Got something under your skin, want to get it off your chest and let other people know about it, let us know and we'll post it here (and it doesn't have to be about MTB).

Fatties

Recent reports suggest that fatties are at least in part responsible for global warming and when you stop to think about it, that makes sense. Your average fatty consumes up to 30% more than an avaerage person.

So what I hear you say, well think on dear Holmes, that extra 30% has to be grown or manufactured, then transported to the said fatty! And then we have to transport them around. Next time you're paying an extra £20 for that extra kilo of luggage, spare a thought for the fatty in the queue who is getting to carry 20 or 30 kilos extra for free.

And not only that, our national health service is having to invest in bigger ambulances and bigger beds, not to mention the extra burden on the health service from obesity related illnesses. Now whilst smokers and drinkers go some way to offsetting their health service costs with penal taxes, food in the main is tax free. Oh and one other thing fatties can get tax help to lose weight!

So what do we do? Do we hug a fatty? No simply pick one off the street and ask them along to your next ride! I know how it can creep up on you, I was in danger of joining them until I got on a bike and rode!

The death of Mountain biking

I’m starting to feel the glory days of mountain biking are coming to an end, especially for the enthusiasts among us who enjoy the ethos of “get out and ride”.

True, you can get into your car, drive for a few hours and get to a trail centre, Wales, the Peaks etc that will spoil you for thrills and spills, but grass root mountain biking, the part where you can get on your bike and ride into the local countryside is dying a horrible death, this proves especially sensitive in the South East. Land that was once accessible is now being bought up by private investors, or turned into wildlife sanctuaries where dog walking and horse riding is allowed, but cycling is seen as a sport where, apparently, letting a gang of gun wielding terrorists would be less intrusive.

The government is all for improving cycling in built up areas, but when it comes to recognising small groups of people who have been riding in rural areas for a long period of time, they are completely powerless to change landowners or so called charity organisations minds on access for cross country riders. Even riding bridleways, the few that exist in our area, are totally unusable for most of the year thanks to those horse riders.

As space is taken away from recreational mountain bikers, the more conflicts that will arise, leading to mountain bikers being branded near on criminals for so called illegal riding.

In this age when everyone is harping on about obesity, climate change etc, etc, why is the humble bicycle being ostracized so much?

Car Drivers

What is it with these arrogant muppets? Give them a car and they think they're in a Sherman Tank. Only the other week as we passed a parked car a BMW came behind us and honked it's horn as if we were in the wrong. Well I'm sorry Mr Muppet but we have as much right to the road as you.

Then, then, then, last week a woman parks across my drive to pick up her lazy kid from Beacon. I try to turn in but she just backs up a little to make the walk for her kid 2 yards less. I gesture that she winds her window down but she mouths an obscenity at me and gives me the finger. As luck would have it the local PCSO was on hand so I've reported it to her.

Needless to say there is help in the form of this website:

http://www.operationcrackdown.org/

The Operation Crackdown website is operated by Sussex Police and it's aim is to bring to the Police's attention anti-social driving. My understanding is that the driver in question will get a visit from the Police in many circumstances. May the Force be with you.