You open the door and flip the light switch. The dank smell of the basement first hits your nostrils as the strip lights flicker lazily for a few seconds. These eventually warm up and fill the small room with a cold, harsh light. The walls of the storage room are lined with the dusty carcasses... Continue Reading →
The POC Ventral Spin helmet has a special place in my heart. About two years ago, I had a nasty crash with a van which suddenly pulled out in front of me. Despite my efforts to brake in time, my head hit the windscreen at about 25 km/h. Thankfully only a week beforehand I splashed... Continue Reading →
It was Wednesday, the day afterwards. I was sitting in my car, driving across Berlin to pick up my bike from the New Order bike shop. It was strange to be back in a car again. After spending the last 6 days on my bike, I felt suddenly isolated from the outdoors. No sun on... Continue Reading →
A stone's throw to Wittenberg (checkpoint 8) The alarm rang, and this time I pushed the snooze button. I got up at 6am - what a luxury. After all, I only had 170km to ride today to Berlin and all by 4pm at the latest. 10 hours. Plenty of time. Time for breakfast. I took... Continue Reading →
Running on empty The alarm rings at 4.30. I've slept pretty well, although that's not too surprising given the comfy bed. It's certainly better than a bench in a shower room. The first thing I notice when I get up is my back wheel, which is lying against the radiator under the window. It seems... Continue Reading →
The breakaway The alarm rang. Again. 4.30. This is getting tiring. The first challenge of the morning, get up off an inflatable mattress without being able to put my feet on the floor or making the damn thing squeak excessively. Back roll? Flip over and crawl? Easier said than done. The next 30 minutes are... Continue Reading →
Team time trial (checkpoint 4) The alarm rings at 3.40. I tried to count how many of my vertebrae have been displaced over the last few hours of sleep. Not too many on reflection, oddly enough I slept as well as I did on the first night, in a proper bed. Keen to keep our... Continue Reading →
The hunt for Thomas and coffee The alarm rings at 3.30. Christian and I get up, stumbling around the hotel room and putting together our kit. Is this your powerpack? Where is my computer? Is this my phone? Despite the comfortable mattress, I had slept badly, convinced in my dreams that I had forgot to... Continue Reading →
The briefing Let's wind it back a little. Wednesday 10 August (day -1) at the Amstel House Hostel in central Berlin. After a tour of the city on my bike that day, I arrived at the hotel for the evening pre-race briefing. I was a bit early, but eventually a small queue formed behind some... Continue Reading →
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.
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