The difference a week makes..

Last week, I rode twice; once in Sheffield (which I loved) and once at 'home' in the Forest of Dean (which I also loved).  It struck me though, how different the riding is, oop North, the climbs go on and on, and so do the descents, in the FOD, the ups and downs seem way shorter, but what they lack in height or distance is made up for in swoops, turns and grins.

Last week I felt like I was flying, I loved it and could of ridden forever.  This week, my legs have felt weary and I have to admit when the planned wednesday ride was cancelled as the lad I was meant to be riding with had decided the rain called for a trip to the local timber mill instead of a ride on his bike I was relieved.  His offer of moving the ride to tonight was met with initial enthusiasm (hell, it's getting out on a bike, how horrible could it be?) which soon faded and I started flicking through my book of favourite excuses, when 'My bike was eaten by my Japanese house mate' failed to convince even me, and with his story from last week ride ringing in my ears about the awards he hands out for best (or most feeble, depending on your viewpoint) excuse for missing a ride, I resigned myself to having a tough ride with a stoical view that it would only do me good.

So THAT'S what it's meant to look like

I'd already told my work colleagues that I was out on my bike tonight (and, once, the initial 'hilarity' of confirming that yes, I was meeting those men off the Internet again, and of course, I was looking forward to another good hard ride had faded) I actually started simultaneous clock and sky watching.

We headed out from a 'lay-by on the A57' and within 200mtrs I was sweating and cursing whilst trying to heave my bike over and around rocks, the big stuff caught my wheels and the small fist sized ones caused my rear wheel to skitter annoyingly, I briefly lifted my head to see Chris expertly picking his way steadily up the climb.  He's a great tour guide and reaching the summit overlooking Ladybower Resevoir he was able to point out cracking riding throughout the 360 degree view that greeted us.

Ye gods

To be honest, the ride was short, a mere 4.5 miles, but take a look at this.. that's a fair amount of height gain and loss in such a short distance.

My main memory of the ride already is how I need to get my head around the unique riding opportunity riding on grit stone offers, being able to trackstand whilst facing downhill at an angle of about 45degrees for instance.  I also remember just how steep that descent was and how pointing the nose of my bike downhill for 15 minutes is a very novel experience. 

Here's to many more of em

Back in the swing..

I'm determined to not start another post by mentioning that it's been ages since my last post.. has been a while though eh?

So, since my last post, I've moved from the house that I have been staying at into a lovely little place owned by the friend of a work colleague.  Not only is my new landlady NOT A FUCKING MENTALIST but she lets me bring my bike and is also is happy for me to store it in the dining room.

Can't beat it really

Anyway, I've brought my bike to Sheffield, AND I've also gotten out and ridden the damned thing.

My first ride was a few weeks ago.  I'd planned a short one to start the process of getting my legs moving and ended up doing over 30 miles.  It hurt

Quite a lot

It was still bloody great though.  A warm evening, slowly tiring legs and views going on for ever that took your breath away.

I've decided that I need to really get on.  Whereas FKK racing is going from strength to strength this year, my fitness has been disappearing with equal speed.

So, riding twice a week and getting to the gym, should see me hit Dusk til Dawn with some semblance of being able to hold my own.

Watch this space and I promise to keep you both informed ;)

What do bikers that aren't biking think about?...

Biking of course.. dammed fool question if you ask me

Since being in Sheffield I've lived in a house which doesn't seem to be particularly bike friendly.  Probably for the best to be honest too as I've got some exams coming in July so books are here to entertain me in the evenings rather than bikes and riding mates.

The lack of physical bike contact in my life at present though is always there as a voice in my head and is starting to become a bit all consuming, so aside from dreaming of long rides on dusty trails with mates, I've started thinking of the next natural progression..

Stuff..

New stuff to be precise.  I've been using some of Hopes finest offerings for years, the last couple of rides though have left me with nothing but big handfuls of lever and frightened expressions..  Poor old Nic has provided more services than certain footballers and we've both agreed that I need to some new brakes.

In the mean time, apart from pulling 12 hour days, attempting to get lots of stuff crammed into the hollow space above my ears and seemingly never getting enough sleep, I've decided to go join a gym.  16 quid a month, bargain.. expect to see reports of my fitness reaching new depths very soon

Drive Work Study (Repeat to fade)

Another marathon gap since my last post.

This time, there's reason, honest..

I've secured a job, a fantastic job at that too.. one that makes you want to stick two fingers up at the self doubt which inevitably creeps in during something as horrible as redundancy.

The only downside (and isn't there always one of those?) is that it's in Sheffield.. not that I have anything against Sheffield.. apart from the fact that it's 160 miles away from where I call home.  That's either one hell of a daily commute or sucking it up and renting somewhere for monday to thursday.

So, spareroom.com it is then.  It was a bit of a hurried decision though, the place has no storage for a bike.. gah.. next time I'll spend a few minutes longer on my list of 'must haves'.. although a phone call monday saying "is this wednesday good for you as a start date?" doesn't leave much room for error..

The job, as I've said, is fantastic, busy as hell though and I find each day that I've crossed 6 jobs off a to-do list and added twice that number along with a couple of meetings and an audit or two thrown in for good measure.

Fantastic career progression, it doesn't, however, lead to a particularly riveting blog post.

Coupled with that, I'm cramming study in for exams in July.  I've been told that there's some cracking biking in and around Sheffield, lets just hope it's still going to be there at the end of July when i can get out and experience it.

I may get a run in to work and back between now and then, but I've still got the damned leftovers of that bloody cold, which seems to have been around since I was about 6.

So.. lots going on, none of it worthy of blogging about, although with hindsight that's not stopped me before.. ;)

It's been a while..

Hasn't it? and I can't even think of a good reason why..

With the possible exception of having not done something worthy of sitting down and putting fingers to keyboard for.  Guess I just got lazy.

So, what's been happening?

Well, following the half marathon, I decided the best way of treating myself was a nice healthy dose of tonsillitis..  Have you ever had it? if you can answer no, I strongly suggest you do as much as you can to keep it that way.

It felt as though I had the worst flu I've experienced, not the sort of flu that people get when they sneeze twice in as many minutes, proper flu.. can't stand up or move without everything hurting flu, alongside a throat that had me contemplating how feasible a spittoon would be.  From running a half marathon one week, I was unable to get to the fridge the next.  The associated weight loss programme may catch on though..


I've only ridden a few times since, a couple of short rides by myself, much needed, getting out and slowly spinning my legs on trails I wanted to ride rather than trying to keep up with the normal Wednesday night rocket ships.  I've still managed a crash though.  Embarrassing, but it was with Kate and Callum on a 'family' ride.  A dip onto some gravelly berms to 'show Kate how to ride them' led to me leaving a healthy amount of my left arm and leg in the middle of the forest.

Tomorrow.. well tomorrow I'll be packing up and pointing the car towards Sheffield at silly o'clock for an interview.  Who knows, my riding experiences may soon become a little broader :)

Forest Half Marathon 'Race' Report

Sunday saw me bimble my way around 13.1 miles of beautiful Forest of Dean scenery for the Forest Of Dean Half Marathon..

This is the second time I've completed the event, last time I suffered an injury which curtailed my training, I ran it anyway and enjoyed it enough to promise myself a re-run at some point.

At the end of last year, with a season of triathlon events in mind, I signed up again with a view to giving myself that excuse to get out and train through the winter.

It's safe to say that the route is thought of as tough, seasoned runners generally react only by wincing when you mention you're doing it.  Good reason too.. take a look at this bad boy..

that's 2768ft of elevation over the 13.1 miles..

I'd be lying at this point if I said I wasn't damned proud of my performance on the day.  Off the back of far less training than I wanted to have done, I managed a very respectable time (for me, given that I ain't a runner) of 1hr 47.. giving me a placing of 579th out of 1834 runners.

Doing the event having done a 13 mile run during the training for the event gave me a massive mental boost, I knew I could do it, even if my training had tailed off during the last 6 weeks.  I tagged onto the back of two runners at around mile 6 who were aiming for 1hr 45 finishing times after they had admitted their target to me, I'd made note that I was aiming for 1hr 59. 59 if it meant I came in under the 2hr mark.  Being told I was well inside that marker gave me confidence and I made damn sure that I kept them in view for the remaining miles.

For some reason the miles passed easily, far more easily that during my last attempt at the race and I felt as though I was running within myself for the majority of the distance - hovering between 7,50 and 8.30 min mile pace felt comfortable and I'm confident that carrying on from this point will give me a cracking base for summer events that I'm now looking at

Name Change..

I'd say that nothing which remains static for long periods of time remains at the top of its game.. change is the only constant as the old saying goes.

Something which was at the forefront of y mind when I set this blog up was that I was planning on competing in Triathlons from 2011 onwards.

Well, life has changed as I've already mentioned on numerous occasions and with it, I feel the blog address should change to reflect that.  So, gone is thatswimbikerunthing.. hello to abr-biking.  The blog is dead, long live the blog..

So.. abr-biking.. wtf? you may be asking.. well, it sums me up.. Ambitious But Rubbish.. abr.. clever huh? and after that particular moment of inspiration I may have to go take a lie down.


Hell, I sometimes wonder if I overthink these things ;)