A New Cyclist

If you read Alex's blog below, you will see that he has found a sudden liking for cycling. It started with him going for short rides on his own, increasing the distance day by day, until eventually he was able to go to Aberford and back without stopping. I offered to go with him, an offer he gladly accepted. We went to Towton and back via Saxton, about 20 miles in distance. I have to say I was very impressed with his determination and level of fitness. The next day we had intended to increase the distance to 25 miles by going round by Church Fenton, but a suggested detour to Ryther was agreed, increasing the distance to in the region of 30 miles. Today we went to Selby, 42 miles, and included a cafe stop. Definitely a new cyclist in the family and one with much potential. We'll have to watch him.

One more Iron Man

Yesterday was a long but memorable day for Jonny which several of our family were privileged to witness and share - Becky, James, Alex, Mum and me, and, of course, Ruth, Holly and Henry. The location was the National Watersport Centre, Nottingham, and the surrounding area, the event the Outlaw Iron Man Triathlon - 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, 26.2 mile run, and the weather was good. It was an early start for the spectators, we left Leeds at 8 a.m. but even earlier for the competitors who entered the water at 6 a.m. We managed to get a glimpse of Jonny as he hurtled past on his bike at around 10.30 a.m. and despite valiant attempts to get to see him again on the road, the next time we saw him was during the marathon when he ran past us on the waterside at about 4 p.m. He passed once more before eventually finishing at 5.48 p.m. His overall time, therefore, was 11 hours 48 minutes - and this despite having to stop to mend a puncture by the roadside which cost him around 20 minutes - a fantastic achievement and a very proud time for us all. It was great to see him run across the finish line with Holly and Henry.

Where's my blog?

As I have already written on this blog and it is no where to be seen, I am doing a Becky and making sure it works before I spend too much time writing on this blog.

Mike's new supporter

Last night Mike had a new supporter who went to see him play football for the first time. She didn't see any of the game as she was asleep in the pushchair being pushed by her Grandad and stirred only briefly to indicate that Grandad had been standing too long and should be walking up and down the touchline. Perhaps it was well that she slept as Bardsey were losing 1 - 0 when we arrived and 1 - 0 when it finished. It was very convenient though as the game, a home friendly fixture for Bardsey, was being played at Barnbow.

Isn't life great!!!

This is just a test to make sure it works before I spend my precious time writing my first blog (only to find that it hasn't worked) xxx

Re-cycling

As an addendum to the most recent post, it is interesting to see the sudden resurgence of cycling in the family. First this year was Mike, who on his birthday asked me to take him for a ride, as a result of which he acquired a keen desire to do more. Such was his eagerness that he bought shoes and pedals to add to my old bike, the Felt, which has now been ridden by some many people - Mum, Steve Kirton, Jonny - and now Mike. We adjusted the seat and added accessories so he could ride independently, though in truth, the bike is probably a size too big for him. This initial enthusiasm saw Mike joining our group for riding, even evening riding and the prospect of him buying his own bike; but, no sooner had he got properly started the football season has come round again - matches on Saturdays and Sundays, training midweek - so soon from enthusiastic cyclist to non cyclist. In the meantime, as the previous blog indicates, Alex showed interest in the old black Felt. So we adjusted the saddle higher and replaced Mike's clipless pedals with Mum's old flat pedals and, with the accessories already in place, he was away, though in truth, the bike is probably a size too small for him. The previous Sunday we were out with Billy and Sue with some of their friends. Cycling came into the conversation as Billy had just been for an off-road ride with his friend. This friend also has a road bike, so Billy asked if I still had the bike I said he could borrow? High demand indeed - first come, first served?
Talking about bikes, Mum and I had a lovely weekend with Becky and James - he has a bike in the front room, so cycling is always in mind when you are in their house. They prepared a beautiful meal on Saturday night and took us for lunch on Sunday. There were a couple of coffee stops as well. We even got chance to go to Royle's - cycle shop. When we left we said our goodbyes to Becky at the front door and to James as we passed him cycling down the road.

Giving Something New A Go

Well, for me it's not really something new it is more like a chance to start again with an old hobbie that I loved at the age of seven, but lost my confidence with in the hills of the lake district. It is, of course, cycling. For years I have watched the Tour de France and enjoyed the suspence of sprint finishes, crashes and mountain climbs along with many other aspects of cycling that keeps me fixed to the screen. I do enjoy the fact that it is not as simple as it looks. A person, who knows very little about road cycling, would think the more races you win, the more likely you are to win the Tour de France. WRONG! It surprises people that Mark Cavendish won five Tour de France stages and wasn't even in the top 100, while Alberto Contador won no races but won the Tour de France. The answer for this isn't complicated, it is basically that Contador is more consistent than Cavendish and that he is a lot better than him in the mountains, where the tour is won or lost. I know this description of an aspect of the Tour de France has little to do with my first sentence, the reason for me losing track of the point of this paragraph is basically due to the fact I am trying to emphasise how I have rediscovered cycling and why I am giving it another chance. I have enjoyed for three years(I think) watching the Tour de France and after enjoying learning more about this sport, I feel it is time that I take it up again. It is a simple sport, which is not simple at the same time. It is simple in terms of learning how to ride a bike and it is a simple pleasure, the views you see on the Tour de France and in the British countryside are best enjoyed on a bike. It is not simple in terms of how a bike is put together. After watching a documentary on Tuesday night about a man (whose name I have forgotten) who went around the world to gain the components to make his perfect bike. It is remarkable the history of the bike. It shows the obstacles it had to overcome to become the basic two wheel mechanism which was easy and popular to ride at the same, even to this day we are still trying to improve it, so that we can find it less of hassle and more of a delight to ride. I only use the word hassle after seeing the old designs of bikes in its early days.
I'm losing track of thought again and I will come back to the original point of this text. This week I have been out on one of dad's old bikes three times. Initially, I felt quite anxious. I share dad's dislike of going downhill, I never feel in complete control when doing so, however I never felt that I was going to fall. After a few hiccups, it became easier and I have to say I enjoy it greatly. It's a hobbie everyone should take part in really, it gets us to places quicker and it get us fit. Nothing to complain about really. I am not as good as dad, but after a while I will be. The only regret I have is not restarting earlier, but it can be hard to get back into something when you had a bad experience with it. That is basically all I have to say really. I must warn I have not prove read this yet, so if there are any mistakes involving grammar or spelling, I apologise. cnewnrcfiuewofnoeri kdjcn kswdmwioe ckiem dsfas s. Thanks for taking the time to listen to what I have to say. I know I'm not very interesting but I know this paragraph is more interesting than dad talking about dough. Goodbye.