Have you thought that maybe it’s you who’s wonky?
Jokes aside, you could very well have a pelvis that’s rotated or tilted on one side. People live very well like that without noticing, it only becomes an issue with sports.

Personally, I visit my osteopath twice a year and everytime he has to correct that on me.

Hi piston broke, so we did the route that my husband posted above and we had a great time. It was very varied and often demanding in a good way.
Luckily we had one storm and it was overnight. Some of those trails I wouldn’t fancy in the wet.
I was on my rigid 29” (Surly Ogre) and it was perfect. Husband was on a gravel bike with canty, he had to push up and down sometimes. Some of the climbs and downhills were real steep.
We very much enjoyed the feeling of seeing the place properly (it’s often the way on a bike, isn’t it?😉)

Thanks Pistonbroke. The more I look into the area the more it sounds appealing. I got the impression the Pirinexus was going to be boring as well. We will look into your suggestion for a loop. It should work nicely. Thanks for the advice, we’ll let you know how we got on.

I’m a 1.6 m girl and ride a soul with 27.5′ wheels. It’s a wonderful bike. The wheel size is perfect.
I also have a rigid Surly Ogre with 29” wheels which I use for long distance bikepacking races and it’s faster when you need to ‘eat’ miles but it’s not as fun and handleable as the soul.
Go for the soul it will be love, uphill and downhill

Surly Ogre with Jones bars

I use it for touring with the kids. With strong wheels, racks and panniers

And I use it for bike packing after swapping wheels and tires and ditching the racks

It’s a lovely bike . Everytime I get back on it after riding my other bikes, it just feels right and full of possibilities.

In fact I’m doing the French Divide on it. Starting tomorrow.

I drive in and around Grenoble every day. I’ve never needed it. We haven’t even got around to getting it for our other car.

If you just come to France for a holiday, I wouldn’t bother. It would be really bad luck if you found yourself bothered by not having it.

Surly ogre

You’ll be ok. I live near grenoble and haven’t got around to getting mine yet.
If by any chance you happen to want to drive in grenoble on a day when it’s only cat2 or 3 allowed, AND you happen to get stopped, just play ignorance.
I wouldn’t worry.

Wash the carpet with white vinegar. Did the trick in my new car after no.1 did the same stunt…

The view from the puy de dome is breathtaking.
And oone good thing about the train is that there are no cars at the top.
Look out for the retaining walls at the top station, I designed them…?

Lots of good ideas. Thanks.

I watched Generation Iron on Netflix about body building.

Totally misunderstood and unknown sport. For this reason it was fascinating and really interesting.

TNR

Torino-Nice Rally

I’ve got one in aqua blue. It’s a QR version in XS (i’m a small girl and the Stanton didn’t come small enough to be considered).

I love it. After the first ride I was like ‘ Where have you been all my life ?

I got the 46 cassette and it climbs on trees. It climbs even better than my previous Ti hardail in 26′.

It’s so much fun and I love the colour.

I’m about to buy a new Soul, and I’ve got the choice for the rear between 148 bolt thru or normal 135 QR. Note that the wheels are Hope with the boostinator, so no advantage in stiffer wheels.

I’ve been dilly dalling for 2 days about which one to get. the colour I want is not available in Boost but I don’t want to get a frame which will be obsolete in 2 years. but i dont see the point of 148 if it’s to put wheels with a boostinator ….
on the other hand when i buy it i’ll probably keep it for years. I’m not on to change bike often.

what would you do ?

Stantons look beautiful but oh so expensive

what about a whyte ? the 909 seems nice.

why not carbon. I was thinking that could be a good idea

I’ve got a pastey howler Ti which has been great but I feel that nowadays there’s better out there.
Plus it needs new brakes and although I could buy new brakes, sometimes I think I would have a lot more fun on something else.
I was thinking about a Soul. I don’t want something just for big mountains

I actually wrote to Christian Prudhomme last year after the Tour regarding the podium girls.

My letter is in French (see below). I’m basically telling him that the girls are naf and of a bygone era of cycling and that it’s about time to turn the page on sexism in cycling.
I’m telling him that it’s embarassing for women and probably for the guys on the podium too and it does nothing for equality in cycling.
I’m proposing him to invite youth from local club to be on the podium, the message would be immensely more positive for everyone.

I never got a reply.

This year i’ll probably send my letter to Vélo Magasine or Le Cycle magasine which are popular in France because I think it’s about time people take a stand and feel a bit concerned by.

I live in France and i’m often on the podium for road races. Don’t start me on inequality (like the day the winner-man got a pair of wheels and the winner-woman got a decathlon watch)

here’s the letter for the francophones :

Monsieur PRUDHOMME,

Tout d’abord, je tiens à vous féliciter, vous et votre équipe, pour ce Tour qui a été le plus intéressant et émouvant depuis bien longtemps. Pour nous les fans de vélo, ça a été l’occasion de voir du grand vélo.

Mais j’en viens à l’objet de mon courrier. Sur la photo de podium de Vincenzo NIBALI et en fait, sur toutes les photos de podium, je suis un peu choquée de voir encore les potiches dont la présence ne fait rien ni pour le vélo ni pour les femmes.

Elles représentent un cyclisme du siècle dernier, machiste et plus d’actualité. Franchement, il est temps de se débarrasser des podium girls. Elles ne valorisent personnes. Ni les champions qui pour la plupart sont sûrement un peu embarrassés par leur présence, ni les femmes qui devraient (et sont quand même, heureusement) être encouragées pour être des sportives et compétitrices de plein droit et non pas des faire-valoir d’un autre temps.

Je vous propose à la place d’inviter des jeunes (garçons et filles) des clubs cyclistes des villes étapes à tenir le rôle. Ça enverrait un message beaucoup plus positif et d’actualité sur un cyclisme moderne porté sur la performance et la beauté du sport et surtout porté sur l’avenir.

Tout le monde le dit, cette année a été exceptionnelle. Prenez l’occasion pour tourner la page sur les podium girls qui sont un peu ringardes.

Merci d’avoir lu.
Cordialement et merci de nous donner notre fête nationale de 3 semaines tous les étés!

Une fan et coursière

I’d like to point out that what most of you refer to as the ‘French Alps’ is in fact the ‘northern alps’.
Do not compare the weather in Morzine or even Tignes with the weather in the Ecrin and generally the Alps south of Grenoble.

In summer you can have proper summer weather in the south while in Morzine it’s winter revisited.

That said, at the moment the weather is sh*te everywhere.

Anybody can give Mugsys_m8 some advice so he can make his beer and I can drink it

cheers

take it

L’Alpe is already full. people have already been for a few days. but you could just walk up from the bottom. the first few hairpins are the steepest.

this :

Froome écrase la course, mais il n’est pas un patron!

Difficult to warm to him. today he smiled on the podium and showed some teeth. I thought his skin would crack. He never shows emotions and rather than making him look cold and calculated à la Armstrong, it makes him lood bland and really boring.

even if i don’t warm to him, i really hope it’s real, cos’ today his little sprint sessions on 10% slopes where quite ‘incredible’

Had a fantastic ride. Official time is 8:50 which means gold by more than an hour, which was my goal.

enjoyed all of it. I was expecting to suffer all along so i was mentally prepared for grinding but my legs were good and I felt strong and comfortable all around.
The bottom of the Alpe was hot though and it’s bloody steep but I knew that so I kept going strong to thhe end.

Super race and a much better atmosphere than I expected.
and some fantastic riding. top of Galibier to Bourg is a grinning experience when you’re with a fast group.

Vive le vélo !

Roger Mussons’ book is a very good read. It’s very interesting to read and explains everything simply.

2nd what mrmonkfinger says.

Building a wheel is surprinsingly easy when you do it methodically.

Mont ventoux on Tour de France day is the most amazing. If the weather is good it will be a day to remember.

L’Etape the next day? love it… 😆

anyhow, good luck to the manxman. If you come from the Isle of Man to ride in the Alps for the first time. It’s going to be quite something. Remember to enjoy the views.

You’re all making me feel better… not.

everybody keeps telling me I’ll be ok. My dad’s doing it for the unpteenth time and tells me to just get on the bike and ride. he thinks other things i did were harder (i did some ultratrail races) but I’m not convinced.

bump

mugsys-m8 posting here on Mrs Mugsys account and french keyboard i.e. non qwerty grrrr….

we have toured in various guises with one and then two children. Our first tour with 2 was along the N Brittany coast, camping and with me riding back every 2 or 3 days and leapfrogging the car along the coast so we could do a a to b.

For this tour Mrs Mugsy carried Pia (14 months) in the child seat and I towed Etienne who was 3 1/2 in the chariot trailer. Due to child seat I carried all our kit on rear rack and on the chariot. It worked it wasn’t ideal but we didn’t want to throw too much cash at the time.

Last summer we did 3 weeks without car touring Danmarks southern isalnds with etienne on his isla bike attached to Mrs Mugsy by a follow me tandem. She had fornt and rear panniers and I towed Pia in the trailer and rear panniers. This year we will have the same set up but with front panniers for me and a stiffer than the roadrat frame for Mrs Mugsy……

Touring with childre quite simply rocks. We have found our summer holiday format for quite a few years.

All very entertaining but I think most of you are missing the point.

You welcome a student in your house as part of your family. You provide free lodging and food adn in return they do a few hours a week of chores or childcare for you.
It’s not just a cheap way of having a live-in house keeper / nanny.

Your child is not even born and you already have to juggle between priorities and responsabilities with the stress that go with it.

Welcome to the world of a working mother.

Seriously, decide with your wife on what you should do but regardless of the importance of the meeting, your wife and your baby are way more important.

it doesn’t need a rack and it’s very quick to attaach to the adult bike (couple of minute)

the Follow me is fantastic. much better than a seating attachment. unless your kid doesn’t want to bike at all.

we did 50 k a day for 20 days in a row on holidays last year and my then 4.5 years old didn’t complain once.

once at the campsite or off the roads, i would detach him and a few seconds and he could bike on his own.

i highly recommend. even for the price

Good luck Lewis.

your life will never be the same again but cherish what you’ve got

My first cup of perfect strong hot expresso mid-morning

Comming home in the evenings to my house on top of a hill with the view, the still air and the silence. can’t bring myself indoors on those days.

Listening to Pink Floyd full pelt (as I am now)

the elation that last the rest of the day after a really good hard ride.

The Fridge
Mass
That club under London Bridge station (The Dome?)

So many good eeeeeenights….

No, it’s on the 21st of this month