Saturday, April 30, 2022

Calshot Veldrome

As part of Paul's birthday celebrations we went over to Calshot to have a go on the Velodrome.  Jez, Chalkie, Geoff, Ro, Muir, Paul, Simon, Me, Clive and Giles....The new Team GB? :-)
The first thing was getting used to the fixed wheel bikes and clip in pedals....
Then we were off.  Geoff on the banked turn....
We raced two at a time on opposite sides of the track...
That's me getting some speed on the wall... 
Great fun and a great experience.....and a few beers in Emsworth afterwards to recover.... Happy Birthday Paul.
 

Saturday, April 9, 2022

Chamonix Ski 2022

Me and Joe headed off today for our snowboarding trip to Chamonix.  Waving the white cliffs of Dover goodbye....
We stopped in Dijon on the way down and met up with the gang...  Salut :-)
Our Chalet in Chamonix, with the ever-present Mont Blanc in the background...
We went to Le Pub to watch Man City v Liverpool.  The 'Title Decider' finished 2v2.  It was happy Hour :-)
Back at the Chalet I cooked up a Veggie Chilli for everyone.   Tommy, Ellie, Debs, Tory, Simon, Joe, Me, Seth, Rosie, Nat, Paul George, Clive, and out of the picture, Lyzz, Fraser, Amelie and Finn.  Emsworth on Tour :-)
Out on the slopes at La Flege.  Joe's first day snowboarding on the real stuff.
Riding up the lift with Finn....
Rest stop for me and Joe.  Hot and sunny conditions...
Joe got the hang it pretty quick :-)
Apres Ski in the Monkey Bar.  Cheers....
Joe riding the log blues at Le Tour, with Mont Blanc in the background....
Meeting up with the gang on the slopes....
Me and Joe did the scary black run down from the top of Le Brevent.  Joe's first black run on a snowboard....
Me and Joe had a day off on Thursday to visit the Glacier Tunnel.   We took the cog train from Chamonix up to montenvers...
The Mer de Glace Glacier...
There is a cable car and 500 steps to get down to the glacier
This is where the glacier came up to in 2015 when we last came here.  There are another 300 steps down to where it is now...  
They have cut a tunnel inside the glacier....
The ice is very clear.  The stones suspended in the glacier would have been picked up by the glacier 3000m up near the Aig Du Midi and taken 300 years to move down to this point....
Inside a glacier :-)
To warm up afterwards we went for a luge in the sun....
That night we went for a big meal with the whole Emsworth Posse....
Rayner's pudding :-)
Last day, at Le Tour....
Joe and Seth....
Lunch in the sun....
Joe getting air on the last day....
Celebrating the last run down with a drink and a cake...cheers...
On the way back me and Joe had a stopover in Troyes.  We went to Troyes play Strasbourg.   Allez Le Troyes...
The Strasbourg fans were well up for it.  They are fourth in the league and going for a European place...
It was a good game and finished 1v1...
I think Troyes have a new fan :-)
Troyes town centre...
We had a very French meal....burger and Pizza :-)
What a fab trip.  Cheers everyone.  Already looking forward to the next one.