I have to feel scared, challenged or even defeated several times on a ride for it to be a truly great ride.

I’ll remember that for the end of the month. I may send you up “the Ba$tard”. :-)

it is so much easier said than done

That I know.

And I’m a he (except on weekends, when my name is Tracey) :-)

I say this, as Bushwacked will know, as a non-parent, but

– Putting her back to bed without saying anything to her

would seem to be the only option. Just keep doing it, for as long as it takes. She’s a lovely little girl, but let’s face it she’s stubborn and is at the age where she’s testing boudaries constantly. She needs to understand that bed (or more accurately sleep) time is just that, and what you say goes. No discussion.

I watched a similar thing on Supernanny (or something similar) once. The mother must have put the child back into bed about thirty times one night, there were tears (on both sides) and tantrums from the child, but she stuck at it and it worked.

I just like riding bikes around the countryside, be it on the road or off. I like looking at the views, chatting to my riding companions, having a mid/post ride pint, thinking about anything and everything as I pedal along, all that kind of stuff. Sure, there’s a sense of achievement when I manage to get up or down something with some element of finesse or skill (or, sometimes, just alive) but that’s not the main reason I’m out there.

I suppose that’s why I don’t really like trail centres. They’re too much about ‘what’ you’re riding, less about ‘why’ (apologies of that sounds a bit w@nky).

Port and Brandy mix is nice.

I have this:

Herby warming wonderfullness

Aye, normal Cotswold stuff, so nothing monster steep. Thinking about it, I might check what the ratio is on my 29er SS and go from there for the offroady stuff.

How big a difference between chainrings can I get away with?

Not at work, sorry. It’s still a frame at the moment anyway.

A local reputable jewellers that repairs stuff on the premises I’d have thought (i.e. not a chain). Where are you?

Yup, Sheldon.

Oh, boar. I thought you said bore

Systems Analyst for a major Business Process Outsourcing company. Living the dream…

Cheers chaps, I think you’re right in the ‘just ride more’ advice. I’ll have to string together some bigger climbs. And fit some smaller chainrings :-)

The bealach beag aint difficult.

That ****’ great peak in the middle suggests otherwise…

No I haven’t (damn the lack f preview facility but hoorah for edits…)

How does one calculate what length you need these days anyway?

Rule of thumb: it should come up to your forehead (phnarr phnarr)

Aye, the days of “who’s got the longest skis” machismo are long gone. Shame really, as I was on a manly 215 back in the day, now I’m on distinctly girly 170…

Can’t see your mail address. Mail me on simonmasseymail AT gmail DOT com and we’ll sort it out.

Pink Floyd produce an overblown, overhyped, over-worshipped heap of pretentious toss. In my opinion of course.

I’ve got such a shim sat in a box in the garage. It’s yours if you buy the STW fellas a pint.

Time, every time.

Bum. I trust that ‘er indoors is being sufficiently sympathetic?

I heard this week that 100,000,000 processing chips are made annually for PCs and laptops, and 10,000,000,000 processing chips are made annually for other purposes (microwaves, phones, tellies etc etc).

And, as an aside, that the chip on your debit card has 30 times the processing power of the guidance computer on the Apollo 11 moon lander.

I was going to look at doing the 100 but I’ve just convinced my better half to do it for the first time and she’ll only do it if I do the 50 with her so I’m happy

“Please do it Bryony, I only want to do 50km and I need an excuse, otherwise they’ll never let me forget it…”

Eddytheeagle

What? It was a serious answer. Man(kind) has made a serious amount of babies.

Alright then, particles of dust from the production of bricks in all their various forms.

Babies

In terms of sheer post-ride poopedness, it’s the Sheldon FOD special.

Blimey, Poland has some lovely volleyballists

I’m in, 393.

I shall be CX’ing it, assuming I ever build the thing up. And considering I’m doing this a month later I suppose I’ll be 100k-ing it too. Gulp.

Not bad now after a lovely walk on Cleeve Hill with the dog. Just very, very tired.

Enormous chinese takeaway to come…

‘It was better before’ isn’t exactly the constructive feedback I was after.

I realise that some of this stuff is probably in the pipeline and is rightly some way down Tom’s ‘must do’ list.

I might come too.

Barney – I’ll give you a bell

Pleased for him.

Why did Adlington ‘only’ get an OBE for winning two Golds when Kelly Holmes was Damed for winning two Golds?

Anyone know the order of importance of CBE, OBE, MBE?

Nearly, can you guess who I used to be?