mountainmorgy

RACE REPORT TIMMMMEEEEE! I know, I know, better late than never. The race was last Sunday. So here it is, first one of the year out of the way, those unnecessary nerves and worries can sleep until next year; Travelling from the Isle of Man with a fairly hefty rucksack and a bike to anywhere in the UK is no mean feat, I thought I'd nailed this process fairly well after living in London and travelling back frequently to see my family and friends. To be fair, although it's knackering, and expensive, sitting on a boat for 5 hours and changing train three times whilst walking 5 miles to get to your hotel before a race... it's all completely worth it knowing that in less than 24 hours you'll be sat on the start line alongside 50 odd other women ready to experience the greatest feeling on earth. My travels began eventfully, chatting to a (presumably) student with a mountain bike from the boat all the way to the train station, then very stupidly "allowing" Mers...

I need to air something today, it's a bit of a plea in a way.... Firstly, for those of you that don't already know, I'll be riding for Merlin Cycles (www.merlincycles.com) this year. Originally, in September, I received a touching email from our DS and Team Manager Steve, accepting my application to join the team, then known as Team CTC. Since then lots has happened and the team are now being supported by the awesome Merlin, an online store you really should check out some time! I can't really say much more than that at the moment however I will say that I am eternally grateful for this chance, and my team mates are awesome! Unfortunately, it's come to light that some some folks have been of the impression I'm not deserving of a ride this year, for one reason or another, it would seem that these people have been quite vocal in this opinion behind my back despite the fact that they don't actually know me, or my palmares, very well. I suppose this is inev...

Some of you may remember some time ago I posted about my true heroes of cycling, truly inspirational individuals who've battled through unbelievable challenges in life to come out on top and on the top of their game in sports. One of those people was a pal I'd met at the HotChillee events called James Golding. James' recent life journey has been a testament to the  sheer force of human will. After battling cancer twice and being critically injured by a speeding truck in the US, James has overcome, nay, stomped in the face of these obstacles to become one of the most talented, strong endurance riders you could hope to meet. Ever. He's recently married his beautiful wife, mother to their absolutely gorgeous little boy and while this may have given James a short hiatus in his crazy schedule of adventure, he's now back on it and about to tackle nothing less than a world record attempt. My post today is to ask you to do what you can to follow and support James and...

So I've just lashed up a review on my new glasses for something else, and while I have tons and tons to talk about regarding the impending race season UNFORTUNATELY I can't actually publicise anything to do with it just yet! SO, here's a gear review just in time for race-panic-buying-season, if you're looking for a reasonably priced set of racing shades look no further - these are available just about everywhere; he Endura Guppy with interchangeable anti-fog lens sunglasses sit around the middle price point in their range of cycling glasses at the moment. They're a solid set of shades which come with everything you'd expect for that price. At first glance they look like they could hold their own in a straight up competition with the big boys like Oakley or Rudy Project. With a chunky racing style split lens, rubberised ear socks and nose bridge. They come in three standard colours, black, white or green with black accents which are the pair I have her...

So I was listening to the regular podcast at  http://prowomenscycling.com/  which the brilliantly passionate Sarah and Dan do, my regular Friday night bathtime generally consists of me listening to these two giggle, rant and generally liven up an already fruitful women's pro scene. And (YEAH I'm starting this year with a sentence beginning with and...what are you gonna do about it?) it got me thinking.... Anna - courtesy of Huw Williams It got me thinking about our domestic scene here in the UK, and more to the point, some of the absolutely stunning racing that goes on around the women's local circuits. Big leagues like CDNW women's league, the SERRL and London Women's leagues to name but a few, all showcase riders at the pinnacle of the domestic scale. So, as a Manx bird going into a big bad world of "proper" racing this season, I thought it only right to celebrate the talent this Island has to show... and more to the point, let the rest of the w...

LAST POST LAST POST LAST POST! I've not got time to post anything interesting so here's what I've popped on Facebook this evening; Well everyone else is sharing theirs so as a final post for 2013 here's my ROUGH bike stats for the year (some stuff has been missed!); c.6700 miles ridden, c. 500 hours spent in the saddle, elevation gain of around 221,000 feet in about 340 rides in total. This has probably been the best year of my life, thanks to everyone who's contributed to that.  Live long and prosper. Especially big thank you to the Ride Captains at HotChillee, Jamie at RPC Cyclecoach and my awesome boyfriend David.  Have a great one all! See you on the flip! Oh, and most recent highlight to leave you with.... ;) (c) Rob Quine

...is gold. As a newcomer it's hard to quantify what you actually want from a sport because you know so little, really, about what is actually achievable. It's equally hard to express to your peers what it is your goals entail, especially when they have been riding for a considerable amount of time in comparison to you. Race face. For most who race at club level their achievements are ingrained, whether they're successful in their respective categories, always do well in the bunch sprint on the Wednesday night races or manage respectable times consistently in their local timetrial. They have achieved success, and equally loss. There is an air of normality around results. An attitude of "take it or leave it". Riding their bike is just something they do, they do it well, and that is that. Life goes on. In turn, there is a general degree of respect gained by those who are consistent. Whether it be consistent in pulling the pack on a Weekend ride, or keeping ...