Tuesday morning my dearest dad had roped me into helping him with some lifting in exchange for a breakfast at the local trade warehouse. (You see it’s not all glamour in the life of an international blogger/MTB legend) I knew something wasn’t quite right when I passed up the opportunity for a “Full English” and opted for egg and toast. With the lifting out of the way I got back home and sat on the sofa feeling really strange. All reserves of energy had gone and my legs were painful to touch, it was like riding with Jim and Pete…..
A few hours later and I’d managed to get off the sofa and relocated to the bathroom to re-enact the pea soup scene from the Exorcist as it fired out from, well, another place too. Laying in bed feverish later, I lamented on the miles I was missing.
How were the trails going to be? Were they going to be still beautifully firm and grippy as springtime worked it’s almost divine magic? Who was going to be out? Would it be the usual suspects or would the Pootle Crew be blessed with new grins? What route were they doing, start place had been decided but route not? Would the assembled crank mashers hit the sweet and swoopy joys of the Reservoir Raid or the demanding but grin inducing Drig Delight? What new toys would people have? Would it be the usual creaking, groaning mechanic’s nightmare of velocipedes or would the sheen and shine of Jim’s new race steed be prompting a trip on the plastic fantastic?
Before I descended into complete biological meltdown I’d managed to radio in to Pete to ask him to lead up the ride for me. Everyone who pootled has told me what a great ride he’d lead and what a good time had been shared. So to Pete; Cheers mate your a legend.
So, here I am, still not 100% (but with my appetite back thankfully) writing this up instead of riding, hopefully giving my body chance to fully heal.
In other news a few from the Bad Brains and most of Pete’s “Training Crew” are riding the Spring Marathon this weekend so a big shout of good luck to them all.
In other news a few blogs you should be reading:
Bigringcircus: You should always be reading Juancho’s little stateside adventures, every now and again he even rides his bike.
Mattmagic: This guy is always worth reading for two reasons: Firstly to gawp at the sheer mileage this guy puts in and secondly to be totally envious of a lifestyle where that much riding is even possible.
Fat Cyclist: A bit of cycling blog celebrity now but always well written and a giggle to read.
First and Last And Always: Sascha’s little corner of the net is a favourite of mine but she supplements her cycling pain with swimming and running suffering too.
Jeff Kerkove: America’s and Ergon’s own poster boy for endurance racing. A regular updater and an interesting insight into the regime of what it takes to be very good indeed.
Highway Munky: He’s already sliding down the slippery slope of MTB addiction and isn’t far away from the point of no return. It’s quite amusing to see his dependence being fed for all too see.
Struggling to Find My Form: Another stateside blogger (and this one is a roadie but don’t hold it against him) with a certain wit about him. What is about the “chunkier” cyclist and mildly amusing ramblings…….
Fat Lad
P.S. This post was very nearly called Fat Lad Rides The Porcelain Throne but I thought better of it.
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