Winter holiday

oh, what to do!

Due to a miscommunication, I ended up with 3 weeks off this month but nothing really planned.
I needed the sunshine, I needed the beach, I needed a break, I needed to Kitesurf.
but where to go?

I looked at Morocco, but the flight connections weren't any good and the accommodation was gonna cost over 900 Euros...WTF?
so, where else?

A colleague suggested Tenerife.  hey, why not.
As luck would have it, the first week, no wind "but this never happens"
Really?
anyway, there was hiking, more hiking, drinking and more drinking. a little kite surfing, although to the trained eye it probably looked like an Australian being dragged around by a kite whilst attempting to drown, unsuccessfully!

As Always, I went there with no expectations and came away pleasantly surprised with what the island had to offer and what I got done.


but at least I had fun and now feel refreshed.  Ready for some new challenges!

Next week I'm back to work for a lovely week o' nights, the seven nights of Christmas.
but before then I've got one thing to do on Friday.

The north coast 

At the top of Pico Viejo

Getting ready for Masca

Looking down from Montana Roja

Sunny days!

End of something

Well, here we are and the riding season is at an end.  Bikes in for repair and servicing, colder, wetter weather, short days, long nights. 

Planning for bigger and better rides is afoot.I've seen a couple that catch my eye.  The UK 4 Corners Gold, Gibraltar - Nordkapp 72 and the FHB 48 (Fucking, Hell and Bach).

Unfortunately the GN72 can't be ridden till I've completed another 2000 mile, extreme ride.  hence the FHB.

And yes, I'm going to ride to Fucking (Austria), Hell (Norway) and Bach (France).  Not surprisingly, this ride is through the Irish IBA. 

I've plenty of time to plan and prepare for my rides, the first won't be till after the beginning of the Tour de France.

I hope to catch at least one if not two stages of the TdF in 2013, The 100th, before my ride.

But enough pipe-dreams, back to the now and the winter.

Having just completed a week of nights, I've got a couple of weeks off work, I thought I'd do something reasonably constructive with my time.  So, it's off to Tenerife.

I'm hoping to improve my kite-surfing skills and get a bit of vitamin D in the process.

Then it'll be back to reality and another week of nights.  Such is a shift-workers' lot.

I hope that you're all well at this festive time of year and your loved ones are all near, in spirit if not person.

Almost the hardest ride in the UK