Cocktails

We had our annual cocktail party last night. All of Team Tapas attended, along with some proper bike racing types and other assorted layabouts, culminating in some snowy muggings outside in the street at 3am. There were some vague mutterings about entering the Cardiff round of the Welsh Cyclocross League the following morning, but I certainly didn't make it, and I have strong doubts about the others.

Snow and ice

Just fitted some snow tyres to the SS, fairly narrow but with a deep tread and studs down the outside. Hopefully they will keep those heart-in-the-mouth moments when the front wheel slides a foot to the side on some ice to a minimum (I really dislike it when that happens on the way to work). I have also discovered that sticky rubber soled shoes work quite well on ice. Roll on the Puffer...

Wear and tear

Probably got my money's worth out of this chainring. It did well though, a couple years old and a few thousand miles. Now replaced with a very shiny Surly stainless steel one.

Breakfast

Wobble

Another fine weekend at the Real Ale Wobble. Rather unusually, the sun was shining on Saturday for a fantastic 23 mile or so ride around the hills of Mid Wales, with real ale available at the checkpoints. Some big grindy fire road climbs, slippery and sketchy descents, and the wonderful puddle run, where Matt took a swim on Sunday, followed by an evening in a marquee at the back of a pub with thirty or so real ales to try. There was a band as well (who play every year), with the audience degenerating into a sweaty mosh pit by the end. One of the best, and probably the most social, events of the year.

Ow...

... I think I may have some thorns still embedded in my knuckles. Any ideas how to get them out?

Strathpuffer 2011

We're in! The Strathpuffer is the toughest 24 hour race in the UK, and is rated by US bike mags as being in the top ten toughest races on the planet. It takes place in the middle of January north of Inverness, where the weather and conditions can be interesting to say the least. I will be borrowing some spiked tyres as the main climb has often be rendered unridable due to a covering of sheet ice. Speaking of unrideable, my Felt singlespeed is approaching maintenance critical mass - it currently needs attention to the chainring and chain (worn out), the EBB (full of dirt and creaking like mad), the bottom bracket bearings (shot), the rear hub bearings (also shot) and the front brake pads. And the front wheel is a bit buckled. Hope fully most of this will be able to wait until next week as we are off the Real Ale Wobble on the weekend - this event has a bit of a reputation as a bike wrecker so I am a bit loathe to put nice new bits on only to grind them into a paste a couple of days later.