
Lifesystem Midge head net
Orikaso folding bowl
AlpKit Hunka XL bivi bag

Framebag (Wildcat):
Food for 48hrs
Chocolate bars and Jelly Babies
Caldera Cone
300ml Meths (inside coiled up cone)
Travel Tap (Water bottle and filter)

Seatbag (Ortlieb Large Saddle Bag):
Cooking System (MyTiMug, Cosy's, 450ml Mug, Matches, Mountain House bag, Spork)
Tools and Spares and Tube
M&Ms and Gels
First Aid kit

Rucksack (Camelbak H.A.W.G Deluxe , no bladder)
5l eVent dry bag with night clothes in (HH Lifas, Down jacket, Socks)
Wooly hat
Rab Waterproof Jacket
Phone / Money / Inhaler / Tissues

1l Water bottle on forks

So what would I change?

Well the first thing to do would be to get rid of the rucksack. I didn't use my fuel tank top tube bag thing as I'd lent it out and I didn't think I needed it.

I didn't carry much in the rucksack and in fact it was very light but it's a pain to get stuff in and out of but what I did have was quite bulky.

The obvious thing would be to get a larger seatbag I think the one I have is 2.7l and although the Wildcat handlebar harness was flawless I can't help but thinking a bag on the top to put stuff you need to hand in would be a bonus (phone, camera, tissues)

I need to modify my fuel tank top tube bag thing and then put the gels and the like in there.

I didn't carry enough water but the Travel Tap was brilliant so I may try and find a bigger bottle with the same thread size as the travel tap and just take the filter part and put a second bottle on the other fork leg. This will free up a bit of room in the frame bag.

Maybe an email to Wildcat is needed....

Bivvy Gear - WRT Gear

WRT Gear Layed Out on Flick

So here's everything I took with me (sort of). I decided to leave a few things at home and in hindsight could have left a few more bits at home.


I've been building this kit up for a while now through reading forum, blogs and using what I had and seeing how I got on with it. After 3 days in rainy wales (2 nights) I'm pretty happy with what I've got and how it works.

The "it worked really well bits":

Sleeping - Everything was spot on I think and I wouldn't change anything, Slept dry and warm for 2 nights.

Cooking - Really pleased with the set up the only change would be to make a new cone that stored inside the mug.

Carrying - The Wildcat bags were faultless

Water - TravelTap worked well if a little slow


Niggles:


Need to ditch the rucksack somehow.

Phone in Aquapak is awkward for taking photos

Need more Water carrying capability


Changes:


Take more coffee (2 per day isn't enough)

Really concentrate on how much food is needed (I ended up carrying some home again)

Leave the loo roll at home and take a 2nd Kleenex pack


Streamline my tools/spares kit


Maybe ditch the cosy for the smaller mug.

More Jelly Babies (ditch the M&Ms)

Didn't use the Hotties (it was May)