Thursday 18 June 2009

All is good in the hood!!!


So things are so inconsistent at home atm. One minutes I'm rammed with loads to do, and the next i just get ridiculously bored. Now i sit here and think about it, i am so busy that the brief periods of rest i do get may seem boring but are much needed and definitely well deserved.

Its Cheddar Euro's next weekend and I'm psyched, haven't booked anything yet but am definitely looking forward to it. I'll be right, it should just be a nice holiday with some riding to keep me fresh. Plus i really have to make the main at the brits this year, 3 years getting 5th in the semi is really becoming a joke. BAD TIMES.


School is good, 5 weeks left, its crazy that my 1st year is almost over. I'm just going through transitions with next years intake giving them the grand tour and hopefully minimising any problems that could occur. Its good to be prepared and all that.Footy training started on monday, so i should be starting to get in summer shape soon, play abit of beach footy and just generally have fun. Talking of the beach, I was trying to plan a beach party but have come to the conclusion that it needs to be properly planned down to the smallest detail, except the date. Everything just needs to be sat waiting to go and in needs to be an impromptu decision when the weather is good and everyone is in the mood.



BMX isle of man is really going places too. Just had the call from Douglas corp to re-develop their track, bigger budget than Peel and we already have a base to start from, woop. More news on that another time.


Laters :)

Wednesday 10 June 2009

I guess I better say something

Now I dont have anything interesting to do / dont have any time to write about it the blogs are pretty sparce, so as a result these are just chunks of whats happenen. Its TT back home so things are mega busy, I worked all last week whilst practices where on which was hectic and then got sent home ill on Wednesday after some bad food at a BBQ on the beach on Tuesday night, as I was in less than good shape. Friday morning did a hot lap over the mountain to Dave Blacks, the moutain is one way for TT with no speed limit so it was a nice early morning blast to wake me up, boom, only got done by 3 bikes.Got to Daves only to realise I didn't have a ticket for the boat, so we packed up, drove down to the ferry terminal and £74 later I was on my way to Liverpool, oh my days! We got down to Peterbro at about 3, put the biggest of big tents I have ever seen up and I went and did some practice.

The track has had some changes recently and the new bits where OK, the big double at the end though? WTF? Any how, I was abit dubious that the rest of the track hadn't been touched since the brits, the last straight was U shaped with only one line being ridden. Most others seemed to share my concerns. I didn't feel to be riding too badly though so role on race day. After dinner with Jez, Jordan, Flip and Mrs Flip (pro pasta) I got a taxi back to the campsite and got some rest.The rain started at 1019 on Friday night, and I was pretty worried for how the weekend would turn out. It was still drizzling as I woke up on Saturday morning so I gave practice a miss and chilled out and tried to catch up with as many people as possible. Peterbro club worked really hard on the track in the morning and it was looking good when the sun came out and dried up all the fresh surface. 1st moto I snapped and was 2nd to the 1st corner, followed down the 2nd straight, and over the big doubles getting a bit more pump and catching them further, as I got closer and looked up I realised it was Twarn. Whats been going on? He must have been putting the hours in, I felt I was going pretty good, he was flying. Anyhow, I got on the inside into the 2nd berm and pushed him high and I nailed the 3rd straight building up a comfortable lead and took it all the way to the line, I did however want the throw up, I think I should have done a better warm up because I felt like crap. a 3rd in moto 2 and a 1 in the 3rd left me with 2nd pick. Maddocks had 1st pick and went 1, I got 2 and Vinyard had been cruising all through the moto's so was left with 5. Vinyard snapped and cut off Pople and Clarke (3 and 4) and came over on Maddocks, I got out the way and left them too it and managed to get a 3rd, Vinyard was flying though and took the points. I had pasta again on Satruday night, this time with the Goldcoast crew, one word sums it up, BANTER.

On Sunday it did reain, 1st moto was ok but then it chucked it down. I got 1.1.1. in my moto's but still got 2nd pick to Maddocks because of the alphabet. Pople and Clarke had learned from their mistakes on Saturday and left 3 for Vinyard, who made a great job of cutting me off and I had nowhere to go, 5th to the 1st corner, 5th to the line, bad times. but I do like Rich's summary of it over on BC...

he was killing it in the motos, enough to remark that 'today was the day' Come the final and he cheeses it, riding like my 85 year old nan on her zimmer
frame...

We rode Manchester on Monday before getting the new boat home, its almost a proper ferry. Huge and pretty empty considering. Had a big day at the track yesterday opening it up to anyone who wanted a go as they past and enjoyed sprint day festivities. A pretty good day but I was shattered. I slept 12 hours last night and eventually feel half human again, now I must make the most of TT.



Fill you all in soon.

Wednesday 6 May 2009

I do...

So its been ages, and to be honest if i wrote it all down you may fall asleep, so lets tell it with pictures...

The cycle club at school has been great, getting mroe and more kids each week. We held a ride to school day last week, 77 people took part, some coming from 10 miles away, a great success.Derby has been and gone, i'm sitting 5th overall, lucly that... It should be a good season, everyone seems to have stepped up their race game with the races getting faster, everyone looking more factory and the pits getting bigger every year. UK, on the up. Saturdays bloc racing though, was dire.Did some coaching over easter aswell. There where some big crashes, and this is proof you should always wear your helmet... oh and dont drive over it either.It was the first DH race of the season over here, as you all know, i used to dabble in off road and its a bigger scene over here than BMX so I've gotta play the game. I didn't get much practice in but it was a laugh, qualifying I got a time of 3.27, some young gun of a 12 year old had a time of 3.17. I was gutted, so I had 10 seconds to find to gain some dignity, luckily I did, 3.16 on my timed run, the kid didn't manage to improve and I managed to come 13 out of 16 adults, but most of these boys do take it serious so I'm happy, theres another race next weekend which i'll hit up.Everyone was back over easter, went out for chinese with the Linz and Emma Skills (good times) and Scott and Philli. You have to make the most of it when the students are back, because this place is dead as hell most of the time.Went over to Manc this weekend for a coaching forum with the guys from BC. Coaches had come from all over, but no one set off the night before to get there. It was a good weekend, did a bit of testing, listened to some expert opinions, played abit of golf..See ya'll at Burnham

Friday 13 March 2009

Who still blogs?

I'm gonna be honest, I'm rubbish at updates, work takes up some of my time, bikes take up the rest I haven't even played football for 3 weeks. Come to think of it, I haven't even given an update of my time away. Ok so I should have some time on sunday to write up whats gone on. Just to let you know I am still around and I do still exist. For now though, keep checking http://ramseybmx.blogspot.com for the updates there, because we have been a busy bunch.

Tuesday 24 February 2009

I'm one of them

Normally, my posts are like an Oscar winning film, you know? It starts with a tense scene, with moody lighting and loads of atmosphere but it’s actually the conclusion and the story is about the journey and how you get there. Well this is going to be nothing like that. I don’t even remember the last time I posted, but I do recall the consequences, it appears my little 11 year olds are quite smart and found my internet soap box, it appears I get quite the audience, so sorry I don’t update more, but I really don’t want to bore you with all the menial things that go on. I spend my time sorting the wheat from the chaff to give you the best 5 minutes of your last 10, that kinda thing.

Maybe I should stop “blogging” and start actually writing something productive. Balls to that, I’m having too much fun, so stuff back home... Works going good, dahnhilling is still loads of fun, BMX is feeling a little tired atm, the banter at football is alright, mums moaning I have too many bikes in the hallway, I split with the girl I was seeing, but none of that even begins to impact on how I’m feeling atm. So that was the re-cap, and where am I right now? Who am I one of?

I’m currently sat, on my laptop in Starbucks, sipping a venti mocha with cream IN LEEDS! Sometimes you just need to get away, and after having 2 days off over Christmas I thought I’d take the first chance I could to get back, see the boys, go ride my bike, and remind myself of how the real world works. Charlotte had been back home for her brothers 18th so we did that Saturday night, (yes, I did bad things, no, I’m not going to tell you) I spent Sunday on the sofa dying then yesterday I drove us back to LS6. I finally got to bed at 1:45am after leaving my house the best part of 8 hours earlier, its only a small stretch of water but its’ some effort to get across it.

Jackson woke me up this morning with his caveman like stumbling around having a shower, so that was me up at 7 and not getting back to sleep, Ciaran and him are on an 8-4 at work so I gave them a lift in, not before a bit of banter over breakfast. I really can’t comprehend how much I miss these guys, I laughed more in half an hour over breakfast than I have in the past month. Not that I don’t enjoy being at home, but, well, I can’t describe it.

So that’s where I’m at at half 8 on a Tuesday morning, a big week of plans ahead of me and a smile on my face. If your on the mainland and fancy a catch up holla at me on facebook asap and I’ll try and fit you in, ha. Leeds until Thursday, then over to Manchester for the afternoon/night, down Leicester way Friday night, hit up Derby track Saturday before heading back up to Leeds for Saturday night and Sunday, then home.

Good times x

Friday 30 January 2009

Like a wizards sleeve!

As promised, you’re about to be updated. So let me get to where I was last time, being a geek apparently, or so Rory McCann says. I’ve just read Fastlane for the 2nd time and it still amazes me that the hard copy is really in my hands. I have to give the boys at massive shout out, credit where credit is due, I really think that Fastlane BMX Racing Magazine is a great thing for UK BMX, ha UKBMX, that’s not me anymore, lets here it for BMX Isle of Man.So what’s happenin? Work really, its startin to be proper, my department launched a couple of weeks ago and it’s been non-stop since then, things are getting worse before their getting better, before I turned up the lads who are now mine where on the edge of another department so not under such a microscope, since I’ve been here things are getting noticed so it seems that their behaviour is getting worse, but in reality the majority of it is just the bad behaviour is being noticed more. It’s really a challenge and I’m loving it, earning myself the nickname of wonder boy is pretty ego boosting too which is a bonus.

It was my mum’s mum’s funeral last Friday, it went ok, I went up to help mum at work the night before and ended up just lying around falling asleep. We got to the church for me to find out that I was doing a reading, I read at my granddads funeral 4 years ago so it was fitting I guess. There was a line in this poem about halfway through that had no flow and would have been difficult to say on most days, let alone with my gran in a box about 10 feet away and 100 people watching, got through it though, I may have been slightly loud when next to the mic, so much so that people heard the sigh of relief at the end when I had got through it with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat, ha. It was nice though, she had suffered too much, she’s at peace now, and mum and the rest of the family can move on.AUAFC football is going good, the 2nd team had our first win in ages the other day, and on my 2nd game as captain, I’ve started taking a couple of training sessions too, had the boys doing circuits on Wednesday, seemed to go ok. I’m liking the variation of coaching at the moment, a bit at football, a bit at BMX, and my Jo at work has asked me to do a sports based birthday party for her 5 year old. I’ve taken it as a massive compliment, it’s one thing giving me a job to look after someone else’s kids at school but to let me loose with her little boy and his mates is cool. Though for the first time in ages I’m nervous about coaching, because she’s a trained PE teacher so knows what she’s talking about, ahhhhh be right.

More on BBC IOM, the guy who is in charge of BBC Isle of Man saw the Ramsey BMX blog and sent me a message asking to get in touch, we talked and he liked what we are doing. So instead of putting on the football results or all that other boring stuff that everyone covers he’s going for the unique angle, he’s been in contact with the MTB club, and us. So every race day, I take a couple of pictures and write a little report, and it goes on the BBC website, now that’s publicity. Who knows, if it goes alright other BMX regions could use it to show their local guys and spread the word, all publicity is good publicity.

On the subject of MTBs, as development coordinator I’m going to the next MTB meeting to discuss a talent programme, it existed a few years ago for roadies and went by the name of an academy. But I want to put my fingerprint on things and be a bit more inclusive (something that doesn’t seem to happen over here). So looking at bringing together 10 – 16 year olds from different disciplines, who have potential, get them training together one night a week and pooling our resources.Anyhow its Thursday night and I’m off to do a dodgy deal, been after a downhill bike for a while now and was maybe looking at slightly the wrong budget so kept hesitating about spending a grand when I’m not sure how much time I can commit to it. Anyhow, an antique has come up for sale over here, an intense M1, one of the best bikes of its generation for sure, it’s up at £550, let’s see what I can get him down too, I might have a new bike by the time I post this online.

Ordered a new Haro crowser yesterday but shhhh, don’t tell the bank manager, should be getting my haul of Fly stuff through in the next couple of weeks. Like I said to rich at custom riders, it doesn’t matter how fast you ride, it’s how you look that matters.
Yep, I am the new proud owner of a downhill bike, already stripped it back to the original decals and it looks sweet, cant wait for tomorrow morning so I can go ride the thing.

Thursday 29 January 2009

All being well...

There will be a blog to read tomorrow, so free up some space in your diary, buy a nice chocolate bar, or if you part of the Coach Wan training crew buy an apple because tomorrow, I'm going to bore you with lame stories of Ramsey BMX club, shopping, probably a bit of work and some plans of mine. So just to get you in the mood, new THE, is niiice, I liiiiiiike.
In the mean time if your looking for something to do, check out the Ramsey BMX Website. Or go buy something from Custom Riders.com ;)

Wednesday 14 January 2009

Ok, i need to stick to deadlines

Time… what an idea, and one I think I am only really starting to get the concept of. Charlotte, a really close friend of mine is doing a philosophy module at uni and I was helping her revise, which got me thinking outside the box about time. Think about it like this, there are 365 days in a year, because the earth rotates 365 times(ish) in a year, but why are there 24 hours in a day? Who decided that 24 was the best number to break it down into, and why 60 minutes and 60 seconds? Why is a second the exact length of time that it is? I’m sure its not random, but who knows why?So seconds, hours, and days, I haven’t really had any free ones, between the 15th of December and today I’ve had 2 days off work, be that School, MSR or Nightlife, the problem is, I’ve got bills to pay, and a national season to save up for so I’m not giving any of them up. I’m not online at the moment, what did I say I was going to write about this time round?2000ft decent I think, but to prefix that – DOWNHILL, comeback!?! I’ve been doing a bit of downhill recently, and loving it, the DH scene over here is pretty big, and where I came from, but how its evolved in 4 years. When I started spending more time at the track and less time in plantations there was a 50/50 split hardtails to full sus rigs and the courses showed that with most things pretty do-able no matter what your steed.Now though you really have to start missing out sections if you don’t have a £3,000 Iron Horse Sunday and I was spending more time on the chicken routes than on the main track. But it shows in the boys riding styles, every single lad (and sarah) ride so smooth and with a certain effortless about them it really is nice to just stand and watch sometimes. And as for Skilly, he really is the definition of loose is fast, quote “oh I didn’t really mean to hit that root but I guess it worked.” Anyhow, to summarise, DH is the scene over here and I’ve been loving it, so I’m on the lookout for a second hand bike, about £1,000ish, I can ride DH on Saturdays, BMX on Sundays, and rest, erm, well that’s not an issue is it.Now you have the background, here is more of a freeride story, but still MTB related, see I try and do BMX but get distracted. On the 27th scott went skiing and lent me his Kona Stab Deluxe, good times. 8 of us drove up the mountain to the old motor cycling museum, parked, pushed for what felt like an age, but was about half an hour to the top of Snaifell, 2000ft +. Then picked the straightest line to the beach in Laxey, it was a great experience, and although I doubt we’ll be doing it again in a while, how many people do you know that have ridden from the top of a mountain to the beach?My Fly deal, nothing new I guess. Outdoors Ramsey the local, bike shop has sorted me out with a deal to keep me fully kitted out in Fly racing kit and I got a pretty sweet hoody the other day. Just waiting on Scoop to bring the tops in so I can send it over to Rich at Urban Air to get printed up for 09, because lets face it, it doesn’t matter where you finish as long as you look the part.And finally, that Katie Perry song… Am I gonna be able to blag this? Nah, on Christmas eve I was doing my sleazy barman thing like I do, hold up, I mean flirty barman thing, and ended up giving this girl my number. Anyhow, there is now a girl on the scene, I haven’t really mentioned the fact that I’m a complete and utter geek who writes about myself on a website though so that’s about as much info as your getting on her.

Because although I don’t really advertise to anyone back home that I blog, I know people read it, some of the kids from the BMX club comment on the fact that I write about boring things (hi Liam), and this Tom fellow that commented about Mr Costa. Jesus has anyone at work stumbled across it yet? So there are people that read it who I genuinely don’t know about, have I earned the right to go on celebrity big brother yet?So I don’t really fancy splashing out someone else’s private life for all to see, mine I’m not so bothered about, not only do I have no shame, I also get the chance to edit what is going on in my head before it hits your PC screen, so I’m on a win win, but what about other people I write about, should I start to think about other peoples feelings? Balls to that, I’m too cool for school.

Its been nice to catch up, speak to ya’ll soon,

But for now, I got reet drunk on Sunday night, big shout out to all the nightlife crew still recovering 3 days later, good times.

P.S. I’ve just secured Ramsey BMX Club exposure on the BBC website on the local section, which lets face it, is ace! More to come.

Monday 5 January 2009

The person next to be is bloggin

I'm in the library and the woman next to be is writin a blog, I can't quite catch the url though, maybe i should tip her off to check me out. I was thinking about something similar last night, I'm gonna go blog searching, you know, for someone who I share interests or ideals with, but not someone I know, and just, follow their blog, kinda like a pen friend, but more of a crazy stalker kick about it. Now I word it like that, maybe not...

Anyhow just a quick one, I will write a proper blog with week, with photo's and stories and allsorts, this is just the press release...

In the next issue of THREE LEGS, TWO WHEELS

2000 feet in 2 hours
DOWNHILL - comeback?
FLYracing deal
I KISSED A GIRL, and i liked it
See ya'll soon
PS. Who's Tom?