Month: June 2013

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Silver lining

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Well two things to cheer me up (apart from my Turkish delight Bath fizzer)

1) Got this email from Dave and I am now a silver medal cyclist

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2) I’m ‘blurry’ famous thanks to the BBC website

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-23033687

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Reflection

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On my way home after a disappointing performance. Several months of solid preparation and dedication were spoilt by poor bike maintenance.

In fairness the problems with the derailleur were looked at by a mechanic and the stone embedded in my brand new tyre was beyond my control but failing to fix the puncture slowly and carefully cost me.  Not using wet lube was an oversight but in my defence I had lubed the chain 24 hrs before the cycle.

Mostly I’m frustrated at a missed opportunity and feel that I at least deserved some period of time where I had a hope of gold but instead I had 4 hours of listening to my bone dry chain mocking me with every pedal turn. Reminding me that I had gotten up at 05:30 to Ride up the Massrock 8 times before work.  For this …

Now I am going to focus on La Geant (Mt Ventoux) and a few days later Le etape du tour.  I will put Dartmoor out of my mind until sign on next October.

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Words uttered in haste

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Finished 48 minutes after the gold medal time, my slowest Dartmoor of the four only to have Computer add over ten minutes to my time when I did not register on finish line … Argggh

I did the last five hours with my gears screeching at me and every second cyclist I past telling me my bike was making noise. Some  even suggested that I should oil her every now and then Argggh

And don’tget me started on all those guys hearing that my bike was clearly malfunctioning and yet saying nothing Argggh

I am sitting in a warm Bath and starting to calm down.

I would not have finished off it was not for the help of three riders. The only number I’m sure of its 2003, I think 1916 was one of the others. I will  detail later

I have Marked next year’s event in my calendar and will book the time of work tomorrow. It’s gold in 2014 for me!

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It’s not about the bike

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Not everyone on team ‘Joyce’ is bike obsessed

At 7 am while I was down in a basement car park the rest of the crew were trying any way they could to handle nerves.

Sign in today was underwhelming but the trip back to Plymouth via Dartmouth and the ferry was whelming.

Now to try and get some sleep …

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Take Off

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Leaving from Shannon this evening and my mind began to consider other great sporting voyages.

I seem to recall Trevor Francis in the Cockpit of the plane that flew Nottingham Forest to the European cup final, The Galway Hurling team getting on O’ Donoghue’s coach to Dublin in 1981 and Steve Davis driving to the Crucible in his Dad’s Cortiina.

Well Bike is on board so time to go …