Should Bison roam wild in the UK!

Okay a slightly odd title - but at least it made you click to read!

Keep up the tradition of giving machines names - our car is a Citroen, which is French so he's called Lemon of course. The other car also a Citroen but she has a lovely curvaceous dashboard so she's called Pippa (Middleton of course). So when I got my new bike he needed a name, a name which sums him up in one word - but I first I needed to get to know his personality.

Powerful like a bull & fast like a hare, perfectly at home on road, off road, paths & bridleways - through fords, streams & puddles. Mud and grit as well as tarmac. Infact he is happiest when covered in dust and sweat. Above all he is dependable, strong & he never gives up even when I'm flagging in this heat. Oh and it's a Boardman so his name has to start with B.

My fellow bloggers may I introduce you to BISON ..... My Boardman Cyclocross Bike. (alright alright I know this one doesn't have pedals on it!)

So I've been donning the lycra of late and doing some of my commuting on my bike because I know its going to make me a better runner and help with the training for my HM in October... (gulp).

Over the last 16 hours (well actually riding home last night and back in again this morning). me and Bison have done a total of

4 ride stages

3hr 56mins in the saddle

Covered 78.2 km

and burned 3,233 calories..... that is 5 bottles of red wine... Bring it on!!!!

I've lost weight, getting slimmer for a summer in shorts and t shirts that never used to fit & I now have calves and thighs of titanium rather than just common steel - Oh and bulges that I didn't even know were there. With Bison's help I feel powerful and strong, and more able to deal with what life throws at you .....

I still ride along the canal towpath as it's my goal that one day soon I want to be running the full 21km from Hebden Bridge back home. Because when I used to do shorter runs I didn't know what was further on till I've started riding & seeing it makes me more determined to run it.

So it's on with the running and riding then find a nice lake to leap into after the ride and complete the training for my first triathlon... Happy days

Happy Running all

[Tomas Graduate]

Love the post

I'm with you on the naming thing. Our caravan is Catie Caravan, and the car is simply "mum's Mazda". I should come up with a name for my bike... a name that brings images of standing still in the garage with dust slowly covering it

[Hidden in reply to Tomas]

Well the bike has now got to be called Usedto.

Usedto be unloved

Usedto be unridden

Usedto be covered in dust

Usedto cry in the garage all night......

How could you?

[spoonierunning Graduate]

My bike is named Emily. But then I got my new clio (when I say new I brought her in 2007) and decided she looked like an Emily as well. My previous Clio was named er Clio and I had a KA named baby bubble. Of course I fondly remember my first car Krischoff

[Hidden in reply to spoonierunning]

They can both be called Emily, well Emily and Emily II .... Sounds like krischoff has some stories to tell ...

[ju-ju- Graduate]

Wow impressive stats for you and Bison... Great post too and well done on all the cycling that's great fitness. Loving the titanium calves and new bulges

My car is called Sven and he's a dirty Skoda, the other car is an Audi called Dave. It gives them a personality when you give them a name....good luck on the HM I'm sure you'll be fab, and have fun with Bison!!

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

I used to have a Skoda too, Octavia estate called Stanley, he took us to Cornwall, down near Helston and Hale. A great car. And our neighbour was Dave, a bit of a wimp.

And yes, I've now got very hard legs, which will help with the running. Just hope they're not to hard.

[paul2014 Graduate]

Great post and great looking bike

[Hidden in reply to paul2014]

Thanks Paul, just imagine it with a bit more crud on it and that's what mine looks like now...

[misswobble Graduate]

I would call the bike "Clint" It looks more like a Clint than a bison, which is hairy, heavy and cumbersome. Clint has chiselled good looks!

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

I love Clint, as in Mr Eastwood, very chiseled. But in reality a bit old and a bit past it now. So Bison, still powerful, yes hairy but not too heavy. Mainly chosen for their strength and stamina.

[MrsSparkle Graduate]

I do like this post, and I am most impressed by the muscles Bison is creating for you. Mine are still a bit of the jelly type, I'm not sure what comes after jelly, but I along way from steel, never mind titanium.

My car is a black Nissan Note that I got in March and i love it. After much discussion with daughter, we decided on Toothless after the dragon in How to Train Your Dragon. It sums it up perfectly!

[Hidden in reply to MrsSparkle]

I love train your dragon, wouldn't it be brilliant to fly with them really??...

We all have jelly legs, or like mine on Thursday, when i was shaking like a sh!tt!ng dog, worse than jelly, but afterwards they are now toned and getting better every ride.

[misswobble Graduate]

My car is panther black! Old but solid. A bit like me.

[ju-ju- Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Perfect... Not old and solid but sleek and powerful with added wisdom... X

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

And with miles comes experience too, well said panther

[Hidden in reply to misswobble]

And it does the miles, and adds the smiles. So what, my Citroen is 11 years old. Still gets me there

[Beads Graduate]

I was going to say I know of a lake you can go swimming at, but then I clicked and searched for Hebden Bridge, I'll rephrase it: If you fancy adding 300k to that 78km then I know of a nice lake you can swim in at the end!!!

[Hidden in reply to Beads]

300k is doable, might take a couple more days though. Bit I would love lake swimming.

[OldNed Graduate]

My bike is called Claud, because he's a Claud Butler! Doh!

[Hidden in reply to OldNed]

Claud is also good, so long as she gets to cover the miles with out giving you too much grief.

Always wondered what those boys on specialised bikes call Thiers though

[Mamma_Mia Graduate]

Great post Matthew .... I'm with MissWobble on the name though

I got a new car earlier this year, a blue Dacia, and she's called Bluebell/Bluey ... not very imaginative in our house are we?

Which way do you go on the towpath, onto Tod or Mytholmroyd? Only ask as it's a part of the county I know reasonably well as my late grandparents lived in 'Royd!

[Hidden in reply to Mamma_Mia]

Well names only come after you get to know them machines.

I live in Brighouse, work in Burnley, so the ride in too work is tow path all the way, Brighouse/Copley/Sowerby/Hebden. Then train to Burnley.

Home run is a fast 28k Burnley to Tod then onto hebden mainly on the road.

[Mamma_Mia Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Nice places to ride Matthew! My most abiding memory of that towpath is the field on the Sowerby side of what used to be Caldene Clothing's shop (opposite Ewood Hall Ave) where one year our grandparents took us to a Gala where there was pole vaulting across the canal! Didn't see anyone make it across though, and the people coming out of the canal were exceedingly muddy

Haven't been up there for a good 7 years or so now - remember me to Royd and Hebden next time you go through will you please?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Mamma Mia