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Peer Pressure
He looks at me with an expressionless stare, then turns away and shakes his head. “Well, I gotta train” Those are the only words spoken. I know he’s right. This short exchange happened an hour into my ride today. I was hurting. I’ve ridden hard all week – pushed myself through trainer sessions that I […]
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Down by the River
I arouse from my heavily sedated state. For the second time. My Brother who has brought me a cup of tea two hours earlier is heading out of the house for a run. Its nearly 10am. Jetlag. I lug my lead-weighted body down the stairs and see the bacon already cooked and another cup of […]
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Getting there.
Brrrr. I cradle my small cup of coffee and look through the glass doors, through the window and out into the white. Its really white. I knew it would be. It was hard to clamber out of bed knowing what would be waiting. My eclectic combination of clothing which was hastily sought on departing my […]
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Winter Evening
Step One: Invite friends. The composition of said group is critical, as will become more apparent. Hunger is a main criteria here, although the ability to restrain ones hunger for up to two hours after promised feeding time is actually more critical. Other useful assets of friends likely to come in handy: taste for raw […]
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Colour Change
The clocks changed in Boulder yesterday, ending a confusing week where England and Colorado had moved an hour closer to each other. Perhaps the confusion of clocks changing is the best illustration of time staying the same… only our measurement alters. Although this jump measured the onset of winter, its been happening in Boulder for […]
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27.4°C
Contrary to popular, and long held, beliefs in the mountain bicycling community, road rides can actually be fun. However, for this to occur, a number of important criteria must be met – its a little like a solar eclipse: rare but worth experiencing when it happens. Simply pulling on lycra and clipping into a skinny […]
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Revitalisation
In the last month or so I feel like I’ve turned a corner; the summer seems a long time ago now, even though only 6 weeks have passed since I was racing in the high country. The last six weeks have been a constant reel of passing time – sometimes I’ve felt as though I’m […]
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Rehydrated
“You want to ride bikes in the morning?” “Sounds great, lets ride big!” “Fantastic” Morning arrives. Somehow the creak of the floor boards as I walk from my bedroom to the kitchen tells me that I’m the first person to make this journey so far today. The house is sleepy quiet, still resting after being […]
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The Breck Epic 2011
This one took a little bit of time to write. Stage racing is a strange animal. The day after the finale of the 2011 Breck Epic, I was sitting at home, doing laundry, tidying away the vast quantity of stuff I needed for a week of racing, and REALLY wishing I was still out there […]
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Breck Epic day 5
I took a chance today, and it didn’t pay off. That’s bikes racing for you. Todays stage was the shortest of the week at 28 miles, but also mentally one of the hardest. From the gun, climbing was the order of the day. Wheeler Pass loomed above the start line, and as soon as the […]