Planes, Trains and Automobiles

A bad travel day today, trying to get to Podgorica in Montenegro. Bad fog ultimately meant an 8 hour wait at Heathrow. I did get on one plane bound for Vienna but we were 45 minutes late boarding and I had a tight connection with no later flight if I missed it. After a bit of discussion with a helpful lady from the ground staff I did get on the plane on the assurance that it would take off sharpish. It didn’t and they subsequently announced a further 20min delay so I asked to get off or “de-plane”. It took a while but they eventually let me off and the same helpful lady escorted me back landside through passport control. I had been advised by the passenger next to me on the plane that if I could get to Belgrade then there were plenty of ways to get to Podgorica by plane, train or car. I found a Belgrade based plane option with JAT (Yugoslav Airlines apparently) and Montenegro Air. I booked my ticket, checked in and they immediately announced a 2 hour delay. There was still time to get my connection as this route entailed a 3 hour wait in Belgrade anyway. Once boarded, the captain announced a further 1 hour delay and I decided to give up and go home. It turns out JAT are not as accommodating as Air Austria and as we were negotiating my "release" the captain decided to leave the gate and taxi somewhere to wait for our departure slot in the hope of leaving earlier. No chance of getting off now. I am not sure if I will make my connection to Podgorica but an interesting car or train journey is anticipated. The upshot is I have had some time to update my blog – after another inexcusable gap.

STOP PRESS: We left Heathrow earlier than anticipated and I am now in Belgrade. The last flight to Podgorica leaves in 30 minutes and I am all set.

I was given a stern talking to by a policeman for taking this snap but it did tickle me.


The cycling is going pretty well, I have been on a few long rides recently on the “Mean Machine” and my average speed is pretty high. I managed 32km/h on my ride into work on Tuesday which is good for a 70Km ride. I have also managed to get in some Mountain Biking recently which has been a nice change and added some much needed variety to my biking. I entered the final race of the Saddle Skeddadle MTB Spring Series with Ben. It was a lovely day, sunny and fresh and there was a great turn out (84 racer in our “Fun” category and maybe 500 across all the categories). The start was delayed by 40 minutes due to a bad crash in the previous race and that may have contributed to a pile up at the start of our race. Consequently I was baulked and got off to a slow start. The course was quite technical and being amongst the back markers meant there was a lot of waiting behind slower riders. I managed to gain several places every time the course opened out and also on the hills but the going was always slow. I made 30th which was disappointing but I guess OK considering I did a 90Km ride the day before. I think if I enter a faster category next time I won’t suffer behind slower riders. Ben did really well and finished strong, he seemed to enjoy it and looked tired at the end, he suits the technical routes more than the fast routes as he is small with good handling skills.

I have also completed my 2nd Open Water swim of the season, and more impressively I made it without my swim buddy Tony, I cannot motivate myself to go swimming and for me to get out there without Tony badgering me is quite an achievement. I managed an easy 800m in 19 minutes which is actually the first time I have swam more than 100m without stopping. I felt pretty good at the end and not too tired. The time was too slow but am sure I can up the intensity and keep it going for the full race distance. The guys who run the place are very friendly, they remembered my name and were chatty which was great, I shall definitely be going back once or twice a week through the season, even if I did get a sinus infection and have been unable to breathe through my nose since!

Back on the theme of Mountain Biking. I took Ben down to CwmCarn on Sunday so he can do his downhill riding with friends. There is a broad range of people participating in downhill from teenagers (Ben is at the younger end at 14) to middle aged guys. I am continually impressed with the height the riders get when coming over the jumps and the speeds they attain on the descent. I and another “driver” did a couple of loops of the Cross-Country trail during the day whist the kids “Rocked Their World”. I was happy with my comparative strength on a very technical course especially on the climbs which were tough over damp roots and stone. The downhill sections were a bit hairy and I was pleased that my self-built hard-tail steed stayed in one piece. I am sure I shall be going back again this summer once I give in to badgering from the kids.

The view from the top: