Training has started

..... well sort off. This damn fine British summer is not doing much for my motivation.

Back on the Lecky escarpment to do a few laps of Ingleborough training. The electric cow fencing has now gone
My manhood is now protected from the risk of being zapped (a painful experience from last year - serves me right for laughing when my Beagle got zapped peeing against the same wire).

Need to plan some 3hr rides - just need to get a demo bike to motivate me

Why I need a new bike

My current Paul Milnes bike was a rush purchase in 2001 just before the 3 pks when Dave Haygarth's hand-me-down broke whilst training with the club MTB guys.

Lesson there:

• Haygarth hand-me-downs are well used, tested to the limit and probably EOL ;-) &
• make sure you don't give the MTB'ers a reason to be smug and say "told you so"

And I want discs! - I'm fed up of being in tears of pain descending Pen-y-ghent trying to brake through poor rim brakes.

And I want a frameset where my feet don't overlap with the front wheel which caused me no end of grief in the winter CX races.

And yes, it's been 11 years on the same CX bike - time for a change - it's been brilliant and looks as good as new which is saying something since I'm getting/got a reputation for falling off!

So now to the fun bit of which bike to test.

Bike choices:

• Kinesis Evo 6 frameset
• Whyte Saxon Cross

Gutted - out of the three peaks

Well last year was a write off following a crash in training (one of Jeff's infamous MuddySocs rides) when I went over the bars and fractured my shoulder joint. All that traiing in the Alps and Dolomites at Marmotte and Gran Fondo went for nothing.

I felt more stupid (and the boys follow this up) as the crash was on tarmac when I was too relaxed following a technical descent in to Bisley.

As always here's to 2012

I'm in :-)

3pks went all 21st century and tried out online entries. Mightily relieved that with more entries than places (879 vs 600) I got the email to say I was in. Phew, as I've spent a fair bit upgrading the bike ready for September.
I'd better start training now and regain all that fitness and weight loss following La Marmotte and Gran Fondo Sportful.