WORD! Don't know why my last entry was posted twice......

Just back from a couple of days in the lakes. Had an awesome time and we had good weather as well, unusual for the lakes. Especially as it was chucking it down all the way in the car. Think I managed to drive Niki almost crazy with my 'backseat' driving. Particularly when I made her drive up Wrynose and Hardknotts pass which is officially the most mental stretch of road in the UK. You heard it here first. Hardknotts climbs upwards at a gearbox and clutch wrecking 30% grade with hardly any passing places which is just mental. The insides of the hairpins must be near 50%, they look almost vertical. CRAZY PAVING. This clearly has to be ridden on the bike. I would like to see the national hillclimb champs up there, that would sort the men from the boys/corpses.

Had the first decent ride in a while today and I'm still buzzing now. They have a new man made trail in the lakes at Grizedale Forest. It's called the North Face trail. Quite short at 10 miles but very sweet, loads of awesome singletrack and knarly boardwalk sections like at Laggan in Scotland. The weather was amazing and I felt quite good so gave it full beans. Rinsing past people struggling, nailing the technical sections and gazing on the amazing views reminded me why cycling is so cool. Hopefully I will soon be turning a corner and getting back on it. Wicked.

To follow up on a previous blog entry the Tettets now have 2 tenants signed up for their house. However they are still hermit-ing it up in the Brudenell, Alex tells me he hasn't been out for 3 months apart from DIY, biking and work. Cool. SO, I'm starting a charity fund with the aim to get them out of the house and socialising. Donations are welcome and there comes a time when you have to help out those in (special) need.

Talking of the Brudenell it will soon be back to full strength as 2 of its 06 - 07 inmates are returning from abroad. Dave 'The Sultan of Brown-eye" and Tim "The Sultan of Sleaze" will be taking their place in early Sept.

XC and DH World Chimps on at the mo. Hopefully good resultd for the Brits. DH is almost a cert but as for XC who knows? Oli had the ride of his life for 9th last year. I don't think he'll better that but I hope so, with Killeen around Oli doesn't get the recognition he deserves.

Just to update what I wrote last time Landis has now has his B sample returned with similar abnormal levels. So the reputation of the sport is in tatters, AGAIN! Worst of all though is all the mush brained footy fans who I have to listen to smugly slagging of all cyclists as drug users. Coming from fans of possibly the worst sport out there (think violence, cheating, intentional injuries of opponents, match fixing, diving and the list goes on) it is a bit much. However football does have its uses, mainly in keeping these idiots away from a decent sport like cycling.

I'm currently visiting my parents and called in at Sleepless in the Saddle on the journey down south. I was pleased to see that the event has grown again this year and is verging on becoming as big as Mountain Mayhem, which can only be good for the UK MTB scene. It was good to meet up with a few people who I've not seen for a while due to my lack of racing and I left with the sun beating down. This didn't last though and it apparently turned into a bit of a mudbath. Its a shame I wasn't able to ride it as I love the mud and a strong willed team would have done well as a lot of people tend to give up in 24hr mud!

If anyone is still interested then I'm not riding yet. Not particularly happy about it but nothing I'm doing at the moment seems to make any difference. Back down the doctors soon so I hope that it gets sorted. I'd be happy just to start back in winter training at the moment, progress is slow so I think I need to be realistic.

Also, thanks to those few that have expressed messages of support with my recory. Cheers.

Just to update what I wrote last time Landis has now has his B sample returned with similar abnormal levels. So the reputation of the sport is in tatters, AGAIN! Worst of all though is all the mush brained footy fans who I have to listen to smugly slagging of all cyclists as drug users. Coming from fans of possibly the worst sport out there (think violence, cheating, intentional injuries of opponents, match fixing, diving and the list goes on) it is a bit much. However football does have its uses, mainly in keeping these idiots away from a decent sport like cycling.

I'm currently visiting my parents and called in at Sleepless in the Saddle on the journey down south. I was pleased to see that the event has grown again this year and is verging on becoming as big as Mountain Mayhem, which can only be good for the UK MTB scene. It was good to meet up with a few people who I've not seen for a while due to my lack of racing and I left with the sun beating down. This didn't last though and it apparently turned into a bit of a mudbath. Its a shame I wasn't able to ride it as I love the mud and a strong willed team would have done well as a lot of people tend to give up in 24hr mud!

If anyone is still interested then I'm not riding yet. Not particularly happy about it but nothing I'm doing at the moment seems to make any difference. Back down the doctors soon so I hope that it gets sorted soon. I'd be happy just to start back in winter training at the moment, progress is slow so I think I need to be realistic.

Also, thanks to those few that have expressed messages of support with my recory. Cheers.

Oh dear......

The Praying Landis has been found to have had unusual levels of testosterone after his "inspirational" ride on stage 17 as reported on here. This may explain as to why when he came across the line on stage 17 he was so angry/fired up that he nearly fell off his bike punching the air and then went on to nearly chin the photographer. Also would explain why he was able to accelerate at 25 mph uphill in the Alps and ride the entire peleton off his wheels for a 120km break after being on his arse the day before!!!

Although I have said on here that I'm not his biggest fan I sincerely hope that he is able to prove innocence through natural phenomenon or a false test. It will be absolutely disastrous if he is found to be guilty. Is there anyone in the Phonak team that is not on something?

It does make you wonder how rife drugs are in MTBing, there have been few positives recorded to my knowledge. However it is nowhere near as hard to get into a MTB World Cup as it is to get into the equivalent level road event so the temptation to take something is probably less either that or no MTBers can afford drugs!

I have now graduated and am hence a graduate with a Masters of the Universe Chemistry degree which I hope to put to good use at some point.

The tour is now over and the praying Landis won. I'm not the guy's biggest fan, I can't put my finger on exactly why but he does look like a gargoyle. Gargoyles aside the way he bounced back after cracking on stage 16 was nothing but inspirational and he is as deserving a winner as anyone. I'm still hoping for a European winner one day (sorry Liz)!

Rasmussen, Rabobank's P.O.W made a magnificent break on the Queen stage of the tour and took the King of the Mountains. I really like this guy, mostly because he used to be an XC racer, it's a shame he can time trial though. McEwan's Lager won the green but was outdone on the Champs Elysee by Hushovd who became the Tour's bookmark after winning both the prologue and the last stage.

Still no riding for me which is not great and now that the tour has finished I'm not quite sure what to do in all of my free time. Maybe I will update my blog more!

GO MILLAR!

Le Tour baby!

Due to lack of riding at the moment I have been following the tour religously, watching other people ride is almost as satisfying as doing it yourself and you don't get tired - it may catch on....

First week was the usual affair of sprinters riding the armchair until the last 250 m before giving it maximum beans and scoring a beautiful 'victory'. The last 5 km's are always the best as professional riders are blown off the back once the fatties at the front put the high fat max beans down in an oxgen mask enducing effort to get the fattest (their no.1 sprinter) to the line.

So far McEwan's Lager has seen them off with some truly awesome rides. Darling of the Belgian media Tom Goonen has been given a right pasting by the angry Aussie and has been possibly the most miserable yellow jersey ever- GIT! Special mention must also go to 'Kes(sler) you Bastard' from T-mobile who executed a brillianty timed attack on the Cauberg to keep the fatties from the podium for another day.

Saturday saw the TT which was MEGA! Segiy Gonchar nailed everyone else in the TT, either he's just that good or he's on some good drugs - nevertheless it was an incredible ride from the Ukranian to see off everyone. Clearly it wasn't 'Millartime' as the Brit got a bit of pasting but I have every confidence that he'll get back up there as soon as he finds himself a new team doctor..... Levi 501 had what can only be described as a catastrophe (forgot to take his drugs), George Handicap was just as crap and even Evans Cycles didn't do as well as I had hoped. The praying Landis put in good ride considering he had to change his bike halfway through the TT and now looks like a serious contender for le tour. I h ope he doesn't win it though because I think we've had enough of American victories now.

COME ON EVANS CYCLES AND RAS-THE-MAN!

CH-CH-CHucklevison.....

Alex Inglasias and his 'beater'



Derek Tettet and his 'BAD-self'

Would you rent a house from these two??

Well clearly no one would or will, as they are still without tenants for Tettet towers as of tomorow. Oh dear. With the untimely demise of the Bangbus it looks as though the Chuckle Brothers will need to work 'Salmon style' and rush home from work for a shift a Jacksons to keep the Bailiff's from the door.

The recent diagnosis of severe Autism for Alex cannot of helped. However an explanation for his outbursts of grade A tripe in front of the TV will provide comfort and help can be sought.


Here is a shot before the start of yesterday's Otley Town Centre Criterium taken just before Alex asked me "Do you have a track pump on you? Or a spare wheel?". Clearly not with it, I offer my deepest sympathies to the Pettett family.

On a positive note though Eric finished a race without falling off, a better result than his finishing position for sure. His knees survived another day without reducing their working life. With NHS waiting lists as they are it may be wise to get yourself put down for plastic kneecaps now Eric?








Sadly I must also report that Alex's condition has been taken advantage of by some shady Polish 'businessmen' trying to sell 'Apartments' in Poland. He travelled down to London to help do the dodgy deals under the premise that he would fulfil his lifelong dream of obtaining Polish citizenship but he returned used and dissapointed. Here is an extract from a friend who had Alex to stay while he was down doing the deals:

He turned up on Sunday afternoon as I was nodding off having just got back from a very hard race. I was forced to get up and help him unload ("I didn't know what to pack so I just brought everything" - this included water, Marmite, Morrisons OJ, ironing board, THREE suits etcetc) and then make the tea.

He gave it "yabber this, I can help you with that while I am here, yabber yabber" before "popping out for a bit" to see his Polish mates "definitely back by 11".

At 10 there was a text "going 2b later than 10 maybe 11:30, love alex". At 2am there was a crash, the lights came on and in he stumbled. He had driven home so hope he wasn't drunk.

On Monday evening I arrived home... just as he was leaving "to see the Polish boys". Apparently they had done well that day and sold 30 dodgy flats in Poland from the pavement outside the property fair (they were too cheap to pay entry). All seemed well at the house until I found the Marmite covered knife on my nice new worktop. Later that night when I got back from seeing my chums he was already tucked up - phew.

On Tuesday he and the Poles decided that a trip to the Isle of Wight would be a good idea (?!). That evening I came home to discover that he had kindly scoured my brand new hob (looks nice and scratched now!); I received a text at 10:30 saying "going 2b a late one 2nite, i'm staying in a hotel".

When I got home last night there was a birthday card waiting for me (only 46 weeks late or 6 weeks early depending on your view) with a cheeky message ("yabber yabber, zuffle towers, yabber") and a losing lottery ticket for today (I would have rather had the cash). The final insult was the washing up which still smelled of that rancid Dolmio stuff.

But now he has gone and my life can return to normal. Praise the Lord.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU INVITE THIS PERSON TO STAY!

You have been warned.

Well I successfully avoided the Desmond, in the end by some margin. It appears my fears over a set of dismal last exams were unfounded and all was well on the path to a 2.1.

So now Uni life has finished I would like to say that I'm training harder than ever....BUT, that is yet to happen as I'm still feeling a bit under the weather. Hopefully I will be back on track soon though but this MTB season is rapidly flashing past me and its looking increasingly unlike I'm going to make a comeback. I've got my sights set on a good cross season though, something which I've not done with full commital before so I'm looking forward to it. Cross is a lot more lucrative for someone of my capabilities than MTB though as its cheaper to enter and there is always a cash prize at the end for the top 5 or so. I don't think I'll be earning my millions though but if winnings pay for entry and fuel then I'm happy.