Bristol - Berlin : Leather fetish

As I'm riding to Berlin - the spiritual home - of all things 'leather') I made a token gesture and invested in a Brooks leather saddle.

It's a work of art and has big copper studs which John reckon makes it look a bit S&M as well.

Hopefully rubbing this weird lemon scented cream into it on a regular basis will make it even comfier.

It's all part of the ritual apparently and not just plain perverted.

View from the Bar

The only bar I will be visiting for a while should look like this:

A view down the lanes above Compton Dando on Sunday. It had rained a lot but it was lovely out, fresh and wintery but pretty mild and sunny.

Bristol, Bath, Bradford & Brass Knocker Hill!

Damn, it's so hard to make these 'training rides' look hard on camera!

Parked up next to Iford Manord (Bath stone grandeur, italianate ornamental gardens and the river Frome rushing by under a beautiful stone bridge)

But look ... in the distance you can make out the 1in4 climb back out of the valley! It was a hard ride honest!

A shorter ride than last week but took in all the 'son of a bitch' climbs I could muster in a 60k route from Bath - Bradford and back. Crawling the twists and turns of Brassknocker Hill made more arduous by the coaches lumbering up behind looking for places to pass (there are none!)

Climbs: Bathwick Hill, Freshford, Turleigh/Winsley Hill, Brasssknocker, Peppershell Lane

Bristol to Berlin by Bicycle - Bike Geek Info

In case anyone is the least bit interested, I've been pimping my ride to get it all nice and comfy for Berlin.

The bike I'm using has been my daily ride for some time so I know it, trust it and kind of love it!

I'll stick some pictures up, but in the meantime here's the low down:

• Cotic 'RoadRat' steel road frame
• Mavic A719 touring rims
• Schawalbe marathon plus tyres
• Up front: Schmidt dynamo hub connected to a Solidlights LED dynamo light
• Out back: Goldtech track hub with a 17 tooth fixed cog
• Stronglight 165mm cranks (44t)
• Shimano XTR pedals
• Chris King headset
• Bontrager oversize carbon road bars (ergonomic profile)
• Bontrager carbon seat post
• Brooks swift (titanium )saddle
• Shimano v-brake (front only)
• Superlight BMX chain
• Tubus rack
• Mudgaurds
• German "Pit Lock" security kit (burn in hell, bike thieves!)

Bristol to Berlin by Bicycle - Training diary

Went out last Saturday and rode the Jack & Grace Cotton memorial ride - 100k of steady riding up the Severn valley from North Bristol.

I was able to hook up with some other local riders thanks to Steve Downs of the South Bristol club and we had a cracking day, all riding a fixed gear on the back lanes of Gloucestershire. No hills worth speaking of so it was a perfect opportunity to do a reasonable distance.

A memorable cake stop a Leyhill Prison, the organisers laid on a feast of home made cakes. The highlight being a really tasty fig pastry.

We looked but couldn't find any files or hacksaw blades hidden in the cakes!

Oops, sorry this was supposed to be a "training" ride wasn't it?

Bristol to Berlin by Bicycle - First Steps!

Well I had to get my finger out really and make this ride to Berlin a reality.

I'm really excited as the first step was to book the flight BACK from Berlin. That way I'm committed, no turning back and all I've got to do is get on my bike in April and start praying for a westerly breeze to give me a tailwind!