grayskullduggery

• Ha,there ur summer!fantastic ride this AM after being laid up the last couple days w/ stomach bug.Waterfront was teeming with ppl this AM #
• El Camino's mexican in Kingsland for dinner, yum – love Mexican food. Another fantastic night here in Auckland too. Yeeee haw. #
• Auckland anniversary w/e, rode the packed waterfront this AM now off to the seafood festival,yum. Another awesome day here too #
• I favorited a YouTube video — Tomcraft – Loneliness http://youtu.be/nEROOmxXnfc?a #
• New blog: Cycle Lane Petition – Lake Road, Takapuna – sign now, ASAP, hurry up even….. http://brendan-gray.com/wordpress/?p=967 #
• Off to Woodhill mtn biking this AM, first time in nearly 4 months! Need to get out there more often #
• Got vampire fangs & a super numb face. #
• loved the Winter X Games 14 coverage on ESPN. unprecedented proper sports coverage in NZ. Shaun + Josi goin off in the pipe #
• Commando's on TV, quality. "I had to let him go…" pity it's past my bed time, oh yeah… thx god for Sky+ #
• Lookin forward to riding the new bike tomorrow…. #
• Just taken Harvey mtn biking @ woodhill. He's a natural #

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Lake Road Petition

We need to make a final push with the petition as another 500 signatures are needed by 8 Feb. Please get one or two, or even three, more people onto the online petition. Family members (kids ok), work colleagues, friends, whoever. Anyone from the Shore or Greater Auckland (Lake Rd is an arterial route and part of the Regional Road Plan), who has not signed already.
Why the hurry? We need to present the petition to the NSCC Infrastructure & Environment Cttee (which includes transport, cycling etc) on the evening of 9 Feb. Council officers will present a report recommending that the cycle lanes be left as is and they need the petition as support. The chairman, Ken McKay keeps saying that the council “cannot ignore the views of 2,700 people” from the anti cycle lane petition and we have to send a clear message to the council that there is a lot of support for the lanes, more than the antis. So far, we have about 2,700 names (2k online, once the double ups are deleted; 730 from our own efforts circulating the petition at events). We need to get well over that 3,000 mark.

Please forward this email or get onto the petition online and get the names of those who haven’t signed in there: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/lakeroadcyclelane/

• off wakeboarding again b4 work tomorrow, then down to Huntly for the day….???? tryin to figure out how to squash in a 2hr ride also? #
• Looking forward to the sleep in tomorrow till 6.30am. Ah, blisssssss #
• On the ferry to Devonport,finally got my ass into gear to ride to work since moving jobs to the shore. 2.1km drills swim sesh this AM too #
• Waiting to see Dr Jesus Dentista…. Uh oh #
• anyone want to house/dog sit in Mt. Eden for the weekend 30th April for 3 nights? #
• I favorited a YouTube video — Shaun White double mctwist 12 http://youtu.be/CHUMoFcZgJ0?a #
• At Garrisons pub, Sylvia Park to catchup with The Weeman Show – One night only #
• Man, what the hell happened to summer? #

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• I'm wicked and I'm lazy Oh…..don't you wanna save me #
• RT @nitro_circus: Check out video of Travis Pastrana's new years eve jump here: http://bit.ly/8z7hzT #
• Anyone know why Skycity only advertises movie times 2 days ahead? VERY frustrating. #
• Off to see Avatar 3D, finally #
• WTF,it's still dark @ 5am. Must be too early to be up for a ride,surely? Don't call me Shirley! #
• Can hear the Big Day Out from my house. Mosh pit in my front yard, keen? #
• Man what a hot day. Great afternoon in the pool @ my aunties cooling off, just what the doctor ordered. #
• Not a bad morning, 5am start-2 & a bit km swim in the pool then wakeboarding off Taka beach b4 work.ahhh this is the life. #

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• any triathletes leave T1 w/ their Specialized S-Works shoes (Boa) clipped in? How easy do u find them to get into VS Spec Trivents,etc? #
• Stuck inside @ work on a glorious sunny day, esp now the winds finally died. Hope it holds off for Saturdays race. #
• Thought u might all like to know I have a pimple inside my nostril – it's eye wateringly painful. What's that, u don't care? #
• Trying to rationalise the amout of racing crap I am taking for the Tauranaga 1/2 IM http://twitpic.com/wyiqi #
• I favorited a YouTube video — The Team RadioShack Jersey Prototype Meets the Press w/ Lance Armstrong http://youtu.be/RrXeuyfuZ2M?a #
• phone just died as I'm about to drive to Mount Manganui till Sunday, so will be offline till then unless some miracle happens. ciao #
• It's a miracle!!! Phones back with the living. #
• 11hrs till Tauranga 1/2 Ironman race start, last minute prep goin down.winds up,damit! hopefully drops for the morning. #
• Man did that hurt. 5hr28'ish for Tauranga half. Slow, but not bad for being super unfit.nightmare swim,super strong outgoing tide #

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• A broken man after backyard cricket here in Whanga.Torn somethin in my shoulder (?) & infected leg wound.Y do I jepordise my rising career? #
• Happy new years from good 'ol NZ #
• Been@ A&E this AM for 3 stitches in the hand-surprisingly not me this time but another one of the crew. Luckily pretty minor cut from a door #
• Great day @ the beach http://twitpic.com/w6pxd now just been out stand up paddlin.great way 2 start the New Yr. #
• RT@shitmydadsays: "Universe is 14 billion years old.Seems silly to celebrate 1 year.B like having a fucking parade everytime i take a piss." #
• Top of Waitakes ride http://twitpic.com/wf5ir warning sign-3km steep incline,slight understatement. #
• a kid thought Harvey was a wolf on this AM's walk. Do all kids mistake Hairy Maclary for a wolf? #
• Yummy leg wound, well on the way to healing. http://twitpic.com/wgh1e #
• I favorited a YouTube video — Ironman Hawaii 2009 clip http://youtu.be/A0_IDIozt5Y?a #
• I favorited a YouTube video — Building the Team Radio Shack Trek Madone http://youtu.be/IuDjg3qpaQs?a #

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• Up early for ride,but last nites work dinner's not sitting well.It's not goin 2b a fun morning that's for sure. Where's those concrete pills #
• Harveys attending his first Homes by Legacy PCG mtg. He's taking minutes. #
• Finished work, off to Sale St drinks – whose keen? #
• RT @johanbruyneel: Nice piece on @fatcyclist and his @teamradioshack story: – http://adamsgroup.wordpress.com/ #
• Zzzzzz just leaving town after a big day drinkin with Adam. Youch. #
• Merry Crimbo. Surely it can't b Xmas day in Akl as it's warm & sunny with no wind-unheard of. So I'm off for a ride b4 bfast @ mums. #
• Off to work….on Xmas day #
• Gone fishing…. #
• Gone fishing http://twitpic.com/v6i9a #
• Big day,fishing,bike ride & run = shattered. Off 2 Whangamata tomorrow for a week @ the beach. Yee haw. #

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• I've officially pulled outta Ironman NZ next year. Damit. Oh well there's always 2011. #
• I love it when your osteo tells u to go home & have a beer as part of your post-osteo recovery regieme! Hell yeah #
• 6am swim squad doesn't agree with me #
• RT @WhistlerBlckcmb:Check out this amazing time lapse of Peak Chair Inukshuk by Dave Mossop from Rocky Mountain Sherpas http://bit.ly/74kdo5 #
• On waiheke island for xmas function.micro light just crashed 100m away. Westpac heli just turned up…and animal control??? #
• hahaha Taekwondo Monkeys Attack Trainer! http://tinyurl.com/ydh86od #
• Busy day-4hr training sesh,then chores, concreting patio + surround sound install.Now rushin 2 dinner @ Portofino w/ the crew.I need a nap! #
• Shouldn't you get a discount if you have to give the taxi driver turn by turn directions? #
• Another day of backyard concreting. #

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Well its been so long since I last posted here I totally forgot my password. oops.

Not sure where I last left all 1 of you, but the last few weeks have been crazy busy.

Started a new job, started a new company in fact. GG has kindly brought me on board to start up HBL, a volume affordable house building company. This is keeping me busy & very much out of trouble, to say the least.

I’ve managed to squeeze in a few races of late, but with very little training its not been pretty.

Beginning of November, BenM, Simon, Teresa and I tackled the K1 90km bike ride around the Coromandel. Well maybe I should correct that. Ben & Teresa flew around and Simon and I battled on to finish it. With cramps setting on and 50km to go I struggled around.

A couple weeks later and it was the Panasonic Peoples Tri at Maratai. Again very unfit so chose the sprint distance rather than the olympic thinking it would be easier. Hell no, the shorter race just meant you went a lot harder. I maxed out most of the way around the course, with BenD and I having a sprint finish. Killer.

A short break and then it was the round Lake Taupo 160km ride. What can I say, but that common theme of being well underdone. Regardless had a great first 70km or so with BenD & I flying past loads of groups till we hit the hills, and I forgot to refuel, paying the price on the last big climb around the back half of the course. Ouch. Got to the top and had a massive picnic feast to get me back on my feet again. Crossed the line with Ben in 5hr 30m.

Straight into the Tinman Olympic tri the weekend after and I just felt flat, empty and no power at all. Guess I’d overdone it with too much racing this year, a contrast to last years lack of racing. Oh well.

A couple weeks of reflection, and I have decided to pull out of next years Ironman. Not particularly enthused about the choice, but with a host of injuries and setbacks in the last few months lead up, coupled with me finally facing up to the reality that I need to put all my time & effort into the new venture, I feel its the right choice. There’s always 2011!!!!

I’ll still do the Tauranga Half Ironman on 10th Jan, and maybe a couple shorter races. But February is going to be full on with the first 5 houses starting on site in Wellington which will mean a lot of time in the Capital City to make sure its plain sailing.

Worst cramps of my life last 50k’s: http://tpks.ws/8tpv

av speed 25k total elevation gained 1k max speed 92k