Nostalgia and national pride. A potent mix.

// November 17th, 2010 // No Comments » // Cycling, Edinburgh, Misc.

This morning I watched a video (available below) showing Scottish mountain bike trials pro rider Danny Macaskill performing all manner of jaw-dropping stunts during a journey from Edinburgh to Skye and it evoked some strong emotions within me. Not only is there the warm nationalistic pride in seeing familiar areas of my beloved (but mainly cold and grey) country shot in HD video but there is also an aching nostalgia for all the carefree time I spent as a teenager on a Haro Master BMX bike. A Haro Master bike not dissimilar to the one pictured at the top of this post (click on it to enlarge). (more…)

Road bike training with Garmin Edge 705

// September 11th, 2010 // No Comments » // Cycling, Misc.

I have been trying to regain some fitness lately. The spectre of beer-gutted middle-aged complacency had been becoming more and more real in recent years, especially throughout the toddler years of our twins. Most weekday mornings I am managing to go running but the feeling of freedom experienced, and the sheer distance that can be covered, during a lengthy road bike expedition appeals to me hugely.

With that in mind, I ventured out from Edinburgh, via Kirkliston, Linlithgow, Grangemounth, Kincardine and Culross, to complete a loop around the River Forth for the second time in as many weeks today. On this occasion I tried out my new Garmin Edge 705 cycling-specific GPS gizmo. It not only guides me around my pre-defined low traffic route perfectly, measures the height gained and lost but also records my heart rate and pedal cadence throughout the ride. As techie boy toys go, it’s right up there. Fantastic.

Over the coming months I’ll be using this new toy to shed the indolent pounds surrounding my lower torso while seeing parts of Scotland I otherwise would never see. My entry to the Etape Caledonia 2011 is already in.

Allez! Allez!

Here is the summary of the route and my (not particularly impressive) stats:

The Escape Artist

// July 23rd, 2009 // No Comments » // Book Reviews

Over the last couple of months I have spent a great many hours sat in front of my monitor while constructing a new public health website for the NHS. The considerable amount of screen time necessary has reduced to nil any desire I could possibly have to spend more time clacking out a piece of writing for my own website. That said, I was moved enough by reading Matt Seaton‘s excellent The Escape Artist (Fourth Estate 2003) to put aside some time today to rectify that.
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