The team's last outing. Big beers are great...

All the boys.

Gavin. Looking pleased with himself thanks to the extremely large Corona there.

Alex plus one. Think she was a flight attendant.

I was getting quite excited by so many large beers...

Whilst Garth was taking things a lot more seriously as you can see. It's not all fun and games!

Out at the Arctic Monkeys, Sheffield's finest- lead singer was wasted- but managed to pull it off all the same. Well good.

And the last dinner. Sophisticated aren't we...

Good times in Southern California

'Shearers' and sunset in Mexico. That's a 'wifebeater' for the english amongst us.

Flags are big in Mexico, of course.

Three of us with Alex (our extremely generous host here in San Diego) outside a Californian institution (apparently.) Ask for the animal- its not on the menu- locals secret (and now team extreme's.) Hospitality all round.

Celebration shot at the border into TJ.

A road sign to prove we didn't just make a big flag and pretend we were in Mexico.

Gareth's chain broke again 8 miles shy of the border. Then his chain tool got busted. No problem- it's a team effort- so we hooked up some bungees and towed/pushed him the rest of the way. All that weight...

The Baywatch van. Where's the Hoff?

Look for me and Alex smashing a few chin-ups on Venice Beach. Showed the big guys how its done...

Anastacia in Ventura, CA- the greatest tourist information helper of all time. Sorted out all our problems, including sorting out Gav's lost passport, finding bike shops for Alex's bottom bracket, feeding us many many chocolates, and giving us all massage claws for those lonely nights...

Top Gun. Headed through a US army base just north of San Diego. Hit the breaks and they'll fly right by...

Linked onto the back of the peleton on the way into San Luis Obispo. Cruising along at 25mph (40 kph for australians) for 10 miles or so. Fitted right in. Easy.

Went to see the Arctic Monkeys last night- it were reet good, as they say. Pictures to follow, hopefully. Later all.

Done and dusted!!!!!!!!!!!!

A quick note from Team Extreme; After approximately 100 cups of tea, 18 keg's/kg's of porridge, 120 loaves of bread, 10kg's of rice, 20kg's of pasta, 8 jars of jam, 160 donuts, 15 punctures (mainly to Dan), 2 tyres, 1 rear wheel, 1 chain (Gareth), 1 bottom bracket (Alex), and bucketloads of sweat, Team Extreme finally reached the Mexican Border on Saturday 26th May after 42 days on tour and 36 days in the saddle. We are currently staying with a friend, Alex, top bird, who we met here in San Diego. She has been brilliant putting us up and giving us top notch San Diego hospitality. Photos to come in the next few days.
Enjoy

KIDS; DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME!

Results are in for the Donut Challenge (12 donuts) and the bookies were right on the money!
Gareth 18 minutes
Alex 19.37 minutes
Dan DNF
Gav DNF

Not much more needs to be said really. Two DNF's. Soft.

Dan piped up with this after it was over...... "I feel like I've let myself down, but there was no point going for third. Third is nothing."

He is right. Third is nothing - but a DNF is FAR WORSE! Better luck next time champ.

Gareth and I are animals.

Peace out
Westside

Alcatraz

It were reet good. Well interesting, and a top class sunny day too- who says San Fran is full of fog? Sight seeing is nearly as tiring as cycling by the way- it was supposed to be a rest day but we were knackered after tearing it up out in Berkeley...



And look what happened to Abell's back- what a fool!

Its amazing how stuff comes to light....

Good fortune often arrives in many forms. You can win the lottery, you could be given a free pack of donuts or you could end upstayin in the next campsite to a Calfornian Wine Merchant. Last night "The Tour" as it is rapidily becoming known had such luck. Several bottles (10 at least) of very expensive wine some costing in excess of $380 were consummed for free. Well done Dave and his Brazilian mates, Alex and Ciney! And word up as well to the Berkeley dudes!

The top photos show left overs from Gareth's evening on the good stuff not mine. Good fortune is great if you can handle it!

We were a bit worse for wear in the morning, but being the animals that we are, still managed to knock out 65 miles. You're not hardcore unless you live hardcore....

Look at this!

Click on the link below to see President Bush being roasted by Stephen Colbert at a dinner party. Neil Hudson (who we stayed with) showed us this and it's really worth watching. Apparently, Stephen Colbert hosts a programme where he comes across as being quite conservative in his beliefs (hence the invite to speak) and this is what the Bush administration were expecting in his speech. Instead, Colbert just rips in to them, and it's good to see the reaction of everyone at the event. The fact that he criticises the media, too, is interesting; although the event was recorded live, there was no mention the following day that it had even happened.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-869183917758574879

Yosemite National Park

We've had the past four days off. So to speak. I mean, it's not like we're at work or anything, but four days out of the saddle gives certain parts of your body a little bit of time to recover.

Anyway, we hired a car and drove to Yosemite National Park for a couple of days. It was absolutely stunning, especially with the snow-melt of the waterfalls adding to the whole beauty of the place. If you've never been, I'd strongly recommend that you visit before you die. You have to pay $20 to get in to the Park itself, but you can use free buses, and the management programme that is funded by your money would appear to be effective. Top place to spend a couple of days off.






Half Dome seen from a path, high above Camp Four.
















Nevada Falls




















El Capitan. Or 'The Nose' as it's sometimes referred to. There were several climbing parties on the face that we could just make out. We've circled one climber, although they're quite hard to spot. This face has been climbed in less than a day, although most people spend a night or two on their way to the summit.















A rate big waterfall, gushing over the top of a cliff. It was a noisy bugger, although to be fair, it did look quite spectacular.

















Another view of Half Dome, but this time in black and white. Check out Ansel Adams' photographs of Yosemite. They're nearly as good as the ones we've taken. Well, maybe they're slightly better...

Hospitality beyond belief.

Blown away by American generosity, we are indebted to John and Millie of Fairfax, CA, and Neil and Sofia of Oakdale, CA, who have very kindly put us up over the past few days and really helped us out. Here's a picture of us with Neil and Sofia. Neil's a professional photographer and Sofia makes the best omelette and fresh orange juice in the world. Fact. Our photo isn't quite up to their professional standards, but we did have a real one taken as well.

We met Neil when we were struggling to use the petrol pumps at a local station. Gavin asked him if he knew of any local campsites, but he didn't. Luckily for us, he offered us the best bit of grass in California, situated on his back garden. Plus, if you want a quality photograph taken, whether you're in California, the USA, or anywhere else in the world, I'd bet my last dollar that Neil's your man for the job. If Neil and Sofia's kindness is anything to go by, your photo will exceed your expectations. Another fact. Check out his website at:

www.nhudsonphoto.com



Alex, making himself at home at John and Millie's house. We were having lunch, when a fellow cyclist came over and mentioned his travelling, kindly offering to put us up, store our bikes, and even driving us somewhere so that we could hire a car and visit Yosemite. What a nice man. After arriving back from a weekend in San Francisco city, we came back to John and Millie's house to find that they'd gone away for the night. They'd very kindly left a door open so that we could stay the evening in the comfort of a lovely home. For those about to give up their homes, we salute you!

On the road again.

On the otherhand...

This is Dan, celebrating his 23rd birthday on May 8th, with a beer in hand and the wind on his back. Notice how he's still on his bike, in control, and only drinking in moderation. A perfect example of a modern and responsible young citizen. Unlike Gavin.

The evidence is there for all to see.

See that? That's Gavin's bike, somewhere along the Mendocino county coast line. He's fallen off in a drunken haze, just out of the frame. Drunks, eh?

An extension of the truth

As always Gareth's way with words sometimes is elaborated a little. In answer to his smart comments I'll leave with this picture. This is where most of his comments come from. gav

Alcoholics NOT anonymous

See the beer strapped to Gavin's pannier rack? While the rest of the team were performing basic mechanical repairs to their bikes and giving them a lot of TLC, Gavin nipped to the local Off-Licence and picked himself some Corona up. He then proceeded to ride around the campsite, necking his bottles one by one and shouting, "CERVEZA, CERVEZA" as he tossed empty bottles over his shoulder.



Gavin's taken fondly to swigging red wine straight from the bottle. And he's not sharing either. Although, to be fair, he probably looks more sober in this picture than I've ever seen him before.

The Australian

Taking advantage of happy hour after an extreme crabbing session. Took the barmaid's challenge to sink another of these with 3 minutes of happy hour remaining (after dinner so we were bloated as well.) Hardcore. Check out Alex's handle-bar 'tache- a winner with (some) ladies who think he looks like this guy- Dale Earnhardt Jr- he's a NASCAR Driver (that's the one where they just go round and round for ages...)



'Junior' is on the right.



Or is he the one here next to Gavin- you decide.... Gavin needs to work on his facial hair a bit though.



And here he is taking his bike to the 'restrooms.' Drive through facilities he says...

The west coast is massive

Donnuts and "wildlife" aside, we are riding through some of the most beautiful countryside I've experienced. Fantastic beaches, breath-taking views, sweaty ascents, and sweeping descents. The west coast is just stunning. The best thing at the moment is that everyone that we speak to simply tells us that the next section is even better. (Gavin)