Easter Rollercoaster
What an odd weekend I've had. On Friday I didn't do a great deal having been out on the Thursday night to celebrate Anne leaving Assureweb. I had a few shandies and felt a bit wobbly on Friday morning. Still, it was a Bank Holiday so I didn't feel too guilty. I did manage to go out in the evening for a chilli round at a friends house where I ate far too may Mars/Creme/Mini/Belgian Chocolate eggs.
The saturday was another fairly chilled day. I watched most of Soccer AM, did a little bit of work and then chilled in the evening with Anne.
Sunday started in the usual way - I got up feeling too tired and dragged myself to Church. Still, it was easter so hot-cross buns were in plentiful supply, as was coffee! Having got home and had some lunch I went for a ride with Mr Hodgson. I don't know if it was something in the water but I had a fantastic time despite my lack of fitness. We did a quick jaunt round the back of Leckhampton Hill, up to the top via OneTwentiethUtah (where we stopped for some childish messing about, doing small jumps and laughing at each other), and down to the car park one one of the crazy routes that are all still new to me.
We were buzzing and so we decided to go back to the top (this is the first time in at least a year that I have done the same hill twice in one day) and do the same run again. We stopped for a small chat with a nutter roadie (mmm, shaved legs on a man - tasteful) who loved cycling up hills but once we got to the crazy downhill section again we lost him. We stopped just short of the ruins and chatted to some of Olly's biker mates (I know Gary was there and possibly someone called Nick but beyond that I don't really know their names - sorry guys). The we dropped down to the bombhole for a few runs. Olly forgot he was on his light bike and so got silly amounts of unintended air but managed to hold it together and ride out smooth! I was simply glad I hadn't fallen off.
Ride Distance: 14.2 miles
Year Total: 92.6 miles
I can safely say that I haven't enjoyed riding my bike this much in a long time. It soaked up the bumps and while it's not a hardcore downhill bike, it still manages to put a massive smile on my face.
At least it did until this morning when I woke up to this.
Yep, some rather organised bike thieves came into our garden last night, removed the hinges from the shed door, lifted it out and made off with my Specialized and Anne's Kona. I thought they would have been satisfied with the CamelBak that I foolishly left out for them on Sunday night but apparently not. So that's it, another cycling chapter in my life ended by a thieving scumbag.
Still, it's not all bad. The insurers have agreed to pay for replacements so it's a new Cinder Cone for Anne and one of these for me. Olly tried to convince me that I wanted a free-ride/all-mountain/new-catchphrase-here bike but I kept true to my XC roots (waits for the JeyBoy insults).
Also, my sister, bro-in-law and nephew came to visit on Monday. The last time I saw him I taught him to say "Owen Rocks" which he is still doing. I am such a proud uncle.
So it's been a rollercoaster of a weekend for me. I've had excellent times and crappy times but all in all a good weekend.
Thieving scumbags. Glad the insurance is sorting you both out with nice bikes
April 18th, 2006 at 6:27 pmYeah, big up to the Nationwide Home Insurance people!
I still feel violated though (and not in a good way)
April 18th, 2006 at 7:17 pmIt really is shite when stuff gets stolen like that. I was wavering between angry and depressed for a good week after it happened to us. Still, at least the insurance paid up quick and you’re getting a nice new bike out of it. I hate to be the bearer of even more bad news, but it seems to be a free-ride/all-mountain/new-catchphrase-here bike aswell. As Orange put it:
That’s pretty much what Spesh say about the Enduro I was trying to make you buy
April 18th, 2006 at 11:18 pm[...] ail… Sunday: Leckhampton Hill, Cannondale Prophet. It started out as a fairly normal XC ride with Weon. We rode up and around the back of Leckhampton, before dropping down R [...]
April 18th, 2006 at 11:21 pmGutted about your bikes mate, glad your old and sensible and have insurance. Don’t listen to Olly about bikes, he likes odd ones that have unique suspensions which just make them look gay :-p
April 19th, 2006 at 7:31 amThe thing with the Enduro is that it only has 2 chainrings plus slack (AKA Olly) angles. I wanted a more traditional bike that could also handle the downhilly bits, hence the Five.
Simon, my new bike (and my old one to a certain extent) has odd suspension so I guess I’ll have to live with looking gay (waits for the comment on being used to it).
April 19th, 2006 at 8:31 amBad news about the bikes. If you want some help to fix up your shed let me know and i’ll bring some of my power tools with me when i come. We could fit laser guns and an electified fence to your shed to deter future would be theivers. Or a moition activatied camera wired with a mechanism wired into the lock so that you catch them on camera and at the same time rig a comedy booby trap so that you could send the film into you’ve been framed etc and make some money out of the deal as well as sending the crims to jail. Or you build an underground bunker for your bikes and use it a a hideoput like Batman with a ramp that automaticallly extends when you want to ride out and an invisible entrance that you could ride into to fool the scumbags Of course you’d need to be clear where it was or you’d just end up riding into a brick wall. The possibilities are endlesss…
April 19th, 2006 at 9:56 amThis is stupid… but who on Earth knows that you have those bikes? Little cul de sac like yours, off a new little road… To think to bring an electric drill, to steal the two bikes - means that they would have had a van… What a pisser.
You have to keep bikes indoors… in your house… to avoid some Chavy Gloster scum nicking your bike. (Although they are prolly not gloster at all)
I spose you at least get a new bike… I wish someone would nick mine. I’d love a new one. I’d like time to get on mine and learn how to ride again.
April 19th, 2006 at 10:09 amps - notice they left the bmx..
That show planning and good taste
April 19th, 2006 at 10:10 amSurely, all it takes is 2 lads and a posi-drive screwdriver and you can ride the evidence away?
It’s a real pain though. Sorry to hear it dude. Perhaps you should park your Fiat in there as well and see if someone nicks that?
April 19th, 2006 at 1:04 pmI remember as I put the door on the shed thinking “This would be really easy to break into” - guess I should have listened to my brain (why start now though?).
SBG - Don’t diss the BMX. It’s my only bike at the moment!
Joe - my latest plans involve training a pack of shrews to become Killer Attack Shrews (copyright Girt Good Productions 2006) and them have them living in the shed to attack anyone who enters without a patented Anti-Killer Attack Shrews Vest-O-Matic. I reckon that would do it. Now, where can I get some shrews? A shrew shop maybe? Waaaah.
April 19th, 2006 at 2:32 pmHey - I’m not using my Scott right now…
You wanna borrow a hardtail for a couple of weeks?
Pete,
April 19th, 2006 at 4:01 pmYeah - but knowing that there was two bikes in that shed? Owen is a regular bike user… I don’t think Anne is so much? Unless they targeted other sheds in the area, they must have been after Owen’s bike. Who would have seen him going there? Other people on that square? It isn’t such a new bike that you’d nick it to order is it?
Time for a new episode of CSI Cheltenham to investigate this crime.
April 20th, 2006 at 7:48 amNice new bikes though.
Realistically though, two guys going out robbing is no more unlikely than one guy. In many ways it’s probably easier as one can keep look out whilst the other steals. I would imagine that they struck lucky and weren’t expecting the bikes. It would also explain why they didn’t take the mighty BMX.
April 21st, 2006 at 10:03 amI think they knew exactly what they were after. I reckon they came on the Sunday night, scoped out the estate to see what was about and then came on the Monday night to nick it all. They had the right tools and were in and out as quickly as possible. Scarily effective really. Easy way to make a living. The shed security is getting beefed up this weekend - I’ve already replaced some of the hinge screws with coach bolts. They are not getting my new bike!
April 21st, 2006 at 2:50 pmAre you not going to consider the possible use of the spare room? The Garage? My new flat?
Actually that last one is a fab idea. Yeah… Leave your new Orange Pro XC XT Power 2 DeMax at my flat.
On a serious note. I wasn’t thinking about a new bike till you were visited by the Pikeys.
April 24th, 2006 at 7:39 amAlso - what is the secret to removing pedals? I got the right one off, but the left won’t budge at all, and there is no easy way as it goes backwards!!!
User a bigger spanner, HTH, HAND.
April 24th, 2006 at 10:07 am