Comment
By TMX Archives on 12th Jan 04
But worst of all was the WRF launch just before the Chrimbo break. I'm only an occasional rider these days so the bike fitness isn't really there but six hours in the saddle in the Welsh hills damn near killed me. But worst of all was the WRF launch just before the Chrimbo break. I'm only an occasional rider these days so the bike fitness isn't really there but six hours in the saddle in the Welsh hills damn near killed me. Back in the day (see!) I could do that every weekend - sometimes even twice - without any ill effects but the aftershock of this latest test has been pretty dramatic. I only fell off a couple of times but even now, three weeks later, my knees feel like a pair of rusty hinges and I can guarantee at least one rude awakening every night when I try to straighten my right leg in my sleep and the floating bits of cartilage lock it up. Still, looking on the bright side, I turned 34 in December so only another 31 years until I can retire!Aches and pains apart, the WRF launch was top, top fun. Our new tech editor Geoff Walker was on fine form (despite not having a smart new Fox enduro jacket to keep him warm) and pulled off a great slo-mo endo, Yamaha's Harley Stephens underlined his claim to be the Stoppie King (and slung himself across the frozen farmyard), Dylan Jones just looked like The King (ladies and gentlemen, DJ has left the barn) and it was good to see a couple of test riders - who shall remain nameless - tucking into dinnertime pints.And what about Geraint Jones? Geraint, who's been around for as long as anyone can remember, still has an unquenchable enthusiasm for hammering around the forests and fireroads. Even when he led us up a trail more suited to machetes than motorcycles he had a big grin plastered across his face - bloody sadist!And there's a lesson to be learned there. All too often it's easy to lose sight of why we ride bikes - sure, results are important and winning's great but 99 per cent of us are in it purely for fun. So balls to the aches and pains, daft dabs, missed minutes and soft crashes - go out and enjoy yourself in '04... Happy New Year!