...What he said.

I just read my mates (and manager) blog, and it is kind of topical for me. It's about weight loss and racing weight.

I'm not experienced enough to know what my race weight is, but each time I have been lighter, I've done better.

There is probably more to do with experience gain than weight loss in there, though.

Take me now, I've put on 2kg in the last 2 months, but my belt has gone down another notch, and my made to measure suits that I had done last summer when I felt posh, don't fit me any more. My skins arms are getting slack and the legs are getting tight, too.

I raced at 76KG last year, and I'm 80kg now, but have veins popping out where they really shouldn't be. I'm riding loads faster than last year, already, and feel great on the bike.

With all the long hours on the weekend that I do, I think I will naturally lose some weight, and muscle bulk. But after reading Rob's post, we'll just weight and see. (see what I did there?)

If I have good food, and don't eat late, that'll do for me...

...Anyway, this weekend.

We had mutiny at HMS WC2C, so I had to change my plans and do an out an return on Sunday, after a different out and return on Saturday.

My mate, Punchy, had asked why the route didn't stop at "The Celtic Ring" in the bay. I made something up, but the truth was that I didn't even know it was there. Shame on me. So I went to have a look, by riding there, and doing my efforts on the way home on the steep side of Caerphilly Mountain.

I never, ever, thought I would hear myself say that Caerphilly Mountain wasn't big enough, but I ran out of road, and had to start right down in Caerphilly town to get 10mins out of my effort.

I digress...

...What follows, after Saturday's re-recconoitre is this: The route will now finish at "The Celtic Ring". It's easier to ride to, without playing dodgems with civilians hell bent on blockading you. It's also easier to find, and is within 10 feet of the water. I think it is also a more photogenic area, so making me look good should be less of a hardship when I'm all haggered and smelly after my ride.

Thanks, Punchy.

So back to the Mutiny. I ended up riding from Llandovery on Sunday morning, out to Strata Florida and back, but this time I found a couple of natty bits of single track and the last piece in the puzzle: A water point. I had been struggling to find one in this area up to this point, but that's settled now.

Riding outbound was awful. I was getting blown to a virtual standstill every minute or so, and maxxing my legs out to keep moving. I though about re-routing to stay out of the wind, but Chris's voice rattled in my head,"Supertough, you know what you need to do."

I had a little whimper, swore at "him", and kept going.

On the way back, I tried a bit of singletrack that Ian Barrington had shown me on a map, that he uses often, and is freely and legally accessible with opening gaits at either end. It was nice, then sketchy, then rocky, then wet, rocky and sketchy!

It's part of the route now, and it adds nothing to the distance.

Also, near Llanwrtyd Wells I found another little bit of rocky, rooty and muddy Bridleway that's been chewed up by horses and then crosses a REALLY rickety bridge. After the bridge of doom it goes up a rocky and wet pseudo riverbed, and past our water point.

The chicken wire is all that's holding this thing together

A quick ride back to the car and the weekend was done!

Sign says, "Caution, One at a time." They ain't joking!


I'm sure that there will be a few small tweaks undertaken on the route in the next few weeks, but small is all they will be.