Energize your club with Red Bull
BLOG POSTS
Posted Jul 3rd 2007, 2:40pm
by Chris Ward
WIN VIP Tkts For Prologue!
Win VIP hospitality at the Prologue!
isporty have once again teamed up with Tour de France sponsors Orange to offer 6 members the chance to win tickets for a day of full hospitality at the Tour de France village at the London Prologue this Saturday July 7th. The lucky winners will spend the day in the hospitality village, located on the roadside. They’ll experience the excitement of the passing of the race from a fantastic spot, enjoy cocktails, a buffet lunch and an amazing bike demonstration and show. Each winner will also receive a complementary gift.
To be in with a chance of winning, we need you to upload your favourite and best cycling photos and videos. These can be uploaded into this special Tour de France competition page which we have launched alongside our Tour Page – the most comprehensive tour resource on the web.
Le Tour page
Closing date is Thursday 5th July and the winners - with the best photo or video - will be notified the following day – good luck and look out for our major tour competition starting this Friday!
Posted Jun 27th 2007, 4:31pm by Chris Ward
Ride The Stage 1 TdF Sportive!
Isporty has teamed up with the Tour de France sponsors, Orange, to give 4 cyclists the chance to cycle the 120-mile Stage 1 London to Canterbury route of the Tour de France on 1st July, a week before the professionals. The winners and 5000 others will cycle the marked and marshaled route from Greenwich through Kent to Canterbury. You’ll be provided with an Orange branded cycling suit, free refreshments along the way and transport back from Canterbury is included.
To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question:
Where are Orange ‘On Your Bike London’ bikes being given away on 4th July?
Answer through the comments section of my blog and our 4 very fit and healthy winners will be picked out of the lucky helmet at 5pm on Thursday 28th June (tomorrow) – you haven’t got long to train!
Orange - official telecommunications partner of the Tour De France – will be giving away 500 mountain bikes and helmets worth £200 each to members of the public. To celebrate the inaugural start of the race in London, actress Gemma Atkinson and Olympic gold medal winners Chris Hoy and Jason Queally will be handing out a total of 500 black mountain bikes for free on July 4th in Covent Garden at 9am, as part of the Orange ‘On Your Bike, London’ initiative.
This is the first time exclusive content from such an event will be available over web and mobile in the UK thanks to Orange's Broadband and Mobile offering. If you want your free bike, go to www.orange.co.uk to find out more.
Comments
Orange ‘On Your Bike London’ bikes being given away in Covent Garden on July 4th.
Posted by Dave O'Brien, Jun 27th 2007, 5:16pm
Covent Garden Piazza (9 am, July 4th)
says Kevin Fitzgerald
says Kevin Fitzgerald
Posted by Kevin Fitzgerald, Jun 27th 2007, 8:12pm
The Orange Bike giveaway will take place at Covent Garden on the 4th July.
Posted by Craig Buckley, Jun 28th 2007, 4:36pm
now for a real challenge try one of the Xtreme Terrain Festival events. 22 September, Camberley.
!
!
Posted by toby jenkins, Jul 2nd 2007, 10:53am
Posted Jul 25th 2006, 3:16pm by Chris Ward
Transalp - the aftermath
Back home. still very tired. We ended up 139th out of about 280 mens teams. I would have qualified for masters (total age of team over 80) but Keith too young! I think including all starters we finished about 230 out of about 580 teams - so not too bad for first go.
im going to upload some photos later from my camera phone (keith's bounced out of his pocket - hopefully he will get it back as he had the time to take loads of pics of me on deaths door - a worthy reminder in case i start contemplating doing something like this again.
thanks for all the support from people that read the blog and send messages and for Bill for rining every day to check i was still breathing.
Comments
Posted Jul 24th 2006, 9:33am by Chris Ward
Day 8 ...they think its all over. It is now.
Had a swim in lake garda, 5 yards from the finish line and now wanted to get down my thoughts (however embarassing) before I foget what this ride has done to me - and what I've done to myself.
Three hours later
I'm back to my normal life - in a cafe with an espresso.
I could cry, I'm a bit shaky, I've argued with my wife (for not being here!), I've moaned at an organiser - for leaving our bike boxes a mile from where they need to be, I've held back the tears from listening to a phone message from my 'proud' kids. I'm more of an emotional wreck than a physical one.
I've not had to think of anything other than ridingm, eating and sleeping for 8 days and now the simplist thing that I need to do has the potential to tip me over the edge how on earth am I going to make it to the airport on monday!?
I'm sure the 'real' men and mtn bikers don't feel anything like this - have I let it get to me or does it get to everyone?
What I think I did more than most is push myself to a physical extreme beyond what I was capable of. My partner Keith is younger, fitter and a mtn biker - I think I caused a lot of this emotioanl and physical exhustion by trying to stay up with him. This would be a much different event to what I've written here if you did it within your limitations.
I've been more scared than anything else that I've ever done. It was definetly slightly mad to do this after only about 6 days experience.
But I love being 'affected' by things - most of life can be dull and lived within a stuperfying framework of consumerism. Ultimately I think I loved this. I loved challenging myself and seeing what I could do - you don't get too much chance to do that in life so for that alone I'm glad I did it - now what's next...and how do you put two and two together...
Comments
Well I have been with Chris Ward plenty of times when I thought we were seeing the dark side of our human limits. So this account, finding new levels of 'beyond limits' is pretty scary to me: where are those, what do you really find when you find them? why is it that the emotional reactions are so strong? It's a fantastic accomplishment, way beyond my comprehension. Congratuations is not word enough.
I wonder what dark place you must have visited during those three days of silence, as we all waited outside the deep well hoping the stillness was not a void. Glad you are physically back and look forward to the rest of you.
ed.
I wonder what dark place you must have visited during those three days of silence, as we all waited outside the deep well hoping the stillness was not a void. Glad you are physically back and look forward to the rest of you.
ed.
Posted by Ed McKinley, Jul 25th 2006, 3:43am
Posted Jul 24th 2006, 9:26am by Chris Ward
Day 7
Pretty uneventful day. I haven't got any energy left to do anything dangerous and impossible to knacker myself any more.
We finished 152 today but still comfotably inside 150 overall - which has been our simple minded little target.
We only had to go about 32 miles but it still took 4.18hrs. 3.45 of that was more 16 percent plus climbing on rocks and gravel.
Plus 30 minutes trying to hang onto the bike on a fast downhill into another chocolate box finishing town.
Keith paid me my highest compliment tonight. There's about 1050 people in the race 'no one here has spent less time on a mtn bike than you' I think the 30 odd hours we've taken so far has at least doubled my lifetimes experiennce of mtn biking.
Can't wait to finish (bit dangerous tomorrow) and get back home to the kids and Helen and to get back to cycling on tarmac.
Comments
Posted Jul 21st 2006, 9:17am by Chris Ward
Day 4,5,6
Its still tough so nothing much changes there. Haven't had the energy to write much last few days. We had a good day when we came 117th, a bad day when I managed to fly over the handlebars and land on the same shoulder that had hit the tunnel wall a few days ago, and a slower day when I've finally reached my energy reserves - unfortunately with still 2 days to go.
The crash was the lowest point. Came out of nowhere and was in the middle of nowhere - 3000 metres up. And had to be followed by 5k of cycling along a foot wide ledge next to a 200m drop - over which someone later went.
Made me question again why I am doing this - don't want to get hurt too much! I've now lost my nerve a bit and came off a few times today as I'm not approiaching turns and obstacles with the confidence I should. I'm always releived when we make it back onto tarmac.
I will enjoy this when it is over and probably enjoy boring people about how good it is!
I will miss it - having only one thing to worry about - in fact two - myself and the bike. I will struggle to deal with only eating 2000 calories a day instead of 6000.
But I'm talking as if its over - still 2 days to go, so no doubt more than enough time for anything to happen still...
Comments
Posted Jul 18th 2006, 9:03am by Chris Ward
Day 3 monday.
Woke up felt auwful, so hey nothing changes. Breakfast a mile from the camp so had to get lycra on and pack before eating less than hour before the longest and hardest climb I've ever done.
So me and keith both on start line feeling sick. (Me with that knackered, lack of energy, puffy eye look).
So straight. Up - 1.45hrs of cycling and 20mins of pushing to reach the summit.
Did it ok though and woofed down last nights held over roll while I could still get solids down.
And from then on a good day. Energy levels felt good till the end - which may in part be to my adrenaline levels being atiffically raised by me sticking the bike into the wall of a tunnel we were going downhill through at 30mph. Luckily my shoulder took it and after 5mins of adjustments to me and the bike the chase continued.
We finished 14 places down on yesterday - that 5mins cost us keeping the status quo - and today I cared because at the end I felt the best yet and annoyed I'd cost us places - the top 150 start in the front pens each day. We are 145th, apart from finishing this has now become a meaningless target - we will stay in the top 150.
The numbers below us though get less and less as teams crash or pull out - 5 percent lost before today.
Onwards and upwards
Comments