tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42010822940800414082024-03-18T15:08:40.156+00:00Following The Chainlineby Jez AndrewsJez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-19341746959358886492013-10-06T20:47:00.002+01:002013-10-06T20:47:22.050+01:00My Race Year in Pictures<br />
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<strong>British North East XC MTB League Champion 2013!!!!</strong></div>
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It's been a cracking year and I'm already excited for next season. With thanks to Dan Small for going along with my Single speed category idea this year and hopefully paving the way for future generations. Thanks to those that have shouted support when I've most needed and my family for waiting patiently and spurring me on when I most needed. Thanks to Paul for taking some cracking photos.</div>
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What's your favourite picture?</div>
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</span><!--[endif]-->Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-59973806304394246382013-08-17T21:58:00.001+01:002013-08-18T08:00:37.848+01:00Successful Blogging - Oh and Following the Chainline is 2!My little blog passed its second birthday without so much as a mention from me last month. I have it seems been far to neglecting and should really get my head down and write the blog posts I've been meaning to write.<br />
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However, despite my lack of attention to my blog things have gone all a bit bizarre with the statistics. I often wonder how much people pay attention to how many visitors they receive to their blogs, I know I for one will check in at least once every day to see what is viewed the most and see how many have viewed the blog for the day. Its probably a little sad I know but a part of me wants this blog to be viewed and enjoyed by people. I never set it up as a diary and I always admit my aim lies more in bringing fellow bloggers together, so seeing a few people drop by and leave comment makes my blog and to a greater extent myself feel loved.<br />
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So about the weird statistics. No one really shares what or how many hits their blogs get each day. I know I follow some who no doubt would laugh a my figures. A few months a go a friend asked me how many hits I got per day. I proudly said that I averaged around 100 per day. I say proudly because last year it varied between 30 to 50 hits. However, last month things changed and my blog sky rocketed from this to about 600 reaching an amazing 800 odd hits. My chart had gone nuts! I was in the realms of 12,000 hits a month.<br />
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This month its now showing 30,000 hits, with an all time high of 1696 hits in a day. I'm feeling the love. I'm now celebrating my blog reaching over its 100,000 mark!<br />
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So what's my secret?<br />
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There are a lot of excellent blogs out there who will give tips to help you get going. Everything from using certain wordings in your titles, presentation and advertising. From a cycling point of view doing reviews on popular wanted products is a good way of getting visitors. Use forum sites and refer them back to your blog. I use my blog address in the bottom of comments and it does work in bringing people to your blog. I've also tried adding my blog address to various websites to get some referral visitors.<br />
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All of this works, to some extent. You will draw in some viewers here and there but I'm afraid to say not many. So why my increase?<br />
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I read on one blog that the secret to blogging is to stick with it. There are a huge amount of blogs that die a death after about 9 months. BlogSpot is a graveyard of such unloved blogs. Some promising ones too but whether through other commitments or a lack of gained love they are left. I would say it has taken two years for my own blog to notice a significant gain and that is not through doing anything new or ground breaking.<br />
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So my big tip is stick with it, keep going. Visit other blogs, leave comments and try and build friendships with fellow bloggers. Try and put your blog out there. Try some forum sites or something like Stumbleupon. Well worded titles go a long way so give some thought to what you are about to put.<br />
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Enjoy your blogging people and remember to drop by from time to time and let me know what you think. Lastly, a big thank you to all those of you that have visited and taken time to comment. It always means a lot!<br />
<br />Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-39029543014014041602013-07-26T21:27:00.000+01:002013-07-26T21:27:00.841+01:00Racing with the bit Between my Teeth - North East MTB XC League<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Rd 4 - Darlington</strong></span><br />
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If round three was a cold soggy, hilly affair and a disaster for me as a race, then Darlington was the complete opposite. As a course this was hard packed, low on technical sections, rolling and so promised to be exceptionally fast paced. Every short lap was rewarded with finishing on the man made bmx track over the table tops and the swooping berms.<br />
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<a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1000067_10151631559308058_2027105357_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" border="0" class="spotlight" height="960" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1000067_10151631559308058_2027105357_n.jpg" style="height: 520px; width: 346px;" width="639" /></a>Summer had finally arrived and the week before the trails were drying out so by the time race day came the track was dusty. Real dust! A remark that deserves its exclamation remark as its been a good few years since it got this dry here. As the pack set off from the start the dust was being kicked up and suddenly visibility became limited. Well this was an all time first, although I realised it not only affected visibility but also my breathing. Not that I'm going to blame this for my terrible start. That fault went with me following a wheel that wasn't going anywhere fast and getting boxed in. The only other single speed racer had got ahead of me and with a group of people in front and a long single track section I had to bide my time.<br />
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It wasn't until half a mile into the lap that it widened enough for me to launch my first attack. I passed five riders in quick succession finding a wheel further on and sticking to it. Between myself and this guy from the veteran category we put in a fair gap from the chasing group behind. Problem was we weren't catching the guys up ahead either. And so there we remained for almost half the race, sitting in limbo only the fast guys coming to over lap us. It wasn't until I made a bad mistake on a grassy off camber slope that left me doing a nice 180 degree spin, that I lost my racing partner.<br />
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<br />
I had to dig hard to get back, it took at least two more laps before I got him back in my sights. He was trying to make the gap bigger (he told me so after) but I was still making ground. Then on one of the grassy slopes he slipped allowing me to get right back on his wheel. As the track switched back onto the climb his chain dropped and he had to stop. I attacked the climb and made my gap. He told me the last image was seeing the writing on my shorts 'derailleurs are for failures'. Least he saw the funny side. The race was uneventful after that, I finished as the first of the single speed racers but a little low down over all. I was loosing out big time to all those with gears on the flats. More importantly I'd got my mojo back and had really loved this race, which is just what I needed after round 3.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Round 5 - Errington</strong></span><br />
<br />
A different venue and a totally different race. This was a course with good twisty and rooty trails, drop offs and a two lung busting leg burning climbs. It had rained the night before and the roots were slimy the bike was not happy as it was flicked and pinged off line. Not ideal for me and I was going to have to face facts that I was going to struggle with this race. The race started at the bottom of the first climb which flattened out for a bit before going into the next climb. Yep a leg killer. This followed a fun bit of track that had some challenges in it covering the last two miles.<br />
<br />
What was going to factor in this race was the climb and that people were either getting in your way on the single track or in my case holding them up. There were 60 of us packed onto a narrow bit of track. There were eight single speed riders which was a record attendance, so this promised to be fun. <br />
<br />
The start was good for me. I climbed well pulling a big gap on the middle section of the field (the pro riders went off like whippets as usual) Only one other single speed rider had got ahead of me. But it was hot work. The temperature in the woods had risen, and with the damp drying up its was like a sauna. Not that that was an excuse for my lousy single track skills. Mental note, I really should pre ride every course! It wasn't long before I started making mistakes and getting passed by people. Arrgghhh why am I so rubbish at single track? By the time I got to the climb again it was starting to feel a bit lonely. There were people behind...somewhere and some ahead.....in the distance. I caught a few by a mammoth effort up the climb but all the effort was in vain as in the single track I started to loose more time and so found myself on my own again.<br />
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<br />
As much as I enjoyed the course I wasn't really enjoying the racing experience. I couldn't find a wheel to follow and the climb was now torture as my legs weakened from the grind of one gear. I did a better single track run on my last lap but it was little to late. I ended up well down on the field. Also I was last but one in the single speed category. I could climb better than the field but I just couldn't go with them on the twisty stuff.<br />
<br />
I think looking back at this race its made me realise more than ever that I need technical training and guidance. I just cant see how to get faster. I don't mind about fitness as one gear is going to limit my speed anyway but if I can limit damage in the single track then I might place better.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Round 7 - Bedlington</span><br />
<br />
I missed out on racing round six back at Ponteford and so with what felt like a long gap was really excited about this one. I'd seen a video a couple of weeks before of the course and it looked hard with all the off camber slippy roots. The North east had had a tropical delouse the day the video was taken. Race day couldn't have looked more different. It was hot. Damn hot and the trails were bone dry, all the roots were now grippy. This promised to be a fast hard race and I was really up for this. With two power climbs split up along the course it was well suited to one gear. Apart from one bit. There was a long tarmac section before the final climb to the finish which begged for some mashing in the big ring. That's me in trouble then!<br />
<br />
From the gun and up the first climb (this was actually the final climb but it was used to spread the group out) I was proving strong and passed quite a few riders. I tried my upmost in the single track but was loosing some time, although not as much a I usually did. The trouble is I couldn't find a wheel to hold onto. Every time we got onto the tarmac whoever I was with suddenly got away and I'd have to give my all on the climb to reel them back in. This was ok at first but I knew it wasn't going to last. I passed one guy who like me was on a ridged bike and was being bounced off the roots wildly. So much so he was flung into a hedge. One way of gaining a place I guess.<br />
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<br />
The only real race came from a surprise attack in the form of a lass called Hannah. In most of the rounds I'd not seen much of her often finishing minutes ahead. But after some good training she was putting in a good effort and I was aware of her gaining on me. I was also aware of how close our points were in the overall and so I had to react to this. She told me after that I had become a target during the race and it had given motivation to chase, and it was working! By the mid race she was only ten seconds from me.<br />
<br />
I had to put some effort in now. Luckily the heat wasn't bothering me. My motivation to dig deeper came when I was overlapped by the second place rider and overall series leader. He'd got 20 yards on me on the tarmac before going into the climb up to the start/finish area. By the top I'd got passed him!! At least I know now that my climbing ability is strong. I let him back pass as I knew he'd be miles quicker in the single track (he was!) I kept a strong pace not daring to look back in case Hannah was still there. By the time I reached the tarmac section I got a good look behind and she was nowhere to be seen. As it was, she had faded in the last two laps, her motivation to chase gone and finished over minute behind by the end. I can see me being the one chasing her next year!<br />
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<br />
I finished ok, but not great. The small field contained some really strong racers so placement was never going to be good. However, I knew I'd done enough to clinch the North East Single Speed Category Title. Yep I'd won something. Probably not for being particularly good but for getting the most points over the five rounds and in the end only two of us did that. The other six riders did not complete enough rounds. Still as they say, you have to be in it to win it!<br />
<br />
The last race is not until September, so I'm going to enjoy the break. I'm not expecting to do well in the last round anyway, for me it'll just be a chance to catch up with some great people and race for the love of it.<br />
<h3>
</h3>
Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-72427165212216306482013-06-17T22:22:00.001+01:002013-06-17T22:22:54.329+01:00Where Are They Now - Miguel Martinez<h2>
Miguel Martinez</h2>
In his prime Miguel Martinez "Little Mig" was the undisputed king of men's cross country racing, sealing his status with a strong win in the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney Australia. The French cyclist who at the time rode for Sunn dominated the sport, but after 2005 his presence was no longer noticeable at XC races.<br />
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=6cTFb0NnmVP3nM&tbnid=Uh6uq4nP_ZqJ4M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FUser%3ABulwersator%2FEcho%2FImages%2FSportsmen&ei=23u_UYWoNKi70QXOioDwCg&bvm=bv.47883778,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNE_HfRm8DHO299b9JJ_ijcX4sW4Ng&ust=1371589578310074" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor; clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img height="330" id="irc_mi" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/M_Martinez-10.jpg/220px-M_Martinez-10.jpg" style="margin-top: 32px;" width="220" /></a><br />
<br />
<h3>
Early Years</h3>
<br />
Martinez was born on 17th January 1976 in Fourchambault, Nieve. His father, Mariano, was a great cyclist before him having rode on Merckx's team and was considered at the time to be a great climber. He had in his time won the king of the Mountains title in the Tour de France. Even from the age of six Martinez recollects not only his fathers influence on him with cycling but also his family which have a great tradition with cycling. At first he started with riding on the rode but by the age of ten he had started Mountain Biking. As he matured and grew stronger he realised that he could do well with in the sport and along with cyclocross racing moved away from rode racing.<br />
<br />
By 1994 Miguel Martinez was starting to dominate XC racing amongst the juniors and so won his first World Championships, this was as well as an impressive 3rd place at the Cyclocross Championships. By the time Martinez had won his gold medal at Sydney in 2000 he had won two World Cup Series, Three World XC Championships as well as a Cyclocross Championship, two European Champioships medals and a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics at Atlanta.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: black; color: yellow;">Year Event Place Result</span><br />
1995 World Championship XC Kirchzarten 2<br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1996 </span>National Championships 1<br />
World Championships XC Cairns 2<br />
World Championships Cyclocross Corva 1<br />
World Cup XC 3<br />
Olympics Atlanta 3<br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1997 World Championships XC </span> Chateaux D'Oex 1<br />
World Cup XC 1<br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1998 World Championships XC Mont Sainte-Anne 1</span><br />
World Cup XC 2<br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">1999 World Cup XC 2</span><br />
European Championship XC 1<br />
<span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">2000 Olympics Sydney 1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> World Cup XC 1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"> European Championships XC 1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: yellow;"> </span> </span><br />
2001 World Cup XC 3 <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=sF-eo7iEFAyDdM&tbnid=DRgHAX-L8vyGbM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.tour-magazin.de%2Fshowthread.php%3F217708-Eure-Mountainbikes-egal-ob-leicht-oder-schwer%2Fpage13&ei=pn2_Ud7NNqej0QXFwoGYCg&bvm=bv.47883778,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNGB2GfYDBJ9JOAMZ4xlcTStQK1sbw&ust=1371590265567854" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="640" id="irc_mi" src="http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3189/sunnp.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="418" /></a></div>
<h3>
The Move To The Road</h3>
<br />
Martinez now looked towards Road racing and fresh targets after all he had now won all the major events in Mountain Biking, and felt that road racing would be more competitive. In truth his results had started to wain and so in 2002 he signed a three year deal with Mapei-Quickstep whilst at the same time raced some MTB XC events and Endurance events with Full Dynamix, a move his father had insisted on. on This team he was also to join another MTB legend and future Tour de France winner Cadel Evans who had been a big rival during the late 90s.<br />
<br />
By 2003 Martinez had joined Phonak racing team but by the end of the year went into a semi retirement, racing irregularly but never really producing the form of old. He was said to have become alluded to the amount of doping in road racing and not wanting to be part of it as reason for leaving. He returned in 2008 to the Italian team Amore e Vita, stating “I always rode to the best of my ability without doping it was made clear to me that I wasn’t operating in the way that was required. Today I really have the impression that things have changed. I’m convinced that cycling has moved in the right direction and I want a second chance to continue my career at the highest level.”<br />
<br />
By 2009 Little Mig had made the decision to return back to his first love of MTBing and was set to race for Felt International Racing team but was sacked from the team <br />
A press statement from Felt reads – “We would like to inform you that the contract with Miguel Martinez has been cancelled due to unbridgeable differences. The athlete behaved inexcusably and violated his contract. He is dismissed effective immediately.”<br />
Martinez was given a four month suspended sentence for assaulting his wife by a French court. He has been in mediation several times over the past two years for violent incidents.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Present Day</h3>
2013 is a fresh start for Martinez who has again returned to Mountain Biking but with Italian FRM Factory racing Team who produce high-level components and bikes.<br />
<br />
"Now that I am free from all contractual ties” – the athlete has said – “I want to race with a team capable of offering me the necessary serenity along with a bicycle that I have dreamt of for years. <br />
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Mirko Pirazzoli, in his double role of Commercial Director of FRM and new Team mate to the French Champion says “Having Miguel with us is a great stimulus: competition is constantly increasing, Miguel has the motivation and the conditions to shoot back to the top, but for us it is sufficient that he has fun”.<br />
<br />
This has proved a healthy approach for Martinez who surprised everyone with a strong win at the 2013 Sea Otter Classic. Whilst he hasn't been the dominate rider he once was he recently got 14th at the third round of the World Cup, it remains to be seen whether the little Frenchman can find the form and find his way back on the podium a sight not many would begrudge him.<br />
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<tr bgcolor="#cccccc" class="petiteliste" height="20"><td colspan="5">Results</td></tr>
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<tr bgcolor="#f0f0f0" class="petiteliste"><td> Event </td><td> Discipline </td><td> Pos </td><td> Date </td><td> Season </td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-val-di-sole-2013-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t3359-u283-v1.html#177540">Val di Sole</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 14 </td><td> 15/06/2013 </td><td> 2013</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-val-di-sole-men-s-olympic-cross-country-eliminator-2013-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t3359-u283-m177548-v1.html#200167" rel="nofollow">Val di Sole</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country - Eliminator - Qualification </td><td> 12 </td><td> 13/06/2013 </td><td> 2013</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-val-di-sole-2013-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t3359-u283-v1.html#177548">Val di Sole</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country - Eliminator </td><td> 25 </td><td> 13/06/2013 </td><td> 2013</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-albstadt-2013-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t9074-u283-v1.html#197657">Albstadt</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 41 </td><td> 19/05/2013 </td><td> 2013</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-uci-world-championships-mountain-bike-marathon-2008-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1608-u218-v1.html#46147">UCI World Championships Mountain Bike Marathon</a> </td><td> Men's Marathon Cross-country </td><td> 35 </td><td> 05/07/2008 </td><td> 2008</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-manavgat-antalya--2008-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t2667-u218-m46100-v1.html#46100">Manavgat / Antalya </a> </td><td> Men's Marathon Cross-country </td><td> 33 </td><td> 16/03/2008 </td><td> 2008</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2007-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u216-m85673-v2.html#85673">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal </td><td> 4 </td><td> 19/08/2007 </td><td> 2007</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2007-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u216-m85673-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 8 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 15/08/2006 </td><td> 2007</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2007-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u216-m85673-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 6 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 13/08/2006 </td><td> 2007</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2007-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u216-m85673-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 1 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 08/08/2006 </td><td> 2007</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-curacao-2006-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t1944-u51-m15228-v1.html#15228">Curacao</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 41 </td><td> 01/04/2006 </td><td> 2006</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-world-championships-mountainbike--2005-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1609-u13-v1.html#11190">World Championships Mountainbike </a> </td><td> Cross Country Men </td><td> 20 </td><td> 04/09/2005 </td><td> 2005</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-european-championships-2005-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g53-t3108-u13-v1.html#149291">European Championships</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 11 </td><td> 31/07/2005 </td><td> 2005</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2005-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u13-m3-v2.html#3">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal </td><td> 4 </td><td> 19/06/2005 </td><td> 2005</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-houffalize-2005-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t1585-u13-m11112-v1.html#11112">Houffalize</a> </td><td> Cross Country Men </td><td> 12 </td><td> 29/05/2005 </td><td> 2005</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-madrid-2005-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t1586-u13-m11111-v1.html#11111">Madrid</a> </td><td> Cross Country Men </td><td> 25 </td><td> 08/05/2005 </td><td> 2005</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-spa-francorchamps-2005-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g105-t1588-u13-m11107-v1.html#11107">Spa Francorchamps</a> </td><td> Cross Country Men </td><td> 9 </td><td> 24/04/2005 </td><td> 2005</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-european-championships-2004-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g53-t3108-u10-v1.html#149335">European Championships</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 4 </td><td> 01/07/2004 </td><td> 2004</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2004-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u10-m4-v2.html#4">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 18/06/2004 </td><td> 2004</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2004-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u10-m4-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 7 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 17/06/2004 </td><td> 2004</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2004-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u10-m4-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 5 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 15/06/2004 </td><td> 2004</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-world-championships-mountainbike-2003-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1609-u7-v1.html#86817">World Championships Mountainbike</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 49 </td><td> 07/09/2003 </td><td> 2003</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-uci-world-championships-mountain-bike-marathon-2003-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1608-u7-v1.html#53330">UCI World Championships Mountain Bike Marathon</a> </td><td> Men's Marathon Cross-country </td><td> 21 </td><td> 31/08/2003 </td><td> 2003</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2003-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u7-m5-v2.html#5">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal </td><td> 7 </td><td> 17/08/2003 </td><td> 2003</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2003-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u7-m5-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 7 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 16/08/2003 </td><td> 2003</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2003-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u7-m5-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 6 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 15/08/2003 </td><td> 2003</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-l-hexagonal-2003-results-mixed-s25-c0-b0-g159-t3068-u7-m5-v2.html#0">L'Hexagonal</a> </td><td> L'Hexagonal - Stage 1 </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 10/08/2003 </td><td> 2003</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-world-championships-mountainbike-2001-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1609-u1-v1.html#86831">World Championships Mountainbike</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 45 </td><td> 16/09/2001 </td><td> 2001</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-european-championships-2001-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g53-t3108-u1-v1.html#149317">European Championships</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 12 </td><td> 2001 </td><td> 2001</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-olympic-games-2000-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g106-t1546-u12-v1.html#34343">Olympic Games</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 24/09/2000 </td><td> 2000</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-world-championships-mountainbike-2000-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1609-u12-v1.html#86838">World Championships Mountainbike</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 10/06/2000 </td><td> 2000</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-european-championships-2000-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g53-t3108-u12-v1.html#149312">European Championships</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 17 </td><td> 2000 </td><td> 2000</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-world-championships-mountainbike-1999-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1609-u15-v1.html#86845">World Championships Mountainbike</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 2 </td><td> 19/09/1999 </td><td> 1999</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="1"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="18"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-european-championships-1999-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g53-t3108-u15-v1.html#149310">European Championships</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 1 <img alt="First" border="0" height="13" src="http://www.the-sports.org/img/coupe_or.jpg" style="vertical-align: middle;" /></td><td> 1999 </td><td> 1999</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-olympic-games-1996-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g106-t1546-u22-v1.html#34345">Olympic Games</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 3 </td><td> 30/07/1996 </td><td> 1996</td></tr>
<tr><td bgcolor="#000000" colspan="6" height="2"></td></tr>
<tr bgcolor="#fafafa" class="petitelistenormal" height="15"><td> <a class="petitelistenormal" href="http://www.the-sports.org/mountain-bike-world-championships-mountainbike-1995-results-men-s25-c0-b0-g108-t1609-u24-v1.html#86862">World Championships Mountainbike</a> </td><td> Men's Olympic Cross Country </td><td> 2 </td><td> 19/09/1995 </td><td> 1995</td></tr>
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-57177471109949248742013-06-04T22:33:00.000+01:002013-06-17T22:27:46.720+01:00When Races Go Wrong: Rd 3 North East XC MTB League - HamsterleyI guess it was inevitable that I would come to this. If you ask me about most of my short course XC races of a few years past I would say that something is never quite right. It most cases its just been lack of race experience but with one thing or another I've been quick to write them off blame my lack of fitness or skill and then not bother again for the year.<br />
<br />
This year my fitness isn't much to sing or dance about but my attitude and approach have no doubt got me further than before. Much I credit to riding single speed which has made me take on the whatever will be will be attitude, and last year and this year enjoy racing so much more. My first two races have been my best to date in terms of feel and results. I was looking at the data from my last race and on the same course I was riding a minute a lap faster. With the laps only being between 6 and 7 minutes long that's a hell of a difference and meant I finished up doing a lap extra.<br />
<br />
So to round 3, and once again I was faced with a similar course from last year at Hamsterley. I knew this was a tough race taking in one big climb followed by a fast decent full of berms, rutted and hard work on my rigid bike. I know I'm not the fastest going down (trust me I am slow!) but I knew that the climbs would count for a lot.<br />
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As it happens the race was a short one for me. As I climbed up the first climb I was struggling with its sheer length and just felt like I'd got nothing to give. The decent then did its best job to beat me up. By the next lap the climb I was breathing out of my arse for very little gain, and coming down I was loosing my line too easily and it was a miracle that when I did come off the track I didn't crash or go over the bars. The third lap saw me groveling up the climb and already negative thoughts of having to do this climb again was making me doubt my racing on further. Coming down my back started to really hurt, something I attributed to fighting with my bike and not riding loose but also just feeling so trashed. As I got to the line I pulled out. There was no way I could go on like I was.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRIvpmP4MDW5fOIgUrleTDs6GTX5oZKePl8emFCFJuxjh8j0EWSMPdECYpq5AGwGhrDT1NMDhLLEjDrcjsXKM9EgIZw9BCnP4hOMCH-VUit1MDibqnU_fiM2iTzmJYXW4yTcC7eG7AfNU/s1600/28IMG_0404.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLRIvpmP4MDW5fOIgUrleTDs6GTX5oZKePl8emFCFJuxjh8j0EWSMPdECYpq5AGwGhrDT1NMDhLLEjDrcjsXKM9EgIZw9BCnP4hOMCH-VUit1MDibqnU_fiM2iTzmJYXW4yTcC7eG7AfNU/s640/28IMG_0404.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo with thanks to Paul @ <a href="http://www.photoboxgallery.com/grassrootsportsuk">Clarkson Photography Grass Root Sports UK</a></td></tr>
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<br />
<br />
Looking at my lap times I was riding over a minute slower than the seven months before, so what had gone so wrong?<br />
<br />
It's in this situation you have to be realistic about your failures. I watched that same weekend the first World Cup XC of the year and watched Nino Schurter finish about 14th proving that even the best riders in the sport have off days. This was my off day.<br />
<br />
Firstly, in this situation its important to look at your training and look at what you were doing before each race and see if there was a difference. Often training can be to tough before races and there hasn't been enough recovery but in my case it was as much the opposite. I hadn't ridden enough, and more to the point not ridden with quality in mind. I had for the last month or so been putting in fast paced workouts, riding tempo mainly for nothing more than hour or about 10 miles. What I seem to be lacking is stamina from good quality endurance. Something I've been addressing ready for my next race.<br />
<br />
Doing a proper warm up. I'm probably the worst for this. I guess I get caught up in the atmosphere, catching up with friends and then before I know it I'm off racing. I didn't even pre ride the course let alone get my heart rate up which was foolish and just means everything is a bigger shock to the body. I guess warming up is an easy one to dismiss as when I go out riding I don't warm up, I just go out and ride as I'm sure lots of others do to. A good warm up should not just get the muscles loosened up but get the heart beating fast and lungs working. The key is not to put much strain on the muscles so spinning on a turbo is ideal or just quick sprints in an easy gear following from a short tempo effort.<br />
<br />
On line Arousal. Stop giggling, I know it sounds daft but that's the term given to how you feel on the race line. If you've got butterflies and are too tense this can have a negative effect. Your heart race can be too high and muscles to tense. On the other end of the spectrum if you are too relaxed then your body just isn't fight or flight ready. Somewhere in the middle is what you want or even aggressive attitude firing yourself up for the battle ahead. I was way too passive, chatting away and not really thinking about the race ahead. (weirdly I used to be to tense)<br />
<br />
So racing cold, chilling on the line doesn't make for a great racer but there is one other element. Food.<br />
Obviously, with short races of under an hour eating during the race isn't that important. What you eat before almost certainly can be. Ive often been given the formula of ensuring eating a meal three hours before a race with plenty of carbohydrates. Then thirty minutes before something like a banana or energy bar. Then a little bit more a few minutes before. This may work for you but not for me. I have to honestly say some of my best evening rides have been done on the back of a big meal that is high in protein and usually only an hour and half before I've ridden. So I'd say to anyone, ignore usual wisdom and experiment to find whats best. Most of time it'll come by mistake. If you ride well, think about what you ate before and take that into consideration before you next race.<br />
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The one thing that I know works for me in quick races and that I didn't have in my last race was caffeine in my drink. It I feel helps with my reactions and also gives that feeling that I can push harder towards the end of a race. <br />
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Anyhow, my next race is this Friday so it's time to put some of this advice into practise. As I stand in the league I'm actually doing quite well. Currently I'm 11th out of 75 overall. 4th out of 26 for my age group and 1st out of 4 for the single speed cats.<br />
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<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/954661_4936761772127_83589591_n.jpg" /></div>
Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-74471465415472836342013-05-14T22:07:00.001+01:002013-05-15T16:20:47.739+01:00Racing against the Big Ring - Rd 2 North East MTB XC League - FerryhillRacing on your home ground is always exciting. This race was a literal two minute ride to the start line and with the course unaltered from last year was promising to be just as fast and furious as last year. I remember that hard chases from last year and had kept it in my pocket. I knew about the sharp off camber bend the long fireroad straight and short but steep climb. In fact I'd practised it for most of the winter.<br />
<br />
This was not a course that suited my Single speed. Fast courses never are, as you have to spin so hard to keep up and when your following a wheel and they shift up into the big ring there is little you can do to answer such speed. But, it was dry and not really technical which meant I wasn't going to loose time there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U1bQASioCKiJ__6w2j5TRkSLorlj-xBdVHNeH6CNLMehaN3pC7zz82jc8Yx_ycg4iYXNpqayIj0B4nR8A0ptvmrCyeoZ1-5g-FHAL115Ey0H8RuE8N-16OgtAIDmU9BTvXd-cnnB2lW7/s1600/004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-U1bQASioCKiJ__6w2j5TRkSLorlj-xBdVHNeH6CNLMehaN3pC7zz82jc8Yx_ycg4iYXNpqayIj0B4nR8A0ptvmrCyeoZ1-5g-FHAL115Ey0H8RuE8N-16OgtAIDmU9BTvXd-cnnB2lW7/s640/004.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo with thanks to Paul @ <a href="http://www.photoboxgallery.com/grassrootsportsuk">Clarkson Photography Grass Root Sports UK</a></td></tr>
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<br />
46 of us started on the start line and we would be soon channelled into a narrowing track before hitting the single track. It was bound to get messy as people jostled for position trying to make the holeshot, and I found myself blocked in by two riders not holding a very straight line. Come an early banked corner and some riders were nearly crashing into each other causing me to have to dismount, loosing a couple of places in the process. After that the lap was a fairly slow procession with little changing in places as the narrow singletrack kept us in position. It proved to be the slowest lap. As soon as we got to the fire road to the finish I pushed hard and took some places and tried to bridge the gap which had formed.<br />
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<br />
The race as it turns was fun but a hard one for me. I kept a good pace but found it hard to pick and hold onto peoples wheels. I'd go through the single track no problem even kept pace with the fast guys on the climb, but come the fireroad and the gaps would form. A small group of us stayed in contact for a couple of laps until two crashed out just as they'd formed a gap on me. One guy had got a good minute into me at one point and by the end it was down to ten seconds despite my mad effort to go all out in the last lap. Still it also appeared I was being chased down but had managed to hold the guy off. Not that I knew much about that at the time.<br />
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In the end I finished 25th, which wasn't quite as good as my last race but I figured that's the way it would be. I was first place Single speed but then there were only two of us!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4sVxWc9KSCJnm92PyYMHN_9w0CSgs571m-rIDVPVkPa9XKxy1jAnl654GkUu9UoDJ8ZoDaOObSuT-NqS8oEEWwVcRrawK1OsRdtg9aQeJ6rKvUpFGYyrxuKQHROXXojvcPRbo5ubjxvf/s1600/969817_10151579925193058_1299596732_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf4sVxWc9KSCJnm92PyYMHN_9w0CSgs571m-rIDVPVkPa9XKxy1jAnl654GkUu9UoDJ8ZoDaOObSuT-NqS8oEEWwVcRrawK1OsRdtg9aQeJ6rKvUpFGYyrxuKQHROXXojvcPRbo5ubjxvf/s640/969817_10151579925193058_1299596732_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo with thanks to Paul @ <a href="http://www.photoboxgallery.com/grassrootsportsuk">Clarkson Photography Grass Root Sports UK</a></td></tr>
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Overall in the series I'm now in 12th place with the aim of making it into the top ten and 4th in the seniors with the aim of making it in the top five. Oh and I'm first place in the single speed category.<br />
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This video was shot of the junior and senior race from the done and gives a little idea of the action from the day. <a href="http://vimeo.com/66053010">http://vimeo.com/66053010</a><br />
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Special thanks goes to Paul who was there photographing on the day and for letting me freely use the photos he took of me. You can see more on is own web page by clicking on the link <a href="http://www.photoboxgallery.com/grassrootsportsuk">Clarkson Photogrphy</a>Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-8105310978328080202013-05-12T21:53:00.002+01:002013-05-12T21:53:54.929+01:00North East Single Speeds First Group Ride - SwaledaleStanding on the top of a hill surrounded by some beautiful countryside shrouded in mists a small group of cyclists stand huddled behind a wall to shelter from the howling wind and driving cold wind. The climb had been steep and boggy and faces show sign of tiredness. Yet as food and drink are consumed spirits remain high and there are still smiles. Someone then pipes up "I thought you said it was going to be hot and sunny?"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRLQEhTSBabE_Rni3n4tlD-7baWNStuNMommb_-uA0B6RKh5bJ9txtX4HmK5Z_ImZEE8f4b22O6TV36V6WKp2oAI45_Ziqm5bychBF6GELZYnl4m2yXmkpyD2vs7OWUh8sENxBeBmdxOd/s1600/2013+04+14_0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDRLQEhTSBabE_Rni3n4tlD-7baWNStuNMommb_-uA0B6RKh5bJ9txtX4HmK5Z_ImZEE8f4b22O6TV36V6WKp2oAI45_Ziqm5bychBF6GELZYnl4m2yXmkpyD2vs7OWUh8sENxBeBmdxOd/s640/2013+04+14_0546.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L to R. Mark, Dan, Matt and Mike taking shelter from the inhospitable weather</td></tr>
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Hot and Sunny. That is what the weather forecast was predicting for the long awaited first group ride for those members of the single speed group almost a week before hand. People were getting excited about the prospect of finaly having some decent weather after what had seemed like an endless winter. The Swaledale hills in Yorkshire near Reeth boasts some of the most beautiful natural trails in this country and a week before had been covered in feet of snow.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three On-Ones lining up ready to go. The first one has to many gears!</td></tr>
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Weather forecasters it would appear are not very good at predicting weather a week in advance and as the days got closer suddenly it looked like strong winds were going to b the order of the day. Still some braved it out of there houses and we met up at the infamous Dales Bike Centre , a cracking little place with a small bike shop, cafe and accomadation run by a very friendly family. There were only three of us on single speeds. Matt, Mike and myself. Dan (who incidentially got me into single speeds) was still making excuses as to not to change back from his gears, and Mark wasn't feeling up to the challenge of riding one gear up some of the demanding climbs. I'm not sure I blamed them!<br />
<br />
We set off on the lower valley riding by the dry stone walls that are found in abundance in this area, breaking up the farms land to form a patch work of rugged squares across the moorlands. Of course this means lots of gates to negotiate. The ground was still very wet and there was a good amount of pasty mud mixed in with the rocky ground. We were heading into the wind but it was fairly flat with only the occasional hill to wake the legs up. More to the point it wasn't raining. <br />
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Its funny thing with cyclists. Most of the guys out today didn't know each other and yet put together they share their love of cycling and chatter never ran short. We rolled on until our u turn point and where crossing the valley the real climbing was about to begin. The rain of course had begun.<br />
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We were faced with a brute of climb which on a good day would have been hard but with the mud we were finding it hard to get any traction. All but one of us were forced to walk much of that climb. Matt, the younger of us, is like a whippet and very strong even on one gear. He ploughed up the climb with what seemed like little bother putting most of us to shame! Once near the top we were truly exposed to the elements and felt the rain and wind drive hard at us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pushing up but there are still smiles....or grimaces</td></tr>
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Yes I was the one who had promised a hot sunny day.<br />
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Still at least we were heading back and that involved some downhill with a good wind on our backs. Mike got blown off as we set off from the top, which shows how strong the wind was. I was fighting to hold my lines down the damp moor land track. As we went down the weather had improved and the skies had cleared, but it didn't stop us getting lost and having to negotiating a steep hill side on foot. The final decent down was a narrow rocky one between the hedges which was doing its best impression of a stream as the water overflowed from the snow capped fells. There was still the occasional couple foot of snow across the path too!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6me8kuHBwi49HazFqJeoo9f8D0nXUM9-WuiBuiZ9jEuInqT0y5DRbKo-4Uk_Wc5iwZdzvC2NxEro_53mZhO_YgH1h_JAYaNIHa-RWP19XeiAB9rBO6znAedQ595xprYEn1QQ9TgyFflW/s1600/2013+04+14_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6me8kuHBwi49HazFqJeoo9f8D0nXUM9-WuiBuiZ9jEuInqT0y5DRbKo-4Uk_Wc5iwZdzvC2NxEro_53mZhO_YgH1h_JAYaNIHa-RWP19XeiAB9rBO6znAedQ595xprYEn1QQ9TgyFflW/s640/2013+04+14_0548.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A puncture is always a good excuse to rest and chat</td></tr>
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Getting back to the Dales bike centre we were able to shower the muck off ourselves and bikes before warming ourselves in the cafe with a nice cuppa and some very tasty cake. The worst of the rain then began so in someways we were lucky! It was a good ride out with some awesome people and hopefully the start of more ride outs together and good friendships.Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-24610850759426677582013-04-28T22:18:00.002+01:002013-04-28T22:18:55.329+01:00Let the Racing Begin : Rd 1 North East MTB XC League 2013Rd 1 North East MTB XC League - Ponteland<br />
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It was with a bit of anticipation I entered this round, after all its hard to have high expectations of yourself when training plans have fallen by the wayside and the mileage just hasn't added up. I was, to say the least,not even riding fit let alone race fit. Still, on arrival after recognising some familiar faces and chatting to friends, race nerves were put aside and I was able to enjoy the friendly atmosphere which made me enjoy this series so much last year.<br />
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The course was newly dug and was said to be about a mile in length with which we would commit to an hour of hard racing. The ground was dry for the first time in nearly a year and promised to be a fast paced race. I took the choice not to pre ride the course as time was getting tight and to avoid panicking myself. (I have been known to pre ride a course and not make back in time for the start!). With the sun beating down on us and mild breeze across the field a large bunch of us lined up. Mixed abilities were all combined including a few juniors and a large number of veterans. There were only three of us riding single speed. I'd set myself back as I didn't think my chances in the first part were very good and planned to find a wheel early and pace it.<br />
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The course firstly went across a couple of dry packed field with a slight downward direction giving plenty of time to string the field out before hitting the woods and the single track. The single track was on dry peaty ground which went twisted up and down the side of the hill. One of the climbs had tight switch backs in them, while the other was a straight steep slog up. The track had a nice flow to it, with out it being overly technical or slippery. After coming out of the wood its was back onto the fields heading slightly up and into the headwind before a fast decent leading to a steep climb with a near impossible top part due to some wet mud. More single track on the field followed before a small piece of wooded single track looping back onto the finishing straight.<br />
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<img src="http://api.ning.com/files/nylQTtPtXb8*a1N-Xef-kXzOrZg3vyjuDzI2Ds-XaUFkwesJ2il8YJ5oFnVen-1vD53ivanSnELzcKampZw2MuWY8tpMgjPJ/482039_139527379558479_1419646397_n.jpg" /><br />
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From the off I held back for a few seconds and realised I was not the only one being hesitant on the line whilst the more experienced riders shot off fast. I found myself putting in some speed spinning my gear fast and passing a fair few riders down the field into the single track. Its always at this point you have little idea where you are, but at this point I was confident I was in the top half of the riders. Not much changed during the lap I lost a place in the single track but the large group of riders behind me stayed there. I was racing at full tilt, breathing hard. Probably too hard as the first few climbs I had no more to give and was dismounting early to make it to the top.<br />
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Coming onto the second lap I had six riders close behind me who I'd held off until now. But with the slight downhill from the start, big rings were being engaged and I was passed by all of them. I lost a few more places on that lap as I tried to regain a more reasonable pace. It proved to be my slowest lap and likely the result of such a fast start.<br />
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By the end of the lap I was sitting in a no-mans land with no one really close behind me or in front of me, and was now finding a comfortable pace. My nearest rivals were as follows:<br />
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Lap 3<br />
SCHEREZER, F 28:38<br />
DODDS, J + :22<br />
ME + 1:45<br />
CARR, J + 2:03<br />
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Dodds dangled in front of me for that lap, I could neither gain on him or could he get away. My pace was remaining fairly even. Laps 3,4,5 were all set within the a few seconds of each other. Near the end of Lap 4 Carr had caught me and passed making a few meters on me. It had seemed It was another place lost but he didn't seem to be making any ground on me.<br />
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Lap 4<br />
SCHEREZER, F 39:04<br />
DODDS, J + :21<br />
CARR, J + :57<br />
ME +1:00<br />
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During the penultimate lap I hung onto Carrs wheel, neither making any attempt to over take or loose him. He became my focal point to keep going. To be honest I had nothing to give that time to get ahead of him and was worried going in front I'd over cook it and fade. The guy was similar to me technically and in the climbs so he was easy to stay with. By the end of lap five we had pulled in a tiring Dodds.<br />
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Lap 5<br />
SCHEREZER, F 49:07<br />
DODDS, J + 1:06<br />
CARR, J + 1:07<br />
ME +1:09<br />
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With the bell ringing for a last lap I felt I could stick with this pace and perhaps take it to the line, but on the field decent before the single track, Carr slowed a bit and I made not just a pass but an attack. I've never done this before. I went hard with the aim of dropping him but also catching and passing Dodds. I succeeded in dropping Carr but Dodds fought back and pulled back in front just before the single track. Damn it. I was now breathing out of my arse and a silly mistake on one of the climbs meant Dodds was pulling away. I was burying myself to stay with him but the gap wouldn't shift. The last climb I'd gained a little and as we dismounted to climb the top Dodds got off and walked while I ran. I got passed him and pedalled for all I had to hold him off.<br />
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Finally I finished my lap time proving only a bit slower than my first lap and it took a while for me to catch my breath back. I'd finished mid pack. 22 out of 44 proving my best result to date. On the final lap the times were<br />
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Lap 6<br />
SCHEREZER , F 59:28<br />
ME + :19<br />
DODDS, J + :28<br />
CARR, J + 1:06<br />
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So that's my first race in the bag, and a very enjoyable one. My new bike was brilliant and well suited to the course, now I'm looking forward to racing on home turf and seeing if I can better myself on trails I know well. I might even put some training in........Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-82663553577839632502013-04-12T13:06:00.001+01:002013-04-12T13:06:14.196+01:00Looking Back at the UCI MTB XCO World Cup 2012Come May 8th 2013 the World XC action will be back with us again. Its a race race series that I've found hard in the past to watch but the Internet has become better for me to view it and now I can see it through Extreme channel. It was a good year with the Swiss rider Nino Schurter being a formidable force to contend with. It is of course the last year in which we got to see Burry Stander race and even win one of the world cup rounds before his untimely and sad death. I was going to write a report on each of the races but never got around to it. Instead I thought I'd let you see for yourself. <br />
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So for your pleasure I've compiled as many of the Mens races from last year as I could find into one area to save you the search. All the races are in full length. Sadly, I cant get access to the Olympic race or the final seventh round at Val d' Isere yet. Enjoy!<br />
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<strong>Elite Men - Pietermaritzburg, South Africa - 17.03.2012</strong><br />
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<strong>Elite Men - Houffalize, Belgium - 15.04.2012</strong><br />
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<strong>Elite Men - Nov Mesto, Czech Republic - 13.05.2012</strong><br />
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<strong>Elite Men - La Bresse, France - 20.05.2012</strong><br />
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<strong>Elite Men - Mont Sainte Anne, Canada - 23.06.2012</strong><br />
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<strong>Elite Men - Windham, U.S.A - 30.06.2012</strong><br />
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<strong>Elite Men - World Championships - Saalfelden Leogang, Austria - 08.09.2012</strong><br />
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<strong>Overall Winner of World Cup</strong></div>
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SCHURTER Nino</div>
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STANDER Burry</div>
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KULHAVY Jaroslav</div>
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FONTANA Marco Aurelio</div>
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HERMIDA RAMOS Jose Antonio</div>
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VOGEL Florian</div>
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FUMIC Manuel</div>
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MANTECON GUTIERREZ Sergio</div>
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GIGER Fabien</div>
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FLUCKIGER Lukas</div>
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-85123579079958776002013-04-01T22:33:00.000+01:002013-04-01T22:33:48.978+01:00Where are they now? Missy GioveAs a new piece to my blog I'd thought about delving into our past and finding out what has happened to bike stars from yester-year. The years when Mountain Biking started coming of age and the good old Grundig World Cups. There have been many champions to the sport of both downhill and XC but there have been some that stood out more than others and so I'll be delving as deep as I dare and finding out what really happened to them after racing.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Missy Giove</strong></span><br />
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<b>Melissa "Missy" Giove</b> (born 1972) is a former professional downhill mountain biker. Also know as the Missile , Giove was one of mountain-bike racing's first mainstream female superstars with an impressive reseme of achievements as well as her in your face, full on attitude that lit up the womens downhill scene.<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=LQkmoBde8HntjM&tbnid=Mf-D0jvDfaP1TM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fmtbs.cz%2Fclanek%2Fmissy-uhrala-podminku&ei=u_tZUZLWEcavO-yjgdAK&bvm=bv.44442042,d.bGE&psig=AFQjCNF6jIE-60o7jX0G0QhybSWxXimH0Q&ust=1364938001589602" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="300" id="irc_mi" src="http://mtbs.cz/media/clanky/30560/titulka/1_missy_giove_drug_perv.jpg" style="margin-top: 76px;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Career</span><br />
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She is the American all-time leader in NORBA downhill wins with 14, and is second on the World Cup list with 11. Giove's other accomplishments include three overall NORBA downhill crowns, two World Cup overalls, and the 1994 world championship title. Prior to cycling, Missy was also a nationally ranked downhill skier.<br />
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Early in her career, Missy raced for the highly respected boutique Yeti Racing team along with other top downhill racing stars such as Myles Rockwell, Jimmy Deaton, John Tomac, and Johnny O under the management of industry veteran and former owner of Yeti Cycles, John Parker. After establishing herself as the top US women's downhill talent, Missy moved to the larger corporate financed team of Volvo-Cannondale USA cycling team. Together Missy Giove and Myles Rockwell dominated many of the US downhill races under the Cannondale badge in the early 90's. Missy was always known for being colorful and fast talking, and noted for wearing the desiccated body of her deceased pet piranha Gonzo on a necklace when racing, and her dead dogs ashes in her bra.<br />
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During her career she raced hard and full on taking on the ethos of riding: "<em>I went fast for maybe 50 yards and then crashed. Then I went 100 yards and crashed. Finally one day I made it across the finish line without crashing. I never got faster, I just made it down farther</em>." This riding was to lead to many hard crashes. One shattered her Pelvis in six places. An injury that Doctors had told her she would not fully recover from. Later while racing she also broke both her legs as well as getting a brain haemorage.<br />
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*World Cup Results At Bottom of Page*<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What Happened After Racing</span><br />
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She announced her retirement from full-time racing in August 2003, and in March 2004, she appeared in an episode of the cartoon <i>Rocket Power</i> titled "Missile Crisis" (the title referring to her nickname), giving one of the characters a compliment. After retirement she helped finance the travel and fees for several up and coming downhill cyclists.<br />
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She retired in 2003. That same year she landed on the cover of <a href="http://lipstickdipstick.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/missy-giove-busted.html">Girlfriends magazine</a> for a story promoting the publication’s lesbian athlete hall of fame. On April 25th she will celebrate her 4th wedding anniversary to Kristen Hofheimer Giove.<br />
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In June 2009 Giove was arrested in upstate Wilton, New York on charges of conspiring to possess and distribute over 400 pounds of marijuana. Giove has pleaded guilty to the charges and was facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years, a maximum penalty of 40 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $2 million.<br />
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On November 23rd, 2011 she was sentenced to the time served, six months of home detention and five years of supervised release. She was reported saying:<br />
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"<em>I am extremely sorry and remorseful</em>," Giove said. "<em>I realize I was a role model to certain people. I'm really sorry for making the wrong decisions. I just want to move forward</em>." Giove's attorney, Tim Austin, said head injures both forced his client to retire and sapped her financially, contributing to her decision to traffic marijuana. "<em>Missy's involvement in this does not define who she is</em>," Austin said. "<em>She does not need prison to be rehabilitated</em>."<br />
<br />
Back in 2004, Giove was interviewed by competitive cycling journal VeloNews. She was asked what she thought would be her legacy:<br />
<br />
“<em>I just always wanted to inspire people not to live their life in fear,” Giove said. “You know what, you’re only here once and that’s it. You better live it up</em>.” <br />
<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=K91tO0ltkR2flM&tbnid=rQ_dWp2LF0D7nM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.triridemtb.com%2Fworld-cup-history-1997%2F&ei=ovxZUbPjCIPdPdzQgfAN&bvm=bv.44442042,d.bGE&psig=AFQjCNF6jIE-60o7jX0G0QhybSWxXimH0Q&ust=1364938001589602" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="424" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.triridemtb.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/missy-giove-1997.jpg" style="margin-top: 25px;" width="640" /></a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">World Cup & World Championships Results</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: blue; color: white;"><span style="background-color: #20124d;">Date Race Venue Cat Sponser Place Entr % Best</span><span style="background-color: #20124d;"> </span></span><br />
<table class="list tablesorter" id="T1">
<tbody>
<tr class="catB f"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">13th Jul 2003</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2003 Tissot World Cup #4</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Grouse Mountain</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">5th</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">23</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">82%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2:20.55</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">8th Sep 2002</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2002 Tissot World Cup #6</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Les Gets</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">40</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">0%</span></td><td class="l"><span class="dummy"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr class="cat"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1st Sep 2002</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Champs '02</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kaprun</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">39</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">95%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5:56.14</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">14th Jul 2002</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2002 Tissot World Cup #5</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Telluride, CO</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">4th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">27</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">88%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2:22.80</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">30th Jun '02</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">2002 Tissot World Cup #3</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mont-Sainte-Anne</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">12th</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">27</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">58%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:31.93</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">9th Jun 2002</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2002 Tissot World Cup #2</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Maribor</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">26th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">37</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">31%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">4:07.41</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2nd Jun 2002</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">2002 Tissot World Cup #1</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fort William</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">5th</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">35</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">88%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:00.17</span></td></tr>
<tr class="cat"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">16th Sep '01</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Champs '01</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Vail</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">-</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">29</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">0%</span></td><td class="l"><span class="dummy"><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></span><br /></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">26th Aug '01</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #8</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Mont-Sainte-Anne</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">4th</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">34</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">91%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">5:47.85</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">12th Aug '01</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #7</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Kaprun</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">5th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">45</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">91%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">7:20.20</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">5th Aug 2001</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #6</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Leysin</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">6th</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">35</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">85%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">6:54.18</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">29th Jul 2001</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #5</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Arai Mountain</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">19</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">94%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">4:54.34</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">15th Jul 2001</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #4</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Durango</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">92%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">4:07.55</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">8th Jul 2001</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #3</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Grouse Mountain</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">37</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">97%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2:09.75</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">17th Jun '01</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #2</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Vars</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">38</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">95%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">3:51.95</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">10th Jun '01</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2001 Tissot World Cup #1</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Maribor</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">GLOBAL RACING</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">42</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">95%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">3:23.55</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">27th Aug '00</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #8</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Leysin</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">4th</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">33</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">91%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">8:12.41</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">13th Aug '00</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #7</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Kaprun</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span></span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">38</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">97%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">6:23.47</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">23rd Jul 2000</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #6</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Arai Mountain</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">16</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">93%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">5:45.42</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">16th Jul 2000</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #5</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Vail</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">26</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">96%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">5:00.48</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2nd Jul 2000</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #4</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Mont-Sainte-Anne</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">1st</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">30</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">100%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">5:27.99</span></td></tr>
<tr class="cat"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">11th Jun '00</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Champs '00</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Sierra Nevada</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">9th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">35</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">76%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">4:31.84</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">3rd Jun 2000</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #3</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Maribor</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">FOCUS</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">36</span></td><td><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">94%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">4:34.62</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">28th May '00</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #2</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Cortina d'Ampezzo</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; color: black; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;"> /</span> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">FOCUS</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">42</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">98%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">3:41.57</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">21st May '00</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">2000 Tissot World Cup #1</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Les Gets</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">FOCUS</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">30</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">93%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">3:16.19</span></td></tr>
<tr class="cat"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">18th Sep '99</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Champs '99</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Åre</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">23rd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">38</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">41%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">7:06.54</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">15th Aug '99</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #8</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kaprun</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">9th</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">29</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">71%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">7:55.10</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">8th Aug 1999</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #7</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Bromont</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">4th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">24</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">87%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">5:46.08</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1st Aug 1999</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #6</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mont-Sainte-Anne</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">30</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">97%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5:20.55</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">11th Jul 1999</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #5</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Squaw Valley, CA</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">6th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">27</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">81%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">5:18.21</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">27th Jun '99</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #4</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Big Bear Lake, CA</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1st</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">29</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">100%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4:10.49</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">6th Jun 1999</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #3</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Nevegal</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">30</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">97%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">5:00.35</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">30th May '99</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #2</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Maribor</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">10th</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">30</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">69%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5:22.09</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">23rd May '99</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1999 Diesel World Cup #1</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Les Gets</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Azonic</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Foes</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">30</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">97%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">8:17.97</span></td></tr>
<tr class="cat"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">20th Sep '98</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Champs '98</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mont-Sainte-Anne</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">28th</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">45</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">39%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:25.23</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">30th Aug '98</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #8</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Arai Mountain</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">7th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">17</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">63%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">8:13.12</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">16th Aug '98</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #7</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kaprun</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">92%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5:26.70</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">9th Aug '98</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #6</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Sierra Nevada</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">16th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">38%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">5:30.66</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">28th Jul 1998</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #5</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Snoqualmie Pass</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">92%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4:52.05</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">21st Jun 1998</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #4</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Big Bear Lake</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">96%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">4:53.35</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">31st May '98</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #3</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Les Gets</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">92%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:50.25</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">24th May '98</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #2</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Nevegal</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">92%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">6:42.47</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5th Apr 1998</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1998 Grundig World Cup #1</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Stellenbosch</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">4th</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">88%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4:54.71</span></td></tr>
<tr class="cat"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">21st Sep 1997</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Champs '97</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Château d'Oex</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Cannondale/VOLVO</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">43rd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">49</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">13%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">9:38.87</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">15th Aug '97</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1997 Grundig World Cup #6</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kaprun</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1st</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">100%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">4:37.22</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">6th Jul 1997</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1997 Grundig World Cup #5</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Massanutten, VA</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">92%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">5:07.20</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">29th Jun 1997</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1997 Grundig World Cup #4</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Mont-Sainte-Anne</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1st</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">100%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:09.20</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1st Jun 1997</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1997 Grundig World Cup #3</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Sierra Nevada</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">96%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">4:51.42</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">25th May 1997</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">1997 Grundig World Cup #2</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nevegal</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">25</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">92%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">6:29.52</span></td></tr>
<tr class="catB"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">18th May 1997</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">1997 Grundig World Cup #1</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Stellenbosch, RSA</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cannondale</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"> / </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">VOLVO</span></span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">2nd</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">18</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">94%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">5:30.</span>37</span></td></tr>
<tr class="cat"><td class="f"><span style="font-size: x-small;">22nd Sep 1996</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Championships '96</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cairns</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">Volvo-Cannondale</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">3rd</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">20</span></td><td><span style="font-size: x-small;">89%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5:31.37</span></td></tr>
<tr class="cat l"><td class="f"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">23rd Sep 1995</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">UCI - World Championships '95</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Kirchzarten</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">Elite</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">4th</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">20</span></td><td><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">84%</span></td><td class="l"><span style="background-color: #ffe599; font-size: x-small;">6:54.00</span></td></tr>
</tbody><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></table>
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<br />Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-30596782632077366002013-03-27T10:45:00.001+00:002013-03-27T10:45:41.978+00:00Want It Wednesday: GoPro Hero 3, Outride and QMountzI probably spend too much time looking at bike videos on YouTube. I like watching what people ride and like to see previews of places where I will ride or race next. So of course its not long before ideas come into my head that I could do that too. Actually my imagination runs wild with a lavish imagination of entire bike movies and super cool music. Although realistically a video of my runs down the local trails will no doubt show off how slow I actually am and probably won't prove that interesting to watch it still is something I'd like to do. So what should I be looking at to make me the next biking Ridley Scott?<br />
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There is one real big option out there and lots of people will have heard of them and that is <a href="http://gopro.com/products/?gclid=CJmOm9TJnLYCFcbKtAodIBgAaA">GoPro</a>. These are loved because of their small size and versatility. They can be mounted on a riders helmet, handle bar or even by using a harness, strapped to your chest. They can be used under water too so while not a use for cycling has its uses for diving, surf boarding and many other water sports. In fact with its 1080p quality it can be used for all manner of sports.<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=f6CR72B0ZMvr8M&tbnid=5-_xY5ZiSdPIPM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftech%2Fnews%2Fa431258%2Fgopro-announces-hero3-rugged-cameras.html&ei=J8hSUefiCaXV0QXCkYHgDw&bvm=bv.44342787,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNF4dFSF5PecWj9sTi3WnWyKdmKLkw&ust=1364466076465298" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="400" id="irc_mi" src="http://i1.cdnds.net/12/42/618x387/tech_gopro_hero3_black_edition_1.jpg" style="margin-top: 31px;" width="640" /></a><br />
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There are three main cameras within its range. White, Silver and Black editions. The white edition is its cheapest model at £199 and has the lowest image quality with 1080p at 30fps. As a standard camera it has 5mp with an 3fps burst time. For the more expensive Black edition the camera boasts a 12mp camera and films at 60fps. It costs a more robust £359, although does come with a natty little wifi remote.<br />
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The quality of film is outstanding and has truly revolutionised home video quality but what do you do if this is out of your price range and you can not really justify this lavish toy? Well the are a few alternatives. Well there are if you own an Iphone anyway.<br />
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<a href="http://www.outride.com/">Outride</a> and <a href="http://www.maptaq.com/maptaq.com/index.php/en/products/qmountz">Qmountz</a> are a couple of different companies who are using the phones ability to shoot 1080p quality film and have created a safe secure cases for the phone that can be mounted in much the same way a GoPro can. The cases are waterproof too and can be used to a few meters under water, as well as been shock proof and shatter proof. Which is just as well as the Iphones are a bit fragile. The camera cases change the cameras focal length into a more wide angle view giving a broader range of shot but just as importantly a more stable image.<br />
<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=S0ZZycXTnG9KMM&tbnid=rv9JB-pu2SPVtM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bikeradar.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2Fqmountz-turns-iphone-into-action-camera-36147%2F&ei=18lSUfeDPIPS0QWxkoDICg&bvm=bv.44342787,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNHXZKdnjJFyj1Xar2m4VobEMCcgIw&ust=1364466455341833" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"></a><br />
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=4TP263lSJTxKtM&tbnid=aWtto4wCUxLa2M:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2012%2F12%2F25%2Fmophie-outride-action-cam-case-iphone-for-150%2F&ei=q8pSUc_PE9ON0wWAv4HADA&bvm=bv.44342787,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNHh0P1duaEKxMc0o8IPzYUtPYyRtw&ust=1364466631294181" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="425" id="irc_mi" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2012/12/mophie.jpg" style="margin-top: 20px;" width="640" /></a><br />
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Having viewed the images compared to the GoPro they are not as good but that's not to say they are bad. The iphones doesn't cope as well in light to dark situations as fast as the GoPros nor is the image as stable but the image quality is still really high and not pixelated like older style cameras. They have the advantage of being to upload you film shot to the Internet faster too or even put on twitter or facebook. For £65 to £85 they are more than half the price of the basic GoPro so are a sound option for those on more of a budget.<br />
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Film below shows the quality of the GoPro Black<br />
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-13104090472550533382013-03-01T23:49:00.000+00:002013-03-01T23:49:18.040+00:00Iphone Covers by The Beautiful Ride<a href="http://www.thebeautifulride.co.uk/">The Beautiful Ride</a> appeared in a recent Want It Wednesday of mine for there cycle specific and beautifully designed notebooks. What I didn't touch upon was the other products in their line. <br />
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Recently I purchased an iphone 5 and as this was perhaps a lavish item for me to own I set about looking for someway to protect it. I would say that I looked quite hard to find a suitable product that was cycle related but never really found anything that either suited me as a rider or my sense of aesthetics. I had remembered seeing an iphone cover on The Beautiful rides <a href="http://www.thebeautifulride.co.uk/">website</a> and decided that would be perfect. They only do one design at the moment and as a young company this may remain the case until more demand is made.<br />
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The choice of a Polka Dot design reflects the Polka Dot jeresy worn during the Tour de France for those with the most climbing points or better named 'King of the Mountains'. As a strong climber myself this would I imagine seem very apt for me.<br />
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The case itself arrived the day after ordering which is great service and the usual and professional correspondence was in place to let me know that the order was received and put in the post.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kCsqiem7mUvUG8BYd2g-d6QytTurS-ra-3wwAsx89gulVMC9hJVscdMVWe1dQW8jZ0tXAPIDveWMluePrk5Zo_4XNJCR3mraH1DYPyBUlf0Y8_5bIKvkp3NhLhxcQR7twtku3WSmfSUV/s1600/2013+03+01_0528_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-kCsqiem7mUvUG8BYd2g-d6QytTurS-ra-3wwAsx89gulVMC9hJVscdMVWe1dQW8jZ0tXAPIDveWMluePrk5Zo_4XNJCR3mraH1DYPyBUlf0Y8_5bIKvkp3NhLhxcQR7twtku3WSmfSUV/s640/2013+03+01_0528_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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When it arrived the case was wrapped in a lovely printed tissue paper which added to the feel of unwrapping something special. The case itself is polycarbon with the image thermally embedded so it won't scratch peel or peel of. It is very slim in design so adds very little bulk to your phone which is always a bonus. As for price I would mark it at the higher end of the price spectrum. £22.50 is however, not as expensive as many of the cycle designed covers I've seen from the likes Zazzle which can be up to ten pounds more, and that's not buying you anything better in quality.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPWcBL3bT7lSDA78X-tElIGL5hk72a_aNxpAlNhjOyi1C1nM9hw7UDlNhiiZntqU3PTf_DJ00tKJ7_wxibbw0U1fubcu427CyGEfHxTE2CsrmINUKwPf9cqwNqU4oBagjbs1n5bKuoNcM/s1600/2013+03+01_0531_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOPWcBL3bT7lSDA78X-tElIGL5hk72a_aNxpAlNhjOyi1C1nM9hw7UDlNhiiZntqU3PTf_DJ00tKJ7_wxibbw0U1fubcu427CyGEfHxTE2CsrmINUKwPf9cqwNqU4oBagjbs1n5bKuoNcM/s640/2013+03+01_0531_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Overall, I'm very impressed with it and would happily recommend using the Beautiful Ride again if you want something that bit different. It would make a great gift for the cyclist in your life or just as a little special something to treat yourself. Hopefully in the future the range can be extended using the same great images as used for their notebooks.<br />
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-50596094160563629492013-02-23T10:19:00.001+00:002013-02-23T10:19:52.443+00:00Book Review - My Time by Bradley Wiggins<div style="text-align: center;">
<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Gp_IV2h35P9fQM&tbnid=eLLhq0DUz30XsM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stanfords.co.uk%2FHome%2FProduct-Detail%2FBradley-Wiggins-My-Time_9780224092128.htm&ei=gusjUaa-CaLC0QXy7IGICg&bvm=bv.42553238,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNEUZgvQi2k7L4X8dwu8SmgQnuAc6g&ust=1361394892429443" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="400" id="irc_mi" src="http://stanfords.s3.amazonaws.com/coverimage/1232534_BradleyMyTime_yjp_jkt.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="267" /></a></div>
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Bradley Wiggins latest book concentrates on his successful 2012 season. The book is co written with Guardian sports writer William Fotheringham, and takes you through a brief background of his past but mainly concentrates on his successful races at the Tour of Romandie, Paris-Nice, the Tour de France and Olympics.<br />
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Bradley Wiggins is now by far the most famous and successful British cyclist of our time moving out of Mark Cavendish's shadow and become a icon in his right. This book is real thoughts to pages stuff. He lays down exactly what he thinks giving you very detailed accounts of his emotions, his relationships with staff and team members.<br />
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From this book, you learn what it takes to make a great champion and he takes you back a few years from his earlier days on the track to his rise in road racing, where even in his own submission he lacked the right attitude as a team leader. The death of his grandfather and his only male role model, and the tough love from the team senior management bring forward a change in Wiggins that allowed him to reach his true potential. Certainly his relationships with members of the team are interesting and how he views them particularly with David Brailsford and Mark Cavendish, but its what you learn about the teams approach to training and why team Sky has become so dominant that interested me the most. <br />
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The book isn't overly scientific or even aimed at just cyclists which should help with a broad range of readers wanting to know a little more about the recent Sports Personality of the Year. It covers all areas too from doping and Wiggins and the teams stance on it as well as the relationship between himself and Chris Froome during the tough stages in the mountains of the Tour de France. The book also gives a glimpse into what he plans for his future in the sport, and the reasons for not contesting for another Tour title.<br />
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Sometimes the book lacks solid structure flipping backwards and forwards at time. It reads like Wiggins speaking his mind whilst the writer takes notes, but doesn't really edit it. This is the only criticism I could find from the book in what is overall a good read and a worthy buy. </div>
Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-69474980623772560422013-02-20T22:57:00.001+00:002013-02-20T22:57:36.067+00:00Strava and Races to Come<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="405" scrolling="no" src="http://app.strava.com/segments/1479116/embed" width="590"></iframe>
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I could very easily get addicted to Strava. I particularly like it when I get my KOM stats and find I'm at the top! Strava has allowed me to show off my KOM but sadly not my ride which despite the cold and the mud was enjoyable. Now I find myself analysing all of my efforts along the route, which I'm not sure if it's encouraging to my ride or in the long run detrimental. Will I ever just casually go up a hill again? Still, whilst my motivation in training has been lacking maybe this is what I need to keep me going and a little part of me is already finding other hills I can try and win a crown.....even if its only a minor victory that I can share with myself. <br />
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Talking of training, I have had a crisis meeting with myself and have come to the conclusion that this year could be asking too much for me to do a 100 mile MTB race. I know I've still got months to go but I'm not sure a) I could do that distance on a rigid fork for and b) do that kind of distance averaging 8mph or more.<br />
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At the moment I'm going to concentrate on short xc racing. The North East XC series is back this year and starts earlier with eight full round. I finished 8th overall last year and would like to better improve on this, so I've now set an ambitious target of placing on the podium for the series. Basically I need to finish top three. A tall order for someone racing on one gear and in no fit condition. I've got until the 20th April before my first round. I need to loose 7lbs by then and be able to maintain race pace for an hour. Sounds doable, and if it's not well hopefully someone will cheer me on as I puff and pant my way slowly around the course. I'll still at least be the one smiling the most. Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-86600418657390215382013-02-19T21:08:00.005+00:002013-02-19T21:08:48.484+00:00Book Review - Riis Stages of Light and Dark by Bjarne Riis<div style="text-align: center;">
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The rider Bjarne Riis was a rider who featured in my early interest in road cycling and the Tour de France. He wasn't a rider that I ever learned much about at the time, he was infamous for his private nature and like many riders from his era questioned about how clean a rider he was.</div>
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Riis is perhaps famed as much for his win of the 1996 Tour de France as his eventual and more recent admission to EPO usage during his career. The book which is ghost written by journalist Lars Steen Pedersen, is a look back over those years in an attempt to reveal his dark secrets and bring light to on his questionable past.</div>
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The book takes you back to his past and to the the cycling world he grew up in, talking about how as a shy youth he found cycling an outlet where he could express himself. Actually his early years is somewhat skipped over in my opinion but forms some of the most interesting aspects of the book or at least the most honest. He talks with some fondness of riding and learning from Laurent Fignon, which makes for interesting reading and you learn of his desire to make his break with the bigger teams, trying to get himself more noticed to earn the bigger pay check. The book follows an almost similar pattern to many other cycling books of a young clean rider, naive to the real world of cycling and doping, and his eventual demise to user followed by guilt. However, if you are seeking an open account and insight into the dirty world of the peleton then you will be left disappointed.</div>
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His admission to taking EPO is mentioned but Riis blows over the subject as though he is doing what every other rider his doing. It certainly central to the narrative. There is no name dropping and you can't but help that he holds back detail. In his admission to using EPO there is no mention in how he got it, how he used it just emotional reaction to having to use it. This has probably got a lot to with him still working within cycling and 'spitting in the soup' is something he is not still willing to do. This is you feel quite a theme in the book. It's not what he telling you but what he is missing out. His accounts of the Festina affair in 1998 from his point of view labours on the side of hypocritical as he complains of them 'riding like animals' and the press lumping them all together with the same label as dopers. It just strikes that he is still unhappy that he was out doped rather than real remorse for the damage being done in the sport.</div>
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What is apparent in his admission is the lack of actual belief that doping had anything to do with his success of the tour and he attributes much more of it to his scientific approach to cycling compared to other riders who still just churned out the miles. He talks in length about some of the stages of the tour in which he wins and his rise as a team leader and getting the riders to respect him. His overcoming of his natural shyness to champion is an interesting tale but it is more in the latter parts of the book I found more interesting and that is his time as team owner and directeur sportif for the CSC team. It does give good insight into the personalities of the riders he has worked with including Tyler Hamilton, Carlos Sastre and Alberto Contador.</div>
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<a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=-IHR6lDdHNRkYM&tbnid=8GxfiUxCLeHPRM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblogs.bettor.com%2FBjarne-Riis-in-hot-water-after-Tyler-Hamilton-revelations-a199465&ei=7uEjUd79MKqu0QWLsYA4&bvm=bv.42553238,d.d2k&psig=AFQjCNEmOHsTMLCGzRxcgo9K1En7_L9xgg&ust=1361392385603791" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="425" id="irc_mi" src="http://answers.bettor.com/images/Articles/thumbs/extralarge/Bjarne-Riis-in-hot-water-after-Tyler-Hamilton-revelations-199465.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="640" /></a></div>
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The book doesn't make him out to be the most likable of people and this probably his why he struggled with riders on his team as both rider and team leader, and his inevitable admission to doping feels like it comes not from real guilt but pressure from the press after members of his previous Telekom team speak out. It has rings of the same scenario we now see with Lance Armstrong.</div>
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Overall, the book has some good aspects to it but it also feels self serving, a confession of some sorts while deeper details have been left out, and think it is this that makes it hard for the reader to have any really empathy for him Maybe when he fully retires will a broader picture be painted.<br />
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-55341187390768937882013-02-13T21:52:00.003+00:002013-02-13T21:52:48.706+00:00Want It Wednesday - The Beautiful Ride NotebooksI was recently explaining my lack of love for training diaries. I'm never good at keeping them up to date and even my best laid out plans fall apart leaving an unwanted book that serves little purpose for the future. I'm no longer transfixed with recording every given hour on the bike, recording it down and making some anal chart that proves just how little I'm really doing<br />
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What works better for me is to keep a more loose style journal of my rides and races. More importantly I like to write down goals, Time targets, mile targets, weights, average heart rates. Everything but how long I've done on a bike or how many hours I've spent spinning my legs on a turbo. Information like that is no use. To know you're improving its much better to have something instantly measurable and something you can then go back year after year to see changes.<br />
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This leads me onto my 'Want'. I recently wanted a notebook to enter my data for this year, the trouble is nothing really stands out to me as a cyclist. I love fancy stationary stuff, and am a sucker for nice address books and diaries, birthday books etc. Sadly, in a rush I lumped for a rather plain notebook that just isn't.....well....me. It had to do as I wasn't near a decent shop at the time.<br />
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However, I came across this company <a href="http://www.thebeautifulride.co.uk/product-category/notebooks/">Beautifulride</a><br />
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These are just the thing I am looking for<br />
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<img alt="" height="320" id="fancybox-img" scale="0" src="http://www.thebeautifulride.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Prologue.jpg" width="320" /><img alt="" height="320" id="fancybox-img" scale="0" src="http://www.thebeautifulride.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/I-thought-of-that.jpg" width="320" /><img alt="" height="320" id="fancybox-img" scale="0" src="http://www.thebeautifulride.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/British-Winner.jpg" width="320" /></div>
These were brought to my attention by Tim at his blog <a href="http://timwiggins.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/review-beautiful-ride-notebooks.html">Life in the Saddle</a> where he has written a review on them so it worth checking it out by clicking on the link. Another review to look at as is by <a href="http://www.thediscerningcyclist.co.uk/2013/01/the-beautiful-ride-notebooks-review/">The Discerning Cyclist.</a><br />
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The price is only its slight draw back for me but I'd be buying into something that I would more than likely keep for years and can imagine it to evolve to be full of notes doodles tatty folded up bits of paper etc. They are British, look and sound lovely only now I have to decide which one I'd have!<br />
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If you'd like to write a Want it Wednesday and have it in a place for all to see then please go to my Want It Wednesday page and follow the instructions.<br />
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-81855096277422769902013-02-05T23:35:00.002+00:002013-02-05T23:38:09.754+00:00Getting To Grips With Nymeria (On-One Scandal 29er)Nymeria for those aren't up to date with my blog is my new beloved bike. My On-One Scandal 29er. If you are wondering on the name then it is from George Martins books the Game Of Thrones one of my favourite authors. Nymeria itself is a pet dire wolf, and wolves are some the most interesting of beasts and to all intense and purpose so is my new bike.<br />
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This isn't a full review as I feel I'm yet to bond fully with Nymeria, like an animal it needs some taming before I think I can truly appreciate what she is really capable of. There are three things totally different about this bike I'm having to take into account when riding compared to previous bikes. Carbon rigid forks, 29er Wheels and Tubeless.<br />
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I've read so much about how much better 29 inch wheels are that when you start riding you expect some kind of revelation, and I didn't get that. At least not right away. In fact jumping on it felt very natural and not overly different from my kinesis, this maybe because I'd got the cockpit measurements similar. There seemed no noticeable extra effort to get the wheels rolling as many have lead me to believe. This maybe because overall the wheels are lighter than my previous set which weren't heavy but by buying Stans rims and running them tubeless I've managed to drop about 100 grams in weight including tyres. <br />
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So then comes the idea of them giving more stability. I wasn't sure how this could be proved, I mean I don't ever remember stability being an issue with 26ers. That was until I took my hands off the bars. Riding no handed has never been a skill I've managed greatly. Yes I could ride 100 yards and not fall off but I'd have to make loads of micro adjustments. I'd always found my road bike easier in this case. The 29er proved its stability to me by being so easy to ride no handed. I barely had to try to keep it straight, it just did it and I can only imagine that this extra stability helps in singletrack and technical sections<br />
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I'm not going to comment to much on grip. This is supposed to be a big bonus due the extra contact patch of the tyre to the ground. The reason I'm holding back is that conditions have been very muddy and so the bike hasn't been pushed to its limits in corners. Yet. The grip is there but I'm still finding my limits. For this reason I'm still to really see the benefit in tubeless except in weight. More and that to come in the next few months as I find better pressures to use and learn to really rail it properly.<br />
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Every time I pushed to go fast the bike responded quickly. The overall low weight meant this bike was like a missile. A 21.8lbs missile. It goes without saying that this bike climbed well and the geometry didn't seem to unsettle the front end to much. The actual frame felt quite soft for an aluminium frame. Some frame using this metal can be horrible and harsh. Ideal for your local races but every day long rides something that can tire you out quicker. This felt compliant and when chucking it rough singletrack it never felt like it had longer chain stays, just wanted you to try that bit harder. The geometry is sound not going to the extreme of being an out and out racer but a proper all day riding bike that leaves you smiling.<br />
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What I'm struggling to get to grips with is the fork. It would be very easy for me to say its harsh but in comparison to steel forks my memory doesn't go back that far. Through bumpy corners the front bounces up hard and does hurt your wrists. On many occasions my hand struggled to use the brakes and stay on the grips. This I can see is going to take the most getting used. Perhaps even a bit of strengthening of my arms! It does, however, in smoother parts track well and the steering is very direct so much more so than bikes with suspension forks. It never felt nervous just a case of point and shoot.<br />
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Overall, I'm beginning to love this bike. Its rides as well as it looks and once I'm more used to it I have no doubt about its extra capabilities. This bike will be like lightening in the right hands. I just need to get my fitness back and tame that fork.Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-7785468981390288142013-01-25T14:00:00.001+00:002013-01-25T14:00:19.995+00:00New Bike On-One Scandal 29er Singlespeed - FINISHED!!It's done, it's finally complete. My On-One Scandal is after an agonising six months of planning and buying, ready to ride and be shown off to the world.<br />
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Whats killing me know is the amount of snow and bad weather we are having so I'm not sure when its going to get its first outing, but the weather forecasters have mentioned some milder weather next week so I've got my fingers tightly crossed.<br />
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I've included pictures below for you to view. There are a few small things that I will want to change when I've got the money, the main one being to ditch the dual shifter brakes as they are a bulky eye sore. I also am still thinking of getting some horizontal dropouts for it too so I can get rid of the messy chain tensioner. Lastly the red anodised skewers have got to go. I had bought some nice ti silver ones but the front was on the short side and I just didn't trust it so its been sent back. <br />
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Anyway, enough talk. Here's Nymeria.<br />
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-72028600440782009182013-01-16T21:44:00.000+00:002013-03-01T10:01:30.359+00:00Want It Wednesday - Engin BikesYes I know I've just got my bike built and I'm already looking at other bikes but I came across this company by accident (forum site). <a href="http://www.engincycles.com/">Engin Bikes</a> ( <em>pro. en-jen</em>) aren't out there making space age carbon bikes but ones even the most modern bike designer could look at and appreciate. They are a Philadelphia based company who build there bikes one at a time to suit each riders needs. They deal only with steel although some Titanium frames are due for 2013. <br />
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say but I just can't see how anyone would put off by them.<br />
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Anyway I'll let you decide and have a look at some example shots or you can link up to their website <a href="http://www.engincycles.com/">here</a>.......before telling you the price.<br />
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So are you in love like me? Do you have $2500 (£1500) for the frame alone? One for my dreams......</div>
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Have you got anything to share that is bike related then start your own post starting with the title Want It Wednesday and I shall add you to my Want It Wednesday Page for others to see!!</div>
Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-79564975266569677082013-01-06T10:57:00.000+00:002013-01-16T21:51:39.923+00:00The Year Ahead 2013Firstly,<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><strong>Happy New Year!</strong></span><br />
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I'm not big on making new years resolutions but I have told myself that I need to give my blog a bit of tlc as I'm not writing or updating it as much as I used too. I guess coming to the end of 2012 I was going through a lot of stress with trying to sort my job out and certain things have fallen by the wayside as stress took over. Well my job is now secure and so life can go on once again. Obviously, my blog has also lacked content as I have neither been racing or training. I still don't have my mtb and my road bike is suffering from endless mechanicals which is putting me off long rides out.<br />
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Still this is all to change.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><em>The Bike Build</em></span><br />
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How patient have I had to be for this? I am so close to getting this done. So close in fact it was due to have been finished this weekend but I was let down with an order on spokes and sent the wrong length. More delays....Arrggghhh. So maybe, just maybe it'll be next weekend and I'll be posting it up here as soon as I've got some pictures in place. Watch this space and expect many a report on my new 29er. In the mean time here is a little teaser shot to give you an idea....<br />
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<em><span style="font-size: large;">Training</span></em></div>
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So it begins. I've kind of enjoyed not having to slug my guts through the wind and rain of autumn and part of the winter. The rain here has meant the ground is so muddy and it's going to take a lot of dry weather before it improves. My main target race which is an XC 100 miler in September has meant not having to rush into my training. However, some XC races are starting from March and I don't think I'll have any fitness by then, which is a shame but it'll not rule me out from trying them. I'll just see how I feel at the time. </div>
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I'm taking a whole new approach to my training this year which is something to do with having a mixed need of abilities. I want to do the really fast races in the summer which are only an hour long but also have a long race to aim for at the end of it all. I'm going to really concentrate on building strength this year, including core work and upper body strength to help with my rather poor technical abilities. I think people often neglect strength training too much in the fear of bulking muscle but the reality of it is you won't really gain muscle mass unless you eat the right diet to go with it. There is growing evidence against long hours in the saddle when building your foundations and I've always believed in being specific to what you train for. Long rides have never made me a better racer so I'm going to just try something different this year and see.</div>
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Back to trail running for me too. I miss running and it's time to get the shoes out and spend my January on the trails. Its a great work out building my leg strength which is good for out of saddle climbing on the bike. It also does a damn good job of strengthening my core. By February, it'll start to be much more about the bike.</div>
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<em><span style="font-size: large;">The Blog</span></em></div>
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I've got a few things planned to write about in the next few up and coming weeks including my write up on Bjarne Riss book, some more want it Wednesdays but just as importantly giving my blog a little lift and updating some pictures and altering the layout. I also want to expand my audience so will be looking for more followers via blogger and twitter. I love making good connections with cyclists on here it often makes the whole thing worth while. I may never get to meet any of you in person but I love sharing and hearing your views and ideas on a hobby we all love and enjoy.</div>
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Here's to a fantastic 2013!</div>
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-34907384982158130372012-12-23T22:17:00.002+00:002012-12-23T22:17:12.207+00:00Names On Frames - Personalised Decals ReviewThere is a trend increasing within the cycling world to make what you ride and what you wear more unique than ever. More options than ever are open to us the cyclist. Recently, I got some home designed cycle jerseys and I also talked in my Want It Wednesday about your own coloured saddle from Charge. No you can design your own helmet or even get shoes made in special colour as well.<br />
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All great stuff, but a couple of weeks ago I came across this little gem from <a href="http://www.namesonframes.co.uk/">Names On Frames</a> on twitter. I've often loved looking at Pro cyclists bikes and loved knowing which is there bike parked up by the team bus. The little name tag on the frame giving away who they are and in my soul I've harboured a little desire to have something similar. I've always meant to find a company that would help me achieve this little dream without being stupidly priced. <a href="http://www.namesonframes.co.uk/"> Names On Frames</a>, @NamesOnFrames just fits the bill perfectly and they are so easy to use.<br />
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Via their website you just fill in the drop down boxes with the kind of flag, script and colouring you want and your done. Very easy. Prices start from a happy on your wallet £5.95 for four stickers.<br />
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So to the review itself, and over all I am very happy with the services of Name On Frames. Granted there was a technical hic-cup and my details of what I wanted hadn't work right for some reason or other either on my behalf or theirs. However, I was contacted swiftly by David via E-Mail and when I didn't respond straight away he even tried me on Twitter too which in my mind is great customer service. Once everything was ironed out the stickers came in the post within a few days so the wait really isn't long either.<br />
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The stickers are of good quality and easy to apply and have found a happy home on my helmet and frame. Being white, they obviously don't stand out on my frame but all my decals are white as I'm after a subtle look. Obviously others may want to purchase theirs in black script. Still, you can see the stickers better on my helmet in the image below.<br />
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Overall, I would happily use Name On Frames again and if you want something similar then I see no reason to look elsewhere.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Subtle in White but goes well with the rest of my Decals</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling like a Pro</td></tr>
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Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-46146928369174984802012-12-06T13:15:00.001+00:002012-12-06T13:22:01.271+00:00Planning for the 2013 season - Keider 100, Three Peaks and C2CMy original plans of doing the UK 24hr solo championships were sadly put to a halt this year when I discovered that the venue had been moved from its usual hilly all weather surface to something quite the oposite. It had been moved I think to make it more accessable for a larger number of riders and so increase the entries but sadly it is now a 7 hour trip and one I'm not willing to make.<br />
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So I've had to do a bit of head scratching. It seems that endurance races in my part of the country are getting rarer. I thought therefore that I would have to spend my season just doing short xc races instead. No bad thing but anything over an hour and I struggle to make any impact no matter how much training I fit in. I have however found something! The <a href="http://www.sip-events.co.uk/kielder-home.html">Kielder 100</a> is a race I dismissed as being beyond my capabilities, but then I thought the same of a 24hr race so after a bit of reading I decided that it would be my main target for the year. As a bonus it is held in September so my training for it wouldn't start till late winter (I hate training through the winter!) This means I can still do bits of xc racing to keep up my speed and motivation.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.sip-events.co.uk/kielder-home.html">Kielder 100</a> is one tough race. The 100 stands for its distance in MILES, with about 14,000ft of climbing. As its a race there are check points along the massive one lap course with cut off times. If you don't make it in time your race is over. Basically, it works out you have to keep over an 8mph average! I'll be doing it on my rigid singlespeed........just because I can and they a proper SS category.<br />
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Anyway here is a video from the winners point of view during last years race.<br />
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There is also another race I am interested in doing and that is the Three Peaks Cyclo Cross race which is 38miles with 5,000ft of climbing and labelled as the worlds toughest CX race. It is about two weeks after the Kielder 100 so I'm still not sure and places are limited so it may have to be a target for another year. That and I need a CX bike! It looks hard, grim, challenging and fantastic all rolled into one. Perfect. Couples of videos below to whet the appetite.<br />
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Hopefully in preparation for these events I will also be finally getting my act together and doing the Coast to Coast which isn't a race but more a challenge. Its a 150 mile ride taking in some tough road climbs of the lake district and pennines. Some people take about 3 - 5 days to do it but it is possible to do it in one day and that will be my target.</div>
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So there we go. I'll get some prep training in January started which will include some good cross training like trail running and weights, then time on the bike from February. It's going to be a fab year if all goes to plan!</div>
Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-78056578482139944562012-12-05T10:49:00.000+00:002012-12-05T10:49:56.820+00:00Want It Wednesday - Custom Charge Spoon SaddleCame across this 'Want' last night. I'm going to be buying a new saddle for my new mtb and was looking at buying this rather lovely one here.<br />
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<img height="202" id="il_fi" src="http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/product-images-large/charge-spoon-saddle-synthetic-brown-ti-49647.jpg" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="640" /></div>
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However, is that good enough for my my WIW? No, I don't think so either. So how about if you could have it custom coloured? Well now you can, because after a couple of years of rumour the lovely people of <a href="http://chargebikes.com/">Charge</a> now have a designated personalised saddle service allowing you to choose the colour of the cover, underside, bumpers, logo and stitching! You can have a go <a href="https://custom.chargebikes.com/#!thl=charge/spoon_saddle(s:~cover_C1,rails_B2,base_E1,bumpers_D1,logo_G1,stitching_F1+)">here</a>. </div>
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So is that a bit more exciting? I think so but obviously this bumps up the price quite a bit more and starts to put it out of my range a bit. A normal saddle costs about £25 ($40) but a custom will cost from £70 ($112) which is a hefty jump!</div>
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There are some other people who also like to take part in <a href="http://followingthechainline.blogspot.co.uk/p/bike-bling-wednesday.html">Want It Wednesday</a> and you can see them in the link. Here you can see how to take part and see what others have been talking about. So why not give it a go.</div>
Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-13523281661462841752012-12-02T15:55:00.001+00:002012-12-02T21:17:26.254+00:00Eclipse Cycling Custom Made Cycle Clothing - ReviewRecently I formed a group on facebook called North East Single Speed. It's aim was to get together a group of like minded individuals to share thoughts, go on rides and socialise. I know in the group there are some who will just do casual rides but then there are those like myself who would like to race. On a trip to one such race I was travelling with a friend and we were discussing how cool it would be to have our own team kit so that we would be recognised at races and group meetings. I explained that I'd already had a quick look and even had ideas for the design but sadly most of the companies would only allow you to order in bulk and we'd have to have more willing buyers before it could be considered.<br />
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However, after a little search I came across this company <a href="http://www.eclipsecycling.com/">Eclipse Cycling</a>. The company, still very young and based in China, struck me for two reasons. There is NO MINIMUM orders on anything you design and the clothing wasn't expensive. I did some research and found only a small amount of information but there was enough out there to make me think that they could be trusted. As there wasn't a load of cost involved I took the gamble and I thought I'd share my experiences with you.<br />
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On the website you go to their design software where you are given a number of pre set stencils which with a large range of colours gives you the scope to create something quite unique and stylish. They have a showcase of some of there designs but really a little imagination is needed and you can produce some great looking tops. I had already made designs on Photoshop for the jerseys logos on the front and the back which the software allow you to use on the jerseys and shorts. Overall, the process of design is easy to use and quite fun so have a play around but bear in mind you can't save these unless you submit them to the company, but more on that in a bit. What I will say before you submit the design is don't rush it. Get it as good and as close to your finished design as you can as it will save further complications in the future. This is what I created:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi_fFDE4ZqSM4OUJ0piNA37bSUs4UBxX36ksUv48MlJiGIVNZwxV2xM2G0UKmS2fXFcvG3I85pS2aSPLzGWlfUNunBp2D9zIwkgWc7eOI6dIJlTBhc12kfsGq0CrrGXFX56FSxmZsuI6w/s1600/74MEKEJ3493K9PD9764_jersey.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi_fFDE4ZqSM4OUJ0piNA37bSUs4UBxX36ksUv48MlJiGIVNZwxV2xM2G0UKmS2fXFcvG3I85pS2aSPLzGWlfUNunBp2D9zIwkgWc7eOI6dIJlTBhc12kfsGq0CrrGXFX56FSxmZsuI6w/s640/74MEKEJ3493K9PD9764_jersey.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pbrMbK7yaan2me5lrgV2R97zUu9cWGgoYJ30LKH8DdcDcJTsWMskzyrQv_1hw9IaByQwXOmNUCKJmOxrdc4Ols-l4_Nd6BzpaU30KWA20Gd_ZCDqxnVkUFp2jyjehGoUA9hwk2CwJWcy/s1600/74MEKEJ3493K9PD9764__long-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4pbrMbK7yaan2me5lrgV2R97zUu9cWGgoYJ30LKH8DdcDcJTsWMskzyrQv_1hw9IaByQwXOmNUCKJmOxrdc4Ols-l4_Nd6BzpaU30KWA20Gd_ZCDqxnVkUFp2jyjehGoUA9hwk2CwJWcy/s640/74MEKEJ3493K9PD9764__long-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Once you have submitted a 'ticket' then the real process begins. You will then receive an email with a message from Eclipse and that will show you the image of your design. You can now, for the first time save the image and use it to show friends if you like, you have not yet committed to buying. I was contacted by Annie Lee, others have dealt with Max, but from my experience you keep in contact with the same person throughout the process. You are now given the chance to finalise the product or make any changes, of which you are given three chances.<br />
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This is in my opinion where things got tricky and at times long winded. Obviously here in the UK time zones mean that Emails to China would be slow and I'd often have to wait till the next morning to have any information from them. At first this was fine. I made a small change to where I wanted the writing and that was done promptly and with no problems. However, I had grown a little impatient over a design on the long jersey whereby I wanted the sleeves done a certain way. I explained as best I could but each time it was not done, sometimes with the design it went back to the original look that I'd already said was wrong. Basically, although their written English is good, some things are lost in translation. You can see examples of their English on the website and grammar can let them down and not give a very professional impression. In the end I took the image and saved it and manipulated it in photoshop to show what I wanted. My advise stands as before, if you want it to look right and save a long process and explanation, try and get it as good as near finished first time.<br />
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With the design confirmed you are given a list of prices. The prices are excellent. You will find it hard to find normal tops that compare let alone ones with your own design. Here is their list prices:<br />
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Short Sleeve Jersey $29.99<br />
Wind Vest $37.99<br />
Thermal Wind Vest $37.99<br />
Long Sleeve Jersey $33.99<br />
Thermal Long Sleeve Jersey $40.99<br />
Regular Shorts $27.99<br />
Bib Shorts $29.99<br />
Pants $40.99<br />
Thermal Pants $42.99<br />
Bib Pants $42.99<br />
Thermal Bib Pants $46.99<br />
Arm Warmers $18<br />
Thermal Arm Warmers $20<br />
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Short Sleeve Jersey + Regular Shorts $50<br />
Short Sleeve Jersey + Bib Shorts $52<br />
Long Sleeve Jersey + Pants Kits $65<br />
Long Sleeve Jersey + Bib Pants Kits $70<br />
Long Sleeve Jersey + Pants (Both Thermal) $70<br />
Long Sleeve Jersey + Bib Pants Kits (Both Thermal) $78<br />
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There is on top of this postage to pay which is $12 if under $100 in total.<br />
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In UK currency it cost me £34 for a thermal jersey INCLUDING postage. You will be informed about about how long the making and ordering process is expected to take. Overall it takes about a month and you will be sent and Email when your item is shipped. The item can be tracked also but I found this was never updated and even now says processing! I know others who have said similar things. If you intend to want the jersey for an event or charity then I'd give the whole process at least two months from start to finish to avoid disappointment.<br />
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One more thing that bothers me about the current website is you can't see all the designs of others as you could previously. It also meant that I had to email again to get information on my design so others could also order. This in my mind needs to be addressed to make it easier for the consumer.<br />
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When my long sleeve thermal jersey came i couldn't have been more pleased. The jersey itself is made by Descente, and fitted just right. The sizing guide from experience is accurate and the top fitted the same as many of my other tops. The actual jersey is much more like a training top, slightly loose on the chest allowing me to put it over my short sleeved jersey. I can confirm that after some cold weather here the top does a good job in adding warmth. The top has also retained it colour and shape after a few washes. On a negative side, the print quality isn't 100%. There is some 'ghosting' with parts of the logo and some of the red letters, but you'd have to be looking fairly close to really notice. There is, if you also look carefully at the back logo, a couple of small red spots that shouldn't be there In fairness I suppose if you want Assos style gear with a unique well printed design be prepared to pay twice if not three times the amount and look elsewhere. The clothes at Eclipse, are good and allow you to have something unique for yourself or your team so on the whole I'd recommend them and will be placing further orders with them. Below are some pictures of the final product. Hope you like it as much as I do!<br />
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<br />Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4201082294080041408.post-87632302611812373762012-11-21T21:21:00.002+00:002012-11-21T21:21:09.143+00:00Want It Wednesday - Bike TransportHow do you get your bike to a venue, a race or a group meet? Do you do what I do and fling your bike in the back of the car (remembering to bring some large sheets to cover the back so it doesn't get dirty)? Or do you have a way of transporting them on your vehicle of choice such as on a roof rack? These are all very acceptable forms of bike transport but sometimes its just not......whats the word......'cool' enough?<br />
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I want something more special. I want a van. I think I've been harbouring this desire from many races I've been to where I've walked by and looked in the back of some of these vans and see them carry all manner of bike kit. Which got me thinking, wouldn't it be great to have a van that was purposely set up for bike transportation.<br />
<img height="480" id="il_fi" src="http://pictures.autotrader.co.uk/ATD_web/servlet/media?id=42265311" style="padding-bottom: 8px; padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px;" width="640" /><br />
I think my dream van would cover the obvious inner racking to hold a couple of bikes securely during driving, perhaps where I can take the front wheel of and secure it by a clamp on the forks. Then I think what about tools. This van should have an inset tool chest bolted in, covering all my mechanical needs and maybe a work stand that works with the tow bar. <br />
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How about a place to put your bike shoes, helmet, back packs and clothing. And what if you're going to a bigger event. Then we are talking somewhere to sleep, maybe even a canopy or gazebo to keep you dry outside of the van including tables chairs etc. A BBQ, a wood stove burner to keep you warm at night?<br />
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You probably think I'm being a bit mad but I've seen all this kind of stuff at various races and I want one too. Although I would want it super smart inside and organised not just a mobile shed. Some of you maybe thinking why not get a camper van or big bus thingy with all the latest home comforts, but the truth is most roads in this county are small and don't warrant big vehicles and most of the time I only want to drive out locally with it. Maybe for some this would be a bit 'pro' or team vehicle (the thought of personalised decals had occurred to me!) but I just like the idea having everything I need with me. Maybe that is just me.....<br />
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Anyway that's my WIW which I know has been a long time coming. Sorry about that. Others have also been contributing in the last few weeks as well so you really should check their blogs out to see what they want. <a href="http://followingthechainline.blogspot.co.uk/p/bike-bling-wednesday.html">See my link here to see them and how you can join in too.</a>Jez Andrewshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10250017521876084562noreply@blogger.com7