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7.15am [bleepbleep][bleepbleep][bleepsmack] Cool. Half hour. Hangover check? Negative. Good. Just rest eyelids. They have to stay open all day after all. Not an easy job.
7.35am Bugger. Buggerbuggerbuggerbugger! 10 mins!
7.36am-7.37am: Panic. But lie in bed and do it. With eyes shut. They need to stay open all day after all. Not an easy job.
7.38am Move. Move. Move!
7.39am Brushteethwashfaceputonsuncreamand
deodrantfillbladdergrabguidebagGO!
7.45am Leave. Fast.
7.47am Near miss with Greek driver. Indicators seem to be optional extras on Greek cars.
7.50am Get to shed. Unlock. Look cool, calm and very collected. Sort out bikes and guests and get ready for the ride.
8.10am Leave for morning ride.
Currently it’s hot. Damn hot. The morning ride will normally be a quick paced ride for two or three hours, taking in a view or breakfast stop. We’ll be leaving pretty early to try and avoid the worst heat of the day. As the season cools these rides will start later and take longer, with some harder riding.
I’m working as a mountain bike guide for Neilson Active Holidays (www.neilson.com) in Nidri, on the Greek island of Lefkas. If you’ve been around the MTB scene for a few years, it may ring a few bells – it was featured a lot a few years back in the MTB press as a bit of a mecca, with rides such as the White Church being banded about in black and white. It’s a pretty good area to go riding – if dry, rocky, fast trails are your thing then this is your place.
9.50am Back from morning ride. No accidents – good. One broken spoke – not so good. Two punctures – bugger. That’ll be the morning jobs then.
9.55am Thank riders, go to morning briefing to sell the evening ride and day ride tomorrow before running over the road to get some bananas and a chocolate croissant. I’d normally try and get a coffee too, but everyone here drinks instant muck, so I’d rather go without. Do I sound snobby? Good.
10.30am Food’s gone. It was needed! Body starts to function properly, and I feel less like a gannet. Start checking over bikes. Must remember to order some more chains and cassettes. Nearly out of cable caps too. Try and hassle to get some decent ones this time – those cheap ones are crap.
10.35am Asked bizarre question about a Laser 1 mainsheet by a sailing guest.
The centre I’m currently working in is what Neilson call a Surf, Sail, Cycle centre – guests come here to windsurf, sail and ride bikes. I’ve also guided up in the Alps at their Alpine centres in Chamonix and Kitzbuhl, where cycling is a far bigger part of the programme (and there’re chairlifts! Whoo-hoo!). This is the third Surf, Sail, Cycle centre that I’ve worked in which gives me an idea of what the guest is talking about. So, consequently:
10.38am Sort out strange enquiry with the aid of one of the sailing staff.
10.40am Decide that more food is in order. Raid emergency food in guidebag.
10.45am Back to the bikes. Check blocks for wear, braking is easy, shifting is smooth and wheels are round. Also look for any damage from rocks on the frame and tyres.
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The bikes need to look good and, more importantly, work. They’ll normally be cleaned once a week, but I try and stay on top of the maintenance on a day to day basis. I worked full time in a Shimano Service Centre for 9 months after college, and still retain some of the skills to pay the bills.
My previous mechanical skills have proved invaluable, but what’s also been really useful is people skills – I worked in retail and as a lifeguard for a large part of my college life, where communication and first aid knowledge are important. I’m now working in a service industry again, and having to deal with guests on a daily basis. Any experience that you have rectifying on the spot problems and keeping people happy is probably as valuable as nine months monkeying in a bike shop.
11.05am Start work on a transmission problem.
11.08am Sort out two bikes to be taken out by guests. Give them a route card, riding pack, helmet, gloves and bike. Offer some information about what’s good for their skill level in the area.
11.15am Guests depart. Back to transmission problem.
11.21am Decide that more food is in order. Raid emergency food in guidebag.
11.54am Transmission sorted. Onto broken spoke.
12.23pm Why are these rims always such a pig to true?
12.31pm Arrrgghhh!
12.35pm Bugger it. I’ll sort it after lunch.
12.38pm Nip out of centre to go to net café.
12.45pm Check bank on the net. I own a house back home and need to keep on top of my finances.
12.48pm How the hell did that happen?
12.49-51pm Panic quietly, while looking intensely at the computer screen. Visions of a foodless week start to form…
12.52pm Realise that I’d misread it. Phew!
12.54pm Logon to my email.
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This is the best way I have of staying in touch with the outside world. Working a seven month season in an alien environment can separate you from the real world, real life and friends and family. I’m lucky in that I have a great family and bunch of friends back home in the UK – trying to stay in touch is very much a personal priority. Seasonal work can be very intensive timewise, and time alone can be a precious commodity, especially when around guests. You are seen to be on the job all the time, which in effect you are, so when staff are trying to hide an evil hangover or blatant lack of sleep (or normally both!) it can be very difficult, but also highly amusing. Fortunately most guests see it as part of the whole seasonal work ‘thing’ and will tease even more than the staff.
13.08pm Sent a few short mails – long ones can wait for my day off.
13.09pm Check Bandito website. Ohmygod. What has he done?
Bikemagic regulars may remember the Bandito Posse appearing from time to time on the forum. A few months back while I was in the UK, the Banditos with some money decided that it would be a good idea to design and print some Ts, promoting the Bandito ethic. Being the kind people that we are, we thought we’d offer them to Jo and Joanna Public as well. So I used my graphics experience (I was a graphic designer in a previous life) to put together some designs with the aid of Sally the fashion designer, and knocked up a website (www.banditoriders.co.uk) to parade our wares to the world. The renowned Duke O’Ginge has heroically stepped in to maintain and update the site as I’m working away, but I’m a perfectionist git and have to keep tabs on the website before sending hassling e-mails to try and keep it looking how I think it should be…
13.29pm Back at the centre. Picked up a baguette en-route. Sit, eat and read book for a few minutes.
13.45pm Quick staff meeting. Sit at back and make juvenile comments about sailors.
14.00pm Afternoon guest briefing. Promote evening ride and tomorrows dayride.
14.16pm Grab a sneaky nap.
15.32pm Come round. Remember that sleeping on a bench doesn’t do great things for your back.
15.33pm Move. Check time. Decide that more food is in order. Raid emergency food in guidebag.
15.38pm Not enough. Even more food is in order. Raid emergency food in guidebag again.
15.39pm There is none. Bugger.
15.40pm Run up road to replenish emergency food for guide bag. How much cheaper are jelly babies in the UK???
15.50pm Back onto broken spoke. Seems to want to play now. Maybe leaving it in a darkened bike shed over lunch has made it see the error of its ways.
15.52pm Now the little bugger’s trying to spite me. But I will true it! I will not be defeated! [evil genius type cackle]
16.01pm Success! C’est parfait!
16.03pm Wheel has gone totally out after stressing. Always have a problem with these bloody wheels. Bloody machine builds. Always have to tension them when setting the bikes up from new. Tiny braking surface. Big brake blocks. No oil on the bloody nipples. Mumble, grumble, moan…
16.04pm Patience. Deep breaths.
16.15pm Another go stressing.
16.18pm It’s stayed true. Ish. It provides a decent, reliable and safe brake surface, doesn’t hit the blocks and is well tensioned. It’ll work. Good. Happy bike guide.
16.30pm Get ready for evening ride. Bikes out, boots on, gloves, lid, bag and bins ready to go.
16.45pm Riders start materialising. Just like they do on Star Trek. Mmmvwoosh! (they don’t really – they just stroll over to the bike shed). Start setting them up to leave as near to 5 as possible.
16.52pm One of the bikes has a sneaky flat. Reinflate with track pump. It’s only lost a few PSI from this morning so it’ll be OK.
17.05pm Ride leaves. Easy warm-down tonight to get some ice-cream.
18.30pm Ice-cream fuelled ride returns. No major incidents. Good.
18.45pm Bikes and kit are away, shed is locked and I’m ready to leave.
18.55pm Back in my room. Roommate isn’t back yet. Quick flop on the bed before rinsing out drinks bladder and checking bag through.
19.03pm Shower. Bliss!
19.22pm Showered, dried and semi-clad. It’s good to feel the air circulate! Prep bag and kit for tomorrow, as no doubt it’ll be a mad rush for the door. Again.
19.40pm Up to kitchen to make food. Normally pasta, sometimes rice. Always lots of it. Sometimes it’s shared and sometimes put some aside for lunch tomorrow. If nobody’s around I’ll sit and grab some reading time too.
Here in Greece everyone eats out a lot, as it’s almost as cheap as cooking yourself, especially as seasonal staff tend to get discounts at regular restaurants. The food tends to be pretty basic, but very tasty and plentiful, and it’s good to chill out at the end of the day with the other instructors.
20.30pm Off to the bar. There’s a few guys out tonight, so it’d be rude not to go and have a few beers.
21.45pm Onto the next bar. Cute barmaid. Mmmmm.
23.1?pm Some guests are in the bar – they get a few rounds in. What a nice bunch!
23.?? Ice cube dropped down back by cute barmaid. Cool!
0?.??pm The beer is flowing nicely, but being the diligent athlete that I am I make a conscious decision to leave the bar and get some sleep. The other guys are still here, and it’s looking like it should be a good night. The barmaid is in a very nice low cut top, which the beer is emphasising, but I’m trying my hardest to be a professional. The hangover check isn’t going to be negative tomorrow, but turning in now should help minimise it. I’ve ridden with a hangover enough times to know that it isn’t fun. Or safe. And my body is a temple. Albeit a slightly overused one with a slack caretaker.
??.??pm Get in. Pretend I’m sober. Brush teeth. Wash face. Time to rest eyelids. They’ve done a good job today. Stayed open and everything. Well done. Not an easy job…
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