Iwein says

This billboard is entirely ‘powered’ by the sun, a very neat design solution.

This is why I like Howies so much, apart from the fact that they make great clothes.

We thought we could put our own name on our jean wherever we liked. It seemed like common sense to us. In the same way as a car manufacturer can put their name on the boot, the bonnet, the grill, hey on the roof if they want. Or an orange juice maker can put his name on the carton on any side he chooses. That assumption is a big mistake if you make jeans. Somehow, Levis have attained a patent on the position of the tab. [More…]

I’ve been very busy for the last 2 weeks working on the website for the launch of the latest and greatest Moulton: the Pashley-Moulton TSR. The website was launched on the same day that Eurobike was opened to the public, last Saturday.

It was a fun project to work, especially because I had the pleasure to receive Jon’s help. He’s a Good Guy. He knows a lot, and produces the goods when it comes down to it.

And of course, the bike is FAB. I want one, as simple as that. I’m going to join the small wheel brigade.

I’ve been cycling and running for a while now, and when I mention this, people always say: Ah, you should try a triathlon. To which I usually reply that I loathe swimming. But in the back of my mind I always thought I should give one a try. So when the Wansdyke sprint triathlon came about, I thought why not, and entered myself.

First stumbling block was having to put down my estimated swim time for 400 metres. What? I have no idea. So, off to the pool I went and timed myself. 9 minutes. Very dire. Not surprising, as 1. I don’t like swimming, so I don’t do it very often and 2. I can’t do front crawl for 16 lengths because of a problem with my shoulders. I thought, with a bit of training I can get that down to 8:30, so that’s what I put down.

Second stumbling block was the entry price. £25! Compared to local running races that is quite steep. When you think about it’s not actually that expensive, as the organisation has to hire a pool, and normally triathlon marshals are remunerated. Anyway, waiting until the next pay check sorted that one out too.

The day of the event: Registration at 8am. Start time at 10:47. That’s right nearly 3 hours of waiting. Trying to drink enough, going to the toilet an incredible number of times. Trying to devise a strategy. Chatting to people. Seeing Liz, Dave and Elies set off before me. Realising that Dave and Liz would have gone by the time I came back. Hey ho.

Later I worked out why my start time was that late. I am mister average. They started off the fastest swimmers AND the slowest ones, 2 lanes each. That means that average swimmers come last.

Then it was my turn. We were started off in waves of 4, and I was the designated first swimmer of my wave. The swim went incredibly well. I managed 3 lengths of front crawl, and built up a lead of an entire length before I had to switch to breast stroke. Eventually I was overtaken by one lady (who I think had started last, poor thing, overtaking is very energy consuming I hear), but was still first out of the pool (I think). When I got to the transition place, I remembered to glance at my watch: 8:15. Wow!

Thinking about it I can put it down to a number of reasons: I did my training in Culverhay swimming pool, and old 25 yard pool with edges that come up above the water. 400 metres in this pool means 18 lengths of swimming against your own and other swimmers ‘bow waves’. Midsomer Norton was a modern 25m affair with edges level to the water: no ‘bow waves’. We also had to wear swimming caps, what I don’t normally do. And a bit of competition of course.

On to the transition. I was wearing cycling shorts with padding for the swim, so no need to change those. I put my Bath AC vest, cycling shoes (2 velcro straps), my helmet and specs and my gloves. All of that went relatively smooth. Picked up my bike and ran out of the transition area. And noticed I hadn’t put on my number belt yet, which lay ready across my top tube. Stopped, a bit of faff, and that was sorted out as well.

I LOVED the cycling. I felt really good, probably because I was able to overtake so many people. That’s probably because my cycling is on a much higher level than my swimming. Good confidence boost. 2 laps, 2 bits of climbing, not too steep, not too long (lots of people complained about these though). Lots of nice flat, downhillish bits. I was flying! I reckon I averaged about 19mph over 18km. Pleased with that. When I looked at my watch back in transition it said 40 something.

Helmet off, specs off, gloves off, shoes off. Shoes on. Run. Hang on, my legs told me, what is this you want of us now? Running? You must be joking! It all felt pretty unnatural. It went OK though. No more, no less. I couldn’t have gone faster, but I sure didn’t feel like I was going well. On the other hand, I was still overtaking people. Especially on the last fairly steep downhill bit. I managed to squeeze out a nice end sprint (a bit of support from the crowd always helps) Probably took me about 27 minutes over 5k. Then again, it was off road, with a steep un-runnable hill (2 laps, so twice). Normally, on the road, I would do that in 19 minutes on a good day.

Overall time 1:08:20 for 400m swim, 18k bike, 5k off road run. Overall feeling: great fun. Try it: Wansdyke triathlon.

Or how stupid can city planners responsible for cycle lanes be?

It started as a bit of a joke. Could the Cotswold Way (100 miles, from Chipping Campden to Bath) be run in one day? Then of course we found that somebody had alread done it.

Then Dan, who had done the South Wales Traverse, said it was quite doable, and that he fancied it. Then I said I was going to support the attempt.

And then we found ourselves at Chipping Campden yesterday, at 7:15 am. Alex and Dan were running, Craig and myself supporting.

The first leg, from Chipping Campden to Stanway house, 12 miles, started at 07:30 am. The boys arrived fresh and cheerful at Stanway House bang on schedule at 09:50 am. They had lost the route, they said, which had cost them about 10 minutes.

Craig knows the next leg, from the Cotswold Relay race, organised by our club, City of Bath AC, so he ran with Alex and Dan. They set off at 09:54 am, for Cleeve Common.

They arrived a bit early for our rendez-vous at the golf club house at Cleeve Common, 12.5 miles further, at 12:06 am (14 minutes up on schedule). Spirits aren’t quite as high anymore. Dan doesn’t want to look inside his shoes, he reckons there’s already blood there. Alex announces this is the furthest he’s ever run. They say how much easier it is for them if someone is running with them to do the route finding, so I decide to run with them on the next leg, a short one at 8 miles, to Seven Springs. We leave 10 minutes later after a cup of tea and some sitting in comfy chairs.

Just as we come into Seven springs we notice that the version of the Cotswold Way on my map isn’t the same as on Dans. Consequently, we don’t find Craig, who’s parked the van somewhere along his version of the Cotswold Way, but we don’t know this yet. Not good news as we are out of water.

Alex and Dan carry on, with a new meeting point in the middle of the next leg at Crickley Hill country park. I keep phoning Craig until I get through to him and find out what the situation is. We decide it would be good to get some water to them, so I jump on my mountain bike and start chasing after them. After I have filled up their bladders, I rejoin Craig at Crickley Hill. When Alex and Dan arrive, Craig decides to run the next half of the leg with them, to the Royal William pub at Cranham Corner. Alex says he wants to keep running until over halfway.

The guys arrive at Cranham Corner at 16:49 pm, 11 minutes up on schedule, after 12.5 miles from Seven Springs. Dan looks very tired now and keeps repeating he’s dead, his calves are really stiff. Craig decides to run another leg with them, and they leave at 17:08, on to the canal crossing at Stanley Mill in Stroud, another 12.5 miles on.

In the mean time Andy has joined the supporting crew, and is trying to catch up with the runners at Painswick. When Andy arrives at the Mill, he’s got Alex with him in the car, who had enough at Pitchcombe, well over halfway. Andy runs back from the Mill to see how Craig and Dan are doing.

They arrive at 19:38, 12 minutes behind schedule now. Dan is really looking the worse for wear now and doesn’t feel like eating, or getting out of his chair. Still very stiff calves. He has a cup of tea and wants to sit down a bit longer than the scheduled 10 minutes, because he’s feeling nauseous. After he chucks up a huge amount of brown water, he gets up and wants to carry on. Andy runs with him, and we rendez-vous 4 miles on at the Coaley Peak viewpoint.

Just as the 2 cars arrive there, I receive a phone call from Andy. Dan has gone to sleep in the grass he says, he’s had enough. We go and pick them up at Middleyard, where Dan is sat in the chair, and doesn’t do a lot of moving. He’s got really bad cramps in his legs. He must have been really dehydrated.

Still, a sterling effort from Dan to run more than 12 hours, and more than 60 miles. From Alex, who ran more than 50 miles, more than 10 hours on his feet. And from Craig who ended up running with Alex and Dan on 2 and a half legs, running a good 30 miles.

There are some pictures up on the City of Bath AC website.

One of the best pieces of Flash I have seen in a long time: Claudia Cortes’s Color in motion. She calls it an interactive experience of color communication and color symbolism.

Not only is it a top class animation, it is a very handy reference to the attributes the colours represent.