tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40529968949365701772011-11-28T00:09:19.344ZMTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.comBlogger1321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-70218472954840401992011-10-23T17:32:00.009+01:002011-11-10T20:49:53.750Z

Today saw the last round of the Rapha Super-Cross at Alexandra Palace in London. Another unseasonally sunny day provided far reaching views across the city from the stunning setting of the 'Ally Pally' gardens. Odd that I've never been here really as it carries the accolade of 'The Birth Place of Television' - my two worlds finally collide.Unable to take part due to the niggle I picked up racing

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-83064915550942574062011-10-22T22:52:00.007+01:002011-11-02T17:32:06.955Z

Very little cycling happened this week for one reason or another, everything was going to be packed into the weekend: a pub lunch/meeting with a title sponsor today followed by an interview with a journalist and the evening would be capped off with my first mountain bike race in a good few years.Going for something a bit different again I chose a race just down the road at Black Park, the Night

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-38582629927987753982011-10-16T20:31:00.007+01:002011-10-19T20:09:17.190+01:00

With a round of the Central Cyclo-Cross League in my home town of Hemel Hempstead on a bright, sunny October afternoon I was struggling for excuses not to do this race. The 1 o'clock start meant I could take a leisurely ride there and still have plenty of time for a practice lap, even after a lazy Sunday morning.The course was very different to the one at Basildon (most notably missing the huge

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-68193510774616819752011-10-15T20:07:00.004+01:002011-10-18T16:37:34.921+01:00

The weather so far has been amazing this month and has provided that extra bit of motivation to get out and ride. So much so that I've actually managed to ride 10 out of the last 12 days, and today I went for a 3 mile run whilst I was at work. My only day off was Sunday after the cyclo-cross race - I thought I deserved a break. I think in professional circles they call it a 'Rest Day' or

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-34591390913361458642011-10-10T20:16:00.002+01:002011-10-19T20:34:14.188+01:00

I've had a mountain bike since the early nineties and before that I had the compulsory '80's BMX (and a worn out VHS of BMX Bandits). My skill level never progressed above skidding the length of the drive and briefly lifting the front wheel off the floor and I certainly never went near a BMX track. But that was all to change today!Redditch has a new BMX track and for the price of a couple of

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-59302077507445592192011-10-08T17:32:00.000+01:002011-10-18T16:13:10.031+01:00

Today was the day. The day I did my first ever cyclo-cross race. I've been talking about it for a few years now but today I put my money where my mouth is and did a round of the Eastern Cyclo-Cross League at Basildon.As always my preparation was hardly ideal; very little fitness, no speed and I haven't raced for a few years. But what did I have to lose? Nothing. I've been enjoying riding bikes

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-4153431478576304132011-10-05T16:37:00.002+01:002011-10-05T16:43:43.251+01:00

Tried desperately to talk myself out of going for a ride today but the only excuse I could find was that it was windier than yesterday. Other than that it was dry and fairly sunny and with winter approaching it's best to make the most of the days where you can still go out and ride in shorts and a short-sleeved top with today's addition of a windproof gillet.I stuck to the usual road route today

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-704662302257580232011-10-04T18:15:00.006+01:002011-11-02T17:34:09.776Z

Popped out for a local ride today, first time in quite a while. I had big plans to do a 45 mile road ride but thanks to the weather and the unbelievably strong headwind my plans changed part way into it. Cue the versatility of a Surly Cross-Check.So as the weather was good and the ground was bone dry I went exploring on the Ashridge Estate and the Chiltern Cycleway to help progress a little

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-63619664208123904152011-08-24T22:05:00.003+01:002011-08-24T22:24:49.904+01:00

Hello, my name's Sara and I'm an addict. It dawned on me the other day that I have a problem, my dirty little habit as I sometimes call it. It takes up all of my spare time, I can't go a day without thinking about it, it makes me do silly things and it costs a lot of money. So what am I referring to? Mountain bike events. The signs have been there for a long time and now other people are

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-76909255981997913812011-08-12T23:15:00.003+01:002011-08-12T23:24:32.013+01:00

Work today. Home-work that is. Work, work and more work. Though I have the added diamension of a third computer to sit in front of as I tried to get my new laptop up to speed. I was trying to put it off until after the Montane Kielder 100 but the current one took over half an hour to get itself together this morning and I lost my patience again so action had to be taken. Now it's just a case of

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-37694588411971952102011-08-09T16:31:00.000+01:002011-08-12T10:53:05.761+01:00

A Pinarello Prince that is, and a very pretty little thing he is too. He's been spending the summer at my house and whilst he settled in has been restricted to the turbo trainer in the spare room. He had his first proper outing today - the usual 25 mile Ivinghoe Beacon loop that I do. Nothing too strenuous, just bike and rider getting familiar with each other's habits. It's been a good few

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-33191728792395642872011-08-08T18:20:00.003+01:002011-08-08T18:25:53.220+01:00

Morning full of emails and catching up on the post. I've found that to really stay on top of events you have to start work on the next one as soon as the previous one has finished. So despite the fact that the Montane Kielder 100 is less than a month away, a number of my phone calls and emails today revolved around 24 Hours of Exposure 2012 and other events in the pipeline. Crunch time came

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-8311641930339451352011-08-07T21:51:00.002+01:002011-08-07T22:10:38.200+01:00

In terms of the blog it has been admittedly, but that's only because it's been far from a quiet year in real life. I think I've managed to squeeze in more riding this year than the previous two, but the number of events I've been involved in have also increased so I'm still not riding as much as I'd like - does anybody though?Since my last post I've skipped through four rounds of the BMBS series

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-72566070911200974122011-03-13T22:27:00.016Z2011-03-21T23:47:13.310Z

Big views. Big hills. And for the first time properly, big wheels. It's been a long time since I rode a bike in the Brecon Beacons, probably almost 10 years. During that time I've spent a lot of time walking in the area (see 'mountain walks' label) and have spotted numerous paths and trails that have prompted the phrase "this would be an ace trail to ride"; A phrase common to mountain bikers and

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-27620948361089475542011-03-12T21:26:00.001Z2011-03-16T22:11:36.235Z

There's been a new fad in mountain biking over the last couple years (actually, 29ers have been around for about a decade thanks to Gary Fisher, but we'll gloss over that for the moment). Let's say, some of the more mainstream brands have picked up on the idea just recently.Being 5'7" the minute I get out of bed means I've never even considered the possibility that a mountain bike with oversize

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-12729763690917440002011-03-11T21:02:00.000Z2011-03-16T21:19:05.003Z

Holding down a full time job whilst being heavily involved in mountain biking means sometimes I end up doing long stints without sleep. Friday was such a day - a night shift followed by the long drive across to South Wales first thing in the morning. I'm usually fine on the drive, but the tiredness hits me around 3 o'clock in the afternoon and I shut down and have to have a snooze.For a while

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-74628716856768307052011-03-08T20:11:00.003Z2011-03-08T20:20:03.329Z

Honestly, it is. In honour of that my employer decided to give me a red rose, a very swish little business card holder and a quote from Maggie Thatcher (who is obviously every career woman's idol!): "If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." Enough said...But it's not just any old IWD, it's the Centenary celebration of International Women's Day. For those

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-21177737174106848302011-03-04T21:12:00.004Z2011-03-04T21:23:06.662Z

But only looking like Spring, and not quite feeling. I was lulled into a false sense of security by the bright sunshine this morning and once again went out without my overshoes. It was one of those weird kind of days where you're not entirely sure what to wear. I settled for a long-sleeved base layer and a light Endura jacket and 3/4 tights. In the sun it was fine, when the biting wind blew, it

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-54782618442820114272011-02-25T18:02:00.002Z2011-02-25T18:10:05.864Z

European Solo Championships launched as part of 24 Hours of Exposure, press releases done, sponsors secured - it's all falling into place. Having completed a To Do list I rewarded myself with a 2 hour road ride. There aren't many people that would consider a 30 mile ride a reward, but that's what makes us cyclists and everybody else, not.As an extra reward, I decided to test the recovery

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-48446974871987083522011-02-21T22:04:00.004Z2011-02-24T17:36:55.305Z

Another day spent riding around Sherwood Pines trying to find any tracks even vaguely interesting enough to make up a mountain bike course of a suitable standard for elite riders and a couple of Olympians. It hasn't been easy. The selection of trails at Sherwood is limited at the best of times and the parts of the Kitcheners trail I have actually ridden have been so uninspiring I've never

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-44560006967407518572011-02-17T10:25:00.009Z2011-02-17T11:00:24.188Z

It's very easy to get bogged down with paperwork as an event organiser, so every now and again it's good to get out into the fresh air and get your hands dirty. Last week presented just the opportunity with a trip to Rock UK to do some trail building and maintenance on the 24 Hours of Exposure solo champs race course.With a handful of willing helpers from Rock UK staff and a couple of huge piles

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-57966946767545813542011-01-27T13:59:00.004Z2011-01-27T14:04:31.435Z

Quick switch of priorities today as the urge to carry on my good work from last week was still there. Ride first, then work, as opposed to work, then ride (which always ends up in just one more email, just one more cup of tea, oh look it's too late, too dark, it's too cold, it's dinner time etc and never an actual ride).Quick two hours on some previously unexplored lanes and an undulating 27

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-14852816879229926002011-01-26T21:34:00.003Z2011-01-26T22:00:27.231Z

It seems my motivation to ride just isn't there at the moment. Luckily my dirty habit of organising mountain bike events means every now and again I have to go and ride a bike. The strange thing is, once I'm there and ready to go, I really enjoyed riding and just wanted to ride more.Wednesday was a short loop around Afan checking out a demo loop for the Demo Series. I don't know why, but Afan is

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-25349023313718875842011-01-07T15:11:00.004Z2011-01-07T15:17:23.081Z

Not deterred by yesterday's post-ride feeling of dizziness, nausea and as if my legs were about to drop off I decided to give it another go. The rain finally stopped and I squeezed in an hour and a half of the usual road loop. By the end of the ride if felt like the cob webs had blown away and my legs were spinning freely. (The numb backside has almost gone as well, settling in nicely to a trusty

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-84902520623949360692011-01-06T18:31:00.003Z2011-01-06T18:47:41.388Z

So my winter training has started in earnest with a quick 45 minute spin on the rollers. For those of you that don't know what rollers are, it's like a turbo trainer but with the added hilarity of continuous wobbling, a reluctance to remove your hands from the handlebars (even when the sweat in your eyes stings so much you can barely see) and the ever present possibility of falling off the edge

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-89105083784502526002010-10-28T19:08:00.012+01:002010-10-29T21:22:43.343+01:00

I was more than a little surprised a few months ago when an old cycling buddy, Steve Makin, asked me if I wanted to go on a walking trip with him. I've always known he was into walking and went on regular trips, so do I, but we've just always been cycling together. Walking had never really occurred to us. So we were probably due a trip. Initially the tiny little Welsh island of Anglesey didn't

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-30125453256365444512010-10-26T22:58:00.002+01:002010-10-26T23:52:43.122+01:00

And that's still faster than my poorly Ford Focus. A broken cam belt has resulted in an enforced bike commute to work over the last couple of days. So what's wrong with that? Well, the fact it's 25 miles each way for a start. Now, bearing in mind I can count the number of miles I've ridden in the last two months on one hand, this was going to be quite a task.Luckily I'd ridden the commute a

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-26640907906937963002010-07-12T00:04:00.005+01:002010-07-12T21:52:36.126+01:00

It's an odd life being a mountain bike event organiser some times, you never quite know what's going to happen next or where you going to end up.It all started just over a week ago with my second car accident in 3 months. I've decided now that Dalby Forest is jinxed - I've only ever had two car accidents in my life and both of them have been the night before travelling to Dalby for an event.

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-81586022796407691842010-06-24T10:05:00.002+01:002010-06-24T10:36:14.279+01:00

Well as you can see from my last post, I've been fairly busy. Many of you will know what with. And for those of you that don't, it was obviously mountain bike related (the clue is in the name!) Including a couple more rounds of the British Mountain Bike Series, which were pretty wet and miserable in all honesty. Even Margam, and it NEVER rains at Margam. Except when it does rain, and when it

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-16647258293193011532010-04-09T22:50:00.004+01:002010-04-09T23:39:38.872+01:00

...are few and far between these days. Those truly magnificent days when everything just drops in to place, the world seems perfect, life is good and you wish the day would never end; you wish that you could somehow spend the rest of your life in that day. Yesterday was such a day.A long overdue walk with Tony (TalesFromTheRock) and the Gods were smiling upon us. Weatherwise it was by far the

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-45610044006569669512010-03-30T22:56:00.004+01:002010-03-30T23:23:45.271+01:00

...4 to go. They say the first one is always the hardest and the first round of the British Mountain Bike Demo and Race Series at Sherwood Pines over the weekend was most definitely the proof of the pudding. There have been some pretty big changes to the race series this year, including adding a whopping great demo weekend to every round. The outcome of which is more work for all involved (and

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-24421515258658611692010-03-25T08:33:00.002Z2010-03-25T08:46:06.561Z

First proper event of the season (barring the Glentress Demo) last weekend, the Whinlatter Challenge in the Lake District. Only in it's second year this event is going from strength to strength and with the addition of more purpose built trails, Whinlatter is also improving as a trail centre.Saturday was set up day and I took the unusual step of marking the course by bike, rather than vehicle.

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-65744723982277804542010-01-19T21:23:00.004Z2010-01-19T21:43:29.279Z

So with the Christmas/December break behind me and another year over it was time to move on and get things back to normal. 2009 was a helluva a year, not least because I chose to take redundancy in the worst economic crisis in living memory and then decided to set up my own event business, SIP Events Ltd, and organise a mountain bike race; but not just any old mountain bike race, I thought I'd go

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-19822980578881162762009-12-30T23:18:00.004Z2011-01-10T21:06:46.756Z

A year of working too much, not riding, injuries, eating poorly, drinking lots, DIY excuses and, well, if I'm honest, a smidgen of laziness, have resulted in my weight creeping up. I'm now a full 1 stone/14lbs/6.3kg (you have to be multilingual sometimes when writing blogs!) heavier than I was last November.Now I'm not weight obsessed or anything and I've never been what you'd call svelte, but

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-59037377153284068082009-12-27T17:03:00.004Z2009-12-27T17:22:44.388Z

I'm not so sure this year. It just hasn't felt like Christmas at all, despite the endless snow. It's the first year in a long time I haven't spent two weeks working solidly over Christmas - I was on night shift instead for three days. Coupled with the lack of decorations in my house due to the ongoing, er, decorating, there was a distinct lack of festive spirit.I won't expatiate on Christmas day,

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-18078394291043867112009-12-24T17:24:00.004Z2009-12-24T18:01:08.952Z

So I've been away for a while for various dull reasons that I won't go into. I haven't been riding my bike that's for sure. Not until the other day anyway, the snow seems to draw me out from my cosy little hideaway. Maybe because it's not quite so cosy at the moment due to the lack of central heating, large gaps around the new windows and bare walls. Oh well, at least it's not cold, eh...We've

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-46293332249642084272009-07-29T11:04:00.004+01:002009-07-29T11:54:25.031+01:00

I did something I've never done before this morning. I woke up around 4am and was restless, my head spinning with a thousand thoughts. Suddenly the episode of Top Gear I watched yesterday popped into my head - Jeremy Clarkson had done a piece about how no-one just goes for a drive any more, so early in the morning he got up and hit the open road in a Mercedes.Inspired by this I got out of bed and

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-20875978787756187842009-07-16T23:44:00.004+01:002009-07-28T16:28:01.975+01:00

After some extensive research over the last couple of months, all in the name of medical advancement of course, I've been compiling the definitive list of top ten things not to do with a broken rib. Some of these things have been stumbled upon in the course of everyday life, others have been pursued purely to benefit humankind so that others in a similar state of disrepair will not attempt such

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-15902747082927934822009-07-13T20:06:00.003+01:002009-07-13T20:31:46.277+01:00

Well, I've been away a while and what a 7 weeks it has been! There have been plenty of visits to muddy fields for mountain bike races and venue recces, I've been up and down and backwards and forwards across the country, sent hundreds of emails and made dozens of phone calls to strangers. I've started a new job; I've run my first mountain bike event and launched Britain's first 100 mile mountain

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-13909901716851900462009-05-20T23:52:00.004+01:002011-01-10T21:07:40.299Z

There are ideas, and then there are 'ideas'. There are silly ideas, like deciding to get on a train to Penzance one day on a whim and riding from Lands End to John O'Groats; there are stupid ideas, like going off for a ride one afternoon in Northern Californian bear country with no food or water, no map, no idea where you're going and without telling anyone; there are dangerous ideas, like riding

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-66473904330548064062009-05-13T10:38:00.005+01:002011-01-10T21:06:25.044Z

The human body is an amazing thing. The capacity of the mind and body to work together just long enough to get through any given task will never cease to amaze me. The mind tells the body what it needs to do and how long for, gives it the strength to keep going, it even accounts for sleep (or sometimes lack of), factors in the temporary break in physical activity but keeps the body aware it

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-78942162714704643832009-05-03T21:16:00.006+01:002009-05-03T21:39:43.994+01:00

This time last week I was still in Offenburg, Germany, having spent the day watching the second round of the Nissan UCI World Cup cross-country mountain bike racing. There's hope that the UK will have a round next year in Dalby Forest so a BC contingent and a few others, including me, tagged along to have a look and pick up some tips.As it was a last minute thing, I ended up driving the 500 miles

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-34460186889992276082009-04-19T22:48:00.003+01:002009-04-19T23:13:31.417+01:00

Finally! After all these months and months and months of waiting for work to finally finish, it has! And I'm so happy and relieved and excited and cheerful and stress free and I'm really looking forward to my Summer now.It's been an odd few days though, both before and after the leaving do (obviously, things never go smoothly around here). It started with a shopping trip on Thursday morning with

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-44736404548247488942009-04-14T21:07:00.005+01:002009-04-14T22:07:29.560+01:00

What a lovely weekend: relaxing mornings; fresh coffee; some tidying up; some DIY; tasty lunches; productive afternoons on the computer; freshly cooked, homemade dinners; stress free evenings listening to music answering emails and tidying up the desktop; early nights. This is a life I could get used to, and I so easily slipped into it. I even managed to get an Easter ride in and treat myself to

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-22044455348789518002009-04-06T22:54:00.004+01:002009-04-06T23:27:51.712+01:00

11 eventful days. One evening I'm in London trying not to get drunk at what was the official closing down of ITV transmission at the London Studios. It was also the day I got served my redundancy which means I'll officially finish on the 17th of April. Thank God! Finally! I could feel the weight physically lifting from my shoulders and the stress draining from my body. It was fantastic.Early the

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-84621925233630571802009-03-14T12:28:00.007Z2009-03-18T19:57:12.784Z

This time last week I was sitting in the sunshine next to the harbour in Port de Pollenca with a cold beer in my hand. I'd just finished the final ride on my 5 day cycling holiday/training camp to Majorca - a 25mile out and back from the hotel to the lighthouse on the north eastern tip of the island. It turned out to be one of the toughest rides of the week; an undulating coastal road on a rough

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-64257334725730438912009-03-08T19:41:00.009Z2009-03-08T21:26:48.928Z

Okay, so I'm a week late, but due to my cultural ignorance (and the fact there aren't hundreds of Welsh people pub crawling around London on their national day unlike SOME nationalities, thank god) I wouldn't have realised if it hadn't been for a jovial young walker shouting it to me across a windy hillside last weekend. I'd decided to pop down to the Crickhowell Walking Festival to drop off

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-24018231967239817672009-02-21T21:25:00.007Z2009-02-28T03:02:34.846Z

Sometimes, I really, really love my job - I get a tingling feeling, butterflies in my stomach and a sense of truly being part of something special. It doesn't happen very often, but tonight was one of those rare occasions. Why? Because of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. Now, you may not like the show or the presenters, but in terms of real life, live studio, quality television production,

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-4099937443195897852009-02-06T11:03:00.004Z2009-02-06T11:06:05.215Z

This is the view out of my living room window at the moment:And it's snowing quite heavily again. Most of the roads around here are closed, including the A41 and the A5.We had another few inches of snow overnight, which is now sitting on top of all the ice and compacted slippery stuff. Not surprising nobody is trying to drive.Can't wait to go out for a ride later!!

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-15347123562966427882009-01-31T23:24:00.010Z2009-02-03T19:29:48.728Z

Things have either gone my way or they haven't this week. Monday couldn't have been better, everything fell into place with the perfect ease expected from life. Having a working bathroom makes life a hundred times easier - a day at work, back home on the turbo trainer for half an hour, jumped in the shower, cooked a hearty homemade meal whilst supping a glass of fruity red and settled down to

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-32260519366991489852009-01-19T19:04:00.003Z2009-01-19T19:21:50.642Z

just one day a month, that's all I'd want. Just a license to kill with a gun for one day... a month. And the world would be a better place by Summer. Why the outrageous statement you ask? This morning riding through London from work to the train station traffic was heavy. There were lots of buses in the bus lane so I was between them and normal moving traffic. I had two red lights on the rear, I

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-57621696548845428422009-01-15T23:17:00.005Z2009-01-16T00:16:23.947Z

It's been an interesting couple of weeks with lots happening and more than once I have found myself pausing for a second just to get a complete picture of the situation I had found myself in.For any readers of Tales from the Rock you'll know there was a minor vehicular incident last Tuesday - full story and embarassing phots on Tony's blog here. 'Drive Carefully!', yeah thanks Tony. It's the

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-22560186380346395192008-12-27T20:12:00.004Z2008-12-27T20:31:45.510Z

I had the best intentions when I woke up this morning but sometimes for your own sanity and to try to kid yourself you're still a functioning human being within the confines of society, you just have to resign yourself to the mundane life stuff and get on with it. So instead of riding my bike for a bit, getting some training in and doing some exercise, I made a rather startling discovery - I was

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-17332507056180082112008-12-26T22:54:00.007Z2008-12-26T23:32:42.310Z

This is my mate Jodie on Christmas Day at work (she was a bit tired):I didn't realise until she said, but we've actually spent the last 7 Christmas Days together, and it will be the last one we spend together in this job. Says a lot about the relationships we form in our line of work I think, how many other people can say they've spent 7 Christmases with a work colleague? Cooked each other

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-91094294025486330382008-12-24T17:11:00.004Z2008-12-24T17:35:17.433Z

I thought I'd get in nice and early, plus I'm bored at work. I do love Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory and Santa Claus the Movie this morning was great; I'm trying to avoid the playout of Mary Poppins as I don't want to peak too early and I've got all day tomorrow to get through as well. Shouldn't complain, plenty of people have far worse Christmases than me, even though I spend the entire time

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-30001218004200137052008-12-18T21:43:00.004Z2008-12-18T23:18:41.191Z

So it's my birthday tomorrow. I'll be 30 years old. To be honest, I never thought I'd make it this far, too many stupid, drunken, risky decisions as a teenager and student. But I somehow always managed to come out of it smelling of roses and stumbled through a series of tricky, sometimes dangerous situations. And here I am.And just lately I've been thinking quite a lot about where exactly that is

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-19753686742647436062008-11-23T15:44:00.004Z2008-11-23T20:19:16.754Z

A friend of mine mentioned the other day how bored he gets doing the same routes over and over again and because of this he was losing the enthusiasm to ride. At the time, I agreed with him. It can be rather dull doing the same routes, especially road riding by yourself. I often try to vary the routes that I do or take a map out with me and try a new lane or track, just to see where it goes and

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-82792409991091480612008-11-20T22:26:00.005Z2008-11-20T23:29:11.154Z

I finally managed to get away for the weekend and spent a great couple of days around Ladybower Reservoir in the Hope Valley, Derbyshire. It was to celebrate the occasion of an old university friend turning 30 and as such he'd gathered a group of his cycling friends together as well as a couple of old faithfuls Mike (aka Miggy due to the confusion of two Mikes being best friends) and Tom who I

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-76815426965910297502008-11-13T19:07:00.004Z2008-11-23T20:24:39.251Z

This was the scene in my bathroom the other night. It wasn't pretty. All I can say is, it's a bloody good job they'd decided the bath needed to be raised or I might have an accidental permanent resident by now! (Sorry Mark ;-)To be fair, everybody put in a fantastic few days work - electricians, plumbers and poor old Paul, who used to be the plasterer but has now turned into a builder, chippy,

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-50811093803325067182008-11-03T19:39:00.006Z2008-11-04T08:06:13.503Z

This week, I will mostly be working. In fact, I'll be working so much, that the working time directive has told me I have to take a lunch break every day. So I'm listening to these words of wisdom and have decided to put the enforced break time to good use - I went for a run. It was only a short run because I haven't been for a run for about 2 years. But it's a start. And in the absence of any

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-65686464221208532422008-11-02T21:25:00.004Z2008-11-23T20:26:10.568Z

... been demolishing my bathroom:To this:No, I'm not making an en-suite, but I am making it bigger. Fortunately Paul Davis was here to help - though why he wouldn't let me loose on the wall with a huge hammer I don't know! (Secretly I think he was really enjoying it, I mean how often do you just get to totally demolish something and take out all your aggression using a really big hammer without

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-39447831233906735732008-10-21T23:41:00.003+01:002008-11-23T20:26:10.573Z

Sometimes I find it hard to get out of bed and go and do something. This morning I found it hard not to get into bed and do nothing (the first night shift will do that to you). I didn't last long. An early start yesterday and a trip across the country for a meeting with Epic Cycles in Tenbury meant by mid-morning today I'd already been awake for 30 hours. Sleep was needed. Sleep is good.It seems

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-4454189433023913792008-10-13T22:03:00.004+01:002009-04-11T15:55:58.753+01:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks, really busy. And it doesn't look like slowing down any time soon. So, in brief:Dusk til Dawn - wet, muddy, dark, miserable. One lap. Lots of chocolate.Work - dusk til dawn. Overtime-tastic. Yay!Shopping - bath suite, lights, electrical bits and pieces, tiles, paint, tools, I could go on, but this list is exceptionally long - I never realised a bathroom contained

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-91729278784596906742008-09-28T19:29:00.003+01:002008-09-28T20:09:31.903+01:00

September has not been my month. Whilst some of my friends have been clocking up hundreds of miles, having fantastic holidays and generally enjoying themselves. I haven't. It started well with a committed and determined start to a 30 in 30, and at times there were glimpses of the good life, but it didn't last for long.My boiler was fixed after 5 visits from the gas man and 6 weeks without hot

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-28656275889924771602008-09-15T03:01:00.004+01:002008-09-15T03:26:28.987+01:00

...in more ways than one. I seem to be on the mend, still another week of antibiotics to complete though but more importantly a variety of things have happened over the last couple of days to really turn my week around. I've changed my plans for next week as well. I've read many a classic novel which tells of Victorian ladies retiring to the countryside to convalesce. I shall be doing the same

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-67380931732839195142008-09-09T21:14:00.003+01:002008-09-09T21:31:08.153+01:00

Well I finally have to report that I have been beaten by the 30 in 30 challenge. Again! I've been putting it off for a couple of days in the vain hope that I would be able to pick it up again without anyone really noticing, but it wasn't to be. I'd made such a good start, even riding in the rain, even enjoying riding in the rain! I'd been eating well and only drinking moderately and had an

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-67388215568667302002008-09-06T19:12:00.003+01:002008-09-06T19:39:09.718+01:00

This looks like it could possibly be the wettest 30 in 30 ever, it seems determined to rain every day. But so far it hasn't put me off (which has surprised even me), and I have been riding - despite a few setbacks.Thursday, Day 2 and the rain was hammering down. Undeterred, I donned my trusty rain jacket and overshoes and set off. The flooding was so bad in the lane that I couldn't see the

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-9629948338776950302008-09-04T09:38:00.003+01:002008-09-04T09:51:44.698+01:00

Things never go as planned do they? Originally I'd planned to kick off another "30 in 30" at the start of September using the momentum from my holiday - adding in a healthy eating plan, some weight loss and cutting back on my alcohol intake.Obviously, the start to this was delayed due to various DIY set backs with my house again: the boiler still isn't working (that's 5 weeks without hot water);

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-61438615755031163062008-08-30T21:06:00.005+01:002008-08-30T21:43:47.507+01:00

That's the first thing I have when I get back from holiday. Not very exciting, but a necessary evil when you've been drinking coffee in California for 10 days.So my holiday to the SingleSpeed World Champs in Napa California was great fun - great friends, great wine, great conversation, great laughs, great beer, great whisky sour, great trails, great weather and the most amazing food I have ever,

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-59849546096104652652008-08-11T19:33:00.003+01:002008-08-11T20:23:26.036+01:00

And so Endura Sleepless in the Saddle is wrapped up for another year and it also marks the end of my trail crew duties for 2008. Sadly it also marks the end of an era for our regular and most experienced endurance Commissaire, Anton Florek.Anton has been working with Pat Adams from the very start of 24 hour racing so knows more about the sport than most people. He's been fantastic to work with

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-91497144594311393682008-08-02T05:04:00.004+01:002008-08-02T06:03:00.150+01:00

I caught an episode of The Montel Williams Show this morning, (an American chat show on ITV3 for the majority who have probably never heard of it - and it's my job to watch it ok!) and as a picture of two women on mountain bikes was shown, I turned the sound up. We went into the commercial break and I noticed the theme of the show was "When Animals Attack", hmmm, this could be interesting.When I

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-59434155955977750912008-07-30T09:01:00.003+01:002008-07-30T09:14:00.298+01:00

So I popped down to Newnham Park near Plymouth this weekend for the third Bontrager Twentyfour 12. I've had a good run of success with this event; 1st place 24 hour solo woman in 2006; 1st place mixed team in 2007. For 2008 I would be going solo again but only 12 hours this time. ("Only" 12 hours...)I quite like Newnham Park and raced there for the first time last year at the NPS. I'd never been

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-91233634602798663182008-07-20T20:40:00.008+01:002008-07-20T21:10:20.333+01:00

I like DIY because there's always a real sense of satisfaction, a sense of pride in your work, a feeling of instant gratification and noticeable results; the feeling that all the hard work you've just put in has all been worthwhile and time well spent.Today was a DIY day and in honour of Joolze Dymond's birthday, I have named my pantry after her. Dymond's Pantry: Before and After. (After hours of

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-5784898210295044322008-07-19T21:07:00.003+01:002008-07-19T21:31:26.426+01:00

I'm a great believer in the natural balance of life. Similar to a commercial that was on TV a few years back, I believe that for everything good that happens, something equally bad will happen; for every high in life, there will be a low of equal proportion. My life is full of fantastic experiences and exquisite moments of fun and happiness, there's never a dull moment. But it did take me a while

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-9812387326558486572008-07-11T21:21:00.004+01:002008-07-20T21:16:12.483+01:00

The elements were against me today. The non-Summer was determined to get the better of me.After quite a long lie in (I'd forgotten just how tiring being back at work and doing double shifts actually was) I had brunch whilst watching yesterday's Tour de France highlights. It spurred me on to ride my bike - a pleasant spin on the Surly Cross-Check around the usual loop was in order. Or so I

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-54259776660606323492008-07-07T21:54:00.003+01:002008-07-07T22:22:06.600+01:00

So it's been a while since I last posted. Partly because I've been busy, but mostly because I've been avoiding everything to do with the internet, emails, computers and cycling. There's a reason for that - Mountain Mayhem.I've been working for Patrick Adams for 9 years at Mountain Mayhem and it has always been a fantastic week, the highlight of my year and something I always look forward to. This

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-68901094246238145912008-06-13T22:13:00.007+01:002008-07-31T01:22:04.967+01:00

Went for a quick spin over the Malvern Hills today in Worcestershire. It's somewhere I've been intending to ride for years now, but every time I'm in the area I get caught up at Eastnor or just end up passing through.My new dekerf, 'Olive', is urging me to ride though. I can hear it taunting me from the back of the car: "Let me out... let me out to do what I was built to do. Get off your lazy fat

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-69621062792272011472008-06-12T22:18:00.004+01:002008-07-20T21:13:04.993+01:00

I'm dog sitting this week for my Mum who's gone on holiday. I'm actually dog sitting my dog Sox, at least he was my dog when I lived at home. Then I moved out and having a pet when you live on your own is quite difficult, so he stayed. But he's definitely still my dog.People often say that dogs look like their owners and I've always thought this to be true in a majority of cases. I'm not sure

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-52203581369703682422008-05-28T12:58:00.003+01:002008-07-12T15:55:03.086+01:00

So another bank holiday rolls around (aren’t there a lot in May?) and the dilemma of what to do. Actually it’s more like a quad-ilemma but I don’t think that’s a word, so we’ll go with double dilemma for now.Option a) Cancel your leave and have a long lie in followed by a relaxing day at work with no office staff or managers around, take it easy, watch some TV and drink as much free tea and

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-71545334840177926062008-05-25T21:34:00.003+01:002008-07-12T16:14:38.058+01:00

Finally managed to put a race report up for The North Face Wild Boar 24 that I rode last weekend. You can read all about it on the Races page. It wasn't my best attempt at a 24 hour solo - I've never, ever ridden with such heavy legs! The Tour of Ireland obviously took a lot more out of me than I realised. Also proven by the fact I've been off work sick for the last week. Time for a little rest

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-27331197252957493452008-05-22T22:25:00.007+01:002008-07-31T01:47:16.942+01:00

My spangly new bike frame! (giggles like a small child) It was like Christmas morning when the delivery man knocked on the door, even though it was stupid-early o'clock I couldn't wait to open the box. And here it is:Sweet huh! Have to say a great big thanks to Michael Golinski at Dekerf Cycle Innovations for getting it to me so quickly. It really is a thing of beauty and I hope the build I've

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-82598568363638206542008-05-20T17:03:00.005+01:002008-07-31T01:50:52.730+01:00

130miles, 10000ft of ascent! 9h14 ride timeAvg speed 14mph; Max speed 44mphAvg heart rate 133bpm; Max heart rate 167bpmCalories burned 6600 Monday and the final day started with a short walk back to the college in the morning sun. It was promising to be a lovely day. My legs were slightly sore this morning after yesterday’s epic and my aim was just to get through the day, no matter how long it

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-53191905389801381472008-05-12T07:28:00.003+01:002008-07-31T01:51:55.854+01:00

134 miles, 8000ft of ascent, 8h18 ride timeAvg speed 16mph; Max speed 33mphAvg heart rate 138bpm; Max heart rate 175 bpmCalories burned 7000What a day! I’m exhausted! Things started off really well when I managed to get down to breakfast on time and get a decent meal; I knew that was going to be important today. Then it was back to the NUIG Campus. To try and keep the finish times a bit more

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-2458048083768827032008-05-10T21:02:00.003+01:002008-07-31T01:14:15.253+01:00

120.5miles, 4133ft of ascent - 6h33m ride timeAvg speed 18.4mph; Max speed 37.1mphAvg heart rate 138bpm; Max heart rate 170bpmCalorites burned 6500Another early start and after breakfast at the hotel the coaches picked us up at 7am to take us to the bikes at Cavan town leisure centre. The food truck arrived and everyone stocked up on the plentiful supply of Kellogg’s nutrigrain bars, Rice Krispie

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-20425589146393574002008-05-09T23:03:00.003+01:002008-07-31T01:52:47.804+01:00

116miles, 8544ft ascent - 7h16minsAvg speed 16.3mph; Max speed 65mph!!Avg heart rate 146bpm; Max heart rate 184bpmCalories burned 6500So after last nights food, registration, bike setup, introductions, riders briefing and general praise of sponsors at the Lisburn Leisureplex by the organisers Joe and Marc Barr plus various representatives, it was off to the Premier Inn in Belfast for a well

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-24239054450297582212008-05-06T05:35:00.005+01:002008-07-30T09:19:15.493+01:00

All good things must come to an end; it was inevitable that after my great week playing about on bikes, that it would end. In fact it came to an abrupt halt. I read somewhere not so long ago that Noel Edmonds believes the universe is constantly trying to give us exactly what we want, but we either ignore the signs, don't listen or fight against it. I've always be someone who goes with the flow

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-82534726043590293112008-05-04T20:32:00.004+01:002008-07-31T01:44:06.058+01:00

700 miles, 6 days, 5 cycling venues, 4 hotels, 3 bike rides, 2 new beers and a curry with an old friend - throw in a machete, an Army Major or two, some old trails, some new trails, some 'are you sure this is going to work' trails, lots of mud, more beer, even more rain(!) and Joolze Dymond hanging out of the back of her car taking photos and that was last week. It kinda reminded me of my student

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-9694363541214806472008-04-30T08:06:00.004+01:002008-07-12T16:13:01.362+01:00

Another weekend passed working at a Pro-Velo Support mountain bike event - Enduro 6. I've been working with Pat for 9 years now, well, 9 years this Mayhem anyway. It was a chance meeting at Sandwell one June when I turned up for a drink with Chipps at the hotel, the rest as they say is history.Back then I worked with Ivo, Chipps, Paul McConnon and Ken Ward. A couple of years later a tall, broody

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-59293865538499397542008-04-23T20:19:00.004+01:002008-07-31T01:45:20.993+01:00

"God for Harry, England, and St George!"I had a million and one things to do today, but decided to go for a few pints of real English ale to celebrate St George's day instead - I've always got a million and one things to do, but today only comes around once a year. I love St George's day. There was a great atmosphere in the pubs today with plenty of people wearing St George's flag badges and red

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-25022715571319381302008-04-17T21:46:00.006+01:002008-07-12T16:18:54.131+01:00

As I said the other day, it's not very often I talk about work, I don't often have anything to talk about seeing as my job entails watching TV - no really, it does. But we have our fair share of fun and maybe our unfair share of cock-ups: like the time we accidentally put porn to air during the Richard Littlejohn show; or someone sat on the machine and rewound Coronation Street whilst it was

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-15634182830675751302008-04-15T21:02:00.004+01:002008-07-20T21:22:51.997+01:00

Still buzzing from Sundays surprise podium place, Monday was a day off to relax and enjoy the sunshine. Or so I thought. My mobile phone had been covered in coffee Sunday morning and had stopped working. It had been on the radiator all night in an attempt to dry it out. It still wasn't working and my mobile phone company were less than helpful. I tried to check the internet for tips to sort out

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-72716795663422332632008-04-13T18:47:00.003+01:002008-04-13T18:52:59.421+01:00

Been an interesting but busy few days - last couple of days at work were actually quite a good laugh. Mainly due to my/our own stupidity. It's not often I say that, it's not often I talk about work either, but every now and again it is good fun. Still, yesterday was a long day and I was looking forward to getting out on my bike today. Though in saying that, I almost didn't get out of bed this

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-16618889456029173302008-04-09T18:33:00.011+01:002008-07-31T01:55:32.066+01:00

Well actually it's not mine, I'm borrowing it for a while to get used to it before I take it to the Tour of Ireland at the start of May. So I have to say a great big thank you to my friend Paul Gibbons from Ludlow who has ever so kindly let me borrow it, especially as it's new. Brand new. I mean, never been ridden, picked up straight out of the shop and brought to me, new. I am the first person

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-42731443783299782232008-04-05T21:23:00.003+01:002008-07-12T16:16:44.388+01:00

There's been a flurry of activity down here over the last few days finishing off some bits of DIY in a vain attempt to stop my house looking like a building site/laundry room. It's been a whole year since I bought my first house and I had big ideas of what I wanted to do and how long it should take. A year of racing, travelling, holidaying and generally faffing about somehow got in the way, as

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-11245864870474644022008-04-02T22:54:00.005+01:002008-07-20T21:19:37.671+01:00

Not riding for an hour a day hasn't freed up any extra time over these last few days - if anything I've been busier. (And talk about broadening your horizons, one minute I'm building mountain bike trails, the next I'm building websites; two things I'd never even done until a few months ago and now they take up all my time.) I'm so busy in fact that I seem to have given up sleeping. Three days

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-79704935318769791252008-03-29T04:36:00.004Z2008-07-31T01:49:13.857+01:00

Day 20 went ok. I had to wait in for a delivery so spent an hour on the turbo. The couriers had said they'd be here between 7am and noon, so obviously they turned up at 11.55, great! As I'm on night shift, it was time to go to bed after that.Day 21, Thursday - this is where it all broke down. I'd arranged to fly up to Edinburgh for the day to visit Endura. So having got up at 6pm Wednesday

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-60645776312924239382008-03-26T01:38:00.003Z2008-03-26T01:56:13.067Z

Well I did manage to get into the bathroom - it involved a wooden wedge, a piece of skirting board and a lot of huffing and puffing. I lost count of how many times my head hit the door frame; the door hit my head; and I pinched my arm between the door and the door frame. There's a large bruise on my upper arm from reaching into the bathroom holding the skirting board and then having to pull the

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-39794401682531346882008-03-23T22:15:00.007Z2011-03-13T22:33:02.191Z

I'm locked out of my bathroom! I got home this evening to find that the door wouldn't open more than a couple of inches, something was jamming it. Bugger! I got a small mirror and manoeuvred it around the door to see what the problem was - it was the wooden bath panel. The panel had been removed some months ago to get to the pipework under the bath. It had been leaning up against the bath ever

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-87417547160356513522008-03-21T09:11:00.004Z2008-07-31T01:36:08.233+01:00

I knew this day would come. The day when I had no time to ride, no real window of opportunity on a wet, dreary Thursday. And so came the scenario I had feared since the start of this challenge: riding around the streets of London on my folding bicycle for an hour.There, I've admitted it; My name's Sara and I have a folding bicycle. It gets worse - I was wearing a bobble hat, a bicycle clip on one

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4052996894936570177.post-5493636174378848152008-03-19T22:22:00.004Z2008-07-30T09:22:12.238+01:00

It seems I've been on the go now since the start of February - yes I've been on holiday, but it was hardly relaxing, and when I've not been at work I've been dashing around the country, or grabbing an hour on my bike, digging the garden, digging trails, painting, sanding, fixing, cleaning etc. Every moment of every day is filled with something I need to be doing and a never ending jobs list.Today

MTB Girlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06542852936627253894noreply@blogger.com4