Ullapool cyclosportive

Three quarters of the Smit family

The intrepid three

The scenery - not that the cyclists had time to look at it!

Now, my life used to revolve around cyclists. I worked at the Velodrome in Manchester, I coached cyclists, I raced and my partner raced. Since moving to the island, Eve has cycled to keep fit and I have done nothing much - mainly due to my persistent CFS. Still, we have plenty of friends still in the sport - the wedding recently we attended was of a cyclist and other cyclists were there too. In the hospital where my partner works is another former racing cyclist - and photographer - Mr Windy and we hatched a plan to go over the water to the mainland and ride the Ullapool cyclosportive. We even coerced Stephan from the hospital and this village into riding despite him only taking up cycling recently.

The 65mile route of the event goes round Stac Polly along some of the most beautiful roads in Scotland. Only, they are a tad up and down and Stephan suffered but did absolutely brilliantly to finish - albeit on his knees!. The weather was lovely and so was the day. Eve, Stephan and Mr Windy completed the course a mere whisker [1.5 hrs!] behind Paul Smith - also from the Isle of Lewis who shot round in 3.5 hours!

I took some snaps, I had a wonderful time and look forward to another little bicycle related trip with the clan. Mr Windy wrote about it too here.

In/On tandem

Eh? Hampton Court. Where-else?

I took this snap whilst surveying the cycling time trial course at the London thing. Since then GB cyclists are winning - a lot. Is there a connection?

And today Evelyn and Mr Windy have been out on the tandem ready for the Ullapool cyclosportive in September. :-)

still love this

 

I mean tandems and everything - what's not to like.

We owned one for a few years - hung the Christmas lights on it as it had to grace the lounge in our tiny Lancs home. And tandems were a large part of my working life at Manchester Velodrome. Somewhere I have a snap of eight tandems in my works office - such as it was. They were ready for one of the Tandem omniums I ran.  Oh, and lets not forget The [two] Fuji tandems we managed to get made for Ellen and Aileen for the Athens paralympics where they won gold. [and again in Beijing].

Then Eve raced a few times on tandems with Paul Hunter and also Vic Possee, the latter in a tandem criterium I organised. She almost raced on tandem with Michael Hutchinson but the weather made the course unrideable which was a pity.

See here for more tandem posts.

Then up here in the windy cool north west Eve rode a 100 hilly and wet mile cyclosportive with Mr WInndy from which I'm not sure Mr WIndy has ever recovered from.

That's why I am attracted to images of tandems. Does that make sense>

Slide

Sonja, Cailean and Deanne in Ullapool last year.

Stephan

My dance teacher was on a sleep-over so I'm told. Twas just as well since my practising the moves had not been going well. I was in Ullapool with Eve, Sonja, Stephan, Cailean and The Windy's [although Mrs Windy tells me she is 'Deanne' and definitely not Mrs Windy] for a cyclosportive. And since I have now got round to having this slide film developed, you can now see these snaps in all their splendour. Well worth waiting for.

Gorgeous

I found these negs this morning. She who had been grounded had been sleeping on them. Seems to have imparted a nice patina on them as they lay waiting on the settee.

HHHCB had been grounded for fighting. With whom we know not but she came back a little injured - and stroppy - so we kept her in last night to cool off a little - and it seems to have worked. In fact i might just do it again if she places her royal bot on the negs again and does this to them.

From the Oban Cyclosportive - Obviously.

A Local Hero

Mr Windy listens in as super hero Paul Smith [right] tells Local Hero['s] Roddy Murray how it's done before the start of the cyclosportive in Ullapool.

spots in black

I'm still playing with images from the Ullapool cyclosportive. This is one, printed on old Kodak Bromesko with Rollei-Creative Lith. Yes, there are black spots. Why shouldn't there be. I like them. I think I may specialise in them come to think of it.

It's right sunny here too.

I can't imagine who would not like this. Sure to be fielding phone calls from the galleries now. Not that I will sell.

Of course it's the Oban Cyclosportive. I missed Eve falling off her bike so you will just have to imagine that's what this is. I could have been. It might be the last snap coming from the lovely old Kodak Retinette since it has a screw loose which jams the wind-on thing every now and again causing me to miss masterpieces as they appear in front of me. I shall resort to the Petri7s perhaps for this technique.

Lith awaits since Bromoil has got the better of me for the moment. Nice splodges and everything but just can't get over-excited about the process as I haven't learnt it properly. Yet.

Anyway, expect to see a series of these while I continue with the Zorki4 / Jupiter12 over on Island Crofter :-) And the occasional MF snap here too. And some other things. Obviously.

You can complain as I like to imagine there's someone reading this stuff.

Oh look

While some chap was making history jumping out of balloon some miles up somewhere of other - and then breaking the sound barrier on the way down, I found some negs down the back of the settee. Negs that seemingly came from the little trip o'er the water to the Ullapool cyclosportive - that Mr Windy and Eve did on the tandem in horrible wet and windy conditions.

I shan't over excite you with too many more snaps from this occasion as it may prove just too much so recently after the above event in the skies. Still, two showing Eve and Mr Windy at the race control, thank-full it's all over.

Getting ready for Ullapool

Eve & Mr Windy on Tandem

We have a tandem. In fact we have two although I'm not sure where the track one currently is. Still, our bogstandard lavender coloured beast is now in the safe hands of Mr Windy who, having fettled it, is now steering Eve on training runs prior to the Ullapool cyclosportive in a few weeks. All goes well at the moment. The weather is being kind too.

Happy New Year

Walking into 2011 - with Ghreit who isn't barking for a change!

So, that's just about it. 2010 done and dusted bar the fat woman singing - and as I mentioned before, I don't sing. Well, I don't sing in tune anyway. Eve does sing - but not often. Lord Wiesmier, Pirate of this parish [retired] never utters a word or a sound come to that!

Lots of snaps taken this year predominately with 35mm cameras due in part to the sort of snaps I've been taking and in part because the huge hike in film prices these days. Some of these snaps recently appeared on television too so The Crofter and family are now even more well known.

A week on the Isle of Jura in May with Toots and the Coelyns was very nice - as was the weather. Two weddings in Engerland and a trip Ullapool with the Smits and Windys for the cyclosportive made for a busy year.

The downside was that my health had not been fantastic all year but hopefully, with a bit of hard-work on my part getting my head to think me well - plus help from Anne-Marie and others, 2011 seems like it's going to be much better. And so it should be.

On a similar note, our pal Curls is not so well at the moment so I ask you for positive thoughts to go out to him.

So here's a big thank you for your time in 2010 and best wishes and love to everyone for a wonderful, peaceful and contented 2011.

But my biggest thanks is to Eve, my wonderful partner with whom I have the most wonderful life.

It wasn't all rain and wind

There was lashing rain and howling wind. The day of the cyclosportive over the wild roads of Assynt that is.

 Still have some energy left

 Some poor soul mending a puncture in the rain

 Ooh, that's looks hard.

 Leaving the Lochinver feeding station

 It was wild.

 Up here too

DO NOT adjust your set; normal service will be resumed later.

Foreigners Eh? Where would be without them? That's what the Nederland peoples were thinking when we rocked up in Valkenburg to watch the Amstel Gold bike race - and for Eve to ride the cyclosportive over the course the day before. That was in,,,,,, flip, 2006! How time flies.

Wonderful place is Valkenburg, lovely peoples and terrific place to watch this lovely bike race [going on as I write]. But they do get a  bit over-excited, drinking lovely Amstel beers and standing around talking and things. Sometimes they wave. But mostly they talk and watch. I like the Dutch.

Eve, Carine and Mark [Mr Carine] rode the race - up and down the 30 plus climbs. Had a fine old time too. Now, we follow from a distance looking at the updates on the pooter to see if old pals are in the frame [they are not - so far!].

Oh, well, off to a BBQ to celebrate Mrs Smit's birthday in a moment - if the BBQ hasn't been blown away that is. Happy Birthday Sonja.