cycling with buddies

A Triathlete, or a TT specialist, and probably just normal cyclists are sometimes a loner. That is you just get used to being by yourself, you have to, sometimes when your out in front (or dropped off the back) you are just by yourself, and you have to work, by yourself so that you can get to the goal in mind.

This brings out the special quality in people.

Riding with your friends, is awesome though. It's a real good feeling when your just riding in a bunch, or even just sitting atop a huge hill looking down and around you.

There are sometimes though, when riding with friends, can just be a little.....

Happiness

Happy Birthday Mum

pumping

If you are a competitive cyclist you will know what I am about to say and mean.

Traffic Lights

There is something about them, obviously it's the green light thing, it means go, and usually go means GO!

Some people (like me) take traffic lights very seriously, especially on the final 8km back to my house. I go past an area, in which it is my last chance to beat my fastest (top) speed of the day.

Today, I had an easy 43km/hr to beat.

As I came upon the lights, they were red, so I like to hold back a bit, so that the other cyclists can start in front of me, and than fan out, leaving the way clear for me.

I had good music pumping on the MP3, lights went green, I tucked, and started sprinting, passing the other 4 lanes of cars, whizzing passed all the other cyclists, getting faster, legs pumping, body relaxed, looking ahead, Chris Hoy would have been amazed (not)....47km/hr chain comes off, bike serves violently, left foot unclips, G'nads hit the top tube... I probably look like a ballerina in mid flight having a seizure. How I re-gained control of the bike without hitting the ground, can only be testiment to my recent throw downs on the local trails.

I calmly pull over to side of the road, everyone gawping at me as they go past, put on my chain, and then set off.

It's only after a short while, that it all sinks in. Today was one of the few days that I didn't wear a helmet (what a plonker) and that 20 mins after I'm still full of adrenalin and my heart is beating fast.

Today I was lucky, and I won't go cycling without my helmet again, and I will look at my chain on why it keeps coming off at speed.

to do

Came across this, and thought it was hilarious

I have so much pent up energy today, that I woke up bored. Never had that feeling before. I suppose it's because I have been training for a race, which I never ended up taking part in. All I can say is that my body is on fire. I'm climbing harder, faster and stronger (the Olympic climb??) than before, and whilst I am riding with my buddies, they soon get to feel tired, I feel as though I haven't raised a heartbeat. I must say, it feels good.

I need to do a race this year, and I'm talking about a quality race, not just the short local things that happen around here. In a couple of weeks, we have a 5km hill climb. Wooooo, a massive 5km. I'll suppose I'll enter it, and then carry on having a great ride in the hills.

Today my friends are in the hills, and I am being a good (read extremely) husband, by staying with the wife. It is only a couple of more weeks till training starts again, and then, it will be double weekend riding :D Oh yeah... bring it on!

sundays ride

Just wanted to post a pic from last Sundays ride. Kudos to Roger for the photo...

And I should stop being so selfish and take my camera with me, which I'll promise to do next week (and use it)

125

One has to consider life from both ends of the spectrum, from Deep Purple to Loving Reds, it's all there in it's visible glory, you just have to look around and it's all around you.

Isn't it amazing, how in one day, your life can suddenly change, take a whole new meaning, a whole new direction.

For some, one day, can bring ultimate grief, ultimate betrayal, and then for others, can bring amazing enjoyment, absolute happiness.

How can life vary so much? Yet still leaving enough room for us to care?

We are strange, do animals go through the same?

I have a new favourite number, and that is 125. I shall declare more later, but for now, you will just have to accept that this one of my all time favourite numbers, and one, that I will never ever forget.

Gas

Life IS Fantastic, in the way that it often throws up many problems, and these problems can lead to other problems, and sometimes one may feel that this is like an Archimedes Spiral, and I'm sure everyone has problems, life isn't as smooth as one would like it to be. So how do we change this?

Or can we not?

Is life just going to be one obstacle after another. Should we just not except that is what life is, so therefore just get on with it?

Do we set standards for ourselves so high, that we want more? Or just that our needs, (in which everyone is different) are sometimes not as much as they are worth.

I've just been looking at some photos of my Mums' holiday. She went to a beautiful place called Kerala and as I was flicking through the photos, I noticed how simple peoples lives were, that is simple compared to where I live. Looking around on reflection, here is also simple, and yet complicated, fast, slow, modern and 3rd world, all in one place. Where do I fit in? As I am sitting in a fast consumer place environment, drinking capitalism coffee, I am very aware that outside, people are rummaging through litter bins, so that they can get enough money to live by.

Some people admire me for my way of living, free. Yet now, I too have responsibilities, and I too have to look at my life, and alter the way in which, what takes priority.

I am completely unprepared for what my future brings, and this is nothing more than gas.

Without a definite shape or volume that are in more or less random motion.

mixed emotions

Today I did a quick effort on the Laoshan Park course, I used to call this the Olympic Venue, but in the best traditional Chinese way, their way of 'preserving' items is to basically knock it down, and then rebuild it in concrete or other modern materials.

It is with much sadness that I have to report that the amazing, great and super tough Olympic MTB course, is almost extinct, gone, well sort of.

They are paving the trails.

To encourage more walkers and people to the area, they are paving the dam lot. It looks nothing short of a open air shopping centre. It's disgusting, and once the "The Bicycle Cluster" is now turning into nothing more than a couple of spots.

The area could have been a super fantastic area for China, Beijing to pedal their way forward for a sports area, but alas, it's not to be.

Time for me to move on.... but the areas are getting fewer and further apart.

That was the sad part of today ride, I am due to go out there again tomorrow, maybe I have 1 more week left of the trails, before they are all completely gone. Time is a killer on this one.

One of the bonus of living here in China is the smell. If you can forget about the pollution, the smell of all the vehicles, and go further than that, the smell of people cooking, when our outside is just amazing.

It is nothing short of a mouth watering festival every-time I go out, and come back. Why aren't the people fat? (Excluding the youth of today, and visiting the MacDs and KFCs of this world)

That is one of the reasons why I like it here so far, you have to look beyond the surface of things, and see what it is for real.

time for change

Life IS amazing.

Have you stood back from your life, and just have a look at what you are doing, what you have done, and maybe, where it is going?

Just stop, and think.

Almost every morning, I peruse the Guardians pages on the internet, especially the World in 24 hour pictures.

Most news is bad news, and the press certainly can hype things up. So I prefer to look at the photos, emotions can be easier, and be more truthful to read.

This morning, 2 photos brought home a little sense of reality, from being surrounded of sorts by this through to this, and as I look at my life, I know I need to make some serious, very serious changes.

My wife is more than just gorgeous, she is the pillar in our relationship, but that should be me.

She takes all the stress, and all the worry, me, I just glaze across the problems, and float through time, like a drifter on cosmic winds.

I HAVE to change, life IS amazing. Looking at what I've done, at what I've achieved. It is time for me to make amends, and let my wife have some of the fun, of which I am enjoying.

bad bad boy or not?

Well, for those of you who have been following this blog, first sorry for lateness in writing a new post. You all knew it was going to happen sooner or later, that is, the period of absence away from here.

Well, apologies over and done with, lets get down to business.

Firstly hard luck to Jill who has had to pull out of her race due to frost bitten toes. I was silently wishing her well, as it's no mean feat what she was trying to do, but I'm sure she will go on and fight another day.

Secondly... well this is rather naughty of me. Last night, the Good Lady and I went shopping, and as we rounded the laundry detergent section, there were packets of our favourite brand, all doubled up. We asked them if it was BOGOF, to which we got no reply (probably because they weren't the sales girls for that particular brand, or that they are just down right ignorant) anyway, the Good Lady said we should put it back, as it wasn't on sale. I proclaimed that we would use it anyway, so might as well get it. So anyway, today I was back in the supermarket, and saw something else, this time, they were labeled, by 2 get 1 free....... except for 1 packet, which wasn't marked. So I bought it, and only paid for 1.

Now, knowing that this is going to happen, is this stealing? Or, due to current economic crisis, using all my ability to save money?