Can anyone smell cow Sh*t

Hi all I'm back I have had few I.T issues and a new power lead has brought me back to world wide web.  Today's ride saw four brave souls take to the Clwyd mountain range and boy was it a good one.  Starting at Moel Famu car park we climbed and we climbed oooo and we climbed a bit more.  As most people in the North will have realised it has been a little bit on the damp side (OK its been pis*ing it down) and what went from forest trail soon turned into a mudfest.  I have Panaracer XC Pro tyres which are excellent in the mud but even they slid in the conditions.

All that climbing was soon rewarded with an excellent decent down the back of Moel Famu which was pretty scary as you just couldn't stick to one line because of the mud.  Once down, the climb started again and this time it was a KILLER.  In fact it was such a tough climb i stopped and forgot to unclip which resulted in a small crash.

But what goes up must come down and this time it was MUDDY.  As the picture on the left shows I think I need a mud catcher on the front of the bike......  The funniest moment of the day was watching me try to get onto a wide wooden walkway which was a little bit slippy and BOOM the bike went down and I managed an Army Roll off the bike.  The final sections were a mix of cow muck and mud which believe me DOES NOT taste good.  In fact, it didn't smell too good either and only a very hot shower got rid of the smell.



Stats for the Ride:

17.79 miles
10.01mph average
3,501feet of climbing
Calories 1,003

In terms of weight loss tomorrow is the final weigh in for the clubs Biggest Loser competition.  So far I have lost nearly a stone.  When i started it I weighed 16st 4lbs and last week I was down to 15st 5lbs so only one pound to go and i am praying that tomorrow morning I climb on the scales and actually be 15st 4lbs.  My next goes is to get down to 14stone.........

Run fat boy Run

Well my confirmation has arrived that for third time in three years I am taking part in the Bupa Manchester 10k on the 16th May.  I will be running on behalf of Diabetes UK who provide excellent support to Diabetics. 

This means I am going to have to dust off my running shoes, dig out my short shorts and my running tops and take to the streets.  Last year myself and the wife did it in 1hr 13minutes and the challenge this year is to shave at least 13 seconds off this time  With lots of training this should be easily achievable.  Hopefully all the cycling and spinning will have helped with the cardio.  I can't wait.

On another positive note I have lost another pound this week taking me down to 15st 9lbs.  My aim is to be down to 14st before I go on holiday in June so keeping away from cake and other fatty foods till then (which isn't easy as my wife has discovered she is a dab hand at making cake).....

Sunday the North Cheshire Clarion Mountain Bikers are off to Coed Y Llandegla (if its open) for a blast round the trails.  I am really looking forward to this especially as my bike is running smoothly for once.  I will be taking a HD video camera with me to hopefully capture some awesome downhill and jumps.  Watch this space.

Another Week Another Pound

Well weigh in was on Monday and I am really happy to have lost another pound.  This has taken me from 16st 4lbs to 15st 10lbs.  A few statistics for the past 5 weeks since I started to lose weight:

Total percentage weight loss = 4.5%
Loss over 3 weeks = 8 pounds

Really made up with this as up until tonight I had managed to avoid take-away food.  I played Badminton tonight with the wife and because neither of us were up for cooking we grabbed a Chinese.  Normally, I love Chinese food and i'm not going to lie the first few mouthfuls were delicious but as I went through it my mind went through what I have had to do over the past few weeks to lose a few pounds and my appetite was going. 

I feel that I miss vegetables after two nights without them and for that's a big shock.  Tomorrow I am going back to my normal diet of meat and veg and to be honest I cant wait.

Welsh Mud

At the end wet and very muddy

Today the mountain bike section of North Cheshire Clarion were supposed to be taking on the trails in Coed Llandegla however the recent stormy weather put paid to that and with approximately 100 trees being blown down onto the trails the centre was closed.  A quick couple of phone calls on Saturday night and a n ew cross country route was decided upon.  Four of us met and Tim ( a new member) who knew the route well so we all followed.  The route was a mix of tarmac and rocky/muddy bridleways and the first climb let us know straight away what we were in for.  The wind was incredibly strong and was cutting across us forcing us into the banks next to us.  As we climbed we ended up with the wind behind and in all the time I have been doing this sport I have never been pushed uphill by the wind until today.

What goes up must come down and oooohhhh boy did it come down.  A very very fast rocky decent which saw the riders flying down some fantastic single track over loose rocks which made it an adrenaline pumping decent.  Once down, back up we went onto the moors.  Tim decided he was head over heals,. literally, about the mud.  His front wheel went into a very very deep rut and all we saw was feet sticking up.  Luckily he was ok but shortly after the dreaded P***ture happened on his bike.  A quick feed and inner tube change and we were back on the way being blown every which way but straight. 

Another couple of amazing descents (one of which threw a rock into my shin which hurt a lot) and a lot more uphill and we were back at the car park.  Stats for this ride:

• 14.63 miles;
• Average Speed 8.08mph (not bad considering the wind);
• Fastest Speed 31.46mph (told you they were fast rocky decents);
• Total Climb 1,899 feet

The climbs were big the descents were fast and furious I really really enjoyed this ride and cant wait to do it in summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Big roast dinner now thanks to my great wife.