Well, Stig has undergone his first bout of surgery-



All I have to do now is learn to ride him.........

More photo's after he has had te odd nip and tuck to tidy him up.

Christmas.

In the next copule of days I expect to recieve a delivery from a big dude in a red coat and hat with a white beard. This delivery will be in the form of a new back wheel for Stig, a fixed wheel no less!

I haven't told him yet but he is soon to undergo surgery. I will be performing a cassettectomy on him so that the next time I ride him, I better remember NOT to stop pedalling

I probably wont get on the web between now and the New Year so I want to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Cold Turkey

...as in "I'm going Cold Turkey". There is loads of snow out there and I can't play in it!

Due to work commitments, I have spent most of the last week getting to and from work by car. I want to be riding to and from work on the trusty rigid MTB.

I'm missing riding my bikes.

I guess it isn't summer any more.

When I woke this morning I noticed a definite chill in the air. I looked outside and saw the reason- the first proper frost of the autumn (or is it winter yet?). After yesterdays wind and rain I have accepted that the summer is definitely over. As I arrived at work yesterday, my crewmate got into work at the same time, driving his Porsche. he commented that only a dedicated loon would ride in the weather w were experiencing. That got me to thinking. Am I a dedicated loon or just someone who has experienced the full range of weather conditions England provides for me to ride in and has equipped himself to deal with?

My summer riding kit is basically a pair of bib shorts, a short sleeved jersey, ankle socks, mitts and sunglasses.

My autumn/ winter kit is any combination of the following-

For feet. Sports socks, GoreTex over socks, Sealskinz socks, touring shoes, GoreTex overshoes.

For lower body. Padded shorts, knee warmers, quick dry cycling trousers, Rainlegs.

For upper body. Short sleeved base layer, long sleeved base layer, arm warmers, windproof fleece cycling jacket, windproof fleece gilet, waterproof cycling jacket.

For head and neck. Windproof skull cap, micro fleece head and ear warmer band, Buff, motorcyclist neck tube, helmet.

For hands. Endura singletrack gloves, Specialized Equinox gloves (knackered but baggy enough to fit over-) coolmax inner gloves. Waterproof heavyweight gloves.

For eyes. Interchangeable sunglasses/ clears.

I have learned that the important thing is to get the layering right. Too much and I sweat so much that I am soaked at the end of the ride. not enough and I am still freezing at the end of the ride though I will have perspired slightly and the cold makes it worse.

The trick is to accept that you will be cold for the first 5 minutes or so after which your physical efforts warm you up just right.

I do wish however that I could find some shorts with a windproof gusset. The coldest bit of my body in any ride always seems to be my nethers. Getting to the end of a winter ride and needing the loo can be a bit of a problem with cold and withered nethers. You guys out there will know what I mean. You lasses don't know how lucky you are!

Nice ride in this morning.

On my commute in today I was passed by someone who gave me a cheery "Good Morning" on his way by. It gave me a bit of a start as I wasn't aware of his presence. He was wearing Wycombe Cycle Club kit and riding what looked like a nice road bike. I Good Morning'd him back and then prepared for the chase. I soon realised however that I hade met my match and then some. I managed to keep him in sight as we rode into Bourne End where I started to examine his riding style. For some reason he kept getting out of the saddle to pedal. After a little while of this I realised he was on either a single speed or a fixed! I managed to make ground on him as he waited for some traffic lights and discovered he was riding a nice Ribble fixed gear bike. We started to chat. We stayed together until Burnham on the A4, where I slowed to cool down. I established that he was severely dedicated in his riding. 40 mile return journey every day and Audaxes. He was chatting away about a 400 mile 48 hour event he had taken part in in the West Country. No wonder I couldn't gain on him till he stopped.

I didn't get his name but I have no doubt that one day we will ride together again.

Whoever you are, thanks for the company this morning. Oh, and by the way- chains a bit slack!

Commuter Racing

Forgive me Cyclists, for I have sinned. It has been two weeks since my last sedate commute.

Yes, I admit it. I have once again fallen foul of the urge to race every cyclist I see on my commute. Picture the scene, Yours Truly mounts his steed and rides out from Fuzzy Towers with the intention of having a gentle bimble through the early morning mists. I ride through Marlow full of the joys of being on the bike when, in the distance, I spy what turns out to be my equivalent of the red rag waved at a bull- BLINKENLIGHTS! I try to ignore them but it is useless. There is a cyclist ahead of me who I just know has looked round and seen my own BLINKENLIGHTS. I can hear their thoughts in my head "Bike behind me. Must NOT get caught by the bike behind me. Must go faster!". Before I know it, the race is on. I drop a cog at the back and start to work harder, closing the gap between us. Sometimes the gap closes slowly because the cyclist ahead is powerful and a worthy opponent. Sometimes the gap closes rapidly because I am so awesomely powerful but the gap ALWAYS closes. This can create a quandary for my prey. When they look back to see how much they have increased the gap between us by, what do they do when they see me gaining on them. Some of the commuters I race are made of stirling stuff and accept that I am going to blow them into the weeds, so acknowledge defeat by returning my greeting as I pass. Others however are weak losers. They see me gaining and start looking for the next side road to turn off, as if that was their true route to work or home. I know what is going on however and revel in my glory as I see them bail out. Once the pass has been made, I continue on, arriving at work or home with the glow of victory in my mind. I AM INVINCIBLE!

That is how the scenario plays out in my head anyway.

What is probably more accurate is that the BLINKENLIGHTS I see ahead are attached to a bike being ridden by someone far more mature than I am and who probably couldn't give a damn if they get passed by another bike. On the occasions when the other rider is as juvenile as I am and gets sucked into commuter racing mode, the process is probably far different. A couple of days ago, the BLINKENLIGHTS ahead were attached the the back end of what looked like a top end hard tail mountain bike. As usual, I was riding G G G G Granville so got down on the drops and accelerated past. A minute or two later however, MTB man accelerated past me, giving me a nod as he did so. That was it. Race was ON! I tucked in behind and followed for a few minutes then put the hammer down, blasting past him. I stayed ahead for a good 5 minutes but, as we were riding through Bourne End which at that time of the evening was very busy with traffic, MTB man came into my peripheral vision passing me on the pavement (sidewalk in American). he glanced at me as he passed and I could tell that he was gloating, thinking how strong he was overtaking a racing bike on his hard tail. I was ready for him though. I thought right back at him "Racing Bike? Racing Bike? This is a Touring Bike AND it has got loaded panniers on it!" I was passing him again as I thought this at him. I finished the communication with "Shove that in your pipe and smoke it mate!". We duelled like this for another couple of miles, neither of us willing to give quarter. The race was interrupted however when we got to a large roundabout. we both had to stop and wait. It was at that time that we both realised the folly of our ways. "Alright mate?" I said to MTB Man. "yeah, I'm good. Nice to have company."

The traffic cleared and we both pulled away, full of the warm glow of a shared experience. I started to chuckle to myself, thinking about how stupid we were, letting ourselves get carried away like that. All we were doing was riding home. No one was racing. We were just riding home.

MTB Man still bottled it and took the first available junction because he KNEW. I was too strong for him. As for me, i was just toying with him, being nice to lull him into a false sense of security. if he hadn't have bottled it, I would have done him good style on the road into Marlow!

Back in the saddle

Last week and the beginning of this week saw me commited to the extent that riding was not an option. From Wednesday morning through to the following Thursday morning I was either training or doing family stuff. This meant 8 days without riding. Yesterday morningh I was up at 5:00 a.m. for work. getting back on the bike for a ride to the nick through the mist and developing dawn was ace. It was only 8 days but I was amazed at how I missed the ride. It doesn't look like I'm going to hit 300 miles this month though- bummer.

The Boy done good!

My youngest son is a bit of an artist. When he was succesful in obtaining GCSE's to allow him to continue in sixth form, we bought him a tablet laptop whicjh he spends hours on. The other day I saw him doing some art work on it. I asked him to send me the result when he had finished. What I recieved was 3 images which represented the progress of an Anime ispired digital painting he produced as follows-


Which became



and finished as



Any guesses as to which video game inspired this?

I'm quite proud of his ability!

The gloves are dead- Long live the gloves

These are my Specialized Equinox gloves which have served me well for a number of years-


(clicky for bigger image)

These are the best gloves I have ever worn for riding. Warm enough to see me through all but the coldest weather. Just enough padding to stop my hands going dead. Thick enough to prevent injury when things got a little out of shape. We have been through a lot together- 70+ mile round trips into London, chasing bad guys during my bike patrol days, the odd SMIDSY, getting shot at with pellets during a recent airsoft skirmishing evening my two sons persuaded me to join them on. Over the 4 years or so that I have been wearing them, I have become really attached to them but, as you can see, they are slowly giving up the ghost. It would seem that the time has come to retire the Equinox's and bite the bullet.

I have acquired these-

(clicky for bigger image)
Endura 'Singletrack' gloves. They feel like they are of similar weight and quality in their material, just perhaps a little snugger in their fit. I will wear them for the first time today. I have had them for about a month but, as I said earlier, the Equinox and I have been together for a long time and it felt like I was betraying them.

Daft isn't it?

Someone needs help

For a number of years now, I have been on the register of potential donors run by
The Anthony Nolan Trust

The trust was born out of the Anthony Nolan Register which was set up in 1974 by the family of Anthony Nolan, a young lad who was in need of a bone marrow transplant in his fight against an immunological disease. Sadly Anthony never found his donor. He passed away in 1979. Demonstrating great strength of character however, his families fight went on so that other people could be helped.

My involvement came as a result of a local appeal due to a child from my area needing a donor. The trust set up a registration day at the local sports centre. Potential donors attended and a small blood sample was taken for typing and matching. I was then placed on the register of donors. 4 times since then I have been contacted as a possible candidate. This involves further tests for more detailed tissue typing and matching. Unfortunately I was not a close enough match on those occasions.

Yesterday I received a letter from the Trust. I am back in line as a potential match. Apparently I have a 25% chance of being a donor this time. Someone out there needs help. Start thinking positive thoughts folks. With your help, I could end up undergoing minor surgery to donate marrow.

For those of you in the UK, the Trust is always looking for new members of the register. Visit their site and find out how you can help.

If you are from outside the UK, donor registers work internationally. There may well be a register for your Country. Do some digging and see if you can help.

Wind

If you gather together any size group of cyclists and ask questions about the wind, you will soon learn that in most- not all but so close to all that it makes little difference- cases, they have had to cope with the seemingly impossible situation of a bi-directional wind. Find a straight road with two roundabouts, one at each end and continuously ride the loop of this road. If the wind is in your face on the outward leg, common sense tells you that the wind will be at your back on the return leg. WRONG. The wind is in your face whatever direction you ride. Riders passing in opposing directions on that loop will both be riding into wind. It is an almost immutable law. Cyclists only ever find a headwind. What is that all about?

I don't know about other cyclists but, I suffer from another problem with the wind. I can't pass it whilst pedaling. Too much information? No. This is a public information message. If you were ever to find yourself drafting me as I ride (or wheelsucking if I'm in a bad mood) and you notice that a) I have stopped pedaling and b) I am standing up then start to react. I am either getting ready to deal with a pothole or other danger to cyclists OR I am about to relieve stomach pain by breaking wind. Either way, right behind me is definitely the wrong place to be. Public information message ends.

On a lighter but just as informative not, yesterday I discovered the blog of a friend of mine. A certain red haired Amazonian fixie chick acquaintance of mine called Charlotte blogs as
bicycleslut. A good read. Visit and enjoy!

Dutch Police bike training day 2009

On Thursday 17th September 2009 I flew to Schipol Airport in The Netherlands where I was met by my friend Tommy Hammelink, a bike patrol officer from Den Haag (The Hague). For the next two nights I stayed with him at his old fisherman’s house in Scheveningen, a coastal suburb of Den Haag. The area Tommy has settled in is really pleasant, his house being situated off a quite car free cul de sac. Thursday evening Tommy decided a tour of his manor was in order so he broke out his Montague 'Paratrooper' folding bike which he has converted into a marked Politie bike and his pride and joy, a Surly Pugsley snow bike with balloon tyres. He let me enjoy the Surly for the evening and it was great, rumbling around the streets of Den Haag with folk doing double takes at the bike! It was a fun bike to ride.

He showed me around the Police Station he worked at and also the local HQ where the Embassy security teams work from. We then made our way to a city centre restaurant for a dose of steak and chips. Lovely grub.

The next morning we put his patrol bike and the Paratrooper in his car and drove to Amsterdam Police HQ and training centre where we joined close to 250 other like minded officers, most from around The Netherlands but also including at least 4 officers from Belgium and 3 from Germany. The day was spent around the training centre and Amsterdam City centre streets where, in groups of 8 to 10 bikers, we descended on waiting instructors and 'suspects'. At each Town centre location, we were briefed about an 'incident' involving our suspect who we then had to deal with. I don't think the suspect came quietly on any occasion. One of the stands was to deal with an aggressive drunk who was sitting on a town square bench. This suspect seemed to be the strongest of all that we dealt with and he put up a good fight. This stand was being keenly studied by the local 'celebrities' who were by that time, reasonably well into their jars. They gave a good critique of the way officers dealt with the suspect- probably from a professional background! I think quite a few visitors to Amsterdam came away with photo's and video of massed bike patrols dealing with bad guys and girls in the city. I had a really good day and learned a lot about how the Dutch do their thing.

The day finished with a BBQ at the HQ after which Tommy and I returned to his house, changed and took a walk to a beachfront bar for a relaxing drink.
On Saturday morning, Tommy broke the Surly out again and we took it for a ride on the beach. This is about the only bike I think I could make progress with on soft sand. Going was hard but possible. The transition form softy to packed sand was very noticeable and, when I rode off of the beach and onto the concrete slipway, that change was like lighting the afterburner on a supersonic jet!

Thanks for a great couple of days Tommy!

Saved by Sports Beans!

Yesterday I had a meeting to attend at Golden Lane in the City of London. Being the sturdy type that I am, I decided to cycle in. I rode into work yesterday morning (10 1/4 miles) and did a couple of hours work. During this first ride I suspected I would have resistance on the way to London as the wind was in my face. Sure enough, when I left the office at 11:00 a.m. the wind was blowing from London. Anyhoo, I had a nice ride for a couple of hours, along the A4 past Heathrow, into London, leaving the A4 at Hammersmith, heading to Kensington Gardens/ Hyde Park where I cut through to the Bayswater Road and Marylebone Road before heading into the City arriving at 1:00 p.m. on the dot.
The meeting lasted a couple of hours and, after 20 minutes of post meeting chat and catching up with folk, I left to reverse the route home.
True to form and conforming to the well known fact that the wind is always from the direction of a cyclists destination, the wind had changed to a South Westerly, in my face again. Not a problem for I am a hardy cyclist!
My preparation for the days riding had included an early start to my lunch before leaving the office, a bottle of energy drink consumed on the way into London, a cup of tea, a can of full fat Coke, a Snickers and the rest of my lunch at the meeting venue and a bottle of energy drink to consume on the return ride.
The return was fairly uneventful (apart from a couple of folk in cages suggesting I get off their road and onto the cycle path- not an option due to the glass and crap and all the side roads I would have had to negotiate) until I got to the stretch of A4 between Langley and Slough. At this point, with about 13 miles to go until home, I suffered the scourge of all cyclists, a bad case of 'The Bonk'. My legs ran out of go completely. I think it was the fact that I had been riding into wind for the whole day, that and because I had my commuting luggage on the bike as well. In the space of about 400 yards I descended from pootling along at about 15mph average to struggling to maintain 10mph. Concentration was going and I was starting to wobble a bit too much for my liking. I then had a flash of inspiration. I remembered that I had a small bag of Sports Beans in my jersey pocket. These are jelly beans with an extra carb kick. I stopped at the side of the road, ripped open the packet and nommed the Sports Beans in one go. 5 minutes later I felt my energy returning and my concentration level improving. The energy boost got me the last 13 miles home. I don't know what I would have done without them- probably curled up in a gibbering ball of pitiful humanity and got on the phone to SWMBO to beg for rescue but, thanks to Sports Beans, I made it home. A mileage tally for the day of 77.79 miles- all of it into wind.
Lets hear it for Sports Beans !!!!!!!

Back to work for a rest!

I was off work last week. Clan Fuzzy intended to visit friends on Arran but the visit fell through. Instead, SWMBO and I spent the week blitzing Fuzzy Towers. We cleared the loft of junk that we could no longer justify hanging on to 'Just in case'. We did the same to the two sheds and the garage. We then spent a day clearing out and cleaning the kitchen (I'm gobsmacked at where cat hair can works its way into). We also managed to factor in two football matches at Swindon (Coooooome On You Reds!), the second of which, being a midweek game, gave me a day to erect a shed at my Sister in Laws house. This shed had been awaiting building for 18 months, during which the instruction book pages fused together. It was like doing a jigsaw puzzle without a picture to reference. The shed is up and solid. The manufacturers even managed to supply a few spare bits- at least I hope they are spare. We did have a quieter weekend, with a trip out on Saturday to do a bit of shopping and to have a pint at The Lee (Coulston something or other, or Midsomer wotsit to you Midsomer Murder fans). very pleasant. Sunday was the Grocery shop day followed by a tremendous BBQ at a friends house in Feltham. I don't know how Santo does it but his BBQ cooking is to die for.
Anyway, with all this activity, I didn't get a mile in on the bike. Best I get a shift on if I'm going to hit the 300 mile target this month.

Garden beasts

Our garden does not attract much in the way of wildlife. I think this is probably due, in the main, to our two cats- Willow, a dark tortoiseshell, who acts pretty much like I would expect a dog to behave and Scooby, Willows smaller sister, a white, tabby and tortoiseshell (torby?) kitty. Over the few years that we have been owned by these two, various feathered and furred beasts have been delivered to our doorstep, generally accompanied by much meowing and smugness.

We do get the usual visitors- sparrows, blackbirds, a regular robin, the odd fat pigeon, occasional grey squirrel entertainment and hedgehog snuffings. Colourful birds are rare- finches, tits etc. Overflying our garden all the time are the Chiltern squadrons of red Kite, which are thriving after the reintroduction programme which occured in and around the Getty estate in Stokenchurch.

My favourite visitor however are the bats we see performing daring aerobatics around our garden in the evenings starting in the spring and continuing into the autumn. I spent quite a while last night watching a pair of bats flying crazy patterns over my lawn and patio.

What do you like to see or watch in your garden?

Dear Weather

Sort yourself out please!

The rain is playing havoc with my sunburn. What are you trying to do to us eh?

Thanks Susan

I have written about The Fat Cyclist and his blog before. Today when I visited his site, I saw very sad news. His wife Susan lost her battle against cancer yesterday.

Because of the fight she has gone through, and the spotlight that Elden has placed on it, awareness has been raised and a lot of money pledged to help combat this disease.

All I can say is to Elden and his family, I am so sorry for your loss and to Susan, because she is out there listening, Thanks.

Fuzzy.

Domestic Disasters

Why is it that domestic equipment waits until the worst possible moment before deciding to throw a spanner in the works?

When I got out of bed this morning, the plan was to get hygienic in the bathroom followed by feeding the cats, preparing lunch for SWMBO, No.1 Son and I to take to work, eat breakfast and then go to work. On arrival in the kitchen I discovered that SWMBO had got up a little earlier and put a load of washing on. Whilst I was doing my thing with the rolls and sandwich filling the washing machine started to drain. For some reason I thought "That doesn't sound right". To be more precise, it sounded very much on the wet side of wrong. I quickly switched the machine off and pulled the kick board from the front of the surrounding kitchen units. I then shoved my dry hand under the kitchen cupboards and got it soaked! Cue much cursing and panicking. I had to pull a fully laden washing machine out from it's space (integral machine so tight fitting) and then start to grovel around with cloths etc, soaking up all the water before it a) lifted the flooring and b) soaked into the wall. I had to leave the machine in the middle of the kitchen floor, still full of washing and water to be dealt with when I get home. To cap it all, when I got to work, I thought to myself "You know something Fuzzy? You are very hungry." I then realised I'd rushed out to get to work on time without eating breakfast. not good for me as I get the shakes in the morning if I don't eat.
Anyway, the washing machine is awaiting my return from work when, instead of going to the gym for a bit of a beasting, I will have to start messing around and trying to undo waste pipes that are a tight fit behind kitchen cupboards. When I say tight fit, I mean very very tight fit. Barely enough room to turn the collars on pipe joints etc.

Domestic Appliances- I'm sure they have secret channels of communication and plan this sort of activity as part of their World Domination strategy.

Amsterdam Police bike day

Every year, the Dutch Police hold a Police Bike day, where bike teams get together to share experiences, learn new tactics, get to try out new equipment etc. This years event is to be held in Amsterdam. I have been asked to go! I'm looking at flights and accomodation now. This shoudl be a good couple of days.

Jens Voigt- hard as nails!

I saw a rerun of the crash yesterday, it made my blood run cold. The medical update was a real relief- stitches in wounds on his hands, probable surgery for a broken cheek bone. If that had been me, I would be getting fed through a tube.

I bet there is a dent in the tarmac where he came down.

Jens Voigt- hard as nails!

Hi folks. It has been a while since I was last here, during which I spent a long weekend in the south of France, watching the first couple of days of the Tour de France. I intended to write about that and post some pictures, I just have not had the chance to upload the pictures yet. Once uploaded I will do a write up. In the meantime, as far as the Tour goes, excellent performances from Mark Cavandish and Bradley Wiggins! I also want to take this opportunity to wish Jens Voigt a speedy recovery. I saw his crash on the ITV coverage of the Tour yesterday, it looked horrific. Jens is a really nice guy and a thoroughly entertaining, competitive and hard rider. He is one of my favourites in the peleton.

On another note, when I started this blog, I mentioned that the Fat Cyclist blog was what spurred me on. Elden Nelson has written a tremendous blog for a number of years and I recommend it to you all. For a while now however, he has also used his blog to write about his wife Susan and her battle with cancer. To my mind, these postings have evidenced the courage of both Susan and Elden in sharing their fight with us. Since he started writing about their situatuion, Elden and his friends have raised several thousand dollars (I think into the hundreds) for Cancer charity. His most recent posts indicate that Susan is going through a really tough time right now. http://www.fatcyclist.com/

Luv 'n Stuff
Fuzzy

Bill (or was he Ted?)

Last night I watched 'Street Kings' featuring Keanu Reeves, Forrest Whitaker and Hugh Laurie.

A great film- I love watching films shot in places I have visited (Los Angeles in this case). Forrest Whitaker does a great bad guy. I'm not convinced by Hugh Lauries American accent though.

As for Keanu, I enjoy most of his films. In fact, I can't immediately name one I thought was crap. Is it just me though, or does Keanu ALWAYS look startled? I believe he is constantly fighting the urge to play a swift air guitar riff and shout 'excellent' at every turn.

Luv 'n Stuff
Fuzzy.

Bad News- It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m sat in the office.
What’s wrong with that? It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m sat in the office of course! I should be out riding. I look out of the window at blazing sunshine. I should be out of the Cannondale, putting the miles in and topping up the ‘Cyclist Tan’- nice brown arms up to mid bicep, nice brown legs up to mid thigh. Obvious breaks in the tan caused by gloves, sunglasses and socks. Instead, I’m sat in the office, praying that someone remembers I’m here and gives me some work to do. I can only create so much work out of nothing.

At least I still get the miles in on the daily commute. Just over 10 miles each way. I have a monthly target of 300 miles minimum. So far for 2009 the tally is as follows-
January- 356.67
February- 307.05
March- 373.57
April- 143.76 (On holiday- week in Hong Kong and week in Tokyo, no cycling)
May- 307.5 (still got the ride home though)

I started logging my rides in September 2005 on http://cyclogs.org/home.aspx
My best month to date was January 2007 where I rode 444.68 miles. My best year was 2006 when I rode 3,759.55 miles. I don’t know why I log all the rides, it gives me a target to aim at I suppose.

A phone call! Someone HAS remembered I’m here. I have some work to do again.

Time to go.

Luv n’ Stuff.
Fuzzy

More bits about me and cycling

A few lines about my current stable. Like many cyclists around the world, I suffer from N+1 syndrome. N+1 is the equation relating to the number of bikes a cyclist needs where N = the number of bikes the cyclist currently owns. My current stable of useable steeds is as follows-

G G G G Granville, my Ridgeback tourer- trusty workhorse/ commuter bike. Purchased to replace the sadly departed Knuckles-

my Saracen Morzine road bike, the first 'serious' bike I purchased when returning to cycling. He was 'killed' by a reversing supermarket delivery van that overtook me then forgot I was there.

Then there is Pete (named after a really good mate from school) -

my Cannondale R800 'best bike'. Used for those good weather weekend rides when i just have to get out and do some miles.

Next is Stig, aan indeterminate Puch road/ touring bike rescued from a skip and slightly restored-

Stig is my winter commuter. I plan to onvert him to a single speed/ fixie by getting a flip flop hubbed rear wheel for him.

Finally there is my unnamed Raleigh 1990's steel framed rigid MTB which I use as my utility bike- trips to the shops etc. No images of it at the moment.

I will also show you my former trusty work bike Swoop 1-


A Smith and Wesson Custom patrol bike. A really great bike to ride.

I have had hours of fun on all of these bikes.

Think I'm sad giving my bikes names? As I said in my first post- this is my world.

Do I really want to do this?

Well folks, here I am. Welcome to my world- The Secret Cyclist. Why Secret Cyclist? Well, as you can see, I am a Police Officer in the UK and, until recently, I was a cycle patrol officer. Yes, you read right, a cycle patrol officer. I got paid to ride a bike! One of the jobs I used to get involved in was plain clothed patrols, riding an area, looking for misguide individuals up to no good. Hence the blog name.

I have toyed with writing a blog for a while now and decided to make the leap today. I don' t know how this will pan out but hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. My inspiration for the blog is another cycling site, Elden Nelsons' http://www.fatcyclist.com/ , a site I have been visiting for some time now. If I can be half as good as Fatty's blog then I will have exceeded my expectations several fold.

Why am I writing this blog? Well, I like to share cycling (and other) experiences and this seems like an ideal way to do it. I have had some practice, I write articles for IPMBA News. IPMBA is the International Police Mountain Bike Association http://www.ipmba.org/ which publishes a quarterly magazine. I do the 'News form the UK' section and contribute articles reviewing equipment etc. This however is the first time I have strayed into writing for folk outside of Law Enforcement. I am also a member of an online forum 'yacf - yet another cycling forum' http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php which I visit and post on regularly.

I plan to update the blog on a regular basis, with my witterings and ramblings about matters cycling and otherwise. I don't pretend to be knowledgeable about things, just willing to say my piece. I also don't pretend to be consistent. I regularly exercise my right to be awkward and change my mind on a subject but hey, this is my world so I am allowed.

Please visit and say hello. If you have something to say about my ramblings, feel free. I will try and keep my writings clean (though at times I may vent my spleen at something) and all I ask is that you do the same.

Thanks folks.

Luv n' Stuff.

Fuzzy.