Cyclocross race

I put together a basic race site for the event, what else does it need?

http://g3revents.blogspot.com/

Not that I am religious but what with this weather I read Exodus 14!

It's the bit where Moses parts the sea. I was looking for inspiration last night as I decided whether to ride with the bunch last night or should I say sail!

Why you may well ask have I become religious all of a sudden, well you might have read that scientists have recently surmised that the account in the Book of Exodus which describes how the waters of the sea parted, allowing the Israelites to flee their Egyptian pursuers could actually have happened.  Granted the simulations were carried by US scientists (whose nation say Armstrong walked on the moon - it's ok it wasn't you Lance or your brother, or even your Dad, another family and yes another family has the same name as you. Yip, no shit) and they show how the movement of wind could have opened up a land bridge at one location.  The results are published in the open-access journal Plos One if you are interested.

So as I was saying, what with the incessant rain we have had, I was reminded of this when deciding to ride.  I chose not to, but a few did and forever after they will be known as the "The Famous Five" or "The Wet Pant Gang" (play on the Red Hand Gang).  What the researchers showed was that a strong east wind, blowing overnight, could have pushed water back at a bend where an ancient river is believed to have merged with a coastal lagoon.  Jeez, why spend all that time and money when all they needed to do was ride with the bunch last night!

They could have observed that as the Famous Five became one the mythical force that is created from such unity parted the waves as the peleton sailed along oblivious to the driving rain.  United by the weather Lance, Pozzatto, Hushovd, young Crawford aka Nibali and Cooke all took equal turns through the front end of the ride.  The knowledge that only they had braved the elements gave a certain sense of achievement to the ride and a perverse pleasure, even if they did cut it short as Lance's hair gel was beginning to sting his eyes and Pozatto's tan was washing off.

For your madness and bravery we salute you.

From Roth to Henley

You might have heard that there is to be a Challenge event in Henley next year.  These are the guys that organise Roth.  An early bird entry is available until the end of Nov I think at £300. Entries are now open for the inaugural Challenge Henley-on-Thames. Travelling is easy being situated within 30 minutes of London Heathrow, so that should cut down the cost of doing an Ironman.  It's a full Iron Distance race of 3.8k swim, 180k bike and 42.2k run. The River Thames, the Chiltern Hills and the Villages nearby, should help to put Henley firmly on the map as a premier venue for Long Distance Triathlon.  http://www.challengehenley.com

Tha Magic number

At first it was 16, and then the magic age was 18.  Why, well you wanted to be 18 and you couldn't wait to get there and there seemed to be so many things that hinged on turning 18, driving, drinking, starting university. It was like you had to be 18 to start living, but as you grow older you begin to look for new milestones and I see today that as I approach my 40th birthday I have a new one to look forward to. It's not as you may think the vet category in triathlon (I don't race) but the fact that I can now buy medicine over the counter. Not just any medicine but Viagra! £52 for 8 tablets! Half the price of Boots incase you wondered. I live in hope for 2011, until them I will have use my fake ID or get some of the old boys in the club to go in for me! 

Braveheart Dinner Saturday 23rd October 2010

Any appetite in the club to go to the above dinner?  Link below has details.

http://www.braveheartcyclingfund.com/FundDinner.asp


It will take place at The Park Hotel, Kilmarnock on Saturday 23rd October 2010. Tickets are priced at £45 a head and we would need to take a table of 10.  For avoidance of doubt everyone in the club is welcome male or female.


Please leave a comment or email me if you wish to go.

Numbers really do matter!

So there I was standing in a queue.  I handed over my form, she smiled and took it from me and then it began.  A small snigger at first and then I heard it, "is he a 500 or 800?", the discussion then continued.  So I am thinking is that like blokes do with woman, out of 10? I'm thinking surely I am better than 500, jeez but perhaps bald doesn't do it for her.  It can't be that can it?  No, it must be something else, but what, it can't be my saddle to bottom bracket length, I mean she is a girl, probably doesn't even know her own let alone mine, (865mm in case your thinking of setting up a bike for me by the way).  It's not my bmi, but could be close the way I am eating and then I thought what else could it be? A couple of minutes later I got my pack and I was off.  Then it all became apparent, the 300 points made ALL the difference, 500 for genital herpes, 800 for shingles.  Phew, I was hitting the big numbers and was lying low for a week with shingles.

The Cyclo-Cross season is upon us

As you all know being part of G3R means you have to now race Cyclo-Cross.  

The first race is on Sunday 3 October 2010 and is at Meadowmill Sports Centre, Tranent, East Lothian, EH33 1LZ.  Follow the link to Scottish Cyclocross on the blog under "Good reading" and then you can have the best fun on a bike ever (apart from the time I was 12, but that's another story). Mountain bikes are more than capable of racing the course, helps if the rider is good as well :-).  Indeed, some of the courses are more suited to mountain bikes.

Are you too shy to post?

Come on you know you want to post something.  This link may help you and I can always delete it if the group doesn't like it :-).

http://www.wikihow.com/Overcome-Shyness

Young Schleck records a win!

Graham won some kids championship thing at the weekend.  Seems he can run and swim nearly as well as he can go a bike :-).

http://www.triathlon.org/results/results/2010_dextro_energy_triathlon_-_itu_triathlon_world_championship_grand_final/5049/

Well done young Schleck!! I am humbled by your presence.

Charity

Members, if you consider yourself a member of G3R I want you to do something for me.  We are registered (or are about to be) as a club so that we can run a race or two, but we never charge a membership fee as someone in the club usually pays for the affiliations etc.  This year I am asking you to pay something to be a member of G3R!  I want you to part with some spare bike parts.  They need to be in good working order!  I want to build a bike and give it to someone as a present.  It might be a young kid, they might even be in a foreign country so any ideas welcome.  I am sure you all have spare parts lying around, and I just thought it might be a good way to make use of the junk you are collecting!

Please email me or add a comment with any spare parts you have for a mountain bike, no parts no membership :-).  Thanks in anticipation.

All men dream, but not equally.

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night, in the dusty recesses of their minds, awake in the day to find that it was vanity. But the dreamers of the day are dangerouus men, for they may act their dreams with open eyes to make it reality. And so it was that he awoke to his dream.

"After a 3.5 hour drive in a fiat panda and a quick scooby snack I start my ascent at 4000ft from Bormio. The road surface is perfect top to bottom and the climb to just over 9000ft takes me 1hr40m, it was gorgeous as expected. Quick double espresso and a coke then I descend to Prato on the other side, I reckon it won't get dark until 8.


The ritchey cross has mtb brakes. I tug the levers until they hit the bars and pray. They are avid juicy pish mk1, mental note to swap to trp when I get back.


I descend in a line of Harley Davidson bikes and make it to third in line until I have to turn and climb again, this time it's steeper, harder, colder and wetter. I top out again on 1:50 and have more coke and chocolate croissant (wanted hot dog but stall had closed). It's 1900 when I start to descend and it's misty on other side.  Suffice to say it was the scariest, coldest, brake free descent of my life but I made it.

I rode rapha Italian and had rapha giro cd in my ears, bellisamo xxx

Ciao, gman, g3r capitano x"

The Stelvio Pass is one of the highest Alpine Passes of Europe with its 2758 m. There are 48 hairpin turns on the northern side of the pass. The original road was built in 1820-1825 by the Austrian Empire to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria, covering a climb of 1871 m. Since then, the route has changed very little. The 60 hairpin bends, 48 of them on the northern side numbered with stones, are a challenge to anyone who  cares to dream.