This is rather nice. For about 5 minutes.

www.google.com/landing/mytrackstour

Le Tour and that

Is it me or has the first week this year been rather dull? Are crashes interesting? Early break sticks it out until 8k, teams 'get organised' ((c) Paul Sherwin) brings them back, fat boy sprinters elbow it out. Check out Claudio Chiappucci interview in Pro Cycling that looks at a time when tactics were anarchic to the point of being bizarre. Under pressure with almost no team CC attacks Lemond and tries to hold out for a few hundred clicks. Let me say that again, a few hundred clicks. Completely futile effort as it turned out but that wasn't really the point, an element of daftness is what makes (or rather made?) cycling great.

Regent's Park

I'm not convinved about writing a blog - is anyone interested? Am I interested? Regardless let's press on. Today's training /amble saw a jaunt around RP. Far more out than 3 or 4 years ago - or is it because it is July? Various states of fitness going on. Two or three decent size groups form but Cycles Goff is now a beginner. For all the hundreds of laps I have completed in previous seasons, I wheeze up the incline towards the zoo like a dray horse and am overtaken by various groups and repeatedly by a big chap on a TT bike. However i stick it out for an hour or so, with uncomfortable feet and shoulders. I don't remember these aches, maybe Cycles Goff is getting on a bit. But this is training, although what's training and what's riding your bike on a Saturday morning has never been entirely clear.

Hopefully my cross bike will arrive soon. Watch out Sven Nys.

Cyclo cross training and pints

With a view to racing 'cross this autumn I am laying off the ale and cranking out the turbo. Sort of. 'Cross is talked about as 'accessible' and 'friendly' and I am sure it is. The first time I raced was the Thursday League at Eastway (although I didn't know I had entered a league at the time). Come along they said, join in, it'll be fine, if you get dropped just sit a lap out. They never said if you race this you'll be wheezing so hard you'll be lucky not to cough up a kidney. I joined in and I was a DNF (there is nothing at all wrong with a DNF by the way; only a halfwit drags his sorry ass to the finishing line a half-hour behind the winner, far more dignified to slink back to race HQ and set about the cake and blame a mechanical). I was off the back lap 1, dropped lap 2 and eating cake after my vision came back lap 3. And so began a dreadful performance in local races that will no doubt continue this season. Training regime to follow.

Bikes and that, the first post

I hope this to be the first of many cycnical and possibly entertaining musings on cycling and bike racing. From happenings in my shed to professional racing I hope to sling together enough to talk about, in and around the football, work etc and so forth. Many thanks for reading.