Fat Foot...

Been getting back into the ole skatepark a bit lately which has been super good. Trouble is when you bail, the ground's pretty damn hard..

A few weeks ago it was my elbows with a real stupid crash, this time it's my foot, and another stupid unnecessary bail.. I couldn't put any weight on it at all the following day, went to hospital and they thought I'd broken it. They x-rayed it and luckily its not, but I can't stand for long, put any weight on it, I can't even ride a bike stood on the pedals.. aaagh! This is day three of hermitude! I managed to squeeze my super swollen foot into a clips shoe for a road ride this morning which was mint, but only sat down, no climbing outta the seat or riding off curbs, even that hurts!

I'm sooo glad I'm not gonna be off for long, I have a few friends out with injuries at the moment, I can't even begin to imagine how bored and tired of it all they must be!

Anyway apart from that things are good, so hopefully in a few days I'll be able to walk about like a normal person instead of a cripple!

2008... the story so far..

Well, if what's happened so far is anything to go by, alot of good times. Since the beginning of the Christmas holidays I've used far too much petrol driving to Bristol, expended loads of energy riding XC, skatepark or road, not climbed enough and it doesn't look like the pace is slowing any time soon.

Over the hols I met a bunch of Bristol riders who are all dead keen to go riding at every opportunity and ride we have done. We went to Glyncorrwyg up the road from Afan just before Christmas, did the shorter route then rode back up and ended up doing most of skyline by mistake cos someone took the wrong turn for the short cut to the final descent.. It was a wicked day but to say I was knackered is probably an understatement. Ridden a bit more XC since then, including the Quantocks and my favourite descent down there - Stert Combe. It's all been crazy hardtail action, but I've not missed the suspension bike at all.


Playing around up Shute Woods near Axminster.

Just as well really because no sign of the Yetis yet, so no other option right now, but the hardtail's got big dh brakes on it and a single ring so the chain doesn't fall off on the descents.. .middle ring only, I can climb most things with it. Been riding flats and loving that as well, even on the bumpy irregular climbs where normally I'd be liking the power of clips for keeping your pedalling fairly steady. Maybe it'll be flats only in 2008..

Did my first Bristol street ride in quite a few years on Monday night, including a wall ride on a real wall.. sounds silly to say that, but previously only ever done the wall ride on the right hand side of newport skatepark's funbox.. which is my opposite side anyway. Was really good to hit a real one, and be able to hit one on my natural side. Can't wait to move onto vertical walls, these ones were a little sloped.

Tomorrow evening is going to be a nice one.. quiet with good company and good food, bout time I had a rest after all the driving up and down to bristol - a 60mile round trip - and all the crazy bicycle riding. Looking forward to it... then back on the bike for Saturday to the Forest of Dean. Nice.