Archive for the 'Diary' Category

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Ardèche Valley, June 2011

Published on 3 July 2011 in Ardèche, Diary, Eurotunnel, gorge, Massif Central, Syndicated, valley and ZRX1200R. Closed

 

As something of a dry run for the US trip, three friends and I planned a week’s holiday to play in the Gorges de l’Ardèche in France. Sadly, Purge had to cancel a few weeks before the trip for family reasons so that just left Matt, Yox and me.

The trip started early – very early: 5.00am – on Saturday, 25th June with a quick dash to the Eurotunnel terminal off the M20. Cold and wet, so I put my Hein Gericke waterproof overjacket on, not bothering with the Belstaff waterproof overtrousers which had struggled to get over my Alpinestars SMX boots and the kneesliders on my leathers.

Soggy and chilly at Eurotunnel Terminal

Soggy and chilly at Eurotunnel Terminal

Matt and Yox

Matt and Yox

But we arrived and filled up with petrol before heading to find our train had been cancelled, setting us back half an hour before we’d even set off. The plan was to be in Joyeuse around 6.00pm if possible…

After the first few “splash and dash” stops to fill the bikes with petrol and us with coffee, it had warmed up and dried off so we could stash the waterproofs.

Sun Shining on the Righteous!

Sun Shining on the Righteous!

We soon arrived at the Hotel les Cèdres in Joyeuse despite being a little late – the hotel rang me to see if we were arriving soon when we were 150 miles away but that didn’t take us long… – and we checked in to a warm welcome and were told where the bikes could be parked safely. I’d stay there again.

Hotel les Cédres

Hotel les Cèdres

The most precarious toilet in the world?

The most precarious toilet in the world?

Sunday 26th and we went off to play in the Gorges de l’Ardèche: a great ride up and down the twisty roads of the Gorges de l’Ardèche – max 104mph – then three beers, a very large vodka before more beer. And Dinner… We’d also stopped earlier for a light snack lunch. Matt had managed to cut his arm overnight and Yox managed to get stung by a wasp en route.

Bikes at the Gorges de l'Ardèche

Bikes at the Gorges de l'Ardèche

Panorama: Gorges de l'Ardèche

Panorama: Gorges de l'Ardèche

Matt's Wound!

Matt's Wound!

Yox's Sting

Yox's Sting

Light Lunch...

Light Lunch...

Monday 27th and with temperatures still in the high 30s, we decided to do an even longer day: heading up to Le Puy, then Mende, then Villefort and back and all by the twistiest, most scenic routes we could find. And we weren’t disappointed. Neither were we disappointed by the ice creams at Rosiere when we got back.

Bikes in the sun

Bikes in the sun

Lozère

Lozere

Omnomnom!

Omnomnom!

Tuesday 28th and we decided to go for a few hundred miles again to see the Foster-designed Millau Bridge. Millau Bridge via Ales then Mende, Villefort and back. 39C+ Lots of twisties to enjoy. Cold beer and hot pizza to finish it off!

Yes it was as hot as it looks

Yes it was as hot as it looks

"How lost are we?"

"How lost are we?"

Heavy Engineering

Heavy Engineering

Millau Bridge

Millau Bridge

Panorama: Millau Bridge

Panorama: Millau Bridge

Matt had turned French...

Matt had turned French...

Wednesday 29th was our rest day. So we spent it whitewater canoeing for 24km down the Ardèche itself navigating a few sets of rapids along the way. Fortunately, we were taking our protective clothing seriously…

We took our protective headgear and eyewear very seriously...

We took our protective headgear and eyewear very seriously...

Matt had some issues with droopage

Matt had some issues with droopage

Compare and contrast

Compare and contrast

Yox pops his cork (note shorts torn to shreds when we capsized earlier)

Yox pops his cork (note shorts torn to shreds when we capsized earlier)

Alpha Bateau

Alpha Bateau

So yes, we did capsize in one set of rapids and I was hit by another canoe whilst scrabbling over the rocks (still underwater) to steady the canoe for Yox and me to get back in. Fortunately, the sun was out and despite the suntan lotion, my battered shins got sunburnt! Which meant I didn’t need to concentrate on the bruises and cuts or the aching arms :)

Thursday 30th and we went for a bimble about back in the Gorges de l’Ardèche again, stopping more frequently for photos this time. Still managed 80+ miles.

Once a Rexer, always a Rexer...

Once a Rexer, always a Rexer...

Yes, it was very hot

Yes, it was very hot

Ah, the usual!

Ah, the usual!

Journey's end for the whitewater canoe trips

Journey's end for the whitewater canoe trips

Friday 1st July and we realised we’d enjoyed the twisties in the Massif Central so much we should do them again and there were still a couple of routes we’d not tried before. So off we went for a 160 mile ride…

Bloody taggers!

Bloody taggers!

Saint-Julien-du-Tournel

Saint-Julien-du-Tournel

Yox's boot: proof of twistyness!

Yox's boot: proof of twistyness!

Saturday 2nd and back to the UK. Leaving a little after 8.15am, we made it back to the Eurotunnel with a couple of hours to spare, so we caught an earlier crossing. According to the TomTom SatNav unit, 688 miles on Saturday, average speed of 75mph, maximum speed of – cough – 122mph. That’s 2,111 miles that week, average speed of 59mph and a maximum declared speed of 135mph. “Declared” because the TomTom doesn’t display maximum speeds over that, so the 155mph and climbing I saw on one section of road – private, obviously, Officer! – didn’t register.

GT Meet Jack, Jack Meet GT

Published on 5 June 2011 in Diary, Family, Fashion, Food and Jimmy Choo. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Well that was another busy weekend. Friday evening saw me collecting Jack from Stratford and trying to order pizzas using the Domino’s iPhone App. And failing. Repeatedly. Gah! So we rang from Canada Water and our pizzas were delivered just after 9.00pm.

Saturday and after a fabulous full English breakfast at Café Frizzante at the Surrey Docks Farm, we went shopping for FIFA 11 for the Xbox so Jack can play when he’s at mine. Plus a load of groceries and things. Then we sat and watched England v Switzerland on the telly which was a tad embarrassing for us Brits.

GT rang us to say she was at Waterloo so we jumped in the car to meet her a few minutes later at Canada Water from where we went to Frankie & Benny’s for tea before heading on to the Odeon to watch Hangover II, which was excellent with a lot of belly-laughs for me.

Then back home for a very late night/early morning.

Up to do breakfast – eggs, muffins and cafetière coffee – before  driving GT back to Waterloo so she could get home.

Jack and I then hung out for a while before hearding off to Oxford Street to shop. This included an expensive lunch at Yo! Sushi in Selfridges – our fault as we kept grabbing interesting-looking dishes – before a lightning-fast visit to M&S to buy me a new suit – dark blue with a woven dark blue stripe – for work. Oh and another pair of Jimmy Choos for GT!

Then a horrendously expensive black cab back to the flat to pack us both before driving to Liverpool Street station for a coffee and tea. Jack on the Cambridge train and me back to the car for a drive up North to Wigan again.

Phew!

Late May Bank Holiday Weekend

Published on 2 June 2011 in Diary and Food. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Well after what was a very busy week last week, culminating with a (literally) flying visit to Athens on Thursday and Friday (with a nice stay at the Athens Park Hotel), the weekend was my chance to chill out … ish!

I only got back in from Greece very late on Friday night and slept in until late morning on Saturday. By lunchtime, I was up and ready to roll: heading off to Chelmsford for Mozie’s 40th birthday celebrations on the ZRX.  On the way round the M25 I saw the clockwise carriageway was busy through the roadworks so made a mental note about the need to do some “extreme filtering” on my way back.

Arrived at Chelmsford Social Club and grabbed a pint of shandy and chewed the fat with Mozie for an hour or so until I had to leave. A blast back down the A12 before hitting the M25 and some extreme filtering (lane splitting) probably much to the annoyance of a police car on ‘blues and twos’ who was struggling to clear his way through the sometimes stationary traffic with me following and at times running parallel with them with no problems whatsoever!

Back home and a quick shower and change as I drove over to Epsom to meet GT for an evening out and a leaving do for one of her colleagues. Stopping first at Nando’s for something to eat before heading on to the Marquis of Granby, then the Vestry, before heading back to the Marquis of Granby and home to GT’s.  The night itself was a lot of fun due to her colleagues being a really good laugh … and a lot of alcohol being consumed! We even managed – after only five months! – to get some photos of the two of us together.

Sunday saw a leisurely start before GT cooked me – I assisted a bit! – a lovely prawn risotto for lunch and we then headed off to Bluewater for some retail therapy before a tasty pizza, etc. for dinner at one of the restaurants. I scored by managing to get another pair of John Lewis‘ own brand Oxford shoes for work at less than the listed price as they were old stock and ever so slightly different from their new range (and neither were available on their website for some bizarre reason).

Sadly, I had to leave GT’s on Bank Holiday Monday to head back to the flat to pack and head off to Wigan for a few days of meetings. On arrival at the Premier Inn – compare and contrast with the week before’s accommodation!) – I went next door to the attached Taybarns for something to eat. A bit of an eye-opener as it was absolutely heaving! Check their website for an idea of what it’s like…

Midweek Blast

Published on 26 May 2011 in Bikes, Diary and Friends. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Well what an evening that was!

On my way in to work this morning, I got a text from Purge asking if I was up for a rideout down to Hampshire. After much contemplation – I finish work late and I’m flying out to Athens later today – I decided that yes I was.

And so it came to pass that I headed off from the apartment down to meet up with Purge, Matt, Pal, Agent64, Pathfinder Rob, Mr Bosch and MP at Alton Station Café, which I found out was a bike meet! From there we blasted off down to bike night at Loomies where I happily scoffed down some chips with sliced mushrooms and chopped bacon, topped with melted cheese. Fantastic!  Just as I was leaving, Young Burchy showed up on his 7R so it was good to meet him too.

Not so good was Agent64 getting a puncture in the rear tyre of his ‘Blade thanks to stone chips all over the A31. Bugger!

Despite the evening getting much colder now, we then headed off at a spirited pace to the Pub With No Name at Prior’s Dean where we grabbed a pint and sat outside watching the darkness settle in. I left around 10pm to head home but decided shortly after setting off that I was getting quite cold and should stop off en route at GT’s place for a coffee to warm up, so I used the SatNav’s Bluetooth link to my iPhone and Scala headset to ring her up and invite myself over. Good call (literally)!

Then home at midnight and 135 miles later, only to be greeted by the bad news that YB had dropped the 7R after an incident with a deer on his way home. Bugger!

 

Welcome Home Blue Rex!

Published on 14 May 2011 in Accessories, Akrapovic, Diary, Dymag, Syndicated and tuning. Closed

Well today I went to collect the ZRX from PDQ post-fettling. And yes, I think it looks great!

Larry mentioned that Nick had test-ridden it just to be on the safe side after they’d achieved their best-ever dyno results for a ZRX1200R on standard carbs/bores. I’d asked for a 44T rear sprocket as before and Larry suggested it would be sensible to go back to a 42T at some point as Nick had come back wide-eyed and declared it a tad berserk… We’ll see tomorrow!

IMG_1492 IMG_1512 IMG_1515 IMG_1498 IMG_1507

PDQ Dyno Results

Published on 9 May 2011 in Diary, dyno, Syndicated and tuning. Closed

Well the results of the engine work and fettling at PDQ are in: up to 158bhp at the rear wheel! Well done to Larry and the team.

Dyno Chart

Dyno Chart

Also interesting is that that was up from 130bhp before their engine work and after I’d fitted a full Akrapovic system and rejetted it myself a while before.

And to put all that into context, it was dyno’d standard but with an Akrapovic end can in July 2005 and put out 114bhp (up from c. 108bhp as standard at the rear wheel).

Fuerteventura Easter 2011

Published on 7 May 2011 in Diary, Food, Holidays and Travel. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

I thought it was about time I took the kids – if you can call them that: 19 and nearly 15 – away with me on holiday, so over Easter I took the two of them to the luxury villa I’d stayed at before in Corralejo on Fuerteventura.

The villa had its own heated pool as well as a heated jacuzzi which meant we could relax around the pool, have a night-time  jacuzzi or swim to cool down.

We used it as a base before driving out to other parts of the island or to the long, long sandy beach and dunes.

Then our evening would consist of heading into Corralejo itself for a really nice meal in one of the nicer restaurants before heading to the Rock Island Bar to chill out, have a few drinks and listen to some live acoustic rock music. And my girlfriend and friends could keep tabs on us with the audience webcam!

Anyway, here are a few photos including one of the baby mouse that I rescued from our pool one morning!

TLC at PDQ Update

Published on 5 April 2011 in Accessories, Akrapovic, cams, Diary, Dymag, pdq, Syndicated, tuning and wheels. Closed

A quick update on Blue Rex’s progress: it turns out that reprofiling my standard cams would have been experimental and Larry wasn’t prepared to experiment on a customer’s bike, so we agreed to buy a new set of ZZR1200 cams after all along with stronger valve springs.

As the clutch had been slipping on track for a while, I also asked Larry to upgrade the clutch plates and springs whilst it was apart.

In the intervening period, its MoT has expired so it’s been MoT’d and passed.

Worse was yet to come: PDQ have been awarded the sole concession for Dymag wheels worldwide and was offering an introductory deal … so a set of 7 spoke magnesium alloy wheels in satin black are going on with a new, slightly larger section Bridgestone BT016 tyre (which should be fine for our planned Ardeche Valley trip in June) rather than a full-on trackday tyre. Oh and as my secondhand Akrapovic full system would be looking out of place now, I’ve upgraded to a new hexagonal system with carbon fibre end can to set it all off – the removed parts will be for sale on the OC when I collect it. As that won’t be for a week or two, PDQ will run the engine in on the dyno and do a pre and post run-in dyno run for a reading as to what the engine is putting out.

Another Lost Weekend (or Two)

Published on 3 April 2011 in Diary. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

The last weekend of March saw an unexpected visit to see GT on the Friday night then going home to shower and change before heading off to photograph Marlyn: her outfits were mainly rubber dresses – photos to follow!

Then change and back to meet GT at Waterloo as we were going to the Blueprint Café for a romantic meal for two. They were taking part in lastminute.com’s London Restaurant Week so I thought we’d give them a try and we were impressed: great food for both of us (a meat-eater and a pescatarian).

A nice drive back to Epsom where GT and I went to the pub for lunch … before heading off to another pub for the rest of the afternoon in the sun.

This weekend started with me going straight from work to collect GT from Waterloo: yes, we were going to another participating restaurant, Le Pont de la Tour overlooking Tower Bridge; a restaurant I’d been to before with colleagues. Obviously, when you buy a decent bottle of wine and a few liqueurs, it adds up to a few quid, but the food and service were excellent and our romantic meal was made all the more special by us sitting outside in the warm summer evening on the Thames.

Instead of heading back to Waterloo, GT decided to stay over at mine, so we grabbed a taxi and headed back and spent the next few hours getting to grips, shall we say, with a Lush Fever massage bar – it’s really a plus to go out with a qualified masseuse and sports therapist! After grabbing just a couple of hours’ sleep, I drove GT home, we grabbed breakfast and then I headed off to Norfolk to see my ‘kids’.

Pre-match lunch at Nando’s as usual then on to watch Norwich completely overwhelm a bunch of under-performing men from North Lincolnshire (hmm, who does that remind me of?) by way of their 6-0 victory over Scunthorpe. And yes, there I was standing loud and proud at the front of the Barclay on the telly later: pity my Sky box didn’t record it!

Sunday saw Jack score an excellent goal with a header before we headed off into Norwich for lunch at John Lewis before buying some more luggage for our forthcoming holiday in the sun.

Then back to the apartment to watch MotoGP and a decent film with a big dinner and wine.

Life is good!

Le Weekend

Published on 21 March 2011 in Diary. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Well that was a great weekend! Friday evening saw me over at GT’s for a lovely meal out and a few drinks afterwards.

An early start on Saturday heading back to mine before going down to Hastings to meet up with “the Kreiga Krew”: a bunch of mates all heading off for a biking holiday in the Ardeche Valley in June.

Lots of drinks and a Nepalese meal before an atrociously poor couple of games of pool in the pub and back to Yox’s for more drinking and a very late night!

Sunday morning and Yox did us a huge breakfast with eggs to rival even mine. Diverted on my way back to go to GT’s.

She had just completed a 15 mile race in a new Personal Best! I’m so proud of her!

Cuddles in front of the telly watching “Being Human” on BBC iPlayer before heading out for a meal: walking into town! Where does she find the energy?

Great weekend!