Life is complicated, sports are simple........

Bike - Life is Complicated. Sport is Simple from howies on Vimeo.

Getting my head straight…..

It’s been a big change, the whole lot, work, riding, relationships and relaxation…






The writing is clear on the bathroom wall...




After the manic months of city life...


Then the tranquillity of working from home...


Trying to hold onto racing when my heart just wasn’t really in it anymore


And enjoying doing the things I haven’t done in a while



A recent trip and a change of routine have given a new perspective on what’s important to me now. Realizing the things I miss in life and truly can’t function without, what holds most importance at this stage, it was a great chance to think about where things are going, after all no one gets any younger.
For all of us the quest for ultimate happiness is a long one and some times it becomes a goal that simply can’t ever truly be reached. But for now it serves perfectly as something to aim at. After all, if winning, money or power are your only priority, then I guess you are largely missing the point. “The journey often out weights the destination” There is a massive world out there and its not just one for looking at. Why partake in artificial stimulation, when the real deal is sat there for the taking.




Several months ago, I started my trail centre project, ride all the UK trail centre loops or “red runs” in one year!!!
Well it’s, gone fairly well so far with 14 already done, during the last 5months and plenty more lined up for the next few weeks.




Riding these trails has been putting a massive smile on my face and has been a far cry from the pain and pressure, I felt whenever ive ridden a bike before. Also with relocation to the hills, my riding style has changed massively. The flat bars, shaven legs and energy gels, have been replaced with long travel folks, baggy shorts, tea and cake. The term “all mountain” is normally used to describe a bike with a “go anywhere and do anything attitude”, more fitting perhaps to the type of rider I have recently become, rather than the bike I now ride.



So with a new attitude both on and off the bike, it feels like life is rolling along quite well at the minute. I know this post has been a long time coming, (well for those that read it. Maybe no does and it’s just a lost page in cyberspace???) But to be honest, recently I been living in it rather than, writing about it……………………

On the move....

Followers of my twitter feed will have no doubt gathered that in a weeks time I will have left the big city for pastures new....

Every time I've been down the M5 motorway, since as young an age as I can remember, the shadow of the Malvern hills has always had me transfixed..........


And this time next week, I will be living there!
The Malvern Hills are made up of approximately 45km2 of rounded hills criss-crossed with bridleways and the foot of which will be less than 100yards from my new front door,(result!) Now to some folks that may not sound big enough for an all-day epic ride or the perfect location for an endurance-head but what they lack in square kilometres they make up for in vertical per mile. So having visited a couple of times and done my home work a can say, riding here is generally pretty tough, well, its nails to be honest and pretty much the best place i could think of to live within 2hrs of the office...... Climbing up from my front door by bike to summit takes anything up to 30mins depending on which way you go and rewards you with a whole amount of pain, you didn't really bargain for..(I've not even ran there yet!) But once up there the singletrack varies from flat out ridge lines, to steep switch-back wooded descents.(complete with what I found to be nasty techie, off camber roots combined with rocky steps and gullies! ebay search:body armor)
As for conditions on the hills, being just a bunch of great big rocks, means it is an all weather area and when other areas are laced with deep,shitty mud the Malverns almost remain a veritable haven of dry trails... (this just gets better) So this could maybe even see the end of the one-ride brake pad days???? (unless I get bored and go back to riding Cannock in the wet, narrrrrrrrrrrr)
So in all, as you may gather I'm quite excited about all this, OK so I'm renting and living at my financial limit (just for a change) but once again, I'm into my inevitable search to find the ultimate balance...........


If your still not convinced,
then check out this video of the route from the top down to my new front door, well, almost:

"I went down to the woods today & got a big surprise!......."

After a long week of late night, mega miles driven and less than 3hrs of exercise. I had no idea if I would even be able to start the Mud & Mayhem duathlon this morning...........

but I had a job to do and even though the 6am alarm was the rudest of awakenings Ive ever had. I didn't egnor it. So arrived in plenty of time, to set about branding the event..............














once id got the banners and flags up and the car park had began to fill, I could feel the event callin out to me " macca,,, Macca,,, MACCA, Come out to play!!!"













As i sit here tonight in my board shorts and tee, still hot from the bath, the cuts and scratches on my legs sting, the bruise on my thigh hurts and together they all remind me what Ive been missing. I'm sure walking down the stairs tomorrow morning will be the icing on this slice of post race cake.... Hummm and how beautiful it tastes,,,,,,
Today's result isn't even that important, yes a podium is nice place to be, yes 2nd is one step from victory. But for me, it is all about how I got there and how I felt about it and more importantly how I feel about it now..
The first 5k run was a baptism of fire,to not only the lungs and legs but also the brain. Having not ran at pace since a random track session early last month, coming into T1 in 5th was a way better position than Id thought possible.
A swift transition and an effort to keep my cool it was on with my new Bloc shades and time to see if id got anything to give during the bike.....





I took a solid position in the saddle, remained calm and used a combination of skill and power, rather than my usual explosive anger, to real in the guys in front... Disbite a tumble in the second section of single track, I kept my head and worked up to the front of the field.
Leading out of T2 felt great, "I not going to lie to you, I was buzzin,,,HARD!" 400meters further down the course and my body reminded me, that im not in any kind of condition to race flat out to the line (ATM).
Even wearing the Worlds number one multi functional headwear, didn't stop me losing my cool, when super road duathleite, turned off road specialist: Jez Cox, came a hunting for his first win of 2010. Within another few 100meters he was past and gone...
A few desperate looks over my shoulders and digging alot deeper than I have had to in a long time, the last 3km's seemed to go on forever. Finally i crossed the line,,,and in 2nd!



So for now, im going to enjoy my new trophy and bask in the phrase

"your only as good as your last race.."