Congrats – a nice result and you’ve obviously worked hard to get it. Just got round to fitting the Sids i bought off you to the Mrs bike – if you find any more let me know!!! :)

The one in Germany @ Guntzberg was nice – took a train down from my brother’s base in Munster. Plus the town it’s near is exceptionally wonderful – beautiful square and lovely shops *cough*

Callum was an option because i first asked Claire to marry me in the old ruined church on Iona… She finally said yes on the jetty @ Luss so he could have been “Take the High Road” or just “High Road”…..

Freya seems to be a popular non Pop culture/x factor choice over here in the celtic fringes of the Irish sea…

The Thursday before our child was born we were in the local Indian, and my o/h made me write 5 boys and 5 girls names on a napkin as we hadn’t really been that bothered either way.

For boys we settled on Callum James and girls came to either Leah Ellen Grace or just Ellen Grace making potential initials EGO or LEGO.

Mrs O thought she might be saddled with Luke or Han at one point….

And CJ he is…. always seems sturdy as a name to me. Callum is from the same root as Malcolm (back to St Columba which means Dove), and James was Mrs O’s grandad’s name. Callum seemed rare till we had him and then they popped up everywhere…..

William was possible, but i couldn’t take Billy.

at a pinch it may take a 9spd one to get you home (trailquest emergency fix)

is yours purple & yellow? that’s why mine is still in the drawer….

Would be interested – how much and any piccies (to stevio1967ATmeDOTcom please…)

Now the 1st March apparently…… Potential new sponsor or sommat….

ask your friendly LBS??? i did the same to a stem bolt and my local shop Bikestyle managed to get it out without too much head shaking and sighing…. it was the day before i was off for a weekend to CyB so no pressure…

Bought a rockguard a few years ago off ebay after 3 weeks on my brand new Trek EX8 on rocky routes lead to several worryingly large dings, and lots of anodising scraped off @ the very broad alu bb.

Previous bike i’d had for 5 years (S Works FSR) had down tube cables and that seemed to give a measure of protection…. that said i had to tape the cables under it’s bb as rocks shredded the cables there instead….

Rockguard seems ok – slight fraying of one edge from fitting cack handedly has never got any worse. was pointed towards it by a LBS employee….

There is a Zefal alternative too if you feel like something different.

saw China Crisis last night @ a charity gig – Gary & Eddy still amazing – choose them!!!!!

whatever Disney’s Contemporary Micky Buffet is serving :)

very nice; my favourite is the last one – what camera & how did it cope with the cold of of interest? Just got a new dslr and wondering how it will cope with the cold??

borrow a bike & get out – if you’re a hobbit (ok 5’7″ ish) i have spare bike – medium Orange R8 and spare lights – i’m in Douglas and it’s worth a pootle too…. Normally a ride out with someone Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday….

tried tk maxx? our local (IOM) store has some Montane Event jackets + Lowe ones – worth a look…

call a mate and ask him to go Trailquesting in a few weeks – you can even bring your new camera???? Always try another weekend away if you want – i’ve plenty of leave still, Steve -another CYB October trip – promise to bring my shoes this time….. and not throw up on the boat, probably

Your mojo is still there, honest, mate – there have been plenty of times this year i’ve gone out, but once out couldn’t be bothered to ride the bike and just gone and sat somewhere with a view instead….

mine were fine, but my o/h (before she was my o/h) got a bad infection, and had to be admitted as an emergency after dallying for a day or two about it -another 24hrs and i’d probably be still single … if you have any complications go straight back!!!

they came for the 4*4’s and i said nothing cos i wasn’t a 4*4er. They came for the motorcyclists, but i said nothing cos i wasn’t a motorcyclist. then they (probably walkers) came for the mtb’ers, but there was no one left to say anything….

i look half decent – ta!!! least gurney looking one i’ve seen…

John, as a mac using technpphobe i’ll try – apologies as i meant to come over and ask about the bike at the start, not realising it was you.

Will probably have to copy it to my ipod and email you from there as my Mail is not working…. :oops:

John – if you look @ MPQ Media on Facebook there’s a good photo of you @ the finish. You were by our flock of Loaghtans @ the start – look for number 205 of 335…

It’s November 2009, and i’m meeting 2 friends for lunch in Bushys Pub. Richy bravely put up with me living in his house for 3 years before i married my o/h (expecting me to leave after 6 months) and Andy is like Richard Hammond, but more welsh.

We’re talking and i say to Richy that i saw his mum a while ago and ask how she’s doing. Richy’s mum puts my own god bothering in the shade, and is a constant source of bemusement to her 2 sons.

“Fine, ” replies Richy, ” hows your mum?” he asks….

“Still dead” i say, much to the general amusement of Andy and several others at nearby tables….

Greg Bear – Eon (just rereading it yet again) – secrets from Earth’s future return to roughly present day Earth in a giant asteroid

David Drake – Hammers Slammers – tanks and loyalty in a mercenary unit

Richard Morgan – Altered Carbon – ex SF trooper hired to solve a murder is dropped into a new body

Robert Heinlein – Stranger in a strange land – the only survivor of a lost mission to Mars comes to Earth after being brought up by the martians and turns the world upside down…

all worth trying…

and second Consider Phlebas – probably my favourite sci fi book of all time

we had a week @ Kielder over the first week of the Olympics – drove down from Bamburgh the same way you’d have to come (not much choice if you look on a map) . About a 2 hr drive as mentioned with very narrow twisty roads & 3 bikes on the roof. Drove back up to Alnwick one day – long drive both ways…

Most interesting part of the drive was going past a petrol station charging 1.59 for diesel, and i thoght the Isle of Man was the dearest place in the world for fuel :roll:

Kielder itself was a good destination (though my 15 yr old may disagree) – we did the Blue Osprey trail, plus the lake loop on a hot day. I also did the Lonesome Pine red route myself.

got the email – can’t log in at all :cry: need new shorts for E2E

me –

1) Yes i am – anything;s better than a 14 hr day driving the drop bag van and running the finish like last yr
2) hmmm – 6th or 7th time
3) a bit more under 5hrs would be a nice change from 4.58, 4.59, 5.34 (my mom had just died) and 5.02…

i may well be at the sign on showing what can be squeezed into a medium Tee shirt if you have strong tyre levers :lol:

Second the David Millar book – a great read, and a great insight into how someone starts clean, but gets pulled into being “fully prepared”….

Having spent 26.5 years in tax, including 8 years in investigations “Cash is still legal tender”. However HMRC can pick out the idiots who don’t think about GPR checks, plus the (based on reasonable experience) good chance of being dobbed in by a bitter ex’s, or people who are sick of hearing you say how much money you have, but don’t pay tax on, in the pub…..

you did notice they show as “out of stock’? They will probably be back up again soon though….

When will the results be up so i can see how badly i did? Had to go early once i realised that yet again Nick Craig has just (just)beaten me *cough*

thanks, minnellium, it was there, HONEST!!! :roll: top of the 2nd half – out of the quarry, round the hairpin, and the fence pushed you round a corner, and there was this tree – i walked back up Sunday morning and saw that several people had given it a beating…

got some cheap Conti barons from Craig @ Rideon’s van for the weekender after my Bontis punctured -heavy but very grippy; not the best for 3 fast laps, but confidence inspiring to a hobbit like me

they got wiped out on lap 1 of the xc too when the rider in front stopped and they tumbled sideways down the slope – both appeared unhurt and they did finish 3 laps….

really enjoyed it, apart from the ups and downs to the car park :(. Best bit? Matt (i think) shouting “come on 209” when i finally cleared that little short steep climb on the `xc race, when i really wanted to bin it after lap 1. Worst bit, hitting a tree on my 2nd dh lap and losing 20 seconds on my first run…. with matt going “what happened 209” at me…

i’m going with my brother Ady since KT was cancelled :? This is despite my usual Isle of Man Steam Racket booking problems that led to me apparently sailing home on Saturday night rather than Sunday from Liverpool :roll: . Look out for a yellow topped hobbit on Trek. may even camp if it stays nice…. Hopefully i won’t kill myself too many times….

try your local TKMaxx ? i have several pairs of Bolle and Animal glasses, oh, and some Nike ones too

couldn’t wait – a bit more to help you!!!

will add some cash tomorrow lunchtime at work – hope it’s a good one!!

probably would help…. the Manx hills were nice tonight though i came in (apparently) just before the ISS went over :(

The Isle of Man with some other slightly more famous cyclists…… lots of loverly rocky trails, with lots of ups and downs and abit around too