Boing Boing!

The little bike shop in Saint-Girons, cent pour cent vélo, was recently taken over by Frédéric Moncassin, who just happens to have been a professional road cyclist in the 1990s and even won 2 stages of the Tour de France in 1996. He is a bit good! But I digress. The point of this post is that it was his hands that fitted the new headset and Marzocchi Bomber forks on my mountain bike. Thinking about it, it's a good job I didn't know about his background before walking in there today otherwise I could have been a tad in awe! And he gave me some great advice when I picked his brains about my vague idea of buying a Cannondale Synapse carbon roadie which he just happens to stock. But I digress.... again. The point of this post is my mountain bike. Yes, my VTT with spangly new shockers that go boing when I go over bumps. Shockers that actually take the shock much to the gratitude of my arms which have been serving that purpose since, well, since forever. But anyway, today's ride, yes, after a bit of car shuffling, we managed to complete the final 2 stages of the Trans-Ariege mountain bike route this afternoon in 30 degree heat (this IS early October, isn't it?!) which included some great little sections that really tested my new set up and which had me emitting involuntary woops and shrieks as the shockers did their work and as the cows looked on in bemusement. Oh .... what.... fun!!! What a difference! Thank you Andy for my birthday pressie and thank you thank you Freddy Moncassin for fitting them for me.But back to the route - it was another cheeky little number with some really quite spiteful steep bits (up to 25%) which provided a challenge, but nothing insurmountable. It turned in at a few metres shy of 30kms and 400m ish of ascent. Good stuff.