Summer is Over but the Fun Continues - El Verano se acabo pero la diversión Sigue

Travelling to the Canadian Rockies has been very spiritual, the intention was to visit friends and hang out but plans change and my new destiny was a town called Golden.
We have all been or seen the capital cities of Europe and other parts. there is no doubt that having a coffee in the shadow of Sydney Opera house brings forth a smile. History and architecture however interesting they are cannot capture the feeling of peace and wonder standing at the top of a mountain surrounded by beauty and to feel it beneath your feet.
El viaje a las Montañas Rocosas fue muy espiritual, mí intención era quedarme con amigos y disfrutar un tiempo con ellos pero los planes cambiaron y mí nuevo rumbo era un pueblo llamado Golden.
Todos hemos visto las grandes ciudades de Europa y las de otros lugares como Sydney y es cierto,  no hay duda que tomar un café al lado de la Opera house es para no perdérselo.
Pero lo que no puede captura la historia y la arquitectura es la paz de un lugar tan bello como el que hay desde la cumbre de una montaña y sentirlo por debajo de tus pies.

August 2,500m Glacier Park BC

Returning to Spain charged with this sort of energy put me in the more for action so I enlisted to compete in a mini triathlon in Benidorm. Running is a passion that has been with me for decades, but combining that with swimming and cycling was a new challenge. Road tyres went on the mountain bike and a wet-suit vest was bought and training started. If you have ever done some intense gym workouts back to back you will have some idea, but running out of the sea to get on a bike and race to the next stage, is by far the best fitness schedule.
The Sea was a bit rough and to be honest I was a bit worried as swimming is my weakest point. However once in the water with a hundred other people elbows and feet bashing together as everyone makes for the shortest route kepted me afloat.
Cargado con mucha energía en la vuelta a España estaba listo para apuntarme en el triatlón de Benidorm. Puse neumáticos finos a la bici, compre una camiseta de neopreno y mi fui a la playa a entrenar. 
Si has echo unas clases en el gimnasio aquí es como si hicieras tres seguidas. Sales del mar, coges la bici y después a la prueba final, a correr hasta la linea de meta.  Es una experiencia única. Aquel día el mar estaba bastante movido y si soy sincero me asustaba un poco porque la natación es mi punto débil. Sin embargo, con cien personas chocando codos para hacer la ruta más corta, me animaba para no hundirme.  

Oct 23rd Red Flags on the Beaches.

Volvo Ocean Race Started October 29th from Alicante and will visit 10 cities round the world over the next ten months. Today saw British skipper of the Abu Dhabi boat a 70metre ocean yacht take six points winning the first in-port regatta.  
Desde Alicante empezó el Volvo Ocean Race que tendrá diez escalas durante los próximo diez meses. Hoy ganó el barco de 70 metros de Abu Dhai con el patrón británico. El equipo lleva unos síes puntos de ventaja.

 On the 5th of November they will start the voyage down to Cape Town arriving in about twenty days.
El 5 de noviembre será la salida desde Alicante hasta Cuidad de Cabo, un viaje que durará unos veinte días.

When tyres Melt

Circuito Guadix.

Back on track with the TypeR Mini, Tim from DHS fights for grip as he makes his fastest time of the day 1.33.2. Along side him today were a few friends in Caterhams and the GT3 again was the fastest man of the day.

Guadix a few miles from Granada is a tight track that is designed to run in both directions though not at the same time as Tim tried to do after a spin.

¡Un trompo!

 

 

Slow in Fast out!

Ascari race track near Ronda, Malaga was host to the yearly event for the 103 Octanos car club. A mix of Machines from Nissan GTRs to Lotus 7s, Clios, Honda S2000 and the star of the day the TypeR Mini.

Bus gives birth to Mini

Tim Milne of DHS Sound and Vision, Estepona bought his ZCar last year an original Mini with Zcars proto-type sub frames and is still getting use to its 250hp at the back wheels. Weighing only 700kg and even with Avon slicks it is a hard car to control. The Civic TypeR engine and gearbox are mounted in the back and first and second gears a blocked off as they just spin the wheels.

After the morning sessions getting used to the many curves, corners and banking things started to speed up. Fellow racers in Caterhams, a true track car, were lapping in 2.42s and the fasted man of the day was a Porsche Carrera GT at 2.27. Keeping the Mini online and power down managed a respectable 2.47 lap before gearbox problems. Fitted with a limited-slip-dif finally seemed to cause some overheating leaving it stuck in third by late afternoon. That left only one thing to day which was to enjoy the beautiful surroundings at Ascari and watch some of the other cars finish the last session of the day.

Big car eats little car

Nice bird

Big Bird

So it was time to pack up the bus, the sandwiches, the jack until the next meet and remember the formula of 'slow into the corner means fast out'.

Duendes de Ciudad

Vuelta a ensayar; después de casi dos meses de descanso y tras grabar su nueva maqueta, el grupo Celta Folk de Castilla la Mancha demuestra que sus diez años tocando juntos valen la pena.

Duendes de Ciudad, ahora solo son los cuatro: Rafa guitara acústica, Busi en la batearía, Vocalista, gaita y flauta señor Raúl y el campeón bajista Vania. El lugar de practicas es en los cuartos subterráneos de Albacete un sitio bien escondida, durante tres horas los músicos practican sus canciones y melodías. El cotilleo entre ellos es los posibilidades a estar en los calles de Salamanca el próximo verano.

Get to the Church on time!

I have only ever once rushed to church and it wasn't a wedding. Today however I was up on a Sunday morning to get to Cathedral in Murcia.

Years ago I thought it would be good to go to Sunday mass my parents let me choose. I ran all the way there only to find out that it had started and they wouldn't let me in.

Today however we were going up the bell tower, to look down on the city. I was very excited and was nearly late due to miss reading directions. But enthusiasm takes over and well, as the old saying goes 'less haste..'

The tower like most was started in one century and complete many later, following the economic fortunes and fashions from the15th to the17th century.

Some great surprises awaited me, the gubbins from the clock were still in place and were only switched over to an electrical device post 1940

domed ceiling the key to the sound

The room that holds the clock was also designed with amazing acoustics; with your face in one corner of the room you can whisper and your voice travels up and over your head to the opposite corner and the person standing there can hear you perfectly.

The surprises didn't stop there on the balcony surrounding the twenty plus bells is a special platform that the archbishop used to pray for rain, a very important element in what is known as Spain's allotment - Murcia.

1903

My curiosity for religion is very little but the mechanics of how something works is always fascinating. The trip up the tower was a treat, there is also very old graffiti rather like you find in Luxor from a time when these place were accessible without permission. 

big key - big key ring

In the Dog House

Well as my good friend María tells me if you do anything bad this is where you'll end up! Yes you can take your smelly beast to the washing machine and it comes out looking new - or repentant.

Maybe it's a good idea rather than making a mess in your bathroom, but I'm not sure the dog deserves such treatment. I mean animals love without conditions and do things without preconceiving them. I'm not perfect either so if I do or say something that you don't like don't send me to the dog house before asking yourself if we are all perfect.

Dog Washer and Dryer

Moto2 Night and Day

I have Just visited the Valencia race track to get a feel of the new season's bikes and riders. Tom Jojic Chef engineer for the Tec3 moto2 team told me that the bike is basically a 120hp CBR engine put together by one company Geo-tec. Tom who spent many years with KR, Honda and many other race teams this time round has limited control of electronic settings. The bike has ten sensors that can give the team information to help choose the right settings. But as Randy Momola said in discussion, that there is less safety controls, if the bike spins the back wheel there is no assistance to stop it.
This is the age old argument about riders of the old school and the new era, who is riding, who is the passenger and when is safety more important than the racing?
It's true that if you stand on a corner as a GP passes all you can hear is the traction control cutting the engine in and out.


The as one Öhlins technician put it that there is always a compromise between, what the bike needs, what the rider wants. 'If tyres could talk' is one of Momola's slogans, Rossi's front tyre would be crying out 'easy on the brakes'.

All of these things affect the confidence of a rider. As Suppo head of HRC this season that riders always want the bike the competition has not because it's better but it seems to be.

Bradly Smith's Tec3

This weekend Bradly Smith was going through the motions with the Tech3 600, his work is not easy trying to get up the the same speed as those like his team mate that have been on the bikes a year. Bradly at twenty years old has the confidence that comes with his age. recently competing in an alpine triathlon coming just three minutes behind Jenson Button.  The next week of testing should see him move towards controlling the bike but it takes most riders some time. And a nasty fall like Aoyama's back breaking fall at Silverstone last year is a clear confidence killer.

It's clear that at what ever level you race it's harder than it looks but for sure the racing is much closer in Moto2.