Get your TdF fill of Phil for breakfast.

Cycling fans know the voice of Phil Ligget. He's been comentation on cycle races since I was a boy... and that's a couple, or three, years ago now :P

If you watch Tour de France on TV or DVD there's a good chance that you'll hear him and ex bike racer Paul Sherwen doing their famous double act. Phil has quite a few choice phrases: "The elastic's gone" when a cyclists just can't pedal any further and "He's dancing on his pedals in a most immodest way".

You can find a whole thread on Bike Forums devoted to his quotes here and a web site here.

But best of all there a web page, here, where you can listen to Phil's and Paul's, as well as cycling Photographer, Graham Watson's audio summary of easch days Tour de France stage. The files a short and load quickly.

Now you can impress all your cycling mates with... "That Ricardo Ricci is the new Marco Pantani" or I hear cadel (Evans, and Tour favourite) had a nasty crash"...

Posts are made each morning around 7-8am Fiji time.

Need a new tube...

How about one of these on every corner? It called Trek Stop. It's a bike parts vending machine (the one pictured is in Madison, Wisconsin, USA) and enables cyclists to buy parts like inner tubes, patch kits, water bottles and snacks.

Cool pix

I was looking for a pic just now and I came across this one. Cliff on a cliff doing the original "point". Location is the Nausori Highlands plateau above Nadi.

The Tour...

The Tour de France has been running for a few days and the most recent stage was a rare win for a britain. Mark Cavendish out sprinted the peloton to win the stage. Unfortunately no local TV stations are playing the Tour so I'll have to wait for the DVD.

Here's a quick video from a German movie about the Tour called Höllentour or Hell on Wheels.

Baba kau for breakfast

From Weekend Rides...

Great cycling food - Baba kau

One of our regular Sunday rides takes us past Akuila's farm on the way to Naqali. Akuila's house is half way up the steepest hill almost at the end of the ride, or correctly at the turnaround point.

The obligitory pic at the waterfall

We had a visiting cyclist from the USA and he said he'd like to get a bit of the Fiji experience and we organised for breakfast at Akuila's. Aquila's daughter, Ulamila, whipped up a good Fiji farm brekkie. Great food for cyclists... lots of carbs and liquids.

On the menu:
Drau ni moli - Lemon leaf tea
Baba Kau - A yeast based "doughnut"
Lolo bun - Steamed buns made with coconut cream
Panikeke - Pancakes

I'd like to say VINAKA VAKALEVU to our guest and all his cycling mates in Santa Rosa. He arrived with a suitcase FULL of cycling gear. Shoes, jerseys, pedals, cleats, gloves, shorts, jackets, arm and leg warmers.... heaps of stuff... We emptied the suitcase and the pile covered the back seat in my truck and two feet deep... this stuff will be well used and appreciated... Many Thanks

Bus strike clears the air

Got a letter to the editor pubished in todays paper. I was knocking back a double (espresso) after my ride to work and people I know kept saying they'd seen it in the paper. We had a bus strike, to protest rising fuel costs, and that morning the air was particularly pleasent as there wasn't the usual line of busses belching out black smoke.

Dear Sir

Bus strike clears the air

I feel sorry for all the people stranded by the bus operators strike. And I feel sorry for the bus and taxi operators as they depend on fuel to run their businesses.

But, I must admit the roads were clear the morning of the strike. Not clear of traffic, as the were more cars and taxis on the road. But, clear of black smoke that abounds at peak traffic hours.

One way the bus and taxi operators can save money is to ensure the engines are properly tuned. An out of tune engine is not efficient as it burns a lot more fuel. Fuel prices will keep on rising and some forcast $200 a barrel before the end of the year.

Maybe the Government could give a break to companies that can prove their vehicles are running clean.

Alternatively, cycle to work. It doesn't use any fuel, doesn't produce any exhaust and it keeps you fit and healthy. I've cycled to work for the past six weeks and the amount I saved could buy me a new bike.