Networking

I spent this evening surfing the net getting connected with new and old friends in the biker world. And what a world this is! I got hooked on following links to new links to new links… I had planned to set up the “To Do-list” and make some kind of dinner but some how I never got there. (I did have some gazpacho and biscuits during the evening, so never mind). I hope that this will results in new visitors to the blog – Welcome! Follow me on my adventure. I happily receive comments in English, Swedish and Spanish.

Now I’m off to bed, but first one last thing. Just because I love pictures – this is my Ducati parked for the first time, on its now usual spot, here in Alcobendas.

August 2010 - new bike on the block
August 2010 – new bike on the block

 

Happiness

I do think that one post is plenty for a day but I just have to share the happiness I felt riding out today. Surprisingly enough, I tend to forget just how much I love riding and how happy I feel about my bike.

Even refueling makes me happy. Even though the price for petrol has gone up lately and it’s now crazy expensive, I feel happy filling up my Ducati because it meens I’ll have lots of fun.

I rode up to El Escorial this evening, for no other reason than to look at the castle from the distance and turning towards Madrid. I didn’t even stop, the ride is everything, the destination means nothing. On my way, I choose M-618 passing Hoyo de Manzanares. It’s a twisty park road that probably suits my pushbike better but I love to ride there because of the scenery. (I don’t actually like hairpins). I wish that I could have captured the herd of goats that passed the road shortly before I could stop and take this picture but it wasn’t possible to put the bike down safely.

Hoyo de Manzanares
Hoyo de Manzanares

On my way back, the sun was setting and it reminded me a lot about Swedish summer. My fingers were getting cold so I switched on the heated grips. After a bit I noticed that actually I didn’t noticed anything… broken 🙁 An anoying end to such a lovely ride, but to be positive, there is a lot of things that would cause greater trouble if they were broken. So, forward to To-Do list: check if heated grips can be fixed.

To not end this post on a negative note, I add a beautiful view 🙂

Madrid view
Madrid view

Getting ready for bike 2011

For me getting in shape for beach season has always been less interesting than to get ready for bike season. Strong back and arms makes me able to enjoy long rides, even on a Ducati Monster.

But this morning I woke up in pain. I have a lingering back problem caused by a combination of being tall and working with small children in an not very (at least for me) suitable environment. Normally I keep it under control by regular visits to the gym, but lately nothing seem to work. It’s hard to say if the solution is to rest or exercise more… but since resting is boring I took my pushbike for a spin in the morning and at least the pain didn’t get worse. Tomorrow’s doctor’s appointment is going to be interesting. I hope we can find a solution.

Although this is a problem to consider I wouldn’t let it interfere with my travel. I just have to adjust my plans to physical conditions and allow shorter riding distances. Later on, I’m going to ride out and see how I feel, but at the moment I’m happy to await the temperature to drop below 30 and sip ice coffee in the studio. I’m going to work on the blog a bit and provide my travelling plans and some personal information.

my work space
my work space