Paragliding in Wanaka

IMG_8070
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

The weather has finally perked up and we've been enjoying a few rest days in Wanaka. It's a nice chilled out town with nice beer and fantastic views.. We succumbed a bit to the tourist thing and went paragliding this morning, but it was well worth shelling out a few quid for. It' a great way to see the mountains, and very relaxing.. Tomorrow we have to ride over the Crown Range though, so Christmas lunch will be a sandwich on the top somewhere..

Wanaka

Well we finally got some sun. After a few more horrid wet days on the west coast, we climbed over the Haast pass and after a fairly epic day, we now have a few days rest in Wanaka before heading over the crown range to Queenstown.

They don't call it a rainforest for nothing..

Hanging out by the Franz Josef glacier today, and it is rather wet.. In fact it hasn't stopped raining for days! Oh well, pedaling off south now, into wet more rain.. Just like being at home.

A windy day

Just arrived in Hokatika after several hours of purgatory into a horrible headwind. Hope the weather helps us out a bit more tomorrow. The run down the Otira gorge was awesome though, even in the rain.

On the road

Pathway
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

So, no new pics to post at the moment, but that's because I don't have access to any RAW conversion software while cycle touring. We are currently in Arthur's Pass, South Island of NZ. Tomorrow we ride down towards the west coast, and then south towards Queenstown and Milford Sound.

The weather has been rubbish so far, but the scenery is fantastic. Huge glacial valleys with trestle bridges spanning massive rivers.. Very Montana-esque, with a hint of Scotland about it.

The cycling is going fine so far, though we've only really put in one proper day. I had to buy a new wheel in Christchurch (when we unpacked the bikes on arrival in NZ I found my rear wheel bearings had seized completely...serves me right for washing my bike before flying..).

We managed to pare the kit right down this time so we both have quite managable loads. I think we're going to try to put in a few epic days in order to get an extra day off... Watch this space to see if we make it..

Iron Horse team photoshoot

Montage
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Had a good photoshoot with the guys on Saturday in Leigh Woods, Bristol. The weather was freezing and foggy, with a nasty washed out sky and gloomy woods. We got some good shots though, and the guys were great, hitting the same corners again and again... mind you, I think they were just glad to keep warm..

Life keeps on rolling…

Wheel
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Been very busy recently. Planning for New Zealand, fixing burglar alarms (and trying to exterminate mice) as well as more than a little work.. Which all means I haven’t had much time to take photos for fun. Things are coming together though, the new site looks good and I’ve got a few projects lined up. All I need now is the time to fill out my portfolio with some really killer images.

Extreme Endurance Cyclists

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Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Took a few photos for Dave and Josh of the Iron Horse/Extreme Endurance team on Sunday. The weather was horrible, but the guys were very good sports and I managed to get a few decent frames..
You can read more about the team on Dave's Blog.

Another hotel room

Another day, another hotel room. Only this one is not quite up there with Rome or Paris... Welcome to the Tottenham Court road..

Black mountains

Did the black mountains killer loop for the first time on saturday, what a cracking day out. It almost made up for our joke of a summer.

Where now?

Ok, so it's a bit melodramatic, but i have been thinking more than ever recently about my direction in life. Time to make some decisions is near. This post though, is mostly to try blogging from my new phone ;)

If in doubt, rip their legs off...

Nice ride in this morning, though I did fall prey to every commuter's weakness. I was overtaken by a chap on a mountain bike on Newport Road, not a problem in itself, but he did not offer any cheery hello, or friendly good morning. As a result of course, I was compelled to draft him to the bottom of Rumney Hill (noting with satisfaction that he was slyly looking behind to see if he'd dropped me yet) and then, as the gradient picked up, I pulled round him and sprinted up the hill until my lungs were burning. He was nowhere in sight by the time I had crested the rise, and as I kept the hammer down for the next 7 miles or so, he had no chance of catching me back up...

Satisfying, yes...am I an overcompetitive cock? ...probably ;-)

Ha, back on a faster machine

Quarry ahead
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Felt good to spin in this morning on the CX bike.. It may not be a tour de France winning machine, but its a hell of a lot easier to pedal than a mountain bike..

Not cycling, but canoeing

Campfire
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Took a weekend off the bike, and paddled down the river Wye with friends.. This shot is from our little campfire and camp on Saturday night...it was great to be out..

I love my Surly

Surly
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

But it ain't half sodding slow when cycling along the road to work.. Hopefully the ride home off road will make up for it..

Back from the Mega

Qualifier start
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Well I survived the Mega Avalanxche, even though my bike ain't quite in one piece.. This vid is of the qualifier race, the main event this year started at the same point because of bad weather, usually it would be even higher, on the glacier of Pic Blanc at 3300.. I'll be back next year and hopefully will get to race over the whole course..

Off to the Alps

Tomorrow morning we leave for the Alps, to race in the MegaAvalanche (google it, it's the worlds most stupid downhill race). Apparently there is a lot of snow on the course this year...eeep!

Marshalling and downhilling

Stef
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Been a bit patchy on the old riding front for the last few weeks. Marshalling at 24hours of Mayhem took it out of me a bit, but otherwise I've been getting into shape for next weeks Megavalanche race.. it looks completely ridiculous.

All washed up...

Bikes waiting to be washed
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Well not really, but feeling a bit run down. Had a good ride last wednesday, and then unusually, had a whole weekend off the bike.. Made up for it today though by rding in, and hope to do so again at least a few days this week..

Wales north to south ride

A few pictures from a short ride across Wales we did last week, from the north coast (Bangor) to the south (Cardiff), mostly off road. The route came out around 250 miles, with a huge amount of climbing...literally huge...some days we were climbing for about a million hours...great fun though.

Starting off in Bangor, on the pier no less...


Riding past Lwyn Ogwyn


One of about a million forests we rode through..


Some bits were not entirely ridable...


Though bits of Sarn Helen we came across were mostly pretty tame like this..


There's a lot of twee countryside in Wales..


Waterfalls and that...not ridable.


Some of the bridleways were a little indistinct..


Some a little wet...


Pedal power and wind power in the same shot... All that's needed is an organic yoghurt weaving plant, and you'd have a hippy paradise..


The trip was of course powered by highly advance Polish carbohydrate replacement solutions..


A bit more 'challenging' climbing...just a few miles or so across boggy sodding tussock grass...A feature that is strangely lacking on most man-made trails..


All in all a top week. The weather was mostly hot til the last day (44 miles down the taff trail in the sodding rain...joy..). We travelled light with just a 32l sack each, and I can highly recommend the OMM sacks on the back of this trip too, very comfy even heavily loaded for a long day in the saddle..

A couple more piccies here if anyone is terminally bored at work or similar..

Two commutes and a Sunday

Surly
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Well, I've been taking it steady after my recent off spell, but have managed two commutes to work with attendant Wednesday night rides, and we did a good ride on Sunday, from home up to Ton, then over to Machen Mountain via Caerphilly mountain and home..

Still not feeling 100%, but starting Sunday morning we are going to be riding from Bangor to Cardiff over the course of a week all off road...should be ace!

Bit of a break

Unhurt
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Well, I've had 5 weeks off the bike. After a hectic week at work (including trip to Paris) I got off to a stag do in Devon and managed to break a rib and put my back out in a go-karting accident.. 4 weeks of physio later, I am finally able to get back on the bike. It's put my training schedule off a bit, but c'est la vie. Just trying to get in shape now in time for our north coast to south coast off road epic in mid May..

The road to success

Pathway
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

So I’ve had a bit of a long lay off, mostly because I’ve been resting my shin, but also because I’m lazy.. It was actually getting to the point where I was worried my sister was going to run rings around me on race day. Luckily though, I got out last night and managed 5.9 miles in 55 minutes. That equates to under and hour (just) for the 10km, which I think is my sister’s target time.. Now all I have to do is keep that in my legs til the event..

Night ride Wednesday

Sunset on the Quantocks
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

It's that time of the week again, so a slow twiddle in on the Surly.. Looking forward to this evening though, I need a ride and a pint* to sort me out..


* Actual number of pints may be plural

Bit of a cross training weekend

Rafting
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Soo, Friday running and cross training.. Saturday Rafting (thanks Pete) and Sunday Kayaking (cheers Warwick). All this was topped off with a 70km ride on Monday (thanks to Mark & Mel) so a pretty good weekend for exercise and company all round..

Missed a run yesterday though as my legs felt dead. Hopefully this slightly longer break will get my shin a bit stronger for this weekend's running..

Hanging on

Scruff in flight
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Had a good run on Saturday, though my right shin was still complaining so I limited it to 3 miles. Same again last night sadly.. I feel more than happy with the distance, but don't want to push it until my shin is completely happy..

Good ride to work today though, looking forward to a nice spin along the ridge later..

Just a short one today

ASICS Running shoe in black and white
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

3 Miles exactly. Newport Road, Colchester Ave, down to Marlborough road, funeral home, then Stacey road and home down Cecil street. 30 minutes and 1 second. Probably would have been 5 minutes quicker if it wasn't for waiting at traffic lights..

Felt fine, nice easy pace, though my right shin did start to twinge a bit..

Riding Sunday

Turning in
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

This is actually I pic I shot on at the BUSA's at CwmCarn on Saturday. Due to the rain I didn't take a camera to Afan on Sunday. The new section of Whites level (NRG) was really nice. Good to get some jumping in between the hailstorms..

The running has started in earnest

ASICS Running shoe
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

3 1/2 miles on Saturday, round the park and the lake. Didn't feel too bad, but my shin was twinging a bit by the end.. Still, should be on track for race day.

A night off

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Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

I had a good ride in today, but will not be going on the Wednesday night ride tonight. iding at CwmCarn on Friday I had an off on the bridge in the picture..basically a sidewind scuppered me mid flight, causing a slightly bikeless landing.. Oh well. Looks gloomy outside too..!

Training starts here

Airborne Blackbird
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

So, after lots of huffing and puffing, I've finally kicked off my training program. Not quite the right photo as I actually went for a run, but I don't have any decent pictures of me running (apart from the Tough Guy, and they're too muddy).

This also marks the end of me using this blog as strictly a record of my rides to work, I've decided to use it more as a general training and photblog sorta thing.. Not that anyone actually reads this (hi Steve.. ) but just so you know.. ;-)

You what?

You what?
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Started on the long road of my multi-faceted training programme today. Got a run in april to train for, followed by an off-road coast to coast of wales, then a 12hr solo singlespeed MTB race and finally, the daftest MTB event in the world, the Mega-Avalanche.

So riding in this morning was a gentle way to start, but felt good nonetheless.

Wooo tired

Yesterday was hard. Singlespeed to work, then along the ridgeway to the Lewis, then little Garth, big Gart and Badger Avenue..

Another long gap...but I'm going to have to be more keen

Lovely cold and crisp ride in this morning, all good stuff. Been a while since I last rode in though, which won't do. I've entered the Bristol Bike Fest 12hr solo race, so I need to get in shape soon.. That and a week long coast to coast from north to south wales offroad in May..

Woohoo

We're up to twice a month for the ride in...stunning.

Nice morning actually, if it stays like this I might ride in Friday as well.. Nice.

Finally

Rode in yesterday, after a hell of a break.. Ride in ok, but home along the ridgeway was gopping! Thick claggy mud..

Roundabouts..

...when giving way to right, please include me in the equation.. Mind you, the look on the poor wee lassies face as I sounded my large vocal horn ("Ooiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!") an inch from her side window was almost worth being mown down for.....almost.

New job

...same organisation, but now in a shared office instead of my own little den.. I thought this would cause problems with riding in, but a new locker seems to have sorted most of the probs.. :-) Nice ride in after all..

2 inches

...from my elbow at about 60mph.. I honestly can only imagine these people have no concept of how scary it is to a cyclist.. and I forgot my lights, so I had to ride home before going out for the evening..bah.

Oooeee

That's been a while. Changing jobs soon which may make it tricky to ride in very often...though I hope not. Will have to make the most of my last few weeks.. Alright ride in today, though back hurting a bit. Must do more core exercises..

Bicycle race

Slow ride in this morning, on the big bike for this evenings ride, so wasn't going to break any records.. That is until I was overtaken on the way up the hill by a bloke in jeans on a rigid mountain bike.. He was pedalling away like fury, clearly trying to make a point to the guy in all the pro-looking kit...plus ca change. Anyway, usually I just draft behind such folk until they run out of puff and then casually overtake, perhaps commenting that it's a marathon not a sprint (if feeling overly smug)...this time however, I'd just overtaken him when a fast road bike came up the outside, not really standing a chance on my MTB against a skinny tyred bike, I was happy enough to be in the middle of three, but gave it a bit of welly to show I wasn't a pushover...until my chain fell off. By the time I stopped and rechained myself I was far at the back, and only managed to reel in the two riders ahead just as they both pulled off my route. Oh well, I should know better than to get into races on my commute. Most of the time my opponents are only riding a mile or two* so can afford to put in more energy than myself with 11 more miles to go..


* the exception to this being the guy I started to race on the way back to Cardiff once, who when we got chatting turned out to have ridden from Bristol..

A head wind..

...and dead legs. Although I've been keeping up a fair mileage recently, I always notice the difference a big tyres bikes makes.. It'll be fun this even when I get out on the trails on the way home, but on the road to work this morning it was a grind..

To the driver of the blue Ford Escort.

If you cast your mind back to this morning, you may remember overtaking a cyclist just before you got onto the roundabout below Rhymney Hill. After you had passed him no doubt he dropped from your mind, sadly you failed to wait for your entire car to pass him before choosing to forget his existence, which explains perhaps why you pulled in across him forcing some alarming avoidance manouvers on the part of the cyclist, who as I'm sure you've now guessed, was me. If you had bothered to check your mirrors once in the following half a mile, you would have seen me chasing your car so that I might have a word about your behaviour, perhaps you did see me gaining on your feeble family saloon despite the steep gradient and that is why you ran the red light on the way up the hill...outside the police station. Either way, I just wanted to say that I'm sad you didn't look in your mirror enough to appreciate the wide range of hand gestures I was performing for your benefit, and I hope the daytime TV show you were rushing home for was entertaining enough to offset the lives of those you nearly killed en route.. If it had Carol Vorderman in, or perhaps John Leslie, then at least I won't have had my enitire existence nearly snuffed out for nothing..

Bah, red car rage..

Idiot driver this mornign thought getting to his dead end job 5 seconds earlier was more important than my continued good health.. Mind you, the sprint up Ryhmney Hill trying to catch him should have put my cardiovascular system into tip top order.. ;-)

A bit wet

It were a bit wet yesterday, and riding to the pub to meet the WNR I realised how crap my little LED light is... Oh well. Managed to pinch flat riding the CX bike down the steps too.. ;-)

Traffic jams..

Big sky
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Well, after taking 45 minutes to drive in yesterday (some poor folk took 6 hours), there was no way I was getting in a car today... Lovely cool crisp wintery morning too, probably the end of summer.

Pic from Brechfa at the weekend.

Full speed ahead

Full speed ahead
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Fairly uneventful ride to work on Friday, although on the way home a bus almost cut me up, noticed me at the last minute and pulled back out again. This meant he left a load of irate looking passengers at the stop we were passing at the time, more people who now hate cyclists I suppose.. :-(

Photo is from a lovely sunny blast we had round Brechfa on Saturday. Fun in the sun..

45lbs of fun

Well it took me over an hour to ride inthis morning..a new longest record. But I was riding my downhill bike, so I don't feel too bad.. Putting SPDs on makes it quite ridable for longer distances, but it ain't exactly nippy..

Rode in, yadda yadda

Another day, another donut. Actually tomorrow should be interesting, I'm planning to ride in on my downhill bike... At 45 odd pounds, with 2.5" tyres, it's not really made for the tarmac.. but it should be worth it when I meet up with the WNR on my way home...sadly after 25 miles of slogging. Watch this space.. (but don't hold your breath cos even if I set off at 8am, I still might not get to work in time for lunch..)

Friday comes

The Welsh mafia size up the Slab at Dalbeattie
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Well a nice non-eventful ride in this morning...sadly not via Dalbeattie (pictured). Got a lot of work to do over the next few weekends which is a pain with akll this nice riding weather suddenly being upon us... Oh well. I'll try and get it finished and get out to play as soon as I can..

Dead mammals

Been a bit lazy this week, but rode in today as I'm meeting the WNR after work.. Lots of dead things on the road today though, squirrels, rabbits and a rat (I think)... I just hope cyclists aren't next..

Evening ride ahoy..

Rode in on the medium sized bike today, so home via the ridegway (stopping for a pint at the Maenllywd) to meet the boys at the Lewis and then go on a ride (probably back to the Maenllywd) and then back to the Lewis and home.. 30 odd miles, 5 or 6 pints... not a bad way to get to work and back..

Bits and pieces

Quantocks
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Been a bit of a random week. I rode to work on Wednesday, then left the bike and went drinking in Newport in the evening.. Thursday I got a lift to work and rode home.. Friday I rode to work and got a lift from work to a wedding for hte weekend..and today (Tuesday) I got the bus to work and will ride home.. Got out yesterday for an offroad ride in the Quantocks though..

Splashdown

Mugs
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

Just had a cracking weekend riding around Rhayader.. It was a tad damp on the saturday, as you can see from this pic of the bombhole at the top of the golf links descent.. Still great fun though..

Nice ride in this morning too, except for the car on newport road which passed me so close I almost took his wing mirror off with my elbow :-(

Fair weather biker

I got accused today of only cycling in when it's sunny...and the worst thing is, I can't really refute that. Had a nice ride in this monring and will be meeting the WNR tonight, but it is concincentally a glorious day outside.. Might have to make a point by riding every day for the next few weeks.. Saves on fuel anyhow..

Motorway jams

After spending 5 hours in a traffic jam between Cardiff and Newport last Thursday (yes, 5 sodding hours) I have discovered anew the joys of commuting by bike.. Imagnie my cackling laughter as I cycled over the motorway bridge this morning to see yet another lengthy tailback on the M4 :-) Viva la (pedal) revolution..

Skateboard ramps and grannys

Rode in this morning, first time for a while, but (a) we've had more rain than Borneo in the wet season recently and (b) I've been away a lot... Anyhow, as I was on the big bike in anticipation of this evenings night ride, I stopped off at the skateboard ramps at the top of Rumney Hil.. Great fun, but i almost landed on some poor dear walking her little terrier.. She looked a bit surprised.. ;-)

Back pain

It's been a while since I last rode in (and we've had torrential rain nearly every day..) so finally forced myself to this morning. As usual the ride was actually much nicer than driving, but my recurrent back problem seems to have reappeared. I need to build up my core to stop my stronger back muscles from messing me up.. Time to buy a swiss ball I think..

Wettest month ever

Well it's been raining rather a lot recently, so I've been driving a lot.. A bit pathetic really, but there you go.. Finally back on the bike today, with a 24hr race this weekend so was a bit anooyed that I was going to get some of my kit wet so soon before the race...but actually had such an enjoyable ride in I don't care. I had plenty of time so went along the top, up the rollercoaster and down coal pit lane, ace fast zooming over the motorway bridge..

Knockdamph

Knockdamph
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt

One of many pics from our Hebridean adventure. This was taken while crossing the mainland (we had to ride a quick coast to coast to get to a mainline railway station).

Headwind to welcome me back

Blimey, didn't realise it was a month since my last pedal in. Had a nice headwind all the way in to welcome me back, though nothing like as windy as it was durint he week we spent cycle touring around the Hebrides a week or so ago.. :-)
Great trip.

Poor dog

I ran over a dog on my bike on the way home on Friday. No lasting damage I think, but it ducked in front of me at the last minute and got clouted at about 15mph.. Lots of whimpering..

No such drama today...so far. Just an ugly headwind all the way in.

..and rode in this morning

Having spent half of yesterday evening stripping and re-building hubs, it was reassuring to find the wheels going round properly on the way in. Meant to be meeting Amy on the way home again to get a few bonus miles in..

Rode in yesterday

And met Amy at the Maenllwyd on the way home. Originally plan (I thought) was to go for a bit of a beasting on the roads as prep for our touring trip, but the couple of pints we had instead were very pleasant.. ;-)

Breakfast on high

Bought a bacon, sausage and bean breakfast pastry thing on the way in (had actually just stopped to buy some P-clips, but the bakery smelt good). It was a bit hot so I pedalled up to the top of the ridge and found a handy style to sit on, not a bad spot for a munch..

Quarry ahead

Quarry ahead
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt.

Went home via Rudry and the ridgeway on Friday, an excellent ride in the sunshine...though steep loose terrain with drop handlebars is interesting to say the least..

CX Bike

CXBike
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt.

Well, I picked up my new toy last night, and after swapping a tube and tightening a few bolts, it rode in very well this morning. not as quick as the road bike (shorter gearing and fatter tyres) but a lot more confidence inspiring when hitting rough stuff. I think it's going to make an excellent tourer/commuter. Just need to sort out some chain skipping probs, and it'll be sweet to take the off road route home..

Sunshine

The weather shows no sign of breaking, so another lovely ride in for me today.. Nice..

Castle Coch Photoshoot

DSCF1406.jpg
Originally uploaded by hairy_matt.

Headed out last night for a dedicated photoshoot evening. Shot lots and got a few good uns, like this one of Rich leavnig a dust trail in his wake. Learnt that I need to practice more to get the best out of the flash, I need to work on timing and also remember to think about focal length. Wide angle wacky distortion is fine for a few shots, but I need to start using more of the range of my zoom.. Good fun though :-)

Rode in this morning too..pretty uneventful..

Hole filling

Well, I'm not sure if it was a result of my complaint or not, but the pothole at the top of Rhumney hill has been patched up making for a much smoother ride to work this morning. The other potholes in the newport side are still there though, obviously they aren't as on the ball as their cardiff collegues.

Slow puncture

Booo. I hate slow punctures. I pumped it up yesterday before riding in, before riding home, this morning before riding in and no doubt later before riding home. It's only losing around 5psi/hour so not really worth changing the tube, but I'm going to get bored of pumping soon.

Hmm the pecking order continues

Had a nice uneventful ride in today, until the roundabout outside the office. There was no traffic in the outside lane, and only a scooter in the middle so I pulled out. The scooter then buzzed in behind me and shouted that it hadn't been safe so I shouldn't have pulled out. I'm a good judge of closing speed (you have to be to survive) and there was no way he was going quick enough for me pulling out to cause him to brake, and besides he wasn't even indicating to change lanes. I half pointed this out, but I have a feeling he accelerated to make a point that while cars may bully him out of the way, I'm still further down the pecking order...sod that.

30 minutes!

I've just about broken the 30 minute barrier riding home before, but never got close on the way in...until today. Sprinted up Rumney hill like a madman and kept the bike in the big ring on all the flat sections... Got to work in pretty much exactly 30 mins.. Not going to come anywhere close on the way home mind, but c'est la vie.. ;-)

Cold head

HAd my hair cut on Friday, and only just got round to riding since... It's a bit chilly with less up top :-o