Sometimes you just have to go: respect

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?

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

Tracy Moseley gets all fit.

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

Best MTB films ever?

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

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

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

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: