I have relaxed my deathgrip on the clipboard and slammed shut the netbook after an amazing Scottish CX season, looking on from the timing sidelines.
Time to ride bikes!
One of the few things I'm planning on doing this year is the TransProvence [why] as such I decided I needed a training plan:
1: Read "Travels with a Donkey in the Cévennes" by RLS. [The one where our Robbie simultaneously invents bivvying and the literary sub-genre of quirky travelogue].
2: Go do some big rides in the hills.
3: Do something else. [It is a long time until September and I needed some more immediate goals]
One big ride I have had in mind for a while is a high level loop around the Lochnagar area - just so happened that Marty had the same idea for the weekend just passed so an early start saw us at Glen Clova basking in almost-warm sunshine. We ticked off 4 Munros, intruded slightly on a plane wreck, were mesmerised by rocks that looked like massive jobbies, and [I] failed yet again in the 'pack correct sized tube for bike wheel' test.
First Big Ride of The Year!
Something else? I decided to try this triathlon thing, not for the competitive-ness, nor the wetsuits but because I am crap at running and swimming - so they are effectively new things to learn. The "Craggy Island" tri later in the year sounds fun, it is all off road [swim included] to or on the Isle of Kerrera near Oban.
The No Fuss Wee Triathlon presented itself as a good introduction and would give me some decent feedback on stuff I need to learn or get mo'better at.
The first learning point was that the place to get a takeaway pizza between Glen Clova and Fort William is Victoria's in Pitlochry. Now you know.
Second learning point was that I am not as slow at swimming as I thought. It is unfortunate that almost everyone else is faster.
Third learning point is that 5" travel trail bikes are not the ideal when the course is a 50/50 split of gently undulating fire road or tarmac.
Seems like Lyndsey had the right idea with her cross bike allowing her to crush all her female competitors and all bar four boys. Well done that woman!
And yes, I need to finish that book...
3 comments:
Great report Chris, I was only kidding on about you doing the write-up!
brilliant.
i liked this post so much i bought the book.
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