Christian Iddon: BSB Column

The BSB season’s not too many weeks away… and it can’t come quick enough for Iddon.

I’m writing this from the comfort and warmth of a Spa hotel. It’s not a usual type of place for me to frequent but this trip is a very welcome gift from yet another birthday (yes, they feel like they are coming around that quickly) I’ve just had.

Since the number of years I’ve been on the planet has started with a 4, I’ve been becoming increasingly aware of my body changing. My nose, eyebrows and ears now sprout hair like it’s growing in a tub of crack fertiliser, and I’m forever chasing the removal of greys by getting the barber to start my skin fade higher and higher in an attempt to hide the expanding patch of colourless hair on my temple. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, I know I need more sleep than ever and my mornings pre-coffee are a bleary-eyed wander down struggle street.

Physically, however, I feel as strong as I ever have. I honestly think I have the same energy levels as when I was in my 20s, and apart from perhaps 2020, in which I was for some reason in full beast mode, my numbers (on the bicycle) are some of the best I’ve ever seen. However, that need for sleep, that colour disappearing and that hair growing in obscure places are all horrible little hints that no matter how good I feel on the outside, internally things are happening. Things I cannot control and that are only ever going to continue to deteriorate.

As I feel as good as ever, it’s not currently an issue but it does bother me because my body is starting to drop little indicators that one day I won’t be able to do the things I currently am, and that is upsetting because quite frankly I’m not ready to stop the life I’m currently living. This might all sound a bit deep but it’s not the end that I fear, more the bit in the middle. I’m terrified of not being able to live my life to the fullest.

Anyway, for those wondering if I was happy to have another birthday then I believe you now have the answer but what I am very happy about is being here in this Spa enjoying the warmth because this winter the weather has absolutely sucked, and whilst training my knackers off to offset that ageing process, due to the freezing conditions, those knackers have at times looked like a set of icicles with two peanuts on the end.

I don’t know why but every year I forget how short and cold the winter days are (probably another sign of my old age), and every year I’m reminded that apart from the sporadic snow day, I am definitely a summer kind of guy.

Living in the Northeast we get some of the harshest conditions and, unfortunately having not long moved house, my home gym has migrated from a nicely laid out, plush warm room based within my house to just having an exercise mat laid out on the concrete floor of my double garage, accompanied only by my turbo trainer. It’s pretty bleak going with temperatures up here dropping to -9 at times lately. Training is never much fun but even less so at the moment.

As some of you know I also do some track-based work for a bike manufacturer and this is the time of year when I get most chance to do a bit more of that side hustle but also at this time of year, It’s an extra bleak task.

In truth the track-based mileage isn’t all that bad but every now and again I’ll do a bit of road mileage with a journey home and back to bump up my earning potential, and my most recent effort at this was something of an ordeal.

After a day on track, I was handed the current bike that required some road mileage. She was a beast of a bike boasting a single cylinder 250cc engine capable of about 65mph downhill with a tailwind. As much as it was a long jaunt home, although horrendously cold, the trip was uneventful, but I wasn’t keen on getting that cold once again on the way back into work the following morning.

In order to be at work on time for the track mileage stuff, I have to set off by 4am but I woke early (yes even earlier) as I knew I needed to make myself as warm as I could on the 4 hour ride to work. I couldn’t sleep well as my mind was racing thinking how to keep my hands warm and I came up with the idea of making some handguards to keep the icy wind off my fingers. When I finally got up (at 3:30) I quietly (to not wake the fam) set about scouting the house looking for things I could make into these handguards.

There was nothing obvious but eventually I raided the recycling container and found some packaging from a Buckaroo set and an empty box of cheerios. Armed with some scissors and a roll of parcel tape I did my very best Blue Peter job of fabricating some handguards (all done in zero degrees and pitch black) but eventually it was done after much fumbling my masterpiece was ready.

Very impressed with my own work, I geared up and wheeled the bike out on to the road before turning back to close the gate. As I turned, I heard a funny noise and as I looked back around to see if I had dropped something out my pocket, my eyes were met with the sight of my trusty bike laying on the ground.

It had rolled forwards down the slight slope just off my drive and fallen clean off its stand. It was a sorry sight, dipped beam making an eerie glow in the morning freezing mist on the ground and through my ear plugs I could just about hear the gentle chug of the underpowered engine struggling to stay alive. I lifted the bike back up but that was something of a struggle as the bike had buried the left bar triple clamp deep into the mud which had also absolutely destroyed my Cheerios hand-cover.

Anyway, with twisted bars, a clutch lever bent up like a pretzel and now with just the single sided Buckaroo box hand protector, I was ready to start my journey and some 4 hours later, I did make it into work even if I did have a frozen left hand (and peanuts).

Despite all the cold weather being a bit of a downer, I have thoroughly enjoyed this off season and time away from the bike. I’ve had some amazing family time and my son is starting to get a real enjoyment out of bikes. I get to take him down to the local park and on the ramps and it’s just ace to see the enjoyment he gets from two wheels. His enjoyment is so untainted and pure, and it makes me so happy to see, but I’m now ready to get back into some riding action myself and for this weather to warm up just a touch.