| RIDE DIARIES |
National CX Championships - Where's Your Head At?Give me another few minutes and I swear my head is going to explode, the pressure building to the point in which it feels like my skull is going to split like a meat cleaver splicing through a melon to reveal its random contents, muddled thoughts, an ... |
Belgium Diaries - Leuven LifeSometimes, no matter where you are or what you’re doing, you have to pause for a moment, take a deep breath and close your eyes. Relax. Free your mind and let it dream. Into a state of subconsciousness far beyond our immediate world. A few seconds to ... |
Belgium Diaries - Vlaanderen Born & BredeneAn almighty cheer erupts as I exit the only toilet in a local bar come registration HQ for the Versluys cyclocross event, situated on the water’s edge of West Flanders in a small town going by the name of Bredene. Despite the obligatory race day nerv ... |
Wessex CX Round 11 - Even the Strong CrumbleI’m quite sure that the words Jesus and Christ have been whispered by many lips this week in the run up to the big man's birthday. Presents wrapped and under the tree, lights twinkling along every road and cupboards stocked with festive treats with a ... |
Wessex CX Round 10 - I'm ScreamingIt’s early, the purest part of the day when the world has yet to wake. Quiet. Unassuming. Calm. The sky is already rich with dreams of the road ahead and as clear as an open mind. I pull the front door shut and take a deep breath, the chill winter ai ... |
Wessex CX Round 9 - Don’t Bank On ItWinter is a glorious time to embrace the elements, the ever changing conditions day-on-day not only add to the diversity of each ride but can also frequent the everyday cyclist with the ultimate kit bag conundrum, what the hell to wear. I can count o ... |
Wessex CX Round 8 - Culinary DelightWell, they say that everything happens for a reason, and that every action has a reaction. So early into the month of December and my box of Christmas cards was already running low. The credit crunch meant that a cull was in order, but whom can I str ... |
Wessex CX Round 7 - New World DisorderThe school grounds are already chock-a-block, rammed full of laboured bike-rack wielding vehicles from across the south. Apparently, I’d heard the course could easily take 180 riders without bursting its seams. Huh, funny. I think someone may ... |
Wessex CX Round 6 - False StartAmazing. Take one large grassy bank, perched on the side of a well known motor racing circuit, just a stone’s throw from the south coast. Add a century of yellow and black marker tape, splosh in a few days of precipitation to gently moisten the land, ... |
National Trophy Round 3 - Point MadeOne by one riders are called forward to take their position at the start. I’m nervous, more so than I have been all season. Foreign camper vans adorn the perimeter of the course, only adding to the discomfort in the pit of my stomach. The course has ... |
Wessex CX Round 5 - Schoolboy ErrorA foreboding mist circles above as if the world is slowly imploding with every second that passes, colour sucked out of it like an old black and white movie. All recollection of the enchanted landscape of the previous days dispelled in little more th ... |
Wessex CX Round 4 - ParklifeCycling is a preference for the habitual voyeur of what is known as (parklife). And morning soup can be avoided if you take a route straight through what is known as (parklife). Jim's got riders droop he gets intimidated by the dirty bikes, they love ... |
Wessex Round 3 - Blazin' MC'sAlready it’s turned into a no-holds-barred sprint, legs burning with the intensity of the stop-start pace, heart dancing deep within my chest, beads of sweat just starting to run off of the brow. Fifteen minutes, I’d only lasted a measly fifteen, pat ... |
Wessex Round 2 - Solar Powered SuperXMaybe it’s just my warped, sun dried, little mind but it definitely feels as though the cyclocross season is starting earlier each year. I think that this is in part to the well known saying ‘time flies when you’ve got a moosh full of mud’ and the fa ... |
BMBS 5 - True RomanceCome on brain, switch yourself into slumber mode for a few hours (please) I need time to sleep. Eyes shut but still a million thoughts bouncing off the inside of my melon until eventually, in the early hours of the morning, the whole world seems at p ... |
Wessex Round 1 - Bertie's BackDon’t quote me on this, but I’m sure when I went to bed last night it was April, no, let’s give the sands of time the benefit of the doubt and go for May at the very best. It was absolutely and categorically NOT the ninth month of the year. As I rub ... |
Better Than GuinnessAnother deep breath and the Mediterranean finally comes in to view. Light at the end of the proverbial tunnel, or something like that. The roads are busy, a far cry from the serenity of the hours that have just passed. The aroma of sea salt drifts in ... |
Le Great EscapeThe eagerly anticipated sequel to John Sturges’s iconic 1963 classic, staring the late and undisputed ‘king of cool’ Steve McQueen, based on a true story ‘Le Great Escape’ tracks the trials, tribulations and tarmac of one rider, and three willing and ... |
Southern XC 4 - Cycling.....Not CalculusWithout a shadow of a doubt, it’s been a very long time since I’ve had this feeling. In fact, when I really think about it I reckon the last time was a good twelve years ago whilst attempting to better (or perhaps batter) myself with an education at ... |
BMBS 4 - Mardy BumYesterday all seemed black and white, a figure hugging mist clung to the Welsh dirt like a lone rider desperately trying to find an ounce of traction on a muddy off-camber hillside. Under tyre the conditions weren’t favourable. 6km of rock strewn roo ... |
Heath RR - Seconds Out...Round TwoI’d have liked to have checked what the conditions were like outside more frequently during the day, but work had conveniently omitted to instal a window in my office (cell) at the point of manufacture, preferring to opt for a five foot fluorescent s ... |
BMBS 3 - Don’t Blame It on the WeathermanI remember not too many years ago when the bookies odds on an accurate weather forecast for the proceeding twenty-four hours were no better than the probability of landing a lottery win. The paradigm shift came in 2008 with the evolution of the iPhon ... |
Southern XC 3 - Point BreakIronic really that you can ride practically from sunrise to sunset in the mountains just a few days earlier yet a simple spin to loosen the legs can end up as anything but its intended purpose. Unfortunately that was precisely the case on Saturday, j ... |
Turning Yourself Outside InLet's lay the cards on the table right from the start. Despite apparent claims the world over, there's no such thing that can stall the hands of time, give you the wings of a dove so you can fly or mysteriously enhance an otherwise fair to middling p ... |
Fase Nove - Mount EtnaI knew it. I flippin’ knew it. Do something for long enough and eventually you’ll get your reward. The dawn of April and whilst the rest of the country is praying for a change in the weather Team Liquigas-Cannondale are congregating on the acrid slop ... |
24 Hours of Adrenalin: The RaceJuly 26-27th: Question, what's the best thing to get the adrenalin of an endurance racer going before a big event? Let's make it easy with a multiple choice selection, fingers on the buzzers, is it... A) a potent mix of carbs and caffeine ... |
24 Hours of Adrenalin: ShowtimeJuly 25th: A beautiful day in Canmore with clear skies and summer temperatures were prefect for the final pit build up. The Monavie-Cannondale team rolled in to town with 2007 defending champ Tinker Juarez looking ready to rock the trails and ... |
24 Hours of Adrenalin: First Wild Animal SightingJuly 24th: After some heavy rain through the night, the skies this morning looked all the more favourable. I was especially keen to find out how the course had faired from the downpours so headed out early to make the most of the soft conditi ... |
24 Hours of Adrenalin: The Sparrow has LandedJuly 23rd: After a delayed flight, over 22 hours of travelling, and late arrival yesterday I was relieved when I'd finally got the bikes built and was ready to take a spin out to the Canmore Nordic Centre. I wasn't expecting to be able t ... |
Haulin' AssenedeJanuary 23rd, the height of winter in Belgium and I’m sweating. I roll back the duck down duvet and step onto the cold wooden floor, a shock wave immediately being fired straight through my drowsy body to awaken every nerve ending. I’m hoping that if ... |
Wessex Round 12 - Something in the WaterRising temperatures this week led to the fast spread weeping of ice across the south, with what once seemed to be a world of frozen roads and tracks as far as the eye could see. A final thaw makes way for the undercoat of green that lay trapped bene ... |
Wessex Round 11 - Dancing on IceNow, let’s get one thing straight right from the whistle. I know little of the Yupik or Inuit Eskimo groups. When I reminisce back to my school days I most likely snuck out of History class deeming it ‘not necessary’. The teacher could have bored a g ... |
Wessex Round 10 - Born SlippyChoose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a king of a TV, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed-interest mortga ... |
Wessex Round 9/SoE Champs - Fourplay in the StablesConditions under tyre have been pretty extreme this week. The highly touted dumping of snow finally arrived on Wednesday evening with even the south buying a lucky dip and winning over four inches of the excitable white powder in return. Awakening th ... |
The "Classic" Early MoveI’d set my alarm for just gone 7am but it was only a formality, reassurance in case I did happen to oversleep. In reality that was never going to happen. I’d had a decent night but as the morning approached my anticipation and eagerness had surface ... |
D.A.L.B....why?A week later and I can still feel the deep muscle pain that Dalby Forest gleefully inflicted on my legs. In times like this it sometimes offers a moment of reflection, when not everything is going the way you had seen it in your head. Time to reach ... |
Southern XC 2 - Wasing the World AwayIn my mind it’s true, you’re only as good as your last race, and following the self destruction at 'demolition Dalby' both body and mind seemed to have no sense of urgency in forcing a swift recovery. From the physical perspective I didn’t nee ... |
The Worlds Is Not EnoughSeven hours. You’d have thought that with a dawn patrol start and long drive I’d have been able to finally put the fine golden grains of Zilvermeer into a safe place up top. Out of sight, out of mind eh? Hmm, not quite. The car door swings open and I ... |
National Trophy 6 - Never Plain Sailing at RutlandWith over 70% of the earth’s surface covered in water there’s little wonder that, as a bike rider, you might get caught in the odd shower from time to time. With the Noah-esque amount of rainfall throughout the week I was seriously beginning to think ... |
National CX Championships - Demolition DerbyEven the apparent perfect calm of an endless blue sky could do little to mask the pain and suffering of all it prevailed. The distant war cry of two stroke engines getting more forceful with every revolution of the pedals as we make our way past the ... |
BMBS 2 - Nervous LaughI’ve always believed that the hard days in life are thrown in to make the good times taste all the sweeter. It’d be easy to get complacent if everything rolled along under a perfect blue sky day in day out. Adversity is more than a rock hard mountain ... |
Southern XC 1 - Losing Your BottleIt never fails to amaze me just how powerful the mind is. An individual element at the centre of everything, providing focus and clarity in any given moment. It also never fails to intrigue me as to why it works more efficiently at certain times than ... |
BMBS 1 - Baptism Of Forest FireFortunately, most of the time things appear a lot worse in your head than in reality. I use the word “most” in its loosest sense since I’ve now come to realise, like a cricket bat to the back of the melon, that things sometimes are in fact a lot wors ... |
Gorrick MTB - Pining Four MoreNo matter how long or hard I think, I still can’t quite remember the last time I raced a Gorrick mountain bike event. Up until now the last full season aboard 26 inch rubber was way back in ’99. Holy shizzle, that’s a whole lotta years floated on by. ... |
National Trophy 4 - Hometown GoryIt’s been far too long since the National CX merry-go-round visited home soil. Close to three years to be precise and, if I want to recount the saga more accurately, on that occasion it was a perpetual mud match for the 2007 Championship race. The ch ... |
National Trophy 3 - The Dirty Face Of Faith HillBikes lay strewn across a muddy pit, the sound of another jet washer coughing into life and being asked to give its all in a two minute interval at level four. Semi clean drive train and its like departing one war zone and straight into the next. It’ ... |
National Trophy 2 - Little Shock Of HorrorsMost of the journey had been spent under cloud burst skies to Chantry Park, Ipswich, for the second round of the National Trophy cyclocross series. Despite the forecast for further heavy rain in the afternoon, the day remained still with only the th ... |
Wessex Round 5 - No Mountains, No MagicIt’s been a big week, reconnoitering both stages of the 2011 L’Etape du Tour with Cyclefilm. There’s no time to question actions on these trips. Fast and furious is the mantra that has been adopted since we started working together in 2006. We’ve ... |
National Trophy 1 - Flatline RacingWell, the 'cross season may have technically started a few weeks ago, but in reality it's not until the six race monster that is officially referred to as the 'National Trophy Series' gets underway that things really start to hot up (in a winter sort ... |
Wessex Round 3 - As The Wind BlowsDouble trouble on the horizon, with the combined Wessex and South Western League's races, meant that an ensemble of extra bodies took to the start at Lydiard Park, Swindon. It's funny, despite a good early season I found myself struggling with motiva ... |
Wessex Round 2 - Two Becomes WonOxford School, one of the more established fixtures on the Wessex calendar without a shadow of a doubt. In fact, I've often heard this venue described in disco speak as a 'Club Classic', an absolute 'Banger' (at least I think they were talking disco ... |
Chasing RainbowsJune 2010. Typical, it's lashing down with rain, summer temperatures drowned to a lowly five degrees centigrade. At 2,100m above sea level thick blankets of cloud hang in the oxygen starved air with crazed conviction. At first I was nervous that I ... |
Wessex Round 1 - Good Prep, Bad PrepI've got to be honest, there really wasn't any reason not to be at least 'semi prepared' for the opening round of the Wessex Cyclocross League. I mean, it's been in the handbook forever, the clock counting down week on week, yet I still find ... |
Wessex Round 8 - Elbows & R’sI think I may have mentioned not so long ago just how important recovery is to the competitive cyclist. Good sleep during the week is an essential factor for anyone wishing to drill themselves fully into the ground (for fun) come the weekend. I would ... |
Tour of Dorset Day 3 - Line of FireNow it wouldn't have taken DCI Burnside to fathom out what the tactics needed to be today. With Sam in Yellow by 42 seconds a solid team performance was called for to control the race and ensure that no danger men could slip off up the road. With a ... |
Fuelled By GrappaIf you ever needed reminding why cycling is the greatest sport in the world then here's why. Departing from Feltre under a sky of pure blue, espresso pumping through the veins on the slopes of the Monte Tomba, exhilarating switchback descent (over ex ... |
Sportful - Italy's FinestAfter the festival vibe that the Giro d'Italia brought to the slopes of the Monte Grappa for Stage 14, today would be a much quieter day with just a couple of prerequisites, namely a bike and plenty of mountains. Since I was staying in Feltre, home ... |
"Ride To The Hills, Ride For Your Life"Sometimes I feel like I'm getting soft. I don't know, maybe it's old age catching up or simply just a state of mind. It doesn't generally take too long before I face my demons head on, normally half way up the side of a mountain, just as the weathe ... |
Tour of Dorset Day 2 - Belgium MixI don't know why but I've always been of the 'all or nothing' mentality, seldom doing things in moderation. Might as well go big from the blocks as you never know where you might be tomorrow. I guess before this race started I was hoping, along with ... |
Tour of Dorset Day 1 - WhiteoutThe journey to the start of the Tour of Dorset has been uneventful, butterflies are a good sign, adrenalin and anticipation at the racing ahead building up from deep within. The weather progressively deteriorates until I reach the point where no mat ... |
Circles Under The SunBenvenuto a Venezia, seemed to be the only sign in existence as I glanced nervously around the airport like a schoolboy walking into class for the first time. Heart-rate quickening to the pace of my huried steps from one end of the baggage reclaim t ... |
National Champs - Cross It’s Bigger Than Hip HopSnowed out at the first attempt and rescheduled four weeks later on February 7th the queen event, and final showdown of the cyclocross season, returned once again to the home of the National Championships, Birmingham’s über fast and spectator friendl ... |
Col du Tourmalet - Riding Into BlueCycling has a rainbow of colors associated with it. Yellow. green, pink, white...they all have their significance in the peloton. At the beginning of the ride the only colour was a somber grey. The clouds looked thick, and with fresh snowfall the ... |
Wessex Round 12 - Two Part Christmas SpecialLegendary Soul singer Smokey Robinson nearly got it right with the release of his latest album ‘Time Flies When You’re Having Fun’. I can’t help thinking if he’d been just a little more imaginative with that well used cliché then sales could ... |
Wessex Round 11 - Snow Patrol Headline ReadingHaving spent the week in the sunny 25 degree heat of Gran Canaria, rolling along the open roads for more hours than I’m technically contracted to do in a working week, you can imagine the shock as I stepped off the plane to discover that Mr Met Offic ... |
Wessex Round 10 - Pride Of The SouthWell it’s been a pretty reasonable first season back so far. Adjusting the outlook of racing endurance and 24hr solo events to a 60 minute hack around a water logged field is not only a rather extreme shift in what you’ve physically trained your bod ... |
Wessex Round 9 - Seconds OutIn a strange way, there’s something rather satisfying knowing that whilst you’re nailing yourself to a muddy puddle (known as Oxford Community School) the best cross riders on the planet are doing exactly the same thing in Koksijde (only faster) for ... |
Wessex Round 8 - Just Add WafflesUp until now we’ve definitely been on the lucky side with course conditions down south. Despite the wettest November since ‘64 (don’t quote me, I made that part up, but I’m probably not far wrong) by the time race day came around the ground had drai ... |
'The Race Across The Alps' - TechnologyThe rules for 'The Race Across the Alps' are pretty simple. You get given a road book the day before (in German) you’re allowed one support vehicle and you, or your support team, have to send a text message to race officials at certain points to pro ... |
Cent Cols Challenge Day 1: A Touch From HeavenBreakfast was quiet as forty like minded cyclists (read masochists) prepared themselves for the very first stage of the inaugural Cent Cols Challenge, 194km from Thônon les Bains to Albertville, 4,700m of climbing and 8 Cols (the main protagonists be ... |
'The Race Across the Alps' - Certified 18Warning! This is a public service announcement. If you have a nervous disposition, have no interest of suffering in adverse weather conditions, are offended by nudity or words such as Stelvio, Gavia, Aprica, Mortirolo, Bernina, Albula, Flüela, Fuor ... |
Prelude to 'The Race Across the Alps'Now, there’s normally at least one time per year when reasoning and sanity are banished to the bottom of the kit bag. What starts as “hmm…maybe” quickly takes hold of body and mind, unrelenting its vice like grip. Established at the turn of the ... |
Cent Cols Challenge Day 3: The Sisteron ExpressAfter yesterday’s white out and more heavy snow during the night the Cent Cols team had to do some serious ‘on the fly’ route planning as it was evident that trying to get over the 2,360m pass of the Izoard was not going to happen today, and p ... |
Cent Cols Challenge Day 4: Riding For MoneyLife is all about doing what makes you happy. It’s a cliché I know, but it’s too short. If the truth be known it may only be as long as a winding alpine descent. The question is, how far down the descent are you already and are you happy? Somet ... |
Cent Cols Challenge Day 5: Character BuildingBeing the first point to point style event that I’ve done like this I have to say I was not only eager with anticipation beforehand at how it will all work out, but also somewhat nervous as to the unknown format of doing things. It was quickly evide ... |
Cent Cols Challenge Day 2: Mother NatureHaving a bit of luck on your side is never a bad thing when taking on the mountains. Unpredictability is ever present, it’s just a matter of when it may strike and of course how hard it will hit you. Today’s second stage was to be a ten mountain mo ... |
Wessex Round 7 - The Prize Is RightAlthough this season was all about enjoying being back on the cyclocross scene after a few years out of winter skullduggery, I can sense that things are starting to get a little more serious when a mid week night ride on my fixed gear didn’t quite go ... |
Wessex Round 6 - 50 Miles & RunningOne of the things I find most fulfilling about bike riding is what it teaches you. I’ve had countless experiences off the bike that have been made all the easier to handle from experiences that I’ve had on it. Through the course of time it has taug ... |
Wessex Round 5 - It's All About The CurryLife is full of unknown obstacles and since bike riding is part of life, it’s only natural that the randomness continues in this vain. I wasn’t really thinking too much about the race this week. The focus was to nail a week of work in just under 3 ... |
Wessex Round 4 - Prospects Are Going DownDespite the incessant rain fall yesterday, almost to the point where I nearly had to hit the speed dial button to my main man Noah informing him to bring his magic ark back out to play, Reading’s Prospect Park had drained far better than expected lea ... |
Wessex Round 3 - As The Crow FliesAfter missing Round 2 of the Wessex League last week due to a pesky cycle show in London it was all eyes on the rough stuff once again, this time at the infamous tech fest that is Crow Hill, Ringwood. In truth, it was questionable if I should have r ... |
Wessex Round 1 - Cross Dressing In Swindon11.30pm, Saturday 26th September. Finally both bikes are together. It was touch and go in the week with a few, how shall I put it, surprises that looked like it could scupper my plans for a cyclocross debut after a full decade away from the ... |
Girona - Can You Feel It?Girona Diaries Day 1: With the luxury of spring upon us, meaning guaranteed longer days and warmer temperatures, it was time to make the most of the long Easter weekend and experience some new roads and culture. Girona, Spain, was the ... |
Morning Has BrokenGirona Diaries Day 3: After the monotone grey that filled the sky yesterday it was pleasing to awake to the calmness of wispy white clouds and blue sky. Admittedly, their arrival was well past what's known to be 'fashionably late', but since ... |
Home & DryThere is one advantage to having twenty-four hours of constant rain whilst trying to enjoy a few days in the mountains surrounding Girona. It gives you a chance to check out exactly what the city has to offer, right? The abundance of cafés and tour ... |
The Sweepstake Is OnGirona Diaries Day 2: With the forecast showing heavy rain for the next 48 hours, it was no surprise to be woken by rain bouncing against the bedroom window. What was a (pleasant) surprise is that by mid morning there was a glimpse of blue sk ... |
Spanish Flyer with Garmin's Dave Z!Girona Diaries Day 4: Although the Spanish weather forecast has been somewhat questionable over the last few days, on every site I looked at it said that today was going to be a good one (and by that I mean no rain!) Knowing that we were on f ... |
Monte Bello DreamerCalifornia Diaries Day 9: December 28th You always find out pretty quickly from the first ascent of the day if the legs are with you or not and there’s no hiding when you have a 29% driveway to scramble up before you even make it to ... |
A Century of Mellow MilesCalifornia Diaries Day 10: December 29th I don't want to think about it, but the inevitable ‘end of holiday’ is now fast approaching so the urgency to make the most of the days is higher than ever. A quick drive back towards San Fra ... |
Sky ArtCalifornia Diaries Day 11: December 30th Having spent half the night mapping out a final ‘feel good’ ride of the trip I knew the day would begin well with the crossing of the Golden Gate Bridge. I’d seen it from a distance and the a ... |
The Taming of Mt TamCalifornia Diaries Day 3: December 22nd Well I’m more than happy to say that this morning my blue jersey (AKA the sky. Don’t worry I frequently have trouble following my warped way of thinking as well) had been returned to wh ... |
Lava Red Roads of Napa ValleyCalifornia Diaries Day 4: December 23rd Having formerly hosted rounds of the Mountain Bike World Cup it was obvious as to the off-road potential that Napa Valley has, and with vineyards, rolling hills and many a glowing report for th ... |
Serenity DefinedCalifornia Diaries Day 5: December 24th Now it has to be said, my carefully sculpted list of “if I could live anywhere in the world” places is being blown out of all proportion by the day (well, actually by the minute). Moving on fr ... |
White HeatCalifornia Diaries Day 6: December 25th As a child a white Christmas is something to dream about. As a bike rider it doesn’t even make the top one hundred on the wish list to Santa. I’ll let you into a little secret though, firmly ... |
Own Up, Who Stole My Blue Jersey?California Diaries Day 2: December 21st All eyes on the forecast and temperatures looked to be on the rise. Suntan cream on Christmas day…er, I think not. Good news in one respect but what’s better, cold and clear or cold and wet? ... |
On the Crest of a WaveCalifornia Diaries Day 7: December 26th With the relative disappointment, suffering and lack of consideration that the weather showed towards two fervent bicycle riders yesterday it was time to seek revenge with a hundred plus mile r ... |
Pacífico Los Trancos Mi AmigoCalifornia Diaries Day 8: December 27th Insomnia is not something that I normally suffer with, but it was tough to sleep last night. Knowing what was “out there”, poised and ready to be ridden, kept my mind from fully switching off. ... |
So, You Riding or Sliding?California Diaries Day 1: December 20th After a long day of travelling yesterday it felt so good to get a proper night's sleep in preparation for the first ride of the trip. The idea was to start from Plymouth and trace our way thro ... |
Pines & NeedlesGran Canaria Diaries Day 4: December 6th Now with views like this on awaking this morning it was always going to be a good day. Since my original route changed ‘on the fly’ yesterday, to tame the beast that is the GC210, I thought i ... |
Last Man RidingGran Canaria Diaries Day 7: December 9th After all of the amazing rides this week I knew that whatever happened today could not put a dampener on my spirits, even if the forecast was predicting an 85% chance of rain. When I awoke, t ... |
