Living with Canucks: Two Years and one first

If two years ago today you'd have told me that I'd be winning a mountain bike race in Canada I'd have bitten your hand off for such an offer. Although on May 27th 2005 I was a little more preoccupied with losing a testicle than riding a bike, things sure have moved on since then!

Round 3 of the Alberta mtb xc cup was a fitting way to spend the two year anniversary of "dropping a bollock" - and it seems like the event got to me, as I sailed home in first place! The course was treacherously steep (I kept up my consistent run of form for races this year by stacking it big time arse over tit into the undergrowth), and I was rather pleased to leave the shaven legged fellers on their fancy spring bikes behind me!

Here's Brina the chief photographer for the day! She was clicking away at the camera as the riders started en-mass (biggest turn out of the year so far) - although I got a heinous start and felt like I was peddling backwards as the surge of riders made a 100 metre dash towards a tight gravelled bottleneck. Seeing my plight near the rear of the field, Brina professed to nearly burst into tears (bless) - then subsequently when I came riding off the course in first she once more professed to nearly burst into tears!? (you just can't win with some chicks!). Fortunately the first few kilometers of the course was steep in the upwards direction - which suited the skinny Brit down to a tee!

Brina also got the R&R advertising shot - for when the Kiwis bring their retail emporium to North America;

After a rather cheery day up in Devon (just south of Edmonton - and no industrial estates either - although there were zillions of labrador sized mosquitoes growling along the riverbank), we mosied back to Cochrane to while away the rest of the day, and with all the panache of Delia Smith (I'm not helping you with this one Yanks), Brina plucked a celebratory cake out of nowhere (carrot of course - and celebratory as in 2 years since cancer diagnosis. I didn't want to call it the cancer cake in case some of you feared the ingredients were flour, sugar and diced tumours - you may also notice the cake doesn't have 2 candles for 2 years, but just one candle - maybe this is to show last bollock count!).