Twitter?

I'm still not sure about twitter, but it could be useful for doing really small posts on here. Anyway, I've set one up and there's a feed to it on here now. It might stay. It might not.

Back to Soke

I've been back at uni for a few weeks now. Normally this means only riding every few weeks but I've been out at least once a week so far although most of it's been XC rides. Still, it's good to get out and ride. 

There's a few new members on the cycling club who've shown us some new places to ride and there's still lots of places left to explore. My new house has got a cellar making it safer to keep a bike up here so I've brought my GT Moto with me. 26'' wheels and gears make the XC outings a lot easier!

With a bit of luck my student loan will come through and I'll be able to fix my stinky. Or not

Morzine Video

I put this video together weeks ago but the internet out in the sticks is rubbish so I didn't try uploading it till last night. And it worked! Hope you enjoy it, and a big thanks to Max from Collisions and Consequences for the music.

What's been going on?

So, my first real post since Morzine. I've been working as much as possible to try and get my bike fixed but temp jobs don't pay well and don't last for long so my Stinky's still sat in the shed looking sorry for itself. 

I've been out on my hardtail a few times. Aston Hill was an interesting experience, not sure I'll try that again. 

Pete recently moved to a new flat with space to keep a bike. A few days after he moved I got an excited call from him as he'd found some tracks. Minutes later I got another phone call telling me about some jumps he'd found. 

So the next day me and Mark drove down to check them out. Pete wasn't lying. The trails were seriously fun and great for riding on hardtails. It was already mid afternoon by the time we got there so we didn't get much riding in. 

The following weekend I woke up and drove down to Pete's before he'd even got out of bed. We spent the morning riding a brilliant little BMX track then after lunch and a nap headed back to the woods.

If you want to check the woods out for yourself they're opposite the festival site on the other side of the river. Up on the hilly bit. You know the bit I'm talking about right? No? Then have a look on Google Maps.

Morzine Photos

Mark took over 400 photograph's while we were away. Obviously not all of them could be used in posts and not all of them would fit on here so here's a selection of the best that haven't been posted already. There's some action shots, some scenic shots and some messing around shots.

Morzine by numbers

250  Pounds spent on repairs 

100 Euros spent each on a lift pass 

85 Degrees celsius, the top temperature in the sauna 

52  Pan au chocolat's got eaten 

6 'Celebrity' bikers spotted 

5 Spokes had to be replaced 

4 Sets of brake pads were worn out

3 Punctures 

2 Rear mechs and hangers got smashed 

AND 

1 Marmot was spotted from a chair lift

Morzine day thirteen: C'est finished

I'm done. Smashed another rear mech when I landed a road gap on the Chatel Mountain Style course. I can't afford a new one and no-one in Morzine had a mech hanger for a Kona Stinky so I couldn't even ride chain less for the rest of the afternoon.

The run in to the gap was proper steep. I had my brakes on the whole way down and on the take off and I still went too big. I landed a bit far down but was able to ride it out.

It's meant to chuck it down with rain tomorrow so I probably wouldn't have ridden anyway. I'm off to have a few Mutzig's. Thanks to anyone who's followed my blog, left a comment or just popped on here once in a while.

Morzine day twelve: Mechanicals on Mont Chery

We all got woken up at 5 this morning by a huge bolt of thunder so none of us were in the mood for an early start. By the time we got up the weather wasn't that bad but no-one was in a rush to ride. 

After lunch we went over to Les Gets. Me and Pete rode the main track on Mont Cery while the others rode some of the lesser known tracks. On my second run I heard a nasty crack near the end of the trail. 

I washed my bike and checked all the welds but it looked fine. I had a bit of a play around and saw that the shock mount bolt had snapped in half so that was the end of my day. After a bbq at the Sherpa bar I fitted a new bolt while Allen replaced a spoke for me and Dave had a go at fixing my  rear brake and Pete stripped and cleaned my BB. 

It's meant to be nice and sunny tomorrow so gonna try and get as much riding in as possible. Hopefully I'll get to ride Mont Chery again. Love the main track and apparently this is the last year it's going to be open.

Morzine day eleven: Morgins etc.

We all went separate ways this morning. Myself and Pete went to Morgins; Mark and Allen went to look at the Mountain Style course, and Alex and Matt got in a stranger's van and went to Pila.  

For the first time this holiday I woke up and put some sun tan lotion on so I was a bit surprised when I got rained on on a chairlift. I'd been wanting to go to Morgins since we got here. Last year the track was so smooth and physically demanding, but this year it was a bit of a let down. 

There weren't as many braking bumps as the local tracks but there were still some pretty big craters in some of the corners. The rain didn't really affect the grip on the track but after I slipped a pedal and shinned myself we headed back to Chatel. 

We bumped into Allen and Mark and spent the rest of the afternoon riding some tracks in Chatel and Linderates. It's now chucking it down with rain with some lightening thrown in for good measure. It's meant to be like this all day tomorrow so don't know what we'll be riding. 

Morzine day ten: Le hangover

I'm flying home on Saturday and when I get back I think it's going to be a while before I head out on my bike again. Everything on it is breaking. The bearings in the frame and rear hub are gone and on three separate runs yesterday I snapped my chain, bent my mech hanger and snapped a spoke. 

With that in mind I went out with a few of the guys from the chalet for a quick drink. I think we got back at half one. The plan was to wake up early and go for a ride in Morgins but my hangover didn't wear off till about three. 

I stayed local and did a run of Pleney with Alex and Matt. We sweated our faces off in the chairlift and about a minute into the ride I got a puncture and had to push down. Should probably go and fix it so I can ride tomorrow.

Weather's meant to be good and I haven't had any drink tonight so Morgins is on the cards.