I just found this picuture in my drawer of stuff. Comments and retaliation please.

yey to summer. Homework is in the dog. The bike is clean. Can't win 'em all.

Went out on Wednesday morning on the road bike - early, freezing, wet and some desperate potholes to avoid.

yey to summer.

Out this afternoon with dreeny moo or solo and out tomorrow with tywone and kirkham trouble.

First day of Summer :)

First day of Summer :)
Originally uploaded by rone.b

I don't care what anyone says, today was the first day of summer; the first ride for nearly 6 months without ice, rain, snow, mud and pain. The wind was there but so was the sun. We did 43m around clumber and pines. Good speed too. Fantastic. A competitive date with the Peak next weekend, West Sheffield. Gonna really hurt myself!

Clumber Duathlon - A Glimpse into The World of Multisport!

7.30am
Cold and soaked - the decision to ride to Clumber already had us fighting with 4 miles of 'small rain' by 7am - Rone and I arrived (damp and slightly miserable) at the rules tent. Had it not been for my Llyods Card and Tim's (long awaited) rant at the grumpy woman, we could have (and probably would have) just gone back to bed.

8.30am
Having made it through transition 'set up' - which is arguably more complicated than the race itself (Don't actually ride your bike)- and had a soft warm jelly baby from Tim's backside pocket (I was THAT cold ok?!), we made our way to the start line...

9.30am
Tim, who was even more stupid than us for choosing the Olympic distance was off first....then apart from a flash of his backside (zooming past me on the bike lap) and a couple of victory 'hand slaps' from Rone as we past on the runs, I came to realise I was alone...in a sea of nearly 1000 athletes...with only my mind to occupy me for the next 1:35:58.

5k (26:58) run was fine once I found my rhythm - the 20k ride (50:11) actually came as a nice 'rest' for the legs...for all of about 2 minutes that is - 'Tarmac Torture' was pretty tough going.

T2 was interesting...my legs felt pissed on Pernod and even Gold Olympic medalist James Cracknell looked like a newborn giraffe on Speed.

After all that, the final 2.5k 'run' (14:27) (although I would argue you actually shuffle backwards for the first km) was definitely, mentally the hardest part to push through, not to mention calves that were actually on fire. Eventually my head found my legs, all in time for a final 30m sprint finish: "This lady really wants it!!" shouted the gobshite sellotaped to the microphone... AND I really did - wanted to go home for a lay down that is!!

Smalley, Chrimbo and Andrea were diamond - plenty of crisps, chocolate, sweets and hot chocolate to undo all our efforts...well, we deserve to eat crap after all that I'd say!!

Anyway, here's to the next one - Rother Valley Tri anyone? Answers on a postcard... and that INCLUDES you time Chrimbo!!

Nixy

Tim Palmer - 2007 shovel driving champion, lined up along multi Olympic gold medallist James Cracknell, this was as close as I made it to front of the pack. I was swiftly spat out of the back of this start group by the 1/4 mile point. I was then mown down by the next start group then promptly overtaken by a grand-dad in a bin bag! I was then run over by the women - all this happening on the 1st lap of the 3 mile run course. I was then overtaken by just about everyone on the 1/2 distance loop. I eventually ran the 6 miles in just over the hour mark. I left transition on the bike at about 1hr 4min to see the fast boys start their second 12.5 mile lap on the bikes. Bummer. Lap 1, ok, lots of bike traffic and making good progress which was nice after suffering at the hands of everyone including a bloke on a wooden leg! Lap 2, not bad, but the wind was more troublesome. The final 'run' was memorable, not too bad on the legs, but i had terrible 'stitch' whatever that is. I reckon i was last to finish in my group but at least I completed. Thanks to the support from Beeny Moo, Heather Small, Pete Flatfoot and to Byrone and Nic for hanging around until I made it back. Bad Tyrone for riding in 'transition' even though is was being dismantled - what a load of old of cack. I haven't got any photos of today's event, tok the camera but i'm too thick to remember to put the memory gizmo in. Thick.

duathlon worries. 6 mile run, panic, 25 mile fast on road, no chance, 3 mile run, come on.

can't wait. looking forward to be a one man 'jam car' causing mayhem whilst being lapped.

jeez - the rules for the duathapicnic are a nightmare. any excuse to disqualify can be used according to the 6 pages of rules. i can't wait for a good rant. went for a run last night 5.5 miles ish, legs uber tight today. i reckon i'll be lucky to finish while they are still set up for the event.

blimey charley, bison 9th in tq at pines. leader for a time when only i had finished - this has now been framed and is mounted on the bathroom wall.

angus and ruth suffered punctures and a returned looking grumpy but finished well.

byrone suffering the ability not to eat and using those drug type gels that don't work.

killian lomas got all the points but was late. 14 seconds. slacker.