Mid-April’s random collection of bike related thoughts.....

HONC if you’re happy…. TracyMiles

I again woke up with swollen bug eyes so it pretty much looks as if I am allergic to some kind of pollen about at the moment. I duly hid my puffy face behind some sunglasses and dragged my butt to the start of the Hell of the North Cotswolds (“HONC”) 100km reliability ride as, not having ridden there before, I was really looking forward to seeing what this event was like. Despite the 9am start the temperature soon got pretty hot - around 25C - so this produced miles of very bumpy and dusty trails (and probably oodles of pollen!) but also meant that the views of the Cotswold countryside were rather spectacular. There was a good turnout from the Climb on cycling club and lots of other familiar faces were also there so there was plenty of good company to be had and the halfway bun stop was particularly scrummy. As well as the 100km you can also opt for the 50km distance and as the trails are all on quiet back lanes and bridleways this is a good event choice for all abilities if you fancy signing up for next year.

I can’t stop eating this... TracyMiles

If, like me, you are a Marmite fan AND a Guinness fan then how can you pass up this Special Edition food of champions! Available now in your local store and just begging to be smothered over your favourite fodder…..

Specialized Enduro 6+: 2007

My next scheduled Enduro event stop is the six-hour at Catton Park, which you can tackle either as a pair (male, female or mixed) or, as I am doing, solo. The format is slightly different from most others in that it’s a parc-ferme event. This means you get an allocated pit where you dump anything you think you might need for the six hours and once the event starts the only place you can go for food, spares or to swap with your partner is effectively the pit area. It also starts with around an 800m Le-Mans style run to your bike which is always a weird experience in your “not designed for running” cycling shoes!

This is a great event (particularly if it’s dry and the bluebells are out) and new for this year is the ladies only day on the Saturday where you can tackle a lap of the course in a no pressure girl-friendly environment to see if you are tempted to further indulge in the off-road scene. You’ll gather from other postings on the Weblog that I’ve tempted Jo and Heather to sign up so I’ll be acting as their escort - check back soon and see their report on how much they loved it - my bet is that they will be turning up in the pairs category for the six-hour next year!