Another vid!
Posted on January 15, 2008
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I’m registered!
Posted on January 14, 2008
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Entry now posted, monies paid, backing out becomes harder…
Eastridge Downhill
Posted on January 13, 2008
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Today was the first downhill training session at Eastridge, courtesy of a Pearce Cycles uplift day. Conditions were wet, muddy and a bit more wet but we had a great time. The trails were not as technical as I was expecting but hammering them in the wet on the new Quake added a whole new dimension to descending.
Mmmm…coily
Posted on January 10, 2008
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The DHX Air managed to last 2 rides before I replaced it. I think a general lack of confidence in the shock together with a firm belief that sod’s law would get me just when I needed it the most meant that a replacement was inevitable. Rather than wait until nearer the event I bit the bullet and replaced it yesterday.
Actually fitting it proved a bit of a struggle, it has to go in back to front and TFTuned had the wrong size axle on it. Some very delicate belting with a rubber hammer managed to free the axle from the old shock and it was soon substituted for the new one. This weekend will see how it goes with a test ride on Saturday and then a my first day of downhilling on Sunday at Eastridge.
A Happier New Year
Posted on January 5, 2008
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The bike is back! Sadly more damage from the couriers, the rear mech being bent across the cogs at about 30 degrees. A quick bend and a tweak and it was out for a test ride, it climbs the hills better than I expected and descends as well as I hoped. I’ve still got a few doubts about the air shock but we’ll see how that pans out with a few more rides.
A Poor Start
Posted on December 27, 2007
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My current bike isn’t tough enough to handle the Mega, so I ordered a new one in the year end sales from xxxxx Cycles. It’s a Marin Quake which looked fantastic for the job, but when it came there were a number of problems including a damaged headset, heavily scoured set post and even a cheaper fork than advertised. Worse still when I took it for a test run the Fox DHX Air 5 shock stuck down - arrgh!
Xxxxxx are (currently) being great about trying to sort the repairs, I await a new and functioning bike…
Hello!
Posted on December 16, 2007
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Welcome to my first Blog! This is my record as I try and compete in the Mega Avalanche in Alpe D’Huez in July 2008. This is meant to be one of the toughest and best mountain bike races in the world. At least 1,500 riders undertake a mass start from the top of the highest mountain in the Alpe D’Huez ski resort and then race to the bottom of the valley.
The race takes about 2 hours to complete and riders have to cover just about every sort of terrain imaginable, including the first couple of miles on a snow covered black ski run!
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About
I started this website to record my progress as I try to compete in the Mega Avalanche in July 2008, said to be one of the worlds toughest mountain bike races. As I write this in December 2007 I have zero downhill racing experience and pretty mediocre fitness.
The reason for attempting this is to raise at least £2,500 for the Severn Hospice, a charity that provides fantastic care for those with serious illnesses in the Shropshire and Mid Wales area.
If you would like to donate then please visit my charity page, or to find out more look here.
And if you are wondering about the title of my site, it was the first words from the mouth of my best mate as I told him what I was going to attempt...
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Sponsorship
