I slap the bacon out ya mouth, dance upon ya sarnie

[Alistar]

That'll teach ya to yarn to an ol' bugger. Bet he saw the glass 30m away

Nice pic! Can feel the cold seeping out of the computer screen... brrr

You've done some great riding this year Bob, and the cold hasn't seemed to slow your k's down too much considering. Good stuff!

[bob_summers]

Cheers Al, I don't have the figures but I'm almost certain 2011 was the best year for quite a while.
And now the hardest part - what to do next year

So today:
Fri 30/12
Andatza MTB
2h50

Singlespeed mudfest, tried a different route to the summit which would've been doable with a granny ring but too technical for the SS's lack of subtlety! Descended more or less the same way, nothing flowy but plenty of technical stuff.

And that, the last ride of '11, leaves me with:

2011 Totals
Distance 13,256.1 km
Time 514:25:23
Ele. Gain +264,730 m

Happy new year / Urte Berri On!

[Alistar]

Bah! That was last year! Looks like I'm already waay ahead

[bob_summers]

Haha yep I'm still on 0km! Haven't managed to get out yet, apart from a quick blast on the local mountain. My start to 2011 was plagued with illness - 2012 is no better with two incredibly unpleasant visits to the dentist... an hour of root canal today has left me feeling up to nothing more than lying on the sofa and moaning!
Will try to kick things off tomorrow.

[bob_summers]

So, some action finally. 2012 here we come - training for what I don't yet know. My entry for QH is in, the draw is tomorrow (as of this afternoon there were 15k entries, 9000 starters will be drawn so at the moment chances are a little better than 50/50). If I'm unlucky there are a few other things I could do instead.

Tues 3/1/12
MTB 2hrs, Ulia

Was looking forward to a mate visiting over New Year, he used to live here and in fact introduced me to mudplugging, so after a false start (had a ride planned on the 1st but a very late night scuppered it!) we just got out for a lap of Ulia. Interesting to see that, as he now lives somewhere dry, he'd lost all ability to ride anything rooty or slippery! Good fun anyway.

Thurs 5/1
Arrangoitze via Corniche
4h20

Strongest winds I've been out in for ages. Southwesterly, so I had a roaring TW out which I couldn't enjoy as I knew it was going to kill me on the way back. Arrived at half way with a 34kmh avg, but getting home was a real fight and added 40mins onto my summer time around the same route. Horrible!

Fri 6/1
Deba OnB
3h45

WInds had dropped by the next day, but I was still tired and just bimbled this.

Sun 8/1
MTB Jaizkibel
3h45

This brought the masochist out in me. Wet filthy mudfest, the mud being sandy and claggy, not the best stuff to drag your drivetrain through. So the rear triangle of the Yeti has been creaking under pedalling for a while, and I was hoping a recent strip, grease and rebuild would have stopped it. Nope, nearly 4 hours of creaking, echoing around the silent forest
What made it even more enjoyable is I'd slapped a new chain on, hoping it would be OK on a worn cassette. It wasn't, it skipped all over the place so I ended up walking the hills. Coming down was something else though, the gloopy schlarup made it a real challenge to keep the bike under control.

[Mr. Cleetus]

your off season training is making my big week look bad! stop it!

[bob_summers]

Heheh well maybe in terms of time, but I'm sure you're doing less junk mileage than I am!

Tues 10/01
Tolosa-Leitza-Basa Kabi-Goizueta
3h40/100km

Gorgeous sunny morning, -1º but worth getting out early rather than doing the usual cafe run. Blue skies, windless, haw frost... perfect
Felt really good - I don't usually go well in the cold so surprised that I got round in 3h40, 5 mins or so faster than an early season time. Record is 3h flat, but that was the club's race meeting.
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/482217

[Alistar]

Yeah what Mr C said! Oh no! Not another 100k's Bob!
So are roads pretty dry and frost free? Can be a bit dicey over here as often we get the frosts after a wet Southerly blows through.
Any luck with the QH btw Bob?

[bob_summers]

Roads perfect Al, I do moan about the weather here but I don't think we've even had the roads salted this winter so far (touch wood) - back in London they were a greasy mess from Nov-Mar! It all falls as rain here, much drier inland but then they have snow and real cold to deal with!

QH... well the entry period closed, the draw will be on the 16th. Nowt to do but wait, keeping an eye out for alternatives too.

[bob_summers]

... there is something I have never really fancied, but has just caught my eye.

Bardenas Extreme

105km x 1200m, which doesn't sound much but this is in the desert. In July...! I've heard horror stories about the mud there if it rains, it sticks like concrete.
The reason it's suddenly popped into my head is that MTBing was banned from the Bardenas Reales last year (protected national park, tho ironically the air force have a bombing range there), and this looks like the only chance to ride it.

[fredrikw]

Wow, looks cool. But July?

[bob_summers]

yeah, crazy time of year to have it. Guess that's why there are physios every 25km!

However it does coincide with my holidays (for a change, not much does!)

[Mr. Cleetus]

wow, awesome! Have you rego'd yet?

[bob_summers]

looks great, but they haven't set the date for 2012 yet, so I'm waiting to see if it clashes with La Pyreneenne.

Thurs 12/1
Tolosa-Leitza-Basa Kabi-Goizueta
3h40/100km

Forecast was good so decided to make hay and do the same run as Tues. The fog hung around longer though, the sun was there, somewhere, but didn't burn it off. So by the time I got to the top of the course I was frozen solid. But a few mins ahead of my time on Tues, crucially Then lost the time on the descent - lots of ice and frost on the road - and stopped at the cafe for a chat.
Very naughty - I sucked the wheel of a logging truck for, I kid you not, the last 25km back down the valley. APart from the corners, it was cruising at 50kmh... totally free ride, but I think I still have splinters in my eyeballs...

[Mr. Cleetus]

Excellent, that must have been fun. Were they making it easy for you? Fantastic when they do that