Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Small Air in Former Big Water

Cash doing a little jump More fun on the shores of Lough Neagh, the largest freshwater lake in the UK. It was even larger (20 feet deeper) until the 1930's, when someone in govt decided to let more water down the Bann (or something like that).

If this photo had been taken in 1928, the impressively monstrous leap on view would have been completely under water! Amazing, eh?

Chain Too Long?

Chain wrapped around stayNew solution if your chain is too long. Don't bother removing links, which wastes time and requires a chain-splitter. Instead, why not try re-routing the chain around the seat-stay. Initial worrying friction will be minimised when the chain finally wears a deep trench in the steel.

Advancement Through Y-Frame Technology

Test-drive of the Harlem Reality Dual Suspension Y-Frame Technology cycle system. Like the microwave oven, the technology was originally developed by NASA, and now powers whole communities. Ladies, look away now.
Cash goes all Y-Frame on us Under the Bonnet

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Traditional Route Passed Without Incident

Tango becomes the first orange man (geddit?) for some years to travel from Drumcree church down the Garvaghy Road into Portadown.

Thankfully the Transalp Challenge is unlikely to throw up anything this tricky.
Drumcree church Garvaghy Road

Good Times and Bad

Life, like a ride on the bike, is like riding a bike, but can also be a struggle. Sometimes things are tough, and you feel like there is no hope. At times like that, it is worth stopping to ponder on the things that really matter.
Bridge jump Pondering the grave

Transalp Challenge Conditions on the Shores of Lough Neagh

Saturday March 18 was our first real test of Alpine conditions, with a lap of Lough Neagh taking us a solid 90 miles and a vertical climbing total of 3,500 Centimetres. Finding our route proved the simplest of tasks, and our nutritionist prepared an excellent fuel plan that kept us going well throughout.
Lough Neagh Cycle Way Subway

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Transalp Challenge Skills Masterclass 3 - The Dismount

Cool dismountKey to completing any cycle successfully is mastering the art of getting off the bike. Don't try this one at home without a trained professional present...

Hands Up Who Else Needs a New Bike?

Drunk man with broken bike

Dignified Right to the End

Well, the final hours are approaching, as two old trusty nags prepare to meet their maker. Both have enjoyed a good innings, but they either need laid to rest or a new bionic lease of life. An eerie calm hangs over Antrim town and the hills to the north, as component failure points towards an inevitable end.
Broken gear cables Worn-out rings

He Had Ten Thousand Men!

Not the Grand Old Duke of York per se, but even for us, what else is there to do once you have marched right up to the top of the hill, except march back down again?! More fun on the slopes of Slemish.
View from the top of Slemish Tango descending Slemish with the usual style and grace

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Sooooeeeeee!!

I am sure Saint Patrick didn't know it at the time, but when he tended pigs on the lower slopes of Slemish in the 6th Century, he was a true pioneer. Little did he know that 1,500 years later, Tango & Cash would be manhandling their own brutish MTB hogs up it, after 6.0 hrs of furious pedalling in the Antrim Hills. Squeal like a piggy!!
Designs on Slemish There is no pretty way to get a bike up Slemish

Monday, March 13, 2006

The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Panting

...And this time we weren't even on Tardree's Carnearney Lane! Whilst still only having Grasshopper status on the 'Kung Fu' international MTB fitness scale, we are slowly learning the art of steady hill-climbing. Still to master is how not to look completely knackered in the photos!
Cave Hill in the snow Cash knackered on Cave Hill

Latest Bigwheel Sighting

Such is the refusal of some of our rarest and most endangered species to bow to the rigours of natural selection, that a number of them have resorted to cross-training in an effort to ensure survival.
Bigfoot Cash does Bigfoot

Hubbrrrr Hubbrrrrr

Training continues despite tundra-like conditions in the Antrim Hills. Our round trip of 65 miles in the snow would have been a runaway success and a much-needed boost in our training plan, had 64 of those miles not been in the car, to and from our start point in Glenariff. The latest problem? Frozen hubs, causing a freewheel no matter what way the pedals were turning! Be warned - that's what happens when you wash your bike!
Frozen hubs WD 40 does the trick - cancer for bikes!

Friday, March 10, 2006

Crazy Ken - If it's broke, he can fix it!

Ken on a bike! It's Ken on a bike!Meet Crazy Ken - any time we are down in the dumps with our worn out bikes, we can count on Ken to step up to the plate and make things alright again. We don't even need to say anything any more. We just drop the bike off, let him stroke the down-tube for a minute or so, and he knows what needs to be done to make us smile again. The big lad hasn't even any concept of money - payment is restricted to beer and raw steak! Receipts provided on request. See man and machine in perfect harmony.

Transalp Challenge Skills Masterclass 2 - Jumps, with Steve Turner

Steve Turner takes a BAD fall Steve Turner first shot to fame in MBR with his effortless demonstration of classic mountain bike jump technique. Now we have the opportunity, through Steve's no-nonsense approach, to apply his lessons to our everyday riding. Hey, nobody says it like the king, so we'll let Steve take over in his own words...

"Stick to the basics, guys, do them well, and everything else will flow from there. Get your seat up way too high, lean forward and stiffen your body as you hit that ramp, and hold onto your bike no matter what happens. If you think you are gonna crash - simple - just wish it weren't so. Mind over matter will ensure you land that jump perfecto. Guys will want to BE you, girls will want to be WITH you. Party on, dudes!".

Steve hopes to record his jump technique DVD in early 2007, when the titanium plates are removed from his shoulders.

Feed the Beast!

Indian Food The endurance sportsman needs a satisfied belly to excel at his craft. Following the example of the splendid Ernest Shackleton on his ship 'Endurance' (as previously referenced), we had initially embarked on a steady diet of seal blubber and melted ice for our sustenance. Recent advice, and the scarcity of seal flesh in Tesco, has challenged our approach here, and this is currently under review.

A food expert we know (a really quite ENORMOUS chap with obvious expertise) has proposed that we adopt a more scientific approach, 'feeding the beast' all through the day with a variety of wonderful things like 'Karbs' and 'Proteen' and 'Shakes' and 'Jee Eyes' and 'Phats' and 'Calleries'.

So! Adopt, adapt and improve! Onwards and upwards! Never up, never in! Etc...

OK, Here's the Plan - A REAL Plan

We have been hammering away a couple of times a week since beginning of Feb. Our training at Plan Spreadsheetthe moment consists of a couple of fairly tough blasts during the week for 1.5 hrs or 2.0 hrs each, a long ride on Saturday (4.0 hrs plus) to increase our endurance, and a slightly shorter ride on Sunday, just to seize the day! We will keep ramping up the duration of the long rides for another 8 weeks or so, before moving onto more intense stuff. And we have a spreadsheet to prove it! Pretty cool, huh? Aren't we hard!

Endurance Training

Shackleton's EnduranceFollowing our general web research on endurance training, the marvellous book 'Endurance' became useful reference material. The book charts the quite incredible story of the explorer Ernest Shackleton and his team in the Antarctic in 1914. Bloody awful time they had, but they all made it back home alive. Leaving aside the inspiring nature of the tale, Shackleton was a relatively inexperienced mountain-biker, so for our bike-specific training we have improvised a bit and looked for alternative strategies beyond letting our lives ebb slowly away in a frozen, deserted wasteland.

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Transalp Challenge Skills Masterclass 1 - Cornering

Cornering on tarmacOutside of our continued quest for superhuman fitness, part of our ongoing drive will be towards improvement in general biking skills. Here we take a look at perfect technique for those long sweeping alpine corners. Remember not to lean over too far, just in case there is diesel on the road!!

Supporting A Worthy Cause

We will be raising money for the Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association through our Transalp Challenge efforts.

You can donate directly to NICHSA at their web site http://www.nichsa.com/, or feel free to contact us on rmckee@tibus.com if you want more information.

Tuesday, March 07, 2006

Brokebike Mountain

Mounted bikesHaving served us well for many a year, our ailing beasts are starting to falter with all this use - regular multiple mechanical failure is now part of daily life. One minute they treat us like a loving mother, the next a jealous mistress.

The truth has dawned - if we are gonna even make the start line of the Transalp Challenge, we need new bikes!

No Business Like Snow Business

Replicating Alpine conditions in the Antrim Hills can occasionally be tricky enough, but we gave it a crack anyway on 4th March, with reasonable results.
Snow wheelie Snow angel

Waddya Mean, We Need a Training Plan?!

We'll be honest - sticking a plan together to prepare for 8 days of endurance hell on mountain bikes is virgin territory for us both. The proposed solution? Easy - copy someone else! The problem? Most other people are either not telling, or they are weekend-spin-buddies with Lancie-Boy Armstrong, and we ain't at that stage just yet!

So what have we done? Got bloody-minded about it, and searched harder! ...

Training off to a Good Start

Nutrigrains on top of CarnearneyTraining has started in earnest, with both Tango and Cash practicing eating large quantities of Nutrigrain Elevenses, whilst wearing cycling helmets.

Early signs are we are gonna be able to handle the Transalp Challenge OK.

Monday, March 06, 2006

Why the Transalp Challenge 2006?!

Neuschwanstein Castle, BavariaWe are both in our 30's, we both have bikes, it is sunny in the Alps in July, the race starts at a lovely big castle in Germany and finishes on the shores of Lake Garda. So, why not?!

How hard can 400 miles and 65,000 ft of vertical climbing over 8 days be? See www.transalpchallenge.com.