Georgio Coppola is making some fun vids too.

He’s got a great video at the Bovingdon Bomber where he get dropped and his Dad, who’s filming, even starts to heckle him 😂

I hadn’t realised that he’d done a load of different race videos.

The whole thing seems to be played in a more honest manner than the mens game. No comical rolling around on the floor after every single little knock, barely any diving, no mobbing of the ref – there’s a lot the mens game could learn from this.

100% agree with this.
The reason I never watch football is that I can’t stand that nonsense.
The women’s game is just far more enjoyable as a result.
After watching the game last week, I actually decided to take yesterday and Sunday off work to watch the matches, my wife thought it was hilarious considering how little I like football. She’s no fan either but we both happily watched the match last night and enjoyed it to the point that she was looking to see if there were still tickets available for the final 😂

Now one, congrats!

I’ve always liked the looks of crit racing but even when I was at my fittest I never gave it a try as my local track was Hillingdon and it was always a crash-fest.

Since we’ve moved, I’m tempted to try and get fit to enter the races at Bovingdon.

Our healthcare system is a ‘bad winter’ away from collapse

They’ve been saying that for at least the past 17 years while I’ve been working for the NHS.
Our part of it came very, very close a few years ago but came through it. The only reason we got through it was that we got rid of an utterly incompetent Cheif Exec who was sideways moved into another part of the NHS. Our previous one was almost as bad but was pushed out/left. We currently have a Chief Exec who seems to be very good at the job, doing good things and has huge support from staff.
The NHS needs more people at the top like this.

Is it the NHS that needs fixed, or is it the population?

I’d argue that the problems in the NHS are a symptom and not a cause.
We’ve got obesity levels which have almost trebled in the past 40 years, diabetes cases have doubled in the UK in the past 15 years, other illnesses are also on the rise.
Many of these are, arguably, lifestyle based illnesses and are therefore preventable.

Now I understand that trying to fix the mindset and lifestyle of a population is a near-impossible task but these are a huge drain on the NHS resources and surely fixing these problem in turn eases the burden on health services?

Still bedlam.
Regularly 2h+ queues for immigration.

I’m wax-curious.
Just ordered some of Daz’s wax…

And an ultrasonic cleaner to go with it 😂

@StirlingCrispin

Out of interest, which weather station are you using in the garden?

Has anyone found an ultrasonic cleaners that’ll fit an Eagle cassette or similar size item which doesn’t cost the earth?

I think the point about the local bike shop is: support the shop because it supports the scene. The better LBSs put on races, fix adaptive gear, loan tools, run a bike drive for kids who can’t afford them at Xmas, handle special orders with appreciation, show up at a meeting about access and build trails.

I’m sure that would be the case in an ideal world.
The reality that I’ve seen is far from it.
I’ve never had, or known of, an LBS who put on races, support kids schemes, loan tools or have anything to do with trail building.

I’ve got a new Chilli Tech camera and mounts that I’ve never used. It would be ideal for your son.
You can have it for the cost of postage if you want.

Thanks for that @roverpig it looks pretty good.

Does anyone know what the cheapest Garmin watch is that has maps?

I normally use an Apple Watch but I can’t find a useful way of using any mapping when I’m running.

We had bike racks on buses here locally for a while. All the complainers complained… they got removed.

The bus service I use for commuting has storage for a couple of bikes.
The only complaints I’ve heard are from the cyclists who wish there were more spaces for bikes to prevent them getting stranded if the spaces are taken, and one of the lazy drivers who always moans about taking bikes as he has to get off his fat arse and walk to the rear of the bus to open the door!

It’s a great system but not without its flaws. It works well enough that one of my neighbours has ditched his car to use the service and I’m toying with the idea of doing the same.

It’s not just cars.

I spoke to a Honda dealer last week about a new bike. They’ve no idea when there will be stock in the UK but suggest it could be November at the soonest.

Possibly if you’re flying from T5.

If you’re flying from T2 or T3 then not a chance. Departures and security queues are insane recently. If you’re going on a particularly busy day then you’ll struggle even getting through the tunnels to get to the terminals. T5 isn’t so bad at the minute, BA have cancelled a load of flights and are finally getting their sh*t together.
Heathrow are currently advising passengers to arrive 3h prior to departure for international flights, such is the mess there.

Public transport, especially bus services, are all kinds of screwed up.
Until that’s fixed it’s not feasible to encourage people out of cars. It’s a catch 22 though.

This is nuts!

That Carrera does indeed get a great review. First time I’ve seen any emthusiasm for anything other than a Brompton!

That Carrera looks incredibly similar to the Tern Link that I’ve just bought.
I had a Brompton previously and I thought it was horrendous to ride, the 16″ wheels made it feel incredibly sketchy on our normal knackered roads. The 20″ wheels on the Tern give it a much more stable feel, it’s actually a very good ride.

Looking at the Carrera, I’d probably have bought one of those rather than the Tern if I’d known about them first. Luckily the Tern is through cycle to work so works out slightly cheaper than the Carrera. My wife is looking for a folding bike now fr part of her commute in which case I think the Carrera will be top of the list for her.

I think I prefer hybrids to drop bar road bikes.
I’d quite like one of these!

@BoardinBob

Sounds identical to my symptoms.
Currently on day five, the lines on the LFT’s have gone from thin and barely noticeable to thick red lines over the past couple of days despite symptoms easing off.

My other half who is now at day seven has been much worse than me but the lines on her LFT’s are much lighter than when she first tested positive.

@theotherjonv

Thanks for posting on here.
It’s really interesting to hear the viewpoint from your position. It sounds like an incredibly difficult situation, not only for your son but also for you as a parent.

Also, it’s been reasonably questioned as to whether we have any actual skin in the game here beyond just putting out a statement of position. In fact we do in so much as we’ve been approached for help in a dispute about the inclusion of trans competitors in a small mtb event that I will not name here. We could either claim total neutrality on the issues or take a side – for better or worse (I note some subs cancellations) we decided on the latter.

I hadn’t read the article, mainly because I very rarely read any articles at all on the site.
I had, however, cynically thought it seemed a bit of a clickbait article title but had a read of the forum post anyway.
I’ll happily hold my hands up and say I was wrong and the reasoning given above by Mark makes perfect sense. I don’t think STW do everything right but in this case I think it’s a really good discussion point and hopefully it’ll develop into a good adult discussion about trans athletes in sport without the same few people turning it into the shit-show that many good threads become.

Whoah, hang on, does it start today? I thought it always started on the Saturday? Wassallatabout?

Starts today, three stages in Denmark then a day to transfer back to France on Monday.

My LHR experience tonight is that immigration is a mess. It took about an hour to queue to get to the eGate.
The upside is that my case was waiting for me in the other side and from there it was about 30 minutes before I was home as the queue for taxis was 1 deep.

You did well there, 2h+ is pretty normal for T2 immigration lately.
A couple of weeks back people must have been 10 deep trying to get in to the lifts from arrivals to take them down to the ground floor for taxis and busses. It’s been absolutely incredible, both the number of passengers and the lack of organisation around there!

Water wipes seem to work best, they don’t have some hideous scent to them.
Might be worth looking at the dry shower type cleaners, they work well for me after commuting.

Antibacterial Dry Shower®

Heathrow is fine at the moment, if you’re there at the right time. If not, it’s ridiculous.
BA check-in is better than it has been but queues for security can be horrendous depending on time of day.
As you’re flying on a domestic route passport control isn’t an issue but waits of up to 2h for baggage aren’t out of the ordinary in T5 at the moment so I’d advise travelling with hand luggage only if you fly.

I had a look inside our box this morning with the camera.
Three dead chicks in there.
No sign of the adults in the garden for the past couple of days so I’m guessing that something’s killed them or scared them off.
I’ve cleared the box out and hopefully we’ll get some more nesting in there in future.

The same thing has happened with ours.

There was three or four chicks in the nest, last week you could see them popping up by the entrance to the nesting box when the adult left them after feeding.

Today it’s dead silent in the nest, no signs of life at all. No sign of the adults coming back to the nest today either.

I’ve no idea if they fledge then don’t return or if the adults and young return for a few days after they’ve first fledged.

1.76 for petrol around here but 1.87 for diesel, no idea why the differences everywhere!

Not quite 21/22 season and not quite 22/23 season either but Cross is coming (again!)

CCXL Summer CX

Central League are running a four race summer CX series at MK Bowl. If it’s anything like the events they’ve put on there in the past it should be great!

We went a couple of years back. Dumped the car in the long stay at CDG for a week and took the train in to Paris.
There’s no way I’d be driving there!

CDG was pretty straightforward, in fact it was probably easier to navigate the connections to the long stay car park than it is at Heathrow!

@thecaptain I thought about combining a longer run with the commute but I’m not sure how I can make it work.
The commute is 1.5 miles on the bike, then the bus, then another 6 miles at the other end on the bike. I’m not sure anyone deserves to be sat next to me on the bus after I’ve ran 6 miles 😂
I’m sure I’ll figure out a way to do it though.

Red Bull. Red Bull. Red Bull.

Of course its anecdotal, but red Bull cans are by far the most prolific litter I see from local trails to motorways to Highland road sides.

I nearly wrote pretty much the same thing a couple of weeks back.
I’m not sure if it’s just the colour scheme catching my eye or a bit of bias but I was sure there were more Red Bull cans than anything else making up the litter around me.
I went out with my other half last week on the bikes and on a local road climb I counted 29 Red Bull cans in the verge. I’d go back and pick them up but it a 50mph road where the locals like to tear up the hill at silly speeds so I’ll be giving it a miss.

With the Hopes you need front and rear specific calipers.

It’s not just everyday people who can struggle with this, so-called professionals can get the jitters too!

I’ve been a Paramedic for 15+ years now. When I’m at work and I respond to a call be it on my own as a solo responder or with a crewmate on an ambulance it’s relatively easy. I’ve got an idea what I’m going to and what to expect when I get there (hopefully!)

When I’m away from work and just going about my normal life it’s a bit different. Actually seeing an accident and someone getting injured is different to turning up after it’s all happened. I’m not saying I freak out but there’s always the moment when you freeze to take things in, it might only be for a second or two but it can feel like an age. Once it’s sunk in what’s happening then it’s a case of cracking on and doing your best.
When you’re used to having the kit you need, easy access to the back-up you need, and a uniform which seems to calm people it’s a very different feeling having none of that to lean on.
Administering first aid can be a bit daunting but that and CPR are quite literally life savers. I’d urge anyone and everyone to get some kind of training if you can.
With regards the CPR I’m lucky enough to work somewhere that has a large number of CPR trained staff and a good number of defibs, although it’s not common by any means we see a better than average number of positive outcomes due to these people and their efforts.

Cool, thanks for the advice.

It might be a bit of a challenge fitting the runs in with other bits like my commutes (7.5 miles each way on the bike) and trying to get out on the MTB now the weather’s good.

I’m a member of a local club but only manage one run a week with them at most as shift work doesn’t seem to fit with their runs.
The run is with the club but it’s a circular route so if the worst came to the worst I could run what I can then bail at a pub and get a lift home 😂

I’m currently at the point where I’m running a couple of times a week, usually around 5k each time at around 6m/km
I’m looking at doing a longer group run at the end of September, it’s 20 miles and I’ve been told the pace will be 10-11 minutes/mile.

What’s the best way to train to get up to doing the longer distance by the end of September?

I tend to do quite a bit of riding but only limited running, is the goal achievable without killing myself?

really ? we have to drag it back to politics?

Are you new here or something? 😂

I just read that yesterday, it’s a hell of a story. Must’ve taken quite a bit of research to find all that out.