So Cal..the OC, Leguna Seca and too many SMOOTH MOVES to write home about!

The day after the marathon, I dragged my bags and limped pathetically to Heathrow, destination L.A. Catching each falling star on the way and putting it in my pocket!! Tara and Polly met me off the flight after a funny evening at the Ellen Degeneres show and we settled in in the O.C for a few days. I woke up on Tuesday and set out on Driving lesson #1! T can't drive right now, so I was at the helm in her nippy wee Lexus! We went to rehab where I spent most of the time rubbing my eyes!! Not because of jet lag, but in amazment of Tara's progress! In 4 months, she has come on in leaps and bounds. She has consistant, localised sensation and movement which can only be a good thing. She has mastered walking aided by her Forest Gump style leg supports and crutches and can kick both her legs out. Progress is slow but very very steady.

After a bit of car-barny and some major shuffling, we were packed and ready to hit the road north to Monterey. Kim, T and I chewed the fat and gased the entitre way along the 6 hour drive!! We landed in our hotel, dumped the bags and headed out for T with my sistas Fee and Jiggs. First day at the Sea Otter gave the indication of a biggy biggy event, it was like a festival, everyone and everything 'bike orientated' was there. The venue for the race was the infamous Laguna Seca track. The place was a hive of activity, roadies, xc, slalom, BMX, and DH, there was pretty much every kinda pie for kinda tastebud!! The pits were nestled in the bowl surrounding the track, the roadies raced the track and we raced on it's backside....OOOER!

Riding was cool. Buckle from Trek was a total legend and flew my bike over for the event. When I got there it was all built and ready to go! It was a little big for the course, but pedalled like a dream. I can't wait to get it onto the bigger Alpine courses and see how she handles, she still needs a name tho...hmmmm! CAECELIA????

Okay...so a low down. I finished 22nd in the DH, Fee came 3rd in the Slalom and 2nd in the DH, Buhl kicked ASS in the DH and took the win. Damion is rubbish at returning keys and has a bit to learn about wine but can cook up a juicy steak.Wagner's shit trilogy is just as funny 2nd time round. Kim is the most practical person I have ever met, a human swiss army knife. In and out burgers are finger lickin good. The Syndicate guys took over the podium. You drive on the right there, you drive on the right there!! I am no longer a California or root beer virgin. Fruit bats lurk in the trees in Monterey. Neven is officially the most lethial social handgrenade I know, full of great banter and laughter. You can get handcuff shaped bike locks which are great for locking people up?!

Tara has the funniest franglais accent, best used ordering in take outs!! Monterey has the BEST breakfast place ever and breakfast while I was away was the funniest meal of the day...SMOOTH MOVE!!. Facial hair is SO last season. 110mph on the freeway is apparantly a good move?! I scored 9 points on the KHS team funny board!!California produces some lucious vino and the biggest strawberries I have ever seen. Asking strangers for lifts is naughty unless they drive jeeps and you are with Neven! Reading glasses come in all shapes and sizes, som are good in a vertical position in bed?

Keep your eyes peeled for the May edition of the Dirt Magazine, there is a wee treat in there for y'all!! Which moose let the juice loose about this hooose? SET THE JUICE LOOSE! xx

26.2 miles, blood sweat and blisters!!

There I was on a dark December night, deluded after a long drive cross country racking my brains as to how I can go about raising money for a dear friend of mine Tara Llanes. Cast your eyes south and read her story below....

Cut a mammoth tail short, I ended up talking to some of my fellow Lucozade workers and low and behold, in mid January, I got news that I had made Team Lucozade Sport and I had a secure place to run the marathon. I was so excited, I know people who have tried for over 6 years to get a place to run in the race!! The excitement soon faded when the reality of actually putting your mind and body though the hours of training and then the actual race set in! Training was nuggets, I had to train up and down the country (As I am usualy away with work) and I trained in the dark in all weather conditions including snow, rain, sun, hail....in The Isle of Arran, the Lakes, most of the major cities, Edinburgh, London, Glasgow, Manchester BLA BLA BLA, you get the picture.

The tredmill helped me loads and I spent quite a lot if time running at a set pace over set distances on the 'milly the treadmill! I got my 10km time down to 53 mins, which ain't bad for a novice!! I found out a lot about running too, did you know that if you wear the wrong panies, your fufu can chaffage and it can fall off? Interesting!! I bet you didn't know that it is not uncommon for people to loose all control of their bowel and soil their panties whilst running? Note...I WAS NOT ONE OF THESE LOOSE BOTTOMED FOLKS!! I did however whitness some shameless shitting en route round the marathon course!! Also, it is not uncommon to need a wee en route, pretty obvious really, considering the average time is 4 1/2 hours and the average fluid consumption is arounf 2L. I am proud to admit to a spot or urban peeing, it was quite releaving actually!!

The build up to the big day was exhausting. As Lucozade are the title energy drinks sponsor, it was all hands on deck for the Expo! Me and my budding team of Sports Scientists were on hand giving runners last minute advice and tips for 4 days prior to the event! It is the busiest few days of our working calendar, actullay it is a working marathon!! My boss was a peach, he actually forced me to take the day before the event off and a day off it was, long lie in in my hotel and the ole feet were up!! My bro and sista in law took me out for T which was so well needed!!

Marathon day came in a blink of the eye!! There I was in my Team Lucozade Sport kit, all hydrated and well fueled. I past the 2 mile mark, looked over my shoulder and saw my friend Amy! Out of 36'000 folks, what are the chances of that? We ran together until the 25th mile, she was the best running buddy ever!! We also met Blind Dave and his team, he is the most amazing guy! I helped him with his nutrition stratergy and the London Marathon was the last in his 7 marathon challenge across 7 continents in 7 days, the third man in history to complete the challenge...oh, and he is blind!! I was lucky to run the last mile with 4 nativly dressed Massi warriors, they were amazing, they ran with bike tyre style foot covers held on with string. The crowds all the way down the course were 4 deep and the cheers were unreal, it was like a world cup for 26.2 miles!! My whole team waited in the rain at the last Lucozade feeding station at mile 23 to cheer me on, it was pretty emotional!! I swore at a team meeting that if I hit the wall, I would resign! My fuelling was textbook, I felt strong, hydrated and well fuelled the entire way, the only thing that held me back were a few monster blisters and a fat, feeble foot!!

I hope you never experience having to step upto the plate for a friend, but if you do, do something worthwhile, make it count and in the mean time, it is never too late to sponsor me!!

http://www.tarallanesroadtorecovery.com/ XX

After driving and working all hours, most people with any level head would use off days for R n R. Good job I haven't got a level head then hu? It all started a few weeks back after a big presentation in London and a training session with one of the UKs Olympic marathon hopes Liz Yelling, I trekked the length of the country and ended up with my friend Alex on the Isle of Arran.

We had an ace few days kicking back, checking out a tour of the local Arran distillery, taking a peek at local cheese factory, discovering old caves, running training in the pouring rains, grabbing a bed and breakfast in a Swiss owned lodge and eating Chinese in someones living room...long story!! The island was real quiet which was awesome for absorbing the views and ripping our rental car around.

The next couple of days off were spent blasting down from Scotland to Wales in search of some epic xc riding. Em, Tracy, Teeny, Dan, Jake, Dean and myself piled into the Hub vans and blasted down at warp speed (fuelled by the biggest box of travel sweets known to man) for some quality trail riding.

We were met by Mo which was ace, I have stayed in the same house as Mo and have quite a few mutual friends, but strangely, in 10 whole years, our paths never crossed!! It was great to eventually hang with her!! Day one was spent at Coed y Brenin on a 32 km loop which was awesome, the trail was interspersed with all kinds of variety to keep us on our toes! There was the most randomly thrown together patch of north shore, it was so squiggly, I nearly did a top fuel and bailed into the bog.

Day two was a little more chilled out on the trails of Betsy Coed. I swear, my ass was so frikkin sore, it felt like someone had wired a tenz machine to it and turned it on FULL BORE!!

Wales was is like a nicely decorated cake. Beautiful on the outside and a little fruity in the middle! Some areas are pikey pikey do as you likey. It is beautiful in a sense that many areas are still untouched, but it does breed some strange things........its all about the village!!

The only reason I am on this computer is because I have HIT THE WALL!! In the last few days, I have driven from Glasgow to what feels like Tim-Buck-Two and back for work....I did like 400+ miles yesterday and I am pooped!! On the way home I was looking forward to going for a spin with a smooth talking Irish stew pot, somethings just never go to plan!! I think I got the best deal tho, I ended up with the Hics in hill-billy-ville pitching a ti pee in the snow!!After stocking up on essentials, we did some 4 wheelin in the snow along the rough ground to 'BASE CAMP' Helvellyn just in time to watch the sun set and the snow clouds roll over. The guys had the deal dialled in, they'd made the coolest wood burner which I cooked a sausage casserole on for T. Man those guys know how to live, basic and FUN! We had such a laugh, I set my shoes on fire

So, be warned, when in Wales, if you walk into a pub and ask if they are still serving, the answer is usually in the fact that the lights are still on and the door is open!! Tom tom aint always right...however, you if it tells you to park up and take a bus, it generally means your lost, bail!! Teeny has the SWEETEST tooth! Ti pees are officially the coolest way to camp. Deliverance is best played full bore, plaid clad from the booms of a 4x4 in the middle of no-where, tinny in hand. Boys don't always know where the hole is, especially in regard to petrol tanks that are cleverly concealed by anti theft 'flaps'.

TREK-Extreme Medics Racing team 2008.

Yea y'all!

Well, here you have it! For 2008 I will be racing alonside some of my oldest buddies on the racing circuit, under the Trek-Extreme Medics unbrella.

I'd like to take this opportunity to present my new team:

Manager: Mr Dan Jarvis. With a gob to match mine. For those of you who don't know Dan, you'll have heard him. He commentates at most of the World Cups! He is a total ledgend and responsible for sewing the seed and pushing me to ride for Barbados back in 2003. I was so stoked when Dan invited me to join the team. It's gonna be a fun season.

Rider DH: Petra Wiltshire. Pee one of my many big sisters on the racing circuit. We have crashed out/travelled and laughed our way through many a race over the years. Pee is an awesome rider. She is a 2 x World Masters and former Euro Champion. Pee has experience and wisdom running from her head through to her tyre.

RiderXC. Gemma Collins. I have never met Gemma, but I am sure sh'll have me roped into an XC race at some stage! Well, at least I hope she will!!

Our title sponsors include TREK BICYCLES and EXTREME Medics. We will also be promoting the Tara Llanes and riding with her logo on our backs. We do our damndest to raise money and awereness through various initiatives throughout the season...watch this space!

I'll be on board a sexy wee Trek sESSION 10, fully kitted up with the latest RockShox/Avid/sram componentry, wearing a custom made cyclejersey.com shirt (all black/pink and flowery!!)

The race line up for me includes:

Sea Otter Classic. April. California.

Maribor World Cup.

Andorra World Cup.

Fort William World Cup.

World Championships.

Schladming World Cup

Jersey Downtown.

Scottish Championships.

Keep your ears open. We're gonna blow your drums this season!! See ya on the trails.

Jim. X

Hogmanay in a haunted Castle.

So...all hell broke loose, what more can I say, I have just had two weeks of constant parties and

laughs with friends from home and uni. Christmas was all a lil bitty funny to be fair, it was the first Christmas without my Bro and there I was, playing Cranium with my family and family friends with no wingman.

Boxing day was as traditional as ever. All the girls (minus a key few) got together for my best friends birthday, and our annual catchup! The whole place was brought alive by Pete Mc, his Christmas woolie, crazy V-dub belt and panchant for small bottles of red wine??!!

K, so..........the annual bash at the Bagby broke up Christmas and New Year, Nats pushed the boat out with an amazing meal for 14, loads of amazing home caught nosh and fine wine. We finished the night in the 'entertainment room'. It was hilarious, karaoke here we come!!

New Year was a last minute, there were a few options and as usual a danger of having a flat New Year, thankfully, I have never ended up in a dross pub and tend to always land on my feet and this year was no exception.

We drove for four hours north of Inverness on the North East coast of Scotland to a rather exquisite Castle. Perched on a wee juting of land the Castle looked right down the valley. The Castle was built for the Dowager Duchess of Sutherland way back when (1906-1917) and was used during the war by the King and Queen of Norway as a safe refuge when the Nazis attacked Norway in the second world war.The building was awesome, I think there was around 120 of us for New Year, we all convened on New Years eve, we ate before we got there at a lush wee nosh hooose in Aviemore and then drove up to the Castle, choons blasting and singing for Scotland!! We were welcomed by the most amazing raging log fires and a maze of wicked paintings, marble statues and kilted men!!

After a power nap and a catchup, everyone got dressed up and headed to the ball room and adjourning rooms for a pre Ceilidh catch up drinking session! It was ace to see the Aberdeen crew again, all on form and dressed to impress. We danced until the bells, raised our glasses, spread the love and partied on until the small hours.

We woke early on New Years Day, piled into our friends car and headed even further up north to Thurso for a cheeky surf. The guys surfed Thurso East which was working like a beast, double over head and raging as only Thurso East can! Nugget had a bad twist to his ankle and bust his MCL which sucked, not the best way to start the day at all!! After the guys got changed and warmed up, we headed back to the Castle for an banquet and prepared for round two of dancing and letting loose!

Tara. Don't stop believing.

Where do I start on this one. If you are reading this, then I would presume that you already read my site and are a fan of DH. If so, you would have heard about the horrific injury Tara Llanes sustained in September 2007. I first heard of the news a few hours after the accident and was on the way to work really early one Sunday morning. I pulled over for a good while, cried a bit and carried on as though I had been in a cold bath for a while, I was numb.Tara has had two lots of major surgery and has been in hospital in Denver for just over 3 months. What she hasn't gone through, physically, mentally and emotionally in those last three months is no bodies business. We popped by to see her pretty much as soon as we landed in Denver and gathered the troops. I was so excited to see her, but naturally a little scared, I just didn't know what to expect. T was AMAZIN, she was bubbly and had the same spark about her that I just adore! Her andf Polly told us all about the crazy stuff she has gone through T showed us the scars from surgery on her spine and some videos of her playing air guitar to 'Journey-Don't stop believing'. It was taken a few days after her surgery and she was pretty smashed on her combiconction of drugs...it was a pretty funny vid!! We stayed longer than I thought, time literally flew, I looked at my watch and it was 9.30pm, T was drooping. She works so hard all day everyday, she gets pretty tired early on. We all vacated and let her get on with her nightly routine.

I popped back on Monday to spend some QT with her and stay with her through a whole day of classes in the Craig rehab Hospital. It was an amazing hospital with one of thee best facilities for the treatment of spinal injuries in the US, if not the world. There were athletes and none athletes in there and the atmosphere was just so inspirational. All of the flags you see hanging up are from old patients, some with msgs on, some with names, others were just hanging.

Tara's schedule was NUTS, I swear, it was like a whole day of P.E. lessons. She started out early doors, first class at 9am, I joined her for some mat to floor work and watched her complete her first bench to floor manoeuvre, it was amazing, her determination was unreal. After that, she got to stand in a support structure that helps keep you upright. We had a wicked game of Jenga and just as it was hotting up, T took a turn, she suddenly got really cold and we all went back to her room so she could get some rest. After lunch, she had ROM testing, then a class where she learned to get in and out of a car and then a second class where she learned how to manoeuvre down steps in her chair BACKWARDS...after that, she had a demonstration of how to correct her chair if she happened to tip backwards. All that in one day, I was exhausted just watching!

I learned alot in one day and I am not going to wing out a whole load of meaningless cliches. Seeing one of your good mates struggling and fighting with a smile on her face, a world of pain on one shoulder and a bigger world of determination on the other really makes you think about what is important in life. Never be complaisant with anything or anyone and give everything in life 110% effort and committment. In the fine words of Journey 'Don't stop believing, hold on to that feeling.'

DUMb AND DUMbER......

So, in true Dum and Dummer style, M-Dawg and I cruised on into Golden (Denver) in hire car STRIKE 2 and landed 'clad for the hills' of Aspen in our somewhat ridiculous get up at the Yeti HQ, in search of the famous D-Dawg Donkey…Denvers hottest bit of bachelor…and we are not talking Bachelor of Science fellow readers. D-Dawg excels in many things, most notably, he has a fine tuned nose for take outs and any situation in which he can slyly unleash his pinkie??? To find out more, keep your eye on the Yeti website over 08.! We walked in on a full-scale on 2008 staff photo session, so naturally, we joined in! Would have been rude not to, seen as how we were dressed for the occasion! We had some Friday night beers with the guys and a wee tour round before hitting down town Denver in search of the smiley face of the one and only Tara Llanes. I’ll tell you all about T in a different chapter. After lunch meal and a heavy night in a club in Denver, we descended on D-Dawgs apartment for a good nights sleep!!

Damion babysat us both for 3 days, chauffeuring us around and showing us the sights and sounds of Denver; he took us to some cool places to eat (breakfast, dinner and T!!) and shop (fancy dress up....and proper shopping).

One afternoon D and I ventured up to Winterpark to try and hire Ski-doos, unfortunately after a lot of digressing over a VERY LARGE breakfast, we got there too late. To make up for it, D taught me how to 'drive in the snow', we were in our rental car (which was more like an overly mumMY-ISH Chealsea tractor complete with 'buff' interior), and it was an automatic, but we had a great laugh anyway!!

I think D was pretty much forced to get down with his feminine side for three days!! Using his laptop as a makeup desk, blaring girly choons from his ipod speakers, singing and dancing and finally, hanging towels to dry on his pristine bikes probably took things a little too far (sorry, x). Aside from two corners of his apartment overflowing with girls bits, clothes, pants, shoes, coats, scarves....I think he really enjoyed having us.

We met up with Neven, and her cool Boulder friends. Neven never fails to make me smile, her amazing face just lights up like a Christmas tree and her wicked laugh just makes me laugh in return, we have like we have infectious laughing diarrhea!!

Denver is a cool city, there is a great vibe about the place, we didn’t spend much time there, but driving around it was evident that live music still had a firm footing in the social side of the city. It dumped when we got there so the city was under a thick blanket of snow which made the place seem even more magical. The roads were nothing but HELLISH tho, but thankfully, D took care of the driving, a seasoned pro shall we say, we were in safe hands. The city had a wonderfully western feel about the place, some of the buildings although pretty new were very in keeping for a western city with as I would imagine it to be, there was a hint of the wild west of you looked carefully enough.