Sunday 5 January 2014

Good Bye 2013...A Year In Pictures

 I know none of you give two hoots about my pre-bike 2013, so this is where my year-and a whole new way of life- started...and this is the (original) bike that kicked it all off, my On One Inbred (it didn't stay like this for long)!
I hardly remember riding without my RockShox, on flats - but I do remember the wheels and I definitely remember that saddle...ouch!


The Rinky Dink Pink Panther- 
as she is today, all swanked up. I just want to upgrade the SRAM groupset to a Shimano SLX 2×10 and I'll leave her alone for a while. 
In the meantime, however, if someone had said to me in January 2013 that by January 2014 my house would be full of 'bike crap' as I used to call, and that I would love it all, I would have laughed. It all started with a gentleman's agreement, if I went riding with Dave then he would come running with me. I guess I underestimated the lure of a good bike, I truly believed that I would be shit on the bike, fall off and Dave would never ask me to ride again. How wrong can one person be?
Put it this way, I'm long, long overdue that run - I got on that bike and never got blimmin off again!

The summer was one long series of camping-riding trips.
With Dave's sscc Pompino on the 1st of many camping/riding jollies, to Youlgreave in the Derbyshire peaks. 

I even had a go at bikepacking at the Roaches, in the Staffs Moorland. A memorable attempt that was rudely cut short at 2am by a couple of Brummie wideboys, who were seriously off-route and on some wanted list that led to the arrival of the local bobbies - and no, neither they nor us were much in the mood for a bloody party! Believe it or not, we were turfed out of our own camp and sent packing at 3am!! 

Whaddya know...it wasn't long before Dave wanted in on the mtb action and got to work building his On One Lurcher, a 29er that I call the beast -if you saw it next to my ickle 14" frame 26er you'd see why.
Get me-posing for my trophy shot! These pictures were taken during a day riding up and back down the Carneddau mountain range in Snowdonia. It was a long day, but the rewards were plentiful. The trophy shot in particular was taken after we had clambered almost 300m up an unrideable  pass, through ankle-deep bog and around a 500m high drop-away edge, with my bike on my shoulder.
The only regret I've ever had is for all those missed years in which I could've been riding.


And my mtb year ends on a real high....with our first 3 rounds of the Dark & White mtb orienteering winter season- loads of muddy fun. We are currently halfway through the season, I think we'll be looking at our inaugural year with a philosophical mind, I don't think we'll be winning any prizes but we'll have picked up a trick or two for next year - we hope.

And....
....a nice, shiny new bike - Lady Penelope, my On One Pro Carbon road bike (yes, number 6 to the GearlyBird/Cycleofaddiction On One/Planet X quiver - and watch out, 'cause we have number 7, a single speed for yours truly, in the pipeline...that's all I'm saying on that one for now).

Oh yeah...and this, my beloved got me my beloved Rapha gilet for crimbo!
Hope you all had a great Xmas and managed to get out there on Xmas day for a seasonal spin and enjoyed the quiet roads as much as Dave and I did....

And, finally - happy riding to you all for 2014












1 comment:

  1. Hey what a year babe, you really have come a long way in a short space of time and not just metaphorically speaking either. I can remember at the beginning a real moaning minnie who was adamant that she couldn't do this and couldn't do that and that she wasn't shure that this cycling lark was for her. I watched and winced every time she fell off & just hoped she would get back on again and there were times I was sure she wouldn't. Slowly though I saw her confidence grow & with it her appetite for ever more bigger rides and adventures. Falls were now met with a laugh & a shrug of the shoulders and tough rooty climbs were conquered.
    I knew the bug had really bitten you when you started asking questions about TPI counts and tyre compunds.

    I just wanted to say thanks for my best year ever riding a bike, its been fantastic to share my passion for cycling with the person I love and to see you enjoying cycling as much as I have all these years.

    Bring on 2015 and all the two wheeled adventures to come. Chapeau Babe xx

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