Marathon Training Mode: ON

Crosskovácsi Marathon 2017 // 2 weeks to go

Here we go again, I'll be lining up to the start line again in about 2 weeks time. I'll be racing the 23rd Crosskovácsi Marathon in Nagykovácsi. I never raced here, so it will be the perfect opportunity to try this iconic event! 

The race is popular and vey well organized by a properly experienced team. As it will be the 2017 Hungarian National Marathon Champs, so things can't go wrong if I'm after some sweet mountain bike marathon action!

Training is going ok, my motivation is through the cealing. I'm still undecided about the distance that I'll choose though... but I make up my mind soon enough. So, roll on 2017!!

Message of the day :)

It has started: cyclist tan Level 1

Resurrection of my old training loop

Today I had a nice little training going on the local trails. The plan was to get a few laps done on the old XC loop that we used to ride ages and ages ago, when I started racing back in 2001. 

It's a good 'aul fashion XC course with pretty much one longish climb and a very fast rolling descent. The course is 2,7 km long and the elevation gain is 93 m in one lap. Once you're done with the classic power climb that's out in the open you'll enter the forest and soon will start your mega fast downhill through the woods. There's a short climb still at the end just before the start/finish point of the loop. It's a great course, especially because it brings back about a ton of nice memories from the past! 

I've done 4 laps on the XC course and after I got a bit of a mileage also. I finished todays ride with 48,7 km and 830 m of climbing in the Garmin. Good enough for today. But of course there was time...

... for a moment of silence at the lake...

... and a quick bubbly resfreshment at the pastry shop. 

Welcome back to life you beautiful beast!

During yeasterday the Niner got so much abuse that left no other choice but to carry out a proper TLC on it. Sunny day, savage metal music and an hour later a squeeky clean single speed XC weapon! I'll take that thank you very much! ;)  

The story of a loooong afternoon...

Well, there are days when things go well and there are also days when eveyrthing seems to be agains us. Today was one of those days when things weren't on my side...

It has started as a nice & usual Saturday afternoon. Got geared up straight after lunch and left the house for a spin. I had a proper MTB session planned, so there was nothing else left to do but to hit the trails! I was about 15 minutes into the spin when I got stung by a wasp into my lip... into my freakin' bottom lip. 

Within seconds it felt like my mouth will burn off... but a bit later it got totally numb so from then on it was like I'm sitting in a dentists waiting room. 

Although I wasn't happy about things but of course I kept going. Things got all good: the trails were savage and I simply loved every minute on the bike!...

   

Until from one minute to the other the weather turned seriously. The sky got all dark and the temperature dropped heavily. At this point I've decided to turn back and not to go further into the mountains. I got back to the Hidegkút shelter in heavy rain but at that point things got so bad I figured it's better to put the hammer down on the descent and to get back to the nearest village as fast as I can. 

I'm normally pretty calm about the weather, I need a lot to be worried about the conditions... but not this time. This time things were different... when the rain turned into a properly heavy hail-storm I was sure this is not a joke.  It was falling so heavily and the size of the ice drops were big enough to cause painful minutes during the last 2 km before I got into a bus stop shelter.

By the time I got to Gyöngyöspata things got even worse. It got colder and the storm got stronger also. I was waiting around a bit to see how things are but nothing improved. As I was freezing my tits off at this point there was nothing else to do but call my Dad for a lift home. Shame or no shame but it had to be done. Thanks for the rescue Dad! :) 

So this is it. A perfect example when things don't go my way. But hey! This is life, hah? The next ride will be better. 

PS: the training spin was savage anyway until the sh*t hit the fan! :D   

#Hollókő

Custom Niner hoodie // Easily the best leaving present ever!

Today we hopped in to my old job to say hi to the lads. And guess what! They surprised me with a leaving present! A leaving present that I never expected: a custom Niner hoodie with a bunch of personal message printed on it. As a huge Niner fan it's needless to say how difficult it was to wipe the massive smile off my face. I simply loved it!! But lets have a look at the details!

Nine - 20 ... was my phone extension at work

  

Sweet looking Niner logo, my dream place to go mountain biking to and a real personal message with the word "bike" printed in Irish as memory of my ten years living in Ireland. Fantastic!

And a bit of an insider joke: a lovely picture of good 'aul Glenn Quagmire from my favourite comedy show. You know the one, right?! :)

So, I'd like to say thank you to my old colleagues and friends Dani, Imre, Isti, Zoli and Lilla for getting me this amazing gift! Thanks folks, you are awesome!!! :)

Another brilliant long weekend

I have to admit that I love long weekends. I love the way there's a bit of an extra time to get things done. This time I managed to spend quality time with my family and also have been out on the bike 2 times in 3 days. That's more than perfect for a long weekend, isn't it? :) 

The 5 hours riding total time was well needed indeed. Luckily I've had training mates with me both times. There were plenty of loughs and some Strava KOM hunting along the way! ;)