agreed, the best athletes in the world still have coaches.

who coaches these “coaches”

it’s usually an awful lot easier to see what someone else is doing wrong than to notice it yourself. Not to mention that some people are better than others at analysing things (the most naturally skilful riders sometimes struggle when “just doing it” isn’t enough)

Given that the OP knows he’s getting something wrong then a skills course seems a reasonable suggestion.

Obviously riding gods have no need of such things… 🙄

Showing off outside the pub is a sprint outside a pub

or ride this on your bloody cx bike – a rather technical downhill section to foil the KOM baggers

I’m not watching season 5 (yet). Will get round to it at some point.

The books are bloody awful. I can’t remember the last time I read anything so badly written and I’m 100% convinced the reason for characters appearing then disappearing is that George is making it up as he goes. None of this planning out the whole saga in advance JK Rowling style, just make it up as you go and bollocks to narrative structure.

I’ve loved the TV series, but the basic material really does need someone else to whip it into shape.

guidebooks (and an OS map just in case) are how I learnt my way around. Now I just go out and ride and make it up as I go.

Once you start to learn an area then even if you go a bit wrong you soon get back on track. It’s great to explore a new trail and find “oh, this is where it comes out”

Products ofThornbridge brewery for me tonight. Another rather lovely pale ale 🙂

Wrapping in foil will be tried next time I cook a steak. Cheers

While we’re at it, who does the old time TdF rider’s trick of using the steak in lieu of a chamois to tenderize it?

EDIT: I do not do this and have no intention of trying it

I suspect this question will show me for a philistine but i will ask it anyway. How do you stop your steak going cold if you’re resting it for longer than you’ve cooked it? (I do not cook a steak for 12.5 minutes)

Sorry, piemonster. I couldn’t resist it. If I do find a picture of the Minogue on a bike I will be sure to post it immediately.

Nice one. Fits with 4d and I now have 1d and 3d too so we’re away.

Yes, 9 letters. I suspect it’s referring to 29 down as a lot of the clues say something similar and I doubt it’s really a wheel size theme. not that that is helping much ATM

Some times the money to buy lots of bikes comes at the cost of time to actually ride them 😥

There are other bikes I’d like but I don’t get enough time on the ones I have

don’t know what size wheels they use

bike tour? evening tour of central park

the doctor calling you may do some good in giving you more information which could help to reassure

is that today the letter went? can they fax/email instead? Appointments can happen quickly when they need to.

Going private could speed things up, though probably not to the extent of getting you an answer today (which is what I’d want in your shoes)

were you in a group on your other ride? You shouldn’t have a problem getting in a group, especially in the first half. Just hide behind someone keen then drop him when he cracks 😈

I just remembered driving along the road below Stanage (just past the plantation car park).

Car appears coming the other way. I can see the tarmac is not wide enough to pass at speed and there’s no way I’m putting my wheels on the very sunken verge so I slam on the brakes. The other car obviously thinks he’s got enough ground clearance and goes to swerve round me. Cue god awful scraping sound and a rapid halt. I felt bad for him but I’d stopped already well short and was nothing I could have done. 🙁

but I guess he could have decided to reverse himself even though he had the ROW? or is there some missing information about him driving a road train with 3 trailers on the back?

I remember my grandmother being in a similar stand-off. She told the other driver (in sweet little old lady voice) “I’m retired, I can wait here all day” and he decided to back down.

that website is giving me flashbacks to the 90s but it’s making me feel in need of an adventure. I wonder which bike can most easily carry luggage…

there’s lots of stuff out there on the web if you google for it. Don’t restrict yourself to looking at passats, the same problem affects lots of VAG cars – seat leon/Toledo, golf etc.

It’s possible to do without breaking anything if you do it in the right order. I’m not the most delicate of mechanics and I managed it.

I think this is what I followed but there are no longer any photos

VAG cars of a certain age have a tendency to leak due to failure of seals inside the door. I had it on an 03 seat. The water gets in between window and outer door skin, passes through a gap that is no longer sealed between different bits of the door, then exits the bottom of the door into the footwell. You could get it fixed expensively by a garage or you can do what I did, dismantle the door and squirt in some bathroom sealant (instructions available on the internet). Last time I saw the car it was 3 years since I did the fix and it was still dry.

EDIT: what fingerbike said in fewer words…

Perenial abcess..

typo of the day! I hope for your sake it only feels like it’s perennial (I assume the word you wanted was perianal)

I’ve just been rectally examined by a young female GP and an older GP. My blood pressure rate was 152/90…

so you presented with raised BP and they responded by examining your arse? I’d be looking for a new GP if I were you

I recently cleared out my desk at work and found (similar to others above) that the emergency undercrackers and socks were in fact 3 pairs of each brought in at different times to be sure.

First thing I do when starting a new job is to bring in a full change of clothes including shoes, a towel, deodorant, mouthwash and a comb and stash it in my bottom drawer.

Always beware the fart that never was.

a “fart” sufficiently bad you need a towel, a change of clothes, mouthwash and a comb? 😯

I had a cyst on/behind my eyebrow from being very young (in-a-pram young) until I had it removed while a student (minor surgery). It was about the size of a cannellini bean and never did anything but sit there and invite questions from nosy other kids.

If the GP who has seen your kid doesn’t think it’s sinister then you should listen to them. I realize that’s easier said than done…

some style tips

not answering the question, but is just me who hears the words “sports jacket” and thinks of goretex and zips instead of tweedy stuff?

Pah oh shoot, I normally look forward to ‘bombing’ it down linnets clough or ‘gunning’ it up old hall lane.

FTFY

I thought you were busy growing fish in a bucket (or something)? Maybe you could take up baking and use your bread and your fish to feed everyone at your next party?

weight is much less important when you have a motor. Strength and cheapness rule.

ninfan – not questioning your assertion – but please tell me you didn’t read the OP then rush off to scour the Guardian site for a wildlife-related example of not meeting appropriate standards of evidence-based journalism?

More helpful answer this time. Rule 5 is a reference to http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/.

All the people saying to get a wider range cassette are right. You should be able to lower the bottom gear enough to make a difference for just the cost of a cassette (Assuming you have compact chainset ). It worked for me.

EDIT: I’m a bit slow tonight

Unless you have a very good reason for this, may I suggest you have a think about rule #5 and reconsider.

road cassettes are not always happy with very large cassettes (not just the amount of chain to take up, it’s the parallelogram angles or something) but they will usually cope better than the manufacturer would have you believe and you can make things better by screwing in the B screw. FWIW I’m running 10-speed ultegra on a 30 sprocket and 11-speed 105 on a 32.

cheers, I thought you were in Scotland.

That photo makes me think I need to plan a trip north of the wall. It’s been a few years since I took a bike trip up there.

The Peak is great but a change of scenery is good to keep up the motivation.

Binners – what you needed if you were starting the evening later than your mates was snakebite and black with a vodka in the top. Guaranteed to **** you up sooner rather than later.

I remember K cider with horror. I’ve not touched cider in >20 years and doubt I will ever again thanks to that stuff.

just to be contrary. My postie leaves stuff in the blue bin. It helps that he does his round long after the binmen have been and gone but it works fine. So long as the bin’s not out on the pavement it’s safe from being emptied anyway.

that looks fun – where is it?

that website is at least better than the designed-by-the-blind leaflet UKIP put through my door. Not only is it in yellow ink on purple paper, every single bit of text is in comic sans.

It’s a long while ago but this is how I recall my experience of a CCJ. The outcome was a finding in my favour but the hearing was adjourned (without a formal judgement) to allow my ex-employer to pay up and avoid having a CCJ against him. He did cough up and thus kept his credit record.

Seems to fit with what thegreatape says