Just re-checking the details of next week’s TransWales event that I’m attempting. Overall distance (with special stages) approx. 543km (338miles), overall climbing (with special stages) approx. 15,990m (52460 feet). Fookin’ ‘ell :-O I might not be riding next sunday then.
But quite arduous. Commuting to work in Essex used to be about the same distance (10-11 miles) but really - at the most - very mildly undulating. Here, step out of the door and I go up then turn left and go really up til I top out on to the moor and then it’s downhill to Hebden Bridge and on to Todmorden.
The return is equally hilly (of course) but the slogging is more gradual but seemingly for further. All of this is of course fab! The moor over from Oxenhope to Hebden Bridge is beautiful and I could really do with something to clear the bottle of wine from last night before I get to work. Commutes are certainly good for detox. The other thing that makes a difference is music. Whatever does it for you - put it on 
Right then. Lunch!
Big post this. Sorry but I feel the need to rant!
I spent the weekend at the New Coed Y Brenin centre.
Nothing official. I wasn’t there on behalf of ST. It was Rachel who suggested it. To be honest it was pure coincidence that this weekend was the official opening of the centre.
Saturday we went round the Blue route. It’s a family route with no singletrack. Mostly fire road but it follows the river upstream past old gold mines and a couple of magnificent waterfalls. Kids love waterfalls. So all was well. Well enough for us to do it again on Sunday morning when Sam (7) had one of those inevitable offs by jamming his front brake on at the bottom of a gravelly bit of fire road. There was blood (I tiny cut on his knee) and for about 5 minutes it was the end of the world as he tried to convince us he’d had his leg off. But we bribed him with a choice of anything from the menu back at the new centre cafe. That worked 
So we dined for lunch in the new Caff. It’s certainly a step up from the small shed like cafe of old. Very clean with a very pleasant curved balcony for outside dining. We counted 10 staff on duty inside, mostly wandering around looking a bit mystified as to what to do and we ended up being asked if we wanted a menu by three seperate members of staff, each looking very confused when Rachel tried to explain that the two bottles of pop on the table were bought already and they shouldn’t be added to our bill for food we hadn’t placed an order for yet. Hmmm.
Eventually we got hungry and ordered from the new menu. They had childrens’ menus too, which is always a good sign and shows they have thought carefully about who will be visiting (outside there’s an excellent playground complete with rope things and a climbing wall). Thomas ordered the ubiquitous chicken nuggets and chips; Sam went for a lunch box with a ham sandwich, cookie, fruit and orange juice; Rachel went for quiche and salad and I opted for the beef curry, rice and popadum.
Thomas’ food arrived first and as soon as it was laid down and I saw his expression I new we were in trouble. The chips were black as coal. In fact they were actually potato wedges fried until they were blackened. I tried one and it was frankly inedible.
Rachels’ quiche came cold - now OK that’s not a particularly henious crime but the unidentifiable slimey thing in the wilted lettuce was. The cucumber was dry and generally she ended up picking at it. The quiche had gristle in it!
Then mine arrived. Now OK, I’ll admit that I’ve never in my life experienced a good beef curry. It seems to be the one meat that always fails. This one changed nothing. The cubes of meat were so riddled with gristle and fat that many of them were still joined together by long slivers of fat. The knife was useless and I had to split them up by pulling them apart until the fat snapped. Eating them took time - the meat was tough and where it wasn’t it was mostly gristle. I ended up doing that hugely embarrassing act of being forced to spit a particularly nasty piece of cow product into my napkin.
The menu made the point that all their meat was locally produced as if this was an assurance of quality. If this was an example of quality Welsh beef than I’ll be checking the labels next time I’m in the supermarket to make sure I avoid Welsh beef in future. More likely it was frankly shocking preparation in a kitchen staffed by clearly enthusiastic and helpful, but ultimately inexperienced staff.
If I ever go back I’ll be taking my own sandwiches. Things in the cafe have a long way to go before I’ll eat there again.
Come back the old pokey caff with beans on toast and tea in a big mug.
On the other hand the riding was ace.
It’s Saturday and I’m in the office. Something not quite right there. Chipps and I are busy putting the final, and middling, touches to Issue 30. If you’re at work and want to watch us work, for some strange reason, you can check out the Singletrackcam live at: www.singletrackworld.com/mod.php?mod=userpage&menu=102&page_id=46
Snappy web address huh?
It’s not all work and stress though, we’ve just taken delivery of some 2007 Magura forks. I spent last night fitting a pair of Wotans to my Patriot and I have to say they do look rather good. Ben and Matt are calling round the office later for a ride so I’ll get a chance to try them out. Quite excited!
Anyway, back to Photoshopping never seen before prototype GT gearbox bikes for Bike Porn. Ho hum.
Left the office at 11.30pm - a 17 hour day. And ironically, tomorrow I’ll be subbing a story called ‘It’s all glamour’ about going to press launches (which are usually at the weekend, I seem to remember…) - anyway. Sleep now… work tomorrow.
Anyone that knows me will confirm that I’m not a morning person - but sometimes I really wish I was. I was up at 6am this morning - taking Chris to the airport - but then I was back in Tod and at work by 8.30am. The sun was still low on the hills - would have made great light for pictures, and the bakery round the corner had hot, fresh baguettes for breakfast…
Oh well… I’ll just have to take solace in the calm of the midnight hour, when sensible folk are in bed and the world is silent - and all mine.
6.30am and off to take my friend and our regular contributor Chris aka Cyclenaut aka Punkass to Manchester Airport for a flight back to the USA. At least it should mean I’ll be back in the office by around 9.30am… Got a long day of doing stuff ahead of me. Oh well. Hopefully we’ll only have to work all weekend (again) and then it’ll be done.
Next year I’m going to book some weekends off… it’d be novel…
Chipps
So here we are in the middle (okay, near the end of) deadline time and still waiting for my slides to get back from the developers. Flip knows what we’re going to do if they don’t come back tomorrow - they’re needed for this issue’s nine page Armchair Feature. Fingers crossed.