Year Round Commuter, Cyclist and Adventure Seeker.

Been giving some thoughts to the 2014 Hit List - To Start - Kinross Sportive: http://www.sportive-kinross.co.uk/route.php?id=blk 26/4/14 - 89 Miles Etape Caledonia: http://www.etapecaledonia.co.uk/ 82 Miles Perthshire May ish Etape Pennines" http://www.etapepennines.co.uk/ Pennies Oct 2014 2014 Pedal for Scotland 110 Mile http://www.pedalforscotland.org/ Sept 2014 First Week Lord of the Lochs http://www.nofussevents.co.uk/event/Lord-of-the-Lochs-Sportive/2902/ Sept 2014 - End Galloway Recycle sportive if its back 102 miles http://www.gallowayrecyclesportive.co.uk/ 2014 version of this Cairgorms/ June ish http://www.handsonevents.co.uk/?page_id=22 and a most challenging UK 1 day yin -  http://www.handsonevents.co.uk/?page_id=20 plus a 4 day trip to cover the western isles (3 nights) and John o Groats to Lands End 

1 word - hilly !!! Nearly broke me. ESP at 55 miles. Cramp both legs. Bike being a bastard. Pissing of rain. But the stubborn lump came through. By far the hardest 1 yet. 7000 FT of overall climbing 👍👍👍👍

Left work just after 4 for the 250 mile drive north to Ullapool. Good run up via Inverness, with no real problems. Under 5 hours. Not like Skye 4 weeks ago lol. Dinner. 1 beer then bed. Up early for the +90 and no7 of the last 2 months. Last time I was up hear was 1996. - the route looks fantastic. Hope weathers kind ;).

Just finished 3 days off, and at weekend I decided at last minute to grab some stuff and head down towards Glen Trool for some exploring hill walking. The weather was not great. Though it wasn't raining at ground level but climbing the Merrick on saturday was a different matter. Very cloudy, I set off around 1030am, and started the climb. I passed 3 guys and a lassie on their way up on mtbs. - deepest respect to them. When I got to the top, I could not see 10m in front of me, -did no hang around long lol. After I got back down I headed around Glen Trool loch, the walk at the 7stanes. Great day out.

Today has been 1 of those days off I've done not much. And god has it been fantastic. Got up at 1pm -Caught up on some telly. Made soup then lasagne. Hoose work and got dressed at 4pm lol. Much needed. Rest before Sundays 110 mile ' Pedal for Scotland ' (Had to get a cycle comment into my blog) haha.

Last weekend me and Neil took our 2 wheelers to Belfast to attempt a 1 day run to Dublin. Met him at my work on Fri and after I finished we headed done to Cairnryan to get the 1930 ferry to Belfast. Arrived at 10pm and cycled the 5 miles into the city centre and our digs for the night. Went for a beer and some grub then heads down. Next morning after a quick visit to the 1 and only Chain Reaction Cycles shop we headed off around 10am. By google maps directions, the journey was to be a personal best of 113 ish miles. Set off ok, but as usual after 8/9 miles the usual thing that happens between us we split up. Guess what. Yip happened again. I took the Newry Canal path and Neil well he still does not know what way. - we split up for around 35 miles ffs and randomly met at a roundabout just south of Newry 45 miles in. Stopped at Drogenda for a bit to eat, 70 miles in, realising we still had nearly 50 to go and it was nearly 5pm, so was going to be a late 1. The route was the R132 which fo...