About me

My names Pete and for the last couple of years have put on a few extra pounds around the old and tired gut. My goal is to lose those few pounds.

I am 45 and work as a retained firefighter in the beautiful Oxfordshire Cotswolds, my primary job is at a power station.

From teens I was a road race cyclist with Birkenhead north end cycle club on the Wirral progressing onto motocross and enduro racing with the Wirral hundred motorcycle club, I started climbing in my 20′s and spent most of this time in North Wales and the lakes climbing to grade E2.

This led me into my Instructors summer certificate for climbing, caving and orienteering in the mid 80′s which I completed at the Dartmoor outdoor pursuits centre in Devon.

At this time I also started mountain running and competed in the Ben nevis race and some smaller local races at Moel Fammau in Clwyd North Wales and the odd half marathon.

I started back on the bikes in 1989 when MTB was still a fairly new concept in the UK and I travelled all over Wales and the lakes biking some extreme off road routes that I am pretty sure you would not be able to go on any more.

Entered a few local off road races in Clwyd North Wales but was at this time more of a social biker, I did like the odd beer or 3.

Mid 90′s I travelled to Greece and worked as a divemaster for a SCUBA diving company on the island of Rhodes, I stayed for 2 years then moved down South to Reading having met my now wife in Rhodes.

Travelled the world in the late 90′s Visiting South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, then off to OZ bit of work then bought a dudey looking camper van and toured Oz across the great Nullabor desert more of the same in New Zealand camper vaning then Fiji, Cook Islands, USA ,LA to New York city and back home to settl with the missus in Witney West Oxfordshire. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witney) joined the fire brigade (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxfordshire_Fire_and_Rescue_Service)

Started back on the motorbikes and joined West Oxon Mag where I enjoyed the bike rallies, beer and live  music, I still have my Triumph T595 one day I may even start it up again?

And here I am trying to get it all back after a few years of boredom and laziness.

 

Oxfordshire fire and rescue

 

 

BA Course

 

 

Me on the left (Dive med 1995)