PINT of Stella, mate!
18-01-2008, 06:20 PM
Today folks we'll be chatting with Bodin also known as 'The Man' in the XC forum, top geezer but I'll let him speak for himself...
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/taylorndt/bodin5.jpg
So tell us a bit about yourself.
Bodin Pollard, 33 (going on 14) years old, living in Melbourne’s western suburbs with a heavily pregnant girlfriend and two small dogs.
Occupation?
IT Manager. Love it, as it means I get paid to play with computers all day (i.e. surf Farkin all day), but on the other hand, it also means I’ve been stuck behind a desk my entire adult life, so I’m sure I’m aging prematurely.
So what made you pick Bodin as a username?
Well, it’s my name and I was fairly sure it’d still be free. I usually don’t have too much trouble getting email addresses, domain names, etc… I think it’s pretty funny that people use brand labels in their name (STP, Kona, etc…). It’s like they were convinced that they were going to ride the same bike for their entire lives(Easy there, tiger! :o– Pint of STELLA, mate!).
When’d you sign up with farkin and why?
Can’t remember the specific moment or reason, but my join date sort of coincides with the first enduro race I ever did – a 12 hour race here in Victoria. Another Farkin mod works here with me (LordNikon) and did the race with me, so he probably got me in to it – I have some vague memory of circumventing the process of getting Trading Access by getting LN to contact the Admins directly… glad those days are over and we only get perfect trading applications now… *clutches stomach while laughing at one’s own very special brand of dry sarcasm*
You appear to have a bit of a stable (all research done through gapethedang.com) tell us a bit more about your bikes. Any particular favourites?
I’m the FSR guy. Just ask Alchemist. I’ve tried fairly extended periods of riding on all suspension platforms and I always end up coming back to FSR bikes – regardless of whether they’re an old Iron Horse like my Pony, or a Specialized like my Stumpy.
The bike I miss most is my ’03 S-Works Enduro, because it took me to 4th place in the 2004 Simpson Desert race, but I wanted a slightly more nimble bike, which is where the 30th Anniversary Stumpjumper (also 2004) comes in. I probably enjoy it more than the Enduro, but I haven’t achieved as much on it.
Now, you’re the resident mod in farkin’s most mature and sensible thread (XC/Road/fixie) and you seem to have a penchant for insane enduro races. Any highlights so far?
Yep, definitely the 2004 SDCC that I mentioned earlier. I was the most over-supported rider in the entire field - 2 fully decked out Landcruisers carrying 3 mates and my sponsor made the trip as good as it could possibly have been and it was an absolute blast.
I was actually fitter than I realized, too, so getting 4th when I was only hoping to get somewhere near the top 10 (out of about 30-something riders) was a total surprise. The best moment (apart from finishing in Birdsville and getting completely spastic AND hyper at the same time on scotch and Red Bull) was sharing a stage victory on day 4 with the guy that went on to win.
After the race finished, we were driving along the route back home fairly slowly until my mate Peto woke up one morning when we were camping in the Flinders ranges and realized he was supposed to be back at work – in Melbourne – the next morning. So we did the last 1400km of the drive home in one day (20 straight hours of driving) with 3 blown shock absorbers, a cracked rear diff (the Simpson Desert is a fairly serious drive) and fairly high BACs, but we somehow made it in one piece.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/taylorndt/bodindesert.jpg
Got thirsty?
Are you doing the Otway this year?
There’s about a 1% chance. My girlfriend’s due to give birth pretty close to that exact date and I still have ligament damage in my shoulder from when I was hit by a car a few months ago, so riding for any more than an hour or two is a bit of a challenge for me right now.
I’d recommend it to anyone, though. I do a bit of work from time to time for Rapid Ascent (I’m their part time photo sorting bitch /model/crash test dummy) and the crew have put some serious work in to making this race the best 100km race in Australia.
If I ride, it’ll be the Shorty and I’ll just be hoping to finish.
Any scary ‘No shit. There I was, thought I was gonna die…’ stories for us?
Getting hit by a car while commuting home (in a clearly-marked bike lane) recently wasn’t fun, but I didn’t see it coming, so I had no chance to get scared.
The scariest moment I ever had was actually on a road bike on a long training ride. We were descending the road back down Mt Donna Buang and a mate of mine who can descend really well on road was chasing me, so I was letting it all hang out to keep ahead of him.
Having no descending skills, a blind left hand turn crept up on me too quickly, I rode straight across the apex of the turn and as soon as my tyres hit the gravel on the shoulder of the road, I was upright no longer… at about 65kph… wearing nothing but lycra… rag-dolling on gravel while my brand new custom Reynolds 853 steel road frame tumbled down the hill after me.
The bike didn’t end up too bad, but I was opened up all over the place, so my mates knew to get me on the bike before the shock set in and we managed to make it back to Lilydale Macca’s before I had to throw in the towel and catch the train home. I would have loved to have had a picture taken of what I looked like on that train – bruised, bleeding, white from shock and smelling like a McHappy meal (the guys had tried to cheer me up, but I didn’t like the toy).
I hear you’ll also be dishing out the cigars soon, how long until the missus is due?I take it you're pretty stoked but how's impending fatherhood grabbing you? Is it affecting your riding?
Missus Bodin (Suzie) has about 5 weeks to go. Suzie’s a very generous person and realizes I was a rider when she met me and that I’ll be a rider ‘till the day I die. She also thinks our baby is going to be a ballet dancer, so it shows that she’s sometimes grounded in reality and sometimes not.
Time for the old ‘3 places you want to ride before you die’ question (Whistler’s now been banned as an answer btw because it's a guarantee that it'll be up there)
1. Well, let’s call it “Tweeter”, then. Just cuz everyone else wants to go there, it doesn’t mean I can’t. I’m an individual – just like everyone else.
2. La Ruta – Riding across Central America looks like an unreal adventure.
3. A TDF “Highlights” route – some mates of mine have done various classic TDF stages like Mt Ventoux and, while I’m not a roadie (I’ve never done a road race and never will), I’ve spent a lot of time training on the road and can appreciate good tarmac tracks.
So, what’s your favourite tipple?
Beer. On a hot day, there’s nothing like going home, taking a beer from the fridge and sticking it in the freezer with your favourite beer glass for 15 minutes and then drinking it fairly quickly and feeling your brain relax and your whole body cool down from the inside out.
Which beer? Dunno – there are so many I love and so few that I don’t. I went skiing with a mate in NZ a few years ago and the only thing we ate for 7 days straight was the complimentary breakfast, because we only had enough money for a pint of Guinness at the bar each night, so I guess you could say my favourite beer memory is Guinness-related.
Favourite bar(s)?
Anywhere I’m seeing good live music. Music is the only reason to go to bars. With all the bullshit fights/stabbing/mayhem that goes on at drinking establishments these days, I don’t do out just to get pissed any more – I’d rather have people I trust over to my place so we can drink in safety.
Are you a fan of listening to tunes whilst riding? If so, what’s normally on the Ipod.
Riding is religious for me, so I don’t want any kind of noise piped in to my ears to pollute the experience. It’s also bloody dangerous to not be able to hear what’s going on around you. However, if I need to fire up before a ride, I’ll chuck some Foo Fighters or Tool on in the Yewt and I’ll chill out with Radiohead afterwards.
Fancy a random rant? Feel free to vent your spleen here:
The internet isn’t a competition. And neither is it an unquestionable, complete list of every fact in the known universe. If you’re driven to be on forums because you like quoting Wikipedia to win arguments that have nothing to do with you, then go and put all that passion towards doing something useful, like solving world hunger. Or just fuck off.
Who’d you like to see as a member of Farkin (living or dead – The dead ones can be re-animated a la Universal Soldier if need be)
Leonardo Da Vinci – we need somebody who actually DOES know how everything works to put engineering students back in their box.
Finally, what the hell does Gapethedang mean?
Nothing… and everything. Potentially. I was JRA on a really depressing training ride when I saw some graffiti scrawled on the back of a street sign. It wasn’t “gape the dang”, but it made me think “gape the dang” and I immediately felt better and had one of the best training rides of my life, so I just kept saying it and encouraging others to do the same in case it worked for them.
It’s just a random utterance that put a smile on my face and if it can do that for someone else, then it’s a good thing. And I like good things.
Cheers.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/taylorndt/bodin3.jpg
The man at rest...
Well, there you go folks. One of the most level headed and driven (riding wise) members so far. top bloke and -I'm happy to say- didn't shy away when it came to getting a round in...
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/taylorndt/bodin5.jpg
So tell us a bit about yourself.
Bodin Pollard, 33 (going on 14) years old, living in Melbourne’s western suburbs with a heavily pregnant girlfriend and two small dogs.
Occupation?
IT Manager. Love it, as it means I get paid to play with computers all day (i.e. surf Farkin all day), but on the other hand, it also means I’ve been stuck behind a desk my entire adult life, so I’m sure I’m aging prematurely.
So what made you pick Bodin as a username?
Well, it’s my name and I was fairly sure it’d still be free. I usually don’t have too much trouble getting email addresses, domain names, etc… I think it’s pretty funny that people use brand labels in their name (STP, Kona, etc…). It’s like they were convinced that they were going to ride the same bike for their entire lives(Easy there, tiger! :o– Pint of STELLA, mate!).
When’d you sign up with farkin and why?
Can’t remember the specific moment or reason, but my join date sort of coincides with the first enduro race I ever did – a 12 hour race here in Victoria. Another Farkin mod works here with me (LordNikon) and did the race with me, so he probably got me in to it – I have some vague memory of circumventing the process of getting Trading Access by getting LN to contact the Admins directly… glad those days are over and we only get perfect trading applications now… *clutches stomach while laughing at one’s own very special brand of dry sarcasm*
You appear to have a bit of a stable (all research done through gapethedang.com) tell us a bit more about your bikes. Any particular favourites?
I’m the FSR guy. Just ask Alchemist. I’ve tried fairly extended periods of riding on all suspension platforms and I always end up coming back to FSR bikes – regardless of whether they’re an old Iron Horse like my Pony, or a Specialized like my Stumpy.
The bike I miss most is my ’03 S-Works Enduro, because it took me to 4th place in the 2004 Simpson Desert race, but I wanted a slightly more nimble bike, which is where the 30th Anniversary Stumpjumper (also 2004) comes in. I probably enjoy it more than the Enduro, but I haven’t achieved as much on it.
Now, you’re the resident mod in farkin’s most mature and sensible thread (XC/Road/fixie) and you seem to have a penchant for insane enduro races. Any highlights so far?
Yep, definitely the 2004 SDCC that I mentioned earlier. I was the most over-supported rider in the entire field - 2 fully decked out Landcruisers carrying 3 mates and my sponsor made the trip as good as it could possibly have been and it was an absolute blast.
I was actually fitter than I realized, too, so getting 4th when I was only hoping to get somewhere near the top 10 (out of about 30-something riders) was a total surprise. The best moment (apart from finishing in Birdsville and getting completely spastic AND hyper at the same time on scotch and Red Bull) was sharing a stage victory on day 4 with the guy that went on to win.
After the race finished, we were driving along the route back home fairly slowly until my mate Peto woke up one morning when we were camping in the Flinders ranges and realized he was supposed to be back at work – in Melbourne – the next morning. So we did the last 1400km of the drive home in one day (20 straight hours of driving) with 3 blown shock absorbers, a cracked rear diff (the Simpson Desert is a fairly serious drive) and fairly high BACs, but we somehow made it in one piece.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/taylorndt/bodindesert.jpg
Got thirsty?
Are you doing the Otway this year?
There’s about a 1% chance. My girlfriend’s due to give birth pretty close to that exact date and I still have ligament damage in my shoulder from when I was hit by a car a few months ago, so riding for any more than an hour or two is a bit of a challenge for me right now.
I’d recommend it to anyone, though. I do a bit of work from time to time for Rapid Ascent (I’m their part time photo sorting bitch /model/crash test dummy) and the crew have put some serious work in to making this race the best 100km race in Australia.
If I ride, it’ll be the Shorty and I’ll just be hoping to finish.
Any scary ‘No shit. There I was, thought I was gonna die…’ stories for us?
Getting hit by a car while commuting home (in a clearly-marked bike lane) recently wasn’t fun, but I didn’t see it coming, so I had no chance to get scared.
The scariest moment I ever had was actually on a road bike on a long training ride. We were descending the road back down Mt Donna Buang and a mate of mine who can descend really well on road was chasing me, so I was letting it all hang out to keep ahead of him.
Having no descending skills, a blind left hand turn crept up on me too quickly, I rode straight across the apex of the turn and as soon as my tyres hit the gravel on the shoulder of the road, I was upright no longer… at about 65kph… wearing nothing but lycra… rag-dolling on gravel while my brand new custom Reynolds 853 steel road frame tumbled down the hill after me.
The bike didn’t end up too bad, but I was opened up all over the place, so my mates knew to get me on the bike before the shock set in and we managed to make it back to Lilydale Macca’s before I had to throw in the towel and catch the train home. I would have loved to have had a picture taken of what I looked like on that train – bruised, bleeding, white from shock and smelling like a McHappy meal (the guys had tried to cheer me up, but I didn’t like the toy).
I hear you’ll also be dishing out the cigars soon, how long until the missus is due?I take it you're pretty stoked but how's impending fatherhood grabbing you? Is it affecting your riding?
Missus Bodin (Suzie) has about 5 weeks to go. Suzie’s a very generous person and realizes I was a rider when she met me and that I’ll be a rider ‘till the day I die. She also thinks our baby is going to be a ballet dancer, so it shows that she’s sometimes grounded in reality and sometimes not.
Time for the old ‘3 places you want to ride before you die’ question (Whistler’s now been banned as an answer btw because it's a guarantee that it'll be up there)
1. Well, let’s call it “Tweeter”, then. Just cuz everyone else wants to go there, it doesn’t mean I can’t. I’m an individual – just like everyone else.
2. La Ruta – Riding across Central America looks like an unreal adventure.
3. A TDF “Highlights” route – some mates of mine have done various classic TDF stages like Mt Ventoux and, while I’m not a roadie (I’ve never done a road race and never will), I’ve spent a lot of time training on the road and can appreciate good tarmac tracks.
So, what’s your favourite tipple?
Beer. On a hot day, there’s nothing like going home, taking a beer from the fridge and sticking it in the freezer with your favourite beer glass for 15 minutes and then drinking it fairly quickly and feeling your brain relax and your whole body cool down from the inside out.
Which beer? Dunno – there are so many I love and so few that I don’t. I went skiing with a mate in NZ a few years ago and the only thing we ate for 7 days straight was the complimentary breakfast, because we only had enough money for a pint of Guinness at the bar each night, so I guess you could say my favourite beer memory is Guinness-related.
Favourite bar(s)?
Anywhere I’m seeing good live music. Music is the only reason to go to bars. With all the bullshit fights/stabbing/mayhem that goes on at drinking establishments these days, I don’t do out just to get pissed any more – I’d rather have people I trust over to my place so we can drink in safety.
Are you a fan of listening to tunes whilst riding? If so, what’s normally on the Ipod.
Riding is religious for me, so I don’t want any kind of noise piped in to my ears to pollute the experience. It’s also bloody dangerous to not be able to hear what’s going on around you. However, if I need to fire up before a ride, I’ll chuck some Foo Fighters or Tool on in the Yewt and I’ll chill out with Radiohead afterwards.
Fancy a random rant? Feel free to vent your spleen here:
The internet isn’t a competition. And neither is it an unquestionable, complete list of every fact in the known universe. If you’re driven to be on forums because you like quoting Wikipedia to win arguments that have nothing to do with you, then go and put all that passion towards doing something useful, like solving world hunger. Or just fuck off.
Who’d you like to see as a member of Farkin (living or dead – The dead ones can be re-animated a la Universal Soldier if need be)
Leonardo Da Vinci – we need somebody who actually DOES know how everything works to put engineering students back in their box.
Finally, what the hell does Gapethedang mean?
Nothing… and everything. Potentially. I was JRA on a really depressing training ride when I saw some graffiti scrawled on the back of a street sign. It wasn’t “gape the dang”, but it made me think “gape the dang” and I immediately felt better and had one of the best training rides of my life, so I just kept saying it and encouraging others to do the same in case it worked for them.
It’s just a random utterance that put a smile on my face and if it can do that for someone else, then it’s a good thing. And I like good things.
Cheers.
http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h34/taylorndt/bodin3.jpg
The man at rest...
Well, there you go folks. One of the most level headed and driven (riding wise) members so far. top bloke and -I'm happy to say- didn't shy away when it came to getting a round in...