The Best Of The Police

2 October, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

‎….or the continuing adventures with Merica’s Emergency Services.

Fire

It seems that the hotel was not actually on fire. I hope you will understand and forgive my false assumption when I tell you that, as we sat on our balcony, there arrived not one but TWO fire engines, an ambulance and the Sheriff. So what ‎triggered the arrival of every vehicle equipped with flashing lights in a 50 mile radius? Unexploded bomb? Nope. Terrorist cell? Not even close.

A bloke who had cycled to the bar had fallen off in the car park. He didn’t actually even appear hurt but, having turned out, every bloke in a uniform want‎ed a crack at him and he was taken off on a trolley under protest.

The Bike Song

Today is national Ride To Work day in Merica. Well, all except one old (and possibly pissed) old lady for whom it was Try And Kill A Cyclist day. She swerved across the road a couple of times before clipping one our riders and knocking her off. Here we go again…..Hello 911?…..yes it is me again, we need some more help…..no, not the helicopter this time, just the police.

A California Highway Patrolman was soon on-scene, though disappointingly it wasn’t Erik Estrada (is he dead?). Our rider was OK – a few cuts and bruises and very badly shaken – but, again, the cop took our situation very seriously, filled out lots of forms and promised to shoot the old lady should they happen to find her.‎ Having taken a peak in the patrol car he was remarkably well equipped for shooting old ladies with LOTS of very big guns!

Hotter Than July

Yes, technically an album title ‎but who gives a rats?

Today the temperature hit 109…..that is almost 43 in Roman Catholic! It was hot! If the great plains are the breadbasket of the US then we are riding through the salad bowl and vegetable drawer. Today we passed the artichoke capital of the world….impressed huh? We are now in Marina and ready to start our assault on Big Sur.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

Fetch The Fire Brigade

2 October, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

Brief PS on today……..the hotel is on fire

Fire brigade arrive at the hotel to tend to a suspected fire.

Leaving on Jetplane

2 October, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

‎Where was I? Ah yes, having cancelled International Rescue we had a jolly evening in a bar/restaurant overlooking the ocean, laughing about how we had spent 3+ hours thinking one of our riders was dead and nearly launched a 25000 dollars/hour search helicopter.

Next day was the‎ longest of the trip with lots of hills. Thanks to a return up the biggest of these looking for someone who had, in fact, gone shopping I finished on a magnificent 92 miles and 8000 feet of climb. I was f@?’/d!

‎We spent the evening just north of the Golden Gate Bridge and had a pretty passable Indian for tea. As with all Indian meals it ended up costing 50% more than expected – exacerbated by the whole tax, tip, tax on tip nonsense.

Tuesday was ride into ‘Frisco day and everyone enjoyed it – everyone except the rider with Fanta pee who, after a 2nd visit to ER and intra-venous ‎anti-biotics conceded that he wasn’t a well man and headed home. We also said a scheduled goodbye to ‘Pierre’ who had a job to keep. Before leaving he managed to suprise me…….I have a fairly high tolerance when it comes to the price of fancy cycling kit but when he proudly told me that he had just purchased a pair of £1000 pedals (that’s right pedals!) I had to have a bit of a sit down.

His other half – ‘Katie’ – is now alone and at our mercy (sinister laugh).

Today, for now it is Today, we rode out of SF through the Golden Gate park and started our way down the coast towards Big Sur. The Mustang count is rising almost as fast as the temperature. I LOVE IT!

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

Missing

29 September, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Sports & Fitness Comments Off

Oh boy where do I begin?

I suppose I should finish yesterday’s excitement first. Imagine visiting an A&E; department on a Saturday night in one of the few towns in the UK to still have one (so somewhere bigger than, say, Bristol). You would be in for at least a 4 hour wait with all the drunks, stabbing victims and blokes with hoovers on their todgers. Not so in the US of A. Fort Bragg has just 7000 people yet sports a chuffing great hospital with 24 hour ER facilities. The ratio between staff and patients when we arrived appeared to be infinite, in that there were lots of staff and NO patients! Our poorly rider was immediately seen by a triage nurse and then wafted in for a further prodding. He produced a urine sample that looked suspiciously like Strawberry Cresta (frothy man) which was tested and they confirmed that he had acute urinary tract infection. It didn’t look that cute to me, certainly less cute than an Andrex puppy for example.

With some anti-biotics and pain killers he was packed off home and we put him to bed to wait and see if he would live through the night. He did, so I have put plans to sell his bike on hold but, a day later, he still looks pretty poorly!

Today was a long 80 miles down Highway 1 with plenty of hills thrown in but everyone rose to the occasion and we were all in by 3:45…………or rather all but ONE of us was. One of our fastest riders, who had been seen 18 miles from the finish at 1:30, still hadn’t arrived at 4pm. Bugger! We searched the road – 15 miles back and several miles beyond the motel – but no sign of him. Time to use the second emergency service. We called the sheriff who took all the details, issued a missing person alert and dispatched a deputy. At 6pm, and to some relief, he turned up (the missing rider not the deputy!) having cycled 120 miles. His satnav had failed, he rode past the motel and kept going for 20 hilly miles. Luckily, and this is not a joke, it had been too foggy to launch the search helicopter!!!!!!!!!

I’m not sure how much more of this my nerves can take but I already have the number for the fire brigade ready for tomorrow.

Night Fever

28 September, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

View of a bay in America from a bike on a sunny day.

A cyclist, before the fever struck, taking a break by the sea and in the sunshine.

Empty coastal road in America against a clear, blue sky.

Warning: this blog may contain traces of smugness!

So, lovely steaks and a jolly evening in Leggett then the easy 47 miles to Fort Brag on Highway 1. The day started with a bit of a climb then a magnificent 12 mile scream down the other side. The sun was high and it was REALLY spiffy! We are now back beside the Specific and the scenery is really first class – all the better for being viewed from a saddle rather than a love machine.

The day was done by 2pm, leaving time for rehydration and a high powered business meeting on the sun terrace. This was briefly interrupted by the emergence of 3 strippers from the room behind us (they MAY not have been strippers but were certainly dressed for the role).

An early evening meal should have been the end of things but one of our riders who had previously reported as being ‘a bit poorly’ was found in his room shivering with a fever and peeing razor blades so we are now in the ER waiting for George Clooney to tell us what is wrong with him. More later!

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

You’re The One That I Want

27 September, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

After a magnificent day in the Humbolt Redwoods State Forest we are in Leggett, CA. This is a favourite stop in a little 9 unit motel with a lovely garden and gas BBQ which we will use to cook steaks and salmon fillets shortly.

The BEST thing is that we will now follow Highway One instead of the less excitingly names US101 which has been our companion for the last 800 miles. ‎Tomorrow we will have the ritual parade through the drive through tree, then a big climb and a plunge back to the coast on good old Highway One.

I expect most of you are thinking ‘this is all very interesting but how is his bottom?’. The answer is…….fan-bloody tastic! I started using a Brooks saddle last year – a splendid leather thing made by British craftsmen and designed to mould to the contours of your arse – and it is the best thing since sliced bread (this is just a saying – don’t try putting sliced bread on your saddle). By bottom is completely free of bruises, sores, festering boils and supperating leisons. Just thought you would want to know!

The cat? It came and claimed my chair in the sun while I was showering.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

I Can’t Stand The Rain

26 September, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

Me again. The last 3 days have been a bit pants for weather and my creative juices don’t flow unless it is sunny. Fortunately today has been sunny so lots of juices today……don’t worry I have had a shower!

After our rest day we did 2 easy days, to Gold Beach, OR and then Crescent City, CA. Both were cool and overcast with a pesky headwind but soon done. In Gold Beach we had magnificent steaks the size of a baseball glove in a proper restaurant with table cloths, napkins and everything. It will rank in my all time best 5 steaks!!!

Some bonus tracks

China‎ Girl

Yesterday was truly horrid with biblical rain all day. 3 riders immediately wimped out and took the van while 3 bravely set out to ride in the rain. 2 others waited to see what would happen and, at midday declared they were also taking the van. Sadly this meant I too had to get in the van (snigger!).

‎So it was a sort of rest day for me too!

In the evening we went to a ‘Eat all you can’ Chinese buffet – 8 quid!

I Need A Dollar

I am a big fan of pound shops‎. Obviously there is the fun of asking the girl on the checkout how much each item costs but I also really like the feeling that I am getting a bargain. Merica, naturally, has to go one better and had Dollar Tree…..the same thing but everything costs a dollar. The best deal we could find was a BOTTLE OF WINE! We didn’t buy one but I bet it would have been OK!

Back on the Chain Gang

Today we past a Merican convict crew working on the roads. It seems that the 21st century equivalent of breaking rocks is…….strimming!

Our House

In the middle of the woods is a cabin in the heart of the redwood forest. Location, Location, Location.

T‎onight, take-away pizza and beer…..mmmmm!

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

Now That’s What I Call Music

21 September, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

It is a rest day so lots of time to write drivel and plenty of banging songs to use:

Bandon The Run

Bandon is a very nice little seaside fishing town. Fantastic views out to sea, though it is cool and misty so no swimming for me.

A beach in Bandon, America, on an overcast day.

Crazy

We wandered ‘downtown’ and mooched around the harbour a bit and saw a couple of seals just cruising past – not a great photo but you can see he was there!

A seal in the harbour in downtown America

You will have to google the song to get the relevance…

Happy Hour

It is sunday, it is a rest day, what else do you expect us to do?

On a rest day, the cycling tour group stop for a beer in an American pub.

Young Guns

On the rest day last year I was quite keen on buying a gun but I was talked out of it. This year I was determined to buy one, but the cunning Katie found a safer compromise and bought me this:

I’m going to buy some caps and then woe betide any punk who fancies making my day.

Ticket to Ride

It seems that someone who shall remain nameless (yes , it is Sarah) thinks that I am not actually riding but just siting around drinking beer with Geoff. This is, at the very least, slander but possibly also libel and definitely bloody cheeky. I have nothing to prove but here is the proof:

A cyclist riding a bike down a street in America.

The Bare Necessities

Don’t you just love ‘Merican TV? It is all garbage but sometimes you stumble across something even worse than usual. How about this – it is called Naked and Afraid:

As best I can tell that they take people and put them in the wilderness to survive……..in the buff. Of course, being ‘Merica they can’t actually show the naughty bits so the whole screen is covered in pixelations!

Back on the road tomorrow…

Pump It Up

21 September, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

Well, when I wrote yesterday I said the bike was running like a Swiss watch. It turns out it was a fake Rolex. I fixed FOUR punctures in total and there was clearly something in the tyre that I just couldn’t find. Eventually I got the damn thing to stay inflated and today it has been fine.

One odd side-note: while sitting at the roadside mending puncture number 2 a rather scruffy bloke shuffled up to me to ask if I needed a hand. I thanked him and said I was fine and he ambled off, then stopped and turned back to say ‘I don’t sleep with men any more’. OK!

I really love this route from my two years of Love Machine duty, but the view from the saddle of a bike is even better. The ‎views are often spectacular but also the general ‘vibe’ is a great experience.

We are in Bandon, OR where we will have a rest day. Our motel is on the beach and if the mist would just bugger off it will be a great location to chill tomorrow.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

Fantastic Day

19 September, 2014 By 7pxadmin in Road Cycling Holidays, Sports & Fitness Comments Off

‎And it was! About as good a day for cycling as you could get ‎with a strong sun in a cloudless blue sky, gently rolling terrain and a sodding great tailwind. Added to this, the bike seems to be running like a swiss watch and all I had to do was sit on the thing and watch the miles passing under the front wheel.

The scenery in Northern Oregon was up to the occasion with wonderful sandy shores, rock stacks and white breakers, all shrouded in a light mist for a bit of extra theatre. Oh yes, even the whales put in an appearance.

‎Even a puncture couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

What else do you need on a day like this? That’s right ‎a chuffing great ice cream 🙂

This is day 6 and we are a quarter of the way with 430 miles under our belts. Any more days with the sun out like today and I might explode.

Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone on the EE network.

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Next ›

The Best Of The Police

Fire

The Bike Song

Hotter Than July

Fetch The Fire Brigade

Leaving on Jetplane

Missing

Night Fever

You’re The One That I Want

I Can’t Stand The Rain

Some bonus tracks

China‎ Girl

I Need A Dollar

Back on the Chain Gang

Our House

Now That’s What I Call Music

Bandon The Run

Crazy

Happy Hour

Young Guns

Ticket to Ride

The Bare Necessities

Pump It Up

Fantastic Day

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