This is brilliant (well I think so anyway). Some really clever editing of Vader footage and James Earl Jones’ voice taken from his other films…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6A0rwG39Jzk

I went for a lung bustin’ training ride on the ‘cross bike yesterday, a mixture of on and off-road (but mainly on road) and was enjoying myself racing cars up the A56. 3 lanes of dangerous fun! Anyway, I approached the right turn just opposite Mike Cookson’s shop to take me towards the Birtle bridleway. The filter light was just going to amber when I crossed the line, so I was cutting it fine. I was bombing along though so it should have been ok. I wasn’t running a red light or anything.

Coming the other way was a pillock in a van who was obviously just timing his “run” for the lights just right so that he could boot his stupid French piece of shit vehicle without slowing down from 40mph, whilst in third gear. I recall thinking, “bloody hell that’s going a bit fast, I’ll have to get across this junction sharpish”. I got across ok, and looked at the guy and mouthed the word “tosser” at him. Clearly he was narked and whilst giving me daggers his concentration lapsed for a split second…..

…meanwhile an equally stupid motorist, who was behind me, decided she could also get through this junction and turn right before the oncoming traffic hit her. She’s presumably not seen Mr.Cockhead in his 4-wheeled fridge driving in the opposite direction and has proceeded to turned right.

Mr Cockhead at that precise moment is looking to his left at me as I’ve just called him a rude name. No doubt he’s telling me he’s going to kill me with a rolled up newspaper and a chippy fork or something.

BANG. They both crash into each other in the middle of the junction. Nobody appears to be hurt (well there’s no limbs hanging off anyway) and the 2 motorists are shouting at each other. I rode off, all innocent, like.

It was a fairly uneventul ride after that really. Rode really fast, stood up and sprinted loads, felt pretty good, needed lights for the first time in ages.

We finally got away on a family holiday. A short one, but relaxing all the same. All we could get at short notice was a log cabin thing near Coed Y Brenin (yay!) that had a cancelled week. As we were only there from Wednesday we got it cheap as chips. Lovely place, dead quiet location, near to Dolgellau and riding distance from the forest trails.

We went for a day trip to the slate mine on Friday. It sounds a bit dull, but the deep mine tour is exciting (descending the slope on a rickety train for a start) and really quite moving too. There’s an audio tour as you go around 10 of the main chambers in the mine that recounts the daily grind of the workers. Some of the chambers are small, some however are like cathedrals. The guys who dug this immense labyrinth of underground caverns only had basic tools and a couple of candles each and some of the chambers took decades to dig. It makes you remind yourself how lucky you are – We don’t need to start work in the mines at 8 years old, 12 hours a day, 3 days off a year, lungs gradually filling with dust until you’re 40 years old (or less) at which point you’re knackered and have to go into the poorhouse. All for about 12p a week. Oh, and you spend most of your life down a hole.  

Michael and I went for a ride on the CYB “Tawr” trail – the old Red Bull to those in the know. Coed Y Brenin still gets some stick from the folk that remember the good old days but I reckon the place is a blast. Garry’s mate Tony Griff’s done a grand job in my opinion. Also, a “large” cup of tea at the VC actually means “bloody enormous”, so be warned. We rode to the forest from the cabin, then rode some of the old MBR trail to the visitor centre and then rode the Tawr. We met Deb at the end of the ride back at the visitors centre and had a full English (full Welsh?). Michael managed a 35K ride/1000 metres climb and a 6 am start that morning – a lot of it on long steep climbs and downhill technical singletrack. He’s getting really good at this, fitter and more skilful, so I’m going to treat his bike to a few choice upgrades, or get him a second hand Inbred…

Last night I stole a few hours and rode the “Beast” black route. A big loop, especially when added to the out-and-back road ride to and from the cabin. What a top ride. I don’t think I’ve scared myself into a grinning, gibbering mess as much as I did last night, the Pink Heifer section of trail proving to be the most mental high-speed concentration-fest part. Just fantastic, if a little bit reckless. I was on my own in fading light (but I had lights) and no phone signal but what the hell. I’d have been discovered eventually and you’ve got to do these things sometimes just to feel alive.