New bike ;-)

So Phil is now back from transwales (3rd in SS category and 30th overall!) I've got my new bike - Gary Fisher Paragon. We went down to Afan to today to do the Penhydd trail. Ive done this once before and enjoyed it but it was much better on my new bike! Found it a bit tough on the uphill switchbacks but loved coming downhill. I managed to ride some of the harder stuff I couldn't do last time and didn't push uphill which I did last time! Can't wait to go out again!

Phil is racing on the weekend but I might go out on the road bike on Saturday to practice my ride to work.

two days in a row!

Decided to go for a ride in the end. Just did the same route as yesterday but without the suicidal cat and drunkards! Did the loop a bit quicker but didn't stop this time and have been practising going down on the drop bars (on the flat and straight bits!) and drinking on the move which I can do on the mtb fine but still feel a bit wobbly on the road bike!

Might go out again tomorrow but have a busy day so we'll see.

Video

So I haven't been for a ride yet... But I did find this via Twitter and thought it was quite funny.


Going to think about possibly going for a ride now

First ride on my own

So this evening I went out for my first ride on my own, out on the road bike. To start with I needed to pump my tyres up which turned into a bit of a mare - now I know why I always get Phil to do these things! After recovering from that I went out. Only did 5 miles but it was nice to go out and do some exercise. The weather was really nice and the roads were quiet. The only two things in the way on the road was a Siamese cat that ran out in front of me which would have been ok if it hadn't stopped right in front of me between the 2 speed bumps I was heading between! And a man walking down the middle of the road swerving around... don't think he was drunk! Also got a wolf whistle from someone who looked about 12!! Haven't been sleeping well since Phil has been away (sad I know) but hopefully this will help! Might go out again tomorrow, depending on the weather!

Past rides

In the past year or so Phil and I have been out on the road a couple of times and on the mtb a few more times - locally, in trail centres and natural trails around Wales. I've really enjoyed it all, some more than others but I'm no where near as fit as Phil so he has to wait for me a lot!

We have been riding in our local forest which is cool because we ca ride there from the house, and have ridden the Penhydd trail at Afan Argoed trail centre. This was fun but the weather was pretty crap - raining and cold! We have done a natural ride in the Dimbath forestry which was fun after the longest climb ever!! Also done a natural ride from Libanus Mountain centre, Brecon. This was good again even though we got lost, it was boiling and we forgot beer money for the pub half way round! Also done the green and blue routes at Brechfa. These were awesome fun even after the long drive! The climb on the blue was quite hard but the downhills definitely made up for it, I was grinning for a while after!

My last mtb ride was at Ashton Court, Bristol. Phil had just done Bristol Bikefest there and I wanted to try riding clipped for the first time. The two didn't really go very well together... It's quite rocky and rooty down there and I fell off a few times. Got back up and finished the route but had a few bruises and a ripped top to show for it (and a very apologetic boyfriend!) Haven't been out again since...

Welcome

Welcome to my blog! So as you might of gathered, my fiance rides bikes. Lots of them, lots of the time. Apparently all his many bikes do different things... ;-) He mainly races endurance, a bit of cross country and just came 14th 24 solo at Bontrager 24/12! He even works in a bike shop.

So I thought that it would be good to get into this biking malarkey so we could go riding together. I've ridden a bike since i was tiny but never properly... I've got an Orange Evo6 - a seconds from Phil (the fiance), a Trek road bike and a Gary Fisher Paragon on its way next week. Phil is away on Transwales this week (riding solo singlespeed) so as I'm home alone with the dogs I thought I would start this blog. Hopefully it's going to be about me riding, getting fit and maybe/hopefully doing some races next year...