Nothing to report.....!

Over the last couple of days there has been little in the way of content for this Blog.
Any cycling activities have been curtailed and I've not taken a run in over a week - and yes, the snow continues to fall in

Great Missenden.....
The bike and the turbo is very much a part of the fixtures and fittings in the kitchen - much to my partner's annoyance. Well, the garage is completely out of bounds and it's going to remain so, until the BIG melt!

Anyone know a rain dance......?

The BIG dig out.....!

I got up reasonably early in order to dig out my car and clear the drive - some 2 hours later, after what was an exceptional workout, the car looked like a car again and the drive was clear (ish).

Though despite my efforts we have a smattering of the white stuff falling again and the forecast for the weekend predicts more snow.
So working from home, I caught up with my officers - most of whom, hadn't made it into work either.
Though they were busy scoping out projects for this year, updating their web pages and generally doing stuff that is usually kept for a quiet moment.....
However, I did tell them to take an extended lunch break and go ride their mountain-bikes.
Well, why not....? We do work for a cycling organisation and it will certainly make them feel a whole heap better!
Have a great weekend - albeit white and cold.

Team away days

Marooned because of the snow still ......
I have spent the day sorting out a "morale boosting" team building event for the Champions Team.
I am very excited about the venue and the activities I have arranged. Unfortunately I'm not able to share the information, as we want it to be a surprise for the guys!
But we are going away for 4 days and they will be spent in the beautiful Peaks!
I'm really looking forward to getting some night rides in and challenging myself with things that will be out of my comfort zone.
So March the 8th can't come quick enough.....!

In the words of Vaughn Monroe...

.......Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.
Hmm? To be brutally honest I'm getting heartily sick of the stuff, but maybe this winter, is the start of things to come - proper defined seasons from now on?
If that is the case then maybe we need to get our act together and kit our bikes, oh and our cars with the appropriate attire.
Surfing the internet yesterday I came across these studded bike tyres. It may mean importing them in and probably by the time they come, our blanket of snow will have been long gone - but you may never know when you'll need them them again.
I'm seriously tempted -what about you?

BMX Track in dire need of attention.....

Since the re-launch of the BMX track at Waterloo Meadows in Reading, the track has been used daily. Unfortunately this means we now have some serious maintenance issues.
Mark and I met with one of our volunteers today - he also designed the course. He was shocked at the state of the track and with the council 's budget being cut, wasn't sure how we could fund the repair and the regular maintenance programme.
The launch of the Club had already been delayed due to the CRB checks on our volunteers and now we thwarted with health and safety implications.
I have left it in Mark's hands and he will now liaise with the volunteers - we are now waiting on an estimate from the contractor who did the work previously.
Watch this space.........!

Bruised and battered....

..... from my fall on New Years Day - elbow and right hip very swollen, I decided to err on the side of caution and not cycle into Reading. In fact, even if I wanted too, I couldn't, as the lock on garage door was completely frozen....! The temperature was -7deg and I really don't want to jeopardise my early Spring tour.....!
So, for a change I decided to go for a run - 25 mins off-road and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was great to see the countryside from a different perspective. The Arboretum in Little Kingshill looked magical in the frost and I met lots of dog walkers - who greeted me with a friendly nod.
After 2 miles or so, my legs were beginning to complain - though aerobically I could have gone on....? I felt great - the endorphins were definitely flowing.
Donning my compression tights like some super hero on my return, with the hope I wouldn't get the dreaded DOMS, I have decided to make this a regular activity and part of my winter training.

Happy New Year....

..... and what a beautiful morning to go for a ride - albeit very cold and frosty! I love starting the New Year with a ride - the roads are relatively empty and this morning I only had patches of ice to contend with.....! I decided to stick to the main roads and ride one of my out and back routes - around 25 miles.
Having survived the last couple of weeks on a diet of turbo sessions, this cyclist was hungry for a proper ride out.....!
The sky was a deep blue and the haw frost on the trees looked spectacular - I spotted 2 Red Kites basking in the early sunshine at the top of an old oak tree.
The ride was pretty uneventful and as I tapped on the pedals the miles ticked away. This was until I saw some ice ahead - quickly indicating to the driver behind to slow down, I picked out my route, but before I could blink, I was on the floor - landing very heavily on my right hip and elbow....ouch! The driver and his passenger both jumped out - well, gingerly stepped out to see if I was OK. It's always a shock to hit the tarmac and I was fine and so was the bike.

The driver happened to be a cyclist and totally sympathised with me - I was so embarrassed!

The rest of the ride went without any further incidents and I was welcomed back home with a very large bowl of warming porridge - Thanks Wend, it was just what I needed......!