Listen to the Prince

NYC fo life

November saw the opportunity for me to go over to stay with Dan in Brooklyn, I had ten days out there and I spent it trying to be a local. It was a fantastic stay, Warren and Hannah were out there in the first few days so we had a chance to catch up. The rest of the time I hung out with Dan and his friends, getting the odd tourist day in too, but with a twist.

I mananged to shoot one roll of film, I was happy with the pictures but I'm beginning to feel like I ought to get a digital camera, I will still shoot film but I think you get more flexibilty with digital in awkward condtions.


I would have been rude not too...

I'm currently on leave and it's cold and generally Sheffield, I'll be happy to be back in the Canaries in a few weeks but before I get there I've got plenty to get done here, I'm going to put a few updates of my exploits up, I promise.

Re-Union

What a great weekend. Enough said.

DC came back from NYC, everybody who is anybody was at Bolehills for a blast and a BBQ. The next few days were chilled with wakeboarding and hanging out watching Anvil. Rocking.

And I've got the corners dialed in at the lake, as well as the jump starts.


LOVE

Bolehills Forever

So I'm on leave at the moment so I have been spending all my time at the BMX track. We spent around a week rebuilding it making changes and extensions to the second and third straights. There's now a mad long step up at the end of the back straight and the third straight has been totally changed, it is now a deep leg hurting tech monster.

Anyway yesterday was the annual inter-uni varsity race which I rocked up to for a crack and cleaned up winning both motos and the final. I was actually pretty chuffed despite the fact that I won all my racing saying more than a little about the competition, must be all my pro sleep. Look at the AA focus in this picture leading out of the back straight...



Then to top this winning streak I managed to jump the step up into the corner after much trying and much squashing of all the jumps before, I do think it needs to be more floaty to stay with the vibe of the back straight though. It is a lot of effort for one jump, all be it a pretty good one.

So I'm off to my folks to get some more of my stuff to move to the new residence, Mulehouse Road. Plenty of RB.com prints to go up.

Later on

Worst Half Day Ever

Maximum jokes today. It has been mad week with a huge amount of effort put into getting our new engines running and aligned. So after said episode a much deserved half day approached, let's go to Calshot on the Ferry with the bikes we said. So we did. Anyway it was a massive mission, Marcin's bike kept being a tosser, the pump at the petrol station let all the air out of his tyre then after sorting the valve with tape his chain got wedged under his crank 15 minutes later. This was hassle. Also Calshot is 6 miles from the ferry and this is bloody miles on a bmx. So we got 45 minutes climb at a very reasonable £7.90 then had to sprint back for 40 mins to get the last ferry.

Like I said, jokes. Next week we'll go to the pub.. or maybe take the van. But probably we'll go to the pub.

Piste de Bicross

Well it's another year, another France roadtrip. Ever growing the 2010 trip was almost 30 strong with big players from up and down the country. It was pure jokes the whole time, even Jonny who ruined his leg on the second day kept the comedy alive. Fortunately I managed to get one photo of him before he binned it. I chilled on the riding but still got back in my groove fairly well with a good session at Montelimar as always, Carpentras was also sick with the third straight being pure flow with huge rollers pumpy jumps. I feel a spring trip coming on...

I head back to work tomorrow with some sort of comedy arrangement in the baggage department. I have my bike wheels strapped to my backpack and I'm going to carry my frame in an attempt to trick the underground and their no bicycles rule. Despite the comedown after such a super week it'll be good to go back to work, I'm looking forward to seeing the gang. Plus we'll be sailing again soon, this is what we do.

I'll leave you with the photo of Jonny. This berm is hard to air and this air is wild.

Shit me I'm writing in my blog

In typical Alec Townley blog style it is time for the annual post. I do believe I am now the only person reading this but I still like to write down what I've done, it's therapeutic, or something.

So wow it's 2010 and I guess 2009 has been a pretty super year, I mean really good. So many things got done now I look back at it, highlights included not falling over the side or getting dismasted on a three thousand mile sailing trip, having an incredible last year at uni living with the Beaufort Road massive, spending time, albeit too little sometimes, with a special lady and most recently finally for the first time in the past eight years no longer working in a shop. I'm now the 2nd Engineer on a tall ship called Lord Nelson, as it stands right now I feel like the year has been a success.

In other news I've taken up skipping in an attempt to claw back fitness that was severely lacking by the latter part of the year, working takes its toll and the time I used to have to do fun things to keep fit such as riding Bolehills slips away. This makes me sad, I just hope I can continue to ride as much as possible, even if it is only once a month.

Well the France trip is fast approaching and I feel like most of my blog posts revolve around this trip, I guess that's because it's the sickest trip anybody who loves riding push bikes and having jokes could hope to go on. DC is making the trip over especially and my buddy Pete is also coming. Combined with the regular stars I know this is going to be an epic week, enough love for the crew.


Early morning cuppa after a gale blew through over night mid Atlantic. Good times.

Time to move forward and be positive, pushing new boundaries and taking what I have learnt in the last year forward with me.

Respect x