Yadda, Yadda, Yadda

'Ey up....

it looks like a very busy, yet awfully mundane lifecycle has reduced the postings here. However, there have been some bright points in the past month.....

A long weekend down in Whitefish Montana was had with Brad and Julie last weekend. We'd heard good things about the resort there beforehand, and loved the place in summer, so we were hoping for a good 'un - and it didn't disappoint - it was flippin awesome!!!!!

The piccie above is Wieble about to plunge down "Glory Hole" one of the wicked black / double black steeps down through the trees in the surprisingly good deep snow!!!! (you always know it's going to be one hell of a run when you can't see the slope until you slide the tips of your skis over the top of the run).

After the near vertical steeps, the terrain hit the trees - and here's Brad taking on the powder and some pretty tight turns at good speed - it was terrific! Nobody else was around, we could have been on a big backcountry day (but with our own personal lift service).

Brina joined us for most of the runs on the main parts of the resort - and had a blast (even the blue runs had deep powder and trees off to each side - you couldn't but smile wherever you went). But she did leave the boys to go and play on the blacks for a while whilst she warmed her toes and took on the essential sugars (via hot chocolates etc..).

I'm still riding like a madman, and the above piccie is from today's ride on the old boneshaker bike - I headed out for a few hours west of Cochrane and climbed up from where this photo is pointing (there is a gravel road somewhere in the trees there that I sweated up - despite the just slightly sub zero temps). This is out towards the Waiprus, and it was without doubt the perfect day for a ride (albeit a touch on the chilly side).

The speedtheory spin nights are still as tough as ever - I'm looking forward to seeing what it has put in my legs for this season (one feller snapped the front mech off his carbon frame this Wednesday in the spin night - such was the intensity of the power sprints we were putting in!!! - it's ace!!!).

Hope you're all bonny.

Two fingers up to the establishment,

If you ever get the chance - visit Whitefish,

May you all slide down the glory hole!!!!!

S&S.

Snow Go Superbowl Sunday

Superbowl Sunday : akin to FA Cup Final day but with a week long media hype build up, oodles of sporting rhetoric from unnecessarily loud ex players come commentators (whom I suspect damaged the old grey matter a touch, with one too many helmet crunching tackles in their careers), and very pleasant (but not enough) close ups of the cheerleaders and their fine athletic abilities. So really - nothing like the FA Cup. Fortunately, it seems as though every man and his dog stays indoors all day long on Superbowl Sunday (despite the game not starting until 4.30pm). This is just fine by me, as with the continued warming of the weather, the roads are very ridable (it hasn't snowed for an age) and the deathly quiet lanes along Grand Valley Rd and beyond made today's ride overwhelmingly peaceful (once off the 1A, didn't get passed by a car for nearly 2 hours). I took the camera in hope of seeing something very exciting - alas, that didn't occur but hell I thought I'd take a photo nonetheless....

There were no roadies out for the old battered Trek to chase down, but she creaked along fine and dandy (it seems like the creaking bottom bracket stops once the thermometer rises above zero, as it did half way through the ride). After a jolly day spinning along, I did actually make it home in time for the Superbowl, and I must say, those Yanks do know how to put on a show. The razzmatazz, fanfare and all other associated bells and whistles that go hand in hand with American showmanship are just unbeatable and certainly couldn't be reproduced on the turf of Wembley. They even had Bruce Springsteen on the pitch at half time to sing a bit!!! (what's that all about?!?!?! I don't get it, but I like it in a very lazy, sit on my couch and turn my brain off and get mind numbingly entertained kind of way). As for the actual game, well, that's actually very good indeed and can be more compelling that a titanic Premiership clash between Stoke and Hull.

The rest of the week has had little in the realms of interest; training sessions with Speed Theory, working too late and too much, sleeping, eating, breathing etc.... Brina is having a ball with the K kids in Morely, and I sometimes think she's having just as much fun in class as the kidlings are.

We're booked to go to Whitefish in Montana to ski in a couple of weekends with the Weebles, and are currently scheming our next trip (NZ in summer - woo hooo!!!!!!). I was reading the BBC news this morning which was on high alert for the severe winter storms in the UK where a crisis looms as temperatures may well plummet to minus 2 - AT NIGHT TIME!!!!! How are those folks back home coping?!?!? I yearn for minus 2 at night time and may well get it by June!

Anyhow, it's probably time to go and iron some shirts (how very rock and roll).

May all your highways be clear and I hope you caught the game,

S&S.