Er, that's it really.
Actually 2010 is scary, my bike ride is no longer "next year", it will be "this year" - 4 months away and I am nowhere near ready, I mean I don't even have a bike any more, how funny is that. Plus all the weight I've put on has got to come off too, pointless carrying round an extra 40 or so pounds.
I need a drink after typing that!!
Thursday 31 December 2009
Wednesday 30 December 2009
The search continues.........
Spent more time at the PC in the last 3 days than if I was at work, and I'm no further on in my quest for a new bike.
Signed up to 3 cycling websites for advice and ideas, and have got plenty to go on - there's a shop in Digbeth (about 3 or 4 miles away for those not familiar with Birmingham) that I plan to visit tomorrow, and someone posted a list of links to more bikes up for grabs on ebay. So there are irons in the fire, but in truth I'm no nearer, and it's frustrating. I went out on my current mountain bike the other day, spent a couple of hours riding through the fields that surround the airport, it was fun, made a change from riding on road - no traffic to worry about, and it's where a bike like that belongs, churning a path through the mud!! When I got back I gave it a good clean in preparation for giving it back soon, and because of that I'm loathe to do too much, if any, riding on it - the least I can do is hand him back a clean bike.
So, I'm thinking that if I don't get anything sorted in the next week I'll be on the bus to and from work, and I'll just have to use the gym at work every day. I'll have to do something, weighed myself this morning - 14 stone 8 pounds. Or, to put it another way, 2.5 stone overweight. Or just plain fat.
Signed up to 3 cycling websites for advice and ideas, and have got plenty to go on - there's a shop in Digbeth (about 3 or 4 miles away for those not familiar with Birmingham) that I plan to visit tomorrow, and someone posted a list of links to more bikes up for grabs on ebay. So there are irons in the fire, but in truth I'm no nearer, and it's frustrating. I went out on my current mountain bike the other day, spent a couple of hours riding through the fields that surround the airport, it was fun, made a change from riding on road - no traffic to worry about, and it's where a bike like that belongs, churning a path through the mud!! When I got back I gave it a good clean in preparation for giving it back soon, and because of that I'm loathe to do too much, if any, riding on it - the least I can do is hand him back a clean bike.
So, I'm thinking that if I don't get anything sorted in the next week I'll be on the bus to and from work, and I'll just have to use the gym at work every day. I'll have to do something, weighed myself this morning - 14 stone 8 pounds. Or, to put it another way, 2.5 stone overweight. Or just plain fat.
Monday 28 December 2009
Looking for a new bike.
This xmas I asked everyone for money rather than a present, this would then form my bike fund, and enable me to buy a better bike than I would otherwise be able to afford.
Today I visited the 2 local shops selling bikes, and made notes of the model, specs and prices on offer. I then came back and researched the models on a couple of cycling forums and basically they are all crap. There were a couple of names that kept cropping up as good makes - Giant, Specialised and Trek. So I looked into these and they are significantly more expensive than what I had anticipated spending.
I have searched on Ebay and found a number of 2nd hand Giant and Trek road bikes, and to be fair they probably do represent better value for my money, it's just that I wanted to go into a bike shop, pick a bike I liked, have it set up for me by people who know what they are doing, and I could then ride my brand new bike home. Yet another one of life's disappointments eh?
Anyway, I've been online for hours and I've had enough for now. There's about 6 or 7 in my "Watched" items on Ebay, I'll look again tomorrow.
Today I visited the 2 local shops selling bikes, and made notes of the model, specs and prices on offer. I then came back and researched the models on a couple of cycling forums and basically they are all crap. There were a couple of names that kept cropping up as good makes - Giant, Specialised and Trek. So I looked into these and they are significantly more expensive than what I had anticipated spending.
I have searched on Ebay and found a number of 2nd hand Giant and Trek road bikes, and to be fair they probably do represent better value for my money, it's just that I wanted to go into a bike shop, pick a bike I liked, have it set up for me by people who know what they are doing, and I could then ride my brand new bike home. Yet another one of life's disappointments eh?
Anyway, I've been online for hours and I've had enough for now. There's about 6 or 7 in my "Watched" items on Ebay, I'll look again tomorrow.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
A big Thank You to Bladerunner
We have a gym at work and it's run by Bladerunner - http://www.bladerunner.co.uk/ - I asked them last week if I could have free access for the next 4 months so I could do some training in there rather than catch another cold cycling in torrential rain, or whatever else the British winter might throw at me, and they have very kindly agreed to. I'm hoping the instructer will also take pity on me and offer whatever advice, guidance or encouragement he feels I need!!
So I plan on using the exercise bikes pretty much every day, as well as still cycling to work - not that I have much choice on that front, it's bike or bus and it's quicker by bike. I might even do a bit of weight work too, upper body strength will help, and any body weight I can lose between now and my ride will be less weight to carry around on the bike.
So, thanks again Bladerunner, it really is appreciated and I'm very grateful - especially now it's getting so cold!!
So I plan on using the exercise bikes pretty much every day, as well as still cycling to work - not that I have much choice on that front, it's bike or bus and it's quicker by bike. I might even do a bit of weight work too, upper body strength will help, and any body weight I can lose between now and my ride will be less weight to carry around on the bike.
So, thanks again Bladerunner, it really is appreciated and I'm very grateful - especially now it's getting so cold!!
Tuesday 8 December 2009
Long time no blog!
Not really had anything to say (not like me I know!!). Came down with a cold the week following my last ride - the 1st November when I got soaked and frozen and had a puncture. Took me 3 weeks to shift it. Although I probably could have managed longer rides it seemed wiser to save my energy to try and get myself back to 100%. I think I'm now back to 100%, so did the long route to work this morning for the first time in ages, now if I can just avoid catching any more bugs I can concentrate on training.
Fingers crossed.
Fingers crossed.
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