Eurosport - Wed, 01 Jul 10:39:00 2009
HM Plant Honda rider and Eurosport-Yahoo! blogger Glen Richards has been maintaining his fitness despite the humid temperatures sweeping Britain.
I'm off to Glasgow now for a Superbikes demonstration in George Square.
Last year when we went up there it rained flat out; there is a forecast for a chance of rain on Wednesday, but we might get away with it. Despite the weather last year, a lot of people turned out.
When it comes to this type of 'meet the fans' events, it's all about what you make of it. At certain times you don't want to be thinking about demonstrations and that sort of stuff, while at other times it is more enjoyable.
Generally I enjoy them because I don't get chance to do it all that much, whereas if I did it continuously I imagine it would be hard work.
I'm travelling up in my van. I'm hoping to make a special stop, if we have time: we make an annual pilgrimage to Jim Moody's place - we call him General Jim - for a bit of mountain bike riding.
As a rider he was always the fittest around, so we go and test ourselves against him. He's got some property in Hamilton near Glasgow so we have a ride around his mountain bike track and motocross track.
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It's been hot this week but I've not been taking it easy. I've been training, running or mountain biking most days. I always like to keep in good shape.
We're coming up to the two most physical tracks on the calendar in Knockhill and Mallory Park, so that could be crucial.
For me though it's not really hot! It's just warm and sticky. A lot of winters I get back to Australia for the summer there. In South Australia, where I'm from, it's a dry heat. You can't go outside or you burn within 15 minutes!
I enjoy the British summertime. The long dark nights in winter can get you down, but the long days in summer are fantastic. It's a fantastic country at this time of year.
I'm looking forward to Knockhill. The Snetterton results were atrocious but our race pace was good. Others may not know it from watching, but I know it and the team know it, and that's all that matters.
I'm due for a good one. We've done a little work on the engine and we're getting there now. The bike has got so much power; some teams are trying to add power, but we're trying to take some away to make it more friendly!
I like going to Scotland: it's one of the drive-away meetings. You do that a lot in Australia, although further afield.
The track is small but they put on a good show and lots of effort, and there are lots of friendly people up there.
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The Pirelli tyres have taken a bit of getting used to this season, but it was more the power of the bike that I had to become accustomed to.
The tyres have been very good. A few years ago Pirelli had a bad reputation in Superbikes, but at Snetterton they were fantastic.
A lot of people used to highside on the last chicane there, but not now. They are doing a fantastic job in all conditions.
British Superbikes from Knockhill LIVE at 12.45pm on Sunday 5th July on British Eurosport 2 (Sky 411 / Virgin Media 525); Also available on your PC via the Eurosport Player - click on the link under the picture to subscribe
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