If you say it in a posh voice it sounds great, Twittar on the Sitar. I did think of a slightly crasser version, I'm sure you can imagine it. Even took a photo.
As much as I try to keep this here blog all updated with loveliness there is certainly plenty of times when a little snippet will do. Hence the transient phenomena that is Twitter. If you fancy a little more insight and idiocy from myself then gimme a follow. Like cyber stalking but in a good way. I might even start a revolution on there or maybe write a short poem or even post that crass photo I originally took for this post (it really is not that exciting but rather weird instead).
But it would be lovely if you'd join the party of words that it is:
The latest edition of Wideopen magazine, #15, is out and available on the ol' internet, totally for free. I was asked to write a little piece for it (on page 19), all about why I ride. It's not as easy a question as you might first think but I hope I got something down about it that would be worth you having a little look-see.
Riding a bike down hills against other people is something I like to do and I've written a little prattle in Dirt magazine about what strange places and thoughts I go to and through in my attempts to do so. This is a mere precursor to my full thoughts on racing other people on off-road bikes...
All you lot that ride around cities on thin tyred bicycles, I've found the answer to all your woes.
I was lucky enough to receive a fixie a while ago to race the Red Bull Minidrome, I found it fun but having since tried riding the thing around the streets I have encountered numerous problems. I even had to deny a girl a backie as I was scared I wouldn't be able to stop.
I have now tinkered with the bike; my additions are wider bars, a shorter stem, flat pedals, a back brake and for all you die hards to hate me, a freewheel. I imagine that may be a dirty word in the fixed scene.
Wow, what a bike it is now though! I can now ride down hills fast, stop without blowing out my knees, give girls backies, stand up to get my phone out my pocket and I can do wheelies that don't require me to keep pedalling, they're loads better and called manuals!! I won't be doing any other tricks on it though.
I suggest everyone with one of these bikes follows suit. I don't know what the scene would be called if wheels weren't fixed but by golly it's nice to be freewheeling again. All I need know is a basket and it would be the perfect town bike.
Here it is on a bridge over a railway near my house. Those guys in the background are train spotters, I thought that was apt (I hope you can see the funny side?)
The beautiful county of Shropshire, that I live in, almost looked tropical on my ride in the evening sun last night. Just the slightest hint of summer has got me all the more excited about riding bikes. The tracks are perfect at the moment. A bit of moisture for grip but not enough to make a mess of your clothes.
When I was in Sweden last year, a lovely guy called Chrille told me about a book he was working on. It was to be a collection of experiences, emotions and personal accounts from creative people with backgrounds in various sports. It sounded great and I was very honoured that he asked me to contribute to it and hopefully I did the project justice. It has just been printed and on receiving a copy it looks incredible, a true work of art, I know that Mattias Fredriksson's photography certainly helped make my part look fabulous.
There's all sorts of pieces in there from Skiers, Snowboarders and other dwellers of the Scandinavian mountains. A lot of it is in Swedish but I will try to get my english text up somewhere soon.
A lovely touch, is that every contributor picked their top ten favourite songs, a very hard task and one that I still feel I'd like to add to. Hjärta for those that don't speak Swedish, like myself, means Heart and I know that Chrille put a lot of his heart into this and it shows. There's no corporate agenda, no desire to make money or make oneself appear to be something that they're not. This is a book all about peoples love for what they do and it really does make everything seem worthwhile when a great project like this becomes a reality.
Many that read my columns in Dirt may think them a little strange, I know this 'cause I've been told just that on a number of occasions. For my latest one, not only were the words very satirical (I hope people got that) but also the photo was a bit of a parody. Some people have told me it's strange but the strangeness of it I reckon is only due to the context of being in a mountain bike mag. After all the inspiration for the photo was the best selling poster of the 80's, L'Enfant. Over 5 million copies of that were sold, I don't think Dirt has quite that circulation. Hopefully this kind of reenactment will help boost it hey!!
One a place endemic with capitalism and the other a sweet small town in Scandinavia, where the ethos of capitalism seems an oh so distant concept but both places where I have had the fortune to ride my bike and write little stories about in the latest issue of Dirt magazine. One was downhill, the other was on a fixie. Polar opposites of what I have experience of doing aboard a bike but both very enjoyable. I hopes yous likes how I've tried to convey the experiences in my bumbling way with words. Be seeing you.
I wrote some words for Dirt magazine all about seriousness and glued a couple of pictures to the page of my mate the Jockey that is Sandy Plenty and me being pulled down a lane by another. Lovely.
Got a few photos of me and my mate Helen in a magazine that guides you through adventures outdoors. I guess this makes me one of the 'Famous Five' but there was only two of us?? The Famous Two then, but that doesn't really work, anyway here is a few pages from the Outdoor Adventure Guide.
Got a shot in the latest issue of the marvellous German magazine, 6undZwanzig. Shot it with Grant Robinson in a wood that is fifteen minutes from my house (in Shropshire, UK). Funny when these local things end up in a magazine from a differnent part of the world. Amazing looking mag though, all about gravity driven mountain biking. Shame I can't understand it. If you can read German, be sure to have a read, if not be sure to have a look, I'm sure both are just as rewarding.
Here's a couple of films from the Red Bull Mini Drome I did a few weeks ago. One shows me crash (in the opening seconds), the other shows off my hair outside a helmet, take ya pick on which you prefer!!
I went to a boxing club the other day, apparently it's a famous one, York Hall in Bethnal Green, London. I weren't there to punch anyone just to ride my bike around what looked like a wall of death. The Red Bull Minidrome was somewhat of a new experience for me on a lot of levels. I had never ridden a fixed bike before and took delivery of a lovely Plug a few days previous so had a sum total of ten minutes under my belt, which unfortunately was not a boxing belt, if only I'd thought to wear one of them.
Turning up in London after a long drive my first experience of Fixed riding in the capital was to get a ticket off one of Boris' prick henchmen. Fined for riding on the pavement as I was about to get off to join my mates who were walking. When the wanker takes ten minutes to fill in a five line form, I think they shouldn't have trusted him to make a decision on whether someone should be fined or not. If I could have killed him there and then I definitely would have, in fact, if I could kill him now, I still would, the abhorrent little fucker.
After that little mess, I got to the boxing club wanting nothing less than a fight. The Drome looked mental. A few practice laps and I was up for qualifying. Only 18 people had gone before me. I went fastest by a healthy margin and stayed in that position until a couple of people went faster so I ended up in third.
Come the finals I smoked the first round and then right ruined the second. After one false start, I was cruising when I realised the guy was going well. Upping the pace I got a wobble on in a corner and flew of the track on the straight. Turns out London hated me that night.
I was so angry to go out, I don't know whether this is a new found ultra-competitiveness or what but I was hugely disappointed. I massively enjoyed the experience of racing this crazy oval. I've heard a rumour there will be some more. I will be at them and I will be wearing a boxing belt.
Received one of Charges lovely bike boxes today. Inside was my first ever skinny wheeled bike; A Plug. The reason why I have this is because I am racing the Red Bull Minidrome on Saturday. I don't have a clue what I am doing or what it will be like but I'm sure it will be an experience. I now have a couple of days to get used to riding a fixie. I've never really been a big fan of the scene, it's always been about riding on dirt for me but I gotta admit, it is a beautiful looking bike. I'm having a muffin to celebrate then I'm off to the coffee shop with my laptop on my back. I think that's what ones meant to do with these bikes isn't it?
I did some riding on my bike, my mate Grant took some photos, I then wrote some words, sent them to a guy called Mike, he gave the words and the photos to a bloke called Jon who made it look pretty and this is what it looked like, Lovely ain't it. Except I made a typing error, which annoys me. The full features are in this months Dirt magazine.
This last week with all the snow we've been having I've managed to get out for a couple of rides in it. One was a proper life affirming moment. I rode up a local hill with a rock outcrop called 'The Devil's Chair' at the top. I sat in the chair charging up on evil for a little bit and contemplating the world, was amazing. Both rides were ace, I love drifting about in the snow. Loads of my mates have flaked out on the rides, wimps hey but I think are manning up for tomorrow and we're off for an epic one, although it's melting quick so might just be a sloppy affair. Right up for it however it is though. One good thing I have noticed is that the snow is really good for checking out what line I was taking in corners, I kept challenging myself to get perfect arcs through them.
The latest Dirt is out and it has a nice little page with my words etched onto it and a photo in the back of an ambulance with my good paramedic mate Meercat. It was a little strange going down to the ambulance station and getting all strapped up in the back of that thing.
I'm not a big fan of lycra and I want to stay warm over winter so I've got myself some Man Utd socks. Teamed with knee pads, just the job for cold winter rides!!
