A little history

It's funny how these things go. You move house and, while packing up the long, (in my case at least), history of your life, you come across things that take you back to happier/sadder/more exciting times; delete as appropriate. I moved house recently and took hold of that bag of 90's photos and shook it until it gave up all its contents. Family, places, events, the usual stuff. But oddly no pictures of me and my passion for bikes. How bizarre and strangely disturbing.
I thought bikes would be everywhere through the 90's as it was in 1990 that my passion really took hold after my very first mountain bike ride with a great friend of mine Kev. I was violently sick at the top of the first, very small, hill and spent the rest of the time looking like a ghost. But I was hooked and have spent the subsequent years living, breathing and riding bikes. So why no pictures?
The other day, Chris, the warehouse foreman came in brandishing a photograph. Of me, on a bike. It was the very first Enduro 6, sponsored at the time by Karrimor. For me it was a great event as I won the race...for 62nd place. But the photo made me think. It's from maybe two thirds the way into the race, I had a crash that put the number board off centre, I'd forgotten about that, but I'm still smiling. And that's probably why there's no photos in my bag of 90's memories; I was actually out riding. Some might see this lack of pictures as a bad thing but in reality it's a good thing, as my memories of those rides and races just get better the older I get.
BTW , I've lost weight since the photo was taken and I don't wear pink socks any more.

The Glamourous World of Marketing

Ahh, Marketing. Rubbing shoulders with famous athletes, dining out at another's expense, 'free' product to 'test'. It's all so rosy. Unless you're in marketing. The European Marketing Manager for Trek, an enthusiastic chap called Brian, is currently in Mexico ready to play his part in the world media launch of the new Trek Remedy. I'm already thinking Tequila, burrito's and, an obvious one for me really, boots.
Brian, however, is probably thinking, en-suite? Gym facilities? Room service? Why would he be thinking this? Because it doesn't appear his room is actually attached to anything. Hopefully this won't put him off having a great time riding the Remedy.
And hopefully, he'll be well rested enough to tell the rest of us in Marketing how cool the new Remedy really is. (No, I'm not bitter that I couldn't go!)

No Escape

'Every breath you take, every step you make, I'll be watching you'. Maybe it was written for me, in particular, my holiday, (the one I'm currently on!), as it seems there is no way I can stop the cogs turning. I'm on holiday in France in a small village called Peyrat Le Chateau in the departement of Haute Vienne which itself is part of the Limousin. It was supposed to be a complete break from the office after a hectic summer, and, unsurprisingly perhaps, I wasn't allowed to take a bike.
Getting away from bikes completely though, in an area seemingly designed for both road and mountain bikes, is a bit of a tall order. Prime example is this photo; I can't help but stop to find out more about the bike, the owner etc. Not allowed, surely that's work? Whatever, it was just nice to see a classic 9.8 obviously just back from a ride in the wooded hills around Peyrat.
Next time I bring my bike!

Getting Shirty

I don't know what many people think the guys at Trek UK are like, but I daresay not many people think most of the 45 strong company ride bikes. It's almost like the company is too corporate to actually be passionate about riding bikes because we sell so many. If you do think that way, and I hope you don't, you'd be wrong. At a rough estimate, about 85% of the employees are cyclists. Due to team and logistic limitations, only about 24 rode at the Bontrager Twentyfour12 but many more were wanting to. How hooked are they? Well, here's a picture of Gareth from the Warranty department with his collection of jersies; I guess you could say 'keen'?

New Wheels

I'd like to think I'm an early adopter. New tecnology, new bikes, new thinking. What has gone before isn't necessarily wrong, it's just been superceded. You catch my drift. So when it came time to choose a new company car, I thought I'd look outside of the normal company car box and make my own mind up about what I wanted in a means of transport. Here's my list.

1. A tax break. Yeah, it sounds selfish, but having just moved house with the job, I could do with saving a few quid.

2. Value for money. Not just my money, as I'd be paying the fuel costs, but the company's money as Trek would be picking up the lease cost and this is in part dictated by the resale value.

3. My 'green' credentials. I own a 1960 VW Camper so my carbon footprint is screwed, what can I say?

4. Finally, style; my own identity I'd like to think is mine and nobody else's, so peer pressure has never meant a great deal. I wear cowboy boots for crisakes!

So what did I come up with? A Toyota Prius. Okay, style is a question of taste but there's no denying numbers 1-3 are well and truly ticked. In a company whose product line is primarily an alternative to the car, I felt it is also important to be doing something to help make a difference; let's face it, in a few years, hybrid or electric car technology will be a choice we all have to make, I just started early.

What has this to do with mountain bikes? Maybe nothing, but driving a 'milk float' as it's been dubbed, doesn't preclude me from being a biker at heart. Book, cover? You decide, and think hard about your next car.