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My flight back to Madrid was delayed so didn't get home until 2am and was at work for 10 still, I finish at half 1 so it wasn't the end of the world ;) Got my stuff packed away then sat down to entertain myself with the above for the remainder of the day. Bars are on but need to get a longer hose for the rear brake and bleed it, how do you say brake hose in Spanish? Plumbers are here this morning which is a stark reminder of how little Spanish I speak (and also how much I've learnt since arriving) and starts to raise questions of where home is. Throughout my trip back to the motherland I kept citing the weather as a major factor as to why it's so nice to live here but since being greeted by rain on my return I've started to question why or what it is that makes us enjoy it here. As I type the sun has started to emerge! I'll mull the question before attempting an answer and as to where it leads us both metaphoricaly and literally time will tell.

I took advantage of the beard my trip had given me to freak out Carla and Lizzie with my cowboy/porn star 'tache. (it lasted 15 minutes)

ssuk

A much abbreviated event for me this year as it coincided with a trip back to the UK and I was a bit apprehensive rocking up on Sunday morning knowing that my weasels were absent but I needn't have been. Arrived asked where Dr Jon was as he and Hamish were the only folk I was sure were there yet and was pointed in the direction of the outcast banner...Hamish was still asleep but Jon and Trina were there as was Anja so I drew up a seat beside her and told her how much nicer the weather in Madrid is. (It has rained since I got back by the way) I felt quite relieved as the last time I saw Anja was on the way back from the pub and I was accusing her of being a little wheeled geared bike riding freak. Ahem.

So it was that I found myself in the company of Jenn Hopkins, Dave Anderson, Biff, who refused to stop talking about sifting through shite in the portaloo and mister Jo Burt amongst others. And no I certainly did not mention 'that sheep.' It was massively banterful as some sod had left his on-one with mary bars AND bar ends (surely a crime punishable only by death) lying beside us while he tried out Biff's Jones. (admittedly also a freakish bike) As they wrestled with its seatpost in a desperate attempt to sabotage it I suddenly realised just how good we had it last year, sunshine, cider and hunners of banter *sigh*

The race rolled around all too soon just as the skies opened and 250 riders bottlenecked the first climb. Before the race I'd known I was nowhere near the fitness I had had last year but knew that being able to stand up before the race should give me an advantage over last year. It wasn't to be. I hurt like hell, every climb felt like a total slog and the rooty descents were ever so slightly sketchy in the wet after a hundred odd riders had torn it up. After an hour or so I had gained a bit more faith in the little wheeled steed and it's scary but predictable tyres but alas as I came towards the end of my second lap I hit a fireroad climb as Adrian passed me as if I was standing still :( I started winding up my legs in a bid to at leats hold him to the end but after a while I resigned myself to the fact that it just wasn't going to happen. Ah well. He was saying afterwards there was about 700m of vertical climbing per lap! God knows how long the laps were but felt like forever, still I'll def be back to ride there again.

At the prizegiving Anja collected a cool trophy for her winning efforts and tried to pass off her 'champagne' on us but was turned down in favour of the free beer :D I sadly missed out on furthest travelled, apparently some tool had come from Sweden and taken 39 hours to get t the race. Damn. Still it was wicked fun, saw Mike from Stirling, the guy whose bunkhouse Alec and I took at Aviemore, a few folk who recognised the weasel jersey as well as my 'support' crew of Chops, his wee girl Rose, Andy Cathcart and his other half: "That bike deserves more," "Rose is crying you're so bad!" Cheers guys

joggin along

Stable week this week, no major dramas (thus far at any rate but still got a flight to miss) and bumbling along quite nicely thank you very much. Got out for a few hours riding yesterday but somewhat terrified of the impending mud and roots this weekend at SSUK after spending last 2 months on sand in glorious sunshine :O Already been some changes to the plan and going to stay at my folks Sat night and head to the race Sun morn. Had couple generous offers to camp with randoms but it's not really the same, Sun should be a blast with 'challenges' promised and meeting up with chopless and dr j again, Im hoping there's a furthest travelled category-fingers crossed some bugger from Oz hasn't rocked up. (Tho Anja is from NZ I will contest the legality of her claim...) Anyway not much else to say, Dry-x's are pretty nice tho interesting at times and thought I'd buckled my front wheel when took a shortcut and found a massive ditch with my front wheel yesterday-still not determined what caused the very loud 'whabooom' noise from the front :S

Very much looking forward to proper beer and seeing mi familia :D

sonic

Proof if ever it was needed that I am not a morning person (Although this was about half 11) and also that my haircut on Monday is long overdue.

tiny victories

Spent almost all day trying to set up my front wheel as tubeless again. With very little success-the maxxis is a bit baggy and needs a compressor to get it started and seat the bead :( After trying in vain for hours I finally threw in the towel. Then I was struck with an idea, remembering how tight the dry-x was on the rear I experimented a bit and got that tubeless using only a minipump! Admittedly it offers as much grip as a gran wearing slippers on an icy morning but I felt a quiet satisfaction in getting something tubeless. (I'll probably take it off tomorrow)

on the up

Walking back from my lesson noticed that people are starting to sit outside for coffees in the evening, mind you it is 21 degrees at 9 in the evening!....

Only a week away from my first wage in Spain, thank god. Also trying to sort out bikes and traveling for the SSUK in 2 weeks, tapped the original goon to borrow a 69er but meant to be taking Chops' rig, either will be awesome fun.

I'll leave you with Zardoz, never heard of it? No, me neither but was introduced to it today, anything with Sean Connery in that outfit must be good...

threads

Hmmm, can buy the retro 29er jersey now but not sure if I wouldn't prefer the black one? In fact I'd actually quite like an evil jersey ;)