Two weeks to go. Since my last BMB post I've been busy. A quick summary of my training and preparation: Heat acclimatisation Knowing that BMB will be in mid-August, and that in 2020 there was a heatwave which caused a number of riders to abandon half way, I've been working on training myself to adapt... Continue Reading →
This year was my second time taking part in the Raiffeisen Power Radmarathon, this time with a slightly longer route and a couple of nasty little hills at the end. Armed with my new orange helmet, my new team kit, and - a first for me and much to the horror of Mrs MT -... Continue Reading →
I'm climbing up the steps onto the start ramp. The crowd surrounds me, the loudspeakers pumping out dance music. Thankfully I'm not alone. My team mates Thomas, Valentin and Attila are beside me, also mounting their bikes. A man stands behind me, takes my saddle, and offers to hold me up as I clip in. The announcer calls our names, but all I can think of is not falling off. I am now suspended in mid air, nervously watching the digital clock in front as it counts down the last 15 seconds.
BMB, three little letters. For the last few months however, to me they have meant both promise and dread in equal measure. For those of you dear readers who have been following my blog, this may ring a bell. Berlin - Munich - Berlin. What is it? 1500 kilometers of unassisted cycling starting from and... Continue Reading →
Two years ago I took the big step and bought myself a proper bike computer (or a head unit), a Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt. This action felt like a rite of passage, progressing from being a casual cyclist to becoming a passionate data-driven amateur cyclist (define as you will). It promised the collection of large amounts... Continue Reading →
My plans for 2022 have taken a bit of a knock. Despite all my precautions and care, a few weeks ago I tested positive for COVID-19. I am triple vaccinated, and I suspect this is why I didn't suffer the full intensity of symptoms. Nevertheless, I was quarantined for two weeks and during this time... Continue Reading →
What a year. The second full year of COVID, including several lockdowns and limited ability to meet people and travel. Still, things eased up compared to 2020. Here is a summary of what happened: Got myself a new road bike, the Cannondale CAAD 13. An unexpected purchase, but it is really nippy and light and... Continue Reading →
The keen eyed readers among you may find something strange in my recent posts. It started so ambitiously with my first post talking about my registration for Berlin-Munich. My first audax! My preparations started well, and this led to my second post talking about routing and strategy. Given that the audax was at the end... Continue Reading →
Why not running? Or swimming? Or croquet? I suppose anything really. I do have a day job and a fairly intense one at that - it's not quite your average 9 to 5. On top, I do try to have some form of a private life. This means my free time is fairly limited. Why do I spend this limited free time (a) cycling, and (b) writing a blog about cycling? To be honest, I really don't know. I suspect it's because it has changed my life.
It started off a surprisingly cold October morning. Things kicked off with a carbohydrate rich breakfast at my hotel in Mörbisch am See in Burgenland, Austria, where for some reason the breakfast tables were outside. After kitting up, I had a quick warm-up on the bike and then headed down to the start line, full... Continue Reading →
Thunder and lightning, very very frightening. That pretty much summarised the week running up to the promisingly named "Raiffeisen Power Radmarathon". Austria was catching the tail end of the storms which had only recently caused major flooding in Belgium and Germany. The weather forecast for the Saturday and Sunday was heavy rain with just a... Continue Reading →
The Donauradweg (Danube bike path) is a well established bike path in Austria running along the Danube river. Like many cycling enthusiasts, I recently decided to ride this - my journey would start at the St. Stephan’s cathedral in Passau (in Germany, on the border with Austria) to St. Stephan’s cathedral in Vienna - a... Continue Reading →
MuddyTweed 