Sitting At Home While Others Ride

For a number of reasons over the past 12 months I've been unable to ride when I've wanted to. Broken bone. On holiday. Stag do. Wedding. Family commitment. Work responsibilities. No wheels.

This weekend's excuse though is perhaps most frustrating of all. I've got a cold.

If only it was as simple as Steve Taylor's reply to my text saying I wasn't riding this weekend: "Shit bags. You should shake it off like us Northerners do, no messing".

Alas, I am Southern and feeling like I do, I just didn't reckon it was a good idea. Dirt, dust, coughs and snot. Not a fix that equals a fun weekend for anyone involved.

The reason I'm classing the cold as more frustrating than a broken bone or work responsibilities is that there was so much building up to this weekend and the first round of the NPS 4X.

Firstly, Mike at Dialled sent my new holeshot frame to my work address, where it teasingly sat for 2 weeks waiting to be built (more bloody work responsibilities stopping me from doing so):

Following that Simon sent me my new Revell wheels.

In the end they all found their way home with a little help from a rucksack and some carpet tape. Just call me MatGyver:

Over the following week I put the bike together. Helped Chris Roberts at NPS 4X put together the 2007 site. Had fights with Nikon about getting my camera fixed in time for shooting the new season. And arranged Europcar transportation for the weekend with Andrew.

Everything was in place...

Friday morning, after about 4 hours of cough fitting sleep, I awoke full of phlegm and feeling like I'd been beaten up with bats. Big ones.

I called Simon to say I wasn't in a good way. He replied with a tempting "but you've got to come to see this" picture of his new frame. I returned the gesture with a shot of my complete Dialled, all dressed up with nowhere to go:

Now the poor bugger's just sitting in the cellar (I couldn't stand the way it kept looking at me):

Shit bags.

So here I sit, thinking about practice and gates. Wondering what picture opportunities I've missed; Who will win Elite; If Beth and Toni will enjoy the indoor; If the 4 moto system will give everyone a good run for their money; And if this was my last ever chance to ride the indoor??

Sitting at home while others ride, sucks arse.

Hope all who made it this weekend have a good one.

Roll on Chicksands.

Mat.