Yes, It’s that time of the year again when I look back and reflect on what’s gone on in the last 12 months.
I say things as I see it and there’s no point in hiding anything away, weather that be good or bad, after all, in years to come when I look back on this blog and read about it, I want to know exactly what went on, ‘warts an all’!!!
So after spending the 1st year and a half in the bottom tier of racing, it was time to move onwards and upwards and try to better myself and make the short journey up to Clubman class for 2008.
Now then, if you’re a parent you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when the saying ‘sleepless nights’ spring to mind! I’m not going to beat about the bush here, but being a dad for the 1st time seriously affected my racing! In fact, it bloody well effects everything!
When you’re used to being a ‘bit of a lad’ and the lifestyle that goes with it and you decide to start a family and have a ‘little un’, all hell brakes loose and it kind of takes over your life and everything falls by the wayside. Not easy to come to terms with I can tell you!
For that reason I only did a handful of races for the first 8 months of the year and consequently because I couldn’t do much running either through being knackered all the time, my fitness levels dropped rapidly. I’ve always been one for keeping in shape and this without a doubt has made up for the lack of biking skills in some races simply due to the fact that I’ve kept going when others have pulled out. So bearing that in mind, I wasn’t exactly in the right mind to do a lot of racing anyway.
When I did race I really struggled, up in class, not fit and knackered, not a good combination, not if you’re the wrong side of 40 anyway!
When things began to settle down a bit I decided to lay the TM to rest and try a different bike, so I treated myself to a new Gas Gas. A change is as good as a rest so they say and just as I fell in love with the TM (still got it) I’ve also fallen in love with the little gasser as well, and for the first time in my life, I’ve actually got a brand new motorbike, ‘lovely jubbly’ as Del would say!
I love riding it and if she gives me the same reliability as the previous bike, I’ll be over the moon.
My ‘season’ didn’t really start until October and I tried to cram as many events in until the end of the year as I could to get used to the new bike and to try and make up for lost ‘bike’ time. It was a bit of a shame that a few events towards the end of the year were cancelled as I would have done more riding.
One thing that always impresses me is the camaraderie and friendliness at enduro events. I’ve met an awful lot of decent folk again this year at the meetings and it’s always nice to have a chat to someone that you’ve parked next too in a field in the middle of nowhere and who you haven’t met before after traveling for 3 hours and strike up a conversation!!
You don’t get that at your local Tesco or Sainsbury’s do ya?
So into 2009 we go and I hope to ride as much as I possibly can concentrating on the SW champ rounds with some TnT and SCEC, Xmoor EC, as well as a few others for good measure.
Don’t forget, if you see us at a meeting, come up and say hello or nice words to that effect please!
I say things as I see it and there’s no point in hiding anything away, weather that be good or bad, after all, in years to come when I look back on this blog and read about it, I want to know exactly what went on, ‘warts an all’!!!
So after spending the 1st year and a half in the bottom tier of racing, it was time to move onwards and upwards and try to better myself and make the short journey up to Clubman class for 2008.
Now then, if you’re a parent you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when the saying ‘sleepless nights’ spring to mind! I’m not going to beat about the bush here, but being a dad for the 1st time seriously affected my racing! In fact, it bloody well effects everything!
When you’re used to being a ‘bit of a lad’ and the lifestyle that goes with it and you decide to start a family and have a ‘little un’, all hell brakes loose and it kind of takes over your life and everything falls by the wayside. Not easy to come to terms with I can tell you!
For that reason I only did a handful of races for the first 8 months of the year and consequently because I couldn’t do much running either through being knackered all the time, my fitness levels dropped rapidly. I’ve always been one for keeping in shape and this without a doubt has made up for the lack of biking skills in some races simply due to the fact that I’ve kept going when others have pulled out. So bearing that in mind, I wasn’t exactly in the right mind to do a lot of racing anyway.
When I did race I really struggled, up in class, not fit and knackered, not a good combination, not if you’re the wrong side of 40 anyway!
When things began to settle down a bit I decided to lay the TM to rest and try a different bike, so I treated myself to a new Gas Gas. A change is as good as a rest so they say and just as I fell in love with the TM (still got it) I’ve also fallen in love with the little gasser as well, and for the first time in my life, I’ve actually got a brand new motorbike, ‘lovely jubbly’ as Del would say!
I love riding it and if she gives me the same reliability as the previous bike, I’ll be over the moon.
My ‘season’ didn’t really start until October and I tried to cram as many events in until the end of the year as I could to get used to the new bike and to try and make up for lost ‘bike’ time. It was a bit of a shame that a few events towards the end of the year were cancelled as I would have done more riding.
One thing that always impresses me is the camaraderie and friendliness at enduro events. I’ve met an awful lot of decent folk again this year at the meetings and it’s always nice to have a chat to someone that you’ve parked next too in a field in the middle of nowhere and who you haven’t met before after traveling for 3 hours and strike up a conversation!!
You don’t get that at your local Tesco or Sainsbury’s do ya?
So into 2009 we go and I hope to ride as much as I possibly can concentrating on the SW champ rounds with some TnT and SCEC, Xmoor EC, as well as a few others for good measure.
Don’t forget, if you see us at a meeting, come up and say hello or nice words to that effect please!
