PedalFeet: get outside

Seriously. Nine.

2012-01-18T02:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Adventure Journal for this one. Female freestyle has a very bright future. BTW - she's nine-years-old. Yep.

Kelly Sildaru / Wanted from Sildaru on Vimeo.

In, out and relax

2012-01-18T02:21:00.000-08:00

Been in Norway last couple of days skiing the most epic powder. Lyngen Lodge eat your heart out. This was Sogndal with these boys: Breogfjell. Sweet ass touring, cabins overnight G3 HIghball skis (107 underfoot) - and you could still have gone bigger. Japanese-style tree runs, huge powder bowls and a little bus to pick you up at the end of it all. Awe. Some.
Then I got back to Chamonix and a lorry sprayed me head to toe in water as I walked to yoga (natch) and it's so cold (-10) that it froze instantly on contact with me and my down jacket. Love Chamonix. And now I'm off to Verbier for a few days. But getting serious bike withdrawal symptoms so instead of working today I've been perusing this gallery of the best shots of 2012 on Pinkbike. Hello wheels.

Oh hello

2012-01-08T03:08:00.000-08:00

A girl who rides bikes - like rides bikes you know? None of this white-lycra-with-pink-on-it-and-techy-info-about-brakes-bores-me rubbish.
Lea Weill I salute you.

It's been a long time ...

2012-01-07T05:17:00.000-08:00

... but hell we've all been busy right? Without further ado let's start 2012 how we mean to go on.
This blog is spectacular: http://bangabledudesinprocycling.com/

Girls who said there was sexism in cycling?

Inspired by the Tour? Get yourself on a cycle camp

2011-07-05T01:01:00.000-07:00

The one with your mates: Chez Ray
Ray Keighley’s informal and enthusiastic take on bike hosting is a breath of fresh air for anyone who likes a good deal of craic with their cycling. Located in northern Provence, Ray’s is an ideal base for testing yourself on some of the lesser known Tour de France cols such as the Allos and Champ as well as the spectacular Verdon Gorge. You can hire out the entire property – which is best described as charismatic rather than boutique – for the week with Ray providing a breakfast fit for champions, vehicle support, cycle guiding and five nights’ of top-notch dinners. Guests aren’t expected to work for their holiday but the atmosphere is definitely one of mucking in – so save some energy for helping to clear the table.
B&B at Chez Ray costs 20euros pppn. You can rent the entire property for a week from 700euros
www.chez-ray.com

The one for all round fitness: Velo Pyrenees
Have a partner who prefers running to cycling? Or just fancy mixing it up a bit while racing around the Pyrenees? Julie Moore and Lee Parish have combined years of experience as bike racers, triathletes and coaches with a rustic farm setting and hearty meals to create a sporty base from which to explore the region and your strength. There are trails for running straight from the door while cyclists have a wealth of thigh-busting climbs to choose from, even popping over into Spain should you feel like it – with maps, itineraries and advice close to hand.
Bed and breakfast from £25 pppn. Additional evening meals at 22euros pp including wine and coffee
www.velopyrenees.com

The one in the ‘secret Alps:’ Velo Vercors
We all know the Alps are a mecca for road cycling but if you only focus on Alpe d’Huez and the rest of the Haute Alps you’re missing out. The Vercors national park which slides down the western flank of the Rhone Alps, is home to quiet roads, punishing cols and sweeping rides down into the Isere valley – great for the lesser-toned of thigh. At the helm of Velo Vercors is Roger Hart who after years of competitive road racing has turned his attention to encouraging others to the top of the Col du Rousset. Accommodation is in gites, complete with bike storage, BBQs, laundry rooms and WiFi. You can book self-catered but that would mean missing out on Theresa’s home-cooked three-course meals and robust breakfasts.
Seven nights fully catered from £440 pp based on two sharing
www.velovercors.com

The one for aspiring Lance’s: Alpine Cadence
During a torrential downpour on the top of the Col de Forclaz in Switzerland, most people would retreat under a rock and whimper to be rescued. Not the Alpine Cadence crew. Based in Courchevel, the company run multi-day road tours – think stage racing – as well as day training rides from Chalet Nicola. These are not rides for the faint hearted and if you’re looking to test yourself on legendary Tour de France terrain, Alpine Cadence will happily throw down the gauntlet. Never fear – there is always a support car on hand with snacks, water, spare parts and comfy seats if you need a lift.
There is one space left on Alpine Cadence’s Tour de France week 17-24 July which is £825 for seven nights half board accommodation and fully supported guided riding.
www.alpinecadence.com

The one for people who like a bit of luxury: BreatheBike
Launched this year and based in Chamonix, BreatheBike takes its riding seriously – but also provides those little touches which make a difference after 100km in the saddle. Two words: hot tub. Chalet Annabelle exudes modern luxury complete with a laundry service for your sweaty bike gear, satellite TV, iPods, bike storage, massages, support car, bike mechanic and stunning views of the Aiguille du Midi to keep you inspired. With Italy and Switzerland both a short ride away, enthusiastic racer Mike Booth and his team of guides have the pick of legendary routes which you can ride safe in the knowledge that there’s a posh place to put your feet up on your return.
A six night ‘classic cols’ holiday including half-board accommodation and guided riding is 799euros
www.breathebike.com

Also available on Guardian website

Tuck and roll ...

2011-06-12T00:36:00.000-07:00

I like people who damage themselves for something they believe in.

Need some bike inspiration?

2011-06-03T02:09:00.000-07:00

This should do it:

Now get on that bike and ride, goddamnit, ride!!

It has launched ...

2011-04-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

... and it looks awesome.

www.morvelo.com

Life outside the bubble

2011-04-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

Makes you want to do something more useful with your day than climb a mountain.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/apr/21/photojournalists-tim-hetherington-chris-hondros
Inspiring humans.

2011-04-20T12:09:00.000-07:00


View of Mont Blanc from the Refuge de Bel Lachat

Do not ask (it is forbidden to know) what end the gods will grant to me or you, Leuconoe.
Do not play with Babylonian fortune-telling either.
It is better to endure whatever will be.
Whether Jupiter has allotted to you many more winters or this final one, which even now wears out the Tyrrhenian Sea on the rocks placed opposite.
- Be wise, drink your wine, and scale back your long hopes to a short period.
While we speak, envious time will have already fled.
Seize the day, trusting as little as possible in the next.

From Odes by Horace

It took us three hours and 14 minutes to hike up to the Refuge de Bel Lachat from my flat. I can't admit to being an expertly fit hiker. We ate our sandwiches sheltered against the wind by a cairn which perched on the edge of the mountain - a more rustic setting we felt than the expansive deck of the refuge itself. We soaked up Mont Blanc as we ate. Then we made our way home.
I like to think we seized our day.

Great trips for singles

2011-04-17T05:22:00.000-07:00

I got asked by my editor at the Guardian (natch) this week to submit a few words on adventury trips that are good for single people. Which I took to mean trips you can go on solo, rather than in order to find a new fling, sorry long-term love.
Here are five I came up with. The others you can read online at some point.

1) The Orange House, Costa Blanca, Spain
If you are, or aspire to be, a rock climber then the Orange House is the perfect place to meet new people who won't drop you. Located in the village of Finestrat and close to some of Spain's most celebrated climbing spots, the Orange House sports it's own bouldering wall, slackline (never been a fan myself ... ) huge BBQ, swimming pool (just think of all those six-packs on show. Ahem) kitchens and everything else you need to get your fingers aching. You can book a private or a dorm room and there are always loads of people on hand to go out climbing with - or just book on one of their courses. Plus the Orange House has been known to let you stay for free if you help out with the daily chores.

2) Flow MTB, Morzine, France
I write a lot a about Morzine, I know but that's because it really has the makings of something excellent. At the epicentre of the Morzine mountain bike scene is Flow MTB and its associated MTB shop Torico. Dinnertime at Chalet Musardiere is legendary with the cooking almost as good as the craik. If you can't find a kindred bike spirit over one of their gut-busting mealtimes then I'm afraid there is no hope for you. Sara and Guy know the trails in the area so well it's almost like they built them themeselves, the chalet has its own workshop, TVs and DVDs in every room, Garmins, route planners, the works. Never ride alone again.

3) MountainGirl, Sardinia
Should chicks only climb with chicks? Well no obviously. But if you fancy escaping from the well-meaning clutches of your male counterparts ('foothold there, then drop your right knee, that's it, nice, pull through, great!' 'Dude, its a 4a warm up, back in your box') then MountainGirl offers superb instruction from top climbers and mountain guides in the sunny climes of Sardinia. A mandatory belay workshop at the start of the week means trust is established pretty quickly and after that it's up to you how far you want to push yourself. This year's week is being run by top guide Isabelle Santoire. See her wield an ice axe and you'll want to make her your friend. Or else.

4) Hiking Mount Whitney, California, USA
Mount Whitney is the highest mountain in the lower 48 US states, rising to a regal 14, 495ft. It's summit can be accessed by a gruelling, but achievable day hike and as such is pretty popular (ergo crowded) during the peak season. But the day trail is not the only way up. International Mountain Guides offers a three-day trek up the Mountaineer's Route on Whitney's east side. Expedition camping skills, setting running ropes and hiking in snow shoes are just some of the skills you'll be expected to pick up on the trip. Needless to say the view from the summit - and the smug feeling that you did it the hard way - will more than make up for the calloused hands and pounding heart.

5) Cycle Cote d'Azur, Nice, France
There's always a chance that you sign up for a holiday to meet some new people who share your passion for a sport, only to decide that you hate them all and really don't want to communicate. This is a bummer if you're there for seven long days. But the beauty of Cycle Cote d'Azur is that you sign up for daily rides with difficulties ranging from easy to very hard. If you don't fancy riding one day, or just need some head space, simply don't tick he sign up sheet. Run by Olympic cyclist Emma Davis and super-triathlete Claire Scrutton, you get to ride legendary cold like the Madone, enjoy fantastic Nice nourishment and meet new people, without any pressure to face them again if they blow you off the tarmac on the first hill. Not that meeting new people is all about finding new people to compete with of course ...

Oh, hello ...

2011-03-31T11:44:00.000-07:00

Trail running in the sun - lush. Hooning it down the Aravis without losing your fingers to frostbite - fab. An entire ski season with only two powder days? Not much cop that.
So thank Zeus for the Art of Flight due for release in Autumn 2011. If I watch it every day between now and then I may actually be psyched for the snow again.

I'm not ashamed to say I would die a happy woman knowing there was some footage of me leaping out of a helicopter in slow motion.

It's not about the spa ...

2011-03-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

My sensitive trip radar has been assaulted recently by a few things:
1) A recent edition of Outside magazine reported on the 3G reception now available on the summit of Everest by saying thus: 'now the race is on to see who will be first to update his facebook page from the summit.' Couldn't decide what appalled me most - the thought of people updating facebook from Everest or the fact that Outside automatically assumed the next person on the summit would be a chap. Mind you all those ropes and oxygen tanks are hard to handle when you're filing your nails and applying lip gloss at the same time, so perhaps they're right. Jeez.
2) There seems to have been a mass agreement in the travel media recently that while men will be spending the upcoming long Easter break doing boys weekends away rock climbing, mountain biking, scratching their balls et all, us ladies will be jumping at the chance to go to a spa, drink champagne and eat chocolate with 'our three best girlfriends.' Well, naturally. Seeing as the option of summiting Everest is now out of the question.

So then I thought: where are some funky accommodations in places where you can also be seriously gnarly? You know, for those people who like a few creature comforts after they've shed their bodies' store of adrenaline? Voila!
1) West Coast Wilderness Lodge, Sunshine Coast, BC, Canada
Don't be put off by the fact that people get married here - they do it because the view across the Sechelt Inlet is superb. The accommodation is in wooden suites complete with stonewalled bathrooms with windows opening onto the sea as you shower. The coast is perfect for sea kayaking - which hurts your arms more than you'd think it does. The resort is also 3km away from the Skookumchuck rapids - the fastest saltwater rapids in North America, complete with whirlpools. Gnar. Ly. Mountain biking and hiking de rigeur here but then you are in BC so goes with the territory really.
Gnarly rating: 3/5

2) Velo Pyrenees, Barousse valley, France
If you fancy upping your game in the old trail running stakes or you'd like to be able to enjoy road riding in the Alps without the pressure of climbing Alpe d'Huez every five seconds, Velo Pyrenees is your place. A guesthouse run by Lee and Julie it combines great food and cute accommodation with kick ass exercise. Julie is a triathlon coach (a woman! How does she find the time?!) and Lee has spent many years bike racing. They will provide you with itineraries and maps for your runs and rides along with advice and encouragement to help you reach your potential.
Gnarly rating: based on the altitude it gets a chunky 4/5

3) Bjorkliden, Sweden
Thought Europe's pathetic snow season had scuppered your plans for powder runs? Think again buddy! Scandinavia is where it is at for late-season, knee deep snow and Bjorkliden in the Arctic Circle is possibly the cutest resort on the planet with one of the most eye-crushingly epic vistas. You can stay in the resort's one hotel but you'd feel like you were on a Soviet school trip in 1974 if you did. Better to stay in one of the cabins which are arranged like a little town, with streets and dead ends. View is of Lake Tornetrask with the Lapporten Gap looming in the distance.
Gnarly rating: the remoteness ups the ante from the mellow gradients of the off-piste - 4/5

4) Nuit-Nature, Combloux, France
If you thought ski resorts were like living in a bubble then Nuit Nature is the physical manifestation of that. Literally a room in a giant bubble, with 360 degree views of Mont Blanc, the Chaine des Aravis and the Pont Percee. Combloux has it's own chairlifts in winter although it is close to Megeve and St Gervais as well. In the summer there are, of course, the Alps on your doorstep and you're not far from Les Contamines which has some pretty good sport climbing. But hang on a sec. This bubble is also the height of luxury - with a four-course meal served to you by the chef who arrives in a rugged 4X4.
Gnarly rating: oh if we're honest probably a 1/5. But for you certainly need a sense of adventure for this one.

5) More Mountain, Morzine, France
Morzine is mountain biking when summer arrives. No other resort in France (Europe?) has embraced the sport with quite so much panache. Which obviously is still crap compared to Whistler but hey you gets whats you can right? Rather than jump on the MTB band wagon and create your bog standard chalets full of smelly lads in awful, awful bike outfits trying to do wheelies every time a chick walks past, More Mountain have stayed true to their mantra of stylish and contemporary accommodation while also offering kit washing, bike storage and the services of Jon the most enthusiastic and downright scary bike guide on the planet. Like MTBing but also like a plush leather sofa, massive TV, iPod, room that doesn't smell of trumps and the thought that you might be a bit cool? Best check out More Mountain.
Gnarly rating: depends on you really. But based on my experience of being spat off the Pleney DH run, I'm giving it a chin-in-the-air-even-though-you-looked-like-a-pleb 5/5

Dirt Series and Passportes

2011-02-04T02:42:00.000-08:00

Now I'm not one to simply bung up a press release as a way of doing an easy post. So as opposed to the side of A4 from Trek announcing registration opening for the 2011 Dirt Series I will just say this:

Dirt Series registration open for the best weekend of riding any chick can have in North America. Make that as dirty as you will ladies. You won't regret it and I can personally recommend the Whistler leg. Website: www.dirtseries.com. Candace, you rock!

The second bit of info is for this year's Passportes du Soleil which has opened for registration as well. Extra day this time around. I did the Passportes two years ago, had a massive tantrum, acted like a child and got my ass kicked by both Jo Petterson and Petra Wiltshire. To say I have some face to save is an understatement. Website: www.passportesdusoleil.com

What a fun summer of riding this is shaping up to be.

Climbing Mont Blanc - not quite there yet

2011-02-04T02:34:00.000-08:00

This appeared in the Guardian last month but I've only just got around to posting owing to some ice climbing shenanigans and taking a little trip back to England. As I marched through Kentish Town in the wind last night, Monte Bianco seemed a long way away. But at least I had a pint of Amstel for under four euros at the lovely Vine pub.

Descending to the Cosmique hut. Photograph: Tom Humpage

The ladder was unstable and covered in ice, fixed precariously into the snow wall above me. Looking down through the rungs I could make out only a void, a yawning mouth of blackness, sucking at my feet. John kept the rope tight, urging me on until my ace axe slammed into the steep slope and my crampons left the slippery metal, instantly gaining purchase on the ice and bringing an end to an intense minute of movement over a gaping crevasse.
I was on Mont Blanc. It was 2am. Passy and Sallanches, two towns at the foot of the Chamonix valley, twinkled a lifetime away below as we made our way up the steep face of the Col du Tacul. Behind us pinpricks of light signalled the presence of other teams following in our footsteps, their headtorches carving a small niche in the heavy darkness.
This was summit day. A storm was forecast to roll in that afternoon. And we still had so far to go.
John Taylor, my guide, had been to the top of Western Europe’s highest mountain more times than he can remember. ‘But it still blows me away,’ he says, keen not to belittle the achievement, or the view, that comes with standing at 4810 metres above sea level. Finding a guide in Chamonix willing to take you up Mont Blanc is not hard. The valley houses around 300 IFMGA (International Federation of Mountain Guiding Associations)mountain guides, the most highly qualified and experienced mountain professionals in the world, each one capable of the task. But with his company Mont Blanc Guides, John has turned the ascent into his specialism, devising a five-day acclimatization and climbing schedule which can lead to an empty summit on arrival – no mean feat on one of the most crowded mountains in the world. ‘Most of my clients are adventure tourists, rather than die hard Alpinists,’ says John. ‘What we’ve done is make Mont Blanc our only goal and we’ve made the programme as good as we can.’
Certainly the aspiring mountaineers who sat around the dinner table in Chalet Prarion in Les Houches, base camp if you like, on the first night owned a diverse selection of experience and skills, ranging from absolutely none to summitting Mount Elbrus in Russia. Since the mountain was first summited in 1786 by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard, Mont Blanc has become an achievable jewel in the amateur mountaineer's crown. In good weather the climb isn't technical putting it within the remit of the less experienced if accompanied by a guide and offering up a legendary Alpine summit without the expedition price tag. But while Mont Blanc may be enchanting, it is also a mountain oft underestimated, viscious storms and avalanches an ever-present danger. In 2008 it claimed 100 lives, in 2009 the toll was 68 making it one of the deadliest peaks in the world.
We may not have had a complete idea of what to expect, but we weren’t glib enough to assume it would be a walk in the park. Already news was filtering through of deaths on the Gouter couloir – an essential part of our route – with unusually warm weather causing boulders to shift and fall with lethal momentum.
Despite this, our acclimatization continued as planned. It’s hard to say whether acclimatizing before heading above 4000 metres is essential in order for your body to get used to the altitude, or to the mountain huts. Both impact your faculties with equal ferocity, the close quarters of the huts offering little respite for those suffering the fitful sleep, headaches and bloating of being up high. To get us used to the rope work and movement in crampons which is essential on glaciers, John chose to ascend the Petit Fourche, a modest peak in the massif with striking views of the Eiger and Matterhorn. With this in the bag we rappelled into Switzerland and trekked across the Trient plateau, a seemingly endless swathe of snow, a merciless sun slowing baking us as we ground our way across. The next morning we again crossed the plateau but at 6am, our skin relishing the coolness, the snow taking on the appearance of gentle waves with the sun chasing us out of darkness as it rose behind us. By now we were much more used to the intimacy and teamwork which comes with being roped to four other humans. Need a bathroom break? There’s an unspoken rule that everyone will avert their eyes. Luckily the view of Mont Blanc in the early morning light through a gap in the rock by the Aiguille du Tour provided a beautiful alternative while the necessary ablutions were dealt with. That was where, ultimately, we were headed. It was a thought heavy with tension, excitement and nerves.
None of which were mitigated by sharing the Cosmique hut with a selection of other climbers from different teams who could only be describe as rugged mountain types. ‘Good lord look at us,’ muttered Matt, a consultant from Derby. ‘We’re a bunch of giggling Brits in a sea of hardy men of the mountains.’ It was the evening before our summit attempt. The closing of the Gouter Couloir had left John with the decision of either calling it quits or ascending via the harder ‘Three Monts’ traversee, the longest ascent of Mont Blanc which involves climbing two cols before the final summit ascent. He chose the Three Monts, confident we were strong enough to handle it. The two members of our group who had struggled during acclimatization were not attempting the summit with us, John adamant the safety of the team could not be compromised and setting them the challenge of Gran Paradiso instead (which they went on to summit.)
Two other guides – Mark Pulieo and Yannick Flugi would be joining us and we would ascend in three groups of three to increase the safety and the pace. The problem was the weather. ‘What you don’t want to see,’ said John as we stared at the horizontal wind sock outside, ‘is wind on the clouds, so there’s straight lines through them. Erm, basically like that.’ But there was a chance the wind would drop, so we, and the rest of the people in the Cosmique hut, bedded down for a 1am wake up call.
At 1.24am John, my teammate Andy and I were roped up and beginning the climb up the Col du Tacul, the deep night hiding the seracs which lurked above us. We moved swiftly, aware of the potential dangers of our position underneath them and focused on our task ahead – 3pm was our deadline to be back down otherwise we risked being caught in the forecast storm. Everything had to go like clockwork for us to reach the summit. After the Tacul we faced the Col du Maudit – ‘maudit’ ominously meaning damned in French. Wind tickled my ears. My headtorch carved a column of light into the vortex: outside of it I had no sense of anything. But we were climbing Mont Blanc! One foot in front of the other, relentlessly upwards, ice axes plunging into the snow wall at our side for stability. Nearing the apex of the col, spindrift lashed at our faces, our shoulders instinctively hunching for protection. As I followed John and Andy to the top, an 80kmh wind smashed against my body, knocking me off balance and sending me staggering. ‘This is not a hard decision to make,’ yelled John above the screaming wind. ‘Guys, we’re going down.’ Just like that. We were not destined to reach the summit that day.
There is a saying that the mountain always wins. ‘Not always,’ said John as we sipped sweet tea back in the Cosmique. ‘That’s what makes people continue to go back.’ He’s right. Mont Blanc will be there next year. As will I.

Guardian link here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/jan/08/extreme-sport-climb-mont-blanc

Terrific tarmac

2011-01-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

There has been a slight shortage of snow here in Chamonix recently. At first I found this quite depressing. But then I remembered my bikes. Now I enjoy skiing, but I didn't realise how much I loved cycling until I went a month without riding a bike and then finally got back in the saddle. Awe. Some.
And in honour of that feeling, of the wind touching the back of my neck, of the rhythmic swoosh of the pedals, of the 'jesus it's gonna wash out' fear when I take a corner too fast, I've made a list of my top five pieces of tarmac.

1) Farringdon Street to Blackfriars Bridge, London, UK

OK so Farringdon street is a mess - the tarmac is pish. But the corner which sweeps you onto Blackfriars bridge from the traffic lights is fantastic. First it bends left and you get pushed up against the hoarding. Then you crank your legs, overtake the 'style over speeders' on the outside; a cab is close on your right as you swing back round to the right before the pristine tarmac pings you back left. There's a traffic light halfway through this motion where some people stop as they think it's for those going straight on but it's not, so you keep your speed and end up hooning it onto the bridge with a velocity that is easy to maintain right up to the apex. Supreme fun.

2) Servoz to Lac du Passy on the Route de Servoz, Haute Savoie, France

This is one of those brilliant descents which descends slowly so you need to keep pumping the pedals and the result is you feel like you are flying. The corners are mellow so you can get really low on the drops, knee out and take them at speed. It begins on an undulating woodland road then stretches out into a yawning race down to the plain of Sallanches, the Mont Blanc Massif leering at your back. The climb back up is also great - can be taken at a much higher speed than your typical Alpine ride so makes you feel like you are made of steel.

3) The D1212 from Flumet to Megeve, Haute Savoie, France
I ride this on the way back to Chamonix from the Col d'Aravis. You're slightly tired. It's been a long day. The road winds gradually uphill. Then when you get to the public toilets on your left it flattens out ever so slightly. Suddenly the bit is between your teeth again. You thought you were tired. Turns out you just weren't trying hard enough. So you push into a harder gear and start to move faster. By the time you hit the final right hand bend and come over the bridge into Megeve you feel like a freakin champion. And you've left the rest of the gang for dust because they were pacing themselves for the long ride back into Cham. Sweet, if temporary, victory.

4) Highway 12 from Lolo Pass to Kooskia, Montana to Idaho, USA

There is tarmac made for riding and there is tarmac made for living. Highway 12 is the latter. Creeping through the Clearwater National Forest it will bring you back to your senses in a way no other road can. You are encased by trees and traffic is pretty light leaving you free to smell the air, feel the coolness of the natural canopy and hear the sound of rushing water always to your left. Oh my stars it's an amazing road. I could ride this every day for the rest of my life and never feel like I was missing out on anything.

5) St Jean du Bruel to Treve, Auvergne, France
What I love about cycling in the Auvergne is that the region is bloody amazing for bike riding, yet the only people who seem to know this are 80-year-old French men in yellow and purple lycra. This piece of tarmac is 14km uphill - smooth, hairpin and muggy, through thickly carpeted hillside where the view is impossible to see. Then you get to the top, ride flat for a bit then take a left turning. Wow. The road drops away, seeming to carve out a path in the land as the ground opens up into a big chasm. The view from here on in is immenses - steep, jagged rockside that takes on a deep historic feel almost like as you ride you are chasing the centuries back. When you get to Treve you can have a dip in the river before the rest of the loop back to St Jean. The whole ride will see you crank out about 40km - so not long but you'll feel like you've seen all the world has to offer.

6) The bit under my wheels

Being without my road bike for a bit has made me realise that my favourite bit of tarmac is the bit that I'm riding. At any point. In any condition. God I love my bike.

Where's yours?

Le list de super cool

2011-01-17T08:38:00.000-08:00

People have said more than once in the past few months that I am 'living the life.' Bit weird that as everyone's definition of 'the life' is different and although my view here is pretty awesome I still battle the same boring things everyone else does: failure to budget adequately leading to sardine pasta for two weeks straight; cardiac arrest after filing tax return; trying to get the car MOT'd except in French; working many, many hours to avoid sardine pasta; suffering deep anxiety over making new friends; failing.
So in an effort to convince myself that life here is as super cool as everyone thinks it is, I've compiled a super cool list of things near where I live. You should try them out next time you swing by this way:

1) Billski and Ski Park Pow, Morzine, France
Blasting the idea of ski instructors as red-clad, aloof, ESF egos right out of the snow, Billski is a new style of ski school. With a lean towards freestyle coaching as well as women-only lessons and sponsored by Armada, this ski school is a breath of fresh - and very cool - air. Billy Clark is a superb skier but his grip on freestyle, honed in the Nyon and Avoriaz parks in the Portes du Soleil make him a really inspiring instructor for those keen to nail those 360s.
Billy works in conjunction with new Morzine freeski shop Ski Park Pow. It's a little hidden in the commercial centre near the tourist office but once you're inside it's a colourful homage to the burgeoning freeski scene in Morzine, with little-known brands and everything from multi-coloured ski poles to the latest Liberty skis on demo.

2) Les Vieilles Luges, Les Houches, France
Absolutely beautiful little restaurant, tucked away down a tree run off the side of the blue Allouds run. It's only accessibly via skis or snowshoes making it something of a hidden joy. We visited on Christmas day for a great vin chaud under twinkling fairy lights and then a few days later where we enjoyed everything from ribs and cheese tart under a twinkling sun. The food is spectacular, the atmosphere cosy and the people watching as everyone skids around the final bend, priceless.

3) Snowpark, Verbier, Switzerland
I'm not sure how many people know anything about Verbier that isn't related to money, rich people, money and rich people. But beyond the poshness and the huge prices (23 euros for a tomato salad?!) Verbier boasts a pretty good park and because it's high up (2260m) it's still nice and groomed even after the paucity of snow all the resorts have been suffering recently. The piece de resistance is the big booter into air bag at the bottom of the park. Class.

4) Restaurant Christiania, Courmayeur, Italy
It's not often a slopeside eatery can offer tasty food at a reasonable price but being Italy the odds are better than elsewhere. The Christiania is a traditional Italian restaurant right at Plan Checrouit making it easily accessible for non skiers as well. Avoid the foccacia (it's pizza base with garlic not proper foccacia) but the coletto Milanese comes recommended as does the minestrone soup. A free shot of grappa after the meal is also possible if you flash a smile and throw some enthusiastic 'buongiornos' around. Another small tip: park your car at the Val Veny car park which is free and only an extra five minutes gondola ride away. That's more money for grappa ...

5) Le Delice, Les Houches, France
Les Houches is the oft-overlooked ski area in the Chamonix which is a shame as it is World Cup standard (the Kandahar run will be hosting just that on 29/30 January) and also because it hosts Le Delice - a restaurant full of great laughs, banter and very little attitude. The food ranges from Asian salmon (fish! In a ski resort!) to great venison stew and decadent desserts. The dream realised of katy McInnes, she and her team have done a fantastic job of giving the relatively quiet resort of Les Houches a reason to stay up at night.

Gothenburg: future forward?

2010-12-17T02:32:00.000-08:00

Sitting in the window of Cigarren, the life of Gothenburg walks past you across the energetic square of Jantorget as if you’re watching it on a widescreen tv. You put your thick espresso to one side, rest your chin on your palm and watch unfeasibly well-dressed Swedes stride past, disembark at the tram terminal or cycle lazily into their futures, unperturbed by the juddering in their arms brought on by the cobbled nature of the paving. Cigarren, with its sparse furnishing and simple colour palette – brown - is a masculine cafe. To the left of the bar is a floor to ceiling humidor with cigars lying in reverently stacked boxes. Connoisseurs take their chosen item out to smoke on the patio where they have a ringside view of the day, wrapping themselves up in the blankets provided to protect against the autumn chill. The minutes pass by unhurriedly.

Gothenburg has all the ingredients for being a bleak, frontier city. It sits on the southwest coast of Sweden, at the mouth of the Gota river, equidistant from Copenhagen and Oslo. This mighty waterway cleaves through the centre of Gothenburg, tying the city inextricably with trade and industry (Volvo and Ericsson have factories in the area), a strategically important maritime hub that’s been conquered, changed hands, torn down and rebuilt frequently since its founding in1621. Chunks of the centuries are scattered around the city, the historical ages slotting together like a rubix cube. The Dutch left the canals; the Scottish the Chalmers University of Technology and the distinctive rolling ’r’ in the dialect (Gothenburg is pronounced ‘yerrrteberra’ by locals).

Walking the streets of Haga you would be forgiven for disregarding this hard working past. The area is hailed as the arty, bohemian heart of the city with pastel coloured two-storey buildings lining its three main, cobbled arteries. In truth it embraces bohemia in a very refined, very Cath Kidson, very Swedish kind of way, vintage hat stores and jewellery shops mixing with chilled-out cafes. The Swedes have a phrase: ‘ska vi fika?’ which translates loosely into English as: ‘shall we have a coffee break?’ with fika able to function as both a verb and a noun. It’s a heartily embraced cultural tradition, as far away from a mad dash to Starbucks as is possible while still clutching a steaming cup of coffee. Fika involves friends, a pause in the day, pastries and a sense that the dirty business of working for a living isn’t half as important as a snug gathering in a warmly lit café corner. Gothenburg does fika well. Stepping into Cafe Kringlan on Haga Nygatan is like getting a big hug from a slightly overweight farmer’s wife clad in head-to-toe Prada. It is immaculate in its cosiness, its cinnamon buns beautifully laid out on the counter, its latte a swirling work of art. To the left of Cafe Kringlan is Le Petit Cafe, a coffee shop so sweet as to cause all natural teeth to fall out instantly on entry. To the right at the other end of Haga Nygata is the University of Gothenburg, its diametrically opposed buildings – one stone, imposing and grand, the other glass, modern and brutal – ably representing the city’s split personality; stolid, industrial, historic on one hand, eager, embracing and futuristic on the other. Students duck in and out of the cafes in Haga in packs, filling the rooms alternately with earnest talk and loud laughter.

Butik Kubik inhabits a slightly grittier part of town known as the ‘long streets’ or Langgatan. Here pastels are swapped for grand brownstones, an edgier atmosphere displayed in the tattoo parlours and punk shops which have taken residence. ‘People used to avoid this street – Tredje Langgatan - and walk down the main one,’ says Anna Saltzman, her sewing machine whirring as she talks in the chaotic explosion of clothes which is Butik Kubik. ‘But that’s changing now and this area is up and coming. The rents are low so younger, creative people are able to afford it.’ Her store, which sells handmade clothes and jewellery sits next to Dirty Records, the smell of dusty, eclectic LPs mixing with the aroma of coffee from the integrated cafe. It’s everything a record shop should be – scuffed lino, piles of obscure albums, a man with an impossibly large quiff sitting behind the front desk. Across the street is Cafe (and gallery) och Konsthantverk, all Sixties –style wallpaper, multicoloured lights and huge cushions. These diverse establishments sit easily together, Gothenburg a city so relaxed as hardly to be in the mood for a turf war.

‘Oh for sure, it’s a little big town,’ says Annika Larsson who edits ilovegothenburg.se. ‘Gothenburg people are so happy and open. And it’s definitely a city in development. It has a nickname – Little London – because of the arts scene, fashion, music. People here are trying to make the city bigger.’ If you add up all the obvious factors –five Michelin starred restaurants, 54 art galleries, 20 museums, one-off clothes shops - Gothenburg is well on its way to doing that. But away from the bright lights and trendy shops of Avenyn, the revamped centrepiece of the city’s new confidence which inspires universal grimaces from locals, there is a shy charm which is captivating. Head out to Majorna, the residential district which borders the large green space of Slottsskogparken, and busy roads give way first to Soviet-style apartments and then to robust avenues, filled with art bookshops, criss-crossed by tramlines and lined with trees. Men in overalls and gumboots step into Cafe Skogan on Mariaplan, a hearty smell of steam and grease mixing with the salty Gothenburg air when they open the door. Further on, on the wide open Mariagatan, Cafe Marmelad greets with huge pots of geraniums, its red and white check floor and chunky mugs creating a warm, homely atmosphere. The edgy art scene is still there – the gallery Oro, housed in a warehouse on Karl Johansgatan hosts parties as legendary as its exhibitions of contemporary art – but it wouldn’t be very Swedish if it shouted about it.

Bar Kino (pronounced ‘schino’) on Linne sits in the basement of an old school which has been converted into an art house cinema – Hagabion. It’s a beautiful nightspot harking back to Prohibition speakeasies with a piano, low lighting and black and white flooring. It’s difficult to imagine as you sip red wine and talk about the 2011 Gothenburg Film Festival which kicks off in January, that this is the same city which made its name as the forefront of the melodic death metal scene, a genre of music which inspires admirers and detractors in equal measure. But the coexistence passes without comment and as Gothenburg gradually removes the overalls of its industrial past, it’s revealing itself to be a surprising cultural herald of the future, one coffee at a time.

I stayed at the boutique Avalon Hotel - www.avalon.se - which I would happily recommend. As you walk down the corridor you trigger something which sounds like fairy chimes. Makes you feel like Tinkerbell is following. The single room I had was a fair enough size with a floor to ceiling window as one wall and a wet room to shower in. Centrally located it's perfectly placed to get your early morning fika fix.

The snow is here, so let's be nice yeah?

2010-11-26T22:07:00.000-08:00

So it has dumped it down in Chamonix, officially kicking off the season. Here's a little something to get you on your skis and feeling good about the world rather than destroying it with your sport.

Can skiing ever be completely eco-friendly? Unlikely. But if you’re keen to reduce your carbon footprint while still get your powder fix, here are some ways to do it.

See? Snowboarders can be green. Ripping it in Keystone, Colorado. Photo: Tom Humpage

WHERE TO STAY

ISRA ECO CHALET – Chamonix Mont Blanc, France www.israecochalet.com

Described as a place of deep healing and relaxation, this beautiful five-star chalet with views on Mont Blanc was conceived using Feng Shui to harness the area’s natural energy. Heating is by solar power and for every group which stays the owners plant a tree in Scotland via the Trees for Life charity.

CHALET CHATELET – Abondance, Portes du Soleil, France www.chalet-chatelet.com

Built from scratch by Anglo-French couple Suzie and Pascal, Chalet Chatelet takes ‘leave no trace’ seriously. Insulation is provided by lambs wool, cork and hemp packed into the logs which make up the walls, heating is via solar panels and wood-burning stoves. The excellent cooking uses organic and local produce and even the crockery is handmade around the Portes du Soleil area.

LA SOURCE – Samoens, France www.greenalpinechalet.com

Once a 19^th Century farm, La Source is now a boutique, design-led yoga and adventure lodge which embraces the idea of sustainability and personal development. It could be a modern day hippy commune but is far too hip to succumb entirely – the wood-fired hot tub being a great example of luxury meeting environmental awareness head on.

WHITE POD – Les Cerniers, Switzerland www.whitepod.com

Not so much accommodation as an entire resort located above the gorgeous village of Les Cerniers. The resort comprises of 15 futuristic dome-like pods surrounding a central chalet which houses a restaurant and spa. The pods sit at 1700m and have access to 7km of piste, the whole atmosphere being one of cosy wilderness camping rather than Jagerbombs at 4am.

TIMBERLINE LODGE – Mount Hood, Oregon www.timberlinelodge.com

In June Timberline Lodge became the first ski resort in the world to receive third-party recognition of its eco-credentials through Sustainable Travel International’s Sustainable Tourism Eco-certification Programme (STEP.) Some of the initiatives it was commended for included its work with the Forestry Service, its energy reduction plan and its employee-led ‘Green Team.’

KICKING HORSE RIVER LODGE – Golden, British Columbia, Canada www.khrl.com

Celebrating its fifth birthday this year, and located in the small and uncommercial but powder-heavy resort of Kicking Horse, the KHRL is an absolute find. Geothermal technology is used to heat the building, reducing C)2 emissions by 77%. The owners revel in the spectacular natural environment which is on their doorstep and encourage guests to do the same – not hard when supping a beer from the gigantic outside deck after a day riding powder up to your knees.

WHERE TO GO

If you want to check out the green credentials of a resort before booking, the Ski Club of Great Britain have an excellent resource on their website www.skiclub.co.uk. They list resorts from Austria to Australia looking at their green programmes, recycling initiatives and traffic reduction ideas. Currently coming out top is the North American resort of Aspen.

WHAT TO DO

If you want to tread lightly once you’re in resort, ditch the downhill skiing with all those chairlifts and opt instead for ski touring or snowshoeing. Dream Guides (www.dream-guides.com) run day and multi-day ski tours in France, Italy and Switzerland where clients use ‘skins’ on their skis to move up cols, accessing areas unattainable on tradition skis. If your skiing isn’t good enough to cope with hours of off piste try snowshoeing with Icicle Mountaineering which runs week-long courses in the Chamonix Valley (www.icicle-mountaineering.ltd.uk).

GET INVOLVED

Eco Expo (www.eco-expo.org) is a new exhibition/ conference which launched last year in Chamonix, France and is due for its second installment in April 2011. As well as talks by environmental experts and enthusiasts on how to reduce the carbon footprints of both skiers and businesses, the event also hosts organic food and wine tasting, a clothes swap and gig sessions by local musicians.

Gothenburg, Sweden top five

2010-11-08T09:30:00.000-08:00

'No wait, I think I have a death metal version of Britney Spears here somewhere,' said Hampus. And there in one sentence is Gothenburg or Goteborg in its Swedish spelling. The home of the melodic death metal scene, an industrial and maritime hub (Volvo and Ericsson have centres near the city) yet also sweet, the locals are hilariously good-looking and the city is becoming a surprising cultural herald. Got a weekend spare? Here's where to go.

1) Cafe Kringlan, Haga Nygatan 13, 413 01 Göteborg
Even when the staff are having a bad day (and they had two when I was there. Not because I was there I hope ... )the food and coffee more than make up for it. Massive cinnamon buns which were delicious and superb latte. Quiet in the early morning but soon packs out with students heading up to the University of Gothenburg which sits at the end of Haga Nygata. Kringlan has a cosy, farmhouse-style interior in shades of floral green with low lighting. You could sit here until you are bored of reading that same page of the intensely intellectual novel over and over and over again.

2) Bitter bar, Linnegatan 59, 402 33 Göteborg
Extremely, unashamedly (maybe because it doesn't realise) cheesy bar. So bad it's awesome. A homage to the ratpack with their pictures everywhere and a fake fire burning on one wall. But the rum choice is huge and superb and it's well worth a visit for that alone.

3) Bar Kino, Linnegatan 21 413 04 Göteborg
Sitting underneath the art house cinema of Hagabion, this bar is a gorgeous modern speakeasy without the illict actions but a lot of the feel. A piano sits in the corner demanding someone to let loose, and low lighting combined with the black and white check floor makes for a groovy, downtempo, funky atmosphere.

4) Bar Italia, Prinsgatan 7
No way is this the best coffee in Gothenburg despite what fans may tell you! But it has a blue vespa stuck to the wall and frankly that swings it into this list for me. The espresso is thick and wonderful and the modish Italian furniture spot on for that Roman feel. Crowded every single time I went in but then standing up and necking strong coffee is what Italy is all about so that even goes in its favour.

5) Soppkaffe, Karl Johansgatan
This place is way out from both Haga and Linne, the two hipster parts of town but for its homely, local, lack of style it is a superb place to chill. Big windows, Gothic mirrors, huge velvet sofas and cute little red-check tableclothed tables just begging to house a first date for two shy 17-year-olds on a budget. Plus it's warm and smells of food which in chilly, windy Goteborg is a plus. Oh and the latte was pretty unique with quite a nutty flavour. Whether that was intentional or not I'd rather not know.

And in terms of places to stay, you could do a lot worse than the boutique Avalon hotel. Although the best part could easily be said to be the walk-in shower, glass bottomed swimming pool which hangs over the edge of the building, or the inclusive, huge breakfast. but no. The best bit is the sound of fairy magic as you walk down the corridor. Think Tinkerbell. Superb.

Oh. And here's that death metal Britney.

www.goteborg.com

Rave on Snow, Saalbach, Austria

2010-10-25T09:52:00.000-07:00

You can also read this story here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/oct/23/rave-on-snow-festival-music-skiing-austria

It was 4am when I cracked. David Hasselhoff was walking towards me in his red Baywatch shorts, chatting with a giant rabbit. This was too much. Scrambling backwards through the heaving Karma club I leapt out into the freezing Austrian morning, babbling incoherently about drowning cottontails.
But where to go? For this was Rave on Snow – a 48 hour dance event which had mischievously turned the dainty and cobbled ski resort of Saalbach into an electronic music mecca. Seventy DJ’s had taken over the town square, a lift station and even the local school – nine venues in total, the intimate and off-beat nature of each one contributing to the feeling of it being an illicit party rather than a commercialized venture. In every direction German, Austrian and Swiss partygoers were bounding around like gleeful gremlins, racing between venues gripping cans of Red Bull, oblivious to the snow settling gently on their shoulders. By 10am that snow would transform itself into the kind of powder a person gets up early for. Ah the irony.
‘But there’s no time for snowboarding!’ yelled one confused punter, blond in the way only Dutch teenagers can be. ‘We’re here for the music.’

More fool her I thought six hours later as I clipped into my skis and shot off from the top of the Schattberg X-Press on red run five, my already strained vision struggling to see a route obliterated by cloud. It was early December but Saalbach was enjoying its third year in a row of superb opening season snow. The resort – together with neighbouring base Hinterglemm - is nicknamed the ‘Skicircus’ because the towns sit in a ring of mountains, 200km of pistes offering powder runs, sweeping corduroy, freestyle parks and technical blacks. This particular circus clown could have been on a World Cup descent for all it mattered, lack of sleep and far, far too much caffeine mixing darkly with calf deep powder. The lifty working the absolutely deserted Schattberg Sprinter which takes skiers over to pistes leading into Hinterglemm, benevolently suggested trying one of the 40 mountain restaurants before proceeding any further. This I obediently did, clinging wildly to my skis as the Westgipfelhutte loomed out of the gloom. ‘I demand a radler and schnitzel,’ I heard a booming voice say. Curses, it was mine. Retreating into a corner I polished off the amazingly good food and began to feel more confident of my legs, of my ability to hold my poles in hands that didn’t shake. But then I heard it. A faint but persistent beat was seeping through the clouds.

Photo: Tom Humpage www.numero97.co.uk

DJ Paul Kalkbrenner was beginning his set at 2020 metres, controlling the decks at the top of the Schattberg gondola. It was noon. The game was on again. The scene was like something out of a twisted fairytale. People dressed as tigers and bears were lolloping around, penguins bopped, a giant lizard made its way slowly through the crowd and day-glo beanies graced the heads of impossibly beautiful girls wearing aviators despite the heavy snow falling. Everybody was dancing, hopping from foot to foot as steaming cups of gluwein spilled left and right in time with the beat. And sweet gods what was this? David Hasselhoff again, dancing on the roof of the lift station, only this time I was able to see that it wasn’t actually the Baywatch star, but a very brave soul wearing swimming shorts - in minus10 degrees.
Some people were tempted by the deep powder on routes 2a and 4a and they were chased down the runs by empty beer bottles. Getting off the returning chairlift was carnage. Bodies piled on bodies, coordination lost in fits of giggles and yelps. When Pascal Feds took over the decks I decided it was time to make my way down, opting to ski (hey, it’s a black run and I’ve not slept – what could possibly go wrong?) only to be greeted after the third corner by the sight of three naked men sliding down the steep slope on their stomachs.
Rave on Snow started 17 years ago when German Thomas Kleutgen wanted a crazy weekend in the snow with his friends. ‘We wanted a bit of boarding and partying -we honestly never thought it would grow to be this big,’ he said. ‘It’s basically the ultimate pre-Christmas party, it kicks off the season.’ You know your office Christmas party? Rave on Snow is better. The event may be big in Germany and Austria but its reputation has yet to spread very far beyond those borders so although it can boast world-class music acts, at its core it remains a fun, giddy and exuberant party among mates.
After even more schnitzel at the gloriously Austrian Kohlmastubbe restaurant where I watched a man try to lift a glass the size of his torso filled with beer (was nothing in this town normal?) I made my way to the Dorfplatz – the outdoor arena which served as ground zero for all things Rave on Snow – at 9pm in time to catch Andre Galluzi’s set, a bonanza of lights, crazy inflatables and a lot of ice which made dancing a skill indeed.

Photo: Tom Humpage www.numero97.co.uk

The crowd were going nuts, people careening across the frozen dance floor like spilt marbles. This was not a time to hold back I told myself as I leapt into the fray, the heavy beat picking me up and sweeping me into the early hours of the morning via Dan Drastic’s funky tunes in the Taverne and the superb Johnny D at Saalbach’s converted school (sorry kids.) Just when it dawned on me I was sporting three beanies and none of them were mine, I concluded it was time to take my leave and lurched out into the snow.
At 8am, as I left for the station, the party was still going strong. People were dancing outside the Castello club as Domenico D’Agnelli wrapped up proceedings. One of the rascals was wearing my beanie.

Rave on Snow (raveonsnow.partysan.net) is on 10-11 December this year. Two nights' B&B accommodation plus festival pass costs €149. Seven nights' accommodation, ski pass and festival pass is €435. Booked separately, a two-day pass costs €60; the four-star Hotel Kohlmais (kohlmais.at) has doubles from €90 a night. Train travel from London to Salzburg costs £231 return with Rail Europe (raileurope.co.uk)

Snowboarders on bikes

2010-10-17T02:47:00.000-07:00

You'd have thought they'd have the legs for it ...
Cute video with the Oakley girls riding from London to Paris for the Lavender Trust - Jenny Jones rocking the boob tube bike top look.

Would have been nice to see something a bit more like this:

Once upon a time I went to Canada ...

2010-10-08T02:49:00.000-07:00

Here's the write up in this month's Singletrack.

Two links missed off the article (that's what happens when you run out of time and leave the info box to be written by the photographer ... ) which definitely need flagging up: Shaums March's riding coaching - madmarchracing.com and Cumberland's awesome MTB guiding company - Island Mountain Rides

I do believe I'm hard enough

2010-10-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

It felled Lance Armstrong. Marco Pantani conquered it in 33 minutes. 'But it's a Haute Categorie!' exclaimed my friend Cosima. 'That means it's hard.'
Certainly its reputation via Google was immense. But there's a lot of bluster in cycling. A lot of posturing. A lot of people who think 'I ride bikes' means nothing more than popping to the shops. And ultimately, the Col de Joux Plane was just another hill. I like hills.
I left the car in Morzine and rode up to Les Gets then down and along to Samoens, the 11km sweep from Taninges to the base of the climb, a lesson in how to create a road that rides fast.

The Col, often closed completely in winter, was clearly signposted but was beautifully empty, a smooth curve of tarmac winding through tiny hamlets and fields of cows. Sweat gathered on the tip of my nose before plummeting onto the crossbar, the heat unseasonable for early October. At 8km there was a spiteful increase in the incline. Not for long, but enough for the lungs to break out of their comfort zone. Then up ahead I saw them. A couple - man and woman. Or rather: bait. I have a tendency to keep my pace steady even when the gradient changes, a tactic that when employed on long rides can put you well ahead of other riders. But I'm learning to sprint and these two were enough for a try. At 10km I dropped the hammer. Lungs filled and emptied rapidly. Head down, elbows out trying to give as much space to my chest as possible. My legs began to pound from the hip - you ever get that when you're racing hard? Your thighs become pistons, the power they control fully engaged. Two corners and the couple were still in sight. Four and I'd dropped them.
'Bravo! Vous gagnez!' You win! yelled a descending rider.

The road continues to climb after the Joux Plane - not for long, but just so you know, then it's a screaming descent through wood into Morzine where the Coupe de Coeur bar and it's terrace doused in sunshine offered the perfect end of ride bevvy.
Lance? Where are you?

I know I should really grow up

2010-10-02T23:21:00.000-07:00

But I laugh every time I pass this sign.

Who knew learning French could be so exciting?

Where have all the role models gone?

2010-09-30T02:56:00.000-07:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010/sep/30/alberto-contador-positive-test

But then, if you want cycling to be a show, if you want to watch men perform the impossible on crucifying cols surely you can't expect them not to?
Besides they're all on it right?
But newsflash: IT'S CHEATING. I'm all in favour of making roadies more rock 'n roll (props to Mr Schleck for his drunk and disorderly) but come on chaps. Incidentally how many female pros get suspended for doping? Must look into this.
Man. Can't help but feel disappointed as another great crashes.

One for the road

2010-09-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

I was in Chamonix back in March, faceplanting my way down the Valley Blanche (well hell folks! You try and do it on park skis ... ) and after one large plunder down a slope the Ski Club rep Ken who had joined our group, nonchalantly sat me down in the middle of a serac field and handed over a hot Thermos filled with ginger and honey tea. Ye gods that perked me up. Since then I've been a Thermos fan, now proudly owning two - one for my own backpack and a larger one for picnics with friends. Natch. Yesterday, overcome with the pressure of work I decided to fill the little Thermos (hey, I'm new in town and it's cold. No picnics just yet) and go for a hike up to Le Lac Blanc. I'm pretty new to epic hiking and I'm still at the stage where I get it all wrong. Lovely windproof jacket? Check. Wearing it? nope. Etc etc etc. Furthermore I don't own any suitable trousers despite my mum kindly proferring her beige Craghoppers. These will not do. I'm a firm believer in combining fashion with practicality. So I always end up hiking in my Carhartt jeans - good for the first hour, not so effective thereafter.
Starting from just below the Col de Montets it was a four hour round trip which started by turning you away from the valley and had you heading towards Switzerland but then which spun you back round by virtue of a path that began to resemble a tight corkscrew drilling its way into the sky. It skirted below the Aigulles Rouges and from then on the views were amazing. Lavancher bowl, Mer de Glace, Glacier d'Argentier - the whole valley and its legends on display. The path turned to ice on the patches where the sun was blocked and my boots sunk into the first snow of winter:

On arrival at the lake after a series of ladders and wooden steps I cracked open the Thermos, unwrapped a Bounty (yes I'm old school) and got stuck in. In August people had been swimming there but despite the dominance of the surroundings it was not the time to hang around. There was a bite in the air. Not a big slap around the face cold, more like a gentle poke, winter flexing its muscles. It's that temperature that makes autumn so exciting and expectant.
Yippee.
I'm off to buy some trousers.

Teton Ice park getting ready for another season

2010-09-28T04:59:00.000-07:00

If you're finding yourself Stateside this winter - or indeed if you're already Stateside (damn you)- then you may want to consider a detour through Teton National Park which sits proudly in the top lefthand corner or Wyoming. The scenery in the park is absolutely awesome and worth a trip anyway (can we recommend coming in over Togwotee Pass please?)

But since last year the park has also played host to the Aerial Boundaries ice wall which is getting ready to open for 2010/2011. Last season it was dogged with insurance controversy over who could and who couldn't use it but it seems like this has been cleared up a tad. You can see a gallery of images of the wall here to get you in the mood. Essentially it's 40ft manmade wall of ice - perfect for learning and practising on, and the backdrop is pretty special too. And when you're done there, hop over for a little ski at Jackson Hole. Your options from the UK are to fly straight to JH via Dallas with American Airlines or head to Denver on BA (do you dare?) hit up Breckenridge and drive on from there.

Where have all the people gone?

2010-09-27T01:43:00.000-07:00

It's inter-season in Chamonix. This is the period of the year when the sun has gone but the snow has yet to arrive. Everyone who lives in the valley disappears on holiday, or off to their mates' weddings and the pavements are given over to toads and slugs. Ever trodden on a toad when running in the dark? Locals who stay love it because the colours are amazing apparently although a permanent shroud has covered the peaks for the last three days, rendering colour something for the imagination rather than the eyes.
The last time I was in Chamonix for more than a week I had a friend, Sara, who I think about quite a lot still despite a decade passing since we last spoke. Mainly because I can't remember why we lost touch and also because she said that she loved the Alps because they made popping out for a stamp an epic experience. Last night I went to post a letter and the cloud cleared for a second long enough to see the Drus briefly. It was a good day after all.
But a period of 'hunkering down' is upon me I feel. Bikes to ride, trails to run, pilates to go to. I've found Alpine Yoga run by the super enthusiastic Kelly Aikins (the bendiest woman in the world?) which means I can get practice in before the planned yoga and cycling course we're doing with Sweaty Betty Soho. I have also managed to secure a free kettle and toaster from the friendly valley folk meaning my new favourite pre-ride breakfast of Nutella on toast can carry on unhindered by oven grills which burn stuff. A lot.
Worth a mention too is Le Delice in Les Houches (not to be confused with a gentleman's - ha - club somewhere else in France) run by the very lovely Kate. Only she has now shut for a month. Last night I was greeted with a sign on the door that said: 'Shut. Ha ha ha.' I totally respect that girl's style.
It was necessary last night however, to watch Seasons in order to get psyched on MTBing again. And also because Sara at Flow is enjoying her 'inter-season' by riding in Whistler and I'm not ashamed to admit I envy her to a level I didn't think possible. I cannot wait until downhilling in Europe is as big as Canada and Morzine has no choice but to keep its lifts open through September. The Bellevue Bike Park here in Chamonix has improved from two years ago but its closing weekend was a washout. But the Shandro section as always got me in the mood for riding in the wet. Without him I would be a complete fairweather MTBer - clean mud off my bike for an hour? No. I don't think so. Damnit.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

2010-09-24T12:16:00.000-07:00

While I am sat in a rain sodden Chamonix there are a few thoughts that have been keeping my spirits high.
1) Saving up for summer in Whistler next year
2) New ski pants
3) Fixing the axle on my Norco
But none of them, nay none, can compare with the lovely thought of Interbike in Vegas next year. Bikes, gambling, sequins.
Except someone deemed it acceptable to move Interbike to Anaheim in 2011 instead. Anaheim. Near Los Angeles but a seven hour drive from Vegas. Ye Gods! Every day the bike industry kills me just a little bit more.

This. Looks. Awesome

2010-09-02T06:48:00.000-07:00

Life Cycles Teaser from Life Cycles on Vimeo.

Ow.

2010-08-31T01:01:00.000-07:00

Snapped crank.
Broken foot.

S.F.B. (Insert expletive)

Which means less of this during the Pantanissima next weekend for me:

And more of this:

The burger. Not the bikini. (But I couldn't resist. It was the gold lame that got me.)
But seeing as I'll be near Cicli Tonti which is the best bike shop in the world, probably some of this:

Boo hiss bah humbug. Unless the arnica I've been slathering all over my foot actually does something ...

Big Dog, Big Dog, Bog Dog!

2010-08-14T01:20:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! It all kicks off at 1pm. The Brighton Big Dog that is. I have absolutely no intention of posting any photos as I'll either be riding my bike or stuffing my face with cake. Or riding and stuffing at the same time. But seeing as I tend to suffer my most horrific bike crashes when cycling in a straight line on a route furnished with absolutely no obstacles whatsoever, that may not be a good idea.
And chickas, look at this ...

OhmygodI'minlove because you could totally wear this on a bike. It's from the new Sweaty Betty range and frankly makes cycling down to Brighton in the rain a joyous experience as I mull over all the dance moves I will pull off while wearing this. Actually if I could pull off a Matt Hunter in Seasons skid wearing this and a pair of baggies I could die a happy lady.

Actually I want a dog called Hunter. No honestly. And do you see how seamlessly that tied up this post by going full circle? Skill.

And then it happened

2010-08-13T06:37:00.000-07:00

It was a number of things really. First it was the dawning realisation that I actually only feel peace when I'm on my bike and yet I hate riding my bike in London (pot holes, dickheads, bad lycra, day glo.)
Then it was hanging out in Whistler and Squamish where people have awesome trails right on their doorsteps.
Then I went on my annual summer trip to Chamonix, this time to write a story on climbing Mont Blanc with the very professional Mont Blanc Guides, followed by a week of riding in Morzine with Sam at More Mountain and Sara at Flow.
Then it was the writing of a piece for the paper a couple of weeks ago where I was described by my lovely editor Andy as an 'adventure writer.'
And then it happened. The penny dropped and I figured: well hell, if I'm an adventure writer, I better go have me some adventures. Ones slightly more taxing than circling Ditchling wondering where on god's earth the bloody beacon is.
So Chamonix here I come.
And this blog will morph slightly from one dealing solely with bikes and the sometimes infuriatingly pedantic, cliquey and just plain silly bike industry (and I'm sure France is this and more) to one covering some of the other things I love as well.
Because we all know, deep down, it's not about the bike.

Could somebody ...

2010-07-15T05:52:00.000-07:00

... be doing with bending their elbows a little bit?
Still, lovely to see the brilliance that is Aston Hill in the sun. And to see a crafty piece of boardwalk cutting off that little ass of a final corner on the route that always, always, always (except for a few times) catches my elbow. Oh, how ironic.

Things I have learnt from riding in Whistler

2010-07-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

1) The Canadian word 'intermediate' roughly translates into England English as: 'WOAH! Holy f**k! Are you insane?!'
2) Being able to clear jumps on Crank It Up, does not automatically mean you can clear jumps on A Line, unless landing on your face counts as an official landing.
3) Elbow pads look rubbish but tucking and rolling without them stings a bit.
4) Whiskey Jack accommodation at Whistler Creek is pretty freakin amazing value for money. Book through Hotels.com and get an entire house for $80 a night.
5) The Evil Revolt is one of the only times when day-glo looks awesome. Pretty awesome.
6) It is not necessary to try and show off in front of Thomas Vanderham. He is better than you.
7) The Lift Coffee Company does the best sausage rolls on the entire planet. I know this to be fact as I have relatives in Scunthorpe and they live for sausage rolls up there. 4369 Main Street, Whistler.
8) Kona Stinky's are absolute pish. Norco A Line's are actually pretty damn good.
9) Spreading my knees could finally be the key to getting on in life. On the bike people! Jeez.
10) Large black crash pads around cable car poles are not actually black bears, despite their resemblance when going mach 10. Either way, it's best to continue with the turn as initiated rather than lose concentration for a split second. I refer you back to number 3.

I actually think Whistler is the best place on earth. Maybe. Bit expensive.

p.s. that's not me in the photo. Yet.

Helibiking in Scotland with Peaty, Hans and Danny. Oh. Yes.

2010-07-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Y'all seen this video? It's by Reset Films of the first ever heli-bike expedition extravaganza whoop da do da in the UK.
Props to Euan at HandI, looks like a blast.

HandI Adventures - Hans Rey, Steve Peat, Danny MacAskill from ResetFilms.co.uk on Vimeo.
Lovely soundtrack by Gomez - good choice boys! Get Myself Arrested. What a tune. That's not the song in the video but I'm just saying.

Oh and I've just got back from an epic trip to BC. I know, I know. Life is tough. Blogs to follow once the bruises have healed as there is so much riding outside of Whistler. Who'd have thought it?

You can't tell from this picture ...

2010-06-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

... but the road riding in this area of Spain is completely kick ass! No seriously bear with me. Ok so the hotels aren't really equipped to deal with cyclists and frankly eating chorizo at 9pm isn't the kind of carb loading I had in mind. And if we're honest, the smell of manure can hamper performance a tad. BUT. The roads are AMAZING, no cars, smooth asphalt, nice climbs (nothing too brutal so you could seriously hoon it) and I'd imagine nice weather. But I can't confirm that.

Also this place: Villa Maria, in Fuentes de Bejar is awesome. Run by Liz and Javier it smacks of Cuba circa 1970, they offer museli as well as toast in the mornings and the rooms are just lush. Having said that it is in a really rather ugly little town, next to an even uglier town, nestled in the middle of sweet fanny adams nothing except great roads.

Untapped potential people, untapped potentail. Who's game?

The rain in Spain ...

2010-06-11T01:57:00.000-07:00

... like, totally falls wherever I appear to be riding.
Apart from in this picture:

So I get accused now and again, mainly by my mother, of being so into bikes that she can never now go riding with me as I'd completely kick her ass. This is true. I would. If we were racing. But I decided to prove to my beloved mother, what gave me life, that I can remember how to have fun and tour on a bike too. It's the journey after all. So we've come out to Spain to do a piece on a cycle tour from Avila to Salamanca staying in Casa Rurals along the way. When we got to the start point the temperature was 32 degrees. Since we started riding it has plummeted to 13 and is raining. Constantly. It's day three and I have so far drunk my body weight in rioja at least three times. Which makes kicking her ass very difficult. Especially on the world's worst touring bikes. I'm sorry but front suspension MTB on the road? With seized up front suspension? Not good. Why oh why didn't I bring my own bike?

When the sun does come out it is beautiful - the Gredos mountains were our first outing and we leave Candelario today, after a stay in the rustic cobbled town. So far the massive highlight has to be mum telling every man she meets: 'you're the Juan that I juant.' Englsih language is a rare commodity here so we've emerged unscathed from that each time.

But it's all good being on a tour again. And you really are away from the tourist trail here, following the Roman Via de la Plata. It's a cultural challenge alright. Thank god they have Snickers.

www.awayfromthecrowds.com

Letting a picture tell the story

2010-05-29T02:41:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a blog on the Nove Colli. All 130km of it (yes, yes I did the short version), the Barboto which really is a wave of concrete and pulling out a sprint finish when I could no longer feel my legs. I was going to write about 30 degree heat, crazy Italians and how much I love racing in Italy where people actually say 'scusa' before overtaking you. I could have talked for ages about getting the racing buzz again and reeling in my bait.

But then the increasingly talented Tom Humpage sent me this picture of the final strait:

And after that I didn't really have anything to say as I think this image is stunning. You can feel the heat, the slow motion of that final surge of energy, the crowds screaming; the head-down-don't-stop pounding, muscles releasing that last bit of power, minds focused. And all the time the Italian blossom falls. Now that's racing.

Life before bikes

2010-05-27T00:39:00.000-07:00

My four-year-old nephew Max has a bike but doesn't ride it yet the bugger. Prefers his micro scooter (which is freakin difficult to ride peops! There's a tree on St Mary's Avenue with a mould of my face in it ... )But I love Max anyway. You know why? Because when he's at nursery he writes stories like this:

Sea Creature Story by Max
There was a big whale on land and the flies came to eat him and he started to smell. When anyone went to the beach they went back home because they didn't like the smell.
The octopus was in the water and a big wave came. A wave took him out of the water. The whale and the octopus both smelled. All the other creatures were in the water. A dolphin was stung by a Portugese man of war jellyfish.
The shark ate the eel and then all the other sea creatures died and there was only a baby whale left.
The End.

Now I may be wrong but with that kind of killer instinct and total disregard for life, we are looking at the next Tour winner.

Why being a teenager is bad

2010-05-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

Photo: Tom Humpage

"It's a bit like sex when you're 15,' commented Larry with the kind of dry humour you would never normally associate with a Canadian. But it was difficult to deny it (obviously I never had sex when I was 15 but we all know what lithe male cyclists get up to.) We had cycled 65km in the Italian sun chasing down our guide Paulo who was riven with fear that he may miss this particular stage of the Giro di Italia and thus was riding at around mach 10. We arrived on a corner near some town which noone got the name of because we couldn't read it with so much sweat in our eyes. We stood for 20 minutes cooking. We waited. We were sworn at for not buying a pink t-shirt for 10 euros (I'm sorry but it doesn't matter how fit you are, noone can wear Giro pink and rock it. Noone. Fact.)Then the lead pack went through: zoom, zoom, zoom. Then some cars went past with wheels on the top - love those. Then the peloton went past. I scream at Bradley Wiggins but he had his iPod in. Or his mission control earphones. Whatever. Then another Team Sky person flew past and I yelled bravo at them. And then it was over. All that anticipation for 30 seconds of screaming. And whereas marathon runners smile deliriously at you, pro racers don't give back, they just fly on past. Quel point? At least at the Tour you get free pens and pointy foam fingers.
Then we chased Paulo for another 40km as he cycled riven with fear that he may miss lunch.
There is more to this story: soon you'll get to hear how I raced in the Nove Colli and came 38th out of all the women. I have yet to find out how many women actually raced but I'm praying it wasn't 39. Pretty sure if I'd shaved my legs before hand I could have inched up to the 37th spot. Obvs.
p.s. we are staying at the Belvedere Bike Hotel in Riccione. Seriously cannot recommend it enough. You will come away a much better cyclist. Or fatter. Depends which Italian passion you embrace with the most vigor.

Ah. Feeling a bit like a loser

2010-05-08T06:57:00.001-07:00

Rainy day in London. Flaked out of going for a ride, citing 'knee problems' (no seriously but they're probably not that problematic.) Ah but you know - cycling for an hour and a half in the rain just to get out of London to start cycling can get a bit tedious sometimes. So I gravitated to the computer and found this video. Liz Hatch, riding in California. In the sun. Looking good. Riding great. Kicking ass.

Now I feel like a big wussy wuss wuss. There's a reason you plod around the London back streets day in day out. It's so that when the sun shines and you find yourself in some place inspiring, you've got the legs to make the most of it. Must. Try. Harder.

Dirtgirls rides again

2010-05-07T02:46:00.000-07:00

Sara from Flowmtb has sent this over which should get any girls who like getting dirty into the mood for a week of shredding (love that word) in Morzine.

Flowmtb’s Dirtgirls is going into its fifth year of girl only biking trips in the Alps, with a Dirtgirls riders week running on the 14-21 August.

The week is aimed at regular bikers who want a holiday riding great trails with other women, and getting some coaching along the way. Jo, a fully qualified French guide and instructor who coached the 2009 Dirtgirls (and the French youth DH team) will be running the skills sessions. Mountain girl Ulrika will be guiding again this week. Not only is she fast on a bike but she can tell you the name of every flower, tree and animal you pass.

Flowmtb owner Sara will be riding each day too, and original Dirtgirl coach and DH racer Emily Horridge should be along on some rides too. Expect a mixture of short coaching sessions on trails, and long days out on the amazing Alpine singletrack.

Accommodation is in Chalet Snion, a beautiful newly renovated Chalet with a large sun terrace for relaxing on and a sauna to ease your aching muscles. Dirtgirls return from riding to a freshly baked cake or cookies. Evenings are spent relaxing with a glass of wine and a hearty three course meal or hitting the local bars. In male dominated Morzine, Dirtgirls always make an impression! (Now you're talking - Pedalfeet)

Minx, will be supporting the dirtgirls weeks for the fifth year in a row. This year Minx will not only be providing end of week prizes but is offering all 2010 dirtgirls a discount on pre-trip purchases so they can get ready to hit the trails in style!

COSTS: 775 euros (650 pounds). Lift pass and transfers from Geneva airport are included as well as food, accommodation and guiding.

DATES: 14-21 August

Find out more at www.flowmtb.com or by calling Sara on 020 8123 5654 or +33(0)688101757.

Ricky Adam photo

2010-04-30T06:11:00.000-07:00

While flicking through last month's photo issue of Dig BMX magazine (which was a very pleasant way to pass an hour), I saw this picture by photographer Ricky Adam. A phenomena happened to me which generally only happens when I see bikes and lace leggings. 'Ye gods! I have to have that.' So I called Ricky up and he very kindly printed it off for me for not a great deal of money.

It is now hanging on my workshop wall. I urge you to check out his website: rickyadamphoto.com because his photos are a hugely inspiring break from the 'epic landscape with some bloke hooning round a corner' shots us MTBers know and of course, love.

Just have your cheque book handy.

Interview: Petra 'kick-ass very politely' Wiltshire

2010-04-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

‘How old?!’ That was the response of La Humpage when he ate Petra Wiltshire’s dust in Morzine last year. It’s a tough break for a kick ass mountain biker to get razzed by a 39-year-old chick. But he did. And once you get over the shock of a woman who was then pushing 40 hooning it down a mountain better than most youngsters you have to hand it to her – she’s an amazing rider. And more importantly in an industry which always focuses on the up and coming talent, she’s an inspiration.

‘I still love racing and any form of competition,’ grins Petra. ‘I do think twice about crazy lines and jumps now as it seems to take longer to get up when I crash. I normally forget my age when I get on the start line though and under goggles, body armour and helmets we all appear the same age. I don’t think I’m too old though and hope to carry on riding for at least the foreseeable future. If the mind and body are willing then why not?’

She goes on: ‘I am still riding bikes because I simply love it and the freedom it brings. Any sort of physical activity keeps me sane.I need to being doing something all the time and cannot imagine a day when I cannot. I will be racing zimmers or wheelchairs in the care home somewhere one day!’

It’s not hard to believe, especially when you take into account the huge medal haul behind her. Petra started racing downhill in her late twenties, when most elite racers (bar Steve Peat) are thinking of retirement. She still has her pro elite license. Hanging in her wardrobe are three World Championship jerseys, two European Championship jerseys and too many National Championship titles to count. She is also one of the few British MTBers to hold a World, European and National titles in one season. What do you mean you’ve hardly heard of her? Petra is diplomatic: ‘The media is inevitably going to aim at the younger market. Who wants to see a grey haired wrinkly racing down a mountain? I don’t mind getting minimal personal coverage, but would love to get more coverage for all my sponsors who have supported me over the years.’

Those sponsors today are Scott, Mule Bar, Sram, Buff and Maxxis. ‘I have been very, very lucky,’ she says modestly. Or just very, very good because frankly that’s an impressive collection of brands for someone who did her last World Cup three years ago. The focus these days is enduro DH – Maxi and Mega avalanche for a start as well as the Euro enduro series. Petra also does coaching – she’s worked with Jess Stone in the past and in the winter months coaches ski from her base in the Swiss resort of Champery with Freeride Company.

Petra doesn’t get caught up in the bollocks of mountain biking. She’s friendly, down the line, and pretty darn cool. When I asked her what the most important she ever learnt on a bike, the answer came back deadpan: ‘Learn which one is the front brake.’ The she followed it up with: ‘No actually it was something my dad said – at the end of the day, it’s only a pushbike. It’s easy to lose sight of this fact. Whether it cost £10,000 or £5o it essentially does the same thing. Sometimes people get blinded by technology and lose sight of the fact that a bike gets you outside and gets you happy.’

Yeah, yeah. The one reason why you should love Petra? Or at least be inspired? This quote: ‘I am an in it or bin it kind of animal. And I don’t climb with finesse, I’m all arms.’

There is hope for me yet.

Oh how I want ...

2010-04-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

... to go to this. Do you think I can write it off against tax?
Supreme Mountainbiking Joy, otherwise known as Gravity Camp

Best of British

2010-04-16T23:58:00.001-07:00

There are some things Yorkshire does well: the Black Sheep Brewery, Climbing Works rock climbing centre in Sheffield and the Town Street Tavern in Horsforth (just don’t buy the Jungle Juice.) And then there are things Yorkshire does very well – one of those being cross country mountain biking which is lucky because on 24 April the UCI Cross Country World Cup / kicks off in Dalby Forest near Pickering next weekend. It’s the first time in a decade England has hosted a leg of the World Cup (there are nine in total) and sees the best mountain bikers from across the globe compete on the 6.5km course. It sits in an area just under one square mile making it pretty spectator friendly. But if you fancy a slightly larger challenge than balancing your Clif Bar and Lucozade on your knees as you watch, you still have time to sign up for the Dalby Dare which is taking place during the weekend. It’s a public mass participation race which sees riders cycle a timed lap of the World Cup course under race conditions before plunging off onto some of Dalby’s other excellent trails. Think you’re hard enough?

Crossing the border into Scotland, Fort William will once again be the setting for the UK instalment of the Downhill World Cup event on 5 and 6 June. This race is legend with some of mountain biking’s greatest moments being played out on the course (par example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiXh2bJ3SXk). It’s also a great opportunity to get to grips with the trails of the Nevis range which open on 10May so aspiring gravity gods can test their skills on the ‘Off Beat Downhill’ run before the pros descend on the area. And it doesn’t have to be all about extreme mountain biking. Last year the Nevis red run opened, a 5.5km route accessed by gondola, becoming an immediate hit with its intermediate-friendly planning. Two words: midge nets.

Over in Ireland, 22 August sees the inaugural Sky Ride Etape Hibernia kick off in County Clare, starting and finishing in the town of Ennis. The road challenge is 84 miles long and open to anyone aged 18 to 80 (which probably seems quite restrictive if you’ve ever ridden in the Alps and been overtaken by a 94-year-old on the Col de la Croix Fer.) Particpants have around six hours to complete the course which traces the beautiful west coast for a large part – let’s hope the sea winds are kind. For a taste of the off-road riding in Ireland, check out Break the Cycle

a good-looking mountain bike film, shot for the most part in the Mourne Mountain area around Rostrevor but spots in the north – including Belfast and the north Antrim coast also get a look in. It throws a spotlight on a country often overlooked when it comes to documenting fantastic riding. If you feel like investigating further, download a copy of January's MBR which has a feature on the Emerald Isle or talk to First Tracks Guiding who run mountain bike courses in County Down and County Armagh. If you want to ride on location then you can book accommodation with Rostrevor Holidays.

And finally into Wales where the Tour of Pembrokeshire is back for its third year. Sportives such as this have become extremely popular in the last few years with great routes springing up around the country. The ToP offers three distance choices – depending on your fitness you can sign up for a 63, 84 or 117-mile route. Each one starts and finishes in Saundersfoot and takes in an ample portion of the Pembrokeshire coast. Cycling traffic free roads in the area is possible without a gruelling 117-mile race though. Sustrans’ Brunel Trail runs from Neyland Marina (opposite Pembroke Dock) up to Johnston and is a gentle four-mile trip following the Cleddau estuay. You may not earn a huge post-ride pasta feast but you will be able to soak up the atmosphere of the ToP without busting a lung in the process.

I'm still alive!

2010-04-16T01:11:00.001-07:00

But only just. I'm in the Cairngorms with handiadventures.co.uk. They're killing me. The riding is good but don't ever let Euan take you for a walk. Tall tales coming in a bit. First I have to battle with an ash cloud.

Peaty writes

2010-04-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

Nice coffee table book:

Beats Living etc. anyway. Which would benefit from an article on how to hang three bikes from a wall in a bright and funky manner.

You can buy it from stevepeat.com

Mountain biking with Jenny Copnall

2010-03-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

Jenny proving high saddles don't necessarily mean you're a loser. Photo: Tom Humpage

Just before I'm due to meet up with Jenny Copnall, five time national cross country mountain bike champion and my coach for the next two hours, I inhale a bacon sandwich and a strong coffee. Then I warm up by donning a full-face helmet and taking my downhill bike out for a quick descent in the mud. By the time Jenny pedals into the car park of Aston Hill bike park in the Chilterns she has already been cycling for 90 minutes in a strong headwind. She looks fresh as a daisy. I look like early man.

'I think we need to work on finesse,' says Jenny diplomatically.

Jenny retired from professional racing in January 2010 after a career which saw her ride with both the Gary Fisher-Subaru and Motorex-Bianchi teams. She now has her own coaching academy offering race consultancy, skills and fitness coaching. I was keen to see whether she could she turn me – an enthusiastic downhiller who rarely arrives at the top of a climb with a smile on her face – into a cross country whippet. Or at the very least give me some skills which would help me avoid trees.

'I'd say one of the most important things in cross country is to look up the trail,' says Jenny. In mountain biking you go where you are looking and the further ahead you can see, the more time you have to react to obstacles.' Rarely have I employed this technique on technical climbs, tending to focus on that small piece of trail in front of my wheel and consequently flailing over any root or rock in my way. A quick shoulder check on tight corners however, and my body is already off in the right direction; forcing myself to look up the trail on a climb, allows me to anticipate a rooty section so I'm powering over it before I have a chance to put a foot down. So far so good. Who knew it could be so simple?

Jenny's expertise lies in endurance and marathon racing, winning the national marathon championship title in 2006. In other words, she knows a thing or two about pacing. 'It's so important to have an objective assessment of your own abilities,' she says. 'So many people go off cross country because they get this wrong, throw everything they have at a route in the first half hour and it hurts.' One of the easiest ways to pace yourself is your line choice. I'm confident I have this in the bag – shoulder checking like crazy - until Jenny points out I picked what is known as 'the lemming line.' 'It's the one everyone takes, because they see the tyre tracks and just follow it. But actually it would have been a lot less work for you – and a lot less steep - to have gone wide on that corner and come in off the top. Be a bit imaginative and conserve your energy.' Downhill riding forces an explosion of energy over a very short time period – a five minute track is considered pretty epic. So it's interesting to learn tactically when to hold back and when to go quick in cross country in order to last the course. Needless to say Jenny leaves me for dust. Or mud. Must try harder.

One thing you notice within five minutes of riding with Jenny is how good she is at manhandling her bike. Despite her feminine sizing, she is in complete control. 'A lot of people I start coaching, just sit on the bike and get carried along. But your mountain bike needs to become an extension of you and you need to really throw your weight around,' she says. If you look at downhillers like Steve Peat, you'll see how much he changes his weight distribution over the course of the run. I found this quite tricky at certain points on the cross country route due to my saddle height. In downhill this would be very low; in XC it sits pretty much hip height meaning you have to move that much more to get your weight back or to weight a particular side of the bike. In the mud of Aston Hill it was pretty crucial to get to grips with this sharpish. The back end of my bike did wash out on one corner but as I was going uphill (how is that possible?) and Jenny didn't see I don't think it counts.

There's no doubt my riding benefited from Jenny's coaching – a few tweaks here and there have made it slicker and more efficient. On top of that her enthusiasm for XC – honed over 17 years of racing – is pretty infectious. 'I love being outdoors on my bike, it's my main driving force,' she enthuses. 'It's a way of proving you can achieve stuff if you put your mind to it, which has a lot of benefits off the bike too.' Now that's something XC and DH riders can all agree on. On that note, flats or clip-ins … ?

jennycopnall.com

This piece also appeared on the Guardian's bike blog. But the subbing was a bit weird.

Is this the best blag ever?!

2010-03-30T03:55:00.001-07:00

There's an interview on the Singletrack site right now with Nigel Page, manager for the Chain Reaction team. It's a bit long but if you read it you will come across this story which anyone who has ever flown to Mega with their DH rig on Ryanair will appreciate and possibly crown as the best blag ever:

'Finally, can you tell us one of your famous excess baggage stories?

Well, this is certainly an area where my stress levels max out! Some of the excess baggage charges I have talked and argued my way around have been ridiculous, but when you arrive at check-in with 150 plus excess kilos you can imagine some of the charges. If I had agreed to pay the charges that the airlines tried to charge us last year going to and from South Africa we would have paid an about an extra £15,000. I managed to blag my way out of paying about £12K going out there, but on the way home the check-in lady was having none of it. The usual happened, the rest of the team left me to it, more out of embarrassment than anything else, but I had tried everything I knew from my blagging book and still I had to pay the excess of 125 excess kilos at £30 per kilo, otherwise we were not getting our stuff checked in. So off I went with the credit card to the payments desk with a bill for £3750 for excess baggage. I was stressed out massively, thinking about our team budget after just the first race, and I thought there has got to be a way around this. So as I queued up I thought I would try one last idea and got out my pen and put a point between the 2 and the 5 so my ticket said 12.5 instead of 125 excess kilos. I thought “This is going to be dodgy…” and as I approached the payment desk I noticed the guy had a Liverpool FC tie on, so quickly changing into my bessy scouse accent before I handed over the ticket, I asked him if he had ever been to watch the reds at Anfield? We had a quick chat about the Pool before he took my ticket and frowned at it and asked: “Is that 12.5 Kilos?”I said “Yeah mate” Obviously sh*tting it, as they don’t normally put on point 5. He said, “OK, I will just charge you for 12 kilos.” So I paid my £360 instead of £3750 and returned to the check-in desk with my stamped paid receipt just praying the lady didn’t check the amount I had paid. She handed me our tickets and told us to hurry up so we didn’t miss our flight. We all rushed off with my heart rate at about 170 until we sat on the plane! Then I thought ‘I bet the bloody plane will be too heavy to take off now and I’m going to be responsible for killing everyone!’

Check out the rest of the interview here

Tom shoots for Superco. Wahoo!

2010-03-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

So back when were in Chicago in February we also hot footed it to Rays MTB park in Cleveland for Rays Angels weekend and two days of skewering my abdomen on my handlebars. Bearing children? Not for me!
Anyway, while there Tom hooked up with Dylan Bibbins who is a really smooth rider for Superco bikes (great hand built jump bikes from the US of A) and got some shots in. One is now on their homepage. Get in!
Some Crabbies ginger ale to celebrate methinks.

You can check out some of Tom's other MTB photography here although the site is being updated with some amazing shots that aren't on it yet. Be patient my little cherubs.

When bad clothes ...

2010-03-24T11:13:00.001-07:00

... happen to good riders.

More Mountain Biking >>

Look mum!

2010-03-24T08:22:00.000-07:00

My mate Sam who used to work as the peanut butter fuelled mechanic at 'Sigma Sports world of top-end cycling joy in Kingston' (yes, that's it actual name), is in the process of opening his very own cycle workshop and cafe in Old Street, London town. This man knows bikes. And coffee. Which basically means his gaff is the place to be.

Due to open by April unless Sam finds himself racing up the Col de la Croix Fer like a whippet. As he has been known to do.

Check out details here: www.lookmumnohands.com

So, so proud.

Some little cycling stars in a sky filled with cycling tosh

2010-03-24T02:25:00.000-07:00

Ordway, Colorado is a peaceful town, prone to rather robust winds. Depending on which way you cycle you're either going to find it really easy, or incredibly difficult to enter. But nestled in a back street is the perfect person to kick off this blog about cycle travel's unsung heroes. Gillian Hoggard was named a 'trail angel' back in 2006 by the Adventure Cycling Association for the free and welcoming accommodation she offered to cyclists riding the Transamerica trail across the United States. Her little oasis of homegrown veg and cute flowers in a land of sand and brush was burnt to the ground in 2008 making this section of trail rather bleak. But she's now back in action and is confident she'll be ready to host by the spring. Or in her words: 'I have two lads here who are putting in good efforts to make it so … ' Get on your bike, head to Ordway and ask for Gillian. An old school method that works every time.

Moving eastwards we come across the Great Lakes area of North America – probably not the first place you think of when it comes to cycling owing to the vast quantities of water housed there. But if you like your riding kitsch and a little bit quaint you could do a lot worse than head to Mackinac Island which sits between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Cars are banned from Mackinac meaning transportation is by cycle, foot or horse drawn carriage only. But while the tourists take to the Victorian-era streets on gentle pushbikes, the 3.8 miles squared island also harbours some good singletrack. Hire a bike at Ryba'son Lake Shore Road close to the ferry terminal for £28 for the day and set off inland. You can pick up a map from the Tourist Bureau or download one here. Access to the island is by ferry between April and October.

And on the subject of mountain biking we move from an island to Ireland. By now you must have heard of Break the Cycle
It is a film by graphic designer Andy Yoong which not only documents downhill riding in Ireland but shoots it on the backdrop of some of amazing scenery. A lot of the movie was shot in Mourne Mountain area around Rostrevor but spots in the north – including Belfast and the north Antrim coast also get a look in. It throws a spotlight on a country often overlooked when it comes to documenting fantastic riding. If you feel like investigating further, download a copy of January's MBR which has a feature on the Emerald Isle or talk to First Tracks Guiding who run mountain bike courses in County Down and County Armagh. If you want to ride on location then you can book accommodation with Rostrevor Holidays

Away from the mud and onto the easier to ride surface of tarmac and we head into the French Alps. No, not THOSE Alps, but the ones you probably haven't associated with fantastic road riding yet. Velo Vercors is a holiday company in the Rhone Alps set up by ex-racer Roger Dunne and his wife Teresa. Based in St Jean-en-Royans the landscape on offer is that of deep valley gorges and grassy plateaus. With Roger at the helm the daily rides on offer can be tailored to clients needs and if you want to ride 120km with a 3000 metres of ascent, you can. The bonus is the roads are very quiet so the only sound you'll hear is your own gasping breath.

Speaking of tarmac, there's a lot of it in London. Which is why The Trax is a pretty cool concept. It's a new cycle club for riders up in Tottenham and north London and focusses on all off-road disciplines including BMX, dirt jumping and downhill. It's based in Lordship Recreation Ground and organises race days, trips out to the Surrey Hills, skills sessions and youth meets. It's unlikely it will challenge the ever-growing track scene in the capital but is a nice slant on urban riding anyway.

And finally to a place more often associated with surfing than cycling. Despite being only 50 miles across, Kauai in the Hawaiian islands has a developing road riding scene which is gaining fans among the off-road fraternity. “Why is cycling on Kauai so good?” says professional mountain biker Joanna Petterson “Well let's just say I like picking avocado from a tree on my ride, the mountain climbs and ending my ride by jumping into the ocean and catching a few waves.” Triathlete Stacy Ricciardi runs a boot camp on the island, primarily for female cyclists, offering lengthy but friendly training rides around the island, often finishing for breakfast in the town of Kilauea. So while the mountain biking may be technical and slippery, the road riding is beautiful and ends with pancakes. You can contact Stacy by email: bootcampbystacy@hawaii.rr.com

Sometimes you just have to go: respect

2010-03-19T05:01:00.000-07:00

Straight from the Black Run joy of race day last weekend, Aston Hill is hosting another cool event on 23 March (yes folks, that's a Tuesday) where Brian Bartlett who invented the Bartlett tendon will be riding with some of the first British users of the device. It's a prosthetic limb which allows people who have lost their leg above the knee to kick ass on DH rigs. And probably other stuff too but let's not forget we're here for the DH people.

The event is being hosted by Pace Rehabilitation and no, the video wasn't shot at Aston Hill. Couldn't you tell?

ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod

2010-03-19T04:05:00.000-07:00

ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2010/mar/19/cambridge-women-bikes

Tracy Moseley gets all fit.

2010-03-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

I mean like, she rocks right? Properly rocks.
My fitness regime involes watching people do their fitness regimes.

Best MTB films ever?

2010-03-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

Ok so this little piece took me about a day to research. Well, I had my top five within about 15 minutes but I had to research for hours just to make sure. Obvs.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/mar/08/mountain-biking-youtube-video?page=all
Anyone got any better suggestions? Of course you have!

Nice new website

2010-03-02T06:45:00.000-08:00

No not mine. But I just came across this one: www.jab-ride.co.uk about all things mountain bike down in the South East. Blah, blah the south isn't all there is to England and London isn't the only place in the world I know, I know, I get it. But the lads behind this seem pretty passionate about bikes. Plus they tweeted this pic of the new pump track at Esher Shore due to open in April, so they're worth bigging up in my book.

Cocktails and mud

2010-03-01T04:59:00.001-08:00

Right so let's get the important news out the way first: last night I watched the whole of Cocktail! The whole thing! Not just the first two thirds, but I saw it to the end. Oh yes. Can't believe the Aussie dude killed himself, as if a life of reckless abandon shouldn't be endorsed. Der. But other than that, wonderful. All Eighties and terrible hair (I had mine cut in Chicago. Big mistake. I now look like Brian May.) Met this dude Ken who runs the bar at the fantastic Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland and he said there exists a roster of films which you just have to see through to the end: Shawshank (obvs), Grease, Big etc etc and now Cocktail. Unfortunately after a lot of consideration I have decided that BMX Bandits does not belong on this list. But I had to watch it through three times before I came to this conclusion, very early this morning.

I decided to spend over four hours in front of the TV in order to round off a particularly sedentary weekend which saw me sit in the van all the way up to north Wales for the Caersws uplift weekend organised by Mike at Borderline events, and back again. Although first we went to Moelfre which is even further north than Caersws because Tom, while very good at taking pictures, is very shite at using Google maps. (side note – as I write this I am eating spinach which tastes like bacon. It may be off.) Here's what the road to Moelfre looks like:

Yes. It's raining. By the time we got to Caersws the mud was axle deep. It looked like this: So deep I was forced to mull over the point at which my trainers would stop being waterproof. Nike Airforce One high tops: pretty goddam waterproof I'm happy to report. Hooked up with Jess Stone who was making like Sam Hill, throwing the bike sideways and letting off the brakes. She is stoked to be riding the World Cup and it's really inspiring to see. Her ambition, skill and competitiveness herald good tidings (touchwood.) In Tom's words: 'Blimey, she likes going fast.' In my words: “get the hell away from me you're covered in s**t. Ooooh can I do your nails?' I did:

I can safely report mud is not my forte despite Jess's claims that it was really sticky. Yeah right. I stuck in the van. Then to the pub for beer and mash. We left her in a room with 24 men and no showers and hoofed it back to London via Gloucester. Props must go to Steve and his dad Norm for being rad, providing a gazebo and hack sawing my seatpost.

Dear lord am I excited about the coming season!

p.s. Oh and in reference to this blog, the ever-sparkly and brilliant Debbie at Minx sent me this link. If ever there was a good reason for elastic waistbands on baggies …

The epic journey to the land of no day-glo

2010-02-19T05:20:00.001-08:00

I'm in Chicago. It's rad. Can't see any Altura anywhere, thus I am happy.
Here is how I got here:

The week started off in Afan. Lovely. Cold, sunny. Then this happened:

Hidden Valley on Penhydd. Best part. Closed. Bummer.

We stopped for lunch. Jam sandwiches. Awesome. Back up the Wall. Stop for a Snickers. Five people cycled past in awful, awful outfits. You're on a bike. Would you wear that to the shops? No. So why on a bike? So I had to do this for a bit to recover:

Back in London. Busy. Tuesday, hit up British Airways for a flight to Chicago. Crap films - All About Steve? Terrible. Virigin rocks. But we ended up here so that's all good:

And the El train is rad. Keep expecting Harrison Ford to pop out from a phone box like in the Fugitive. My sister watched that film and went: 'Great film. Which one was the fugitive?' This one:

We popped over to the Wicker Park district and mooched around the Rapid Transit Bicycle shop:

This dude was after a job there. He is a cyclist. Who looks cool. Not hard really:

And Rapid sold these shirts from Kona. Yum:

And after all that bike browsing effort there was only one thing left to do:

New shoes, new shoes! How much?!

2010-02-03T00:55:00.001-08:00

So I get sent this press release which makes me all happy as it has some spokes on it (easy to please) and it's about riding shoes. Now I have a major issue with riding shoes as my feet are quite slender and my Five Ten Freeriders - which let's face it are the best looking MTB shoes available to purchase - are so wide I could fit both my feet in one. I'm not going to go on a big gender issue here and about manufacturers not realising women have smaller feet, but sort it out, yeah?

Anyway the press relase in question was about a new shoe produced through a collaboration between Veja and Paris shop Cyclope for riders on track bikes. Here's a picture:
The shoes are made with some nifty ecological materials and are 'adapted for fixed gear riding.' What this means is they have a reinforced toe and a stiffer sole. Kinda like an Adiddas Campus sneaker. And I'm thinking, hmmm they look quite slender could be good for a Chicksands session.

But they are £95. Ninety-five pounds. Am I the only skint person who rides a bike?! It's a shoe! When did riding a bike mean people were allowed to fleece you? Vance Packard would be so proud.

I continue to read the press release despite my palpatating heart and I spot this:
Help me out. When did riding a track bike become an extreme sport? It's virtually impossible to crack yourself in the shin with your pedal when you bunny hop! Pah! I'll admit those MASH boys go pretty fast down the hills in San Francisco but frankly the most extreme thing about that is how they manage to stop their knees from blowing out. And do people even still use the term 'extreme sport'?

I'm in pain.

I can't help it ...

2010-01-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

... I just love the houndstooth.

2010 Trek Session DH. Proving a little bit of style goes a long way.

So that's what snow is for

2010-01-25T03:13:00.000-08:00

I admit, the pages of this blog saw me get all breathless over the snow which fell a few weeks ago. I must have been drinking. It was cool, but quite hard work and actually got a bit boring for a while. Yet reading other blogs it seems I'm in the minority. Gorgeous pictures, poetic text, people comparing Dorking to the MegaAvalanche glacier and going all gooey at how lovely riding with you mates in 12 feet of white stuff is. It is. On skis.

Then, Le Humpage sent me this picture and suddenly it all made sense. Aaaaaaah, that's why snow is so good. A kick ass skid. Rock on. Quality shot as well, I'm sure you'll agree. That boy will go far.

Panic! Whistler is for sale

2010-01-24T09:29:00.000-08:00

News is in that Whistler resort is to find itself well and truly plopped on the auction block come 19 February unless naughty parent company Intrawest LLC find some spare change to make up for missed payments on a $1.4 billion loan.

Let's ignore the irony for the minute that one of the exasperated impoverished lenders is Lehman Brothers (you'd think they of all companies could cut a defaulter some slack) and think about the effects this could spell for mountain biking and its mecca. A totally unverified and unnamed source close to Whistler that I made up but who could easily fill in for any desperate news organisation, said: 'It could well be goodnight Vienna.' Meanwhile a spokesperson for Intrawest LLC - and let's face it we can probably trust them just as much - said: 'No foreclosure has happened. We are looking forward to the Games.' Remember them, the O-L-Y-M-P-I-C-S. The winter sporting event, the summer version of which doesn't include DH. Ah, now you're with me.

If we're honest, nothing will happen. BUT. Check this. In a public notice, the group of lender companies stated: 'Each qualified bidder must be a financial institution or other entity that has the financial wherewithal to purchase the membership interests in immediately available funds on the closing date.' In other words: blah, blah, blah. Or, WE CAN BID FOR WHISTLER! Now my mate Benji who is a superb journalist of immense disrepute, recently bid £350 for West Ham. He didn't win it but they were pretty worried for a bit there. So, let's get involved!

How cool would it be to own Whistler? If I owned the resort I would immediately make Wednesdays (because they can usually dowith some jazzing up) a compulsory Led Zepp appreciation day. No need for getting your headphone chord wrapped around your saddle - just listen to II powering out across the treetops.

Having solved the soundtrack crisis I would then outlaw any clothes by Altura. Sorry, just not a fan.

Hand wipes in cable cars would be quite good. Not for my hands but for my face as I always seem to end up wiping the crap from my gloved hands across my head.

Absolutely totally free all week demoing on any DH bike. Financed by Lehman Brothers.

Sorted.

Pothole gardens

2010-01-22T03:11:00.000-08:00

Now I'm not one for cycle advocacy, much preferring a slug of vodka and The Datsuns on the iPod when it all gets a bit too much.

But sometimes a bit of direct action makes me smile. Enter photographer Pete Dungey in Oxford who has decided the best way to solve the pothole crisis is to bung some geraniums in them.

"It's just a project to highlight the terrible state of our roads across the country," he says.

Now that's what I call rock and roll.

Check out more of his work and the project at www.petedungey.com

Passportes 2010

2010-01-21T12:12:00.000-08:00

Wahoo! Registration for this year's Passportes du Soleil on 26 and 27 June opens on 10 February. Proper nice event, mainly because you get to eat and drink beer every 15km. Or so. The 75km route is taking in nine resorts this year as opposed to seven with the MTB fair rocking Chatel. Passportes may be in and around Morzine but do yourself a favour and leave the DH bike in the chalet.

Did I complete it last year? Did I hell. I got sucked into a pothole near Chatel (Question: why has Fionn stopped on that berm? Answer: to point out the massive hole in the trail I've just nosedived into.)But after the ensuing paddy, I did still manage to drink beer and eat every 15 minutes. I mean kilometres.

In 2009 800 people registered on the first day and entries are limited to 4,000. Tie it into a week in Morzine and then on to Mega Avalanche which kicks off 5 July and you're laughing.

Run Rabbit, run

2010-01-21T02:19:00.000-08:00

Me in Chamonix. Photo: Tom Humpage

I went out with my sister last night and we weren't on the bikes. God no. The last time she got on a bike was when I hauled her sorry ass over the Golden Gate Bridge on a tandem. So we went out and we got to talking and we both agreed that it's taken a while but we can no longer avoid the crushing realisation that: This. Is. It. This is it. You can hum the Strokes here, I find it helps. And this realisation reminded me of a sentence from Updike's Rabbit which has literally been on my mind for years. I paraphrase of course, but it's something like: 'somehow overnight I had morphed from being someone who had so much potential, into someone who could have been so good.' We decided, over our second bottle of Pinot Grigio (natch) that the morphing had indeed taken place. No matter, we both still had our health and wrinkled youth, besides what's the future when you have chilled white wine?

But as I ploughed into work this morning, a sole cool-clad cyclist in a sea of day-glo and bad, bad footwear, I got cataclysmically panicked. Agreed the hangover wasn't helping but let's just focus here people, yeah? Jesus I thought, I've missed the boat. I didn't even know where it was going, but it's gone. Look at all these people pedalling so fast on squeaking chains, flashing lights clinging to every orrifice, they're still racing to catch the boat – they can still see it. Me – I'm sat on the harbour wall with a big bag of chips, tenderly groping my extra fat wondering if it's worth trying to swim. Nah.

Back in the day before I morphed, cycling for me was amazing. It was challenging, every route a personal triumph. My road riding took me across America and through the Alps, opened up the landscape and a side of me that relished in the present and enjoyed overcoming obstacles. Mountain biking used to be about beers and berms, rock music and the closest thing I could find to mad, off-piste skiing. Even commuting was a great way to start and end a day, a chilled ride through one of the greatest cities on earth.

And I'm sorry to be depressed about it, because all the blogs I read are really upbeat all the time about bikes. And I'm still stoked on bikes and I think the chicks are amazing – 2010 is a wicked year for MTB for sure. But it's getting really boring have some over weight bloke get pissed off when I pass him on the way to work, and then try and sandbag me the rest of the way to Farringdon. It's quite sad the way the industry is so cliquey. It's frustrating the way mainstream journalism can't get its head around using experts to write their bike information; and it's so demoralising when it seems like everyone is so caught up outdoing each other with all the bollocks that they forget everyone is free to ride a bike however they like.

My mate Mark who runs GPM10 and re-inspires me every summer when I ride with him in Chamonix, says it's all just a load of bollocks and if you hang out in Cham with proper cyclists you rise above all that stuff. So maybe it's time to make the move. Plus he's like 46 or whatever, so has done a lot more morphing than me.

In the meantime I watched this montage of the TransAmerica trail from a blog on Adventure Cycling's website. I did this route in 2006, on my own. Wicked. I hope it's not the best thing I've ever done on a bike, but it feels like that today.

Women of Dirt

2010-01-14T13:46:00.001-08:00

Quality.

Here's the link: http://bonesovermetal.com/womenofdirt/

The girls in San Francisco

2010-01-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

I'm not cool. No way. I'm not even sure I embody geek chic (unless it's geek sheek.) Juliet Elliot and Posy Dixon on the other hand = cool. Charge riders, PR agency owners, totally into track bike culture. Cool.

Here's their lowdown on cycling in the bestest city in the USA and home of MASH, from a recent trip there. And a photo of Juliet outside a funky taco bar. Look - she eats and she's skinny. Cool.

San Francisco being famed for its undulating topography, would not instantly spring to mind as a cycle-friendly city. Yet bicycle culture is booming. From fixed gear hipsters to commuters in suits, rent-a-bike tourists to serious roadies, the city heartily embraces the bicycle. And at a fairly compact seven square miles, a bike is an awesome way to see the city and enjoy the massive diversity of the various neighbourhoods that fill the bay.

You can pretty much grab a bike, grab a map, and explore the city at your own pace and leisure, seeing as all the roads are pretty cycle friendly, and non motorized bike routes through parks and along the bayside are well advertised for those less confident riders. However, here are a few tried and tested ideas for some rides to get you inspired.

1) The city Loop, difficulty: medium

Start your ride at the mouth of the Panhandle heading into Golden Gate Park. Enjoy the road all the way through the park before shooting down John F Kennedy drive where you'll be welcomed by a vast expanse of empty beach. Pull a right and climb the road up to Sutro Heights Park. From here follow the coast line around South Bay taking in a steep climb before enjoying the descent back to the coast and the swimming beach of Aquatic Park. From here, continue to hug the shore and pedal on to Fisherman's Wharf, not forgetting to check out the resident seals at Pier 39.

Recommended bike shop: Mojo Cycle Cafe 639-A Divisadero Street; +1 415 440 2338.
Where to eat: Herbivore, 531 Divisadero; +1 415 885 7133.
Where to sleep: The Fairmont hotel, 950 Mason Street; +1 415 772 5000.

2) The alternative cruise, difficulty: medium

San Fran is famous for its alternative scene; follow this ride to enjoy the full extent of it. Start your ride in The Mission, the latest happening spot and from here head up Market Street towards the hill. Turn right by the large Safeway's near the top of the slope and from here follow The Wiggle, (ask anyone local for directions to this mystical route) which will bring you up to Haight-Ashbury whilst avoiding the bigger hills. In this famous hippie outpost you can stock up on tie-die T-shirts and stop in at the world famous Amoeba Records. From Haight wind your way up to North Beach to explore the spiritual home of the Beat poets, the
bookshop, before fuelling up on Italian food.

Recommended bike shop: Push Bike 3045 24th Street @ treat; +1 415 647 7222.
Where to drink: Pop's Bar 2800 24th street; +1 415 401 7677.
Where to eat: El Farolito 2779 Mission St; +1 415 824 7877
Where to sleep: Green Tortoise hostel 494 Broadway; +1 415 834 1000.

3) The car free cruise, difficulty: easy

Beginning at Fishermans Wharf (where you can easily rent a bike if need be) follow the National Park Bike Path around the headland to the Golden Gate Bridge. Head over the bridge on the car-free cycle path and enjoy the downhill cruise into Sausalito. After a look around the chi chi bayside town you can opt to either catch the ferry across the bay home (last ride at around 6pm) or face the uphill ride back to San Fran.

Recommended bike shop: Blazing Saddles 2715 Hyde Street; +1 415 202 8888.
Where to sleep: The Union Street Inn 2229 Union Street; +1 415 346 0424.
Where to eat: Winship restaurant 670 Bridgeway, Sausalito; +1 415 332 1454.

General tips for first-time visitors

• Get a bike map! You can buy these at all the bikes shops for $5.

• Although San Fran is hilly, most people don't just power themselves straight up (or down) a killer slope. Follow any local for a mile or two and you'll quickly pick up the left, right, left, right traverse that allows you to mount some mighty hills without taking on too deadly a gradient.

• Despite the city's state-provided cycle lanes, it's worth noting that there is a lot going on roadside. In particular, be careful of the tram lines, which run down the inside lanes of many of the city's key arteries; these are easy to cross at an angle but take extra care when it's dark or rainy.

• The weather here can change by the minute as the famous Bay fog rolls in, so always carry layers and be prepared for warm days and cold nights.

• As in most major cities, bike theft is rife so always lock your bike up in sight, never leave it overnight, and when possible use a separate wire lock to secure your wheels.

No mojo and a round up which is quite interesting

2010-01-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

You know what? I've totally lost my bike mojo. And what's more I'm getting tired of being ashamed to admit it. The papers, the blogs, the audio the blah blah blah, people everywhere on bikes looking horrendous and trying to be the most committed cyclist. 'Did you cycle in today?' Erm no because it's four feet of snow and I don't like getting salt gravel up my ass. 'Oh well ha, you know I did, do you want to hear about my merino base layer? And I went cyclocross racing at the weekend and then ate my own face.' Not even a trip to Aston Hill at the weekend helped. Gone, the bike love has gone.

So in its wake I have done a round up of interesting bike travelly stuff. It may or may not go up on the big G's website but some of the nuggets are quite useful so I figured I'd post here as well, just in case. Here goes, knock yourself out:

It is by no means obligatory to set yourself a goal simply because it is January. But if you spend the vast majority of your cycling life breathing in car exhaust and rolling over shattered glass in gutters, it is nice to have something to look forward to. And if you're a moderately enthusiastic cyclist, it's got to be a pretty impressive challenge. So why not try your hand at the Alpine Epic 2010 (http://www.alpineepic.co.nz/), registration for which has just recently opened? It's a multi-stage, four-day mountain bike race held from Mount Somers to Lake Tekapo in New Zealand, 24 to 27 February. This is the race's second year seeing 100 teams charging 243km of untamed singletrack in New Zealand's spectacular South Island high country.

Not based Down Under? Never fear. 2010 seems to be the year of the endurance race, a sector of mountain biking which has gained a huge following recently. And if you're not a fan of teams, then the inaugural '24 Hours of Exposure' (http://www.24hoursolo.co.uk/) race – the UK's first solo 24 hour MTB championships - could be just for you. Whipping around a 10 mile loop in the Newcastleton section of the 7Stanes in Scotland on 22 May, novices and more experienced riders can all pit their physical and mental strength against some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK. Until it gets dark. Then you won't see much at all.

As for you roadies, well I've got my challenge sorted: I'm off to Cesenatico on the Italian coast in May to tackle the 40th Nove Colli (http://www.novecolli.it/) on 23 May, called such because there are 'nine hills' within its 200km loop. But those of weaker thigh are also provided for with a 130km option which cuts out quite a few climbs. In true Italian style the race is almost completely overshadowed by the pasta party at the finish. The terrain is gorgeous and in May the temperatures are high – around 27 – 30 degrees. If you fancy joining me, check out the packages offered by participants in the Italy Bike Hotels consortium. The Belvedere Hotel in buzzing seaside Riccione has excellent facilities for cyclists.

A bit closer to home and if you've got Christmas money saved up or are looking for a bike bargain then get yourself up to Manchester Velodrome (http://www.manchestervelodrome.com/) for the 14th annual Cycle Jumble on 24 January. Vendors will be selling everything from new to pre-owned frames, equipment, accessories and memorabilia, so it's a great place to check out kit and pick up stuff you wouldn't normally find in your average high street cycle store. While you're there, check out GBH Bikes (http://www.gbhbikes.co.uk) in the Northern Quarter – custom build and fixed gear Heaven.

If your idea of Heaven differs slightly and figures gold of the liquid variety, Highlands and Islands Adventures (http://www.handiadventures.co.uk/) based in Inverness have just added a whiskey tour to their 2010 itinerary. Coinciding with the Spirit of Speyside Whiskey Festival, the six day tour from 26 April to 3 May, takes in five different distilleries as well as the fantastic mountain bike trails in and around the Caingorms. Hopefully the snow will have melted by then. Full cost for the week including all accommodation, breakfast, lunch and guiding is £725pp.

And finally, if you're into cyclocross chances are you've heard of this site already and perhaps bought the book. But for those who are new to it and in need of inspiration on those frost Sunday mornings, check out pdxcross.com (http://www.pdxcross.com/) based out in Portland, Oregon (and if you read this blog often enough, you'll know how much I rate the cycling there.) The website pays visual homage to all those hardy 'cross types and the collective have just released their first book: Dirty Pictures. Well worth gracing any respectable cyclists coffee table (or tool bench.)

No didn't work. WHERE'S MY MOJO?!

Racing shadows

2009-12-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

I raced my shadow today. It seemed like we started on the east coast, as I left the office and turned the bike into the rain. But the rain was too cold and too spiteful and too thin, nipping at my shins in icy shards. This wasn’t Virginia, it didn’t sit right. So before I knew it we were in the Rockies. We’d raced straight over the plains of Kansas, flocks of black birds rising out of the corn as we whipped by, making the most of the glorious tailwind. I must have been going too fast to feel the damp heat of Missouri and Kentucky too, the languid pace of life lost in a quick rotation of the pedals. But I could feel the Rockies as the road grabbed at my tyres, forcing me to plunge the pedals downwards while the cold kissed my cheeks. The elevation was so high it took my breath away. We cycled softly and swiftly, dwarfed into silence by the landscape; the view too epic to comprehend with the small amount of time we had – you needed a lifetime. And then we were on again. We flew through Teton and Yellowstone, nervous on every bend lest we encountered some creature we couldn’t avoid. And then we backtracked through Wyoming when the headwind kicked in. But it was when we arrived at Lolo that we realised we had been here all along. The cold seeped through our Gore-Tex and set up home in our bones. The Lochsa never left our side, its raging water swollen by the rain. We called a truce there in Idaho, supping on tepid hot chocolate will a deep mist settled on the thick, knowing trees. A new day would dawn, a new race would end in a new truce.

Still need a post-Christmas ride?

2009-12-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

Boxing Day may be done and dusted but here's a little piece I pulled together in case you need a post-Boxing Day ride. Lord knows I do.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/dec/26/cyclingholidays-christmas

Happy trails mean happy hols ...

The ice age cometh

2009-12-20T11:31:00.000-08:00

I wasn't here for the first ice age (I'm not THAT old) and the second one in the 1600's kind of got overlooked what with burning London to the ground and batting off the plague. And the snow in Feb this year? Nah wasn't here for that either. So in terms of riding on snow and ice I think it's fair to say I'm a newbie.

But I've never seen Dorking look so good. Beautiful. And sections that I usually took for granted, suddenly became a new adventure. First tracks were a bit touch and go - in most cases ending up ankle deep in snow when riding over a root you didn't see.

We headed to Barry Knows Best and it was the first time I'd ridden it since they changed the ending, swapping the gnarly DH rooty section for three or four swoopy berms. It's certainly easier to ride (but in the ice pretty committing) but I kind of miss the old end. A bit of old-school technical DH, something to work up to getting faster and faster on. A berms a berm you know?

Then we hit up Telegraph which was fun and I even managed to anticipate the tree stump halfway down even though it was covered in snow, keeping my pedals free and me not over the handlebars.

Then to top it all off, we even managed to reverse the van out of a snowdrift without having to push it manually. Now that's what I call a good day on the hill.

Freeride festival and other shenanigans

2009-12-17T01:56:00.000-08:00

Make no absurd mistake: Howard Donald, DJ, is not a reason to visit Saalbach Hinterglemm, deep in the Austrian Alps near Zell am See where, by the way, no coffee shops open on a Sunday morning. Fact.

But this being Austria and taste in music questionable ( I know this from watching five days worth of MTV), it probably seemed fair to assume on their part that we would be impressed by an ex-Take Thatter (now reestablished Take Thatter) taking to the decks at the annual Rave on Snow. This event is massive. It is literally a big fat massive rave. On snow. And in a kindergarten. The music goes on for 48 hours and the outfits get wierder the longer people rave. Quality.

We were blessed too with fantastic snow. But you don't need to hear that. What you do need to hear is that Saalbach plays host to Europe's longest freeride MTB trail, plus 400km of MTB trails in total, including DH and a bike park. Dates have been released already for next year's Freeride Festival which is taking place from 9 to 11 July. The resort also has five big cable cars carrying bikes up the hill.

Here are some snapshots of the freeride route in the snow. Me likey. Is it time to ditch Morzine?

Thinking of getting a DH bike?

2009-12-15T05:41:00.000-08:00

Think again!
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/mini-mega-report-2009.html
Cheered me up no end.

Let it snow, let it snow

2009-12-10T07:35:00.000-08:00

Pedalfeet is in Austria. There is snow. And lots of skiing. But no cycling until summer. Boo. Sing it now: 'You can't always get what you waaaaaant, you can't always get what you waaaaaaant. But if you try sometimes, you might just find. You get what you neeeeeeeeed.'

Ah yes.

Wanted: garage space

2009-11-29T09:41:00.001-08:00

I love my bikes. But bath time is really beginning to p**s me off.

Something for the weekend? Er ...

2009-11-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

Who said mountain biking was sexist? Thank god for Cosmo magazine's hall of fame and one Mr Gee Atherton, ably putting paid to such thoughts and replacing them with something much more interesting. I know it's from February, but we all need something to brighten up those winter nights. Careful where you put that saddle love.

My goodies, oh my goodies!

2009-11-27T00:48:00.001-08:00

So the big G are running a gallery today of things cyclists may want for Christmas. If you can spot the two I added in then you win, well nothing but hey ho. Life's a bummer sometimes.

Needless to say the two I did add in are the best of the bunch - I'm not sure when any self-respecting MTBer would need a red spotty cycle cover but it takes all sorts and hey, I'm not judging. But it has inspired me to create my own Christmas list which I shall add to over the next few weeks despite my mother's 'no pressies this year' plea. Silly lady.

1)

Yes they have diamante on them and yes this will make me go faster. Obvs. Besides, can you show me a girl who doesn't want to sparkle while she hauls ass down a mountain? Thought not. 'Ace' gloves by Troy Lee www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk/tld

2)

It's carbon, it's gold, it's £774.96 for the full set by my calculation. But it's also the SRAM XO drivetrain and as far as I'm concerned that's rad. Here's the bumpf from Sram: 'the X.0 system performs with distinction [as do I - natch]. Our superior 1:1 actuation ratio paired with a NEW super-tough carbon and aluminum cage design results in durability and performance.' Totally feeling that dude.
http://www.sram.com/en/designyourride/

3)

It's a new rave helmet! Wahoo! I have nothing more to add. Hex helmet by Giro £53.99 www.wiggle.co.uk

4)

I am an absolute sucker for Park Tools. I know, I know, they are twice as expensive as any other brand. But I used to work in PR and I bow deeply to the people behind the brand who have somehow, against all odds, made bike tools cool. I mean, check this out: a bottle opener, that looks like some sort of spanner. Genius. I have lusted after their BBQ set for years but I reckon mum will sway with this bottle opener as it's compatible with all brands of beer and she loves an icy bottle of San Mig.
Park Tools bottle opener £7.99 www.madison.co.uk

5)

Attack the pack goddammit! No seriously attack it. I can't I'm bonking. Bonkity bonk bonk. But still. It's a nice sentiment and if I wore this tee at least people would still see me when I cross the finish line after the sun has set. Morvelo t-shirt, £20 www.morvelo.com

I'd also really like a Thermos flask and a Jamie Oliver in USA cook book.
What's on your list?

There's wisdom in them there hills

2009-11-20T08:56:00.001-08:00

I go to college after work every Wednesday night (because I'm trying to improve myself, natch) and on Wednesday I was talking to my friend Nkone about Michael Foucault. I admit, I brought him into the conversation but I maintain it was valid. She was feeling really negative about stuff, nasty people having too much power over her life and making her miserable. I said: 'Hey Nkone, you ever heard of Foucault and his web of power?' and she said: 'No - enlighten me!' So I said: 'Essentially it's the idea that things were not always as they appear to you today and that they can be changed, even at the lowest level so that they will be something different tomorrow. You may not feel like you have the power to influence your life or situations but, dear friend, you do.'
Once she had got over my demonstration of immense intelligence (note the sarcasm), she gasped, awe-struck: 'But how do you regain power over situations where people are crowding you out and making you feel negative?'
And I said: ' I ride my bike.'

Cyclocrossing the universe, on the starship enterprise ...

2009-11-17T03:27:00.000-08:00

Well it's a Peugot Partner actually and I didn't exactly cyclo-cross the universe so much as cough up half a lung and withdraw after two and a half laps. Still, what a ride! The course at Stanmer Park near Brighton was really enjoyable - having been off a bike for so long, reaquainting myself with mud and corners while astride a bike with a very non-MTB standover height was interesting. As soon as I remembered not to use my brakes and approach each corner in the manner of a BMX bandit, things got better.

But eight weeks off the bike has taken its toll and I was cataclysmically unfit, despite the knee (touchwood) holding up and a nice new NS Bikes stem on Jake making him kinder on the back (and a lot stiffer, grrr). It's a nice project now though, slowly increasing the mileage back up to the start and then some. Going to race down in Penshurst on Sunday to keep things ticking over. And at least the storm had abated long enough to drink tea without being swept away. Well done to Phil and the boys at Morvelo who proved that skin suits are really quite special and make you go fast. Er ...

Bikes rock. I am super stoked to be back in the game. Even if I am last.

p.s. I would like to point out that EVERYONE was pushing their bikes up that incline in the photo, not just me. Fact.

A cycling round up - and not a lasso in sight

2009-11-11T07:42:00.000-08:00

Look a picture! Me on White's Level by Tom Humpage

Here's the latest from me on cycling bits and bobs for the Guardian. Get in touch if there's stuff you think should be flagged up - all I need is a vague travel angle which let's face it isn't hard when the whole point about cycling is to moooooove.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/blog/2009/nov/11/whats-new-in-cycling

And on a vain note - I have just taken delivery of two delicious tops and two gorgeous bottoms (natch) courtesy of Minx-Girl.com which I shall be modelling at the Brighton round of the 'Cross series this weekend. Back and knee trouble? Pah! I laugh in your face. A review will obviously follow but I'm not sure I'll be able to say a lot more than simply: 'Mud. in. My. Eye.'

Not a post for the boys ...

2009-11-10T01:28:00.000-08:00

The only way I am sure I am a writer is because I am consistently and unfalliably wracked with doubt that I can't write. Or at least can't write half as well as pretty much everyone else. Take for example bike blogs. At the moment I'm enjoying one by a lady in Juneau, Alaska called Up in Alaska. Jill writes about her cycling in extreme weather conditions, climbing mountains after work and she takes beautiful pictures to go with them. You can absolutely feel the chill air, or the driving rain and ultimately every post leaves me feeling like for a brief five minutes I was staring at Denali and and not picking chewing gum off the sole of my Converse as I skid to Kings Cross through a sea of skank.

In comparison my blog has only intermittent pictures (I'm not good with anything that inolves eyes) and rarely deals so poetically with the art of living and cycling. But I can't help it. My mind doesn't work like that. I know I should be pursuing a pure life dedicated to the earth and riding it well but what I really want to talk about is: sweet fair Jesus do any women other than me really suffer traumas over the whole bikini wax/ getting on a saddle issue?!

No there will be no pictures to go with this post.

Seriously. I cannot believe the female cycling fraternity are moving around totally unpruned. But the chaffing involved in the alternative is really too much. It's almost getting to a stage with me now when I watch women competing in XC and I want to know what their secret is. Not the secret of their skill, endurance, fitness (I know that - ride lots) but how they can sit on a saddle for that long. Now that's impressive.

My sister has suggested a product called 'In-grow go' (genius I'm sure you'll agree) by the Skin Doctors (not to be confused with ther Spin Doctors who are in fact, legends) but my sister hasn't sat on a bike since her first child. Obviously she could take up DH or 4X and then she'd never have to sit down but she's a bit too skinny for that. God it's hard being a woman in cycling.

I have never read this issue being discussed anywhere before. Is that because us chicks are all so busy being totally rad and gnarly that we just pretend it doesn't happen? Or is it the more simple case of I'm the only one for who this is an issue?

I clearly have to get me to Alaska.

A little temperance ...

2009-11-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

I was ever so gently chastised by Debbie last week over a post I made whereby I expressed vaguely negative views over this Bike Radar article. I insinuated the piece on how to start MTBing was a tad patronising. I must apologise - commuting by bike brings out the beast in me. If that's all I did on a bike I would probably devise an intricate way of killing myself using two spokes and some chain lube.

So in an effort to redress the karmic balance - and because I am writing this at 4am while listening to Radio 4's morning broadcast which so far has included child abuse in Zimbabwe, Venezuela declaring war on Colombia and a severed head being found in a suitcase (happy days people!) - I have here my own guide to beginning mountain biking:

1) Do not assume that because you are a beginner you are therefore female. It has been known to happen but this could cause havoc in the toilets at Dorking station.
2) Note the word, BAGGIES. The addition of lycra to your cycling wardrobe will not make riding a MTB easier. This is a fallacy perpetuated by Evans Cycles and Richard Mardle from Felt racing. Despite many wins, he also crumples in ditches for no apparent reason. In fact the reason is lack of blood to his legs from his shorts.
3) Do not under any circumstances buy a good quality 500 quid mountain bike. Hire for a few weeks until you can work out whether you would rather arrive at the top of a climb or the bottom of some singletrack with the bigger smile.
4) Go riding in the rain. This will make you hard and sturdy - essential MTB characteristics. Plus once you have established riding in appalling conditions, you will reconcile yourself to the basics of MTB in the UK - mud.
5) Be prepared to give up. One of the main joys of MTBing is cake, pies and beer. Oh and tea. The sooner you get to that part of the day, the better. No shame people.
6) Under no circumstances should you practise bunnyhopping in your mum's back garden while wearing slippers.
7) People will tell you it's all about having a great day out in the countryside with your mates. This is a lie. Firstly most of your mates won't MTB anyway. And secondly it's really about doing something gnarly to make your day job seem less depressing and you seem cooler. Thus if you are wearing a skinsuit while riding you have defeated this outcome completely.
8) Learn how to ride off-camber sections (bike away from slope, planting tyres into the lovely, solid earth.) Once this skill is sorted, your life will become a lot easier.
9) Learn how to rail a berm - WEIGHT SOLIDLY OVER BOTTOM BRACKET ON YOUR OUTSIDE FOOT, ELBOWS BENT, EYES LOOKING OUT THE CORNER. Charging a corner is completely rad, pretty simple to pick up and fun. There's only so many technical climbs a girl can handle.
10) Never ask of someone: 'Do you think I can ride that?' This will end with you jumping clear of some 12 foot North Shore into knee deep mud and losing a shoe. Chances are you can't ride it, yet. That's why we have cake and beer. Der.

It can't be Britney, surely?

2009-11-04T01:07:00.000-08:00

In a spate of Great News, the physio has requested I ride for at least 15 miles in one go this weekend in order to see whether my knee is getting better or will blow out again. I have been informed very strongly that five hours of continuous dirt jumping is not the same thing. Damn. It.

Did y'all hear the podcast yet we did a couple of weeks ago with courier Emily Chappell and Phil 'the horse' Moore? It went up yesterdat afternoon. It's here if you want to listen. I bray like a donkey in it but I'm hoping that can be endearing ... It was nice to hang out in the city on a bike and not be riding to work. I spend pretty much every weekend getting out of London to the hills so it was good to make the most of what was on my doorstep rather than whinge about how horrible all the concrete and rude people are. And I would like to point out that I recorded that podcast four hours after I got hit by the blubbing driver. Above and beyond people, above and freakin beyond.

In other news Glyncorrwg ponds have confirmed that Skyline Cycles will be taking over the running of the Drop Off. Whether that results in a name change and/or smaller portions is yet to be discerned as the press release explaining it all is languishing somwehere that isn't my inbox.

But the most cataclysmic thing which has occurred in the last few days is the realisation that of all the seven million songs on my iPod, the one that gets me the most psyched when riding is Britney Spears' 'Gimme More.' Now I know this skater chick Lucy Adams who used to ride for Rogue and she admitted on BBC radio that her favourite tune to skate to was one from Steps. Don't deny it Lucy! She also kicks ass on a skateboard so I figure if she can admit to riding to Steps, Britney is ok right? But it's not really is it? Can anyone help me out by admitting to a more embarrassing one?

Quality film ... Foot out Flat out 2

2009-10-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

Fionn Griffiths, queen of DH oh yeah, sent me this link for 'Foot Out, Flat Out 2, which is out end of November. Her words: 'There is just so much passion and emotion within those two minutes!'

Nuff said. Mind you she is very good at sticking her foot out ...

And is it just me or does Sam Hill look a little bit evil? Just a touch.

More Mountain Biking >>

Getting Minxy with Jones and a Krank

2009-10-26T01:03:00.000-07:00

Haven't been blogging for a bit because it's hard to blog about bikes when you aren't riding one and finding new trails, routes etc. However I am tentatively planning a Chicksands dirt jumping session next weekend, mainly because Tom said he was going riding and it got my back up.

But also my mood was darkend by this: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/beginners-guide-to-mountain-biking-part-1-23675. I don't even know why it depressed me, it just did on many, many levels.

But hey, I'm not judging. Just one thing beginners: lycra is not necessary for learning to ride a bike. Nor is being female. But hey, I'm not judging.

Luckily for me I dragged my miserable ass off to Frome to hang out with Debbie from Minx-Girl. If you're having down time on a bike, Debbie will re-inspire you. Fact. She also gave me a pair of Swrve riding jeans. These are without a doubt the best freakin things ever! Look like jeans but softer, less chaffing, more comfortable and just rad. Hence why I'm suddenly psyched to go dirt jumping. You'll be able to get them on Minx when the new site is up any day now. But the best thing was, we took our singlespeeds out for a pootle and it was lovely riding my bike with mates again. Plus Debbie rides a super Jones singlespeed which is like a light tank. 29 inch wheels plough through anything and the front forks are rigid but with a twist:

The extra bar soaks up vibration so you can get down most things - not talking DH here, mainly rolling over small people etc. Jest! And the Mary Jane bars are super comfortable. It makes you feel invincible. Get one.

And then to top it all off I watched Kranked's Revolve movie which features a section with a blind MTBer on Santa Cruz. Kinda puts a gammy knee into perspective. Plus the movie has one of the best sections I've seen in a long time - four riders, one trail, awesome. The rest of the movie is pretty hey ho.

Kranked - REVOLVE Teaser from KRANKED/ReJeK+ on Vimeo.

Ups and downs

2009-10-19T10:53:00.000-07:00

Gosh what a roller coaster of a weekend. Firstly Tom, photographer extraordinaire and I went down to Devon to go on a ghost hunt in Ilfracombe. I've noticed that now I'm off the bike for a few weeks my ed is giving me stranger and stanger assignments. Still. Makes a change and Tom loved getting pics of the spooky house. And I looked like a ghost after a five hour drive down on Friday night. One thing: 24 hour Tescos in Barnstaple - like an oasis of weird joy in the midst of something really quite baffling.

Then on the way back - oh and no we didn't find any ghosts although someone threw some stones and we all jumped - we saw this little baby:

Seriously - how good?! Like so good. It's my dream car although we worked out it would cost at least four times more than our Ford Transit Connect. Sigh.

So that was the up part. And the down part was finding out that the Drop Off cafe at Glyncorrwg will be closing on Christmas Eve! WTF?! I don't know the ins and outs and there's probably some massively scandalous reason but frankly it doesn't make sense to me. So instead of having a great cafe selling fantastic food really cheap, they are going to have a mountain of passed out MTBers who couldn't make it into Glyncorrwg before they collapsed of hunger. A great big pile of MTBers. A pyramid of twitching riders, all desperate for a chunky ham sandwich and carrot cake but no. Denied the only joy after Skyline by the Glyncorrwg Ponds Committee (he he) for some reason which clearly isn't the right one. Freaks. Anyway Ian is hosting a closing party of 5 December to coincide with the Kona Mash-up. Brilliant reason to get mashed.

Things you only find out when you're not riding your bike

2009-10-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

As I am stranded without wheels and instead wallowing in a sea of needles (acupuncture people, acupuncture tsk, tsk) I've had a series of epiphanies which have rocked me to my core (a rather soft core as proved by two sessions of pilates.)I have decided to share these epiphanies with you in a series called: 'things you only find out when you're not riding your bike.' Hold tight to your pants as there are enough revelations contained in these blog posts as it is.

#1: You have no social life
Riding your bike makes you a very popular person. In essence this is because there is only really room for one person on your bike. You. Not only are you a great person making spending time with yourself a joy, but if you are an arse, noone has to know unless you give them a backie. Or sandbag them on the climb at White's Level. Natch. It also means you are always busy: 'Fancy a massive night out with all your non-bike mates tonight?' 'Aw dudes, I'd love to but I'm riding tomorrow, bit of an epic so I need to get to bed early yar? Soz.' 'Oh my god I am like, so busy at work! So much to do inbetween watching dirt.tv it's a nightmare! I'm just going to have to work late and eat pasta and margarine as I've no time to shop. Wow! My life is wild! No time to shop! Yeehar!'
Remove the bike from the equation and you are hilariously buggered. You get home at a decent hour and don't need to spend the two hours before CSI cleaning your bike. So instead you scratch your ass and stare at the ceiling. Suddenly the town you live in doubles, nay, quadruples in size full of places you have never been. How do you get there? Buggered if I know, I can't ride my bike. You could take the Tube. Dear God man are you insane??! Time Out suddenly becomes the paper reality of the Israel/Palestine conflict - you know you should get to grips with it but it's been so long you have no idea what's going on anymore. It's too late! You've missed out! It is so obvious that you don't know what the hell is cool anymore.
Then all your bike mates start tweeting you about rides they are doing or parties they have been to and suddenly the whole vacuous nature of your existence sans bike begins sucking at your soul like some all-encompassing Black Hole of doom. At which point you find yourself talking to your bike as if it's a human being. Which obviously it is but you can't ADMIT that in public.

The pros guide to coping with injury

2009-10-12T04:42:00.001-07:00

I am starting my first week of physio this week due to a gammy knee and a back blow out a few weeks ago. It's getting me down. Understatement. Especially as we head into winter and I can stop swatting gnats as I cycle. Then this morning I got knocked off my bike cycling to work. Bust right arm. The driver cried though which was the only redeeming factor of the sorry affair.

But instead of whinging I decided to ask some people in the know how they cope with a long period of injury. Because injury is a pretty common occurence in our sport.

And frankly, the answers were inspiring. From DH legend Tracy Moseley to Bob Barber at Manchester Velodrome, these guys have offered their wisdom. Read on ...

Tracy Moseley, Trek World racing Team and 2nd in UCI World Cup, 2009
I think when you are doing sport and training everyday you have to expect that at some point you will get hurt and I think the first step is to realise that. So when it does happen you deal with it as if it was just another training block. You work hard at the physio the rehab etc and it becomes your priority for however long it takes. Sometimes I have felt that it has been a useful downtime, and you can often reflect and make plans for your return much better when you have a little more time and you can't do everything you normally would. I have taken injury time to catch up on reading, acquire some new skills, learn stuff and have a rest. Any time you have had off exercise and training only gives you more motivation to get back out there and the fun factor and pure pleasure of just being able to do your sport again is amazing.
tracymoseley.com

Jo Petterson, DH racer on Commencal
Injuries are pretty common in our sport, but that doesn't always limit us. Sometimes if we are lucky enough we can push through scrapes and cuts and some, even the broken parts. For me I have been SO lucky and had two broken parts in my career. My ankle which was completely immobilizing and my wrist which was bad enough to stop any hope of working through it to race. With my ankle I just lay in bed thinking about all the sweet races I was missing, watched the WNBA playoffs, and took three online courses, biology, creative writing and women' s history.
All fascinating when you are stuck on crutches. I did a lot of water therapy and started riding road as soon as I could. I had surgery, a plate and six pretty screws put in so recovery was not rapid but it was worth it. Last year when I attempted to fell a tree with my head and broke my wrist I used the time I had left still at races and took photos of the events. Photography is an important part of my life, but took the back seat when I started racing. So naturally that was an awesome way to fill my days.
Then after a few weeks I got myself a water proof cast and went surfing. Naturally awesome!!
Basically I just try to do things I love that don't involve bikes, keep myself entertained and also have great people around me that make me smile and can share their lovely bike adventures.

Phil Moore, Morvelo team racer
After the initial sulking has taken place and the swearing i tend to try and focus on the thing in y life that slip by when i am out riding my bike, trivial matters such as house work, diy etc. Then when the appeal of house work have worn off i get down to the more interesting things: fixing my bikes/building up to new bikes ready for when i can ride again, ride vicariously through watching videos, drinking beer then due to the anesthetic properties of beer the injury stops hurting so you go riding, hurt yourself again and go back to square one!

As for motivation? Anytime spent not riding my bike is motivation to get fixed and get back onto my bike again.
Morvelo.com

Neven Steinmetz, 4X and DH racer
Unfortunately I've become a bit of a pro at being injured, although I'm not sure that's something to be proud of. For me, I go crazy when I can't exercise, so I generally try and find something that I can do that works around the injury. The usual suspects are swimming (I swam 10.5 km in that damn pool in Morzine this summer with my broken ass!), riding the trainer (not my favourite), and yoga (I do this all the time anyway, so this is the preference, for sure!). If you're on crutches you can play the balance between the crutches game (way easier with american style crutches), it's great for the abs!! It's definitely hard to stay positive, but I try to focus on other things that make me smile rather than focusing on the injury. Luckily, I love reading books, so I try and think about it as a good way to catch up on the pile of books I've been planning to read but never have time for when you're getting to ride all of the time!

Debbie Burton, cyclist and founder of minx-girl.com
The first and most important thing to do when you get injured is to act like it never happened to anyone else before. Really, describing the event and resulting pain in every last detail will make you (if not your friends) feel so much better. The second thing to do is get a sports physio on speed dial – even if you need surgery, what happens in physio during the months after will make all the difference between
getting bike riding better and 'as long as you’re upright we really couldn’t give a damn' better. If you can find a sports physio that does acupuncture then so much the better. (Nope I didn’t believe it worked either – until it did.)

I'm lucky I've never had (crosses everything) a broken bone. My issue is bad knees, and coping with their injuries and subsequent downtime has made me big on the power of prevention. Doing the exercises that keep my knees strong, making time for the yoga or stretching in front of the telly that stops muscles piling on the tension that sets
everything up to go twang at the slightest excuse. It’s become a habit that's not even tedious any more – although the jokes about getting my ankles behind my ears are.
minx-girl.com

Bob Barber, cycling manager, Manchester velodrome
Firstly, make sure you have a GP that understands your sport. If you say to a GP 'my leg hurts when I cycle', you don't want to be advised: 'well don't ride your bike then'!

Your GP should be your first contact when injured, just in case there needs to be medical intervention or a prescription. Otherwise, if its musculature or skeletal, find yourself a renowned cycling masseur/osteopath. The best ones don't advertise - they are already very busy, and you only find out who they are by talking to elite cyclists in your area, who go to them each week for a massage. While they don't fix broken legs, they are very good for remedial work after a fracture has healed, and riders who have been told they won't ride a bike again by the medical profession, have achieved just that by these cycling Svengalis!
manchestervelodrome.com

Chris Garrison, women's manager Trek
How do I cope? Beer.
I find that when I'm injured, my reaction goes through the five stages of grieving: denial (I crashed, but I'm fine really. Honest); anger (I can NOT believe I crashed! I'm such and idiot! Gah!); bargaining (alright look, if you just heal a bit quicker I promise not to take that corner so fast next time); depression (I'll never ride again); and finally, acceptance (Ok, I'm hurt now but I'll bounce back. I WILL ride again!).
Once I've accepted my fate, then I try and make sure that I do whatever I need to do to ensure proper healing. For motivation, I watch videos of people doing things I'll never do, but wish I could. I also read cycling magazines, and our Trek Life blogs and newsletter (http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/trek_life/), and look at photos taken by my friends from various rides.

Interview with Jess Stone

2009-10-07T01:30:00.000-07:00

You know when you go and see a band in a scuzzy pub and you watch them thinking 'wow, these guys are really good,' then a year later they are massive? Jess Stone is like that in DH riding at the moment. Could she be the new face of women's DH next year? Read on ...

Woohoo! You won! It's a really exciting time for you at the moment. What does it feel like being at the beginning of something which could be really big?
It's really amazing you know! It's certainly an incredible feeling. I'm aware that I have a lot of work to do though. It's not easy and I lack experience, so I'm just taking it race by race and aim to continually push my limits every time.

Do you work towards specific goals or are you just riding and seeing where you end up? Do you feel any pressure at the moment?
Of course there's pressure, but only from myself to perform as I'm so competitive within myself. I have a few goals and I'm constantly setting myself little targets just so that I know and can measure how much I am improving. I always take each race as it comes so whatever happens, happens! The targets can range from getting within a certain time behind the leader at a World Cup (get within 22 seconds of Tracy Moseley) or being able to sprint that extra 10 seconds - something like that.

What does next year look like for you at the moment? What are your plans?
My plans are to do a full season of World Cups and get some top 10's so that I can compete at the World Championship. Compete at the British National Champs Series and hopefully win that. That's as far as I have got. It's still early days as the season has only just finished and decisions are still being made about the 2010 season.

On the podium in Rheola last month, winning the Nationals.

Nice Loeka pinstripe DH shorts ... If you could design/adapt any piece of DH race clothing, what would it be and why? I have a thing about DH jerseys - still haven't found a nice one.
To be honest, and without being biased - if I was to design a piece of DH clothing, I'd have designed the pinstripe shorts! Got beaten to it - damn! It's great I get to wear ladies stuff that fits well and that looks cool. The jerseys are difficult though, it's always about personal preference. You might think this weird but I'd love to have a jersey that has the picture of the head of a tiger in negative either on the sleeves or on the back and front. The colour scheme would be, black, white, pink and gold!

Where's your favourite DH track? Do you ever turn up there and think 'ah stuff it, I can't be bothered to ride today.'? What makes you not want to ride?
My favourite downhill track is Hopton. That place is like home to me! My usual ride over the winter is a place called Bringewood in Ludlow close to where I live. It's 20mins on the train then an hour's walk to the track. Then you have to push up all day. One time, it rained so hard you couldn't see, but I made myself go. I made the train journey and the push on my own, I was so cold and soaking wet through. Then I saw that the track was super, super muddy ... I was over it! So I walked back to the train. Nothing normally ever makes me not want to ride, I love it too much, hence why I still ride even if it's raining.

And conversely what gets you psyched for riding?
Imagining myself riding usually. But if it's a beautiful day, all I want to do is ride my bicycle!

Where is one place you haven't ridden but would love to/plan to?
I haven't ridden at Whistler bike park yet. Everyone raves at how awesome it is there. I can't afford to go there just yet, probably be a few years down the road 'till I can make the trip.

Is there any part of your riding you feel you need to work on at the moment?
Hmm … well everything to be honest. I'm very critica. Particularly though - I feel my jumping is not the best, my pumping technique needs some work and learning to carry my speed better.

Have you been star-struck recently?
Oh yes... But I couldn't possibly tell you who he is as if they read this I will get very embarrassed!

Do you ever look down a DH run and think 'are you insane?! no way!'? What freaks you out most in DH?
I've never thought that but I definately wonder sometimes how I'm going to make it. The biggest thing for me is jumping and drops - getting my head over trying to launch myself into mid air - it doesn't feel natural at all. But I'll give everything a go.

Can you tell us about your rig? Any quirky set-ups we could copy and use to get good?!
I ride on the most unique bike on the World Cup circuit at the moment. It basically has two air shocks instead of your average one coil shock. It's the '2Stage Elite9'. It's fantastic to ride and so good through corners and over small bumps - it's also really great and easy to jump. I hate to be boring and very unhelpful, but I have no special set ups! I just ride what is set up for the normal factory setting and that works perfect!

What skill/ technique/ event pushed your riding forward the most?
Definately, definately, the first two rounds of the Maxxis Cup Series. It was only the second time I had ever been abroad and this was my first international elite race - they had the biggest jumps and drops that I had ever done until then. They really pushed my mental ability, I had to do them to get a result. The tracks were unlike anything I had ever ridden. I came second in both races, not too far off Tracy Moseley. I believe they pushed me forward in my riding as when I did my first World Cup qualifying (which was only a couple of weeks after the Maxxis) I qualified 10th! I then came 17th in the finals.

Who's the coolest chick on the DH scene do you think? How would you describe the women's scene?
I don't know, I wouldn't say there's one cool chick. I will name a few names who I think are cool - Tracy Moseley, Helen 'Weapon' Gaskell, Fionn Griffiths and Katy Curd. They are all pretty damn cool!

Are you at Uni at the moment or are you riding full-time?
I wish I was riding full time but I've just started University at Worcester studying Sports and Exercise Science so I'm flat out. I've joined the cycling and boxing teams at Uni too - I'm keeping busy.

Jess racing at the World Cup in Bromont, Canada earlier this year.

I always ask this question: can you tell me a story? It can be any length, and about any subject, it just has to be a true story in your life.
Oh dear I'm rubbish at stories! I have a few pretty cool ones but I'll tell you this major one in my life:

I played football for as long as I can remember. When I was five or six, I used to watch the big kids play and all I wanted to do is to become a footballer. I moved up to Shropshire from Surrey when I was about eight. I started to play a bit of football and got pretty good, beating the boys and scoring goals. When I got to Church Stretton secondary school, things kicked off. I was asked to play for the school football team and I was put in goal (because I was so enthusiastic and no one else could be bothered). So from then on, I was to become a goalkeeper. I had no idea about goalkeeping, so I had a few tips then went for it.

I did my first national with the team that year. Looking back, I was a terrible goalkeeper! However, we got to play on Aston Villa's premiership ground, Watford's and Chelsea's Stamford Bridge pro ground where we won 6-1. That was such an amazing experience!! I was totally hyped and determined to be a better goalie! I worked really hard, went for trials and ended up playing for Shrewsbury's centre of excellence team. I got a little bit of coaching there. I also started to play for the county (Shropshire) and we were doing pretty well. I managed to get some specific training off Andy Mulliner who was a top goalkeeper coach.

When I was 16 (2007) I started to play for Crewe Alexandra Ladies team, who were a league below the premiership. It was hard, the standard was so high. At this time, I decided to have a go at downhill biking as well. My P.E teacher had inspired me to have a go so I went for it, now saving for my first DH bike.

That year, our school football team went for another national title. I was ready for it this time. We kicked butt in all the matches with a only couple of close games. Every game was so emotionally draining for me as I wanted our team to win so much. We did awesome and got to the finals which were at Manchester City's premiership ground! I was so nervous I felt sick. However, I had the best game of my life and only one goal got past me. We scored six! That feeling was amazing when we won. Like nothing I had ever felt. We were on TV, had interviews and everything!

Shortly after that, I received a letter saying that I had been selected to be on standby for England's Under 19's and Under23's training camp and I was so happy! However, things were getting rocky with Crewe, I did not like the players they were bringing into the team, so I wasn't motivated to play for them anymore. I wasn't enjoying the football and I couldn't transfer to another team as transport was a huge issue for me. I had also managed to save up for my DH bike and I was really getting into it. The biking was so different.

Two months after this, I did my first race and did well and decided Downhill was the way forward. It was the hardest decision I had ever made. A massive risk I know and I got a lot of stick off people - they couldn't understand why I was leaving football. I guess they thought I was giving up and lost ambition. I believed in what I could do, so nothing else mattered.

That first year in 2008, I won the Junior National Championship, the Junior English Championship and won two Series. (I had been both a National Champion at Football and Mountain biking before the age of 18!!) Then I moved into Elite this year (2009) and won myself my first International Series: The Maxxis Cup, I had 3rd place at the National Champs and Won the last National Round at Rheola ...

So I guess I'm not doing too bad for a young novice!! ;)

Morvelo online store now open

2009-10-05T00:59:00.000-07:00

There is life after Twin 6 apparently. I am currently working with Phil 'the horse' Moore who races for Morvelo, on a podcast for next week. The lovely chap has just informed me that the Morvelo online store is now up and running.

If you've not checked out the apparel from the boys from Brighton yet then I'm afraid you are missing out on some really rather lovely cotton, loveliness. Everything this lot do, scream 'I love riding bikes' in a rather non-cliquey bollocks kind of way which makes refreshing change these days. The designs are nothing short of rad and coming in at £20 for a t-shirt, pretty affordable too.

At this juncture it's also worth pointing out that Phil once raced FIXED GEAR MOUNTAIN BIKES. The big, big freak.

www.morvelo.com

Stop the madness!

2009-10-01T00:19:00.001-07:00

I'm busy at the moment. Like, proper busy. I got back from Vegas on Monday - Interbike, radness but also involved quite a lot of cliquey bollocks which was weird. Best part? Leatt neck braces, in particular this one:

Yum, yum, yum. Vegas baby!

Anyway, I digress. So yep really busy, not getting any time on the bike due to business and busted back/ knee scenario, except to commute to work which frankly five times out of 10 just makes me angry. So when I'm busy and angry and contemplating the Cycle Show in a week, it doesn't help to get a press release about women and bikes which includes the line: 'In a first for the cycling industry, Cyclodelic's Girls Guide to Cycling will demystify many of the issues facing the growing number of women who cycle; by hosting specialist talks from celebrity experts about everything from nutrition, fashion, hair and make-up tips for cyclists training kits and how to get started in competitive cycling to the best routes around the ...' And it ends there. Which is probably good because it's hard to see where the patronising meter could have gone from there.

OH. MY. GOD.

Could someone tell me how putting on make-up and doing my hair is a mystifying issue?

When it comes to cycling the issues I want demystifying are:
1) How the sweet bloody jesus can I clear that triple at Chicksands?
2) Seriously, does beer make me a better dirt jumper or is that in my head?
3) When will someone make a DH jersey that is cool?

I could go on. But I may go to the Cycle Show, visit Cyclodelic's stand and just have a big fat laugh. Women don't need to be patronised into cycling. Here's a news flash: maybe some women don't want to cycle! Who'd have thought it? Where are the campaign groups trying to get more women into yoga? Or snooker?

And perhaps if people started thinking of women riders as athletes rather then people who look pretty on bikes, Victoria Pendleton and Nicole Cooke, Florianne Pugin and Tracy Moseley might actually get the recognition and sponsorship deals they deserve.

I'm ranting. Must go and stare at that Leatt neck brace for a bit.

But thoughts welcome.

Gooseberry Mesa: it's not Moab

2009-09-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

'So you're going to Moab because everyone else does?' The woman behind reception at the Driftwood Lodge in Springdale was utterly unimpressed with our travel plans. And that, is how we came to abandon our trip to Moab in favour of hitting up the trails in Zion National Park, Utah last week.

Now, now. Don't look at me with that same disparaging glance as offered by Chipps at Singletrack when I relayed the tale. It's fair to say Zion is completely overlooked by most Brit-based MTBers in favour of its eastern cousin. But the lack of riders means you have slickrock to yourself, spectacular views and noone to hear you swear as you plunge back first into a cactus.

Tom (with a broken hand - respect) and I hired bikes from Bike Zion in Springdale which is the gateway town to the park. They were Kona Dawg Deluxes and it's fair to say they were tripe. Crap brakes, awful tires, sluggish handling - basically a bike with an epic hangover. We headed up to Gooseberry Mesa - seven miles away on a dirt road - which has a series of trails ranging from green to double diamond (or as Americans say - 'yeah, that's a double diamond dude!' with raised eyebrows and an intense stare which American double diamond blacks never really seem to warrant.)This, in the south western corner of Utah, is where they hold the Red Bull Rampage every other year, so it's not easy riding by any standards.

The Gooseberry trail was the hardest of the lot, kicking off with steep slickrock descents which turned into ascents quick enough to have you barreling over the handlebars in an instant. It rose gently uphill but you never really felt that until you popped out, about a foot from the edge of a huge cliff with the entire basin in front of you. Quality. It's not traditional cowboy scenery but it's still huge and close enough to have you exercising caution on otherwise simple obstacles.

The second half of the trail - the south rim - was a lot easier and leaves time for you to fill your pockets with petrified wood as you go along. But after four hours of ridng in 30 degrees we were feeling it somewhat so called it a day with the loop complete.

So no, not Moab but the riding in Zion lacks the tourist-trap feel of the Arches area and is worth checking out for that alone. Just drive very quickly through Colorado City ...

The 'Steve Peat for BBC Sports Personality of the Year' campaign begins

2009-09-19T00:37:00.000-07:00

Billy Netherton with his hero Steve Peat

I got quite a few emails from people after the Guardian's post on Steve Peat last week. One of them said there was a rumour that he was being considered for the shortlist for the BBC's SPoftheY award.

The only way to stop something being a rumour is to make it happen, so ladies and gentlemen, let the campaign begin. Apparently, top sports editors across the UK have some sway in who makes the cut, so if you're feeling passionate drop them an email.

Meanwhile other than being a major, massive, huge asset to MTBing, why should Peat win? Here is Billy and Lance's story so he gets their vote for sure. How about you? Drop me a line (pedalfeet @ live . co . uk, without the spaces) or comment with your reasons and I'll forward them on to the Guardian's sports team.

********************************************************************************

Lance Netherton writes:

'I am into MTB because of my youngest son Billy, who we bought a bike for his 11th birthday in January last year.

Billy started watching biking stuff on youtube and by chance discovered the film ROAM with the fantastic Steve Peat. We found out he was British - sweet.

In the summer of last year MBUK advertised Steve Peat's Wharncliffe Weekender Charity Event and I booked to go because I wanted Billy to ride with Peaty on the Sunday. I cocked up the gift aid bit when I registered and as a result set up a justgiving website. Billy raised £500 (including gift aid) for the event.

One of Billy's sponsors posted a glib comment of 'see if you can get Peaty to pop down for a Racers Guild session', it got me thinking: 'why not, he's just a human being?'

On the day of the Wharncliffe Weekender when we saw Steve walking across the field on his own, I grabbed Billy ran up to him, shook his hand and asked a for a photo. Do you know what he said? 'Are you Billy? We're really stoked with what you've raised.' I took a great picture which is on Billy's Pinkbike site.

In the evening I bought Steve a beer and planted the idea of coming to Cannock for a low key event with grass roots riders. I told him we'd make it a charity event for any charity he wanted. He was very non committal but did not dismiss the idea.

Sunday came and Billy disappeared - turns out while we were sitting around drinking tea and thinking about packing up the tent Steve (with Billy's help) was picking up the rubbish and broken glass from the nights merriment. We came to do the Sunday ride and I was still packing the tent away and was running late. Steve waited for me to join the group before we started and then got Billy to ride alongside him all the way around. What a day.

Eventually, after much emailing back and forth, Steve said he would come to Cannock and the date was set for November 15th and 'Beat Steve Peat' was born. Steve nominated The Stephen Murray Family Fund as his charity. Stephen is a UK BMX rider who was paralysed in a freak biking accident.

I was nervous about the day and wasn't sure he would come. But he arrived from Sheffield bang on time, with a whole gang of mates including Max, Farmer Jack, Billy Matthews, Josh Lewis, Kevin Radical and Miami himself Josh Bryceland. Each and every one of them paid their entrance for the race and Steve even sponsored Billy $50.

Steve was amazing and took the day seriously putting on a fantastic show for everyone. There was not a moment when he didn't do a photo or autograph when asked. Billy had raised the most sponsorship by far and there was a prize. What people didn't know was that before the day even started Steve came to Billy and gave him a Royal racing jersey signed 'Go Fast Billy, Cheers! Steve Peat'(it's framed an on his bedroom wall). At the end of the day Steve presented Billy with another jersey for getting the top sponsorship. Miami also gave Billy a fully sponsored race jersey. I bought him some WetScreams from Si Paton, what a day he had.

Once all of the presentations were complete and most people had gone, Steve came to me and handed me a plastic wallet with a sponsor form and a load of cash. He had personally raised £600 for Stephen Murray (10% of the total.) So while I was worrying about whether he would come, he was out getting sponsors. He was one of the first to arrive and last to leave. The day will be remembered for a long time and is still talked about.

This is Billy's film of the day: http://www.pinkbike.com/video/48464/

This is the official 'Beat Steve Peat video: http://www.pinkbike.com/video/48039/

Got a feeling Billy's going to be up there with the MTB legends in his own right if these skills keep growing. He's 12. I hate him.

So what's your Steve Peat story and nomination? Let me know! (pedalfeet @ live . co . uk, without the spaces)

Billy Netherton at Cannock Chase

Does Muc-Off have a rival?

2009-09-17T03:59:00.000-07:00

I am violently hungover thanks to my non-cyclist friend Siobhan. ('Damn it I've buggered my knee and can't go riding' says me. 'Why don't you ride to the pub and drink with me?' says Siobhan. 'You just don't get it, do you love?' says I.)

Digression. Hangover. Wow. Anyway, this means I have no control over my lazy right eye nor the mental facility to paraphrase this press release other than add in hilarious bits in italics. You are getting it full. maybe I edit it tomorrow. Maybe not. Still, clean your bikes you dirty scoundrels.

____________________________________________________________________________________

Fisher Outdoor Leisure Limited have confirmed rumours that it is working with undercover Agent KaaBoom (Run with it peops, run with it ... )to help clean the streets of dirty bikes. With a killer range of biodegradable cleaning products and degreasers, KaaBoom cleaners blast away dirt, mud, oil and road grime in a flash.

Offering great-value effective cleaning everyday, the KaaBoom range is the serious grime-fighters choice. Leading the cleaning arsenal is a custom-made 1.1Litre trigger spray bottle of bike cleaner - offering 10% more cleaner than rivals (thems fighting words) with every purchase. Concentrated refills offer powerful repeat purchase options, with 200ml and 1.1L concentrates diluting to provide five times their volume in cleaner – saving space and money and leaving a smaller carbon footprint.

For tricky degreasing cases, there’s a 400ml spray with special nozzle to get solution into the tightest spots. Liquid degreaser, which can be applied neat to the area to be cleaned or diluted with water to make an effective soak bath for removed bike parts – is available in 75ml or 1L bottles.

Add a disk brake cleaner and an award winning Chain cleaning machine (which combined with the citrus degreaser, services chains so they’re rid of oil and dirt in seconds) and you begin to understand how KaaBoom is taking the fight to the streets. (make love, not war.)

Prices come in at £6.99 for a 1litre bottle of bike cleaner and £2.99 for a 75ml chain degreaser bottle.

Full details of the KaaBoom range can be found at www.kaa-boom.co.uk

Steve Peat interview!

2009-09-16T01:51:00.000-07:00

Steve Peat on the podium in Canberra. Photographer: Kathy Sessler/Santa Cruz Syndicate

I admit it - speaking to Mr Peat floored me. legend. When I looked back at my notepad after 20 minutes, all I had recorded was the word 'fry-up.' Luckily I have a very good memory.

You can read the piece on the Guardian's bike blog here.

Or it's below. Whichever you prefer really. Bosh.
___________________________________________________________________________________

When it comes to the diets of gold medallists, fry ups and beer probably aren't the obvious choices. But Steve Peat, the newly crowned downhill cycling champion of the world, sounds rather put out when I suggest downhillers aren't fit.

"You need to be fit to be a downhiller even though it looks as if you don't do much work. You're pedalling out of corners, pedalling into your line, the terrain is rough, the bikes are heavy so you need to train and be fit definitely. My bike comes in at around 37lbs and that's on the lighter side." Peat is talking about the Santa Cruz V10 which he powered to victory in the downhill world championships in Canberra earlier this month, coming in a screamingly tense 0.05 seconds ahead of his team mate Greg Minnaar.

Aged 35, and with 15 years of racing – including no fewer than four world championship second places – how does it feel to finally have the title under his belt? "I'm still celebrating. It's a race I've never won. I can't describe how it feels, it's amazing. It's definitely a massive relief for me and a huge weight off my shoulders," he says.

There are legends in mountain biking and then there is Steve Peat. After trying his hand at cross-country racing, the Sheffield local switched to downhilling when he realised he was really rather good at it. As well as featuring in the highly acclaimed mountain bike film Seasons, his roster of podium places is impressive: two World Cup wins (a title awarded for a series of races over the course of the year), two European championship titles and seven British championships. But the world championship had remained out of reach, forcing Peat to watch younger riders like Australia's Sam Hill and fellow Brit Gee Atherton claim the glory.

"I don't feel that old," Peat insists. "People say: 'Is this the end, what are you going to do now?' but it's not like that for me. I'm keeping going. I can't see any end. I enjoy racing – it's my life. I love everything about it: dropping into the run, crossing the line and looking at my time, the whole atmosphere, everything. And I train hard. I just try to make it as fun as possible."

Downhill is an electrifying discipline within mountain biking. In Canberra riders were reaching average speeds of more than 31 mph over the entire length of the 1.3 mile course. It took Peat a mere two minutes and 33 seconds to complete his run. Courses are made up of a series of obstacles – tree roots, rock drops, tight, banked corners and very steep sections.

He says: "I think downhill is one of the hardest sports in terms of the mental preparation you need to do. It's you and your bike against the clock and that's a lot of pressure, you have to focus, it's a real test. The sport has changed a lot since I started. Everyone takes it a little more seriously now. It's fractions of a second you can win or lose by: a tree root, anything, can make or break your race so you have to stay focused."

He's certainly had his fair share of disappointing races. In 2005 he crashed out of the world championships in Les Gets with only 200 metres left to go. "But then in that year I also won the Fort William leg of the World Cup and that was probably one of my favourite races to date. I was the last man to race and as I came into the final stretch the crowd went wild – 20,000 people yelling my name. Awesome."

This coming weekend sees the final race in the World Cup calendar in Schladming, Austria. Peat is currently lying in third place and still has gold fever. "If I have a bit of luck on my side and I get it right, then I'm in with a chance of winning that too and to get the double in the same year would be amazing."