I’ve been a bit low on finding the time to blog the last few months. In some ways the world’s moved on. I don’t need to paste a link to a video or anything on this blog anymore because the sharing thing’s taken care of by Twitter and Facebook really. But there are some things I need to record on here for my own purposes and get off my chest and into print. (Well… webby print. You could print it if you wanted – you know what I mean) Continue reading “Cart, sleigh & horse: Cyclocross season reviewed”
Stay-cation half term.
Had a really nice couple of days this week off work but basically doing things you’d to on a holiday. With Lily leading the agenda, it mostly revolved around the animal kingdom, with a visit to Bleakholt animal sanctuary on Wednesday and then Knowsley Safari Park on Thursday.
It’s made such a great change – Katie and I have eaten (and drunk) as though we were on holiday too, but it’s been a great little mid-week switch-off and some great valuable moments in the memory bank.
Lions actually quite genuinely terrifying up close and they weren’t even in a bad mood. Watching the loonies drive through the monkey enclosure and getting their cars wrecked was a sight to behold. Like watching Gypsy Weddings on TV except you could see the strange person up close. Some of them were seemingly upset too. Real Darwinian stuff in action.
Photos all here or slideshow below
Continue reading “Stay-cation half term.”
Selfless devotion to family
Sometimes in life it’s time to stop doing what you enjoy, and pay some dedicated time to other family members.
With young families, my brother in law Simon and I get very little time together and no quality time to speak of in the last couple of years. With his birthday fast approaching, I decided to redress this by trying to get some good face-time together as a little treat to him. Continue reading “Selfless devotion to family”
Everything’s gonna be all Whyte
Interesting project on at the moment on behalf the design team for Whyte Bikes. Ian (who works on product design there) and I go back a long way and given my boundless enthusiasm for cyclocross (and what younger people might call ‘experience’), I’m starting to test a bit of a new venture for them. Whyte are an English brand famous for their mountain bike range, but wanted to get into the cyclocross market. Their new frame – currently a prototype – is highly immersed in that. It’s radically mountainbike, actually – in many ways. Certainly an interesting prospect. Continue reading “Everything’s gonna be all Whyte”
Ronde Van Oost Lancashire
Very much looking forward to the second running of the Ronde Van Oost Lancashire on the 2nd April this year. Friend Alan’s organised it again using the same route as the first Ronde in 2010. Named and themed after the Ronde Van Vlaanderen (or Tour of Flanders for you Anglophiles), it’ll visit some of the backest of back lanes and 2lb loafiest of cobbles streets.
Adding to the value, my brother (and recent Here Come the Belgians signing) Phil ‘de Vlaeminck’ Haygarth will be joining us, as well as Matthew ‘Bosberg’ Pixton, and many other classics riders of note.
Full route, description etc here on Crossjunkie’s blog
KT @ 4T
The lovely Mrs Haygarth ripened to a good age in very graceful and elegant style with a low-key party at home for a few local friends and family.
It’s always a bit weird having a birthday at the cruddy end of Christmas and New Year and last week’s birthday party was serene and very enjoyable. What we’d optimistically hoped would mean a few friends for a nice toast and some daytime nibbles turned into a prolonged afternoon complete with lots of children running about playing some very complex games of hide and seek in a confined area. Continue reading “KT @ 4T”
Xmas and Boxing Day and beyond
As always, a lovely family time for us guys. It was a bit of a catch-up time for me with Sally & Simon who I have hardly really seen in the last six months.
With such young children in the family those six months seem a very significant chunk of time, and inevitably there’s lots of the old ‘blimey you’ve grown’ stuff generally going on. (Not me though – I’ve shrunk about half a centimetre since September according to a semi-ritualistic measuring of people against pen-marks on the door – but I’ll chat to my physio about that) Continue reading “Xmas and Boxing Day and beyond”
A weekend of Cyclocross and Music
This weekend was another one of those ‘pinch yourself’ ones for me. Those of you who know me will get the picture: Saturday: Play guitar in the band, Sunday: Race cyclocross. Continue reading “A weekend of Cyclocross and Music”
Movember – an experience not to be repeated in a hurry
Somethimes I do thing on a whim. We all do I guess. I didn’t take it very seriously and can’t even remember what prompted my to “take part” in this year’s Movember – a fundraising gig for men’s health charities. Continue reading “Movember – an experience not to be repeated in a hurry”
The Autumn of my Life
Had a wonderful few reasons to reflect on this time of year in the last few days. Autumn’s a strange time of year in its gentle onset of cruelty, as we lose the evening daylight, and the warmth of each day dies out. But it also offers so much too. The first warm fires to make an hour by the TV seem like the best thing to do rather than a waste of time… the orange Alpenglow that makes otherwise drab scenes more paletable; and above all, the start of the proper cyclocross season. Continue reading “The Autumn of my Life”
Three Peaks Cyclocross 2010
Here’s a conundrum of sorts. What do you do when you have to race a bike down hills like this as fast as you can and have a front brake that looks like this. With a level head, you might be forgiven for making a decision along the lines of “you’ve got work tomorrow” etc. It did go through my mind, and for a second, I thought my race should really have ended there and then – half way down the first of three descents. But that wasn’t going to happen, was it?! Continue reading “Three Peaks Cyclocross 2010”
In readiness… 3 Peaks time of year again
Seems to have flown by this year. Kept busy by exercise, workloads, 40th birthdays spread over a few months, and some lovely holidays, the period since the 2009 3 Peaks Cyclocross seems to have flown by. My preparation over the last few weeks has been as obsessive and meticulous as ever (possibly more so… were that possible). Continue reading “In readiness… 3 Peaks time of year again”