Podium Finish for Tango and Cash

Tango and Cash battled and bruised their way to third place in Saturday's CCAR Real Cycles adventure race at Castlewellan, just pipped by AR virgins The Monsters, and the wily old foxes of Not the Sunday Run.

Full results here.

Superb event again. A maze, eating worms, firing shotguns, plus all the usual palaver - it had everything.

Well done and thanks to Ivan, Steve and team for a great day out.

Final Tweaks Before the Race

In the adventure racing game, pristine kit is everything, and so the usual TLC is bestowed on our top of the range bikes before tomorrow's adventure race in Castlewellan.

Project: Bottom bracket removal

Apparatus: Striking hammer, hacksaw, screwdriver, vice

Methodology: Lock the frame in the vice, saw furiously, and then hammer for all you're worth until the darn thing finally releases its grip.

Et Voila!

Introducing... Sheldon Brown

One man, one bike, and only one gear. Sheldon, a self-made icon of singlespeed cycling, is one of the heavy-hitters urging you to dump the gears and go single. Don't know the guy from Adam, but does he look the part, or WHAT?!!

More fun and nerdship at www.sheldonbrown.com.

(Tango and Cash are not responsible for the content of external sites, including the alarming facial hair or decorative motifs of other cyclists)

January Caption Competition Results

Molly the Cat and Mr Anonymous are the winners in the caption competition for January! The prize - an evening hanging out with with Tango and Cash - may be redeemed at a time of mutual convenience. All the entries can be reviewed here.

Amongst all the hurtful personal abuse, these 2 stand out as beacons of obnoxiousness:

Molly the Cat said...
Rick began to wonder if there was a typo in his Jim'll Fix It request to 'work with Seamen for the day'...

Anonymous said...
1. Tosspot
2. Teapot

Kirroughtree 13 Jan - Gone With the Wind

It was blowing a bit; well, blowing a LOT! But as long as the boat got us to Scotland, frankly my dear, we didn't give a damn when it would get us home.

When we arrived in Stranraer, the weather was so bad, we didn't know whether we were coming or going, but at the harbour we were inspired to press on, safe in the knowledge that plenty of work was going on to ensure the continuance of the human race, should we falter.

Davy was, as usual, quickly into his stride on the trails, setting the early pace, but it was not long before William 'Narls' Barkley found his old MTB feet after a few years of exile in the wilderness of tarmac racing (snigger).

Paddy's lapdance at the first break did little to arouse the interests of Rick and Stevie, so he got nothing more down the front of his cycling shorts to keep that pair of socks company. Not to be beaten, Paddy let his northshore skills do the talking from that moment forth.

There was chemistry in the air, though, as Alan and Jonny5 found common ground, sharing their experiences of full suspension with each other, into the wee hours. Inseparable they were. It was as if nobody else existed - beautiful to watch.

Stevie's contribution to the day consisted primarily of the cruel goading of his fellow bikers. Here, in a rare shot that shows that Stevie has pitched over the bars himself, he shows his distaste at valiant Jonny's efforts on a particularly challenging section of the black route. But then he flashes that old cheeky grin, and it's all friends again - ya gotta love the guy!

Last laugh in this chapter was Jonny's, though - Stevie eats Jonny's dirt here, and not for the first time. More newsworthy than that however was a moment capturing Phil on the bike, actually cycling along; no punctures, and before the bike had chewed all his clothes off him.

On rushing back to get the boat, cancellation of the sailing forced the team to spend the night holed up in Stranraer, city of dreams. Phil had so much cheese on his pizza, it was nearly up to the level of his sense of humour, and Jonny5 and Davy seemed more tired the next morning than they were just after the biking - go figure! Yes, those single beds HAVE been pushed together.

Zzzzzzzzz...

Hotting Up for Adventure Race on 27 Jan

2007 is upon us, and Tango & Cash continue their cross training programme in anticipation of the disciplines to be expected at the next CCAR Real Cycles adventure race in Castlewellan, 27 January. For 2 months now, the running and kayaking training have been 'starting tomorrow'.

Top 3 from last event: The Dash Test Crummies of Damien Gribben and Rory Finlay will be baying to secure back-to-back victories, having triumphed in the last race in Banagher. The form team appears to be the veteran O'Hagan brothers under the guise of Team Purple Helmet, having held aloft their magnificent trophies at last weekend's Trailquest. Rowan and Mac of NotTheSundayRun are a dead cert to zig-zag their way along faster than anyone else, navigating their way once again to the upper echelons of the leaderboard.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the day!

Anyone for Turnips? Turkey Burn That Never Was

It was a dark and stormy night; and it kept going for the whole following day, 27 December 2006.

Our ambitious and exciting Mourne Epic plans dashed in the teeth of the gale, Tango & Cash and posse were beaten back to where else but Mourne country's The Turnip House, just up from Trassey Car Park.

Lemon drizzle cake, hot chocolate, home-made hats and (albeit lacklustre) turf fire were a handsome alternative to cycling across the mountains in the wind and rain.

Smokin' the Trails

Following the worst January forest fire in County Antrim in 100 years, a scorch-damaged Tardree Forest provided the perfect backdrop to close for Christmas 2006, for Tango & Cash et al.

Biking, cider, biking, Chinese food, biking, and still in bed before midnight - perfect.