You can Take a Mule to water..................

After my America trip I came back to England with new vigour about riding and being a Mule.
It was great riding with so many Red white and blue shirts and having people 'holla' when the Mules cycled past. The perceived problem of transporting my bike on a plane did not pan out. It was simple, my bike arrived how Id packed it and I would recommend it to all.
After unpacking my hoofed steed in Beverley I had to 'Trot on' because I had another ride to attend to within 48 hrs. The Manchester 100. It was to be my forth time and I was joined by Mark who was eager to multiply his Century rides.
We managed to get set in a number of Chain gangs and even did some pulling. Although the course is relatively benign there are a number of annoying hills in the first section which did there best to shake me out of Rhythm and send my hearty rate into the 170's.
We eventually finished in just under 6 hrs. 5hrs 58 mins to be precise.
With the ride completed our journey home was accompanied with mixed emotions.
High with a post event rush yet sombre in realisation that this was our last formal ride of the year. It had been a great one.
6 century rides (including the Hottest one in recorded history)
112 mile race
24 hour ride
Coast to coast
A sack load of money for charity
Lots of laughs, smiles and tears.

In order to cheer ourselves up we turned our attention to Next Year.
Before the endorphins had left our bodies they had surely influenced our discussions.
Flat out in the Fens?
Of course........
Big G?
That was a real ****ker....
Exactly....... and we should aim to get Silver standard
Mmmmmmmmm.........you mean shave an hour or so off?
Yes....we will just have to train harder
Ok.............I Guess so
What about Coast to Coast again?
Again .........Boring ....... we have done that.......
Not in one day we havent...........(Belly laugh) that a real challenge)
I see.....ok Im in
Ok then lets do a triathlon as well
You mean run and swim as well as cycle?
Thats what they usually do in a triathlon. You cant Ride, drink and sleep. Thats just your life and does not count.
But you would look ridiculous in a Tri Suit.......
I wont by the time I have to wear one
I didn't know you can run
I cant...not with my new 'one pack'
or swim.
Cant do that much either although I can do 63 different variations of the Doggy paddle.
So you will come last !!!!!!!
(Big Smile) No I wont, ill beat you
Ha ha
The fear of me beating you will push You on, the fear of coming last will do the same for me.
Are you serious????????
When its posted on my blog as an event I am entering there is no backing down.
So you can take a Mule to water and Make him Swim
You bet you can.........As soon as the dates are published Im entering. Paddy le Patron of the MULES has asked me if I could use my blog as the official blog for The Mules website which I have agreed to. So as well as the usual ramblings I will be reporting on events state side.
To start off I am joyed to introduce three new Mules to the stable

Greg Macarelli (USA)


One of the elder statesmen who belies his age with a fitness and cycling ability that somebody half his age would be proud of.

Shawn Chmil (Canada)

Powerful rider who can spin the big rings all day and is often pulling the pack.

Christian Clark (USA)
Each team has to have a flier and Christian is ours. Whatever the terrain he is champing at the bit. Totally able to sprint to the finish and ensure that the stable is full of beer for their thirsty Mules.

Hotter than Hell 2010 - Part 2

If H G Wells was in Wichita Falls at 7am on Saturday morning he may have been smiling.

He once stated 'Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the human race'

As a science fiction writer he often looked to the future seemingly with a degree of disillusionment as was illustrated in his most famous novel 'The War of the worlds'.

In his novel the earth is over run by Martians with superior intelligence and technology who try to destroy man.

Just before they succeed they are struck down by a simple cold virus reminding us about both the fragility and simplicity of life.

Even back in 1898 Wells was concerned with the pace of Human evolution. He believed that there an ever increasing trend to rely on intelligence and technology to the detriment of our physical being and natural senses.

With obesity levels soaring globally, often running parallel with a sedentary lifestyle; Mr Wells may have used one of his own time machines to take a peek into the 21st Century.

His concerns were well founded

He seemingly saw the bicycle as a technological advancement that could embrace both the spiritual and physical aspects of human life.

I am not sure how many of the 13,000 + people assembled for the Hotter than Hell have read any H.G. Wells, but I am sure that most would please him if he were alive now.

With the cannon sounding and the sun up wheels steadily rolled over the start line in a multi- coloured sea of Lycra. The morning temperature was a pleasant 70f and aided by a favourable tail wind The Mules soon found a comfortable rhythm maintaining a speed of 20mph.

Jason 'The Kiwi Sherpa' led the pace line with such efficiency that there were no shortage of riders looking to add themselves to our ever growing tail.

Because of the requirement to keep hydrated, everybody was drinking at regular intervals, which is easy to do for the experienced rider. For some, this was seemingly not the case, as our main hazard to riding was the water bottle slalom course that had been laid out in front of us.

I must have counted at least 100!!! They were posh bottles too, the ones that keep the contents cool for a greater duration.

Of course once dropped you might as well say goodbye to such a vessel unless you want to wait around the roadside for hours.

One guy close to me dropped his keys right in the middle of the road, imagine it!

You might have spent months training, new bike, new clothes and a fortune spent in the exhibition centre and you drop your keys. By the time you are able to retrieve them, that's considering you actually find them; Hells Gate would surely be closed and the inflatable monster as deflated as you might feel.

As the sun got higher so did the temperature and of course the amount of stray bottles.
We all had three bottles each with an intention to get to Hells gate as soon as possible.
This is a strategic point on the ride at 53 miles where the Century riders have to reach in a given time.

This is usually by 12.30 pm which gives you plenty of time, but that time can be brought forward during the ride if the weather gets too hot. This is purely done in the interests of rider safety.
For sustenance we had our pockets stuffed with Mule Fuel 'MuleBars' . We gave these out to other riders joining our pace line who were greedy for more!!!!!
Unfortunately they were not in a position to write down the website whilst cycling at 20 mph so here is a quick reminder.

www.mulebar.com

For the record we are not sponsored by Mulebar we just think their products are great!!!!! try them out.

We got to Hells Gate in good time where we stopped to fill up our bottles. As we were doing so we were approached by a spectator who had read the blog posts and was looking out for us. It was a great feeling.

The second part of the ride became more testing. The sun was now directly overhead and the temperature was soaring. The wind was now in our faces and increasing by the hour gusting up to 20mph. The feeling of a pleasant ride dwindled into a challenge as the heat sucked at your energy reserves. I was now taking a drink every ten minutes to replace the rivers of sweat running off me. We decided to reduce the pace slightly something that appeared to be mirrored on the course as our momentum remained the same.

With just under 6 hours riding time on the clock we crossed the line all together and all smiling.

Paddy 'Le Patron' provided champagne to start off the re-hydration which was followed by some Boddingtons Beer (and a bit of water to be sensible)

All in all it was a great ride.

Shortly I will be leaving the USA, back to England where I take part in The Manchester 100 mile ride next Sunday with some more Anglo Mules.

Paddy and the US contingent will be doing Tour de Cure and Tour de Pink.

If you see us on the road.......say Hi.

Happy Riding

Welcome home

I arrived back in England yesterday to be met with goose bumps.
Not at the excitement of coming home but at the dramatic fall in the temperature from the barmy Houston to the chilly north of England.
Not only has the temperature dropped but the barometer too with its close friend 'Gusty the Gale' keeping it company.
Tonight I so wanted to ride. To reassure Addy that riding another bike in the USA was not an adulterous act but a need to meet and end. To ride the Hotter N Hell. Sometimes bikes just dont believe you.
The combination of Jet lag, cold rain and gale force winds straining even the the biggest trees, killed off my enthusiasm. I elected instead for a hot mug of chocolate with just a bit of Brandy to ensure I did not catch a cold.
Sadly Addy remains disconsolate propped up against the radiator which has sadly been switched on keep my extremities functioning.
The long range forecast for Manchester's 100 mile ride is no better and with only 1500 riders it will seem a massive anti climax to Wichita Falls last week.
Thankfully I am allowed to wear my I pod when I ride this gauntlet of Natures hostilities.
This will enable me to have some of the warmth of Texas with me.
My daughters will be thrilled to pieces that Dad has discovered and been captivated by the youthful talent of Taylor Swift.
My tears, created by the wind in my face will fall on 'Addy' rather than a heavily glossed guitar. At least he will be smiling.