The Ride

Not got it? Get it, quick. It has words, pictures and things, all bike related yet quite disparate in content and context. Everything for someone. That someone is probably you, it's definitely me.

My bikes : pt 2 : Old Cotic Prototype

NPF_2614, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

Steeper Than It Looks, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

easter_2006.0040.jpg, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

easter_2006.0036.jpg, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

Megavalanche on a Hardtail

Nutters! I hope someone gets some photos.

My bikes : pt 1 : Cotic Soul Mk1

Kelvin Takes The Plunge, photo by Niall Flinn.

arizonaCotic_01, originally uploaded by Niall Flinn.

Flat and Boring

The Evening Standard reports how the 'compact' nature of the Olympics is causing problems, especially as regards trying to find suitable venues for the 'rural' events, like mountain biking and 3 day eventing, close to the capital. Now England is not a huge country, and allowing a few choice events to escape from London and nearby counties wouldn't really dilute the games, would it? Of particular concern is how an 'unchallenging' site and course has been proposed and rejected for the Mountain Biking. Over the last decade the UK's reputation for mountain biking has improved greatly with overseas visitors, admittedly with England falling behind Wales and Scotland, and showing the whole world a flat and boring track at the Olympics could set this back and would do nothing for future tourism prospects. Tourism you say? Yep, I've bumped into a few people who have visited the UK to mountain bike, esp from Europe. Okay, we don't have the alps, but we do have trails that are open all year around and offer a huge variety of experiences. We don't want the message going out that cycling off-road in the UK is about riding around flat easy trails.

Simple-tons

My last weekend of summer, for various reasons, seems to have been the SSWC up in Aviemore. It was relaxed yet energetic, social yet peaceful.

Some people speaking and riding at the 'event' :



Jenn and Nigel were our English heros, for differing reasons, not that any of that mattered much.

A link to my loverly bike

Bontrager 2412

Starting another lap, photo by Oliver Townsend.

Oliver's candid shooting style has yelded some great results from last weekend's racing. Go check them out. I almost wish I'd been there racing!

London Olympics kills Olympic event in London

It was already know that London's only reputable Mountain Biking race venue would be lost for the period of the Olympics, but there are now suggestions that it will never be restored.

read about in on Bikemagic

Moab

Kelvin with no gears
Photo by Anne.

Simple

Kelvin
Photo by Simon D Barnes.

Singlespeed UK champs thingy was last weekend. After a nice big cup of tea on the start line I went on to be placed absolutely nowhere and had a great ride. Simon shouted at me every lap to try and get a response, in the end I shouted back. I think he got what he wanted in this photo.

Only Bike

bike lane
photo by Cyclenaut.

Spring is here, so while most men's minds focus even more on the opposite sex mine becomes bike obsessed*. It already feels like I'm entering a headlong rush towards the autumn, trying to squeeze every cycling opportunity into a stupidly packed spring and summer schedule.


*okay, I do think about girls more as well, but to admit that wouldn't fit into the singletrack mind nature of this post