Author Archives: Roads

90. Iberian chains – Tierras del Cid, Spain

Posted on 20 June, 2005 | Leave a comment

As we swoop down through a turbulent and thundery Madrid sky, the brown and dusty fields rising to meet us already tell their tale of a dry Spanish spring and the early summer heat. The weekend has just begun, and there’s no better way to leave long hours and weeks in the office behind us as we drive northwards from the city, through the busy Friday night traffic towards the looming grey shadow of the Sierra de Guadarrama.

sierra-de-los-cameros-iberian-chains.jpg
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Posted in 2005, A1 - the best of roads of stone, geology, life and times, music, Spain

89. You’ll never walk alone – Liverpool in Istanbul

Posted on 27 May, 2005 | 4 comments

steven-gerrard-liverpool-champions-league-2005-istanbul.jpg“We love you, yeah, yeah, yeah”
– Daily Mirror, 27th May 2005

A bright spring evening in England. It’s a perfect time to be outside.

And yet, strangely – the streets are deserted. On my drive home across the Surrey Hills, the roads are as empty as I can remember.

And then I do remember – it’s the European Cup Final.
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Posted in 2005, football, life and times, music

88. The Perfect Race – Sebastian Coe, Florence 1981

Posted on 17 May, 2005 | 7 comments

sebastian-coe-ovett-cram-olympics-los-angeles-1984-london.jpg“World records are only borrowed” – Sebastian Coe

How do you define the perfect race ? Personal best ? Even pace ? High-placed finish ?

If, like me, you run races at different distances, then they can be hard to compare.

How can you measure your best ever marathon against your fastest 5 km ? They are such totally different challenges, with one run so much more slowly than the other.

Fortunately, there are rules and equations to tell you which of your races, run at any distance, represent your best performances. Here’s a calculator which works out just that.
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Posted in 2005, A1 - the best of roads of stone, heroes

87. One morning in May

Posted on 6 May, 2005 | Leave a comment

Another morning in May, and another General Election. It’s over, for four more years.

bluebells-newdigate-surrey-chris-denchfield.jpgThe people have decided that Labour should live on, with a massively reduced majority and around fifty fewer seats. The Conservatives have recovered some ground in the south, but anti-immigration policies and negative campaigning proved no springboard for a return to power.

The Liberal Democrats made gains, in Scotland, northern England and London, but nowhere near enough to change the face of British politics. But ten more seats or so just aren’t enough, and as the electoral gift of Iraq recedes in future, it’s harder still to see how their real breakthrough will ever come.

The message from the Labour grandees this morning seems to be a recognition that they need to listen to the people more, and adapt. Why this simple dawn revelation required a good kicking to materialise, I’m not that sure, but perhaps that’s why I’m not a politician.
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Posted in 2005, life and times, politics

86. Running in the election battlegrounds

Posted on 3 May, 2005 | Leave a comment

With just two days to go before the election, I spent this weekend touring the constituencies. Four hours hacking up the golf course followed by a five mile run in Conservativeshire, and a twenty mile cycle ride around a southeast marginal.

Maybe this wasn’t the most comprehensive of opinion polling operations, but there’s every chance it’ll be as reliable as many. It’s been a tricky election campaign to judge, and I suspect that even the parties themselves are uncertain exactly how it’ll finish.

blair-bush-iraq-war-general-election-2005.jpg
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Posted in 2005, politics

85. A homage to London’s Gherkin

Posted on 22 April, 2005 | 8 comments

It’s easy to forget, when you live and work around this great metropolis, just what a marvel it is. London is at least 2 000 years old, and yet continues to metamorphose in front of our eyes. It’s a wonder to me that the views of London are so varied, so constant, and yet so changing – with the seasons, the shade of light, and my own life’s perspective. And on a grey Tuesday morning in April, I stood in the City and wondered all over again.

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Posted in 2005, A1 - the best of roads of stone, history, London