Words fail me, If I were in the same room as you I'd give you both a very, very big hug, and try to convey the joy I feel that you had a great wedding day, every ounce of strength I could pass on, but perhaps most of all thanks.

I have never met you, but through this thread you have come into my life and I care how this all goes, I have learned about life, love and the true strength that at least some of us carry within us. So thank you, and enjoy your 1st week anniversary.

*comedy american accent* Goan, admit it your just a mincerbaiter */comedy american accent*

Welsh is great, everyone hates the

Byrgyrs, Cebabau, Pitsas

, but some new welsh words are inspired…

… Microwave oven, not easy in welsh, oven is popty, so microwave oven becomes popty ping

And none of those that died were me

These words, for me sum up your strength, I am deeply humbled every time I read your posts.

That you are up, about and able to go walk anywhere so soon after major surgery puts you in a different category of stats.

This month, the most memorable and life changing thing that is going to happen to both of you, is marrying someone who you both know and love. Have a great day.

For what little it may be worth, you both have my support for as long as you would like it

Mark, you and Meg are inspirational.

For what its worth, good luck and best of luck, but I think you already have what you really need, the bulls bollocks.

Find me some Welsh "roughstuff"

Blaenau Ffestiniog any Friday or Saturday night of the year

Last time I heard restricted pronounced "ristricted" it was concerning 125cc motorbikes (hairdryers)…

The resorts aren’t daft, they try to cater for a wide range of abilities, so yes there is big scary steep stuff, that is not rollable, but also there are family routes.

Though a 50something chap, in slacks and a hunting jacket, flat soled boating shoes, a rather tatty looking fully rigid supermarket special and whose only concession to riding gear was a cheapo early nineties lid I saw riding down from the glacier in Les Deux Alps last year looked rather out of his depth…

We were lucky with the weather, Thursday was WET Friday not dry, but It was just amazing yesterday and we could see hills 100km+ away!

All riding is fun, that Ludlow ride looks good, Sun after rain is my favourite! well except perhaps for sun after sun!

I symathise with all the above and agree with much of the advice given here, a good doctor helps and so do good friends.

When I went to the doctors, I was offered an appointment with the old family GP who was retired, but covering a holiday absence, he was a bit old school, but IMO gave me the ability to begin to control my depression, and now 7 years later feel as though it is beaten. I had been depressed for 10 or so years, sometimes not too bad sometimes very hard to live with.

His advice was, medication can control the symptoms but very rarely does it lead to a cure.
Do drink less alcohol, less caffeine, I now drink a few beers a week, but rarely more than 4 pints a week, and no caffeine
One of the features of depression is to remember your life as a series of embarassing, unhappy memories or memories of decisions you regret. Change that, take time every day and force yourself to remember the good times. I still do this and these memories are now ‘bigger’ in my head than the bad ones, if you find it hard to remember any good memories try looking through old photos, move on if they trigger bad memories, linger and flesh out good ones.

Another is the long dark of the night, where you end up mulling over some problem or worry in your life (whether justified or not) for hours at night, reducing your sleep, find a way to get out of that thought pattern. Mountain biking was my way out, I visualise myself at the top of my favourite bit of singletrack and go ride it, and every time my mind slips away somewhere else force myself back again, try to visualise every move, every stone, root and tree. This takes a bit of practice, but does work, It has been a long time since I found myself having to do this, I sleep better, and so my brain works better, I feel better about myself.

Good luck, for me recognising that I needed help was the first stage, but I got lucky and was given the advice which fits for me, I believed in it, and through that spark of belief in myself have been able to turn my life round completly.

I don’t want to say that I am happy, because happiness is ephemeral, it comes it goes, but I am content with myself and my life, and that will be the same tomorrow.

Soften some spring onions in a dash of walnut oil in a frying pan, add a chopped clove of garlic, some rose wine, bring wine to boil, boil asparagus in wine for 2-3 mins… mmmmmnnnnooommmmmm nnnnnyyyyoommmm

And I’m in the Aveyron (12), just to add to the STW VTT TDF, and a little tired this evening after 6hrs in the Gorges du Tarn. I also have to agree that riding in France is very varied, though the FFC sites are only rarely to my tastes. I like big climbs and descents that challenge… I find most of my rides with the help of IGN[/url].

I have a beer beside the keyboard
The sun shines, and I’m about to take the aforementioned beer and sit in the garden with it
Its Friday
Just been told that one of my contracts is to end, but I have enough other work to fill the gap
Tomorrows Saturday and I have a looonnnngggg ride in the Cevennes planned

Here is a BBC article on the subject …Ceck out the comments especially J Taylors’

I made one, well 2 actually years ago, they work just fine, dont have any photos of mine but after a quick search on google they are a bit like this[/url] but with sheets of ply to make wheel holder/lateral adjusting guides in one piece, and cut a dishing tool out of ply as well and added a metal slider as the guage

I ride DH with platform spd’s tried to go back to flats last year, was OK in the wet, but hated them in dry fast conditions. For me I prefer having my feet in exactly the same place on my pedals at all times, on flats I am constantly readjusting my feet to try to get the perfect spot. I’ve used spd’s for over 15 years so clipping in/out is just second nature.

Many, many years ago, when we still used to ride with toeclips I was in a full leg plaster for a while after damaging knee ligaments…
I took the left pedal and crank off my bike, I would strap my crutches on my bike and used it to get around, never off road mind!

Some great reads on this thread, Time travellers wife, Papillon, Birdsong, and Touching the void have all moved me.

Recently I have read The Flamboya Tree by Clara Olink Kelly, perhaps not the most inspired use of language, but it is an amazing account of life in the Japanese camps for women, and the difference a Mothers love can make. I was moved to tears from the first few pages onwards.

between sizes? look at other frames

I think the fit of a bike is perhaps the most important factor

CRC clicky

Well…

Take some fairy liquid, dilute it to about 50% with water and apply to lens, dry with hair dryer, and it turns the lens opaque, polish this back to clear with kitchen roll. Hey presto no fog at all…

BUT…

this treatment if repeated, which you have to, does make the lens material brittle, which in a crash could lead to sharp shards of plastic in your eye (particular problem in motorcycle helmet visors).

In practice I use this method whenever I think fogging will be a particular problem, like a wet forecast, and replace my lenses at least every year. Works a treat.

1st pic, park at Treves, long, dull soul destroying tarmac climb to Col de la Pierre Plantee, Col des Rhodes and on to the col east of Serre de Combescure, descend to Dourbies, excellent, then up the road then grassy track to Col des Ubertes, back to Col at top of Dourbies descent, then go via Serre de Combescure and Mont Mal path a bit vague but findable, photo just after Mont Mal, follow endless series of paths (past the anc. mine) back to Treves…Treves is in the bottom of the 300m deep valley that cuts the flatland that is the background to the pic!
rest of pics… Start Valleraugue go down the main road for 3k turn left climb the road then track to Bonperrier, follow ridge east to Col de l’Homme Mort, down to Souhes and Les Plantiers (last pic…) Then up to Col de Tinquos and on to Col de l’Espinas then up towards the Aire de Cote at the col where the GR6/GR67 joins the road go down them back to Vallerauge via 2nd and 3rd pics.
Sorry for long and dull route descriptions but should let you find them…

Hope you enjoyed your night ride. By waymarked I mean GR’s but also PR,s mostly normally marked as a pink dashed line on the IGN maps.
Here be some pics to inspire, none taken on ‘MTB’ routes, all easy to find…




In that last pic the trail went on like that for soooo long!

I live a couple of hours west of the Tarn gorge, and often make the trip, put Valleraugue on your list as well, riding on the ridge to the East is amazing, fabulous descents both sides of the ridge

From Florac, climb up to the causse to the west, pick any path down into the Tarn gorge cross the river, climb to Mas Andre, down to Ispagnac, cross the river again, climb to Le Tomple, back to Florac, fall asleep!

You almost cant go wrong round Florac…

Stoner, its endless, I love to ride in the Cevennes, IMO one of the best places anywhere to ride. Mt Lozere is an excellent day. I find the way marked routes are nothing like the best there is to do.
Geoportail[/url] is your friend. Stick to the paths that are shown as being waymarked, because they will be there. I have ridden there many times by just making my own routes up and never had less than an awesome day.
If you want to ride in the western side of the Cevennes, mail me at jusandrhi at yahoo, and if it works out maybe we could meet up.

Lot valley, near Figeac

richc speaks the truth, Luckily I’m still very busy, but many people I know are struggling badly. Its not just the ex-pats who aren’t spending money many of my french friends are very short of work as well. One Menuisier (carpenter) I know who usually has months of work booked in has no work to do… Builders merchants are very quiet places…

No need to wait, head to the Tarn gorge area, rode in the Dourbie gorge last week, 7hrs, great day plenty up plenty down. Limestone gorges, singletrack tends to be fairly technical and rocky, slippy in the wet and often steep, excellent! most descents between 400m and 600m. Cevennes is full of ace riding, but there is still snow over about 1100m.

I’m a couple of hrs from toulouse, direct train if you dont have a car, email jusandrhiatyahoo if you fancy getting together for a spin sometime…

rightplacerighttime speaks the truth, my girls are 8 and 10, never had tv and seem to manage to remain well adjusted and say they dont ‘miss out’ at school. If we are somewhere with a tv, they are allowed to watch, but normally get up, bored, and wander off to find something else to do after half hour or so.

Mrs smd and I threw the tv out about 12 years ago. For US life is more fun without.

IMO the one in Les Gets is much nicer than the one in Montriond, Is up on the hill (Mt Chery side) excellent facilities, including outside ‘dirtybiker in all the muddy gear’ hot shower, a drying room and I think a kids play area. To cap it all the view of Mt Blanc lit up by the sunset is amazing…

…and its possible to ride (dh) in and out!

I spent 8 hrs building a stone wall yesterday, and am a bit tired today, feeling like a wuss now. Did go for a stroll for a couple of hours this morning though…

My eldest daughter has struggled for years, is often sick, often several times in a journey. She gets little or no warning,certainly no time for me to stop, its not that she feels ill, she just pukes, she has got very practised with tupperware and lid! The acupuncture bracelets are the only things that have helped, not a total cure, but she only puked once in a 2 week roadtrip to the alps last year, and she says she had got the bracelet in the wrong place.

Darkside make some FS in steel, check this super heavy weight (repeat HEAVY) DH beast…

Did a bit of a road trip last year, rode at Les Orres, Montgenevre, les 2 Alpes, Alpe D’Huez and Les 7 Laux (secteur Pipay) over a couple of weeks, all excellent, but after a day I was ready to move on from Montgenevre, but it was a good day. I was with the family, in a campervan, highly recommended.

I rode for 1-3 days at each resort, then had some family time on the days between, did some awesome walking with the kids, including a 9 hr walk to the top of Le Grand Glaiza 3300m … not bad for 8 and 10 yr olds!

When I was a trail pixie, it was the nfu who insured me, but only for risks against 3rd parties at work, not for the finished trail. The forestry commission signed that the trail was built to the specs they had agreed and took responsibility for the trail.

So do your trail pixies need insurance against negligence at work, or for the product they are building, separate if possible.

grumm speaks the truth.

Actually, Buzzards spend a lot of time sitting on posts like this, they sit very still watching for mice or voles in the grass/undergrowth around the bottom of the post. There are loads living around us, they often fly off from posts as we drive past, very beautiful birds (if you are not a mouse!)

Buzzard, or ‘tourist eagle’