It’s the Little Things
While big, epic days out are great, sometimes things don’t pan out that way and you either don’t get to ride, or you have a two-hour spin rather than a seven hour epic. At times like that, some people would get frustrated - worrying that they’re either missing out on training miles, or missing out on fun or on life itself. It depends, however, on what you’re doing instead of riding.
In my case, I popped up to see Michael and the lovely Linzi in Penrith. With me was Emily (my girlfriend) and Kristen, an old friend who’d come over from Paris to see me for the weekend. We’d planned on pitching up to the Lakes and doing a big ride while Kristen wanted to bag a peak or two. But we got to Michael’s, the coffee was served and the rain started. We eventually made it out for a ride - only a couple of hours or less, but we got to ride along Ullswater on some fab singletrack and only got slightly wet on the ride back. Thinking back, though, I’d spent a wet Bank Holiday Saturday chatting with some of my favourite people and STILL got a ride in. AND we had fab food served to us when we got back! Glass half full, that’s (usually) me. 
Oh, and I got to ride Michael’s box-fresh Orange Five, custom painted in Clockwork colours and - is that new XT I see? You’ll have to wait to see how it worked for a couple of weeks as Sim’s off to the official launch in France in a couple of weeks…
May 30th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Oooh, shiny!
The New XT doesn’t look too bad when it’s on a bike, is very nice in fact. Mismatched wheels though, naughty naughty!
June 1st, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Michael always gets the best bikes to ride, he’s to blame for my orange Orange fetish.
June 1st, 2007 at 9:41 pm
I rode the singletrack around Ulswater at the beginning of May in the good weather. It was our first day riding with kit, a multi day thing. We’d got to the singletrack after a day which took in High Street and were going on to Glenridding. I was tired, in need of food and took a in a gel half way round. It was still some of the best I’ve ridden.
June 5th, 2007 at 10:52 am
They didn’t have an XT 20mm thru-axle hub to hand. I’m sure it’s all balanced up nicely now