After a week of solid rain and impending manic depression, the heavens finally cleared for my first ride of the last three months and the last in Taiwan this year. At last, Taipei seems back in balance once more (endorphines well and truly kicking in at this precise moment as I type).

The doctor pronounced me fit to ride again, and although I was taking it easy on some of the really rough sections it was amazing to get back into it again – especially on a new bike that feels as smooth and controllable as the one I now have.

For those that are interested, I also splashed out on a trick new fork yesterday to replace my Fox F100 RL that came fitted as standard equipment (and was a rather camp shade of creamy white). The new Talas is fully adjustable on the fly from 100 to 140mm and it just soaks up the action (and, critically, the gun metal grey really looks so so much better – I am a designer after all). It is also an amazing feeling to enter a climb section, flick the lever to 100 and feel the front end gracefully dipping, and with a second flick of the lever fire down the downhill with the raised bar and slacker head tube angle giving more confidence than I would have ever imagined with the old Rock Shox Pilot I had (which seemed to have a set of internal elastic bands providing the spring duties).

I’ll be taking my old NRS back to the UK to ride and sell (after a quick clean), but it was nice to have my final weekend here back on track. There is surely some glorious riding to be had in 2007.

Previously in ER … you can see a wee crack in the middle of the big bone on the right, just at the wristy bit (spot the Doctor!)